#- ; Also gets easily worried for Woody because he's so small

[hxzelwallflower]

❝ Next person who puts Woody up in a tree is gettin' jumped . ❞ ❝ What part of "he's fragile" do ya'll not understand ?! ❞

[lfghughes]

Hi! Can you do a part 2 to the story when Nico is in love with Woody’s girlfriend?

a/n: oh i can definitely do that. you ask and you shall receive! also this definitely fed into my angsty mood today

You weren’t sure how you had managed to convince him but you did. There was a cute new girl at your job and you had thought how she would be perfect for Nico. After devising your plan you filled Miles in on it and he promised to bring it up to Nico. That’s how you ended up on this double date with your boyfriend, Nico, and your coworker. It had actually started off really nice. The four of you had done dinner and were still all chatting when all went downhill.

Miles was a good boyfriend but with how stubborn he was and you were, the two of you could get into arguments a little easily. You weren’t even sure how it had started but both of you ended up going outside to talk it out but it had only escalated. “If you’re going to act like this then don’t bother staying the night at my place.” You warned him and he waved you off “I’m not dealing with your dramatics tonight. Call me when you’re done acting like a child or don’t”

With that you watched your boyfriend walk away. This was how it went. The fights were not pretty and neither of you knew how to apologize. You took a seat on the curb, not wanting to go back inside and ruin Nicos date.

Nicos P.O.V

Nico had only agreed to this just because Miles had told him that his girlfriend had been so excited about this. He had no intention of it going past this date. The tension in the air now did not help when Miles and his girlfriend started arguing and went outside. Plenty of time had passed and he figured they probably had gone home so it was time for him to also just let her coworker down easily. “Hey, it was great meeting you but I’m going to be honest I’m not looking for anything.”

He felt guilty saying that but he didn’t want to waste anyones time. After they had said their goodbyes Nico had walked outside and saw Miles girlfriend sitting on the curb. “Hey, you okay?” He asked, worried. Where did Miles go? Why would he just leave her here? “No.” Her voice was small. Nico held his hand out so she would take it “I’ll take you home.”

“This is going to sound weird but can I go back to your place. I can sleep on the couch.” It was maybe a weird ask but he nodded his head. Here he was now driving both of them back to his place. Once he had gotten there he had led the way up to his apartment. “You can take my bed, I don’t mind staying on the couch. I’ll get you some water.”

Readers P.O.V

You didn’t deserve his kindness, you knew that. As he brought back the glass of water, you took a sip from it before placing it on the counter. All the emotions started taking over, the numb feeling drifting away as the sadness took over from the anger you felt earlier. You hugged Nico without even thinking about it and you could feel his body hesitate before his arms wrapped around you. “Hey, hey it’s okay.” He whispered to you.

The tears flowed from your eyes as he tried his best to soothe you. You weren’t sure what came over you but you looked up at Nico and the way he looked at you like you were fragile and that he would protect you caused something in you to shift and before you could think twice about it you leaned up to kiss him. It took a few seconds of the kiss before Nico had realized what was happening and he pulled away. “I’m sorry, we can’t do this.”

[bloodpacks-archive]

HOMES OF THE RFA (+V AND SAERAN) HEADCANONS

alright we’ve got zen’s bachelor pad first - generally zen tends to be a pretty minimalist guy with his house. part of it is honestly because he couldn’t really afford to completely deck out his house for a while, and now he’s just grown used to the look of it so he really likes having spaces that are a little less cluttered. the one exception to this, unfortunately, is his kitchen. he doesn’t use his kitchen often, and as a result, he often forgets to do his dishes until the end of the week. monday? that shit is spotless. his kitchen is cleaner than anything has ever been and the dishes are neatly put away. do not even look at that kitchen on wednesday. it’s become a disaster zone and he’s embarrassed. but once the mc starts to come by more, i think he ends up cooking for himself a lot more because he starts to realize that he actually really enjoys it. he loves being healthy, and now that he has the motivation to cook for himself (and her, of course), he starts to realize how much he likes control over what he eats. so now his kitchen is a lot cleaner bc it just has to be.

two different places for yoosung !! - the one on the left is yoosung’s dorm :) it’s actually really cool in there. he spends a lot of time in that little room, so he decides to invest a little bit and make sure that he’s happy with the place he lives. he likes alternative lighting (mainly because it helps his eyes a bit when he’s playing lolol) but also because overhead lights can be a little harsh for him, especially after a long day of school. when the mc’s there, he always makes sure that the lights are just right. it’s very common for both of them to fall asleep while the LEDS are still on, a movie playing on the projector he bought a while back. when he moves out of college, though, his house is a bit of a different story. he still keeps some LEDS and neon signs in a little gamer/office space, and for the most part he’s actually pretty neat, but his house can definitely get messy. surprisingly enough, the mattress on the floor is not for him. in fact, it’s for zen. he comes over so often that yoosung ends up setting up a little mattress for him so that he can stay over whenever he has drinks with him. the mess honestly isn’t terrible though, and he and the mc are both good about making it an organized disaster.

jaehee’s cozy little apartment - rather than art posters, jaehee actually has a lot of framed broadway and other musical posters on her walls. she branches out a bit from zen’s musicals over time, and she actually really loves decorating her home with something that she loves so much. she likes her small apartment, and it means that she and the mc are never really that far away from each other. she places her hand on the mc’s back whenever she squeezes past her in the kitchen, and when they have their coffee in the morning she can lean over and grab her hand during conversation. she always has candles lit, and she prefers really earthy and woody scents. tobacco is a common scent, but as is sandalwood. even with the candles, their apartment constantly smells like fresh coffee beans and sourdough bread. it is a very rare day if there isn’t dough rising in the window somewhere, and even rarer if there isn’t a baked loaf hidden away in the kitchen.

two homes for jumin as well !! - the first picture is of his penthouse when the mc moves in with him. she adds little throw pillows, some rugs, and some plants to his stupid penthouse and makes it feel much more like a home. he gets rid of that stupid circular bed the second he realizes that she feels a little cramped in it and upgrades to a beautiful king sized mattress. there’s about a million and one windows, and that’s actually something he really loves about the penthouse. so it’s really no surprise when he and the mc move a bit out of the city and they keep the big windows and the big open spaces, but make it feel like something that’s meant to be lived in. jumin discovers his love of wood and tall bookshelves with a mix of occult novels and old classics, and the mc convinces him to add a little more color into his interior. their new house has a big garden out back so he can still visit the roses (though they aren’t the same ones from his old rooftop garden, but he’d argue that he planted them with her, so they’re so much better). they built the house themselves so it’s perfect for them, and elizabeth the third has her own little space for playing.

hmmmm. saeyoung choi’s new home <3 - saeyoung eventually leaves the bunker. it’s a hard move, and it’s definitely not one he takes lightly (he’s used to moving, but not away from a place with so many good memories). but, he builds this new home from the ground up with the mc. he makes the plans and hires architects to help him, and he starts to fall in love with this new home even while it’s still a blueprint. he never gives up his complicated security system (the arabic dictionary really starts to feel heavy sometimes), but he does start to realize how much he loves windows. he still ends up getting them reinforced, but he loves the natural light and he actually really likes being able to see outside so easily. it’s a stupid thing, but sometimes the mc will catch him sitting on their couch and just looking out at the secluded little forest they ended up moving to, and he seems really happy. similar to yoosung, saeyoung cannot stand overhead lighting. at first, his solution was to just have no lighting at all, but one day he came into his office and there were these little lamps everywhere and they actually made his office feel a lot less daunting. ever since then, he’s started using lamps more often than the lights installed into his ceiling. he also says they help to reduce any sensory issues he might have from the light, which also means a lot less headaches for him. he starts to really love thunderstorms while he lives there, and so he and the mc always curl up whenever it starts to rain and they sit on the couch, watching as lightning cracks across the sky and counting the seconds until the thunder together. whenever it rains, saeyoung knows he can take a break from everything for a while.

jihyun kim’s beautiful little apartment - his apartment is tiny except for his studio. similarly to jaehee, he likes the small spaces because one, he loves how cozy is feels, but two, because it means he can reach out to his mc a lot more often. his studio, however, is the biggest and brightest space imaginable. all of his apartment is big on natural light, but he loves having a huge window in his studio because it means he’s able to see actual life even when he’s wrapped up in his work. it’s also big enough that the mc can sit in and watch him work without ever feeling like she’s in the way, which he absolutely loves. it’s really common for her to be sitting on one of his extra stools, flipping through some of the drawing drafts he’s made with delicate fingers. he’ll turn then, half-dried paint on his fingertips and go to kiss her. she’ll laugh when she feels the coolness of the wet paint on her cheek, and he’ll feel terrible about it, but there’s not many worries that can be had when you’re standing in the shine of the afternoon sun, surrounded by art that you’re proud of and standing in front of the girl who brought you back to artistry. as far as the rest of his apartment goes, jihyun is very particular about color. he likes things to look nice and he appreciates things to be very calming in nature. the green kitchen is perfect for him because of this, and everything is always spotless. the only part of his home that’s ever a mess is his studio, but he knows where everything is.

and lastly we have saeran’s little getaway :) - of course, saeran stays close to saeyoung. they both end up moving to a really nice, secluded area where they feel safe. even after the issue with their father has been resolved, both of them feel safer if they’re away from the public. this actually ends up being great for saeran though, because it means that he has access to so many plants. so many. he can walk though his pretty summer garden outside to get to his greenhouse, and he loves being able to tend to all of the flowers there. it really is something that’s calming for him. plus, whenever he walks outside he can see saeyoung’s house and he can be reminded that he’s only a few steps away, so he’d make the trip often even without the flowers. his house is pretty small, but he can’t imagine wanting anything too big. it always smells really fresh in his house, like clean linens and citrus, but not the artificial kind. he just always has oranges somewhere in his house so fresh citrus is always there in the kitchen. he and the mc enjoy a really quiet life together in their house, and it’s honestly at this point that he feels the happiest. he likes being able to wake up in the morning and sit at their kitchen island together, a homemade breakfast in front of them and her head leaning on his shoulder.

[slyttherins]

Quidditch camp (part 2) | Fred Weasley x Reader

Summary: You and Fred attend quidditch camp like every summer, but, this year, there’s been a mistake in the cabin and rooming situations. In other words, they’re short of bed and you and Fred will have to share.

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader

Word count: 1800

-

You hadn't talked to - or even looked at - Fred since the kiss.

Once you pulled away from the kiss, you had made a beeline for the bathroom, no longer caring that there was no hot water. A cold shower would do you good - and it was apparently very beneficial for the skin.

Anything to not be in the same room as him.

At supper, you sat with Angelina and Katie. You talked about the afternoon training session, which will cause your legs to ache in the morning and the latest gossip going around in the girls' cabin. Apparently, a girl had snuck into Cedric Diggory's cabin last night - according to Angelina the suspect was Cho Chang - and Madam Hooch was furious.

Most importantly, you didn't tell them what happened at the cabin.

Unconsciously, as Katie was telling you about a new broomstick trick she learned this afternoon, your eyes drifted to the redhead Beater - and the kiss you had shared. The same kiss that had left you wanting more.

Although Fred was three tables away from you, you could still feel his hands on you, strong and firm but not too rough, smell his woody soap and hear the soft sounds of appreciation leaving both your mouths as his warm tongue slipped past your lips and easily found yours. You couldn't believe you had let it escalate to that. At least no clothes had been removed - Fred was just in his shorts, but it still counted.

.

After supper, you left and went to your cabin, faking a headache. You'd usually follow the girls to their cabin and hang out until curfew, but not tonight. You needed time to think and, most importantly, get your mind off of Fred Weasley. Perhaps reading a book would help?

That didn't work for long because the twins walked in the cabin less than twenty minutes later, laughing about some prank they had pulled on one of the younger campers.

''It was brilliant, Freddie! Who knew Chambers could scream that high pitched,'' George said, talking about the prank.

''That image is forever engraved in my mind. Spiders! Spiders! They're gonna get in my pants!'' Fred mocked, imitating Chambers. ''It was hilarious.''

''How did you find so many spiders?''

''There's a whole colony behind Ron's cabin. I lured them into a cup and-'' Fred stopped himself when seeing you on the bed, his mood dropping and changing.

''Hey, Y/N,'' George greeted with a smile, going to his side of the cabin. ''You're here early.''

''I wasn't feeling good. I think it's the heat,'' you explained. If you were consistent with your lie and told everyone the same thing, no one would suspect it was a lie.

''Well, get some rest. Tomorrow's game day. We play against the Phoenixes.'' George fished for his toiletries and slung his towel on his shoulder. ''I'm gonna shower.'' He looked between you and Fred. ''Try to not kill each other while I'm in there, alright?''

Fred sat on his brother's bed and waited until the shower was running to speak. ''So...are we going to talk about it?''

''Talk about what?'' you asked, faking ignorance.

Fred gave you a stern look. ''Don't play that game, Y/L/N.''

You sighed. Forgetting it happened would've been so much simpler.

It's not like the kiss meant anything. It was just that, a kiss. There was no need to make a fuss about it.

''There's nothing to talk about.'' You closed your book and stood, slipping on your shoes and headed outside for a walk.

''Where are you going? I thought you had a headache.''

''I do, but hearing your voice makes it worse.''

.

The match against the Phoenixes was not going well.

McLaggen was sick, therefore he was sitting out this one, which left his keeper position to one of the younger - and less skilled, campers. Much to their bad luck, the young boy had let in five goals in a row. Five! He was probably nervous for his first time on the field, but five goals was a lot of points.

You were scheming the field, trying to spot the snitch, but, much to your luck, the only thing in your vision field was Fred's abs - which was distracting. To your defense, it was Fred's fault for bringing the bottom of his quidditch jersey up to his face to wipe away sweat. The little fucker also purposely flexed his abs a little every time he did it. You tried to look away, but those abs were difficult to look away from. Damn you, Fred Weasley!

Fred's exibitionist manners caused you to miss the snitch and, by the time you had snapped out of your staring, Cho had caught the snitch.

.

''Maybe McLaggen is right. Maybe we should fuck,'' Fred declared after the match, removing his protective gear.

You almost sputtered your water all over yourself. ''Excuse me?'' you asked, hoping you had heard wrong.

''You and me. We should fuck.''

A laugh left your lips. ''Did a bludger hit your head?''

''You were looking at me, weren't you? That's why you didn't see the snitch.'' A smug smile curled on his face. ''Do you have a crush on me, Y/L/N?''

''Wow, that bludger must've hit your head really hard, uh?''

''I'm not going to tell the team...if you accept to have sex with me.''

What?! You couldn't believe what you were hearing.

''Are you blackmailing me into having sex with you? You know that's sextortion, right?''

Fred shook his head. ''No. I'm saying, it's been proven that sex raises endorphins and other hormones that boost mood. Perhaps if we release those good hormones we won't be at each other's throat and picking fights during games...or staring at the other. It would be for the team's sake.''

You scoffed. ''The team's or your dick's sake?''

''I'm being serious, Y/N. Think about it.''

.

The time had been set. Friday, during the campfire, while everyone's attention would be occupied, you and Fred would slip to your shared cabin and...do it.

You didn't want to let it get to your mind, but it was all you could think about throughout the day. While the plan could work and ease the tension between you two, there was a possibility that the sex would go wrong - or be bad - and make things worse inside the team. You were also worried that it would be awkward afterward or that Fred would tell everyone.

During seeker training, you weren't flying your best. Madam Hooch had noticed that your mind was elsewhere and questioned you about it. You lied about not getting enough sleep the night prior and vowed to not stress yourself over tonight.

It was only a big deal if you made it one, right? To prove yourself, you didn't dress special - other than matching your underwear to your bra. It was just Fred, you didn't need to impress him. You didn't even put on lipgloss!

You started with kisses, slowly getting comfortable with each other, but quickly wanting more. His ginger hair smelled of smoke from the campfire and his lips tasted something sweet - roasted marshmallows. You hummed, slipping your hands under his shirt, feeling the curves of his abs and back. Merlin, you loved those.

''Did you lock the door?'' you asked, not wanting to be walked in on by any of your cabin buddies.

Fred hesitated and you sighed, going to lock it yourself.

When you returned to Fred, he had discarded his shirt, leaving him shirtless and you had to hold yourself back from biting your lip. Damn, that body.

Seeing as it was unfair that he was the only one who had taken off clothes, Fred helped you take off your top. You should've felt exposed, but it wasn't the first time he saw you in a bra and it wasn't much different than bikini tops, right? But, this bra was a little sexier than the sports bra you usually wore and, by the look Fred was giving you and your body, he didn't hate it.

''Ohh, I didn't know you owned other things than sports bras, Y/L/N,'' he teased, gliding the pad of his finger on the edge of the black lace.

You swatted him and he laughed.

His lips found their way back to yours, hands exploring each other's bodies. You felt the backs of your legs hit his bed and fell back onto it due to a not-so-gentle shove from Fred. You narrowed your eyes, but Fred joined you, crawling on top of you.

Small moans left your lips as he kissed the side of your neck and your hands went to his hair, keeping him there. He was probably going to give you a bruise and it could be a bitch to cover up, but you'll worry about that later.

No. No more kisses. You were running tight on time.

You snapped out of your bubble and pulled Fred off of your neck. If you wanted to be finished before anyone realized you two had vanished from the campfire, you needed to get straight to business and not fool around too much.

Sparing you both some time, you arched your back off of the mattress and unclasped your bra, throwing it somewhere in the room. You took a mental note to pick it up later to not give Oliver another reason to complain about sharing his cabin with a girl.

As you laid there, topless under Fred, the boy couldn't help but stare at your breasts, hunger in his eyes. He bit his lip and covered them both with his large hands, thumb brushing against one of your nipples, watching it harden.

''Weasley! Less ogling, more fucking. We don't have all night.''

.

''If you talk to anyone about this-'' you warned, pulling on your denim shorts and buttoning the button.

Fred emerged from the bathroom, having discarded the proof of your sexual intercouse at the bottom of the trash to cover your tracks. You couldn't let any of the boys see the used condom.

He scoffed. ''Don't flatter yourself, this was nice, but I'd rather no one knows.''

Was he embarrassed of having slept with you? It couldn't be. It was his idea - technically it was McLaggen's - to have sex.

''Because, you know, we'd get in trouble if Madam Hooch found out,'' he continued explaining, slipping on his shirt and running his hand through his hair to fix them.

Yeah, sure. That was the reason.

Everyone knew having sex on campsite was strictly forbidden and had great consequences - aka, sitting out matches - if Madam Hooch found out, but that didn't stop campers from sneaking around and doing it.

''I mean, it was fun, but you're not worth sitting out matches for.''

[sugako]

sleepover

pairing: college!kuroo x gn!reader synopsis: you realize your feelings for kuroo after he takes you to a party and you have to look after him  warnings: alcohol use, lots of hand holding and some cuddling a/n: uhh did i make the reader a little too much like kenma...probably..this is really mostly just a bunch of fluffy mutual pining and bad writing

you couldn't believe he had dragged you here. well, dragged was a strong word. you had willingly agreed to come to this party because his normal party friends were busy and he thought it would be fun. the loud shitty music, swarm of sweaty bodies, and intermittent yelling was not for you though.

it wasn't all bad. it was kind of fun to watch kuroo in his element. he could chat with almost anyone and he seemed to know most people here. you admired how easily he could weave through the crowd. how at ease he looked in this unfamiliar apartment. you almost wished you could be more like that.

on the other hand, you were getting tired of the people and the noise. about three hours in, you got separated from your human security blanket. a little defeated and not nearly as drunk as everyone around you, you slumped against a corner and waited. and waited. it wasn't like he was hard to miss with his messy bed head that towered above most everyone. still, you hadn't spotted him once in nearly twenty minutes.

you really didn't want to be a drag, but you were tired and drained from all the energy around you.

to 🐔kuroo: hey i think im gonna head out im pretty tired

as soon as you shoved your phone into your back pocket it buzzed.

from 🐔kuroo: wait up meet u by the door!!1!

you typed with one hand as you slipped through the crowd. when you heard his rowdy cackle you knew he wasn't far away.

to 🐔kuroo: you don't have to leave now if you don't wanna im good to go home

from 🐔kuroo: nahh I'm already there anywayy I'm ready to go

you smiled lightly at your screen. while you hadn't been paying attention you feelings of admiration for the man had slowly morphed into infatuation. it crept up on you slowly. you hadn't realized all at once, but it was starting to make more sense now as you stared at the little screen.

"hey!!" he called over the heads of a group blocking the door.

you peeped up and waved, pushing your phone back into a pocket. he grabbed you by the elbow and practically threw you out the door. when you stumbled, he caught your hand and tutted obnoxiously.

"you are not 'good to go' alone. how much did you drink when i lost you?"

heat, not from the alcohol, seeped into your cheeks. you tried to pull your hand out of his iron grip, but it was impossible. not that you actually minded.

"only one," you huffed, "i think you're the one that needs help." you watched his roaming feet as you both shuffled down the street toward the bus stop.

"hmm, nah. i was worried for a bit when i lost you, were you okay?"

his fingers squeezed around yours. "i-uh, yeah, i was fine. i didn't really talk to anyone, but it wasn't bad. i know i'm kinda bad at parties, but did you have a good time?"

kuroo giggled and swung your arm with his as he leaned heavily against the bus station sign. in the middle of the night on this empty street, it felt almost like it could be an intimate moment between the two of you... if he wasn't sauced.

"a great time, only i wish i hadn't accidentally abandoned you like that. i know you didn't really want to go."

"no, no!" you said a little too fast. "well, i didn't mind it, i'm just not used to big crowds like that. or the music." you trailed off. "i had a pretty good time though. maybe except for babysitting you." you joked, lightly nudging him as the bus pulled up.

he kept his hand in yours even as you sat down in the empty space. it seemed like he was processing what you said and answered just a little too late.

"i am not the baby that needs to be babysat, baby."

"you're very drunk, tetsuro."

"maybe so..." he breathed out, leaning heavily against you.

your eyes fluttered from exhaustion, alcohol, and the heavy heating pack slumped against you. two stops later the bus had arrived at his place, but his hand was firmly laced with yours.

kuroo had been watching you closely as your eyes drooped. he looked down at where your warm hands were intertwined with his and he couldn't help the giddy feeling that courses through his body. maybe you were just being nice because he was drunk, he thought. still, it felt nice to just exist with you like this.

"hey," he jostled you a little rougher than intended. you startled out of your half sleep. "wanna spend the night?"

"mhmm..." you murmured, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as he dragged you off the bus. around the corner you stopped at a tiny convenience store for a few overnight toiletries like toothpaste and deodorant. it wasn’t the first time you had spent the night, but you were feeling a little flustered under his gaze tonight. 

when his hand left yours, you felt colder and a little incomplete. 

you were still half asleep, but you listened as best you could as kuroo blathered on about his favorite tea. when you made your way up to the counter, he dumped a pile of snacks along with your things.

as he was attempting to slur out something along the lines of an argument for him to pay, you were already handing the sleepy cashier your cash. thanking the worker, you moved with him to the exit and he slipped his hand back into yours.

you couldn't help the dumb smile plastered on your face even as he sloppily keyed into his place. this time it didn't feel so bad when his hand left yours. in a flash, he had thrown out some sweatpants and an old t-shirt for you to wear to bed.

you quickly changed and headed for the couch where kuroo was already sprawled out, rifling through the snacks. 

“hey, movie?” he asked, glancing over at you as you settled in beside him. when your thighs brushed against one another neither of you made and move to part. you nodded and hummed, a little less tired now. while he clicked through dozens of titles, you reached for a small bag of chips on the low coffee table. “got those for you.” he mumbled before you could ask if you could have them. “you like those right?” 

“yeah...uh, yeah, i do.” you bit the inside of your cheek.

“this look good?” 

you looked up at the title card of some film you had heard good reviews on. truly, it didn’t really matter to you either way. “yeah, play it.” 

only about ten minutes in your eyes were getting heavy again. when your head knocked into something sturdy and warm you didn’t even stir.

kuroo sat back, trying to be as steady as he could as he leaned back on the couch, guiding you to lie on his chest. he knew if you kept your head cocked against his shoulder like it had been you would wake up with a cramp. although his knees were starting to get numb from the awkward half-laying, half-sitting position he was in, he didn’t dare to move. 

after a particularly loud noise from the movie, you stirred. you let out a small grunt as you tried to sit up. kuroo’s eyes were closed beneath you, but you weren’t convinced he was asleep. his arms were still wound tightly around your shoulders.

“kuroo?” you choked out hoarsely. his eyes blinked open and he flushed under your stare. “what are you doing?” 

“you fell asleep.” he muttered, sheepishly. you didn’t say anything back, but you didn’t make a move and neither did he. “hey, what was your first impression of me?” 

you chuckled, clearing the sleep from your voice. “you looked really cool and mysterious, but then you opened your mouth and i realized that you’re a dork.” he scoffed and ran his fingers soothingly up and down your back. 

“i can be cool.” he pouted. 

“you are cool,” you rolled your eyes, “you’re just also kinda a dork. you have a good balance.” you brought your hands up to more comfortable rest around his shoulders and shifted so your legs were on the couch. “what did you think about me at first?” 

“that you’re smart and quiet. you looked like you knew me. i also thought you looked really good in that sweater.”

you snorted, remembering the awfully cold night you had met kuroo through some mutual friends when the group of you went out to a bar. it had been so frigid you hadn’t bothered to dress nice even though you were going out, you put on the fuzziest, warmest sweater you owned. 

“hey.” he whispered. 

“yeah?” 

“do you like me?” 

your heart was pounding so hard you knew he had to be able to feel it against his chest. “are you still drunk?”

“only a little.” he answered honestly. “you let me hold your hand for a long time earlier and you seem pretty comfortable right now.” 

glad that you were tucked below his chin, you couldn’t help it that your face was heating up. “yeah, yeah i think i do like you.” 

“cool, you weren’t really trying to hide it.” you rolled your eyes at the smirk in his tone. your heart was still reverberating behind your ribcage. “oh, yeah, i like you too.” 

he groaned like an old man as he shifted under you to lay his legs out flat on the couch.

“did you...did you plan this?” 

“hmm, maybe.” he mused. “when you didn’t pull your hand away and dozed off on me on the bus i knew that i could tell you. didn’t expect you to snuggle up on me so fast though, buy me something to drink first.” 

finally, you completely relaxed into his hold. with your head nearly buried into his neck now you could faintly smell his woody soap. he tapped little rhythms into your shoulder blades with his fingertips, drawing small circles with his thumbs. 

“i bought you tea and junk food.” 

he laughed quietly, not wanting to shake you too much. “this is a pretty good sleepover, huh?” 

[nina-wrote-this]

Last Romance - One Shot.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader 

Summary: You move on after Thanos’s Snap, but a ghost from the past still wants to make things right. 

Warnings: Sadness, break up and a lot of melancholic ;)

Word count: 1,555

A/N: Hello, loveees! So, this is my first Bucky One Shot and I have this idea after having a dream with Sebastian Stan :) I also used two songs as inspiration: Long Break – Moody Woody and Último Romance / Last Romance – Los Hermanos (they are my favorite Alt-Rock Brazilian band). I’ll put the links below the GIF and if you want to listen while read, it will be an even better experience! I hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think! If you find any typos, please let me know (English isn’t my mother tongue)!  

INFINITY WAR AND ENDGAME SPOILERS AHEAD!

Song’s links: Long Break - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGh_Iyw6fgI | Último Romance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27TT85GA9VM 

Telluride, Colorado.

2 years after they come back.

“Thank you, Mrs. Bradley! Have a good night!” You gently said getting the heavy paper bags with all the fresh ingredients for your wedding anniversary.

“For you too, Darling! Enjoy your husband!” The old lady smirks.

“You can count on that!”

Your life was perfect now. After Stark’s death and all the story with Thanos, most part of the heroes and allies decide to get there retire, and you are one of this people.

You cross the country moving from the Avengers compound to a small town in Colorado, laying down your weapons and abilities and getting your brushes and canvas. At somehow, you were still trying to save people, but now using art.

And you have him. The man who give you more than you expect: love, safety, partnership and calm. Blake was amazing. You two rebuild yourselves together when everything happened.

Blake used to be an Interpol agent and his wife and daughter died in a car crash when the Snap happened, there uber's driver faded away and the car fell off a cliff.

You two found each other in the help group Steve used to organized. You moved in together, you grow together, you cried together and fight together against your own demons. Blake supported your decision to risk your life on the time travel and fight the battle even knowing that the first man you ever loved would come back. Blake would love you regardless of the choice you would have made.

And you choose Blake, he was your future.  

You drive through the shy suburb of the small town, and thank for being there.  

At the end of the street, was your house. A yellow wood little house in the middle of a large grassy rectangle, surrounded by hibiscus and white roses.  

Soon you get in, you start putting your plans in action. Pasta, broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, Blake's favorite – weird – cheese, 3 bottles of wine. Cut, cook, wash, decorate, another glass of wine… shit, I can’t get high yet.

The music that was playing on the living room suddenly stopped and a strange familiar metal sound came to your ears.  

After years surrounded by wars, crazy insane Titans, Hydra and Shield, your mind was pretty fucked up. So, yes, a nosy sound was something to worry about.

You walked slowly following what was bordering your thoughts, but you didn’t have to do too much. Just few steps, and you see him in the corner of the room. I’ll always be in the shadows, babe. The memory of his voice hits your mind like a shoot.

“You scare me…” You took one last sip of your wine.

“Your place is beautiful.” His eyes were haunted and his voice come out like a whisper.

You nodded smiling.  

“How are you?” He tried to approach but stopped himself.

“Good. You know, retirement does me good.” You cross your arms, protecting yourself from your old feelings. “And you, how have you been? Still living in Wakanda?”

He faced the floor taking a deep breath.  

“I… I left Wakanda right after you…” He hesitated and you knew why. “I'm working with Sam now.”

You try to keep smiling, but your eyes meet with his, and you could read them like an open book: He was broken.  

James has a fucked up brain, he has his issues and Hydra problems, but the way he looked like now was something deeper. Years before, you saw this same look but was in your own eyes, every damn day, when you woke up and see yourself on the mirror.  

He was alone, he missed you.

“James, say it.” You broke the silence and he frowned. “You invade my house at the exact moment my husband isn’t. The only thing that motivated you to came here is because you probably have something to say. So, please… Just say it!”

“I miss you!” He didn’t even search for the right words. “And I want you back. I need you back!”  

“Don't!” You turn your back to him walking back to the kitchen. “Don't tell me you come here today to say this after all these two years, James.”  

For the first time he come closer to you.

“What did you expect?” He asked confuse. “Y/N, do you really think I'm doing this for fun? You know this isn't easy for me, talk about these things, and I know you can read me easily than anyone.” He said fast.

“James, I know you're in pain. But, if is hard for you, believe me, it’s two times harder for me.” You point your finger to him. "For you was like fall asleep for a couple of hours, but for us, for me, was and still being an eternity.” Tears already falling in the corner of your eyes.

“So, what was the purpose, Y/N? Bring me back, so you could feel good to yourself and return to your happy fake life?” His voice sounded disappointed and his metal arm fisted against the sink. “эгоистичный!”

Your heart broke in little pieces and the control was gone.

"Don't you dare call me selfish!" Your voice was cracking and the regret filled his eyes. "Did you really think that I left you because I don't love you anymore?"

He took a long breath, and you try to hide your tears.

“You still love me?” He gets closer to you without losing the fragile eye contact.

“Is this matter now?” Your eyes break the contact running the kitchen and your hands falling down in redemption. “Don’t hurt yourself, моя любовь.” You asked.

He placed his hands on each side of your face and bring to his chest. The cold of the leather jacket in contact with your skin sent a shiver down your spine.

Even knowing this was – at somehow – wrong, you let yourself relax on his embracing. James was warm, his muscles created a protective barrier around you and his fingers caressed your body looking for all the parts where your skin were naked for him. Your arms crossed around his neck and on tiptoes you barred your face on his shoulder.

“You cut your hair…” Your cracking voice whisper to him trying to break the tension, while you run your hand through his hair strands.

“Like you always suggest.” He smirked bringing you to face him. Yours foreheads touched and his eyes found your soul. “Come back, Y/N! I do anything to have you back, моя любовь…” His lips brushed against yours. “Whatever you want, just tell me, and we will do it, okay?”

For a couple of seconds, you imagined your life with James. Maybe both of you living in a big farm, waking up together, getting back the time you two lost. Kisses, shy touches, his overprotection full time, your crazy manias and his strange neuroses. Was perfect. Was much better than the time you guys lived in Wakanda.  

But was too late.  

You were sure you didn’t take the break up decision alone. You have asked him what life he wanted for himself and he choose to continue Steve's legacy, but you wasn’t available to live that kind of life anymore. Follow different ways was the best decision.

He tried to kiss you hardly, but you get back.

“I can’t, James…” You grabbed his black shit. “We can’t…” He closed his eyes and kissed your forehead. He felt the goodbye was happening again.  

The car's engine rumbled on the garage bringing you back to reality. Blake was arriving home.

“Y/N, we can…” James tried, but you knew what you have to do.

“Go.” You direct to the backyard door. “Now!”

“Where is my beautiful, lovely, super hot wife?” Blake screamed at the front door.

James leaves the house without looking to you, without any noise.

You clean the tears of your face, put on the best happy face and waited for your husband get in the kitchen.

“There she is!” His sexy voice said.

You turn around and there was Blake: dressed with his Professor social attire, flowers in one hand.  

Blake you’re perfect.  

“Hello, Mister sexy voice!” You kissed him slowly and intense.

But you’re not James…

He gets his hands free and finally hold you spinning around ourselves.

“You okay, honey?” He took a look on your eyes. “Looks like you cried, or something like that… Is everything good?”

Blake is perfect.

“Yes, honey!” You smile shooking your head and squeezing your eyes. “It’s just the wine!”

But he is not James…

The living player come back with the song. Último Romance / Last Romance, Los Hermanos. Your honeymoon song.

“Right on time!” Blake automatically pressed his body against yours and start following the music melody, singing slowly.

“I love you, Y/N. Happy wedding anniversary!” He kissed your neck.

“I love you too, honey. Thanks for everything…” You rest your head on his shoulder.

You two stayed on that moment, seams like forever. When your eyes find the kitchen’s window you locked on James's eyes, staring your perfect moment.

“E ninguém dirá que é tarde demais / And no one will say it’s too late

Que é tão diferente assim / That’s so different

Do nosso amor a gente é que sabe / About our love, is us who knows”

*******************************************************************************************

A/N: What you guys think about some continues of this one shot? Maybe like, Y/N and Bucky's  time living in Wakanda, or Y/N’s wedding day, Y/N and Bucky’s break up... I really enjoy write this story ahahahah :) 

[thecomposerofstories]

Information on Amy.

(Be warned it's a ~little bit~ long, any other pieces of information you want to know I'll gladly answer if you ask.)

~General Information~

Fandom: Toy Story.

Name: Amy the Ragdoll.

Nickname, if any: Amy, Ames, and Doll-Face(usually by more villainous characters or used in a joking manner).

Gender: Female.

Sexuality: ??? (I mean I know the gender of who she has a crush on, but I'm unsure on what her actual sexuality should be tbh)

Age: Mentally, mid-twenties in the first story second movie, thirties to forties in the third and fourth. Physically, she doesn’t have an age, but in regards to when she was made (the 1950’s) makes her fifty to sixty.

City they currently live in: San Francisco, apparently that’s where Toy Story takes place.

Any pets: Would Rex count? He just follows her around like a nervous puppy.

Current occupation: I mean she’s practically a therapist, but she’s a toy and she only treats Rex so it probably doesn’t count lol

~Physical Appearance~

Height: 10 inches.

Body type: Stocky, but a bit gangly too, similar to Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Eye colour: Black.

Skin tone: Light.

Clothing style: Pale green/turquoise shirt with short puffed sleeves, with a denim dungaree dress with a daisy print in the centre over it. She wears yellow rain boots.

Hairstyle: No style, it’s just there. It’s messy and gets in her face easily and is made out of dark brown thin string.

~Speech/Language/Communication~

Amy speaks quietly and politely, rambles a bit if left without a reply or under pressure, very nervous in front of intimidating characters.

First language: English.

Learned languages: A bit of Spanish (Ya’ll remember Toy Story 3!)

Accent: American.

Pitch of voice: High, but soft, not quite annoying, unless she’s stressed, then it gets very pitchy and shrill.

~Behaviour/Habits~

Amy tends to just stand there when she can’t find anything to do, and will immediately try to find Rex, Hamm, Buzz or Jessie if surrounded by strangers (Though she’s not sure if it’s for their comfort or her own) Amy is very polite.

Spending habits: She doesn’t like to be made a fuss of at all, the very fact of someone giving something to her is unnerving (even if the thing never costed anything at all) and she feels compelled to give the giver something in return.

Morning routine: She gets up same time as the others, but wishes she could stay in bed a bit longer though. Before she came to Andy’s room, her sleep pattern was all over the place.

Bedtime routine: Similar to above, now she goes to bed the same time as the others, but before she just slept and got up willy-nilly.

Nervous habits: Amy will try to find Rex if she’s nervous, and she’ll pretend it’s because she’s worried for him, which is quite true, but she also just feels most safe with him. Speaking of, Amy will let Rex hold her hand and squish it whenever he or Amy is nervous, it’s calming to the both of them.

Bad habits: Not a very good exerciser, but then again, she’s spend basically half her life in a small attic, so I’ll give her a break.

Skills/talents: She’ very logical, mind-over-matter, (mostly, very good at calming others down and/or convincing them. She’s very good at spelling and knows quite a lot of words, some of which others haven’t even heard of.

Hobbies: Reading, talking (especially with Rex, Jessie or Hamm), and generally just lazing about or walking around somewhere, on her own or with a friend.

~The Past~

Amy’s first owner was a little girl called Alice. Alice loved nothing more than to read Amy stories (Mostly fairy tales), but of course, Alice grew up like all kids do, and she left Amy in the attic for someone else to have her.

Amy waited for many years, and all that time she’d never given up that someone would find her.

She thought she’s hit the jackpot when Andy and his family move into Alice’s old house, but they don’t go up into the attic to collect her. Some weeks later, though, Andy’s mother brings a set of boxes filled with junk into the attic and leaves. Woody, Buzz, Slinky, and Rex were trapped in one of the boxes (Call me a cheater but this part was actually inspired by a Toy Story comic, where those four toys get stuck in the attic that way and have to escape. It struck me odd that they never met at least one new friend there, so I made one. It was also my first story, I needed some inspiration!)

Amy, in a fit of panic, goes and hides.

But then she’s found by Rex as he and the others try to find a way out.

They then decide to let the strange, dust-covered ragdoll come back to Andy’s rom with them. (well, Rex did, anyway.)

Home town: Would Alice’s old room count? But it’s now Andy’s Room, so it won’t count will it?

Happy or sad childhood: Pretty normal to be honest, as normal a life as a toy could have anyway. And as for sadness, having spent all that time on her own for all those years, having missed out on so much, is a little sad. But Amy made sure she never became bitter over it or used it as an excuse for anything.

Earliest memory: Waking up in her toy store, with a friend of hers for company (a ragdoll Prospector, a much as she remembers) and as she gets bought by Alice’s Auntie, she says she hopes he gets picked up by a kid. (Unbeknownst to her, she would meet him again in a while to find out he never got to experience it)

Saddest memory: One, being left by Alice, yet being so happy for her and how much she’s grown up, if she could cry tears of joy for her owner, she would. Two, some (or most) of the days she spent waiting for a new owner to arrive. And three, watching Rex have a mental breakdown of anxiety.

Happiest memory: One, the time she and Alice went to the park, (Amy absolutely adores nature) Two after sliding down a drainpipe to get to Andy’s room, and three, having known she’d helped her friend out.

Significant events: Being bought, being left in an attic, being rescued from the attic, while gaining some new friends.

~Family~

The entirety of Andy’s room, whether they like it or not, they’re all in this together and are some kind of mish-mash, found family in a sense.

Siblings: I’ve been thinking of giving Amy a brother (since I based her on Raggedy Ann, a matching bootleg Raggedy Andy seems reasonable) bur I’m unsure about it, since I’ve already mapped out Amy’s entire series of stories (Around six or seven all together, so far I’m currently writing only the third) and I can only fit him in the fifth or sixth if I can.

~Relationships~

Romantically? I’d like to say she has a crush on Rex, I don’t know why I thought of it, I was contemplating it one day as I sketched a rough (and terrible) sketch of her, and I drew Rex too because he’s just so fun to draw and I wanted to make a scale for Amy’s size, and one of my friends (who had been watching me) immediately said “I ship it!” and well, the rest is history, I made the decision to ship it too.

Friends: Jessie, Hamm, Buzz, and Rex are her closet friends, but she’d like to say that all the Gang are her friends. Later on she becomes good friends with Mr. Prickle Pants, Buttercup, Trixie and Totoro, and she absolutely loves the peas and Forky.

Best friend(s): Hamm, Mr. Prickle Pants, Jessie, and Rex.

What do people like about them? Amy’s pretty easy to talk to, she’s polite and attentive and will sit in companionable silence with someone if they need it. But she won’t hesitate to give hard truths and advice if it’s needed.

What do people dislike about them? Amy is quite a doormat, if someone is rude to her or breaches anything she just lets it happen, and sometimes she’s too indecisive about her own stuff, unsure whether she’s going to offend others or not over the smallest things, which annoys others quite a bit.

~Mentality/Personal Beliefs~

Amy is a toy of logic, and though she believes others can do it if they set their minds to it, she doesn’t quite believe in herself. She believes she must follow the rules of being a toy at all times, no matter what.

Phobias: Dust. She hates it. It took a good five weeks to brush all the dust out her hair and clothes, and even so there’s still some in her pockets and places she can’t reach. And being alone, too. Now she can’t be alone for more than an hour before she starts to get antsy and nervous. And for a short time books gave her a strange tiredness, after reading them for so long and for so many years she couldn’t even stand the sight of them.

But of course, not for long, since Amy found out Andy had a copy of Red’s Dream by a Mr. William Reeves.

Optimist or pessimist: Depends on the situation really, if her mind can’t come up with a solution, then there’s no point in trying anymore. Unless someone else can think of something, that is.

Personal philosophies: “You are here to make good things happen. No person here is made for one reason only, or even only one. There’s no point in pretending to be someone you’re not just for the attention of others, no matter how cool they are. We should find are own meaning, as we’re the only ones who have control of it.

It’ll take a while, but I swear, it’ll be worth it.”

Biggest dream/wish: Amy wants nothing more than to find meaning for herself, but finds it rather hard to do so. Of course, that doesn’t mean she’ll settle for someone else’s meaning. As cheesy as it sounds, she just wants an adventure. She doesn’t necessarily want to be the hero, though, she’s just happy to go along with the ride so long as it gets her out the house for a few hours. She also, above all else, wants Rex to find meaning too, even if she never does, it would be nice to know that he had.

Greatest strength(s): Persuasion, story-telling, logic, and good grammar.

Biggest flaw: Despite being a ragdoll, Amy can’t sew because of her fingerless hands, which are just soft mittens in shape. Amy is also quite a doormat, as I said before, so if her calm persuasion and reasoning doesn’t work, she’s left to be walked all over.

Regrets: Staying in that dratted attic too long, the window was open, she could’ve just climbed out, but no, she had to stay there for some mind-rotting decades. But if she had just escaped, she would never have met her new friends. Amy just wishes she had met them a lot sooner.

Achievements: Escaped the attic, slid down a drainpipe, leapt onto the windowsill (though nearly knocking Woody and Buzz over in the process) stopped her friend from having a panic attack, and managed to remember the entire Dictionary and is able to recite it down from A to Z, and even Z to A.

Secrets: Not much, just strange feelings for one of her friends, but it’s not much of a secret, Bo knows, and Mr. Potato Head and Hamm could see it from a mile away, and the others have their suspicions.

Goals: Read the entirety of Andy’s (and later Bonnie’s) bookshelves, become more confident in herself, have her own book-worthy adventure, and figure out what those strange feelings for her friend is.

~Likes/Favourites~

Favourite colour: Even before meeting Rex, Amy’s favourite colour was always green. Every time Alice had taken her to the park, Amy adored watching the sunlight pour through the leaves with a golden-green glow.

Favourite book(s): Because it’s sentimental to her, being her owner’s favourites, she loves Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz. They all hold similar plots (a little girl in a blue dress goes to a fantasy land, has a few adventures, and then leaves said fantasy land to go home to her family and responsibilities) but it reminds Amy of her old owner Alice (who was actually named after Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) and their playtimes together.

Favourite Book Quotation(s):

“Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.”

“There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is facing danger when you are afraid.”

Favourite movie: Amy does much prefer books, since they allow her to imagine the setting and characters in her own way, but doesn’t mind movies, and isn’t picky on what they watch, though she does quite like horror films.

Favourite song: Amy likes any kind of music, new or old.

Favourite game: Amy never really cared for games, the competitiveness always bothered her and stressed her out. But she’s more than happy to watch Rex play his video games and cheer him on.

~Relationships with other characters~

~Rex~

- Hit it off pretty quickly.

- Amy helps him with his anxiety, and helps him find confidence in himself, she acts as a certain therapist to him.

- Both become very stressed without the other around.

- Rex will hold and knead at Amy’s hands sometimes; it calms him down.

- Rex will let Amy ride on his back if she’s tired or needs to see something (Because she’s so short).

- One of them can basically be talking about the most boring-est things ever, yet still the other will hang on to their every word.

~Jessie~

- Became friends pretty quickly.

- Will drag Amy along anywhere.

- Get along fairly well.

- Jessie does the talking and Amy does the planning.

- Jessie always pranks the other toys and makes Amy tag along (along with Hamm).

- Introvert/Extrovert dynamic for sure.

- Both were left in alone for years so like to find solace in each other.

~Hamm~

- Hamm begrudgingly warmed up to the timorous ragdoll.

- Surprisingly good pals.

- Have full conversations without saying anything.

- Like to sit and look out of the window together.

- Hamm makes Amy laugh when she really shouldn’t (mainly when he makes fun of the other toys, mainly Woody).

- Hamm makes fun of Amy having a crush on Rex every once in a while, though he doesn’t mean any harm.

~The Potato Heads~

- Mr. doesn’t really interact with Amy much, but finds her surprisingly tolerable, if a bit high-strung and annoying.

- Like Hamm, Mr. makes Amy laugh at the most wrong moments.

- She and Mrs. Are quite good friends, and she sometimes lets Amy take care of the aliens if she and her husband are busy.

~Woody~

- Are aquianteces.

- Don’t exactly interact much, even though the whole room practically revolves around him, in Amy’s opinion, though she would never say it to his face.

~Buzz~

- Amy thinks he’s super cool (then again, he is Buzz Lightyear, he practically invented coolness)

- Both are just as clueless as one another when it comes to social cues and interactions.

- Amy helps him with vocabulary and spelling every once in a while.

~Mr. Prickle Pants~

- Are absolute BFF’s.

- Go back and forth with book quotes to the point of driving the other toys insane.

~Bo Peep~

- Amy's not exactly sure if Bo has befriended her or not.

- (She has)

- They later become good friends.

- Amy misses their talks, Bo was one of the only toys she could talk to that could keep a secret.

[xmfxne]

1, 4, 8, 14?

Useless Details Ask Meme IV (Accepting!) 1: What do they smell like? What kind of perfume/cologne are they using? 4: Do they usually have warm hands or are they cold? 8: Something they never leave the house without? 14: What kind of clothes are they usually wearing at home?

1. Apollo uses the brand Axe deodorant, more specifically the scent called 'Apollo.' This was pure coincidence, he didn't chose it purely because it had his name. Fragrance notes are "aromatic, woody, amber, lavender, earthy, powdery, fresh spicy, fruity, iris, sweet." As for cologne, he uses something his foster father uses, a brand called British Sterling. Fragrance notes are "warm spicy, woody, fresh spicy, mossy, citrus, powdery, leather, cinnamon, earthy, musky." Mun has broken into her father's cologne and experimented with her own favorite deodorants (I only use men's because I detest smelling like flowers and B.O.) to make sure these scents combined worked well together, so I can assure you they smell good. (Granted, I am not a cologne/perfume person.)

4. Apollo's hands are usually pretty warm. The only time they're cold is if he gets scared, or if he's cold himself, which happens pretty easily.

8. Keys and his wallet. As important as his badge is to him, he only brings it if he thinks he needs it. Yes, he brought it to the concert in AJ, but that was when his badge was still new to him so of course he was going to bring it anywhere and everywhere. That effect wore off on him sometime around November of DD. If he's going out on a date, or going to see a movie, he's not going to need his badge, and he'll be more worried about losing it, so it's just better to leave it pinned to his vest in his closet. In the Klapollo verse with @legalbrats post DD after Valentine's Day, Apollo carries a guitar pick that Klavier gave him with him because it reminds him of Klavier and it makes him happy. Dependent on the verse, he'll also start carrying around his inhaler if he's already had a bad or neared an asthma attack. In Genipollo it's post SoJ. Though, most of the time his inhaler is the one thing he's not very responsible about keeping on him, which is bad, please if you have asthma and need an emergency inhaler, keep it with you.

14. This depends mostly on the weather. Apollo has a very small, very cheap apartment that he hates. The walls are thin, the heat/air is expensive and unreliable, so what he wares depends on how hot or cold it is outside. If it's cold and rainy, then he'll probably wear a cozy warm hoodie and jeans. If it's really cold, he'll wear a long sleeved shirt, warm hoodie, and sweatpants with fuzzy socks. In the summer, when it's hot, he usually wears a white or red muscle tank with cargo shorts, unless it's ridiculously hot and he isn't expecting company, then it's just the aforementioned tank and his boxers. It's too hot to have anything more on at that point. Most of the time though, he just wears a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt from his high school with "Class of '22" on it and maybe a hoodie if it's chilly enough. Apollo likes to be warm, what can I say?

[minmotl]

Chapter 29: Sui Zhou Offers Tang Fan His Wallet; Brings Him Home to Meet his Grandma

Context: Follows directly after Chapter 28. They’ve just closed the Li family case (Li Man and his mistress) without a proper resolution, Tang Fan climbs a tree and gets hurt, Sui Zhou honestly gives Tang Fan his salary and then brings him home to meet his grandmother, the only person whose approval means anything to Sui Zhou.

Introduction Post | Masterpost

–

Highlights under the cut

Ah Dong is also the kind of person to crave for any food that she sees, just like Tang Fan. When she was still with the Li family, she frequently went to the cook to steal food and the cook often made pastries for the young master and Lady Zhang, so after filling up a plate there was still an excess of one or two pieces. Thus, Ah Dong often enjoyed this little benefit, and now she’s already eight years old, but the curves that any young lady should have is still absent from her body. Instead, there are signs of her growing in the round, curvy direction.

However, the times she spent in the kitchen then was not for naught. At least from the Li family’s cook, she managed to steal some skills and techniques from watching, enough to satisfy the glutton with many requests in her own family. Just like this Huai Ye Tao, she began craving for this a little after Tang Fan’s description, and between the siblings, one of them climbed the tree, and the other made the gravy and noodles, and in the end they actually managed to produce it.

Thin and narrow Huai Ye gravy noodles sit in bowls that are as white as white jade, then drizzled with garlic, sesame oil and vinegar. The aroma wafts through the air. Tang Fan and Ah Dong close their eyes at the same time, drunk on the aroma, and if they told others they were just recently made siblings, no one would believe them.

“Come here, hurry and try it!” Tang Fan scoops out a bowl for Sui Zhou personally, and with a grin pushes the bowl, a spoon and some condiments towards the man.

Sui Zhou is speechless, lowering his head to taste it. It is actually pretty tasty. The freshly picked locust tree leaves have a woody, fresh scent and then made into gravy and mixed into the noodles, even the noodles have a sort of locust tree scent. It is fresh and delicious, most suitable for the summer, no wonder Tang Fan is obsessed with the dish.

Seeing Sui Zhou’s nod, Tang Fan’s eyes brighten, “Then let’s try the Golden Fried Chicken next time!”

Before Sui Zhou gets a chance to speak, Ah Dong says, “Da-ge, don’t forget that you cut your hand when you were climbing the tree, and you want to go and catch a chicken next time? Won’t you get bitten by the chicken instead?”

Tang Fan glares at her, “I’ve not climbed trees in a while, I’m a little rusty is all, a few more times and I’ll be familiar with it again.”

Ah Dong laments, “You’re going to try again? This morning I was looking out for you at the bottom of the tree and I was already anxious, so afraid that you would drop down. In the end you really did fall, please don’t tell me there’ll be a second time, I’m afraid I’ll be frightened to death!”

“It’s good enough that you have some to eat, but you’re still nagging every single day, be careful that you wont’t be able to get married in the future!” Tang Fan reaches out to pinch at her ear.

Don’t simply look at how round Ah Dong is, for her movements are still pretty agile. With a jump, she hides behind Sui Zhou in a flash and sticks her tongue out at Tang Fan as she laughs.

Sui Zhou asks, “You’re hurt?”

Tang Fan shakes his head, “Don’t listen to Ah Dong’s nonsense. It’s just a small cut from where I scratched myself on the branch.”

Sui Zhou nods and doesn’t say anything more.

Huai Ye Tao, cucumber salad, beef with gravy — one meat dish and another vegetarian one, both are fresh, easily digestible and appetising dishes. After finishing their meal, their heated bodies are relieved and cooled.

Sui Zhou used to live alone and even though he knew how to cook, because of how busy he was, most of the time he ended up settling for the easiest option. He ate at the court, eating while looking through records without tasting the food he was eating and it was rare that he could eat as he does now, the three of them gathered together, chatting as they eat and tasting the detailed preparation that went into these dishes.

In the beginning, he felt that there was no need to come back and have dinner if he was planning to work late, but at Tang Fan’s insistence, he complied. Now that he’s gotten used to it, no matter how late it gets, he always rushes back home. These changes happened to him unconsciously.

After they are done with the meal, Ah Dong begins to keep the bowls and chopsticks and Sui Zhou says to Tang Fan, “Come with me.”

He brings Tang Fan to his study.

“Your sleeves,” he says.

He has always spoken precisely and simply, and if he is able to not speak, Sui Zhou will not speak. When he is forced to say something, he is as precise as possible.

Tang-daren thinks, it’s good that he is so smart, otherwise it would be impossible to understand what Sui Zhou means from this utterance alone.

When he rolls up his sleeves, they can see the long cut on the outside of his right arm. While the cut is not deep, it’s likely that it bled quite a bit. Now that the bleeding has stopped, revealing a long scar caked with blood, the sight is a little alarming.

Sui Zhou glances at it once, before picking a cream out of the many bottles and jars on the table. Using his finger, he dabs at the cream lightly, before spreading it on Tang Fan’s wound. The wound stings and hurts, but he is still able to tolerate it. Tang-daren does not grimace or grit his teeth, but after the cream is spread evenly on his wound, he can feel a comfortable, cooling sensation and even the pain eases a little.

“This is a really effective ointment, I won’t have to worry when I end up falling again,” Tang Fan jokes, but it’s met with Sui Zhou’s cold glare, and so he shuts up.

“You’re still thinking about a next time?”

“…”

Tang Fan tries to resist, but fails, “The Huai Ye Tao was really delicious, don’t you think?”

He says it in a whining tone, as if he’s been wronged and is suffering. Sui Zhou’s lips cannot help but curve upwards, but fortunately, he manages to turn away and Tang-daren does not see it.

“If you want to have it in the future, tell me,” Tang Fan hears Sui Zhou say after a moment.

Tang Fan beams, “You’re truly a good xiong-di!”

Hearing that he’s a good xiong-di to Tang Fan all because he’s willing to climb a tree and pick leaves has Sui-baihu feeling a little helpless, “Didn’t you want to talk about the Li family?”

Tang-daren goes ‘oh’ twice, remembering the matter at hand and shifting from his gluttonous mode into a serious and proper state.

He goes through his hypothesis from start to end and at the end, says, “Lao Li once told me, he said that Li Man gave up on the Imperial Examination that year and when he first switched to commerce, he suffered a lot because he was inexperienced. He lost all his capital and the Li family was left with a lot of debt. At the brink of despair, they switched to some other business after and the Li family turned their situation around overnight. Lao Li is only a steward and he knew very little, but now that I think about it, perhaps the reason why Li Man could recover is because he obtained assistance from the White Lotus Sect. Both parties began colluding with each other early on, otherwise Li Man had a virtuous wife, a filial son and great wealth, how could he have been tempted to murder his wife and kill his son?”

Sui Zhou nods, “I will report on this matter and continue to chase after the whereabouts of Li Man and Lady Chen. The White Lotus Sect has been getting increasingly bolder with every passing year. The battle at Tu Mu Fortress more than a decade ago revealed the White Lotus Sect’s collusion with the Oirats.”

At the mention of that battle, Tang Fan sighs.

The world shook with the huge event that happened that year and at that time, Tang Fan was not yet born but this did not hinder him from understanding fully what happened. It’s not just him — if the whole world knew about this event, they would sigh just like Tang Fan too.

Because the Emperor did as he pleased and was unknowledgeable, it led to the event that caused more than 10,000 deaths, including talented officials and subjects who were celebrated for their achievements and accolades, and even the Ming dynasty’s three main battalions and their strategists were almost entirely decimated. After that, people would bring up Emperor Ying Zong’s political history repeatedly without mentioning his name directly.

However, Tang Fan thinks that it is too tragic to exchange so many deaths for the growth of a single person. What is done has already been done and no matter how much embellishment and euphemism used, the mistakes he made cannot be covered up. The Emperor was deceived and became the shame of the country. At that time, the Oirats invaded aggressively and the city was left defenceless. If it wasn’t for Yu Qian who stepped forward, rejected all dissenting voices, insisted on not abandoning the capital for another city, and even announced a new Emperor, leading the army to defend the city in a battle, it’s very difficult to say what Jing city and the Ming dynasty would have become.

Tang Fan reminds him, “From the incident at the fortress, we can see how large a scale the White Lotus Sect’s plans are. I’m afraid the issue with Li Man is only the tip of the iceberg.”

The moment the White Lotus Sect is involved, it is no longer something that Tang Fan himself can solve. The Northern Administrative Court has greater experience, and leaving them to investigate is clearly more suitable.

Sui Zhou nods in agreement, then says coldly, “Judging from Li Man’s personality, even without Lady Chen and the sect’s manipulation and temptation, it’s likely he would have still done what he did.”

Clearly, Sui Zhou does not think highly of this man, who dared to kill his wife and destroy his son like that.

“There are no lack of people like Li Man in the world, but because of the White Lotus Sect, they’re given opportunities,” Tang Fan says.

Looking at Sui Zhou’s weary face, he asks again, “Did you come across something complicated again?”

Sui Zhou shakes his head, “It’s just as I told you previously. The disciples of the White Lotus Sect made use of the fictional books to spread rumours and confuse the public, we’re only checking through the books thoroughly and banning the necessary ones from the market in recent days.”

Tang-daren goes ‘ah’ and then smiles eagerly as if trying to get on Sui Zhou’s good side, “Guang Chuan ah, can we discuss, if you see that book titled “The Memoir of the Pear Blossoms”, if there’s no problem after you’ve read it, can you not seize it There’s another one called “The Flying Sword:…”

His volume decreases with every word at the other’s expressionless gaze, and reveals a sheepish, guilty look at the end.

Sui Zhou says, “There are orders from above, as long as it’s fiction, we will seize it all equally. The people who are investigating the books are reading the books briefly and it’s very difficult to see which books exactly are problematic, so they would rather eliminate all the books together than let one escape.”

“Besides,” he pauses and looks at Tang Fan, his cold and stoic demeanour finally morphing into a bit of exasperation, “You’re an official of the court and still you went to write these books under a pseudonym. If you’re found out, your reputation will be ruined.”

Tang Fan chuckles, “How bad can that be? It’s not just me, but there are a lot of people in court who do this. We’re all using our pen names anyway, no one can identify us. Otherwise how is our salary able to support our families? If we don’t want to become corrupt, this is the only other alternative we have. I don’t mind telling you either, that Deputy Minister He from the Department of Justice? That “Sound of the Tides Under the Moon” was written by him, and also someone from my batch who was a literary assistant in Han Lin but has now moved on from there, he too wrote one or two novels for some quick cash. As his style of writing is more open than mine, his content is more vibrant and dynamic and is immensely popular with book publishers. His royalties are even more than mine, and also some people in the Ministry of Rites, after the exams, they will sell the answer scripts from the exams’ highest scoring candidates to the bookstores and earn money from there. There are plenty of scholars who buy those guides for reference and consideration, and those sell much better than novels!”

Sui Zhou listens to the man list out his examples as if he is counting the treasures in his own home, and his expression remains rigid.

He naturally remembers the Deputy Minister that Tang Fan mentioned, and that old man’s reputation for being righteous and stern precedes him, so Sui Zhou finds it very difficult to imagine that Old Man He will write these kinds of fiction in secret. And with the interrogation skills that the Embroidered Uniform Guards employ, they had no idea that this was happening. It looks like they will have to reflect on themselves as well.

He hears Tang Fan sigh again, trying to sound pitiful, “So, you have to look at us civil officials, we look as if we have a lot of power and status on the surface, but in reality, after studying so hard for more than a decade, once you become an official you have to receive and give gifts as well, so it is very difficult for us to proceed without money. Higher ranking officials host banquets, if you don’t turn up with a gift you will have offended the host, and it’ll be difficult for you to live in the future. If you want to give a gift but don’t have the money, one will end up stealing from the citizens, resulting in their suffering, but we can’t blame them entirely. I’m not speaking up for them, I’m just saying that there aren’t that many who are as intelligent and smart as I am, able to write novels and be paid royalties…”

“I have a salary,” Sui Zhou says.

Tang Fan continues, “Don’t you think, Guang Chuan…. huh? What did you just say?”

“I have a salary, so you don’t have to worry.”

Embroidered Uniform Guards are different from civil officials, their salaries comprise the monthly base salary and also allowances.

Their monthly salary is the same as officials, but the added allowances are to compensate them for out-of-city obligations or tasks. Those from the Northern Administrative Court often need to head out for investigations, and not only do they get abundant travel fees, when they get to their destination, they will receive plenty of courtesy gifts and some ‘gray’ earnings. Moreover, the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ original duty was to escort the Emperor when he travelled, which  means they have to look fresh and respectable. The guards are also a bunch of fierce-looking, harbingers of calamity, so anyone who sees them are afraid. This is the reason why even when the courts have to tighten their spending, even when the Ministry of Revenue is temporarily unable to mete out money and provisions, they would never dare to decrease the guards’ salaries and food.

Everyone knows that it is better to pick a soft persimmon to pinch at, after all.

Tang Fan stays alone and it’s not as if they are responsible for the livelihoods of a whole household. Even with an added Ah Dong, the expenditure will not increase by much, but Tang Fan is a glutton for delicious food, so he runs outside often and ends up with little savings at the end.

On the other hand, Sui Zhou is the epitome of a person who lives simply and is thrifty. He lives alone but doesn’t indulge in any vices, and doesn’t have an extraordinary passion for good food. Everyday, aside from being at court, he is at home. His life is so simple that it’s comparable to that of a practicing monk’s. After the necessary gifts are given to his family and higher-ranking officials during the New Year as is expected of him, there is still plenty of excess after the year. Tang-daren pales in comparison.

Upon his words, Tang Fan is stunned for a moment before he begins to laugh manically. He ends up having to support himself with a hand on Sui Zhou’s shoulder, and simultaneously rubbing at his stomach, “Aiyo, hey, then we siblings will have to depend on Sui-baihu in the future. When I truly finish spending my salary, you must supplement me with more!”

“Hnn,” Sui Zhou agrees.

Tang Fan still cannot help but want to laugh, and yet he is also a little moved. He knows that not just anyone will be able to make Sui Zhou say what he just said.

“Guang Chuan, to be honest, I didn’t have much of an impression about the Embroidered Uniform Guards, but after I knew you better, that’s when I knew that among the guards, I would have a friend like you, a real good man who’s just like my soulmate!”

A bit of warmth surfaces in Sui Zhou’s cold, even eyes, even though he still simply hums in response as he typically does.

“In a couple of days, it’s my grandmother’s birthday, are you willing to go with me?” he asks.

Zhou is his grandmother’s surname, and her identity is unusual. She is the present Empress Dowager Zhou’s older sister.

Lady Zhou came from a common background and the Ming dynasty has rules for women in the harem to be chosen from the public’s good families and not from high-ranking officials. This is to prevent the harem from colluding with their relatives to intervene in politics. Lady Zhou was just like many other women in the harem but ended up with the title of Royal Consort before finally becoming the Empress Dowager as the Emperor’s mother. The Zhou family naturally rose with her growth, prospering. Aside from Empress Dowager Zhou’s father receiving a title, her siblings also received titles. Due to Lady Zhou, Sui Zhou’s grandfather was also given the title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Commander is the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ highest title, but it is not just one person who holds the Commander title. For example, Royal Consort Wan’s younger brother Wan Tong is also Commander as well, but he holds real power and authority in this case. There is another Commander called Yuan Bin, who once saved the late Emperor’s life and so has a lot of influence within the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Similarly, he holds power and authority as well.

Aside from these two people, there are plenty of Commanders in the guards, but most of them were given the title in name only by the Emperor. With just the name, these individuals take the money without lifting a finger, and naturally do not have any real power.

These external relatives given titles are part of the nouveau rich and cannot be compared to people like Marquis Wu An Hou who was given his title after having earned it in battle. It’s a nice thing to hear, but they don’t actually have any power. All they do is collect money and provisions each year.

Thanks to Empress Dowager Zhou, within the Sui family, Sui Zhou’s father and brother were also given roles in the Embroidered Uniform Guards, the kind of roles where they only need to collect money without having to work. This caught a lot of attention from others because they aren’t even Empress Dowager Zhou’s direct relatives and are not from the Zhou family, which means there’s an additional layer between her and the Sui family. After Sui Zhou entered the guards, he could only start as a xiaoqi and get slowly promoted from there.

Since they do not have any authority and the family is considered an external relative, most civil officials are unwilling to interact with the Sui family. This is firstly to avoid wagging tongues and secondly, no official is willing to lower their status like that.

After Tang Fan hears him say that, without even thinking about it, he says, “Since we’re brothers, your grandmother is naturally my grandmother. In two days just remind me, we will go together.”

Sui Zhou’s heart warms, and he hums in assent.

***

Two days later, on Madam Zhou’s birthday, Tang Fan brings along Ah Dong and follows Sui Zhou back to the Sui house to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday. Madam Zhou only has one son and daughter, and her daughter is Sui Zhou’s mother.

After Madam Sui married Sui Zhou’s father, they had three children with Sui Zhou in the middle. Above him there is his older brother Sui An and the youngest is Sui Bi.

Despite being Empress Dowager Zhou’s relatives, the Sui family is a common, normal family, and unlike the Wu An Hou manor and the Li family, they do not have the practice of having three wives and four concubines. Sui Zhou’s father only has one wife, Sui Zhou’s mother, and Sui Zhou’s paternal grandparents are no longer in this world.

Madam Zhou’s son is a small official out of the city and only her daughter remains in Jing city. The siblings planned and in order not to let their mother go through the exhausting journey by carriage out of the city to enjoy the last of her years, they decided to leave Madam Zhou in the city. The Sui family then bought the house next to the old lady’s and moved over to become her neighbours. In this case, they would be able to take care of her but prevent others from gossiping about them.

After listening to the explanation of the Sui family tree, Tang Fan finds it a little strange, “If that’s the case, it seems that your numbers are simple, so why did you move out on your own?”

Sui Zhou says idly, “My brother was given the title of baihu, but it is merely an empty title. He couldn’t get used to the duties in the Embroidered Uniform Guards and wanted to excel by studying, but until now he has not managed to pass the qualifying exams. While I began in a position lower than his, today I can be considered as an official as well. My sister-in-law doesn’t like me and rather than having to deal with endless arguments at home, I might as well move out for some peace and quiet.”

Tang Fan understands immediately. Every family has its own troubles.

Sui An is the eldest and is expected to take over the family in the future, so his parents definitely are more biased towards him and have higher expectations of him. Judging from Sui Zhou’s character, he definitely couldn’t be bothered with these matters at home and so decided simply to move out to avoid conflict, lest the brothers fight.

Madam Zhou’s son and his family is unable to return from outside the city to celebrate her birthday, so the event is naturally organized by her daughter instead. Considering Madam Zhou and Empress Dowager Zhou’s relationship, the Sui family would not dare to celebrate her birthday simply, but Madam Zhou did not wish to host a grand celebration. She said that she was born into a simple, common family and can enjoy riches today only because of the Empress Dowager. Thus, she should cherish the fortune she has. Instead of hosting a party and making a fuss, wasting money and inviting a bunch of people she doesn’t know to celebrate with her, she would rather gather all her grandchildren and have a good meal together.

The birthday celebration is being held in the Zhou family house. Sui Zhou and his family on need to move next door to celebrate for Madam Zhou, which is convenient.

When Tang Fan arrives at the Zhou house, that’s when he realizes that other than he and Ah Dong, everyone else is from the Sui family.

Madam Zhou has passed sixty, has a full head of white hair and looks both kind and warm. The moment she sees Sui Zhou, her eyes fold into happy lines as she smiles and she reaches out for him, pulling him over, “My good grandson is here to see me, hurry, come here, come here!”

Even if Sui Zhou’s face is habitually stoic, the moment he sees Madam Zhou, his expression softens. He greets Madam Zhou and wishes her a happy birthday before giving her his present.

With respect, he calls, “Grandmother.”

“Good, good, good!” Madam Zhou says ‘good’ three times consecutively, and then seeing Tang Fan and Ah Dong standing next to Sui Zhou, she smiles, “Ah Zhou, are these your friends?”

Before Sui Zhou can answer, someone on the side comments, “Er-di, it’s a family banquet today. Madam said not to bring outsiders, so why did you still bring strangers here? There are female members of the family here today and it’s not as if they are close to our family, this was too inconsiderate of you!”

The person who spoke is Sui Zhou’s sister-in-law, his brother’s wife, Lady Jiao.

Sui Zhou and his married older brother cannot see eye to eye and their relationship can be attributed to the disagreement Sui Zhou has with his sister-in-law. Sui Zhou is still single, but Lady Jiao doesn’t like him and keeps driving a wedge between Sui Zhou and Sui An. After a while, the brothers’ relationship would be affected as well.

Moreover, Sui Zhou grew up under the care of Madam Zhou as his parents doted on their eldest son, but Madam Zhou doted instead on Sui Zhou. The Embroidered Uniform Guards is a popular place to work at. Sui Zhou is the second son and doesn’t have the surname Zhou, so originally he had no chance of obtaining any titles, but Madam Zhou spoke up for him before Empress Dowager Zhou and Sui Zhou shifted from having only an empty title to an actual post. It’s no wonder that Lady Jiao is green with envy at the differential treatment.

However, she forgot that Sui Zhou is not a person to be easily bullied.

The moment she finishes speaking, Sui Zhou responds, “From today onwards, they’re close friends of the family then.”

===

Notes:

*馋货 chan huo

A glutton who is craving for something specific to eat.

*柿子要捡软的捏 shi zi yao jian ruan de nie

Soft persimmons are sweet and delicious, this is a metaphor for how people are likely to succeed with bullying the weak (soft persimmon) and are scared of rock-hard persimmons. In this case, this metaphor is used to show that people are scared of the Embroidered Uniform Guards when they’re fierce, but being nice to them and turning them into soft-er persimmons will make things easier for people.

*灰色收入 hui se shou ru

Literally translated as gray earnings i.e. money someone makes from moonlighting.

*通家之好 tong jia zhi hao

To show that two families have a good and meaningful relationship between them, as if they were from one big family. Being a 通家 (tong jia) I think is like an official, big thing? Not something to be taken lightly, so when Sui Zhou declares Tang Fan and Ah Dong to be a 通家 (tong jia), he confers some sort of status on them.

*兄弟 xiong di

Meaning brother. This can be meant for like bros - brothers or actual biological brothers. You can also use both characters separately, with xiong used for a male your age or older, and di for someone younger. Tang Fan calls Sui Zhou Guang Chuan-xiong quite frequently.

*百户 bai hu

There are four ranks within the Embroidered Uniform Guards - 千户 (qian hu)、百户 (bai hu)、总旗 (zong qi)、小旗 (xiao qi) arranged highest to smallest rank, aside from the Commander 统领官 (zong ling guan).

[famished-fander-idiot]

I don't really love you! (I, just said that for a change in pace.)

Virgil wasn't stupid.

Sure, you might be saying in your head, 'what about all that self deprecating; I thought dumb was on the list?' Well, sure, he wasn't the smartest cookie on the block, Logan took the prize on that one, but in the least he knew his facts. And even then, you don't need facts to confirm whats right in feont of you.

And Virgil knew that he wasn't oblivious. He was hyper aware of every noise, person and sharp object in a mile radius, and his flight or fight reflex made him prepared for anything. (He still needed to apologize for nearly suffocating Roman with his fuzzy blanket and a pillow when he'd only come down for a quick snack.)

So, he understood them quickly, hiding there obvious family from him. Virgil knew they were close, knew they were happy and he had no hope in becoming a part of something so sweet. And he found there kindness...refreshing, in reference to the others he was so used to.

But when he nearly ducked out, waiting in the shadows for proof of their distance, they literally prooved him wrong. Showed up in Anxieties room, to help not hurt, and even thanked him for guiding them out. Not like the thanks were deserved, if Virgil didn't make such a brash decision, it wouldn't have happened. He hadn't thought about the affect, longterm behavior of Thomas.

Speaking of not thinking things through, he also done something else that was stupid: revealing his name, Virgil.

And that wasn't extraordinary, like, them knowing his name wasn't an incredible thing to know. But all of them grew so interested in him, and Virgil didn't even know why. Why would they want him in there little family, relationship, he'd never asked? But that didn't matter, cause he'd never know, and they'll stop caring, one way or another.

And they were always asking now, if he wanted a hug, to hold hands, even before. And while Virgil wanted to say yes, surprise, he was reakly anxious about it. He'd never been touched before, and he didn't want them wasting their time on Anxiety, of all people. So, they stopped asking. The final nail in the coffin (figurative one) for why they certainly didn't like him, wasting their indispensable kindness on who? Him.

So, he was back in session. But Virgil chose a different approach than his last attempts at staying away from the lights: cold shoulder. He avoided them like the plague, talked only when asked and refrained from leaving his room unless he absolutely had to.

They would get over it, eventually. Virgil wasn't particularly interesting, not enough to be a part of their relationship (he'd asked Patton, an exception to his rule, and Pat confirmed that yes, they were in a poly relationship.) And it was shockingly upseting being away. Hed gotten used to Roman singing at an ungodly hour, to Logans soft smiles at early morning, to Patton giving him a thumbs up when he did a good job. It was nice, being around them. Which was just that, he'd gotten used to their company, making this ten times harder.

Though, they were all very nice, and he was being very not nice, but they'd understand why. Maybe one day, they'll thank him. Tell him how glad that Virgil disposed himself so they could continue, to let Virgil rot, cause surely he deserved it. He deserved this twist in his chest at having to shut Roman down for watching a movie, watching the princes step have less of a spring at being denied. Had to let his cool stay present when seeing a slight shine of worry from Logan when Virgil insisted he already ate. Had to keep down the tears, the desire, the yearning of jumping into Pattons arms at the offer to hold him, and ignoring the desperation right after.

And he hated it. But, Virgil knew, now more than ever that it was for the best.

So, sitting by himself, and laying down across his bed sheets, he ran his thoughts. He'd run out of real excuses days ago, and was now considering leaving entirely.

Not ducking out, no, Virgil didn't want Thomas to be hurt because of him. But maybe, going back to the dark, would be helpful. Virgil knew the lights were busy, always doing something, and they would probably continue with themselves, with each other. Wouldn't even notice Virgils absence.

Virgil thought about it, twirling his pen in the air, the fan on for noise instead of dispersing the heat. No, he decided, not gonna damage Thomas fight or flight. He'll need it. Just because he wasn't worth it, didn't mean he'd hirt himself in response. He'd done it before, it never helped.

All he could do, was lay low.

After ten minutes of quite literally doing nothing, a knock could be heard. A soft one, but stern, someone who wouldn't be ignored. Virgil groaned. They didn't need him, they'd be fine, talking to them will make them feel worse.

But, he always answered now after a particular long conversation, a promise he'd always regret. Drawing out the progress of putting his dark jacket on, Virgil opened the door, guiding his eyes down to the floor, "Yes?"

A hand, maybe Pattons rested on his shoulder, as Logan, in a shockingly soft tone, "I believe speaking with you right now is the best course of action, but if you'd rather..." his voice trailed off.

Confused, and rather spellbound by the lasting contact on his shoulder, Virgil made the mistake of lifting his head. Roman and Pattons eyes widened and Logan actually flinched.

"Have-have you been crying, Dear stormcloud?" Virgil blinked, lifting his hand to his cheeks at Tomans question. Damp and cold, "Apparently. I didn't-I couldn't really notice, I haven't been-" He cut himself off.

"What?" Patton had asked softly, now rubbing light patterns. Virgil flinched at the change, Patton drawing his hand away immediately. Good, Virgil didn't like that at all, didn't find Pat comforting in the slightest, "I just haven't been sleepin much, no worries."

A pause. Reading his face, Virgil presumed. Looking to see what he knew already, so the lecture didn't waste all their time. "Do you-would you like to join us?" Virgil nodded, even though his stomache flipped at Romans proposition, "We were gonna watch a movie, but we don't have to."

Virgil shook his head, already walking out his doorway and down the hall, "Thats fine" I'm fine, went unsaid.

So no one spoke for the first half of Toy Story 2, sitting, tight knit on the sofa. Everyone accept Virgil, who sat deeply in the armchair, much too small and scared for the likings of the lights. But at some point, the silent conversation was too much for him, and Logan swiftly grabbed the remote, pausing the movie.

"Finally." Roman muttered as both Logan and Patton straightened, and Princey looked more attentive. Looks like he was caught, and That the coffin was being nailed shut, (still figurative, Logan.) That was fine, Virgil could handle it.

"Virgil." And Virgil couldn't help, but be nervous by the no nonsense tone of Logans voice, his mind running on autopilot as he lifted his head from being addressed so directly, "You have been avoiding us lately, care to have any explanation as to why you believe avoiding us will do you any good."

Now Virgil was really confused, "Wait, but, how do you, why do you think that." Roman raised an eyebrow, "You talk in your sleep, and let me tell you, I know you haven't been paying attention to Woody or his number one crewmates."

Virgil shifted in his chair, so he could easily run, before letting his gaze unto the carpet. "I know I can be hard to manage, and that me being around isn't always pleasent. But, more than that, I didn't want to, ruin your relationship." The wide eyed stares he got showed he needed to be more specific.

"Like, I ruin everything I touch, which is good thing I've never touched anyone other than holding Princeys hand. And that was a mistake." Virgil sighed. Get to the point, loser, they need to know, "I can ruin something as good as you, I know I can't do it. And your all so nice, and patient, and yet, I know it won't last. So, I decided to take a step back. You were fine, you weren't really upset, cause what good could I be to you all anyway, like-"

"Virgil"

Anxiety paused, looking up to see the upset eyes of the lights sides. Great, he'd made them all mad. Good job! "It's okay. Your not ruining anyone, especially not us."

Virgil opened his mouth to object, but was cut off, "We love you. Were sorry if we made that unclear, but we do. So very much." Roman gave him a real smile, and being the gay dick he was, blew him a kiss like he was a fucking princess. Who did he think he was, making Virgil feel so warm and tingly by a quick motion.

"We've been trying to spend time with you for awhile, and we know it'll take time to understand that yes, we want you around and yes, you may want us around, and may ask for us. But we'll get there." Patton nodded encouragingly at Logans sentiment. "Now, asking again here, you wanna just be held for awhile? We can talk about the harder stuff later."

Virgil knew, that that was his chance. To stop this stupid attempt at help, to stop the hope, the tingly feeling in his chest. To let it be the way it was before, and simply let them be. But the funeral was closed, and The casket was opening, and Virgil could stop the feeble nod at the mere idea of being held, being touched.

The others smiled, more out of relief than anything, and waved him over. Scared Virgil stood on shaky legs, letting himsf down squished between Patton and Logan.

The others assembled into a new posistion: Roman in Patton's lap, Patton leaning on Logans shoulder, and Virgil on Logans lap, holding him close, and intimate and Virgil certainly wasn't panicking, no thank you.

The night when on faster than any of them liked, and by the end credits of their third choice, two sides were snoring to Virgils right.

"Virgil." Logan sounded quiet, sweet. And very real. "I am aware that you are touch starved, so please, always tell me if you are overwelmed, want to stop, or would like to change posistions. Your wants are important." Virgil felt, Logan rest his head against his neck. He breathing fell apart. No ones ever touched him, especially not like this.

Logan was just above whispering now, a low voice right beside his ear, comforting and constant, and so, very real, "If you want affection, a hug, a shoulder to cry on, do not be afraid to ask. We are family, and we will always try our best to answer.

And Virgil still felt guilty. He decided later that hed always feel guilty, at least a little. And that was okay, because things were changing. And he was happy to report that he had returned the coffin, and the nails weren't jiggling in his pockets.

[fyeahhozier]

The Irishman is deeper and darker than he's maybe been given credit for... but the geniality and swoon factor remain high.

Variety: Hozier Proves He’s a Career Artist in Gratifying Greek Show

At Hozier’s sold-out show at L.A.’s Greek Friday night, one of the first things you couldn’t help noticing on stage —because it’s still an anomaly — was that his eight-piece lineup was half-male, half-female. Knowing his penchant for socially conscious songs, his decrial of “the anthems of rape culture” in his lyrics, and a general female-friendliness to his appeal, it’s easy to figure this gender parity is a conscious one and think: That is soooo Hozier. Which it is … and so effective, too, like just about every choice he’s made so far in his short, charmed career. On the most practical level, if you can bring in that much female harmony while also getting ace players in the bargain, why wouldn’t you? But it also makes for a good visual emblem of some of the other dual energies Hozier is playing with in his music: darkness and enlightenment; romantic hero and cad; raw blues dude and slick pop hero. He’s got a lot more going on than just being an earnest do-gooder. (Although he does do good, earnestly.)

During Friday’s hour-and-three-quarters set, Hozier focused largely on material from this year’s sophomore album, “Wasteland, Baby!,” which sounded good enough on record but almost uniformly improved in the live experience. Sometimes the upgrade came from making full use of the multi-instrumentalists on hand. The first album’s “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” now had Hozier on guitar facing off against violinist Emily Kohavi, trading solos — and if it’s hard to hear an electric guitar/fiddle duel without automatically thinking “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” it was one of many welcome moments making use of the MVP skills of Kohavi, the newest addition to the band. Other times, the improvements on the album versions just had to do with Hozier allowing himself louder and gutsier guitar tones. He’s a bit like Prince, in that way — someone you’d happily listen to playing a very nasty-sounding six-string all night, although he has so many other stylistic fish to fry, which in this case means a still slightly greater emphasis on acoustic finger-picking.

For somebody who made his name on as forlorn but powerful an anthem as his 2014 breakout smash “Take Me to Church,” and who can milk that melodrama for all it’s worth, Hozier has a lot of other modes he can default to. He treads very lightly into the area of soul with songs like “Almost (Sweet Music),” the lyrics of which consist of either name-checking or alluding to some of the great jazz vocal classics of the 20th century, in an idiom that’s not so much jazzy itself as folk-R&B. You could almost cite it as the subtle kind of Memphis-swing thing Justin Timberlake should aspire to, if the tricky polyrhythm and oddly chopped up meters Hozier adds as wrinkles weren’t so un-replicable. Bringing up Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City” as the night’s sole cover also established that early ‘70s era and sound as an influences he’d like to make perfectly clear. At the other extreme, this son of a blues musician can hard back to those roots so well, in noisy numbers like “Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)” and the brand new “Jack Boot Jump,” that he could give the Black Keys a run for their money.

“Jack Boot Jump,” which is scheduled to go on an EP of completely fresh material that Hozier said he plans to put out before Christmas, was possibly the highlight of the night, even though — or because — it stripped his excellent band down to just him and longtime drummer Rory Doyle. Having earlier played the current album’s “Nina Cried Power,” which is maybe more of a tribute to other historic protest songs than one of its own, Hozier gave a lengthy introduction to “Jack Boot” indicating that he’s aware of the traps that come with the territory. “I do have some reservations about the words ‘protest song’ and ‘protest music,’” he admitted. “But if you’re familiar with an artist called Woody Guthrie, he wrote the evergreen anthem ‘Tear the Fascists’ down. I was kind of looking into songs in that sort of tradition, that singing out, and I was worried that this is 2019; it’s a very unsubtle way to approach songwriting.” But, he added, “it was a funny few weeks, with 70 people shot in Hong Kong and arrests obviously in Moscow; Chile now at the moment also. And I was thinking, forget about subtle art — what is not subtle is this murder of protesters, and what is not subtle is the jack boot coming down in Orwell’s picture of the future: ‘If you want to imagine the future, imagine a jack boot stomping on a human face forever,’ that chilling quote from ‘1984.’ Anyway, I was just thinking, yeah, f— it, it’s not subtle, but let’s do it.” His electric guitar proceeded to be a machine that kills fascists, and also just slayed as maybe the most rock ‘n’ roll thing he’s written. (Evidence of the new song on the web is scant, or should be, anyway, since he begged the audience “in good faith” not to film it.)

If there’s a knock people have on Hozier, it tends to be the sincerity thing. He’s a nice guy who’s finishing first, which doesn’t necessarily help him become an indie-rock darling or Pitchfork favorite. (Predictably, “Wasteland, Baby!” got a 4.8 rating there — that’s out of 10, not 5.) At the Greek, there was an almost wholesome feeling that would’ve been an immediate turnoff to anyone who insists on having their rock rough, starting with his graciousness in repeatedly naming the band members and repeatedly thanking his opening act (Madison Ryann Ward, a fetchingly husky-voiced Oklahoman filling in on this part of the tour for a laryngitis-stricken Freya Ridings). That extended to a sense of uplift in many of the songs that doesn’t always match the themes of the material. But then, there was the impossible good cheer and attractiveness of the young players, to match Hozier’s own; this is a group where everyone looks as if they could be in Taylor Swift’s band or actually looks like Taylor Swift. The swoon factor in Hozier’s appeal is undeniably high, and it’s safe to say no one left Griffith Park less smitten.

But ladies (and gentlemen), do be aware that Hozier has some dark-side moments that can almost make Leonard Cohen look like Stephen Bishop. The only time he really overtly accentuated that in concert was in introducing and playing the new album’s “No Plan,” a love song that is also an amiable statement of atheism in which Hozier reminds his beloved that the universe is going to collapse upon itself someday. This may be rather like the gambit in which the ‘50s boy gets the girl to make out with him in a fallout shelter, but in any case, Hozier didn’t stint on the end-of-all-things aspect of it, even putting up on screen behind the band a statement from astrophysicist Dr. Katie Mack pointing out humankind’s and the galaxy’s ultimate fate. (“Honestly I never really imagined I’d end up being name-checked in a song for talking about how the universe is eventually going to fade out and die so this is all very exciting for me,” Mack tweeted in replay earlier in the year.) Suffice it to say that with that soulful a vintage ‘70s groove and that fuzz-tastic a guitar line, many babies will be conceived to the tune of “No Plan,” whether it foresees generational lines ending in a godless black hole or not.

Other Hozier songs reveal darker gets more estimable the more you dig into it. With its bird talk, “Shrike” sounds sweet enough, till you realize that a shrike is a kind of bird that impales its prey on thorns, which does add a rather bloody metaphoric undertone to what sounds like a reasonably pacifist breakup song. “Dinner & Diatribes,” meanwhile, is just deeply horny, not thorny. The most brooding song of the set, “Talk,” has verses where Hozier sings in lofty, literary terms about the romantic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, only to reveal in the chorus that he’s talking to this woman in such high-minded terms because he just wants to charm her into the sack. As a piece of writing, it’s hilarious, establishing a devilish side of Hozier it’s good to hear. As a piece of performance, it’s just sexy.

But as enriching as it is to realize Hozier has a healthy sense of humor in his writing, bad-boy wit is never going to be what you’re going to come away from a Hozier album or show with. The main part of Friday’s concert ended, as expected, with “Take Me to Church,” his outraged take on abuse and homophobia in the scandalized Catholic church — which just happens to be easily taken as a lusty hymn to sexuality. Following that, the large band returned to a stage that had now been decked out in some kind of ivy, as Hozier talked about his love for the late Irish poet Seamus Heaney (whose last words he has tattooed on his arm) and, “since I’ve come this far,” went ahead and recited his poem “Mint,” sharing his hero’s affection for the plant and its “tenacity for life.”

Tenacity is likely to be a buzzword, too, for Hozier, given his leaps and gains as a writer-performer and seeming level head atop his tree-top shoulders. Taller still of voice, musical dexterity and good will — and still just 29 —  he’s somebody the swooners and even some cynics should feel good about settling in with for a very long Irish ride.

[slipping-through-my-fingertips]

Klainetober day 26

Prompt 26: Trick or Treat

Summary: McKinley is hosting a Halloween dance. Kurt needs a date. 

Notes: This is another story I was already writing and I added some details to fit with the prompt for today. Really proud of this one, I hope you all enjoy it. 

AO3

The first annual McKinley High Halloween Dance was next week and Kurt Hummel still didn’t have a date. It wasn’t as if he was waiting around for someone to ask him because he was fairly sure he was the only out person in the entire school, except maybe Brittany. No one seemed to have issues with her dating anyone from footballers to glee clubbers or even fellow Cheerio Santana. However, she didn’t label her relationship with Santana. Kurt suspected Santana wasn’t quite ready to give up on hooking up with boys. Whether she actually enjoyed the company of boys was up for debate. If you asked, Kurt was positive Santana was experiencing the similar fear he once had when he was deciding to confirm what all the bullies already said about him: he was gay.

If Quinn Fabray, chairwoman of the dance, got her way, Kurt would have to endure two more Halloween dances, dateless, until he graduated and got the hell out of Lima. All because she needed an excuse to wear couple costumes with her new boyfriend, Sam Evans. Which was the real reason, Kurt Hummel needed a date. The rules of the dance were simple: couple costumes only.

Before you ask why Kurt couldn’t just skip out on the dance altogether, Mr. Schue had signed the glee club up to perform. He had to go and in order to attend, he needed a date. Everyone else was paired up: Finn and Rachel, Puck and Lauren, Mike and Tina, and Artie had asked Mercedes just this morning to go with him as a friend of course. Artie was still upset that Brittany and Santana were dating. Kurt assumed he didn’t want to cause any trouble so Mercedes was Artie’s safest bet for a date. Though, Kurt wished he had asked his bestie before Artie did because that would’ve solved his issue.

Kurt felt more alone than ever. All around him were couples. As he sat in the Lima Bean, he tried to tear his eyes away from couples holding hands on top of the tables, whispering to each other while waiting in line, ordering for one another, and their adorable, little kisses on cheeks. He went back to flipping through his math notebook and continuing his test corrections, which was his way of avoiding his need to find a song for the dance to perform.

He put his headphones in and let the music of his favorite playlist take him away from Ohio. Music was his greatest escape. Except today all he could see were images of the glee club in their costumes.

Quinn and Sam were going as a Na’vi. It was going to take a lot of work to get all of that blue paint off their bodies.

Ever since their musical movie night of Grease, Rachel’s been obsessing over Olivia Newton John’s outfit and was surely going to force Finn into a T-Bird leather jacket.

Though Kurt wasn’t quite sure about Puck and Lauren’s costume, Lauren did tell him it was rather sexual, which didn’t surprise Kurt at all.

He and Lauren had struck up a decent friendship since she joined glee. It was partly because Puck already considered Kurt “his boy” and partly due to their similar wit and sense of humor. Moreso the latter.

Among those couples in his daydream, Kurt saw himself standing by the punch bowl simply observing the over-crowded dance floor and wishing he had a sweetheart to sway with him while cheesy popular Halloween music played.

He skipped the next song on his shuffle and set about getting back to his test corrections for geometry. Somebody helped themself to the seat in front of Kurt causing him to look up. There in his blazer and slightly gelled hair sat Blaine Anderson, cute as could be.

Blaine was a Warbler. The enemy, if you asked Rachel. But to Kurt, Blaine was a friend and confidant. Someone who understood him better than anyone else ever had. Kurt had met him on a failed spying mission to Dalton Academy during Girl vs. Boys week. Blaine serenaded him with Katy Perry and Kurt’s been a goner ever since.  

“Hey you,” he said.

Kurt removed his headphones.

“Hi, what are you doing here?” Kurt asked. “Don’t you have rehearsal until 4?”

“It’s after 4, Kurt.” Blaine smiled.

Kurt looked at his phone and sure enough it was almost 5 o’clock. “Oh.”

“What are you working on?”

“Math,” Kurt said with a long sigh.

Blaine hummed like he understood Kurt’s frustrations with the subject.  

“I could use a break honestly.”

“Great,” Blaine said,. “How’s glee? Did you have your sectionals yet?”

“Not yet, Mr. Schue won’t even tell us our competitors. Who are you competing against?” Kurt took a sip of his nonfat mocha. “Not Vocal Adrenaline, I hope.”

Blaine smiled like he had a secret. In the short time that they knew one another, Kurt was already aware that Blaine wasn’t capable of holding in secrets, especially good ones (unless they were top-secret and very serious matters, like the extent of Karofsky’s bullying). This secret had him ready to burst at the seams.

“What’s going on? Are you doing a medley of Pink songs?”

Blaine laughed. “I wish but no.”

“So, what’s this all about?” Kurt gestured to Blaine’s bouncing in his seat.

“The Warblers are up against the New Directions this year.”

“We’re competing?”

“Yes!” Blaine explained. “I know it’s kinda strange to be excited but this means I’ll get to see you and hear you sing. It’s going to be great no matter who wins.”

“Well, obviously it’s going to be us.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “In your dreams.”

There was a slight break in conversation as Kurt gathered up his worksheets and placed them in a green folder. He wasn’t doing any more today. Not when Blaine was sitting across from him.

“How’s school going?”

Kurt had confessed so much to Blaine. Things he didn’t dare tell the New Directions or even his dad.

“Good,” Kurt said, with a small smile. “Karofsky’s suspension has turned into expulsion thanks to Coach Sue.” He lowered his voice and looked around to make sure no one was listening. “In addition to his threats on my life, he was caught in the act of kicking another student so…”

Blaine lowered his voice as well. “So, that means you’re safer right?”

“I hope so. I worried if it’ll mean the other bullies will take his place or if they’ll leave me alone altogether. Time will tell.”

Blaine tilted his head slightly to the left and scrunched his nose. “I guess that also means there’s no hope you’ll come to Dalton?”

“I’d miss McKinley too much.” Kurt shrugged. “But transferring isn’t completely off the table just yet.”

Blaine reached over and took Kurt’s hand. “I��m happy for you, y’know.”

“Thanks,” Kurt said. “In somewhat happier news, Quinn has declared a Halloween Dance.”

“That sounds fun but you said somewhat...what’s wrong with a spooky dance?”

“She has also declared it a couple costume dance.” Kurt sighed. “Everyone needs a date and yours truly has no one to ask.”

“Mercedes?”

“She’s going with Artie.”

“Huh, you guys having it on Halloween?”

“Yeah, it’s a Friday so it actually works out well.” Kurt raised his eyebrows wondering where Blaine was headed with this train of thought.

“In the evening, I assume.”

“Yeah, it’s at 7.”

“The Warblers usually do some trick or treating in the neighborhood, they like that some houses make them do tricks before giving them candy,” Blaine said with a smile, “but I can skip out this year. We should probably start brainstorming costume ideas.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll come with you, Unless, you’re too embarrassed to be seen with me,” Blaine teased.

“Definitely not,” Kurt assured him, “I’d be honored to have you come with me.”

It looked like Kurt had a date to the dance.

“And you’ll help me with my song selection.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Blaine said, “but only after you agree to be the peanut butter to my jelly?”

“I refuse to go as a sandwich,” Kurt huffed.

“The Mario to my Luigi!”

“Taken by Artie and Mercedes. Next.”

“Buzz Lightyear to my Woody?” Blaine suggested.

“As much as I love Disney–”

Blaine cut him off, “–and Pixar.”

“And Pixar,” Kurt confirmed. “No.”

“Why not? You’d look cute in a spacesuit.”

Kurt tried not to blush.

“How about Broadway legends for couple costumes?”

***

On Friday, Kurt found himself exactly where he thought he’d be: standing alone by the punch bowl. Coach Sue had made her special punch, usually reserved for proms, and was guarding it. Kurt felt safer knowing she was watching out for bullies and people, namely Puckerman, who would be trying to spike it.

One thing Kurt hadn’t accounted for in his daydreams was how good Blaine looked in red. His entire outfit clung to his body: freshly ironed red button-down, appropriately sinfully tight slacks, and a skinny blood red tie. Blaine was sitting with Tina and Mike in their zombie cheerleader and footballer costumes. Even from here, Kurt noticed black curls framing his face and the rest were held back by light gel and devil horns.

“Your alabaster complexion wasn’t enough, Porcelain,” Sue said, “you just had to dress like a heaven-sent cherub.”

“I think there was a compliment in there somewhere.” Kurt smiled.

“Your boyfriend is too preppy to be a devil,” she commented, “but you’re the only couple couple here that doesn’t make me gag.”

Before Kurt could tell her Blaine and him weren’t dating, she was already yelling at a student for coming too close to the punch bowl.

Kurt decided it was best to join Blaine at their table. He carried two plastic cups of orange punch and placed one in front of his date. Blaine smiled his thanks and continued his conversation with Mike about the best local dance studios. The Warblers wanted to brush up on some of their step dancing abilities.

When the song changed, Mike escotted Tina to the dance floor leaving Blaine and Kurt alone.

“Are you having fun?” Kurt asked.

“I am. The New Directions are great.” He took a sip of punch. “Rachel’s better in short doses, Tina’s a sweetheart, and Mike and Sam could easily be my new best friends.”

Kurt chuckled and ducked his head. Blaine moved his hand onto Kurt’s knee so he met the other boy’s eyes.

“Your friends are great, I understand why you wouldn’t want to leave them.”

“They are,” Kurt agreed. “Not that the Warblers aren’t amazing too.”

“Oh they’re a lot to get used to as well,” Blaine assured. “We tend to be...traditional.”

“The New Directions don’t follow any rules. We just are.”

“You belong here.”

Kurt shook his head. “Maybe in the eyes of the glee club. No one else wants to claim me.”

“I would,” Blaine told him.

“You would?”

Blaine nodded. “Wanna dance?”

Kurt hesitated but Blaine was standing there with his earnest grin and hand out just waiting for Kurt to grab it. How could he say no?

The boys went out onto the dance floor, joining a majority of the New Directions in their circle. Couples were paired up but everyone was still dancing together. It reminded Kurt of how they’d dance during glee breaks. Just general fun, no choreography or audience. They were teenagers enjoying each other’s company.

[sweetlittlegingy]

Just Chris

One-shot

|Dad!Chris Evans x pregnant reader|Dad!Chris Evans x Evans kids|

Summary:

You and Chris had been married for 4 years now, prior to that you had dated for 2. You had met on a vacation to Disneyworld, your little boy had disappeared from your sight and caused you to have a near mental breakdown. In the moment you didn't know it but he would become your whole world. Gaining not only his affection but also his unwavering commitment and love for the both of you. 6 years in and you couldn't be happier. With 3 wonderful kids and another on the way you had everything a girl could ask for. Together you made the choice to not make your relationship public, for the kids sake, your own and Chris as well. He had always wanted to have a family, a safe place where he could be known just as a husband and father. He made sure that you never felt lonely and tried to be there for every milestone. 

Word count: 3,900

6 years ago: Orlando Florida

It was a big step,  I knew that. Deciding to come to Disneyworld with just James and I. But he who shall not be named doesn't care about us anymore and James deserves some small amount of happiness in this dark time. Taking a deep breath I grabbed our park tickets, thanking the park member and head towards the entrance. 

     "Momma are we gonna see Mickey and his puppy." I hear James ask as he tugs me forward. 

     "Yes! Are you super excited? We can go on any ride you want bubba." We moved through the entrance line fairly quickly heading straight for fantasy land. 

4 hours later

I haven't seen him smile this big in forever. He might be little but he knows something is going on and a big change has happened in our lives. I can't wait to share the pictures with my parents that I got of James and Mickey and Minnie. 

     "James, buddy what do you wanna do now? More rides or are you hungry?" I ask as we walk towards Cinderella's castle. 

     "Momma can we go get a Mickey balloon pretty please? You said we could later and it's later." He replies like the sassy little stinker he is. It's kinda terrifying how much he is like me. He is definitely gonna be my karma for all the headaches a gave my parents. 

     "I guess I did say that. Come on let's go, I think there was someone selling them in front of Main Street." Together we walk hand in hand finding the cart easily. "Ok bubba what color do you want?" I ask patiently waiting for him to look over every color and choose. 

     "Can I have the blue one please momma?"  He asks after barely looking them over. I should have known, blue is our favourite color currently. Turning back to the man selling them I ask for a blue balloon and get cash out of my wallet to pay for it. 

     "Here you go ma'am, have a good day now." He tells me. Wishing him a good day as well I turn around ready to see the biggest smile on my munchkins face and he's gone. I look around quickly but there's so many people and I can't see him. Spinning around to see if he's with the balloon man, but he's not. I can feel my heart speeding up, I feel like I can't breathe. 

"James baby!" I call frantically. I feel tears welling up in my eyes. My baby's gone, I just had him here with me. How could he disappear that fast, what if someone took him. I feel a panic attack coming on, my world feels like it's caving in on me. Then I hear it. His little voice shouting about superheroes and Toy Story. Rushing forward I break through a group of people and see him in a man's arms.    

     "Momma!! You got my balloon" he yells launching himself into my arms. Catching him I hold on to him for dear life hold back the tears because I have him back in my arms. 

     "James you can't do that ok. Never walk away from mommy, I thought I lost you baby." I tell him while stroking his head. 

     "I made a friend though momma, he likes superheroes too!" He tells me not understanding that I almost just had a mental breakdown. 

      Looking up I see my  saviour staring back at me sheepishly, unsure of how to approach me. I probably look like an absolute mess right now, but completely overwhelmed I can't stop myself from hugging him. Holding James with one arm, I wrap my other around the man and rest against his chest. He must have been completely blown away because he doesn't react at all. Then all of the sudden he wraps his arms around the both of us and in that moment I couldn't handle life anymore. I completely break down in tears, while he just holds me tighter and whispers that it's ok now to me. Through everything that happened recently I've had no one. I was alone in this divorce, sure I hand my parents but they weren't there to hold me and make me feel safe. To tell me that every choice I had made was ok, that I wasn't wrong in wanting a better life for James and myself. But this angel of a man, that knows nothing about me at all. He knew somehow exactly what I needed. Pulling back after I've stopped the tears I can't help but to feel so embarrassed. 

     "I'm so sorry. I don't know what even came over me. I just… thank you. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't have him." I quickly speak trying not to look like a complete idiot but I can feel my cheeks heating up. 

     "Don't worry it's no problem at all. We were having a great time weren't we buddy." He replies winking at James. 

     "Yeah momma. Me and Chris were talking about heroes and Woody to! I told him you were getting me a balloon ." James replies like it's the most obvious thing on the planet. It's at that moment you realise I never told him my name. 

     "I'm y/n by the way. Though with his guy it seems my only name is mommy. Which I definitely can't complain about." I say in laugh while tickling James. 

     "Oh right yeah. I'm Chris, but he already told you that." He chuckles reaching to shake your hand. God he has an amazing smile. I can't remember the last time I had this many butterflies in my stomach just from someone smiling at me. 

     "You wouldn't wanna maybe come get a Mickey ice cream bar with us? That was our plan before everything happened." I ask hopefully but then realise he might be here with family and I don't want to interrupt. "Unless of course you're busy. In that case just thank you." 

     Chris laughs a little.  "Well I am here with family.." before he can even finish, another guy interrupts him.

     "Hi I'm Scott, Chris brother. He's got no plans, we were all just gonna head back to the hotel and rest for a bit. Chris would love to come with you." He smiles sweetly at me, then turns to Chris giving him the eyes that can only describe as don't fuck this up eyes. 

     "Yeah I would love that. Plus me and this little guy have lots to talk about. Especially the fact that he thinks Spiderman is the best superhero! I mean buddy what about Captain America?" Chris beams at James playfully. It's in that moment though I realise who exactly I've been talking to. But none of that matters because as far as I'm concerned he's just Chris. I don't want him to be anyone else because so far he's been absolutely perfect.

Present: Concord Massachusetts

     I think I've made it through the worst. I woke up feeling amazing with no nausea. It's a winning kinda day, it's been too long that I haven't had a day that I feel like dying and I'm just over 30 weeks. Thankfully Lisa took James and the girls today so I could have some time to rest. But like always I can't seem to relax so here I am cleaning. Bending down to pick up one of the girls barbies and her dream car I hear a low whistle come from behind me.

     "Now if that isn't the perfect view to come home to, I don't know what is." Spinning around I see him, my Chris. 

     "It's that view that got us in this situation in the first place Christopher." I say gesturing to my belly. 

     "The best situation baby. Now come here so I can kiss my favourite girl and tell my little princess hello." He tells me pulling me in for the sweetest kiss. I missed this so much, the feel of his lips on mine. Being able to feel his unconditional love from one kiss. As soon as he pulls away he gives me a quick peck on the nose making me giggle. Then he's down on his knees pulling my top up so he can see my belly. "And how are you doing my sweet angel? Have you been good for momma?" He asks my belly then presses his ear against me, because apparently they can talk to each other through the womb. Running my fingers through his hair I feel like I can officially relax now. He's been on the go so much after promoting Kives Out. Then going to award shows left and right, but now he's home for the rest of the pregnancy. 

     "She's missed you baby. So has James, Eleanor and Adeline."

     "Oh really, only the kids have missed me? You sure you haven't missed me even a little bit?" He says while standing up to look me in the eyes. "I hope you missed me baby, cuz I know I missed you too damn much. It was hell not having you in my arms everyday. Especially with you being pregnant. It killed me knowing I wasn't here to take care of you." 

     "I missed you more than anything. You should know that though from the amount of times I called you crying in the middle of the night." I whisper into his neck. I feel horrible that I called so many times and made him feel bad. But we made a promise that we would always share every single emotion we were feeling with each other. "I love you Christopher so much. I feel whole again with you back." 

     "I love you more baby. I'm home now ok and will be for as long as you need me. There's no way in hell that someone could pull me away from you and the kids now. Especially since little miss Everly will be showing up soon enough." He tells me while rubbing my belly. I look up at the clock on the wall and see that it's almost 2. Lisa was gonna bring the kids back around 3.

     "The kids should be home in an hour or so. Your mother, bless her heart for taking the kids this morning. She is truly a God sent." I pull away from him putting the barbie and her dream car in the girls toy box. 

      "You know she loves you and the kids so much. I think she might love you more than she loves me." He chuckles. "How are they doing anyway? Anything new that I need to be made aware of?" 

     "Why do you say it like that?" I ask with a hint of disbelief in my tone.

     "Because you my darling are always up to something? Are the girls still taking ballet or have we changed our minds to something else? What about James, baseball should be starting soon." 

     "Excuse you but I have been on my best behaviour thank you very much. Ell is loving ballet. Addie is still not sure. But then again her attention span is horrible, I'm gonna keep her in it though. They are both doing wonderfully when they want to, I'm sure you will get to have your own private show. Yes baseball starts next month, I've already got him signed up. He's gonna be so happy that you're gonna be home to practice with him." I pause then for a minute because I hate to bring it up when he's just home. "Babe. James asked again last night." 

     "What's he asking you about this time, that you can't handle." Chris asks, with an amusing smile on his face. He quickly understands though when I glare at him. "I'm sorry babe, all jokes aside. How'd he bring it up this time?"

     "Apparently he saw Robert and Susan promoting Dolittle. I guess they were talking about finally doing a film that all the kids could go to. I don't even know how to go about it anymore, he completely broke my heart hunny. He asked if you were ashamed of us baby. I of course told him no, that you love them more than anything. It's just getting really difficult now. I mean we are gonna be a pretty big family soon, it's getting harder to hide." 

    "I know. God I know, I've been thinking about it alot. I just love how with you guys I'm just Chris or daddy. Are you even ready for that baby? I don't even know if I'm ready, I love having you all to myself." He states while rubbing the back of his neck. "How would we even reveal that to the world? I don't want any backlash coming on you and the kids. Fucking hell." Walking over I wrap my arms around him. I can see how much this stresses him out and we just need to get it out of the way, face it head on. 

    "Hey look at me." I state lifting his face so he looks me in the eyes. "We will be fine as long as we stick together. I don't care about anything the press might say. So long as you and our babies are safe and happy. Nothings gonna scare me off babe, you're stuck with me forever." 

     "Ok I guess we're doing this. How do we wanna go about it? We could go live on Twitter or just make a video and share it on my page. I think making a video would be best though so we can make sure that we have it perfect." He states calmly. 

     "I think that's an absolutely perfect way to introduce our family to the world baby. I think we should do something silly though and not make it so much like 'Hey look I have a family' just an easy going playful video with a witty caption 'Quick catch up on the last 6 years' don't you think?" 

     Hearing a knock one the door, then the door opening. You hear little feet running down the hall giggling. "Momma we're home!" Both girls yell out to you.

     "Come here guys, I'm in the kitchen. I've got a surprise for you." You call back while quickly pushing Chris into the pantry. Just as the door closes you see the girls rounding the corner. Heading straight to hug your legs, with Lisa and James coming behind them. "Hello my babies. How are you both doing?" You say kisses each of the girls on the head. Looking up after they tell you that they're great you smile, having a hard time not telling them then that daddy's home. "How are you doing buddy, did you have a good time with grandma?" You ask James.

    "Yeah. Grandma and grandpa were great." He says softly while Lisa wraps her arms around him giving him a soft hug and kiss on the top of his head.

    "James, sweetheart what's wrong?" You question trying to figure out what could have happened in the short time he was gone.

    You see him turn more into Lisa. "He's just missing dad today, Scott was helping him practice throwing today." She tells you with a sad smile. 

     "Well it's a good thing I came home early then. Can't be missing baseball practice with my best bud." At the sound of Chris's voice James head pops up, letting go of Lisa he runs for Chris. Soon after the girls follow squealing, running right for his legs. 

     "Surprise!" You say with a laugh looking at Lisa then the kids and Chris. He's got the girls in one arm, both of them kissing his cheeks. James is tucked in his chest holding onto him tightly. You knew he missed Chris, being the only guy in the house was tough. They were inseparable from the beginning of your relationship and everytime Chris left it got a little harder for the pair. You saw him whispering something in each of their ears. Both girls giggling and James burying himself farther into Chris chest. Setting the girls down Chris wrapped both arms around James. 

     Knowing they needed this time together, you walked over to the girls. "Why don't we take grandma to the living room and show her your new barbie dolls we got yesterday?" You asked the girls who happily ran for Lisa, grabbing her hands and skipping to the living room. Looking back over your shoulder you wink at Chris as you see him mouth 'Thank you' to you. With a smile you mouth back 'I love you' and head in to be with Lisa and the girls. 

    Sometime later the boys come into the living room, both smiling. Lisa had left 10 minutes before saying she wanted you to have family time and that she would see Chris tomorrow to give him a proper hello. 

     "So what's everyone thinking for dinner? I was thinking instead of having momma cook, we order pizza. Hmm… how's that sound?" Chris says. 

     "Yes!" All three of the kids cheer. We don't get pizza too often, so I knew it was gonna be a unanimous decision. Deciding on a Meat Lovers and a Cheese pizza I get the phone to call it in. Hanging up the phone I go and tell everyone it should be here in about 45 minutes. Settling back on the couch to cuddle with Chris while the kids play with Dodger, I breathe a sigh of relief rubbing my bump. At this little miss Everly starts moving around. Stretching her little body out. Grabbing Chris's hands I place them on my tummy so he can feel her.

     "She's sure is active tonight. I'm so ready to meet her and to be a family of 6." He whispers softly into my ear before kissing my temple. Our relaxing cuddle is soon interrupted though. When the girls come bouncing on their toes over to us. 

     "Can we have a dance party before dinner? Pretty please?" They ask with the sweetest smiles. They already know that it's gonna be a yes. After giving that face to their daddy, he's so wrapped around their fingers.

     "Of course we can. Why don't you take mommy upstairs to get your tutus on. While you get ready, me and bubba will set up the speakers."  Chris tells the girls. With smiles they start up the stairs giggling while I follow after them making sure nobody falls. Picking out which tutu each of them was gonna wear was easy. Pink and purple with sparkles for Ell and rainbow for Addie. But they couldn't just have their tutus we had to get in their leotards too. As well as princess crowns had to be added, finally we were ready to go back downstairs. Chris of course didn't miss the fact that I have a crown on. If the girls could get my tummy in a tutu, I would be in one all the time. I'm just happy that they didn't make me try and put it in this time. They must have learned after I got stuck last time when I was just 25 weeks and momma's belly almost broke the tutu.

    "Don't you two just look beautiful." He says to them. "Don't think I forgot you. I love the crown babe." He says before giving me a quick peck on the lips. He walks away to press play on the speakers and all of the sudden I hear Under the Sea from the Little Mermaid coming through the speakers. Both girls happily jump and squeal at their father's choice. Excited because it's their favourite movie at the moment, completely oblivious to the fact that it's also their dads. Laughing at their wild moves I see them grab James making him dance as well. 

     "Momma come on dance. Everly loves this song!" Ell tells me point blank

     "How would you know that Ell? Everly isn't even here yet to know what music she loves." I tell her.

     "Because we are her sissies and she loves anything we love." Addie then says coming to her twins aid. Standing up I grab both girls hands twirling them while they hold my fingers. Looking up at Chris I see him laughing holding up his phone. 

     "Looking good momma!" He tells me with a laugh. 

     "Daddy look at us spin!" Addie says before they both grab hands spinning in circles. James comes to stand by me cuddling up to my side as we sway back and forth. With the song change I start laughing as Truth Hurts by Lizzo comes on. Only Chris would have those two songs on the same playlist. The girls don't mind the change and pull James to dance more with them. Walking over to Chris singing the song, doing a little dance. I gotta say mommas got moves still. Laughing at myself Chris calls at me to smile, facing the camera at me. Smiling sweetly at the most amazing man in the world, how did I get so lucky. 

     "Now let me see Everly babe!" He tells me while doing a spinning motion with his finger. Stepping back I give him a side view of my bump laughing at how cute he's being. He quickly pulls me to him. Flipping the camera to the front he gives me the biggest kiss, making my toes curl. "I love you Mrs. Evans." He says resting his forehead on mine.

     "I love you so much more Christopher." 

Later that night

    After finally getting done with dinner. I was able to get the girls in the bath and in jammies without much hassle. James was already in bed so I gave him a kiss goodnight as Chris read to the girls. Heading to our room I see Dodger already up on the bed with his lion. 

     "Hi bubba. I know you didn't like all the dancing tonight. Have you been up here sleeping the whole time? Such a good boy. Just let mom get changed and then we can cuddle. Sound good." I ask Dodg as I head to the bathroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth I head out to get changed.    

     "Hey baby I'm just gonna get ready then I'll be in bed." Chris says as he kisses me on the cheek. Nodding my head I crawl in bed getting tucked under the covers. Not long later Chris comes back in getting under the covers with me. Pulling me to his chest I relax into him as we caress my bump. 

     "How did the girls like the story?" I ask

     "Oh they loved it, even added their own little bits to it." He tells me softly kissing my head. "You know the video I took of you all dancing?" He questions. Nodding in a response already drifting off. "I posted it baby." He says hesitantly.

     "Ok. Nothing will ever change how I feel about you Christopher. I love you and our family more than anything in the world." I tell him softly. 

     "How did I get so lucky? I love you baby." He says as he wraps me up tightly both of us falling asleep. The last thought I have before falling into the darkness is how I couldn't have asked for a better man to live this wonderful crazy experience we call life with.

Taglist: @icanfeelastormbrewing

A/N: I've never wrote for Chris. Let alone I have written in like a year and a half. I dont even know what my opinion on it is yet, so let me know what you think of it! Also if you have any requests inbox me or ask. Why not have some fun with this. Much love xx

[hanjisquirrel]

a stupid party

Han Jisung x reader

2.0k words

warnings: swearing

|| A.N. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JISUNG!! It’s so crazy how many birthdays we have in september ahah! I know this is a little late but what’s new?? Stream IN Life guys ITS SO GOOD!! Back Door MV is ... just ... I have no words. Comment what your fav off the album is!! My personal 3 favorites are B Me, Wow and We Go (obviously ahaha) hope you guys like this one, follow for more :) and please, please stay safe!!

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It’s crazy how fast time goes by when you’re having fun.

Is what I would have said to myself if I was having fun. Now I feel like I would rather be in a pit of snakes then this stupid party Changbin invited me to.

Somehow this man convinced me that it would be a small get together with him and his band mates, but alas, we entered a room full of at least 40 people and nothing but the smell of human sweat and alcohol wafting the air around us.

“What happened to it only being you and the boys?” I ask while eyeing the crowd in front of me. Changbinnie just scoffs. “You know the only way I could get you here was if I told you it was just us. Plus, Jisung practically begged me to invite you because he’s too chicken to do it himself.”

I blush at his statement. I elbow him lightly and start walking towards where Jeongin, Jisung, and Minho were chatting.

A few steps before I reach them Jisung meets my gaze and his puffy cheeks immediately fill with color. Minho notices his eyes are elsewhere and follows them to where I was and smirks while waving at me. All three boys then get up as I make my way to them and make room on the sofa for me to sit.

“Didn’t think Binnie could actually convince you to come.” Minho says while slinging his arm around my shoulder. “Have no fear dear Minho! I was forced to.” Everyone except Jisung laughs at my sarcasm and Minho squeezes me tight before removing his arm from around me and standing up. “I’m gonna get a drink. You guys want anything?” The two boys shake their heads and ask for just water. Minho voices that I'm boring but since he loves me so much I get a free pass.

“So y/n how have you been?” I look away from where Minho had walked off and focused on Jisung who had asked the question. “I’ve been better. Nothing like coming to a party you didn’t want to be at.” He hums in response.

The space got awkward after I said that and I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. Why the fuck did I just say that? “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that Ji.” Still no response. Jeongin then says he’s going to try and find Seungmin and Felix and leaves Jisung and I alone. He gives me a quick glare as if telling me to stop being mean. I roll my eyes at him but speak up anyways. “Y/n, you know that you didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to. No one was actually forcing you.” His hands are messing with the ends of his shirt and I can tell he was getting upset just by his tone of voice. “Hey, I want to be here,” Jisung looks up to watch my expression. “I was just trying to make a joke but that obviously backfired on me didn’t it.”

Jisung’s face softens lightly at my attempt to lighten the mood. Which was epically failing by the way. “I want you to be here too.” We held each other's gaze for a few seconds before Minho’s loud, booming voice was heard from across the room. “Dude what the fuck!” Jisung and I both give worried glances to each other and immeadietly we stand up and rush to where everyone was beginning to gather. My eyes quickly scan the room for 6 particular faces but come up with only the 2 boys I've already seen. I feel a gentle hand being put on my shoulder and turn around to see Jeongin with a scared face on his baby features. “Where are the others?” He just shakes his head and suddenly more yelling can be heard from the guy Minho had spoken up to a few seconds ago.

“Shit we need to get everyone out now.” Luckily Jisung had heard me from the few steps he was in front of me and turned around to spot me and Jeongin looked towards him for guidance. Quickly he steps towards us in a hurry. Placing one hand on my upper bicep and the other on Jeongin’s shoulder. “You guys go find the others and get out of here. I’m going to get Minho and hopefully get him out without any injuries.” “What about you?” My voice is shaky and I can feel my body start to shut down when the yelling gets more and more intense.

Jisung signals Jeongin to leave and go find the others while making sure my eyes are always on him and not the shitshow unraveling behind him. “Hey, y/n, breathe with me okay?” I nod my head and look down at his chest to focus on copying his pattern. His hands gently rub up and down my arms to try and comfort me.“There we go, just like that. In and Out.” Through the pounding in my ears I hear Changbins voice telling Jisung that he has it from here and then I feel the warm comfort of Changbins arms as he leads me out to the car in the parking lot.

Before we fully walk out I turn my head to search for Jisung just to make sure he is okay. When I do find him he already has his eyes on me with an expression of fear coating his face. “Can you breathe better now that we are outside?” Ignoring him completely my heart speaks for me as I say these next words. “We need to go back and get Jisung. What if he gets hurt and we aren't there to help him?” Changbin just sighs and looks back through the open front door of the house. He ruffles the top of my head before telling me he will find him and the others and bring them out.

The cold engulfs me the second Bin leaves and I pull my thin jacket tighter around me to elicit some type of warm comfort.About 10 minutes into waiting for the boys, I tilt my head towards the sky as I felt a raindrop hit the apple of my cheek. “Seriously mother nature!” I yell towards the moving clouds. It only starts to sprinkle but, I don’t doubt the rain to get worse if we are out here long enough.

“Yelling at her doesn’t make it go away you know.” Felix says as all 8 of them walk almost all together out of the chaos that is that house. Minho walks out last with Jisung holding him up. Both boys sported some cuts and bruises to the face and arms. “What the fuck happened in there?” I shout rushing towards the two. Hyunjin began to explain what had happened but my mind fell elsewhere as my hands went to Jisungs face to see how much damage was done.

His eyes sparkle with affection at the way I'm tending to him and he smiles softly at me and leans into my touch. Suddenly my arms wrap around his neck and he stumbles slightly from the impact but his arms go right around my waist to catch me in an air tight hug. “You’re such an idiot. What if you died?” Jisung laughs at the whispered words that fell from my mouth to his ear. “That’s a bit dramatic don’t you think?” He squeezes me tighter when a voice speaks out.

“Hello! I also am injured. Where is my love and affection.” I pull away slightly to see Minho sporting a pout and big puppy eyes. “Awe hyung, why didn’t you just say so.” Hyunjin jumps on him in a back hug and Minho instantly shoves him off. “Not you dipshit!” The whole group laughs at the interaction.

After Chan and I make sure everyone is okay, we all start to walk towards our respected cars. Right as I'm about to walk towards Changbins car, Jisung grabs my arm to pull me towards him. “Can I talk to you for a second?” I look at Changbin and he just waves me off and says he will wait for me in the car.

The rain had now gotten a little bit heavier and I tried to make myself as warm as possible with how much colder it had gotten. Jisung noticed this immeadietly and shrugged off his much heavier jacket to put around my shaking frame. “You’re going to get sick now.” My voice came out quiet, as I found it too hard to speak loudly.

“Don’t worry about me. I needed to talk to you about something, but considering the weather change I will make it fast.” He steps closer to me and brings his arms to close any space between us. I nuzzle my head into his chest, basking in his warmth. “I like you y/n, a lot and I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to you in there.” I bury myself farther into him, and his arms tighten around me as he says these things to me. “I don’t know if you feel the same or not but I just needed to tell you.” The rain began to pour on us and Changbin was yelling at us to wrap it up as he didn't want us to get sick.

Although the rain was strong all I could smell was him, woody with a hint of sweetness. My mind all night has only been about him the moment Changbin told me he basically begged me to be at this stupid party.

Before Jisung can say anything else I press my lips against his in a slow, unsteady kiss. His hands immeadietly go to cup my face gently, kissing me back with equal softness. My knees grow weak as the kiss intensified. His lips felt soft yet a little chapped at the same time. My whole body tingled, the feeling of his body fully engulfing mine felt almost wrong. My hands move to his hips as an anchor to know if this was all in my head or not. Jisungs right hand moved to the back of my head to deepen the kiss and I felt as if the world around me stopped.I was levitating and nothing but Jisung and I were here at this moment.

A car horn screamed at us and I slowly ripped myself away from paradise. “Let’s go shortstack!” Changbin yells through the rolled down window.

Jisung leans his head to the side with a pout on his perfect reddened lips, as if to tell me not to go with him. “Come home with me?” His voice almost unheard through the windy rain surrounding us. I face him and place gentle pecks on his lips which he easily accepts. As I go in for the last peck he stills my head in his hands to keep me in place not wanting this kiss to end. Our mouths moved with ease and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my lips. “I would love to come home with you.” Quickly I pull away from Jisungs warmth to tell Changbin that I won’t be needing a ride home.

He scoffs with a smirk adorning his face as he tells me to ‘be safe’. “Oh shut up and drive home safe please.” My body moves away from the car and bumps into a hard chest, arms wrapping around my waist.

I pull Jisungs arms away from me and run to his car with him right behind me. Just as we reach the car I spin around and reach my arms out for him to collect me in a hug. Even though the rin was still pouring down on us, Jisung ran straight into my arms and leaned his face down to look me in the eyes. His eyes glance down at my lips before they travel up to my face, asking for permission. I nodded my head as he closed the gap between us. The kiss was hurried but no less passionate than our first. “Incase you didn’t get the hint,” I spoke as we pulled away from each other.

“I really like you too.”

[mystic-kitten-writer]

Limerence [M] ︳14

Pairing: Zuko x OC

Genre: Romance, mainly fluff with future smut, and if you squint hard enough - you’ll find some angst.

Rating: SFW

Words: 4900+

Notes: Chapter 14! Please enjoy, and thanks for the love everyone <3

Masterlist ︳13 ︳ 15

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

Limerence: (English/n.) the state of being infatuated with another person.

The moment their eyes locked they knew - the flames within him twisted while the water within her turned. It was a connection, a connection that would lead to love, adventure, and drama.

Forelsket

(Norwegian/adj.) The euphoric feeling you experience when you’re in love with someone.

~ Azula ~

            “I have been waiting for five days Azula. Five. Fucking. Days.” He hissed under his breath. His chest heaved as he ran his fingers through his messy brown hair, no longer pulled back into his classic ponytail. Someone feeble would have cowered under such a glare, his blue eyes looking like a tsunami itself.

            I smiled and pushed back my hair, placing it into my classic updo with ease, not a care in the world. Oh, how the tables have turned. To think that just last week it was me, being all angry and puffy. I could see his temple pulse in irritation, not amused at all that I gave zero fucks to his temper tantrum. “You told me you had a plan. That everything will be ready when I arrived. Well?” he spoke once again as if I hadn’t heard him the first time.

            I rolled my eyes, letting out an exhausted sigh, “The plans changed, and I adapted.” I said with a quick flick of my wrist. His jaw clenched in annoyance, “That’s fucking great you can adapt, I don’t care. What happened to the plan?” He stepped closer to me; his chest swelled in annoyance. I smirked, he was about to snap, “I have a new plan already set, right before the Earth King arrives. It’s going to be quite a delight; either everyone dies or…we watch drama unfold.”  

            “End of the week? Drama? Delight?” He raged with a huff. He spat on the ground and kicked the dirt under his feet. For a split moment, I thought he was going to jump over the edge of the cliff at which we stood. He turned around sharply, with a pointed finger, “Fuck this, fuck you, fuck everything. I don’t have time to wait around like some lap dog Azula. I have business I have to deal with in the Earth Nation.”

            I scoffed, and crossed my arms, only for him to glare. It was time to stop playing around or else he was going to have an aneurysm. “What was your sister’s name?” I said vexedly. His eyes widen, taken about by my question before he sneered. “My sister? Why do you care?”

            “Tell me,” I said with a hint of playfulness in my voice. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he watched the way I swung my ponytail from side to side. “Kasa.” He said sharply, and I smirked. “Wrong.”

            “W-what-”

            “Kasa Jiang.”

            “H-how did you know that.” He said hurriedly. The muscles in his arms tensed as he eyed me cautiously. “I have my sources,” I said with a smile as I twirled the end of my ponytail around with my fingers. “Sources? No one besides other Earthbenders knows that Azula – that’s how I found out.” I rolled my eyes, “Next question. How did she die?”

            “She died protecting a village. Fire Nation troops were attacking and-”

            “Wrong. She died because she was fucking a Firebender.”

            His eyes widen, and within seconds I could hear the bones in hands crack as they balled into tight fists. I grinned, I got under his skin. “How dare you say that- my sister would never-” he raged, but I lifted my hand, interrupting him mid-rant.

            “‘be with a Firebender?’ Your sister was no Avatar – don’t be such a fool.” I said with a laugh, watching the way he grounded his teeth, trying his hardest not to lash out. It was ironic, given that within a flash, he could easily be the one manipulating me - literally. “You know, she looks nothing like you…” I said with a smirk as I pushed my ponytail behind me. “Must have gotten everything from her father, General Axe. Well, almost everything - rumours say she is a Waterbender. But based on how nervous she was with me, seems more of a fact than speculation. Think about; a Waterbender. Just. Like. You.”

            His mouth opened and closed, confused and unsure as to what to say next. His eyebrows pinched together before he finally spoke calmly, too calmly. “What are you going on about Azula?”

            “Your niece.”

            “What niece?” he sneered.

            I scoffed, “The one that’s fucking my brother.”

~ Ying Yue Jiang ~

            “Have you seen it anywhere Sokka?” I whinnied as I crawled along the floor of my bedroom like a toddler. I pouted in disappointment, where could I have put that stupid notebook? I was outside with Sokka, and I wrote ‘go out to eat’ a bunch of times. Then I went to see Zuko and Aang…and now it’s gone! Did I drop it outside? But a maid would have for sure have found it and given it to me by now. “Sokka~! Come on, yes or no?” I cried out once again. I raised my head slightly, only to see Sokka comfortably lying on my bed, eating something – all this man does is eat!

            I grumbled and reached over my bed to grab a pillow, only to fling it at him. “Sokka~!” I blubbered out in annoyance. His eyes widen as he winced as the fluffy pillow hit his head - as if it actually had hurt him. “What do you want from me now?” he complained. I rolled my eyes, “My notebook, have you seen it? I seriously wrote a single page in it, and it’s gone.” I huffed. Sokka shrugged before stuffing his face in…cookies? Did he find my hidden stash?! This MAN.  “If you only wrote a single page in, who cares. Just get a new one. No point fussing about it.” Sokka spoke as he chewed on another cookie.

            To distract myself from killing Sokka for the nth time this evening, I went back on my hands and knees, looking underneath my bed. Gosh…where did I put the damn thing? I knew it was silly but it was my notebook, and I wanted it. I lifted the blankets that hung off my bed as I gazed around. Just dust – hey…was that a cookie? How in the world did a cookie get left under my bed?

            “What are you doing?”

            My head shot upwards, knowing that deep, husky voice all too well at this point. It was the only voice in the world that could make my knees weak and make my heart beat a million times per second. “Zuko?” I spoke, well more like questioned.

            His arms were crossed across his chest as he leaned against my door frame. A look of interest danced in his eyes as he watched me scramble upwards, dusting off my dress. A grin painted his face before he let out a charming chuckle, “What are you doing?” I blushed and nervously scratched my head, why does it seem like he catches me at the worst of times?

            “I’m looking for my notebook. I think…I lost it.” I said with a pout.

            “Oh, you must be talking about this.” He reached behind him, pulling out a small notebook. It’s tiny. It’s white. It’s mine! My eyes lit up with excitement as I dashed towards him, grabbing it from him in an instant. “IT IS! Thank you, thank you, thank you~!” I gushed as swung my arms around his waist and hugged him without a second thought.

            Zuko chuckled before gently patting my head, while a muscular arm wrapped around my waist, “You left it in my room, although you didn’t seem too preoccupied with it during that time.” Zuko teased as I blushed and hid my face in his chest. Gosh, I could get used to this. There was something safe about being in his arms, even though it was usually to hide from the embarrassment Zuko always managed to inflict upon me. But despite it all, I felt happy and safe. I breathed in deeply, smelling his natural woody scent, almost like firewood. Is it creepy that I know his scent like the back of my hand?

            “What are you doing here so late into the evening? I thought you and Aang were working.” I mumbled into his chest. We had two days left. Two days before my party, but that also meant that we were two days closer to the impending arrival of the Earth King. I knew it was a big deal, but as the days got closer, the more stressed out Aang and Zuko seemed. In fact, they were so busy that I didn’t even get to see Zuko all day yesterday, not in the morning nor for a goodnight kiss.

            “Well…we managed to finish early. And I can do whatever I wish for tonight and tomorrow.”

            “W-what! Really!?” I said excitedly. The thought of Zuko unwinding for a bit was a blessing. Also, the fact that I may get to spend more time with him may or may not have something to do with my happiness… Zuko chuckled and nodded, “So what is Aang doing now?” I asked as I danced happily in my mind. “Hot springs.”

            “Aang and hot springs?” I said in unison with Sokka. It was then I remembered that Sokka was still here, eating my cookies, on my bed.

            “He isn’t feeling too well. His nose has been stuffy since yesterday, and he has a dry cough. Figured some heat and relaxing could do him some good.”

            “Sick?” Sokka spoke with worry as I heard him shift around on my bed and standing behind me. I frowned and quickly pulled away from Zuko, I was definitely no master healer like Katara was. Even though my mom was an amazing healer, I just never caught as on as fast as I did with combat skills. But even my rusty skills could do something to help relieve some of the symptoms Aang may be experiencing. “Can you bring me to him? Maybe I can take a look? Heal-” But Zuko shook his head and slowly brushed my hair behind my ear, “I figured you would offer. But he said no. He didn’t want to take you away from our date; he’ll feel guilty.”

            “Date?” I repeated with a tilt of my head, confused by what he meant. Did we plan a date…and I forgot? Oh my gosh, please don’t tell me I forgot. Zuko already probably thinks I’m the most neediest and clumsiest human being on the planet, let’s not add ‘forgetful’ to that list. As if the confusion on my face was evident enough Zuko laughed, “What’s wrong? You don’t want to go on a date with me?” He said as he placed his hand on his chest as if I had hurt him.

            I blushed and furiously shook my head, “N-no, that’s not it! I just don’t remember…us planning one.” I said honestly. I pouted and felt guilty, how could I forget a date?

            “Of course you don’t remember. I just decided like, twenty minutes ago.”

            Sokka snorted, and I could hear him fall back onto the bed, “This guy.” He said between laughs. I glared at Zuko, and he gave me a grin like a Cheshire cat. “You made me feel like poop!” I cried out and slapped his chest. He laughed and poked my nose, “Come on, grab a sweater, it’s going to be a bit chilly by the time we get back.”

            “Excuse me, but you aren’t taking my sister anywhere without telling me.” Sokka butted in. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “Oh please. I’m old enough.”

            “And I said I don’t care. You can be 100, 200, 1000 for all I care. You’re under my watch.”

            “You’re just bitter cause Suki isn’t here,” Zuko said with a scoff. I giggled watching Sokka look hurt but nod, “You right, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to know. I swear if she comes back with any more of those damn marks on her neck-”

            “You saw!” I whinnied out while Zuko laughed.

            “Love, you could see those marks from a mile away. Although…they do seem to be disappearing no thanks to Lia’s efforts…hmmm…maybe I can add some more elsewhere on you...” Zuko hummed as he leaned awfully close to my ear. The butterflies in my stomach started fluttering, and I could feel sparks dancing along my skin from his warm breath on my neck. Just when I thought I had my raging hormones in check, it all came bubbling up once again.

            I blushed and in a quick motion bolted to my vanity, “You – keep it in your pants,” I said sternly as I pointed at Zuko. “And you-” I started with a pointed finger at Sokka, “Get out of my room and you owe me cookies!”

            “Where in the world are we going Zuko?” I whinnied out, although, in my defence, I had every right.

            It was late in the evening, purple and orange hues painted the sky, almost as if a painter just leisurely brushed the horizon with fresh paint. The sun was almost completely hidden behind the mountainous range, settling in for the night. If you looked far enough, you could see a few stars starting to peek out from the black curtain of nightfall – ready to shine and say hello to all of the night owls. It was crazy how different the landscape was in comparison to the Southern Tribe. Besides the obvious, the greenery and nature of the Fire Nation was almost equal to that of the Earth Nation, which came to a surprise.

            I didn’t really expect to see such lush landscape, and I found myself once again distracted by the dark green hues of the trees and shrubbery that decorated the forest. I could already start hearing a few animals waking up from their slumber, while others dug away to rest. I was utterly captivated by the scenery; it wasn’t normal to roam a forest during the dusk, well, more like night. How beautiful this must all be during the daylight…

            I glazed up at Zuko, only to find him lost in his own thoughts. I smiled as I studied his features. Zuko really was a work of art. The way his brows pinched together in deep thought or the gold in his eyes that twinkled whenever a new idea came to mind. Although I knew better than to say it out loud, I found it adorable how he would unknowingly pout whenever he was in deep thought. His soft pink lips all pressed together in thought. I smiled to myself remembering us with Kiyi playing in the water, another wave of admiration engulfing me.

            It was mysterious how my heart felt like it was being squeezed whenever I looked at Zuko, or better yet, thought of him. Like a thousand fireworks were being blown at once and it brought me so much joy, it hurt. I knew it was silly, to adore someone so much. Infatuation, limerence; all words meant to explain strong feelings towards someone whom you just met. But Zuko was more to than just that, more than just a ‘honeymoon’ stage or love interest at the moment.

            What was this? I’ve known him the least amount of time, just a little bit over a month, yet it felt like I’ve experienced everything life has to offer with him. I’ve had fickle crushes throughout my time, but Zuko, he was different. I could read him like a book, recognize his subtle gestures and decipher his intentions with just a huff. What was this feeling? Was it normal? Am I just crazy? Love? I scoffed to myself. Love. What a funny word, mainly because no matter how hard you tried to define it – you couldn’t.

            ‘You just know’ Aang said when I asked him at what point in time he knew he loved Katara. ‘The moment I saw her. I…I think I loved her before I even realized it.’ Aang said with a laugh. I looked back at Zuko and pouted, “What’s on your mind Zuko?” I asked quietly. It was then he seemed to snap out of it and gazed downwards at me. His grip on my hand tighten, and he smiled, “Nothing, we’re almost there.”

            I raised a brow, not wholly believing him. There was something off with him, even at my bedroom. As if something was hiding behind his thoughts, as he anxiously zoned in and out of the conversation. I let it go and allowed him to continue guiding me through the forest. “Since I can’t know where we’re going…can I at least know how you know of this place?” I asked.

            Zuko laughed and nudged my shoulder, “Why? What’s wrong, tired?”

            “We’ve been walking for almost an hour! I really do like the nature walk, but I enjoy my bed a bit more.”

            “Well, if you wanted to get into bed that bad, you should’ve told me earlier.”

            I gasped and hit his shoulder while Zuko laughed at my rosy cheeks despite the dark skies, “Zuko~! You know what I meant. ”

            “Not really, tell me, what would like to do to me in bed babe?”

            “I swear Zuko, we’re in the middle of nowhere, and it’s dark. I'll not hesitate hiding your dead body somewhere.” I glared as he teased me without remorse. Zuko chuckled before letting go of my hand and instead lazily draping his arm over my shoulders, pulling me closer, “You wouldn’t hurt me. You like me too much.” He hummed pleasantly.

            “…oh shut up,” I grumbled as I crossed my arms and pouted. I hate it when he is right; I couldn’t even kill a fly even if I wanted too. Zuko’s hand tighten around my shoulder, halting my movements suddenly. I looked up at him as he looked down at me with a look of joy, “You trust me, right?” He asked unexpectedly. I raised a brow, “Of course I do, why do-”

            “Good. Shut your eyes and let me guide you. I want it to be a surprise.” I opened my mouth to protest. It’s not like I didn’t trust him, but I could barely walk without falling during the day with eyesight, let alone in the night with my eyes closed. But the look on Zuko’s face looked like a child during the winter festivals. I let out a breath of submission and closed my eyes, how can I say no to a face like his?

            I could feel him come from behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist while his other hand carefully covered my eyes. He pressed himself from behind me before he leaned into my ear and whispered, “Walk forward, I’ll guide you.” Hesitantly, I found myself tightly gripping Zuko’s arm that was hugging my waist. Move forward? Is this man crazy, I can’t see where I’m going!

            “Trust me; you’ll be safe. I promise,” Zuko muttered in my ear, his lips grazing as he spoke. I found myself relaxing feeling his steady heartbeat on my back. Trust him…of course I trust him. “I trust you...” I whispered as I began moving forward. Zuko chuckled at my baby steps, as I ever so wisely kept walking forward, step by step, “A-am I close?” I asked, but my question was answered as Zuko firmly held me in place.

            “On the count of three, I’m going to move my hand for you to see, okay? Ready…one…two…three.” The sudden warmth that engulfed my eyes left and I fluttered my eyes open.

            A pathetic gasp escaping my lips was all I could muster up as I looked around me. We were so high it felt like I was in the skies itself, just another star that had the privilege to graze the air. My feet were right at the edge of the cliff, not even a hair away from the end, but I was so overwhelmed with the sight to be anxious at all. I could see everything, coast to coast of the Fire Nation. The way bodies of water trickled down the ridges of the hillside or the illuminating lights of towns that scattered throughout the land…

            “Zuko…I-I can see everything,” I said breathlessly. Zuko chuckled as he pulled me closer against his body, feeling his warmth melting onto my cold skin. It was then I noticed just how chilly it had gotten from being so high in the sky. I could faintly see the mist that formed just below us, “The royal palace is built on the highest mountain, well, an extinct volcano to be exact. But, this is the highest ridge of the crater…you can see everything.”

            I turned around, noticing that nothing but stars were above, “H-how did you know.”

            “How did I know what?” Zuko asked with a small smile.

            “That I would love this.”

            Zuko chuckled before letting his fingers tenderly graze my face, “Seems like I know you better than yourself. Don’t you remember?” I titled my head to the side as I tried to read his face. “Remember?” I repeated. Zuko laughed and poked my nose playfully, “It wasn’t hard to figure out you love nature. You showed me the Southern Lights in the middle of the night, took me to see those trees, what are they called again…ahh, quince! And I always see you taking walks in the garden almost every day.”

            “You know I take walks in the garden?” I said a bit taken aback. Zuko grinned and nodded, “Every morning, you go for a walk around the gardens, usually with Kiyi or my Mom. It makes me smile since you always seem to be in your little world during those walks. I can see you perfectly from my office.” I blushed and found myself smushing my face once again in his chest; he watches me during my walks? I make him smile? “Don’t say stuff like that….” I grumbled into his chest. I could feel his chest rumble as he laughed at my expression and I looked up at him.

            “So tell me Zuko. Why did you bring me here?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Zuko sheepishly looked away, and I could see a faint tinge of pink starting to paint his cheeks. “No reason…” he said unconfidently. I pouted and shook my head, “Nope. Somethings up. You were zoning out the whole walk here. What is it?” I spoke light-heartedly as I ran my fingers through his hair mindlessly. Soft and silky, as his hair slipped through my fingers effortlessly.

            I could see his eyes dart nervously back and forth, failing to stay on me and I grinned. He was nervous, and suddenly the need to tease him grew. It was rare for Zuko to stumble, to lower his guard and be as vulnerable as he was now. Logic would argue not to tease him when he is finally opening up, but I also knew that based on how our relationship was, teasing meant we were comfortable enough to be with one another. “Aww, cat got your tongue?” I pestered, mimicking the same words he once told me when I was tongue-tied.

            Zuko frowned and I heard him grumble under his breath before speaking, “H-have you ever thought about, what, uh, we are?” Zuko muttered. I raised a brow before shrugging my shoulders, “I’m your Imperial Consort.” I said, but Zuko seemed dissatisfied with my answer based on the huff he released. “N-no. I mean, like besides that. Don’t you ever wonder what, you mean to me, and vice versa?” What in the world was he trying to get at?

            “Uhh…Zuko, you’re losing me here. I’m your consort, and you’re my Fire Lord. Did you forget?” I said with a nervous laugh. Zuko groaned before letting his head fall against my forehead, “You’re really not making this easy for me…” I laughed and poked his chest, “How can I if you aren’t making any sense!” Zuko pulled away before hastily running his hand through his hair.

            I giggled watching him look so flustered. If there was one thing I knew by now, he was not a man of words. Zuko had no shame teasing, flirting, even being too cocky for his own good in front of everyone. Yet, here he is, the same man who just moments ago teased about giving me more hickies, having a hard time formulating a sentence.

            With a heavy breath, Zuko finally attempted at speaking once more, “It has been…brought to my attention that I haven’t exactly been …forthcoming revolving my feelings.”

            “‘Brought to my attention,’ ‘forthcoming’ – Zuko what in the world-”

            “You know what, forget it. Just pretend I never said anything!” Zuko grumbled as he angrily threw his arms in the air and turned on his heels. I rolled my eyes exhaustedly before walking over to a defeated Zuko, “Just say it already! What are you trying to tell me.” I grumbled as I poked his shoulder.

            Within a flash, he turned on his heel, “I’m trying to tell you how I feel about you for fucks sakes!” He blurted. My eyes widen as he crossed his arms irritably and huffed. Tell me about his feelings? Before I could utter a word he continued speaking, “You don’t realize how much I think of you. That the moment I wake up till the moment I sleep, hell, even my dreams, all I do is think about you. That you somehow managed to consume every fiber of my mind, body, and damn soul.” Zuko ranted.

            “And I realized that it only took a second of knowing you to know that I wanted you. I gave you that seal, thinking that it would be enough. That you having the seal was in a way sealing our relationship. But I realized that it isn’t enough.” Finally, he cupped my face before placing his forehead against mine, “What I am trying to say is I want you to be mine. I want us to be official official. Fuck the seal, fuck the whole consort bullshit, I want you to be my girlfriend. I want you to be mine, only mine..”

            His cheeks at this point were aflame, so red that despite the nightfall it stood out like a sore thumb. His chest heaved from spilling out every single thought and emotion that seemed to consume him from the moment we met. But without thinking twice, I let a small giggle slip my lips. Zuko’s eyes widen in disbelief before he pulled away, “Are you seriously laughing at me? I just poured my heart and soul, and you're laughi-”

            “You’re an idiot Zuko. A giant idiot.” I said with a smile. I quickly pulled Zuko back towards me and pecked his soft lips. I could feel his body relax instantaneously as I smiled into his lips. Ever so slowly I pulled away and found myself caressing his face; my hand falling from his forehead, over the ridges of his scar, his sharp cheekbones, his high nose, down to his soft lips.

            “Zuko. I was always yours. I was yours the moment you walked off that ship. The moment you kissed my hand, and even the moment we fought…” I whispered as I gently pecked his lips once again. “I know you’re not a man of words, but that’s okay. Because you show how much you care about me through your actions. The way you hold me close to keep me warm, giving me the seal, the fact that you introduced me to your family…” Zuko pulled me close as I snuggled my face into his neck, “They say actions speak louder than words, and you Zuko, my boyfriend, are a living example of that.”

            I pulled away to look at his eyes, only to see a sense of relief and a proud smile on his face. “Yue, I like you. I promise I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you’re safe. To make sure that nothing will ever happen to you.” I smiled and found myself pressing my lips against his. A sweet, innocent kiss. My hands found it’s way around his neck while he pulled me closer to his body and indulged on my lips. “Zuko…” I muttered. Zuko pulled away slightly, “Hmm?”

            I love you.

            “I like you so much,” I said. Zuko smiled before placing another peck upon my lips, “I think like is not strong enough of a word at this point babe.”

~ Azula ~

            I scoffed to myself as I watched Zuko embrace Ying Yue. He chastely kissed over her, as they muttered to themselves, completely oblivious to their surroundings. It was a fluke that we managed to find these two lovebirds trailing along together at this time of night. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep brother,” I said with a taunt as I turned around on my heel and back into the darkness.

            After not hearing footsteps behind me, I swiftly turned on my heel, “Mai, let’s go.” She frowned as she walked behind me, her head held up high as she trailed along. But despite her prideful walk, I could see the look of hurt and betrayal lingering in her eyes as she watched the way Zuko locked lips with another woman. I smirked as we walked into the night.

            Hurt, betrayal, anger – emotions that only help fuel the fire. Feelings that can even motivate the purest-minded to the dark.

            Oh, how I love the dark side of the moon.

Copyright © 2019 Mystic-Kitten, inc. all rights reserved. No reposting, modifying, or translations of any kind allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters portrayed in this story besides Ying Yue Jiang, Lia, Kima, and any future creations.

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

[hollowaymason1995]

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