#And Then. Oh And Then. about a year and a half of absolute mental soup. keef :(

[chiropteracupola]

i read flight of the heron after seeing u post abt it because i trust my mutuals' taste completely of course and i am so miserable now. mourning that angry pathetic wet little man. i will never be the same

the heron book will do that!!! truly it's alas!

[snailsandpuppy-dogtails]

Here's To Florence Nightingale

Garvez Smut (straight up descriptive) WC: 6,702 (oops) Ao3

Ok. First off, I just have to say a great big thank you to my love @bacchicly I swear you are the only reason this fic has not taken a year...or been shelved completely. Now, with the finished product you may not want that praise, but I think you'll like the ending. :) But for real, thank you so much for everything you always do. Always.

And now on to the story

He’d been sick for two weeks, forced off for most of it. Despite his protests and emphatic insistence that he was fine, Penelope was checking in on him while the team was out of town on a case.

Emily had asked for an in-person update after he trudged through half the first week looking like death warmed over. Penelope had dutifully agreed, she had to keep tabs on all her super heroes, even the ones she liked best to fight with.

Ever the dependable care taker, regardless of her personal views on consuming animals, she was bringing with her what she was assured was the best made-from-scratch chicken soup to be found locally, but felt a bit sheepish in her outfit. The skimpy white dress she donned was all she was able to find on such short notice.

“Make sure you wear a nurse's uniform” JJ had instructed.

“Ha-ha. Very funny.”

Emily quickly followed up, “No, no, Luke mentioned once that it helps.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense. How could it possibly?”

“Oh, you know, the power of suggestion and all that. Very powerful stuff.” Tara chimed in, giving a knowing glance to the other two.

“Seriously?”

“Absolutely” the three assured her in voices very reminiscent of Carlie’s Angels.

So here she was, soup and a family remedy tucked snugly in a doctor’s bag, body tucked snugly in a ridiculous dress, standing outside his door like a fucking candy gram. It wasn’t just a dress though, because she wouldn’t feel like herself if she didn’t really lean in to it. No, Penelope Garcia fluffed her hair and pinned the cap on slightly askew, painted her nails and lips scarlet to match the red cross on the breast of her dress, and through some clever crafting turned a mercury thermometer into a cute mid-century looking necklace.

All to check on Luke.

Fashion was an amor of sorts. Much like the toy tchotchkes on her desk, her outfits were a safeguard. This one however was leaving her feeling exposed figuratively and literally.

Knocking twice, she called out, “Alvez, it’s me,” then tried the door he’d said he’d leave unlocked. She didn’t like the idea of him alone in an open home in his possibly vulnerable (ex-ranger and current agent status be damned, just look at what happened to Elle) state just for her so she’d made sure to get there as fast as she could.

When Penelope got inside she found him sleeping on the couch, peacefully tucked under a brightly colored crotchet throw. She made a mental note to get the story on that particular item later. Closing the door as softly as she could, walking on her toes so as not to make a sound with her heels on the wood entry, she crept quietly into the room. She was planning on waking him up soon anyway, but seeing him so relaxed, she wanted to give him a few minutes with whatever he might be dreaming about.

Penelope set the bag down and walked into the kitchen, rummaging through cupboards to find bowls, spoons, and cups. Reentering the living room found Luke sitting up, squinting at her groggily, blanket now in a loose pile in his lap.

“Oh, you’re awake! Was I too noisy? Sorry, I tried to be quiet, but you know, can’t help dishes clattering, not really anyway.”

Luke took in fluffy blonde curls framing cherry red lips and horn-rimmed glasses, the snug dress gracing thigh, and, of course, calf sculpting heels. A trumped up sex cartoon standing in front of him, the human embodiment of “Helloooo nurse!” standing in his kitchen entry. Was he still dreaming, could she possibly be real? Garcia, like this, in his house? Penelope, who teased and mocked him relentlessly but refused to flirt? Suddenly he was feeling a bit cartoonish too, a bit like a wolf.

Brain signaling he’d probably been staring too long, too hard, he whipped his eyes up to her face, asking in a sleepy, low rumble, ”Do my eyes deceive me? Garcia, what are you doing here?”

Penelope looked at him concerned, quickly setting the collection of dishes on the table. Coming down to her knees next to him she placed the back of her hand on his forehead. “You’re fine? You know that’s what you told me on the phone earlier Luke Alvez, that you’re fine, but you don’t even remember we talked! You’re fine! How sick are you?!”

He tisked and grinned, “I’d never forget talking to you, Chica. I meant like that.” She was close, very close, kneeling and bent in front of him. Buttons straining against the weight of her chest, buttons he could relieve with just a flick. A strong urge to feel her, make sure she was real with his own hands surged through him. Maybe he was sick, best to be sure… He reached out running an index finger along the lapel of her dress.

Not the buttons

Watching the mercury rise in her necklace, he dragged his eyes up to meet hers, “You always make house calls in such professional attire, Nurse Penelope?” It was playful and light, but something else too…

Flustered, but satisfied at finding no fever, her touch evaporated. Standing again, she frowned fighting back the chill crawling just under her skin. “The team put me up to it. They insisted you mentioned that it helps, powers of persuasion and all that, but I couldn’t find scrubs, so..." She swept her hands out miming the swoop of the skirt as if to say ‘this is what you get’.

Of course they had put her up to it. Payback for the tongue in cheek Florence Nightingale comment.

 He’d always had a thing for nurses. It was base, sure, but a fantasy high on the list of things he’d like to be fulfilled. It was also one he never shared with Lisa, he didn’t want her to feel like he was objectifying or reducing the importance of medical professionals. But now one joke at work and the gall to get sick, and here he was being tortured with it.

“Look, I know it’s a little over the top-“ she began.

“No!” Luke stopped her, calm down sparky, too eager, sound normal “Well, yeah, but you also look…” he eyed her, “This is definitely better than scrubs, and much more you than scrubs... I can say with 100% certainty, if I were still sick, this would help.” He ended with a small, encouraging smile.

Penelope rolled her eyes dismissively, “O-kay, sicky. I have a family remedy from the ‘little known blond-haired Swedish Garcias’,” she teased, smirking, “and what JJ promised,” lips curling in disgust, “is the best home-made chicken soup to be found in both DC and Virginia. Are you hungry? Thirsty? I was just getting stuff from your kitchen when you woke up.”

Luke shifted on the couch sitting up a bit more, “Chica, you brought me food with meat? Even if I wasn’t hungry, what kind of person would I be if I turned down my nurse?”

She brightened, relaxing a little,“I wouldn’t force you, but good, because I bought myself some mouthwatering tortilla soup and I hate eating alone.”

Bent over, fussing with drinks and food, the top button of her dress slipped mercilessly free from its hole, the top of her breasts falling just a little more into view. A button she didn’t bother to fix, he noticed. He was finding his will to not openly gawk quickly diminishing and wondered if he was experiencing temporary insanity from having been ill, or if it was due to this very special occasion of Penelope all but naked and fawning over him. Whatever it was, he knew it was going to be a long afternoon.

——

Penelope put on her favorite feel-better movie since Luke kept saying he didn’t have one. They shared the cheery full-sized throw, settling in.

“Before I’ll take my medicine, Nurse Penelope, you have to tell me what’s in it.” he said, holding the glass of red liquid up to his nose and sniffing.

The way he called her nurse felt obscene, filled with suggestion, that was the something else, but this was Luke, it was just a game. He was playing, so she played along too.

“Just what the Doctor ordered. If you want to get better you’ll drink up.” she insisted tilting his glass a little with her hand.

He laughed pulling it away, “Chica, I am better. I’m fine.” he stressed, then took a sip.

Penelope caught herself watching his tongue dart out to lick the trace of juice from his lips and then down to the bob of his Adam’s apple, her eyes jumping up to meet his.

“At least tell me what the chunks are” he insisted.

She scoffed, “They are not chunks, its finely grated ginger.” eyes again falling to the now cherry red seam, only to jump back up just as quickly, hoping he hadn’t noticed. Stop it stop it stop it!

“MMM” he smirked, nodding “Annnd? What, Pickle juice?”

“You are awful!” the back of her hand flew out to make contact with his chest. “Insulting a family recipe. That drink is delicious and super healthy!”

Luke chuckled,“You know, Penelope, I think I’m the only other person I know who would describe something like that.” Taking a deeper sip, “Really, what is it?”

She huffed, crossing her arms, barely giving a glance now, “You can’t tell anyone.”

His index and middle finger shot up in the air in a kind of salute, “Scout’s honor. I’d never lie to my nurse. Especially one as pretty as you.” His finger playfully flicked the white cap perched on her head, and when her hands shot to hold it he traced the chain of her necklace.

Just a little touch

Her eyes narrowed, but her cheeks burned, “I’m serious! You are sworn to secrecy, Luke Alvez!”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

Giving him a withering look, she gave in. “It’s cranberry, pomegranate, beet, and lemon juice with honey and fresh ginger” she finished listing, then went on to explain, “My mom would make it for us when anyone got sick.”

Luke was touched by the gesture, sure she was here and that meant something, but it could just mean she was ordered to do it. This, though, sharing a part of her with him, that wasn’t required, opening up wasn’t part of the request from Prentiss.

“And you made it for me?” he asked softly, fingers now playing with the hem of her sleeve.

“Well, you looked like you were knocking on death’s door when Emily sent you home…”

Hands retreating to their own space, “That’s really sweet, Chica.” No, that really wasn’t required. 


Feeling suddenly squirmy and uncomfortable at the sincere tone and gaze, she got up to find something to fidget with, tossing over her shoulder, “A good nurse does what she can for her patient” before busying herself with clearing away the bowls and finding other tasks to buy some time.

She liked Luke, he really was a good guy, he was sweet, and yeah, he was aggravatingly beautiful. But he was off limits. Which is why she needed to distract herself. He was nice, far too nice, the kind of nice she could easily let herself get mixed up in if given the opportunity. So this was best, this was good, she’d remove herself and clean up some stuff and calm down then pop back over to the couch and check in on him, then when she’d had a chance to cool off she could maybe stand to sit with him under a blanket watching a movie. God, this was going to be a long afternoon.

———

Luke groaned, “Penelope, I’m fine, please just sit!”

She’d cleaned up, and fiddled with his dvd player, and now she was fluffing some pillows, Penelope just wanting to do this one last thing...she was fine now, it was fine, she'd re-centered and was all good again...the pillows just looked painfully flat.

“Agent Alvez I am not going anywhere until I see that you’ve been taken care of."

This was definitely hell, trapped in his favorite unfulfilled fantasy with the object of all his fantasies unknowingly throwing out cliché lines, stooped down on her hands and knees playing with cords, leaning right next to him with her chest at face level… And at that he groaned again, covering his face, head falling back as he let out a laugh. “Penelope, you need to stop. Please.”

"Why!? I’m only trying to help!” she stomped a little and he couldn’t help but notice the jiggle. Jesus.

Grabbing the hands that were fluffing pillows behind him, he made eye contact and pointedly nodded down straining out a laugh, “Because you’re making things hard.”

If Penelope could have turned into a deer in that moment she would have, eyes and the urge to freeze or run never bigger. He could see questions filtering behind her stunned stair, but he cut her off using the show as an excuse. “…Movie’s starting, just. Let’s watch.” He didn’t mean to make her uncomfortable, he just wasn’t sure how else to get the point across. Somehow, it was just him and the most adorably oblivious turn-on alone together. And he couldn’t do anything about it.

His grip loosened, Penelope ripped her arms away almost instantly. “Yeah. Okay…”

What the fudge? Clearly he was embarrassed or frustrated at his reaction to her, but he didn’t have to be so…so upfront. He liked her, he liked to mess with her, but he didn’t see her that way, she knew. Guys like him, no matter how many times they danced with her, or kissed her cheek, or took her to dinner, guys like him went for girls like Lisa. It was an accident…Even if parts of her wanted it not to be, imagined it, he was her favorite frenenemy, nothing more.

She grabbed the remote from the table, skipping through the production title and flipped up the blanket sitting down, making sure to leave some space between them.

After a half hour of trying and failing to get into it, Luke found he wasn’t especially interested in the movie she’d picked and let his mind wander to the woman beside him, to things he not so eloquently made clear earlier, to things that as much as he knew he should want to, he did not want to take back. Instead, Luke moved closer, her perfume and costume, the whole of her making him feel like taking a risk.

His gaze flowed from face to blanket covered knees and back, eyes caressing the soft lines of her collar and the exposed curve of her breast. A quiet noise seeped out as his lip pulled in, images of what the whole of her would look like, feel like, filled his mind. Was she really only here under orders? Platonically? Like that? She wasn’t that naive…

It felt like it’d taken hours, but gradually working up the courage (or losing all reason), his hand moved from it’s place between his legs to between theirs, settling casually on the cavern their touching thighs made. He watched checking for her reaction, but found none. Then fingers started their slow descent.

Taking his time, pads glided against smooth skin and when they’d gone as far as they could, nails grazed upward coming back, slowly, slowly, slowly scraping. Down her thigh and up, slow, slow, slow. His heart was hammering, heat surging through his body as he repeated the action over and over, rough tips sneaking ever higher with each pass, thrilling himself touching her, silken skin and laborious movement, but seemingly drawing no reaction from the woman beside him, no change in expression or breath.

Floating drifting whispered flames licking the soft round of her leg, steady crawl on the swell of her thigh. There was no reaction because she was trying exceptionally hard to ignore him. At first she was positive it was nothing, just a shift of position, but when he kept going, that delightful feel, his skin on hers, his fingers where they shouldn’t be…she knew it was intentional. What intention he had she didn’t know, self soothing, mindless wandering? He was a very physical and affectionate person. This was nothing, just something he happened to be doing. Something she didn’t mind the feel of…

Luke’s pinky hitting the hem of her dress prompted a change in tactics. He became determined to get a reaction. Pinky trailed left and right along the hem, then ducked under caressing forbidden skin. This time though he caught her shoulders pull back and heard her breathing stilt at the touch.

The shift from up and down to UP and under shocked her. He was slowly climbing up her skirt. Luke. Further up her thigh than was casual. She couldn’t help the external jolt that accompanied the internal one at the shift in position. She was stunned in silence, curious how far he’d take it without saying anything.

His hand lengthened its trail, at the height of its journey he deepened pressure, giving more weight to gentler skin. Glancing over he saw her mouth hang open and eyes widen, but still she wouldn’t look, so he continued. Keeping the teasing pace, squeezing, thumb brushing sweet circles. Down thigh, up and under, nudging the skirt of her uniform higher with every sweep, fingers moving brave and brazen. The constant down and up was soon joined by fingers falling between her thighs, hands seeking more of her smoothness.

He watched the pulse jump in her neck and the flare of her nostrils, the heave of her chest and blush that bloomed across cream skin now in stark contrast to the white dress.

Her eyes fell closed and she licked her lips, “Luuke,” it wasn’t a warning, and it wasn’t a question, but it wasn’t encouragement either, it was something more akin to his plead earlier.

Even the sound of her, his name rolling on her tongue, was sexy. He wondered what other sounds she’d make, if she’d let him.

Like a dog with a bone or a kid with a lolly pop he took the glimmer of hope and ran. His lips moved along here ear as he spoke low, “Want me to stop?”

His fingers halted as he said it, lifting off, hovering. She realized, no. She didn’t want him to stop, she didn’t want to stop.

Emboldened, she turned to face him, thinking, why let a good costume go to waste? In for a penny, in for a pound. “Agent Alvez, I don’t believe, as the patient, that you’re supposed to be touching the nurses…I believe touching is our job.” She slid over him straddling his lap, “Be a good boy and don’t move, but if there’s something you need, you can always let me know. Now, open wide.” she teased, bitting her lip.

In that moment Luke felt like the world had come to a crashing halt, stunned into silence. Of course, this was the best possible outcome, the DREAM result of the whole day, but if she hadn’t been sitting directly in front of him, on him, he’d be sure she was fucking with him, payback, a joke. His ears flamed at her words, fuck, even like this, especially like this, Penelope taking the lead, she was perfection in his lap.

Penelope noticed, pulling the thin glass thermometer from her cleavage, that the tip of his ears were turning red and she had a moment thinking he couldn't be any cuter. Slipping it off her neck and under his tongue, she grinned, fingertips closing his jaw. “This needs to stay put. While it’s taking your temperature, I’ll check your pulse…”

Her hands moved to his chest, “Like this I can get a baseline,” then dipped forward sucking on the side of his neck. Luke’s head rolled back and to the side in a silent invitation, “but here at your carotid, I can monitor much better.” Her teeth scraped and her tongue slid across the taut tan skin. She could hear the glass clink.

Luke could feel his heart rate pick up and watched the mercury spike between his teeth, hands balling into fists as his body flushed, fighting to move. She chuckled throatily moving back up to whisper in his ear, “Are you feeling alright? Your pulse is racing. Feeling a bit apprehensive at what I might find?”

Luke shut his eyes, taking in a deep breath through his nose. This was very possibly the best thing to ever magically happen, he really didn’t want to mess it up…Muttering indistinguishably around the rod in his mouth, he momentarily pocketed it in his cheek, “Ah, Nurse Penelope, you said if there’s something I need, to …let you know?"

Penelope pulled up and away, hands still firmly planted on his pecks, but expression forming into a question.

“That button,” he hesitantly indicated with his nose, “is really…I would feel much better with it gone.”

“This button?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow and flicking her gaze down and back, “If you think it’ll help…” With a slip of her fingers the button popped free, and with it popped her cleavage well supported in lavender lace, white dress-top spreading to the sides.

He pushed out a breath staring. Though she’d felt his many intense looks before, none had ever been quite so heated, so obvious, and so hungry. His jaw had gone slack but his arms tensed firm and his knuckles gone white. Restraint.

Penelope smirked, self-satisfied at the reaction she’d garnered. Replacing the thermometer back under his tongue, she once again closed his mouth, this time brushing a kiss to his jaw as she pulled away.

Playing it up, she drew her arms together pushing her breasts in, up, and sighed deeply, looking thoughtful, she hummed, “Maybe I need a better reading.” Her hands skated down the soft cotton of his shirt until she found the hem, gliding them up the hard lines of his fluttering chest, shirt bunching up as she went. “As your attending medical professional, I’m going to need full access…” She looked at him mockingly stern, “Do you consent to full access?”

Doing his best to follow her lead and not move, Luke gave a muffled “um-hum” around the thermometer. She smiled wickedly as her thumbs hooked around bunched cotton and off came his shirt, beautifully toned chest revealed. Hands skated down abs and back up, taking in the feel of his skin on hers, Luke watching Penelope drink in every pebbled crease her touch called forth. Hands spreading to the sides, she grasped his arms leaning forward and kissed his collarbone, then peck, tongue slipping out hot and wet to lick at one nipple and then the other, Luke’s eyes fixed on the crown of blonde and full arching white skirt in front of him.

He felt the warmth of her thighs around his legs, the soft scrape and plush drag of her lace cradled breasts moving and pressing into his abdomen, the heat of her mouth on him moving lower. He wanted to touch her, to have more of her, to feel more of her.

She was meticulously kissing her way down his stomach, muscles under skin tensing firm and releasing lax at the smooth glide of her lips and nails until she could bend no lower and suddenly she slipped from his lap to the floor below. Her eyes met his, both black and full, not a word exchanged as her hands glided back up his thighs, legs spreading easily at the slightest pressure suggestion and then quick fingers deftly undid button and zipper.

“You’re being such a good patient, I think you deserve a treat.” she purred, hand slipping into waistband, only to reappear wrapping just barely around the girth of him.

Nurse Penelope, hat pinned askew, red lips still intact (he’d have to do something about that), white uniform split open, on her knees between his legs was really doing things for him, something he’d hold on to and use again and again should this be the only time it happened. He watched her tongue glide out wetting her lips and felt the blood rush further down, her eyes widening on his as they both felt his cock harden, thicken at the action. The effect she had on him.

“Seems a bit swollen,” she breathed out, “maybe some friction would help relieve the pressure.” Luke watched on, eyes wide in disbelief that this was his luck, that this was really happening. She took him in her sweet wet mouth, expert tongue curling and wrapping, lips closing and cheeks going hollow. She was a vision, a dream, he thought about thanking the team, but silently thanked god instead.

Luke sighed and moaned above her as she licked up his shaft, tongue moving flat around the crown, silky smooth hands lightly gripping and twisting at the base of his cock, then enveloping the whole thing again sucking hard up and down, white hat bobbing. Slick and wet he watched as red gradually coated his skin like a candy cain, cock disappearing and reappearing shiny, glistening, firmer, thicker, the heat of her coating him, then cool air hitting, in and out of red lips, red lips streaking his cock. He fought against moving until he couldn’t any longer, thighs constricting around her, hips pitching and hands shooting to tangle and tighten in gold curls, Penelope swallowing then gagging on the length of him before popping off, sloppy and slick with saliva looking up breathless, lipstick smeared lewdly around her mouth and chin, and all over him. “I guess we don’t need to check your reflexes.”

A hand untangled to catch her jaw, thumb gently wiping scarlet away, a smile twisting up and once again pushing the glass rod out of the way, “Sorry, not so good after all I guess. But if you come up here with me, I’m sure I can make it up to my nurse.”

Her mouth quirked, mirroring his own, she stood and he let his hand fall from her hair, Luke hard and wet and red beneath her. A hand moved to undo the rest of her buttons but he broke in. “No, don’t. Take off anything-everything but that uniform.”

Fingers stopped mid-air, if she had any doubt the effect this silly getup was having, it had all but vanished, simpering, she asked “and what about the heels?”

“Fuck the heels, do what you want, but don’t lay a finger on that cap and dress.” He barked out a laughed, his head ducking at how desperate and direct he was being. “Penelope Garcia, I don’t know what I did for you to grace me with this gift, but I will not be wasting it. The uniform stays on, please.”

Abandoning the heel issue, she placed a hand to his shoulder for balance as the other removed the thermometer, slowly climbing over him. “Well, Mr. Alvez, should we proceed with the checkup then?” And like that, his hands were on her waist and her lips were on his, sloppy and hot and fierce, a hand slipping off him to land on the back of his sofa, bodies colliding, Penelope rising and falling with the rhythm of something else.

Luke’s hand rose up her back struggling to undo the clasp of her bra through the fabric of her uniform, his other hand slipping down to squeeze at her ass and slither under her skirt massaging and pinching, kisses continuing through panted moans. Finding no luck with the clasp, his hand dove in front of her between body and dress, arm barley fitting, fabric pulled uncomfortably to it’s limit until he felt the clasp come free and quickly slipped up her arms to slide down the straps, in moments bra free, milky white breasts suspended and pressed between them, nipples pressing into his skin. The hand on her ass shot up to the back of her head, arm cradling Penelope as he dipped to pull a fresh pink nipple into his mouth, lips open and working the flesh around it like his tongue was to the small point. Her eyes closed, leaning into the support of him, hands carding through his thick mass of waves, Penelope huffing and mewling, hips writhing at his efforts.

He switched haphazardly, building her up in the heat of his mouth only to release her to the chill of the air, a hand snaking from behind, two fingers brushing and curling across damp underwear, firm and steady over and over, he could feel the heat of her, her legs spreading just a bit more, fingers and fabric slipping up. Her hands moved to her own chest, his name caught up in a shuttered breath. Leaning back again, Luke guided her toward him, lips meeting hers, hands creeping up her thighs to pull underwear off, Penelope naked under the dress.

With Luke still in pants beneath her, she kneeled up allowing him space to shift and shimmy off pants, then boxers, hands setting both free with a flick then coming back to Penelope, finding space on her waist, her hips, guiding her back down, the wash of uniform cotton teasing his aching cock between them, hands leisurely kneading fists of flesh under skirt as she rocked above him into their deep kisses. It didn’t take long for fingers to become restless however and they had once again found themselves between her thighs, rubbing and brushing, slipping and pinching between folds and nub. Her breath became labored and her rhythmic up and down became riotous. Nails dug into his neck and his scalp, arms wrapped around his shoulders and clung to his traps grinding against him, forgetting all danger, all possibility of slippage. Panting and heavy the flesh of her tits rubbed slick between them, Luke mouthing and nipping kisses to her neck and her clavicle. Through the air and sound, through his focused efforts on her, the phrase broke through, light and airy “Luke, I’m…I’m gonna..”

She didn’t need to finish the thought, he could feel it in his hands as she fucked herself on his fingers, “Do it, let go, come for me.” His pressure increased becoming harsher, quicker, fingers curling and spreading as she sunk low against him, shallow and firm, grinding, breath high in his ear and arms locked heavy around him until everything tightened up, walls clenching strongly, relaxing and clamping again, plush walls tightening around him like her lips on his dick. A high and quiet “Uuuhnf” finishing, a flush of wet coating him and her forehead on his shoulder.

She giggled nervously as a hand soothingly stroked up and down her back, palm moving across her waist, over her hips and ass, lips pressing soft kisses into sweat dappled hot skin. As she laid into him, stabilizing her breath, she could feel his cock pressing imposingly large and hard between them, Luke really was very patient, others would have come from the blowjob alone...

Penelope pulled back, cheeks glowing red, eyes sparkling with euphoria, she wanted to keep going, but really didn’t plan on this happening so didn’t have anything with her…“It seems your nurse has come ill-prepared…I think we um, need a glove, for the uh…procedure to proceed…”

Besides the whole fact that he was pretty sure by now this was not the afterlife or a fever dream, his favorite part of this whole thing was her dedication to the bit. Of course, if anyone would, it would be Penelope Garcia, he just thanked his lucky stars for her choosing to bestow this gift on him as he did indeed, greatly appreciate it. Still, it took a minute to understand, and fair, neither of them would have guessed this would happen (Wish? Yes. Dream? Obviously, frequently, but guess? Never. Planned? Definitely not before now.)

His eyes widened when meaning dawned on him “Oh yeah. Yes. Just,” his hands left her, moving helplessly beside them “um.” She was still on top of him, which he wasn’t complaining about, but it did prevent him from getting the needed materials.

“Oh!” Penelope lifted a leg across him and turned, now sunken into the couch.



Luke leaned over, pulling her into a deep kiss, then pulled away to get up, “You’re not…gonna be gone when I get back are you?”



A smile broke out across her face as she tugged at and righted herself, “Oh Newbie, what kind of nurse would I be if I disappeared on my shift?”



Dashing back found Penelope, hair re-fluffed and uniform as neat as could be expected, in the middle of reapplying her lipstick. She looked up at him accusatorially, though her face was still flush and shining, “You didn’t tell me my lipstick was all smeared!”

Luke laughed, but had the good sense to look some-what apologetic. “I figured you knew? It was…completely hot.” Coming to sit next to her, his hand moved to her thigh rubbing and kneading, “Seeing you like that, knowing I’d had a part in it...” His other hand came to her cheek, thumb hovering over fresh lips.

Her eyes bore into his daring him to do it, daring him to fuck up her pristine exterior one more time. His touch became more insistent, fingers dragging and pushing friction up and down her thigh as he held her gaze just inches from his own, pupils massive black pools in a thin ring of candy brown.

He dipped closer, murmuring, “You know, if you kiss me again, it’s just going to smear again…”

There was a flash of something, her body shivering and he knew he’d won, Penelope pushing her lips to the pad of his thumb until it pressed into the dark damp of her mouth, wrapping her tongue around it and sucking before releasing it, letting it smudge across her cheek, all the while never releasing his gaze from hers.

The grip on her thigh tightened almost painfully, Luke swiftly pulling her closer, ripping her over and across him, lips nearly touching, hovering, waiting, and then slowly, delicately, he pressed his lips to hers, firm and deep, mouths parting and closing with the other. Her hand once again finding a spot in his hair, rubbing at his ear, sinking low onto his lap, his kisses warm against hers, easily falling back into each other, building the other up. The strokes his hands delivered moved from outer thigh, to inner thigh, to between her thighs and once again Penelope was on the verge of dissolving above him. She was tingling and bubbling and if she wasn’t careful she’d be coming a second time in front of Luke instead of with him.

Her hand slammed the table behind her in a feeling search for the foil pack, fingertips finding it, scooping, she pulled back, separating as he chased forward, eyes a glazed half mast. She was breathy and dazed, and if she stopped to think about it, so very exposed…but she could do this, lean in to the costume, Penelope grinned down at him gaping up at her as if she were the most magnificent thing he’d ever seen. She, in fact, was. Ripping the package open, giving one last line, she said, “Time for that thorough inspection, Alvez.” and then winked. His hands came to hers, helping her roll it on, Penelope gave a gentle squeeze at the base, then bent to kiss the tip, kiss his chest, and finally, kiss him. They worked together, slower, more carefully. Luke entered her fully, deeply, holding off with what little restraint he had left as he stretched and filled her, Penelope hot and tight and slick around him. Her mouth dropped and her hands rose to the balls of his shoulders letting out stilted “ahs” and “ohs” as she explored small movements, little twists of her pelvis, rising and sinking gingerly at the burn.

His hands were loose around her waist and he was buried deep inside her when they made eye contact and each let out a small huffed laugh, the reality of it all hitting them. He brought a hand to her cheek kissing her gently, then moved a hand under the skirt, fingers settling high on her thigh and thumb finding her clit, brushing it lightly, teasing strokes meant to sooth and stimulate. Licking his lips, he leaned forward pressing lush open kisses to the sensitive skin at her neck and to her collar, a low murmur rumbling against her, “You’re doing great, Chica. Incase I haven’t mentioned it, this is the best thing to have ever happened to me.” Slowly, slowly, Penelope began to move in a found rhythm, sighs stretching out, getting softer. At her cue, Luke moved with her, shallow at first, then deep and sweet and slow, arm coming to brace at her lower back. He pressed kisses into her voluptuous breasts and trailed a necklace around her collar.

What had started out kitschy and light was gradually transforming into a deeply sensual and intimate thing, something Penelope never saw coming, something Luke always knew he wanted with her but never thought he’d have. As much as she tried she couldn’t take her eyes off him, his measured movements dragging out and entering somehow deeper, somehow more, until they were barely moving at all, his jaw dropping, his eyes swimming in hers. Penelope rocking, Luke reaching between them to glide strumming strokes, fresh heat flooding her cheeks, mouth stuttering open, her orgasm sneaking up on her, coming quietly, pushing him over the edge as she tightened and flooded around him, a shuttered breath as he came too.

Penelope swallowed hard, gaze still caught on his, only breathing out, “wow” into the space. Wow that was unexpected, wow, she’d just done something very bad, wow, she couldn’t find a single bone that cared…wow.

Just as caught off guard and wrapped up in what had transpired, Luke responded with an equally eloquent “yeah” as they both looked on through the other.

Eventually letting gravity take him, holding on to Penelope, Luke slowly fell sideways, feet pushing off the arm of the couch to slide upward until they were laying down, a tangle of legs and limbs, lax bodies still humming with pleasure. He rolled across her, hand blindly searching, then tugging up the throw that had slipped to the floor, lazily covering them with it, he snuggled into her collar.

Penelope, having recovered her senses somewhat, and curiosity once again being piqued, finally asked, “Ok, Cool Hands, where’d this come from? It’s clearly not something you’d buy.” She glanced at him, weaving the tail of a bright strand back in and pulling the blanket under her chin, “Aside from my housewarming gift, this is the only thing with color in this whole room. AND BEIGE does not count.” she rushed in a panic, hoping some humor might throw off the awkwardness of having accidentally brought up his ex after spontaneous role-play-turned-intensely-passionate sex.

It did.

He laughed at the addendum, then sighed preparing to explain. “My grandmother made it…She, like you,” he paused to kiss her shoulder, “is a very vibrant woman. It’s one of the few things I asked my mother to hold on to for me. Once I knew I was staying here for good, I went and got it.”

“Aw, that’s really sweet.” she snuggled up next to him wrapping an arm around his waist.

“What’s sweet is you coming over like that, to take care of me like this.”

Penelope playfully poked at his chest, “That was not my intention! I told you the team said-”

But Luke cut her off with a kiss, then, recalling more from that particular interaction, “You know, I seem to remember also saying something about sponge baths…”

Penelope nodded, mouth curling into a smile “Mmm, the team really knew what they were doing, didn’t they?”

“Penelope, I don't think anyone could have known about this.”

[autism-aint-a-flawtism]

Future Gohan Survives AU Part 3! The Waiting Game

20 minutes after Trunks left to go to the past, Gohan woke up. Again. Gohan looked like he was pleased with himself. Bulma was at his bed with a bowl of meat soup in hand. Gohan looked Bulma in the eye

"Trunks left to fight Frieza, didn't he?"

"Yep."

"Good. I have complete faith in him."

"Mm-hmm"

"Are you mad at me?"

"Yep."

Gohan fell silent to think about what Bulma was mad about. Then, he hit himself in the head on purpose because he realized that Bulma was obviously pissed because he literally woke up to fight her son just to pass out

"Look, Bulma, I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have fought Trunks. What I did was moronic and when Trunks gets back from the past I'm going to apologize to him. I'm sorry. Really I am. I'm an idiot-"

Bulma finally snapped

"Oh my God will you shut up?!? You're not an idiot! Odds are, you're one of the wisest people I know! I get that you're angry you missed out on Trunks' training, I get that you're sad because you think you failed Trunks, I get it! But whatever funk you're under, I need you to work through it before Trunks gets back! He's going to be the future! Let's try to not be like your father and leave the future in some less traumatized hands!"

Gohan was speechless. He knew that he was off, but he didn't expect to be told that in such a straightforward manner. He was completely aghast. He figured that he should might as well do what Bulma says. Plus, he's absolutely starving and Bulma's the only one with hot stew

"Yeah. You're right. Thanks for that."

Bulma calmed down. She had gotten that visibly overwhelmed to prove a point. But, when she snapped at him, she realized something.

Gohan's only 23.

She realized that Gohan's really just a kid. When she was Gohan's age, his father was fighting Piccolo Jr. Sure, that was stressful, but that's nothing compared to everything Gohan's gone through. Bulma comes to a conclusion, that she's going to be a mother of two children. Just one of them is going to be a lot more stubborn and have a lot more of a savior complex than the other.

"Yeah, dummy. I'm happy to help. Now eat this soup I made for you. You haven't eaten real food in literal years. Do you need me to feed you?"

Gohan shakes his head

"No thanks, Bulma. I'm ambidextrous, so I didn't lose my dominant hand. But I appreciate the help!"

"Alright, kiddo. I'm gonna go, call me if you need me!"

Bulma exits the room

"Hey Gohan?"

"Yeah Bulma?"

"I love you, kiddo"

Gohan took a pause. Nobody told him that in years. He shed a single tear. He'd missed being validated. He'd missed his mom. Gohan figures that he definitely needs to stop by to visit once Bulma will let him out.

"I love you too, Bulma"

Bulma shut off the lights before leaving

"Goodnight, kiddo. Now go get some rest. You need it"

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

Over the next few months, Gohan began to train. In both physical and mental. Gohan decided to finally properly learn a one armed technique: The Makankōsappō. Gohan had tried his best to visualize how Piccolo used the move. Luckily, he had a couple of recordings to figure how out how Piccolo used his stance. So, naturally, he copied that. He took as many notes as he possibly could. Gohan wished that he listened to Mr. Piccolo more when he was describing how to the use Makankōsappō.

After a month and a half of trying and failing and taking notes, all Gohan could manage to do is just shoot his Kamehameha through his fingers. Gohan punched a tree and it snapped in half

"DAMMIT! HOW THE HELL DID MR. PICCOLO DO THIS MOVE?!?!"

Gohan felt a familiar hand place itself on his shoulder

"It's because you're not focusing your energy into your hand, runt."

It was Mr. Piccolo. Gohan didn't know how that's possible, and he didn't care. He began to bawl tears of joy and hugged Piccolo. He then fell through Piccolo's body and prompty ate the curb like a total champ. Piccolo chuckled to himself, wiping away a tear that he would vehemently deny if asked about it.

"Sorry, runt. I'm just a voice and a vision. I figured that the least I can do is bother King Kai into playing a free game of telephone at least once. Being on King Kai's planet with your father and Vegeta has basically been my equivalent to Hell anyways."

Gohan then heard the piercing voice of King Kai

"YOU SHOULD GO TO HELL!"

Piccolo chuckled again

"Okay, lemme teach you this real quick before King Kai decides to kick me off his planet. He's already done it to Yamcha and I've got a feeling I might be next"

And so, Piccolo and Gohan began to train. Piccolo taught Gohan how to use his signature move, and for a few hours, everything felt perfect. Just a master and his student, training. It reminded him of the old days, when he was training with Piccolo for the Saiyans. Only, this time things were different.

Gohan and Piccolo were equals here

After four straight hours of training, Gohan finally did it. He finally used the Makankōsappō. Flawlessly, too. Piccolo gave his usual 'nice job, runt' and King Kai told him that he had five more minutes due to the fact that he had to feed Bubbles soon. Piccolo took the form of a vision once more and looked at Gohan straight in the eye

"Look, kid. I know I haven't been all that present, and I'm sorry. But before I go, I just wanted to let you know that I'm so proud of you. I love you more than you could ever know. And you're going to be a great teacher. I believe in you wholeheartedly. Continue training Vegeta's brat to your fullest extent. He may not say it, but I know that Vegeta's proud of his son. And I know that your father is proud of you. Next time you get the chance, try and talk to him. He'd love to talk to you again,"

Piccolo began to tear up

"I love you, my student. My family. My friend. I hope to see you again after you send those Androids packing down to Hell. I believe in you!"

Gohan felt a flurry of emotions. He felt the happiest he'd ever been. He felt odd that he wanted to talk to his father again. He'd hated Goku ever since he died. Maybe he's finally learning to move past his trauma like Bulma had told him to. But, most of all. Gohan finally knew that fate and the gods were on Trunks and his side.

Gohan finally had hope.

[v4mptsuki]

flirtations (i.matsukawa x reader)

genre: fluff

warnings: none

summary: matsukawa is crushing on the reader, and he’s oblivious to her feelings for him despite her being oikawa’s childhood best friend

a/n, this isn’t proofread, so i apologize if there’s any typos!

mattsun felt a headache coming on. for the past half hour of the third year's hangout, oikawa had been unable to shut up about l/n y/n. as the group of boys roamed the streets, coffee cups in hand, oikawa went on his fiftieth rant of the day about her.

"isn't she just the sweetest iwa-chan? remember when she helped us practice last summer; she's so helpful. we should invite y/n-chan the next time we hangout. would you like that mattsu?" oikawa asked with a smirk.

mattsun rolled his eyes, "would that shut you up about her?"

oikawa tsked and took a sip of his drink, "now, now mattsu don't get all riled up. i'm just complimenting a friend."

"friend, right," mattsun muttered sarcastically.

y/n had known oikawa for years; ever since they were kids. oikawa's mom went to school with y/n's family, so the two kids had grown up together. mattsun knew it was only a matter of time until they ended up dating, and he hated how upset it made him. he'd been harboring feelings for y/n since their first year at aoba johsai, and they hadn't faded at all.

two knocks echoed through the matsukawa house, and mattsun could hear his mom answering the door. he'd been bed bound since he came down with a cold that morning, and he felt miserable.

"oh yes! he's in his room, i'm sure he'll be glad to see you!" his mom said to whoever was at the door.

mattsun expected makki to be the one entering his room, probably with his schoolwork and questions of where he'd been. instead, it was y/n, oikawa's friend. he had several classes with her, which was why oikawa introduced them. y/n was anxious about high school, since most of her junior high friends went elsewhere, so oikawa thought it would be good for her to know someone.

the two had grown to be good friends through all their shared classes, and mattsun really enjoyed her company. she was really kind, but she teased oikawa just as much as iwaizumi did. she was also smart, and she always helped mattsun with his work when he got lost in class. so, it shouldn't have shocked him that much to see y/n standing in his doorway with his homework in her arms.

the surprising part though, was that she'd brought him food too. she had a grocery sack from the corner store in one hand, and it seemed to be full of snacks. in her other hand, she had not only the homework, but her notes from the day too.

"hi, i heard you're sick," y/n greeted, still standing in the doorway, like she was waiting for permission to walk in.

mattsun smiled at her, "yeah, c'mon in."

y/n took a seat on the edge of his bed, and mattsun scooted his legs a bit so she would have more room.

"i brought the homework, and i thought you might like to have my notes. i took two copies, so you can keep these. i always get stressed when i miss school, because i hate falling behind, so i hope this helps you rest easier," y/n stated, a small smile on her face.

mattsun swore that in that moment he could feel himself falling for her. he'd thought she was pretty from the moment he laid eyes on her, and ever since oikawa introduced them, he'd grown fond of her personality too. it was then though, that he truly fell. the nonchalant way she cared about him, like it was nothing but the expected, made mattsun so incredibly happy.

"oh! i also brought you this," y/n added excitedly, placing the grocery bag gently on the bed.

mattsun sat up a bit, and y/n handed him the bag. inside was all his favorites. his favorite chips, candy, drink, and a carefully packaged cup of soup. the soup was even still warm, letting mattsun know she'd grabbed it on her way to his house.

"how did you know these are my favorites?" mattsun asked as he looked up at her, his eyes wide with delight.

"i asked oikawa. he said he asked your friend makki," y/n replied, clearly proud of herself for being so attentive.

"this is like the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. thank you y/n," mattsun said, making y/n duck her head bashfully.

"oh quit it, you're sick, i'm just helping it be less awful. anyways, do you want me to go over the notes with you? if you're tired i can go, but i just thought i'd offer," y/n said, trailing off near the end.

mattsun nodded quickly, a bit too eager to get her to stay.

"we can go over the notes! it'll probably, um, help me learn it better."

ever since that day, mattsun had been hopelessly devoted to her. every love confession that had come his way he'd denied, holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, y/n could like him back. oikawa had never helped his pining though. as the group of them had gotten older, oikawa had grown into a flirt, with y/n being his primary target. every day at practice, it was incessant, and it drove mattsun mad.

"this one's for you y/n-chan!" oikawa exclaimed with a wink in her direction before he served the ball flawlessly to the other side of the court during a mock game.

mattsun could hear y/n's laugh at his antics, and it just made him more sullen. as the day's practice wrapped up, y/n was quick to rush over to the boys.

"that was great guys. you really are improving a lot," she said with a bright smile.

"thank you! you're our number one cheerleader y/n," makki teased, throwing an arm over her shoulders and ruffling her hair.

y/n ducked out of his grasp and patted her hair down with a dramatic scowl.

"hands off my hair makki! that's why mattsu is my favorite," she teased, poking her tongue out before leaning into mattsun's side.

"you played great today too," she said, her voice lower, like the comment was just for him.

mattsun felt himself stiffen, suddenly unable to think of anything clever to say.

"oh, uh, thank you."

"y/n-chan!" oikawa called out as he exited the locker room, already changed out of his gym clothes.

y/n giggled, "see you around mattsu," she said before walking over to greet oikawa.

makki whistled once y/n had walked far off enough, and he clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"pussy," was all he said to mattsun, who just sighed.

"up your ass makki."

"toru i'm an idiot!" y/n exclaimed, flopping back on her best friend's bed.

he just laughed, and took a seat next to her.

"what else is new?"

y/n huffed and leaned over to shove him.

"not helping asshole."

"sorry, sorry, it's just hilarious how oblivious he is," oikawa said.

y/n nodded in agreement, and moved her head to rest in oikawa's lap.

"it's awful isn't it? i just don't know what to do. i try to talk to him, but he always seems pained to be around me. promise he doesn't hate me?" y/n asked, looking up at her friend.

"how could he hate you? precious little y/n-chan," oikawa teased, reaching down to pinch her cheeks.

she grumbled again and swatted his hand away.

"how do i get him to confess?" she wondered aloud.

"what if we made him jealous," oikawa suggested with a sly smirk.

y/n pursed her lips in thought, before an equally sly smile spread on her face. mattsun always did seem particularly irritated by her and oikawa's antics. besides, a jealous confession did sound pretty appealing to y/n.

"i'm down if you are toru," y/n said.

"perfect! so what will our story be? should i tell the boys you broke down in tears as you confessed your love for me?"

y/n grimaced, "absolutely not. i still want him to know i'm single dumbass. maybe just amp up the flirting tomorrow, and i'll dress extra cute."

"looking forward to it darling," oikawa said with a wink, making y/n roll her eyes.

the next day at practice, oikawa was insufferable. if his normal flirtations were a 7/10 on the mattsun-annoyance scale, this had raised it to at least an 11/10. y/n had entered practice in her cutest variant of the school uniform, and oikawa was quick to offer her his sweatshirt. he even helped her put it on, making mattsun glare at the pair from across the gym.

y/n sat on the bench close to the court, and oikawa shot a flirty remark at her after every cool move he pulled. every time he did, y/n would giggle and blush, and it made mattsun want to rip his hair out.

"my head is literally going to explode," he muttered to makki during a water break, with a scowl heavy on his face.

makki stifled a laugh, "just make a move already."

mattsun's scowl deepened, "no way. she's totally head over heels for oikawa. see, look."

he gestured over to the pair, where oikawa had joined y/n on the bench. he had an arm draped over her shoulder, and their heads were leaned into each other as they spoke in hushed voices. y/n glanced up, and her eyes met mattsun's, but he was quick to look away.

"did you see that, he was looking at us," y/n whispered to oikawa, a grin on her face.

"he's totally pissed," oikawa added excitedly.

y/n giggled, "this might actually work!"

oikawa got up and restarted practice, and a very sullen mattsun walked back onto the court. y/n kept her gaze trained on him as he walked, unable to look away from the way the jersey hugged his muscles. he glanced back, and their eyes met again, but this time y/n was the first to look away, a blush rising on her face.

practice continued on, with oikawa flirting with y/n every other minute. mattsun just seemed to get more and more irritated, and then, practice ended. oikawa headed straight to the locker room, as he always did. he'd always hated the sweaty feeling after practice, so y/n would normally just wait for him to change so they could go. today though, y/n asked oikawa to shower there too, so she would have more time to talk to mattsun without him around making mattsun jealous.

"hi guys! you all did great today," y/n greeted as she walked over to the three third years.

iwa smiled at y/n in thanks, "yeah, we're improving a lot."

"totally! especially you mattsu, you looked great out there today," y/n said with a smile.

mattsun seemed to tense up, and y/n mentally cursed herself. all she wanted to do was let him know she liked him, but every time she did he always seemed to get so uncomfortable.

"thank you y/n," he replied with an awkward smile, making y/n's heart drop.

"yeah, of course," she said with her own small smile.

there was a moment of silence before iwa bid everyone goodbye. most of the other years had left, leaving just y/n, mattsun, makki, and oikawa in the locker room.

"i think i'm gonna head out too, bye guys!" makki said, hurrying out of the room before mattsun could say anything to him.

y/n pursed her lips at that, since usually the two walked home together.

"waiting for oikawa?" mattsun asked y/n once makki was out the door.

"i guess. i also kinda wanted to talk to you," she added, her voice growing quiet.

mattsun's eyes widened and his gaze shot up to look at her.

"what?"

"yeah, i uh, wanted to chat with you. you know, i really like your company," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

mattsun didn't say anything back, he just stared at y/n with wide eyes. she felt a lump in her throat, but she bit back any emotions.

"sorry, i didn't mean to make this weird or anything," she added quickly.

mattsun blinked slowly, and then shook his head forcefully.

"no, no, not at all. i like spending time with you too. i just, i thought you and oikawa were like..." he trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud, but hoping y/n understood what he meant.

apparently she didn't, as her eyebrows scrunched up, "huh? what about me and toru?"

"nothing, i just..." mattsun took in a breath and shook his head, "nothing, never mind."

y/n frowned, but took a step closer to mattsun.

"what is it?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"i-"

mattsun wasn't sure what to say. y/n was standing barely a few inches away from him, and he was struggling to form a coherent thought. she tilted her head up to look him in the eyes, and he felt his face growing hot.

"you know i'm not dating toru," she said, her voice soft.

mattsun swallowed, "oh, really? i guess i just assumed..."

"well you assumed wrong," y/n replied, keeping her eyes on mattsun.

"oh," was all he could think to say, his mind too muddled for y/n's closeness.

she stayed there for a second longer, before she cleared her throat and took a step away.

"well yeah, we aren't dating. i don't plan on dating him either, he's too high maintenance for me," y/n joked, although she sounded a bit down.

mattsun just nodded, unsure of what to say. inside, he was beating himself up. she was right there, but he just couldn't do anything. she made him so nervous he lost all his confidence. it was basically torture, being so close to her, but unable to make a move.

"anyways, i think toru should be done by now. i guess i'll just wait for him outside," y/n flashed mattsun a small smile before swiftly heading for the gym doors.

"wait!" mattsun exclaimed before he could think better of it.

y/n turned around, her eyebrows raised.

"what's up?"

"um, fuck, don't go yet. i guess now's a good time to tell you i, uh, i really like you."

once mattsun started his confession, he couldn't stop the word vomit that followed.

"ever since you brought me the notes when i was sick during first year, i thought you were the nicest girl ever. i still do, by the way, you're just so sweet and pretty, and fuck i'm rambling. i just, i like you a lot, and i thought you should know. i guess."

mattsun felt his face heating up as he awkwardly went to scratch the back of his neck. y/n just stood there, a shocked look on her face. mattsun was just about to stutter out an apology for making things weird, when she rushed forwards. her arms wrapped around mattsun's neck, and she let out a relieved laugh.

"oh thank goodness! i was so worried you didn't like me that way, it was killing me you idiot!" y/n breathed out, her face pressing into mattsun's neck.

"wait what?" mattsun replied, pulling away from her embrace.

she moved one of her arms to flick his forehead, a grin taking over her face.

"i like you too!" she exclaimed.

mattsun broke into a grin of his own, and just as he was about to pull y/n back into him, oikawa exited the locker room. his hair was dripping wet, implying he'd taken a shower, and mattsun could've smacked him across the face.

"toru guess what!" y/n called out as oikawa headed over to the pair.

based on oikawa's smirk, he already knew what she was going to say.

"what is it y/n darling?"

"he likes me back," she replied smugly, stretching on her tip toes to kiss mattsun's cheek.

"yes i do," mattsun muttered, just for y/n to hear, making her smile stretch even wider.

[justthehiddleswrites]

Accidently Married | Tom Hiddleston x OFC | Chapter 4 | You should worry about the people you care about. I mean, I worry about you all the time.

A/N:  Tom makes certain comments about an ex (who is unnamed).  It is a fictional girlfriend, take from it what you will.  Keep your hate to yourself.  

SERIES MASTERLIST HERE

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Molly Bishop)

Summary: Tom is stuck in a news cycle from hell; Molly is stuck in the dead end job of bartending with a pile of student and credit debt.  Tom has an idea to solve all their problems.  Get married, get the paparazzi off his back, divorce after a year and Tom pays off Molly’s debts.  Tom has everything figured out, that is until he sees Molly as more than a just a friend and so does someone else.  In this vying for affections who will win, the handsome Brit or the boy from Boston?

This Chapter: Molly is making friends and life is settling into a routine until Molly gets sick and Tom takes care of her.  

Warnings: fake marriage, smut (vaginal sex), mentions of:  child abuse/neglect, foster care, substance abuse, cheating.

TAGLIST IS OPEN! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED!  THANK YOU FOR READING!

–

Molly left that afternoon with two new numbers in her phone and a lunch date for next week.

“Can’t believe you are having lunch with my mother and sister without me.” Tom pouted on the way back.

“Once they heard I wasn’t working and didn’t know anyone, they insisted. Was I supposed to say no?” 

“You could have scheduled it when I could come.” 

“But you are so busy. And talented.” She poked his side. 

“I’m driving here, darling.”

“Sorry, but just one question…” They pulled up to a red light.”

“What?”

“Are you ticklish?” she attacked his side and Tom squirmed and giggled.

“You will be the death of me.” He panted as Molly stopped when the light was green.

“Note to self. Tom is very ticklish.” 

“No, no notes to self. That is something you can promptly forget.”

Molly batted her eyelashes. “But real husbands and wives would know these things about each other. We have to pull this off for an entire year, right?”

“Fine, but expect revenge.” Tom wagged a finger at Molly. 

“I’ll sleep with one eye open.” 

-

Over the next several weeks, Tom and Molly fell in a routine. The marriage certificate came in the mail and they applied for a family visa for Molly to stay there.

“I didn’t think you would want to become a citizen.”

Molly smirked. “No, not right now.”

A new debit card came in for Molly. 

“With great power…” Tom handed it over.

“Yeah, yeah, Loki.” she tucked into her wallet. “I am burdened with glorious purpose. To keep you well fed.” 

Molly had a standing date with Emma every two weeks, much to Tom’s consternation. They continued running together in the mornings. Tom, more often than not, ended it with a kiss. 

“This is becoming quite the nasty habit, Mr. Hiddleston.” she commented one morning.

“Then stop me, Mrs. Hiddleston.” He pecked her lips again. 

Molly blushed. “You just love what they are saying about us in the papers.” She pushed Tom away and towards the door. 

“I will admit the good news is definitely a perk. Plus, you are such lovely company.” He went to hug her, but she pushed him away.

“You are all sweaty, Tom. Take a shower and I will make breakfast.”

“French toast?” he asked hopefully.

“You ate the last of the bread yesterday.” 

“Pancakes?”

“I think I can swing pancakes, if…” She held up a finger. “You also eat a side of fruit.”

“Deal.” Tom headed towards his room wearing a huge grin. 

Molly shook her head as she grabbed a mixing bowl out. “Lunatic.”

-

One morning, Molly wasn’t awake when Tom got up to run. She almost always beat Tom up, sipping a cup of tea in the living room, reading a magazine or one of the books from his shelf. There was a small stack building on a side table of the ones she finished reading. But that morning, no half-drunk cup of tea perched precariously on the coffee table. No crossword puzzle half done in pen. 

Tom peaked into Molly’s bedroom. The covers, in colors of navy and grey, just like his, pulled up tight around her. There were a few prints of classic travel posters on the wall. 

“Molly, darling.” He called out. Usually that was all it took to roust Molly from her sleep and get her going for the day. Today, nothing. Tom stepped into the room. He felt like an intruder in his own home. 

“It’s time for our run, love.” He said a bit louder this time. 

Molly rolled over, groaning and coughing. Tom’s brow furrowed. He didn’t like the sound of that cough. Tom sat down on the edge of the bed and rocked Molly gently by the shoulder.

“Are you feeling okay, darling?” He hoped it was just allergies or waking up in the morning. But then she woke up.

“Uggh, Tom?” Molly croaked out before rolling onto her back. She was pale. So much more pale than usual. She coughed again, covering her mouth. 

“It’s me, Molly. Are you feeling alright?” He repeated. “That’s some cough.”

“I’m fine, fine. It’s just,” She waved him off and pushed up to sitting, only to fall back onto the pillows. “oh, that’s not good.” 

Tom placed the back of his hand to her forehead and replaced it with his lips, checking her temperature. She was running hot. 

“You have a fever. I’m making you an appointment to see the doctor.” He stood, but Molly caught his wrist. Her palm clammy against Tom’s skin.

“No! It’s just a cold. Go on your run. I’ll be fine. I just need some sleep.” She insisted.

“Are you sure? It’s no trouble.” 

“Go. I’ll be fine.”

Tom leaned down and kissed her very warm forehead. “I’ll keep it short. Go back to sleep.”

Molly nodded and rolled over. Tom tucked the covers around her and headed out. He barely made it to the end of the street before he returned home. It confirmed his fears when he stepped back inside and heard Molly coughing. Tom grabbed the phone and searched for a number and called it.

“Yes, Urgent Care? Do you have any appointments today? Name? Molly Hiddleston. Thank you.”

-

Tom helped Molly get dressed, averting his eyes when appropriate. Her entire body burned under his fingertips, but Tom noticed her shivering. She stumbled to the car where she slept the entire ride over to urgent care. Tom did his best to fill out the paperwork.

“What do you put for family history?”

“Nothing. Unless there is a place for mental illness, then check that. That’s all I know about. Mom didn’t chat much.” Molly muttered, leaning heavily against Tom. “Meth does that…” Her brow furrowed and she coughed again. 

“Shh, darling.” Tom soothed her. “Only happy thoughts.”

Molly hummed and smiled. “Happy thoughts.” More coughing. 

It took twenty minutes before they called Molly back. They didn’t let Tom back with her. He alternated between sitting with a bouncing knee, pretending to read on his phone and pacing the waiting room, making the other people nervous. After forty-five minutes, before Molly returned with several papers in her hand. She coughed again.

“Upper respiratory infection,” cough. “Along with a sinus infection and a viral infection.”

Tom smiled. “Triple threat. Let’s get you home.”

Molly’s hand, holding the papers, flopped up. “I have prescriptions and they want to see me again in two weeks. To make sure I don’t get pneumonia.”

Tom’s eyes widened. “That’s a possibility?”

Molly nodded. “It’s all in here.”

Tom took all the papers, skimming them, including a script for antibiotics as well as a cough suppressant. It all sounded grim. “Let’s get you to bed and I will take care of getting these filled.”

Molly coughed and nodded. “Thank you.” 

She fell back asleep in the car. Tom carried into the house, not having the heart to wake her up again, and settled her into his bed, which was bigger, more comfortable and the bathroom was right there. Once she was settled and asleep, he headed off to the pharmacy. While waiting in line, Tom dialed Luke. 

“Luke, is there anything absolutely pressing in the schedule for the next three days?” he asked after Luke picked up. 

“Nothing I can’t reschedule, why?”

“Molly’s ill.” He bit his lips and sighed. “The doctors are afraid it might turn into pneumonia. And I…”

“Consider your schedule cleared until Monday. And tell her I hope she feels better soon.”

“Thanks, Luke. I’m worried about her.”

“That’s because you love her, Tom. You should worry about the people you care about. I mean, I worry about you all the time.” Luke chuckled.

Tom paused at Luke’s words but pushed it away. Of course he cared for Molly. That has the tendency to happen when you live with a person for nearly three months. Especially someone as congenial as Molly. Congenial wasn’t the word. Lovely. Molly was lovely. He laughed it off. “I worry about you too, Luke. I got to go.”

“Take care of her. Bye, Tom.” 

After picking you the medicine, Tom popped into the grocery store and picked up some soup, drinks, and Molly’s favorite cookies. When he got back, she was still asleep. And still coughing. He put away the groceries and then checked on her.

“Darling, I’m back with the medicine. Time to take it.” He helped her sit up, Molly groaning the entire time. She swallowed the pill with a sip of water, gagging.

“That’s awful!” she coughed. 

“Now the cough medicine.” Tom poured out the cough syrup and handed it over to Molly. She hesitated, sniffing it first. “Take the medicine and get a biscuit.” He held up a package of cookies.

“They’re cookies. I thought I ate the last of them.” she moaned, downing the cough syrup. Her face contorted. Tom smiled and handed her two cookies. “Good girl. Now rest. I’ll check on you in a few hours.”

“Don’t you have work?” Molly muttered as she laid back down. Tom pulled the covers over her, putting the cookies on the nightstand. “You had… interviews… or something…”

“My schedule is clear through the weekend. I am at your disposal.” Tom rubbed Molly’s back, and she purred. 

“You don’t need to do that.” She half-heartedly complained, dozing off.

“And leave you to fend for yourself? What kind of husband would I be? It was no trouble. Now sleep, darling.”

“Mmm… kay.” 

-

Tom busied himself with absolutely nothing. He flitted from reading a book to watching a TV show to peeking into the bedroom. At one point, when Molly was particularly quiet, he seriously contemplated putting a mirror under her nose to just make sure he was still breathing. He managed to get her to eat half a bowl of soup. 

“You need to eat, love.” he scolded.

Molly coughed and croaked. “Says the man who considers chocolate a food group.” 

“Look at that, some humour.” Tom smiled. “Eat please.”

“Yes, sir.” She slurped the soup off the spoon before falling back asleep. 

Tom, worried, did the unthinkable. He called his mum for advice.

“She’s coughing. A lot. And all she does is sleep.” Tom ran his hands through his hair. 

“Is she eating, love?” Diana asked. Tom could feel the smile across the phone.

“A bit, but not as much as usual. I brought her soup.”

“Soup is good. And she is taking her medicine?”

Tom nodded. “I set a timer.”

“Of course you did. And the fever?”

Tom blinked. “What about her fever?”

“Has it broken?”

“I don’t—”

“Tom!” Molly’s bedraggled voice called out.

“I gotta go. She needs me.” Tom hung up the phone and sprinted to the room. 

“Molly! What is it?” He noted she was shivering.

“I’m cold.” she chattered. Tom grabbed the blanket at the foot of his bed. 

“Is that better?” He tucked it under Molly’s chin. Tom touched her forehead. Hot.

“Much.” 

“I’ll let you rest.” He patted her shoulder and stood. Molly reached out for him.

“Stay.” She coughed. “At least until I fall asleep. Please lie down. Just five minutes.”

Tom’s heart broke in that moment for Molly. That confident woman he grew so fond of seemed so small in that moment.

“Of course, I’ll stay. Anything for you.” Tom crawled on top of the covers next to Molly. He laced his fingers in hers. He heard her exhaled, and he exhaled too. 

“Sleep well, darling.” But Molly had already fallen asleep. Tom soon followed.

-

Molly woke the next morning in sweat soaked pajamas and on top of drenched sheets. She still coughed, but her fever was gone. As she blinked her eyes open, Molly realized she wasn’t in her bed, but Tom’s. And Tom was there too. Asleep next to her, fully dressed, holding her hand. She had vague memories of Tom bringing her soup and her asking him to stay. And some very not safe for work dreams. 

“Fever dreams.” she muttered. “Tom…” Molly rocked his shoulder.

“Huh?” Tom sat up. “I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

“It’s hard to be a nurse. I think your sheets may need washing.” she smiled.

Tom pressed his lips to her forehead. “No fever.” His spirits lifted. 

“It must have broken last night.”

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“Yes.” 

Tom noticed their hands still laced together. He let go and stood up. He made a poor attempt at smoothing out his sleep wrinkled clothes. “Up to move to the couch? And maybe some movies?”

“I would like that.” She slowly sat up and got out of bed. “But first a shower.”

Tom frowned. “First medicine, then shower.”

“Nurse Ratched.” Tom didn’t smile or budge. Molly sighed. “Fine, medicine, the shower.”

Tom grabbed the bottles and dispensed the medicine, which she took still gagging. “And a biscuit.” He handed her a cookie. 

“Cookie.” She popped it into her mouth and headed off to her room and Tom went to his own bathroom. 

-

Once they were both showered and dressed, Tom popped his sheets into the laundry and made a makeshift bed on the couch for Molly.

“You pick the movie.” she offered. “That way if I fall asleep, you won’t be bored.” 

Tom picked The Jungle Book. “One of my favorites as a child. I still watch it when I feel under the weather.”

“I don’t think I have seen it.”

Tom’s mouth fell open. “That is a travesty.”

Molly shrugged her shoulders. “You know, group homes, foster care…”

Tom stopped. “Well, we are going to watch this right now and you can listen to the vocal genius that is George Sanders as Shere Khan.”

“More of a vocal genius than you?” Molly raised an eyebrow while she settled onto the couch. 

Tom blushed. “A man-cub, how delightful.” He purred deep in his chest, sending shivers through Molly.

By the end of the movie, Molly’s head was in Tom’s lap and his hand in hers. They watched Disney movies for the rest of day, alternating picking the title. Tom made sure she took her meds on time and ate more than just cookies.

“I will eat a meal if you do.” Molly chided.

They both ate soup and Tom also ate a sandwich. It was late when they finished up Robin Hood. Molly stretched and sat up.

“I should go to bed.”

“I can put the sheets back on the bed.” Tom moved, but she stopped him, squeezing his hand.

“My bed. But I will keep the door open so you can spy on me.” She smirked. “I can’t take your bed again.”

“It’s fine if you did. I don’t mind sharing.”

“I know but…” She glanced away. “We should keep our own space. To keep things from getting complicated.”

Tom nodded. “Right. No complications here.” he lied to her and to himself.

Molly hugged Tom tight. “Thank you for everything, Tom.”

“My pleasure.”

She coughed a bit as she headed off to her room. Tom turned off the TV and cleaned the dishes before going to bed himself. He spent most of the night tossing and turning.

[super-novatuna]

Jin Zixuan would like to not know about his brother's carnal desires, please. (MXTX Reverse Trope Fest week 2 day 1: anti-mind reading)

(happy sorta belated birthday to jzx and jgy. have a post-canon fic where everything is better and they're soulmates who share emotions. cw for discussions of sex and also implied sexual assault if you squint really hard)

(cross-posted on ao3 and twitter)

He is tending to the lotus pond.

Suddenly, Zixuan is overcome with overwhelming lust.

He sighs. This again.

A-Yao, he tiredly sends through the bond, please remember to keep your very sexual feelings towards your sworn brothers away from the hallway.

Oh, A-Yao sends back, sorry about that, A-Xuan. Back into my room now, that’s where it’s going.

Thank you, Zixuan sighs in relief. Also, have fun.

Yes, yes.

Why didn’t they have had a mind-reading power instead, Zixuan laments once more as the lust subsides and he is able to peacefully continue tending at the lotuses. Why, of all the soulmate powers they had, it had to be emotion-sharing?

Before they’d finished their bond, the emotion-sharing was both the best and worst thing in their lives.

Baby Zixuan burst out crying at his first-month ceremony in the middle of a giggling fit. Baby Meng Yao would go from delighted laughing to angry yelling.

Ten-year-old Zixuan had run away from all his caretakers and hid in the closet for three hours as a chilling fear possessed him.

On his twelfth birthday, pride rushed through Meng Yao as he was being kicked down the stairs.

Little incidents throughout their individual lives, from Wei Wuxian punching Jin Zixuan (that had went through Meng Yao as a rollercoaster of arrogance, discomfort, and then extreme annoyance),

to Meng Yao killing Nie Mingjue’s general (Jin Zixuan had taken out the murderous intent on a dying plant and its pot),

the Soup Incident (the anger and annoyance that had plunged into embarrassment was so strong Meng Yao had to excuse himself),

killing the Nie disciples and taunting Nie Mingjue (running towards battle when you had distress and regret flooding your every thought was very inconvenient for Jin Zixuan),

to the first connection through the sheer joy and absolute dread they both felt the moment they realized that they were soulmates.

Five years after the war, and three since they’d completed the bond and established their mindspace so their emotions could be disconnected whenever they wished but still also able to be shared, accompanied by the ability to send each other messages telepathically.

For fun, they’d imagined their mindspace to be a hallway with two rooms on both ends. Shared emotions were thrown into the hallway, private ones stayed in their rooms, messages were thrown back and forth like they were yelling them across the hallway to each other (this analogy had been proposed by Wei Wuxian, who saw the “blueprint” they had for it and mentioned the times he and Jiang Wanyin had yelled at each other across the residential areas of Lotus Pier).

The feeling of peace and contentment he was currently having was in the hallway, because he knew A-Yao liked to send himself into emotional turmoil by overthinking, and needed constant reminders of his current life at peace: the right hand to the Jin sect leader as was his birthright, respect from many authority figures in the cultivation world, sworn brothers who loved him as much as he loved them, the list went on. Sometimes all it took was a shared feeling of contentment, other times they had mental arguments as they went about their business or did it in person when they were free.

Likewise, Zixuan’s overwhelmed and stressed moments were subdued by A-Yao’s amused step-by-step problem solving that helped Zixuan learn politics and sect leadership hands-on through someone who had all the knowledge but lacked the experience. It was a very mutually beneficial relationship, as A-Yao could help out and be useful to others as he enjoyed, and Zixuan could not be messing things up every three seconds with his brother’s careful guidance.

Half a shichen passed before another feeling passed into the hallway: A-Yao’s satisfaction and contentment. Zixuan physically cringed before almost yelling a message across the bond: A-Yao, your post-sex feelings stay private too!

All he got in return was a nonchalant, Hm, before smugness mixed in with the rest of the feelings.

You know what, at least he was comfortable enough to mess with him now... nope, the disgust still overruled.

Zixuan finishes up and goes back inside in search of his wife to complain into her arms. She’ll just laugh at him and pat his head, but he’ll feel better regardless.

[ravensbug]

what was kuvira and y/n’s wedding like?

Wedding

Fandom: Legend of Korra

Ship: Kuvira x reader

Request: Yes

Prompt: No

Word Count: 5,477

A/N: Anon you are fueling the fluff train. Keep the ideas coming. Did I combine the cat au with this one, absolutely. It makes it so much better. You’re in for a treat my friend.

Summary: You’re finally getting married. After everything that’s happened to Kuvira she still can’t believe it. But here she is planning the wedding, with Su no less. She wants it to be perfect. The day of the wedding is stressful for you both. It feels like anything could go wrong but it doesn’t. You two are finally together.

No one would have expected Kuvira to be the one planning the wedding. Everyone knew you had the mind for these things. After all, you were a designer. But when Kuvira told you she wanted to do this you let her. You also knew that Su wanted to help, so you stayed out of her way.

Kuvira didn’t keep you out of the loop though. She knew you were curious, but you always had to ask her to show you. She felt like you would always tell her to pick something else. But you didn’t. You liked what she chose, it fit both of you so well. You had to admit you did underestimate Kuvira’s ability to plan the wedding. Su must have helped a lot, but you wouldn’t sell Kuvira short.

You were in charge of the invites. You knew that you were going to invite most of your family, which Kuvira was fine with. You had a few friends you wanted to invite that made her nervous, but you made sure she had no need to worry.  The only people Kuvira invited were the Beifongs. It did surprise you, especially since Jr. was on the list. You knew she had worked things out with him, but you still disliked him.

When you had finished all the invites there were around fifty. You felt kind of bad for how big your family was. You weren’t sure how they would handle Kuvira, or how she would handle them. You had hope that it would be fine, but you could never know.

You were so glad to be done for the day. Planning a wedding was way more stressful than your family made it out to be. You didn’t have all of them to help, so that was probably why. But you knew they would have overwhelmed you.

You heard the door open and leaned over to see it was Kuvira. Almost immediately after Jinx hopped off of the couch to greet her. You smile when you can hear her saying something to the cat before she picks Jinx up.

“I hope she’s not the only one who missed me,” Kuvira smiled. She walked over to you and leaned over to give you a kiss.

“Of course not. Any time without you is too long.” You got up from the desk so you could finally relax.

“I brought some things home for dinner,” Kuvira told you as you gathered all the invitations together.

“What did you get tonight?” you asked curiously. You left the invitations on the table, or else they would get lost.

“I got some crab to make crab puffs. I can make some soup to go with it too,” she told you.

“Where in spirit name did you get crab this time of year?” You came into the kitchen.

“Oh, you know, a certain village that has the best crab fishers in the world.” She was referring to your home town. She wasn’t wrong though. 

“You spoil me,” you teased. “Do you even know how to make crab puffs? I’ve never seen you try.”

“Actually, I don’t. I was hoping you’d be willing to help me make dinner tonight?” she asked. It was so sincere and you couldn’t help but smile.

“Of course I would.” You give her a quick kiss before helping her get everything ready.

It had been a few years since you had made crab puffs. The last time was before you left home to join Kuvira to unite the Earth Kingdom. Your family never fully understood why you left and you never had the proper opportunity to tell them why. It’s not that you didn’t love them, but they were always so overwhelming to you. Even without siblings, you had all these cousins running around and dragging you everywhere.

You knew now with your own space you’ve grown into your own person. You’re more outgoing and there are no more days where you mentally and physically exhausted unless you’re sick. Kuvira would be lying if she said she didn’t notice how different you were from when you two first met. She wouldn’t change it for the world though.

You both moved in sync with each other, grabbing what you needed from either the cabinets or each other. You got the saucepan and poured some oil in it. You turn on the burner and place the pan down to let the oil heat up. You move to the counter and you gather the crab meat, cream cheese, and whatever spices you decide to add it. You made the decision to add some Cayenne Pepper powder, which is what your family liked to use instead of garlic. It sounds weird to anyone outside your family, but you all loved it. You wondered if it would be a surprise to Kuvira.

While you were making the crab mixture Kuvira was busy cutting up some vegetables and leftover meat for whatever soup she was making. You’d had so many over the five years you had been living together that you learned to expect something different every night.

“Which one are you making this time?” You didn’t need to turn to ask her.

“Just a simple Miso soup,” she answered. You knew that Miso soup was never simple in her eyes. With all the extravagant meals the chef cooked at the Beifong estate you completely understood why she liked it. It was simple, but also unique to each person who made it. It was never made the same way twice so she never got tired of it.

Once you finished mixing the crab meat you grabbed the wonton wrappers to place the crab meat in. You were glad that Kuvira had grabbed all the correct ingredients. You managed to make twelve of the crab puffs and put them in the oil to cook four at a time. When they were done you plated them and set the plate on the table. You looked over to Kuvira, who was already filling two bowls with soup.

You grabbed a bottle of sake and poured half a glass for both of you. Another thing you learned, Kuvira didn’t have a high alcohol tolerance despite the fact that Su would serve wine to those who could drink it for dinner. It surprised you when you learned she was a lightweight, but that just made things more fun.

She handed you your bowl of soup and a spoon so you can sit down and start eating. She joins you shortly after so you’re together. Most of the time you two eat in silence, you don’t need to talk now. There would be plenty of that after dinner.

“I hope you like them,” you smile when you see Kuvira reach for one of the crab puffs. You decide to leave out the information about the Cayenne pepper, for now. You waited to see her reaction, if she did have one, but she didn’t.

“You added Cayenne pepper didn’t you?” You were honestly shocked.

“How did you know?” you asked.

“I’ve learned my spices from the chef at the estate and I happened to bump into someone who told me it was a good spice to add,” Kuvira told you with a smirk.

“So you’ve met someone in my family then,” you confirmed.

“I guess I did. I suppose you won’t tell me who though.” She raised an eyebrow.

“Even if you did describe them I still probably wouldn’t know. I have way too many cousins to keep them all straight.” You got her to laugh a little.

“It’s true!” you pouted.

“I never said I didn’t believe you,” she laughed more.

You two finished your dinner shortly after. Both of you had finished the crab puffs and you each had more than one bowl of soup. Kuvira stored the remaining soup for another day, whenever you two weren’t together to eat.  She noticed you had left a piece of crab out and knew exactly who it was for.

Jinx was laying down somewhere else in the apartment, but when she heard her food bowl get filled she came trotting into the kitchen. Kuvira placed the piece of crab on top of the food, knowing Jinx would dig it out anyway.

You two cleaned the rest of the kitchen up while Jinx ate. It was nice, even though you never liked cleaning up after a meal. Right now it keeps your mind off of all the wedding thoughts.

When you two finish you both retire to the bedroom, tired after all the day's events. Kuvira more so than you. She’s been walking all day while talking with Su. She beats you sitting and writing invites for the most exhausting task.

You pick up the book from your nightstand and open it to where you had left off. In your absentmindedness, you had begun twirling the metal bookmark in the air. A habit you had to keep yourself distracted from even thinking about what happened during the day. Also something Kuvira has learned over the years. You only realize you’re doing it when you see her grab it from the air and place it back in the book. She knows you weren’t really paying attention to the story anyway.

“What’s bothering you?” her voice is full of concern. She could make an endless list of things that she thought could be wrong and not voice a single one of them. 

“My family I guess. Not in a bad way, but I’m worried about what they’ll think of you. They can get to be a lot pretty quickly,” you explained.

“I survived Opal and the twins. I’m sure your family isn’t nearly as bad as them,” Kuvira tried to make you feel better. It works a little, considering all the stories she’s told you of the three of them and the chaos they caused her.

“I just don’t want them to overwhelm you like they do with me,” you worded your frustration differently.

“I’ll be fine. Plus I can always find excuses to go back to you if they do become too much,” she reassured you.

“Y/N I love you. You know that right?” she asked in a more serious tone.

“Of course I do. We wouldn’t be getting married if you didn’t,” you joked.

“Well, then you should know that the way your family is won’t affect anything between us.” She placed her hand on your cheek to turn your head towards her.

“I know…” you sighed. Words were being frustrating at now of all times.

“It’s ok to be worried. You don’t think I am?” She asked.

“I have to deal with Su pestering me over every decision I make, not that it's abnormal for her to do,” Kuvira sighed.

“I can’t even imagine what she’s like right now,” you try not to laugh.

“Spirits, she is so detail orientated. Every little thing has to match. She keeps trying to change the flowers I chose but I won’t let her,” she complains.

“Oh, why’s that?” you ask. You had a feeling it was a more personal reason than just her own preference.

“She says they don’t match as well as some others will, but I chose your favorite. I don’t want to change that.” She looks away and you can see the blush on her face. You finally place the book back on your nightstand and roll back over to snuggle into Kuvira.

“I love you, Vira,” you smile. You feel her wrap her arms around you to keep you close. The bed dips a bit at the bottom, telling you that Jinx has hopped up on the bed. It was a nice ending to a stressful day even though there would be more stress to come.

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

It was the day of the wedding and you couldn’t be more nervous. Kuvira had gone to the Beifong estate, per Su’s request, to get ready. You were getting ready in your apartment, with the assistance of your mother and Bolin of all people. He refuses to not help because you’re his ‘best friend and that’s what friends do!’ Bolin was also good at keeping you calm.

“Bolin the shawl is fine!” you told him as he corrected it for the fourth time. Your mom was a little skeptical about Bolin when he came to help, but you assured her he was fine. He was fine, but right now he was being a little excessive.

“Now it is! Y/N you have to look your best today! I’ll accept nothing less,” he smiled.

“Thanks, Bolin,” you smiled. “You can go join the rest of the gang if you want to. There isn’t really anything else to do.”

“Well, then I’ll see you at the wedding. Don’t be late!” he joked as he left your apartment. That left you and your mom alone and for once it was nice. You hadn’t really spent time with individual members of your family, because everyone was always home. It was different, but you needed it still.

“How’s my little cherry blossom doing?” She stood in front of you. She was a few inches shorter than you, but refused to stop calling you that. It always made you blush, but you never asked her to stop. The nickname was a part of your unique connection with her compared to the rest of your family. She was the only one who could call you that.

“I’m great mom,” you smiled. There was underlying nervousness and excitement, but you did your best to keep that at bay.

“I know it’s late to ask you this, but does she make you happy?” she asked you with genuine concern. It had been a long time since she had last seen Kuvira. The last time was before you left to join her. Of course your mom was concerned. You knew she was worried about the person Kuvira had become during those three years.

“Mom, of course she does. It may not have always been perfect between the two of us, but we’ve come a long way since then.” She didn’t truly understand how, but she wasn’t going to try and change your mind. You were stubborn to a fault once you decided on something, much like your father.

You and your mother left your house with enough time to get to the wedding venue. You made sure to say goodbye to Jinx before you left just so she knew you loved her. Su, being Su, had chosen one of the open spaces of the Beifong estate. She asked you specifically about this to make sure it didn’t make you uncomfortable.

Your father was waiting for you both outside of the seating area. He was wearing a suit and you were surprised. He never wears fancy clothes unless your mother forces him to.

“Did mom make you wear the suit?” you asked as your father hugged you.

“Only the jacket and bowtie,” he smiled.

“Are you ready?” Your father asked after your mother had left to go sit down.

“Are you ready dad?” you asked. He wasn’t a man of many emotions, but the ones he had were strong. You could see the tears he was trying to fight and gave him a smile.

“Yes, and I couldn’t be more proud.” he smiled.

You two walked down the aisle and the music started to play. Nothing fancy, probably Kuvira’s doing, but it was still nice. The people seated began to quiet down and turned towards you and your father. Kuvira was talking to Opal about something before she heard the music and looked over to you. The adoration on her face was unmatched, even by your father. You both had waited and suffered through too much for this to feel real.

When you finally joined her your heart was racing. Yes, you both had practiced this before, but it was for real this time. You didn’t want to mess up now. You couldn’t mess up now.

“Please join hands,” the minister asks you both. You hold your hands out and Kuvira takes them. You can feel her usual steadiness is gone, replaced with the nervousness that you both feel.

"I ask you each now, to repeat the marriage vows." The minister looks at you both.

“I, Kuvira take you, Y/N for my wedded wife, To love and cherish, For better or worse, for richer or poorer, In sickness and in health. From this day forward.” Kuvira did her best to keep her emotions in check. You saw through the usual stoic expression she gave.

“I, Y/N take you, Kuvira for my wedded wife, To love and cherish, For better or worse, for richer or poorer, In sickness and in health. From this day forward.” You of course didn’t even try to hold back the smile that appeared on your face.

The minister grabs the rings from where they were placed after Naga brought them in. Kuvira thought it was completely unnecessary to have the Polar bear-dog bring the rings, but both you and Korra asked her every day for almost a week.

“May the Spirits bless these rings which you give to each other as your sign of Love, Devotion, and everlasting peace.” The minister held the rings up before handing both of you each other's rings.

“As you place this ring on your partner's finger I ask that you repeat these words.”

“This ring is my sacred gift to you, A symbol of my Love, A sign that from this day forward and always, My Love will surround you, With this ring, I thee wed,” he spoke the words. You both repeated him as you put the rings on each other’s fingers.

“For as much as Kuvira and Y/N have consented together in matrimony and have witnessed the same before the spirits and those present, and have pledged their faithfulness, each to the other, and have declared their love by giving and receiving rings and by joining hands, I now, by the authority committed unto me as a minister and a priest, declare that Kuvira and Y/N are wifes according to the ordinance of the spirits. Those whom the spirits have joined together, let no one put asunder.” The minister went through his required lines. You were beginning to become impatient, just wanting this to be official.

“May the peace and the unconditional love of the spirits surround you and remain with you,” he smiled.

“You may seal your vows with a kiss.”

You practically jumped on Kuvira. There were things about this kiss that felt the same, the feeling of her smiling as you kissed, the warmth it gave you. But there was the one big difference: this meant you two were married now. You never want to forget this moment.

Did you two kiss until you ran out of breath? Definitely. Neither of you minded and you didn’t pay attention to the raised eyebrows and smirks of others.

“Allow me to present Mrs. and Mrs. Beifong.” You both turned to everyone. You see your family all smiling at you, for once not being overwhelming. You see Su, Baatar, and the other Beifong kids smiling. Jr. looks a little upset, but that was a fact you knew.

You notice an older couple, around Su and Baatar’s age, sitting farther in the back. You don’t recognize their faces and you wonder who they are. You think back on the invitations and how you weren’t the one to send them out. You only wrote them, well almost all of them. An idea in the back of your mind made it’s home there, waiting for a better opportunity for you to ask Kuvira who exactly those two were.

The reception was much more familiar to your home life than the wedding was. The kids were chaotic as usual and there were the teens assigned to hunt them down. You missed this a little more than you cared to admit.

Catching up with family members was nice, most of them kept the conversations short so you wouldn’t get bored. You’d probably talked to half the people there by the time you decided to take a seat for a while. Even after years of not dealing with them, your family was still draining.

“Taking a break?” Kuvira had walked over to you after talking with your father about something. They got along surprisingly well and you were glad.

“Yeah. Already overwhelmed again,” you sighed.

“If you weren’t so keen on catching up with everyone as fast as possible, maybe you wouldn’t be so tired.” Kuvira raised an eyebrow. She sipped some of the wine in the glass she held when she saw you give her a mildly offended look.

“Yes, I know you’re far more social than I am,” she rolled her eyes. “But you really don’t have to do it so fast.”

“Habits I guess,” you shrugged. She grabbed your hand that was resting on the table and gently squeezed. It was the silent ‘I love you’ that she’s been giving you in the past few years. You give her a smile in return and she walks off to go talk with someone else. You watch as she walks over to the twins, who both give her a playful punch on the arm. The only two who could ever keep up with her in your opinion.

After she walked off you caught a glance of the older couple once again. They were sitting down and talking to each other. They looked happy, not as happy as everyone else, but simply content with where they were. You finished the glass of wine you had in your hand to help with whatever nerves you had. You were going to talk to them, learn who they were.

You were stopped by only a few family members while walking over to the couple. You kept those conversations short as well, but you took Kuvira’s advice and slowed yourself down. To your surprise, it actually helped you. You would have to thank her later for that.

You finally made it to the couple and they took notice of you right away. You felt a little awkward so you introduced yourself.

“I’m Y/N. I don’t believe we’ve met before.” You held out your hand. The man took it and gave you a firm handshake. His wife, you assumed, just nodded at you.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ruong and this is my wife Keeva.” Ruong introduced himself and his wife.

“It seems like you two go well together,” Keeva pointed out. You could see she wasn’t looking at you, but over your shoulder. You guessed she was looking at Kuvira based on her statement.

“There have been a few ups and downs, but she’s amazing. A lot has happened since we got together. I don’t know how we would have handled it if we weren’t together,” you smiled. Keeva clearly liked you more than Ruong did. You could tell there was some disdain in his look.

“I don’t mean to be invasive with this question, but because I don’t recognize you, you have to be here for Kuvira don’t you?” you asked. Keeva gave you a small nod.

“We are…” Keeva answered. You could tell she wanted to say more. You weren’t sure why she didn’t. You struck a more casual conversation with them to ease whatever tension that had created. You knew they were Kuvira’s parents, they didn’t need to say it.

Kuvira had seen you leave your chair after she was done talking and messing around, a little, with the twins. She looked around for you amongst your family and when she did see you, in the obvious white dress, the feeling of dread crept up on her. She knew where you had gone and wasn’t ready for you to have done that yet.

She grabbed another glass of wine and downed it quickly, numbing her nerves so she could get the inevitable over and done with. She weaved through the crowds to where she knew her parents were sitting. When she saw you standing there with them, laughing and having a good time she was shocked.

She came up next to you and only startled you a bit. You smiled at her and she gave a faint smile back.

“Vira, I was just having a nice conversation with your parents,” you told her. She froze still because you knew. She didn’t blame you and your curiosity, but she wanted this whole interaction to be on her own terms.

“Could I talk to you for a minute?” she asked you. You understood now that talking to them on your own wasn’t what Kuvira wanted to happen. You heard the strain and hesitation in her voice.

“Of course.” You stood up and followed her. About halfway through her taking you somewhere to talk you took her hand. A reassuring gesture that you knew she needed right now. When you two got somewhere more quiet she stopped and turned to you. The look of uncertainty on her face was something you haven’t seen since she surrendered at Republic City.

“Hey, what’s wrong.” You placed your hand on her cheek.

“You mean other than the obvious?” She snapped at you.

“Vira, I didn’t know how you wanted me to meet them and I didn’t even know they were coming. I got a little curious.” It was sort of an apology and an explanation at the same time.

“I know, I just wanted to be there. My father can be a bit...harsh at times,” she sighed.

“Yeah, I think I got that. He doesn’t like jokes very much. Your mom seems to find me very funny,” you give her a small smile. She can’t help but laugh at that fact. Of course that’s how you interact with them.

“I wanted to be there with you when you met them.” You figured that when she dragged you off.

“I’m sorry.” You gave her a kiss, trying to make up for the panic you had caused her.

“No, it’s ok. I’m glad you met them. I honestly couldn’t have stopped you from doing that anyway,” she smiles.

“Yeah, you’re right about that,” you smirk.

“We should go back, I’m sure the music will start playing soon if my mother has anything to say about it.” You rolled your eyes at the thought and heard Kuvira let out a chuckle. You two had never really danced together that often. You were too embarrassed by your dancing skills, or lack thereof. You had some practice, but you felt like a clutz compared to Kuvira. She would always compliment you, which just made you blush and then mess up. 

When you two got back there was already music playing. There were a few people dancing, either couples or adults and kids. You looked over to Kuvira who smiled. She knew that this wasn’t the time to dance yet.

You had a plan for the dancing. You wanted at least a song or two to dance with her, one with your father of course, and then your song. Kuvira had no idea about your song, or that you were going to be singing in general. It was your big surprise for her.

She stayed close to you throughout the first song. You knew she was going to ask you to dance for the next song, you could see it on her face. That tiny smirk whenever she would look over at you.

The song ended and changed to a slower one. A favorite of yours and your father. He walked over to you and took your hand. You were thankful that your father wasn’t a skillful dancer like Kuvira, because he would have embarrassed you with it.

The dance was slower than the last. There was a feeling of peace surrounding you, that whatever stress accumulated throughout the day practically vanished altogether.

You looked over to Kuvira and saw her father walking over to her. You couldn’t help the smirk on your face and she was slightly confused by it. You indirectly watched their interaction, how her father didn’t look confident at all. Reminded you a lot of her trying to dance with you for the first time.

Your father looked at you with a raised eyebrow since he saw that Kuvira had actually accepted her father’s request to dance. You only smiled and shrugged. You didn’t have time to explain it to him and you knew he would ask them questions if you couldn’t answer them.

When you caught a glimpse of them together it was the first time you had seen Kuvira smile with her father. Granted she might have before, but you don’t really know. You would say this night couldn’t get any better, but there was one thing that could and you just had to wait a bit.

The song came to an end and you gave your father a tight hug and you both went to sit down for a bit. You watched Kuvira and her father have a short conversation before she came to sit next to you. You couldn’t tell what emotion she was feeling because there was too much to read on her face.

“Hey, you ok?” You grabbed her hand gently. You must have brought her out of her own thoughts because you felt her hand tense in response.

“What? Oh, yes I’m fine.” she still seemed out of it.

“You sure?” You didn’t want to press for details, but you weren’t going to just leave this be.

“For once I am.” You saw the content smile, that she’s rarely shown to anyone, appear on her face. You guessed her father had said something and you thanked the spirits that it wasn’t something bad.

“Good, there’s one more thing happening tonight that I think you’ll like,” you gave her a sly grin.

“Oh, and what’s that?” she raised an eyebrow.

“You can wait to find out.” You kissed her on the cheek before getting up. You heard her try and say something, but she was fumbling with her words.

You walked over to the band, already feeling everyone’s eyes on you. You had only told Su about what you wanted to do, knowing Kuvira wasn’t good with picking music. You looked over to Su and the smile she gave you made you more confident about what you were going to do.

The band knew what you wanted to do. They had music for this. The singer simply handed you the microphone and gave you a thumbs up. The band started with a soft, but upbeat sound. Setting you up for when you would come in. You took a deep break and turned around to start singing.

Some day, when I'm awfully low

When the world is cold

I will feel a glow just thinking of you

And the way you look tonight

Everyone had stopped talking when you started singing. It made your heart beat even faster knowing that, but you focused on Kuvira. This was your song for her. You wanted to know how she felt about it.

Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm

And your cheeks so soft

There is nothing for me but to love you

And the way you look tonight

You motioned for people to start dancing. It would help with your nerves and it was meant to be danced to as well.

With each word your tenderness grows

Tearin' my fear apart

And that laugh, wrinkles your nose

Touches my foolish heart

Your parents were the first to start dancing. Thankfully that encouraged others to join in. You even saw Kuvira’s parents join in. You were mildly surprised by that.

Lovely, never, never change

Keep that breathless charm

Won't you please arrange it?

'Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight

You watched Kuvira get up and walk over to you. You were smiling while singing and she gave you that content smile that she had before. She held out her hand and you gladly took it. You knew you weren’t great at dancing, but right now you were focusing on singing. Kuvira didn’t mind either of those things.

And that laugh that wrinkles your nose

It touches my foolish heart

Lovely, don't you ever change

Keep that breathless charm

Won't you please arrange it?

'Cause I love you

Just the way you look tonight

You took the microphone away from your face and leaned into Kuvira, singing the last part just for her.

Mm, mm, mm, mm,

Just the way you look tonight

Everyone was clapping for you because of how beautiful the song was. You were too busy kissing Kuvira to be embarrassed about that. Now you could really say tonight couldn’t get any better.

[acnelli]

Coming Home

This is my little story for the HPRomione Discord Popcorn. @remedial-potions gave me the prompt “You can’t just keep pretending things are fine!” and I originally wanted to write some HBP angst, but then changed my mind and wrote this.

Up next is @dot-adsty and I give you the prompt “Flying higher than ever before”.

I also opened my Ask Box and accept prompts from this Prompt List.

Prompt: “You can’t just keep pretending things are fine!”

Ron comes home from a long Auror mission, and Hermione’s plans for the night don’t quite go as she imagined.

You can also read this story on AO3 and FFN.

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

She had it all planned out.

Every little detail, every single thing Hermione needed to buy or prepare for tonight had been neatly written down in handy list form, categorized and sorted.

Around noon it actually looked like everything would be ready when Ron would come home from his Auror mission this late afternoon. Behind half of the points on said list, Hermione had added a green checkmark. The sight of her lists, especially when some of her tasks on it had been checked off already, always had something oddly satisfying.

To have enough time to prepare everything, she left work early today, stopping by the grocery store on her way back home to buy the last of the ingredients she needed for the roast she planned to make for dinner.

Cooking wasn’t really Hermione’s forte. When Ron was home and didn’t have to work ridiculous hours, the flat was always filled with the scent of some delicious meal or another, and on weekends they often enjoyed a cake or some cookies fresh out of the oven. In the last two months, she sure did cook for herself every now and then but she got to admit that these meals mostly consisted of pasta and sandwiches.

When she planned this day she first considered going with take-away, which she was sure, Ron would’ve been more than fine with. But then she quickly dismissed the idea, figuring that following the instructions of Mrs Weasley’s cookbook couldn’t be that hard. It might not win a contest but she was sure to manage something eatable, at least.

Before she went into the kitchen to start preparing the roast, Hermione observed their living room, mentally going through her list again.

On their couch table Hermione had set up the brand new chess set she bought last week while shopping with her mother. Hermione had discovered the set in the display window of a small, cosy shop she would’ve completely missed it if weren’t for the unusually bright colours catching her attention when she walked by. As soon as she had seen the chess set, she made her way inside the shop right away because it practically screamed Ron Weasley. While not exactly the same bright colour of the Chudley Cannons, the usually white squares and wooden game pieces were painted orange. If she wouldn’t have purchased it from a Muggle, it could’ve been easily merchandise of Ron’s favourite Quidditch team.

Hermione walked over to the couch table and placed two tickets for the next Chudley Cannons game this upcoming weekend onto the chessboard. A smile split her face when she thought about his reaction later. Over the past six months the Cannons actually showed some kind of potential to not end up at the bottom of the league at the end of the season, resulting in the tickets to have gotten a little harder to come by. At least, for top games and derbies.

She knew it was probably a little over the top, considering they had been separated for much longer than eight weeks over the last years, but the constant worry and the almost non-existent possibility to talk or write to him during these missions, increased her excitement for Ron to come home ten-fold.

Yes, Hermione definitely felt slightly ridiculous when she placed a giant red bow around the TV and put the fancy Muggle beer into the fridge, but Ron’s absence caused a restlessness she had to overcome somehow. It also didn’t help that the few letters she got from him made Ron sound mentally and physically exhausted. Even though she knew next to nothing about this mission, she could tell it affected him more than usual.

That’s why today was all about distracting Ron from work, and what would hopefully be the start of a long, stress-free weekend.

But, of course, it would have just been too perfect if anything went according to plan. Because one hour before Ron was due to arrive at home, everything started to blow up in Hermione’s face. Literally and figuratively.

While she tried to research a way how to fix overcooked meat, Hermione cursed herself numerous times for not doing a test run first. Hermione had plans for everything but when it came to cooking she was obviously rubbish.

I should have just ordered Pizza. Ron loves Pizza.

Giving up on the meat’s consistency she quickly decided that spices and a good sauce could somehow safe this. Just as she was about to add all kinds of spices, she heard the fireplace roaring to life.

Ron was here. And he was early.

Forgetting all about the roast, she bolted out of the kitchen and into the living room, almost tripping over one of the loosened bindings of Ron’s ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron she borrowed. And there he stood, shaking the floo powder out of his hair and off the Auror uniform.

When he looked up at her she didn’t waste another second and jumped into his arms. Something between a sob and a laugh escaped her when Ron hugged her close and she felt him kiss the top of her head.

Pulling back, Hermione took Ron’s face between her hands and tugged him down for a kiss. She waited far too long for this.

When they finally broke apart to come up for air again, Ron softly kissed her forehead. “Fuck, I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too,” Hermione said, “And I have a surprise for you!”

“So, you cooking isn’t the surprise?” Ron grinned at her.

“Oh, shut up!”

“Do I have time for a quick shower before dinner?” Ron asked as he shrugged out of his cloak.

“You do. And please take your time.”

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

Ron couldn’t decide if he was more amused or felt more sorry for Hermione as the 3-course-dinner turned into a small disaster.

With the soup, it had been rather easy. It was incredibly salty and he probably dehydrated this very second, but with a good amount of bread and large swigs from his beer, he was able to pretend he liked it quite easily.

But then Hermione served the main course. As soon as Ron took the first bite he wanted to spit it out right away. It was absolutely inedible and he wondered how he could pretend to eat something which wasn’t tasting like the sole of his trainers.

Very slowly he reached for his beer, figuring it would be easier if he swallowed the bite without chewing. Just as he was about to take a swig, Hermione gave up all pretence.

“Oh my God, this is a complete disaster,” she whined, spitting the piece of meat into a hand towel, “Ron, you can give up the act now.”

As he too spit the overcooked shoe sole out of his mouth, he couldn’t stop the chuckle escaping him, and reached for Hermione’s hand.

“Not all is lost,” he reasoned, a little bit surprised about her being so upset about this dinner. Hermione’s attempts to cook or bake usually made for a lot of entertainment for both of them. “There’s still dessert, isn’t it?”

“Yes, right! Dessert!” She jumped up from her seat and ran into the kitchen with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

“NO,” Ron heard Hermione cry from the kitchen and he immediately jumped up to join her, “No, Pig! No, no, no, no, no!”

As Ron got into the kitchen he saw Pig sitting in a bowl full of what looked like vanilla cream, happily hooting at Hermione who appeared to be on the verge of tears now. Of course, Pig chose this very moment to finish his bath in their pudding as he flew out of the bowl with wildly flapping wings, coating both Hermione and Ron with a good amount of vanilla cream; Hermione’s hair getting the worst of it.

Ron slowly lifted a finger and swiped some cream from his cheek, licking it off as he was wearing a thoughtful look. “That is pretty good, actually.”

“Oh, stop it!” Hermione let out a resigned sigh. “You can’t just keep pretending things are fine! You have some terrible weeks behind you, and then you come home to your girlfriend serving you food that makes you probably crave the tasteless snacks they feed you with on these missions. I should’ve just-“

“Oi!” Ron interrupted her, not quite being able to hide his amusement. “Stop the rambling, barmy woman.” He took her face in his hands and leaned down, so he was at eye level with her. “All I wanted for today was finally seeing you again, Hermione. You never before got upset about bollocking up some cooking. What’s the matter?”

“I- I just wanted to distract you from this mission and make this evening somewhat special, and by now, Pig most likely decorated the whole living room with our pudding.”

Ron simply kissed her. His hands went from her cheeks inside her curly hair, changing their angle a bit to deepen the kiss. As Hermione let her hands wander from his chest back to his shoulders blades and down to the hem of his shirt, Ron decided to make it very clear to Hermione that everything he really needed to feel better, was her. This mission forced Ron to see things he’ll have nightmares about forever, and the only reason he was able to power through all of it, was the prospect of coming home to Hermione. To her touch, to her kisses, to her ramblings about work, to the simple comfort of just having her beside him.

With one swift motion, he swooped her up in his arms. “For such a smart woman, you can be very daft sometimes, love,” Ron said as he walked out of the kitchen.

“I know,” Hermione sighed as she took advantage of her position in Ron’s arms, and left open kisses along the side of his neck and his throat.

Without bothering to clean up the mess in the kitchen and living room, Ron walked them straight to the bedroom, leaving behind a merrily hooting Pigwidgeon who hopped and danced on top of Ron’s new chessboard, coating it with the only eatable dish Hermione produced today.

[realm-sweet-realm]

Sammy and Jack. “Can we stay like this forever?”

Crisis of Faith, chapter 2

Sammy didn’t dream of Jack again until his next crisis of faith, and Sammy’s faith was very difficult to break. It had begun while Sammy, now a lost one made of fluid ink, was hiding in a wall, watching as a severely ink-infected woman raved.

“Mother, why do you punish me!?” she shouted as, with all the power left in her body, she tried to force open the padlocked doors of the women’s washroom. Her veins, prominent due to age and leanness, were a pitch-black web on her skin, and her wiry muscles had wasted away to bone.

Sammy had, on Joey’s command, overseen dozens of ink infections by now, and knew that there was nothing unusual about Emma Lamont’s case of it. Every single victim he had overseen had held some kind of delusion. Some believed that they were being poisoned by the government or their enemies, or that they were developing a mental illness. A very common one, however, was that they were receiving some sort of punishment, test, or reward from an all-powerful being- either God, or from a seemingly random entity that they’d decided to treat as one.

What if... Sammy’s beliefs were no different from this madwoman, screaming at the ghost of her mother?

Sammy moved on to check on the other infection victims. Even if Bendy wasn’t to be worshipped, the thought of ascension was all that kept him going. He sacrificed people on Joey’s command because the ink had told him to. He wrote his scriptures because he believed they were meaningful. He led the lost ones to Bendy and away from the lies their voices had told them because he truly believed that his voice had been the truth, and it seemed to give them hope, too.

Sammy passed  through the prison of ink creatures as he made his way to Joey’s sanctuary, where he now slept. A Charley was repeatedly banging its head against the bars of its cage. Lost ones wept. Ink stained every surface, making the brightly-lit room feel suffocatingly dark. Sammy was glad to phase through the wall into Joey’s sanctuary, where he could lie down on the couch and rest.

All this had to be leading to something. He couldn’t take it otherwise.

---

Sammy woke to the feeling of someone softly shaking him awake. He opened his eyes to see Jack, tears in his eyes and that disarming smile on his face.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” Jack asked gently.

Sammy, with a bit of difficulty, sat up and realized that he was in a hospital room, complete with an IV in his arm. He felt very weak, but also lighter- like a burden had been taken off of him. “Awful,” he admitted.

“Well, you want some good news? The ink is gone. All of it. You still have a lot of organ damage, but it’s nothing they can’t fix in a couple weeks. In other words, it’s over, Sammy. You’re gonna be okay.”

It took Sammy a half a minute to even process that. Once he did, though, he broke into tears of relief and hugged Jack as tightly as he could.

“Thank you. God, thank you for making me come here. You saved my life.”

Jack hugged him back. “Hey, I didn’t make you do anything. I know this took a lot of courage for you. And... I’m really glad you did it. I was so scared when I found you in your sanctuary. You were so sick... I thought I’d lose you. Sammy, I think I love you. But... we can talk about that later. Right now, you need to rest.”

“I love you, too.” Easiest words Sammy had ever said.

After a little more chatting, Jack left. Sammy wandered over to the bathroom to get a look at himself in the mirror. Admittedly, he didn’t look great. He looked like a person who’d narrowly survived a life-threatening illness, because that’s what he was. His skin was still pale and sunken, and he was still pretty gaunt, but the black veins, the bruise-like purple splotches on his skin, and even the staining in his mouth and his long, blond hair- it was gone. When Sammy woke, he would have given anything to see his human face again.

---Two years later---

As often happened whenever Sammy decided to play his banjo, a small crowd had gathered around him. Today, the crowd consisted of three lost ones, Jack (of course), a moderately ink-infected woman, and one of their last healthy men. The song Sammy was playing was "I’ll fly away.” He wasn’t singing it today, but he had sang it for his followers in the past, simply replacing the word, “God’s” with “his,” since “Bendy’s,” unfortunately, was two syllables.

“You know, it’s amazing how you can remember music like that,” said David, the only non-infected person in attendance. “I'm already forgetting the words to my favourite songs since it’s been so long since we’ve been able to just turn on a radio. How do you do it?”

Sammy would have smiled if he still had a mouth. “Well, a part of it is just natural ability,” Sammy admitted. “But. I have a secret to tell you. A part of it is faith. Faith can do great things. Collective faith in Bendy is the reason that we are the largest organization in this dimension. This village was built on faith. Faith keeps us united! Faith keeps us safe! And... faith allows me to to see into the old world every night when I close my eyes. I hope that all of you one day achieve that absolute belief that something in this world is good.”

“Heh. I’m trying. But all I have are nightmares of Bendy,” a lost one complained.

“Well, keep trying. Believe in his benevolence.” With that, Sammy got up and left for bed, patting Jack on the head on the way out. If only they knew that he used to be plagued by those same nightmares.

---

Sammy’s dream came in to form. He was on a bus, sitting next to Jack. Outside their window, snow was falling gently over a pretty,  snow-covered forest. For a while Sammy just sat in peace, holding Jack’s hand and enjoying the scenery.

“Excited to see your parents again? I know I can’t wait to meet them.”

Sammy nodded. “I can’t wait.” Sammy had always wanted to introduce Jack to his parents. He remembered that there was a strong reason why he hadn’t done it while he was alive, but he couldn’t remember what it was. “My Dad is going to love you. You’re a lot like him, you know. Do you remember why we didn’t do this sooner?”

“Because I’m a man,” Jack answered, totally calm.

“Oh!” Sammy had forgotten a lot about the outside world since his transformation, but nothing so big as the existence of homophobia. It was kind of alarming that the ink was affecting his brain that much. “God. I’m so... forgetful. I’ll just have to introduce you as my musical partner or something. It’s unconventional, but they've seen me do weirder.”

“You  know, Sammy, it’s like you got new lease on life after the ink incident. I love that. But yeah, you’re forgetting things left and right!” Jack teasingly jabbed him with his elbow.

“Yeah... Hey, can I tell you something?”

“Of course,” Jack said. Sammy worried what Jack would think, but looking into those calm brown eyes, he trusted him to not to react badly. And it would be nice to have one person he didn’t have to lie to.

“This is a dream. In the real world, I never got help for my ink infection, and now me and dozens of other people are trapped a dimension full of monsters. I’m holding a large band of people together by convincing them to collectively worship one of them. And you,” Sammy took a deep breath, “you’re there, too. But you haven’t had a coherent thought in years. I keep hoping that one day, we’ll make it out, and I’ll be able to confess to you and we’ll actually build a life like this. So... I’m forgetful because that ink is affecting my mind, and I’m happy because this world is my escape. And because you’re here, of course.” Sammy couldn’t meet Jack’s eyes. He’d probably just made himself sound like a lunatic.

Jack turned Sammy’s head to look at him. “Hey. I believe you. And... that sounds really rough. I wish I could help you.”

Sammy smiled. “Thanks. But you've been helping me all along.” Sammy laid his head on Jack’s shoulder. Maybe once the bus stopped, they’d get some hot chocolate and look at some shops before seeing his parents. It would be nice.

---

Sammy was violently shaken awake by a trio of searchers. More were behind them- as though half the village had crammed itself into his bedroom.

“Bendy is here!” one of them yelled. “What do we do?”

That was a good question. Sammy reached for his axe, but then he stopped. This was, according to the gospel he’d been feeding them, their saviour. “Go out to greet him,” Sammy instructed, trying not to sound as hesitant as he felt. “Bring him offerings of bacon soup. Bring everyone, even the Boris clones- they used to be human, too.”

The crowd of lost ones dispersed. Sammy watched with bated breath from the balcony of his lost-one village home as a massive crowd- lost ones, searchers, people both infected and healthy, and their three Boris clones- gathered along the ink river. Dozens of cans of bacon soup were placed along the river bank as an offering. Bendy stood on the other side of the river. Their drawbridge lowered, but Bendy decided instead to walk on the ink’s surface like the God they treated him as. The crowd gasped and made way. Bendy took an ink-infected man in one arm, stroked his cheek, and bit his face off.

Screams filled the air. People ran in all directions. Sammy was frozen for several seconds before he took action.

“Everyone! Run for cover! We have displeased him! I repeat, run for cover!” Sammy's booming, demonic voice covered the great distance it needed to. Upon seeing the people run and Bendy chase after them, Sammy himself slammed shut his doors and windows and listened in horror to the screams.

When it was over, all he could think to tell his people was that they needed to reconsider how they were paying tribute to the ink demon. If they changed their methods just a little, then the demon would be helpful instead of violent, and they would be freed.

To Sammy’s mixed relief, they actually believed it.

---

eleven years went by. Within the first three, every single flesh-and-blood person in the sketch dimension was infected, killed, or both, and became a lost one.

Their minds were rotting. Increasing numbers of lost ones struggled to remember anything about themselves or the outside world. Wandering aimlessly or resting in ink puddles, they were helpless as zombies.

But not Sammy. Sammy remained- comparatively, at least- as sharp as a whip, and told the lost ones tales so vivid about the outside world that they could almost taste its brilliance and freedom. Sammy only wished that Jack- the real Jack- could understand any of it.

There was nothing to do about that but what Sammy had been doing all along: keep the community together. Keep the lost ones moralized and sane. Figuratively and literally dream of a  better world. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Sammy didn’t want to forget a thing about the real world, but little pieces had fallen away, bit by bit. In his dreams, there were now places he couldn’t visit because he didn’t remember what they were like. His reflection in the mirror had become a human-shaped blur as he forgot his appearance. The same thing had happened to the faces of people he used to remember clear as day. One day, he would forget it all, too- just as everyone else had.

It was hard to keep hope.

One of Sammy’s dreams found him walking down a beach with Jack at his side. Sammy knew that the two of them had relocated at some point, but he didn’t know to where. His American geography was rather fuzzy at this point.

“Can I vent to you about the other world?” Sammy asked.

“Sure,” Jack said. Jack was one thing that Sammy’s memory hadn’t gone fuzzy on. Sammy still remembered every soft curve of his face, every freckle, every detail. His dark brown hair was starting to grey, but not because Sammy remembered him that way- it had been many years, and growing old together was part of the fantasy.

“Bendy came to the village again today. He killed a few lost ones and then left. People are losing faith in me and I don’t know how to get it back. And to make matters worse, a false prophet is going around saying we should worship the angel instead! She’d enslave us if we did that!" Sammy chucked a baseball-sized rock into the water, then composed himself a bit. “And you know, we’re all going to be mindless drones eventually. I’m thinking... maybe I won’t fight the false prophet. I could leave the village, hide in a vent, and spend as little time awake as possible. Ink creatures can sleep for days, you know. What do say? Can we stay like this forever? Enjoy this world until I lose my mind like all the rest?” Sammy took Jack’s hands and looked desperately into his eyes.

Jack hesitated, but by the look on his face, Sammy already knew what his answer would be. “I’m sorry. You know I have to say no. The lost ones need you.”

“But why am I the one who has to stay strong for them? I’m sick of it.”

“Because you’re the one who can. I know it isn’t fair, but you’re the reason they’ve been protecting each other. And it sounds like if you leave them now, they’ll throw themselves at Alice. Do it for them. And if you can’t bring yourself to care about them... do it for me. The real me. You still love him, right?”

“Of course...” Sammy probably would have done this sooner if he didn’t care about the well-being of his searcher friend.

Jack put a hand on Sammy’s shoulder. “I don’t know how, but you’ll get out some day. And in the meantime, I’m here.”

Sammy tried to think of some objection, but he couldn’t. He muttered a “thanks” and kept walking along the beach. Jack followed. It was, if nothing else, a beautiful night, and he might as well enjoy it.

“Jack... tell me what I look like. I don’t care that it’ll just be something you made up. Tell me anyhow.”

[ahopelessromantic]

I’m yours, you’re mine ➳ S. Reid

Pairing: Spencer x reader

Word count: 3,2k

Prompts: 10, “I’m pregnant; 16, “Marry me.”; 30, “You want a family with me?”

Warnings: slight angst, pregnancy, Spencer is a whole baby and a half

You’re ready to take the next step in your relationship. The question is: Is Spencer? 

(I loved writing this so much and could maybe even imagine writing a part two, tell me if that’s something you’d like!)

“Good morning, everyone.” Hotch’s greeting for the morning only came through to you as a faint echo. He was giving out the details of you team’s newest case as clear as always, but to you it sounded like his voice came from a distance. Instead of paying attention to him all you could to was to stare straight ahead, trying to force down the wave of nausea threatening to overcome you. Why was everything spinning? For a moment you thought you had gotten it under control.But then a waft of Emily’s morning coffee hit your nose and you felt your stomach turn. “(Y/N), can you work the victimology?” Of course, just in that moment you were addressed. “Sure- “ You started to answer before you felt your breakfast rise into your throat. “Coming up right after I’ve coughed up my lungs.”, was the only thing you managed to yelp out before you sprinted to the nearest toilet.

The cold bathroom tiles beneath your knees almost felt like a sweet relief while your stomach painfully clenched around itself. Once there was nothing left to throw up anymore you leaned against the wall of the bathroom stall, trying to calm down your breathing. Somehow, you felt even worse than you normally felt after throwing up. You heard someone enter the toilets and then a knock sounded against your door. “Honey, are you okay?” It was JJ, and not bothering to get up you just unlocked the door for her to get in. You nodded at her, wiping away the tears on your face. She looked at you worriedly. “Did you eat something wrong? I know Garcia’s sushi orders can be weird.” You chuckled but shook your head. “Nah, I’ve been feeling off for weeks. This was the first time I had to throw up though.” JJ kneeled down across from you, closing the door behind her. She held out a paper towel to you which you gratefully took, not missing the weird look she was giving you. “You know...” She started to speak, unsure of how to bring her words across without upsetting you. “When I was pregnant with Henry, I felt awful for weeks before I realised what was going on. I constantly felt dizzy, and the worst was looking at all the crime scene photos every day.” You felt your eyes widen with every word she spoke. Normally, you only felt this weird around the time of your period, but now thinking back you realised that you hadn’t bled in some time. A pregnancy definitely made more sense to you now than a very resilient stomach bug. “Hey, (Y/N), don’t pass out on me now!”JJ warned, shaking you out of your trance. >You had probably only gotten paler the more the realisation had sunken in. “Jayje, shit, I think you might be right.” She sent you a gentle smile and squeezed your shoulder. “Should I go get you a test?” You felt tears well up in your eyes at her kindness. “Thank you, but no. I think I’ll actually head home and do it there. I just need some time to… I don’t know, mentally prepare for whatever the result will be.”

Once your legs felt stable enough to walk again you went up to Hotch’s office to ask for the day off, which he thankfully allowed. You really needed to lie down and sleep for a few years. On your way out of the office Spencer stopped you in your tracks, the worried look on his pretty face even worse than everyone else’s. Pulling you close, he held the back of his hand to your forehead. “You’ve got a fever. Come on, I’ll drive you home.” You took his hand from your forehead, pressing a kiss against it. “I’m fine Spence. Go back to work.” But he just shook his head and went ahead to the elevator. “No discussion. I’m not letting you drive like this.” A soft smile on your face you followed him, forever grateful to have him. “Take a nap, and maybe eat something. Okay?” He told you after dropping you off at your shared apartment. You nodded. “I’ll try.” He sent you one last worried look, as if he was trying to assess whether or not he could actually leave you home alone in this state. Finally, he just nodded to himself. “Alright. Call me if you need something.” Spencer pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I love you.” He murmured and left through the door; gaze trained on you on his whole way out. You mouthed the words back to him, only able to fully relax once he was gone. You needed a plan, some tea and, well, a pregnancy test.

After a quick trip to the pharmacy down the street you sat down with a cup of your favourite tea, caught in a very intense staring battle with the pregnancy test’s cardboard box. You for yourself knew that one day, at some point in your life, you wanted to have kids.And considering the fact that you hoped to spend the rest of our life with Spencer by your side, him being the father of your children would probably only be practical. So far you had just never brought it up with him, somehow sure it was going to be a sensible topic for him.

But sitting there now, the test in front of you, made you wish you had brought it up at some point. What if he absolutely didn’t want kids of his own and you were actually pregnant? Would he break up with you? Oh god, he was going to break up with you. Now more than ever needing certainty you got up, grabbed the test and disappeared into the bathroom. The time you had to wait for the results only passed excruciatingly slow, and by the time your phone’s timer went off you had already chewed off half your nails. With a mixture of fear and excitement you looked at the little screen. A little happy emoticon smiled back at you, taking your breath away. You were pregnant. “Holy shit.” You gasped out, sinking down on the rim of your bathtub. “I’m going to be a mom.”

“(Y/N)?” Spencer called out through the apartment later that day, closing the front door behind him. “Bedroom!” You told him, feeling your hands starting to tremble once again. “Hey.” Your boyfriend smiled, peeking his head through the door. The sight of his smile somewhat calmed your nerves. “How are you doing?” He asked calmly after sitting down by your side on the bed.

You straightened up to lean against him, burying your face in his neck. “Better.” You mumbled against his warm skin, taking in his scent of cologne and books. “Still feel dizzy though.” He pushed your hair out of your face, looking down on you softly. “Do you want to eat something? I bought soup.” A large smile grew on your face. If he wanted the baby he was going to be an amazing father. But you needed some more time with your Spencer, before you took the risk of losing him over something serious like this. “I’d love some soup.” You smiled. “Can you go ahead and heat it up for me? I want to get changed before I eat.” Without a word of protest, he left for the kitchen, giving you a moment to collect your thoughts. Then you got up, got changed, and made sure the test was hidden somewhere he would never look.

During the next two weeks the nausea finally began to ease up on you, and a visit to the doctor’s office had only confirmed what the pregnancy test had told you: You were about nine weeks pregnant with a healthy baby, whose heartbeat you had even already been able to hear. Oddly, since hearing your little bean’s heartbeat, you felt a lot more certain and happy about the situation you were in. Of course, you still had to somehow tell Spencer, and you more than anything in the world hoped that he was going to be on board with it. But you were going to be a mom with or without him. You had talked to Hotch and asked him to put you on desk duty for the time being, not exactly telling him what was going on. He had just been too happy to have someone do the paperwork to question your motives. But Spencer, who knew how much you loved being out in the field, was starting to notice the changes in your behaviour. You had managed to act like everything was fine for a while, but even though your boyfriend was sometimes clueless he was still a genius.

“(Y/N), honey, can we… talk?” He hesitantly asked you at work in your tenth week of pregnancy. He had pulled you aside into a storage room for files, hoping to get a moment alone with you. You sent him a nervous smile. “Sure, uh, what’s up?” He sighed. “You know what’s up, (Y/N). The problem is that I don’t, and it’s starting to drive me insane. Are you going to break up with me?” You had been so caught up in your own head the past weeks that you hadn’t paid enough attention to your boyfriend, and it was only now that you realised how tired and frightened he looked. You were both idiots, so afraid of losing each other that you would even avoid resolving everything because it meant having to talk it out. A heavy sigh escaped your lips. “You might want to sit down.” You spoke softly, gesturing to the deserted old desk in the middle of the room. Spencer looked at you, shadows darkening his face, but still sat down. “What’s going on, (Y/N)? Are you…” His eyes widened. “Are you sick?” You slowly shook your head. “No, not exactly. Spence, I need you to know that I love you, okay? I love you more than anything in the world, and I just really didn’t know how to tell you.” He looked at you, wide hazel eyes trained on you, head moving in a barely visible nod. You took a deep breath, trying to calm your erratic heartbeat. “I’m pregnant.” You finally spoke, voice wavering. Spencer completely froze up. For a whole moment he didn’t move, scaring you that he might pass out. But then he cleared his throat, lowering his gaze to the floor. “I understand.” He mumbled. You frowned in confusion. “What?” “You don’t want to keep it. I understand that.” Shocked, you stepped closer to where he was sitting on the table. “What? No, honey! I want to have this baby.” His eyes bolted up to look at you. You could see the gears in his head turning, his big brain trying to make sense of the situation. “But... I’m an ex junkie. Schizophrenia runs in my family. My own dad abandoned me; I have no idea how to be a father. I’m the last person who should have a child.” You felt tears well up in your eyes at his words. Did he really feel that way about himself? You knew he doubted himself on the regular, you had made it your job to build him back up whenever the doubts kicked in, but this was a whole new level of self-depreciation. Didn’t he know that he was just as deserving of happiness as everyone else? “Spencer.” You uttered, cupping his face in your hands. “The risk of our baby becoming schizophrenic is less than ten percent. That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” He looked up to you from his seat, a desperate look in his hazel eyes. “But (Y/N)-“ He tried to plead but you interrupted him. “My love. You are the only person I could see myself doing this with. You’re compassionate, kind, intelligent, and no one knows me the way you do. I’ve seen you with kids, they love you. You understand them. If anyone should get to be a father, it’s you. And I want this, us. I want us to take this step.” He looked up at you in wonder, his eyes glistening suspiciously. “You want a family with me?” You laughed, finally allowing your tears to fall. “Yes.” You hushed, pressing your lips to his. “I want you, I want us, and I want this baby.” He stood up, engulfing you in the warmest hug. You could hear him sniffling but decided to give him this. He needed to cry without being seen for a moment. “I love you.” He finally choked out after pulling away to look at you, placing a hand on your stomach. You knew then that his words weren’t only for you anymore.

The two of you waited until the three-month mark to tell the rest of the team. You assembled all of them in the bullpen after a long day of work and told them as straightforward as possible, both nervously standing next to each other. All of them erupted into laughter and happy words of congratulation and you could swear you had even seen Garcia shed a tear or two. Another baby in the BAU. Amidst the chaos of everyone smothering you in hugs, you didn’t see Spencer pull Morgan aside, the two of them in a short, quiet conversation until Derek clapped your boyfriend on the shoulder with a bright grin. Even Hotch had hugged you, jokingly telling you that the paperwork was yours for the next few months. Your team’s reaction to the news only made you look forward to the changes to come even more, and you couldn’t be happier. Little baby Reid was going to be so loved.

“Are you up for a mini road trip?” Spencer asked you after leaving your office building, getting into the drivers’ seat of his car. Still feeling so overwhelmed with happiness you just nodded. In that moment you would have said yes to basically anything. You were so giddy that you didn’t even notice how quiet your boyfriend had gone, usually he would be just about talking your ear off right now. The radio filled the comfortable silence between the two of you in the car, and you made yourself comfortable. You could tell you were driving to downtown DC, a route you had known by heart ever since working in Quantico.

Less than an hour later Spencer stopped the car right outside the Smithsonian Museum, one of your favourite places to go together. “Shouldn’t they be closed by now?” Instead of answering, Spencer just winked at you and got out of the car to open the door for you. Hand in hand you climbed the stairs to the entrance, where a guard was waiting for you. “Doctor Reid.”, he nodded at your boyfriend, stepping aside to let you in. You looked at him in wonder. “Spence, what are you planning?” He smiled at you. “I called in some favours.” In just that moment the two of you entered the massive rotunda, the beauty of it stealing your breath away. You had been here what felt like a hundred times, but never like this. There was no one around but you two, and the low lighting gave the whole room a magical feeling. “Wow.” You whispered, trying to look at everything at once. Spencer just looked at you. “Just how many favours did you have to call in for this?” He smiled shyly. “Not as many as you might think, actually. I helped some people here with their dissertations.” “Of course you did.”, you giggled, stepping close to him. “What did I do to deserve this?” You asked, trying to remember if you had forgotten about an anniversary or something. “Can’t I just do something nice for the woman I love?” He asked, stealing a kiss from your lips. He always got way more confident when there weren’t any people around. You just deadpanned at him. “Honey, everything you do has a purpose. You once scolded me for baking a cake because ‘it was no one’s birthday.’” It looked like you had caught him there, taking in the way he started playing with his hands. “Do you want to…sit down?” He asked, pointing at one of the museum’s benches. You nodded, following him suit. “You know, I never thought I would have this one day.” Spencer spoke up after a few moments of silence. Even his quiet words echoed through the empty marble-clad hall and gave them a whole different weight. “Have what?” You asked him and encouraged him with a squeeze of his hand. “A girlfriend, a baby on the way. My own family.” You chuckled. “Me neither. I never thought I would ever meet someone like you. You felt Spencer move, and suddenly he was kneeling in front of you. You were sure your heart stopped beating for a moment. “I love you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), more than I ever thought myself capable of.” He seemed awfully serious for a moment, but then he started searching for something in the pocket of his jacket and back was the Spencer you knew. “This was way smoother in my head.” He muttered before he finally found what he had been looking for with a quiet “ha!”. It was a black velvet box. With trembling fingers he opened it, revealing the most beautiful diamond ring you had ever seen to you. “Marry me?” He asked, a pleading look on his face. “No matter what happens, we will always be a family. And I want to make that official, for everyone to see. I want you to be mine in life and on paper, (Y/N). Marry me.” You bit your lip, unable to speak for a moment. Afraid your voice might fail you you just nodded heavily, tears already streaming down your face. You leaned down to capture his lips in a passionate kiss, hoping he would understand that as a yes. Still, just to be sure, you whispered “yes” again and again after pulling away from him, tracing his whole face with your fingers. You wanted to forever be able to remember the way he looked in that moment, the museum’s low lights reflected in his eyes, the happiness on his face. He leaned up from where he was kneeling in front of you to kiss you again, the both of you full on crying now. “I love you.” You both whispered at almost the same time. It took you a few minutes to calm down, your full attention on nothing but each other. “Morgan helped me choose the ring. I hope you like it.” He spoke up after a while. Oh, right. The ring. You looked at it glistening on your ring finger, fascinated by the diamond’s thousand facets. Just as many as you boyfriend, no, fiancé, had. “I love it, Spencer. But I love you more.” You ended up spending half the night in the museum, the beautiful building now forever having taken on a whole new meaning for the two of you. Spencer was yours and you were his, and soon you would have a little proof of your love running around. You couldn’t wait to go on this journey with him.

[remmushound]

Not a request, but a random bonding idea I came up with for my one-shots, so enjoy!! @assanmaharielsreblogs

Michelangelo was making dinner like he always did. While the brothers frequently indulged themselves in pizza and other fast food, that was usually a lunch thing for them. Breakfast and dinner always fell to Michelangelo, just how he liked it. On the odd occasional Michelangelo was hurt or sick or exhausted from a long night out on a mission— too exhausted to get up early or too tired to make dinner— Splinter or Leonardo always substituted (though Leonardo’s substitution was almost always takeout he tried to pass as his own cooking, even when Donatello’s cash count said otherwise. Leonardo always left a generous tip.) Splinter’s cooking wasn’t bad, but it was always some obscure, vaguely familiar dish from his heritage, such as unagi or tempura, that they almost never had all the right ingredients for. Splinter’s supplementation for the missing supplies never really turned out right, though he insisted it tasted just like the real thing. Still, if finances allowed, Donatello always made sure to splurge on supplies at the end of the month so that their father could make the dishes properly and bring some joy to his life. Something to hold onto from his human days.

One time, he remembered, Leonardo had a complaint about the dish Splinter had presented (hiyashi chūka, if Michelangelo was remembering right) and Splinter just about blew a gasket.

“You will eat what I served you..” the old, angry rat had said to his then twelve year old son, “...or you will eat nothing at all!”

Michelangelo carried a similar mentality into his cooking, though he’d always switch to Doctor Feelings before dinner to get everyone’s recommendations, and if they still complained even after the alterations were made, then Doctor Delicate would come out to play.

“Not all of us have your iron stomach, dad.” Twelve year old Leonardo had argued back to his father, to which Donatello had added:

“Only one of us did, actually.”

Then all eyes had turned to thirteen year old Raphael, who was onto his third bowl and was absolutely demolishing it with a savage, starving ferocity.

“RAPH STILL HUNGRY!” The teen had spat before throwing one of their good bowls at the wall, which earned him a time out (and also more soup to keep him content).

But that was then, and this was now. Michelangelo was cooking a new recipe— a four cheese ravioli with marinara sauce and pepperonis. He remembered the New Brothers asking about something called Pizza Gyoza and he wanted to try it out for himself. It didn’t take him long to realize he was being watched. Still with a smile on his face, he turned to meet the spy.

“Hey!”

Mikey gave a yelp and tried to shrink back out of view around the corner. Michelangelo frowned and tilted his head as he left the ingredients to go investigate.

“Hey.” He repeated again, holding a patient hand out to his counterpart, “didja wanna help?”

Mikey seemed surprised by the offer. “I’m not a good cook.”

Michelangelo shrugged. “And I don’t know how to play the tuba— doesn’t stop me from practicing every Sunday night! Just ask Donnie.”

Mikey laughed, and it made Michelangelo smile to see the other him not so scared anymore. Through the laughter, Mikey sputtered out words that Michelangelo couldn’t quite make out, but it seemed to bring the speaker joy so he didn’t mind.

“So?” Michelangelo prompted after the giggle fest had run its course.

Mikey gave a few last giggles before he was still and sad once more. “Are you sure...? You don’t think I’ll ruin it?”

Michangelo took the older turtle around the shell and began to guide him to the counter.

“There’s no wrong way to mess up a recipe you’re making up! Besides, even if it’s bad, raph’ll eat it like it’s five star lobster! I don’t even think he can taste anymore.”

“Really?” Mikey gave a look that showed he didn’t quite believe, “my Raph’s really particular about what he’ll eat....”

Michelangelo snapped. “Ah, a picky eater! I got one of those! That’s why I gotta make Donnie’s portion separate on most nights. Splinter tried to use the ‘can’t leave the table until you eat it’ technique and Donnie say there for almost two days refusing to touch it before splinter gave in.”

Mikey whistled. “I don’t think I could go two hours without food...” he clutched at his stomach, “let alone two days...”

Michelangelo gave a patient smile and patted Mikey’s shell to urge him closer to the counter. Mikey looked out over the perfectly laid out supplies, and then back nervously at the other.

“W... what are you making?”

“What do you think?” Michelangelo motioned to the ingredients. “Take a guess!”

Mikey narrowed his eyes as he took a second look. Several jars of Marinara, four different cheeses laid out... pepperonis and meat-cutting scissors... flour, salt, eggs, olive oil...

“Are... you making pizza gyoza?” Mikey could feel his stump of a tail beginning to wag excitedly at the thought of the soft, cheesy goodness of the treats his friend murikami often made for them.

Michelangelo tisked his tongue and bopped his other on the nose. “Close~ I’m making my own version! The best chef can improvise with what he has in his kitchen! The gyoza you described would be put in a dumpling, but this one will be improvised to fit in a ravioli! I could have done the traditional gyoza, but I like putting my own spin on things! It’s gonna be a four cheese ravioli with pepperonis mixed in and topped with marinara sauce! I call it Mikey’s Masterpiece!”

Mikey could feel his mouth running at the thought and swiped his tongue across his lips. “Sounds tasty...”

Michelangelo nodded, almost about to open his mouth to offer more praise before he saw that the poor mutant was still looking nervous and unsure.

“Here,” Michelangelo slid over several cups of flour and a measured amount of salt. “Mound them on the the counter and Make a well.”

Mikey poured the ingredients in the table and stared at them for a few seconds before Michelangelo recognized his mistake.

“Oh! Mm. We’re gonna make... a lake! See, the flour and salt will be our sand and the wet ingredients...?”

“Will... be our water?” Mikey offered tentatively.

“Exactly! So make the sand, but leave space in the middle so we can put in our water!”

“Oh!” Mikey giggled as he began to make a surprisingly well-crafted well, “this is fun!”

Michelangelo let the turtle have his fun before bringing over his egg mixture and offering it.

“Your ‘Water’ my liege~”

Mikey took the bowl and, after an encouraging nod from his other, carefully poured the mixture into the center.

Michelangelo cleared his throat. “OH NO! The tides coming in!”

Mikey gasped.

“And it’s taking a bunch of sand back with it!” He knew lakes didn’t really have a tide, but it worked for the euphemism. He took his hand and swiped some of the flour into the liquidy center. “Do you know how tides work, Mike?”

Mikey shook his head, his eyes in awe as he imagined the water cutting across the Sandy shores and taking them away into the cold depths.

“Well, tides come in a little at a time, so they can only take a little sand at a time.” Michelangelo explained, “and then!” He began to mix the liquid around with his hand, “the waves all get crazy in the middle and have a party! Now the tides gonna take even more sand! You try!”

Mikey knocked some of the sand into the mixture and, when he wasn’t scolded for doing something wrong, he began to carefully mix it. Michelangelo guided him through the rest of the steps until the ingredients were all mixed into a soft, doughy ball.

“What now?” Mikey giggled— his face and hands were now coated in flour to add to his genuine enjoyment of the activity.

“Now: feel how it’s all gooey-ooey?”

“Ya!” Mikey poked the dough.

“That’s like mud!”

“Mud?”

“After it rained all day and the earth got soft! But it’s January! What happens when night comes?”

Mikey scratched his head. “It gets all cold...”

“Aaaand...?”

“And the mud freezes!”

“Exactly!” Michelangelo folded the dough safely in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. “So now it’s night!”

“So we go to sleep?”

“No silly! We’re ninja! We stalk the nights!”

“We own the night!”

“Exactly! So let’s own the night and keep busy while the dough freezes!” Michelangelo hummed as he looked over the cheeses. He took a handful and showed it to Mikey. “See these?”

“Cheese?” Mikey took a piece and ate it happily.

“No! It’s not cheese its... mystic crystals! Do you have those in your world?”

“No.” Mikey gaped, “Well, there was this one time that April got an evil Crystal from an alien planet. Does that count?”

“No. These are mystic crystals! They take on the properties of whatever they’re added to!”

“It just looks like cheddar to me...”

“That’s exactly what it wants you to think.” Michelangelo winked. “Now, we’re gonna make a magic potion with our mystic crystals!”

“What does the potion do?”

“It’s a... warmth potion! For when you’re cold! So we gotta add a lot of heat for it to form proper!”

Michangelo put a skillet on the stove and added olive oil, half a fan of marinara, and garlic. He offered a cup of heavy cream to Mikey, who promptly took a sip before pouring the rest of it into the concoction— it was going to get boiled anyway, so it shouldn’t matter. After a few minutes of standing over the heat, Michelangelo offered his friend the cheese.

“Now is the time to add the crystals— slowly!” He quickly added as Mikey went to pour the whole thing, “we don’t want the crystals to be on top of each other! They need to melt for the potion to work!”

Mikey nodded and obeyed, and while he did, Michelangelo started to warm up the rest of the marinara on a separate pan and preheat the oven. He checked in quickly on the brewing potion and removed it from the heat once it was ready, taking a wooden spoon to scoop up a small bit and taste before offering the rest to Mikey. The box turtle practically melted as the heat overtook his body in a pleasant mix of sauce and cheese.

“Mmmmm...” he moaned softly, “that’s really good!”

Michelangelo grinned, and began to sprinkle some pepperonis in and begin to mix it around. “Oh good other of mine~! I think it’s daaaaawn!”

Mikey gasped and hurried over to the fridge and pull out the flattened dough, giving it a poke. “It wooooorked...”

“Now! Roll it on the table, quick!” He tossed Mikey a rolling pin, “before the dough worms come out!”

Mikey’s jaw fell open. “The whaaaaat?”

“THE DOUGH WORMS! They live in cold dough and steal all the flavor! Now hurry and smoosh them before they can escape with the taste!”

“OH NO!” Mikey slammed the dough on the table and began to roll it out.

“No thicker than a nickel— the worms are really small and can survive otherwise!”

“I WONT LET ANY OF THEM ESCAPE!”

Mikey did an excellent job of flattening out the dough into a large, thin sheet. After reassuring him he had gotten all the ‘dough worms’, Michelangelo carefully cut the sheet in half and began to lay his cheese mixture.

“See these?” He held up the spoonful of the mystic potion, “when mystic potion is added to dough and boiled, it’s affects increase tenfold!”

“Ooooo!”

“So put them in piles like so...” Michelangelo began to lay out spoonfuls an inch apart, “so we can make a bunch and share it!”

“Good idea! We all need to stay warm and toasty!” Mikey grabbed another spoon and began to help.

With the playful assistance of Mikey, they had finished making the ravioli within two hours and Michelangelo let Mikey serve to to the hungry brothers.

“Mmm...” Leonardo moaned almost sensually at the explosive taste in his mouth. “This is really good.”

Leo had been hesitant at first when he found out it had been Michelangelo preparing the dinner, but a quick sight test showed nothing awry. A smell test yielded only a warm fragrance, and lastly a taste test...

Leo’s eyes shot open and he was sure they had fallen from his sockets in his surprise. One small nibble had turned into swallowing the chopstick-ful whole and almost purring in delight as the warm, perfect mix of sauce and cheese and dough rolled down his throat. Once their brother had taken the dive, Raph and Donnie exchanged shocked glances and began to scarf down their shares as if they hadn’t eaten in days.

Mikey didn’t open his mouth, except to eat his extra tasty dinner of course. Just seeing his brothers happily scarfing down something that he’d made was more than enough.

[noona-clock]

The Dog Walker - Part 5

Genre: Dog Walker!AU

Pairing: Hanbin x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: None

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Words: 2,766

You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been so nervous and so excited at the same time. The only event in your recent history that even came close was your first day of work a few years ago. You’d been nervous because starting a new job was always nerve-wracking, but you’d been excited because this particular job was something you genuinely enjoyed (plus, you no longer had to worry about financial stability).

But, even then, you hadn’t been this nervous and excited.

Going on a date, in general, was definitely enough to make you nervous. Add on the fact that Hanbin was your date, and that was enough to make you incredibly nervous.

I mean, he was basically your dream guy.

And not just the guy from your daydreams -- which he was. 

But he was also practically perfect, at least in your eyes. Handsome, smart, witty, caring, compassionate, thoughtful.

And that was just from knowing him for a few weeks!

Imagine how much more perfect he could get if you continued seeing him for a few months. Or years.

And that was the part that made you excited for tonight. Yes, you were nervous that you would be painfully awkward and not know what to say or talk about, but when it came down to it... You were going on a date with your dream guy. The guy you’d had a secret but very intense crush on for months. The guy you’d seen through your window and only imagined meeting and talking to and dating and falling for.

Your daydreams and imaginings were now becoming real life, and what wasn’t exciting about that?!

Okay, speaking of daydreams and imaginings...

If you were ever going to tell Hanbin about the origin story of your crush on him, it should be tonight. If you waited any longer, it would feel like lying. Plus, telling him early on wouldn’t hold him back from thinking you were a weird, creepy stalker and finding another walking route so he never had to see you again. Telling him on the fifth or sixth date might reel him in just enough to make him feel guilty for walking away, and you definitely didn’t want to do that!

...Were you overthinking this?

The answer is always ‘yes,’ of course.

But you still would rather get it over with and tell him tonight.

You just needed to figure out how and when to work it into the conversation.

You shook your head quickly to get thoughts of your date out of your head for now because you were still very much on the clock; it was barely 4 PM, and you had almost two hours before you could stop thinking about work and start thinking about Hanbin.

With a soft exhale, you shifted your gaze back to your screen and turned your attention back onto your work, ready to buckle down. For the next two hours, at least.

When you finally shut down your computer for the day, you thought you would feel a sense of relief.

But you were now discovering it was the exact opposite.

You were glad to be done with work, of course, and glad you were that much closer to seeing Hanbin again... but you were that much closer to seeing Hanbin again.

In just about one hour, he would be at your door.

To pick you up.

For your date.

That was not relieving.

That was daunting.

So, you busied yourself with getting ready. You distracted your mind by focusing on what to wear, how to do your hair, what kind of makeup look to do, and by the time you were fully made up, the clock on your phone read 6:59 PM.

Just as you turned off the light in your bathroom, there was a gentle knock at your front door.

Your heart leapt up into your throat, and you quickly grabbed your bag before hurrying to answer it.

As you reached for the doorknob, turning it and pulling the door toward you with as much confidence as you could muster, you braced yourself for the most butterflies in your stomach you’d ever felt. You braced yourself to nearly keel over from anxiety because your heart would beat so quickly and erratically.

But, instead, when you saw Hanbin’s slightly nervous but very attractive and familiar face... all you could do was smile. You let out a shaky exhale, and you smiled.

“Hi,” you greeted through your grin.

Hanbin, too, was smiling widely -- more than you’d ever seen him smile -- and he said, “Hey” in reply.

In that instant, you realized that your stomach was on the verge of letting out a very loud rumble. So, instead of asking him how he was doing or what the rest of the day had been like or letting him know that he looked very handsome tonight, you said, “I am actually kind of almost starving.”

“Okay,” Hanbin chuckled, standing aside to let you out. “Let’s get going and get you some food.”

Once you closed your front door behind you and locked it, Hanbin led you out to the sidewalk and began to walk down the street.

“Where are we going?” you asked as you clutched the strap of your bag.

“I always pass by this Japanese restaurant on my walks, and I’ve been wanting to try it. It smells so good whenever I walk by.”

“Oh, I know which one you’re talking about!” you nodded. “I’ve been a couple of times, but it’s been a while.”

“Is it any good?”

“From what I remember, yes. Very,” you answered as you covertly watched your feet falling into step with his beside you.

“Okay, good,” he murmured. And, maybe it was just your imagination, but the way he said it made it sound like he was relieved he wasn’t taking you to a mediocre restaurant for your first date.

But, again, that may have just been your imagination because that was an awfully specific tone of voice, and you’d never actually heard someone else use that tone of voice and mean what you thought Hanbin meant...

Whatever.

As the two of you continued to walk down to the restaurant, Hanbin asked you how you were doing, how the rest of your day had been, and he told you that you looked very nice tonight -- all the things you’d wanted to say at your front door just a few minutes ago had you not been almost interrupted by your hungry, growling stomach.

When you arrived, the drool-worthy smells of delectable Japanese food filling the air and tempting your hunger even more, Hanbin opened the door for you and held up two fingers as the host welcomed you.

The host then led both of you over to a booth by the front window, and you couldn’t help but smirk to yourself as you slid onto the bench.

“What?” Hanbin asked with amused curiosity after the host laid down two menus and left you to peruse them.

You lifted your eyebrows and your gaze, you smirk instantly dropping. “What?”

“Oh, I don’t know -- it just looked like you were smiling about something.”

Wonderful. He had seen you smirking about the whole window thing.

“Oh! I, um -- Nothing. It was nothing,” you answered with an incredibly awkward chuckle. He absolutely didn’t need to know that you had been smirking because sitting by the front window had reminded you of the months you’d spent watching Hanbin walk by through your own front window.

“I definitely don’t believe you, but okay,” he replied as he lifted his menu and began to study it.

You felt your cheeks warm with embarrassment and lifted your own menu, holding it up just high enough to hide the bottom half of your face.

Maybe you would tell him later, but... not just yet.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Hanbin peered at you from over the top of his menu and asked, “What are you thinking? I mean, not -- not like, what are you thinking, in general, just -- about ordering. What do you want to order?”

Well, good. At least you weren’t the only one who was feeling nervous and awkward.

“The udon sounds really good, but I don’t think slurping noodles and soup is the best choice for a --”

...Oh, no. You hadn’t thought your comment all the way through before starting to say it, and now you were on the verge of saying ‘date’ and what if this wasn’t actually a date? What if Hanbin had just wanted to go out to dinner as friends? He hadn’t specified, and you had been too chicken to ask.

Yes, not even two hours ago, you had officially declared that this was a date. But that was to yourself! You had been back at home, and Hanbin hadn’t been around, but now he was here. Right in front of you! And you were questioning things all over again!

Thankfully, Hanbin didn’t seem to think much of the fact that you’d just stopped talking (and were now on the verge of a mental breakdown in your head) and replied with, “I clean up after dogs all day, so I think I can handle some noodle slurping.”

With a dismayed chuckle, you pushed all of your hectic thoughts to the side, set your menu down, and arched your eyebrow teasingly. “You’re comparing my eating habits to cleaning up after dogs?”

“Oh, god -- no,” he assured you without hesitation -- but with plenty of remorse. “I just meant -- no, I didn’t -- not at all. I just thought you meant you didn’t want to be, like... unattractive in front of me something, and that’s not -- you couldn’t --”

“First of all,” you interrupted gently, holding back a very amused grin. “I was joking. And second of all... you’re right. I was going to say that slurping noodles and soup isn’t the best choice for a first date.”

...Wow, did that feel good to say out loud!

Also, wow, what a roller coaster the last minute had been. You had literally just been stressing about whether or not this was a date even though you’d already decided it was, and now here you were saying the words ‘first date’ out loud. To Hanbin directly.

Maybe it didn’t make sense, but hey. Life doesn’t always make sense, now, does it?

Your words seemed to make Hanbin visibly relax, and that familiar, bashful half-smile of his appeared on his lips. “What I was trying to say was... my job is not glamorous in the least, so I’m not used to things being well-mannered or polite or even clean all the time. I would never judge you for slurping noodles in front of me. I like you too much to care about that.”

And, unsurprisingly, your breath caught in your throat hearing him say that.

You typically weren’t one to be so bold, but the words “You like me?” came tumbling out of your mouth before you even had a chance to filter them out.

Because... this was Hanbin.

This was Cute Dog Walking Guy. The guy you had never in your wildest dreams thought would even talk to you, let alone like you!

Even just a month ago, you hadn’t fathomed that Hanbin would ever know you existed.

And now. Right now. He was sitting across from you, saying that he liked you too much to care about you slurping noodles in front of him.

“Yeah,” he answered shyly, just barely meeting your eye. “Of course, I do.”

He liked you.

Of course, he liked you.

That’s what he had just told you, and now, you knew you needed to tell him. Not just that you liked him, too, but... everything.

“I like you, too,” you replied breathlessly. “And I have to tell you something.”

Hanbin’s relieved expression had softened even more upon your return of his feelings, but his brow furrowed slightly now. “Okay,” he murmured, his tone expectant and also maybe a little bit nervous.

“One day, about three months ago now, I just so happened to be taking a break from work when I heard Frankie barking outside. I went over to my window to look out, and that’s when I saw you for the first time, and I knew pretty much instantly that I had a crush on you. So, every day -- every single day -- I’ve been getting up from my desk at the same time, going over to my window at the same time, peeking through my blinds at the same time, and... watching you walk by with Frankie. And any other dog you happen to be walking that day. I’ve secretly liked you for a -- for a long time now, and literally nobody else knows, but I thought -- I knew -- I needed to tell you now just in case it changes things for you --”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Hanbin interrupted. And when you pressed your lips together to keep yourself from saying anything more, he continued, “You said nobody else knows?”

You nodded.

“So... you just told me something that you’ve never told anyone before?”

You nodded again -- slowly this time.

...Where was he going with this?

Hanbin let out a short but controlled breath before leaning slightly over to your side of the table. “When you asked me earlier how I’d gotten into dog walking, and I was kind of stumbling over my words, and you asked me what I wanted to say... Right before I asked you out to dinner.”

You knit your brows together in confusion. “...Yes?”

“I wanted to tell you something that I’ve never told anyone before, but I chickened out because I don’t usually open up like that to... to anyone, really. But if you can tell me something no one else knows...”

And now your confusion had only grown.

“Wait,” you muttered with a slight shake of your head. “You -- You’re not going to say anything about what I just --”

Hanbin waved your words away dismissively and shrugged. “I really don’t care. I mean, I do, but it doesn’t change anything.”

You tried not to show just how relieved you were, though you still felt a reassured grin tugging at your lips. You then leaned forward in your seat a bit and fixed your gaze on him. “All right,” you said quietly. “What is it you wanted to tell me?”

Hanbin took a short but deep breath before leaning forward, as well, and tilting his head toward you. “I love dogs, I really do,” he began. “I’m not unhappy in my career at all, and I don’t plan on leaving the boutique.”

You raised your eyebrows, anticipating the ‘but...’

“...But,” Hanbin continued. “I’ve been coming up with these... songs. In my head. While I’m walking, and -- I just can’t stop thinking about them. Writing them, thinking about the melody and the lyrics and the music, the production...”

Obviously, you hadn’t known that Hanbin had any sort of musical inclination. He had never mentioned it, and you had never presumed that about him. But now that he’d told you, it somehow made sense. It was like the missing puzzle piece to him that you hadn’t even known was missing.

It was a very strange feeling, but... you loved it. You loved that you knew something about him that no one else knew and that it was something that just made sense about him.

“You should do it,” you nodded.

Hanbin’s brow furrowed immediately. “...Do what?”

“Make the song. Write it, sing it, produce it, record it. Even if you don’t do anything with it when you finish, you should still do it.”

For a few moments, Hanbin continued to look at you with a slightly confused expression. But, little by little, his features softened. The corners of his lips curved up gently.

And then he reached across the table and cautiously took your hand, holding your fingers and running his thumb over your knuckles.

Your date had barely started. The server hadn’t even come back to take your order, and you had no idea how the rest of the night would go.

Except... you did know.

Maybe it was the fact you had exchanged secrets, or maybe it was the fact he was holding your hand, or maybe it was... nothing in particular. You really had no idea. 

You just felt comfortable, and you knew you had nothing to worry about.

Part 6

[omo-time]

A Zhongli centric fic because somehow nobody else has done it

(omorashi, please don’t read if it’s not your thing)

It was a warm and sunny day in Liyue Harbour when Zhongli and Childe had gotten a request for help from Traveller all the way in Qingce village. It was decided that they would stop to eat first before they would head out on their very long walk. Since it was their regular spot, they both decided on eating at Wanmin restaurant.

As they sat down at a table for two, Xiangling cheerfully came to take their order.

“Mr. Childe and Mr. Zhongli, it’s good to see you again! What will you have today?” The girl asked the couple, but mostly directed toward Zhongli as he usually made the food decisions.

“He’ll have Jueyun chili chicken, and I’ll have the Bamboo shoot soup, with tea for both of us please.” The man said politely. Xiangling scribbled on her notepad and nodded before disappearing into the kitchen area. The two were now alone.

“I wonder what Traveller needs us for all the way in Qingce, usually they can handle things on their own,” Childe remarks, putting an elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand. Xiangling comes by and places their teas in front of them quietly.

“Yes, I wonder as well, especially since they were so vague in the message...” Zhongli replies thoughtfully. It was a fairly peaceful village, so he couldn’t picture anything going wrong that Traveller couldn’t have dealt with by themselves. “Oh well, they have been a great help to us and so we shall help them in return.” Zhongli continued. Childe nodded in agreement.

Their food had been taking a while, to the point where the two had finished their teas and had talked for a good half hour. Zhongli begun to feel the slight familiar twinge of the tea going through his system. It was nothing to worry about, he thought, he would make it to Qingce with ease and if it was bad enough by then he would find a restroom there. Simple.

Xiangling came back eventually and set their food in front of them. “Enjoy your food!” She exclaimed before disappearing once more.

The couple did indeed enjoy their food, but they had to eat at a quicker pace in order to make it to Qingce village in good time.

When they’re done, Zhongli takes out his wallet and leaves the money on the table. No, he didn’t forget his wallet and he isn’t broke. Childe got up first and stretched. Zhongli however got up more slowly and he felt a mild discomfort when he stood upright. He didn’t say anything though, he just made a mental note.

“Ready to go?” His boyfriend smiles over at him, gesturing to the path that led out of the harbour. Zhongli’s expression softened and he nodded at the other.

A bit after they had departed the harbour and begun their journey to Qingce, Zhongli had begun to fidget as he walked. Adjusting his hair, playing with his rings, subtle things. He still kept his usual ramblings to Childe going, all in an effort to distract himself from the slowly growing discomfort in his abdomen. He was starting to hope inside that they would walk fast enough to make the trip shorter than usual. Childe didn’t really notice anything wrong with his boyfriend’s behaviour, and so he didn’t say anything.

As time passed more, Zhongli’s need had increased twofold and had become more of a pressing matter. The man had begun to walk with his thighs pressing together a decent amount, and his fists were balling and unballing.

‘Ah... I should have thought twice about ordering soup before a journey such as this...’ Zhongli thought, by now aware that it was only going to get worse from here, and that his subtlety was reaching its limit. Thankfully, Childe hadn’t noticed anything yet.

Zhongli was at the point where he had begun to glance around in search of a possibly suitable place to relieve himself, however, his glances were fruitless. He and Childe were on the main path where people were known to walk by, meaning not a lot of buildings around. At this realization he let himself give a sigh. He was just going to have to wait and hope that they would make it to the village in time.

It was when they were 1/2 of the way there that Zhongli had begun to lose his composure. At this point he had completely stopped talking, instead beginning to slowly and quietly pant, and would sometimes stop to press his legs together and immediately catch up again. Childe did notice this time, and decided to say something.

“Hey, are you doing okay? If you’re tired we can take a break, I can see you pausing sometimes.” The tall redhead offered, stopping where they were to chat about it.

“No! Ah... we should try to be punctual, let’s continue.” Zhongli didn’t react well to being stopped, as standing still would only make his desperation worse.

“Oookaaay, well... just let me know if you want to stop,” Childe finished the conversation off. Zhongli really did just want to stop and go somewhere, but his best bet was making it to the village and that was the goal he would cling to. Nothing else.

It was then at the 3 quarter mark that the brunet god was beginning to lose control. As they were chatting a little, Childe managed to make Zhongli laugh, which ended up washing a wave of desperation over the latter. He softly gasped and instinctively went to shove a gloved hand between his legs, underwear becoming ever so slightly damp.

‘Please please just let this pass, we’re almost there, I can make it-aaah I have to go so badly...’ these kinds of thoughts raced through his head before Childe had turned around and rushed back to him.

“Ah! Zhongli... if you had to pee you should have just said so.” Childe scolds him, but with a soft tone. He was now pretty worried about his desperate boyfriend, knowing that wetting himself was likely the last thing on earth he’d want to do. Zhongli fixed his position to appear more normal.

“Please, let’s just- ngh... keep going, I’m okay.” He insisted, beginning to walk again hoping the redhead would just follow him. He did, but not without saying something else.

“Zhongli, seriously, there’s bushes on the side of the path! You could probably duck behind one and take a leak there!” the man suggested, gesturing sideways to where there were indeed bushes.

“I refuse to do something so... undignified.” the other refused. If it was one thing Zhongli wouldn’t do (at least anymore), it’s go to the bathroom outside. Childe couldn’t do anything but shake his head and continue. It was his loss, really, but he was still worried.

By the time they were practically there, Zhongli had been shaking as he walked, muscles tired from squeezing and holding in and trying to keep composure. He wanted to avoid using his hands as much as possible, especially in such a dangerously public place. He however didn’t have much choice when stumbling over a rock caused a stream to escape, creating a dark spot on the top front of his pants. Almost instantly he had to grab himself tightly, absolutely desperate to stem the sudden flow. He realized in this moment that there was no way he could hold it any longer.

“Childe! Childe- ahh I’m.. leaking, please-“ Zhongli called out at a low volume, face burning up at admitting such a thing, pure desperation just seeping into his voice. Childe whipped around and tried not to get absolutely flustered.

“Ah, fuck, um....” the redhead cursed, rapidly looking around for something that could at the very least hide them. They were literally outside the village, so there had to be something.

Childe lays his eyes on something like a rock wall, which would almost perfectly shield them both from view.

“Here,” he said shortly, grabbing his shaky boyfriend’s hand and he frantically led him to the other side of the rock. As soon as Zhongli was able to lean back against the rock wall, he managed to pant a quick

“I can’t, Childe I can’t- hahh...” and he was gone. His already dark pants rapidly grew darker and glistened with warmth. Zhongli let out a very low and quiet moan as he absolutely soaked himself at full force, covering his face with a single hand.

Childe turned his gaze away to give the god at least a little privacy, cheeks tomato red at what was unfolding before him. It was a full minute before he heard Zhongli give a breathy and shaky sigh, indicating he was likely finished. Childe turned back around and watched his boyfriend take his hand away from his face, which was absolutely swimming with heat from embarrassment. As a 6000 year old god, these things are definitely not supposed to happen anymore.

“You shouldn’t... see me like this...” Zhongli had said as actual tears stung his eyes, not exactly crying but he was dangerously close to. Childe was quick to take the man’s hands into his own and look him in the eyes.

“Hey, there’s water all around the village, and we’re literally right here so let’s go take a dip. If Traveller asks why we’re both wet I’ll say I pulled you in with me. Okay?” Childe said, giving Zhongli a kiss and not really waiting for an answer before sneaking them both around to the water’s shore.

They sat together in the water for a little bit to let it wash everything away, and then they both headed around to where Traveller wanted to meet up. They did in fact ask why the two were wet, but Childe held true to what he said and gave the excuse.

Luckily, Traveller was none the wiser.

[excitedlysuffering]

When You Can Sing/Dance

Just a random I thought of, hope you enjoy!

(s/n)= Song name (b/n)= Brother name

Masterlist

Naruto (Singing)~

Your hips swayed back and forth as you sang quietly to yourself. You were washing the dishes from the dinner you and Naruto had shared, while he set up the pillow fort and board games. As you really got into your song, (s/n), your volume began to increase.

Soon you had finished, but you twirled around the kitchen as the melody carried all through your house. Just as you reached up to put the last dish onto the shelf, you felt arms wrap around your torso.

“You never told me you could sing, baby.” A voice breathed into your ear. You shrieked, embarrassed at having been caught. “Naruto! Um… how’s the fort?” He laughed, spinning you around. “Don’t change the subject, (Y/N), you have a beautiful voice.” You couldn’t help your blush, so you hid your face in his shoulder.

“Thanks, Naru. Did you finish the fort?” He nodded eagerly, dragging you to the living room. “Yeah! It takes up the whole living room, and I added a mini snack bar, the games, and some blankets and pillows to lay on!”

You kissed his cheek before excitedly climbing in. “It’s perfect! What do you want to do first?” The blonde smirked, tackling you onto a pillow, causing you to laugh. “You should sing to me! Pleaseee...” He pleaded.

As much as you wanted to refuse, he was the king of puppy dog eyes. The second his cerulean orbs met yours, you knew you’d be singing to him for a while. “Alright, alright, what do you want to hear?” He shrugged, laying his head in your lap.

“I don’t care, as long as you’re the one singing.” Your blush came back in full force as you ran your hands through his blonde locks.

“Okay, I’ll sing (s/n)...” You started the song Naruto had caught you singing in the kitchen. Your voice carried all through your fort, but your attention was only on your boyfriend, who’s eyes were closed as he listened to you.

You lost track of how songs you went through before realizing he was snoring quietly. You couldn’t help but smile, studying him in order to remember this moment forever.

Sasuke (Dancing/Hip Hop)~

Really he hadn’t meant to barge in on you. He heard a series of loud thuds and all he could think of was you being hurt. What he didn’t expect to see, however, was you in the middle of your living room, all your furniture moved. You were dressed in spandex and a tank top, hair swaying, hips sashaying, and your body completing all types of complicated moves in rapid succession.

He could only watch, shocked into absolute silence. What had happened to his usually calm, softspoken girlfriend? Sasuke, as surprised as he was, couldn’t complain. You looked like some sort of divine goddess and he was mesmerized.

He had no idea how long he stood there captivated as you danced in your room, oblivious to his presence. When your song and routine finished, you looked towards the door, your face instantly going red. Leaning against the threshold was your boyfriend, not at all looking suave and unbothered as usual. Sasuke looked quite the opposite actually. His jaw was slack and his eyes wide.

“Hey… how long have you been standing there?” He took three long strides towards you, a smirk forming on his lips. “Long enough to know that you should be doing that more often.” You covered your face, trying to hide your cheeks. You groaned as the Uchiha wrapped his arms around you, laughing quietly.

“Don’t be like that, kitten, that was amazing. You have a real talent.” You looked up, practically glowing at the praise. “Really?” He nodded, smiling softly. “Really. If I’d known you were such a great dancer, I would’ve been flaunting you around already.”

You giggled, knowing he wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest. You could just imagine Sasuke yelling at a random person who was dancing and just shoving you forward and saying, “My girl is a better dancer than you!”. It was a funny thought, and you giggled a little.

“Well, maybe when I perfect this routine I can show you.” He grinned, ruffling your hair a bit. “From what I’ve seen, you’ve already perfected this, so there’s no reason to wait.” You laughed at his eagerness and pushed him out the door. “See you later, babe!” He protested as you closed the door, laughing.

Shikamaru (Singing)~

Your mom had asked you last second to watch your little brother, (b/n), last-second when his typical babysitter had to cancel. Rather than cut your date short, Shikamaru had agreed to help you out.

“SHIKAMARU!” The hyperactive five-year old ran towards you both as soon as the door opened. His small arms wrapped around Shikamaru’s legs in a hug. You sweatdropped as he totally ignored your existence. “Hey, buddy! You excited to hang out?” Shikamaru asked picking him up.

“Yes! I haven’t seen you in forever!” You giggled at the sight. Your two favorite boys got along so well, and it made your heart swell.

“Hey, (b/n)!” He waved half-heartedly as Shika walked down the hall. “Oh, hey, (Y/N).” Your jaw dropped at the mediocre greeting. You shrugged it off as you took your shoes off and followed them into the living room.

“So what do you want to do first?” Shika asked the excited child who had his legs wrapped around your boyfriend’s neck and was hanging upside down. “Let’s play Candyland! I just got it and it’s so fun!”

That is how you found yourself locked in a very competitive game with (b/n) and Shikamaru. The boys complained, your brother even sounding like Shika when he said this was a ‘drag’ when you won. You just laughed while your boyfriend looked like a proud parent.

You looked at the time sighing in relief when you saw the time. It was almost three o’clock, the time for your brother’s daily nap. As much as you loved (b/n), he was a ball of boundless energy and he was exhausting. Especially when you had just finished your sixteenth straight game of Candyland.

“Hey, look at the time. Looks like it’s time for someone’s nap…” (B/n) groaned but, stood up obediently and yawned. “Shika will you tuck me in?” He looked uncharacteristically excited to comply with his request. You didn’t mind not being asked, you would prefer the tucking in tradition to remain a secret.

“(Y/N/N), aren’t you coming?” You internally panicked at the sight of your brother pouting. “O-of course I’m coming!” You jumped up, hurriedly guiding him to his room, trying to ignore Shika’s amused expression.

Per (b/n)’s request, you had no choice but to sing his favorite lullaby, the same one you sang him every day. As you quietly sang the words, lulling him to sleep, Shika’s eyes widened beside you. In minutes he was asleep, and you sighed in relief, ready to have this moment over with. The second you were out of the room you were in Shikamaru’s arms, his face one of awe.

“That was beautiful, (Y/N)... why haven’t you told me you could sing?” You shrugged, laughing quietly as to not wake the sleeping child. “You never asked, Shika.” He rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips.

“Troublesome woman. Well, now I know and I want to hear more.”

Neji (Dancing/Ballet)~

Neji had always been prone to just walking into your house unannounced and uninvited. It wasn’t that you necessarily minded, it was just that you had no idea how he did it. Your door was never unlocked, but he just waltzed like it was.

Today was one of those days, but this time you weren’t there to screech at the sudden sight of your boyfriend. He frowned and looked around your home. As he wandered around, his ears picked up the sound of piano music. He traced to the one room in your house he had never seen.

He silently opened the door, not knowing what to expect. Even though he was usually pretty even-tempered, he couldn’t help but be flabbergasted at the sight of the room. It was clearly a ballet studio, and you were in the middle, in a black leotard and ballet slippers.

He had seen you fight and knew how agile, graceful, and light on your feet you were, but now it all made sense. The way you effortlessly spun and twirled and leaped…

He was utterly and completely entranced by you. He could tell you’d been doing ballet for years by your skill level. Something about seeing you doing something so… beautiful and precise made him fall a little more in love with you the longer he watched.

“(Y/N)... you’re amazing.” You froze, midturn at the voice. “Neji? What are- what are you doing here?” He couldn’t stifle his large smile, as he grasped your hands in his own. “Well, I came to see you, but I wasn’t expecting this. You have so much talent, Angel!”

You grinned pecking his lips. “Thank you, Neji… I took it up as a hobby when I was little, but it’s actually increased my skills as a shinobi so I kept it up.”

He chuckled breathlessly. “I’ll say. I’m glad I chose to come over when I did.” You laughed as you realized he probably broke in again. “Me too. Although, I really want to know how you get in!” He shrugged smirking as he let you go.

“If you show me your routine, I’ll tell you exactly how I do it.” You grinned, nodding ecstatically. “You’re on!”

You mentally cheered as you started the song over, excited to show Neji this part of you, and find out his secret.

Kiba (Singing)~

The second you had learned that Kiba was sick with a terrible fever, you had rushed over bags of supplies in tow. You found your boyfriend in his bed, shivering with blankets and Akamaru wrapped around him.

“Kiba? How are you feeling?” He moaned, his face nearly matching his red fangs. Even though he was shivering, he was sweating profusely. “I’m really cold…” He was cut off by a coughing fit, causing your heart to break a little more at the sight.

“I brought some medicine and soup, do you think you can keep it down?” Akamaru, as if knowing his owner was in good hands, jumped off the bed, letting you take his spot. “Yeah,” he whispered tiredly. You frowned as you placed a hand on his forehead. “Kiba, you’re burning up!”

You rushed to the bathroom, running a rag under cold water. You were relieved at the contented sigh Kiba let out when the rag touched his head.

“Alright, I have the medicine, can you open for me?” It made you nervous about how different he was. His mouth barely opened and he didn’t bother to complain about the unpleasant taste. “Do you want to eat? Or save it for later?” His tired eyes lifted up to yours as he sniffled.

“Just wanna sleep… will you stay with me?” You nodded, propping up a pillow and leaning back as his head came to rest on your lap. “Thank you, (Y/N/N).” He mumbled. A small smile pulled at your lips as you combed a hand through his hair.

“You’re welcome, babe. Now get some sleep, okay? I’ll be here when you wake up.” You felt him nod once as he laid an arm over your torso. You watched him as he fell asleep, but you could tell it wasn’t restful. In all honesty, he looked quite miserable.

Without a second thought, you began to sing a quiet song (A/N: Think sad/slow song like Sam Smith or John Legend) that always calmed you down. Kiba’s face, which was scrunched, slowly smoothed out. His features finally looked relaxed, but you kept singing, not wanting to break the effect.

“You sound like an angel…” You paused in surprise, Kiba’s scratchy voice surprising you. You laid a small kiss on his forehead. “Rest, baby, you need it.” He silently placed your hand back in his brown locks, already half asleep. You complied with a chuckled. You resumed your singing, happy that he was finally getting some much-needed shut eye.

Gaara (Dancing/Salsa)~

We all know Gaara can be a little insecure at times, he trusted your word, of course, but somethings he just couldn’t ignore. Like when he was on the way to your house and saw you get into a man’s car and leave. He knew it was petty, but he couldn’t help it. You were dressed in a tight red, cocktail dress and he had on dress clothes, for goodness sake! In his mind, he had no choice but to follow you. What if you were going on a date with someone else? What if he was just a side piece?!

However, he was very confused when your car had pulled into a dance studio. What would you being doing there? Could you even dance? He’d never seen you do it.

Still, he waited a minute to follow you in, he didn’t want to be caught spying on you. He saw you enter a room and quickly tailed you around the corner, and into a room filled with two other couples. What kind of date was this…?

He stayed behind the door, just peeking his head out. Upbeat music that he didn’t recognize played throughout the room and everyone took their places. He was absolutely horrified as you began seductively dancing with the man. His hands were all on your waist and your thighs… he couldn’t watch anymore of it. He stomped over and gently but firmly ripped you out of his grasp.

Your (e/c) orbs met his seafoam ones, in shock. “What are you doing?!” Your lips parted in surprise and your cheeks reddened in humiliation as everyone’s eyes landed on you. “Gaara?! What are you doing here?!” His eyes narrowed at the man behind you.

“I was going to go to see you, but then I saw you leave with him! What is going on?” Even though he was scowling, you couldn’t help burst out laughing. “You think this funny? You think I like seeing my girlfriend out with other guys?”

The hurt in his voice stopped you short. “Gaara, this isn’t a date. I haven’t told you, because I wanted it to be a surprise, but I salsa dance and I’m performing at a recital. This is practice…” His face matched his ruby red hair. “P-practice?” I smiled, snaking my arms around his torso.

“Don’t sweat it, man, if I were in your position I probably would’ve been worse.” (R/n), your partner assured him. “Heh, yeah… sorry for interrupting, I’ll, um, be off now.” You grabbed his hand before he could dash off.

“Why don’t you stay? We can go out after.” He sighed in relief before nodding. “Okay.” You watched as he took a seat close to the wall.

You walked out of the studio hand in hand, to his car. “You were fantastic, (Y/N/N)! But… you should teach me to salsa because I’m the only one who should be able to touch you like that.” You giggled as you reached the car. “Deal.”

Kakashi (Singing)~

You and Kakashi were often paired together for missions, thanks to both of your skills and great chemistry. Tonight the two of you had a simple mission; infiltrate a Daimyo’s party, get him alone, then kill him. It was a dire mission, seeing as he had sent spies to collect info on the Hokage.

Just like all the evil old men that were your targets on your missions, he had a soft spot for pretty girls. Kakashi grumbled the whole way to the party, but with the promise of being careful (and a couple of kisses) he agreed to follow your lead.

There was a mini stage for impromptu singers and entertainers, and it was right in front of where the Daimyo’s table was. He was surrounded by girls young enough to be his daughter, which made you scrunch your nose up in disgust. “I have an idea, stay here, okay?”

The silver-haired jonin nodded sharply, his gaze not leaving you as you made yours to the stage. The guest of honor’s eyes seemed to drawn to you as well. You felt him look you up and down, your short, tight dress leaving little to the imagination.

You schooled your expression as you addressed the crowd. “This song is dedicated to the Daimyo, who has surely caught my eye.” You winked at him, trying to suppress your gag.

The song you sang was sultry and seductive, complete with your swinging hips. Everyone, not just the Daimyo, seemed to be enraptured as your steamy melody drifted through the venue.

As soon as you finished, he was already heading towards you. “Follow me, darling.” You permitted yourself to be dragged down a hallway behind the stage. You sent your nervous boyfriend a reassuring smile as you disappeared.

As soon as the door closed behind you, a senbon was in your hand. “Sorry, Daimyo, but your treason will not be tolerated.” His eyes widened. “Wha-” He dropped to the ground, two senbons silencing him.

Kakashi had entered the room five minutes after you had done the deed, clearly stunned. “Wow. That was an impressive display, love. I would love for you to reenact that when we get home…” He stated, suggestively. His hands rested on your waist and brought you closer to them.

You raised an eyebrow and gestured to the dead man. “I wasn’t aware you had a death wish, Kashi.” He rolled his eye, laughing. “If that means I get to hear you sing to me…” You laughed, kissing his cheek.

“How about I’ll just sing?” His joking smile turned sincere. “I would love that.”

~Akatsuki~

Pein (Dancing/Ballroom)~

You were bored out of your mind, there was nothing to do. Pein and Konan had left on a mission, and a lot of the others were out too. You spent most of your time in the orange-haired leader’s room since the majority of your things were already in there.

Pein hadn’t really given you a time frame, but so far it had been three and a half days, so they should be here soon right? You sure hoped so. You had already spun around in his chair like a child, read every slightly entertaining book in his room (not many) and you completed some overdue mission reports

You were quickly running out of time-consuming activities when your gaze landed on his cloak. Pein had never seemed like a dancing type, so you never had a partner to dance with. But now that no one was around it gave you a perfect opportunity to do what you love.

Before you’d gone rogue, you were part of a wealthy family and they had a passion for throwing parties where’d there be dancing all night. That was the only thing you liked about it, being able to forget everything and just twirl the night away.

You grabbed Pein’s spare cloak and held it the way one would their partner. You hummed a tune, it helps you keep your beat as you made your way around the room. You were actually having quite a bit of fun, and your humming got louder as you waltzed.

“What are you doing?” You shrieked, coming face to face with White Zetsu. (A/N: Hah, you thought it was Pein) Although you wondered where Black Zetsu was, you weren’t upset. He was always talking about eating you and the like.

“Um, dancing? What are you doing here?” Zetsu gave you a small smile. “Looking for Pein, I assume he’s not in?” I shook my head. “Unfortunately not.”

He gave you a strange look. “Why do you dance with a cloak?” You laughed. “Cause there’s no one else!” Zetsu took the cloak from you and set on the bed. “I’ll dance with you then. I’ve always enjoyed it, but Black Zetsu doesn’t dance.” Instead of questioning it, you shrugged and got into position with a simple ‘okay’.

He was actually really good, but you didn’t comment on it because it was nice finally having someone to dance with.

“Um, did I miss something?” You both spun around, your eyes meeting a confused Pein in the doorway. You smiled walking over to him. “Nope, Zetsu and I just like to dance.” His quizzical expression didn’t leave his face as you and Zetsu continued to dance as if nothing had happened.

“I had no idea you could dance like this. Where’d you learn?” You smiled at my lover as he approached you. “Society parties were a must, so I learned early. What about you Zetsu?” He smiled. “That’s a secret. Unfortunately, I must take my leave. Black Zetsu is waiting for me.”

With a small smile, he disappeared through the floor, leaving you and Pein alone. You flashed him a grin and held out a hand.

“Wanna learn to dance?” He placed his hand in yours. “I’d be honored.”

Deidara (Singing)~

You hummed quietly to yourself as you cooked dinner. It was your week to cook for the Akatsuki, and even though it was a lot of work catering to everyone’s individual preferences and needs, it was a fun job for you.

You had always used singing as a way to pass the time and this time was no different. You loved to sing older, classical songs, ones you would hear at the fanciest events. They would completely captivate you every time you heard them.

Your voice carried through the room as you lost yourself in the lyrics. You were so enraptured with your singing and cooking that you didn’t even notice your audience of one. A low, smooth voice joined in, harmonizing with yours.

You whipped around, the sight of Deidara causing you to freeze. He kept singing, but the smile on his face encouraged you to continue your little duet. The lyrics you two were singing seemed to mingle together, complimenting and enhancing each other.

As you both grew more confident, you began to draw closer together, and it looked as if you were serenading each other. The blonde-haired artist couldn’t keep the grin off his face, and neither could you. This moment was so perfect you didn’t think anything could ruin it.

You knew it would be easy to get used to his voice, it was so playful and soothing… it fit him like a glove the more you thought about it.

As the song came to a close you could tell Deidara wasn’t satisfied. “One more time? Since I missed the beginning and all.” He smirked mischievously. You grinned, holding his hands in yours.

“I guess since you asked so nicely, I can do it one more time.” You teased with a laugh. He lifted your hand to his mouth and kissed your palm. With a wink, he dived right into the first few words. Without hesitation you joined in, once again creating a beautiful harmony that could be heard all around the base.

You both were in utter bliss at this new experience. Never would you have imagined you and Deidara singing together, but now that it was happening you couldn’t imagine this any other way. Your arms made their way around his neck and his around your waist, but it did nothing to interrupt your flawless performance.

The sound of hushed whispers did, however. “Did you know they could do that?” “No! I’ve never heard either of them sing…” “He’s so whipped!” SMACK. “Shut up! This is so sweet!”

You and Deidara let go of each other, startled by the sudden appearance of Konan, Hidan, and Itachi.

“Oh, um heyyy… dinner is almost ready?” You stuttered trying to draw attention from you and Deidara’s little spectacle. Itachi’s eyebrow raised, a smirk on his lips. “You mean that?” He pointed to the burning, unrecognizable mess in a pan. “Um, takeout?” You suggested sheepishly.

Deidara laughed, his lips landing on your cheek. “Sounds good to me, Princess.” “SEE!?” Hidan exclaimed, “He’s whipped- OW! STOP, KONAN!”

[twistedtranslations]

Trey Clover - Wait Riddle!

You can unlock this story by getting Trey’s SR Ceremony outfit

Translation under the cut

Heartslabyul Dorm - Tea Garden

Trey: And that concludes the plans for the schedule of the welcome party for the new students. As the vice dorm leader, that’s all. And now, before we start the preparations, a word from the Heartslabyul dorm leader Riddle.

Riddle: Heartslabyul students! Form a line!

Heartslabyul students: Yes, dorm leader!

Riddle: I see. Everyone is perfectly coordinated, just like the trump soldiers. I am glad. In any case... after tonight’s entrance ceremony, all new students will go to their dormitory. If it happens to be that the welcome party is not ready, I intend to have everyone’s heads.

Heartslabyul students: Yes, dorm leader!

*footsteps*

Trey: Everyone ran away at once. As expected of you. That “encouragement” definitely made them pull themselves together.

Riddle: Trey, this is not the time to be dawdling. We still have to rehearse for the entrance ceremony. If the students cannot do their work perfectly, we will absolutely not have enough time.

Trey: Yes. That’s why I’m recommending to set up a schedule to assign everyone a role in preparing the welcome party.

Riddle: How about the rose bushes in the garden?

Trey: According to the 469th law of the Queen of Hearts “When one invites new friends to a party, the decoration should alternate between red and white rosebushes.” ... Right? It will be fine. The students in charge are currently changing the colors.

Riddle. I am glad. Then next is the food. You are in charge of the cooking.

Heartslabyul student: Excuse me for interrupting! Clover, we can’t find the table clothes for the welcome party...

Riddle: You have quite the nerve to come over and ask our busy vice dorm leader a question. Have you not drilled my manual in your head? The way to set the tables is described on page 107.

Heartslabyul student: I-I’m sorry! I did intend to read it more or less...

Riddle: More or less...? People like you... I should have your head...

Trey: Oh well, Riddle. The clothes should have been washed yesterday. You should check with the one in charge of the second years.

Heartslabyul students: Y...Yes, thank you!

*footsteps*

Riddle: How kind of you to not reprimand obvious negligent behaviour.

Trey: Not everyone is as perfect as you are. Besides, it would be very troublesome if work slowed down because our workforce shrank, right?

Riddle: ... I see. I understand what many reasons you may bring, but being correct in Heartslabyul is a different matter. The Queen of Hearts, who honors discipline, would definitely not have forgiven him.

Trey: Perhaps yeah. The next time, I shall just imitate you and the Queen of Hearts. In any case, let’s get back to the topic at hand. We were talking about the food for the welcome party.

Riddle: Yes. You have made a menu, right?

Trey: Yes. The hors d’oeuvre is turnip and marinated salmon. For soup I made cheese and minestrone.. The main course is an arrangement of ground meat pies.

Riddle: It’s perfect. Then let us continue checking everything. Especially today, we do not have time to spare. Good grief, if that Floyd hadn’t been interfering yesterday, I could have finished more work...

Trey: Now that you say it, that guy has been having fun walking behind you lately. The fact that I haven’t seen him today is probably because Octavinelle is also busy with the entrance ceremony. 

Riddle: It can’t be! That guy has no interest in things like that. I even protested against Jade. To definitely not have him come over to Heartslabyul.

Trey: I see. Well, let’s move ahead with the preparation.

Riddle: Don’t say that, I’m honestly troubled! ... Ah, I just get irritated thinking about Floyd.

Trey: Whoops, is it already this late? Leave the rest to me so you can focus on the entrance ceremony.

Riddle: I understand. This will be my first entrance ceremony as the dorm leader. I will definitely fulfill my responsibility.

Trey: Good grief...

Mirror chamber

Riddle: What was up with that entrance ceremony! Not only did some freshmen escape during the ceremony, a monster invaded and... nothing went according to my perfect plan! Listen, you new students. I invite you to create more trouble. But that head will be mine! 

Heartslabyul freshmen: Y-Yes!

Heartslabyul freshman A: ... Hey, isn’t our dorm leader really scary?

Heartslabyul freshman B: Right... We should take care not to anger him...

Trey: Riddle is on the verge of bursting...

Jamil: Trey.

Trey: Ah, you are Jamil from Scarabia. Is there something?

Jamil: It seems like the blood is considerably rising to your dorm leader’s head...

Trey: Yeah. One more problem and there’ll be quite an explosion.

Jamil: Riddle is a very strict and serious dorm leader. With you being at his side, you must certainly be careful, no?

Trey: Haha, supporting the dorm leader is part of the job as vice dorm leader.

Jamil: Our dorm leader... Kalim is way too noisy, and that’s what I am worried about...

Trey: I see. You have become Scarabia’s vice dorm leader, haven’t you? Congratulations on your inauguration.

Jamil: You are being overly polite... Thank you very much. As a fellow vice dorm leader, I would love to study under you.

Trey: Riddle and Kalim have completely distinct personalities even if they are both dorm leaders, I don’t think I’ll be of much use.

Jamil: The mental exhaustion never ceases... we differ little when it comes to that.

Trey: Hahaha. I just hope that the welcome party after this ends safely.

Cater: Hey, Treeeey!

Jamil: I shall excuse myself.

Trey: Okay. ... Cater, why are you in such a hurry?

Cater: Something terrible actually happened at our dorm...!

Chapter 2

Mirror chamber

Trey: What?! The rose bushes for the garden party have all been colored red? But the garden’s roses must be alternatingly painted red and white for the welcome party. You told them so, didn’t you, Cater?

Cater: Of course I did. But it seems the second years in charge of the painting made a mistake.

Trey: How troublesome. The new dorm students will immediately go back to the dorm after the entrance ceremony finishes.

Cater: Yes... we don’t have time to fix the colors. And if Riddle found out that the colors were wrong...

Trey: He’d behead the whole dorm, no doubt.

Cater: W-W-Wait, imagining that is way too scary! Trey, don’t you have a plan!?

Trey: ... I see, let’s do this. I’ll hold Riddle up, so you have time to return to the dorm. In that time, you should quickly paint half of the roses white. Cater, with your unique magic, you can easily create avatars of yourself, right?

Cater: Guh... Trey, are you serious? That’s super exhausting?!

Trey: Nevertheless, it seems like you will take on this very troublesome role for the sake of all the students. Thank you Cater.

Cater: Ugh, why do I feel like you’re forcing me against my will. You’re an inhuman and wicked vice demon leader!

Trey: Yes yes, I’ll listen to your complaints afterwards as much as you want. Hurry if you don’t want to be beheaded by Riddle!

Cater: Okay, I get it. It’s not like any other plans come to mind either... Well, I’m going, but definitely hold Riddle back!

Trey: Okay, leave it to me. ... Is what I said... But how will I hold Riddle back?

-

Trey: Riddle, excuse me. There’s something I want to verify about the welcome party’s menu, can you spare me some time?

Riddle: Why do you want to revise it? Haven’t we already confirmed our menu?

Trey: According to the laws of the Queen of Hearts, we decided that the main dish should be ground meat pie but... I thought we still had to decide if the meat had to be cow, pig or chicken. It might become troublesome if it was strictly fixed.

Riddle: I see... that is a blind spot. For you to pay such careful attention, that’s wonderful. Now that you say it, in the literature I’ve read, there were descriptions of rabbit meat pie being used. It seems the type of meat should not be fixed.

Trey: I expected nothing less of you, to be able to memorize those details of the laws of the Queen.

Riddle: Okay, then let us go to the venue.

Trey: !! Wait Riddle! I still want you to confirm something about the type of black tea we’ll use after dinner. This time I have prepared some leaves from the Scalding Sands, but there’s no rule that we are restricted to produce from the Country of Roses right?

Riddle: Heh, you are such a worrywart. There is no law that strict. Ah, but coffee is forbidden, so you should definitely not serve that! The Queen of Hearts does look forward immensely to drinking black tea at the Unbirthday parties. That’s why it’s decided by law that black tea should be served on any occasion besides a birthday party. Now, let us go to the venue.

Trey: !! Wait Riddle! How many sugar cubes do we have to put in the tea? 

Riddle: It does not matter. Heap it for all I care.

Trey: Understood. Next, about the planning of the colors of the candle we put on each table...

Riddle: ... Hey, Trey. I know you really want to conform to the rules, but aren’t you being a bit too anxious today?

Trey: Ah...you might be right. My bad, I might’ve been straining myself a bit. As the vice dorm leader of Heartslabyul, we have done many things together, but it’s still our first welcome party, isn’t it? I wanted to support you perfectly, and make it a day to remember.

Riddle: Trey... to think you were working hard with those feelings in your mind. It’s fine. I shall entertain your questions until you are satisfied. 

Trey: Ah. Thank you, Riddle. I should be able to save time with this. Hurry up and change the colors, Cater.

Trey: ... I see. So the design of the tableware I prepared should be no problem.

Cater: Riddle! Trey! The preparations for the welcome party are done~

Riddle: Thank you for your effort, Cater. Trey, are you finished?

Trey: Yes. You really helped me out, Riddle.

Riddle: Okay. Then let us go to the dorm. First years! I shall guide you now to Heartslabyul’s dorm. Follow me at once without delay!

Heartslabyul freshmen: Yes!!

Cater: Riddle is really enthusiastic.

Trey: You’re right... By the way, Cater. Did you manage to change the colors of the roses successfully?

Cater: Of course. My avatars have perfectly changed the colors to alternating between red and white.

Trey: I’m glad. Now we can finish the day with no one being beheaded.

Cater: You also did a good job at holding that impatient Riddle back until I came and got you. We really are today’s MVP’s, aren’t we?

Trey: Perhaps. It’s not like anyone would award us, though. Let’s go to the dorm. We managed to finish without incidents, let’s not ruin it by arriving late.

Cater: Right~ Well, for the sake of a super fun party... Let’s a go to the Heartslabyul dorm!

Heartslabyul Dorm - Lounge

Trey: Sigh... The clean up of the party is finally done... All the students have returned to their room. I still have 15 minutes left till the lights go out. I’ll have one more cup of tea. 

*beep*

Trey: Hm? A notification of an uploaded picture on MagiCam? That Cater is still uploading pictures of today to his MagiCam. He’s probably tired as well... #Today’sCay #Entranceceremony #Dignityofthethirdyears #Theceremonyoutfitsofnightravenarerare #NRC

Trey: ... Haha, he really went all out.

Trey: Oh well, Riddle didn’t get angry, and no explosions happened, and the welcome party went well. It’s been a long day. Being a vice dorm leader isn’t easy...

[pfreadsandwrites]

hi! i absolutely adore your writing it’s genuinely the most in character stuff i’ve ever read!! i’ve been thinking about this for a bit and i was wondering what you think kakashi’s response would be to being home alone when his kid gets sick (s/o is like at work or a mission or something) and this is like not a request or anything i’m just curious what you think!

 Ahhh thank you so much that’s so kind!!! Made my day haha. And thanks for asking about this, thinking about this really got me into a writing kind of mood so I hope this day will be productive in that sense lmao. 

Hmmm let’s see.

Well first off Kakashi’s going to be out of his comfort zone a little bit. Things like this are usually his s/o’s arena. He’s a lil more typical dad in that he’s not so confident in his own ability to like, do the hands-on parenting? Don’t get me wrong, he’s not gonna leave it all to his s/o where possible, but the caretaker/nurturer stuff doesn’t come naturally to him at all. He’s like a ‘fun dad’ in that his kids love hanging out with him, he’s just chill and funny and everyone has a great time, but he might be the more serious/levelheaded parent when they need disciplining or when he has to be, and he’s good at teaching them lessons and making sure they’re safe and he’s a great provider and protector and all that but when it comes to more day to day caring for their children he’s just a little out of his element. He slowly learns more, and he absolutely does it when it’s needed from him and does not want to leave it all to his s/o, but this is really going to be strongly their arena. Also, during most of the series he’s a super heavy active-duty jounin and pretty much Konoha’s most in-demand one, and after that, he’s Hokage. So it comes down to time and the fact that everybody requires so much of him. Like, he doesn’t neglect his kids, and is pretty good at working his life around them, but he would straight up not be able to do most of the hands-on day to day care just logistically, whether it came super naturally to him or not. 

  Plus, the contrast is a little crazy for him. Like, assassination? Can do it in his sleep. Wars? He’s more familiar than he should be. S-rank missions? Pfft, whatever. Running the village? It’s going well. Taking care of tiny humans that he helped create? Wtf this is so difficult omg where his s/o how could they leave him in the dark like this it is one of the scariest things he’s ever had to do, what the hell is he doing he doesn’t know. Which is why having a s/o that will be try to hand-hold him through it is so important.

So when the s/o is away for some reason, and Kakashi has to take care of his sick child, it’s just a little nerve-wracking. I mean, assuming the kid is a few years old by this point, he’s definitely familiar with caretaking basics, but he probably does rely on his s/o, and maybe he hasn’t realised how much until they’re gone lmao. But still, I think he’d be alright. Won’t be like ‘oh my baby i’ll do this and this and this for you I’m sorry you’re sick 😢’ and keep fussing over the kid but he’ll definitely keep a watch over them. He’s not necessarily overly sympathetic with his kid, just very matter-of-fact, like oh dear, you’re sick, guess you have to stay in bed. Like he’s not too worried about them being sick unless they get really bad. Will be strict when he has to, like if the kid decides they want to do something they’re not supposed to, like Idk, start trying to practice ninjutsu or something or wanna eat candy or whatever that’s not going to happen. And he’ll show up with chicken soup or something and medicine etc. . Can imagine if it’s like something pill like, like paracetamol (half-dose, he has some common sense) and him just handing it over to his kid and his kid being like ‘Dad Idk how to swallow a pill’ and Kakashi just has a wow moment cuz he didn’t even clock that that’s a thing kids struggle with cuz he was doing all that by himself by that age, it’s like little things like that that kinda make him think wow how can someone like me be doing this. But you know, he’s chill, he gets over it pretty fast.  

But I think it’s funny to imagine the kid being like ‘Mom does it like this...’ when Kakashi is tucking them in or giving them food or something, or “when’s Mom coming back?” or “I miss Mommy” and Kakashi’s all yeah you and me both kid ack. Generally, he doesn’t doesn’t do anything stupid and ticks all the boxes though he’s reluctant to get a little too close because he can’t afford to get sick as well? So RIP if contagious kiddy Hatake want some comfort cuddles, might trick them into cuddling a clone or a pillow that smells like him or he might just give in, at which point the kid decides that their mom’s hugs are better in these kinds of situations anyway. But I can imagine Kakashi would enjoy the time with the kid, like just lazily watching some of their favourite movies with them while the kid is all wrapped up in blankets etc and he can use the time to not work and have a good excuse, and also he just likes hanging out with the kid even if being sick makes them quieter than usual (that might be good tbh), it’s pretty nice. 

Still though, taking care of his kid takes a lot out of him even if it doesn’t seem like he’s doing much. Like it’s just not natural to him and he’s kinda mentally exhausted wondering if he’s doing everything right and thinking he’s kind of a fuck-up. He’s not as bad as he thinks, and he knows that to some degree, but it’s all just so tiring. When the s/o finally comes back he’s all like oh thank God. And they’re like everything seems fine??? And yes but that’s not the point lmao. And he’s not one to forget or take his s/o for granted, but it definitely reaffirms in his mind how important they are and how lucky he is to have them. 

Though it’s way more funny to imagine Kakashi getting sick from the kid too despite his best efforts and his s/o coming home to not one, but two sick babies to look after lmao. Kakashi being sick is funny cuz though at first he wouldn’t be super happy to being taken care of i can just imagine him being like, such a typical man-flu sufferer and turning into a such a baby lmao.

Like specifically what I thought about was the kid having chickenpox, and Kakashi somehow never having that as a kid, and getting it from them and yeah the s/o just comes home to just a nightmare lmao or maybe Kakashi wearing mittens holding his mitten wearing daughter or something while he’s trying to read her a book to distract them both

I hope I answered your question lol! This was fun to think about and thanks again for the kind words :)