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kerie-prince · 4 years ago

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We’re Worlds Apart (1)

Draco Malfoy x American No-Maj/Muggle fem!reader

Post-Battle of Hogwarts

warnings: language

series m.list | general m.list

summary: Draco Malfoy is a pureblood wizard. Magic runs through his veins and has been since his birth. You're a Wiccan No-Maj; a non-magical being with ordinary blood through your veins, but practices what you call magick. And this very practice upsets your neighbor.

(gif cred)

"They want... me?"

Draco Malfoy sat across his supervisor in his office at St. Mungos. His eyes widened at the offer he was given.

"Well Mr. Malfoy, you've certainly shown us around here that you do well at your job. If I must say so myself, I believe you're ready for the job," his boss has explained. Draco had recently finished his Fellowship and became a remarkable Healer. So much so that the Santa Marie Hospital for Maj Persons in Buffalo, New York contacted his supervisor to offer him a position as Head Healer. It was an incredible opportunity, one that a person could only dream of.

Draco sat still in his chair, shocked that of all Healers from his department, Santa Marie wanted him. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco was determined to change the views people had of him. He was no longer the prejudice prat that he was at school. Draco Lucius Malfoy is now a matured, capable young man. He worked hard and was proud that he did everything on his own. No help from daddy dearest, no pressure of the Malfoy name. It was all him.

"I would love to take this job. When would I start?"

Draco finished filing his paperwork at the Ministry of Magic that was to be sent to the Magical Congress of the United States containing his work permit and all the necessary identification. Walking around London, he grew excited about it. It was a feeling he hadn't felt since he got his letter for Hogwarts.

The next thing he has left to do was to find housing. There was an office located in Diagon Alley that specialized in international real estate. Draco walked into the brightly lit office. Much to his surprise, Daphne Greengrass stood at the reception desk.

"Well, well. Long time no see, Malfoy," she said with a smile on her lips. He was quite relieved to see a familiar face. "Good to see you too, Daph. I'm checking in to see Ms. Moreau. I'm moving to America soon." Daphne was both shocked and impressed that Draco would be making such a big move. They chatted momentarily about the reason for him moving and she congratulated him. Soon enough, the real estate agent walked out and called Draco into her office.

She sat at her desk and gestured for him to take the seat opposite her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy."

"The feeling is mutual, Ms. Moreau," Draco had slightly bowed his head.

"Please, call me Gwen," she smiled as she reached to shake his hand, "I see from your paperwork that you're moving to America, correct?" he nodded his head in response. "Fantastic! Now, looking at the locations for Buffalo, we have quite a bit of selections from houses to flats. Of course, in America they're called 'apartments'. With your budget, you would be able to get this nice house that is just a 10 minute drive to the Apparition office to Santa Marie's." She showed Draco pictures of the house. It was quaint. An all white, one story house that had three bedrooms, a lifted porch, small kitchen, two bathrooms, trimmed green grass in front and a dark stained wooden fence that went around the house. Draco nearly fell in love with it. Its contrast to the Malfoy Manor was warm and inviting.

Gwen had shown him pictures of the other places she had gathered for him, but none of them peeked his interest as the first house did. It was quite silly as he thought about it. Most likely, he would be working long hours at the hospital to even be able to appreciate the home. It made more sense to get an apartment as he would most likely just use the space to sleep and eat. But the house was begging for him to live there. After about an hour long session, Draco made his final decision on the small house.

"Excellent choice, I had hoped you'd love it. Now, before I contact the sellers about your offer, I must let you know this before you sign anything," Draco shifted in his seat. Of course there had to be a catch. A house this perfect needed one thing to go wrong. Was it busted windows? A terrible neighborhood? Shitty pipelines? He nodded for her to continue.

"This is an integrated neighborhood. Both muggles and wizards live around and you might not know which are which for a while." Muggles. He sat in silence, staring down at the photos of the house. Did he really want a muggle neighbor? No, you're past this Draco thought. The old Draco wouldn't even give the place a second thought. But he wasn't him anymore. "I don't care. I'll take it."

—

You woke up in the morning, stretching your arms and legs out of the thick blanket. It was currently 8:47 am, your alarm clock beside you still had 13 minutes to alert you to wake up. Deciding to just get a head start on the day, you walked into the your bathroom and started your shower. The water was at the hottest you took and you went about your daily routine. You said your repeated incantations in the shower as you lathered yourself with soap:

Water, water, wash away. Water, water, cleanse today.

Walking out your shower, you grabbed your towel and recited the next spell as you dried yourself:

By the earth in the soap,

by the air in the steam,

by the fire that heats the water,

by the water that cleanses,

I am cleansed, clean, and ready for the day.

When you were 12 years old, you used to watch your grandmother perform Wicca in her bedroom. Your mother didn't particularly join in on the belief, but also didn't oppose to you starting alongside your grandmother when you turned 18. Now, you were almost 26 and still kept on the same practices.

On the contrary to people's interpretation or views of witchcraft, you called yourself a White Witch; someone who performs good magick upon selfless reasons. You never hexed anyone nor wished any ill fate. The Laws of Nature was surely watching at all times and if you did, expect to get the same fate but in threefold. Not that you even had any reason to do such things, anyways.

After getting ready, you grabbed your bag, keys — which held a protection charm — and went on your way to work. Your cat sat in her tower located in your living room and she watched you walk out. Getting into your car, you noticed movement next door. A big, moving truck was parked and a crew of movers carried furniture into the house. Finally, someone new you thought.

Feeling nosy, you sat patiently to figure out who it was moving next door. Was it a family? An elderly couple? Maybe newlyweds. Right when you were about to pull out of your driveway, a handsome blond stepped out of the house guiding the movers where things were going to be placed. You couldn't hear his voice, but could tell from the distance that it had to be attractive.

He looked around the street and caught you starting from your car. You hesitantly raised your hand to wave at him but was cut off by a man walking up to him with a clipboard gesturing where to sign. You looked at the time on your watch and nearly panicked at how the time passed, leaving you with only 15 minutes to get to work. Hauling ass, your car let a screech out as your foot punched the gas pedal. You'll be able to introduce yourself later, Y/N.

—

A few days passed and Draco was headed for the Apparition office to his new workplace. He had leased a new car to drive there. According to the Magical Congress, wizards and witches that lived in integrated neighborhoods must check in at Apparition offices to not raise suspicions from No-Maj. Seemed quite silly at first, but it really wasn't that big of a deal. He remembers the first time he went to Diagon Alley with his father through the Leaky Cauldron, finding it hidden with a wall that required taps against it. Behind it, a magical alley hidden from muggles.

He pulled into the office building lot with ease. It was clean on the outside and had a sign on top that only read MCA Co,. At the front door, there was a pin pad with numbers on it that kept it locked. Draco pulled the paper from his pocket and dialed the number. The door made a clicking noise which signaled that it was unlocked.

In the front was a young man sat at a reception desk typing away onto a computer. It was a strange sight for Draco as he's never seen one before. He walked up to the desk and waited for the person to acknowledge him.

"Hello, sir. Welcome to the Magical Congress' Apparition Office. May I see your ID pass, please?"!the accent was unfamiliar to Draco, but he nonetheless reached for the pass clipped to his trousers and gave it to the receptionist. He scanned the pass, handed it back to Draco and raised up from his chair to guide Draco to the door which had a direct line to the hospital. "Have a good day, sir!" were his last words before he went back to his desk.

Draco looked at the address once more before appariting into Santa Marie's. Here goes nothing.

—

It was a long day at the office. Setting up appointments with new clients, greeting all the new people he'd be working with, and a surprise welcome party to end it. Everyone he met had different variations of American accents. Some from Chicago, some from California, and some from the native state of New York.

A man by the name of Ian Parker helped Draco navigate around the building. Draco was quite relieved to hear that Ian had lived close by, just two blocks and a turn away. They had lunch together and talked about just simple things about each other. It felt nice to meet somebody and they not know who you are and things you've done in the past.

Once he got home, the first thing Draco did was start to run the shower, gathering his sleepwear as the water heated up. Not meaning to, Draco noticed how his bedroom window had perfect view of yours. To him, it was extremely odd.

You had faux vines that curled around your four-poster bed, a couple of plants that hung against the wall and posters of movies that Draco knows for a fact he's never seen in his life. You walked into your room and went up to a small drawer and dug through it. After a few seconds, you grabbed out some incense sticks, lit them and stood them on the stand that laid on your dresser. Afterwards, you sat on the floor with your legs crossed and started taking deep breaths.

Draco caught himself staring for too long and was about to head into the shower until he saw movement from the corner of his eye. There you sat, but this time, you held items in your hands. One held what Draco thought to be just some colorful rocks. The other hand held a bundle of herbs on fire at the tips. Your lips moved and it had Draco curious. Your hand with the herbs moved in a specific pattern, creating smoke around you. Once you finished, you set the rocks and herbs down at a table and left the room. That was odd. Draco thought. He passed it off and went on about his night.

—

"It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. And trust me when I say that Hogwarts has its fair shares of odd moments," Draco sat in the break room with Ian and two other people, Ashley and Blaine. They laughed at the description Draco had of you and settled after Ian began his explanation.

"It seems that your No-Maj neighbor is considered a Wiccan." What in Merlin's name is that?

"Pardon? What's do you mean?"

"It's what they call witchcraft," Ashley added, "it became a popular thing after the Salem Witch Trials. Of course, there's no real magic to it like what we can do, but they nonetheless believe it works."

Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. Muggles are trying to be witches? This was probably the last thing he ever thought he would hear. Inside, a familiar feeling had ignited. A feeling he had, or he supposed still had, for a certain species. He didn't like it but to find out that what he is had become a fantasy to be was upsetting. He was born into this life, not them. Not you.

—

It had been a really nice day at work. People had been kind and you sold out of a new oil you made. As you entered your home, your cat ran up to your legs and purred against you. You smile down at her and made your way to prepare your dinners.

She nibbled away at her bowl and you watched in content.

Outside, you heard a car pulling in. It's probably him. You peaked out the window in the living room and your guess was correct. He stepped out of a black car and walked to his door. You tried catching his attention by waving your arms about, hoping he glanced your way. When he did, you waved excitedly to him.

He stared at you with a straight face, no hint of any feeling. It was odd, people usually like you and wave back but this guy was just looking at you. Not doing anything. You looked around to see if there was something behind you, only to look back and see that he was gone. Ooo...kay?

You grabbed your sweater and decided to introduce yourself to your new neighbor. It had been almost a week and it seemed that he still hadn't acquainted himself to anyone on the street. The cool, spring breeze sent a pleasant chill down your spine as you walked on the sidewalk.

Once you stepped in front his door, you knocked three times. No answer. Three more times. No answer. The lights that were on had turned off and curtains had been shut in almost a blink of an eye. He had made it clear that he was not in a mood to talk to anyone. It slightly hurt your feelings, but you told yourself to not dwell on it. He's just tired from work. Just then, an idea popped in your mind as you headed back home.

—

"Stupid fucking muggle clock," Draco cursed as he was running around his bedroom getting dressed. He overslept by an hour and had 10 minutes to be in the Apparition office to go to work. Damn American laws.

He grabbed an apple, not his usual sour green one but a sweet red one this time, grabbed his bag and ran for the front door. Something taped to the door caught his attention and he halted his movements. It seemed to have been a note someone left. He unfolded the paper and read it to himself;

Hello! My name's Y/N and I wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood! I hope we can become good friends~ if there's anything you need or if you'd ever like to get acquainted over coffee, please feel free to knock on my door! It'd be nice to get to know you :)

At the bottom of the note was a small drawing of a witches pointed hat and Draco immediately knew who left the note. Almost on instinct, the note caught on fire in his hands and the ashes fell to the ground. He dusted his hand off and went to work. As if we would ever become friends.

—

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taglist: @beiahadid @malfoy-styles-wife @fivenightslaughter

#draco malfoy #draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy au #draco malfoy angst #draco malfoy fluff #draco malfoy smut #draco malfoy x female reader #draco malfoy x you #draco x y/n #draco x you

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four-loose-screws · 4 years ago

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FE8 Novelization Translation - Chapter 7, Section 2

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

———————————

I call this a “section” because it is not a separate part of the chapter in the book, but divided from the rest of the chapter by a scene break.

———————————

Chapter 7: The Girl With Wings (con’t)

The trip back took many less days than the trip out, and in the end, Eirika’s army returned to the Frelian capital.

Compared to the devastation of the rural regions, Frelia’s prospering capital did not show even a sign of the darkness that was clouding the continent. Life there was as rich and refined as ever. Along the capital city’s main street were shops overflowing with high quality goods, and men and women in sophisticated dress laughed and conversed with each other as they came and went.

When Eirika’s army saw such glory, their days fighting monsters and attacking bandit hideouts felt as far away as a dream.

When they returned to the palace, the person to come rushing out to greet them was none other than Tana herself.

The moment she received the news, she could not wait patiently in the reception hall any longer, and ran all the way to the gate.

And when she saw Ephraim riding his horse next to Eirika, she blushed. "Ephraim! Um, you are Ephraim, right…? You're safe!"

Ephraim jumped down from his horse and walked over to her.

She clasped her hands together and looked up at him. "I prayed every day that you two would be safe. I prayed harder than I ever have in my entire life."

"Sorry for making you worry, Tana."

“It’s okay now, since you two made it home safe! I’m so happy! And that’s not all! We finally received the message from Brother that says he’s coming home soon!”

“From Innes?” Ephraim’s face hardened for a split second.

He and Tana’s older brother, Prince Innes, had never gotten along. It was likely because their personalities were the complete opposite. Ephraim was big-hearted and cheerful, and would never sweat the small stuff, whereas Innes was serious and uptight about every little detail. Even as a child, he rarely smiled.

Whatever Ephraim did, Innes found fault with it. And because Ephraim would pay no attention to what he said, while they wouldn’t fight, even the smallest disagreement would further drive an unrepairable wedge between them.

Prince Innes returned to the castle before long. Eirika and Ephraim went with Tana to greet him.

Tana looked happy, but she did not show her excitement like she did when Eirika and Ephraim returned, as Innes did not like it when she made too much of a commotion. She looked up to her serious brother, but also feared him a little bit.

“Welcome home, Brother! I’m so happy you’ve returned home safely….”

Innes glared at her.

Though he had just returned from a harsh battle and a long journey, he did not look even slightly tired. He was as prim and proper as ever, with not a wrinkle in his clothing nor a hair out of place.

“Of course I have. Did you really think that Grado riff-raff could hurt me?”

“N… No. Of course I didn’t. But still…”

“Don’t say “but.” It’s such a nuisance.”

“I’m sorry.” Tana looked down at her feet.

While Eirika felt bad for Tana, Innes’ manner of speaking and attention to detail was the same as ever, and made her feel nostalgic.

His personality was in no way malicious, and he did not mean to bully his little sister, rather, he actually doted on her as much as Ephraim doted on Eirika. However, because he was so serious, he almost always behaved like a strict teacher with her. Eirika remembered him always searching for her with his brow furrowed the moment she disappeared from his sight when they were children.

Ephraim smiled awkwardly and extended a hand towards Innes. “Long time no see, Innes.”

“...Ephraim.” Innes’ expression slowly hardened, and his tone became increasingly sharp as he continued to speak. ”I have received word of Renais’ fall. It is shameful to see it be occupied by Grado.”

Ephraim’s expression was just as stern and determined not to falter nor lose to Innes.

But Innes' tone did not soften. “I warned you of this in the past. Your defenses were too weak for a country boarding a large nation like Grado. I think this was always the obvious outcome.”

Tana could not simply stand by. “Brother…!” She cut in. “You don’t have to speak like that, even if it is true! Imagine how much Ephraim and Eirika must be suffering… Their father is gone!”

“What happened to King Fado is a pity.” Innes’ expression softened for a moment, but his eyes stared at Ephraim just as harshly as before.

“However, there is no time to grieve. Defeating Grado and ending this war is likely the best way to honor his memory. I apologize.” Knowing that saying anything more would be meaningless, Innes turned his back on everyone and walked away.

Tana stayed behind and apologized sadly, “I am sorry, Ephraim, Eirika. Brother… I’m sure he didn’t mean anything wrong by what he said, but he was still too harsh…”

“It’s fine, Tana.” Ephraim said with a sigh. His stiff facial expression softened and returned to normal. “I know he hates me. I’ve already gotten used to how he speaks.”

“He doesn’t really hate you! He just thinks of you as a rival!” Tana whispered. “He’s been like that ever since he was a child. As a warrior, a human being, and a man, he almost always puts all his effort into never losing. And his way of speaking is just…”

“Not another word.” Innes had amazing hearing. Even though he was seemingly far enough away from them, he overheard their conversation and walked back over.

Tana jumped and hid behind Ephraim.

Just as he was about to yell at Tana, Innes decided against it, then turned towards Ephraim and said bluntly, “A meeting is about to be held in the hall. You and your sister should attend.”

“Understood. There is something that I need to tell everyone..”

“I will go as well.”

After Eirika and Ephraim responded, Tana poked her head out from behind Ephraim. “Then me, too!”

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“It does too! I’m the princess of Frelia…”

“A war meeting is no place for a child. Go to your room.”

“But…”

“I told you to stop saying that, didn’t I?”

There was nothing she could do. Tana was visibly frustrated, but she had no real argument and couldn't fight back against her brother.

The princess returned to her room, and Eirika and Ephraim went with Innes to the hall.

The generals and chief vassals gathered together, and when the king entered the room to start the meeting, the tone was very cheerful.

That did not mean that the current state of the war was unquestionably good, but that Innes and Ephraim's return brought hope to the anxious people in the city. King Hayden's expression was also much brighter than when Eirika had first left.

First, the king expressed his words of gratitude to the two princes. After that, he tried to extend his blessing to the chief vassals, but Innes, who preferred to be concise no matter the situation, stood up.

"I don't want to waste time. Allow me to get straight to the point."

King Hayden frowned, but nodded slightly to his son. "Very well. Then let us begin. Innes, please give us your report of the current state of battle to the south."

"The Frelian Army is continuing to fight the Grado Army near the border. As it currently stands, our army has the upper hand. We also have soldiers to spare, so I believe that we do not have any reason to worry."

Expressions of relief spread across the row of chief vassals.

King Hayden nodded, satisfied, and also seemed to be in deep thought. "...However, I still cannot believe it. Invading suddenly and without warning, goes against everything we’ve ever known the Grado Empire to do. The emperor is praised across the continent for his virtue. Such a barbarian act would be unthinkable for him.”

Eirika mustered up all of her strength and stood up, gathering the attention of everyone present. "There is something I would like to say about this. While fighting to save Brother, I came close to people from Grado many times, and discovered the answer. They said that the Grado emperor’s true motive is to destroy the Sacred Stone in each country.”

As she had already explained this to King Hayden, he was not surprised, however, the same could not be said for his vassals. Many gasped, some nearly jumped out of their chairs, and the entire room broke out into a commotion.

The king raised his hand, quieting everyone. “Upon receiving this report, we strengthened the defense around Frelia’s Sacred Stone. We would be able to intercept the Grado Army even if their elite Wyvern Knight unit attacked. There is no need to worry.”

Hearing that calmed Eirika for the time being.

‘If Renais had been able to prepare beforehand, then…’ A pang of regret made her chest feel heavy. Prince Innes’ harsh words had been right. They’d become too used to peace. What happened was their punishment for neglecting their country’s defenses. Now, even if she regretted what happened, it was no use.

“Still, even knowing that, there is something that I do not understand. What does Grado stand to gain from destroying the Sacred Stones…?”

“Perhaps they are plotting to destroy all of the other nations’ Sacred Stones, and weaken their defenses?” One of the generals suggested.

But Ephraim answered, “No, that cannot be it, because the Grado emperor said that they destroyed their own stone first.”

“What…?”

Everyone in the room looked at each other with expressions of disbelief. It wasn’t an unreasonable response by any means. Even Eirika, who had heard the full story from Natasha already, still felt that she couldn’t believe it.

The Grado Empire’s Sacred Stone… she remembered when Lyon had told her about the wondrous power it held.

"What I think, Eirika, is that the power of the Sacred Stone should be used to make everyone live happily. It’s been said that the Demon King’s power was sealed away within it during the ancient war. The Demon King no longer exists, but the world is still full of sadness and suffering. So I thought, ‘If I use the Sacred Stones, I can seal away all of those terrible things, can’t I?’ I want to create a world where no one is unhappy, and everyone can laugh throughout their lives." He said shyly.

As Eirika listened to him, it warmed her heart.

The ideal he told her seemed like a vague dream, and could be seen as lacking any true weight even for a crown prince. But Eirika loved the earnest look in his eyes. He always worried about those suffering from poverty and illness, and it pained his heart greatly. She loved that kindness of his.

"You'll surely become an amazing emperor." She responded.

He shook his head in surprise. “I'm nowhere near ready yet… I am still far too inexperienced…”

That memory already felt like it had happened so long ago, but only about a year and a half had passed since they last spoke as friends.

How could things change so much in just a year and a half? Lyon’s dream for Grado’s Sacred Stone had already been destroyed by the very father he respected so much. No matter what his thoughts were now, he must be suffering...

“I don’t know if these two things are related, but…”

At the sound of her brother’s voice, Eirika snapped out of her reminiscing and looked up. He was looking around at everyone as he spoke.

“I have actually heard a concerning story as well.” Ephraim waved towards the door to the hall.

He must have said something to the guards earlier, as they seemed to know exactly what he meant by the signal and opened the door, inviting in a little girl who’d been waiting outside.

It was Myrrh. She had changed out of the simple clothing she’d worn while on their journey, and was now nicely dressed. She was standing up straight now, and looked even cuter than before.

She entered the room, maintaining her polite and proper posture as she walked, then kneeled down on one knee in front of the king.

King Hayden was confused that the prince had brought in a girl he’d never seen before, and looked at Ephraim. “Who is this girl?”

“Her name is Myrrh. Myrrh, this is King Hayden of Frelia.”

Myrrh nodded and bended over slightly.

Eirika, who’d been watching the events unfold and wondering what was going on herself, gasped.

Two giant wings spread out from Myrrh's back.

While they were traveling, she must have folded them up to make them small enough to hide. The billowing outfits made with a large amount of fabric that she’d worn must have been specifically to hide her wings.

Everyone in the room started talking all at once. Myrrh looked over at Ephraim with a nervous expression on her face as she stood back up.

“Myrrh, please explain to everyone what you told me.”

“...Could you tell them please, Ephraim?” She whispered in a voice that became quieter and quieter with each word, while refolding her wings with a light shuffling sound. Once she put on the cape she was holding in her arms, no one in the room could see any trace of them.

Ephraim started to tell the story. “She explained to me that she is a descendent of the ancient dragon tribe.”

“A Manakete…” King Hayden whispered in complete shock, and nodded slightly.

“Yes, that is correct. That is the name we use for her kind in our folklore.”

Eirika had never heard it before, but King Hayden went on to explain it.

“It appears many times in our folklore about the Sacred Stones. The Manakete are neither human nor monster, but an entirely different race."

As he spoke, the king’s eyes, full of emotion, were fixed on Myrrh. He couldn’t seem to shake off his surprise that a member of the tribe of legend was standing right in front of him.

Ephraim once again urged Myrrh to speak. She was still shy, but this time opened her mouth.

"We… lived quietly and peacefully in the Darkling Woods. But, one day, we felt an ominous energy.”

“An energy…?”

"It came from the south. We felt a very bad, scary energy."

Eirika pictured a map of the continent in her head.

The Darkling Woods was a forest region located roughly in the center of the continent. From ancient times, it was a land that humans had not entered, and was the one territory left that no country ruled over. And to the south of it was...

"Grado." Ephraim declared.

Myrrh nodded and continued. “My friends and I went to see what that energy was. But along the way, we became mixed up in the war, and were separated. After that, a group of bad people stole my Dragonstone. As they were about to capture me, Ephraim saved me.”

“I didn’t believe her story at first either. Manakete were just a thing of legend to me. However, when I saw her wings, I could not deny it. I don’t know what this “ominous energy” that she speaks of is, but I thought it might have something to do with Grado’s sudden invasion, so we decided that she would come with me.”

“Manakete were just a thing of legend to me.” ...Those words made Eirika think of the monsters she’d seen in the Za’ha Forest.

She’d thought of monsters as just a thing of legend, and would never forget her surprise when they appeared before her very own eyes. Manakete and monsters were different, but it wasn’t likely to be a coincidence that the two types of living creatures who had kept themselves hidden from humans since ancient times appeared before them at the same time...

Myrrh seemed to sense Eirika’s uneasiness, as she said, “Even now, I can still feel the ominous energy. It is the reason why the monsters that have slept for so long are beginning to awaken. I want to stop it.” Her voice was resolute.

Eirika thought of Myrrh as a mysterious girl that acted very mature of her age, but now that she knew she was a Manakete, she could believe it. Though she looked like a human, her ancient race had very long lifespans. She was surely decades… or even hundreds of years old.

The serious and grave story they’d just heard left everyone at a loss for words. Not a single person was making a sound when they suddenly heard a loud noise.

The door burst open and several soldiers came rushing in.

The young soldiers were so worked up that they entirely forgot proper etiquette, and did not even bow before shouting at the king, “We have an urgent report, Y-Your Majesty! The Tower… The Tower of Valdi was raided, and the Sacred Stone was…!”

The moment he heard the words “Sacred Stone,” all of the color drained from the king’s face.

Eirika swallowed and looked at the soldiers.

“It was destroyed! By the Grado Army!”

“Wh… What? That can’t be!” The king panicked and stood up. “We should have had enough soldiers stationed there! We secured the defenses so well that they should have even been able to withstand an air raid!”

“They were led by two of Grado’s six generals… Tiger Eye Caellach, and Fluorspar Selena. Our army fought back, but was crushed in only half a day…!”

Eirika jumped when he said Selena’s name.

It was the name of the composed and beautiful female general she’d met in the mountain village that was attacked by bandits.

She’d said that there were no borders when it came to the lives of ordinary citizens, and given her all to try and protect the people of Renais… And Eirika remembered that she’d left their encounter with the impression that such people existed even within the Grado Army.

Seth, who’d been listening in complete silence from the back until now, quietly began to speak.

“Fluorspar Selena is the name General Dussel gave her. I’ve heard that the emperor also trusts her very much.”

“To send a main force like that… Do they really wish that strongly for the Sacred Stones to be destroyed?" A rush of exhaustion overcame King Hayden, and he collapsed in his chair. “I don’t know… What Emperor Vigard could possibly be thinking…? This ominous energy… Grado’s invasion… the destruction of the Sacred Stones… Just who is trying to do what…?”

“Father, now is not the time to stand by and watch!” Innes was the first to break out of his trance, and stood right back up. His piercing voice echoed through the room and snapped King Hayden back to reality as well.

“You’re right. Now is not the time to lament what has happened. If we do not act, things will only get worse. First, we must warn every country that houses a Sacred Stone. Renais’ and Frelia’s stones have been destroyed, so that leaves Jehanna’s and Rausten’s. We must protect their stones at all cost. We will tell them that they are in danger, and offer to fight alongside them.”

“I will go.” The first to step forward was none other than Innes. “This situation is extremely abnormal and difficult to believe. If we send a random person, then Jehanna and Rausten may or may not believe them. But if the prince of Frelia himself visited them, they would not be able to refuse us.” His words were full of pride.

King Hayden looked at his son with eyes full of hope and trust. “But you’ve just returned from battle. Can you deploy so soon?”

“Of course. I will leave right away for the Kingdom of Jehanna, and form an alliance with them.”

“I apologize. I’m probably the one who should really go…”

“What are you saying? You cannot leave the country at a time like this. I will go.”

“Then I will go to Rausten!” Eirika shouted.

Ephraim’s eyes widened at her declaration. “What are you saying, Eirika!? We just came back, didn’t we? You can’t push yourself…”

“Inness is right. This situation is not a normal one. We can’t help being tired and in danger no matter where we are. And Rausten is closer than Jehanna. We’ll be there in no time if we take a ship up north. It won’t be dangerous.”

“...You’re right.” Ephraim realized just how serious his little sister was, and nodded. She may seem docile, but no one knew better than her twin brother that once she’d spoken, her mind would not be swayed.

“Then I will march to the Grado capital.”

“What…?” This time, King Hayden looked like he had stopped breathing. “What are you planning to do, Ephraim? Are you really going to invade Grado from here…?”

“Yes. If the capital is seized, then the war will be over. It would be best to end it as soon as possible, wouldn’t it?”

“You can’t. It is too reckless. The Grado Empire’s power is great… The force guarding the capital will be far stronger than the one that invaded Renais. And some of the other generals, particularly General Duessel, remain at the emperor’s side…”

Ephraim’s face clouded when he heard Duessel’s name, as he had once traveled to the capital to study the lance under General Duessel. The general’s sincerity had a profound effect on him, and he deeply respected him.

However, now was not the time to waver. “If they are my enemy, whoever they may be, I will have no choice but to fight them.”

King Hayden was amazed by Ephraim’s words. Hidden within his eyes, opened wide in surprise, was nostalgia for a time long gone. He relaxed suddenly and smiled.

“Please… don’t remind me of Fado. Your father was also a man known for his boldness. When he was young, he always made everyone around him so anxious…”

He was probably thinking about the old friend that he had lost. Eirika could see tears in his eyes.

But when he continued speaking, his voice was resolute. “Very well. Then I will entrust everything to you three. Innes will go to the Kingdom of Jehanna. Eirika will go to the Theocracy of Rausten. And Ephraim will go to the Grado Empire. Since you are each going in three separate directions, I cannot provide any of you with a large army. You will likely have difficult roads ahead of you…”

Ephraim nodded towards the king, then looked at Eirika and Innes. “If even one of us were to be defeated, then we would lose the war. Do not make any mistakes.”

“I wo-”

‘I won’t.’ Eirika tried to say, but Innes cut her off.

“This is me you’re talking about. Do you think I would fail?”

Ephraim shrugged his shoulders lightly.

Eirika said, “I will fulfill my duty! You two be careful as well!”

At King Hayden's order, they each quickly began to prepare for their departure.

Though they were busy, Eirika and Ephraim managed to find time to speak to each other while slowly walking down one of the castle’s corridors.

Ephraim whispered, "If I were to be honest, I would say that I do not want you to go. Though you've gotten stronger, you are a woman, so I'd like for you to wait for me here."

"There is no need for you to worry about me."

Eirika smiled. When they were children, Ephraim had always had a habit of saying to others “Don’t baby her just because she’s a girl!”

She also remembered when he would say to her, “You shouldn’t be quick to cry just because you’re a girl!” and drag her along with him as if she were a boy.

She wondered if that philosophy of his had changed now. But when she realized that he was just concerned about her from the very bottom of his heart, it made her smile.

“My journey to Rausten will be much easier than yours or Innes’... so much so that I want to apologize. I’m the one who should be worried about you! It’s too dangerous to face the Grado Empire head-on!”

“Me? There’s no way I would lose to Grado, is there?”

Despite his terrible relationship with Innes, they sounded just like each other. They themselves might not realize it, but they did have their similarities. They may look like total opposites on the outside, but their confidence and strong wills were exactly the same.

“You know I know very well of both your talent and luck.”

“It’s not luck. It’s all talent.”

“Of course. But Grado is just so strong that you can’t keep letting your guard down.”

“I know that. I do not pick battles that I cannot win. I will not die and leave you all alone.” Ephraim suddenly squeezed her hand.

It surprised her. His hand was warm and strong.

“Promise me that we will survive and meet again, Eirika.”

“...Yes. I promise.” She concentrated all her strength into her hand and squeezed back. When they were children, their hands were almost the same size, but now, his was far bigger. And his skin was now the hard and rough skin of the hands of a soldier.

It was not only a handshake as brother and sister, but also one of comrades in war. Eirika prayed from the very bottom of her heart that the day would come when they could hold hands like this once more.

After getting ready the next morning, Eirika came down the stairs to find two knights standing there, waiting for her in the corner of the hallway.

They were Ephraim’s most trusted men, Forde and Kyle.

“Good morning, Lady Eirika!”

“Are you going to deploy soon?”

“Yes. You are too, right? Please take care of my brother. Do your best to keep him from doing anything reckless…”

“About that...” Forde said and looked at Kyle.

Kyle proclaimed loudly, “It was decided that we would go with you, Lady Eirika.”

“...Huh?” Eirika tilted her head.

Kyle lowered his voice as he continued speaking, “King Hayden was very considerate to give Lord Ephraim the main force of the Frelian Army.”

“I… I see. He is going to be fighting the most important battle, after all…”

“‘And that’s why I don’t need you two worrying about me.’ He said. ‘I want you to go with Eirika.’ He said.” Forde grumbled.

“But if you two aren’t at his side, won’t it make the battles more difficult for Brother? No matter how much of the Frelian Army is with him, without you two…”

“I feel the same way. But, depending on how you look at it, if he’s always worried about you, he might not be able to fight as hard as he could. If that’s how he feels, then he probably thought that telling us to go with you would allow him to relax.”

“Forde, don’t say it like that!” Kyle yelled at him, then apologized for his rudeness to Eirika. “Lady Eirika, our lord told us not to worry about him, and that we should instead protect you. As this was Lord Ephraim’s personal decision, I trust that it cannot be wrong.”

“Yeah, that is true. He’ll be fine even if we ignore him. There’s no one more tough and stubborn than him.”

Kyle glared at him for saying that, but Forde just grinned in response.

Kyle’s words resonated with Eirika. If it was Ephraim's decision, it couldn't be wrong. "I understand. Then please, come with me. You are the knights Brother trusts most… I look forward to fighting alongside you.”

"Ah, please don't bow! You've got the routine all wrong! Lord Ephraim would just say 'C'mon, let's go!'" Forde joked.

Kyle finally could not hold back any longer, and stepped on Forde's foot, then vowed, "We will protect you, Lady Eirika!"

“For our motherland, Renais! And for Lady Eirika!" Forde chimed in, sounding serious just this once, as he was following up with what Kyle had said. But he was immediately back to his carefree self again, adding in his own words, “Let’s go! At our own pace!”

#fire emblem #fe #fe8 #sacred stones #nintendo #game boy advance #gba #japan #japanese #translation #novel #light novel #eirika #fe8 novelization translation

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eleanorbloom · 4 years ago

Text

All I Ever Wanted (Bryce Lahela x f!MC)

Warnings: Angst, cursing and smut. The second half of the chapter is NSFW and not suited for minors (I left a mark for those who want to read the first part fic but are not comfortable with smut).

A/N: Hello!

I swore to myself that I’d only write my series and a collab I was invited to do, but chapter 12 left me wanting for more, so here we have the love and smut that was missing in that 30💎 scene. I’m a hopless romantic so prepare yourselves for a bit of cheesiness.

I’m using the same tag from my BrycexMCxEthan series, thinking you would be interested in read this, so, if you want to be removed from this post, just let me know!

A/N2: I apologize in advance for any mistakes, English is not my frist language.

That’ll be all.

Enjoy!

Taglist @utterlyinevitable @shanzay44 @choicesficwriterscreations @laiba-the-person @starrystarrytrouble @lahellacute @lucy-268 @aylamreads @binny1985 @romewritingshop

_____

All I Ever Wanted

The chatter of people had decreased into an unstable hiss from the few people left in the room.

Bryce had said goodbye to Bobby’s and Danny’s family and was waiting for Eleanor, who was immersed in a joyful but melancholic exchange of memories with Danny’s mother.

When he found a picture of the hospital staff at a picnic a few months ago, he couldn’t help but smile at the happy faces of colleagues and friends having a good time, without the worries of daily routines.

No one could’ve ever imagined at that moment that two of those smiling faces would leave so soon. Nor that it could have been four.

As he sensed his eyes starting to burn again, he blinked swiftly to keep the tears at bay.

“You okay?”—Her voice was soft as a whisper, careful enough to not startle him as she appeared beside him out of the blue.

Bryce turns to his right, where Eleanor was looking at him with a worried expression.

“Yeah, it’s just… I know we deal with life and death every day, but it feels different to lose our people and so unexpectedly.”

Especially when someone you love was so close to death, he says in his head.

“Yeah, I know”

Eleanor looks around the hall as one of the volunteers starts packing up chairs. There were a few groups at the corner, mostly family and relatives of the heroes of Edenbrook. All their friends had gone by now.

“I’m ready if you want to leave”

“Let’s go, then.”—Bryce says as he heads to the door. Eleanor follows suit, instantly.

Outside, the sky is completely closed with thick, black clouds, threatening with rain any minute now.

“Should we take a cab?”—He asks, looking up the sky.

“No, I’d like to walk, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.”

As they start to walk, they notice how quiet the street was. The only noises accompanying them was the clicking of her shoes, and a few cars passing by a couple of blocks away. Bryce couldn’t help but get lost in the sound of her steps. The confirmation for the umpteenth time that she was alive and walking by his side. As if the last few days, the last few hours hadn’t been proof enough.

Since the moment he knew Eleanor could die, every moment with her feels like a treasure to him. A challenge to not take anything for granted, especially her existence, and to make the most of his time with her. They couldn’t waste any more time.

With that in mind, Bryce looks down at her, searching for her hand. She had both hands pocketed and as she saw he was offering his hand, she tangled her fingers into his.

Although her face was pale and gloomy, Bryce noticed how her eyes softened at the touch of his skin. He felt tickles at the sensation of her soft touch in him.

They walked in comfortable silence the few streets that separated the reception center from Eleanor’s apartment. Every few feet, they would stare at each other and smile imperceptibly, Bryce just for having her by his side, Eleanor for having him when she needed the most.

Once they reach her apartment street, a thunder roared loudly above them, waking them from their deep thoughts.

“I guess the sky is angry too.”—She says looking up as she stops in her tracks, waiting for the bolt.

“Yeah.”

And all Bryce can think of, is if Eleanor wouldn’t have made it that night, the sky would have broken the earth in two. His earth, his world, his heart. Everything would have fallen apart if she’d gone.

Then, the sky turns white and shiny for an instant. The stroke of lightning like an enormous photograph flash illuminates their faces and makes them realize how wonderful life can be with just so little.

After a moment she turns to him, looking for his beautiful brown eyes. But she can’t get enough as Bryce just take her by the nape of her neck and kisses her like he was gasping for air. His lips were cold, but in a matter of seconds, they were melting every inch of her skin he touched, his tongue roaming her lips, then her lips sucking his lower lip impatiently in an almost-too-fair exchange of kisses.

As Eleanor lets out a moan, a shower of rain comes down, soaking them in an instant. Neither of them seems to mind. Somehow the rain was all that they needed at that moment: something that washed them for all their fears, the loss, the pain. The uncertainty.

Eleanor rests her forehead in his, panting.

“Would you stay with me tonight?”—She pleads.

“I’d love to, Elle”—He replies before taking her by the hips and kissing her again, this time softly.

After a long moment, he embraces her, burying his face in her wavy, damp hair.

He breathes the sweet scent of her shampoo, bringing memories of the first time he discovered it.

Donahue’s was packed. Everyone was there celebrating the first day of residency. Eleanor had agreed to play darts with him. The bet was a kiss. The moment she turned to him, all victoriously, a trail of pomegranate scent reached his nostrils. And that night, even if she won, Bryce felt like a winner too, as they’d share the second kiss of that day.

“Should we go inside?”—Bryce doesn’t respond, still lost in memories.—“Bryce?”

He pulls away reluctantly. There’s a mix of longing and vulnerability in his eyes she had never seen before. As if he was opening the doors of all the mysteries he had kept sealed since... Always.

“Yeah, it’s just… I’m so glad you’re still here. I can’t help but feel thankful every moment I’m with you.”

“Me too. I feel thankful for being alive and to have you by my side.”

She gives him a quick peck in her wet lips and then she takes him by the hand, pulling him to the building. The rain still pouring.

“Do you think Keiki will be okay if you stay?”

“Yeah. I’ll text her to let her know I’m not coming home, anyway.”

By the time Bryce and Eleanor enter her room, Bryce was pocketing his cellphone back into his jacket.

“All settled. She kinda assumed I would spend the night with you”—Bryce replies, sheepishly.

“Your sister is always two steps ahead of you, it doesn’t surprise me at all.”—She retorts as she balances herself in one foot, taking off her Mary Jane stilettos. Then she continues with her coat.

Bryce stands there, at the door, watching her silently, studiously.

“Are you okay, Bryce? You seem… really pensive.”—She asks, walking towards him.

He can’t help but feel a wave of tenderness as she is now at her natural height. About 3 inches shorter.

She cups his cheeks both hands and caresses him with the tip of her thumbs.

“Mmh?”

“Honestly, I-”—He clears his throat, feeling it tight.—I feel a little out of control. One minute I’m laughing and telling a story about some prank Danny and I pulled on the OR staff… the next I want to bawl… the next I feel terrified. Of what could’ve happened to you, of what could happen tomorrow…”

“I feel the same.”—She admits—"Every little thing knocks me off balance. Somehow today made everything that happened seem more… real than it did before."

“That’s it exactly. Before, I was somehow still able to keep it all in the ‘work’ portion of my brain, but now…”

“Now it’s taken over.”

Now Bryce was realizing how things would have been if she hadn’t made it. If the team wouldn’t have gotten the antidote. Or if Rafael wouldn’t have been there to protect her. She would have left this planet just as soon as Bobby Gunderson did. Without a chance to say goodbye, without a chance to tell her how much she meant to him.

A sob escapes in his breath, and suddenly he wraps her tightly, this time like he is clinging onto life. As if he frees her from his arms, she'll become thin air and will be gone completely oblivious of what he feels.

Tears were streaming down all over his face, a grimace of terror and hollowness that shattered her heart the moment she saw it.

“Bryce…”—She whispers, her eyes shimmering with tears, containing her own sob at the sight of him so vulnerable.

“The… the night I stayed with you I… I couldn’t even close my eyes, afraid that you could be gone any second. And… I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted to tell you what you mean to me, but I felt like if I did it at that moment, would be like a farewell, like a confession in deathbed, and I couldn’t think that way.”

His lips were quivering while trying to find the exact words to continue.

"Since the moment I knew you would be okay, I realized that I wasted so much time all these months, Elle. Trying to play it cool, hiding my feelings, my worries. Trying to keep my walls up, just to be strong and be the support you need. As if I didn’t need anything. And I realized that somehow, I was unknowingly pushing you away when you have been the person I’ve open up the most. About my family, about what I lived in college because of my parents. And at the thought of you leaving… without knowing how much you mean to me, it felt selfish… unfair.

“Bryce, it’s okay. We all have our times...”

“This is not about time, Eleanor, it’s about fear, about pride. But after what you have been through, I felt stupid for fear something as absurd as my own pride. My charade of having all under control.”

Eleanor wiped the tears in his cheeks.

“I love you, Eleanor.”—He said in the most steady voice he could—You’re the only person that from the moment I met, knew you wouldn't let me down as so many others did, even my own family. But somehow, it took me this long and all this tragedy to finally tell you how I feel about you. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry."

Large tears run down her face. But her eyes were shining with a warmth he hasn’t seen in weeks.

“Bryce…”—Eleanor saw the raw vulnerability of Bryce Lahela. The person she had grown to love even if she knew half of the depths and torments of his mind and heart. But now that she was knowing him at his lowest, it only increased the affection and care for him.

She observed the features of the man who was taking the biggest leap of faith and, becoming the bravest man she knew by showing all his vulnerability, even if it was his biggest fear. Then she kissed all the spots she had look: His forehead, his temples, cheeks, nose, jawline, chin, eyes, to finally his lips. Each peck filled with adoration.

"Bryce, you don’t have anything to be sorry for. I've been afraid too, because since the moment I met you you’ve been the one in my heart, but I was afraid of scaring you away, or lose you because you might not feel the same. But the truth is... I love you. I love you since, I don’t know. It feels like forever.”

On a normal day, Bryce would've retorted something flirty or cocky like "Of course you would, I'm too irresistible", but that day wasn't a normal day.

The rain had washed all his charades, all veils of confidence, carelessness, self-assurance, and all his flirty retorts. All that was left, was his deepest fears and hollows of his heart: to grew up in a family that never really cared for him; to lose his parents at the age of seventeen: to have to endure the consequences of his parents' actions, and always end up alone, without real friends, without anyone who would love him unconditionally.

Since the age of seventeen, he had always been on his own. His own emotional support. There never was a single person who would be there for him to vent up, to process feelings, emotions, stress. And since the moment he met Eleanor, he knew it would be different. But he had been carrying the fear for ten years. It wouldn't be easy to let all those walls go. But when it happened, when Eleanor found out about his sister, it was so easy to let the walls crumble. And even if he was used to seeing the judgment in everyone's eyes after finding his truth out, the only thing Eleanor gave him was understanding, support, empathy, generosity. Love. Unconditionally love.

“Let me take care of you”—She whispers, caressing his cheeks in the most tender way. As if he were about to break. —“You don’t need to carry all by yourself. You’re not alone anymore.”

He nods imperceptibly, as Eleanor kisses his forehead and he rests his head on her chest. She strokes his head as he hears Bryce sobbing, letting all out.

“I’m with you, love.”

How many nights she had dreamed of calling him that way. More than she could remember. And it felt so right.

How many nights he had dreamed of being called that way by her. More than he could remember. And it felt so right.

It enlightened his heart that had been buried deep inside all his fears and traumas. He felt alive like never before.

After a while, his breath steadies and he pulls himself out of her grip, looking at her in the eyes.

“Thank you.”

Bryce leans, kissing her chastely in the lips. They stare at each other, smiling.

**NSFW**

After a few seconds, they kiss again, but the connection lingers, an innocent and sweet peck that soon turns into something more. Feeling the softness of his lips on her unleashes a desire that starts to flow quickly through her veins.

She opens her mouth in response to the desire, capturing his lips between her teeth, their breaths becoming one.

“Bryce, I want you…”—She parts from him a single moment, just to let him know her mind.

“And I need you, Eleanor”—Bryce gasp loudly before kissing her again, this time drawing a trail of kisses down her neck.

After feeling dead all those days, immersed in confusion, pain, and fear, she had made him feel alive. And he wanted to spend the first moment of his awakening by adoring her in the sweetest and exquisite way.

Soon, Eleanor unbuttons his tux and shirt, leaving kisses in every inch exposed, discarding it on the floor.

Then Bryce turns her to unfasten her black dress in the back, facing the same fate as his shirt. He embraces her for the back, roaming his hands all over her curves, pinching her hips, her waist, and then cupping her breast with both hands while leaving sloppy kisses in the crook of her neck. A wave of popcorn and vanilla intoxicates him with more desire. He pulls her tight against him, groaning as her lower back presses his crotch. He grips her throat with one hand, arching her head back, kissing her fiercely, while Eleanor roams one hand between his tights, making him release a moan in her mouth.

Eleanor frees herself from his arms, and bringing her hands to his belt, working on his pants until she sends it to the floor like the rest of their clothes. Then she takes off her pantyhose, and when she ups her head to look at Bryce, she finds him looking at her silently, contemplating every inch of her body.

“What?”

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

“Maybe a million times.”

“Make that one million and one, then. You’re absolutely gorgeous”.—He whispers, starting to suck kisses down her jawline, and staying at her chest for a few more moments, while he unclasps her bra and tosses it to the floor. After that, he buries her face in her breasts, cupping them with his hands and feeling the exquisite aroma of her skin concentrating in the apex of her breasts.

He slides his lips softly to her nipples, sucking it delicately at first, but then he nibbles them hard, making a moan escape from her throat.

His touch is like never before. Is gentle but confident. He knows exactly what he's doing, but somehow he touches her with new delicacy, with adoration. Thanking for being alive with every inch of skin he kisses.

As he goes down, Bryce takes her by the hips and pushes her to the bed, pulling her panties out. His kisses along her stomach and belly feel like fire, as he is getting closer to her sweet spot. Eleanor gasps with anticipation.

Bryce grips her tights and opens them while leaving kisses and licks in her mound and just around her folds. Eleanor breaths heavily, her hips moving involuntarily as his soft kisses tickle in her core.

She thought he would tease her for a minute or two. But that night wasn't about teasing. Was about need and adoration. And he didn't want to waste another second without adoring her most sweet and satisfactory way.

Eleanor tugs the quilt as she felt his tongue sliding slowly through her folds and towards her clit.

“God”—She whispers.

After a few moments working on her core, Bryce places one finger inside her, then two. Then he curls them gently while looking for the right spot until she indicates he has reached it.

“Yes, yes, there, there!”

Without leaving her nub, Bryce goes up, leaning to Eleanor, kissing her breasts to then brush his lips into hers. The moment they meet, Eleanor takes his head desperately, moaning in her mouth while his fingers keep moving in circles and entering in her.

"Yes"—She breathes desperately, Bryce observing every feature of her face. The way her mouth was making a perfect O, the crease in her forehead when she frowns as the pleasure overtakes her.

Bryce picks up more speeds, and her hips began to shake uncontrollably. Bryce looks at her as a deity professing all her powers.

And her power works like a painkiller to him. Seeing her like that, reaching the peak of satisfaction the human nature can have, is the best proof he can get of how alive she is.

Her whole body shudders and then her voice is off, unable to articulate another sound. She can only return the kiss he gives her before tumbling beside her.

As Eleanor catches her breath a few moments later, she steals him a kiss, gripping his arousal. Then she mumbles in a sultry voice:

“How you want me?”

He wasn’t expecting that question, but after a few moments of deliberation, he answers:

“On all fours”

As if her patience was extinguishing, Eleanor stands up immediately, takes his underwear off, and then she crawls onto the bed as Bryce asked.

Bryce places himself behind her and grabbed her by the hips and enters her. Slowly at first, sensing every inch of her as he pushes and pushes until all his length was inside her. Eleanor leaned on her elbows, stroking her hair as Bryce began to thrust her. The feeling of him inside her sends shivers down her spine, waking every fiber of her again. She feels alive, desired, loved.

“Bryce”—She groans.

Suddenly, Bryce takes her by the wrists, pulling her body to his chest, without stop pounding her. With one hand he cups her breast, with the other, he slides his finger to her clit. Eleanor arches her back, leaning the nape of her neck on his shoulder while tugging his hair in the back of his head.

“You feel incredible, babe”

"Don’t stop, please"—She cries in a tiny voice, as Bryce began to thrust her harder.—”Yes…”

“You like that?”

“Yes, y... you?”

“I love it”—Now his finger picks up speed.

“Fuck, yes, Bryce.”

Bryce kisses her jawline before pushing her back to the mattress, now taking both wrists and crossing them on her low back, holding them there.

As he pounds her faster, the noise of their bodies colliding fills the room, a maddening melody that brings them higher and higher.

“Fuck, yes… I wanted you exactly like this, Bryce”

“Like what?”

“Fucking me hard”

Bryce groans as her words invade his mind.

Their bodies connected was another proof of how alive she was, and how alive he was.

But something was missing.

He pulled away, got on his feet, and turned her in one swift motion, her body, shimmering in sweat, now facing him. Eleanor looks at him, expectantly.

“At least this time, I don’t wanna miss your pretty face while you cum.”

She grins naughtily, biting her lower lip.

Placing himself over her, he grazes her nipples, to then go up to kiss her.

After a few moments lost in her mouth, he stands and takes her hips, raising her a bit, reaching her sweet spot, and making her squeeze on the inside

“Bryce, yes”

Every thrust harder, nosier. Every thrust breaking the chains of the fear, of the loss, of what wasn't said. Of what he could've done. Every thrust getting them near to the edge, to the end of that once endless road of loneliness, of charades, of pretend.

There was no return now.

“Elle"—He breathes, sensing his body was losing control, her body tightened around him, making him explode any second now.

“Come here, please”—She sighed.

Bryce lowers to her. Eleanor captures his lips instantly, as she was about to choke out of air.

“Bryce, you’re incredible"—She says, dizzy—“I’m… I’m… Ahhh!"—She buries her mouth on his shoulder, as she reaches her long-awaited orgasm.

The raw moan is enough to make him cum against her, growling while he motions erratically over her, as the sensations overwhelm him. Then he collapses by her side, both trying to catch their breaths.

They stay in silence for a couple of minutes, the big smiles never leave their faces.

“Is your need satisfied?”—She asks, turning to him.

“Honestly?”—He replies, placing a hand in her waist—“No, I’m not done, yet.”

“Good, me neither.”

Bryce wraps her in a warm embrace and Eleanor nuzzles in his chest, drunk of tenderness and love.

The rain had stopped falling. The room was quiet. They could only hear their breaths. The basic and simple proof that they were alive at that moment. Alive and absolutely aware of what they felt about each other.

“I love you”—She says softly.

“I love you too, baby.”

There was nothing left to say, but words of reaffirmation for a lifetime.

______

#bryce lahela #bryce lahela x mc #bryce x mc #bryce x casey #open heart #open heart choices #open heart fanfiction #choices fanfiction #fanfic #Oh fanfic #choices #oh choices #playchoices #choices stories you play

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agentark88 · 4 years ago

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Think: Alone on Christmas

My Hero Academia Fan Fiction by Agent ARK 88

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction using characters and settings from My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia created by Kohei Horikoshi. I do not claim any ownership of characters present in this piece that are owned and created by Kohei Horikoshi. I do not own My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia.

Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Warning: This work contains mild language and violence. Please be aware this piece is in second person perspective, following my original character, Think, Anna Kokoro, who is a transfer student from America. This chapter does not affect the current story or timeline of the other chapters for Think, it is simply a fun side-story chapter. You do not need to read the previous chapters in order to enjoy this one.

Think: Alone on Christmas:

Bakugo blinked at you a couple of times as you held out the plate of homemade decorative sugar-cookies for him to take.

“What the hell do you want from me?” he asked, scowling down at the cookies in your hands.

“N-nothing. I just came by to give you some holiday cookies. I know you don’t really eat them, but you could always share them at home with your family, or…” you trailed off, given that Bakugo’s expression hadn’t changed. You cleared your throat. “Well, I made a few exclusively for you actually. They’re the red ones. They have half the sugar in them.”

Bakugo scanned you over again, rolling his eyes. He clicked his tongue. “Whatever. Thanks.” He shut the door in your face.

You shrugged it off, thankful that he took them at all. You’d worked all morning making cookies for your classmates. Christmas wasn’t exactly a joyous holiday for you. Your parents didn’t really approve of the things that you liked, Pro Heroes and video games, so you ended up with presents that a “normal” child should want. Your parents didn’t even put up the tree once you’d turned about ten. You still liked Christmas, despite all of this. You managed decorating on your own, baking cookies, and making homemade gifts. The holidays swept you up in a storm of sparkles and magic, and you always let it take you.

This would be your first Christmas at UA, and it was already evident that most of the students, if not all of them, would be going home for the holidays. Your parents were still under police protection due to the recent villain activity surrounding you. Since they were both quirkless, the local law enforcement had taken the initiative to move them to an undisclosed location. You didn’t know where they were, nor would they tell you. It was for their own safety. The only thing that this meant for you was that you wouldn’t see them on Christmas, not that you’d see them anyway while you were in the same home together years prior.

Celebrating Christmas at UA without family might have been a lonely thought for any other student, but for you, it was an opportunity to really get into the spirit. You didn’t have a lot of money, so you opted to bake all of your classmates cookies. Bakugo was the last person on your list to hand them out to. Everyone in your class was already more receptive to your cheerful attitude toward the upcoming holidays than your parents had ever been, so it was really nice to be able to give them something.

You pushed the box of decorations that Mr. Aizawa had gotten you from UA storage. He found your enthusiasm a bit exhausting, but he readily assisted you when you had inquired if there were any winter-like decorations hidden away. You intended on decorating Class 1-A’s common area. You’d do the whole building if you had enough decorations, but it didn’t appear that that was going to be the case.

You easily hung garlands and tinsel with your quirk. You tacked small hanging snowflakes from the ceiling. You also positioned a few wreaths in the perfect spots. You pulled out a fake tree from the box, along with a box of lights and bulbs. When you reached the bottom of the dusty box, you found a small bundle of mistletoe. You blushed furiously at thought of hanging it up. Your hair rose from your forehead just at the implication of an obligatory holiday kiss. There was more than one student in your class that would take advantage of such an object being hung up, so you decided against it. But, just as you leaned back from the box, a voice startled you.

“Not going to hang that up, Kitten?” Shinso asked. He’d somehow snuck up on you and was so close his breath was hitting your neck.

You put your hand on your chest to steady your racing heart. He smirked at you, leaning back and shoving his hands in his pockets.

“I wasn’t planning to,” you said honestly.

“Ah, good. I wouldn’t want you to be put in a position like that with anyone but myself.”

“S-Shinso,” you stuttered. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m not keen on other men kissing you,” he said shortly, raising an eyebrow at you, as if it should have been obvious. “Or, were you referring to the fact that I alluded to wanting to be under the mistletoe with you?”

You blushed. “I-I don’t know why I even asked you something like that. You like to tease me too much.”

Shinso chuckled, holding his hands up defensively. “It’s only because you have the cutest reactions to my teasing.”

“Well, be easy on me, especially around this time of year. My heart can’t take it.”

Shinso nodded slowly, still smiling. “This time of year? You’re not one of those holiday enthusiasts are you? Don’t tell me you’re going to start singing carols and spreading Christmas cheer.” His smile dropped, seeing as you didn’t readily respond. He scanned the room. “You put this all up by yourself?”

“I did, and if you make fun of it, I might just start singing carols out of spite,” you said, pouting. “I promise I won’t get too carried away around you though, Mr. Scrooge.”

“Ah, Kitten. I didn’t mean to make you upset. I just didn’t think you’d be into this holiday stuff. This cold weather always just makes me want to nap rather than be nagged at by the family.”

“I can understand that,” you said, pulling out pieces of the fake tree to assemble. “Holidays at the house weren’t always pleasant…it was actually rather quiet. It’s been nice being able to spend the beginning of the holiday season with friends.”

Shinso stiffened, rubbing the back of his head. He knelt down next to you. “Want some help?” he asked.

“If you don’t mind,” you said, shifting the pieces into his hands.

“So, what’s your favorite part about the holidays?” Shinso asked, deftly putting together the tree in no time.

“I like the snow the best around this time of the year. Making snow angels, building snowmen, and sledding, you know the regular stuff. I didn’t really get the chance to share presents with friends or have a huge family dinner or anything. The decorations are a lot of fun too.”

Shinso gave you a small smile. “Yeah, you always did like sparkles, didn’t you?”

You held up an ornament that was aggressively shining. “This one looks like my hero costume.”

Shinso shook his head, standing and rubbing his hands together. ��I got your cookies by the way. Thanks for those. I’m sure my parents will be happy to get some. I’m too lazy to bake anything.”

“Oh, no problem. I wish that I could have gotten everyone some better gifts, but I just don’t have the money right now.”

“It’s the thought that counts. Not all of our families are rich like Yaoyorozu’s or Icy Hot’s. I’m sure everyone appreciated the gesture. Plus, no one can bake quite like you can.”

“Woah! Totally beauticool!” Kirishima spun in the room, taking in all of the new decorations.

Sero and Denki followed him in. Their own eyes were entranced by the assortment hung up around them.

“You two could have asked for help you know?” Sero said, holding out a piece of his elbow tape.

“Kitten did all of this by herself. I just set up the tree,” Shinso said. “Speaking of which, I have to get going. I’ve got some stuff to pack before I head home.” He checked his watch before giving you all a wave goodbye. You waved back, thanking him for the help.

Kirishima was distracted by all of the glittery decorations around him. His red eyes darted across the room several times before landing back onto you. “You managed to do all of this and make cookies too?” Kirishima asked. “I hope that you’re not overworking yourself.” Kirishima gave you a pat on your shoulders, and you practically melted back into his warm touch, finally realizing all of the zipping around during the day had made your muscles ache.

“I like doing it,” you said, forcing yourself to lean away from him and hang up more ornaments.

Kirishima gave you a gleaming smile, taking the star from the box and making his way over to you. “Well, at least let us help.”

“W-wait! I want to put the star up on the tree,” you said in a flustered state. You frantically reached for it in Kirishima’s hands, and he stretched it up in the air. This, however, forced the two of you to collide chest first. Both of you instantly blushed, staring at each other in surprise.

Kirishima distanced himself first, holding down the star to you. “Y-you could have just said so.”

Kirishima shifted his gaze away from yours, as you took up the star between your fingers, beaming from ear to ear.

Just as you turned to focus your quirk, Kirishima’s hands met your waist, and he proceeded to lift you up from the ground. You squeaked in surprise, and he let out a light chuckle.

“I said that I wanted to help.”

You attempted to calm your beating heart and focus enough to place the star at the top of the tree. You felt the bright red blush heating up your face, feeling Kirishima’s light touch around you. You must have weighed nothing to him because you didn’t once feel like you were going to fall or that you were unstable. When you set the star in place, Kirishima gently put you down. His touch left the sweater hanging loosely around you feel like it was on fire. Your gaze lingered on each other, before Kaminari broke between the two of you with his electric smile in place.

“Kirishima scarfed down all of the cookies you gave him before he could share.” Denki pouted.

You blinked at him in confusion. “But, I set cookies in front of your door too. The package should be hanging on the handle.”

Kaminari’s smile didn’t falter, as if he’d already known that. “Oh, that’s so thoughtful of you. You’re always baking so much. I’d love to learn one or two little secrets from you in private.” Denki swept up your hand in his, grazing his lips against your knuckles.

You caught sight of Kirishima’s less than happy expression at his friend making a move on you. A blast of cool air had you shivering. Kaminari straightened. His face went white when he looked up at something behind you. A warm hand was firmly placed on your shoulder, and you tilted your head back to see Shoto standing there. Kaminari’s fingers left yours, and he hid behind Kirishima.

“S-Shoto! I’d thought you’d already left.” You gave him a warm smile, facing him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you your Christmas cookies in person.”

Shoto’s expression softened. He pulled you toward himself in one swift motion, holding you protectively at his side. This close, you had to turn your face all the way up to him. He was dressed in a black turtleneck that suited him very well. It made your simple light pink sweater seem informal. His dual-colored eyes scanned you. He breathed out, and a puff of condensed air followed. The scent of peppermint hit your senses.

“I was distracted this morning, so I wasn’t in my room. I did find your lovely present when I got back.” He smiled softly. “Thank you. I appreciate it. Fuyumi and Natsuo will appreciate the gesture as well.”

You tilted your head in confusion. “Distracted?”

You noticed the dark flush of Shoto’s cheeks, the light coolness of his fingertips.

“Have you been outside?”

“I’ve been skating,” he said evenly. “To clear my head, before I have to face my father for the holidays, I’ve made my own rink outside.”

Your eyes widened, sparkling with curiosity and genuine excitement. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to ice skate,” you said. “C-could you teach me?”

“I’m set to leave tomorrow morning,” Shoto stated, gazing at you with a distant look in his eyes, as if he was considering something. He suddenly gripped your hand tightly. “But, there’s time now. Of course I will.”

“B-but! Shoto, I have to make sure I clean up—”

“Ah, we can finish up in here! You’ve already done so much,” Kirishima interjected.

“Really, man? You’re going to let her just go off with another dude?” Kaminari said under his breath.

Kirishima shoved Kaminari back. “Really, it’s fine. Go have fun! Everyone should be able to learn something that they’ve always wanted to do.”

Shoto didn’t hesitate to continue to bring you with him. As you parted from the three boys, you could hear Kirishima whispering softly to himself.

“I can’t keep her from doing something that made her eyes light up like that…not even if it’s with another man.”

Shoto had led you back up to your room, allowing you to bundle up for the cold outside. Shoto took you to his room last, exiting it only with two pairs of skates and a scarf.

“Don’t you need to get a jacket or something?” you asked him.

“I’ll be fine. It’s good practice regulating my own body temperature. I’m more concerned that these skates will be far too big for you, even if they are my sister’s.” Shoto covered his mouth with his hand, looking away. “I never thought that they would come in handy, but my sister insisted that I have an extra set on hand.”

“A pair that’s not in your size, but why?” you asked.

“She thought that I may like to take a girl out on the ice one day,” he said softly. “I hadn’t understood what she meant by that until now.” His gaze shifted to meet your eyes.

Out of embarrassment, you turned away. “Your sister is always so thoughtful.”

Shoto hummed softly. He gripped your mitten-covered hand, leading you to the front door and finally out into the winter wonderland outside. The glittering white snow crunched under your boots, as Shoto led you to where he’d originally been, behind a few campus benches. He helped you to the bench, clearing off some fresh snow. He knelt down in front of you.

“Would you like assistance?” he asked, waiting for permission to help you with your skates.

You nodded. The chilly air nipped at your exposed skin. You watched Shoto carefully remove your boots, one at a time, replacing them with Fuyumi’s white skates. His movements were slow and gentle, as if he was handling delicate porcelain. Once he’d laced up your skates, he sat beside you, lacing up his own. He held his hand out to you to help you stand, holding out his left hand that radiated a tender warmth.

“Careful,” he murmured. His eyes stayed on you.

Your eyes went to your wobbling legs as you stepped out from the safety of the bench. Shoto’s hand never left you, strongly keeping you from falling.

“I have to refreeze the ice. Do you think that you could stand here for a moment without falling?”

You nodded, steadying and locking into place, so he could freeze a sheet of ice in front of him. With a single motion, Shoto had set a fresh rink. You let out a puff of condensed air that wisped out into the cold in a heavy smoke. You adjusted your knit hat over your ears, eyeing the slick glass-shimmering ice like a daunting obstacle. You couldn’t help how nervous you felt about trying something so new.

“Are you too cold?” Shoto asked. “Your face is abnormally flush.”

You brought your hands up to your face, looking off distantly. “I’m nervous,” you admitted.

Shoto scanned the ice. He moved toward it and took a step onto the mirrored surface, gliding across the freshly made ice like a dancer. There was a small bit of tension set in his shoulders, but his face was relaxed, his expression free. He steadied himself, moving back into your direction and holding out his hand to you.

“I won’t let you go. I promise. I’ll keep you steady.”

You gulped, reaching out to him cautiously. His slender fingers moved around your gloves. Clearly, he was steadier on ice than you’d ever be, but his solid posture and confidence melted through your nerves. Your first skate met the ice, and your eyes widened in worry. Shoto’s grip tightened.

“I’ve got you. Don’t panic. All you have to do is keep standing. I will guide you out,” he said.

You breathed out, squeaking softly when you put your other skate on the ice. You immediately felt your balance slip, but with Shoto’s firm grasp on you, he wouldn’t let you fall. A cold breeze blew through both of you, almost making it feel like you were flying at a slow but steady pace over the ice. You broke out into a genuine smile at the unfamiliar feeling of skating. Your eyes trailed up, and you just barely caught the tail end of a smile from Shoto watching you.

You blushed, realizing how close the two of you were. Shoto continued to gently move you around the sheet of ice, content with just holding your hands.

“It doesn’t snow that often here. I would consider this weather around the holidays rather lucky,” he said. He glanced up at the sky as some light snow fell from the thin gray clouds.

You grinned. “Maybe the sky knew I was excited for it to snow,” you said.

Shoto chuckled softly. “Maybe it did.”

“I hope it snows on Christmas too,” you said.

Shoto’s gaze moved back to you. He tilted his head to the side in thought. “Have big plans?” he asked genuinely.

You nodded. “I was going to build a snowman, go sledding, drink hot chocolate, and make snow angels.”

Shoto helped you glide around the ice a little faster, releasing one of your hands as you were calmly discussing your plans. “Wouldn’t it be more efficient to do some of that today?” he asked.

“It’s like a tradition that I had in America. I’d open my gifts under the tree, and then I would venture outside. It always snowed on Christmas.”

“Your parents were okay with that?” he asked. “I mean wouldn’t you spend some time together afterwards…or, that’s at least what I’ve seen in the movies. Fuyumi always tried to have us eat breakfast together. Father never really cared either way.”

“Mother and father normally slept in. They didn’t like me waking them up on their day off. I don’t have any siblings either, so I would just head right outside.”

“Oh,” Shoto said in a small voice.

One of your skates wobbled, and you naturally looked down at your feet. You lost balance almost completely after, your hands flailing out. Todoroki was quicker than your clumsiness. He grabbed your waist pulling you toward him. Your arms landed naturally around his neck for support. You froze.

“I told you not to panic,” he breathed into your ear.

Your body temperature spiked, and your glasses fogged. To your surprise, Todoroki wrapped his arms around you, leaning his head against the side of yours, content with gently gliding over the ice as you just held each other. He let out a heavy sigh.

“I know that you told me to stop buying you gifts, but…” he trailed off. “I hope you will forgive me if I’d gotten you something for Christmas.” You felt him shift, but he didn’t let you go.

“Shoto,” you whispered, worrying that you might melt the ice if you stood in each other’s embrace much longer.

“Can we stay like this? Just for another moment?” he asked.

You tightened your grip around his neck as a response. He sighed in relief, pressing his face into the neck of your coat. You couldn’t completely confirm it from the wind and the way you both were in constant motion, but you thought you could feel him shaking.

“I hope it snows for you,” he said, pulling away slowly without letting you go. “I wish I could be with you on Christmas, but my family obligations call me elsewhere. I hope that you’ll forgive me.” He stepped off of the ice, helping you off as well and back over to the bench. His eyes hadn’t met yours again yet.

“Oh, no worries. I understand. Thank you for helping me skate. I’d like to do it again with you some time…if it’s okay. I had a lot of fun.”

“Any time,” Shoto said as he knelt down before you, helping with your skates again. “I wish that I could have stayed longer.”

You switched into your boots, regretfully forgetting to shake the snow out first. You pouted feeling the melted snow soak into your socks.

Shoto’s hand touched yours, and you turned your head toward him. He was holding a small giftwrapped box, looking away.

You raised an eyebrow at him. “So, when you said, ‘if you’d gotten me a gift,’ you meant that you already had,” you said, but there wasn’t a hint of malice in your voice.

Shoto nodded. “It’s nothing that extravagant, but it reminded me of you.”

You slipped off your mittens, letting him hand over the small gift. You examined the pretty blue wrapping, wondering what he could have gotten you.

“You can open it now since I won’t be able to be here during Christmas,” he said.

“But…” you trailed off, feeling your chest tighten. “I didn’t get you a gift like this. I made cookies for the whole class, so I don’t think I should take this.” You attempted to hand him back the gift, but Todoroki met your hands midway.

“Please,” he said. “I got it for you.”

You took the gift back into your quivering hands. The cold numbed your fingertips. A wave of gentle heat passed over your skin. You turned your gaze back up to Shoto. He lifted his lip into a tender smile, patiently waiting for you to open the tiny present.

You removed the wrapping and took off the lid. Your eyes widened when you saw the small keychain within the sparkling tissue paper.

“Is this…?” you started.

“A chocolate chip cookie,” he said. “I know it’s small, but to me, it reminded me of us.”

“The time we baked together?” you asked, lifting the keychain out and watching it spin.

Shoto nodded. “It was the first time I got to see another side of you, another side of myself.” Todoroki looked down at his hands. He smiled sadly. “I was so scared to mess up that I almost didn’t notice how much fun I was actually having. But, I never want to forget spending that time with you because it was special to me.” Shoto looked off distantly, a serene expression ghosted his features.

You hadn’t realized you’d started crying until a gust of wind whipped against your reddened cheeks. You clenched the cookie charm between your frozen fingers. It was perfect. You loved your memories at UA. You wouldn’t trade them for the world. To have something that could remind you of the time you shared a hobby so dear to you with people so close, made the gift Shoto had given to you priceless.

Shoto’s eyes widened when he turned back to you. “I apologize if I—”

You leapt into his arms, hugging him tightly. “Thank you. It’s the perfect gift. I love it.”

Shoto’s arms slowly circled around you. “You’re welcome,” he murmured.

You pulled back from him frantically wiping away your tears that were close to becoming icicles at this point. You held on to your new keychain, while you slipped on your mittens.

Todoroki stood up. A deep red had flushed his cheeks. His gaze steadied on you, taking in your features, before sadness seemed to cloud his expression.

“I really wish that I could spend Christmas with you,” he said again absently, almost as if he didn’t mean to say it out loud.

You blinked, tilting your head. Shoto scratched the edge of his cheek, looking away. He cleared his throat, offering you his arm.

“Shall we?” he asked.

Shoto said his last goodbye to you, before he had to get ready to leave. You reminded him to thank Fuyumi for her skates. You were glad that you could spend a little time with him, before he left for the holidays.

You shook the extra snow off from your hat, unzipping the front of your puffy coat. You made your way back to the common room to make sure that Kirishima, Denki, and Sero had actually finished cleaning up. You trusted Kirishima, but, while the three of them were together, they would sometimes meld into a single brain cell.

You opened the door to the stairwell, jumping back when Kaminari was literal inches from your face. You raised your hands up on reflex, nearly clocking him in the jaw. Kaminari held the door open with a sly smile on his face. His eyebrows wiggled suggestively, and you frowned at him.

“I hope that you know I’m not reading your mind right now,” you said, huffing. “Why are you acting so weird?”

Kaminari opened his mouth to speak, but Sero grabbed him from behind.

“The hot chocolate is not going to make itself, Denki! Mina’s ETA is like five minutes, and she’ll kill you if you don’t put the pink marshmallows in hers,” Sero said, dragging Denki back.

Kaminari kept his fingertips on the door, holding it as if he wasn’t going to let it go. “You know how to make hot cocoa! Can’t you see that I’m busy?” Denki scolded his friend.

“Oh, can I have some!” you blurted, the idea of hot chocolate finally hitting you.

Kaminari and Sero paused, both looking you over in surprise.

“Of course,” Sero said. He shook Denki’s shoulder. “That is if Lazy here gets to making. He’s the best at making the hot chocolate.”

Kaminari groaned, attempting fruitlessly to snake his way out of Sero’s grip. Denki was barely holding the door open at this point, and you stepped back to make sure it wouldn’t slam into you while the boys figured out if they were going to move or not. Sero’s eyes moved up to the top of the door frame and then widened. Your eyebrows furrowed.

“Dude…” Sero trailed off.

“That’s what I was—”

Just before you turned your gaze up, Kirishima had grabbed the door, moving Denki out of the way. “Totally not manly not to invite a lady inside,” Kirishima scolded them, narrowing his eyes at the boys that were clinging to each other.

Sero slowly pointed up at the top of the door, while Denki swatted at him. Simultaneously, you and Kirishima looked up to the mistletoe hanging above you. Kirishima choked on a noise of embarrassment. Your entire body heated. You tugged at the bottom edge of your heavy coat, realizing something of this nature had never happened to you. As you were so enchanted by Christmas traditions, you couldn’t just ignore this one. Kirishima wasn’t looking at you. His cheeks were so red that they nearly matched his hair color. Maybe, you could just sneak a peck on his cheek, getting you both out of this situation.

You mustered up your courage, holding both your hands into fists at your sides and going on to your tiptoes to get closer to completing the task. It was so embarrassing for you to make the first move like that that you had to shut your eyes. You leaned in, ready to pull back as fast as you went forward.

“W-we don’t—Mmf!” Kirishima was cut off.

You opened your eyes in surprise at feeling the softness of Kirishima’s lips instead of his cheek. He must have turned back before you could execute your plan. His eyes widened. His hand lingered on your shoulder, as if he had been ready to help you out of the situation, but now you felt his fingers tightening around your coat, pulling you into it. You practically melted into his warm kiss, eyes closing. You’d forgotten that anyone else was there as Kirishima’s other hand found your hip. He was so gentle, so careful with you.

A joyful shriek from Mina startled both of you from your embrace. The two of you broke away from each other, smiling awkwardly. Mina grabbed your shoulders from the stairwell, shaking you wildly.

“Do it again! I didn’t even get a picture!” She pouted.

You were quick to rip the mistletoe down with your quirk, so that situation couldn’t happen again, before you turned to Mina. You could feel how red your cheeks were. You weren’t expecting to give Kirishima an actual kiss after all.

“It’s like the universe hates the idea of me and Think being together,” Denki whined.

“That’s what you get for sneaking a mistletoe up in the first place. That was a shady move even for you,” Sero said.

“Can you just pick a girl to hit on, Denki? You’re never going to win over Jiro if you keep on acting like you’re a playboy,” Mina said, completely forgetting about her plan to push you and Kirishima together again for a photoshoot.

The group of you finally made it into the common area. You and Kirishima avoided eye contact, smiling to yourselves. It wasn’t exactly awkward. It just appeared you’d managed to surprise each other.

Denki made you all hot chocolate, which had to have been the best hot chocolate you’d ever had. Mina shared her pink marshmallows, even though they specifically had her name all over the bag. She made sure Denki knew he couldn’t have any for trying to play a trick on you. When you had all finished your mugs, you and Kirishima stayed behind to wash them out, while the others got ready to go.

“You know that you could have just told me if you were going to kiss me on the cheek?” Kirishima asked with a smirk.

You dried one of the mugs he handed to you, setting it down on to the counter. “I didn’t know that you would turn so fast…” you trailed off. “You know…you could have pulled back right away if you didn’t want it to happen?” You grinned mischievously in his direction.

Kirishima froze. His hands holding on to one of the cups. “M-maybe I wanted to kiss you,” he muttered under his breath.

It was your turn to look away in embarrassment. He handed over the last mug to you. His hand paused a little longer than it had to. With your fingers brushing, you both made eye contact. You both exchanged a warm smile.

Kirishima cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “So, have big plans for the holidays?” he asked.

“Oh…” you looked down at the counter, realizing you had to keep it to yourself that you’d still be on campus. You didn’t want to worry anyone about your situation, especially since you were excited to participate in a snow-filled Christmas. “Nothing too extravagant.” You waved your hand dismissively. “What about you?”

“Well, just going home to the folks. Regular holiday stuff. Kind of bummed that I’m leaving tonight though. I have too much fun at UA for my own good.” He chuckled softly. “By the way, don’t work too hard for the rest of the day. You don’t want to run out of energy for Christmas.”

“I won’t,” you promised.

You and Kirishima parted ways, but you still had one last thing to do before you settled in for the night. You collected your bag full of individually wrapped cookies for the teachers from your room. Zipping up the front of your coat, you were nearly out the door when you felt someone watching you.

You turned back, catching a winter-dressed Shinso waiting for you to open the door to leave. He was gazing at you with curiosity.

“Going somewhere, Kitten?” he asked. He moved his scarf around his neck, adjusting the duffle bag on his shoulder.

“You’re already done packing?” you asked.

“Nah, just felt like carrying around my bag for kicks and giggles.” He smirked.

You rolled your eyes. “I was on my way to the faculty dorms. I wanted to hand out cookies to the teachers that were still here.”

Shinso chuckled. “Careful, Kitten. Your halo might get too bright. People might start noticing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re too good for your own good.” He approached you, ruffling your hair by moving around your knit hat.

You pouted up at him, and his smile dropped.

“It’s a wonder why we’re so close, considering you’re the saint of 1-A.”

“I’m not a saint. Besides, you’re not a bad person.”

Shinso raised an eyebrow at you, cracking another smile. “Believe it or not, not everyone thinks the way you do about me.” Shinso reached a hand into his deep coat pockets. “I’ve got something for you. Close your eyes.”

“Shinso, you didn’t have to get me anything for Christmas.”

“Close them,” he said again.

You huffed, shutting your eyes. He gently looped something around your neck and just about when you were going to pry one of your eyes open he covered them with his large hand.

“Did I tell you to open your eyes?” he asked. You could hear him smiling.

“No,” you grumbled.

“Then keep them closed, Kitten,” he whispered into your ear, adjusting whatever gift he’d given you with his other hand. “Wait one more minute.”

Shinso moved one of his fingers under your chin, tilting your head up in his direction. His warm breath made your lips tingle in anticipation. Your cheeks heated.

“C-can I open my eyes now?” you asked.

Shinso chuckled, pulling his hand back. “Yes.”

You opened your eyes, almost breathless. Shinso wasn’t directly in front of you anymore. He’d given you some space. You looked down to see the scarf he’d looped around your shoulders. It was a striped purple and blue.

“I noticed you didn’t have one. It must have slipped your mind how cold you could get so easily.” Shinso stepped closer to you again, gripping the fabric between his fingers. “Plus, I wanted to get you something to remind everyone else about our relationship.”

You blinked at Shinso. “Our relationship?” you squeaked.

Shinso smirked again, running a hand through his hair. “You’re so easy to tease, too cute.” He hummed softly letting go of the scarf. “I wanted to get you something practical. Plus, it’s a bonus if it deters other men from getting closer to you.”

You rolled your eyes again at seeing how flippant he was being. “Regardless of your diabolical scheme to keep other ‘men’ from sweeping me off of my feet, it’s a very thoughtful gift.” You pulled the soft fabric up to your face, leaning into its plush surface. “Thank you.”

Shinso gave you a heartfelt smile this time, nearly making you melt into a puddle in front of him. “Of course, Kitten. Merry almost Christmas.”

“Merry almost Christmas.”

The faculty dorms were abnormally quiet when you arrived. It was nice to see Shinso before he left. The scarf he’d given you was a nice way to keep out the biting chill of approaching night too.

When you stepped into the dorm building. You carefully kicked the snow off of your boots. It was quiet. You unwrapped your new scarf to carefully place it in your pocket. You didn’t visit Mr. Aizawa regularly, so it was going to take some time to find his actual room.

“Young Think, what are you doing here?” All Might said softly.

He looked ready to go out in a tan trench coat and a white scarf, which was hanging over his emaciated shoulders. He was a lot less intimidating as his smaller form, but he was still much taller than you. You turned your face up to him, giving him a warm smile.

“Ah, I was bringing by cookies for Mr. Aizawa. I brought some extra if I ran into anyone else. I wasn’t sure if anyone was still here, or if they had left yet.” You riffled through your bag of goodies.

All Might approached you, taking a peek into the bag you were carrying. His eyes slowly widened. “You made all of these?” he asked.

“Well, it’s not everything I made. I already handed the rest out to my classmates.” You gave All Might a star-shaped sugar cookie.

“Your entire class?” he asked. “Did it take you all day?”

“It was the least that I could. I didn’t have a lot of money for gifts, and I wanted to do something nice for them.”

“Thank you for the gift.” All Might adjusted his scarf. “Actually, I was just on my way out to the local convenience store. Do you need anything while I’m out? Mr. Aizawa informed me of your situation. He and I will pretty much be the only faculty members sticking around for the holidays.”

“Oh, I don’t need anything. Thank you for the offer though.”

“You’re welcome. Well, I’ll be off.” All Might paused at the front door.

The winter chill hit you from behind.

“Aizawa’s room is just up the stairs and on the left,” he added.

“Thank you,” you said, grateful to have some kind of direction.

All Might left the building, and you continued to the trek up the stairs to the front of Mr. Aizawa’s door. Compared to the other faculty members there were no decorations on the face of his entryway. You gave the wood a gentle knock, but you didn’t hear anything on the other side. You checked the nameplate again. After you knocked for a second time, you heard a low grumble.

Mr. Aizawa flung open the door. His black hair was disheveled, and his eyes were bloodshot. He had a heavy fleece blanket covering his shoulders.

“Kokoro?” he asked, sleep making his voice rumble out.

“I…um…I made cookies.” You lifted the bag of baked goods in your hand.

Mr. Aizawa’s scanned you over, rubbing his face. “Thanks,” he murmured, grabbing the entire bag from you. “I apologize for my appearance. I stayed out late because I had some Pro Hero business to attend to.” He rubbed his temples. “I’m actually glad that you’re here. I’ll be here on and off on Christmas. All Might should be around, however, so if you have any issues, please contact him. I believe that you’re the only student staying on campus in your class, so don’t be worried to reach out to either of us for anything.”

“Okay,” you said. “I won’t be any trouble.”

Mr. Aizawa let out a heavy sigh. “Sorry,” he said gruffly. “I’m grateful for the cookies. I’m not big on the holidays, so I’m in a bit of a darker mood.”

Now that your eyes adjusted to the darkness around him, you could finally notice how red his nose appeared. You could just pick up on his breathing. It was slightly ragged, and he hid a subtle sniffle behind his hand.

“Are you sick?” you asked.

Mr. Aizawa took a step back, wrapping his blanket tighter around himself. “Just cold,” he said. “I hate winter.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. It’s a lot easier to catch a cold around Christmas.” You gave him a weak smile.

Mr. Aizawa frowned, more blatantly sniffling. “Yeah. I’m going to get some rest, before I grade a few papers.” He smirked. “At least now I’ve got something for dinner.” He lifted up the bag you’d handed him again.

Your eyes widened. “Those aren’t for—”

Mr. Aizawa slowly began to close the door, darkness enveloping his bundled form once again.

“Happy Holidays!” you quickly piped up.

Mr. Aizawa responded with more of a disgruntled noise, but you could barely make out his own, “Happy Holidays,” in response.

Your alarm went off on Christmas morning with a cheerful jingle. You leapt out of bed, slipping on your clothes for the day. You padded through the common area in your slippers, waltzing into the kitchen to prepare a fairy-tale-like Christmas breakfast. You hummed softly to yourself, as you prepared rainbow sprinkle pancakes and hot chocolate. When you sat down to eat, the deafening silence hit you hard, making you shiver.

The sound of the wall clock echoed into the empty space. You attempted to smile, despite the lonely atmosphere. You had an exciting day planned ahead of you, and you also were able to spend so much quality time with your friends before they’d all left. There was no reason that you should feel depressed. You shoveled down the rest of your pancakes, downing your hot chocolate and walking back to your room.

Ochaco had left you a present behind, telling you to open it on Christmas morning. It was the first time that you were genuinely excited about a gift given to you on Christmas. You examined the pink-wrapped box. You couldn’t imagine what she’d gotten you. As the two of you had been friends since you were children, she probably knew you better than anyone. You undid the small ribbon on the box, stifling a small giggle in excitement. When you’d finally opened the box, you were surprised to find a small picture frame inside. It was a picture of you and Ochaco on your first day at UA together. She’d caught you off guard that day, telling you to smile just as she’d pressed her cheek against yours. Your smile was genuine in the moment. You were so happy to finally be next to your friend instead of overseas.

You set the picture frame on your counter, giving it another look before bundling up for the day’s festivities. You texted Uraraka how much you loved the gift, knowing that she’d be with her family. You slipped your phone back into your pocket, looping your new cookie keychain from Todoroki onto your winter coat’s zipper and wrapping your new scarf around your neck.

You slid out the front door of the dorms, eyes widening to see the sparkling white Christmas you’d been hoping for. You rushed out to an open patch of white, sled rope in hand, plunking down into the fresh powder to create your first snow angel. The cold soaked into your back, but it felt good after coming out of the warm air of the building. You rolled around a few times, making several small patterns in the snow, before standing up to continue your journey. There was a lot to do before the sun went down.

You rolled up the base of your snowman, making it as big as you could to the point that your arms were sore. You tucked your face deeper into your scarf as you felt your nose was reddening from the cold. The air swirled about you, a biting reminder that the elements were your only partner in your holiday endeavors, but you pushed on. You rolled out the second ball of snow, patting it down for good measure. Carefully using your Mind quirk, you lifted the ball of snow, planting it atop the other. Proudly, you formed the head. You wiped at your brow, despite the cold the amount of work you were doing was exhausting. You hadn’t made a snowman with your quirk before. You’d hidden that from the neighborhood as best you could to avoid the bullying. Besides, if your parents had found out, they wouldn’t have allowed you out during Christmas, and you loved playing in the snow. This snowman was going to be your greatest creation, far better than any other one that you had built.

You sang a Christmas carol softly to yourself as you continued. Your mittens slowly began to soak through, between the labor of actively packing snow and your excitement of making it the biggest you’d ever made. The sky was dim, darkening faster and faster as you progressed. You placed the head of the snowman up on its large form, smiling to yourself. The structure shadowed you.

You took out a carrot from your pocket, levitating it with your mind and planting it on the face of the snowman. Just as your gaze moved up, you saw the first flake of snow on Christmas descend from the swirling sky. You stuck your tongue out to catch a snowflake from the air, tilting your face up to the sky. Using a few cookies and some broken down branches you’d found on campus, you’d completed your snowman, the completion of which didn’t seem right without a hat. You’d get it back on the way back to your dorms. You removed the knit cap from your head. Wild strands of your hair flew free as you extended the hat out the top of the snowman.

The wind was evident when you’d first left the dorms, but now it was blustering. You took hold of your sled’s rope, trudging forward and using your new scarf to keep the cold from nipping at your ears. You wiggled your numbing fingers, realizing that slowly but surely your winter attire was getting wetter, colder. You bit your lip, considering how much time you’d already been outside. You only wanted to sleigh ride. It was the last thing to do on your mental itinerary. You couldn’t let yourself down. You wanted to make the best of your situation.

You tugged your sled behind you, feeling the tiredness already setting in your body. Your teeth chattered. It seemed nearly impossible to find the sleigh-riding spot you’d scouted out ahead of time. It shouldn’t have been that far from the dorms and that’s why you had chosen it. Your internal compass always seemed broken, and without anyone to help you, the last thing you wanted to do was get lost.

The wind picked up again, and you blinked away some snow that had been kicked up into your face. The snow had started to get denser. The wind howled. You continued on. To your relief, you found a decent enough slope for your sled. Unfortunately for you, the snow had piled at the point that an easy descent wasn’t possible. You sat down on your blue sled, scooching forward a few times for getting slightly discouraged. The wind whipped at your ruddy cheeks again, and you pouted. You wiped at your runny nose with your sleeve, standing up and attempting to create a trail to sled down.

It was getting harder and harder to see, as the small flurries and aggressive winds had become a raging storm. You tried your best to complete what you’d set out to do. You got back to the top of the hill, you sat down on your sled, and you crossed your fingers for a successful ride. You were determined. With a little nudge, you managed to slide down the hill. Joy and pride filled your chest, as your determination had become success. Despite the torrent around you, you went up and down the hill enough times to be out of breath.

You turned your bright gaze up to the sky, squinting at the onslaught of snowflakes. You gulped, looking around. You were lost. You had no idea where you were based on the buildings around you. With the chill of the cold biting at your skin, your teeth chattered relentlessly. You hated to think that such a simple thing had gone so wrong.

You panicked. Between your natural ability to get lost and your inability to see, it was practically impossible to find your way back to the dorms. You were embarrassed. Aizawa might not be in, and he would reprimand you for causing trouble. All Might was around, but it felt even more embarrassing to call him.

The fact was things were getting dangerous. The storm didn’t appear to be close to letting up any time soon. You removed one of your mittens with your hands shaking. You moved through your phone contacts, growing more and more anxious to ask for help. If you called Kirishima, he’d worry too much. Todoroki had enough to deal with in regard to his family to contact. All you would do by calling Shoto would worry him. If you called Bakugo, you wouldn’t hear the end of it. He’d be pissed. Out of everyone, Shinso felt like the right person to call. As much as he teased you, he wouldn’t hesitate to try to give you directions. He also wouldn’t freak out like the others. He was always more levelheaded than them.

The phone rang twice before Shinso’s tired voice came on the other side of the phone. “Already miss me, Kitten?” he asked. His voice was a bit duller than normal, suggesting his boredom.

“Yeah.” You laughed sadly. “Um…I was wondering if maybe you could help direct me back to the dorms over the phone,” you said.

“Back to the dorms? Why are you still on campus? Didn’t you go home for the holidays?” Shinso paused for your answer, but you didn’t give him one. “Are you outside right now? There’s a storm,” he said, worry tinging his voice.

“I…um…” You trailed off, attempting to get your bearings again without success. You didn’t want to ruin anyone’s Christmas with your carelessness. This was your fault. You should find a way out of it.

“Kitten, tell me what’s going on. If you’re outside, it’s not safe. You could get sick, or—”

“Shinso, I’m sorry! I can handle it! Don’t worry!” you piped up suddenly. You hung up the phone, looking down at the dark screen.

To your dismay, as you had turned down your gaze, you noticed that the keychain Shoto had given you was no longer attached to your coat. The zipper had snapped completely off, and the small cookie was nowhere to be seen. Your bottom lip quivered. You took long shivering minutes looking around in an attempt to find the charm beneath the freshly fallen snow. Everything he’d ever given you was lost, you didn’t want to lose something so special from him again.

You could feel your phone buzzing, but you didn’t answer. The snow blinded you. The more you moved the less you saw. Unable to feel your fingers, you balled them into fists under your gloves, looking for a place to find cover. You managed to find one of the main buildings, testing the door, but because it was holiday break, the building was locked. You tucked your hands under your armpits, letting out frantic breaths of air to keep warm. You huddled under the building’s entrance, curling into yourself for warmth.

Your phone vibrated again, and you had no choice but to pick it up at this point.

“Shinso, I’m sor—”

“Where the hell are you, Big Brain? I’ve been walking campus for like twenty minutes now! It’s freezing out here, dammit! Why the hell wouldn’t you pick up the phone?” Bakugo yelled at you.

“B-Bakugo?” you asked, shivering. The wind picked up again, and you attempted to push yourself closer to the building.

“Who else would it be, dumbass?! Tell me…you…see…” The line distorted, corrupting the connection. The storm must have been affecting the signal.

“I’m hunkered down next to one of the class buildings,” you responded.

Bakugo didn’t say anything in response, when you pulled your phone away from your ear, you saw that you didn’t have any bars.

Your body felt warmer. Knowing that someone was looking for you was a relief. You reached your quirk out, but it snapped back almost just as fast. Your physical body was in danger, and your mind wasn’t having it. Without being able to directly contact Bakugo, things were becoming dire. You lifted your head up.

“Bakugo!” you called, feeling your voice already tighten and crack. “I’m here!” You continued yelling, even when it began to hurt. You continued to call his name. Exhaustion flooded your muscles. The density of the storm continued to increase. Your vision blurred. You sneezed, trying desperately to stay awake, when the chill freezing your limbs was urging you to rest. Your eyes fluttered closed. Warmth spread through you.

“Anna?”

Warm hands found your face. You opened your eyes. Bakugo’s crimson gaze looked you over in concern. He looked angry, but he also looked worried.

“B-Bakugo?” Your teeth chattered, and you tucked into yourself when another gust of wind hit you.

“How the hell did you get all the way out here?” Bakugo’s hands worked quickly. He removed your mittens, touching your chilled fingers with his warm ones. He blew his breath over your fingertips, trying to bring back some feeling into them. “Your lips are blue. Why didn’t you tell anyone that you were staying at the dorms over break? Why would you go outside in a storm?” He took off your wet coat, putting his own around your shivering shoulders. The fabric engulfed your small frame.

“Y-you’re going to get cold, Bakugo,” you said, pushing away his hands when he tried to put his large gloves over your quivering fingers.

“I’ll be fine. We’re close to the dorms.” He gripped your wrist. Forcing his warm gloves over your frozen hands. He picked you up from the ground, going for your scarf next.

This time you put your hands up in defense. “No. Don’t take that. It was from Shinso.”

Bakugo’s red eyes widened. He shifted uncomfortably in front of you, anger creasing his features. “Who do you think told me to come find you?” Bakugo snapped.

“B-but, it was a present,” you said. “I already lost my gift from Shoto. I can’t lose another one.”

Bakugo growled. “Icy Hot gave you something too?”

“Yes,” you said.

Bakugo reached for your wet scarf again, and you pulled back from him. “Anna,” he warned.

“I’m not taking it off.”

“Listen to me, Anna.” He gripped you by your shoulders, looking into your eyes. “We’ve got to get you out of the cold. Stop fighting me. Okay?”

You hesitated, biting into your bottom lip. You nodded slowly, relinquishing your scarf to him. He tucked all of your wet clothing under his arm, removing his hat lastly and planting it over your head. In one swift motion, Bakugo had knelt in front of you with his back to you.

“Grab on. I don’t feel like pulling you around by the hand just for you to stumble around. You’re too slow.”

The back of Bakugo’s ears were red, when you climbed onto his back and hooked your arms around his neck. He lifted you up with ease, plunging into the storm ahead of him. His body radiated heat, even without having multiple layers over his skin. True to his word, Bakugo found Heights Alliance in only a few minutes. He placed you down, shutting the door behind the two of you. The wind howled outside.

Bakugo’s hands were checking you over again. His cheeks were inflamed from the cold. His nose rosy. His hair was disheveled from the wind and pulling off his hat to give to you. His hands rested over your numb cheeks, attempting to ease the numbness.

“Thank you,” you mumbled.

Bakugo paused from looking you over. “You’re lucky I found you,” he said gruffly. “Eye Bags texted all of us, but I was the only one closest to get here in time. Why wouldn’t you tell anyone you weren’t going home for Christmas?”

You gulped. “Mr. Aizawa and All Might were supposed to be around if I needed anything. I didn’t want anyone to worry. It’s fine. I usually spend Christmas alone anyway.”

“Alone?” Bakugo asked in frustration. “You nearly froze out there!”

You teared up a bit. “I…I just wanted to have a great Christmas, even if no one was here with me. I was selfish. I’m sorry.”

Bakugo rubbed his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You should have told us.”

“H-how was I supposed to say anything when you all had families to go home to? I would just have been a burden. I grew up like this. It wasn’t like it was any different this year. I made a mistake. I should have walked back when I noticed the storm. My family is under police protection. It’s not like I could have—”

“Anna!”

You closed your mouth, eyes widening. You sniffled wiping at your cheeks that had become tear-streaked.

“My parents would have taken you in in a heartbeat. They know better than anyone what happened to us. They like you. Even if they didn’t, you should have told me. I don’t give a shit what you think you deserve or don’t, but you didn’t need to be alone on Christmas.”

“But…”

Bakugo ripped his phone out of his pocket, showing you the group message that had led him back on campus. You caught sight of the group name, and if things weren’t so serious you might have laughed. The title read, “Dumbass Extras in my Way.” There were a string of confused texts under the name, running between the four boys, after Shinso had been called.

“Do you think that any of these dumbasses would have hesitated to take you in either? You’re not alone. You shouldn’t feel alone. I don’t give a shit who you tell, but you can’t keep putting yourself in danger or not telling people because you’re worried that you will be a burden.”

You slowly began nodding your head in agreement. “Okay. I understand.” You sniffled, rubbing your nose with the back of your hand. “I’m really cold,” you muttered.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. He put his arm around your shoulders, leading you back to the stairwell. “I wonder how that happened,” he said sarcastically.

You reached your room in no time. Bakugo set all of your wet clothes to hang up in different places of the room to dry. He took his regular position in your desk chair, sitting in it backwards. He set off a few explosions in his palms, either testing if he could do it due to the fact he was out in the cold for so long or letting off some steam. You took a hot shower, changing in your bathroom into a large sweater and loose pants.

Bakugo scowled at you when he watched you leave the bathroom. He jumped up from the chair. His hands were around your towel and in your hair before you could fend him off. He was roughly tousling your hair to dry it. Suddenly, he paused, gazing down at you. His cheeks reddened.

“Anna,” he said softly.

You blushed furiously, pulling away from him and finishing drying your hair on your own. “W-what?” you asked.

Bakugo blinked out of his daze. “Nothing,” he said gruffly. He turned from you, kicking off his boots and sitting at the head of your bed. He was scrolling through his phone, stretching out his body as if it were his own bed.

“Make yourself at home,” you said under your breath.

Bakugo froze. His narrowed gaze moved back to you, and he smirked. “I intend to, considering I had to freeze my ass off during my holiday break to come help you.” He shook his head, moving back to what he was doing on his phone.

“Fair enough,” you said. You let out a violent sneeze, followed by chattering teeth.

Bakugo gave you a look of disgust. “Are you still cold?” he asked.

You bowed your head, scratching your cheek in embarrassment. “Maybe.”

“Come here, Big Brain,” he said. He pulled up the blanket, leaving some space for you to sit in front of him.

“I-I can’t sit there,” you said, rubbing your arms to help you warm up.

Bakugo clicked his tongue. “Don’t make it weird. I’m like a human furnace. If you’re cold, I can help.” He motioned you to sit in front of him again.

You shuffled in his direction. The invite was far too tempting. As you settled in front of him, he pulled you into his chest with the blanket still in his hands. Even if you were cold, your face was on fire. Bakugo hesitated briefly, before he tentatively began rubbing your arms with his palms, allowing some heat to transfer into your freezing muscles.

“T-Thank you,” you stuttered bashfully, allowing yourself to relax into him.

“I’m only doing this so you don’t get sick. You better not tell anyone about this,” he grumbled.

“I won’t,” you said. “I promise.”

Bakugo grunted. His even breathing set you at ease. Slowly his hands had moved up to your hair. He ran his rough fingers through your long locks, untangling the knots. He was being surprisingly gentle, once he’d found an even pace. Between the radiating warmth, and Bakugo’s attentive touches, you had quickly fallen asleep.

“Anna? Wake up.”

You woke up to Bakugo, jostling you awake. You grumbled softly, trying to hide deeper in the blankets. Bakugo growled, practically tossing you out of the bed. You yelped, but before you hit the ground, Bakugo had grabbed you by the arm. You stood up on your feet, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

“What?” You pouted.

Bakugo got up from your bed, throwing his boots back on. “Follow me,” he said.

You combed your fingers through your hair, yawning. “Where are we going?”

Bakugo kicked your door open. “The common area.”

You quickly put on your slippers, rushing after him and continuing to ask him questions without a response. Bakugo kept his distance ahead of you, as you stumbled groggily through the hall. He guided you down the stairwell, tight-lipped.

“Just so you know, I didn’t invite them,” he said under his breath, setting his hand on the common room door.

“What do you mean?” you asked, adjusting your glasses in place.

Bakugo threw the door open, and you were met with three familiar faces. Kirishima bounced over to you, throwing his arms around your shoulders and nearly knocking you off your feet.

“Why didn’t you tell us, Princess?”

“You had me worried, Kitten,” Shinso said after him.

“I…why are you all here?” you asked.

“We couldn’t get here during the storm, so we came after it,” Shoto said.

Kirishima grabbed your hand, pulling you into the Christmas-decorated room. He showed you a gingerbread house, giving you a shark-toothed grin. The house was barely held together by its icing. The walls on the cookie house were all tilted the wrong way, and it was obvious that someone had a heavy hand when it came to red sprinkles.

“I made it for you,” he said proudly. “I couldn’t get you a gift this year, but I hope that you’ll accept this.” He broke a piece of the house off and chomped on it. “It’s also edible!” he made a face after chewing. “Well, sort of.”

“Thank you, Kirishima. I love it,” you said.

“I found this outside,” Shoto said in an even tone.

Your gaze shifted to him. He was holding the cookie keychain he’d given to you between his fingers, giving you a soft smile. You rushed up to him, grabbing the charm and pulling it to your chest.

“I’m so sorry I lost it,” you said. “Thank you!”

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t be here yesterday for you,” Shoto stated.

“B-but, why are you all here? Aren’t you all still on holiday? I hope I didn’t cause you any trouble.”

“Kitten, we couldn’t get here yesterday, but do you really think we would have left you here by yourself on your favorite holiday if we knew?”

“You should have just told us,” Kirishima added.

“I had family obligations, but I’m here now. Accept our apologies for not being more aware of your situation.”

Bakugo placed a hand on your shoulder, nodding his head toward the other three boys. “If you had just been honest with us, we wouldn’t have had to do all this to cheer you up, Big Brain.”

“I didn’t want to be a bother,” you said. “You all didn’t have to come if it was going to be too much trouble.”

Bakugo clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes for what felt like the eighth time that day. “No one should have to be alone on Christmas.”

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whatareyousearchingfordean · 5 years ago

Text

Happiness Begins

Part 16

Chapter Summary: An unexpected guest at Jensen’s birthday party causes an even more unexpected shift in his relationship with the reader.

Word Count: 5.5K+

Warnings: Angst, semi-public unprotected sex, oral sex (female receiving)

Author’s Note: I’m so pumped, we’ve got the ball rolling again. I really hope you guys enjoy this part and as always, I appreciate the feedback. Without you guys, I would’ve never finished this. Now look at us, we are closing in on the end. Part 17 is almost done already and this girl is fighting the urge to write a sequel. More on that later though... xoxo Alex.

Ps. If you have followed me for any amount of time whatsoever, you know that I am an avid supporter of all the SPN women, especially the wives. I hate that I have to say this, but this is completely a work of fiction and should be treated as such. I mean no harm to Danneel or her beautiful family.

Catch up with the series masterlist and check out Alexandra’s Library for more works by yours truly!

Jared had been planning this big birthday bash for Jensen since New Year’s. He wanted to celebrate one last time with all their friends and coworkers before they went their separate ways for the last time. There was also a viewing party being planned for the finale, but Jared was afraid that would be filled with too much emotion to be able to truly enjoy. No, he preferred one night of nothing but fun and no worries of the future. This party was as much for everyone invited as it was for Jensen.

Y/n had been surprised when she received her invite from Jared. She didn’t exactly consider herself a part of the family that this cast and crew had created. After all she had only been there for a hand full of weeks. Jared had been insistent that that was not the case. He really wanted her there.

So here she was, dolled up in a tight black dress with long sleeves and a plunging neckline and an updo that took her two hours to complete, her clutch tight in her hand as she followed the signs through the venue to the ballroom that had been rented for tonight. She didn’t quite understand the queasy feeling in her gut. Maybe it had to do with the fact that this was her boyfriend's birthday party, but since no one actually knew that they were dating, they wouldn’t be able to spend any real time together. It wasn’t that she would be without people to talk to, but as cheesy as it sounded, she didn’t want to spend time with anyone else. They had officially been dating for two months now, and things were going great. Personally, she didn’t see it ending anytime soon nor did she want it to. As much as running around has been fun, this moment right now had her wishing they were a typical couple.

Music could be heard behind the doors before she pushed them open. The ballroom very much resembled a typical wedding reception inside, well, minus tacky flower centerpieces on the tables. Jared had commissioned The Impala’s to play tonight and they were currently playing some rock song she didn’t recognize from a small stage on the far wall. Her eyes scanned over the people dancing and others chatting in groups when she landed on her target. There was a bar with a beautiful display of liquor on the wall behind it. Tonight was an alcohol night for sure. She bee-lined it there, quickly gaining the attention of the bartender and ordering her usual.

Her nails clicked against the wood as she watched the crowd move on around her. The bartender set her alcohol down and she thanked him, taking a heavy drink from the small glass. A soft vibration from where she had placed her clutch under her arm interrupted her thoughts. With a frown, she pulled her phone from the small bag. There was a missed message from Jensen.

You look beautiful

Her head snapped up and began scanning the room for any sign of the man. It didn’t take her long to spot at all, both him and her brother towering over most of the rest of the crowd. He had a grin on his face when he caught her eye.

You don’t look so bad yourself. A tux is a nice touch.

I had to try and keep up with you somehow. That dress is… you know you aren’t playing fair, right?

Y/n bit her lip, having received the exact reaction from him she had been hoping.

I think you seriously underestimate how hot you look right now. Too bad I opted for panties tonight, because they are ruined.

The message barely had time to notify her that it had been sent before those three little bubbles popped up on her screen. She took another sip of her drink as her belly flipped in anticipation of his reply.

Fuck, you’re killing me here babe. This party has just started.

I know… leaves me plenty of time.

Jensen licked his lips across the room as he read her message, his eyes immediately flicking back to hers with a look that was half desperate and half warning her to be careful. She winked at him and downed the last of her drink. The sound of her name had her halting her attempt to order another.

“There she is!” Y/n turned back towards the crowd. Trish was headed her way, a guy Y/n didn’t recognize in tow.

“Hi Trish!” Y/n embraced the woman as she came up to the bar. Y/n eyed the guy awkwardly standing off behind her. Trish noticed her gaze and smiled.

“Y/n, this is Chris. He works on the lighting crew, mostly night stuff and what not. Chris, this is Jared’s baby sis, Y/n.” Trish put her hand on Chris’s shoulder and urged him closer. Y/n offered her hand to him and he shook it before quickly shoving back into his pockets.

“Yeah, or course. Everybody knows Jared’s little sister. Made quite a name for yourself.” He shrugged his shoulders. His words themselves were not rude, it was the inflection in his tone when he said it. It put an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Awkward tension quickly filled the silence that followed his words. A loud clap from Trish broke through it after what felt like years.

“Well, I have to grab those drinks, talk to you guys later.” She spun around, pretending not to hear either of them call after her.

“I don’t know what she expects.” Chris grimaced as he turned back to Y/n.

“Probably for you to offer to buy me a drink.” Y/n had to not laugh out loud at the idea. The fact that Trish would even think they would even get along was wild to her and the two of them had barely said two sentences to each other.

Chris scoffed. “It’s an open bar.” Y/n didn’t even hide her eye roll.

“Well don’t do me any favors.” She spit out, shooing him away like a cat that had just jumped on her counter.

“Whatever,” Chris mumbled before disappearing back into the sea of people around them. The next time she saw Trish, she was going to kill her for this. What had she been thinking? Y/n doubted that man had ever had a civil conversation with anyone. It would certainly explain why she had never met him before. Everyone had been trying to save her from the experience she just had. Y/n signaled the bartender for another, fully committed to not leaving the spot she currently occupied. Once the bartender acknowledged her, she dropped her head in her hands with a sigh.

“Same old Chris, it appears.” A soft voice came from her right, following her acknowledgment with a chuckle. Y/n snapped her head up, turning to see who was talking to her. Her stomach dropped almost instantly. If she hadn’t recognized the woman’s face, her fiery red hair would have been her dead give away. There, not even five feet from her was Danneel Harris. She had on a strappy gold sequin dress that fell all the way to the floor. Her hair was styled over her left shoulder, held in place by no doubt a hundred bobby pins. Danneel held a large glass of red wine in her one hand as she leaned against the bar as well.

Y/n took a deep breath to try and steady the hammering in her chest. She forced a smile on her face. “Uh, yeah. I was wondering why I hadn’t meant him yet. Then I realized my brother had been doing me a favor.”

Danneel laughed with a knowing nod. “I’m Danneel.” She offered her hand.

“Right, of course. I’m Y/n… Padalecki, Y/n Padalecki.” Y/n tried to shake the fuzziness from her mind as she shook Danneel’s hand.

“I know, you’ve done some amazing work. Congratulations on the business by the way.” Danneel had an honest smile on her face.

“Oh, thank you. It’s kind of surreal if I’m being honest.” Y/n admitted, her guard coming down as she grew more comfortable with the woman next to her.

“You’ve got this. Just stay clear of Trish’s hookups and you’ll do just fine.” She put her hand on Y/n’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “It was nice meeting you, take care of yourself.”

“You too.” Y/n called after the woman as she breezed past her and into the crowd. Y/n watched her move in between the moving bodies, eventually finding her target. Danneel wormed her way into Jared and Jensen’s group, position herself right next to Jensen.

Just when she thought maybe she would get the racing of her heart to calm down, Danneel took it upon herself to try and crush it between her fingers. It was unfair of Y/n to think that, considering there was no way Danneel could have known about her and Jensen. But it was Danneel for Christ’s sake. She was tiny, and beautiful and an actress. Essentially everything that the world expected out of a wife for Jensen. That’s why when they had announced their engagement, everyone was overjoyed for them. What came as a surprise was when that engagement had been called off. Y/n never had figured out why they called it quits either. Honestly, she had been too afraid to ask her brother, considering it wasn’t his business to share, but still, her and the rest of the world were beyond curious.

Y/n downed half of the second drink as it was set down in front of her. She never once took her eyes off of the small circle of people in the center of the room. They were all laughing at something, Danneel equally as transfixed on Jensen as Y/n was on the two of them. That’s why she didn’t see the woman sneak up next to her.

“Hey, what happened with Chris?” Y/n jumped as a hand fell on her shoulder. Her eyes shifted towards Trish for only a moment before going back to where Jensen was now talking to Danneel.

“Trish, come on.” Y/n glanced back at the woman, her gaze incredulous, before going straight back to Danneel and Jensen. “He was a total tool. I’m honestly offended that you even thought we would get along.”

“Well, you both could use a little relaxation and I thought may you could hate fuck.”

Y/n whipped her head back to Trish. “Jesus, Trish! What the fuck?”

“Hey, I’m just trying to be helpful.”

“Trish, I love you, but I don’t know how to make this any clearer for you. I’m good… happy. And I am certainly not that desperate to get some.” Y/n’s voice trailed off when she heard loud laughter coming from the group she had lost focus on.

“Fine, I get it.” Trish followed Y/n’s gaze when she realized she was no longer paying attention to her, a look of equal confusion crossing her features as she happened upon Y/n’s distraction.

“Did Jared invite her?” Y/n tried to keep her tone nonchalant when she noticed Trish had caught on to her fixation.

“No, I don’t think so. The two of them still run in some of the same circles, so she probably heard about it. Jensen was pretty messed up after they called it off. I don’t think Jared would do that to him.” Trish answered honestly. “I just can’t believe she actually came. She was the one who left him, after all.”

“Really?” Y/n hadn’t known that particular piece of information. After all, her only reputable source was Jared, and she hadn’t bothered with that.

“Yeah, said she couldn’t do the long distance thing. But with the show being over, who knows what will happen. They were really happy at one point, they could get it back.” Trish shrugged and walked off, unaware of the stab wound her words had left in Y/n’s chest.

“Who knows…” Y/n mumbled to herself. The last thing she wanted to believe was that Jensen would just go crawling back to his ex the second she looked back his way. But the two of them had been engaged, and that’s not some small thing. They had really loved each other. Y/n and Jensen hadn’t even come close to saying those three little words. The knot in her stomach clenched the more she thought about it. Her anxiety was rearing its ugly head, and as much as she knew it, she couldn’t focus enough to try and control it.

At this point, Y/n wasn’t even trying to hide her staring. It was rude, she knew that, but she just couldn’t stop herself. Her chest felt empty as she watched the two of them laugh at something and then, God help her, Danneel put her hand on Jensen’s upper arm.

Y/n’s gut dropped, and she shook her head to try and clear it. This was insane! Y/n was not a jealous person, nor did she ever want to be. She had worked so many years to grow out of the insecurities that had been ground into her. In this moment, after coming so far, she couldn’t, no she wouldn’t let them win again. It wasn’t fair to her.

Jensen looked up then, stopping when he noticed her watching them. He smiled at her, the expression warm. Y/n tried to return it, but she knew her smile was tight. Jensen’s brow furrowed slightly before he recovered. He winked at her before ducking out of the group, and making his way to the stage. He got Bob Singer’s attention as the current song they were playing came to an end. Bob knelt down on the stage to hear Jensen. He nodded eagerly and Jensen followed the length of the stage to climb the stairs on the side.

“Looks like we have a special request from the birthday boy himself. Ladies and gents, please welcome to the stage, Mr. Jensen Ackles!” Bob hollered into the microphone. The crowd erupted into a roar as Bob stepped back from the microphone and let Jensen take over.

“Firstly, I just wanted to thank all of you for coming tonight. I thought I could maybe sing something for all of you, if you would let me.” Again, cheers erupted from the crowd. Y/n was only growing more curious as Jensen continued. “Great, well this is a song that I’m sure you all know. I recently rediscovered it, and it has become my new favorite. I can’t seem to get it out of my head. Anyway, here you go.”

Jensen turned on the band, signaling them to start. It didn’t take more than a second for Y/n to recognize the tune they were playing, and even less time for the tears to form in her eyes.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing

Watch you smile while you are sleeping

While you're far away and dreaming

I could spend my life in this sweet surrender

I could stay lost in this moment forever

Ooh, every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

A half laugh half sob erupted from her chest as she remembered their first date at the ice rink. Jensen was officially the cheesiest, sweetest, most amazing man she had ever had the pleasure of knowing. He took this stupid, cliched song and made it their song. They had a song. It was so high school, but so adorable at the same time.

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating

And I'm wondering what you're dreaming

Wondering if it's me you're seeing

Then I kiss your eyes

And thank God we're together

And I just want to stay with you in this moment forever

Forever and ever

He got the whole crowd engaged, the lot of them swaying with the music. Meanwhile, she was wiping away the tears on her cheeks, careful to not mess up her makeup.

And I don't want to miss one smile

I don't want to miss one kiss

Well, I just want to be with you, right here with you

Just like this

I just want to hold you close

I feel your heart so close to mine

And just stay here in this moment

For all of the rest of time

In typical Jensen fashion, he embellished the ending of the song as it called for. The whole room was entranced. She hoped it would keep them from noticing how he kept looking back at her, how he was singing to her. It was a bold move, but honestly, at that moment, she didn’t care if everyone found out. Jensen was singing a song for her.

Don't want to close my eyes

Don't want to fall asleep

'Cause I'd miss you, babe

And I don't want to miss a thing

'Cause even when I dream of you

The sweetest dream will never do

I'd still miss you, babe

And I don't want to miss a thing

The melody faded out, and Jensen bowed out from the stage. The band thanked him for the little treat before getting back into their set. As Jensen disappeared from the stage, she broke from the small trance she was in, realizing quickly she needed to fix her face before anyone saw her. She rushed from the ballroom in search of a bathroom. The first one she came to had a small line coming from the door and she growled under her breath before continuing on. She stopped a server who pointed her towards the next closest bathroom. It was tucked in a corner near the entrance to the kitchen. Y/n was leaning into the door when a hand gripped her bicep and pushed her into the bathroom.

“Hey!” She protested, attempting to pull her arm free from the grip. Her words fell flat as she realized it was Jensen pushing her into the bathroom. He dropped her arm and twisted the lock on the bathroom door as it shut. Y/n watched in confusion as he bent down to check the stalls. “Jensen?”

Jensen turned to her once he was satisfied they were alone, his smile faltering when he noticed the tear tracks down her cheeks. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Y/n was taken aback, her mind taking a second to catch up to what he was talking about. She walked to the large mirror by the vanity and plucked a tissue to dab at her face. “Nothing, I’m good.” She chuckled at the irony.

“Are you sure about that?” Jensen came up behind her, one hand slipping around her to rest on her hip as he made eye contact with her in the mirror.

“Yeah.” She spun around to him and slipped her arms around his neck. “You sang a song for me on your birthday. I’m great.” And she wanted to believe her own words, but something was still working together that knot in her belly.

“I did? Here I thought I just liked that song.” He quirked up the corner of his mouth as he pulled her closer to his chest. Y/n grimaced, the subtle movement not going unnoticed by Jensen. Normally, she loved his teasing, it was a part of their banter that made their relationship unique to any other one she’s ever had. Right now, she couldn’t help but take his words to heart. For the life of her, she wished she wouldn’t have, but that weird feeling in her gut was too strong right now.

“Babe, I know what’s going on in that head of yours.” Jensen’s eyes pierced into hers before he kissed her forehead, his lips lingering against her skin for a moment. God, she hated how well he read her sometimes. For once, she would like to not be such an easy read. “I didn’t know she was going to be here.”

“I believe you.” Y/n’s shoulders dropped with her words.

“Jared didn’t know either. He’s not even sure how she found out about it, let alone why she flew all the way to Vancouver for one night.” He was trying to reassure her, but all she was hearing was that Danneel was determined to get him back, that she was here for what she had tossed away all those years ago. Y/n couldn’t blame her for that. Jensen was one of a kind.

“She came back for you.” Y/n noted solemnly.

“No, Danneel left me. Why would she be back now?” Jensen was honestly lost and Y/n almost felt bad for him. They really were two of a kind, neither one thinking that they were worth something. Not to mention it was obvious to everyone else in the room that she still loved him.

“Jensen, you dedicated so much of your life to Supernatural and now that it’s over she thinks that you two can just pick up where you left off. That you can finally have that fairytale that she wanted in the first place because you’ll have more time for her.” Y/n’s tone was clipped, much to her dismay. She didn’t want to be short with him, but she also couldn’t believe that he could be that obtuse. Her hands slid down his neck and came to rest on his chest, a weak attempt to push him away from her. Jensen didn’t budge though, keeping her secure in his arms.

“Y/n,” Jensen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “She’s too late. I got over her a long time ago. I moved on.” He squeezed her hips to emphasize who he had moved on with. “Honey, you and I… I’m in. I’m all in.”

The look in his eyes begged for her to not look away from him. The stinging grew in her nose as she fought back more tears. The swelling in her chest now disguising the rolling in her abdomen.

“Yeah?” Her voice was a broken whisper.

“Yes.” Jensen nodded his head, his features more serious than she had ever seen from him. He dipped into her, pressing his lips to hers gently, testing the waters. Her hands wrapped around the lapels of his tux, pulling him closer to her chest before finding their way back around his neck. With her encouragement Jensen put all his emotion into that kiss. Every unspoken word and promise. Every need and desire. He needed her to understand, to feel his truth. Jensen nipped at her lower lip, enticing her to open her mouth to him. She moaned in response to his actions, her body shivering as Jensen’s hands trailed up her sides. He ran his thumbs along the swell of her breasts, showing extra attention to her hardened nipples.

Something had shifted, she could feel it in the electricity of the air around them. She could feel it in the way Jensen’s mouth moved against her own and how his hands gripped her tight. It wasn’t just about the hunger that had been between them since the beginning, it was something new entirely. Sure, she wanted to feel him, to feel his muscles ripple as fucked her, to feel the deep push and pull of him inside of her. But it was also about the emotion behind it. Jensen was here with her. He had chosen her, and he told her he would keep choosing her.

“Is there a zipper on this thing?” Jensen growled in frustration as he ran his fingers across the fabric of her dress.

“No, it’s a pullover dress.” She chuckled as Jensen dropped his head into her neck with a groan.

“Guess we’ll make due then.” He nipped against her neck, his hands now finding their way to the hem of her dress. Jensen tugged it up around her hips as he sucked along her jaw. He let his tongue guide his movements across her collarbone and back up to just below her ear.

“Jay,” She watched him with hooded eyes as he moved from her and dropped to his knees.

“Shh.” He urged her as tugged her thong down her legs. She stepped out of it, her belly dropping as she watched Jensen stuff the lacy material into his jacket pocket. Her pussy ached in anticipation as Jensen gripped her thighs and leaned forward to place a kiss to her lower belly. He wrapped his long fingers around her right knee and lifted her leg, urging it over his shoulder.

“Shit, shouldn’t we be doing this the other way around? It is your birthday after all.” The quiver in her voice betrayed the sincerity of her words. Right now, she couldn’t think of a better place for him to be.

“Are you kidding me? Best birthday dessert I can think of.” He flashed her his signature smirk, before licking his lips. He placed another gentle kiss to the inside of her thigh before moving on to her sex. Jensen wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked just hard enough to send pleasure pulsing through her bones. Y/n cried out, the sound louder than she had anticipated, but at this point she didn’t care. All she cared about was Jensen and the fire building inside her. Her stomach clenched as Jensen continued his work. He was pro at reading her body at this point, and he had her higher than she thought possible in no time.

Sweat was beading across her chest and neck as she watched the man between her legs. She braced herself against the counter with one hand, running the fingers of her other hand through the longer locks at the crown of Jensen’s head.

“Jay,” She whined as he kept her just at the edge. Her body was so close and he knew it, a low growl emanating from the back of his throat finally pushing her over the edge. Y/n came with a deep huff of air, the heel of her shoe digging into Jensen’s back as her body rode out the high.

“God,” He kissed her thigh again before lowering her quivering leg back to the ground. “You’re so fucking beautiful when you come.” She threw her head back and laughed as she allowed him to help her hop up onto the counter.

“Don’t laugh at me.” He playfully chastised with a frown, his forehead scrunching together as he worked open his slacks.

“Quit making jokes then.” She quipped, only half serious. Jensen paused his movements, his pants hanging open. Y/n could see how hard he was behind his briefs, the sight distracting her momentarily until she realized he had stopped what he was doing. Her eyes flickered back up to his, his expression now serious.

Y/n/n,” He started with a sigh. He tugged her to the edge of the counter by her knees, fitting himself snug between her legs. “You are the most beautiful woman, inside and out, that I have had the pleasure of knowing. Please believe me when I say I’m the luckiest man in the world right now.”

“Okay.” She nodded in agreement. The hurt in his voice had her feeling guilty for what she had said. It wasn’t her intention to hurt his feelings. For some reason, her self deprecating humor had found its way back so easily that she hadn’t even noticed what she had said until it was out of her mouth.

Jensen searched her face for some indication that she may have been just saying what he wanted to hear. When he didn’t catch on to anything, he returned to removing himself from his pants, dropping them and his briefs to his thighs. Y/n grabbed his neck and pulled his lips back to his, her kiss hungry and sloppy as Jensen stoked himself a few times. He coated himself with her arousal before sinking slowly into her. He watched her as she grimaced when he stretched her out, her eyes never leaving the spot where he entered her.

“You good?” He had to make sure she was set before he continued. She nodded to him, her fingers scratching his neck where she held onto him. Jensen hitched her left leg around his waist and the other he lifted into the crook of his elbow before he set up his rhythm. He took his time at first, reading her reaction to every movement and trying to commit the sounds coming from her mouth to memory. He never wanted to leave this moment. He never wanted to leave her. She had wormed her way into his heart without even trying, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Both of their faces were flushed as the air became heavier in the room. Neither could be bothered with the sweat trailing down either of their bodies, both too engrossed in the other. The feel of the others body against their own, and the way they just seemed to fit so perfectly together. This is certainly not what either had expected from this night, but then again they weren’t complaining either.

“Fuck,” Jensen growled between clenched teeth. His movements began to become erratic as his instinct took over in search of his end.

“I know, I’m right there, Jay. Come for me.” Jensen cut off her words, his lips hungrily searching out hers. She met his eagerness, both of them lost in the moment as they neared the edge. Jensen pulled her down onto him hard as he came, his cock pulsing deep inside her. He stilled for only a moment before continuing a few quick hard thrusts as his thumb rubbed tight circles on her clit. It was her undoing then, her nose scrunching and her mouth falling open in a silent scream.

“Ah, jesus.” Jensen leaned into her as they both fought to control their rapid breathing. He tucked his face into her neck, inhaling the smell of perfume and sex on her skin. Her fingers slowly scratched the hairs at the base of his skull as she held him to her, content to listen to his heart beating in time with hers.

“Jensen,” Y/n reluctantly broke the silence in the room. They had already been gone too long, and she had one more thing she wanted to say to him before they parted ways. Jensen stood up to his full height and dropped her leg that he had in his arm as he pulled himself from her. “Jensen, I think it’s time we tell people, you know, about us.”

“What?” He looked up at her as he tucked his button down back into his slacks.

“I, well… don’t you think it’s time?” She hopped down from the counter, careful not to break her heels. A blush crept up on her face as she felt his cum drip down her thigh when she stood up straight.

“Yeah, I do.” He agreed with a soft smile. Hell, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops, right now. He was high on her and he couldn’t be bothered to give a damn about any consequences. Jensen turned to her as she shimmied down the hem of her dress. He stepped up to her, leaning down to give her a quick peck on the lips.

“Good, then it’s settled. We find the right time and we tell our family and friends.” Jensen felt his heart soar as he took in the smile now on her face. In that moment, he realized he would spend the rest of his life making sure she was happy, if only to see that smile on her face. Nothing else mattered more to him anymore than her happiness.

“I can’t wait.” He agreed. Y/n reached into his jacket as he kissed her again, but Jensen caught her wrist before she could snag what she was looking for.

“What are you doing?” He dropped his voice, his eyes narrowed as he grinned at her.

“I’m grabbing my panties.” She stated matter of fact. Jensen tsked at her, shaking his head in mock disapproval, his playfulness taking back over the moment.

“Consider them my birthday gift, besides you said it yourself, they were already ruined.” He grinned, releasing her wrist from his grasp. Her hands fell to her hips as she tried to determine if he was serious or not.

“Jensen, come on.” She tried, reaching towards him again, but he smacked away her hand with a shake of his head.

“I want you to be reminded of this moment all night. Everytime you feel my cum dripping down your thighs, I want you to think of me and how no one else can fuck you as good as I can.” Y/n couldn’t help the whimper that emanated from her throat at his words. She had to hand it to him, he was good. He knew exactly what to say to her. It was as if the two of them had been sleeping together for years, not weeks. There was no learning curve, they both just knew.

“Fine, keep ‘em.” She relented, her hands slapping down against her thighs dramatically.

“Thanks, babe.” Jensen moved to rush out of the bathroom, knowing people would be missing him by now.

“Wait!” She called, rushing after him. He turned, puzzled. Y/n motioned for him to lean down, running her fingers through his hair as he did so. “There all better.”

“What would I do without you?” He smiled wide.

“Crash and burn.”

Part 17

Forevers: @spn-impala @22sarah08 @turtlepad @callmekda @chaldei @hobby27 @casualfestivaltrashpainter @cowboysnwinchesters @tranquility-or-chaos @pikabootoyouchu @dawnie1988 @grease222 @frackinawesomeninja @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @polina-93 @clarinette07 @moonlight-babeh @suckerforfanfic @witandnargles @sleepylunarwolf @stiles-stilinski-24-dylan @geeksareunique @akshi8278

Et Cetera: @jbbarnesgirl @hillface89 @arses21434 @thevelvetseries @sslater34 @mrsirishboru @smoothdogsgirl @spnfamily-j2 @encounterthepast @facadeformyrealblog @supernatural-bellawinchester @screechingartisancashbailiff @rebeccathefangirl @squirrelnotsam @heartinmyhead1 @1d-killed-me @samsgirl93 @deans-baby-momma @deanmonandnegansbitch @woodworthti666 @supraveng @onethirstyunicorn @heartsaved @know2grow @littlewhiterose @surprisinglysarah @stoneyggirl @carryon-doctor-lock @thebookisbtr @youaremyfiveever @kalesrebellion @lilulo-12 @winchester-fantasies

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my-fanfic-library · 5 years ago

Text

Something Different {BBC Dracula x Reader} [9]

Masterlist

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone sending love and condolences. I’m really honestly not doing well right now, but I am doing a little better than before. I’ve only cried once today so far and progress is progress. Sorry I took so long writing this, I hope you can all forgive me. Again, thank you all ❤️

~^*^~

Zoe’s eyes glossed over the dark bruise on Jack’s neck, unable to battle the tears that were threatening to come forth. Never in her wildest dreams could she imagine that something like this would happen. When encouraging Jack to take place in the trial, she had imagined it going a lot more smoothly.

About 24 hours had passed since the incident and up until this point, Zoe had been untraceable. She had uttered something about an appointment when she finally came to see Jack but he chose not to press.

“You know, I don’t actually have any... feelings.. like that towards her.” Jack’s hoarse voice broke the silence.

“I know. We agreed you’d do this to find out if Dracula was drinking her blood. At least we can find relief in knowing he isn’t.” Zoe plucked up the arnica cream, opening the tube and pushing some out onto her fingers, “here.”

Her cold fingers connected with his neck as she smothered the cream over his wounds.

“What the hell happened in there?”

Jack gulped. She needed to know. After all, this information would most likely be vital to learning more about Count Dracula.

~^*^~

A large hand gripped the back of his neck with so much force he lost his breath.

“Good evening, Mr. Seward. I’m afraid you’re going to have to take your hands off of what’s mine.” The voice was low and you hadn’t quite heard his voice like this before. It sent your heart into a frenzy and Jack’s face lost its colour immediately.

Before Jack could begin to utter apologies or excuses, he became weightless and within seconds, he was crashing against the wall and slumping down to the floor. He heard your voice call his name, and the slow, rhythmic thud of footsteps.

“My, oh, my... did I ruin your little... alone time?” Dracula sneered, “I suppose you both looked like you were having fun.”

His eyes interlocked with yours and the coolness of them made your heart beat even faster. How the fuck could you let yourself anger a damn vampire?! If you survived the night, you were sure there was someone up in heaven rooting for your stupid self to claw your way out of this hole you had dug.

You watched as Dracula knelt down, plucking up Jack’s face in one of his hands and inspecting him. A little of your lipstick had worked it’s way on to his lips and some of it had smudged a little past the edges. A rosy pink, easily distinguishable from his skin tone. Dracula tutted, and with no force on his behalf, pulled Jack up to his feet. Jack groaned and you finally stood, trying to work your way between the two slowly.

“Having trouble keeping your hands off of him, [First]?” Dracula inquired, his tone accusatory and clearly angry.

“I-...” What else could you say to him? It wasn’t like you meant anything to him. He was merely a child and you were the supper he wasn’t ready to eat, and so he had resorted to playing with it. You took another step towards him.

“Ah, ah, ah, you stay right where you are,” Dracula warned, “unless you want your friend here to become my meal for the night.”

“Dracula,” you warned back, eyes narrowing, “don’t you dare harm him.”

“Darling, I can hear your pulse from over here. You couldn’t intimidate me.”

You watched as Dracula inspected Jack’s face, turning it left and right, up and down. You weren’t quite sure on what he was doing, but he was too interested in Jack. And that alarmed you.

Jack was paralysed with fear. The longer Dracula held him up, kept his head spinning from the standing, the coolness spread throughout him. Right from the hand, down the neck where it burnt where he touched, down his spine, towards his fingers and his toes. He knew he was powerless. He knew this was a bad idea.

Was he going to die here tonight? He didn’t know.

“After everything I did for you, [First]... and you decide to preoccupy yourself with boys. With things that will only taint and stain you.” His low voice carried easily to your ears.

“I didn’t realise I was your property.” Your voice was a little shaky and Dracula had to admit that he loved the way you sounded in that moment.

“Wasn’t me keeping you alive a hint as to that? I thought you were smarter than this. I thought you caught on a long time ago.”

“When exactly? When you pretty much told me to my face that you wanted to eat me? When you came to my house and made it so I felt too terrified in my own home to sleep? When you disappeared for two months?!”

“Now, [First], you sent me south with your words of a promising meal. Don’t try to blame me for going after it.”

“Then why did it take you so long to return? What was I supposed to do without you here?”

“[First]-“ Jack breathed and you could tell he was struggling for breath, “don’t-“ he was cut off by Dracula tightening his grasp.

“Hush, you.” He warned Jack with a lowly voice, “you really do like to create a scene, don’t you [First]? You think life is like the pretty little scenarios shown on the TV? Trust me, I am nothing like that.”

He locked eyes with you, eyebrows furrowed in a frenzied kind of rage. You had no clue that finally moving on with your life would prompt such a response from somebody who had seemed to not care anymore. The tension in the air was almost tangiable and it tightened in your lungs and made your head spin with anxiety.

“I’m worse.”

Like throwing a rag doll, Dracula threw Jack’s body aside. The brunet tumbled into your fireplace, knocking the fire guard down and scraping his hands on the brick work.

“Jack!” You began to make a break towards him, but arms had swooped you up and with much fight, though it was easy for him to ignore, you were gone.

~^*^~

Zoe sat in slumped in her chair, pressing her forefinger and middle finger to her temple. What a mess this had all created.

“And we don’t know where she is now?” Zoe whispered. There was a pause.

“...no...” his soft voice cracked when he spoke, “I ran out of the house to follow him but... he was gone...” he looked over at Zoe, who was looking down at her feet.

“He’s going to kill her now.” She whispered, “and it’s completely my fault.”

~^*^~

In the darkness, your heart pounded. You were walking with haste, trying your damn hardest to get across the viaduct. You knew if you could just make it to the cut out behind Caedmon College, you’d be able to flee. However, being so much shorter than the male strolling along behind you meant that it was proving difficult to get away from him.

You refused to look behind you. You refused to have anything to do with him. But when your arm swung backwards, he caught your wrist and pulled you backwards so that you had to.

“Are you finished with your tantrum yet?” He inquired.

“Get off of me.” You pulled your arm from his grasp.

“Clearly not.”

“What the hell is your problem, Drac?” You crossed your arms, glaring so hardly at him it caused even the big bad vampire to very slightly flinch, “come on, tell me!”

“Now, [First],” you watched him as he looked at you, playing with the ring on his finger as he did so, “it’s not so much a problem with me but with you.”

“With me?!” You shrieked, “I never even realised that I was yours to claim! You’re the one who fucked off to London!”

“Only,” he began sharply, “because you sent me.”

“Yeah but I was thinking more like a week or two at most! You can’t just come back and demand that the only person I spend time with is you! It’s my job to do that! And I don’t want to have to work 24/7 just to appease you!”

“Why are you getting so worked up? That boy feels nothing for you and you’re acting like I just ruined your most promising love affair.” He was now glaring as well.

“And how the hell do you know how he feels? Have you been drinking his blood?” Dracula scoffed and then began to laugh a little.

“Of course not. Why would I need to when I’ve been doing my-... let’s say culling, down in London? I’ve been getting my fill, [First], that’s all.”

“That still doesn’t mean you can just come back and tell me what I can and can’t do.”

“I think you’ll find that I can. After all, it’s me who’s the dangerous one here.”

And it clicked. The realisation that you were alive because of his mercy, that you had let him in so deeply into your life that he could - if he chose to - snatch the life away from you in a heartbeat. You were in a position now that you were at the mercy of a beast.

You had no choice.

You were going to have to obey him.

“Your heartbeat...” he trailed off, strolling closer and lifting your head with his index finger, “why does it do leaps and bounds for me? Why didn’t it for him?”

“Like you said, you’re dangerous. Jack isn’t.”

“I think we proved that back there.” He chuckled, “my gracious, any other man would’ve gotten straight back up after something like that.”

“Yeah, well...”

There was a silence. The wind took place in your conversation and below the bubbling and the rush of the river helped to conceal the silence even more. You could hear Jack below screaming your name.

“Leave him.” Dracula commanded.

“I need to go home, Drac.”

“No you don’t.”

~^*^~

The next night passed and neither Zoe nor Jack found themselves at the mercy of much sleep. They were both fretting over your well-being and seeing as you weren’t answering your phone, it felt like a cause for concern. The night dragged.

When morning came and people began to flood back into the foundation, Zoe found herself perched on a chair in the reception watching every person who walked in. Jack had to go and busy himself in the hopes you’d just appear by his side like you usually did on a work day. 8:36 arrived and when you waltzed through the door with a coffee in hand, you were not prepared for the barrage that was Zoe Van Helsing.

“Where the hell were you?! Do you have any idea how I- how worried both me and Jack were?!”

Her eyes washed over you with relief, however. Your hair was tied up, out of your face and she could see no mark on your neck. Thank God. He hadn’t hurt you yet.

“[First]?!” The force that hit you was undoubtedly Jack and you found yourself being pushed backwards a few paces. His scent filled your lungs and you couldn’t hold back your relieved laugh. He pulled away, “it’s not funny.” He scolded, “it’s really not funny.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Your smile slowly faded and you looked between them. Zoe looked nothing short of exhausted and Jack now had a large bruised bloomed on his neck and a bandage on his temple.

“Seriously, [First], where were you? You didn’t pick up- we thought that- we thought... Count Dracula...” Zoe found herself trailing off. She couldn’t bare to think about what could have happened to you.

“Well I just... took a train.” You shrugged.

“Where to?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters. Where did you go?” Zoe challenged.

“Fine. We went to Goathland.”

“Goathland?” Jack raised an eyebrow at you, “there’s nothing there.”

“I suppose not.” You mumbled.

“Is that where he’s staying...?” Zoe asked you softly.

“It really doesn’t matter-“

“I can’t believe you’d be so stupid.” Zoe bit her lip.

“It wasn’t like I had the choice, Zoe. He’s the one in control and I’ve dug myself a hole too deep now. I’m literally going to have to spend the rest of my life doing whatever he wants.”

“Yeah,” Jack locked eyes with you, “until he kills you.”

“What did you even do there?” Zoe asked.

~^*^~

Lolling on the plush satin sofa, your eyes wandered over to the tall male who was tinkering with the statues on the fireplace. He wasn’t really paying any attention to you, but then again, he hadn’t since you’d boarded the last train into Goathland. He’d been quiet and collected.

Not that you were minding, after your eventful evening, some solace was very much needed. Even if you were in his company, the silence was much appreciated for even a moment. Every now and again, his feet would potter around the room, inspecting items here and there. This went on for a good fifteen minutes before he finally sat down in the cushiony chair opposite you. His fingers curled around the edges of the arm rests and he looked at you. You were sprawled out. You were half asleep. He smirked.

“[First]?” His lips turned upwards a little.

“Mhm...” you replied tiredly.

“You aren’t going to fall asleep on me are you?” He lightly teased.

“...no...”

“It seems to me that you are.”

“Well... ‘m’not...”

“Sit up, [First], we have much to discuss.”

“Like what?” You yawned, finally pulling yourself up and stretching your arms out.

“Let’s make a deal, darling.” His wicked eyes set on you and you looked at him with a puzzled expression painting over your tired features.

“On what?” Your short answers proved your exhaustion and although he was tempted to show some mercy and let you sleep, he wanted to get this out of the way.

“Well... I’ll propose my end of the deal first. I have to go back to London, you see. For certain reasons. Now, my end of the deal is that I promise you I’ll check in, make sure you’re behaving yourself up here.”

“Right...?”

“And in return, all you need to do is keep yourself to yourself.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Obviously I understand that you have to work and that requires a degree of socialisation, however, I’d prefer it if you didn’t do any of those- date things.”

“Are you really that jealous?”

“I’m not jealous, I’m merely trying to protect you, [First].”

“Whatever.” You yawned. You stretched out once more and let your body relax once more.

~^*^~

You looked between Zoe and Jack. Both were waiting for an answer.

“Nothing. We didn’t do anything.”

You smiled and finally pushed your way past the two. Jack turned his head to watch you walk away and Zoe sighed.

“She’s lying.”

~^taglist^~

@vampiregirl1797 @avalanet @bunnyreese12 @nerdonpluto @teamceleries @grifffins @hitbythunder @winterseoul @mymagicsuitcase @angeli-fucking-cat @benedictethegoddess @bloodhon3yx @nifflersravenclaw @writteninthestars288 @labelladrama @frankcastlesgrunts @angelicdestieldemon @quakerlasss @aliisa-jones @wolverinexmenn @clairedragonessbaker @voidxngel @mitsukatsu @piratewhore @your-pixels-are-showing @tardisnesss @ladydovahkiin180 @catwomom @god-of-dramatic-death-scenes @th3rah @viper-queen @mephdcosplay @greghouse7 @faeprinces @kokoro-no-yami @trishaferdream @therealmoni @crazytxgradstudent @sansthelonelypunster @crowley-needs-a-hug @girlonfireice @wasntpriscilla @ivanna6026 @greeniemoon @blueinkblot @tefymorgan

When your taglist is almost as long as the fic itself Oof thank you all so much❤️

#dracula #bbc dracula #netflix dracula #dracula x reader #bbc dracula x reader #netflix dracula x reader #class bang #dolly wells

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cycbean · 4 years ago

Text

Hello there

Wanted to dip my toes into this pairing. Don’t mind me...

This is a really (really) rough draft of the first chapter of a concept I had.

Quiet Minds

Chapter 1

‘…there she stood in the doorway,

I heard the mission bell,

And I was thinking to myself,

This could be heaven or this could be hell…’

“Sir? Is that all?”

The cashier behind the counter looked at Ichigo expectantly. Ichigo couldn’t hear her thoughts but there was definitely disapproval in her eyes, probably due to the fact that he had not removed the headphones from his ears when he had come up to the counter, and his music was so loud that she could undoubtedly hear some of it. Ichigo was unbothered by this. He was already used to receiving this look.

He nodded. “Sure.”

“That’ll be four-hundred yen, then.”

Ichigo watched the way her lips formed the words and withdrew the correct amount of cash. Waving off her proffered plastic bag, he pocketed the cigarettes and gum and stepped out of the convenience store to the sound of Don Felder’s electric guitar.

When he was a bit away from the store he retrieved a cigarette and lit it, trying to relax himself.

Standing on a street corner, he watched the other people milling about. Some of them were also freshmen and would be his peers for the next year, and perhaps even the next four years. He considered, briefly, if he should remove his headphones and listen for a bit. Three years ago, he had similarly stood before the front gates of Karakura High School and thought the same thing. Back then, he hadn’t started smoking yet.

Ichigo put the cigarette out, stuffed a piece of minty fresh gum in his mouth and headed off to the Student Accommodations office.

&&&

“I’m sorry, Kurosaki-kun, there’s nothing we can do.”

The bespectacled woman, Ise Nanao, her staff badge read, shuffled through his papers like there might appear information there she hadn’t already been through.

“Though your circumstances do seem somewhat special, it’s not enough to warrant any special kind of accommodation.”

Though Ichigo still hadn’t removed his headphones, he had turned the volume down, so he could hear her voice a little. She sounded genuinely regretful.

“I understand,” he said. “Thank you, though.”

He got up, accepting the file of his documents from the woman. She gave him a sympathetic look.

“Although,” she said suddenly, “If there is a short number of lodgers this semester, I can make sure that you get a room to yourself. However, I don’t want to get your hopes up for this. Admissions this year has already reached capacity, so it’s unlikely it will happen.”

“Thank you,” Ichigo said sincerely before he left.

When he had been applying for universities far away from his hometown, he had known that this would be an issue. The dorms didn’t allow for single rooms, not for freshmen at least. To be by himself, he would have to rent outside the campus, something the rich kids did with ease but which was too expensive for Ichigo, considering he would be paying for it himself given that his scholarship only covered tuition and books. He had expected, with his luck, he would end up rooming with someone. Despite this expectation, he hadn’t quite figured out how he was going to survive that yet.

Outside Ise Nanao’s office was a small reception room. Walk-in meetings took place here, with more staff members seated behind small wooden desks with a few chairs before them. One meeting caught his attention.

It was a small family, what looked like a grandmother and two grandchildren.

The grandmother and her granddaughter, a pretty young woman, were seated before the staff member. Behind them stood the grandson, a boy about a head shorter than Ichigo but probably around the same age. He stood out by his rather stark white hair.

At first, Ichigo just gave them a passing glance. But as he did this, his eyes caught the movement of the young woman’s lips and he stopped short.

Able to read lips.

That was what she was saying. It struck Ichigo as funny that the thing she was talking about was what he was doing to her right then. Intrigued, Ichigo continued to observe her, basically eavesdropping. From his angle, he could only see the face of the young woman and the staff member.

From what he could gather, the young woman was describing a person who could at least be able to read lips, while the staff member was, regretfully, informing them that that was a skill they had no way of knowing if other students possessed, as it wasn’t usually mentioned on any official documents.

The staff member could only suggest that they put out some sort of advertisement for such a roommate.

This caught Ichigo’s attention. So, one of the grandkids was a student then, and they needed a roommate who could at least read lips. Though he couldn’t hear her, it seemed like the granddaughter could speak and hear just fine, so it probably wasn’t for her. It had to be for the boy then.

Ichigo lingered longer. At this point, the granddaughter shifted her body and Ichigo could no longer see her face. He hesitated for a moment and then did something he hadn’t done in public in years—

He took off his headphones.

Hanging them around his neck, he was immediately assaulted with the sudden influx of noises—a copier somewhere nearby whirring, the squeaky wheels of an office chair being rolled across the floor, and of course, the indistinct sounds of people chatting. Worse than that, though, were the sounds of thinking.

Lucky for Ichigo, there weren’t many people around. Behind him, he thought he heard Ise Nanao think about whether she should have lunch with her uncle or not. A maintenance man working on an elevator nearby was wondering where his screwdriver was. And of course, there was the family before him.

Ichigo focused in on the granddaughter, just in time for him to hear, quite distinctly, Poor Tōshirō.

Tōshirō, he assumed, was the white-haired boy.

The staff member: I wish I could help, but I can’t do anything for you.

The grandmother: Tōshirō, this school is so big, will you be okay here?

The granddaughter: Don’t worry, Shiro-chan, it won’t be so bad. We’ll put a message up on the freshman Facebook page and work something out.

Ichigo couldn’t pick up anything from the boy himself, so he tried to focus on him, almost burning a hole into the back of his head.

But there was nothing. Not even white noise.

But then the granddaughter thought something that lit a lightbulb in Ichigo’s head.

Shiro-chan’s been deaf since he was born, he’ll have to get use to things like this sooner or later.

As Ichigo watched, the girl turned to the boy and signed this to him.

So he was deaf, and had been since he was born. Was this why Ichigo couldn’t hear his thoughts? Because he had never learned how to verbalize them?

Ichigo would have continued to listen, but then the door behind him opened and Ise Nanao stepped out. Ichigo became aware of her presence because he distinctly heard her think Oh, Kurosaki-kun’s still here, and he swung around.

“Kurosaki-kun? Was there something else?”

Ichigo quickly returned his headphones to his ears, to which she raised her eyebrows.

“Is there a freshman Facebook group?” he asked.

“There is,” she replied, surprised. “There’s a flyer in my office of all the social groups, give me a moment.”

She quickly retrieved the flyer and handed it to Ichigo. By this time, Tōshirō and his family were leaving the office. Ichigo watched them go, catching sight of the other boy’s face for the first time.

He had a very young face, one that hadn’t yet lost the last of its childish roundness. His frown made him seem very serious though, thin white brows furrowed over rather large green eyes. He was signing something to who Ichigo guessed was his sister, though they didn’t look alike, so quickly that Ichigo was only able to discern Don’t bother.

“Will that be all, Kurosaki-kun?”

Ichigo turned his attention back to Ise and nodded.

“Yes, thank you.”

Ichigo didn’t see the small family when he walked out of the building, but he took the flyer with him back to his aunt’s car, slipping it into the folder with his other documents.

When he was safely inside the car, he finally took his headphones off and tossed them in the passenger seat. It was a long drive back to his aunt’s house and he was looking forward to relieving his ears of the headphones. Instead, he turned the radio on.

Adele’s Rolling in the Deep was just getting into its first chorus. He turned the volume up to a level he knew couldn’t be heard outside the closed windows and pulled out from the parking lot.

When Ichigo turned into his aunt’s driveway, his uncle Ganju was waiting for him.

This uncle of his was born too late for Ichigo to call him uncle—he was only a few years older, after all, though when the man wanted to be a special pain, he’d harass Ichigo about his lack of respect for his elders.

Ichigo quickly put his headphones back on, clicking the little Bluetooth button to connect to his phone.

The heavily synthesized beats of Cher’s Believe slowly built up in his ears, effectively deafening him to the sounds around him. Ichigo retrieved his things from the car and stepped out.

“About time you got back,” Ganju greeted him, holding a hand out for the keys. “I’m late for a movie with the boys!”

Ichigo dropped the keys into his palm. “You sound like a girl,” he said flatly.

“What was that, you punk? What part of boys sounds like a girl?”

“Whatever.” Ichigo walked away from him. It didn’t look like his aunt was home yet, so if Ganju was going out then he’d be alone for a few hours.

Behind the wheel, Ganju laid on the horn for a moment, the only way to get Ichigo’s attention when he wasn’t facing him.

“What?” Ichigo yelled at him over his shoulder.

“Give. Bonnie. A. Bath.” Ganju enunciated to him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure his Aunt Kukaku had told Ganju to bathe Bonnie this morning.

Bonnie, the little pink pig, was in her playpen in the living room. Neither Kukaku nor Ganju had children, but they did have a pig.

Bonnie squealed and bounded up to Ichigo when he came in. He reached down to pet her head, smiling.

Animals couldn’t think, at least not in a way Ichigo could pick up on, so he removed his headphones and set about filling the bathtub with water. While Bonnie happily splashed around, chewing on some squeaky rubber toy, Ichigo pulled out his phone.

He had been staying with his aunt and uncle for a week and had been mostly ignoring the texts and messages from back home during that time. He had only replied to the ones in the family chat, since it was usually Yuzu checking up on him and it wouldn’t be in his best interest to needlessly worry her.

But his friends had been sending him messages too, and Ichigo had left those unread.

The most recent was from Tatsuki in the group chat: Let us know what time you get back into town, we’re having dinner at Orihime’s.

Ichigo hesitated, but the message had already been open so, at least in a group chat, they would be able to see that he had read it.

Not sure, might be very late, he replied and then quickly put his phone away.

While Bonnie was rolling around on the towels Ichigo had laid out for her on Ganju’s bed, he opened up his laptop. He wasn’t much of a Facebook person, preferring platforms like Reddit and Discord for his online socializing, mostly because he didn’t know another person who used them. But he kept the account around because his friends and family were very much active on it. Bypassing the unchecked notifications, updates, and game requests, he retrieved the flyer and searched for the university’s freshman Facebook group.

It was a very active page, mostly stylized, preppy posts by the admins welcoming the new students and advertising the freshman orientation events that would be running for the next week or so, and also people asking questions.

It seemed like Tōshirō’s sister had wasted no time putting a post up on the page. Her name was Hinamori Momo and her post was asking for a male roommate who knew sign language or lip reading who could room with a deaf person for the next semester. If they were interested, they could contact her via her Facebook profile.

There wasn’t much engagement on the post, a few likes and reactions, but no replies. Ichigo figured anyone serious about it would message Hinamori-san directly. Clicking into her profile, he found pictures of the young woman he had seen at the office before. He had to trawl her page for a moment before he found one with the white-haired Tōshirō.

The picture had been posted only a year ago but had been clearly taken long before. Momo and Tōshirō were much younger, probably in their early teens. They were sitting behind a Harry Potter themed birthday cake, dressed in Harry Potter robes (complete with the pointed hats and all), with Harry Potter decorations in the background. Tōshirō was wearing the iconic round glasses and he was holding a wand. His face was serious even back then but one side of his mouth was tilted up in a little half smile.

Hinamori-san’s caption was:

‘Spent my day celebrating with this guy. Don’t blame me for the picture guys, this is the only one I have. Yes, really.’

And then she followed up with a line of smiling, laughing, and birthday-themed emojis.

Unfortunately, Tōshirō wasn’t tagged in the photo, and a search of Tōshirō Hinamori didn’t yield any results.

Nevertheless, Ichigo opened up a chat with Hinamori-san and quickly typed up a message, letting her know that he knew sign language and lip reading, and was looking for a roommate himself.

He left it at that and closed the laptop.

Bonnie had taken up chewing on the edge of the magazine Ganju kept hidden under his pillow. Ichigo picked her up and brought her back downstairs. The front door was opening, and Ichigo scrambled to get his headphones on while balancing a squeaky pig.

His Aunt Kukaku stepped inside, toting in a few shopping bags.

“Ah, Ichigo, come help me with this.”

Ichigo deposited Bonnie on the couch and went over to her.

“How was registration?” she asked.

“Fine, mostly hassle-free. My move in day is next Wednesday.”

Kukaku leaned a hip against the kitchen counter. “That doesn’t give you much time to spend at home,” she said thoughtfully. “Maybe you should leave today. I don’t mind driving you tonight.”

“No, it’s alright,” Ichigo quickly said. “It’s already late and you just got home from work. Plus, there’s an issue with my roommate I want to sort out here first before I go back.”

“You didn’t get through with the administration then?” his aunt asked, frowning.

He shook his head. “It won’t be so bad though,” he reassured her. “I think my roommate is a quiet guy. I’ll manage.”

Aunt Kukaku looked like she wanted to say more but Ichigo turned away from her, putting away the groceries.

After they had eaten dinner and Ichigo had showered, he opened up his laptop again. There was a message from Hinamori-san.

‘Hello, Kurosaki-kun! Thank you for messaging me! We’ll be on campus tomorrow…how about we have lunch together at the café in the Student Building? Around 12? Let me know. Looking forward to seeing you!’

Hanging his towel over his shoulders to catch the rest of the water dripping from his hair, he quickly typed out a reply:

‘Sure. See you then.’

&&&

Oh, my God, they were roommates. What Hogwarts House would Toshiro be in?

#Bleach #IchiHitsu #Ichigo Kurosaki #Toshiro Hitsugaya #Bleach fanfiction

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thoughtfullyyoungduck · 5 years ago

Text

we fell in love in October

A/N: this was requested by anon, I hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think!

Summary: One where the reader and Ben were together in high school and left Derry together and when they come back they are married and everyone is surprised to see them still together

A phone call that your entire adult life is based on stacks of self-imagined and wrongful placed memories is best not received in a an overseas, foreign country with your husband ten thousand miles away. The trip it selves originally lasted no more than five days, but after Mike’s ring, you cut it short and immediately booked a flight destination Derry Maine after two.

It was a work trip meant to educate you on all the new techniques and information you missed out on during your two year hiatus, and the company you represented, Thomas Cook, is an English company, so England was the best place for you to learn.

You and Ben had been away from each other every once in a while, so neither of you made it a big deal to spend a few days apart, but Ben nor you expected the phone call that shook both of to your core.

Following a meeting on etiquette, you returned to your hotel room for the night, unlocking your phone and noticing that you missed a few of ben’s calls. That was odd, considering Ben always patiently awaits for you to initiate contact so he wouldn’t ever interrupt you in case you’re busy.

You were planning on returning the call the moment you arrived in the privacy of your room, when another person tried to contact you, and this time it wasn’t someone you recognized. The number came from Derry, and although that name sounded vaguely familiar, you couldn’t pinpoint an exact memory to place it.

Thinking that it might have been an assistant reaching out to you, you picked up the phone and listened as the elevator slowly rose floor above floor, trickling painstakingly slower than a snail, and making little bump noises at every level.

The only other person in the elevator with you, a coworker, swore to never reveal the undignified yelp you let out as Mike reintroduced himself to you, claiming to be one of your childhood best friend and begging you to come home to aid in another battle.

It clicked then why Ben never let up the constant stream of messages and bells, and why you always felt like you knew since the beginning of your life, because you had.

Every new thing Mike explained to you solidified itself in stone, as real as the clothes you wore and the floor you stood on. The name pennywise revolted you, every hair on your body standing up in high alert as a fight or flight reaction, transporting you back the summer you turned thirteen years old and an inhuman thing haunted your nightmares and your daily life.

By the end of the call, you craved Ben’s calming presence and his sweet nothing whispers he shook out of his sleeve at times you dreamed of shadows curling up your form and pulling you down to the deepest pits of despair with futile strength.

It made sense now why you blanched every time someone asked you where you and Ben met, or how long you two had been dating before marrying in a forest Ben decorated with fairy lights and flowers that sprouted a smell so delicious you caught a few guest sneaking them with them at the end.

‘Mike?’, You asked right before he launched into another aspect of his story. Part of you felt immensely sad, at the idea of Mike staying behind in Derry, helpless to do anything as you all forgot and moved on, but another part of you couldn’t care less at the moment, talking to Ben the only thing you knew would calm you down.

‘Yeah Y/N?’

‘Did you speak to Ben yet?’ In a way, you knew the answer. The none stop flood wouldn’t exist if he didn’t, but as long as an ounce of doubt remained, you were not picking up.

‘Yeah, I talked to him. Wait, you remember him?’

In a not so proud moment, you ended the connection abruptly, and pressed the icon next to Ben’s name, his contact photo one you snapped when he designed the new home and proudly presented it to you as a surprise.

An answer came at once, before the first ring even echoed, the breathing down the other line harsh and brisk.

‘Y/N, thank god. Are you okay?’ His deep, sturdy voice anchored you back to real life, a tranquility that he somehow always possessed reducing your stress levels.

‘I’m fine honey. I’m fine, are you?’ It’s a throw away question for sure, since Ben would do anything in his power to let you remain sane, and expressing his own worries is not part of that plan. Not being able to be there for your husband when the world is tilted up its head is killing you.

‘Sweets, don’t worry about me, worry about you. I can fly over to England tonight if that’s of any use.’

Frankly, getting to Ben and sifting through the confusing onslaught of emotions and recollections with him lists higher on your priority list above everything else, but you can’t do that to the others.

‘No, Ben listen to me.’ Your voice remains flat and drained of anything other than firmness, a benefit of working with customers you have required over the years. Freak out postponed ‘till you dragged your suitcase from terminal to terminal, for you had to arrange plans first.

Ben would most likely think with his heart and prefer to be around you, but by the time he would land in England and the two you transfer to another plane, the other losers – you named each other that if you recall correctly – may be dead.

‘Book a flight to Derry, and I’ll do the same. I won’t travel as fast as you, so assure the others that I’m on my way.’

‘But Y/N’, Ben protested, his desire to protect you standing in the way of common sense, god you adore this man.

‘Ben please,’ a droplet of tears drip on your cheek, confronting you with the realization that you cried.

‘Okay,’ Ben gives in, the displeasement out in the open, but listening to you none the less.

---

The old clubhouse is not as hard to find as you originally thought, the way to the spot from your old house purely muscle memory that allows you to pinpoint the exact location.

You know the reunion of the losers already transpired yesterday, Ben updating you throughout the night, but your flight only touched base this morning. Derry is an old town with reception towers spaced out and far apart, resulting in barely any communication between you and Ben.

The Derry-Inn was exempt, and so the next best guess as to where they could be was that the losers retreated to the one place radiating with love and untainted by the dirty hands of the towns curse.

The hushed talking under the hatch prove you right, and a smile carefully pokes through the bland face you’ve sported for two days, and regardless of how crazy it might seem, a blanket of safeness falls upon you, creating a barrier between you and the problems about to head on your path.

You reach down to rattle the hatch, a warning that you’re coming down to the others, and the swing it upon, dust flying in your face in such a huge amount it suffocates you. While coughing, your hand flags away the excess dust swarming around you, gulping down breathes of fresh air.

The leader creaks under your weight, but surprisingly you’re not required to bow down to fit into the clubhouse, a comfortable height for you to ease into.

You misjudge the last step, losing your footing and tumbling down the last two trads with a yap at the pain radiating from your feet up your leg, falling down faster than you should have.

Richie shrieks in fear, jumping several steps away from his spot under the stairs to hide behind Mike, the entire losers club swiftly glancing at you.

‘Ha’, Eddie exclaims once his brain catches up to his sight and he apprehends its you. ‘That’s what you get fucker, that’s karma.’

‘Yeah? Was it karma when I fucked your wife as good as I fucked your mom?’ Richie inquires, smirking at the reaction Eddie provides him.

‘That’s fucking disgusting and not the definition of karma by the way.’

‘You guys are clearly still the same’, you mutter, forgoing the pain and observing the interaction between the two best friends.

‘Y/N’, Bev breathes, approaching you with a pep in her step and halting in front of you, allowing you to close the distance and embrace the girl that you forget about yet missed so dearly.

With most of the losers here, it’s hard to grasp that you ever omitted them, for they colored your childhood in so many ways and are intermittent with the person you are today.

Ben shuffles closer too, but waits forbearance so Bev can take her time. The other losers greet you with a smile and a far-off hello, happy to see you again after so long. After Bev stops hugging you and walks away to further explore the shelter, Ben stoops in and kisses you with a short and soft peck. He’s always respectful of you, to the point he usually won’t kiss you in public so you’re comfortable, but this is an exception.

‘Ben, man didn’t you claim to have married someone?’ Richie wonders aloud and gaps at the two of you, resembling a fish out of water.

‘Yes’, you drag out, confusion lilting your words, ‘we are.’ The losers pause, including Mike, the wheels turning in their head to process the new information.

‘You guys got m-m-married?’ Bill questions, his eyes sparkling with happiness for his friends, all the times he psyched Ben up so he gained the courage to ask you out on a date in high school.

‘Yeah for two years now’, Ben proudly proclaims, resting his hand on the small of your back to stable himself and hide the way he falters when everyone zero’s in on him.

‘In October. Ben arranged the whole thing in the woods with a fairy tale theme.’ You nearly add that it was perfect, but that’s a lie. Something was missing that day, like a stubborn smudge you tried very hard to remove yet remained. You never shared it with Ben, because he thought of every detail and ever speck to a T, and by all means it should’ve been flawless. Maybe that smudge was the insistent memory of your friend not being there to support you like you wished they were. Despite not sharing your concern with Ben, you wonder if he experienced the same thing and was afraid to inform you.

‘Wait, do I remember this wrong or did you guys start dating in October too?’ Bev quizzes.

You peer up at Ben for guidance, but he comes across just as clueless as you. It could very well be, and looking back on it, the two of you did instantly reach a consensus about the date of the wedding. Perhaps the remnants of your childhood manifested in the date, and if they did, the next anniversaries will be extra special than so far.

Right now, it’s essential your focus lays elsewhere, like in how to defeat IT for good this time, so no other lives are cut short because of an intergalactic demon.

Ben links your hands together, a tight grip that lets you know he’s right beside you, and he’s not going anywhere. The two of you together are equipped for anything.

#ben hanscom #ben x reader #x reader #My writing #adult losers #ben hanscom imagine #adult Ben Hanscom #the loser club imagines #it chapter two imagine #Ben Hanscom x reader

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thewraphim · 4 years ago

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pocket-clown · 5 years ago

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A Little Bit Lovesick | Arthur Fleck x reader // fluff

// original request: I just wanted to ask for a fic where Arthur is sick and the reader takes care of him, I just imagined something sweet and fluffy ❤️

Thank you for the request, @gwynplaine89 !! This was super cute to write!!

Summary: Awoken one night by the realization that Arthur wasn’t next to you like you thought he’d been, you quickly find out that what you originally thought was anxiety induced insomnia was actually something a bit different.

Words: 2,183

The quiet hum from the television in the living room was the first thing your sleep-fogged mind registered, the empty space in bed next to you the second.

Sat up in bed, your hair tousled about, you blinked as you looked around the dim room, your mind only on one thing: where was Arthur? Though it was a silly question, you knew that he almost certainly was the cause of the television being on at such an hour, your sleepy state left you a bit disoriented, and for a brief moment all you could do was try to figure out where your dear clown might’ve gone off to.

The blue light that came in from the ajar doorway told you that he most likely had the TV turned to the news, which meant he most likely wasn’t actually watching it - telling you that either his insomnia was acting up again and he wasn’t in the right head space to work on any of his comedy material, or that something else was going on.

With slow movements you tossed the blankets back, not even bothering to slip on your slippers as your feet made contact with the floor below. Briefly you wondered if you should even go out to see him; albeit a rare occurrence, you knew that sometimes he just needed to be left alone for some time so he could deal with whatever was going on in that head of his, but something told you that that wasn’t the case at the moment, and if anything, he needed you. You wondered briefly if that’s why he had the volume on the television on at all when he usually kept it off so not to disturb you - out of the hope that you’d hear it and know he was out there, an indirect way of him asking for you to come to him. So, with that, and it being nearly four in the morning and knowing that he had to be in for work in less than five hours, you swallowed the small bit of hesitation you had and crept into the living room.

Arthur was huddled up on the couch, quite literally curled into a ball with his hair a mess and splayed out on the cushions below him. Thanks to the light from the television you could see how much heavier the circles under his eyes were, as well as how he didn’t even look at you as you entered the room - as if he didn’t even realize you had done so.

“Artie? Are you alright?” You whispered, not wanting to startle him nor cause too much of a stir. Obviously something was up; though insomnia was no stranger in your relationship, he looked much more worn out than he usually did.

Arthur barely stirred in response, tipping his head up just enough so he could look at you as you came to sit on the floor between the coffee table and the couch.

Shit, he really didn’t look well, now that you could get a better look at him.

“ M’just not feeling well - Oh, I didn’t wake you, did I? Is the TV too loud?” He asked, concern present in both his voice and eyes as he looked at you, not breaking contact with your own. So like Arthur was it to put aside his own needs to comfort and care for you, but you weren’t having any of it at the moment.

“The TV’s fine - but what’s up with you? How are you not feeling well, darling?” You reached your hand up to brush aside a tuft of hair that had fallen across his forehead, and in doing so you pressed the back of your hand against his forehead, smiling a bit to yourself as he sighed and closed his eyes at the contact. He was warm. Really warm.

“That’s how…” He mumbled, his voice barely above a dry whisper.

“Oh, Arthur… what can I do?”

“Please, don’t worry about me. Why don’t you go back to bed? I don’t want to keep you up.”

But of course you were going to stay up. Your Arthur wasn’t feeling well, and you weren’t about to just leave him alone while he was ill.

You shook your head. “I’m gonna stay right here,” You said, standing up. “Can I get on the couch with you?”

Slowly does Arthur scoot further towards the back of the couch, his movements as quick as they could be; though cuddles were a must in your relationship, the malaise brought on by his sudden illness most likely left him sore and lethargic. The second there was enough space to do so you plopped your body down, laying parallel to his, and after enough squirming around on the small couch were you able to hook your legs together with his, your left arm curled underneath your head, your right hand coming to rest on his upturned shoulder, where it rubbed gentle circles. He was wearing that red jumper you loved so much, and with the way he positioned himself he was able to rest his forehead against your chest, a deep sigh leaving him as he settled back down.

“Is your head hurting at all?” You kept your voice hushed, not wanting to disturb the peace. You could only assume that it was, given by how he had his head pressed against you, but you knew Arthur enough to know that he wouldn’t tell you about his discomfort outwardly - you’d have to ask him.

“Mm… not anymore.” He mumbled, and you felt him relax further as your hand moved from his shoulder to his head where you gently combed your fingers through his dark curls. His breathing was beginning to slow, and as the minutes passed you could feel yourself beginning to drift back off to sleep, lulled by the gentle rising and falling of his chest.

You dozed off, and before you knew it, the light that was streaming in through the curtains woke you.

Arthur, much to your surprise and relief, was deep asleep, no doubt from the combination of his almost constant state of insomnia-induced sleep deprivation as well as the fatigue caused by the fever. With gentle movements you were able to pull yourself from his grasp and slip away from the couch, clicking off the TV and taking a moment to peek into the bedroom - the red numbers on the alarm clock reading that it was a quarter to eight.

After a hushed phone call with Hoyt, who, strangely, seemed much more receptive to the idea of Arthur taking the next two days since it was you who called, you returned to the living room only to find an awake and flustered Arthur, no doubt on the verge of panic upon realizing he was most certainly going to be late to work. His eyes were bleary and his face flushed; so disoriented was he that it took you returning to your spot next to him, taking a hold of his shoulder as you told him that you called him out sick for him to calm down.

“Hoyt was understanding about it - you’re out for the next two days, now you just need to get some rest, alright?”

You shot him a look, shutting his protest down before it even arose; he needed to rest - no if, ands, or buts about it. “It’ll be fine, Art, okay? You haven’t taken a day off in ages - if Hoyt has any issue with it, then that’s his problem. You’re probably the hardest worker there, anyway. You deserve it.”

No objection came from him after that, nor any when you offered to help him from the couch to the shared bedroom where he could get some proper rest. He probably would’ve said something - something about not wanting you to stress so much over him, that he’d be fine going to work - but it made sense that he was probably entirely too tired to do so. He seemed relieved to move into the bedroom; the curtains were drawn tightly so the room wasn’t overwhelmingly bright to his sore eyes like the living room had been, and the slept-in state you’d left the bed in had a particularly alluring air of coziness to it, one he couldn’t resist as he climbed into it almost immediately, flopping down.

Once he was settled, the first thing on the menu was water. Above all else, you knew that he needed to stay hydrated; years ago you’d come down with a fever so bad you almost wound up in the hospital due to the dehydration, and the last thing needed was for Arthur to succumb to the same thing. He was more than happy to have a drink after some prompting from you, and with that and an extra cold glass on the stand next to the bed for later, you burrowed down next to him, sleepiness creeping up on you slowly.

“Anything else you need right now?”

“Just you… don’t go anywhere, please...”

If there’s one thing you learned about Arthur since entering a relationship with him, it’s that a sick Arthur quickly becomes a clingy Arthur. He’d spend years upon years having to suffer through his illnesses without being able to take time off to recover; unless he was literally too physically ill to work or had a gig in a children’s hospital, he had really no choice but to ignore his malady and work through it, the stress of which typically causing him to remain ill for much longer than he would have, had he been able to actually take care of himself. The stress would get to him, and overtime it settled into an almost permanent state of exhaustion and subtle malaise to the point that he knew nothing else besides such.

Until you showed up, that is. You were having none of that past habit now, as much as you could help it, and now that you were there and more than willing to be there for him does Arthur’s secret, repressed desire to be taken care of come to light.

Not that that was a bad thing, though. If anything, you knew it was something he needed, and you were more than happy to give him as much as you could.

You remained by his side for most of the day, only getting up to get more water, painkillers, and the occasional bowl of broth for him (which really was just a broth cube dissolved in the hot water you’d heat up in the coffee pot). The fever only worsened his general lack of appetite, but slowly were you able to coax him into having some every now and then, even going so far as to hold the spoon for him so he didn’t have to move much, an action he shyly went along with.

Once the bowl was discarded and Arthur was back down, you switched on the small television at the end of the bed and flipped to whatever channel had something remotely interesting on it - which was really nothing, but you figured it beat not doing anything. You’d spent most of the day reading or napping alongside Arthur, and it was now nearly six in the evening, and the lack of anything stimulating left you feeling quite bored. Arthur was content with this, seemingly feeling a bit better as he didn’t seem as tired as he managed to stay sitting up, his head resting against your shoulder as you both had your backs against the pillows along the headboard.

His sleeves were rolled up, and the way you could feel the flushed skin of his arm pressed against your own coupled with the sigh of contentedness that you heard from him suddenly filled you with such an irresistible, overpowering urge to kiss him, and so you bent your neck just enough to do so - but before your lips could meet his owned chapped ones, he blocked your attempts, turning his face away from you.

“No, no, no…. no kissing. You’ll get sick…” He chided you gently, though you could hear a hint of disappointment in his voice. It was a protest you ignored though, and you quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek instead, laughing gently against the warmth of his face as you could see a small smile light up his face.

“We’ve been cuddling all day - if I’m gonna get sick, then I’m gonna get sick. Don’t care. You know what it means, though?” You ask, moving so you could hitch your leg over his and cuddle up to his side, his arms immediately wrapping themselves around your middle so the two of you were tight against each other, burrowed under the blankets, only the light from the television allowing you to see each other.

He looked at you, and his beautiful, green eyes that you swore held both more love and pain in them than the world itself did were filled with curiosity, his brow raised at your query.

“It just means I’ll be a little bit more lovesick for you.”

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baronessblixen · 5 years ago

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#1 from your prompt list. "We're not just friends and you fucking know it." Thank you. 🙂

I got the same prompt from @mulder-squatchin ! Also tagging @today-in-fic

Set in season 6, Mulder and Scully have to share a room and a bed.

One Night on the Road

"There's one room available."

"Just one?" Mulder repeats, staring at the elderly lady behind the reception desk. She stares back at him, her forehead wrinkled in confusion. Unless that's just what she looks like all the time.

"That's what I said," she draws out the words, probably thinking he's hard of hearing – or plain dumb. "You want it or not?"

"We'll take it." Scully strolls in, her hands empty, and dripping wet. An 'I told you so' burns on his tongue; she didn't want to believe him their overnight bags were unsalvageable. He turns back around so that Scully can't see his smile. No need to stoke the fire. She's been ready to throw him out of the car for hours and leave him in a ditch in the middle of nowhere. Now they're both stuck here. In one room.

"Do you have a roll-away cot?" Mulder dares a glance at Scully, her hair a mess, her eyes a hurricane, and prays that just this once they're in luck. He should have known better.

"Dearie, back in my time, we didn't need no cots. The floor is carpeted." And that's that.

The room, as well as the bed, is tiny. Even if he wanted to, Mulder isn't sure he'd even fit on the floor. Scully is quiet next to him, shivering. Fuck. They have no clothes except for what they're wearing. Which means…

"Scully?"

"Yes?"

"How do you feel about sleeping naked tonight?" Instead of an answer, she gives him a dirty look and leaves. Left alone, Mulder sighs. His clothes aren't as wet as Scully's. They're just greasy and smelly. He takes off his jacket and tosses it on the only chair in the room before he sits on the bed. It's going to be a long night.

Scully returns five minutes later, holding what looks like a tent. She's going to make him sleep outside, in the icy rain. Maybe that's what he deserves.

"This is all she had for us."

"What… what is it?"

"A pajama." One. That seems to be the motto here. One room, one bed, one pajama. One angry Scully. She is holding the pajama set close to her chest as if to say this is hers and she is not going to share. A tent he could have put up outside might have been the better solution.

"Well, I guess I'll-"

"We'll have to share," she says through gritted teeth. At least she hates it as much as he does.

"Which part do you want?" His joke goes unappreciated as she throws the pants at him and disappears into the bathroom. Mulder looks at the garment. It's huge. As he peels himself out of his clothes, he wonders how tall that man must have been. The waist is too big and the pants sit low – very low – on his hips. If he looks this ridiculous, then what is Scully going to look like? He doesn't have to wonder long. The bathroom door opens with a soft click and there she is. A vision in a potato sack.

"Don't say anything," she grumbles as she stomps over to the bed. Her nails are painted in deep forest green. Who would have thought? His eyes don't remain long on her feet. He can see her knees and the hint of a thigh. Her attire shouldn't be sexy at all; the old grey button-down-shirt would be unflattering on everyone. On Scully, though, it looks perfect. Not that she would believe him. It's best to do what she said and not say anything. "Bathroom is all yours," she says as she gets into bed, curling away from him. "Shower doesn't work," she adds as an afterthought.

"Thanks," he mumbles. There go his plans for a very cold shower. Mulder throws some water into his face and washes the rest of his body as well as he can in the tiny room. The soapy lemon scent is better than the day-old aftershave that clings to his body. He looks into the mirror and prepares himself for sleeping in the same bed as Scully. It could be worse. This is Scully, after all. She'll too smell like lemon, he realizes. Just like him, she'll be scantily dressed. They're a perfect set tonight. What could go wrong, really? His cock twitches.

Just about everything.

The lights are off when he leaves the bathroom. Thanks, Scully. He finds the bed anyway, or rather his toe does.

"Can you please be quiet?" Scully mumbles from somewhere.

"You could have left the lights on," he says, trying to sound jovial as he gets into bed. The mattress is hard, but at least he no longer is. Scully and her icy attitude have worked their magic.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Ever the doctor, his Scully.

"No."

"Too bad," she mumbles. Or at least he thinks she does. He bites his tongue and attempts to get comfortable. It's no use. "Are you finally done?" This time she says it loud and clear.

"I hate this," he says, tugging at the blanket that Scully is holding hostage. "Scully, would you share, please? I'm freezing." She huffs, but he is finally able to cover himself. Or at least one half of him. It will have to do. Turning around, Scully elbows him in the chest.

"Sorry," she says.

"Oh, are you?" He can make out her silhouette in the shadows; she's still leaning towards him. "Do you want me to sleep on the floor? Is that it? I know you can't stand to be around me, but hell, Scully, I'm just trying to sleep here."

"Don't be ridiculous, Mulder. We're adults. I know you'd prefer I was Diana instead, but-"

"Are you kidding me?" He turns around so quickly that he crashes into her flannel-clad upper body. There's the softest pressure of her breast against his skin, separated by one, fluffy layer. For a moment, he forgets what he's angry about.

"Mulder, I know you and her are… something."

"We're history." To him, they are. He can't speak for Diana. All he knows is that he doesn't want her back. Neither as his lover nor his partner. Why can't Scully see that?

"Whatever you are," she continues and he rolls his eyes, "you and I are friends and as such we can share the bed." This is it. He's had it. All day long, she's given him one-syllable answers, angry death glares and now this.

"We're not just friends," his voice rumbles, "and you fucking know it." He hears her sharp intake of breath and wishes he could see her. She's close. He can smell that damn lemon soap. On her it smells delicious. A few inches, if at all, and there she'd be. Her lips. Her mouth. He pictures it half-open, ready to rebuke him. Ready to be kissed.

When she does speak after long seconds, it's not what he expected.

"What are we then, Mulder?"

And he finds he has no answer.

#the drabble prompts are done #hope you guys like it #msr #xf fanfic #my writing #my fic

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ghostofvixx · 6 years ago

Text

Whirlwind |CSN|

When meeting your soulmate is important, but hating on San is important too.

Genre: fluff + bulleted au

Words: 1.7k

Requested: @softyn hi botch 🤪🤪 you already know what I want and why I am here but 😔😔😔 let me request an enemies to lovers for San 🤲

Warnings: maybe cursing sometime?? + mentions of alcohol + it gets cheesy lmao sorry I HOPE YOU LIKE IT BUBU I WROTE IT IN TIME RECORD BC ILY AS MUCH AS I LOVE SAN AND HIS EYES UWUWUWU.

There’s always this person in your group of friends that you don’t necessarily have to get along well with, right?

Sometimes it’s not even necessary to interact with them, some others you have to stand each other for the sake of the group.

The last one would be you and San.

but ok ok let me explain:

You met at a party since your group of friends began to get along with San’s group, AND at first, you didn’t interact with anyone but one person

Yeosang.

He approached you first, made an attempt to start a friendly conversation first, and ended up winning your heart thanks to his outgoing personality.

No, not a crush, but yes a good friend,,, right?

THEN, when the conversation was starting to get interesting A WHIRLWIND CAME THROUGH.

It was San.

He introduced himself and then sat between both of you, placing his arms around your shoulders and Yeosang’s shoulders. You don’t know how but he even managed to change the topic of the conversation.

That didn’t bother you, but he was too bubbly, too sunshine, not the calm you were used to.

And Yeosang became exactly the same when San made his appearance.

How’s someone able to change another person as much? How can you have that power?

So well, technically you don’t hate him, but it’s obvious that you don’t get along.

From there, the night went downhill, Yeosang had to leave early and said a quick goodbye with a friendly pat on your right shoulder, where San had placed his arm only half an hour ago.

Then your friend got wasted and you had to stand a LOT of drunk people pushing you, as you were only trying to make your way to the exit nicely to help your friend.

But there’s something special about that night, because when you got home,,, SURPRISE!! THERE WERE SOME INK DOTS ON YOUR RIGHT SHOULDER!!

YOU HAD MET YOUR SOULMATE CONGRATS!!!

But oh well

a lot of people had touched your right arm that night:

Your friend who got immediately discarded.

San same thing lmao

Yeosang

and ALMOST EVERYONE in the party,,,

it wasn’t going to be easy to find them.

And your life kept going normally from there

except for the fact that now you had to see San’s face almost every day,,, and you weren’t exactly glad by it.

The boy has made his attempts to get along with you

but you don’t seem receptive at all, so at some point, he gave up,,, and decided to just tease the hell out of you

and viceversa

some days things would get out of hand and you get really really mad at him,,, which doesn’t improve your relationship at all

at this point, everyone in both groups knows it’s better not to leave both of you alone unless they want you to fight

which they don’t

and then, you finally have new from your soulmate

it happened once again, at a party

a birthday party, not much alcohol

but with truth or dare

and you dummy decide to choose dare bc ooh you’re a though person

WHY DID YOU DO THAT NOW YOU HAVE TO TOUCH EVERYONE IN ORDER TO DISCOVER IN WHICH POCKET THEY’VE HID YOUR PHONE.

And with touch I mean,,, you have to give everyone at least a tiny hug in order to discover

no, we don’t touch buts in here

That night, when you take your shirt off, you see a tiny drawing of something you can’t identify in black ink, again in your right shoulder

maybe a rose??? OOf, typical

which only can mean one thing

YOUR SOULMATE IS IN ATEEZ,,,,,,,

DUDE

You go crazy from there

and your mind can’t stop thinking

but your heart beats faster when you think of Yeosang.

MAYBE IT’S HIM, THERE’S A POSSIBILITY THAT THE KINDEST MAN YOU’VE MET IS YOUR SOULMATE.

So you HAVE to spend time with him

a lot

BUT that means that you HAVE to spend time with San too,,, bruh.

“Y/n,,, why are you studying it’s break time”

“At least I study.”

“OH NO YOU DIDN’T.”

“WHAT IF I DID?”

Then the next day.

“San, don’t you think you’re being too hyper today? You’re making me cringe”

“It’s part of my nature, y/n, if you don’t like it well,,, bye!”

and the rest is just a mix of eye-rolls at what the other says, or maybe hide the other’s stuff, stealing their food…

You end up focusing more on bickering with San that you forget your actual purpose. getting to know Yeosang and then hug him, to check.

If only you had done that, you would have noticed how he was a lot on his phone, not even trying to stop you or his friend from fighting, or how his cheeks always got red at the sight of a new person coming into the cafeteria

it wouldn’t have been a surprise, nor a heartbreak when he introduced his soulmate and new couple to the rest of the group.

you were shocked, to say the least.

Your almost crush? Who you thought he was your SOULMATE? Like 100% convinced???

a heartbreak indeed.

When the bell rang you had never stood sooner,, dude your right arm even TOUCHED San’s and you didn’t say A THING.

YOU SHOULD HAVE BOTHERED AS YOU ALWAYS DO??

That’s what San thought.

but you didn’t

nor the following day

or the day after

you were just busy thinking about your stuff like,,, wtf Yeosang I feel betrayed?? Why didn’t he tell me?? He was my almost crush GOD

Then who is it??

“y/n, are you okay?”

The voice you hated the most was talking to you on your way to your class,,, with a hint of concern.

“I am, why?”

“Today I’ve told you your hair looks like an ugly toothbrush like four times and you’ve said nothing at all”

you didn’t?

WHY DIDN’T YOU THAT BRAT AH ISTG.

“It’s fine, don’t worry.”

“You seem off since Yeosang has gotten himself a couple, does that have anything to do?”

this time you’re the one concerned, is he okay? Why is he walking to you as friends? AND HOW DOES HE KNOW?

“Don’t worry, I’m cancer, we’re great listeners, I won’t tell I promise…”

that made you laugh.

“…Besides, I miss my friend too.”

“I thought he was my soulmate.”

His mouth went ‘o’ and that was enough to make you laugh again,,, he’s just very expressive, you know.

And his words,,, he misses his friend,,, Yes, y’all don’t see Yeosang as much.

“He’ll come back, you’ll have your friend back, I’m sure, he’s just whipped right now, he’ll get through it,,, I’ll just keep looking for my soulmate I guess,,, but I really wanted it to be him.”

San, looking at you sympathetically, gave you a hug that lasted enough to make you come out of the shock and hug him back.

your heart was about to explode, but then maybe you were just ashamed, right?

He’s your enemy after all.

it just felt,,, special.

That night, when you took a shower, something black was covering almost your entire shoulder

a black-inked crab was the shape of it, not a rose.

who had touched you that day?

you’ve made special care not to be touched by anyone until you find out who your soulmate is

except but,,,

OH MY GOD

This can’t be, right?

But then again, he said his zodiac sign was cancer

cancers are represented by a crab, right?

GOD YOU WERE SO DUMB

BOTH OF YOU

WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO DO NOW??

You, still surprised and not thinking straight, decided to text San.

“YOU STUPID”

“Oh no, now we’re going to insult each other through text? I’m not in the mood now y/n pls.”

“I’M NOT IN THE MOOD EITHER I’VE DISCOVERED I HAVE A CRAB ON MY ARM”

“a crab??”

“TATTOOED YOU IDIOT”

“oh,,, and?”

“The only person I’ve touched today was you dumbass.”

“,,,, brb I’m omw.”

It took San 10 long minutes to get to your apartment.

“C-can I see it?”

In another circumstance, you would have SLAPPED his face, but this time, you decided to let it be and lowered the sleeve of your shirt to show him.

He looked at it in awe and then looked at you in the same way.

Words aren’t necessary when you have San’s eyes

they’re,,, intimidating, fun, sweet, sometimes dark, and expressive,,, a whirlwind

everything that San is

even if you hate(d) him, you had to admit that San’s eyes are just impossible to hold the stare.

He’s powerful only in that way.

“I wanted to call your attention.” He said. “I just didn’t know fate was by my side.”

“W-what?”

“You caught my attention, that day. Then you hated me, and I hated you, but not in the same way. I mean, I really tried to hate you but then there’s everything that is actually nice about you from what I’ve seen, and then this gut feeling that you could actually be my soulmate,,, I wanted to call your attention.”

“Did you have to be that extreme?”

“You gave me no other choice, you hated me right away.”

“I didn’t hate you,,, I was just,,, bothered,,, blinded,,, I don’t know, I know nothing now.”

“Take your time, figure it out, you can’t hate me and love me on the following day.”

San’s matured side left you shooketh

you loved that part of him

and his eyes, once again

because now they were like shouting “I adore you, and we never lie.”

San stopped staring into your eyes, giving up first for the first time ever, but you didn’t want him to.

“Before you go, I need to check something.”

you don’t know where you found the courage or the need to do so, but you’ve been told so many times that kissing your soulmate is when the pieces finally click, the magic moment you’ll never experience again with any other person.

They were right.

San’s lips taste sweet, and they taste even sweeter when they’re kissing you back, and here, and there, all-around your face, your neck,,,

You’re now confused about being confused.

Would it be normal if you just like him now? After all this time getting REALLY ANNOYED by him?

But how can you not when it feels like you’ve found everything you’ve been looking for?

“Stop thinking, I can hear your thoughts from here.” He comments. “Don’t worry, the world doesn’t end today, we still have some time to figure it out tomorrow.”

And he’s right, you’ll figure it out.

But not now that he’s kissing you again

and that you can see the warm light in his left shoulder even with his shirt on.

So, that’s what meeting your soulmate like,,, like a whirlwind,,,

Like meeting San.

#san #choi san #san au #san scenario #san imagine #san fluff #soulmate au #ateez #ateez au #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines #ateez fluff #soulmate ateez #ateez san

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wolfpawn · 5 years ago

Text

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 105

Chapter Summary - Danielle is tired and jet-lagged, which is not a time to question her integrity.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long. This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

All image rights belong to their owners

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog @jessibelle-nerdy-mum @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1 @winterisakiller @fairlightswiftly @salempoe @wolfsmom1

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

Danielle sighed as she crashed onto the bed after a long day. The heat, the time zone differences and if she was completely honest, she felt a little lonesome for Tom. Groaning as she felt herself getting a tad frustrated, she just lay on the bed and got her phone out, sending a quick “I’m alive” text before curling up against a pillow and falling asleep.

The next morning, she dragged herself out and forced herself into the shower before grabbing some pastries at the breakfast counter of the hotel and getting a cab to the offices of Lucas’ company.

‘How is the jet lag treating you?’

‘I want to sleep for a week, how do people do this?’

‘Your boyfriend does it a lot.’

‘Yes, and I have a newfound respect for him.’ She commented as she grabbed a very large cup of coffee.

‘May I ask you something?’ Danielle paused, she suspected whatever it was he was about to ask, Tom was the key part of it. She turned and looked at him, nodding. ‘Do you find it odd?’

‘What?’

‘Having a film star for a boyfriend?’

‘No, because to me, he’s Tom, dorky, book-loving Tom.’

‘But he has a big name.’

‘In certain circles.’

‘He could help you.’

Danielle’s jaw clenched slightly. ‘I don’t want or need help. And I am behind the scenes, so Tom’s name does little for me there, thankfully.’

‘You don’t want his help?’ Lucas asked curiously.

‘No.’ She stated firmly. ‘I don’t.’

‘He knows Branagh as well though?’ Danielle frowned. ‘I was talking to him, he was thanking me for suggesting you and then mentioned that it was great to bounce around ideas with you, that you were receptive to his ideas but also that you added your own input that he found valuable and that you brought your boyfriend along to speak with him.’

Danielle felt uneasy as to the tone he was using. ‘Yes, Tom knows Ken, they worked together before on a few projects, quite a few actually.’

‘But why bring him to a business meeting?’

‘Sure you know yourself, when both of you are home, it’s nice to actually do stuff with your other half. Your wife is so busy with work too, isn’t that why you had her at our meeting, to spend time with her while you could? We just had the added bonus that Tom and Ken know each other, so we got to have a wonderful conversation where effectively Ken embarrassed him with stories for my amusement and Tom and he got to actually spend time talking again, they are considering working together in the future as a result of that meeting.’ She smiled. ‘So, does that mean that technically, I got him a job, not the other way around?’

Lucas’s brow furrowed. ‘I’m not quite sure. So, you didn’t bring him to secure the job?’

This time, Danielle’s jaw clenched completely. ‘I have not, nor will I ever, use Tom to “secure a job” I will get by on my efforts and mine alone. I noticed the flaw, I wrote my piece that caught Browne’s attention and had him contact you, I went into that hotel and spoke to you regarding it, and though yes, you suggested me to Branagh, it was my talking that convinced him, you just said yourself there, my ability to add to his idea, he and Tom talked about Wallander and Thor and theatre, he and I spoke shop. Tom hasn’t a clue one end of a safety harness from the other, it is not his job to know.’ She rose from the table. ‘I am not sure I wish to continue with this if it is going to be assumed that I have Tom as a means to get ahead in my work, he went with me that day because I was shitting myself at the idea of a project that big with such a renowned actor, he dropped me the day of our meeting because he knew I was terrified but he didn’t come in, he respected me enough in my job to not do so. He knows I would never want to get anywhere on his coattails but on my own labours.’ She walked towards the door. ‘I am sorry it had to go like this, I really am.’ she sighed, walking out of the office.

As she pressed the elevator call button, she felt her heart begin to sink. She had thought her career was on the rise, but this had put it all to a halt. Part of her wondered if she was being petty, but the other part was highly insulted at the insinuation she was using Tom and his name to further herself. She worked hard, she didn’t have to use Tom’s name, nor would she. She loved Tom, not his name or influence. Angered and with a severe dislike of elevators anyway, she decided to go for the stairs, it was only fifteen floors down so she began her descent. When she opened the stairwell door into the lobby, she noticed Lucas standing in front of the elevator doors, she looked at him for a moment before focusing on the door and walking out it. She hailed a taxi and gave the address of her hotel, noting Lucas watching her from the doorway of his offices, but she refused to look at him.

In the safety of her hotel room, she kicked off her shoes and looked around, her files in hand. Danielle looked at them bitterly, all her hard work, her chances of getting somewhere, blasted from the water by the idea she had used her boyfriend’s name. She felt angry for a moment at Tom for costing her for a prestigious role. If he had been normal, an Average Joe, she would have gotten more credit for her hard work...she paused, feeling guilty. Danielle was no fool, she knew it was in no way Tom’s fault, she was just upset and venting. Tom was in Atlanta, blissfully unaware of the terrible mess her career was in. the thought of which caused her to pause for a moment. Her career was in shambles, one call from Lucas and Branagh could drop her, she could very easily be blacklisted and she would never be able to explain herself because of how the industry worked. Upset, she sat on the bed, heartbroken at how events had played out. She wanted to talk to Tom, to just hear his voice, but she was embarrassed, she did not want to tell him, she felt like a failure. With the word screaming like sirens in her head, she felt her chest starting to hurt from the sensation of it. She had failed.

As though by divine inspiration, her phone began to vibrate, taking it out, she looked sadly at it, a text from Tom, telling her he was proud of her and that he loved her. Danielle wanted to cry, but nothing happened, she merely stared sadly at the text, she felt unworthy of a successful and wonderful man such as Tom. she was about to throw the phone on the bed when she realised she had actually dialled his number, quickly, she pressed the cancel button, but only a moment later, he called back. Sadly, she pressed the answer button and put her phone to her ear, she was desperate to hear him. ‘Hey.’

‘Elle? Darling, what’s wrong, are you alright?’

‘Yeah, I am just so jet-lagged.’ she sighed, it was, after all, not lying. ‘I don’t know how you do it.’

‘How long were you working yesterday?’ he asked, his voice filled with concern.

‘I landed at half six, I went straight to the office, I got back at half eleven last night, I think.’

‘Jesus Elle, what time are you there today?’

‘I was there for eight.’

‘Are you still there now?’

‘No, I am at the hotel.’ she wished she had said nothing.

‘Can you grab a quick nap?’

‘I suppose.’

‘Do so darling, you need it, that is all that has gotten me through some days.’

‘How is everyone?’

‘Wonderful, it is great to see them all again.’ she could hear the elation in his voice.

‘Good.’ She tried to sound enthused.

‘Elle, whatever it is, are you alright?’ Tom’s voice was one of concern, yet it was clear he did not want to push her.

‘It’ll be fine.’

‘What happened?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Elle?’ He prodded.

Danielle attempted to say nothing, but the punch to the gut that was her day was pushing out. ‘I shouldn’t waste your…’

‘Danielle, stop, do not try to deflect, do not try to pretend you are alright and for the love of God, don’t you dare try and hang up on me.’ She said nothing. ‘What has happened, please tell me.’

‘Lucas made a comment regarding you coming with me to meet Branagh.’

‘Okay, why is there an issue with that?’

‘I am not sure, he brought his wife to his meeting with me and that was trans-Atlantic. But he went on to ask if I used you to…’ Danielle could hear Tom make an odd click noise with his tongue.

‘So…’ His tone was every attempt to be steady, but she could hear it waver slightly. ‘What happened?’

‘I stated I have not, nor shall I ever use you or your name in my work, that if anyone could not see the merit of my work as it is, then it did not matter and left.’

‘Left?’

‘Yes, I left. I am back at the hotel now.’

‘Elle…’

‘What, I am not going to have anyone dismiss me or my work.’

‘But your career…’ Danielle said nothing. ‘This is twice I have cost you work.’

‘No…’

‘Elle, because of me, Durham cost you a job you really wanted, and now this, you said this could catapult you into your career, skipping years of the drudgery, and I cost you again.’ he sounded heartbroken. ‘How are you even speaking to me? You should despise me.’

‘All I wanted was to hear your voice, I wish you were here.’ she admitted.

‘Why, you should want to break up with me.’

‘Tom, I don’t blame you, I blame them, it was never your fault, they chose to be assholes, you have been nothing but supportive and respectful of anything I have decided to do. I would not change this for the world. I rather work at Subway making sandwiches for forty years and have a crappy little two-bedroom in the council flats with you than all of this if it meant I still felt as supportive and loved, honestly.’

‘Really?’ Tom seemed somewhat taken back by that.

‘Yes, with the obligatory chav named for our kids and a terrible faux leopard print clothing and all.’ Tom chuckled. ‘I mean, full-on Vicky Pollard.’ That sent Tom laughing.

‘You would look ridiculous-looking like that.’

‘Yes, but so long as you were there, being you, in an Adidas trackie, Nike Airs and your white socks tucking your pants legs in, shitty tattoos of the kid's names on your forearms, if you still made me feel as happy, I would not change it.’

‘Well, that is one hell of a declaration.’ Tom’s smile was apparent. ‘I am sorry, though.’

‘So am I.’

‘How are you?’

‘I feel like absolute shit, I am tired, hungry and I feel like an absolute failure.’

‘I’m sorry, Elle.’

‘I tried.’

‘Can you fix it?’

‘I don’t know, and I don’t want to if it means I have to accept such comments about my integrity.’

‘That is your decision, you know I support you.’

‘Thank you.’ She smiled. ‘I…’ The room phone rang, 'One moment, Tom’ half in concern, she walked over and held it to her ear, ‘Hello.’

‘Ms. Hughes?’

‘Yes?’

‘This is reception calling, I have a Mr. Lucas Waters asking for your permission to come to your room?’ Her tone was sterile of emotion, a common trait in American receptionists, Danielle had realised.

‘I…’

‘Elle?’ She could hear Tom on her phone. ‘Perhaps it would be wise to listen to what he has to say.’

Danielle paused for a moment. ‘Is he there?’

‘Yes Ma’am.’

‘Could you please put him on for a moment?’

‘Of course, Ma’am.’

‘Danielle?’

‘If you want to talk, I will speak with you in the hotel bar, like hell am I bringing a man that is not Tom to my room.’ she stated coldly.

‘Of course, my apologies.’

‘I will be down in a moment.’ she hung up the phone without delay before putting her own phone to her ear, ‘Tom?’

‘My little fiery Irish girl.’ She could hear him smile. ‘Get an apology before anything else.’

‘At the very least.’ She promised.

‘I love you, good luck.’

#I Hate You I Love You #chapter 105 #tom hiddleston #Tom hiddleston fic #wolfpawn

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