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bowloficecubes · 2 years ago

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Siren, Pt.8.

< previous l masterlist l next>

note: I realize that this fic sucks balls, but it’s mostly self indulgent to me, just to write it, not to read it.

“Silver is his color, and gold is mine, so it made sense to switch them”

Bakugo is certain he recognizes the voice, but cannot pinpoint the owner.

His body feels oddly cool, an unusual thing for him considering his quirk makes him warmer than most. It's a comfortable temperature, ideal even. He hated overheating when sleeping(Which happens almost every night).

Oddly- he feels well rested, he doesn’t want to open his eyes yet, This is the best sleep he got in a long while. He could feel the warm brightness behind his eyelids, easily deducing that it was morning and probably time to wake up.

But the bliss of the comfort was too hard to leave, even with the yet-to-be-identified voice.

“Oh, I think he woke up, good morning Kats,” said a voice softly.

“How could you tell?”

“Heartbeat, it became faster. Did you know Bakugo has the fastest heartbeat in class? And the fastest I ever heard of a person our age. I assume it's due to his body temperature maintenance.”

Memories of last night’s events flood his vision, most notably:

1- The panic attack he had outside the operating room

2- How dizzy the blood loss made him

3- The comfort he felt at 3 am when they heard the faint gasp

And

4- his private conversation with Akito.

“I hope you slept well, you alright?” a soft voice brought him back to reality.

He reluctantly opens his eyes, knowing he’ll miss this luxury.

“Hello lil listener, How didya sleep?” asked a man with emerald eyes and impossibly golden hair that was messily tucked into a loose bun. He had his arms casually wrapped around his homeroom teacher’s neck, the latter seemed unfazed.

It took Katsuki a moment to connect the dots, what had he called him again?

Little listener ...

Wait

“Mic sensei?”

“Ding ding '' he finger gunned him, a silver ring reflecting some of the sun rays into his photosensitive eyes (as he just woke up and his pupils were still dilated) causing him to squint.

He pushes himself up, propping his hands against the mattress, “Ouch, ouch”

He flinches and quickly removes his hands.

“Ah, it’s alright, didn’t mean to overreact”

Overreact? Overreact his ass, he just applied significant pressure to your bruised abdomen, after all.

“Oh shit, sorry ‘kito”

“Good timing, Bakugo, your parents will arrive in around an hour”

“HAH ?” He took a look at the clock on the wall, a few minutes till 12 pm.

“You called the old hag?”

“Dude, even I wasn’t this rude to my mom,” said Akito next to him in a half-whisper.

“We obviously called all of your guardians, Todorki’s sister drove him home and offered Jirou a ride to the dorms, and Shoji; I think he’s with Eri in the cafeteria,” said Aizawa sensei, voice absolutely exhausted.

“Well, we better leave them to freshen up. We’ll be down the hall if you need anything, ya dig?”.

The two nodded at their abnormally normal teacher, and the door slowly slipped shut.

“Um, I hope I didn’t bother you in your sleep?”

“Shut up, m’sorry for sleeping on you, especially when you’re injured. Must’ve dozed off a”

“It’s nothing! P-please don’t worry about it, I really needed the comfort” they whispered the last sentence.

The last part confused Katsuki, but he decided not to question it further.

“You sleep like the dead. Literally. Your body is very cold or the temperature of the room was off.”

Akito looked puzzled for a moment, then a look of realization washed over their face.

“Oh, I am cold-blooded, so that’s why, was it that cold?”

“HAAH?” this is genuinely pushing his mental capacities so early in the fucking morning.

Akito just shrugged, knowing how odd it might’ve sounded

“So you just have a different internal temperature?”

“Drastically different, while, if you want to compare me to a fish, fish kind of just become the temperature of their surroundings. Considering my mutation, it would be expected of me to have the same ability, but since I need very different conditions for all metabolic reactions, my body simply remains at a constant cold temperature. My enzymes are technically also mutated to function optimally at these conditions, although temperature is the most fundamental prerequisite of proper metabolisis. Isn’t it kinda awesome? I’m actually curious as to how your metabolic reactions differ since the average person’s enzymes would denature at your temperature. But I also wonder what components go into the production of your Nitroglycerin; my best guess is that your secretory glands kind of merge into your lymphatic nodes, and utilize your lymph and the salts from your sweat, perhaps?”

Bakugo was silent, mouth slightly ajar.

“Oh sorry, I was rambling, it's too early, too” “The nerd would cry happy tears if he heard you, you guys should hang out more.” “Midoriya-kun? Oh no, I doubt my guesses are of any use to his hero analysis.” “No trust me, you will make his day- school year. Although his are more from the hero fundamentals POV, and you’re more medical, Wait … I’m actually worried what would happen if your mixed analysis were to ever be leaked, especially if it was about, All might or something.”

“How the fuck do you know all that?”

“Know what? I asked questions, I didn’t state anything.”

“Those weren’t simple questions, those were very well-educated predictions, and quite accurate too. I don’t know too much about the enzymes and lymph and shit, but yes my temperature causes increased sweat production, which is the base of my nitroglycerin.”

He slipped out the bed as Akito kept murmuring about some scanning, X-rays, reverse lymph drainage? Whatever the fuck that was. He knew Akito was just thinking out loud, he’d seen Deki do it enough times to know it wouldn’t be rude to grab his bag and close the little bathroom’s door.

He quickly showered and brushed his teeth, conscious enough not to use the towels in the bathroom to keep it clean for the actual patient. He opted for an excessive amount of toilet paper to pat his body dry, and an extra shirt he packed to absorb as much water from his hair as possible, which wasn’t as effective as he’d liked. He got dressed in a black shirt with a small skull print and dark jeans.

He spared a glance to the mirror just to ensure his hair wasn’t too weird, but he got surprised at how different his face was.

His skin was almost the color of his hair, the slight red around his eyes and on his cheeks and nose absent, and his under eyes were accentuated.

He knew it was the result of the rapid blood loss, but it still creeped him.

After tidying up the bathroom, he cracked the door open, not enough to see out. “Can I come in?” he asked. Akito, after all, might be changing or something. He realized how slim the chances are that they can move on their legs already, but it was still wrong to just walk in, the last thing he’d want to do is make them uncomfortable.

Shoji, surprisingly, was the one to answer, “yeah, all good”.

Bakugo’s eyes fell on a food tray on the bedside table, alongside a little paper bag. “Good morning Bakugo, I hope you feel better?”. He just shrugged, returning a quick ‘mornin’ ‘. “Mezo got us breakfast. I wish they had more iron-rich food for you,” said Akito in the voice he was more used to, the calm, monotone voice.

“ I need to shower.”

Shoji’s eyes widened a little, “Hey I’m sure it’ll be ok to wait a bit, maybe tomorrow? At least your flesh would be a bit more … uh, dry?”

“Dude, I smell like a moist, musty salt-covered dog. Plus, I’m covered in dry blood.”

“ Couldn’t have said it better myself” murmured the other, Shoji stared at him angrily as Akito said, “see?”.

“There’s a little foldable plastic chair in the shower, it’s mounted in the wall” added the blond after a short silence.

“That’ll help I guess, but how do we keep the wounds dry?”

“Tie a garbage bag around my legs or something, I don’t care, I just need to shower before I lose it.”

He sighed, his mask moving a bit, “I wish Momo was here”

Shoji went on his hunt while Bakugo helped Akito brush their teeth by getting them a water cup to rinse and spit the toothpaste in. He considered lifting them to the bathroom and placing them on the chair Aizawa was sitting on, in front of the sink, but he didn't dare ask, he knew Akito would never allow anyone but Shoji to touch them that much.

He placed the food tray on the bed after Akito scooted to the side a bit, making eating easier since obviously can’t place it on their lap. He then had a look at the bag Shoji got him.

A banana, muffin, and can of coffee from the vending machine.

He turned back to them, noticing their slightly downturned lips as they only picked up the sealed jello, ignoring the rest of the food.

“What's Wrong?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“I only like very few foods warm, and oatmeal is definitely not one of them. I actually dislike it regardless, the texture gets me” then they added “I like jello though. :) “

“I think Shoji packed some food, let me go check.”

He remembered there being some bags, and he remembered Shoji going through one of the common kitchen’s fridges before they left, placing some items in one of the plastic bags.

The first contained some various types of earplugs, a clear spray bottle with water that was just the tiniest bit foggy, and a black pouch.

He opened it, not realizing that this is definitely an intrusion of privacy, after all, this wasn’t packed with Siren’s toiletries, and it definitely didn’t belong to any of the others.

It was… makeup? But not quite. He’d seen his mother’s vanity, he’d seen the MUAs backstage at his parents' fashion shows, and he’d seen Mina’s in her room a couple of times, usually placed around her tall mirror.

There wasn’t a brand name in sight, mostly loose pigments in tiny jars, a slim, opaque bottle filled with a dense fluid, and the only familiar items; loose powder in a cylindrical container and a few sponges and a puff.

But there had also been a paint spatula and a metal tray…

He soon realized he definitely shouldn’t have opened it, he closed quickly and snuck a quick glance at Siren, who was thankfully unaware of what just happened. He looked through the other bag.

“There’s uh... What the fuck? Mints, gum? Oh hey, this looks like fresh juice!” He opened an unlabeled glass bottle and smelled it, expecting to smell pineapple or something.

“WHAT THE FUCK! IS THIS POISON?!”

“Oh wonderful, he got me my drink!” it’s almost as if they completely didn’t hear Katsuki.

Bakugo looked both angry and dumbfounded at the casual voice.

“You should take a sip, it’s really good”

He hesitated, “ is this like, alcohol or something?”

“No… kats why would Mezo get me alcohol to the hospital??”

“Aha, so you DO drink?”

“No comment.”

“Bitch what”

Akito simply shrugs “now is not the time, see if you can find some digestive biscuits, I need a bit more in my system before I can drink it, also are you tasting it or not?”

“I guess I will” he muttered, glancing worriedly at the yellow juice, still, he trusts them.

He lightly touched the rim of the bottle to his lips, visibly hesitant, then he closed his eyes and took a gulp.

His adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed quickly and finally opened his eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me it wasn’t sweetened?” he calmly, uncharacteristically asked, calm before the storm.

“Why would it be? It’s not a sweet drink.”

“No, I’m actually worried right now, how do you drink this? Or even ‘like’ it?”

“I guess your first few tries will be odd, but it gets good, and it’s also insanely good for your health!”

“What even is this? It’s burning me” then his eyes widened “IT IS FUCKING ALCOHOL! HE BROUGHT ALCOHOL!!”

“ No no trust me” they waved their arms in front of them, trying to reassure the boy. “Ginger naturally stings”

“How do you even make this, anyway?”

“I boil ginger and lemon. A shitton. Then I blend it and when it cools down, I strain it.”

“ So it's just… ginger and lemon? You never thought of even adding honey?”

“I don’t like how people only like sweet drinks. Drinks don’t necessarily have to always be sweet, food has different tastes,

Also, alcohol doesn’t burn like that, it's way more intense and burns your throat and esophagus”

“So you DO drink”

“Hey, it’s rude to point! And yeah whatever maybe”

“ …. How often?” “dude, can you please find the fucking biscuits?”

He quickly rummaged through till he found the box, “digestive light, 30% less fat” he slowly turned to face them, eyes filled with rage.

“Is all you eat fucking depressing? What the fuck is this? I thought you’d have the chocolate-covered ones” As he was swinging the box in frustration, two arms slid the room’s door open.

Shoji stepped in, plastic laundry bags, a roll of tape, and a pair of scissors in his other arm’s hands. His eyes slightly widened at the sight of Bakugo holding the biscuits, almost threateningly, and Akito’s lightly irritated face.

“Thank fuck, tell me, do they always eat such shit?” the masked boy relaxed and approached Siren, he realized he’d been worried over nothing.

“Got you some scissors, thought it’d be more practical to cut the hospital gown off rather than take it off. There are new ones under the sink but I’ll open one and hang it by the shower door unless you’d prefer to wear your normal clothes? I got you the black skirt and some zip-ups and button-ups, U know it’s not ideal but we can’t risk further agitating your wounds. After you’re done showering I guess you could wet the rag and wipe your legs? You be the judge of what to do. But just make sure that the water is turned off. If you need me at any moment I’ll be right here; although I’d rather not see you butt naked. Obviously don’t lock the door, no one will come in anyway,”

That was surely a mouthful, but he was practical.

“Yes, mom,” replied Akito with a sarcastic undertone.

“I hope you slip and break your hip in the shower” “I love you too, sugar booger” “Kill yourself” “Yes sir!”

Akito slid their legs down, sitting on the edge of the bed. They slid their gown up, revealing a gruesome sight that extended across both of their thighs.

Bakugo was surprised at how collected Shoji looked, he, personally, felt tears pricking his eyes at the sight. Shoji immediately got to work, excessively delicate when taping the edges to ensure absolutely no water gets in. Akito maintained an unfazed demeanor, although some eyebrow twitches managed to escape.

Bakugo went into the bathroom and pulled the chair down to prepare it. He hung a towel on the other knob of the shower door; an easy-each place even when sitting down. He brought the scissors and hung them on the loofa’s hook. He quickly asked Shoji about where he placed toiletries and received indirect permission to go through the mini suitcase to retrieve the products and set them up in the shower.

He thought about opening the shower to give the water a chance to warm up, but his earlier conversation with the Siren made him highly doubt he could guess what temperature they liked their shower to be.

He returned to the room, Shoji checking to ensure he secured the tape well.

“Are you going to wear the gown or normal clothes?” he asked, he hated the thought of sitting down while Shoji was busy being actually useful.

“I guess I’ll wear the outfit, could you set it up for me, please? It’s a long black skirt and see if he packed the light blue button-up shirt”

He nodded and quickly found the items since he had spotted them earlier while looking for the shower supplies. He folded the clothes and neatly placed them on the closed toilet seat.

During the wait for them to get ready, he couldn’t help but think about the skirt situation, well, more like Siren’s identity and preferences… Not that he cared of course!!! But since they're officially friends now, it’d be rude not to know, wouldn’t it? Like he obviously wouldn’t pressure them into telling him but imagine if they thought he knew all this time and then he realizes how horrible of a friend he has been and-

“Do you want to hang onto me? Or should I lift you up?”

“Uppies! I don’t trust my arms too much, a little numb”

Bakugo snapped out of his trance and couldn't help but let out a little laugh, it wasn’t mocking, just because of how adorable the tone had been.

Shoji rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t hide the fond look in them.

He slowly lifted them from under their arms with utmost ease, more like a doll rather than a grown-ass person.

Soon, he closed the door after himself. They both heard the shower turning on soon enough.

Shoji let out a breath and quickly got to work; stripping the sheets and replacing them with crisp white ones he found in the cupboard, he opened the windows to let some fresh air in and even burned some weird stick he pulled out of his bag. “Incense” he explained, although Bakugo had only seen it in funerals; apparently certain types were great for cleansing rooms of foul energies. Bakugo wasn’t too sure he understood, but the smell of burnt basil did soothe him, maybe he’d ask Shoji where he can get some for himself, this would definitely help his sleepless nights.

As he was tidying up the room, he looked at the barely touched food and sighed in concern, turning around to finally answer the question Bakugo had asked earlier.

“I do realize how absurd their eating habits are, but don’t worry, I always made sure they eat well, like balanced food groups and stuff. ‘Kito prefers to drink rather than eat, but their drinks aren't necessarily sweet; actually, you should try some of their comfort drinks, they’re usually spicy and iced”

“And could this ‘comforting drink’, by any chance, be alcohol?” he asked, suggestively.

Shoji immediately stiffened, covering his face with his hands, “ Uh, yeah about that, we both had guilty, not-so-legal pleasures, but again, I ensure that they’re responsible with them, and vice versa”

“So they have more? What else? ' he asked worriedly.

“DUDE DON’T TELL HIM, HE ALMOST KEBABED ME AT THE FIRST ONE” came a voice from the shower.

Right. Sirens have insane hearing.

“Alright, if not them then what about you?”

“What about me?” Shoji was obviously trying to avoid the question.

“ YOU SAID ‘VICE VERSA’, ELABORATE”

“OH! Um, it’s not drinking, so don’t worry, I only have a drink once in a while” he shot him a shaky thumbs-up.

“Ok but that doesn’t answer the question”

“TELL HIM YOU SECRET-BUSTING WHORE!”

“YOU TOLD HIM YOURSELF, I DIDN’T RAT SHIT OUT” he screamed back.

“Actually, I guessed. So? What’s your answer?”

His face was now weird, shy? “Um… motorcycle racing?”

“ILLEGAL car racing. He’s unlicensed and he drove a modded bike”

“SHUT UP” “SUCK MY COCK, IT’S TRUE”

“You're insufferable”

“Love you too <3”

Meanwhile, Bakugo was still processing the information.

“Weren’t you like... Um,” he didn’t know how to verbalize his confusion.

“Poor? Dirt poor, it obviously wasn’t my bike. I worked at an auto shop when Siren was out diving, and the owner, he used to race cars, allowed me his 'little bike' as long as I take care of it and ‘uphold its legacy’” he air quoted the last part.

“Can you show me?” Katsuki was curious, rightfully so, he only saw car races in movies, and the few F1 races, but never bikes.

“OH, I DO! Mei show him my phone!!”

He cringed, then asked, “Where is it?” “It’s in my costume case, probably dead, I barely touched it during the mission.”

He moved reluctantly, opening the scratched metal case to retrieve the phone.

“2%, where’s your charger?”

“Dunno, probably in my chamber, I left most of my shit there”

He moved to his own bag, pulling out a wire and plugging it in.

A few seconds later, Shoji opened the phone, in a suspiciously swift movement, it took less than a second, did it not have a password? “What’s wrong?” Oh, Shoji noticed the double take Katsuki did. “You unlocked it with your fingerprint?” “Yeah, faster than a password, we both have our fingerprints on each other's phones’”

* They really really trust each other * he thought.

“Where’s the one against Koko?” he asked Siren while scrolling through their gallery.

“But that one isn’t as funnnnn, show him the one against Alegria!! It’s in my favorites, please”

He groaned, he didn’t hate that one, in fact, it was one of his best races, but didn’t want to seem like a show-off to Bakugo.

“Hey I’m done, help me?”

He stood up and handed Katsuki the phone, the video already opened. He headed towards the door.

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demonologistfucker · 3 years ago

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MC wants to meet some Creatures - Obey Me! Brother’s - Fluff

Gn!mc asks one of the brothers to take them to find a magical creature. This is for the main brothers, but if people want one for the newly datables just ask! I would love to do more <3

Lucifer

Is Cerberus not enough? We can go down and pet him if you like

It’s going to take some convincing to get this trip to happen. Needlessly risking the human's life just to see something neat? I think not

But your eyes were so big when you asked… fine. He’ll find something worthwhile that isn’t going to get you killed

Prep for the trip is Lucifer covering you in about 50 different protection spells.

Then you’ll be flying. Hold on tightly and try not to look directly into the wind. That’s not good for your human eyes. Lucifer’s arms are firm around you as his wings stretch out. With a push you’re off. Being lifted from the ground purely from the strength of his wings? It’s an undescribable feeling.

Soon you are out of the Devildom and flying above the Hell Wilds. A vast landscape of all sorts of terrors. From red grasses that could cut through bone, or the vast tar fields that bubble toxic gas. There is a beauty to it. Especially if you are safe above it all.

A large canyon comes into sight. “This canyon was cut by Lotan’s first rampage, and where Levi made Lotan his pet.” Lucifer begins to descend. Swooping down in a tight spiral to slip into the canyon.

It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then you can see something glowing. Many somethings glowing. They crawl over the canyon sides. They are nothing like you’ve seen before, but if you were to pin down to something earth like… they are most similar to sea slugs? But they have legs and bright, piercing eyes. With beautiful fins running down their back. Each looks to be a droplet of a rainbow.

“Gems left in the earth can collect enough magic to come to life.” They have no name, but they could fit in the palm of your hand. Tho please don’t touch they are highly condensed magical creatures and could shred your human body without meaning too.

Mammon

“Can I trust you?” He looks at you with surprising serious. Though he’s scratching his chin which makes it a little hard to take him seriously. When you say Of Course, Mammon quickly cracks into a grin. “Alright, give me a day, but-” He just starts nodding and runs off. Delighted with his own idea too much to tell you more

The Next day you meet Mammon outside the house of lamentation. He is already in his demon form and has a large sack in his hands. Which appears to be full of weird trinkets and a whole lot of grimm.

Where are you going? The Hell Wilds. Which is… so unhelpful because the Hell wilds are nearly infinite.

Mammon scoops you up bridle style, and then you’re off into the air. Mammon cannot stop smiling, “I haven’t taken anyone here before.” He mainly says this too himself. But looks at you with so much delighted you can’t help but blush.

This would be a much longer flight if Mammon wasn’t so good at using the air currents to his advantage. Diving to catch the updraft that send you both rocketing through the air. You’re at not risk of danger. Mammon wouldn’t let that happen to you, but it does feel like a roller coaster. When you level out, you’re facing a dark mountain. It cuts into the air with jagged certainty. Mammon lands halfway up its sides.

“She doesn’t like it when I fly into the nest. So we’ll have to walk to the rest.” If you ask any questions about what is happening. His response is a grin. “You know how Crows and I get along? Well… this is where that started.”

The mountain is only partial rock. The rest is ash, twigs and mud stuck together to keep the mountain from falling apart. Crows and ravens sit perched along the cliff sides. Some crows come flying to the mountain with fresh mud to repair parts of the mountain. The dark birds watch you and Mammon with intense, unrelenting eyes. Mammon smiles to them, and carries on with ease.

The path winds up to a crack in the side of the mountain. Mammon gestures for you to wait outside while he walks in first. You can hear something massive stir. The rustle of feathers and the scratch of claws against stone. Then Mammon pokes his head out and beckons you in.

Curled within the mountain is a great beast. It’s hard to tell one part from another because she is massive, and her dark feathers blend into each other. Her head is stuffed into the bag Mammon brought. When she sits up, she has a golden cup in her maw. The Crow Drake is stunning and terrifying. Her eyes are molten red, and her teeth cut through the gold.

The Crow Drake is the matriarch from all the crows and ravens in Hell. When Mammon was young, he fled to this mountain and was given a drake’s comforts. As well as his first crow familiar.

She reaches up to get a good look at you. Her beak pressing against you. Nudging you around and bringing her eyes right up to yours. Then she sits back and let's out a satisfied sqwaks. Mammon is about to say something when the Crow Drake leans over and picks him up by the collar of his jacket. Mammon is plopped onto her soft back, and she begins preening his hair. Making little noises every once in a while. “I know I used too much conditioner, stop harassing me” Mammon is blushing fiercely.

Levi

“Gah! Why can’t Lotan be more gentle.” Levi really wants you to meet Lotan, but it’s highly likely that Lotan would try to kill you the moment you met. All the photos of Lotan have been just… blue scales, or a big eyeball.

But Lotan is one of many Sea serpents. Actually, there are all sorts of magical creatures in the sea, and Levi is going to tell you about All of them. While he tries to figure out how to make sure you can breathe underwater.

“I am not allowed near the merfolk palace though, so... Can’t take you there.” If pushed on the matter, he will turn red and stammer about how Lotan just wanted a snack.

He found a spell! He’ll need Solomon’s help, but it should give you 24 hours of breathing underwater. Now it’s time to go into his tank.

Did you assume that he just had a normal wall sized fish tank? Of course not. The back wall has been turned into a convenient portal to The Ocean. It’s not an earth ocean, and hell doesn’t actually have a lot of clean water. This Ocean is an in between realm that connects to the abstract of earth’s waters, and all the magic that one could possibly find in those depths.

At first Levi gets distracted showing you all the fish. Look at the coral! And the trigger Fish! Oh, what a pretty anemone. He’s so caught up in showing you around that he’s not even embarrassed to be holding your hand the whole time.

Levi is such a strong swimmer he barely even notices dragging you along with him. His tail easily propels you both forward, and with great agility he can swim through the coral reefs. Then you hit the edge. Suddenly there is a vast nothing below you. Light fades below.

Down you go! It would be more unsettling if you didn’t have leviathan right besides you. Who is practically vibrating with his excitement. Underwater Levi looks so much more comfortable. Moving with such ease and without any hesitation.

You can feel the water begin to shift as something Massive approaches. Levi pauses and let's out a trill. Which is met by a deep noise that rattles your bones.

Red is a hard color to see in the deep ocean. Not enough light in that wave length can reach that far down. So at first it’s just a dark dot in the distances. Then it’s brilliant red head comes surging towards you. The water rushes around as the sea serpent begins to swim in a spiral around you and Leviathan. Leviathan is beaming and spinning around to keep up with the Serpent’s face. Letting out happy trills sporadically.

Eventually the Sea Serpent settles down and lets its body relax out. The Serpent stretches out so far that it’s back fines look so small. Yet their face is larger than a bus. The Serpent looks at you for a long while, and then it flicks it head upward. Which makes Leviathan blush a vibrant red.

She approves

Satan

Satan needs two weeks to prepare! But he has an idea. How do you feel about sewers?

“The Devildom aqueducts are actually one of the cleanest places in hell. It’s really an astounding work of engineering-” he goes on for a while about all the intricate workings. Seems there is a lot of plant filtering the waters, as well as creatures that can digest what the plants can’t process.

Satan gives you one of his books of magic. “I am their friend, but if you want them to accept your presence, it’s best to provide a gift. To show you mean well.” Unlike the others, Satan will give you a heads-up on whom you’re about to meet. Though, he gives the explanation as you’re walking towards the sewer’s entrance.

“Their name is Elos, and they are one of the oldest chimera’s alive. They were created in less than stellar circumstances, but handled it rather well.” By eating their creator. “Now they used the leftover alchemical equipment to do their own studying, as well as keep the aqueduct ecosystem in balance.”

The entrance looks like any other sewer grate in a city. Satan can easily move the heavy cover off, and watches as you begin to climb down the ladder. Satan closes the cover as he starts his descent. The sewers are Massive. The tunnel is about 20 feet wide and 20 tall. A perfect circle, except for the walk ways going along the side. A sort of seaweed is growing at the bottom of the waterways. Little fish duck in and out of the waving reeds. Further in more plants grow along the side. Some areas have full banks that cover the waterways. You can also see long claw marks running along the sides of the tunnel. As well as the residue of a recent magical explosion. “Hmm, looks like Elos got annoying company.” Satan smirks at the blast marks.

One of the original designers of the sewers was the grand wizard who made Elos. So there is a laboratory at the dead center of the sewer system. If one were to look at the blueprints, you’d be able to see a magic circle drawn by the tunnels. Well almost one. Those plans were later worked over to fix the functionality of the sewer system for the devildom. Elos didn’t want to do any city wide magic, so they aren’t really upset about it.

Outside of Elos’s laboratory is a large blue door. Painted on it are bright yellow runes that start to shimmer green as Satan approaches. Satan knocks, and it’s a full three minutes before the sound of the door unlocking. With effort, it swings inwards, and the smell of chemicals and herbs assaults your nostrils.

Satan goes about the polite introduction. Leading you into the laboratory, but it’s hard to pay attention. There are so many strange machines littered across the room, and Elos themself is a feat to understand. Their face is divided into three parts, one of a bull, one of a woman, and the other of an ape. They have large arms with hands that drag across the floor. Their fingers are thin claws of a bird. Chest comes from some great lizard not from earth. Hide legs appear to be lion like, and its tail is an arched scorpion stinger. Elos looks at you with deep eyes.

When you present the spell book Satan gave you. Elos sneers at you but takes the book. “A gift provided from someone else is weaker… but will do.” her voice is a dry and raspy. Speaking with vocal cords never crafted for such intricate language.

Asmodeous

“Want to meet some of the lovelies that help me torment souls?!”

They’re the creature Asmodeous has easy access to, so I recommend saying yes if you want to go with him

“They’re for a very specific time of person. The sort who think their beauty makes up for all the harm they caused.” A dark look smolders in Asmo’s eyes, but when he looks at you, it softens. Back to his normal bright heart eyes.

Asmo summons a cab to drive you both to the outskirts of the devildom. To… a ranch? Soft green meadows stretch out as far as you can see. Wooden fences mark the edge of the road. When you look close, you can see sigils carved into the posts.

Out in the field you can see them. Powerful horses with glimmering spiraled horns. Some are pure white with long wavy mains, but they are as diverse as any herd of horses.

“My beautiful unicorns,” Asmo leans over the fences to get a better look at them. “You’ll get to have a closer look at those in the stables right now. They won’t be too happy about being locked up, but they’re so wonderful just to look at.”

These unicorns come from more of a… vicious tradition. Their diets are completely carnivorous and with a strong preference for humans.

While you enter the stables, Asmo explains that these stables are more for necessary check-ups, and not where the unicorns stayed. They had their own dens somewhere in the meadows. Asmo hadn’t cared to find it, but it is out there.

So the unicorns that are in are here to have a thorough cleaning by one of the stable works. No you cannot help I’m afraid. These Unicorns would not be able to tell you apart from the souls they are encouraged to feast upon. All the other folk who work at the stable are non-human, and they still get bite. What’s worse is when a Unicorn decided to charge.

To make sure none of that happens, you’ll be safely on the other side of the door. Even though you can’t get close. You still can see the Unicorns very well. They are beautiful creatures. The shortest is still taller than the average horses. With eyes set more forward on their skull, and sharp angular bodies. Their legs are less brittle. With hooves that are divined into three sharp angles.

While most of the unicorns with in the stable seem antsy to leave. They all give their own greeting to Asmo. A dappled gray is the most affectionate. Letting Asmo pet the sides of their face, and rubbing up against Asmo’s head. It looks at you with curiosity. Sniffs the air and whinnies. “I know,” Asmo coos. “They are very tasty looking, but you can’t have any. I want this human to stick around.” The Unicorn snorts and flicks it tail in annoyance.

Beelzebub

His eyes light up when you ask to meet some magical creatures. “We won’t have to go too far… but we should wait till the house is quiet.” Que Mammon sprinting through the hallways trying to out run Lucifer. “They don’t like the ruckus.”

Beel asks you to meet him in the kitchen once everyone else has gone to their rooms. When you enter you find him setting out a tray with a dish of milk, honey, and some crackers. He then hands you a block of cheese. “Cut up some cubes of this.” and so you do. Beel doesn’t take any food from the tray, but he does rummage in the fridge while you get the cheese ready.

Once it’s all ready, Beel sets the tray in the middle of the counter. He then pulls out a little golden bell, and rings it. There is a beat of silence, and then doors you had never seen before open. One door is tucked into the wall trim, another in the backspace, and a third underneath the cabinets. Who comes tumbling out are small fuzzy creatures. They walk on their hind legs, and have large flat faces. Almost like a bat, but their eyes are old and wise. They are dressed in hand stitched clothes made from old table clothes, towels, or other scraps of fabric they could steal without much fuss.

“Who is this?!” One of them points pocket knife at you. “My friend,” Beel says and when he looks at you he can’t help but smile. “Hmm… did your friend cut this cheese?” Beel nods. “Next time make them smaller. Our children will struggle to hold these.”

These are House Brownies. A type of fae that can be found in most loving homes. They are a people of high standards but with over whelming big hearts. Beel is the main reason the house brownies live within the house of lamentation. No one else remembers to set out food for them. So no one else gets the help of the Brownies. Beel however often finds that his chores have been done for him, and snacks are often left on his bed side table. Small snack since the brownies can’t carry too much, but he deeply appreciates it.

Brownies are some of the easiest fae to talk with. The worst you can do is hurt their pride, but they are quick to accept earnest apologies. Not the sort of fae who will steal your name and trick you into dancing yourself to death… well… There have been a couple brownies who have done that. But the people were true assholes.

One of the brownies who is dress in a floral dress comes up to you. They give you a once over, and then start to climb up the back of your shirt. Now on your shoulder, the Brownie sniffs your face and pokes your cheeks. The Brownie’s whiskers tickle, and it’s hard not to react. But their fur is so soft, and they smell like honey and clove.

“You should have brought this one sooner.” The floral Brownie says in a sing-song voice. “They can bring us human snacks, yes?” “I want a candy!” Another brownie cheers. “Are human homes as noisy as demon homes?” “What is a cat? We hear the mean one speak of them, but never have seen them.” “Is cat friend or foe to the brownie?” Another brownie is now climbing you. This one decided to perch on the top of your head. “Human smells nice. Keep them Beel.”

Belphegor

“Okay, but you’re paying for their snacks.”

Which turned out to be nearly ten pounds of red meat. You’re also the one who has to carry the bag as you walk into the properly sketchy parts of the Devildom city. Belphegor looks as nonchalant as normal. Except for when he needs to glare at any other Demon who might start making eyes at you.

Now it’s into the dark alleys you go. Winding past business and into tight brick alley ways. The surrounding buildings seem to tower up through the sky. Blocking the darkness above. There is even a hint of sulfur in the air.

“Alright, set the meat down.” Belphegor stops at the intersection of four alley ways. It makes a small circle in the middle. The ground is dark and stained from years of murk. Moss grows up the walls, and blooms in the cracks. You set the meat down and then back up next to Belphegor. “Are you nervous?” He grins a little and then brings his fingers to his lips and whistles Loud.

You can hear them running. Many heavy feet charging down the paths. They’re coming from every direction, and now hear their panting breath. Growling and snarls as they try to be the first to reach their meal.

If you thought earthly wolves are big. You are blown away by the size of hellhounds. They keep their heads low but still stand at least three feet tall. Their teeth are as black as their fur, and they have barbed tails that whip back and forth in a frenzy. The Hell hounds are at first completely distracted by the food left out for them.

“When they’re not hungry, they’re really sweet.” Belphegor crosses his arms and leans back against the wall. Patiently waiting for the Hell Hounds to calm down. “They’re in the city to hunt down pests. Lucifer see’s them as exterminators,” One of the Hell Hounds now trots over to Belphegor. It rams its head into his stomach, demanding attention. Belphie laughs a little and starts to scratch its ears. Now content that it’s getting love. The Hell Hound eyes you. First a sniff, and then it tries to bite your clothes. “Hey,” Belphie says in a stern voice, and that’s all the Hound needed. You’re not food? Well then you must be friend too.

The message is spread through the rest of the pack, and soon you are surrounded. The Hell Hounds breath is rancid, and they will not stop trying to give you kisses.

Two of the hounds manage to get Belphie on the ground, and sit on top of him. Belphie’s face is flushed, and he only tries to get them off half-heartedly. Then accepts their cuddles and closes his eyes. “They’re not allowed in the house. So I come here a lot… you can join me next time if you want.”

A/N: Thank you @squidubus for the great idea of Mama Crow Drake preening Mammon’s hair. I luuuv uuuu

#I had... so much fun with this #mammon's mom is a Crow Drake #Obey me!#Obey me! headcanon #Obey me! Lucifer #Obey me! Mammon #Obey me! Leviathan #Obey me! Satan #Obey me! Asmodeous #Obey me! Beelzebub #Obey me! Belphegor #my writing #creatures #fantasy #I just love magical creatures okAY?!#also you with MC powers Can befriend the man eating unicrons if you really want but you gotta Earn it

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kykyonthemoon · 3 years ago

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A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Childe/ Tartaglia x Lumine Fanfic

During The Summer Festival in Inazuma, Lumine encountered a kitsune-masked man. He was strange, yet so familiar. Who could he be?...

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

When Lumine and Paimon set foot in Inazuma, the weather was midsummer. In the sweltering air, the streets strewn with cherry blossoms became ever more bustling. The Summer Festival had arrived, with residents across Inazuma putting aside their daily worries to enjoy the best things summer had to offer.

Even travelers like Lumine and Paimon could not resist being invited to the festival. The lady from Kamisato house had asked Lumine and Paimon to accompany her, but something unexpected caused her to make another appointment. Determined not to miss the occasion, Lumine and Paimon agreed to take to the streets in new outfits that Ayaka had sent them.

Inazuma clothing is multi-layered and slightly harder to wear than previously worn by Lumine. In the summer, people do not wear too many layers due to the hot weather. As she put on the yukata, Lumine secretly admired its beauty: each needle line was very neat and beautiful, the outfit was pale yellow, dotted with cherry blossoms, especially it was not as hot as she had thought. There was also a hand fan made of bamboo and fabric of the same color as her yukata, which featured koi fish. Lumine remembered that Ayaka once told her about the types of fans, and this one was called “uchiwa,” and the koi pattern symbolized good luck.

“Traveler! You look beautiful!”

Lumine turned to her companion. Paimon wore the same patterned yukata as her, but it was pink and white. Her little friend looked more adorable than ever.

“I was thinking if my dress is a bit tight. If Paimon can’t eat anything tonight, I’ll be so angry at the Kamisato!”

Lumine burst into laughter.

The bustling city of Inazuma greeted them in the glorious sunset. On both sides of the road, colorful lanterns were lit. Everywhere was filled with different restaurants and stalls; flowers, prayer charms, masks, and decorations that extend all the way to Amakane Island. The most sold was, of course, food. Needless to say, Paimon loved to be here.

“Whoa! What a crowd!” Paimon remarked as they mingled with the group of walkers. “Don’t leave me behind, Traveler!”

However, it was Lumine who was left behind when Paimon was caught up in the roadside food stalls. The little companion flew up and then swooped down on literally every stall she saw, as they offered free tastings. A few minutes later, Lumine could not see Paimon anymore.

Lumine could not fly like Paimon. She had to squeeze through the stream of smiling and talking people to find her friend. Inazuma City is large, with small streets intertwined and connected to one another. After a long search, Lumine accepted the fact that she had lost Paimon.

Lumine sighed. It’s also unclear where she was on the map of Inazuma City. She wandered alone, looking at the streets and rolled her eyes to every corner to see if Paimon was somewhere around. Not paying attention to the path, she suddenly bumped into someone's back.

“Sorry… I’m sorry!” Lumine said, embarrassed.

In front of her was a white yukata patterned with light blue waves. Whoever she bumped into was much taller than her. Then, he turned around.

Lumine noticed that he was wearing a kitsune mask on his face. Although his face was unknown to her, his appearance was very familiar; tall and slim, with short, choppy orange hair, even his voice was like that person.

“Are you alright, Miss?”

Lumine was frozen for a moment.

"You're not hurt, are you? You should be careful in such a crowded place like this. I can’t bear to see a beautiful lady like you get hurt."

Lumine frowned. Even these teasing words were very similar to a person she knew.

"We've met before, haven't we?" She asked frankly. Lumine does not like to play the vague game.

The one in kitsune mask laughed out loud:

“Quite a bold young lady, aren’t you? Perhaps we’ve met, in my sweetest dreams.”

Lumine blushed. She was both embarrassed and a little angry. How dared a stranger make fun of her like that?

“If you’re not the person I know, then I’m sorry for bothering you.”

Saying so, Lumine was about to leave, but the man stopped her.

"Wait. I'm sorry I teased you. But you look a little lost, Miss. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

Lumine weighed in on it a bit. She really needed to find Paimon and get back to the inn. Yet was this stranger trustworthy?

“Are you a local?” Lumine asked.

"No. I'm an outsider, just like you. The only difference is that I've been here for a while. I have some personal business here."

If it's a private matter, it's best not to ask. Lumine thought so. She hesitated for a moment and replied:

"I'm actually looking for my friends. I’ve just lost her."

"Then you've met the right person. I know every corner around here."

Seeing that Lumine did not believe him, the man said, "Come on, don't look at me like that! I just want to help a far-away traveler. That’s all."

"All right." Lumine replied. "But if you ask for mora, I don't have much..."

The masked man looked at her for a moment and then laughed so loudly that passers-by stared at them.

"Haha! Miss, you're funny! Why do you think my kindness needs to be reciprocated?"

Lumine paused for a moment. Her days of adventure from Mondstadt to Liyue, and now Inazuma, helped her come to terms with one thing: everything has a price. In other words, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.

"Well... I'm sorry I didn't think right about you..." Lumine replied.

"Then, would you accept my help?"

Lumine nodded and said nothing more, but she thought that she would definitely repay today's favor.

They walked through the crowded streets. The masked man told Lumine about Inazuma and about the culture here. It helped widening her perspectives. If she hadn't bothered to look for Paimon, she would have enjoyed the whole atmosphere.

But there's no denying that everything at the Summer Festival was so special and distracted her over and over again. She came across a mask stall by the side of the road and turned to look at the person next to her.

"Do you want to buy a mask too, Miss?" He asked.

"Not really... I'm just thinking your mask is more beautiful and elaborate than what they sell."

The masked man adjusted his mask a little. Lumine saw him laughing.

"Of course. This is something I painted myself! If you want, I'll paint a same one for you."

Lumine waved her hand. “No, there's no need…” she said, but he pulled her into a nearby stall and asked the owner about the masks which customers could paint themselves.

Lumine watched intently as he painted the mask with red, black lines, and yellow dots. Moments later, he gave it to her.

"Here. For you."

Lumine picked up the mask, examining it with amusement.

"Thank you."

"Let me put it on for you."

Lumine looked up at him sheepishly.

"I... I can wear it myself."

Seemingly unable to hear her say anything, he took the mask and put it on one side of her hair.

"T-Thank you..." Lumine said, gazing down at her feet.

The man smiled.

"Hey, I don't even know your name." Lumine said as they continued to go.

"Call me Mr. Kitsune. The kids in Inazuma call me that." He replied and waved to a group of children in the distance.

He seemed to be very loved by children. Lumine thinks that any person who is liked by children cannot be evil by nature. Suddenly she thought of someone she knew. Could it be...? But how could a Harbinger like him be here? She looked around. There's no sight of the Fatui nearby. Was it all just her imagination?

The two walked into a smaller yet not less crowded street. Immediately, Lumine’s attention was caught by a crowd playing a very interesting game. They gathered next to a large pot of water, inside there were many goldfish. Each person held a seemingly fragile racket made out of paper, and tried to get the fish into their little bucket as much as possible during a specific amount of time.

"Do you want to try it?" Mr. Kitsune asked after seeing Lumine’s interest in the game for a long time.

Lumine nodded.

Mr. Kitsune said something to the woman who appeared to be the owner there, and she handed them two rackets and two small buckets.

In excitement, Lumine sat down and Mr. Kitsune sat next to her. Picking up turned out to be much more difficult than it seemed. The racket was flat and very easy to tear, and the dodgy fish seemed to have learned to avoid players and irritate them, skillfully.

Lumine's racket was torn shortly after she thought she had picked up the first fish. She looked to the side. Mr. Kitsune gave her a new one.

"Thank you." Lumine responded and the excitement returned. There's no way she’s going to lose to these goldfish!

After a hard fight, Lumine finally got her first fish. She eagerly turned to Mr. Kitsune to show it off, but then her face went sullen immediately when she saw his bucket full of fish. What was more obnoxious was that he reseted his head on one hand and caught the fish only with the other hand. His attitude of fish-picking was very relaxed, not as strenuous as Lumine's at all.

"How did you get so many fish?" She asked.

"Oh... I don't know. Perhaps it’s my talent?"

He had just finished speaking when another fish fell into his bucket. Lumine gave up and dropped her racket into the bucket. She sat and watched him pick up the fish. From time to time, she pointed to the fish she wanted him to catch.

“This one! It has nice color.”

"You do know that we have to return the fish after the game, right?" He laughed and moved his hand to pick up the fish Lumine wanted.

After the time was up, Mr. Kitsune got the highest prize: a stuffed fox. He gave it to Lumine.

"It does look like you." Lumine looked at the fox in her hands and commented as the two left. It has a soft orange fur, a white belly and four black legs.

"Then every time you see it, you will think of me."

He replied without a hint of shame. But Lumine was blushing like a red tomato. Seemingly aware of her intention to return the fox, he said:

"In Inazuma, it is considered disrespectful to return the given gifts.”

Lumine pinched the fox's nose with a force. She thought about turning it into a sandbag for Paimon to practice her fighting skills, but then it was also too cute for that.

After coming to the end of the street, Lumine realized they had reached the gate of Inazuma. The outside of the city was as bustling as the inside, but the air was fresh and pleasant thanks to the sea. The moon was high, and Paimon was still nowhere to be seen.

Looking around for a moment, Mr. Kitsune said:

"Maybe your friend has gone to Amakane Island. It is the best place to watch the fireworks. Besides, there is also a well-known street stall selling delicious oden.”

Perhaps Paimon would not go there to see the fireworks, but for the food, yes. Lumine agreed to join Mr. Kitsune on the walk to Amakane Island to find her friend. They walked a long way across the coast. Along the way, Lumine noticed that the people of Inazuma City were also heading to the island as they were mostly hands-to-hand couples with smiles. There were butterflies inside her stomach when she thought that walking side by side with Mr. Kitsune like this made them look like a couple.

"Tell me about your friend." Mr. Kitsune suddenly spoke up. "The one whom you thought I was."

Lumine mused. "I don't know if we're friends anymore..."

"What's wrong? Did he do something bad?"

"It could be put that way." Lumine recalled the mess that the Eleventh Harbinger of Fatui – Tartaglia had made in Liyue. Worse than that, he had taken advantage of her trust, leaving her caught up in a dispute between forces like a puppet. Even though everything had been resolved, she still could not let it go easily.

"If he's a bad guy, you should beat him to death and never speak to him again."

Those words made Lumine laugh.

"I do want to beat him up. But..." She paused for a moment and then continued. "There’s also a good side of him that changes my opinions on him. I wonder what his true face is."

They walked a little further. The sound of waves was caught in her ears. Lumine saw some crabs digging the sand and hiding from people in the distance.

"Everyone has their own masks to wear, Miss." Mr. Kitsune said. "One day, I hope he'll have the courage to take his mask off in front of you."

Lumine gazed up at the man wearing the fox mask next to her for a moment. Wasn’t he hiding his face from her too? What's that fox mask hiding that she didn’t know yet? But everyone has secrets, and Lumine is not much of a pryer.

As soon as they arrived at Amakane Island, Lumine’s nose was immediately attacked by the aroma of food emanating from street vendors. Perhaps she was really hungry after the hopeless search for Paimon, and a long walk to this place. Now Lumine just wanted to sit down and eat all the food that the people here had to offer.

Mr. Kitsune led Lumine to an oden stall. They were seated right in front of the counter and the smoke and aroma emanating from the kitchen in front of them made Lumine's stomach rumble louder than ever. There was no need to wait long, their food was served soon after. Lumine's bowl had a variety of food: fish balls, boiled eggs, fried tofu, radishes and even noodles. She happily picked up her chopsticks and grab the food, but then realized that Mr. Kitsune was still sitting and looking at his oden bowl in a rather contemplative way.

"Aren’t you going to eat?" Lumine asked.

"Ah..." Mr. Kitsune seemed confused. He picked up his bamboo chopsticks awkwardly.

That person doesn't even know how to hold a chopstick too... Lumine brushed that thought away as soon as it appeared. She should have let go of the obsession which was him for a long time. Somehow, in all the places she went and the people she met, Lumine was looking for such a familiar silhouette in the past.

"Here, let me show you." Lumine reached out her chopsticks to Mr. Kitsune and demonstrated how to hold them little by little. There were moments when their hands touched and Lumine found herself blushing more than necessary.

"You're so good!" Mr. Kitsune's remarks made Lumine's cheeks flush to the ears.

"Well... It's just a normal skill..." She replied, recalling her days at Liyue, when she had practiced holding chopsticks skillfully to pick up food before Paimon ate it all.

Lumine ate her oden and praised the chef's talent. She also kept her eyes on Mr. Kitsune. He merely lifted the mask a little to eat, and the place they sat was not bright enough for Lumine to see his face clearly.

After the oden, Lumine was once again invited by Mr. Kitsune to a tri-color dango treat. Realizing that she was being treated too much, she offered to pay for some octopus balls called takoyaki which later on she had quite a memory with it. It's a dish of spherical scones made of flour, with chopped octopus fillings and some other ingredients inside, then fried in a special pan that has a lot of semicircular concave parts. Lumine bought a square plate containing four takoyaki arranged neatly inside and she skewered one to her mouth.

“Wait!”

But It was too late for Mr. Kitsune, Lumine had put a whole round takoyaki in her mouth. She looked at him and wondered why he was leaning up as if he’s afraid her tongue was burnt. The food was cold enough to be eaten. But that's just what she thought.

When she bit into the crust and spilled the filling, Lumine knew why Mr. Kitsune had warned her. The filling was so hot that Lumine's tongue tip was on fire. She rushed a hand to her mouth, tears welling up. She tried to chew and swallow the food. Fortunately, it wasn't so hot to the point it actually burned her tongue.

Mr. Kitsune gave her a cool cup of tea. Lumine, after regaining her composure, noticed that he had been chuckled all along. She grimaced, took a sip of tea and said in a furious tone:

"You don't have to laugh at me like that."

Mr. Kitsune tried to suppress his laughter and replied, "Sorry... I've never seen anyone eating takoyaki in such a cute way."

Lumine's face was red, not knowing whether it was the food being too hot or because she was embarrassed.

Nearby, there was a place filled with tiny hexagonal wooden cards. Mr. Kitsune said Lumine could write her prayers on the card and hang it up. She took one and wrote her wish, hoping that she would soon be reunited with her twin brother. Mr. Kitsune just stood beside her, his eyes were looking away.

"You don’t have a prayer?"

"I don't need it." He replied. "My wish has already come true tonight."

Lumine wondered what his wish was, but she doubt that a mysterious man like him would let her know too much about himself.

They still could not find Paimon. Mr. Kitsune said that having gone to this place, at least they should see the fireworks. So Lumine and he climbed the moss-covered stone steps filled with weeds, through the red torii gates that had faded over the years. The whole road felt as the entrance to a wonderland with fireflies and magical forests.

There were also a few others walking up to the fireworks watching location. One of them accidentally bumped into Lumine causing her to slip. She thought she was going to fall, but Lumine was saved. She found herself in Mr. Kitsune's arm and her head on his shoulder. He stood just one step behind her. And then, Lumine caught his blue eyes.

They’re the same like someone’s…

Embarrassed, Lumine stood up. "T-Thank you..." She said, turning her face away.

Lumine was not used to walking on Inazuma wooden slippers. She blamed on them just to avoid thinking about the real cause of her confusion. Mr. Kitsune suddenly stood closer by her and said:

"Hold on to my hand, you won't fall again."

He did not look at Lumine but his hand was reaching out in front of her. Lumine hesitated but held on to it at last. They walked slowly up all the stone steps, to a cherry tree and sat down on a large rock, just in time for the very first fireworks to break out.

The night sky was lit up and there was a loud explosion. Colorful fireworks flew into the sky, then dissolved into hundreds of small rays of light. Lumine watched and admired their beauty. It was truly an ideal place to watch fireworks shoot from Inazuma City. Lumine turned to the man who brought her here.

"Though I can't find my friend, I'm happy that I’ve had a chance to enjoy the festival and watch the fireworks with you."

Mr. Kitsune seemed surprised and delighted.

"It is my honor to accompany you, Miss."

Lumine felt her cheeks burning up again. Perhaps all along the way, she had already known who the man in the kitsune mask really was.

"I hope that we'll see each other again soon."

* *

It was late at night. There was no more fireworks or laughter. Yet there was still a shadow of the person sitting under the cherry tree, even when the girl with him had already left for a while.

Next to him was a crimson mask, which seemed to exude a kind of dangerous and tempting power. But all his attention was on the harmless kitsune mask in his hand. All that happened tonight felt like a dream. Having known the Traveler had come to Inazuma, he still did not expect that she had found him herself, bumping into him among so many people on the street.

He had always wanted to see her again, ever since their farewell in Liyue. He constantly talked about her in letters to his family, as if they were very close friends; perhaps more than friends?

What could he expect, when fate always puts them on different sides of the battle? He fought for what he believes, and she always chose to help those who oppose him. But deep down in him was the desire to see her again, to see her smile at him once more. He wanted to touch her, but feared she would disappear like fireflies.

Therefore, having a walk with her, eating together and watching the fireworks next to her; everything happened tonight was a beautiful dream in the middle of the summer night. Delightful and sweet, yet came and fade away too quickly. After all, at least he knew she still remembered him.

If only she didn't. That way, she would not have to be upset when they meet again, maybe in another battle here in this land. She had hoped that they would see each other again soon, but he'd rather she not knew who was with her tonight.

Tartaglia put down the kitsune mask and picked up his Harbinger mask. He turned his gaze to the sky, praying silently that the stars would remember today for eternity. Then he put on the heavy mask and left.

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

Au's note: It's been a while since my last Genshin fic. Hope you guys enjoy this one. I really love Japanese festivals in summer and this piece was inspired by those, and with the in-game activities/ atmosphere too of course!

My Genshin Masterlist: x

#uwu sorry for my rusty writing skills #genshin impact #fanfic #chilumi #childe x lumine #tartaglia x lumine #lumine #childe #tartaglia #genshin impact fanfic #fanfiction

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red-kewpie-cap · 3 years ago

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Over an Anpan, Really

Shigaraki x Reader, sfw, word count 1,709

"Thank you, have a nice day!" you smiled politely from behind the front countertop. The customer waved as she exited, and the bell above the door chimed upon its closing.

"I'll be out back waiting for the supply truck. They should be coming," your coworker, Miyaguchi, paused to check his watch, "in two minutes. Can you handle the shop for an hour or so?"

You nodded, "Gotcha."

"Alright, thanks. I'll be back!" Miyaguchi spun around the door and left through the kitchen behind you. You listened for the back door as it closed.

Your elbow was propped atop the cool, marble countertop, your head resting lightly on your hand. The pastries encased in the glass displays were freshly baked this morning, and you had to hold yourself back from stealing a few.

It was only your first month in Japan, and you were still learning the ropes language-wise, culturally, and socially. Unlike in your home country, running in to famous pro-heroes was more common here due to living in the most populated city.

You admired hero work greatly, so you kept a small book of the biggest heroes in Japan in case you ever encountered one. The bakery was fairly empty—it was still early, anyway. Adults were commuting to work outside the shop's windows, and students skipped to school in their matching uniforms.

You sighed and pulled your booklet out from the counter's bottom shelf. A green tag stuck out from the top near the first few pages. You opened the book from the marker and began to read about the hero on the page, Mt. Lady.

Fully indulged in your reading, you were startled by the bakery doorbell's chimes.

"Oh! Good morning, what can I get you today?" You fumbled with the booklet and—subsequently—ended up dropping it on the opposite side of the counter.

Damn it.

The customer delivered a judging stare before slowly bending over to pick the book up. They held the stapled spine between their thumb and index, the rest of their fingers held high above the booklet.

Are they afraid of germs?

They dropped the book on the counter. Bashfully, you thanked them, ensuring the distance between you two in case they really were disturbed by germs.

You only then noticed the person's unordinary appearance. A white, detached hand held onto their face, and several more latched onto their upper body. Their baby blue hair was unkempt and tangled, and their black garments were just as tattered; however, you weren't one to judge, so you asked for their order just as any good employee would.

"Give me an anpan." His voice was higher than you expected and oddly soothing.

Although he did not appear as polite as most customers, you followed his directions and wrapped the single bun in paper. Waiting a few seconds more, you then asked with a smile, "Is that all, sir?"

His shoulders dropped ever so slightly, and he shook his head.

"Alright then. That'll be two hundred yen," you said, internally cringing at your slight mispronunciation. Your Japanese was far from perfect.

The man grabbed the paper bag and turned to the exit with no intention of paying.

"Ah, sir! You have to pay for that!" You worriedly glanced at the back door to see if Miyaguchi was still outside. Seeing that he was absent, you hurried around the counter and stood in between the front door and the blue haired man.

"You have to pay for your food, sir," you stated adamantly. If Miyaguchi discovered that the store had been robbed during your shift, you would be in deep trouble—no matter how much money was taken.

"Move" was all he said.

"You have to pay first," you replied.

The man sighed dramatically and dragged himself to a table with two, pastel yellow chairs. He unwrapped the bun, carefully sticking his pinkie finger out as he did so.

What a polite robber.

"Are you going to pay?" you asked, growing more confused than angry.

The strange man tapped the leg of the chair across from him with his foot. "Sit down."

You deliberately followed along. Perhaps showing kindness would convince him to pay for his food.

Slowly, he removed the white hand from his face, revealing a pair of cherry red eyes. He had two scars: one over his right eye, another across the side of his mouth. A mole dotted his pale skin beneath his bottom lip, and dark bags sagged beneath his tired eyes.

You gave no reaction but only observed him further. The man then looked at you, his eyebrows laced with both judgement and confusion. "Aren't you scared?"

"No," you responded, "should I be?"

He rose the anpan to his mouth and bit into the soft bun. Swallowing his bite, he continued, "I'm a villain. I could kill you."

Despite him having no joking tone, you couldn't take his words seriously. Somehow, proclaiming oneself as a villain while dressed in all black felt all too cliché to you.

"Did you just laugh?" He looked up through slit like eyes.

"Huh—no! Did I? I must've thought of something funny." You frantically waved your hands in front of your face, a single bead of sweat dripping down the back of your neck.

He stared a second longer before taking another bite of the anpan. There was an uncomfortable silence.

You've never been in a situation like this before at work—a man who seemed to be stealing was now seated before you, engaging in what could be considered a conversation. Nonetheless—a villain—who was believed to be worse than a criminal. You weren't sure what to do, but as long as he payed for his food, you would be satisfied.

"Are you going to call the police?"

"No. I wasn't planning on it," you spoke honestly. "I just want you to pay for your food so I can keep my job."

"It's only two hundred yen."

"Two hundred yen that could get me fired."

He hummed and took the last bite of the bun. In his palm, he crumpled the paper wrapper, then closed his fingers over the trash. The paper disintegrated in seconds, and you somehow managed to inhale some of the dust left over, making you sneeze.

He tilted his head up and looked at you with another blank expression. It was so difficult to read him.

"Excuse me," you sputtered quietly in English.

Desperate to keep your new job, you resorted to flattery. "You have very nice... eyes... by the way. I've never met someone with red eyes before."

He didn't seem amused, but then again, he didn't seem anything majority of the time.

"What's your name,” his sentence more of a command than a question.

"Sato," you lied. He was still a villain no matter how unthreatening he appeared in the moment.

"Sato," he repeated suspiciously, "really?"

You nodded, following his gaze that traveled from your chest back to your eyes.

"Your name tag seems to disagree, (y/n)."

God, you’re an idiot.

"Right! Sato is my... middle name. I'm not from Japan, so my real name is a bit hard to pronounce. That's why I go by Sato," you stammered, fiddling with your apron the entire time.

"Well, did I say it correctly?" he inquired with the slightest hint of sarcasm.

You rapidly nodded.

"Then go by it. Sato's an ugly name."

You couldn't tell if this was an attempt to compliment you or if he genuinely disliked the name Sato.

"So... are you going to pay now?"

There was the thousandth silence between you before the man groaned loudly, dragging a single hand across his face with annoyance. He continued to pull out a phone and dial a random number.

You waited awkwardly as the phone rang for the longest time possible before someone picked up.

"I need money," he grumbled.

A voice buzzed in response, but the receiver was not loud enough for you to understand. You simply sat still, occasionally fidgeting with your apron as he argued on the phone. He finally ended the call with "Be quick."

Not even seconds later, a flash of purple swirled outside the bakery doors. Another strange man stepped out of the ominous dust.

His entire body was a patched quilt with stitches connecting a purple-ish colored skin to what remained of his natural skin. He had fluffy, yet sharp, black hair and wore a long trench coat just as torn as the man before you.

Villains must not buy new clothes often.

The bell rang for the fifth time that day as the man entered. He immediately turned his attention toward you, completely overlooking his defeated friend.

You gulped.

"You never pay for shit, Shigaraki. Have you finally softened up? Or are you being held hostage." The nightmarish man had a mocking tone in his voice, and he stared at you despite speaking to his friend.

"Just give me the damn money," the villain—who was apparently named Shigaraki—hissed back.

"You got it, boss," the latter quipped, sarcastic and mockingly.

He fished a five hundred yen coin out of his coat pocket and dropped it on the table. Shigaraki was already standing up by that time, brushing his hands on his black shirt.

"Let me get you your change," you exhaled, relieved that you managed to get your way. You swiftly shuffled back to the cash register, but the two men were already on towards the exit.

"He wants you to keep it," whispered the black haired friend with a playful wink, and the doorbell rang for the last time that hour.

You witnessed the same purple cloud swallow the two just outside the front door, and they were gone.

Your eyes stared at the booklet that still lie on the countertop. Flipping through the glossy pages, you stopped at the middle where it transitioned to the "Villains" section. Likely enough, there was a page solely dedicated to the blue haired man who had just attempted to steal an anpan from your bakery.

You spent the next twenty minutes reading about him—his crimes, his victories, and his defeats. "Interesting guy," you muttered to yourself.

#shigaraki #shigaraki x reader #my hero academia #mha #bnha #boku no hero academia #self insert #sfw #gender neutral reader #if you see this please tell me how to insert a downloaded gif #writing tingz

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cosmiclatte28 · 4 years ago

Note

Jealous!taemin fluff request for reader being a '97 liner and ten teaching them some moves while superm takes a break or something and taemin gets a bit jelly becuase ten is getting close and is also much closer in age even though you've been kinda jealous of krystal or naeun (before) because they're only a year apart from taemin.

Here you go! I hope this is what you hope for, or else just tell me :)

Jealous! Taemin x reader + Ten!

Warning : none :)

The lights in the practice room are still bright despite working hard since the morning. It's a prison room filled with mirrors and no walls, where the idols practice from morning to morning and they barely know what time is it because there's no clock in the room. The dark night sky doesn't greet the boys to tell them it's time for rest, instead it's your pressence with dinner that makes them scream in delight.

"Woah (y/n) is here! Must be six or seven already," Baekhyun walks to reach his phone and notices the time.

"We're too focused on mastering the new choreo," Kai gulps down a bottle of water.

You walk to the sofa and place your belongings. Carefully you hand Mark the dinner and he's more than happy to call his brothers for a dinner break.

"Sorry I could only buy that tonight, the rain is heavy and the only restaurant open on my way is this kimbab and buddae jiggae restaurant." You explain as you take off your jacket and handing them to Taemin, your boyfriend, who's here to greet you properly.

"No problem, thank you for dropping by... we haven't eaten dinner." Taem hugs you and plants a quick kiss on your cheek.

"Well then, enjoy your dinner then. It's still warm." You bow a bit to the boys and they're taking the seat on the floor one by one.

"Thank you for the food," they chime in as they unwrap the plastic bags and take out the packed meal.

"Join us, you haven't eaten too right, there's no teacher tonight. We're practicing by ourselves." Ten, one of the closest member to you, taps the empty spot next to him.

You untie yourself from Taemin's wrap and gladly accept his invitation.

Taemin shrugs his shoulder and also sits beside Kai. The eight of you share the warmth of dinner on the polished wood floor of the practice room. It's nothing new for you, you've been there since Taemin's early debut and after being friends for 7 years he finally asked you out and you're already dating him for the last three years. He's your best friend in middle school, you helped him with his studies because he had to train back then, but you're glad he made it this far.

The dinner ends quickly and the boys decided to take some break. You walk to the center of the room and quietly do a marking on a dance you're working lately.

Yes you're also a dancer, you teach young teenagers contemporary dance in a wellknown dance club. Today you're working on a duet you have to teach this week, well with your daily office work you only have time to think of the choreo at night and teach on weekends.

Ten secretly puts his attention to you, he's the first one to catch you dancing and thinking of some movements.

Taemin is sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone and quiet presumably chatting with his Shinee brothers.

"Oh what are you doing?" Ten appears on your side, you can see him through the mirror.

"Just finalizing a choreo I need to introduce to my students this Friday." You pout.

Ten smacks his lips, "Cool, Mind if I see it?"

You nod your head and offer him one of your airpods. Ten grins "woah now this is something we do not have back in the days." He remembers you also used to come and supervise rookies in their training days and you've known Ten since he's young. You're only a year older than Ten and he's always a fun partner to dance along with. Back then you need to blast your phone to maximum voice and share the loud room with other guys, but now technology is a life safer.

Your song for the contemporary dance this week is Say Something.

You begin to show Ten the solo part of the female dance and Ten's gaze never leave your body as you convey each and every beat and emotions into movement, you pause when you reach the part you're struggling "And up to there, I need a duet and my partner is away for this month."

Ten stands beside you and plays the song, he takes a while to feel the next vibes and snaps his finger.

"Let's try this," he shows you the routine he has in his head and you being a great dancer yourself can trigger your other ideas too.

"Ah yeah that is nice," you stand in front of Ten both of you facing the mirror his body close to yours.

And I am feeling so small

He scrunches his body over you and you also curl yourself into a small ball.

It was over my head

The dramatic push back and head spin continued with a spin to separate sides

I know nothing at all

You take light steps to Ten and he nods

With one swift pull he has you on his arms and make one spin.

The song continues and Both you and Ten are now improvisising by yourselves to the lyrics and your smile can't leave your face when you and Ten both still remember the lyrical couple dance routine you used to do.

"Ah that is nice, but maybe try this," Ten pauses to breathe and then walks to fix your posture. You laugh "I am the teacher here yet I got my posture fixed."

He giggles "Sorry I can't stand seeing your back hunched."

You pout "I know I was thinking of the next step and did not mind my back bruh."

The song comes to an end and suddenly claps can be heard. You shoot your head to the side and see Taeyong and Kai already clapping their hands and Mark gasping for air as he said "Woah jinjja so cool both of you."

You laugh and Ten sort of blush, he did not remember Taemin is there and might be seeing everything.

"Both of you really dance well together!" Lucas brings two of his thumbs up.

You shyly thank them "Well we did that too back in the days and earlier Ten wanted to help me for my class this week."

"Shall we return practicing?" Taemin suddenly appears and you lock eyes with him. He avoids your gaze and you know this won't be a calm night.

"I guess we've practiced enough today. I say we go home and rest, tomorrow is another long day." Kai and Baekhyun suggest.

The younger brothers all try their best to hide their cheer yes they want to sleep already.

"Besides it's been 14 hours since we're here." Baekhyun's working alarm starts to work in his body "I cannot stay in this room for another hour."

"Okay then. See you all tomorrow." Mark and Taeyong are the first to pack up and wave their hands goodbye.

You still stick around to Ten and discuss a bit about the choreo, Taemin just looks at the two of you from the corner. His best friend Kai sees this and understands what's happening.

"Jealous eh?" He nudges Taemin's shoulder.

Baffled, Taemin just shakes his head "Ani I'm only thinking of our dance earlier."

Kai giggles "Yeah yeah whatever, I'll get going then bye!"

Baekhyun also says goodbye.

"Okay then thanks Ten, send me the file later okay?" You hug him when he said he actually recorded you two earlier so you're glad you can rewatch it and look for aspiration.

Ten then bids you and Taemin goodbye. Along with Lucas he left.

"So Taemin! We're going home!" You cheerfully pack your phone and airpods.

Taemin busies himself with his scattered belongings "You look happy with Ten, dancing together and oh being so close."

His tone sounds somewhat fishy and you sigh when you connect the dots.

"Aigo Taem, seriously? It's just a dance."

"A dance? He looks at you like this is something more than a dance." Taemin throws his bottle into the bag.

Your eyebrows raise when you feel assured your boyfriend is jealous.

"You're jealous right?" You tease him.

He rolls his eyes "No."

"Yes you are! Look it is just a dance. He didn't even touch me."

Taemin's eyes are about to pop "He did. He did i saw it! You didn't realize?!"

You want to laugh, well you're focused on the dance and didn't remember the details.

"Oh sorry then, it's just a dance. He was helping me... you know he used to dance contemporary and lyrical with me right." You play with the sling of your bag.

Taemin inhales a deep breathe "It's a dance yes I know. You used to do that yes I know, but back then both of you are young!"

You shoot him a questioning look, what is his point?

"You're young okay innocent. But now.. you're all mature already."

You nod your head "and what you're saying right now is so immature."

Taemin wants to open his mouth but he can't instead he just opens and closes his mouth like a fish on the air.

"Alright fine. I am jealous because you two looks so into it and intimate and I don't like it because you're almost the same age as him."

You walk closer and rub a soothing hand on his shoulder, your gaze soften is he insecure because he's afraid you'll fall for Ten?

"Taem, look all this time you're dancing with Krystal... I'm never jealous or afraid I'll lose you."

He keeps his mouth shut and listens to you, something you really like from Taemin is that he always listens first.

You continue, "I was not jealous too when I saw you in that marriage show with NaEun, yeah we weren't a couple before but I've liked you since then... and even when you dance again with them I was never afraid of losing you. Jealous? A bit coz I feel like I can also dance like them." You giggle and Taemin laughs too at your confidence.

"You don't have to feel jealous honey, I'm all yours and you should know I won't fall for other man. Ten is my bestfriend and he's your friend too." You hold his hand and squeeze it once.

Taemin looks into you and leans in to kiss you "I'm sorry I was being a fool. I was just jealous seeing your soulful dance with him."

You run a hand over his cheek "It's okay I get it.. i was sometimes jealous too over you and any girl near your age who dances with you.. but if you're still jealous that's a good sign right?"

He smirks "Why?"

You peck his lips "Because that means you still want me for yourself and you don't want anyone to have me. So you're still in love with me." You smile listening your own deduction.

Your boyfriend laughs "Cutie, maybe I was tired. Come let's go home and I might help you with the dance if you want. I could even come this Friday and assist your class if you want."

You shake your head "The studio will be wild if you come! You'll just help me behind the screen okay?"

He ruffles your hair "Okay okay," and with that the two of you leave the practice room. Taemin turns off the lights and alas the bright room can also rest before doing its duty again tomorrow.

"I love you! Thanks for always supporting and understanding me." Taemin whispers that night when you're already cuddled up beside him.

You smile "I love you too."

end.

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avengerscompound · 4 years ago

Text

The Tower: Family - 27

The Tower: Family An Avengers Fanfic

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Pairing: Avengers x OFC, Bruce Banner x Bucky Barnes x Clint Barton x Wanda Maximoff x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Tony Stark x Thor x Sam Wilson x OFC (Elly Cooper)

Word Count: 1740

Warnings: Pregnancy, mentions of past child abuse, little angsty

Synopsis: With new powers, Thor now living on Earth full time, a wedding to plan, and Natasha and Wanda expecting, a lot is changing for Elly and her large and rather unconventional family. When Elise’s parents try to reestablish connections, Elly questions what being a family actually means.

Chapter 27: The Blank Check

While the babies stayed in the medbay in intensive care I decided it was about time that my mother met Tony and Steve, and if that went well, Riley and Pietro too. It had been over six months since that meeting with her and dad, and with the babies all coming now, it wouldn’t be long until I would have the babies around me all the time and the decision of whether I let her meet my children or not would be a decision about whether I kept working to have a mother/daughter relationship with her at all. It was time to shit or get off the pot.

I invited mom to come up and have morning tea with me. Steve and Tony would be there too and if that went well FRIDAY could tell one of the others to bring Riley and Pietro down.

I spent that night with Wanda and the babies and after we had breakfast and she fed them I headed up to prepare. Everyone else had agreed to give us space and had gone to either visit Wanda and the twins or went down to the garden to play with the dogs and Riley and Pietro. I had the cooks prepare a spread of small cakes and finger sandwiches along with tea and coffee. When FRIDAY announced that she was coming up in the elevator I got up quickly.

“You both wait here,” I said to Tony and Steve.

Tony looked more nervous than I felt. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous. I’d spent so much time with my mom lately, it wasn’t like being reunited with a stranger. I guess I just felt like this was it. Yes, I could cut her out if things turned toxic later, but if I introduced her to Riley and Pietro today, they’d go from having no grandparents to having one and I wouldn’t want to be the one that took that away from them.

“El,” Steve said gently. “Everything is going to be fine.”

I nodded and went to the elevator. It opened up just as I got to it and mom stepped out. She looked even more nervous than I felt. She had a couple of large gift bags in her hands and she looked around the entryway in awe. It was her first time in the penthouse, so I wasn’t exactly surprised she was impressed by it. “Elise, honey,” she said, kissing my cheek. “I heard that Wanda had her babies, so I bought some presents. And some for Riley and Pietro too.”

“That’s really nice, mom,” I said, leading her inside. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. I just…” She didn’t finish her sentence but I knew what she was going to say. She really wanted to meet them.

I led her past the stairs and around the corner to the dining table where Tony and Steve were standing. Tony fidgeted on his feet as Steve stood with his hands behind his back. “Mom, this is Tony and Steve,” I said. “Steve, Tony, this is my mom, Jennifer.”

“Yes, of course,” mom said, as Steve stepped forward to shake her hand. “I know you both.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jennifer,” Steve said, shaking her hand.

“Please, it’s Jenny,” mom said.

“Jenny,” he said with a nod. “Take a seat.”

Mom sat down and Steve and I sat near her. Tony sat a little further away on the other side of me.

“Have I met everyone now?” Mom asked.

“Yeah, these are the last two,” I said. “To be brutally honest with you mom, I held back with them because I figured if you were lying to me, these were the two you were using me to get to.”

She frowned and nodded. The information obviously hurt but she seemed to understand. “I get it. I’m glad you’re trusting me more.”

“While we’re all being brutally honest,” Tony said. “Not all of us wanted you to get involved in her life.”

She nodded again. “I know. And I might deserve that,” she said. “But I am grateful that I was given a chance. And I know you were involved with setting me up in the city and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you for that.”

“So if I was to offer you a million dollars to leave us alone?” Tony asked.

Mom looked at him like she’d been hit by a truck. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried to grasp the full gravity of what he’d just said.

“I’m completely serious,” Tony said, pulling out his checkbook. “A million not enough? Five? Will five do it? How about ten?" He started to scribble out on his checkbook. "I’ll tell you what Mrs. Cooper, I’ll sign this and write your name right here, and you can fill in exactly the amount you think your daughter is worth. Because that’s what you wanted right? For her to marry rich and you and your husband could get your big fat dowry right? Well, she did just like you wanted. She got the richest. If my money isn’t good enough, maybe we can dip into the Asgardian pot.”

Mom looked at me in shock. “Is this what you want, Elise?”

I could feel myself tearing up and I wasn’t sure exactly what factor of what was happening right now was affecting me the most. Tony’s aggressive overprotectiveness or the fact I was a little worried that my mom would take it. Over the past few months, the thread that joined me to her had gotten thicker and brighter. The thought of her ruining all that by picking up the check hurt.

“Of course not,” I said.

“If it’s hurting you, I can leave you alone,” mom said. “I’ve hurt you enough. I don’t want the money. I want you to be okay.”

I started crying and Tony took the blank check and tore it into pieces. “That’s what I was hoping to hear.”

“Did you have to be so dramatic?” Steve scolded as he pulled me close and rubbed my back.

“Sorry, honey. I just wanted you to be sure,” he said.

I shook my head and my mom moved closer and took my hand. I looked into her eyes and she looked back at me seriously. “Elise, I am sorry for standing by so passively while your father hurt you the way he did. For raising you to believe you’d ever done anything to deserve it and that all you could expect in life was more of the same. I’m sorry it took me so long to accept your sexuality. If I could go back and change things I would. But I’m so proud of you. I’m proud of everything you’ve done. I might not understand it all, but you have a beautiful family that makes you happy and that is the least you deserve.”

I was weeping openly by the time she was done and launched myself into her arms. She held me close. The way I held Riley or Pietro when they were upset. The way moms are supposed to hold their daughters. The way I’d wish she’d hold me back when my father would hurt me. I didn’t feel resentful though. I felt grateful that after all this, I’d finally become the priority. I felt grateful that I had a chance to have my mom be my mom.

“FRIDAY?” I said, keeping my head buried in my mom’s neck. “Can you…?”

“Of course, Doctor Cooper,” she replied.

“Alright. How about we eat?” Steve said, rubbing my back. “Elise had very specific ideas about what morning tea was.”

“Right,” mom said, rubbing my back and letting me gently pull away from her embrace. “Of course. So tell me about the new babies.”

“They are precious,” Steve said. “The tiniest little things. Our other two were more premature, but they were bigger, I’m sure of it.”

“I don’t think so, Steve,” I giggled. “You’re just used to the bruiser that Riley has become.”

“Well whatever the case, they are so small they can each fit in the palm of Thor’s hand,” Steve said.

The elevator dinged and a moment later Clint appeared around the corner holding both Riley and Pietro’s hands. Mom turned in her chair and gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “Is this… are they?”

“Mom,” I said, getting up and waving Clint over. “This is Pietro and Riley.”

She got down on one knee in front of them. “Hello, little ones, look at you,” she said, touching their faces. “Oh my goodness, you have your mother’s eyes.”

Riley looked up at Clint. “Who’s dis?”

“That’s your grandma,” Clint said, as mom started laughing.

“We don’t dot a gwandma,” Pietro said, eyeing his grandmother suspiciously.

“I’ve been away. I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’m back now. I have presents.”

“Pwesents?” Pietro asked.

“Is dat cake?” Riley added, pointing at the table.

Mom laughed as Clint helped her back up. “You come open your presents and have some cake. I really want to hear all about you both.”

They ran over to the table excitedly and climbed up on the chairs. Mom picked up the present bags by her chair and looked at me, tears pricking her eyes. “Thank you, Elise,” she said quietly.

“You’re welcome,” I said. “If you would like we can go see Rose and Sarah on your way out.”

“I would love that,” she said. “Thank you.” She turned back to the kids and gave them the gift bags. "I wasn’t sure what your favorite things were. So I hope you like what I got you. You’ll have to show me the kinds of things you like best though.”

The kids began opening their presents and mom got them each a cupcake and some milk and gave it to them. I let FRIDAY know the others could come up if they wanted. Steve wrapped his arm around me as I watched my mom fussing over the kids. “Is this how you hoped it might be?” He whispered.

I nodded and turned, cuddling into him. “Better,” I said.

“Well, sweetheart,” he replied. “You deserve it. I hope you know that.”

I nodded, and for once, the trauma of my past didn’t raise its head to tell me otherwise. This time, I completely believed that I did.

// NEXT

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chloelucia13 · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 1: A Sweet Rain

Pairing: Spencer Reid x female!reader

Prompt: Your best friend is getting married, but it seems that you’re the one who got lucky.

Warnings: mostly fluff, language, a little angst, it’s pretty chill

Word Count: 3.8k

A/N: So this is going to be the first part of a multi-part series! Enjoy this fluff, because this'll probably be all you’re gonna get out of this series! Anyways, buckle up and I hope you all enjoy! As always, my tag lists and requests are open!

Songs mentioned: “First Day of my Life” by Bright Eyes, “Samson” by Regina Spektor

Tags: @sojournmichael

“Hey Pen, what’s up?” you hummed into your phone, fishing for your keys in your purse.

“Okay, I have big news,” she squealed, and you nearly had to pull the phone from your ear due to the pitch. “Like, really big news. News so big you couldn’t even imagine-”

“Out with it, Penny!” You chuckled before finally finding your keys, unlocking your car door.

“Okay, okay... JJ and Will are getting married!”

“Oh my god!” Your pitch now replicated hers, and your hands started to shake as you sat down in the driver’s seat of your car. “I have to call and congratulate them!”

“NO!”

You jumped at her sudden shout, furrowing your brow in confusion. “Why not?”

“So the thing is... We’re kinda throwing a surprise wedding for them at Rossi’s.”

“What?”

“Okay, so...”

She rattled off the details of exactly what was happening, about how Will was in a near-death situation and how he proposed to her in his hospital room, and how Rossi overheard their plans to just go to the courthouse and decided that he wanted them to have a proper ceremony.

“So, are you coming?” she basically begged after taking a deep breath, winded after her rushed summation of the events that had taken place.

“Of course I’m coming! I’ll help you guys get ready and everything! Just tell me when and where!”

“Okay, so it’s gonna be at Rossi’s mansion tomorrow-”

“Wait, tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” she dragged out. “Sorry it’s short notice. It’s kinda short notice for everyone.”

You let out a silent sigh, licking your lips. “You’re all lucky that it’s my day off.”

***

You were clad in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt when you pulled up to the towering mansion that you were only slightly envious of. With your dress and makeup bag in the back of your car, you locked your doors before following the stone trail that led to the front door of Rossi’s house.

You barely knocked once when the door swung open, revealing an excited and frazzled Penelope. “Thank god, you’re here,” she sighed, grabbing your arm and yanking you into the door.

“What’s wrong, Pen?” you questioned, trying to keep up with her fast pace that was honestly alarming considering the 5-inch stilettos she was donning.

“Everything! The only other girl here is Emily and she does not have a clue on how to color coordinate! And the caterers said the food might not be ready in time and JJ’s mom might be late and-”

“Penelope, take a deep breath! Everything’s gonna be just fine. Let’s see what you have so far.”

She nodded, taking a few deep breaths before guiding you over to the pair of French doors that led out to the backyard.

So far, all of the chairs had been set out for the ceremony and the wedding arch and already been placed, but sat bare. Table for the reception were out, but they were lacking decorations as well. The only thing that seemed fully completed was the dance floor, which had a mat of hardwood laid out on the grass with a sound system at the head of it.

“Okay, you’ve all got a good head start. It’s only noon, and they’re not supposed to be here until 6. We still have time,” you consoled, giving her a comforting smile.

“Ah, is this the girl we’ve been waiting for?” a voice questioned behind you, and you and Penelope turned around to see three men walking in your direction.

“It is!” Penelope replied, beaming and placing a hand on your shoulder. “Boys, this is Dr. Y/N Y/L/N, the head psychologist at St. Elizabeth Hospital in DC.” Penelope then shifted over to the boys’ side, standing next to the man you knew as David Rossi. “You already know this guy.”

“Of course, how could I ever forget,” you hummed, reaching out to shake his hand.

She then stepped next to a taller man with dark skin and strong eyebrows. “This here is Derek Morgan.”

You shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

She finally stood by the last, and the tallest, man in the group. “And this is Dr. Spencer Reid.”

You smiled at him, and he did the same in return. “I remember her saying you don’t do handshakes. It’s nice to meet you.”

“So now we’ve got two doctors to deal with?” Rossi playfully sighed, patting your shoulder.

“Seems like it,” you hummed, grinning at Spencer before turning to Rossi. “Though I doubt I’m half as intelligent as Dr. Reid right here. I’ve heard rumors of an IQ of 187?”

Spencer shrugged, a blush flooding his face. “I-I uh, I mean... Yes.”

“And that IQ immediately decreases threefold whenever he sees a pretty girl,” a voice behind you teased, and you turned to see Emily walking over to the group, a bright smile on her face.

“Is that so.” You beamed back at her, slinging an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into a hug.

“Alright chatter-bugs, we’ve got a wedding to set up!” Penelope announced. “Hotch is gonna be here late, so we’re down a person for a while.” She grabbed your arm and began tugging you off. “I need you to help with flower stuff.”

You rolled your eyes and waved goodbye to the group before letting her tug you inside. Once you two were in one of the many living rooms, she turned to you with a big grin on her face. “What?”

“So?”

You furrowed your brows in confusion, shaking your head slightly. “So what?”

She huffed, rolling her eyes as if it was obvious. “So, what do you think of the doctor?!”

“Oh my god,” you grumbled, running a hand through your hair. “Penelope, I am not gonna date your coworker, no matter how cute he is.”

“So you think he’s cute!”

“Penelope!” You let out a breath. “Pen, you know I’m not good with relationships, especially with my job, I barely have time to do anything.”

“Neither does he! It’ll be perfect!” She pushed out her lower lip, clasping her hands together in a praying gesture. “Please, at least think about it!”

Another sigh left your lips. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”

She squealed. “Yay!”

“But that doesn’t mean I’m for sure gonna date him!”

She smiled knowingly, nodding once. “Whatever you say.”

***

You were lucky that the florist you contacted had the flowers you needed in supply, and even luckier that they were able to have them all ready within the hour.

You were busy attempting to arrange the flowers and fake vines on the arch when you felt a presence to your right, watching from your peripheral as they gathered a handful of baby’s breath and began sticking them in the spots you needed filled.

“Thanks,” you hummed. “I was about to grab a step ladder for that, but you seem to have that under control.”

“It’s a gift and a curse,” Spencer joked, giving you a shy smile before turning back to his task.

You chuckled before grabbing a roll of sheer ribbon and holding it out to him. “Mind using your gift to tie that ribbon at the top of the arch? I can’t reach.”

He nodded, gingerly taking the ribbon from your hands and extending a length out to tie it to the top of the arch. You then took the roll from his hands and created a draping effect before snipping the length off from the roll and tying it to the side of the arch.

As you moved to the right side of the arch to mirror the draping that you had just done, Spencer’s eyes followed your movements, his breath caught in his lungs and his lower lip caught between his teeth.

“Spencer?”

“Hm?” he voiced, snapping out of his trance.

You smirked, handing him the roll. He grinned shyly back at you before mirroring the work he did on the other side. “I asked you where you’re from,” you explained as you took the roll back from him.

“Oh, uh, I’m from Las Vegas,” he rushed out, already feeling a burning in his cheeks.

“Really? What a coincidence. I’m from Reno, but I worked in Vegas while I was getting my masters.”

“Where’d you work?”

“The mental hospital there.” You shook your head, letting out a sigh. “God I worked there for like a year but I can’t remember the name for the life of me. Harrington, something like that-”

“Bennington?”

“Yes, that’s the one!” You turned to give him a smile, only to see a haunted look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, pursing his lips and casting his gaze to the ground. “I-it’s nothing.”

“Spencer.” You took a step forward before tentatively reaching your arm out, weighing the possibilities for a moment before placing your hand on his shoulder. “I know I’m not a profiler, but I can still read people. And I also know that we aren’t close, but you should know that you can trust me.”

He nodded, puffing a breath out through his nose. “I... Someone close to me is... Is one of the residents there.”

Your mind pondered for a moment, dots connecting right in front of your eyes. “Diana Reid.”

He tensed at the name, unconsciously giving himself away.

“She was one of my favorites.” You watched as his eyes lifted from the ground and flickered over your face, trying to decide if you were being honest. “God, she was so intelligent and kind and hilarious as all hell.”

He let out a small chuckle, relaxing slightly. “Yeah?”

“Oh absolutely. She’d crack me up all the time, my sides would hurt from laughing by the time my shift ended. And when she wasn't making me laugh, she’d tell me about her favorite author, read me some of her favorite passages.” A smile imprinted on your face. “Or she would read me letters that she got. Everyday she had a new letter, and her face would light right up when I handed it to her.”

Tears began to well in his eyes, and you moved your hand down to his bicep, locking gazes with him.

“She talked about you everyday. About her genius FBI agent of a son. She was so proud. And I could tell that you cared about her so much. Enough to get her the help she needed. Enough to risk your relationship with her to keep her safe.”

Spencer blinked back his tears and reached up to grab your hand, and for a moment you worried that you had crossed a line.

But that worry immediately faded away when he held your hand, squeezing it gently before giving you a kind smile. “Thank you,” he whispered.

You just nodded, letting the moment linger for as long as possible.

“Hey guys, how’s the arch coming alo-” Penelope began as she walked over to you two, her face buried in her tablet. She froze the moment she looked up, seeing the strange and vulnerable scene in front of her.

“Yeah, yeah, It’s good. I’m uh, I’m gonna go get some water,” Spencer rushed out, giving you both tight lipped smiled before hurrying off.

Penelope gave you a look as she stepped over to you. “What was that?”

“I know his mom,” you stated incredulously, the shock still lingering in your system.

“Wait, what?”

“She, she was one of the residents at the mental hospital I used to work at.”

“So you guys are like on a third date basis with info about each other?”

“Penelope!” You sighed, rubbing your eyes. “I think that was the deepest conversation I’ve ever had with a stranger.”

“And I bet he can go a lot deeper-”

Your face grew a bright red and you smacked her shoulder. “Stop it!”

***

Your feet were aching by the time you had finished decorating the backyard, immediately falling into a chair with a heavy sigh the moment you placed the last centerpiece on the tables.

“Y/N I think you may be an actual saint,” Penelope breathed out. “Thank you so much for helping. I don’t think I could’ve gotten this done by myself.”

“I’m always down to help,” you replied, giving her a tired smile. “I should probably start getting ready though. The party’s gonna start soon.”

“I’ll come with you. My stuff is all in my car. We can use one of Rossi’s many bathrooms.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

The two of you gathered your makeup and clothes for tonight before heading into the first bathroom to the right on the second floor of the mansion. That room immediately filled with giggles as you two got ready, helping each other with hair and makeup.

It was almost time for the party to start when you two were ready, zipping your dresses up and slipping on your heels when there was a knock at the door.

“Are you two gonna give us a reveal anytime soon or do we have to beg for it?” Derek’s voice sounded from the other side of the door, his grin evident in his words.

“We?” Penelope questioned, smirking herself.

“Well you know there’s gotta be an audience whenever there’s two beautiful women. Now are we gonna get a show?”

You rolled your eyes, letting out a chuckle as Penelope stepped over to the door. “You ready?” she questioned.

You shrugged. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” you sighed in response before gesturing for her to open the door.

She pulled the door open a moment later, stepping out first and you stepping out behind her.

Emily let out a low whistle, motioning for you two to turn. You scoffed but obliged, waddling around in a circle before giving everyone a sheepish smile. Emily and Derek bombarded the two of you with compliments, boosting your confidence through the roof and making your cheeks burn bright.

Eventually, Emily and Derek and Penelope split off into their own group, chatting amongst themselves. That was when you noticed a timid body tucked away to the side, someone who had been there the whole time but had stayed silent.

“Hey,” you greeted, smiling up at him.

“Hi,” Spencer hummed in return, a shy smile on his own face.

From behind you, you could hear the group change their conversation from whatever mundane topic they were on previously to the topic of you and Spencer. The words seemed to blend together but you could pick up a few things.

“What did I say, that IQ is gone,” Emily joked.

“Pretty boy’s got a pretty girl now,” Derek added, all of them giggling.

“You um... You look beautiful,” Spencer told you, blatantly ignoring the group’s playful comments.

“Thanks. You clean up well yourself,” you said, reaching up and straightening his bow tie for him. “I dig the bow tie.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely. It’s very Eleven-esque.”

He smirked at that. “You watch Doctor Who?”

You shrugged. “Yeah, whenever I get the time. I’m not as big of a fanatic as Miss Penelope Garcia, but I certainly enjoy it.”

“Maybe we can watch the new season together sometime?”

You nodded, beaming. “It’s a date.”

You were so wrapped up in your conversation with Spencer that you failed to notice the peanut gallery wander off, evidently bored by the change of conversation.

However, you didn’t fail to notice the blush deepening on Spencer’s cheeks from your words, his tongue darting out to wet his lips, a nervous habit that (you hated to admit) had an effect on you.

“We- uh, we should probably head outside. I bet the party is starting soon,” he stuttered out, rocking back and forth on his heels.

You nodded with a frown, glancing over at the bathroom. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. I’m gonna clean up the bathroom and throw my stuff in my car, then I’ll meet you out there.”

A strange emotion, almost reminiscent of disappointment, crossed over his face for a moment before he nodded. “Alright. See you out there.” He gave you a small smile before stepping past you, leaving a lingering touch on your bare shoulder before retreating downstairs.

***

Luckily, the wedding ceremony had gone off without a hitch, every moment was perfect and extremely emotional.

Tears stains still lingered on your cheeks when dinner was over, and JJ handed you a tissue when she stepped over to you. “I’ve got a whole supply of them, my mom gave ‘em to me when I was breaking down up there,” she whispered to you, pulling you into a tight hug.

“Thanks, JJ,” you breathed, hugging her back just as tight. “I’m so happy for you two.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty happy too.” The two of you giggled, and she pulled away from the hug to give you a smile before looking around. “And I’ve noticed that a special someone is pretty happy to see you, too.”

You followed her line of sight, playfully rolling your eyes when you saw Spencer playing with Henry. “God, who put you up to this?”

She scoffed, turning back to you. “Hey, I may not be a profiler, but I know a connection when I see one.” She reached out, taking your hand in his. “You should really give him a chance. You two would be amazing together, and you both deserve some happiness in your lives.”

A sigh left your lips, but you nodded. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”

JJ squeezed your hand before rising to her feet and looking around for Will. “Well, we should probably do the first dance before Penelope loses her mind.”

You grinned at her. “Have fun, girly. Love you.”

“Love you too. And thank you for all this. It means so much to me.”

“Of course. Anything for you. Now go dance!” You shooed her off with a laugh, watching as everyone turned their attention to the bride and groom making their way over to the dance floor.

The music started playing, and everything moved in slow motion as JJ and Will danced together, both of them beaming with pure love in their eyes. People eventually moved to join them, everyone swaying together on the dance floor.

You had sat at the table for a while, watching everyone make idle chat and have fun on the dance floor. This feeling of warmth and comfort was one that was foreign to you, and you wanted to bask in it for as long as possible.

“All alone?”

You looked up to see Spencer standing in front of you, a shy smile on his lips.

You nodded, returning his smile. “I guess so. Dancing really isn’t my thing.”

He pulled a chair up next to you, sitting down and watching the crowd with you. “Yeah, me either.”

“Really? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do believe I saw you dancing with Emily. And Penelope. And JJ. And JJ’s mom.” He scoffed, and you let out a laugh, playfully shoving his shoulder. “Maybe you’re just a ladies man.”

“Oh, definitely.”

“I mean that sounds like some player behavior if you ask me.”

You both shared a laugh, wide smiles stretching across both of your lips. That laughter soon faded into a comfortable silence, the two of you returning your gazes back to the dance floor.

“I mean, there’s one girl I haven’t danced with,” Spencer spoke up, bringing your attention back to him.

You quirked an eyebrow at him. “Oh yeah? And who would that be?”

Your eyes followed his form as he stood from his seat and walked around you, stopping when he stood right in front of you. “I believe that would be you.” He extended his hand out to you.

A small chuckle left your lips, gently placing your hand in his and pushing yourself to your feet. “You’re getting confident, doctor.”

At your words, his demeanor began to slip, a light blush blooming across his cheeks, glowing under the string lights. “Oh-I-”

“Spencer.” You squeezed his hand. “It’s okay. I’m glad you feel comfortable enough around me to be forward.”

He let out the breath he was holding, squeezing your hand in return before leading you over to the dance floor. You couldn’t help but notice the subtle glance Spencer shared with the DJ once you two stood on the hardwood mat.

The song changed, now playing a slow song you were all-too familiar with. “I didn’t peg you as a guy who listened to Bright Eyes.”

He shrugged. “I’m not. But I had Penelope look into your purchases to see what CDs you’ve bought.”

You feigned offense, gasping and shoving his shoulder. “You two were conspiring!”

He let out a laugh, beaming at you as he placed one hand on your waist. “Well we better get to dancing before this song is over. It’s only 3 minutes and 9 seconds long.”

You rolled your eyes but obliged, placing your free hand on his shoulder and stepped close to him, squeezing his hand once before you two began to sway, eyes locked in each other’s gaze.

“I’m, uh...” You sighed, pursing your lips. “I’m really sorry about bringing all that stuff up with your mom,” you whispered.

“It’s okay,” he whispered in response.

You furrowed your brow in frustration. “But I made you upset, I didn’t mean to do that. I’m really sorry.”

“You don’t need to be sorry. You didn’t upset me.” He let out a breath. “Honestly, it’s really nice being able to talk to someone who knew who she is. Who she really is. Not her illness, her.”

You nodded, searching his eyes. “I’m glad that you trust that I know who she really is.”

“I don’t need to trust you. You told me exactly who she is. She’s a kind, intelligent woman.”

A smile settled on your face. “With a kind and intelligent son.”

He returned your smile, his hand winding around your waist and pulling you against his chest as the song changed.

You chuckled, searching his eyes. “God, did you guys just decide to play all the music I like.”

He paused to listen to the song. “No, I don’t recognize this song. Maybe Penelope chose it.”

“Of course she did.”

You listened to the lyrics, humming along to the melody as your eyes traced over his features.

Your hair was long when we first met. Of course.

Slowly, as the two of you swayed, you laid your head on his chest, letting your eyes flutter shut.

Peace.

189 notes · View notes

wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

Text

What The Stark Spangled F**k?

A Stark Spangled Forever One Shot- Finding Rori

Summary: Rori gets a pet. And hilarity/chaos ensues.

Warnings: Bad language words…

A/N: This came to me yesterday and is inspired by my own fairground goldfish, Evans, who is 5 this year.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Stark Spangled Forever Masterlist // Main Masterlist

The Rogers household for once, was reasonably quiet. It was a Saturday afternoon and both Jamie and Aurora were out with Bucky and Sam, leaving Katie and Steve with just Harry (and bump, which was still in the very small, early bump stages being 16 weeks or so). Katie was led on the sofa, Stark squashed alongside her on his back whilst she read a book and Steve was led on the rug with Harry, the pair of them drawing on a large piece of paper using the crayons that Stark hadn’t eaten.

The little boy was happily colouring along, grinning and talking to his Dad as he went, occasionally glancing up at ‘Moana’ which was playing on the TV, sometimes he would start to imitate the singing, causing Katie to glance up and watch him, smiling softly. Out of their three youngest kids, he had without doubt been the easiest one to deal with. He hardly ever cried or made a fuss, never complained, he was such a placid little boy. Steve and Katie had no idea who he took after as neither of them were known for their patience or calmness really. And frankly, compared to his sister who could be the biggest pain in the ass on the planet, it was a welcome change. Which was why they liked to make time for him on his own as when the other two were around, they demanded all the attention, something which Katie hated, and Steve knew was worrying her about when baby number four arrived.

But their peace was shattered as the security system alerted them to the fact the gate had been opened by “Bucky Barnes” and Steve glanced up at the clock. It was gone five, he hadn’t realised it was getting that late in the day. He let out a sigh, and exchanged a look with Katie who had placed her book down in preparation for the onslaught.

Which arrived a few minutes later as Jamie sauntered into the room, baseball cap perched on his head backwards, followed by Rori who was clutching a plastic bag in her hand, and contained in which was…

“Oh you are kidding me, right?” Steve nodded to the offending fish swimming around in small circles as Rori held it up grinning. He looked at Katie who was trying not to laugh as he shook his head. Rori had been asking the two of them for a fish for weeks and they had persistently said no but surprise, surprise here she was with one.

“BUCKY! BUCKY!” Steve yelled as Harry grinned, joining in and clapping.

Buck appeared in the doorway, looking at Steve innocently whilst behind him Sam carried some form of small tank which held a pink castle and some other ornaments along with some food, gravel and a filter.

“I told you not to buy her a damned goldfish Bucky!” Steve looked at him, shaking his head

“I didn’t.” Bucky shrugged “I won her one.”

“Fisheee!” Harry said as he toddled over to Rori to get a closer look.

“That’s…that’s a technicality!” Steve spluttered before he looked at Sam who shook his head.

“I had nothing to do with this man.”

“Don’t lie Uncle Sam.” Jamie said, dropping onto the sofa, Stark licking his face “You helped Rori pick the tank in the pet store.” “Traitor” Sam narrowed his eyes at him.

“You,” Steve pointed at Bucky as he stood up from the rug, “are the biggest jerk ever, you know that?”

Bucky grinned innocently as Rori turned to Katie who examined the fish before she gave a shake of her head and sighed.

“Well it’s hre now so we might as well set the tank up.” And just like that, the Star Spangled Diva once more got her own way, as half an hour or so later, said bastard fish was safely in its new home, the tank sitting on the corner unit in the den where Steve had placed it once it had been filled and the ornaments arranged EXACTLY how Rori wanted them.

“I think we should call it Klaus.” Jamie nodded.

“What the hell kinda name is that?” Bucky looked at him.

“It’s the fish from American Dad.” Jamie shrugged.

“Okay. two things.” Steve looked at Jamie sternly. “One, me and your Ma told you that you were far too young to watch that and therefore were not allowed and two, I echo what Buck just said, what the hell kinda name is Klaus?”

“The fish can talk.” Jamie shrugged. “And he’s German, used to be a guy until the CIA turned him into a fish and-“ “Alright, just no.” Steve shook his head. “The fish is not being called Klaus and if I catch you watching that again, I’m gonna take the plug off your TV.” “Oh come on dad, like you didn’t watch shows you weren’t allowed to when you were my age.” Jamie protested and Katie gave a snort.

“Yeah, like TV existed back then.”

Jamie frowned for a moment before a look of realisation spread across his face “Oh yeah!” “Most Exciting thing we saw was the ‘Wizard of Oz’.” Bucky said, nostalgically “Man, Technicolour…what a revelation.” “That’s so whack.” Jamie mumbled.

“Yeah, now you’re talking and I’m hearing words but,” Steve shrugged and grinned as Jamie aimed a dig at him which Steve easily dodged. The two began to play spar with one another, their laugher and exclamations getting louder until Rori cut across the noise as she moved her head from where she was looking at the fish in its tank. “I’m going to call her Dori.” she said. Steve stopped what he was doing, which allowed Jamie to land a punch to his arm, which in all fairness was pretty fucking hard.

“Ow…” He said, rubbing at the place Jamie’s knuckles at connected with his bicep and looked down at the 9 year old “Good shot son…” Jamie grinned and they all turned to where Rori was stood, Katie crouched down next to her as they both watched the fish. “What did you say Princess?”

“I said her name. Imma call her Dori, like in Finding Nemo and Finding Dori…” she shrugged “And it’s like my name…”

“Dori and Rori.” Katie grinned at her daughter “Hey, Finding Rori…gedddit?”

Rori grinned and Hi-Fived her Momma the pair of them laughing whilst Steve and Jamie exchanged a look.

“Nah, I think you should call it Dot.” Bucky said simply. Steve turned to look at him. “What? It’s orangey red…so was her hair…”

“No,it’s Dori” Rori corrected him.

“Dot is better.”

“Dori!”

“Dot!”

“MY FISH, MY NAME UNCLE BUCKY!” Rori stamped her foot. And Katie turned to look at her, a firm expression on her face but it was Steve that issued the warning.

“Aurora enough! And you…” he pointed at Bucky who grinned at him, “stop antagonising her.”

“Chaos, confusion, my work here is done.” Bucky grinned, giving Steve a salute. “Same time next week?”

******* It was a few weeks later when disaster struck…

“Steeeeeeve!” Katie’s yell hit his ears and he stiffened slightly, before he put down his mug and hurried out of the kitchen and into the den.

“What’s wrong?” he frowned. She simply pointed to the corner of the room where Dori’s tank sat and he saw the fish bobbing on the surface.

Dead

“Oh fuck.” He swallowed. “How did that happen?”

“Well, I’m no expert but I suspect the half disintegrated cookie at the bottom of the tank might be something to do with it.” Katie sighed.

“I told her not to feed it them.” Steve groaned.

“You’re gonna have to go get a new one.” Katie looked at him “Before she gets back because I can’t cope with a diva meltdown Steve, not today.”

“Me?” Steve looked at her

“Yes, you.” Katie said. “I was up all night as you know, I can’t stop puking, I’m tired and you’re not in today and…”

“Ok, ok.” Steve nodded, placating her as he dropped a kiss to her cheek “Right…leave it with me.” She smiled at him, leaned up to give him a kiss before she swept out of the den, Harry toddling behind her. Steve glanced at the dead fish before he pulled out his phone.

“S’up Punk?” Bucky greeted him.

“Me and you got a mission, a big mission.” Steve said, “Meet me at the Coffee shop in 30.”

And that’s how both World War 2 Veterans, the Captain and his Sergeant, ended up in a local Pet Shop an hour or so later with said dead fish in a Tupperware container, a very bemused assistant looking at them.

“I need one of these” Steve explained, showing the fish to him.

“You need a goldfish, Sir?” “Yeah but it needs to look exactly like this one.” Steve said.

“Ok, they all look similar…” the assistant began until Bucky cut him off. “No, you don’t know his daughter.” Bucky shook his head “When we say exactly the same, we mean, exactly the same…” Less than an hour later, Dori The Second was placed in the now cleaned tank, the 3 adults and Harry watching it carefully.

“Think she’ll notice?” Steve asked, looking at Katie.

“Hmmm, it looks the same to me.” she said. “Suppose we’ll find out later.” Steve was crapping his pants all day. And when he finally collected Rori from school, he was on tenterhooks until she headed into the Den after getting changed and having a juice box. He glanced at Katie, as the pair of them held their breath, and they thought they’d gotten away with it for a few minutes, until they heard her yell.

“Shit…” Katie mumbled, as they both headed into the room.

“Everything ok?”

“Why does Dori have a white spot on her tail?” Rori looked at her mom and dad.

“Where?” Steve frowned.

“There!” She exclaimed, pointing. Steve leaned down to look and there was the tiniest white spot on the tip of the fish’s tail, no bigger than a pin prick.

“Some fish get markings like that.” Katie said, her quick thinking kicking in “it might go again, or it might get bigger…maybe you should keep notes and some pictures, then you can track it.” “Oh, ok, yeah that sounds cool!” Rori grinned and Steve glanced at his wife, relief flooding his system.

A little later, once Jamie, Rori and Harry were in bed, Katie and Steve sat down to dinner.

“I can’t believe we pulled it off.” Steve sighed, spearing a piece of broccoli with his fork “I mean, of all the missions we’ve run…”

Katie chuckled, “You know, when I was a kid I had a goldfish. Tony got him for my 8th birthday, called him Flounder, you know after the fish in the little mermaid?”

“Yeah?” Steve looked at her.

She nodded “Yup. He lived for like 11 years…or rather I thought he did. On my 18th birthday Tony confessed that Flounder, who was at this point still alive, was in fact Flounder the 9th. He had in fact died 9 times and each time Tony replaced him without me knowing.”

Steve paused, his fork raised halfway to his mouth before he gave a groan. “So basically I’ve turned into Tony?”

“There are worse people you could have become.” Katie snorted as Steve shook his head, swallowing his food.

“Bucky is a dead man.” he sighed, “This is all his fault.” “Well he’d do anything for Rori.” Katie shrugged “She has the pair of you, and Sam for that matter, wrapped around her pinkie.”

“Wonder where she gets that from?” Steve looked at her “I mean, can you blame me? She’s basically Tony with your looks.”

A couple of hours later, after some TV and a cuddle on the couch, both of them decided to head to bed. It was still reasonably early but Katie was tired and Steve decided to go with her, he could watch TV in bed. They both checked on their kids, and Steve left Katie to tuck Harry in properly as he wandered over to Jamie’s room. He opened the door, Stark pushing in to take his customary place on the foot of the bed.

“Lights out pal.” Steve said gently as he dropped a kiss to his forehead. He reached for the remote, turning his son’s TV off as Jamie reached for his lamp, clicking the switch, leaving the only source of light as that which was coming from the hall way. “Night buddy.” “Night…” Jamie said, before he spoke again just as Steve was about to leave the room. “I know you swapped the fish.” Steve turned back to look at him, shrugging “I don’t know what you mean.” “Mom’s right, you’re a terrible liar.” Jamie said and Steve could just make out his face, a smirk was playing on his lips “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Rori…if you give me twenty bucks…” “How about I don’t, and you still don’t or you’re grounded.” “Grounding me aint gonna reverse time and stop me telling her in the first place.” Jamie shrugged.

Steve blinked. He paused for a second, contemplating his options. He could come down like a tonne of bricks on the kid, which to be fair was very tempting, or he could take the easy way out which frankly, at that moment, was far more appealing. And so, Steve Rogers, the first Captain America, once-upon-a-time leader of the World’s Mightiest Heroes found himself reduced to bargaining with a blackmailing 9 year old. His blackmailing 9 year old to be precise.

You little shit.

“5 bucks.” Steve opened the negotiation.

“15.” shot back Jamie.

“10.”

“Deal.” Jamie grinned. “Night dad.” “Yeah, whatever…” Steve grumbled, closing the bedroom door behind him. He stopped dead as he saw Katie looking at him, her hands on her hips.

“Did you seriously just let him do that?” she shook her head.

“Do you wanna deal with a diva tantrum?”

“Steve, he just completely…”

“I know what he did, Doll.” Steve sighed, following her into their room “And for the record, this is on you.” “Me?” she frowned as he reached out, his arms wrapping around her from behind, hands softly cupping her bump. “Yes, because that part of him that just blackmailed me, was his 50% Stark.” he said, placing a kiss to her neck.

Katie tilted her head and looked at him with narrowed eyes. He arched an eyebrow at her and she gave a snort, shaking her head. “Who knew that your own daughter would be your downfall.”

“She’s Tony but with your looks.” Steve shrugged “What do you expect?”

“Well,” Katie mused, “you said you’d give him 10 bucks but you didn’t say when. You can point this out to him tomorrow, if he wants it he can have it when he’s tidied his room.” “That’s…sneaky” Steve grinned.

“Fight fire with fire Soldier.” she smirked “You pointed out he’s half Stark, well, I’m 100% Stark, which means I can out Stark him all day long.”

**Original Posting**

#what the stark spangled fuck #stark spangled forever #steve rogers #Katie Stark #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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blueberrypossum · 4 years ago

Text

No One Does It Like You Do Dastardly Danny x oc

Hi everyone! This is another Shiki x Danny fanfic that I loved writing (I love writing fighting scenes and also winter atmospheres because it’s so cozy! So this is Shiki again (because I love writing her it’s so much fun) I hope you guys don’t mind and hopefully you can just place yourself into it! @greaser-wolf and I just love going back and forth with her oc and mine and it’s so much fun and she is just so wonderful! I hope you guys enjoy!!

WARNING: There is usage of inappropriate words and adult themes ( such as sexual content that is pass making out)

(Also I know that the Hidden city doesn’t have a sun or moon or even weather but I want them to have an atmosphere XD )

Word Bank:

Big Cheese: Big Boss

We’ve been had- Been tricked or deceived.

Yuck- A foolish or stupid person

Music:

You brought your overcoat closer to you as the chilly breeze started to become quicker and snow started to dart through your vision at an easy pace. You tried to start a match between your hooves as you awaited for Danny and the others to investigate the bar, but after each click there was nothing but empty silence of the mountain.

It has been a hot minute since you’ve done a job somewhere this cold, of course it snowed in the Hidden City, but not like this. With your genetics, the cold wouldn’t really bother you, but without harnessing the true potential of your power, you were left shivering under your several layers of clothes.

The mountain side was gorgeous though, the glistening of the snowbanks shined in the afternoon sun and the yokai’s that lived in the hidden village were enjoying warm beverages and gentle conversations. The white layer under your boots crunched as you continuously moved back and forth to keep warm as your boyfriend was taking a little too long to ask where this polar bear yokai was.

When you were given the opportunity to go after one of the most psychotic war lords by your boss, you just couldn’t say no. But you weren’t given a team in the progress, so one you told Danny about it, him and the rest of the Mud Dogz created a plan to help you, with a small price to pay as well.

You were honestly glad that Danny and the others wanted to join you, not only were they your friends, but you couldn’t really trust your teammates in the force. Too bad that Mickey had to do other business and had to sit this one out.

You finally spotted the usual purple wearing rat in the distance, his long brown coat flapping behind him as a gust of wind danced into town, two thin figures close behind him as they made their way over. Frost dusted over Danny’s whiskers as he came up to you, his hands rubbing each other under his gloves as Nova and Leonard joined as well. Leonard was the most bundled out of all four of you, his green body shivering under the black coat he wore.

Nova seemed to be the only one who enjoyed the weather, her nose twitching every time a flake landed on her.

“Are you actually enjoying this?” The ogre asked, an eyebrow raised as she gave him a sly smile.

“When you’re this hot the cold never affects you.”

“....”

“I’m kidding! I’m a Mountain Fishing Cat, this is my element.”

You rolled your eyes at Nova’s comment and looked up at Danny, who had curled himself up close to your side for any connection of warmth.

“Did you find anything out?” You asked him as Nova and Leonard continued to have their fake argument.

Dastardly Danny shook the excess snow off his shoulders and hat as you watched his breath roll out like a cloud.

“Apparently the Big Cheese is holding up somewhere not far from here, hidden within the mountain,” he said with a low huff, his voice going quiet as a family walked by, their children running around them as they played in the snow.

Till’ then we should rent out a nearby cabin, Len said that there is a renting inn nearby.”

You pulled your beanie tighter onto your head as you let out another quiver, the mountain’s thin air starting to get to you. The rat yokai took notice of your sudden chill and unraveled his large coat and then the smaller one he wore under it, his hands gently placing the toasty coat on you.

“Danny I’m fine-”

“Yes, yes, I know, sugar. But I’m sweating like a hog-”

The look you gave him as you settled the coat on you made him stop in his tracks and an embarrassed look crossed his face and for the first time you actually saw Dan flustered.

“Uh, I meant..What I meant to say-”

“Ha! Danny actually messed up on a slang. Maybe Leonard will be cheerful for once!” Nova purred as she joined the conversation, Leonard right at her heels as they joined in on the full group. It seemed that the comment struck a nerve in the ogre and he looked down at the feline, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

“Only in your dreams, kitten.”

Woahhhhhhh, where did that come from?

Both you and Danny were in amazement as a dash of red flared against Nova’s face, and it wasn’t from the cold. It was good to see your friend get bashful for once instead of you and you grinned at the sight, taking in the heat and smell from Danny’s jacket. His cologne was trailed with cigarettes and old spice, and the fur that was sewn into the inside rubbed comfortably against your fur.

Danny placed an apology kiss on your head as Nova and Leonard continued to banter back and forth and you took in the soft texture of his mouth as you sucked in an icy breath.

“Alright you two, we’re burning daylight. Let’s rent a cabin,” you ordered, and you couldn’t help but giggle at the relief that flashed in Nova’s multi-colored eyes as she headed towards one of the wooden signs that showed the option of renting out an isolated cabin, her tail curled against her back.

“This is gonna be a long weekend.”

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You four were able to rent a two bedroom cabin that was a few miles out and packed your bags into a waiting car that would drive you to the location. Leonard wasn’t the happiest to hear that they could only get two rooms, and commented that he would sleep on the couch, but Nova kept flinging comments that he didn’t want to cuddle with her.

“We better hope dat’ our room is on the other side of the house,” Danny whispered to you as Nova would turn from her seat from the front to fight back with Leonard.

“So we don’t hear them?”

Danny shot you a sinister smirk as the arm that was wrapped around you tightened itself.

“More like they don’t hear us.”

The surprise that surfaced over your face only fueled the rat more as you squirmed in the car seat, the warm air that was blasted throughout the car was no longer nice, but overly steaming.

The worker checked the cabin for food and cleaning supplies and left instructions if they needed anything.

The wooden cabin was decorated with lemon and wine, candles and lanterns lit up the shack anda fire crackled in the fireplace. The front door brought you to the living room on the left and the kitchen on the right and the stairs were a few feet away right as you walked in. The only thing upstairs was one of the bedrooms and a door in the kitchen led to the other spare bedroom. After searching you all found that the bathroom was under the stairs.

“I’m guessing the couple gets the upstairs room?” Nova asked as she took off her coat and placed it on the coat stand by the door. Danny sent the feline a cocky smile as his hand grazed over your lower hip.

“You betcha.”

Flustered words came out of your mouth as you moved your bags upstairs, almost tripping your way up to keep Danny’s wandering hands and him also trying to carry your bags.

The only thing upstairs was an open room and an extra bathroom, a large king bed laid up against the wall and furry rugs were enriched onto the wooden floor. Dressers and shelves were dotted around the room and all four of you started to unpack and get yourself settled. You undress yourself down from your layers until you only wear a black long-sleeve shirt with a maroon cardigan and elastic jeans to keep you warm.

“Ya sure you don’t need help taking off the rest?”

“You know that Nova and Leonard are downstairs, right?”

“They gotta sleep at one point, darling.”

“And so do we!”

You dodged Danny’s hug attack and skipped down the stairs to the sound of light music humming throughout the cabin. A delicious smell had drifted into the air as you made your way to the kitchen and found Nova sitting on the kitchen counter while Leonard was behind the stove, his fingers working on dinner. You barely heard Leonard telling the feline to not get any fur into the food as Danny came up beside you, his body wrapped in grey long-sleeve and work pants.

The tabby pulled her hair up into a ponytail and continued to read the book in her hands, the cream turtleneck she wore blazed against the fire’s shadow.

You looked over Leonard’s shoulder and saw the rice, herbs, and sauces that were stirring in the pan while he separated an egg yolk from its whites.

“So, can all members of the Mud Dogz cook?” You asked as you sat at the island of the kitchen.

“Mickey is not good at cooking, never ask him to cook for you.”

“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“Nah, toots, never eat what that eel cooks up. Not after the meatloaf.”

“Oh don’t even remind me of that day! My stomach still doesn’t sit right after that.”

A confused laugh escaped your mouth as the ogre continued to make dinner, Nova handing him ingredients that he needed while flipping through her book. The melody that came from the bluetooth speaker from the living room swayed into the kitchen, and the cozy and friendly atmosphere made you loosened up as the conversation continued on without you, your body heading to the fridge in search of milk.

The scent of dinner floated around as you dug through the cabinets, Nova moving over when you came around the area she sat. You finally found the hot chocolate packets as Leonard had just finished up the meal, the steam rising from the mixture of rice, vegetables, and potato chips made your stomach growl with hunger.

You set the ingredients you were gathering aside as you four enjoyed the dinner, the cooked egg and spice made your cheeks spill with warmth. There were a few comments thrown here and there, such as going over the plan and what they were gonna do with the money. Your main concern was just getting the guy, Shia Albright, and he was on the top list of criminals for a reason; you just hoped that you and your friends could handle the polar bear yokai.

Apparently your concern was noted because a hand under the table was placed over your thigh.

You looked down and watched as Danny gave your leg a squeeze of reinsurance, his nails digging into the fabric.

It had been several months dating Danny, and you were surprised that it was the most love and happiness you’ve had in a long while. Even with his open book personality, there was still a lot more to uncover from the rat yokai. It was pleasing to learn from Danny, to give him the chance he had been fighting for since the beginning. He was very open to you, with how he felt, what he wanted to do with you. And of course it made you squeal with exhilaration, but you both kept things slow. You were still a cop, and he was still a thief.

After dinner, Nova and Danny did the dishes while you started to make the hot chocolate. Your hooves worked carefully to boil the milk and then get out the whipping cream, happy to find that they also bought the chocolate syrup you had placed on the shopping list.

“You are so washing that pot afterwards,” Nova commented, her paws drying themselves on a cloth after placing the dishes in the drying rack.

“With how good it’ll taste, you’ll be licking the pan clean,” you joked back, pouring the creamy liquid into multiple cups before decorating them with the heavy cream and dark liquid. You found a platter to carry the drinks and you brought them over to the living room, Leonard was in one of the chairs, Danny on the couch, and Nova on the floor. Each of them gave you their own thank you as you let them grab a mug off the tray, leaving it on the floor as you got comfortable next to Danny, your legs curling up to you.

The soft guitar played in the background as snow drifted outside, Nova flipping her nails through her book, Leonard going over the plans notes in his hands, and Danny was holding you tight, one hand held the drink and the other held you. And within the guitar strings and the casual crackle of the fire, the dread that was growing on you was almost unnoticeable. Almost.

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The summit air was brutal against your fur as you and your group headed up to the hidden factory, your boots making deep imprints in the white ground.

The plan was simple, you had your laser and taser gun, and once you and Danny found the opportunity to get Shia, you would pounce while Leonard and Nova went after the gold they had been mining for in the factory, a lightness spell to carry it was placed on the bag the ogre carried.

It almost seemed that it didn’t matter how many coverings you wore, the winter hands reached around into your body and gripped every nerve ending.

Nova was the only one up ahead, her long legs carrying her easily through the snow as she led up to one of the broken areas of the factory; Leonard had scouted out in the blueprints, the metal and scrap of the building being torn away as if a large animal bit into it. The tabby hopped over one of the uprooted pieces of metal and plummeted into the darkness below and you followed, your feet landing harshly on the metal floor as the boys followed, the only light being seen was a glow stick, the orange glow outlining you and everyone else.

The feline handed Leonard the light stick as he pulled out the layout of the workshop, his footprints leaving weak imprints of snow on the black floor. You tried to flick a flame between your hooves, but all you got was the snapping echo of the aftermath. Ever since the run-in with your dad a month ago, your powers seemed to bury themselves into your body, where you couldn’t even feel the swirling ball of warmth that usually danced in your veins. It almost made you feel useless in situations like this, when the group needed fire, it just seemed like you weren’t the match for it to light.

But your feelings were gonna have to wait as you heard the slightest pitter patter against the metal and you pushed your friends up against the wall in a swift move. One of Shia’s guards walked slowly by, his body decked out in warm armor and a gun was strapped against his chest. The male yokai strolled down the hallway, the flicker of his flashlight slowly dying out and the staircase went silent.

Once the cost was clear, Leonard turned to Danny and handed him a copy of the map.

“Alright, once you have him, meet up at the F2 tower, he should be in his office,” Leonard ordered, even with being in an isolated area, his breath still collected in front of him.

Danny took the extra map and you eyed it at his side. Shia’s office was up several floors, and you both knew that there would be groups of henchmen on lookout. But, with stealth and silence, you and Danny could make it up there effortlessly.

“Stay safe you two,” Nova purred quietly and her and the ogre dashed into the shadows, the only sign of them ever being there was the leftover snow from their bodies drifting off.

You rolled your shoulders as your biceps tensed under the cotton shirt and Danny turned around and handed you the map.

“Lead the way, toots.”

A grin leveled on your face as you took the map and started the walk up the first flight of stairs, your boots eagerly carrying you up, Danny right at your heels. You ran into your first guard at the third floor, the husky yokai let out a yelp of surprise before your fist came into contact with his snout, and then your knee into stomach, and with one single swipe you had your taser in his chest, a loud thud vibrated against your feet as he made contact with the ground.

The next flight had you and Danny taking out multiple guys, both of you darting between crates and mining equipment and you took out yokai’s with your taser and Danny took his fair share out with a knocking out technique.

After minutes of fighting and sneaking around, you both finally made it the top and final floor, the staircase leading straight to Shia’s office.

The hallway that looped to the office was long and dark, the only sound the mirrored around was the old factory settling to its age. Dastardly was flanking you as your fingers grazed over the metal door, the bitterness of the cold traveled from the metal to the inside of your glove. The door was already unlocked from its handle and you pushed it open, the unholy light that dripped out of the room pooling over you like water.

You pointed your gun through the doorway and you took in the large office. The room was cold and white fur littered the ground as you continued further in, Danny’s tail curled in dread as you got closer to the large office chair, the end of the laser gun pushing the leather seat to the side.

No one was there, nothing was there except a half done cigar that sat in an ashtray. Your small brows furrowed in confusion as you placed the gun back in the holster on your thigh as your hands started to dart around his desk.

“He’s...he’s schedule said that he would be here, if he’s not here, then where is he?” You asked out loud. The office had large windows and Danny peaked his head out to watch the soldiers quickly dart around, his arms crossing in question.

You searched his drawers and file cabinets for any information, but even if you did find anything, you still wouldn’t have him in chains.

And then the door slammed shut and the sound of a blockade over it blasted through the cracks.

“Well dat ain’t good,” Danny grunted and the sound of hushed orders and then a slow, irritable ticking clicked throughout the room. Your ears snapped with the rhythm and then the sound of gunfire was heard in the distance.

The clicking was getting faster, and with all the yokai’s running away…

“We’ve been had!”

Danny grabbed your hand and raced over to the furthest window on the left, his hand taking hold of your laser pistol and shot through the clear material until the glass shattered into falling pieces, like icicles hanging off the side of a house. There was a torn edge that led over to a large scissor lift and your boots scrapped over the broken glass, the grey outer layer held your stance steady as the beating of the hidden bombs continued.

“Ladies first!” The rat exclaimed as you both looked at the jump ahead. You sent him a hot glare but got ready and pushed off, one of the blasts from the concealed bombs went off and the heat waved knocked you forward and you landed hard against the platform, the pop in your shoulder caused a grunt to escape your throat.

You got up and looked up at Danny, whose figure was still against the window frame, the blast of the bomb sooted the side of his body.

“Alright, your turn!” You screamed up at him and then let out a wail as the scissor lift groaned under you and the metal bars started to creak under the new weight.

The rat took a step back and with a graceful leap he landed right next to you, his hand instantly pulled the level on the side just as the rest of the bombs started to go off one by one. He blocked his body over you as flying debris exploded around you in a ray of black and orange. The impact of the blast knocked both of you over, sending Danny sliding next you and over the side.

“Danny!”

The hanging platform whined as the weight was shifted over to one side and you scooted over to the ledge, your hand gripping Danny’s wrist before his claws slipped from the ledge. His mass was nothing you were used to, but you were used to him being on your back, not over the side of a dangerous overhang that could collapse any minute. The metal shafting and room was groaning with pain as the pillars and other rooms started to fall apart due to the explosion.

You pulled your other hand around him and stood up, your boosts digging into the black outline of the scissor lift as you brought him back up and before he could thank you the ramp gave way and dropped towards the first level.

Curse words sprinted out of both of your mouths as you held onto the sides as the platform crashed into the floor, sending you both rolling to the opposite side as the destroyed roof rammed into the scissor lift once it hit the bottom.

A fit of coughs lashed out of your mouth as the dust swirled around you, the light creaking of broken metal and fire ringing in your ears as your name was called out.

“Shiki?! Shiki!”

You pushed yourself up and hissed at the small cuts and bruises that were scattered over your body, but you counted your blessings to find no major injuries. The rat’s voice continued to vibrate against the splintered mess.

“Danny?! Are you alright?!” You called to him and then took several steps back as more debris gave way, taking you further away from the wreck and Danny. His voice became muffled and you just had to tell yourself that he was fine, that you needed to meet him and the others at the tower.

Hateful tears sprang in the corner of your eyes as you made your way through the factory, your legs dodging small piles of flames as you started to recognize the area you were in. Of course this plan had failed, this mob boss knew everything about everyone, and he wanted to make sure that the death of you would be a prime example to not go after him. That only gave you more rage, more strength to go after him as you crawled through a small hole created by shattered mining equipment.

You reached for the door in front of you until two forms crashed through it, your body flattening itself against the wall as the two balls of fur ripped each other apart. A cat-like yowl came from one of the forms and you recognized the winter outfit that was torn from battle.

“Nova?!”

The cat then swiped her claws across the wolf yokai’s face that made him let go of her. She pushed herself against the wall and used the hard surface to kick the yokai into one of the multiple holes that lead into the mines, his terrifying howls haunting the rocky surface.

Nova turned to you with an astonished expression, a cut on her head bleeding a trail down her face.

“Are you okay? Where’s Leonard?”

“We got seperated, but he has the gold. What about Danny? And Shia?”

“This was a setup! They knew we were coming.”

Nova frowned as you both started to look for another way out, her tail whizzing back and forth like a strip of rope.

“This wasn’t a setup, another revival gang showed up. Apparently that dumb polar bear thought that he would make his hideout into a trap so he can get rid of them.”

It felt wrong but joy pulsed through your body as you found a torn apart wall that led outside, the light snowfall was now a blizzarding storm. If Shia was fighting against a rival group, then he didn’t know that an officer was here, and you could still get the jump on him.

The feline started to proceed over to the watchtower F2 but you grabbed her hand and tugged on it.

“We can still get Shia! He’ll be so distracted that he won’t see us coming!”

Nova’s eyes flashed down to you and then over to the tower, her left ear flicking with concentration along with her tongue licking off the excess blood from the corner of her mouth.

“Alright, if we can find him under ten minutes.”

You led in the opposite direction and towards one of the gaping holes of the mines, the echoes of gunfire and battle cries filled your ears like music.

The snowstorm was slowly getting worse, the petals now turned into sharp splinters as your vision started to get covered with white. The crunch under your combat boots was barely heard and you could barely feel the metal pathway that was under you, your covered hands holding onto the side as a large gust of wind tried to push you over. The bellow’s of the yokai’s started to get louder and with one flick of your thin ear, you were spinning around to push Nova out of the way from a hidden attacker.

“Look out!”

The female snow leopard leapt onto you, her claws shredding out of her gloves and into your coat and a low hiss growed out of her white throat. Your hooves wacked into her nose as you pressed yourself further into the railing and with the yokai’s extra burden of weight the rusted pipes gave way and folded over, taking you and the henchmen with you.

“Shiki!” Nova called for you but it was barely heard as you and the snow leopard rolled through the snow and down the slope, away from the factory and the watchtower. Even with the smooth snow to impact your tumble, the frozen floor underneath still stabbed itself into you as you both came to a sliding halt.

Your body was freezing now, the cold hands of winter grasping over your form and it took all your strength to raise yourself up. Far from the factory, you and the female snow leopard had landed over a frozen lake, ice holding your weight easily as the war around you continued. Not far from the lake were several military vans and henchmen shooting bullets and arrows at two hidden figures behind separate crates.

“Danny! Leonard!”

The two yokai turned at the sound of their names and spotted you. Leonard had a few cuts scrapped over his body and his shirt was torn while Danny was covered in more soot than before and his hat was gone, but both seemed relatively fine. When the rat caught sight of you, a gust of comfort filled his hollow lungs to see that you were still breathing. His hand planted against the crate he was behind to get up but he instantly lunged back down when more ammo was shot at him.

You made a step towards him but a blur of chalk pounced for you out from nothingness, her claws tearing up the ice surface like nails against a chalkboard. You dodged a swipe from her and then a kick with your hands, your hands going for the laser pistol from your thigh but the flexible feline broke it out of your grip, the weapon skating over the frozen water.

Jeez! Is every cat yokai like this?

She drove you further into the middle of the lake, your boots having trouble keeping friction over the slippery exterior while the snow leopard didn’t wear any form of shoe except for her pants connecting with the middle of her paws, but it kept her upright as she continued to chase you.

Nova, if you can hear me right now, know that you and I are having a fighting session once this all over!

The woman jumped for you and you swiftly moved to the side, and with one kick of your foot it sent the leopard back to the bank of the lake, her face going straight into a pile of snow near the battle Danny and Leonard were in. You couldn’t help but smirk at the small victory, but a pair of azure eyes poked from the heap of white, fury marking the snow leopard’s face as she looked around.

Near her was a minecart filled of pickaxes and safety hats and her paws swaddled one of the weapons, a wicked smile on her face as she neared the lake once again and with one hit she stabbed the axe into the frozen glass and millions of broken cracks surfaced and the watery hell took you down.

“SHIKI!”

Danny was on his feet as you disappeared into dark liquid, the clumps of ice drifted around the spot you had fallen into. Leonard was by his side now and as the rat started to race towards the lake, the ogre tackled him and rolled them both behind a tree as the polar bear’s henchmen started to make their way closer.

“Are you crazy?! You can’t survive that temperature! You’ll also die before you get there!”

“Get off of me you bloody yuck! She will drown!”

Before Danny was going to elbow his friend right in the jaw, a pair of legs jogged right past them and they glanced up to see Nova racing towards the half-ruined lake, her arms quickly working off her two layers of coats and her cream turtleneck until her grey thermal showed. She then hopped over the snow leopard yokai and took the pickaxe from her grey paws, her momentum slamming the ax into the shattered ice until a large enough hole was created and the Mountain Fishing cat jumped in without another thought.

“What is wrong with these girls?!” Leonard exclaimed as he let Danny go and knocked out a guy who came too close, his fingers taking control of the rifle the henchmen had in his talons.

Danny could hardly hear the leader as he searched over the lake, trying to find your figure drifting in the cold liquid.

He had never felt fear like this, as if he was the one drowning instead of you. He ignored the ongoing dogfight around him as every second that ticked by felt like lifetimes. With how shattered the pool of water was, the rat yokai saw how strong and recentless the current was underneath, the tide pushing up against anything it could get its grasp on. Including you.

And then him and Leonard saw it. It was barely visible but a white paw came crashing out of the ice on the other side of the lake, the enlarged nails broke into the ice like an anchor and created long marks as the creature heaved itself out.

Danny felt his friend next to him lose his breath as Nova broke the surface, water droplets falling down her hair and fur as she pulled herself out of the water, and in her arms was a waterlogged you, steam rolling off both of you as your friend dragged you out.

The men didn’t have to have sonic hearing to hear the feline’s grunts as she dragged you over to the shore, Nova’s paws working on your chest as she performed CPR.

Danny’s body hurdled into action as he stole the gun out of Leonard’s hands and shot at the criminals crowding them, his dead-eye like aim taking out over four before he started to haul ass over to you and Nova, not even giving Leonard a heads up as the black-haired stared dumbfounded at the rat before joining the retreat.

You couldn’t hear anything, you couldn’t taste or see anything, all you felt was the cold. It violated you and suffocated you as you felt the water slush around in your lungs. And then the pressure, something or someone was placing pressure on your filled lungs to the point your chest couldn’t take it anymore and you perked up, your head turning over to vomit up the lake water you had swallowed.

You could barely open your eyes as you tried to take in your surroundings, but it was so cold, why was it so cold?

“Shiki! Shiki are you alright?!”

A bubbly groan came out of your waterlogged throat and you thought to yourself that you would never drink water again and that you hated winter. Your head was exposed to the elements and you realize that your beanie was gone.

Your dark eyes were able to open to peer up, the flakes of snow coating your eyelashes. Nova was soaked leaning over you, her fur drooped with the soggy water and her whiskers started to become white. But another figure was coming into your vision and as you tried to warn your friend, all that came out was a backbreaking shiver.

The cat then let out a cry as she was grabbed and tossed to the only unbroken part of the lake and all you could do was watch in horror as the snow leopard started to attack your friend, nothing protecting Nova except her thin thermal shirt and her own wits.

Nov...Nova,” you shivered out and your hand reached up as the evil leopard took a hold of Nova’s neck and slammed her into the ice, the fragile solid breaking under her. Hands were wrapped around you now and your freezing hand went for your taser but the familiar and tender scent of Danny wafted your senses.

“Dann...Danny?”

“I’m here, sweetheart, I’m here.”

“No..Nova needs..”

“Leonard has it handled, we need to get ya outta here.”

The yokai lifted you up easily, the crisp drops of water that fell from your clothes barely made it to the ground as they froze. Even with your head making contact with the rat’s soft fur, it was almost nothing against your frozen skin and stiff fur.

As your boyfriend carried you deeper into the woods, you turned your head and spotted Leonard and Nova not far behind, the bitter color of crimson dripped from Nova’s claws and Leonard’s hands.

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

You all four made it back to the cabin in one piece and Nova was quick on getting her boots off and looking over at you.

“Danny, I need you to go and take off her clothes.”

“I’m sorry? What?”

“Because if she sits in those wet clothes she’ll get hypothermia! And then she can die! So take her upstairs and get her undressed and in a new pair of clothes!”

You could tell Nova was panicking, when her voice rose over and past a joking manner you knew she was nervous and you could hear her dive into the kitchen and started to search. You wanted to argue that you were fine, but you found no power behind your muscles and all you could do was give a little cry of pain as your body was pounded with the cold.

When Danny made it up to your room he sat you on the bathroom floor and started to derope you. His fingers scrambled over the black coat, and then the green overcoat, the maroon cardigan and then your black sweater was all off. You were cold to the touch and your brown fur was dyed to a darker oak. Even with the cold layers off of you your body reacted violently against it and your arms wrapped around yourself. Danny felt his heart shatter like the lake that consumed you and placed a small kiss on the top of your head, as if he was afraid you would break with just one touch.

You had to help him take off the two layers of pants you wore until you laid almost nude in front of him and the harsh flush of warmth crossed your face, but it just made you feel a lot more sicker. The rat saw the temperature in your face change and he got up and to your dresser, not one flash of emotion came across his face as he headed a new outfit for you.

“You got this, call if ya need me,” he whispered silently to you and then left the bathroom and leaned against the wall next to you.

You couldn’t but try to roll your eyes as you tried to ease your bra off. Even in a life or death situation he was still going to be a gentleman towards you. It was hard though, the cold undergarment clinged into you like glue and it took you several minutes to even get both of them off. You threw the wet clothes aside and placed the ones Danny had handed you and the cotton grey long-sleeve and black leggings under sweatpants were on after drying yourself off.

You could still feel the sickness trying to settle on you and a sneeze blew out of your face.

“Gesundheit.”

“You..you speak german?”

“And french, if you’re catching my drift.”

A laugh curled out of your throat but it came out in a fit of coughs. From the restroom you heard Nova call for Danny and his light footsteps drifted away from the room and down the stairs.

Nova and Leonard were in new clothes and the only evidence of Nova falling into the lake was the dampness in her fur and the silent shiver that drove through her body every few minutes.

“Okay, keep her warm and under blankets. No placing her in hot water either.”

“Rag-a-muffin, why are ya telling me this?”

“Leonard is coming with me to find elderberries, it will help make a beverage that will make her feel better and push away any case of fever. But you need to bring her temperature up.”

“And how am I supposed to do dat’?”

“You’re her boyfriend, figure it out.” The feline joked and slammed the front door.

Danny, for the first time in his life, felt an awkward hotness in his stomach as he headed up the stairs to find you curled up in the bed, the vicious shakes that erupted under the sheets made your boyfriend worry, and then Nova’s words came in mind.

The snowfall had slowed down to a gentle delay and the cabin was sprinkled with the light sugar. Danny started the fireplace that was settled in your room, his calloused hands throwing the pieces of firewood into the hungry flame.

His frame floated over to your trembling form and joined you under the blankets, his hands wrapping around you and you instantly curled into his chest, your hooves digging into his back as you tried to absorb every ounce of warmth he had to offer. A rough chuckle vibrated against your head and you buried yourself into his exposed chest fur. Danny placed a soft kiss on your head, and then your cheeks, and then the tip of your snout, and he waved his hand under your chin to look up at him and he kissed you.

The contact from his lips sent a jolt of fire into your throat and you took in the kiss with every pint of strength you had left. But when his body jostled to where he was hovering over you, one hand holding himself up next to your head and the other holding your head up to meet his, you realized the eagerness behind each kiss and release.

His body was over you now, his legs tangled with yours as you sunk further into the mattress, his fingers playing with the tufts of fur behind your head as you felt your heart rate pick up rapid speed. Your hooves held onto his back as he continued to tease you with each feverish kiss, with each touch over your curves and muscle. And as he peppered kisses up your jawline and near your ear, a growl full of R’s rolled into your eardrum.

You instantly had to close your legs as your very core was rocked and you no longer felt cold as heat traced itself throughout your body. He had never growled to you before, especially rolling his R’s like that. This man always had something under his sleeve, but at this moment, you couldn’t think straight, as if every peck of his mouth and the hands that advanced over you made you braindead. The keenness in his movements as his snout started to make its way down your neck created a moan out of your mouth, your voice raspy and needy.

Another hust growl went against your throat and you shivered, and your heart bounced in your ribcage when you realized that it wasn’t from the cold, and that this male was going to heat you up like a oven. His hands were slowly riding up your shirt, his nails tenderly digging into your fur and his thumb doing slow and taunting circles under your chest.

He was teasing you and you squirmed under his hold, but a feather-like moan popped out of your mouth as his teeth grazed your throat and shoulder.

“Danny,” you breathed out and you felt the mammal over you tense up and he stopped, a savage-like look in his eyes as he took in the shameless sight of you. The redness was peaking out of your fur and your chest heaved with pressure and he took a large notice with how your legs were crossed.

“Say it, doll.”

You knew what he wanted you to say, you knew exactly what he wanted you to do.

“Please.”

He was on you like a cat on a mouse, his large build practically swallowing you whole as he took full control. The rat was a sucker for you, almost like a kid in a candy store, wanting to have every single bite. He effortlessly started to mark you as his, the small little squeals that started to rise into the house made his blood pump and you were pushing up against him now, chestnut fur flushed against oak fur as you both tried to get closer to each other. His hands were fully under your shirt now and your neck was covered in small little black spots, all perfectly lined up as the rim of his mouth went for the hollow of your throat and your spine bending to give him full access to your body.

You honestly didn’t care if Leonard and Nova came back early, the heat that rushed through you like water through a pipe was almost too much to bear and you felt himself bump up against you and a heartful gasp came out.

Oh gosh he was too much for you, the senses he spiked within your body was a remedy you never thought you needed.

His warm hands felt good against your chest and you groaned into his mouth, his own vocals sending a growl in return. You were sweating now as you escaped to get a breath of air and you could feel the hot pants from Danny as he left more love marks on you, much lower than your neck. You had to bite your lip to keep yourself quiet and your tail wiggled with ecstasy as his hands spread your legs apart so he could get closer, his large mitts now explored your back and your rump.

You both were burning under the blanket and the fire felt like nothing against your heated fur, you felt like you could be rubbing up against the sun for all you know.

Danny had you pressed against the headboard now, and every vibration from your thighs or your arms when he touched you made him want you more, he desired you more. The hunger and ache he had for you was beyond unbearable and having you to himself without work or anyone getting in the way was paradise.

The bruises under your skin ached but Danny’s hands were gentle over the purple areas and he was gentle with you and... The emotion that roared in your heart was stabbing you, pinching at your lungs as you continued to kiss Danny, his tongue sneaking its way into your mouth and you gladly accepted it. And between the kisses and the cries of pleasure that was spilling out both your mouths, you let out the holy words that he had wanted to hear from you since the day you started dating.

“I love you, Dan.”

The male rat stopped in his tracks and looked down at you, surprise spinning in his eyes as he looked down at you and you swore you saw his eyes flash with heartache. You were so out his league, he would always believe that you were better off without him. You wouldn’t have to worry about your job, you wouldn’t have to stress over the idea of being caught with him, but you stayed with him, you cared for him, and now you loved him.

His hand caressed your cheek and you were practically putty in his hands as he said against your mouth.

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

And he told you that over and over as he undressed you once again.

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

The next morning was hard to wake up too. You woke up the burning glint of the sun over the snow and you went to roll over but you were held as if prisoner. Strong arms were around you and soft snoring was brushed up against your back. Flashes of last night danced through your head and the heat between your legs started to flicker again. You unraveled yourself from his hold and placed his forgotten long-sleeve shirt over yourself and your sweatpants and headed downstairs.

It was quiet in the lodge and there was no sign of Leonard on the couch, you walked over to Nova’s door and the shocked gasp couldn’t stop itself as you saw the ogre curled up with the feline, her body rolled up in a ball next to his sleeping figure.

You could only imagine the awkwardness once one of them woke up and you tiptoed back to the kitchen to find a wine-colored drink on the counter with a note.

“Dear Shiki, drink this once you wake up, but by how the cabin was shaking and how you were hollering like you were dying, I’m guessing you might not need this ;). Love, Nova”

Humiliation rolled in your stomach as you took a few sips of the drink, your fist pounding against your chest once you realized that it was an alcoholic beverage. You would give anything to just have a cup of coffee.

You headed back upstairs and for a split second, you remembered why you were truly here. Shia had gotten away, and even though it was a successful heist, it was a failure of a bounty hunt. You felt shame hit you as you failed your mission to get the polar bear. But once you made it up the stairs and saw Danny laying in the spot you had been sleeping in and his hand hanging off the side of the bed as if going after you, waiting for you.

It might’ve been a failure of a job, but you won something today, you won him.

And as you opened up the blankets and let his arms once again entrap you, you felt like the only thing you failed at was not telling him sooner.

#rottmnt #rottmnt mud dogs x reader #rottmnt mud dogz #rottmnt mud dogs #rottmnt dastardly danny #rottmnt dastardly danny x reader #rottmnt danny x reader #rottmnt loathsome leonard #tmnt #rottmnt reader x mud dogz

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faustrinus · 4 years ago

Text

Warm

* Drarry (TW: mentions of blood and injuries). This is my second time posting this haha I am sorry. “Bloody hell, Potter.”

Harry lifted his head, staring at the blood pooling from his torso, “Yeah, it’s really bloody,” he agreed, “in case you couldn't tell.”

“This is no time for jokes, you git!” Draco rushed over, fumbling for his wand. “What did you do?”

Draco staunched the bleeding with a flick of his wrist and sighed, trying to assess the damage. How did I end up here? He asked himself for the hundredth time. Finding your Auror partner bleeding out on your driveway should be a strange sight, but it was one that Draco was all too familiar with.

“Where is the injury?” he asked, siphoning the blood off the ground with his wand.

“'m fine,” Harry slurred, mumbling something incoherent under his breath.

“Bullshit, where is it?”

Harry huffed. “Torso. Right side.”

The injury was starting to bleed again, so Draco didn't waste any more time. The slash across his ribs had torn a hole in Harry’s robes, so Draco used his hands to widen the hole to get a better look at the area. By now, the blood was pooling again- and the way Harry was squirming like a fish out of water was making it worse.

“Stop moving!” Draco snapped, using his hands to press on Harry’s ribs.

“It hurts.”

“I know, but it will hurt a lot more if you keep moving. Just listen to me for once in your bloody life.”

“Fine, just-” Harry gestured with a limp hand. “try and make it quick.”

Are you really in the position to be bossing me around? Draco shook his head, trying to remain calm. Healing was easier when you were calm, and Draco needed a steady grip on his wand for this to work.. He couldn't let Harry die, not like this.

Draco pointed his wand at the wound, forcing his arm to stop shaking as he began muttering an incantation that made Harry wonder if Malfoy was singing to him at that moment by the tone every word was pronounced, the wand tracing the long injury slowly, it seemed like he knew exactly what he was doing, coming from some knowledge buried deep down in his memory. The flow of blood got slower and there was less, provoking a breath of relief from Draco, the spell was repeated one more time before the wound started to knit itself, making Harry flinch in discomfort for the suddenly burning sensation in the area. At least he's alive. “Now that you're not dying, could you tell me what on Merlin's beard happened here?”

“Thieves. They were trying to get into your house.”

“Potter. While I appreciate the concern,” and Draco coughed to hide the fact his heartbeat was louder than he expected it to be, “I am, in fact, fully able to defend myself.”

“Even without magic? The Ministry wouldn't like knowing you performed magic in front of muggles.”

“I would have managed.”

Harry raised an eyebrow, “Really?”

“That doesn't matter. Why were you outside of my house?”

Harry tried to shrug, wincing from the movement and biting back a whimper, “I was just checking on you.”

“Checking on me? Why?”

“I haven't seen you at work in a few days. I wanted to find out if something happened to my partner.”

My partner. Draco was thankful that the streetlights were dim enough that this blush was hidden. "Luckily, it seems like no one saw anything," Draco changed the subject, "so if you could get up-" Draco cut himself off as he got a better look at Harry's face. "Is that a black eye?"

“Ehm.. yes?” Harry prodded at his eye, “I think so.”

“You think so?”

“Well, I dunno, you're the one who can see me,” Harry grumbled, he made no move to get up.

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. Did Harry have any survival instincts? He'd survived dozens of harrowing situations- both during and after Hogwarts- and yet here he was, bleeding and bruised on Draco's driveway. If Harry always acted like this when his life was at stake... it was a wonder that he hadn't been killed yet.

“Come on, let's get you inside," Draco sighed, "before someone sees.”

“You didn't mind that earlier. When I was drowning on my own blood.”

“That's because I wasn't interested in your blood staining my best rug, Potter," Draco said dryly, "besides, your life is a little more important than the Statute of Secrecy.”

“Thanks for that, I think. Can't wait to see your fancy rug.”

Draco huffed and slipped an arm under Harry's back to help him sit, cringing inwardly at the blood that soaked through his robes. He just needed to get Harry inside and make sure he wasn't about to die- and then he could worry about the states of his clothes. “I think I'm okay,” Harry grunted, relying heavily on Draco to stand.

“Careful,” Draco said sharply, “the wound is only knitted. It'll still hurt. “

”'m fine,” Harry insisted, but he let Draco wrap his arm around his waist anyways, "What about my glasses?”

“Draco cast his eyes to the ground, but he couldn't see anything in the darkness. “I'll find them later." he said.

Harry nodded and shuffled forward, and he would have fallen over if it wasn't for Draco supporting nearly his entire weight.

“You alright?” Draco asked tentatively.

“Yeah,” Harry grimaced, "doesn't hurt so bad."

Draco nodded, pretending not to notice the way Harry was gritting his teeth. He resolved to use a pain relief spell as soon as they were inside.

They both started walking towards the black door that opened itself with a flick of Draco's wand. Harry felt a wave of warmth envelop him as they passed the threshold, like a welcoming hug for his shivering body. From the outside, Draco's house looked like it'd be similar to what time ago was the Malfoy manor, but on the inside, it was the total opposite. Rugs covered the dark wood floor under each piece of furniture, and despite the monochromatic (green, of course) colour scheme, it was still very home-like.

“Your house is much nicer on the inside," Harry said, trying to fill the awkward silence.

“I have a lot of wards to keep things warm,” Draco explained, slowly guiding Harry to the sofa, "mostly for when winter comes around since I'm generally a pretty cold person.”

Harry huffed a laugh, “cold, as in personality or…”

“Right, that too, Potter.” Draco rolled his eyes.

The candelabrum hanging above the living room was what reminded Harry the most of the Malfoy manor, with its expensive design and sparking metal accents. The sofa that Draco lead him was clearly expensive, too- and there was a certainly reason for its price. Harry sighed with relief when his body hit the soft cushions. It even smelled good- he sighed deeply as mil citrus scent- Draco's scent- surrounded him.

“I like your sofa,” Harry murmured.

Draco arched an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile, "I noticed," he said, rolling up his sleeves, and kneeling on the ground next to the sofa, "You look like a mess."

Harry tried to laugh, but he felt dizzy instead- like the world had stopped for a moment before getting back on route. His eyelids dropped, and the last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the worried expression across Draco's face. “Potter, stay here.” And then everything went dark.

...............

When Harry woke up he felt weak, the type of weakness where you move a little and your body sends a big alarm reminding you you're going to faint if you try to move a lot. It was annoying to feel so useless when there was probably someone out there needing his Auror services.

Well, the good thing was that he did faint once, so it wasn't that probable for him to do it again. And seeing how the wound was already recovering thanks to what seemed like Draco healing abilities, Harry's spirits lifted up, it looked so much better and it also didn't hurt half as much. It was a really well-done work.

But of course, his muscles were still aching like he had run some type of marathon.

“You're awake.”

His eyes tried to focus, but it was hard when his classes were nowhere to be able to reach them, “Did you get my glasses?”

“Good morning to you too, Potter. And yes, yes I did,”

“Morning...?” Harry mumbled, looking around for a window to check if it was truly a new day, “How much time did I sleep?”

“Like fourteen hours? It was a lot. I don't know how you can sleep so much.”

Harry yawned and looked at Draco, who was sitting on the ground next to him, a blanket covering his legs- it wasn't really clear, but Harry could see the pillow laying on the floor and the rug wrinkled under it. Connecting all the dots was easy.

“You slept on the floor?”

“Yes, I stayed to make sure you didn't die in your sleep.”

“Sweet,” He answered rolling his eyes, “Thanks. You are very good at healing.”

Draco searched for Harry's glasses and handed them over to him, they were shining clean and looked more new than ever, “I fixed and cleaned them. They probably broke when one of the … assholes yesterday hit you.”

“You're acting very nice to me,” He started putting on his glasses, “Is it because I almost died?”

Draco ignored the comment and cracked his knuckles softly, his gaze noticing how messy Harry's hair got. It was cute seeing it sticking out in different positions and falling in a funny way on the man's face, “You were saying I'm good at healing?”

“Oh, yes. You are, the wound almost doesn't hurt anymore.”

“I'm glad. I had a lot of practice, I guess I became good without noticing.” Harry knew exactly what he was talking about- the whole sectumsempra thing. He knew Draco could not have healed himself that time because of how badly injured he was at the time, but he assumed he had to learn how to treat his own wounds after it happened.

“I'm sorry about that.”

Draco tilted his head, “Sorry about what?”

“The whole... “ Harry coughed, “curse thing.”

“Oh.”

“You weren't talking about that?”

“Not necessarily. But I guess it came to my mind now that you say it.”

Harry tried to make himself more comfortable to carry on the conversation, shifting around the couch, “Did it… leave scars?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Knowing if I left some mark on you thanks to how irresponsible my actions were is something I deserve to know. Right?”

“You want to make sure you have reasons to feel guilty?”

“Yes.”

“Potter…” Draco tried to convince him subtly to change the subject, but Harry was a stubborn bastard and he was about to start complaining again if Draco didn't tell him, “Yes, it did. Only one though, It wasn't healed fast enough I'm guessing..”

“I'm really sorry...Draco,” Harry tried to sit correctly, groaning when he felt a pull to the side due to the wound, “Can I see it?”

“What makes you so interested? I don't get it.”

“I don't really know. I guess…. to make sure you're okay?”

Draco couldn't help but laugh a little, “It was years ago. Why wouldn't I be okay?”

But Harry was still staring at him to what looked like his attempt of puppy eyes- how old was he again? ten?

“Please.”

“Just because you almost died doesn't mean now you get everything on a silver plate.”

“We haven't seen each other in a long time. As Aurors we need to have a bond.”

He really wasn't giving up.

“Fine.”

Draco mumbled something and grabbed his wand that was laying next to him and muttered some spell. It took a few seconds for Harry to see it, there was a long scar going up from his neck to what it seemed down his chest. It wasn't really striking, but it was noticeable at a close distance. That's why Draco used a glamour charm- they were always working side to side, Harry would have already noticed and asked about it.

“It reached your neck? Merlin, it had to hurt a lot.” Draco denied softly and sighed, maintaining the charm drained his energy sometimes, “It's okay. Stop worrying about stupid things.”

Harry furrowed his eyebrows, “I almost killed you. It's not stupid.”

“I think we can both agree it's too early to talk about this, Harry.”

Harry grunted but nodded anyways, letting himself relax a little. You almost die a few times and you get all sappy he thought, brushing the thoughts away. They stayed in silence a few seconds, and Harry could sense how his heart was beating a little bit faster than usual- how was he still paranoid after what happened yesterday? It was Draco's house, both of them were there, it was safe. Yet he still could hear his heartbeat bouncing around like it was a goddamn party in his chest.

“You know… Now it's my second bad memory with a knife, not really fond of them.”

“Well, I'm glad. I would be worried if you were fond of them.”

Harry giggled softly, making Draco smile a little when he saw he had enough strength to do it. “Well, what was the first memory?”

Draco decided to get up, stretching his legs while Harry was getting ready to say whatever he was thinking about. His eyes were squinted as he searched for the memory probably already forgotten, but when the light hit his eyes Draco saw it- he remembered.

And Harry swallowed, because he actually did not want to remember it. He was trying to keep an interesting conversation, but he had exposed himself without noticing.

“I remember that when I was living with my… The Dursleys, a lot of things happened, to be honest,” Harry started, trying to ignore Draco's stare, “clearly, they weren't the nicest people on earth. I remember this one time where I was cooking and my Aunt Petunia told me she would chop off my fingers if I messed up.”

“What?”

“It's not a big deal. But for some reason it stayed in my mind after all these years.”

Draco felt himself getting angry, “How old were you?”

“I don't remember. Seven? maybe eight.”

“Merlin's beard,” Draco eyes got wide, “You were a child, Harry, of course it stuck with you. And who in their right mind makes a seven-year-old cook?”

“I thought every kid had to do it. And I assumed Dudley didn't because well… he was their son.”

“And what were you? their servant?”

Harry shrugged, “I don't know. Something amongst those lines.”

Draco huffed, playing with the rings that adorned his fingers, “It sounds horrible.”

“But here I am,” Harry tried to play it off, but it was noticeable the subject was affecting him somehow, “all okay.”

Draco nodded and they stayed in an uncomfortable silence until he yawned, gaining Harry's attention- if he slept like fourteen hours, how many did Draco?

“...Did you sleep the same amount as me?”

“I can't hibernate like you, Potter.”

“So… you didn't sleep at all?”

“I slept a reasonable amount.”

Harry patted the empty space next to him, “How much is a reasonable amount?”

Draco hesitated a bit before slowly sitting next to the man- he would notice he was looking a bit tired. Well, it wasn't easy looking extremely bright when you spent most of your night making sure The Chosen One didn't die on your couch.

“...two hours.”

“What? Why? two hours is nothing. How are you even alive?”

“I have survived with less, thank you very much,” and with that the conversation was done, of that he thought until Harry tugged on his sleeve a little bit stronger that Draco could have expected, making him fall against Harry's body, he blushed instantly, pushing, “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you get some sleep.”

“And you are planning to hold me?”

Harry yawned, “Yeah, pretty much,” he tugged again, making sure Draco stayed laying on top of him comfortably, “C'mon. Sleep.”

“I'm not your dog, Harry.”

“Then stop barking and get some sleep with me.”

Draco tried to push again, but Harry was holding him strongly. If he wanted to, he could have used a spell to get free of his grab- but it was rather comfortable to lay there. For a recently injured person, it was surprising Harry wasn't complaining about how he was closely brushing his wound, “What about the wound?”

“It's okay. It doesn't hurt.”

Draco accommodated himself, “If one Auror knows we…”

“Cuddled until we fell asleep?” Draco nuzzled his face into Harry's neck “Yes, that. If one Auror knows that, I'm going to hex you.”

“Sounds like a deal. Good night.”

“How are you still sleepy?”

Harry was already closing his eyes, “I save my tiredness in a little box in my brain and then I set it free.”

“Dumbass.”

“Sleep.”

At the end, Draco stopped trying to ignore the idea. “Fuck it,” he mumbled, closing his eyes and letting his head rest on Harry's chest, hearing his heartbeat.

“Draco..?”

“Oh, wow. Now you're the one interrupting my sleep.”

“It's not that.”

“Then what?”

“You lied to me about something.”

“...What?”

“You're actually warm.”

“I don't understand.”

“You're warm,” Harry repeated, sighing, “I like it.”

Draco rolled his eyes, but the faint smile drawn on his lips couldn't lie.

Maybe being warm wasn't that bad when Harry Potter was cuddling you.

#drarry #dracomalfoy #harrypotter #HarryxDraco #drarryoneshot #drarryfanfiction #drarryfanfic #dracoxharry #harryjamespotter #gay #LGBTQ PRIDE

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kaetastic · 5 years ago

Text

TROUBLE

pairing: Isaiah Jesus x Shelby!Reader

summary: The infamous trio of Isaiah Jesus, Michael Gray and the second youngest Shelby pay a visit to a bar, except, few unhappy passer-bys ruined the day.

word count: 2.6k

warning: mentions of blood, violence, 1920 racism, slightly nsfw at the end, invisble indirect mentions of sex

note: the racism in this story is used for writing purpose only. i do not advocate such acts. thank you for understanding.

Easiness twirled a ribbon in the air. A silk, delicate cloth of pounds and dim like the backdrop of the stars. The recent sinking of the sun had painted the sky a blur of black once the flashing orange blended in smoothly. Caressing exasperatedly against the canvas, the brush sitting in the painters’ grip danced over the abyss of colours. The moon tugged on the strings beneath the water body as if a puppet, causing crest to migrate, hurling waves; clashing into one another in a milling crowd. With an arm draped over her shoulder which felt nonexistent, Y/N let out an echoing cackle in the bustling night that was kept alive by overworked factory workers. Lips curling up at his success, Isaiah wore his signature charming smirk.

Dangling between Michael’s nimble fingers was a huffing cigarette whose strands of smoke had been engulfed by the exhaling wind. Since the pair had been pacing at their own pace which was way too slow for the man, Michael sauntered past, leaving them alone while he neared the bar they had desired to spend time at.

“Fuck, that’s hot.” Isaiah’s warm lips brushed over Y/N’s ear-shells before yanking his head away, keeping a non-gossiping distance (despite his arm around her). Even though her infamous older brothers had been at London for a vital business meeting, it would take a pathetic fool to dare lie their lives on the quivering string. Even if they were hundreds of kilometres away, prodding eyes might linger to only whisper of the scandal sight of a Peaky Blinder and a Shelby.

The grip around his wrist faltered, her fingers unfurled to stuff her chilling hands in the warm pockets of her coat. The piercing edges of her nails hooked onto bulging looped strings, a tugging war between the article of clothing and her fingers. Isaiah’s eyes did not waver from her, still in shock as to what just happened. A giggle fell off her lips at his gawking eyes. The string of smoke she had just stolen from his cig breezed in the air, flying off to dance in the cloud.

“That’s why I do it.” Glancing down at her teeth chomping down on her bottom lip, Isaiah’s tongue poked to run over his lips. Despite his attempt to smear moisture, the chilly night was not merciful.

With a few more strides and transferred giggles, the pair neared towards the Gray who stood in front of the bar. From the inside, golden rays smeared onto the window panes of the French door. The hazy object obstructed passerby to glance a peek, only offering a puppet show of moving limbs over the light rays. Michael tapped his polished shoes onto the drenched valleys that seeped through the rivers between the stone-bricked roads, impatient to how slow the pair was, “You fuckers done fucking each other’s ears?”

Y/N rolled her eyes at her cousin. Michael had recently been not so easy to tolerate. With Gray blood swimming in his veins, it wasn’t simple to tug anything out of his head or whatever secret that lied deep in his chained up heart. A trait his mother had definitely passed down. However, Y/N believed the reason to his horrible mood for the week was caused by a woman they had come across not too long ago at the exact bar they were currently pacing towards (most likely to why they were even visiting it again).

Although Y/N was the one who insisted that he shouldn’t approach the girl since glancing at the diamonds anchoring the female to the ground connected all the doubtful dots in the Shelby’s head, she couldn’t help but to feel bad when Michael had been stranded alone as soon as he leaned against the bar, the targeted girl fleeing from the scene as if offended. Alone and filty rich. A combination a gang member would approach for only a night’s fun since a whole relationship was not guaranteed, though, the statement was an exception for Thomas Shelby.

“Keep babbling, cousin. You’re just mad no one sucked your dick in a week.” Isaiah threw his head back at her words. Straying pass the Gray, he patted on Michael’s rigid shoulder which had been tensed, stuffed with clenched muscles.

“She’s right, Mikey. Loosen up, no one’s ridin’ a horse.” As the pair faded into the warm glow of the pub, Michael flicked his cig that was once breathing. The clothing of the stick became drenched in a mixture of rain water and the liquid seeping out from the mysterious hole in the brick wall. Oh, how he’s going to prove them wrong.

Chatters swirled in with clinking of glasses. While a group of highly intoxicated men in the corner let out a rowdy, boisterous cowboy yell, the pair of women in the opposite corner sat with frowns on their faces, eyes darting at their empty fingers. Isaiah’s eyes grazed over the room, arm pulling the second youngest Shelby closer to rest her body onto his.

“Possessive now, are we?” He shook his head while a grin lingered on his lips. Making way through the weaving strands of people, his fingers drummed onto the wooden counter at a beat while he waited for the bartender to notice their presence.

“Three whiskeys.” Isaiah raised his cigarette in the air while he leaned his back on the prodding bar counter. The bartender’s tongue was ready to slice through the air, to kick in some sense in the mere boy who was demanding a drink without payement. When his eyes caressed over the accompanying lady who had been in his arm, the bartender froze on his spot. A Shelby. Without any opposition, he began to prepare the desired drinks. Shrugging off her heating coat which began to become a nuisance in the warm walls of the pub, Y/N rested the cloth onto the counter.

When Michael finally made his way to the pair, he rummaged through his pocket to pull out a crumpled sheet of paper he had yanked in the warm storage place. It was an impulsive decision. What could he have done? He was to complete the rechecking of the documents he had already jotted down the day before. Y/N’s eyebrows clashed at the amusing sight. Had he gone mental?

Seeing Michael indulge himself in scribbled numbers and smudged letters, Y/N let out a huff before she snatched the paper away, “Dear cousin, I know your balls are probably blue, but would you not? The night is still young, go find someone to fuck.”

Michael grumbled at her jest. Even though they were only a few years apart, she reminded him of a pestering child who was not able to zip their mouth shut for a mere second. Annoyed at her words, his eyes hurled a glance on the arm that were still weighed on her shoulders, “Yeah? Why are you so annoying lately? He’s not rough enough?”

Isaiah took a drag of his cigarette, a faint whistle seeped through his lips, “Low blow, Mikey, low blow. You know you don’t talk bad ‘bout another man’s fucking.” The Gray rolled his eyes before snatching the paper back as if it wasn’t critical for his task in the office, stuffing it back in his pocket without darting a glance of care. His reaction was uncanny when a teared piece off paper with scribbled numbers had been handed to him by a mysterious lady.

“Fine,” Michael scowled. Once the drinks sat in front of them, he downed the rock-glass worth of whiskey in one gulp as if he had been left to die. With a thump, the glass was slammed back onto the counter. “See there? I’m going to fuck them and when I come back, you better buy me a fucking bottle. Alright? Happy?”

Before the pair had a chance to hurl back a reply, the frustrated man stomped towards the sorrowful table of women. The grey smeared corner of the pub was dim, the absence of light played shadows on the pair of gloomy women.

Shrugging her shoulders at her cousin’s unexpected burst of emotions, Y/N threw her focus back to the cup. Taking faint sips, her eyes caressed over the bottles of liquor suspended for display. Isaiah shifted closer towards her, his hips resting on hers while an arm snaked around her waist. In silence, he wondered.

“Am I really not rough?”

Y/N rolled her eyes at his possible method of fishing for something to smirk or be smug about. Putting the glass on the surface after taking a sip, she turned her body to face the man, “Was the morning not enough evidence for you?”

The exhilarating and exhausting activity they both participated in seeped through his head once he rewounded the tape. The corners of his lips twirled up at the reminder of her cramped legs and her quivering knees. Sipping the rest of the brown liquid, he shot an eyebrow up as if in contemplation. His elbow rested on the bar, chest facing her while his other hand splayed on her waist, under her coat, thumb caressing the warmth radiated by the skin.

“I forgot about it, want to remind me?” Y/N chuckled, fingers brushing his smooth tie. Before she had the chance to throw back a coquettish flirt; tug on his tie so he was on her, a whistle echoed through the silent room which had died down of chattering.

Craning her head towards the man, her fingers furled against Isaiah’s chest, she blinked as she tried to figure out who he possibly was, “This darkie botherin’ you sweetie?”

Just a few thrown glances, Y/N was sure the man was not from Birmingham. The rough smeared accent and velvet suit was the cover that gave everything away. The mood of the room died down from the prominent presence of the trio of men. Hurling her attention back to her whiskey, she turned her back towards the man. To only give him satisfaction, “Fuck me, look at that ass, boys.”

Isaiah’s jaw clenched. Killing the cig within a push, he nudged himself off of the bar to stand in front of the taunting man, “Fuck off.”

“Isaiah...” Y/N mumbled, fingers gripped around his wrist. With a soft tug, she wished he would back away once she noticed the two accompanies at the back cracking their fingers which echoed sounds of bones snapping in fragments, however, his feet had been attached to the ground, ready to spring into action.

The smirk on the man intensified, the curl of his lips pointed a peak to the corner of his eyes, running up the scar that ran from the side of his face to weave to end at the droop of his orbs, “What did you just say to me?”

“I said, fuck off.”

Letting out a loud, amused cackle, he turned his head towards the two other men, who returned with the same hyena crying, “Hear that boys? The black’s telling us what to do,” Noticing the silent from the man much younger than the three was, he proceeded. “Why you with this dog, miss? Hm?”

Y/N pressed her lips, eyes darting to the back of Isaiah’s head. Her brothers were in London. To risk fighting in their absence doesn’t place good luck on their side. Even though a paper of their appearances could lead to mysterious death on papers, Y/N didn’t want to nudge another leaf onto Tommy’s plate, “Isaiah, let’s just go to the Garrison.”

“We just got our drinks, Y/N. I like it here. We’re staying.” Faltering into a tight line, Y/N’s fingers didn’t pull away from his coat, her fingers still pinching it as if a lost child.

“The darkie still talking?” The man chuckled. “I can’t understand what you barkin’ on ‘bout.”

There was one reason the three was going out tonight even though Michael had babbled on about a busy week. Y/N had managed to drag her cousin out of his working cave to drink. And she succeeded. Although she had considered no trouble for the night, her success deserved a celebration. No one was going to ruin that celebration, “Get the fuck out.”

With an amused twinkle in his eyes, he quirked an eyebrow, “You protectin’ this mutt?”

“No, I’m just tryna protect your face.”

His mouth creaked open, the sword rested on the tip of his tongue, ready to be flicked out. Except, a stinging pain tremored on his face. Like a rock had been rammed on his cheeks, he stumbled back from the great force. Oh, the night would’ve been long as she wanted it to be. Except, it wasn’t filled with fucking and drinking. Just blood and punches.

Isaiah’s purple smeared eyes creased at the faint pout sported on her lips. A hiss seeped through the cracks of his sparkly teeth when the taut bruised muscles around his eyes had been tugged too tightly. Y/N glanced up from his hands that were engulfed in hers, her thumb halted in the dipping bump of his knuckles. The strings of branching lines plastered on the scorching red line of hills had been thoroughly washed with water, the first thing Y/N did as soon as they entered the house.

“You’re poutin’. That bad huh?” His hands pulled out of her grip to tug her waist to stand between his legs. Y/N hummed. As her fingers caressed the purple smears on his face, she rested her forearms on his shoulders.

“They ruined your face.” Isaiah let out a chuckle.

“That’s the only thing you care ‘bout?” The words caused her teeth to slide out of the cave, pressing onto her bottom lip.

“That was an bonus point,” Resting her forehead onto his, she gazed deep into his eyes, noticing the plastered sparkles across the abyss. “Glad they didn’t take your cock.”

Without any more words, Isaiah hoped off the table with a creak. Despite the fresh streaks of red on his knuckles, he threw her on before making himself a place between her opened legs. Her mouth gaped open, soft moans trickling into the air in surges that tested his endurance. Isaiah’s lips brushed against the hollow column of her throat before placing a smacking kiss on her humming skin. With her fingers weaved through his hair, she tugged on the locks once he rolled his hips at an agonizing pace.

“‘saiah...” Y/N stammered, teeth chewing on her bottom lip. He let out a chuckle, muffled by the crook of her neck when her legs quivered, hips pressing against him for more friction. His pelvis sat in between her wide open thighs which gave him the best position for his bulging tent to prod against her clothed heat. A hum trickled down his throat while his fingers slithered up her dress to glide over her thighs. Hovering over the radiating barrier that blocked his fingers from her drenched

“For fuck’s sake!” John grumbled. The force he had exerted on barging the door open caused splints of wood to trip over, covering a bedding on the floor as if a neutral-coloured carpet. Y/N didn’t think twice before shoving Isaiah off who let out an ‘oof’ before she sprung off the surface.

Mumbling a a sorry under her breath, she turned towards her older brother, cheeks painted red, flushed from the disturbance, “John!” Y/N yelled, slightly annoyed.

With an irritated pace, Thomas stood by the door, a cig dangling between his fingers. The suspense trickled up her arms while he took his time to huff a drag, “We leave for two fucking days and you lot found yourself in trouble. Fucking unbelievable.”

#isaiah jesus #isaiah jesus x reader #isaiah jesus x you #isaiah jesus x y/n #isaiah jesus x shelby!reader #isaiah jesus x shelby! reader #peaky blinders #peaky blinders fluff #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders angst #peaky blinders oneshot #michael gray #john shelby #thomas shelby #arthur shelby

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samwritesforyou · 4 years ago

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On My Guard (pt. 2)

Summary: After inviting your bodyguard to stay over, because you needed some genuine company after a long day, you discover something new about him. Which also leads to some memories that were long almost forgotten.

Warnings: gender-neutral reader

Wordcount: 1.1k

A/N: god, i really hope i won't disappoint anyone by this chapter, but basically i wanted a little twist like this probably from the very beginning already, hehe. for now i have no idea where this series could be going, but its definitely fun to write!

Originally requested by: @ellefosterg

part one can be found here!

You ordered pizza that evening when you were suddenly not alone in your huge house. You had friends over often, of course, but it was never him yet. The day was crazy, your privacy was invaded and people were trying to grab you as if you were some kind of possession, more than of a human being that you actually are. You shook your head at your disturbing memories, trying to blink them away and focus on the current moment. Your eyes wandered towards your bodyguard, who was now just awkwardly standing in the middle of the hallway and the living room, not sure of what to do next. As soon as you came home you automatically threw the jacket on the hanger and stayed dressed in a simple shirt and some comfortable jeans. It was rather hot outside and inside. And yet... Diego was in his full gear, as always. Black turtleneck and pants of the same colour, with a firm belt. “Aren’t you warm?” you asked and smiled a little curiously, leaning over the kitchen island that was situated just next to the living room, without a wall between them, something like an open-space room designed on the first floor for most of the areas. This caught your guest off guard and he opened his mouth a few times like a fish, no sound coming out. “I.. have only a light undershirt beneath it,” he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. “And?..” you raised your eyebrows and then giggled, turning on your feet to the fridge, “I think the temperature here is just right for some undershirt!” you concluded, grabbing both of you two cans of beer and slamming the door shut. There was a faint “alright” that you almost didn’t notice, so when you made your way towards the couches, he was already sitting there, indeed, without a turtleneck. His body was very well built because you could get a glimpse of his six-pack even through the fabric of the shirt. You turned your gaze off of his body immediately though - not letting yourself being caught staring - and just gave him one of the bottles. You sat in front of him on the second sofa and finally took a good look at him because Diego was preoccupied admiring your place. As he was holding the glass, you detected a tattoo on his wrist and tilting your head you tried to get a better sight of it. “Whatcha looking at?” he squinted his eyes, putting the hand to his lips and taking a big sip of the liquid. That startled you and made you flinch, colour rushing to the cheeks quite instantly. He didn’t feel like an employee that was working for you right now. And you liked it. “Ahh, it’s just.. you have a tattoo?” you waved your hands in the air in embarrassment and then pointed with a finger towards one of his wrists, biting your lip. You couldn’t even see it properly yet, dammit. Diego briefly spared it a glance himself and then slowly turned his gaze to you once again. “Shit.. there was definitely ‘no tattoos’ rule in the employee qualifications, I’m sorry y/n,” he furrowed his brows and sighed heavily. That... wasn’t at all what has crossed your mind! And also... “I didn’t even know that there’s that point in the contract! I wasn’t talking about that, Diego, I was just genuinely curious. I can’t really see it, uh..” you tried to change your sitting pose billion times now, trying to see it clearly, “here, just let me,” you didn’t even finish your sentence when you quite impatiently just plopped yourself on the space next to him, now examining his wrist. Slowly, as your brain was absorbing the meaning of his ink, your eyes widened and you couldn’t bring your eyes up to meet his. “This is... the umbrella academy tattoo,” you didn’t even ask, it was a statement. Because you knew it. You were a fan, back in the day. Hell, everyone was! “Yeah,” he almost barked out and jerked his hand away, sipping on his beer. “Wait.. wait wait wait wait wait,” you started remembering something with that fact, tangling your fingers into your hair, “oh my.. god.” “What?” Diego asked, visibly nervous. Maybe he thought you didn’t like that new fact about him?... You were feeling almost nauseous from the feeling of finally connecting the dots because this whole time you knew something just wasn’t adding up! You excitedly put your legs up and say more comfortably, now finally looking at your bodyguard. “A robbery!” you started, “one year ago?... You were badly injured and I offered you patching you up after you chased the bad guys away?” you were moving back and forth on the sofa, looking with the sparks in your eyes as you awaited his reply. His cogs were spinning and head steaming, he was really trying hard to remember, until mentioned memory finally hit him and his eyes went wide too. “There was no electricity, so you used your phone and some candles to have some light to clean me up from that mess,” he continued instead of you now, knitting his eyebrows even deeper. “Yes! Yes, oh my god! It was you!” you were now just out of it as if you just finished a movie with some last-second plot twist that changed the whole storyline. And it kind of did. Because as you clearly remember, after you finally tended to his wounds, even though he had some partial mask on his face, you two started quite mercilessly flirting with each other... and it ended in one passionate kiss. After which your unknown hero had to leave because it was “so late already, I can’t keep you up at night like this, we don’t even know each other, sorry, but maybe we can meet again!” and jumped away from your window into the dead of night. ... Fuck. It seems like the memories of that evening sprung in Diego’s mind just as clearly as yours and now you were just staring at each other in silence. Your lips were slightly parted from the persisting surprise that you were still overwhelmed by. Since you were watching Diego’s face intensely now, you’ve caught that millisecond when his eyes landed on your lips, lingering just for the briefest moment, until he literally blinked his gaze away from you, sighing in disbelief. He was now leaning forward on his elbows, hands clasped together and head sunk between the shoulders, you couldn’t even get a view of his face like this. Okay, what can he possibly be thinking about? Your mind was going thousand miles per hour, trying to figure out the emotions of your only guest tonight. You excused yourself to the bathroom and despite all your efforts to make it look like a calm walk, you basically fled there and slammed the door shut behind yourself for a good measure.

Taglist for Diego works: @radcloudenthusiast @spacenerdpascal

#diego x reader #diego hargreeves x reader #tua diego #diego reader insert #the umbrella academy #tua fanfic #umbrella academy x reader #diego hargreeves #number two

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fandomsilhouette · 4 years ago

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the heartbeat in her wrist (we’ll learn to exist)

Stories are marked up and worn on the tongue of the people who tell them, on the throat of the people who gather around and drink them down, on the arms of the people who bring them close and hold them tight.

Felix sinks into the pages of a book that’s passed through the hands of a stranger and makes his home there.

Happy @felixmonth, y’all!

Marinette doesn’t like bookstores. Oh, she says she does, and she’ll visit happily whenever Felix insists, but she doesn’t love it the same way that Felix does.

“I do, I like them!” she insists, but she slinks away after school to the arts room, or the courtyard when the weather is nice, or to the infinite libraries she frequents instead. All Felix can do is follow her helplessly to her haunts. After everything he’s done around her, to her, he’s in no position to be making demands.

The libraries she likes best are the ones with yellowing pages and dog-eared corners and marks scrawled on every other page. Donated books, gone around and around in circles. A futile thermodynamic exercise, really (Felix has learned the words since he’d first heard them). He misses the crisp freshness of a new book at a bookstore, and slumps down into an armchair that’s too worn out to support his weight. His knees hit his chest, and he sighs. He can see Marinette’s head bouncing in and out of view from over the shelves, and that makes him laugh at least.

A child shrieks either in joy or indignance from a few feet away and Felix remembers the worst part of libraries: the children.

The types of kids who went into bookstores were the types of kids who stayed quiet with a book in their hand and ideas in their heads and didn’t scream or shout or cause chaos. Bookstores might be loud, with kids playing outside them, but libraries invite that inside. Parents drag their reluctant children in to see if they can make them read, by promise or by punishment, artists put on events and fairs run amok in the grass behind the building. Children lay starfished on colorful floors and leave books in the wrong places and cause smudged fingerprints on the fish tank glass, and it drives Felix crazy.

But Marinette still likes it here, so here they shall stay.

Her bun has managed to disappear from the tops of the shelves and Felix wonders if she managed to get lost, then decides against it. Marinette knows this place better than he does. Chances are she got distracted, which might be worse.

Felix kicks his feet out and fights his way out of the deathgrip of the armchair-quicksand. Time to go get her. There’s homework to start, after all.

He makes his way through the shelves, lingering whenever a cover catches his eye. He’s old enough to read whatever he wants now, and does his best to balance fiction with something intellectually stimulating (his father’s words for a textbook), but he still finds his attention caught at the bright covers of the children’s books he’s forced himself to let go of.

Geronimo Stilton has released so many new books. Felix wonders what adventures the poor mouse has gotten dragged into, brushes his fingers over the spines, and then stiffens when he realizes what he’s doing and walks away briskly.

He feels dumb when he hears Marinette’s voice drifting behind him and has to make an awkward about-face, though.

Felix winces as he does it, shame and awkwardness washing over him, and makes himself do it anyways. He’s seen Marinette trip over herself and laugh about it, make mistakes and fix them happily, and the things that eat her up inside are--

Real things. Things that matter, things that she can’t change and people she cares about getting hurt and Atlas’s weight on her shoulders for no good reason except that someone cruel and careless put it there.

Felix worries about a three year old judging him for turning around in a library without prompting.

The three year old stares at him, then tilts their head and drools. Felix isn’t sure they know how to judge, or even think. Why are they here again? It’s not like they can read. Either way, it’s reassuring to know no one’s seen him.

“Why are you turning circles in the children’s section, Felix?” Marinette comes up behinds him and he startles, spinning and hissing at her in shock before collecting himself again. The shame is back, trickling down his awareness like ice. Marinette is a full head shorter than him but reaches up on her toes to mess up his hair anyways, and all Felix manages to do is bend down to make it easier for her.

“I was looking for you.”

“Oh! Actually, I was just about to come get you. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Felix’s heart rate immediately spikes, pulsing hard enough for him to feel it in his wrists. His head spins with the force of it.

It’s not that he’s anxious, exactly. It’s more like… he didn’t-- he thought-- this was supposed to be time for him and Marinette. No one’s ever joined them before and Felix has never wanted them to, with the way he always feels left out when her friends flock to her. She’s never left him out, she gets-- Felix stumbles over his own thoughts, trying to be kind without lying about the way that he feels.

She gets… caught up with them. She takes care of everybody, she loves everybody, and he feels-- it’s easy to feel special when it’s just the two of them. It’s a lot harder when he has to watch her juggle ten peoples’ priorities and watch his needs sink to the bottom of her list.

He’s never thought she made the wrong decision when she does it.

It’s just that it… stings, no matter how rational she is.

Felix wanted, expected, this time to be their time, where he gets to be her friend and the most important thing in her life for the next three hours until the library closes and he has to walk her home. He just… doesn’t want that taken away from him.

Not that it can be. Adding someone else to the mix isn’t taking away something he’s owed, and it’s not healthy to think that way, and she doesn’t owe him anything anyways. It’s not like she promised, or anything. A tiny part of Felix’s brain reminds him that he could always ask her to make this time his, but he balks at the suggestion and shove that voice under a pile of metaphorical pillows until it suffocates, or at least shuts up.

His stomach churns and he’s watching his hand shiver, distantly, dazedly. Maybe he is anxious. Felix exists for a moment in this floaty space, savoring it, curious at the way it makes his body feel tense and relaxed at the same time. He kind of likes it except that he can’t feel his body at all, really.

Marinette looks over her shoulder at him and he registers her eyes widening, face paling. He knows that means something important. He can’t seem to remember what it is.

She’s reaching out, taking his hand. Felix is desperate to feel it, her skin on his, the softness of her grip and the warmth of her touch. That’s enough to bring him back to his body, still anxious, still shaking, and now he wishes he could leave again.

Marinette squeezes, and he squeezes back.

The person she wanted him to meet turns out not to be anyone Felix knew of. Marinette led him to a child sitting cross legged on the floor, surrounded by books. Surrounded by Felix’s favorite books, actually, piled up like the start of a fort where every brick was a memory held together by the mortar of sheer imagination and hope. Felix is baffled and concerned, because between the two of them Marinette is by far the better reader of intention and need, and Felix has never suggested he might want to interact with some child.

All that said, this child in particular might be the best one she possibly could have picked. It’s not appealing by any means, but… well. It’s Marinette.

Felix settles down on his knees and waits. He’s sure there’s an ulterior motive and if he waits long enough, eventually…

“Felix, I wanted you to meet Ina. She’s five and a half, she’s already started reading a lot, and is great at climbing shelves for what she needs,” Marinette interrupts herself to stick her tongue out at the little girl, who does it right back and then clambers out of her fortress to squirm her way into Marinette’s lap. Ina keeps on climbing up Marinette even as Marinette finishes what she was saying, “which is where I found her about to fall and caught her. We started talking after that and she was telling me how much she likes being read to,” Ina corroborates this by nodding, having made it to Marinette’s shoulders where she can poke her head over, “and I thought you would like to read to her! These are some of the books I remember you telling me about.”

Felix cannot even begin to imagine why Marinette thought he might like to do that.

He does it anyway.

Felix reaches out for whatever book he finds closest to himself and manages to drop it spine-side down on his knee in surprise when his fingers register the embossing on the cover faster than his eyes manage to. It’s the same book he gave to Marinette in the bookstore, this copy worn down and torn in places and pressed flat by years of usage but still the same familiar weight in his hands. He looks up at Marinette, who is managing to look smug regardless of the fact that the little girl perched on her head is now attempting to shimmy back down Marinette’s body.

Alright, fine. Felix lets the book fall open to where the spine is most worn through and finds himself at his favorite part, sticky notes and ink stains dotting the pages.

Ina has settled into his side, a steady weight to ground him, and Felix starts reading, trying to keep his voice from trembling. He feels suddenly, inexplicably connected to the world around him, eyes jumping from note to highlight to dog eared corner. Marinette settles onto the floor too, leaning into Felix’s other side, and he keeps reading.

They stay until the library closes, and find Ina again the next day.

#Notte Writes #Fanfiction #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #ML #Miraculous Ladybug #Miraculous: Adventures of Ladybug and Chat Noir #Felix #PV Felix #Felix Agreste #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Felix/Marinette #Felinette #A Quicksand Armchair #Little Girls That Read And Climb #Fluff #Angst #Library #Felix Month 2020 Day 30 #Felix Month 2020

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