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mackenzielovee · 3 years ago

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my girl (part 4) - rafe cameron

a/n: SURPRISE! I wrote a part 4 ;) i had this idea right after i said i was only doing 3 parts - but this really is the final one! I really hope ya'll enjoy. It's a little shorter than the rest! (not my gif)

Summary: Nope sorry you have to read!

Warnings: swearing, mentions of sex, kissing, and test anxiety

Word Count: 4.4k

series masterlist

my writing

Your phone buzzing on your nightstand distracts you get again from cramming for your Chemistry final. The exam happens in two days, yet you feel like it might as well be in two hours with the amount of anxiety you have. It's your second year of college, and boy, it hasn't gotten any easier. Thankfully, your roommate is out for the night so you have your entire dorm to yourself to study.

You lean over and check your phone. Another missed call from your fiancee, Rafe. Beside your phone on your nightstand sits your engagement ring. You stare at it for a moment and swallow your feelings, then move back over to your chemistry textbook. Your phone buzzes again - a voicemail from Rafe this time, which you don't bother to listen to.

Chemistry is your focus tonight. Chemistry is what you need to be studying for, what you need to know inside and out. You throw yourself back into it, shutting off your phone when it buzzes yet again. You need absolutely zero distractions.

About twenty minutes into it, you hear a loud knock on the door. You sigh, figuring your roommate forgot her ID or keys again. You pull open the door and sigh, fully shocked when you find Rafe standing at your door. He's out of breath from running inside from the parking lot, and he looks pissed off.

"Oh, good, you're alive," he snaps, pushing his way into your room before you can even invite him.

"What are you doing here?" you ask him, closing the door so none of your nosy neighbors can listen to yet another argument between the two of you.

Things haven't been good. You're sick of him calling and texting you all the time, him begging you to come home, and constantly asking who you're with when you go out. On top of all of that, your classes this semester are harder than they've ever been, but Rafe never respects when you say you need space and time to study.

"Checking to see if my fucking fiancee is breathing!" he shouts, throwing his hands up in the air, "I mean, shit, Y/N, I called you, like, twenty times."

You glance over to the nightstand at your phone, realizing your ring was over there, too. You know he won't like that.

"I shut my phone off. I really need to study, Rafe," you tell him, but he's not listening.

Instead, he collapses onto your bed and puts his head in his hands, sitting directly on your Chem textbook and notes.

"Oh, my God, what the hell? Get up," you snap at him, walking over and pushing him off so he doesn't ruin your notes or textbook pages.

"It's fucking fine," he replies as he stands, barely glancing at your papers.

"No, it's not. I need this shit to pass my exam-" you hold the wrinkled papers up.

"They're literally fine, Y/N," his voice raises, "Stop being so dramatic."

You take a deep breath before you speak again, knowing whatever comes out will not be very nice. You've really been trying to be patient with him, but it's getting harder and harder.

"I'm not being dramatic, Rafe," you say calmly, "I just really need to study and I need peace and quiet."

He sighs and rubs the back of his neck as he debates what to say next. Neither of you want to start a fight, but you both have a lot of shit to say. His eye catches the shiny object on the nightstand and he looks over, figuring out it's your engagement ring.

"What the fuck?" he gasps, picking it up and holding it out to you, "Since when do you take this off?"

You put your hands on your forehead and sigh, realizing this is going to take up a lot of time that you don't have. And the fact that Rafe drove eight hours on a whim because you didn't pick up his calls all day has made you crazy.

"I cannot do this with you right now," you tell him, stepping toward your Chemistry stuff.

You'll just have to go to the library and study if he's going to be here. There's no way you can get any of your shit done with him bitching about your ring.

"Oh, my bad, when can you do it, then?" he rolls his eyes, "Huh? Can you give me, like, a window of time where you're actually available to talk?"

"Rafe-" you start, but he holds his hand up.

"No, because, I mean, I don't hear from you all day, and I'm fucking worried about you, so I make the long ass drive to come check on my soon-to-be wife, and now I'm the bad guy? Yeah, no, I get it now!" he exclaims.

"Jesus, okay, I have to go," you say, grabbing your backpack from the floor and sliding some slippers on.

"Right, to study," he grumbles.

"Yeah, to study," you snap back, "Just because you didn't go to school doesn't mean you can't at least try to understand!"

You rarely raise your voice at him, so Rafe knows you're mad. He stares at you for a second, deciding if he should acknowledge your comment about him not attending school.

"It's not about whether or not I understand, it's about time management," he lectures, making you roll your eyes, "Don't roll your fucking eyes at me."

"Don't show up at my dorm unannounced!" you yell back.

"I wouldn't have been unannounced if you would answer your goddamn phone!"

You take a deep breath and exhale loudly, then step closer to the door. Rafe walks over to you and grabs your arm, spinning you around. You stare up at him like he's crazy, he's never laid a hand on you like that before.

"Put your ring back on," he demands, holding it out in his hand.

"What the fuck is your problem, Rafe? You think I'm gonna get hit on walking to the damn library? Get a grip," you mutter, trying to yank your arm from his grasp but failing.

"I'm not playing," he tells you, holding the ring up in his other hand.

"Neither am I," you snap, "Let go of me."

He stares at you for another few seconds and then releases you, groaning loudly when he does. He steps away from you and runs his hand through his hair, then sets your ring back down on the nightstand.

"What's going on with us?" he grumbles, sitting down on your bed again.

You start to feel bad as you look at him, so you step closer and set your books down on you desk. You open your mouth to speak, to apologize and return your ring to your finger, when he speaks out again.

"Why didn't you answer the fucking phone when I called?"

You close your mouth quickly, swallowing the words you were about to say. You stare at him for a moment, then you decide that it's just best to tell him the absolute, stone cold truth.

"Because I have shit going on, Rafe. I have a Chem final in two days and I'm not at all prepared, I have other finals and an entire paper due by the end of the week, and I have you up my ass about everything in between and it's just a little overwhelming right now."

He brings his head out of his hands and looks up at you. His expression changes from hurt to angry in about one second, so you brace yourself.

"So what do you want me to do to help you, then?" he asks, his voice agitated. You can tell he's trying to be patient, but he really wants to yell.

"I just need you to give me some space right now," you state.

He nods his head, moving his eyes away from yours and down to the floor.

"Space," he repeats, "You want space."

You nod your head slowly, afraid now to speak. You can't tell what his reaction is about to be, but obviously it isn't going to be a good one.

"So, you ignore my phone calls," he holds up one finger, "You take off your engagement ring," another finger, "And now you want space. Do you think I'm a fucking moron?"

He stands up off the bed, now towering over you. Your hands come up to your face, rubbing your eyes to try and relieve some form of stress.

"God, Rafe, you're making this out to be something it's not-"

"Am I?" he shouts, "Do you want to marry me or not? I mean, I really think that's what this boils down to. Am I what you want, or not?"

His yelling combined with your stress and confusion makes you yell back at him.

"I don't know!"

He steps back, almost like you've hurt him, and stares at you with a look you've never seen before. It's anger, betrayal, confusion, and sadness all rolled into one, heartbroken expression. It makes your stomach turn thinking about the fact that you're hurting him.

"Well, there it is," he says, his voice cracking, "I'll just get out of your way, then."

He leans down and grabs the ring from your nightstand, wrapping his large hand around it and then stepping toward the door.

"Rafe, wait," you say, "Where are you going to go? You can't drive home in the dark."

He doesn't turn around, he can't look at you. Not when you're not sure what you want.

"I'll sleep in the truck," he says, his voice weak and quiet.

"No," you protest, "Rafe, I'm sorry."

He stands there for a few seconds, then turns, and you see the tears in his eyes. One has fallen, and rests on the bottom of his cheek. He wipes it away, but not quick enough.

"Why are you sorry? I'm not what you want anymore," he laughs, but nothing is funny.

Another tear falls and you step forward quickly, reaching up to wipe it away. He closes his eyes under your touch, always loving feeling your skin on his.

"I didn't say that," you say gently, tears welling in your eyes from seeing him like this.

"Just..." he trails off, finally opening his red eyes, "Go ace your Chem final. I'll see you at home in a few days."

He reaches up and grabs your hand, removing it from his cheek. He lays a quick kiss on your knuckles, then closes his eyes again when he lets go of you. Not sure if it's his last time feeling you.

He turns to leave, opening the door up before he turns back to you.

"I love you. I always will."

He doesn't wait for your response, he just closes the door behind him. You turn and look at the nightstand where your ring once sat, wishing to God that it was still there. You want to tun after him, but you know you can't. You two just need some cooling off time, you tell yourself. You'll come back again atfer finals when you get home for Christmas break. He'll hold onto your ring for you, you convince yourself of that.

You can't focus. The next day, you spend all your time in the library, staring at a page in your Chem textbook, and all you can focus on is your empty finger. No pretty ring that reflects every ounce of Rafe's love for you. You check your phone, but all you see is an empty screen. Your wallpaper is a cheesy picture of Rafe holding a wine glass. You took it on your anniversary last year and love everything about it, especially his cheesy grin.

Tears start to form in your eyes, so you do what you have to do. You call him. It rings and rings and rings, then you hear his familiar, raspy voice on his voicemail.

Yo, it's Rafe. Leave a message and I might hit you back.

You close your eyes, those two sentences being the most you've heard from him in almost twenty-four hours.

"Hey," you start your message, "Look, I'm sorry about last night. I really want to talk. Please call me back. Love you, bye."

You sigh and hang up the phone, then look down to your book again. You try and try to focus, but you can't. It just is impossible with everything spinning around your brain. You can still see the look on his face when you said you weren't sure, you can still hear him say 'I love you' right before he left.

And it's all you want to hear again.

You slam your book shut and grab your stuff, then make your way out of the library. Once you get outside, you call Rafe again. You hear the same ringing and the same message from his voicemail, so you leave another.

"Baby, please call me. I'm worried about you. I just want us to talk. Please call. I love you."

You hang up and walk back to your dorm, checking every five seconds to see if he's called you back. You really just want to hear his voice, to apologize, and to be able to focus on Chemistry again. Knowing that Rafe is out there hurting is just too distracting.

You call hm again after you get back to your dorm, giving him about thirty minutes to call back before you try him again. When he doesn't answer, you leave another message.

"Hey," you say, your voice sounding more desperate, "I'm going to call Dad and have him come get me. I'm skipping out on my Chem final. I just want to come home and work things out with you. Call me, please. Love you."

And you mean every word. You sit down on your bed and you remember how Rafe had helped you move in on your first day of freshman year. You remember how he made love to you and how he proposed to you in the parking lot before he left. And you remember all the times he came to visit and you two laid in bed and planned out your whole wedding reception together, laughing and joking about who to invite and who to sit together.

As you sit there and remember it all, remember the kisses and the laughs and the feelings you have when you're with him, you've never been more sure in your life. It's Rafe. It will always be Rafe.

You hear a knock on your dorm room door and hop out of bed, rushing over to it. It's him, you hope. Coming to rescue you, coming to hold you, coming to give you your ring back. You pull open the door with a big smile, only to find your roommate, Alex, standing on the other side.

"Hey," she says, looking confused at why you opened the door like that, "Sorry. I forgot my keys."

You drop your shoulders and nod, moving her out of the way. She leaves the door open as she moves over to her side of the room to search for them. You sit back down on your bed, checking your phone once again. He has to call back eventually.

"You're not ditching your Chemistry final."

You look up and see him, standing in the doorway, staring at you. His eyes are tired, his hair is a mess, and he looks like he's hung over. You don't even want to know where the hell he's been for the past day.

"Rafe," you breathe, hopping up from your bed.

You want to throw your arms around him, hug him, and have you hold him. He stops you when you get close to him, holding out his hand to keep distance between the two of you, which practically breaks your heart in two.

"You're not coming home until you take that test," he repeats, "You've been studying for it and if you don't take it, you fail. So, you're staying. I called your dad."

You frown. This is not how you imagined it. He seems colder somehow.

"Okay," you say, "Fine. But I want us to talk."

Rafe shakes his head, leaning against the doorframe. Alex walks up behind you, whispering she will be back later, and leaves with a quick smile to Rafe.

"I'm giving you your space so you can focus. We'll work on us when you're done with the semester."

He sounds firm, but you know you can win this one. You step forward, so close that he can almost feel your skin on his. Your scent fills the air, and you watch as he swallows his feelings.

"Rafe," you say, your voice soft, "I can't focus on anything knowing that I hurt you. I need to talk about us and figure things out. Please."

"Baby," he sighs, and you know you've won just by the return of your nickname. It's your favorite, which is why he calls you it so often.

"Please," you say, taking his hand. Your fingers wrap through his, pulling him inside.

He groans but enters anyway, both of you knowing that he would do anything for you. The door closes behind him, which you're thankful for. You sit him down on your bed and instantly crawl onto his lap, not caring if that's what he wants or not. That's what you need. Your head buries into his chest and your arms wrap around his neck.

"Baby," he says again, this time with more authority.

You bring your lips up to his neck to soften him up, listening to the small moans that come out of his mouth as you work.

"Rafe," you say against his skin, "I'm so sorry for what I said yesterday."

He hums, so you give him a few more kisses on his neck before you pull back to look at him. He stares at you with soft eyes, and you know you've already won him over. But you still need to say what you need to say.

"Truly, baby. I was wrong. I was angry. You are all I want in this world and I couldn't handle any of this without you. I was acting extremely ungrateful and I'm really, really sorry," you continue, watching him smile sadly at you.

"Well," he smirks, moving his hands from your back down to your butt, "I've always known you're a brat, so."

"Hey," you pretend to pout, but really, you just want a kiss. He gives you a slow, gentle one, one that makes you want to melt into him.

"You are the love of my life," he says, "You could never say anything to make me walk. And I'm sorry for being such a dick yesterday and for not respecting your school. I'm gonna get better. This shit is just hard for me, having you all the way here. I just miss you when I'm home."

You nod, reaching up and brushing his hair away from his eyes with your fingers. Even when he hasn't showered, is in the same clothes as yesterday, hasn't styled his hair or even slept well, he still is the most handsome to you.

"I understand. I'm sorry for being so hard on you," you say, kissing him on the cheek.

He smiles against your lips, bringing his hands up to your face to move you down to his lips.

"Are we okay?" he asks you in between kisses.

You hum against his lips, and he takes that as a yes, so he flips you over and lays down on top of you, kissing you like his life depends on it. He quickly moves down to your neck, his hands going underneath your shirt.

"Oh, my God, I missed you, baby," he tells you as you feel him leaving a hickey on your neck.

"Always marking me up," you laugh at him, feeling him smirk against you, "I missed you, too."

"It killed me not calling you back," he continues against your neck, "But I wanted to do right by you, you know?"

You gasp when he bites you slightly, then laugh when you feel his big grin on your neck.

"That's why I love you the way I do," you say sweetly.

He sits up and looks down at you, smirking widely, "Can you love me like you do right now and then get back to your studying?"

You bite your lip and nod, pulling him back down on top of you.

A little while later, you and Rafe lay naked in your bed, just breathing in the other. Rafe is drawing hearts into the skin on your stomach, leaving little kisses every so often on any inch of skin he could reach with his mouth.

"You need to get back to studying," he says, but doesn't stop with his kisses.

"Can I have my ring back first?"

He looks up at you with wide eyes, wondering if you really mean it. He didn't want to bring up the ring, just in case you had changed your mind about the engagement.

"You sure?" he asks quietly.

You grab his chin and pull him up to you, stroking his hair as you give him a couple quick kisses.

"I've never been more sure of anything," you tell him.

He nods and kisses you again, then hops off the bed and pulls the ring out of the zipped up pocket of his shorts. He grins at you and then jumps back in bed, of course landing on you when he does.

"This is a twin bed, you ogre. You can't be jumping and shit, there's not enough room for you!" you say as you try to free your left side from underneath him.

He moves and lets you get situated, then holds out the ring. You hold up your left hand for him ti put it on you once again.

"Will you marry me?" he asks, and you would've laughed at him if his voice wasn't so gentle and nervous.

"Of course I will, Rafe Cameron," you tell him, smiling.

He slides your ring back on your finger and you somehow feel more complete, more whole, knowing it's there.

"It's never coming off again," you tell him, meaning it.

He kisses you softly, "No, it's not."

Rafe takes a shower and then hangs out on your bed on his phone later on to keep himself occupied while you study for Chem at your desk. You ask him to quiz you and he does, even though he knows nothing about Chemistry.

It gets late, so you tell him you'll study the rest tomorrow and hope to be prepared the following day for the exam. You put your book and notes on your desk, then slide into bed with Rafe, who you made stay with you tonight. Although it didn't take much convincing.

"I can't believe your dad is just letting you take all this time off," you mumble against his chest.

"Hmm," Rafe hums, so you know you're wrong, "I've kinda been dodging his calls."

"He'll be mad," you tell him, and he nods.

"I don't care, though. I got what I came here for."

You spend all day the next day studying in the library for Chem and writing your paper, while Rafe packs your things for you. He figures it's one less thing for you to worry about, and then you can just come with him after you finish your exam. He had told you he wanted to be the one to bring you, his soon-to-be wife, home.

Rafe waits for you outside your building on exam day. One by one, students file out of the building, and he gets even more anxious every time you aren't one of them. Eventually, he stops pacing and sits down on a bench, praying that you do well.

He sees you emerge from the building with only ten minutes to spare, and jumps up to greet you.

"So?" he asks, his voice hopeful.

"I won't know for a few days," you tell him, "But I'm confident. I felt like I had most of it under control."

He smiles, taking your hand in his and kissing it, "I'm so proud of you, baby."

You smile and thank him, then put your head on his chest in hopes that he'll wrap his arms around you. With the amount of stress you've been under the past few days, all you want is just for him to hold you right now.

"I'm so proud of you," he repeats, swallowing you up in his arms.

You breathe in his scent and relax, knowing that even if you fail every class you ever take for the rest of your life, you will always have a place in the arms of this boy.

After a few minutes, you move to look up at him by resting your chin on his sternum, staring up at him. He smiles down at you, running a hand through your hair as an attempt to calm you down.

"Take me home, Rafe," you tell him quietly, and he nods.

He reaches down and takes your hand, leading you away from the building. You two go back and grab the remaining items you need to bring home, the rest Rafe already packed in the truck, and then go out to the parking lot to head home.

You feel relieved, ready to spend some quality time with Rafe and really make sure to work on things so that nothing ever gets bad between the two of you again.

He puts you into the truck and closes your door, then hops into the driver's side. He reaches over and takes your hand, staring at the ring on your finger and smiling softly.

"Let's just elope and get it over with," he looks up at you, already laughing because he knows you'll never agree.

"Yeah, I'm glad our wedding is something you just wanna get over with," you roll your eyes, but can't help your smile.

"You know what I mean," Rafe groans, "We don't need all the bullshit and the drama. I just need you. And a minister."

You laugh at him and nod, understanding what he means. He looks down at your hand in his, at the diamond on your finger, and so do you. You honestly can't remember why you took it off, you just know you never will again.

"A small wedding it is," you whisper.

He leans over and gives you a kiss. Then another. Then another. He pulls away and starts the truck, then looks back over a you.

"Baby, I'll do whatever you want."

That sentence combined with the cheesy smile he gives you afterward is what convinces you that, no matter what, Rafe will always be yours, and you will always be his.

Tags: @cmrxac

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asimpletroll · 4 years ago

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(A) (M) Chisaki Kai X (O) (F) Reader

You?

You were the Omega who had been stinking up his base for the last month?

YOU?

"-so sorry, so so sorry, I didn't see you, I was looking for Eri, Rappa startled her again, I swear I didn't mean to bump you-" You babble at Chisaki, close to your heat and scared of every Alpha in the base at the moment. You don't realize how his eyes have zeroed in on you, you're too busy cowering against the wall, trying to apologize and make sure he doesn't hit you, or worse.

"Be quiet." You immediately shut up, your throat feeling constricted even though he didn't use his Alpha tone or his Quirk on you, you look at him with watering (e/c) orbs as he strides over, taking off his coat slowly. "Your slick is dripping. I'll have someone else look for Eri, you need to get to your nest."

"...I...I live in the barracks, I-I can't-"

"Then come with me." He wraps an arm around you with care he never uses, making sure to keep his coat (you're so small it drops nearly to your knees, and Chisaki is swooning on the inside at how cute you look) between the two of you and wrapped securely around you so that no one else sees your current...predicament.

Chisaki notices your fear increasing, almost every step towards his private wing making you pump out more and more fear in your scent.

Normally, he can't even smell you, which is mildly disappointing to him because you smell citrus-y and a little sweet, but it was always very subtle and clean.

Now, all he could smell was your fear, and the urge to hole you away from everyone and everything was making him very twitchy as he opens the door to his wing.

You instinctively pause upon the threshold, your Omega screaming that this means this Alpha likes you, that it was time to Mate. Chisaki waits for you patiently, knowing the battle you're fighting and being fascinated by the micro-expressions racing through you. Your pupils twitch slightly in every which way, your ears perk and shift a little with noises, and your nose wrinkles a little (like the bunny he had as a child would) as you get particularly stressed.

"I cannot find you someplace comfortable if we loiter for much longer." He finally speaks up and tells you, you flinch a little, but follow his unmentioned command of 'hurry up' and almost bump into him again as he closes the door.

As soon as it shuts, lights flick on, and this time he gently wraps an arm around your waist as you spook. He gently lets you recover from your heart attack adjust to his touch, then guides you past several rooms that reek of other Alphas to you, and the locks on the door along with how reinforced they are tell you all you need to know about what might be in those rooms.

"I am unfamiliar with creating a space for a Heat, but I understand you require lots of blankets and soft things?" Chisaki asks you lowly, he spots the tiny hairs on the back of your neck rising, and your own scent smells sweeter, even with the fear overlaying it.

"Yes." You whisper, and try to hide (due to his lack of comment, you guess you hide it) the fact that you get mildly horny at just his voice.

Chisaki is amused by this, mostly by the fact that your entire face had turned red and was a very clear indicator of your dilemma to him.

"Why are you so afraid, Omega?" He asks you conversationally, as if he had by total and complete accident of course not dropped his voice several octaves just fool with you. You repress a shiver, and he grins under his mask, a very feral and smug grin, as he gently inhales your sweetened scent a bit more.

"M-My parents...they didn't...didn't want an Omega...didn't want me...so they would destroy my nests...even before I was revealed to be Quirkless..." You murmur quietly, timidly almost, to him, and he feels himself harden at how perfect you were for him.

"Why would they do that? Children smaller than four years old require softness or they are in danger of chewing something into pieces or eating it whole." Chisaki keeps his voice low, loving how you try and repress another shiver, and your pheromones almost choke him as he tries to gently sniff them again.

If you two didn't find an appropriate area soon, he may simply take you to his den, which would be twice as dangerous for the both of you.

"I...I don't know...it was...mildly better...after my little brother was born. He was a boy, an Alpha too, and he had a Quirk." You tell him, trying to make your clenching pelvic muscles stop their ridiculousness. Chisaki is too busy rolling his eyes to notice that you're starting to hold on to his coat a little tighter to try and hide the fact that your pants are officially soaked through.

"Oh...they're those types of people..." Chisaki says, his voice the lowest yet in barely-withheld rage, and a pitched whine escapes you before you wrap a hand around the base of your throat. Chisaki almost walks into a wall in surprise, you immediately sidestep as he steadies himself.

"I'm sorry-" You immediately return to the babbling mess you were in the hall, trying to appease him when even you can tell he isn't angry, in fact, if the crinkles by his eyes are any indicator, he's smiling under his mask.

But you're scared. And horny. So you run your mouth without thinking, apologizing frantically before he gently wraps his arm around your waist, he gently tugs you close to him, you keep your eyes averted and lowered to the floor, but he removes his face mask entirely in order to kiss your forehead gently.

You clench the hand around your throat tighter as he re-places his mask back on his face, he then runs a hand through your short hair tenderly. You look up at him from under your eyebrows, your lashes dark and long and thick as they frame your gorgeous (e/c) orbs.

"You simply startled me, there is no reason to apologize." He rumbles to you, his voice much lower now as his Alpha starts to really push for some attention. He watches with amusement and arousal as you clench your legs together, the slick now dripping low enough for him to see it, even with his jacket around you. "But may I ask you something?"

"Y-Yes, sir." You squeak, Chisaki goes from hard to full-blown, raging erection, you can barely hear him inhale, a very subtle noise that doesn't quite click in your mind until he presses the two of you together.

"...have you ever had an Alpha before?" He purrs, your eyes nearly roll into the back of your head and all the fear leaves you immediately as you melt into him. "I'm guessing not."

"N-None o-of them-" You squeak slightly in indignation as Chisaki plucks you up from the floor like a ragdoll, gathering you into his chest and not minding your wet and sticky slick soaking into his chest. "-None of them ever w-wanted a Q-Quirkless Omega."

Chisaki is immediately disappointed, not in you or anything about you, but at the rest of society for letting such a sweet and pure thing sink so low as him.

"They were fools then, and did not deserve you." Chisaki turns down a hall, and it's getting very hard for you to not nuzzle him. His musky, beautiful scent was everything you've ever liked, blended together in such a complex way you couldn't describe all of the unique notes and subtle tones of it. Chisaki notices you eyeing his neck and gently presses your face into it, you let out a startled, but pleasantly so, squeak, and he purrs for real this time at the adorable noise.

Your slick surges and you let out a much higher-pitched purr, leaning in against him as he opens a door quietly, the hall light flicks off and leaves you in darkness before Chisaki gently closes the door with his heel. You've buried your face in his neck, blinding yourself to the fact that Chisaki has brought you to his room, his den and haven.

At least, until his no-longer-gloved hands sneak their way under his jacket, undoing a single button on your shirt to lay themselves on your bare waist. You gasp softly in surprise, moving your face from his neck just enough to give him a startled look.

He nuzzles you, closing his eyes and leaning his back against the door as he openly relaxes, holding you close while gently fondling your slightly-chubby-but-not-noticeably waist.

"C-Chisaki?" You squeak, one of his hands immediately rolls your shirt up and off of you, you squeak again in surprise, but he tossing your shirt and his coat haphazardly onto the floor. You immediately cover your breasts, your face once again blushing strongly, and he quickly does away with his masks as well, hanging them on a hook by the door as he gently turns your face to his by tenderly grasping your chin.

"I want you, Omega. I want you, (Y/N)." He rumbles, striding forward as you turn into a flustered, slicking, horny mess in his arms. His voice is like pure sex but only the deep, tasteful, romantic parts of it.

You mewl a little as he gently places you on his bed, but he rests his arms by your head and kisses you deeply, swallowing anymore noise with tenderness and care. You forget about your embarrassment as he gently move his lips against yours, his cock straining against his pants and pressing up against your legs a bit as he leans over you.

"Do you want me also?" Chisaki murmurs to you once the two of you run out of air to suck from each other's lungs, you immediately wrap yourself around him tightly. "Do you want me like I want you, (Y/N)?"

"Yes, Chisaki, yes I want you-" You don't get another words out as he kisses you again, his hands easily finding and undoing your bra before starting on the buttons of his shirt. Once you run out of air, he starts kissing the underside of your jaw as you pant quietly, he has to pause (his frustration visible) in order to pull his shirt off. You immediately touch the intricate, but traditional tattoos on his arms, pecs, and (you're willing to bet) his back. "You're so pretty, Chisaki."

"So are you, (Y/N), you just don't have art to paw at." He purrs as he descends on you again, you happily undo his tie for him as he kisses you, and the fact that you fumble with it from the distraction of kissing is adorable to him, and he can feel a small wet patch grow do to his leaking precum. You two pause again, and he attacks your throat and neck with powerful sucks and languid swipes of his tongue as you grind your clothed sex against his.

You gasp quietly when he whips your bra across the room, but he gently fondles one breast and you turn into a melty mess again. He chuckles, happily going back to his network of hickies trailing down your throat and across your shoulder. You happily tangle your hands in his hair, pressing him against you further with soft mewls of encouragement.

"A-Alpha, stop teasing!" You finally reach your breaking point, Chisaki almost rips your dress slacks in his immediately eagerness to get them off of you, you giggle a little and he blushes, burying his face in your neck before you tempt him out with kisses to his cheekbone and nose and the tip of his ear.

Then he actually rips them, his face morphing into one of shock and embarrassment as you giggle loudly and nuzzle him. He mumbles a hasty apology before eagerly pulling them off you, taking your panties with and tossing the mess by the foot of the bed before crawling up your body and trailing lazy kisses up from your bellybutton.

"Why are your pants still on?" You tease, kissing his nose before he can reply, he nips your bottom lip playfully, stilling feeling you up as you squirm gently.

"So impatient, (Y/N)." He teases right back, gently tugging on one of your nipples, you steal another kiss from him as he other hand (that is not forming a bruise on your nipple, not at all, no siree) trails down and teasingly circles your puffy little clit. You gasp in surprise, and Chisaki happily presses forward and slips his tongue and one finger into you at the same time. You melt into a happy, horny, submissive puddle under him, causing him to let out a deep and rumbling purr as he explores your mouth with fervent heat and dominance.

He gently explores your opening too, feeling you flutter around that single digit and getting painfully hard in his pants as he stretches you around a second finger. Your slick makes it easier, but it's still painfully obvious that you are still new at this. (So is Chisaki, but he's hoping you're too horny and heat-addled to realize this.)

You eagerly spread your legs a little, beyond ready for this part as your fingers once again find their way into Chisaki's well-kept hair and tangling it. You moan as his two fingers start to gently stretch you, you can feel Chisaki smile into the kiss a little before it goes from 'romantic exploring' into a creature of teeth and tongue and lots of purring from you both.

Unfortunately, Chisaki knows that you still need prepping, and as much as he enjoys the savage kiss, he separates to let you breathe and whimper and mewl as he continues to stretch you. (Both of you think this is taking a while, but this hasn't even been ten minutes since your butt hit his mattress.)

You surprise him when you nip his ear, but he happily turns your head and sucks on the tender skin underneath one of yours, returning you to the panting, mewling puddle. Your slick has surged so many times, his entire hand is covered up to his wrist, and he hasn't even gotten knuckle-deep yet.

"Such a messy Omega, (Y/N), look at what your naughty cunt has done to my hand." Chisaki purrs absolute filth into your ear, and your eyes roll slightly as you let out a porn star-worthy moan, his hips grind up against you exposed inner thigh roughly as he lets out a possessive growl. "Tell me, my messy Omega, who's making you so wet?"

"You, Chisaki, you are, Alpha!" You mewl, he slips a third finger in, starting to actually move deeper into you as you moan again, he happily continues to dirty-talk in your ear, telling you that this would have happened a lot sooner if you had told him that you were an Omega, he would have gladly bent his little nanny over his desk anytime. Or maybe he should've made you Present yourself to him, without any pesky suppressants to quell your scent, then he would've seen what a messy little cunt that hide itself in such a clean, proper suit would've been capable of.

Or maybe he should open the door, let the entire base hear you get railed.

You dissolve under him, not realizing that he's dissolving right with you, pulling his head closer to you as he finally extracts his fingers and simply Overhauls the rest of his clothes off. (Speaking of, where are your shoes? You swore you had them on in the hall, but your feet are bare now.)

"(Y/N), this may sting." Chisaki whispers into your ear, his head nudging your entrance gently, you tuck your face into his neck tightly, but you aren't afraid, simply nervous.

It does sting, but only enough to make you gasp a little, and that gasp is mostly from shock at Chisaki's sheer size. His girth and length were both big, and while he knows you've never had an Alpha before, this still made his already huge ego blimp.

"Chisaki, Alpha, you're huge." You pant into his neck, he struggles to fit himself into you, and you can feel the veins throbbing against your walls as he slowly sinks in, inch by inch, and you mewl once he reaches your G-spot. You pant against his skin as he slowly bottoms out in you, you can feel him twitching inside of you, but you were seeing stars anyway. "A-Alpha-"

"Sh, (Y/N), you need to adjust, Omega." He purrs into your ear, but his cock twitches strongly inside you at the thought of wrecking you severely, to where no man or Alpha could ever satisfy you again. "You're like a vice, Omega, you're squeezing me so tightly. What will happen when I blow my knot, hm? You're so small, I could break you in half with it."

You let out a sinful noise that Chisaki can barely recognize as an orgasm as you sink your teeth into his neck a little. You wrap your legs around his slim waist, anchoring him to you as your walls try to milk him through your orgasm.

"I can't wait for that sound to be my name, to hear you scream so hard the walls rattle-" This kick-starts his dirty-talk again as you slowly calm down, occasionally he shifts his hips, stimulating you just enough for you to know he's teasing you again. You actually clamp down on him and he buries his face in your shoulder with a groan that could make millions, and he slowly grinds against you.

"Naughty Omega, you naughty, naughty Omega." He rumbles from your shoulder, you pant happily in his ear, every deep, slow roll of his hip making you see stars all over again. "I should punish you for that, you naughty thing."

"Then punish me." You pant in his ear, the lick up the shell of it as he groans again, pushing a little harder against you this roll, "Punish me Alpha, make me regret teasing you."

Chisaki rumbles, he drags his hips out, and you expect another languid roll that hits all the right places, but he slams into you like a bullet-train instead.

You try to gasp in surprise, but he smirks against you skin, and that is the only warning you have before he starts pistoning his hips into yours at barely-human speeds.

"Gladly, Omega."

You open your eyes, sprawled out across Ch-Kai's chest, your face nuzzled under his chin softly as he continues to sleep while fully sheathed in you. You blink slowly and lazily a few times, trying to remember what day it is, and yawn quietly as you ponder. Kai shifts under you slightly as he stirs, you gently press your face back into the comfortable position you two had.

"How long have you been awake, (Y/N)?" He purrs at you, gently nuzzling you back as you yawn quietly against his throat. "Not long, sleepy-head?"

"Of course not, or I would've brought food." You sit up a little, your fresh Mating Mark stinging slightly as part of the coverlet falls off that shoulder. Kai gently licks it, you hum and kiss the side of his face gently. "If my math is right, today is Kurono's turn to make breakfast, he usually does something simple, like Omurice."

"Yes, but breakfast requires getting out of bed." Kai mutters, gently pulling you back down on his chest, you muffle a laugh at him as he settles his chin on the top of your head. "What? Eri was right when she called you the perfect cuddle-partner, as it turns out."

#soft #chisaki kai #kai chisaki #bnha villains #overhaul #bnha smut #mha smut #villain smut #overhaul smut #omegaverse #bnha omegaverse #a/b/o

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falcor-thee-luck-dragon · 4 years ago

Text

Love Cuts Deep

Chapter 7- Touch Me Under The Stars

Bucky Barnes x reader Series Rewrite (Civil War, Infinity War/Endgame, TFATWS)

Summary: Now that Bucky is finally out of Cryo, the two of you adjust to life in Wakanda.

Warning: fluff, smut (it gets spicy), Bucky being soft

Masterlist

Life in Wakanda was something you could never have ever dreamed of, they literally had everything here. The buildings were huge, the people so interesting and lively, the scenery absolutely breathtaking, and the tech? Out of this fucking world to put it bluntly. Tony Stark who?

Though you’d be a lying fool if you claimed to be fully satisfied with your new corner of the globe, you had a place to exist and feel comfortable in, even a nice apartment overlooking the city that’s attached to where Bucky is currently being held in.

Right. Bucky.

He’s been on your mind as of late, well in actuality he’s been consuming most of your brain processing for the past couple weeks since you and him arrived here with T’Challa and Steve after the mess in Siberia.

Another painful memory added to the already long list of traumatic experiences endured by you throughout these past sixty or so years. But you’re surviving, well enough for the most part that is; you see Steve left soon after Bucky went into the Cryo chamber. Leaving yourself all on your lonesome in a strange new country with no friends but T’Challa.

If you could even consider him a friend.

Who by the way, makes you still feel pretty uncomfortable around considering all the times you beat the shit out of each other in the past, and he thought you and Bucky killed his dad, so it’s been light treading even if he insists it’s all in the past.

On a lighter note you met his little sister Shuri, who upon discovering who you were and what you can do, immediately began marveling at the fact that you have Adamantium claws in your forearms. She was thoroughly impressed and asked for you to cut a lot of random expensive looking objects for scientific purposes only.

Well that’s what she claimed at least. Other then then those two, you’ve been pretty solitary for the most part. Which has really started getting to you recently, something that T’Challa has begun to notice.

That man is too observant for his own good.

Wind rustles the jungle trees from outside this large glass window in the lounging area of King T’Challa’s extravagant home. They sway freely in the open sun as they stretch their great green leaves to the beautiful sky above. But no bout of joy resides in your heart this day, no matter how enticing the weather may appear.

Soon a new presence is felt in the room, though it’s nothing to be alarmed about as he walks to your side, a thoughtful yet concerned expression crossing over his kingly features, “Are you finding your stay here welcoming Y/N?” Wonders T’Challa softy as you slowly blink.

“I am.”

He frowns, you’ve been quit talkative before, but now you barely even speak to anyone, “My friend I know you are not alright. Please tell me what troubles your heart.”

Dammit he’s good.

Sighing, you hug your sides as he patiently awaits an honest answer, frowning, you reluctantly begin, “I thought I would be fine....I’ve always been alone for most of my life anyways. Never counted on anyone but myself. Never needed anyone but myself. That’s how I survived. It’s just now.....I have Bucky. And I care about him more then anything in the world, but he’s gone.......well not really but, you know.” You whisper before turning your head towards some tall trees so that the king cannot see the way that your eyes brim with unshed tears. God the ache you feel for him is almost unbearable.

Understanding your deep sorrow from your lovers absence, T’Challa slowly nods, “I cannot fully express an understanding of your pain, as I have never felt it like the way that you have now. Nor have I lived the life of your own.” He admits as you turn your head to catch him in your peripheral vision, not quit ready to meet his unthreatening gaze.

He swallows before continuing, “But this I do know, you are a warrior if I’ve ever known one, and I know many.” Chuckles the king, “You fight fiercely and love deeply, Bucky should be proud to have you by his side. I may envy that kind of love, though I should not say it, it is true.”

A stray tear slides down your cheek as you quickly wipe it away with the back of your hand, “Love.” You whisper softly in thought, “I do love him, yes....very much. I’ve been withdrawn lately, because well, I guess I miss him more then I’d realize I would. I hope your people help him. That’s all I ask for, I’ll wait forever if I have to.”

“You might not be waiting quit that long actually.” Reveals Shuri as her familiar footsteps wander into the large sun-lite room overlooking the jungle, “My team just needs a couple more days with him and he’ll be good to go for the most part. Though the process of fully becoming free from the trigger words may take a little longer....his mind will still need time to heal.” Explains Shuri as she moves to stand on your left, opposite of her half-brother.

At this your heart speeds up with excitement, eyes turning to face the smiling princess , “I don’t want to threaten royalty, but I might break a couple of your lounge chairs if you’re lying to me. I’m not joking.” You add half jokingly as T’Challa lightly chuckles.

“Now I do not doubt that.”

——

Today you’ve been summoned into the lab in preparation for Bucky’s defrosting, claiming that having a familiar face as the first thing he sees was probably the best for when he wakes up again, at least that’s what the doctors told you.

And of course you didn’t even hesitate to say yes. So now here you are in their cleaner then a soap bottle lab, standing nervously a couple feet away from the Cryo chamber as some scientists go about their duties to his left. It’s strange, he looks relatively peaceful and serene, like he’s having a nice little nap while standing upright and covered in frost.

Nonetheless Bucky looks handsome as always, soon a tiny subconscious smile tugs at the corner of your lips as you await the aftermath of the defrosting process. A button is hit and the familiar whoosh of the air chamber fills your ears as bouts of warm white steam push up into the air from the bottom and sides of his chamber.

The inside goes foggy before one of the scientists flicks a switch and the glass door pops open to emit a plethora of tiny clouds that float up and dissipate just as quickly. In the aftermath, your eyes search for Bucky, he’s still sleeping and is covered in a couple specks of blue frost, his hair undoubtedly wet from the chamber’s atmosphere.

“Give him a moment, he may be slightly disoriented as the body wakes up again.” Explains Shuri from the doorway as you bite your bottom lip anxiously in anticipation for when he’s finally conscious.

“Right.” You nod in understanding, “Not like this isn’t the first time I’ve seen him this way.” You mutter with a depressing chuckle.

A second later you’re alerted to the sound of someone sucking in a deep breath, immediately your head snaps over to witness as Bucky stirs, his fingers curl back to life as his lips part. Then soon after his two icy blue pools slowly reveal themselves to the rest of the lab as he takes a look around.

Your fists grip tightly onto the fabric of your jacket as Bucky swallows before blinking back the slight blur of waking up from a couple weeks of hibernation. The scientists, Shuri, and you study his movements as Bucky’s brow raises in thought, his eyes only on you.

“How longs it been?” He wonders before taking a step to get out of the Cryo chamber.

“Exactly a month and a half Mr. Barnes.” Chirps Shuri enthusiastically as he nods in understanding before she gives a glance between the two of you, “Alright, I’ll give you and Miss. Valerious some time to catch up while we check your vitals.” Adds the princess before exiting out the door, the other scientists following suit.

Now it’s just you and your Bucky; glancing at the floor, the two of you wander into a semi-awkward silence before he finally breaks the ice, “You look good.” He mutters softly, a small reassuring smile on his pink lips as your eyes trail up to meet his.

Revealing a breathy laugh, you shrug, “Hardly. But you on the other hand, white, I like it. It’s a good color on you.”

His stubbled cheeks flush pink as he smiles brightly, “I think I remember you telling me the exact same thing before I went under.”

“Well I just told you again, because I mean it.”

“Well I like the new style..” Points Bucky to your outfit, “it’s Wakandian but very Y/N.....I like it.”

Shaking your head you begin giggling at his adorable compliment, “Barnes you’re too much....but seriously, how do you feel? Are you dizzy? Nauseous? Thirsty?”

He smiles, “No, uh....I actually feel pretty good honestly. I could go for something to eat though, I’m starving.”

Walking over you gently take his hand in yours, “Say no more. T’Challa’s got everything here.”

——

After Bucky got readjusted and evaluated by Shuri’s team of incredible scientists and brilliant doctors, Bucky was well on his way to a full recovery from the years of mental torture given to him by Hydra. The words didn’t affect him anymore, the anxiety surrounding the very thought of breaking and turning on everyone again was a thing of the past.

He was your Bucky, completely.

In the following days after, T’Challa found a nice place on the outskirts of the grand city where you and Bucky could lay low and recover for some time as needed. Not wanting to over due your stay in his lavish home, and also wanting to feel the breeze again, you both agreed to live in a little village on the edge of a large pond.

All of it was Wakanda, so neither you nor Bucky stressed any worry that the Romanian and German authorities would come bursting through the front gates to whisk you away for your crimes. Or Tony Stark for that matter, he definitely hates you guys without a doubt in your mind.

Definitly with good reason, but that doesn’t mean you’d ever dare give Bucky up.

But on to greener pastures, it’s truly a possible thing that you’ve never seen Bucky in colors besides black or faded red shirts. But now? He wanders around in the brilliantly beautiful colors of Wakanda and her people with a brighter smile on his lips and lack of one arm for the time being.

Ah yes, the arm.

For the most part he’s been fine about it, though he needs your assistance when getting dressed or when attempting to wash the grime from his growing mane. Although, and fortunately for you, he’s still quit proficient in the area of love making with no decline in performance with lack of one arm, much to your satisfaction and his.

Besides that, it’s amusing, since you’ve been staying in this little friendly village, the kids have begun calling him the White Wolf when they want his attention. Which in turn earns a small smile upon his lips, one because he knows you usually hear it and think it’s adorable, and two it’s probably the first honestly kind thing anyone has ever placed on him, ever.

Walking across the villages center area, past huts and ladies washing some of their tunics, you follow the excited rambling of one of the village children as she talks a mile a minute about how you just have to see this really cool thing right now without exception. So of course you have to see this really cool thing, right now.

“Y/N! Y/N! Come! Faster you’re going to miss it, hurry you’re being slow.” Urges Ryn’a with a wave of her hand as she beckons you to starts running with her.

Heeding to her urgent request, you give her aunt a pursed lip grind before racing after the sprinting child, “This better be very interesting, or I’ll throw you into the water again!” You playfully threaten as she giggles across the grassy field.

Soon you’re crouching behind a rock as she peeks over the stony edge, ducking back down, she gives you a mischievous grin, “The White Wolf doesn’t see us.”

Raising a brow you nod, “This is what you wanted me to see? Him?”

Shaking her head she rolls her dark eyes in amusement, “No. We’re hunting.” She smirks in excitement as your brows furrow in confusion. Huh?

“Uh.....what?” Suddenly you connect the dots, “Are we hunting the White Wolf?” You ask, pretty damn positive that’s where this little adventure is going.

Shaking your shoulder excitedly she squeaks with joy before instantly catching herself and quieting down real quick, “He’s just over this rock. Chopping wood for the fire tonight....we need to hit him with a stick okay, then we run.”

Slowly nodding, your eyes trail over her excited face, “Hmm, okay. But I gotta ask, did Kova put you up to this and I’m now an accomplice?”

Biting her bottom lip, she diverts her gaze to the bushes behind you before mumbling out, “He might have......and if I was to hit the White Wolf on his head without getting caught. I’d get to play the drums for the fire tonight.” She whispers almost embarrassed.

Giving her a kind smile, you gently touch her shoulder in reassurance as she looks to you now, “Well then. Looks like we’re on a wolf hunt today, huh. Lucky for you, I’m great at throwing sticks.”

Immediately she squeals in joy before standing as still as stone, “Sorry.”

“No worries. I don’t think he heard a sound.” You reply, snatching a ruler sized stick from the ground before peeking over the grey sun kissed rock.

There he is, in his red tunic completely oblivious, using a Vibranium axe to chop away at the wood for tonight’s fire dance. Sitting back down, you press your back against the stone as Ryn’a clenches her fists in excited anticipation, “Ready, Y/N?” You nod as she smiles.

“Okay good....don’t miss.” She warns.

“I never miss.” You muse before turning back around, your eyes peek up over the edge and watch as Bucky sets another log on the flat rock, he hauls the axe down, splitting the wood in two.

Setting the axe down again, he walks over to the small log pile before selecting one and setting it back on the flat rock, bending down to grab the axe and when he stands to his full height again...

Smack!

Instantly the dry weather worn stick flies from the back of his head to the ground below as he throws a wary look in your direction. Though he sees absolutely nothing but a big grey rock and some bushes. Touching the back of his head, he looks down and swiftly picks up the relatively unthreatening piece of dried wood.

Studying it like it’s the holy grail and will give him all the answers to eternal life and whatnot, he throws it to the ground before continuing with his duties as you turn back to Ryn’a. “That was a good hit.....can you do it again? Please?” Mutters the little beast as you settle down from that adrenaline rush of perfectly nailing Bucky in the back of his head without getting caught.

Let’s not forget you were one of Hydra’s most deadliest assassins.

Her dark chocolate eyes stare pleadingly and puppy-like as she fake pouts, “Please Y/N? I won’t ever leave another turtle in your house ever again....promise. I promise, please?” She quietly begs as you contain your laughter.

“Yeah alright. But you’re gonna have to run cause he’s probably gonna figure out where the second one came from.” You add with a smirk, “I’ll deal with the wolf after. I can take him.”

“Yes!” She squeaks, “Oh, sorry I mean....yes.” She whispers quietly as you search for a new stick to throw.

Soon enough you find another and cautiously look around the side of the rock this time, there’s Bucky, setting another log on the flat rock before slicing it in half. Instantly the biggest grin pulls your lips into a Cheshire Cat smile as he turns to grab another log.

Smack!

“Hey! Who was that?!” He shouts in confusion as Ryn’a bursts with laughter before booking it back to the safety of the village while you crouch there behind a rock cackling like a child.

God that was such an accurate hit too. And he didn’t even see it coming.

Suddenly you hear the sounds of feet running against the earth, when Bucky makes it to the back of the large rock you’re nowhere to be found. Brows furrowing, he looks at the bushes and then over to the nearby village before shaking his head and turning around to walk back over to his usual duties for the day.

Only now he’s confronted by the casually innocent face of you who’s standing there with the axe slung over your shoulder, “Something scare you Barnes?” You muse with a small laugh before nodding towards the wood, “I mean these logs can be pretty scary I won’t hold it against you. You might have seen a snake, who knows.”

Sauntering back over to you he stands there for a moment just observing your casually calm self, “Why do I have a suspicion you just hit me with a stick. Twice.”

Shrugging, you slam the axe into the dirt before rising up to meet his humored gaze, “Maybe it was a Rhino, maybe it was a little nine year old who needed me to win her a drum. Guess you’ll never know.”

Glancing from the ground then back up to you again, Bucky shakes his head at your theatrical antics, warm smile ghosting across his lips, “Well just so you know it didn’t hurt.” Assures your big tough man with a nod.

“I’ll use a bigger stick next time.” You quip as he takes a step closer to you.

Handsome face breaking out into a beaming grin, “Come on, let’s go for a walk. I’m tired of chopping wood.” He says as his fingers ghost against the bare skin of your sleeveless shoulders, “I just want to be with you.”

Touching the side of of his stubbly cheek affectionately, you smile, “Where too? By the pond?” Which causes him to snort a breathy laugh.

“No, I don’t trust you by open water.”

You shrug in agreement, remembering the first time you both arrived here and the children brought you into a splashing fight where you got Bucky’s hair all wet, “Yeah that’s fair.”

——

After enjoying a pleasant evening walk together, eating a delicious traditional Wakandian meal, and watching the performers for the celebration dance and beat on their drums for hours into the night. You and Bucky decided to steal away from the festivities and have a little moment together under the stars, just you and him, nothing and no one else.

“That was nice wasn’t it.” You mutter as he lays on his back next to you, “I like these people. They’re kind.”

Turning his head to meet your shadowed face, he smiles adoringly as you keep a steady gaze set on the stars above, “Well, no ones trying to kill us so I’d say we’re doing alright.”

“We are, aren’t we. Who would have thought that shit huh? Two ex-assassins, two fucked up people like us laying like sappy teenagers under the stars. This almost feels like some stupid romantic film.”

Bucky lets out a proper laugh this time as you send him a humored look, “What? I’m being honest!”

Quickly he rolls onto his side to face you, a new sultry flicker flashing through his dark gaze, “Maybe I like being sappy with you.” He mutters lovingly before trailing a finger across your jaw as you study his face.

“Sappy with me? Why Mr. Barnes are you flirting with me this fine evening?” You muse with a breathy chuckle as he smiles brightly down at you.

“I was hoping you’d notice, is it working?” He asks, a hopeful look in his dark blue eyes.

Leaning closer, he’s pleasantly surprised when you gently press your lips to his, “My God James you’re making me swoon.” You jest before snickering at your shitty old-timey accent replacing the Eastern European one, “Why I’ve never met such a character, now tell me Mr. Barnes, are you a single man?”

Holding in his laughter, he takes a breath before answering, “Doll, I’m taken.”

Gasping in mock surprise, you quickly sit up before pushing him onto his back by both shoulders, your legs to either side of his torso as your faces keep mere inches apart, “Well, well, well how about that.” You slyly tisk, your natural accent dripping heavily as it sends a thrill through Bucky, “Lucky woman indeed. But I can guarantee you, I’m much more enticing.”

Bucky shivers as you lean your body closer to his, your silky hands to either side of his flushed face as you smile a devilish grin in the darkness, “I don’t doubt it.” He rasps, voice just barley above a whisper, lips so close to yours now you could almost taste him.

“I just realized something.” You suddenly mumble against his plush inviting lips.

Bucky hums in reply, to completely and utterly enthralled by your seductive charm to even form a coherent sentence, you smirk before rising to properly sit up against him, “Bucky, you look better in the dark.”

His stomach rises with a deep laugh that rubs pleasingly against your growing warmness as he gently squeezes a hand on your right thigh, “You’re gonna get it for that one.” He muses, appearing like he’s about to flip you over but you’re not having any of that.

Pressing a hand against his firm chest, you suddenly grind your clothed nether regions slowly and meticulously against his lower stomach. He quickly lets out a low guttural moan as you lean down to press a chaste kiss against his lips.

Pulling away, you rest one hand on the thin Wakandian blanket that’s keeping you two from the dirty ground below, your other hand gently trailing down the side of his stubbly face, “Just let me make love to you okay? If you want that i...”

“Yes!” Interrupts Bucky with a great bout of enthusiasm before catching himself, “I mean....uh, yes please.” He mutters, failing to regain his composure as you circle your hips against his fiery skin. Oh, you are certainly enjoying yourself.

Smiling into the half moonlight, your eyes trail cautiously over to the burning village bond-fire a small trek away, seeing everyone laughing and minding their sweet business you then immediately pull your shirt off, your bra following right after just as quickly. Laying discarded on the nearby grass for later; Bucky’s eyes go wide with lust as the outline of your curves and protruding breasts flash like gold in the moonlight.

God you’re so beautiful, he thinks, and all mine.

The smile that Bucky gives you could just about light up a room on the darkest of nights, he wants you, he needs to be consumed by you, to feel you for all that you are. You can see it by the way that he rubs your partially exposed thigh, by the way his eyes never leave yours and when they do it’s to wander around your divine vessel.

He’s never been more in love then in this very moment, if that’s even possible; he’s never really spoken too deeply about it, his time with Hydra. But he’s undoubtedly glad that you found him when you did, he was in a dark place then. Lost and alone, on the run and keeping to the shadows as best he could from the rest of the hungry eyes of the world.

Then one day out of the blue you showed up with nothing but your wits and a kind smile to show you meant no harm, all you wanted was to see him again after all that time apart from your escape and his imprisonment with Hydra. He was sent to kill you, but you came back to him anyways.

He didn’t understand it at first, when he began to realize what falling in love truly felt like, but with time it came to him. At first sight wasn’t something that happened by any means, he was nervous to see you, standing there so innocently in his apartment in Bucharest. He thought he was being careful, he thought he was safe.

But then Hydra’s most prized weapon and most difficult one at that, you, had shown up to make sure he was okay. He couldn’t believe it, but what scared him the most as he let you stay with him, he was slowly but surly beginning to fall in love with you.

Now that was a new feeling he hadn’t felt in decades, you intrigued him, made him laugh with the simplest of offhanded side comments, made him try to be a better person. And most of all you made him feel wanted and loved, and that is something he will always hold dearly to his very heart and soul.

Because as you’ve said to him, you’re his ride or die no exception, you’ll always be there to throw a punch for him or to gather himself in your arms when the darkness threatens to consume him for all he’s worth.

You’re not afraid of him like so many are, you don’t run from danger, oh no, when Bucky’s concerned. You’re ass will fight to exhaustion to keep him safe and alive. Which so far has proved a very useful state of mind in consideration to the past events that have currently led you two on this ever changing roller coaster.

From Bucharest to Berlin, a flight to Siberia and a long skip down to Wakanda; you two will be by each other’s side no matter the distance. Because to put it bluntly, you’re all Bucky has left in the world and Bucky is all you have either, one without the other would be a dreadful existence.

Luckily for you, Bucky’s incredibly alive and doing pretty damn alright all things considered. Also for the current moment, he’s becoming an undone mess underneath you. Which is just what you’ve wanted, he deserves it.

Trailing a fiery pathway of butterfly kisses from his collarbone all the way up to his neck and jawline, Bucky emits a deep groan of pleasure as you palm him through his baggy pants that have started to tent with the pull of his growing hardness.

His lower half is still clothed while your whole body is free for the shimmering stars to bear witness to, and Bucky of course. “Y/N. Please.” He rasps as you feel up his clothed manhood while you grind tirelessly against his bare stomach, the sensation no doubt drawing you into a blissful rising climax to follow.

Stopping your pleasurable attack to his hardened member, you swiftly roll off of him as you decide it’s time to get things rolling, “Alright hot stuff get that shit off, I need you inside me right the fuck now.”

“Give me a sec...” Grunts Bucky as he kicks off his pants into the grass before you help him prepare to slip off his underwear, holding the top rim of the fabric, you generously pull it to his ankles before he kicks them off completely.

He chuckles as your face flashes with delight once all the goods are finally shown at long last, “See something you like?” Quips your man as your head snaps up to meet his amused gaze, huh were you staring?

A hot second later you’re hovering directly above his heated body as he strains from grabbing your soft hips and pushing your slick entrance into him. He wants you to enjoy yourself more then anything in the world, so instead does he pull you in for a heated kiss.

“I see many things that I like.” You whisper against his soft lips before slowly sinking down onto him, the sensation of his fullness and girth pulling you into a world of bliss.

Your smile is almost provocative as he moans, the sounds of his pleasure sending sparks of electricity into your system, “God Buck, you feel so fucking good.” You praise, rolling your hips back and forth against him shamelessly, God he loves it when you sweet talk him

He smirks against the corner of your lips before kissing your cheek, “You.....to-too.” Stutters Bucky while you continue to relentlessly ride him like a wild bull, the rocking of your hips causing him to forget how to properly speak.

He looks absolutely angelic, dark locks spread out upon the Wakandian blanket, shirtless, and face smiling with great happiness and joy that he’s been so terribly deprived of for such a long time. Not anymore. Not if you can help it.

Biting your lip when his member twitches inside you, you’re helpless to stop as a soft voluptuous whimper leaves your parted lips unexpectedly when he bucks his hips into you for some more friction. Noticing how well this new action is being received by you, Bucky does it over and over again until you’re nothing but a moaning mess above him.

Dammit he knows how to make you feel good.

Your body falling fully onto him as he makes you cum hard, “F-fuck.....oh God Buck, fuck me.” You mumble against his lips as he thrusts up into you over and over until he finally spills inside you with a concentrated grunt.

“oh.” You gasp breathlessly as Bucky flips you onto your back in one skilled motion, still deep within your wet warmness as his whole body presses you wonderfully into the soft blanket, “I hope they can’t see us.” You point out as Bucky chuckles before kissing your jawline, strong hips pushing against yours as he parts your legs further with his large body.

“It’s dark out.” Mutters Bucky in reply as he pulls another moan from your sweet lips, “They’re dancing.....and we’re....oh fuck....uhh....yes...” He can’t even finish his sentence as you suddenly squeeze your walls tightly around his cock as a second orgasm hits you, “Dear God Y/N.” Moans Bucky while you trail pink fiery lines down his muscular back.

Smiling against his lips, you fully enjoy the sensation of his thick member sliding in and out of you at a blissfully rapid pace as he continues to make a mess down there with his pleasure inducing actions. You’re incredibly grateful for the fire dance celebration happening a little ways away and all the loud pounding of the tribal drums that masks over the sounds of yours and Bucky’s intense love making on the Wakandian savanna.

Biting your lip, you can’t help when more whiney moans slip from your mouth, he’s a relentless force of lust and love that’s on a mission to see you filled to the brim with pleasure once more. He needs you, he wants every single inch of your heated vessel, he needs you to come for him just one last time.

“Y/N.” Mumbles Bucky against your parted lips as you slowly nod in acknowledgment, too fucked out to think. He smirks, “Cum for me, last time okay.” Says your lover sweetly as his hips roll against your sweaty skin, sending waves of building pleasure on a crash course for your hot core that’s pulsating in delight.

Digging your nails into the slick muscle of his broad back, you suck in a breath while his hard member slides in and out of you with ease. You’re about to come undone right under him yet again, the power of this man you could just about die happy, “Fuck,” You whimper helplessly as he kisses your cheek, “oh God Buck I’m close.”

He smiles proudly as his hips thrust forward, cock sliding deep within your warm walls as his manhood presses on the brim of your entrance, working absolute wonders on your over-stimulated clit.

Soon enough, the tight coil bursts open, sending shock waves of absolute radiant bliss that causes your muscles to tighten and shake reflexively. A sudden wetness slips out around his cock and onto the Wakandian blanket that’s definitely going to need a deep cleaning tomorrow.

The new liquid slides down your inner thighs as your body slowly yet surly comes down from your salaciously erotic climax; head unclouding the thick fog away, you take a deep breath only for yourself to realize you just squirted for the first time ever.

And it appears Bucky has just come to this thrilling realization too, locking eyes with him, you’re greeted with a sly smirk, “Did I just make you squirt?” Muses Bucky in underlying excitement as you simply roll your eyes.

“Well, it’s not like I can deny it considering it’s all over the blanket, among other places.” You sass back, still aware of how he’s still buried deep inside you, “Proud of yourself?” You add with a small laugh.

Kissing your lips in reply, he pushes himself up by his one arm to gently slip out of you before laying in an exhausted heap at your side, “Actually. Yes, I am very proud of myself thanks for asking.” Quips Bucky while his hand trails down your bare rib cage before a huge grin reveals itself in the darkness, “I just made my girlfriend squirt!” Shouts Bucky without a care in the whole goddamn world.

Smacking his arm, you quickly sit up and look around, though it appears no one even knows you two are out here, “Will you shut up!” You whisper yell down at Bucky who’s giving you the biggest white toothed smile ever, “Stop smiling it wasn’t that impressive.”

Faking a half offended look, he pats your leg affectionately, “It was! And you seemed to be enjoying it so just accept that I’ve gotten better at this.”

You scoff, “I never said you weren’t. It’s just we’ve been together for almost three years and that’s the first time I’ve ever done.....that. So..”

“And it just happened so therefore I am amazing and you’re just going to have to accept how hot I am Y/N.”

“Buc..”

“I was getting you all hot and bothered doll.” Winks Bucky seductively as you shake your head at him, a reluctant smile creeping onto your beautiful features anyway.

“God you’re so old.”

Bucky snorts, “And aren’t you 65 or something? Sleeping with a 90 year old man....Y/N you’re getting out of hand.”

Shoving his hand off of your leg, you swiftly fall into his side as his arm curls up to wrap protectively against your waist, “Bucky shut your ass up.” You snicker, “I liked you better when I was on top. All you did was give me that “oh god Y/N oh fuck me ohhh I’m gonna I’m gonna...”

Bucky squeezes your side, “Okay. Okay. I get it you little asshole....let’s just, let’s just rest a moment yeah?”

You hum, shifting yourself so that you can lay against his chest, “Getting mushy on me now Barnes?” You whisper softly with a playful smirk.

A small smile pulls at the corners of his plush lips while he glances down at you, “A little.”

For about twenty minutes the two of you keep silent, just listing to the yelps and thunderous pounding of the drums from farther away. There is no reason to leave, no reason to move, no reason to speak. Just you two, laying wrapped up together in each others loving embrace, taking in the moment for as long as you can. The future is always uncertain, so every single second with Bucky is a blessing to be cherished and consumed for all you can take.

His breaths are slow and steady as you feel the soft rise and fall of his muscular chest that’s pressed against your breasts and face. His fingers run gentle line up and down your naked skin as you hug him close.

“Do you remember when we first saw one another?” Asks Bucky, his voice almost startling you. Lips just barley brush against your naked shoulder as he holds you close, your face nuzzled comfortably against his dark hair.

You pause, eyes blinking as they shift over to Bucky while he awaits an answer, “It was a long time ago Buck.”

“I know. But do you remember?”

Shrugging, you shift a bit to have a better look at his face, “I do. But you were the Winter Soldier and I was.....something I never want to be ever again.” You mutter, the sadness and regret deep in your soft voice.

All goes silent for the next couple minutes before Bucky suddenly kisses your shoulder, “I thought you were beautiful.”

Yours brows raise as you pull from his right grasp to sit up on one elbow while you look down at him, a lump forming in the back of your throat as you hold back tears. You didn’t expect to get this emotional but here you are naked and bare for him, “You did?”

Bucky nods in the darkness, heart hurting when your voice cracks, he’s never told you a word about how he felt when he was a weapon, “And every day after that.”

“oh.”

“I didn’t want them to.....well, you know.....I didn’t want to forget you.” Confesses Bucky, “I’m so fucking glad I didn’t. Thank you for finding me Y/N....I owe you my life.”

Biting the bottom of your quivering lip, he smiles adoringly up at you, “Bucky....shut up you’re going to make me cry you bastard.” He laughs as you indeed shed a couple stray tears in this soft moment of vulnerability with your sweet man as he holds you protectively in his arm.

“I mean it...every single word, you mean so much to me Y/N. The world would be a darker place without you in it...”

You lower your head in shame, all those buried memories piling up all at once, “No. No it wouldn’t be....I’m part of the darkness Bucky...you know that..”

“Y/N, look at me, please.” Begs Bucky as you begrudgingly lift your head for him to meet your tearfully sad eyes, “Don’t let them win. What they did to us, what they made us do....you’re so much better then all of that. We’ve changed Y/N, for the better and you know it...the words can’t break me anymore and you, you’re free.”

“Okay.” Is all you’re able to rasp out before more tears fall willingly from your eyes, tiny water droplets of grief and remorse pattering against his bare chest, Bucky’s heart breaks for your pain and loss, and everything those fuckers at Hydra put you through before your escape to freedom.

He knows how much you hate yourself for all the innocent people you killed, granted not many were adherently innocent, but there where many that died by your hand because wrong place wrong time or by Hydra manipulation. Selling you false secrets that painted some people who were indeed good, as the enemy equal to the worst kinds of humans.

He knows, and he refuses to let you fall into this dark pit of despair, “I love you...okay, Y/N I love you so fucking much.” His words are well heard and received as you bury your face into the crook of his neck.

There he holds you tightly, there he will protect you with his life, and there he will stay with you under the stars until dawn breaks out over the horizon.

Tagged: @diegos-butt @minigranger @bibliophilewednesday @holyhumorliteraturelight @lilacs-lavender @a-girl-who-loves-disney @starkssnarks @vikingqueen28 @bizarrebibitch @atomicpersonacheesecake @jmstz @staygoldsquatchling02 @marvelbros-oneshots @shawnartmendes @mischiefmanaged71 @jckie94 @iamasimpingh0e

#bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x reader #the winter soldier #the winter soldier x you #the winter soldier x y/n #the winter soldier x reader #marvel imagine #marvel x y/n #marvel x reader #marvel x you #marvel #tfatws #the avengers imagine #avengers x fem!reader #avengers x reader #avengers x you #james buchanan barnes

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thebiscuiteternal · 4 years ago

Text

“A Bird in the Hand” Friendship <3, Mutual Interests (Sorta Not Really), Hidden Identities, Kidnapping, The Ship Is A Huge Spoiler Sorry

__________

Having decided he was going to lose his mind if he had to listen to the constant chatter about scores and techniques for one more moment, Nie Huaisang quietly slips out of the dining hall and heads out into the early evening air.

Just a little time to himself to clear his head, that’s all he needs. A short walk, and then he’ll go back. If Da-ge gets upset about him wandering off here… well, he’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it.

Movement in the bush next to him startles him a little, but not enough for him to miss that the small reddish-pink form darting out of the leaves is flying very oddly.

Wing damage at the very least, he calculates. If he doesn’t intervene, it’s probably going to be a predator’s meal soon.

Concern replaces his earlier exasperation; he changes course from the path he’d been planning to take and begins tracking where it might land next instead.

---

The erratic flight pattern makes his task a little more difficult, but there is still a bit of light left in the sky when he finally snares the wounded and bedraggled puff of feathers -a rosefinch, one he hasn’t ever seen this particular color and pattern of- and very gently deposits it in his lap.

“Shh, you’ll be fine,” he soothes, carefully rubbing the poor thing’s cheek with a fingertip to calm it down before reaching into his sleeve for his usual pouch of supplies. “See? I’m here to help.”

Once the bird is gorging itself -no, himself- on seeds, he begins inspecting and carefully cleaning the injuries. He was right about the wing, plus there are nasty cuts to a leg and another to the neck. Claw marks, most likely. “Poor darling, you must have just escaped a cat,” he coos softly as he takes out thread and thin strips of cloth.

“Interesting.”

Nie Huaisang only just barely manages to avoid jostling his patient when he jumps slightly at the unexpected new voice, then freezes when he turns his head to find a young man wearing red and white robes. “Ah! I’m sorry if I entered a restricted area, I just-”

“It’s fine,” the Wen stranger says with a smile. “You haven’t left the guest territories yet.”

“Oh… good. That’s good.” The rosefinch cheeps in his lap and pecks his hand and he looks down and clicks his tongue as he resumes threading the needle he’s holding. “Demanding now that I’ve been nice enough to feed you, aren’t you?”

“May I observe while you work?”

He doesn’t hear the Wen disciple move at all, so when he looks up and finds the young man standing barely a step away, he has to restrain himself from scooting away on reflex. “Er- I suppose? Most people don’t want to,” he says, watching as his new companion takes a seat on a rock next to him.

Up close, there is something slightly unnerving about him. It's the same feeling he notices when Da-ge is trying to intimidate people around him less, like there's something big and dangerous being forced into a too-small hide.

Nie Huaisang swallows and ducks his head, reaching into the supply pouch to produce more seeds for his patient. He finishes prepping the needle and gently coaxes the rosefinch into a better position, feeling an intense gaze on him all the while as he begins the first neat, tight stitches. The bird makes an unhappy noise of pain, but more seeds and petting keeps him from attempting to escape and he only cheeps grumpily to himself as Nie Huaisang works.

"You're very skilled to make it trust you so easily."

Despite himself, he feels his face heat at the rare compliment. Though Da-ge and their cousin Nie Zonghui often try not to get bored whenever they visit the aviary, the only person who’d ever actually been interested in watching this sort of thing was-

He bites his lip and shoves that thought aside. “It’s a lot of practice in patience, mostly,” he says as he finishes with the leg and turns his attention to the wounds that might need to have feathers clipped for proper treatment. “You have to learn how they work, how to follow them without getting them so stressed they accidentally hurt themselves worse, observing flight patterns, all that.”

“Seems like a lot of effort to put in for someone who so infamously avoids it.”

Nie Huaisang stiffens, then forces himself to calm down.

Stupid. He’s wearing Qinghe colors and this disciple probably just saw him hanging around Da-ge. He’s not hard to identify, and his reputation… well.

Still, the unease lingers, though he tries to shake it off by remaining focused on his task. By now the rosefinch is comfortable enough with him that he’s able to gently remove some damaged and bloody feathers. “I just… I like doing this. That’s all.”

“Understandable. A reward only counts as a reward if you want it.”

It’s gotten dark enough for people in the buildings down the path to begin lighting their lanterns, but he’s well-acquainted with working in such conditions. He finishes the neck and wing injuries quickly, the strange disciple remaining in his spot for the duration.

“There we go, all ready to get better,” he croons sweetly, coaxing the finch to his shoulder, where the bird snuggles into his collar.

An elegant hand reaches into his view. “May I?” the disciple asks.

“If he’ll let you,” Nie Huaisang says, tilting his head to give space. The rosefinch is having none of it, however, and ducks to hide under his hair with a grouchy little squawk, tiny claws pricking at the nape of his neck. “Or not. Sorry about that.”

The other man’s lips curve in amusement as he draws his hand back. “It’s fine. Patience, as you said.”

Nie Huaisang begins packing up his pouch. The unease from before has faded into a more readily ignored feeling, especially since the disciple hasn’t actually done anything to deserve it. “Do you want to walk back to the pavilion? Da-ge won’t be happy if I stay out much longer. He’s probably not happy with me for staying out this long already, actually.”

“I appreciate the offer,” the other man says as he stands and needlessly dusts his clothing. “But I live in a different part of the compound.” Another smile, slow and interested in a way that makes Nie Huaisang’s face grow warm again. “There are still two more days left in the tournament. Perhaps we’ll cross paths another time.”

“Ah- well- shouldn’t I know your name, then? You already know mine.”

The strange disciple bows, smooth and sharp, not even a fold of cloth wrong. “This humble one is simply Han-er. I look forward to our next meeting, Nie-er, gongzi.”

It is only later, after Nie Huaisang has returned to his own room with the rosefinch, that he realizes somewhere the ‘perhaps’ had become a certainty.

---

They do cross paths again, more than once, in fact.

After the second encounter, Nie Huaisang can’t help but notice that Han-er always seems to find him when he’s entirely alone.

A spy, maybe?

Maybe not. He’s been keeping track, and Han-er has never asked him anything particularly pointed about Da-ge or their cousin or anything about them that might be considered ‘vital information’, just the occasional offhand curiosity about their relationship dynamics. Their sects may be on bad terms -very bad terms- but Han-er has been nothing but polite.

By the time of their fourth meeting, he feels guilty for ever having had such suspicious thoughts about the man.

“And how is Minsheng doing this morning?”

“Besides being crushed under the weight of such an auspicious name?” Nie Huaisang asks cheekily, earning another of those amused smiles.

“You cannot deny he has earned it.”

He can’t, really. Once no longer in constant pain, Minsheng has become chatty enough that the finch has received at least one threat of being roasted and eaten. “He’s recovering at a good pace. I worry about taking him home, though. With the differing climate, he’ll be miserable while his feathers are growing back in.”

Han-er inclines his head and looks away. “Why not leave him with me?” he asks after some consideration. “I do not have your experience, true, but our time has been... enlightening. And he likes me well enough, now.”

It’s… not a bad idea, really. If Nie Huaisang changes the bandages again just before he leaves, all that should be left to do surgery-wise would be to remove the stitches, and he’s seen that Han-er has a steady enough hand for that… “I can draw up some notes for you this afternoon and deliver them and Minsheng before the closing ceremony, would that be alright?”

“Perfect.”

---

He doesn’t actually see Han-er again before his sect departs to go home to Qinghe, having been forced to leave Minsheng and his notes with a guard who’d smirked at him in an extremely discomforting way. It brings back the troubled feeling lurking in the back of his head and leaves him unsure whether he’s unhappy to have missed the meeting, or somehow relieved.

When word comes several days later that the Cloud Recesses have been burned, he decides on relief.

---

His stomach churns unhappily in a mix of unsatisfied hunger and nausea as they’re dismissed back to their cells after another day of grueling work and so very little food. Each step feels like he’s trying to slog through knee deep mud, and by the time he makes it to their designated hallway, he’s starting to feel dizzy.

Something… something’s wrong. Had the food been spoiled? But no, no one else seems to be...

“Young master?” asks one of the other Nie disciples.

“I’m fine,” he lies, even as it feels like the floor rolls under him like the deck of a boat.

He falls and doesn’t remember hitting the ground.

When he opens his eyes again, the disorientation persists. Something noisy is going on nearby and whatever he’s lying on, it’s too comfortable to be the paper-thin pallet mattress he’d been subjected to for over a week.

This isn’t his cell… Where…?

What is that noise?

Confused, head swimming, he tries to sit up and finds that his hands have been bound behind his back. Before he can start to panic, gentle hands squeeze his shoulders and assist him in rolling over.

He dimly registers that the sound he’s hearing is the chattering of a bird.

But why would there be a bird-?

A familiar figure leans over him, long fingers sweeping his hair out of his face and down his cheek in an affectionate caress. For the briefest moment, he is grateful to see the face of… perhaps not a friend, but at least someone he knows.

Then ice cold terror seizes his insides when his eyes register the crown on the man’s head.

The Eternal Sun.

“Tell me, little bird,” Wen Ruohan says, smile sharp as a knife’s edge and gaze hungry. “Was I patient enough?”

__________

((Author Note: Okay, so, like, if I’m not remembering wrong, Novel!Ruohan is described as ridiculously young-looking because of his high cultivation. Like, we’re talking 19-ish even though he and Jin Guangshan are the only Great Sect leaders who have at least one fully adult child at the time of the Phoenix Mountain competition. So I thought, what if he leaned in to it? Suckered the other sects by having an older proxy take his place at meetings and conferences so that no one actually knows what he looks like except for some of the Wen Sect’s inner circle?))

#mdzs #nie huaisang #and a secret friend!#fanfic

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prof-peach · 4 years ago

Note

What's a good pokemon team to have if you go into pokemon rehabilitation? I already have a Rowlet and hope to incorporate him.

A team for rehabilitation can be very varied, I find you have to fill a group role more than a certain species. I’ll rattle off the roles I use on my team for doing rehab work, and you can pop whatever Pokemon in that you deem able to do the job. Some of these roles can stack if you’re smart in who you choose to be on the team.

The muscle/ a role for lifting heavy patients and giving support and stability to those trying to use new limbs, or recover from serious surgery, or accidents. Ideally try to find something that can lift without moving the patient much. Telekinetic energy can do this, making psychic types a wonderful ally here. Alternatively a muscle bound Pokemon like machamp would also do very well with all the lifting involved in this work. You as a human cannot move a snorlax with a slipped disc, or a Gyarados recovering from surgery, so train someone who can, save your back. This role shouldn’t be used to attack, at no point should this Pokemon, or any of your team for that matter, attack a patient. Even in self defence, it will forever put a little fear of you in the patients mind. Your job is to soothe, not agitate. A calm or kind nature would suit the role best. Patience and control are the biggest virtues to have when you’re the groups muscle.

The defender/ a Pokemon able to take a hit, or produce attacks that give cover or protection. I mentioned earlier how you shouldn’t attack a patient, and this can be difficult when they’re afraid and lashing out, which btw will happen at least once or twice a month on average. Defenders are there to block, and that’s it. That’s all they do. They can help do small tasks of course but if your patient unleashes a move, that Pokemon has to be able to step in and stop or redirect the attack. There’s a number of ways to get hurt in this job, so training a Pokemon to defend you and your team mates is so very vital, I cannot stress it enough.

The intellect/ a Pokemon with compassion and understanding, one who seems to bring out reason and better judgement in those around it. Bonus if you can find a partner with a calming aura, such as meganium. This will keep everyone nice and calm, and many hostile pokemon can be talked down, should you have a partner who has the gift of the gab. This is a hard Pokemon to find as you usually have to spend a long time with them to truly know if they’re the sort for that position. Take your time, and if you can, find something that can learn soothing moves too, sweet scent, heal bell, you know, the good stuff. This position is often given to a healer, they have a giving nature, and even injured and frightened Pokemon will see that and let them approach without much fuss.

Speed demon/ if a Pokemon bolts, you want to be able to track it easily, flying types and fast runners are excellent for this, and can go off and follow the scared individuals until they calm down, some are capable of even bringing them back, but at the least they can tell you where they’re hiding by zooming back to where you are. They usually make good messengers too, if you work as a team and need to keep local communication up and together. Some areas have pretty shoddy phone signals so Pokemon messages are more reliable.

Status affect/ an individual with various forms of attack built to help you do your job. This role is open to interpretation, some folks know they need a Pokemon that can use sing, it’s a handy way to knock out a hostile or agitated Pokemon for a once over, this is just an example of course. You’ll find as you grow, your pokemons more unused moves will turn out to be pretty handy. Folks write off moves like leer and growl, but they have useful effects in rehabilitation, to teach a timid Pokemon this attack would give them a boost in confidence. We get shy types coming through all the time, and they pick stuff up from the local Pokemon we have on the island, their growth is both physical and emotional, certain moves give Pokemon the boost they need to run into battle, or defend themselves fiercely. These status affecting moves are shown to be part of a pokemons developmental process, each one giving them a new found strength and skill, some that they enjoy, others they don’t. We as trainers may dismiss them and only choose damaging moves, but that doesn’t mean the other less physical attacks aren’t very important too. Your team mate that you place in this position may just be a humble raticate, but they know some sturdy moves that a lot of species can learn, and if they don’t they may feel nervous or insecure next to their peers. Your partner may be able to pass on how to perform the basics, something some Pokemon miss out on, especially those raised in captivity.

I think that’s it. You can have one or two of the same, or any mix and match of different roles on a team, I’d suggest trying different ones, and also not nailing it down to a certain species, you never know what you’ll come across, and what they can bring out in others. Some of the most caring Pokemon I know, with the most functional abilities to help others, are those who have once been down and out. Perhaps go and look at a shelter, they’re always looking for people to adopt good Pokemon who might have had a rough start, they know what it’s like to have a second chance and as a rehabilitation worker, you’ll get Pokemon who have gone through all sorts of situations and come out alive somehow.

#pokemon #prof.peach #peach talks

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ultimatetrashyfanfic · 3 years ago

Text

I’m just gonna say Non-despair AU cause I want everyone to be happy. I freaking LOVE Gundham so much, he’s wonderful and I’ve been wanting to write him for a while (but stalling cause of his DIALOGUE. It’s so hard). Buuuut I decided to finally give it a shot. And to kind of vent a little cause he used to stress me out in his dark coat and scarf in tropical heat. With Kazuichi because I want them to be friends, and because I seem physically incapable of not putting Kazuichi in every fic. COULD be seen as pre-soudam if you prefer, I didn’t write it like that but it could be if that floats your boat. I do like that ship, I just like other ones with Gundham and kazuichi more. Anyway, hope you enjoy - Circle

Also on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33543364

Warning: descriptions of overheating, sickfic. Nothing really bad here.

Kazuichi wasn’t shocked to wake up sprawled across a towel with sand in his hair and a dry mouth, completely alone on the beach. This wasn’t even the first time it had happened. When his insomnia was really bad he’d always doze throughout the next day - for some reason he couldn’t sleep in his warm, comfortable bed at night but could drop off in seconds with his head on the breakfast table or against Hajime’s shoulder. His classmates never bothered to wake Kazuichi if he was somewhere he wouldn’t be in the way, so the beach was a frequent napping spot. They always made sure to leave him in the shade with a water bottle for when he woke, so Kazuichi didn’t mind. It was normal.

What was very much not normal was waking up to Gundham grasping the front of his t-shirt, shaking him violently and yelling some weird gibberish that Kazuichi was still too woolly-headed to understand.

“Wha..?” he muttered, trying to wake up properly. For a second he wondered if he was having a weird lucid dream, because Gundham never usually touched people, especially him - though he was shaking him by the shirt instead of the shoulders.

“You’re gonna stretch out my clothes,” Kazuichi whined, sitting up and scrubbing his eyes.

“As if your tattered garments are a priority right now! Answer me with honesty, lest the demons tear your tongue from your very mouth. Have you encountered the wrath of my Crimson Steel Elephant?” Gundham cried, far too loudly.

“What?” Kazuichi mumbled. “Gundham, I can’t decipher your witchy language when I’ve just woken up.”

“Foolish mortal! This is a dire emergency!”

“Why? What’s happened?”

“I shall repeat myself just once more, so listen well. Have you encountered one of my Dark Devas of Destruction? Maga-Z appears to be missing,” Gundham said. Despite the grandeur and fancy words, Kazuichi could see he did look pretty distressed, holding the three remaining hamsters in his hand as if he was scared they’d dash away too.

“Oooh, okay. You’ve lost a hamster. That’s all you had to say, Gundham. One single sentence and I would’ve understood,” Kazuichi said.

“Do not talk so disparagingly! My Devas are far more powerful than mere hamsters. And Maga-Z has an independent spirit and often attempts to cause chaos alone. I have my concerns for the safety of everyone on this island if Maga-Z wields his destructive power without my guidance.”

Gundham was completely serious, but Kazuichi had to bite his cheeks to stop himself laughing, picturing a hamster storming across the island in a tank, decimating everything. But Gundham was clearly frantic, and Kazuichi was trying to be nicer to him recently, so he sighed.

“Okay, I’ll help you look for him. We should try to get the others to help too.”

“Indeed. You were the first mortal I came across,” Gundham admitted.

“Right, what does Maga-Z look like?” Kazuichi asked, taking a long drink of water. He felt like he’d be running around in the hot sun for a while now and wanted to drink while he had the chance.

“Your memory is abysmal.” Gundham seemed irritated that Kazuichi didn’t know the hamsters by sight.

“Look, I’m not exactly on nodding terms with your ham- Devas, am I? How am I supposed to know which is which? I only recognise the chubby one.” Kazuichi pointed to Cham-P.

Gundham reeled back like he’d been slapped, spluttering in outrage. “How dare you mock his corporeal form! If Cham-P was not so patient, he would obliterate you where you stand for such cheek.”

“Look, I wasn’t trying to body shame your hamster,” Kazuichi said irritably. “I wasn’t mocking. He’s just bigger than the other ones.”

“He is of the Golden variety, of course he is larger in stature. It has nothing to do with his nutritional intake.”

“Are we going to search or not?” Kazuichi snapped. God, talking to Gundham for more than five minutes was exhausting. “Do you know if Maga-Z has favourite places to go or something?”

Kazuichi let Gundham lead and did his very best not to talk to his strange companion as they searched through bushes and inside cupboards, asking any of his classmates they encountered to look too. Gundham muttered to the remaining hamsters, but didn’t try to talk to Kazuichi much either except to order him around - though his grandiose tone was quickly becoming softer and more anxious.

“Maga-Z has never disappeared from my influence for so long,” he mumbled, pulling his scarf to cover his mouth. “I cannot contain this feeling of dread.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” Kazuichi said, surprising himself. “We’ll find him. He’ll be okay.”

Gundham blinked, then stood up straighter. “I assure you, I fear for the inhabitants of the island. Maga-Z will come to no harm.”

But he was worrying, and even Kazuichi could see it. His searching was becoming frantic, his usually careful hands clumsy, so he knocked things off their shelves and forgot to tidy up or close doors behind them. He started running between buildings and bushes, long coat billowing, calling out for his lost hamster.

“Gundham! Hang on a second,” Kazuichi gasped. “I can’t breathe!”

Surprisingly, Gundham did as he was told, leaning against a palm tree in the shade. He wrapped his arms around his chest, pale fists gripping his dark coat. His carefully styled hair was starting to droop in the heat, and his face was very pink. Kazuichi had never seen so much colour in his cheeks before. The three remaining hamsters cowered inside Gundham’s scarf, sensing his anxiety.

Kazuichi went to lean beside him, wiping the sweat off his own forehead. He didn’t know how Gundham managed in his black clothes every day.

“We’ll find him,” Kazuichi said again. “Ibuki and Twogami and Mahiru said they’d look. And Miss Sonia looked like she was going to cry when I told her Maga-Z was missing. She said she wouldn’t rest until he was found.”

“She has a good heart,” Gundham said softly.

“Yeah…” Kazuichi paused. “Hey, you didn’t say anything nice like that about me. I’m the one who’s been running around with you in the baking sun for hours.”

Gundham didn’t respond. He’d been talking a lot less in the past twenty minutes or so, though he’d originally been giving incomprehensible orders to Kazuichi every two minutes. Souda assumed he was just growing more concerned for Maga-Z the longer he was missing - so he was caught off guard when Gundham slumped over and fell limply against him, almost bringing them both to the floor.

“Dude!” Kazuichi managed to catch hold of Gundham. “What are you doing?”

Perhaps Gundham didn’t know what he was doing either, because he had a look of sheer bafflement on his face. He tried to pull himself upright, clinging to the rough bark of the palm tree, but each time he wobbled dangerously and Kazuichi had to grab onto him again.

“What is this..? I appear to be reacting negatively to your mortal world’s atmosphere.” His usually forceful speech came out laboured and slow, and Gundham placed a hand to his lips in surprise.

“What? You’ve been surviving in this atmosphere for ages already,” Kazuichi argued. “What’s up with you? You sound drunk. Can you tell me in plain English?”

“The temperature in this godforsaken land exceeds even the fiery bowels of hell,” Gundham hissed, having to cling to Kazuichi to stay upright.

Kazuichi took a second to disentangle Gundham’s web of fancy words. “Sooo… you’re too hot. I guess that makes sense. Who wears a black coat and a scarf in this heat? And I know you haven’t had any water since we started searching. I’d better take you back to your cabin,” he sighed.

“Unhand me this instant, you fiend!” Gundham growled, though he was the one using Kazuichi like a walking stick. “I could never rest while one of my Dark Devas of Destruction is unguided.”

“Well they’ll all be unguided if you get heatstroke and drop dead,” Kazuichi said. “Half the island is searching for Maga-Z - and I’ll go back out to keep looking as soon as I can, okay?” As much as Gundham might get on Kazuichi’s nerves sometimes, he didn’t want him to get really sick or hurt. He hoped Maga-Z had enough sense not to wander into the sea or something; Gundham would be crushed.

“Hmm.” Gundham didn’t look convinced.

“Your other three ham- I mean Devas probably need to cool down a bit too,” Kazuichi tried.

Another pause. “Very well,” Gundham sighed. “I shall retire to my artificially cooled domain until the effects of this oppressive atmosphere wear off. I trust you to ensure the search continues.” He turned on his heel and tried to walk on his own, staggering alarmingly.

“Hey, careful!” Kazuichi ran to steady him. “I told you I’d help you.”

Gundham slapped his hands away. “Fool! Have you forgotten I am cursed with poison?”

“Oh for God’s sake! Could you just give an inch for once! Why do you make everything so difficult?” Kazuichi cried exasperatedly.

Gundham stuck his chin in the air and started berating Souda again - but before he’d even finished the first sentence his words died away. He blinked several times, looking dazed, swaying where he stood.

“Gundham..?” Kazuichi said nervously.

Gundham didn’t respond. He took another few staggering steps towards his cabin, then crumpled as his knees gave way under him. Kazuichi cried out and hurried to catch him, their foreheads bashing together painfully. Gundham’s skin was clammy and damp, his face looking much more… alive than usual. Kazuichi realised it was because his pale makeup was running.

“Fucking hell, Gundham,” Kazuichi groaned, hauling one of Gundham’s arms around his shoulders. “Just hold onto me, okay? Try not to pass out.”

Surprisingly, Gundham nodded, staring down at his feet like it was taking a huge effort to make them move. It was clear he was trying to be helpful, but Kazuichi had to carry a lot of his weight and they were both breathless by the time they reached Gundham’s cabin. Kazuichi breathed a sigh of relief as the wall of cool air conditioning washed over them.

“Thank God for that,” he mumbled, dumping Gundham onto the bed. It was carefully made, which Kazuichi had never understood; why bother making your bed when you were just going to mess it up every night? The entire room was neat, though the giant cage meant it rather smelled like hamsters. “Right, get your coat and scarf off.”

Gundham glared at him viciously.

“Oh, that’s the thanks I get, is it? Well, no matter how annoying you might be, you’re overheated. No wonder, wearing that stupid dark coat. So get it off.” Kazuichi grabbed Gundham’s arms and yanked the coat sleeves off like he was undressing a sulky toddler. Gundham hissed a series of furious curses at him - one of which sounded like Latin, which was actually pretty impressive - and the three remaining hamsters hopped out onto the bed, startled.

“There. Was that so hard?” Kazuichi said silkily when Gundham was lying on the bed in his shirt and scarf, glaring. Kazuichi tried to take the scarf off too, but Gundham’s hissed threats became more vehement and he gave up. “Fine, keep it on then. Though I don’t think the gothic look is very sustainable in a tropical climate, man. Right, I’m going to get you something to drink.”

Gundham didn’t respond until Kazuichi had returned with a cup full of water from the bathroom. “I shall take advice from one with such abysmal fashion sense as yourself with a grain of salt, fiend,” he said, with as much dignity as he could muster while tomato-red and damp with sweat on his bed.

Kazuichi had to fight very hard not to pour the glass of water directly over Gundham’s head, but he just about managed to help him drink it instead. Then he grabbed the little fan from the bathroom and placed it by Gundham’s bed, dampened a cloth and slapped it rather unceremoniously on his forehead. Gundham yelped and glared again, water trickling down his temples. Good. Serves him right for that earlier comment. “There. Keep your head back or you’ll smudge your eyeliner. And don’t move. I’ll try to find Mikan while I’m looking for Maga-Z, okay?”

Gundham turned his face away, cupping one hand over the Devas protectively. He mumbled something into the material of his scarf.

“What?” Kazuichi asked.

“I said I am grateful for your assistance…”

“Oh.” Kazuichi was surprised. He’d never heard Gundham acknowledge he needed any help before - though maybe that was Kazuichi’s own fault. He’d been the one to start up the whole stupid rivalry thing (which wasn’t ever a rivalry in the first place since the girl wasn’t remotely interested). Maybe this was a step towards a reconciliation.

“I mean, I wasn’t gonna leave you to die,” Kazuichi added awkwardly.

“You are far more tolerable when you do not echo the Dark Queen like a parrot. I once believed you had no real mind of your own,” Gundham said bluntly.

Kazuichi flushed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You made yourself an extension of the Dark Queen. You never disputed her or challenged her. You agreed with her every word.”

“Well… I wanted her to like me,” Kazuichi mumbled. “Look, you don’t need to lecture me about all this. You know I’ve left Sonia alone.”

“Indeed. But you still wish to befriend her?” Gundham asked. Even weak and overheated as he was, his eyes were burning into Kazuichi’s with such a fierce intensity he had to look away.

“That’s her choice. Why are you asking all this?”

“If you still seek a friendly companionship with the Dark Queen, you should not forget she is a mere powerless mortal,” Gundham said. “She does not wish to be treated like she is extraordinary. She does not wish to be around those who only agree to please her.”

Kazuichi stared at him. Was Gundham really offering advice? Was this a weird way to repay him for helping out? It was pretty embarrassing to be given advice on how to make friends from Gundham, who openly distrusted everyone - but he was friends with Sonia. Maybe even something more, Kazuichi honestly didn’t know. He’d tried to stay away from Sonia as much as possibly, partly because he wanted her to be more comfortable and partly because he was pretty fucking embarrassed by his past behaviour. But he would like to be her friend. Nothing else - he knew that wouldn’t ever happen - but friends was good.

“Now make haste!” Gundham suddenly cried, making Kazuichi jump. “Continue the search! I shall rejoin you as soon as I am able.”

“No, rest. Don’t move and especially don’t put your coat on again. I’ll find Maga-Z,” Kazuichi said quickly. He dashed outside before Gundham could protest, groaning as the sticky heat wrapped around him once more.

He started searching again, after taking a quick detour to Mikan’s cabin to ask if she could go check on Gundham and make sure he hadn’t gone out into the sun again. Almost everyone on the island was searching now, splitting off into little groups to cover more ground. Nagito was one of the last to join in - and Hajime and Kazuichi watched in astonishment as he shifted the very first box he touched in the storage room of the old building and pointed. “There he is.”

“WHY didn’t I ask him first?!” Kazuichi practically screamed.

“Ultimate Luck seems a pretty useful talent,” Hajime murmured to him, not wanting Nagito to hear. It’d only start him off on a long self-deprecating rant. “Go on then, Kazuichi. Get him.”

Kazuichi peered behind the box on his hands and knees. Maga-Z was cowering in the corner, fur dishevelled and standing on end. He didn’t look too friendly. “Why do I have to grab the stupid hamster?” Kazuichi whined. “You grab him, Hajime. I don’t like them. They look like they know too much.”

“What are you on about?” Hajime sighed. “It’s just a hamster. You can’t be scared of a hamster, Kazuichi.”

“They’re Gundham’s hamsters. They probably like… worship the devil or something.”

“Hamsters don’t worship anything. They’re just hamsters.”

“Can I go now?” Nagito asked, looking like he was losing braincells just listening to this conversation.

“Yeah, thanks, Nagito. Unless you fancy grabbing this hamster,” Kazuichi said. He looked hopeful, but Nagito left without another word.

“I’ll do it,” Hajime said, exasperated. He reached behind the box to ease his hand underneath Maga-Z, but as soon as his fingers brushed fur, the hamster made a mad dash forward. Directly towards Souda. He squealed and hastily cupped both hands around Maga-Z, holding him at arm’s length. “Oh my God, oh my God, I got him… Oh God, he’s gonna bite me, I know he is,” Kazuichi whined.

“Hey, good job,” Hajime said, surprised. “I didn’t think you’d catch him.”

“I’m not a baby, Hajime,” Kazuichi huffed. Then he whimpered in a very childish way. “Ugh, he’s wriggling around. Can I… put him somewhere? A bag or something? I don’t trust him.”

“Just shove him in your pocket and let’s go. It’s boiling in here. And Gundham will be stressing about Maga-Z. Do you know where he is?”

“I had to put him to bed because he nearly fainted. He was running around in his black coat all day.”

Hajime rolled his eyes. “Nobody on this island has any self-preservation skills.”

“At least Maga-Z is okay.” Kazuichi studied the little ball of fluff cupped in his hands. Somehow his little ink drop eyes did look menacing. “Hey, he really does look like he wanted to go off and cause chaos on his own, doesn’t he?”

Hajime gave Kazuichi a look. “I think you’ve spent too much time with Gundham today.”

Thankfully, Gundham was still in his room and looking a lot better, though still very visibly agitated. His colour had returned to ghostly pale (he must’ve reapplied his makeup) and his eyes were far more focused - they snapped to the door right away when Hajime opened it. When he saw Kazuichi, his hands still full of wriggling hamster, his brow cleared.

“Take him, quick!” Kazuichi said, hurrying over to the bed. “I’m sure he wants to bite me.”

“You fiend,” Gundham murmured, taking the hamster. For a second Kazuichi was offended, thinking Gundham was calling him names when he and Hajime had been nice enough to bring the hamster back, but then he realised Gundham was talking to Maga-Z. He spoke to them in exactly the same way he spoke to his classmates, no silly mushy voices like most people did with cute animals.

“I can only pray you have not caused too much destruction while unsupervised,” he murmured, smoothing Maga-Z’s fur. The hamster sat up to greet him like a little puppy, and Kazuichi noticed for the first time that Maga-Z’s cheeks were bulging.

“Did he really run off just to steal food?” Kazuichi groaned. “We’ve been so stressed and he was just eating!”

“Ah yes, a feast befitting the magnificent Crimson Steel Elephant,” Gundham said, gently placing Maga-Z with the other hamsters. They circled him joyfully, happy to be reunited too.

Kazuichi threw his hands up exasperatedly. “I give up. You’re all nuts.”

Gundham turned to Kazuichi, his face solemn. “I am deeply indebted to you, as is everybody who resides on this island. I cannot speak of the terrors that may have occurred if Maga-Z was without guidance. I shall spread the story of your triumph to every other mortal here so they can show you due gratitude,” he said.

“Oh… Thanks, man.” Kazuichi could see he meant well, but the thought of Gundham telling everyone Kazuichi saved the island from a hamster’s destruction was pretty embarrassing. He could already see Hajime smirking out of the corner of his eye.

“You should stay inside a bit longer though,” Hajime said. “Just in case. You need to make sure you’re totally cooled down.”

“Indeed. I have had ample excitement for one day,” Gundham said.

“Me too,” Kazuichi mumbled.

“If you’re feeling better, you can tell everyone about Kazuichi saving the island over dinner,” Hajime said, grinning. Kazuichi glared at him.

“Asshole,” he muttered as soon as they were outside Gundham’s cabin.

Hajime burst out laughing. “Maybe he’ll make you sound really gallant and fearless when he tells it.”

“Then everyone will know it’s a lie right away. And anyway, Nagito saw what happened. Even if you don’t give away the real story, he’ll definitely tell.”

“Probably. But you did save his hamster, even if you weren’t that fearless about it. Is there a truce between you two now?”

“I suppose so. He’s not so bad. Crazy and dramatic and difficult… but okay,” Kazuichi admitted. He paused. “I don’t know what half of the words he uses mean though.”

“Yeah,” Hajime agreed. “I don’t either.”

#super danganronpa two #danganronpa 2 #kazuichi souda #gundham tanaka #four dark devas of destruction #overheating #Gundham’s lines were ridiculously hard #mod circle

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mimssides · 4 years ago

Text

Never Met You

Chapter 3: Healing

Time will heal their pain, they say. It will not. It is the time they give themselves to heal which will make them feel better. Be patient. Be understanding.

More than two weeks had gone by since Green had joined the court. He had been trained, sworn the oath of secrecy to not tell whatever he heard while he was with the king and was now steadily by His Majesty’s side.

Janus had gotten used to it far quicker than he had expected. Green was louder and chattier than the other guards were with him. He soon had also begun to talk with the king, exchanging little comments about how he felt and why he wanted to do things the way he had them done. Yet whenever other people where around or Green had to escort Logan from place to place, the guard became still and observant. Sometimes, Janus even believed that he noticed things quicker than Janus himself did. And he had a magical eye to help him with that while Green had nothing of the sorts.

“Life doesn’t allow for you to be inattentive. I cannot allow myself to miss any detail no matter how unimportant it seems. We will only know afterwards which one has been crucial and which one was not, so everything is important right now,” had Green’s explanation been and Janus felt many feelings about this very statement.

Yet today this was not one of his worries. Today he was focused on making sure that everything was perfect for Roman’s arrival. The kitchen was instructed to cook his favourite meals, the prince’s wing had been cleaned a decorated to the t and Janus had most likely not slept more than three hours in the last three nights. So, Janus was feeling perfect.

“Are you sure you want me to be there during their arrival?” Green asked as he and Janus walked towards the foyer where Logan was already waiting for Roman to arrive. “His Royal Highness’s guard will be there and he is said to be more than enough protection for both of them.”

Janus shot Green a look. Green did not want to meet Roman. Janus had realized that soon after the return had been discussed and he had reacted rather subdued to the whole conversation. Janus had tried to gauge what issue Green was having but the man’s lips were sealed about the topic except that he had sworn that he had no ill intent against the prince. It was enough reassurance for Janus at the moment and he really had no nerves to deal with Green’s insecurities right now. He just wanted to see Roman.

“One more word of you not attending,” Janus hissed sharply and watched as Green’s eyes go wide, “and I will have you thrown into the dungeons and let them pull out every single hair on your body one by one. I’m I clear enough for you?”

“Yes, sir.”

Janus grunted and Green opened the door for him to enter the foyer. Quickly both found their respective places by the king’s side, Janus to Logan’s right and Green to Logan’s left by the wall. Logan greeted them both leisurely and let his eyes linger a little longer on Green who shot a few quick glances towards Janus. Then for a moment their eyes met. Logan nodded and turned his attention towards Janus.

Subtly, because subtility was one of the things Logan had had to learn from Janus when he started taking over more important functions in court, Logan tapped against Janus’s sleeve and glimpsed at his friend. Janus glimpsed back and lifted his chin a bit in defiance.

“I don’t think that Roman will be too happy to see that you have overworked yourself,” Logan whispered barely moving his lips.

Janus scrunched his nose a little and retorted just as quietly: “The situation is tense. I cannot make a mistake even if it upsets the prince. You know I am still more than capable to do my work.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

The but hung between them in the air and both knew it would be coming next as Logan added: “But Roman does not just care about how well you are able to do your work. He is worried about you as well. And I am the one who will never hear the end of it if he thinks I made you work too much.”

Janus didn’t say anything to that and Logan took it as a small win. Sometimes an argument with Janus was better set aside than completely won and this was one of those instances. Besides, Roman’s arrival was finally announced and they didn’t have time left to get into the topic any further.

There was bustling behind the door, muffled voices and finally the doors were opened. Marching steps could be heard as Roman Thea walked inside. He was wearing a dark red jacket with golden ornaments and a blood red sash, black pants and shoes, his usual attire. Logan felt a weight fall from his chest and watched his old friend approach with a smile. Roman returned it lightly and whispered something over his shoulder to Virgil, who was following him like a shadow.

“Salutations Roman. I hope your journey has been enjoyable and without incidences,” Logan greeted when Roman had walked up four feet in front of him.

A smile, brilliant and shining, took over Roman’s face and he greeted with a little bow and flourish: “Good day to you too, Your Majesty! My journey has been very pleasant but I am happy to be home again even if the circumstances are quite dire.”

“Indeed.”

Logan felt his stomach turn once more, suppressed the urge to groan and instead turned halfway to the door leading further into the castle. Elegantly, he pointed towards the portal and eyed Roman for a second.

“Would you like to continue this conversation in a more private setting?” Logan said and hoped Roman would accept quickly.

Luck seemed to be on his side as Roman gave a quick nod and took his usual place between Logan and Janus with Virgil shadowing him silently. Well, almost silently. When the four men began to walk towards the portal Virgil abruptly stopped both Roman and Logan from walking by holding them back by their shoulders. Both stopped rapidly and looked into the direction where Virgil was glaring at.

“Who is that?”

Virgil’s deep voice resonated in their ears, his stunning aura keeping all of them in place. The only one to react was the man who Virgil was talking about. Green was looking right up to Virgil. He had come closer to walk besides Logan but now had stopped a good few feet away from the king.

“This would be my personal guard, Green,” Logan finally said and pushed Virgil’s hand off his shoulder.

Logan decidedly dodged Virgil’s glare and squared his shoulders. With a fluid motion he asked Green to step closer. Green complied and lowered his gaze the moment Roman made step forwards to see him better. Green’s hands were clenched tightly and if the others could have seen his face, they would have noticed how he had pressed his lips together. But they didn’t and that was how he wanted it to stay.

“Since when do you have a personal guard?” Roman asked sceptically.

“Royal Advisor Celer has long since your departure insisted on me getting one and now, I found a fitting candidate,” Logan said smoothly, defiantly sidestepped Virgil and approached Green. “Green has proven to be attentive, observant and trustworthy. The Royal Advisor himself can attest to it.”

Logan now was standing to Green’s right, his left hand placed nonchalantly on his shoulder. But as nonchalantly as it looked as much did it take the breath out of Green’s lungs. As much did it make his eyes sting. As much did it strengthen the yearning in his chest. And yet there was nothing for him to do.

“Janus? You approved of this?” Roman said and turned to look at the smaller man.

“What on earth, Celer! This guy could be from Ragan’s secret forces as far as we know! What were you thinking?!”

Janus snapped back viciously as Virgil accused him of paying too little attention to their newest member to court. Logan watched them and crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow. Sometimes their quarrelsome relationship was quite entertaining to watch but today he felt differently about it. He just wanted to sit down and move on with their discussion, even if it meant for the day to simply pass. Life was tiresome at the moment.

“It might be a good idea to move this discussion out of the public ear, Your Majesty. Shall I break the conflict apart?”

Logan looked to the side. Green was not looking up to him, eyes still trained on the floor. But there was something in the way he slightly tilted his head to the side, that made it obvious to Logan that he was on high alert. That made him aware of how much Green feared for someone to be listening into their conversation.

“I do not think it to be wise for you to get in between them,” Logan said and watched the three argue. “It would be better if I tell them to stop.”

“You don’t need to shield me, Your Majesty. I am your guard and here to help you with whatever you wish. And if it means that the poncho pole will fight me, I will accept my fate gracefully.”

Why exactly that nick name was so funny to Logan he did not know. He also didn’t know when the last time had been that someone had made him laugh so strongly that his tummy pleasantly hurt and he had trouble to get air. What he did know though was that he was glad to have Green by his side, who lightly supported him as he was wheezing with laughter.

Logan needed a few moments before he could breathe normally again. He felt shaky and the hand Green offered him was very appreciated. Hastily, he caught Green’s look and found unfiltered concern and a tiny smile in his face. It made Logan try to compose himself and he turned fully towards Green away from the others.

Over Logan’s shoulder Green looked to Janus. He had dropped his fight with Virgil the second Logan had begun to laugh. He had known his king for over a decade now, and what he was seeing was a completely stressed-out Logan. And it needed a lot for Logan to actually show signs of his state.

“I propose we go to the prepared room in His Majesty’s quarters? Do you agree Royal Advisor Celer?” Green said swiftly.

Janus simply nodded. Both Roman and Virgil went quiet as well and followed as Janus took the lead and guided them towards the king’s quarters. Virgil and Green were flanking Roman and Logan in between them and observed their surroundings with sharp eyes. Guards were following behind as an escort but neither of the personally chosen guards trusted their abilities as much as they trusted their own. Their highest priority was the safety of their prince and king and their resolve to ensure that was far higher than those of the usual guards.

They arrived at the room, Janus opened the door and entered to make sure it was as he had requested it to be. After the short check, Roman and Logan followed and Logan took a seat on the divan. Roman placed himself on the armchair next to him, while Janus remained standing. Green and Virgil, after telling the guards to stay on lookout on the outside, took a place on each side of the door and watched as the royals and the advisor exchanged several glances.

Logan sighed and massaged his temples as he finally broke the silence and spoke up: “Please excuse my outburst. I – I don’t know how to explain it.”

Janus shook his head and stemmed his hands on his hips.

“You are running on your last leg, Logan,” Janus said for Logan. “We had three new conflicts at the boarders to Ragan in the last five days and it’s only a question of time until there are the first casualties. I know you do not want to let it go so far, but as a military man yourself you must understand that we have to prepare for a battle, don’t you? I do not see how we are going to talk this out with King George.”

“Three in the last five days? I didn’t hear any of this!” Roman said and got up from the armchair while gesticulating towards Janus.

“We decided to keep quiet about it as long as no one got seriously hurt. We weren’t sure if the situation would grow more tense and wanted to prevent an unnecessary panic from spreading. But now...”

“You expect. You actually expect a war to break out? Over a few villages and some disagreements over the alliance talks with Sictes and Kainen?”

“George is a petty man,” Janus snarled at Roman’s disbelieve. “And he had it out for us in ages. He had it out for you too, Roman. I remember what he said at -”

“We are over this, Jan! You have asked him and he didn’t lie that he didn’t know anything about the – the assassination. He wasn’t responsible for this.”

“That doesn’t mean he didn’t have anything to do with it! He could have phrased it in a way that I couldn’t catch the lie! He might have been the one to- to do this to you!”

“Stop it you two! This isn’t leading us anywhere. We are not to think about personal grievances but about our people! And I need you to realize that it’s not our people King George wants to fare war against. He specifically stated that my methods as well as my court are not to his liking and he wants to claim the villages close to the boarder to “save” them from our politics. If we can reach a compromise with him, all of this might be avoided.”

Logan’s voice was firm but tired. Both Roman and Janus looked down to him. His hands were folded in his lap and his head hung low, completely unlike the otherwise always confident but kind demeanour he would display. Smoothly, Janus sat down next to him, made sure to don’t catch him off guard when he put his hand on his back.

“Logan, he will not listen to you. He never wanted to listen to you since the Coronation,” Janus said sadly and Logan’s shoulders sunk deeper.

Seeing Logan shrink down like this, awakened an old and heavy anger in Roman. It flared through his mind and loosened his lips.

“It’s been eight years! How can he still be hung up on this?!”

“Because he is elitist and believes that you are the only one who is supposed sitting on the thrown!” Janus retorted angrily.

“Maybe we should consider...”

Logan had taken off the crown and was looking at its golden shimmer. His thumb was running along the simple decorations and the few blue sapphires imbedded in the metal. Roman had given the crown in commission for him, so he didn’t have to wear the crown of the late King or Queen. Logan had thought it to be quite excessive to have a new crown made for him but in the current situation he found himself missing it already. But he would sacrifice whatever necessary if it meant that his people would be spared from a war.

“I don’t want the crown, Logan.”

But then of course, there was that. Logan looked up to Roman and sighed. He nodded dismissively. The position and status he took had not only come because he was capable but also because Roman couldn’t bear the weight on his shoulders. It had taken him years to admit it and find the courage to present him as the King of Theana.

“I didn’t think of it as stepping back completely,” Logan said and looked to the side. “It would only be a representative measure. You as the official king and I as the acting regent. He accepted me before you completely denied the throne, so it might be a viable solution.”

“NO!”

***

█████ was pacing along the hall. His mind was restless and he could feel Janus’s eyes on him. Of course, Janus’s eyes would be on him now. Roman would finally return and █████ was desperate to see him again. He just wanted to be sure that he indeed was alright and that everting had truly worked out as well as everyone had claimed. The reports he had gotten from the messengers were far too stellar for his taste to be true; Roman having befriended the cold-blooded Queen and even getting her to watch a play with him, just sounded too farfetched to not be a lie.

“████ ███████,” a servant called form the door and both █████ and Janus turned towards them, “the Crown Prince has arrived and will be here shortly.”

It wasn’t a second that █████ needed to walk towards the door and be on his way to meet his ███████.

Janus was following him like a shadow and shot him a chiding look as he rushed past the worried servants, to which █████ simply retorted: “Fuck the protocol. I just need to know that he’s fine.”

With that Janus let it slide and let one of the servants go and get Logan as soon as possible. In silence they continued walking down the halls and eventually reached the foyer to the courtyard, which was promptly opened.

With proud and loud steps Roman entered. A broad smile was plastered over his face, his eyes were shining and immediately met █████’s gaze. With a high held head and a skip in his step Roman steered towards his ███████ and greeted with a booming voice: “Good day to you █████! It is a joy to be home again!”

█████ froze. Something fell in his chest as his ███████ came closer, eyes still on him and already recognizing and acknowledging the fear in his eyes. Because Roman was loud. Roman’s posture was straight and proud. Roman’s voice was voluminous and strong. Roman’s eyes were clear and determined.

Roman was like he had been before and for once it didn’t seem to be a dream or a nightmare.

There was no moment for █████ to think about it any longer as Roman had reached him and pulled him into a firm hug. The whole room stopped breathing. They watched as their ████ melted into Roman’s arms, as Roman cradled him and held his ███████ close.

Quiet words were spoken, but no one but the ████████ could hear them. No one but them needed to know of them. Something was mended and they both knew that a new time had come for them.

Swift steps in synchronic pace and they parted. █████ was smiling widely with a common mad glint glimmering in his eyes as Roman smiled back with his head held high and mighty. Power was shining underneath their skins, energy at the tips of their fingers. Every person in the room could feel it and more than a few guards were close to start shivering.

But for one person who was standing slightly in the back to Roman’s right side. █████ noticed them only now and his brows furrowed at their sight. The person was tall and the lower half of their face and upper body hidden beneath a shawl and a loose poncho. A batch of light brown hair was falling over one side of their face and █████ found himself intrigued.

“Who have you yet to introduce me to, Roman?” █████ asked and lightly pointed with his chin towards the figure in the back.

Roman’s eyes lit up and with a flourish he twirled around and waved for the figure to walk towards them. They promptly complied and approached. Their movement was near silent and their presence almost non-existent. What a fascinating person.

The ████████ looked at each other and █████ recognized Roman’s passion within a blink and began to smirk even before Roman explained: “This is Virgil Tessaro! We met on my way to Queen Caroline and he has proven to be quite an impressive companion. A perfect guard even.”

“One moment please!” Janus intercepted and wrestled his way between █████ and Roman.

With a chuckle █████ stepped back and watched Janus tell Roman off for simply having a stranger come into the castle and having the preposterous idea of having him become his personal guard. Roman took it with a smirk and told him that he could do as he pleased since he was the Crown Prince. They bickered more but █████ paid it no mind as Logan finally entered the foyer and steered towards him. Quietly Logan took his place to █████’s left and eyed the spectacle in front of them. Most people would have been surprised how seemingly unaffected Logan was but █████ could see the deepening of the ceases between his brows and the way how he slightly pressed his lips together as he was looking at Roman.

“You can tell me outright if you want me to go, gold eye.”

Virgil had straightened his posture and most likely crossed his arms under his poncho. The rest of the servants had gotten death silent the second he had talked back to Janus and even dared to call attention to his magical eye.

Janus pursed his lips and clenched and unclenched his fists several times before he raised his voice with a cutting edge and told him: “I forbid you to talk to me in such a tone! I am a high-ranking member of the Theanian Court and deserve to be treated with respect!”

“Aha,” Virgil deadpanned with raised eyebrows, “I’m not Theanian though and your court interests me not.”

“One more reason for you to leave!” Janus cried.

Nothing of Janus’s words seemed to be able to bother Virgil in the slightest. Instead, he turned around and looked to Roman. Curiously, █████ observed the shift in Roman’s amused expression to something softer. He definitely needed to have a word about that with Roman at some point in time.

“Do you wish for me to leave?” Virgil asked Roman dutifully.

Roman stepped close to Virgil and put his hand on his upper arm. This time even Logan raised his eyebrows and Janus looked like he would soon collapse on the floor in anger. But Roman paid them no mind. He smiled at Virgil and shook his head.

“No, I do not wish for you to leave. I want you to stay.”

Virgil bowed his head. Turned to look back down at Janus. Raised his eyebrows at him and shrugged.

“I guess you have to accept that, since you have to listen to him.”

It took them ten minutes to stop Janus from trying to murder Virgil in the foyer. The whole thing only calmed down, when Roman himself pulled Janus to the side and exchanged a few hushed and possibly very dramatic and sappy words with the Royal Advisor.

█████ was laughing through the whole ordeal and Logan sent for the servants to fetch Roman’s luggage as well as the possessions Virgil had brought with him. Quietly Logan spoke with Virgil after that, made sure he knew what he was getting into and the group finally left the foyer and went into a smaller conference room where they could privately talk for a while without being observed by all the guards. On their way Virgil and Janus were already bickering again, the former never quite letting Roman out of sight and constantly scanning the area for any potential dangers.

Walking in between the █████, Logan observed the behaviour of the new court member and side eyed Roman for a moment. The Crown Prince noticed and shot him a curious look.

“What do you want to say, Advisor Rayne?” Roman said with a teasing smile.

Logan looked once more back to Virgil before he answered: “There is a story behind you and this man. And you will have to tell us about it, Your Royal Highness.”

“Like you have to tell us about what is hanging on this necklace I have never seen you wear in the whole time since you are here?”

It was a good thing that blushing made no noise, otherwise the whole castle would have known that Logan had turned rather red. It didn’t help that █████ snickered and put his arm around his waist as Logan’s cheeks turned darker by the second. Roman laughed lightly as well and for once Logan decided to let it pass.

Because there was no black. For the first time Logan saw Roman wearing no black since he had joined the court. For the first time since the King and Queen’s assassination Roman was not wearing black but white.

***

Roman’s voice died. Janus and Logan looked to the door. Virgil stared to Green next to him. And Green spoke.

“You cannot let him have this! You cannot stand down, just because he threatens you! He will see it as a sign of weakness and will try to blackmail us even more! You are better than him, you don’t need to play his game to beat him! You are Theana’s King without doubt! No one but you can lead this kingdom as well as you do and you shall pride yourself with it and show him what you are capable of!”

Heavy silence hung in the air. A moment passed and another one. Janus watched Green’s passionate expression drain away and observed dread taking its place. Hollowly he put his hand over his mouth and stared at Logan in horror. Subtly, Janus glanced to Logan who looked like he was holding his breath. He couldn’t focus on him though as Roman completely turned towards Green and caught the guard’s gaze.

“You are speaking out of line,” Roman said and Green visibly pressed his hands closer against his lips. “You are not allowed to take part in our conversations if not asked to directly or address your king so casually.”

Roman held his chin high and his lips were pursed. Janus knew that look well enough and put his hand on Logan’s shoulder. Beneath his shawl Virgil began to grin.

“But by the gods, you’re totally right! Logan is so much more capable of ruling than I could ever be! His planning is succinct and well thought out and he looks stunning in a crown,” Roman said and shot Logan a teasing look over the shoulder.

Logan furrowed his brows in a chiding manner and told Roman: “Me looking good in a crown has nothing to do with anything you have been talking about.”

“I disagree.”

This time Green and Roman looked at each other and fell both silent. Roman raised an eyebrow and Green looked to the floor. Roman looked Green over. He knew nothing of this man, not even his full name. He didn’t know what story laid behind this stranger with the wavy hair and weird moustache. He didn’t know how he happened to become Logan’s first personal guard ever. The first one for whom Logan stepped over his own pride and accepted help from.

Automatically, Roman’s eyes darted over to Virgil. He looked into the deep blue and remembered the defiant way he had fought off the hooligans who had tried to hurt those sheep. He hadn’t even known the owner nor been tasked with taking care of the animals but had still fought for them. It had stopped his carriage. It had caused their first fateful meeting.

With a little huff Roman put on a smile and turned back around to Logan and Janus. Janus’s look told him exactly how he felt about this coincidence and Logan’s eyes were still set on Green. Roman could not help himself but chuckle.

“I never met this man but I know there is a story behind him and you will have to tell me about it, Your Majesty,” Roman said in a slightly teasing but not unkind tone.

Unease settled over the group. Logan turned his attention back on the prince and Janus kept an eye on Green. He had tried to hide it before, but when Roman had begun to call him out on his intolerable behaviour and Green had pressed his hands over his mouth Janus had noted that Green had started to smile. He had known that Roman would not be mad at him and Janus had a lot to consider now.

But it had to wait for the moment. Now they had to finish this discussion.

“A talk will be had,” Logan said and placed the crown back on his head. “But everything has its time. Now you and Virgil should go and rest for a bit. I will have an official meeting tomorrow with the military council where we will go into detail. Until then I would ask you two to rest after your long journey. Janus, please make their stay as pleasant as possible.”

Janus blinked. He still had his duties to fulfil and he couldn’t just go off with Roman and Virgil and have a free day with them.

Just when he was ready to talk back Logan leaned towards him and said quietly: “I am not the only one on their last leg, so to speak. Take a break. I have at least slept last night. Green will accompany me for the rest of the day.”

A single nod and Logan got up. He walked to the door and Green opened it for him even though no one but Janus had heard what Logan had just said. One last time Logan looked over his shoulder to Roman and lastly to Virgil.

“Good luck with them. Try to keep them from planning another masquerade ball,” Logan joked.

Under his shawl Virgil grinned and gave Logan a little wink. Next the door closed behind Logan and after a moment Virgil walked up to Roman and put his hand on the small of his back, as he led him over to the divan and waited for him to sit down. Roman did so and Virgil lowered himself to the ground in front of both Roman and Janus.

“Still unable to sit correctly on a proper piece of furniture?” Janus teased tiredly and leaned against Roman’s side.

Janus almost let out a pleased gasp when Virgil put his hand on his knee and Roman draped his arm around his shoulder. Their presence and warmth had grown on him over the years. Roman had been a constant in all of his life but only thanks to Virgil’s presence they had finally developed the dynamic and relationship they shared now. They had needed something new. Roman had needed something new. And Virgil had brought it.

“Is Green the something new for Lo?” Roman asked as if he had read Janus’s mind.

Janus sighed and buried his head in Roman’s shoulder. He felt their surprise in the way Roman’s hand on his back tightened and in the soft strokes Virgil brushed over his knees.

“I don’t know.”

Roman and Virgil shared a look. Virgil got up and closed the blinds by the window. Janus’s recognised the small rustling of Virgil’s shawl being removed.

“Talk Celer. It seems we need to know more about this man,” Virgil said seriously.

Janus sighed and pulled his face away from Roman’s neck. With pursed lips he looked up to Virgil standing in front of him. His scarred face was stern. Janus’s eye lit up in gold and he found himself telling his two partners about this strange man, who had entered his and Logan’s lives over two weeks ago.

___

Link for AO3, Taglist, Masterlist, and next Chapters are in my first reblog!

#intrulogical #anaroceit #remus sanders #logan sanders #janus sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #scars tw #Never Met You #fantasy au #eir writes #please reblog

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cocos-cocoapuffsarenotforsale · 4 years ago

Text

His Little Witch~~Part 9

MASTERLIST

Part 8

Main Pairing: Tom Riddle x Reader

Background Pairings: Harry Potter x Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley x Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood x Neville Longbottom, James Potter x Lily Potter, Draco Malfoy x Pansy Parkinson

Tags: Swearing, Controlling!Tom Riddle, Controlling Relationship, Canon-Typical Violence, Possessive Tom Riddle, Soulmates, AU, CANON DIVERGENCE, Minister of Magic Tom Riddle, Out of Character Tom Riddle, nice Tom Riddle, Dumbledore and Tom get along, sane Tom Riddle

Taglist: @chewymoustachio, @peachsnyder138, @marvelous-glims, @ingeniouscollectionthing, @thedarkshiningknight

————————————————————————

“Little Witch! Are you ready yet?” Tom calls from his study.

“In a minute babe!” You call back, peeking your head out of your bedroom.

“Love, we need to get going, it’s the first task of the Triwizard Tournament. The Minister of Magic cannot be late.” He repeats for what had to be the tenth time that morning as he walks back into your bedroom, where you’re finishing getting ready.

“Tommy relax. They aren’t going to start without you. And anyway it’s not even 10:30 yet, the task doesn’t start until noon.” You remind him gently. He was already stressed out about baby Grindelwald and it was the morning of the first task of a tournament that hadn’t been held in 20 years.

But to be honest you think that he is more worried about you being out in public with Grindelwald on the loose. You hadn’t left the house in a week and you were going stir crazy. You had to beg Tom to let you go with to the first task and he finally relented after your incessant teasing last night.

“You’re right, sorry, I’m just nervous.” He apologizes, pacing back and forth in front of the bed, running his hands down his face.

“It’s all going to be fine babe,” you say softly standing up and stepping in front of him, taking his hands in yours.

“You don’t know that. A million things could go wrong a student could be injured, Grindelwald could show up, you could be hurt-“ he started rambling.

“Babe, it’s going to be ok. Just breathe,” you try to soothe him but you know it’s hopeless. No matter what you say or do he will still be a bundle of nerves.

“You’re right love, of course, you’re right,” he says after taking a deep breath, he forces a small smile trying to ease your concern for him. But you know it’s fake, Tom is still panicking no matter how much he tries to hide it from you.

“Hey, I love you, Riddle,” you whisper, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He reciprocates, finally letting his shields down a little.

“I love you too my Little Witch,” he replies after you break apart. “Are you ready yet?” He asks, causing you to chuckle.

“Yes my love, we can go now, though we are going to be incredibly early.” You tease taking his hand in yours as the two of you walk to his study.

“Better to be early than late. I am the Minister of Magic, after all, I do have a reputation to uphold,” he says as the two of you step into the fireplace together and Tom grabs a handful of Floo powder before shouting, “Dumbledore’s office!”

The fire flares up around you and sucks the two of you in before quickly depositing you in Dumbledore’s fireplace. The headmaster glances up from his position behind the desk, and a small smile creeping upon his face.

“Ahhh, Tom, Ms. Y/l/n, lovely to see the two of you again. Excited for the first task?” Dumbledore asks as the two of you step out of the fireplace and dust off your robes.

“Very! I am so excited to see Harry compete today! Though not as much as James and Sirius I’m sure.” You reply, your smile stretching from ear to ear. There was a small part of you that was worried about Harry’s safety but you knew that with Tom, Sirius, James, and Dumbledore there he wasn’t in any real danger.

“Yes, I’m sure James and Sirius are thrilled about Harry competing. And you Tom? Are you excited?” Dumbledore asks carefully, his eyes twinkling with concern.

“Oh yes, I’m so thrilled that we are hosting a deadly tournament with barely legal wizards competing in. It’s not like this isn’t an international incident waiting to happen or anything,” he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Don’t mind him, Professor. He’s just a worrier, deep down I’m sure he’s excited.” You cut in, shooting Tom a look that says behave.

“I completely understand Ms. Y/l/n, Tom has always been one to worry. Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman shall be arriving shortly and then we can discuss final details about the tournament and the tasks.” Dumbledore says and you take that as your cue to leave. But of course, Tom refuses to relinquish his hold on you. His arm stays firmly in place around your shoulders and he shoots you a confused look.

“Where do you think you’re going Little Witch?” He asks, worry clouding his features.

“I was going to give you all some privacy to discuss tournament matters and find my friends. I wanted to wish Harry good luck.” You explained, patiently. You should have known he would question you. Tom was ridiculously overprotective and he hated not having you by his side.

“Alright, but I want James and Sirius to escort you. Albus, could you send them a message?” He asks, still keeping you tucked into his side.

“Of course Tom,” Dumbledore replied indulgently. He quickly summons his patronus and asks it to find James and Sirius and tell them to come to his office. While the three of you are waiting Dumbledore makes up some phony excuse about needing to check up on Fawkes, in order to give you and Tom some privacy. Dumbledore quickly shuffles off into his private chambers, just off of his office, as soon as the door closes Tom crushes you against him in a bone-crushing hug.

“Tom, it’s only for a little while, I’ll see you at the task.” You try to reassure him, though you know it’s pointless.

“I know love, but with Grindelwald out there I’m on high alert. This is the perfect opportunity for him to attack and I can’t have you caught in the crossfire. Promise me you will stay with James and Sirius until I come and collect you for the tournament?”

“Ohh, I get to sit with the Minister of Magic?” You tease and he just glares at you waiting for you to answer his question.

“Of course love,” you promise knowing there is no point in arguing. Especially considering all the begging you had to do to even be allowed to come today.

“Thank you Little Witch,” he replies before capturing your mouth in a hard, possessive kiss. Only a few moments later however you are interrupted by a knock on the door that causes the two of you to pull apart. Sirius and James walk in with big smirks on their faces, Merlin will those two ever grow up?

“Hope we weren’t interrupting anything,” Sirius teases with a giant smirk on his face.

“Sod off Black,” Tom growls in response.

“Touchy, touchy,” James tutts.

“Do you two want to be unemployed?” Tom hisses, his face turning slightly pink at their teasing.

“Let’s go guys before you get yourselves fired.” You say, giving Tom’s hand a quick squeeze before heading for the door.

“You two keep her safe,” Tom commands as the three of you walk towards the door.

“Yes Minister,” they both reply, any tone of teasing gone from their voices.

The three of you walk down in relative silence, feeling slightly awkward due to the lack of conversation you ask the one question that’s been on your mind all morning.

“How’s Lily doing?”

“She’s ready to lock Harry in a tower and throw away the key,” James replies, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

“I can’t believe she hasn’t done it yet,” Sirius says.

“What about you two?” You asked you knew that no matter how crazy and chill these two might appear, they were secretly just as overprotective as Tom.

“I’m excited for him, but part of me just wants to put my foot down and tell him he can’t compete. I know it’s important to him but this tournament...it’s so dangerous.” James answers, his face hardening at the thought of his son in danger.

“Yeah, I know he’s a great wizard but to me, he’s still just a chubby, clumsy baby.” Sirius jokes, but you can see the tension behind his forced smile.

“He’s gonna do great guys,” you try to reassure them, they both offer you smiles but you can tell they are still freaking out on the inside.

Once you reach the Quidditch Pitch which had been altered to accommodate a dragon’s nest, you rush over to Harry and the others. James and Sirius stay back to give you guys some time on your own, though they stay close enough to keep an eye on you and to protect you if the need should arise.

“Hey, guys!” You greet them with a smile and pull Harry into a big hug. “Good luck out there Harry. You’re gonna do great.”

Once you break away from Harry you take in the looks on everyone’s faces. Harry looks slightly nervous but mostly excited, Ginny looks like she’s going to be sick, Ron looks enthusiastic yet slightly jealous, and Hermione looks disgusted at the prospect of students fighting dragons.

“Thanks, Y/n/n,” he says with a soft smile. He puts an arm around Ginny who was shaking like a leaf to try and steady her.

“It’s gonna be fine Gin,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Champions to the tent please!” McGonagall’s voice announces over the loudspeakers. Harry gives you all one last wave before heading over to the champions’ tent.

“He’s gonna be alright Ginny,” you try to reassure her as you place an arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah, Harry’s a great wizard sis, he’ll be fine.” Ron agrees, trying to quell his sister’s worries.

“Y/n, I think someone is looking for you,” Hermione remarks, pointing over to where Tom is searching the crowd with a concerned expression.

“Oh, thanks ‘Mione. I’ll see you guys later,” you say before rushing over to his side.

“There you are Little Witch,” he greets you and you can see the tension fade from his face. Damn this man needs some calming drought, you think to yourself. He gives James and Sirius a nod, dismissing them from babysitting duty, at least for now.

“Hi Tom, how was the meeting?” You ask curiously. He wraps his arm around you and the two of you walk over to the teacher’s box.

“Boring, it was just tying up some loose ends and making sure the French and Bulgarian Ministries were part of the task development process. We need to cover our bases and ensure a fair competition.” He explains as the two of you enter the teacher’s box and he guides you to your seats. You were sitting in the front row next to Dumbledore and the other headmasters. It was a little awkward being with all the teachers, instead of the other students. But you were just going to have to get used to it, being the Minister’s mate and all.

The task was incredibly high pace and very interesting to watch. Though it was also slightly terrifying to see your fellow students go up against a dragon and try to capture their egg. Harry ended up scoring the highest and getting to his egg the fastest, which placed him in the lead. He made sure to use his natural skills to his advantage, summoning his broomstick and then getting the dragon to fly after him in order to get it away from the egg so he could then swoop in and grab it.

“I’m gonna go congratulate Harry,” you whisper to Tom right as he was being bombarded by reporters, all asking questions about the tournament. You knew he would be furious at you for wandering off on your own but you would deal with that later.

“Congratulations Harry!” You shouted giving him a big hug. His mom and Ginny were smiling but you could see the terror in their eyes. Sirius and James were off collecting money from their bets and Remus had his arm wrapped around Lily’s shoulder stabilizing her. Ron was going on and on about how incredible Harry was and Hermione was ranting to anyone who would listen about how absolutely barbaric the tournament was.

“Hey, guys party in the common room after dinner!” Seamus shouted, he and Dean both had faces full of Gryffindor colored face paint.

“Sweet!” Ron exclaims, he was always ready to party.

“Are you coming Y/n?” Hermione asks quietly.

“I wish, there is no way Tom will let me go without him and I don’t think it would be a ton of fun with the Minister of Magic chaperoning us.” You grumble slightly annoyed. You loved Tom but sometimes it sucked not being able to just hang out or party with your friends.

“There you are Little Witch,” Tom growled, looking absolutely furious with your little disappearing act.

“Hey babe,” you greet shyly, nervous for his reaction.

“Ready to go home?” He phrases it like a question but you know better. Fuck, you were in so much trouble when you got home.

“Sure, bye guys!” You call over your shoulder as Tom leads you back to the castle. The entire trip back to Dumbledore’s office is silent and you decide it’s best to keep it that way until you get home. Once you are in Dumbledore’s office the two of you walk straight to the fireplace and Tom grabs a handful of Floo powder before shouting, “Riddle Manor!” The fire swirls around the two of you again before depositing you both in the fireplace in Tom’s study. Tom marches you towards your room before he slams the door closed and turns to give you his signature glare.

“Care to explain Little Witch?” He asks, the fury practically dripping from his voice.

Fuck, you were in trouble now.

————————————————————————

Part 10

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harcourtholmesii · 4 years ago

Text

An Officer’s Loyalty (Part 2)

Pairing: Medic X Reader

Words: 2184

Warnings:

- Heavily Referenced and Implied Abuse

- Violence and Blood

- Death and Murder

- Swearing

- Intimidation and Threats

Enjoy!

Surely this was a dream; nothing like this would have ever happened in real life, and goodness knows this was the most surreal experience in your line of work.

The little steel, foldable chair you were sat upon was in the middle of a very near empty room, save for the haphazardly crafted poker table in front of you. You could see the scratchiness of chipped paint and chalk lines that marked the players’ cards and chips. It was rustic, crude and above all; cheap. Mann Co had at least given BLU the tall, cement building with wide windows and high-tech security. In this place, it seemed the security was reduced to the Engineer’s own sentries with a desert painted curtain ‘disguising’ the base’s entrance.

Before you stood four of what should have been your enemies. Being this close was disconcerting, and you felt a little betrayed when you had been told it would just be Medic and Engineer. True, they were there, but so were RED Spy and Heavy.

Heavy sat on a chair similar to yours, weight resting against the wall, grey eyes watching you closely. Much more specifically, his grey eyes observed every twitch of your fingers, every shift of your foot and every motion of your eyes to your empty handgun. Whether he was aware it lacked ammunition, you didn’t know, but your concern was how he sat just beside the entrance, his ‘Sasha’ resting just beside his right boot.

Spy was leaning against the opposing wall, him and Heavy guarding your only escape route. He had a cigarette between his lips; wisps of grey smoke rising into the air. There was the bitterness of the nicotine, but the faintest sweet scent of strawberries. He glared at you from where he stood, his left hand busy whipping about his butterfly knife in a deft display of skill. No doubt he was trying to intimidate you.

It irked you to no end that it was working.

Engineer sat on the crude gaming table, hands in his lap and offering a kind of tense smile. He had removed his helmet, revealing his naked scalp, but unlike Heavy and Spy he had no weapons on hand. At least, none that you could see. For all you knew, he could have a hidden sentry in the room, just awaiting his command. You had taken to wearing Medic’s coat since you first passed by the outside curtain, all sentries training on you for that brief moment your uniform was exposed.

Speaking of the German, he stood just a ways behind Engineer, offering Heavy a few, muted signals. You curled inwards, unintentionally pulling Medic’s coat tighter around your form. The heat was unwelcome and the metallic smell of blood and gunpowder reminded you of your place. However, seeing the man in a much less ‘professional’ light, dressed in a sweater vest despite the weather, was a strange form of comfort.

‘Want a drink, Officer?’ Engineer finally spoke, reaching to a small crate on the table, revealing a plastic bottle of cool water. You felt your tongue, fat and dry from the day’s work, swiping at the inside of your mouth. You swallowed around it, trying not to seem as desperate as you were for water.

‘Please.’ A bottle was tossed, and you caught it in one hand. You uncapped it and as you brought it to your lips, your eyes turned to Spy. You lowered the bottle, sniffing the air above the cap ever so slightly. ‘What’s in it?’

There was a scoff from the Frenchman, the man smirking in a way that was just designed to piss you off.

‘Nozhing. If we wanted to torture, we wouldn’t go zhrough zhe trouble of wasting a good sedative.’ Your eyes turned to the others, and Medic gave an encouraging nod. You sipped it.

The cool liquid was heavenly. The first, delicate sip wasn’t enough to sate your thirst, and as soon as you had lowered the bottle, you had risen it to your lips again, taking long gulps of water. It probably wasn’t a good idea, but Spy did have a point, much as you loathed admitting it.

‘So, I guess now’s the best time to talk about… What we brought you ‘ere for.’ You whipped your eyes to Engineer, who tossed you a second bottle. This, you just rested in your lap. You waited for him to continue, but now that you were finally getting down to business, you could feel the stress rising. You could feel your hands tensing around the bottle, the plastic crackling in your hands.

‘I ain’t gonna sugar-coat anythin’, Officer. I’m just gonna tell you straight: we want you on the team.’

There was silence.

And then you started snickering. Which soon turned to chuckling and then an all-out burst of laughter. You nearly doubled over in your seat, clutching the bottle tight to you like it was your lifeline. Last thing you needed to explain to BLU was that you ended up in respawn by dying of laughter.

‘You can’t be serious?’

‘Dreadfully so, I’m afraid.’ The Spy spoke up, and your laughter died down. The smile was still on your lips, and even now, you could feel the laughter bubbling in your chest.

‘You’ve noticed, haven’t you?’ The Texan questioned, and you tilted your head in curiosity. Noticed what? ‘We don’ gotta Officer on our team. Surely you’ve seen that.’ You felt a little bit put out to be talked down to. How could you not notice?

The first thing you were told when you became a member of BLU was the opposing team would have someone in your position. They might share your face, or be a completely different person. And yet, every time you had entered into battle, you counted the mercenaries that fired upon you and your allies. You counted nine most times. Sometimes there were seven or eight mercenaries, perhaps taking a sick day or performing some confidential task for their employers. But your count never exceeded nine.

‘Yes. I’ve noticed.’

‘So, we want you to join us.’

‘Well, pardon me and my suspicions, but why not ask your employers for an extra member? Why try and coerce me to join you?’ The Medic stepped up, passing Engineer and placing himself between you and the others. Admittedly, you felt a little better with him between you all. At least part of that was because of the potential for an escape. If you needed to go, perhaps you could manage a hostage situation.

Granted, from where you sat, and without his coat, you could see the Medic’s body thick with some muscle. Lugging around the hunk of metal and glass tubes that was the medigun left quite an impression on the man’s physique. It was just as likely that should you hold a knife to his throat, he could break your arm himself.

So much for that plan.

‘Vell, our employer is a very busy fraulein, and she cannot answer to every request ve make. No matter how important.’ Honestly, based on his words, you wondered if they had their very own version of Miss Pauling; one that rocked up on her scooter with a shotgun in hand and a pencil knit skirt. ‘Ve vanted to ask you, as ve took notice of jour…’

A silence descended upon the room. It seemed awkward how they were trying to dance around your situation. Even Heavy looked down, almost bashful.

‘Ve noticed you vere… Vell…’

‘What you have seen is nothing. I can handle it.’ There was another scoff from the RED Spy as he flicked his cigarette butt into a nearby ashtray. He turned to Medic with an almost condescending look upon his face and a righteous smirk.

‘I told you. We don’t need someone who can’t even tell zhat zhey are being abused and-’

‘Shut up.’ You stated it firmly, in such a tone that caught his notice. ‘I am not in denial. I know what is happening to me. I don’t need you, any of you, to tell me what I already know.’ You hissed. You were seething. How dare this fucker talk about you like that. He was in no position to speak about you and your dickhead teammates. You had stood up in your anger, felt the bottle of water crunch in your fingers and the ache of the bruises in your skin. It just made you angrier.

‘I’m fine.’

‘Nein.’ You hadn’t noticed how Medic had stepped closer, now within arm’s reach. He reached out to you and you shirked his hand off your arm. ‘Jou’re not fine. Any-vone smart vould notice how jou keep your distance, even from your own team. Entschuldigung, but I can see zhe scarring on jour hands also.’ You pulled them back, hiding them in the folds of the coat.

‘Those aren’t from the team.’

‘Even if zhey aren’t, a gud Medic vould be able to relieve jou of zhem. Und vhy hasn’t jours?’

You lowered your gaze, stepping back and past the chair. You could feel your legs shaking down to your boots. You didn’t like how everyone stared. The last thing you needed was judgement from the REDs of all people. You didn’t care about them and certainly didn’t need their consideration.

‘Haff jou even been given jour heart surgery?’

Your look of confusion was answer enough. You didn’t understand. What the fuck was he even referring to?

‘Jou do know zhat vhenever a Medic uses zhe ubercharge zhat it requires a heart transplant in zhe patient? Ozhervise, zhe heart explodes from zhe voltage.’

What?

You had seen how the Heavy, Soldier and Demo had been lit up a bright sheen of blue that acted like a second skin to them and the Medic. Sure, you had felt the beam of the medigun on you before, but never had you turned such a colour. And yet you had seen the RED team, in much the same fashion, receive an ubercharge across all manner of classes. You could recall a knife fight between yourself and the RED Sniper; your team had been slaughtering the REDs and the Sniper was only just managing to fend off your big players. You had gone in, but had been surprised to see the red armour coating that covered his body from head to toe. Your own head had been quickly removed from your shoulders in that instance.

‘What we’re trying to say, is that we want to give you a chance to work for us. We wanted to ask you because, well, if anyone could benefit, we thought perhaps you might. Kill two birds with one stone, if you will.’ Medic’s face morphed into a brief look of offense.

‘Ve don’t vant to kill jou. Ve vant jou on our team. Ve zhink jou vould be most… wertvoll? Vhat is vord-?’

‘Valuable, docteur.’

‘Right. Right… Valuable, Offizier. Vhat do jou zhink?’

You thought about. Genuinely, your mind was in a race, each pro and con coming to your brain in an instant. A new team, and a new start… It could be good, even exciting. You rolled your shoulder, thinking how your own teammates would react. They’d be angry… Beyond angry. It kind of scared you that you liked the idea of their outrage at your betrayal.

‘I don’t know… Do the rest of your team even know about this? Wouldn’t they just as likely kill me, anyway?’

‘Heavy not kill you if you not kill team.’ Well, that was… something, you supposed.

‘Soldier and Scout are the only ones to really worry about, and we’ll talk with ‘em about it.’ Engineer offered.

‘Can I think on it?’ You asked. You took notice how a look was shared between the REDs, until Spy spoke up at last.

‘You can. Feel free to think on it all you want, but…’ He stepped forward and away from his position at the back of the room. ‘… We can’t allow you to leave until you make your decision.’ He stalked closer.

‘Vas?’

‘What?’

‘Chto?’

‘If we let you go, you could still discuss wizh your team looking into our secrets and our security. Zhe last zhing we need is a double agent.’ There was a flick of the knife in his gloved hand, and the blade edge rested just below your chin. ‘You will stay here until a decision is made. And we have all weekend for you to zhink on it.’

‘Spion!’ The German barked at him, and the Frenchman offered him merely an annoyed look in return. Medic’s hand pushed the knife away, putting some distance between yourself and the dangerous man. You felt a great swell of relief in your chest, and unintentionally took to stepping back and further behind Medic.

‘Jou are not helping by making zhreats. It is not necessary.’

‘It isn’t necessary.’ You said, peering around Medic’s form. All eyes were on you, including Medic’s. ‘I’m in.’ The doctor smiled and you felt a warmth in your chest.

Spy smirked, and you felt a chill up your spine.

#fanfiction #fanfic #TF2 #Team Fortress 2 #Medic #Spy #Engineer #Heavy #Medic X Reader #Canon X Reader #HarcourtHolmesII

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keyofjetwolf · 4 years ago

Text

Bonus Question Answers! (non-anime heat 1)

I asked a silly question! You gave me incredible answers. SO VERY MANY INCREDIBLE ANSWERS. Now, I present my favourites!

Another that was so so so hard to narrow down. I did have to make special mention, though, at the sheer volume of you who (correctly) pointed out Haruka and Michiru either spending their quarantine fucking, or frustrated at being unable to fuck. Thank you, heroes.

If your answer is listed below, you’ve earned an entry in a random draw to win a GIFTENING liveblog OF YOUR CHOICE

—

Q: The Senshi are all quarantining together! Describe what a wonderful/terrible/wonderrible idea this is. (YOU CANNOT BE TOO DETAILED)

~~~

* First things first: if the Senshi are all quarantining *together*, then they must be old enough to be not living with their parents (or lack thereof). Furthermore, they must be living in a place big enough to accommodate all of them. Now, the Outers already have a huge fuck-off house, so if we're cheating and saying ALL the Senshi, not just the Inners, then we can say that Usagi and the girls moved in with Haruka and the girls after high school. Usagi and Makoto and Minako have almost certainly snubbed college; Ami and Rei not only attending, but Ami is aiming to get her Master's, so both of them have to take online courses. Setsuna is teaching them. Haruka and Michiru graduated from college *ages* ago. Hotaru also has to take online courses, but for high school since she'd be about that age at this point. Chibs is not here because she's smarter than to travel back in time to when there was a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. Now then! Usagi is moping because she can't see Mamoru or Chibi-Usa, so she reads manga and watches TV to distract herself. As per her usual she mostly shoves her nose into what everyone else is doing, then gets distracted by a passing butterfly and chases it until she finds something new to stick her nose into. She's honestly taking the quarantine the hardest, even though she's living in a house with all her closest friends. The delivery guy knows her by name and by her super-cute hand-sewn (by Makoto) pink-and-white bunny mask. Makoto has sewn everyone custom masks, actually, which brings us to... Makoto naturally is doing the cooking and cleaning and laundry, and while she does love doing these things, she's now doing them for NINE PEOPLE, and Usagi has never learned to fold a sock in her life, and Ami folds socks but is crazy busy with her coursework, and Minako/Rei/Michiru/Haruka can't be bothered for one reason or another, and Makoto is about to explode because everybody assumes she'll do everything and do it smiling and normally they wouldn't be WRONG but COME THE FUCK ON YOU GUYS. She is in a constant state of being two steps away from an explosion. The only saving grace is Setsuna, who does actually help out in between teaching online courses, and who patiently listens to Makoto vent, because she understands that if Makoto melts down, so will the rest of the household. Makoto has a pink-and-green rose mask; Setsuna has a wine red mask with black stitching. Ami has vanished into her room. STUDY, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY. She is literally taking four courses at once because with a global pandemic, a) what else is there to do with one's life b) the rest of the household is utter chaos c) MUST DEVELOP VACCINE. She has actually be helping researchers online with this under an anonymous name. She *wants* to go out and volunteer, but understands that the best thing she can do is quarantine properly. She is constantly lecturing everyone about Best Quarantine Practices, to the point that the others mostly tune her out now. This is only piling onto her constant stress. Hotaru visits her occasionally with tea and textbooks so they can study and destress together. It's good for both of them, especially since Hotaru, with her health issues, is the most at risk of all of them. Hotaru's also used to isolation, so she's a surprisingly stabilizing presence for everybody. Ami and Hotaru both have standard hospital red-lined white masks along with their custom masks (Ami's is light blue with dolphin clasps on the side; Hotaru's is designed based on that optical illusion that's either a lamp or two people facing each other), because you need one for when the other is in the wash. Minako has become a Twitch game streamer and beauty YouTuber and is updating both CONSTANTLY, with YT guest star appearances by Michiru (who is always effortlessly and flawlessly beautiful) and Rei (who is using Minako to promote her own YouTube channel). Minako tried to get Usagi to be the camerawoman for her YT show but Usagi wanted to be the star too much, so now Minako as strong-armed Haruka into doing it. Haruka is bored out of her mind because she can't go out on drives, so she helps Minako out without complaint. Sometimes she even guest-stars on Minako's Twitch streams, depending on the game. Getting to film beautiful girls making themselves even hotter? Sure, she's into that. Minako's mask is glittery gold with red ribbons for cords; Rei's mask is black with flame decals on the sides; Haruka's is a solid black, tight and sporty; Michiru's is seemingly plain white, "coincidentally" complementing Haruka's, but is made of fine linen and silk. Rei meanwhile doesn't actually know what her channel is about and didn't give two shits about YouTube until Minako started doing it, but Minako is actually raking in a stupid amount of cash from doing this, so Rei figured, how hard could it be?? Right now she's somewhere in between doing her own beauty channel, doing paranormal investigations, cooking channel (she proudly presents instant meals as time- and money-saving masterpieces without an ounce of self-awareness. Haruka has had to hold Makoto back from suplexing her more than once), and a video review column where she tries things out and gives her opinions on them. She's *absolutely furious* that her channel is not as popular as Minako's. She's also strongarmed Haruka into being her camerawoman. Michiru allows this because watching Minako and Rei fight over their respective channels is the most amusement she's had all year. Ami asks Rei when she finds the time to study. Rei ignores her. -- @ayu-ohseki [I said spare no detail, AND YOU DID NOT. Thoughtful, considered, and a fun read start to finish, amazing.]

~~~

* It is the best. Minako has a captive audience, Makoto has everyone to cook for, Rei has taken charge of how to Do Everything, Ami can hole up with her books and tutor Usagi, Usagi has all the time to play games and read comics. It is the worst. Minako has a captive audience and they want new stories faster than she can make them. Makoto has everyone to cook for and they eat so much all the time. Rei has taken charge of how to Do Everything but no one will listen. Ami can hole up with her books but that doesn't mean its quiet enough to read, and she can tutor Usagi but that doesn't mean Usagi is even making a small attempt at listening like in the group study sessions. Usagi has all the time to play video games and read comics, but no one will let her, especially Rei. -- @cakeandpi [Loved the Dickensian Best of Times/Worst of Times structure, precisely the level of epic this clusterfuck needs.]

~~~

* In the best of situations, it is difficult to find housing for nine people on short notice, and these are not the best of situations. Given that she had, from at least the age of four, been bound to the moon by a curse of blood, it should not have come as any grand opportunity to Michiru that the opportunity to recuse herself from larger society life would be immediately and aggressively offset by Haruka's invitation for the Senshi to come quarantine at the Kaioh beach cottage.

One might assume that perhaps Usagi's parents, or Ami's mother, or Rei's grandfather, might have objected to their children being out of their sight in such a time, but that is to discount the general narrative inconvenience that seemed to pursue Michiru to the last. "Babe, there's like 6 bedrooms in the place," Haruka has said, quite missing the point entirely that Michiru had made it her goal to make use of everyone one of them. And so, here she was, where one might be sipping a glass of champagne on the veranda overlooking the sea, lover at her side, instead she was listening to the endless sniping between Rei and Usagi as they pattered about the house, there was no lover next to her, but only Ami with her endless piles of conspicuously books that Michiru felt quite certain had been selected for the view their covers provided others, Mako sending away the cook for what were noted to be COVID concerns but Michiru felt were more the concern of her longing for the spacious kitchen. Her mind preserved her enough not to speak of Minako, nor of the fact that the one she would have beside her was currently playing Mario Kart with such. Hotaru and Pluto were there, also. Michiru took another deep drink of the wine. With the volume she was consuming, she would have to switch to boxed wine. At this rate, she may qualify as hand santizer herself, which nearly stayed her hand. Usagi wailed loudly at Rei. Michiru took another drink. No Matter, she thought, for I will not die before my appointed time. The Moon will certainly see to that. -- @docholligay [You absolutely catered this to me and you know it, you whore. Hilarious AND beautifully written, I detest you.]

~~~

* Usagi is thrilled to have all of her favorite people in one place. Mako will cook! Ami will read to them! Mina will write and Rei will direct plays for them all to perform! Haruka will make sure they stay fit! Michiru will teach them etiquette! Hotaru and Setsuna will also be there! Her favorite cats will be there to purr and offer guidance without actual knowledge and nagging! Yay! After a week, Usagi is still relentlessly happy. To be otherwise would be to admit that her friends are not perfect, perfectly suited for each other, and perfectly happy. She hasn't seen Haruka and Michiru at all in days; they commandeered the back bedroom with it's own bathroom and the others only know they're still in there by the noises *ahem*, by the food delivery people who keep coming to the door, and the empty food containers that appear in the hallway. Mina and Rei are not speaking to each other after the Hair Clip Incident. Ami is still diligently serving as a go-between, but Mako refused and will not give either of them any of her cooking, so Rei keeps making Hello Curry and leaving the kitchen a disaster, while Mina somehow keeps convincing Haruka and Michiru's uber eats drivers to give her stuff. There is only one litter box for the two cats, and that is not enough. And Artemis keeps leaving the seat up on the toilet. No one knows how, or why, but he does. Hotaru and Setsuna are also there. Worst (best?) of all, Usagi doesn't miss Mamoru at all, and hasn't actually noticed his absence. He's been missing for three days. -- @incorrecttact [I ADORE the little touch of Usagi having to aggressively fake it because even she is struggling THIS CANNOT BE ALLOWED. You made me bark laugh at the end. Glorious.]

~~~

* Rei's Journal: It's day 8 under lockdown and I have somehow managed to retain my sanity. It has not been easy. By day 4 Minako and Makoto were at each other's throats because Minako tried to clip her toenails in the kitchen, due to Ami holing herself up in the bathroom. Makoto threatened to make Minako eat a toenail burrito, and by God I think Minako actually would eat it just to show Mako up. It has been a struggle to keep Usagi from eating all the food, and I fear she is contemplating the idea of eating Luna and/or Artemis. Ami is retreating further and further into her shell. She has solved every math problem in every math book she had at her disposal, and is now showing withdrawal symptoms. The walls of her room are covered in math equations. I am doing as best I can; my rations of "Here!" Quarantine snacks have been balanced to last me for at least the next week, but after that point I am not sure what happens. As a shrine maiden, I'm used to long periods of silence in my meditation. It's been difficult keeping my focus with Usagi and the others slowly losing their minds, but I am a survivor if nothing else. If I could survive D-Point, I can survive this... Wait I didn't survive D-Point FUCK. -- @judedeluca [Rei’s journal, yes, thank you for catering to me directly, I appreciate your service and killer ending.]

~~~

* Everyone's locked into separate rooms by day 2, or make-shift rooms with blankets taped to the ceiling. By day 3, there's lines on the floor. Ami makes a timetable for when everyone can go to shared spaces like the kitchen or bathroom. Usagi is distressed that all of her friends can't get along, even as she has an existential crisis about not wanting to be around them herself. Rei is suddenly the mom friend, when Mako realizes that trying to help everyone leads to her stress-baking leads to her taking too much time in the kitchen leads to everyone more pissed off. Minako is alternately drunk off her ass and egging everyone on, or making notes for pressure cooker situations to add to training. Haruka gets more sullen than anyone's seen her, Michiru loses some of her polish as her nerves finally fray by the end of the week, and is cussing people out by day 9. Setsuna immediately regrets her decision not to hunker down at the time gate. Hotaru's glad to be included but so anxious she starts collecting the house's lamps in her area. Ami has to make a timetable for using those as well, so Hotaru doesn't call death to them all. Somehow, they survive. When things let up, they all promise not to speak of it again, at least not directly, and then immediately all take at least 3 days to be by themselves in their own spaces. -- @katrani [Usagi’s existential crisis, yessss. Hotaru stress-hoarding lamps though, everything I never knew I wanted.]

~~~

* Ordered in Michru's least loss to greatest, or conversely, Usagi's greatest loss to least: 1) they stay at Michiru's mansion. It's huge. It's spacious. Michiru disappears within minutes and isn't seen again until 14 days later. Pluto finds her easily enough for tea, Rei does so out of dogged determination, and Haruka doesn't have to try. Usagi does, but she gets lost easily and there are so many snacks everywhere, she gets distracted. what's that? A room filled with tvs? another with comics? Mako worries about her getting cavities and uses the greatest kitchen ever to cook things up. She almost never leaves there. Ami poisons the pool every time she leaves as part of the great Hatemace. Chibs and Hotaru get a chance to be kids and actually play. If the starlights are there, Seiya and Haruka have a dramatic face off. Mina makes sure to leave graffiti everywhere. Despite her best efforts, she can't find Michiru's weakness. Artemis and Luna take a vacation. 2) They stay at Usagi's, Minako's, or Ami's. They do not stay at Rei's because Grandpa is old and Rei has put the fear of god in anyone who dares come to the temple. The houses/apartments are small and cramped with just the five inners. With everyone else? Chaos. Artemis and Luna are glad they aren't affected and escape. Chibs conveniently stays in the covid-free future/"look, I already have teh vaccine! I don't have to stay here with you". Hotaru contemplates reincarnating again. Mako enjoys time with Usagi's mom, cooking together (no, she isn't crying, you're crying). Minako takes extremely long showers to piss Michiru off. Michiru is not sure how she got forced into this, she feels the hand of god in play and curses the writer internally. Pluto unravels the mystery of super!spy!Usagi's Dad but no one will ever know the answer to that. Ami escapes online and plays sims where they all have their own rooms, with Jet's help. Rei turns on the stove and pretends its the great fire to meditate. Haruka likes this long sleepover! She's never got to do one before! Usagi agrees and they plan horror movies and games and fast food. If the starlights are there, Seiya plans an even greater slumber party. Usagi helps both because more parties are always better. 3) They stay at Mako's two-room apartment. Chibs doesn't even step into the past, she's heard the horror stories from her aunts. Hotaru begins the sequence for the end of the world. Word of god or no word of god, Michiru refuses to go. When the narrative railroads her into it, she claims the balcony for herself, furnishes it, and locks the door so no one else can come. Pluto stays in the void, unreachable by all. Mako has never seen her apartment so filled and noisy and she's both elated and afraid for her plants. Her plants are terrified and tremble the entire time. Rei lives in the oven. Minako claims the bathroom--a toll is required for anyone else to enter. Ami puts all her brainpower to finding a cure to escape this hellhole. The bedroom is a nonstop competitive slumber party, and Minako, Haruka, and Seiya have a song off. A toll is still required to enter the bathroom. Usagi breaks onto the balcony once to hug Michiru. -- @kumeko [I love the different branches, ALL THE SHENANIGANS]

~~~

* (Putting Inners in college so Ami isn’t on call as a doctor) The good news is that the Outers’ ridiculously spacious mansion is, in fact, ridiculously spacious enough to accomodate eleven people (I’m certain Mamoru was not in your intentions, but it was agreed that Mamoru is a good quarantine podmate who will follow all necessary rules, and also Usagi would be insufferable if he’s not there and Mako points out that he lives alone and the social isolation would be killer) and three cats. Haruka’s happy to have Minako around all the time, and Pluto and Hotaru are thrilled to have Chibs. (Rei asked why Pluto and Chibiusa can’t just go back to their own times. Pluto gives a lengthy explanation about past and future virology that may or may not be total bullshit. No one really knows with her.) Ami is continuing her studies, as she does, and has a consistent schedule involving Study Hours and Socializing Hours. She does, however, make sure to swim in the Outers Mansion Pool every day at the same time Michiru customarily does. Neither of them says anything about this. Their rivalry continues. Michiru knows every nook, cranny, and secret passage there, and can easily avoid anyone who’s gotten stir-crazy should she so choose. Mako has taken command of the kitchen, and cannot be talked out of doing all the cooking. The food is delicious, nutritious, and is basically Quarantine Baking Times Twelve. Her skills are appreciated by all. Mamoru is likewise well-behaved, and mostly spends his time being quietly useful, spending time with Usagi, and listening to classical music with Michiru without otherwise interacting with her, making him the one man whose presence she will tolerate. The cats are well-behaved. They are the ones who are quarantining well. Minako, of course, is dying of boredom by the month and a half mark, and proceeds to take up a wide variety of hobbies, only to move on when they turn out way less fun than the video suggested. She annoys the others to show her how to bake tarts, or paint, or whatever it is Pluto does all day. Eventually she does find something she enjoys enough to stick with - wirework. While her preference is for jewelry, she does work with larger scale stuff just enough to present Mamoru with her masterpiece - Chicken Sculpture 2.0. (He seethes.) Rei, meanwhile, has also taken up new and exciting hobbies, but she will determinedly stick with each one until she has reached an arbitrary goal of Accomplishment. Even when she hates them, as is the case with birdwatching, Zumba, Mako’s attempts to refine her sense of taste, and trying to follow professional wrestling. She does take to cross-stitching once she discovers it’s basically stabbing something until it’s art. Felting, too. Between that and cleaning she’s a delight when she and Minako are not grating against each other. Which is frequently, with them both taking up all these new hobbies. (When assigning rooms, Michiru thought ahead. Rei’s and Usagi’s are next to each other, at the end of the hall. They bicker as much as ever but everyone else can get distance when really needed.) Usagi is happy to be somewhere with all her dearest friends, all the time! She is VERY BAD at waiting patiently until everyone else’s Productive Hours are over, be they online classes and homework or painting or quietly stealing Mamoru’s abstract mosquito coil shirt and throwing it through the Gate of Time and into a void where it will never again darken their sight. (Pluto isn’t a monster, and replaces it with a similar but less incomprehensible white T-shirt with a pattern. Mamoru assumes this was Minako’s doing.) Artemis assigns himself as resident Blonde Disaster Watcher, while Chibiusa - currently visiting as a roughly 14-year-old, matching Hotaru - smugly points out that she’s handling quarantine just fine. This prompts a round of furious research by the rest of the house as to whether or not cats can drink alcohol. Haruka’s practically run down a path around the Sprawling Kaioh Estate on which the mansion sits. How can she angst gaily without a mission? Sure obviously staying home and keeping safe is the most important thing and she will do her part, but that’s not nearly dramatic enough to hate herself for if she decides she’s quarantining inadequately! Michiru decides the best thing for this is to take her, Usagi, and Minako and sit them all down with empty scrapbooks. Usagi and Haruka emerge after the pandemic with eighteen volumes of Important Friendship Scrapbooks. There’s an adorable doodle of them high-fiving on the title page of each one. They designed it themselves. Despite this all, quarantine does actually pass without any of them killing each other, though Haruka and Michiru do strongly consider sending the others to Hikawa Shrine instead. Grandpa Hino can manage all this energy. No one except Chibiusa thinks to ask how Hotaru’s doing. They forgot to check her room. -- Regalli [I know legit sadness in my Senshi Heart that I cannot see Haruka and Usagi’s scrapbooks with my own eyeballs. Loved this whole thing, but fucking Hotaru at the end hahahah]

~~~

* It's all a matter of perspective. Mako and Ami will keep themselves consistently busy with cooking/baking, plant caregiving, reading, eating sandwiches, etc. Mako will eventually cave, after like, day 6 and there are 3 dozen scones, they lost count of cookies, and they've got frozen meals for weeks. Rei keeps telling her to stop cooking because she stumbled into Mako's apartment with armfuls of Here! Curry! and convenience store meals. Usagi is sooooo boooooored all the time and that's a dangerous combo with Minako being soooooo booooooored all the time. The Rube-Goldberg machines, the destruction, the pranks. More about Rei sadly as I know you don't particularly care for her at all whatsoever: she is a rollercoaster. Every day is too different but it's also always the same. Usagi is eating too much of her food but nobody else is eating enough. It won't go bad this way, but Usagi STOP I GOT THAT KIND OF CHIPS FOR ME. She finds some peace with Michiru who herself trying to keep a grasp on her ~*ara*~ ness but won't admit that by day four has been wanting out. "The girls are sweet" she convinces herself as she listens to another screaming match between Usagi and Rei while Minako snapchats everything. Haruka lost it by the second day, she can't stand not doing anything and not being in motion. At first this was channeled into doing small workouts that Mako sometimes participated in from a distance, but those have stopped. How long have you been laying on her floor today, Haruka? You gonna get up and have something to eat today Haruka? Hotaru and Chibs keep themselves busy with games and movies (Chibs and Usagi fight over the TV), Setsuna plays sometimes but is just happy to watch and enjoy these moments of peace. Chib's pride is on the line because she is getting bored by day 5 but she will not be sooooooo booooooored like Usagi. Mamoru begins to bring them all takeout by day 10 and slips Michiru a bottle of wine when she comes down, she is grateful, the label brings a tear to her eye, he knows good wine. Luna and Artemis are there. They sure are cats, and they can come and go if they want. They are envied. At some point they are all laying in the living room together. They don't know how long, someone's playlist is playing in the background. They don't care. It's the longest anyone has gone without talking. It's the one of the few times they've truly felt connected with one another as a team. Minako then asks, "If I ate myself, would I become twice as big or cease to exist?" It was nice while it lasted. -- @thatonemoonie [Every detail is divine, but oh my god Minako’s question at the end, THANK YOU.]

~~~

* Michiru does not have enough wine and the Moon will pay for what she has endured. -- the Lord of the Sea [Summing it up in the perfect single sentence, brilliant.]

~~~

* It's Usagi's idea, really. Quarantine procedures are announced and she can't help but imagine what it will be like for all her friends. Minako, stuck with family she doesn't get along with. Ami's mom under even more stress as an essential worker, probably avoiding her daughter to keep her safe from the virus. Makoto, completely alone! Rei, probably regressing from not seeing other people! This cannot stand. Usagi has visions of Mako making gigantic family style meals and keeping things scrupulously clean. Ami contentedly petting Luna and Artemis and keeping them all up to date on how things are progressing. Minako livening the mood by driving Rei insane. And all is right in Usagi's world. It IS like that... sometimes. Being stuck together 24/7 has its ups and downs, and there has never been a situation as prolonged as this one. There are tense moments, and fights over silly things like toilet paper and Usagi running up the phone bill by calling Mamoru so often. It's cramped. Ami tries to keep them up on their distance learning, and checks temperatures daily. They try some disastrous DIYS and recipes when supplies get low. Usagi and Rei have an emotional moment when one night, she tries to secretly use Moon Healing Escalation on the city. In the end, they come through stronger than ever, like always. Just with a lot more appreciation for distance and personal space. -- @yunyin [All incredible, but you absolutely fucking GOT ME with Rei catching Usagi trying to heal the city, DELICIOUS ANGST]

---

I’ll be drawing for the bonus liveblog around the start of THE GIFTENING 2020 (currently looking to be Monday, 11 January 2021). Each bonus question is another chance to earn an entry! I CAN ABSOLUTELY AND SHAMELESSLY BE BOUGHT.

#THE GIFTENING 2020 #THE GIFTENING 2020 admin stuff #THE GIFTENING 2020 bonus q

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startanewdream · 4 years ago

Text

Mistletoe

Summary: Genderbend Jily! When Liam Evans and Jamie Potter are trapped under the mistletoe, there is only one way of getting out.

Excerpt: ‘This won't do, Potter’, Liam noted, and she turned to him, upset.

‘So what do you propose? Staying here forever?’

‘Someone is going to pass by eventually’, he told her calmly. ‘But, no, I just thought about us being smart. The purpose of this spell cannot be just to leave us standing here, it wouldn't be fun enough for Zonko's’.

There was a guarded expression on Jamie's face that Liam could not comprehend.

‘What are you thinking about, Evans?’, she asked warily.

‘It’s a mistletoe’, Liam pointed out, but Jamie did not react. ‘What do you know about mistletoe?’

Even before he got trapped in the third-floor corridor, Liam Evans was having an eventful day.

It was supposed to be a quiet day, the last one of class before the beginning of the Christmas holidays. He’d planned for wrapping up some reports before finishing the day with eggnog with his friends in the Common Room. Instead, he was faced with breaking two snowball fights inside the castle, one family fight – Christmas for the McKinnon would be tense this year - and a discussion between the prefects of Slytherin and Ravenclaw who were refusing to work together after ending their relationship, and applying one detention for that silly first-year who had exploded a dungbomb in the Great Hall – to be held after the return of the classes, Liam wasn’t so mean.

Still, he wished the Christmas spirit was higher that year.

The only good thing about that day was that Liam hadn’t need to face these problems all by himself. The Head Girl had helped him sort everything out, but then they had split in the afternoon. Liam wasn’t particularly thrilled by that, but they had agreed ever since the beginning that Jamie Potter needed a couple of days off every month, and she was usually so committed to her job as Head Girl that Liam had no reason to complain about their arrangement; he could handle things alone twice a month.

Sure, Jamie happened to ask the same nights off that Remy Lupin needed, but Liam tried not to think much about it. He had an inkling feeling about Remy’s condition, and he was sure that Jamie did not share it, but Liam wasn’t going to question if Jamie felt she needed to support her friend in any way she could. There were many things people could say about Jamie Potter, but no one could deny she really cared for her friends.

So instead of double partnering, as usual, Jamie had left him after lunch to patrol the corridors and Liam would replace her by evening. While he was solving issues and finishing the next-semester chronograms, Liam really wished Jamie was there with him; she was so high-spirited and amusing that he felt anything became better when she was around.

That was a newly arrived thought on Liam’s mind, but also one he was quite used to by now. Whatever feelings Liam may have had at the beginning about Dumbledore’s choice of Head Girl – and he had hoped so much it would be Remy -, there was no denying that Jamie had proven herself a good choice. She was a good leader, which, in hindsight, should’ve been obvious for Liam – he always saw how Jamie was the mastermind of her group of friends – and, when Jamie had a goal, she really put her heart into it. It’d been like that with all the pranks she had pulled over the years; it should be the same with being a Head Girl.

All events they had coordinated that semester had been perfect. The two visits to Hogsmeade had happened without any problem and the Halloween feast had been a success. They had even been able to organize the patrols and duties of the prefects in a way that seemed fair while keeping the less patient or nastier prefects away from younger students.

It was easy working with Jamie and, more than that, it was pleasant. When Liam had been appointed Head Boy – one of the few academic joys he could share with his parents –, he’d worried that the Head Girl was someone that would clash with him or even worse, one the Pure-blood supremacists. But Jamie Potter had surpassed any expectation he might have; she had made things amusing.

Two years ago, Liam would not think that working – or even being near – Jamie Potter would be good, but that had been during their Fifth Year and back then things were different. Sometimes he was surprised by how much Jamie had grown up – not just physically, but how she became more mature, more responsible, and less… self-centered.

Sometimes she seemed like another person altogether, but Liam knew that wasn’t a fair thought. Jamie could have changed, just as Liam had changed over the years, but her main traits were still there: she was still as brave and daring and faithful to her friends as she always had been. The only things that had changed were that she had stopped hexing people just for the fun of it and, if she was talking about Quidditch, it was not just to show herself out.

In fact, Jamie had started to teach others about flying. There were some days she could be found helping other teams or teaching better flying technics for first years. Liam had seen her even talking with the Ravenclaw prefect, who was also a chaser, both sitting together in one of the couches of the Prefect’s Room, discussing flying moves; they looked strangely friendly together, until Liam felt it was his duty to remind Jamie that they needed to start the prefect meeting. Jamie had dutifully came to his side and Liam had felt satisfied with it, until he realized it was a strange feeling; later, he told himself that it was only because the first Quidditch game of the season was coming and his competitive spirit had arisen.

It was a reasonable feeling. Whatever amount of showing off Jamie had done in the past, even when Liam thought her head should be bigger to fit her ego, he could not deny that she flew well. There was something beautiful in the way she seemed to dance in the air, deflecting bludgers and darting across the field to score a goal; her untidy black hair would wave around her as she flew and the smile she had while playing was always blazing.

Not that Liam had appreciated that smile; her blazing Quidditch smile was the same that Jamie had thrown at him all along Fifth Year, whenever she would sit by his side in the Common Room and tried to talk to him, her face flushed and her eyes shining behind her glasses. It had taken Liam some time to figure out what her endgame was, but even after Jamie lost her temper and declared out loud that she wanted to go out with him, he hadn't been interested.

The problem was that Jamie seemed to think she would grant him the greatest honour of going out with her, and even though Liam knew she was pretty - he had eyes, after all - he couldn't ignore how arrogant and immature she was - and there was the fact that Jamie couldn’t leave Severa Snape alone. So he had denied going out with her, not once but twice – the second invitation had come during that incident - and after that, Jamie had never mentioned going out with him again.

That was good, Liam supposed. His Sixth Year had been difficult enough - without Sev – for him worrying about Jamie's attempt at seduction. And for all he knew, her Sixth Year had been stressful as well: he noticed how she was soberer, how suddenly protective she was of Sirina Black for whatever happened during the summer holiday (someone said something about Black running away from home), and how even the pranks she was involved seemed to be less aggressive and just more entertaining.

And now Jamie had probably turned her seduction attempts on to someone else, Liam thought grumpily. He was in the Prefect’s Room, glancing at his watch and wondering what had happened to delay Jamie – she was usually careful on those days of Full Moon – when his gaze fell to that very couch where he had seen Jamie and the Ravenclaw monitor chatting excitedly a few days ago. Corner was also on duty patrol that afternoon; he was scheduled to patrol near the Astronomy Tower, while Jamie was supposed to be patrolling the halls on the other side of the castle, but maybe they had met in a desert corridor somewhere.

And then they had resumed their discussion about chasing strategies, or whatever metaphor Quidditch players used to snog in the corridors.

At that point, Liam had sprung to his feet, annoyed. He told himself that Jamie could do whatever she fancied, of course, but she shouldn't keep him waiting; there were reports to be filled out, and if, afterwards, she wanted to enjoy her night off with Corner, that was fine.

Only it didn't feel fine, Liam thought, while walking around the second-floor corridor that Jamie was supposed to be patrolling – it was empty, as no one wanted to be in that cold outside of their own Common Room. Liam knew it wasn’t his business, not really, but Jamie had asked for those nights off because of Lupin, and if she was using them for date nights –

‘It's just because it's not fair’, Liam murmured to himself, even though he didn't know exactly what sounded so unfair to him.

But when he found Jamie on the third-floor, she was alone. Even more, she looked angry. Liam took a moment to study her, unnoticed under the shadow of a statue, trying to figure out what was wrong. Jamie seemed to punch her fists in the air, cursing the apparent emptiness; after a few seconds, she sat on the floor, and her rich dark hair covered her face.

Liam advanced, confused, not understanding why she would be sitting on that cold floor. When he was a few steps away, Jamie suddenly raised her head and Liam found himself staring at that pair of hazel eyes that had puzzled him for a few months now, ever since they had first faced each other as Head Boy and Girl; he had never been able to decide whether they were brown with green spots, or green with brown spots.

‘Evans!’, Jamie cried, smiling hopefully and getting up. ‘I’m so glad you are here, I need...’, and then she opened her eyes wide and stretched out her hands. ‘No, no, stop now!’

But Jamie became suddenly quiet when Liam took another step closer, and an expression of utter terror appeared on her face.

‘Oh, great, really great’, she said bitterly and went back to sit on the floor, hugging her legs.

‘Potter?’, Liam asked, frowning, as he kneeled in front of her. ‘Is everything all right?’

‘No, of course it’s not. You are the first person to walk this corridor in hours and I couldn’t stop you in time and now we are both trapped in this forsaken spot’.

‘Trapped?’

She lifted her head to look at him; in the candlelight, Liam thought her eyes were more brown than green.

‘Try to get out’, Jamie suggested tiredly, and for a moment, lost in the mysteries of the colours of her eyes, Liam had forgotten what they were talking about. Then he shook his head and got up, trying to take a step back. To his surprise, there seemed to be a wall behind him, but when he turned around, there was nothing. ‘It’s charmed’, she explained, pointing up, and Liam saw that there was a clump of white berries hanging from the ceiling directly above them. ‘You just needed to take it off and then I was free’.

He sat on the floor beside her.

‘Couldn’t we - I don't know - burn it? Maybe repel the charm?’

‘I've been trying here for hours, Evans, but please be my guest’, she replied with a grimace, running a hand through her dark hair and leaning against the invisible wall to watch him.

Liam felt self-conscious, but he took out his wand and started casting spells towards the berries on the ceiling. Nothing seemed to hit it, as if there was an invisible barrier protecting it.

‘I told you’, Jamie said dryly. When he turned to her, Liam saw that she had taken off her glasses, and was pinching the bridge of her nose. ‘We are stuck here until someone removes this stupid mistletoe’.

‘Who put it here?’

‘I don't know’. When she noticed Liam's questioning look, Jamie held up her hands in defence. ‘It wasn't any of us! We never would – I mean, someone must have had too much fun in their Christmas shopping at Zonko's and forgot to remove the mistletoe’. Jamie took a deep breath and looked at Liam intently. ‘If it were one of us, do you think I would be stupid enough to go under the mistletoe without having a way to remove it?’

No one could accuse Jamie Potter and her group of Marauders of being stupid, so Liam nodded. Jamie closed her eyes again; there was such a desperate expression on Jamie's face that Liam felt compelled to comfort her. He imagined that for someone who felt so comfortable flying in the sky, Jamie must really hate confined spaces.

‘Won't your friends come looking for you? You are always together’, he reminded her gently. She frowned.

‘They have no way of knowing where we are. Remy must be in the infirmary by now’. Jamie suddenly hesitated. ‘Ah – she – she is not feeling well, something she ate, I think’, she added, looking away, and Liam didn't want to confess he knew she was lying. ‘Petra was late in presenting that extra Transfiguration essay, she must still be in the library, and Sirina is in detention, isn't she?’

And now Jamie gave Liam a critical look, but he didn't back off, just crossing his arms.

‘You know Sirina deserved that detention’.

‘For hexing those Slytherins?’, Jamie asked, inflamed, and Liam thought it was much better to see her like that than in despair. The passion with which Jamie defended her friends was endearing; it had always been one of her best traits. ‘You know they were annoying those Second Years, calling them names, and if she hadn't hex them –’

‘I didn’t have an issue with what she did’, Liam replied calmly, making Jamie raise her eyebrows in surprise. ‘She didn't get a detention for hexing them, but for being caught’. He grinned. ‘It was a good charm, those birds were pecking them, they went screaming down the hall’.

‘It was great, wasn't it?’, Jamie said, with a look of pride on her face as if she had done the charm herself. ‘Sirina has always been good at transfiguration of animals’.

And now there was an enigmatic smile on her lips, and Liam found himself staring at it, trying to understand what secret she was hiding beneath that smile. She had beautiful lips, he thought, pink and shining; sometimes, when she was thoughtful, Liam saw her biting her lips, and there was something strangely alluring in the way her teeth pressed gently her lips and he wondered if they were soft as they looked like –

Liam shook his head and looked away from that smile. He told himself that the two of them were friends now, and if Jamie had her secrets, he shouldn't try to decipher them.

‘I thought you girls had your way of communication’, he noted, thinking it was a safe topic. The Marauders always mentioned this, pride of themselves.

‘We do, but –‘, Jamie sighed unhappily. ‘I don’t have my stuff here and we lost our map last month, so -‘

‘Map?’

She gave him one of her most mischievous smiles, the one that always made something flutter in Liam's chest, wanting to share it; there had always been something pleasant and inviting about Jamie Potter's smiles.

‘We had an exceptionally good map that showed where people were, but the new caretaker, Filch, confiscated it last month’.

Liam raised his eyebrows.

‘As if that would stop you from getting it back’.

‘You know, Evans, you stun me like that’, Jamie replied teasingly. ‘Shouldn't the Head Boy be against invading the caretaker’s office?’

As usually happened in her presence, Liam felt a smile appear on his face that he could not control.

‘I already told you, my problem usually is not with what you are up to, I am only against you being caught’.

She laughed and that sound also made something flutter in Liam's chest. It was so easy to be in Jamie's company.

‘Fair enough. I supposed we might not get caught, although that cat of his makes it very difficult. I swear she can see through – through everything’, she added hastily, and again Jamie looked away; Liam thought it was funny how she couldn't seem to face him when she wasn't telling the truth. ‘But Sirina is not in the mood. She said it would be unfair of me to use it now that I became a Head Girl’.

Jamie shook her head absently, making her hair dance around her; for a moment Liam lost himself in the way her hair curled and how that movement reflected the candlelight in the hall. It was almost hypnotic.

‘She'll never forgive me, you know’.

‘What?’

‘For being Head Girl. She thinks Dumbledore must have lost his mind’. Jamie sighed heavily, leaning against the invisible barrier, and closed her eyes. ‘Well, she is probably right’.

‘I don't think Dumbledore has lost anything’, Liam replied slowly, ignoring the fact that he had thought the same thing in the beginning, when he saw Jamie Potter appearing in the prefect’s carriage. ‘You are an excellent Head Girl’.

A blush appeared on her face and Jamie turned, hiding her face with her hair. Liam remembered how there had been a time, between Fourth and Fifth Year, when Jamie Potter always seemed to be flustered in his presence, which made her friends laugh at her and tease her with japes that were not meant to be heard by anyone out of their group.

Afterwards he had a good idea of what was behind that teasing, but at the time Liam didn't really care except to complain about something that she and her friends were involved with.

She couldn’t be blushing for the same reason now, Liam considered. Since the end of their Fifth Year, Jamie had shown no particular interest in him. She was just probably confused that he had praised her as Head Girl – and now that he stopped to think about it, Liam realized that he had never mentioned it to Jamie before.

‘I'm serious, Potter’, he said softly. ‘You are a good leader, tenacious, even responsible’.

She let out a sparkling laugh, one that was so full of joy that it seemed to make the day brighter.

‘That’s how I know you're joking, Evans’, she replied, and when she raised her head to look at him again, her face was no longer flushed. It was a pity, Liam thought suddenly; there was something charming in the way she blushed.

‘I'm not. There is really no one else that could be a better Head Girl than you’.

There was a gleam in her eyes that Liam couldn't identify; if he had to describe it, he would say it was a warm glow as if her eyes – which now seemed more green than brown – could radiate a heat stronger than any fire.

‘Watch it, Evans’, she said lightly, though she didn't seem to be jesting. ‘Keep like that and I will think you don't hate me’.

Liam frowned.

‘But I don’t hate you’, he replied, perplexed. When she raised her eyebrows in disbelief, he felt compelled to explain. ‘I didn’t like the things you did or how you behaved, but –‘

‘I’m feeling so unhated, Evans –‘

‘I never hated you’, Liam insisted. ‘I just thought that you – that you could be better. That maybe you should spend your talents on more useful things, without – you know – without bullying others’.

And now Liam looked away, feeling uncomfortable as it always happened when he thought of Severa Snape.

‘I –‘, Jamie hesitated, sounding uncomfortable too. ‘I never said anything, but I'm really sorry about it. Hexing other people, I mean’.

Liam turned to her, trying to understand all the trouble that was on her face. It wasn't as if Jamie and her friends had stopped hexing people altogether, but the reports he had heard at least hinted that they had been provoked – or, as had happened with Sirina the day before, they were defending someone.

He could still hear the derision in the voice of those Slytherins, as they called those poor girls Mudblood, and if Liam was almost immune to that slur after seven years, it still made his blood boil; Sirina Black had meddled before Liam could do anything, and honestly, if it weren't for the mess it had caused, attracting attention from the professors, Liam wasn't sure he would have even reprimanded her for it. As it was, he made sure to give her a light detention – copying lines, of all things –, but Sirina did not seem to appreciate his effort.

‘Sometimes people deserve it’, Liam heard himself saying.

‘And sometimes they don’t’, Jamie added quietly. ‘For these times I am really sorry’.

There was something apprehensive in Jamie's face now, and Liam wondered if she too was thinking about that incident at the end of their Fifth Year – the one that had caused Liam and Severa Snape to stop being friends.

‘We just wanted to make people laugh’, Jamie continued. ‘But we got carried away and…', she bit her lip nervously and Liam felt a sudden urge to touch her mouth, so she wouldn't hurt herself. ‘I'm sorry for you and Snape’.

That drove Liam's gaze away from Jamie's lips and he looked back into her eyes – brown with tones of green, he thought. She looked sincere.

‘You never liked Severa’.

‘I am not sorry for her’, Jamie said. ‘But for you. I know you were – you were friends’.

The way Jamie sounded when she mentioned the word “friends” was as if she didn't believe in that definition – or as if she wanted to imply something else, but Liam knew that would be rubbish. There had never been anything between him and Severa, they had only been friends since childhood. And whatever Jamie had done that day, it wasn't because of her that Liam had cut his relationship with Snape.

‘It wasn't your fault’, he said in a low voice, making her raise her eyebrows. ‘I mean, what happened to me and Severa – it wasn’t – you didn't force her to call me anything, did you?’

‘I don't know’. Jamie looked awkward. ‘Maybe if I hadn’t hexed –‘

‘No’, Liam interrupted, firmly. ‘She said what she said because it is what she believes in, in all those supremacists, in You-Know-Who’s ideals. She always believed that muggles and wizards like me are inferior, I just never wanted to see it before’.

Jamie frowned as if she wasn’t quite sure about what Liam was saying, but she didn't say anything. Liam thought that reaction was funny because it almost looked like Jamie Potter was defending Severa Snape as if they hadn't hated each other since the first moment they met years ago.

Sometimes Liam presumed that the reason for the animosity was because Jamie had always been everything Severa wanted to be: she was popular, she was good at Quidditch, she attracted everyone's attention since... since always, if Liam thought about it.

At first, it was because of the noise; Jamie Potter was deafening, unable to stay or remain in silence, and she had found a perfect company in Sirina Black and then Remy Lupin and Petra Pettigrew. Before the end of the First Year, everyone seemed to know them at Hogwarts, that group of Gryffindor girls who were always together, always involved in some turmoil, who called themselves Marauders.

Then it was because of Quidditch when Jamie had joined the Gryffindor team in her Second Year. She was the youngest girl on the team, but her talent became evident when, despite the size disadvantage, she had dribbled all opponents to become the top scorer that year.

And then, between Fourth and Fifth Year, it was because of her looks. Jamie would never be as intimidating as Sirina Black in beauty, but the fact that Sirina really didn't seem to care about dates had made her less appealing.

Liam might not have cared much for Jamie Potter at the time, but he couldn't deny that she was pretty, with that athletic body and a face that looked carefully drawn: a small upturned nose, pink lips that were made to smile, bright hazel eyes that shone behind her glasses, and an untamed dark hair, framing it all.

But it was strange for Liam to think of Jamie Potter's beauty because it was not something he had allowed himself to seriously consider before; her beauty had always seemed just a detail, one that did not matter when he was busy being annoyed with her. And if he would think about it now, when Jamie didn't annoy him anymore, when he felt he really enjoyed her company –

Now it would be very different, and Liam didn't know how to deal with it.

‘Do you know what time it is?’, Jamie asked, sounding tired again.

‘Almost nine, I think, it was past eight when I started patrolling’.

‘Nine?’, Jamie cried, seeming more nervous than before. ‘We need to get out of here soon, otherwise...’, she stopped and looked through the window at the starred night. ‘The moon will rise soon’.

Liam frowned. He understood why Remy Lupin would be concerned about this, but he didn’t think Jamie had the same issues.

‘I really need to go’, Jamie murmured to herself, and she raised suddenly, full of determination. Liam had a brief look at her bare legs before deciding it was best to get up too.

Jamie pointed to the ceiling, casting spell after spell, but nothing seemed to hit the mistletoe – as far as Liam could understand, it was as if nothing crossed that cylinder of magic they were in because another spell was dismissed in thin air when she tried to destroy one of the statues in the hallway to call attention.

Liam looked again at the ceiling, then sighed.

‘This won't do, Potter’, he noted, and she turned to him, upset.

‘So what do you propose? Staying here forever?’

There was a guarded expression on Jamie's face that Liam could not comprehend.

‘What are you thinking about, Evans?’, she asked warily.

‘It’s a mistletoe’, Liam pointed out, but Jamie did not react. ‘What do you know about mistletoe?’

‘First year of Herbology. The mistletoe is a kind of a parasitic plant, commonly used in love potions and fertility potions’, she said, blushing slightly.

‘Exactly’, he agreed, ignoring the fact that his neck also seemed suddenly warm. ‘Well, in Norse mythology, the berries of the mistletoe came from the tears of the goddess Frigg when she wept for her son, who was killed by an arrow made of the mistletoe. Since then it is associated with love, which is why there is the tradition of people kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas’.

It was much easier for Liam to focus on what he knew about the origins of the myth than to think about the implications of what he was saying, especially because all Jamie seemed to do in response was to open her eyes more and more – the same ones Liam had spent so much time in the last months studying, trying to understand its colours.

After a minute of silence, Jamie asked quietly: ‘How do you know so much about Norse mythology?’

This was not what Liam expected to hear. He blinked.

‘I like to understand the mythology behind the ingredients in potions’, he replied, disconcerted. When Jamie just nodded, as if that answer was all she wanted to know about the topic, he said, ‘Aren't you going to say anything?’

‘About what?’

‘Ah – about what I just told you? The history of the mistletoe?’

‘It's just a myth. And it doesn’t even make sense, the Nordics didn't celebrate Christmas’.

‘No, but Christians are known to adapting different aspects of other religions. Yes, I like to study mythology’, he added, when Jamie opened her mouth.

‘You are so dork, Evans’.

‘I am curious’, he corrected, grinning, and for a moment Jamie smiled back, as if unable to resist his smile; then she looked away. ‘But you still haven't said anything’.

‘There's nothing to say, Evans’, Jamie murmured, looking extremely interested in the view outside the window, even though it was too dark to see anything. ‘It seems you are suggesting we kiss under the mistletoe to end the spell and that does not make any sense’.

‘Of course it does’, Liam disagreed as reasonably as he could, although his heart had raced when he heard her talking casually about them kissing. ‘It's a mistletoe, isn't it? It would be the kind of joke they’d sell at Zonko's, to make sure that people beneath it have to kiss to get out’.

‘It's a terrible joke’, she noted, still whispering.

‘You understand better than me the humour in Zonko’s. But still, that seems to be the answer’.

She looked back at him, her eyes drifting between shock and unhappiness.

‘I'm not going to kiss you, Evans’, she said finally.

‘Look, I'm just as happy as you are to be stuck here under a mistletoe’, Liam replied, crossing his arms. ‘But you have an appointment, right? And we can stay here waiting for who knows how long or we can try to break this spell’.

Liam could easily read the conflict in Jamie's eyes; she was probably tired, bored, and hungry after being there for hours, and whatever she had to do, it seemed important to her. But at the same time, there was a strange hesitation, which gave him the feeling that the last thing Jamie wanted to do was kiss him.

He thought of all the times she had smiled at him during the Fifth Year when she would find any excuse to touch him almost as if she wasn’t noticing it, or when she would wink at him, and even when she finally asked him out. None of that had happened in the last couple years and for the first time, Liam considered what it meant: the crush that Jamie Potter had had for him was gone, which explained why she seemed so against kissing him.

Liam felt suddenly disappointed with that realization and he struggled for a moment to understand. Then he thought of a perfectly reasonable explanation: it was natural that he felt disappointed because if she wanted to kiss him, they might have already solved their current situation.

‘I didn't do it’, Jamie said suddenly and forcefully. ‘I didn't put that mistletoe there’.

‘I know’, Liam replied, baffled, because he had believed her when she had denied having anything to do with the mistletoe. He didn’t think Jamie would lie to him about something like that. Then he grinned, looking at her petite figure. ‘I don’t think you could reach the ceiling’.

‘Moron’, she complained, but she seemed to relax a little after his joke. ‘Do you really think it will work?’

There was a warm feeling spreading in Liam’s chest now that he noticed she didn’t seem to reject the idea so much. He accounted for the satisfaction of knowing they were close to lifting that charm.

‘I think so and it's worth the try, isn't it? What do we have to lose?’

From the expression on Jamie's face, it looked like there were several things that could be lost, but she just nodded.

‘Okay. I –‘, Jamie took a deep breath, as if to calm herself, but Liam didn't think it helped much. Her lips were trembling. ‘I think just one touch will be enough, nobody would force two people to really – you know –‘

‘It makes sense’, he agreed, smiling at her practicality. For some reason, his smile seemed to fluster her. ‘Are you alright?’

‘Sure’, she replied, although she didn't look remotely alright. ‘Super excited. All I wanted to do was spend the holiday’s eve snogging a guy who doesn't even find me attractive’.

‘Oh’, he blinked, feeling as flustered as she looked. ‘Who said I don't find you attractive?’

‘You?’ Jamie bit her lips uneasily. ‘You know, when –‘, she blushed and refused to look at him. ‘When I was - well, during Fifth Year’.

‘Oh’, he repeated, feeling that he was blushing too. ‘It had nothing to do with that, I mean, that was never the problem’.

Liam hesitated, knowing that what had made him uninterested in dating Jamie Potter had never been a lack of physical attraction. He wished he could explain it, but for some reason, staring at her, the words became tangled in his mouth. ‘You are kind of attractive, Potter’.

She blinked and looked at him again.

‘“Kind of attractive”?’, she repeated. ‘Wow, you know how to make a girl feel special, Evans’.

Liam swallowed hard; Jamie had crossed her arms, looking like any kind of physical contact was out of limits, and this time, Liam couldn't blame her.

‘No, that came out wrong, that's not what I meant’, he said, and when she continued to look bothered, he took a step closer to her. She quivered and raised her head, looking at him with a challenging expression.

Liam allowed himself to look at Jamie Potter, to really lost himself in every detail of her pretty face, leaving those hazel eyes for last (brown with sparkles of green in the center, he was sure now). ‘You are beautiful, Jamie’.

There was a sharp, shocked intake of breath, and suddenly the challenge disappeared from her eyes, replaced by that warmth that made him want to get closer to her, like an insect unable to resist the attraction of the light. Jamie smiled, but before he could interpret that smile, she blinked and looked away.

‘Okay, okay, Evans’, she said lightly. ‘You get points for trying. So, how do you want to do it?’

She sounded objective, which didn’t surprise Liam. He knew that Jamie Potter was drawn to solving challenges.

‘We kiss?’

‘Okay, but –‘, she paused and took a deep breath one last time. ‘Okay, close your eyes’.

‘What?’

‘I will not kiss you with our eyes open, it would be awkward. Well, more awkward’, she said. When Liam just kept looking at her, Jamie rolled her eyes. ‘We would look like two fishes out of the water, we don't need to make this weirder than it already is’.

‘Okay’, he agreed, smiling with the exasperation in her voice. ‘And why do I have to close my eyes?’

‘Oh, no’, she said forcefully, shaking her head and making her dark curls swing around her. ‘I will not be the girl who waits patiently for a kiss, I refuse to play that role’.

‘And I can be the guy who waits?’

‘It was your idea, Evans’, Jamie replied, grinning mischievously, looking more like herself.

‘Okay, Potter, whatever makes you happy’.

Liam sighed and closed his eyes.

‘Just lower your head a little, Evans’, Jamie asked him in a whisper. ‘You are too tall’.

He laughed at the tone of complaint in her voice and lowered his head, although it occurred to him that if she would just wrap her hands around his neck, they would be closer enough that the height wouldn’t matter much. He could imagine how, despite having rough hands - always with callus because of Quidditch - Jamie would be delicate, how he would feel the tip of her fingers in the hair at the back of his neck and how that touch would make him shiver –

Liam did shiver, but he supposed it was because of the cold that came in through the window; then it occurred to him that he shouldn't feel cold, not when Jamie should be close enough to kiss him.

‘Potter?’, he called uncertainly, and for a moment he thought she had left until he realized there was no way of leaving.

‘Sorry, I – I…’, Jamie sounded nervous again. ‘I was just gathering courage’.

He laughed softly.

‘You're a Gryffindor, Potter’, he reminded her. ‘If there is someone who has more than enough courage, it is –‘

But he never finished his sentence, because Jamie had finally taken a step towards him and had touched his lips with hers. They were really as soft and smooth as Liam had wondered in those hours of reflection in the Prefect’s Room.

She was mindful of what they had agreed on - had they agreed on something? Liam wasn’t sure anymore - and although her body was close to his – he could feel how warm she was –, Jamie was not touching him more than strictly necessary; her hands were not around his neck, her body was not embracing him and that kiss was not really a kiss - it was barely a brush.

If Liam was able to think logically, really think, he would know that what they were supposed to do now was to break apart and see if that kiss had broken the spell; he didn’t even need to think because Jamie was dutifully getting away from him. But as she stepped back, not even an inch away, her lips parted naturally and, in that fraction of a second, Liam could feel her breath. It was refreshing, like cherry berries, and then all thoughts were gone from his head, replaced by a single need: to actually kiss Jamie Potter.

His hands came to life and while one hand wrapped around her waist, the other buried itself in her hair, approaching them, while his head tilted, touching her lips again and asking silently for better access. If Jamie was confused by this sudden change, she didn't show: her lips parted more, allowing their tongues to touch, and Liam suddenly wished they had done that before, many times before. It was good to kiss her, it was good to find out what the best angle was, it was good to feel the touch of her hands when she finally raised her arms to put them around his neck - and the feeling of her hands, the way she played with his hair and seemed to put him on fire, was even better than he had imagined.

He needed to be even closer. He pulled her towards him, and Jamie accepted easily that he led her on as they moved down the corridor, without breaking the kiss until he felt the stonewall behind him. Then he turned them around, to press her against the wall, feeling her body against his and kissing her more urgently than before; a cry escaped her throat, and Liam felt that sound reverberate in every part of his body. He had thought her laughter was his favourite Jamie Potter sound - it was always so lively, so mischievous – but that was before that moan. He definitely wanted to reproduce that.

It was only this sudden urge that made him break their kiss; the sound that came out of Jamie now was of mutiny, but Liam kissed her lightly on the lips, as a promise that he would return - there was no way he would not return -, before lowering his head to kiss her neck, planting soft kisses there that made her tremble; but she remained quiet until his lips found a particular spot just below her earlobe - and then she moaned again and, satisfied, he sought her lips, wanting to feel her taste again, determined to kiss her forever.

To his surprise, however, Jamie turned her face away from him and his lips just brushed her cheek. Her face was hot, but then everything seemed as warm as a summer day.

‘Evans’, Jamie called, in a voice that was strangely unsteady. ‘It worked’.

‘Huh?’, Liam asked, confused, opening his eyes.

Jamie wasn’t looking at him; she was breathing heavily and there was uncertainty written all over her face. Her glasses were crooked, and her lips were swollen; that combination was strangely one of the most attractive things Liam had ever contemplated in his life.

‘The mistletoe. Our – the kiss worked. We can stop now’.

For a second, Liam remained confused, as if he had been awakened violently from a dream in the middle of the night and was not sure what was going on. Then he remembered the mistletoe and their plan and realized where he was: six feet away from the place where those white berries hung innocently from the ceiling, with his body pressing Jamie Potter against the wall in such a way that he could feel every curve of her body, its heat and the intoxicating perfume she wore. And if he felt her like this, then she would also feel exactly how he was reacting to that proximity –

He took a step back, feeling the heat in his body now concentrating on his neck, which had always been a sign of anxiety.

‘Yeah, well, it was a – a good idea, you were right after all’, Jamie mumbled, walking around him. ‘Now, can - can you take it out? Carefully?’

Liam nodded quietly; he didn't feel he could elaborate a full sentence, not with the way his lips still tingled from that kiss.

He raised his feet as much as he could and tore the mistletoe off the ceiling.

‘Here’, Jamie asked, still not looking at him, extending her hand. He gave her the mistletoe, almost throwing it, not trusting himself to touch her again; he could still feel the way her hands had buried themselves in his hair and caressed the back of his neck, while their lips moved together, and every part of him suddenly screamed to restart that kiss. ‘Thanks, now –‘.

She burned the mistletoe with her wand. For a moment they just stared in silence ato the flames consuming the plant.

‘Nobody else is going to get trapped now’, Jamie said, at least.

Liam nodded in silence, still dizzy.

‘I have to go’, she murmured. He cleared his throat, forcing his voice out.

‘I will continue my patrol’, he replied, also in a whisper; his voice was coarse.

‘Sure, good patrol, Evans’. Jamie breathed heavily before smiling, although it didn't look like her usual easy smile. ‘Watch out there, you don't want to be stuck under another mistletoe’.

The only thought that occurred to Liam was that if he were to be stuck with Jamie, it wouldn't be so bad. In fact, it seemed even a good idea, because then he could fulfil his promise to kiss her again and he really wanted to do it again.

‘See you, Evans’. Jamie added and Liam blinked, surprised. She had walked away from him without him noticing.

Liam took a deep breath, trying to put a little sense into his thoughts.

‘See you, Potter. Happy... Happy Holidays’.

She turned to him and now, finally, she let her gaze met his. There was a vulnerable expression on her face that Liam had never seen before and it occurred to him that he would like to hold her, to ask what was going on behind those hazel eyes that had puzzled him since the beginning of the semester, and mostly he wanted to snog her again until she looked at him with nothing but warmth and confidence.

He took a step closer to her and, for a moment, Liam thought she would also walk back to him, and they would continue where they left off and he swore he could already feel the taste of her lips; but Jamie just gave him a brave smile.

‘Happy holidays, Evans’, she said quietly, and then she disappeared down the corridor.

#jily #Genderbend #Genderbend Jily #James Potter #Lily Evans #CHristmas fic #Fluffy without plot #t: fanfiction

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winchestergirl23 · 5 years ago

Text

Maybe you should have stuck around

Pairings: Dean x sister, Sam x sister

Word count: 900

Warnings: Angst, John being very short-tempered.

Summary: This is part 2 of the Winchester Sister Series. Read Part 1 here. The reader has an exam but John wants her to join him on a hunt. This leads to some heavy confrontation.

A/N: To all of you who show me love every day by following, reading, reblogging and commenting, I just want to extend my deepest, most sincere gratitude. You guys mean the world to me. Thank you for your love and support.

I know it’s been a while since the first fic in this series. I promise to update as often as I can. This fic did turn out a bit more angsty than what I’d planned that I felt so upset after writing it. It does, however, sit in well with what I have planned for the rest of the series. Hopefully, y’all will like it. Do let me know what you think!

----

“Dad, please try to understand what I’m saying. I cannot miss my test tomorrow. I just cannot.” you plead.

You’ve spent all of last week cramming for your AP history midterm. John had come home last night after weeks of disappearing on a hunt; something he’d been doing a lot of late, not that you had any complaints. Gone were the days when you’d anticipate John’s return from a long hunt.

The atmosphere in the house had become tense ever since Sam had brought up the idea of leaving for college. Since he’d gone, things had become far worse. John had become exceedingly short-tempered. He had become very curt with you, having still not forgiven you for not telling him about Sam’s acceptance to Stanford. He’d often rebuke even Dean for “letting” Sam run away. Dean was always patient and obedient despite John’s temper, encouraging you to do the same. You found that it was best to spend time in your room whenever John was around; not being able to tolerate the way John was treating his family.

You look at John, your eyes beseeching. You can’t believe the conversation you’re having right now. John had wanted to investigate a haunting in an old, dilapidated asylum few towns over and believed it to be the spirits of the patients. He’d wanted backup and insisted on you and Dean accompanying him. You, however, did not want to miss your history exam.

“You will join us tomorrow. That’s the end of this discussion Y/N.” John says roughly.

“Dad, I’ve spent the entire week studying. Please! I’ve worked too hard.” you beg, as tears threaten to spill.

“I DON’T CARE. I NEED BACK UP AND YOU’RE GOING!” he orders, slamming his fist on the table just as Dean enters holding two grocery bags. His bewildered eyes roam from your now-tear-stained face to John’s fuming one.

“What’s going on here?” he asks, setting down the grocery bags.

“Your sister refuses to come on the hunt tomorrow.” John states.

“Well yeah… she’s got her history test tomorrow.” Dean remarks, giving John a ridiculous look. “You didn't say anything to me about Y/N joining us.”

“I need backup Dean. We don’t know how many spirits are haunting this asylum.”

“I’ll be there for backup dad. Y/N doesn’t have to be there -” Dean prompts.

“I say she does.” John interrupts.

“Dad - Y/N has worked really hard for this. It’s her midterms.” Dean stresses.

“I don't remember asking for your opinion,” John states, glowering at Dean.

“Dad, come on-” Dean starts.

“I knew would happen. Leaving her with you, I gave both of you too much freedom. You’re too easy-going on her. She’s turning out to be just like Sam - choosing school over family. You let Sam run away, it’ll be her next!” John snarls, shouting over Dean’s words.

“He didn’t let Sam run away!” you cry out, goaded by John’s speech.

“Sammy didn’t choose school over family. He chose school over hunting! And Dean didn’t know anything about him leaving. When he did get to know, he tried to stop it.” you finish, glaring at John.

“Y/N!” Dean starts, realising that the argument needs to be dissipated before it gets out of hand. “Stop. Just go to your room.”

His words are ignored as John directs his anger at you.“BUT YOU KNEW!” he shouts, spit flying from his mouth. “You knew and you didn’t do a damned thing to stop him. You betrayed this family.”

“Dad, Stop this! Y/N! Go to your room!” Dean insists, but his words are drowned out by John.

“You’ve gotten quite out of control – helping your brother leave, talking back to me like this. Staying with Dean has spoiled you - letting you think you can get away with anything.” John snarls on.

“Well if you cared so much dad, maybe you should have stuck around!” you retort, balling your fists.

“Y/N! THAT’S ENOUGH!” Dean shouts, stepping between you and John.

“What did you just say to me?” John asks, menacingly. His face is red and you can see a vein popping in his neck. You’ve seen John apoplectic before but it’s never been directed at you. Sure he’s yelled at you many times but now, his rage is terrifying. You take a deep breathe, deciding that you might as well get this over with.

“You heard me -” you start, jeeringly but are interrupted by Dean turning to face you, blocking out John.

“Y/N. GO. TO. YOUR. ROOM!” Dean stresses; his tone final.

You’re about to retaliate but one look at his eyes dissolves your words into silence. The green eyes in front of you are flared with anger, but you can read the silent plea in them. His temper isn’t directed at you. You’re crossing a line with John and he doesn’t want you to get into more trouble. You hesitate, your lower lip trembling. You don’t want to leave Dean to take John’s wrath all by himself. You start to speak but knowing what you’re going to say, he stops you.

“Y/N, Go!” he says, giving you a sincere look. He places his arm on yours and gives you an encouraging squeeze.

“Okay.” you resign, wiping off a tear. “I’ll go.”

“No! I’m not done with her.” John hisses, his words laced with fury.

“YES, YOU ARE!.” Dean interjects, angrily. “You and Y/N are done talking dad!. Right now, you and I need to talk.”

You take one last look at Dean. You bite your lip, feeling terribly guilty. He nods at you reassuringly as you leave. You walk away, actively avoiding John’s glare. You consider hiding by the stairs to eavesdrop but decide against it. You’d get yourself and Dean into so much more trouble if you were caught. Dean has just stood up for you. You might even have caused him more trouble by talking back. With a heavy heart, you trudge up to your room. You shut the door and sink to your knees sobbing.

Tags:

@insomniac-with-a-juice-pouch @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @differentstudentrunaway-e70bf763

#supernatural #supernatural sister #supernatural angst #dean x sister #dean x sister!reader #dean winchester #sam x sister!reader #sam x reader #sam x sister #dean x reader #supernatural imagine #spn #spn fanfiction #supernatural fanfiction #winsister #winchester sisfic #winchester x sister #winchester daughter #john winchester

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chroniclackofselfpreservation · 4 years ago

Text

Creatures of the Night

Chapter 13 - gone far away into the silent land

Back to the Beginning < Previous chapter / Next chapter >

AO3

Masterlist

(TW: mild graphic imagery, death/dying)

(The title of the chapter comes from “Remember” by Christina Rossetti)

“Patton, really, I’m fine. We don’t have much longer before—”

“Nonsense!” Patton said, brandishing a serving spoon. “If we’re going to be out all night running through the forest, we better not be hungry while we’re doing it!”

Roman sighed, laughing a little as he did. He knew that Patton was freaking out inside. They all were.

Roman was going to die tonight.

And come back—hopefully. If Patton’s dream was anything to go off of, Logan had already removed the amulet and Roman hadn’t woken up. Upon hearing this, Logan had adamantly voted against the excursion, claiming that not only was it dangerous, but they had adequate reason to believe that it wouldn’t work. Roman, on the other hand, was quick to point out the fact that Patton had only seen about ten seconds of what was going to happen. Maybe it took a little longer to come back from death.

Roman would be lying if he wasn’t infinitely more nervous, but he would also be lying if he said he didn’t want to go through with it. This was the only way. If it didn’t work, he’d be dead sooner than later anyway. It was a grim thought, and he figured against mentioning it to Patton, especially when he was already stress-cooking as it was, but he couldn’t deny the truth of it.

The dinner was amazing, as they always were, but Roman couldn’t taste any of it. He smiled and complemented Patton on his cooking. He joked and laughed, but despite his efforts, it was painfully obvious to the rest of the table that he was compensating for the fact that he may not be returning to said table.

Logan spoke softly, occasionally giving into Roman’s baiting remarks and going off on a tangent, but the way he sat and speared leaves of lettuce with his fork as if stabbing something through the heart betrayed his unease.

Virgil was far less subtle about his discomfort. He barely spoke, and when he did he only gave short, one-word answers. He particularly avoided looking at Roman—which Roman went to great lengths to not grow offended at. He'd realized, as Logan had rebuked them all in the living room, that he wasn’t mad a Virgil.

He was mad at the situation. At Ursula. Yes, Virgil might have assisted in getting him his curse, and Dorian might have killed his mother, but ultimately, there was one person behind all of it, forcing everyone else to take the blame.

Roman stared down at his dinner with enough anger burning through him, he was surprised he didn't melt his fork. So, yes, he understood why Virgil might think he was still angry with him. Roman would have to properly forgive him for it later—as he was quite certain the familiar would be beating himself up about it for the rest of his seemingly immortal life unless he did—but for the time being, Roman let it simmer.

* * * * * * * * * *

The walk through nighttime-Wakeby was different with three of Roman's best friends by his side. He was nearly vibrating from a combination of nausea, excitement, and absolute terror. Patton spoke softly with Virgil, wanting to know more about sibyls, and Virgil patiently obliged. Roman watched out of the corner of his eye as they walked down the street, not caring about subtlety at the moment—glad to see Virgil appearing less grief-stricken and back to his normal, albeit tense, self.

Logan stared straight ahead, walking with the seriousness of an army general.

Roman nudged him. “Lighten up, Specs. You look like you’re going to a funeral.”

“If that was an attempt at humor, you will have to try harder,” Logan replied, his expression unchanging.

“Geez. I know I’m dying and all that, but really, Lo.” He sobered a bit. “I’m coming back, aren’t I?”

“Presumably.”

Roman swallowed. “You really aren’t one for cheering a guy up, are you?”

Logan clasped his hands behind his back as they walked, blinking. “No. I’m not.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Patton didn’t like this situation. He didn’t like the dark. He didn’t like the pit growing in his stomach. He didn’t like watching Roman’s back and not having to imagine what he’d look like dead, because he’d already seen it. He hated how comfortable and calm Roman was in the pitch-black forest. Patton found himself walking side by side with Virgil so closely their arms brushed every now and again. There was a sort of silent acknowledgement of their mutual discomfort, and neither of them drew away from the other.

Roman, quite obviously trying to mask his nerves, laughed and joked and gestured grandly, as if showing them around his bedroom. “I broke that branch up there—see? The one that’s snapped off half way? Yeah, Dorian chased me up a tree, and let me tell you, it was not exactly my idea of a fun time. It snapped as I was climbing and, man, you’d have thought he would have swallowed me then and there…” he rambled, like an old man recounting war stories. Virgil grew stiff beside him, his eyes glazing over and his steps becoming halting.

Not wanting to fall behind the other two, Patton ignored the nervous pounding of his own heart and slipped his hand into Virgil’s, hoping to comfort him in some way. The act seemed to snap Virgil out of whatever stupor he'd been in and he shot a grateful, if not slightly flushed, look Patton’s way. The gesture also soothed Patton’s nerves somewhat.

“Oh! Here we are! Dorian!” Roman called, jogging out into a large clearing. Virgil’s grip tightened and Patton looked up, his heart crawling up into his throat and lodging there.

An enormous snake sat in the middle of the clearing—and by enormous, Patton didn’t mean it was just big. It could easily constrict a bus the same way an anaconda would a small animal, if not crush it entirely. How in the world had Roman survived fighting this thing for so long? And why was he running up to it like it was some kind of old friend of his? Logan was in a similar situation, frozen at the edge of the meadow, trying to register what he was seeing.

“Come on, guys. He won’t bite—he promised,” Roman shouted. Patton tugged a little on Virgil’s hand and they both stumbled forward into the clearing. Logan trailed behind them, muttering softly to himself.

The giant serpent inspected them all, his head mere inches from Roman’s side.

“It has been a considerable amount of time since I have been amongst more than two humans at the same time. Although,” he purred, “it seems there are fewer true-blooded mortals here than I expected. You did not tell me you hosted a sibyl in your company, little prince.”

“Yeah, neither did I until about three hours ago,” Roman laughed.

“Um, hello,” Patton managed, giving a small wave. He wasn’t quite sure how he should act. He certainly wasn’t about to be all buddy-buddy with the creature that almost murdered one of his best friends, but from the way Roman was behaving, he wasn’t so sure how to feel. He erred on the side of caution, and went for politeness.

Roman put his hands on his hips. “So, how’re we starting this party, hmm?”

Dorian glanced at him. “I can smell your fear, little prince. Do not play coy with me.”

Roman’s countenance faltered. “Right, well, um, let’s get on with it then, shall we?” He ran a hand through his hair and faced Dorian.

“I cannot simply bite you, little prince. That would constitute fatally injuring you, and exceeds our contract.”

Roman’s eyebrows knit together in confusion, “But, if you can’t bite me, how—”

“You will have to prick yourself.”

Roman paled.

“This is insane,” Logan breathed, still trailing a few paces behind Patton and Virgil. Patton had to agree with him, though he wouldn’t deny how relieved he was that he wasn’t going to have to watch Dorian actually bite Roman. He probably would have fainted.

“There has to be another way,” he demanded, stepped forward, though still keeping a healthy distance from the demon.

Roman’s shoulders dropped, “Lo, come on. We talked about this.”

“I’m not—I can’t just watch you die, Roman! There has to be some other option we aren’t looking at. I’m sure I can come up with something if you just—”

“There isn’t another way,” Virgil muttered. “Ursula’s isn’t some one-off, throw-away spellcaster. Her curses can only be broken by fulfilling the demands.”

Roman shuffled his feet a little. “If you really don’t want to be here, Logan, I understand. You don’t have to watch.”

Desperately hoping his fear didn’t show on his face, Patton marched up to Roman, coming so close to Dorian he could feel the air whip past him as the serpent’s forked tongue wagged next to him.

“We are not letting you do this alone, Roman.”

Roman looked over Patton’s shoulder at Logan, and from his steadily softening expression, Patton assumed Logan had admitted agreement.

“Fine, but if anything happens to him…” Virgil growled, meeting Dorian’s eye, unwavering.

“I assure you our goals are mutual, familiar, but I’m curious. Please, elaborate on what you’ll do to me exactly,” Dorian rumbled, rising up ever so slightly. Patton stepped behind Roman with a barely contained squeak.

“Dorian, please,” Roman sighed. Virgil and Dorian stared at each other, unblinking. Patton could practically feel the protectiveness wafting off Virgil, though his hands shook. Logan looked nearly as angry, but put a firm hand on Virgil’s shoulder and muttered something in his ear. Patton hoped he could step in with some diplomatic words and ease the situation before it escalated. He wasn’t too keen on getting eaten by a giant serpent tonight.

“I can’t believe I forgot how insufferably arrogant mortals are. You may be a witch’s familiar, but they taint you with their idiocy.”

Virgil pulled against Logan’s hand. “Yeah? Did you also forget that one of those insufferable idiots managed to beat you every single night?”

“Virgil!” Roman barked, and Patton couldn’t tell if he was telling him to stop, or was upset that Virgil called him an insufferable idiot. Probably both.

“Look,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose, and turning to Dorian, “I get it. You don’t like us. We, frankly, don’t like you either, but we had a deal. I’d like to get this whole thing over with before I’m sixty-five, if you don’t mind.”

“Very well,” Dorian grumbled, lowering down. “You are wearing the amulet?”

“Yes.”

In response, Dorian bore his fangs, a chilling hiss leaking from his all-black throat. Now, Patton did let out a small, terrified shriek. Logan and Virgil both inched forward to be closer to Roman.

Trembling, he held out his hand and placed his palm against the bottom of the needle-point fang, right below the thumb.

“Roman,” Patton whimpered softly, more to himself than anyone else. Roman sucked in a sharp breath and his hand jerked upward. The fang sank into the meat of his hand, dark blood seeping sluggishly down his arm.

He pulled away, swallowing thickly. Dorian closed his mouth, the fangs folding back like he was sheathing a sword. Roman opened and closed his fist, looking down at it with an unreadable expression.

“I… need to sit down,” he said, sounding a thousand miles away. He swayed, leaning heavily on Patton.

“Okay—um, let’s see,” Patton said, unsure what to do or how to feel. “Lo, help me sit him down.” Logan responded at once, grabbing Roman under his arms and slowly lowering him down. Patton went down with him, cradling his head in his hands, silently telling them to stop shaking.

Roman winced as his entire arm spasmed, the muscles reacting to the venom.

“Are you in pain?” Logan asked, his hands fretting uselessly about Roman.

“No.”

“Roman—”

“It’s fine, Specs. It’ll be over soon,” he said, waving his hand away. Patton’s chest seized.

Virgil paced furiously through the grass, nibbling on his fist. “This was a bad idea. It isn’t going to work.”

“Verge, please,” Patton managed around the lump in his throat. He really wasn’t helping the situation. Another spasm, this time Roman’s entire shoulder, and a bit of his neck—his head twitching to the side. His breathing picked out a fast rhythm.

“Remember to take the—the amulet off, guys. Okay? Don’t forget. You can’t,” Roman said, squirming in discomfort on the ground.

“We won’t forget, Roman.” Patton said sweetly, running a hand across his hair. Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring the outside world into smears of indigo and green. “We could never forget you.”

“Patton is right. The odds of us forgetting the single most important step of tonight’s escapade is astronomical,” Logan said.

Roman nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’d hold your hand, Padre,” he chuckled, “but I can’t move it anymore.”

Patton cursed himself for shaking. Roman was probably terrified. He shouldn’t be worrying about him right now. Patton felt something cold on his hand and looked down. Tears were streaking down Roman’s face. His breath was slowing, though Patton figured it wasn’t because he was calm. The venom was working through his system.

Dorian had retreated a few feet away, coiled up and watching silently as Roman’s life ebbed away. His reptilian face betrayed no emotion, and yet Patton was sure he felt something when he met the demon’s eyes.

“Hey, Teach?” Roman mumbled.

Logan leaned forward. “Yes?”

Roman’s eyebrows creased as he worked the words out of his mouth. “You know the thing you do with Charlie Frown, over there? The… reading?”

Patton looked to Logan, who seemed to understand what Roman meant. “Of course. Any requests?”

Roman snorted weakly out of his nose, and shook his head.

Logan gave a wet smile. “I built a tiny garden in a corner of my heart. I kept it just for lovely things, and bid all else depart…”

Patton gave up trying to hold himself together, balling gentle fists of Roman’s hair in his hands and bowing over him. Tears plopped from his nose and chin, dotting Roman's still face. Patton bit his lip to keep from outright sobbing so hard he tasted blood.

“And ever was there music, and flowers blossomed fair.”

Roman grew still. His chest rose.

And fell.

“And never was it perfect, until you entered there.”

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5-falsehoods-phonated · 5 years ago

Text

Requested as a continuation of a headcannon by @hhh-angels if Logan had OCD and used plants to cope, with sprinkled in Logicality. Here is a one shot that was supposed to a lot shorter but I have no self control.

Wilting

Warnings: OCD, emotional break down, dead plant. If there's other let me know.

Trigger warnings: compulsive checking, emotional break down.

Ships: logicality

Word count: 2,496

"I gotta say Specs, I'm almost jealous that this is your room and not mine. Never pegged you for a Nature Nerd."

"Lay off Princey, we all have our habits."

Logan hummed in amused agreement from his place at his desk, smiling as a light breeze ruffled through the papers on its surface though not hard enough to send his organization to the literal wind. His room had been a collaborative effort after Patton had encouraged him to open up to the others more, making voicing his needs and breaching communication gaps much easier with the supportive side at his back. Roman had been the first to know, as Logan did not have the creative powers to make the changes he wanted. With minimal teasing, the princely side had "fulfilled his royal duty as a dear friend" to help make the layout changes he had been struggling to realize. Now his room was completely transformed and he absolutely loved it.

The shelves full of books and binders were still there, but now their sides were crawling with carefully maintained vines of every variety. Wisteria climbed up the sides of a shelf closest to him, while a grape vine had steadily curled up towards the ceiling in a corner, supported by carefully placed pegs embedded in the walls. The door was framed by a hyacinth bean vine that had already started to flower thanks to the power of the mind scape. His ceiling was taller, reaching 10 feet around the right edges of the room to accommodate for the climbing plants, glow in the dark star stickers still stuck to the plaster. Beyond that however, it faded into infinity.

The way Roman had reconstructed made it so a controlled portion of the imagination was contained within his room, a feat he was quite proud of and had offered to work into the others' room as well if they wish. This meant that the ceiling faded into an expanse of sky that loosely mirrored outside reality, going so far as to mimic an impossibly clear sky at night in which the colors of the galaxy could be on full display. This also meant there was room for a wide expanse of flowers that thrived better in an outside environment, and trees as far as the eye could see in every variety from cedars to cherry blossoms, though he hadn't ventured too far yet. Closer to his actual room he still kept and maintained his succulents on another shelf, the one Patton had gifted him so long ago still growing strong and placed proudly in the middle.

Logan was brought back from his thoughts as he felt a warm hand lay itself gently on his shoulder, prompting him to look up into the face of his loving boyfriend. They had established a tentative relationship after Patton had been led into his room for the first time for an impromptu thank-you-for-starting-my-plant-obsession cuddle session. His obsessive checking was still there, Logan realistically didn't expect it to go away so suddenly, if at all. But the stress that came with it was practically non-existent, especially once he entered his room to care for his lovely greenery. He felt more at ease, more heard, more cared for, than he had in years, and he had Patton to thank for easing him into a less stressful routine the way that he had.

Patton leaned forward and plucked the pen out of Logan's hands, spinning the chair around as he did and plopping down in his lap. "No more work, Lo. Enjoy the scenery."

And Logan really couldn't object to that could he? Late afternoon sunlight lit up the room, Roman was busy sketching something or other into a thickly bound and worn book, and Virgil was resting quietly under one of the trees nearby, face relaxed as he let the rooms ambience wash over him. Roman really had outdone himself.

Logan leaned back in the chair, wrapping his arms around Patton's middle and dragging him back with him to rest his chin on his shoulder. Patton giggled quietly as he adjusted slightly to make them both more comfortable, finally relaxing all the way to enjoy the fragrant breeze blowing around them.

------

"Hey, Lo? I think this one might be wilting."

Logan jerked his head back from where he had been carefully testing the soil saturation of his cactuses, quickly making his way over to Patton who had been helping water the controlled garden at the edge of his room. Yellow lilies were growing in this particular section, the one in question had turned a pale brown in color, its sickly stem barely able to hold itself up. It was clear it was past the point of saving, though with his careful care he couldn't fathom how its suffering had escaped his notice for so long. His hand tapped a nervous rhythm on his thigh, a steady 1 2 1 2 count that calmed his anxiety somewhat.

"That's...only natural, I suppose. Things die, I hadn't expected them to in the mind scape but I suppose Roman paid close attention to detail when making this, which I cannot fault him for."

Patton eyed him closely. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." The small lie slipped out easily, making him wince slightly. It really wasn't that big of a deal...at least it shouldn't be. It was just...he was so careful, and he knew Patton was as well, and the flowers were so pretty and were growing so healthily but...it didn't matter. Plucking it gently out of the bed , he waved it away and patted over the place it had once stood, smoothing out the dirt neatly. "There. No harm done."

Patton still looked worried, but wisely decided not to say anything.

-----

Over the course of two weeks flowers continued to wilt in and out of the contained garden space. It really shouldn't have mattered but Logan didn't understand what he could be doing wrong. The routine hadn't changed, he'd done countless hours of research trying to figure out what could possibly be the problem but could deduce nothing. Stress was creeping into the one place it had never been and it was setting him on edge, his compulsive checking resurfacing after months of staying under control. Locks. Yes. Microwave. Yes. Thermostat. Were the knives put away properly in the block? Was the coffee table moved just this way so that no one tripped getting up from the couch? Odd, new compulsions swarmed his mind in the dead of night. Were the carpets loose on the stairs? That would be a major safety hazard, that needs checked. What about the banister? Check. Recheck. The microwave really was unplugged right? Check. Check. What about the windows, they were shut weren't they?

Check.

Recheck.

Check.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing up?" Logan looked up from his current activity: pulling at the carpet at the bottom of the stairs to see if it was loose. It wasn't. He'd checked and made sure. But he had to check again. To be sure.

"Lo-"

"No. I have to finish checking."

"How many times have you pulled that section?"

Logan's face heated but he continued anyway, Patton standing at the top of the stairs patiently waiting. He knew this was important to Logan and he respected it. But it was currently 3AM and he had no idea how long Logan had been up before this.

He watched as the taller man stood up slowly and made his way to the kitchen, where Patton quickly followed.

"I have to check the microwave."

"Logan you checked that before bed didn't you?"

"I have to make sure."

"Logan-"

The side in question whirled around. "No! I have to check! I have control over this, I can check and recheck and if everything's fine then everything is fine! I can monitor this! This-" he waved in agitation at the still unplugged microwave. "-makes sense!"

Logan had circles under his eyes that could put Virgil's eyeshadow to shame and his exhaustion was made apparent with his swaying body throughout his speech. Slowly, carefully, Patton reached out and took Logan's hands in his, squeezing them gently and nodding in understanding.

"I'm not mad at you. And I'm not asking you to stop okay? I just want you to sleep, you look exhausted."

Looking back at the microwave, Logan slowly nodded, slumping forward slightly and taking calming breaths. "Okay."

Patton nodded again. "Okay."

-----------

The next day was greeted with a slightly better mood. There were no obligations to fulfill, so the morning had been spent catching a couple more hours of much needed sleep at the request of Patton and enough cuddles and kisses to last him a month, not that he would ever have enough. Today the cactuses and succulents needed watered and though he was still on edge he was looking forward to the calming activity.

He hummed slightly as he took up the small watering can used for the small plants and smiled over at Patton who was busy guiding one of the vines to grip another pike in the wall. Making his way to the shelf his simple tune caught dead in his throat, watering can forgotten as his grip slackened and it spilled across the hardwood floor.

"Are you okay? What's the matter?" Patton rushed to his side, and getting no response, followed his lovers line of sight to the middle of the shelf.

Wilted, dried and brown, the very first succulent plant Patton had given him was spread out dead in its pot, a far cry from the healthy green it had been just the day before.

He quickly looked back to Logan, any words of consolation dying in his throat as he saw the tears running down the others cheeks. He watched helplessly as the other strode forward and took the pot in his hands, folding himself down around it with shaking shoulders. Only when Patton heard the faint sobs becoming louder did he step forward carefully to crouch down next to him.

"Logan?"

"This was...you gave this to me....this was the first one and now it's gone and I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DID!" Gasping sobs escaped him as his shoulders shook even more, desperately gripping to the plant pot as if squeezing it hard enough would bring the plant itself back to life. Patton gently tugged Logan into him, resting his head against his chest as the other sobbed his heart out. His mind raced even as he began rocking them, gently whispering words he hoped were comforting down to the other.

Roman wouldn't speed up the rate of decay like this and Virgil would never play a prank this cruel. They and Patton were the only ones with the permission to come into Logan's spot in the Imagination, which had to be given to enter at all. The only side that might not need it....

------

Patton gently placed Logan's limp form on the bed, the other having cried himself to the point of exhaustion after a nearly hour long breakdown. His face hardened as he sunk out, popping up in Thomas's living room.

"Oh hey Patton, wha-"

"Hey kiddo, where's Remus?"

Thomas squinted in confusion, pausing whatever show he was watching to really look at his moral side. Patton's cardigan was gone and there was a large wet spot on the top of his polo. His clothes were otherwise rumpled but his face was the most worrying. Hard and set in a way he had never seen on the normally cheery side his concern only grew.

"I don't know. Did something happen?"

"Summon him please."

Not daring to question it, Thomas quickly stood up. "Remus!"

The Duke appeared behind the T.V., cursing as he took in his surroundings.

"I appreciate the invitation Thomas, but no thank you-"

"Too bad." Before Remus could sink out, Patton had a fistful of his sash and they disappeared together, leaving Thomas staring confusedly at the spot they had left.

--------

"Do you have any idea what you've done, Remus?" Patton maintained his hold on the Duke, staring at him with an intensity that made Remus of all sides swallow the words that immediately rose up and actually think over his response.

"Well...normally it's a question of who, not what, so I'd say I haven't the faintest idea what you're referring to." Trying for vulgar humor to make the apparently very pissed off moral side let him go, his stomach sunk only deeper as Patton's face only darkened further.

"Logan's. Plants. What did you do. To Logan's. Plants."

Remus' eyebrow quirked in confusion. He knew now of course what Patton was talking about. But his prank was harmless! ...right? Why would he care so much about the nerds newest passion project? He decided to voice as much.

"All it was was a little realism! Roman had made the whole setup so perfect and boring. All I did was liven it up a bit. By...you know...killing....them?" The longer he spoke the more confidence left him. He wasn't scared of Patton, definitely not. Puppy and kitten loving Patton who definitely didn't have a look on his face that would set fire to the world if it were allowed to smoulder.

"Here's what you're going to do. You're going to fix the plants. You're going to wait here until Logan wakes up and apologize. You'll do it without complaint. Without sex jokes or vulgar language. And it will be genuine. After which, you will never touch anything in Logan's room without explicit permission from Logan himself. Are. We. Clear."

Swallowing thickly, Remus could only nod as he was finally let go, the fun loving father figure leaving him to stare off in chastised fear of ever daring to cross Morality again.

------

Logan sat back in his desk chair, sighing contentedly as a soft breeze fluffed out his hair. Patton sat behind him on the bed, gently scratching at Logan's scalp as he used his other hand to mindlessly color another cat in his book. Roman sat against a tree with Virgil, scowling playfully at the emo's choice in music while they shared a pair of headphones, Virgil hissing quietly about it being his turn and to "Suck it up, Princey."

"Remus, leave them alone." The Duke pouted before sitting back and busying himself with a worn sketchbook instead, knowing where the line was when he was allowed in Logan's room. His plants thrived properly now, his stress free zone rejuvenated with the knowledge it would stay that way. He still didn't know what had prompted Remus to play the cruel joke in the first place, nor what had made him fix everything and, according to Roman, give his first genuine apology.

As fingers continued to brush through his hair, he mentally shrugged and relaxed into the touch. In this instance at least, he felt it was okay not to know.

This work is also available on my AO3!

Please do not tag as unsympathetic sides or tw Remus. Thank you.

#sanders sides #sanders sides headcanon #logan sanders #patton sanders #thomas sanders #roman and remus #roman sanders #remus sanders #ao3 #fic

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sesamestreep · 4 years ago

Text

stack the deck with wild cards (chapter 5)

(read on AO3)

(start from the beginning)

SUMMARY: Valentine’s Day arrives, and so does Jyn’s appointment.

A/N: Second to last chapter, same warnings as before (TW: pregnancy, abortion, unsafe sex), check the AO3 links above for more details. We’re almost done, folks! Last chapter is just a little epilogue because I’m corny like that, and I should have it up by tomorrow or the day after at the latest. I’m sending you all imaginary bouquets of flowers for sticking with me this far!!

On the day of her appointment, Jyn wakes up to the third alarm she set for herself, which has got to be some sort of record, since she sets around twelve on a normal day and she set about twenty for today so she could be sure she wouldn’t miss her appointment. It gives her way more time than she actually needs to get ready, and she’s too nervous to eat anything, so she can’t even kill the extra time by making herself breakfast. She takes a long shower, because her roommate is away for the weekend and can’t give her a hard time about it, and puts on an outfit that’s comfortable enough to come home in after the procedure, and contemplates actually styling her hair, just for the hell of it, but then discards the idea as silly.

The buzzer for the door goes off while she is trying to think of a better way to waste time and distract herself, and she’s impressed with how early Bodhi is. She presses the button to let him in, just as her phone starts ringing. Bodhi’s name and photo (a selfie he took with a flower crown filter when she wasn’t guarding her phone carefully enough after one of their gigs) pop up on the display. She swipes at the screen to answer it, feeling confused.

“Hey, I just let you in,” she says, warily. “That was you, right?”

“Not exactly,” Bodhi says. “Listen, you’re going to hate me for this, but—”

She panics immediately at his tone and interrupts. “Bodhi, please, you have to come with me, okay? You promised and I—I need you!”

“Jyn, I would never abandon you. I just did something slightly annoying because I thought it might help.”

“What did you do?”

“I sent an emissary in my place,” he replies, managing to sound guilty and proud of himself at the same time. “He really wouldn’t stop asking about you, and he seemed so worried, that I thought it would be—”

“Please tell me you didn’t send Cassian to accompany me to my abortion,” she says, pressing her forehead against the wall. This cannot be happening.

“Listen, I will understand if you never forgive me, but you’re both being complete idiots about this whole thing. Just tell him you like him, and let him take care of you like he so desperately wants to.”

“Bodhi, this is not some sort of romantic comedy, okay? I’m going to get an abortion. This is not any person’s idea of a dream date!”

“Of course it’s not. I know that,” Bodhi says. “But it’s not a dealbreaker for him either.”

Jyn rolls her eyes, even though he can’t see it. “And how would you even know that?”

“Because I asked him.”

“You…?” She looks at her phone in horror, as if that will change what she’s just heard. “You asked him if it was a dealbreaker?”

“No, I asked if he was still interested in you,” he replies, casually. Like this is no big deal.

“And what did he say?”

“Jyn, he’s at your doorstep,” Bodhi says, patiently. “If that’s not answer enough, ask him yourself.”

She closes her eyes, hoping that will somehow put an end to the whirlwind of emotions she’s feeling. She’s obviously annoyed with Bodhi for putting her in this position when she’s already stressed, but she also can’t deny that she does want to know Cassian’s answer to that question. Mostly, though, she just wishes none of this was happening, that she could just go back in time and make better choices two months ago.

“If you’re really uncomfortable, I will meet you at Planned Parenthood for your appointment,” Bodhi continues, when she doesn’t say anything for a few moments. “I would never actually leave you hanging.”

“No, of course not! You would just shamelessly meddle in my love life on the day I’m having an outpatient medical procedure,” she says, even though she does feel better. There’s a reason Bodhi’s her best friend, after all.

“Well, you’ve always done very well under pressure,” he jokes, and she laughs before she can stop herself.

“If this blows up in my face,” she says, just as she hears the knock on the door, “you’ll owe me forever.”

“I’m good with that,” Bodhi says, breezily. “Give Cassian a kiss for me.”

“Go to hell.”

“Text me if you need me. Love you. Bye!”

Jyn hangs up without responding, because she’s still in a mood with him, regardless of how good his intentions might have been. She starts to fidget with her hair before she realizes that’s stupid—Cassian already knows what he’s getting into—and goes for the door just as another knock echoes through the apartment. She undoes the lock and the deadbolt and the chain with clumsy fingers and opens the door to find Cassian there in what must be his casual weekend clothes and a heavy winter parka. He’s also, inexplicably, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Are those flowers?” She asks, like an idiot, before she can stop herself. She clears her throat, trying to soften her tone and hide her surprise. “I mean—Did you bring me flowers?”

He gestures upwards with them, as if he’s just remembered they exist. “These?” He asks, glancing at them. “No, actually, these are for the other woman I’m accompanying to an abortion today.”

Jyn feels a smile start to form. “God, I hope that’s not true,” she says, before realizing it sounds kind of possessive. “I mean, for your sake. I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with this situation twice. That’s all.”

“It was a joke, Jyn.” He smiles, embarrassed, and then adds, “You’re the only person I’ve impregnated recently.”

“That you know of,” she replies, trying to keep things light, but he doesn’t take the hint.

“The only one,” he says, devastatingly sincere, instead of joking with her. Then, he hands her the bouquet.

She looks down at it, at a loss for words momentarily. “Did I even say ‘hello’ to you yet?” She asks the flowers.

He laughs. “You didn’t, but I figure you’ll get around to it eventually.”

“Hi, Cassian,” she says. “Would you like to come in?”

“Sure.”

She steps aside to let him into the apartment and looks again at the flowers, a bouquet of ranunculus in different shades of orange, from peach to a dark cayenne color. She doesn’t know much of anything about flowers—how much they cost or what the nice ones are—but she feels like she might have picked these out herself if she’d seen them at the store and that’s all it takes to make her nervous again. She leaves Cassian to hang up his coat on his own and heads into the kitchen. She’s standing in front of the sink, lost for what to do next, when he joins her.

“Do you have a vase?” He asks, after a moment.

Jyn shakes her head. “I don’t think so,” she admits, before she laughs at herself. “Sorry. It’s just—No one’s ever bought me flowers before.”

“No one?”

“No. I’m going to kill them.”

Cassian blinks at her. “The….flowers?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that seems rude. You barely know them.”

“Not on purpose,” she says, closing her eyes to concentrate on not laughing again. “By neglect. I can’t take care of plants.”

“They’re basically dead already, Jyn. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m just saying, if this is some kind of test—”

“How would this be a test?”

“To see if I’m nurturing, or maternal, or—”

Cassian puts his hand on her back, gently, like he’s expecting her to shove him away at any second. “It’s not a test,” he says, carefully. “I thought we talked about this the other night…”

“We did, but—” she says, still staring at the flowers in her hands and unable to articulate what she’s thinking. “Why would you buy me flowers?”

He shrugs, looking lost himself. “I just thought it would be nice. It is Valentine’s Day, after all, and I know you’re probably fine, but you seemed a little stressed about the appointment the other night. So, I thought I should do something to cheer you up, if I could, and then there was a florist on the way here, so it felt like a sign. I don’t know why, really, I just thought that it would be a nice thing to do. But if you don’t like them—”

“I didn’t say that,” she says, cutting him off.

“Oh,” he says, surprised. “Okay.”

“You didn’t have to bring me anything, though. I told you I don’t care about Valentine’s Day.”

“Well, I do.”

“Really?”

“Apparently,” he says, looking away. He clears his throat, obviously looking for a change of subject. “If you cut the ends off of those stems, I’ll find something you can use as a vase.”

“You’re just inviting yourself to rummage through my entire kitchen now?” Jyn asks, feigning offense even as she’s grabbing the scissors to follow his directions.

“That’s exactly what’s happening, yes.”

By the time she’s finished with the stems, Cassian is back by her side, filling up a clear plastic sports bottle he found in one of the cabinets. He takes the flowers from her and begins arranging them in the bottle, cutting a few of them shorter so they sit better. He sets the whole thing on the counter to admire his handiwork and looks at her for approval.

“You can’t be serious,” she says.

“Why not?”

“It’s a water bottle!”

“So?”

“It looks silly.”

“It’s the best I could do on short notice,” he says, with a shrug. “Next time I buy you flowers, I’ll make sure to get you a proper vase too.”

“Next time?” Jyn asks, faintly.

“Yeah. Next time.” He pulls a dead leaf off of one of the stems and refuses to meet her eye.

“Cassian,” she says, interrupting him. “What are you doing?”

“Me? I’m clearly making an idiot out of myself.”

She puts a hand on his arm to get him to look at her. “You’re not, I promise. I just don’t know what’s happening right now.”

“I think you do, actually,” he says, carefully, like he’s afraid to keep going. He does anyway, though, after a moment. “I think you know what it means when someone shows up at your place with flowers and threatens to do it again in the near future. And I hope you know what it means that I want to go to this doctor’s appointment with you today. I mean, maybe I’m wrong, but I think I’m being very clear with my intentions.”

Jyn shakes her head, trying to get her thoughts in order. “You’re right. You are being clear. I’m just confused because—why would you want to date me?”

“Because I like you.”

“Right, but—and I know that I’m not actually supposed to do this, because it’s not sexy or confident or whatever, but—I don’t understand why,” she says. “I mean, I’ve made every step of this as difficult as possible for you and I wasn’t even trying to put you off. That’s just what I’m like in a relationship. So, why would you want to put yourself through that?”

Cassian finally stops fiddling with the flowers and really looks at her. “Right,” he says, his tone caught somewhere between offended and disbelieving. “Who would ever want to date someone like you? You’re just smart and creative and sarcastic, not to mention beautiful. It doesn’t make any sense why I’d want to be with you.”

“Cassian…”

He doesn’t let her interrupt, though. “No, actually, you know what? I don’t think you’re asking the right question here.”

“I’m not?” Jyn asks, baffled. She’s never really seen him upset like this before, aside from the glimpse of it she got the other night when he came over and she inadvertently hurt his feelings.

“No, you’re not,” he replies. “I don’t think I need to provide an itemized list of everything I like about you. I think you should take my word for it that I’m not trying to date you because I’m confused, or because I feel obligated to you in any way, or because I just don’t know you well enough. I’m not desperate and I don’t have low standards, either, in case that’s what you’re trying to tell yourself. I want to date you because I think we could be good together and because I want to get to know you better.

“So, clearly, I know what I want. The important question, then, is: what do you want, Jyn?”

“I don’t know!” She responds immediately, without thinking, startled by how certain he is and how earnest. She knows, though, that answer won’t actually satisfy him. More importantly, he also just deserves a real answer at this point, even if the idea of trying to put how she feels into words makes her queasy. Either that or it’s just her pregnancy rearing its ugly head again.

She takes a moment, once she’s had her little outburst, to really think about it and she sighs before she dives in. “I’m sorry, it’s just—All of this has been so confusing, from the very beginning. I just wanted to hook up with you one time, so I could put myself out there again and feel like somebody might actually want me. And it worked, but not in the way I thought it would. I thought it could just be a rebound, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you, afterwards. I still can’t.

“You put this idea into my head that I could have someone like you, someone who gives a fuck about me and what I want, who respects me and likes me, even though I’m always late and my apartment is always a mess and I don’t have a 401K or whatever, and that scared the hell out of me, because it was just supposed to be a casual, one-time thing. But I knew, after the first time, that it couldn’t really be like that between us. I knew you’d give me anything I asked for, but I just wasn’t ready to ask for more. Which is why I never called, afterwards.”

“What about now?” He asks. He doesn’t sound hurt, or like he’s judging her; he just wants to know. “Are you ready now?”

“I don’t know,” she admits, carefully. “I’m not sure I’m in a place where I can be someone’s girlfriend again just yet. I’m still dealing with a lot of things that came up during the breakup. And it wouldn’t be fair to ask you to wait, or put up with that, when none of it is your fault.”

“I don’t have to ‘put up with’ you, Jyn. I like you, remember?”

“Even now? When I’m being confusing?”

He smiles. “Even now.”

“What if we made a compromise?”

“We don’t have to do this. Really,” he says, shaking his head. “I understand your reservations and I respect them, even if I hate the idea that your idiot of an ex-boyfriend gets to ruin anything else for you after he’s already put you through so much.”

Jyn just blinks at him, confused, though she’s not sure why. Nobody likes her ex, but hearing Cassian talk about it is somehow different. They barely knew each other when she was dating Reece. She didn’t think he would have left much of an impression. “You think he’s an idiot?” She asks.

“I think he’s the stupidest person to ever live,” he says, with more conviction than Jyn’s ever heard from him, which is saying something. Cassian tends to have strong opinions about most things. “Not only because he treated you so terribly, but also because he let you go in the end.”

“Why didn’t you ever mention this before?”

Cassian shrugs, helplessly, like she’s backed him into a corner. “Well, I was trying very hard to seem like a normal guy who didn’t have a crush on you, and bashing your ex-boyfriend seemed like an easy way to show my hand, so I avoided talking about it with you.”

She can’t help it, at that point. She just needs to get this out of her system, she rationalizes, as she puts her arms around his neck to drag him down for a kiss. It’s just that not kissing him was getting so annoying, when he was just standing there being so handsome and patient and perfect. He leans forward, chasing her a bit, but she pulls away after only a moment.

“I mentioned a compromise…” she says, watching him cautiously.

“I’m listening,” he replies, with his eyes still closed.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to be in a relationship again—not yet, I mean. But I do know that sleeping with you didn’t get rid of the feelings I have for you, and ignoring them and you for two months didn’t help either.” She bites her lip. “I’m sorry for that, by the way.”

“I know,” he says, quietly, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry too. I should have—”

Jyn puts her fingertips to his lips to stop him. “Wait,” she says. “Let me finish.”

He nods, but says nothing.

“Clearly, I can’t ignore my feelings for you, or pretend I’m just interested in having casual sex with you. So, what if we did just date ? We could hang out and get to know each other better without worrying about what we’re calling it or what kind of future we might have.” She moves her hand to grasp at his shirt, as if that will somehow convey her sincerity. “I know that probably sounds like I’m letting you down easy, but you have to believe me when I say that’s not it.”

“Okay.”

“I just really need to take things slow right now because I—Wait, did you just say, ‘okay’?” she asks.

“Yes,” Cassian says with a small smile, the one she’s starting to recognize he always has when she’s acting like an idiot, as if he’s charmed by it instead of annoyed.

“What, just like that?”

“Yes, just like that. Listen, I have my fair share of trust issues, too. I’m not going to pretend I don’t. So, I can’t say that I really believe you’re going to wake up one day and want to be in a relationship with me, because that’s just not how my brain works. But I really want to believe that and, if you do change your mind or decide this doesn’t work for you, I’ll still have gotten more time with you than if I walked away right now. So, yes, I agree to your terms.”

“Well, good,” Jyn says, anti-climatically. She really thought that he was going to require much more convincing. She’s not sure what to do with herself now. “Uh, actually, that’s great. Because I got us reservations at this really cool place this morning. I think you’re really going to like it.”

He lifts an eyebrow at her, thinking it over for a second before it clicks. “Are you talking about Planned Parenthood?”

“Yep.”

He shakes his head. “You’re ridiculous,” he says, even as he leans in to kiss her again. She doesn’t bother thinking of something clever to say in response, she just pulls him in closer. It’s every bit as good as she remembers, for all they’re just standing in her kitchen and she’s wearing a ratty old sweater and about to get an abortion. She lets herself get swept away in it, despite the very practical conversation they’ve just had and all of her concerns, and allows the possibility that she might get this, Cassian kissing her and holding her face in his perfect hands and making her feel warm and melt-y, for a long time yet.

After a few moments like that, Jyn pulls back suddenly as she remembers something. “When I said I wanted to ‘take things slow,’ I hope you know I didn’t mean it sexually,” she says, adamant. “I think we should have sex again as soon as possible. With protection this time, obviously.”

Cassian laughs, and she can feel it as he kisses her neck. “Thank you for the clarification.”

“So you agree?”

“That we should have sex soon? Or about using protection?” He asks, and then shakes his head. “What am I saying? The answer is ‘yes, absolutely’ to both of those things.”

“Oh, thank god.”

“We do have to get to your appointment, though.”

“Well, clearly I didn’t mean right now .”

He laughs again. “I know,” he says, looking so enamored of her just then that it renders her momentarily speechless. She’s not sure anyone’s ever looked at her like that before. “But my point stands.”

“Yes, okay, you’re right,” she says, trying her best to sound annoyed with the reminder, for all that she’s actually stupidly happy. She kisses him again, just because she can, and it successfully distracts them for another few moments until Cassian pulls back with a groan.

“Jyn, seriously…”

“I did mention that I’m always late, right? This is just something you’re going to have to get used to.”

“I’m calling us a cab,” he says, stepping back as he gets his phone out of his pocket. He waves a finger at her, trying so hard to look stern that she can only laugh in response. “No more distractions.”

“A cab? What are we, Rockefellers?”

“No, but we’ll be late otherwise,” he replies, already dialing. “And besides, I’m not going to be cheap on our first date.”

“I was kidding about that,” Jyn says, stepping close enough that she can toy with the string from the hood of his sweatshirt rather than look into his eyes. “We do not have to consider this our first date.”

He reaches out with his free hand to run a thumb over her cheekbone. “It’s too late for that,” he says, while he waits for someone at the other end of the line to pick up. “I’m already considering it. Go get your jacket.”

She gives him a small salute, which she’s immediately embarrassed of, but that same fond look passes over his features again before she turns away. Her nerves about the appointment come back when she’s alone in her room, putting on her coat and getting ready to leave. She knows it’s perfectly routine, just an outpatient procedure, but she can’t help but worry that something totally unexpected will go wrong. And now she has to worry about Cassian being around afterwards, and what she’ll say or do and how it might scare him off completely.

That fear lasts only until the moment she comes out of her room to find him waiting for her by the front door. His eyes light up when they see her, there’s just no other way to describe it, and the nerves suddenly feel more like anticipation than dread. This is their first date, she reminds herself, unorthodox though it may be. She smiles back, still a little uncertain but trying to hold onto the idea that this could be good, that this thing between them could work.

“Shall we?” He asks, like they’ve got reservations at the Plaza and not an appointment at Planned Parenthood, and holds out his hand to her. She takes it and, for that moment, she doesn’t even have to try to feel certain about this. She just does.

#rebelcaptain #jyn erso #cassian andor #bodhi rook #stack the deck verse #rogue one #star wars #obvious child #obvious child au #pregnancy #pregnancy tw #abortion #abortion tw #my fic #my writing #anyway here's wonderwall #otp: built on hope #otp: your mother and i have been together ever since

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