#I pause. think the best of my partner before jumping to conclusions.
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I love Time and Time Again!! It was genuinely interesting to see two characters talk things out. Of course they kept secrets, but they knew when to reveal them and that made me want to stick around and read it. Thankyou for making such a wonderful comic!!
Thank you so much!!!
This really means a lot to me <3
I think there's generally a tendency to believe that relationships can't be nice in a romance or the story will be boring.
I understand where this idea comes from, stories should have conflict! And, real world relationships have conflict, as well. They always will! It makes sense that most stories centered around relationships would, inevitably, at some point, have disagreements, fights, anger...
I get why others enjoy it, its messy it's fun it's drama! but for me personally it just stresses me out since I've done so much work to NOT be like that!
As a writer, when presented with two people who are reasonably at odds with eachother, where neither of them is in the wrong per se, but someone still ends up hurt... it's a fun challenge to write them working through it in a believable way. it's a fun challenge, too, to put them into situations that feel equal and human.
I just think it's a necessary thing for who I am as a person to write relationships the way I do, and so I'm just very very very glad that other people resonate with it as well!
It means a lot. Thank you.
#me trying not to ramble on for paragraphs impossible challenge#asks#anon#I always love to talk about how uhhh#the perceptions we have of how relationships should be displayed#idk I dont think that theres any one way to do it#those relationships where people dont communicate and they fight all the time...#those happen. they happen all the time irl.#of course they would be reflected in fiction constantly!#but just for me personally#after YEARS and years and years of working on myself so I dont do that#I pause. think the best of my partner before jumping to conclusions.#take the moment to ask him hey#has anything been bothering you lately? things have been good but I want to be sure there's not little things I've done to hurt you#and i listen when hes telling me that yes. it did bother him when I made that joke the other day actually#and to learn to be patient#and not cry immediately#and listen#and ask instead of assuming#and always think the best thoughts first or whatever#its done me a world of good#and I dont think it is healthy for me personally as a person to write an unhealthy relationship with poor communication#because I get uhm... extremely invested in my writing...#in the way that it very much helps me learn about myself and practice habits.#cause obviously I still fail. of course I will#and I just would like to get as much practice as I can#of being better#for me and for him#and for all my friends
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I donât know if thisâll make the cut, but brothers with an MC wearing their (the brothers) clothes, and Iâm talking full ensemble not just a random jacket or accessory (you can delete if youâre not comfortable of course)
So when left with the question of whether this was a full on clothing theft or a cosplay of some kind, I'm going with theft because that's just funnier to me. Just a little MC marching around in Beel's tent of an outfit⊠Hilarious. đ€
MC Steals the Brothersâ Outfits
LuciferÂ
It started out like any other morning, Lucifer woke up early in bed - as he always does - but when he rolled onto his side to stir the MC, he found their side of the bed emptyâŠÂ
Normally, heâd have thrown up the alarm in an instant, but his mind was still groggy as he tried to recall what happened the night before⊠He could have sworn the MC slept over⊠unlessâŠ
MC: âGood morning, love.â
Their voice was enough to get him sitting up again and he uh⊠well he was not prepared for what he saw. The MC was sitting with their legs crossed at his desk, attempting to imitate his âIâm-in-Complete-Control-Hereâ energy as much as they possibly could, but with an added detailâŠ
They were wearing his clothes. His favorite suit to be specific which was tailored to his much bigger frame, resulting in a frankly ridiculously ill-fitting look on their smaller human body...
MC: *picks up a poisoned apple off the desk, continuing their very best Lucifer-impression*Â âYou should get up, love. We have an early meeting today and we canât keep Lord Diavolo waiting.â
The MC appeared to polish the apple with his sleeve for a moment before taking a bite, looking pleased with themselves before their eyes widened in complete horror. It only took a split second for them to spit the unchewed hunk of apple into a nearby waste basket and toss the apple away in panic.
MC: âAh FUCK!! I forgot I canât eat these!!! SHIT!!â
Their panic only grew as Lucifer could no longer hold in his laughter, the booming volume of which is enough to wake up all his brothers throughout the House.
MC: âLucifer, donât just sit there laughing!! Bring me some water or something!!! LUCIFER!!!â
Mammon
Look, Mammon always gets up late so not being able to find, like, any of his normal clothes was a serious problem! Heâd already dug through half his closest and still couldnât find anything!!
He had a photoshoot that he had to get to in less than hour and he still needed to take a shower, get dressed, get his stuff together, then bolt halfway across town before-
MC: *literally kicks open his door Kuzco-style* âYo, yo, yo!! Whatâs up, Mammon??â
First off, the sudden loud bang of his door hitting the wall nearly scared him out of his skin, but before he could even yell at the MC for their weird entrance his brain had to process what they were wearingâŠ.
Good news! He found his missing clothes, the MC had thrown them on while he was sleeping - sunglasses and all - and now stood before him with a toothy grin on their face.
MC: âWhat's the problem, Mams? Lucifer got your tongu-EEEK!â
Apparently, they weren't expecting Mammon to literally lunge at them and capture them in a tight hug, practically lifting them off their feet with a laugh.
Mammon: âWhat'cha think your doin', MC?? I'm gonna need those back ya know?â
MC: *laughs loud and bright, throwing their arms around his neck* âI know, I know... But I wanted to surprise you!â *stops laughing suddenly and blinks* âHuhâŠâ
Mammon watched the MC experimentally lift his glasses off their nose then put them back down, repeating the action several times before snickering.
Mammon: *frowns* âWhat's so funny?â
MC: âNothing really but⊠Mammon, do you wear these just to make everything look like gold?â
Mammon actually had to pause before responding, pulling the MC closer with a devilish grin.
Mammon: âNah⊠I âcause got all the gold I need right here~â
MC: *chuckles and nuzzles his cheek* âNice save...â
Mammon: *his cheeks flush and he frowns* âI dunno what your talkinâ about... But could ya go put on a t-shirt or somethinâ? Theyâre paying me big for this shoot and I really gotta go!â
LeviathanÂ
Another convention, another cosplay far too complex to ever hope to peel out of⊠Though Levi would never regret wearing his five piece Lord of Shadow cosplay, itâs a heavy thing and certainly not something he can change out of in a bathroom stallâŠ
When he finally got back to the House, he wasnât looking to do anything but drag his tired body back to his room and change into some more manageable clothes⊠but⊠wellâŠ
When Levi opened his door, he saw the MC sitting alone at his computer desk playing a game by themselves. That was all well and good but⊠WHY IN DIAVOLOâS BLACK HELL ARE THEY WEARING HIS CLOTHES???
When they heard the door, the MC whipped their head back and they both stared at each other in an awkward silence⊠His clothes didnât even fit them right!-or maybe they did?? His mind was panicking because they had the collar of his shirt covering their mouth and it looked so moe it was actually ridiculous!
Levi: âŠâŠâŠ.
MC: âŠâŠâŠâŠ.
MC: âŠ. âI can explain.â
Levi: âŠâŠ. âY-yea?â
MC: âI was having trouble on this one level and you wouldnât pick up the phone⊠so I thought âWhat would Levi do?â... and it escalatedâŠâ
Levi: âYou think??â
Levi felt like he could die right there, but he wasnât entirely sure if it was from embarrassment or happiness⊠On the one hand, the MC was literally trying to be him in order to get better at video games - which was flatteringly adorable⊠And on the other, the MC is pretty much cosplaying as him, right in front of him⊠and looked so damn cute doing it tooâŠÂ
MC: âIs this weirdâŠ? This is weird. Iâm sorry, Iâll go change-â
Levi: NO-agh! *he throws a hand over his own mouth, surprised by how loud he just shouted* ⊠âU-uh⊠no itâs fineâŠâ
MC: âOkay...?â
MC: âBut could you put your phone down? I think youâve been taking pictures for the past two minutesâŠâ
Levi looked down at his hand and sure enough he unconsciously pulled out his phone in camera mode and has been spamming the âCaptureâ button long enough to have his thumb cramping...
Levi: âOh.â *stops for a moment, then seems to second guess himself*
Levi: âUh⊠just one more?â
Satan
When you share a house with Mammon, you grow accustomed to not being able to find things from time to time, but an entire outfit??Â
When he woke up one morning to find that he couldn't find any of his normal clothes, he blamed Mammon right off the batâŠÂ
I guess in hindsight, what would Mammon want with his jacket? But anger doesn't always jump to the most rational conclusion, you know?
After searching for "long enough," Satan stormed out of his bedroom on a warpath. He didn't stop his march until he was banging on Mammonâs door with a closed fist!
Satan: âMammon!! What did you do with my clothes you useless, money-grubbing asshole!?â
When he didnât get a reply, likely because Mammon was hiding in his closet or something, he was about to kick the door in when he felt a tap on his shoulder...
When he turned his head, much to his surprise, he found his missing clothes!... They were on the MC - right down to the single sleeve - and the MC met his eyes with a mischievous grinâŠ
They had a book in their hands he recalled seeing once at the library: "101 Ways to Prank Your Partner," open like they'd been reading down the hallway.
MC: ⊠Page 47.
They winked at him before bolting back down the hallway in a fit of giggles and oooh, it was on now.
Satan spent the morning chasing the MC through the House, both laughing and dashing around in reckless abandon. He really needed his clothes back and he wouldnât mind an extra hour or two with the MC when he got them⊠đ
AsmodeusÂ
Asmo isnât exactly a morning person⊠Though he forces himself awake so he can perform his wake-up routine, by the time he comes to the table itâs a hit-or-miss on how irritable heâs going to be...
Of course, his favorite outfit suddenly disappearing from his massive closet did not help his mood in the slightest!
Who would take his clothes?? Well, thatâs not even a question - surely plenty of his devoted, adoring stans would kill to even have his scarf, so maybe the better question was, âHow??â Lucifer keeps all the doors and windows magically sealed at night! (He would know, having been locked out on numerous occasions)
Asmo was tearing through his closet, wracking his brain for any place he might have left his beloved outfit, before he heard someone clear their throat by his bedroom door.
What greeted him was a lovely look at the MC wearing the missing clothing in question, even with all the grace and style he would himself!
Asmo: *jaw-drops* âMC???â
MC: *smirks at his delight and winks at him* âLooking for something?â
They strutted into the room with the confidence of a mock fashion model and took a silly vogue pose in front of the closet, barely holding in a fit of laughter from their actions.
MC: â⊠Or just at me?â
Asmo, of course, snatched them right up in his arms with a delighted squeal.
Asmo: âOh. My. Diavolo!! MC, you look just gorgeous!!!- Because you look like me, of course.â đ€
MC: *laughs and cups his cheeks to pull him closer* âWho wouldn't want to be you, Asmo?â
Asmo: âSo true⊠But youâre already perfect, my love~â đ
And he went on to prove that to them all morning long...
BeelzebubÂ
Beel didn't even get the chance to notice his clothes were missing. He had a tournament the night before and was sleeping even harder than Belphie that morning...
What woke him up was the smell of food: scrambled shadowhawk eggs, hellboar bacon, pancakes with nightshade syrupâŠ.Â
Beel's stomach had him sitting up long before his eyes ever opened, drawn in by his nose alone.
MC: âBeeeeel. Wake up!â
Beel's eyes dragged open at their request and what he found had his mouth watering... The MC had brought him a dining cart with a complete breakfast spread, brimming with portions only Beel could ever finish, but for once he wasnât looking at the food.
The MC, for whatever reason, had decided to put on his clothes⊠And keep in mind that Beel's built like an ox compared to almost anybody. They were absolutely swimming under all that fabric (thank the Devil for his suspendersâŠ)Â
MC: âCongratulations!!!â
They throw their arms up excitedly, making the unzipped jacket balloon out like a parachute behind them⊠It's a remarkably cute image.
Beel: *blinks* âOh.â *he gets a little pink, still very confused* âWhat did I do exactlyâŠ?â
MC: âYou won the championship last night, remember? Or did you forget already??â
The MC takes a step to the side and begins pointing at the plates on the cart.
MC: âI thought we'd celebrate with some breakfast! I brought you eggs, bacon, pancakes, toast, cereal-â
As they continued their list, Beel's hand naturally reached out towards the cart eagerly, before something finally clicked in his head. WHY were they wearing his clothes??
Beel: âWait. MC, why are you wearing-...?â
MC *holds their hand up* âHold on!â
MC: â-oatmeal, muffins, banana bread, annndâŠâ *they get onto the bed and plop down onto his lap with a grin*
MC: âMe! Congratulations, Beel!!â
They lean up to peck his cheek while his arms automatically wind around their waist. The combination of their scents already bringing out a different sort of hunger in himâŠ
Letâs say if this is his reward, he'll never lose a game again. đ
BelphegorÂ
Belphie was in the middle of his afterschool nap in the library. The day was exhausting, so he didnât even bother changing uniforms⊠The couches there were comfortable and the space was quiet, really nothing should have woken him up...
But somehow, for whatever reason, something did. A tug⊠Something was chasing away his dreams by tugging on the cow pillow in his arms.
MC: âBeeelllppphieâŠ.â
The tugging did not cease and he half growled in response, still keeping his eyes firmly closed.
Belphie: âWhat now...?â
MC: âI need thisâŠâ *they tug on the corner of the pillow a little harder* âCan you let go pleaseâŠ?â
What kind of question is that?? No one takes away his favorite pillow!
Belphie: *hugs the pillow tighter* âGo away, I'm trying to napâŠâ
MC: âNoooo pleaseâŠ! I need it for something right nowâŠ!!â
They started really pulling on his pillow now and he only held on tighter in annoyance. Since they wouldnât leave him alone, he finally opened his eyes.
Belphie: âMC! Why are⊠you..?â
His voice trailed off as he finally saw the MC standing there in his usual outfit. His cardigan was so long over their arms that they had to grasp his pillow through its sleeves...
While his drowsy mind tried to catch up, the MC snatched the pillow from his grasp with one swift yank.
MC: *grins* âMine now!â
They turned to bolt out of the library, but Belphie snatched them by the waist and dragged them back to the couch with him.
Belphie: âFine, but then I get a new pillow.â đ
The MC yelped as he flopped on top of them, pulling them close like a body pillow and resting his head into the crook of their neck to enjoy the soothing smell of their scent mixed with his.
MC: âW-wait BelphieâŠ!â *tries to wiggle out from under his surprisingly heavy deadweight* âI was just playing aroundâŠ! Please don't fall asleep on me!!â
Belphie: *yawns and settles in, already drifting off* âToo late⊠G'night, MCâŠâ
MC: âBelphie!!!â đ«
They could complain all they liked, he wasnât going to let them go for a few hours. Cute or not, MC, nobody takes his pillow!
#obey me#obey me shall we date#shall-we-date-obey-me#obey me lucifer#obey me mammon#obey me leviathan#obey me satan#obey me asmodeus#obey me beelzebub#obey me belphegor#obey me headcanons#obey me requests
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simeon with a himbo boyfriend
note from kin: once again i am writing for the boys because this fandom doesnât have nearly enough content for them, especially for Big and Beefy Men. let them be in dating sim fandoms too!!!!!! give them more content!!!!!
anyway iâve made you an angel since i donât want to have to think about the deeper repercussions of what simeon dating a human would be (i mean we all know what happened to lilith when she tried it)
fandom: obey me!
character(s): male!reader, simeon, luke, belphegor, beelzebub, asmodeus, satan, leviathan, mammon, lucifer, barbatos, diavolo, solomon
pairing(s): simeon/reader but it accidentally becomes everyone/simeonâs boyfriend at some point whoops (this ended up as a pretty big block of text as a result so please let me know if you have difficulty reading it so that i can try to format it better!)
warning(s): nope!
genre: fluff!!!! fluff everywhere!!!!!!!!!
simeon thinks youâre the cutest goddamn thing in all three realms
you may be six foot four inches of muscle but to him that is six foot four inches of ADORABLE
youâre very strong so he likes to just run and jump up at you from behind and wrap his arms around your neck because he knows you wonât be fazed by it (physically anyways, emotionally is another story)
the other angels always gasp when he does this in public because itâs so far from his usual âpoised and elegantâ thing but how is simeon NOT supposed to climb all over you like a koala when youâre so big and huggable???
simeon just really loves jumping at you like that okay
because every time he does youâll just pause for a second and look very confused as to why your back has suddenly gotten heavier, and then youâll turn your head, and your smile and excited little âsimeon!!â is to DIE for
he has to be incredibly upfront with you about what he wants because otherwise you will not understand
he has to say, word for word, âi want to sleep in the same bed as you every dayâ before you actually realise that thatâs what he meant
the whole exchange kind of went like this:
simeon, being sappy at like seven in the morning: âi want to wake up like this all the time from now onâ
you: â??? do you want me to come lie down next to you before you wake up tomorrow morning?â
simeon: âno, for the whole nightâ
you: âyou want to wake up like this for the whole night??â
simeon: [sighs]
he also often has to be the one taking charge when it comes to physical affection Â
like youâre always willing to give him hugs and carry him around and let him sleep sprawled out on your chest like a starfish and give him kisses but half the time simeon has to ask you because for some reason you just wonât do it on your own???
at one point simeon starts getting a little insecure that you donât actually really like physical affection and are just going along with it for him
because heâs a sensible angel, he brings this up with you before jumping to conclusions
he was not prepared for you to reply that you always wait for him to confirm that he wants affection because youâre afraid that youâll accidentally hurt him with your strength if you go for it by yourself
simeon doesnât cry a lot but dear god did he come close that day
after that itâs just hand holding and hugs and forehead kisses galore from you and simeon couldnât be happier
now, itâs time for a bit of backstory
you were created purely to fight during the big celestial war, which is why you are so Beefy and Stupid
the beefy is because they needed you to be both strong and intimidating, while the stupid is because they didnât create you with anything but fist fighting in mind
during the war you were a force to be reckoned with because you could just run at and headbutt a demon and theyâd immediately be flung straight out of the skies and back into the devildom
and, even better, this meant that you didnât have to kill anyone! you could just punt them so hard that theyâd be flung out of the realm where the battleâs taking place entirely
once the war was over though they didnât really know what to do with you
you were basically just this giant baby who didnât know how to do anything but war
so they just dumped you in a garden and told you to take care of the flowers
which was how simeon originally met you! he was taking a walk around the gardens and saw you crying over a tree that you accidentally snapped in half with your big clumsy hands
now, simeon wasnât one to believe in love at first sight, but HOLY FUCK
if he hadnât already been an angel in the celestial realm heâd have thought you were some divine being from the heavens
anyway long story short simeon consoled you and started helping you take care of the garden, taught you how to live a life in times of peace, spent entire nights just lying awake and thinking about your smile and your laugh and how warm your hands look to hold and how it would feel to hug you, and finally managed to confess to you without you misconstruing it as just a Friendly Act of Kindness, and now you two are the proud holders of the title Cutest Couple in The Universe
granted only asmo calls you two that but youâll take it
speaking of asmo allow me to segue this to the rad exchange programme era
you get so sad when simeon tells you heâll have to leave for a year
your face falls when he breaks the news and your voice is all lost and quiet when you ask, âdoes that mean i canât see you?â
simeon is absolutely devastated
itâs like a thousand puppies and kittens are being murdered right in front of him
he nearly cries (when i say nearly i mean he does)
but he canât back out of the exchange program now, and one year isnât THAT much for beings that live for possibly forever, so in the end, giving you a giant hug and about a million kisses to make up for the ones youâll miss over the coming year, simeon leaves for the devildom
he makes it about a month and a half without you before he starts getting all mopey
and youâre not doing much better up in the celestial realm
michael actually has to message simeon and ask him how to deal with you because you spend every day dejectedly shuffling around the gardens that you take care of and itâs making everyone sad just looking at you
simeon reads that message and immediately decides that either heâs going back to the celestial realm or youâre coming down to the devildom
the authorities are a little cautious about it because youâre one of the purest angels they have and they really donât want you getting corrupted by demons
but simeon assures them that the few demons that youâll actually be having contact with wouldnât do that, and youâll be under both his and lord diavoloâs protection
so you end up being allowed to join simeon in the devildom for his exchange year!!!
honestly with the way the two of you react when you see each other again youâd think you hadnât seen each other in years
simeon runs up to you and jumps straight into your arms and you spin him around in a big hug and ahhhhhhhh itâs like a teen romance movie but with an actually compelling relationship
and so you move into his bedroom (because of course youâre still going to share one down here) and take up a temporary position as a gardener to take up time since you canât really do school
pros: simeon now gets to see you every day again and you look very cute bustling around the devildomâs fancy gardens with a watering can and wheelbarrow. also he gets to watch you lift an entire shed and itâs the best thing heâs ever seen
cons: the others are all basically in love with you now as well
simeonâs torn between âwhy wouldnât they be, heâs literally the most perfect being everâ and âwhat the fuck, thatâs MY boyfriendâ
belphie likes you because you are similar to beel and youâre also warm and big and strong so he can take naps on you and you wonât be bothered in the slightest
one day simeon sees belphie just jump onto your back and start sleeping there while youâre crouched in the garden doing some weeding and heâs so stunned by the sheer audacity that he forgets to be mad about it
honestly you donât really notice that belphie is sleeping on you until you go to get up and feel something move on your back
and then, being the dumb precious idiot you are, you just lie face first there on the lawn so that he can carry on sleeping without being disturbed
consequence: simeon nearly cries at your sweetness but is also incredibly jealous and belphie is now having Feelings that he didnât sign up for
beel meanwhile isnât sure how to feel about you at first because he kind of feels like youâre stealing his twin all the time, but then you make him your special candied fruits (from produce that you grew yourself) and he loves you from that point forward
also PLEASE share your workout routine with him he wants to know your secret
it turns out that you donât really have a workout routine?? you were just made like that
though the constant exercise and heavy lifting and stuff you do as part of your daily garden-care routine (you take care of basically all of the gardens back in the celestial realm) helps as well
heâs a bit disappointed but he does like that you can pick him up without any effort
one time he asked if you were capable of it and without missing a beat you went âletâs find out!â and straight up swept him off his feet
beel was fucking screaming on the inside but no canât feel feelings thatâs simeonâs boyfriend
meanwhile asmo⊠okay we all know the way asmo is
boy took one look at you and immediately started drooling (figuratively anyway. physically his jaw just dropped)
kudos to him though, he backs off with the flirting as soon as simeon informs everyone that youâre his partner
asmo may be the avatar of lust but he is no home wrecker (he still finds an excuse to hug you every time he sees you though because awooga, muscles)
(he does know his boundaries so simeon doesnât mind too much)
asmo also very likes the fact that you have such a green thumb because it means you can grow the prettiest flowers and youâre always willing to trim him a few to use as accessories
at some point simeon accidentally eavesdrops in on a conversation between the two of you where youâre just gushing about what kind of flowers he likes and how youâre going to plant them everywhere in the devildom because you like it when he smiles when he sees them
CRITICAL HIT!!!!!
simeon is pretty sure he combusts on the spot, while asmo is just squealing
thus was the origin of the title âCutest Couple in the Universeâ
satan on the other hand is mostly disinterested in you at first
the two of you live in pretty different worlds even if you live within the a five minutesâ walk of each other. he prefers to stay locked up in his room or the library and just curl up with a good book or ten for hours on end, while youâre always outside, digging flower beds and pruning bushes and cleaning fences and walls and basically doing every other little bit of manual labour that none of the brothers could be bothered to do before
he does note that youâre pretty good at what you do but thatâs about it
until one day
youâre just pottering about in the garden outside the house of lamentation doing your angelic gardener thing when the stray cat that satanâs secretly been feeding for the past month or so comes by for its usual afternoon meal
satan has the window overlooking the garden so he quickly spots its ginger fur as well as you staring directly at it, and he immediately panics because what if you scare it away with your intimidating stature???
(yes, part of the reason satan doesnât acknowledge you before this is because he was kind of scared of you and your muscles that he heard could punt beings out of entire realms back in your hey-day)
so he quickly dumps his book (though not without carefully bookmarking his place first) and rushes down to the garden in hopes of salvaging the situation, only to find you lying face first on the grass once again, though this time itâs not his little brother on your back
itâs the cat, who is purring like a little motor and aggressively kneading its paws against your back
satan canât even see your face in this moment but he still basically gets cupid-shot in the heart because this is the cutest thing heâs ever seen
he has to force himself to calm down for a bit before he approaches lest he get overexcited and accidentally incur simeonâs wrath in the process
anyway after that satan makes a beeline for you every time he sees you and learns that you are an Absolute Idiot, but it just makes him like you even more
if satan was intimidated by you at first though, levi is downright terrified
you look like you could snap him in half with a single punch
he doesnât try to talk to you at all for the first few weeks because how could he possibly find common ground to talk to you about?? you probably hunt dragons and eat rocks or something in your spare time
it isnât until satan brings you up one day and mentions that you are incredibly dumb of the ass and probably couldnât hurt a fly even if you tried that levi even entertains the idea of befriending you
heâs still not making the first move though
but it turns out that he doesnât have to! one day you just show up at his bedroom door holding a giant crate of his latest akuzon haul
turns it got dropped off at the local post office after traffic problems and you volunteered to go pick it up and bring it back
anyway levi thanks you and starts unpacking his stuff, expecting you to leave in silence, but then he looks over and sees you just standing in front of his tv and staring at it
heâd been playing some battle platformer to pass the time before you showed up, and while levi himself doesnât consider it particularly remarkable, youâre absolutely fascinated
being a gardener in the celestial realm youâve never really had experience with this kind of thing, and youâre even more tech-illiterate than simeon, so what youâre seeing is basically like magic to you
so levi takes it upon himself to teach you as much about the art of gaming as he can in the short span of the next four hours before simeon gets home from a meeting of some kind and you inevitably immediately run off to greet him
you learn the basics relatively quickly but youâre still pretty awful at it
levi loses count of the amount of times youâve accidentally run right off the end of the platform and fallen to your death once it reaches thirty two
itâs pretty much the most heâs laughed in, like, forever
congratulations! you have gained a new member in your party! levi will now follow you to the ends of the earth because you are the first person he feels like he can just be totally at ease around without being judged at all and just have fun with
(once, after you leave another gaming session to go cuddle with your boyfriend in the garden, levi catches himself thinking that âit isnât fair that simeon gets to date himâ and has to do some serious self assessment)
mammon meanwhile has none of the reverence for you that his brother does
the amount of times heâs tried to rope you into his money-making schemes (which never work because he fails to realise that you are incapable of doing anything malicious in the slightest) is honestly just embarrassing at this point
simeon has to step in more than a couple of times because honestly mammon could ask you for your wallet and youâd probably just give it to him without another thought
that being said your wallet wouldnât be much use because you never have any money
you just donât understand the concept of exchanging money for goods and/or services so you never see any need for it
that being said, simeon does give you some money every time you go out into town on your own because something will inevitably catch your eye and youâll suddenly realise that you just cannot live without it
the thing is simeon spoils you ridiculously so he always gives you way more money than would be considered a reasonable allowance
which means all mammon has to do is tag along and ask you nicely and youâll probably buy him anything he wants
he does this a couple of times but then stops because he actually starts feeling bad about it
something just doesnât sit right with him when heâs walking around with a bunch of shiny new things youâve bought him with money that was meant to be spent on you while the only thing youâve bought of your own volition is a pack of chocolate lollipops shaped like rabbits to share with simeon and luke
he may be the demonic avatar of greed but even he has a line that he wonât cross
he makes up for it by buying you things instead
nothing too expensive (heâs still mammon after all), just little things like sweets or bulbs for flowers you havenât tried planting yet or food colouring for you to use for your candied fruits
speaking of those candied fruits, guess who loves and would probably kill a man for them?
lucifer
man may not seem like it but he has a hell of a sweet tooth
there was a bit of tension between the two of you when you first met (well there was tension from lucifer anyway) because heâd never met you like he had simeon and luke and had no idea what you were like
plus heâd heard about how youâre everyoneâs favourite now back in the celestial realm and the little piece of him that still misses his life as an angel is a little petty about it
but then he interacts with you more and he realises that that favouritism is absolutely deserved
he will not admit it but he has wondered what being carried by you would feel like on multiple occasions
figures out how to read you really well which isnât much of an achievement when you wear every single feeling you have on your sleeve but it still brings him a bit of satisfaction when he notices something that simeon doesnât
he may be a pridey mcprideface but he is willing to give up a bit of that pride by pretending he canât carry something heavy so that he can watch you do it
simeon acts like he doesnât notice this but he absolutely does and he doesnât know if he should tease lucifer about it or whack him over the head with a newspaper for it
all that aside though, much like simeon, Â lucifer also thinks youâre just the cutest
he comes across you building a pillow fortress in the middle of the house of lamentationâs living room one day and is understandably like âwhat are you doing in my house and what are you doing with those pillowsâ
you explain very seriously that satan asked you for help in an apparently pre-arranged pillow fight with mammon and that every warrior needs a well-protected base of operations and offer to show him all the optimised battle features somehow recreated from nothing but cushions and blankets and chairsÂ
luciferâs heart goes d o k i  d o k i
he also has experience with Big and Dumb men from dealing with both beel and diavolo (when the three of you are together itâs just himbo3) so the stupid doesnât bother him much
speaking of diavolo (wow i am nailing all of these transitions from character to character look at me go)
this man is basically just a grown up golden retriever boy and you are a big gentle st. bernard so the two of you get along like a house on fire
youâve seen how much this man gushes about lucifer. now imagine that times a thousand
that is how he talks about you
honestly sometimes youâd think HEâS the one dating you
simeon would probably get defensive if he didnât get so much whiplash from their conversations about you
diavolo: âi must say, i never would have pinned [name] as being your typeâ
simeon, ready to Fucking Brawl: âexcuse me?â
diavolo: âthough i donât blame you, have you seen his page in that book about the celestial war? the illustration does his true beauty no justice, of course, but itâs enchanting in and of itself. to be honest iâd have loved to have seen him in action during the war, i imagine it would have been quite breath-taking to seeâ
simeon: ââŠwhatâ
barbatos is usually just there in the background during half of these exchanges and he has to seriously stiffen up his poker face to resist just bursting into laughter
the other half of the time the conversation is just simeon and diavolo going back and forth gushing about you
barbatos honestly dislikes you a bit at first
not for any personal faults of your own! itâs just that all your garden work + your very forgetful mind means that youâre often tracking dirt everywhere
it doesnât help that diavolo keeps inviting you over to the castle for tea and a chat and half the time you leave these big footprints on the floor and he wants to cry because he just spent four hours mopping that
he mentions it to diavolo in passing at one point, who then passes the message on to simeon
barbatos kind of gets concerned for himself because he knows simeon does not take well to you being insulted (one time a demon at the r.a.d. called you an âunintelligent buffoonâ and he was ready to start a fist fight right then and there)
not that it was an insult, but you never know how love can blind you to reason
but simeon just assures him not to worry and tells you to remember to clean your shoes as well as changing clothes after doing some gardening
normally youâd forget being told these things within a few hours but simeon offers to give you a kiss every time you remember to do this so now you remember every single time youâre about to enter a building after doing some gardening
after that barbatos holds no ill will to you at all
he teaches you how to bake and is honestly so endeared by how clumsy you get in the kitchen
you knock an entire container of salt into the cake mix by accident because your hands are too big and you moved too fast and barbatos is just like đ„ș
he low-key babies you even though heâs like an entire two heads shorter than you
you donât mind though because getting babied by barbatos means you get given all sorts of cakes and sweets all the time
simeon isnât sure how to feel about it but it doesnât seem to be the patronising kind of babying (itâs more of an affectionate doting) so he lets it happen
what he doesnât let happen is solomonâs relentless attempts to feed you his food
you are both too dumb and too nice to realise just how bad his cooking is, but simeon knows you have a sensitive stomach and are actually a pretty fussy eater - you just tend to stay quiet when something isnât to your liking because you donât want to complain
having had a sample of solomonâs food himself in the past, he knows that youâll probably get sick eating it, and he doesnât want you to be uncomfy so he refuses to let you try even a bite
itâs like he has a radar in his head that goes off every time solomon approaches you will a bowl of ânoodle soupâ that looks more like something heâs fished out of a nuclear waste tank
solomon, when heâs not trying to indirectly poison you, is probably the guy you spend the most time with apart from simeon and luke
heâll just hang around nearby with a spell book while you do your gardening and show you some neat little magic tricks every now and then
he tries to help with the gardening but heâs not exactly physically strong and he nearly breaks his back trying to lift a giant bag of compost
so he decides itâs probably better for him to just watch from afar
kind of wants to conduct an experiment to see just how much weight you can lift before you start getting tired
one time he sees you cut down a whole tree with one hard swat of your hand and just walk off carrying it over your shoulder and he has to take several deep breaths
luke knew you already, so not much changes while youâre in the devildom
he really wants to learn to make candied fruits the same way you do but he can never get the hang of boiling the sugar mixture to the right heat and consistency (plus heâs kind of scared of how hot it gets)
you like to just carry him around on your shoulders and while luke would normally bristle at being treated like a child, you act like this with nearly everyone
(once he sees you running around the garden with diavolo of all people perched on your shoulders, arms raised in the air like heâs on a rollercoaster ride, and he nearly passes out on the spot)
he seriously adores you and acts like a guard dog whenever he feels like any of the others are trying to take advantage of your dim-witted naïveté because NO demons are allowed to harm his big brother like that
he will also chase them off with a stick if he has to if they get too close because no being is allowed to even remotely try to disrupt your relationship with simeonÂ
simeon himself is no fool, and heâs well aware of the effect you have on pretty much everyone you come across, but he trusts them because theyâre his friends
besides (and he isnât being cocky or anything), itâs not like the relationship you have with them even holds a candle to what you have with him
theyâve all known you for less than a year, heâs loved you for nearly two millennia
they might be allowed take naps on your back while you work or be carried about on your shoulders, but do they get to spend every night snuggled up in your arms, feeling your chest rise and fall with every breath you take? no, he doesnât think so
in conclusion: one day himbos like you will probably take over the world with their big muscles and unwavering loyalty and clueless grins that could make anyoneâs heart skip a beat, and simeonâs pretty sure heâd be okay with it
#obey me#obey me x reader#simeon x reader#swd simeon#fluff#obey me imagines#swd luke#swd belphegor#swd beelzebub#swd asmodeus#swd satan#swd leviathan#swd mammon#swd lucifer#swd diavolo#swd barbatos#swd solomon#male reader#this is probably my favourite thing i've written so far#we need more male mc content in this fandom#unedited
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Fair Warning - Bakugou Katsuki
Bakugou x f!reader
Warnings: cursing, crack, fluff, Yui Kodai slander (Iâm sorry), STREET FIGHTING (but inside a classroom), we love supportive boyfriend Bakugou, and we love bestie Mina <3
Request: I need a female Y/N to beat a bitchâs ass and have Katsuki in that background like âthatâs my babyâșïžâ
BAKUGOUâS MASTERLIST
âBitch!â Mina comes in yelling with excitement. You were currently cuddling with your boyfriend as you sat on his lap at his desk seat when you took notice of your best friend calling for you.
Katsuki had his arms wrapped around your waist as you had your own wrapped around his neck. Both your eyes were closed as your head was tucked into Katsukiâs neck and his head was leaning atop of yours. Did yâall care that yâall were in the classroom? No. Bakugou was so clearly irritated by the pink girl. I mean, she was interrupting cuddle times.
âListen Pinky, I had a bad morning and weâre in the middle of something here so if someone isnât fucking dying then you better scram.â Bakugou calmly warned your friend as his eyes remained shut and his hold on you tightened. You giggled at your boyfriendâs empty threat and pecked his cheek before looking towards your bestie.
âWhatâs up?â You asked with your sweet voice. Bakugou groaned as he realized now some dumb shit has to happen.
âWhatâs up? Whatâs up?! Girl! Yui Kodai-â
âEw.â You and your boyfriend both said at the mentioned of the girlâs name from class 1-b. For some reason, she just rubbed the both of you the wrong way. And it wasnât even that Katsuki was just following your lead because you were his girl, he just genuinely didnât like her either.
âRight!â Mina agreed. âBut anyway, I was walking by 1-Bâs classroom and I overheard her talking her shit, and hereâs the best part, about you and Bakugou.â
At her words, you and Katsuki both tensed up at that. What the hell did this bitch have to say about your very happy and nearly perfect relationship?
âThe fuck did she say?â You asked with a still very calm voice. You were very intrigued with where this conversation was going. It was a very known fact that your boyfriend was very attractive and yes he pulled bitches left and right. So yes, you were well aware of Yuiâs little crush on him, but that usually didnât bother you because Katsuki made it very clear that if it wasnât you, he didnât want or need it.
âSheâs all talking about how if you werenât around, she could easily pull Bakugou and how youâre an âugly bitchâ-â
As she continued to tell you all the shit that was said, you felt Katsukiâs hold on you tightened even more. You look to your boyfriend while you listened to Mina and noticed his angry expression. To soothe his nerves, you gently grabbed his face with your tiny hand and gave him a sweet peck on the lips before giving your attention back to Mina.
â-and then she finished it by saying sheâd whoop your ass any time of the day.â Mina finished.
âOh really?â You chuckled out. You lightly tapped on Katsukiâs arm to signal him to let you go and he reluctantly did so.
You were far too calm to be at ease with this whole thing. You were like the calm before a storm or a jaguar getting ready to pounce. You walked out the classroom and Katsuki chuckled as he had an idea of what was about to go down. He followed you out the room and Mina was left with excitement. She went to follow the both of you but not before telling the whole class about the shit that was about to surely spiral.
âYâall wanna go see Y/N beat a bitch?â She called out and the lot of class 1-A, especially the Bakusquad, excitedly followed. The class watched as you slid opened the door to 1-B with a very calm demeanor.
You looked inside until you spotted your target. Yui Kodai. You motioned for the class to watch from the doorway, with the Bakusquad having front row seats to the upcoming show. 1-B quickly took notice of 1-Aâs presence and silence rang through the room. You walked to Yui, finally grabbing her attention as she looked at you in shock and fear. She stood up from her seat as she backed up a few steps, which did nothing as you just went in closer.
âYou know we âbout to fight, right?â You bluntly said.
âWhat?â Was all she could get out before you jumped her ass. At least you gave her a fair warning. You brought her to the ground as you banged your fist into her face while your other hand tugged at her hair. All the students grew rowdy and watched from beyond. You finally picked Yui up by her hair and used your training to kick her across the room and to the front. She got up in a hurry to defend herself but you continued to beat her ass.
The students all looked to Bakugou to gaze his reaction on how wild his girlfriend was getting, but they were only met with a grin of a proud partner.
âThatâs my Teddy Bear,â Katsuki said with a hand over his heart while he had a goofy smile on his face as he watched you drag her ass around the front of the room.
âTeddy Bear?!â Denki questioned. âY/Nâs a freaking she-beast!â
âYeaahhhhhhhh....â Katsuki said as he continued to look at you in bliss. Eventually, Yui began to bleed and thatâs when Bakugou sucked in a breath. As much as he wanted to watch the fight continue, he came to the conclusion that he would have to stop you before you got expelled or something. He didnât care if Yui got hurt, he just didnât want you in trouble.
âUhh, Y/N! Donât you think you should tone it down a bit before Aizawa or Vlad comes?â Kirishima asked. You took a pause from the fight but still held a firm grip on Yuiâs hair as you looked towards the red head.
âWhatâs he gonna do? Erase my quirk?â You said with a sarcastic voice.
âYes, actually, I will and am.â Aizawa said from behind the 1-A crowd. The students moved out of the way as Aizawa walked to you with his hair up in the air and his eyes glowing red. You continued to look at your teacher with an unbothered and unfazed face as your hold on Yuiâs hair never faltered. You and your teacher had a 10 second stare off before you turned to Yui....and continued to whoop her ass. Thatâs when Bakugou and Awase decided to pull you two apart.
âOkay baby, thatâs enough,â your boyfriend said as he pulled you back. You pouted at your boyfriend with an angry scrunch on your nose that he found adorable but knew it was a sign that you were pissed at him for stopping you. âDonât give me that look.â
You huffed and looked back at Yui to take a look at the damage you caused. Her hair was mangled and some of it was ripped out and scattered the floor as her nose was bleeding and she had scratches and bruises covering her face and body. Tears filled her eyes and her clothes were dirtied while you looked as pretty and fresh as a daisy. Not a scratch on you. You smirked at the sight and settled in Bakugouâs hold. He took notice of your calm cooperation and let you go. You turned and smiled at him with a proud look. Unfortunately, the spotlight was on Bakugou and so he had to choose his words very carefully.
âY/N, you know I love you but all that was uncalled for. You shouldâve handled the situation differently, dumbass.â He blankly said. Your proud look fell and was replaced with a look of sadness as your boyfriend reprimanded you. You looked down to your shoes in embarrassment as Aizawa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
âAlright look, my class go back to the room. Iâll stay here and wait for Vlad to come in so I can explain the situation. Awase, take Kodai to recovery girl and Y/N, I would scold you but Iâm pretty sure getting told off by your boyfriend was enough. Thatâs all. Dismissed.â Aizawa said as he waited in 1-Bâs room.
The students of 1-A all walked back to their own classroom, everyone all hyped up over the exciting fight. You kept your head down as you walked but felt a grip on your arm as you were dragged to another hallway away from everyone. You looked up to see your boyfriend looking down at you with a serious face. You pouted at him in embarrassment until his face grew a smile that showed how proud he was. Your mood instantly improved and you smiled like a happy puppy as he pulled you in for a hug and kissed your forehead.
âNice work Teddy Bear.â He said, holding you tight.
âYouâre not mad at me?â You said, smiling up at him as you were pressed into his chest. He just shook his head and smiled some more.
ââCourse not. You kicked her ass, and she completely deserved it.â he laughed out. You laughed with him before you both shared a cute kiss and walked hand in hand back to the others.
Yes. We very much love a supportive Bakugou boyfriend.
A/N: horrible ending, Ik but yeah :)
Taglist: @sxcker4you @aomi04
#bakugo x reader#bakugou fanfiction#bakugou katsuki#bakugou katsuki x reader#bakugou imagine#bakugou x y/n#bnha bakugo katsuki#mha#bnha#bakugou fluff#bakugou x reader#bnha bakugou#katsuki x reader#my hero academia#my hero academia bakugou#katsuki bakugou#mha bakugo katsuki#bnha bakugo x reader#boku no hero academia#mha bakugo x reader#mha bakugou#katsuki bakugou x reader#boku no hero bakugou#bakugou angst#bakugo angst
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Affection
Characters: Albedo, Beidou, Keqing, Zhongli, gn!reader
Word Count: 4,705
Warnings: Swearing
Premise: Sometime we know something is impossible from the start. But still we walk towards it, even if we know it will hurt us. Itâs only flirting, only a smile or a hug or some food. Even if nothing comes of it, there is nothing to regret. Even if it hurts.
In which the reader gives affection, expecting nothing in return.
Authorâs Note: More ânewâ characters! Iâve been neglecting Keqing and Beidou, they deserve some love. I hope as always their characterizations live up to expectations! This was very fun to write, so I hope you enjoy it!
I couldnât tell whether to make this melancholy or fluffy, so I guess I half-and-half-ed it. Best of both worlds, right? Although the tone feels definitely lighter.
Albedo
Your friends never could figure out why you were flirting with Albedo.
âThat alchemist has nothing on his mind but work,â one of them once told you, âheâll never reciprocate your feelings you know.â
âI know.â Youâd replied, smiling the sort of smile people put on when theyâre trying to show theyâre not annoyed. âI know he doesnât like me in that way, you donât have to tell me.â
âThen why are you doing it?â
âBecause I want to.â Youâd shrugged, shifting the conversation to some other topic. In all honesty, it wasnât as if your friend was lying. But neither were you, not really. There wasnât any good explanation for why you were flirting with Albedo after all. You knew that heâd never take it seriously, knew you werenât good enough for it anyways. Maybe thatâs why you flirted with him. Maybe it was better to make the slightest fool of yourself than drive yourself mad thinking about something that could never be.
So you continued on your merry, if slightly self-destructive way. Every time you saw Albedo, which was quite a bit considering the fact you were often posted around Dragonspine and spent a lot of your free time in the square right outside his office, you ran his way, asking him what he was doing, or telling him about your own day. Youâd developed this habit of leaning in a bit whenever he spoke to you, and the slight pause he gave as his smile grew wider whenever you did made your heart soar.
Not that you ever started thinking there was ever a chance. I mean, come on. Albedo was Albedo and you were you. There was a great deal of distance between the two of you, as if you were standing on opposite sides of a bridge which was liable to fall at any moment. You could shout across at each other, but never did you attempt to walk over to him, knowing itâd surely result in disaster.
Still, why did you flirt with Albedo? The question sort of haunted you at times. You enjoyed his company, youâd even told him you enjoyed his company. Heâd smiled his sedate smile, pausing for a moment to look away from the painting he was working on. âI enjoy your company too.â Heâd said, before turning back to his work. It was a quiet, calm, even sort of response, just the sort youâd expected. And yet you kept going, and though you made no attempt to push the boundaries or go any farther, you still wondered at times what the point of it was.
Perhaps following that line of thought was a bit dangerous. You found the more you asked yourself what you expected out of your closeness with Albedo, the more absent you seemed to be. It wasnât as if you were trying to avoid him or anything, no quite the contrary. It was only that you tended to want to be alone when you were thinking about something like this. Reaching out was hard, especially to the person who you were thinking about.
âAre you alright?â You glanced up from the lunch you were pondering over to see Albedo leaning over you. Feeling your cheeks redden you jumped slightly.
âAlbedo! Oh Iâm so sorry, I wasnât paying any attention to my surroundings! Sit down!â You gestured vaguely to the spot on the bench next to you. Albedo smiled politely, sitting down as directed. He seemed to sober however once he was sitting, scanning your face for something, though you werenât sure what that something was.
âYou seem⊠absent recently, I was wondering if something was the matter.â
âOh, Iâm perfectly fine!â You shook your hands out in front of you. âI guess Iâve just been sort of busy recently, or maybe a little tired I guess. You know that the festival is coming up, right? Well Acting Grand Master Jean is really running us ragged! But I promise Iâll be back to normal soon!â You laughed awkwardly; it wasnât as if you werenât telling the truth per se, just⊠not the whole truth. But youâd rather not put all your troubles on Albedo, not when he was reaching out to see if you were okay. Smiling once more you attempted to switch topics. âHowâs your research? Have you found something new while Iâve been gone?â
âYes, Iâve begun to study the reaction between macrophage and eukaryotic cells in contrast with prokaryotic cells, and how adding elemental effects to reactions either speeds up or slows down the reaction. But Iâm glad to hear youâre alright,â Albedo seemed to relax a bit, leaning backwards slightly on the bench, âeverything has been much quieter with you gone. Itâs unnatural, I canât focus as well. I keep finding myself distracted by little things. I look forward to participating in our conversations once more.â
âWell Iâll be there soon!â You promised, heart fluttering slightly. Did he really mean that? I mean sure, it didnât mean anything more than what was on the tin. Your situation hadnât changed that much. Still, it meant something to you that Albedo wasnât just tolerating your presence, that he was actually somewhat involved in your friendship. âI promise Iâll have some very interesting topics of conversation when I come back.â
âGood.â Albedo nodded once more before smiling slightly sheepishly. âMy workspace is currently going through a cleaning and the lab isnât supposed to let any foreign substances in in; would you mind terribly if I ate with you?â
âNot at all!â You responded. âI love spending my free time with you. What have you brought?â
Why did you flirt with Albedo? Why did you seek out his presence despite you and everyone around you knowing full well that it was never going to come to anything? What did you even think of Albedo? Well you could answer that last one at least. You loved him. You loved him very much. And even if he didnât reciprocate the way you did, even if your friends told you it was pointless and your mind chastised you for putting yourself through the ringer, even if all that was true, you werenât going to stop. Because you were Albedoâs friend and he was yours. And for now that was enough.
Even if a part of you continued to hope that one day this would change.
 Beidou
Beidou was utterly out of your league and you knew it.
It wasnât exactly a difficult conclusion to come to after all. Brash, outspoken, good with a sword, Beidou embodied that sort of restless, self-reliant spirit you wish you yourself could emanate.
It didnât hurt that Beidou had essentially rescued you from destitution, having found you languishing in a corner of one of the seedier docks of Liyue, and having taken you in quickly after the fact. You owed her a great deal, and was glad to do so. After all youâd fallen hopelessly in love with Beidou.
Life aboard a slightly illegal ship was bound to be an intimate one. Everyone knew everything about everyone else, and it was very difficult to find someone that hadnât heard about your crush. Someone who wasnât Beidou, that was. Although it wasnât like you attempted to hide it; you just never brought it out in the open. And who could blame you? How could anyone whoâd nearly died of starvation waiting for some sort of divine help compare to the bravest captain youâd ever met?
So you two settled into a routine of sorts, at least in your mind. You ate every meal as close to her as possible, something which had been difficult at first but as the âsecretâ spread around became almost comically easy, you discussed your plans with her first, gave her various trinkets youâd found in your travels, asked her opinions about your weapon then asked her to train with you. The training sessions had almost killed your resolve not to tell her, nothing was so intimate as having someone constantly checking your posture, moving and arm here a leg there, closely monitoring how you moved and acted.
All the while you said nothing. It felt selfish after all to even think about it. Beidou had many a time told her crew that they were one big family. On top of the obviously platonic motives behind her love for you, you werenât about to impose on the crew by trying to take the spot as favorite or partner. Itâd make you feel sleazy.
But damn if sometimes your resolve wasnât tempted. It was the night after a particularly successful raid, and everyone was drunk out of their minds. Even you were tipsy, although compared to the rest you were positively sober. Sitting next to Beidou, who was walking up and down the tables making speeches of various levels of comprehensibility, you thanked the archons above that this woman had saved you. It was all worth the pain and suffering, if only to see her smile, which was blinding at the moment.
âYou were brave, my dear compatriots! Distinguished! Honored! Positively courageous!ïżœïżœïżœ Beidou let out a slight âhicâ, her vocabulary always did turn a bit grand when she drank too much. âIndeed, Iâm sure not even the greatest of emperors had an army which could rival the visage of our band of brothers! Storming the deck, why we all mightâve perished! Damned visions, theyâre for cheaters! For fraudsters! You all fight without them, and in doing so you prove yourself far more valiant, far more exemplary than they do!â Evidently Beidou had forgotten she herself was a vision wielder. Then again, so had everyone else.
âOn this night of victory, of perilous and prestigious triumph, I wish to congratulate the greatest of warriors! This! My proverbial right hand man, the distinguishedâŠâ Beidou turned around towards you, gesturing in a very flamboyant sort of manner. You stood there, shocked by the sudden attention, blushing deeply, brain so filled with awe that you only half realized Beidou couldnât remember your name.
âYes! This person, this noble scalawag!â Beidou lifted you up so you were standing next to her, archons was she strong. âNow I donât believe in laws, but if I did Iâd marry them I would! You all ought to be more like them, mark my words I want to see some shaping up! There are no levels on this ship, but if there were theyâd be higher than you all! Pay attention to my words, they are final!â And with that, speech apparently over, Beidou planted a soft, if slightly messy, kiss on your cheek.
If it werenât for the people around you, you mightâve fainted.
The next day announced itself with a headache, though as the least hungover of the group you were put in charge of dishing out the medicine and water. The whole ship appeared to be groaning, and though the crew was usually quite active and excited at almost any hour of the day, you could tell that most of the men and women just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep.
âCaptain wants to see you when youâre done with your rounds.â There were a few other people helping you out, and the one that informed you about this raised an eyebrow as you promptly turned white as a sheet, before a splotchy shade of red covered your face. What was she going to say? Had she remembered what had happened the night before? You admitted to yourself that maybe banking on Beidou forgetting was a doomed cause from the start. Beidou was perhaps brash and a lover of alcohol, but her memory was sharp, and she somehow managed to never drink herself to total incompetence. If you challenged a drunk Beidou to a duel your chances were going to be about the same as if youâd challenged her sober. Hell maybe theyâd be even worse. With that grim thought in mind you distributed the last of the medicine, wiping your hands needlessly on your clothes before walking towards the captainâs cabins.
You loved Beidouâs cabins, they somehow seemed both incredibly grand and inexplicably homey. With furniture made out of a plush and luxurious red sort of material, it was nonetheless crowded by knickknacks; drawings, carvings, and other such paraphernalia littered the shelves and the dressers. Beidou had once told you almost all of it was from current or former shipmates. The luxuries they stole had no use in her home.
âCaptain Beidou?â You ventured. The captain was at her desk, scribbling out something, probably a plan. She loved to plan in her free time, whether or not the plan was something doable or a total fantasy. Now she looked up, setting her pen down and smiling her classic, cocky grin.
âAh, my favorite shipmate. Howâre we feeling today?â
âW-well!â You managed to get out, a bit distracted by the nickname. Ah, it seemed she had remembered at least part of it. âUm, captain, I was told you wanted to see me.â
âYes, I did. Iâve been thinking since last night, thinking a great deal, and I was wondering, what would you think to becoming my partner, in a, well, romantic sort of sense.â
âSo suddenly?â You replied, eyes widening but nevertheless cracking a smile. Beidouâs confession had been blunt, devoid of all the usual flourishes. And yet it was what you wanted, what youâd always wanted.
âWell why not?â Beidou shrugged nonchalantly. âAfter all considering how youâve been acting towards me for the past few months, I figured why not become my partner. Unless Iâve been reading you wrong of course.â
âNo!â You exclaimed. âI mean yes, I mean, well yes to the first and no to the second. Iâd love to become your partner, and you havenât been reading me wrong.â Your gaze dropped to the floor. âI just figured I wasnât good enough. I mean youâre⊠you. And besides, you said we were all a family. I figured you wouldnât want me as a partner.â
Beidou raised her eyebrow slightly as her smile melted into a smirk. Shaking her head slightly she approached you, raising your gaze every so slightly. âWell I can tell you right now Iâm not too good for you. Not only are you good with a weapon, but youâre about as tough and fearless as they come. I donât want to hear about how youâre secretly scared or whatnot. Everyone is that doesnât matter. But you fight well and without second thought. And I admire that. And as for the speech about family, well a romantic partner is family of some kind. Besides the crew wonât mind, theyâve been talking about it for ages.â
âI guess they have.â You blushed; apparently Beidou hadnât been as uninformed as you thought.
âAny last words before youâre my partner?â Beidouâs smile was as wide as youâd ever seen it and just as infectious; you grinned back.
âI love you.â
âGood. Now,â Beidou smiled, planting a soft kiss on your cheek and then a peck on your lips â something which left you grasping for coherent thought âletâs tell the others.â
 Keqing
Working with Keqing was an experience akin to slowly dying inside.
Youâd become somewhat enamored with the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing ever since youâd first met her. Her brusque and honest manner was refreshing, and when listening to her talk about the archons, about Liyue, about how the past and the present tied together, you never really seemed to question her. She always gave off the impression of intelligence, and, unlike some others youâd met, she had the brains to back it up. And what could you say? Before you knew it you had a crush on her.
Yet working with her showed other sides of Keqing too. She was very self-conscious when it came to compliments. Not that she minded them per se, as one time youâd asked her if your constant praise was a bother. âI just never know how to respond.â Sheâd admitted, and to be fair you understood that. But as long as she told you she liked them youâd compliment her.
Of course you knew it could never go beyond that. Keqing was your coworker; she was your superior in almost every way, both in occupation and in character. She never lost her cool or found herself off guard when fighting treasure hoarders or when dealing with rowdy citizens. She was efficient, capable, and aware of her incredible abilities. And she didnât feel the need for a partner, something she had told you every time someone else worked up the courage to ask her out. You couldnât bring yourself to impose on her like they did, not when you knew what her answer would be.
It was a slightly disheartening existence, and indeed sometimes you wondered what the point of it was, wondered if you shouldnât just quit. But that wouldnât be fair, not to Liyue, and not to Keqing herself. She relied upon the other members of the Liyue Qixing  to work efficiently and without sudden disruption. And the sudden quitting of someone who was hardly at the bottom of the ranks wouldâve certainly done just that.
Besides, Keqing was first and foremost your friend. It was a bit of a fragile friendship, yes, but it was friendship nonetheless; and you valued that friendship well above your own infatuation. If you had to bottle your feelings up so be it. You owed it to Keqing to keep it together, to not impose on her what she obviously didnât want and to not punish her for it by drawing away. So it hurt, so what? A lot of things hurt, doesnât mean they arenât worth doing or experiencing. And this was certainly one of those things.
It was late evening, and most of the cubicles were dark. You sat, writing the last few sentences of a report, trying to ignore the headache that had been developing since earlier that day. A friend had attempted to set you up on a blind lunch date, and though you appreciated their motive the whole thing had been a chore, and now you were late on your work.
âAlmost done?â Keqingâs voice broke through your mental grumblings. Looking up at her you nodded, and Keqing smiled in satisfaction. âGood. Canât have one of our best workers getting sick on account of working too hard.â
âI wonât get sick.â You assured her. Finally stamping the paper you let out a sigh leaning back in your chair.
âA difficult day?â
âYou could say that,â you admitted, âa friend went on a slightly appreciated but incredibly unnecessary mission to get me to go out on a date. Honestly, Iâd rather her just treat me to lunch.â
âI can understand the feeling.â Keqing frowned in sympathy. âPeople are too obsessed with the idea of romance, so much so it blinds them. There are more important things in this world.â
âIâd say most people consider love pretty important.â You commented. Keqing shook her head in response.
âPerhaps, but arenât ideals better than individual wishes? Romance may be fun, perhaps, but there are other things to consider. Besides, I find your company far more enjoyable than I would any date.â
âYou do?â You responded, heart fluttering slightly; you hoped Keqing didnât notice the blush spreading across the bridge of your nose and coloring your cheeks. Luckily it was slightly dark in the office.
âOh certainly,â Keqing waved her hand dismissively, âyouâre the best coworker and friend Iâve ever had. No significant other could give me advice like you do, or help me so much when Iâm struggling with work or with my thoughts, and dates are so formal and boring and awkward compared to spending an afternoon with you. Really Iâm perfectly content relationship wise with our friendship. Relationships are full of pitfalls, people keeping this little thing from their partner, or omitting that little act. No, better to have an open and supportive friendship like we do.â
âIâm glad you think so.â You replied, and really you did. Youâd known since day one that a romantic relationship was off the table. So if you could stay by Keqingâs side and support her, if only a little longer, then youâd be perfectly content.
Even if a part of you still wished that things couldâve been different.
 Zhongli
To be fair to Zhongli you werenât sure how much he understood of any type of human relationship. The fact that the Geo Archon had befriended you in the first place was an achievement in itself.
And yet he had befriended you, and soon youâd found yourself falling in love with the slightly aloof, slightly out of touch geo archon. Zhongli was much more than that of course. Surprisingly open, the ex-deity took to finding out information about humanity with zeal. Always eager to ask you questions and to hear about how your day had gone or how you felt after something particularly happy or sad or gratifying, Zhongli had morphed into a pseudo confidante for you. Someone you found yourself relying on more and more. His gentle nature didnât hurt either, or his looks for that matter; all in all Zhongli seemed like the perfect sort of person, and though you knew that youâd never be able to measure up to an archon, you found yourself unable to suppress the overwhelming love you felt for him.
Zhongli didnât seem to mind your openness at all, indeed he sort of relished it, or at least he seemed to. Every time you reached out to grab his hand he gladly slipped it into yours, and whenever you ran up and hugged him after a long period of not seeing one another he always hugged you back. Heâd eat lunches with you, and sometimes dinners, and sometimes weekends were spent running around Liyue, or at home listening to one anotherâs stories or reading one anotherâs books. Itâs truly a magical sort of feeling to share a book with someone. But then again with Zhongli everything seemed magical.
Of course affection aside the whole matter never crossed the line of friendship. You never told him of your affections, and in return Zhongli never initiated anything further than conversation. Not that it bothered you; you felt there was a bit of a gap between you and Zhongli. After all surely it was idealization which caused you to recognize that someone like Rex Lapis had no want or inclination towards engaging in a relationship with a mere mortal. Facts are facts, and thereâs no changing them, no matter how much you wanted to.
And yet how odd fate is.
âWhat is being in love like?â
You looked up at Zhongli, trying desperately to act as if you hadnât felt your heart rate spike to unhealthy levels.
âUhm⊠what do you mean what is love like?â
âIâve noticed mortals are very enamored with love. I have to admit, my experience with romance is minimal; archons and adepti seldom see romance as something that affects them. But I want to know, as a human, what is love like to you?â There was no mockery or sense of superiority in Zhongliâs face. Not that you expected there to be. Zhongli never looked down upon humans as unequal. Many times heâd told you he admired them. Taking a breath you thought of your answer. Â
âWell⊠hmm. Love is very different for everyone. To some love is like an inferno; itâs very sudden and very intense. It sort of burns them up, itâs all they think about. I think thatâs less love, more infatuation, but to some that is indeed love. To others love is sort of⊠staid. Itâs being able to rely on them, to talk to them about anything and everything without feeling embarrassed or like you have to put on some sort of show. Itâs knowing that thereâs someone who will always side with you or help you realize whatâs right, or be there when you feel terrible. To them love isnât passionate, itâs comforting.â
âAnd to you?â Zhongli interrupted, a look of thoughtfulness on his face.
âWell to me itâs somewhere in the middle, I suppose to most people itâs somewhere in the middle. And this is only romantic love after all. Love is so big, so all encompassing, I think itâs hard to pin down. But to me romantic love is both; it is the passion that causes people to do crazy things and espouse crazy sorts of ideals, and it is the staid comfort of knowing there is someone who will always understand you, and always support you in that understanding.â You paused, realizing youâd been prattling on a bit. âWhy, may I ask? Is there a reason you want to know.â
âYes,â Zhongli admitted, voice slightly less calm than usual. âI, Iâve been thinking about my feelings towards someone a great deal recently; theyâve been alien, although not distressing per se. They feel as if Iâm always on some sort of edge, but I donât feel upset by it. Instead I want to approach it, want to be around the person who makes me feel that way. I wanted to understand that emotion more. I wondered if it was love. Thank you for answering my question, it was most enlightening.â
âThat person must be very lucky.â You replied, keeping your tone as light as possible, trying to ignore your emotions, which had risen and dropped so very quickly. âI suppose Iâll have to lay off on the affection now. Part of love is sometimes being a little bit jealous, at least in the beginning, at least for some people. Itâs silly, really, but I wouldnât want to impose.â
âI wouldnât worry about that.â Zhongliâs tone was surprisingly wry, as if there was a joke somewhere youâd missed.
âWhy?â You asked, brow furrowing slightly.
âBecause the person whom I was enquiring about is you.â
Honestly you wouldâve been less surprised if Zhongli had told you that he was going to run away from Liyue and join the circus. All you could manage to sputter out was: âAre you sure?â
âOf course Iâm sure!â Zhongli chuckled slightly. He raised his hand, gloved fingers ghosting your cheek as he tucked a lock of your hair behind your ear. âIâve suspected it for some time, but I wanted to be sure. Are you alright with me telling you this?â
Alright? You were over the moon! Had you ever been this happy before? You werenât sure, but you were happy now.
âOf course itâs alright. Zhongli, Iâve liked you for months now.â
âThen why didnât you tell me?â Zhongli tilted his head slightly in confusion. You stared down at your hands, slightly embarrassed.
âI thought I wasnât good enough for you. I mean youâre an archon and Iâm a mortal. Iâm hardly different from the other people of Liyue, and I just, I donât know, I was scared of rejection, I was scared youâd think I was overstepping and that our friendship would crumble. And I didnât think I could stand that.â
At first Zhongli said nothing, instead he held out his hand. You gladly placed your palm in his, comforted by its warmth.
âYou shouldnât hold yourself so cheaply,â Zhongli spoke softly, âthere are a great many extraordinary things about you. Your affectionate nature, your determination to live even when the world is dark and dangerous, your willingness to open your heart to some ancient archon who knows little of humans. If thatâs not extraordinary, I donât know what is. I donât feel towards anyone as I do towards you, at least I havenât in a long time. So donât think of yourself that way anymore, please.â
âI wonât.â You replied. And it was true. You knew you wouldnât be able to, not anymore. Zhongli would make sure of that, already you could tell.
To some love burns like fire in the mind, to other it wraps you up in a blanket of comfort. You felt incredibly lucky, for you despite yourself demanded both, and somehow fate had bestowed it upon you. And for that you would be forever grateful.
#is damn a swear word?#I tagged just in case#I have sort of triumphed over my computer#genshin impact#genshin impact fanfiction#albedo#beidou#keqing#zhongli#albedo x reader#beidou x reader#keqing x reader#zhongli x reader#scenarios#my writing#requested
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Fav boys thinking S/O reader has a kid bc they misunderstood a conversation with friends or on the phone but in reality they were talking about their pet
Bc i talk to my dog like he's a small child and care for him like one and its caused confusion
Bakugou:
âą he's just chillin
âą youre in another room of the dorms
âą You're within the ear shot
âą and your phone rings
âą he doesn't really think anything of it but he can't help but eavesdrop when youre on the phone
âą nothing alarming until
âą "How's my son?"
âą and he freezes
âą he feels himself pale but he keeps listening
âą "I miss him so much, I didn't know it was going to be this hard to be away from him," you groan. "I just want to see him and boop his nose and coddle him."
âą Jesus christ
âą "he's getting chubby though, thats good, he was so tiny when he was born. So much loose skin-"
âą Ngl his stomach kinda drops
âą You have a kid??
âą How did this happen- WHEN did it happen?
âą It couldn't have-
âą oh it very well could
âą You disappeared for your 2nd year in UA- it could've happened then-
âą and you didn't tell him.
âą Not when he was your best friend and not when he was your boyfriend
âą He feels betrayed- he feels gross-
âą he has a right to at least KNOW of the child's existence- I mean he knew it wasn't his, but still.
âą And so for the next days he's really weird.
âą he tries to he normal with you, text when he can, hug you goodbye, just continue like things were
âą but he just couldn't.
âą And he dreads when you confront him about it- he knew you would, you've always been like that
âą "You have a kid!" He snaps. "You left during second year, didn't tell anyone about it and then you came back- and you didn't tell me. I wouldn't have been mad! I wouldn't have pushed you away, I-"
"Katsuki what the FUCK are you talking about?"
"You. Have. A. Child."
"Source?"
"When you were on the phone with your mom?"
You paused for a moment. "Jesus Christ Kat, I was talking about my puppy. I got a dog while I was traveling ABROAD during my SECOND year, with my COUSIN. I helped deliver him because I was interning at a vet. He was the runt and they thought he was gonna die. So I stayed an extra two weeks and I brought him home."
He clenched his jaw. "God damn."
"Katsuki, I tell you everything. I wouldn't hide that from you. Besides," you made a face, "i'm too scared to have sex with you, because sex is scary. Why the fuck would I have it with anyone else?"
"I dunno." He mumbled.
âą You take him to see your dog, obviously
Kirishima:
âą he isn't even entirely sure what you were doing
âą all he knows is that you're cooing into the phone held against you ear
âą "Hey baby, its me! You miss momma?"
âą Momma.
âą bro- he just kinda zones out.
âą his mind immediately going to the fact that you might have a child- not might- you do
âą I mean how else could you explain that?
âą he didn't even stop to think WHEN you could've had a child. He just jumped right in.
âą He wasn't mad- how could he be?
âą it wasn't wrong for you to have a kid.
âą maybe you should've told him but you could've been scared.
âą afraid he might leave you
âą he wouldn't leave you, God no.
âą he loved you and it was going to stay to help you
âą I mean, he doesn't want you to go through this alone.
âą You guys are what, just barley 18? You already have a kid, thats gotta be tough.
âą So he makes the decision, instead of being upset or hurt that you didn't tell him, he's just going to step in and see if you'd like help.
âą He won't push to meet the kid, thats up to you. Introducing kids to partners before its really serious doesn't always go over too well.
âą he plans what he's going to say in his head, goes over it twice and nids to himself.
âą that all goes out the window when you sit on the couch again
âą "You have a kid?" He blurts and mentally kicks himself afterwards.
"I'm sorry what?"
"It's okay, I'm not mad, really," he put his hands up, "It's hard to tell someone about it. You can trust me with stuff, even things like that. I won't use it against you or get mad- I'll even help out if you need. Sure its not mine but it really doesn't need to me-"
"Eiji, baby, shut the fuck up for a second."
He closes his mouth, stopping his ramble.
"What are you talking about?"
"On the phone, you were talking. To your kid right? You said 'it's momma,' and-"
"Babe I was talking to my dog. I haven't seen her in two months and she recognizes my voice over the phone. I talk to her most nights before bed. We just had to do it earlier today."
âą He feels his face flush.
âą Jesus christ.
âą you're cackling.
âą he doesn't think its that funny
âą he profusely apologizes for thinking you had a kid, implying that you did /things/ with anither person
âą Obviously you take him to meet your dog because what kind of mother would you be if you didn't?
Deku:
âą Dekus the kind of guy that would definitely take a few days to himself if he found that out.
âą You've got a 50 50 chance of him staying
âą He doesn't like it when people lie to begin with, it makes him feel weird
âą So for him to find out you have a whole ass /child/ that he didn't know about?
âą he's pissed. And sad. And confused. Because when the fuck did you have it??
âą You'd think with all the analyzing he did, he'd be able to pick up maybe you were talking about a pet or something??
âą Wrong. His emotions take over and he's just gone
âą and once you get off the phone you're like?? Zuku? Baby where'd you go???
âą 3 days.
âą 3 Days he ignores your texts, calls, approaches before you get tired of it
âą during those 3 days, well- day 3 more like, he goes to his friends
âą like fuck i have a problem
âą and theyre like ?????
âą "So um- they have a kid."
"They what??????"
"Y/n has a kid. I heard them talking over the phone."
"Do you think maybe you mught've misunderstood? I mean when yould they even have had time to have one?"
"I don't know! But they didn't tell me! What am I supposed to do?"
"First off," todoroki begins, "what did they say that led you to believe they have a child?"
"Well, they were like, he's my son- not yours, and then they were like, he's growing out of his clothes, and but that his feet were still tiny-"
"Did they use a name?"
"Yeah, well, a nickname I guess, stubby? I think it was?"
"Midoryia that's their dog. They have a dog who likes to wear sweaters. Since he's a puppy " Todoroki sits up. "She refers to her dog as her son.
"I thought they only had a bird," he dropped his head to the table and whined.âThey only told me about their bird,âÂ
"Good luck fixing that."
âą He brings you flowers.
âą and chocolate
âą to your dorm
âą and when you answer you look very displeased.
âą you just kind of eye him, waiting for him to speak.
âą "Angel," he begins, "I'm sorry. I- I jumped to a conclusion."
"And what conclusion was that."
"That you had a kid." He mumbled. "When you were talking about your dog."
"You dumb fuck, we haven't even had sex yet. Who else would I be with? When would I even have had time to make a human being?"
"I know. I'm sorry."
âą He wants to meet the dog.
âą You make him wait.
âą HOWEVER
âą You do show him pictures.
Sero:
âą He's high off his ass bro.
âą fuckin zoinked
âą you take a phone call in which you clearly mention dog features but he only seems to catch baby, princess, daughter, small toes, and chubby
âą N he's like sweet you have a daughter,
âą and then he forgets about it, too caught up with staring at something on the ceiling
âą a bug he thinks
âą and then he starts laughing because he thinks the word bug is funny lmao
âą and when you get off the phone he leans his head against you
âą and like 10 minutes later he remembers as he's kissing your neck
âą "oh, so you have a daughter? How old is she?" He's so nonchalant too lmao
"Baby what?"
"You have a daughter, right? You were talking about her over the phone. She has small toes. How old is she?"
"Sero, you're gone," you smile, ruffling his hair.
"What? Did I do something? I donât want to leave,â He frowns.Â
"Iâm not making you leave babe. I don't have a daughter. I have a puppy named bubbles, but I call her princess. She's a teacup."
"Oh that's so cute,"
âą its just amazing that he wasn't conflicted by the possibility that you may have had a daughter
âą maybe its because he's high
âą maybe he just really doesn't fucking care
âą either way he vibed with the idea
âą and then was like oh cool can I see a picture of your dog then
âą and then fell the fuck asleep when the high started to wear off
âą boy what a day
#bakugou katsuki#bakugou x reader#katsuki bakugo x reader#deku#my hero academia#deku x reader#Izuku Midoryia#kirishima eijirou#eijirou kirishima#kirishima x reader#eijirou x reader#bhna kirishima#sero hanta#hanta sero#hanta sero x reader#sero x reder#sero#bhna sero#midoriya x reader#midorya izuku
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Game Of Hearts
| 2 |
âł Summary: Your life is in monotonous tones of grey, day in, day out. Nothing matters besides your sister, the only thing you remember is seeing fireworks before waking up to Tokyo abandoned . Soon enough you are properly introduced to the deadly Borderlands where you must fight for your life in Games to survive. When things canât possibly get worse soon division arises and rivalries are made. No matter what though, you are constantly plagued by a blonde who, no matter how hard you try, just canât seem to go too far without.
âł Pairing: Chishiya/Reader
âł Genre: Angst, smut, thriller
Word Count: 7k
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Trigger Warning: â ïž much like the manga/Netflix adaptation this will be a dark fic which includes mentions of prostitution, attempted murder, child ab*se, sexual harassment, heavy grief and attempted suic*de among other things. Additional warnings will be added for chapters when triggers are brought up. Please read with caution if these are triggers for you or just skip all together!Â
âSo...you beat a 6 of diamonds by yourself on your first try?âÂ
..what the fuck was your sister doing. No really. What did she think she was doing? She had this...look on her face ever since she had been formally introduced to Chishiya and you didnât like it one bit. Akari had exchanged glances with you several times as you wanted to wilt in embarrassment while your sister continued to parade with this act.
âIt was a game of Blackjack, I wasnât familiar with the rules but after one round it was easy to pick up.â If anything this was a good stroke on his ego which he had to know was getting on your nerves.Â
It was painfully obvious your sister was trying to make an effort to show some sort of attraction to him to get his attention? You werenât sure, truthfully all you knew was that if you knew it had to be clear to Chishiya as well who as always kept that same stoic expression on his face, not the slightest interest besides potentially making you mad, âLosers were hung and cheaters were shot.âÂ
You scrunched your face as you watched his eyes flicker to yours briefly, a glimpse of a cheshire smirk on his lips that vanished instantly making your eyes hone into a childish glare. He knew you didnât like this! He knew it! You just knew that he did!Â
âHey, not to come off strong or anythinâ butâŠâ Akari scrunched her nose, âIs your sister a virgin or something? She seems like she really wants to hop on that guys dick.âÂ
You didnât mean to flail at her words but they were just so jarring to hear. Virgin? Dick? Chishiya? No way in hell should those three words ever be in the same sentence. This drew his attention briefly despite not hearing what Akari had said- thank god.
âI donât fucking knowâŠ!â You whispered harshly to her, âAnd itâs none of my business butâŠâ you rubbed your neck as you sighed, âShe probably is.â You relented making Akari howl laughing as you pinched the bridge of your nose, âSheâs always had this thing with being insecure and feeling like sheâs never enough for guysâŠpersonally I always felt the opposite.â
âYouâre extremely attractive and no man is worthy of you?â Akari tilted her head as she shrugged, âI can see it.â
âNo!â You replied a little flustered, tugging on a strand of hair, âI mean I feel like if she was just confident in herself sheâd get laid as much as she wantsâŠâ you had decided to not continue your original words with what you had intended. Which was, Nanami always compared herself to you. Nothing made you feel worse than knowing she constantly beat herself up because of you.Â
Many considered it pretty privilege. It existed, sure.
Did you experience this? More than your fair share, more than you ever wanted truthfully. To the point of feeling dehumanized in a way. Particularly in your line of work as a prostitute before all this happened. Or maybe it was before then? You canât remember anymore.Â
Regardless, you often found that while people were much nicer to you. They are always extremely insincere. Particularly men. Watching Nanami get a little closer to Chishiya made you immediately stand up as you gave her a menacing smile, âNanami, can I talk to you for a second, alone?âÂ
âŠ.
âWhatâs the problem with it!â Nanami had that sour pout she always sported when you call her out on something that wasnât typically considered- but she also knew- wasnât a good idea either, âSure heâs not a prince charming butâŠâ She tugged on a strand of hair as she let a tiny girlish smile tug on her lips, âHeâs still pretty cute, and besides we almost just died tonight! I feel like I earned it.â
Shifting away from her, you facepalmed as you sighed, you understood. You did, you all almost died and now what better way to celebrate then getting finally losing your virginity in celebration. No you couldnât relate to that in particular but you understood. Still...couldnât she have picked someone a little more⊠âI just...donât think itâs a good idea talking to him. Thatâs allâŠ! I mean seriously, look at him. Heâd probably stab us in our sleep if it meant he got an extra charge on his phone.â
âWhat? So youâre saying I canât talk to him?â Nanami crossed her arms as she glared at you ungratefully, as you wistfully sighed, looking out to where the other two sat, they were a good distance away where they both sat talking at the fire Akari had built.
You glanced away from her as you puffed a breath, not sure why she was getting such a sour attitude, did she seriously like this guy that much already? Because that wouldnât do, at all, âLook Iâm not saying you canât talk to him Iâm just saying...stop...whatever youâre trying to do! Chishiya is...NamiâŠ!â You cried out in frustration as you grabbed your head, âA guy like that is only going to gaslight the fuck out of you! Take it from me, no amount of skill in bed is good enough for that! Heâs trouble Nanami.âÂ
âThen why did you ask him to come with us?â Nanami accused you as she glared at you even more sour than before as you groaned. To be fair he did decline at first. Initially you had asked Chishiya about the beach just as a start to figure out what the guy Ryu was talking about but all of sudden Chishiya said he changed his mind and he wanted to stay with you all. Probably out of curiosity of what the Beach was. You couldnât blame him.Â
âHe wanted to come with us regardless of me because of looking for the Beach!â You retaliated, why was she getting so defensive!? You just had her best interest at heart here! Whatever if she really wanted to sleep with him that much it wasnât your business but you didnât want to deal with her crying when he busted one and conveniently found a reason to leave again. You paused your thought as you glanced at Chishiya who was looking up at the sky.
Would he really do something like that though? Brief hesitation passed through you, you didnât know. You didnât know anything with him. For the first time in your life, you didnât know. And it put you on edge. Severely. What was his intention here? A part of you doubted heâd even sleep with Nanami, just because of who he was.Â
Regardless of what happened, you still werenât sure about him. Just because you had been partnered with Chishiya, you had the distinct feeling, it would be wise to not trust him completely. Not yet at least.
Nanami groaned as she stomped her foot, âWhy are you always like this Y/n! Can't you just let me do what I want? I am an adult now.â
Yes thatâs right, she was an âadultâ now, making very adult decisions. Sighing you rubbed your forehead, deciding to just give up for now, âYeah you are, clearly. Do whatever you want.â You didnât have the energy after tonight to try and do this right now. And maybe Chishiya would leave on his own, he seemed pretty intended on that before you had brought up your search.Â
Puffing a breath you watched as Nanami stomped away as she crossed her arms and headed back for the camp. You couldnât believe her right nowâŠ! Out of all the guys she had to choose she wanted to choose the most lifeless guy possibleâŠ?
You knew why she was doing this, well you couldnât know for sure but you had the sneaking suspicion it was because when you both were younger it was because guys always tended to linger around because of you. Perhaps thatâs where that sense of insecurity came fromâŠ?Â
Truthfully you never wanted a rivalry between you and your sister, in some ways you considered yourself her caretaker, when no one else was there for her you made sure you were. Every, single, time. You wished sheâd just be a little more transparent when it came to things like this and you could work things out without so much emotional stress. Especially now that your life hangs in the balance between life and death constantly.Â
Wrapping your jacket around yourself you let out a soft sigh shaking your head before turning to face the car parking building, it spiraled upwards and suddenly an idea struck you. Rather than going back to the camp you entered it, pushing into the small room of staircases where you walked up.Â
Your legs ached by the time you pushed the door open to the top floor that overlooked the night sky. A smile slowly crept on your face as you inhaled the cool night air, you used to love doing this back when you were still in school. Climbing up here all by yourself to listen to some music and overlook the city lights.Â
Grabbing onto the ledge that overlooked the city you frowned again looking over the wash of black, all the venues mustâve been finished tonight, where some had a game clear or game over would never be known to you. But still, just the notion made you feel nauseous, who could ever do something like this? You tried tracing your memory back but you drew a blank.
Hoping up you sat down on the ledge letting your legs swing out over the blank unknown, looking down you came to the conclusion that if you leaned just a little too far, youâd probably die from falling. Who wouldâve thought that would be a kind death compared to other people here.Â
Hearing a loud blast you jumped as you looked up at the sky only in horror to watch red lasers shoot from the sky all in synchronicity. Your stomach churned once more at the sight that was straight out of a horror film and within a brief second, suddenly it was gone.Â
âIt happened last night too.âÂ
You jolted once more at the cool toned voice as you grabbed your chest, âJesus do you want me to just slip to my death!?â You chastised as you turned to Chishiya, when did he even get here? Heaving a breath you grabbed back onto the ledge as you leaned back on your hands, â...I guess we know what happens to those who donât participate in gamesâŠâÂ
How horrid, really...how could this even be reality at all? Was this really some kind of simulation or...experiment? A cruel one? Your mind drifted to the Beach again where Ryu mustâve hoped youâd go with them...His girlfriend though...you werenât sure you trusted her either to be honest.Â
â...Where do you think weâll find the Beach?â You turned to Chishiya, his hoodie covering his head as he leaned onto the railing overlooking the city that was engulfed in darkness, his eyes however cast out to the sky where those constellations from before only became more vivid.Â
He snorted, âOver a body of water, clearly as the name suggests. An actual beach would be too literal otherwise a full name wouldâve accompanied it. Perhaps a ship or a hotel? Iâll need a map tomorrow and we can narrow it from there.âÂ
Tucking your tongue into your cheek you heaved a breath, âIâve known you less than a day but...I get the feeling Iâd hate to be your rival.â It was the truth, Chishiya if anything, was not someone who was considered all bark and no bite. Something about those eyes looked so cold and ruthless. As if he genuinely held no concern or resolve for anyone but himself. You frowned as you watched him carefully, what a sad life to live if that was the case.Â
You watched something akin to a smirk twist on his lips, as if he was proud to hear those words despite it insinuating some amount of fear in you. Which youâd say was partially true, not that you truly feared him but...If he was an enemy? You were simply glad he wasnât. Especially if he was as ruthless as he appeared.
âSo you donât want me to talk to your sister?âÂ
Your eyes immediately shot open from their lazed state as you twisted to face where Chishiya leaned on the railing, something so annoying about those smug eyes of his as if he was just talking about the weather. Tucking your tongue into your cheek an annoyed smile appeared on your lips, âOh, so thatâs why youâre here? What did she tell you.âÂ
Chishiya didnât say anything only looking at you with that cocky smirk and dark eyes as slowly your expression faded as you realized she didnât tell him anything he just took a guess as to what happened between you both and you just confirmed, âYou are very annoying you know that?â Your voice lowered a little as you leaned a little closer to him, your expression dry at the realization you fell right into his trap.Â
He shrugged, but you could tell in his demeanor even when you werenât meaning too you were still feeding that massive ego of his, âNow that you confirmed it, whatâs the problem?â You werenât scared of him in terms of confrontation. Even if you felt the internal voice in the back of your head tell you that you should be.Â
âItâs nothing personal against you,â You shrugged, deciding that regardless, it would be best if you were careful with your interactions with him, âNanami is justâŠâ You pressed your lips together, looking out over the night sky as you spoke, âThis world doesnât deserve someone like her, and someone like you?â A lopsided smile twisted on your lips as you laughed a little, âBe honest with yourself, I shouldnât have to even explain that.âÂ
âSomeone like me?â Chishiya challenged much to your surprise as you looked at him, it was your turn to be amused as he waited for an answer that you didnât want to give. Why would you? And personally, it was as you said, it was nothing against him.Â
You had no problems with him, âWhat about someone like you?â His expression turned smug and cold as he spoke, âI get the feeling you just infantilize your sister to the point she feels suffocated, if she chooses to do something stupid itâs only to get away from you. So what does someone like me have to do with this?â His expression became all the more sinister at your face darkening, âIt shouldnât be me you should be worrying about.â He shrugged, that calico smug smile of his on his lips as he shrugged, âSo by all means, explain your wording, Iâd love to hear you blame shift to ignore your own problems.âÂ
You glared down at your shoes, infantilized? You didnâtâŠ! Anger simmered in your veins as you took a shaky breath to calm yourself as you let out a short laugh, suddenly looking up with a strained expression as you spoke, âAlright, I was going to be nice, but since you have no social ethic Iâll tell you why. I took one look at you when we first met and all I see is someone whoâs completely hollow on the inside. Someone like you?âÂ
You spat out as your brows furrowed, âHas no remorse or care for others and after trying to figure out why I realized itâs not out of a bad life or mistreatment of any kind. You're just that kind of person that really doesnât care. Youâre the worst kind of person Chishiya, you donât have any reason for the way you are, and I think you know that more than anyone else. This isnât me trying to blame shift, Iâm very well aware of my own problems, this has to do with someone like you manipulating and taking advantage of anyone, in your own words, stupid enough to fall for it.âÂ
You shrugged, your expression dim as you had hoped maybe Chishiya wouldâve intervened to counter you and dispel your argument, but the more you spoke, the more you watched his expression become more cold and the more your own words were confirmed to you, âAnd you know what I think?âÂ
You frowned a little now, somehow saddened by the fact that there was obviously some truth in your words, âI think deep down, you're envious of people like us who can at least outwardly muster the attempt to be kind to people. Where as you?â You laughed a little, âYou're so empty, you canât even fake that. Every time I look at you, I see nothing. No concern, no care, not even anger. Just, nothing.â
The silence between you both, for the first time, felt very loud. Tapping your lip you hummed, deciding to shove even more salt into the wound, a bitter aftertaste about his words previously making you speak, âYou knowâŠâ You turned around as you hopped off the ledge, now looking up at Chishiyaâs figure that was still outlooking the city, âIâd diagnose you as a sociopath, but well...typically theyâre charismatic. So I really donât know what you are. Other than an incredibly sad existence.âÂ
Walking down the steps by yourself you felt the silence loud as your footsteps echoed. A part of yourself was licking your own wounds at his words, infantilizingâŠ! You didnât...you paused at the bottom of the steps, your expression wavering as you rubbed your neck...did you really do that to your sisterâŠ?
Looking back up at the steps you suddenly felt the urge to go back up and apologize to him, you were incredibly honest in your assessment, but...he did ask for it. Even after you tried to be polite about it. And if you could get anything from that, it was the assumption that he just genuinely thought you couldnât read him or anyone else that well.Â
You shook your head as you went back to the camp, whatever...Itâs not like youâd be in contact with this guy for long. Once you all figured out what this Beach was, youâd simply part ways afterwards and you would no longer have to deal with him. Laying down on the taller grass wasnât a great bed as you looked up at the sky.Â
Still...it seemed like you were fire and ice together. You starkly remembered the look on his face, similar to now but something was different when you had both heard the words Game Cleared...you groaned as you rolled onto your side.Â
Men were so frustrating.
âAre you sure this is it?â You felt a little reluctant at the sight ahead, there were certainly a lot of people but...it was as if they were far, far away from the reality of the Borderlands. And then it became apparent. Escapism, at itâs pure finest, if you had seen anything like it before.Â
Chishiyaâs eyes scanned over the map as he nodded, âIf itâs anywhere, itâs here.â He confirmed as you all looked ahead as you curved a brow before shrugging as you sighed, it was better than nothing and you could use some answers.Â
Strangely, it was as if last night's conversation didnât exist between you both. You had woken up this morning and continued on as you had before, it was...very strange. You had anticipated heâd either leave or heâd alienate you. Maybe both? But then it occurred to you, he probably just didnât care what you thought.Â
You thought back on his expression which lead you to assume that no...It wasnât that he didnât care, granted he definitely didnât care what you thought, that was a give but it wasnât that he didnât care in another way...That expression, it was dark and cold, not angry but...something bitter...How strange. You couldnât pinpoint it. You were just glad you could, at the very least, co exist for the short while youâd be together.
âWell! Letâs go say hi then! Iâm sure theyâll take us right to the leader or something...right?â Nanami leaned over to you in confirmation as you gave a weak smile before shrugging. You didnât see any weapons and everyone was too busy playing around in the pool for you to assume otherwise.Â
âWell shit letâs go! That looks like a lot of fun!â Akari was the first to bolt and Nanami was quickly after her as you and Chishiya walked behind them both and upon someone seeing you they had called out, âNew comers!âÂ
And it was as if the whole party stopped. You wrapped your arms around yourself as you rubbed your neck, âTalk about party crashing...â You mumbled, immediately feeling unwelcome.Â
âHeyâŠ! You guys made it!â Ryu had pulled himself out of the pool in excitement as he ran up to you all, a boyish grin on his face in awe, âYou found us surprisingly fast! It usually takes most people a week at most.â Well most people didnât have a brainiac in their group...You briefly glimpsed at Chishiya who stayed just as stoic as always. Had it not been for him it probably wouldâve taken two weeks to find this place.Â
âWell if youâre here to join us Iâll take you to number 1!â Ryu nodded as he gestured to you all to follow him as you carefully looked around as you frowned, this place almost felt too good to be true...What even was it?Â
Opening the doors to the upper level where all the higher ranked...members? Stayed you werenât sure what you were expecting, âWelcome to Utopia! The Beach!â The man held up a bottle and his frizzy blonde hair swished around with his eccentric waving hands. It was the wall behind him that first you noticed.Â
Playing cards had been drawn and only a little more than fifteen were Xâd off? Was this supposed to be a whole playing deck? âNumber 1! This was the group I told you about last nightâŠ!â Ryu waved a hand to you all in excitement, âI think theyâd be a great addition to the Beach and itâs search for the cards!âÂ
âCards?â Akari echoed out as she crossed her arms, flicking her hat up a bit to see better as you looked between both men.
The man let out a hardy laugh that made you wince a little...why did it feel like he was more than just...eccentricâŠ? âLetâs not get ahead of ourselves Ryu.â The man slammed him on the back a little to hard making him jump as he rubbed his neck sheepishly, âAllow me to introduce myself! Iâm Danma Takeru formly, most know me as the Hatter. Here in this paradise we foster hope for all! Drink as much as youâd like, eat to your heart's content do whatever pleases your soul!âÂ
This was way too good to be true. It had to be...
Something about Hatter seemed absent but you couldnât figure out what only for it to immediately strike you, it wasnât that he was eccentric, no...He was definitely neurotic, you werenât sure how or in what way, but your professor had made your class do a project based on the signs and symptoms of neuroticism based in serial killers that could be attributed to the lead up in their crimes. Not that you assumed this was the potential for Hatter but...well it was the Borderlands and surely it had taken a toll on everyone to a degree...some more then others...
âThereâs only three rules to allow you to stay here! The first being when on Beach property, swimwear is required!â He pointed a finger before lifting a second, âThe second can be considered quite important.â Hatter turned around as he waved at the large wall, âItâs quite simplistic and I canât leak my source. Thereâs only one escape from this hell, and thatâs by collecting all the playing cards!âÂ
All potential problems aside your chest fluttered a little at his words, escapeâŠ! So this really was real, and you all were experiencing it and the only way out was through collecting a whole deck? Hatter madly grinned as he spoke, âA team of players is created each night as a group of three or four with balanced strengths in their respective game type where the chances of death are lowered significantly! The way this works is simple, rule two is to give up all your cards.âÂ
Really? That's all it took, this wasâŠ! This had to be full proof, a part of you still felt this was too good to be true, and you were sure part of it had to due with Hatter, despite his obvious signs of some sort of mental illness, he was quite the charming and upbeat person, it would be hard for anyone to not want to match his energy, âThatâs right!â Hatter crossed his arms triphumantly, âOnce we collect a whole deck a single person will be chosen to leave!âÂ
WhatâŠ
JustâŠJust one person! âButâŠwait- how does that work? I donât understand.â You immediately spoke up, pushing forward a little bit as Hatterâs gaze turned onto you, that wild grin of his showing as he chuckled.Â
âWe have a whole ranked system here! The more cards you collect the more your rank moves and the value of each card contributes to your rank. Creating one full deck is impossible for one person but the impossible becomes possible when you band a whole crew together, we have a lot of repeating cards so once the first person leaves more will soon follow after. Thatâs the goal of our utopia The Beach!âÂ
âI canât believe weâre actually a part of something soâŠ! Hopeful!â Nanami squealed from behind the barrier, she had finished changing faster than you but she was too excited, a brief smile tugged on your face as you glanced at the barrier before back to your dilemma, âIâm gonna go lay out at the pool! Catch up later?âÂ
âYeah! Donât wait up for me Iâm...probably gonna be awhileâŠâ You sighed as you rubbed your neck, you never really liked swimsuits all that muchâŠ
Nanami hurried out of the room as you sighed, picking up the bikini top in dismay...did they really expect you to wear beach attire the full time? Grabbing the halter top you hummed...beach attire! Okay you could make this work.
It had taken a little longer than you expected to find something that didnât make you feel so exposed but in the end it worked out. Pulling up the high waisted shorts you ignored how far up your ass it pulled. Youâd make it work! Pulling up the sheer beach cover you nodded in affirmation. Still somewhere in your mind lingered an important question, was this really worth it?Â
Much to your surprise after Akari had agreed straight away Chishiya was the one after to agree, he didnât seem thrilled...hardly excited either. It made you briefly wonder if he was only staying because this place had electricity which Ryu explained on the way to the dressing room that was fueled by a mass of propane tanks.
Regardless you wouldnât be picky...It didnât seem too terrible here. Just cards for free stay to food and a warm bed? Itâs not like youâd get a full deck on your own, much like Hatter said youâd prefer to just live out your days at least in functional condition. And hey maybe if you gathered enough cards youâd move to a higher rank. You still wanted to chat with Ryu but just how the Borderlands worked.Â
Closing the door the room you decided youâd search for him immediately.
The hotel was massive and not even all the floors were in use, looking down at your bracelet that was slated with 52, there was only currently whatâŠ? Forty members? Maybe a little more? Stepping out onto the terris your eyes scanned the large crowd that was all laid out, some in the pool and you could spot your sister surrounded by three guys, clacking your tongue you shook your head as you watched her giggle. It was hard to believe she had a complex some days but men not liking her...Honestly.Â
Close to the middle of the pool you spotted Ryu and Hiroko, who for once had a smile on her face as she splashed him with a giggle. You felt brief hesitation, not wanting to interrupt but...you did want to hear a more detailed explanation about...well everything and Ryu seemed the most approachableâŠ
Shifting a little as you looked down at your attire as you sighed in exasperation, finding a pool chair before shimmying your pants off and kicking off your flip flops before sitting at the edge of the pool dipping your feet in, âHey Ryu!â You waved over, âHiroko! Can I have a minute?â Hiroko frowned immediately upon sight of you but with a few whispered words from Ryu she adhered.Â
âHeyâŠ! I never did get your name. I really am glad you made it! Hatter has been asking us to go out and find people to bring it to help keep growing the Beach.âÂ
You offered a small smile as you kicked your feet in the water, it was the heat of july after all and the water was perfect for swimming, âY/n, and that's my sister Nanami over there.â You nodded towards Nanami who was giggling over two highscool boys who kept shoving each other in hopes of getting her attention, âThanks by the way, for last night. Honestly if it wasnât for Chishiya it probably wouldâve taken us weeks to find this place. Itâs nice here.âÂ
âYou mean the sour blonde?â Hiroko snorted as she glanced over near the pavilion they had set up, turning to follow her gaze you had spotted where Chishiya now was, sporting a pair of white swim trunks and his jacket still zipped up only with his headphones in and on his phone.Â
âIs there even a wifi signal here?â You frowned as you tilted your head in wonder, he did look pretty sour sitting there, âAh- anyways, yeah! Thatâs him, unfortunately he does live up to expectation.â You rolled your eyes a little as you returned your gaze back to the both of them before offering a weak smile, âWhat I wanted to ask was...God where do I even start, what are the playing cards, and what do they represent? Given weâre supposed to collect them Iâm sure they have some significance, thatâs a given.âÂ
âPlaying cards are awarded for each game you play, the numerical value determines how long youâre allowed to stay at the borderlands on your visa, so if you were to complete a game at a value of five, youâd be allowed five days of stayâ Ryu explained carefully, âMuch like in a regular deck thereâs four suits. What we played last night was a Clubs game, it stands for team building, meaning the game is usually associated with needing to work as a team to clear the game. Spades are related to physical activity- ah...not really my strong suitâŠâ He rubbed the back of his neck feeling a bit sheepish.Â
âHeâs great at them!â Hiroko boasted, obviously proud of her boyfriend as she wrapped an arm around his waist, âHeâs just modest- Diamonds stands for intellect and wit, typically anything that has to do with puzzle solving or use of logic and reason. Hearts thoughâŠ.â She winced a little as her nose wrinkled making you tilt your head in confusion, âIâm not sure to be honest, many say itâs a game of psychology, playing with the players minds to make simple game clears a lot harder. Iâve never experienced a heart game though. Weâre still missing a lot on the board.âÂ
You tapped your lip as you hummed, âThat doesnât sound too terrible, I did notice they only have the 2 of hearts and the Ace up on the board...The most theyâve collected is spades and clubs?âÂ
âTheyâre the most common from what Iâve seen.â Ryu shrugged, âIâve also never had a heart game, I had two diamond though and a lot of clubs and a few spades.â
You thought about it for a moment before nodding, alright this made sense, âAnd Iâm guessing numerical value is the rating of difficulty?âÂ
Ryu brightly smiled as he nodded, âYeah! We havenât gotten anything past a seven though! And only one person experienced it and that was a Clubs tooâŠâ He rubbed the back of his head in thought, âWell things here only took off a few weeks ago to be fairâŠâÂ
âJust a few weeks ago?â Your mouth dropped in surprise before looking around in awe, âI never would've guessed! I thought it would take longer to build up such a crowd honestlyâŠâÂ
âNot a few weeks-â Hiroko smacked Ryu on the back of the head as he whined a little, rubbing the sore spot as she spoke matter of factly, âItâs been a few weeks that weâve been here...I think itâs been going for about a month altogether though...Things have been a little...tenseâŠâ She looked reluctant as she glanced away, a shadow cast over her face as you frowned, turning your head a little.Â
Ryu and Hiroko exchanged looks as she nodded a little, âWellâŠâ Ryu rubbed his shoulder as he lowered his voice, âHiroko is in the top ten right now because of how much she participates in games, so one day she was with Kuzuryuu, Mihiru and An number 3, 4 and 5 right?â You nodded as you brows scrunched a little, wondering why Ryu seemed a little flighty as his eyes darted around as he lowered his voice once more, âKeep this between us alright? But when they opened the door with Agni- number 2 to a room full of slaughtered people. Apparently Hatter killed them all because they were hiding cards from him.âÂ
...Oh...so you were right? In assuming Hatter was definitely neurotic. Your professor would probably be proud but somehow you had a hard time taking pride in your assessment.
Hiroko winced a little at the memory as she looked away reluctantly, â...Hatter hasnât really been the same, he only just created rule number three last weekâŠâ Right, rule number three.Â
Death to all traitors. You had definitely suspected something was up with Hatter when he had explained that one but...you always tried your best to give the benefit of the doubt to everyone until you could no longer defend their actions by logic.
That one had admittedly caught your attention when Hatter explained that anyone with holding cards would be killed or if they tried to desert the Beach, a little scary but...again it wasnât like it was possible for you to create a deck by yourself...But know knowing the story behind why that rule was put in place did make you feel a bit...Uneasy.
âThat just happened?â Your face twisted a little as you wrapped your arms around yourself, both Ryu and Hiroko nodded.Â
âMhm, just last week. Things are slowly getting back to normal, there've been a few people resistant but I try not to think about it, word of advice? Just stay away from the militant sect, follow the rules and youâll be fine.â Hiroko, for the first time offered a weak smile, despite her cool disposition she wasnât too terrible.Â
âComing through yâall!â All three of you turned to watch Akari running full speed at the pool before jumping in making you jump as you covered the droplets of water that sprinkled you, âWhatcha talkinâ about over here? Secrets?â Akari swam up, floating on top of the water with a dorky smile, âI love secrets!âÂ
You couldnât help but giggle as you splashed Akari with your foot as she yelped, flailing to stand up right, âNothing that concerns you, did you abandon Nanami by herself.âÂ
âNo offense but I think sheâs doing pretty fine by herself.â Akari snorted as she nodded to Nanami, still yet again surrounded by boys but now had at least three drinks untouched sitting on the glass table next to her. Puffing a breath you rolled your eyes with a smile, typical.Â
âTheyâre back!â Someone screamed before you heard more cheers making you straighten up as Hiroko puffed a breath, laying her arms on the edge of the pool as she rolled her eyes, âThey went out to gather supplies because that snake tongue freak kept joking about using Ryu as target practice. I told Agni we were low on dry foods and alcohol so it worked out.âÂ
âW-well he wanted to set stuff on top of my head to umâŠâ Ryu coughed a little as he looked away bashfully, twisting around you frowned as you watched several men walk in making your expression further contort. They all had guns. Like all of them. How has there not been a mass shootout?Â
âWe got all the liquor you could need! Get it fresh in the back everyone!â Your nose wrinkled at the sight of several piercings and you immediately knew who Hiroko was previously referencing to.Â
âThatâs Samura he just joined a few days ago,â Ryu spoke up as he nodded towards the guy with a fucking katanna on his back and tattoos all over his face, âPeople uh, just call him Last Boss though, he kinda looks like the end boss of a game that takes ages to beat. I think it suits him to be honest, a bit weird thoughâŠHe immediately joined the militant sect as soon as he joined.âÂ
Hiroko rolled her eyes as she spoke, âYeah Niragi apparently took a liking to him or something- I try not to keep up with them, they give me a headache. Plus that guy looks like a total shut in before he got dropped into the Borderlands, he has zero social skills.â You weakly smiled as you rubbed the back of your neck, that was a bit harsh...although you would say Last Boss did seem...there was something so focused yet...absent about his eyes.Â
He in a strange way almost reminded you of a toddler that was still working on coordination between completing an action with someone's speech.Â
The sun was suddenly blocked and a shadow casted over you as a raspy voice shouted out, âWell what do we have here? Fresh meat.â You glanced up to the tall dark haired figure, oh it was...snake tongue freak? As Hiroko had previously said, you wouldâve in any other situation snapped something but this guy was carrying a sniper rifle like it was a loaf of bread.Â
You wrapped your arms around yourself as you looked a little away, unsure of what to say as Hiroko suddenly stood all the way up, pushing herself out of the pool to stand up fully as she gave him a sneering glare, âNiragi go fuck with someone else.âÂ
The man- Niragi leaned back a little as he took a few steps back, cackling as he held up his hands, his tongue sticking out showing off the piercing briefly before he spoke, âWell excuse me miss bitch, I wasnât talking to you.â A twisted smile appeared on his lips like it was some sort of sick amusement at Hirokoâs darkening glare, âLemme see you kitty.âÂ
You made a noise similar to a yelp as you were suddenly dragged up to your feet and way too close to guy for comfort, his tongue sticking out and you were for a half a second wondering if he intended on licking you, âWhat a nice little body here, and such a pretty face too.â He cooed out sickeningly as he squeezed your face harshly, as you looked away from him, âI bet you and me would have a great time wouldnât we.âÂ
You had dealt with a lot worse truthfully, and somewhere deep inside you were grateful you had otherwise youâd probably be in tears at how terrifying and semi psychotic this man was, âSorryâŠâ You winced looking up at him with an unappreciative look, âI only fuck people like you when they have a good paycheck.âÂ
Niragi howled out laugh making you briefly relax for a moment, offering a weak smile, at least he had a sense of- âHey!â You screeched, suddenly being hauled against him as you squirmed to push away from him as you felt his hot wet tongue on your neck, âLet go!âÂ
His hands crawled their way up your waist as you squirmed, his tongue dragging up the lobe of your ear as he growled a whisper, âWhy deny a good time huh? Itâs okay, theyâre always more fun when they resist.â He couldnât get further when you jammed your knee between his legs taking the brief moment of his pain before harshly shoving him into the pool where a loud splash covered everyone who didnât even pay any mind to the scene which obviously happened often much to your disappointment.Â
Hiroko was immediately at your side, something motherish about the way she held you close as you watched Niragi flailed before getting his footing in the pool as he snarled, âYou bitch!â Hiroko immediately brought you both back, her chest puffed as she glared him down as he crawled out of the pool, now towering over you both.Â
What happened next baffled the both of you, something- No...a rock? It smacked straight across his head, not enough to cause any damage but enough to gain his attention, âThese are quite useful for short range,âÂ
You whipped around in shock at the familiar voice, Chishiya had thrown a rock up before catching it as he glanced at the small thing, holding it up in examination, âThrow it hard enough and it could probably take out an eye,â He looked up at Niragi with perhaps the most frightening smile you had ever seen, his eyes in that classic cold sneer as he spoke, âLooks like you could use it given how blind you are.âÂ
You stepped away a little uneasy at the tension in the air that suddenly spiked as Niragi glared him down, Chishiyaâs lips quirked into a smirk as he shoved his hands back into his pockets, not looking the least bit concerned.Â
Wasnât this just perfect?Â
Note: I am by no means a Niragi simp but like,,,he lowkey kinda fun to write when Chishiya is constantly baiting this man into violence. Next chapter is v fun!! lemme know what you guys think so far! :)
#alice in borderland#aib#alice in borderland x reader#aib x reader#aib imagine#chishiya x reader#shuntaro chishiya#alice in borderland imagine#chishiya x reader smut#shuntaro chishiya x reader
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War of Wolves (22) Finale
Season 1
Episode 22 - Everything Has Changed
Bucky x Reader
Summary: You have been on the streets for the past two years, ever since your accident that left you with the ability to tell if someone is lying. You work as an informant for the white wolf and his mob but you had never met himâŠuntil you overhear a phone call that leads you to saving his life. Now he wants you to work for him. Its an offer you couldnât refuseâŠright?
Word Count: 1634
Warnings: Cliffhanger, swearing
A/N: Its the end Lovelies, I can't believe the journey its been with these characters! If you don't like cliffhangers I would advise not to read this part and take the previous episode as the last. I want to thank you all for the love and enthusiasm for this series and for loving them as much as me.
<---Previous Episode
WoW Masterlist Series Masterlist Oneshot Masterlist
The weeks of recovery were long but you knew you were in the best hands. Bucky put work on the back foot to look after you despite your protests.
You had been having a hard time sleeping though, ever since waking up and finding Bucky in the hall. Dreams of the past and a future that sometimes scares you.
It got so bad that you went to med bay to talk to the Doc about it, to see if he could give you anything. He was reluctant and I was too. He suggested talking about it, professionally. But no matter who you chose, you didnât think they would quite understand the type of life you lead. You could never be totally honest with them and that would defeat the point.
You didnât acknowledge how bad or strange it all was until you woke up with a start. The room was bright, the one you shared with Bucky. He was nowhere to be seen but a note was left on his pillow
âCome to the reception room when youâre awakeâ.
Which is odd, we only usually use that room for certain Clientâs. Either way, you were distracted. You had a dream last night that felt more than a dream and it was starting to become troublesome.
The dream itself was nothing bad, in fact it was happy, lovely. Bucky had thrown you a surprise party, balloons and friends and family celebrating your recovery. It was lovely, one of the best dreams you had had for a long time, but it still left you with a sense that something was off.
You get dressed and make your way to the reception room lost in thought, thatâs why when you open the door and hear âSURPIRSE!â you almost scream the place down.
Hand on chest, you take in the sight of balloons, banners and food. Everyone you love a few others were smiling broadly at you, Steve, Sam, Peggy and the kids, Darren even made an appearance. But your eyes were on Bucky and his wolfish grin.
âDid you do this?â, you ask.
Bucky shrugs casually, âmaybeâ.
Bucky walks across the room to you, holding you close and leans you down in front of everyone to kiss you deeply. Love and passion sweeping across the both of you, the sound of howls, whoops and cheering the only thing keeping you from tearing into each other.
Bucky pulls back with a broad smile before lifting you back up and turning to the crowd, âeveryone, as you know weâve been through a lot over the last year. Weâve lost good people, and parts of ourselves while trying to keep the organisation going and keeping each other safe. But weâve also found new love, and welcomed another member into our family, Tommyâ, Bucky gestures to the sleeping baby in Peggyâs arms.
Everyone cheers at the shout out before Bucky continues, âI wanted to celebrate Y/Nâs recovery. I wanted to celebrate the people that made it possible for her to be here today. I also wanted to give everyone a reprieve. Things will only be more difficult for a while. We have Isaac and Harry to track down and we have other enemies to prove weâre still the strongest enterprise out there. They will be coming for us, but I wanted to take this moment to say weâll be ready. I also wanted to take this moment to thank you all, for standing by me through it all.â
Bucky looks down at you with something fierce in his eyes, a love and devotion that youâve never seen in another human being before, âto us!â, he shouts as he raises a glass to the room.
You wake up with a start, panting from feeling yourself trying to wake up. The dream was so vivid, it felt realâŠ
You look to the pillow next to you and you see the note from your dream, the exact placing, the exact wording from Bucky.
You donât even bother changing out of your pyjamas as you rush from the room. You make your way to the reception room as fast as possible, almost bashing into people trying to get to your one goal.
You mumble apologies until you make it to the doors of the reception room holding your breath. You hesitate with your hands on the knobs, you didnât want this to be true, but hiding from it wouldnât make it not true either.
You swallow despite your dry mouth and swing the doors open to âSURPRISE!ââŠ
All through the party you convince yourself that itâs a coincidence. You donât tell anyone, not even Bucky what youâre thinking but its all you can focus on until Peggy catches you on your own.
âIs everything okay?â, she asks, concern etched into her friendly face.
You nod, âyesâ, and distract her by fussing with Tommy for a while.
By the end of the day, as night creeps in you feel exhausted by going through all the possibilities in your head.
Bucky takes you away into a private corner with another grin on his face just like he did with the surprise and for a moment you forget your troubles as you smirk back, âwhat is it Buck?â, you ask.
He grins wider, âI have another surprise for you.â
You shake your head with a small smile, âI donât think I can handle any more surprises right now Bucky.â
He strokes your cheek for a few moments before saying, âI came close to losing you and having you here, happy and healthy is something I wanted to celebrate with everyone but I also wanted to celebrate with just usâŠso I booked us a night away in a hotel underwater.â
Your grin splits into a dazzling smile as you jump on Bucky murmuring your gratitude and love.
You arrived at the underwater hotel the next day. Checking in with Lisa at the counter as Bucky finishes checking in he asks her, âthe extras I asked forâŠ?â.
Lisa didnât look up from the computer in front of her as she answers, âthey should be in your room.â
We make our way to the room, our overnight bags in hand. Bucky steps into the room first looking around at everything.
But you barely pay any attention as you look out into the water and all the fish, your fingers are touching the glass when Bucky comes out of the bathroom, ânone of the extras are in hereâ, he says with annoyance lacing his tone.
He starts towards the door before turning back to you, âdid you detect the lie at all?â.
You shrug, âshe probably believed it, so go easy on her Buckâ.
You hear the door close behind you and you pray for a normal night of sleep or perhaps you could convince Bucky not to sleep at all. You stand there thinking about all the ways you and Bucky could ruin the room when you finally hear the door open.
You turn as you say, âhey Buck, I was thinking-â
Bucky is looking at you with shock and confusion on his face and that horrible feeling you had the night of the crash comes back in the pit of your stomach.
He doesnât say anything for the longest time as he stares at you. Finally, you couldnât stand anymore silence as you say, âwhat?! What is it Bucky? Whatâs happened?!â.
He clears his throat, âshe knew the stuff wasnât in the room.â
You pause before laughing at his statement, âJesus Buck, I thought something was seriously wrong, like danger level wrong. You need to stop giving me heart attacks.â
But Bucky never starts laughing and so the smile slowly fades from your face as you say, âokayâŠso what if the extras arenât in the room, we can ask for them or you can get a partial refund.â
He shakes his head as he finally steps in the room and closes the door behind him, âyouâre missing the point Doll, she lied.â
You scrunch your face up, âyeah Buck, people lie-â
You stop the sentence dead in its tracks as you look at Bucky in alarm, finally realising what heâs getting at.
You have no words. Bucky is the one to fill the silence, âIâve noticed it a few times over the last few days. The fact that you havenât clocked some lies and have become more shocked at some of the things that happen around our home. I thought it was just because so much was going on. Your recovery, us never getting moments alone these days, but you never picked up the lie today, you even said so yourself.â
You shake your head, âwait a minute, weâre jumping to conclusions here, this is a new place and I wasnât paying attention-â
Bucky interrupts you, âmy favourite flavour of ice cream is mint, Iâm wearing boxers under my pants, my mothers name was Sarah.â
He says all the lies he told you when you first met in quick succession and you never detect a single one as a lie even though you know they are.
Your stomach lurches and you feel your hands shake by your sides, you look up at Bucky as tears well in your eyes, âIâve lost it Buck, Iâve lost my ability to detect lies.â
You sink to your knees before Bucky can reach you. He joins you on the floor as he wraps you in his arms trying to protect you from the truth that has become a truth in a long line of truths in a never ending nightmare.
You try to will this not to be true as you question your worth not only as a member of Buckyâs organisation but also as his partner and your ability to keep him safe. And you know, everything has changed.
WoW Taglist: @a-really-bi-girl @crazyblonde124 @summerwelsh @scuzmunkie @loving-life-my-way @pequenaguaxinim @paranoid-borderline-insane @lilsonbucky @somanyfandomsblog @broco8 @inquisitor-selvala @mad-red @k-n-e @rinkashirikitateku @duhh-danielly @boundtomyfate @kalesrebellion @booktease21 @whatinthyworld @flyingbabyunicornnamedangel @asapkyndall @yaszx @amoredashley @aveatquevale- @putinovertime @melimelbean @valsworldofcreativity @lokilokilokilokilokilokilo-blog1 @vesper852 @littlenerdgirl16 @wiccanmetallicrose @aya-fay
I have an entire plan for Season 2 and written some too. If you want to see more of this please let me know. The more people wanting more the more likely it will happen. Taglist for all things Season 2 are OPEN <3
#bucky barnes#bucky x reader#bucky#bucky fanfic#bucky x you#bucky fandom#bucky series#bucky fic#bucky x y/n#james buchanan barnes#mob!bucky#mob!au
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Amaranthine
Warning(s): female reader, mentions of anxiety, slow burn (I think), 17K word count, self-indulgence, Viviâs Vil brain rot with no plot, Â not proofread
Summary: There was this monster inside your head. It went by the name of Anxiety. To you, it was, and always be, more so of a parasite you couldnât live with, but you also couldnât live without. It looked after you in the strangest of times. For the most part, it was a hindrance, cluttering your mind with dark and bitter thoughts, assuming the worst in people youâve never met before, jumping to conclusions, and crying over the smallest things. It made you extremely aware of yourself and others, for better or for worse. That was Anxiety, the monster in your head. The exact moment in time when it nestled instead into your mind is unknown to this day, festering in the back of your mind. Then there was Vil Schoenheit, your lover, your soulmate, and most importantly, your pillar of support who cheered you on in his own way. He taught you how to tame Anxiety. But alas, a monster will always be a monster.
A/N: Itâs my birthdayyyyyy~ so I made a very, very, very self-indulgent fic for myself. While I did write it as a reader insert, it pertains to my mental health, particularly my anxiety, and there may be aspects of it that you may not understand. That is okay. I wanted some feels with Vil on my birthday because I have a case of Malleus syndrome;;;
A/NÂČ: To clear things up, the reader in this fic is female. She is not Yuu (I usually write the reader as Yuu and yes, Iâm aware they can be two separate entities). She likes to scrapbook, bake, and wear lolita clothing. She also attends NRC though her dorm is left pretty open-ended. However, it might not make sense if youâre in Pomefiore. This might not work if your birthday is in March either. Iâm sorry asdfghjkl;
Disclaimer: Please note that this is not a fanfic that romanticizes mental illnesses. A significant other cannot solve everything. They shouldnât solve everything. They arenât meant to fix you; theyâre there to bring out the best in you and be by your side when you need them to be. By no means, is it their job to help your completely overcome your mental illnesses. Itâs a common trope in fanfiction and gives off mixed signals to me. This self-indulgent fanfic of mine is not meant to give anyone false hope. It is simply a love story that I always wanted to experience. Think of it as my own anxiety story. The only thing real about this is some events like the presentation meltdown though my partner eventually turned into my middle school bully so I just replaced him with Vil because Vil>>>>>>
[ Present Day, Vilâs Bedroom ]
Fwip!
You flinched. You looked up. Vil had flicked your forehead. His eyes were filled with worry, brows creased and his lips strung in a frown.
âFairest, is something on your mind?â he asked.
âNo. Not at all.â
âHold still for a minute. This lip tint is watery,â he said in a stern tone, tilting your chin upwards
He lined your lips in red and handed you a small mirror.
âBeautiful, my love.â
You stared at your expression. Vil was right. You were beautiful, all dolled up in this getup. You were prettier than usual, thatâs for sure. However, the look isnât for you or your hollow eyes. He snapped his fingers.
âFairest,â he paused, sitting down on his bed, patting the space next to him, âCome here.â
You obliged.
âNow, talk to me. Donât deny it. Something is on your mind. Youâve been zoning out all day. If you need a break just say so.â
âNo, no, itâs not that. I was just thinkingâŠâ
âThinking?â
âYes. About the past and whatnot. Trivial things! No matter,â you dismissed, leaning onto his shoulder.
Vil crossed his legs, âHow could I help you if you give me such a vague answer?â
Had he truly forgotten your special day, the only day you were willing to break out of your shell and be showered in compliments and praise without feeling like an alien? While you didnât have a cake to share and you were certain that he wouldnât want to eat it either, you expected he would remember the date as your lover of seven months now. So far, he only asked you to drop by his room for makeup practice as he just landed a part-time job as a makeup artist. Not that you minded of course. He made you feel beautiful, one of the many reasons you loved him.
âI donât think itâs something you can help me with. I was thinking about middle school andââ
âDonât waste your time with those fools.â
âI told you it was trivial.â
You nuzzled against his shoulders.
âItâs been hard lately, you know? Iâve been overthinking again. About silly things. Group projects, you know? Presentations too. Ah, there was this one person who told me to shut up because of a misunderstanding and everyone laughed and I feltâ But you mustnât hurt them!â
You clutched his arm. His posture had stiffened. He gave you a blank expression though his eyes told the whole story.
âI felt a little out of place. Things were going fine until they showed up. Itâs not their fault, donât worry. I was excited to talk to them, but it ended up going downhill. I felt like I was overstepping my boundaries. It was embarrassing,â you continued.
âI know you donât like it when I say this but itâs not as bad as you think it is. Know that you made progress compared to your potâ first year self,â Vil said, squeeze your hand, âIf you want help with your presentations, then Iâm here for youâ as always.â
Straightforward as always. He never tolerated things he deems piffling, but you were glad he didnât pity you, not one bit.
âIâm sorry for botheringââ
He placed the tip of his index finger on your nose.
âWhat do we say instead of apologizing for something we cannot control?â
âT-Thank you.â
âGo on now.â
â...for listening to me.â
âMy pleasure, Fairest.â
His finger shifted as he cupped your cheek with one hand, leaning in to kiss your forehead. He mustâve forgotten your birthday, but you mustnât going to ruin the mood. You watched his back as he gathered his makeup brushes. Vil was a busy man though that was something you were used to as his lover.
[ Two Years Prior, Alchemy Classroom ]
âAre you just going to sit there while everyone picks their partners, little potato?â
You flinched at the sudden comment. Potato? You had a name. Did you do something to be labeled in such a way? Moreover, what was the Vil Schoenheit doing standing in front of your desk? You prayed for the conversation to be brief. Part of you also prayed for him to ask to be partners.
âWhat are you staring at? Answer.â
You shook your head. This was bad. You were staring at him for too long. While you were dying from embarrassment, you let your gaze linger for a little longer. He was gorgeous. You loved how his blonde hair transitioned into a pale lavender, complimenting his violet eyes, eye makeup, and fair complexion.
Vil snapped his fingers before your field of vision.
âI know you arenât mute. Answer.â
âProbablyâŠâ you said.
âHah? That wonât do, potato. Iâll be your partner then.â
âPardon?â
âI said, âIâll be your partnerâ. Now, move over. Â Weâre in direct sunlight here and it wonât do any good for our skin if we sit there everyday for so long even if we are indoors.â
You nodded, sliding one seat over. He sat down next to you, arms and legs crossed. He seems mad, concerned with something, something else. His body language didn't match his facial expressions though he wasnât hard to read.Â
âWhy me?â
You bit your lip, cringing at your own inquiry.
âYou seem responsible enough to be my partner for this project,â he said, propping his head on his elbow, turning to face the blackboard.
What did he mean by that? Sure, you were responsible, but were you worth noting of? You were decent, not the best but not the worse either. Failing a class meant coming the topic of conversation when a teacher asks you to stay after class for a brief checkup or tutoring sessions. Excelling in a class meant being called out on your exemplary work by teachers. Anxiety was not equipped for either circumstances therefore it tried to help you maintain your grades discreetly. But Vil noticed, indicating that you were overachieving. Perhaps you should purposefully miss a few questions on the next quiz. You got a perfect score last time. It wouldnât hurt. However, you were partnered with Vil, someone who strived for perfection, someone who stood out against a crowd. The phrase goes â...like a sore thumbâ, but Vil stood out like a well polished and manicured appendage. He was beautiful, so beautiful that one had to stop for a moment to admire his beauty.
That was Vil, your partner. You could feel heavy stares in your direction. They were directed at Vil, but you couldnât help feeling nervous. You fiddled with the ends of your hair, fixating your eyes onto your textbook.
You flinched when Vil pushed your back lightly. You shot him a widened stare, opening your mouth to ask him why he touched you. He placed a finger on your lips.
âBad posture isnât good for you. Straighten up and pay attention.â
Heat rose to your face as you adjusted your posture.Â
[ Library ]
âMind telling me what this is, potato?â Vil said, throwing a stack of papers onto the table.
Your shoulders tensed. You set your textbook down, avoiding eye contact.
âItâs our project.â
âNo. Itâs your project.â
âI wrote your name on it too so donât worry about it. I donât mind sharing the credit.â
âItâs not about the credit. Itâs about the integrity. I dropped by Crewelâs office hours today with a question about this project and he told me that we had already turned it in. Fortunately for you, Iâm good at improvising so weâre off the hook. I got our project back so we can work on it together. Â Scoot over so we can get started. Iâm assuming you also did the slideshow, but Iââ
As usual, you complied to his demands, allowing him to sit next to you. He was a bit too close for comfort. Your peers could manage with this proximity so you probably could too if you took deep breaths every now and then.Â
âWe only have a day left, you know.â
âI know.â
âSo why bother?â
Vil clicked his tongue, throwing his French braid over his shoulder as he slid the stool closer to the desk, âI bother because weâre a team.â
He paused, pondering, âI donât like things being handed to me either.â
âThatâs gold especially since this is coming from someone whoâs always too busy to even reply to my texts,â you replied.
As soon as those words left your mouth, you bit your tongue. Was that too much? Should you have just listened to him? Kept quite? How will he react? Will he shame you on social media? Spread rumors? Tell Crewel?
âListen here, potato. I work various part-time jobs and I run a club. I apologize for my poor time management, but I am here now. You, on the other hand, have only sent me one text pertaining to scheduling and this assignment during the three weeks we had to do it. We are both at fault, got that?â
âYes,â you murmured, pulling out your laptop.
âWonderful. You wonât have to rewrite everything. Just subtracting here and adding some words there for smoother transitions. Itâll sound better.â
You bit your lip. You were hoping that because you made the entire presentation, Vil would take up the speaking part out of guilt. Unfortunately for you, he was too self-righteous to give in. He canât be persuaded either. His eyes were glued onto his own laptop, typing the evening away.
Youâll have to make due.
[ Presentation Day, Alchemy Classroom ]
From the brief time youâve interacted with him, you knew that Vil was meant to be in the spotlight. He shined brightly, you could feel his charisma even from the back from the classroom. His performance was worthy of a standing ovation. You could never compete with him, let alone get through a single presentation. You had made it through all of your slides, but every time Vil spoke, you felt out of place. Your hands were shaking and you were on the brink of tears. Your peers must think you were incompetent. Their intense stares were unbearable. Did they pity you? Or Vil?
âItâs your turn,â Vil whispered.
You refused. His hand twitched as he grabbed your shoulders. This exchange was awkward enough yet your silent plea for help didnât reach him.
âGo, potato.â
âNo.â
He enunciated his words, âItâs. Your. Turnâ
âI canât.â
âYes, you can.â
âYou couldnât possibly understand,â you cried.
Vilâs expression softened. He reached for you and you braced yourself yet it never came. He huffed and proceeded with the rest of the slides.
Ah⊠crying in the first semester as a first year in high school? Because of a presentation overwhelming you? Wonderful. Youâll never be able to live that down. Should you transfer to RSA then? No, that wonât do. They had mandatory choir classes or so you heard. Maybe an ordinary high school from your hometown then? But what if the headmaster disapproved?
You meekly walked up to Crewel, âIâm going to the infirmary.â
Your instructor only nodded with reluctance. Dissatisfaction was written across his face, but turning down a frantic student in tears for an unknown reason would be frowned upon. You heard him mutter something about the puppies this year being too sheltered. You gave Vil a second glance before heading out. He brushed you off and continued with the deliverable.Â
You were hopeless.
[ Infirmary ]
You pulled the covers closer to your face, hiding behind your hair. He was there. Why?
â(y/n),â he said.
You inched away from him. He finally called you by your name. Not by âpotatoâ. Why were you a potato in the first place? Was it because you were beneath dirt? Were you that ugly to be beneath him?
âAre you just going to stay here forever? Curfew is soon. You should hurry and get to the mirror chamber.â
âWhat are you doing here?â
âI could ask you the same, potato.â
 You were beneath him. The tears wonât stop falling. You were trembling.
âWhat did I do this time?â he sighed.
His voice was firm. He mustâve been irritated by todayâs stunt.
âNothing. Nothing at all. Just leave me alone... please.â
The blanket shrouded your eyes. How pathetic. How could you let him of all people see you in such a miserable state? Youâve only seen his social media profile once or twice. Was he the type to post and gossip about others?
The mattress sank as Vil sat down. You hugged your sides.
âFine then. Be a stubborn potato.â
â... You honestly did nothing wrong. Iâm the problem. IÂ canât function as a human being. I canât talk to people. I canât- Well, I can but itâs...â
âDifficult?â
âYeah.â
âWhat is there to be scared of? Follow that trick where you pretend everyone is potato.â
Is that where the potato shtick came from? How reassuring. His tone was unchanging in pitch. Was he trying to comfort or criticize you?
âIt's more complicated than just being shy. Itâs tiring. I donât have a clear mind. I worry too much. I spend my days in fear. I donât really know how to explain it.â
Vil pulled the covers off your small figure. You turned to him in a haze.
âI believe the term is âanxietyâ, potato,â he said.
âY-Yeah. Was it obvious? It probably was. Pretty silly now that I think about it, but anyways curfewââ
âDid you think I was stuck in some era where I donât even acknowledge mental health? And would look down on you because you have anxiety? Please. Give me more credit than that. Iâm not close-minded. Youâre still a person and you have feelings. So you have anxiety. What of it? Certainly no less of a person.â
Oh how your heart fluttered.
âGet up. You can stay at the Pomefiore dorms tonight. I should get you cleaned up. I canât stand the sight of those red and puffy eyesâŠ. Cheer up a bit, will you?â
He held out his hand. Was this his way of apologizing? It wasnât his fault you crumbled in the first place so why? What did he want? Did he want to help you out to boost his reputation?
âWhy are you helping me?â
âYou clearly need help donât you?â
âThatâs not what I asked.â
âYes or no, potato.â
âI canât burden you more than I have,â you shook your head.
âI talked it over with Crewel. Youâre fine.â
âI suppose Iâm not excused either.â
You shrugged off the blankets and took Vilâs hand.
âNo, you are. He seemed to be under the impression that you were actually ill,â he said, tapping his finger against his cheek.
âThenââ
âLeave it for now. We can discuss this over tea. After we clean you up though.â
âDo you pity me?â
What if you sounded desperate? What if you sounded needy? Was that needy? Would he change his mind?Â
You clamped a hand over your mouth. Vil squinted at you as if he was trying to inspect a stain on a fine textile. He proceeded to grab your cheeks, squeezing them. He exercised his authority.
âI. Do. Not. Remember that. I donât stoop that low. Good grief.â
âThen... whatâs the price?â you cried.
âExcuse me?â
âYour time is valuable, isnât it? Youâre clearly busy. Why are you wasting your precious time on me? Shouldnât you be compensated for the time Iâve wasted?â
âYes, my time is valuable, but we can talk about compensation another time.â
He let his hand go, leaving you to gasp in sheer terror. So forceful⊠he scared you. What did he want from you?
âYou coming, (y/n)?â
âYeah.â
[ Pomefiore Dormitory, Vilâs Bedroom ]
âHold still. After you cleanse your skin with this superfruit cleanser, you have to apply this fir extract to exfoliate. Itâll sting, and itâs even worse when you get it in your eye, so be careful. Try not to move too much, potato.â
Vil dabbed the cotton ball on your face meticulously. You felt like a celebrity with your own hair and makeup team.
âThere. All done,â he beamed.
He spun the chair around so you faced the vanity mirror.
âBeautiful. One hundred points for you.â
You gripped the hem of his shirt. He shouldnât say things like that and expect you not to combust. Whatâs more was that this attire was incredibly lewd. What if someone came in and got the wrong idea? What if they spread rumors? You were wearing nothing but his shirt after all. It was long enough to reach your knees, but it was his shirt regardless.
âWhat do you think, potato?â
âItâs nice, I guess.â
âYou guess?â
âItâs not for me?â
âWell, I think it does,â he said.
You patted your cheeks. Soft. Oh dear, you were soft.
âAh, ah. Donât touch,â he scolded, prying your hands away.
Goodness you were hopeless.
âEh? Stop crying. No! Donât rub your eyes either. Let me get you some tissues.â
Annoyance was etched into his speech, but his actions betrayed his words. He never left your side; he wiped your tears with his own thumbs. You held his wrists tenderly. His touch was like a thousand butterfly kisses.
âIâm sorry. I just⊠Annoying⊠Nobody⊠Iâm not.. YouâŠâ
He sighed, âDonât apologize for your feelings. Youâre not that annoying as you think. Instead, why donât you try saying thank you?â
âThank you?â
âYes, something like âthank you for listening to meâ. That shouldnât be hard for you now, is it?â
âThank you⊠for not being annoyed with me.â
Vil palmed his face, âNot that bad. Weâll work on it. Twenty points for you.â
You sniffled and broke out into a small fit of laughter. He smiled too, standing up straight. He towered over you. He was a giant. You watched his back as he approached his bed, fluffing up the pillows. Â His heels clicked and clacked against the flooring. He was still in his school uniform. When was he going to sleep? Didnât he say he wanted you to stay here? People would really get the wrong idea now. You tugged at his sleeves. Vil turned to you, waiting for you to speak.
âIâll be going now.â
He grabbed your wrist, âStay.â
You pulled away from him.
âNo, not like that. Iâm not going to do anything to you, potato. You really have to stop associating me with other potatoes. I meant stay for some tea. Of course, if you really feel uncomfortable then youâre free to go, but at least let me walk you back.â
âIâll stay,â you said.
âWonderful. Give me a moment to fix the bedding. The tea should be ready by then.â
When did he prepare the tea? When you were bathing? When you were changing into his pajamas?
âVil, if I do stay the night, where will I be sleeping?â
âWe have one spare room left over since one student never showed up to the ceremony so you can sleep there.â
You sighed, shoulders at ease.
âDid you honestly think I would let you sleep here? No, potato, I need my beauty rest.â
âNo, not at all.â
âYou are terrible at lying.â
âIâm not dirty minded I promise!â
âDid I say you were?â he smirked.
Vil had a frisky side to him⊠how unexpected. Nevertheless, you were relieved. You had insomnia already. If you had to sleep next to Vil⊠you would never see the dawn again.
âPotato, your tea.â
You jumped.
âCareful! Itâs hot and these pajamas are made of silk. I dare you to stain them,â Vil scolded.
You nodded. He handed you a tea cup.Â
âI was hoping to talk some things over with you, but itâs getting late. You can take this to the spare room down the hall and relax. Self-care time if you will. Hereâs a bag for you to put your dirty clothes in. You can drop it off in the morning to the ghosts for laundry. When you get the chance to change, return the top to me. Capeesh?â
âCapeesh...â you mumbled, turning to the door, fumbling with the tea cup.
â(y/n),â he said.
âYes?â
âDonât disturb my beauty sleep.â
âGot it.â
âYou didnât let me finish, potato. You can disturb me if you need help with anything else regarding your anxiety. I wonât do things on your behalf, but Iâm there to hold your hand. Just not during my beauty sleep, okay?â
âOkayâŠâ
Vil was not lying when he said he wouldnât treat you any less of a human. Even if there was a monster in your head, Vil treated you like he would anyone. Â Perhaps he wasnât so bad. But how could he say such things with a straight face? It sounded like something out of a fairy tale.Â
No, no, (y/n). You mustnât catch feelings for someone this quickly. If anything, you were in love with the idea of him, his kindness, how he helped you out and cared for you. But was it even kindness?
Even if these feelings werenât spawned from the idea of loving him, Vil would never return them. He seemed to be the type to be into someone independent. Or at least someone who was not broken.Â
Mainly the former, it would seem. He didnât pack your clothes even though he was the one who demanded that you strip, plunging you into a rose petal and lavender sprig bath. Admittedly, it was relaxing. He said something about lavender having a calming effect earlier. You smelt nice too.Â
Maybe for today, you could be comfortable in your own skin. Just this once. You smelt really nice.
[ Four Weeks Later, Alchemy Classroom ]
âAlright, puppies. We have another lab project. The details are in the packet. You are to concoct a potion using the ingredients we learned about this unit. Any potion is fine, but Amortentia is forbiddenâ as usual. This project will be due in two weeks. You will present your findings to the class in small groups. You can choose your partners. You were good puppies for the last few weeks so Iâll let you choose this time. Do not disappoint me,â Crewel said, cracking his whip.
You watched as the class swarmed into a chaotic mass. Students laughed and embraced one another. You scanned the crowd, looking for someone as unfortunate as you, someone without a partner.
â(y/n). Would you like to be partners?â
Oh. Vil. After all this time, you were baffled by the fact that he continued to interact with you after your meltdown weeks ago. Whatâs more is that he even followed you back on Magicam. He engaged in conversations with you, asking to check answers with you despite passing tests with flying colors just as you did. You never minded per se. Vil always had something to say. He wasnât talkative, but he was captivating and civil with a hint of sarcasm. He had a lot to critique. Moreover, you two were from different worlds. Whenever he shared stories about his life, from modeling to troublesome classmates, you felt like a child with a new toy. You were immersed, zoned out of your surroundings, your focus on that one, single thing. In turn, you shared your own anecdotes, anxiety struggles and small victoriesâ to which he celebrated with you through small, almost satirized, cheers and affirmations.Â
You were comfortable around him. Anxiety kept you from advancing your acquaintanceship to a friendship, but you were more than happy with sharing homework answers and making small talk. Vil most likely wanted to work with you because, as he said so before, you were reliable. Or was it responsible? Whatever the word was, Â you were useful to him. You were noticed in the best way possible. A twisted way to put it, but thatâs simply how you felt.
Vil was not what Anxiety said he was and that was more than good enough for you.
âSure,â you said.
âWonderful,â he smiled.
You slid over as he took a seat next to you. Away from the sun, just as he liked it. You remembered your first encounter well.
âWeâre presenting in small groups this time so you donât have to worry that much about it,â he paused before continuing, âWe can practice. When are you available?â
âAny time, really, I donât have any clubs.. Or part-time jobs.â
âHow does this Friday sound then? Iâll ask my manager to clear my schedule for that day.â
âYou donât have to clear your schedule. I can manage even if you come back late⊠Just donât come to me the day before the deadline?â
Were you being too bold with this request?
âFriday then,â Vil said, flipping through the packet, âWhat type of potion do you want to make?â
âYou can choose. Iâm not really sure.â
âNo, you are sure. You keep staring at that one page. I know youâve read everything the moment it was handed to you. You certainly werenât zoning out either.â
If there was anything worth noting about Vil over the short time that youâve known him, it was that he was observant. Profoundly observant. Perhaps even more than you.
Vil clicked his tongue: âSpit it out, potato. I wonât judge you. I donât have much of a preference either. We can compromise if we donât agree.â
âAmortentia,â you winced.
âNow, that we canât do,â he waved, âDidnât you hear the professor say?â
âI did, but the structure of this potion is so intricate. I want to try.â
âAphrodisiacs are prohibited. We canât do it.â
âI know. I can dream though.â
âDo you have a boy in mind, potato?â
âItâs not like that,â you huffed.
If only he knew. You were head over heels for himâ or rather the idea of him, someone who accepted you wholly without ever wanting to tame the monster inside your head. You werenât sure if you loved Vil for who he was or what he did for you as a classmate. Do mere classmates have afternoon tea in each otherâs dorms? Did they engage in small talk frequently?
Vil chuckled, âWhatever helps you sleep at night, potato.â
[ Friday, Library ]
âYouâre late, (y/n),â Vil said, leaning against the door frame.
âSorry.â
âI hope you werenât planning on skipping out.â
âNo, sir.â
âSir? Iâm not that old, you potato.â
You werenât fond of the session already. While you enjoyed talking to Vil, his strict attitude was oftentimes a trigger for Anxiety. Vil made it rage, rattling against the cage that encasing your heart. It didnât fancy that. Neither did you.
âCome sit,â he walked over to the desk.
His braid swayed back and forth. You followed him in suit, taking a seat. Vil reached for your shoulders and the small of your back. You yelped.
âPosture is the first step to confidence. If you shrink, youâll portray your nervousness in the most obvious way possible. Feet flat on the ground and shoulders back.â
You felt exposed, flustered, but not to Vilâs touch. You felt vulnerable to a nonexistent crowd.Â
Vil stood up and took a seat before you, staring at you intently.
âNow, deep breath. Scan the crowd and focus on a point behind them, away from their eyes, but still in their direction. Remember to look around occasionally so itâs not obvious that youâre staring at the back of the room. You donât have to make direct eye contact.â
You nodded sheepishly and obeyed. It wasnât difficult. You could stare into his eyes forever. You hoped it wouldnât be too awkward if you kept your gaze fixed on his.
âShall we begin?â
[ Â Two Weeks Later, Alchemy Classroom ]
âHold still, potato,â Vil hissed.
He held your jaw steadily as he applied a glossy red lip tint onto your lips. In a classroom. In public. How many people were staring at you two? What did they think? Did they think you were his plaything?
âI donât see the point in dressing up.â
âPlease. Lip tint and a few touch ups isnât âdressing upâ. Plus, youâll feel more confident if you look confident. Own it, my friend.â
Friend? You were his friend? You could feel your cheeks getting rosy. At the same time, you felt a surge of adrenaline. Was it confidence? You were on cloud nine, feeling unstoppable. If he said so, then Vil would be your first friend at Night Raven College outside of your dorm.Â
But⊠what if he didnât mean it?
No, no. he meant it. There was no need for Vil to lie. For him, lying was pointless. It was a waste of time; he preferred to get straight to the point even if it might be harsh on someoneâs feelings. Youâd learn to accept that his words come from honest intentions.
Crewel blew his whistle, signaling start time. Students flocked to their not-so-small groups. Vil had volunteered for the both of you to go first despite your protests, saying that it would be best to go first so you would not overthink and compare your presentation to others.Â
âIâm Vil Schoenheiit.â
He squeezed your thigh. The gesture was of chaste intentions, you were sure. Your leg was the only place he could touch in hindsight. Or so you assumed. Regardless, it set your insides on fire, but it made his presence knownâ as if to say âIâm here, donât worry.â
Your breath hitched: âAnd Iâm (y/n) (l/n).â
[ One Day Later, Vilâs Bedroom ]
âPotato, what are you doing here? Itâs the weekend.â
You hugged your sides. He was sweating. Youâve never seen Vil in anything but his school uniform, Pomefioreâs dorm uniform, and pajamas. There he was⊠standing right before you in a stormy gray tank top. While he was wearing pajama bottoms, the look was foreign to you. What should you say? You never knew he worked out.  Were those weights heavy? Is he training for a certain role?
âI have something for you: a small thank you gift for yesterday,â you said, brushing past your thoughts.
âOh? You donât have to thank me. I wanted a good grade too so donât think too highly of me⊠Simply improving is enough.â
You shook your head, âI insist. I want to do something for you too. I would feel guilty if it were any other way.â
Vil rested his palm on your head. You looked up at him attentively. The height difference between the both of you was immense. Compared to Vil, you were a dwarf.
âWhat is it that you want to show me?â he sighed.
You jumped with excitement, handing him a small container. He took them.
âWhatâs this?â
âOpen them.â
âAlright, alright. Such a demanding potatoâŠâ
You watched him gingerly pop off the lid to reveal your culinary creation. Your eyes wandered back to his violet orbs.
âPotato, what is this?â
Did he honestly not know or did he think you were jesting?
âTheyâre oatmeal raisin cookies. I made them myself. Itâs all organic ingredients, I promise. Thereâs apples in it too. I know you watch your diet, but I think it would be okay if you ate just one. At least?â
You scratched the back of your neck while Vil stared at them in bewilderment.
âJust one.â
âYay~â
His furrowed eyebrows softened as he took a bite, âNot bad, potato.â
He placed it back in the container and closed the lid. Your heart sank. Was it just for show? Were they bad?
âDonât take it personally. They are delicious. I donât eat too many sweets though. I⊠also have a meeting with my producers after this. So perhaps later, my dear.â
âOh alright.â
[ Somedayâ Your Birthday, Alchemy Classroom ]
You werenât sure what kind of strings were pulled or if this class had free seating, but Vil gradually sat closer and closer to you. Now, his seat was next to you. He said that it was because he could not stand the other potatoes near his old seat and that heâd much rather sit with a friend who helped him stay on taskâ which in turn made your heart melt.
Answers werenât the only things you two shared now. You often brought snacks to share with him. You brought healthy ones like apple crisps and celery sticks for accommodate the diet of your classmate. He only consumed workout smoothies in the morning. He would drink one before he went for a run with no post-workout smoothies to make up for the calories he burnt. For someone who claims to life a healthy lifestyle, Vil was oftentimes too busy to keep up with it. He rose when the sun kissed the tips of the hills. Granted, he could have risen earlier so he could consume his post-workout meal, but his work trails later in the night. Sleep was important to him. Between balancing his beauty sleep and fitness regime, he frequently came to Alchemy with his hair still wet from a morning shower, his eyes caked with concelaer, and an empty stomach.
The first time you offered him something to munch on and regain the calories burnt, he declined. But as these days became more frequent, Vil caved. Â
âPotato.â
He slumped against his deskâ a rare sight from the Pomefiore student.
âYou should stop pushing yourself,â you said, taking out a container.
He shook his head.
âA break would be nice once in a while, Vil.â
He rolled his eyes, slipping off his gloves to take off the lid. God, he was so stubborn. He was going to burn out one day.
âI donât mind sharing food with you, but you should pace yourself. Take a day offâ
He shook his head again. Why though? Did his schedule not allow him to? Vil worked late sometimes, but was it worth it?
âPotato.â
âHm?â
âDo you have anything aside from these cookies?â
You inhaled sharply, closing the lid and shoving it in your bag. They might have crumbled, but you didnât want him to know.Â
âUnfortunately, no sorry,â you sighed, clutching your bagâs handle.
âFine then. Iâll just eat one then.â
âNo.â
âWhy not? â
âItâs not healthy for you.â
Vil lunged for your bag. His stomach growled. You did your best to stifle a giggle.Â
âYou just said it was alright to take a break,â he said.
âYou canât have them.â
âHow come?â
âTheyâre for meâŠâ you whispered.
âCome again?â
âThese are mine.â
He hummed, clearly not buying into your excuse. Perhaps excuse was not the right word because they were for you. They were self-indulgent treats that you made for yourself around this time of year. They were self-indulgent with a miserable origin.Â
At this point, he was gripping your wrist. Since when was VIl this forceful? He never crossed any boundaries. He was never nosy. Was he concerned? Or did the madness of hunger consume him?
He was akin to a stray kitten. You were the one to offer him food in the first place. There were two cookies. One wouldnât hurt.
âFine. Just one. Please donât eat the other though. Iâd like to eat one on my birthday.â
âBirthday? Potatââ
You put your hand over his mouth on impulse. He was going to throw a fit with you for placing your âbreeding ground for bacteriaâ Â on his face, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
âDonât tell anyone,â you pleaded, âBut, yes, today is my birthday.â
Crewelâs footsteps echoed through the room, âSilence, puppies!â
âWhy didnât you tell me?â Vil hissed under his breath.
âIâm not big on birthdays. The attention is too muchâ plus, rarely anyone celebrates with me.â
âYou honestly remind me of that one miserable Diasomnia first year from the class next door.â
The conversation was left at that.
[ A Few Hours Later, Courtyard ]
âPotato.â
âVil?â
Where did he come from? How did he find you? Class had ended a few minutes ago. Whatâs more is that you only saw him every other day due to the Alchemy schedules. It was the only class you had with him. You never saw him outside of class, aside from rare encounters in the cafeteria. You ate in the library to avoid people so that was partly your fault too.
âCome with me.â
âPardon?â
âI wonât take no for an answer. You are the birthday girl, after all.â
He struck his signature pose, one hand on his hip and the other pointed, barely touching his cheek. When did he develop this again?
Wait. What did he just say?
[ Pomefiore Dormitory, Vilâs Bedroom ]
âHere. This is an anxiety journal. Think of it as a diary to write your thoughts down in case you donât have anyone to talk toâ
âVil, I can't take this,â you said, pushing the notebook away.
âI insist.â
âStillâŠâ
âYou said you didnât celebrate. And that others didnât celebrate either, no?â
âYesâŠâ
âIf you donât put yourself out there and let people know, then how are others going to celebrate? And then you go mope around and eat cookies all by yourself in the library with the ghosts?â
Was he watching you? You were sure that there was no one there when the ghosts sang you happy birthday.
âI never said I was moping. I donât care if Iâm all alone. I donât mind at all. Iâm perfectly okay with that. I donât need to be acknowledged or receive any gifts of pity so please just leave it at thatâŠ. I appreciate the gesture though.â
He leered. You took a step back. Was he angry? Why? This doesnât concernto him. Why was he getting angry?
âI care. So take it.â
You caved, taking the journal. It was similar to the Pomefiore dorm leaderâs grimoire: leather bound, decorated in gold decals in floral patterns and peacock feathers. It was pretty. You were a fool. A sensitive and broken fool. You were crying over a notebook, a gift put together at the last minute with tender loving care by a classmate you barely knew. It had been a long time since you felt this happy, this acknowledged.
Vil grimaced, âOh stop crying already. I told you that I was here for you.â
He embraced you. It was awkward, but wholesome. You never hugged him before. He was warm. Perhaps a little bony for it to be of any comfort, but that was most likely due to the position you two were him. His head pats were stiff. It was ill at ease, but endearing.
Vil was your friend. Though not the closest, you treasured his actions. You werenât sure how he put up with you. Or why even, but all you were concerned in at this moment was that he cared. It would be lovely to not assume the worst in people for once.
[ Present Day, Vilâs Bedroom ]
What would Vil surprise with you this year? He hasnât mentioned anything yet.
The makeover was nice, but you werenât big on makeovers. Did you get to keep this dress? It was embellished with lace and frillsâ fancy. It was white, pink and floral like the Heartslabyul croquet court. You felt pretty albeit out of your own skin. Vil hummed a soft song whilst cleaning his makeup brushes.
Would that be all? Â It was your first birthday as a couple. Were you ungrateful if you asked if there was anything else? His schedule was tight. What would he say if you mentioned that today was your birthday? What would he say if you asked if he had forgotten? Would you sound narcissistic?Â
Would he say the same thing he said to you when you were second years?
[ One Year Ago, Somedayâ Your Birthday, Hallway ]
âVil!â
You were so excited to see him again. You couldnât stop yourself from running up to him.
â(y/n).â
âI havenât seen you in forever. How are you? Congratulations. Itâs a bit late though. Howâs being Pomefioreâs new dorm leader treating you?â
He brushed his hair off his shoulders. Ah... a new hairstyle. He was wearing the barette you made for his birthday. You missed the French braid, but you felt that he was more relaxed when he let his hair down (literally).
âRook. Guide the baby potatoes back to our dorm. Give us a moment,â Vil said to the person he was walking with.
Rook, you assumed. He was bizarre with his exaggerated features and hat. You were certain that the accessory violated campus dress codes. Needless to say, he was beautiful in his own wayâ just like any Pomefiore student.
âOui, Roi du Poison. I shall leave you with ta chĂ©rie~â he breathed, prancing away with the first years.
âTa what now?â
âDonât mind him,â Vil said, âI am doing well, thank you, (y/n).â
No âpotatoâ this time? Not even once? You hadnât seen him since your second year started, only keeping up with his life through Magicam and story replies. Sometimes, he messaged you to check up on you or ask to compare answers for Alchemy and Potions. You packed snacks for him though that routine eventually ceased as Vil began taking better care of himself, opting only to run when he had the time.
You missed those days, but his well being was more important than your own selfish feelings. You had grown fond of that nickname since he used it so often. It was a term of endearment. It saddened you that he called others potatoes as well.
âHappy birthday by the way,â Vil said.
âOh! You remember?â
âThere you go again. I donât have the memory of a goldfishâ of course I remember. Though I donât have a gift for you this time around.â
Did you offend him? Did you sound needy? You werenât asking for any presents. Did it come off that way?
âI donât need anything so itâs fine.â
Or rather, you didn't expect anything.
âGood grief. Itâs your birthday. Chin up. Have the attention on yourself for one day. Itâs your day after all. Anyhow,I would love to chit chat more, but my schedule is tight. I cannot dilly dalââ
You reached for his hand, âW-Would you like to hang out at a cafĂ© sometime then?â
You cut him off. Was that too abrupt? Rude? Uncalled for? You should have let him leave even if you did miss being around him, being friends with him.
âHuh?â
âYou donât have to. I was just thinking that maybe we could spend some time together and catch up. We havenât seen each other in person too much. Iâm not comfortable with too much attention either so yours is more than enough.â
God, what were you saying? That was cringe-worthy. You prayed that he would decline your impulsive proposal.
âI donât see why not. Very well then, (y/n). Text me the details so I can adjust my schedule accordingly.â
Wait. He agreed? Was he pitying you? No, no. Stop doubting him. Vil was your friend. He mustâve missed being around you too.
[ One Month Later, Cafe Rosé ]
When he said he was busy, he meant it. A month had passed since your birthday and just now were you able to meet up.
You sat in the café idly. He watched you consume your third plate of strawberry shortcake. You glanced at him then at your growing pile of dishes. He squinted. Should you stop?
âDonât.â
Did he read your mind?
âNo, Iâm not a mind reader.â
âBut you did it again.â
âYour expressions are easy to read. Do yourself a favor and donât feel bad if you  enjoy something and I donât. Someone who makes you feel bad for getting excited about somethingâ something harmless, something you enjoy, is the worst kind of person. Enjoy your cake, birthday girl. Donât let me, or anyone for that matter, stop you.â
Vil sipped his hand-pressed superfruit smoothie vehemently.
That was oddly inspiring despite having relevance to your self-esteem and cake. Funnily enough, you did feel better about yourself.
âExcuse me? May I get three more slices of this cake? And another teapot, please?â you called out to a server impulsively.
What on earth were you doing? Was that rude? Did she find you demanding?
âAnything else?â
âThatâll be all for now.â
You turned from the waitress, bringing your attention back to Vil. You cocked your head to the side: âWhat?â
âConsume cake in moderation, you potato.â
There it was. Youâve been waiting all semester to be called a potato. Pomefiore first years have expressed a strong dislike for the nickname. You, on the other hand, treasured it. Time and memories were built into that nickname.
âItâs fine. Iâm paying anyway so donât worry.â
âYou are not paying on your birthday.â
âItâs not my birthday though.â
âWeâre here for a belated celebration.â
âSo an unbirthday?â
âNo, no. Donât bring the Queen of Heartsâs rules and gimmicks into this,â Vil waved his hand.
He set his smoothie down, The ice shifted, echoing throughout the café.
âI want to pay. I wanted to go here in the first place.â
âThink of this as my belated birthday present for you, atonement for not getting you anything or talking as much weâd like.â
âVil, I donât require anything from you. Youâre busy. You donât have to talk to me everyday. I think I would combust if you did. My social battery would drain.â
âThatâs reassuring.â
The waitress cleared her throat. Vil nodded, sliding his glass to the further end of the table. She placed the cake slices in a neat triangle before setting the teapot down in the center. Then she followed up with the teacupsâone for you, one for Vil. He raised an eyebrow at you. Your server gave a polite bow and dismissed herself.
âEat one slice. Then Iâll let you pay,â you beamed, sliding him the plate.
He glared at the confection, âAlright.â
[ March, Pomefiore Dormitory Hallway ]
âBonjour, bonjour! What brings you to our humble dorm?â
Rook was his name right?
âHello, Rook. I was hopingââ
He scared the living daylight out of you. Where did he come from? Why was nobody else around? You spun your heel and scanned the hall. It was empty.
âEchantĂ©, mademoiselle! Let me guess!â
You yelped, falling backwards. Where did he come from? He was behind you a moment ago. His eyes widened as he lunged for you, hooking his arm around your waist, catching you before you made contact with the ground.
âCareful, careful, little fawn,â he chuckled.
Fawn?
He set you straight then pointed at you. His gloved index finger barely touched the bridge of your nose. This man, Rook, was sending your nerves in a downward spiral.Â
He smiled at you, resuming like nothing ever happened: âLet me guessâ youâre looking for your darling Roi du Poison?â
âDarling⊠Roi du Poison? Who? Vil?â
âOui.â
âNo, heâs not.. weâre not. Weâre just friends. Iâm looking for him though becââ
âAre you here for compensation?â
Rook set Anxiety loose. With a few words, he sent shivers down your spine. Compensation. Would your friendship end the moment you fulfilled his request? It had always been in the back of your mind. The thought of Vil using you to make him feel better about himself shatters you into a million pieces. The thought of owing Vil something for helping you, for being your friend, was heart-wrenching. Was it pity after all this time? Was it so wrong to want to hang out at yet another cafĂ©? You looked forward to those every monthâ ever since your unbirthday date. Was your relationship that superficial?
No, it wasnât a date. You wanted it to be, but it was not a date. You never quite shook off those romantic feelings you felt when you saw a different side to him. Beneath the surface of the poised, strict and sometimes narcissistic prefect, Vil was extremely hard working, passionate, and observant. He was the greatest friend you could ever ask for. You canât say that he was your best friend, but he was close. If he didnât feel the same, then that was okay with you. You werenât even sure if it was love. Youâve had this debate with Anxiety before. It kept telling you that you were in love with the idea of him fixing you. That was not love.
You shook your head. Vil genuinely was your friend. If those feelings were not returned, then you would still be friends. Â He told you time and time again that you should never feel sorry for the way you feel. If so, then would it be alright to tell him one day? And feel terrible about it later?
âHeâs here, isnât he?â you asked.
âOui~â
âRook, (y/n),â a voice from the end of the half coughed.
Pomefioreâs vice dorm leader crossed his arms and gave you a smug smile. Vil. He was decked out in a trench coat and a black turtleneck. Stylish as always, but his hoarse voice told a different story. You rushed to Vilâs side.
âVil, are you alright?,â you tugged his sleeves, âYour eyes are so puffy. Have you been crying? Youâre burning up too. You should rest. Go back to bed this instant. Our cafĂ© rendezvous can wait.â
He staggered: âNo. I want to go with you. I finally have the time.. to see you⊠I have to make it count...â
âNo, Vil. You have a fever. You need to rest,â you said, sliding his arm over your shoulders, ready to haul him back to his quarters.
Rook hummed a birdâs song.
âWould you mind helping?â
The height difference between you and Vil was awkward. His legs are dragged across the floor in a languid manner. One could imagine how uncomfortable that was.
âNon non, little fawn! My hands are dirty. Roi du Poison wouldnât allow me to taint his beauty with such bacteria. DĂ©solĂ©!â
âCan you at least get the door then?â
âWill do, milady,â he bowed before complying to your request.
He held the door for you as you dragged Vil to his bed. You gasped as Vilâs limbs tighten around your neck.
âWould you mind getting the sheets too? Pull them out so I can tuck him in?â
Rook hummed in response. You plopped Vil onto the mattress. Your companionâs eyes widened, hands thrown in the air.
âMademoiselle! Careful! Roi du Poison is fragile like a flowerâs first bloom.â
âHeâll be fine donât worry. Now if you couldââ
Where did he go? You blinked for one minute and the vice prefect was gone. Â You shook your head in dismay, turning to Vil and tucked him in bed. He looked so peaceful. His eyes were so distraught and dull before. Did he overwork himself to the point of tears? His room was a messâ shreds of fabric and crumpled balls of paper were discarded on the floor. You could hear his breathing as you made way to his desk.
Whatâs this? A script? And a sewing machine? What was he making? His sketches were stunning. Was this a side project of his? Was he too busy with films to continue with it? But why were his eyes so puffy?
Whatever the case was, it wasnât your place to pry. Your fingers trailed off over the sketchbook as you made your way to his bathroom. You didnât know where he kept the medicine or what kind he used, but it was worth a try to look around.
You opened the cabinet and your face fell. At a glance, he didnât have anything aside from comesetics. There were a few bottles of potions, but you couldnât make out the labels. It was best not to guess and check. The least you could do was place a wet on his head to cool down the fever. You peered over the bathroomâs door frame.
He wouldnât mind. He was breathing heavily. Youâll face the consequences later if it violated his beauty regime. Hurriedly, you grabbed a small towel off the shelf, rinsing it in cold water in the sink. You squeezed off the excess and rushed to Vil, cursing at intervals where the water dripped onto whatever expensive material the flooring was made of. Was it expensive? You couldnât tell. You placed it on his head gingerly.Â
Before you could stop yourself, you leaned down and kissed his cheek.
Holy⊠what did you just do? You were taking advantage of him when he was out cold. If he was awake what would he say? Why did you do that? Why did that make your heart flutter?
âF-Feel better, Vil. Iâll be going now. Tell me when you wake up,â you sighed, patting your cheeks down.
You were a fool for initiating such an intimate act while someone was sleeping. You were also talking to said someone as if they were listening. It was best to excuse yourself now. Though maybe a little note would be helpful for when he wakes up. Your sleeves dipped. Your eyes went to the source of motion: Vil.
âFairest⊠can you stay?â
You were at a loss for words. Vil called you âFairestââ as if your other nickname didnât exist. His face was flushed from the heat and his eyes were red and teary. What to do? What to do? What to do?
Vil tugged at your sleeves and pulled you onto the bed. Your mind went blank. You were on top of him, preventing yourself from crushing him with your weight, hands pinned on each side of his head.
âV-Vil?â
He pulled you onto him, then turned to the side, causing you to face each other. The blankets were ruffled, wrapping you two into a contorted position. The towel slipped off his face. You scrambled out of bed. Vil lunged for you, pulling you back in.
âI said stay,â he pouted.
âI know, I was just getting out of bed to get back in. Wait that doesnât make sense?â
âIt does,â he said, lifting the sheets so you could climb in,
You yelped as he pulled you into his chest, âVil? What are you doing?â
âI wanted to see you today.â
âIâm here.â
âI wanted to go on another date with you.â
Date? Does he think it was a date too? Every single one? Great Seven, have mercyâŠ
âYou should rest. We can hang out here if you want.â
Your hold on his waist tightened. You inhaled the faint scent of his cologne. Perhaps to him, this was a fever dream. Stil, all love takes patienceâ if what you both felt was love, that is.
âThank you for staying , (y/n).â
â...Do you want to talk about it? Usually youâre the one listening to me, but Iâm here for you too. â
Vil buried his head into your shoulders, âNothing much. Just overworked. Stress came to me in the form of sickness, unfortunately. How inconvenient.â
He clicked his tongue while you giggled. Even if bedridden, Vilâs mind was as proactive as ever.
âWere you crying?â
â...â
âYou donât have to answer.â
How do you comfort someone? Youâve always been the one comforted, especially from Vil. Were you gaining more from the relationship than Vil did? You wanted him to cheer up though...
âNo, no. Itâs fine. Itâs better to get it off my chest while youâre still here.â
What did he mean by that? You werenât leaving. Why would you? How could you?
âDo you think Iâm more than my appearance?â
He was shaking. Vil was shaking. What could have possibly happened from the last time you saw him? Was he alright?
âWhy do you want my opinion? We both know youâre more than a pretty face.â
âAnswer the question.â
âAlright, alright. I do think you have a pretty face. Youâre gorgeous, very handsome⊠but youâre also hardworking, diligent, strong-willed, driven, intelligent, observant and more words that I canât think of to describe how I feel about you. Oh and a great alchemist and friend I might add. Vil, youâre pretty. Youâre beautiful. Inside and out.â
Your heart hurt. Calling him your friend didnât sit right with you. He threw his head back in a fit of laughter.
âDid I ramble too much?â
âNo, not at all. I feel much better so thank you.â
âIâm glad youâre feeling better then. Whatever happened, I hope you know that it doesnât define you. If you feel like it does, then remember that Iâm your biggest fan.â
Ah, too cheesy. Youâve gotten too comfortable around Vil to think about Anxiety or your verbal filter. When you were with him, words flowed as freely as time.
âIâll⊠keep that in mind.â
He didnât say anything much about it. Was that not weird for him? Did you offer the solace he was looking for? He merely pulled away from your embrace. You thanked the heavens that his eyes were closed. If he made eye contact with you while you two were still sharing the same bed, you might as well ascend to the afterlife.
âWhy do you ask though?â
âOh I just had a miserable case of self-doubt is all. My manager kept taking roles that type-casted me as beautiful as the main character. I know Iâm worth more than my looks- I want to be more than my looks-  but so far the industry has told me otherwise⊠but thank you, (y/n).â
He stayed like that for a while, inhaling and exhaling softly. Was he sleeping? How much time had passed?
âVil. I have a question for you. You donât have to answer if youâre not up to it. I know you have a lot on your mind right...â you said, breaking the silence.
âShoot.â
âWill I be able to see you again after I compensate for the time Iâve wasted?â
âYou donât waste time. You donât have to compensate for anything. Iâm glad youâre here with me. If anything, I wasted your time.â
âBut you said that we could talk about compensation later. Itâs been over a year, Vil,â you whimpered.
âWhat do you mean by compensation?â he asked firmly, opening his eyes.
You choked on your own words. This was a bad idea. It might even offend him. Would if offend him? You wanted to know.
âOur first presentation. My anxiety attack. The infirmary. You helped me. I asked why then you said there was a price and we could talk about it later. But that conversation never came up. Why is that? Why did you come to the infirmary that night? Why did you take me in? Why am I here? Why do you still talk to me?â
You couldnât stop yourself from spewing all of the questions you had for these past months. You needed to know. You needed your heart to shatter.
He sighed, âGood grief, (y/n). You remember all of that still? Itâs not as bad as you think.â
He was offended.
âPlease donât say that.â
He inhaled sharply.Â
âMy apologies, potato. I didnât mean it like that. But to answer your question, I felt guilty especially since I was the one who forced you onto the podium and made you redo the presentation because I couldnât manage my first major acting role and my academics at the same time. I am sorry that you had to suffer the consequences.â
Vil turned onto his back. He brought his forearm to cover his eyes. Was he embarrassed? Ashamed? Did it hurt his pride?Â
âI didnât think of it like that. Iâm sorry that I ruined our project because I couldnât manage to improvise.â
âYou shouldnât apologize for that.â
âYou shouldnât either. Your feelings are just as valid as mine. Even if you donât have anxiety, you still can feel anxious and overwhelmed.â
âTouchĂ©.â
âAnd the compensation?â
âYou neednât worry about that. My time is valuable indeed but youâre not a waste of my time at all. Youâre worthwhile.â
âYou shouldnât say things like that,â you muttered.
âHm?â
âWhat would have been the compensation?â
Vil turned to face you, rustling the sheets, âAre you that curious, Fairest?â
âF-Fairest?â
âHm, yes it suits you now more than ever. Close your eyes for a moment. This should be quick.â
You obliged, closing your eyes. Vil wouldnât do something terrible to you would he? He gripped your shoulders and pushed you flat on your back. You felt him shift his leg so he could straddle you. You instinctively cursed yourself in a ball.
âYou can relax. Iâm not going to hurt you.â
You loosened your muscles, trying hard not to burst into a fit of nervous laughter. You were scared.
âFairest.â
âYes?â
âHow was your day?â
âWell, it wasâmmmphhh!â
Vil had told you to keep your eyes closed, but how could you? Not when he was kissing you. You had waited for this moment. You fantasized about it, daydreaming, pining for him on the daily. You never saw it coming. Did he return your feelings? After all this time? You mewled as he bit your bottom lip. You were hot, feverish just like your beloved prefect. Was he alright? He was flushed, coughing as you pushed him away.
âMy time has been compensated,â he smirked.
His expression quickly changed, âHey! Why are you crying? Did I hurt you? That was too bold wasnât it⊠Goodness (y/n)...â
You cupped his cheeks.
âNot at all. Iâm just so happy that you feel the same.â
âFeel the same?â
You faltered. Was he toying with you? No, he wouldnâtâŠ
âI-I like you a lot, you know. I donât know of a time I didnât. Youâre so confident and I adore you for that. I love how youâre always there for me, how you always listen to me, and how you lean on me too. I love how you include me and see me no less than anyone else. I love you so much that my heart hurts,â you paused and moved your hands to clutch your chest, âBut if it isnât love then I suppose thatâs fine too. I think I might be in love with the idea of you. It might be a little presumptuous here, spouting nonsense to you, but I donât want to be just friends. Even if I am broken, I want to make you happy so please accept my feelings-!â
Cheesy. Too cheesy! Youâre oversharing, (y/n). Stop. It. Death suddenly seemed like a viable option. You loved him so much that you must die. Yes, that was the only way.
Vil kissed you. This time, it was more of a peck.
âThis whole time⊠you⊠I love you too, Fairest. I accept you and your feelings.  Thank you for being so patient with me,â he kissed the trail of tears running down your cheeks, âYou already make me so happy. I love your innocence, your beautyâinside and out as you would say. I admire your strength to help others despite being in a world of your own. I love your selflessness and... your adorable reactions to situations that make you anxious. Please, tug at my sleeves some more.â
You pouted at the last bit. Vil was observant. Youâve come to learn that the hard way. The trait never withered.
He continued: âI will be in your care from now on.â
Ah. He was crying. Smiling too. What a sappy mess of emotions you two were, sobbing in each otherâs arms over a mutual confession.
He flicked your forehead, âAnd donât you dare call yourself broken. You are not below me and I am not above you. Weâre in this together. I love you and you love me and you better love yourself too. You hear me, potato?â
âYes, butââ
âDid I stutter?â
You pressed your forehead against his, âWill do, Vil.â
He lowered his weight onto you, nuzzling into your neck. You wrapped your arms around his neck and combed through his champagne gold locks. You were sniffling. You were relieved that he loved you the way you loved him. You were relieved that you didnât fall in love with potential. He loved you for you and you loved him the same. What if you werenât good enough for? No, no, he said he felt the same. Stop overthinking, (y/n).Â
You were drained after all this worrying. Being plagued by thoughts assuming the worst about him and the worst case scenarios concerning your confession consumed your mind. There was not a single day where your head was clear.
You were exhausted. So, so, so tired. Tired of thinking. Tired of Anxiety. Sleep seemed nice right now especially with Vil laying on top of you. The monster inside your head had gone dormant. All there was the thought of Vil being by your side, loving you and Anxiety all the same.
Your consciousness faded.
[ April, Somedayâ Vilâs Birthday, Pomefiore Dormitory Hallway ]
âVil. Vil!!!â Â you squealed, tackling your lover from behind.
He staggered on his toes, but recovered swiftly. He was tall. The stilettos made him taller. You were up to his shoulders, giggling, slipping under the long sleeves of the Pomefiore dorm uniform.
âAu revoir, Roi du Poison. Mademoiselle (y/n),â Rook chuckled and excused himself.
Vil gave Rook a look of disdain yet the vice prefect skipped along the halls, paying no mind to the daggers coming his way. Your beloved turned to you and smiled.
âHappy birthday~â
âYouâre frisky today.â
âIâm excited.â
âI can see that. Thank you,â he pats your head.
âAre you busy?â
âIâm finishing up something. Youâre welcome to wait in my room. Might I tell you that you look beautiful today? Red lipstick suits you.â
You followed him into his quarters, seating yourself on the bed, fiddling with the ends of your hair. He called you beautiful. You were giddy over something trivial. It was normal for one to call their significant other beautiful. In truth, he was the fairest, not you. You never minded. You loved watching him flourish in the spotlight.
You watched him undo his bun, letting his hair fall loose. The ends were curled, bouncing on his shoulders. He stepped into the bathroom to shed the dorm uniform off, opting for a black suit with faint floral patterns. Your eyes widened, coming to terms with the fact that he wore no dress shirt underneath the suit.
âYouâre eighteen now, Vil,â you mused.
âWhat of it?â
âOh nothing. I was just thinking.â
He hummed in response, âIs that so?â
âIt feels like yesterday when we were both- what? Fifteen? Nevermind that. Itâs silly. Would you like to see your gift now?â
âHow does after the party sound?â he asked, lining his eyes with a thick eyeliner.
A thin smirk creeped up on his lips.
The look was similar to the standard ceremonial robes makeup. His silver chain-like earrings, leather choker and red heels threw off the professional look. Vil was striking. From what he told you, his producers had invited him to a party celebrating the release of a film he starred in. It was conveniently on his birthday. He spent the last few weeks convincing you to go with him.Â
You gave in, but the thought of attending a social gathering with people you had never met before worried you. Vil reassured you that he would remain by your side at all times. You agreed on the spot, putting on a brave face for his sake. He promised to spend time with you afterwards. Just you and him. He even agreed to eat cake.
âIâm okay with that.â
âThank you. I know youâre excited, but I want to save all the birthday related things for after.â
He set his makeup down and handed you a container of gel, climbing onto the bed while you got on your knees. You wrapped your arms around his neck.
âYou never let me do your hair.â
âThink of it as a reward for coming along with me.â
âI told you that you didnât have to worry about that,â you said, letting go of your embrace and popping off the containerâs lid.
âIâm thankful, but donât push yourself for me.â
âI wonât, donât worry. Besides, I want to. Youâre going to be busy after today. I want to spend as much time as possible with you today.â
He smiled and helped you push his hair back. Dipping your fingers into the cool aquamarine substance, you combed through your loverâs hair, bringing his bangs back. When you finished, he turned around to kiss you. He caught you off guard, but you leaned into the kiss instantly. It wasnât passionate nor was it chaste. It was somewhere in between as to not smear your lipstick. You reached for his hair to deepen it, but he grabbed your wrists. Right. You had forgotten.Â
âLater,â he whispered.
Your cheeks were dusted with a rosy tint. Later? As quickly as he pulled away from you, Vil slid off the bed. He passed by his mirror, patting down his suit and hair. Then, he extended his hand to you, âShall we go?â
[ Land of Pyroxene, Venueâs Rose Gardens ]
Vil said it was a small social gathering. A small party. The amount of people was fair to his description, but the setting was overwhelming. It was sophisticated. There were fae servers and ice sculptures. You were surprised to learn that the soirée was held in his homeland. You were expecting a carriage yet he simply led you to the mirror chamber where the headmaster bid him farewell.
And here you are. You were in a rose garden differed from Heartslabyulâs greatly as the roses were as white as snow. They grew on pickets and hung over your heads like grape vines. It was scenic, ethereal, like something out of a fairytale. There was also a castle in the distance, adding to the regality of the venue.Â
âVil! Oh thank goodness youâre here. I almost thought you were going to leave me to fend against all of these actors wanting to know more about you,â a stout woman said, scrambling towards him, âOh? Is this yourâ ohhhhhââ
âAdella, this is (y/n). Fairest, this is Adella, my manager.â
Vil paused, cueing you for an introduction. He glanced at you.
âChin up, dear,â he wrapped an arm around your waist, âThereâs nothing to be afraid of.â
Breathe. Breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Adella was Vilâs manager. Like he said, sheâs nothing to be afraid of.
âP-Pleasure to meet you,â you extended your hand out.
She took it with a death grip. Sheer willpower prevented you from wincing.Â
âNo, no, the pleasure is mine. Vil has told me so much about you. And my, he calls you âFairestâ how adorable~â
âWhat has he told you?â
You heard his breath hitch. Vilâs arm slithered back to his side. Was that too much? You were curious, but what if that made him uncomfortable? You should apologize later.Â
âNothing much. I didnât even know what you looked like even! His pet name for you suits you so well. Oh! I do know that he frequently asks about his schedule because he said that he wants to spend time with the sââ
âThatâs enough now, Adella,â Vil said, crossing his arms and putting his weight on one foot.
Shoot. He was displeased.Â
âYes, yes, sorry. Shall we go greet your colleagues? You are free to mingle afterwards. I know that there was this one actor who was practically begging me to see you. You weren't here yet though so what could I do? Fufufu~â
âAre you coming, (y/n)?â Vil asked, turning his head to see you trailing behind.
You halted and pointed to the dessert table, âYou can go on ahead.â
He nodded and followed his manager to the east side of the garden. You made your way to your own destination. While you wanted to go with Vil, meeting Adella set your nerves ablaze and drained all the social energy you had. Plus, you felt out of place when you stood next to Vil.
Compared to him, you could never pull off silver earrings. A pair of red heels simply looked better on him than they ever would on you. Then there was Adella who was also gorgeous with her messy bun and nude lipstick. She wasnât a public figure yet you felt small around her presence. She exuded a lovable aura that drew people around her. Â If you had to meet more people who were meant for the spotlight, celebrities no less, you could never manage through the night. If you avoided strangers, you should be fine. There were cake pops amongst other treats at the table. You were going to have a ball of a time.
You plucked the confection off its stand, examining it thoroughly. It was as luxurious as the partyâs decor. The dessert resembled the poison apple the Beautiful Queen from the stories you were told as a child. Gold foil acted as the poison while a red coating of candy melts acted as the skin of the apple. You bit the top off. It was a vanilla sponge cake. Odd for an extravagant event like this as you assumed the flavors would be bolder. Maybe it was the kind expensive vanilla. Were they all the same flavor? You plucked another one from the stand, biting into it. Oh this one was red velvet with a cream cheese filling. Were there other flavors?
âMy, my, you sure like the cake pops, donât you?â a voice cooed.
You turned your head to meet the owner of that sweet voice. He had hair as black as ebony and skin as white as snow. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown. He wore a yellow jumpsuit with a red ribbon which was complemented by a black beret. He strained a smile at you.
âYou neednât look at me like a deer in headlights. Itâs okay I like cake pops too,â he laughed.
âWho are you?â
âEh? You donât know who I am?â
You shook your head. He blinked twice.Â
âIâm Neige LeBlanche, lead actor of the film. But, say, since you donât know who I am, Iâm assuming youâre someoneâs plus one? You seem kind of young though...â
He took a cake pop from the stand, peeling off the gold foil.
âIâm Vilâs plus one.â
âVil? I would have never guessed. I thought he said he wasnât bringing someone. He didnât seem like he wanted to either...â he mumbled something and paused, âAs expected of my senior! Say, what are you to him?â
You pulled the ends of your hair, âI-Iâm his girlfriend.â
âIs that so? He never mentioned having a girlfriend. I always thought he was going to end upââ
âWe started dating a few weeks ago.â
âOh my, thatâsââ
âI have to go so if youâll excuse me, Neige. Itâs been nice meeting you. Congrats on the film,â you waved.
âNo, no, the pleasure is mine, (y/n). Iâm glad I got to meet Vilâs girlfriend. You were so sweet! I hope we can talk some more in the future! Oh I knowâYou should follow me on MagiCam! We can talk there,â he exclaimed, clasping his hands around yours.
He was so bubbly⊠You didnât know how to handle him. Was this interaction not awkward to him at all? Your cheeks flushed as you excused yourself. You held your head down low and avoided eye contact with everyone you crossed paths with. Where you were headed to was a mystery, even to you. Anywhere was fine. Anywhere secluded. Anywhere without people, but close enough to trace your footsteps back to the rose gardens should anything arise.
Of course, that was the ideal scenario. In your situation, nothing was ideal per se. You were lost. You had trudged forward whilst looking at the ground, not getting a good look of your surroundings at all. It was hard to tell where you were. If you had known better, you would say that you were in a childrenâs book. The rose bushes towered high above your head and the castle was closer than it was before. In the center of it all was a gazebo adorned with intricate floral details. There was also a well to the side of the structure. You made your way to the gazebo and sat down on the bench, gazing upon the beauty of the raven sky. It glittered like a thousand fireflies.
You sighed, âThe moon is beautiful tonight.â
[ Some Ungodly Hour, Venueâs Rose Garden ]
âNghhâŠâ
âYouâre awake now?â
Vil? What was he doing here? The moon was high in the sky. It was late. You were resting your head on his lap. You sat upright in an abrupt motion.
âIâm sorry.â
âWhat for?â
âRuining the party by running off and falling asleep, wasting your time when you could have been talking to someone more importantââ
Vil put a finger to your lips: âI was getting exhausted of people commenting on my looks anyway. You did worry me by running off though. To think that I had to ask Neige of all people too.â
That last part about Neige. Did he not like his co-star? He ran his hand through his hair while you adjusted yourself into a more comfortable position. You opted to lean your head on his shoulder. Vil reciprocated by placing his head on top of yours, nuzzling it.
âThe party is still ongoing so donât worry,â he said, âThough you could have told me where you were.â
You exhaled. Thank goodness. It would have been embarrassing if it ended.
âSorry about that.â
âWas it that exhausting for you? I told you not to push yourself for my sake. It makes neither of us happy.â
âAt first, no, I wasnât. I was a bit nervous around your manager but then Neige threw me off for a bitââ
âNeige? What did he say to you?â
âNothing. He just asked what I was to you and I wasnât prepared for that.â
âWeâre leaving.â
âWhat? Why?â
Your stomach growled. You looked down at the ground. Suddenly the grass below your feet was the most interesting thing in the world. He took your hand firmly. His grip was different. He held you as if he was about to lose you.
âI had talked to everyone I needed to talk to. Iâm done for the day and so are you. I would like to celebrate my birthday now with my dearly beloved if she would please.â
It wasnât a request. It was a demand. There was no room for apologies.
You rose from the bench, grimacing at the soreness and took his hand, following him to the mirror.
[ Midnight, Vilâs Bedroom ]
Was he mad? He said he wasnât. But then why was he handling you so roughly? Vil pulled you into the bathroom. He turned the faucet on, drawing water into the bathtub. He grabbed a bottle of bubble bath product and rose petals. He emptied the contents and discarded the containers onto the cool tiles. They rattled and echoed. Vil turned to his cabinets, searching for something. Strands of his loosely gelled hair swayed back and forth as he sifted through his cosmetics. He muttered gibberish as he found makeup wipes. Pulling you towards him, he began to wipe the gunk off your face. His motions were rigid, frantic, like he was wiping at a stubborn speck on a mirror. He turned you around and undid your dressâs zipper. The process was akin to a kittenâs first yawn. Slow, drawling yet somehow winsome. The act was intimate. Vil manhandling you was a first. It spawned many mixed motions. The positives outweigh the negatives, but was he alright? His eyes were ready to cry. They were glossy to the rim. When the zipper reached the end of its path, he pushed you aside and tended to his own face with a new wipe.
âStrip and get into the tub,â he instructed.
Strip? That was off-putting, especially from him. He didnât want to have birthday sex did he? Or would he leave when he was done with his makeup? It had to be the latter. You held your sides, preventing the dress from slipping down your shoulders. But what if he did? What if he wanted to let out his frustrations on you? Was that it? He said he was more worried than upset, but his actions betrayed his words. He was tense. He could burst at any moment. Vil, as he was now, was a time bomb, ticking away. You feared he might break.
Vil snapped his fingers before you. You flinched. As you regain focus into the real world, you come to the sight of your lover in the tub, hair wet and his body leaning against the edge. His clothes were hanging on the laundry hamper. You looked away, excusing yourself under your breath. A tug on the hem of your dress stopped you in your tracks. He had broken. His eyes were red and puffy though no tears trailed down his fair complexion. You knelt down beside the tub, tucking his hair behind his ear.
âVilâŠâ
âCould you stay?â
âIn the tub?â
âOnly if you want to.â
Why is it that he could always see through you? Was your discomfort obvious? No, no, he was merely attentive. Then again, you were equally observant to everyone, especially towards Vil. Your darling was an open book, an easy readâ the merit being that his words rarely matched his actions. He was a novel full of metaphors, eloquent tones and arbitrary words. Underneath the complications, he was as simple as the next composition. He was as insecure as any other person, if not more. To read Vil Schoenheit, you mustn't analyze his speech. Words fail in this case. You had to look for the little things: his weight shifting on one leg, his shoulders tensing, his eyebrows furrowing for a brief moment, his shortness of breath, his eyes.
In this very moment in time, Vil needed you. He said there was no obligation, but the small frown on his lips told you otherwise. He was aware of your own boundaries, but at times like these, when he needed you most, your instinct to reach for him, to hold him, triumphed over your murky thoughts. There was mutual trust between you and Vil, two profoundly regardful people. One was observant because he had a keen eye for details and all things beautiful. The other was observant because she was wary of the opinions of others.
Vil turned away from you as you let your dress and undergarments fall to the ground. His eyes were closed when you climbed into the tub.
âYou never have to push yourself for my sake, Fairest,â Vil said as he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled your back closer to his chest.
âI donât mind if itâs for you. I will tell you when I canât do something, I promise.â
âYou better,â he sighed.
You turned around and cupped his cheeks, âWhat about you? Are you alright? Youâve been so stiff ever since we left.â
You scooped some soap suds onto his hair, lathering and combing though his silky locks while you waited for him to formulate the right words.
âFairest, do you think I am more than my appearance?â
You stopped mid-caress and nodded. His looks were always a touchy subject. Vil had a severe case of type-casting, a situation where he was only casted for roles with âbeautifulâ as the main attribute of the character. At first, he was content with them, but as time went on, he felt defined by his appearance. His hard work was futile in an industry that valued beauty over effort. Comments such as âyou only got to where you are now because of your faceâ was a stab in the heart for Vil. He often sought out you or Rook for comfort. It came to the point where Vil frequently declined callbacks.
He continued, âNo matter how much I talked to others about my role in the film or attempted to make more connections to those in the industry, they would always comment on my ensemble first. Sometimes they comment on how I look and nothing more.â
âSo you feel invalidated for your efforts?â
âYes, I feel like none of the work I put into getting where I am now. I feel like all I had to do was look pretty and everything will be handed to me⊠just like Neige. I want to be as pretty as him. I want to be as popular as him. I want to be recognized for my skills and get casted for the best roles. Not superficial ones. I want⊠I want....â
You embraced him as he choked on his own words.
âThis is hypocritical since itâs coming from me, but you should never compare yourself or your efforts or progress to anyone else. You are enough as you are, at your own pace.â
His arms engulfed you. He kissed you, intertwining his tongue with yours.
âIâm sorry,â Vil said, pulling away.Â
âIâm sorry too.â
âWhat did I tell you about saying sorry for something thatâs out of your control?â
âBut youâre apologizing too,â you laughed.
He snorted.
âBut I do feel guilty for leaving you alone though. Maybe I could have said something for your sake. I feel even worse since it was your birthday.â
âWeâre both pathetic in that regard.â
You scooped water onto Vilâs head. He did the same for you. You looked him into the eyes before averting your gaze. They were as intense as ever.
âI accept your apology though. In turn, you should accept mine.â
âI canât. Sorry, Vil. You told me that I should never apologize for how I feel. Neither should you.â
âBut I donât have anxiââ
âYou donât have to have anxiety or anything to have a bad mental health day. You donât have to have anxiety or anything to feel insecure or worthless. Those feelings are valid for anyoneâ
âYou do have a point there,â Vil said as he tousled his hair.
âI have something for you. It may not be your birthday anymore,â you glanced at the clock, âbut we havenât slept yet so in my mind the day isnât over yet.â
âWhat kind of logic is that?â
âDoes it still feel like a ninth of April to you?â
âYes, but technically itâs not.â
âThink of it as a feeling then,â you said and climbed out of the tub.
Vil assisted you in the process and got towels for you both. He languidly dried your hair. Â His touch was soft like a ghostâs embosom. You could barely feel his touch. Then, he waltzed over to his dresser and gave you one of his silk pajama tops. While he was getting dressed, you grabbed your gift for him, sitting on the edge of the mattress waiting for him.
Shortly after, he plopped down on the bed. The pillows bounced on impact. You held the gift bag over his chest. He looked up at you then at the bag. Sitting up, he opened it.
âWell?â
Your lover tore through the tissue paper, revealing a small box wrapped in brown wrapping paper, red ribbon and twine. His eyes sparkled like a child on Christmas Day.
He read the present tag aloud: ââTo my darling: Vil Schoenheit. Happy birthday.ââ
He undid the bow, careful not to ruin the label. He found the edges of the wrapping paper and picked off the tape piece by piece and discarded it on the ground. It fell with grace. Vil lifted the lid of the box.
âA book?â
âOpen it.â
Granted, you were more nervous than he was. Would he like it? Today was not his day. You hoped to make him feel better. If he didnât like it in the slightest, you wouldnât know how to feel. You wanted to see him smile. It was his birthday. He did not deserve to feel insecure because of soirĂ©e guests. He did not deserve to feel so small when he was your world. In fact, he deserved the world for all that he was. He worked too hard not to. His efforts deserved to be paid off. Perhaps not every day, but for his birthday, he should have. It was his day.
Vil obliged, turning to the title page.
âEighteen things I love about you,â he read.
You leaned over his shoulder.
âDid you honestly write an essay about your love for me?â
âNo,â you said, burying your head into the crook of his neck, âJust look.â
âI jest, Fairest.â
Vil licked his finger and turned the page.
âAh. A scrapbook? Letâs see⊠âNumber one: I love howââ
You put a hand over his mouth, âItâs embarrassing if you read it out loud.â
âI think itâs endearing. Besides, I live for your flushed face.â
You whined and he let out a laugh.
âIâll spare you. Iâll only read the first one aloud.â
âThatâs fair,â you mumbled.
âI hope it is. Anyhow⊠âNumber one: I love how you carry yourself with utmost respect. I love how you know your worth. I love how angry you are when you are underminedâ because you know you are worth more than what the current situation offers. Your confidence is contagious as it inspires me to acknowledge my own worth, to be bolder and seek opportunities that are on par to my own capabilities.ââ
He paused.
âWhat?â you asked.
âI like how you included a photo of us as freshman potatoes,â he said, running his fingers over the image as if he was wiping away dust.
âYou always were always like a star to me, ever since we first met. It was hard to start off this scrapbook without referencing that.â
You twirled the ends of your hair.
âIâm glad that you see me in such a way.â
His voice was so soft, inaudible even.
âVil?â
No response. He flipped the book to page two. Then to page three and so forth. He was still. His chest did not rise and fall each breath. He didnât even blink. He stopped at the last page. It read: âI love you. You as a wholeâ the person you present to the crowd and the person you present to a select few. I love you for every flaw and insecurity. I love and accept you in the same way you love and accept me and more. I promise to love you forevermoreâ no shunning, no judging, just staying by your side and watching you grow into a person I fall in love with more and more every day.â
He pushed you down onto the bed and kissed you, dropping the book onto the ground.
âV-VilâŠâ
A sense of déjà vu washed over you.
He was vulnerable. He knew, you knew. His lips were quivering and his eyes were glossy. But did he like it? You tried so hard not to say that you liked him because of his looks. That was a touchy subject for him. Did that last one come off as too cheesy? You were told you were quite sappy on top of having an ability with words but stillâŠ
âWhat are you doing writing a bunch of wedding vows, you sweet potato?â Vil muttered as he cuddled you.
âI didnât mean for it to come off like that. Weâre barely a month into this relationship so thatâs out of the question. Iâm pretty sure weâre still in our honeymoon phase too. But thatâs how I feel right now. So⊠What if I wrote a bunch of wedding vows to you? What of it?â
You could feel heat rising to your cheeks. Hopefully, he didnât find your sudden confession cringe-worthy.
âI never said it was bad... I feel the same.â
He let the last part of his sentence trail off into silence.
âDo you feel better now?â
Was that out of place? Did that kill the mood? What if you soured his mood?
âMuch better, thank you. I appreciate it and⊠I love you too. I know I donât say it a lot, but I think you know that already.â
âI do.â
He peppered your face with kisses. Some were on your lips, Others were on your cheeks and forehead and occasionally trailed down your jawline.
âI also have something else for you,â you spoke up, pushing him off of you so you could grab another bag that you left by the foot of his bed.
âYou spoil me, Fairest.â
âItâs not much. Just a cake I made for you.â
âA whole cake?â
âA cupcake, I mean. I know youâre not one for sweets.â
âAnd you left it in my room with no refrigeration.â
You pointed to the ice pack. He nodded. You pulled out a cake box, propping it open on Vilâs hands and told him to hold still. You placed a candle in the center and lit with a little spark of fire magic.
âMake a wish~â
âWhat am I? Twelve?â
âYou have to make a wish.â
âFine,â he said as he blew out the taper, âI wish to be with you for as long as possible.â
âYou canât say your wish out loud. It wonât come true!â
âDo you have any intention of separating from me?â
âN-No.â
âI donât see why my wish wonât come true then,â Vil said as he cut the cupcake in half, handing you a piece.
âI guess youâre right about that.â
âCareful. If you get crumbs on my bed, youâre sleeping in the spare room.â
â...Understood.â
[ Present Day, Pomefiore Hallway ]
One moment he was dolling you up, the next he was wrapping a blindfold around your eyes and led you down the hallway to god knows where. You were still walking straight so you only assumed that you were still in the Pomefiore dormitories. Unless you walked through a mirror. Or maybe you simply had a terrible sense of direction. Whatever the case was, it did not change the fact that you were trembling.
âVil. Where are you taking me?â
He exhaled. You could hear his chest heave.
âDarling, are you scared?â
Like how you could read him like an open book, he knew you like the back of his hand. You nodded and you felt him undo the blindfold. He held the ribbon in his hand and yours in the other. You looked into his eyes for comfort. He was wearing a single French braid. It was nostalgic. It was like you were first years again. He wasnât wearing a school uniform, but it was enough to stir up fond memories. Instead, Vil wore a casual ensemble with a kimono-esque silhouette. He wore a white dress shirt with a pair of shapeless, high-waisted black dress pants. A cardigan with an ornate pattern accentuated the look, He wasnât wearing the barrette you made him for his sixteenth birthday either, but you felt nostalgic regardless.
âI still need you to close your eyes for me though,â he said, putting the hand with the ribbon over your eyes, âI know youâre scared, but please hold on for a little longer.â
You nodded and closed your eyes. You felt his hand leaving your face, but the other was holding yours tightly, guiding you to your destination.
âFairest, are your eyes actually closed?â Vil asked, breaking the silence.
âY-Yes.â
You had been walking for a few minutes now. Where was he taking you?
âVil, do you know what today is?â
No response.
âVil⊠Youâre scaring me.â
âWeâre almost there, don't worry.â
Would it hurt to trust him for a little bit? You trailed behind him aimlessly. Your steps lagged behind his.
âYou ready?â he asked, cupping his lanky fingers over your eyes.
You nodded. Whatever could it be? Lacking sight made Anxiety rattle against your skull. Was Vil going to push you off a cliff? Send you to your doom? No, no, no. He wouldnât. That was too extreme, (y/n). Calm down.
He lifted his fingers off of your eyes, whispering a faint âhappy birthdayâ to you. You gasped. Pomefiore lounge decorated with streamers and balloonsâ color coordinated to match both the dormâs interior as well as your favorite colors. Rose petals were sprinkled on the ground. You heard Vil step away from you. You jumped as you heard something pop and turned around to find the source. Before you could react, a swarm of confetti went your way followed by a loud âsurprise!â
You blinked twice, pulling bits of paper out of your hair.. Â You stepped forward and spun your heel. Were you dreaming?
âHey, are you crying? I forbid you from crying. Your mascara is going to smear. Stop touching your face,â Vil scolded, running to your side, whipping out a handkerchief to pat your tears dry.
He had no confetti on his person. He was pristine.
âVil⊠itâs wonderful. Thank you. Iâm so glad you didnât forget.â
âHow could I forget? You must give me more credit, Fairest. I may not have the time to be with you every day, but Iâm not cruel as to forgot your birthday,â he huffed, pulling you into a hug.
He was right. He could have never forgotten. Was he mad that you doubted him? He didnât seem irritated. It wasnât like him to forget such an important date. Youâll give him credit for being a good actor; he fooled you well. He ignored you for almost two weeks. Whenever you brought up your birthday, he brushed over it and changed the subject. You were on edge the entire time. A weight was lifted off your chest.
âI know youâre not one for parties, but I figured Iâd go all out for a small group of people you are comfortable with. Youâre seventeen now. Rejoice, my dear.â
You pecked his lips, âThis is fine. Thank you so much.â
Snap!
âCute~ Hashtag: Vil-Did-Not-Forget. Hashtag: (y/n)âs-Growth Record. Hashtag: (y/n)-And-Vil-Forever. Hashtag: Birthday. And posted! Happy birthday, (y/n)-chan~â
âAh. Thank you, Cay-kun.â
âDid you have to do that?â your lover asked, hands on his hip.
âItâs fine, Vil.â
He nodded. You hoped he wouldnât bicker too much with Leona as the upperclassman was lounging a bit too close to the throne for [Vilâs] comfort. You sighed as he went to the refreshments table.
âYouâve grown for much,â Cater said with crocodile tears, hugging you.
âIâm still the same height.â
âI didnât mean that, silly.â
âWhat did you mean then?â
âNothing, much. You just look happier. Anyways, hereâs your present. Continue to blossom, mâkay?â
You took the gift: âAlright?â
âCater. Mind your manners. Youâre being rude. According to theâ,â a voice called.
âI donât think I am, right, (y/n)? Tell Riddle for me~â he pouted.
His eyes widened as the complexion of Heartslabyulâs prefect grew as red as his hair.Â
âHey now. Letâs not fight,â Trey, the vice prefect, hurried over to pat Riddleâs back.
You sighed, âThereâs nothing to worry about, Riddle.â
You could have sworn you saw a vein deflate on his forehead as he mumbled something about the rules. He handed you a bouquet of roses.
âHappy birthday, (y/n).â
âLetâs take a Heartslabyul selfie to celebrate! Say cheese!â
No one said cheese. The flash flickered before your eyes as you held the flowers close to your nose. Riddleâs eyebrows were scrunched together. He was socially awkward in that aspect.
âHashtag: HeartslaâŠâ
Caterâs words faded. Since when have you been comfortable taking pictures with him. It was nice. You felt pretty today. Was it because Vil dolled you up to a T? You hugged the bouquet closer to your chest as you walked towards the refreshments table.
âOi. Herbivore. Watch the tail,â an all too familiar voice groaned.
âGood afternoon to you too, Leona.â
âHereâs your present.â
He handed you a small box and he waved you goodbye. Was he not going to stay? You watched his back get smaller and smaller as he walked out of the Pomefiore Lounge. He wasnât big on parties either. That was alright.
You continued the refreshments, stopping occasionally and accumulating presents here and there, engaging in idle chatter. Soon, your arms were full of trinkets and parcels. You panted as you set the gifts onto a spare table.
âYouâre quite the attraction,â Vil said, sipping on a glass of apple cider.
âI donât really think Iâmââ
âOwn it for a day, will you? You look absolutely divine.â
âThank you, Vil.â
He wrapped an arm around your shoulder, âMy pleasure, Fairest.â
#twisted wonderland#twst#twisted wonderland imagines#twst imagines#twisted wonderland oneshot#twst oneshot#twisted wonderland x reader#twst x reader#vil schoenheit x reader#fave#self indulgence#happy birthday to meeee
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Part 2
Agnes(Agatha) x OFC
wc: 1,792
warnings: none? memory loss?
This one is bit long and angsty lol -brie đ
Ella found herself sitting on a couch of the ever intriguing woman who had seemingly for lack of a better word âkidnappedâ her.
Since running into her outside, Elara hadnât left Agnesâs side. They had chatted about Westview, the new couple across the street, the pecking order amongst the women in town, and anything else Agnes felt was necessary she know.
When they sat down for dinner, Elara hadnât expected anything extraordinary. After all, this arrangement had only happened a few hours prior. But Agnes had gone out of her way to make it the most spectacular, dare Ella say, romantic, dinner she has ever taken part of. Maybe it was just the candlelight, but Agnes seemed to be glowing as they talked. She was absolutely stunning in every way, Ella couldnât keep her eyes off of her, something Agnes ended up pointing out a few times to which Ella would avert her gaze and deny with a soft blush.
Ella knew without a doubt she was hastily falling head over heels for the nice woman with the boisterous personality and sparkly smile. She could hope (though she had many doubts) that Agnes would feel the same one day.
After dinner, Agnes had stepped away to clean up the dishes, insisting she do them herself, leaving Ella with a rare moment to herself. She began to truly look around for the first time. Getting up, she began to walk around the cozy sitting room. What first caught her eye was the wall full of stocked bookshelves.
Reading
She remembered sitting in front of a fireplace wrapped up in someoneâs arms with a good book. She couldnât remember who though, or when for that matter. Honestly it felt more like a dream than a memory.
Meanwhile Agatha was brewing a special pot of tea in the kitchen. Hoping a little bit of truth serum would help get to the bottom of all her questions. Of course she could always easily force her way into Elaraâs head, but the side effects were...less than desirable.
Picking up her tea tray, Agatha made her way back into her sitting room. About to announce her presence, however a certain sight made her pause. Her eyes landed on Elara who looked blissfully lost in a book, unaware of the world outside the pages.
A wave of sadness flooded Agathaâs mind as she quietly watched her from the doorway. She missed her wife. It hadnât been particularly easy the past few days watching Wanda and Vision live out their newlywed fantasies while she was isolated from her own partner. It was in that moment that Elara felt so close yet so far out of reach. It was frustrating.
Agatha cleared her throat before announcing herself. âSorry about the wait, dear! Why donât you join me?â
Ella jumped slightly, startled out her daydream. (Agatha most definitely noticed how timid her wife seemed to be acting since arriving in Westview, but tucked away that tidbit of observations for a later date). She slid the book into place on the shelf and made her way back to the couch, watching Agnes carefully set out her tea set.
Agatha patted the cushion next to her, âCome on, donât be shy, I donât bite! Unless you ask nicely first.â She chuckled a bit after that, reveling in the way it made Elara blush as she took her seat.
âWell-I...Youâve been so kind to me today, I just want to express my gratitude, Agnes, truly!â
âDonât even mention it! Here.â Agatha handed her a cup of tea, then grabbed her own and once again started rattling on about everything and nothing all at once.
It didnât take long for Elara to begin to feel the effects of the doctored tea. Her eyelids started drooping of their own accord and suddenly her teacup felt much too heavy to hold. Grasping the back of the couch with her free hand, Elara tried to steady herself, but to no avail.
âAgnesâŠâ
Agatha quickly grabbed one of Elaraâs shoulders as she set her own cup down, then took Elaraâs and placed it with her own. âSteady there! Are you feeling alright?â
âI donât-IâŠâ Elaraâs eyes were filled with worry as she struggled to feel even slightly present. It was like all her thoughts simply...vanished.
âGood.â Agatha used her now free hand to gently hold her wifeâs waist, occasionally nudging her swaying figure to keep her sitting upright. âNow look back at me dear, I just have a few questions I'd like to ask you.â She gently reached for Elaraâs chin, turning her face to look at her own. âIs that okay?â
Ella, now completely under the influence of the spelled tea, merely flashed a dopey smile in response. âYou-youâre very prettyâŠâ
âArenât you precious,â Agatha cooed while softly stroking her thumb across Elaraâs cheek in an attempt to ground her. Feeling her lean into the touch, Agatha decided to move forward with her questions. âWho are you?â
âElla.â
âYour real name?â
Frowning slightly, Ella began pulling away from Agnesâs touch. âI think I would know my own name.â
Agatha let her hands fall into her lap. âI have reason to believe you donât.â
âAnd what reason would that be?â
âWomenâs intuition, perhaps? Now, riddle me this: how did you get here? To Westview?â Agathaâs eyes wandered all across Elara, hoping to pick up any conclusions from her body language. Elara had bit her lip and was frowning as if trying to concentrate or remember something. Agatha could tell she was beginning to get frustrated.
Elara inhaled rather sharply before stuttering out a response. âI donât-I...I donât know.â
âNow you and I both know this particular piece of information is buried somewhere in that pretty little head of yours. Donât lie to me.â
âIâm not! I promise!â Elara pleaded. âI truly donât know!â The reality of her situation was finally caving in on Elara. The fact that she truly couldnât remember anything about herself prior to the past few hours was unsettling to say the least.
Agatha was also beginning to look concerned. She saw the panic begin to set into her wifeâs features. She was all big eyes and shaky hands. Agatha didnât want to upset her this much, but it seemed like the best point of action: the intensity of Elaraâs emotions paired with the effects of the tea should be just the distraction her mind needs to break free of the hex.
Tears started to form in the corners of Elaraâs eyes. âIâm not lying, Agnes! I-I really have absolutely no idea how I got here or what any of this is supposed to be! I know I must sound out of my mind.â Elara leaned forward a bit too quickly in an attempt to grab one of Agathaâs hands and almost fell over in the process, but Agatha reached out to grab her side before she could.
âCareful dear-â
âYou have to believe me!â
âI donât think I can.â
âWhy not? Iâm telling the truth!â Elara reached out a hand, aiming for Agathaâs knee as a way to appeal to her but ended up missing and landing much higher up her thigh.
Agatha faked a gasp at the contact and quickly removed Elaraâs hand. âNow now, seduction will get you nowhere, dear.â
âI didnât-Iâm notâŠâ Elara huffed in frustration, the tears now steadily falling down her face. She had probably ruined any chance she might have had with Agnes. The last thing she wanted was for Agnes thinking she was trying to come onto her. She wasnât. And she didnât have any of the answers Agnes wanted and she didnât understand why she was being so emotional either. Not to mention, she truly had no idea where she was. Nothing made sense anymore and it was starting to get to her head.
Clearly Elara was overwhelmed. That was more than obvious to Agatha. She didnât know how much longer she could keep pressing her, or if she wanted to for that matter. Agatha herself was beginning to get upset at Elaraâs current state, so she gently grasped her chin in one hand and pulled a kerchief out of her pocket with the other and began carefully wiping away Elaraâs tears.
âThere now, I know you werenât darling. I was just trying to lighten the mood.â Elara started apologizing, but Agatha cut her off. âNo need to apologize. Youâre doing just fine!â
Ella took a deep breath and leaned into Agnesâs touch. She couldnât help but think about what a terrible first impression she was making. Agnes was so captivating to Ella. She didnât know what she would do with herself if they never spoke again. She had already lost her once, she couldnât loose her again.
Wait.
Loose her again?
âWhy are you here, darling? Think you can at least tell me that?â
Ella merely stared curiously at Agnes, lost in her own thoughts, she didnât hear the question.
âWhatâs the matter? Cat got your tongue?â
Shaking her head, Ella moved Agnesâs hand off her cheek, holding it tightly in her own. âIâve been looking for you. I lost you...how do I know that? How is that even possible? I just met you today.â
Agatha froze. Had she finally gotten through to her? âI assure you, itâs much more than possible.â
One last single tear fell down Elaraâs face. âIâm scared, Agnes.â
Wrapping her arms around Elaraâs shaking form, Agatha pulled her into a tight embrace, tucking her blonde head of hair under her chin. âI know, dear. Believe me, I know.â
Before either could speak again, there was a knock at the door. Both women turned around as a female voice called out for Agnes.
Agatha grimaced. Wanda just had to have impeccable timing. Glancing between the door and her wife, Agatha knew she had to make a quick decision. If Wanda saw Elara like this, sheâd know something was wrong and possibly banish her from Westview. She was unwilling to lose the progress they had made on Elaraâs memory, but was more unwilling to lose her all together.
With a flick of her wrist, purple smoke filled the room then dissipated. The tea set disappeared and Elara was returned completely to her Westview self with no recollection of their post dinner conversation.
Wanda knocked on the door and called out for Agnes once more.
Ella blinked, her vision clearing revealing Agnes staring carefully into her eyes.
âAre you feeling alright, dear?â
Ella frowned. âWhy wouldnât I be?â
Agnes shook her head. âNothing. Just...checking in on my lovely house guest.â With that, she got up, leaving Ella alone, as she went to answer the door. Hopefully Wanda wouldnât sense anything amiss.
At least not yet.
#agatha harkness x reader#Agatha Harkness x OC#agnes x reader#agatha harkness#agnes wandavision#honestly I rewrote this part about 4 times#but I think Iâm happy with it now
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milf: man i love forests
pairing: deforester boo seungkwan x frat boy mirror demon han jisung (side pairing reagan x rainbow)
genre: crack, strangers to friends to lovers, non-idol au
warnings: cursing, brief supernatural elements, i donât know if this applies but all lcase, and i listened to christmas music and abba while writing this
word count: 2.7k
authors note: happy birthday @miyuuraiura !! i am so sorry about this monstrosity being your birthday gift but you asked for it so it's your fault entirely. i was gonna include some context on this story for those who are not rainbow and i but actually i don't think i will.
seungkwan did what he could to get by. he loved nature, he really did, but sometimes you have to make moral sacrifices to survive. he was a college kid strapped for cash, and when he saw a sign reading âGET RICH QUICK, INVEST IN DEFORESTATIONâ in the summer going into his freshmen year, he jumped at the opportunity. sure, he would have rather been a freelance singer, hired for bar-mitzvahs and children's parties, but that job market was flooded at the moment.
jisung, on the other hand, had no care for nature. actually, he didn't care for any human things, apart from âbanging parties, booze, the boysâą, and bitchesâ. he hated quite a bit about earth, the worst of all to him being college. as a demon, he had no reason to attend university, but after he was summoned in the bathroom of a frat house by the schoolâs power couple; rainbow and reagan, he felt obliged to follow the two around and keep them company.
for seungkwan, his main job rarely required in person work. he usually just chose plots of land to demolish, and sent plans to local managers. the only time he actually had to knock down any trees himself was during his summer break. he has a part time job of course, but it didn't provide him enough cash to survive. for someone with a job as a deforester, he truly did do what he could to save the environment. he joined his schools environmental club, becoming vice president his sophomore year because of his work with them. he kept his job a secret, not even telling his parents where the influx of cash was coming from. he kept a low profile and went through the motions of life. he didn't have much of a social life, with his small amount of friends being from the environmental club.
han jisung found joy in witnessing his professors and fellow students lose their minds over his lack of effort in class. he did the bare minimum and still passed with flying colors. most of all, it angered his seatmate in earth science, who happened to be none other than boo seungkwan. seungkwan was a hard worker in everything he did, particularly in school. he didn't get the best grades, but by no means was he the worst. averaging a steady B+, seungkwan spent most of his nights studying or working, rarely going to parties and enjoying himself only through one person karaoke rooms.
this fact upset jisung. he didn't know why, but seeing seungkwan so tired every day made him feel sad(? jisung wasn't sure what it made him feel. it was an emotion he had never experienced before. rainbow told him it meant he had a crush. to this he threw an empty soda can at them). not to mention seungkwanâs upsetting karaoke addiction, which he knew all about the danger of because of reagan, who spent most of her weekends drunk and singing. jisung didnât know why he took such a liking to seungkwan. what he did know was that he was ecstatic to find that they would be paired together for a project. a project that required quite a bit of teamwork, and a lot of after school work sessions.
seungkwan liked to think that he didnât hate anyone. he hated evil people, like hitler and stalin and jyp, but he didnât really hate anyone besides the worst of the worst. that was until he experienced jisung. he wasnât sure why jisung always talked to him when he was trying to take notes in class. he especially wasnât sure why he was so excited to be partnered up together for the project that was worth 25% of their grade. seungkwan was less than happy to have to cooperate with jisung for an extended period of time, and he was not looking forward to letting him into his dorm room, or going anywhere near jisungâs frat house. seungkwan had no idea what he was pushed into.
they planned to meet at the cafe on campus at 5:00 pm after class. seungkwan was less than happy. jisung was thrilled. when jisung arrived seungkwan was sitting at a table drinking an americano and working on an english essay. he wasn't sure how to approach him, slowly walked closer before tapping on his shoulder. seungkwan jolted in his seat.
âjesus fuck jisung. you scared the crap out of me,â seungkwan gasped. jisungâs ears flushed as he brought his hand to the back if his neck.
âsorry,â he started, pausing for a second before starting again, âwhy don't we get started?â. he swung his bag down to the ground as he took a seat. seungkwan offered a small, non genuine smile before pulling out the projectâs guidelines.
âlet's try to finish this as quickly as possible. im pretty busy and don't have much time to fool around.â seungkwan said. jisung felt his heart drop. did seungkwan really think that little of him? granted, he always dozed off in class but he got his work done on time and in an orderly fashion. he felt his mind begin to wander. if seungkwan felt this way about him now, how would he feel when he found out that jisung was a demon. would seungkwan start to like him if he knew him better? jisung couldn't figure out why he cared so much about how seungkwan perceived him. he had never had an issue with others opinions of him before, so what made seungkwan so different? for some reason, jisung felt the need to connect with seungkwan. if not for himself, then at least to help him let loose.
after working silently on each of their portions of the projects for 3 hours, jisung finally spoke up. âdo you want to maybe come to my party next month? well, it's not my party, it's for rainbowâs birthday. i know you're not one for social interaction but it would be cool to see you there. iâll give you the details if-â
âiâd love to go,â seungkwan cut off jisungâs rambling. to be honest, he wasn't exactly sure what he was agreeing to, but he knew it would shut jisung up, and seungkwan valued his peace and quiet. part of him also just felt downright bad for the other. he seemed to be trying awfully hard to become friends with seungkwan, and he wouldnât admit it, seungkwan had started to warm up to the boy. he really wasnât as much of an issue as he had thought before, and was actually really respectful of seungkwanâs wishes. maybe iâll give him a chance, seungkwan thought before going back to his work.
over the next month, jisung and seungkwan continued meeting to work on their project. seungkwan was less short with the other, and jisung was still red faced every time seungkwan decided to talk to him, which became quite frequently over the next few weeks. jisung was starting to realize that the feelings he had for seungkwan were not simply platonic, and that he didnât just want to be friends with him. with the help of rainbow and reagan, he had come to the conclusion that he really, really liked seungkwan, and that he was going to do something about it. remembering that he had invited seungkwan to the party, he devised a plan to not only tell seungkwan about his whole âiâm actually a demonâ thing, but also about his true feelings. it wouldn't be easy, but it was what he had to do.
a month later, seungkwan still wasnât exactly sure why he had agreed to go to jisungs frat house at 9:00 pm on a saturday night. yet there he was, standing on the front porch of a large house, wondering if he should bite the bullet and walk in, or spare himself and leave right then. he didn't get a choice, however, as rainbow and reagan stepped out of the house giggling while clutching onto each other. both stopped in their tracks when they saw seungkwan. the couple and seungkwan stared at each other for a good minute before seungkwan shook himself from his trance.
âhey rainbow!â seungkwan started, âand reagan too. i know we arenât super close, but jisung invited me and i thought iâd just drop by and wish you a happy birthday.â he passed her a birthday card filled with $50 bucks and then turned to leave. âiâll leave you guys now. have a great birthday!â before seungkwan could get very far, however, rainbow grabbed him by the arm.
âhey, iâd love if youâd stay! at least go say hi to jisung. iâm sure heâd like to see you,â she said, silently making note to have jisung pay her back for being a great wingwoman.
âheâs probably hiding in the second floor bathroom. if you don't see him in there, just say his name three times in front of the mirror. heâll appear.â reagan explained. seungkwan thought she was joking. how wrong he was.
following his entrance to the house, he had to refuse not one, not two, but three different people who were looking to give him bottles or cups of something which seungkwan presumed to be various types of alcohol. navigating through the house was difficult, reaching the stairs to the second floor only after running into numerous people borderline fucking on two large couches in the living room, a smoke circle taking place in what seungkwan assumed to be a dining room, and a very aggressive makeout session against a wall. once he finally reached the second floor, he had some difficulty finding the bathroom, accidentally walking in on reagan and rainbow, who had miraculously made it upstairs faster than he had.
âif you donât stop shitting constantly i am going to break up with you! also, stop taking feet pics! itâs weird!â he heard rainbow shout.
âat least i can eat seafood! how does it make your head hurt? youâre the weakest link! that fucking seafood platter was delicious. and you know what, iâm glad i didnât have to share it with you!â reagan responded. seungkwan quickly shut the door, not wanting to get involved in whatever drunken argument was going on there. after a bit more searching, he finally stumbled across the right room. knocking first to see if anyone was in there, he entered, and to his surprise, nobody was there. jisung was nowhere to be seen. seungkwan reviewed his options. he could a) leave the party, or b) continue to look around the packed house. but there was another option. he thought about it for a second.
âwhat's the harm in trying,â seungkwan thought out loud, before staring directly into the mirror.
âhan jisung, han jisung, han jisung.â
nothing happened. that's what seungkwan thought, until a minute later the lights in the bathroom flickered off and the mirror began to glow. âwhat. the. fuck,â seungkwan managed to squeak out before falling backwards into the tub. first a leg emerged, then two arms, and finally the rest of jisungâs body.
âi feel like the genie in aladin every time i have to get into a fucking mirror,â jisung complained before seeing seungkwan toppled over. to that view, he jumped down off the counter and moved to help him up. seungkwan, aside from falling, seemed to be reacting well to the whole situation, at least in the sense that instead of freaking out he seemed to be in a state of shock. jisung took this as a good sign, and lifted the motionless body up onto the toilet seat.
âhey seungkwan, you there?â jisung waved his hand in front of seungkwan's face as he slowly came to his senses.
âwhat kind of twisted party trick was that?â seungkwan asked, pretty seriously. jisung just laughed.
âyou summoned me from the mirror. iâm like a funny version of michael jackson except i'm a demon and not a man in the mirror.â jisung explained. seungkwan just stared. âare you ok kwan? do you want me to get you some water?â
âit was⊠kind of sick.â seungkwan stated. he didn't know why he wasn't scared. under any other circumstance like this one, he probably would have shit his pants. for some reason he felt comfortable around jisung. he felt warm. he felt seen. it was something he hadn't felt before. that's when he realized. he wondered why it took himself to long to figure it out. he never hated jisung. he just didn't know what to do with the fact that he made him feel special, and that he felt as though he belonged when they were together. it had hit him why he was so nervous the whole night, why he had wanted to make such a good impression, and why he was willing to embarrass himself by calling out jisungs name as opposed to just choosing to go home. it was because he loved him.
âcan i tell you something?â both of the boys said at the same time. jisung giggled and seungkwan flushed red. **authors note! bonus starts here**
âyou first,â seungkwan offered. he wasn't exactly sure he would be able to make it through a sentence without getting any redder than he already was.
jisung took this opportunity to finally get his true feelings out into the air, âi like you⊠uhh like, i like like you. i have since we first became seatmates. well, i think that's when i've liked you since. i knew whe-â
âyou're rambling again,â seungkwan told him. jisung flushed a dark shade of pink. âit's a habit of yours. i think it's cute actually.â seungkwan wasn't sure where his sudden surge of confidence came from, but he was glad it came. he was standing up now, holding jisungs hands in his. jisungs heart was racing a mile a minute as he looked down at their intertwined hands and them back up, catching seungkwan looking directly at his lips. âcan⊠can i kiss you?â seungkwan stuttered out. jisung couldn't find his words, so he opted to just nod.
when their lips connected, seungkwan could have sworn he heard fireworks. he did later find out that someone was setting off a firework in the back yard, but it was the thought that counted. their lips melted together perfectly, and seungkwan wondered why it took him so long to admit his feelings to himself. he could have been kissing jisung for a month before this.
once they finally parted, seungkwan spoke softly, âi like you too. i think that's pretty obvious now but just in case you didn't know.â jisung had the dumbest, most confused face on, and seungkwan had the brightest smile he'd ever had. seungkwan had rendered jisung speechless, for once in his life. not long after, they started kissing again, content with their emotions and their new relationship.
seungkwan was never one to believe that good things were permanent. he was overdramatic, stubborn, and hated interacting with people outside his small social circle. that was until han jisung came along. he was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, he could let someone else into his life.
jisung was a simple man. well, not a man, but he was simple nonetheless. he liked banging parties, booze, the boysâą, and bitches. well maybe there was one more thing he liked. he knew for sure he liked boo seungkwan. maybe he loved him. maybe seungkwan even felt the same way.
-fin
**BONUS**
reagan and rainbow leaned up against the door to eavesdrop on their matchmaking work.
âholy shit!â reagan gasped.
âwhat is it?? tell me what happened. you're hogging up the door!â rainbow hissed.
âour boy is so grown up,â reagan pretended to cry. âput your goddamn ear up here.â rainbow felt her ear connect with the cold door just as jisung confessed his feelings.
âi like you⊠uhh like, i like like you. i have since we first became seatmates. well, i think that's when i've liked you since. i knew whe-â his next words were cut off on the girls side of the door as reagan squealed.
âshut your mouth! seungkwans saying something!!â rainbow said, obviously annoyed that reagan was obstructing her ability to hear the exchange.
âcan⊠can i kiss you?â they heard seungkwan say. both looked at each other in shock.
âoh. my. god.â was all rainbow could say.
âi think we should give them some alone time,â reagan suggested as she tugged rainbow down the hall.
âi think we need some alone time for ourselves,â rainbow said as reagan pushed her into a random room and locked the door behind them.
#kpop#seventeen#stray kids#svt#skz#fanfic#guys i am so sorry#seungkwan#jisung#boo seungkwan#han#han jisung#a birthday gift#miyuuraiura#for you đ#han jisung x boo seungkwan#jisung x seungkwan#han x seungkwan
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Be Good When Iâm Gone
Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: When Loki starts to go on missions across the galaxy, you and the trickster god do your best to keep your relationship alive. Warnings: fluff with just a touch of angst peppered in A/N: inspired by the song Be Good When Iâm Gone by Four Year Strong
Disclaimer: Gif not mine
Dating Loki was difficult. The two of you had finally broken down all the barriers and walls he had put up, and for a little while, everything was perfect. Then Thor decided to start taking Loki for off-world missions. You were happy that the brothers had gotten back the trust they used to have. Itâs just that sometimes you felt so lonely without Loki. Of course, you had plenty of friends in the Tower, but none of them understood you the way Loki did. Youâd first caught the trickster godâs attention when he found you trying to pull a prank on him. Since then, youâd been partners in crime. Or, in this case, mischief.
You were currently perched on the edge of Lokiâs bed while he packed the necessities for his next trip with Thor. Every time you had to say goodbye to him was harder than the last. You tried to remember that saying your mother had always told you. The one that goes if you love something, let it go, and if itâs meant to be, itâll come back to you. Well, Loki did always come back, but you couldnât shake the fear that one day he just...wouldnât. Fears aside, the time away from him was agonizing. It was like having half your heart violently ripped from your body and kept away from you, often for weeks at a time. Thatâs why you were doing your best to distract him from the task at hand in the hopes he wouldnât leave. Was it selfish? Probably, but you couldnât help it.
âWhatâs wrong, my dear?â Loki asked, gently cupping your face in his hands.
âDo you really have to go?â
Loki sighed in response and placed a kiss to your forehead. He wanted to give you the world and had great difficulty denying you anything, but these missions were important. Not only did they often save lives, but they also helped him repair his relationship with Thor. Still, the thought of staying on Midgard with you was tempting.
âNot if you need me here,â he finally replied.
Now it was your turn to sigh. You would have begged him not to leave if your pride allowed it, yet all you had to do was ask, and heâd stay for you. Your heart desperately wanted to tell him that, yes, you did need him. And you honestly did, just not so desperately that you should be allowed to keep him from living his life. Besides, you wouldnât want to be the reason he got into a fight with his brother. Seeing him in distress would cause you more pain than having to live without him for a little while.
âNo, Iâll be fine,â you reluctantly said. âIâm going to miss you, though. I just wish it didnât have to be so long before I can see you again.â
Loki captured your frowning lips in a kiss. âI feel the same way,â he said, sincerity burning in his emerald eyes. âJust try to be good when Iâm gone, my little prankster.â
You giggled at the nickname and helped him finish packing. Sure, heâd be leaving soon, but that didnât mean you couldnât enjoy this time with him. Besides, heâd be back before you knew it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jolting up out of bed, you looked around in the pitch black room for the source of the incessant ringing that had abruptly awoken you. It was your phone that you apparently forgot to put on vibrate. You quickly grabbed it and headed into the bathroom of the small hotel room you were sharing with Wanda, your partner for the mission you were currently on. You said a silent prayer it hadnât woken her up and checked the caller-ID. Seeing that it was your boyfriend calling made your heart beat faster. It had been two weeks since youâd talked to Loki last, and youâd been fraught with worry, unable to banish the thought that he was hurt. Or worse, dead.
âHello, my darling,â his voice crackled through the phone. âGuess who will be arriving back at the Tower tonight.â
âOh. Thatâs great, Loki,â you said, trying not to sound too disappointed. The timing couldnât have been any worse if you tried. âItâs just that Iâm on a mission right now.â
His end was silent for a moment, and you worried he might have hung up or lost whatever weak signal he found. Then, with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, he said, âOh, that is alright. I will see you again when you get back. Certainly this mission canât last for much longer, right darling?â
You winced, knowing that, at best, youâd be in the field for another two weeks. You didnât want to disappoint him, though, so you told him youâd be back soon. The yawn that punctuated your sentence let Loki know just how tired you were, and he felt a stab of guilt that he was keeping you up. After all, you needed your rest to perform well on missions, and the last thing he wanted was for you to get hurt. You bid each other goodnight and hung up.
Walking back out into the bedroom, you saw Wanda sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Even in a half-asleep stupor, she was able to tell something was bothering you and tried to get you to talk about it. You, however, were emotionally drained and only wanted to sleep. She did give good advice, though, so you resolved to tell her in the morning.
Meanwhile, back at the Tower, Loki and Thorâs ship landed in the hangar. Loki was feeling just as miserable as you were. Unfortunately, there wasnât anyone he felt comfortable enough to confide in. Thor tried to get him to talk, but whatever trust there was between the two still felt too fragile to Loki for him to talk about something as precious to him as you were. Besides, Thorâs approach to dating was a lot less graceful than Lokiâs, so he was sure whatever advice his brother would offer him would be more annoying than helpful.
It soon became clear to Loki that you wouldnât be home as soon as you had said you would. When the loneliness became unbearable, he found himself in your room, taking it all in. Sometimes he laid down on your bed, enjoying the way it smelled like you. Your room often looked like it was hit by a hurricane, and while he usually liked for things to be neat and organized, Loki found he didnât mind all that much. It reminded him of your chaotic energy that he so loved. When you knew heâd be in your room, you always made sure to clean it up, but a part of him wished youâd leave it as it was. He didnât want you to feel like you had to hide any part of yourself from him.
It was during one of these such musings that you arrived back from your mission and stumbled into your room, only to find your boyfriend sprawled on your bed. Exhausted, you flopped down next to him and curled into his side. He put his arms around you and placed a kiss to your forehead.
âHello, my little prankster. Iâve missed you.â
Needless to say, you missed him too, but for as much as you loved him, this arrangement was taking its toll. The way you saw it, you had two options: Ask him to stay with you or break up with him, neither of which you could bring yourself to do. You supposed you could have travelled with Loki, but you didnât think SHIELD would let you off the hook from your missions that easily. So, youâd just have to enjoy whatever fleeting moments with him that you could.
âMe too,â you said after peppering kisses along his jawline. âBut weâre together now. Iâll stay right by your side until you have to leave again.â
âWell, about that. I have been doing quite a bit of thinking, and I came to a conclusion that I should have reached a long time ago.â
You pulled away from him and sat up on the bed, your mind immediately jumping to the worst-case scenario. âOh,â you said. âI understand. We can still be friends though, right?â
Glancing over your shoulder, you gave him a sad smile. You should have known that even if you werenât willing to break up with him, he wouldnât want things to continue as they were now. He probably met plenty of other people during his travels, and here you were holding him back. It would get easier with time, you were sure, but still, you didnât want to drag this breakup out for longer than necessary.
âDarling, listen to me,â Loki said, sitting up beside you and lifting your chin when you tried to avoid his gaze. âThere is nowhere Iâd rather be, nothing Iâd rather do than be by your side. Iâm staying here. With you.â
âBut the missions. And Thor-â
âThor,â he interrupted, âwill understand. My place is with you.â
You couldnât believe your ears. Overjoyed, you pulled him in for a passionate kiss. It struck you in that moment how silly youâd been to think he wanted to break up. Your love was no fragile thing, and heâd never been anything less than completely devoted to you. And now he was giving up intergalactic travel just to stay with you. It reminded you of what heâd said on the night of your first kiss. Heâd told you he didnât need a kingdom or a title or anything else, so long as he was king of your heart. You hadnât realized at the time just how serious heâd been.
âLoki,â you breathlessly whispered, âI love you.â
âI love you too, my little prankster.â He paused for a moment, lost in your eyes. âNow then, if Iâm staying, I think weâve been a bit too good recently. I do believe the Tower is due for a little mischief. What do you say, darling?â
You laughed, happier than youâd been in a long time. âAbsolutely,â you said, snuggling next to him again.
âYou truly are the best thing that has ever happened to me,â he whispered into the night, after a short, peaceful silence. âI hope you know how much I mean it when I say I love you.â
âI do,â you said before falling asleep in his arms for the first night of many to come.
#loki x reader#loki x you#loki x y/n#loki laufeyson#loki odinson#loki#loki fluff#fluff#loki angst#angst#thor odinson#wanda maximoff#reader insert#gender netural reader#marvel#mcu#marvel reader insert#marvel fanfiction#loki fanfic#song fic
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Love You Equally
Chapter Thirty-Six: Put In Motion
Part 2: Final Meeting
Hitoshi pushed through crowds of shoppers and bystanders as he made his way to the cafe heâd told Monoma to meet him at. Steeling his nerves as he walked he adjusted the small recording device attached to his chest, being sure to not jostle it too much. It would record his entire conversation with Monoma and relay it back to administration. Once Hitohsi had found a way to make Monoma confess they would send security in to apprehend him, then without their leader, Dabi and Y/nâs ex would be left to either abandon their revenge or attempt to go it alone.
Hitoshi had no doubt in his mind that Dabi and Y/nâs exes would flounder their chance at revenge if Monoma was removed from the picture. Monoma was the brains behind the movement, and heâd already lost two important pieces in his game, the school's cameraman and security officer. Without them he had no way to get back onto campus to torture Hitoshi or any of his soulmates, but undoubtedly he was waiting for a chance to strike once school was out.Â
Hitoshi couldnât let that happen, he couldnât let his soulmates get hurt because of his inability to deal with his ex. No, this was it, putting an end to their torment relied on him alone now. He needed a way to get Monoma to inadvertently confess to what heâd done, and he thought he just might have a way to weasel it out of him; it wouldnât be easy, but as Hitoshi rounded the corner and saw Monoma waiting for him at a table for two away from everyone else, he knew it could be done.
Hitoshi slid into the chair opposite Monoma, meeting his gaze for the first time in months and once again beginning to feel the inferiority Monoma always instilled in him. He mentally shook himself, not allowing the feeling to consume him as it always had, and instead focused on keeping his face and voice steady as he greeted the man whoâd been tormenting him and his loved ones for months now.
âMonoma,â He greeted, âHow very nice to see you again. Thank you for agreeing to meet me here, I know I was rather unkind to you the last time we met.â
âOh the pleasure is all mine love,â Monoma purred back, resting his chin on his propped up hands and narrowing his eyes at Hitoshi, âI believe you needed the comfort, what with all thatâs been happening to you and your....unfortunate life partners.â
âIndeed,â Hitoshi replied, âAs you know someone has snuck into our dorms and completely trashed them. Weâre all out on a shopping trip now to replace what we lost.â
âI do know,â Monoma said, tilting his head slightly to the side and pouting, âI also know you wanted to blame me for that, which was very rude and hurt my feelings Toshi. Iâd never do anything like that to you.â
âI apologize for jumping to conclusions Monoma,â Hitoshi said, interlocking his fingers and setting his hands on the table, âIt was unkind of me. I was stressed is all, I shouldnât have taken it out on you.â
Monoma hummed and gazed off down the street, âYes well, I am very used to you treating me like trash Hitoshi, I do not mind and I forgive you. Which is more than your soulmates could probably say,â He added, gazing out of the corner of his eye at Hitoshi with a foul grin, âIâm sure theyâll tire of your outbursts eventually, and once they do Iâll be all you have left. Itâs only a matter of time, Iâm sure you realize.â
Hitoshi gazed down at his hands and ground his teeth to keep the nasty remark he had on the tip of his tongue in check. This was, after all, where he needed the conversation to go.
âRegardless,â Hitoshi replied, lifting his head up and fighting to keep his face impassible and voice cool, âWe think we might have evidence for who was in our dorms, the same people whoâd been working with the security guard and cameraman at UA.â
âOh?â said Monoma in a bored voice, âAnd who might that be?â
âWell Dabi and Y/n both have exes, rather clever the pair of them,â Hitoshi replied, hoping his casual voice didnât sound too forced, âWe think theyâd been paying off the two UA employees, and we think theyâve got a plan for us today.â
âClever huh?â Monoma said in a dry voice, âI doubt that but sure. Are you worried for the safety of your little friends? Is that it?â
âYes,â Hitoshi replied honestly, âI love them more than Iâve ever loved anyone before. Iâd hate for something to happen to them because a past lover couldnât let them go.â
Thatâd done it, Hitoshi thought with relish, for that sentence struck a nerve with Monoma and his mask of cool indifference broke into a nasty scowl. He lay his hands down flat on the table and glared at Hitoshi.
âSo thatâs it, is it?â He snapped, âYou think those two idiots are trying to scare your partners away? Make them so terrified to be near you that they break it off and abandon you?â
Hitoshi did his best to look genuinely shocked at Monomaâs words, âI didnât think that at all, actually,â He replied in a startled tone laced with underlying worry, âI thought maybe they just wanted to hurt us. Do you really think theyâre targeting me? Iâve no evidence for that.â
âYes you do,â Monoma snapped, âBack when your stuff was being moved around, did it not end up in your room? They were clearly trying to alert your soulmates to the danger being attached to you would put them in.â
âBut why would they want my soulmates to be afraid of me?â Hitoshi countered quickly, âItâs Dabiâs ex. Itâs Y/nâs ex. Wouldnât they want us to be afraid of them? Why pin it on me? I donât think youâre right about that Monoma, it doesnât make any sense for them to have a grudge like that against me.â
âWhy else would they place things in your room then?â Monoma shot back through clenched teeth, his hands now fists as he glared daggers into Hitoshi, âWhy else would they move your soulmates stuff all around campus but leave yours alone? Why would they follow your partners around and not you? Itâs clear theyâre out for you Hitoshi, I donât think youâre taking this very seriously.â
Hitoshi heaved a deep sigh of relief and smiled at Monoma. âI think thatâs enough,â he said, âI think you knowing the stalking habits of these two as well as where the stolen items had ended up without me ever having mentioned that to you is incriminating enough. In fact, if Iâm not mistaken thatâs the footsteps of several security guards headed this way I hear now.â
And indeed the sound of many thunderous footfalls were approaching them, causing many people in the outdoor cafe seating area to look around toward the source of the sound. Hitoshi pushed his chair back and rose from it, looking down at Monoma and saying, âIt might not be enough to get you indicted on anything, especially if you refuse to confess, but I definitely think we can get a restraining order put in place and maybe a potential house arrest. In any case, youâll definitely be banned not only from campus but the entirety of the city surrounding UA with this.â
To Hitoshiâs utter shock, Monoma didnât seem to be upset at all. Instead a horrible foreboding smile was spreading across his face as he stood up and raised his hands above his head.
âOh Iâll confess alright,â Monoma said, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at Hitoshi, âI knew this little game was going to come to an end soon. And after I lost my eyes within the school I knew it would end this way. Your biggest mistake was assuming Iâd come alone and without any contingency plans. I wonder how your precious soulmates are doing now, Toshi?â
Security guards finally rounded the corner, descending upon Monoma instantly and pulling him away from the table. Hitoshi felt himself being shoved backwards through the crowds as people gathered around the commotion. He paused only to send a message before sprinting flat out in the direction of the park, praying that he was able to get to his soulmates before the other two exes found them.
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first time | sadism/masochism | gags | baths
jennie x f!reader
NOTE: this is a little longer than the rest will mostly likely be because i wanted to honour the request someone made literally years ago for jennie x reader first time (i.e. iâm the worst)
Red splashed up the far wall of your bedroom, crawled over the carpet as Jennie switched on the small light source. So, it was a lava lamp. Someone sue you, you liked having it as a lamp even if it wasnât the 90âs anymore. But there you went overreacting to the littlest thing again, and a lava lamp was the least of your worries. The clock read a late hour, but not late enough to condone Jennie facing back to you in evident puzzlement. Since the pair of you had left the house party, you could barely string enough words together through the muddle of your brain to explain why you had to leave. You just did.
âAre you okay?â the brunette asked, shrugging off the fur bomber jacket she wore against the nip of night air. Underneath was a sheer top that soaked up the ebbing glow of the lamp with an eerie crimson aura. The juxtaposition between the ominous light and the concern etched on her face was only furthering your confusion.
âYeah, yeah. Iâm good! I â well, I just⊠forget it.â It came forth as a scramble of syllables. You were pacing, running a hand through your hair and deciding it was best you took something off, too. Your fingers could barely undo the clasp of your skirt but was stopped when Jennie was suddenly at your side, taking your hand, turning you back to her. Your best friend knew you better than you knew yourself most times, and even if she didnât, it wasnât hard for anyone to discern you were downright flustered.
âWas it that girl? The redhead? What did she do â Iâm going to ruin her life if sheâ!â
Jennie was on the right path, but leave it to her to jump to conclusions, hand squeezing yours protectively.
âNo, no! It wasnât like thatâŠâ You interrupted. You were going to have to explain the tangle of emotions if you wanted her to relax. And you did owe her an explanation for blanching abruptly and dragging her out of the building before either of you had finished your first cocktail. Now, you could feel it filtering out of your system, eased on by the anxiety pushing your blood faster through your heart. âShe was⊠nice. Really nice. I think she mightâve even liked me?â
The look on Jennieâs face was cute. Cocking her head, âWhy the hell did you run away then?â
You flapped your arms, appearing like a petulant child for a second. Then, âI donât know what Iâm doing!â
Jennie glanced around the dim room before landing her eyes back on you. âYouâre in your room, talking to me?â A hand met your cheek. âAre you feeling alright? How much did you drink?â
âIâve never had sex, Jennie!â You blurted out. It came with a heavy pant. Honestly, you couldâve done better explaining it with less simple terms, but it was the truth and it was out. Not like it was shocking. Jennie was the first person you told after each time you made out with a stranger in a bathroom or that one boy back in high school under the bleachers. There was no way she would have missed you having sex for the first time somewhere in there. âI donât know what Iâm doing in the bedroomâŠâ
It still surprised Jennie. She blinked, open her mouth. Shut it. Finally, âShe wanted to sleep with you?â
âNo,â you admitted, sagging slightly. âI could just tell we were clicking and she was putting on the moves. She was interested. And Iâm not sure what happened but it just got into my head that it could⊠lead to that. Sex. And I just sort of panicked.â It was your turn to blink. âOh my god, I just walked away from herâŠâ
Jennieâs giggle was enough to draw you back to the moment with her. Watching her, you knew the girl at the party didnât amount to much in your world. Not when so much of it was occupied with your best friend. It wasnât your typical âin love with your straight best friendâ bit, considering Jennie wasnât exactly straight herself. But there wasnât a whole lot to base any idea that she felt attracted to you. It wasnât like you were freaking out about trying to impress Jennie in any bed with your utter lack of experience.
As the thought ran through your head, Jennie seemed to think the opposite. A step closer, she was reaching up to take a lock of your hair and twirl it around her finger. Those eyes, so dark, looked ever deeper as they lifted to catch yours. A cruel grin on her lips. If you didnât know better, youâd say it was only because she was drunk that she was approaching you like this. Invading your space like this. Making your body vibrate like a magnet as she neared.
âYou know,â she started, voice deeper. Sultry. You felt the urge to take a step back but a much stronger yearning kept you rooted to the spot. âWe are in a bedroom.â
There was little more you could do than just nod.
âIt doesnât have to mean anything,â she continued. Shapes shifted in the red of the wall, slow, tantalizing. âYou can say no to me right here and now, and weâll pretend that I never said anything at all.â
Bone dry, you couldnât speak to any sway in the decision. Jennie took that to mean you didnât quite understand, and in keeping with the theme of complete clarity, she whispered.
âDo you want me to teach you how to fuck?â The hand playing with your hair now rested on your shoulder, fingertips warm and gently kneading the tense muscle there. âDo you want me to show you how to please a woman?â
All you could do was nod.
Something told you in the moment Jennie pressed her lips to yours and sought to make them pliant that she had been looking for this opportunity. It was almost too perfect.
It was a spell, how she kissed you. Made all those meddlesome thoughts and emotions that liked to control the heart disappear. Made your body respond before you could comprehend the way the two of you fitted together. Made time flit by from the second she started to peel your clothes off and you for her. Maybe those montages you saw in films held some measure of truth in the fluidity they portrayed sex. Abruptly kissing and then naked and thenâ
âOn your bed,â Jennie instructed. A tone of voice unlike you ever heard, and had you backing toward the furniture obediently as she kicked off the last article of clothing around her ankle.
Aware that you were nude and about to part from her, that she would be able to see you in all your glory, you suddenly stilled. Nervous. What would she think? You couldnât compare to some of her past partners, the men and women sheâs bedded that she could have easily pulled from fashion magazines. That apprehension started its beady crawl back into your throat.
A gentle touch. Fingers on your chin. Bringing your eyes from the floor to hers again. Still just as excited about the prospect but with a blanket of care.
âYouâre beautiful,â she murmured, kissing you again. Reading your thoughts. âI am attracted to you, mind and body.â Tongue lapping at your lip. âYou have the power to stop whenever you like.â
As though the words thawed your insides with security of your bond, you broke the kiss and found yourself sinking down to the bed. Looking at Jennie expectantly. It must have been a sight she liked. A smile spread across her lush lips and she placed a hand on your shoulder to ease you back on the sheets. A pause taken to marvel at your form, one that gifted you the ability to do the same of her.
âHave you ever touched yourself?â Jennie inquired, face glowing in the light. It saved her the satisfaction of seeing you blush profusely at the question. Nodding, a hand smoothed up your thigh. âThen I want to begin with something you havenât had the chance to practice yet.â Slinking upon the bed to level herself with your waist, âItâs better to show than to tell.â
Teeth tickled at your navel. You whimpered, silently chastising yourself for breaking so easily, and could hear Jennie chuckle darkly. Kissing, nipping, licking, she teased at your waist, biting tenderly at your hipbones, licking the invisible line of your waistband. The sensations unraveled low in your stomach, better than anything you could have ever made yourself feel, and she wasnât even where your fingers had wantonly explored. Chestnut hair brushed over your skin, heightening the act, and when you started to writhe mindlessly did she take that as a sign you were ready. A hand splayed over your hip, holding you still, and then she was drawing lower.
You strangled out a gasp as you felt Jennie lave from your entrance to your bud. It was a good thing she had prepared with the hand on your body for you immediately tried to buck. The idea alone would have been enough, but for Jennie to demonstrate so willingly had you like putty. How did you taste? Did she like it? Or did she just enjoy how you responded? The questions started tallying up in your brain, losing track when she did the same ministration again, and then again, and fuck, again. The sounds of her mouth and you were obscene, the flush on your face a mixture of embarrassment and lust. And she was only picking up momentum. The dips into your folds came faster. Held more pressure. And she paused at your clit, sucking it between her lips, groaning from the den of her chest when a cracked cry fell from your mouth.
You wanted it to last forever. But it felt like no time at all before you were fisting up the sheets and openly moaning, attempting in vain to ride her tongue as she held you below and ate you like she was addicted. Blame laid on the virgin nerves driving you beyond sense. There was no moment wasted to ask what you liked, what she could do better, what more you needed. Jennie was bringing you close to an imperceptible edge composed all of her own and you wanted to fall already. Tossing your head to the side, chest heaving with a great inhale, legs shaking⊠it was approaching. Oh, you wanted itâŠ
âJennie!â You gasped out when she departed before finishing the climb. As if you had any jurisdiction to criticize her.
All she did was smirk that damned way that she did.
âDonât get ahead of yourself, baby,â and the way Jennie said the pet name so casually made you want to keen. âThat wasnât even the main event.â
With surprising strength, Jennie cupped the back of your head and drew you into a kiss. So thatâs what you tasted like. An unfamiliar taste but not one unpleasant, and she didnât seem to mind sharing. Distracted, you complied as she skillfully switched your positions until you broke apart and noted how she was now the one lying on the bed. Jennie was stunning, gentle curves and unobstructed flesh. A shine of the light and you were swallowing a knot to see how wet she had become from the opening act.
Reaching up, Jennie took a spare pillow at the head of the bed and brought it down so that she could fit it under her hips. You watched absently, brain fog too dense to allow any real thoughts to form. The cushion lifted her, and when she spread her legs for you to join her, it exposed more than your dreams dared picture. It was almost comical how your jaw dropped in increments. Hands gripping your hips, you allowed her to usher you closer.
âPut your hands on my knees, baby.â Were you trembling? Doing as instructed, thankful your hands could still, you listened as she continued with, âYou can push them apart or up toward me if you need the space.â What was she talking about, so unabashed? You glanced down between your bodies and shuddered. Your cores so close to touching. And to drive home the point, Jennie pulled you tighter.
Stars sparked in your vision as you bumped clumsily together. Despite your copious desire, you could still feel her own hot, wet slick. God, you wanted to be closer, and following her advice, you gently urged her knees further into a fold toward her chest so you could press in earnest against her. Jennie hummed, eyes fluttering shut, hands never leaving your hips as she locked you there.
Eyes still closed and voice breathier, âStart grinding, baby.â You did, sighing out. âYes, just like that⊠mmm, thatâs good. Youâre doing so good.â
The viscosity of the lava lamp trailed over your room, over your bodies as you worked up a rhythm. Abiding Jennieâs every instruction. You tried not to think about the awkward beginning, the uncertainty of what you were doing, what it could mean now that you had both passed a threshold of no returning.
It was easy when Jennie started to lose the ability to speak. Words ceased, coming in intervals of âFaster!â or âLike that, like thatâŠâ until they werenât being spoken at all. At least not coherently. Tuned to her frequency, you began relying on the moans as they came to know what to do, and often found it correlated with what you wanted yourself. Jennie working you as close as she did with her tongue made holding on difficult, because there was no way you were about to finish before she would. Perhaps that had been her goal from the start, but grounding your hips into hers, the only thing that would bring you to that end would be hearing Jennie cry out her own climax.
When the jerk of Jennieâs hips to meet yours started to become unhinged, and the hands bruising your hips slackened with one coming to rest on your lower abdomen, digging nails, did you notice she was about to come. It made your chest tight, panting, beads of sweat running down the rivulet of your spine, and you just had to hold out. Head thrown back, you focused on keeping the pace as Jennie scratched at you, volume rising, whines sharpening and cracking. Then, your name, like she was calling for you. A quake ran the length of your body, and you cried out, unable to stop yourself if you had all the strength in the world.
Dark hair splayed over the sheets, hands scrambling on you for anything to anchor her in reality, Jennie came with nearly enough force to push you off her. You tried to fight it, keep her legs open just long enough to keep rutting until you were both finished. Ribs expanding to accommodate the inhales, Jennie tapered off into deep breaths. When she could manage, she opened unfocused, bleary eyes and smiled wide up at you. You were barely able to hold yourself up, setting her legs down slowly on the bed to stretch after holding the position for so long. Losing contact, you immediately missed the feeling of her against your centre, but couldnât go another round if you wanted to. The second your high was finished, you were far too sensitive for anything else, and positively a mess.
Jennie didnât care about the mess. A hiss escaped your teeth at the agony of having her grab your bruised hip again to pull you down onto her body. Sticky, hot, you laid together to catch your breath.
âI donât think youâre going to have any problems,â Jennie finally said, laughing sheepishly at the end. Now that you were done, Jennie had lost the confident façade and became the mild kitten you had always known her as. It made your head spin.
You couldnât voice it, even as she hugged you close and played with your hair to drift into sleep, but you werenât sure you ever wanted to hear another person moan your name that wasnât Jennie.
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Melusine
Characters: Albedo, gn!reader
Word Count: 2,221
Warnings: Brief depiction of pseudo-drowning
Premise: In which the readerâs somewhat inexplicable fear of water prompts questioning
Authorâs Note: This prompt reminded me of the book (and series) The Tail of Emily Windsnap, which, if you havenât read at least the first book, you totally should read as itâs just really a wonderful read. The descriptions of the ocean are especially atmospheric. Anyways, as for the prompt, I had a lot of fun. I tried to write a mermaid story in middle school and while it didnât go that well I have a lot of nostalgia for the mermaid genre. Though this was more about the discovery than actually being a mermaid.
Also the title is a pseudo-historical reference.
Albedo
The first time it had happened Albedo had brushed off the whole incident as completely explainable. After all, it wasnât as if you hadnât explained what had happened.
You two had been sitting on one of the craggy hills of the Whispering Woods, you sprawled on the grass, Albedo attempting to paint a landscape of Mondstadt, one of the more ambitious paintings in his current portfolio. Especially since he had traded his more opaque oils for the gentler tones of watercolors. At one point he must have made some sort of noise of frustration, for you lifted yourself out of the shade and made your way over to the canvas.
âThat looks absolutely lovely Albedo!â Your smile had always had a calming affect on the alchemist, and this time was no different. Albedo could feel the tension slowly leeching away from his shoulders.
âDo you think so? Iâm afraid that I still canât handle all the odd shadows the buildings cast.â
âThe buildings look perfect to me! Though if you feel that way, maybe you could lighten the side facing the sun a little more instead of darkening the area over here? So the shade doesnât become too muddy.â
âYou have a wonderful eye, you know,â Albedo replied, smiling at the way your mind had immediately jumped to the conclusion that he had drawn as well. Reaching for the bowl of water next to him Albedo went to water his brush a little more before trying again.
Unfortunately thatâs when things appeared to have taken a turn for the wrong. Instead of reaching over the bowl Albedoâs elbow collided with the glass. Though the grass was soft and close enough to prevent any damage, that didnât stop all the muddied water from spilling out over the brim and right over you. You let out a sort of squeak, and for a moment Albedo though it was just the initial shock, but then the expression on your face came into view and Albedo could immediately sense you were seconds away from panic.
âIs something wrong?â
âI, I donât like water very much,â you let out a strained laugh. âI just, I donât know. I really, really donât like water.â
âIâm so sorry,â Albedo immediately replied.
Taking off his coat he did his best to dry you off, wiping off your arms and attempting a valiant effort with your now sopping clothes. Though you assured him that it would be alright the alchemist could sense those were only platitudes, and it wasnât until you seemed significantly calmer that Albedo turned to pick up the bowl and refill it in Cider Lake. And though a part of his mind wished to delve deeper into what had happened he pulled himself back, figuring it wouldnât help you if he was suddenly enquiring over something you were afraid of.
Now perhaps that should have been the long and the short of it, but the revelation had begun to make Albedo see water everywhere and, more importantly, see how much it appeared to affect you every time you appeared to come in close contact with it.
Thankfully you didnât seem to have trouble with water in glasses, at least as long as someone was actively drinking it. If not however you would glance at the glass every so often, as if it were your mortal enemy, waiting to catch you off guard to it might tip its contents all over your clothes. Other things, like obsessively drying your wands after washing them and draping layers of towels over your shoulders when you washed your hair, also became apparent. Suddenly Albedo couldnât stop noticing your discomfort, and the more he noticed the more he wished he could do something about it.
âExposure therapy?â
âYes.â
You were sitting on Albedoâs desk, leaning slightly over your partner, a slightly bemused look on your face. It had been about three weeks since the incident, and finally Albedo thought he might have found some sort of solution to your problem. Now he eagerly pressed forward, figuring youâd understand once heâd explained everything fully.
âI know that it might seem counterproductive to subject you to what gets a frightened reaction out of you, but if you subject a person to something theyâre afraid of in very small doses over a long period of time, usually they begin to feel a little less afraid of the thing in question. Itâs sort of like how you can sometimes make allergies less serious by slowly exposing the patient to more and more of the allergen.â
âI understand where your line of thought is coming from Albedo, but Iâm really not sure if this is the best idea for me.â
âI know that it might seem daunting at first. I would not bring up the topic if you didnât seem so miserable sometimes. I worry that you might become so unhappy by your fear that it will become debilitating eventually. That is why I decided to bring up the option.â
âI really appreciate you going out of your way to think about me Albedo. I really do. I think what youâre trying to do is very kind and noble of you. But in all honesty I donât think thatâs going to work. You see, the way my fear works, I just donât think that exposure is going to make it go away.â
âAre you sure?â Albedo pressed on, still hoping that you might see the benefit in what he was suggesting. âIt wonât start with something drastic I promise. And at the end of the day, I think that it will help a lot.â
âI understand that, I really do, but like I said my fear doesnât work that way.â You paused, as if sensing the sinking of your partnerâs heart, before smiling slightly. âIf it makes you feel any better I promise to give it some more thought. Alright?â
âThank you,â Albedo replied, though in his mind he knew that you thinking about it probably wouldnât change anything.
Thus the cycle continued, with Albedo growing more and more uneasy. He didnât bring it up with you again, sensing it would be walking over some invisible line, but still his mind whirled in trying to understand what you meant. If your fear wasnât simply irrational, then surely something must have happened once. Though the alchemist didnât pry, surely if you wanted him to know you would tell him in your own time, he had to admit that sometimes his brain went off on various daydreams, as if trying to decide for itself what might have happened.
As it turned out, Albedo didnât have to speculate for long. Nor did the truth come out the way that he had expected.
You two were on the very small dock at Cider Lake, checking the rafts were tied down properly before the beginning of the stormy season that wreaked havoc through Mondstadt once every year. Though normally you probably would have never done such a thing the Guild was spread thin, preparing for storms, though not nearly as fierce as Dvalinâs winds, that would blow shingles off roofs and destabilize the occasional out of place rock on the wall. As of such the task of shielding the boats used to carry supplies from the City to the larger Mondstadt region had fallen to you. Albedo had tagged along, knowing how uncomfortable the experience might make you feel, and unwilling to leave you alone in a state of anxiety.
âThese remaining boats are the ones we need to tie down. Theyâre too big to be stored in the sheds inside the City.â
âI see,â Albedo replied, already moving to nail the tarp down on one of them as you secured the roping. Already the air seemed alive with the fresh smell of impending rain.
âItâs too bad really, we canât guarantee these boatsâ safety the way we can the others. Thankfully these ones are mostly insured by the Knights. Though really maybe we should build a larger shed,â you mused to yourself, keeping up the tell-tale stream of conversation that Albedo knew you used to distract yourself.
âPerhaps you can make a query via the Guild?â
âPerhaps,â you mused. âOr I might be able to ask Amber.â
Albedo replied that would be a good idea, turning to put another temporary nail onto the top of the longboat. All seemed alright for a moment, then there was a shriek and a terrific splashing sound. Whirling around Albedo had just enough time to find your head in the water before you seemed to seize up and your head dipped below the still crystal-clear waves.
Immediately Albedo stripped himself of his coat and dove in. Though no amazing swimmer himself the alchemist was hardly the worst at staying afloat, and even if he only knew a select few amount of swim strokes that paled in comparison to the idea of you drowning. Making his way over to you he fought the panic rising up inside of him, the part of his brain that said it would be much more difficult to rescue someone terrified of water.
However almost as soon as Albedo approached you he noticed that something was distinctly off. Firstly you didnât seem like you were drowning, in fact you appeared quite graceful in the water, swishing softly back and forth. Secondly the reason for said grace quickly became apparent to Albedo. For in the spot where your legs should have been, indeed in the spot where your legs had been mere moment ago was something long and slightly shimmery and distinctly fish-like.
Letting his mouth fall open Albedo immediately hoisted himself up above the water, choking on the gasp of breath he had found himself taking. What was that, what in all of Teyvat was that? You were half fish. How were you half fish? Did such a thing even exist, for Albedo had certainly never heard of it! Though the alchemist later admitted that in the moment such fantasy creatures as merfolk had completely fallen out of his head, there was something distinctly different than reading about something in a book and seeing it in real life.
Dragging himself onto the shores of Cider Lake, Albedo waited for you to emerge, still breathing heavily from what had just passed. His brain seemed to shut off them, for he found himself with no questions to ask. You were a mermaid, you were simply a mermaid. There was nothing more to do or say about it.
Eventually you joined him on the beach. Albedo watched in an odd sort of fascination as your legs emerged from the scaley fin which your lower body was now made up of. For a moment individual spots of iridescent seemed to remain, but soon your limbs were back to normal, ignoring the fact that you were soaking wet.
âSo now you know why I said exposure therapy wouldnât work out,â you said, letting a grim sort of laugh escape your lips.
âYou⊠you are a⊠aâŠâ
âA merfolk, yeah,â you laughed awkwardly. âNot sure why I get stuck with the weird power that is more annoying than good but, you know, oops?â
Albedo could sense your vulnerability, but try as he might he couldnât get the words to come out of his throat. For a moment he sat there, gasping like a fish, but finally the expression of muted misery on your face wormed its way into his brain and finally Albedo felt as if he had regained some ability to talk.
âI think itâs fascinating.â
âOf course you do.â
âNo, really. And not just because this is something Iâve never experienced or seen before. Though it was really surprising, it was also wonderful. As an alchemist you study all the wonders and anomalies of nature, and in doing so you see all these differences arenât just something to be written down, but they also beautiful. And so I think youâre really beautiful.â
âThanks,â you replied, though you still seemed uncomfortable. âI just, yeahâŠâ
Reaching over to find your hand in his Albedo squeezed your palm softly. For a moment you did nothing, then, slowly, you leaned your head on Albedoâs shoulder. Letting you stay there Albedo found himself wishing that he could convey all the emotions he felt in that moment to you.
âI know that it can be difficult to talk about things that youâve kept secret, especially when you feel like they make you stand out in a bad way. But I promise, there is nothing wrong with that. And I hope if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way that I can apologize.â
âThanks Albedo,â you murmured. âYou donât have to say sorry, but thanks anyways.â
âAlways.â
âI love you, you know?â
âI love you too.â
Albedo planted a soft kiss on your forehead. As the boats sat, woefully forgotten, the two of you basked in each otherâs presence. For Albedo a mystery had been solved, and explanation given that, while not necessarily scientific, was certainly satisfactory. Yet at that moment he couldnât care less about it. All he could think about was how lonely it must have been, and how, if he could help it, you would never feel isolated in your discomfort or in your secret ever again.
#genshin impact fanfiction#albedo x reader#genshin albedo#genshin impact#requested#oneshot#my writing
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Caught in the Loop
Read on Ao3 || FFN || Wattpad
Chat Noir bets to Ladybug that he loves the girl behind the spots, no matter who she is. Ladybug bets to Chat Noir that he's only her partner and best friend, she doesn't love him 'that' way. What happens when they accept to get caught into a spiritual 'loop' , living through many alternate realities to prove that they're right and win their bet? They end up losing it, of course. They lose *ROYALLY*. Lovesquare identity reveal with a twist!
Written for the March 2021 Writer-Artist Collab! Collab with ThatCattyCatCult (tumblr.com) here on Tumblr :)
Written by JuliaFC
Part of the March 2021 Writer-Artist collab for the Miraculous Fanworks server. The art in the story has been made by @TheCattyCatCult
Betas: KhanOfAllOrcs, Agrestebug, Etoile-Lead-Sama, Malauu-Ladynoir, Genxha
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by (c) Thomas Astruc; TS1 Bouygues, Disney Channel, Zagtoon, Toei Animation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
oOo
Part 1 - The bet
âPound it!â Ladybug and Chat Noirâs gaze locked as they fist bumped after the latest akuma attack.
The fight hadnât been that hard and they still had a couple of minutes to spare. Luckily, because the students of Françoise Dupont didnât seem to want to let them go; Alya especially was pressing on their ribs like a thorn.
âCan you spare a word for the Ladyblog?â she asked excitedly, while plenty of other voices came from everywhere and nowhere, âPlease, Ladybug, can I have an autograph?â âChat Noir! Chat Noir, please smile at the camera!â The warning beep of their Miraculous rang worryingly unheard in the confusion.
âSorry, guys, but we need to go,â tried to say Ladybug before being wrapped in yet another hug for a picture by yet another student. âYes, itâs time to s-catâŠâ But the students still didnât seem to want to let them go. Eventually the beep became stronger and Chat Noir grabbed Ladybug bridal style and, using his baton, he lifted both of them up and off from the crowd.
âAs we said already: sorry, guys, we need to go!â He jumped out of the way, to then fall unnoticed in front of the door of the locker room.
âWe donât have time to find a place to hide!â said Ladybug worriedly.
Chat Noir sighed. Out went his chance of pretending that he didnât know the school. âCome with me, thereâs a place that I know.â
He grabbed her hand and dragged her away (just in time, because the locker door opened as soon as they moved and Chat Noir didnât want to know who the student that had just come out of it was). He ran with her and reached the side of the library, quickly opening a closet door and disappearing inside it with her, closing it behind them. He had just done that, that in a flash of green and pink, their transformation fell. They could only turn around and stand back-to-back, their hearts racing in their chests. Tikki and Plagg came out of their Miraculouses with a twirl and fell into their hands.
âGamin, that was close,â said Plagg panting.
âI need food, *burp*!â Tikki burped purple bubbles. âWhoops, sorry,â she concluded.
Marinette reached for her little purse and took out a macaron, which she handed to her little red friend gently. The kwami picked it up and started chewing on it with a thankful gleam in her eyes. On the other side, Plagg was doing the same with a slice of cheese.
âIâve never seen this closet, Chat Noir,â said Marinette, sitting down on the ground, immediately imitated by her partner behind her. She pulled her legs close to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.
Chat Noir fell silent for a long time. A suspiciously long time. After an even longer time, Marinette cleared her throat. âElementary school, huh?â
Chat Noir was silent again. Only after a little while did she hear him say shakingly, âI had to say something.â
Marinetteâs heart pounded in her chest. Was he admitting it? Was he a student at Françoise Dupont too? Marinette knew that she shouldnât ask this information. She really shouldnât, because it could jeopardise his identity, but she didnât think before connecting her brain to her mouth. âSo thatâs why Plagg was here.â
She felt his head shoot up behind her and rest against the back of hers. âCareful, Mâlady. Tikki was here too.â Her heart started pounding in her chest. Shoot. After all her hard work during the Kwamibusterâs fight, it only took one sentence to blow her carefully crafted cover.
She chuckled dryly. âSo what? Itâs a big school, there are hundreds of girls and boys studying here, Chat Noir. Itâs not as if youâre sitting in front of me in class.â
Tikki facepalmed. Why did Tikki facepalm?
âI could,â came his voice from behind her back.
Her dry chuckle turned into a laugh. âYeah, right⊠that would be close to impossible. Just think about it!â
âWhy? Whoâs sitting in front of you? A girl?â he asked. She didnât like the tone of doubt in his voice as he asked that. Nor did she like the fact that he sounded as if he was genuinely interested and inquiring.
âChat? We shouldnât have this conversation. Itâs already dangerous enough that now we both know that we attend the same school. Itâs too dangerous to reveal our identities while Hawkmoth is still around.â
She clearly felt him tense behind her back. âWhy is that, Buginette? What would change? You already know the identity of all the other holders, and you also have the entire Miracle Box hidden somewhere. If Hawkmoth gets his hands on the Miracle Box we would have a really hard time fighting against a whole team of superheroes. It would be dangerous anyway. What would change if we knew each otherâs identities?â
Marinette sighed. His words rang true to her and she couldnât deny that she had thought about it a few times and had always come to a similar conclusion. What was it that was wrapping such fear around her heart when she so much as considered the idea of revealing her identity to him? âPlease, Chat, you know we canât.â
She felt him crouch over himself. âItâs just⊠frustrating. We were talking about it the other day, Plagg and I. He was also there saying that because youâre the Guardian I should know who you are and you should know who I am. What happens if heâs sick, M'lady? Or if anything happens to me and I canât return my Miraculous to you? The Black Cat is a powerful weapon in the wrong hands. You canât afford to lose it like Master Fu did with the Butterfly and Peacock.â He said all of that in just one breath, or at least Marinette thought he did, because there was no pausing in between his words, it was all coming out at once.
âWow, you have really put some thought into it,â she concluded.
She had to admit that what he had said again rang true to her. She knew that kwamis could get sick. Tikki had been sick once, after all; Plagg could be next. And the time Tikki had been sick, she had had to take Marinette to the Guardian. What if Plagg was so out of it that he wouldnât be able to tell Chat Noir where to go?
âYou know, Chat Noir has a point,â said Tikki in a very low voice. Marinette looked at her warily.
âI know, Tikki.â She sighed and hugged her legs more tightly, frowning looking at the air in front of her face. âI know, youâre right, chaton.â She heard his loud gasp from behind her and added quickly, âHowever⊠even though I know youâre right I stillâI still canât get myself to do it.â
âBut why? Why, Mâlady? Why don't you trust me? I know Iâve been a bit unreliable when you left for New York, but I had been forced to go myself. And beside then, did I ever give you any reason forââ
âNo, you didnât, Chat,â she interrupted his ramble. âAnd I know youâre right butâŠâ She felt her throat clenching shut and tears starting to prickle at the corner of her eyes. âI donât know what to do. The truth is that Iâm scared. Iâm terrified to change our balance. Weâve worked so well as a duo up to now, if we reveal our identities and the balance changesâŠâ
âWhat would change? We would just put an unmasked face and a name in the equation. Why would it change anything if I think of you as Ladybug or... Marcelline or Martha or Marvel or Marinette?â
Marinette gasped so loudly that she had to move and peeked quickly by opening a small crack on the closet door to make sure that nobody had heard and was going to open the door on them all of a sudden.
âAre you okay?â asked Chat Noir. âDid I say something wrong?â
Marinette blushed crimson even though she knew that he couldnât see it because he was back to back with her. How did he still remember the only slip up she had ever had about her identity, that first day when they faced Stoneheart? âUh, no, you didnât say anything wrong. Youâre right.â Her breath caught. âI-I m-mean ,y-youâre r-right in y-your theoryâŠâ
She felt Chat Noir scratch his head. âYeah. What else could I be right about?â
âN-nothingâŠâ
It was Chat Noirâs turn to gasp. âI got your name right, didnât I? Your name is one of those!â She couldnât avoid tensing up and that was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. âMâlady, you know that, whoever you are, I would love you regardless.â
Marinette chuckled. âYou always say that, minou, but would you really?â
âI swear I would! That day when we faced Stoneheart, when you spoke with Hawkmoth the first time, I saw the way you put your fears aside and faced that monster all by yourself. I heard the way you spoke to reassure the people of Paris that we were going to protect them, even if we both didnât have a clue how things would have worked out. You were so brave, so passionate, so fierce, so compassionate, so⊠amazing. I felt something break in me and next thing I knew I was head over heels in love with you.â
âChat, Iâm not fierce and brave in real life!â
He grabbed her hand with his and Marinette jumped a little for the skin to skin contact. That time when the faced Knight Owl she had touched his naked hand, but it hadnât felt half as intimate as this. âIâm sure that you are, Buginette.â
âAnd⊠I could be very ugly. Very fat. I could be a boy for all you know.â
âYou wound me, Mâlady. Iâm not that shallow. I fell in love with the girl within.â Then he fell silent for a long moment and Marinette could feel the mad beating of her heart right into her ears. âAnd you canât be a boy.â
She tried pulling her hand off his grip but he didnât let her and started moving his thumb on her bare skin. This caused Marinetteâs heart to do funny things in her chest but when she felt how tensed his shoulders were behind her, she realised that probably it was the same for him too.
âYou got me,â she said softly. âIâm not a boy.â
âThatâs good, because Iâm not into other boys, as far as I know.â
Marinette giggled. âWell, after all, you only flirt with girls.â
More silence wrapped up the secluded room. âCan I ask a question?â said Chat Noirâs voice from behind her.
âYes?â she tentatively answered.
âWhy have we started talking about my feelings for you?â He paused significantly. Marinette felt her heart skipping a beat. âI mean, we were talking about revealing identities and you not wanting to do it. Have you caught feelings for me finally, M'lady? Are you afraid I wouldnât love the girl behind the mask?â
Marinetteâs heart did again some funny things in her chest as he said so. She gulped awkwardly. âN-no, I told you I like another boy. That hasnât changed, Chat.â
She felt him slump his shoulders behind her. Her lips curled in a small smile. âThen why? Why does it matter to you if I would love you without the mask?â
Marinette sucked her breath in. âUh. I-I d-donât know. It just b-bugs me every time you say it.â
âWas that a pun, Mâlady?â He chuckled.
âOf course not! It really annoys me.â She raised a little her tone of voice as she felt blood rushing to her face again.
âBut why would it bother you or annoy you if you didnât have feelings for me? You know what I think?â He poked her in her back with his elbow until she âmh?â-ed dubiously. âI bet youâve developed some feelings for me and you just donât want to admit it!â She could nearly hear his smirk.
âNot going to happen, minou. It just annoys me when you say it. As if you could just look at me detransform and accept whatever would come in front of your eyes. I bet that you wouldnât love EVERYONE who could appear behind the Ladybug mask. There must be someone you would rather be me than anybody else.â
âWanna bet? Such a shame that thereâs no way that I can prove to you the depth of my feelings for you, Mâlady or I definitely would.â
âYouâre right, thereâs no way to prove who would be right or not. I would love to prove to you that Iâm definitely not having feelings towards you. Youâre just my best friend, chaton.â
She heard Chat Noir behind her take some breath in, as if he was about to answer. But as he did that, they heard someone cough politely, so they both turned towards the origin of the sound and saw Tikki and Plagg looking at them with a gleam of annoyance in their eyes.
âActually, there would be a way,â deadpanned Plagg.
âBut itâs something that hasnât been done for a very long time, nearly a millennium,â warned Tikki.
Plagg folded his paws to his tiny chest. âYep. But it has been done and itâs possible, Sugarcube.â
Both Marinette and Chat Noir looked at their two kwamis in amazement. âWhat are you talking about, Plagg?â asked Chat Noir eventually.
Tikki sighed. âThereâs a very, very ancient spell that hasnât been used for nearly a millennium. It was mostly used for training purposes. Training of our holders.â
Marinette squirmed a little her eyes and looked at Tikki. âWhat do you mean, Tikki?â
âItâs called âthe loopâ. Itâs yet another power that you get when you combine our Miraculouses.â Plagg looked at Marinette very seriously. âItâs not the Wish. It doesnât change reality for real. It just wraps you two in a loop to learn a lesson.â
âOr to get clarity on a doubt,â concluded Tikki. âIt was used solely for spiritual training.â
âHow does it work?â said Chat Noir. Tikki sighed.
âYou unify us and then ask for the loop. The loop creates a, well, loop, that creates in your mind a repetition of events that can bring clarity in your doubt.â
Plagg continued, âBasically it creates new realities, but only in your head. Since there are no consequences for anybody, as it is only in your head, it is not forbidden in the same way as the Wish.â
âAre you sure it wonât have bad consequences like with the Wish, Tikki?â asked Marinette. âMaster Fu has always warned me not to unify you and Plagg.â
âIt wonât have consequences that can change the balance of the universe, so in that sense itâs not a bad thing. But itâs still something you should consider very carefully,â pressed Tikki. âIt could lead to you two understanding each otherâs identities.â
âHow?â asked both of them at the same time.
Tikki sighed. âYou will understand if you decide to take on the loop. But one thing you need to remember if you do so.â Both teen agers looked very intently at the red kwami. âThis loop creates entire realities in your head. You will be unconscious in this world and wonât be able to wake up until in your heart you will get clarity on whether you won or lost your bet. You will be bound in the reality youâre exploring and will have to take any difference between it and the âreal worldâ as fact and just go with the flow. Donât resist them or the loop wonât work.â
âI donât know,â sighed Marinette. âIt sounds so complicated.â But as she said that, she felt an elbow poking her ribs.
âCome on!â said Chat Noir. âAre you afraid of finding out that you are indeed in love with me, Mâlady?â
She sucked her breath in. âNo way! Maybe you should be afraid to find out that thereâs no way that you can love just blindly whoever it is behind this mask!â
Chat Noir folded his arms on his chest. âThereâs only one way of finding out!â
Anger started pooling into Marinetteâs heart. Anger and a feeling of competition. Competition because she was being challenged. And she wasnât the type to give up a challenge without a fight. She would prove to her kitty that she was right.
âOkay then. Give me your ring.â She distinctly felt Chat Noir gulping next to her. She presented her hand to him, expecting him to put the ring in her palm immediately, but the boy hesitated.
âWhat are you waiting for, Chat Noir? Christmas?â
She heard her partner breathe in to start talking at least four times. But he didnât say anything and eventually, she felt the heaviness of the Black Cat ring on her palm. With a little sigh, she wore the ring on her own finger, watching as it changed from black to pink.
âDonât worry, chaton. I will give it back to you,â she said calmly. Then she looked at the two kwamis in front of her and said it firmly, âTikki, Plagg, Unify!â The two creatures got wrapped in a flash of light and their bodies merged together. Marinette looked down, as the light was very strong and hurt her eyes and heard Chat Noir gasping. âWhat is it, minou, if you canât take it, donât dish it out.â
He sniggered next to her and tsk-ed a couple of times. âLetâs see how cocky you are after you wake up and you realise that youâve lost, Buginette.â
âLikewise, Chaton!â
When Marinette looked up, she couldnât avoid widening her eyes. In place of Tikki and Plagg there now was a different kwami. A kwami that brought back memories that she would have preferred to keep buried into her subconscious for the rest of her days. It was a cat-like kwami, but its piercing blue eyes were the same shape as Tikkiâs. It was completely snow white with black spots in the places where Tikki had her spots, and antennae at the front of its cat ears.
âIâm Chaoss. Who summoned me?â it said, its voice deep and strong. It sounded a voice too powerful for coming from a kwami that was a mixture of sweet Tikki and goofy Plagg.
âW-weâre the wielders of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses,â she heard her voice saying without almost realising she was actually saying it. âWe want to ask for the loop.â
âDo you know what youâre going to face?â the kwami asked. Its gaze was deep and stern; it didnât have any of the softness of Tikki or the playfulness of Plagg.
âTikki and Plagg have told us something about it,â said Chat Noir. Marinette had to force herself to keep her eyes trained on the white kwami, because she hadnât expected Chat to speak and she had nearlyânearlyâturned her head towards him instinctively.
Chaossâs gaze pierced through their very soul. âIâm amused,â it said with a smirk. âThis is going to be great fun.â
âW-what do you mean?â asked Chat Noir, his voice having lost all cockiness all of sudden. He sounded scared. Marinette had to yet again bit her lower lip very hard to resist the urge to turn around to look at him.
âYou will experience a series of realities related to your heartâs inner desire. Donât look at me like that. This is why the loop has only been used for spiritual training. Your inner desire, Black Cat, is to prove to your Lady that your feelings for her are strong and that you love the girl behind the mask truly, no matter who she is or what she looks like.â The kwami smirked and Marinette assumed that Chat Noir must have nodded because Chaoss was looking at him directly when it continued, âYou will face exactly that, Black Cat. Are you ready to face the consequences of your choice?â
âI am.â Chat Noir sounded so sure of himself that Marinetteâs heart sank. She wasnât sure at all. All her cockiness was only due to her competitive spirit and now that the possibility of the loop had become real, she didnât feel confident anymore at all. That and the fact that Chaoss looked really creepy and was digging up memories in her heart that she really wished she had forgotten about.
But she couldnât give it more thought, because Chaossâs gaze locked into hers and her whole back tensed.
âAnd you, Lady Luck.â Marinette blushed crimson, she didnât know why. âAre you so sure that your feelings towards him are only platonic?â
âY-yes.â
The kwamiâs gaze was so stern that Marinette felt as if it burned a hole in her soul.
âAre you certain that you wouldnât miss his flirty ways and his puns if he didnât use them anymore?â
âYes!â That was much easier to say.
âFunny you say that,â smirked the white kwami. Marinette frowned. âYou told him so many times that heâs irreplaceable, right?â
Marinetteâs frown deepened. It was like talking to an old friend but to a new person at the same time. âY-yes?â
âIf he didnât flirt with you and didnât pun, wouldnât he be like a different person?â The white kwami gave her again a look that seemed to be piercing her whole soul.
Shoot. She hadnât thought about it in these terms. She didnât know what to say and couldnât bear to hold that icy blue stare, so Marinette lowered her gaze and flushed pink.
âTell the truth, Mâlady, you would miss my puns.â Chat Noir elbowed her jokingly.
Marinette groaned. âNo way! I just wisââ but the second she said the word, a red gleam flashed through the white kwamiâs icy gaze.
âEnough! Donât say the forbidden word. Remember what youâre doing, Lady Luck.â The kwamiâs voice was so deep and cavernous that Marinette was left terrified.
âI-Iâm s-sorry,â she whispered. She flushed crimson. She was the Guardian of the Miracle Box. She was wearing the two strongest Miraculouses in the world, unified. She had nearly inadvertently made the Wish that would change reality. Oh she was SO not ready for this responsibility!
She felt a tight grip clench on her throat and tears started to worm their way out of the corner of her eyes, but before she could utter even one strangled sob, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Once again, he was at her side. He believed in her. He wanted her to feel his support. Her heart swelled for the gratitude that she felt towards the boy next to her. She nearly (again, so nearly) turned towards him, but she refrained from doing so at the last second.
âTikki and Plagg were right. Thereâs so much chaos inside your soul that you need the loop to gain clarity and order. Order will make you stronger.â The white kwami started floating higher.
âI thought your name was Chaoss?â asked Chat Noir. âAnd you want to make order in our souls?â
The little white kwami sniggered. âYes, Black Cat. Thereâs no Order without Chaos. Thereâs no Creation without Destruction. Chaos leads the way to Order in the same way as Destruction leads the way to Creation. Two parts of a whole. You need chaos to create order. You need death to allow life. Creation left alone would eventually produce death.â
âIt kind of makes sense,â said Chat Noir.
âIn a very twisted kind of way, yeah,â continued Marinette.
Chaoss smirked and flew again higher than their heads. âGood. You donât need to understand it all, Black Cat and Lady Luck. But there are a couple of things that you do need to understand, and accept.â It turned towards Chat Noir. âYou, Black Cat.â Chaoss paused significantly. âYou will see many different realities in the loop. One of them will be real.â
âWhââ started Chat Noir, but Chaossâs cold gaze turned sterner.
âI wonât say. The first one? The last one? Any one in between? You just need to know that one will be the real deal. I will leave it to you to decide what to do with that information, and with what it will mean to you.â
Then, Chaossâs gaze moved to Marinette and she couldnât avoid gulping dryly. âYou, Lady Luck.â The white kwami closed his electric blue eyes and sighed before opening them again.
âYour challenge will be different, but no less difficult. Maybe more difficult, in fact. The realities youâll explore donât exist. None of them exist. But they exist within themselves and within themselves the people who live them are real. Donât fight them, or the loop wonât work. Remember that they may be alternate realities to this one, they may not exist, but they are still related to, and very much linked to this reality. You can think of them as âwhat ifâsâ. You will see, and experience, things that will surprise you. You may be shocked at some points, or feel as if you want to rip your heart out of your chest. But donât fight the reality. Live it as if it were real. Thereâs a lesson in each and every of them, and the lesson is true.â
Marinette closed her eyes shut and breathed heavily before nodding. When she opened her eyes again, Chaoss was staring at both of them, a wide smirk on its lips.
âThis will be fun. Not for you, but it will be fun.â The kwami flew higher. âLadybug. Chat Noir. You called for my power and you asked for the loop. Youâve been informed of the consequences of your request. Are you ready to begin?â
Marinette started feeling hot. And cold. And hot again. Her frame was shaking so heavily that her teeth started chattering. âY-yes.â She nodded a couple of times, as if trying to convince herself that it was okay, even if it wasnât. She heard Chat Noir say the same thing, with a voice as shaky as hers.
âGood. Get ready to both lose your bets, kids. See you next time!â Marinette widened her eyes. What made Chaoss so certain that they would both lose their bets?
âWait!â she shouted, moving a hand forward as if trying to stop the white kwami, but the creatureâs eyes started gleaming and its body pulsating. The darkness of the room was lit up with a spark of pure energy and Marinette had to close her eyes shut because the brightness was nearly hurting her pupils. She felt as if pulled up by a strong wind and then pulled back down again, almost feeling like falling.
Author's Note
Hi there!
This is my effort for the March 2021 Writer-artist collab. It's an idea I had for a while, and when the artist I was paired with showed some interest on it, I thought 'why not', so here it is! Hope you'll like it :)
In the next chapter, we start getting into the loops. I can only tell you that it will be quite an experience, for both of them. Chaoss wasn't kidding!
I hope you will leave me a comment. What did you think about Chaoss? Chapter 2 isn't written yet, so I don't know when I will update, but you know the drill. I tend to prioritise the stories that receive more feedback, because I feel I let down less people ^^. So if you want to know what happens next and what will they find in the loop... subscribe, comment, put the story in your favourite, leave a kudos... not only it cheers me up, but it also makes me more eager to dedicate my nights to write rather than to other menial activities (like sleeping for example!)
Last but not least, as usual, if you read this and youâre not part of our wonderful Discord server already, but you enjoy reading, writing and talking about Miraculous, please join our Discord server, Miraculous Fanworks (for people on FFN, discord dot gg slash mlfanworks). See you there soon. Not sure when I will update this story but it won't be too long! Promise!
#miraculous#miraculous ladybug#miraculous les aventures de ladybug et chat noir#miraculous headcanon#miraculous lb#miraculous marinette#miraculoustalesofladybugandcatnoir#miraculous fanworks#adrienette#adrien agreste#adrien and marinette#marichat#chat noir#marinette dupain cheng#marinette cheng#fanfiction#fanfic#also on ao3#collab with artist#reveals#identity reveal
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