#I think I have properly shifted the meaning around the offending lines

[y2ksnowglobe]

*Listens to new song*

Me: Oh this reminds me of my two blorbos and their platonic relationship!

*looks up lyrics*

Me: Oh no...romantic stuff?????

*puts on hard hat*

Me: Let's get ready for some unconventional interpretation and analysis

[cerenemuxse]

TGR but There's a Roleswap - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - The Furness Railway 21

James the Second Best (Season 10 Episode 27)

Word Count: 1,744

The story can be found at @tgr-2x5-roleswap-au for easier access.

~

Edward was pulling the Honeypot on the Main Line, enjoying the scenery of the Island of Sodor, and chatting with the coaches. The Honeypot coaches enjoyed his company. It was only April yet the breeze felt warm and inviting as he went from station to station. It felt just like the old days when he was a really useful engine. He had just completed the delayed run up to Tidmouth and turned around for the next trip, having just left Knapford and heading to Crosby.

"For an engine pulling coaches for the first time in years, you're doing wonderful, dear!" praised the brake coach.

"R-Really?" Edward asked timidly.

"Absolutely!" confirmed the first coach. "You did say you were an Express engine."

"I did. I-I’m still rusty!" he insisted, only for the Honeypot coaches to reassure him that he was doing just fine.

As he and the coaches continued their trip to Crosby, James approached them from the other direction, having just passed Crosby. Edward was fully engrossed in his conversation with the Honeypot coaches that he didn't hear or see the other engine until…

"Edward!" James fumed loudly and quickly braked to a stop.

"James!" exclaimed the Honeypot coaches. Edward gasped, startled, and braked harshly, coming to a nasty stop.

"I can't believe it,” huffed James as his boiler bubbled furiously and he backed down on the line to see Edward's startled face. “But Philip was right! Engines like you cause nothing but trouble! 

The Indian-red engine looked down. The lack of attention and respect broke it for James.

“You won't even look at me! Who do you think you are? And what are you doing with my coaches?"

"Your coaches?" exclaimed the Honeypot coaches in unison, offended as Edward looked away with a guilty face.

"We aren't even the slightest ‘your coaches’!" exclaimed the first coach.

"We are Molly's coaches!" followed the second coach.

"And even then, we're our own coaches!" followed the third. "Aren't we all?"

"Quite right!" they all chimed.

"And what was so important that you needed to do?" said the fourth coach.

"Warranting it necessary to leave us in a siding in the middle of nowhere!" said the fifth coach, the brake coach.

"It was Maron!" hissed the fourth coach.

"But still!" argued the brake coach.

The rest of the coaches glared at James, who was absolutely humiliated and stunned. "I-" He was beginning to lose his words. "I just needed to do something!" he scoffed, giving off a defensive tone.

The Honeypot coaches huffed at James. "Come on, Edward. Apologies for his behavior," said the first coach, with a stern tone aimed at James, to the foreigner, who had stayed relatively quiet. "Let's get going. We don’t want to delay any further."

Edward said nothing, still avoiding eye contact. He left James behind with two solemn whistles, quite the opposite of his typical bright whistle.

The tone struck James. Yes, he was upset with Edward but he hadn't intended to upset him as well. "I just wanted to look my best for the show," James said quietly. He followed Edward, backing down the track and quickly catching up to him.

"I just wanted to be part of the Great Railway Show," he mumbled meekly after a moment of silence.

"Eh?" asked Edward, caught off guard by the engine going backward but still refused to look at James straight in the eyes. "I thoucht-"

"I lied!" he exclaimed. "I was upset with you earlier. I'm sorry."

“For? W-Wis it because… I bumpit ye this mornin’?”

“...Yes?”

“Whit dae ye mean '...Yes?'” Edward huffed harshly, feeling hurt. “Ur ye mad at me, aye o’ naw?”

“No. I was mad because you’re…” He looked away, feeling silly. “...you’re red.”

Edward frowned but his eyebrows shifted his expression from offense to questioning. A sign to keep talking.

“Because… I thought…” James paused to word what he wanted to say properly. “I thought that I would have strong competition for the Best Decorated Parade!” He let out a sigh. "It's not like I'm participating anyways."

"W-Whit? Why?" he asked, flustered. "Did somethin' happen?"

"It's silly."

"No' if it's makin' ye upset."

He looked back at the other engine.

"Ye gettin' mad b-because I'm red is… silly. I-I think there’s more than w-whit ye're lettin' oan," said Edward with a hint of genuine warmth and comfort in his tone.

James stayed quiet and continued to look over at the engine as he thought about it. As they neared Crosby, James went into the tiny yard and used the turntable. Once he pulled in next to Edward, he finally spoke. "My sister was chosen for it instead of me."

"A sister? Y-Ye huv a sister? I huvnae seen another ye around."

"No, no! There's an engine who I consider a sister of mine."

"Och!" Edward's eyes perked up. "T-Thon's very lucky o' ye. Ye must be close wit' everyone else."

"Somewhat."

"Eh?"

James gulped. When they both left Crosby, he mustered the courage and asked, "Can I be honest with you?"

Edward was startled. "Uh… S-Sure," he replied.

James let out a heavy sigh. "I'm not that well-liked because of how I am. Unless I do my jobs with no fuss, that is."

"Why?"

"I'm not a very bearable engine," he scoffed. "Look at who's coming down the tracks, oh my, it's him! That's James, oh dear!" he sang in mockery, fully aware that the coaches, passengers, and crews were listening, especially the crews. It transitioned into laughter that dwindled quickly.

"Y-Ye cannae be thon bad o' an engine," hummed Edward. Then, he has an idea. "We got aff oan the wrong track. Start over?"

“Hm?”

“Us. S-Should we start over?”

James quickly hummed in agreement.

"I'll go first! Edward. Ma name’s Edward. Class 21 frae the Furness Railway. Preservit by the Furness Railway Trust. Ye?"

James didn't respond.

"Is somethin' wrong?"

"You're preserved?"

"It’s… some story," replied Edward, the hint of sadness going unnoticed as he quickly covered it up with a sly smirk. "...stranger."

"Och!" James puffed up proudly. "James, the North Western Railway's number five, at your service!" he exclaimed.

The Honeypot coaches groaned, which James had fully expected. What he didn't see coming was hearing laughter from the other red tender engine.

"What?"

"S-sorry, sorry! It’s jist-" Edward laughed a little more. "Y-Ye're a very funny engine!"

"Huh, I do have a thing for humor," James remarked smugly as Edward's laughter subsided.

"P-Pleasure to meet ye. Bytheway, s-sorry I took yer coaches. I should've askit first."

"It's alright. If you had asked later, the Honeypot would've been very late, so, if anything, thank you for doing that."

The preserved red engine became flustered. "Och, w-well, ye're welcome. B-But it was nothin'! I wis built for-!"

"Darling, don't be so modest!" exclaimed the first coach.

"Remember what we said!" followed the second coach.

"For an engine out-of-service for decades, you're doing wonderful pulling a stopping train!" piped the third coach.

"What are you?" James blurted out before his eyes went wide, realizing what he said.

"James!" scolded the coaches before muttering.

"Sorry, but at this point, I have to know! You said you're a preserved Class. I was friends with all the 21s, and I don't remember seeing you. You look similar to them though."

"I wis left in a sidin'," replied Edward.

"What?"

Letting out a sigh, Edward replied, "It's a short story. We huv time."

"You have all of my attention!" James exclaimed proudly.

The preserved red tender engine couldn't help but smile warmly. As they neared the Wellsworth Suspension Bridge, Edward hummed thoughtfully.

"It’s nineteen-fourteen. A railway wis lookin' for an engine s-someane could spare. The North Western Railway."

"This very railway?"

"Mhm, b-but they learnit aboot my behavior issues. They immediately rejectit the offer. T-they, the board, had enouch." Edward's warm brass eyes rose up and stared off into the distance. "I wis withdrawn and left in a sidin'. I-I stayit thare and watchit everyane else work until I wis found by ane o' my sisters. In yon early days o' the Amalgamation. She broucht the rest o' thaim in secret. But they, the board, found oot. I was relocatit again"

"So how did you get preserved?" James asked.

"A g-group o' campers. They found me. I didnae ken where I wis. I wis in Scotland. Then the Furness Railway Trust rescuit me. I-it took aboot a year but they restorit me. I steamit the first time this year."

"...what did you do for that to happen?"

"I-I wisnae a very nice engine," Edward reluctantly replied. "I’m the oldest o' my siblings. I wis… I wis overprotective o' thaim."

"But that's normal," said James, confused.

"No' me. I wis m-more aggressive than others…"

James eyed him wearily. "So… you pushing me earlier today wasn't you being aggressive?"

"Naw, naw!" he replied, offended. "The ship. I wis tryin' tae get oan the ship. T-thon didnae go sae well."

"Oh, right… Wait, then what are you still doing here?"

"I-I got lost at the junction. O-Oan the other side o' thon hill. Gordon’s Hill? Sae much goin' oan sae I went back tae Maron. I thoucht I could fine some-engine tae guide me."

James winced, realizing his behavior earlier hadn't made it any easier. But then he had an idea. "I can take you tomorrow! By the time we get to Vicarstown, it'll be dark."

Caught off guard, Edward gasped and for the first time, he made eye contact with James. "Really? But yer jobs?"

"My first job tomorrow is the Honeypot, so I can take you along with me and I'll drop you off at Vicarstown Station! There are no junctions after that station. Just go straight ahead and you'll find the Vicarstown Drawbridge, which leads you to the Mainland!"

"Och, thank ye, James!" exclaimed Edward, before gasping again. "Jobs. Thon's it!"

"What's it?"

"Ur ye a mixit-traffic engine?"

"Um, yes? Why is that?"

"Y-Ye could enter the new competition! The Mixit-Traffic Challenge! P-Pullin' passenger trains. Pullin’ guids trains. Headin' trains tender first. It's where smaller tender engines go tae compete!”

"I'm not small!" James scoffed.

"I-I ken! Ye get whit I'm sayin'? If yer controller hasnae chosen an engine, ye should ask him."

James hummed. A competition for engines like him? Now that could work! he thought as they stopped at Maron. By then, the sun had set and the night sky began to consume the dwindling sunlight.

~

This is the longest chapter of the story.

[bitches-who-write]

Can you do headcanons siblings of the gang ? Like, how they act with them and how they treat them and how they let the gang act with them ?

Somewhat important note below~

So we know we said we take requests on a first come, first serve basis; however for the sake of time today (and due to the fact that we did not post anything last week) we decided to take on this request early. PLEASE do not be offended or upset if you are still waiting for your request! We promise we will be getting to them ALL. After this post now, we will go back to our fist come, first serve rule.

We have a few requests which we'll be writing longer stories for vs casual headcannons. Stories typically take us several hours to complete since your 2 lovely bitches who write do not live close enough to one another. We write together via FaceTime and Google Doc. We appreciate all your support and patience with us as we write you guys the best content possible! Enough rambling now, Enjoy these headcannons!!!

Patrick With A Little Sister-

Oh boy… Patrick is crazy over protective of his little sister.

Maybe the word should be obsessive and controlling instead~

He watches her every move. He even comes into her room as she sleeps just to occasionally check on her.

Whenever she gets out of Belch’s car heading to school, Patrick keeps a close eye on her again. Mentally noting everyone she talks to.

He makes sure everyone is in line. It doesn’t matter if it’s an adult or a kid. If they do something Patrick doesn’t like, they’re getting fucked up.

Patrick refuses to let guys talk to her. Only Henry, Vic and Belch are allowed to.

When Patrick isn’t around, he puts the other Bower’s Gang members in charge of her. And she knows well enough to listen to them.

He sometimes makes inappropriate comments about her, resulting in a smack off the head by the other guys.

Patrick LOVES to mess with her.

Always holding things over her head so she can’t reach.

Laughs as she tries to jump up and grab it from him.

He’ll lean down and rest his arms on the top of her head since she’s so much smaller than him.

When she doesn’t listen to Patrick, he will literally just pick her up and throw her over his shoulder and laugh as she struggles to get down.

Even though she’s a girl and a few years younger than him, doesn’t mean she’s safe from how rough Patrick gets.

He still wrestles her to the ground and puts her in a damn headlock.

Definitely gets a few bruises from Patrick playfully hitting her. (Patrick doesn't realize his own strength.)

One word… tickled. Patrick is always tickling the shit out of her to tease her.

It’s even worse when the entire Bower’s Gang joins in on torturing her.

Look… this is Patrick. So he still has a mean, sadistic side.

He gets off on fear so he loves to scare her anyway he can.

Whether that is by jumping out at her, or doing something dangerous and reckless like picking her up and dangling her over the cliff edge to the quarry. (she hates heights and doesn’t know how to swim.)

“Uh no! You’re slipping! Better hold on, sweetheart. I know you don’t know how to swim.” He chuckles darkly, smirking down at her as she grips onto his forearm tightly and cries.

Patrick doesn’t hesitate on the low- blows, either. Making comments that he knows will make her cry.

If she threatens to tell their parents on him, Patrick will grab her from behind agressively, making her gasp as he covers her mouth tightly and whisper tauntingly in her ear:

“Now, Now.. Just why would you say that? You know that only gets you in trouble, little one..” He chuckles darkly and tightens his grip in a painful manner.

Patrick With A Little Brother-

…… I think we all know how this ended…. Patrick disliked his little brother, Avery… a lot. You see, Patrick likes being the only male sibling. It’s less competition and less hassle for him. Only Patrick is allowed to make (more like break) the reputation of his family’s name in the small town of Derry, Maine. Bottom line, if Patrick had another little brother, it would result in the same outcome as Avery. Sorry.

Belch With A Little Sister-

Very protective. Does not let her out of his sight for a second.

Hovers over her when they walk in the woods so she doesn’t trip or fall down.

He brings her along when he goes out with the guys sometimes, unless he knows they will be partaking in illegal activities.

Keeps snacks in his car for whenever she rides with him and always makes sure she eats 3 proper meals during the day.

Not only does he have extra snacks but he has a first aid kit, too.

He’s always prepared knowing she’s small, so there’s a good chance she’ll accidentally get hurt hanging around the guys.

And yes, it has happened on more than one occeasion.

He checks on her during school and makes sure no one is messing with her.

After school, Belch makes sure she does her homework but never really helps her with it. Why would he? He doesn’t even do his own assignments.

For the most part, he’s pretty sweet but sometimes the big brother power goes to his head.

He makes her do her chores and his around the house.

If she ever did something wrong, Belch goes right to blackmail.

“I won’t let mom know about that F on your report card… only IF you wash my car everyday the rest of this week.

Henry purposely spills his drink on the hood of the car right after she just got down cleaning it.

“Opps.. looks like you missed a spot. Better get to it, kid.” Henry says mockingly as he ruffles her hair walking by.

Belch always makes sure she’s safe in bed by the end of the night though.

He even kisses the side of her head when the guys aren’t around.

Belch With A Little Brother-

He takes him under his wing.

Loves to talk about cars- the makes and models, horsepower, you name it.

Even though his little brother isn’t old enough to drive yet, that doesn’t stop Belch from giving him driving lessons.

But bet your life he threatens him before taking off. “I swear to fuck though man, if you crash my car, I will end you. Okay, now put it in reverse. Let’s go”

Belch watches sports with him and even plays in the backyard, as well.

Belch acts as if he’s his coach to prepare him for the school’s team.

He also teaches him how to properly lift weights and spots him, too.

Belch told him “the ladies love a man with muscles, so to keep lifting bro.”

Speaking of girls, Belch was the one who gave him ‘the talk’... in very elaborate and explicit detail leaving his brother shocked, disgusted, and intrigued all at once.

Although he does hang out with his brother from time to time, sometimes Belch chooses friends over family and takes off for long periods of time.

Belch for the most part tries to be patient with him, but still gives his brother tough love as a form of preparing him for the real world.

Overall, Belch is a pretty decent big brother.

He means well but sometimes misses the mark.

Henry With A Little Sister-

Their father works long shifts, often resulting in an absence in their home life.

Henry’s dad basically tells him he’s fully in charge of his little sister.

Henry acts pissed off about that like she’s a bother and interrupts his life but deep down, it makes him feel important for once in his life.

Henry is both very strict and protective over her.

He’s also very controlling such as who she’s allowed to talk to or what she’s allowed to wear.

Nothing short or low cut is allowed. She better not even think about talking back, either,

Henry doesn't have much patience for anything and his temper is even worse.

For example- Her short legs means she walks slower than the rest of them.

Henry rolls his eyes and ends up dragging her by her wrist or sometimes just throwing her over his shoulder because he can’t stand waiting for her.

When it comes time for school, Henry makes sure everyone knows she’s a Bowers. If anyone (child or adult) even just so much as looked at her funny, Henry is throwing hands.

Speaking of school, Henry doesn’t help her with any bit of projects or homework. “Don’t fuckin’ ask me! You do it, or don’t, I don't really give a shit.”

When it comes time for dinner, Henry makes simple stuff like peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, mac n’ cheese, or sometimes just fixes a bowl of cereal. But he always makes her clean up the mess / dishes after.

If she talks back, Henry has no problems getting in her face and yelling loudly.

Sometimes when his anger gets the best of him, he’ll smack her across the face.

He stiffens up when he sees the tears form in her eyes. Sometimes he just walks away and doesn’t want to deal with it, and other times he stands there stiffly and gives her an awkward hug.

“Sorry kid. I didn’t mean to hit you. You just pissed me the fuck off.”

Henry would never let anyone ever see this but occasionally he gives her a quick kiss to the side of her cheek when he’s feeling extra guilty. 

Similar to Patrick, Henry loves to get on her nerves.

Tripping her as she walks by.

Embarrassing her in front of the other guys just to see her blush.

Smacking her off the head as he walks by- her angry face makes Henry laugh.

Tickling her to make her admit something or as a form of punishment because he knows she hates that.

Barges in her room without knocking first.

Warns her she's never, ever allowed to have a boyfriend. And if she has a crush on either Vic, Belch, or Patrick...she’s dead meat.

Won’t allow her to drink alcohol or smoke. If she sneaks and does it, Henry teaches her a ‘lesson’.

“Find you wanna drink? Then here, take it. But now you have to drink the entire thing.”

He smirks and watches her get sick from the alcohol thinking that actually taught her a lesson and will deter her from it in the future.

Speaking of drinking-

When their dad comes home drunk, Henry is the one to take all his shit just to protect her because deep down he does care about her even though he calls her a “little fucking shit” daily.

Henry With A Little Brother-

In Henry's warped mind, his brother is a guy too, so he doesn’t need to be coddled like his little sister does.

If Henry has to withstand hits and verbal abuse, then his little brother should too. “Why should he get a pass?” Henry scoffs.

Henry gives him a lot of tough love.

He tries to make him ‘stronger’ by saying some really rotten shit to him. “Builds character, get used to it, kid.”

Henry does teach his brother how to fight though. “Put those stupid fuckin’ books down pussy. Books can’t teach you how to be a fucking man, but throwing punches will.”

Henry gave his little brother his own knife for his birthday.

He told him since he’s a Bowers, he's a target so it will come in handy~

Gives his brother “advice” on girls and sex; telling him which girls around town ‘put out’ the most.

One day when his brother asked Henry about a particular girl Henry responded with: “Ooh yeah, (random girl���s name), the only thing good about her is her pussy. Face is busted.”

Overall, Henry isn’t too bad towards his brother but once again, when his temper is raging, no one is safe from him.

Vic With A Little Sister-

Overly cautious and protective of her. He’s basically like a helicopter parent.

When the guys are swearing around her, he covers her ears and tells the guys to cut it out.

“Guys! Language!”

“I’m only a few years younger than you guys, I’m not a child!” she retorts.

Patrick, being classic creepy Patrick circles around her. “Just give it a few more years babe. Based on how your mom looks...” Patrick licks his lips envisioning Vic’s mother until Vic smacks him in the balls making Patrick hunch over in pain.

Vic likes to keep her in sight so right after school, he goes straight to her locker and makes sure she rides home with them, too.

When they get out of the car to bully some kids, Vic tells her to stay put. He doesn’t want her involved in anything.

When walking through the woods to the quarry, He always has a hand around her upper arm for support when climbing down the embankment.

He watches her like a hawk when swimming, so paranoid something will happen. Again, think helicopter parent

While he’s sweet for the most part, there’s times he just loses his temper.

He’ll explode and begin yelling at her, only inches from her face.

Sometimes when she does something really, really out of line, Vic will shove her into Henry and Patrick.

“Here guys, teach this little bitch a lesson for me. And don’t go easy on her.” Vic says walking off to calm down.

A part of him feels a little guilty when he sees her cry but other times he feels it’s justified.

He isn’t overly affectionate with her around the guys, the most he does is put an arm around her shoulder.

Sometimes sneaks behind her and tasers her sides and laughs when she jumps and collapses to the ground.

But when no one is around, he 100% gives the best hugs.

When she’s going to a sleepover at a girl-friend's house, Vic tells her to be safe and mumbles, “love you.”

Back at home before bed, Vic will tease her for being paranoid as she makes her way around the house, triple checking to make sure all the windows and doors are locked.

“What? Afraid the boogeyman is gonna getcha?” Vic mocks.

If she’s having a nightmare and calls for Vic, he’ll come and sit on the bedroom floor next to her bed until she falls asleep again.

Vic With A Little Brother-

Vic isn’t as protective over his little brother as he is with their little sister; but he still cares for him.

He just feels that his brother is able to hold his own while his sister needs more protection/ guidance.

He let’s his brother tag along with the guys. They all don’t mind. If anything, they refer to his little brother as Vic number 2.

He genuinely listens to his brother’s interests. Okay.. sometimes he zones out when he drones on and on but he always acts interested.

Vic is pretty book smart so he helps his brother with school work, especially in math.

Tries to make his brother more confident when it comes to talking / picking up girls.

Basically acts as his wing man.

The guys try to give his brother tips on how to pick up girls...Vic usually tells him to ignore everything they say because all that's gonna earn him is a slap in the face.

Tells him not to listen to Henry or Patrick for girl advice.. EVER.

He does teach his brother how to fight though.

Just because Vic is one of the sweeter ones in the gang; that doesn’t change the fact that he’s in a gang to begin with…

When his brother told him he was being picked on, Vic taught him how to fight, but also got involved himself.

Nothing like sending an intimidating message to a few assholes.

When Vic and his brother fight with each other, he doesn’t hold back just because that’s his little brother.

Overall, they get along for the most part and Vic is a pretty decent older brother to his siblings.

[blueskrugs]

Jump Then Fall | Jack Hughes

I am eternally soft for this kid, okay. this is not the original birthweek fic I had planned for him, but it is a bonus Swift Fic because I couldn't help myself. enjoy while I work on getting my shit together for the summer!

tagging: @marcoscandellas @stlbluesbrat21 @dembenchboys @poltoncarayko @robthomissed @letmeplaytheblues @troubatrain @ayohockeycheck @blackwidowrising @aria253264 @antoineroussel @starswin @glassdanse @ch-ristiane @majdoline @nazdaddy @hockey-more-like

length: 2k words

High school relationships never worked out. That’s what they always told you, at least, when you and Jack were young and in love. And they were right, sort of. You’d broken up not long after you’d both graduated, with Jack off to be drafted and you off to college. Except you’d stayed close, texting and talking on the phone often once Jack had headed off to New Jersey. He was one of your best friends, and you were thankful he was still in your life, but you weren’t sure you’d ever stop loving him, not really.

I like the way you sound in the morning We're on the phone and without a warning I realize your laugh is the best sound I have ever heard

Saturday mornings always meant long phone calls with Jack. You’d both wake up early and make coffee before spending most of the morning on the phone, talking about everything and nothing. Sometimes you wished more than anything that you could see his face, but you weren’t sure what would come spilling out of your mouth when you saw him.

One cold morning in December, you were pretty sure Jack had still been asleep when you called. His voice was slow and rough when he spoke, but you could still hear the smile in his voice.

When you heard him yawn, big enough his jaw cracked, you laughed. “Am I keeping you awake?” you asked.

Jack rushed to answer, “No, never.”

“Jack,” you warned.

Jack laughed. “We got in late last night, I’m just a little tired, I’m fine,” he told you.

“I can let you go back to sleep,” you said.

You heard Jack sit up on the other end of the line. “No way, absolutely not,” he said.

“We’re not even talking about anything important.” You’d mostly been stressing about the end of the semester.

“So? I like talking to you,” Jack argued.

You sighed. “You’re an idiot,” but it came out more fond than annoyed.

Somehow, that phone call lasted almost two more hours. Later, you wouldn’t remember what dumb thing you’d quipped that had made Jack burst out laughing, but you’d always remember the sound of that laugh. You’d wished you’d been able to record it, to have it to listen to on rough days, on days you missed Jack a little extra.

I hear the words but all I can think is We should be together

Jack was telling some story about his teammates. You were only half-listening, paying more attention to his face as he talked. It was late, and Quinn and Jack were home for Christmas. You and the three Hughes boys had taken over the basement for the night. Quinn and Luke were sprawled out on the couch opposite you, and you were buried under several blankets with your feet in Jack’s lap. He was using one hand to help illustrate his story, but the other was resting on your ankle, warm despite the chill outside, his thumb absently rubbing against your bare skin.

Quinn threw a balled up napkin at you, jolting you back to reality. “What’re you thinking about over there?” he asked.

“What?” You threw the napkin back at Quinn.

Luke chimed in, “Yeah, Jack’s not that funny, there’s no way you’re smiling at him.”

“Hey!” Jack protested. You dug your heel into his thigh, and he turned to grin at you.

You hadn’t even realized you were smiling. You always seemed to be smiling when you were around Jack, you couldn’t help it.

“Just missed you guys,” you said, grinning back at Jack.

Jack squeezed your ankle and went back to telling his story. You still weren’t listening.

Well, I like the way your hair falls in your face You got the keys to me I love each freckle on your face, oh

When Jack first started growing his hair out, you hated it.

“No, why,” you said the first time you saw him that summer. Luke laughed from somewhere behind you.

Jack ran a hand through his hair and smirked at you. “What do you mean?” he asked. “You love my hair.”

You tilted your head, pretending to consider. “I’ve changed my mind,” you said.

Jack squawked, outraged and offended. He slung an arm around your shoulder and pulled you in close as you giggled and tried to get away. “You’ll pay for that,” he told you. You dug your elbow into his ribs until he let go of you.

Later that night found the two of you left alone near the bonfire as the sun went down.

“Hey,” Jack said. You locked your phone and tilted your head back to look up at him upside down. “Do you really not like the hair?” he asked.

You snorted. “Would you cut it if I said I didn’t?” Jack shrugged, not quite meeting your eyes. You sat up and twisted to look at Jack properly. “You wouldn’t, oh my God.” It was hard to tell, but he might’ve been blushing in the fading light,

“Just tell me the truth,” he said.

You looked at Jack, really looked at him. He was tan, a new burst of freckles dusted across his nose. He’d shoved a hat on since you’d first seen him earlier in the day, but you could still see how his hair was just beginning to curl at the ends past the nape of his neck. Jack stared back at you, blue eyes dark.

“I guess I could get used to it,” you said.

Honestly, you were so gone for him, you were pretty sure you’d end up still liking him no matter what he looked like.

When people say things that bring you to your knees I'll catch you

Sometimes you didn’t know how Jack put up with it all. From losing streaks to being called a draft bust to people questioning whether he was capable of being a leader, there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t have to deal with some bullshit. You knew it wasn’t easy, but he rarely let it get to him. Rarely, but not never.

It didn’t surprise you when your phone rang after a rough game. You answered the FaceTime call without thinking about it, smiling softly when Jack’s face filled your screen. He looked tired, dark bags under his eyes and his hair hanging limply in his face.

“Hi, bud,” you said.

Jack closed his eyes and sighed, long and loud, scrubbing his free hand across his face. You’d been able to watch the game, had watched the blowout happen in real time, just another loss in this skid, in a season that had started out promising for once.

“I’m tired,” Jack whined.

“You look like shit,” you told him. Jack stuck his tongue out at you. “Do I need to get Ty to delete Twitter off your phone again?” you asked. Jack rolled his eyes, but you weren’t joking.

“No, I just-” Jack rubbed his eyes again. “Did you see what my plus-minus was tonight?”

It was your turn to roll your eyes. “Oh my God, no, we’re not doing this,” you said. Sometimes Jack wanted to forget everything about a shitty game, but other nights he got frustrated and wanted to pick apart every mistake he’d made on the ice. You dragged your laptop closer to you. “C’mon, open your Netflix, we’re watching a movie.”

There was some scuffling on the other end, with Jack accidentally pointing his phone at the ceiling. “Fine, but I get to pick,” he said.

You argued half-heartedly with him for a while, but he won in the end, and you settled on some movie you’d both seen a dozen times. It was quiet while you watched, a comfortable silence, heavy with familiarity.

“Hey,” Jack said lowly as the end credits rolled later. You’d been half-sure Jack had fallen asleep on you. “Thanks.”

You smiled tiredly at him. It was late, and dark in his room, and you could barely make out his blurry form on your phone. “Anytime, Jacky,” you said, but you meant, “I love you.”

You can jump then fall, jump then fall Jump then fall into me, into me, yeah

Your doorbell rang one morning in early May. When you pulled open the front door, there was Jack, hands shoved deep in his hoodie pocket, standing on your parent’s front porch.

“I thought you weren’t coming home for a few weeks still,” you said, leaning against the door frame. The Devils season was over, but Jack had told you he was planning on sticking around for a while or traveling some before coming home for the summer.

Jack took one of his hands out of his pocket and ran it nervously through his hair. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, instead of responding to your non-question.

You raised an eyebrow at him. You’d known Jack for years, and you could probably count on one hand the number of times you’d seen him be nervous. “Well, don’t hurt yourself with that, bud,” you told him.

He made a face at you, but it also got him to smile. “Will you just let me-” he started, but he didn’t finish his sentence.

“Hey, c’mon, let’s go inside,” you said, stepping back to let Jack follow you into the house.

In the living room, the TV show you had been watching was still paused, but you both ignored it. You sat back on the couch, but Jack stayed standing, awkwardly shifting his weight from foot to foot.

“You’re freaking me out a little, Jacky,” you said.

Jack sighed and sat on the floor in front of you, leaning back on his hands with his legs stretched out in front of him. “I miss you,” he said.

“Jack, we talk every day,” you told him. “I’m right here,” you added softly.

Jack huffed and ran his hands through his hair again. He laid back for a moment, staring silently up at the ceiling fan as it slowly turned above you.

“Have you ever thought about getting back together?” he asked when he sat back up.

You thought about it a lot, actually, but you just said, “Yeah.”

“Do you think we could do it?” Jack asked next.

You hesitated on that one. You’d thought that, maybe, you could’ve made it back when you were in high school, but things were so different now. You’d listened to the opinions of others so much back then, had broken up in part because you thought that it was inevitable anyway. Could you make it through all that again? You still had a few years until you graduated, and New Jersey wasn’t exactly close.

Then again, you two were as close as ever. Jack had only missed a handful of your Saturday morning phone calls, and it was always just because of hockey. He was still sitting on the floor in front of you, looking nervous as he chewed on his bottom lip.

“I don’t know,” you said honestly.

Jack’s face fell a little. “Do you think we could try?”

“Yeah, I think so,” you said, just as honestly. You’d never been good at saying no to Jack, anyway.

Jack beamed, and you knew exactly why you still loved him after all this time. Jack leaned forward and tugged at your foot. “Hey, come down here,” he whined. “Wanna kiss you.”

“Or you could come up here?” Jack tugged harder. “Oh my God, you’re so fucking needy,” you laughed, but you slid off the couch and let Jack pull you into his lap.

His hands went to your waist, sliding under your T-shirt, and he smiled smugly up at you. “Hi.”

You pressed a kiss to his nose. “Hi,” you said back.

“Uh-uh, you can do better than that.” A kiss to his cheek. Jack rolled his eyes and put one of his hands on your cheek to drag you in for a real kiss. “That’s better,” he whispered, but you were already leaning in for another kiss.

[limitededitionsanderssidesblog]

Orange is Offence

I've seen several different theories floating around both prior to and post the new aside video, Working THROUGH Intrusive Thoughts. So I decided to throw my two cents in.

So my main cause for concern about Orange's identity has always been that he is never explicitly referenced by ANY of the other sides. They never once speak of him, but he has made himself known before, such as in the episode SVS Redux, when he appears briefly amid one of the videogame cutaways as an orange colored 4110.

This is the first instance we've had of a dark side choosing to attempt communication individually without aid or disguise from the other sides.

For instance, our first known hint of Remus actually comes from the episode The Sanders Sides 12 Days of Christmas, where Roman says the line:

"May visions of sugarplums dance in your head and hopefully not visions of your naked aunt Patty... Yeah, I don't know where that came from."

And later in Remus's introduction song, this image appears behind him:

For Janus, his existence was first hinted when he silences Roman from speaking in Accepting Anxiety Part 2/2. Later when he finally did reveal himself, whenever he would appear it would always be as one of the four main sides.

Then why is Orange different? Why was he able to speak to Thomas (in an albeit round about way through a videogame screen) when he has yet to show himself fully to him?

Well first lets look at what the color orange represents.

A few positive meanings of orange, of many, include balance, freedom, and expression. The most common negative associations of the color include crassness, rudeness, and frivolity.

Next, the newest big revelation in TSS since Deceit's reveal.

Logan's outburst:

Now, many people have been theorizing that Orange is a part of Logan, and that they could be either a dichotomy/set of twins such as with Roman and Remus. But I don't think that's the case.

(I'd like to give credit to @candiecards for this next portion.)

In fact, I don't think Orange has any significant relation to Logan apart from the other sides. Rather, I think Orange is using Logan as an easy target/susceptible vessel. Just like how Janus would only appear by mimicking the other sides and disguising himself as him, I think Orange manipulates the other sides through a sort of mind control. Which is why he would be able to greet Thomas through the 43110 screen, by manipulating and altering Roman's videogame example to suit his needs.

First off, Logan has always been rather short-tempered, this is nothing new. In fact, Thomas called him (and Roman) out on it in the episode Fitting In (Hogwarts Houses!). Also, remember the time in Learning New Things About Ourselves, when Logan grew so annoyed with Roman's constant berating of his character, screamed, and threw a notecard at his eye? If Orange was always a part of him, and can be presumed to appear in fits of rage, why didn't he appear then?

Because he isn't inherently connected to Logan.

But Logan is becoming an easy target for Orange.

Over the past few episodes, and even throughout the series, Logan has been feeling left out and ignored. He was benched in SVS and was skipped and tossed aside in SVS Redux. Besides Roman, I'd say Logan is the most self-engrossed and prideful, believing that he is more important to Thomas than the other sides. He even stated in Learning New Things About Ourselves that he is the one who "maintains order."

However, when we are introduced to the state of Thomas's life in the newest episode, it is clear that Thomas is completely disorganized and has lost any sense of control over minimal things such as keeping clothes off his staircase.

It's then made clear by the way Logan speaks with Thomas that he has been trying for an undetermined amount of time to convince Thomas to reorganize himself, but that Thomas has ignored him each time.

Throughout the episode we see Logan eagerly push Thomas to work on his set schedule, but then conceding several times to Thomas's more pressing needs to deal with Remus and his intrusive thoughts over Nico's lack of a reply to a text he sent the previous day. Logan does appear patient with both Thomas and Remus, trying to logic his way through each set back, telling Thomas it's okay to take a break because of his intrusive thoughts, and trying to reason with Remus to hold himself back so he can work with Thomas more efficiently. Of course, it doesn't work, and he snaps at Remus to stop ignoring him.

Interestingly enough, at the same time Logan snaps, Thomas, who had previously appeared only anxious over Nico, then appears angry that he's being ghosted.

They become offended over the same thing. Being ignored.

Before I continue, allow me to provide a clear definition of the word offence.

Offence (noun): annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself or one's standards or principles.

As a reminder, the color orange can represent both freedom, expression, and crudeness.

When one believes that their freedom and expression of themselves and their beliefs have been insulted they take offence and often lash out in anger and become crude.

Offence can come from many places, it can come from different experiences, different expressions and emotions; but the reaction that is birthed from that offence is almost always outbursts of anger. Just think of a self-righteous Karen demanding to see a manager.

Throughout the story, Logan has been teased and ridiculed for his love and belief in strict and ridged methods and lifestyles. For him, planning and organizing and due dates are all fun things he enjoys, but to the other sides, its all just a bore and they make fun of him for it.

Logan comes off as (one of) the "angriest" side because he is constantly taking offence from others and defending himself. He is also more emotionally stifled than the other sides and does not know how to properly regulate his emotions, making him more prone to outbursts of anger. This would make it easy for Orange to take over/control him, by using his anger to blind him.

I mentioned in an old theory of mine, What is Deceit Really After?, that I believe Janus is plotting to create a power shift a from the "light" sides to the "dark" sides. And while in that theory I said I believe Janus would try to manipulate Virgil to gain power, although I still think that may be possible, I now also believe that Janus wants Orange to use Logan's offence and anger against him to control and manipulate him instead. After all, Janus was the one responsible for keeping the dark sides suppressed, only allowed to appear if Thomas wished to see them. But now they are appearing without Thomas first giving his consent to meet them.

He released Remus, promising that he would make sure that Thomas would no longer "deceive [himself] about the ugliness within [him]." Orange's sudden appearance could be the next step in Janus's plan to gain control, although I'm not sure what he could have offered Orange in exchange.

In the final moments of the episode, Janus is perched on a tree where he eats a green apple and says "Yes, everything is just fine."

As pointed out by @ethecookednoodle green apples represent matters of the mind.

The green apple at the end could very well hint at the upcoming events of the story regarding Logan and orange as the side representing Thomas's mind, and the side that performs mind-control over those who lose themselves to offence.

After all, whether he believes it or not, Logan has the most say in what Thomas does and thinks, comparable only to Patton, who Janus is in the process of seducing.

[cayofdreams]

Establishing the Monocracy

~(Brat!Reader x Bakugou)~

Words: 3.4k

Rating: 🌊 18+, Smut

Warnings/Tags: cunnilingus, teasing, slight degradation

Notes: I was writing this req and just got inspired cuz Bakugou. Ended up being somewhat a preface to my Down with the Monocracy (which ofc is not a req reading to enjoy this)

<><>~~~~~~~<><>~~~~~~~🌹 ~~~~~~<><>~~~~~~~<><>

“Ohhh~! Yeah baby, right there!! So good!!”

The obnoxious moaning of the actress through your phone’s speakers made Bakugou quickly turn around from his desk to glare bullets into you. You were sitting on his bed, looking nonchalantly at the events transpiring on the screen. 

The two of you were supposed to go out later to hangout with friends so you stopped by his place to kill time. Two hours of time. A normal occurrence for you considering you liked to annoy your friend-and-rival whenever you could, and admittedly his surprisingly cozy room was comfortable to just laze around in.  Usually you’d read manga while he did whatever but Mina had sent you a rather vulgar clip with the caption ‘how i hope my night ends 😝😝!!’.

“Oi! What the fuck are you looking at in my room?! Turn that shit off!” More than the fact that you were boldly watching porn in his vicinity, he was more perplexed at how you were still playing the video after he called you out. “Why the fuck are you watching that?!”

“I just don’t get it.” Scratching your head, you continued to look quizzingly at the actress’ performance. “I mean, people actually find this stuff arousing?”

“Are you just gonna ignore my question?!”

“Oh my goodness, calm down. Mina sent me a video. She’s acting like its the hottest thing ever but it isn’t entertaining at all.” You rolled your eyes before concentrating once more on your phone’s screen. 

Finding it useless to ask if it was normal for friends to send porn to each other he instead questioned just what you were looking at to elicit such a response from you.  

“What? You used to some kind of extravagant sex or some shit?”

“No. Rather what’s happening here is extravagant. Literally no one does this in real life. It’s so unrealistic.”

A million questions ran through Bakugou’s head at this moment. Why were you watching porn in his room? What the fuck kind of porn is so bizarre that a deviant like you is confused? And Jesus were to trying to start something right now? Was he literally in a shitty porn introduction and didn’t know it? 

“Fuck~!! Hyahhh!! I’m gonna cummm~~!!!”

The sounds of the video continued to penetrate through Bakugou’s room. Mentally he was annoyed at the fact that he just wanted to get ahead on some paperwork before going out and your idiocy was preventing that, but physically the boner that was rising in his pants was only more and more intrigued. The woman he’d been undressing with his eyes for longest of times was now in his room, laying on his bed, watching porn.

“I mean seriously, only an idiot could think guys do this.”

“What the hell crazy shit are you looking at??”

“That thing that’s in like every porn. Where the guy is like licking her down there. Cunnilingus, if you will.”

Bakugou raised his eyebrow at you. “You mean eating pussy?”

“Oh my god…you’re so vulgar.” Rolling your eyes, you turned on your side, back faced towards Bakugou.

“You’re the fucking one in my room watching-“ As he glanced at your figure, he wondered just what the fuck you were getting at. Were you weirdly trying to seduce him? By playing porn and then pretending as if you were inexperienced in oral sex just for his sexual interest in you to pique? Were you trying to sexually outsmart him? Bakugou chuckled as he got up and walked towards you. “You think you’re so fucking sneaky, huh?”

You felt the increasing weight on the bed as Bakugou pressed his knee into the mattress to close his torso in on you. “What?” Quirking your eyebrow and turning towards him, you pondered his sudden shift in demeanor.

“Don’t fucking play dumb. I know what you’re doing.” Bakugou gripped his fingers around the collar of your shirt, forcing you to directly face him. “Since you pissed me off, I’m not doing shit with you even if you asked nicely.” He let go of you to walk back toward his desk, slumping himself in the chair. “Pretending like guys aren’t lining up to worship your pussy with their tongue just to get me to pity you. Pathetic.”

You paused as you analyzed his mood. Clearly he was upset at you, but you didn’t have the slightest idea why. “I agree that I should be worshipped but I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about.”

Bakugou clicked his tongue and shot a glare at you. “There’s no fucking way you’re gonna sit here and tell me some loser hasn’t been down on you. Didn’t you just get out of a relationship?”

“Mmm…yeah.”

“And you fucked, yeah?”

“We had sexual relations, yes.”

“And he never went down on you?”

“No. He said it wasn’t necessary.”

“W-What?”

“Well, he said since I’m quote-on-quote, horny all the time, it wasn’t necessary.”

Bakugou knew you were a trickster of sorts, but the way you just nonchalantly talked about your bitch of a boyfriend like it was normal told him you weren’t lying. Did someone like you, the prissiest, most self-absorbed chick in the universe really date someone who wouldn’t go down on you. Fuck, did you miss out.

Or rather, the bastard missed out.

Some snobbish prick didn’t hop on the chance to make you squirm under them? The one chance they’d probably have in asserting their rightful dominance over you, and they were too fucking stupid to not take it? It’d be a lie to say that when Bakugou saw those soft plushy thighs of yours peeking out from under your tight skirts he didn’t fantasize about the dripping mess he could create underneath.

Hell, you practically put your pussy on display whenever you wore those so-called ‘athletic’ shorts that helped you move faster as you’d claim. Bullshit. As if you weren’t tempting every loser in your vicinity with those faint imprints of your pussy lips through those shorts. Fuck, if he had known the whole time you were dating that piece of shit that he wasn’t going down on you, he would’ve fucking shown you what you were missing out on.

Well he wasn’t going to make the same shitty mistake as your boyfriend.

With a small curl of his lips, he cocked an eyebrow towards you. “You wanna find out what you missed out on?”

“Huh?”

“What your shitty ex was too stupid to not do, you want me to do it?”

After taking a moment to process Bakugou’s advances, you erupted into laughter. “No way!”

“Why the fuck are you laughing?!” Here he was, practically stripping his ego away for you, and you were just going to laugh in his face? Refusing his incredibly generous offer? Nevermind the sadistic value he’d receive from having you completely fall apart under him, it was still you who’d reap most the benefits. 

You wiped a tear from the corner of your eye, trying to stifle your snickers. “Okay, and I suppose you’re going to make me scream obnoxiously like the girl in that video, are you?” You face turned from amused to stern. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve already had sex and its nothing like what’s portrayed in that silly pornography. I’m sure it’s the same for- what do you call it? ‘Going down’? So, don’t even waste my time, Bakugou.”

Bakugou chuckled at your ignorance. Not only had you not had the pleasure of your pussy being smothered by some bastard’s tongue, but he wasn’t even fucking you properly? You poor thing. Honestly, he was a little offended you were only just now relaying this information onto him.

While you were trying to go back to whatever random things you were doing on your phone before Mina interrupted you, Bakugou strode back over to his bed, this time climbing on top of it, maneuvering your thighs so that he’d be seated between them.

“Oh no, did I awaken the challenger part of you? I’ve said what I said now get off.” You tried to kick you foot at him but he caught your ankle in his grip.

“Going against your weak excuse of a boyfriend is hardly a challenge, princess.”

“Oh ho-ho, so getting me to actually feel pleasure from what-ever you’re about to do is the challenge?”

“That’s not a challenge either.”

Sucking your teeth, you hastily took off your skirt and spread your thighs for him. “Fine. You have one chance, Ba-KA-gou.”

“Tch. Just do me favor and-“ Bakugou placed your hands around your knees and further spread your thighs apart. “keep ‘em fuckin’ spread.”

Rolling your eyes, you silently complied. You weren’t shy in the least about your body but the way Bakugou was intently zeroing in on the clothed folds of your pussy made your breath a bit shaky. 

Just when you were about to say something about his odd silence you felt the soft peck of his lips on your thigh. That peck was slowly followed by another, this time slightly closer to your center. As you tried to ease your breathing each peck made you more wet than the previous. By the time Bakugou was at the lining of your panties, you were practically pooling through the fabric. Smirking at your trembling he looked up at you.

“Shy?”

“N-No! You’re just incredibly slow. I bet you’re just h-hesitating because you don’t know how to- Owwch!” Bakugou had sunk his teeth into the softness of your thighs. Not enough to break skin, but enough to make you kick your heel into his back in retaliation. “What was that for?! You brute!”

“You’re getting on me about going slow but you’ve been the one wasting everyone’s time, Y/N.” He stroked the tip of his index finger along the slit of your panties, making more of your juices spill through the fabric. “Dating some shitty asshole when you could’ve been wetting this glorious cock the whole time.” He circled his finger around the clothed hood of your clit, reveling in the broken whimpers you couldn’t help but let out. “So now I’m gonna take allll the fucking time I want. So just lay there and try to make this a challenge for me.”

Bakugou then wrapped his lips around your pussy, soaking his saliva through your panties. He wasn’t even directly touching you but the rampant motions of his hot tongue through the now drenched cloth made your hips squirm underneath him. He went back and forth from licking to sucking you over your panties, pausing when you quivered too much or moaned too loud. He didn’t want to accidentally make you cum before his main act.

Unconsciously, you had let go of your knees to glide your fingers through his spikey locks, slightly pulling him forward as if he’d be able to ghost his tongue through your panties. He looked back up at you, pleased with your erotically joyous face.

“Didn’t I tell you to keep your hands there? You’re distracting me.”

Letting out a noise somewhere between a scoff and a whine, you re-placed your hands around your knees.

“So surprisingly obedient.” Bakugou slipped his finger around the crotch of your panties, gliding his knuckle around your swelled clit. “Probably because you’re just desperate to have your pussy played with. What a slut.” He increased the pressure of his knuckle around your clit and the feeling of it made you lean your head back against Bakugou’s pillows. “How about you tell me what you want, princess?”

Regulating your breathing enough to form a sentence you rose your head again to meet his vermillion eyes. “G-Go down on me. Prick.”

“Go? Huh? Where? In a car? Fucking clarify.”

You clicked your tongue and turned your head, annoyed at his feigning. Seeing as how you’d require a little encouragement, Bakugou pressed a kiss against clothed pussy, rubbing the tip of his nose where your clit would lie directly underneath. “C’mon. You’re college educated, right? Use your fucking vocabulary.”

You slowly turned your head towards him, the twitching agitation of your eyebrows only fueling him more. “Will you perform cunnil-“

“Finish that sentence and I’m leaving.”

Not wanting to test him on that threat, you reluctantly parted your lips. “…Eat my…” Bakugou licked stripe along your completely soaked panties, stopping to wiggle the tip his tongue against where your clit would be. “Mmnnn~…my pussy...”

“What? Can you fucking speak up? You can present shit in front of a whole audience but now you’re being as quiet as a damn mouse.”

“F-fuck…Bakugou. Damn you.” Your eyes became watery at the mix of humiliation and pressing desire to be touched directly. Were you really going to soil your ego for this bag of cockiness? Surely it wasn’t worth it. Is what your mind would probably say. But right now, your pussy wore the crown. And the queen was craving attention. “I want you to- to e-eat my pussy.”

Bakugou placed another bite on your inner thigh making your body jolt. “Can’t even add a damn ‘please’ to that? I’m sure your type was taught manners.”

“Pleeaassee~ Fuck! Please eat my pussy, Bakugou!”

A small burst of laughter left him as he slapped your thigh. “Well take ‘em off, princess.”

Begrudgingly taking off your panties, a shiny string of your wetness that connected you with the fabric broke as you threw them on the floor. Reassuming the previous positioning of your thighs, your now bare pussy was left open and vulnerable to your rival.

He leaned down to hover over your pussy, his nose trickling against the hood of your clit. You were already so wet for him. Your pussy was just glistening with juices that begged for tending to. Steadying his position between your thighs he glanced at you one more time. “You better not move.” He then licked a stripe up your folds, stimulating your clit in the process.

“Hyaah~!” The feeling was too much for your somewhat-inexperienced pussy and caused you to involuntarily push Bakugou back with your feet. The annoyance of being stopped was promptly displaced with satisfaction as he peered at your pitiful form.

“What did I just fuckin’ say? Open your legs again.” His voice that was rasp with frustration didn’t match his look of sadistic gratification. You were giving him just the reaction he wanted. Did you really think your meek little pussy was any match for him? He had barely touched you and this is how you’re acting? And the fact you were still hesitating on presenting that little pussy to him again only drove him more eager to ravish you. 

“Dammit, Y/N. Do I have to do every fucking thing?” Bakugou pulled you up by the waist so that you were in a piledriver-like position, with your back arched and ass raised in the air, and of course your pussy now directly presented up towards him. The crook of your neck was nothing compared to his tight grip around your hips, the squish of your flesh plunging from between his fingers. You couldn’t even use your legs to fight against him as his grip was too secure. “All I’m doing for you, and you can’t even follow simple fucking directions.

“’C-Cuz it felt too-Hmmnngh~!” You were cut off by the ravaging of Bakugou’s tongue over your pussy folds. He went back and forth from slurping up your juices to flicking his tongue over and over on your clit. If you weren’t already embarrassed by the position you were in, the absolute filthy sounds Bakugou was making with his mouth were achieving that. “Hnnggh~Baku…Bakugou!” You tried flailing your legs around in the air but Bakugou quickly grasped them in his hands. 

He ran his nails down the silky surface of your thighs, making for a sweetly masochistic pleasure mixed with his obscene lapping at your pussy. Continuing his gorging on your sweet pussy, he could feel you shaking from below him. He looked down below at your face, chucking into your pussy at how wretchedly delirious you looked.

“Gonna cum?” You vehemently shook your head no despite the swelling you felt within your pelvis. He slithered his hands down to glide them up your shirt, lifting up your bra above your soft breasts. “Well I’m not fucking stopping until you do. So give me something to play with until then.”

Bakugou roughly kneaded at your breasts between his fingers, squeezing them to hear your pitchy whines at the pain. The mix of his saliva and your slippery essence drooled from your pussy to pool at your tummy and breasts. He gathered a bit of the mixture and slicked his fingers in circles on your nipples. The erotic feeling of it sent a surge of pleasure straight to your pussy. “Ahahnn~ Bakugou…I-I’m gonna cumm~”

He locked eyes with you, continuing to slick his tongue around your clit. “From what?” Boosting your urgency to reply, he pinched a little harder at your nipples. “Tell me what you’re gonna cum from, princess.”

“F-From you eating my pussy~! From Katsuki eating my pussy~!!” The sounds of hearing you use his name for the first time made him pink in the cheeks and twitch in his boxers. Bakugou came up from between your hips, enticed to make you say more lewd things. You were rarely one to speak vulgarly so he’d make the best of your blissed-out state.

“Ahaha-! You sound like those silly pornos!” Not thinking your face could feel even more hot, you felt your cheeks rise with even more heat at his teasing. Bakugou took one of the hands from your breasts and palmed it against your slippery folds. “You still think every guy is like your stupid fucking ex, Y/N?” He ran his palm back and forth against your slit to keep you right on the edge of an orgasm.

“Noo~! Katsuki is so m-much better! Katsuki is sooo much better than my stupid ex~!”

He chuckled at your admittance, but of course, he couldn’t leave it there. “I’m kinda the fuckin’ best, aren’t I?”

“Hmmnn~! Yesss! ~the best! K-Katsuki is the bessst~!”

“You wanna cum on my tongue?”

“Please! Please let me-! Please let me cum on your tongue, Katsuki~!”

“You better fuckin’ listen to me and stay still, then. And don’t look away from me.”

Bakugou threw you back on the bed before lying on his stomach to place himself once more at your quivering pussy. Making sure your eyes were locked with his, he enveloped your folds within his mouth, sucking directly on your clit. He not only feasted on your pussy, but on the entranced look in your eyes. Your e/c eyes that looked at him like he was the only one that could gratify your carnal desires.

And from now on, he’d be sure he was the only one.

You gripped your fingers at the bed sheets beneath you as your orgasm rapidly creeped up on you. The intensity of Bakugou’s tongue coupled with his eye contact was sending you over the edge more fiercely than any pathetic ex or cheap sex toy ever could. “Ohhhmygodd~ Fuckkk-! I’m cumming! I’m cumming! I’m cumming! I’m-“

Forced to break eye contact with the unconscious jerk of your head back on the pillows, your pussy convulsed violently around Bakugou’s tongue. “Katsukiii~!” If you had to say, this was the most powerful orgasm you’d ever experienced. All at the hands- or tongue rather- of Bakugou Katsuki. Your ego would surely be disappointed in you choosing your pussy over it.

Bakugou slowly licked his tongue up and down your folds as you came down from your high. The corners of his lips lifted into a devious smile at your disheveled appearance. When your body finally stopped trembling, he completely separated his mouth from you and slid his body on top of yours to be face-to-face with you.

Silently, without care of you still gasping for air, he pressed his lips against yours, eventually intensifying the kiss with the slip of his tongue between your lips. Happily obliging, you glided your tongue against his as your fingers slithered up to once again fumble with his locks of hair. The taste of you on his tongue almost seemed sensual as you wrapped your legs around his waist.

Sliding his hand up to gently grip at your jaw, he separated his lips from yours, licking away the chain of saliva that still connected the two of you. As he sat upright to take his shirt off, he looked down at you, embellished with yearning to relieve his own build-up.

“Should I prove you wrong on fucking too before we hang out with those losers?”

<><>~~~~~~~<><>~~~~~~~🌹 ~~~~~~<><>~~~~~~~<><>

[elius-learns-to-write]

Beach Day

Hey Besties <3, I plan on getting 3 more posts like this out today as I know I haven't been the most active this week, then tomorrow there will be 2 more out so it means I have posted 7 written works this week. So keep your onions peeled. (the amazing writer @sapphireplums gave me so much inspiration to write with their kind words so you should give her a follow).

Summary: The avengers get their toes in the sand and their swimsuits on.

You had all been working for what felt like 200 years 

With missions and paperwork none of you had seen each other properly 

So an hour of brainstorming you came up with the genius idea of a beach day 

You decided to put the idea to Fury so he could clear everyone's schedule 

However it took a lot more convincing than you had expected

You shivered under the mans watchful gaze, you never really understood documentary presenters when they talked about the look of fear in some poor mouse's eyes as it was scooped up into the talons of some large bird, that was until you met Fury, you were sure you had the same look in your eyes right now. You shifted in your seat as he began to talk again, “So you want me to let the world's protectors go off duty for a whole day just so you can go running across some sand and take a swim in salty water? Even though if you wanted to get sand in your hair I would happily get you a bag of it?” he asked a hint of amusement in his voice, pausing his pacing to quirk his eyebrow at you. When he worded it like that it sounded stupid but you knew you all needed a break and you weren’t about to give up “I wouldn’t phrase it like that but yes sir that is in a way what I am asking, look we haven’t been together as a group since the last big team mission a month ago and I can’t remember the last time we spent a day together. Please?” If you can’t get someone to agree by simply asking them then tug at their heartstrings and beg. Those had been the wise words of your grandma Jo and it seems that they had been true “Fine you get 1 day then it’s all back to normal”

After convincing the terrifying director you had taken the idea to Tony as he was going to be the one paying for it 

It’s not like he doesn’t have enough money to give some to his friends (and even more to charity but that was an idea for another day)

Of course the man more than happy to splash some cash to see everyone have fun together (and in a swimsuit)

The morning of the trip had been stressful and chaotic to say the least

“DOES EVERYONE HAVE SUN CREAM?” the captain's voice boomed over the noise of zippers shutting, the music from the beach day playlist Tony had made and the excited chattering of the team. “Yes Captain safety first I have enough bottles in the car to last at least 20 years because unlike Y/n I actually know how to take care of myself” the genius quipped laughing at the offended noise that fell from your mouth, “at least I’m not going grey old man” you muttered wandering around trying to find the bucket and spade you had brought down stairs. “Hey as anyone who has seen my Bucket and Spade I can’t seem to find it” you called out rummaging through the colossal pile of bags “No, are you sure you brought it down doll?” Bucky spoke, looking round in confusion not remembering seeing you bring it down. If you weren’t so caught up in looking for your sandcastle building tools you would have laughed at the ‘lost tourist’ look on his face. “Yes I’m sure,” shoving bags with more aggression eager to find it “is everyone sure they haven’t taken it” you stopped to look at the group, cheeks tinted pink from the force at which you were moving bags. “Yes , we’re sure now get downstairs and in the car I’ll get you one when we get there” rushed Natasha, her red hair a nice contrast to the dark denim shorts she had on, “if we get there” whispered Sam making Thor laugh as he attempted to pick up 3 bags at once.

Anyone would have thought you were going on a 5 day holiday with the amount you had all tried to shove in the back of the mini-van you all chipped in for one year at Christmas for this exact reason

The seniors of the group ( Iced Americano and The metal armed man with no plan) were confused on why you needed to take this much but you and Wanda were insistent that you had packed the essentials 

(Okay maybe the hats, 5 bottles of sun cream and armbands and floats for the poor swimmers of the pack had been slightly unconventional for a day at the beach but it’s better safe than sorry right?)

The drive was also very chaotic

You hadn’t realised how uncomfortable the seats had been until you were forced to spend 2 hours stuck next to Loki in them. “I know this is the 10th time I have asked this but are we there yet?” the God was starting to seem more like a 5 year old than a stabbing machine and he wasn’t the only one ,“Can you please move your leg over a bit it’s on my side” Sam whined as he shoved Bucky’s shoulder “No for the last time I can’t so deal with it bird brain” the pair hadn’t stopped bickering since they stepped foot inside the vehicle. “Tony can you turn up the music and drown the noise of these kids out please” you sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose trying to soothe the oncoming headache (not that making the music even louder was going to help) “I thought you’d never ask kid” he replied lunging for the twisty thing no one actually knew the name of, that turned up the music (Bruce probably knew but no one had the energy to ask).

When you got there however the 2 hour drive felt like the needed sacrifice as your toes hit the sand. 

As much as you loved being able to fight alongside your family there was nothing better than watching them relax, faces slowly morphing into ones of pure bliss. 

“You alright there y/n? You looked like you were away with the fairies then” Steve chuckled, unfolding the deck chair he had brought and placing it next to yours. “Yeah I’m good I was just thinking about how lucky we are to have each other” the man smiled at you as your eyes glinted in the sunshine. “LAST ONE TO THE WATER SMELLS OF FISH” Peter screamed bolting towards the water, that bastard you thought jumping up and running after him “PETER YOU DICK I’M GONNA GET YOU!!!” you laughed. Once you got in the water you squeaked at how cold it was doing the ‘ohh ohh oh sihufbbe’ noise that came with the shock of cold water spinning around to splash water in bug boys face. Oh shit. That wasn’t Peter, you had forgotten that Bruce had gotten into the water straight after Tony and had been swimming beside you. The whole group froze half expecting the man to turn green however what you were met with wasn’t a green mean smashing machine and was in fact a laughing doctor and a splash of water to the face. After that a water fight started, screams of surprise and joy a comforting change to the screams of fear you usually heard in your line of work. You snuck off back to shore and looked at your found family from the warmth of your towel realising how lucky you were to be in a place of love and support, free of judgement. Because at the end of the day yes Loki would complain about the sand in his hair, Thor would be asking for a stop at the shops to add to his Pop tart stock pile, Nat would be silently filming Sam and Bucky bicker like an old married couple, Tony would make flirty remarks to Pepper about letting him rub sun cream on her back again some time, Peter and you would be talking shit to each other as he beat you at yet another game of Mario kart as Wanda and vision made sure to make an extra bowl of whatever they had made to take Bruce who had already made his way down to the lab but you were a family and there was no place you’d rather be.

You would say this was the best idea you ever had but the video of you painting Cap’s shield bright pink would beg to differ

It was a successful trip and you would 100% be posting the picture of Bucky and Peter looking depressed at the fact their ice-creams had fallen on the floor after a light game of ‘I’m gonna push you over’

Ahhhh the bliss of a beach day with the gang

[alpacaparkaseok]

Book of Soulmates

Pairing: Jimin x reader

Premise: Everyone is given a barcode that’s tattooed onto their wrists. Their soulmate has a matching barcode. It is common for most public areas to have a barcode scanner for those entering. The scanner will alert you if your soulmate has also entered the area.

“I can’t believe they only have one scanner,” my friend laments as she shifts from one foot to the other. “This is going to take forever.”

Looking at the line ahead of us, I can’t help but agree with her. If I had known that there would only be one scanner at the entrance of the concert, I would have found some way to sneak in. Now it’s much too late for that.

BTS doesn’t mess around when it comes to security.

“Do you think they make the boys scan in?” I wonder aloud, watching as an official looking person appears with what I hope is another barcode scanner in tow. 

“I don’t know...do you think they even want them to find their soulmate right now? That would probably put a damper on their career, don’t you think?” She gets up on her tippy toes, mimicking the vast majority of the crowd as they wait to see if it is indeed another scanner. 

When the man at the front begins to divide people into two separate lines to utilize both scanners, a round of cheers erupt in the crowd. 

“Finally!”

“I was scared they were going to start the concert without us.”

“How would they even start the concert? All the fans would be outside waiting to get scanned.”

“Yeah, there’d only be like six people in the venue.”

“Oh to be those six people.”

I chuckle at the conversations I overhear, rolling my eyes. “Oooh, look! We’re moving!”

My friend and I leap forward, suddenly feeling like the line is moving much quicker now. “You’ve got your ticket, right?”

I nod. “Right here.”

To add to our joy, a third scanner is set up. Soon the lines are flowing as they should be, people hardly glancing at the scanner as they slide their wrist below it, eager to get inside. 

I hop on my toes as my friend goes ahead, getting the ok from the staff member with hawk-like eyes. They wave me forward, and I grin at my friend as I swipe my wrist under. 

“Thank y-” I chirp, but a hand on my arm stops me mid sentence. 

“Wait here, please.”

I blink at them, my heart stopping. “What?”

“Your barcode jammed the system,” the staff member explains, unplugging the scanner and a round of groans going through the crowd. “Come with me, I’ll get your barcode properly scanned and lead you to your seat.”

“Can my friend come with me?” I ask in a small voice. The staff member gives me a long look, a flicker of stress behind their eyes. 

“I’ll lead you to your seat as soon as I finish, please tell your friend to go ahead without you.”

It’s the look of stress that stops me from pressing the matter, and I wave at my friend who gives me a wave back, looking confused. I shrug, following the staff member. 

What I assumed would be a quick walk to find another scanner turns out to be a jaunt through the entire stadium, weaving in and out of hallways that are bustling with staff members and makeup artists.

The worker that stole me away is currently speaking quietly into a walkie-talkie, using strange phrases and words that make no sense to me. My heart pounds as I wonder if I’m somehow in trouble, and I begin to wrack my brain for what I did wrong. 

“Wait right here, please.” The staff member doesn’t even wait to see if I’ll obey before heading off into a closed room.

Leaning against the wall and keeping my eyes down as I feel the stares of all the other workers, I pray that this will be over quickly. I’m sure my friend is worried about me and the concert is supposed to be starting soon.

I swear, if I miss even one song I’m going to lose my mind. 

The minutes tick by, the halls growing more and more frantic. I’ve started keeping count of all the times people pass me, and I’m nearly to 75 when I feel a light tap on my shoulder.

I turn, expecting to see the same worker as before but gasp as I see Sejin instead.

“Sorry to startle you,” he says. “Would you mind coming inside for a moment?”

Unable to say a word, I simply nod and follow him to the room where the worker disappeared. As I enter, I find that I’m unable to continue moving. Frozen in the doorway, I stare at Sejin as though he’s my only hope.

“I...I don’t think I should be in here.”

“On the contrary,” laughs Taehyung from where he’s lounging on the couch. “This is exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

All seven members of BTS are looking at me from where they’re sitting in various positions around the room. It looks like they were in a last minute run-through of the concert, they’re completely decked out and ready to perform. 

So why...?

“Come in, please,” Sejin says, shooting Taehyung a sharp look. “This won’t take long.”

It’s like swimming through concrete trying to walk inside the room, but when I remember that they have a concert to put on in like fifteen minutes I pick up the pace. Sejin closes the door behind me, offering me a seat just outside the circle. 

“Am I in trouble?” I ask, sitting down and keeping my eyes on Sejin. I feel like I might pass out if I look anywhere else. 

Sejin gives me a soft smile, understanding my worry. “No, absolutely not. Are you feeling alright? Do you need anything? Water...snacks?”

I frown. “...no. No, I’m fine. What’s going on?”

Everyone chuckles at my question, making my cheeks burn. I look down at my shoes, praying that I’ll wake up from this strange dream soon. 

“Jiminie, you said that you wanted to explain.” Namjoon is quick to get everyone back on track, a hush falling over the room. 

Jimin, who’s sitting three people down from me, sits on the edge of the couch. I peek up at him, another blush taking over my features. 

His cheeks are rosy as well as he purses his lips, looking completely unsure of himself. “Right.” He looks around the room as though searching for a prop or something before his eyes land on my exposed wrist. 

His fingers are shaking as he struggles to unbutton his cuffs, j-hope helping him when he can’t quite get it. 

“I have this barcode...” he mumbles, rolling his sleeve up until it’s hugging his elbow. Twisting, he extends his wrist out, showing me his barcode. “Look familiar?”

I blink, staring at his barcode for a long moment. Most barcodes look similar, some only varying in thickness or number by a small amount. But as I see Jimin’s barcode, deep down I know.

I’ve been looking at the same barcode on my own wrist my entire life. 

My mouth grows dry the longer I look at his barcode, refusing to look him in the eyes. “Is it...?”

A quick glance at his face shows me that Jimin has wide, hopeful eyes. It’s enough to make me sit up straighter, that look going through me like a bolt of lightning. 

“Yes.”

My mouth is ajar as I go back and forth from his barcode to my own, not quite believing my eyes. “Are you sure? They could just look really similar...the staff said I jammed the system,” I offer a little helplessly. “So we shouldn’t just jump to conclusions here.”

The boys share an impressed look, Jimin scratching the back of his neck before getting up off the couch. “Where’s that scanner?” He asks, Sejin appearing with a scanner in hand.

“You’ve got five minutes,” Sejin says. “Everyone else go gather up.”

I watch in horror as the other members get up and begin to file out of the room, bidding me farewell.

“We’ll see you later,” Namjoon says. “Jimin, five minutes.”

“I know.”

Jungkook gives me a sheepish wave. “It was nice meeting you. Enjoy the concert.”

Right. There’s still a concert.

When the room is empty of everyone except for the two of us, Jimin clutches the scanner in hand and walks over to me. 

“I...” He pauses, looking like he’s the one that just got thrown into a room with his idol. “May I?”

He gestures to my hand, and it takes me a moment to understand what he wants. For some reason my brain keep short-circuiting every time I look at him and his soft gaze.

“Oh, yeah,” I mumble, holding out my hand and flipping it so he can scan the barcode.

“Look,” he says, sitting beside me and showing me the screen. Scanning my barcode, I gasp as I see what it says.

Match: Park Jimin (red alert)

The words blink up at me, daring me to believe them. Jimin sits quietly beside me, waiting for me to say something.

Watching the blinking screen, a giggle escapes me. Jimin freezes, unsure of what to do. 

“What’s so funny?” He asks, sounding a little offended. I shake my head, pointing at the screen. 

“This. I mean, what?” I look at Jimin, grinning. “I literally thought I was in major trouble because earlier I said that I should have just found a way to sneak in without having to wait to get scanned. I seriously thought that I was going to get fined or something!”

Jimin’s concerned expression morphs into a smiling one, and he joins in on the laughter.

“Well, surprise!” He waves the scanner in the air. 

I can’t stop shaking my head, still in disbelief. Sighing, I look at the clock on the wall.

“Don’t you have a concert or something?”

At that exact moment someone knocks on the door, and Jimin jumps up. Extending his hand to me, I stand as well, marveling at the feel of his hand in mine. 

“I’ll see you after?”

I grin. “I’ll think about it.”

masterlist

@dreamcatcherjiah​

[dizzydancingdreamer]

Persephone's Symphony | Day One | Persephone

Hey lovelies— so as per my usual shenanigans I've decided this will have no schedule and that I will play god to my own creation because what is life without some chaos? The pros are you might not have to wait a week between updates, the cons are you might have to wait a week between updates. In all seriousness, please enjoy my lovelies!

Synopsis: In which he is the bad one— the dangerous one, the clunky one, the one who only knows how to break things— and she is the good one— the fragile one, the soft one, the one who knows how to put things back together— and he has to keep her alive long enough for anyone else— anyone who can do more than kill— to save her like she deserves to be saved— to save her from him. There are no pomegranates, no three headed dogs, and no requirement to stay— that is, if they don’t count an assassin on the loose out for her neck. In that case, three days in a safe house doesn’t feel like a long time— just long enough for Persephone and Hades to remember why opposites attract.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader (third person)

Warnings: Mentions of death, at times semi-graphic, eventual smut

Word count: 3.1k

Previous | Next

Master List

She can’t hear what the man in the truck says to him— the walls of this house are surprisingly thick. She supposes that’s a good thing. It means she will be able to go about her days normally while cooped up here. Well, as normal as possible. She doubts she’ll be able to get away with her three am rom-com marathons and ice-cream binges. She doubts she’ll get away with screaming in her sleep— and in the shower and at the breakfast table and when doing any, little thing that makes her remember that her life is one, constant nightmare.

It’s only three days— all she has to do is stay awake for three days.

While his head— her body guard’s head— is turned she leans against the kitchen sink, inching back the white lace curtain for what feels like the hundredth time. It’s like a little game at this point. She peeks at him, his eyes snap to hers, and she squeals and drops the curtain. Thank god the walls are thick. It’s almost unnerving how tuned he is to every little movement— not almost, it is unnerving but she supposes that is what makes him a good fit for this job. A good fit for keeping her alive. Like she has been doing for months now, she ignores the way her chest squeezes painfully.

Through the little strip of window that she allows for herself, she traces over his features one last time. Cropped black hair, a square jaw, at least two days worth of stubble. He looks like a bodyguard— rough, dangerous, manly— and that’s before taking into account the sheer size of the man. She is on her tiptoes, one hand pushing against the stainless steel below her for dear life, and she still has to crane her neck to properly see his face. She refuses to let her eyes wander any further than that— she had already glimpsed at the rest of him when he had made the short walk from the truck to the house. She already knows he’s massive.

His eyebrow twitches and she drops the curtain— she may not be as fast as he is but she’s a quick learner. Had she held the curtain open longer she is sure his eyes would have flicked to hers again. Those are the rules of the game, after all. She hears a muted thumping and the door handle jiggle from across the room, spinning towards the faded farmhouse door. She watches as the door handle turns, her throat tight, wondering where all the air in the room went— it was there a second ago.

The door pushes open and she jumps away from the sink, only just realizing what it’ll look like if he comes inside to her still hunched over the window. Of course, he’s already seen her but that’s beside the point. Part of the game is not talking about the game. A boot comes into view— the black, military grade kind— and it hits her like a punch to the gut that this is real— there really is someone out there trying to kill her. Now she really can’t breath. She can only force her lungs to expand to draw in some oxygen before her bodyguard finds her sprawled in an unconscious heap on the ground.

The boot is quickly followed by a leg, which is then, by default, followed by a torso and a head. A head that turns and watches her freeze, red handed like a bandit, in the middle of the kitchen. Gods, she should have just kept leaning against the sink— this is worse! Her hands are up and everything, shot out in front of her like she’s about to jump him or something. Yes, her— the girl currently in a hoodie that pools around her legs, displaying her knobby knees and bad posture— about to jump him— the man who had to practically duck to get through the doorway. She could laugh. In fact, she almost wishes he would laugh at her. She wishes he would do anything but look at her with that blank expression and those ice blue eyes.

“Uhm—” she blinks, trying to think of something to say other than holy shit you’re a giant— which, for the record, is what she wants to say— “hi?”

Are you serious, y/n?

He tilts his head at her and she almost cries. Not the same fear ridden, heartbroken, panicky cries of late. More so the awkward, why the fuck would you say that to the man charged with keeping you alive brand of cries. The normal kind. She drops her hands to her sides, slipping them into the pouch of her hoodie and tangling her fingers together. She can only allow herself to display one embarrassing thing at a time.

The man stays silent for a moment, each second of which makes her cheeks flame hotter and hotter, before finally opening his mouth. “Hi.”

Her chest deflates— some of the heat subsiding. He copied her. Whether purposefully or mockingly it alleviates some of the stupidity she’s feeling. She takes a few steps backwards, her bare feet pittering rather loudly over the worn hardwood. Well, that didn’t last long— there’s that embarrassment again.

“I’m y/n,” she squeaks out— gods, is Mickey Mouse in the building? “I guess you already know that though, huh?”

It was a stroke of genius putting her hands in her pocket— at least now he can’t see the way they shake furiously. She has to resist smashing her head against the sink. Nothing about this situation is optimal, to say the very least. Here she is making small talk with a man who could tear her in half. Her eyes drift to where his red henley pulls taut around his biceps— are they bigger than her head?

“James—” her eyes flick back up, face hotter than the sun, both from her blatant staring and the deep gravel of his voice— “but most people call me Bucky.”

Her eyes widen. She doesn’t know why, probably because she’s an idiot or because she isn’t expecting him to say more than three words. He seems like the strong, silent type. Maybe that is just the rom-coms though. Maybe her brain is just mush now.

“Okay,” she all but whispers, backing further into the sink. His piercing eyes have yet to leave her— something which makes her knees knock together and fingers clench. “Which should I call you?”

He tenses, his dark eyebrows pulling together, and she has to swallow the bile that rises in her throat. It’s day one and she’s already offending him. She pulls her lip between her teeth, biting down until the tangy, metallic taste that she has grown too familiar with these past months floods her mouth. She tells herself that she does it to keep from cursing. Lying to herself is another game she likes to play.

The longer he remains quiet, the more she regrets asking the question. His blue eyes are still latched on her, drifting over the space between her eyes and her busted lip, but somehow they also seem miles away. She can’t tell if he’s looking at her— seeing her— or if he’s seeing something else entirely. It isn’t until she pushes off the counter, taking a hesitant step forward, her foot slapping against the wood like it’s trying to embarrass her again, that he blinks. She pulls one of her hands from the puddle that is her hoodie, sliding it over her hair. Can he see the way it shakes?

Probably.

“Nevermind, forget I asked. It was a dumb ques—”

“Bucky,” the word is rushed out, falling over her own stuttered babbling. He slows after that, his face remaining stoic but his cheeks dusting with the slightest hint of pink. “Call me Bucky.”

She doesn’t point it out— she doesn’t have a death wish. Her being here right now, standing across from a literal giant, barefoot and shaking, is proof enough of that. Instead she nods gently, lowering her hand slowly. He’s not going to attack her— he isn’t a wolf— but still she takes the precaution. Better safe than sorry.

“Bucky it is then.”

He nods stiffly and she pretends like it doesn’t make her hands shake harder. She waits for him to speak, eyes drifting over the blue cupboards and the breakfast nook, taking in the applications of the home and trying not to scream. She feels so out of place, not used to the warmth in the room— the lingering smell of yeast and the flowers in the vase on the table. She used to bake all the time. Now she can barely bring herself to microwave frozen dinners. The sun that filters through the crack in the curtains and lands against her cheek feels like pure fire. She spends her days in the dark— she wouldn’t be surprised if she was allergic to the sun itself now. Allergic to all the things she used to enjoy.

The silence is too much— she has to speak to keep her throat from closing. If she doesn’t then it may not open again.

“So—” she draws the word out, her eyes flopping to the floor where her toe scuffs against a particularly worn board— “we just kinda follow each other around then?”

His face doesn’t change, his lips remaining in the same, expressionless line— a master of one trade. “Pretty much. I follow you.”

“And make sure I don’t die.” She fills the rest in— there’s no point not to. He’s definitely seen the pictures.

Finally his expression shifts, his lips pressing together tersely. It’s an answer in it’s own right— he pities her. He shifts his weight between his feet, the floorboards creaking below him. It could just be her but the sound slices through the room— loud and unforgiving— and she can’t stop the way she flinches. He freezes, obviously noticing her reaction. She almost slaps herself. Leave it to her to make an already tense situation worse. Is it going to be this awkward the entire time?

“You’re not going to die.” His voice is softer than his boots, barely reaching her ears as it cuts through the rigid atmosphere.

She doesn’t know what to say— how do she tell her bodyguard that she doesn’t believe him? He’s supposed to be the one saving her life. It feels risky to suggest that he wouldn’t be able to do that. Like telling the universe that she wants to die. She doesn’t want to die. It’s just hard not to think about death when it follows her everywhere she goes. For twenty-four years she was just y/n. Now look at her.

The queen of death.

She doesn’t know what to say so instead she changes the subject.

“Are you hungry?”

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

She makes grilled cheese for lunch. It is nothing special but the smell of the butter alone makes the energy she has to scrape together to make them worth it. She can’t remember the last time she cooked like this— the last time she tasted anything but freezer burnt macaroni and lumpy gravy. A couple times she almost drops the spatula, her fingers not used to having to be so coordinated, but the promise of melted cheddar has her fighting through the tremors. That and the audience of one, standing next to her with his arms crossed like he’s judging her culinary skills rather than looking for snipers.

It’s all in her head. That’s what she tells herself at least.

“You want extra cheese?”

She can feel Bucky’s eyes on the side of her face— is there something on her cheek? “Sure.”

It’s all in her head.

She flips the sandwiches, watching as the fluffy white bread is replaced with a perfect, golden brown toast. Her stomach growls, the sound somehow louder than the sizzling pan in her hand. The scream bubbles in her throat again— fuck. Why must everything she does be so humiliating? Why can’t she just keep it together for three days!

“Bacon?” Cue the voice crack.

“Bacon?” He repeats the word back like he hasn’t the faintest clue what a pig is— like somehow he’s a giant of a man but has never touched a piece of meat in his entire life.

Like it’s the dumbest question he has ever been asked. She swallows— hard— her cheeks pooling with heat again. She’s starting to wonder if it ever even left. If he asks she’ll blame it on the steam rising off the pan or her hoodie or both. But he won’t ask— he won’t speak until he has to. It did not take her long to gather that fact.

“You’ve never had bacon on grilled cheese?” It feels like he’s glaring at her.

It’s all in her damn head.

The floorboards groan underneath Bucky again and instead of flinching this time she tries to imagine what they might be saying. Save me, he’s crushing me! She flicks her eyes down, glancing at those military grade boots and then at her own toes, tiny and feeble compared to the size of his gear. One wrong step and her foot would likely be broken. She isn’t too worried about that though— he seems careful. His movements thus far have been slow and calculated, skirting around her and leaving at least a few feet between them at all times. Maybe that isn’t to keep from stepping on her though— maybe he just doesn’t like her. She wouldn’t blame him.

“You say it like that’s unheard of.” He doesn’t say it angrily but there’s no exuberance in his voice either— just the monotone she’s come to expect. It’s been one hour and she can already see how the next seventy-one are going to play out.

“Where I’m from it is.”

There’s a pause— the sound of butter crackling against the pan and of the steady picking up of rain against the kitchen window as it eats away at the sunshine— and she’s expecting the conversation to drop there. He isn’t there to entertain her, after all. That’s what the TV is for— what Leonardo DiCaprio is for.

But then there’s an answer. “Where are you from?”

The corner of her mouth lifts— an action so foreign she can practically see the dust shedding from her rusty smile— and she turns from the frypan long enough to meet his icy eyes and to throw out an arm, putting the front of her hoodie on display for the stoic man.

“SoCal.”

Her mouth lifts higher when Bucky raises an eyebrow, nodding slowly. He could be mocking her but she chooses to believe he’s interested. She chooses to believe that they are making progress and that she won’t have to spend three days talking to the walls. She turns back to the sandwiches, flipping them for the last time before laying down a few strips of bacon next to them.

She isn’t expecting him to keep going but she also isn’t complaining when his voice tickles her ears again. “Caltech, huh? S’that Pasadena?”

She tries to keep her smile from morphing into a full blown grin— she isn’t sure if her poor lips would be able to handle it. It’s been too long since she last used her mouth this much; both for smiling and talking. “Yes sir— born and raised.”

He hums and she watches from the corner of her eye as he leans to the window, peering out of it for a moment. There’s no one out there— at least she strongly doubts there is. This place is in the middle of nowhere. She hasn’t even heard a car since the truck that dropped Bucky off drove away. It’s supposed to be peaceful. She doesn’t see it. All she sees is the dreadful but necessary silence— at least hopefully that way they’ll hear someone coming.

“How about you? Where are you from—” she flips the bacon, pushing it around the pan, her mouth watering at the thought of the greasy, gooey goodness she’s about to consume— “You mind finding some plates?”

She hears him rummage through the cupboard above his head— well, above her head, in front of his— before two mismatched pieces of dishware appear before her nose. Grabbing them, she lets the corners of her lips tick up just the tiniest bit further.

“Indiana— but spent most of my time in Brooklyn.”

“It shows.” She muses, not turning to see whether or not he appreciates the comment.

It’s true regardless— she can hear some of the mannerisms of New York in his voice. Not many. He hasn’t said enough for her to truly gauge just how strong his accent is. Still it’s there, in the gruffness of his tone, just like she’s sure the SoCal shines through in her. At least it normally does— lately she hasn’t exactly been the picture of sunshine.

She removes the sandwiches from the pan, layering them carefully onto the plates. After staring at them for a moment she settles on the one that she wants, handing Bucky the bigger of the two. It’s only fair— he could probably eat at least four. She watches as the giant gives it a glance, rolling her eyes when he hesitantly lifts it to his lips, taking the smallest of bites. Is he afraid of a sandwich?

“I promise I’m not trying to poison you— I need you to stay alive, remember?”

He only grunts.

She has to turn away when he takes a bigger bite, her eyes refusing to detach themselves from his lips. Unprofessional and inappropriate. The orphan and the bodyguard. She takes a bite of her own sandwich, shoving the thought to the back of her mind and replacing it with the heavenly taste of gooey cheese, melted butter, and greasy bacon. She doesn’t have to dissect the thoughts of her delicious food like she would have to the other ones. Cheese doesn’t require a checklist about whether or not her grief quota is up to code. Clearly it’s not— clearly she’s just sick in the head. She takes another bite.

The two eat in silence for a couple minutes, the tension in the room melting for the first time since she introduced herself. Thank gods for cheese.

After a few more moments Bucky sets his plate down, turning back to the window. At first she thinks she is hearing things— like her mind is now also playing tricks on her as well as making her feel like a terrible person— but then it registers and she has to fight back another inappropriate smile.

“You were right about the bacon.”

Maybe three days won’t be so bad.

____________

Tag List: @xhollycowx @remembered-license​

[plainbrunettelbl]

ABO (A) Half Shark Kirishima Eijiro x (O) Reader Forever Love

Word count: 4921

Warnings: None. 

Title: ABO (A) Half Shark Kirishima Eijiro x (O) Reader Forever Love

Summary: You go to the beach and meet a strange shark tooth Alpha. 

(Gif not mine) 

🦈-Summer was here and you were ready to enjoy the sun. 

🦈-You wasted no time packing a beach bag and driving to see the gritty sand and blue water. You wore a pair of sunglasses, you were glad you did since the sun was high in the sky and it wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon. 

🦈-You all but leaped out of your car and dashed across the sand. You adored summer and missed the feeling of sand under your feet. Before you could get fully sucked in by the sparkling waves you made sure to put on a thick layer of sunscreen. 

🦈-You didn’t want to mess with skin cancer. 

🦈-Once you were all lathered up you set your beach towel down and sat on it until the sunscreen had soaked in a bit. As soon as your phone beeped telling you it was time you were running into the blue water. 

🦈-The cool water was a shock to your body but you embraced it the feeling.

🦈-You were heating up a bit sitting on the beach so it was really refreshing having the cool water lapping against your skin. You should have brought a tube but you were in a hurry to get to the beach so you left it for another time. 

🦈-You pushed all your thoughts away and simply floated. 

🦈-It was twenty minutes later that you opened your eyes. You paused as you looked around and saw that you were farther from the shore than you thought. You weren't the greatest swimmer around so you started to panic a bit but your focus on the distance between you and the shore was pushed aside when something brushed against your foot. 

🦈-You looked down and gasped. A grey fin and shark teeth greeted you. You swiftly kicked at the figure and tried to swim away. You didn’t get very far before a red-headed man sputtered up in front of you. You paused your escape and gaped at him. 

🦈-“Why did you kick me?” He whined, rubbing the top of his head. 

🦈-“Why did you touch my feet?” You argued, if you weren’t using your arms to keep you upright you would have thrown them in air. 

🦈-“I was interested in your second hands.” He frowned, pushing his crimson hair out of his eyes. 

🦈-You spotted silver skin scattered around his tan hand. It almost reminded you of scales. If that didn’t alert you to the fact that he wasn’t human his gills did. Three neatly lined gills fluttered on his neck. The sight was intriguing. 

🦈-“My second hands? You mean my feet?” You asked, still gliding your arms around to keep you upright now that you weren’t floating on your back. 

🦈-“The second hands you have keeping you afloat. I have a tail and you have second hands.” He pointed out, lifting his tail higher to the surface to show you.  

🦈-His tail reminded you of a shark, grey on the sides but white in the middle. If his sharp teeth were any indicator you would say he was some type of shark male hybrid. If he were to turn around you would probably see a shark fin on his back. 

🦈-“Are you gonna eat me?” You almost slapped your self at the stupid question that escaped your mouth. 

🦈-“What?! Why would I eat you? I don’t eat humans.” He huffed, obviously offended you thought he would eat you. 

🦈-Not only have you met a half-human hybrid but you managed to kick him in the face and offend him in all of but five minutes. You wouldn’t be surprised if he decided he did want to eat you. 

🦈-“Then what do you eat?” You asked, tilting your head at him. 

🦈-He drew his head back, surprised that you asked him such a question. Weren’t humans supposed to be scared of someone like him? This is the most human contact he has gotten in decades. His Alpha was oddly quiet in your presence. 

🦈-Was he observing the strange human too? Nevertheless, this human wasn’t afraid of him, he found that admirable of her. He didn’t have many friends. His best friend was a tan puffer fish that was annoyed at him half the time. 

🦈-“Fish, like any other shark.” He said, grinning at the thought of feasting on the scaly creature, his razor-sharp teeth making an appearance again. 

🦈-“Oh.” You replied, your brain trying to catch up with everything. 

🦈-“What do you eat?” He asked, curious about what humans consume. He sometimes saw humans licking a cream-like treat or eating something round and long on a stick. He was interested in what this little human ate. 

🦈-“Ummm… food? Red meat? Vegetables?” You said, not sure what he wanted to hear. 

🦈-“Is red meat good? Better than fish?” He asked, excited by this new information. 

🦈-“I can get you some if you want. I know they sell kabobs on the pier.” You thought, remembering people walk by you with some in their hands while you waited for your sunscreen to soak in. 

🦈-“You would bring me some!” His eyes sparkled, excited at the thought of trying something other than fish. 

🦈-“I mean yeah, I could.” You answered, trying not to blush over his excited face. This male shark hybrid was a handsome one. It was the least you could do, you did kick him in the face and offend the poor guy. 

🦈-“Wait, but then you would have to leave. How do I know if you are coming back?” He narrowed his eyes, not eager for this sweet-smelling human to leave yet. His Alpha pushed forward and nearly growled at the thought. 

🦈-In truth, the poor male was attention-starved. He was a pretty intimidating guy, all the sea life tended to stay away from him. Now that he had someone’s attention he didn’t want them to go away. He didn’t have to dwell much on the thought of you leaving before a soft sound invaded his ears. 

🦈-It was a gentle ring that made his whole body warm. You were giggling at his brooding face. 

🦈-“Of course I am coming back. Now that I know you aren’t gonna eat me I can pester you with all sorts of questions.” You smiled, thinking of all the tales he would have about the deep blue sea. 

🦈-This would be an interesting friendship… or more. 

***

🦈-Your friendship has bloomed over the last two weeks. It was tradition to come down to the beach whenever you could and buy him a kabob before making your way down to the pier. The main pier was busy and bustling with people but the small one meant for the local fishermen was still pretty vacant and empty. 

🦈-You tried to stay in the water the first week but it just wasn’t practical. You had to wash and dry your swimsuit so many times it was tearing at the seams. Floating on a tube was better but it still had its drawbacks. 

🦈-Your fingers and toes would winkle like raisins. 

🦈-Eijiro was fascinated by your feet and wouldn’t stop trying to touch and nibble on them. You had noticed pretty quickly that although he wasn’t interested in eating you he had some sort of fascination with softly nibbling on you. 

🦈-When you asked him about it he said it was a shark thing. He has grown up with his parents doing it so he thought it was normal to do so to his new human friend. 

🦈-You had just sat down at the pier and dipped your feet into the cold water, not even a second later a sharp pair of teeth were nibbling on your toes. You let out an airy giggle, already used to his odd behavior.

🦈-“Save the chewing for your kabob, Eijiro.” You teased, lifting your toes out of the water and leaned down to show the steaming kabob to him. 

🦈-He was quick to burst out of the water and snatch it up with his sharp teeth. He reminded you of a human version of jaws when he did that. 

🦈-“Thank you, Y/N. You know you don’t have to keep buying me meat all the time.” He said while nearly chomping on the wooden stick. 

🦈-“I don’t mind. If I didn’t spend it on you I would spend it on something else. Like this bracelet. I saw it while walking down the pier to get your kabob. It caught my eye and I instantly purchased it.  It’s too big for me but I like the color.” You hummed, showing him the threaded black and red bracelet on your wrist. 

🦈-In the time it took you to respond he had already finished his kabob, he made sure to put the stick on the pier. You would take it later and throw it away properly. 

🦈-“Oh, that’s a nice bracelet.” He commented, not taking his eyes off it. 

🦈-He peered at it with an awed look in his eyes. Completely unrelated he lifted his hand to mess with his hair, showcasing his empty wrist. Silently hoping you would spot it and say something. 

🦈-“Oh! Would you like it? I don’t think I can wear it without worrying it would slide off. You have a bigger wrist than me so it should fit you better.” You offered, taking off the red bracelet and dangling it on your finger above him. 

🦈-You never saw him move that fast before. The bracelet was already snatched out of your hand and on his wrist in the blink of an eye. You were right, it fit more snug on his tanned wrist than yours. 

🦈-“Make sure not to lose it. I bet it is a whole other story losing something in the sea rather than on land.” You thought, swishing your legs in the water. 

🦈-“I won’t take it off.” He nearly growled, something primal lurked in his eyes.  

🦈-Your Omega was nearly purring at the look. You merely nodded and shifted your eyes to the blue sky. You noticed there were a lot more clouds in the sky than normal, you hoped it didn’t rain. 

🦈-“What happens when it rains? Do you go back to your cave and wait it out like a regular human?” You questioned, looking down into his ruby eyes. 

🦈-“Sometimes I stock up on fish when it is just a small shower. If it starts lightning and thundering I usually chill in my den until it passes. You don’t want to be out in the open when lightning strikes down.” He commented, holding back a wince. 

🦈-“Huh. I hadn’t thought about that.” You said, kicking your feet out and splashing his face with water. 

🦈-He retaliated by catching on of your feet and playfully chewing on it. His teeth were tickling you, you reach down and grab a handful of his red hair. You tried to yank him off but he wouldn’t budge. He was a stubborn shark when it came to his prey. 

🦈-Not that you were prey to him. He just considered you to be his. Especially after your little gift to him. To give shark-kind a gift it meant you had started the courting process. The next time he saw you he would give you one back, to solidify your courtship. 

🦈-“Quit it Eijiro! You’re tickling me.” You laughed, leaning down even further, your face inches from his. 

🦈-Once he felt your soft breath on his face he let go and tilted his head up at you. Now it was your turn to fell his breath on your face. The closeness was enough to make your Omega swoon. You felt your mind was playing tricks on you when you heard a gentle purr coming from him. 

🦈-It was like you were in a trance, your eyes caught his lips and it was all you could focus on. You slowly felt yourself leaning even further down to him. He was leaning forward as well. His breath coming out in big pants. 

🦈-His tail was swishing rapidly in the water. Almost like a puppies tail would when they get excited. 

🦈-“You trying to drown yourself, girl!” An older man’s voice called out from the distance. 

🦈-You quickly put both of your feet on Eijiro’s shoulders and pushed him down. You would have been worried if he was human but since he was half-shark you knew he would be safe. Safer than someone finding out his kind existed. 

🦈-Sure there were shifters on land but people held major prejudice against them. You could only imagine the type of hysteria if humans found out they were surrounded by shifters on land and in the water. 

🦈-Maybe it was because you knew a few shifters and that was why you didn’t freak out when you first discovered him. 

🦈-“I thought I saw a crab!” You yelled, turning to look over your shoulder. 

🦈-An old man with a long fishing pole made his way down the pier. He wore a yellow raincoat with boots to match. He was the definition of fisherman. 

🦈-“Well, that’s good to hear. I hope to catch a lot of them tonight. Supposed to start raining soon.” He drawled, tipping his yellow hat up at the sky. 

🦈-While he was talking you still felt the warmth of Eijiro’s shoulders on your feet. You tapped him on both shoulders, silently telling him to swim away. His response was to slide a hand up your ankle. He wasn’t leaving until you were. 

🦈-“Oh. I better get going then. I wouldn’t want to get caught in the rain.” You said, leaning one hand down to clasp his hand and squeeze it before pulling your feet out of the water and slipping back on your flip flops. 

🦈-You made sure to grab his kabob stick before leaving. You shot him one last look. He was still submerged under the water. His face reminded you of a wounded puppy. You were leaving so soon. Your Omega was whining at the ordeal but there wasn’t much you could do. 

🦈-You didn’t bring your swimsuit so you couldn’t swim with him. Plus the rain wouldn’t have helped matters either. He would have to go back to his cave anyways. 

🦈-“See you later, little crab.” You softly said, giving him a half-smile.

🦈-You turned around and began walking back to your car. You couldn’t believe you were about to kiss him! Your heart was pounding in your chest. He was your friend, not your boyfriend!

🦈-You had to get your emotions under control. You both were from two separate lands, it would never work. You pushed down your sadness and kept walking down the pier, leaving a sad shark behind. 

***

🦈-“Hey, Y/n, do you have the paperwork I told you have done ready?” One of your Alpha coworkers asked, peering over at you in your small cubical. 

🦈-“Yeah, I just finished typing it up.” You replied, leaning over your desk to get the file. 

🦈-Your scent must have wafted her way. 

🦈-“Are you seeing anyone? Your scent smells different. Kinda reminds me of the ocean.” She prodded, eager to hear some gossip.  

🦈-You instantly flushed, your little trips to the beach must be affecting your scent. It was usually a soft peppermint smell. Now it was intertwined with a hint of saltwater. 

🦈-“N-no, I’m not seeing anyone. I think it is just because I am spending so much time at the beach lately.” You answered, handing her the file over your cubical wall. 

🦈-“Oh, well you should go on a few courting dates. Nothing better than summer love.” She grinned, thinking of all the Omega’s she could court this summer. 

🦈-“I’ll let you know if I do.” You said, looking back over at your computer screen. 

🦈-Should you start looking for a potential Alpha? You had no reason not to look for one. At that moment a certain shark-toothed male popped up into your head. 

🦈-No! He was off-limits. You should focus on Alphas you could actual court. 

🦈-It was decided, you would start looking for a potential mate. 

***

🦈-“So, have you eaten here before?” You asked, looking up from your plate of spaghetti, you speared a big meatball and brought it to your mouth. 

🦈-You had met him on a dating app. You didn’t know that he was vegetarian until he was ordering at the start of the date. You had placed your order before him so it was a tiny bit embarrassing eating meat in front of him. 

🦈-“Yes. They have a really good vegetarian selection here.” He said, looking down at his meatless meal. 

🦈-You had to admit that this Alpha was very attractive. He had had shoulder-length brown hair, glowing golden eyes, and a strong jawline. He would have made your Omega melt if it wasn’t for someone else. 

🦈-During the meal you found yourself comparing this Alpha to the sliver skinned one that seemed to take up your thoughts. 

🦈-Your Omega couldn’t help but nick-pick at him. 

🦈-He didn’t love meat like a certain someone, his teeth are dull, and he doesn’t have spiky crimson hair. He was nothing like her Alpha. Yes, her Alpha. She had started calling him that after your last encounter. You tried to correct her but she wasn’t having it. 

🦈-You tried to listen to the Alpha sitting across from you but your heart wasn’t into it. Your heart seemed to feel heavy lately, it might have had something to do with your absence from the beach. You hadn’t been back to the pier for a whole week. 

🦈-Your heart was telling you it was time to reunite with the muscled male. You finally submitted to those thoughts. You would go to see him tomorrow. 

🦈-That had your Omega purring and bouncing around. She was finally gonna see her Alpha!

***

🦈-Your Omega was jumping around excitingly as soon as you pulled into the beach parking area. She was gonna see her Alpha! You had an image of her rolling around on her back happily. You, on the other hand, were a bit nervous stepping out of the car. 

🦈-You knew going to the pier wasn’t an option. 

🦈-Your Omega had cut off that train of thought as soon as it appeared and wouldn’t even let you consider it. She wanted you in the water and as close to her Alpha as you could get. You knew this absence was hard on her so you didn’t argue.

🦈-Since your other bathing suit was beyond repair you went out and bought a new one. 

🦈-A solid red one. It was a tiny bit more revealing than your other one but once you saw it you knew it was the one. Your Omega chirped in agreement, stating that it matched Eijiro’s eyes. You felt pretty confident in it. 

🦈-You had paired it with a white cover-up. You grabbed your beach bag and made your way down to the sand. The instant your feet touched the sand you felt a pair of eyes on you. You knew whose eyes they were. 

🦈-You knew if you looked out into the water you would catch a glimpse of him but you stopped yourself. You knew if you saw his red hair peeking through the waves you would skip putting on sunscreen and dive into the water. 

🦈-You didn’t need to deal with a sunburn along with your confusing feelings. 

🦈-So you lathered up and waited, much to your Omega’s disappointment. You made sure to put on a lot because you knew as soon as you stepped into the ocean Eijiro wasn’t gonna let you out of his grasp for one second. 

🦈-From the intensity of his gaze, you were half thinking he was gonna drag you under and take you to his cave. 

🦈-Once your sunscreen was dry you finally headed towards the water. The water was cold as usual but it wasn’t the reason why your skin was covered in goosebumps. Your heart was pounding each step. Once the water went up to your waist you started swimming further from the shoreline. 

🦈-You were barely halfway to where you usually meet up when you felt his touch on your ankle. Just by the grip alone, you knew he was just as touched starved as you. This week without him made you miss his gentle caresses on your legs and the oddly comforting way he nibbled on you. 

🦈-Once you swam far enough for the shore he yanked you down. Your eyes stung at the saltwater but that didn’t stop you from looking at him underwater. His smile was big and wide, his razor-sharp teeth on full display. 

🦈-He didn’t waste a second pulling you into his arms. The cold water was long forgotten when you were tucked safely in his warm embrace. If you weren’t already holding your breath it would have been taken away. 

🦈-He couldn’t hear your Omega’s purring but he felt the vibrations coming from your chest. 

🦈-He instantly let out his own warm purr. He was so happy you finally showed up! He was worried you had somehow forgotten about him. That maybe you didn’t enjoy his company as much as he enjoyed yours. 

🦈-He swore he wouldn’t even care if you never brought him another piece of red meat again. As long as he had you in his arms he was satisfied. He didn’t hold himself back from nibbling on your neck a little now that he had you wrapped up in his grasp. His Alpha telling him that this was the spot he planned to mark when he bonded to you. 

🦈-He tapped his shoulder, signaling that you needed air, with reluctance he led you to the surface. 

🦈-He wanted to be underwater with you forever. Everything faded away when you were under the blue currents together. 

🦈-You broke the surface with a tiny gasp. 

🦈-“I’m so happy you’re back! I missed you.” He breathed, still not believing you were here in his arms and not somewhere on land where he couldn’t see or hold you. 

🦈-“I’m sorry. Things came up.” You said, not quite meeting his eyes. You didn’t want to see the sadness lurking in his ruby orbs. 

🦈-“That’s fine. I am just glad you are back.” He said, acting like he wasn’t desperately searching for you the entire week.

🦈-“You know I will always come back for my little crab.” You joked, hoping to lift the mood a bit. 

🦈-He laughed, playfully pushing you away. You laughed along with him, the heaviness in your chest from the past week finally lifting. 

🦈-“I’ll show you a crab!” He chuckled, making his hands into claws and pinching you. 

🦈-You giggled, trying to pinch him back. Something caught his eye, his gaze was focused in the direction of the shore. You turned to look and saw a blond surfer dude riding a wave. His hair looked a little familiar so you said so. 

🦈-“Huh, his hair reminds me of the Alpha I went on a courting date with. His hair was brown though.” You hummed, looking at the guy fall off his board. 

🦈-“Courting date? You went on a courting date?” His voice dropped a few octaves, his eyes turning hard. 

🦈-“Yeah? Is there a problem?” You asked, your eyebrow lifting. 

🦈-“A problem! Yes! We are courting Y/N!” He exclaimed, pulling his arm out of the water and pointing at the bracelet you gave him.

🦈-You tilted your head, confused. Did he think it was a courting gift? He couldn’t have. For it to be a courting gift it would need to be made by you. You were sure you told him you bought it from a shop on the pier. 

🦈-“I didn’t make it. It isn’t a courting gift, Eijiro.” As much as it hurt your heart to say it, it was true. 

🦈-“Yes, it is! If you give me a gift it means you want to court me. I accepted it so we are courting. I even have a gift for you.” He said, lifting up his other gift. A pearl bracelet sat on his wrist. It was obviously made for you since it looked way too small for his thick wrist. 

🦈-He slid it off and put it on you. The white pearls glistened under the sunlight. 

🦈-You looked at it in awe, the bracelet was beautifully made. The warm mood was broken when someone called out to you from behind. 

🦈-“You okay out there?” A voice yelled. 

🦈-You turned to see the surfer you both were talking about holding onto his board and look at you. He was about 20 feet from you so he couldn’t see your little red friend. That didn’t mean you didn’t shove the poor boy underwater.

🦈-Eijiro didn’t mind, he was just enjoying the feel of your hands on his shoulders.

🦈-You looked around and supposed you were a bit too far from shore.

🦈-“I’m fine! I’m a great swimmer.” You yelled back, smiling at the nicely tanned boy. 

🦈-While your swimming did improve a little after you started hanging out with the shark boy you still weren’t expert level. You only felt safe so far out in the deep because you had Eijiro by your side. You knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to you. 

🦈-The surfer gave you a nod and smile before turning his attention back on the upcoming waves. 

🦈-It was apparent Eijiro didn’t like that your attention was off him. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you down under the water with him. Before you could blink the saltwater out of your eyes his lips were on yours. 

🦈-In an instant, all of your worries and fears washed away. You sank into the kiss with a delighted purr. You brought your hands up and weaved them through his hair. Your legs wrapped around his waist. You tried not to smile as you felt him slightly nibble on your lip. 

🦈-The only thought running through your mind was that you knew Eijiro wouldn’t be your summer love, he would be your forever love. 

Bonus: 

🦈-You sat on your pier and waited for your Alpha to come back. That’s right, your pier. After you bonded with Eijiro you both found out he would be able to shift between human and half-shark. With his new second hands, he was free to join you on land. 

🦈-The first thing he did was rent a boat and became a fisherman. The boat was just a cover while he shifted into his half-shark form and rounded up fish to sell. It wasn’t long before he was bringing in some money and together you both purchased a beach house with its own pier. 

🦈-Right now you sat on the pier with a huge metal pot by your side. Usually, you would eagerly hold it in your lap but your baby bump wouldn’t let you. 

🦈-Not too long after you moved into the house the both of you found out you were carrying a pup. Eijiro’s nearly passed out in happiness that day.   

🦈-The one thing about this pup was that it loved seafood. Now Eijirio was a fan of red meat but his pup couldn’t get enough of the sea. Poor Eijiro was devastated when your pup wouldn’t let him cook red meat in the house anymore since it made you want to throw up at the smell. 

🦈-Still, he happily gave it up for the time being, anything to make sure you and the pup were both comfortable. 

🦈-Tonight was seafood boil, that was where the big pot came in handy. Your lovely Alpha was out hunting the savorly little things. Your mouth was already watering at the thought of them. Like he heard your thoughts, Eijiro popped out of the water proudly holding up a big net filled with your latest craving. 

🦈-You could have sworn your eyes were sparkling. 

🦈- “I caught a lot just in case you are still craving them tomorrow.” He happily stated, pulling himself up on the pier. His tail was gone in seconds and in their place were his strong calves. Once he was situated on the deck he put his net into the pot sitting by your side. 

🦈-“Thank you, Alpha! I am so excited!” You beamed, looking down at the pot. 

🦈-It seems your pup was excited as well, they were dancing up a storm. You lovingly rubbed your stomach before standing up and reaching for the pot. Eijiro was quick to brush your hands away and picked up the pot. 

🦈-He wasn’t about to let his Omega carry ten pounds of shrimp while pregnant with his pup. His Alpha nearly growled at the thought. He might have been a little overprotective of you now that you were with pup. 

🦈-The sun was dipping in the sky, everything was orange and blue. You leaned against your Alpha’s side as you walked back to your home. You couldn’t have been any happier. 

🦈-“I love you, my shark boi.” You said, nuzzling into his side. 

🦈-“I love you too, Omega.” He grinned, leaning down to place a kiss on your head. 

This was my first time writing a sort of shark/merman AU. Please tell me what you think of it! I might write more for it when summer hits. 

That being said, please wash your hands and stay safe guys! 

Please reblog and leave a note. Both really help motivate me to write more. 

[kuroopaisen]

cause & effect || chapter 1

➵ your work friend, kuroo, has a tiny favour to ask. 

warnings: f!reader

wc: 1.4k

m.list | ↠ ch. 2

You plonk a black coffee on Kuroo’s desk, shooting him a wink.

He looks awful. Skin a tad more pallid than normal, dark bags under his eyes, hair even messier than usual. You’re almost ready to believe he’d gone on a bender last night, but you know he’s much too dedicated to his work to do something like that on a Tuesday.

He smiles at you, his chin balanced in one of his hands. You glance at the time in the corner of his computer screen. 8:30 AM. You’re not late.

“Thanks,” he nods before taking a sip of his coffee. He scrunches up his nose for a moment, but he manages to swallow it all down. When he’d told you he didn’t actually like black coffee, you’d asked him why he bothered drinking it. He’d told you that the caffeine kick was like nothing else, and he needed it to get through the day.

That was the moment you’d realised that Kuroo Tetsurou was, in fact, a loser.

“You look exhausted,” you observe, looking him up and down. Kuroo usually looked like he’d just rolled out of bed, but you’d just assumed that was a purposeful choice.

“Ouch,” he laughs, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Oh, I’m not being rude,” you dither at him. “I’m concerned.”

“No need to be,” he yawns, scrunching up his nose. “I was just on Kenma’s stream last night.”

You snort. “What, that friend of yours that plays video games for a living?”

Kuroo grins. “That’s the one.”

“How late did you stay up?”

“Oh… like 2 AM,” he shrugs. “That was nothing back in uni, but these days…”

You laugh, shaking your head. What you wouldn’t give for a taste of that youthful neglect for one’s wellbeing. You’re not quite sure when your transition to ‘responsible adult who gets paid a living wage (barely) and who (usually) turns in before 11 PM’ happened, but there’s no going back now.

“Are you hoping to leave this life behind?” You tease, tilting your head at him. “Hoping to become Youtube famous?”

“Oh, absolutely,” he grins. “I’ll earn millions at the height of my career, only to have a humiliating fall from grace when people find out I’m not a very nice person.”

“That’s tragic,” you giggle, turning back to your computer. “Make sure you go out in a blaze of glory for me, okay?”

“Oh, I intend to,” he nods, glancing at you from the corner of his eye. “And don’t you worry, I’ll make myself a very lucrative merch line designed to exploit my followers for all their worth.”

His work phone starts ringing with a vengeance.

Kuroo shoots you a dithering look. You just mouth ‘good luck’ as he picks up the offending object.

“Japan Volleyball Association, sports promotion division,” Kuroo stifles a yawn as he holds the phone to his ear. “How may I help you today?”

You bite your lip as you watch him. He’s nodding and humming – typical fare for a phone call.

“I’m sorry, could you please repeat that sir?” He says with a frown.

He catches your eye, and you take the opportunity to stick your tongue out at him. A grin spreads across his face slowly as he shakes his head.

You tilt your head to the side, wondering what this specific interlocutor was after.

Kuroo gives you that look; the one that said the person on the other end of this phone line was bonkers.  

“Forgive me for being so bold, sir, but are you asking me if we’d accept a large sum of money to remove a competitor’s logo from our advertisements?”

You raised your eyebrows at him. That’s certainly a new one.

Kuroo clears his throat. “No, no, sir, I’m not accusing you of anything.”

You can hear some chatter from the other end of the phone, but none of it’s legible.

They go back and forth for a while as you sip your drink, watching as Kuroo’s patience wears ludicrously thin. That late night must be really getting to him.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’ll have to refer you to someone higher up,” Kuroo sighs, two fingers massaging his temple. “I’m in no position to deal with this in a way you would find acceptable.”

At that, he presses a button on the phone’s interface, officially making this customer ‘not his problem.’

“What was that?” You ask, leaning towards him.

Kuroo rolls his eyes, stretching over the back of his chair. “I don’t know. It’s too early for this…”

You reach over to pat his shoulder. “There, there.”

He chuckles. “It’s only, what? Just past 8:30? I didn’t think I’d get an asshole so early.”

“Maybe god hates you.”

“His loss.”

You laugh, opening your mouth to respond.

Your own work phone rings. Your mood significantly drops.

Kuroo winks at you. “Into the fray.”

You sigh, picking it up. “Japan Volleyball Association, sports promotion division. How may I help you?”  

Answering calls, bargaining with sponsors, checking statistics … they may not have been the most exciting of activities, but they were part of a day’s work. It’s not exactly where you saw yourself ending up after university, but you aren’t going to snub your nose at your chance for a steady income.

Sharing a cubicle with Kuroo, at least, made things a bit more bearable.

In fact, he’d helped you settle in. On your very first day, when you were gripped with nerves and doubt, Kuroo had plonked a green tea on your desk with a warm smile. That had become a little bit of a habit, with whoever was slated to get to work last turning up with caffeine for two.

Frankly, he’d terrified you a bit, at first; you feel bad about it now, but when someone was that tall and that… intimidating, you couldn’t help it.

But, he’d disarmed you quite quickly, and willingly offered himself up as your port of call in this new tempest of a workplace. And for that, you would always be grateful to him.

You check the time. 11:15 AM. You turn to your cubicle mate, tapping him on the shoulder.

He looks over at you, one eyebrow raised.

“I’m going to go get lunch. Did you want anything?”

Kuroo spins around in his chair, standing up to full height. You often forgot just how tall he was, the bastard. “I’ll come with you, if you’d like.”

“Uh… sure.”

He tells you about the stream on the short walk to the boba shop, which is just tucked around the corner. Apparently, his friend had managed to raise the equivalent of twenty-one million yen.

“My charm and good lucks account for at least a third of those millions,” he assured you.

You didn’t quite believe that. You had a feeling that it had more to do with that Black Jackals player Kenma was purportedly close to.

Kuroo sighs as he holds the door of the boba shop open for you, ushering you inside. “Ladies first.”

“Thanks,” you mumble, ducking under his arm and into the crowded little store. The cold isn’t enough to drive off the large throng of customers. If anything, it looked more busy than usual. But, more and more people seem to flow through Tokyo as the year’s end draws closer.

The two of you stand in line, huddled just inside the warmth of the boba shop at the end of a long line.

“So,” Kuroo swallows, his gaze particularly interested in the ceiling. “I have… a favour, to ask.”

“I’m not covering shifts for you.”

“Not that,” he shakes his head, digging his hands deep in his pockets. “It’s, uh… it’s a bit more personal.”

You look up at him, blinking. “You sound like you’re asking me to help you commit a murder.”

“Not quite.”

“Not quite?!”

“I just mean that I’m asking you to do something that’s a little morally bankrupt.” He still hasn’t looked directly at you yet.

“Kuroo, you’re going to give me a panic attack.”

“Sorry, sorry,” he shakes his head again. He looks like he’s about to ask you something quite serious; frightening, even. You’re not used to seeing such a solemn look on his face. It scares you.

He takes a deep breath. “Can you pretend to be my girlfriend for the next month or so?”

It takes a moment for the question to properly click in your mind.

“I’m sorry, what?”

✧ ✧ ✧

a/n: oh Boy Here We Go,,,

[albertasunrise]

Mistakes - Chapter 1

Summary: You’d known it was a bad idea to get involved with Javier Peña. You were just another notch on his bedpost but you were a notch he kept revisiting. You know you should have stopped it, declined his offers to rock your world but you couldn’t and now you had to deal with the consequences. Consequences that you knew he would refuse to accept.

Warnings: Angst, References to sex, Unplanned Pregnancy, Mentions of Abortion

Pairings: Javier Peña x Reader

§

As you stared at those two lines you felt your stomach twist. How was this happening? You’d been careful, always using protection so how was it that you were now looking at a positive pregnancy test. You’d known it was a bad idea to get involved with Javier Peña. You were just another notch on his bedpost but you were a notch he kept revisiting. You know you should have stopped it, declined his offers to rock your world but you couldn’t and now you had to deal with the consequences. Consequences that you knew he would refuse to accept.

‘Fuck.’ You sobbed as you placed the test down and picked up the other, it too telling you the same thing ‘Shit… What am I going to do?’

Were you ready to be a mum?

Should you get rid of it?

No, you’d never be able to do that.

You knew you had to tell him but how? How were you supposed to tell the most desired man at the embassy that your casual relations with him had led to this? A baby

You walked from the bathroom and sank onto the couch, placing the tests on the coffee table as you let your tears flow freely now. You were pulled from your cries by a knock at the door and after wiping your tears and letting out a few shaky breaths you answered, not getting a chance to see who it was but the familiar lips on yours told you. He kissed you with fervour but you can’t return it, you don’t want to and he senses that quickly.

‘What's the matter Cariño? He asked as he kissed down your neck ‘I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you all day.’

‘Don’t Javi.’ You said as you pushed him off of you, avoiding his gaze as you made your way back to the couch.

‘What the hell is up with you?’ He growled, angered by your rejection of his advances.

‘Javier please.’ You sobbed then, throwing your face into your hands.

Javier’s stomach sank, his anger replaced with worry as he sprinted to your side and dropped to his knees in front of you, missing the two sticks of plastic on your coffee table. He grabbed your hands and pulled them from your face, cupping it in his hands as he lifted it so your eyes were level with his.

‘What's going on?’ He asked, brow furrowed in concern ‘Has something happened?’

You could only nod, eyes settling on the tests that sat just behind him. His gaze followed yours and stopped on the offending items, eyes growing wide as he saw what they said and his head quickly whipped back to face you.

‘You’re?’

You nodded, letting out another sob as your hand unconsciously came to rest on your belly.

‘Who’s is it?’ He asked and this made you look up at him in disbelief.

‘Who’s do you think?’

‘Well, I don’t know who else you've been sleeping with.’ He grumbled and you gave him a chilling look before shifting out of his grasp.

‘Fuck you, Javier.’ You spat, shoulders shaking as you walked to your kitchen.

‘What?’

‘I haven’t slept with anyone else Javi.’ You announced, the cogs in his mind whirring ‘I haven’t been with anyone but you. Men don't exactly throw themselves at me.’

‘But we-.’ He paused as he took in the information ‘No this isn’t possible. How?’

‘I don’t fucking know Javi.’ You snapped ‘Condoms aren’t a hundred per cent effective, everyone knows that. I guess one failed.’

‘I…Uh.’ He stuttered, unsure of what to say ‘I’ll speak to Connie.’ He said finally ‘See if we can get you booked in for a termination.’

‘A termination?’

‘Well you’re not seriously considering keeping it are you?’ He inquired, his tone exasperated ‘I mean you’re in no position to raise a kid. We should get rid of it.’

‘Get the fuck out.’

‘Cariño.’

‘OUT!.’

‘Please just think about this. We can’t have a baby together. We fuck casually, I don’t want a relationship and I certainly don’t want a kid. I can’t give you what you want. You’ll be alone in this.’

‘That's fine Javi. I guessed I would be.’ You growled ‘You have no right however to tell me to get rid of it. I’m going to have this baby with or without you. Just know that they’ll never know you. I refuse to let them know a father that told me to get rid of them… Now get the fuck out of my house.’

‘Cariño.’

‘GO!.’

He left and you stood there, seething on the spot. You knew he wasn’t going to react well but you'd never expected him to suggest you terminate it. That had never been an option for you. You sobbed a little at the knowledge you’d be doing this alone, suddenly very aware of how alone you really were and after glancing at the clock and seeing was barely seven you decided to pay Connie a visit.

…

‘You’re what?’ She exclaimed, a little shocked by the news you'd just told her.

‘I was surprised too.’

‘Who’s is it?’

‘Connie…’

‘It’s Javi’s isn't it?’

‘Well, I haven’t been with anyone else since I arrived here a year ago.’ You confirmed and she gasped.

‘You told him?’ She asked

You nodded.

‘How did he take it?’

‘Told me to get rid of it.’

‘He what?’ She yelled and you flinched a little ‘Sorry.’ She apologised.

‘He said he doesn’t want a relationship, which I already knew, and that he doesn’t want kids. Told me it was for the best but it was never an option for me Con. I figured I’d be raising this baby alone. Just never thought he'd tell me to terminate it.’

‘He’s a fucking idiot.’ Piped up Steve, sipping from his beer ‘I can kick the shit out of him if you like.’

‘And what will that achieve?’ You chuckled ‘No, it's fine. This baby will never know him.’ You declared ‘I’ll make sure of it. It’ll never feel unwanted.’

~

Connie managed to get an appointment in the clinic for you to get your first scan and even attended it with you. As you lay were, shivering from the jelly that the doctor had squirted on your stomach it all became very real to you. Placing the prob on your skin, she started to move it around and you fixed your eyes on Connie, nerves starting to get the better of you.

Then you heard it.

‘There we are.’ Said the doctor as she turned the screen ‘See that little shape there?’ You nodded ‘That’s your baby.’ She stated ‘Judging from this I'd say you’re around 9 weeks along. Strong heartbeat. Everything looks good.’

‘Wow.’ Said Connie, her eyes glued to the screen ‘That’s the most wonderful thing I think I’ve ever seen, don’t you think?’

‘Yeah.’ You replied, letting out a choked sob as you watched your baby on the screen.

‘I shall print some pictures for you.’ Said the doctor, smiling at you both ‘Would you like some too?’ She asked Connie and the woman nodded eagerly.

…

‘So that thing there that looks like a cashew… that’s the baby?’ Asks Steve, nose scrunched as he studied the pictures.

‘Yup.’ You replied, grinning at him ‘I’ve grown a cashew.’

Connie giggled at that, refreshing your lemonade as you glanced at the pictures yourself.

‘Still can’t believe that there’s a tiny being growing inside of me.’ You said, a few stray tears slipping down your cheeks ‘I love them so much already and I haven’t even met them properly yet.’

‘It’s going to be so loved.’ Said Connie ‘I’ve already bought a tone of wool to knit it some cute bits.’

‘I didn’t know you knit!’

‘Ahhhh.’ Said Steve, waving the picture at you ‘She’s a woman of mystery my wife!’

~

‘Gah!’ Squealed Connie as you walked out of the changing room ‘Look at that bump!’ She squealed with excitement ‘How have you been hiding that from us?’

Connie had dragged you out to find a dress for the office Christmas Party. You really didn’t want to go, you were four months pregnant and still suffering from sickness a little but Connie had begged you to come shopping with her and that’s when she’d found this dress for you. A pale mint green that suited your complexion perfectly.

‘Baggy t-shirts and loose blouses my friend.’ You replied with a wink ‘What do you think?’ You asked as you gave her a twirl, the sundress accentuating your growing belly ‘Doesn’t just make me look fat does it?’

‘NO!’ She practically screamed ‘You are glowing.’

‘Do we have to go to this party?’ You groaned ‘I can’t drink so it's going to be a bore for me.’

‘I’ll stay sober with you!’ announces Connie, determined to convince you to come.

‘Is Javi going?’

‘Doubt it.’ She replied ‘Not really his scene.’ She paused, pulling her best puppy eyes ‘Please.’

‘Fine.’ You groaned ‘But you have to stay sober.’

‘Promise.’

~

‘You said he wouldn’t be here.’ You snapped at Connie, seething at the sight of Javier drinking at the bar with Steve.

The hall was decorated with traditional Christmas decorations, a large tree at the centre of the far wall twinkled with fairy lights that gave an aura of magic to the room.

‘I said I doubted he’d come.’ She retorted, raising her hands in mock surrender.

‘I need to leave.’

‘No, you’re here now. Come on.’ She begs ‘You don’t have to speak to him.’

You’d managed to avoid him pretty well since announcing to him that you were having his baby and he’d avoided you too. Steve kept you up to date and you knew that he hadn’t asked about you or the baby and that had made it crystal clear for you. You really were in this alone. There had been a small part of you that hoped he'd change his mind, tell you he wanted this. Wanted you but you knew you were fooling yourself. Javier Peña doesn’t settle and he certainly wouldn’t settle for a girl like you.

‘Come on, let's get us a drink.’

‘No alcohol remember.’ You remind her, and she rolled her eyes.

‘Yes, I know.’ She groaned.

You noticed Javier looking at you from the corner of your eye when you approached the bar but you didn’t return his gaze, you kept your eyes fixed on Connie as you flagged down the barman with one hand and cradled your bump with the other. Thumb stroking the fabric that covered your swell.

…

Javier studied you as Steve talked to him about a game he’d caught on the weekend. You looked good. Simple makeup, hair up in a loose bun with few curls framing your face and the sundress you wore suited you perfectly. As his eyes trailed over your body before they settled on your hand, the way it sat on your stomach highlighting your growing bump.

‘She’s showing.’ He said suddenly as his eyes growing wide, stopping Steve dead.

‘What?’ He asked, a little confused at the change of subject.

‘She’s showing.’ He said again and Steve followed his gaze to you, also noting your swollen stomach.

‘Shit yeah, she is.’ He replied, smiling to himself ‘You’ve been a fucking ass to her.’

“What?’ Javier snapped.

‘She’s four months pregnant with your baby and not once have you asked how she is. How the pregnancy’s going. Nothing.’

‘I don’t want it.’

‘Doesn’t fucking matter Javi.’ Steve scolded ‘You are that babies father and you’re doing fuck all to help her. What would your dad think if he knew?’

‘Steve-.’

‘She’s fine by the way. In case you do give a shit.’ He interrupted ‘Con’s been taking really good care of her. Went to her first scan, got her a bunch of books. Been arranging all her appointments for her.’ He took a swig of his whiskey ‘Baby’s doing well too. Cooking nicely.’

‘That’s great’ Javier growled, downing the last of his drink and storming out.

…

You noticed him leave but you didn't care. If anything, you were relieved. The rest of the evening went fairly well after that. He did come back but he avoided you and you did the same. You danced, you laughed and you enjoyed yourself for the first time in that felt like years, your worries melting away. For a night you didn't worry about the future. The fact that you had no family to help you raise the baby or that its father didn't want it. You just focused on your friends, the music and yourself.

~

‘Thank you for arranging this Con.’ You said as you took her hand ‘You’ve been so amazing.’

It had been a month since the Christmas party and you’d not seen Javier since. You were a little surprised that you hadn’t run into him in the hall since your apartments were across from each other but you suspected that wasn't an accident but it didn't bother you. He was going you the space you’d demanded.

‘What are best friends for?’ She replied, smiling at you sweetly.

‘Well, they don’t normally arrange all your antenatal appointments for you.’

‘I work at the clinic.’ She chuckled ‘Easy for me to sort it for you.’ She gave your hand a squeeze ‘You nervous?’

‘A little.’ You confessed ‘Last time I was here they were teeny.’ You continued ‘Now look at me.’ You finished as you motioned to your very visible bump.

‘You’ll be able to learn the sex.’ Connie stated and you looked at her with comically wide eyes ‘You want to know?’

‘More than anything.’ You admitted ‘Been killing me not knowing. Makes getting for it things hard.’ You giggled.

Your name was called and you were led into a familiar room where you laid on the bed and lifted your shirt like before, hissing at the cold of the jelly again. She places the probe on your belly and moved it around, finding the baby quickly this time. You swooned at the sound of their heartbeat, the consistent thump making your own race.

‘Oh my.’ Squealed Connie ‘Look at it.’ She lamented, tears trickling down her cheeks ‘Hi.’ She giggled when its hand came into view.

‘Would you like to know the sex?’ The doctor asked and you nodded, trapping your bottom lip between your teeth as they focused on the screen again ‘Well it looks to me like you’re having a baby girl.’ She said after a few moments, turning the screen so you could see better ‘Congratulations.’

‘A girl?’ You asked, eyes widening and the doctor nodded.

‘Mhmm.’

‘You’re having a girl.’ Connie squealed and you look up at her with tear-filled eyes.

‘I’m having a girl.’ You grinned, laughing as you sobbed with joy.

‘I’ll print lots of pictures again.’ The doctor said, grinning at your reaction.

You practically skipped out of the clinic pictures in hand and Steve waved at you as you clambered into his truck, giggling as Connie shoved the pictures into his hand.

‘Well, now I can tell it’s a baby.’ He said and you rolled your eyes.

‘That's my daughter you’re talking about.’ You declared and he turned to face you and beamed.

~

‘You boys done?’ Asked Connie as she stopped beside the table, noting that Steve had eaten all his food but Javier had barely touched his.

They’d been pouring over paperwork and pictures for hours and coming up empty-handed. Running a hand through his hair, he looked up at his partner’s wife and gave her a weak smile.

‘Um yeah… Thanks, Con.’

‘Nah come on, finish your food.’ Grumbled Steve ‘You’ve not eaten all day.’

‘I guess I just don’t have much of an appetite.’ Stated Javier as he pushed his plate away.

He hadn’t had one since he’d seen you at that Christmas party. Seeing you there glowing, round with his child, had brought out all these feelings in him that he was struggling with. He wasn’t sure what it was he was feeling but he knew that he missed you. Pined for you. That was painfully clear to him.

‘You never do.’ Steve retorted, pulling him from his thoughts ‘You live off of ex and Whiskey. Amazed you’re not thinner.’

‘Fuck off Murphy.’ He growled, grabbing his beer and drinking the last of it before placing it down on the counter in the kitchen ‘Thanks for Din…’ He trailed off as his eyes caught sight of your sonogram pictures, your name and the date above the very clear image of a baby ‘Is this?...’

‘Your baby?’ Snapped Steve and Javier flinched at his change in tone ‘Yup.’

‘She had her 20-week scan yesterday.’ Said Connie softly, watching the way Javier’s eyes softened as he studied the image ‘Here.’ She handed him some more pictures and there was one that caught his attention in particular, a very visible hand above them giving the illusion that they were waving ‘She’s already waving and she’s not even been born yet.’ Connie chuckled as she grabbed his bottle and placed it in the glass bin.

‘She?’ He said suddenly, head whipping up to look at Connie with tears pooling in his eyes ‘It’s a girl?’

‘Yeah.’ She replied, grinning as she nodded excitedly ‘Got so many patterns to do and now I can buy some girly wool. Can’t believe there’s going to be a baby around here soon!’

His hand flew up to his mouth as he let out a sob, eyes returning to the picture that now shook in his grasp as tears splash on its shiny surface. This was a life he’d helped create and it was growing inside of you. He realised how stupid he’d been and he suddenly felt overwhelmed.

‘Hey.’ Said Connie softly as she pulled him into a hug and he sobbed against her shoulder, his body shaking as he cried.

‘I’m going to have a daughter.’ He sobbed ‘And she’ll never know who I am.’

‘You can change that Javier.’ Said Connie, pulling away to look him in the eye ‘You still have a chance to be part of this baby’s life but you need to do something about it.’

‘They’re better off without me.’

‘Seeing these pictures here, how do they make you feel?’ She questioned, glancing at Steve who is watching his partner carefully.

‘I don’t know.’ He answered honestly.

‘When you see her. The baby girl that you helped create. Do you want to know her?’ She asked, hand on his arm rubbing comforting circles.

‘Yes.’ He choked out, eyes drifting up to Connie.

‘Then there is your answer.’ She stated ‘You have a chance to be a part of your daughter’s life but only if you act.’

‘She said I’d never know them.’ He sobbed ‘She swore it.’

‘You had just told her to get an abortion.’ Piped up Steve and Connie threw him an angry look.

‘How about I speak to her. Arrange for the three of us to sit down and talk this all out.’ She suggested and Javier nodded weakly ‘Give me a few days.’

‘Okay.’

~

‘Absolutely not!’ You yelled, angry tears streaming down your cheeks ‘I don’t want to speak to him.’

‘But-.’

‘No buts Con.’ You snarled ‘He wants nothing to do with her and she’ll never know him.’

‘He saw your ultrasound pictures the other night.’ She stated and you looked at her with a confused expression, unsure of where this was going ‘He sobbed when he learned that you’re having a girl. I slipped up when he saw the waving picture. He cried his eyes out. He wants a chance to be a part of her life. You need to give him that chance hun.’ She pleaded ‘Just come round tonight. We’ll talk it out and see what happens.’

‘Why does he suddenly care?’

‘I think the ultrasound made it more real for him.’ She said, shrugging slightly ‘I think him seeing those pictures made him realise he wants this. He just hadn’t known before.’

‘Fine.’ You grumbled ‘But if he steps even a toe out of line, I will make sure he never meets her.’

‘Shit, okay…’ Connie breathed, a little taken aback by your statement ‘See you later.’

~

You sat nervously at Connie’s table, waiting for Javier to arrive. She’d decided that dinner was perhaps not the best way to talk things through, too many ways to get out of not saying anything at all. You rubbed your swollen belly, feeling your stomach twist in knots as you ran through the possible scenarios for how this would go. You weren’t expecting him to confess his love for you and the two of you skip away together, one big happy family. You weren’t sure what you were expecting.

‘That’s him.’ Said Connie as a knock sounded at the door and you felt your heart begin to race.

‘Just breath.’ You said to yourself, glancing up as Connie and Javier appeared through the doorway.

‘Hi.’ He said gingerly, rubbing the back of his neck as he oozed nervousness.

‘Hi.’ You replied, short and curt.

‘Javi why don’t you sit down.’ Said Connie as she pointed to the chair across from you ‘I’ll grab you a beer.’

‘Thanks.’ He replied, giving her a quick nod before taking a seat.

‘How are you?’ He asked in an attempt to break the silence and you rolled your eyes at him.

‘Really?’

‘What?’

'It’s been 5 months and now you want to do small talk?’

‘Carino I-.’

‘I’d appreciated it if you didn’t call me that.’ You growled ‘I’m not your sweetheart.’

‘Here.’ Said Connie as she placed the beer in front of him and he gave her a weak smile.

‘Thanks.’

You all sat there in awkward silence before Connie finally decided that enough was enough. She slammed the sonogram pictures on the table along with some shoes she’d clearly knitted herself. They were tiny and brought tears to your eyes as you studied them. A pale pink with white toes and a large brown wooden button fastened them shut.

‘We all know why we're here.’ She began, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms ‘You are having a baby together. Javier, you have made some big mistakes in how you dealt with the news but I know that you want to make amends and you want a chance to be involved.’ She paused and he glanced up at her before looking at you with the saddest expression you’d ever seen ‘Hun I understand why you’re upset with him. When you first told me what he’d said I almost stormed down there to castrate him myself.’ That made Javier wince ‘But you need to do what’s best for her.’ She declared as she leaned forward and lifted one of the scans so you could see it more clearly ‘You’re going to be parents in less than four months. Don’t you want to give your baby the best possible start? With both her of parents in her life?’

‘Javi’s married to the job.’ You grumbled and he winced at the fact you were about him as if he wasn't there ‘I don’t want to do this alone. I am terrified, but I can’t be worrying about him letting me and the baby down.’

‘May I speak?’ He pipped up and both you and Connie looked at him, your expression expectant ‘I did fuck up. I freaked out. I came to Columbia to make a difference, I never expected to meet someone that I’d come to care for and I certainly never expected to end up having a baby with said person. I won’t lie. I was sure I didn’t want it. I genuinely thought it would be better off without me but when I saw you at the party, your small bump under that dress I realised how much I missed you and how much I was missing out on.’ He paused, scraping a hand over his tired face ‘When I saw these I felt something I’d never expected to feel. I felt a swell of happiness inside as I looked at my baby and when Connie told me it was a girl… Well.’ He paused again, looking down at the sonogram in his hand ‘I knew that I wanted to be a part of her life. I want it all.’

‘Javier-.’

‘I’m not expecting you to take me back.’ He interrupted and you sat there with your mouth hanging open ‘But I want to be there for you... For you both. If you’ll let me.’

‘I uh-.’ You sit there with a gobsmacked expression plastered over your face.

You’d not expected that.’

‘I want to be there when she comes, hold your hand as you push our baby girl into this world. I want to hold her when she cries, sing her to sleep, albeit badly, and I want to support you. Take some of the load. I didn’t realise how much I wanted this, wanted her until I was faced with the possibility of never being able to have it.’

You sit there in silence. Tears rolling down your cheeks as you and Javier gaze at each other, a small smile tugging at the corner of your mouth as he leant forward and took your hand.

‘I swear to you that she will be my number one priority.’ He stated ‘I will move heaven and Earth for her.’

‘Okay.’ You replied, nodding lightly ‘But I need to know that when it comes down to the wire. She’s the one you choose.’

‘I will.’ He replied, smiling sweetly at you.

The rest of the evening went smoothly after that. You discussed arrangements. Agreed that he could come to your final scan before the baby was born and discussed living together initially afterwards. You’d ended up deciding on his apartment as it had a spare room and was larger although agreed it was a good idea to keep yours in case the arrangement didn’t work. You both hugged Connie goodnight. Thanked her for helping the two of your settle your differences and made your way down to your respective apartments but there was no longer an awkward air hanging over you both. Just quiet acceptance.

‘Thank you for agreeing to talk to me.’ He said sweetly, giving your hand a friendly squeeze as you came to a stop outside your front door.

‘Connie was right.’ You started, squeezing his back ‘We need to do what’s best for her.’

Smiling, he gave you a nod and a peck on the cheek ‘Good night Carino.’ He said softly, his eyes sparkling.

‘Why don’t you come in.’ You said, giving him a small smile ‘It’s still early and it would be good to talk a little more.’

‘Sure.’ He replied, following you in as you opened your door.

‘I haven’t got any alcohol I’m afraid.’ You snickered ‘Made me sad having it and not being able to drink it.’

‘That’s fine.’ He replied, smirking at you.

‘I probably have some coffee in the cupboard or I can make you a herbal tea.’

‘I’m fine.’ He replied as he let out a giggle ‘Don’t fuss.’

‘Right.’ You replied, lowering yourself onto the couch with one hand cradling your bump. ‘I look forward to being able to sit down on the couch again gracefully.’ You grumbled ‘Why they gave me an apartment with such a low one I will never know. Perhaps they knew I was going to get pregnant!.’

‘Perhaps.’ He replied as he sat down across from you and you turned your head to look at him.

‘So.’ You breathed.

‘So.’ He returned.

‘I have been trying to think of names.’ You started, leaning forward to grab the list you’d made and handed it to him.

‘These are all Spanish names?’ He questioned, giving you a bemused look.

‘Well, she’d going to have a little Mexican in her.’ You chuckled ‘Just because I hated you, didn't mean I wanted to deny her heritage.’

‘I deserved that.’ He replied with a wince ‘Well I have an aunt called Regina.’ He started, looking down the list’ She smells like beats and repeats herself all the time.

‘Veto on Regina.’

‘I like Elena and Luna.’ He continued ‘Oh and Rosa.’

‘Spooky.’ You said, catching his attention.

‘What is?’

‘Those are all my favourites.’ You replied with a smile and he beamed back at you.

You sat for a few minutes in comfortable silence, the two of you gazing at each other as you rubbed circles on your belly.

‘Whoah!.’ You said suddenly as you sat upright, eyes widening and you looked down at your belly.

‘What is it?’ He asked, his tone a little panicked.

‘She’s moving.’ You replied, grinning at him ‘Come feel. Shit, that’s weird.’

‘You sure?’ He asked, a little surprised at how ready you were to allow him back in.

‘Yes! Come on before she stops!’

He scooted over towards you, smiling when you grabbed his hand and placed it over your bump. For a few moments there was nothing and then… kick.

‘Whoah!’

‘Freaky right?’ You giggled.

‘Very!’

‘Imagine what it’s like for me. She’s doing it from inside.’ You chuckled and he grinned at you ‘She’s gotta be dancing the tango in there. Jesus!’

‘Hey, little one.’ Said Javi as he lowered his face towards your swollen belly ‘Settle down now. Mummy’s very happy to feel you moving but no need to overdo it.’

You chucked as you watched him talk to her, feeling her settle down inside of you and you rolled your eyes as he looked up at you.

‘Of course, she listened to you.’ You grumbled and Javier just shrugged.

You gazed at each other again, feeling the air between you crackle as he shifted himself so that he was more upright but no further from you. You saw his eyes drop to your lips and your own followed suit, tongue darting out to wet it before letting out a shaky breath in anticipation. As he pressed his lips to yours it was unhurried like it had been in the past. It was soft yet passionate and you felt yourself melting into it but soon it became heated, hands groping and tugging as you both desperately tried to deepen it.

‘I missed you.’ He whispered against your lips before his own started planting kisses down your neck.

‘Fuck.’ You moaned, feeling his actions going straight to your core but then your brain kicked in ‘Javi, Javi… Stop.’

‘What’s wrong?’ He asked as he pulled away, brows furrowed in concern.

‘As much as I’d love to revisit that.’ You started as you placed your hand on his chest ‘We need to take this slow. I can’t just go jumping back into bed with you. I need time to trust you again but if you’re serious about this then I need some proof.’

‘I want this. I want us.’ He urged, kissing you again with fervour.

‘And that's wonderful.’ You replied, pecking his lips ‘But I need a little time to process. Is that okay?’

‘Of course.’ He replied, flashing you a warm smile ‘We’ll take this as slow as you like.’

‘Why don’t we start with you staying over. We can talk a bit more, get to know each other again and then you can make me breakfast in the morning.’ You suggested, with a wink.

‘I think that can be arranged.’ He replied, pressing a tender kiss on your lips.

~

Chapter 2

[kaistarus]

Just A Line Without A Hook

Pairing: Hinata X Reader

Words: 5.9K

Summary: You and Hinata share your point-of-views during important milestones throughout your relationship.

A/N: This is a full relationship development and I’m very proud lol hopefully you can find some joy in it :3

Masterlist // Ko-Fi

Hinata was weird.

That lurked in your mind as you leaned on a conspicuously sticky bar table listening to him tell you his entire life’s story. Your original intent for the night had been to quickly pop into Yachi’s birthday party since you worked at the butt crack of dawn. Give her the present and maybe have a drink. Whatever you did it was meant to be fast.

Too bad you had never been good at sticking to plans.

“I moved to Brazil right after high school to learn beach volleyball,” Hinata said, his smile soft as he looked longingly in the distance. “But I didn’t explore as much as I should have. I really want to go back.”

“Out of high school?” You cocked your head to the side, “that’s wild. I moved to Tokyo and still felt completely out of place.”

“Well, it didn’t go too hot at first.” He scratched his cheek. “I actually got my wallet stolen my first week there…”

You fought to keep lips from pulling into a smile.

There was something in the carefree way he carried himself that made it hard to turn away. The moment Yachi introduced you there was an odd sense of comfort that washed over you. Which made no sense because you had known absolutely nothing about the guy-aside from him being a professional volleyball player and attending high school with Yachi.

Still, it was no reason to let your guard down.

“Sounds like they took advantage of the clueless foreigner,” you teased, curious butterflies tickling your abdomen when he pouted. “I’ve always thought Italy looked cool. If I could travel somewhere.”

Hinata’s lips mindlessly curved into a relaxed smile as you spoke, as if that was their default expression when not preoccupied. And it made conversation with him easy. It dissipated your usual anxieties about overthinking every action or word. You truly felt like you could be yourself and just exist within his presence.

“I have a friend in Italy!” Hinata said, elation lighting up his amber eyes. He began drawing circles in the condensation of his glass with an awkward laugh. “I think anyway. He travels all over the place, but he was in Italy last I knew.”

“That’s so cool,” your jaw went a little slack. You didn’t know people actually did stuff like that.

“Yeah Noya’s the best,” Hinata nodded resolutely. “He visited me for a while in Brazil. I taught him some Portugese and we played beach volleyball. He was so jealous everyone called me Ninja Shoyo. It was awesome.”

Hinata could speak Portugese? Ninja Shoyo?

So many questions…

“What’s a Ninja Sho-” You began until your phone lit up after receiving a message and you realized just how late it was. “Oh my god, I have to go.”

“Wait,” Hinata interrupted you mid-frantic scrabble to zip your jacket. You furrowed your brow at the smartphone he placed unlocked on the table between you. “Could I-uh-you know… talk to you again sometime?”

You blinked a few times before swiping the device off the bar’s gross table. “Yeah,” you said, a warmth you didn’t recognize filling your chest as you created your contact. “I’d like that.”

An absentminded smile painted Hinata’s face after you waved good-bye and when you stepped outside beneath the light snowfall you realized your lips were curved to match. But there was still too wide a gap between how little you knew about Hinata and how much you desired to be close to him. That new part of you burned too bright in your chest to be ignored.

And you would simply have to change that.

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

Hinata huddled in the corner of the gymnasium over his duffle bag, staring at his cellphone in case he received a last second message. His eyes flickered between the ticking clock above the bleachers and his phone’s black screen, stomach sinking as the seconds passed. He anxiously unlocked his phone to scroll through and analyze his last conversation.

Had he said something wrong? He supposed he’d never actively tried to flirt before, so it wasn’t unlikely he offended you somehow. He furrowed his brow and chewed on his thumbnail, rereading his last message. Maybe he overdid it with the emojis?

Wait, were you at work? You could also just be busy. Maybe he was just overthinking everything…

“Why are you crouched in the corner like a creep?” Atsumu crept up behind him, eyeing him suspiciously.

Hinata jumped, shoving his phone back into his duffle bag. “Nothing.”

“Bull shit. You’ve been acting off for weeks,” Atsumu squatted to Hinata’s eye-level and leaned forward with a sly grin. “Someone’s keeping secrets.”

A warmth rushed to Hinata’s face. He was a terrible liar if questioned directly. “I wouldn’t keep secrets from you guys. I mean, we’re practically family now.” he chuckled unconvincingly.

“Right,” Atsumu gave him a once-over before standing. Hinata let out a relieved sigh that he’d been spared for now.

“What’s happening over here?” Bakuto boisterously called out while skipping over to the boys. Sakusa trailed behind him with his hands shoved deep into his sweatpant’s pockets.

“Hinata’s lying out his ass.”

Hinata whipped around toward Atsumu with his jaw slack. The audacity of this guy. “I am not!”

“The guy’s zoning out at practice, making heart eyes at his phone, and fucking notre daming over his duffle?” Atsume raised his brows at Hinata. “Either he’s getting scouted for a different team or he’s dating someone.”

“You’re leaving the team?” Sakusa asked monotone, as if he couldn’t care either way. If Hinata wasn’t used to the constant monotone he’d be offended.

“No,” he denied, qualming Bokuto’s prepared puppy-dog eyes. “And I’m not dating anyone.”

Which wasn’t a lie. You were nothing more than a friend at this point. Even if his heart ignited a flame anytime your name crossed his mind.

“A crush then,” Atsumu waved him off. “Either way a massive Hinata life development you lied to us about.”

“I didn’t lie, I just,” Hinata wrinkled his nose while thinking of ways out of the predicament. “I think Shugo is calling to start practice. We should probably-”

“You’ve got a crush?” Bokuto’s eyes appeared to sparkle when he flung an arm around Hinata’s shoulder. “Who is it? Do we know them? You don’t need to sweat Hinata I’m an excellent wingman.”

Hinata waved his hands in front of him. “You don’t know them and it’s okay. You really don’t have to-”

“Oh, don’t be so considerate. We’re offering our services Hinata.” Atsumu said smugly while Bokuto nodded excitedly.

Hinata forced a half-smile. This had been exactly what he wanted to avoid. If his feelings were just a measly crush he would have gladly brought them up to the guys, but they were way more extreme then that.

“I’m not offering anything,” Sakusa raised his brows slightly in Hinata’s direction before walking off. “Good luck.”

“Buzz kill.” Atsumu pouted.

“Look, this is more complicated than you guys realize,” Hinata brushed Bokuto’s arm off his shoulders. “I can’t really explain it, but I don’t think you guys can help me.”

“Hinata, it’s okay. We all have our faults. Some more than others, but we’re here for you.” Atsumu patted his shoulder understandably and Hinata shot him a glare.

“Akaashi always tells me to ‘just be yourself’.” Bokuto nodded proudly, clasping his fist with determination. “Then you’ll attract the people who are meant to be in your life.”

Hinata blinked a few times. That… was really good advice.

“That’s stupid,” Atsumu scoffed. “You gotta stalk them on all social media. Analyze their personality and figure out exactly what they're into. Learn their ins and outs and become their type.”

That… was the dumbest thing he had ever heard.

“I don’t know Atsumu, that sounds kind of wrong,” Bokuto tapped his chin and Atsumu pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed deeply.

“Okay, but numbers don’t lie and I have the highest success rate.”

Bokuto and Hinata tilted their heads mulling that one over. No. It still seemed dumb.

Hinata zoned off as Bokuto and Atsumu began debating the morals of online stalking and the value of Akaashi’s opinions. He already knew that if he wanted real help picking apart the fire in his chest he’d have to talk to someone who’d take him seriously like Yamaguchi. Then he’d actually get to dissect the confusing emotions in his heart-look at them from all angles.

Learn to understand them and tend to them properly. Help them grow.

He watched Atsumu chase a cackling Bokuto around the gym until their captain Shugo scolded them. Hinata smirked. Even if they weren’t the most helpful he still appreciated knowing he had people willing to help him... in their own way.

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

You and Hinata spent the majority of your free time together, but even after several months it was nothing more than two friends placing comfort in each other’s company. Most Thursdays it was normal to find Hinata lounging on your living room sofa. He watched some volleyball commentary video on his cellphone, legs propped lazily on the armrest, while you answered work emails at your coffee table.

On a normal Thursday night you would continue whatever show you’d been watching-currently Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood-but tonight you were stuck finishing last minute work. You heaved a sigh and glanced over your shoulder at Hinata, his breathing relaxed while his eyes flickered across his phone’s screen.

You weren’t oblivious to your feelings. Maybe at first you were able to brush them off as excitement about a new friend, but they had shifted into something intense. Always festering in the forefront of your mind throughout your daily routine.

It became obvious when you noticed you spent more time counting the freckles scattered across the bridge of his nose than focusing on conversations. When you realized you spent more time at work trying to pin-point the exact shade to call his hair than getting actual work done. Even more so when your heart would do acrobatics at the sound of his voice whenever you talked on the phone.

No matter how you looked at it, it became impossible to deny.

“Hey, are you okay?”

You looked back again and Hinata’s eyebrows were furrowed with concern, his earbuds pulled out and phone placed on his stomach. 

“Yeah,” you half-smiled and he raised his brows to show he clearly didn’t believe you. You let out a breathy laugh, breaking the eye-contact to lean back against the couch and place your head on his bicep. “I’m just thinking.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” he teased, a hand gently placed on the crown of your head.

“Shut up,” you said with no bite behind your words.

He snorted, rubbing his thumb against the top of your head. “...what if I was also thinking?”

“That’s probably more dangerous than me thinking,” you laughed, rubbing your socked toes together with a soft smile. When he didn’t respond you twisted around to check on him, but he wouldn’t meet your eyes. “Hinata?”

“Nevermind.”

You gripped the couch cushion for support as you leaned in slightly. There was no way for you to be sure, but you could have sworn Hinata was blushing.

“What were you thinking about?” You questioned. Your heart was beating a million times a second in your chest and there was something akin to hope burning beside it.

Hinata looked in your eyes challengingly, “what were you thinking about?”

“You.”

He seemed taken aback by your bluntness, but brushed it off quickly. “I want to kiss you.”

Your eyes widened. It felt like all the air had been sucked from the room as you stared into his hopeful amber eyes.

“Well, do it then.” You responded, barely above a whisper. Hinata took a while to process, but once he had his face lit up crimson.

His hand cradled the side of your face and you watched him carefully, allowing him to make the moves. You kept your mind blank so as not to overthink the situation, but you hoped at least one brain cell was functioning enough to get you through it.

The kiss Hinata pressed against your lips was a little too hesitant, too off-center, and too brief. Yet the beaming smile he gave you afterward sent your heart into a frenzy unlike anything you’d ever experienced. The dopey smile on your lips felt too embarrassing and you buried your face against Hinata’s chest.

After a little coaxing with promises of television and snacks you peeked back up, happily met with Hinata’s dazed smile. The rest of the night was spent wrapped in each other’s arms and supplying random kisses because ‘they definitely needed practice’; ending with Hinata falling asleep in your bed for the first, but definitely not last, time.

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

Hinata hated being sick.

He hated fighting through a thick fog to collect words when stringing together sentences was usually effortless. He hated the pounding headaches following any light reaching his unfocused eyes. And Hinata especially hated his fit lungs struggling through breaths that came out raspy and weak through his aching throat.

Nothing good came from being sick. It was a lesson he learned long ago.

“You need to sleep,” you whispered against the crown of his head, your fingers carding gently through his sweaty locks. He nuzzled the tip of his nose against the cool skin at your collarbone while gripping your shirt at your shoulder.

Unfortunately, you were making it really hard for him to hate anything anymore.

“You’re going to get sick,” he pointed out, voice scratchy from his throat’s soreness.

You hummed dismissively, planting a small kiss on the top of his head. “My immune system’s pretty strong.”

Hinata knew it didn’t work that way, but was too selfish to argue your flawed logic. The bare skin of your neck helped chill his overheated forehead and he cuddled ever closer into you, twining your legs together. He wrinkled his nose when he realized how gross his fever was probably making him.

He’d have to wash your sheets and stuff when he was feeling better.

“I wish I could kiss you,” he pouted.

“That one’s gonna have to wait,” you chuckled lightly, beginning to rub soothing circles into his lower back. The vibrations from your voice sent a pleasant shiver down Hinata’s spine and the corners of his lips lifted. “You know, you’ll get better faster if you sleep.”

“But I wanna stay awake with you,” Hinata whined, lazily beginning to trace designs on your shoulder. The world was so cruel.

“I’ll be here when you wake up,” you said, barely above a whisper. Hinata grumbled a nonsense of a response and you chuckled lightly. You fell silent for a long enough period that Hinata began believing you fell asleep before him until you asked, “can I tell you a secret?”

“Yeah,” Hinata yawned, snuggling against your chest. “I love secrets.”

Silence enveloped his apartment again and Hinata almost dozed off.

“I think I’m in love with you.”

He blinked himself back to consciousness while the words rolled over in his mind. He froze. The fast paced rhythm of your heart was the only source available to keep him grounded as his foggy brain worked to unpack your words.

Love?

He glanced up to meet your nervous eyes paired with flushed cheeks. He stared in disbelief while you continued to patiently wait for his reaction. This better not be some sort of fever induced hallucination.

“No one’s ever said that to me before,” he said, eyebrows creased. Aside from his mom and Natsu, obviously, but he figured you’d know what he meant.

The corner of your mouth lifted into a hopeful half-smile. “Well, I’m honored.” Your touch was gentle as you brushed the hair back from his forehead. He subconsciously leaned into your touch with a wondrous stare and his eyes scoured your face for his answer.

Except you were the answer.

“I’ve never been in love before, but…” He struggled for the right words-any words-settling on what he could piece together at the moment. “I feel like things are better when you’re here. Like, I can do anything I hope to and more. I just feel happier when I’m with you and it’s easier and everything makes sense…” He wrinkled his nose. “Is… is that love?”

You cradled his fevered cheeks tenderly. “I think that’s for you to decide Hinata.”

He nodded to himself. “Okay,” he said determinedly. “Then yeah. It is, I love you, (Y/N).”

“I’m glad,” you smiled, looking at him with an affectionate stare that set his heart ablaze. He took a deep breath before disappointedly letting his forehead drop to your chest.

“Fuck, I want to kiss you so bad.”

You let out a bubble of laughter, rubbing your thumbs tenderly against his cheeks. “We’ll make up for it plenty when you’re feeling better.”

He tried to hold back a smirk, but failed. “Fine.”

“Now go to sleep,” You ordered, planting a quick peck to the top of his head.

He grumbled half-assed as he situated himself more comfortably, but Hinata was all talk at this point. His eyelids were heavy with sleep and his heart hummed with contentment. He was in love. A smile dusted his lips as he began drifting off.

Maybe being sick wasn’t so bad after all.

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

You narrowed your eyes suspiciously at your boyfriend across the couch chowing down on take-out sushi. Hinata’s eyes were glued to the television’s screen, his hand alternating between shoveling food into his mouth and rubbing mindless circles on your shin across his lap. Things were comfortable, easy, perfect some might even say.

Too perfect.

“Why aren’t we fighting?”

Hinata turned, cheeks stuffed with food and eyebrows raised with surprise. Under normal circumstances you’d consider it adorable, but you wanted to be serious.

He swallowed with a wince before raising an eyebrow. “Did something happen?”

“No, but we’ve been dating for a while and we haven’t had the big fight.”

“We fight all the time,” he placed his plate on the coffee table with a roll of his eyes. You huffed because he clearly wasn’t on the same page. “Just yesterday I was pissed because you left an empty container of milk in my fridge.”

“It wasn’t empty.”

“There was a dribble. That’s not enough for-” He put up a hand and took a breath. “Not the point. Point is: we fought right?”

“That was hardly a discussion.” You waved him off. He had angrily brought it up, you kissed him sorry, and he forgave you. Hinata didn’t know how to hold a grudge and all you had to do was buy him more milk.

“Okay, a few weeks ago then. You fell in the toilet because I forgot to put the seat down.” He nodded confidently. “You woke me up in the middle of the night for that one.”

You shuddered at the memory of being shocked into full consciousness by falling into a pool of your own piss. In your shocked state you may have chosen violence and decided to pick a fight with Hinata at three in the morning, but it was well deserved.

“Okay, but that’s not what I mean.”

“Are you sure?” He raised a brow. “Waking up with my girlfriend on top of me and slowly realizing she’s threatening to end my bloodline kind of feels like a fight.”

“Okay, that’s-” You pinched the bridge of your nose and ignored his amused smirk. “I’m talking about relationship ruining fights.”

He tilted his head, clearly not following you.

“Like, you insult me using some secret I’ve only divulged to you and I leave crying with no self-esteem.” You explained with exaggerated hand gestures and his nose wrinkled. “Or I walk in on you having an explicit affair with Kageyama, or maybe you get drunk and I over hear you talking with-”

He put both his hands up, “back it up. What the hell was that last one?”

“An explicit affair?” You blinked a few times and cocked your head to the side. “With… Kageyama?”

“Yeah that’s what I-we’re gonna unpack that later.” He palmed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Anyway, why would any of this happen?”

“Because that’s what always happens.” You answered honestly. Maybe you sounded like a pessimist, but that was just the reality of the world. At least, you had never seen it work any other way. “So just… tell me how it’s going to happen.”

Hinata looked crestfallen at your statement and the dejected look in his eyes made your heart sink to your stomach. You closed your eyes, waiting for him to question your sanity, but was taken back when he crawled forward to rest his head on your chest.

“If I ever hurt you like that,” he mouthed against your collarbone. “I would never forgive myself.”

Your heart raced and you brought a hand to card through his unruly locks, nodding to acknowledge his words.

“Don’t overthink,” he said, kissing your neck softly. “If we’re good then we’re good. Maybe that’s just how it’s meant to be.”

Your lips curved into a small smile and you nodded again. You let yourselves just exist with him for a while. Heart’s beating in unison while you twirled tufts of autumn through your fingers. His lips dusting across your neck as he whispered loving affirmations against you. And maybe he was right.

Maybe it was just meant to be.

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

Hinata moved expertly around his kitchen preparing breakfast, sneaking glancing at you perched drowsily beside the stove adorning one of his larger shirts. Obviously it wasn’t the first time he’d seen you like that-hair mussed, eyes heavy with sleep, in only his clothes-but it still warmed his heart when you existed so casually in space. Like you belonged there.

His lips curved into a smile as he cracked several eggs into a heated frying pan. The dull thudding of your heels hitting a cupboard mixed with the sizzling on the pan for the background of your comfortable silence. Even without conversation his life felt brighter in your presence and he was thankful his apartment was such a convenient location for the both of you.

You yawned deeply, rubbing the sleep from your eyes and finally focusing on him. Hinata selfishly wished you could be with him more often. The days he woke up without you were the coldest.

“What are you staring at?” You slurred with another yawn.

Hinata shot you a lopsided grin, “my beautiful girlfriend.”

You side-eyed him with an amused smirk, “kiss ass.”

Hinata slid the eggs onto a couple plates before going to stand in front of you. You raised a curious brow, but weren’t given enough time to voice a question before he pressed his lips to yours. His mouth curved into a smile against yours-another reason he loved you being here so often was it meant more of this.

Your hands cradled his face as he appreciated that you still tasted like mint from his borrowed toothpaste this morning. Another subtle way he’d nudged himself into your life he realized, toying with the bottom of his shirt you were wearing.

“What’s this for?” You asked, sliding your hands over his shoulders and hooking them behind his neck.

“I just love you,” he replied earnestly. Your fingers laid a scorching touch as they teased the baby hairs on his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. Hinata took his time with languid kisses-he could kiss you a million times and the hunger for more would always linger.

Your breaths were heavy when you pulled back to place your forehead against his, eyeing him with pure affection that set his heart ablaze. “I love you too, Shoyo.”

He trailed his knuckles down your cheek and relished in the way you leaned into his touch. How had he gotten this luck? Hinata placed a tender kiss on your forehead, temple, cheekbone, tip of your nose, and finally on your lips.

“You should move in.”

Hinata’s eyes widened in shock at his own question because that had been the last thing he’d planned on doing this morning. Well, the suggestion was out there and it’s not like he wanted to take it back...

You blinked several times as you processed. “With you?”

“Ideally.”

You furrowed your brow while mulling it over and Hinata counted his heartbeats to stay grounded. Worst case scenario you say no and things are awkward for a bit. Best case scenario he takes a large step forward with the love of his life.

Oh god, he should’ve planned this better.

“Okay.”

“I understand,” Hinata sighed. “It was totally random and I shouldn’t have expected-did you say yes?”

“Yeah,” your cheeks flushed and you bit your bottom lip to fight down a smile. “I mean, I’m here most of the time anyway, right?”

Hinata nodded mindlessly before a face splitting grin covered his features and he scooped you off the corner. You squealed while he spun you around with a bright laugh, interrupting any of your comments with a passionate kiss. While you were busy tangling your fingers into his unruly hair he glanced toward his bedroom’s door.

There was probably enough time to celebrate.

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

“She’s beautiful,” you said in awe, cradling the swaddled newborn in your arms. She was sleeping soundly, tiny breaths leaving her partly open mouth. The baby looked too fragile for this world, features too small and delicate to be realistic.

She was amazing.

“Well, she’s our daughter,” Tanaka’s chest puffed up proudly. He sat beside Shimizu on her hospital bed with an arm hung loosely around her. “Obviously she’s going to be perfect.”

You wouldn’t fight his dramatics; he deserved to be happy today.

“What’s her name?” Hinata breathed. Seated beside you he leaned heavily against your side to observe the baby.

“Sayori,” Shimizu yawned. She and Tanaka had deep bruises under their eyes, and you smirked knowingly down at the sleeping demon in disguise.

Hinata hesitantly moved his hand toward Sayori before planting it back on his lap. You raised a brow, reaching over with the hand not helping cradle Sayori’s head and grabbed his forefinger. Hinata looked at you panicked, but relaxed as you guided him toward Sayori’s small fist that pressed gently against her pink cheeks.

When she instinctively wrapped her fingers around his forefinger his eyes widened and he whipped his gaze to you. “She grabbed my finger,” he whispered.

“They do that,” you smirked, a frenzy of butterflies attacking your stomach as he stared at Sayori wondrously.

“That’s amazing.”

“Okay, stop using my kid as a way to feed your baby fever.” Tanaka huffed. Shimizu elbowed him in the stomach and a warmth trickled up your face when his words hit you.

“What’s a baby fever?” Hinata asked, raising an eyebrow at you. “Is it dangerous?”

“No,” you stumbled over a reply that wouldn’t make the situation incredibly awkward. “It’s when you, uh, want kids.”

“Oh,” Hinata shrugged, bouncing his finger to play with Sayori’s hand. “What’s wrong with eventually wanting kids?”

“That’s not-”

“No, it means you want a kid now.” Tanaka emphasized by smacking the hospital bed. “Like, go home immediately and make a baby level now.”

Hinata blinked a few times before his face lit up red, “oh.”

You nodded awkwardly and both of you remained quiet while Shimizu chastised Tanaka in the background. One of you should probably deny the baby fever thing… right? You glanced over to Hinata, but his eyebrows were furrowed as he stared intently at Sayori.

“Okay, Sayori needs to eat soon, so I’m kicking Hinata out.” Tanaka announced.

Hinata didn’t put up any fights and you passed Sayori back to Shimizu, making plans to see each other again soon. You offered your services for future babysitting with Hinata’s vigorous agreeing behind you and they were more than grateful for it. Regardless Tanaka shooed you out when Sayori began wriggling in Shimizu’s arms.

As you and Hinata made your way to the metro that would bring you to your apartment complex the air between you was heavy. An obvious awkwardness that was harder to ignore the longer you walked together.

“I’m not surprised their baby ended up looking so cute,” you laughed, filling the space with nervous chatter. “Shimizu is really pretty.”

He nodded, looking up at the cloudless sky thoughtfully. “Do you think our baby would be cute?”

Your heart rate quickened at the idea. It wasn’t like you’d never thought of it, but talking about it outloud was a completely different monster. “I think it would have pretty great genes.”

He nodded, furrowing his brow at the sidewalk ahead.

Hinata wasn’t an idiot. Neither of you were ready for something like that. Several nights ago you’d decided to get drunk and attempt making meat buns-you’d nearly set the kitchen on fire. That doesn’t scream parent material.

On a larger scale, Hinata had just been selected for Japan’s Olympic team. There just wasn’t time for something like that. No, a baby wasn’t realistic.

However...

“What’s our apartment’s pet policy?”

He turned to you with a raised brow, “probably an extra fee and a weight limit. Why?”

You smirked mischievously at him, “want to get a dog?”

His jaw dropped. “Oh my fu-can I name it?”

“Only if I get to pick the breed.”

“Well then, what are you waiting for?” Hinata grasped your hand and yanked you toward the closest metro station. “Look up the closest pet store and let’s go!”

You chuckled, allowing him to pull you toward a random station that probably wouldn’t lead you where you needed. It would work out in the end. Things always seemed to fall perfectly into place with HInata.

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

Hinata glared across the roll of wrapping paper at the small puppy crushing the end of the tube, tearing edges of red and white striped paper with its sharp teeth. Hinata tugged it out of the pup’s mouth, but that only encouraged the behavior as it leapt forward to chew with more vigor.

“Can you grab your son?” Hinata waved the roll around, letting the Shiba Inu chase the end that Hinata held just out of reach. “He’s making this more difficult than it needs to be.”

You paused your typing at the dining table and giggled at Hinata’s antics. After closing the laptop you jogged over to scoop the puppy up, flipping him over in your arms to rub its belly. The puppy let its tongue hang out and wagged its tail vigorously at the attention.

“Oh, Deku, are you giving your dad a hard time,” you cooed down at the puppy, lifting him to look him in the eyes with a furrowed brow. “That’s not very nice.”

Hinata rolled his eyes fondly at your pathetic attempt of scolding while Deku licked you on the nose. Just several months old and he already knew how to manipulate people with his cuteness.

“I bought our bullet train tickets,” you said while nudging him the roll of tape he’d started looking around for. “Natsu called me earlier. We decided that you and I should get there around 3.”

Hinata tore a piece of tape off with his teeth while he held the wrapping paper still around the boxed pair of rollerskates with his foot.

“We have to stop by Tanaka’s place before we head out,” Hinata wrinkled his nose at his poor wrapping job. “Noya’s visiting for a while and he wants to meet Deku.”

“Of course,” you smiled as you held a chew toy above Deku’s face so he could nibble on it in your lap. “We have some presents for Sayori, anyway.”

Oh yeah. You had split the present wrapping in terms of difficulty, so you had the pleasure of wrapping weirdly shaped toys while he was left with boxes. Somehow, his still turned out to be a disaster.

He could hear Natsu’s complaints already.

“The train doesn’t leave till one, so we should have plenty of time.” You stated once Hinata taped the final present, completing his small present tower. Deku wriggled himself free from your grip and immediately attacked the empty wrapping paper roll.

Hinata smiled absentmindedly as he watched Deku hold the tube still with his small paws as he gnawed the cardboard. He felt you crawl over, lying your head onto his lap as your eyes followed his to watch your dog-son together. He felt at peace, running his fingers through your hair while Deku wreaked mischief nearby.

He felt like he could never get happier than this, and he never wanted it to end.

“He really is a troublemaker,” you snorted as Deku dragged the tube across the living room proudly. “Gets it from you.”

Hinata rolled his eyes and pinched your cheek. “It’s because you let him do whatever he wants.”

“Do not!”

He chuckled, taking his time tracing your features. The curve of your cheekbones, the dip of your lips, the bridge of your nose-everything he’d kissed into his memory by now but still couldn’t get enough of.

Hinata’s heart burned bright as he ran his knuckles along your cheek, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” You smiled softly, leaning subconsciously into his touch.

“I mean… I really love you, (Y/N).” Hinata grabbed your hand and brought it to his lips. “I think this is it.”

You met his stare for several moments before your cheeks reddened. “Oh.”

Hinata nodded, pressing a loving kiss to the back of your hand. “I just-I always want you with me and if it’s not you in the end then… then what’s the point?”

Your mouth fell slightly open and he felt your hand flex in his grasp. He assumed he made a mistake-said too much too fast-but his chest was so warm and full and it was hard to reign in his emotions when he got that way.

A smile blossomed across your face and it eased his anxieties when you held his cheek. “You’re it for me too, Sho.”

He blinked several times as the words rolled over in his mind. “Wha-really?” He twisted himself so he could look you in the eyes, begging for you to be telling the truth.

You nodded shyly, your face crimson. “Yeah. You have been. I’m not… I don’t think I’d be able to love anyone else ever again.”

It felt like he’d been hit by a train at your confession and he pressed his mouth against yours before he’d even processed the statement. Your content hum against his lips was enough to drive him insane.

“Well, I’m going to love you forever.” Hinata promised with a dopey smile. “So don’t even think about that.”

You snorted, but nodded anyway. Hinata glanced down at your lips again with hooded eyes and started leaning forward, but was rudely interrupted by a damp cardboard tube hitting his forehead.

He glanced up exhaustedly at the Shiba Inu puppy panting obliviously at the both of you, waiting patiently for the love and attention he knew he deserved. You pushed Hinata off to grab Deku, but he jumped into a play bow and jolted back when you reached for him.

Hinata smiled dazedly as you chased Deku around the apartment, juking around furniture to attempt to throw the puppy off-course. He had never felt so complete than he had in that moment because he realized that this was it for him.

It was you. It was him. It was a troublemaker dog. And it was a promise that you’d be together forever.

And that was pretty damn perfect.

[duskamethyst]

shatter.

a/n: kirishima is best boy so when he is sad, i also get sad. god i wish he is real. anyways, i wrote this with that one image of him in my mind. you know, when he cried. oh, and happy new years eve.

word count: 2.7k

genre: angst

warnings: some guilt tripping?, toxic behavior if you squint, mentions of death

pairing: kirishima x gn!reader

summary: kirishima just couldn’t stand seeing you always getting hurt from doing hero work and he constantly persuades you to quit– through words and action.

“you’re gonna be a great hero, babe!” kirishima had an arm wrapped around your shoulders and he pulled you in to kiss your forehead.

three years in U.A. and it was finally graduation day. you both had your heart and mind set on your desired agencies, ready to serve and protect the society from evil as pro heroes. 

you and kirishima work under different agencies but your relationship with him has remained steady ever since your last year in high school. now, you are together for almost three years with a small and cheap apartment to reside in though your schedules aren’t exactly the most favorable as a couple. 

when kirishima has a day off, you have to be out for work and the same goes the other way around. even when both are at home, you barely get to speak to him since one of you is already sleeping while the other just got home. be that as it may, both are still very optimistic. it makes each moment together not to be taken for granted and it serves as a reminder to appreciate each other more. even when you are lightly awake from feeling the mattress dipping from behind, the moment he holds you close as he dozes off to sleep is something you greatly treasure. 

but sometimes, one of you has to be out of town. far away from your home and one of you is bound to get some scratches and ugly bruises– which seems like you’re more a victim of. kirishima tends to be a worrywart and he gets upset that he can’t stay at home too long to take care of your needs and you need to assure him every time that you’ll be fine and that a good rest can get you back up on your feet.

the reassurance and the constant worrying tends to turn into a regular argument at some point. not forgetting when he suddenly starts to blame himself for how useless he is. when will he ever understand that this has nothing to do with him but your own carelessness? it’s getting all too mentally draining.

the nauseating feeling of not being good enough is already shitty and you don’t need the pity look he throws at you every now and then. you know he means well but it ticks you off when you have to say the same thing all over again and he needs to focus on his job. the villains out there are not going to shove their asses into prison by themselves and every argument in the house is a waste of time.

still, you have an admirable passion for your job and he respects that (or used to?). as a hero himself, he understands the risks pro heroes need to take and the kind of danger that they have to face everyday. kirishima knows that you’ve worked hard to be who you are today but certain times he fails to convince himself that you are fit to work in this field. kirishima doesn’t mean to disregard your work and all but hell, this sure isn’t the first time that you got a bad bruise on your body– though the broken foot is new (still doesn’t change the fact that you needed a cast for your arm before). 

“please? retire for me?” he mutters under his breath, his eyes are wavering with worry from the other side of the room as he looks at you sitting on the couch with a crutch resting close to you. the words that come out of his mouth seem to already be scripted from saying the same thing over and over again.

“not this again. eiji, we’ve talked about this before.” you groan, sinking down further into your seat. you just got back from the hospital and your body needs a good rest before you can heal properly.

“i know but,” he sighs dejectedly. “i can’t stand to see you like this.” 

you shake your head, your voice firm. “no. eiji, this is just a fracture. it’ll heal soon.”

“baby, you know i can protect both of us.” kirishima’s voice is soft as silk in hope to be able to persuade you into something you clearly defy time after time.

“are you saying i’m not capable of defending myself?” you raise your voice a little, clearly vexed and kirishima’s gaze meets the floor, trying to construct words so it doesn’t sound wrong or offend you any further. 

“you’re not answering me, eiji.” you snort, his hesitance giving him away.

“i’m not the one injured here.” kirishima glances at your bandaged foot and the crutch next to you. his heart throbs at the sight of you needing to use a crutch to help you walk. 

“oh, good for you.” it feels as if he’s adding insult to injury. it’s all thanks to his quirk that the scratches he received only managed to look like mere paper cuts because he won’t be saying that without it. 

kirishima knows that you can be stubborn sometimes and it reminds him of a certain friend of his but he just wants you to listen and understand from his point of view and not to take it any other way. it undoubtedly makes him upset that you’re hurt but he’s more… scared. so scared to the point that he finds himself being so grateful from you just sitting there in front of him, breathing and alive. he doesn’t want to lose you. he can’t bear the pain if– if you’re not in his life anymore. his world would crumble and there would be nothing left of him.

“do you love me?” kirishima asks out of the blue, deliberately using the question as his last resort to either make you feel guilty or to force you to obey him as some kind of proof that you are true to your words.

“don’t you use that, eijirou.” you sigh in annoyance, knowing too well where this conversation leads. undeniably, you do and he knows damn well too. you’re certain that he is just using that as an excuse or a way to end this argument and it just seems very tacky.

“well, do you?”

“you know i do!” you practically shout before quickly regaining your composure again. “i love you, eiji. so much.”

“then if you do, you would listen to me!” there’s a pitch higher in his voice, a mixture of sorrow and anger in his tone and his eyes begin to look glassy. 

it almost startles you and you know he’s about to put on the waterworks but as the hard headed person you are, you still continue to stand on your ground. 

“and if you love me, you would understand!” you shout back from your seat. you would walk away if you could but you know you’d be too slow before he catches up so there’s no point in that. instead, you shift your gaze somewhere else and force yourself to tolerate the tense and stuffy ambience of the room.

“babe,” his voice croaking. “i don’t.. i don’t wanna lose you.”

“and what about you? would you quit your job for me?” you snarl, still refusing to look at him when he takes small and slow steps towards you.

kirishima falls silent for a second before answering, “i– i told you. i can protect–”

“see? you wouldn’t even do the same.” that should be the end of discussion. if he’s not willing to give you the same energy, why would you? as a hero himself, you believe he should understand the love you have for your job because you understand him too, so why can’t he? 

an exasperated breath draws out from your nostrils as you reach for your crutch to stand up. “eiji, i’m tired. i’m gonna take a rest.”

kirishima just stands quietly in the middle of the room as you start to walk to your shared room. he knows he has lost the argument but he’s not going to let it end like this again– not this time. 

“you don’t love me.” he suddenly breaks the silence, making you stop in your tracks to turn around and look at him– which none of you know would be the last time. 

“what?” you murmur in disbelief, though you heard him very well. even though your heart is wrenching inside your chest, the anger that hasn’t yet subsided from prior rushes through your veins even greater.

“why won’t you ever listen to me?!” he suddenly shouts as tears begin to roll on his cheeks. “i want the best for you– i– you’re everything to me!” 

your own vision suddenly starts to blur and you realize that tears are starting to pour out from your eyes out of your own frustration.

“how do you know what’s best for me?!” you scream back angrily. 

“i’m your boyfriend! i know– i know you’re too weak for this!” he blurts out as he walks towards and stands in front of you.

“why? because i got hurt?!” you push his chest with your free hand though you know he won’t budge considering how shredded he is.

kirishima grabs your wrist to stop you from pushing him as he continues to look at you with irises that burn with rage. “because you’re not fit to be a hero!” 

amidst your struggle to free your wrist, now you only stare at him, too shocked to utter any more words. is that how he thought of you all this time? like a fool trying to play hero? a weak hero that keeps getting injuries and unable to defend themselves let alone the lives of others?

your head hangs low and kirishima panics and lets go of his grip as he slowly realizes what he just said to you on the spur of the moment. 

“babe, i’m sorry. i didn’t–” 

smack.

the sound reverberates throughout the room and it falls silent again. your breathing has gone erratic and able to give him a good slap him in the face earns you some sort of satisfaction. none of you are the type to get physical during a heated argument but that was the final straw. even if you reconcile after this, what then? it’s not like you asked to get beaten up and if it does happen again, you both are going to go through the same thing again. you can’t take it anymore and it’s leaving you with the last option.

“i think,” you finally choke after taking a deep breath. “we’re not on the same page anymore.” 

“w-what do you mean?” he sobs, having the urge to pull you into his embrace and apologize over and over albeit knowing that you’d push him away. 

your lips purse into a thin line. must you spell it out for him?

“eiji, i’m–” 

“baby, no. please– d-don’t say it–” kirishima starts to cry again as he drops to his knees and holds your uninjured leg tightly to his chest, sobbing through your pants. “i’m- i’m sorry!”

“eiji, stop.” you weakly try to shake him off. “maybe if we– if we part, you don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

kirishima looks up at you through the tears in his eyes, “i don’t want– babe, i love you! please don’t– don’t leave me!” he stands back up on his feet and his big hands reach to gently grab your face so you can look at him. “let’s... let’s talk about it, okay?” 

“no, eiji. you can’t even trust me.” this time you start to sob. “a-and we keep on arguing about the same thing.”

“t-then, please? we’ll work it ou–”

his phone suddenly interrupts as he gets a call. he takes out the phone from his pocket and his face drops when he realizes it’s from his agency. he knows he can’t possibly ignore it. with a sniff and cough to alter his voice, he picks it up. kirishima continues to talk to the phone, sparing you glances once in a while as if to analyze the weight of importance between the emergency and the current situation you both are in.

you know very well that the people still need a hero and right now, they need red riot. with a heavy heart you whisper, “go.”

that last option probably isn’t the best but kirishima really couldn’t come to terms and you both failed to reach a mutual understanding. you’re persistent– the kind of person that knows what they want in life and that no one can get in your way. the fact that your boyfriend, out of all people, doesn't seem to show you support like he used to back in the days in U.A. leaves you disappointed. 

the longer the fight carried on, the deeper you drowned in the pits of self loathing. comfort and reassurance weren’t the things that kirishima provided. no, all he kept on doing was putting you down further. especially after he said that you aren’t qualified enough to live the dream you’ve always wanted. oh how it’s going to be stuck in your head for a while.

maybe, two people are better off without each other than being secretly unhappy together.

his lips are pressed flat as he hangs up the call. he doesn’t have much time in his hands but he doesn’t want to leave you either. afraid that once he walks out the door, it’ll be done forever. kirishima only wants to hold you again, to assure himself that it’s alright– that all of this is just a mindless fight and you’ll stay with him. 

but you take the first step away from him and kirishima only watches you quietly as you walk away and disappear into the room. lots of thoughts are running through his head and things he wants to say but couldn’t. his selfishness made him take things too far but it’s all out of love (or probably his best interest). he knows that you’ll be mad at him if you knew that he went to great lengths just to make you change your mind. but now, his efforts proved to be futile because he still ends up losing you and he has no one to blame but himself. 

kirishima doesn’t mean what he said about you not suited to be a hero. he watched you over the years, he knows what you’re capable of and he admires your determination but being in the real world opens his eyes. he had seen death and almost tasted it himself, and that made him realize how precious you are to him– how every moment with you counts because he knows that you could be gone in any moment. 

and you were just so damn obstinate. why couldn’t you understand his feelings? he even talked nicely but you just wouldn’t listen. he almost gave up before an idea suddenly struck in his head. kirishima didn’t want to get his hands dirty but you probably still needed a little push.

he had connections and he got the money.

you were on your shift while kirishima just got home. he spent some time on the couch, glaring intensely at his phone– particularly on the few digits on the screen. his heartbeat was running a marathon as he stared at the phone icon in rumination. the shaky thumb hovering above the screen seemed like forever before he groaned and clicked the off button instead. 

multiple times he had tried and each time he failed to find the will to simply click the call button. he doesn’t want to hurt you, not at all but you were definitely leaving him with no choice.

so he took a deep breath and typed in the numbers again, this time immediately pressing the phone icon and waited for the other line to pick up. though the longer he waited, the more he felt the guilt and wanted to hang up the phone. shortly enough, his call was answered. 

he had a script ready in his head from the first time he tried to call them. it should be no problem. just tell them that he wanted them to hurt you, but not until the point that they could kill you. he sighed. even saying that inside his head made him queasy but what’s love without a little pain, right? 

“hey, i need a favor.”

kirishima hoped that his wicked scheme would work and even if it didn’t, he’d just have to give them a call again until your will to stay a hero shatters.

duskamethyst © 2020 • do not modify, translate or repost anywhere.

[d-arkside]

Call her by my name (Nathan Bateman x reader)

Also Nathan x Kyoko

Warnings = dub-con, implied non-consensual voyeurism from Nathan, explicit non-consenual voyerisum from you - you watch Nathan fuck Kyoko via the computer, masturbation. Language, self-inflicted humiliation (?), pwp

Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Word count = 1.9k

By honeybee xx

***

Nathan’s compound was always quiet, but it was different in the dark. The silence felt heavier, more crushing somehow.

You didn’t normally like walking through the hallways after dark, preferring to stay in your room. There was something intimate about it, like you were trespassing on Nathan’s privacy, even though he’d said you could do what you wanted, when you wanted.

But you’d woken to a crash, and so you were making your way to Nathan’s office to see where he was and if he maybe needed help. He could call you, but you doubted his pride would allow him to do so. And what if he was seriously hurt and couldn’t call?

However, to your surprise, Nathan wasn’t in his office, making you feel a little foolish for knocking, not that anyone was around to witness it. Wandering over to his desk, you sit in his chair, your body almost automatically enveloped by the soft cushions.

How does he work in this thing? You were tired, and this was so comfortable, you felt like you could fall asleep almost immediately. They smell like him too, something musky and woody, and inexplicably Nathan. Comforting.

Shaking the mouse, you blink when the monitor flicks on, and… there must be something wrong. Nathan never leaves his account unlocked. It’s already showing the cameras, an empty room, lit by a solitary lamp on a- that’s your room.

Your eyes dance around all the details on the screen - you definitely left your duvet folded back like that, your pillows are arranged with a gap for your body - does that mean Nathan was watching you sleep?

But you shake your head, trying to clear your thoughts. That’s a tomorrow problem. For now, just check he’s not dying somewhere in this house, and go back to bed.

You click through the rooms, eyes furiously scanning each corner. The only thing out of place is broken glass in the main hallway, presumably the noise you heard. Everything else seems normal, although the back of your neck has started to prickle in anticipation.

And then you find him.

He’s not in trouble.

Not at all.

You instinctively look away, spinning the chair around, your arms jolting the desk and keyboard in panic, and suddenly a breathy groan fills the quiet air.

Except it’s not just a groan. It’s a word. It’s a name.

It’s your name.

You spin back around, suddenly wide awake, your heart beating faster.

This time, you let your eyes sweep the screen, allowing yourself to catch on particular details.

Kyoko’s on all fours, arms crossed under her head, buried in the pillows. Her ass is raised in the air, her back curving as she leans towards Nathan. She’s wearing a loose t-shirt that hides the upper details of her body to you.

Nathan is behind her on his knees. One hand is resting on her left ass cheek, massaging it gently. His cock is hard, coated with his precum and you can just see it glimmering as he moves his right hand up and down.

You swallow, mouth dry. You’ve seen him shirtless before, he’s not self-conscious and you’re free to look your fill on a hot day, or when he’s working out. His butt is...just as amazing as you’d always thought it would be, often emphasised by those shorts that he sometimes likes to wear. His cock, on the other hand-

You look, and you look, and you look. You lick your lips without thinking, and you wonder what he tastes like. You would let him fuck your face. Anything, to get that cock in your mouth. It feels weird to call a cock pretty, but it is. There’s no other word for it. Heat is pooling between your legs, and you shift, pressing your thighs together. This is turning you on.

Somehow, it’s not surprising. You’ve always thought Nathan was attractive, from the very day you’d arrived, and he’d been wearing those stupid fucking glasses looking at you like ...fuck…like he knew exactly what you were thinking.

As you watch, he lines up, slowly thrusting into her, groaning your name again, louder this time, as he does so. Kyoko’s wet, you can hear it, and you briefly wonder if Nathan really put that much thought into the building of her, or if he’s just used lube. That heat is growing, beginning to spreading further through your body, centered around your stomach, and you can’t look away from the screen.

He’s talking as well, his voice a low rasp. “Fuck.” You’re not surprised he’s swearing. “I want you, fuck.” Is he...talking about you? “Kyoko’s nothing compared to you.” Fuck his voice is sexy.

Once Nathan’s fully inside her, he doesn’t move for a second, his thighs pressed against hers. You’ve admired his ass before, you’d have to be blind not to, and with a click of a button, you’ve switched camera angles so you can see the muscles tensed down his back, his butt, his thighs, as he struggles to hold himself still.

Would he have this much control with you? You can’t decide which idea you like more - Nathan controlling you, commanding you with his usual precision as he expertly takes you apart, or you being the one thing, the one person, who can make him lose his control. Fuck.

You lean back in the chair, getting another whiff of that distinctly Nathan-smell, and aware that you shouldn’t be here in the first place, you really shouldn’t be watching, that you definitely shouldn’t be about to do what you’re thinking of doing.

But something about all those shouldn’t’s is really turning you on. You can feel that heat gathering, stronger in your belly, low and tight. You squirm, unaware that as you watch the screen, your bedroom eyes are coming out in full force, low and dark. Instead, you switch camera angles again - although you could watch Nathan’s ass all day you want a better view.

Now you’re looking at them side-on, Kyoko facing away from you, and Nathan’s starting to move. Slowly at first, he starts with deep thrusts, keeping absolute control. He’s frowning in concentration, eyes hooded, and you want to kiss that crease in the centre of his forehead, help him relax properly.

You can’t help the sigh that escapes you. It’s whiny, bordering on a moan, but the sounds coming from the computer are filthy, Nathan’s groans are low in his throat, and when you turn the volume up, you can hear every sound as Nathan thrusts in and out of Kyoko. You bite your lip as it escapes, almost on instinct, as if you’re scared Nathan will hear you.

Kyoko’s not making any noise, and you wonder if that’s what Nathan prefers from all his partners, or just because she’s a robot. Maybe if she moans it ruins his fantasy, because he’s clearly thinking of you. He lets out another strangled gasp of your name, not shutting up. He wants to see how you would “look bouncing on my cock, kitten.” His thrusts speed up a little. “I can’t get off without thinking about you, sometimes I watch you sleep and that’s enou-” He cuts himself off with a groan.

Your hand has been resting near your crotch for a while now, as though you’re thinking about it, and that’s the last straw. If Nathan’s having sex masturbating and thinking of you, you can watch and masturbate. There’s flawed logic somewhere here and you should probably feel offended that he’s thinking of you while he’s balls deep in someone (something?) else, should probably feel violated, but you don’t. Instead you feel more turned on than you ever have in your life.

Your hand dips under your pyjama shorts, lightly teasing the folds of your pussy as you watch. Nathan’s picking up his speed now, still not fast, but you can hear the familiar slap of skin-on-skin as you watch.

“Kitten could I tie you up?” Nathan sounds desperate now, even as he delivers a resounding smack to Kyoko’s ass. “Would you let me hit you? Call you a slut? Sometimes I swear you know what you’re doing when you wear those leggings on your runs, they...oh…make your ass look so good.”

You close your eyes for a brief second, and it sounds like you’re listening to Nathan using his hand, it’s only him making noises, and fuck they’re sexy. His grunts and moans are filling the air, and you know it’s wrong, you know you shouldn’t be watching this, let alone playing with yourself as your breaths come faster and shorter.

You wonder if Kyoko can cum. Has Nathan already made her? Or did he not bother? Would he with you? You imagine he would - throughout your stay here, he’s always made you feel comfortable and relaxed. You think he’d be almost desperate to eat you out.

You circle your clit at the thought of Nathan’s head between your thighs, how his beard would leave marks, how you’d definitely feel him the next day. Your free hand moves to palm at one of your breasts and you moan, feeling yourself grow wetter.

Or maybe he’d be better with his fingers. He’s got capable hands after all, always steady when he’s working on his robots, precise and controlled. He’d know what to do to you.

Your eyes want to automatically close, yet you can’t look away from the screen, watching Nathan’s dick going in and out of Kyoko. You slide one finger inside of you, then another, moaning at the stretch, the feeling of yourself, hot and wet and tight around your own fingers.

What would it be like to feel Nathan’s dick inside of you? He’s big, would he fit? Your fingers are moving in time with Nathan’s thrusts on screen, and you feel that tightness inside of you, growing already.

Nathan’s gripping Kyoko’s hips, his fingers controlling her movements and bringing her to him. You let out a moan, your fingers becoming wetter as your movements become sloppier. You can feel your orgasm approaching, a wave beginning to crest inside of you.

Maybe Nathan would like the idea of being watched. For the first time, you wonder if there are cameras in his office. It would make sense. You think about Nathan watching you watch him in the future, and groan. There’s probably one facing you in the computer. The thought makes your finger move faster against your clit.

Does he always moan your name when he has sex with Kyoko?

That wave inside you is growing, bigger and bigger, every time you touch your clit. “Nathan…” his name is a whisper on your lips at first. You imagine that he’s standing here in front of you, watching the way you finger yourself, that look of disapproval on his face.

“Nathan,” it’s louder this time, like you’re begging for him to let you cum. You keep moving your fingers, and moan his name again as the wave crashes inside of you, your pussy clenching around your fingers as you cum.

You don’t stop watching, even after you’ve cum, absentmindedly bringing your fingers up to your mouth, and cleaning yourself off them. Nathan would make you do the same. You can’t help but whimper a little, still half in your fantasy of Nathan humiliating you, even as the real Nathan continues to pound into Kyoko, harder and faster than before.

Finally he lets out a strangled groan, signalling his own release into Kyoko.

You sit there, breathless, watching him try to catch his breath, effectively ignoring Kyoko as she gets up without looking at him and leaves the room. Tiredness is tugging at you, it always does after an orgasm, and you can see that Nathan doesn’t look like he’ll be moving anytime soon. It would be nice to sleep here, surrounded by his smell, is one of the last things you think before you allow your eyes to close.

***

[bookstantrash]

A/N: This is an idea that has been living inside my mind for a really long time and I finally gathered courage to write it. But I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so every time I read and edited it I always found more and more faults in what I had written, so I said “To hell with this, I’m gonna post it before I delete the whole thing”

This ended up being way longer than what I had imagined and I have no idea how I feel about it. So buckle up folks, because this is going to be a ride.

In which she makes a friend

After almost three months living in Illyria, Nesta could not recall a single conversation that had lasted for more than three minutes or that had been longer than two sentences. Not that she cared much in holding meaningless conversations about the weather and whatnot with the few Illyrians bold enough to talk to her. Because few were those that tried to talk to her, those that were not scared of her, whose voices did not whisper Other or Witch whenever she bothered to leave the house she now lived in.

So when Nesta sat on the lonely stone bench in front the house – the weather had given a break and gone from “insufferable bone cold” to “tolerable chilly” – to try and calm the raging fire in her veins, a sign that her power was trying to break free, a sign that she was close to breaking and destroying everything around her, she was very much surprised to find an Illyrian child walking towards her.

It was not unusual to have a few Illyrians knocking on the door sometimes, given that she now lived with him due to her sister’s order long ago in Velaris. But since her babysitter had gone to Cauldron knows where, to do Cauldron knows what a week ago, no one had come knocking on the door asking for that overgrown bat. Adding the fact that his house was a little secluded from the rest, Nesta could not imagine why that child was coming over.

“Good...good evening” the Illyrian greeted, stopping in front of her.

“He’s not here” Nesta said, eyeing the child in front of her. The boy – Nesta supposed it was a boy, not older than thirteen, with its short cut curly brown hair, bandaged hands, muddied clothes and scar free wings being the only clue she had – shifted nervously on his feet.

“I...I’m not looking for the General” the boy said “I heard there was a Witch living here. I take you are her”

For the second time of that day Nesta found herself surprised. The boy in front of her had called her a Witch in her face, something most did not.

“I wanted to ask for a spell” the boy’s voice had lost a bit of it’s previous nervousness, and he had squared his shoulders, wings slightly flaring “I don’t have much, but I’m ready to give anything in return”

‘You can’t possible have anything to give me’ Nesta thought, glancing at his ripped and dirty clothes.

“I’m no Witch” Nesta said, getting up and turning her back at the kid, making for the house’s door “Go back to your parents”

~•~

The next day, when Nesta was coming back from a walk in the woods – there was something about the ancient trees and the wilderness that helped her control her inner turmoil — she was baffled to see yesterday’s boy waiting for her.

“I’m sorry for yesterday” the boy blurted out before she could send him away “I didn’t want to offend you. I’m Kaelin”

Nesta’s only answer was a blink.

“I...I only said you were a Witch because that’s what the others said you were” Kaelin’s ears turned pink, no doubt embarrassed to admit listening to gossip.

“I don’t blame you” she said, and Kaelin’s eyes lit in surprise.

No. Nesta did not blame the boy for thinking her a Witch. Because long ago, before the war, before the empt void inside her was as big as the ocean, before she heard her father’s neck crack, she had declared to that annoying camp lord Devlon that she indeed was a Witch. But now, even though her powers were as loud as a beast’s roar in her ears, she did not want to touch them. Could not touch them.

And nothing, not even the hopeful look in Kaelin’s light brown eyes, would make her touch the wild beast that lived within her. She would not give the boy false hope. She would not fail another child. Not again. Not ever.

“If you have problems maybe you’d better tell your parents about it, instead of reaching for witchcraft”

After all, even thirteen year old Illyrians must have foolish mistakes that they would rather not tell their parents about.

“I don’t have parents. At least not anymore” Kaelin’s hard and sorrowful voice was enough to make Nesta resist prying further into his problem.

“I see” was the only thing she said, and she once again turned her back at him, entering that lonely and sad cabin, even though she was feeling rather inclined to talk, a feeling she had not felt for the longest time.

~•~

Kaelin appeared on Nesta’s door three days later, with a black eye, bruised cheek and a split lip that didn’t stop him from smiling and giving her something wrapped in brown paper.

“I thought about it and I realised that my apology was lacking” he started talking non stop, not giving Nesta a chance to say anything except gape at him and the gift on her hands “Father always said to treat everyone nicely, unless they were rude to you. He said it was what mother believed in”

Nesta could only nod and unwrap the paper to discover a pair of gloves.

“Did you steal them?” She asked, connecting the dots between the gloves she held — surely way out of the kid’s status of affordable — and his beaten face.

“No!” Kaelin replied, a bitterness in his voice “I know I’m just a lowly orphan but I’d never take something from another one in such an unhonoured way”

Nesta just grossed her arms, waiting for his explanation.

“One of the boys from the high families arrived at training with new boots” he gave a sly smile “I fought him for them”

“You did what?” Nesta’s voice rose and she was holding herself back from shaking the boy until he was back into his right mind.

“Fighting between Illyrians is not prohibited. But it’s best if you don’t get caught” Kaelin replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Nesta felt her temper rising.

“You. Come with me” she grabbed Kaelin’s arm and took him inside before he could protest.

She made him sit on sofa in the living room while she went searching for the medic supplies she was sure Cassian had. Once she found it, she went back to Kaelin and started treating his cuts, mumbling the entire time about how stupid and reckless boys were.

“This is nice” he said, wincing slight when Nesta touched his bruised cheek.

“What is nice?”

“Having someone take care of you” he answered “I... I didn’t know my mom. She died shortly after I was born. Father said she was quite fragile”

Nesta trying to not let show how his words affected her. She remembered another woman, dying in a lonely bed just a few years after her youngest child had been born.

“He died in the last war. Against Hybern” he practically spat the late king’s name, hate filling every syllable.

Nesta finished treating him and started organising the materials, to keep herself busy and have an excuse to buy time to know what to answer him. She had never been good at consoling others. And she didn’t know why, but she was afraid her bluntness would end up hurting Kaelin.

“He was a hero” he said firmly, his eyes shining with defiance “He may have been just a mere foot soldier but he was at the front line, keeping Hybern’s forces back”

“I’m sure he was” Nesta replied, trying not to think about who may have said otherwise to him, hurting a child who had nothing “But would he like to see his son picking meaningless fights?”

“It was to get you a gift” Kaelin looked down and poked at the sofa “I’m sure he’d have understood. Besides, I have to fight and stand out if I want to have a shot at the Rite”

“You mean the Blood Rite? I thought everyone participated” Nesta had gathered little information about the Illyrians for the time she had been living in Illyria. There were no libraries, no bookstores, and the books Cassian had about the Illyrian culture and history were scarce and outdated.

“The very one. You are not obligated to become a warrior, but that’s the path most of male Illyrians take. Not that we have many options to begin with” Kaelin’s voice had became serious “Most of the males from the richer families are bound to participate, but the rest.... we end up being mere foot soldiers. Expendable. So no point in making us take part in it.”

At his words, Nesta could not help but think about Cassian. He too was an orphan but had risen to be Rhysand’s Commander and had seven siphons. From what she had heard and seen at the war, that was rather unusual.

“It’s worse for females” Kaelin added quietly.

She knew that. Saw how females were treated on the rare times she got out of the cabin. A scarce number trained. And she did not know a lot about training, but was sure it was not near enough to make them part of the Illyrian army. Or even defend themselves were the worst to happen.

Nesta opened her mouth to say Cauldron knows what — she had to say something, she could not let the boy leave with such dark thoughts — when a loud noise interrupted her.

It was a sound Nesta knew quite well from her time as a human living in a shabby cottage.

A sound she had become reacquainted with after being Made. After that day at the battle field.

The sound of hungriness. The sound of someone who was starving, and had been so for quite a while.

And it was coming from Kaelin.

The Illyrian boy beside her blushed a deep scarlet, trying — and failing — to come up with an excuse. But Nesta knew better. She knew the signs of starvation. Saw them in herself. Had seen it in her younger sisters, when they were not older than Kaelin.

Thin wrists. Sunken eyes. Cheekbones way too sharp. Up close Nesta could properly examine Kaelin and notice that the boy was all bones and little muscle, his skinny built not a consequence of slow metabolism to gain weight, but rather the fact that he did not have enough sustenance to make it possible.

“I have way too much food stocked here. I was supposed to be living with an adult warrior that can eat for five people “ Nesta began, cutting Kaelin’s blabbering “It would be a crime to let it all get wasted”

Leaving him no window to reply, she took hold of his arm, hauling him towards the kitchen and making him to sit down while she gathered whatever food she came across. And she had enough fire in her eyes — she may or may not have lost a little bit of control of her powers due to her racing emotions — that Kaelin did not dare say a word, but just sit quietly and eat what was put in front of him.

~•~

Nesta’s routine had suffered a slight change after that evening. For the past month and a half, Kaelin had been having a meal with her after his training. Every day.

She had made sure to make it clear that she was expecting a visit from him after his activities were over.

He did not dare argue with her.

Today, however, was an unusual day.

Kaelin was late.

Almost two hours late.

Nesta had come to know Illyrian boy better, and one thing she learned about him was that he detested to be late. For him, his promises and commitment were everything, reminding her of another Illyrian she knew – which had not come back in two months. Not that she missed or was worried about him.

She tried and failed to convince herself that Kaelin may have been held back by training. But she did not know why she felt a strange feeling. Her powers were restless, more so than usual.

The air and the trees around her seemed different.

She felt it deeply in her bones.

As if the Cauldron itself — hidden far far away in a island that did not exist in any map ever written — dreaded whatever future thread the Mother was knitting.

As if something had been woken.

As if the winds of change had gone from a light breeze to a tornado, ready to wreak havoc in Illyria.

Nesta could not hold herself back any longer. She needed to know what was happening. To know if that strange song that spoke of a power strong and ancient was connected to Kaelin tardiness.

So into the woods she went.

She walked and walked, until the song in her ears got louder and a new sound appeared, a sound she would not be able to hear were it not for her fae ears.

The sound of someone whimpering.

Quickening her steps, Nesta followed the cries of pain until the wall of trees around her gave way to a small clearing.

And there, lying curled up in a ball, was Kaelin.

“KAELIN!”

Nesta ran towards him, falling on her knees beside his body.

“What happened? Did somebody hurt you?” she smelled blood, and feared the Illyrian whose boots he had “won” had gone after him for payback.

Her mind was racing, her thoughts overlapping themselves. She recalled another winged body, laying on the ground. She recalled another child, crying in pain due to its empty stomach, who had not seen food for weeks.

She would not fail anyone ever again. That had been her promise to herself.

“Kaelin...” Nesta slowly touched his arm, trying to soothe him “Talk to me. Tell me where it hurts”

Kaelin whimpered, slowly uncurling his body and tucking his wings. He clutched his abdomen, and Nesta dared to try and touch her power.

She would touch that dangerous beast if that meant she could help the young boy in front of her.

And so she tentatively reached inside herself for that source, trying to recall if any training she’d had with Amren may assist her in the current situation.

She scanned Kaelin’s body, and that’s when she noticed the small drops of blood beneath him. But her powers had not detected any wounds. No, he was not hurt.

However, she finally found the origin of the bleeding. And Nesta momentarily lost her breath.

Because she knew the reason why Kaelin was in pain.

“You are not a boy” she breathed.

Kaelin was a girl.

A girl who had had her first period.

A girl who was passing as a boy. Training like one.

And when Kaelin finally meet Nesta’s eyes, brown eyes shining with tears, she cursed the Mother for whatever future thread she had knitted.

•

Tags: @sayosdreams @thewayshedreamed @sjm-things @perseusannabeth