#I've gotten like two hours of sleep in the past three days so this may very well just be nonsense

[anamoon63]

Hi guys, I am writing this in case anyone wonders why I have been kind of MIA lately. No, I haven't forgotten you, but I have had a difficult week, more than a difficult week, I have been through a real ordeal. Where or how it started it's a long story which I don't have the time or the energy to tell, so I'll just share a brief chronology of what happened during this past week.

Friday May 3 - I turned in my finished work and set out to do my sims posts, play and rest for the weekend since more work would be coming my way on Monday.

Saturday May 4 - My husband came down with the flu, I spent most of the day with him in the emergency room.

Sunday May 5 - I spent it taking care of my husband, who fortunately no longer had a fever. I barely slept two hours at night giving care and medication.

Monday 6 May - My birthday, we couldn't go out for dinner as usual, so we celebrated at home.

Tuesday, May 7 - My son comes down with the flu, too, another afternoon in the ER and sleepless night caring for him and bringing down his fever.

Wednesday, May 8 - My son starts to feel better, and begins to recover very quickly. I start working on the following translations, at the same time I take care of both my husband and my sick son, do food, laundry, order home medicines, and all kinds of small chores, including disinfecting things. It's like going back to 2020.

Thursday, May 9 - My husband no longer has a fever but does have a cough that won't go away and minor problems with his asthma.

Friday, May 10 - Mother's Day, my son was feeling fine, my husband still had a cough, and had a doctor's appointment at noon, when he returned, we celebrated at home just like on my birthday, I spent the rest of the day working, and juggling a thousand other things. In the evening my daughter started to feel sick, but still no fever.

Saturday, May 11 (yesterday) - My daughter woke up with a fever, another visit to the ER. She was prescribed flu medicine, painkillers and rest, and sent home.

And that's my odyssey so far. On top of it all, from Wednesday through Saturday we were in the middle of a heat wave with temperatures of 37ºC with real feel of up to 45ºC; at night we get a "cooler" temperature of 29ºC. So imagine a person with a fever of 38 ºC and with this heat, obviously it's not of much help.

Surprisingly, I haven't gotten sick so far, but I'm not claiming victory. I have been taking care of my family for a week, sleeping two or three hours a night, getting up at different times to check on them, or give them medicine. I don't have time for getting sick! Lol. Thankfully, everyone is better and last night for the first time in a week I was able to sleep straight through. Honestly, I don't need many hours of sleep, but I am routinely and usually I am in bed a 11 pm and up at 8 am every day, so all this did upset my sleep cycle a little bit.

Anyway, that is the reason why I wasn't here much, since the whole day I was too busy, and at night I was so tired all I wanted was to go to bed. I apologize if I've fallen behind on your updates, I'm not ignoring you in any way, I just didn't have the strength or the time, not even to play The Sims. If I did, it was just a little free play to distract myself.

Last week I told you that I was juggling a lot of things, well now I have even more things, lol, at times I feel really exhausted, and even a little cranky from lack of sleep, the first few days my feet and legs hurt so much from going back and forth, but I'm fine, healthy, and in good spirits. Today I believe, as never before, that the universe does not send you more than you can handle.

At this point my family is already in recovery, if I don't get sick too, it's likely by I'll be able to get back to my simming routine. Now, if I do get sick, I hope to recover as quickly as the others. Whatever happens, I'll be around. Know that, even if I don't comment, I read you, and I am with you, especially with those who are going through difficult times of any kind.

Ok, I said to myself this was going to be a short post, but I made a wall of text instead (for a change). My apologies if it's written in a sloppy or confusing way, I just wanted to write it quickly to let you know where I have been and what has been going on with me these days. I hope you are all well, please take care of yourselves, health is a treasure that can be lost at any moment, the flu is a nasty disease, we must never let our guard down and forget to take the necessary measures to prevent it.

Last, but not least, I want to thank all of you who have mentioned me, tagged me, sent me asks and/or stars to my inbox, commented and/or liked what few posts I could do these days, I appreciate it very much and I'll try to reply to you as soon as I can, though I've fallen so far behind that I don't know if I'll be able to find your mentions in my notifications. In any case, thank you very, very much to all of you for thinking about me in my absence. 💗 I'll see you soon, hopefully, with more sim adventures, stay tuned!

[teetle-time]

Time Is All We Have

A Doctor Who x Rise of the TMNT Xover interest check/story prologue because i'm losing all control of my life lmao

Quick mini-primer for where in both timelines we are:

Non-teetle fixaters, you can just watch the first few minutes of the Rise movie. Bad future timeline shenanigans wahoo! You should probably also get a feel for the regular present timeline from the show if you can, though we won't be directly interacting with it for a quite a bit. Because Reasons. :)

Non-Who fixaters, we're rolling with David Tennant Doctor The First and the companion named Martha Jones. The name similarity to the Casey Joneses makes me giggle, especially now that I've watched through the (REDACTED) episodes where she ends up with some more Caseys parallels. Those haven't happened yet for her though lmao. Frankly, she's only had a few episodes'-worth of adventures with the Doctor by this point. :)

anyway. shoutout to my brother purpletango for having this idea. i believe what i hurriedly jotted down in my notepad app went like this:

the rise movie begins, mikey gets ready to send junior back in time- -and something goes wrong. welp, the gateway's there now. may as well use it. junior gets yeeted through (and my brain is now adding the idea of leo realizing something's up and going with him) and junior (and maybe leo) land…in the TARDIS. now they gotta get back to earth (hoping they're at least in the right dimension) to find the key and stop the krang. NO PRESSURE LMFAO

with a lil tweaking to the premise that just sorta happened as i was writing, i'm now at 26k words of combined fic and notes. it has been 2.5 weeks. i am nowhere near done. help lmao

gonna be doing something a bit funky with the tardis here just to get the ball rolling. idk if it's a canon thing that can happen but if it's not then shshshshshshsh just pretend with me. take my hand

〜

Almost exactly twelve hours prior to the moment he died, when the rest of what remained of the Resistance had been asleep and it had only been the turtles awake to keep watch, Michelangelo had looked to his big brother and said, "We can't beat them, can we?"

Last night, Leonardo had swallowed and given a slight shake of his head. "We can't."

"They've even stolen the night sky from us somehow," Michelangelo had said, lifting his gaze to the cloudless, crimson sky. "Look, there's no stars anymore."

"When did that happen?" Leonardo had asked under his breath. "We still had at least a handful last I checked…"

"Sometime since the last time we had enough peace and quiet at night to actually look up. I'd say…in the past few weeks?" Michelangelo had suggested.

There had been silence for a long moment after that, broken only by the quiet, deep breathing of the few who were left, as well as the shifting of Michelangelo's cloak as he scooted a bit closer to his brother.

Between the two of them, Leonardo and Michelangelo had enough organic fingers and toes to count everyone else who'd survived the past twenty-odd years. Then again, with only two toes on each foot, three fingers on each hand, and three organic hands left to use…well. Less than twenty wasn't exactly an army.

Casey had shifted in his sleep, eventually, mumbling something incoherent the way his mother always had.

Leonardo had swallowed.

Michelangelo had pulled his gaze back down to Earth and looked at him.

"The Krang won't give us the mercy of dying," Leonardo had said grimly. "Not if they can help it."

"They won't," Michelangelo had agreed.

"The others chose to fight with us. Humans, yokai, and mutants. Even Todd. Never would've expected him of all yokai to be so kickass, back in the day. But…this is all Casey's ever known," Leonardo had continued.

"It is."

There had been a shifting in the shadows off in the distance, then, and while it had turned out to be easily taken care of, it had still put a pause on the brothers' conversation for a bit.

When they'd gotten back, but before they'd woken the others and gotten moving again, Leonardo had nailed Michelangelo with a solemn look. "We can't avoid this forever, but Casey…"

"I know you're not talking about that thing we talked about never talking about," Michelangelo had said, raising the ridges of his brows for a deadpan look and a wry smile.

Leonardo had jabbed an elbow into his plastron with a thick snicker…but he hadn't denied it.

Michelangelo had sobered up, then. "Oh."

"Do you think you can do it?" Leonardo had asked as he'd knelt to shake April awake, pausing before he did to meet Michelangelo's eyes.

"I know I can," Michelangelo had said, remaining quiet about how 'it' would very likely be the end of him.

They'd both already known as much.

"When?"

"I-I don't know. When things look bleakest," Leonardo had tried. "If it comes down to us. If it's just you and somebody else. If…if it's just you."

Michelangelo had nodded, then put a hand on his brother's carapace. "The Krang'll get front-row seats to Earth's very own home-grown sun. And that's a Doctor Delicate Touch guarantee."

"Wouldn't expect anything less, little man," Leonardo had chuckled. "Give 'em a light show that'll have 'em running scared."

"I can fly, Leo. And 'little man' was always Raph's thing," Michelangelo had snickered, reaching down to wake Casey. "Hey, Casey, we gotta get moving. Mind waking up and reminding your sensei that I win all height contests forever, no take-backs?"

The noise had begun rousing the others, and Leonardo had scoffed. "Turning my own student against me, Mikey? Low blow."

"Nah," April had said from where she lay. "This is a low blow."

She had snapped an arm out to smack Leonardo's shin, and the rest of the survivors had woken to quiet laughter.

It had been nice.

The last moment of calm within the storm.

In the present, Michelangelo winced as the mystic energies swirling through him reached a crescendo, but still pushed further, digging his fingers into the fabric of reality and wrenching it apart.

With Leonardo wounded, everyone else outnumbered, and Krang closing in on all sides, it was definitely pretty bleak.

There was no better time to make a time gateway than when there was no time left, after all.

His heart pounded in his tympana, loudly enough he almost could have sworn it echoed, a thud-thud-thud-thud that wanted to shake him to the core.

For a moment, with the Krang bearing down on him, his brother, and his nephew, it felt like he was losing his grip.

Casey's voice managed to overpower the thud-thud-thud-thud: "Master Michelangelo, no! You're gonna-!"

He knew.

How could he not, with light cracking his skin and his scales into little flakes of dust on the wind?

But Casey…he was the future.

The best of all of them.

As long as Casey would be okay, Michelangelo could do anything. Would do anything.

He turned his head back over his shoulder for one last look.

Casey looked horrified.

Leonardo looked resigned.

There was no one else left.

(He didn't want to go.)

Michelangelo smiled and gave his family a cheeky little wink, then turned his attention to the time gateway in front of him, threw his arms out to his sides with one last heave-!

-and like Earth's very own home-grown supernova, like the very last star in the universe, he imploded into golden light.

〜

Leonardo felt himself shatter inside as Mikey disintegrated and the time gate stabilized, but the Krang were still closing in.

"Casey, when you're done saving the world, do me a favor," he said, putting a hand on the kid's shoulder.

Casey looked up at him with wide eyes. "Sensei, don't-!"

Leonardo just smiled sadly and shifted his grip from comforting to more of a ready to throw.

He ignored the fire in his side and the trickle of blood down his plastron as he hurled Casey into the gateway. "Grab a slice-!"

"NO!"

Casey's scream was the only warning Leonardo had before the wrist-strapped grapple (standard issue, at least before Donnie had gone out with a bang) streaked back out of the portal, latched onto Leonardo's good shoulder, and yanked him off his feet.

"Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa-!"

The deafening thrum of a Krang laser and a flash of heat at his back told Leonardo exactly how he should have died, but the sensations vanished just as quickly as they'd appeared, leaving only the golden light of Michelangelo's ninpo and the silhouette a few yards away that told Leonardo where Casey was.

Leo almost let himself go limp in the rushing mass of energy as it faded from golden-orange to something more bluish-gray.

Almost.

Instead, however, he grit his teeth against the way his wound flared up and started swimming for Casey.

The light around them grew brighter with no signs of stopping.

By the time Leo reached the kid, he had to screw his eyes shut to avoid going blind.

He managed to grab Casey's hand, then wrap himself protectively around him-

-and then some kind of metal grating slammed against his carapace, his head snapped back, and he knew only darkness.

〜

The Doctor blinked at the sudden sound of beeping. "Oh? That doesn't sound right."

"Doctor? What is it?" asked Martha.

"I'm getting an alert," said he, darting over to one of the TARDIS' monitors for a look. "An alert that there's a lifeform catapulting through the timestream almost completely unprotected- two! Two lifeforms!"

Martha blinked. "What? How did that happen?"

"I don't know, but if we want to find out, we'd best get them onboard before whatever shielding they do have is eroded away." The Doctor studied the monitor for a moment more, then slid around the console and started throwing the appropriate levers and flicking the appropriate switches. "I need to focus on getting close- would you mind peeking out the doors to make sure my aim isn't off?"

"On it!"

The Doctor grinned, then turned his focus back to steering. "Aaalright then! They ought to be coming up just ahead, maybe a smidge to our left-!"

"I see them!" Martha called. "One of them- one looks human!"

The Doctor blinked, then looked up. "Only the one?"

Martha nodded, not tearing her eyes from the window. "The other looks almost like a turtle! Except, well, it's person-sized!"

"Curiouser and curiouser," the Doctor mused. Then, looking back down at the console, "Well, I think the simplest course of action would be to just…scoop them up!"

Martha glanced his way in confusion. "What, just open the door and grab 'em?"

"Exactly. You'll want to be quick and precise," the Doctor recommended. "Good to know we're on the same page."

After a moment to process what he'd said, Martha nodded slowly. "…right."

The Doctor carefully piloted the TARDIS close, and as he watched the energy readings of the two lifeforms get close enough, he heard Martha open the door, then yelp in surprise as something hard hit the metal flooring with a clang.

"Sensei?!" squawked the thick and emotional voice of a pubescent human boy.

"Oh, my," said the Doctor, skirting the edge of the console as he jogged over for a look.

Immediately, he could tell that whatever the circumstances were that had led to the two strangers being catapulted into the timestream, they had not been pretty. Between the apocalyptic fashion and weaponry, the fact that the turtle had seemingly been curled around the boy until losing consciousness, and the sight of tear tracks on the boy's face…well, a billboard would have been less obvious.

The boy glanced between the Doctor and Martha, wide eyes quickly shifting into suspicion as he slid off "Sensei's" plastron and placed himself between the turtle and the Doctor. "Who are you? What do you want with us? Are you with the Krang?"

Huh. He sounded American.

"Krang?" asked Martha, turning to him. "Doctor, what's a Krang?"

The Doctor frowned, mulling the word over. "Krang? Krang, Krang, KrangKrangKrang… Can't say I recognize the name. Bit of a shocker, really, and somewhat worrisome."

The boy's face spasmed, confusion clearly welling up, but the door chose to remind them all that it was still open by letting a tannish cloak drift through and land next to the two newcomers.

The sight of the cloak made the boy's eyes moisten further.

Oh, dear.

"Martha, could you get the door?" asked the Doctor, shifting his voice into something a little softer as he knelt next to the two strangers.

"Oh, uh- you got it."

As Martha did exactly that, the Doctor met the boy's eyes. "I'm the Doctor. Behind you is Martha, and this is the TARDIS. I don't know what it is you're running from, whatever this 'Krang' business is, but I promise you, you're safe here."

The boy's suspicion slowly lessened, the tension in his shoulders loosening some- though, notably, nowhere near completely. "And…what's a tardis?"

"My spaceship," said the Doctor modestly. "'S how I get around. What I want to know is, how did a humanoid teenager and a turtleman with a robotic arm end up hurtling through the timestream all on their lonesome?"

At that, the boy's gaze flickered to the cloak on the ground, and his jaw hardened in that way jaws tended to do when the only other option was to sob.

"…I see," said the Doctor quietly. "While I'd like to know the specifics, pushing this sort of thing never really seems to work out well. So I won't."

"You-" The boy's voice cracked, and he tried again. "You said you were a doctor?"

"The Doctor," corrected he.

"Though I've been training as one for quite some time, myself!" Martha reminded.

The boy visibly warred with himself for a moment, then grit his teeth and pulled slightly away from the turtle's side, revealing a nasty gash that had gone clean through his shell. "Help him. Please."

Martha gasped. "Oh, God-!"

The Doctor's eyes flew wide, but then he nodded firmly. "We'll do everything we can."

[cafecitowriter]

Bring Me You - Prologue

Summary: Steve decides to return to the past to live a life with Peggy, but nothing about his arrival goes according to plan.

It’s arguably the weirdest day of Peggy’s life.

A/N: After approximately a million years, I've finally gotten the first three chapters of my Steggy Secret 2023 gift finished. The final chapter is still being written and may end up in two parts, but Steggy Month has really fired up the old muse, so to speak, so I'm hoping to get more progress on it soon.

All that to say, Merry (very belated) Steggymas, @roboticonography! I I hope you enjoy some post-Endgame hijinks where Steve tries to go back to Peggy, but ends up running into basically everyone else first.

Title taken from the song I Told Santa Claus to Bring Me You by Bernie Cummins and His Orchestra (which is about as holiday-y as this fic gets).

Shout out to @steggyfanevents for hosting both this and Steggy Month. While it's technically Peggy's week and this is from Steve's POV, I do think this chapter gives you a good sense of her and their dynamic.

Read on AO3

Chapter Preview:

When Steve’s done with his turn of the nightly watch, having handed it off to Morita, he’s restless. Instead of going back into the tent, where he’s sure that his inevitable tossing and turning will only serve to wake Bucky up, he walks to the opposite end of their makeshift camp, hoping to calm the itching under his skin that won’t let him sleep.

That’s where he finds Peggy crying, although her sniffles are stifled where she has her face buried against the old handkerchief he’d loaned her on their last mission together.

His first, knee-jerk reaction is to think that she’s hurt. That while they were running for their lives only hours ago she’d gotten hit or cut or shot and she had kept it hidden from them so that they could focus on getting Dernier and his twisted ankle the help he needed at the time. It was one of the strongest points of contention between them, the fact that when it came to the greater good or keeping others safe, self-preservation went out the window.

Although upon a closer look, he can see that she’s holding a handkerchief in her hands, which means that thankfully, she’s not injured, but that she likely walked out to the edge of their camp so that she could be alone. To mourn whatever it is she needed to mourn by herself.

Which means he should leave before she realizes he’s here.

[the-enby-bird]

Hoo boy. This took waaaay to long to write. Mostly ‘cause I couldn’t think of a name for Killer, but whatever.

So, Tumblr isn’t letting me upload my digital art. Great. While I figure that out, I figured I’d write down some more solid ideas for that one human multiverse I made. I’m considering calling it Wipedverse or something, but I kind of want a name more centered around what I have planned then what happened to get here? (and it’s just kinda a dumb name-) Idk, I’ll just call it Wipedverse for now, sorry if somebody already used that somewhere. This is copy/pasted from google docs, so my sincerest apologies if it doesn’t format properly.

Anyways, here’s the backstory and some basic info on this multiverse and it’s inhabitants. It may not make sense, since I was just yeeting a bunch of ideas on a google doc and hoping it makes sense. I might rewrite this later, since it’s pretty late at 

~~~

So basically the idea of the universe is that everyone’s turned human, and genderswapped.  (Okay some of them ended up as trans men because I couldn’t imagine them as women but shut up-)

What happened is Ink and Error were fighting in Sci’s lab, and Ink blew something up. At the same time, Sci was working on a potion to allow someone to change their magic composition to be that of a female’s. I won’t specify who, but it was an outcode. But that’s not really important, so I’ll just leave you to speculate.

After the lab explodes, every AU jumper* gets put in the body of a human female, and in order to prevent mass chaos, Fate wipes everyone’s** memories. They all wake up in the anti-void with no memories besides their new names, roles, and a deep hatred for the other side. They also remembered the basics of who they were related to and such- so Dream and Nightmare knew they were siblings, but had no memory of a childhood of any sort. So that was kinda awkward. The bad guys also remembered sort of ‘I f***ed up, I’m evil, I deserve hate’, although they weren’t sure quite why, or what they did. They also still maintained some tendencies that their originals had- Blue loves cooking, Error likes to crochet, Horror is afraid of starving so cooks a lot. So the Stars and the ‘Evil’ Sanses wake up in separate parts of the void, figure out how to leave, and start exploring. A few of them like each other just based on first impressions, and stick together, others opt to split up. Weaver (Error) gets attacked by Slate (Ink), and Twilight (Nightmare) saves him. Weaver decides to stay with Twilight, he was still slightly shaken and felt safe around her. Similar things happen with the others, except for with Tee (Cross), who had just stuck with Twilight in the first place.

* “Every AU jumper” means anyone who actively AU jumped. So Ink, Error, Nightmare, Sci, Geno, Reaper, Dream, Red, Classic, Blue, Outer, Cherry, Horror, Dust, Cross, Killer, and side AU jumpers who aren’t major in this story, people like Abyss Sans or Error 404, and Core Frisk***.

** ”Everyone” means literally everyone in the multiverse.**** So nobody knew who the creator or destroyer were, or that multiverse theory was even correct. In fact, all the universes underwent a true reset, and even the Sanses didn’t remember the previous timeline. Any Sanses outside their own AU at the time were turned into outcodes. So most of the major Sanses and Papyruses are now outcodes. (Classic, Red, Edge, Comet, etc)

*** For anyone wondering how Core Frisk was able to be changed, I imagine they were originally gender-neutral, so they just became a female, and aged up to be an adult.

**** I take it back, Core Frisk remembers, but knows it’s for the better that everyone else doesn’t know. This is important to the story.

Extra notes on the backstory- 

The OG Ink and Error died. Slate and Weaver aren’t just versions, they are completely new people.

Some of them instantly decided they didn’t like the feminine pronouns, some took longer to realize this, and some were fine with this. More in the character bios.

They did remember that Fate exists, and that she was their ‘boss’. They also remembered things like, “oh I’m a god” (or “I’m not a god”) and how to use magic. It was also remembered that Twilight wasn’t always corrupted. They didn't, however, remember the balance, just that they had to do this job. Which does, yes, mean that Twilight and Spark didn’t originally know they were siblings. This was figured out when Twilight did some snooping around and figured out they actually were biologically related. (Less actually biological and more their magic is connected? It’s hard to explain.)

~~~

A little about the people-

Error= Weaver (He/him)

Nightmare= Twilight (She/her)

Horror= Bean Spike (She/her)

Dust= Ghost (She/her)

Cross= Tee (He/him)

Killer= Scar (She/her and she abuses her femininity to be the biggest flirt ever but when people try to approach her they just get stabbed. Usually by Twilight)

Ink= Slate (She/her)

Dream= Spark (He/him)

Blue= Cya (Actually Cyan, but he hates that name.) (He/him)

Reaper=Grim (I’ve seen this name used for his brother, so to clarify, his brother is called Ebony. Not that that’s important) (She/her)

~~~

Ships! This section does sort of include spoiler for the actual story I’ll write, but it isn’t written yet so that’ll be a while... Sorry. I also plan on making new ship names specific to this multiverse, but for now I’m just using the regular ones.

To summarise most of this: For an empath, Dream is really sh*tty at telling whether feelings are mutual and forming healthy relationships.

A reminder that these are the canon ships and you can ship whoever you want, these are just the ones that'll be featured in the story.

Past Cream (Cross/Dream)

One sided Drink (Dream/Ink) (Dream was the one with a crush)

NightKross (Nightmare/Killer/Cross) (The best ship)

Horror/Dust/Blue. (Haven’t seen this ship before, but I thought it’d be interesting- a hongry boi, a chef, and a chemist, or a happy boy and two sad boys, there’s just so many possibilities and this makes me so happy-)

Errorink (I don’t usually like this ship but I felt maybe I’d enjoy writing it here?)

Dream/Reaper (This idea popped in my head at two in the morning and omg I love writing this so darn much-

~~~

Sorry if this was bad but I wanted to post something.

This is mostly for my own benefit tbh, I keep changing this up every five minutes.

[astro-rain]

delicate; b. barnes

chapter thirteen - “sober desires & the reminiscence of a winsome smile”

delicate masterlist

word count: 4k

synopsis: wakanda gets a visit from our favorite captain, two drinks is too much rum for a reticent psychologist, and bucky knows (& feels) more than meets the eye.

pairings: bucky x fem!reader

[A/N]: this took so long to write but WHEW this chapter!!!! pls let me know what you think >:D

The knock on the outside of his hut was followed by a deep accented voice, one that he had heard before.

"Sergeant Barnes?" it called.

Quickly enough Bucky was outside, facing the king of Wakanda himself. He wasn't sure exactly what to say. You see, the majority of their past interactions included the Black Panther trying to kill him. T'Challa was kind and Bucky trusted him. It was just... a little awkward given the history.

"Your highness," he greeted.

He smiled bashfully at the title.

"I have some news for you."

Bucky's head cocked to the side, curious. News? Should he be worried? He hadn't been expecting anything.

"Captain Rogers is on his way here. He was alerted about our recent complication with N'Jadaka," he said, referring to who Bucky guessed was who Y/N called Erik Killmonger, "and he asked to come check in, make sure you're okay."

Steve was coming. His mood was immediately uplifted. He hadn't seen his oldest friend for months. It was weird to have Steve feeling the need to make sure Bucky was okay; it was usually the other way around. Nonetheless, he was excited. And he had the sudden urge to tell Y/N.

- - -

READER

"Sharon. Hey," she said into the phone.

The friends hadn't spoken since Y/N left for Wakanda - security measures since Sharon helped Steve and betrayed the... well everyone.

"Y/N!" Sharon greeted. "How is everything? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, no I'm totally okay. The Killmonger thing was more the royal family's deal than mine. I was just hiding out in some bunker with Barnes."

Concerned weaved its way into Sharon's voice. "Oh my god. Did anything happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, historically, stress hasn't affected him well..."

She wasn't sure why she almost got offended. "No... he was completely fine. He doesn't lose control out of nowhere and turn into the winter soldier. It's a lot more complicated than that... We were fine."

"Oh, that's good. Listen... I'm actually on my way to Wakanda right now."

"You're-... what?"

"Steve needed to check in on Bucky after Killmonger. Wilson and I are coming too."

They must all be together. It makes sense considering what happened after the disaster in Berlin, and then the airport fiasco in Germany and then... everything in Siberia.

Aw, they're in hiding together, Y/N joked in her head. She almost laughed out loud.

"Oh. Is that safe? For you? For everyone?"

"I've been careful. We've all been careful. But, things don't always go as planned. And T'Challa feels bad about putting you guys in a dangerous situation when he was supposed to protect you."

"It wasn't his fault."

"I know. We all know. But, it's kind of his way of making up for it: letting us stay so that Steve can check in on Barnes and we can cool off for a bit."

"Was Rogers mad?"

"Well, he wasn't thrilled that his best friend was trapped alone in a country that just got taken over..."

He wasn't alone.

"...he was mostly worried," Sharon continued. "Still is."

"Right."

"Alright, well I got to go. We'll be there in a couple hours."

"I'll see you. Be safe."

"See you."

- - -

BUCKY BARNES

"Hey Buck," the happiness in Steve's voice was genuine as he patted his oldest friend on the back in the middle of an embrace. "How you been?"

"A hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you, that's for damn sure," Bucky smiled.

Sam Wilson stood next to the star spangled man with a plan. Bucky briefly glanced at him.

"Wilson," he deadpanned.

"Barnes," he returned the greeting.

"I was worried when T'Challa told me about Killmonger," Steve said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that they let you stay here, but I just didn't think I'd have to be worried so soon."

"It's alright. Everything turned out okay and I was fine the whole time. You don't have to lose your head."

"I'm not losing my head."

"You never had it in the first place."

The blonde changed the topic of conversation.

"You were with that therapist right?"

"Yeah."

"What do we think about her?" he asked with equal parts caution and suspicion. "Do you trust her?"

Bucky wasn't sure why he was almost offended.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, you know what happened the last time you were with a psychiatrist..."

"Yeah well, this one doesn't have a personal vendetta against the Avengers."

"You sure she's alright?"

He looked serious, and Bucky could see the genuine concern etched into his friend's face. Steve was truly wary.

"I'm positive. She's helped so much since I've been here. I really trust her."

"Okay, if you say so. I trust you."

Bucky smirked. "Hey uh... is Sharon with you?"

Sam said nothing but radiated a smirk to match Bucky's perfectly, a kind of smirk that only a ball-busting best friend cracks.

"She is..." Steve replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing. Just wondering, that's all."

"She said she wanted to talk to a friend."

"Oh, she's probably with Y/N."

"Who?"

"Y/N. Dr. Y/L/N. 'The therapist.'"

"I didn't know they were friends."

"Why do you think Sharon recommended her?"

"She said she knew 'the best' person to help."

"That true. She's crazy smart."

"As long as she can do the job, I'm all for it, no matter whose friend she is."

In a short-lived thought, Bucky wondered what Steve Rogers would think of who else Y/N was friends with. He wondered if Steve would think it was strange to be friends with your doctor, or if he'd be pleased that Bucky had gotten close to someone, anyone else in this world.

"How long are you guys staying for?" Bucky asked.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Honestly, we were only planning on staying for like a week or so. We've been moving throughout Europe, and the other day, when we were in Prague... it was almost really bad."

"We need to stay low for a while," Sam added.

"What did you do?" Bucky asked, used to Steve getting himself into trouble.

"It's a long story..."

"What did T'Challa say about it?"

"He said to take as much time as we needed," Steve filled him in.

"You know, I'm startin' to really like this guy," Sam nodded, smiling. "Obviously when he went all cat murderer on you, he was a bit of a pain in the ass. But now? Guardian angel."

Bucky shook his head at Sam's nonsense. What an idiot, he thought. He wondered what Y/N would think of Sam, but then a more pressing question popped into his head.

"Where are you guys gonna stay?"

"I'm guessing there," Steve said pointing behind Bucky.

When he turned around, Bucky was shocked but he also wasn't. Behind and around his hut stood three more just like it, but slightly smaller. He could've sworn those weren't there yesterday, but that's the beauty of Wakanda. They were ten steps ahead of the rest of the world and he guessed that included speed building as well.

"I will never stop loving this place," he admired.

-

He tried not to sound too eager when he knocked on her door. She looked shocked but didn't really try to hide it.

"Oh," she sounded confused. "Hi, Bucky..."

"Hey," he grinned. "I have a proposition for you."

Her eyebrows lowered as her lips twisted into the most devilish smirk. She could communicate an entire joke with just her face.

"Not like that!" he exclaimed.

She laughed, smirk morphing into an endearing smile. "Like what then?"

"Steve wanted to have like a bonfire sorta thing to catch up since we're all together for once. You know, just like drinks and stupid stories from the forties. D'ya think you could part with your paper work to grace us with your presence?"

"Oh, uh... are you sure?"

"Of course. I'd love to have you there."

She wrung out her hands. "I don't know, Buck. Is that really appropriate? To have your doctor hangin' out with your friends?"

"That may be, but that's not what I'm asking. I want my friend to 'hang out' with my other friends."

Out of her composure seeped a meek smile. The air felt softer to him.

"And maybe you can analyze Wilson and tell me what his biggest fear is later," he added.

She snickered.

"Okay. Lead the way, James Buchanan."

-

The fire was a monster, roaring and crackling with all the life in the world. Bucky loved it. He loved the warmth, the heat, the lack of cold.

"I'm gonna get another drink," Y/N said. "You want anything, Buck?"

"I'm all set," he smiled, gaze lingering for only a second too long.

"Sharon?" she turned. "You?"

The blonde shook her head. "Oh, I think I've had plenty."

Surrounding the fire sat five chairs. All but one was empty as Y/N went to get her second drink. Of course they were in Sam's hut, Bucky thought. After all, even though it was Steve's idea, Sam was most excited about the whole thing, actually sitting down and just relaxing instead of fleeing from belligerent governments.

"Therapist's pretty," Sam noted with a smirk once she was out of hearing range.

"Y/N," Bucky corrected, mind going completely elsewhere. "She's so smart."

"Smart enough to call you Buck..." Steve said, catching on to Sam.

"What?"

"She calls you Buck."

"Yeah, so? You do too."

"Yeah, but I've known you longer. And I'm your friend."

"She's my friend too," he shrugged.

"She's your doctor..."

"And I'm a hundred year old man with one arm trying to get un-brainwashed in a country that the rest of the world doesn't even know exists. None of this is conventional."

"...fair," Steve said, with only a little bit of skepticism. "Are you guys close?"

Does spending hours alone talking with someone in a hidden bunker make you close? Does them comforting you after a nightmare and then subsequently allowing you to get the best night sleep you've had in forever? What about making daring voyages to quaint waterfalls and laughing a kind of laugh that makes your heart swell? What about-

"Buck?"

He shrugged. Again. "I guess so."

Sam narrowed his eyebrows. "How close?"

"Wilson," Sharon admonished exasperatedly. "Y/L/N's his doctor, come on. That's inappropriate to suggest."

Sam put his hands up in mock surrender. Briefly, just briefly, Bucky imagined kicking the leg of Sam's chair and watching him fall back. He didn't, obviously. But it would have been funny if he did.

The seemingly never ending conversation was cut short when Y/N returned, drink in hand, and took her seat next to Bucky.

"What'd you get?" he asked, demeanor subtly but swiftly changing into something lighter, something happier.

"I don't know, but it has rum in it," she shrugged sardonically before clinking her glass with Bucky's.

"Cheers," Sam raised his glass, trying to engage.

Y/N wordlessly, and with a half-smile, raised her glass in his direction.

"So," Steve started, comfortably crossing his legs and leaning back into his chair before asking Bucky, "you wanna know what actually happened in Prague?"

"Do enlighten me. I've been waiting all night."

"Jerk."

"Punk."

The rest of the night went on sort of like this. The group took turns telling stories and then listening. Cracking jokes and then laughing. Everyone but Y/N, Bucky noticed. She just... sat and drank, livelihood only extending to the borders of her seat.

He hadn't seen her like this before, and he found himself stuck halfway between confused and worried. Had something happened? Had something wrong been said?

He kept an eye on her as dusk melted into night. He told himself it was because he was concerned, but that was only in addition to the way he was magnetized to how she looked with the light of the fire gleaming on her skin.

After she would finish a drink, she'd stare into the fire for a little while, before leaving to get another. When he made sure no one was looking at him, he'd look at her. Discretely. At her eyes. The reflection of the fire in her pupils made him wonder if she would burn the fire before it could ever burn her. He was all too aware of the heat that accompanied her gaze. It was a ravishing burn that made him ache for the searing feeling as soon as it was taken away.

He didn't dare think of it for too long or else he would get distracted. And someone would call his name, pulling him out of a trance he didn't want to be caught in. A trance he wasn't sure he wanted to admit that he was in.

The night remained as such until someone - he couldn't remember who - said they were tired, and everyone bid their farewells, and wished their good nights.

Y/N spared about a side hug to Sharon before walking off on her own. Bucky half volunteered, half insisted on tending to the fire to make sure it went out, only to ignore it as soon as everyone was gone and follow after his psychologist.

He caught up to her as she was in the middle of opening the door to her living quarters.

"Y/N."

She turned around in the spot, door wide open, staring up at him.

He bore into her eyes, looking at something, noticing her dilated pupils and hazy stare.

"You're drunk," he said, but it sounded more like a question.

"Yeah."

"But you don't seem drunk?"

"I'm not wasted," she padded into the room, carelessly leaving the door wide open for him to walk through. "Just drunk enough to remember why I didn't drink in college."

She rubbed her eyes.

"Think I want another one," she sighed, heading for the door with a bitter smile. "More rum."

Bucky gently closed the door, maneuvering himself in front of it, and blocking her from exiting. Another drink is definitely not a good idea.

He changed the subject. "Why didn't you drink in college?"

Her eyebrows raised, introducing a look that said Really? You think I don't know what you're doing?

"Wow, look at you being the voice of reason for my otherwise inebriated brain."

Nevertheless, she cooperated.

She sighed. "It just... makes me miserable. I'm a sad drunk."

"Better than a mean drunk," he offered.

"Possibly. It's a real mood killer, though."

"That why you were off all night?"

"Off... ? I don't know, I guess so... I'm usually pretty inconspicuous when I'm drunk. Didn't think anyone would really notice."

There was no hesitation when he spoke.

"I did."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry. Just... why did you keep drinking if it only makes you miserable?"

"Alcohol is a depressant," she breathed mechanically, as if speaking was difficult. "It depresses your nervous system, then you get disinhibited. Then you don't care about rationality and just drink! Then in the moment it feels kinda good... but then it makes you sad... and then you need more to blur the feeling away. It's like... the worse you feel, the more you need to drink... but then the more you drink... the worse you feel..."

"How are you drunk but still talking... sorta still like you usually do?"

She smirked, looking like she was trying not to laugh. He was glad she was smiling.

"Maybe you're not the only one with heightened metabolism as a result of the serum..."

He looked at her quizzically, amused. She wasn't making total sense, but he couldn't find it in himself to give much of a damn. She smiled, again.

"Kidding. I just have outstanding self-control."

She plopped down on the floor, deciding that she no longer wanted to use her legs. Fine motor function was overrated for intoxicated people.

He sat down with her, next to her.

"If I tell you a joke will you be less sad-drunk?"

"I already am 'less sad-drunk.' I wasn't before, but," she took a breath in, "now you're here, so... improvements have been made."

"That's good 'cause I was worried before."

She glanced up at him with brazen eye contact. Her face held a mixture of what looked like a confused and pained expression, as something changed. Some sort of realization or reality check.

She wiped her hands over her face. "God, this is so ridiculous. I'm sorry. You shouldn't be worried about me, that's not your job. I'm sorry. I should just go to bed, and you can leave..."

"I know it's not my job. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I was alright- it... it's not like I was crying at the fire or something. I was fine."

"After your second drink, you were silent almost the entire time."

"You were counting my drinks?"

Not exactly.

"I was paying attention."

"To what?"

To you.

"You completely turned into yourself. Your elbows and legs were drawn in close to your body: unrelaxed and almost apprehensive posture. You were nonverbal, didn't make any jokes, no sarcastic commentary. I was literally purposefully saying things I knew you would correct or tease or laugh at and nothing. I was waiting for a 'smartass' or a 'there's a reason behind everything' explanation or anything science related. But there was nothing."

Her face was blank. It took her a second to catch up. Blinking slowly, she shook her head, eyebrows furrowed, all emphasis on the word. "Why?"

Her tone was truly confused. It was like she, in her heart of hearts, for the life of her, could not believe he was concerned.

"Y/N you're my friend," he chided. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She averted her gaze. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't know."

"Look," his voice was soft. "I know you know everything and you know my mannerisms and micro-expressions and you know when I'm lying and whatever else 'cause you're a genius psychologist. But is it really that hard to believe that, after all the time we've known each other, I know you a little too? That I saw you for once instead of you always seein' me?"

"I think you're the only person who sees me."

The words leaked out before he thought to analyze them, tone lower than a whisper.

"Well I can't seem to look at much else."

He had never felt such potent silence. Did he just fuck up majorly? They just sat, on the floor, eyes glued to each other like twenty year old dried cement. He didn't think he could move away if he tried.

"I see you now," she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"Blue," she breathed. "Your eyes are so blue. I don't... think I've ever seen that shade of blue."

It happened exponentially slowly, but the closer her face got to his, the more his chest felt like it was going to burst in the best way possible. As if liquid light poured into his lungs, inflating his chest and igniting every nerve with adoration.

Her lips hovered over his so lightly it was as if it wasn't even happening, like her affection was a ghost. But it was happening, and he could feel it. He could feel the softness in her lips and the smell of the rum she drank as they combined into the wondrous dual sensation that permeated throughout his brain.

They weren't kissing by any stretch. Their lips were hardly touching. However, in that moment, he was at her mercy. He was prepared to bend the laws of nature to her will if she would allow the continuation of this feeling for even a fraction of a second more.

Until it stopped and she waned away like the moon bidding adieu to the morning sky.

Her voice shook. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't... it's-"

"No. It's not okay. It's not okay."

He leaned back, examining her face. She looked confused and embarrassed and scared.

"Y/N, it's fine. It's okay, seriously, don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry, I'm... I'm drunk and I'm disinhibited and it's affecting my judgement and making me impulsive. I'm sorry."

He couldn't be exactly sure, but it sounded as if she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince him.

Neither of them moved a muscle.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.

She was silent, frozen. It reminded him of a past conversation about the fight or flight response.

Bucky stood up and offered his hand to the woman sitting on the floor in front of him. "Here."

She took it gingerly and stood up with him before wide eyes stared into his apologetically.

"Please don't feel bad," he pleaded. "Barely anything happened."

"Still..."

"Why don't you just get some sleep and we can talk tomorrow. I promise it won't seem like such a big deal when you're sober."

She nodded but they both remained motionless, hands still together. He knew they needed to let go, but her hand didn't move, and she just kept looking into him.

"Okay," she whispered.

She walked him to the door, hand still in hand, and until he was forced to let go of her to open it. He stepped, ever so slowly, out of her room and onto the grass outside. He looked up at her, the doorway between them suddenly feeling like worlds of distance. They stood on opposite sides of the open door like statues. Bucky didn't know what to do and he wasn't sure what to say.

He settled on a, "Goodnight."

He tried not to make it sound so weak and timorous but he failed entirely. He didn't want to leave her like this. Guilty and alone. God knows he knew what it felt like.

Her voice was dry and quiet. "Goodnight."

He wasn't sure when the door shut or which one of them had shut it. The only thing he was sure of was the feeling of formidable regret pooling in his stomach.

On one hand, there was regret for letting her lean in and get so close because now he was scared that their dynamic was ruined and worried that Y/N felt awful. On the other hand, there was regret that he just let her pull away. Regret that he didn't lean in more and shamelessly drown in her. Regret that he didn't unapologetically suffocate himself with the softness of lips, the inebriating smell of rum on on her tongue, and the utterly bewitching taste of her he was sure would follow.

He wasn't sure what he felt, to be honest. He was a muddle of emotions of which he had no idea how to sift through. Momentarily, he wished he was drunk so he wouldn't have to think so hard. Then, he remembered the saying, "drunk words are sober thoughts," and he was damn glad he was stone cold sober; he could only imagine the things he would say to her if he was drunk.

This lead him to pondering, it got the gears in his brain turning. It made him wonder. Maybe... just maybe... if drunk words were sober thoughts, then what if drunk actions were sober desires?

Thinking like this could cause him read the situation completely differently. Thinking like this could make him read the situation in such a way that conceived the slightest sliver of hope for emotions gone repressed. Hope is dangerous...

Hope is dangerous, so Bucky shoved it down into the deepest cavern of his brain, the very same cavern where his feelings for her resided. It was a monster in a cave, growling and hissing menacingly. Intensely.

It scared him, this intensity. It scared him so much that the only way he could fall asleep was by thinking about the way James Buchanan sounded when she said it with a winsome smile.

delicate taglist: ​@bakugouswh0r3 @thefridgeismybestie @strivingforelegance @ilovespideyyy @xpurpleglitter @bluelakeee @darkacademic2 @nickkie1129 @eclipsedplanet @paradisedixon @crazy-beautiful @coffee--writes @lilithknight1111 @buckybarnesishot310 @softladyhours @alwayssandy @quxxnxfhxll @those-sea-green-eyes @hero-ically @devilswaldorf

[coldsandfluff]

Friday Night Fever (F/M, Original, Illness Care-Taking Fluff)

Wrote this little original F/M care-taking fluff fic inspired by something that happened to me when I was in college (basically, caught a cold, three friends came over unannounced and insisted on me coming with them to the bar until one of them noticed the thermometer on my nightstand and realized I really was too sick to go). I've changed all the characters personality/appearance (including myself) so that we are completely unrecognizable, and added more to the story of course 😚

So if you like group of friends, platonic to maybe romantic care-taking fluff and F/M illness, read on!

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

Annabel left the sandwich shop at the end of her evening shift, feeling the cold autumn air seep through her jacket. Darkness had blanketed the town hours ago, and college students were already filling the streets on their way to the bars to celebrate the end of the week. Not that they’d really needed a reason to drink, of course.

As she launched the trash bags in the large dumpster in the back alley, Annabel felt an uncomfortable shiver running down her back. She’d been feeling under the weather for a couple of days, downing vitamin C fizzy drinks to stave it off. What she’d hoped would end up being a little annoying cold was turning out to be more than she’d bargained for. She could feel the icy tendrils of a fever crawling on her skin, and all she wanted to do was slip under the covers of her warm bed and sleep all weekend.

Her phone pinged as she started making her way back to her apartment.

Finn: We’ll be there in 40 minutes. Zack wants to pick up some pregame vodka from the store first.

Annabel sighed. She’d met Zack, Finn and Alex at her second job—a fancy new restaurant in the heart of town where she’d been waitressing part-time for the past two months. They’d hit it off on opening day, when Zack had accidentally broken a whole stack of plates. No one had seen what had happened but the four of them. Zack had gotten his dishwasher’s apron stuck on the door handle, and his hands had slipped at the sudden pull.

The crash had been deafening.

Right before the owner had rushed in to ask what had happened, Zack’s best friend, Finn, had kicked the wheel of the cart where the plates had been sitting a few moments ago, giving Alexander and Annabel a knowing look.

They’d all told the owner that the cart was broken and had tipped over without anyone touching it. Somehow, the owner had bought the lie. That night, Zack insisted on paying them a round of shots at the bar, and a tradition was born: The four of them. Every Friday. With lots of alcohol.

It was the only time Annabel let loose. With her two jobs and college, she was struggling to find free time, but Friday nights had become sacred. There was nothing like downing drinks and letting the buzz take over, following her three new friends wherever they wanted to go. It was always an adventure. Especially with Zack at the helm.

But tonight, there was no way she could make it.

Annabel: Actually, I can’t come tonight. Sorry.

She walked past a group of friends laughing and hollering, wishing she’d felt as good as they did. But the headache growing behind her eyes wasn’t going to let up, and adding alcohol to the mix would only make it worse. Not only that, but her nose had started running in the past two hours. She’d had to go blow it in the restroom every half hour, getting herself banished from the front of the store by the manager. She’d washed her hands so often that her skin was almost raw.

Just like her nose.

Finn: Nah, you’re coming. Nobody cancels Friday night. Come on.

Annabel couldn’t hold a smile. She typed back, sniffling. Her sinuses were prickling like crazy, as if she’d accidentally inhaled a cloud of tiny fireworks. She stifled a sneeze in the crook of her elbow, mid-word. “Ehh—Ehh’KSHHeeww!” Her eyes watered from the force of it. She wiped the tears away and resumed typing.

Annabel: I’ll make it up to you guys next weekend. Drinks on me.

She grabbed a crumpled tissue from her jacket pocket and dabbed at her nose. Her apartment was only a few blocks away, beckoning her. As she crossed the last stretch of sidewalk to the entrance, she kept checking her phone.

No reply.

Shrugging, she unlocked the front door and took the stairs.

***

Back in her apartment, she made a beeline for the bathroom to the right and used toilet paper to blow her nose, finally free to make as much noise as she wanted. She winced from the roughness of it on her chapped nostrils, but it was all she had. She wasn’t exactly the planning type. Her idea of a grocery list was memorizing the first three items and hoping the rest would come to her as she walked through the aisles. Most often than not, she’d have to make a quick run at the convenience store down the street to get what she’d forgotten.

She gathered her thick curly hair into a bun and looked at herself in the mirror. It was enough to confirm that she’d made the right decision. Her eyes were glazed over, her skin was so pale that her freckles popped like they did in the summer. Except for that slight flush high on her cheeks, of course. She popped a thermometer under her tongue and removed her work clothes, leaving them in a pile in front of the bathtub.

Shivering from the sudden change in temperature, she covered her arms with her hands and ran to her dresser. Her warmest, softest sweater was the first thing she grabbed and put on, before throwing on a pair of comfy leggings and wool socks. The thermometer beeped.

100.8 °F. Figured.

She rolled her eyes and shuffled over to the “kitchen” of her studio apartment, which was the size of a matchbox and only contained a mini fridge, a microwave and an old sink. She poured herself some water and walked over to the bed, placing her glass and the thermometer on her nightstand. She would have brought over medicine as well, but she’d run out last semester after catching the flu going around campus, and had forgotten to replenish her stash. No matter. She could sleep this off. It was just a cold.

She suddenly sneezed twice in a row, as if her body wanted to protest her minimizing her illness, then got under the cover. Just as she was getting a little warmer, propping up her laptop to watch a movie, there was a knock at the door.

Annabel sat up, startled.

“Anna, open up!” a voice said behind the door.

Zack.

Annabel chuckled. Of course they wouldn’t give up that easily. She groaned, getting out of the warmth of her bed. She considered rushing to the dresser and putting on cuter clothes—they were her friends, but they were still boys, and she didn’t want to look like shit in front of them—but the thought of it was enough to drain her energy. Screw it. She walked over to the door and opened it.

“Finn told us you don’t want to come,” said Zack as he walked in. It was her friends’ first time coming up to her apartment. They’d usually wait for her downstairs. “So we’re here to change your mind.” He didn’t look at her, too busy checking out her place. He was dressed for the night—a buttoned-up shirt, navy blazer, jeans and dress shoes. His casual chic style always stood out in the local bars filled with broke college students, but he liked it that way.

Finn walked in after him, a crooked grin on his lips. “See, I told you you can’t cancel Friday night.” His shaggy blond hair half-covered his eyes, as always. Finn and Zack had been best friends since high school, and couldn’t have been more different from each other. At least physically. Finn was tall and lanky, Zack was smaller and worked out a lot. But they were both party guys, always ready for a crazy night—even though Finn was a bit more mellow than Zack.

Finally, Alex came in, and Annabel closed the door behind him. He had a sheepish look on his face, as if apologizing for the other two. He was a lot more like Annabel. Quiet, chill, along for the ride—whatever it may be. His deep brown eyes held her gaze for a second too long, and Annabel noticed one of his eyebrow raise ever so slightly. She bit her lip, feeling self-conscious about her appearance. They’d never seen her in such a state before. Thank god she hadn’t had the energy to remove her makeup yet.

“So this is where you live, uh?” Zack said, sitting on her desk chair and spinning it around and around. “I like it. Dorms suck.”

Before she could reply, Finn tsked. “Wow. So no love for your roommate, uh?”

“Dude, I love you,” Zack said, “but between you and an apartment all to myself, the choice is obvious.” He stopped spinning and turned to Annabel, crossing his arms over his chest. “So what’s so important that you can’t come with us? Do you have a date?”

All three boys turned to her. Annabel almost laughed. Could they not see the condition she was in? She cleared her throat. “No, I’m just not feeling well.”

Finn sat on the edge of her bed and examined her from afar. “Like what? Stomach thing? Flu?”

“Probably a cold, I guess.” Annabel could feel Alex’s gaze on her at her side. She glanced at him, then looked down, feeling silly. Now that she was saying it out loud, it sounded like a poor excuse. But she did have a fever, after all. She just didn’t want to start listing her symptoms.

Zack clasped his hands together. “You know what will make you feel better? Alcohol!” He grinned, as if proud of his solution. “Didn’t they used to give brandy to people when they were sick? We’ll make a special mix for your throat. Something with lemon and orange juice. You’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know, I already have a headache…” Annabel said.

“Just take a couple of Tylenol. It’s like a hangover in advance,” Finn said with an encouraging smile. “One time, I went out clubbing with an ear infection and everything was fine. Actually felt better the next day, weirdly enough.”

“I don’t know guys, I won’t be much fun if—” Annabel was interrupted by a fierce tickle deep in her nose, spreading like wildfire. She ducked to her side, away from Alex. “Ehh’KSSHeeew! ‘KSSSHeeew!”

“Bless you,” the three boys said almost in unison.

“See?” Annabel said, pointing at her nose and sniffling. “You want me to sneeze all over you guys all night?”

Finn shrugged. “We’ll bring tissues. Whatever.”

Alex walked over to the bathroom and grabbed the toilet paper roll from the counter, then handed it to her. “Here.”

Annabel ripped a piece off and wiped her nose. “Thanks,” she said, sheepish.

Alex’s gaze paused on her for a few seconds before he turned to the other two. “Guys, she’s obviously sick. Let’s just go and let her sleep.”

“It’s just a cold,” Zack said. “She’s young and healthy. It’s nothing.” He got up and put his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Give it an hour, and if you’re not feeling better after a few shots, we’ll walk you home.”

Annabel considered it for a second, trying to fight the shivers. Maybe if she wore something warm and took a few shots, she wouldfeel better. Numb the pain a little, at least. While she pondered it, Finn laid down on top of her bed spread and locked eyes with the thermometer on her nightstand. He frowned and sat up, picking it up.

He looked at her, thermometer in hand. His voice softened. “It’s that bad, uh?”

Annabel blushed. Why did admitting that she had a fever feel so vulnerable? She looked down and nodded. “Kinda.”

Zack looked at the thermometer, then back at Annabel. He narrowed his eyes and put a hand on her forehead. “Ooof,” he said, a hint of concern slipping in his tone.

Finn got up. “Let me see,” he said, walking up to her and placing his own hand on her forehead. His eyebrows shot up. “Yikes.”

“Yeah, you need to be in bed,” Zack finally said, guiding her back to bed. “Why didn’t you say you had a fever? Jesus, Anna.”

She shrugged, sitting on her mattress. “I don’t know. I just get fevers with colds. I guess it’s normal for me.”

“Fevers suck,” Finn said. “Last time I had one, I stayed in bed for two days and everything hurt.” He walked over to the front door. “We’ll miss you tonight, though.”

Zack followed. “Hope you feel better. We’ll text you all the crazy shit that’s going to happen so you don’t miss anything.” He followed Finn out of the apartment, leaving the door open for Alex.

Alex watched them walk by, then grabbed the roll of toilet paper on the counter where Annabel had left it. He brought it over to her nightstand and gave her a sad smile. “Do you need anything?”

Annabel shook her head, relieved that she was going to be able to stay in bed. “I’ll be okay.”

He seemed to hesitate for a second, then nodded. “Let us know if you want us to get you food later. I know I can never sleep when I have a fever.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. Her nose scrunched up, overtaken by another annoying prickle. “Ehh… Iihh’KSSSHHeeww!”

“Bless you.”

Zack’s voice sounded from the hallway. “Alex, you coming?”

Alex snickered. “I guess I should go.” He walked to the door, then turned back. “Feel better, okay?”

“I will. Thanks.”

***

Annabel tried to sleep, but her fever and runny nose kept waking her up, leaving her floating halfway between dreams and reality. It was clear that she wasn’t going to get any rest in her state. She needed cold medicine.

It took her a long time to finally convince herself to get out of bed and go to the convenience store, but she managed to push the covers away and get up. She shivered, causing another tickle in her sensitive nose—it had only gotten worse in the hour since the boys had left. She ducked at the waist in an exhausting triple. “Ehh… Hehh’KSSSHeeeew! ‘KSSHHeeew! Hiihh’KSSHeeew!”

Just then, another knock sounded at the door. Annabel frowned and made her way to the door, cracking it open.

It was Alex. Alone.

“Bless you,” he said with a shy grin.

Annabel let him in. “Aren’t you supposed to be out with the guys?”

He shrugged, closing the door behind him. “I thought you might need this.” He showed her a plastic bag filled with tea, tissue boxes, ramen, cough drops and—she gasped—cold medicine.

Alex chuckled. “So I was right. You don’t have any medicine, do you?”

Annabel laughed. “How did you know?”

“Your nightstand. You only had a thermometer on there. When I’m sick, I take Nyquil everywhere I go.” He handed her the bag. “And I wanted to make sure you had tissues instead of toilet paper. Your nose will thank me.”

Annabel touched her chapped nose, smiling. “That’s so sweet of you. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” He stood there for a second, as if not knowing what to say. “I’ll uh—I’ll let you rest.”

Before he could go, Annabel put her hand on his elbow. “Wait. Do you want to—” She stopped halfway through her sentence, her nose scrunching up yet again, her eyes fluttering. She spun around and sneezed, covering her nose with the sleeve of her sweater. “Hehh’KSSHH! Ht’Ksshht!” She turned back around, blinking away the tears and laughing. “Sorry!”

Alex laughed, too. “Bless you.” He held her gaze, then looked down. “What were you going to say?”

“Oh—I was just wondering if—maybe if you’d like to watch a movie with me. I don’t think I can sleep until the medicine kicks in.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted saying them. Of course he didn’t want to watch a movie with her. This was Friday night. What kind of college guy wanted to hang out with a sick, sneezy, nose-drippy girl on a Friday night instead of getting drunk with his friends. “Sorry,” she added quickly, “I forgot that the guys are probably waiting for you. I guess I’m kind of loopy from the fever.”

Alex took a step forward and placed his hand on her forehead. The gesture was so gentle, so soft, that Annabel closed her eyes, appreciating the coldness of his palm on her hot skin.

“You are definitely burning up,” he half-whispered, frowning. “I was wondering if the guys were exaggerating. Guess not.”

Annabel bit her lip. “I’ll be okay after I take the medicine. You don’t have to stay.”

Alex removed his hand. “I do,” he blurted. “I mean, I do want to watch a movie with you. And stay.”

“Are you sure?” Annabel asked through her blossoming smile. “Aren’t you worried you’ll catch my cold?”

“Actually, I have a confession to make.” Alex led her to the bed and placed the content of his bag on her nightstand. “Last Friday, I kind of had a cold. It wasn’t as bad as yours, pretty minor, but… Zack convinced me to come out anyway and I—I think I might have given it to you. You drank out of my glass and I didn’t have time to stop you.” He looked at her, his eyes wide with guilt. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Annabel laughed. “I can’t believe Zack didn’t rat you out earlier. It would have been the perfect example of someone going clubbing with a cold and ‘being fine’ anyway.”

“He probably knew it was partly his fault that you’re sick and didn’t want to admit it.”

Annabel shook her head. “Well, you owe me a Friday night.” She got into bed and patted the spot next to her. “That means I get to pick the movies.”

Alex grabbed the throw blanket at her feet and draped it over her. “That sounds fair.” He walked over to the other side of the bed and settled next to her. “But when you fall asleep, I can’t guarantee I won’t change it.”

“Deal.”

After taking a dose of Nyquil, Annabel started the movie, snuggling under the blanket. She wondered what kind of crazy adventures Zack and Finn were getting themselves into. She expected to feel FOMO, but instead, she shot a glance at Alex next to her, and realized she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Maybe it was the fever, or maybe it was Alex’s shoulder touching hers, but it felt like this was the start of a different kind of adventure. Maybe not alcohol-fueled, but Nyquil was pretty close.

All because they’d shared a not-so-secret cold.

And Annabel had a feeling it would be worth the fever. And the countless sneezes to come.

THE END

[westiec]

June 17: Chengxian 💜🖤💕

childhood friends to lovers/QPPs, ace Jiang Cheng, bi & aro Wei Wuxian, modern AU

(A/N: If you're wondering about a certain other someone, he will have a wonderful, full life of his own in Suzhou in this AU but is not in this story. 💙 There are some brief mentions of offscreen ace-antagonism, not by anyone we know.)

Read on ao3

Jiang Cheng had been Wei Ying's best friend in the whole world for his entire life.

Okay. Well, not quite his entire life, but certainly since Wei Ying’s parents moved to California when he was little little, which was about as far back as Wei Ying could remember anyway. Wei Ying’s baba and Jiang Cheng’s baba had grown up in Wuhan together and been best friends when they were kids, so naturally, when Wei Ying’s family moved into the same neighborhood as the Jiangs, it made perfect sense for Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng to become best friends too.

It was Jiang Cheng who had taught Wei Ying that he didn't have to be afraid of dogs, by introducing him to Princess, Jasmine, and Lil' Love. Lil' Love lived up to her name, coming and quietly sitting in all her fluffy glory on Wei Ying’s lap every time he went over to play.

It was also Jiang Cheng who Wei Ying got drunk with for the first time. They snuck booze from the cabinet where Wei Ying’s parents kept it and laughed at the faces each other made with every shot until they stopped tasting the harsh burn, and then laughing more just because.

(Wei Ying’s mom had not laughed, not at the time, when the two teens had been sick as anything the next morning, but instead made them a gloriously greasy late breakfast and gave them lots of advice about proper hydration.

Then she told Jiang Cheng’s mom and let her scold them.)

It was Jiang Cheng who came out first, their first semester in college, when he told Wei Ying he didn't think he wanted to have sex with anyone, ever, and asked if Wei Ying thought that meant no one would ever want to date him. Wei Ying hugged him tight and told him he didn't know about everyone out there, but he knew Jiang Cheng was the best guy in the world and would be an awesome boyfriend, and he'd fight anyone who said differently.

Jiang Cheng found a group on campus for third culture LBGT kids, and Wei Ying went with him, as a supportive ally.

Which was how Wei Ying figured out that he was not just a supportive ally.

In listening to the others talk about orientation and identity and attraction and cultural expectations, Wei Ying realized that what he'd always assumed was normal—finding all kinds of people physically attractive, regardless of their gender—was actually his bisexuality. So that was kind of cool.

"So yeah, now we can be queer together!" Wei Ying said, when he excitedly shared his newfound realization with Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng snorted. "Yeah, 'all' and 'nothing,'" he joked.

It was Jiang Cheng who'd helped him practice what to say to his parents when he wanted to change his major at the end of sophomore year, and Jiang Cheng who reminded him to eat and sleep and "take a fucking break, Wei Ying," those next couple semesters when he took way too many hours so he wouldn't have to rack up a whole extra year's worth of student loans to finish his new degree plan.

It was Jiang Cheng who graduated first, on a gorgeous blue-skyed sunny day in May, and Jiang Cheng who suggested Wei Ying keep living with him at his new apartment, so he wouldn't have to try to find a one-semester lease until he finished in December.

(They renewed the lease together every time.)

Jiang Cheng ribbed him playfully each time Wei Ying met someone new, but he was always there each times things fizzled out after a few months for reasons that never quite made sense to Wei Ying.

Jiang Cheng occasionally dated too, and Wei Ying was glad he never did have to fight anybody—though he did drive Jiang Cheng to the emergency room the time he came home with split knuckles from punching a guy who, "seemed to think I didn't know my own mind about certain things."

But dating sucked for everybody, right? It wasn't like Wei Ying or Jiang Cheng were in any hurry to settle down and do the whole spouse and kids thing or whatever. Wei Ying tried to imagine it and just... couldn't, though the image of Jiang Cheng with a baby was admittedly pretty cute.

~

It was not Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Yanli, a few months after she proposed to her girlfriend and they started planning their wedding, who Wei Ying finally asked, "Yanli-jie, how does a person decide someone else is their person?"

Jiang Yanli looked across the room to where Jiang Cheng was showing her soon-to-be-wife how to put side spin on a billiards ball and smiled. "I think you just know," she said. "You meet someone and you get to know them, spend time together, then one day you realize you love them and want to build the rest of your life with them."

Wei Ying wrinkled his nose. "I dunno if it works that way for me. Just some random person? I've never met anyone I can imagine wanting to live with all the time. Well, besides—huh..." he cut off suddenly and darted a look over at Jiang Yanli, who just calmly sipped her drink.

"Have you ever told him that?" she asked, after a moment where Wei Ying reassessed his entire life and dating history. "I think he might appreciate hearing it."

"I... huh. Yanli-jie, you're kinda blowing my mind here," he complained.

"I gathered," she said wryly, before fixing him with a smile that made all the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Of course, I trust," she told him, "that I do not need to explain to you of all people how very dearly I hold my didi's happiness and well-being."

He swallowed and raised three fingers in the salute he'd used ever since the summer that—hah—he and Jiang Cheng had decided as kids that they would make their own oath of brotherhood like the heroes of their favorite show. "I, Wei Ying, swear to you that I would kick my own ass before I did anything to hurt him."

Jiang Yanli leaned over to knock her shoulder against his and nodded. "That's what I thought."

~

Turned out, dating Jiang Cheng didn't suck at all.

It felt easy in a way Wei Ying’s past dates never had, less like trying to keep up with a game whose rules everybody knew except him, more like... well, like spending time with his best friend in the whole world, but on purpose. There was also a tension in the back of Wei Ying’s mind that seemed to have lifted, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that had gone.

It was Jiang Cheng who helped him figure it out.

"I think it's that now I'm able to count on this. On us," he said, when Wei Ying brought it up. "Before, whenever you went out with someone new, I wondered if this would be the time you'd find someone to fall in love with and leave me behind."

"Aww, Chengcheng! I would never!"

Jiang Cheng huffed and rolled his eyes, but his cheeks were pink. "Well, I know that now," he said, a pleased little smile breaking through his attempts at a scowl.

"As long as you're sure—" Wei Ying began, still getting used to thinking about himself with the word "aromantic." Still a so very sure that Jiang Cheng deserved to be fallen in love with.

"Hey!" Jiang Cheng cut him off. "None of that. I know you. And I know you don't see it this way, but I personally think it's pretty damn romantic that you choose to love me, on purpose."

"I simply have exquisite taste in life partners," Wei Ying sniffed, embarassed the way he always got when Jiang Cheng declared something he'd done "romantic."

"You do," Jiang Cheng agreed. "Someone told me a long time ago I was the best guy in the world and would make an awesome boyfriend, and that he would fight anyone who said differently."

Wei Ying laughed. "That's you and your sister I've promised to kick my own ass if I ever break your heart, then. Guess I'll just have to keep you forever."

"Damn right, you will," Jiang Cheng agreed, grinning smug and happy and breathtakingly beautiful. Wei Ying leaned across the couch to give him a sweet, closed-mouth kiss—the kind Jiang Cheng had shyly admitted he actually did like, a lot—and smiled too, at how lucky he'd gotten to be with his best friend in the whole world for his entire life.

🖤💜

Today's (extremely long!) thread was inspired by this WONDERFUL art of ace Jiang Cheng and bi & aro Wei Ying! Go give Midori some love on Twitter!

I spent a nonzero amount of time googling to double check when various terms and flags came into vogue, so if you're wondering, WWX & JC were in college in the early 2000s, before the ace and aro flags were designed. By the time they get themselves figured out, they can get their cute wristbands.

...which, yes, means these dingdongs spent about a solid decade living together before realizing that was what they wanted to do forever. 😉

This also means Jiang Yanli and her unnamed wife here are getting married between when California started recognizing same-sex marriages in 2008 and the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in 2015! THIS SHIT'S RECENT!!!

Happy Pride, thank you for reading, check out more LGBTQIA+ sweetness on my #PrideMonthSnippets Masterpost!

[devinescribe]

Stay High

Karube Daikichi × Reader

Based off this song

No, because It's a three am sad thought that should have been kept in my head. This is totally not based off of my deepest darkest feeling and fears. Anyways, ignore that. Um... yeah.

Warnings: Episode 3 spoilers, Manga spoilers, weed, smoking, suicide (this went darker than I intended, ok?), and another terrible attempt at angst :)

"Karu! For the last time, we're not getting a freaking parrot!" You scolded. "Aww, why not babe? They're cute," he said, pouting. You smiled kissing him quickly. "... I'll think about it," you said, before heading out. "I think that means we will have a-" "Don't push your luck babe. I'll see you after work."

_______________________________________

"And here is my attempt at trying to be nice. Happy anniversary!" You chirped, sliding a rather large gift his way. It had a draped cover over it, so he couldn't see inside. He looked at you suspiciously, slowly taking it in his hands. You had a camera in your hands, and we're smirking. He didn't trust that smirk. "Why do you have that camera?" He asked, nodding to it. "Just filming. It's a special day babe," you said, hiding your smile. "Can i-" "Don't you dare shake it-" He raised his hands in mock surrender, before slowly lifting the sheet.

You saw the smile that spread across his face. "I said I'd think about it," you said. He stood up, pulling your waist into him. He kissed you softly, making you smile in your head. "I'm guessing this means you like your gift?" You asked, a smirk on your face. "It's a fucking parrot, hell yeah I like it," he said. You laughed, pressing a kiss to his temple.

Tears blurred your vision, falling onto the screen of the camera. Had it really been a year since then?

"Ok, now I get to film you! Welcome to day 1 of our roadtrip, I don't know where we're going, but we'll find out soon enough," Karube said, turning the camera to face him. He then turned it to face you. You were putting your luggage into the trunk of your car, and looked up with a smile, giving the camera a peace sign. The parrot, who you two decided to name Nijiko after much deliberation due to its coloring, squawked on your shoulder. You smiled. "Yes, you'll be going to day care  for a while Nijiko," you spoke to the bird, petting it's beak softly. The bird shivered. "Day care? Nijiko day care?" It squawked, tilting it's head to the side. You nodded. "Yes, smart bird. Nijiko is going to daycare," you praised. "I sometimes wonder if she loves the bird more than me. The answer is yes. Yes she does," Karube said, laughing as you spoke to the bird.

"Update, it's been 4 hours, and we are in the middle of no where. The child(the bird) has been dropped off at day care... well boarding? For the week. The music's pretty good though, and this angel next to me is still here, so we're all good," he said. He was really serious about filming this. "Babe, why are you filming this again?" You asked, reaching to grab his hand on the center console. "Because memories baby girl," he responded, kissing the back of your hand as it was intertwined with his. You laughed, blowing him a kiss, turning your attention back to the road.

"Day 3 of our roadtrip, (Y/N) is deciding on what to wear, but as I've told her, she looks great in everything," he stated. You flipped him off, picking out something to wear finally. "Wowwwww, I can really feel the love," he said sarcastically, holding a hand to his chest dramatically. "Shut up, you know I love you," you said, rolling your eyes. "I know you do. Who wouldn't love me?" he joked. "I don't know babe. Watch it though, 'cause you're mine~!"

"Ok, it's a few hours later, (Y/N) is getting snacks, and I'm super nervous, because of this," he said, talking to camera. He pulled out a small box, showing the ring to the camera. "I've been documenting this whole thing like a maniac, because I didn't want her to be suspicious. But anyways, yeah... I've been thinking about it for a while, seeing as we've been together since high school. I am terrified, in all honesty," he rambled, running a hand through his hair. He put the small box back to where you wouldn't find it, but he wouldn't lose it. He saw you walking back to the car, and smiled. You opened the door, giving him a weird look. "You're filming again?" You questioned. He nodded. "You love the sound of your voice don't you?" You asked with a smile. He laughed, "Not as much as I love yours."

_______________________________________

He placed the camera was on a nearby fence post, facing you two, close enough to see and hear both of you. He started recording, and gave a thumbs up to the camera. You looked out to the water, admiring the hues of blue. The water crashed into the shore, spraying you with water. "You know when we get married, I'm definitely going to take you here again," he said. You kept looking out at the water, not noticing him. "When we get married? You already have this planed?" You laughed. You turned to face him, not seeing him at eye level. You looked down, and your eyes widened. "As I was saying, when we get married-" he started, getting interrupted when you jumped onto him, throwing your arms around his neck. You both fell to the sand, and you two couldn't help but laugh. "Are you serious? Like, really?" You asked, tears in your eyes. "Yeah, I'm serious. (Y/N), you've been with me for what seems like forever. I love you so much, and I want to be yours forever. Just as much as you'll be mine. So... would you do me the honor, and marry me?" He asked. He might have sounded confident, but he was shaking on the inside. The tears in your eyes fell, and you laughed nodding. "Yes, a million times yes," you said. He laughed, letting out a sigh of relief. You hugged him tightly, your head in the crook of his neck. "Forever and ever?" You whispered. "Forever and ever."

You looked down at the ring on your finger, crying even harder. His side of the bed stayed empty, no one would ever be able to sleep there. Not even you. His side of the room stayed untouched. The same way it had been left that morning. Before the accident.

"(Y/N)... I know you're sad, but this isn't healthy for you... just... call me back once you get this," Arisu sighed. "No answer again?" Usagi asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head. "She's been with our group as long as I can remember. And she's been... she had been... with Karube even longer. If it's hard on me, I can't believe how hard it must be on her," Arisu explained. Usagi pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm sure she's fine. All people cope with things differently. Just give her space."

You were most definitely not fine. The grief that filled you everytime you saw Arisu's name on your phone, when you looked at anything that once belonged to Karube.  For the first time in the past few weeks, you wandered into the kitchen, and saw the binder filled with the ideas you two had for the wedding. You looked away, tears filling your eyes once more. You couldn't escape the sorrow that had filled your life. It seemed like he was everywhere. Even when you turned on the damn TV the news was talking about the incident. The names of the victims would pop up with pictures, and you would quickly turn it off. You grabbed the folder, ripping up all the papers in there, shredding them to bits in a fit of sadness. You dropped to your knees, holding the final piece of paper. You sniffled, wiping your eyes, looking down. It was in Karube's hand writing, and you took a deep breath. Eventually, you would have to read these things. Eventually, you would have to clean up his side of the room. You decided to start off small. By reading whatever this was.

'I may not be good at expressing my feelings, and this is not going to be the first time you've all heard me tell you how wonderful this woman is, and how much I love her. It certainly won't be the last, if I have any say in it. To which I do. If I could go back to the day we met, and you told me I would be marrying her, I would believe it. Because I've loved you from day one (Y/N). And now, I'll have you. Forever and ever.'

- Karube (rough draft, don't let (Y/N) find this)

You whimpered, holding the piece of paper to your chest. This was too much for you. You needed a distraction.

"Eh, just give me the money, no one will ever know," the woman said. You gave her the money, and she passed you a bag. "I promise it gets better dear. And be careful with that," she said sweetly. You nodded, your face so devoid of any emotion, it was hard to tell if you were still alive. Your world felt so numb to any emotion but hurt.

The burn of the smoke in your throat was satisfying. For the first time since his death, you felt something. Your eyes lazily looked up, staring at the ceiling.  The smell of the weed filled up the room and you rolled your eyes. For once the pain was gone. You couldn't think of anything in the moment other than being hungry. The first time in weeks that had happened.

That was your new routine. Wake up, lounge around, look through the videos and pictures of both of you, get high of your mind. It was the only way you'd forget. Was it healthy? No. Did you care? Also no. You started ignoring Arisu's calls, messages, and voice mails. Leaving them unseen, and unheard. He was worried, and Usagi had gotten worried as well, even though she'd only met you once at the hospital. You seemed like a pleasant person, and according to Arisu, you never left someone in the dark that long. You would usually respond quickly if you weren't at work. But, do to the incident, there wasn't work for a few weeks. That made him worry.

When he found out why you weren't answering, he was shocked. Your apartment wasn't exactly a mess. There were a few papers scattered in the kitchen, and uncollected mail, but other than that, your apartment was clean. He was so confused, hearing you giggling and talking to yourself in your room.

He knocked on the door, opening it slowly. "(Y-y/N)?" He asked hesitantly. You looked up, your eyes lazy and red. The smell of weed in your room was strong, the smoke going out of the window. How long had you been doing this? Had it become self destructive? These were questions he asked himself before seeing you doze off to sleep.

"What the hell were you thinking (Y/N)! You can't- you can't destroy your life over it! I- I was so worried! I've already lost two friends, I can't lose you too!" He scolded. It was a few hours later, and your high had passed. "Why do you care?" You snapped, the conversation being boring to you. The hurt you hadn't felt in weeks came back. He was back in your mind, not as your wonderful fiancé, but as the man you had lost. The man who you had to bury in the ground. It was horrible. Your mind hated the images of his body, lifeless and devoid of his usual smile. You hated it. Absolutely despised it.

"Because you're my friend! You've been my friend since high school! I know it hurts (Y/N), believe me I know, but you can't destroy your fucking life and mental health!" He scolded. It was so unfair to you, in your head. That he was saying something like that. "You want to know what's really destroying my mental health?! Not having him anymore! The fact that he's dead, and I can't- I can't-" you couldn't finish your sentence. Arisu felt bad, but this was an intervention. He had to be a bit forceful for you to stop. "Karube wouldn't want you to do this," he said softly. You felt more tears fall. But you didn't know how to deal with this. "How do you know what he wants?! He's dead!" You screamed. "H-hes dead," you whispered, your voice breaking. Arisu hugged you tightly as you cried. "Can I just know why?" He asked. "He's gone, and I have to stay high all the time to keep him off my mind. Gotta stay high... all my life to forget I'm missing him," you whispered. It was true. It was the only way you could feel something other than pain. The smoke made your mind hazy, and your sadness drifted away. But it wasn't healthy. And it would never be. "It gets better (Y/N)... please, just... stay with me for a week. So I can have peace of mind?"

2 years later

You sat on the sand of the beach, the waves crashed onto the rocks nearby, and a breeze blew the salt water into your face. You looked down at the ring on your finger, sighing at the sight of the shiny gem. You smiled sadly, pressing a kiss to it. "Soon my darling... soon we'll be together again. Forever and ever."

Because the high kept him off your mind, you didn't learn how to cope any other way. The only way was to feel any other pain. You had tried to meet other people, but no one was ever as good. You couldn't even talk to other guys without feeling guilt. It felt wrong. It was like whatever you did, you couldn't get over it. At all. In fact, it had gotten worse over the years. Especially on the yearly anniversary of the incident. Reporters would go to your home and ask you questions, seeing as people had asked you while you were in the hospital. How we're you supposed to get over it when you were reminded constantly?

So there was no thoughts in your head as you walked into the water. It was cold, shocking you. If you didn't drown, you'd die of hypothermia. And that was fine with you.

Forever and ever, no?

Ok, ok, ok.... wow, wowowowowow, this was a three am sad thought that did not have to be written, ok, um wow... that was darker than I intended, holy shit-

I promise I'm done with the terrible attempts at angst, and I promise I'm working on the my other oneshots/books. It's just that when I have an idea, I need to write it before I forget.

Remember that people love you, even if you think no one does, I promise you they do. If you really need help, please find it, and if you would like, I'm always glad to talk to people if they need my help.

[flameo-firelord-hotman]

Part 3

Pairing: Zuko x Fem!Reader

Genre: angst

Warnings: panic attack

Words: 1.5k

Summary: to everyone she knew, [y/n] was a peasant, destined to be a servant just like her parents. To Zuko, however, she was his best friend. After losing his agni kai and being exiled, [y/n] was devastated. She thought she would never see him again. Three years later, she almost wished he never came back.

A/N: wasn’t quite sure how to write this part, and I’m not sure how I feel about it...but I’m just gonna post it anyway :)

Part 2 <- Part 3 -> Part 4

Series | Masterlist

This dark, dusty hallway seems to never end. It feels like I've been wandering for hours, yet it feels like no time has passed. It feels familiar, like a fragment of a memory, yet it feels fabricated. It feels like a lot of things, but I feel…nothing. It's so surreal, yet so natural.

I watch myself from above. My body is floating, light as a feather. Am I spirit? No. How do I know? I don't. But I can see myself right there, standing on the floor next to my friend. I think it's him. His face is a blur, but I can see just enough to be sure.

We're talking. Nothing being said makes sense, yet it all makes sense. He's getting closer to me. Now I feel something, an urge, a whim. He's leaning in, closer and closer, and…

[Y/n]’s eyes fluttered open. She was curled up under the covers of one of the guest room beds. It must have been late morning, because the sun was peaking brightly between the curtains.

For a second, everything was okay. Then, she frowned upon realizing what just happened. Kissing Zuko, what a dream. Really, it could never be a reality. Last night, when they got to the beach, him and Mai made up and got back together. They even kissed right in front of [y/n]. It hurt to watch.

Fortunately for her, they were returning home today. [Y/n] could forget about this trip and go back to living her normal, boring life, something she never thought she would miss. As she packed her bag, she once again thought of that moment from last night. The memory was burned into her brain. No matter how hard she tried to push it away, it kept coming back. And every time, she wondered if what she saw was real. She sure wished it was.

Even if he really did, he could’ve been acting in the heat of the moment. He probably would’ve regretted it afterward. Yeah...why would he kiss his best friend? And a commoner at that? And while he clearly still has feelings for Mai? That would be ridiculous.

[One week later]

Knock, knock, knock.

[Y/n] propped herself up on her elbows and wiped her groggy eyes. It wasn’t unusual to have visitors—her family and neighbors often did favors for each other—but it was rather early in the day for one.

“Just a second!” [Y/n] called out. She tossed the covers aside, quickly threw on a robe and put her hair up in a messy bun.

Damn, I was really hoping to sleep in today. I hope it’s not someone important.

She opened the door.

“Hello, [y/n]!” A teenaged boy in a regal tunic with a scar on his face stood before her. He smiled brightly and waved his hand. [Y/n] felt her heart skip a beat.

“Oh! Um, hi, Zuko,” she replied.

“I hope you don’t mind me stopping by,” Zuko chirped, “I thought we could hang out today, if you want. Your mom told me you have the day off.”

He wants to spend time with me? Just us? [Y/n] was delighted by the opportunity. Then, reality set in: Zuko was still dating Mai and only saw her as a friend. She couldn’t hold his hand, she couldn’t cuddle with him, she couldn’t kiss him, she couldn’t be with him the way she wanted. Clearly, [y/n] hadn't gotten over her crush. If she was going to continue being his friend, she would need to do so. She needed to give herself space.

“Um, I'd like to," [y/n] said slowly, "but...I don’t feel well today.” She placed a hand on her stomach to feign illness. The fact that she had just rolled out of bed helped her cause.

Zuko’s cheerful face morphed to one of sadness. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. Is there anything you need? I could bring you medicine or food.”

[Y/n] shook her head. “No, thanks. I have everything I need.”

“How about I brew you some tea?”

“Er, no, it’s fine. I just need rest.” She scratched the back of her neck nervously.

“Okay. Well, I hope you feel better,” Zuko said earnestly.

“Thanks. Maybe another time,” [y/n] said.

“Yeah.” He trailed off, nodding slowly as he backed away from her apartment. They said their goodbyes and waved to each other. [Y/n] closed the door and leaned against it. She dropped her head into her hands. Already, she regretted her decision. She wanted nothing more than to be with Zuko, even though she knew it would cause her heart to ache.

Why do I have to have a crush on him? Why can't I go back to liking him as a friend? I don't want these feelings. I just want our friendship, I just want what we had three years ago. I don't even know if I can be his friend anymore. It's ruining us. I just lied to him too. It was a stupid lie, but still, what kind of friend does that? Why couldn't I just say no? I’m so pathetic.

A few days had passed since then. Zuko didn't reach out to [y/n], and she didn't reach out to him. Once again, she was back to her day-to-day routine of things…somewhat. There was one day when all the residents on the main land had to be evacuated. [Y/n]'s mother said it was because Firelord Ozai was preparing for an attack during an eclipse, which would weaken our people.

When they returned, they saw the damage. The city's harbor had taken a serious beating, but the palace appeared to be okay. [Y/n]'s parents were quite relieved to know that they wouldn't have any extra work for themselves.

The day after they returned, [y/n] walked into the kitchen to eat breakfast. She saw a messenger hawk sitting on her window sill. Had Zuko finally reached out to her? She hesitantly untied the letter from the bird's leg and read it.

To: [Y/n] Summons Notice to Appear Your presence is required by his majesty Firelord Ozai immediately. Failure to appear in one (1) week will result in criminal charges against you and your family. From: Chief Advisor Xin

A bolt of fear struck [y/n]'s body. She froze. She backtracked the past several days and weeks, trying to think of what she could’ve done to warrant a summons. Nothing came to mind. Then, she wondered if her parents were involved in something treacherous. She couldn’t imagine them doing such a thing...perhaps they were being wrongly accused of a crime. Perhaps she was being wrongly accused of a crime. Her mind jumped to conclusions as rapidly as her heart was beating.

Finally, [y/n] broke free of her paralysis and fumbled for her things. She hastily headed to the palace. Breakfast could definitely wait. On the way, over and over, she begged and prayed to the spirits for her and her family’s safety.

At the palace, [y/n] approached the guards at the gate and presented the summons with shaky hands. They nodded, and one of them escorted her to the throne room. The guard slipped inside to announce her presence to Firelord Ozai. Meanwhile, she waited outside for permission to enter.

This would be her first time being in the presence of the Firelord, let alone talking to him. She was terrified to say the least. [Y/n]’s mom told her all kinds of stories about how scary he was. From the paintings she had seen before, his looks alone were intimidating. Her heart raced faster with every second she waited. Sweat coated her forehead and palms.

The guard returned, making [y/n] nearly jump out of her skin. He gestured for her to enter. And so she did.

The first thing [y/n] noticed was how warm the throne room was. It was massive and wide open with tall, ornate pillars outlining an aisle running down the middle. Straight ahead was the throne, where Firelord Ozai sat surrounded by large, hot, dancing flames. He wore a severe expression, looking just like he did in all those paintings. On his left sat a girl: Princess Azula. The seat on his right was empty.

Where’s Zuko? [Y/n] wondered, but only for a fraction of a second. That didn’t matter right now. She gulped nervously and approached the throne.

“F-Firelord Ozai. Princess Azula,” she shakily dropped to her knees and bowed. She had never felt so small before. “I received your message and came as soon as I could.”

“Why don’t I take this one, father?” [Y/n] gingerly peaked up to see Ozai quietly nodding to Azula. The princess rose from her seat and walked to [y/n]. [Y/n] slowly straightened up.

“Don’t be scared, [y/n]. We just want to ask you a few questions.” Azula patronized her.

“Have you seen or spoken to Zuko recently?” Azula inquired, pacing back and forth. Her heels clacked against the marble floor.

“Yes.”

“When?”

“A few days ago.”

She stopped and turned on her heels to further interrogate [y/n]. “What did you two talk about?”

[Y/n] nervously explained what happened when Zuko stopped by the other day. Azula sighed dramatically and pinched her nose.

After a long, suspenseful silence, [y/n] daringly asked, “Princess Azula...do you mind if I ask what this is about?”

Azula glanced at her with the side of her eye. "Well, since you asked, my dear brother, Zuko…he's been missing the since the attack."

Taglist (open!): @aangsupremacy @kaylove12 @celestialentitiesss

[one-boring-person]

Six Bodies In An Alley.

The Lost Boys x reader

Warnings: pretty graphic descriptions of gore, death, blood imagery

Context: the reader lives in Santa Carla, and has befriended the boys, but still has no idea what they are, so is in for a surprise when they go looking for their brother one night, only to find them in the middle of business they'd rather the reader didn't see.

A/N: I reckon I'll turn this into a two-part story, seeing as it is a bit inconclusive, and the boys don't play a massive part just yet, so I'd better get down to that😂💛

Masterlist

"Three hours late. How on earth is anyone ever three hours late to anything?" I mutter irritably to myself as I push through the crowd, aiming to get off the Boardwalk as quickly as possible, my confused yet annoyed mood giving me the confidence to actively shove people out of my way, choosing to ignore any protests as I move past them. Two or three of them try to grab my arm, but I don't give them the time of day, pulling myself from their grip without even turning to them, worry starting to creep into me as I glance back down at my watch, knowing how late it now is.

A couple of days ago, my younger brother got in contact, telling me that he'll be in Santa Carla for a few days, and would like to meet up, having taken a couple of weeks off from his job in New York, where he's been holed up for months. Naturally, I'd jumped at the opportunity, glad to finally be able to show him around the little coastal town, and to be able to introduce him to the friends I've made in my time living here, seeing as he has not seen me since we both left our hometown, back when our mother passed away. We arranged to meet up on the Boardwalk around seven, but he never turned up, leaving me to wait in the bustling area with no clue as to his whereabouts. The hours dragged on, three of them passing before I finally had enough of worrying, deciding to go looking for him as my curiosity spiked, which is where I find myself now, a frown etched onto my face as I push through the writhing bodies around me.

After a good ten minutes of wrestling with the crowd, I manage to reach a main road, where the pedestrian traffic is a lot thinner, allowing me to see the surroundings with more ease. Still unable to spot either him or his recognizable car, I start to walk towards the outskirts of the town, where it is likely he may have gotten lost, pulling my jacket tighter around me as the air becomes cooler, the lack of people around me making the cold breeze more noticeable. Biting my lip, I try to suppress the urge to turn back and get somewhere warmer, continuing on into the dimly lit back roads looping around the town, an odd feeling starting to grow in the back of my mind, an inbuilt instinct telling me something is wrong, and that I'm not safe. Ignoring it, I start to observe the few cars parked here and there, struggling to see in the strangely foggy light, aware that the streetlights don't illuminate everything around me, meaning there are a lot of blindspots surrounding me.

At first, I don't recognise any of the vehicles lingering by the side of the road, my hopes briefly flaring up as I see a similar car, only to realise it is the wrong model and is, in fact, not the gaudy crimson colour I thought it was, a realisation that draws a curse from me. It takes another twenty minutes of searching before I finally find the right one, my suspicions having been confirmed when I see the scarlet car parked on the curb, the engine idling in the now-freezing night air. Relieved, I go over to it, knocking on the window of the driver's side, waiting for him to roll it down, or get out of the car. When neither happens, I bend over to look into the interior, my brow furrowing when I find it empty, the keys still in the ignition despite the fact that the driver is clearly missing. Straightening, I look over the exterior of the car, noticing that the back left tyre is flat, my eyes wandering to the back windows, though there is nothing behind them when I check, expecting to see the familiar sight of my brother sleeping on the backseats.

Frowning, I step away from the car, trying to think where he may have gone, going over all the possible places he could've walked to in the area, though I don't know this particular area as well as I'd like, my knowledge of the surrounding streets slightly limited. Chewing my lip, I go back to the car and switch off the engine, taking the keys with me as I decide to check if there are any garages anywhere nearby, knowing my brother is unlikely to leave the car running unless he is going to return to it relatively quickly. Locking the vehicle, I start back up the road, cursing myself for not checking up on him sooner, worry still biting at the back of my mind as I try to focus on finding him again.

I don't go far, expecting him to have stayed in the area, stopping and turning back when I reach another badly lit junction, at which point I finally acknowledge something off about the last half an hour: the streets are deserted, not a living soul passing me as I traipse the dark pavements. At this realisation, the instinctual feeling from before returns, the hairs at the back of my neck standing on end as goosebumps appear on my skin, an irrational fear clouding my judgement as I turn and start walking hurriedly back the way I came, intending to reach the car again so that I can at least memorize it's whereabouts and collect it in the morning. My brother must've found his way into town or something, though it is odd that he left his prized car alone, with the engine still idling, something he's never really done. I try to reassure myself of this fact as my mind becomes ever more convinced that I'm not safe, my pace inadvertently picking up at the thought of something happening to me. It's only when I pass close to an alley that I slow, halting in my step as something catches my attention.

Taking a breath, I approach the alley, my instincts telling me to run and get away from here, still fully aware that I can't see every inch of the area around me, due to the bad coverage of the streetlights. Despite this, I still manage to make out the shape that caught my eye, instantly recognising it as human, though it isn't moving, not even to breathe, which is odd. As I move closer to the person, I become aware of the other people lying a little way away, one of them separate from the rest, a putrid stench floating up from them all, making my eyes water slightly at the strength of it. Wrinkling my nose, I crouch down beside the first person, intending to ask them where I am and if they've seen my brother pass them, only to let out a half scream when her head rolls forwards, a thick liquid rushing down her front as it does.

In the dim light, her eyes stare up at me, glassy and unseeing, her face mutilated and caked with dark blood, bone and muscle visible under the torn skin. Her hair hangs in filthy strands over her shoulders, though it moves out of the way to reveal a deep hole in her chest, as if her ribs caved in over her heart, puncturing her lungs and heart, which are just visible under the slick covering of blood, all the skin that would normally cover her torso torn into shreds and peeled away to reveal the musculature beneath. Flies are already gathering around the reeking corpse, a few rats even starting to crawl up her slashed arms, eager to get hold of this new meal, the whole sight making me want to throw up, bile starting to rise in my throat, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as I stand, tearing my gaze away from her.

A quick glance proves to me that the rest are all similarly mangled, their blood black in the dusky lighting, pools of the stuff gathering in the dips in the pavement around their corpses, the stench emanating from these vile puddles. Horror and fear, as well as panic, well up in me, my body starting to shake as I remain rigid, standing there for a good few minutes before I manage to collect my thoughts again, thinking through what could possibly have happened. Was it a freak animal attack? Are there rabid creatures waiting in the shadows to tear me apart, as they have done to these people?

As I think this through, one thought surfaces, a pang of deep fear striking me as I quickly go to each body, frantically checking their faces for a familiar one, gagging and wincing as I see the bloodied scraps that are left of their visages, their blood soon coating my hands and shirt from where I've handled their lifeless cadavers. In total, there are six bodies, and five of them are unfamiliar to me, so I approach the sixth with some hesitation, my steps slow and cautious, as if to delay the inevitable, though it isn't long until the face of the person comes into view, the unmistakable shape of his jaw and bone structure sending an icy bolt of horror through me.

It's my brother.

Gasping, I trace to his side and collapse to the floor, eyes finding the wounds littering his body, widening as they take in the gory mess that is the remains of his throat, as well as the mangled stump where his right arm used to be. A wave of nausea threatens to crash over me as I try to concentrate, unsure of whether this is really happening, my hands reaching out, gingerly, to trace a clean patch of his skin, a strangled sob leaving me at the feeling of his frigid skin beneath mine. Just in time, I turn to the side and allow the contents of my stomach to empty themselves onto the pavement, my stomach unable to hold itself together as I try not to break down completely; I continue to throw up for a good five minutes, a painful cramp setting in as I am reduced to dry-heaving.

I barely register the sounds of a group of people rounding the corner, their voices familiar to me as they joke with each other, laughter accompanying the cynical words of their leader. It's only when they stop a few metres away, voices fading into shocked silence, that I look up, terror filling me as I take in their appearance, identifying them immediately: Paul, Marko, Dwayne and David.

My eyes take their forms, horror and panic building up in me as I take in their bloodied appearances, discomposure filling me as I notice the concentration of the brackish fluid around their chins and mouth, before my eyes lift to their other features. Upon seeing them, I back away, confusion and fear evident on my face as I slowly get to my feet, continuing to edge away from them as they start to come closer - their features are distorted, their brows pulled into longer, grotesque caricatures of their usually handsome faces, blazing yellow eyes ringed with crimson following my every move, razor sharp fangs poking out from under their top lips as they go to speak, each pale tooth stained scarlet.

Without a second thought, I turn and run.

Adrenaline gives me speed, my pulse pounding in my ears as I race back onto the street I was on before, my breathing becoming harsh and ragged as I push myself into my fastest pace. Behind me, I hear a couple of deep chuckles, as well as a maniac laugh as footsteps start to follow me, a horribly familiar voice calling after me. I ignore it, focusing on staying ahead of my pursuers, doing my best to avoid the stones littering the pavement, my hand scrabbling in my pocket for the keys to my brother's car, thinking I could use it to get away, even if the tyre is flat. Finding them, I pull them out and continue sprinting down the road, a relieved gasp escaping me as I catch sight of the vehicle ahead, a new burst of energy exploding in me as I give one final push, reaching it swiftly.

Tremors wrack my hands as I attempt to get the key into the door, aware of the ever-approaching boys behind me, my breath held as I struggle to remain calm, adrenaline still pumping through me, a curse escaping me as I fight with the stuff turning mechanism. It finally opens, allowing me to climb into the car and slam the door behind me, quickly sticking the key into the ignition and turning it, only for the engine to stall. Going to try again, I growl in frustration as the same thing happens, the car refusing to let me put it into drive as I wrestle with the key. Panic starts to resurface within me, my actions becoming more and more frenzied, until I give up, punching the steering wheel in front of me in anger, wincing when my fist smarts afterwards.

A dent suddenly appears in the roof of the car, as if a heavy weight was dropped on it, a blood-curdling screeching noise following, as if someone was tearing through rusted metal, or trying to bend it out of shape. Looking out of the window, I notice a pair of hands digging into the weak spot just above the window, the metal coming away from the base as they continue to pull at it, opening me up to them, whatever they are. Petrified, I remain still for a couple of seconds, before jumping back into action, moving so that I'm forcing myself through the gap between the driver and passenger seats, crushing myself through the space into the backseats, collecting myself before I throw open the back door, stumbling briefly as I try to regain my balance, racing off towards the main road. I must look a sight - wearing a bloodied shirt and sporting similarly stained hands, tears streaking my cheeks, my breath coming out in rasping pants as I try to stay ahead of a group of who I assume to be killers. Hope fills me as I see a brighter light appear at the end of the road, clearly the beginning of the main road leading into Santa Carla, my pace remaining steady as I aim for it, careful not to get too excited, knowing I'm not quite in the clear yet.

A pair of arms suddenly appear around my waist, their owner easily lifting me off the ground and into the air, a scream of terror ripping itself from me as my attacker somehow floats upwards, holding me against a muscular chest, the smell of their black coat very familiar to me. Instantly, I start to writhe in his grip, kicking and wriggling as much as I can in his tight grasp.

"Calm down, (Y/n)! I'm not going to hurt you!" David commands, tightening his arms around me as I pay him no attention, trying to get out using any possible technique, "If you keep this up, I'll have to drop you, and we're a long way from the ground!"

At his words, I look down, freezing up as I see how far away we are from the pavement below, my eyes widening in fear, a pathetic whimper escaping me. I look up to see the other three sort of hovering around David and I, all of them looking serious for once, not just Dwayne, Marko chewing on his thumb as Paul struggles to stay still, somehow managing to fidget in mid air.

"What do you want? What are you?" I ask them, despair lacing my tone as I address them, knowing I'll probably end up like my brother, another corpse my supposed friends have left behind for others to find.

"We'll explain soon enough, but for now, we're going home. Hang on tight." The platinum blonde confirms, shifting me around so that I'm facing him, his icy blue eyes boring into mine as he repositions my arms around his neck, encouraging me to hold on tight. Gritting my teeth, I swallow and hold on, linking my legs around his waist as he starts to move, burying my face into his chest in pure fear, unsure of what will happen.

[xxwritemeastoryxx]

Untold Future 4

Clarity

Author: xxwritemeastoryxx

Pairings:  Elijah Mikaelson x OC

Word Count: 2.5K

Warnings: Here is a gore free chapter. These will be very few and far between. 

Author’s Note: Yay! It’s Friday and here is another update! This chapter had been partially written well before I even finished Forgotten Alliance. Hell there are several chapters that are partially written. ANYWAYS! I do hope you guys enjoy this one!

Feedback gives me life and motivation for future things. ♥

"We should talk about Hope's dreams." Klaus said as he walked into Elijah's room. He had barely taken note that his brother had been preoccupied with what he was currently reading. When he stopped in front of Elijah's bed, he realized what his brother had been doing. "You've found her contract."

Elijah looked up from the paragraph he had been reading. He was trying to read each line carefully, looking for anything and everything that would give him something to work with. But so far there was nothing standing out to him. 

"Only moments ago." Elijah said with a nod. "What did you see in Hope's dreams?" 

Klaus sighed. There was no easy way to tell his brother what he needed to. "Going into her dreams confirmed everything. I watched as my daughter ran into a building looking for her Aunt. When we found her," Klaus shook his head wanting to spare his brother from the details that he had seen. "While I would do anything to help you find away to get Elizabeth back, I'd rather not have my daughter having dreams of her."

Elijah looked off to the side. Part of him hoped that whatever dreams Hope had weren't of reality. That if anything they'd be glimpses of Elizabeth and nothing of the truth that Klaus had seen. After a moment, Elijah nodded. 

"It is what is best for your daughter." He looked over at Klaus. 

Klaus could easily see the hurt in Elijah. May it have been in his words or even the way he looked away to look at nothing in particular. His brother was in pain as well, even if he wasn't physically in pain. And here Klaus was making the decision to cut off the only way that Elijah may get a glimpse of Elizabeth. 

"If there was another way," Klaus shook his head. "I wouldn't be doing this. I fear for what Hope might see."

Elijah's jaw clenched at the words. The words had ignited something with in the bond. While Elizabeth may have closed off her side of things as much as she could, it was still there. Anger pulled through Elijah at the thought of what Klaus must have seen. 

Elijah ran his hand along his chin as he tried to calm the fire that was beginning to rage of control within him. His mate was being tortured and there was nothing he could do to save her. "I'll find another way. It may be time to follow clues elsewhere."

Klaus nodded his head in understanding. He knew that eventually his brother would decide to leave in search for Elizabeth. He just selfishly hoped it wouldn't be just days after they had been reunited. He placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. 

"You do what you need to to ensure Elizabeth's return home." Without another word, Klaus left the room. 

Elijah watched as his brother had walked out of the room before his eyes landed back on the contract in front of him. He lifted the page he had been reading before Klaus had come into the room. "Give me something, Elizabeth." He said to himself as he dived back into the contract. 

Hours had passed since Klaus had left the room and Elijah hadn't stopped going over the contract. Scattered beside him were the several pages that made up the contract. His eyes must have scanned the words repeatedly, looking for something, anything that would help him find Elizabeth. But Elizabeth had thought of everything. Every single detail Elijah believed would help in some way was mentioned in the contract. 

"That doesn't look like light reading." Rebekah said as she leaned against Elijah's door frame. "And by the looks of it you haven't slept a wink."

"How can one sleep while going through Elizabeth's contract?" Elijah asked as he never took his eyes off of the paper her was currently holding in his hand. 

Rebekah sighed as she entered his room. "By how intensely you are looking at it, am I right to assume there are no loopholes?" She asked as she sat the edge of the bed and picked up one of the pages. 

Elijah shook his head. "She thought of everything." He placed the page down and picked up another. "Every possible reason to ensure this deal would be made."

"That would explain why the witch can't tell us anything." She said shaking her head. "Can't Freya remove the compulsion from her?"

Reaching over, Elijah picked up another sheet before handing it to Rebekah. "We try anything and Jess will take her own life. Ask the wrong question and Jess will warn us."

Rebekah stared at Elijah in disbelief before she quickly read over the page. "Elizabeth all but insured her death at even the slightest mention of the spell tied to Elizabeth's humanity. What the bloody hell was she thinking when she wrote this?"

"My cure." Elijah said softly as he placed the last page down. "She included each of us in some form to ensure that she wouldn't back out from this. Malakai and Kol would become Jax's if she so much as hesitated to uphold this contract. We were to be left alone completely once she handed herself over."

Rebekah shook her head once more. "Hayley is going to be upset to know that we were all in there, including Hope."

"Hope isn't-" Elijah stopped himself for a moment as realization him. Elizabeth would never put Hope in harms way. Even if it was a way to ensure she'd go through with her plan. 

"Isn't what?" She asked looking at her brother confused. 

Without saying a word, Elijah stood from his spot and quickly made his way out of the room. An eyebrow raised on Rebekah's face as he did. Standing she followed her brother out of the room, hoping to get an answer. She followed all the way to Freya's room. 

Freya had been pouring over the spell book once more when her siblings had come rushing into her room. "Is everything okay?" 

She noticed how frantic Elijah looked in that moment. She could also tell he hadn't gotten any sleep since he had woken from his nightmare. Her eyes looked over at Rebekah who shrugged her shoulders. 

"Please tell me you haven't found or done the spell to keep Hope from Visitng Elizabeth." That had probably been the fast words had ever left his mouth.

"I haven't yet." Freya said as she looked between the two. "It needs to be done right before she goes to bed tonight. What's going on?"

Elijah took a seat across from her. "Elizabeth said she never intended for Hope to see her that way." Elijah began. "That to me means she had some intention for Hope to in fact see her."

"But doesn't that go against the rules Elizabeth spoke about?" Freya asked with a raised brow. 

"I was able to find the location of the contract. I've read every word of that document at least a dozen times. Not once was there a mention of the necklaces or even Hope. There was no mention of her interfering in any way. We were all mentioned expect for our niece." There was a slight excitement in his voice that his sisters could easily pick up on. 

"Hope is the loophole to the contract." Rebekah said looking at Elijah, finally realizing what he had.

"But how does this work when Elizabeth doesn't have the charm with her?" Freya asked holding Elizabeth's up.

"Maybe one-sided is all we need." Elijah said hopeful. "If Hope can open doors and at least look out windows, she may just be able to give us the insight we need. Even if I entered her dreams, this would give us the advantage Jax won't see coming."

Rebekah sighed. "Before we get too excited about this, need I remind you that there is still her parents we need to talk to about this?" She bit down on her bottom lip for a moment. "There is also something Veronica said that we might have to take into consideration."

"I'm sure we'd be able to convince Klaus and Hayley of this plan. She'd always have me or her parents to keep her from seeing things she shouldn't. And if this is what Elizabeth wanted to, they have to take that into consideration." Elijah said as he looked at Rebekah. "As for what you've overheard Veronica say is something that you should enlighten us on."

Rebekah braced herself for this one. She was hoping that she wouldn't have to tell Elijah and it would come from Veronica herself. "I overheard her tell Malakai that Elizabeth is going to be gone for three years.”

Elijah’s face fell at Rebekah’s words. “And how did she learn of this?”

“The letter Elizabeth wrote her,” Rebekah began. “Elizabeth told her that for three years she’d have to keep Malakai in check.”

Elijah shook his head. After the hope and excitement of possibly finding a way to save Elizabeth, it was shot down by the simple fact of time. “Where is Veronica now?”

“Out with Vincent.” Freya said with a nod. “She needed time away from the compound.”

Elijah stood from his seat. “When she returns, please ask her if I can borrow the letter for a few moments.”

“What are you going to do?” Freya asked as he began walking out of the room. 

“Freshen up a bit.” He said looking over his shoulder. “Then I’m going to see this warehouse Elizabeth used. Perhaps by the time I return, I’ll have some more information.”

_____

Elizabeth sat in the corner of her cell. Her back leaning right into the edge of it. Her eyes wandered around the cell and even past the cell door. Every detail of it her eyes had taken it in.

While she looked like a mess in that moment, she was healed. Maybe not back to her usual strength thanks to the lack of blood consumption, but she looked better than she had hours ago. Dirt caked her skin along with blood and sweat. How she would just enjoy a shower in that moment.

As her thoughts lingered on the thought of being cleaned, she picked up on the soft footsteps that approached her. Her eyebrow rose as she took the sound in. They were familiar to her ears and it almost caused a smirk to pull at her lips.

She hadn't moved from her spot even as they had come closer to her cell. Over the last several days, this is what she had been looking forward to. It wasn't the moments where she was being tortured or the fact that she had seen familiar faces while being tormented. It was this very vision that Jess had given her on her last day in New Orleans that she had been clinging on to that told her she was on the right track.

"Aunt Liz?" Hope's voice called out the moment her footsteps stopped a few feet away from her cell.

"One more down, kid." Elizabeth said without moving from her spot.

The moment Hope stepped in front of the cell, her eyes widened. She could see how differently her Aunt looked. May it have been the lack of blood or the fact she'd been tormented the last several days, this was the first time Hope actually saw her face.

Hope walked over to the bars and instantly walked through them. At first it startled her until she realized it wasn't a bad thing. She ran over to Elizabeth's side. But the moment she reached Elizabeth and tried to hug her, Hope couldn't feel her.

"It's not going to work that way." Elizabeth said as she watched her. "Don't have the necklace with me."

"How can I help?" Hope asked as she stepped back and sat down on the ground next to Elizabeth.

"You already are Hope." She said with a nod. "It's still early. I'm assuming you haven't woken up yet."

Hope shook her head. "I couldn't sleep last night."

"You were smart to bring your dad last night." Elizabeth offered as she adjusted herself in her spot.

"Dad didn't want Uncle Elijah to see you." She said with a nod of her head.

Elizabeth's eyes met Hopes. She could see the worry in the girls eyes. "Yeah, I don't know how well your Uncle would have taken seeing me like that. He's angry right now."

"How come you can feel his emotions, but Uncle Elijah doesnt?" Hope asked.

Elizabeth huffed a laugh. "Their clouded. I've got vervain, wolvesbane, and even good ol' human sedatives running through my veins half the time. The other half, it's Jess' spell. He doesn't need to feel what I'm feeling."

Hope looked around the cell. "Why did you leave us?"

"Even vampires keep their word." Elizabeth shrugged. "I made a deal with someone to get your Uncles cures for my bite. Now I have to keep my end of the deal."

"Can't you escape?" Hope wanted to find out as much as possible. She wasn't sure when she'd wake up or when they'd come and drag Elizabeth out of the room.

"That's against the rules, Hope. Plus, I'm too weak to make an escape right now. I need a lot more blood than what they are giving me." Elizabeth's mouth watered at the thought of blood. The veins under her eyes even made themselves known. The craving of blood was harder now. At Elizabeth's eyes, Hope got up and took a few steps back, causing Elizabeth to laugh. "I can't hurt you when you visit. This is just a dream."

Hope eyed her Aunt for a moment. "Like the spell Freya did."

"Something like that." Elizabeth shrugged. "Anything interesting going on at Home?"

Elizabeth figured if they were going to have these little visits, she'd make the best of them. She wanted to know what was going on just as much as Hope wanted to know where Elizabeth was to help her. There was only so much either of them could do.

"Mom and dad want to have Aunt Freya place a spell on me." She frowned.

"What spell?" Elizabeth asked.

"To stop me from seeing you." At that, Elizabeth sat up.

"Has your Uncle Elijah found the contract?" She shouldn't have asked but she needed to know.

"I don't know." She admitted.

Elizabeth looked up at the ceiling before looking back at Hope. "I'm gonna need you to wake up kid." Hope had already started shaking her head, but Elizabeth continued. "This is how you are going to help me. You're going to wake up and when you do, you are going to find your Aunt and tell her I said not to sever the link."

"What happens if they sever it?" Hope's eyes widened.

"I lose my loophole."

As a reminder, the normal Always and Forever, Stag Tag, and The Originals Tag lists do not apply to this one. If you would like to be added to the list, don’t hesitate to ask!

Untold Future:

@alka16555​​ @chiefdirector​​​ @winchestert101​​ @ministark​​ @mschellehitt​​ @xanderling​ @thegirlwhowishedeveryonelived​

[alvacchi]

Phantom Thief Hanako-kun AU Story: Chapter 8- The Search For Mitsuba

((Edit: I completely forgot a small recap so allow me to just add 😂))

In case it wasn't clear, this story does have its dark themes...

Enjoy!

---

-Last time in the previous chapter...

-Yashiro accepted a missing case from Yako

-Hanako unexpectedly came into Yashiro's apartment with a fever and Yashiro took care of him

-Mitsuba got a visit from Tsukasa

-and Kou got missed calls from Mitsuba

-The story continues!

-The next morning

-Hanako slowly opened his eyes

-He hadn't slept that well and soundly in so long

-As his eyes adjusted to his surroundings

-He started realizing where he was

-That ceiling. This bed. And.

-He looked over to his side

-To what he was holding

-Daikon legs

-Which means

-He looked up to see Yashiro sleeping peacefully

-What kind of weird sleeping position did he take???

-No, that wasn't the point right now!

-He got up letting go of her legs, flustered and touched the top of his head

-His eyes widened

-Gone. His hat's gone.

-He patted himself in search of the jewel he stole during the heist

-That's gone

-He looked down at himself

-He wasn't in his clothes

-All the rustling and movements on the bed woke Yashiro up

-She stirred and got up, still slightly out of it

-As her eyes adjusted, she faced a flustered Hanako who looked at her in horror

-Yashiro: "Hm...? Hanako-kun?"

-Hanako: "Detective, what were you...??? What was I....???"

-He couldn't seem to form the words

-Yashiro snapped out of her sleepy state as she looked at Hanako

-Seeing him getting so flustered was making her blush as well

-They were both on the same bed

-Add that on top of him wearing some of Yashiro's clothes

-Yashiro sure was seeing a new side of him

-Hanako didn't seem to remember all of last night's events, judging from his reaction

-But Yashiro still did

-Yashiro: [flustered] "Nothing happened last night! You were just really sick."

-Hanako: "Oh..."

-He fidgeted

-Hanako: "Could I have my clothes back?"

-Yashiro: "Ah, right!"

-Yashiro gave him his clothes back

-Hanako quickly changed and regained his composure

-He didn't feel any jewel in his clothes

-He must have hidden it away somewhere like he did before

-Hanako: "Well I'd best be on my way"

-Yashiro: "Wait!"

-Yashiro grabbed Hanako on time to stop him from going out the window

-Yashiro: "You're not going to disappear again, are you? We still have that deal. A gentleman should keep his word, no?"

-Honestly at this point, the deal was an excuse so they could hang out more

-Hanako: "Heh~ You remember what I've said before. You want me to still visit?"

-Yashiro: "Yes!"

-There was no hesitation in her reply Hanako noted surprisingly

-Hanako: "...Very well then. I'll come by when I can"

-He doesn't seem to be so bothered anymore? Thank goodness

-Yashiro sighed in relief

-Yashiro: "Oh good. I thought I might have to resort to this."

-She pulled out the jewel which she kept in a box during the clothes swapping

-Hanako looked shocked

-Did that mean he came here immediately after the heist without a care?!

-Wow, he was not thinking straight at all

Hanako: "Oh god I didn't know you're such a savage. You got me"

-Hanako looked down and held his hand to cover his face

-He couldn't stop smiling

-Yashiro: "I can be when I want to! I shouldn't even be doing this but well..."

-Yashiro put the jewel in his hand

-Yashiro: "Here."

-Hanako covered his eyes with his bangs and looked away, turning his back

-Hanako: "Um....thanks. I'll see you some time soon."

-If Yashiro looked closely at him, the back ends of his ears were blushing bright red

-Yashiro: "See you"

-And with that, Hanako took off

-Yashiro got ready to go to Tsuchigomori's detective agency

-She just received a call from Tsuchigomori to come report

-She may still be investigating Yako's case but she should get back to the agency whenever she can in case she's needed

-She's an apprentice learning from Tsuchigomori after all

-Once she arrived at the office, Yako was sitting there annoying Tsuchigomori

-Tsuchigomori: "Don't you have anything better to do?"

-Yako: "I'm worried!"

-Yashiro: "Good morning, Tsuchigomori-sensei! Good morning, Yako-san!"

-Yako: "You're back! Any news? Good news??"

-Yashiro: "Uh I would still need more time to investigate. I'm sorry that I haven't found anything yet."

-Yako: "Ugh you're all useless! Misaki could be suffering at this very moment!"

-Yashiro: [sweatdrops] "Ahahaha...."

-Suddenly, the office door slammed open

-And in came a very worried Kou

-Kou: "SENPAI!"

-Yashiro: "Kou-kun?! What's wrong?"

-Kou: "It's Mitsuba! I don't know where he is!"

-Yashiro: "HUH?!"

-Kou: "He called me a few times last night and I didn't pick up but now when I try to call him back, I don't get a single response!"

-Yashiro: "Wait but this was last night, right? Maybe you're overreacting? He could be busy"

-Kou: "I thought that at first but then I thought about Yokoo and Satou. They haven't been responding to my messages either and they seem to have mysteriously disappeared from the traffic department for a couple days already so I'm worried."

-A bit of background:

-Yokoo and Satou were Kou's police buddies

-They trained together as novice police cadets way back

-Since they transferred to the traffic department, they gave Kou a traffic safety amulet, saying it suited him since it was a pun (The word on the amulet is pronounced "Koutsuu" in Japanese)

-Kou initially wore the amulet around his neck but now wears it on his right ear

-Kou's whistle was also a gift from them when he got promoted to a police officer

-Alright, back to the story!

-Yashiro: "What??"

-Yako: "Wait, what did you say? So, it wasn't just Misaki who disappeared?"

-Kou: "Huh? There's another person missing?"

-Yashiro was puzzled

-Were Kou's missing friends connected with the missing Misaki case?

-It was too early to conclude

-Kou: "Senpai, please! Could you help look for Mitsuba? I don't know about Yakoo and Satou but they're still part of the police force and they got each other so I believe they are able to take care of themselves. Mitsuba though...he doesn't seem to have anyone with him so I want to find him as soon as possible!"

-Yashiro: "Leave it to me!"

-Kou: "Thank you! I'll come along too! I feel responsible"

-Yako: "Hmph, if it's not about Misaki, then I'll just hang here."

-Tsuchigomori: [facepalm] "...I wonder how you're a policewoman"

-Kou and Yashiro left the agency in search for Mitsuba

-They started with places Kou believed Mitsuba would be at

-Then, they just looked around the city

-Kou had a worried look on his face the entire time that Yashiro couldn't help but worry for him

-She tried to think of a conversational topic to get his mind off the case for a bit

-Yashiro: "Kou-kun, I baked some donuts a couple days ago and I was reminded of you since you taught me how to make them"

-Kou: "Oh really? I'm glad that you like that recipe!"

-Well, he smiled a bit. That's good

-Kou and Yashiro ran into Teru in the middle of their investigation

-Yashiro: "Minamoto-senpai!"

-Kou: "Nii-chan!"

-Yashiro: "What are you doing here?"

-Teru: "I'm patrolling this area. What about you two?"

-Kou: "We're looking for Mitsuba! He might be around this area"

-Teru: "Then, let me join you! I may be able to help."

-Yashiro: "Thank you, Minamoto-senpai!"

-Kou: "Thank you, Nii-chan!"

-As always, Teru was so cool!

-But wait

-As Yashiro stared at him, she noticed that she didn't seem to feel as strongly attracted to Teru as before

-But why?

-Maybe because she spent the last couple days worrying her head off about Hanako?

-She did seem to think about Hanako a lot lately and when it comes to him, she gets flustered easily....

-........What?

-Wait why does that sound like...?

-No. Perish that thought.

-It was stupid.....right?

-Oh gosh, maybe she should talk to Aoi about this

-Yashiro crushed on a lot of hot guys in the past and Hanako just didn't apply to that category in her terms

-So it was really strange

-As the three searched, Teru stopped them at one point

-Teru: "Maybe it's better if we split up to cover more ground. We could widen our search and then come back to a spot together when we're done. Whoever finds Mitsuba could bring him over."

-Kou: "Ah! Sounds good, Nii-chan! The city does have a lot of people so it should be alright. Senpai, what do you think?"

-Yashiro snapped out of her zoning out

-Yashiro: "Huh? Oh yeah, sure. We could do that."

-Teru: "Then, let's meet back at that statue over there in half an hour. That should be enough time to cover this part of the area"

-Yashiro & Kou: "Got it!"

-And so, they split up and Yashiro was left to investigate one part of the area on her own

-She found there were back alleys in some sections so she decided to have a look into them

-She's a detective's apprentice so she should be able to handle this

-As she searched however, she felt a pair of eyes watching her

-And they gave her the chills

-Yashiro: "W-who's there?!"

-No response

-She suddenly had vivid flashbacks to that time with Tsukasa

-She still hadn't gotten over that

-And before she knew it, she was getting a bit scared as she walked through the back alley

-She's got to pull herself together

-The longer she felt herself being watched though, the more scared she got

-She started running and she didn't know where she was now

-Yashiro: "Kou-kun! Minamoto-senpai!"

-Now, she was yelling for them

-As she turned the corner, she bumped into someone and fell down

-Yashiro: "Oof!"

-"Detective! Are you alright?"

-That voice. That nickname.

-She looked up

-Yashiro: "Hanak--"

-She immediately shushed when she realized Hanako wasn't alone and he wasn't even in his uniform

-Hanako was actually dressed up as Hana from before

-And nearby she saw Mitsuba

-Yashiro: "Mitsuba-kun!"

-Mitsuba: "Daikon-senpai!"

-Not so long after Yashiro found Mitsuba, Kou and Teru came running towards them

-Kou: "Senpai!"

-Yashiro: "Kou-kun! Minamoto-senpai!"

-Kou: "You weren't at the statue by the agreed time so we--"

-Kou then spotted Mitsuba

-Kou: "MITSUBA!"

-Kou proceeded to tackle and hug Mitsuba

-Mitsuba: "Minamoto-kun?!"

-Kou: "MITSUBA I WAS SO WORRIED!"

-Mitsuba: "Ah...I figured you would be. I tried to call you before but you weren't picking up so I left a voicemail."

-Kou: "Oh. I didn't check that. Oops."

-Mitsuba: "Stupid."

-Kou: "But wait, then why weren't you picking up my calls??"

-Mitsuba: "I had my phone turned off! I may have also left it behind. Did it not click for you that I am busy? I tried to let you know that!"

-Kou: "Mitsuba...I thought you went missing"

-Mitsuba: "What? Are you worried that my cuteness would get me kidnapped? I hope you don't plan on handcuffing me and you together again!"

-Kou: "That was a misunderstanding! I thought you were a criminal! And I didn't know how it worked at the time"

-Mitsuba: "I was being an undercover journalist! I can't believe you didn't even have the key to unlock them and we were stuck together for some time. AH YOU PERVERT!"

-Kou: "That again?!"

-Yashiro: "Ahem...you guys could squabble about that later?"

-Kou: "Oh sorry. I forgot you guys were there. Thank you Senpai for the help! You're the best! And of course Nii-chan too!....Oh Hana! You're also here! We meet again!"

-Hanako: "Ah yes! It's nice to see you again!...."

-Hanako was sweating under Teru's glare who was eyeing him suspiciously

-Hanako: "Well I got to leave so I'll get going now. Bye bye!"

-Hanako left the scene, everyone watching him go

-Mitsuba was recalling their conversation earlier:

[Earlier]

-Mitsuba: "You can drop the act now. We're alone. I know it's you, Hanako."

-Hanako: "Oh? Did you just figure it out?"

-Mitsuba: "No. I knew it was you the moment I inspected your face at Daikon-senpai's apartment. Minamoto-kun may be an idiot but you can't fool me. Don't underestimate me."

-Hanako: "Heh~ but you didn't say anything."

-Mitsuba: "I didn't say anything because I figured Daikon-senpai didn't want to reveal you. I do care for her, for your information. And Minamoto-kun...I don't know if I want him to know"

-Hanako: "So why did you drag me out here then? If not to arrest me?"

-Mitsuba: "I wanted to ask you something personal. I noticed it before but I didn't mention it."

-Hanako: "And what's that?"

-Mitsuba: "Why are there bandages underneath your clothes? In my photos of you, I could spot a glint of them now and then when the wind is strong enough to reveal more of your skin."

-Hanako: "Oh? Are you concerned for my well-being, gentleman?"

Mitsuba: "No. I do not care for you at all. If anything, I do not even want to associate with you. The only reason I'm even bothering is because Minamoto-kun is worried about you and Daikon-senpai seems to be protecting you for some reason."

Hanako: "In that case, I assure you I'm perfectly fine. No bandages here."

Mitsuba: "...Let me rephrase that. Why WERE there bandages underneath your clothes back then? Even if you say that, the times you had bandages were infrequent and unusual. There were times you did have them and times you didn't. They don't seem ordinary to me and I don't think you got hurt that badly during your heists. Those bandages seemed almost as if to say you got hurt...on purpose."

-An eerie silence followed

-Hanako: "Do you really want to know that badly?"

-Mitsuba felt some odd terror

-That's when Yashiro bumped into Hanako

-So, Mitsuba didn't quite get his answer but there was definitely something going on

-As he pondered while they walked out the alleyway, he felt like he was being watched

-He turned in the direction he felt them

-But then it was gone

-Was it his imagination?

---

-Hanako was back at his hideout where a bunch of Mokke were playing around

-He was in the middle of thinking

-While he noted that Mitsuba was quite a sharp and observant boy, there was also something else on his mind

-Yashiro was looking for Kou and Teru before she bumped into him

-And she seemed very close to Kou

-Hanako was wondering when Yashiro started calling Kou "Kou-kun" instead of "Minamoto-kun"

-It didn't bother him before but now suddenly, it did

-He thought of when Kou was being all cheery with Yashiro

-A sharp pain went through his chest

-Mokke: Something smells

-The Mokke started inching away from Hanako

-His heart was aching and he didn't get why

[msjr0119]

Birthday One Shot

A/N1: So it’s my girls birthday today. My favourite drunk partner. Hope you have had a fabulous day @drakexwillow !!! I can’t wait to have an alcoholic drink with you and fall asleep again 😆

A/N2: Some of the dialogue used was actually texts between us. I’ve rushed this as I’ve been busy passing out all weekend - bypass any stupid grammar mistakes 🤣

A/N3: Thank you to your other half, ‘Beany’ for helping me out with some things- I hope he didn’t spoil it for you ��️👍🏼

Book: The Royal Romance (A/U)

Pairing: Drake Walker (Michiel Huisman) x Willow Downing (Jessica Lowndes)

Song inspirations:

Gun Machine Kelly- Drunk Face

Gun Machine Kelly- Hangover Cure

Mood- 24kGoldn and Ian Dior

Warnings: Adult language, mention of sex, mention of being drunk.

Tags: Thinking of those who like Drake x MC especially Willow- don’t feel obliged to read if you don’t want to 😊

@drakexwillow @burnsoslow @axwalker @annekebbphotography @kingliam2019 @kimmiedoo5 @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @bascmve01 @yukinagato2012 @lodberg @cordonianroyalty @texaskitten30 @nomadics-stuff

****

Drake Walker had been dating Willow Downing for many years now. Every birthday that came around he always struggled with new ideas about what to do for the love of his life. At times he was tempted to ask for advise from his closest friends Maxwell and Sophie- however, if he did that he knew that it would just end in a disaster. A big drunken mess. He would usually impersonate a babysitter for the three of them, especially Willow. Thinking back to past birthdays, she wasn’t a bad drunk. Or was she? There had been times when she would get the ‘munchies’- gather food everywhere then not clean up after herself. Rice. That was the worse time for this common food reoccurrence. If it wasn’t the issue of food, there was the spilt drinks residue surrounding the place instead. Which Drake had to clean up. One of the worse ‘Willow moments’ since they had began dating had been when she vomited in their bed- and all down herself, Drake had turned into a domesticated goddess for the night. Stripping the bed, before assisting her in the shower. Oh, then there was the time when Maxwell and Willow had gotten matching tattoos of a peacock with the words ‘House Beaumont Rules’ sprawled underneath it. That night was karma in Drake’s eyes. Regardless of her drunk past antics, he loved her with all of his heart and wouldn’t change it for anything. She was the one.

****

🎶Why you always in a mood?

Fuckin' 'round, actin' brand new

I ain't tryna tell you what to do

But try to play it cool

Baby, I ain't playing by your rules

Everything look better with a view🎶

“I’m not in a mood!” Drake defended himself- as his other half entered the kitchen singing. Yes, he was known to be the moody one. The one that always wore a scowl. But for once he wasn’t ‘in a mood’. Not for now anyway.

“Sometimes you are. But no, it’s a song. You really need to get down with the kids Drake and watch TikTok.” Snuggling behind him, it was the best option as she knew exactly what his expression would be like. Hearing a heavy sigh escape from him- soon she felt him relax, both feeling content.

Fucking TikTok. He muttered to himself. The social media app had become his worse nightmare recently. When they laid in bed on a night, she would promise him that she was only watching it for five minutes. That five minutes soon turned into an hour, which then elaborated into sometimes three or four hours. By that time he had fallen asleep. No intimacy. It’s a phase- she will soon get bored. Again, he wouldn’t change his relationship with her.

****

Later on that night after they had eaten, Drake had put one of Willow’s favourite TV series on. Usually she would be ‘glued’ to it- no matter how many times she had seen this specific episode.

“I thought that you’d want to watch The Office? But instead you’re just listening to that garbage. Can’t we just have one night with no TikTok or listening to him?” After his original snappy attitude, that turned eventually into a plead- Drake attempted to make eye contact with her. Knowing full well that she wasn’t fully listening to him.

“But, he’s amazing. Gorgeous. Sexy.....” Swooning deep down inside as she expressed this, Willow eventually locked eyes with a now pissed off boyfriend. Before TikTok became a ‘thing’, she was in a similar situation whenever a new game for the PlayStation was released. Karma at its best.

“Obviously not as sexy as you though Mr Walker.” Attempting to redeem her previous words, Drake responded with only an eye roll. Maybe she was slightly addicted to Machine Gun Kelly and TikTok. In all honesty, lockdown was to blame for this ‘addiction’. Being stuck in the house. With nothing to do. Well, there was other things to do. Most time spent to begin with was the two of them entangled in each other.

“I’m sorry, Drake. Allow me to listen to one song, then we will watch this- no phones. Just Drillow time.” A smile finally crept upon his face. Finally she was cooperating with him in his mind.

“Sounds like a good deal. Which song are you going to choose?” He asked, not that he was bothered or interested. Just eager to spend time without any distractions.

“I like too many songs- I’ll try and pick a favourite...’Drunk face’. It’s off his new album. ‘Hangover cure’ is also a good one by him.” I bet it is.

“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t listened to it.” Faking a sincere yet interested tone of voice, Willow was still debating which song to hum and listen along too. Just hurry up and chose one.

“I can’t believe he’s with Megan Fox and he keeps using her in his music videos it’s so cute.” Getting easily distracted again, Drake bit his lip as she did this in a silent frustration.

“I thought that Megan Fox was still with Brian Austin what’s his face?” Surprisingly, he wasn’t aware of their unexpected split when it was breaking news in the show business world.

“No they split up the start of the year I think it was....I didn’t think they’d look that cute together and pictures of them together he towers over her and it makes them look adorable.” Like us, Drake compared the celebrity couple to themselves as he always towered over a ‘shorter’ Willow.

🎶Wake up, still drunk from last night

The first dates are always uncomfortable

Stayed up, I couldn't sleep last night

I'll admit, I'm a little dysfunctional

Are you okay with the fact I'm a little off track, to be honest

I've been through relationships, I've never been in love, but I want this 🎶

“Anyway, let’s finish watching this before my birthday tomorrow.” Finally placing her phone out of reach, Drake couldn’t quite believe that she had detached herself from it. Almost hallucinating due to the fact.

****

The two of them didn’t quite finish watching the episode. One thing led to another. Clothes were scattered all over the floor, before Drake had carried Willow bridal style to their bedroom. The rest of the night was bliss, an early gift for the birthday girl. Walker style.

Knowing that it was now officially her birthday, she snuggled into the soft warm sheets with a content feeling. Subconsciously she had dreamt about how Drake would make her day special. As he always did. Rolling over, there was no sign of him. Blinking her eyes she believed that she could possibly still be half asleep- that was until the realisation of the sun peeping through the cracks of the blinds. Forcing herself out of bed, she searched the house for Drake with no avail. Wondering what he was upto, she put those thoughts to the side for now and got ready for the day. Her day. A day that she had planned to be filled with fun and laughter with the people closest to her. He will be back before I’m finished.

An hour later, the wanderer still hadn’t returned. Willow had become slight panic stricken before the banging on the door distracted her pondering any further.

“Happy birthday!” The two friends shouted enthusiastically before pulling her in for a group hug. A hug that could have potentially suffocated her. “Where’s Drake?”

“I... I don’t know. It’s not like him to leave without saying goodbye at least, Soph.”

“Well it’s eleven o’clock. Never too early for a birthday cocktail. It’s the evening somewhere in the world. Maxwell sort the birthday girl out with a drink.”

“Yes ma’am. Come on, Lo.” Sophie watched the two of them disappear out of sight before dialling the number on her phone.

“Drake. Where are you?”

“I’m just getting Lo a present, I’ll be back soon Soph. I promise.”

“A present? How long have you been together? You should be more prepared Drake! You know it’s her birthday. This is not the time to go awol, Walker. Or at least explain to her where you are going!”

“Sophie, just please.... just distract her with some shit off of TikTok. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

An hour or so later after Sophie’s and Drake’s brief conversation- there was a quiet knock at the door, which made them all question who it could be. They had arranged to have a quiet time together as a foursome. Threesome at the moment. As far as they was concerned in the morning; the three of them didn’t want to wake up still drunk from last night. They were still young, wasting their youth. Promising to grow up next summer. They didn’t want Drake to always be in a mood.

“You girls carry on drinking, I’ll get the door.” Maxwell suggested as he leapt off of the bar stool.

“May I help you?” Maxwell questioned as he peered through the peep hole with one eye shut and the other attempting to examine the mystery person. In all honesty, it didn’t help that he was already slightly tipsy. He would be useless as an eye witness.

“It’s me you idiot! Are you going to open MY door?”

“You sound like Drake, but you don’t look like him. How do I not know that you’re here to rob us by impersonating my bestie?”

“One. Do you think that I’d dress like this if I was going to rob you? Two... you are not my bestie Beaumont!”

“Wow! You’re really good at this whole Drake Walker act.”

“Just fucking let me in Maxwell, before I throttle you!”

“How much is Drake paying you? He would actually say something like that to me... okay, I’ll ask you a couple of questions. If you get them right you can come in Drake.” Empathising the name, Maxwell still wasn’t convinced that it really was Drake. His drunk mind wondered why he wouldn’t just use his key and allow himself in.

“What’s my middle name?”

“Percival.”

“Lucky guess. What’s my peacocks name back home?”

“Petunia. Now get the chain off and let me in!” Oh that’s why he couldn’t get in. I forgot that I put the chain on when me and Sophie first arrived. Doh! Safety first!

“Drake it is you!” No shit Sherlock. “You look a complete knobhead by the way. Welcome to Chateau A La Walker.”

“Leave the French talking to someone who can actually express the language, Max.”

“Colson?” Drake sighed looking at Willow. Knowing how ridiculous this whole situation was. “Drake?”

“Tonight Matthew I’m going to be Colson Baker- Machine Gun Kelly. I’ve even got some nail varnish so you can do what Megan does to him in that music video. I’ve got red, pink, purple, black........”

“Drake... I like him and his music. But I love you. I love you for you... why are you doing this?”

“Do you love me more than him and TikTok?” Now that is a predicament to be in. Hmmm...

“Of course I do, you idiot.”

“Thank fuck for that! This wig was itching me too much.” Relieved to finally take it off, he flung it onto the floor- not caring how much it had cost him to recreate somebody else’s look.

“You don’t suit blonde hair anyway. These tattoos are so realistic.” Willow smiled softly towards him.

“Erm....”

“Erm?”

“Well... the reason... that... they look so realistic.....”

“Oh my god you didn’t!”

“Well these ones are just stick on ones. I did have one done this morning- hence why I’m late. I’m sorry.”

“I NEED TO SEE THIS!”

“You will later..... I promise.”

“He’s probably had it done on his arsehole or something? Can’t be as bad as Maxwell’s ‘Turn Back Now’ Pennywise balloon tattoo above his ass.” Sophie suggested and explained with an oblivious Maxwell not understanding why suddenly he was the clown of the group. Drake couldn’t help but blush thinking about his surprise tattoo, in his mind it was ridiculous- he had regretted it as soon as it had began.

“Drake? Are you going to show me? It is my birthday after all...” Fluttering her eyelashes, he was done for. Simple gestures such as these turned him into a big ball of mush.

“Follow me to the bathroom. I’ll show you....” Stripping off out of the ‘rapper’ clothes that he had borrowed to complete his MGK look- he wrapped a towel around him in a flash. Not wanting to spoil the surprise immediately.

“So... don’t laugh, Lo. On the count of three- okay?” She couldn’t contain her excitment, being too eager and intrigued about the tattoo- she quickly whipped the towel away.

“Oh my god. You had a tattoo in honour of me.... Don’t you ever, criticise me for getting a tattoo. The peacock one- I was drunk. You had no excuse to get this. I might actually cry- with laughter. I love you, Drake Walker. Best birthday present EVER! I’ll get us both a drink. Come back into the kitchen when you’re ready.”

Not so little Walker- property of Willow ⬇️

Those words would now be permanently written across his pubic bone. Yes, it would be humiliating if anybody other than Willow found out the true extent of this tattoo. But what would be more embarrassing was if she was to reject his second surprise of the day now her name was on him for life.

[go--ask--alice]

Ephemeris

Four

14 Days.

336 Hours.

20,160 Minutes.

That is how long it's been since I've spoken to my Joker. I don't know what happened.. I still don't know what the fuck is going on. We were suppose to temporarily move into this god forsaken townhouse together yet here I sit alone. It has taken me that long just to gather my thoughts enough to even write them down.

That morning two weeks ago started so normal. I woke up to find myself alone in bed which honestly isn't that abnormal in itself, J sometimes doesn't sleep and gets his best work done in the middle of the night. I did my usual morning routine hoping he would make an appearance as I stood in the shower under the scalding hot water. He loves to surprise me and join in for some early morning shower sex after a long night of insomnia. I had it set in my mind to give him a bit of a show since he hadn't appeared yet. I put on a modest yet cheeky outfit and set off to his office hoping to interrupt a phone call and tease him as he tried not to acknowledge me. It's a game I love to play with him and gets the most amazing reactions from him. But as I reached the wing his office resided in there was nothing. No Frost at the door, no yelling at incompetent goons over the phone, not even the soft sound of classical music that sometimes floats through the halls when he's deep in his plans.

All of a sudden this massive mansion felt empty, I knew in my gut that he wasn't here. There had been a handful of red flags recently that something bad was brewing but honestly I just expected him to ask me to cut him again. It's something we started doing last year to release some of his darker demons and as far as I knew it had been working. I try to let him come to me with the request rather than pushing. His madness is part of what I love about him and such a key ingredient in what makes him The Joker and I never want to change that.

After I took a few moments to collect myself I called J, maybe there was a perfectly normal reason for his absence? Maybe I had forgotten about a meeting and he left without me? We are rarely apart, even for a few hours, but it does happen.

9:32am no answer

9:39am no answer

9:56am no answer, not even voicemail

This wasn't like J. He may be a psychotic crime boss but he is still always available for me. Worse case scenario my missed called are answered by a text from Frost letting me know what's going on and oh boy was he next on my call list!

......Five missed calls later and I still didn't have any answers. I was ready to burn this place to the ground if someone didn't give me some information.

Finally at around 11am I got a text from Frost.

[Ms Alice, please be ready to leave for the townhouse at 2:30 this afternoon. Boss will explain later.]

My blood boiled as I read the text. It was so generic, so cold. I knew he was only following orders but I felt so betrayed by Johnny. He has become my one confidant in this crazy world I now reside in. He is the only other person who knows what it's like to be in the presence of The Joker's madness and not be a target of it.

I had no choice but to follow along and continue with the plan. My bags were already packed and in the trunk of my new and still barely driven Lambo Aventador. Apparently I would be driving myself seeing as both J and Frost were MIA.

I didn't even want to leave at this point. I felt like a child who has lost their parent in the department store. "If I just stay put they'll have to come back and find me right??" I didn't want to leave just incase J showed back up and I could get an explanation straight from him.

I spent the remaining time going over every red flag I've seen since before our wedding, anything to clue me in to what might be going on. It had almost seemed like J was apprehensive to come back from England, we both knew he needed to return and take care of business in Gotham but England had become a kind of safe house where all the everyday problems could be put on hold and his stress levels really did begin to mellow out in the last few weeks of our stay. From the moment we hit the tarmac here at home there was a noticable shift, the tension in his jaw was back and the twitch under his eye reappeared more quickly than I had anticipated.

I have learned that he lives his life as a series of distractions. Some good some bad but all carefully crafted to distract from the demons in his mind. He immediately began planning our wedding, looking into new properties to acquire, and most amusingly he began building and collecting model cars. If I ever need a good laugh I just like to stop and picture Johnny Frost, lethal weapon, standing in line at the hobby store with a basket full of paints and parts to replace the ones J had broken the night before!

I also thought back to his increased drug use. The coke has always been more of a last resort than recreational to help calm him but recently I know he's started using alot more often. It's a big part of the reason he hasn't been sleeping. I honestly attributed his more erratic behavior to the drugs and insomnia but maybe they were just side effects of a bigger problem? No matter what is going on he is always kind and gentle to me, a courtesy he does not extend to any other living soul. I have seen a level of violence I never thought possible in his presence, it's something I have started to become almost jaded by, but I will never doubt the evil that resides inside that beautiful damaged man. He has also recently taken to personally dealing with some of the lower level thugs in his employ, a task that has always been delegated to Frost or one of the other higher ranking bodyguards. I assume mainly so he has a constant supply of fresh meat for his experiments or even just target practice. I tend to not ask a lot of questions when it comes to the more violent aspects of his empire. If he does not explicitly involve me then I simply do not ask questions.

When the time was right I went down to the garage doors, my last bag in hand and expected to see my car in it's customary spot next to the Benz but it wasn't there. At this point I wasn't sure I could take much more of this bullshit and just began to cry. All the worry and frustration from the day just hit me like a ton of bricks and I didn't want to think anymore. I wanted my husband, I wanted to be clued into whatever the fuck was happening, and goddamn it if I had to leave I just wanted to get in my own car and drive away. After a few moments I wiped my eyes and grabbed my things before heading out the side door towards the front of the building. As I turned the corner a laugh bubbled up from me that sounded foreign and cold. There she was, my beautiful Ghost, J had teased me for naming my car but it's something I have done with every other junk car I ever drove so something as exceptional as this car deserved it too! She was running, her engine humming a low purr and the driver side door was open. This was starting to get even stranger.. I felt like I was in a movie and people were watching from behind the camera lens. That's when I spotted the blacked sedan, it's engine was also running and as I approached Ghost they flashed the high beams at me. It didn't feel like a trap or anything nefarious so I climbed in and slammed the door. My frustrating hitting record levels. On the screen the GPS was already programed for the townhouse. Just as I was about to put her into drive a text popped up on my screen, it was Frost.

[At the rear, head to the destination. -F]

My anger bubbled to the surface and in one swift move I rolled the window down and raised my middle finger as I hit the gas. My sharp black nails and wedding rings glittered in the winter sun, my rear wheels kicking up gravel as I pulled out onto the public road, the blacked out car following closely behind. I knew it was Frost behind the wheel but I had a terrible feeling in my stomach that J was in the backseat. Why was he doing this to me? All morning I had been trying to think of what may be wrong with him, now my thoughts turned to myself. Had I done something to cause this? Did I make a mistake or cross some line I wasn't aware of? From the moment we met it seemed I could do no wrong in J's eyes. Had he finally gotten tired of me? Did he think getting married was a mistake? Was this his way of getting rid of me? All these questions continued to race through my head the entire drive.

The townhouse is approximately 30 minutes outside of downtown Gotham, close enough to still feel metropolitan but far enough out to give the illusion of privacy. J had showed me the floor plan weeks ago as we planned for our extended stay. The building is a four story brownstone with an enclosed garden accessible only from our unit's kitchen. There are three other units on the block, all of which are owned by J, most are empty except for the far end that was occupied but I have no idea who actually lives there or if it's just a front for something else.

As I turned onto the block I hesitated, realizing I had no idea where to park. I never planned on driving here alone so the thought never crossed my mind. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Frost's black sedan take the corner alittle too fast and barrel past me. The back passenger window was rolled down a few inches just furthering my suspicion that J is in there too. I said fuck it and park right infront of the unit and storm out of the car. I stalked up the brick stairs and planted my heels at the front door. I had no key so someone needed to get out the fucking car and talk to me.

[Stay there, I have the keys. -F]

My phone buzzes with another useless text message. I stifle a sigh of annoyance as I see the door open and a visibly uncomfortable Frost make his way towards me. I've never seen him look so unsure of himself? My nerves flaired up again and he hands me a set of keys and a sealed envelope. My name is written in J's messy script and my heart thunders in my chest. I implored Frost for any information he can give and all I got was a nervous chuckle and a sidewards glance towards his car which was still idling halfway down the block. Before turning away he tapped the envelope clutched in my hands. "This is bullshit Ms Alice. Give it time." I didn't even have a chance to ask before he turned and quickly returned to the car. No use waiting for him to pull away, I unlocked the large wooden door and shuffled inside. As soon and the door clicked shut behind me I sunk to my knees and began to cry. All the tears I'd been saving up since this morning came pouring out, I let my emotions flow for several minutes until I saw J's letter discarded on the floor infront me. I took a moment to trace my name written in my loves scratchy script, almost as bad a doctor's, before tearing it open. Inside I found a short note. It was written in deep purple ink so I know it came from the stationary in his office at home.

"Darling, I need to be away for a while to deal with {multiple words scratched out} some sticky fingers at The Smile and Grin. {scribbles} I gave Frost the week off and now I need to handle some of the staff myself because someone’s dipping into my bourbon stash and I need to figure out who."

The whole thing was sloppy and disjointed, it looked rushed and made literally no sense at all. This was all so ridiculous.. The Joker is not a coward yet he couldn't come to me, his wife, and explain what ever the fuck was going on. I crumpled the letter and threw it across the room.

So here I am. It has been two weeks and still nothing. Thank God we had already hired a small staff for this place or I would be screwed.

This is all fucking worthless. When that clown finally shows his face back up here I'll give him a reason for that goddamn metal grill he's got.

-Alice

[heroparade]

can we get a female s/o that is gushing over Ground Zero after he saves her and afterwards Bakugou (not in costume) sees her on the street and decides to say hi and maybe give an autograph or something (cause he needs a higher reputation as a pro lolll) but before he could reveal he was the hero she had the hots for, she starts blurting out her experience with Ground Zero and all her swooning. (wow I'm sorry that was the longest ask I've ever given lollllllllll)

It may be long, but it’s really cute oml! I had a lot of fun writing this, thanks for the request!

~

Bakugou

His face pulled to an unsatisfied scowl, eyes squinting at his double take of the clock. He shook his head, not willing to believe what he was seeing. The clock mocked him, reading three am; sure, he had gotten used to staying up this late for hero work, but it had gotten excessive as of late. He was, to put it lightly, exhausted. It had been weeks since he had gotten at least somewhat of a break, in which he usually wouldn’t have minded. Aiming to be the number one hero shouldn’t be taken lightly, but damn.

He left his complaints for later, peering away from the clock to continue down the empty streets. The only other presence had been the loud clubs that played their music so loudly, it could be heard miles away. He had seen a couple of drunks waltz out of them, in which he took the ‘oh so gracious’ action to make sure they got home safely.  

At least he was able to keep his guard down for a few moments. With the sun down, villains took the chance to attack at such a time, but villains were people too and also needed sleep. From time to time, he would catch some phony trying to rob a nearby bank or steal a valuable from some store; otherwise, he noticed that villains took it upon themselves to attack during the day.

The mighty wind blew past his ear. He found the night to be peaceful, even if it had been three in the morning.

“Help!”

The hero’s breath hitched and in an instant, his legs paced at a running speed. His hair bounced with the wind as his speed quickened. From what he could tell, the voice was close. His head snapped every time he came across the alleyways connected to the streets.

Gasps and noises of struggle could be heard: he needed to go faster. By the victim’s screams, he could tell they were female. Probably young, hopefully, able to struggle for a while longer as he searched for the damned villain.

At last, Bakugou had founded the alleyway where the scream originated from. The villain had a large build, easily overtopping the woman.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Taking a sharp left, Bakugou rushed towards the two. The grip he held on the girl was suffocating her. He held her neck tightly, pushing her up against the cold brick wall, in the midst of threatening her with his sharp blade.

The villain scoffed, quickly backing away to dodge the hero’s wrath. As he let go of the girl, Bakugou made sure to keep an eye on both her and the assailant. He didn’t want any surprises, especially so early in the morning.

“I’ll give you five seconds to get out of my sight, or else we’re going to have a problem,” Bakugou nearly snarled, his eyes narrowed into crimson slits that nearly glowed in the moonlit alley.

“Think again hero,” the man scoffed, leveling his blade at Bakugou. “I won’t go down without a fight.”

As the villain charged for him, he quickly took note of the girl. She seemed paralyzed as she didn’t move, instead stood in shock.

“Oi, get back!” He yelled, allowing her to escape her daze. Her hand clutched her chest as she ran out of the alleyway. He turned his attention back to his opponent, moving to scarcely doge his strike.

“That’s all?” Re-adjusting his stance, the hero directed his hand toward the enemy. “You’re too weak.”

She breathed heavily from her initial panic.

“No way,” she breathed, pressing her back against the wall just before the alleyway. “That was-” Her legs went weak, she slowly slid down to a sitting position. “Ground Zero!” She bit her lip to hold back her squeal of excitement.

The ringing of sudden explosions distracted her. With the sudden burst of energy she was given, she bounced back up, sneaking a peek back into the alleyway that begun to emit smoke. Waving away the grey clouds, she squinted trying to make the view more clear.

“You hurt at all?” Trudging his way out of the alleyway, Bakugou dragged the heavier man behind him. He came to a stop before he raised a brow at the girl.

She instantly patted down her body, dismissively shaking her head.

“Good, now get home, you shouldn’t be out at this time.”

Her body had frozen over once again. His back turned to her as he made his way to drop the villain at the nearest station. Her favorite pro hero began to leave her view. Shaking, her arm outstretched, she wasn’t even able to get his autograph. With a sigh, she dropped her arm. She shouldn’t disrupt the hero, he had a job to do after all.

~

As if his prayers had finally been heard, the rest of the day he was given off. He had stayed up till six that morning, not his decision whatsoever. Physically unable to leave his bed, Sero offered to take his shift for the day. Without much of a fight(for once), Katsuki had given in.

His face scrunched up as the clock hit eight pm. He groaned lifting himself up from his comfortable position. He had gotten enough rest at that point, like hell he was going to stay in bed all day. Flipping the sheets off of himself, he made his way to his closet. Flipping through his clothing, he immediately laid eyes on his hero costume. He had wasted the day sleeping. He had the chance to spend the rest of his night making up for the lost time.

On the other hand.

He took out a regular black t-shirt. He put two and two together, he knew that Sero had probably told Yaoyorozu about his little situation, and Bakugou really didn’t have the urge to hear her scold him for half an hour.

The night was still young, he’d be able to get home in no time, all he needed was a little active walking to help him enjoy himself. The streets were always crowded around this time, bustling with all different kinds of civilians, heroes, and… villains.

Villains that need to be stopped, what the hell was he doing? No. He could put a stop to those creeps any other day of the week anyway.

He sighed, stopping in his place to look to his right. There behind glass windows, a bright, flashy display of hero merchandise was laid out. It was truly, blinding, to say the least. He scoffed turning forward once more.

Peering inside the second window over was… her. The girl from that morning. He hadn’t got the best look at her then, but he couldn’t forget her (h/c) hair or the same stunned (e/c) eyes he had caught earlier. She was obviously a big hero fan. Not only did she seem to take quite the interest in the shop, but she also wore a Ground Zero hoodie.

It was pretty amusing to see his fans wearing merchandise that paid tribute to his hero work. 

He had remembered how little he had spoken to her after saving her, a side effect of his dire need for sleep no doubt. Seeing what she was wearing he supposed he should probably go up to her. Hell, who wouldn’t die at the chance to see their favorite hero go up to them in public.

“Hey, you like Ground Zero?” He sneered, trying to be as ‘friendly’ as possible.

The girl’s sight averted over to him, before smiling tremendously.

“Yes!” She eagerly answered. “Are you a fan too?”

He almost choked on his spit, surprised as her comment. Did she not-

“I got saved by him this morning and it was the coolest thing you could ever imagine!” She made her way to stand in front of him. “I’ve been following him ever since he started! He’s really just the coolest hero isn’t he?”

“You could say that.” This surely wouldn’t calm his ego.

“Seeing him in action too,” she paused bringing her hands to clutch the ends of her jacket. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget that moment. The way he made sure I was safe and away from his fight. How his top priority was making sure that scum was to be arrested!” She stomped in place, a small blush forming on her cheeks. “I just wish I would’ve been able to get his autograph, I really hope I’ll be able to meet him just once more in the future.”

“Do you have a pen?”

The girl tilted her head, relaxing her hands at her side.

“Uhm, no I don’t-”

“Well then, we better find one. I would have given you one earlier, you should’ve asked for one.” He guided his hand on her back, fixated on getting a pen.

“Wait… No way,” she snapped her head to him. “Y-You’re-”

“Ground Zero, yeah. It’s nice to properly meet you.”

The girl’s face was pulsating red, she looked down at the concrete as Bakugou guided her with his hand.

“Do you mind going to that coffee shop? I’m sure we can find a pen there, and while we’re at it I can get you a drink if you’d like.”

“Ah-hh, y-yes, th-that would b-be great.”

[bugheadfangirl]

Christmas Surprises

(Secret Santa gift for @sweetbettycooper Merry (late) Christmas! Hope you enjoy!)

Betty's POV

Thoughts swim inside Betty's head as an impatient nervousness courses through her body. Just one more minute, one more minute of the agony of the unknown. Sixty seconds; thirdty seconds; ten seconds; one second. She takes another second to compose herself and ready for whatever the results may be. With all the strength she has, she glances down at the plastic pregnancy test she had bought the night before when Jughead was asleep. There was only one explanation for the queasiness and exhaustion she'd been experiencing for the past few weeks. Jughead, of course, thought the change in season and temperature had given her a cold; but Betty has a different theory.

The pink little plus sign on the screen confirms her suspicion, she's pregnant. Betty gasps at the sight and drops the plastic test onto the floor with a thud. Her stomach turns and causes her to crouch onto the floor and empty her breakfast into the toilet. After a few heaves, there's a knock on the door. "Betts, are you okay? Can I come in?" Jughead's voice comes through the door.

"No!" Betty quickly responds without a thought. She knows she has to tell him eventually, but the worry about what his reaction would be stops her. They had just moved in together a month or so before. Plus they both have to return to college after their winter break ends. In the mist of all these thoughts, a new one arrives; what if it was a false positive. There's only one true way if knowing. She shoves the test in her pajama pocket and flushes the toilet. She pushes herself carefully off the floor and opens the door to see Jughead's worried expression.

"Is everything okay?" He asks wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her to him. "You've been throwing up a lot. Maybe you should see a doctor." He places a gentle kiss on her cheek making her cheeks turn a rosy pink.

"I'm fine, Jug. I'll go and get it checked out. I'll be okay. I promise." Betty gives a small but worried smile. "I'll be right back. I love you." She slips out of his arms and rushes to their bedroom.

After shutting the door behind her, she slides out if her pajamas and puts on an outfit before dialing the doctors. After two rings, one if the office workers picks up. "Hello, thank you for calling. How may I help you?" A friendly voice answers.

Betty takes a deep breath before responding. "I would like to schedule the earliest possible appointment with Kelsie." She bit her lip and catches a glimpse of herself in the wall mirror. Her hair is a mess, dark circles are underneath her extravagant green eyes. She looks like a mess, much less a step away from being a mess herself, and just a few weeks before Christmas.

"Of course. May I ask what brings you in?" The lady response and a shiver of anxiety runs through her. Betty peaks through the door to make sure Jughead wasn't listening through the door. Luckily he's laying on the couch on his computer writing his novel. She closes the door and continues.

"Well, I've been feeling queasy for a few weeks and have been vomiting. I just took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. I want to make sure the results were correct." Saying it out loud and hearing the words coming out if her gives her a surreal feeling. Jughead and her had made a plan; they were going to wait until marriage to try for a baby, wait until after graduating college. She'd been taking birth control pills, had she missed a day?

She sprints to the bathroom to check as the lady replies. "Sometimes drugstore tests can give a false positive. She's free this afternoon at twelve if you'd like to see her today. The next availability after then is next week Wednesday."

Betty finds her birth control pills and sure enough she missed a day. "Shit." She mutters under her breath. She regains her posture and collects herself. "Yes, this afternoon works fine. I'll see you guys then." She hangs up the phone lays her head in her hands. This is all her fault, and she can't imagine what Jughead's reaction will be.

After spending a minute in the position, she takes a deep breath an returns to the bedroom and collapses on their bed. Sleep over takes her and she drifts off into a dream.

~

A few hours pass by when Betty slowly opens her eyes. She shifts her body to see Jughead next to her arms wrapped around her waist. He smiles seeing she's awake and brings her to his chest. "Good afternoon, Betts. Did you sleep well?" He whispers in her ear.

At the mention of afternoon, Betty's heart begins to race and adrenaline courses through her. "Jug, what time is it?"

"It just turned twelve. Why?" His blue eyes gaze into hers. Panic starts to rile up inside Betty. She's already late and she hasn't even left the house.

"My appointment. I should be there by now. I have to go, but I'll be back soon. Take care." She kisses his cheek before getting out of bed and slipping on since shoes. Her quicken her pace as she gets into her car and makes her way toward the doctors.

She arrives a few minutes later and waits in a creme white painted waiting room trying to focus on anything but the high possibility that she is indeed pregnant.

A couple sits down next to her with a young baby in their arms. She glances at them from the corner out of her eye to see the baby's tiny tiny hand wrapped around, what Betty assumes to be, the mother's pointer finger. A smile grows on her face. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if this is what her future holds.

"Betty Cooper." A lady's voice calls breaking her out of her daydream and the anxiety returns to her. It might not be bad for her, but what about Jughead?

Betty slowly gets out of her chair and walks to the nurse standing outside of the door. "Please follow me to room three." The nurse instructs.

It doesn't take long for them to arrive to the room. She plops down on the patients chair. "Hello, I'm nurse Kelly. So what brings you in here today?" The nurse places her glasses on and begins typing on the computer.

"I missed a birth control pill and I think I may be pregnant. I took a home pregnancy test and it came back positive." Betty's voice wobbles a little. She tries focusing on the pictures of African animals but they do little to ease her nerves.

"I see. When was your last period?" Nurse Kelly questions looking up at Betty from her computer.

Betty tries to recall the last time, she didn't have one anytime recent. Then it dawns on her, she completely missed her period this last month and it hasn't shown signs of coming this month either. "Two months ago. I missed my period last month and my period hasn't shown signs of coming this month."

Nurse Kelly returns to typing on her computer. "Have you had any nausea? Any vomiting or unusual exhaustion?"

Betty nods, her heart pounding so hard she can hear it. "All of it. That's actually what prompted me to take the test in the first place. I know people have false positive tests all the time, I didn't want to tell my boyfriend if it turns out that's what it is."

Nurse Kelly types a few more things into the computer before getting up. "Okay, I'll go tell Dr. Kelsie that you are here." She gives a small understanding smile before walking out the door.

The silence in the room is unbearable. Betty's mind races through every single possible outcome that may happen. It may be a false pregnancy and she'll be paranoid every single time her periods even the slightest bit late, or she could be pregnant. She can't help but imagine the disappointed look on Jughead's face. His whole future would be ruined, she'd have to quit college to take care of their baby. Or what if he wants nothing to do with her and their baby? They've been through everything together, her murderous father and his voyage into the Serpents. What if Penny comes after their baby. Tears swell in Betty's eyes as she imagines the worst.

Just as she's about to burst into tears, Dr. Kelsie walks in holding a clipboard. "Hello, Betty. I see that you missed a birth control pill and got a positive for a pregnancy test, correct?" All Betty can do is nod her head. "Okay, here's what we can do. We can do, you can pee in this cup and we'll run it for a hormone produced during pregnancy. This one is a much more reliable than the home pregnancy tests." She holds out a small bottle out in front of her.

Slowly, Betty slides off the chair and takes the bottle from her hands. She exists the door and walks to the bathroom feeling awkward, like all eyes are on her when in reality nobody seems to pay any attention to her.

After her trip to the bathroom collecting the required urine sample, she walks back into the room and hands it back to the doctor.

"Perfect! I'll go and test it. I'll be right back with the results." Dr. Kelsie smiles and leaves the room. As Betty patiently awaits the results, she glances at her phone to see a missed call from Veronica. Sighing, she returns the call. Veronica picks up on the second ring.

"B! I have an emergency!" She shrieks into the phone taking Betty off guard.

"V, what happened? Is everybody okay? Anybody hurt? Hold on, let me text Jug." Betty starts to freak out opening her messages to her and Jughead's.

"No, not that kind of emergency. Christmas is next week and I still haven't gotten anything for Archie. I have no idea what to get him. I peaked at what his present for me is, and Betty, it's gorgeous! I need to get him something equally as special!" She cries into the phone.

Betty sighs in relief. "Just get him a new guitar. Whatever you get him he'll love. Now I have to go." She's about to end the call when Veronica stops her.

"Betty, this needs to be more special than some silly guitar this has to be huge. What's going on? You sound so serious. Is everything okay with you?" Veronica's worried tone brings her to tears.

"Veronica, I'm at the doctors right now awaiting some news. I'm so scared." She sobs into the phone. "It's only been a few minutes, but the not knowing is killing me."

Now it's Veronica who has the serious tone. "Oh shit. What's going on? Are you okay? Hold on I'll be right there."

"No! I'm fine, it's just. I think I'm pregnant. I took a pregnancy test at home and it was positive, so now I'm here. V, what if its positive? What am I going to do? What will Jughead say?" A single tear strolls down Betty's face as the door slowly opens. "I'll call you back." Before Veronica can say another word, she hangs up the phone and wipes her tear away.

Dr.. Kelsie sands at the door with a serious expression that sends chills down Betty's back. "I have the results. Betty Cooper, you're pregnant."

Jughead's POV

Jughead stars blankly at the glowing screen of his computer. He's spent the last hour trying to finish a chapter of his novel but hasn't made progress at all. "Damn it!" He yells in frustration. He's supposed to get a chapter in by Christmas, but all that occupies his mind is the box hidden in his underwear drawer. This morning, Betty had acted so distant and strange. What if she was regretting buying an apartment and moving in with him? Maybe he was rushing into this too fast. He doesn't even know how he's even going to ask her. They'd agreed on no gifts, so what if she refuses to even see what it is? What if the unbearable happens, what if she says no?

His disruptive thoughts are interrupted by the sound of his ringtone playing. He rushes out if his seat and answers the phone without looking at the caller ID. "Betts, is everything okay?" He answers without a pause.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not Betty." Archie's voice answers with an amused tone. "What's wrong with Betty that has you so worried?"

Jughead sighs in frustration at he sits back down on the couch. "Betty's been sick lately. She was acting so strange and out of character this morning. She left in such a hurry to her doctor's appointment, I was hoping for some news. So why have you called upon me?"

"I think Veronica saw my present for her. She's panicking right now. What if proposing to her isn't the best move? You're planning on proposing to Betty right? Or did you change your mind?" Archie's worried voice comes through the phone.

It takes everything in Jughead not to bang his head against a wall. "Why do I tell you anything? Archie, she's used to getting fancy accessories, not to be mean, but I highly doubt she realised what you are planning on doing with it. She probably thinks it's a Christmas gift and nothing more. Now please me alone. I have to finish this chapter and I'm no way close."

He's about to hang up when Archie keeps talking. "Well what should I do? She already knows about it. It's not much of a surprise."

"If you are so worried about it being a surprise or not, then just do it now. I have to hang up so Betty can call me if she needs me. Tell me how it goes though." Without hearing another word, Jughead hangs up and looks at his missed calls. Nothing. This is going to be a long week.

Betty's POV

The week turns out to be a long excruciating experience. Jughead works on his novel all night leaving Betty in her bed alone with the weight of keeping a secret from him. They barely spent their time together, and when they did, it was awkward and full of small talk. She ended up telling him she has a cold and it should get better soon.

It's Christmas eve and Betty is at the Doctor's for the first ultrasound. A part of her feels guilty about keeping the baby a secret causing him to miss seeing the baby for the first time in person, but the fear of his reaction holds her captive. She isn't even entirely sure what her feelings towards being pregnant are, which is partially why she's glad about being alone. She needs to figure out her feelings for herself without the influence of Veronica or Jughead.

Dr. Kelsie sets up the machine and lifts up Betty's shirt exposing her bare stomach. She then smothers on a clear cold gel that makes her stomach turn. Then, Dr. Kelsie presses a metal wand against her stomach covered with gel. The moditor lights up with with a hollow circle that represents the womb. "You see this right here?" Dr. Kelsie points at a small oval shape in the middle of the screen. "That's your baby." She points at the smaller circle attached to the oval. "That's the head and the oval part is the body. If you look closely you can see the little arms and legs beginning to form. From what I see, your baby looks completely healthy at eight weeks old. We will be able to tell the gender at sixteen to twenty weeks. Would you like a picture of the ultrasound?"

Betty stares in amazement at the monitor. Never in a million years she would have thought that a single imagine would evoke such emotion and sincere love. Tears swell in her eyes as she laughs as the baby moves a tiny bit. Then she turns her attention to the doctor and nods. "Yes, I would like a copy."

She spends a few more minutes listening to the heartbeat before going home and falling asleep on the bed.

~

Christmas morning soon arrives and Betty awakes to the smell of eggs and toast. She slides out of bed and peaks out of the door to find Jughead in the kitchen making breakfast. "Goodmorning Betts." Jughead greets noticing her in the doorway. "You sleep okay? You were whimpering in your sleep." His blue eyes darken as he says this.

A small smile forms as she walks to his and curl to to him. "Just a nightmare. But it's better now that you're here. Before Jughead gets a chance to respond, she kisses his lips.

They continue to kiss for a moment longer before he breaks away and scrapes some eggs onto a plate and hand it to her. "Eat up. I made extra in case you're hungry." He smirks before kissing her cheek and disappearing inside their room.

After Betty gets done with her breakfast, she starts the fire in the fireplace and warms herself in front of it. Jughead comes back into the living room and sits next to her. "I have something for you." He takes out a small box poorly wrapped in wrapping paper.

Betty stares at him in disbelief. "Jug, we agreed, no presents. You're a gift itself. But now that you mention it, I have something for you." She gets up and disappears inside their room. She produces an envelope from the hiding spot and returns to her seat next to him by the fireplace.

He gives her a stern look and shakes his head. "Betts, I can't accept whatever it is. But I have to insist you take this." He puts the box into her gentle hand.

"And I have to insist you take this." She sets the envelope down into his hand. "It's important. More important then whatever this is." She holds up the box.

Jughead sighs giving in. "How about this, we both at the same time open our gift." Betty nods her head agreeing and they both tear into their gift. She opens the box to see the most beautiful engagement ring in shape of a rose.

"Jug . . ." Betty gasps looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Betts . . . is this what I think it is?" Jughead holds up the picture of the ultrasound.

She nods as the tears roll down her face. "Yeah. I'm pregnant, Jug. You're going to be a dad."

A silence overtakes the room. "Jug, are you upset?" Betty asks breaking it.

"Are you kidding me? I've never been happier." Jughead smiles the purest, brightest smile Betty had ever seen. He then takes the box from her hand and get on a knee and holds out the ring. "Elizabeth Cooper, I love you like nobody has ever loved anyone. I swear I will protect you with my life, and I will love you more each and every day. I have never been a people person, but for you I am. I adore you with everything I am, and unexpected as it may be, I love our baby already. You'll never be alone. So will you be my partner for life and marry me?" His blue eyes had a look of the utmost vulnerability.

"Yes!" Betty cries out, this time in pure joy. Jughead slides the engagement ring on her finger and pulls her to him. Their lips meet and move in a series of passion and love. In that moment by the fire, their future starts.