#I've just been feeling kind of dazed and/or confused on and off too so who knows

[darkstaria]

Yandere Batfam - Soulmate Soul Animal Au.

Chapter 6:

Summary: After being ambushed previously in Gotham's streets, you awake alone and afraid, in a strange building.

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 7.

----

A furious pounding beat at your skull, a liquid of some kind dripped down from your head. You blinked your eyes open, greeted by what could only be some kind of warehouse.

You were in a daze, barely recognising what was in front of you. What vision you had was muddled by pain and your hearing was drowned out by a piercing beat in your ears.

What...?

You could hardly think.

The world was a messy tsunami of pain and confusion. That is... Until a flash of green, white and red beamed into your eyes, a sneering smile on its face.

You gasped. Breath caught in your throat, as your chin was caught in his hand.

The Joker.

"HahahahahahaHAHAHAHA!" The laugh echoed throughout the building as your surprise turned into shakes. The hand left go as Joker's chortle turned into a full laugh, but that was hardly a relief.

This was, quite literally, the worst situation you could have ever gotten into. Out of everyone who would have an interest in Batman's soulmate, why must it be him?

You instinctively try to move, but soon realise you've been restrained, ropes tying you down to an iron chair. They don't budge.

The stomping of shoes drew your attention back to him, as the Joker approached you again.

"Well now." He began, a beaming grin stretching his face. "Lookie what we have here. You know, I was having a wonderful night, finally out on the town, able to meet all my old friends again. Then I meet you, and you know what I think?"

He rested a hand on your shoulder. You fought a shiver.

"What a... great new friend?" You try. You go for a smile of your own. You're certain it looks more like a grimace.

A mocking laugh is his response. Then, with a sudden twist, his hands grasp your collar, bringing you to his eye level. The movement forces you against the ropes that constrict your stomach, suffocating you.

"I find... a sniveling little brat, that just so happens, TO HAVE A BAT PROTECTING-"

A screech cuts him off, a flurry of wings diving directly into his face, what you could barely make out as a beak aimed at his eyes. The pain you're under causes you to take a moment to understand what's going on, as Joker swings a crowbar at the flying figure.

It was... Hood. Pecking and clawing at the Joker, doing whatever it could to draw him away. And it was working too.

That is, until Joker pressed down on his flower, causing a spray of gas to surge outward directly into Hood's line of flight. It slowed it down, a pause as Hood squawked in pain. A pause that was swiftly taken advantage of, as Joker swung a brutal arc into Hood, the crowbar sending the bird flying across the room and into a crumpled pile on the ground.

"No!" The scream tore itself out of you, a primal sort of agony you never thought you would ever feel after you had withdrawn from thoughts of your soulmates. It was like losing him all over again. Vigilante or not, Hood was a bird. Birds didn't typically survive a hit from a crowbar. If Hood died here, what would you do? One of the connections that had tormented you all your life, over just like that.

The scream drew Joker's attention back to you, a realisation that sank deeply in your throat. He approached you again, an air of casualness across his figure.

"Birds, what little pests. Good thing I always carry around pest spray." He laughs, adjusting the flower resting on his lapel. "I've always preferred bats." A thunk noise sounded out as he spoke, drawing your attention to a small cage he dropped.

It was a birdcage. Inside that birdcage was...

"Batman?!"

The bat inside was still, its gaze fixed on Joker's movements, but it did shift briefly to watch you for but a second as you spoke its name.

"Hahaha!" Joker's laugh was like nails on a chalkboard. "Turns out all you need to capture a bat is the right bait."

"How..?" You mumbled, the words unconsciously forming on your tongue due to the shock.

"Within a moment of my crowbar's acquaintance with your dear old head, Bats appeared! A bit of a nuisance at first, but a few threats at that neck of yours calmed him right down!" Joker admitted, the biggest smile you had seen yet on his face. He chuckled at the mere memory of it, as you shook in horror.

Two of your soulmates were now down. You couldn't stop shaking, horrified. All your options were dwindling and Joker looked more... murdery by the second.

Your attention was caught by a feeling of feathers brushing against your arms, the shaking making the thing touch you. You paused for a miniscule second, as you tried to think of what it was. Wait.

Was another one of your soulmates here? But rather than fight, this one was untying you? Or maybe gnawing at the ropes, whichever option was more plausible for a bird/bat.

Could you stall long enough to get out? It seemed like the only possibility left.

"Why...why do this? What enjoyment are you finding from this?" Maybe not the best line of questioning, but it was all your pounding head could come up with.

"Why?" Joker echoed, pausing for a moment. "Because I don't take kindly to cheaters. Me and Bats have something special. I dealt with my soul chain long ago, and yet! I find him cheating on me with this lousy excuse for a time waster!" He ends his shout pointing at you, a scowl on his painted face. It's possibly the worst expression you've seen on Joker yet.

"Aren't the other Robins his soulmates too? Why are you only targeting me?"

"I dealt with one of the flying rats long ago, quite a great plan if I may say so, but he just came back! I don't feel like wasting my time with this eternal game of wack-a-mole, so I've decided on a new method."

What's the method...?" You ask, reluctantly.

"You." He smiles.

He steps closer, withdrawing a gun from his pocket. "Thanks for the opportunity to capture Bats, my dear, but I've had enough of his chains getting in the way of our little game. I'll take much better care of little Batsy once you die, well, to an extent anyway! Hahaha!"

He tosses the gun up and down, carelessly as he walks towards you.

Up.

What could you do?

Down.

Hood was still crumpled in the corner, likely unconscious.

Up.

Batman was shaking the cage, unable to do anything else in its rage.

Down.

The unknown soul animal hadn't finished removing the ropes.

Across. The gun meets your temple, a few inches away from your head. You lock eyes with him. He pulls the trigger.

Pop! You flinch, coming face to face with a little Bang! flag that popped out of the gun.

You sigh, a momentary relief. You've been spared. You shift a little, feeling the ropes loosen. Your soul animal was doing its job well. You intake a few breaths, as Joker slaunters away from you, chuckling under his breath.

You close your eyes for a moment, trying to regain yourself amidst all the pain.

BANG!

"Agh-!" You jolt, shooting straight up. There's a pain in your cheek, a metallic liquid dripping down.

Turning your head ever so slightly, you spy the Bang flag lodged into the wall. It was a real gun after all.

But..

Why didn't he shoot you?

"Guns are a little too dry, don't you think?" You turn back around, immediately coming face to face with the Joker, an image that makes you flinch.

There's a crowbar in his hands.

"I don't ever repeat jokes, but, my first attempt with this weapon didn't stick too long. I don't want to lower the bar of my comedy, but maybe it'll work this time? Second time's the charm!"

"It's actually the third time.." You speak, nerves causing your words to tumble out. So that's why he didn't shoot you. He intends to make your final moments as painful as possible.

He smiles in response to your quip, lifting the bar up.

"W-wait!" You cried out, desperation pooling into whatever would give you a chance at survival. "Couldn't you do anything else?! Brainwash me, use me as a hostage, isn't it just a waste if you kill me?!" You practically scream the final words, your panic reaching a crescendo of horror.

The Joker's reply is simple.

"Nope!"

He swings.

BANG!

A bullet flies through his hand, forcing him to drop the crowbar as he pulls back.

You both turn, spotting a bulky man in black at the entrance of the warehouse.

He's wearing a red helmet.

"Joker.." The voice is deep, a threatening timbre you'd only hear replicated in nightmares.

"Let. The civilian. Go.” His gun clicks.

“Urgh. Speak of the devil.” Joker complains, unphased. “My plans are being ruined and it's not even by Bats. What is the world coming to?”

“Wait…” The Joker pauses, noticing a fallacy in the vigilantes’ words. “Civilian? Oh, HAHAHA! OHHhhh you have no idea what’s going on here do you?” The Joker snickers in delight, giving you a conniving glance.

“Oh my, oh my. I didn't realise you were also a jokester.” Joker squishes your cheeks, a little too harsh to be anything but painful. He laughs again at the expression on your face.

There's no response from the figure, but the bullet that Joker barely dodges the next second later is answer enough. It grants you and the Joker some distances, so you're grateful.

A flapping of wings draws your attention, a dark blue blur sailing through the room before landing on your lap. Nightwing.

You blink in realisation, finally understanding why not all your soul animals had appeared to help you. Wing had led one of the bats to you. You glanced over. Judging from the helmet, was this Red Hood.

Uh oh. You hoped he didn't notice Hood in the corner.

Or Batman. Or the soul animal freeing you- oh no you were absolutely screwed weren’t you?

You gulp.

“Wait.. You?” Red Hood’s modulated voice didn’t convey any emotion, but it couldn't disguise the hesitance in which he spoke.

Exposed.

“Uhmmm… no?” You tried.

Wing nuzzled your cheek. Hood’s gaze intensified.

“Okay! Okay yes, but I swear there's a reason why I never came to any of you- it wasn't because of you-” Oh dear that one was a blatant lie.

“I.. I mean, I just didn't want-” What could you do, what could you say? You didn't want to lie, but the truth wasn't good either.

In-between your frantic ramblings however, the Joker had snuck up on Red Hood, taking a lucky swing that missed by about a centimeter.

Red Hood’s retaliation was swift, the two suddenly engaging in a battle of force that was very much leaning in Red Hood’s favour. Although, ever so often Red Hood gave a wince of pain. Did Hood’s soul animal form’s state injure him slightly?

That question would go unanswered, as the ropes around you crumpled, revealing Red to be the soul animal that had been bailing you out all this time.

Well. You weren't going to get a better opportunity than this. Pushing Red and Wing off your lap, you rush out, aiming for one of the broken windows.

Batman makes a slight growling noise as you pass his birdcage. You try not to think about it.

“Hey!” A batarang flies past you, the rope attached to it meeting no target as you trip on some broken glass.

“Ah!” You mumble, surprised at your good (?) forture. There's now a cut on your leg. Great.

Red Hood is subsequently distracted from any more attempts to detain you, as the Joker takes another swing that gets a little too close for comfort in response, laughing all the while.

Clumsily falling out of the window, you thank Lady Gotham that the Joker kidnapped you on the ground floor, so there’s no drop whatsoever.

You sigh, injuries now taking a toll as the constant adrenaline was wearing off. You stumble forward.

Red and Wing land on your shoulders. Of course.

You limp out into Gotham’s alleyways, oblivious to the movement of a lithe figure on the rooftop, watching you.

----

Yeah those who guessed Joker were correct! Enjoy a cookie if you did! It seemed criminal to not have a chapter that explored how a soulmate universe would influence Batman and Joker's relationship, so that's what I did!

Oh and yeah, poor Reader. They are not having too good of a time rn. All these injuries aren't really gonna help them plead their case either.

A bit more of Jason this time too! How funnnn. I definitely feel bad for birdy Hood though. Red Hood may be super skilled but it's a little too unrealistic for him to solo as a bird :(

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Tumblr just told me I can't tag anyone else, so the list ends here. Hopefully I can tag the remaining people in a comment!

[golden--flowers]

Either had an allergic reaction of 'a little bit harder time breathing and head feel weird' or I just got anxious while eating

[daisymbin]

secrets at dawn - lee chan

warnings: none! fluff

pairings: lee chan x reader

genre: drunken confessions ~

wc: 1.1k

a/n: FUCK HYBE

drunken confessions series

check out my main masterlist!

it was well past midnight when you finally managed to get chan back to your place. he’d had way more to drink than anyone had expected, and the whole way there, he’d been stumbling, muttering half-coherent nonsense and trying to convince you he could walk on his own; which, clearly, he could not.

“come on, chan, we’re almost there,” you coaxed, balancing him as you pushed open the door to your apartment.

he blinked at you, squinting like he was trying to make sense of your face in the dim light. “who… who are you? why have you been following me and holding my arm?” he slurred, eyebrows scrunching in suspicion as he leaned away like you were a stranger.

you held back a laugh. “it’s me, your best friend, the one who’s been trying to get you home for the past 30 minutes?”

“nuh-uh,” he said, pulling his arm out of your grasp and wobbling dramatically. “i… i don’t talk to strangers. especially strangers trying to drag me to… mysterious places.”

“mysterious?” you laughed, gesturing around at your very normal apartment. “chan, this is my place. you’ve been here a million times.”

he blinked, looking around with a dazed expression, as if he were seeing your apartment for the first time. “then why dont i remember it? this doesn’t look… familiar..i've definitely never been here..” he mumbled, still staring in exaggerated confusion.

you rolled your eyes, tugging him toward the couch. “come on, let’s sit you down before you pass out in the middle of the floor.”

but chan, despite the clear need for support, looked at your hand on his arm like it was lava, yanking himself away with as much grace as his inebriated state allowed. “no, no, i can’t… she wouldn’t like that.”

“she?” you asked, raising an eyebrow, your heart sinking a little. a rush of jealousy washed over you at the thought of him liking someone else. “who’s ‘she’?”

he crossed his arms, puffing up his chest in exaggerated importance. “someone very important. way too important for… for… uh… whatever this is.”

you couldn’t help but smile at his antics, but the knot in your stomach tightened. “alright then, mystery man. who is this ‘very important’ person?”

he looked around suspiciously, leaning in as if he were about to tell you a great secret. “she’s… she’s perfect. the kind of perfect you… you don’t even believe is real.” he let out a dreamy sigh, sinking onto the couch like he was melting at the thought of her.

you held back a laugh, but the jealousy gnawed at you. “really? so what makes her so special?”

“she’s… she’s got this smile, right? and it’s… it’s like…” he trailed off, gesturing wildly as he tried to find the right words. “it’s like sunshine, but also like… i dunno, like fireworks? but soft fireworks, the kind that don’t explode too loud.”

“soft fireworks,” you repeated, trying to keep your voice steady. “sounds like someone pretty amazing.”

he nodded, entirely serious. “she’s amazing. way better than some random person trying to… take advantage of me when i’m defenseless.”

“oh, come on,” you said, forcing a lightness into your tone as you tried to mask your disappointment. “and, for the record, i’m not exactly a stranger, or am I trying to take advantage of you."

he squinted, his face scrunching up as he leaned closer, studying you with utmost suspicion. “you kinda look like her, you know?”

“is that so?” you asked, the jealousy bubbling up again. “well, maybe you should just tell her how you feel.”

his eyes widened, and he immediately looked horrified. “no way! she’d… she’d think i was ridiculous.” he shook his head vigorously, nearly toppling over from the movement.

“oh, i don’t know,” you teased, trying to hide the hurt in your voice. “sounds like maybe she’d find it sweet.”

“nope,” he insisted, crossing his arms over his chest. “she’s way too good for… for someone like me.”

your heart sank a little further. “well, maybe she wouldn’t think that if you actually told her,” you replied, your voice quieter now.

“you really think so?” he asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. “even… even with all my weird jokes?”

“yeah,” you said softly, though it felt hard to keep that positivity up. “i think so.”

for a moment, he just stared at you, his face so full of hope and something else; something warmer, more real. and then, just as quickly as it had softened, his expression turned defensive again, and he scooted away, crossing his arms.

“no! no, no, no. you’re trying to… to mess with me,” he said, clearly wrestling with his alcohol-induced haze. “she’s the only one for me, and you can’t change my mind!”

“wouldn’t dream of it,” you replied, trying so hard to mask your sinking heart.

he gave you one last defiant look before settling back against the couch, closing his eyes. “good. ‘cause one day… i’m gonna tell her. i’ll tell her… and maybe she’ll laugh at me, but… but that’s okay.”

“that sounds like a great plan, chan,” you murmured, leaning back beside him, your smile softening as you watched him drift off, still muttering about his “perfect girl” and his plan to “sweep her off her feet.”

just as his breathing evened out, he mumbled one last thing, barely audible. “she… kinda even smells like you…”

you blinked, your heart racing at his words. “wait, what? who does?”

he opened his eyes slightly, looking almost sheepish. “the girl… the one i like,” he admitted, his voice quieter now. “she’s… she’s just… everything. i mean, you’re basically her. but, you know, way better.”

your heart swelled with confusion and joy, a mixture of emotions washing over you. “chan, are you… are you talking about me?”

“no! you're not her…my best friend…you're not my best friend.....y/n…I like her. I like her a lot. I think I love her..but she doesn't know yet. maybe tomorrow I'll tell her…yeah I will. I will tell her tomorrow.” he answered as his voice trails off as he drifts to sleep. you all but sat dumbfounded beside a lightly snoring chan, your hand still in his.

[b1rds3ye]

I really love your masked reader headcannons!! Especially the LED mask ones. I think it’s such a fun concept and the way all the boys react/ accommodate the reader and their preferences is so sweet!

So idk what your familiarity to Star Wars is but there’s a people (Mandalorians) who traditionally wear armor that covers their faces and bodies pretty much all the time. As such there’s something called a kelblade kiss and what that is is when two mandos press their helmeted foreheads together as a way to show affection when they’re all armored up. I was thinking about this and how the 141 would react if the masked reader leaned their forehead against them in lieu of kissing their cheek in a moment where they wanted to be affectionate but leave the mask on? If you have thoughts I would love to know! <3

OMG THIS IS SO CUTE!! I was raised on the og Star Wars trilogy, even the prequel 3 by George Lucas but I've completely fallen off since Disney's taken the reigns 😭😭 BUT YES I know Mandalorian I didn't know they had the little kiss thing though IT'S SO SWEET TO IMAGINE

Any physical contact with Price is generally rare when he's on duty, it comes with him just being busy and the natural commanding presence as captain. But when you first press your forehead against his, John's initial confusion gives him a respite from the stress of the military now that his entire focus is on you. It seems he needed the affection more than you did. Now your little forehead taps are his lifeline. Your mask always gets his bucket hat tilting off angle, the front rim a little crumpled when you pull away, but it always leaves him wearing a fond grin that is for you and you alone.

It's a little awkward trying to do it with Ghost, not only is Simon inconveniently tall but his own hard mask makes such a gesture of affection have the tact of a kid shoving the faces of two plastic dolls together. Simon is solid and immovable, and is far too entertained by you nearly self-concussing as you tap your forehead against his, stumbling back in a slight daze. Still, the intentions aren't lost on him and they're very much appreciated. He doesn't do them back, but in more serious moments, he lets you stay, forehead against his. He can't see your eyes but he makes sure you can see the emotions swimming in his.

Soap absolutely adores them! It's your own little form of affection and he loves the little quirks that come with your mask. But for whatever reason, he's taking your little forehead touch as a competition. "Did nae feel a thing!" Johnny would complain, taunting you to go harder next time. At this rate he's just asking to be clobbered across the head but he believes that if it's from you, that's a damn blessing and whatever bruise that comes from it he'll wear with pride. He always reciprocates in kind. It's more of a headbutt with his over-enthusiasm but he must have a forehead of steel or something because he always pulls away beaming.

Your little forehead taps always leave Gaz giggling and bashful. It's been a little harder as of late since he now wears a cap with a hard brim, for a while Kyle thought your lack of recent "mask kisses" was because the two of you had unfortunately drifted apart. He now foregoes the cap whenever you're around. When you enter the room he gives an exaggerated bow down to you, jerking his head up to signal to his forehead and he won't move an inch until you greet him with a forehead tap (this also happens if you ever have to leave the conversation). He tried to give a forehead tap back once but he was a little too enthusiastic and needed frozen peas to the head for the rest of the day.

Call of Duty Masterlist Masked Reader Masterlist

[from-the-clouds]

texas sun - joel miller x f!reader - vol. xiv

series masterlist | series playlist | writing masterlist | previous chapter | chapter summary: The final chapter pairing: joel miller x f!reader words: 9.2k (I love being insane) chapter warnings: SMUT (18+only) - unprotected sex. Insecurity/Jealousy. Angst/arguments. Discussions of death, blood and injuries. Alcohol & Marijuana use. Fluff. Bisexual reader (happy pride ya'll!). As always please dm for more specifics. a/n: This could probs use another round of proofreading but it would've delayed this even longer sooooo.... Here we go! I feel pretty emo right now and I might make a more in-depth post about my thoughts at a later date bc I just finished writing this in a hot daze so I can't put all my thoughts coherently together. But I just wanna say thank you to everyone who supported and gave love to this story. This is by far the most popular fic I've ever written, and I don't really know how? Or what I did to deserve all the love but I just want you to know how much I appreciate it. Thank you for sticking with me through all the angst and delayed updates and everything. I'll never forget you and I'll never forget Joel x Reader!! Thank you so much, I hope the finale lives up to your expectations! ❤️

**I DO NOT HAVE A TAGLIST. Please follow @ftcwriting and turn on notifs if you would like to be notified when I update my works :) **

I’m not the kind of man who tends to socialize I seem to lean on old familiar ways….

-May 16, 2024-

“Are you sure you’re okay if I leave you here alone?” 

Ethan’s voice jolts you out of a daze, and you blink your eyes open, realizing that you’d dozed off while sitting upright in a patio chair, the cheesy romance novel you’d been reading still lying open on your lap. Turning to look over your shoulder, you find him standing with one foot on the deck, and one foot still inside, cut in half by the sliding glass door.

Clearing your throat, you straighten up and nod. “Of course. I’ll be fine.”

Ethan studies you carefully, like he’s not entirely convinced. He’s been hesitant to leave you alone unless it’s absolutely necessary – only stepping away from the house to go on patrol shifts and to bring home meals from the mess hall. Recovery has made you feel like a burden to him – to all your friends in the community, really. Everyone….well, almost everyone, has been supportive, but you’ve never been comfortable being openly vulnerable.

Unfortunately, it’s too hard to deny the pain that you’ve been in since the accident, the trouble you have getting around, the exhaustion that clings no matter how many long naps and twelve-hour nights of sleep you get. According to the doctors, being so tired is just part of recovery – rest is important, but the concoction of pain medication you’ve been prescribed only makes your drowsiness and confusion worse. It had been a big deal that tonight you’d mustered the energy to drag yourself outside to sit in the fresh air. 

“I’m fine,” you assure Ethan, once again. “Have fun on your date.”

“It’s not really a date,” he says, almost a little too quickly. “We’re just hanging out.”

“Right,” you say, matter-of-factly. “Do I know who this person is?”

Ethan looks at his feet. “You remember the day this shit happened?” he asks, gesturing towards you. “Before you left on patrol, the girl that said hi to me? It’s her. Her name is Alex.”

“Oh?” you tilt your head, give him a small smile. “She was cute. How’d you ask her out?”

“Well,” he begins, scratching the back of his neck. “I may have…uh, gotten some advice.”

“You didn’t think to ask me?” you’re able to muster up a small smile.

“I would’ve, I just…..” he shakes his head. “It seemed stupid…with everything you have going on.”

“It’s not stupid,” you say, feeling a wave of guilt. Even though he’s the one looking after you, you haven’t spoken to him much about anything going on in his life. In fact, you haven’t really spoken to anyone in a long time, beyond thank you’s and blanket statements like I’m doing better. You feel disconnected, and more lonely than ever. If you ever get enough energy to leave your house, you expect most of the people in the community to have forgotten you exist. “Who’d you ask?”

“Uhm….” Ethan runs a hand through his long dark hair, shifts his weight. “….I’ve been assigned on patrol with Joel Miller a lot lately….so….”

You almost laugh when he uses Joel’s full name. Joel has been such a huge part of your life – sometimes the hero, sometimes the villain – that you don’t need to hear his last name to know who Ethan’s talking about. You could know a thousand Joel’s, and he’d still be the first person that came to mind. But Joel is still a sore subject, and Ethan knows it, which is why you suspect he’s avoided telling you this in the first place. You feel your eyebrows knit together, only able to let out an unenthused. “Oh.”

“I just, you know….he’s a guy. And it sounds like you even liked him at one point so….he must know something, right?” 

“That was a long time ago,” you say quickly, regardless of the fact that he’s right.

It’s probably not fair to blame Joel for everything that has happened to you. You know this, deep down. But you’ve been so helpless and isolated since you’ve woken up in that hospital bed that you’re desperate to find someone to hold accountable. And Joel hadn’t visited you in the hospital once. By this point, he’s abandoned you so many times that your resentment feels justified, even if your current state is not directly his fault. Because it was you, after all, who had walked into the path of those men, too angry to think clearly, too weak to take them down alone. The only person you can blame is yourself, and you really don’t want to.

“Did he tell you to take her out on patrol, make her cry, and almost get her killed?”

Ethan clicks his tongue, looks down, almost ashamed. “No. He did not.”

“You should be careful with Joel,” you warn.

“I was…” Ethan says. “But I don’t think it’s that simple. I think he’s actually alright.” 

“So you’re friends with him now,” you state, hoping he refutes. But instead, he looks up at you, frowns, and lifts his chin.

“What happened to you was horrible. It shouldn’t have happened. And yeah, maybe you think he’s the reason you almost died…. I don’t know the specifics so you can believe whatever you want. But I know that he’s the reason you’re still alive.” Ethan’s voice breaks, and you feel tears brimming your eyes before he continues. “He brought you back here, he donated his blood, he-”

“What?” you cut him off.

“What do you mean, what?” Ethan asks. “He was the only person there who had your blood type. You would’ve died if he didn’t. They didn’t tell you this?” 

“Whatever it took to make him feel less guilty, sounds like,” you say, dismissively.

Something hot burns in your veins, something that must have always been there since you woke up, but you’re only feeling it now. It’s unsettling, Joel being a part of you that way. Your lives had already seemed intertwined enough already. But now, he’s inescapable.

“Well, he stayed by your side every night while you were asleep. Fuck, I mean, he was probably there just as often as I was. He made sure I ate, and slept and showered and… and he never once asked for anything in return. He cares about you as much as I do, clearly, so I don’t think it’s wrong to think he’s a good guy….”

You must not care about me that much, you want to say, but you stop yourself. Because it’s not true, and you’d only be saying it to hurt him. You have nothing to defend yourself with, no way to convince him otherwise, and so you just stare at him until he shakes his head and slips back inside.

Ethan is stubborn, he always has been. And it’s a special kind of stubbornness, fueled by anger – so common in most of the young people you meet these days. You understand why they’re all like this. When you’re robbed of your childhood – you get stuck there….waiting….. Like someday you’ll have a chance to do it all over again, regardless of how obvious it is that you won’t. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

-May 25, 2024-

Things get better, albeit slowly. You begin to wean off the pain medication, which makes you more alert. It’s still difficult to leave your house, but you can move around it more easily, and you don’t spend all your days sleeping. Luckily, you aren’t as stir-crazy as you’d been expecting. 

One afternoon, Ellie Williams shows up on your doorstep with a bag full of groceries. 

“Maria wanted me to bring these to you,” she says when you open the door. “She told me to tell you she’ll be over tomorrow, but she wanted me to give you these to tide you over.”

“That’s very nice. Thank you for bringing them to me,” you try to take the bag from her hands, but she steps back just a little, like she’s unsure if you should be carrying anything. You let your hands drop to your sides. “Would you like to come in?” 

Ellie hesitates for a split second, adjusting the bag in her arms, and then nods. “Sure.” 

Stepping to the side, you allow her into the home. Because of how warm it is outside, you’ve opened all the windows to let the breeze through. 

“Sorry for the mess,” you say, Ellie following you into the living room. There are stacks of books and pill bottles with instructions scattered on your countertop. You haven’t swept the floors in awhile and all the hard surfaces are covered in a thin layer of dust. It’s not really that bad, but you don’t have the energy or strength to be on your feet for long – let alone to clean the house. 

“I don’t mind,” Ellie says. “It’s not even that bad. I don’t know why older people worry about leaving your house messy and shit….no offense.”

“There was a time it used to matter,” you tell her. “And I see where you’re coming from, but my thing is – if you’re going to live somewhere, you should do what you can to make yourself feel comfortable.” 

Ellie purses her lips, as if you’ve made a good point but she doesn’t know how to answer. Instead, you continue. “Can I get you anything? Water?” 

“No, I’m okay,” she puts the bag on your kitchen counter.

“You can sit if you’d like,” you tell her. “I just need a moment to put these away.”

When you walk into your living room a few minutes later, she’s hovering near your record player, looking through the vinyls. The turntable was already in the house when you’d arrived years ago, but it was buried in the closet and broken. Ethan had managed to fix it after a little troubleshooting and scavenging for parts. Now, you both were always looking for records to bring home, and had amassed quite the eclectic collection – jazz, funk, hip-hop, and everything in between. 

“Wow,” Ellie says, running her fingers along the shelved records. “You found all these?”

“Some of them were already here. But yeah. Ethan and I are always on the lookout on patrol. I can play you something. What do you like?”

“Eighties, I think,” she says. “But…I also haven’t heard as much.” 

“Well here,” you thumb through the records, pull out a worn copy of Speaking In Tongues. “How about some Talking Heads?” 

You pass the record over to her, and she stares at you blankly. It’s only then that you realize — she’s never used a record player before. There’s a familiar pang of sadness before you show her how. 

“Are you feeling better?” Ellie eyes you wearily once the music starts, and you settle onto the couch, feeling a little worn out after being on your feet.

“Yes,” you say. “I’m older now, so it seems like healing takes a lot more time.”

Ellie nods, then bobs her head to the music a little. “This is better than most of the stuff Joel likes.” 

“Oh yeah,” you smirk, and instinctually, you recall his enthusiasm for all things old-school country. “I remember that,” you say softly.

With so much time on your hands lately, you’ve found yourself thinking of Joel a lot, reminiscing on the time you’d spent with him and Sarah. What Ethan had told you about him staying by your side was definitely making you reconsider your assessment of him, even if you were still hesitant. It was probably a trap to think you’d ever be able to feel those things with him again, but if remembering them brought you comfort, you weren’t going to resist it. 

“You’re more than welcome to come over to listen anytime,” you offer, and she nods excitedly. 

Ellie stays for longer than you expect. You talk a fair bit. She tells you about what she’s learning in school – but mostly how ‘fucking useless’ it is. She wanders around your living room and pokes through your stuff without asking, but you don’t think to stop her – you just answer her questions and let her be curious.

Eventually, the sun dips below the horizon, and she excuses herself to go home, insisting that Joel will ‘fucking kill her’ if she’s out too late. Even though you’re exhausted after entertaining her for a few hours, you find it feels nice. Being on house arrest, essentially, had left your starved for connection outside Maria and Ethan.

You see her out the door before returning to your refrigerator to look for something to eat. Ethan will be back from patrol any minute, so it may be nice to make him something even if you have almost no energy.

But when there’s another knock on your front door, you’re shocked to see who you find staring on your porch. 

Joel.

You almost forget to speak at the sight of him. It’s been weeks since your accident and he might as well have moved away from Jackson since you hadn’t seen him at all. 

“Hey,” you say, tentatively, taking him in. He seems preoccupied – cheeks flushed, hair rumpled, and out of breath, like he had run all the way to get here.

“Have you seen Ellie?” he asks, not even greeting you in return. “I’ve looked everywhere and I-

“You just missed her,” you cut him off, not because you’re trying to dismiss him, but because he's clearly distressed. “I’m surprised you didn’t see her on your way over.”

Joel sighs, eyes closing in relief. “Thank God.” For a second, you glimpse the frazzled and overworked father you used to know. “She stayed out too late, had me worried sick.” 

“She’s fine,” you say. “Although she did say you might kill her if she didn’t get home soon.” 

Joel gives you an almost imperceptible smile, but seems mostly irritated by Ellie’s suggestion. “I would do no such thing.” He shakes his head and takes two steps backwards. “Thank you. Didn’t mean to be a bother.” 

Your mind floats to a memory of Joel on your front porch, late getting home from work and looking for Sarah, and you can’t help but feel a bit of sadness and longing for a simpler time, a surge of affection. 

Joel is halfway down your front porch steps when you speak again. “You aren’t bothering me.”

He pauses, turns to look over his shoulder. There’s something he wants to say, you can feel it, and you step outside, letting the door fall shut behind you and remaining huddled against the siding, and he turns to face you fully, sighing. “I’ve been meaning to stop by, actually….” 

“Oh…really?” you can’t keep the surprise from your voice, and he notices.

“Yeah,” Joel rubs his fingers together, a nervous habit of his you know all too well. “Yeah. I- well, I wanted to apologize to you.”

You’re so startled by the words you can’t answer right away. But the split second of hesitation causes Joel to continue, looking to fill the empty space. 

“I’ve been waiting to find the right thing to say….but it doesn’t seem like that’ll ever happen. I’m not even sure I know where to start.” 

“Oh,” is all you can manage, still taken aback. The only thing that doesn’t surprise you about his admission is the sincerity. You could say a lot of things about Joel, but he isn’t a liar. He always tells the truth. Maybe it’s why he pulled away from you to begin with. It’s easier than the alternative – spending time with you, which would force him to be honest. For how much you’ve changed, you’d probably do the same. 

But the thing with Joel is that you’re exhausted. You’re tired of the back and forth, of the push and pull, of the constant struggle to hold your care over each other's head, hoping the other will break first. Maybe this is a fresh start. 

You step closer to him, and you see him study the way you move. Of course, you’re trying to look strong, but he can surely sense the weakness. He’d always been good at that, better than any of the others. Your hand comes to rest on the porch railing for support. 

But…..

There’s that voice in the back of your head, the one that tells you this is a mistake. The one that reminds of the pain you’ve often earned through vulnerability. It likes to think it’s served you, protected you, and it has. But it’s not always right.

“I suppose I owe you an apology, too,” you say. “At the very least I should thank you for what you did.”

Joel shakes his head, dismissively, but looks to where your hand rests on the porch railing, looks back up to you as he reaches out. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” 

His hand clasps over yours, and to anyone else, this might be nothing. It’s so innocent, unassuming. But the effect it has on you is palpable. He squeezes once, and you flip your hand over, squeezing his back, giving him a gentle smile. “I am too.” 

Joel’s eyes fill with a warmth you haven’t seen in twenty years, and your stomach flutters, your heart races. A part of yourself that you’d considered long dead seems to rouse.“Would you like to stay for dinner?”

“I told Ellie we’d go to the mess hall together,” Joel says. “Otherwise I would.”

You blink once, and Joel sees it, immediately continuing on. “But maybe Ellie and I can come another time, join you and Ethan?”

“Yeah. He’d like that,” you say. “That might be nice.” ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

-June 20, 2024-

You think that at the end of a long winter, bears must hate coming out of hibernation. 

It must suck. They spend months sleeping, doing almost nothing, and then suddenly they’re forced to function again – to hunt, to eat, to roam, to survive and socialize. You imagine there has to be a learning curve, a desire to crawl back into their den and never leave again. 

Or maybe you could be wrong, and they love it. And you’re just a wimp who hates feeling uncomfortable.

All you know is that you’re huddled in the back corner of the Tipsy Bison, nursing a whiskey – and it’s the last place you want to be. 

You’re overwhelmed. 

And despite the fact that you regularly used to attend community events, it’s been so long since you've been out in Jackson that you feel like you don’t belong. To some extent, you’ve always felt this – too hardened by the outside world to fully assimilate, especially when the town throws dances. But in the past, you at least attempted to convince yourself otherwise. 

Two weeks back, the doctors had cleared you to go about your daily activities as normal  – within reason, of course – but you hadn’t exactly jumped at the opportunity. Tonight, Ethan had accused you of becoming ‘antisocial’ and ‘reclusive’. You had agreed to attend – but only to beat those allegations. So far, you are definitely not. 

You scan the crowd, taking in the people spinning around the dance floor. Some of the women are wearing dresses. You can’t help but feel a little envious of how easily they’re able to perform femininity, which is something you’d given up on a while ago. It hadn’t exactly served you before arriving in Jackson, and you predict it would be humiliating to start trying now. After all the things you’d experienced, you were left marred with scars and wrinkles, stretch marks and loose skin. Since then, you’ve remained loyal to the combination of men’s denim and tank tops with flannel-button downs overtop. 

It doesn’t always stop the men in the community from descending like vultures. You might be the last pick – there are plenty others who are younger and prettier – but you’re still an option. Bea, your old partner, had always theorized that some men were particularly drawn to sapphic women, that it was ‘the ultimate challenge’. Maybe there is some truth to her theory, but you like men….sometimes. So there is always a part of you that yearns for their validation, for as many times as you tell yourself you don’t want it. But it never feels good to get it after you’ve watched them exhaust all their other options.

It’s pathetic, but it makes you think of Joel. He and Ellie had been over to yours and Ethans last week for a nice dinner, and you had tried to gauge whether there was any romantic connection between you still. Occasionally, you’d caught him looking at you with a wistful smile, but he could have been lost in thought. It’s not like you needed that from him or anything, but it might be useful information. After all this time, Joel is still so handsome, and probably has an impressive selection of potential partners here in Jackson – women of all ages. You hope he’s not here tonight – you can’t see much besides the dance floor at this point – because the thought of him cozied up to anyone here, combined with the acrid taste of the drink in your hand, makes you want to gag. 

You take another look around the room. Eugene, your partner in crime – quite literally – is walking towards you, which helps quell your spiraling mind . If you talk to him, say hello to Tommy and Maria, maybe Ethan will see the effort you’re making and you can sneak out without having to deal with anyone. It’s wishful thinking, but it’s worth a shot. The sooner you can get home tonight, the better.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Joel can’t stop staring. 

He knows it’s impolite. He knows that he’s not being subtle. He knows that if any other person in this bar followed his eyeline, they’d pick up on what he was doing in an instant. But every minute he doesn’t get called out for it, he becomes more and more emboldened. 

It’s the first dance he’s ever been to in Jackson, and the only reason he’s here is to placate Ellie and Tommy. But even they have abandoned him in favor of better companions – his brother is deep in conversation with Maria, sitting across from him in a booth, and Ellie is out on the dance floor dancing with one of her new friends, Dina.

Joel just can’t help himself. He still feels guilty for what he’s done, but he can’t shake the feeling of a soft hand clasped within his own – the first time he’d felt any semblance of hope since arriving here. Tommy and Maria had already slyly let him know about all the women who were interested, but he couldn’t bring himself to entertain their advances. There’s only one he wants, and she won’t even look in his direction.

When he’d first noticed you, you were whispering with Eugene on the opposite side of the dance floor. According to Tommy, you spend a fair bit of your time with the old man, which Joel initially thought to mean that you had some sort of entanglement. At first, Joel thought that couldn’t be possible. But you were deep in focus as you listened to Eugene’s words, nodding and leaning in closer and closer, and Joel thinks Tommy might be right. He wants to understand what you see in this man – tall and unkempt, covered in tattoos with long, graying hair and a beard to match. But Joel catches himself in his judgment, he’s probably just as unappealing – not just because of how he’s aged, but because of how horrible he’s been to you in general. 

The next time Joel sees you, you’re at the bar, chatting with a man who Maria had introduced him to not long ago, a resident who is new in town. Joel had been too busy focusing on the fact that he’d been in Jackson long enough to not be its newest resident that he couldn’t remember his name. He wishes he had, so he could keep tabs on him. Of course, he can’t blame the man for being drawn to you – Joel knows very well that you’re hard to miss in a crowd. 

Still, Joel bristles when you both step away from the bar, and the man’s hand lands just above your sacrum. He actually finds himself tensing up, resisting the urge to intervene, because it’d likely only make you angry. Plus, maybe you are interested. That question is answered quickly when you reach behind your to clasp the man's hand and place it back at his side. Where it belongs, he thinks.

“Joel!”

He snaps his attention to what’s in front of him – interrupted, and probably for good measure, lest he get himself too worked up. Ethan approaches with a girl his age, her arm linked through his. Joel stands to greet them. 

The terse understanding between himself and Ethan while you were still in the hospital had somehow turned into a friendship, especially after they’d begun getting paired up on patrol. Ethan reaches out for Joel’s hand to dap him up, slinging an arm briefly over his shoulder.

“How’s it going, kid?” 

“Good, good,” Ethan nods, pulling back, and gestures to the girl next to him. “Joel, this is Alex.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she says. “Ethan’s told me all about you.” 

“Really?” Joel asks, feeling a little bewildered. 

“Only good things,” Alex says quickly, as if she senses his apprehension. Ethan puts his arm around her waist. Joel recalls a few weeks back when he’d asked for advice on how to ask out a girl. Joel hadn’t pried at the time, but now he seems to understand, and is surprised by the swell of pride he feels. “Ethan says you’re a fucking badass,”she giggles after she swears.

Joel looks over at Ethan. “I don’t know about that.” 

He shrugs, changes the subject. “Since when do you come to these things?” Ethan asks.

“Ellie dragged me out,” Joel answers.

“I did the same with my aunt,” Ethan chuckles. “But now I can’t find her, and I’m pretty sure she’s escaped.”

“Oh, is she here?” Joel plays dumb, like he hasn’t been aware of exactly where you have been all night. “I haven’t seen her.”

“I think she was with Eugene earlier,” Alex has to stand on her toes to speak into Ethan’s ear. Joel watches Ethan’s nose wrinkle. 

“Do you know Eugene at all?” Ethan turns to Joel. “I’m trying to figure out what’s going on there, but she won’t say anything.” 

Joel wishes that he had more information. “Tommy says they seem close.”

“I know that,” Ethan says. “I wish she would just be honest with me. It’s not like I would be mad. Whatever,” he shakes his head. “We can talk about it another time. I just want to find her so I can introduce her to Alex.”

“We should say hi to Tommy and Maria first,” Alex says, and Ethan nods in agreement before saying goodbye to him. Joel claps a hand on Ethan’s shoulder as he moves past him, and Alex gives him a shy smile in acknowledgement. 

Focusing back on the crowd, Joel realizes that you’ve vanished in the short span of his last interaction. Maybe you’d rejected that guy, and then he’d retaliated. Maybe you’d gone home with Eugene. Joel shakes his hand. It’s none of his business. He doesn’t need to get involved. It’s not his job to look after you, regardless of how much better he feels when he does. Old instincts. He can’t help himself.

He settles on watching Ellie and Dina spin each other around on the dance floor. Eventually, Tommy and Maria, then Ethan and Alex all trickle out of the booth to go get another round or head to dance. Joel stands to release the booth to someone who actually needs it – and is left in the corner, nursing a nearly empty beer that’s now flat and warm. He looks towards his family and friends, but for some reason, he still feels alone. 

Joel isn’t sure how long he stands sulking, but he starts when someone approaches from behind.

“Having fun?”

You’re a pace or two back, one thumb hooked through a belt loop, a whiskey in your opposite hand. Joel looks back at the crowd a moment, then at the ground. “No.” 

“Neither am I,” you commiserate, stepping alongside him. 

Joel considers offering that Ethan was looking for you, but selfishly does not want to give you a reason to leave, so he stays quiet. You observe the dance floor like he is, smiling slightly at the sight of Ethan and Alex dancing. The flannel you’re wearing over a gray tank hangs loosely off one shoulder, and Joel wants to reach out and touch the exposed skin. You take your last sip of whiskey, bring a finger to swipe under your bottom lip, and Joel wishes he knew what you might taste like right now. He scolds himself for fantasizing.

You don’t speak either, and you stand in silence for a while, until you eventually pop your hip, shifting closer to him. Maybe you don’t realize it, but you’re already standing so close that your arm gets pressed up against his. Neither of you acknowledge the contact, but Joel is acutely aware of how your skin burns hot against his own. He feels comforted by the affection, even if it’s unintentional.

“Want to leave?” Joel asks, and can hardly believe that the words came out of his mouth, even if he wanted them to. 

You look over at him, not bothering to hide your surprise, but your expression evens out quickly, and you give him a single nod. “Yeah.” 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Joel’s still not convinced this is real. It feels too much like a dream, the weather outside is so pleasantly warm it feels like he’s floating as you walk down the street. He had never expected you to agree to leave with him, and now he doesn’t know what to do, or what to say.

The greater distance you put between yourselves and the bar, the quieter the town is. Most of Jackson’s residents are at the dance, save for the guards at the front gate and the handful of people that had been mingling just outside.

He heads in the general direction of the neighborhood, even though he lives on a different street. 

“What are we supposed to do now?” you wonder out loud, and you sound a little incredulous, like you’re equally as shocked to find yourself beside him. The question carries a bit more weight than it would have coming from anyone else.

Joel contemplates. He’s not sure what he wants from you – there are a lot of things, actually – but he doesn’t know if he really deserves any of them. For now, your companionship is more than enough.

“You’re welcome to come back to mine,” he offers.  “But if you’re looking to keep drinking, all the booze is back at the bar.”

“I’m good.” You shake your head like you’re uninterested, but look over at him with a sparkle in your eye. “I have something better….” 

You reach into the pocket of your flannel and produce a rolled joint between two fingers, looking over your shoulder. “Those dances are usually terrible, so I always come prepared.” 

Joel can’t help the chuckle that escapes him, and the sheepish grin he gets in return makes his cheeks feel warm. “Where’d you even get that?”

“You’ve never been on patrol with Eugene, have you?” you ask. “He has a place just out of town where he grows it. I’ve been helping him since we first got paired up, and in exchange, I get to sample the supply.”  

Of course. Joel would’ve never imagined that was the reason you were so close with Eugene, but it suddenly makes incredible sense. He shakes his head in a combination of relief and amusement. “You really haven’t changed.” 

“Oh, I’m sure I have,” you answer, smiling to yourself and looking at the ground. “But of course I haven’t shaken all my bad habits.”

“That’s not true,” Joel mutters.

“Well, you haven’t changed either, for as much as you’ve tried to convince me,” you nudge him gently, offering him the joint. “What do you think?” 

Joel plucks it from between your fingers and puts it between his lips. “I think I have a lighter at home.”

“Sounds perfect.” 

In the front hallway of his house, you slip out of your tennis shoes, shuffling behind him in your socks, pausing occasionally to study some of the doodles that Ellie had drawn and hung on the walls – it wasn’t exactly a priority to decorate these days, but they certainly livened up the place. He knows how much Ellie likes you, despite the fact that she doesn’t gush, but the odd comment here and there says as much. Joel remembers how difficult it had been to keep Sarah away, and Ellie now is no different. He doesn’t seem to be able to help himself, either. 

You sit next to Joel on his wicker couch, curling your feet up under you as he lights the joint and study him while he takes the first few puffs. He does it without thinking. That’s how soft Jackson has made him. Normally, he’d be too stressed about being out of his wits. But he can’t see how hypervigilance has served him since settling down. He feels safe here, and somehow especially because he’s with you. 

When he passes the joint your way, you look at him wistfully. “Old times,” you say with a grin. 

Joel nods as he exhales, coughing. “Old times.” 

“Oh yeah,” you say, as if you just remembered something. “You can’t tell Ethan about this. He doesn’t know, and he will give me shit about it. I need him to take me seriously.” 

Joel shakes his head. “Well, you know, it sounds like he and Tommy both think you and Eugene are together.”

“What?” your head jerks forward in shock, eyes going wide. “Oh my god, no. Do people think that?”

“I’m just sayin’,” Joel wants to mention how he had seen you whispering to each other at the bar earlier, but then realizes it’d give a bit too much away. “That’s what they think.”

“Well....historically speaking I might’ve liked older men…. but not that old.”

Joel purses his lips. “You’ve lived here awhile, huh?” When you nod, he continues. “Has no one caught your eye?” 

“Uhm….not really. But….” you trail off, looking into Joel’s backyard. “To be completely honest, I  don't think about that much these days. I guess I feel like I have a lot to be grateful for. I don’t want to push it.”

Joel understands, and nods pensively.

“What about you?” you ask. 

“I guess I feel the same.”

That causes you to smile a little bit, look over at him. “I bet you already know this. But the women here would line up down the block for you.”

Joel can’t help but roll his eyes, though he wonders if you would, too. Even if you did like him, that didn’t seem like your style. 

“I’m serious. I’ve heard the things they whisper behind your back. All their fantasies about you are pretty creative...”

“Fantasies?” He grimaces. He imagines none of them know anything about who he really is. You’re the closest thing, and all he’s done is hurt you. “I’m sure you were quick to set them straight.” 

“I don’t say anything,” you say, then continue on, a little quieter, looking at him from under your lashes. “I like to keep you to myself.” 

Joel isn’t sure how to respond to that. You have every right to tell all of them that you were once together, and all the ways he’s hurt you since. Yet for some reason, you’ve chosen to protect him. 

“So….all this time….” you wonder. “You had to have been with other people, right?”

Joel doesn’t think to hold back. “I had a partner for a long time. Tess. First, it was all business, I helped her smuggle things in and out of the Boston QZ…and then, I don’t know….we got along, we trusted each other and…” Joel trails off, hoping you’d put together the rest before he has to go into too much detail. “She was real fuckin’ tough. Scared me a little at first. You would’ve liked her.”

“Well, we already have one thing in common. What happened?”

“She’s the whole reason I ended up out here….with Ellie,” Joel explains. “But I lost her a little over a year ago.”

He hopes you don’t ask how. Maybe someday he’d be willing to go into detail, but talking about it generally is hard enough as it is. But fortunately, you seem to pick up on his hesitance. “I’m sorry, Joel,” you say softly.

He shakes his head. “I was an asshole. To her. I should've....after Sarah died I didn’t want to get attached, so I kept her at arms length and I... I wished I hadn’t in the end. It only made things worse.”

“Yeah,” you nod, look down. “I’ve made that mistake before.”

Joel doesn’t want to linger any longer on the memory. “What about you? Were you with anyone?”

“Uhm, yeah,” you fidget, looking uncomfortable. “I had a partner….for like ten years."

Ten years? He had been with Tess for more, but something about that information feels jarring. He’s shocked Tommy never told him this. Did Tommy even know? Suddenly, it dawns on Joel everything that could’ve happened to you since you’ve been apart. Entire lifetimes. And he’d said such horrible things when you’d fought. He remembers your face when he’d told you that you didn’t know what it was like to lose a child. Maybe you had. He’d been so cruel and inconsiderate just because he was uncomfortable. 

His throat feels tight, almost scared to learn anymore. “What…what was his name?”

“Well, Bea….was her name.” 

Joel is sure he doesn't hide the shock well. “Sorry, I didn’t know…”

“Yeah,” you say. “I don’t think I did either. Well, I sort of did, but I was too young I think when I first realized to make any sense of it, but…. I met her and…yeah,” then, you smirk. “I mean, I went to an all-girls school and I had a really bad relationship with my dad so…it definitely makes sense. ” 

Joel considers this, smiles along with you. “But anyways. Her and I met shortly after my brother died and it was kind of the same. We kept each other alive, things developed from there. We ended up getting involved with this group who lived in the middle of nowhere. That’s a whole other story, but…” you wave your hand. “I loved her, and I lost her right before Ethan and I got here.” 

Joel sees all the pain in your eyes, and wishes he could say something to take it all away. He knows he can’t. You look back out into the woods in his backyard, take a deep breath, and reach back towards the joint that you had put out not long before, lighting it again. Joel gets the sense that both of you had done the most amount of sharing possible for the time being. 

“Look at us,” you take another drag before passing it over. “Old times.”

“Old times,” he repeats, a smile working its way onto his face. 

“This used to be my favorite thing to do with you.” 

“It was nice,” Joel agrees….hesitates before continuing. “But I can think of some things I liked better.” He gives you a knowing look, and you roll your eyes, laughing easily at his joke. It feels so good to make you laugh, to see you smile. Why had he spent so much time resisting?

“Touche.” 

What happens next spills out of Joel so quickly he doesn’t think to stop it. “I tried to look for you….after all this happened. I didn’t have Sarah anymore, and I thought maybe….I don’t know. It was the only thing that kept me going for a while.”

“I did too,” you confess. “But…I was with Vincent and Ethan, and I felt like I couldn’t leave them alone for something that might just be…. I always hoped you both made it. And I’m so sorry she’s gone. I really did love her.” 

“I know you did,” Joel reaches out to take your hand. “I know. And I shouldn’t have said those things I did. I’m still not sure why you’ve been so patient with me.”

“Hmm,” you shift so that you’re closer to him. “You waited around for me back then. It’s only fair that I’d wait around for you now. I want you in my life. I don’t care what that looks like. But it’s too hard to forget about a person that you loved.” 

Joel wants as much from you as you’re willing to give, and he can’t tear his gaze away from you. But he wants you to see him, all of him, before he takes it. 

“I’ve let a lot of people down. I’ve done a lot of h-horrible things,” his voice cracks, and tears well in his eyes. 

“I have, too, you know? Those things still live with me. But I think what matters is who we are now,” you reach out, fingertips brushing the scar on his temple, and Joel swears that even if you don’t know the story behind it, you can see right through him. “And I know who you are.” 

“I don’t want to hurt you anymore than I already have.” 

“You won’t,” you say. “No more than anyone else has. And if it makes you feel better…when people hurt me, I’ve gotten pretty good at hurting them back.” 

“If I do, I’d hope you would.”

“I will. I promise,” your thumb strokes his cheek, marveling at him. “I would suggest a blood oath or something but….I heard we kind of already did that…”

He’s given you every warning, every barrier, and you’re still here. He can’t believe it, and he doesn’t think he can hold back any longer. “Come here.”

He kisses you. He wishes that he could be slow and tender and gentle like he used to be – and certainly he’s still capable, but he realizes that he’s been depriving himself of something he wanted for so long, and can’t seem to control himself. 

Your hands land on the side of his face, and he wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you onto his lap. Maybe you’re somewhat taken aback by his urgency, you hum against his lips, but you don’t resist at all. Joel maneuvers you so you’re straddling his thighs, and he grips your hips, your ass, coasts his hands up your side. Your lips part in a moan, and he slips his tongue into your mouth. 

For a while, he stays there, savors the taste of you, whiskey and smoke still lingering on your lips. His hands cup your jaw, feel your body, grip and squeeze and stroke and you let him, continue to let him. He tries everything, wondering if you’ll tell him to stop, if you’ll decide you’ve had too much, but you don’t. Then again, he should know by now that you’re a woman who knows what she wants. He just finds it’s hard to believe that he’s the thing you want.

You break away from him, just a little, and Joel presses his nose to your neck, kisses your pulse point. 

“Should we go upstairs?” your voice is raspy and breathless. “Will Ellie be home soon?” 

“Probably not for a while. We can be quick.”

“Hopefully not too quick,” you raise your eyebrows. Joel can’t help but laugh a little. He relishes in the way your hands rake up and down his arms, exploring him, touching him. Of course he wants you, but even just this would be enough. He’d be content with less, he hadn’t realized how starved of affection he’d been.

You’re able to pry yourselves off one another to make it up the stairs, and Joel guides you with a hand to the small of your back. When you get to his bedroom, he opens the door, but stops you before you go inside. 

“Hold on,” Joel mutters, winding one arm around your waist, the other behind your knee.

“Joel, what-no, you’ll–” he pulls you into his arms. 

“Do you really think I’m not strong enough?”

“I didn’t say that,” you chuckle as he carries you over the threshold and into the bedroom, breath puffing against him before he lays you down on the bed. 

When he hovers over you, your fingers wind into his hair, nails raking against his scalp. He savors every sweet sigh he’s able to pull from you, hands cupping your breasts and squeezing your hips. You’re so pliant and open beneath his body, it makes it easier to not feel guilty about what he’s doing. He knows he shouldn’t feel guilty, you’ve said as much, but it might take some time before the feeling will die completely. Hopefully, he has enough time with you to see it off completely.

Clothes are removed quickly, intentionally, as you both bare more and more of yourself to each other. And while he wishes he could’ve been there to see the ways in which your body has changed, you’re still as beautiful as ever. 

Joel, however, is hesitant to give himself away completely. When you tug at the hem of his shirt, he hesitates. 

“I don’t know if-” he pauses. “If you want to see all that.”

“Joel,” you stare at him knowingly, kneeling across from him as he stands at the edge of the bed. “I do.” 

So he releases your hand, and lets you pull it over his head. Carefully, you study him, his body littered with scars. He knows he’s not as in shape as you remember. These days, he hardly can look at himself in the mirror after a shower. He expects you to be disgusted, or at least see it flit across your face before you compose yourself, but you don’t. Your fingertips drag through the smattering of hair on his chest and down his torso, tracing several prominent scars – each one with a story – but you linger on the one at his abdomen, frowning. 

He sees the question on your face, but you don’t ask it. Instead, you return to press yourself against him. “I’m so glad you’re still here….”

You kiss him, then, and Joel can only kiss you back. 

Joel isn’t the only one with battle scars. Some of them he feels are his fault, but you seem less self-concious about them, which gives him a surprising amount of confidence. Maybe it’s just a reality of what happens when you make it this long. 

When you’re finally bare beneath him, he admires how you look, stretched out and waiting, chest heaving and shivering with anticipation. He slides his hand between your legs – feels you already wet and warm, sinking two fingers inside. Your walls flutter around the intrusion, back arcing off the bed when you sigh out his name. Joel.

He’d forgotten how nice it felt to hear that. 

Joel is already thinking about what he’d like to do to you next time. He’d be more careful, more patient. He’d bury his face between your thighs to see if you tasted as good as he remembers, he’d let your fingers curl into his hair. But right now you both seem desperate for the same thing. 

He pumps his cock a few times with his hand, he can’t remember the last time he’d been this hard – the last time he’s wanted anyone this badly. Even with Tess, it had always felt like the both of them were hurrying to scratch an itch, her eyes would wander like she was thinking of other people, and maybe he was, too. 

Joel lines himself up with your slick cunt, teases you a little, and you roll your body down to meet him, gasping when his blunt head slides in – just a little. 

He can’t hold back. You practically suck him in, so tight and hot around him he finds it immediately overwhelming, but he doesn’t even think to pull out. Only when he’s fully seated inside you, and given you a chance to adjust, does he start to move. 

It’s euphoric. You’re both older now, more mature, but he still remembers all the things you liked, even if it takes a moment for him to find the spot inside you that makes you cry out, legs wrapping around his hips. 

Unlike before, you don’t bother trying to hide from him. You kiss him, hold him, touch him, look him in the eyes, tell him how good he feels – you don’t hold back. Joel relishes every word you say, clings to the praise and gives it back. Your lashes flutter when he tells you how pretty you look.

He can think of nothing else other than bringing you pleasure, can tell you’re getting close when you begin to rut against him, and he reaches down to let the pads of his fingers slide over your clit.

When you come, you whine his name, lock your lips with his own and he swallows your moans. The feeling of you so impossibly tight and wet and pulsing and squeezing him so tightly has him following closely after. 

His head is still buried in the crook of your neck when you speak again. “God, I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.”

The second Joel pulls out, he starts missing how close he felt to you. But you fix that by rolling over onto your stomach, curling up at his side, head on his chest, and arm across his stomach. 

“Joel. Fuck, you’re so perfect.”

He’s far from it. But he’s starting to think if you say it enough, maybe he’ll start to believe it. He turns his head to kiss you gently, slowly. “So are you.” 

“We can do this again, right?” you ask. 

“Yes,” he says. “Yes, we can.”

“Good,” you settle back against him, and very slowly, he dozes off with you right beside him. He doesn’t want to sleep alone again, and luckily, he doesn’t have to. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

-December 4th, 2026-

When you return home from patrol, you find Joel in his living room – boots off and socked feet propped on the arm of the couch. You don’t notice his eyes are closed, that he’s asleep, until you get closer, see the book he’d been reading resting on his chest as he snores lightly. You can’t help but feel for him – he’s probably exhausted from constant patrols, so he must be tired. 

But mostly, you’re just overwhelmed by the love you feel for him, catching him in a quiet moment of vulnerability. Hesitantly, you reach out and squeeze his foot. It’s gentle and tender enough that he blinks his eyes open and looks around, taking in his surroundings, rather than jolting awake like he often does. When he sees you on the opposite end of the couch, he melts back into the pillow he’s propped against. 

“Hey, stud,” you lean against the arm of the couch. 

“Hey,” Joel answers, voice still gruff with sleep. “How long was I out?”

“I don’t know,” you shrug. “I just got in.”

“Hmm,” Joel closes his eyes again, folds his hands across his stomach.

“You’re wearing the glasses I got you,” you point out. They’re simple. Rectangular black frames. You’d found them on patrol, and brought them home after Joel had been complaining that he could barely see when he read before bed. But he’d tried them on and insisted he hated the way they looked, so you’d ended up using them most of the time.

“They do work,” he grumbles, like he’s ashamed to admit it. “But I still think they look stupid.”

“You look like a sexy librarian,” Joel rolls his eyes, but you can tell he’s suppressing a grin. There’s always a bit of defiance about him, he can’t fully admit how you get him so flustered even after you’ve spent so much time together. You press your thumb into the arch of his foot and he groans. “That feel good?” you ask. 

“Yes.”

“Whatcha reading?” You gesture towards the book. 

“Some book about the moon landing,” Joel lifts it off of his chest, where it lay face down and open, looks at the back cover. “For Ellie.”

“How sweet.”

“It’s a little dry,” he deadpans. “But she likes this stuff.” 

You shift your massage to his other foot. Joel stretches, his arms lifting above his head, the shirt he’s wearing rides up just so, so you see a sliver of his lower belly before it disappears again, throwing an arm over his eyes. 

“Are you tired?” you ask. 

“Always,” he says through a yawn. 

“Me too,” you yawn along with him, since they’re contagious. He pulls the glasses from their perch on the bridge of his nose and shuts the book, placing them both on the coffee table in front of him. You take your hands off his feet and he sits up a little straighter, holding out his hand. 

“Come ‘ere,” he says, and you do. 

He grunts as you settle into his arms, head nestled against his chest, sprawling out almost on top of him, the only way you both can fit like this on the couch.

“You’re so warm,” you say softly, letting him wrap his arms around you. 

“You’re cold. Your hands are freezing,” he holds them in his own.

“It’s cold out.”

“Don’t know why you left today.”

“Obligations. Patrol.”

“Fuck that.”

You laugh into his chest, pausing for a moment before speaking again. “You know, I think we might be boring.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, we don’t really leave the house. We spend all day reading. And we’re old.”

“We’re not that old.”

“But we’re getting up there.”

“Sure, but…” Joel trails off. 

“Everything’s so quiet, so calm.”

“I think that’s what most people would describe as content.” 

“Are you content?” you ask, lifting your head to look him in the eyes. 

“I’m happy,” he says softly, tucking a piece of hair behind your ears. “Are you?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Then don’t worry about the rest.”

“Okay,” you settle back against your husband's chest, feel his lips brush your forehead.

His fingers search absentmindedly for the ring on your finger he’d found while clearing out a pawn shop not too long ago. The one he wore looked nothing like your own. But the marriage had been long overdue, and neither of you cared what the rings actually looked like. 

Nowadays, you split your time between his place with Ellie, and your own with Ethan, but end up in his bed every night. At this point, you don’t think you could sleep without him. 

Years ago, another lifetime, you’d had a conversation underneath a sky full of stars. You’d told him that for you, good things had never lasted. Joel had made a promise. 

This will.

It took time. There was a lot of pain. But in the end, he had told you the truth.

-

-

-

[sequinsmile-x]

BESTIE I’M SO PROUD OF YOU! Contgrats to your 500 followers and thank you for all you do for us Hotchniss shippers💛💛

I’d like to request: Kisses #33: hushed conversation in-between kisses

(Go ahead and make me feel things, I’m here for it!)

THANK YOU <3

And to repay you for your kind words...I've written nearly 3k words of sadness.

You're welcome xoxo

(yes another one became a full blown fic. I am who I am)

-x-

Sanctuary

She didn't understand it. How could she miss something that she never knew she had this much?

Words: 2.9k

Warnings: Major themes of miscarriage/pregnancy loss

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily wakes up quickly. Torn from sleep by something unknown, dazed and slightly confused as she shakes her head to rid herself of the last tendrils of sleep. She checks the alarm clock on her nightstand and sees it’s 2 am, rolling her eyes as she rubs at them. She sits up, hoping a quick trip to the bathroom will rest her brain and therefore allow her to sleep. 

A sharp pain rolls through her abdomen, making her gasp as she presses her hand to her lower belly. It hurts, her body almost vibrating with it, it barely fades, the pain rolling through her in a way that felt distantly familiar. 

“Em?” 

She curses under her breath at the sound of Aaron’s sleepy voice, the light on his nightstand switching on not even a second later. He’d always been a light sleeper, a side effect of their job and what he’d been through, so he’d probably been awake ever since she had. 

“I’m ok,” she says, not sure she believes herself, the strain in her voice clear, “I think I’m sick or something my…” she groans as the pain briefly gets worse, “My stomach really hurts.” 

He sits up behind her, the mattress shifting as he moves, and he presses a hand to her shoulder. 

“Do you need help to the bathroom?” He asks, kindness to his voice that makes her cheeks burn. She wants to say no, wants to make it there herself, but she’s not sure she can. He’d seen her in worse states she reasons to herself. He’d picked up the pieces after she got way too drunk at a girl's night shortly after they’d moved in together a year ago. 

“Yes,” she says, nodding sharply, “I do.” He stands without further comment, turning the main light on as he does, and he walks round to her side of the bed. She pulls the bedding off from over her lap and he freezes on the spot, his eyes fixed on her with a tinge of horror shining in them. “Em…” 

“What?” She looks down, following his gaze to her lap, and she gasps. She’d bled through her sweatpants and she could see there was also some blood on the mattress below her. It was enough to make alarm rise in her chest.  She swallows thickly, “Wh…what?” She repeats before she looks back up at him as if he had the answers. 

“Ok,” he says, springing into action, his Hotch mask slipping into place as it so often did when there was a crisis. He kisses the top of her head before reaching for her phone because it was closer than his, typing in the passcode before he opens up the contacts, “I’m going to call Jessica, then we’re going to get you changed and to the hospital.” 

“Aaron that-”

“It’s not up for debate,” he says, already pressing Jess’s name in Emily’s phone, “Something is clearly wrong, sweetheart.” 

“It’s probably just my period,” She says, trying to dismiss it, to minimise both of their concerns, “It’s a bit late so…” She drifts off, the realisation hitting her just as quickly as the pain had. She’d felt this pain before, the familiarity of it showing its true face to her as she does the math in her head. She looks back at Aaron and sees how he dials Jess’s number again, clearly having reached her voicemail the first time, “Aaron? I…” she presses her hand into her belly as the cramp rolls through her again, “I think I might be having a miscarriage.” 

His eyes widen in a way that would be comical in any other circumstances, “What?” He asks, “But you aren’t pregnant.”

“I…I think I might be. Or at least,” she clears her throat, pushing down the preemptive sorrow that she doesn’t want to feel, “Or at least I was,” she blows out a breath that seems to catch on every rib on the way out, shuddering as it leaves her, “It feels like…” she pauses to wince, her face screwed up, “It feels like when I was in Rome. After the....” 

She drifts off again, but she knows she doesn’t have to say anything else, that she doesn’t have to explain any further as he closes his eyes, the realisation hitting him too. She’d told him about it when they first got together. Pieces finally fallinginto place for him that had been missing ever since the case when she had acted so differently from her usual self. Another thing this woman he loved had gone through. Another piece of proof of her unyielding strength. 

Any reply he might have is cut off as the phone finally connects to Jess, her sleepy voice coming down the line.

“Jess, I’m so sorry to call at this time of day.” 

He reaches out and grabs Emily’s hand as he explains the situation to Jess, and she can hear the muffled sounds of the other woman rushing around her home on the other end. 

If love would be enough to help, Emily knew she had it in abundance. 

___

It feels like days, not a matter of hours, have passed when she’s next in their bedroom. She feels dazed, like she’s watching everything around her happening from behind a glass wall. 

“Sweetheart?” 

She turns to look at Aaron, unmistakable sadness on his face that she can hardly bear to look at, something she refused to call guilt gnawing at her insides. Her eyes flick to his hand, to the bag he’s carrying full of medication that he’d listened to the instructions for, and medical grade sanitary towels that the kind nurse had given them because of the time of day it was when Emily was discharged. Aaron said he’d go out later to get more, and it makes her stomach turn.

She’d bought the same ones for JJ when she’d just had Henry. 

“Do you need anything?” He asks, a desperate look in his eyes that tells her he would do anything to help her. That he’d go right across town to the tiny bakery she liked the pastries from and camp outside until they opened if it made her feel even the tiniest bit better. 

“I think I just need to sleep,” she says, turning towards the bed and finally looking at it. They hadn’t made it before they left, the sheets and comforter thrown all over the place, the blood she’d lost still standing out against the sheets. A physical manifestation of the panic that tinged the air. 

The bed looked different now. Pulled together neatly like it was in a hotel, bedding she recognised from the closet that she’d washed and put away only that week.

“Jess said she changed the bed,” he explains, his gaze burning into the back of her head, “She said she didn’t want you to-”

“I’ll have to remember to thank her,” she says, cutting him off, polite in a way that makes her sound a little too much like her mother. She walks over to her side of the bed. She was still in pain, her body aching in a way she had forgotten it could. She sits on the edge of the bed and looks at him over her shoulder, “I really do think I just need some sleep.” 

“Ok, I’ll-”

“Alone,” she says, not missing the brief hurt that flashes across his face. “Please.”

It’s a silent standoff for a moment, and she sees the war raging within him. How he is figuring out how to handle this, how to help. He eventually nods sharply, putting the bag of her supplies down on a chair they keep in the corner before retreating to the door.

“Ok, whatever you need, sweetheart,” he says “If you need me-”

“I know,” she cuts over him again, sure if he’s too kind to her that she’ll break, “I know.” 

He nods at her, his lips set in a firm line, before he walks out of the room, the click of the door closing the last sound before she’s plunged into silence. She lays down and curls around her pillow, holding it to her abdomen as if it would ease the ache. 

She finally lets herself cry, everything she’d felt since she had first woken up spilling free. 

___

At first, the knock on the door frustrates her. She pulls the bedding tighter around herself, curling into a ball under it as if she could disappear. She opens her mouth to tell whoever it was, Aaron, to go away, that she wanted to be alone, but she’s cut off by a small voice. 

“Emily?” 

She closes her eyes, screwing them shut tightly as if that alone would stop the seemingly never-ending tears from leaking onto her cheeks. She pulls the bedding back just enough to reveal her face, and she turns towards the door. 

“Hi Jack,” she says, grateful that her voice is relatively even. Gravelly from misuse, but not stuffed full of the sadness she couldn’t shake off, “Are you ok?” 

He hesitates by the door, scratching at the back of his head in a way that he had picked up from Aaron. A tell from both her Hotchner boys that always gave away when they were nervous. He looks back over his shoulder, as if he’s being followed, and then back at her. 

“Daddy said I should leave you alone.” 

It makes her ache, the pain in her chest twisting even tighter. A knot she was sure she’d never be able to undo. Forever tied together around her heart, equal parts grief and love mixing into something she couldn’t name. 

She finds herself briefly furious at her fiancee. The thought that he felt as if he needed to protect her from something, from his son, lighting a fire in her belly. It is extinguished almost as soon as it is lit, sorrow that seemed to be in her very veins a dampener to any other feeling. 

“Come over here, honey,” she pushes the bedding back and holds out a hand to him, a strange defiance against the man she loves that she can’t explain. Jack doesn’t need asking twice. He’s across the room in a second, under the covers and laying on his father's side of the bed. He lays his head on Aaron’s pillow and looks at her, his brows furrowing slightly. 

Emily doesn’t think he’s ever looked more like Aaron. The crease in between his brows. The serious look on his face. The way his jaw was tight.

The concern that shone through the eyes Emily knows he got from his mother. 

“You’re sad?” He asks, reaching out and touching her cheek, his hand meeting the sticky residue left behind by her tears.

“Yes, Jack,” she replies, reaching over and pushing his hair off of his face, idly thinking about how he was well overdue for a haircut, “I’m sad.” 

She hopes he doesn’t ask why, or at least that Aaron has already given him an age-appropriate explanation of what had happened. She doesn’t have it in her to explain it to him, to try and help him make sense of something she didn’t understand herself. 

“Can I help?” He asks, and it feels like a knife to the chest. The look on his face letting her know if he could, he would make her feel better. Yet another thing he had inherited from his father. 

“Oh sweet boy,” she says, pulling him in for a hug that helps her feel grounded but also stops him from seeing the fresh tears spilling out of her lash line, “You do help,” she kisses the side of his head, “You always help.” 

Aaron finds them twenty minutes later, both fast asleep on Emily’s side of the bed and snuggled up. He pulls the door closed, and feels a flash of jealousy that he hates himself for that she’ll let Jack in, but not him. 

___

She feels the bed dip behind her as Aaron joins her. He’d made her eat dinner, a simple meal that he’d put in her hands before he left her to it, the now empty plate on her nightstand. 

He’d spent the day loving her from a distance, giving her the space she’d asked for, the space she needed.

Now, she needed him. 

“I’m sorry,” she says eventually, her voice quiet but loud in the otherwise silent room. 

“What for?” He asks, matching her tone. She rolls over to look at him, laying on her side as her eyes meet his. She shrugs, her lips set in a firm line as her eyes shine with tears. He shifts so he’s laying on his side facing her, he feels his arms twitch to reach out for her, to pull her into his embrace, but he stops himself, not wanting to do anything that would make her shut down again.

“For pushing you away all day,” she explains, her chin trembling, “For the miscarriage. I…I didn’t know.” 

It was the thought that kept playing on a loop in her head. She hadn’t even known she was pregnant. Something she seemingly gained the second she was already losing it, a pain in her chest that seemed to match the cramps in her belly. The grief came as a surprise, her world fuzzy ever since the doctor confirmed her fears in the ER. Everything seemed blurred, out of focus. A ringing in her ears that made it feel like she was underwater, everything too far away to reach out for. 

Except for Aaron. He was always within reach. 

“Oh sweetheart,” he says, finally reaching for her and pulling her into his arms. She goes willingly, curling into his embrace as she buries her face into his shoulder, his t-shirt immediately dampened by her tears, “You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing.” 

He rubs his hand up and down her back, aware of his own tears slipping down his face, dropping onto the top of her head. Her pain had always been his Achilles heel, the thing that could threaten to tear him apart. Leaving him unravelled, knowing he’d do anything to make her feel better.

He couldn’t fix this. He couldn’t make it better for her, for them, but he could love her. Something that came to him as easily as breathing.

“I don’t understand why it hurts so much,” she says, pulling back to look at him, waving off his concern as he goes to reach for the painkillers for her on his nightstand, “Not the actual pain,” she adds, “I didn’t know I was pregnant, Aaron,” she says again, shaking her head at herself as she sobs, “I had no idea. So why does it hurt this much? I feel so…empty.” 

Aaron places his palm on her cheek and kisses her forehead, then her nose, and then her lips. A delicate thing that he hopes gets across everything he doesn’t have the words for. 

“It’s ok to be sad, Emily. I’m sad too. We lost something today,” He says, his voice barely above a whisper, still matching the tone she’d set when she started the conversation. 

She smiles at him, her lower lip trembling as she cups his neck, her thumb rubbing at his jawline. She shifts so they are sharing his pillow, curled around each other like a vine as she kisses him softly. 

“Something we didn’t know we had,” she replies, resting her forehead against his. “I know we hadn’t really started trying yet,” she says, her smile wavering, “But if it had happened…it would have been nice.” 

Aaron feels his heart clench in his chest, a vice tight around it, grief that he couldn’t have anticipated only 24 hours ago threatening to suffocate him. “It would have been amazing.”

She stamps another kiss on his lips before she rests her head on his chest, curling into him again. 

“When this all hurts a tiny bit less,” she says, her voice shaking, “Can we talk about it? Having a baby I mean.”

She knew their time was limited. That her age and the damage her body had been subjected to over the years could made it difficult, but she wanted this with him. She hadn’t realised quite how much she did want it until it was snatched away from her. 

He holds her impossibly closer, his arms banding tight around her, “Of course sweetheart,” he replies, his lips against her hairline, “Of course we can.” 

He can’t think of anything he’d rather do more. The thought of marrying her, of raising Jack and a kid that was half him and half her with her, enough to ease some of the pain in his chest. The promise of a future a bright spark in the distance. 

He cups the back of her head to hold her in place, his hand running up and down her back in a pattern he hopes will lull her to sleep.

“What do you need, sweetheart?” He asks, “I’ll do anything.” 

She smiles, the first real one all day, and hides it deep in his t-shirt, the press of it against his chest. She knows he means it. That he’d pluck the moon from the sky if she asked him to. Or get out of bed and drive to Mcdonald's and flash his badge until they served him breakfast despite it being the evening. He’d change this for her if he could, just like he would with anything that had ever hurt her. She knows she doesn’t need any of that. 

“You,” she replies, sinking further into him, “This.” 

“I’m right here,” he promises, kissing the top of her head, “I’m here.” 

He always would be. 

-x-

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[shoto-chann]

I’d like to request a prompt where Bakugo is being a little nastier than usual and Jirou finds out he’s ticklish so she uses it against him and giga wrecks him

Ohoho, I got you.

A Lesson In Respect

My Hero Academia

Lee: Bakugo

Ler: Jirou

Description: Bakugo is being a little nastier than usual, so Jirou decides to teach him a lesson in a way both of them wouldn't expect

*Warning: Contains swearing and death threats

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU DAMN NERD!" Bakugo had been yelling at everyone all day. To be fair, that kind of behavior is normal. But today he was acting a little nastier than usual. He's been constantly yelling at Midoriya for just about anything he's done, he's blasted Kaminari for breathing, and he's even yelled at Aizawa and All Might during class and walked out. Jirou was just about fed up with this attitude of his, but the last straw was with what was happening now.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, YOU DAMN NERD!" "What are you talking about, Kacchan?! I'm not even in front of you!" "DON'T GET SMART WITH ME, DEKU!" "I'm only trying to help you!" " I'LL KILL YOU!" "Oh, what else is new?!" An explosion could be heard, followed by screaming. Jirou jumped at the sound of Midoriya's screams as he was being blasted by Bakugo. Seconds later, there was a door slamming, and Midoriya came walking out in a daze, his entire body smoking from top to bottom.

"Oh my God! Midoriya!" Jirou jumped off the couch and ran to Midoriya, who was just about to fall over, and caught him. "Are you okay?" Midoriya looked up and weakly smiled at her. "Yeah. Believe it or not, this isn't the first time Kacchan blasted me." They both sat down on the couch. "I think you may need to see Recovery Girl or get rest or something." "Heh, I'll be fine. I've been through worse." Midoriya said as he twitched in pain. Jirou felt very bad for him, knowing this had happened in the past many times before. "You shouldn't let him do that to you." "I'm sure he means well. He's just not the best at expressing his feelings." "So he blasts people as a form of expression?" Jirou was extremely confused. "Yeah. I mean that, and when he-" Midoriya winced in pain and nearly fell over. Jirou caught him and propped him up. "You should definitely see Recovery Girl." "No no, I'm fine. Trust me, this isn't as nearly as bad as it was the last time when I tickled Kacchan. I couldn't move for two whole days." Jirou perked up at the sound of that. "Wait. Bakugo...is ticklish?" "Oh yeah, very. We always used to have tickle fights all the time when we were kids. I...I...won... sometimes, but the price was I always got blasted." Jirou put a pin on Midoriya's little note about himself, too focused on her plan to get Bakugo to stop acting more of a jerk than usual. "Midoriya, tell me. Where exactly is Bakugo ticklish?"

*3 hours later*

It was currently 5 in the afternoon. Bakugo was sitting on the couch watching TV alone. Jirou walks in and is shocked to see Bakugo alone in the living room. Remembering Midoriya's words and her little plan, she continued walking. "Hey, Bakugo?" "Die." Okay, normal Bakugo behavior, Jirou thought. She sat down next to Bakugo, who just looked at her with his usual death glare. "The hell do you think your doing, Ears?" Ears? Are you serious? "I'm just trying to watch TV." "I WAS HERE FIRST, YOU DAMN EXTRA! GO FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO!" Jirou jumped at the sudden yell. At first, she wanted to just leave him alone, but remembering why she was here, she decided it was now or nothing.

"Oh, come on. Can't you share the TV?" She elbowed his ribs, and Bakugo jumped, suppressing a laugh. He glared at her even meaner. Jirou just smirked, knowing that she was gonna have fun. "WATCH WHAT YOU DO NEXT TIME BEFORE I KILL YOU!" "Bakugo, are you-" "Don't you dare say it!" "I'm just asking if you're-" "Say it and you die!" "Ticklish?" "OF COURSE NOT! THAT'S FOR WEAK EXTRAS LIKE YOU AND THAT DAMN NERD AND EVERYONE IN THIS DAMN CLASS! NOW LEAVE ME ALONE OR DIE!" "You do know that's the third time you said you'd kill me but didn't do anything, right?" Oh crap. Bakugo thought. Before he could do anything, Jirou grabbed him and flipped him to the opposite side of the couch. Pinning him down with his hands above his head, she sat on his waist with a smirk.

"WHAT THE HELL?! GET OFF OF ME!" "Sorry, Bakugo. But someone's gotta teach you a lesson. You've been acting like a much bigger jerk than usual, and it's time someone put you in your place." "TOUCH ME, EARS, AND I SWEAR I'LL-" Jirou drilled her fingers in his sides. He closed his mouth, determined not to laugh. "Stop...it...now!" He managed without breaking. "Oh, I don't plan on stopping. Not until you learn your lesson and apologize." "Never!" He almost giggled. Jirou smirked. "Whatever you say." She drilled her fingers harder, now inching up to his ribs. He was squirming furiously, trying to avoid Jirou's fingers on his ribs. Jirou expected this, just as Midoriya had told her, so she started tickling his ribs. And just like Midoriya said, he immediately broke. "NAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! I'LL KIHIHIHIHILL YOHOHOU! DAHAHAHAMN IHIHIHIT!" "Wow, Bakugo. For someone so strong and so tough, you are extremely ticklish." "FUHUHUCK YOHOHOU!" "You still have a bad mouth." She started stroking the hollows of his armpits, letting go of his hands to tickle his armpits and ribs. Bakugo screamed and thrashed as violently as he could as he tried to stop the tickling. "WHAHAT THE HEHEHEHEHELL?! LEHEHEHET MEHEHE GOHOHOHOHOHOHO! I'LL KIHIHIHIHILL YOHOHOU FOR THIHIHIHIS!" Jirou just smirked and followed every step Midoriya had told her.

Bakugo's sides made him giggle, his thighs made him squeal, his knees made him kick in all directions, his hips made him speak gibberish, his feet made him cackle, his belly made him snort. Jirou was having fun wrecking Bakugo, but she kinda felt weird about it. Tickling Bakugo was the last thing she expected to do today. Before Midoriya told her, she just assumed Bakugo wasn't ticklish. Either that or people were too afraid to try because of what he would do. But she's glad that Midoriya told her. Now she would have to thank him for this information later...

The tickling went on for thirty minutes, and Bakugo still hasn't gave in. He has a lot of endurance. Jirou thought. The only other place she hadn't gone for was his neck, supposedly one of his tickle spots. She reached for his neck while tickling his belly, but he scrunched his neck instantly, knowing what she would do. "DOHOHON'T YOHOHOU*snort*DAHAHAHARE!" Jirou raised an eyebrow. "Why? Did I find your little tickle spot?" "THAHAHAT*snort* FUHUHUHUHUCKING NEHEHEHERD*snort*TOLD YOHOHOU, DIHIDN'T HEHEHE?!" "Not everything has to do with Midoriya. And you didn't answer my question. Did. I. Find. Your. Tickle. Spot?" With every word, she poked his ribs and drilled her fingers, twirling her fingers across his ribcages. He squealed like a girl and shook his head. "NOHOHOHOHOHO!" He slammed his hand on the couch many times to indicate he wanted it to stop, but Jirou had other plans. "I know you're lying. I can heart your heart beat go faster when you lie."

She started tickling his neck out of nowhere. Bakugo screech laughed seven octaves higher, nearly making Jirou go deaf. "EHEHEHEHEARS! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP IHIHIHIT! PLEHEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP IHIHIHIT!" Jirou laughed. That was the first time he's begged for her to stop. "Say your sorry." "IHI'M SOHOHOHOHOHORY! IHI'M SOHOHOHOHOHORY!" "Are you sorry for everything you've done and said to everyone lately?" "YEHEHEHES! I AHAHAM!" Jirou couldn't believe how easily he caved in once she touched his neck. It's true his armpits are way more ticklish, and is probably his most ticklish spot, but his neck was a very close second. "Are you sorry for blasting Midoriya?" "NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Still being an ass about it, she thought to herself. She tickled his neck faster. "FUHUHUHUHUHUCK! FIHIHINE! YEHEHEHES! PLEHEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! I CAHAHAHAN'T BREHEHEATHE!" Jirou just laughed. "I would, but I won't. You still haven't learned your lesson." "WHAHAHAHAT?! YOHOHOU BIHIHIHITCH! YOHOHOU PROHOHOHOHOMISED!" "I didn't promise anything." She simultaneously tickled his neck and armpits, focusing on the lower hollow parts of his armpits. He almost threw Jirou off because it tickled so bad. FUHUHUHUHUHUHUCK! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! PLEHEHEHEHEASE! I'M BEHEHEHEHEGGING YOHOHOU! I HAHAHAHAVE TO-" "I don't care what you have to do. Until I know you learned your lesson, you're still getting the tickling of your life."

Bakugo's tickle torture went on for two whole hours. After hour one passed, he stopped fighting and let the tickling happen. He begged her every time as she tickled him all over, primarily focusing on his neck and armpits. He was losing all of his energy. He was extremely sweaty from laughing and moving so much. His voice was almost silent from all the laughing. His pants were wet because at one point he pissed himself while laughing so hard and begging to her to stop but Jirou refused. "PLEHEHEHEHEASE.... I'M SOHOHORRY..." Jirou thought that maybe he had enough tickle torture for today. "What will you do once I stop?" "AHAhahahapologize..." "And?" "I wohon't gehet you bahahack...." He finally lost consciousness. Jirou took that as a sign to stop. She let him go and got off the couch. She walked over to a shelf and took out a camera. She stopped recording and smirked. She had recorded the entire tickle torture, including the best part: the part where Bakugo pissed himself. She took the camera and walked to her dorm room. "If you ever try to get me or Midoriya back for this, I will show this to everyone in the class." She said to the unconscious Bakugo, who had a big smile plastered on his face. She giggled and walked to her dorm room. She had a lot of fun, despite her feeling weird about it. Maybe she should tell the rest of the Bakusquad about this and show them the footage. Maybe then, when Bakugo is acting nasty like that again, they would be ready to reteach him the lesson.

*Author's Note:

And that concludes this tickle fic. If you have any ideas for fics or headcannons, send an ask or send a dm and I'll get to work on it. Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed Bakugo getting wrecked.

That's all for now. Until next time,

❄️🔥 shoto-chann 🔥❄️ out

[fat-hedonistic-hogs]

How about another girl joining the fatrooms? Like Bulma or Towa?

"Alright Bulma.. You've got this! If this invention works you'll revolutionize energy production for everyone on earth! 1...2...3!" Bulma yelled closing her eyes as she flipped the on switch of her latest invention. It was a miraculous new creation designed from remnants of various evil scientist's works. Given the sheer number of them the z fighters had faces she decided to combine their surprisingly advanced technology in order to create a device that theoretically could produce infinite energy!

A blinding flash of light enveloped the laboratory and Bulma felt her skin tingle as she was bathed in cosmic rays. This wasn't part of the plan! She panicked yanking the switch down causing it to break off. The entire world shook for just a moment as space bent and reality cracked... and just like that she was gone leaving nothing but a scorch mark on the floor.

"Son of a... Now we're gonna have to waste a wish bringing me back to li- Wait isn't other world... where the hfil am I?" She asked rubbing her eyes which were still a bit dazed after the flash. "Well infinite energy is off the table but teleportation isn't anything to sneeze at! Now how the heck do I get out of here?" Bulma asked herself her own voice echoing as she got a good look at her surroundings. She was in some sort of abandoned mall, or atleast that's what she thought it was. The place was huge and rather run down but the power was still on even if the lights above her head flickered every few seconds. "Guess I better make my way to an exit.

She sighed hoping she didn't go too far from west city, she didn't have a phone on her but she'd be able to contact Vegeta once she got somewhere with one. "Man just how big is this place?" She groaned as she walked passed empty stores devoid of any kind of life. Clothes, creepy children's toys and electronics were scattered on the floor making the entire scene seem unnerving. "Its all in my head... just nerves from the shock that's all, it's just a creepy abandoned mall nothing more." Bulma said picking up the pace passing infront of clothing store full of faceless mannequins.

The clocks were no help trying to pin point the time. The ones not broken or smashed on the floor were left spinning wildly round and around. She had no sense of time either since the place seemed to have no windows just more and more stores and escalators going up to higher floors surely shed be at the exit soon enough. The place wasn't endless...

"Ugh I feel like I've been walking for HOURS! My stomachs starting to kill me..." Bulma groaned her gut growling with hunger. Thankfully salvation was close at hand. There was a food court and not just any food court one that had mysterious tables all stocked with freshly made burgers still warm and steaming as they sat on napkins and plastic plates. "What the? Who the heck leaves food out in an abandoned mall? And it looks like these were just made..." Bulma said a bit confused as she carefully picked up a burger and examined it. It looked normal enough and smelt real and not rotten. Her hunger only seemed to intensify as the greasy smell of the sandwiches filled her nostrils. "Kami forgive me for being so stupid but I feel like I'll eat my own leg if I don't grab a bite soon." She groaned shoveling the burger into her mouth smearing her face with ketchup and grease as she tore into it like a hungry animal. The petite scientist wasn't a heavy eater but she managed to clean the plate in no time flat finishing with a loud "BWOOOOOOOOORP!" That rattled some bear by glass. "Man that was delicious! Just what I needed now back to looking for a way out of this creepy place." Bulma said before turning her attention to a large jumbo sized soda and basket of chili fries. ".... okay maybe a snack to go." She said blushing as she swiped the basket and drink before going back on her path. Each step she took was met with a gulp of her drink or a handful of messy fries being shoveled into her mouth. She didn't bother to grab napkins so she simply wiped and cleaned her mouth with her arm for now slowly adding more and more stains to her futuristic looking jumpsuit. The routine of eating and walking helped get her mind off the creepy atmosphere of the seemingly colossal sized mega mall with Bulma oblivious to her own softening features. Food was all she had and she didn't even question why her fries never seemed to end or how each sip of her drink always gave her a sweet sugar mouthful of soda despite being chugged at for over an hour straight.

"Oh another food court!" She said perking up as spotted a rundown looking stand in the shape of a burger. Waddling over Bulma ignored the groaning of the stool beneath her rear of the sound of threads tearing as she began to out grow her jumpsuit. She grabbed armfuls of hotdogs, pizza, burgers and more piling them up on a singular table and helping herself. "It's been a few hours I think... Someone will... BLRRROOOOORT! Huff... come for me soon. Just gotta hunker down and wait for help. Beats walking all day." She groaned cheeks wobbling as she suckled down a mustard covered hotdog and let lose a few rancid bursts of gas. Her plan had changed from finding a way out to waiting for rescue. She didn't need to worry about escape! She had everything she needed right infront of her.

Fat sausage fingers shoveled food towards a pair of ketchup stained lips while a exposed pair of breasts caught falling food and leftovers like a massive pig trough. A table stacked high with food sat in the center of the food court with Bulma at its base stuffing and gorging herself more and more. Legs became tree trunk sized and her ass had long sense swallowed the stool she once sat on. Manners and shame forgotten as she shoved her head face first into a plate of nachos lapping up cheese and crunchy chips with her tongue.

Her once beautiful complexion ruined by grease and food clogging her pores. Her hair greasy and long rolling down her back after ages of being uncut or washed. Even her nose changed flattening and becoming a snout from the countless hours of being pressed against plates and dishes. She was like a gargantuan hog only capable of seeing the mountain of food infront of her and not caring about anything else. She ate and ate till she couldn't even move her bingo wing covered arms any more. She was a glutton a bottomless garbage disposal for junk food and slop.

The food never stopping and her stomach never filling, the once brilliant scientist reduced to a eating machine driven only by the never ending need to stuff herself... help wouldn't come but even if it did... would she care?

[sapphire-heart-tippy]

So I've been thinking about something!!

Hol Horse and Tippy actually knew each other before Tippy started working at Dio's mansion. If you're one of my mutuals that have seen me selfship with Hol Horse pre transition, here's what happened in the Sapphire Heartverse:

Hol Horse, The Pillarmen, Ghiaccio, and Giorno were all of the random few in the world selected to have their personal lives scrambled. No particular reason aside from the evil universe destroying stand user testing out their abilities.

Hol Horse was young again, shrugged it off, but realized that a lot of the stuff he learned to do with his stand is slipping his mind. Now he has to relearn a lot of techniques all over again.

The Pillarmen aside from Wamuu, are all dazed and confused. Kars is kind of delusional and thinks he's a famous model/actor. Esidisi tries to be supportive of his family, he can hardly remember what they are supposed to do in the first place. Wamuu remembers almost everything, but decides to keep quiet. Santana is... Well... Uh... He's trying his best 😭

Ghiaccio and most of La Squadra came back to life, said "fuck it" and they sell food and clothes as a day job while running crimes at night.

Giorno is slightly upset because he lost his requiem powers. But he's still going strong.

ANYWAY

Hol Horse made a few online friends, Tippy being one of them. He knew Tippy pre transition... He would call Tippy, "Li'l filly" all the time. When Tippy made the big announcement that he's transgender and will now go with he/him pronouns and other masculine terms, Hol Horse was accepting the best as he could. Every now and then Hol Horse would slip up, so he started calling him "Li'l fella."

I might put that in the story where Hol and Tip are surprised to see each other in real life again. Hol Horse goes,"You're looking wonderful as ever, li'l fill- er li'l fella!"

Most people, Dio included, already know Tippy is trans. Vanilla is kind of oblivious though. One day they're all in Dio's pool or something, Vanilla gets worried and sees scars on Tippy's chest. Ice doesn't want to draw attention to it and he doesn't want anyone to say anything. He's giving dirty looks to the others who he thinks might say anything, which confuses everyone. They think he's just in another one of his moods.

That night, Vanilla really wants to ask what those scars are from because they look too identical. He's a little worried that Tippy might get upset, so they both chat a little in Vanilla's bedroom like usual. Ice finally asks, with a little hesitation. Tippy smiles and answers. Vanilla has a few other questions, some that make him blush a little. Tippy answers all of his questions politely. Ice feels relieved that those are scars that Tippy actually wanted rather than him getting hurt.

Vanilla still very much sees Tippy as a man, albeit a small one, but a man nonetheless. He is not bothered by it at all, more relieved and happy for Tippy to become who he's meant to be. This doesn't change anything other than Vanilla being more informed about something he was curious about.

So pretty much, Hol Horse slips and may accidentally call Tippy "Li'l filly" but saves himself with "Li'l fella"

Vanilla is very protective of Tippy and also very accepting and happy for him.

[nortonluv]

Hi! So I can't remember if I sent you a request cuz my memory is absolutely terrible but if I didn't could I request a Heather x Reader please? Maybe the reader has been a rider for a while and rides a egg biter. And when Heather shows up and is thinking about joining the gang but is still nervous, the reader tries to make her feel comfortable by hanging out with her, talking to her, and all together just being super kind and almost loving while also giving her and windshear the space they need. And finally after the events with Dagur, and pretending to be a dragon hunter are over, she decides to stay because she fell in love with the reader and the reader did too. Sorry if this was too long and sorry if I already requested something lol. Have a good day💜💜💜

Absolutely!!

I Don't Bite

HEATHER X READER

Pairing: Heather x Gn! Reader

Reader pronouns used: They/Them/Their's

Warnings: None that I'm aware of

Summary: Heather comes to the edge and is trying to figure out if she wants to join the other riders. You help with that decision.

Dragon Name: Crunchy (you know cause its a egg biter)

Notes: I feel like I took a bit of a different turn to how you wanted it and I apologise, I just couldn't fully remember what happened so went with the parts of the story I do remember.

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

"Ow!" I exclaim as the set of dragon teeth that were already gently nibbling on my arm bit down harder.

I look to my side to be met with a playful look from my dragon, Crunchy. An annoying pest that almost took my arm off the first time we met. She let's go of my arm and nods her head towards the door of my hut.

"Did I miss something?" I mutter walking into the clubhouse where everyone else is. "Oh."

The Twins were chatting in their little duo, but the others were all surrounding a gorgeous girl that looks to be around our age, with raven hair and green eyes that leave me completely dazed. My mouth hangs open for a second in shock.

"Uh hi everyone? Sorry to interrupt, but who's this?" I ask as I walk to the others, catching their attention. The girl's eyes meet mine as I walk further towards her and the others.

"oh yeah! Y/n you never met Heather did you?" Snotlout suddenly announces. So her name is Heather then?

I raise my hand to see if she'll shake mine. She does. To this I smile and politely not my head at her. She returns the motion.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Y/n. I've been a rider for a while but I guess I've never had the luck of meeting you."

"It's nice to meet you too Y/n, I'm Heather." She then forms a grin on her face. Me, Heather and Astrid start up a conversation as though we've been close friends for years. Technically me and Astrid have been but, you know. That's not the point.

The others leave for a bit to do their various jobs around the Edge, leaving me to give a to Heather around the Edge.

"So, do you have a dragon too?" I tilt my head to her to show that im curious. Heather giggles lightly at my slightly odd behaviour.

"Yep, a razorwhip, Windshear. She's really sweet." As she finishes this sentence there is a slight yelp from a dragon down by the stables.

We rushed towards the sound and see the aforementioned razorwhip lightly snarling at a cheeky egg biter that has attached herself to the metallic tail of Windshear.

I quickly exclaim "Crunchy!" I wave my hands to signal the egg biter to let go. I suddenly turn to Heather, "I'm so sorry about her, she doesn't mean any harm. She just likes to nibble a little on things she's taken interest in."

Crunchy finally let's go and drops to the floor below and playfully pats the floor by Windshear, who then looks to her rider for support in what to do. Heather finally let's out a hearty laugh at the entire scene and makes a shooing motion to Windshear.

"heh- It's fine don't worry, she seems cute." She continues to chuckle, calming down from the giggle fit she had. My face grows hot from embarrassment and something else.

When she got no response from Windshear other than a few confused gurgles, Crunchy hops over to me and Heather. She spots the ravenette and quickly placed her head under her hand. Heather naturally starts to stroke her scaly head. Crunchy began to purr slightly.

I panicked slightly when I saw Crunchy abruptly open her eyes. She looked directly at me and moved her face, level with Heathers hand. She let her teeth be seen and the panic further set in. To my surprise however, she lightly took the hand between her teeth and gently seem to nibble on it. How come she can't be like that with me???

After this experience me and Heather bonded over our dragons and their strange behaviours. The dragons also became seemingly great friends as Windshear had finally understood what Crunchy wanted.

We had spent time going on missions and working together for a while, but soon came a horrid time for Heather. Her brother, Dagur. He had gone directly into a trap and died. For her. So she would be safe.

Honestly I would do the same, but like I would ever say that out loud to her. I believe that I've developed feelings for her.

Outside the rain continues to pour down at a quick pace. We had all split off to our respective huts, except for Heather who didn't currently have one. She is going to get ill if she doesn't come inside.

I leave my hut and look into the rain and see her stood alone. I make my way slowly, just to give extra time to cool down.

"Heather?" She doesn't reply so I continue. "Heatheryou need to come inside, you'll get ill" I continue walking until I reach her sobbing figure. The look on her face tears me apart. The hurt and pain in her eyes doesn't subside when she looks at me finally.

She says nothing but nods and begins to walk away, presumably to where she's been camping out. I swiftly catch a hold of her hand. She turns and I nod towards my hut. No words were spoken as I whistle for Crunchy to leave her pen in the stables and come to the hut.

She lights my fireplace and curlse up near Heather who sat on a seat, still quietly sobbing.

"Heather please let me know if you need anything else, I'll set up a space for you to sleep tonight so you don't need to go back out there." I give a kind smile and walk to prepare everything.

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

It's been a while since I've properly seen Heather, she told me that she was very thankful that I gave her a place to stay that night and soon had left after the next day.

I've been missing her, honestly. Crunchy is missing her best friend too. Although, Heather is more than just a best friend to me. She's found a way into my heart and I have no idea how to get rid of these feelings.

The riders had noticed our slightly dampened moods and so they kept holding these secretive meetings that I was never allowed into.

The Edge was quiet as the others had all fallen asleep. The moon was high in the sky, seeming so much brighter than the sun at times. Even though that's false, I just like to think it.

"Ouch! Hello to you too Crunchy."

I strain my neck to see Crunchy attaching herself to Heather. She let's go and instead switches her attention to Windshear.

My eyes widen and I quickly get up to sprint at her, I open my arms and practically tackle her to the ground. Heather laughs and hugs back.

"Heather, I've missed you so much!" my smile is so large it kind of hurts. "I suppose it's a temporary stay again, but I'm so so happy you're here."

She continues to laugh at my excitement, "No actually, I'm staying. Permanently."

Somehow my eyes widen even more, I giggle with excitement. "Really?"

"Really. I've heard a certain someone has taken interest in me, I just happen to return that feeling." She narrows her eyes in suspicion cheeks lightly dusted with a pink hue.

"Don't worry I don't bite." My smile becomes a lot more gentle as I lay beside her on the grass staring at the stars. The dragons rolling around and playing a little way away from us.

"Is it ok? That I like you, I mean" She's cautious with her words. I turn with a confused expression.

"Didn't I just admit to having feelings for you, don't make me feel stupid now." I chuckle abut continue to not give off the wrong impression "It's completely fine, because the feelings are mutual."

She holds one of my hands gently and reaches with her other to get my other hand. I give a curious look as she raises both of our hands. She suddenly yanks the second one that she wasn't holding before into her mouth and she lightly bites down.

"HEY"

"You may not bite, but that doesn't mean I won't." as she says this, she speedily got up to run away into the trees. This catches the dragons attention but they don't move to do anything.

I can hear her laughter as I get up to chase along behind her, laughing myself.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

HIII hope that was OK! I tried to stick to the request as best I could. I honestly love the idea of having an egg biter that just like to play around and is actually really gentle.

I'm working on posting a new chapter of Handsome Jack x reader fanfic on Monday so ig look out for that if you're interested.

I'm working on all my requests, slowly but surely so don't worry. You're requests should be coming out. At some point.

Httyd Masterlist

Redbubble

Bejeweled Handsome Jack x reader

[alleycat-arcade]

Game Start! The Seven Lords: Beast by Moonlight

Anonymous asked: Hey, so I know you only really write for ToT, Genshin, and Omswd, but do you think you could do one of those Character-like headcanons for a Bungou Stray Dogs character? I noticed your icon, and just wanted to ask if you'd be okay with it. If you are, could you do an Atushi-like Mc for the Demon bros? No pressure though!

These crossover cabinets have been really popular lately, so I've been getting a few more in to keep up with the demand. It took a moment to fully repair this cabinet though, as it was quite the feisty little thing. No worries though, I have made sure it won't shock ya.

(I rewatched Season one and two of BSD and BSD: Wan! to make this as accurate as I could lol, I hope you enjoy it Anon!)

A Weretiger Amongst Demons (Obey Me! Demon Brothers x Atsushi Nakajima-like! Gn! Reader)

Content Warnings: Bungou Stray Dogs is a series that contains characters based on real life authors, with each individual character having an ability based on a book by their namesake author. There is also a character in the series who is Sui///cidal and it is somewhat treated more light-hearted than how it is usually treated in media, and though it is explained later as to why I don't recommend anyone who is put off or upset by that type of content to watch it. Atsushi is not this character though, so there won't be any mention of it in this. This series also contains rather intense battle scenes, so there is mentions of blood and limb loss/limb regeneration in this. Should this premise interest you, I recommend watching at least the first two episodes if you don't want spoilers from those episodes. Also like with any fic that involves Belphie, spoilers for chapter 16-20. Has a little bit of angst sprinkled in because it is attached to my very being.

(There is a lotta stuff cut from Satan's part to prevent this from solely being about him. My inner simp is showing ;w;)

(Note: Atsushi has a very prominent black streak of hair, like a tiger stripe. Whenever I say "discolored streak of hair" or something similar, feel free to imagine what sort of tiger stripe would best suit your hair color.

Also, feel free to look at the bottom of this post if you wanna see what Atsushi's partial and full tiger forms look like lol.)

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

Being a member of the Armed Detective Agency was a job that hardly ever was uneventful. If you weren't busy investigating crimes that had to do with the Port Mafia or Ability Users, you were stuck at your desk doing paperwork as your rather... unique coworkers got up to their shenanigans. Despite how much of a handful they could be some days, you were still fond of them. They were sort of like a family to you in a way, something you'd never had before joining. You had been out in town with Kenji to pick up some groceries for the office today, which turned into a rather exhausting ordeal as you underestimated the pure weight of the amount of snacks Ranpo wanted. Fukuzawa, your boss, had sent you home early afterwards for some good rest. Thankfully, the dormitories owned by the agency weren't too far from the office so you didn't have to walk too far.

Since you had an returned home a little after lunch time, you decided to make up a quick bowl of Chazuke before having a refreshing nap. Yet, after setting the ingredients on the counter you began to feel light-headed. Instinctively you went to sit down in a nearby chair, but the feeling of falling overtook you as soon as you laid your hands on the base of it. You struggled to think as you began falling through what you assumed to be the floor, unable to focus hard enough to call upon your ability. Luckily, it seemed whoever had caused you to fall through the floor was kind enough to give you a soft landing. Your body hit the carpeted ground softer than expected, and while normally you would've tried to roll and stand up or at least brace for impact, you landed face first on the ground instead.

Dazed and confused, you slowly rose from the ground to meet a rather interesting group of individuals staring down at you. Most of them were silently judging you with their eyes, but the tall being dressed in red in front of you looked almost overjoyed to see you. "Greetings, Mc! Welcome to the Devildom!"

Lucifer:

While you were quite the peculiar human, Lucifer didn't care to much to get to know you unless necessary. Thankfully, you were at least polite and respectful, but he wished you'd stop being so reckless sometimes.

When he had first assigned Mammon to watch over you, he was confused when you had timidly assured him that you could take care of yourself. Luci still insisted, since you were a human now stuck in a realm full of demons with no real way to actually protect yourself should one of them decide to devour your body and soul. Or at least that's what he had thought.

Truthfully, you hadn't run into any sort of conflicts until the TSL quiz since, even though he didn't have the best reputation, lesser demons would rather not mess with you when you had Mammon beside you. But when Leviathan had begun to advance towards you and shift into his Demon form. The Avatar of Pride was going to stop him after a bit, but when one of you emitted a rather loud growl in stunned him for a moment.

Levi's growls usually sounded more like a hiss, and if not for his position in the crowd watching your little quiz game he might've thought it was one of his brothers. The growl stunned Leviathan as well, but not long enough for him to miss the chance to take a swipe at you. It failed to connect, however, since a massive furry claw grasped onto his forearm to stop him. You felt a gloved hand rest on your transformed arm suddenly, releasing your grip on the Third Eldest Brother and looking up to meet the bright red eyes of Lucifer.

As expected, he immediately questioned you about your ability. It took a while to fully explain to everyone that there were humans in the Human World, called Ability Users, that possessed powers of all different varieties. Explaining that yours revolved around you being a Were-tiger took a bit as well, but Luci let you off with a warning afterwards so he could have some time alone to think. He was rather embarrassed to have not known anything about your ability, since Diavolo had been in the room. Perhaps he should have looked into the "Armed Detective Agency" listed under the occupations part of your file, since a quick web search once he returned home explained almost everything you already had.

After the events of the TSL quiz, he begins keeping an extra close eye on you. While Diavolo may have been pleasantly surprised by your powers, not knowing the fullest extent of your strength made him apprehensive. You hardly ever shifted into the partial form you had displayed before, only choosing to shift into it when threatened. The only time he had seen you fully transform into an actual tiger had been when you had been protecting Beel and Luke from his fury. He'd never admit it, but seeing you become a literal tiger with the use of any spells or potions was somewhat impressive.

When Belphegor killed you after he was released from the Attic, Lucifer was impressed to see the fight you had put up against your murderer. The Avatar of Sloth had not escaped the confrontation unscathed, decorated with a good amount of claw and bite marks as he cackled over your body.

The first time that you lose a limb in a fight and regenerate it, the old man nearly has a heart attack. You were not allowed to get into fights on his watch anymore after that.

Lucifer is a bit rough with you when you get out of control, but not on purpose. Mostly he tries to pin you down until you're calm, and soothe you after. He'd prefer if you just told him when you're getting too much moonlight for your own good, so he can arrange plans with Diavolo to take you to a sunny location in the Human Realm. Plus, if you let him visit the Agency with you he'd likely get along just fine with Kunikida and your Boss. Maybe don't introduce him to or expose him to Dazai for too long though, not for Lucifer's sake but for your fellow agent.

Speaking of the Agency, there's a decent chance that your demon boyfriend would fit right in. Luci can probably make up a convincing enough fake ability if you want him to, just make sure that he's aware that Dazai's ability can cancel out others. Or just outright tell everyone that Luci's a demon, they probably wouldn't care too much.

Other than your abilities, Lucifer finds your history and personality rather intriguing to say the least. Your file had already mentioned the fact that you were an orphan, but after the two of you become close you confide in him the awful treatment you had received at the orphanage as a child. Luci does his best to subtly boost your self-esteem and worth, and insisted whenever a nightmare strikes you to come to him first. He could be in the middle of working, but he'd drop everything upon seeing you nervously stand in the doorway in your pajamas and tear stains on your face. He viewed you as a part of the family now or perhaps even more, so he would care for you as such. And while he does appreciate your kindness and protective nature, he wished you would be a little less reckless with your actions.

He is a little apprehensive about letting you return back to the Human World and go back to fighting other potentially stronger ability users, but he trusts you enough to take care of yourself at this point.

Mammon:

Definitely tried to trick Lucifer into letting you go out into the Devildom on your own, as you were very insistent on not troubling him. It didn't work, but he did try.

Mammon actually found you rather cute before and after the pact, not that he'll admit it anytime soon. Your polite but nervous personality made him want to protect you, and watching you get excited over things you've never tried before made him squeal on the inside. While at times he did try to motivate you with Grimm into his newest schemes, your moral compass seemed to be to strong to be tempted by his greed. Though, Mammon did manage to rope you into a good collection of small scale pranks on his brothers.

The first time you leap up to protect himself or one of his brothers, he doesn't know what to do. He wants to be upset and pull you out of the way and protect you, but he also wants to admire your tenacity.

Watching your arm shift into that of a tiger's was a shock for him, as if Lucifer hadn't gotten there first he would've tried to protect you from Leviathan's envious rage. At first, Mammon doesn't really buy the whole Ability User thing, since he's often in the Human World and had never caught wind of it. Over time he comes to terms with it, especially with how your ability effects you. Seeing as he spends the most time around you, should you ever begin to become out of control due to the constant state of night in the Devildom he is the first to soothe you. Mammon is aware that when your Tiger side gets out of control, you can get a little rough with him, but in the end you mean no harm. Though, he did nearly piss his pants the first time Mammon heard you growl in your sleep.

After Belphegor escaped the Attic and killed you, Mammon had run to cling onto your battered body. Despite your regenerative abilities, it seemed that the Avatar of Sloth had pushed you to the brink and attacked your weak points. You had been fully transformed when he found you, leaving him to cling to your upper body and cradle you in his arms.

Mammon actually happens to be the first of the Avatars to find out that you purr. The two of you had been having lunch together, but you weren't feeling your best due to staying up all night studying for your exams. The Avatar of Greed tried to coax you into taking a rest for the remainder of your lunch break, despite your teasing about his sudden softness, which lead him to gently stroking your hair. As his fingernails gently scraped across your scalp, you couldn't help but lean in with a gentle rumbling sounding from your throat. Perhaps if you hadn't been too tired to notice, you would have had a similar reaction to the violently blushing demon you were laying against.

Speaking of your hair, Mammon is oddly fascinated by the discolored streak in yours. Not matter how many times you tell him that it's natural and likely stems from your Ability, he always finds himself staring at it whenever he's focusing on your hair for any reason. The strange streak actually landed you a modelling gig alongside Mammon one time, due to it resembling a tiger stripe. You'll never forget the flushed look on the Avatar of Greed's face when you laid across his lap in the playful cat pose the photographer directed you into. It confused you a bit, since the outfit wasn't even revealing or anything. It was just a very cat themed outfit. You would've preferred tiger, but clothes are clothes.

Unless they're details relating to looking after you, Lucifer didn't tell Mammon all too much about your past. You'll need to be the one to tell him the majority of it, but he'll voluntarily become your new security pillow afterwards. Be careful with revealing certain details though, unless you want to hear whispers of how local Orphanage Director was killed somehow by a wild swarm of crows when you get back to the Human World. Actually, probably don't, that guy kinda had it coming. He's still sort of uneasy with PDA, but he'll put in the extra effort whenever he sees you doubting your self worth. Other than that, you may notice a few good luck or good dream charms hung up around your room later on. They carry a strong essence of magic, with a sort of sigil-like signature that changes with each piece. Oddly, Mammon seemed to have a few more debts than before after the charms appeared, but they do work quite well.

Oh boy, is he not happy with the idea of sending you back to the Human World. He's aware that you're a very capable human and all, but you really shouldn't have told him about the near death situations you've gotten in due to your line of work. Before you leave, he makes you promise not to get yourself killed out there and to pick up your D.D.D. when he calls.

In Mammon's case, you'd probably have a better time if you just go out and about in town together rather than hanging around the Agency. He wouldn't really be to happy about sitting around and waiting for you to fill out paperwork all day, and there isn't much else to do because he promised not to cause trouble at the office. Other than that he gets along with your co-workers decently well, aside from Kunikida, but probably don't plan on taking him out on any missions with you unless necessary. Sure, he's got your back, but getting said back might mean a lot more property damage aka more paperwork.

Leviathan:

You're a rather strange normie, but a normie nonetheless. Levi's doesn't really want much to do with you after you make a pact with Mammon so he can get his money back, but he might be pressed enough to admit he's at least interested in your long belt that weirdly trails behind you and waves like a cat's tail. But then the TSL Quiz happens and, was your arm just a tiger's?! That's..... so cool! F-for a normie!

Does become rather invested in your explanation on Ability Users. He can name about 70 different anime with a similar premise, but you're saying that all of that stuff is real and just a realm away? Hey Lucifer, do you think he can take a visit to the Human World to do some Navy business? No? Damn. He'll have to settle for studying the anime were-tiger of his dreams instead. *sigh*

I hope you enjoy playing the role of a storyteller, because he's going to want all of the details you can provide. If you're capable of it, the two of you could talk about all of the stuff you were getting up to as a member of the Armed Detective Agency prior. Leviathan won't force you to keep going if you're getting tired of talking though, and once you begin to lose steam he'll suggest that both of you watch an anime with a similar premise to your experiences. Perhaps with a fresh order of Rainbow Pizza on its way.

He sort of appreciates the way that you're also a bit nervous and timid. Not nearly as shy as him per say, someone's got to tell the cashier at Hell's Kitchen they got his order wrong, but you do share some traits with him. It makes him feel closer to you that you both struggle with similar things. But please, for the love of... Ruri-chan, please stop trying to protect him and his brothers from hits they can easily take. His heart cannot take it.

And when you tell him about your past with the Orphanage and how it's effected your self worth? It was a very same hat moment(the self worth part). Both of you sort of become each other's support, boosting the other's self esteem and comforting the other from their nightmares. These moments of comfort are most often spontaneous, spiking and declining with how the current status of the world around you is effecting your mental health.

Tried for a while to get you to transform and do cool stunts while he watches and or records/livestreams it, but after you tell him about the toll it takes on your body he relents and apologizes. Insists that he'll make it up to you in anyway possible, and helping you calm down when you get out of control is included in that promise as well. Levi actually has a rather effective strategy for lulling your tiger form into a calmer state, but one that he might find a little embarrassing to do in public. Essentially he wraps his long, scaly tail around you like a boa constrictor, soothing you with stuttered praises and shaky strokes through your fur until you've returned to human form or are at least settled down.

Despite being a shut-in, he'll go out with you to the Human World on days that you need to get some sunshine. There he discovers the joys of laying on a rock in the sun, but do make sure to keep an eye on him so he doesn't give himself sunburn or get caught in his demon form.

When him and the others found you dying in Mammon's arms, he failed to notice that he had shifted into demon form when he crouched down beside you. Though Leviathan was a few paces away still, his tail was just long enough to wrap around your torso once. A fact that he grew to hate as he could now feel your fading pulse. While you do come back to life and he forgives Belphie eventually, it becomes a common occurrence to wake up with his tail snugly wrapped around you whenever you sleep together. If you are uncomfortable with it he'll work on breaking the habit, but if not the habit becomes a source of security for him. You may want to invest in a fleece sleeve for it in the winter though unless you're a very warm body, as his scales can get rather chilly in the colder months.

While he's not happy about you going back to the Human World, Leviathan makes sure that you know he's your Number 1 stan supporter. He's very adamant on both of you keeping up on in-game AP transfers, mostly so he knows you're still there. He also loves playing Co-Op with you when you're off of work.

Very excited to see the sights of Japan, though he'll willingly hang around the office if you need him to. Usually he's just on one of the couches on one of his handhelds, but if you're tall enough and comfortable enough with each other, Leviathan is a great lap warmer and headrest for while you work. Just make sure he brings headphones if you don't want to hear Mononoke: BlazingCrimson while you do your paperwork.

Satan:

The thing that stands out to Satan the most is that you work as a Detective. The thought of having someone else with experience to solve crimes with is a very appealing idea, but you'll still need to get through some barriers before he's even willing to think about you being the Watson to his Sherlock.(It's probably the reverse honestly, seeing as you're the only Detective here with a job *cough**cough*.) That belt of yours though... it's certainly peculiar. Oh well, he has more important things to worry about, like planning Prank #29473 on Lucifer.

Satan had told you about asking Simeon about TSL's upcoming 9th novel on a whim, finding entertainment in getting involved in your conflicts. Plus, Leviathan would probably wipe the floor with you otherwise, and seeing Lucifer's blood boil whenever you came out on top of his brothers in conflicts was quite the pleasing sight. Though, it seemed your little trump card was actually a ticket to your demise as Leviathan's claw... oh. OH.

While he doesn't jump at the chance to form a pact with you or steal you away, as much as his heart wants to, he settles for observing you from the sidelines. A lot. It might be a good idea to ask Asmo to pick you out a hat that suits your outfits, otherwise he may burn hole into your head with how much he's staring. You could almost feel the sensation of his eyes burning your skin when you protected Beel and Luke as a full tiger. (He is looking... somewhat respectfully.)

Once the body swapping shenanigans have concluded and the pact is sealed, he's dragging you away into his room for a bit. Satan wants to learn anything and everything about your Ability that he already doesn't know from his observations. Besides obsessing over your feline features, he does want to know the other parts of your powers. Your strengths, weaknesses, speed, agility, anything of that sort. He very well may build an entire obstacle course for you in the garden if he's able. But, he does take a page out of your book whenever you say or he feels he's gone too far or is being overbearing. In the same way Satan is his own person and not Lucifer's Wrath, you are your own person and not just your Ability.

While we're talking about personality, Satan finds your polite yet shy demeanor rather endearing. He enjoys teasing you by calling you a cat especially, triggering the cute reaction of you shouting about being a tiger as your ears and tail emerge on reflex. But he does have a heart attack every time your self sacrificing side comes out, leading him to jump in front of you instead.

He does love it if you indulge his cat loving side every now and then. Smoosh a paw against his cheek, leave your ears and tail out while relaxing, or even purr and this demon is near putty in your hands. While you may dislike being called a cat and not a tiger, you'll admit it's cute to see him toy with the paw pads of your transformed arm. It's a pretty decent ego boost to see him fawn over you in this way. Perhaps this is what it felt like to be a feline in Egypt?

Your tiger form had a major downside when the brothers had found you after Belphegor was done, as Satan didn't really know what to do with himself. He knew healing spells, sure, but those were healing spells for demons. There was a chance that would work on a human, but you were too weak to change back to your human form. Would a healing spell for general animals work? He's used some on the neighborhood cats when they get hurt so would-... It takes Asmodeus ensnaring him in a tearful embrace for him to snap out of his mile a minute thoughts, but you were already too far gone by then. Satan doesn't know who to exactly to thank when you come back to life, but he plans to spend the rest of his doing so.

Often, you'd go to him for nightmares. The Avatar of Wrath learned of your past through your tearful explanations of the dreams, and was more than happy to help you get a good night's rest. His voice was soothing, and having him sit close to you as he read to you was the perfect recipe for a peaceful slumber. Yet, you were perplexed on what to do when you bumped into a teary eyed blonde in the halls. Satan had not intended for you to find him, he was just going to take a walk and let the painful dream fade from his mind. But with you standing there in front of him now it was brought front and center in his brain, causing frustration to boil inside of him as his eyes grew damp. Taking the quicker route, you lifted him up with your enhanced strength and took him back to your room, where he spent the rest of the night. You didn't mind the tearstains on your pajamas, even if he apologized for them in the morning.

As another person that struggles with fits of aggression, Satan is a decent support when it comes to dealing with the negative effects of moonlight. Though you don't really have the capabilities to seriously harm him, you do tend to scratch him up quite a bit. Most days that you seek this form of comfort from him lead to the Avatar of Wrath being covered in scratches that looked like he just came out of the unruly cat section of an animal shelter. Personally, similar with his anger, he'd much rather help you prevent these fits before they happen, even if he can heal decently quickly.

It's easy to see that he longs for you to stay in the Devildom, but he knows you must return home. While he does love hearing your voice over the phone, the two of you often exchange letters full of life updates, loving and tender words, and whatever else you could think of. It's his inner hopeless romantic talking there.

Once you get him into the Armed Detective Agency, you're going to need to call for some backup if you intend to stop him from applying for a job. If not, better start subtly prepping him for the entrance exam so you can say hello to your new Junior Detective(He hates this title)! At least he gets along fine with the other though, but he's biased positively towards Ranpo.

Asmodeus:

Asmo's reaction isn't too different to that of the normal canon at first. He doesn't really think much of you, as he has far too many more important things on his mind than to care too deeply about the human they were hosting in HOL. That seemed to already be Mammon's job anyway. Your timidity and politeness made you rather fun to tease at least. Nothing harmful or extreme, just playful and flirty gestures to rile you up a bit. The Avatar of Lust nearly had a giggle fit when he thought that you hissed at him, but he chalked it up to being a noise made by your Guardian Demon.

But witnessing that initial use of your ability was certainly something that interested him long enough to focus on something other than himself and his niche interests. (He is looking... disrespectfully.) Before the Devildom's moon has reached its next phase, he already has 40 new pet names to teasingly call you.

He makes sure not to show too much interest in you though, as that wouldn't be really any fun for him. He's the Avatar of Lust after all, you're gonna need quite a bit of pizazz to impress him. At least you still have that sweet, sweet angel blood flowing through your veins, making you quite the magic user in combination with Solomon's lent spell. Congrats! You've impressed Asmo and received a pact with him!

While he does have some interest in your Ability, Asmo finds himself falling for and seeking out the you behind the roaring tiger. The most he asks for you to use your Ability is to carry heavy things for him or to try pairing an outfit with your partially transformed form, but he won't complain if you show him more impressive things about your form. Especially those feline eyes and strange streak of hair. A secret that both of you share about the specific strip of hair is that it cannot be dyed, and dying the hair around it makes the stripe change to a color that best suits the dye as a stripe. So don't think you'll get away with black hair, because it's just going to turn white.

On the topic of style, Asmodeus is your go-to demon for new clothes when you enviably rip yours due to your Ability. Asmo is more than willing to take you out on the town and give you suggestions on outfits that best suit your features and needs. Even if you just want baggy, loose-fitting clothing, somehow he's able to find something that flaunts your outer beauty in just the right way. Though, he is aware of how attached you happen to be to the set of clothing you originally arrived in the Devildom with because of its previous owners, so he'll sit down and either sew it for you or teach you how to sew them. Asmo makes sure to always add that belt of yours or something similar to your outfits though, as he finds it far too cute not to.

Upon finding your dying form at the base of the stairs, Asmodeus goes into a temporary state of shock. Once he's out of it he rushes to your side, opposite to Mammon. While his elder brother is cradling you from behind like a porcelain doll, Asmo can much clearly see the injuries on your underbelly from this angle. He can't find it in himself to care about his looks as he wipes the tears trailing down his face off, throwing off his jacket and pressing it into the worst of the worst of your injuries to stop the blood flow. Though you do come back to life as the previous version of yourself disintegrates, the blood still stains his jacket. One would think that he would have thrown it out immediately after, but it actually sits in a sealed box buried deep in his closet. Asmo is unsure as to why, but he can't seem to bear the idea of tossing or destroying the item in anyway, nor can he bring himself to look at it for longer than a few seconds at a time.

Looking for someone to vent to about nearly anything? The demon you're looking for is waiting for you with open arms and a fresh bottle of your favorite beverage. Often, Asmo encourages you to engage in acts of self-care as you two discuss things in your daily life that frustrate you, but he knows when to put the beauty products away and give you some good old fashioned comfort. Talking about your rather rough past is one of those situations, where the demon allows you to speak for as long as you want whilst tracing calming shapes into your back and holding you close with a gentle melodious hum. When you stop speaking, he gently whispers words of affirmation and comfort while tracing much more complex shapes and letters. As you slowly fall into the realm of sleep, he changes into his demon form and surrounds you the best he can with his smaller wings. Even though he hates his sleep being interrupted, he'd willingly not sleep for a week if you needed him to be there with you.

Though Asmodeus is not weak by any means, he struggles at times with helping you calm down from your full tiger fits. He prefers not to be rough with you at all, settling for luring you into a position that he can pin you underneath a fleece blanket and soothe you with his words until your transition back into your human form. After the first time this happens, Asmo begins setting up appointments with Diavolo to let you get a weekly visit to the Human World for some sunlight and you notice a few extra large cat claw caps in his Akuzon cart.

As much as he doesn't want to see you go, he knows that your smiling face will be popping up in his Devilgram feed as soon as you return home. You promised not to tell Belphie or the others, but sometimes at night you and Asmo will talk. His brothers assume the giggles and chatter coming from his room to be the radio or something else, as they know how much Asmo values beauty sleep.

Luckily, he gets along just fine with the other members of the Agency, but how much he gets along with Yosano is both admirable and concerning. Aside from a little bit of hotheadedness from Kunikida at his teases, there is no real conflicts between them. You're actually more likely to find conflict out on the streets of Japan, and directed towards you rather than Asmodeus. It's hard to say you didn't expect it, walking with your arm linked with the most literal Avatar of Romantic Temptation is bound to draw in some jealous. Hopefully none of them are any Port Mafia members who are feeling particularly lucky that day, 'cause they'll either be met with your heel or Asmo's fist.

Beelzebub:

This human is very lamb-like in nature, are you sure they are not food Lucifer? They aren't? Okay. That's about where Beel's main interest in you falters. While he expresses some concern to your well-being prior to the TSL Quiz, it's not to the extent that he would go to for his brothers. Solely, he wants to help keep you alive so that the exchange program Diavolo and his family worked hard for goes smoothly, even if he does miss his twin while Belphie is in the Human World with Diaval.

Beel is unsure how to fully feel about your ability though. It's impressive, sure, but the idea with you having enough power to at least block a hit from the third eldest of his family makes him somewhat uncomfortable. Add on the fact that you have the capability to regenerate, and you have a somewhat concerned Beelzebub. He doesn't exactly think that you have the abilities to go toe to toe with any of his siblings, but there is a good chance that you could at least give them a decent injury. While you don't use your ability often, he still tenses up whenever you do.

Then, you put your life on the line to protect himself and the young angel from Lucifer's rage. Admiration blooms in his chest as you throw yourself in front of the two of them with a vicious snarl, declaring that no harm will come to either of them. Even in your full Tiger form the Eldest easily bats you to the side, but thankfully Diavolo arrives and stops the conflict. Beelzebub easily lifts your unconscious body from the ground as you slowly shift back into your human form, cradling you with as much care as he typically showed to his brothers. A smile crosses his face when your hand wraps around his wrist after laying you down on the bed, and he settles in to sit beside you until you wake up.

After forming a pact with him, you find yourself often working out with him at the Gym. Your Ability gives you enhanced speed and strength, so you figured why not practice with it? The amount of battles you got into back home made the heavy set of weights look and feel like nothing. You even managed to pick up your demon friend himself, hearing a hearty chuckle from him as you held him in your arms Bridal Style.

Beelzebub especially likes running with you, since you can keep up with his pace and at times rival Mammon in speed. Once your Ability has worn you out and you feel like collapsing, he easily scoops you up into his arms and carries you home. With a quick stop at Hell's Kitchen of course.

On the topic of food, you can certainly eat a whole lot. Beel is almost impressed with how much you can eat in one sitting, even if he eats double the same amount.

When Belphegor is released from the Attic and kills you, Beel honestly doesn't know what to do. He's happy at first when he sees Belphie, but then he sees the blood, the scratches, the wicked grin across his face, and finally your dying body on the ground. Should he be happy to see his twin, even though its fairly clear that he just killed the human he was beginning to feel strangely sweet and fond feelings for? As much as he loves Belphie, the automatic response his brain gives is no. Inner turmoil boils inside of him so much that it reaches the Avatar of Sloth's sense, causing a silent standoff to begin between the two. Were this be the doings of other demon, Beel likely would've ripped them to shreds by now. If you hadn't suddenly come back to life, who knows what Beelzebub would've done.

After that whole conflict, the Avatar of Gluttony really needs to fill the desire brewing inside. Not for food though, rather he longs to be by your side as much as possible. Move over Mammon, it's Beel's turn to cuddle with the human for the night. Not that you're complaining though, he's warm and his strong presence helps ward off any nightmares.

Speaking of nightmares, Beelzebub is an incredibly soothing presence to calm down from them with. He has his fair share of them, and he's fully open to listening to you speak about anything you need to get off your chest. Not too long after forming the Pact with him you confided in him about your past, and hearing about the Orphanage slightly dampens the corners of his eyes. Often Beel holds you close, reassuring you that you'll always be a part of his family and reaffirming your worth.

You don't really have to worry about the Avatar of Gluttony when it comes to helping you calm down from a fit of aggression caused by moonlight overexposure. This demon can easily cross-face cradle you and pin you down when you get too scratchy, but he doesn't feel the best about doing it. He'd much rather go out with you to get some sunshine, since Lucifer trusts him to not cause to much of a ruckus in the Human World if you're there making sure he doesn't eat too much.

When it's time for you to head back to the Human World, he's sad but he knows that you'll see each other again. Beel eagerly awaits your call when it's his turn to talk to you, wanting to know everything you've been up to since you've been gone no matter how small the details are.

Your co-workers get along quite well with him, but you find that he shares an unspoken bond of respect with Kenji. Both of them share a high level of inhuman strength as well as a near perpetually empty stomach, the only difference being that Kenji can be full but he will fall asleep soon after. The only one of your co-workers that he may not get along with is Ranpo. Should you fail to fully supply him with snacks, Beel may follow his senses and find one of, if not all of, Ranpo's snack stashes. Just make sure to keep your gluttonous boyfriend well fed and everything will be fine as you do your paperwork or go around town. If need be, you can sit on his lap as you work to keep him from running off.

Belphegor:

Belphie is very much under the impression that you are a normal human when he first meets you and long after. Being human doesn't earn you any good marks though, seeing as he despises the species. He's pleasantly surprised by your personality, but he takes full advantage of your naivety to rope you into getting him out of the attic. You're understandably upset when you find out that he lied to you about being a fellow human, but you dig your heels in and decide to continue to help him for Beelzebub's sake. He'd find it admirable if you weren't a human.

Often he hears the sounds of loud growls, hisses, and snarls that don't sound like any of his brothers echo up to the Attic. Unaware of the situation downstairs, he just assumed that one of his brothers had begun bringing a rather aggressive demon friend around the house. The only time the strange noises legitimately frightened him was one night where a roar filled the area he was fairly certain was the library, followed by a booming slam against the ceiling that shook the house. Once he's out of this prison, he's going to need to talk to one of his brothers about their violent company.

Unless you're feeling generous and tell him about your Ability prior to his release from the Attic, he's going to find out not too long after he begins trying to choke you. While you do switch with your past self, the version of yourself at the mercy of Belphie puts up a rather good fight. You land a good amount of scratches on him, mostly on his arms and torso. At some point during the scuffle he actually manages to tear your forearm off, which disintegrates in his hands and regenerates back in its proper place. In his surprised state, you get a decent-sized bite into his shoulder before he throws you down the stairs. Somewhere along the line Belphegor lands a killing blow, leaving your past self dying on the ground as he pants above them with a maniacal grin across his face. The look doesn't leave his face even as his brothers crowd around your dying body, not until you make yourself known from your hiding space.

After the conflict between both of you is resolved, you have to explain that the were-tiger part of your scuffle was in fact real and not some weird dream. Likely, you have to explain the whole Ability User thing in segmented conversations, just so he doesn't get bored of the explanation and fall asleep halfway through. Belphegor doesn't really mind that you can transform partially or fully into a tiger, since your fur is rather soft. Just don't have him be your sole soother when you get out of control. He's too worried about potentially injuring you or killing you again, and he'd much rather have Beelzebub with both of you during those times.

The first night that Belphie sleeps alone with you, he insists that you be a full tiger or at least mostly tiger. Though he claims that it's because you're softer that way, it's really because he doesn't fully trust himself at that point. He doesn't want to worry about potentially hurting you in his sleep, but this only brings a new thing to worry about. He now has to worry about a heavy tiger rolling over onto him and nearly suffocating him in their fur.

Whether you're sleeping together or not, Belphegor does his best to shoo off any sort of nightmares. He's seen a few of them and you've told him a bit about your traumatic past, so he does his best to replace the particularly nasty dreams with far sweeter ones. Guilt brews in his stomach whenever he recognizes a nightmare that's caused by what he did to you, but unless you find him in a really vulnerable moment or get a truth bangle on him he's never going to tell you about it.

Your strength is something that he definitely enjoys. If Lucifer lets you use your ability around RAD, you can almost guarantee that Belphie will try to get you to carry him to all of his classes. This will need to be something reserved for either just the Avatar of Sloth or one demon at a time, because once his other brothers, besides Beel and Luci, find out about the joys of being carried around by a tiger/half-tiger you're going to be in a lot of back pain. On occasion Beelzebub will try to pick you up while two or more of his brothers are hanging off of you, but that just leads to the rest besides Lucifer piling on. Pray to your deity of choice that Diavolo doesn't happen to witness this display of a moving dogpile, otherwise you may end up with the future demon king on top of all of you with an amused Barbatos and very disappointed Lucifer watching this strange monstrosity.

Since he was locked in the attic at the time you were demonstrating your protective nature at it's finest, he hears about your little stunts second-hand from his brothers. He won't deny its somewhat impression, but he only comes to realize exactly what it likely felt like in those situations when you shove him out of the way of a speeding car one day while you're out grocery shopping. Though you only received a bit of scuffing on your hands from the incident, Belphie treats it as if you nearly died and quickly pulls you away from the crowd. You receive a rather ramblely lecture from the demon, but he can't stay mad at you and the two of you just return home with your groceries. While you're sleeping that night, he slips into your room to press a chaste kiss to your forehead and whisper a quick "thank you" before slipping away.

When it's time for you to head back to the Human World, he's not too happy about how his brothers got to spend way more time with you than he did. Thankfully he manages to find a way to call you more frequently than his scheduled times, so you two talk almost three to four times a week. You try to tell him when you'll be busy with missions ahead of time, in order to prevent your phone from ringing in the middle of an investigation to do with the Port Mafia or other similar organizations. You'd prefer not to return back to the office with about thirty or so bullet holes that Yosano with have to treat with her Ability. It is very much not a fun situation at all.

Finally, Belphie get to accompany you into the Human World for something other than getting some sunshine! First order of buisness? Finding a good spot to nap. Other than that, he enjoys going out into town and looking for things to pick up for his brothers and a few objects he can use to enhance his pranks on Lucifer. He also finds himself enjoying people-watching, mostly just sitting on a bench with you and watching what humans have been up to over the years that he hasn't been keeping up with.

While you're doing paperwork, he does not want to sleep anywhere but your lap. Even if he has to kneel beneath your desk or straddle you, he will be sleeping on top of you while you work. You don't really need to worry about him getting along with your co-workers besides potentially Dazai, but as long as they don't annoy him too much they'll get along fine. Should you chose to take him on any of your missions, he'll either be not awake at all or very awake. He's half asleep when you're doing most of your basic detective work, but fully awake when you're in the middle of a combat heavy mission. Belphie takes it upon himself to take as many hits meant for you as possible, and you might need to hold him back from going overboard on your attackers.

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

(Here are those forms I was talking about lol.)

(I struggled to find ones where he's not beaten to hell lmao)

[translytherins]

My what now?

Pairing: Sugawara Koshi x Quite! Slightly oblivious! Second year!Male Reader

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

[M/n]'s P.O.V

"Excuse me [M/n]-kun!"

I looked behind me and saw one of my female classmate running up to me with an envelope.

"You're a part of the Voleyball Club right?" she asked

"Yes...?" i said almost like a whisper but it was loud enough for her to hear.

She shyly gave me the envelope she was holding. I took it and started to inspect it. The envelope was covered with hearts and the envelope itself was hot pink making me confused on why it was that specific colour but i dismissed it because most girls like this kind of colour.

"What am i supposed to do with this?" i asked in a quiet tone, looking at her with a confused look on my face.

"Can you give it to Suga-Senpai for me please? I'm too shy to do it myself" she said in a flustered tone.

I looked at her for a few seconds, unknowingly making her nervous that i would decline. Just as she was about to apologise and take the envelope back from me, i nodded my head in agreement.

"Sure..."

"Thank you so much [M/n]-kun!" she said excitedly before running towards her group of friends that were waiting for her.

They started talking excitedly to her making her face turn bright red while waving her arms around making me confused before, once again, shrugging it off and headed towards the gym where voleyball practice was held while inspecting the envelope once again. I was too busy inspecting the envelope that i didn't realise that i was already made it to the gym until i heard Shoyo called, more like yelled, my name.

"Hey [M/n]-senpai!!!" Shoyo shouted before tackling me into a hug making me fall onto the ground due to the unexpected hug and force that he put into the hug.

"Hinata boke! Get off of [M/n]-senpai!" Tobio yelled while yanking Shoyo off of me, making him whine in annoyance.

I mumbled a quiet thanks to Tobio before getting off of the ground and picking up the envelope that fell out of my hand when Shoyo knocked me down. I checked the envelope to make sure that it wasn't crumpled up before i heard someone speak up.

"What'cha got there [M/n]-kun?" Nishinoya said while inspecting the envelope in my hand.

"Is that what i think it is!" Tanaka said loudly while also inspecting the envelope.

"It is!!"

Nishinoya and Tanaka started crying for some reason while mumbling about how their precious child has grown up making me confused but i just ignored their outbursts because i was used to them suddenly acting out like that. I started to make my way towards Sugawara who was talking with Kiyoko near the benches. I tapped his shoulder making him look down at me (A/n : because you're slightly shorter than Nishinoya. Sorry not sorry😂)

Without saying anything i gave him the heart covered envelope before making my towards the locker room to change into my voleyball attire seemingly as i still haven't changed from my school attire, not knowing the drama that i got myself into.

-

When i reentered the gym, everyone was looking at me and they were unusually quite.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" i said quitely.

Everyone didn't give me an awnser. Instead Sugawara came towards me with the envelope i gave him already opened and hugged me tightly. I was confused but i slowly hugged him back.

"I accept" Sugawara said after a moment of silence making me more confused about what's going on.

"Accept what?"

"You're love confession silly"

"My what now?" i asked in a quiet and confused tone, having no clue what the hell was going on.

He let go of the hug and looked at me.

"The confession you gave me through you're love letter"

"Oh... So that's what that was. Sorry to disappoint you Suga-Senpai but that wasn't mine. A classmate of mine asked me to give it to you"

"Explains why in the letter it sounded like you had no clue what he's like" Yamaguchi said making everyone nod in agreement.

Sugawara looked disappointed and sad and i didn't like it so i hugged him.

"But if it makes you feel better i like you too Suga-Senpai" i said in a timid tone.

I could practically feel the happiness and shock radiating off of Sugawara.

"You mean it?"

I nodded my head that was now pressed against his shoulder and felt him wrap his arms around my waist before picking me up and twirling me around, making me squeak slightly from the sudden movement before laughing happily. The team was looking at us with a smile on their faces with the exception of Tsukishima. After a while, he finally put me back on the ground.

"Does this mean you're my boyfriend?" Sugawara asked with a bright smile on his face.

"If you want me to be"

As i said that, Sugawara kissed me making me jump slightly but i slowly kissed back while ignoring the cheers and wolf whistles coming from the team. After a few seconds, he pulled back.

"I would love it if you became my boyfriend"

"Then I'm you're boyfriend now... Love you Suga-senpai..."

"Love you too honey~" he said in a mischievous tone making me flustered and pulled back from the hug and hid my face in between the palm of my hands making him laugh.

"Don't say it like that!" i whined quitely to him making him laugh even more.

"Aww~ I'm sorry~ Did i embarrass you?"

I didn't say anything, instead i just nodded my head and buried my face into his chest making him coo at my behaviour before the moment was ruined by coach.

"Why are you slacking off!! Get back to practice!!"

"Hai Coach!"

Sugawara sighed disappointedly before kissing my cheek and letting go of me.

"Wait for me after practice, yeah? We'll walk home together"

I nodded my head making him smile and pecked my lips before he went off to practice. I stood there in a daze before i was snapped out of my thoughts by Shoyo yelling, asking me to help him practice his receives. I nodded my head and started practicing with Shoyo and Tobio. There was a noticeable skip in my step because i have Sugawara as my amazing boyfriend and i couldn't be happier.

~Bonus~

The next day, i told the girl that asked me to give the love letter to Sugawara, what happened and to put it lightly she didn't take it too well. She ended up slapping me in the face but Sugawara was nearby when that happened and he slapped that girl and dragged me towards the nurse's office and pampered me like a baby.

~The End~

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A/n:I was inspired to do this because i saw a video that was related to a love letter and i was like "This is a great idea!" and I've been meaning to make a Sugawara fanfic so it's a win-win situation for me. Hope you enjoyed it!! ♥️♥️♥️

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[cafeacademia]

Love Between The Pages | Chapter 3

Blaise Zabini x Reader

Chapter Summary: You and Blaise enjoy an afternoon in the warmth of spring with your book club, the two of you becoming closer and your mind terribly aware that it might all end with the end of his detention.

Warnings: Nothing, just fluff, very soft chapter, a tiny bit of romance.

Word count: Approx 2000

A/N: Hi loves, here's the third chapter!! I had initially intended to include a mildly angsty scene in this chapter, but I just couldn't fit it in and maintain the soft vibes I've been going for with this series. I hope you enjoy none the less! The next part will be the last full part and then it'll be followed up by a little epilogue!

The warm afternoon sun and a light, cool breeze made the grounds the perfect spot to enjoy the hour. It was warm, but not too hot and neither was it cold. “If we go a bit further down, we can hear the lake.” Neville said over his shoulder to the rest of the group as Theo walked along beside him, everyone happily following Neville closer to the lake shore.

“It’s pretty out here, isn’t it?” Cho asked, looking over at Draco who just sort of shrugged at her. “It’s alright I suppose.” He replied. “Oh shut up, we all know you like it, you can admit it.” Ginny teased, the girls giggling at the way Draco playfully rolled his eyes at them, too amused to really be mad.

“It really is nice out here.” You said, glancing up at Blaise as you walked next to each other, a little behind the others. “I can’t believe you never thought of it.” He chuckled. And Blaise had been right, it would be lovely to read out in the afternoon sun on a warm spring day, with a gentle breeze and the lapping of the lake against the shore. The birds flitting about added to the ambience, along with the distant cheer and laughter coming from the quidditch practice that was taking place in the distance, the odd giggle and shriek of laughter bringing the grounds to life as a group of first years bounded down to see Hagrid.

Following the others down, you felt the soft brush of Blaise’s hand against yours, the back of his fingers trailing over yours. It made butterflies blossom in your chest, your heart flipping as you glanced down at his gentle touch. Looking up at him, flustered and shy, you could barely look him in the eyes and you hoped, at least for a moment that he didn’t notice what he did to you, that he didn’t realise what kind of feelings you felt when his hand touched yours like that.

Was this more than just a little crush, you wondered. Was it more than just attraction when you thought of someone nearly all the time? Their voice on your mind, their mannerisms and things they would say playing in your mind over and over. Perhaps it was more.

“Here’s a good spot.” Neville sighed contentedly as he pulled his bag off his shoulders and placed it down on the grass below a tree before lowering himself onto the grass, his actions pulling you out of your little daze and your hand parted from Blaise’s.

Theo sat next to Neville, the pair having slowly become more friendly with each other over their interest in Herbology and books. And who would have known that Theodore Nott had an interest in Herbology, had it not been for Neville who saw it in him? Theo seemed to admire Neville’s attentiveness to character, seemed to admire his kind, nurturing nature. Perhaps that was what drew him towards the Gryffindor, and gave him the patience to give the friendship a chance.

Settling down next to Blaise beneath a tree, you pulled your copy of The Hobbit into your lap as he got himself comfortable, leaning back against the old oak tree. “The Hobbit, have you read it before?” Blaise asked as he looked over your shoulder, your eyes going wide with excitement. “Once, yes.” You nodded. “Have you read Little Women too?” He asked as he lifted the copy of Little Women he had borrowed from the library. “I’ve read that too.” You smiled shyly, looking down at your book. “I think it’s nice, it’s sweet actually.” Blaise replied. “What do you mean?” It came out quieter than expected, but not so quiet he hadn’t heard you. “That you read so much, that you know the muggle fiction in the library so well.” He chuckled softly.

Blaise often forgot that your upbringing had not been like his. While he was brought up with the reality of his abilities and those around him, you were unbeknown to the world of witchcraft and wizardry. For you, it was only being alive in the books you read, it was nothing but a fantasy to you. Sometimes he wished he had lived like you, in innocence growing up with nothing more thrilling than a muggle book to delve into, with fantasies he could not fathom. He wondered what it was like when you found out you were a witch and to have the fantasies of magic suddenly become a reality for you too.

Looking over at you, Blaise found himself unable to look away. It was the way you lazily propped yourself up against the tree beside him, one hand on the page of your book while the other gently slid between the soft blades of grass, your fingers idly trailing gently over daisy heads that bloomed beneath the tree. It was the late afternoon light that cast a golden glow over you, highlighting your beauty in every way.

Perhaps it was the way his heart fluttered or the light airy feeling he got when you smiled at him. Or perhaps it was the way you shone so brightly for someone who was so shy and quiet. Whatever it was, a thought crossed his mind in that moment, one he knew only as fact. She has stolen my heart.

It was then that you looked up from your book, having felt his gaze on you. He met your eyes with a flash of embarrassment before he gave you his lopsided charming smile that never seemed to fail in melting you.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You asked softly.

"Like what?" Blaise countered.

"Like you're-." In love. You stopped yourself, the words unable to roll off your tongue. What if it wasn't love? What if it was just curiosity?

"Like I'm what?" Blaise prompted, his fingers reaching across the grass and gently brushing against yours, rising the warmth through you again. It was confusing, yet exhilarating and so sweet all at the same time.

The words played on your lips, tangible yet out of reach. They clung to you. What if it wasn't love?

"Nothing, I just meant..." You trailed off.

But as you questioned it, you wondered more now; what if it was love?

Between the longing gazes, the need to be near each other, the soft barely there touches and the way you both naturally seemed to look for each other in a room. Maybe it was love.

But as the comfortable silence took over and Blaise gazed at you with a soft smirk, he realised he didn’t need the answer. He knew what you were going to say, what was sitting on the tip of your tongue, too shy to be put into words.

Instead of trying to pry words from you or formulate the ones he was not sure he could just yet, Blaise gently slid his fingers through the soft blades of grass, his fingertips lightly brushing over the back of your hand. You looked up at him, a sweet expression about you, somewhere between curiosity and something flustered, wanting. It was soft, the way he took your hand in his, gentle and sweet as if he thought he might hurt you with the slightest movement, his fingers gently grasping your hand in his, resting in the cool grass.

You gazed up at him, eyes full of something, but they told him everything. The gentle lap of the water on the lake shore, the soft chatter of the birds in the trees and the way the breeze rustled through the leaves. The fresh spring scent, it smelled of green, of flowers, of fresh water. It was the light salt smell of the silt that collected on the bank, the woody scent of the tree that you both leaned against. And then there was the feeling, the feeling Blaise brought you, the butterflies that fluttered through you at the way he smiled, the way he gazed at you as if you were the only one there.

You read like that for a while, with your book in your lap, one hand turning the pages while your other was resting in Blaise’s gentle grasp, his thumb lightly tracing over the back of your hand, your fingers adjusting around his hand now and again, relaxing and becoming more comfortable with the soft touch.

And even when the low toll of the clock tower bell rang to signal the turn of the hour, accompanied by the soft shuffling of pages and clothes against grass, the quiet chatter of your friends as they gathered their things together, you stayed together for a moment longer.

“Come on, I’ll walk you back to your common room.” Blaise suggested as he pulled away from you, putting his book away. And even though you could have spent the whole night out in the grounds by his side, you knew you could not. It would soon be time for dinner and after that you knew you had other things you needed to do before tomorrow for class. “I’d like that.” You nodded, reaching for your bag and tucking your book away.

Blaise got to his feet first, throwing his bag over his shoulder before he held out both of his hands to help you up. And you gently placed your hands in his, letting him help you to your feet, his gentle touch not leaving yours for a moment, even after you were standing.

Taking your bag and adjusting it on your shoulders, you began to walk side by side, your friends having already started walking back up the grounds towards the stone circle. “Last week is your last meeting with us.” You sighed, intending it not to sound as if you were as disappointed as you felt, but Blaise heard the way it hurt to say it out loud, the longing hope that it might not end, especially not so soon. “And we’ll make it the best, won’t we?” Blaise gently nudged your arm. “I suppose we will.” You nodded as you both continued up the hill, your mind thinking up all manner of ideas of what you could do for the last meeting the boys were there for.

You didn’t want them to leave. Of course at first you had been thinking the same as Ginny had said, it felt as if you were the ones being punished for the boys attacking your group. But it quickly became apparent that perhaps the book club was just as much of a safe space for the boys as it was for you and your friends. And you hoped at least, that they liked it enough to stay after their last meeting, but there was no way you could know for sure and part of you was afraid to ask.

You heard a joyful shriek of laughter as you passed through the stone circle, looking up ahead to see Draco and Ginny laughing with their heads thrown back about something that Theo had said, Cho unable to stop herself from giggling. It made you smile. Perhaps it wouldn’t be the same without the boys if they left, at least you felt like something would be missing.

And as you walked up the steps towards your common room, your hands brushing together, fingers linking gently and soft glances cast between you, you became lost in your thoughts.

“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” Blaise asked as you both stopped outside of the common room door, his breath catching in his throat at the accidental use of the name. It was true though, you were a sweetheart in every sense of the word, darling, kind, gentle, quiet. There was no other word to describe you the way Blaise wanted to. Meeting his gaze, your smile reaching your eyes with a loving warmth, you shook your head. “Nothing at all.” You lied. He didn’t believe you, but he didn’t mind, they weren’t his to be shared. “Alright, I’ll see you around then.” Blaise smiled, gently squeezing your hand. “Yes,” You paused, the thought again on your mind. What if it wasn’t love? “See you later.” Were your last words before your hands parted and you took one last look at Blaise before you turned away to walk towards the Ravenclaw common room door. And you wondered again; what if it was love?

Blaise Zabini Taglist (OPEN):

@paintballkid711 @megantje123 @chaotic-fae-queen @slytherinwh0re @frecklesandfirecrackers @starofthedawn @mingyuahjumma @dracosaccount @90smalfoy @fuckingdraco @loving-life-my-way @cpetrova @miraclesoflove @struggling-bee @weasleywhore @little-me204 @dreaming-about-fanfictions @eli-malfoy-asf @ur-local-reality-shifter @voidmalfoy @wh0re4blaise @cherie-draco @lazypeachsoul @sistheselenophile @sw33tgirl

[sritzthefirefly]

The Not-so French Mistake

Pairing: Slight Dean x reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: Language

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. Any and all comments on this are appreciated. I’m sorry for any grammatical errors that I might have made. This is my first fanfiction (as a one-shot, I've written a few earlier in poetry form) so please go easy on me.

“You are going to die.”, he states nonchalantly, as if three men entering your house and telling you that you are going to die is an everyday occurrence.

“I…WHAT?!”, I shout, my eyes round as saucers.

Well, today was a seemingly normal day. Until the seemingly normal day wasn’t as seemingly normal as I thought it would be.

                                2 hours earlier

“Hey, I’ll be leaving now”, my best friend said as she packed the small handbag she always carried around with her.

“Don’t forget the pickle jar and then come back 15 minutes later telling me you forgot the one thing I reminded you about”, I shouted to her from the top of the stairs.

She turned around to pick up the jar from the centre table when her eyes landed on me and she whistled. I pulled the drawstrings of my silk dressing gown tighter as I walked down the stairs.

“Ooooh, would you look at that, someone’s looking good. So, are you going to sleep after I’m gone, or are you going to have some company tonight?”

“I…..I just can’t……not so soon after...ummm……I know I’m stupid but I just wanted to feel good about myself”

She closed the few steps between us and hugged me tightly.

“Hey, you know he’s an asshole. His words don’t count, ok? No guy has the right to make you feel bad about yourself”, she said, pulling away.

“But he…….”

“No missy, you listen here, he’s an idiot who doesn’t deserve you. He should feel lucky he’s not in town or I would’ve kicked him so hard in the balls that impregnating a woman would’ve been a foreign concept to him.”

I gave her a small smile.

“Thanks for hyping me up, love. I’m now going to have ice cream and cry my heart out to sad rom-coms.”

“Bitch, you hate rom-coms. You’re just going to binge-watch Supernatural and you’re not telling me that because you won’t admit that you’re obsessed with the show”.

“Okay, okay whatever……Aren’t you getting late for your train?”

 She looked at her watch.

 “Oh shit! Bye, see you later.” she said as she ran out of the door, slamming it behind her. I sighed to myself and walked over to the TV, switching it on.

“Self-care time for me now!”, I said to myself, as I opened the fridge to get my favorite ice-cream when suddenly, the doorbell rings. I immediately turned my head towards the centre table and sure enough, the pickle jar was there.

Shaking my head, I picked up her precious jar and walked over to the door, pulling it open.

“I knew you……..”, I stopped short when I saw who was standing outside.

There, standing on my porch were, none other than, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki.

And then I woke up.

Yeah, if only it happened that way.

I knew I was looking like an absolute fool in front of them, opening and closing my mouth like a fish, my eyes wide and my breath short as I stood there, taking in the two handsome men adorning my doorstep. They were dressed in their Sam and Dean outfits -plaid, over layers of plaid- it seemed like a scene straight out of a set.

“Hi! You’re Y/N right?”, Jared said in his usual husky voice while Jensen stood beside him, strangely staring at me with something akin to awe in his eyes.

“W…what? I…uh…yeah…I…I am Y/N”, I somehow managed to choke out.

“You’re awesome”, Jensen Ackles breathed out with a sigh with literal heart-eyes in my direction. He cleared his throat and blinked twice and then seemed to step out of his reverie. He gave me a small smile and looked me up and down with a small smirk and I blushed furiously. Wait, was Jensen Ackles checking me out?!

Okay, so there were either of these two things going on- either I was dreaming or I had completely lost my mind. But since I had already pinched myself and well, that damn pinch did hurt, so the situation pretty much tilted towards the latter side. I mean, Jensen Ackles knows me and he thinks I am awesome?!

“Yep, definitely not a fan”, Jared whispers somewhat sarcastically to Jensen to which he replies under his breath with a “Shut up, Sammy!”

I would have paid more attention to what Jensen said had I not had my whole focus on Jared’s last words.

“Ummm…..excuse me? No offense but I’m standing right here and you can rest assured that I am 100% a fan, of both of you. If you don’t believe me, ask me anything about Supernatural.”, I say, crossing my hands across my chest.

“Wha-Supernatural? Like the book Supernatural? You have that here too?”, Jensen asks seemingly surprised.

Alright, is this a game for their show? I thought to myself, utterly confused and dazed. They seem to know my name and well, address too and that can be the only logical explanation as to why Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are here, on my doorstep. But I couldn’t see any cameras nearby. Maybe they were hidden? Maybe I was meant to be taken by surprise? Oh shit, did I just challenge them right now? Was this being filmed? My mind rushed with a million things- ‘Oh god, I must be looking so stupid right now, acting like a blobfish instead of doing anything!’

I opened my mouth to say something, anything at all, when Jared cut through. 

“Ummm I’m sorry, Y/N, but it’s not really a good idea to be standing outside and talking. I promise we’ll explain everything. Can we please come inside and talk?”

“I….uh…..yeah sure. Come inside please.”, I was about to ask what their deal was but changed my mind when I saw Jensen nervously looking around and then back at me, pleadingly. 

I closed the door behind me as they settled on the plush red sofa. I walked across the room and sat on the chair facing them.

“Y/N”, Jared started. “There’s no easy way to say this but I’m Sam Winchester and this is my brother Dean. Like, from Supernatural.”

“Ummm…. I’m aware? Despite your contrary belief, I told you I was a fan.”, I said, confused.

“You’re our fan?!”, Jensen asked, somewhat stunned. “Haha sweetheart, am I living my dream!”, he added, his emerald eyes twinkling.

I stared at him through my eyelashes.

“Hold up, quick question, are you a Dean girl or Sam girl?”

“Dean, not now…..”, Jared sighed.

“Dean girl!”, I blurted out, immediately blushing deeply. Jensen’s entire face lit up and I hurriedly added, “No offense to Jared here.”

“Jared? You mean Jared Pada-whatshisname?”, Jensen asked incredulously.

“Padalecki, Dean”

“Son of a bitch! Fake us lives in the same universe as her!”

I started laughing and the both of them turned towards me quizzically.

“Ummm what is this? Some spin-off of The French Mistake?”, I asked.

“The French what?”, Jared looked at me, his eyebrow raised.

“That’s not important right now. Y/N, I know, it’s hard to believe us right now, but we are not your TV actors-we are not Jensen and Jared. I am the actual Dean Winchester and he is my brother, Sam Winchester. The trickster, the archangel Gabriel, owed us a favor and he let us travel into your universe.... Sweetheart please, you have to believe me. I umm uh, I have been a-”

I stood straight up from my chair, angrily.

“I’m sorry but what kind of prank is this? Going to people’s houses and-”, I started angrily when suddenly the entire room got spontaneously flooded with an immensely bright light.

“Cover your eyes!”, a deep, somewhat robotic voice filled the air and I immediately did so to lessen the risk of my precious peepers being completely burned out by an unknown source of dazzling light in my seemingly normal house in the middle of a seemingly normal (absolutely weird) day.

Slowly, the light faded.

And there stood Misha Collins-

No, that could not possibly be Misha. Unless Misha had suddenly evolved to be able to exhibit bioluminescence or had sprouted long black wings from the back of his trench coat or had learned to hover like a bee in mid-air. No, definitely not Misha. 

That means, this must…this must be-

“Holy mother of God”, I gasped out.

“I….am….not….the….I am the son of God”, he said, walking across the room to sit beside Jar-no, no......Sam.

Holy shit! CASTIEL?! That means that all this time, Jens- Dean, had not been lying. I collapsed on my chair, my mind, not being able to form a single coherent thought. Dean leaped up from the sofa and rushed to my side.

“Darling….darling, look for yourself, that-”

“He is Castiel.”, I said, boring into Dean’s green eyes, they brought me comfort. “I believe you…… Dean.”

A look passed between Sam and Dean and Dean immediately held my hand and squeezed my palm as an act of reassurance as he beamed at me.

Sam got up from his chair and smiled at me, “Thanks to Cas here, you believe us. At last. I thought you were two seconds away from throwing us out.”

I snorted. A really ugly snort through my nose. In front of three delicious-looking men, especially Dean, who was somehow still looking at me like I was God’s gift to mankind. Hah, no wonder I was single.

I cleared my throat to relieve the awkwardness and continued,

“Well, in my defense, you guys were acting real creepy.”

Yeah sure, not even in my wildest dreams would I actually throw Jensen and Jared out of my house, no matter how creepy they act, but they didn’t need to know that.

“But how…why……..”, I started asking the questions bothering me.

“Umm well, yeah, about that…”, Dean started, gulping.

Castiel walked over and looked at me with downcast eyes.

“You are going to die.”, he stated nonchalantly, as if three men entering into your house and telling you that you are going to die is an everyday occurrence.

“I…WHAT?!”, I shouted, my eyes wide.

                                        Now

“CAS!”, Sam and Dean both exclaim at him at the same time.

“She was asking.…..”

“No Cas, not like that!”, Sam tells him prickly.

“Please tell me what the hell is going on! Why….How am I going to die? What’s happening?!”, I say, hiding my face with my hair.

“Darling, promise me you won’t freak out.”, Dean says, staring straight into my soul. “You are a character from a book in our universe. My favourite book. And trust me, this...you…. I am a huge fan of you. Have been, since I was a child. Now you see, few months ago, we stumbled into your universe when Gabriel pranked us. And then I saw you. I met you. The real you....just….perfect….And I just wanted to.....I mean..... I came back...I came back because…..”

“Because?”

“I know everything. I know how the book ends and I have come back here to save you, darling.”

Tagging -  @thatmotleygirl @msmarvelouswinchester @athenapotter @mvdeanw​ @bts-spnlvr12​ @holylulusworld @jensengirl83

[ahsokaismyqueen]

I would LOVE to see what you come up with for Marcus Marano using prompts 91 & 102? I really adore all your writing very much, but this is the first request I've ever made!! Thanks if you decide to do mine, either way I'm so excited to see what comes from awesome brain of yours 😁

I am so sorry for how long this took, but I hope you enjoy your request! Thank you so much for sending it in! <3

91. "You want me to give your phone back? Make me."

102. "Are you trying to turn me on, or are you really just that oblivious?"

You were done. In fact, you were past done. You were so far done the finish line, which had never been close in the first place, was a speck in the distance. Shoving him off of you, again, you stalked over to the bench where the rest of your things were laying. “Hand to hand is ridiculous. I can do anything with a damn sword, and I’m stuck here trying to learn how to fight like this when I could slice their damn hands off.” You mumbled under your breath as you gathered your belongings and started shoving them in your bag. You heard Marcus calling out behind you, but you ignored him, instead focusing on getting out of this training room as soon as possible.

Until you felt his hand wrap around your wrist. “I’m not going to let you give up.” He told you.

It was like a spark shot through your body. It was always like that when he touched you. From the moment he showed up at your job in an attempt to recruit you to the Heroics, there had been something about his touch that made your heart do all sorts of crazy stuff. You tried to ignore the reaction though, because as much as you liked Marcus Moreno, you were frustrated. “It’s not giving up if you never even started in the first place, Marcus.” You tugged your wrist from his grip and grabbed the remainder of your things, already pulling out your phone to get an Uber. “You know, when you said we were going to train, I thought you meant with our weapons.” You said, knowing he was a well established katana user, you thought he might be an actual challenge to fight.

“You might not always have your weapons with you -”

You let out a snort. Your weapons were always within reach. “Come on -”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

The words made you pause, and you turned to look at him. There was something about the way he had said those words, and the look in his deep brown, almost black eyes as he stared at you that made your over exerted heart pump even faster. “Why?” You asked, the word sounds much more breathless than you would like. “Why do you care so much?” You added on.

You couldn’t miss the way that his chest was heaving, straining against the black combat shirt that he wore. It clung to every muscle on his body, and you moved your gaze back up to his eyes, hoping he wasn’t able to tell how much that affected you. “You’re a member of the Team,” He said after several moments. “I wouldn’t want anyone -”

Of course. Of course it had something to do with the team, and you had been stupid to think any different. Marcus Moreno caring about you in any way other than professionally was ridiculous. You turned back around tapping at your phone to get your uber, but before you could, your phone flew out of your hand and into Marcus’s. “What the hell, Marcus?!” You gasped, shocked that he had done such a thing.

“You want me to give you your phone back?” He asked, raising it up, and you couldn’t believe the smirk playing at his lips. “Make me.”

The words sent a warmth through your body even though you were sure he hadn’t intended them the way that your mind took it. “Are you being serious right now?” You sputtered.

He raised his eyebrow at you. “Are you backing down?”

He knew you too well. It was one thing to say you didn’t want to do something, it was another to insinuate that you couldn’t. You reached for your phone as fast as you could, but it was pulled out of your reach by the time you had moved an inch. Marcus used your mistake to his advantage, grabbing your arm and twisting it behind your back. He held it tight enough for some uncomfortable pressure, but that was the last thing on your mind when you felt his strong body against your back. “Let me go.” You said, but your voice didn’t have near the command that you wanted it to.

“Make me,” he repeated, so close you felt his breath brush against the back of your head.

It was amazing how two little words could have such a strong effect on your body. Your heart began racing, your mind filled with images of how you’d like to ‘make him’. “Are you trying to turn me on, or are you really just that oblivious?” You murmured under your breath.

“What?” He asked, his grip loosening somewhat in surprise.

“So you are that oblivious, good to know.” Pushing the embarrassment aside, you used your momentary distraction to your advantage, using the move that he had taught you to twist out of his grip and slip your phone from his unsuspecting hand. “Can I go now?” You asked, breathless as you held your retrieved phone up to his eyes.

“I - yeah,” Marcus replied, looking dazed by what had happened moments ago.

That was the fastest you had ever made it out of that training room.

____________________

From the moment that you stepped outside the building, you hoped that he had decided he misheard you. By the time that you made it home, were clothed in your oversized shirt and shorts with a pizza in front of you, you were wondering if the Heroics accepted sick days.

It was at that point there was a knock at the door. Hoping it was the pizza guy with your forgotten sauces, you didn’t even check to see who it was before you answered the door. You probably should have.

“Hi.”

Marcus Moreno was standing there, still in his work out clothes with an odd flush to his cheeks that would make you think he ran there if it wasn’t for his car parked outside. “Um . . . hi? Did I - Did I forget something?” Oh God why was he here? Please don’t let it be to ask you about what you said . . .

“Did you mean what you said earlier?”

Oh fuck. “What are you talking about?” You asked, trying to sound as confused as possible, but you were pretty sure Marcus knew you were full of it, even if he was too nice to call you out on it.

“Did you mean it when you said I was - uh -”

How you wished he didn’t look so cute when he was all flustered, shuffling from one foot to the other, a hand running through his messy hair, and then finding a home in the pockets of his sweats. It made him not being able to say the words all the more embarrassing. “Marcus, they were just words.” You said, biting your bottom lip. “They don’t have to mean anything.”

You thought that might bring the conversation to an end, and Marcus didn’t speak for so long you thought it had. But as soon as your hand started reaching to pull the door closed, he stopped you, making you look back up at him. “What if I want them too?”

Your eyes widened in disbelief. Almost as long as you had known Marcus you had thought he was the best man you had ever met. Sweet, strong, thoughtful, intelligent, and not to mention good looking. All things that added up to make him way out of your league. It had never even crossed your mind that he would be the slightest interested in you until this moment. This time, it was your turn to be surprised. “You do?” You asked in shock.

Never had you ever seen Marcus look so nervous, even when facing down the most dangerous of criminals. “Earlier, when I said I cared about you because you were a part of the team . . . that wasn’t the only reason.”

Your heart felt like it was stuttering as he looked at you, and your grip on the door tightened. “What’s the other reason, Marcus?” You asked.

He seemed to be struggling to find the right words. You watched him, but couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit disappointed when he didn’t say anything. If he couldn’t even form the words, how strong could any possible feelings he had be?

You opened your mouth to tell him it was okay, but it was at that moment he took a step forward, cradling your face in his hands and meeting your lips in an intense kiss that you didn’t know he had in him.

It turned out you didn’t need words for his answer.

At once a blast of heat engulfed you, and it felt like your whole body melted. Your eyes fluttered closed at the fierceness of his kiss, and you could swear that you heard your own heart pounding in your ears.

It was natural to respond to lips in kind, natural to wind your arms around his neck and pull him closer while his wove around your waist. It was natural to part your lips and let his tongue slip into your mouth and make out with him on your front porch like a couple of teenagers saying goodnight after a date. In fact, it was so natural that when Marcus did pull away, it felt like your source of air had been cut off. You took a sharp inhale, trying to get oxygen back in your lungs as you opened your eyes and looked at him with what you were sure was a dopey grin.

It helped a little that your smile was mirrored on his own face.

“Mhmm . . . That was almost good enough to convince me to come back to training tomorrow.” You teased, sliding your arms from around his neck to pat his firm chest.

Marcus raised his eyebrows. “Almost?”

With a little smirk of your lips, you remembered his earlier words. You gave a little tug on his shirt, and then stepped back into your house. “Guess you’ll have to make me.” You said, turning your back to him, but leaving the door open so he could come inside if he wanted to.

There was silence for a couple of seconds, and you worried for a moment you had been too bold.

Then you heard footsteps, and the door clicking closed behind him.

[captains-simp]

Carol Danvers ~ Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Chapter 2: Owe Me

One

[ masterlist ]

Buy me a coffee ☕

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The explosion on your left was far too close for comfort. The shock sent your body hurling forward a few feet with a distinct ringing in your ears. The high pitched sound was all you could focus on for a few precious moments.

When the dust started to settle and the ringing got slightly quieter, you knew you needed to get up. You were vulnerable. And you were outnumbered.

You could handle something like four or five-to-one, but twenty was a little more than you had been prepared for. The fact that they were a heavily armed twenty made it worse. You were pretty sure you had seen Owen's logo on one of those weapons.

You turned onto your side to try to take in your surroundings better but visibility was still limited. The shoulder you had landed on protested against your movements but you were forced ignore it. There was no way you were going to get out of there without using it again.

You groaned as you finally got yourself onto your knees and pushed off of the ground to stand. You were extremely disorientated and unsteady but you continued to look around until you could make out distant shapes amongst the dust.

You shook your head and raised your hands in closed fists infront of you in hopes of it preparing you even a little.

Just as you managed to narrow your focus onto those infront of you, heavy footsteps were heard from behind.

You spun around to meet whoever was charging towards you only to stumble sideways. Much to your luck, the exact moment you moved to the side the attacker had swing his fist and ended up stumbling forward too from having not landed his punch.

You noticed this just in time and managed to swipe his legs out from under him while maintaining your own balance. The victory, no matter how small, made you feel more confident about the situation. Maybe you would be able to get out of there in one piece.

Just as you had that optimistic thought bullets went whizzing by the side of your head. You were grateful for the attacker's terrible aim as you ducked behind a large cluster of debris.

Your gun had been thrown from your grasp in the blast and to get it back you would have to run a few feet away from the safety of your temporary cover. Bullets continued to smack against the debris, the frequency and the amplitude both increasing to warn you they were getting closer.

It would hard - near impossible - to get your gun, shoot every attacker with the few bullets you had and avoid getting seriously injured, but it was that or wait behind the debris for a bullet to finally find you.

Your eyes locked onto your unharmed gun as you sat up gradually. Now or never.

You sprang up from your position and sprinted towards your weapon as the bullets relentlessly followed you. You swiped it in your hand and instantly aimed your gun towards the attackers.

They may have had bigger, much more intimidating guns, and there may have been a lot more of them, but they had no idea what to do with those guns or how to work coherently together. That made it easier for you to hit each target perfectly without a single bullet even skimming you.

But there was only ten of them down. The blast had disorientated you so much you hadn't noticed them scatter to surround you. Panic rose in your chest when you saw the remaining attackers spaced out in the distance.

That same panic was amplified when a small object came hurtling towards you, the small blinking light was enough for you to figure out what it was.

With all the energy you could muster, you put as much distance between you and the explosive device as your legs could give you. Your hands instinctively covered your head when your feet left the ground and the defeaning boom filled your ears.

You expected to feel bullets rain down on you. You expected everything to go completly dark. You expected the worst. Nothing happened.

You glanced up at the nearest attacker, your ears ringing once again, and saw him staring up at the sky. He was looking around frantically. You couldn't really make out his face, but you could tell he was scared.

You couldn't see anything in the sky either, leading you to wonder what they were all trying to look at. That was very quickly answered when something bright dropped down infront of you.

You were dazed for a brief moment until the familiarity of the bright light hit you.

The energy around Carol was far stronger than it was the last couple of times you had a demonstration. It was flowing over her entire body and although you couldn't see her face because her back was turned to you, the confidence and power she emitted was something you couldn't help but be in awe of.

The attackers backed away slightly however this seemingly wasn't enough for Carol. She shot her photon blasts faster than anyone could comprehend or get away from. Swirls of blue, yellow and red light was fired in every direction and it was over so quickly.

When Carol turned around to face you her powers were fading yet the soft glow around her made her look angelic, you would never admit that to her of course.

"You look like you need some help." The blonde smiled knowingly down to you.

"I'm perfectly fine on my own." You defied stubbornly.

"On the floor?" She gave a smug grin as you huffed and got off of the floor. You patted the dust of your clothes and tried to assess your next move while you tried even harder to ignore the hero and the fact she may have just saved your life.

"You could say thank you." The smirk was still present in Carol's voice.

"Are they dead?" You asked, avoiding the statement like the bullets you had just encountered. You walked towards the nearest attacker with Carol close behind.

"Just knocked out." As she said that, the nearest man groaned and tried to sit up. "I guess not all of them." The man startled when he heard Carol's voice and sat bolt upright as he legs kicked out to try and back himself away, it didn't work very well.

"Can we go back to our convosation before you started shooting at me?" You asked as you stood over him.

"I don't know anything." He stammered as he looked between the two of you.

"You're awful defensive for someone who doesn't have anything to hide."

"I've noticed that with a lot of people." Carol added. You didn't object to her presence this time.

"I don't, I swear! We were just told that if anyone came looking for Daexire we had to kill them." The man explained with a pleading look.

You smiled at his answer and nodded slowly, taking a step away from the two and glancing around at the other attackers, non of which moved.

"You're happy with that?" Carol questioned as her brows furrowed. Confused by your apparent contentment.

"It's actually quite relieving to hear. It means I'm on the right track. I much prefer people trying to kill me over people misleading me." You explained as you started to wander away.

You had been in that situation before, it always happened with the biggest bounties who had a lot of people defending them. The misleading happened first, and then the paranoia kicked in and everyone was told to go into full defense. It also meant you were getting closer, but with Daexire you were sure you had a way to go before you could truly celebrate any progress.

"So you know where to go next?" You cringed slightly at that. It did help, but the next place you had in mind was one you never thought you would return to. You had wanted to put it off for longer, but seeing how defensive the people in that area had been made it the logical place to go.

You didn't answer Carol, knowing what she was going to suggest. She seemed to know what your silence meant.

"You know...you kind of owe me now." She said slowly. You turned to her sharply and met her searching gaze. You hated that she was right. You also hates being in people's debt. "And don't say you had it under control because we both know you didn't." You still stayed silent but avoided her gaze this time, pretending to survey your surroundings.

"We're on the same side, you know?" She said. There was no arrogant tone to her voice this time. No superiority. She spoke as though it was genuinely something she wanted you to understand. You did.

"I have rules." You stated, looking back at her. Carol smiled hopefully, it suited her. "You follow my lead when we're talking to people." Carol instantly opened her mouth to oppose but you stopped her by speaking louder. "I know these people, you don't. I know how they work, how they think. You can fight, Danvers, I'll give you that. I know that you're a superhero and all, but what we're doing now is bounty hunting. That's my world. It'll only work if you follow my lead." You explained to her as best you could. You needed her to understand that. Carol considered your words as she searched your face for...well you weren't entirely sure what she was looking. So you took a guess.

"I know I'm getting money out of this when it's done. But it's about more than that with Daexire, I know what he's done, what he'll continue to do. He needs to be stopped, and we can only stop him if this is done right. I'm not even going to attempt to boss you around, you're far too stubborn, just trust that I know this better."

She continued to look at you carefully until, you weren't sure you even wanted to hazard a guess as to know what she was thinking. Finally, Carol nodded tightly, you knew she was still unsure. It must have been a while since someone had asked that of her, you just hoped she would understand early on.

"Great." You released a breath you didn't know you had been holding and ran a hand through your hair as you stepped back.

"Do I at least get to fly your ship?" Carol asked as a mischievous twinkle emerged in her eyes. You rolled your eyes to stop the smile that threatened to form as you walked back to your ship.

"Don't push it, Danvers."