#IF YOU DO I’M SORRY BECAUSE THIS MUST ALL READ AS GIBBERISH TO YOU

[xiaosonlybeloved]

Lost to Change~ Childe

featuring:- Tartaglia as Ajax when he was 14 yrs old, his family, gn!reader (no pronouns used) warnings:- implied angst, minor mention of injuries towards the end, nothing actually its just sad a/n:- oml my first actual writing in like weeks i kinda like it ngl. can be read as platonic or non platonic since ajax is 14 here and reader is close to his age too

wc:- 1.6k || masterlists

“Why isnt Dad back yet?” A little girl questioned you, her worry clear on her face. There’s nothing you can say, though, because you have no answer. “He must still be searching, Tonia.” you try to reassure her, watching over little Teucer who was still sleeping. “Try to go to sleep, Tonia. Tomorrow’s a holiday, but you should still get your sleep. If- When Ajax comes back home, he wouldn’t like to see you all exhausted now, would he?” Sensing her reluctance, you add, “I’m staying here. I’ll keep watch. Nothing will happen, I promise. I’ll wake you up when Uncle comes back home.”

Tonia eventually trudges away to her shared bedroom with Anthon, socked feet moving soundlessly across the carpeted floor. Her elder sister follows to tuck her in, leaving you alone with Teucer as you sigh, gazing out at the moon high in the sky, anxious.

Its been two nights since Ajax had suddenly disappeared without a trace. He’d borrowed some bread for some reason before he left, and no one’s heard of him since. He hadn’t left Morepesok, that much was certain, because his parents had already confirmed it with the police. Which meant that he was certainly somewhere within this quaint little village, or he was lost in the forest. You sincerely hoped it wasn’t the latter, as a distant howl of a wolf was heard.

The police were searching for him too, but his dad had been unable to sit still and wait for any news, so he left to search for Ajax himself. He knows how to protect himself... He would be fine.

“Thank you for staying here, dear. I’m sorry to have asked you to, but sometimes the kids only listen to you, not me. You can go to sleep in the guest bedroom too, its alright. I’m staying awake” Ajax’s mother spoke up from beside the fireplace. At this point, she treats you like you’re her one of her own kids too, and its somewhat reassuring. You quickly reply, “No no, its completely fine, I understand. I don’t mind watching the kids at all. And I’ll give you company till he comes back, don’t worry. I’m used to sleepless nights.”

Ajax’s father comes back in the early morning, alone. The disappointment and worry is very visible on everyone’s faces. You wake Tonia and Anthon up, as promised. Ajax’s elder sister, Maria, and his two elder brothers had stayed awake through the night too. Breakfast is silent as the dim sunrays filter through the forest canopy. You insist on him getting some sleep. The house is silent as everyone goes to their bedrooms after breakfast to try and rest. You use the spare bedroom- its practically yours anyways, with how many times you’ve stayed here for sleepovers with Ajax. There’s a hoard of blankets in one corner of the room that was used to make a fort every single sleepover. It was like an unofficial tradition of yours. 

You try to sleep. Its better than drowning in worry, anyways.

******

Ajax had a guilty frown on his face as he observed your near-sleeping figure. He should have realised that you’d be tired, it had been a long day after all. But he’d been dying to watch the newest movie of their favorite series with you, and of course, you never said no to him. He’d been too engrossed in the movie to notice when your head dropped onto his shoulder- a usual thing between you two. You mumble some gibberish as he carries you to the bed (not without his struggles, you two were children after all) and switches off the T.V. “Is the movie over? I didn’t realise…” You yawn as you sleepily pull up the blankets to your chin. The nights in Snezhnaya were always freezing cold after all, which is why you dont hesitate to do the same with the second blanket Ajax drapes over you. “Nops, but we can watch it tomorrow morning after breakfast. I think Anthon would like to watch it too, if you don’t mind?” “Mm, I don’t, he’s such an adorable kid. They grow up so fast, don’t they?” you mumble. “Are you coming to sleep too?” “..Yeah.” He responds quietly, snuggling into another set of blankets beside you. “Goodnight, [Y/N].” Because you’re already in dreamland by then, having been content to see him resting beside you, you miss the swirling childlike emotions, the sparkle in his eyes. You’re so used to it, seeing it is like second nature to you, an undeniable part of every day.

You wouldn’t have believed it if you had been told that one day, soon, that innocence, that sparkle in his eyes would vanish, to never reappear again.

******

You tried to cling on to the distant memory of your dream that was rapidly fading away as you awoke. You liked the dream. The memory… you were rather untroubled in it because of the presence of your best friend. Much unlike your conscious self’s distress and concern caused due to the same person. 

The sun was glaring through the thin air and the gaps between the curtains.”She’s awake.” A small voice whispered, and another retorted, “You were too loud.” Tonia and Anthon. They’re arguing in hushed tones, startling with an incredibly guilty look as you sit up. And that face is so, so familiar that it instantly reminds you of the person they learnt it from, which reminds you that Ajax is still missing and it has been almost 3 days since then. “Is something the matter?” You question them as you rub the sleep out of your eyes. You’re surprised you even manage to fall asleep.

“Well, Mom, Dad, Maria and Atlas are going out to search for Ajax, and me and Tonia are going with them too. Maria and Dad know how to fight, so we should be safe. Alex is staying home to take care of Teucer. Dad told us to ask you if you wanted to come along too.” Anton says quickly. You nod without hesitation as you briskly put on extra layers suited for the chill outside.

As you walk, they inform you that they’re splitting into two groups, one with their dad, Anthon and Atlas and one with you, his elder sister Maria, Tonia and their mom, to scour the forest. You’ll keep in contact with each other if someone needs help or finds Ajax. You all are strictly to return home an hour before the sun starts setting.

******

There’s not much time left before dusk when finally Maria calls their dad. He immediately answers, starting to tell them to return home now, before Maria swiftly cuts him off. “We found Ajax. He’s injured. We’re bringing him home immediately, please call a doctor in the meanwhile.” She states bluntly. Nearby, you and his mom are doing your best to wrap the wounds and stop the bleeding for a while. 

Ajax was unconscious and looked much worse for wear. Somehow, his hair had grown longer than it should have in three days. Same with his height too, he was definitely taller by a few centimetres from when you had last seen him, as you and Maria carried him home together, his mother and Tonia right behind you. You meet Atlas near their house, who takes Ajax from you as he can carry him faster to the doctor awaiting you all at the house.

Despite the concern, there’s definitely relief mixed in everyone’s emotions to finally finding the runaway. There’s silence in the living room, because the doctor shooed everyone out while he did a checkup and took care of his injuries. After some time that felt like an eternity, he finally reports to you that physically Ajax was alright, he was ordered bedrest for atleast a day, to take care to not reopen his wounds, and that he was awake now. 

You were the first one out of your seat as you immediately hurried to Ajax’s room, eager to finally talk to him, maybe scold him for his recklessness.

Ajax is facing the setting sun in the window, away from you when you enter. “Ajax, you-” You stop short when he turns to face you.

Something’s not quite right.

His smile is the same, if not a bit wider and more cheerful than you’d ever seen him. There was self-confidence in his posture, something he’d lacked before. Make no mistake, you’re happy about that, but…

“Hey [Y/N]! Long time no see!” Ajax blithely exclaims with a grin, and something about it is so off. 

It’s him, its definitely him, your instincts tell you so. But at the same time, its not him. Not the Ajax you knew.

His eyes are completely dull, two dark pools of blue without any shine or light in them. Not a hint of emotion was displayed in them, just a vast emptiness that contradicted his demeanor. His eyes, which used to be your gateway to his thoughts, have locked you out firmly now, no key in hand. 

As the rest of his worried family crowds behind and around you, you realise with a bone-crushing certainty, looking at him, that the Ajax you all knew, loved and missed was gone, lost to the world in those past three days, perhaps never to return. It would never be the same again, he would never be the same again.

(help this isnt even the main plot point i had for this idea this was supposed to be the background not a whole fic on its own-) anyways reblogs, tags and comments are very appreciated thank you <333

[calyxthenerd]

Little drabbles of Luna stealing people’s stuff :)

The roller band boys (+Matteo)

Everyone was already having breakfast, and then Luna comes down, wearing a flannel and dark wash jeans that are way too big for her, a bow tie in her hair and some chains around her wrist

“That’s my flannel!” Protested Simón while pouring Ámbar some orange juice

“And my jeans!” Continued Pedro, in the middle of spreading butter on a piece of toast

“And my chains!” Completed Nico, holding his cup of coffee halfway to his mouth

“And my tie!” Finished Matteo, between bites of a media-luna

“Wow, prima, you really managed to get them all, I for sure thought you’d spare Matteo, at least” Ámbar commented, a smirk on her face as she sipped her cup of juice

“You were in on this?!” They all said at the same time, whipping their heads around to look at the blonde

“I was the one to suggest it in the first place, I told her she wouldn’t be able to take them without you noticing, and she said that you guys would notice, but only if you saw her wearing the stolen items, now she gets to pick the place for our next weekly cousin bonding session” she turns to Luna “You better not pick ice skating, just because you adapt easy to any modality of skating, doesn’t mean the rest of us do” the guys are left very confused as the Benson girls start bickering about ice skating and whatnot

Nina

“Have any of you seen my glasses?” The bespectacled girl asked, after having misplaced her glasses during one of their yearly sleep overs for the old team

They all answered some variations of no, until Luna came back from the bathroom, almost falling down several times, but being saved by a different person each time, they all used to how distracted she got while walking, and made her way to Nina, exclaiming “wow, your eyesight must be reallyyyy bad”

“You have them??? Give them back! I can’t see anything!” she chastised, trying to predict her best friend’s location based on the vague blobs she could barely distinguish, until she recognized the several bracelets the girl wore against her hand, and felt up her arm until she found her face and grabbed the glasses, putting them back on herself, sighing in relief “much better”

Ámbar

“Hey, has one of you seen my files for the suppliers? I have a meeting in two hours and I can’t find them anywhere” the blonde girl asked

“I’m sorry, darling, but I have just been around the dinning and living rooms and I don’t think it’s down here” Monica responds

“I just got back from running errands with the car and it’s not there either” Miguel completes

“Good morning my beloved family!” Luna greets, not looking up from the folder she’s reading as she walks

Ámbar turns to her and chuckles “of course… Lunita, I need those for work”

“Why though? That’s all gibberish and numbers”

“It’s food service jargon, you wouldn’t get it, Mrs Olympic grade skater” she ruffles the younger girl’s hair, swiping the folder from her hands and walking out, after grabbing a slice of toast for the road, of course

Ramiro

“Luli, have you seen my skates anywhere? I need to clean my wheels and change my laces” the curly haired boy questioned, looking around their shared hotel room

“No, I have not” the girl answers, hiding said skates behind her back, with the wheels clean and laces changed

Are you sure because last I checked” he turns to her “they were here…” he trails off, zeroing his gaze on her arms, that disappear behind her around the wrist “Luna, you are a terrible liar and as subtle as a blind elephant, give them back” he orders

She hands the skates back to him, and seeing her surprise, he smiles, dropping them on the ground and hugging her “Valente, you really are the greatest skating partner a guy could ask for”

Jim & Yam

Previously:

“I am not going to beg for forgiveness! How was I supposed to know the fact that she used to think she likes guys was a forbidden topic??” Yam yelled over the phone while Luna was on the other line, before hanging up

“I told you she wouldn’t listen! She never even for one moment thought about my feelings on the subject, noooooo, all it matters is telling an annecdote to get that stupid interviewer laughing” Jim rambles, being pat on the shoulder by her friend

Back to the present:

“Where is my guitar?” Yam’s voice echoes around the room, together with the familiar bell of Luna’s phone notifying a text message, that read “Luna, what did you do with my favorite tap shoes??” from Jim, she replied to both with “you’ll find them at the love lock bridge”

At said bridge:

“Jim…”

“Yam…” the girls said at the same time, huffing out a dry laugh at their synchronized speaking “You go first” Jim continued

“Luna sent me here for my guitar”

“She sent me here for my tap shoes” right then, both their phones went off, they’d gotten a text that said “talk it out, you fools” from their shorter friend, and that is what they did, they talked for hours, before leaving the bridge, their hands intertwined between them

[kukuandkookie]

Please send help Xi Yang Yang literally has me in a chokehold and I am struggling knowing that out of most donghua, most of which are generally already pretty underrated and niche in the mainstream, this is probably one of the MOST NICHE fandoms I could ever get into because it is a kids’ show. 😭

It has a fandom in China that’s actually super active (I love getting lost in Bilibili’s AMVs and animation memes when I can afford to (as in I usually can’t/shouldn’t because I spend too long on that addicting site)), but obviously I’m not fluent enough to be super active on Chinese websites. 🥲

BUT XI YANG YANG JUST HAS GOTTEN SO ANIME AND BADASS AND HEARTFELT AND IT KILLS ME BECAUSE I’M WATCHING THESE ADORABLE LITTLE CHARACTERS I LIKED AS A CHILD BECOME AMAZING, ACTUALLY DEEP CHARACTERS IN REALLY INTRIGUING STORIES!!! It doesn’t help my addiction that the Xi Yang Yang channel on YouTube literally uploads all the episodes so I can watch them!! For free!!! It’s so accessible and thus super addicting!!!

I just found out from summary videos what happens in the latest season (the one where the goats and wolves go back to the fantasy cat kingdom except this time they discover a dog kingdom) and AHHHHHHHHH. I was literally—and yes, I do mean literally!—screaming because OH MY GOD KGJSKFHSJS THE PLOT. THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN.

God I wish there was a fandom for this. I used to yell about it on Twitter and at my Chinese friend who also liked animation (he was even nice enough to send me Xi Yang Yang merch!!) but my Twitter followers follow me for my Scum Villain (and maybe Erha) content and my friend isn’t active anymore. 😭

Obviously it’s my account so I can just post what I want but what I want to do is yell and upload too many screenshots and yell some more and sub video clips and post those too. I LITERALLY HAVE CLIPS OF XI YANG YANG THAT I SUBBED MYSELF JUST SITTING ON MY PHONE GLSJDKSHSJS.

I can’t emphasize enough how this series has grown and changed so much since I was a kid—now rather than have Tom and Jerry-esque comedy and rather stiff animation, it’s more colourful and fluid and even more meaningful—and it remains super funny. Like yes, sometimes the animation is still a bit off but overall it’s just improved so much!! The action is so shounen it’s just so much fun!

https://youtu.be/yQpdr4h2rbc

And the characters are all so likeable—like I genuinely think Xi Yang Yang and Hui Tai Lang are examples of iconic character design, and their friends are pretty good too (Xi Yang Yang can get really funky with some of the character designs—for example with the egg villains etc but overall the main characters look so so cute).

I’m so glad they reformed Hui Tai Lang in Mighty Little Defenders!! I’ve watched every season since then and they’re all really really enjoyable. Since we’re not just constantly reusing Hui Tai Lang as a villain and having him chase the sheep around, we get a lot more interesting stories: the entire Rescue Across Time season, with all its time-travelling shenanigans, remains one of my favourites, as does the aforementioned fantasy cat kingdom transmigration season (we even got the goats brainwashed into lovable jerk versions of themselves who also happen to be cats!!). The whole plot surrounding Xi Yang Yang’s parents and Bing Bing Yang is really nice too, and Hui Tai Lang is such a good dad. 😭

Also I guess it doesn’t technically matter if I spoil the latest season and reveal why I was screaming earlier today, but basically I found out they make Hui Tai Lang brainwashed by dark energy into becoming a villain. Xi Yang Yang tries to fight him and they both get affected with the dark energy, but in the end, Hui Tai Lang still sacrifices himself to save his best friend. GOD THEIR BOND IS SO CUTE. ;w;

I know this is like all gibberish to people who haven’t watched Xi Yang Yang and I’m betting 90% of you haven’t (and that even if you have, 95% of you or more haven’t watched the newer seasons (from Mighty Little Defenders onwards)). But basically besides Xi Yang Yang being devastated by Hui Tai Lang’s potential death, Gou Xing Lang, the villain from the cat fantasy kingdom season (Against the Dark Force) soMEHOW MANAGES TO SAVE HIM FROM WITHIN THE DARKNESS???? AND IT HAS ME EVEN MORE EMO BECAUSE HE HAD A SAD, PRETTY TOUCHING BACKSTORY WHERE HE LOST TOUCH WITH HIS CHILDHOOD BEST FRIEND WHO BETRAYED HIM (which they referenced in the Ultimate Battle season) BUT WE ALL THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD!!!

So now I’m wondering if they’ll build on the fact he’s somehow in the dark energy??? Or if they’ll just leave it at that!?

Man I haven’t even watched the season yet because the YouTube channel gets the seasons way later than China does, so I don’t know the details and from what I have seen, I might find some of it a bit odd, but they really do have the capability to make me feel feels, don’t they? Just from a summary video and I was already getting all emo over Xi Yang Yang and Hui Tai Lang’s bond, and how badass they both are when they’re a bit more villainous.

I’m also wheezing because the summary video pointed out how Hui Tai Lang lamented the fact he always gets made into the villain, and it’s kind of true… 😂

They turned him into a robot in the Ultimate Battle season—and ahhhh he looks so badass!!—and now here too he got infected with dark energy. But I’m down for dark Hui Tai Lang and dark Xi Yang Yang… Like I’m really happy they brought back the kitty versions of the goats because the whole premise there is that they’re like the goats but also opposite, so a lot of them are way meaner than the goats. And that’s always such a fun idea!!

Kitty Xi Yang Yang is brash and arrogant and only cares about power/fun while Xi Yang Yang himself is clever but caring—even when he can be a bit vain. Mei Yang Yang is sweet and a bit timid—although I love the badass older version of herself we got in Ultimate Generation—and yet kitty Mei Yang Yang is just a major bitch and I love it. Like think Flutterbitch from the first couple Discord episodes or from the Chrysalis episode lol. Fei Yang Yang is protective and strong and brash while kitty Fei Yang Yang is selfish and obsessed with cleanliness. Nuan Yang Yang is tender and caring yet kitty Nuan Yang Yang is basically a green tea bitch—she pretends to be sweet on the surface to get people to like her and listen to her but obviously inside she’s not that sweet. Instead, kitty Nuan Yang Yang is rather lazy ahaha.

Speaking of lazy though, we finally got to see kitty Lan Yang Yang, which we didn’t see in Against the Dark Force, since he was never brainwashed. Apparently kitty Lan Yang Yang is still cowardly and gluttonous but also kind of…coquettish? 😂

I’m genuinely so curious about what happens in the dog kingdom season ahhhhh!!! But so far I’m watching Ultimate Battle as it’s updated on YouTube, and I’ve enjoyed this season a lot. It reminds me of Sonic actually, and new Xi Yang Yang already kind of reminds me of Sonic (that’s actually part of why I recommend it—it’s like various really good series all combined into one, and I think fans of modern kids’ shows will also probably enjoy Xi Yang Yang!).

Having Xi Yang Yang and Hui Tai Lang chase a villain into the future and meet their friends 15 years after they disappeared is such a cool plot idea! Plus the villain himself is pretty neat—he wants to roboticize everyone to remove the weakness that is emotion—and from spoilers I know, he’s bringing a lot more intriguing things to the table later.

I’m obsessed with how mature Xi Yang Yang’s friends now are—like they still feel like themselves, but you can really tell they’ve grown up! And it feels natural, which is great.

Mei Yang Yang became a journalist to better search for Xi Yang Yang, and we get lore on her this season, which is really awesome. She’s now no longer bothered by dirtiness and she can fend for herself, which is great to watch—I love her weapon too because it’s a sword that can break into pieces to become longer, like a whip.

Fei Yang Yang is now a badass, reliable firefighter, so he no longer carries that childish brashness of his younger self, and he’s really cool in action. For example, the way he figured out Bu Lei’s plot and was later the one who used three cards, overexerting himself yet becoming super powerful and badass in order to defeat Professor T, was just so cool.

Lan Yang Yang is working as a food reviewer basically and while he’s undoubtedly still Lan Yang Yang, enjoying eating and sleeping, he’s well-respected in his community and sometimes he actually feels full because chefs search for him so much lol. He also has a cool weapon—it’s a flying platform with three sort of canons floating above it, and it kind of resembles a fidget spinner!

Nuan Yang Yang achieved her dream of becoming a singer and I like how consistent her love of music—and her being a fan of a singer who’s a duck—is to her character. I am disappointed because they made her slimmer and I feel like her being a bigger goat as a mountain goat was always a fun part of her backstory and why she looks slightly different from the other sheep. Despite that, I get making older characters look very different from their younger selves for the sake of change (eg Anko getting fat in Boruto vs being skinny in Naruto), so while I’d prefer her being her bigger size, I can live with this change.

Some of the roboticization storylines are really badass too—I already mentioned Hui Tai Lang’s, but there’s also Hong Tai Lang’s admittedly hot roboticized look (and I feel like I can call it hot because the Xi Yang Yang team did also release an artwork that showed a human version!!). I also know there’ll be more involving Xiao Hui Hui, as his abandonment issues from Hui Tai Lang’s vanishment were resolved a bit earlier in the season but I suppose they’re bringing some more drama later! Mei Yang Yang’s trauma from Xi Yang Yang’s disappearance also gets explored, and we get to learn some of her lore, which I am very *rubs hands excitedly* about. 👀

And of course I know some spoilers about Professor T that I’m just like ‼️ over. The other robots also had pretty compelling stories—Bu Lei is fun as a green tea bitch/yandere type villain and Hei Zhuan (Hei Zuan?)’s story with his sister was cute. But Otto’s whole storyline literally nearly made me cry. 😭

OH AND I CAN’T WRITE ALL THIS AND NOT TALK ABOUT THE NEWEST XI YANG YANG MOVIE, WHICH IS ABOUT BASKETBALL.

I actually skipped the basketball season since obviously I’m not exactly into the sport, but I’ve determined since I should probably watch it still sometime because I realized later it nonetheless carries that Xi Yang Yang charm, so even if I don’t care too much for the dramatization of basketball (you know the kind; the kind that permeates all sports anime), I can nevertheless enjoy it for depicting my favourite characters. 🥺

I’ve caught a glimpse of some episodes of the basketball season and they are cute!! The one where they compete with the bunnies and actually help save them from famine despite the bunnies trying to cheat to win was really sweet, and later episodes depict that awesome bond between Hui Tai Lang and Xi Yang Yang.

So back to the movie—I brought up the basketball season because obviously the movie does adapt/reference some of it since they’re both about basketball, and I did skip the movie too for a while… But I later watched it and AHHHHHHH GLSBDKSHDKSB OF COURSE I ENJOYED IT. It’s a depiction of characters I love being themselves while on an adventure!! How could I not enjoy it!?

The animation style was really neat; seeing the sheep and wolves in a more detailed anthro style than their usually chibi/cartoony style meant we got some pleasing aesthetics—for example, I enjoyed how their eyes corresponded with their themed colours (like in the series Xi Yang Yang and Hui Tai Lang both have dark bluish-grey eyes, but in the movie Xi Yang Yang’s are very visibly blue and Hui Tai Lang’s are very visibly purple. It’s quite pretty!).

I’ve also embarrassingly enough tweeted about this before, but they did make Hui Tai Lang…unfairly hot in the movie LGBSKFHSJSH. Basically, they gave him consistently half-lidded eyes and with the more violet colour and more realistic proportions (since the characters look more anthro). My younger brother even complained about how such series indulges furries since you could tell they gave Hui Tai Lang those muscles etc on purpose lmao.

Who let this man look like this? Who!?

But yeah Hui Tai Lang and Xi Yang Yang have a conflict within the film—which of course they do; it’s a movie so we need to up the ante—but as sad as it is seeing characters we like have a falling out (and as overdramatic as some of the angst may feel), it’s nevertheless characters I cherish facing conflict. So seeing them come back together after and working hard to get the basketball championship after losing is really lovely, and I really enjoy how Xi Yang Yang lets all its characters shine.

In every season, while there may be one character who gets more focus along with Xi Yang Yang and Hui Tai Lang—for example Against the Dark Force was very much Lan Yang Yang’s season and in some ways, Ultimate Battle allowed Mei Yang Yang to shine—all the characters get arcs focused on them that correlate to the bigger overarching plot. I mean, every season is 60 episodes!! So of course we have lots of time to explore the characters and I really appreciate that.

So even in the film, we do see the other characters shine, even if it’s all tied back to the overarching plot of basketball and even if Xi Yang Yang and Hui Tai Lang take centre stage. I also really enjoyed the ending since it kept me on the toes—the rival team to Xi Yang Yang’s had a character that was going through his own arc, but I was desperately hoping the sheep would win the championship this time since they lost to the wolves in the basketball season. Plus I was crossing my fingers waiting for Hui Tai Lang to get to shine since they set up how he’s not the best player and thus feels like he’s in Xi Yang Yang’s shadow…

And fortunately the film did end up going with the best possible ending (imo)!

Spoilers ahead if you care lol:

Basically, they did let the sheep finally win the championship, which is perfect since obviously this is a sequel to the basketball season, where they started off as the underdogs yet did end up losing, even with all the growth they had. It felt like a perfect progression—especially since even though the rival team (the tigers) did have a character with his own arc and reasons why he really wanted to win, they only had to have his father finally approve of him playing basketball to give him a satisfactory conclusion. As in, he didn’t need to win the way the sheep needed to.

And thankfully, while I was getting worried throughout the final match, they did let Hui Tai Lang shine!! He got to take the winning shot after Xi Yang Yang faked being the winning shot, which is of course the perfect progression to Hui Tai Lang’s arc too. I was so happy when they did that!!

Of course, some of this conclusion is probably obvious in hindsight, but I did have a fear…mostly because the sheep almost did lose until they protested an issue and it initially looked like Xi Yang Yang was going to take the winning shot—which if he had, it would feel less satisfying, as Hui Tai Lang wouldn’t get to join him in the limelight.

I need to have more trust in the Xi Yang Yang team lol. I’ve loved almost everything they’ve done so far, and whenever I doubt them, they manage to pleasantly surprise me! And what I mean by “doubt them” is that sometimes Chinese series will have writing conventions a westerner may find odd, but even when Xi Yang Yang subverts my expectations and indulges in that “odd” Chinese sense of humour etc, I still love it to bits (and listen, I’m not saying Chinese writers are bad. Not at all! I’m just referring to the fact that as a Canadian-born-Chinese, I’ve witnessed people complain about Chinese story details because it’s not what they’re used to).

OH ALSO THE MOVIE’S OST SLAPS. I KEEP LISTENING TO THE SONGS ON LOOP GLSHFKSHDKSH.

https://youtu.be/eEmzxOGXR_A

https://youtu.be/fK0fpdOh8C0

But wow okay I rambled WAY too much lmaooooo. I just can’t help it!! When I really love things I love them to absolute pieces, and when a fandom is underrated, I tend to feel the need to actually be active and promote it so I can spread how happy it makes me. Plus I can happily juggle multiple brain rots at once, even if I have one main one that takes centre stage lol. Like right now Scum Villain and Erha are my biggest obsessions—and y’all have seen how much I can ramble about both Scum Villain and Erha lol—but of course I love all my donghua and danmei and manhua and cdramas and Chinese music. ♥️

Along with my other planned blog entries about donghua and danmei and Chinese-themed media (such as me wanting to write some thoughts on Everything Everywhere All at Once), I have every intention of writing about why you should watch Xi Yang Yang on my blog ahaha.

I just. Have so many happy feelings surrounding Xi Yang Yang right now and I want to yell about them specifically, especially since there’s barely a fandom for them in the west. All this rambling is a result of me bottling up my fangirling for weeks NGNSKDHSKSH. Plus I’m a naturally ramble-y person! But I feel even more ramble-y when a series is an underrated gem and makes me endlessly happy, the way Xi Yang Yang is and does. 🥺

[choclatecoveredlove]

can i ask "Your Favorite???" with the first years + ortho (plantonic) please

Yes ofc! I love my first years :) I hope you enjoy!!

( ´ ▿ ` )/ not proof read bc i’m tired and going to bed

Ace

smug

he knows he’s super cool and attractive so ofc you’d like him

and he’s had a partner before so he must be desirable

he’s kind of an ass but you luv him i guess

he’s gonna brag to everyone he knows

especially riddle and deuce

underneath the smugness tho he’s flustered

“ Oh? Can i get a recording of you saying that? I want to rub it in riddles face- would help me win a bet too. Haha.. did you actually mean it? You did? Well of course you did!”

Deuce

flustered

he is spouting gibberish at 100 miles a minute

his brain no longer works, it is mush that is only fueled by love for you

he honestly thinks this is a dream

he dreams about you so it’s not too far off

will stand there for a solid 30 minutes processing the whole conversation

“the- huh- whaaaa- i don’t?? sorry? i think- you’re- huhh??”

Jack

wag wag wag

he’s trying not to be obvious about how happy he is to hear you say that

but his tail gives him away

his face is bright red too

he won’t say much because he doesn’t wanna give away his feelings but he does, in fact reciprocate the favoritism

“Oh. That’s … nice of you. Um- Ruggie needed me to do something so I gotta go.”

Epel

suspicious

thinks you’re trying to butter him up for something

he does not appreciate being used >:(

if you perhaps mean what you say he’ll be really pleased

cause he thinks you’re pretty swell too

he’s not super cheesy but he will tell you he cares about you

“ Are ya messing with me? You better not be. Well that’s all well and good ‘cause you happen to be one a my favorite people too.”

Ortho

he thinks youre so sweet to say that!!

he’s never had anyone to say that too him before (except idia ofc)

he really loves that his second favorite big sibling said that to him

because of the sweet gesture you made saying it to him he makes sure he does a nice gesture for you

the nice gesture comes in the for of a gaming console so you and him and idia can all play together even if you’re not in the same room

“ That is very kind of you to say prefect! It truly means a lot coming from you. I would like you to know that you’re my favorite person too, other than Idia of course.”

Sebek

he’s mad at you

malleus is supposed to be your favorite!!

he’s also extremely embarrassed and flattered

he’ll never tell you that though

it’s kinda obvious if you look at his face though

it is bright red and he is sweating profusely

“WHA- Human!! You can’t just say things like that out of nowhere! Especially incorrect things!! Malleus-sama is your favorite person! Silence!! I’m not blushing!”

[donaweasley]

What If

Pairing: Loki x Fem! Avenger! Reader

Plot:

A silly game of “What-Ifs” between two friends eventually leads to the realisation that the future, if spent together, may not be as bleak as they had anticipated it to be. A dialogue-based best friends-to-lovers cliché.

Warnings: Relationship angst, too many dialogues, long read, happy ending!!!

Read time: ~28 mins

Author's Note:

It's a long read with far more dialogues than can be deemed healthy. The reason is, I didn't want their arc to feel rushed. It had to be cooked slow. Another reason is that, I can't help hearing my characters, and it triggers a flood of dialogues! I'm trying to work on controlling it. 😬 Hope you enjoy!

Now has a sequel: Their Little Secret

“C’mon! You’re breaking the rules now,” Loki casually waved his hand at his best friend.

“I’m not. There’s nothing to answer really,” (Y/N) replied with a shrug.

“There must be something on your mind!”

She pretended to think for a second, and shook her head.

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

It was a usual night in the compound. It was just another night when one of these two friends had called the other in the middle of the night for some midnight snack. It was just another of those happy times when they had tiptoed into the kitchen like thieves because...no, no one would mind some missing nachos or ice creams, but because it was fun!

It wasn’t easy for Loki to open up to someone, let alone to allow the other person in. Neither was it easy for (Y/N) to trust somebody, given her past, especially when that somebody was infamous for betraying almost everyone, at every step, not to mention his attempts at ruling Earth and causing massacre.

But time is a healer and a magician.

And here they were now, looking at the moon-washed night life through the west-facing glass wall, and playing a game of “what-ifs”. One would say that it was silly and immature; some would even call their talks gibberish. But when the night was so relaxed and carefree, why wouldn’t they be?

The pale yellow orb hovering above the western horizon cast a soft ray of light through the glass wall. Oblivious to its movements across the room, Loki and (Y/N) were wrapped in a thin blanket on a couch, their feet resting on two separate pouffes.

It had all started with a silly question, something like, “What if you weren’t stuck in this building tonight?”, or something along those lines; they didn’t even remember correctly anymore.

One question led to the other, and soon they found themselves tangled in a game of questions that would have been enough to create an alternate reality. But eventually, they found themselves, not answering with imaginary scenarios, but debating over one particular question:

“What if you find the love of your life tomorrow?”

This question was posed by Loki, rather theatrically, amidst the many others that had tossed different possibilities of their near future. And it was here that (Y/N) refused to play along anymore because, as she stated, it was “the most silly question ever”.

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

“So, you claim that my question is even worse than your ‘What if you were a Jotun cat’? What kind of a question is that anyway?” Loki teased.

“Of course, it is. Undoubtedly!” With one wave of her hand, (Y/N) dismissed his appeal.

“And how is that even logical, may I know?”

“C’mon, this entire game is out of the boundaries of logic,” she claimed. “Your behaviour is like that of a cat. Don’t make that face; it brings you closer to being a cat. And...a Jotun cat sounds cool!”

Loki sighed. “And my question is ridiculous! If the game is beyond all reason, then...” he shrugged, “say something...weird, and move on!”

“Fine! If I-if... If I meet the love of my life tomorrow,...I’ll stab him. Or her. Or them. I don’t even know.” She huffed.

“Ouch!” Loki made a face, ”Didn’t see that coming. I would enjoy the stabbing part though. Thank the Norns, you never declared your feelings for me!”

She looked at him sideways with a stern face. Loki noticed the irritation simmering just beneath her skin, ready to burst out at the next prodding.

“Hey,” he placed a hand on her arm, “what happened? Was it something I said?”

She turned her face away. But Loki wasn’t giving up that easily.

“(Y/N),” he gently tugged at her arm, “look at me.”

When she finally turned towards him, he held her by the shoulders just to make sure that she couldn’t move away again.

“Now, you’ll tell me everything. What happened?” He inquired again. “I thought you were having fun.”

“It’s nothing Loki, it’s just that...you know I don’t like discussing my non-existent love-life. It’s...it kind of makes me...sad sometimes. Especially in a setting like this!” She waved her hands at her surroundings. “I mean, look at it, a full moon, a silent night, blankets and… It just leaves me with this reminder that I’ll be alone all my bloody life!”

Loki’s hands slowly retracted from her form and folded themselves on his chest. And just like that, they both found themselves staring out of the window.

“I’m sorry,” Loki’s voice audibly reflected the guilt that had formed within, “I never intended to...”

“No, you shouldn’t be. It’s...I overreacted. I’m sorry, Loki. I just ruined the mood. Shit! And it’s not my hormones, mind you!”

“I know,” Loki chuckled. “And you did not ruin anything. It’s natural to feel, isn’t it?”

She looked at him with a raised brow, “Somebody’s learning!”

“Somebody’s got a good teacher,” he smiled.

“Aww!! I love it when you acknowledge my awesomeness!” She wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in closer, and pinched his cheek.

“Ugh! Let go of me! Let...go!!”

The room was filled with (Y/N)’s cackles and Loki’s threats as he wriggled out of her grip.

“Do that one more time, and I’ll stab you!”

But it wasn’t enough to stop her chortles.

“Would you now?” she teased, and raised her hands again in a faux attempt at squeezing his cheeks.

He swatted them away.

“Stop it!” He warned again, only to emanate snorts from her.

But the next second, his voice changed into a compassionate one, “Why do you think you’ll be alone all your life? How old are you anyway? 80? 90? Isn’t that supposed to be old in human years?”

Once again her cheerful mood fled behind a thick curtain of annoyance. But this time she did not look away. She simply rolled her eyes, and pulled her legs from the pouffe to sit cross-legged, and shifted to face him.

“No, I’m not that old. But why are you suddenly so interested in this topic?”

“Because suddenly, you seem to have found an interest in getting annoyed.”

“Then don’t annoy me.”

“Not in my nature, I’m afraid.”

She couldn’t decide whether to hit him or laugh at him.

“Loki-” She curled her fists and shut her eyes.

“I’m listening, darling,” he smirked.

Of course, she knew how stubborn Loki could be!

Who else would know that better than me?

“Okay,” she placed her palms flat on her thighs, “the thing is...I can never make a relationship last more than two years. I waste my time trying to establish a...a proper, long-lasting relationship - something permanent - and end up with a heartbreak. Every. Fucking. Time. I’ve given up. I’ve had enough! Now, even if anyone makes a move, or if I’m interested in someone, I just remind myself that it’s not gonna work! I just don’t put any effort anymore.”

Loki hummed in response; his eyes were focused on her as if he was trying to decipher a mystery.

“And,” she continued, “given my current ‘job’,” she air-quoted the word, “I’m more sure than ever that no one will last more than two months now!”

Once she voiced the storm in her head, her eyes softened and she looked down at her lap. Through hooded eyes, she stole a guilty, fleeting glance at her friend, who seemed to be musing about something really serious. His eyes were strained on the carpet, while his chin rested on a fisted hand balancing itself on his thigh.

For a long moment neither said anything. Only the distant buzz of the sleepless city floated through the air and filled the room.

It was Loki who disrupted the silence with a long and heavy sigh.

“I knew that Midgardian men were impatient, narcissistic-”

“Look who’s talking,” she smirked as she interrupted him.

He gave her a quick deadpanned stare before resuming, “-imbeciles, but I was beginning to think that they have good tastes in women. It’s disappointing, not surprising though, that they have proven me wrong.”

A small laugh almost made its way to its escape, but she pushed it back. “You think so?” She quipped.

He shrugged, “From what you’ve said, there is no reason to think otherwise.”

She sat a little straighter. “Really? Do go on!”

Loki immediately noticed the effect that he had planned for. Without giving away the joy of his small triumph, he continued, “Indeed! Look at you! You’re an amazing woman! You’re brave, witty, independent...smart...excellent with knives! And that’s my favourite thing about you, by the way. ”

Feigning offence, she exclaimed, “And I thought your favourite thing about me was that I tolerate all your tantrums, and keep up with your shenanigans.”

“I don’t throw tantrums, darling,” he pushed the accusation away with his silky tone, “and don’t tell me that you take no pleasure in the havoc that we wreck together.”

At this, she could no longer suppress the evil grin that spread across her face, “I do love a bit of chaos. It’s fun.”

“To think of it,” Loki added excitedly, “had you been on Asgard, you might have been the Goddess of Chaos!”

“Oh! Thank you!” She replied with a dramatic wave of her hands.

Both laughed at the way their words were unfolding.

“Thank you, Loki,” (Y/N) said after their little whirlwind of laughter had calmed down, “I guess I needed to hear something nice about myself. It’s been a long, long time since I heard it.”

“I meant every word of it,” he replied in a solemn tone that made something flutter in her chest.

Was it gratitude? Was it joy? Was it love for her best friend?

It was hard to tell. It seemed to be everything at once.

She simply smiled at him. “Even the ‘Goddess of Chaos’ part?”

“Especially that part,” he asserted, and she laughed.

“You’re the best, Loki!” She gave him a half hug.

“That, I definitely am. But you’re not too shabby yourself. And you should never ever be sad for someone else’s failure.”

“Alright, I get what you’re trying to do here,” she landed a playful punch to his shoulder. “I’m fine! Really! I just got a little carried away.”

“No, I really mean it,” he tried to assure her. “You are one of the most magnificent women I have known! And mind you, I’m rather picky in these cases.”

She laughed, “Of course, I’d know that! ... Loki, it’s...it’s alright. Some people just don’t have it in them to sustain relationships no matter how wonderful they are. I’m okay with it.”

“Come on! A narcissistic God is showering you with genuine compliments! And you’re still not convinced that it’s not your fault but of all those who failed to keep up with you?”

She tried another attempt at convincing him, “It works both ways.”

“Norns! I can’t believe you’re so foolish!”

“Enlighten me, please,” she drawled.

“I believe I have already established the fact that you are phenomenal.”

When she giggled and nodded, he carried on.

“Good. Now, your job, as you put it, shouldn’t be a hindrance in your relationship. You’re doing the marvellous job of being a guardian to thousands of people. People you don’t even know! How many would put their necks out there to do it?”

“C’mon, Loki, when duty calls, you have to leave everything behind and just go! Who’d tolerate that for days? They will snap one day.”

“I’d never do that!” Realizing his mistake, he quickly corrected himself, “What I mean is, had I been in their place, I’d have never done that.”

“That’s because you’re on the team,” she argued. “So, it’s normal to you.”

“No, it’s not because I’m on the team. I’d-” He sighed. “Fine, why don’t you try finding someone from this field? Stark’s parties are a great place to hunt humans.”

“‘Hunt humans’?” She snorted, “I like the sound of that. Nay, haven’t found anyone. Besides, mixing professional and personal life can be fatal. You never know when your personal life might get jeopardised because of a mission gone wrong. Y’know, the usual blame-game and all. I hate all that!”

Loki brooded over her words for a few seconds before asking, “I don’t get it. Why would it be fatal? I mean, look at us,” he gestured in between them. “We have a perfect understanding. We’d never blame the other for any petty thing. Or-or let it affect our friendship.”

“That’s because we have the perfect understanding, Loki! You said it yourself. It’s a rare thing that we have. And I can’t expect it to be with anyone else. They’re not you, Loki.”

“They’re not us,” he corrected her.

Joy seeped through his senses as he watched her face brighten up at his words.

With a nod, she continued, “You see, all that spark, excitement, promises - these sound really great at the beginning. As time passes, as the real world pushes in, love moves to the backseat. Love is not enough. There comes a time when you have to balance everything together, and love becomes one of those things. It becomes a chore.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow you,” Loki stated with a frown. “That sounds so sad!”

“It is!”

“Well, it shouldn’t be! Loving you shouldn’t be a chore! Let’s say...hypothetically...if I’m in love with you, then you’d be my passion. And passions never become a duty, not even in the worst of times. Instead, they help us breathe when everything comes caving in. You’d be my...my moment of peace in a war. How could I not be tempted to embrace this beautiful moment?”

“Unfortunately, Loki, that’s not how it works. See, when you have a lot on your plate, say your job, your dreams, your daily life and all the pressure that comes with these, you’ll find less and less time for your loved one. Things get hectic and eventually frustrating. You won’t be able to keep that flame alive even if you want to. And one day, you’ll come to realize that you have distanced yourself from your moment, even if you never wanted to. But it’d be too late. There’d be no going back.”

“I’d never distance myself from you! I mean, from my moment. I’ve been a king, and I know how taxing royal duties can be. Sometimes, it seemed like a luxury to get even a minute to myself.”

“See? So, how could you have found time for me?”

“I would have, darling. Not plenty, but whatever little time I’d have gathered, I’d have made them memorable. For you. For us. And maybe we could have gone on long rides occasionally. Rekindle the old flames? Or-or we could have gone on visits to other realms...for political reasons, of course, but could have taken the opportunity to spend a small vacation with each other. What do you say?”

Painfully tempting images of a life that could have been floated in her eyes.

“And what if we came back to Earth, and I got involved in...say, a job that was all hectic and left me all frustrated, and with little time for you?” She shrugged.

With a sigh, Loki shifted to face her fully. “We will take care of each other, (Y/N). If one gets low, the other pulls both up. And I know that together, we can do anything! I believe in you more than I believe in myself.”

She smiled brightly as she acknowledged, “That is...that sounds doable, yes.”

“You’re special,” he placed a hand on her cheek, “and you need to be treated in the most special manner. One that befits my queen.”

A moment passed between them as they looked into each other's eyes, both seeing the same beautiful picture.

His queen!

My queen!!

Wait, what is he...?

Damn! What am I doing! What will she...!

Loki cleared his throat as he abruptly pulled his hand back to his side.

“I’m sorry, I...”

“No, it’s okay,” she cringed at the way the words squeaked out of her. Clearing her throat, she continued, “We were just giving examples.”

“Yes, just examples,” he agreed.

“It’s fine! I understand.”

“Great! It’d have been quite...awkward...otherwise.”

“Oh no! It’s...uh...totally fine. We’re best buddies!” She gave his arm a light punch.

“Right!” He nodded, and focused his gaze on the floor.

After taking a minute to calm his heart, he wore his witty persona back.

“See, having a relationship is not at all tough. All you need is a good partner. And I’ve proved myself right again! No, wait. There’s something you mortals do. It’s...uh...about throwing something...”

“Goblets? We don’t do that. It’s you-”

“No, not throwing, it’s about dropping something...after you have proven a point...”

“...Mic drop?” She chuckled.

His eyes lit up.

“Yes! ‘Mic drop’. So, as I was saying, all you need to have a happy and successful relationship is a good partner. Mic drop!” He concluded as he mimicked the action.

She sighed. “There’s just one tiny problem. I’d probably never find the right person. The ones that flirt with me, don’t understand me, and the ones that understand me have friendzoned me.”

“I’ve never friendzoned you,” Loki quickly replied with a frown. “J-Just clarifying...in case you were talking about me.”

“Of course, I’m talking about you, you big oaf!” She flicked his arm.

“Hey! You friendzoned me.”

“No…? It was you! Well, yeah, I never tried to flirt with you or anything but...anybody could see that you were being just my friend.”

“I can say the same about you,” Loki playfully accused.

“Whatever,” she shrugged.

A thought started playing in her mind. And a couple of seconds later, she decided to say it aloud, “I...umm...Just curious...y’know, don’t take it in any other way. Did you ever think of flirting with me?” She put forward each word very cautiously.

Loki furrowed his brows, and opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, she warned him, “Be honest!”

Immediately, his confident attitude changed into a helpless one. “Yes, I did. Maybe once. Or twice. But that was all! I assure you!”

She could hardly contain the amusement that was bubbling inside.

“What’s so funny about it?” Loki asked with furrowed brows.

“Nothing,” she shook her head as she tried to hold back her laughter, “nothing at all. It’s,” and then she lost it, “I’m sorry! It’s funny! I don’t know why, I find it funny hearing from you!”

“Look who’s laughing!” He said wryly. “I could clearly hear your thoughts the first few days after I stepped into this structure. Every compliment that your little mind cooed at my divine persona. And may I dare say that not all of them were decent.”

Her hysterics were long forgotten as her face went red at the comment.

“How dare you invade my mind?” Her hand had balled into a fist, ready to hit his arm when he caught it.

“I didn’t invade it, darling. You were practically shouting inside that pretty head of yours. I could have heard it from the other side of the planet!”

“That was a long time ago,” she refused to meet his eyes. “I make better choices and better decisions now.”

“Do you?”

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it without uttering a syllable, and crossed her arms.

Loki nudged her with his elbow. “Hey, it’s fun to tease you. Don’t be a spoilsport.”

“I hate you,” she peeked at him through the corner of her eye.

“What can I say,” Loki sighed. “Alright, if you say so.”

She smirked as she glanced at him sideways.

Loki cleared his throat in a not-so-subtle manner. “So, the next time Stark throws a party, I’ll find someone for you.”

Immediately, she face-palmed, and groaned, “No.”

“What?”

“Please drop this topic. And you’d probably find me a psychopath, anyway” She joked.

“That hurt!” Loki exclaimed with a hurt look masking his humour, “do you think so little of me? Can’t I find a proper partner for my best friend, my darling?”

“No, it didn’t hurt. Don’t fake it. I know you better than anyone.”

“No, you don’t. You-”

“I do. And...I’m fine, Loki” she reassured him, “being with myself, with the people here, being with you.” She gently bumped her knee into his.

“Will these be enough?” His tone had left the playfulness behind. “Will I be enough? For all your life?”

She shrugged, “I think so. You...stick with me all the time, you understand me, you...make me feel good. What more could I want to be happy?”

“You know what more you are missing. A friend can never touch the boundaries of what a lover can give you.”

“I don’t need a lover. Just be with me all my life, and I won’t need anyone else.”

He gave her hand a light squeeze. “I will. I promise.”

Her playful smile was back. “Thanks for all the pep talk, my dearest God. But turns out that I’m better off alone. Now can we please go back to the game? It’s my turn to ask you.”

“Alright,” he smiled back, “if you say so.”

“Stop saying that!” A defeated sigh left her. “You won’t be convinced, will you?”

“Probably not. Because I know that this will gnaw at you again a few days later. I know you’ll be sad again. And that I won’t allow on my watch.”

“God!”

“Right here, listening to you!” Loki quipped.

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, ”Damn you!” And proceeded to put forward a proper argument.

“The reason why I’m avoiding a new relationship is because I don’t want another heartache. I can’t handle breakups. That’s why I’m...”

When Loki didn’t make another attempt at dissuading her from her arguments, she added, “I just...try everything to avoid a heartbreak. Because when I get one, I lose control over myself.”

“Yes, I’ve seen. Once.”

“Then you must have noticed how vicious I become. Sarcasm drips from my mouth all the time, I say things that I shouldn’t, I...I hurt people. And in turn, I hurt myself. I yell at those who want nothing but good for me. But...”

“But being mean seems to be the only way to mask the pain,” he finished her line.

“It does, yes!”

She looked at him, and into his eyes that silently spoke of the pain that was resurfacing. She remembered something.

“You and I are so...alike!”

He nodded with a smile. “And maybe that is why we understand each other more than anyone ever could. … But we’re more than just being alike, if you think about it.”

She noticed how his voice gradually rose from its usual calmness to an excited tone, and his hands moved with his words.

Loki continued, “You point out my mistakes but don’t accuse me like everyone else does. You show me what’s right. And there’s this-this thing about you, which is so scary...the way you make me do all the things that you want. I-I mean, I am the God here! But you…a mortal...how can you have so much power over me?”

He sighed as his voice dropped to a compassionate tone, “You make me happy, (Y/N). You’ve taught me to forgive when I can, to forget what I can’t fix.”

“Don’t always do that,” she interrupted with a smirk.

His evil smile made a brief appearance before he resumed his warm note, “I like being with you. No...I love being with you! You make me feel good. You make me feel...I don’t know.... You make me feel…”

“Complete?”

“Yes!” He observed her, “You complete me.”

For yet another time, silence enveloped them. The only difference was that this time, it was comfortable. Even in their hushed moments, they could hear each other, know what the other wanted to say.

After a while of exchanging quiet stares, (Y/N) spoke, “All this time I believed, but now I know for myself, that you are indeed Silvertongue!”

Loki looked at his lap and laughed, but in the pale light of the setting moon, she noticed the pink that had crept up his ears and cheeks.

“I meant every word of what I said,” he reassured her once again that evening.

“I know, Loki.”

Loki watched her as she shifted to a kneeling position, and leaned towards him. He felt his face becoming hotter as she supported herself on his shoulder with one hand, and placed a soft kiss on his cheekbone.

As she settled back, her lips tingled with the memory of Loki’s skin on it.

They had been best friends, yes, but she had never allowed herself more than a quick hug because she knew that Loki wasn’t someone open to random touches. And she wanted to respect that. Always.

But this peck felt right. It felt necessary. And it felt...different.

What happened next wasn’t guided by logic anymore, but only by their senses.

Loki put his legs back on the pouffe, and scooted a little closer to (Y/N). Taking the cue, she shifted so that her leg was stretched out, and back on the pouffe - not on hers but his - and sat close to him. He arranged the blanket so that it covered them both again.

Another stretch of silence enveloped them. To them, the moment was beautiful. To Loki, who had never experienced anything similar before, it was precious. If he could stop time, he would have done it right then and there.

“Why haven’t you found anyone yet?” She asked him.

“Royalty has its disadvantages,” he replied without taking a moment to think.

She leaned back slightly to get a good look at his face, “Didn’t you ever find anyone from the royal...uh...what do you call it? Of royal blood?”

Loki laughed at her naivety. “Can’t say I didn’t. But none of them were the one. Besides, most people chose my handsome brother over me. And if anyone chose me, well, it was mostly because of my royal title. None of them were real.”

“That’s awful! I would never have done that to you! I’d have chosen you for the wonderful being that you are. But, I get it; happens on our planet, too.”

“Everywhere,” he asserted.

“So...who do you think is the one for you?”

He looked down at her face, which was mere inches away from his. For the first time in months of their friendship, he felt something swell inside his chest at the closeness.

“I still don’t know,” he whispered, “but I think the Norns might have started giving me clues.”

He didn’t need to explain, obviously. All the tension that had been building up throughout the night had placed them both on the same page.

Without thinking, Loki moved his wrist so that his palm was facing the ceiling. And instinctively, (Y/N) placed her hand in it, their fingers closing around each other.

"It's odd," she announced after a while.

"Indeed."

"It's weird. I mean, what were we even thinking!" She huffed, although she was still clutching his hand, as was he holding hers.

"Exactly what I was thinking. You and me?” Loki laughed nervously, “Come on!"

"Yeah!"

"Right".

Silence, their faithful companion for the night, visited them once again.

"Could it be? You and me?" Loki’s voice was a little more than a whisper, and bordered on the edge of confidence and doubt.

"Doesn't sound so bad. Not after all these... Talks?" She whispered back.

"Right!"

"Right."

And once again, they fell quiet.

The strangeness of the moment pushed them both into a whirlpool of thoughts. From acquaintances to partners to friends to best friends to...lovers?

Can this even be possible? What if it’s just a passing phase? What if everything goes back to normal tomorrow? Will we still be able to talk normally? But… This feels right. Just...right.

With a sigh, (Y/N) put her head on Loki’s shoulder.

"I don't want to rush into anything and ruin what we have," she confessed in a hushed tone, eyes staring into the night outside.

"Neither do I. You're the only one I have."

With a raised brow, she looked up at him.

"And Thor," he corrected himself with a small smile.

"Glad you remember him "

"Shut up.

Slowly, hesitantly, Loki put his free hand around her. Unsure of the appropriateness of the action, he kept his arm loosely hanging around her frame.

He waited for a while. Had Loki looked at her face, instead of looking straight ahead in fear, he would have noticed the small smile that had formed on her lips.

When she didn’t flinch or protest, he began to rest his arm properly but gently on her. He even went ahead and made the slightest possible effort to pull her closer to him.

The smile that had started forming on her now spread wide enough to turn into a grin. Its reflection was found on Loki’s face, too, who could finally muster the courage to look at her, although he was equally worried that she would be able to hear his heart trying to hammer its way out of his chest.

With every minute that passed, Loki became more baffled, for he couldn’t decide which moment he’d frame and hang on the wall of his heart as the most precious one.

"Are you feeling hot?" She asked without looking at him.

"A bit, yes. You, too?"

"Quite a bit, actually," she gulped.

"Is it normal?"

"I guess, yes. Totally! Had we been cool about it, it'd have meant that there's no spark between us. It’d have felt awkward, wrong."

"So, you agree that there's a spark between us?" He didn’t even attempt to hide the mischievous smirk that shone on his face.

"I had always suspected," she nodded.

"Hmm. When was the last time we went out for dinner?" He asked.

“Probably last month...or was it-”

(Y/N)’s head snapped up to look at him. She could barely put a lid on her excitement.

"Are you proposing to take me out on a date?"

"Well, if we are going to do this, then I'd like to court you properly."

She felt like she'd burst out of sheer excitement.

"If you'd agree to it, that is" Loki clarified.

Taking a large breath, she replied, "I'd love it."

The night was going better than either had expected. Who would have thought that a game of weird questions and a few confessions could change their lives!

(Y/N) put her head back on his shoulder, and let her body slump against him. He held her confidently this time.

“It still feels weird though,” she declared.

“It does, yes, but...maybe this is...right?” In a long time, Loki was hopeful about something, and he wasn’t going to let it slip away. No.

“I hope so.”

“Me, too.”

“Just so you know,” she sat up straight, “Thor is handsome, yes, but you are devilishly charming. You’re intelligent, well-read, witty, sarcastic, great at combat...uh...”

“Go on,” Loki smirked, earning a playful glare from her.

“You are,” she continued, “seductive! And who can resist a sorcerer who knows his way around everything!”

The evil smile that Loki had put away found its way back on his face. “As far as I remember, I did nothing to seduce you. I wonder what will happen if I try...”

“Shut up, Loki! You know I give away raw compliments. I didn’t really mean...I didn’t think...”

He laughed heartily at the furious way she was blushing.

“I was only pulling your leg. I had imagined you to be wise,” he clarified.

“I am! It’s just... I was...” She shook her head.

“So,” Loki resumed, “you think I’m devilishly charming?”

“Drop the topic, please!”

“You can’t resist my sorcery, ha?”

“Please change the topic! Forget what I said!!”

Loki laughed as he continued teasing her. It wasn’t going to be an easy ride, she realized, with the God of Mischief, but it was going to be the best ever!

“(Y/N)?”

“Hmm?”

“I know it was your turn to ask but, what if...you and I are indeed meant to be together?”

She smiled as she rubbed her cheek on his shirt, “I think we’ll have a gorgeous future together. And...I’d love that more than anything else.”

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

The next morning...

“Morning, Wanda-”

“Shh! Shh!!” The red-haired witch silenced Natasha, and pointed towards the couch.

Curious, Natasha’s eyes followed the direction that Wanda’s finger was pointing at.

There, snuggled in a blanket, fast asleep, sat (Y/N) and Loki, their legs spread on a pouffe, tangled with each other’s. Loki’s arm was wrapped around her shoulder while she was holding his waist. Her head lay on his chest and his on hers.

“Aren’t they cute?” Wanda whispered.

Before Nat could reply, Tony’s voice cut the conversation.

“Who’s cute?”

This time, both the ladies shushed him, leaving a perplexed expression on his once sleepy face.

When they pointed towards the couch, Tony huffed, “These two! God knows what’s taking them so long to realise! They’re just so-” His face lit up. “Know what? I have an idea! I’ll make them confess. Who’s up for it?”

***

Now has a sequel: Their Little Secret

And...a song for keeping the feelings floating...💕

[laiqualaurelote]

This is an excerpt from a fic I started writing after reading Silverview by John le Carré and then realised I’d never finish, because it was too unwieldy to plot, but since it’s @ted-lasso-au-gust and Day 10′s prompt is Espionage, I thought I might as well leave it on here. It’s a spy AU in a Notting Hill AU. How the hell is that supposed to work? you ask. Me too, friend. Me too.

Cover Story

“You wouldn’t happen to have the latest John le Carré, would you?”

Trent has to climb a little ways down the ladder to see the man speaking to him. It’s one of the American tourists who wandered in after lunch. There are always Americans underfoot these days, trawling the aisles of the bookshop as if in hope of a meet-cute out of Notting Hill. Trent, as a rule, finds Americans tedious and does his level best to avoid them in all his lines of work; he achieves this in the bookshop by hiding in the stacks and leaving them to the tender mercies of his assistant. Unfortunately, this appears to be a particularly persistent specimen. Trent descends a few more rungs and braces himself.

“Is that the one with Brexit?”

“The one with the bookshop.” The American has a very distracting moustache. He looks almost exactly like a slide Trent once saw in Disguises 101: How Not To Overdo It. He is also wearing multiple layers beneath his puffer jacket, like some sort of Midwestern matryoshka, even though the shop’s heating is working perfectly well. Trent is automatically suspicious of customers with many layers, lest they are shoplifters. But a shoplifter would not go to such lengths to gain his attention.

“If you mean the posthumously published one, it’s not yet in stock. Shipping delays, I’m afraid.”

“Ain’t that a pity,” says the American. “I was sold on the premise. A bookshop that’s secretly a base for spy shenanigans? Tell me you don’t want to see how that turns out.”

Trent removes his glasses, keeping his expression bland. “You could put in an order, but if you’re not in town for long then I daresay there isn’t much point.”

“Oh, we’ll be here for a while. Long vacation. Thought we’d take it easy, like the Eagles would say. Though this ain’t Winslow, Arizona.”

“You can place an order with Miss Bowen at the counter,” says Trent, after he has cast about for a response to that string of gibberish and come up empty.

“You bet I will. If I could just - ” The American reaches out, and Trent almost breaks his wrist on instinct, but he simply brushes past Trent’s sleeve and pulls a secondhand copy of Call For The Dead off the shelf. “Maybe we ain’t see the last of le Carré, but at least it’s a first.”

“Ah, ha,” says Trent, to mask his surprise that they even have a copy of Call For The Dead in stock. It’s probably languished in here for years, unsold. “Good eye.”

“Well, I thank you for the consultation, Mr…”

“Crimm. Trent Crimm, The Independent.”

“Well, Trent, I appreciate you. Keep fighting the good fight.”

Trent blinks. “Against…?”

“Amazon,” says the American brightly. “Which, as an American, I apologise for.”

“Er, quite,” says Trent. “Sorry about Brexit, and all that.”

The American’s name on the order form is Ted Lasso, which makes him sound like a fictional character. He collects his bearded friend from the philosophy section and they depart, engaged in a discussion so animated that Lasso walks into the shop door, rebounds with no perceptible damage and continues his argument without missing a beat. Trent and Miss Bowen watch them go, mildly perplexed.

“Is he a subscriber? I don’t recognise either of them.”

“Just an ordinary customer, from the looks of it. He wanted to talk about books.”

“I suppose it must happen from time to time, in a bookshop,” says Miss Bowen dryly.

Trent crosses to her side of the counter, which is built in such a way that a customer, standing in line, would not be able to see what her hands might be doing. He leans down casually to check the automatic shotgun mounted under the countertop.

“He was talking about the new le Carré. It’s about spies in a bookshop, apparently.”

“Oh,” says Miss Bowen, eyebrow raised. “Is it now?”

“Yes,” says Trent. “We ought to get hold of it quite quickly, I think. In case there’s been a breach.”

“Come now.” She turns to him sharply. “Le Carré couldn’t have written a novel about us. I mean, he’d never been in the shop. We’d know, wouldn’t we?”

“I daresay we would, Miss Bowen. But put in the order anyway.”

“Certainly, Mr Crimm. And did you want new grenades on top of that?”

“I did, yes, thank you for reminding me.”

“Of course.” A pause. “We are quite sure that man wasn’t a subscriber, are we?”

Trent scoffs. “What, that guy? Come on.”

~

Trent’s childhood dream was to own a bookshop. He thought of bookshops as places where you could read all day and avoid people, which seemed like paradise. However, his family being who they were, his skills being what they were, the job market for English degree-holders being what it was – he spent a year at odd ends, haphazardly weighing the pursuit of postgraduate studies against attempting to break into the publishing industry, until finally he gave up and took the path he knew had always been there, lying in wait for him. He became a spy.

It was another fifteen years before he revisited the idea of the bookshop, in the wake of his abrupt and unceremonious retirement from the Circus. Cleis was one and a half years old by then, and he knew he must find something, for her sake – he had promised, he had promised –  even though he could not stomach the thought of going out in the cold again. He was mulling over his various options – heaven forbid he wind up in something horrible, like insurance – when his mother dropped by for tea and said peremptorily: “Mae is retiring, don’t you know?”

Mae – the only name anyone ever knew her by – was a veritable battleaxe who ran the Crown and Anchor, a pub that doubled up as the London station for agents of every stripe working in or passing through the city. The stations, by the unspoken rules that governed their universe, were neutral ground; they served every agency and freelancer without question and in turn brooked no conflict within their confines. To move against a station was to move against the combined powers of the rest of the agencies. Nobody had tried it in Trent’s lifetime.

“Oh?” said Trent. He was only partially listening to his mother; most of his attention was focused on trying to get Cleis to keep her yoghurt in her mouth. “Who’s taking over, then?”

His mother fixed him with the glare she had honed on some of the finest intelligencers this side of the Atlantic, as well as his teenage self. “I rather thought you might throw your hat in the ring, dear.”

Cleis mawed at her in surprise and dribbled watery yoghurt down her bib. Trent sighed. “I’ll talk to Mae.”

Mae thought it was a ridiculous notion to run a station as a bookshop. “You wouldn’t catch half that lot dead in a bookshop,” was her take on it. “Who has time for reading these days? And you’ll have to get in books! Actual books!”

“That’s rather the idea, yes,” said Trent. “It can’t be harder than maintaining a liquor licence.”

“Well, it’s not like I was going to hand the tender over to anyone else,” admits Mae. “What will you call it, love?”

Trent considered. “The Independent. Because that’s what it is.”

Even Mae had to admit, a few years in, that it was working out quite well. He’d even managed to sell some books.

~

“How’s the le Carré?” Miss Bowen asks, amid her reshelving. “Are we in trouble?”

“I don’t think so.” Trent is perusing Silverview at the counter, book in one hand, the other on the rifle. “The bookshop’s in East Anglia, and the protagonist hasn’t the first idea how to run it.”

“Oh, well then,” says Miss Bowen. “It will put nobody in mind of us at all. Is it any good? I’m always wary of these late discovery manuscripts. I don’t think I ever got over the disappointment of Go Set A Watchman.”

“It’s unevenly weighted. Makes you miss him at his best.” Trent turns a page. “Still, I’m glad he didn’t go gentle into that good night.”

He tenses as the shop bell rings, then sees that it is Keeley Jones, resplendent in a fluffy yellow coat. “What can we do for you, Miss Jones?”

“Trading in,” sings Keeley. “On Jamie’s behalf.”

Trent takes off his glasses and gives her a forbidding look. “What, has he gone and lost the lot again?”

Keeley winces. “Only some of it.”

Trent sighs. “Let’s get it processed in the back.”

Jamie Tartt is one of the stars of the agency known as the Dogtrack. He’s also aggravatingly cocky and spectacularly laissez-faire with his equipment; Keeley’s always in here, making apologies for him having thrown his Glock into a volcano, or something. Trent has no patience for the likes of Jamie Tartt. One already has so many people trying to kill one in this line of work, but there he is, giving even more people reasons to want him dead.

The back room is behind a reinforced steel door that can only be opened using either Trent’s or Miss Bowen’s fingerprints and a passcode that changes every day. The passcode is in fact a rolling alphanumerical series that progresses through the entirety of Hamlet, and if anyone ever cracks it, Trent will be very impressed by their grasp of Shakespeare. In the back room, Trent lays out the remnants of Jamie Tartt’s mission kit and purses his lips.

“To lose one dart gun, Miss Jones, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness.”

“Oh, you needn’t have a go at me, I’m proper mad at him myself. You know what he did last week? Tried to murder Roy Kent. Roy Kent!”

“What, for work?”

“Not even that! Some kind of fucking…pissing contest.” Keeley makes a noise of exasperation. “Some days it’s like we gave a bunch of five-year-olds guns and let them loose on a jungle gym. You know what I mean?”

“I’ll just put it on his tab,” says Trent. “Which is astronomical, by the way.”

“I’ll chivvy the folks at the Dogtrack to send you a cover. Only they’re rushed off their feet this week – you must have heard.”

Trent has heard, but it always serves one in intelligence gathering to pretend to know less than one really does. “What’s happening over there?”

“The Mannions are going to war,” says Keeley, her voice lush with the juice of gossip - another reason why Trent likes having her in the shop. “The whole Dogtrack’s splitting up. Christ, but it’s a mess down there.”

“Who’s Jamie backing?”

“Hasn’t decided. Rupert’s putting it about that the whole agency’s going with him, but word on the street is that Rebecca Welton’s brought in someone from abroad to take him out. They’re saying it’s an American.” She sucks in an excited breath.

“Why would you bring in an American for that?” demands Trent.

“Beats me. It’s going to keep us all on our toes for a bit, to be sure. I reckon it’s some Tom Cruise type, all Mission Impossible Jack Reacher like. But nobody knows for certain.”

“Surely not,” says Trent. “You at least must have some idea, Miss Jones.”

Keeley flutters her eyelashes at him. “Who, me? I’m just a humble secretary.”

“Of course you are,” says Trent. “And I’m just a poor bookseller.”

Keeley slants a sly look at him. “You haven’t seen any Americans around, have you?”

“We get Americans in the store all the time. Just this morning we had a Mrs Glenda Johnson from South Carolina complaining that we don’t have a café in the store.”

“Yeah,” says Keeley, “fairly sure it’s not Mrs Glenda Johnson. Isn’t there a Costa two doors down?”

“Precisely,” says Trent. “Americans.”

They return to the front of the store, the afternoon light streaming across the polished wood floors and touching the book covers. “It really is awful pretty, when the light’s good,” says Keeley, running a hand across a row of Sally Rooneys. “You know what you ought to do? You should do #BookTok.”

“That,” says Trent, “is the single worst suggestion I’ve ever heard.”

Keeley laughs. “Give me a pot of money and some Madeline Miller and I’ll do it for you. I’ll make you so famous, you’ll be beating influencers off with a stick.”

“Just tell the Dogtrack to pay for your boyfriend’s damage.”

Keeley sticks her tongue out as she swings out of the shop. “If you see the American, you’ll tell me first. Won’t you?”

~

“Tell me a story,” says Cleis. They’re curled up in her bed, her tiny frame pillowed against his side.

“You’ve had two already.”

“But I want another.” Cleis looks up at him, her eyes clear and green as the sea. “Tell me about Maman.”

Trent stares up at the glow-in-the-dark stars that speckle her bedroom ceiling. Tell me about a complicated woman, he hears Coralie say in his head. She sounds slightly amused. This is an anachronism, of course. Coralie never lived to see the Emily Wilson translation of The Odyssey. She would have loved it.

“Where do I start with your mother?”

“Was she very beautiful?”

“Yes. She knew exactly how beautiful she was and what to do with it.”

“Do I look like her?”

“The spitting image.” Even at four, Cleis looks so much like her mother that Trent will sometimes look over at her, in the middle of something mundane like making dinner or brushing her hair, and the resemblance will strike him like a punch to the gut.

Cleis is pleased by this. “What else?”

“Well. She loved old poems, and she was a lot stronger than she looked, and she wasn’t scared of a thing. Never listened to anyone either.”

“Not even you?”

“I like to think she listened to me a bit more than most other people,” allows Trent, “but even that wasn’t very much.”

Cleis kneads her quilt between her small hands. “Why didn’t she come back?”

Trent swallows. “She couldn’t. She had to save everyone.” Including me, he doesn’t add. Instead he says: “She loved you more than anything in the world.”

“How do you know?”

“She told me so. It was the last thing she said, before – ” Trent stops. Cleis is silent.

“Go to sleep now, chouette.”

It’s another hour before she drifts off to sleep proper. He sits in the dark, her hand tucked in his, until she does.

[ratmonky]

Unsafe Words

Word Count: 4.9K

Warnings: dubcon, mind break, obsession

AO3 Link

Flowers were more beautiful when they first bloomed in springtime. The colors that would faint over time would be vivid and the smell they produced wasn’t like any other. Their aroma was as delicious as a luxurious perfume but yours were sweeter than all of them.

Inumaki stroked his cock with one hand and held your panties up to his nose with the other. Your smell was enough to make him feel intoxicated but inhaling it as he pleased himself made the experience even more ecstatic.

In his mind, he was fantasizing about going on a date with you, eating your favorite dessert together, and chatting about the future ahead of the two of you.

You would laugh at all the jokes he made to hear you laugh and brush your fingers on his forearm in a flirty manner, looking at him with a smile and suggest to him that the two of you get out of here and go somewhere more private. Somewhere where you could give him all your attention.

Would you take all of your clothes or would you rather have him undress you?

He knew you would actually rather want him to tear your clothes off of you.

He hadn’t seen much of your skin and the uniform you wore didn’t help his fantasies. Inumaki could only try to imagine what color your nipples were or how supple the flesh of your thighs was.

His cock twitched in his hand as he bit back a moan.

Too much.

Inumaki tightened his grip on the base, refusing to cum yet. He still had time. It would be meaningless if he came so early.

He pressed his face into your soft pillow, inhaling your faint scent. Ahh, that would be how you smelled if he were to inhale your hair?

His grip on your panties loosened and he focused his attention on your pillow as he turned around in your bed. With his face buried deep in your pillow, he reached for one of your plushies.

From the first year in the school until you became third years, he always wanted to be a little closer to you. Not like how you treated your lower classmen. He wanted more than that.

Instead of ruffling his hair and calling him a friend, he wanted you to pull his hair and make him the center of your world.

Panda and Maki had noticed the way he looked at you. They knew him as long as you did yet you were still clueless.

He hadn’t thought he would feel this way about any person at any point in his life but here he was, humping your plushie in your bed.

He wondered what would you do if you knew exactly what was going through his head during a day. Because all he could think about was bending you over the closest surface and making you moan out his name in a prayer.

When his cock twitched, warning him that he was close, he didn’t try to stop himself this time. He pushed his hips forward staggeringly as he came on the plushie with a groan, his breathing completely out of control.

He still had time, didn’t he?

By the time you came back from your shopping trip with Maki and Kugisaki, your room was as you left it, or at least you were too careless to notice your missing panties from the laundry and the icky acidic smell surrounding your plushies.

~~~

You were clueless.

So much so that it hurt him.

There wasn’t much time left until the third years graduated and left. Once the two of you graduated, you wouldn’t call him for obvious reasons. What did you have to talk with him about anyway?

All he could say was gibberish.

He hated it.

“You’re okay?” Panda noticed that he wasn’t eating.

“Salmon.”

“You sure?”

“Salmon.”

There was a moment of silence before Panda spoke again.

“You know, I heard (name) is going to move to Fukuoka once we graduate.”

He didn’t say anything.

“It’s far away from Tokyo, isn’t it?”

Silence.

~~~

The day of graduation came but Inumaki didn’t make a move.

You moved away and he stayed.

Maki kept talking about your new life to Inumaki while he was unable to feel happy for you.

Years passed but Inumaki couldn’t move on.

It had been a hectic day at work and he was getting ready to take a shower when he got a call from an unknown number. This was the fifth time they were calling. He wanted to ignore it because the person on the other side wouldn’t understand him if they weren’t one of his friends but whether it be curiosity or boredom, he answered.

“Ahh, you picked up!”

Inumaki’s body froze. He felt like his limbs turned into stone.

“Hellooo? It’s Toge, right?” It was your voice.

“Kelp.”

“That was for greetings… Right? I kinda forgot about your language, haha. I’m sorry for calling you this late. Are you doing fine?”

“Salmon.” His lips were trembling. You sounded excited to talk to him.

“I see! I’m doing fine too, I moved back to Tokyo! I got a super small apartment and everything, I moved all of my furniture myself, can you believe that?”

“Tuna tuna!”

“I know right!” you laughed and let out a small sigh. “Anyway, I called to ask if you would wanna meet up? I thought we could catch up and I could show you my apartment. Maki and the others said they were free this Saturday, how about you?”

“...”

“I-... Was that too many questions? I’m sorry, I’m just excited you answered the phone.”

He opened his mouth but amongst the many things he wanted to say to you, he could only speak gibberish. He closed it again.

“Are you there?”

“Salmon.”

“Do you think you’d wanna come to my place for a reunion slash housewarming party?”

“Tuna mayo.”

“Is that a yes?” You sounded hesitant.

“Salmon.”

“Great! I’ll.. I’ll text you the address, don’t bring anything, I just wanna see you and others. It’s been so long!”

“Tuna tuna.”

“Ahh, I missed you all so much. Fukuoka was no good. I feel like I belong in Tokyo with everyone.”

He agreed yet again and silence fell. It must have been tiring to hold a conversation with him. Most people gave up after their first try, it felt too much like a one-sided conversation.

“I should go,” you said, he could hear the smile in your voice. “It was really great to hear your voice again, Toge. I hope it was the same for you.”

Yes , he thought.

“Okay… I’ll see you on Saturday, I’mma text my address to you, and please save my number! We might work together in the future, who knows!!”

“Tuna tuna!”

“Goodnight.”

You hung up.

Inumaki held his phone up to his ear for a moment longer even after you ended the call. His eyes slowly landed on the tent on his pants.

You had missed him. You wanted to see him.

A second later his phone buzzed in his hand.

[New Message]

Unknown Number: [ADDRESS] i live on the fifth floor but there isn’t an elevator TwT you will have to walk up the stairs SORRY >v<

His lips curled up into a smile.

~~~

His hair took an hour to style yet it looked the same. He had even bought a new styling gel, ugh, what a waste of money.

Apart from that, Inumaki found himself in front of the apartment building, unable to push the door to get inside.

“Inumaki, great to see you again,” Fushiguro’s voice startled him.

Inumaki turned around to see the large group heading this way.

“Yeesh, did you drown yourself in body spray?” Maki covered her mouth. Kugisaki next to her laughed and continued teasing Itadori until they arrived at the building’s door.

“Inumaki?”

“Kelp!”

“Ah, it’s good to see you again. When was the last time we saw each other? A year ago?” Maki walked past him and opened the door herself. “Probably,” she answered her own question.

There was some small talk going on, everyone was talking to him but his eyes were going back and forth between the presents everyone was holding. He stared at the bouquet of roses in his own hand.

“What did you buy?” Kugisaki asked Fushiguro.

“A toaster.”

“Lame.” She turned to Itadori to ask him what he bought next.

“I bought a toaster too…”

While the two boys were arguing about how one of them had to return their gifts, Maki placed a hand on Inumaki’s shoulder. “Panda’s coming too.”

Ah, his expression must have contorted into something vile. She perhaps thought he was only worried about Panda’s whereabouts.

“Seaweed.”

“Which floor was it again?” Kugisaki asked no one specifically.

Inumaki held five fingers up.

“Let’s get going then!” Itadori smiled, “Feels like we’re wasting time here when we can catch up altogether.”

The trio started climbing up the stairs first, leaving Maki and Inumaki to walk behind them.

“They’re still the same, huh?”

“Salmon.”

“I heard (name) invited some people from Kyoto over as well but none of them could make it.”

When he raised a brow Maki explained further.

“Curse season in Kyoto, I think. Mai was complaining about having to work overtime and all.”

“How did she manage to choose the only damn building in Tokyo without an elevator!?” Kugisaki groaned.

Maki chuckled, “It’s barely in Tokyo, and honestly, do you think she could afford one with an elevator?”

The trio started laughing. Inumaki smiled too.

“Hey,” she said, turning back to face him. Her voice was quieter. “You smell nice and not like an animal. I can't believe you finally took a bath without anyone telling you. Wait or was it because you wanted to smell nice specifically for today? For her?”

When Inumaki blushed, she burst into laughter.

Itadori was about to ask what they were talking about back there but they had already arrived on the fifth floor.

There were four different doors but they could easily tell which one was yours from the bright colored poster you had taped on it.

“What does it say?” Kugisaki couldn’t read because Itadori and Fushiguro were trying to take pictures of it.

“Welcome back Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College graduates,” Fushiguro read out loud.

“Put some feeling to it!” Itadori whined. “There are like five exclamation marks on it, you have to read it-“

The door he was pointing at opened.

“I told you I heard them,” you said with a giggle. Panda was already inside laughing quietly. You greeted them all, smiling from ear to ear before moving away from the door to invite them inside.

The younger trio walked inside first, then Maki hugged you, said something Inumaki couldn’t hear.

His eyes were on you, admiring how gorgeous you were.

“Aren’t you coming in?” you said then noticed the flowers in his hand. "Aww, Toge, you shouldn't have."

He gave the flowers to you, his cheeks flushed faintly pink as he walked past you to enter your home.

Inside, Panda and the trio were arguing about how he had gotten there before them.

“It’s a secret!” Panda yelled.

“He came from the roof so he wouldn’t be seen,” Maki replied as she hung her coat.

Laughter filled the apartment.

Inumaki felt at home, it had been so long since he heard the lively chatter of his friends.

“I’m glad you could make it,” you said, fixing Itadori’s jacket he had left on the floor instead of hanging it like everyone else.

“Salmon.” His pulse went haywire.

“I don’t know if you like beer or cognac but we have both.” He stared at you a little longer than usual so you elaborated. “When I left my job in Fukuoka, some colleagues bought me a cognac bottle. It’s bitter but I didn’t wanna waste it.”

“Heeeeyy, (name)!” Panda yelled, “Tell the youngsters to drink apple juice or something! They’re drinking from our stuff!”

“I have more beer in the fridge!” You turned around on your heels and walked into the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase, speaking louder so they could hear you through the thin wall. “Besides, aren’t they old enough to drink?!”

You peeked inside the living room to see what was happening.

Both Itadori and Kugisaki clinked their cans of beer, ignoring you while Fushiguro nodded in your direction to confirm.

“Then I don’t see the problem.” You took your place next to Maki.

Inumaki meekly walked inside, sitting between you and Panda.

“It’s nice having everyone together again.” Itadori smiled

“It really is,” you agreed. The beer tasted the best when you were with friends.

“Salmon.”

“You are so heartless, (name). You left us to move to Fukuoka.” Panda pouted as he leaned onto your shoulder, crushing Inumaki who was in the way.

“They offered me better pay.” You patted on his head, carding your fingers through his thick fur.

He leaned into your touch, humming softly. “Since you’re back here, money clearly doesn’t buy happiness.” he snickered.

“Money can buy happiness,” Kugisaki argued. “You can always buy the new fashion trends and new makeup. Don’t ever say that!”

Panda lifted his head to argue with Kugisaki while you used the opportunity to give out beer to anyone who hadn’t gotten one and you gave one to Inumaki, his fingers brushed against yours as he took it from you.

Maki gave an exaggerated sigh, “We came here to celebrate (name)’s return and her new place.” Everyone stared at her and she continued. “Let’s make sure to make her new house feel like a home.”

You listened to your friends’ cheers as they all cracked open their cans of beer, taking sips, chatting, and singing along to the faint music from the television program Panda turned on.

It would be genuinely hard to bring the gang together like this but one call from you had been enough since you were everyone’s soft spot in the group.

Years had passed.

You tried to not get lost in your thoughts and answered Maki who asked you what you were doing now that you moved here.

“Well, I couldn’t go back to working with Nanami since he finds me annoying.” You tried to humor it. “I live in a one-room apartment in the outskirts of Tokyo as you can see and work as a temporary sorcerer under someone Gojo introduced me to.”

Maki laughed, “What did you expect? Everything would be unchanged and that you’d get a job immediately?”

“I think she’s complaining about working for someone Gojo introduced her to.” Fushiguro theorized while holding his chin.

“No, she’s bummed out about living in a one-room apartment.” Itadori joined the nonsense.

“I’m just sad that I had to leave Fukuoka to live in a one-room apartment in Tokyo and work for Gojo’s friend!” you whined.

“Just like we guessed,” Maki said.

With another sigh, you rolled your eyes.

“You got yourself a boyfriend yet?” Kugisaki’s question made everyone look at you.

“I didn’t have time to find one,” you spoke behind your beer can.

“Talking about boyfriend…” Panda hummed, “Inumaki had a huuuge crush on you back when we were still students.”

“I completely forgot about that,” Maki feigned being clueless and punctuated her words by smacking a balled fist down onto her other hand. "I remember it now! How nostalgic! Inumaki always stared at you and all."

“Oh, really?” Your face softened as a faint color of pink tinted your cheeks, eyes landing on the young man who was blushing all the same. “You liked me?”

Inumaki kept nodding as if to agree with what they were saying.

“I never noticed,” Fushiguro said.

“Me neither, Inumaki is really good at hiding his feelings because he doesn’t talk much.”

“Well, that was in the past,” Kugisaki replied. “Some high school crush doesn’t last forever.”

Before anyone else could comment on the topic, Panda changed the subject, finally getting his claws on the cognac bottle to drink the last bit.

That still didn’t stop the two of you from blushing.

As the night dragged on, the chatting continued but as the time was getting late, people had to get going.

Itadori and Fushiguro left first when Sukuna’s vessel revealed to be the type who couldn’t hold his drink.

Maki and Kugisaki left together, Panda had told you that they lived together. You didn’t ask too many questions but you could tell why.

Panda took his leave right after the two girls left. He congratulated you once more before saying goodbye and leaving from where he came.

“I guess it’s only the two of us left,” you said, standing beside Inumaki after you put the presents on the kitchen counter for further inspection.

“Tuna mayo.”

“You can sit on the couch, I’ll go get some more snacks,” you informed, leaning forward starting to collect the empty beer cans but Inumaki got up to help you clean the table before finally, he slumped on the empty couch while you prepared something in the kitchen.

You entered the living room and walked around the couch to put a tray full of snacks and drinks on the low table. It was obvious he didn’t want to leave yet and you didn’t have the heart to bring up the fact that you had to get up early.

“You look different,” you said as you sat next to him, leaving a small space between. “I mean, obviously you would but unlike the others, you look more mature.”

He stared, waiting for you to continue.

“Nevermind.” Panicked, you instead reached for your beer.

Inumaki grabbed his remaining beer and chugged it until the can was empty.

Then you followed his lead to finish your own beer, once your own can was also empty, you both put the cans on the table. You felt slightly dizzy from the alcohol, you regretted drinking it too fast. You were quite lightweight after all.

You looked up at him with your cheeks tinted with a faint red from alcohol and stretched your arms. “So… you used to like me,” you said.

He clasped his chin between index finger and thumb and pretended to give the matter some serious thought. “Salmon.”

You laughed, something he hadn’t thought you would do. He hadn’t realized it until now but the two of you always had found it easy to have fun together. You were patient and you always listened to him. Always.

“I used to have a crush on you too but I didn’t think you liked me.”

Your words petrified him. The way you looked at him was indescribable, he had never thought he would see this expression on you.

You continued after a momentary silence, cheeks blushing furiously. “I mean… I don’t know, forget about it. It’s in the past. It was in the past. You liked me in the past. As Kugisaki said, a crush from high school doesn’t last forever.”

Inumaki opened his mouth to say something but he closed it when he noticed your stare at him.

“You…” you continued as Inumaki looked at you and spoke without thinking. “You still like me.”

It wasn’t a question, it was a fact.

He felt a little embarrassed, he was way too nervous. You were both drunk and it was just an observation. Nonetheless, he went warm all over, eyes wide in surprise. His heart was hammering through his chest. He was sure he was going to die of a heart attack.

There was a small moment of silence before he placed his hand on top of yours. He couldn’t hide his excitement, he was here, alone with the woman he loved. He had the biggest smile on his face and he was as red as a tomato. Ah, his friends would make fun of him if they hadn’t left so early.

He was being too obvious about liking you.

“You’re too close,” you remarked with a giggle, trying to cover your embarrassment.

Everything was happening too quickly for his head to catch up. He was already embarrassed about the whole of his feelings being exposed and now when you were looking like this in front of him was off-limits.

He couldn’t hold back anymore. He finally had you back, he was too scared to let you go.

“Kiss me,” he said, startling you.

A sudden rush of shivers running down your spine left you panting and you moved forward without even wanting to. Your body was moving on its own, your lips parted and pressed against Inumaki’s.

Your pulse quickened in both panic and confusion as his lips moved against yours, hesitant yet still hungry to taste you greedily. He pushed his tongue inside, savoring your taste as your entire mouth moved without your will.

His hand moved on your neck petting the hair strands falling down to your nape. Something closer to a laugh escaped him, it was the first genuine laugh you had heard coming from him.

He pulled himself back and you finally gained back control on your own body but something still felt foreign. Your head was dizzy. “Toge,” you managed, “I think you had too much to drink.”

“Fish flakes,” he responded.

Taken aback by his remark, you were quiet for a moment before making a move to get up from the couch. “You should leave.”

All of his remaining logical thoughts jumped out of the window as he sucked the air through his teeth, making a loud whistle sound. “Don’t move.”

Your body froze on the couch in the position you were. Your face flushed red as he carefully placed a hand on your hip and he started to lean closer to your face.

You watched him tilt his head. Slowly but at the same time desperately, he moved his hand. His hand slipped under your shirt, just enough so that his fingertips brushed the skin above your abdomen, and he whispered. “(name).”

Hearing your name come out from his lips made you feel euphoric. This was the first time he called you by your name and you wanted to hear it more.

Inumaki moved closer to you with a lustful haze in his eyes. He was already breathless for finally having you this close to him.

You felt the same way, being under him made you feel like you belonged there. It all felt wrong, this wasn’t a normal day where you were feeling aroused. You were with Inumaki and he was groping your tits. You kept trying to think rationally but your mind kept telling you that this was all you needed.

Inumaki was everything you needed right now.

Inumaki stared down at you, studying every detail of your face while he balanced himself on his balled-up fist. Your eyes and your skin, your hair around your head in a halo.

His chest heaved as he struggled to handle the new sensations you were giving his body.

You stole a quick glance in his direction and squeaked in surprise when his smoldering eyes stared back. Frozen in his place, he did nothing but look down at you under him. He sighed, he was already a little tired from everything he had done today. He was also very drunk but here you both were.

Inumaki leaned in for another kiss, his hand still cupping your tit. This time, you kissed him back, realizing that you could move again. Instead of using it to your advantage to push him away, you pulled him closer.

His weight started to settle on top of you and only then you noticed something poking your groin. You broke the kiss and looked between your bodies to see him supporting an erection beneath the fabric of his pants.

Your mouth opened and you gasped.

Inumaki took the opportunity to snake his tongue down your throat once again. You started to acknowledge what he was doing. He was rocking his erection against your groin as he kissed you. Your eyes widened. You could feel everything .

Somehow that made you moan into the kiss. His cock was achingly, impossibly hard. You moved your hips to his clothed erection begging to be released.

Although none of you said anything, both of you were thinking the same thing.

I want you.

It took less than a second for him to take off his shirt and start to fiddle with his belt.

You unbuttoned your shirt before hiking your skirt up as he was hurriedly pulling his pants down. As soon as he managed to kick them off, he pulled your panties down with force.

The way he was acting so desperate to get inside you made your breath hitch.

Wrapping a hand around his cock, he looked down at you to embed this sight of you into his mind. Another thing he had never thought he would see.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

Inumaki lined himself on your entrance and snapped his hips forward. Both of you groaned for different reasons.

“Toge,” you whispered, hands reaching out to hold onto his shoulders. “Be gentle.”

He wasn’t listening. You only realized that he wasn’t listening when he pulled himself back and thrust inside your pussy mercilessly.

A moan left your lips.

His virgin cock was being squeezed by your gummy walls, there was slick blood dripping from your pussy to the couch which told him how you had been waiting for him just as he was waiting for you.

Good , he thought. I would’ve killed them if someone other than me took your innocence.

At this moment, Inumaki was happy to know that he was the only person who had been allowed to see you like this. An animalistic snarl rose up from the pit of his stomach and he started fucking you frantically into the couch.

The pain of your hymen being torn completely forgotten, you exhaled roughly, it was too much, his rough rhythm and his cock stretching you out... it made your body undeniably aroused.

You wanted more but his cock was already twitching, threatening to spill his load inside of you. He cursed internally, it was too soon. He wanted more, he wanted to treasure this moment more.

His hips slammed against yours with force, each thrust filled with desperation to hold out a little longer so he could feel your heat surrounding him.

Nevertheless, it was futile. He could never stop himself from cumming when he had been yearning to do this for so long.

Inumaki grabbed the back of your knees and pushed them down until he got you into a position where he could fuck you deeper. He still wasn’t done indulging in your pussy, not yet.

Each and every time he thrust up into you, you moaned out his name just the way he had thought you would in his fantasies.

His pace picked up speed, he was close. He wanted to tell you who you actually belonged to by being deep inside of your guts. He grabbed your hands that were trying to push him on his chest and placed them on his shoulders instead. He leaned in closer to you, giving you the chance to wrap your legs around his hips.

Now, you were shaking your hips, moving to meet his thrusts. Gradually his cock started painfully throbbing inside you when you clenched around him. You were unable to hold onto anything but him, you were moving with him on the couch with each thrust.

“Cum on my cock,” he growled, not realizing the actual power behind his words.

You could feel the toe-curling pressure of orgasm almost immediately. A gurgle forced its way up to your throat and your body started shaking again, submerged in waves of hot tremors as white pleasure building in your gut suddenly took over your senses.

Your mouth opened in a silent cry while your legs shook uncontrollably around Inumaki’s waist. Disgustingly sloppy sounds as he thrust inside of you were all you could hear. Your ears were burning while you tried desperately to hold onto something to not completely lose yourself.

Gummy walls clenching around his cock were now threatening to suck him dry. Inumaki could no longer resist your pussy, he snapped his hips forward until they were flush against yours one last time. The tip of his cock kissed your cervix thanks to his cock being buried deep inside you in this position.

Thick seed spurted out from his cock and spilled inside your fertile womb, the warmth was irresistible, you could only think about being filled with his seed.

Inumaki brushed your matted hair out of your face and leaned in for a kiss, still rocking his hips back and forth inside you. You sloppily kissed him back until he broke the kiss to admire the look on your face. You found yourself staring at the heavy droplets of sweat that had made his bangs stick clumpy on his forehead.

When he finally pulled out of you, no matter how small your couch was, Inumaki managed to cuddle with you.

As the two of you were catching your breaths you completely forgot about having to get up early tomorrow or how you were still half-dressed or how uncomfortable the couch actually was. All of those thoughts were pushed back to the furthest parts of your mind while you buried your face in Inumaki's chest, steadily noting to talk about safe words with him in the future.

[headcans-oneshots-and-stuff]

Overworked

Fandom: DC Pairing: Batsis!reader x Batfamily Word count: 3k Summay: Your on your way to be the next C.E.O. of Wayne Enterprises, but the road is filled with challenges and a lack of self-care that your family can’t help but worry about (based on this) Warning: Slight angst and unconciousness, near death experience Requested by a pretty great Anon: Can you do a one shot of future ceo batsis overworking herself with long days and vigilante nights and she’s basically not sleeping or taking care of herself and batfams gotta step in and make her listen to reason.

The cup of coffee had already grown cold, the liquid inside it stale and surely undrinkable, when you reached for it. Hardly the first few drops of the liquid had ran down your throat when you realized the horrible transition it had gone through from the nectar of productivity to the lovechild of tar and sulfur, your face distorting into an expression of utmost disgust as you quickly put it back down and besides the other six paper-cups that were all half-filled at most. You sighed when you realized that it must have already been an hour since you had made - and after completely forgot about - the coffee. It really was a cursed circle that you had been going through for the last eight hours. You made a cup, brought it to your office, drank a bit, forgot about it and realized how horrible it now tasted half an hour or so later and then you took at least another twenty minutes before deciding to head for your next cup.  Was it already time for the next one? No, it could wait a bit longer. You turned your attention back to the screen in front of you - or rather the three screens - and let your eyes fly over all the data and graphs and numbers that you had to have in a presentable form by next morning for the monthly debriefing. This time would be your first time without Bruce on the sidelines and overlooking your work, a fact that made you feel proud at your accomplishment while simultaneously scaring you to the core. You knew that logically it wouldn’t be different than the last two - which you had also done basically solo with Bruce only sitting beside you silently observing - but there was still that internal voice that told you that without your father by your side the board would rip you apart until nothing was left over. You didn’t know what exactly caused it but suddenly you felt dizzy and the letters and numbers in front of you started swimming around, turning into absolute gibberish, the neon-lights of the screen hurting your eyes. No, not the screens themselves, it was the contrast between the brightly lit screens and the darkness that spread out behind them. It was only then that you let your gaze move behind the confines of your office and through the glass doors to the rest of the office space that was completely engulfed in darkness. Now you realized that it wasn’t only that, it was more, there was no soul wandering the floor and no sound beside the ever-so-steady growling of the computer fan and the clicking of your keyboard. “Fuck,” you couldn’t help but mutter when you looked at the clock beside you which already read half past nine. Which meant that you only had half an hour at most before your patrol started. Ignoring the pounding that built up in your head you tried to remember how it was possible for the time to surprise you like that. You had come to work at eight that morning and had spent two hours calling around, checking on contracts and meeting with potential clients, then you had your daily briefing with the department heads - which had extended into almost an hour because Brad from PR really couldn’t get his shit together - then you had to talk to HR about finding a possible replacement for Brad from PR and after you had started working on the numbers. And now you were standing in the elevator on your way to the car park. Did you have Lunch today? No, you had to skip Lunch break for Brad. What about Breakfast? No, wait, you forgot about that too. You rubbed your eyes and felt the need to curse rise again when you realized that you’d have to get right back to the numbers as soon as you had finished patrol which meant that you wouldn’t be able to sleep yet again. What was that? The fourth night in a row? Your only solace was the possibility that you’d maybe finish quickly and get a good one to two hours before you had to be back in the office, but deep inside you knew that it was unlikely. It hadn’t worked the last four nights either. But you’d pull through. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. After tomorrow’s meeting you’d go home at a normal time and indulge yourself in that full meal your stomach had been begging you for, sleep for a full eight hours and maybe even watch a movie if you felt especially crazy. Just for one night you’d really let yourself go. But for that to be possible you had to bite your teeth together and stay on your path.

The elevator arrived at the car park and you quickly rushed to your car and made your way to your apartment which - for maximum efficiency - was only a five minute drive away from the Wayne Ent. Tower, where you quickly rushed into the hidden side room to change into your gear. As you checked the time you realized that you still had a good five minutes before you had to check in with your father and you had to very quickly decide between your two options: quickly eat something or make and drink another coffee. You decided for the second one, but as you made your way to the kitchen counter where your coffee machine stood you caught a glimpse of the unopened stack of mail on the kitchen island and with a sigh decided to just get that over with, effectively ignoring both your previous options.  The letters were rather quickly sorted through and before you knew you were standing on a nearby ceiling and activated your comm. “Y/H/N reporting from area 7.4 in central Gotham.” “Good evening Y/H/N, it’s Oracle, I’ll be your voice in the background tonight,” Barbara’s voice echoed through your ears and after exchanging the usual greetings she quickly gave you the location of a robbery in progress. With quick, experienced movements you jumped over the roofs until you stood on the ceiling of a jewelry which was - luckily for you - made out of glass. There was only a single man in the darkness of the store below you, using a flashlight to clean out the display cases, and he wasn’t especially silent so you used the noise to your advantage as you opened one of the few ceiling windows that were openable and let yourself glide down with a hook. “I think you have to pay for that,” you interrupted the robber who quickly turned around, his face hidden by a black, knitted hat with badly cut out holes for the eyes. He was definitely no professional. The man - obviously panicked - got out a gun with shaky hands and pointed it at you, but before he could even think of shooting you had thrown a batarang and the piece of weaponry landed on the floor too far from him that he could reach it before you. Seemingly not seeing another option the man started charging at you and you just sighed and said: “I wouldn’t do that if I was you,” but by the end of the sentence his fist tried to make contact with your masked face, but you caught his hand expertly and used the momentum to twist it behind his back, grabbing the other one too and with quick movements you had used a pair of handcuffs that you had in your bat-belt™ to chain him to one of the displays before letting him go. “If you’ll excuse me for a second,” you mumbled before walking a few feet away where you told Barbara to contact the police and tell him they didn’t need to hurry. You had just finished the conversation and muted your mic again when the same dizziness as earlier in the office hit you but this time tenfold. It was like the ground was swaying below you and you had to take ahole of a countertop so that you didn’t fall. “Hey, are you okay, you look kinda sick,” the robber asked in an actual concerned voice, but you didn’t answer, instead you quickly used the hook you had attached earlier to let yourself swing out of the window again. “Y/H/N?” Barbara contacted you and you tried your best to swallow down the weakness in your muscles that suddenly seemed to grow over you. “Yeah?” “Bats asks you to meet him on the roof of the Jefferson building down in third.” “Tell him I’ll be there in a minute.” 

You gave yourself another few seconds to collect yourself before you did as you were told and made your way over to the roof of the builduing Babs’ had told you to go to, the dark silhouette of your father’s persona already expecting you there. Like you had done so often before, you started to run towards the edge of the building next to it - the one you were currently on - and made yourself ready to jump, only for your muscles to suddenly give up on you and the only thing you felt next was the rushing of air as you were falling and then the sudden stop and pain in your wrist as something caught you. Bruce quickly pulled you up and even with the cowl you could see the concern. “You okay?” he asked, his voice worried which definitely sounded uncanny in connection with what he was wearing. “Uhm yeah, my legs just kind of gave up on me there,” you tried to wave it off with a chuckle, not wanting him to see that you were frightened to your core. “Y/H/N?” he asked again in that voice he had always used when you tried to sneak out at night and lied when he had caught you. He hadn’t used that voice in so long. “I’m serious Batman, everything is okay, it’s no big deal,” you huffed - now defensive - and stood up with your arms crossed in front of your chest. “It is when you suddenly fall from a roof. What would have been if I hadn’t been there to catch you?” he asked, now slight anger edging through the worry, but you couldn’t blame him. “I’m sorry, okay, it won’t happen again,” you sighed and hoped he would just let it go, especially considering that the dizziness started to return. Along with it came the heaviness of your eyelids that you had gotten used to that somehow now seemed to actively pull you down. You raised your hand to rub your eyes - hoping it would put some more live back into you - but even that slight movement seemed to be too much as the world started swaying again and you felt gravity getting the best of you. Something black started moving in front of you and you weren’t quite sure if you were falling unconscious or if it was Bruce who came towards you to catch your falling form, but it turned out to be latter when you found yourself being lowered to the ground and propped against the end of one of the vantilator shafts of the building with Bruce kneeling beside you. “You’re definitely not okay,” he muttered as he held your face in his hands to get you to look at him. “I’m just a little bit tired is all,” you tried to argue, but your voice was weak and almost started lulling. “When was the last time you slept? Or ate?” You shut your eyes in concentration as you tried to remember. “Wait I know the answer to that one,” you muttered but almost fell asleep, only being kept away when your head started falling downwards, “What did you ask again?” “When was the last time you slept an entire night?” he tried again, this time more specific. “What day is it today?” “Friday.” “Then I think it was Monday,” you whispered since suddenly the loud noise of your voice seemed to pierce your skull apart. “You were on Patrol from nine to two a.m. on Monday,” Bruce disagreed and you almost chuckled. “Yes, and after I went to bed and got a full five hours. That’s pretty good isn’t it,” you couldn’t help but smile almost proudly, your mind starting to fog up with bubblegum coloured smoke that made it impossible to think straight. “And when did you last eat?” Bruce sighed, worry and recognition crossed his face. He himself must have known too well what you were going through. You averted your eyes and looked down at your lap where you played with your hands like an embarrassed child. “Also Monday,” you mumbled and Bruce immediately shook his head. “That’s not okay, you have to take care of yourself Y/H/N, you’re no good for anyone when you don’t.” You weren’t sure if it was only tired paranoia that made you see only disappointment on your fathers face - that ignored all the worry - but suddenly the prospect of having disappointed him, the one thing that you were trying to avoid ever since you could remember, made tears well up in your eyes and your lip quiver, “‘M sorry,” you could just press out before the tears started rolling. Bruce immediately regretted his tone of voice, but he knew nothing he would say now would be remembered by you so he just pulled you up from the roof and started carrying your already passing out form towards the batmobil. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow…”

The feeling of waking up rested was foreign to you, especially since it wasn’t one of your four separate alarms that woke you, and caused you to immediately sit up, only to be pulled back into the mattress. Your eyes flew open and explored your surroundings. The chandelier above you, with rainbow-coloured glass-pendants and the dark blue dealing with the painted stars immediately calmed you again. This room was your childhood bedroom which meant that you were in the manor, which in turn meant that you were safe. For a moment the calm was pretty nice, but then you remembered your case of immovability and looked down at where your wrists came out from under the cover. They were bound by silky bands and a move of your feet told you that the same was the case for them. While you were contemplating ways to get out of the unbelievably good, but still comfortable restraints, the door started to open and you turned as well as you could towards where you smallest (figuratively and literally) brother entered. “Your awake?” he asked in his usual stern voice, but you had known him for long enough to recognize the hidden worry. “Yeah, mind telling me why I’m strapped to my bed?” “Forced self-care,” he stated matter-of-factly and you couldn't help but narrow your eyes. “What?” “You fainted on Patrol, father says you haven’t eaten or slept since last Monday so we took measures to make sure you wouldn’t kill yourself with how careless you are.” You wanted to reply with something snarky, but you were well aware that what he said was probably right. “I’m sorry okay, I just had a lot on my plate, but you’re right and I feel a lot better now that I had some sleep, so you can let me go again,” you tried to smooth your way out of there, but you had the slight suspicion that it was hopeless. “I respect your try but you will not be let go until father is certain that you’re better.”

“But I am better!” you whined and tried yet again to wiggle yourself out of the restraints. Damian just raised his eyebrows unimpressed. He walked over to a chair that was standing beside your bed and as you followed him with your eyes you noticed the shutted curtains and the small gap of light between them. “What time is it anyways?” you sighed and felt surprise when you had to hold back a yawn. “It’s about 8 a.m.” Your eyes widened. That meant you had enough time to get to the office! “Please Dami, you gotta let me go, I have to get to the board meeting,” you begged, starting to wiggle more and more, but to no avail. “But Ukthi, you-” “No you don’t understand! This is my first time alone, I can’t let dad down, I have to be able to pull through with this if I ever want to make it as the next C.E.O. Dad wasn’t allowed a break either.” “Ukthi-” “Damian please, please, I promise I’ll come back right after and take care of myself, but I have to do this if I-” “Ukthi! The board meeting was yesterday. You slept for over 24 hours!” Damian shouted to get you to stop interrupting him and when you realized the weight of his words you sunk back down into the pillow. “What? But I was supposed to…” “Father just postponed it, he didn’t leave room to argue, he also gave you the week off from patrol and work.” If your hands weren’t bound you’d probably sunken your face into them in shame. You tried to hold tears back as you looked away from Damian. “Y/N?” he asked and came closer. “I’m sorry, It’s just- how am I supposed to handle being the C.E.O. of Wayne Enterprise if I can’t even handle little things like board meetings? How am I supposed to take after dad?” “Y/N, you keep on saying how father managed to lead the business on his own, and how you should be able too, but you’re not alone. You’re not supposed to be either. You have all of us by your side for a reason and we won’t leave you alone with this. We’re here for you and you shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help. We’re family, we love you and we want to support you with all we can. “For now, how about you rest a little bit more and then I’ll let you out of bed to get a proper meal, Alfred made your favorite. After that I’m afraid Father will want to have a word with you.” “Oh shucks….”

[l0vew0rm]

dance with me ( eula lawrence )

synopsis: fate has a funny way of granting your wishes when you least expect it—like a dance with the infamous reconnaissance captain of the knights of favonius. pairing: eula lawrence x gn!reader word count: 1.9k warnings: alcohol consumption  inspired by: dance with me by beabadoobee

a/n: just a small piece i’ve been meaning to write for my beloved main. <3 i’ve loved eula ever since getting her by chance and i’m glad i finally got to write something for her. (bonus: this fic is loosely connected to my previous work wine so if you manage to catch the small reference i’ve written in you’re cool and i love you)

the knights of favonius had decided to host a banquet and an accompanying ball to celebrate the arrival of a diplomatic delegation from fontaine, and unsurprisingly, eula was nowhere to be found.

“i have no time for such frivolous affairs,” was the spindrift knight’s sharp and honest reply to your question of whether or not she would be in attendance. “and besides, seeing as my reputation has a habit of preceding me, i’m quite sure the acting grand master would be content to send me off elsewhere where i can’t sully the good name of the knights by simply being there.”

while you weren’t necessarily surprised at her response, it still didn’t make it any less disappointing for you to hear it, nor was it any less disappointing for her to not be there among the crowd of knights and diplomats you’d been surrounded with all night. despite this, you tried your best not to let it get to you, even if your mind did occasionally linger towards the thought of the spindrift knight, among other things.

shaking your head, you try to distract yourself by surveying your surroundings. glancing upwards, you’re met with the brilliant light of two golden chandeliers that hang from the ceiling, warmly radiating a bright yet soft glow that accentuates the elegant attire that your fellow attendants are currently wearing. at the opposite end of the banquet hall is a string quartet seated atop a small stage, providing mellow background music to the abundance of excited chatter being exchanged between knights and diplomats alike. in the back of your mind, you’re very briefly reminded of all the fairytales you used to read as a child of grand balls filled with beautiful princes and princesses, but your thoughts quickly dissipate the moment you feel your shoulder be tapped and a familiar voice hum low in your ear.

“good evening, sir kaeya,” you greet the blue-haired cavalry captain with a smile and a raise of your goblet. “i trust you’ve been having a good time tonight?”

kaeya playfully tsks at you. “how many times must i tell you that we’re well past the need for such formalities?” he grins, though he returns your gesture by raising his goblet of wine—which you note is practically filled to the brim to the point of overflowing—at you. “though to answer your question, yes, i have been having a lovely time indeed.”

“that’s good to hear.”

the two of you start exchanging chit-chat, and continue to do so for some time. kaeya’s halfway through telling you about his curious encounter with a drunk lieutenant earlier in the evening when he pauses at the sound of the string quartet beginning to transition into a waltz. it only takes one shared glance between the two of you before the captain graciously extends a hand to you with a smile on his face.

“care to dance?”

you smile back at him, and take his hand. “i’d love to.”

after placing your goblets elsewhere, the two of you proceed to the center of the banquet hall, taking each other’s hands and beginning to dance to the music of the string quartet. everything should have seemed perfect—the atmosphere was merry, the crowd was lively, and you and kaeya were dancing gracefully across the room like a pair of professional ballroom dancers. but despite all that was happening around you, something just…

“is there something bothering you?”

you blink up at kaeya, his star-shaped pupil looking upon you with concern. “pardon?”

“i apologize, since i know it’s rude to assume,” kaeya begins, but the sudden shift to a shit-eating grin on his face tells you he isn’t one bit sorry for what he’s about to say next, “but you’ve seemed pretty preoccupied all night.”

“it’s nothing, i just—”

“you miss the reconnaissance captain, don’t you?”

kaeya’s grin only grows wider at the sudden flush that overtakes your face. “i knew it.” the cavalry captain watches you try and stammer up excuses, but after a minute of nothing but gibberish escaping your mouth you decide it’s better to give up and give in. “i wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t attending tonight, but i… i wanted her to. i wanted…”

“you wanted her to dance with you?”

“as if she’d ever dance with some amateur like me,” you try and joke, but it falls flat with the weight of your somber tone.

“you’d be surprised to know how eager she is to do so, actually,” kaeya nearly fails to suppress his laughter at the sight of your eyes widening to the size of saucers at his remark. “eager in her own vengeful little way, of course.”

“and how do you know that?”

“i just do.”

you’re just about to start going off on a tirade before the sound of the cathedral bell rudely interrupts you—that, and the suspicious smile that lights kaeya’s face hearing it.

“ah, just in time,” he says, and you quirk a distrustful brow at him. “what? don’t you know what time it is?”

“no?”

“why, if i recall correctly, the reconnaissance captain and her scouts should be back from their mission at around this time. i could be wrong, but seeing as i was in charge of having personally arranged the mission in question…”

“and what do you mean to accomplish by telling me this?”

“that’s up for you to decide.”

the music comes to a stop. kaeya gently lifts your hand to kiss it goodbye. “farewell. i hope you have a pleasant rest of the evening.”

“kaeya, what—”

with a playful smile and a wink, kaeya walks away, leaving you and disappearing into the crowd.

after downing a few more goblets of wine to quell the growing unease in your chest, you decide to call it quits for the night.

outside, the streets are quiet, almost eerily so, with not a single sound to be heard except for the evening breeze whistling a bitingly cold tune. you express your gratitude towards the few passersby you encounter by waving politely at them—at least, to the best of your ability considering your slightly tipsy state.

you continue onwards with your walk to nowhere until you find yourself at the plaza. you wander over to one of the many stone benches in the area and take a seat, sighing in relief at your legs finally being able to catch a break from all the stairs you had just climbed. the warm glow of the street lights surrounding you, lovely as they are, are dim; so dim, in fact, that you fail to notice the sight of a shadow approaching you from the corner of your eye.

“and here i thought you were above some dimwitted drunkard too inebriated to care about their safety being exposed out in the open. hmph. to think i taught you to be better than this.”

you nearly fall over in shock at the familiar voice that interrupts the slow slurring of your thoughts. “eula?”

“who else would it be?” the spindrift knight huffs, crossing her arms over her chest as she draws nearer to you. you pray to barbatos that she assumes the flush on your cheeks is from the wine and not the fact your heart is threatening to beat out of your chest at the sight of her.

“but really, just what are you doing out here by yourself so late at night? aren’t you supposed to be attending that banquet over at the goth grand hotel? gods, i practically made a fool out of myself barging in there unannounced just to look for you! and the fact you had the audacity to worry me when i couldn’t find you… mark my words, i’ll make sure to—”

“you… looked for me?”

“what? just what kind of question is that? did you think that i wouldn’t look for you?”

“...no?”

“hmph! preposterous! absolutely outrageous! the fact you’ve had the audacity to not only wander off elsewhere without me to protect you, and for you to assume my actions and feelings unprompted… you’ll pay for this!”

you chalk it up to the alcohol meddling with your brain, but in that moment, the wildest idea pops up in your head. a wide, dopey grin etches itself onto your face as you lift a hand out to the reconnaissance captain standing before you.

“say… what if i paid for my transgression with a dance?”

the look on eula’s face instantly makes you regret your words. this time, in addition to your flushed cheeks, the blood in your veins runs ice cold with dread and embarrassment, and you quickly withdraw your hand from her reach to sheepishly rub the back of your neck with it.

“or maybe we could just settle the score with some good ol’ sparring, hah… m’sorry that i asked you that so boldly, i know that you don’t take kindly to—”

“i’ll take it. let’s dance.”

you blink. “what?”

“you wanted to pay for your misdeeds, yes? i accept your means of payment. now get up. let’s dance.”

“but i don’t—”

“know how to dance? then i’ll teach you.” you once again chalk it up to the alcohol, because you refuse to accept any other explanation for the sudden soft shift in eula’s tone. hesitantly, you get up from your seat to approach her, gingerly holding her gloved hand and trying not to let your breath audibly hitch at the feeling of her hand on your waist.

“grip my waist a little tighter,” eula instructs you, repositioning your hand against her side. “i won’t break. now follow my lead. one, two, three, one, two, three…”

the first few minutes the two of you dance is painfully awkward. all of your previous grace and elegance from that earlier dance with kaeya have all but disappeared, your dancing skills reduced to nothing and your movements limited to stiff shuffling and careless swaying. eula seems to catch on to this, judging by the way her grip on your shoulder tightens ever so slightly—not enough to cause significant pain or discomfort, but enough to steady you as the two of you waltz across the plaza together.

eventually, the two of you manage to fall into a slow and steady rhythm, dancing along to the sound of your shoes clacking against the cobbled plaza floor. impulsively—you make a mental note to apologize to her for it tomorrow when you’ve sobered up—you lean in and bury your face into the crook of her neck, pressing your bodies together closer than you’ve ever been.

“i… have something to confess,” eula tells you, and you hum into her shoulder.

“mm?”

“i wasn’t supposed to return from my mission until dawn, but i requested i be able to return early, because i…”

eula’s hand lets go of your shoulder, and her arms slowly begin to wrap around you in an uncharacteristically warm embrace.

“i wanted to dance with you.”

your breath hitches, but it quickly melts away as you smile into her shoulder. for a moment, you’re tempted to say it—the three words you’ve longed to tell the beautiful reconnaissance captain you’ve loved since the moment you laid eyes on her—but in the end, you choose to sink deeper into her arms.

“thank you.”

eula lets out a disgruntled huff, but the look of love and care in her sunset-colored eyes says otherwise.

[slytherinnbitch]

Accident Part 2

Part 1 of Accident

Exactly 2 days and 17 hours after Malfoy had dissolved their marriage and left, Harry's memory came back. The impact of it was so bad that he was screaming his lungs out by the time a nurse came to check and she immediately called for Healer Malfoy-Potter.

Harry is on the verge on unconsciousness when Malfoy had finally came in, he gives him a vile looking potion and his vision blacks out.

When he woke up again, he was staring at the same white ceiling as always. His head is pounding, he scrunches his face slightly and looks to his left expecting his exasperated husband as always. He finds Hermione instead, with Ron on his other side.

"Where's Draco?" That's the first thing that comes out of his mouth. Hermione looks pained, so he turns to Ron and he has an almost identical expression. And then all of it crashes down on him.

The waking up, and seeing Draco and then oh god- and then taunting him and playing with all his weaknesses and everything that he had vowed to never do again. He had done exactly all that and so much more. Fucking piece of unworthy shit, that's what he is because Merlin he has fucked up so badly that it was surpassing all scales.

And he had asked for a divorce and...and Draco had readily accepted it, as he said....was his faith. And shit shit shit, Reg. What had he told Reg? He needs to grovel at Draco's feet, hopefully he would forgive Harry. And- he can't even think about it anymore.

He closes his eyes, hoping the mortifying feeling would go away. It doesn't. Not even one bit.

"Judging by your reaction, mate. I guess you remember all of it?" Ron asks tentatively, breaking his internal war.

"Yeah fuck."

"I still don't understand why he just did that, why did he listen to you and divorce you?" Hermione inquires because of course she doesn't understand.

"Because that's what he said he would do. He said it at the beginning of the relationship, he'll free me if I ever wanted him to, with no explanations whatsoever. I had told him, he shouldn't hold his breath over that." He smiles ruefully at the memory, Draco had shaked his head at that and kissed him. It had been an excellent day.

"Could either of you just call him? He is my Healer so he must be here, right?" He asks hopefully, something in their eyes tells him that he is very very wrong. They are excused from answering him when Zia enters. She is an assistant to Draco and under his wing, one of his best students.

"Hey Zia!" Harry greets her brightly, just because he is going through internal war doesn't mean he'll just give up his manners.

"Oh, hey Harry. So I conclude your memories are back?" Zia asks somewhat subdued, it's a weird thing on her. She is usually this bright and happy ray of sunshine, so he frowns.

"Yeah. Where's Draco?" he asks directly, she will probably give him a viable answer, but she looks distinctly uncomfortable so he feels the need to clarify, "You know, your boss, my husband and my healer?"

"Yea, yes. He um went home. Asked me to do the last check-up and then you're good to go."

"Did he say something else?" Harry asks because something tells him he is being withheld from information.

"He asked me to appoint you a new Healer because um he isn't going to handle your cases any longer. He was on this one because he was handling it before you asked for someone." Zia says and she looks heartbroken herself, what has he done!

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I tried to talk to him, he just went all cold and didn't listen to a word of mine. Just threatened to fire me and left." Zia continues and boy, his level of fucked knows no levels because Zia is crying now!

"No Zia, please don't cry. I'll... I'll talk to him, alright? Don't do anything just yet? I fucked up real bad this time, just let me leave and I'll try my best." Harry pleads and Zia hiccups softly. She checks his quickly with red eyes and deems him free to leave.

He is out of the doors within an hour with his best friends at his side.

"Mate, just know that we are here and you're more than welcome at ours if Draco kicks you out or anything yeah?" Ron assures him after he tells them that he is going home. Hermione just hugs him one last time before he apparates away, fervently hoping that Draco hasn't locked him out of the wards. The result of apparating inside while being locked out, especially of their customised wards aren't great.

Thankfully he hasn't, because Harry lands just fine on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place. The door opens on its own, recognising his magical signature.

Just as he closes the door, he hears the tiny footsteps of his baby boy and yeah there he is, sprinting towards him.

"Papaaaa," Reg cries out as he launches himself into his arms and it grounds him. It gives him peace and then enters Draco. He looks proper as always, no one would be able to tell that he is messed up. But no one is Harry Malfoy-Potter.

He notices the tiny, slightly out of place hair strands out of place. The clenched jaw as he tries to keep himself together and how he unconsciously keeps brushing his left arm.

"I missed you. Dada said he didn't know when you be back." Reg mumbles into his neck, it's mostly gibberish but Harry understands one and half year old pretty well, as he hugs him still, then he looks into his eyes with slight tears and says seriously, "Dada was so sad," and then he hugs him again.

He was gone for almost five days, it aches his heart how much he was missed by his little love and how much he is loved. He locks eyes with Draco then, who has the mask set in place properly again. He arches his eyebrow at Harry, a silent question that he can very well understand. He pleads back silently as well to keep it until they are alone. Draco gets it.

"I missed you too, my reggie-teggie. But guess what I won't be going anywhere now and we would have so much fun, won't we? We'll ride on the broom again all around the house while Dada goes to work, innit?" Harry asks and Reg beams at him, "And I'll try to make sure Dada isn't sad anymore, yeah?" And he nods enthusiastically.

"Alright, bed time now." Draco calls after an eternity passes with Harry listening to Reg bringing him up-to-date with everything that going on in his life. It seems very important.

He still isn't actually talking to Harry, not that he expected anything else.

"Can Papa read me a story?" Reg asks and Draco nods his head so he looks at Harry who does the same and then they go to Reg's room.

.

After he finishes the second story, he looks down beside him to find Reg fast asleep, he slowly and carefully gets out of his bed and tucks him in properly then starts towards the door.

After peering at his sleeping face, Harry closes the door and places a one-way muffiliato charm, so Reg can't hear them but they can still hear him. It would cancel out the minute Reg wakes up and Harry would get an alert. He and Draco had modified it themselves.

He roams around the house in order to find Draco, finally making way into their bedroom where he is sitting with his hands on his lap, waiting for Harry.

He stops breathing as he slowly enters the room. Draco doesn't object so he is fine. When he stops a feet away from Draco. He looks so frail like this, like he hasn't slept or eaten properly in days, he probably hasn't.

"Well, what is it Potter? I would like to sleep." Draco states, his voice ice cold and a slight shiver runs down Harry's spine as he remembers the last time he had been like this. It had been after Harry had gone on a date so many years back, before he came to his senses that is.

"Draco, please. Don't do this." Harry pleads and Draco's eyes flash dangerously.

"You mean I did this? Me, Potter? Me who has been unable to answer my kid why his other father has not come home except for that he is still sick and needs rest? Me who has been-" he stops abruptly and takes a deep, calming breath, "Anyways, my point is I didn't do a thing."

"Draco, you know I don't mean that. And- and I didn't mean any of the shit I said after waking up," Harry tries again, he knows it's futile somewhat but he can't just give up. "I should not have accused you like that. My last self was a number one arsehole."

"Yeah, he was." Draco agrees but he doesn't say anything else.

"I'm sorry that I didn't believe you or my friends or even my own self, I should have." Harry sighs and rubs his eyes under glasses.

Draco remains silent.

"Talk to me, dammit! Shout at me, scream, tell, punch, hex whatever you want to. Just- just don't keep so quiet, it's so much more hurting than the others, please Draco." he snaps after almost two minutes of complete silence.

"And what would you like me to tell you? That I forgive you and you're welcome back in my life? Is that what you think would happen when you came here?" Draco taunts and shit if he doesn't deserve it.

"Because that's not going to happen," Draco continues, he meets Draco's eyes with all his guilt and regret and he feels Draco's barriers snapping, "What to know why, Harry? I don't care because I'm going to tell you anyway." Draco says casually and Harry prepares himself for it.

"Because you fucking dissolved our marriage vows, you utter bastard! You just went and dissolved everything we had the moment you got to know that we were married! And how bloody dare you ask for my rings?" Draco shouts at him, he has tears in his eyes but he keeps on, "Do you know that mother noticed that the tapestry suddenly didn't have your name tied to mine? Just to Reg? She did and so did father. She told me so when I went to pick up Reg. Do you even want to what hell father told me? How he always knew I was wrong and how you would leave me one day and- and now I had a fucking child to my name all alone and he knew I would be a fuck up all along? Do you have any idea what that did to me? How difficult it was for me to keep a facade infront of Reg. Do you, Harry?" He looks at Harry, waiting for an answer.

"I don't..."

"Of course you don't. You have no bloody clue, and you know what you don't need to. You can fuck off whenever you want and I won't stop you. Who the fuck would I be, wasn't that what you said?" Draco rages on, then he says it again, it comes out utterly broken, "Who the fuck, indeed?" And then he sobs, openly, all masks gone.

Harry can't help but move forward and hug him tightly. He is crying himself as Draco tries to wretch himself free.

"Let me go, you prick. Utter prick, with no fucking-" Draco says against himself and Harry shushes him gently.

"Shh, darling. I'm here, I'm sorry but I'm here now, love." Draco struggles some more before he gives up and hugs Harry back tightly. He can't breathe but who needs that when they have Draco Malfoy-Potter in their arms.

When they finally pull apart, Draco's eyes are red and he is still hiccuping.

"I love you," Harry says softly as he caresses his cheek. Draco leans on his hand and mouths the words back.

"You are still not forgiven, just so you know." Draco says and Harry doesn't know what he shall do. He'll do anything, murder if he has to.

"How can I earn it?"

"Do something about our marriage and I'll think about it." Draco replies after a moment of thinking.

"Marry me, again? It's our anniversary in 12 days. We can do it then." Harry suggests, and a small smile seems to tug at Draco's lips.

"And whoever said that I'll marry you. That too for the second time. One time was enough, don't you think?" Draco teases, and he knows he did the right thing this once.

"A million times again, and it still won't be enough."

"Let's keep it to two, yeah?" Draco suggests as he draws Harry close.

"Promise." Harry says and seals it with a kiss. They are going to be okay, again, he thinks as he drowns himself in Draco's love.

Have at your happy ending, sad ending would have been nice but I value my life a little. Tagging @moramystery @cupofsquirrelfan @justthingsfromsarah because y'all specifically asked for a sequel. Altho this isn't all that angsty.

[lavenrain96]

My Very Own

For vampyuuweekend2022 at Twitter

Day 2: present | clubs | bite

Pairing: Yuuichirou Hyakuya x Mikaela Hyakuya (YuuMika) (if you squint)

A/N: Warning for semi-NSFW (sexual tensions)

—

The Mark of Possession. It was a symbolic engraving of a vampire tattooed onto a human as a way to mark them as their own; to showcase their territory to ward off potential predators. However, in doing so, the vampire in question had to give up a portion of their power to their blood partner/s so that they wouldn't die easily.

It must also mean that those who bear the mark are of the highest quality…

Yuuichirou internally cringed when the thought came up, and he nearly slammed the history book he was reading against the table. He heaved a sigh while he tried to calm his nerves down, silently cursing at his vampire instincts upon labeling the humans as such.

Because, after all, Yuuichirou used to be a human himself. It rubbed him off the wrong way to call his former status like livestock only meant to satiate his hunger for blood. However, his new position as a vampire was slowly clouding his mind; replacing the personality that was once his human self.

The change honestly scared Yuuichirou, but this was his new life now. He needed to adapt, or else he would die before he could get his hands on the bastard that was responsible for his transformation. It took him a long while for him to get used to his senses that seemed to increase tenfold, causing him pain as he learned to control them from scratch. His newfound strength, Yuuichirou noticed, could also use some work as it seemed that the month-old fledgling could never end the day without breaking something.

Hence why Yuuichirou sought out knowledge in the public library so late at night. He had hoped to come across some material relating to vampires, but all he discovered was gibberish information about vampires being territorial about their blood partners. The words were written like they were some documents about animals and their nature.

This is pretty useless, Yuuichirou sighed tiredly as he placed the book aside on the long wooden desk he was sitting on. There’s so many problems, and I don’t know where to start. Ugh, I’m so tired…

“Um…” A soft voice spoke up, which caught Yuuichirou’s attention. “I’m sorry if you’re so engrossed in your reading, but the library is about to close now…”

“Oh…” Yuuichirou murmured as he glanced at the clock a few feet away to look at the time. “I’m sorry about that. I’m going to take my leave now. Thank you for sticking up with me.”

The librarian blushed slightly at the familiarity in Yuuichirou’s voice. It was almost as if Yuuichirou recognized him due to his frequent late night visits despite not holding a casual conversation with the latter.

“It’s nothing at all. I’m just glad that you like coming here, er… Yuuichirou-san.” The librarian addressed politely while he piled away some books.

Yuuichirou paused in surprise at being called, before a small smile curved on his lips. “Ah, you must be the one in-charge of the night shifts, huh? I apologize for the trouble, uh…”

Yuuichirou briefly looked at the small name tag using his heightened vision before smiling, “... Mikaela-san. Yeah…” He shifted a bit uncomfortably when he saw Mikaela blinking at him in mild astonishment. “It must really suck to stay here until midnight because of me, huh?”

Mikaela chuckled. His voice resounded nicely in Yuuichirou’s ears. “Not at all. Like I said, I’m just glad that you like coming here. I, um… I like seeing you so concentrated on what you’re reading, but please don’t take it the wrong way. It just means that you’re a hard worker.”

Yuuichirou could feel his cheeks reddening a bit at the compliment. When was the last time he ever received such kind words? The praise practically sounded so foreign to him.

“T-Thank you, I guess…” He muttered shyly while he grabbed his backpack from another chair. “Well then, Mikaela-san… I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, see you tomorrow, Yuuichirou-san.” Mikaela said with a nod as he gently picked up Yuuichirou’s books from the table.

However, upon stacking some of the books, Mikaela saw a few pages dislodging itself from one of the hardcovers, allowing papers to fly about in the air and messing the once neat table.

“Oh, no…!” Mikaela gasped as he tried to swipe at them, but in doing so, he felt a sudden sharp pain on his forefinger that made him drop the books that he was carrying on the floor unceremoniously. “Urgh…”

Hissing a bit, Mikaela inspected his wound and saw tiny beads of blood welling up from the paper cut. The sound of Mikaela’s distress had Yuuichirou looking over in slight alarm.

“A-Are you okay?” He asked, a bit unaware of the little dilemma Mikaela inflicted on himself until he caught the smell of blood.

The metallic scent placed Yuuichirou in a trance before he covered his nose and mouth with a hand, forcefully willing himself to not attack Mikaela right there. But, the self-control of a fledgling could only withstand so much, and Yuuichirou hadn’t even consumed his rationed blood bag for the day which made the fragrance all the more tempting.

Fresh blood…, Yuuichirou could feel his fangs itching in his mouth as his breaths became labored. His pupils dilated into a deep hue in response to his urges as he slowly lost control of himself. I want to taste it.

“I-I’m fine. It’s just a small paper cut.” Mikaela laughed reassuringly as he gently squeezed on his wound to force the blood out. “It’ll heal in no time. I just have to—”

Then, Yuuichirou was in front of Mikaela, staring at him like a predator would do to a prey and leaving him stupefied for a moment as he wordlessly took his bleeding finger into his mouth.

“—disinfect it…” Mikaela finished slowly, gaping at Yuuichirou’s sudden change in demeanor before a soft gasp left his lips when he felt a tongue press against his wound, lapping on the blood. “Y-Yuuichirou-san, what are you doing…?”

Yuuichirou didn’t answer even after he let go of Mikaela’s finger with a light pop, leaving a sheen of saliva on his skin. He looked at Mikaela for a moment with an unreadable expression before he leaned close to whisper in a voice that sounded like a restrained growl.

“I’m sorry…”

A small shiver ran up Mikaela’s spine before he could even comprehend Yuuichirou undoing the first few buttons of his button-up shirt, causing him to squeak a bit at having his neck and collarbone exposed out in the open enough for the vampire to feast on. The pliant skin -- soft and unblemish -- before his eyes made Yuuichirou’s heart soar with a desire to mark it as his own.

How beautiful, Yuuichirou neared, holding Mikaela close as he smelled the other’s natural musk while his tongue licked a portion of the defenseless flesh before opening his mouth wide with his fangs out. It’s mine.

“W-Wait, Yuuichirou-san, what do you mean—Ah…!”

Mikaela let out a strangled cry as he suddenly felt something break into his skin, tearing through his blood vessels and causing a deep pain at his most sensitive area. He clutched onto Yuuichirou’s shoulders, trembling under his hold when he felt his blood being taken and making him feel weak on the knees if it weren’t for Yuuichirou holding him upright.

“You’re… a vampire?” Mikaela asked softly, trying not to add strain to his newly damaged veins.

Yuuichirou answered with a slight nod of his head as he continued to suck, slowly gaining back his senses in the process.

“I see…” Mikaela panted with a smile as he slowly lifted a hand in order to pet Yuuichirou’s head in a comforting manner. “It must have been hard for you…”

Upon hearing those words, Yuuichirou’s eyes stung with unshed tears and his fangs pressed just a bit deeper into Mikaela’s skin which earned him a pained wince, but the hand on him never stopped caressing him. In fact, it seemed to encourage him to do more with what he was doing.

“Don’t stop…” He heard Mikaela say in a strained yet tender tone. “Have your fill… It’s okay…”

Yuuichirou could feel his cheeks becoming wet, and his hold on Mikaela became even tighter while he took more of the man’s essence that was given to him on a silver platter. In the midst of doing so, Yuuichirou subconsciously inhaled Mikaela’s mellow scent that seemed to have a tinge of arousal in it, turning the taste of his already delectable blood into something sweeter.

Oh, this is bad. I have to stop…, Yuuichirou thought with creeping dread upon discovering what could be his latest addiction.

But...

Without removing his fangs from the pierced skin, Yuuichirou moved a hand up in order to tilt Mikaela’s head just a bit more, giving him more space as he felt his vampire venom being pushed into the open wound and infusing itself slowly into Mikaela’s bloodstream in little quantities. Mikaela quivered in reaction as he felt himself gradually become docile and heated, his breath coming out in quiet pants while Yuuichirou led him to the table for him to sit on the edge.

“Yuuichirou-san…” Mikaela breathed, almost sounding like a moan when Yuuichirou finally released his fangs and tongued the streaming blood. “I… I feel weird…”

“It’s okay…” Yuuichirou whispered lowly as he pulled back to see the blooming mark adorning Mikaela’s neck in place of what should have been teeth marks. “You’ll be fine in a few days, Mikaela-san. Trust me.”

Mikaela, with his mind hazy due to blood loss and vampire venom, slowly nodded his head in agreement as he leaned against Yuuichirou with his eyes closing from exhaustion. Seeing him doze off, Yuuichirou gingerly massaged Mikaela’s back as he mentally cursed himself once again at what he did.

Argh, Yuuichirou, what have you got yourself into?!, Yuuichirou keened with a small noise in his throat as he glanced at Mikaela’s neck where his Mark of Possession laid bare for all to see.

[ggreactionsandscenarios]

Hello, may I request Loona reaction to their S/O coming home drunk/wasted at dawn, thanks <3

Loona Reactions

Their s/o coming home drunk

Vivi

When she opened the door for you, you fell in the room face first, luckily she got an hold of your shoulders before you could meet the ground. She didn't need to be a genius to figure out you've been drinking, the smell strong enough to speak for itself. She helped you get to bed and made sure you had water and painkillers on your nightstand before going to sleep herself since she waited for you all night. Later she'll have a talk with you, she just want to make sure you're okay and that you didn't drank out of any negative thought. Either way she'll scold you, reminding you that even if alcohol wasn't consider a drug it was one and you must be careful with it.

Yves

Sooyoung has terrible ways of telling you it's time to stop drinking. It's been three nights in a row of you coming home not so sober and she'd decided it was time to stop. You woke up hungover and with a really bad smell hitting your nose. Yves was handing you a glass which you took thinking it was water, only to find out it was some liquor which you spit out immediately, the taste burning your throat.

"What the heck Yves ?"

"I guessed you'd like to drink some in the morning too since you decided to bring its smell all the way to our bed."

Jinsoul

Jinsoul watched you knock on the neighbour's door for a good ten minutes before taking your hand in hers, leading you to the right door. Since you were stumbling from left to right, she settled on holding you by the waist, keeping you upright.

"Fhfjjdb.."

"Yes baby, I'm taking you to bed."

Even through the gibberish Jinsoul understood what you were saying thanks to the thousand toothpaste conversations you had over the past years. As she got you in your pj's and under the blankets, Jinsoul started singing you a lullaby until you drifted to sleep.

Haseul

Sorry but Haseul would mock you, she finds it hilarious when you try to make a sentence but end up giving up out of frustration because you just can't form words anymore. You'll have her all attention, the TV show she was watching long forgotten when you enter the room tumbling and sat yourself next to her. She'll help you get rid of your shoes and would let you rest your head on her shoulder, caressing your hair gently.

"Do you want to go to bed already or are you up for a hot choco ?"

She'll make you two a cup of hot choco, bringing the marshmallows over at the same time before settling back on the couch, your head back on her shoulder where you'll fall asleep soon enough.

Kim lip

Jungeun would be pissed in a really terrifying way. Don't even try to talk to her, she'll shut you up with a glare. She's mad because as usual you didn't reply to her worried texts and no she doesn't care that your battery died. She can't stand passing her night worrying that something might have happened and imagining the worst scenarios when you were simply too drunk to find a way to warn her. When she'll come home later that day she'll give you a box, not saying anything but to use it. So you did, you used the key ring she offered you, not knowing it was actually a localisation device until years later. It did save you from bad situations a few times so you couldn't be mad about it anyway.

Chuu

When you tried to sneak back inside the house at 5am you really thought Jiwoo would still be asleep but you ended face to face with pouting lips and crossed arms. Your vision was a little bit too blurry to see if she was really furious or not, so you attempt on playing it cool.

"Hey b.."

"No."

Chuu was pissed, she didn't get her goodnight kiss, didn't get to sleep in your arms and her good morning kiss could now be forgotten, so she was definitely not in a good mood. Luckily she wasn't the scariest person when mad but still you'll have to make it right by her, prepare a fun activity to do together and she'll forget about it.

Heejin

"Had fun ?"

Your girlfriend handed you her famous hungover tea right when you entered the kitchen. You got home at 5am this morning, it was now two in the afternoon and Heejin was cooking dinner. When you mumbled that yeah you had fun but would never drink ever again, she just laughed. You say that everytime though there is always a next time. Heejin knew you didn't like to eat that much on hungover but she forced you too eat a little, using the fact that she made it to make you taste her food and it was delicious as always. She'll nag you a little saying that if your feet hurt it must be because you didn't dance with the right person and that next time you know who to invite.

Hyunjin

"Aeong !"

Like a cat Hyunjin was waiting for your return sat behind the door. She slept on the couch last night, hoping your arrival would wake her up and that she'll be able to welcome you. When she caught herself falling from the couch she woke up right away and decided it was better to wait while sitting in order not to miss the moment you'll come back. Once you'd finally come home she wouldn't believe her eyes so she'll pinch your arm instead. As you drunkly whine about it hurting she'll just take you into a bear hug.

Gowon

As much as she'd like to hate it when you come home drunk, Gowon just can't. Maybe it was because of the surprising boldness you express while drunk or maybe was it because of the cheesy pick up lines but she just can't stop herself from getting flustered. The fact that even under the influence of alcohol you try to hit on her, makes her smile. Of course she rather have you tell her you love her when sober but she is happy to be part of your thoughts at anytime. On the other hand she really likes her sleep so you better let her go back to it after your various confessions.

Olivia

Olivia couldn't care less that you went out with your friends, or at least she tried to make you think she didn't care. Luckily for her you were too drunk to see her waiting by the window. When you entered the bedroom, she had already took place in bed with a book, pretending not to be interested in you or what you were doing. Still she was picking at you from the corner of her eye as you got change in your pj's. Once you settled in bed, she'll pretend to have finished her reading and settled in your arms. But before falling to sleep you noticed something.

"Did you just pretend to read 'How to know you're gay ?' ?"

Choerry

Yerim loves to listen to your drunk stories, you're always so excited and messy while telling them. It honestly is hilarious but she doesn't just like to mock your way of getting excited about everything she also finds it terribly cute. However she'll listen to it all, even though it's way too early for anyone to be up for those kind of stories; smiling brightly at you all along. At some point she'll have enough of contemplating your face so she'll just shut you up with a kiss and bring you to bed. She needs to finish her night and you need to start yours.

Yeojin

"Why in hell wasn't I invited ?"

Yeojin would be clingy once you'll get back home, she won't admit it but she missed you. She'll whine about how you went partying without her, making you think it was only about having fun without her, when it was really about missing your presence. Even though you smell like shit and are still half drunk, she'll make you sit and would put her head on your lap, hugging your waist at the same time. There's no such thing as needing to pee or wanting food, right now you're not allowed to move. Consider it payback for letting her alone all night.

You got it, here is the request. Hope you liked it give feedbacks ❤- Ael

[jasontoddiefor]

Summary: Every Jedi lineage has its own dance and Ahsoka, for one, is excited when Anakin finally begins teaching her theirs. However, before they can get really started, they run into a slight problem.Or That time Ahsoka learned Dooku is her great-great-grandmaster. AN: Based on that post about Jedi linages having dances that I can’t find anymore thanks Tumblr. 

Ahsoka wanted to impress her Master. She wanted to prove to Anakin that it hadn’t been a mistake to take her on despite the more than untraditional claiming. She had to make him proud and show that she wasn’t a childish youngling anymore and could be useful on the battlefield.

Ahsoka also desperately wanted to jump up in excitement because they finally had found some time to spare and Anakin was going to teach her their lineage’s dance. It wasn’t the first sign that Ahsoka was his Padawan, but it seemed like the one that was the most binding. She had gotten her proper beads and even been sent to the quartermaster to get clothing more suited for the war front. Ahsoka hoped her Master hadn’t noticed she had picked her new tunics to match the colors he seemed to prefer to wear. She wouldn’t mind it per se, plenty of Padawans did it after all, but it was just a little embarrassing if he said something about it. Anakin already called her “my Padawan” or, after she’d done something particularly reckless, “my very young Padawan” plenty of times. They were a team and would stick together until Ahsoka was a formidable Knight of her own, but being taught something that was particular to their lineage somehow reassured Ahsoka that she had found her place more than anything else.

“Ready?” Anakin asked.

They had assembled in the bigger training hall of the flagship and carefully put their outer robes to the side together with their lightsabers. A few clones were training, but Ahsoka could already see them beginning to work out less and less to observe them. She had to give it her best. Like most younglings, Ahsoka had adored the celebrations when various lineages would show off their dance, dreaming of when she would learn hers. The elaborate choreographies were stunning, the backflips that were in pretty much every dance at least once had always made her screech in delight.

Not that Ahsoka would do so now.

She was fourteen. And a Padawan.

She didn’t giggle or watch in awe.

“Born ready, Master,” Ahsoka replied cheekily.

Anakin grinned, looking carefree and oddly young this way. Ahsoka was glad about it. She would have disliked it if an old and stuffy Master had picked her.

“Good. It’s been a while since I actually danced, so forgive me if it doesn’t look as fluid.”

Anakin shook his right arm, the one Count Dooku had cut off as if to underline the point. Ahsoka was sure that he must be joking. She had seen him go toe-to-toe against Master Kenobi during training and his prosthetic had hardly seemed to bother him. She had been a little put out by it at first, Jedi with such grave injuries didn’t get send on active combat missions or delicate negotiations anymore, but Anakin had definitely shown that it wasn’t holding him back.

Anakin took a deep breath and bowed in front of her, it was the first position which most of the dances Ahsoka had already learned at the temple shared. Then he took a step forward, raising up his right arm at the same time. The longer she watched, the more mesmerized did Ahsoka become. There were plenty of moves, each one representing one Jedi, and they all fit together perfectly. It reminded her of the gentle waves of the sea or shifting sands of the desert, but none of those images perfectly translated to the fluidity with which Anakin moved. She didn’t dare take her eyes off him even for a second, but she could tell that the clones too had all halted in their movements to observe him. It was beautiful and even though there was no music, Ahsoka felt like she could hear the banging of drums or the gentle play of a harp. More than anything she wanted to join right in, learn to copy all his moves.

With ease, Anakin rose from the ground, arched his back as he spun. Out of that flip, he stepped forward with one leg, slowly pulling the other with him. He raised his arms up-

And stopped with curse Ahsoka wouldn’t dare even whisper where any Master could possibly overhear.

“Is everything alright?” Ahsoka asked quickly.

Anakin’s expression had darkened, he was frowning and clutching his prosthetic arm with the other hand as it shook slightly. Had it malfunctioned and hurt him? Ahsoka jumped up from her position on the ground to walk over to her Master, worry trailing after her like a lost child.

“Yes, yes,” Anakin muttered. “I’m fine, I just forgot it. Obi-Wan and I haven’t fixed the sequence yet.”

“Fix it?” Ahsoka inquired. Lineage dances didn’t get fixed, that was the whole point. They got extended but never changed.

“Mhm,” Anakin hummed, pointedly not elaborating, and walked over to his bundle of robes to fish his comm unit out of them.

A moment later he was calling Obi-Wan. The whole situation was absolutely strange to Ahsoka, she didn't want to know what the clones were thinking.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan’s voice rang through the silent room as if he had been shouting. “Aren’t you supposed to be training with Ahsoka right now?”

“And aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” Anakin retorted drily.

Ahsoka counted the hours and indeed. Obi-Wan wasn’t supposed to be awake, it was his nighttime rotation. They had scheduled the hours so that at least one Jedi was always up in case of an emergency. If none of them followed protocol, that particular system was rendered useless.

“I had more pressing manners to attend to." That, Ahsoka had already learned, was Obi-Wan speech for I was up reading through reports. "What can I do for you?”

Anakin rolled his eyes and send Ahsoka a look of fond exasperation, expressing quite clearly what he thought about Obi-Wan’s attitude. She snorted and was half in mind to tell him that he wasn’t doing much better than his Master.

“I’m teaching Ahsoka our dance,” Anakin said. “And we didn’t fix it. Dooku’s move is still in there.”

Silence followed. The name of the Sith Lord had cut through the air like a lightsaber, leaving behind a rough and burning wound.

“I- I had forgotten about that,” Obi-Wan picked up the conversation again.

He sounded tired and hurt, it made Ahsoka uncomfortable. Jedi Masters were supposed to know… well, not everything, nobody could, but the uncertainty in his voice was still unsettling.

“You’re in the main training hall, correct? I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

And with that Obi-Wan ended the call and Anakin tossed his comm unit back into the clothing pile.

“Sorry, Snips,” he apologized. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Your first lesson is not turning out as I had planned.”

“That’s alright!” Ahsoka replied quickly. She had already figured out that not a lot of things about her apprenticeship were going to be going according to plan. “But, if you don’t mind me asking, what was that about? What do you mean with Dooku?”

Anakin blinked a couple of times as if he didn’t understand her question. For a moment Ahsoka wondered whether she had said something wrong or accidentally spoke complete gibberish, then Anakin’s face cleared up.

“Right, you don’t know. Look, Obi-Wan is your grandmaster. He was trained by Master Qui-Gon Jinn, who died ten years ago on Naboo. Qui-Gon’s Master in turn was Count Dooku, who was taught by Master Yoda. Dooku’s your great-great grandmaster.”

Anakin spit Dooku’s name like an insult, rightfully so in her opinion. Dooku was a cruel bastard, it was almost impossible to imagine that he had been a Jedi Master once upon a time. To think that she was of his lineage now, that he had fallen to the dark side when his own Padawan had been murdered by a Sith and had cut off Anakin’s arm-

“He’s no Master of mine,” Ahsoka said finally.

Dooku had betrayed everything the Jedi stood for. He didn’t deserve to be remembered as one of their own. The sooner they cut his sequence from the dance, the better.

“Can you teach me the moves after his until Obi-Wan arrives?” Ahsoka asked. “I still have to learn those.”

Anakin smiled, a little strained still, but cheer was slowly seeping back into it.

“Sure,” he agreed. “Let’s start with Master Qui-Gon’s move.”

He fell into a stance Ahsoka assumed was the one where Dooku’s usually ended and picked right up, transitioning into what must be Master Jinn's move, then Obi-Wan’s and finally his own. By the time Obi-Wan showed up in the training hall, Ahsoka could almost execute those last three in perfect synchronicity with her Master.

[tinyboxxtink]

“Helpless” *FINALE*

Mwahahaha I got around the un-even numbering. Well, this is it! I hope you’ve enjoyed this series as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really need to make a Master List of all my “works”, but if you wanna check out my other stuff just type “Rafael Barba Imagine” into the search bar of my page. 

As always, big thanks to my lovies:

@wanniiieeee

@dumauier

@word-scribbless

@chasingeverybreakingwave

The COMPLETE Collection:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

And without further ado, the CONCLUSION!!!!

After your shower and you were in some clean pink scrubs, you decided it would probably be best to go look for the squad. Apparently you were still “a suspect”, so you didn’t want to make it look like you were trying to flee or something. 

You found your way back to the waiting room, but only Fin and Carisi were still there.

“...Where’d Benson and Rollins go?” You asked, glancing around the area.

“Well it’s like 4 am, they both have kids, I’d told them we’d update them if anything happened with Barba,” Carisi told you.

“Which you can now do,” Fin added, grabbing his jacket off a chair.

“...I’m sorry, what?” you asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be ‘watching’ me or something?” 

“They combed your street and found the gun, the idiots tossed it as they were driving. And as far as your whole ‘hustling’ business, if Barba vouches for you, I’m not gonna bother with a shitload of paperwork just because you got some money out of some old white dudes,” Fin chuckled.

“So you’re off the hook, and I’d really like to sleep in my own bed,” Carisi patted your back as he walked out with Fin. 

“I--Are you sure? Olivia isn’t gonna--” 

“Olivia’s gonna be a lot of things, but none of it matters legally speaking. So y'all need to work that out on your own,” Fin held up his hands like he was washing his hands of the drama.

“Right. Well I’m sure the doctor will call her,” You really didn’t want to have to talk to her anymore than you needed to. 

“Right. Night, Y/N” Carisi waved as they continued to walk down the hallway and out the front doors.

Okay, so now you were alone. On your own. In a hospital. Great.

Suddenly, you remembered the magical sticker. You pulled it out of the scrubs pocket and stuck it to your shoulder. Then you turned to the big doors that read 

“ICU: Approved Personnel ONLY”

Well, you were in scrubs.You took a deep breath and made a sign of the cross before you walked confidently through the doors. Hopefully people would just assume you were a nurse. 

You were met on the other side with a bustle of doctors and nurses running around, patients being pushed through the hallways; lots of machines were beeping, and you could hear a CODE BLUE down the hall. 

“Please don’t be Rafael Please don’t be Rafael…” you closed your eyes and whispered, but were quickly interrupted.

“Excuse me sweetie, are you lost?” An older male doctor tapped your shoulder.

“Oh um-- yeah YES. I am,” you lied. This is what you did best, just roll with it. 

“It’s my first day, and I got separated from my group. We were doing rounds, and I believe our next room was the ADA?” 

“The ADA…?” The doctor started typing in his tablet, as if someone would add “The ADA of New York” in his patient notes.

“I think his name is Ralph something,” you lied; a nurse wouldn’t be all on the up and up of law people, would they?

“Ah. Rafael Barba. Oh you’re right, it says VIP PATIENT here. He must be something special,” 

“He really is,” You sighed, causing the doctor to look at you funny. 

“I mean, so I’ve heard,” 

“Well it says here DO NOT DISTURB, so I don’t believe you were doing rounds in his room…” The doctor raised an eyebrow as he tilted the tablet towards you. You saw “ROOM 304” next to Rafael’s name.

“Oh, you know what you’re right! I think they said we were NOT rounding on him, y’know cuz he’s the ADA,” You gent;y rubbed your shoulder against his. “I must’ve gotten mixed up because of your beautiful blue eyes,” you batted your lashes, to which the elderly doctor happily ate up.

“Oh well, no harm no foul,” He smiled.

“Ok well I’m sure I can find them, thank you doctor!” you gave him the cheesiest smile and a wink, walking away quickly. You made it into an elevator right before it closed. Luckily, the only other person in it was “Another” nurse, who looked like she might pass out right there in the elevator; she paid you no mind. 

You hit FLOOR 3 and rode up to the floor, practically jumping out of the elevator. You turned to see signs that pointed 300-320 left and 320-340 right. You went left, searching the numbers until you saw 304. You looked around to make sure no one had noticed you definitely did not belong there, and when the coast was clear you opened the door slowly and snuck in the room.

“Excuse me, can I help you?” 

Fuck, you were caught. You were running multiple scenarios of lies in your head as you turned around, but to your relief it was the nurse who had given you the sticker.

“Ah, I see it worked,” she gestured to the sticker on your uniform.

“It did, thank you so much,” You thanked her softly, your eyes moving towards Rafael’s still unconscious body. You immediately grabbed a chair and pulled it up next to him, stroking his hair. 

“Hey...baby I’m here,” You whispered, wondering whether he could hear you or not.

“It says here he coded three times in surgery, but he came back,” The nurse read his chart off her tablet.

“Why….why would I want to know that?” you asked almost angrily.

“...Patients have a lot to do with their own response and recovery,” she replied. “I was just implying he was fighting like hell for something,” she smiled, making you smile for the first time since Rafael had left you at your apartment. God, that moment had been so perfect; how did you get here from there? 

“I’ll put a DO NOT DISTURB” sign on the door, no one will bother you,” The nurse put a hand on your shoulder as she started to walk out. “I think he’s going to be okay sweetie, I really do,” 

“Thanks,” You gave her a small nod, and she was gone. Leaving just you and Rafael, alone. 

“So...I’ve never seen a guy work so hard to get me alone,” You chuckled, calling back to the first conversation you had at Forlini's. That seemed like a lifetime ago now.

“Hey so, they caught Arianna and those guys,” you kept talking, praying he was listening. “I think they’re gonna go to jail for a LONG time,” you stroked his hair. 

“So, y’know obviously that means I’m out a roommate. Probably an apartment too, I don’t really know what Arianna did about that. Surely she didn’t just get out of a six month lease in the middle of the night, she must have just thought they could abandon the apartment. 

“So, if you know of  any fancy mahogany couches that are open, let me know,” You tried joking again with a fake laugh, but it just turned into tears.

“I’m so sorry, Rafael,” you whispered. “I never intended for any of this to happen. I should have never even talked to you, I should have just admired you from afar and sniffed your scotch glasses in private like a fucking creep,” you laughed for real between your tears.

“I just--” you started to talk again, but you felt Rafael’s hand squeeze yours. 

“....R-Rafa?” 

Suddenly, Rafael started to thrash and choke, his breathing tube was still breathing for him.

“NURSE!!! NURSE!!” You jumped up and screamed down the hall; your lucky nurse came rushing in. She quickly pulled the tube out and after a few gasping breaths, Rafael finally calmed down. He was conscious, but his eyes were barely open. 

“Welcome back, Mr. Barba,” The nurse smiled. “I think you gave this one quite the scare,” She nodded to you, to which Barba gave the weakest smile. 

He tried to speak, but just scratchy gibberish came from his mouth. But his beautiful green eyes were more open and had their sparkle back. 

“Your throat will be sore for a while,” The nurse informed him. “....But everything else seems to be doing good!” She checked all of Rafael’s stats on his machines, and the different tubes coming out of his body. 

“I’ll be back later-- let you two, catch up,” She gave you both a knowing smile, then walked out the door.

“I...told...you,” he hoarsely croaked. 

“What? You told me what?!” You asked him frantically, as if this was some kind of ominous threat.

“I’d….,” He cleared his throat as you grabbed a water bottle off a nearby table. 

“I told you, I’d fight for you,” He said almost completely normally after taking a swig of the water.

“...Yeah, well-- I think that was a bit much, don’t you, counselor?” You raised an eyebrow, implying taking a bullet for someone after the first date is a bit melodramatic.

“I mean, here,” he pointed to the bed. 

“W-What?” you blinked in confusion. 

“I fought to come back,” he took your hand and kissed the back of it. “For you,” 

“Why?” you blinked again, still in awe.

“Because you asked me to,” He smiled, taking his free hand and stroking your hair back as you had been doing while he was out. 

“Y-You heard all of that?!” you gasped.

“Well, I thought I had hallucinated it until you just confirmed it for me,” He gave you a mischievous smile.

“Oh my god,” You blushed and hit him softly, forgetting about his tubes and shoulders. He winced in pain, and you immediately started to comfort him again.

“Oh my GOD, what is wrong with me?! Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, carino. And I’m not done yet either,” his words made you stop fiddling with the wires and look him straight in the eyes.

“....Done what?”

“Done loving you, dummy,” he shook his head as if to say “DUH.” 

“Oh my god you DID hear all of it!” You put your hands over your face, your face turning red. Then you realized what he had actually said. 

“WAIT...did you just say…?” your eyes bugged out of your head. 

“I love you, Y/N.” he smiled sweetly, squeezing your hand.

“Really? Are you sure? Because we can just--” He shut you up by leaning over and kissing you. 

“Since I saw you sniff my scotch glass,” He cut you off. “I thought ‘I’m gonna marry that weird girl one day’,” 

“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there mister,” You put your hands up. “I mean, you can almost die for me, but marriage? That seems a bit much,” You gave him a tongue-in-cheek smile. 

“We’ll negotiate,” He smirked. “In the meantime…” He moved himself away on his bed, adjusting the wires to make a space. He patted it for you to get in.

“I...I don’t think these are made for two people, what if I break it?” You eyed the bed, trying to calculate the weight max.

“I’ll buy them another one,” he chuckled.

“Oh right, with your copious amounts of money,” you rolled your eyes with a smile.

“Yeah, better spending it on that then more ties,” he smirked.

“NO. Never stop buying ties!” You giggled, climbing into the bed with him. He adjusted the arm that wasn’t in a sling around you. You snuggled into him, and he placed a kiss on your forehead. The feeling was back; the safe and warm feeling

And you knew in your heart, you’d never feel helpless again. 

[salmonmakiii]

hii! i'd like to request a timestamp if it's okay with you? Could you people write about 3am boyfriend tsukishima, angst to fluff? thank you so much and have an amazing day!! 💕🤗

Heya! Sorry this took long, writer’s block sucks :( I hope this came out nice!

[03:00]

About : Tsukishima x reader Note : Angst, Fluff. Forgive me if I have mistakes!

It was an accident. You and Tsukishima knew that.

But all the pent up stress and those lack of sleep he’s had, being rational was the last thing on his mind right now.

You met Tsukishima 2 years ago when you had just moved to your apartment. He was the next-door neighbor and you would greet him every morning. A few weeks passed and you guys suddenly became friends because you share the same interest; stargazing. The apartment rooftop was perfect for that. You accidentally met up at around 3 am, awkwardly talk with each other, and would go back about an hour later.

You were interested in him and was happy that you finally got the chance to talk. Although you admit, he was a bit cold and snarky with his comments but other than that he was fun to talk to. The next day you met up again, then the next day, then the next, and then the next. This became a regular thing for both of you. Of course, that was before the busy schedule you both had. Now, you’d probably meet up twice or three times a week.

And with that frequent emotional talks, you both grew closer, and eventually, Tsukishima confessed to you one night. So here you were, two years of being together. There were playful insults thrown at each other, but never actual fights. Your favorite was when he would diss you non-stop when you’re not taking care of yourself.

“Can you just eat? I don’t want to drag your ass to the hospital.”

You would often visit him every morning before his class starts and these were one of those mornings. You visit him in his apartment and there you saw his boyfriend, holding his head with his left hand as he held a paper in the other. A thick stack of papers was right in front of him. You’re guessing it was the assignment he’d been working hard on since last week – because he didn’t totally complain to you at all about it for the past week.

“Didn’t you say you have morning classes today?” Tsukishima asked, his eyes not leaving the paper.

“No. The professor called in sick today, so I’m free.” You teased as you sat in front of him. He scoffed and mumbled something about how lucky you are.

“Do you mind if I go get a drink?” You asked, already on your way to the dispenser.

“Sure,”

You gave him a mini thanks and searched for the glass in the cabinets. Once you got it, you filled it with water in the dispenser.

“When is that due?” You asked the glass was now filled. You walked over to him again as he hummed.

“Tomorrow.”

“Ah, okay.”

You sat in front of your boyfriend once again, watching how his eyebrows were furrowed and how he had eye bags under his eyes. You took a sip of your drink and frowned at your dead-looking boyfriend. You wanted to help him, you do, but you don’t know how. You looked at his knitted eyebrows and an idea popped up in your head.

“Kei,” You called. He only answered with a hum. Pouting, you called him once again,

“Kei, Look at me,” Finally lifting his head, you put on a silly face that he always despises, but secretly found funny.

“What are you doing?” he asked, shaking his head as he tried to stifle a laugh. Seeing that it wasn’t good enough, you leaned in closer.

“I don’t know. I just feel like there’s something wrong with my face, is there?” You asked, still making the face. Tsukishima finally laughed and you were happy to see your boyfriend smiling.

You cheered, but while doing so, your hand suddenly knocks the glass of water in front of you, spilling the liquid all over the table. The stacks of paper in the middle soaking up all the water. The room was now dead silent, both of you staring at the stacks of paper and spilled water with wide eyes.

Your look at Tsukishima and the paper, your eyes shaking at the horrifying expression the boy across you had.

“K-Kei-“

“What did you do?” He asked, his voice low.

“I- I accidentally-“

“Did you know how long it took me to print out all these?!” You flinched at his shout and your feet felt like it grew roots. You stared at him, trying to form words to apologize, to calm him down, to reason with him, anything. But all you could do was stare, mouth agape.

Tsukishima walked past you, going to the kitchen to get a towel. He walked right back towards the table and wiped the spilled water.

“Let me help-“

“No. Just-“ He sighed, scrunching the soaked paper in his hands.

“Just get out.” Tsukishima continued to wipe the table, his back now facing you.

His words felt like knives in your chest. There wasn’t a hint of his everyday cynical attitude in his tone at all and you were scared. Afraid of upsetting him more, you bowed a full 90 degrees, mumbling a shaky apologize as you took careful steps out of his apartment.

If anyone were there to see you walk by, they’ll think you just exited from a murder scene.

Back in your apartment, you sat on your couch, still trying to process all of it. You spilled water into his work he’s been doing for a week and he just kicked you out of his apartment without sparing you a glance. You were screwed.

You jump a little when you hear a door slam, you stared at your door.

Kei must be on his way to campus…

After an hour of staring at the ceiling, you mustered the courage to text an apology to him. Shaky hands and eyes a bit watery when you pressed send. Sighing loudly, you lay there on your couch, trying to calm yourself down and think of a way you could make it up to him.

“Can I send it to your email just in case? You know how my laptop is.”

You jolted from your position, eyes wide. The memory of Tsukishima’s voice replayed in your head as you frantically open your laptop. You opened your email and your heart races with excitement as you quickly downloaded the file as you ran to your bedroom to get your USB. Running back to the living room, you hastily plugged in the USB and surprisingly got it in the first time. Copying the file to the USB, you grabbed your jacket, tote bag, wallet, and ejected the USB as you dashed out of your apartment for a copy shop.

≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺

You leaned on the railings on the rooftop as you sighed. The wind softly blowing against your features as you looked down at the almost empty streets below you. Most of the lights in the surrounding buildings were off and the sky wasn’t that dark anymore. The moon was slightly on the west side, still illuminating the night sky. The stars above you twinkling as you’re enveloped in silence. It’s the perfect night.

After you had printed out all the papers, you put it in two clear folders, re-check the order, and finally set it nicely inside Tsukishima’s mailbox. You text him to give him a heads up, but you’re still worried if he even read your texts. You took out your phone from your pocket, the screen telling displaying “03:00”. You opened your lock, the wallpaper – a picture of you and an annoyed, blushing, Tsukishima – made you miss him even more.

You open your message with Tsukishima, he still didn’t read your message.

What if he didn’t see my message? What if he already printed out a new batch of it? What if- huh?

You eyed your message.

Tsukishima had just read it.

Just as you were still confused about what to do with this information, you hear someone clears their throat behind you. You flinched and turned around. Your eyes meeting those familiar golden ones. Tsukishima was staring at you, his face stoic and cold as ever. He was wearing his grey hoodie with a roaring dinosaur in the middle, his hair was a little messy but it looked cute on him.

“K-Kei! I almost had a heart attack!” You held your phone to your chest in hopes to calm your beating heart.

“You’re being dramatic.” He said, walking up to the railing and leaned against it.

“So, I heard you spilled water on someone’s project-“

“Kei-“

“That they worked HARD for,”

You winced, hearing him emphasize. You stared at your boyfriend and he was staring right back at you with his smug face. You looked down and fiddled with your fingers.

Tsukishima felt like he was scolding a puppy. He felt the tiniest guilt, but he didn’t want to let you go that easily.

“I’m guessing that’s why you’re here right now, even though you have an 8 am class tomorrow.” He teasingly scoffed. Usually, his teasing would make you feel less tense but it didn’t seem to be working right now. He sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair.

“Thanks,” His voice was above a whisper.

“Huh?” You snapped your head up in shock. What was he thanking you for?

“I got the package you sent me,” He gave you a side glance.

“But you just read my message?”

“I saw you putting it in my mailbox.”

“Oh,”

There was silence once again. Tsukishima stepped closer and abruptly snaked his hand on your shoulder, pulling you closer to him. You looked up at him and you can see the small blush on his cheeks, his eyes were looking at anything but you.

“Sorry about getting mad at you,” He said in a rather gibberish mumbling, but you were glad you could make up what he was saying.

“Why are you sorry? I’m the one who spilled that water.” You said, reaching up your hand to pinch his cheek.

“Besides, stop acting like that, it’s weird.” You pulled his cheeks, riling him up.

“Will you stop that?” He batted your hand away and you laughed at his bashful sight.

“Let’s just go back, it’s freezing up here and I don’t want to take care of you when you catch a cold.” He groaned, his hand still around you as he walked back towards the entrance.

“What makes you think I need you?” You pinched his sides.

“I don’t know. I’m afraid you might flood the whole apartment if I don’t,”

“I told you it was an accident you salty excuse of a human being!”

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll squish you,”

“If you mean squish as in cuddling, then I won’t shut up!”

Tsukishima suddenly leaned in and placed a kiss to your lips. His actions catching you off guard. He plastered on a smirk, seeing that his plan had worked.

“If I talk some more, will you kiss me again to shut me up?” You asked,

“No. I’ll throw you off this rooftop.”

“You wouldn’t-“ Tsukishima gave you a daring glare, his grip on your arm tightens. You shut your mouth immediately and looked forward.

“Okay! Shutting my mouth now.”

You both ended up cuddling in his apartment that night.

[xlehukax]

We’ve seen so much of Loki’s s/o with his helmet- but you all are really sleeping on his cape.

// And because my brain works like a hyperactive child, I immediately sat down and scribbled this little drabble out. Just a happy fluff bomb to start the day for anyone who sees. I tried to be as gender neutral as possible. Enjoy! // 

“Hey, Loki, you got up early?” you wipe your eyes as you stumble down the stairs, greeted with an empty kitchen. Hmm. That’s odd.

Worry brewing slowly, you glance at the living room: it’s also devoid of any tall dark-haired handsome men. The whole house shifts in your vision, screaming of its emptiness. 

“Loki??” you shout anxiously. Trying to regulate your breathing, you sit on the couch. Hey, it’s alright. He’s fine. Everything’s fine. He didn’t leave. Why would he leave? He surely wasn’t taken. He’s too strong to be taken. Right? 

Looking up slightly, your eyes catch on a scrap of lined paper on the small coffee table. Picking it up daintily, you read the elegant practiced script:

‘In case you didn’t see my other notes that I’ve littered throughout the house, please read this one before panicking darling. It seems Thor has gotten himself in a bit of trouble politically, so I have been summoned to assist him. I’ll be a little while, so please go about your day as you would normally. I repeat, rather a plea: do not ‘freak out’, as you say.

There is plenty of milk for dry cereal: do me a great favor and eat breakfast, hmm?

I’ll see you later, my love.

Yours,

Loki,’

He’s signed his name in that swooping enchanting way that princes and calligraphy professionals do. You smile at the note appreciatively: you have to thank him later. You breathe out, calm once more. Now that you’re actually looking for notes, you find a good dozen tucked into places you’ll probably interact with in the morning: in the bathroom mirror, on the milk in the fridge, on the bedside table, on your keys, by your shoes… a lot of others that you hope will disappear on their own rather than you having to track them all down.

It’s very cute nonetheless.

After a so-so bowl of cereal and washing it, you’re lost on what to do.

It’s Saturday, and pretty late into the day already: you’ve finished all your work so that you could have a night with Loki (which was fantastic, as always) and always a wonderful idea until he leaves for some political adventure and you’re stuck with nothing.

And then again, there is something you’ve always wanted to do since you started a relationship with the Norse God…

You’re running to his closet at full throttle before you know it, and there it is in it’s full glory: hung on a hanger so impeccably.

His helmet is enticingly in a case in the corner: but you’ve tried that one on before, and though it’s pretty, it’s both incredibly heavy and frustratingly uncomfortable. Even Loki’s expressed his occasional distaste for it, especially when walking through relatively low doorways.

The cape. Emerald hued, long enough to drape over Loki’s entire lanky body, and so soft looking! You reach out to caress it: oh my god, it’s like silk. Not rough at all, and a gentle tug proves that it remains strong despite it. You take it off the hanger carefully and let it pool in your hands. Oh my goodness, it’s gorgeous.

But it’s so big: you’re shorter than Loki by a significant margin, enough that he has to bend down slightly to kiss your lips, so the cape is way too long for you to wear respectively. Thankfully... 

You lost your dignity long ago.

Nothing stops you from putting over your shoulders, attaching it to your pajama shirt, and making dramatic turns. It swooshes. Like a skirt worn by a girl dancing through a flower field in an indie film. 

The cape, though dragging on the ground on your height, still makes regal arcs as you dramatically turn as if you were entering a room.

Oh, look at me, I’m going to take my rightful place in Asgard! 

Or, your personal favorite, the determined strut away from some enemy you’ve just destroyed. 

To make things even better: there’s a full body mirror in Loki’s closet. Admiring yourself in it, you can see why Loki looks so good: you’re not nearly as elegant as him, but man is it nice. The Loki version of stealing your boyfriends clothes. You sniff it nonchalantly: oh man. You blush as you take another whiff of it. It’s so nice.

So, it doesn’t just look good: it feels good, and smells good too. Well, Loki is literally a magic man so it makes sense.

You unclip it from your shirt, and hold it in your hands.  And then, oh so carefully (as if someone was watching), you lift it to your face and rub your nose into it.

It pushes a smile onto your face. Well, it appears I do in fact have plans for today.

~~~~~

When Loki gets home, the sun is beginning to set. He snaps his fingers to discard of the royal attire and shift into something casual, ready for a relaxing night with his loved one, but just as he’s ready to call for you… he notices where you’ve taken up.

He can’t withhold his chuckle of bemusement at the image before him: you’re asleep on the couch, snuggled into his cape up to your nose like it’s a blanket, the television is playing some continuous stream of some random show that you must been watching before your exhaustion set in fully, and there’s an abandoned half a sandwich beside you.

With a quick kiss to your forehead, he puts away your sandwich and then makes quick work of the other tiny messes you haven’t put away just yet.

And then he scoops you into his arms, cape and all, and carries you to the bedroom. You murmur something unintelligible in your sleep, and he allows you to cuddle in closer to his cool chest before settling you beneath the covers of your bed. It’s with a natural ease that he slides in beside you, wrapping his arms around your abdomen and resting his head in the pocket between your neck and shoulder that most certainly belongs to Loki. He kisses it lightly. It’s a small miracle within itself as you say random gibberish and his name somewhere mixed between.

“-oki? You- you home?” you say. Loki must stifle his laughs.

“Yes, I’m here darling. So very sorry I left you with nothing to do: but I see that you found something to entertain yourself with when I was gone,” he hints.

“Mhmmm, it’s very soft,”

“I’m glad you like it. I’ll have one made for you, if you’d like,” Loki suggests, smiling into your back. You squirm a little, his nose poking into your shoulder uncomfortably, and he moves to remedy it.

“I like yours, though. Can I- can I have yours?” you murmur. Loki smiles broadly to himself again.

“I tell you what, you can have me and the cape,”

“Awesome,” you sigh, and then you make some sleepy yawn and you’re gone again.

Loki can’t erase the smile from his face: what a delight to come home to; What a treat, to hug your soft sides and nestle in your warmth like a child. You’re using his cape as a blanket, and Loki’s using you as a pillow. It’s only right.

All Loki’s best plans included ravishing you when he got home, but somehow, resting beside you in this way turns out to be infinitely more rewarding than any sort of sexual pleasure.