#It took forever for me to notice the little yellow arrow on the right

[zoandreez]

can you meet me by the lake ? ☆.｡*‧₊˚

pairing: neteyam te suli tsyeyk'itan x omaticayan!reader

summary: you were best friends with neteyam. you just wanted to see him, but his future olo'eyktan duties seem to interfere everytime you wish to.

word count: 855

warnings: angst? fluff resolve, reader has a name because who i look like calling you "why slash en"

a/n: apologies for my absence but unless you wanna do my trig and ap euro homework for me id rather you just wait

The memory of meeting Neteyam would forever be etched in yor mind. Back then, you were just young children. On this day, or at least the time you two met, your objective was to collect rocks for your songcord after your latest triumph: using your father's bow and arrow to hunt your first fish. So there you were in the forest, picking up rocks as you went along.

The forest hummed with life around you, as you scoured the ground around a lake for clear purple stones. It was in the middle of you turning around to examine a reflection that caught your eye when you collided into a little boy. Your newfound treasures fell to the floor, the two of you quickly dropping to retrieve them.

"Sorry!" The boy said, bubbling enthusiasm escaping from his voice. He was normally this excited, as you saw him one time with his mother, with the same infectious smile he had on his face right now.

His excitement quickly turned to curiosity as he noticed a clear rock on the floor you were reaching for. He quickly turned his attention to you, eyes filled with wonder. "Hey, where'd you get these from? They look so cool!" His admired eyes made you smile shyly, before you turned to the nearby lake.

"There's a small cave right beneath the waterfall. The water cleans the rocks and makes them look clear." Following your gaze, the boy spotted the delicate cascade of water descending from above. He quickly grabbed your hand, and tugged you along.

"Show me!"

The two of you spent the rest of the day carefully cradeling each rock, like its own jewel, inside the bioluminescence-filled cave. It lightly shimmered off the reflection of the sun as the two of you collected rocks to your hearts desire, falling asleep together. When you woke up, Neteyam was gone, but in his place sat a beautiful blue rock.

Even if you grew older, and life's responsibilites cast their shadows, this one day showed the two of you that you'd be best friends forever, and nothing will get in the way of that.

That's what you thought, at least.

You spent the day at the lakeside, a place that had become almost ritualistic in its significance. It had been a familiar route since your childhood, following the same trees past the same leaves, and meeting the same boy everyday. At fifteen, both you and Neteyam had grown considerably, trying to balance adolensence and responsibility.

Eventually, the process became the same, except most of the time, that "same boy" wasn't there.

Neteyam had three siblings. He took responsibility for every one of them, a "third parent," even. However, this often pulled him away, and your encounters became infrequent. It was almost as if life demanded you two apart, whether it was the call of duty to the Sky People war, or the need to watch Lo'ak due to his impulsive behaviors.

The sun taunted you, sitting right above you with warmth over the lake, turning the familiar mist into glistening droplets. It was enough to lightly heat the lake's usual icy bite, savoring the setting without somewhat freezing. Time had stretched longer than usual, as you held out hope for your best friend to make it. A promise he had made to you kept you lingering. Your emotions were not tinged with anger towards Neteyam; rather, a subdued disappointment hung in the air, a consequence of the inconvenience his tardiness had caused.

Eventually, you surrendered to your cracked heart, rising from the rock you were perched on. It was then that your gaze met his—the wide, yellow eyes that held both familiarity and apology. Neteyam's voice broke the silence, carrying a note of regret that underlined his words.

"Sai'tara," he addressed you, his voice evident with disappoiment. You could tell he scolded himself for allowing time to slip through his fingers, and his eyebrows furrowed with hurt when he saw your belongings clutched in your hand, a sign of your preperation to leave.

"Hey 'teyam," you muttered in response, your enthusiasm muted. His tardiness had cast a shadow over your usual excitement. Strangely, his presence seemed to amplify your frustration rather than soothe it. You noted the exhaustion etched into his features—the half-lidded eyes, the sunken bags beneath them, and a posture that bore the weight of something more than just his physical being.

The air was heavy with unspoken words, a silence that held the unaddressed tension between you two. "Listen, I'm sorry I'm late," he began, his voice tinged with a plea for understanding. "You know how it is, with Lo'ak being an idiot all the time—"

"Yeah yeah," you interjected. You didn't necesarily have time for him and his late antics. You completely understood his responsibilities, but they just didn't intertwine with your desires. It wasn't resentment that colled your emotions, but longing to just see your best friend.

His lips parted, ready to speak, but closed them once again. He walked up to you, saying nothing. He wrapped his arms around your waist before he melted into you. You shouldn't be accepting his embrace, your mind still distant from the idea of hanging out with Neteyam after it had been so long. But, for some reason..

Your arms slowly wrapped around him.

The remainder of the day flowed like a river of shared moments, laughter, and conversation. Neteyam's voice filled the air with his complaints about Lo'ak's antics, his exasperation giving way to your laughter. In turn, you poured out your own frustrations, venting about your sisters' tumultuous love lives, finding amusement in the way Neteyam's eyebrows would shoot up in response to your tales.

The small cave, the same one where your friendship had ignited all those years ago, bore witness to your conversations that traversed time and seamlessly picked up where they had left off.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting shadows that danced across the cave's walls, the weight of the day's interactions finally caught up with you. The familiar fatigue tugged at your eyelids, and you found your head nestling against his shoulder. The gentle rise and fall of his chest, the rhythm of his breath, provided an unexpected sense of comfort. In that cocoon of shared memories and newfound closeness, you succumbed to the embrace of sleep.

When your eyes fluttered open, it was to an empty space next to you. Neteyam was nowhere to be seen, his warmth and presence replaced by an echoing hollowness.

But then your gaze fell upon it—the necklace. Not just any necklace, but one that mirrored his own. The delicate beads held a pattern identical to his, though in lighter hues, and a small, carefully shaped rock took its place at the center.

A beautiful blue rock.

[lux-pain-project]

VA Info Vol.1 Special Q&A

SPECIAL Tab > CV-INFO 

Miyano Mamoru (Saijou Atsuki)

- A small little something for fans! A handwritten message. “It’s the long awaited introducton of a new type of game!! Everyone I ask you to be patient and look forward to it! I guarantee you won’t regret it.”

- What’s your impression of the Main Character, Atsuki? “Cool and stoic! He’s so freaking awesome!!”

- Anything you and Atsuki have in common? “I’m a person who’s FAR from what you’d call cool.” (Laughs)

- What did you like about Lux-Pain? “I liked the strange world it portrayed and the variety of characters!  Also, the thing where you have to use your stylus to erase stuff is pretty interesting!!”

- Any lines that stuck with you? “Fufufufufu! Ahahahaha!”

Kitamura Eri (Nora Döbereiner)

- A small little something for fans! A handwritten message.   “Nora is a reliable tsundere~☆ LoL Please enjoy playing the game!!!”

- What’s your impression of Nora?   “An older sister type of person with a good head on her shoulders.”

- Anything you and Nora have in common? What about differences? “In terms of calmness we’re pretty different (sweats) We might be similar in how we both don’t really act all that energetic...?”

- What did you like about Lux-Pain? “That there are a lot of characters.”

- Any lines that stuck with you? “Conveying the right feeling for things like, lines for when “investigating” was pretty difficult...” ▶VA Info Vol.2 Back

[choerrypuffs]

my best friend wants to be abducted by aliens.

pairing: son of athena!renjun x daughter of aphrodite!reader

genre: fluff, angst

word count: 14.6k (this was supposed to be 5k 😌)

author’s note: hi so here is renjun’s chapter to my 00 line x camp half-blood series (i’m sorry, i know it took forever)! thank you so much for all of the support, and i hope you enjoy 💞

warning: one (1) makeout session

You are currently crouched behind a cluster of bushes, trying to get a glimpse of your targets through binoculars. 

Does that sound stalkerish? Perhaps. 

Are you actually a stalker? Debatable. 

However, no matter how suspicious it looks, your motive is pure—for the most part. 

You’re spying on Kang Daniel (son of Hermes) and Park Jihyo (daughter of Apollo), both of whom are at the Archery Range. Jihyo is showing Daniel how to shoot, encasing him with her arms as she nocks the arrow for him. The tips of his ears are so red that they could practically be a flare; you can see how flamboyant they are all the way from your hiding spot. 

You start grinning like a maniac, excited that your plan is finally unfolding. 

You had noticed how awful Daniel was at archery during a training session a couple weeks ago, and you casually suggested to him that he should ask Jihyo for some lessons. You’ve always known that Daniel has been hopelessly in love with Jihyo since the moment he saw her (it’s a child of Aphrodite thing—you can just sense it), but she’s been oblivious to it this entire time. 

Well, until now. 

Just as you guessed, sparks flew immediately. You could cut the sexual tension between them with a knife. You give them a couple more passionately-charged archery lessons before they inevitably surrender to their emotions and begin to date—and your predictions are never wrong. 

“Another job well done, Y/N,” you mumble proudly to yourself, “Mom would be so proud.”

“Excuse me, ma’am. I’m going to have to ask you to stop loitering by these bushes and stalking those two campers over there, or else I’ll have to report you to the camp director,” a sudden voice from behind you says. 

Letting out a loud yelp, you drop your binoculars in surprise and whip your head around to see who it is. You turn so fast that you almost fall backwards into said bushes, quickly using your palms to balance yourself. 

“Renjun, you asshole!” 

Huang Renjun, your long-time best friend and professional asshole, is standing in front of you. He’s wearing the iconic orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt with black jeans, his hands tucked inside his pockets. His dark hair is parted to one side, with a single lock of hair falling perfectly into one eye, giving him the I-wake-up-and-my-hair-is-naturally-like-this look (even though it’s most definitely not true). No doubt that he’s the best-looking person in the entire camp, but his brusque personality makes him a rose with thorns. Sharp thorns.

You often wonder how the two of you even became as close as you are. Children of Athena and Aphrodite notoriously clash due to their mothers’ history with each other. 

You met Renjun four years ago at Arts and Crafts Center, which is a hotspot for children of Athena. It was your first time at the camp, and you wanted to try making a ceramic (maybe a bowl or vase) to bring back to your family as a souvenir. Of course, you failed miserably and got snickered at by other Athena kids. Renjun, who had been sitting beside you, was the only one who didn’t laugh. He even gruffly gave you some pointers. Grateful, you complimented his painting—a mix of pink, yellow, blue, and purple watercolors that meshed together to resemble a galaxy. In return, he gave it to you.

“It’s not my best work, so you can have it,” he had said nonchalantly.

Even though it was the most beautiful piece of art you’ve ever seen, and it’s remained one of your most prized possessions to this day. 

After that incident, you basically attached yourself at the hip with him. He would constantly complain about you following him around, but he also didn’t do anything to stop it. He’s been complaining for four, going on five, years now, yet he’s become your closest friend. Renjun likes act like you’re a pain in the ass (which isn’t untrue), but you know he cares about you. Even if he doesn’t verbalize it, you can tell by his actions; it’s all about the small things with him. Despite being rough around the edges, Huang Renjun is actually just a big softie on the inside. 

“—could you stop snooping around like a weirdo?” Renjun asks, cutting your trip down memory lane short.

You rise to your feet, dusting your palms off and glaring at him. “I’m not snooping around like a weirdo. I’m just snooping around on one of my projects, like a good matchmaker.”

“Sure,” he says, rolling his eyes. He leans down and picks up your binoculars, handing them to you. 

You take them and hang them around your neck. “Why are you here anyway?”

“Aren’t you the one who asked me to meet you at the Dining Pavilion for lunch?” He raises an eyebrow. 

“Oh, sorry! I lost track of time,” you exclaim. “How’d you find me?”

Renjun gives you a pointed look. “Well, seeing as how Daniel and Jihyo are your current quote-unquote project, all I had to do was figure out where they were because I knew you’d be somewhere close.”

You give him a sheepish smile. “You know me so well, Junnie.”

“The hell? Don’t call me that, it’s gross,” he snaps, pretending like he’s about to gag.

“You’re not cute at all,” you huff. 

“Neither are you,” he replies.

“You are so rude! You’ll never get a girlfriend with an attitude like that!” You place your hands on your hips.

“I’ll live,” he says, shrugging. 

You don’t know much about Renjun’s love life because he refuses to tell you anything; he’s like a stubborn clam that won’t open up. However, he’s made it very clear that he does not want your assistance when it comes to finding romance. Obviously, it hasn’t stopped you from trying, but this is one of the few things you can’t seem to make him give in to. 

Yet.

“Whatever,” you sigh. “Let’s go eat.”

The two of you walk to the Dining Pavilion, which is a relatively long walk from the Archery Range, but you make enough conversation that it feels short. When you arrive, you see that they’re serving chicken curry and rice. Your stomach growls embarrassingly loudly when the mouthwatering scent hits you, which prompts Renjun to laugh at you. You give him the middle finger and then turn around to grab a lunch tray. Once you get your food, you two sit at a table in the back. 

Before you begin to eat, you notice that your curry has chunks of potatoes and slices of carrots on it—you abhor carrots more than anything in this world. Noticing your disgusted expression, Renjun slides his plate over without even batting an eyelash, so you can pick out the carrot slices and give them to him. It’s a routine thing for the two of you, since you’re an extremely picky eater and he’s not.

After you take out all of the carrots, you begin to devour your food. You’re wolfing it down so fast that you’re basically asking to choke, in which you immediately do. A piece of chicken lodges itself in your throat, and you begin to cough violently. Renjun sighs, patting your back before handing you your cup of water. 

“I feel like I’m babysitting a toddler every time I eat with you,” he points out as you gulp down your water. 

“Thanks,” you say after you recover.

“For dislodging the food in your esophagus or calling you a toddler?” 

“Both!” you say cheerfully. 

Renjun shakes his head at you, but he’s smiling. You take advantage of his good mood by quickly reaching over and swiping a couple of grapes from the fruit bowl on his tray. He rolls his eyes when you pop them into your mouth and wink at him. 

“Um, Renjun?” A small, different voice cuts in. Both of you turn around to see who it is. 

Hwang Yeji, daughter of Iris and one of the most popular girls at the camp, is standing there. She’s fidgeting, and you can see pink dusting her cheeks. Her friends are at the table right behind her, giving her supportive looks. She smiles shyly at Renjun. 

“Can I help you?” Renjun asks, deadpanning. He isn’t rude per se, but it’s also not a friendly tone. 

Yeji slightly falters at his lackluster response. “Oh, um, I’m going to be performing at the amphitheater tonight...and I was wondering if you could come watch?”

“Why?” 

You know Renjun is asking because he’s genuinely baffled, but it doesn’t lessen your urge to want to slap him upside the head.

“N-No particular reason! O-Okay, bye!” Yeji turns on her heel and runs away. You watch her go back to her table, head hung low in defeat.

“What was that all about?” Renjun is still bewildered. 

No longer able to control yourself, you punch him in the arm. “You moron!”

“Ow! What the hell, Y/N?” he hisses, rubbing his arm.

“She invited you to watch her perform because she likes you!” you hiss. 

“What? No, she doesn’t.” He furrows his eyebrows. 

“Yes, she does! I should know of all people, you dingus. Even without powers, literally anyone else would be able to see that Yeji likes you!” You’re trying your best to keep your voice down, but he’s making it difficult for you. “You are the densest person on the planet!”

“Look who’s talking,” Renjun mutters underneath his breath. 

“I can’t believe you just blew her off like that,” you continue, not hearing what he said.

“How was I supposed to know she liked me? I’ve never even spoken to her,” he protests.

You stare at him in disbelief. “Couldn’t you tell by the context clues?” 

“What context clues?”

“Oh my gods,” you groan, covering your face with your hands.

“What do you want me to do then?” he asks tiredly. 

“Go to her performance tonight,” you say immediately, uncovering your face and whipping your head to look at him with a hopeful expression.

“I don’t really want to though. There’s no point in getting her hopes up if I don’t like her back,” Renjun states matter-of-factly.

“How do you not even have a little bit of interest in her? Look at her! She’s stunning!” You feel like your eyes are about to pop out of your head.

“I’m not saying she isn’t, but I just don’t feel anything special towards her,” he explains. 

“You’re actually insane,” you say incredulously. “There’s no way someone can look at Hwang Yeji and say they don’t feel anything special.”

“If you feel so strongly about it, you could date her,” he suggests.

“No, I’ve decided,” you cut him off, slamming your hand on the table with determination. “I’m going to find you a girlfriend.”

“I’ll have to respectfully decline your services,” he answers, sighing.

“Give me one week,” you plead, “all of my matches have worked out within a week. Please, Renjun? The worst thing that can happen is that you actually like someone and you two become a couple.” 

“And what if it doesn’t work out?” He tilts his head.

“Then, I’ll drop the girlfriend topic for good. I swear on River Styx. And I’ll also give up my title as Camp Half-Blood’s official matchmaker,” you promise.

“You gave yourself that title.”

“Shut up.”

“Why are you so adamant on finding me a girlfriend anyway?” he asks.

“Because you’re so set on not getting a girlfriend, and that drives me crazy. I want to know just who on this Earth can make you feel something special, if even Yeji can’t do it. I want to crack you, like a walnut,” you admit.

“Bad analogy.”

“Yeah, it sounded better in my head.”

Renjun falls quiet, and you can practically see the gears turning in his head as he weighs the pros and cons of your proposition. Athena kids think way too much and way too loudly; they need to let loose and follow their hearts more.

You sit in anticipation for just a little longer before you see the tension on his face begin to dissipate and his features begin to droop. It’s an expression you know well; he’s going to let you have your way, like he always does. 

He pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. “You get five days. That’s it.”

You squeal loudly, launching yourself at him so you can envelop him in a big bear hug. He grunts as he catches you, saving the both of you from toppling backwards onto the floor. “You’re the best, Renjun!”

Even when he’s irritated or annoyed, Renjun never pushes you away when you hug him. He isn’t exactly the affectionate type, yet his embrace is always so warm and calming. His words may be cutthroat, but his actions are always gentle.

He circles his arms around your waist loosely as he sighs into your hair, seemingly waiting for you to pull back to face him before he says anything. When you do, he flicks you on the forehead instead.

Okay, so you take the his actions are always gentle part back.

“Ouch!” You shrug yourself out of his hold, rubbing the probably reddening spot on your forehead.

“Payback for punching me earlier,” Renjun says, crossing his arms. “But are you sure about this?”

“What do you mean?” 

“You have a perfect record when it comes to your matches. Plus, you’re losing two out of your usual seven days. Are you sure you want to risk breaking your streak?” he asks. 

“What makes you think it’ll get broken?” you shoot back.

“I don’t just think; I know it will,” he smirks arrogantly. “That’s why I’m asking.”

You feel your left eye twitch. Riled up by his cocky demeanor, you grab your cup and chug the rest of your water, wincing like you just downed a shot. Wiping your mouth, you point your finger at him.

“Huang Renjun, just you wait. I’ll make you fall in love so hard that you’ll forget your own name.”

ও DAY ONE.

The Athena Cabin is a marvel to you every time you enter it. Rather than a cabin, it’s a workshop and a library in one on the inside. There are beds pushed haphazardly against the walls, and if you didn’t know that this was the official Athena Cabin, you would’ve thought that the Athena children had simply just crashed at a random facility at the camp and decided to call it their place of residence. 

Renjun is still asleep, despite the commotion of his brothers and sisters running around in the library and/or constructing something in the workshop. His bed is located in the very back, hidden by a bookshelf that’s not frequented often. He’s curled up into a ball, with the blanket covering his head but you can still see tufts of his hair sticking out from under it. 

“Rise and shine!” you sing, lifting blanket off his face. 

His peaceful expression twists with discomfort as its exposed to light, and he immediately rips the pillow out from under his head and puts it over his face. He says something to you, but his words are muffled. You just assume it’s some sort of profanity. 

“Come on, Sleeping Beauty! We have business to attend to,” you say cheerfully, taking the pillow away and tossing it to the foot of his bed.

“And what exactly is this supposed business?” Renjun asks dryly, opening his eyes and squinting up at you. 

“We’re going to scout for potential candidates for you,” you answer as you grab his arm and pull him up. He reluctantly lets you, slumping forward like a limp puppet. 

“Isn’t that your job?” He raises an eyebrow, running a hand through his messy bedhead. Renjun always looks particularly adorable when he wakes up. His pajamas consist of a pair of basketball shorts and an extremely stretched-out t-shirt. The shirt is so big that it’s slipping off his shoulder, which makes him look like a little kid. His hair is sticking up in all sorts of directions, and you can’t help but grin at how cute it is. 

“Yes, but you’re a special case.” You talk to him like he’s five, running your hands through his hair and messing it up even more. Renjun scowls at you, but he sits there and lets you do it.

“Geez, who peed in your cornflakes?” you tease, seeing his stormy look. 

“You.”

“Okay, fine! I’ll wait for you outside, but don’t take too long to get ready,” you say, finally retracting your hands. “No more than thirty minutes or else I’m gonna come find you!” 

He gives you another nasty look, and you blow him a kiss before skipping away. As you head back to the entrance, you greet a couple of Athena kids who pass by. Normally, Aphrodite and Athena children stick their noses up in the air and ignore each other, but you’re such a frequent visitor that they have had no choice but to accept you. It also helps that Renjun is quite popular, so the campers that don’t like you are forced to tolerate you anyway because you’re his best friend. 

That’s another thing you don’t understand—why Renjun hangs out with you when everyone around him is practically foaming at the mouth at the prospect of being his friend (or something more). But for reasons unknown to you, he chooses to ice them out and spend time with you instead.

It’s not that you’re inherently unpopular or someone that would “tarnish” his reputation, but he could probably find someone that annoyed him less and didn’t cause as much trouble as you do. However, you’re glad that he’s choosing to stay by your side in spite of how crazy you can get, because you’re not really sure what you would do without him. 

Not that you would ever admit that because Renjun would roast you to high Olympus.  

As if on cue, you spot Renjun trudging toward you. True to your request, he got ready within thirty minutes. In fact, it only took him about fifteen. He doesn’t look very happy, but he’s always had a resting bitch face (though you’re pretty sure he’s just pissed at you right now).

Strangely, you’re a little embarrassed to see him. You’re not sure why you suddenly thought of your friendship with him and got all sappy. You’ve never really been good at handling the mushy-gushy stuff—only helping others find it.

“Let’s get this over with,” Renjun says begrudgingly when he reaches you, crossing his arms.

“Okay, well, first thing’s first,” you respond, trying to get back on track. You loop your arm through his, which prompts him to instantly uncross his own so you can cling onto his bicep. It’s such a natural action for you that you don’t even think about how quickly he accommodates you. “What’s your type?”

“Where are we going?” he asks, furrowing his eyebrows as he lets you lead him around.

“That depends on your answer to my question,” you reply breezily.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the one who figures that out? You know, with your whole Aphrodite-love-sense-tingle thing.” 

You ignore his dig at your ability. “Normally, yes. But seeing as you’re incapable of feeling any emotion other than bitterness, I have to directly ask you.” 

He laughs at your comeback. “I see. But even if I do tell you my type, what makes you think she will like me too?” 

“If she doesn’t, then just woo her with your irresistible charm,” you say sarcastically. 

“My irresistible charm has a tendency to make people hate my guts, actually,” Renjun says, shrugging. “Wouldn’t want that, would we?” 

“Renjun, you are fully capable of making a girl fall for you,” you chide, huffing at his negative attitude. “I’m not concerned with that. My main issue right now is finding someone that will make you care enough to want her to like you back.”

“You think so?” he asks quietly, looking down at where your hand is resting on his arm.

“Hm?” 

“I hope you’re right,” he says a little louder, dragging his gaze away from your hand and giving you a small smile. “About being capable.”

When Renjun looks into your eyes, you feel him for the first time. Your heart wrenches with his, like a knife was driven into it and something keeps twisting it. It’s an excruciating pain that makes your lungs want to cave in, a pain so unbearably sad that it makes you want to assume fetal position and bawl your eyes out, an exhausting pain that drains you of all your energy until you want to collapse, a pain that makes you hate yourself—but it’s a pain you never want to get rid of. It’s a pain that makes you happy. It’s a pain you’re willing to endure for...for...for what? 

But the pain only lasts for a moment, flashing by like lightning. As you try to reach deeper, it slips through your fingers. Just as suddenly as it hit you, it vanishes. What remains in its place is the metaphorical iron wall that you always seem to run into every time you try to look into Renjun’s heart.

You can already feel your body starting to forget the pain. It’s so fast that you begin questioning if you even truly felt it in the first place, or if it was all some fever dream. You could also be having a stroke, so there’s that.

All jokes aside, you’re not sure what you’re more surprised by: the fact that Renjun has been feeling like this or how well he’s managed to hide it. 

And you’re not sure what you’re more hurt by: the fact that Renjun didn’t tell you or if you’re the one he’s trying to hide it from.

“—hello? Y/N? Earth to Y/N?” Renjun waves his hand in front of your face. 

You jolt, blinking several times as you detach yourself from your whirlwind of thoughts. “S-Sorry! What were you saying?”

“What’s wrong?” he asks, brows furrowing in concern. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

“Ghosts don’t exist,” you retort automatically.

“Yes, they do! How many times have I told you there’s no way that my glass bottle could’ve fallen from my bed without shattering, yet it was underneath my bed, completely and totally unsc—” He begins to protest. 

You cut him off by wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him in for a hug. Thankfully, Renjun stops rambling about his ghost story that you’ve heard about a million times and trails off. His hands slowly come to rest on the small of your back, giving you soothing pats. It makes you sad that he’s always ready to comfort you when he’s the one that needs it. Your vision gets blurry with tears, but you hurriedly blink them away.

“How can you be so smart yet so dumb?” you whisper into his shoulder, clutching him tighter.

“You know, you’re sending me mixed signals here,” he says wryly. 

You hug him for a couple more seconds before pulling back. Reaching your hands up, you cup his face. Unfortunately, you do it a little too enthusiastically and basically slap both of his cheeks. “Shit! I’m so sorry, Renjun!” 

“Ow! What is wrong with you?” he demands, wincing. His lips are adorably jutted out and his words probably aren’t as angry as he wants them to be because you’re squishing his cheeks way too hard. 

“I just wanted to tell you that I will definitely find you a girlfriend. No matter what,” you declare with determination in your eyes.

Because I don’t want you to be in pain anymore. Because you deserve to be happy. Because you should have someone to lean on too, you want to say.

Renjun is staring at you like you’ve grown another head. “Y/N, you’re scaring me.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you dismiss. “Now, hurry up and tell me your ideal type.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” 

“Oh my gods, I’m fine. Stop with all the questions and just answer me!” you say, placing your hands on your hips.

“I think I’m starting to reconsider my ideal type right now,” he replies, eyeing you suspiciously. 

You sigh loudly. “Could you tell me one character trait that you would like in a girlfriend? Just one. Pretty please with a cherry on top?”

He snorts, and you begin to grow frustrated. “Renjun—”

“Stubborn,” he answers. 

You raise an eyebrow. “Of all the things you could’ve chosen, you went with that?”

“I finally answer your question and now you’re shaming me for it?” he shoots back. 

You put your hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, sorry. Anything else you can think of?”

“Unpredictable. Hotheaded. Infuriating. Nosy. Reckless. Unable to take anything seriously. No concept of personal space,” he lists them off like he’s has it memorized.

“These are all terrible traits,” you point out, frowning. 

“Tell me about it.”

“Stop messing around,” you snap, giving him a small shove. “Some positive ones, please.”

Renjun pauses. “This might take a second.”

You give him a pointed look, crossing your arms and tapping your foot impatiently. At this point, you’re not even sure if he’s just joking or if he actually means it. However, it’s the only thing you’ve gotten out of him so far, so you have to work with it. 

“Dedicated,” he finally says after some intense pondering.

You exhale in relief. “Thank gods. What else?”

“Kind. Cheerful. Carefree. Funny. Always makes me smile. Marches to her own beat. An open book when it comes to her feelings. Says whatever is on her mind without thinking twice. Gets excited about things that don’t matter. Has a wonderful laugh. Able to see the good in me, even though I’m an asshole—”

As he continues, you eventually stop paying attention to his words and watch his expression. All of his features have softened, and there’s a warmth in his eyes that you’ve never seen before. He has the gentlest smile on his face as he talks, but you’re not even sure that he’s aware of it. 

You wouldn’t be a child of Aphrodite if you couldn’t recognize a boy in love, and Renjun certainly fits the bill. 

Suddenly, you feel an ugly sensation twisting in the pit of your stomach, coiling like a poisonous snake. It’s an awful feeling, and it makes you ashamed because it resembles jealousy way too closely for your comfort. You hate feeling like this, but you don’t know how to stop it. In fact, you don’t even know why you’re feeling this way. It’s foreign to you, but you know it’s not coming from Renjun. This is all coming from inside you.

“Stunning in every way,” Renjun finishes quietly. His voice is barely a whisper, but you can hear it clearly, as if it’s right in your ear. 

Digging your nails into your palms, you let out a low whistle. “That was very...specific.”

“Afraid of a challenge?” he counters, smirking. 

His banter makes you grin. It’s almost enough to make you forget the feeling in your stomach. You wonder why you keep getting worked up by yourself. Maybe the summer heat is getting to you, and you really are on the verge of having a stroke. 

“It’s like you don’t even know me,” you retort dramatically, clinging onto his arm again. “Alright, let’s go!” 

“Where?” 

“The Training Grounds!” 

“Why there?” His nose crinkles. 

“Your ideal type is as Ares kid as it can get,” you say, snorting. “So, obviously, we’re going to their turf.” 

“Ares children are obnoxious and arrogant,” Renjun scoffs. 

“And you’re a smartass, so it’ll be fine,” you say breezily. 

He rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath. 

“You’re such a drama queen. Besides, it won’t be only Ares kids there,” you point out.

He shrugs in a noncommittal manner but ultimately lets you lead him to the Training Grounds. When you arrive, as expected, it’s mainly Ares kids there. For people who aren’t used to it, the Training Grounds could be mistaken for a battle royale, judging by how vicious it can get at times. Even though it’s just a bunch of sweaty young adults angrily swinging swords at dummies and each other. 

Stroking your chin, you begin to scan the area. It’s only when your eyes fall onto Park Sooyoung, the daughter of Ares that’s infamous for making men cower to their knees, that the lightbulb goes off in your head. 

“What about Sooyoung?” you ask excitedly, tugging on Renjun’s shirt. 

He frowns. “She hates me.”

“You don’t know that,” you say.

“She tried to throw a dagger at my head once,” he states flatly. 

“She does that to everyone,” you dismiss. “I think you two would work well together.”

“Please, enlighten me.” 

“She could be the brawn to your brain. She’s super rambunctious, while you’re more reserved and can keep her in check. But she’ll be able to teach you how to live a little, and you’ll just perfectly balance each other out. You know, that whole opposites attract and enemies to lovers trope,” you explain. 

“Enemies to lovers?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Yes,” you say dreamily, “You two start off absolutely despising each other, but neither of you can fight the tension building and eventually just get entangled in the throes of your passion!”

“Okay, Fifty Shades of Grey, calm down,” Renjun says, scrunching up his features in disgust. “Stop writing fanfiction in your head and come back to the real world.”

You glare at him for killing your vibe. “Just go and try to talk to her.”

“I don’t want to be mauled.” There’s actually a small glimmer of fear in his eyes. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. She’s not gonna kill you. At least not in front of everyone like this,” you reassure him. 

“So you’re admitting that there is a possibility she would kill me.”

Fed up, you snatch his wrist and begin dragging him. He makes noises of protest, but you keep a vice-like grip on him. Sooyoung is sparring with some of her brothers (and frankly, handing their asses to them). You’re envious of how beautiful she is even with sweat dripping from her chin and tendrils of hair stuck to her neck. Her face is flushed with effort, but it makes her look like a peach. 

However, don’t ever judge a book by its cover because she proceeds to lift one of her brothers, as if she’s bench pressing him, and tosses him aside like a rag doll. He comes flying directly toward you, but Renjun wraps an arm around your shoulders and yanks you aside with his surprisingly quick reflexes. Sooyoung’s brother lands with a hard thud, right beside your feet.

Renjun holds you tightly against him as he scowls at Sooyoung, who is smirking at him. Your heart is pounding wildly, though you’re not sure if it’s from the adrenaline rush of one of Sooyoung’s brothers hurling towards you like a projectile or the way Renjun is cradling you to him.

“Are you out of your mind?” Renjun demands, livid. 

“Sorry about that,” Sooyoung says, trying to hide her amusement. 

“No, you’re not. You did it on purpose,” Renjun snaps. 

“Remove head from ass, Huang. If I didn’t think you’d be able to get her out of the way in time, I wouldn’t have done it,” Sooyoung responds, sounding bored.

“What if I hadn’t? Your tank of a brother would’ve knocked Y/N out,” Renjun says angrily, gritting his teeth. “And trust me, she doesn’t need any more screws loose than she already has.”

“Hey!” you chime in, offended. His arm falls from your shoulders and back to his side when you give him a dirty look. He seems a little surprised, whether the reason be from your sudden protest or how long his arm’s been around you. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sooyoung says, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, what do you want? You’re here to see me, right?” 

Renjun opens his mouth to say something, but you slap a hand over his mouth. “Renjun thinks you’re really pretty and wants to train with you.”

Perhaps you could have delivered it in a smoother manner.

“Mm?” He stares at you with wide, horrified eyes. He’s trying to speak, but it’s all muffled by your palm. 

Sooyoung snorts, crossing her arms and tilting her head. “Does he now?” 

“Yes. He’s just too shy to admit it,” you lie through your teeth. 

“Mhm, I’m sure he is,” she laughs. “What’s the actual reason you’re here?”

“Whatever are you talking about? That is the reason,” you answer sweetly. “So, what do you say? Wanna spar him?”

“Mmmmmm!” Renjun has you by the wrist, trying to remove your hand from his mouth, but you won’t budge. 

“You must think I was born yesterday,” Sooyoung sighs. “You’re trying to set us up together, right? Glad to see you’re sticking to your whole matchmaking schtick.”

“Maybe,” you admit sheepishly. “Also, it is not a schtick! I have a natural affinity for finding people that are compatible with each other, like all Aphrodite children, and it is my duty to use that ability in order to help others.”

Despite how proud you look, Sooyoung and Renjun exchange knowing glances, and she reaches forward and gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Stray strong, soldier.”

“Mm,” he responds, sounding tired.

You watch the interaction with a baffled expression. Neither one of them seems intent on providing any context for you. You’re hit with another pang of jealousy. 

“While it would be my utmost honor to be Renjun’s girlfriend, I will have to decline. Firstly, because I would definitely murder him by our third date tops. And secondly, because I already have a girlfriend,” Sooyoung says nonchalantly. 

Your hand goes limp and falls off of Renjun’s mouth, finally freeing him. Your jaw is hanging wide open, a direct invitation for flies. The both of you just stand there and gawk at her. 

“What?” you exclaim, grabbing her by the shoulders. “You have a girlfriend?”

Most Aphrodite kids are just naturally aware of all the couples at Camp Half-Blood whenever they see them, but you make it a point to keep tabs on them so you can avoid incidents like this while you’re trying to find matches for others. Clearly, you’ve missed one. 

“Ye—”

“Who is it?” you demand, resisting the urge to shake her until her bones rattle. “How could I not know about it?”

“Well, that was the goal,” Sooyoung explains, “we want it to be a secret.”

You’re gripping her so tightly that the tips of your fingers have turned white, though you’re sure it doesn’t bother her since she’s pure muscle. You want to know who it is so badly, but you respect her privacy, so you decide to let it go. Even if you really don’t want to.

“I understand,” you say solemnly, begrudgingly releasing her. Your body is slightly twitchy as you fight to control your need to snoop. 

“You look like you’re about to pass out,” Renjun cuts in, half-joking and half-concerned. 

“Today has not gone well for me,” you sigh, spirit crushed by the sudden news and exhausted because of your weird mood swings that have been happening. “I’m hot, and I just want a nice, cold shower, followed by some nice, cold ice cream, and then followed by a nice, warm nap. We’ll try this again tomorrow.” 

“Want me to walk you back to your cabin?” Renjun asks. 

You nod, shoulders slumped in defeat. “Sorry to bother you, Sooyoung.”

“No problem. You’ll get ‘em next time,” Sooyoung says, trying to sound encouraging. 

As you turn to pitifully walk away, you notice Sooyoung and Renjun exchange another look in your peripheral. She gives him a thumbs up and he smiles wryly before he also turns to follow you.

It’s just the icing on the cake for your awful day. 

The walk back to your cabin is pretty quiet; Renjun sensing your foul mood and making the wise decision of letting you pout all by your lonesome (not that he’s much of a chatterbox anyway). You’re looking down at your feet as you walk, and he kindly navigates you through crowds and moves you out of the way when campers run by. This is something Renjun does often, since you have a tendency to not pay much attention to your surroundings on a regular basis, so you don’t even think twice about it. 

When you finally arrive, Renjun gives you a comforting pat on the back. “See you tomorrow. I’ll meet you here. Do not barge into my cabin and give me another rude awakening like you did today.”

You give him a strained smile and wink. “No promises.”

Of course, your act doesn’t fool him. He sighs. “Did it really bother you that much that Sooyoung managed to hide her relationship from you? It’s not like you to be so down after one failure.”

Honestly, that’s the least of your concerns right now. Did it hurt your pride? Yes, but you’ve recovered from a wounded pride countless times. 

What bothers you the most right now is the vile jealousy that you’ve stored in your heart. How shitty you felt when he was describing his ideal type (and how absolutely lovestruck he looked), or how bitter you were when you saw that Sooyoung and Renjun were in on something you weren’t. It eats away at you, seemingly within moments, before you even know what’s happening. But why? Where is it all coming from?

This is Renjun you’re talking about. Renjun, your best friend. Renjun, the one who’s always there for you. Renjun, the closest person to you other than your bloodline. 

Or so you thought. 

The pain that you felt from him earlier still haunts you, even if it’s faint. You’ve always seen Renjun as someone you can confide in, no matter what, yet it doesn’t appear like he feels the same towards you. In fact, an irrational part of you thinks you may be the one he’s trying to keep it from. 

And the paranoid part of you thinks Sooyoung knows about it too.

You know it’s horrible to think that, but you can’t control it. Renjun isn’t required to tell you everything he feels just because you do, not that it doesn’t hurt any less. It just bugs you that there could be someone closer to him than even you, which is an incredibly toxic mindset to have. You’re upset by the fact that you’re so possessive of him, yet you can’t seem to let him go either. 

I guess it’s alright if it’s Sooyoung, you admit to yourself, since she has a girlfriend.

You blink.

Wait, what? 

Before you can figure out what the hell your brain meant by that, you feel Renjun place his hand on your forehead. It jars you from your thoughts and you come back to reality, where Renjun is staring at you with furrowed brows as he checks your temperature. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright? You’ve been spacing out all day,” he says, clearly worried.

“F-Fine!” you answer way too enthusiastically. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he dismisses. “Just go get some rest.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” you nod hurriedly, giving him a two-finger salute. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early! Don’t oversleep!” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he waves you off, smiling. You can tell he’s still concerned, but your brighter attitude relieves him just a tad. “Oh, and Y/N?” 

“Mhm?”

“I forgot to mention one more trait for my ideal type.”

“What is it?” You wish you had never asked him in the first place. Just when your mood was getting a little better, it sours just as quickly. 

“Dense,” he adds. 

You give him a puzzled look. “Huh?”

“I want her to be dense,” he states simply. 

“No way,” you argue, when his words finally register. “How is it gonna work out if both of you are dense as hell?”

“Who knows? Maybe our denseness will cancel each other out, and we’ll fall in love instantly,” he shrugs.

“Of course. PEMDAS and shit,” you jokingly agree.

“Exactly,” he says, nodding with a deadpan expression. 

You laugh loudly—a big belly laugh that makes Renjun beam. The tension eases off his features, and he seems much more reassured. Your heart swells at how hard he’s trying to make sure you’re okay, not that he would ever admit that.

“Okay, for real now. Bye, Y/N.” He gives you a lazy wave before walking away, shattering your touching moment. 

You huff at how he turned around without even letting you respond, though you still wave back (even if he can’t see it), and go back into your cabin. The moment the door closes behind you, you make a beeline for the shower. Peeling off your sweat-soaked clothes, you close your eyes in bliss when the cold water hits you. 

As you let the water run down your body, you begin to feel more and more like a petulant child that just threw the biggest tantrum ever. You’re embarrassed that you overreacted like that and got so emotional for no reason. You chide yourself for being selfish. Just because you’re upset that Renjun doesn’t confide in you the way you do him, it doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t have someone. You should be happy for him when he finds a person he can fully open up to, even more so than you. Isn’t that what you’re trying to do for him right now? 

You shut the water off before slapping your cheeks hard, giving yourself a wake up call. Resolving to be more composed tomorrow, you decide to just take a nap for now as you change into comfortable clothes and dry your hair off. 

When you get to your bed, you see a small bowl of ice cream on your nightstand. Luckily, your shower didn’t take too long, so it’s still relatively frozen. It’s two scoops of chocolate, which is your favorite. You’re so excited that you almost miss the note tucked underneath the bowl. 

don’t know when you’re going to get out of the shower, so this might just be soup by the time you’re out. if that’s the case, drink it anyways since i went through the trouble of getting it. 

You snort. It’s so like Renjun to write a tactless note like this and not even bother signing off on it. If he’s going to be sweet, he shouldn’t ruin the moment by doing what he always does—opening his mouth (figuratively, in this case). 

But it’s not enough to wipe that big grin off your face, as you carefully fold up the note and put it in your drawer. 

He’s not cute at all.

ও DAY TWO.

The next day is about as successful as the first one, if not worse.

You had woken up with a game plan. Before you went to meet Renjun, you drafted up a list of campers that matched his ideal type (for the most part, since he was a little too specific). The goal was to narrow it down to a couple names before trying to march in head first, since that went disastrously yesterday. 

Unfortunately, instead of things going smoothly like you had hoped, you find yourself banging your head against a tabletop repeatedly.

You and Renjun are currently sitting in the library of the Athena Cabin, having been there for almost an hour now. He’s nearly eliminated your entire list that you so meticulously curated this morning. You’re starting to wonder if he’s purposefully being difficult just to see you riled up.

Renjun watches you hit your head a couple more times before outstretching his hand, catching your forehead in his palm and blocking you from hitting it against the table again. “Stop before you bleed all over the table, and I get stuck scrubbing it out later.”

You raise your head to glare at him. “I’ll show you bleeding all over the table.”

He doesn’t even blink at your threat, infuriatingly unfazed. “Are you done with your list already?”

“No,” you grumble, “I still have some left.”

“So, if I’m not interested in the rest, does that mean we’re done for the day?” he asks.

“Haha,” you say wryly, “you wish. If you don’t pick one, then I’ll just go through the list myself and pick one that I think is the most compatible with you.”

“Damn it.”

“Okay, what about Hyun Seunghee? She’s an Apollo kid. Super talented and sweet, one of the most adorable people on the planet, and loves art just like you,” you suggest.

“Seunghee is a very sweet girl,” Renjun agrees. “But I don’t think I have the energy to keep up with her. She’s even bubblier and more hyperactive than you, and I can barely manage dealing with you.” 

Sighing, you cross out Seunghee’s name on your list while simultaneously flipping off Renjun with your other hand. “Okay, what about Lee Mijoo? She’s one of my sisters, and honestly, she’s way out of your league but I’ll keep her in the running for now.” 

You figure it’s best to not mention that, despite being way out of his league, Mijoo has expressed some very...explicit interest in Renjun before. It’ll make things awkward if they do end up talking, and you aren’t one to expose your own sister like that.

“Ew, no way, that’s weird,” Renjun says, scrunching up his nose.

“What, why?”

“I don’t want to date anyone related to you. That would make us sort of related too, and the last thing I want is to be your brother.” He spits out the word like it’s a stale piece of gum that he’s been chewing for four hours.

“First of all, slow down, tiger. You would have to marry her for us to be related. This is just a casual thing. No one said anything about marriage. Second of all, that is so mean! Why wouldn’t you want to be in-laws with me?” you demand, offended.

“Don’t most people enter relationships with the intention of spending the rest of their lives with each other?” he asks, skillfully dodging your question. “I won’t date someone if I think we’re just going to breakup down the road.”

There’s a beat of silence as you stare at him with wonder. Your lips curl into a gentle smile, and you can’t hide the adoration in your expression. Renjun truly is all bark and no bite. Who would’ve guessed there’s such a lovely and pure person behind his sharp tongue?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks warily. You swear you can see a little pink dusting the shells of his ears and the tip of his nose.

“It’s just...you’re much more of a hopeless romantic than I initially thought, Huang Renjun,” you say teasingly. 

Now, you can definitely tell he’s embarrassed. He mumbles a “shut up” under his breath, but you can barely hear it.

“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself,” you advise, “it’s totally natural to date and breakup. You can love someone with all of your heart, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be your life partner. Loosen up, my friend, and just have fun! Fall in love recklessly, and don’t think about anything else! That’s what youth is all about!”

You expect him to make fun of you for lecturing him like you’re centuries old, when the both of you can barely label yourselves as adults, but he doesn’t. 

Instead, he’s gazing at you with a deep melancholy in his eyes. You’re sitting right across from him, but the way he looks at you makes it seem like you’re galaxies away. Your gut wrenches at how hurt and helpless he seems, like he’s yearning for something that is out of his reach. 

Time seems to slow down as the two of you stare into each other’s eyes, as if you’re both entranced. It’s hard to tell how long you stay like that, but it feels like you’ve woken up in the middle of a sweet dream when Renjun finally breaks eye contact. You’re slightly disoriented, even though it’s probably only been a few seconds.

Clearing his throat, Renjun mutters, “Anyways, don’t put anymore of your siblings on the list.”

You take a moment to gather your thoughts before sighing. “Fine. But now I’ve run out of names on my list.”

“Well, gosh darn it, what a shame,” he says in a terrible Southern accent while attempting to get up. “Look’s like that’s a wrap for today!” 

“Not so fast,” you cut in, snapping your fingers at him to sit back down. “We’re not done yet.” 

He groans but reluctantly obeys, dramatically throwing his head into his arms when he does.

“Behave while I go through this list again,” you order, putting stars next to names that you’re going to force Renjun to reconsider with. 

“Now, you’re making me want to hit my head against the table,” he complains, voice muffled by his arms.

You ignore his whining, focusing on your current task at hand. Just as you finish narrowing it down to a select few, someone brushes past you and it’s like you hear angels singing. Seo Soojin, daughter of Nemesis and actual hotness personified, walks by. 

Soojin is relatively new to Camp Half-Blood, having arrived for the first time last year. You don’t know much about her personality because she keeps to herself and her tight-knit circle of friends for the most part. You know for a fact that she’s a far cry from Renjun’s type, but you’re starting to think he doesn’t really know what he wants—seeing that he shot down every single person on your list already. She will be a nice change of pace for him.

“What about Soojin?” you ask in a hushed whisper, leaning forward. 

“Who?” Renjun looks around, not lowering his voice or trying to be subtle in the slightest.

“Shhh!” you hiss, grabbing him by his shirt and yanking him forward. You pull a little too hard and end up knocking your foreheads together. 

“Ow! Why is your head made out of cast iron?” Renjun winces. He tries to lean back, but you don’t let him escape. 

“Shut up! You’re the blockhead, asshole,” you protest, getting offended for the second time. “Anyways, Seo Soojin. The girl over there. The one with the bangs, big lips, and is hot as fuck?” 

He squints, finally zeroing in on her. “What about her?”

“That’s what I’m asking you, dipshit!” 

Renjun shrugs noncommittally—an action that you’ve grown extremely accustomed to during these past two days, an action that makes you want to rip your own hair out. “She seems nice.” 

“Well, try and talk to her then,” you say, spelling it out for him. “You know, so you can see if the two of you will hit it off or not.”

He gives you a look. It’s the same look that a twelve-year-old kid gives his mother when she makes him take a picture in front of a national monument that he doesn’t know anything about, nor does he care to. However, she insists, so he reluctantly trudges over to it and takes the picture—hands firmly balled up by his sides and his lips pressed into a hard line, no matter how much his mom tells him to smile.

So, in other words, Renjun looks like he wants to crawl into a hole and die.

“Are you sure that you’re human?” you ask incredulously. You’re not even being sarcastic at this point; you genuinely want to know how he is able to feel absolutely nothing for women that could rival the goddesses themselves.

“Technically—”

“If you say that you’re only half-human because we’re demigods, you’re going to get a pen through the jugular,” you warn, pointing your pen at him. 

“Am I wrong, though?” 

“You know what I mean, you smartass. Are you or are you not capable of feeling romantic attraction towards another person?” you demand.

“I am,” he simply says.

“That’s it? That was the most robotic answer I’ve ever heard in my life!” you exclaim. 

“What else am I supposed to say?” he asks, throwing his arms up. 

“Have you experienced any blackouts recently, like woken up without memory of the past twenty-four hours? Have you checked your body for any chip implants under your skin?” You eye him suspiciously. “Been beamed up by any UFOs? Gone somewhere haunted?” 

Renjun gives you a pointed look, sighing. “While it is touching to know that you do, in fact, listen to me whenever I talk about topics I’m interested in, this is not how I wanted you to apply your knowledge.”

“You know, now that I think about it, you sure talked about alien abductions a lot,” you say, stroking a fake beard on your chin. “Could it be because you were actually abducted by aliens and got brainwashed into gathering information about us demigods, but they took away your ability to feel emotions so they wouldn’t get in the way of your mission?” 

You pause, waiting for his reaction. Renjun is very obviously trying not to smile, with his chin being propped up by his palm and his fingers covering his mouth. “Please, continue.” 

“But ultimately, that will be your fatal flaw and the downfall of your mission because you can’t empathize like humans can,” you finish dramatically. 

“Alright, let’s say I was brainwashed by aliens. Why would I then draw more attention to myself by talking about the very thing that happened to me? Wouldn’t that be counterproductive?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Reverse psychology,” you explain, “you talk about them, so you won’t seem suspicious.” 

Renjun exhales sharply before looking down at his feet. You can see his lips twitching as he tries not to laugh, though you’re pretty sure that exhale from before was a small laugh. You’re grinning, despite the fact that you’re also trying to keep up your detective act.

“I’m kind of wish I had been abducted by aliens right about now. Maybe brainwashed me would be a little more courageous,” he mutters under his breath. You’re not sure if you were meant to hear that, but you do anyways. 

“That sounds exactly like something someone abducted by an alien would say!” you say in an accusatory tone, pointing a finger at him. He rolls his eyes, but a tiny smile eventually makes its way to his lips. 

You gasp loudly, grabbing his face and pulling it towards your own. He makes a small noise of surprise, eyes as wide as UFO saucers. Your faces are so close that your noses are slightly brushing up against one another, but you’re not paying attention to that right now. 

“Or you could be a lizard person,” you whisper, “you know, the ones that people think take the place of government officials.”

“They’re called reptilian humanoids,” Renjun corrects. His breath (which smells like the blueberry muffin he had this morning) rustles your baby hairs. 

“Your eyes are glowing yellow, and your pupils are turning into slits,” you tease.

“Are they, now?” 

No, they aren’t. His eyes are a cool, icy gray, like most Athena children. It’s always been a trait you’ve been jealous of. They sparkle like stars, or freshly fallen snow. They change according to his mood too. For example, when he gets angry, there are no stars. Instead of twinkling, they flash like lightning. His eyes are truly the window to his soul; they’re one of your favorite things about him.

Renjun slightly leans into your touch, and it finally hits you how close he is. You’re cupping his face with both hands, tilting his chin up, and it looks like you’re about to...kiss him.

 It seems you’re not the only one who thinks so, because almost the entire library is gawking at you. Including Seo Soojin. She looks surprised, and slightly disgusted, by the two of you.

Oh.

You feel heat rise from your neck to your entire face.

Oh gods, they all think we’re a couple.

You recoil away from him, withdrawing your hands like your just burned yourself. “We have to get out of here.”

“What?” As always, Renjun doesn’t know what’s going on.

“Just come on,” you say quickly, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the library. 

Your face burns for a long time after that, and you can no longer focus on anything else. In the end, you decide to call it a day after a few more half-hearted attempts to find more candidates for Renjun. When you come back to your cabin, you take another cold shower. 

You’re not sure what you’re so flustered by: the fact that you didn’t realize what you were doing or the fact that everyone in the library saw it.

Or the fact that you didn’t mind the notion of being mistaken for a couple with Renjun.

ও DAY THREE.

You don’t meet bright and early with Renjun today. He demanded to sleep in this time, since he’s not an early riser to begin with and the past two days have sucked all the energy out of him. 

Which means you’re free until noon. You check the time—10 AM. 

Two hours to kill. 

You don’t feel like getting all sweaty and hot, so any activity outside is out. You really don’t want to be judged by more Athena kids in the Arts and Crafts Center without Renjun. So, you decide to head back to the library, despite how yesterday went.

You check out a book that goes into depth about some of the most believable conspiracy theories; Renjun actually read it a while ago (and totally geeked out about it to you), but who would have thought that you would end up reading it too? Past you definitely would’ve laughed in your face if you told her that. 

Once you get back to your cabin, you curl up in your covers and begin to read. You get about two chapters in when you hear the door open and Jeong Jaehyun, one of your brothers, walks in. He’s wearing his orange t-shirt that’s soaked with sweat, and his hair is dripping from perspiration too. His pale skin glistens, and he looks like a sweaty and sparkly vampire. 

“Hey, kid,” Jaehyun says, nodding at you. He isn’t that much older than you, but he’s gotten into the habit of calling you kid for some reason.

“This is a surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you come back from training before 5 PM,” you tease.

He lets out a low whistle. “Way too hot out there. I needed to get some A/C before I had a heatstroke—is that a book in your hand?”

“What about it?” you ask, raising an eyebrow.

Jaehyun snorts. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you near a book, much less read one.”

“Rude. I am expanding my horizons,” you retort. 

“It seems so. What was up with you and Renjun at the library yesterday?” Jaehyun plops down on the edge of your bed. 

“How do you even know about that?” you ask, wrinkling your nose. “And go take a shower first before you sit on my bed! You stink!” 

“Do I?” He waggles his eyebrows and throws his arms around you in a bear hug. You try your best to shove him off, but he has a hold on your like a python. 

“I hate you,” you say when he finally pulls back, sniffing your shirt to make sure you still smelled like your fabric softener. “Anyways, how’d you find out about the library thing?”

“Rumors spread fast around here, dear sister. But, seriously, what’s the deal?”

“There is no deal, Jaehyun,” you sigh, closing your book. “It’s all just a misunderstanding. We were joking around while I was trying to find a potential girlfriend for him there—which, by the way, is going horribly. I don’t think he feels romantic attraction properly like everybody else.”

“Oh right. I forgot you roped Renjun into your matchmaking thing,” Jaehyun says, disappointed. “Damn, and here I thought he finally made a move.”

Your head snaps up to give him a quizzical look. “What?”

“What?” He tilts his head.

“What did you mean by that, the part where you said you thought Renjun finally made a move?” you ask. 

Jaehyun stares at you for a couple of seconds, an astonished expression on his face. “Do you really not know?” 

“Would I be asking if I didn’t know?” you shoot back, annoyed that he still hasn’t answered you. 

“Gods, all this time, I thought you were just pretending like you didn’t know because you didn’t want to make things awkward,” he continues, shaking his head.

“Jaehyun, what are you talking about?” you demand.

“Renjun is in love with you, Y/N.”

You gape at him. It’s a good thing you’re already sitting down because you definitely would have fallen on your ass if you had been standing.

“Th-Th-That’s impossible,” you stammer, like an absolute idiot. “There’s n-n-no way.”

“Oh, come on, lil’ sis. He’s never even tried to hide it. He’s so obvious about it that I seriously don’t understand how you didn’t know,” Jaehyun snorts. “You don’t even need to have powers to see that he’s head over heels for you.”

“But—but how? I would’ve sensed it!” you exclaim.

“You’re so sharp when it comes to other people, but you’re dense as hell when it comes to yourself,” Jaehyun points out, shrugging. “You just never paid attention, Y/N.”

You don’t respond. Your mind is a mess, a jumbled mishmash of emotions. You’re feeling so many things right now, and you can’t pinpoint any of it.. You wouldn’t be surprised if you passed out.

“Do you like him back?” Jaehyun asks softly. 

“I—no! Of course not. Renjun’s my best friend. If I liked him, why would I be trying to find him a girlfriend right now? That’d be stupid of me. Yeah, that’d be so dumb. Why would I do that?” You’re rambling now, and it’s glaringly obvious that you’re trying to convince yourself rather than Jaehyun (and you know he can see it too).

“It doesn’t seem like you’re trying that hard, though.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” you ask defensively. 

“The Y/N I know spends all hours of the day gathering information on her potential matches and making sure even the tiniest detail goes according to her master plan that she’s already drafted inside her head. She wouldn’t be sitting here, leisurely reading a book, especially if it’s going horribly. She would be doing everything in her power to get things back on track,” Jaehyun notes. “Ask yourself. Do you really want Renjun to get a girlfriend?” 

“Wh-Why wouldn’t I?” You ask him, hoping he knows the answer, because you sure as hell don’t know. 

“Because he won’t always be there anymore. He won’t have time to let you constantly drag him into your antics anymore. You won’t be his number one anymore. His girlfriend will be his first priority, of course, as she should. Think long and hard about that, Y/N. Will you be okay with that?”

“I—” The words seem to die inside your throat as you come to realization that you might not be okay with that at all. You’ve always gone to Renjun for everything and knowing that he may not always be there makes you feel lost, like a compass without it’s True North. You’re being selfish again, but it seems like you’ve gotten into the habit of acting selfish whenever it comes to Renjun. You’ve let yourself grow too reliant on him. 

“Why do you care so much anyways?” Now, you’re deflecting. “Why did you tell me all of this?”

“Because you’re my little sister and I care about you. I want you to be one hundred percent sure of your own feelings, so your heart doesn’t get broken. The only reason I didn’t say anything sooner was because I thought you were already sure. Take some time and think about it, Y/N. It’ll be better for your friendship with Renjun if everything is crystal clear between the two of you,” Jaehyun advises, giving you a pat on the shoulder. He gets up, presumably to take a shower, and leaves.

You barely notice him go.

You sit in your bed, staring blankly at the wall, until Renjun finally arrives. He’s still a little groggy, probably having woken up ten minutes ago before coming. His clothes are a little rumpled and his hair isn’t styled, with his bangs flopping in his eyes. Normally, you would have made fun of him and mussed it up, but you have other things on your mind as of the moment. 

Like always, he can tell something is up. He gets that concerned look on his face—the one where he has a deep crease between his brows and his rosy lips are turned downwards. 

“What’s wrong?” He places a hand on your arm, lowering his head so he can’t get a better look at your face. 

Physical contact with Renjun has always been something normal for you, but suddenly, you’re now acutely aware of everything about him. You can feel the pad of every one of his fingertips on your bare skin, the warmth of his palm, and just how easily his touch makes your body relax. Even when your brain is a whirlwind of thoughts, your muscles, like clockwork, instantly loosen up with just a brush of his hand.

“We need to talk,” you say shakily, moving away from him. There’s a flash of hurt in his eyes as his hand falls to his side. You feel bad, but the longer he’s touching you, the more confused you get. 

You lead him a secluded area behind the Dining Pavilion, and he follows wordlessly. He waits for you to speak as the two of you stand there. Now that you’re here, you don’t really know what to say anymore. 

“Are you in love with me?” you blurt before you can stop yourself. “Jaehyun said—”

“Yes,” Renjun answers. If he’s surprised or taken aback whatosever, he doesn’t show it. In fact, it seems like he knew this was coming. There’s no fear or hesitation in his eyes. He’s unwavering in his answer, and you wonder how he can always be so certain of his feelings. 

“How long?” you ask tentatively. 

“Probably when we first met,” he says. 

“Why?” 

“Are you asking me why I’m in love with you?” He raises an eyebrow. 

You’re not sure. You’re not sure of anything anymore.

When you don’t answer, Renjun looks at you for a very long time. “You make me happy, Y/N. No matter how shitty things get, no matter how much I want to ram my fist through a wall, I see you and it’s like I can finally take a breath again. When you smile at me, I forget about everything that was bothering me. You and your daily shenanigans are the best part of my day. You’re obnoxious and frustrating and exhausting, but I fucking love you for it. I’m at your beck and call; I’d do anything for you. Whenever you’re happy, I become happy too. Nothing else matters to me anymore. That’s why.”

“You should have told me,” you say, voice cracking. Your heart is singing with joy, and you want to cry with relief. He talks about you like you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and you so desperately want to be exactly that for him. You’re not confused anymore. Everything has finally become clear for you now. You truly wonder how you managed not to notice anything at all—whether it be your own feelings or his. 

“I knew it would upset you,” he murmurs. 

But then it hits you. 

You can’t even fathom how much Renjun has had to endure throughout the years. He’s loved you all this time, yet he hasn’t said a word—out of consideration for you. In everything he’s ever done during the course of your friendship, he has always put you first. Even if it hurts him, he was��willing to withstand it for your sake.

Yet all you’ve done for him is force him into letting you try to find a him a girlfriend, despite the fact that he was against it, and he had to pretend like he was okay as he watched you parade around like a fool telling him to love someone else. 

You don’t deserve to be loved by someone like Huang Renjun.

You don’t deserve to love someone like Huang Renjun.

Suddenly, you begin to feel nauseous—probably sickened by guilt. Black spots dot your vision, and your legs start wobbling. Your body collapses only moments after, but luckily, Renjun manages to catch you before you can hit the pavement. 

“Y/N? Y/N? Hey, talk to me,” you can hear him say very faintly. He’s cradling you against his chest, and you bury your face in it. Your head is spinning, but you feel surprisingly grounded in his arms.

Has he always smelled this nice? His scent is a mixture of books and sandalwood, and you’re basically crushing your nose against his chest like an absolute pervert. You don’t feel embarrassed because you know you can blame it on being sick later. 

Speaking of sick, even though Renjun smells so good, you proceed to lean forward and vomit all over him and yourself.

Once again, you don’t feel that embarrassed because you black out soon after.

ও DAY FOUR.

You wake up tucked nicely under your covers. Much to your relief, you’re also in clean clothes—your favorite set of heart pajamas. Unfortunately, that’s the only bright side to your current state.

It feels like you haven’t had a sip of water in ten years, and your lips feel like they’ve been glued together. Even the tiniest movement makes your head feel like someone is drilling into your skull. Your body feels twenty times heavier, and not to mention, you just generally feel like shit because of what happened with Renjun.

“Oh my gods, you look so creepy right now. Who just lays there with their eyes wide open? If you’re awake, you should say something,” a voice chides. Turning your head just a smidgen (and wincing because of the pain), you see your sister, Lee Mijoo. She has a glass of water in her hand, setting it on your nightstand.

“How long have I been asleep?” you ask hoarsely. 

“Let’s see. Renjun brought you back at like 2 PM yesterday, and it’s now 8 PM, so...thirty hours?” Mijoo counts on her fingers. 

“Fuck,” you groan.

“Heatstroke will do that to ya,” she says, making a clicking noise with her tongue.

“I had a heatstroke?”

“Yep. It was a pretty nasty one too. You really did a number all over Renjun’s shirt. It was like a vomit Picasso,” Mijoo says, sounding kind of impressed.

Your face burns from humiliation. 

“Here, sit up and drink this water,” she orders, helping you get up. Your head is screaming in pain, like a million little jabs to your brain. You down the water in one big gulp, not realizing just how dehydrated you were until your lips hit the water. 

“So, you and Renjun, huh?” Mijoo asks sheepishly.

If you still had water in your mouth, you would’ve spat it out. “What?”

“Jaehyun told me everything,” she explains.

Traitor, you think to yourself.

“Don’t be mad at him. Renjun looked like a kicked puppy when we saw him. There’s no way I wouldn’t have asked questions,” she says. “Did you break his heart, little sister?”

You sigh, putting the cup back on your nightstand. “I hope not. His heart shouldn’t be broken by someone like me.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means that he shouldn’t concern himself with me,” you sigh.

“Well, he does. He came to check up on you like a billion times. I had to ban him from coming back until tomorrow,” Mijoo snorts. “He’s a really good guy, you know.”

“Trust me,” you say, rubbing your temples. “I know that better than anyone.”

“So, what’s stopping you? I would be all over that.”

You glare at her before letting out another sigh. “He’s too good for me, Mijoo.” 

“That’s for him to decide, no?” She raises an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m just saying the truth,” you say. 

“So, you won’t mind if I date him?” she asks seriously.

Your face falls instantly, and Mijoo doubles over laughing. 

“Geez, Y/N, you looked like you were about to claw my eyes out!” She wipes away a tear.

“Very funny,” you say dryly. 

“But what if I had been serious? What would you have done then?”

You don’t answer.

“I think you really, really like Renjun, Y/N,” Mijoo whispers loudly.

“I think I love him,” you whisper back.

“Then, you should probably tell him.”

“Yeah, I should,” you echo.

Ignoring the major migraine you have and the fact that you’re still a little sluggish, you throw your covers off of you. You don’t change out of your pajamas, simply throwing a thin cardigan over it. 

“Uh, Y/N, maybe you should wait until you feel be—”

“No, I have do it now before I change my mind,” you cut her off, slipping on your tennis shoes.

You hear Mijoo call after you, but you’re already out of the door. The Athena Cabin isn’t too far from the Aphrodite Cabin, so the walk is short. Much to your surprise once you’re inside, he isn’t there.

Grabbing the nearest Athena kid you see, you ask, “Where’s Renjun?”

“Um, I think he went to the amphitheater?” 

The amphitheater is a bit further, so you promptly release and thank the kid, before taking off. You’re not sure if running is recommended right after a heatstroke, but you do it anyways. By the time you get there, your cardigan is slipping off and you’re dripping with sweat from the humid summer heat. 

The amphitheater is extremely crowded, since there was probably a performance tonight. It’s actually a little hard to see over all the people. However, you find Renjun pretty quickly.

You see him standing off to the side, away from everyone else. He’s staring emptily at the stage, hands tucked inside his pockets. He looks so tired and dejected. His entire body slumps as if it’s too exhausting to stand up straight anymore. 

All because of you.

You wait until you finally catch your breath, opening your mouth to call out to him. But you don’t ever get the chance to because a girl walks up to him. You can’t tell who she is because the back of her head is facing you, and you see Renjun give her a small smile before saying something.

The girl laughs and turns her head, giving you a view of her side profile.

Hwang Yeji.

All of the courage you had inside you withers away like a dying flower.

You take a step back, accidentally bumping into someone behind you. They say something to you, but you don’t hear it at all. Instead, you turn on your heel and run. You run wildly and blindly, nearly whizzing right past your cabin. You’re barely able get back inside, eyes so blurry with tears that you can’t even see where you’re going. 

When Mijoo sees you, she doesn’t ask any questions. She just turns on the shower for you, extra hot. You step in without a word, letting the water mix with the tears running down your face. 

It’s not that you think Renjun is in love with Yeji now. In fact, you know he’s not. It’s just that they would be much better together. 

Yeji is one of the sweetest girls you know. She would treat Renjun with the kindness he deserves. She would consider his feelings first before making him do anything. She would make him happier than you ever could. They would be so compatible, and if you weren’t in love with Renjun yourself, you would definitely be trying to set the two up. 

After your shower, you change into the clothes Mijoo set out for you—an oversized sweater with cotton shorts—and miserably crawl back in bed. You’re so drained that you don’t even have the energy to drink the fresh glass of water on your nightstand. 

Everything hurt—mentally and physically. 

Your heart aches most of all. You’ve dated here and there, gone through some breakups, but nothing has ever been as painful as this. 

It’s a pain that consumes you whole. A pain that makes you want to scream but no sound will come out. A pain that makes you want to tear your heart out. A pain that makes you wish a bunch of aliens abducted you and brainwashed you into not feeling any emotions anymore.

It’s the same pain that you thought you felt from Renjun on the first day of when this all began.

And then the last puzzle piece finally falls into place.

That pain was never his.

It has always been your own.

You love Renjun too, and you’ve loved him for a very long time.

ও DAY FIVE. 

“Come on, Y/N. At least get up to wash your face and brush your teeth,” Mijoo pleads.

You ignore her, pulling your covers over your head and turning away. It’s already well into the afternoon, but you’ve been feigning sick so you didn’t have to get up. The rest of the Aphrodite children have left and gone about their various activities throughout the camp, but Mijoo was tasked by Jaehyun to take care of you.

“If you just do that, I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day,” she bargains. 

You think about it for a second before sighing, begrudgingly sitting up. You can see the pity dripping out of her eyes when you brush past her to head to the bathroom. When you see yourself in the mirror, you can understand why.

Puffy eyes, matted hair, tear-stained cheeks, and chapped lips. It’s too bad you hadn’t been wearing mascara last night because the only thing you’re missing in your hot mess look right now are those dark smudges right under your eyes.

You brush you teeth, which takes a lot more effort than you realize, and splash water on your face. Not even bothering to brush your hair, you head straight back to bed. True to her word, Mijoo doesn’t say anything else after that.

That is, until a couple hours later.

“Um, so I know I said I would leave you alone, but I think you might want to get up for this one, Y/N,” she whispers. You can’t see her because you back is turned to her, but you can tell by the tone of her voice that it’s important.

Irritated, you yank the covers off you and sit back up once again. “Mijoo, I—”

You almost choke on air when you realize Mijoo isn’t alone. Renjun is right beside her, looking not much better than you. He’s in a wrinkled t-shirt and sweatpants, his hair looks like he just ran his fingers through it and called it a day, and he has purple bags under his eyes.

“Can we talk?” Renjun asks. 

You hesitantly nod. 

“I’ll, uh, give you two some privacy,” Mijoo says awkwardly before turning around and running out of the cabin. 

You don’t know what to do now, staring down at your clasped hands. You hear Renjun take a step forward, and you feel the edge of your bed dip under his weight. There’s a sizable gap between you and where he’s sitting, but he’s still close enough for his scent to waft over to you. He smells wonderful like usual, and you hope you don’t stink in return.

“How are you feeling?” Renjun asks quietly.

“Like shit,” you answer honestly.

He laughs under his breath. “I know what you mean.” 

Your heart skips a beat, and you feel giddy all of a sudden when you see him smile. How did you manage to turn into a lovesick little schoolgirl over night? 

“I talked to Yeji last night at the amphitheater,” Renjun says after a moment. 

“I know,” you mutter. 

He blinks. “You do? How?” 

You’re not sure how to answer that.

“Well, that doesn’t matter right now,” he dismisses, taking in a deep breath. “I just wanted to tell you that I ran into her after I checked up on you, and she invited me to watch her performance. I wasn’t going to say yes at first, but I thought it would make you happy if I did. I tried, Y/N, I really tried. Yeji’s a nice girl, but I can’t help how I feel. I love you, Y/N. It’s always been you, and it always will be. I’m not asking you to love me back. I just want to stay by your side, as your friend, if you’ll allow it. I—”

“Stop,” you interrupt, scooting closer to him and putting a hand over his mouth. “I have to tell you something.” 

Renjun gives you a bewildered expression but nods nonetheless. 

You remove your hand from his mouth, before taking in a deep breath of your own. “You’re my best friend, Renjun, and I’ve always confided in you for everything. I took you for granted, and I only thought about myself. Deep down, I think I’ve always known about your feelings and my own, but I was afraid to dig for it. I was comfortable, and I didn’t want to ruin that, even though you were hurting. I’m truly sorry for treating you that way, Renjun. From now on, I want you to tell me everything—the good, the bad, the ugly. Don’t bottle things up for my sake.”

He goes to say something, but you hold up your hand to stop him.

“The reason why I knew you were with Yeji at the amphitheater last night is because I was there too. I went to look for you,” you finally confess. “When I decided I was going to find a girlfriend for you, I thought I would be able to step aside when you did find someone. But once I saw you with Yeji, I realized that I couldn’t do it. What I want with you isn’t a friendship anymore. I’m in love with you, Renjun. I have been for a long time, and it took me four, almost five, years to see that because I never thought to listen to my own heart until now. I don’t think I will ever deserve you in his lifetime, but I love you. I’m selfish and I’m a mess and I always cause trouble for you, but I—”

Renjun wraps an arm around your waist and tugs your body flush against his. His hand comes up to cradle your cheek as his thumb lightly runs across your cheekbone. You’re clutching his shirt like a lifeline, holding your breath, as you stare into those gray eyes.

“You,” he whispers, his lips barely brushing against yours, “are more than I deserve.”

He leans in and closes the infinitesimal gap between your mouths. He kisses you desperately, like you’ll disappear any moment, and you can feel all of the emotions he’s been locking away. His arms are wound tightly around you as he pulls you into his lap. You weave your hands through his hair, and he deepens the kiss. Your shirt rides up as you shift, and you feel his hand slip up your shirt and rest against your back. It ignites a fire within you and you want to tell him to take it off completely, but your lungs are screaming for air, so you have no choice but to pull away.

“Sorry,” Renjun says breathlessly, his chest heaving up and down, as he takes his hand out from under your shirt.

“No, I liked it,” you say, shaking your head and placing your forehead against his. “I just ran out of air.”

“No,” he disagrees, “I didn’t mean for it to go that far. It was supposed to be a sweet kiss, but I lost control.” 

He tugs your shirt back down and gently sets you back down next to him. You can’t help but giggle at how flustered he is. It’s not often that Athena children, especially Huang Renjun, loses control of their emotions like that. 

“I’m glad you find this amusing,” he says wryly, rolling his eyes. 

“You know,” you say in a sing-song voice, “I still technically never broke my streak. I found you a girlfriend within five days.”

“Does it really count if you ended up being my girlfriend?” He raises an eyebrow. “Seems a little unprofessional to me.” 

“Don’t be a sore loser,” you taunt.

“You also said you were going to make me fall in love so hard that I’d forget my own name,” he points out. “And I didn’t, so that’s false advertising. Unprofessional and unethical? I could sue you.” 

“You are so petty,” you squint. “And come on! That kiss didn’t make your forget? It made me forget!”

“I don’t like you that much.” He deadpans.

“Huang Renjun, you are so not cute!” 

4 YEARS AGO.

“It’s not my best work, so you can have it,” Renjun says, trying to act casual about it.

You look so happy that Renjun would have painted a thousand more if you asked him to. You have a smile that could make the goddesses envious, and he can barely hear what you’re saying over the thumping of his own heart. He hopes his expression looks somewhat elusive because he’s not sure how to handle himself right now. 

You’re the prettiest girl he’s ever seen in his life. 

Renjun feels like he’s been shot by Eros’ arrow. He used to never understand why everyone was so wary of Eros; he’s basically just a mascot for corny Valentine’s Day cards. Apollo and his children avoid Eros and his children like the plague. Though granted, Eros did force Apollo to fall in love with Daphne and then she ended up turning into a tree. So, there is a little bit of history there. Point being, Renjun just didn’t get it.

But he think he does now.

“Thank you so much!” you say excitedly, extending your hand. “I’m Y/N!”

Renjun just stupidly stares at you. He’s not even sure if he’s worthy to touch your hand, but he also doesn’t want to be rude. He carefully shakes your hand, unable to say a word.

“What’s your name?” you ask, tilting your head. 

Is it possible for a person to be this adorable? he thinks to himself.

“I’m...” 

You’re looking at him, waiting expectantly.

“I’m...”

You’re still smiling, but he can see the slight confusion in your eyes. He’s never felt like more of a moron in his life. 

“Ren...jun,” he finally says after an extreme amount of concentration. 

You beam at him, and he wonders if he’s the only one seeing the ring of light surrounding you. There’s no way you aren’t Aphrodite’s favorite child.

“Nice to meet you, Renjun! Let’s be friends.” 

Renjun isn’t sure he wants to be just friends, but he finds himself nodding along anyways. 

Fuck, he thinks, I’m in trouble.

[ov105]

Best friends, right?

Hello and Merry Christmas everyone! Just thought of something quick for you all after that long while of ironing out Karina.

Though as you’ve noticed, I’ll just continue upkeep of this account to crosspost my work between here in AFF, in hopes of reaching a wider audience.

4,487 words of Luda. 

In case I don't see you: Good afternoon, good evening, and good night! Merry Christmas, and may God bless you all.

Saturday day-off is a clause coated in cookie batter for the newly minted working man, dipped in sugar, and drizzled with honey. Driving up the spiral ramps at the mall parking lot with Luda on the passenger seat at 8:45 in the morning was pretty much an ideal way to catch up on an otherwise quick weekend. Going to the cinema this early was a bit odd, but then being the better man, I can only remain stubborn for so long and not go at all. 

“Wow, nobody here,” I said as I exited right on the top floor. The morning light gave a somewhat expansive view of the near-empty lot, knowing for myself that most of the time it’d have rows upon rows of cars any time of the day - but not this early, save for the few tenants that pulled up much earlier than us. Being a relative opportunist, I decided to forego the big yellow arrows to cut some rows of parking to get a sweet spot on the edge of the lot. 

“Wow, big brain, huh?” Luda said as I made a left turn and cut through diagonally through two rows of unoccupied parking. Before returning with a right turn and stopping at where I intended us to be. 

“Not like they’d care, even at uni, the guard doesn’t give a shit if I pulled this,” I replied, pulling the parking brake up. 

We can’t get out of the car either way, so I just left everything as is as I reclined, leaned forward, reached down to pull a cold lever, and pushed back my seat. Stretching and fishing my phone from my jacket as I laid down lazily. I had been unable to check my notifications as it pinged, again and again, earlier that day while I was eating, in the shower, and dressing up. Only to find out it was some things that I forgot to do and kept on bugging me. It was pretty much a bummer.

“How long do we have to wait?” Luda said, turning the knob and turning it down a notch. 

“Just turn it off,” I said, referring to the radio, “An hour I think? An hour and fifteen minutes to be sure,” I continued, answering her question.

After that, we spent ten or so minutes catching up on what we had missed. It’d only been a year since we graduated, but things always feel different when jumping to a new chapter. There’s that idea of feeling like not sticking in your new environment, but in reality, I probably just don’t know that I’m one of them already - the only catch is I’m still stuck in the past. My friends dearly reminded me of that past. 

It was a slow start, but later on, I was at the same pace we both shared when we talked with each other. It was reminiscent of the school cafeteria, just dropping everything and talking, joking, and talking again. Soon after that yellow brick road, we were back talking about our hobbies; Luda with her postcards and calligraphy, and I with my photography.

"So, when are you going to be my portrait model?” I asked, “You know, I've been looking for someone to practice my shooting skill on,” rubbing my hands around, a bit nervous,  “You can be a nice model, you know."

"I don't know,” Luda said, averting her eyes down, “You know I'm not really that pretty to be a model, nor do I have a supermodel body," she continued.

"Hey, you've always been a cutie. It’d be great to see your eyes smile in my camera roll."

Luda gave a glance, then scoffed at the compliment.

"Fine, as for the body part,” I said, taking a glance to her chest, “I guess you're somewhat right.” 

"Hey! It’s not like you’re big anyway," she replied, coming at her defense.

"Well, I can say yours is true, but there's no way you can tell it for me," I replied, cackling as I enjoy my victory in our little argument.

At least that’s what I thought. Then, a bolt of lightning.

"You sure about that?" Luda said as her arm darted out and ducked between my shorts, quickly grabbing, and worse, squeezing my member with her fingers. Surprised, I swatted her hand away, closing my thighs on instinct.

“Yah!” Missing her hand as she reeled it back. 

“Ah, so I was right after all,” she said.

“Ha?!” I replied with an eyebrow raised and sounding agitated. However, my brain was sifting through whether or not I was to be pissed off, surprised, or aroused.

“I guess we’re equal now, you are not that big either..,” Luda said, as she looked at me with a mischievous face while pinching her finger.

Then the thunder struck.

“But it seems like it is getting bigger.., are you actually having a boner for your best friend?”

Luda's face was as blank as a statue before erupting into awkward laughter.

“Ha! I guess all men are the same!” Luda said.

“Bullshit!” I scoffed, “Well, this is the natural reaction! I can’t control it, plus, you touched where you shouldn’t be touching!” I replied, now growing even more confused by the situation, unsure whether I should get angry or just get over it.

Then lightning struck, the thunder of primal instinct along with it. 

“You know… I’ve always wondered how it’s gonna be like. Can I touch it again?” Luda looked at me with her puppy eyes.

What? That’s all I have in my mind - What did she just say?

“If you’re shy, you can just let me have a look,” Luda kept her gaze at me with a naughty expression as she spoke.

“I’m not shy, but this is a public area,” I stressed as I looked around, “Plus, you sure this is what best friends do?” I replied. 

“I’m not sure that is what best friends should do, but I’m sure,” she said, “I want to touch it again. Please?” Luda asked again, and no, it’s not what friends typically do. 

It is those eyes again, I swear. Those puppy eyes just make me put my guard down.

“Just once,” I said, holding a finger up, “And you’re not going to do this again,” I finally gave in to her unusual request.

“Just relax. I know we’ll both keep quiet,” Luda said, leaning close. I was expecting to have to spend more than I should today, or that maybe we’d go home a while after the mall closes in the evening. I wasn’t expecting to get head from one of my best friends.

Luda's small palm hovered over the slight bulge on my shorts before her long, spindly fingers grabbed my bulge and squeezed me again. Going tighter as my blood slowly tensed my muscles on her grip. Her hands then slid up and unbuttoned me. 

“Ya!?” I asked her, though not acting on her hand this time. She just giggled a bit. 

“I only said touch, not see,” I said

"I just wanted to have some extra fun," Luda replied as she giggled again.

"That's not how friends have fun, and you know we are still in a public area, right?" I said as I held onto her hand.

"Yeah, in between 2 empty cars in a far corner of an unopened mall, what could go wrong, right?" Luda said, a bit sarcastically, as she freed her hand away from mine.

“Fine, fine, I’m not supposed to let you have it, but I guess this is the benefit of being a friend for a decade, just a peek, I’m not expecting you to do anything more stupid than this,” and there I gave in again, for whatever reason that is.

“You know I never expected to see my best friend’s dick, but this feels really fun,” Luda replied as she’s giggling and unzipping my pants like a happy little child that is unwrapping her Christmas present.

“I can’t believe I’m letting you do this too,” I sighed as I’m still in a state of disbelief, looking at my best friend that is now trying to dig my member out of my pants.

And the thunder struck again, like one that came off a grade 5 hurricane.

"Do you remember that you said we might end up together if no one wants us? At this rate, both of us nerds are gonna be single forever," She said as she started to lean closer and closer.

“Why not just let me practice what is bound to happen to us anyway? Luda replied as she stared at me from below.

Feeling uneasy as I feel like she’s gonna do something worse or better, I just stared blankly at her and sighed.

“Are you trying to do what I think you’re going to do?” I said as I got more and more intrigued by the situation.

“I guess best friends think alike?” Luda looked at me and slightly adjusted her specs as if she’s giving out a hint.

“Fine. I wasn’t expecting this, but fine, just do whatever you want to do, at least make a good job out of it,” I spoke my mind. All but a human still with the warmth of her fingers over me, waving my white flag up. 

“Wasn’t expecting to do this on a movie day, but don’t you worry, I’ll help you fix your boner issue,” Luda said with a slightly naughty expression as she took her hands out, pulled down my shorts, and swatted it off as it hung on my shoes. 

Her spindly fingers grabbed my cock again through my boxers, then rubbing the cloth with her palm. Glancing at her, one that caught her eye as she bit her lip. I could feel she was ready to back out, but it was too far for either of us even then. I don’t know why I got hard faster than I thought I would’ve as Luda rubbed her fingers on where my tip was. 

Thinking it was a bit uncomfortable for her to be leaning over from her side just to suck me off, I told her to stop as I pushed my seat the furthest it could go. 

“Get over here. We only have 45 minutes,” I beckoned her. Luda looked around a bit as she moved to my side of the car, giving one last look at her cute face before she’d defile the sight of it forever as she knelt before me. Her hands continued to rub me over my underwear, her fingertips pressing slightly harder as she traced my shaft and closing together as she rubbed my tip. I guess being a calligrapher helped how she hadn’t choked me yet. I was surprised to feel her grabbing my balls and squeezing them a bit. She did her homework, I guess. 

She giggled again, covering her mouth with her hands before she let out what was, by now, the obvious.

“Ah, this is so dirty!” 

I mean, if you’ve been friends for ten years, since the wee days of just starting in high school. After all that time, we’ve seen each other grow as individuals. Add to that, after an ex-boyfriend. It really would be dirty for her to be in front of me and just one pull away from seeing my cock. 

“Fuck it.”

Luda just said, darting her hands into the hem of my boxers and pulled it down. My cock sprung, half-hard, as she grabbed it. Luda quickly began stroking it with a hand as the other crept up on my thigh. It took her wrists a while to get it right, leading me from there, with a girl’s pale white fingers pressing against the brown foreskin, trapping it in with her soft palm as she went along with her hand job. Her thumb kept on sliding up the underside of my tip, which only helped my veins hoist my shaft up with her stroking. 

I could slowly feel my brain turn to mush as Luda's soft hand made quick work of me, making it worse as she switched from her right to left palm. Being a leftie, she instantly ended up being much more in control; her touch felt beautiful. Slowing down as she moved her palm out of the way, keeping her fingers around my cock as she opened her mouth, her tongue emerging between her teeth. 

Luda then stopped stroking, pulled my cock close to her tongue, and licked it, not just once, but twice. Stroking back again as she glanced up, giggling as she looked down, and giving another glance as she stuck her tongue and licked the whole way upward. When my ex would do this, I’d already let out at least a whimper by this time. It was still odd with my best friend giving it to me, but as she repeated the touch of her tongue on my shaft, she was showering that away. 

Twitching once the first time her tongue licked around my tip, she just gave me a look of “I told you so” before throwing back as if to insult me for what my body was telling her.  

“I told you, all men are the same.” 

Luda said as she wrapped her lips around the tip, rounding her tongue around it a few times before a wet smooch followed as she pulled back. It was a sight straight out of an adult video.

“Where did you learn that?” I asked. 

“Ex,” She replied, stroking me a few times. Her tongue was licking upwards. It was clear she was trying to woo me over. Hearing a few giggles here and there as she knew this sudden change of plans was neither on our mental checklists for today. 

“Relax, just relax,” Luda cooed at me as she wrapped her lips around the tip before pushing forward and taking me into her mouth. It was warmth. It was bliss as her tongue slid under, her small lips parted open as an inch-and-a-half was inside her mouth. She slid her fingers through her dark brown hair and kept them down her left side as she went down another inch. 

Luda looked up at me and still had her large specs on, her small mouth enclosed around my cock, and her tongue playing around. When I met her years ago, I couldn’t tell myself that I would’ve wanted this to happen. 

She closed her eyes, then pulled back just to the tip before pushing down, taking an inch or two in as she bobbed around for a bit. She took me off from her mouth as she made herself a ponytail, leaning in and playing around with my tip using her lips as she did. As soon as her hands were off her hair, she quickly dived down, not stopping until I felt my head knock the back of her mouth. Luda furrowed her eyebrows a bit, hearing a gag as her mouth contracted around it. Before pulling back with a gasp, saliva all over her lips as she licked them, a few falling down the side before she caught me by the tip again. 

Making sure I felt at home as she kept her gaze at me, lips sucking around my tip and making me twitch a bit as that electrifying feeling ran through my nerves. Though now, her gaze was very much different. It was less unsure and more seductive. Showing me how she has gained her footing as her tongue licked into my slit, making my jaw drop and my cock throb slightly in her lips. Hearing her giggle before she pushed down again.

Watching as Luda knelt, bobbing her head on my cock, seeing my shaft glisten while listening to her small moans as she became more daring. Always a few inches in, but never taking it deep down her throat. She tried earlier, though now she wanted to prove herself well to her friend - and she was doing it excellently. 

By now, my cock was turning from an ordinary pink to a darker pink shade, aside from how it glistened with her saliva on it. It reflected what I couldn’t tell my best friend; that she was making me feel good. 

Luda moaned as she kept her pace halfway down on my cock. I thought it would be appropriate to return at least half of the pleasure she’s giving now, sitting up a bit with my hand sliding down her collar, fingers searching for the garter of her bra, following it down and sliding my hand into her bra, grabbing hold of one of her soft tits. They were small, but they were still soft. She whimpered a bit as I squeezed it, taking me deeper inside her in return. The feeling of getting sucked deeper made me bite my lip and groan; it just felt too good.

Luda's cheeks and small mouth didn’t struggle too much. Judging from how good and warm she’s making me feel, getting an involuntary throb from my cock a few times. Though now she wanted a bit more as she started getting louder, my nerves feeling the seal of her lips wrap tighter around my base, and even more so around my tip. This forced her to lean forward, and in turn, upward. I was lying down as she made a slight list, still allowing me to reach for her bra. 

Now that the light was able to shine on how Luda's pink tongue made circles, then her lips kissed, took in, and then dived on my cock. A loud slurp followed as she rounded off at the tip of me, hearing a giggle as my legs shook a bit. Flashing that eye smile as she slowly took in all the inches I could give as I slid atop her palate to the back of her mouth. The tension throughout just had my toes curled as she did it again and again, and when she saw how my neck was beginning to sweat bullets because of it, that’s how she carried on. 

“If you’re gonna keep playing around like that, just deepthroat me already,” I told her. 

“As you wish then.”

Luda went up top, her tongue flashing a bit as she rounded my tip, before her lips wrapped around the head as tight as she could and went down to the base. Hearing her gag as it hit and went past the back of her mouth, that feeling of her mouth contracting as the pink tip of my cock went the deepest it could go. Her cute face scrunched up as her throat got tighter and another gag before she reeled back, a huge gasp following as my cock sprung out of her little mouth.

Fuck, Luda mouthed. 

Before the first drip touched my crotch, Luda's lips wrapped around my head and went back down to the base in what was an unpredictable move. She rose back up halfway and pushed herself down again, with a gakt! as her throat gagged, her eyes and nose scrunching too as she got to grips with me being this deep. I thought the worst of it and her making a mess of us before our day has even started. 

Luda then looked up to me as she pulled back; Give it to me. 

Closing her eyes as a series of gags filled the air, each gritter than the last before she stopped and gasped just as I watched her tongue swipe left to right, before leaning in and licking my tip as I throbbed. 

I thought about going harsh on her, living a wild fantasy I only had seen before in porn. As she put her lips around my cock again, my hands got to the back of her head and pushed her down, and for the first time, I thrust my hips up into her throat. A loud gag from Luda followed as her fingers dug into my thighs. I looked down to see my friend; saliva dripping down the sides of her lips, her dark hair looked like a mess, her eyes only said one thing; get on with it.

Putting my fingers where I could get a good grip on Luda's head, I pushed her back against my crotch again. Groaning weakly as I began to fuck her throat. Her hands held onto my thighs as I relished in the feeling of pushing down against the depth she could go, while I was beginning to reach cloud nine as I kept hitting the back of her throat. The struggle being heard in her gags slowly turned from her coping with my tip spearing down her throat, her gags becoming moans as I used her mouth for myself. 

“You like that?” I asked as I pushed her against me, though my grip held her tight as she began to gag on it. Realizing she can’t talk and only giving a muffled response, she just nodded. 

Sitting up a bit as I got a fistful of Luda's hair, she gagged the whole time until I pulled her away from my cock. Wet lips and a thick trail of saliva dripped off her mouth as she held her mouth open.

“You like that?” I repeated.

“Love it. I wished my ex did the same to me too,” Luda replied, moving onto my cock despite the fistful of hair above her head. She wanted it so badly, though, of course, we were still best friends after this. 

She then caught my cock again, her saliva and my precum dripping once or twice from the tip as it throbbed. It still was throbbing as Luda wrapped her lips around it, her tongue playing around my tip before I pushed a little deeper and her tongue laid under my shaft, and once that was done, I forced myself into Luda's mouth. 

The squelching sound came off her lips as I bit my lip. Looking at Luda and reflecting on how she immediately flashed a smile as she got on the passenger seat almost an hour ago, with only a plan to catch up and see a movie. But now, as I looked down again to see the same eyes, with her lips wrapped around the smuttiest part, as I had a fistful of her hair as her cheeks bounced every time I smacked my crotch against her face and down her throat.

Feeling that familiar weight coming on as I edged closer to my release, I had ought to rush it. After all, this was just supposed to be quick. I was locking my legs up as I prepared to blow it down Luda's tight throat. I was pushing her faster against my crotch as her gags got louder and prominent. I was close to sending cum down her throat, and I wasn’t going to have her back out now.

I heard once that “A day with a blowjob from a good friend is always a great day,” and needless to say, I scrubbed it off as some crude porn joke. Though now, with Luda at the mercy of my loins, and how my cock was probably turning red with how fucking good it feels using her throat to let my cum out after a long, busy stint at work, perhaps it is a fact.

Her eye smile disappeared and almost begged me to finish as she forcibly closed them, gagging loudly as I throbbed near uncontrollably down her throat. The grip her throat gave as it contracted, seeking both pleasure and withstanding the pain of her best friend’s dick shoving itself down her throat. I just relished at the sight of her both in the throes of pain and pleasure. She knew that by how my fingers gripped her hair tight, and my shaft throbbing down her neck. 

“Fuck, Luda,” was all I could say as that final throb came, and the surge of cum shot out of my tip, the first, weak shot, followed by the thick spurts of hot semen that left my loins and shot down into Luda's throat. Feeling myself crumple as I bit my lip and moaned behind it. My cock twitched as I moved and let out another spurt of cum as it slid back from her tight throat, now splattered white and trickling with cum after I just blasted all over it. 

Letting go of her hair, and as soon as it hit her shoulders, Luda quickly pulled back; my cock plopped out of her mouth, dripping from all that saliva and cum it just let out. She just gasped, swallowing her saliva as her fingers rubbed her neck, wiping her lips with her wrist, before showing her tongue out with whatever cum she could bring up. She just giggled as she pulled herself back and reached for her purse.

“Fuck, that was something,” Luda said as she wiped her lips with the tissues she had in her bag.

Now I was vulnerable, and our day hasn’t even started. Luda just remained there, knelt before my now limp cock and cleaning herself. Only then, as she dabbed the tissue down her neck, clearing away whatever precum and saliva dripped down that, I knew I’d done her well. 

Sliding a finger and flicking my cock, playing with it, though, in honesty, I was surprised that it wasn’t even my girlfriend who gave that, but one of the last persons on my list to make that move, less ask for it themselves. Luda just chuckled as I looked in awe at my own. 

“Too bad I can’t clean that up for you. No worries, it’s all down my throat anyway.” 

“Whatever,” I just replied. Both of us quickly molted back to being friends. Even after she had just sucked her best friend’s dick, and mind you, with par excellence, it wouldn’t change anything for us. It was just some fun banter that turned sexual, and now that’ll remain a truly closeted moment for us. We wouldn’t even have gathered an ounce of the gut, let alone think of it, and to ask this lewd favor just a few years ago. 

“Do you think anybody saw us?” Luda said as she jumped back to her seat. 

“It was none of their business,” I said, laughing, “They should’ve just wished it was them instead,” I continued, smirking. 

“Ah, so you did like it?” Luda asked, although just moments earlier, while I gripped her, it had been obvious, “Besides, that’s the first time I got deepthroated, so thanks?” 

“Yeah, right, my pleasure,” I replied sarcastically. Luda stood her ground and insisted, but I guess she already knew that I didn’t like it - I loved it. 

“So, how long until it opens?” She asked, looking around again before focusing on her phone.

“15 minutes.” 

[thelittleboyfromloveactually]

Two Shorten the Road

Part 2

Joel dawson x reader

Warnings: none I think

Word count: 1951

Promt: you and joel are of to a great start on your journey, that is until your get attacked by one of the mutated monsters

I’ve always hated goodbyes, especially when they might be forever. Joel and I had packed quickly and said our goodbyes.

“So joel, you gotta use your advantages, so like your small and fast, so ya know, don’t fight! Just run, run and hide” Tim told Joel

“Take care of him Y/N”

“Stay alive you two!”

“For real! Do not die!”

I met joel right under the bunker’s exit hatch. He looked at me, fear and excitement in his eyes

“You ready?” He asked as he adjusted his backpack

“As ready as I’ll ever be” I said looking up at the ladder

“You know you don’t have to-“ he stared before i cut him off, what was ur gonna take for him to understand that I was coming and that was that.

“I want to, really, I do” I said smiling at him

“Alright then” he said. He looked up and began climbing up the ladder, I followed after him.

We pushed the hatch open, and Joel helped me out. The sun was hot against my skin. I looked at joel. He was looking is all directions, amazed by the sight of the trees and grass. I smiled at him, remembering how long it had been since he’d been outside. We made eye contact, he took a deap breath. Joel jumped down and I followed.

“Ok so, we need to go west” he said looking at his map

“Right…West” I said looking around, I had no idea which way was west, i normally just followed everyone when i went out hunting.

“This is not….very helpful” he said looking at the map

Joel began walking one way, still looking down at his map. He turned noticing I wasn’t following him. Then he began walking the other way

“We’re gonna die” I said

“Hey just because I’m not entirely sure which way is west does not mean we are screwed” he said defensively

“Actually Kato that’s exactly what it means” I said, grabbing the map from his hands

He looked around, thinking for a second as I studied his map. Suddenly he began walking again, i quickly ran up behind him

“Let’s go this way, ya west is this way” he said, nodding confidently “split the difference, done! First decision made”

And we were off

It’s so weird being outside with Joel. I’m hardly used to being outside in general, and joel. Man I cannot even believe why joel is thinking right now, I mean he hasn’t been outside in 7 years. We have been walking for about one hour. We were walking through what seemed like a deserted neighborhood. There were a lot of cars and busses. Covered in vines, rusting away. Preoccupied with what was around me and not what was below me, I tripped, falling on my face.

“Oh shit! Y/N are you ok?” Joel ran over helping you up

“Yup, ya I’m good” I said dusting myself off. I looked up at joel, his eyes had worry behind them. I smiled telling him I was ok. His hands slowly let go of me. I looked down at what I had tripped over. A hot pink frisbee, how convenient.

“Ya I know, I know, your like an strong bad ass” he said jokingly

You laughed and pushed his arm as you began to start walking again

“Y-ya know I never thanked you and stuff, for ya know? Coming with me, I’m actually really glad you came, I don’t think I could do this without my best friend” he said, looking at his feet

“You don’t need to thank me joel, I don’t think I would have been able to stay one day in that colony without you” I smiled

“Also I really do need to thank you because I’m pretty sure I would have been killed already, to death” he said nodding his head

“Killed to death? Really? Wow sounds gruesome” u said laughing

“Wow” he said and we broke out laughing.

Suddenly a sort of rumbling sound came from somewhere, I couldn’t tell which direction. I looked at joel, panic now rest in his eyes.

“Run and hide” he said repeating what he had been told before leaving the bunker “hide….hide in the house! Y/N this way!” He said running toward the house, i threw my bow over my back, adjusting it and then running after him.

The house was quite, the wood creaked under my feet. I took off my bow and grabbed the arrow. Now I was ready to fight whatever bastard was gonna attack us. The sound got louder causing both me and Joel to run outside through the back door. We stumbled out of the house. I looked over at him and he shrugged. Suddenly another sound came from behind us. Bubbles. Me and Joel slowly turned around to see a little pond that had bubbles emerging on its surface. I grabbed an arrow, threading it through my bow as I began walking toward the pond.

“No Y/N!” joel demanded in a whisper

I stumbled back as a creature emerged, it was huge. I slowly backed away. Shit. I could hear Joel trying to tell me to run. He began counting

“Run on three Y/N! One, two, three!” we both broke off in a run toward the gate. I Pulled back my arrow and prepared to shoot but I was too late. Before I knew it I was being thrown into the fence and then dragged toward the toad-like creature. I grabbed desperately onto a log but it just came along with me.

“JOEL! shit! Help me! Grab my bow!” I yelled trying everything I could to slow this thing down. I could feel it’s tongue in my shoe. Joel was frozen in place. Shit. Then barks, something I hadn't heard for 7 years. A small brown dog came running toward me. It bit and chewed at the creature's yellow tongue. It quickly released me and I staggered up. I ran toward joel.

“Come on! We need to go!” I said , guiding him. I stopped to grab my bow before running out of the gate. The dog was behind us. But so was the Toad. The brown dog ran toward a deserted bus that had been decorated, painted. The doors opened and he ran inside, Joel and I followed.

The bus looked like it had been someone’s home at one point. Many different things hung from the room and pages of magazines and drawings covered the windows. I looked around as Joel caught his breath and calmed himself down. I walked over to a table and sat down, looking at what seemed like craft supplies.

“Nice place” Joel said still out of breath “mine if I sit?” Now this man was talking to a dog, figures. The dog looked up as if to say “yes”. Joel sat on the bed and I moved next to him.

“Are you ok?” He asked sweetly

“Ya, I’m good” I said smiling

Joel nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. “Are you all alone?” I asked the dog, he was laying on a bed made out of a quilt and a pillow that said “boy” on it. The dog shifted its head away from us in response. I really love dogs, and this was breaking my heart. I sat down next to the animal and began petting it. I could feel Joel’s eyes on me. Eager to break the silence I decided to test my theory for the dog's name.

“Boy” I said and the dog sat up, he was suddenly all ears. “Is that your name? Boy?” I asked, smiling and giving him more pets. Joel smiled.

“Your names boy” joel said “I’m Joel, and that pretty lady is Y/N” he said gesturing to me “she’s my best friend, thank you for saving her” he whispered

I smiled, how could anyone not love this boy? This Aimee chick is quite lucky. I am worried though. What if she moved on? Joel would be broken.

“Nice to meet you” I said kissing the dog on the head

Joel smiled and then continued to look around. His eyes fell on a red dress.

“Is this a dress?” He asked picking it up

“No, it’s a hat” I said sarcastically, Joel looked at me, confused. “I’m kidding” I said and I could see the realization in his eyes. Suddenly Boy moved and grabbed the dress out of Joel’s hands and brought it back to his bed.

“Ok, I won’t touch it again” Joel said, throwing his hand up in defense. I looked carefully at the dog. He looked sad

“Was that your owner’s?” I asked, the dog stayed still. I laid down to get closer to him “it’s ok, you don’t have to talk about it” I looked at Joel and shrugged. Then I realized “wait did you think I was her?” I asked the dog, still he lay avoiding eye contact. I sighed, this poor dog.

“Hey um, I’m gonna lay down too” Joel chimed in “is that o…” he stopped to take off his backpack which seemed to startle the poor thing. “No it’s ok! It’s just my backpack” Joel reassures the dog. He plopped it down on the floor and moved his feet up on the bed. I laid down next to the dog bed, laying my bow and arrows next to me.

“Wait hey” Joel said sitting up a little “you don’t have to nap on the floor” he told me

“It’s fine, I like to be close to Boy” I responded smiling

“Are you sure? I mean I feel like I should really let you sleep on the bed since you almost died and I couldn’t save you” he said sitting up fully

“Joel, it’s fine! I'm serious, and please do not beat yourself up about that. It’s not your fault!” I told him, trying to ease his worry.

He nodded “kkkkkkkkkkk” he said “just take this though” he took off his red jacket and handed it to me

I gave him a look that said “no really I’m fine” then he returned the look with an “I insist” look. I gave in and used the jacket as a blanket. I closed my eyes, almost drifting off to sleep…..but then Joel was up and at em. He put his backpack on and began to walk out of the bus. I scrambled up and followed him. Guess we are leaving…. Boy followed us out and for some reason Joel seemed surprised.

“Oh hey are you coming with us?” Joel asked and Boy ran back inside “ok then” then suddenly Boy was back out with the red dress

“Oh yes of course, Joel,” I looked at Joel. “We cannot forget the dress!” I told him as if it was obvious

“Oh right ya, here Boy let me put it in my backpack” he tried to pull it away from Boy but he wouldn’t drop it

“Hey it’s ok, he’s gonna keep it so safe in the safe pack” I said kneeling down to sooth the dog. He let go and Joel put the red dress in his backpack. I adjusted my bow and we began walking. Me on the right, Joel on the left and Boy in the middle. My weird brain couldn’t help but think about if we could all be a family. If everything was normal. We would get married and adopt Boy. That is if I ever get the courage to tell Joel how I feel and if he feels the same. Welp! Until then I am stuck in my imagination as we venture closer toward our destination.

[mschillinvillin]

Kagome yelling at sesshomaru and he gets lowkey scared/horny

*I’m sorry that this took me forever. I hope it’s sort of what you had in mind, oh Anonymous prompt giver.*

Title: Bad Entertainment

Pairing: Sess/Kag

Rated: T for language

 Fucking with Inuyasha was the only thing that really got him going. It had always been a pathetic way of finding entertainment, cheap, like booting Jaken, but things had recently taken a more interesting turn.

 “Sesshoumaru!” The young woman didn’t bother with honorifics, a lack of respect that should have meant her death, but he turned to her, careful not to look too interested. Inuyasha was limp in his grasp, bleeding just enough to make a show of things. He wanted to piss off the wench.

 An arrow flew past his ear, singing with sharp power that stirred the air beside him. He dropped his quarry, aware of the way his brother struggled to sit up after a particularly forceful blow to the gut. He allowed her to draw another arrow, watched her power pool at its tip, then quickly crowded her. She didn’t let it fly; the bitch was more bark than bite, and a little nip would hardly wound him anyhow. Once he was too close to fall victim to her ranged weapon, he leaned in, watching panic flutter across her face before she stomped it down and let indignation replace it.

 Hnn, good.

 He leaned in just enough to bathe himself in her scent – human, sweat, blood from scraped knees, but also a perplexing chemical mix with sweet currents that reminded him of his own poison. He waited for her to react, heard the harsh intake of breath that meant she was about to start yelling in his ear, then vanished.

 He watched from above when she gasped, twirled, craned her neck trying to look behind her, and then dropped her weapon all at once – he’d show her what a mistake that was next time – and fell to his brother’s side, fussing over him.

 Annoying.

 But still good entertainment.

*

 Riling up Inuyasha was a good way to rile up the woman, but with the addition of more mortals to their little group, he found her ire harder to focus on. She took more of a backseat role, allowing them to do the work while she lobbied arrows from a safe distance. She grit her teeth while she did it, barely saying anything at all.

 Surely he could get more out of her than that.

 He brushed off the desire to simply grab her and run. Being saddled with Inuyasha’s woman was not in his plans. He wanted a quick brush with tingling power and a little sass to rile him up, and then he’d be gone.

 The group seemed to protect her the most, and he retreated after a measly punch to Inuyasha’s face, anger making him put a little more force than was necessary.

 “Inuyasha!” He didn’t need to turn to know she’d run towards the half breed. Irritation mounted. He left before he could do something he’d regret.

 It was time for a change in tactics.

 *

 The group moved slowly with a lot of noise, and Sesshoumaru followed at a sedate pace. Every so often, he’d let tendrils of his youki escape, trailing them over her specifically, and suppressing a chuckle when she’d whip back to glare down the path. The harder he pressed, the more her power bucked, trying to throw him off.

 Finally, she spun towards him. Her friends took a moment to notice that she’d frozen, their chatter dying off as they reached for their weapons.

 “Is it a shard?”

 Inuyasha bounded in front of her, inhaling deeply through his open mouth and impeding Sesshoumaru’s view of her. Taking care to be silent now that they were all on high alert, he skirted the edges of the woods around them and took up position once again behind her.

 She spun and Inuyasha herded her back again, ears swiveling as he tried to pick out what was setting her off.

 “Is it a shard?” The monk asked.

 “I just have this weird feeling,” she shuddered. “It’s not… unpleasant, but it’s strange. It feels like something is messing with me.”

 His good mood soured. Messing with a human was beneath him. It wasn’t until he was halfway back to his ward that it sank in. That was exactly what he’d been doing.

 Still, it pleased him that she didn’t find his aura unpleasant.

*

It was weeks until he saw them again, despite moving parallel to their group. If he truly focused, he could understand what they were saying.

 “I just can’t believe he kissed me!” Kagome was crying to the demon slayer. She sounded mortified.

 “Was it at least a nice kiss?”

 “I don’t know! It was Hojo! He’s a nice guy but he’s so boring. And then I slapped him!”

 “I always slap men when they get too handsy.”

 “But Miroku is a lot tougher than Hojo, and now everyone is mad at me, or they’re calling me crazy. It was so embarrassing! And it made me so mad!”

 Sesshoumaru tucked away that bit of information like a crow with a treasure. It hadn’t occurred to him that embarrassment could cause such a reaction. He did not wish to manhandle the miko as the monk did the demon slayer and discarded the notion, but the thought of an open palm and soft lips haunted his dreams, so that when the sun began to peek out over the grassy hill his group was hiding in, he felt himself forced to take action.

 They slept in a loose circle. His eyes remained trained on the miko when he stepped into the threshold of their temporary domain. She was curled up beneath a shiny yellow blanket, her loose hair spilling like ink across her pillow.

 “What do you want?” Inuyasha’s loud voice roused the group.

 The object of his obsession yawned, and he caught how pink her lips were, flushed, like she’d been biting them in her sleep. She didn’t seem to notice what was going on around her, groaning deeply as she raised her arms and stretched back, her unbound chest jutting out provocatively beneath a thin layer of strange fabric.

 She rubbed her eyes then whined. “Inuyasha? Is everything OK?”

 “Just stay back Kagome!”

 That made her alert. She moved to her knees, reaching for her bow, but he was already there, looming over her while his brother scrambled and shouted behind him. He had an impressive view down the subtle V of her neckline, but of course he wasn’t interested in looking there.

 “Sesshoumaru?” She squeaked, suddenly alert. He let his youki run over her once more, watching when her eyes widened in sudden understanding. If he went to all this trouble and she reacted like anyone else would, he’d be horribly disappointed, so he leaned down and huffed into the curved shell of her ear.

 “Pay attention, miko.”

 “Wh-?”

 Her exclamation was cut off by the forceful surge of his lips on hers. His tongue slid past her open lips, tracing the hard ridge of teeth while she let out a muffled noise. The heat was not unpleasant. He hummed and leaned forward, recognizing a sudden rush of interest in her scent, the fleeting smell of attraction, desire-

 A stinging slap broke the spell. Purity rushed forth in her sudden fury. It was everything he’d wanted.

 Tears gathered along her waterline.

 “What is wrong with you men?” She snapped, springing towards the demon slayer and burying her face in the other woman’s shoulder. Everyone was gaping at him.  He righted himself stiffly and wandered back the way he had come, contemplating kisses and why the fact that they worked didn’t make them the right choice.

 *

 He couldn’t wait even a week before he returned to her.

 There was a shift in the way Inuyasha’s group reacted to him. Inuyasha still shouted, but instead of springing forward, he stayed close to the miko. Likewise, they’d stopped leaving her to the rear and now formed a tight circle around her. She eyed him warily, but her weapon was slack in her hands.

 Two options presented themselves.

 He could say what he needed to say here, in front of her companions, or….

 He’d whisked her away in the breadth of a few seconds, taking her skyward so quickly that all he heard was a gasp and Inuyasha’s oath trailing behind them. The wind stole her shrieks, and he tried not to enjoy how her power surged against him in rebuttal to the manhandling washing him in a satisfying tingle, even as she threw her arms around his neck and pressed her nose against the skin beneath his ear.

 He slowly came to a stop and waited for her trembling to cease, letting his arm fall so she would know he had no intention of restraining her. She gasped and pushed off him, not realizing that her fingers were tangled in his hair and pulling his face with her.

 She was red. Stuttering. Her eyes narrowed and he waited with bated breath for the inevitable flood of power that would accompany her rage.

 “Seriously? What’s wrong with you?” She screeched. Inwardly, he preened. Power flared around him. He wasn’t one to feel fear, and he definitely wouldn’t let her know that it made his heartbeat rush.

 “Most would not assume to be so forward with this Sesshoumaru.”

 “The Sesshoumaru I know wouldn’t behave like this!”

 “You do not know me.”

 “I know enough.”

 He caught the hand that was waving about, and pressed his thumb soothingly into her palm, rumbling when her cheeks heated and he caught her eyes darting to his lips. If he was any weaker, he would run at the blush that brought forth a new wave of power. She was dangerous to him. Adrenaline pumped. He felt like a pup at the site of his first skirmish.

 He inhaled deeply, noting her scent. She had liked the kiss, even if his method of stealing it had been wrong. Good.

 “Hn, I would like you to know more.” His breath brushed across her forehead, fluttering her bangs. Slowly, so that she could knock his hand away if she wished to, he raised his hand to her face and cupped her cheek. She licked her lips. It was a small, subconscious gesture, but he approved.

 “Oh?”

 “If you have no complaints.”

 “I have several.” She said it with a small frown, but still tugged on his hair and tipped her head, angling it for a kiss.

 “Hn, good.” He complied.

[nights-legacy]

Safe Change - Sokka

+ Y/N is the loner of the town but she sometimes get unwanted attention from some of the men. The GAang comes to town and she also gains the attention of a certain Water tribe man. One day, she is confronted by two men that won’t leave her alone until Sokka steps in and chases them off. The two spend a lot of time together until it’s time for the GAang to leave. In a spur of the moment decision, Y/N asks if she can go with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/N’s POV

The sounds of the market echoed through the streets. I smiled as a young child apologized as she ran into me and ran off. I shook my head and turned back to the vendor and thanked them for the fruit. I walked down the path, through the stands when suddenly I was knocked off my feet by a strong blast of air.

“Ah!” My basket fell and rolled, spilling the contents just slightly. I sat up on my knees and brushed off my hands as a pair of feet appeared in front of my.

“Oh I’m so sorry miss!” A boys voice exclaimed, worried. I saw him kneel down and start picking up some of my fruit.

“It’s alright. It’s not like you can control the winds.” I righted the basket and grabbed a few of my groceries that were in reach. “Strange, today hasn’t been very windy at all. So that was…”

“Actually…” He nervously chuckled. I looked up and saw a young boy dressed in orange and yellow. He was rubbing the back of his neck with a small smile on his face. What stood out the most to me was the arrow tattoo on his forehead.

“You’re…” My eyes widened. He nodded. “The Avatar.” He put the rest of the fruit and put it in the basket. He stood up, holding out the basket.

“Yeah, I am Aang and I’m sorry about knocking you over. I was racing with a friend and got carried away.” He gave me a sheepish smile. I took the basket and thanked him.

“It’s quite alright. Things happen.”

“Aang! What’s the holdup buddy? You disappeeeeeaaaared, oh hi.” A boy in Water Tribe clothing came running up. He skidded to a stopped when he saw me. He stared and gave me a goofy smile before waving. “I’m Sokka, beautiful.”

“Hi.” I waved back, giggling nervously before noticing the position of the sun. “It’s getting late. I better go. It was nice to meet you, Aang and Sokka.” I said before turning and leaving.

“Nice to meet you too!” I heard Sokka yell. I waved but kept going. I didn’t want to be caught in the dark by some ‘admirers’ again.

No one in town ever really paid attention to me, making me the loner or outcast of the town. No one but some men that found themselves attracted to me and gave me all their unwanted attention whenever they saw me. I sighed in relief when I made it home without an incident.

*Time Skip*

A couple of days after I met the Avatar and his friend, I saw them around town a lot. They were resting for a while before they went on to their next adventure. Sokka had made a point of always saying hello or some other conversation. I hadn’t seen them much today though.

“Goodnight, Y/N. Come again!” I smiled and walked away from the vendor stand, making a path for home. It was getting dark quicker now and the sun was setting as I came to the edge of town. I saw a few men lounging in a meadow as I walked on home.

“Hey there!” I heard one of them call. I stiffened but kept my head forward and kept walking. “Hey! I’m talking to you!” I heard the same voice call again but more annoyed. I heard the men get up but not move. All of a sudden, the ground moved beneath me, causing me to fall.

“Great. Earth bending jerks.” I sat up before I was encased in a shadow. I looked up and saw the two smiling big. “Umm, I should be going.” I shot to my feet and tried to walk away. One of them darted in front of me and started to walk closer. I started backing up and they kept advancing on me.

“What’s wrong little miss?” One asked all sweet like as my back hit a tree. He quickly lunged forward and set his hand just above my head. “Are we scaring you?” They laughed as if were the funniest thing in the world. Neither of them were very big guys and I could probably easily out run them but they were creepy enough and close enough, I couldn’t go anywhere.

“We just want to get to know ya.” The other one reached forward and brushed his finger around my jaw.

“I need to get home so please just leave me be.” I tried to move but he stepped in my way. Before either could say anything again, a metal boomerang lodged itself in the tree a foot above my head. The two jumped back shrieking and I dropped down.

“I think you need to move along and leave the woman alone.” I heard Sokka in the distance. I turned to look and saw him with a murderous look on his face. He was walking this way with a club in his hand. He stopped when they didn’t move. I glanced at them. “I won’t ask you again…” He lifted the club and the two scampered off, tripping over each other in the process.

“Thank you.” I said while watching the men disappear. I turned and jumped when I saw him next to me. He looked worried.

“Are you okay?” He asked. He held out a hand and pulled me up.

“Yes. I’m okay. Thanks to you.” I said while pointing to the boomerang. He reached up and yanked it free. He looked at me and smiled.

“It’s my pleasure. I will always stand up for a friends.” I paused and looked at him in surprise when he said friend.

“You think of me as a friends?” I asked.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I? I mean you’re an amazing girl and so nice. Who wouldn’t consider you a friend?” He said cheerfully. He reached back and put the weapon away before continuing. “I hate cowards like that. Don’t have any manners or decorum. I was just walking by when I heard their sick laughter and saw them harassing you.”

“Earth bending cowards and no they don’t have anything remotely associating with decenciy.”

“They were earth benders and they ran? Oh that is rich!” He laughed out loud. “Toph would have beaten them to a pulp for being so cowardice. Take your weak earth magic and take it somewhere else!” He jumped back and laughed. I smiled and laughed with him.

“Well…” I looked around and saw it was completely dark now. “I need to get home. Thank you again for saving me. No one ever has done anything like that for me.” He looked at me confused. “I don’t have any friends or family around here. I’m kinda the loner of the town.”

“Oh. I see.” He said quietly. “Well, I will proudly say I consider you a friend. I hope could consider me one as well.”

“Of course Sokka. Well goodnight Sokka.” I walked away towards my home feeling better than I have for a while.

I spent the next couple of days spending time with Sokka and his friends. It was the day they had planned to leave that an idea sparked in my head. I wasn’t happy around her and I feeling of safety would be gone once Sokka left.

“Sokka!” I called as I ran up on the group. They all paused their packing of the air bison.  “I have something to ask you. All of you actually. I know I don’t have any special bending or even have any fighting skills but I was wondering if I could come with you?” They all stood silent.

“Well…” Sokka looked at the other three. They all shared looks minus Toph. Aang jumped down and stood next to Sokka.

“Are you sure? We don’t live a very normal life. We run into danger around every corner. We can’t garuntee you won’t get hurt at some point.” Aang explained. I smiled softly and nodded in understanding.

“I know and I don’t mind.” I looked back at Sokka. “Like I told you, I have no one around here. No friends, no family. You all were the first to treat me normally or more than just my looks and that’s a big change. I finally feel like I am important, that I am…safe.” They all looked at me before having a silent conversation. I stood apprehensively, worried they were going to say no.

“Go pack a bag, Y/N.” My eyes widened. “You are officially a member of Team Avatar!!” Sokka exclaimed. I smiled and hugged him.

“Thank you!” I pulled back and looked at the other three. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course. You’ve been an amazing friend in this short time.” Katara smiled at me. “We are happy to have you with us.”

“As long as you aren’t as annoying as Captain Boomerang here and as uptight as Sugar Queen, then we’ll be good.” Toph sassed with a big smile on her face. I saw the two siblings glare at her.

“I’ll do my best.” I said before turning to run home.

“I’ll go with you to get your stuff.” Sokka said while running up next to me. As we quickly walked to my house, he kept telling me of stuff the team was going to do, of things they could show me, and a lot of other things. We walked up to my door and I stopped turning toward him.

“Thank you Sokka. For everything.” I said. I moved onto my tip-toes and pecked his cheek. I saw red bloom over her cheeks and I could feel it come over my face too. I bit my lip before stepping back. “I’m going to get my stuff.”

“Wait…” I felt Sokka grab my arm gently. I turned back to him slowly. In one movement, he gently grabbed my cheek and kissed me softly. It only lasted a few seconds but it felt like forever. He pulled away slowly. “I’m glad you’re coming with us. I was fighting with myself with the thought of leaving you.”

“Really?” He nodded. I took in a breath. He moved his hand down and held my hand for a second.

“Let me know if you need any help.” He offered. I nodded before walking in and heading straight for my room. I pack clothes, necessities, mementoes, and a few other things that I held dear. I walked through my house, reminiscing of the good times I had here. I smiled once more before walking out the door, ready to leave with Sokka and the rest of the GAang. Ready for my safe change.

[missytearex]

Here are the fics that kept me entertained this month. Remember to leave kudos/comments if you choose to check them out. Under 10k fics are under the cut.

🌊 Follow Your Arrow by @bitter-leaf --- [fic post]

larry | 78k | explicit

Harry was the golden child, blessed in every way; Niall was the charming miscreant, a bad boy; Liam was the future-son-in-law parents of daughters dreamt of, and Zayn was the kid parents wished was their son. But Louis, Harry thought, Louis was the special one.

It's senior year and everything is about to change.

🌊 Caves End by @jacaranda-bloom --- [fic post]

larry | 39k | explicit

When a recurring injury cuts short Harry’s time as the Captain of the English Football Team, he needs to rethink his career and his future. His best mate and manager, Niall, decides that what Harry really needs is a change of scenery, time to relax, and to get some perspective on his life. What Harry doesn’t expect is for them to end up in Australia, on a farm, with the most gorgeous man he’s ever laid eyes on.

OR the one where Harry has lost his future, Louis has lost his past, but maybe together, they can find a way through the dark.

🌊 What You're Signing On For by @a-brighter-yellow​ --- [fic post]

larry | 29k | mature

Back at home in London after a whirlwind romance, Louis wants nothing more than to break ties completely with the sophisticated Frenchman who swept him off his feet. In order to do that, he needs the help of Harry Styles: former town bad boy and adopted brother of Louis' flatmate.

An O.C. AU about flawed first impressions, the seductive power of French pastries, bad romance novelists, and getting on the same page.

🌊 Home (It's You) by Anonymous --- [fic post]

larry | 28k | mature

When Louis left his high-powered life in the city to settle down in the suburbs, he had hoped to one day fall in love and start a family. He certainly didn’t expect to meet the omega of his dreams within five minutes of moving in.

He also didn’t expect the love of his life to hate him so much.

Or, Louis and Harry are neighbors who can't seem to get along...until they fall in love.

🌊 driving down a one way road (to something better) by @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed​ --- [fic post]

zouis | 26k | teen and up

“I’m at the airport.” It’s followed by a bitter laugh. “I’m - I’m literally at the airport, hiding away in the toilets to make a phone call. They’re probably going to barge in here in a minute, thinking I’m doing something illegal, but I didn’t know what else to do Lou.” He sounds desperate, wild, nothing that Louis is used to associating with Zayn. “My flight leaves in an hour, and I wasn’t gonna do this, but, I didn’t know what else to do.”

Louis frowns. “What do you mean, love?”

“Can I - Can I please come and stay with you?” It’s barely more than a whisper, and Louis honestly isn’t sure if he’s heard it right, but the lack of an immediate response on his part makes Zayn’s breath come out all shaky and Louis won’t stand for that.

“Yes,” he decides, repeats it, in a softer but no less certain voice, when he knows Zayn is about to protest. “Yes. Of course. I’ll be there, yeah? I’ll come pick you up. When will you get here? What airport?”

---

When Zayn breaks up with his boyfriend, he needs a place to stay. Louis wouldn't be Louis if he didn't immediately open his doors to him. Never mind the fact that he's been in love with him for two years. That's not important, right?

🌊 A Road To Something Better by @taggiecb --- [fic post]

larry | 25k | explicit

Louis Tomlinson, famous romance novelist, has just had the rug pulled out from under his feet when his boyfriend leaves him without notice. What's the most appropriate response to this? Move a thousand miles away and seclude himself in a tiny lake town, of course. But nothing is as he expects it to be in the very best way, especially not the handsome mayor of McAll, Idaho.

🌊 When Tomorrow Comes by Anonymous --- [fic post]

larry | 11k | explicit

When Louis and Niall are partnered up to complete a project on Omega scents and how they effect the nesting behaviours of Alphas, little does Louis know that the course of his life is about to be forever altered.

OR the one where Louis is an Omega who has been keeping himself pure for his Alpha, Harry is a traditional Alpha focusing on his studies while he waits to find his bondmate, and Niall is a sneaky bastard who keeps borrowing Louis’ clothes and never returning them.

🌊 I can’t do this alone (sometimes I just need a light) by @beau-soleil-louis​ --- [fic post]

larry | 7k | not rated

“Harry,” he says after another contemplative moment, “can I hug you?”

It’s been...well, Harry doesn’t actually know how long it’s been. Less than an hour, probably, but already Louis says his name like it’s safe in his mouth, and now he’s opening his arms like Harry could be safe there too.

“Please,” Harry nearly sobs, and sinks into him the way butter melts on toast. It’s an apt metaphor, really, because what Louis is giving him is as essential and sustaining as a loaf of bread to a starving man. His basic need for physical affection is as vital as his need for sustenance, for sleep, and he can’t believe he’s allowed himself to ignore it for so long.

Or: Harry is having a rough time. Louis is the kind stranger who makes him smile again.

🌊 Nailed By Louis by @haztobegood --- [fic post]

larry | 6k | explicit

It had started as a joke, just two months earlier. Louis had tried to make recipe from HarrySizzles Instagram account. It looked doable: no strange ingredients, no scary kitchen machinery. Just a simple layered lettuce salad. The result had been catastrophic. His friends had laughed so hard at the disgusting appearance of his salad, and after a few drinks, Louis had been convinced to start his own Instagram to track his food failures.

🌊 You Drive Me Wild by @jacaranda-bloom --- [fic post]

larry | 5k | explicit

Most people would think that keeping a tube of lube hidden behind the driver’s side visor of their car is foolish and completely unnecessary, but then most people don’t have to chauffeur Louis Tomlinson around for a living.

OR the one where Harry has a brilliant idea to while away the time as he waits around for his boss but fate decides to rain on his parade... or maybe it’s the universe answering his prayers.

🌊 You're A (Total) Distraction by @lululawrence​ --- [fic post]

larry | 4k | not rated

Harry’s hand sprang out and took the arrow back in her grasp, Louis’ entire face having lit up when Harry spoke. “Thank you for returning this to me.”

“Well, it was my fault, right?” Louis gave her a big smile before glancing up at Harry’s ears and then over towards her target. “Fuck, are those all bullseyes?”

Harry shrugged. “I haven’t checked on them yet, but maybe.”

Louis’ eyebrows were raised. “I didn’t realize archery was such a big thing for deer hybrids.”

Pursing her lips, Harry tried to figure out how much to say. Why was Louis talking to her? Why had she called out in the first place? Was it because she thought Harry was a freak, like so many other humans?

“It isn’t for everyone,” Harry finally settled on.

Or the one where Harry is a deer hybrid trying to prove to her clan she's more than what's expected. When she meets Louis, a human, she thinks it's just a one time thing. It's not.

🌊 Raise My Body Back To Life by @fallinglikethis​ --- [fic post]

larry | 1k | mature

“You sure about this?” Harry asks one last time, looking over his shoulder at the young blonde standing there. She’d come to his office earlier in the night and nearly interrupted Harry’s meeting about a case he’s working on with the Chief of Police in her haste to get her brother back. Luckily, his assistant, Niall had held her off until he was done. “Death changes people sometimes. He’ll remember it. All of it. Dying, how it felt. If it hurt. You’re positive you want to put him through that?”

“I don’t,” she says, wringing her hands and biting her lip to stop it trembling, “but I have to.”

Harry stares, taking her in. Her eyes shine with unshed tears but she’s standing tall, certain. Harry nods once and turns back around to face the body lying on the metal slab before him. His name is Louis Tomlinson and, as he rolls up his sleeves, Harry Idly notices how gorgeous he was. Is. He hopes this isn’t going to traumatize Louis.

Inspired by Kill My Mind.

🌊 Devil in my Brain by @bitter-leaf

larry | 1k | general audiences

Louis’ pissed; pissed drunk, pissed off, seething as he eyes Harry in the club, waving his arms and shaking his hips like he couldn’t care less about how stupid he looks.

Louis might be going a little crazy.

🌊 Demarcation by @musiclily​ 

larry | 1k | not rated

Walls 

[queensparklekitten]

Been scrolling through @minecraftheadcanons for ages and now i’m thinking about players raised by illagers and, to a lesser extent, the human rights violations committed in trading halls

“Hey Sumi! There you are!” 

At the mention of the name she went by, the player looked up from where she was sitting, at the top floor of the outpost.

 “Hey Argo! What’s up?” 

“So. There’s going to be a raid on a village soon, and you’re coming!” 

Sumi jumped up. “No way. You’re kidding! How did they find the village?” 

“Some of us are tailing a player we ran across recently. They haven’t seen us yet, but they will when they lead us right to a village and we strike!” 

“Oh my god, I’m going to be in a raid! Can I go in as soon as possible?” 

“Of course you can!” 

“Oh yeah, by the way. Got any ideas on when this will be? I want to know if I have time to go mining a little, look for some diamonds. I want a diamond sword for the raid.” 

Argo gestured to the iron sword Sumi had on her, glittering with enchantment. “I’d say with the enchantments you’ve got on that thing, you don’t need a diamond sword.” 

“I suppose. Oh yeah, one more question. Can I blow up the buildings?” 

Argo paused at that one. She knew Sumi had been taught to conquer and be unafraid to kill, but she’d never seen anyone want to set off explosives in a raid before. 

“That could hurt some of us, though... I’ll ask the higher-ups, and if they say no, stick to arson.” 

“Sounds fair.” 

Two days later, the horn resounded. The first wave went ahead, and Sumi geared up. 

“I’ve got food, arrows, armor, some blocks, a little TNT, and my flint and steel. I think I’m ready.” 

The raiders arrived at the village, all holding crossbows and axes high. All except for one raider, different than the others, with long midnight blue hair and a smaller nose than those around her, short red dress concealed by a diamond chestplate and iron helmet, leggings, and boots, all shimmering with enchantment. The helmet in particular had gold accents on it, purely for aesthetic purposes; Sumi had crafted it herself and decided why not. 

The horn sounded and the second wave charged. 

Sumi ran through the village, searching for a completely wooden building to torch, a villager or an iron golem to kill-

“Look, a player! Think she’s here to save us?” 

Sumi turned to where she heard the villager. 

There. In that little house. 

Sumi opened the bright orange door to find two villagers hiding inside, crouched underneath the window. 

“Player! Have you come to fight off the illagers?” 

Sumi took a step closer to them and began to laugh. 

“Now just why would I fight my family?” 

The closest villager had no time to react before Sumi stabbed him twice. Almost as fast, she tore out her sword and turned to face where the other one had been a minute ago. 

Sumi saw them running out the door, and had to laugh at their idiocy. Did they really think it was any safer outside? 

No matter. She had blood to spill. She charged after the villager and swung her sword, managing to land a hit, the enchantments on the sword knocking them forwards and causing them to fall onto the ground. 

“I’ll give you one chance to join us. Take a crossbow and prove that you can use it against the wretched scum of this village, and you can live.” 

“Fuck you.” 

“Your loss.” Sumi finished off the villager and ran through the village to find her next target. 

The first thing she noticed was Loika was on a roof and there was an iron golem staring up at them. 

“Ooh, sniping them from the roof? Good one!” 

“I’ve shot this golem like 6 times and it’s not going down! Is there a ravager here yet?” 

“I don’t see one. They’re probably on their way with one, though.” 

“Great, because this golem’s already taken out two or three of us-” 

Sumi dropped her sword. “Wait, WHAT?” 

“Yeah. It got Blaine and Ori.” 

Sumi didn’t pick up her sword for a minute. More dead. She knew there was a risk, she’d been there when they’d honored illagers who had fallen during raids, she’d had a vindicator tell her about how they’d died in one of the best ways one could die, but to actually be in a raid with casualties on the wrong side... 

“Everyone back up!” 

Sumi pulled out a block of TNT and placed it next to the iron golem. After checking to make sure there was no cats nearby, she lit the TNT and ran. 

The explosion went up behind her, decimating the entire building. Not much of a building, just a small yellow clay house, but the iron golem didn’t make it out in time. 

Loika just stood there, staring at the crater where there was once a house. 

“Whoa.” 

Just then, a horn sounded. 

Argo ran into the village, alongside some others Sumi recognized from the mansion, a witch she didn’t recognize, and an enormous ravager that would certainly have destroyed that iron golem had Sumi not gotten to it first. 

Loika lowered their crossbow. “Well, I’m going to go see the witch, I kind of just had to jump off a roof so I wouldn’t get blown up.” 

While Loika was regenerating, Sumi went looking for another target. 

“Hey Sumi! How’s the raid going!” 

Sumi turned and looked at Argo next to her. 

“It’s going great! I killed two villagers and blew up a house-” 

“And she destroyed the iron golem before the ravager even showed up!” 

“Yes, I also made that monster pay.” 

Argo high-fived her. “Oop! Villagers, 9-o-clock!” 

Sumi turned to where Argo had just pointed them out, running out of a building that had had its door broken down by a vindicator. “I call the one with the black apron!” 

She was about to use her sword, but as the villager ran away over the wooden bridge, she had a better idea. 

A pair of pillagers paused to watch as Sumi set fire to the block on which the villager stood. 

This guy was a mason, huh? How utterly worthless. Well, at least they’d served one purpose in their so-called life: entertaining her as they burned to death, running around in a desperate panic, trying to get rid of the flames, never making it to the water before they died. 

As Sumi continued what had turned into an arson spree, she didn’t even notice that the raiders who had arrived alongside her had left to restock on ammunition or that new raiders had arrived until a witch asked her if she needed a healing potion. 

“Uh, no thanks, I’m good.” 

“You’re... certainly destructive.” 

“It’s a talent of mine.” 

“Well, if you want to keep using that TNT I hear you brought, better hurry, we’ve almost won!” 

At that, Sumi felt a rush of excitement. They’d almost won the raid! 

No more time to talk. After all, what was the use of blowing up a village if none of its residents were alive to witness what they deserved? 

Sumi found another mostly-clay building. She didn’t see any villagers, but the two she’d taken out earlier were hiding under windows, so it wasn’t out of the question they were hiding. 

“Everyone back up, I’m setting off explosives!” 

Sumi placed TNT around the red clay house, before lighting it up. This time, she didn’t look away. Why would she, when she could watch the house and the nearby farm and some gray and orange wood building be reduced to dust? 

As the explosions finished, however, Sumi did regret not standing back further; even if the blast didn’t kill her, she still had smoke in her face- 

“Villager!” 

Sumi looked up. Villager? Where? 

Then she saw it running. White fabric over red, trying to make it to the one completely untouched building in the village, doomed to fail. 

Hers. 

Sumi took off like a baby zombie after the villager, sword in hand. She could see it already, the look in his eyes when he realized he may as well have already died, the celebration afterwards, maybe she could even take any stuff he had on him? 

As she walked up the stairs to the building he’d run into, several other raiders followed. Looks like they’d already gotten rid of all the others. 

“Where are you hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiding!!!” called Sumi in a singsong voice. “Come on out! You can’t hide forever!” 

Movement next to some block she couldn’t tell the purpose of by looking. 

There. 

As she and her family closed in, Sumi took in this villager. Glasses, book looking hat- wait. 

“Guys, wait, don’t kill him yet, I need to see something.” 

“What’s this?” 

Sumi lowered her sword. “Show me what enchanting books you have.” 

“Uh, I can pay you for paper, or I can get you Mending-” 

“Perfect. Guys, don’t kill this one.” 

A vindicator Sumi didn’t remember the name of stepped forwards. “What do you mean, don’t kill this one?” 

“I mean he sells a rare treasure enchantment that can make our stuff unbreakable. We should take him back to the outpost or mansion, keep him in a cage or dungeon, and make him give us Mending books.” 

The vindicator nodded. “Not a bad idea, but how will we make him cooperate?” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I have some ideas.” 

Sumi knew zombie villagers could be cured. And if illagers who committed major infractions were turned into ravagers as punishment, a villager who refused to cooperate could be turned into a zombie. Then he’d be brought back, and all she needed to do was make it clear she could easily do this for as long as she needed to until she got cheap enchantment books. As she explained this, she couldn’t help but to make eye contact with her new villager, savor every minute of the terror on his face as she detailed what the rest of his life would be like. 

“A round or two of being turned into the mindless monster he fears so much, in what must be a painful manner, and he’ll be practically giving us enchantments for free. We can use the iron from the golem and the loot chests in the anvil to enchant everything we have.” 

“We had the right idea taking you in.” 

Sumi stepped out of the building as the villager got tied up and took in the destruction she’d caused. 

The center of the village was one giant crater. A few acacia stairs floating in the air were the only indication there had ever been buildings there. Further on, cracked glass panes were the only sign that wooden houses had once stood where there was now nothing but burnt ground. And flames, everywhere in the village, on almost every building she’d gotten near. 

A celebratory cheer came from within the crowd, and soon more mimicked it, some even doing a victory dance. 

Sumi could not help but to dance herself. 

While she was dancing, one of her best friends walked up to her, carrying arrows picked up from the ground. 

“Wow. You were vicious out there. I’ve never seen someone do this level of destruction.” 

“That’s TNT for you! You were great out there by the way, I saw that kill you got!” 

“Thanks! You too!” 

“So, I suppose we’re looting the chests now, huh. Hey, bet you I can find an emerald before you do!” 

“Oh, it’s on.” 

[shesclearlya3]

In Case You Don’t Live Forever P.1

Pairing: Xavier Plympton x Reader

Word count: 2,541

Warnings: sad, you might cry, spoiler warnings if you are not currently caught up, language p.s. my first ever tumblr fic post! this didn’t end like i expected, please let me know what you think! not entirely proof-read.

*title inspired by Ben Platt’s song*

part 2 part 3 part 4

It has been a year. 

It has been a year since your life was flipped upside down when he was murdered. 

Xavier wasn’t your boyfriend, per se. You had known him for years, meeting him in kindergarten when you were seated next to each other in art, sharing colored pencils and drawing flowers in vibrant colors. 

“Let me show you something!” Xavier had told you, taking the brightest yellow pencil and shakily drawing a sun that wasn't in the corner of the paper but in the middle. Your mouth dropped open at the absurd action; was this kid crazy!? Xavier smiled brightly and leaned over the paint-stained desk, and you could remember his contagious smile with missing teeth like it was yesterday.

Ever since then, you two were inseparable. You had moved in with each other two years after graduation, you working and going to school while Xavier aspired to be an actor, being an aerobics instructor on the side.

You also remember the last time you saw him. He was supposed to be a counselor at that forsaken place, Camp Redwood. Xavier was excited about the job; he didn’t have any siblings, but he liked children, for the most part. He loved the sassy ones, and that a majority of kids were not afraid to speak their mind. Plus, it would be good for him to get away from the bustling city of Los Angeles. He had begged you to come along, but you had a job, you couldn’t possibly take time off at such short notice. 

Now that it has been so long, you wished you would have just gone with him. You knew there was no way you could have talked him out of going because you had already tried that. 

“Are you sure, Xavier?” you asked him for the millionth time, as the two of you sat on the rickety couch, attempting to watch the latest blockbuster movie that had just come out on VHS. “That place has such bad memories for so many people, it’s probably haunted!”

Xavier shook his head, his blond hair falling in front of his baby blue eyes as he finally looked at you, giving you his signature smirk. Whenever he smiled at you, no matter how cocky he seemed, you smiled back. This time you refrained; you wanted Xavier to know you were serious about this. You really didn’t want him to go. Not only did it give you a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach, you knew you would miss him terribly. 

“It’s going to be fine! You know why?” Xavier asked, leaning closer to you. You lost your resolve, unable to keep from smiling. He liked being close to you.

“Why?” you asked.

“I don’t believe in ghosts, y/n,” he whispered. “Plus, it’s probably all made up, anyhow. I’d be more worried about staying here with the night-stalker on the loose,” Xavier said nonchalantly as if YOU weren’t about to be left alone for the next few weeks. 

You glared at him.

“.. Sorry,” he mumbled, and that was it. 

You laid on your bed the morning of the anniversary, staring blankly at the analog clock on your bedside. It was still early, the sun barely peeking up over the LA skyline. Xavier’s room was still across the hall, door locked, and almost untouched since it happened. His parents had come and collected some of his stuff, and you refused to find another roommate. 

You refused to move anything out of there, all of the clothes and shoes were still where he left them. What pictures of you two that you didn’t have hanging around the place were in there. Some days you needed to see his face; others you couldn’t bear the thought of it. 

You planned on visiting his grave today, but you had been there too many times in the past few weeks. Your mom was becoming worried about you, figuring you were falling into a deep depression, and maybe you were. Xavier was the closest and best friend you ever had, you loved him. 

You were in love with him. 

Not a day goes by that you regret not telling him the truth. You had loved him for a few years, even when he had a fling with some chick Montana, or he occasionally brought a girl home when you were working a night shift. Your first boyfriend actually left you because he knew how you felt for Xavier, and you lied to Xavier by explaining the both of you thought it was best to see “other people.“ 

Once the sun had finally risen, you climbed out of bed and got ready. The sun was already blistering hot, you could tell as the drapes to your windows gently moved in the slight breeze outside your apartment window. You wanted to get some flowers and bring them to Xavier, or at least, his spirit.

As you walked to the small market next door and grabbed the most beautiful bouquet of flowers they offered, you thought of doing something a little bit different. Go to Camp Redwood. 

It seemed like a great idea, as you quickly headed back to your apartment for your car keys. When Xavier’s mother called you that morning and told you what happened, you had raced to their house and listened as the detectives told them where they found him. He was laying by the shooting range, a deep, long stab wound into his stomach, alone. His face was severely burnt, and they assumed he may have been tortured before death. His funeral was closed-casket. 

You grabbed one of the maps Xavier had brought home the night before he left, highlighting the route for you, in case you changed your mind. 

"OR, if my agent calls me for an audition, this is very important, y/n! I don’t even know if the camp will have working phone lines!”

As you got into your car and started heading the one-hundred-and sixty-six miles to the site, you began to cry. The camp was once again abandoned. Apparently, one of the counselors was stabbing another as the bus full of kids approached. Now the county forbade the reopening of the camp, and around here, many people bragged about going to explore and “making it out alive.” They also claimed everything was still in place, you’d find where Xavier died, and the thought scared the shit out of you the closer you got.

You were forced to park your car in front of the entrance, where the gate was now heavily locked. The red letters were still a vibrant red, showing the lost dream of the crazy bitch who decided to reopen it. You took the flowers and held them tightly, almost too tightly as you slowly climbed over the gate and took off towards the shelters.

Nature had already taken over, as many of the cabins were slowly becoming covered in vines and moss, while tiny animals scurried around. You low-key hoped a bear wouldn’t pop out at you as you tried to navigate yourself. Caution tape still remained in some spots, flapping in the wind, causing you to become distracted at the horrors that went on here that night. There was a wooden map of the camp still standing, but the paint wasn’t in the best shape. However, you were able to tell you were by the women’s cabins. 

It took a little longer than you thought, this place was more open than you assumed it would be. Your legs were slightly aching from the trek, but you pressed on, knowing you wouldn’t be satisfied if you wimped out. You turned a corner, and then suddenly, you were staring at a small group of targets, some of them on their sides from the elements or large animals.

Your hands were shaking as you observed the ground, not truly knowing where he took his last breaths, but you didn’t care. You made it. 

You went to the only one still standing and gasped in horror. A large, silver 'X' was sprayed onto the targets face, before a small arrow was drawn, pointing to the side. You felt anger and hurt bubble in your chest, not knowing what the intentions were of whoever did this. 

Multiple news sources released names of all the second Redwood victims, and of course, someone would do this. You hadn’t seen any other markings of vandalism, surprisingly, but perhaps you weren’t paying much attention. You slowly kneeled down and placed the flowers in a random spot, before falling onto your butt and sitting there.

Tears were still falling down your cheeks as you sat in silence, listening to the bugs in the trees and the sound of leaves blowing in the wind. The sun was beating hot onto your back, but you didn’t care. You had driven almost two hours to be here! You were just thankful nobody else was here, or maybe the sickos would come at night to gawk at the whole place like innocent people hadn’t died here.

You found yourself talking before too long. You told Xavier about his family, what they had been up to, and you talked about yourself. You had recently been promoted at work, you were thinking of getting your Masters degree, there was so much he was missing out on. You always talked to him at the cemetery, but here, it seemed more personal. 

“I miss you so much, Xavier,” you sniffled out, wiping your nose on your arm, not caring how disgusting your face felt. It felt good to finally cry, you didn’t do it much anymore. “I-I should have been here, m-maybe we could have survived together, maybe I could have saved you," 

Silence.

You knew he couldn’t answer, you knew it. Yet, you still found yourself angry. Furious at Xavier for coming, mad at yourself for letting him go, for not coming with him. PISSED that anybody let this place open back up. It was good that you set the flowers down because they would be crushed by your fists. 

"I don’t know if I can do this without you,” you sniffed. “I thought it would get better in time, not seeing you every day, not being able to hug you or watch television and pig out in front of the couch before hating ourselves,” you smiled at the memories the two of you had gathered over the past seventeen or so years. “Time is supposed to heal us, right? Xavier, I’m lost without you, nothing is right anymore!”

Your sobs grew louder as everything you had been holding in poured out. This pain was something you hadn’t experienced in your entire life; this was you coming to terms with the fact that it’s over. Absolutely nothing can bring him back, and you were going to live the next seventy years of your life in a world without Xavier in it. 

Hours had to have passed when you finally got the courage to stand up, your throat parched, and your stomach growling in hunger. Your head was pounding as you gave Xavier’s spot a final glance. You’d come next year. 

As you walked back to your car (more like stumbled) from the headache and evident sunburn on your skin, you screamed in fright when a girl with blonde hair darted in front of you, grabbing you into a headlock. You scrambled on your feet, attempting to keep your balance, while simultaneously kicking your leg to knee her in the vagina. 

The mystery girl screamed in pain, her hold on you releasing. Another voice suddenly appeared around you, it was male. This crazy bitch glared at you from the ground as you backed away, holding your hands up in surrender. 

“MONTANA! STOP THIS!” a man flew in your direction, also holding his hands up. He was cute, dark-skinned, wearing a striped shirt. “Are you okay?” he asked you in a genuine voice.

“N-No! What the fuck is wrong with you!?” you demanded, directing your words at Montana, who stood up but thankfully didn’t come near you. Her name didn’t immediately register in your brain, neither of theirs would at first.

“My name is Ray, this is-”

“Montana, bitch,” she hissed at you.

“I caught it the first time!” you snapped back. Montana’s expression slightly faltered, not expecting that. Ray had lowered his hands, but you continued holding them up, figuring if one of them charged, you could probably protect yourself a little better. 

“What are you doing out here?” Ray asked you, and you looked at him with red eyes, a little snot on your nose, but neither cared. Montana had wanted to kill you, but Ray wouldn’t allow it, and Montana knew that.

“My name is y/n, first of all, and second, why is that your business?" 

Montana let out a sarcastic laugh, "I like you!”

“Well, I don’t like you! You fucking attacked me!” you wheezed, wishing you would have left earlier to avoid this. You were not in the right state of mind. Montana blew off the little insult, happy she didn’t have the chance to kill you right away. 

“I’m sorry about her, she is a little on edge around here,” Ray said, figuring it was a good explanation, given the circumstance of them being ghosts. “We get a lot of tourists, thinking they can trash the place, it’s upsetting,”

“Or they’re nasty perverts who get off on the scent of death infesting this place, and you don’t seem like either of those,” Montana commented, and you finally turned to look at her. 

“I-I’m not,”

“Then, why were you here?” Montana pressed.

“My friend was killed here, I.. I was visiting him,”

Ray and Montana both shared a glance, and that’s when it clicked for Montana. She hadn’t paid attention to you much before, but now that she sized you up and down, and you revealed the reason you decided to show up, she knew.

“Holy fuck,” she breathed out.

“What? What’s going on?” Ray asked.

“DID YOU FIND HER?" 

The sound of running footsteps once again freaked you out, wondering if you were about to be ambushed by three people. Suddenly, as if in slow motion, his face appeared in front of you. Not just his face, but his entire body. Montana was still watching you with an open mouth, and Ray only looked confused as fuck. 

You took a step back, your body now trembling as both you and Xavier realized what was happening. He looked shocked, overwhelmed, and so many other things, but you couldn’t stand to look at him. You screamed, turning and running in the same direction you came, running faster than you ever had in your entire life.

"Xavier,” Montana breathed out.

“Montana!” Ray said.

“y/n,” Xavier choked.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?” Ray shouted at the two people, both still at a loss for words. y/n was still screaming at the top of her lungs, but her voice was fading by the minute.

“Y/N!” Xavier yelled, taking off after you. It was an instinct that Montana and Ray followed, both trying to keep up.

But the way Xavier was screaming your name would make the coldest of hearts break. 

[cruecifymesixx]

Love and Leather /part Sixxty Nine/

Word Count: 5.8k

A/N: meet snakey sixx everyone! enjoy! feedback is always appreciated

Warnings: light smut, language, nikki being sketchy

Taglist:  @brideofdraculana , @xstarryeyesx , @aryssav , @miserablecunt , @dangerous-like-a-loaded-pistol , @fandomshit6000, @anntheboneless, @justjodeye,  @hi-my-name-is-riley, @extremesadnerding, @thatbandchick39, @awkwrdcait, @countrygirlswonderland, @awesomealmostdopestudent, @romanticvengeance , @tashy-bear, @krazykatkay456, @terror-triplet, @shouttatthedevill @beachystars, @rodriguez025, @kickstart-myheart-sixx, @s-outhie, @anxious-diabetic, @awkwardblackgirls, @rockersbox, @brooklyn-antiques, @shamelessobsessions, @jerseytaint, @lilytalebi, @criminalyetminimal, @motley-queen, @trapt-in-a-dream, @lunamadhatter99, @broke-n-bitchy, , @thanks2pete, @slowandangry, @lovesick-heart0, @keepcalm-and-beyou, @miriampraez, @teenwolflover28, @lilyhw1,  @motherloovebone, @random-internet-user-4471, @falcon-arrows, @talranocchia2001, @wheresmyvodkabitch, @waywardprincess666,  @iluvmesomemarvelndc @vamprlestat, @supersoldierballerina, @primal-screamer@electradestiny, @marshbev, @n0-sh0rtage-0f-faults, @cruebaby, @ggorehorror, @valentines-in-london, @miss2001babe, @nassauartist @cmft-jr-winchester, @bokkie92, @notworthyofyou1120 @xrosegoldwolfx,  @lauravic, @mgkobsessed, @chaoticvybe,  @kellysimagines @thoughtsoftheantagonist @marvelismylifffe, @sleepyjunhong @lovemythsworld @meetthesixxter @sparxx27 @gingerspicetalks @kaitieskidmore1 @unknownoblivion @siliwanoel @nevergoodenuffbutokaaayyy @sublimeprincesswasteland @kylieinwonderland @haileynicoleseavey17 @lavendersoundbarrier @ijustwanttokiss70srogertaylor, @duffshairdye, @xpoisonousrosesx​, @m0rnlngstar, @cranberrirolls, @oskea93, @love-struck-aries, @idumpyourgrass, @minxtruck, @i-want-to-shoot-myself, @cruesixxlover1991, @arianareirg, @fentitrbl, @dogmom2014, @sinningsixx, @motleycrueprincess, @zoenicoles, @marvelismylifffe

We rolled around black satin sheets, gasping for air with lips ghosting over one another as Nikki hooked my leg around his waist. Nikki wrapped fingers into my hair, pulling my head back as he kissed my neck with heavy breaths brushing my skin. French tips scraped up his back, engraving crescent moons into his shoulder blades. Nikki’s panting and moaning was prolonged as the pace of his thrusts became erratic before a deep groan tumbled off his lips and onto mine.

“If you came home you could get fucked like this whenever you wanted.”

I wiped sweat from my brow, staring up at the ceiling as light kisses swept over my chest. When they tried meeting my lips, I tilted my head to the side, “I have to go get Ari from school.” I unraveled my legs from his hips as he sighed and rolled off of me, holding his junk in his hands as he went to the bathroom, displaying bratty behavior as he slammed the door.

I picked up my panties from the floor, well what was left of the tattered shreds. I tossed them in trash can before grabbing my jeans and sliding them on. I threw a sweater over my shoulders, being content of finally not having to deal with the uncomfortable and itchy sling wrapped around me.

My shower started running, taking the hint that he didn’t want to go with me. He’s been pressing the whole ‘come back to California so we can be a family thing’ for the past week and a half now, but he’s persistent and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants.

*Nikki’s POV*

I heard the front door shut, rolling my eyes as the hot water ran over me. I know my remarks are coming off as brash, but she won’t even bother to have the conversation of moving back with me. She just brushes it off or completely ignores me. We spend most of our time in her bed when Arianna is at school, I’m not complaining about it, it’s one of my favorite pastime, being able to get between her legs. Always has been. But I need more from her. Hell, we haven’t even talked about us being together yet.

Was I rushing her? Possibly, but we’ve already wasted so much time in the last few years of her being gone. So was I really in the wrong for wanting her back home? Where she belongs? To be with me so all three of us can be a family? Why is that such a bad thing to want? She should want that too.

I turned the water off, stepping out as I wrapped a towel around my waist loosely as I walked out into her bedroom. I fixed the blankets and pillow on the bed. I went into her closet eyeballing shopping bags that were in the corner as I dug through my suitcase, opting to wear sweats and a black shirt. I organized my suitcase after, shoving clothes back inside before pushing it against the wall and out of her since she was already complaining she tripped over it. I stood in the middle of her closet looking at all the dresses, some were new and some were old with very fond memories attached to them, others were a bit hazy.

I noticed a small box on the upper shelf that had ‘N.Sixx’ written on it. I stepped out of the closet, trying to hear if there was any signs of her returning with Arianna. I closed the closet door before grabbing the box and sitting down the floor with it. I furrowed my eyebrows, clothes I haven’t seen in years. An old black scarf with red skulls, an old baseball cap, a white and grey and ripped up T-Rex shirt. I wonder when Sage and Greyson came to get her stuff they accidentally mixed some of my things in with hers. I pulled out all the garments seeing all five of the albums on vinyl. I’m assuming she didn’t get the ‘Decade of Decadence’ album...

I smiled to myself, seeing all the covers were signed by the four of us. There was also a few pictures of Vanity with all us. I couldn’t remember when any of them were taken. My eyebrows furrowed when I saw a matte black shoe box under the albums. I gently grabbed it, seeing that it was deteriorating already. I opened up the lid seeing faded and withered deep red rose petals mixed with dried up yellow and pink ones. She’s into some weird shit.

I dug around in the box seeing a handful of folded up pieces of paper. I took one and flattened it out across my knee, reading my own hand writing:

‘Good morning beautiful, I tried being as quiet as I possibly could. I had to leave early to go to the studio. I should be home around 4pm. Be ready when I get back, I want to take you out to dinner tonight.’

-Nikki

I grabbed another piece of paper:

‘Look at the beauty in her eyes,

A glow that shines like the sunrise.

Her smile opens up the cloudy skies,

Her laughter delights butterflies.’

‘She is a thornless rose without compare,

She is the love my heart will forever endear.’

I shoved that note into the pocket of my sweats, maybe a song could come out of it?

I reached for another note, seeing her name written in blue cursive as it was folded up into a heart:

‘I’m sorry I caused our fight last night. I’m trying my hardest to wean myself off the junk, I didn’t mean the words I said to you. You didn’t deserve it doll. To see those pretty eyes filled with tears, it just rips me to shreds even more than what I already am. If you actually saw this, I didn’t know where to leave it other then on the windshield of your car, come by Tommy’s house later. We’re having a party.’

-Nikki Sixx

There was more bits and pieces of papers folded up, I chose not to read all of them because I got the just of it all. She had kept all the little love notes I’ve left for her over the course of our relationship. My heart swelled when I saw a picture strip of us, probably from the Santa Monica boardwalk. It had to of been before I was sober as my arms weren’t covered in tattoos.

*flashback, 1986*

“Come on. Let’s go in there.” I turned back to look at Vanity, “I want to take pictures.” I smiled, tugging on her hand as I lead her into a photo booth.

“This is so lame, Nikki.” She chuckled a bit as I pulled her straight on to my lap. I grinned, kissing her bare shoulder as I put a dollar into the machine, “Can we get some chili cheese fries afterwards I am- hey! I wasn’t ready!” She cracked up in a fit of laughter as the flashes started going off.

“Pay attention. Or I’ll be the photogenic one. Not like it’s hard or anything.” I joked as she looked at me, another bright flash going off.

“As if, you don’t have the fancy photographers to make you look good right now. Your hairs flat and you look average.” She stuck her tongue out, throwing up the devil horns with one hand as she wrapped her free arm around my shoulder tightly.

“Average? If I was average could I get away with this?” I quickly pulled up the t shirt she was wearing, the flash going off right on time to get a great tit shot even if she was wearing a bra.

“Nikki!!” She squirmed in my lap, smacking my hands away from her shirt before fixing it, “That was a dick move.” She mumbled as I smiled and placed my lips on hers, tasting vanilla chapstick and the sticky sweetness of left over cotton candy.

“I’ll give you a dick move later.” I wiggled my eyebrows as she planted her lips back on mine.

“Sorry, average guys don’t get to do that.” She teased, sliding off my lap and pushing the curtain back to leave the booth.

We both reached for the photo strip at the same time, however I was faster then her as I held it high above her reach. I chuckled before handing it over to her, “Here. You keep it, to remind yourself of all the fun you have with ‘ol average Nikki.”

*end flashback*

I panicked when I heard the front door close, “Shit!” I mumbled as I accidentally dropped the box, spilling the rose petals everywhere. I picked them up gently, not wanting them to crumble in my fingers as I put everything back in the shoe box before placing it back into the other box and then back onto the shelf.

I opened the closet door, gently shutting it as I walked out of Vans bedroom, “Angel! How was school- oh...hey Clementine.” I stared at her as she had a pizza box in her hands before putting them on the counter.

“Uh...Van left to go get Arianna.” I explained as she nodded, “Yeah I know, this is what we do every Friday. I come over with pizza after school and then we hang out.” Clementine replied.

“Oh...uh cool. Thanks for the pizza. I thought you worked in Arianna’s class?” I questioned as I grabbed a slice and went to sit in the living room, kicking my feet up on the coffee table.

“I’m just a teachers assistant. Only work at the school three days a week.” I watched as she put her jacket and purse down before flipping on the tv.

“You seem to be making yourself comfortable here.” Clementine voiced.

I smirked, “Could say the same thing about you.” I took another bite, glancing over at her, “I mean, you being Arianna’s aunt and all. So if you only work three days at the school, how do you pay your bills?”

Clementine narrowed her eyes at me, “My paintings sell, plus babysitting Arianna.”

I nodded as I tossed the crust onto the coffee table, “Oh, I would’ve thought maybe Tommy was paying for your stuff or something.” I shrugged laughing towards myself as I channel surfed.

“Nikki, you know Tommy doesn’t pay for anything.” She defended herself as I chuckled.

“How am I suppose to know that? You think I pay attention when he talks about you?” I shook my head at her statement

"Please you love to find anything on me to use at any chance you get." Clementine spoke in a matter of fact tone. I rolled my eyes and looked over at her.

“Me?” I scoffed, “What have I ever done to you?” I chuckled a bit as I grabbed my water bottle from the table and took a sip.

“Nikki...” She shook her head as she started picking up toys from the living room floor, “Don’t act like you don’t treat me like dirt.”

I smirked, “I treat you like dirt? Huh, maybe you’re just too sensitive.”

“And maybe you’re too much of a dick. Maybe even jealous?” I stared at her as she stood in front of the tv, blocking what I was watching.

“Me a dick? Maybe. I think you missed a toy.” I motioned to a stuffed animal as she picked it up and threw it in a toy bin.

“You take the name asshole too gladly.” She grumbled, “You should be nice considering the fact I’ve been watching you daughter since the day she was born and have been here while she’s grown up while you’re off being blown by Brandi and snorting coke.”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” Our scowls met each other, “Plus, Vanity has forgiven me and we’re working through it, alright? So back off. I know I’ve already missed a lot. Do you want a thank you for stepping in?”

Clementine shook her head, “No, not from you because it would mean nothing.”

I chuckled a bit, “Thank you Clementine for taking care of my girls, but I got it from here. You aren’t needed.”

“Excuse me?”

I ran my hand over my face, “I mean, I’m here now and I’ve appreciated what you’ve done but you don’t need too anymore. I’m Arianna’s father and I can give her everything she needs and more. Same with Vanity.” My lips tugged into a smirk as I stared at her, “They’re gonna come back home with me, you know what that right?”

Clementine stopped cleaning as she held onto one of Ari’s toys, “Yes, eventually they will.”

I shook my head, “We’ve already discussed it. She’s more than thrilled to come back home.”

I knew I was lying straight threw my fucking teeth. But I also knew Vanity would cave and stop being stubborn and would come back with me. It was just a matter of time. If I could just get Clementine to get Van on the same page as me, it would be a lot smoother.

“You’re lying. She hasn’t mentioned it to me at all. She would tell me something like that.”

I raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure about that? From what I understand, She’s scared because she knows how you get. She thinks you’re gonna lash out or something. I don’t blame her, you’ve tried controlling what she does before and she doesn’t do well being held down.”

Clementine stares at me in shocking, noticing the wheels turning in her head, “I-I don’t lash out. If anything I’ve kept Vanity from doing stupid shit and making herself look like an idiot. How I am? Nikki, you’re so full of shit.”

“Am I now? She says you’re overbearing and overly sensitive about everything which I thought she was just being dramatic, but I see it now.”

Clementine shook her head, “She wouldn’t say that about me. We’re best friends, I’m the god mother to her child, your child. She wouldn’t say anything behind my back that she wouldn’t say to my face. You of all people should know that Nikki. What the hell are you even trying to do right now? Get me out of her life?”

I chuckled, exhaling as I got off the couch and went to my jacket that was hanging in a chair, “It’s simple Clemmy. We don’t need you around any longer. But for your wonderful service however...” I grabbed my wallet, pulling out a blank check, “I’m willing to give you X amount of money for you to uh, back off and convince Vanity to go back home.”

I reached for a pen, fiddling with it as I stared at her, “What do you say? Just throw a number out there for me and we’ll call it even.” I smiled as her eyebrows were knit tight.

“Don’t need me? You can’t just fucking pay me off! What the hell is the matter with you!?” She shouted at me as I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

“Look, Vanity treats you like a rag doll. You’re constantly cleaning up her messes and trying to fix things. I love her to death but she walks all over you and anyone else that waits on her hand and foot. You’re practically her maid.”

Her eyebrows raised in shock, “I’m not her fucking maid. I do what I do for Vanity and Arianna because I love them not because I’m asked too, I do it because I care.”

I rolled my eyes, “Fine, how does fifteen thousand sound?”

“Nikki! No! I’m not doing this.”

“Twenty five thousand?” I smiled a bit when her eyes flickered to the check, remotely considering taking it from me.

“No, I don’t need your money.” She said weakly, eyes never leaving the small piece of paper that laid between my fingers.

“I could obviously throw in a little extra for you to keep your mouth shut. How does fifty grand sound? You could do a lot with that. Pay off some loans, maybe get a better car, maybe a deposit on a new place to live. I’m just trying to ease the blow of you being alone.”

Her gaze met mine, the fact of her being alone finally dawned on her once Vanity and Arianna would leave for California, “I won’t be alone. I have Tommy.”

I laughed, “Tommy? Oh? He hasn’t told you has he?”

Clementines face scrunched up before relaxing to a neutral state, “Told me what, Nikki?”

“Ah, I don’t know. Never mind.” I chuckled a bit, “So is fifty our winning number?” I raised an eyebrow as I brought a inky blue pen down to the paper, “Well, I’ll tell you anyways because you deserve to know, and I’d want to know if I was you.” I explained as I signed my name before blowing on the paper, “You know his divorce with Heather isn’t finalized, right? They haven’t signed papers yet.”

Now, that wasn’t a lie.

I folded up the check and handed it out for her, seeing tears in her eyes, ”Wh-what? He said they were...” she mumbled to herself as I shrugged. I looked towards the door when I heard keys jingle. I quickly put the check in her jacket pocket before patting her arm.

“Oh! Hey Clem! Didn’t think you’d be by today.” Vanity was full of smiles as Arianna ran in front of her and to me.

“Hi sweet pea. How was school?” I picked Arianna up, kissing her cheek as I held her at my side, “Did you know red and blue makes purple and green and yellow makes blue?!” I chuckled as she yelled ecstatically in my face.

“Really? I did not know that! Maybe you’ll have to show me later.” I matched her enthusiasm as she nodded feverishly before wiggling out of my arms and running over to her toys.

“I was just heading out actually...” Clementine spoke at a hushed tone as she started grabbing her jacket and purse.

“Oh...I was gonna order Chinese from our favorite place for dinner later. You sure you have to go? You know you can stay.” Vanity clarified as she smiled at Clem, “I haven’t seen you in a few days...”

I rolled my eyes as Clementine shook her head, “I wouldn’t want to be in the way of Nikki visiting.” I nodded in agreement, stopping when Van looked over at me, “I don’t really feel that well either.”

I snaked my arms around Vanity and pulled her to me as I leaned my chin onto her shoulder, “What? Who cares about Nikki?” Vanity laughed as I ran my finger tips up her sides as she tried pushing my hands off her, “I was gonna order extra pot stickers because I know we always fight over the last one.”

I held her tightly, smiling at Clementine, “If she doesn’t feel good I’m sure she wouldn’t want Arianna to catch whatever she has, isn’t that right Clemmy?” I placed light kisses on the side of Vans neck as she tried pulling away from me.

“He’s right Van....wouldn’t want Arianna to get sick. I’ll call you okay?” Clementine assured as Vanity reluctantly nodded.

“Bye auntie.” Arianna came over and hugged Clem’s legs. She smiled down at her, brushing pieces of hair out of her face, “Don’t let mommy have the last pot sticker.”

“Bye Clementine. Thanks for stopping by.” I spoke, sauntering over to the door as I felt her glare at me. I opened up the door for her as Vanity waved bye to her before she got distracted with Arianna.

“I hope you rot in hell.” Clementine whispered to me as I nodded, pretending to take it into consideration before shutting the door in her face.

By a sparkly gold painted finger, Vanity motioned for me to come to her. I exhaled deeply as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, finger tips twirling the ends of my hair, “Promise me you didn’t say anything to her.”

I smiled, shaking my head as I ran my knuckle over her cheek bone, “What? Of course not doll, she just wasn’t feeling good. But Chinese for dinner? I’m starving. The pizza she brought was gross.”

Vanity stared up at me, seeming like she was deep in thought, “Are you sure you didn’t say anything? She seemed upset...”

I made an ‘X’ over my heart, “I swear Van. I didn’t say anything. She wanted to stay but then she got sick in the bathroom. She didn’t look to good when she came in. Don’t worry about it babe, I’m sure she’s fine.”

“Yeah, okay. You’re probably right.” She uttered as I pressed my lips to her forehead.

“Usually am, anyways.”

*A few days later, Vanity’s POV*

I walked up the broken up pathway of Clementines cute little duplex. I bent down, picking up the lady bug painted rock Arianna had made for her and grabbing the spare key to let myself in, “Clem! You home?” I called out for her, glancing around at the mess on her small dining table. The smell of old incense rested in the cool air as all the blinds and curtains were closed.

“It’s Van! Uh...I tried calling!”

I heard water from the bathroom running, “I’m home! I’ll be right there!” Clem spoke as I noticed the dark and gloomy paintings that were on an easel drying. I smiled when she came out into her living room. She didn’t look to hot. Baggy sweats and a white shirt that had blue and green paint splatters on it as her vibrant blue hair was up in a bun.

“I’ve been calling and you’ve been ignoring me.”I spoke as I pushed decorative pillows to the side and sat down ion her couch, also moving a empty pizza box out of my way.

“I’ve been busy. What do you want?” Clementine expresses hastily as I titled my head to the side.

“What’s with that attitude?” I brushed it off quickly, “You totally missed our Friday movie night. Arianna was excited for it. I let her pick out the snacks and candies.” I smiled at her as grabbed a half smoked cigarette and lit it.

“You two had Nikki. We’ve had plenty of movie nights together. I’m sure it was fine if I missed one.”

I chuckled, “Nikki doesn’t count. Friday’s have always been our thing.” I motioned between us as she didn’t seem amused with me being here.

Clementine shrugged, “Well it won’t be a thing soon with you moving to California.”

I groaned, “Nikki...” I closed my eyes before I looked back at her, “Clementine, it’s still discussion between him and I. We’re still trying to find a middle ground.”

Fuckin Sixx. I can’t believe him.

“Really? Cause it seems like you’ve already made that choice. Since I’m not needed as much now.” Bitterness lingered off her tongue as she stared at me intently.

I rubbed my lips together, trying to figure out what to say to her, “Clem? I haven’t made any choice yet that’s why I haven’t brought it up to you.” I frowned at the fact that Nikki would even go ahead and start telling people I was coming back regardless of how I felt right now, “Who said you weren’t needed? Because I know it’s not me.”

“Oh, please. I know you want to go back to California. You miss it and you have other friends there. No need to stay for Clem, not that I expect you to stay for just me.” Clementine expressed as I shook my head in frustration.

“Are you not listening to me? I haven’t decided if I want to go back. It’s all Nikki who keeps pushing it. Did I do something wrong?”

She sighed, taking off her glasses and wiping them on her shirt, “I’m thinking logically Vanity. Why wouldn’t you want to go back to Los Angeles, be with Nikki and raise Arianna? You can’t have me at your side forever.”

“I know that…” I mumbled, ripping strings off my jeans as I adverted her gaze, “Still, I was gonna offer if you wanted to move with us if I decided too.”

“Move in? With you and Arianna? And him?”

I nodded, “Of course! I mean, you saw how big the house is when you went to California with Tommy. There would be more than enough room for you and all of your things. Arianna needs her aunt and I need you too.” I spoke softly, that itself wasn’t a lie. It was the truth. If i was gonna end up back in Hollywood, I sure as hell would need her by my side.

She sighed, folding her arms over her sternum, “Nikki wouldn’t let me step foot in his house.”

“Our house.” I corrected her, “That house is just as much mine as it is his. Stop worrying about Nikki, I promise he’s not out to get you.”

“Van, you know he doesn’t like me.” Clementine countered as I rolled my eyes, “He’s never liked me from the start.”

I huffed, “Nikki does like you. He just doesn’t know you that well. But so what if he doesn’t like you? That’s his own problem not anyone else’s. If he wants me back home like he says he does then he’ll just have to deal with it.”

Clementine rolled her eyes, “For once, can you just not defend him? He acts nice for you Vanity, but when you’re not around it’s different. He’s an asshole.”

I snickered, “Clemmy, Nikki is an asshole to everyone including me. Nikki’s an acquired taste.”

“Yeah, well, he’s always talking down and ridiculing me. He uses my relationship with you and Tommy constantly. Like, did you know Tommy’s divorce isn’t finalized?” Clem sulked as she came and sat next to me.

I looked at her, “Well, I mean….T mentioned it a time or two ago…”

“Is it or is it not?” She questioned again, “Because Nikki said that it wasn’t.”

I noticed her cheeks turn pink as tears were starting to form, “Well…they’re still figuring out who gets what. It doesn’t mean anything, Clem. Tommy is in deep with you, you know that.”

“He’s still married, Van. He’s been lying to me. Are they living in the same house? Why wouldn’t he tell me something like that? He’s taking a page out of Nikki’s book.”

I frowned at her words, “Tommy’s just…I don’t know. But no, he’s been renting out a condo while she’s at the house.”

Clementine wiped her eyes, frustratingly tossing her glasses into the side table, “Just still with her on paper. Why hasn’t he signed them? And why didn’t you tell me? Why did you let me get involved with him if you knew he was still married.”

“I’ve been telling him he needs to get them signed. And, I-I just, it wasn’t any of my business and I didn’t think twice about it. He kept saying he was working on it. You know how Tommy feels about you Clem, he isn’t lying about that.”

“I wouldn’t have gotten serious if I knew he was still considered married, Van! I don’t want to be labeled as some home wrecker!” Her shouting took me by surprise as I gawked are her.

“You’re not a slut, Clem! Look, there’s no Hard feelings between them. Heather knows about you already and she’s happy for you two. Tommy’s told me.”

She frowned, looking down at the floor as she rubbed her neck, “She knows?”

“Yeah, she does. Heather is a sweetheart. She doesn’t have one bad bone in her body. But look, I’ll talk to Tommy. I’m sure he’s upset with himself too, okay?”

Clementine shook her head, “Yeah, can’t wait to have him heated over the phone. Just love when he angrily hangs up and then leaves drunk messages.”

“Well, maybe you should think about moving to LA. I’m sure the distance thing is hard. Just consider it okay? I would have a bedroom ready for you and a place for you to work on your art. Just think about it, okay?” I expressed as I reached over and rubbed her arm, “Plus, we’d have so much fun together in California.”

Clementine smiled a bit as she leaned her head on my shoulder, “I know, I know. I’ll think about it.”

I rested my cheek against the top of her head, “Thank you. Now, stop being all gloomy and open up some windows. Smells like a suffering artist in here.” I chuckled as she attempted punched me in the leg lightly.

“Tell Arianna I’ll make up for missing movie night with some ice cream this weekend.” I nodded as she moved away from me.

“I should get back home. I’m sure Nikki’s waiting for me so he can force I love you’s down my throat as well as other things.”

I chuckled when Clementine pretended to gag, “I’ll call you Van.”

I arrived back home, opening the door to see Nikki strumming away at the bass, pausing to write something down before continuing to play, “Ari in bed already?” I asked him as he looked up at me and nodded.

“Bout thirty minutes ago, she hardly fought me this time.” Nikki explained as I put my purse on the table, kicking off my shoes before I walked over to the couch and sat by him.

“How’s Clem feeling?” Nikki chuckles a bit as he strummed a chord. I saw the down played smirk on his lips. I wrapped my hand around the fretboard as he looked up at me, flipping his hair back and out of his face as he did so, “Yes, Princess?”

“Nikki, tell me you didn’t talk shit to Clementine to rile her up.” I questioned him as he looked away from me quickly. I caught his jaw, forcing him to keep eye contact, “Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t.” I felt the jaw muscles under my palm contract.

“I didn’t.” He paused as he gave me a crooked smile, “I may have mentioned California and she got upset, that was it. I didn’t do it on purpose if that’s what she’s having you believe.” Nikki pulled away from my touch as he put his bass down on the floor.

“Nikki, why would you even mention California to her in the first place? I haven’t even told her!” I shouted quietly, Nikki looking at me through furrowed brows.

“Baby, I thought she knew you were thinking about coming back home. That’s all.” Nikki spoke softly as he rested his hand on my knee, “I just assumed you would’ve told her already. I am sorry.”

I pushed his hand away from me, “I haven’t told her anything because I don’t know what I want! I wanted to wait until I decided to bring it up to her. That’s why I haven’t told her Nikki.” I shook my head as I leaned my head back on the couch cushion, “And now she’s upset and Clem doesn’t normally get upset easily.” I mumbled as Nikki wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest.

“Really? Cause I thought everything makes her cry?” He chuckled as I shoved his chest a bit, “Tommy bitches about it sometimes too.”

“Nikki.” I said his name sternly as he laughed again, seeing him try to kiss me but I turned my head. Nikki then forcefully gripped my jaw to make me look at him.

“It’s just a joke, relax princess.” He mumbled before he placed a soft, warm kiss on my lips, “So…how about California?” He smiled, wiping my gloss off his lips as I laid my head on his lap.

“I offered Clementine a bedroom at the house.” I ripped the band aid off quickly as he stared down at me.

“What-why? Wh-why would you do that? Vanity, what the fuck?” Nikki grumbled, pushing his hair out of his face.

“Well, because someone-“ I scowled at him, “Also told her Tommy hasn’t signed the divorce papers. So now, she’s not even gonna consider moving in with him, not like she was anyways. Plus, she’s my family.”

Nikki vocally groaned, “That-that was my bad. I didn’t mean for that to slip, but c’mon doll. If she’s serious about Tommy she’ll move in with him eventually so why have her come into our home?”

I narrowed my eyes, “Because I want her too. Damnit Nikki. Why couldn’t you just keep your mouth shut? I’m sure you did it on purpose just to make her feel bad.”

He shook his head, “No! I didn’t. Babe, she’s your best friend and godmother of our daughter. I wouldn’t do that.

“So why can’t she move in with us? It’s my house too. And I also have a say who comes in and who doesn’t.” I argued back, “And! She’d be closer to Tommy and that means he wouldn’t leave all the time and the band could actually make some music. Isn’t that what you want?”

Nikki rubbed his temples as he smirked a bit, “Yes, that’s what I want. But I don’t want some stranger in my house. I don’t know her Vanity.”

I shrugged, “So what? I know her. Plus, Arianna will already be dealing with a change in her environment. I wouldn’t want to take Clementine away from her too. If you want me and Arianna you’ll also get Clementine too.”

Nikki looked up at the ceiling, probably cursing God for making him have to deal with me, “Fine! Fine! You want Clementine to come too? Fine. I’ll have a room ready for her and just to be nice, I’ll even give her a studio to make her art in peace and out of the way.”

“I also want my own bedroom…”

I wasn’t ready to be with him again.

Confusion and hurt was written all over his face, “Wh-what? What do you mean? Your own bedroom? You have a bedroom? I thought we’d share one…”

I sat up in a sitting position as I looked at him, “Vanity, I’ve apologized a dozen times.”

I nodded, “No, I know. And I know you’re sorry. But, I’m not ready to be with you. Can you understand that?”

Nikki frowned, “You don’t want to be with me?”

I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t bring myself to say yes or no. I just didn’t know what I wanted.

“Sixx, I love you. And you know I love you. But I think we still have a lot we need to work on before we could even think about getting back to where we were before.” I expressed as he nodded.

“I just want to be with you, Van.” He mumbles as he took my hand in his, “To just be yours again. And you to be mine and have a life together.”

I gazed into his mossy hued eyes, resting my hand against his jaw again as he slightly turned his cheek to kiss my open palm. He nuzzled his face into my hand, a pearly white smile meeting mine, “This is how we start again.”

[archergwenwrites]

ZM - Feb 19 - Avatara

(A/N: What a rich vein this prompt proved to be!)

@zutaramonth

“Sifu Aang, how did you get so old?”

“Well, little Katara, I listened to my mother.” 

The little girl squealed. “I am never listening to her again!”

“No, wait, wrong lesson! Come back-”

*

“Sifu Aang, how did you get so old?” 

 The old man sighed and leaned on his staff, tilting his head. His long hair jingled with the Water Tribe charms tied into his braids, the headband he always wore keeping them out of his eyes. He squinted out at the snows that rolled over the horizon as far as they could see. He looked down at the bright seven year old who had come out to walk with him. “They say, Katara, that benders and others close to the spirits, that as they keep up that connection, nurture their chi, they can live centuries. Avatar Kyoshi lived several centuries.”

“So if I get good enough at waterbending, I’ll never going to die?”

He chucked, ruffling her hair. “I never said that, little one.”

*

“Sifu Aang, how- how- how…”

“Hush, dear, hush.” He cradled the breaking eight year old in his arms. “Let us be sad together. Let us grieve together.”

“But how-” she broke off into more sobs.

“Oh child.” He looked up as Hakoda entered the shaman’s tent, new lines of grief etched into his young face. Aang extended a hand, and, when the chief took the bait, he pulled him down into a group hug, making a Katara sandwich.

“One day at a time, and lots of hugs.” He felt the younger man’s shoulders shake. “Just like this.”

*

“Sifu Aang, you’re being stupid.”

The old man just chuckled and leaned on his staff, squinting out into the snows on their walk. “Sokka tells me you almost capsized your boat this morning.”

The teen crossed her arms. “He deserved that tongue-lashing for ignoring that I caught a fish before he did. It’s what Gran-Gran would have said.”

“The difference between you and Kanna is that one of you is actually a tribe elder.”

“I don’t see how some ultimately harmless splashing means I now have to go out on a walk with you. Losing all my time to do housework seems a little harsh.”

“Katara, have you ever felt like something is missing?”

“What?”

“Have you ever felt like there is more you’re meant for?”

She huffed. “Yeah, like I think my destiny is to pull fish hooks out of Sokka’s thumbs and do all the mending he’s too impatient to finish.”

Aang fished inside his coat and withdrew an old wooden box. It was easily held in his hand, worn around the edges where the yellow paint had worn off. There was a funny looking lock on the face of it, symbols she did not recognized carved both into the lock and the box itself, creating crevices for the yellow paint to survive the years.

“One hundred years ago, Fire Lord Sozin made the mistake most evil people do, that to do good one must be righteous. But if the average person can look at evil planned and say ‘no, not this,’ they can do good even if they do not make a grand public gesture.” He offered her the box.

“It’s locked; I can’t open it.”

“It’s an airlock. An airbender can open it.”

She raised an eyebrow, looking so much like her grandmother about to tear into a foolish tribesman. “You know, I liked you better when you were everyone’s crazy adopted uncle who could toss us the highest into the snow banks.”

Aang exhaled, slow and heavy, the stream of his breath clear as it wound straight for the lock and twisted through it, popping the lid. “And that is how I managed to toss you so high.”

“You’re an airbender!”

“Open the box, Katara.”

She did so, and her brow furrowed as she stared at the few trinkets inside. A green top lying on its side, a red cloth doll, and a yellow knotted string with multicolored beads looped along its length sat in the box like a strange memento box. “How did you get my stuff,” she asked softly, confused by her words as much as by the box’s contents as she reached for the beaded string.

“This box has been locked for a hundred years, Katara,” Aang replied as her fingers closed around the first bead.

Light exploded across her vision, and it felt like she was flying through the air. She landed on her back and immediately rolled back to her feet. To her confusion, it looked like she was in what Aang had described swamps as looking like when he told stories. Everything had a faint glow, including the bald kid sitting cross-legged in front of her and smiling up at her.

“Hello Katara!”

“Am I dead?”

“Nope! Just woefully untrained. But that’s okay, because you’ve only just learned you’re the Avatar like I was.”

Katara raised an eyebrow. “You’re just a kid.”

“So are you. Don’t tell Aang though, there’s no question that will answer that he’s ready for.”

“He’s a hundred and twelve. I sure hope he can handle a message from the spirits.”

The boy stood, yellow robes floating around him a nice contrast to his blue arrow tattoos. “Just trust me. Now, you’ll get better at this as you practice, but I’ll help you back to your body this time.”

“I left my body?” “You’re the bridge between the human world and the spirit world, Katara. This is part of the job.” He smiled and tapped her forehead.

She blinked and she was surrounded by snow again, lying on her back. Aang was climbing back to his feet, the box lay open between them. “Well,” he began, extending a hand to help her up. “I did not expect such a light show.”

*

“I saw the lights! Just hand over the Avatar and I will leave! No one has to get hurt.”

Aang met Iroh’s eyes over the head of the blustering teenager. This was the nephew he spoke so highly of? He did not look like much, or like anything but a devoted son of Ozai’s, despite the scar. Ah well. His hand was forced by Sokka’s loud mouth. The next mail ship would undoubtedly carry away with it a report from Ozai’s spy – the identity of whom still escaped his probings, something that would forever prickle at him – given that the boy had tried to get Katara reprimanded for waterbending.

He was pretty sure how the youths would respond to this.

“Alright, alright, enough is enough.” Aang stepped forward, inwardly smiling at the surprise on the Fire Nation Prince’s face. “I am the Avatar. Take me away.”

Gold eyes narrowed. “How do I know you’re not just lying to save your people?”

With a sweep of Aang’s hand, air flung snow into Zuko’s face. “I’ll go with you, if you swear any of my clever attempts to escape will not result in retribution on the tribe.”

As the teen clawed at the snow in his collar, Aang winked at Katara. She nodded, ducking her head to hide a smirk.

“Deal. Bring him aboard.”

*

Zuko took a fortifying breath outside the room his men had stashed the Avarar in. He was about to go face an old man, yes, but one who’d had a hundred years to master all four elements. This was what he’d been training for, what his father expected him to face. He could do this; he was not the failure Court and his sister thought him.

He threw the door open, hoping to intimidate.

It didn’t ruffle the old man at all. He was sitting chin in hand as Uncle Iroh placed a tile on the Pai Sho board between them.

“Uncle!”

“Ah, Prince Zuko. Do come in. I could use your eyes; the Avatar is beating me soundly.”

The Avatar shook a finger in friendly chastisement at Uncle. “Hey now! No cheating. That’s not very honorable.”

“Excuse me! You are a prisoner! Uncle, stop playing with him.”

Uncle placed a tile. A stupid move, actually, unless there was a pattern Zuko wasn’t seeing. Uncle probably had some gambit in play Zuko couldn’t actually help with that would slam shut around the Avatar’s tiles sooner or later. Why lay out the spirit tile to follow the world tile?

The older man chuckled. “She was cute; wasn’t she? The young lady protecting the tribe’s little kids?” He snuck a teasing glance at Zuko as Uncle’s eyebrows raised in consideration. 

He thought of fierce blue eyes glaring out of her well-formed face. “I didn’t notice.”

“Didn’t notice? Iroh, I am beginning to suspect both your Pai Sho skills and your parenting skills. What young man doesn’t notice a pretty girl?”

“I was trying to catch you!”

“Well I am much too old for you. And I’m not sure I’d be interested in someone who’s so focused on his goal he forgets about situational awareness.”

“I am situationally aware!” Zuko yelled, right as the shipped lurched and suddenly stopped.

The Avatar smiled. “Well, that’s my ride.”

*

Zuko breathed heavily with effort, his ship tilting from the ice the waterbender - oh, father was going to have words with their spy - had produced to stop their movement. The Avatar was laughing over head, his walking stick turned into a glider, wheeling in a wide circle to follow after the small boat piloted by the young tribesman who’d challeneged him.

Leaning over the rail, Zuko met the eyes of the waterbender - the one who’d protected the little kids - as he looked back. She was staring back, perhaps to track the Avatar.

Her eyes were fierce, and with the wind blowing her hair he could see what the Avatar-

She flipped him off with both hands, and the boat vanished around an iceburg.

[holy-hyuck]

Bleeding Hearts

Bleeding hearts were your favourite flowers until they took away what you treasured most. Now, the only heart that bled was yours.

Pairing: Choi Yeonjun x Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

Genre: Angst, Hanahaki Disease!AU

Warnings: Swearing

Song Rec: Bruises by Lewis Capaldi

The bottle clinks against the stone and bombards your head with pain as the noise it creates echoes in the night. The sound travels through the empty space until it falls silent, and all that’s left are your thoughts, jumbled and swarming around like insects, like hyenas circling dead prey.

You swing the bottle up to your lips, greedy for the bitter taste on your tongue, and take an eager sip. The golden liquid rolls down your throat and soothes the aching in your heart, momentarily until everything comes back down like an avalanche, the way it always does.

Using the sleeve of Yeonjun’s oversized sweater, you wipe away the residue of alcohol off your lips and chin, then place the bottle on the ground.

Your hair is hay, you realise as you run a hand through it, the action rough and rushed. You don’t bother to detangle it, pulling the roots as your hand comes back down to your lap, where it joins the other one.

You let silence engulf and overwhelm you, looking up to the pitch-black sky to stop more tears from falling. In the distance, you spot a few stars, small but still shining against the darkness.

“How could you?” you whisper and let the question hang in the air. “You were supposed to be my everything; my forever and always. How could you leave me like this? How could you let me call you, and text you, and miss you days and nights thinking you were just stubborn, waiting on the end of the line like you always did? How could you let me love you if you knew you weren’t meant to stay?” You sniff and scoff, and choke on your words.

“You can’t even imagine just how fucking much I hate you right now, and of course you can’t, because you’re not here anymore!” Your voice fills the abyss, and the trees take in your words and whisper them back to you. Only when you have the chance to process them again do you realise the venom dripping from them kills you as well.

“My parents were right, you were too good for me anyway. You were the golden boy; you were everything I’ve wanted to be, and even when you were hurting because of me you made me feel loved. I don’t deserve you but I’m selfish when it comes to you and I want you back. I want everything back, all our laughs and tears and fights, and every little memory, and I want to wake up knowing you’re just half an hour away, and I want to fall asleep knowing that we’re looking at the same moon and the same stars.”

Your hands find their way back to your hair, and this time, you intentionally pull them, fingernails littering the delicate skin of your scalp with small crescents as their stinging aids the ache in your heart.

“I wanna turn back time to when you were still with me, but that’s the shitty thing about life, isn’t it? That when people stop ticking, you can’t just change the batteries like you would to a clock. And now I have to look at that damned four twenty-seven and imagine the arrows still moving because that’s all I’ve got left. Everything is so fucking meaningless when you’re not around, Jun, and I hope to God you’re listening, and you know just how sorry I am.” Harshly, you flick your tears away, rubbing your skin raw with the soft sleeves of Yeonjun’s jumper. “And I know that won’t change anything. And that’s exactly what I hate the most, that no amount of sorrys will bring you back so fuck you Yeonjun!”

You pick up the bottle off the ground and the sudden motion spills whiskey on the yellowing grass.

“Fuck all your broken promises, and all your ‘I love you’s’! Fuck your stupid smile, and your laugh, and your hugs and everything about you can go to hell!”

Your grip tightens around the neck until your knuckles turn white. You turn the bottle upside down and the liquid barely has time to stain your jeans before you aim and throw it at Yeonjun, the glass shattering on the marble, shards going off like fireworks in the night sky and resembling the stars on it too. It’s a beautiful sight for such a horrid emotion it came from, and yet you cannot tear your eyes away.

And so you fall, succumbing to the void. Each thought and memory goes down like dominoes and rolls down your cheek just to make you feel something other than overwhelming numbness and anger. Each breath you take gets choked up, and each one you give out becomes ragged and shakes.

God, what you wouldn’t do to have Yeonjun envelop you in his arms, to inhale the scent of his cologne, or have his plump and coconut-scented, glossy lips place a kiss on your forehead, an act of love, a promise that you will be okay.

And you hate yourself because you’re the reason he’s gone, because you’ve been blind and selfish, and never took off those rose-coloured glasses to see that all those pink flags were actually white, and that Yeonjun was so desperately crying for help from the only person that could save him. You.

The scream you gift to the blackening sky pierces through the stillness in the air and everything roars back to life: everything except Yeonjun, whose name stares back at you in pity and sorrow. It mocks you, it seems like, and you want to swing with all your might but you know there’s nothing waiting at the end of your fist, just emptiness and the sixteen digits you’ve grown to hate.

Even the stars lose their shine, and nothing seems beautiful anymore. Their light is nothing but a nausea-inducing headache, their infinity just another reminder of how mortal all people are. Flowers are wilting and trees are starting to die. The world spins around on its axis and enters a different universe, where the night never ends, and the sun never comes up. A world where Yeonjun doesn’t hold your hand or text you goodnight.

It’s a world you hate, but one you’ll grow accustomed to with time. It’s a world where your heart is covered with ashes, and you let it be buried under all the pain until, eventually, it stops hurting.

Reaching out a trembling finger, you pick up a fallen flower, holding the stem as though you’re holding the very thing that spurts out life, and spin it around between your fingers, fingerprints imprinting on the surface, over and over again until they become familiar to the sensation. You recognise the blush sprinkled on its petals, the heart-wrenching shape that made you fall in love with them in the first place, and all it did now was pierce right through your ribcage.

Bleeding hearts were your favourite until they took away what you treasured most. They used to grow on the tree beside Yeonjun’s house, and now they littered his grave, decorating the stone and giving it a beauty that you were sickened by. They were the shape of his heart, always fluttering at the thought of you, until they grew into his lungs with vengeance, yearning so badly for you that they hoped to break out of the cage they were in, spewing out of Yeonjun’s mouth every time he fell for you again. And he fell every time, because loving you was worth all the agony you put him through. Loving you was suffocating but he’d lie saying he didn’t enjoy the pain or the sight of your smile as you passed him a glass of water, unaware that it was your love he was coughing up. He would rather die for you than get rid of this overwhelming feeling because even if it brought him down to hell, you would bring him right back up, and all that was worth the single second of bliss.

You crush the flower in your palm but it doesn’t bleed the way your heart does. It retains its beauty, and no matter how many flowers you destroy, another will grow in their place. That’s the beauty of life, but you no longer find life beautiful.

You look at Yeonjun once more, and once again, he remains unmoved. He no longer cares, so maybe neither should you.

“You’re gonna be the death of me,” you snicker. It scrapes your throat and you can’t help noticing how you’ve ran out of tears. “I guess the way I was the death of you.”

[otomebois-bb]

Kiro Month, Day 20: Soulmate AU

Title: I Promise

Pairing: Kiro & MC (Emci)

Notes: The long-awaited (for me anyway) Soulmate AU day is finally upon us! Due to my current circumstances, I wrote this many days in advance. I feel bad for not being able to participate in my own event too much, but I told myself I'd definitely do this one no matter what, so I did!

Before you begin, a few things you need to know:

1. Despite the Soulmate AU title, this is a bit of an angst! Nothing too bad, but proceed with caution.

2. There are slight spoilers from Kiro's backstory with the MC (I think from chapter 10? I really don't remember tbh).

3. I mashed together 3 different Soulmate AUs into this! They are:

Your soulmate leaves colored footprints only visible to you (for this, I added a little twist where the color changes each day.)

Your soulmate's first name on your wrist.

Meter of how in danger your soulmate is, below their name on your arm.

With that said, I hope you enjoy!!

Tagging: @producer-miss-chips for the banner ^^

Kiro's POV:

I stared out the car window, lost in thought while Savin, who sat next to me, ratted off the day's schedule for the third time today. I sat up straighter when I caught sight of the neon pink footsteps on the sidewalk, leading up to a tall building.

So she works inside the LFG building, huh...

I rolled up my left sleeve and stared at the engraved name on my wrist: Emci. I slipped it up a little higher to reveal the semi-circle meter below it, going from green, to yellow, to red from left to right. Currently it was all the way in the green.

I learned the hard way a long time ago what that meter was for, and ever since then, I always prayed to never see it go that far into the red again...

"Kiro!"

Savin's yelling snapped me back to reality, and I quickly hid my arm underneath my sleeve once more. "Sorry, Savin. What did you say?"

He opened his mouth, only to shut it again. His expression conveyed annoyance through his furrowed eyebrows and the deep scowl etched onto his face. Finally, he spat, "You realize your monthly schedule right now is too busy to fit in chasing down your soulmate, right?"

My heart sank, and my shoulders sagged. "Yeah... I know." I had asked him about it not too long ago, and his simple response had been showing me this month's calendar and telling me to find some free time on it. Of course, there wasn't any, unless I was willing to sacrifice sleep for it — but with the way things were, I couldn't even afford to do that.

"Then let go of that fantasy. If you're that desperate, why don't you look her up on social media? Everyone has a Moments account."

I scoffed. "I only know her first name. Without her last name, it'll take forever to find her."

"Well, guess you'll have to wait until your schedule clears up," he said, typing something on his phone.

"Yeah, with you as my agent, that'll never happen," I muttered.

"Without me as your agent, you wouldn't be where you are today. Be thankful," he shot back.

I wanted to retort that I'd have been just as well off without his help, but seeing as it was difficult to go from nothing to something without a good agent, I bit my tongue instead.

I sighed, resuming my blank stare out the window as the car kept going, the LFG building long behind us.

~~~~~~~~

Four days after my argument with Savin, I managed to sneak out of an interview I really wasn't interested in, wearing a black hat and a dark gray hoodie for good measure.

As I mingled with the crowd, I caught a glimpse of a few seemingly painted footsteps on the sidewalk across the street. I smiled, and muttered to myself, "So, your footsteps are light blue today, huh?"

I headed for the crosswalk, fully intending on following her footsteps in hopes we'd be reunited today. As I began to cross the street, I decided, just out of curiosity, to check the meter on my arm; though I was sure it would still be in the green section.

I stopped dead in my tracks halfway across when I saw it, though.

The little arrow was in the yellow, slowly moving closer and closer to the red area.

My mind suddenly flashed back to several years ago: her screams echoing through the thin walls, while I was strapped to a cot, powerless to do anything while the meter stayed as far into the red as it could go — not to mention the countless experiments I was forced to endure as well...

When we were finally rescued from that hell hole, we were separated. "I promise I'll find you again! I'll protect you, I promise!" I cried as the police officers gently tugged me away.

No. I won't let that happen again.

I ran the rest of the way, shoving people out of my way once I was on the sidewalk, and they protested at my actions — but I couldn't care less if I was being rude. At that moment, the only thing that mattered to me was following those footsteps and fulfilling my promise.

The footsteps led me down an alleyway and through a rusty door. The room I stepped into was pitch-black, but the pale blue footsteps glowed, allowing me to continue following them without needing a light.

Heading down a set of stairs, I gasped when I reached the basement floor, which was dimly lit by a few spread out light bulbs. The footsteps on the floor here were splattered together, then drastically spaced — indicating a struggle had occurred before she was dragged off to the next room.

The meter on my arm now rested in the center of the red section.

I quickened my pace as much as I could without making too much noise. My hand reached out for the door knob in front of me, when...

"Nooooo!!"

A female's voice shrieked from a distance behind the door, and my blood ran cold. It took every ounce of will power to refrain from panicking and recklessly rushing in there, especially after glancing at my arm just in time to notice the arrow spike up as far into the red as it could go.

I managed to keep calm enough to enter the room, where the only light was coming from the far end of the room, behind a white curtain. I could see the shadows of two figures standing by what looked like a table, and another person writhing around wildly, seeming to be strapped to the table. Since the increased amount of panicked, struggling footsteps led all the way behind the curtain, my only guess could be that the person on the table was my one and only soulmate.

My hands balled into fists.

I won't let it happen again.

I quickly searched my surroundings for anything that could be used as a weapon or as a distraction, finding a hammer and a knife among a table of various tools and a fire hydrant behind a counter closer to the curtain. Clinging to the wall to stay shrouded in the dark, I slowly made my way to the fire hydrant.

"Please, stop," the girl begged, her weakened voice fueling me to move a little faster.

"Aww, doll, don't worry. It'll be a quick pinch, you won't even feel it!" A man cackled, and I could see one of the figures holding a syringe, moving it closer to the person on the table.

"No, please!"

Clank!

I finally reached the fire hydrant and tipped it over, causing it to lang loudly as it hit the stone floor and echoed.

The man with the syringe paused and pointed at his helper to investigate the sound as he continued what he was doing. I got into position as the other person, another man, emerged from behind the curtain. When he passed me, almost completely oblivious, I swiped my leg out and knocked him down just as the screaming began. Before the man could recover from his fall, I swung my hammer at his head, and he stopped moving. I couldn't care less whether I killed him or rendered him unconscious as I searched his motionless body and grabbed a gun.

I stood and aimed the gun carefully at the man's syringe hand, pulling the trigger when he removed the syringe and no longer had his hand near the girl, since I didn't want to risk accidentally hitting her. The man, startled and in pain, stumbled away from the table, clutching his bleeding hand. "W-who's there?!"

I pulled my hood up to hide my hair before stepping into view, aiming my gun at him. "That was a warning shot. If you value your life and know what's good for you, I suggest you leave before I decide to use you for target practice."

"Why you—!"

He lunged for me, and I didn't hesitate in pulling the trigger again, and he fell at my feet. "I warned you," I muttered bitterly.

I traded the gun for the knife in my pocket, discarding it on the floor and facing the table. The Emci I saw laying there, struggling to stay conscious, looked mostly the same as I'd remembered her — only more mature and grown up, and, if possible, more beautiful. Her sleeves had been rolled up, and she had a small dot of blood and what looked like a yellowish substance on one arm, and on her other arm — her left, like mine — I could see her meter going down from red to yellow, and above it, I could make out my name engraved in cursive on her wrist: Kiro.

Using the knife, I cut her bindings and lifted her limp body in my arms. Carrying her while I followed the exit signs, she softly mumbled, "You came back..."

"I promised I'd find you again, and I promise you, I will never leave your side ever again."

~~~~~~~~

The moment I rushed into the hospital, someone said, "Oh my God, is that Kiro?!"

"Yes, it's me, Kiro," I said, a bit irritated that that was the first thing they pointed out. "Now, can I please get some help over here?! My soulmate's life is on the line!"

Immediately, a few nurses hurried over, one calling for a doctor, and soon after, I was following as they led Emci to a room on an elevated stretcher. Before I could get through the door, a nurse stopped me, holding her hand up. "I understand she's your soulmate, but please wait in the lobby. The doctor can't be distracted while trying to treat her."

I sighed. "Fine, but what should I do in the meantime?"

"I'm sure your agent would like to know where you're at," she said before leaving to catch up with the others.

I dialed Savin's number, and he immediately picked up. "Kiro, where are you?!"

"I'm at the hospital," I said, walking outside.

"The hospital?!" Shuffling could be heard on the other end. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I found my soulmate."

Savin paused before groaning, "Seriously, Kiro? This was an important interview, I can't believe you—!"

"If I had listened to you, Emci would've been more hurt than she is now, or worse!" I cut him off, and he fell silent. "Look, I'll see you later and apologize. Just wanted to update you. Goodbye."

Hanging up, I walked back into the hospital just in time for the nurse from before to spot me as she entered the lobby. "Good news, Kiro, she's going to be okay." I let out a breath of relief I didn't know I'd been holding as she continued, "The doctor just needs to flush the chemicals out of her system. He wants to hold her here overnight to monitor her for a bit, just in case, but you're very lucky you brought her here when you did." She smiled. "Anyway, I'll come back in an hour to give you another update. Hopefully I can bring you back to see her by then, too."

I nodded, taking a seat and anxiously waiting for an hour to pass.

~~~~~~~~

Two hours later, Emci finally woke up.

"Kiro?" she asked, her voice shaking me awake as I was about to doze off. "Is it really you?"

I gently reached out for her hand. "Yes, it's me. I'm really here." I squeezed her hand, and she smiled.

"I was beginning to wonder what was taking you so long," she admitted, giggling — the melodic sound like music to my ears. "If you weren't such a popular public figure, I would've lost hope."

I chuckled "I know. I'm sorry, I got busy."

"Don't apologize." Her thumb softly caressed the back of my hand. "I'm just glad you're here now."

"I have so much I want to tell you," I said.

"Me too," she agreed, "but now is a bad time."

"Can I at least say one thing?"

"Of course." Her smile was like a ray of sunshine, brightening my mood instantly.

I leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Emci."

She giggled. "I know." Upon seeing my dejected pout, she laughed and added, "I love you too, Kiro."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

END.

[merryfortune]

July Nights

Fandom: Animal Crossing New Horizons

Ship: Isabelle/f!Island Representative 

Word Count: 3,488

Tags: Canon Compliant, Fluff, South Hemisphere Setting

   The snow fell peacefully all afternoon and looked gorgeous against the encroaching night. Isabelle watched it from her window with a mug of mocha-caramel coffee to warm her paws. She listened to the click-clack of Tom’s claws on his laptop’s keys as she enjoyed her umpteenth break today.

   The island was so wonderful, every day an idyllic dream, she thought. It had been ages since she had last been asked to scold someone for inappropriate clothes or vulgar language. Her nose wrinkled with a laugh as she mused on that as she took yet another sweet, sweet sip of her coffee and savoured the dulcet taste of it. 

   Isabelle sighed as she let the moment linger before the doors to the Resident Services’s building flung open. She could have jumped out of her skin but thankfully, she hadn’t. Turning herself around to greet the visitor, she noticed that Tom most certainly had. His tail was straight as an arrow but very, very fluffy with his spook as the Island Representative gallivanted inside.

   Cold winds blew right up until those thick, oaken doors shut once more. Even then, Isabelle had to shiver thanks to that icy blast that the Rep had let in as she marched up to oh! To her counter!

   Isabelle couldn’t believe it, she set down her mug of coffee on her desk and she hurried to her side of the long, marble counter which split the Services building in half longways. She smoothed down her dark green skirt and attempted to dazzle the Rep with another one of those million bell smiles of hers - it worked every time.

   The Rep greeted her with a crinkly eyed smile of her own; a hand lifted in greeting as well and it was time to let their dinky little meeting begin. It was always so nice to have something to do, Isabelle thought.

   “So, what did you need today, ma’am?” Isabelle asked.

   “An island evaluation, please.” the Rep chirruped.

   Of course. It was rarely anything else these days. The flag and island tune were all set and all the islanders were getting along for the time being. The only thing there was left to do on the Island Representative’s to-do list was to build up their reputation so that they could get the one and only K.K. Slider to come perform. Oh, that would be so splendid if they could get that to happen.

   “Well,” Isabelle began, her voice perky as she smiled, shuffling papers, “the recent feedback has been stellar but no dice. We come up during many a water cooler chats and we’re making top ten listicles as well but… but we’re still only a four star island, I’m afraid.” 

   “Aw, darn... “ the Rep mumbled; she snapped her fingers, too and Isabelle could just see all her hopes dashing. “I’ve been working really hard on the latest feature of our island, too.” And then just like that, Isabelle could see all her hopes return and surged. Perhaps even more powerfully at that given how her eyes bugged with amazement. “Actually, I know,” she said, “you should come and have a look. It’s finished, I promise. Not like, um, not like with the playground, I swear.”

   Isabelle laughed. Yes, she remembered the playground debacle, ha-ha. The Rep had been so pleased to make all those building blocks and rocking horses and to steamroll that one, perfect piece of the island… only to decide that she wasn’t satisfied with it and put the project on a not quite hiatus. She swears she’ll get back to it… she just needs to do some… remodelling… which she can’t do until she unlocks terraforming… which she can’t do unless K.K Slider comes… which doesn’t matter anyway because her head’s reeling at a million miles an hour with ideas to make their island the bestest that there ever was and it was time to start yet another project scene.

   That’s what Isabelle not so secretly nor not so quietly admired about her. She had such vivacious tenacity which lit up her face with brilliance and such pep in her steps. She never got discouraged and she had high standards for herself and for this Island. She truly was the one meant to be their dear, little island’s Representative. 

   But back to the matter at hand. Isabelle sighed and she bore a sympathetic look into those big, black eyes of her’s.

   “I’m sorry, Rep, but - but I shouldn’t. I’ve got work to do, you know? Um, like, like doing some filing. I have to scan some things and send them to places and-” Isabelle rambled.

   From across the room, Tom put his foot down. He pinched the bridge of his snout with unamused contempt. “Isabelle,” he said firmly, “just take the rest of the night off. If you have unfinished business, I’ll get to it if it’s that urgent but otherwise, come back to it in the morning, with fresh eyes. Some fun would do you some good, you know. You’re still young, too young to be an old fuddy-duddy like me.”

   “Tom!” Isabelle exclaimed whilst the Island Rep laughed in her cushiony chair across from her.

   “So, what do you say? I think you deserve to see the newest sights that way you can write a listicle or whatever when you get back and that might help propel us to that five star rating, yeah?” the Rep teased her.

   “Oh, oh, okay, it’ll be a business trip.” Isabelle said, tail wagging. “That sounds quite acceptable.”

   Tom just groaned hearing his golden protege hear that but it got her out from behind her counter which was the main thing.

   Isabelle trotted out from behind the counter; lifting it up at the middle seam and then put it back perfectly in place. She beamed at the Island Rep who welcomed her with an outreached hand.

   “C’mon, let’s go, I know it’s cold outside but trust me, what I have in store for you will warm you up to the core.” the Island Rep assured her as she began to lead her to the door. 

   Isabelle shivered with excitement, more forcing herself to shiver rather than having done it naturally, as the door was closed. “Ooh, sounds good.” she agreed.

   Tom rolled his eyes from where he worked. Kids, he thought. Although, as he began to pen some numbers down on a notepad to double check his maths, he did briefly wonder if his kids - Timmy and Tommy - would ever be like this. He hoped not. He wanted them to stay small and relatively less annoying like this forever.

   The door opened and everyone inside shivered although, surprisingly, the snow had stopped. But it certainly did look pretty outside. The Island Rep glanced at Isabelle and smiled big. Isabelle laughed and the two rocketed off outside. The Island Rep dragged Isabelle through the snow and it was such crisp joy.

   Snow scrunched and crunched underfoot. It was such fun to run through the flurry as the Rep led Isabelle to the east, first. They rocketed across a wooden bridge and through snow dusted flowers and past a thick, verdant forest all blanketed in the snowy, wintery goodness. The snow on the ground twinkled serenely, even as they ripped through it. Occasionally, they would pass by one of their neighbours who would stop and stare, confused, to see that Isabelle was the one partaking in such hooligan behaviour. The fact that it was the Island Rep leading and initiating such tomfoolery was much less surprising as it was more in line with her behaviour and reputation but not sweet, introverted Isabelle who so rarely stepped a toe outside the Services building.

   They hooked a left up in the middle of this third of the island and began to run out of puff. It was kind of nice, though. As they slowed down and let go of each other, they could see their breath in front of them. A huff and a puff of white clouds which tickled their noses as they started to ascend a stone staircase which was at the bottom of the first of the two upper island crests in this region of the island. 

   Isabelle remembered the ceremony which they had hosted for it the other day. She had wondered why the Rep had decided on that particular location but that idle curiosity had barely consumed her like it was now. Her heart raced as she climbed to the top of the stairs, trying to glance around in the dark where she had stood for the ceremony. The photographs taken then had dazzled her, making her see spots where there weren’t any. The ceremony had been so much fun, actually. It was always fun to pop the poppers but the clean up was always something of a drag. Just because the used streamers were biodegradable

   “We’re almost there.” the Island Rep told Isabelle when they had made it to the top. 

   From where they stood, they were greeted by a sea of flowers all dancing in the moonlight. Petals, red and yellow and white and even some orange and pink, twitched out of synchronicity with one another. There had been some effort to dig the ones out which would get in the way of where people would walk but some had already grown back through.

   The Island Rep noticed and giggled sheepishly but there was no time to get her shovel out and do some more cleaning up. Isabelle didn’t mind.

   “So where is it? The newest feature of our island that you wanted to show me?” she asked.

    She looked around; towards the inlet which had a waterfall, just past that grove of trees and then the other way, there it was a clear view to the sea. Isabelle couldn’t see a manmade object in sight but that wasn’t a bad thing. The natural look was so, so beautiful as well.

   The Island Rep’s already sheepish demeanour turned yet even more so. She was a little embarrassed as she rubbed the back of her head.

   “We still have a little more to go.” the Rep said. “We’re gonna need to climb a ladder. Are you alright using mine?”

   “Oh!” Isabelle exclaimed with a blink. “That’s a little… dangerous. No, adventurous. It’s adventurous. I’d be happy to… so long as you help.”

   She asked so cutely, how could the Island Rep say no?

   “It’ll be easy as pie.” the Rep replied after a slightly longer than intended pause. And then she had a sudden epiphany, eyes going up wide. “You can go first but promise not to look, I want to be there when you see it.”

   “Okay, okay, I can do that.” Isabelle replied with laughter in her voice.

   Together, the Island Rep and Isabelle moseyed up to the next set of cliffs. It was daunting but with more than enough ease, the Island Rep whipped out her ladder and set to work with helping Isabelle up.

   It was probably only a three-four foot incline upwards but Isabelle was shaken nonetheless. At the bottom of the ladder, the Island Rep held it steady whilst Isabelle so carefully climbed up and made it to the top of the highest area of the island. Once Isabelle gave her the a-okay, the Rep clambered up as fast as she could.

   At the final rung of the ladder, Isabelle offered the Rep her paw and the Rep took it. With a great heft, Isabelle helped the Island Rep to her feet. She was then satisfied and returned the ladder to her inventory. All whilst Isabelle kept her promise. She didn’t sneak a single look at what was behind her whilst the Rep was preoccupied with her pockets. 

   “Okay, I’m ready.” the Rep said.

   “Oooh, I’m so excited.” Isabelle could have danced on the spot with her overexcitement.

   “You can look now then.” the Rep said.

   Isabelle turned around and she gasped. A hot springs had been installed by the riverbed. 

   “Do you like it?” the Rep asked.

  Isabelle was too stunned to speak as she let her eyes savour what had been prepared before her. Her tail lifted, went stock still, before wagging immensely as she glanced around but her eyes kept coming back to the formation of rocks in the very centre of this plane which had been mostly cleared of trees. Reams of steam curled up off the still, warm water of the hot spring which had been installed. A little clay froggy sat at the back of the rocks and there was a sign customised with a bowl of fruit. Bamboo grew towards the far sides of the cliff and Isabelle sighed. Two types of fruit trees had been planted nearby and she could smell their deliciously sweet scents. There was a hat stand to look after discarded clothes nearby and an array of zen pillows to sit on: all coloured greens and golds, standing out against the white of the fallen snow. 

   “Oh, I love it, Rep,” Isabelle swooned, “this is easily your best work yet.”

   “D’aw, thanks.” the Rep replied, rubbing beneath her nose to further hide the blush on her cheeks in the dark.

   “It’s a shame, it’s far too cold to soak, I think.” Isabelle replied. “We should wait for spring…”

   “That’s quitter talk, Isabelle.” the Rep said and she smacked Isabelle good-naturedly between her shoulders.

   “I dunno…” Isabelle quibbled. 

   “Please, I brought us some wrap-around towels and spare clothes. If we’re quick, we won’t be cold.” the Rep insisted pleadingly.

   Isabelle looked towards her. Those cute little eyes of the Rep’s made it so difficult to say no to so she sighed. She laughed awkwardly and rubbed her arms.

   “Okay,” she said, “let’s do it.”

   “Yes, I knew you’d come around.” the Rep exclaimed.

   The Island Representative fussed about with her inventory again. She got changed into a wraparound towel and then passed a second one onto Isabelle. She trembled on the spot as she held onto the item in question. It was so sweet of the Island Rep to have gotten one in one of her favourite colours; Isabelle had always felt that earthy tones like brown looked best on her. Excited, Isabelle got changed and she almost couldn’t bear it.

   It was far too cold to be walking around in a bath towel, Isabelle could have squealed. She had a nice thick coat of winter fur on but that poor human of hers. She didn’t know how the Island Rep did it. Running around in all sorts of things; swimming in the sea, looking for sea critters. Argh, the thought alone terrified Isabelle and froze her to the core.

   Absorbed by all her playful misery, the Island Rep took the initiative once again. She took Isabelle by the paw and tugged her towards the hot springs. They leapt into it as though they were leaping into the sea. Hot water went everywhere and they sank the depths, rising up, heads bobbing, and laughing so hard with the mess they had made.

   “Oh, Rep, you are such a card.” Isabelle exclaimed in something of a whiny voice.

   The Island Representative laughed. Heck yeah she was. 

   As the Island Rep’s giggles faded out, Isabelle began to smile. She sighed and they both enjoyed a moment of eventual quiet. It was nice. 

   Isabelle tilted her head up and she gasped. The skies were so beautiful tonight. She glanced downwards and she noticed all the night sky’s reflection in the water in between the ripples and the curls of steam. Isabelle could not be more enchanted as she felt her heart pound just that little bit more quickly in her fluffy chest.

   She turned her head to the Island Rep, she looked so darling with water in her hair and stars in her eyes. She, too, equally as mesmerised with the fruit of her labour. Gosh, she couldn’t have picked a better spot for such a lovely and serene scene as this, Isabelle wanted to praise her.

   “Thank you for this.” Isabelle found herself saying, not thinking.

   The Island Representative seemed to have not been expecting that. She seemed a little spooked by what Isabelle had suddenly said but it turned to humility.

   “I’m glad you like it.” she replied. 

   Isabelle beamed. Her joy was delightful on her furry muzzle and the Island Rep relished the expression. The crinkles on the side of her eye, particularly note worthy despite being so small and in the dark as well.

   The water had long since stilled despite their entry into it and Isabelle disrupted it, unthinking. She moved in closer to the Island Rep. Her paw fumbling over the Rep’s hand and she stroked at it, awkwardly. The Island Rep didn’t mind, not even when Isabelle’s claws, non-retractable as she was a canine, lightly grazed over her skin.

   “You do a lot for us.” Isabelle added, not quite yet done with praising the Island Rep. “For the Island, not just me.”

   “I gotta.” the Rep said. “I love you guys.” She felt a bulge form in her throat and it made her hesitate; to double guess herself and the like but ever the ragamuffin, the only way she knew to handle it was by going through, guns blazing and the like. “I love you too, Isabelle. A lot, even.” Her heart pounded and she still found words to blurt out. “I’m glad we could have tonight together. To do something special.”

   The Island Rep still felt as though she had more to say but instead, she found herself being sucked into the awespiring blackholes of Isabelle’s eyes. They kept widening and widening and were still somehow getting wider with her wonder at the Island Represenative’s confession. The shock was sweet and palpable. 

   “....Really?” Isabelle whispered. “You… love me?”

   “Mmhm, most of all.” the Island Rep promised and she took Isabelle’s paws - both of them. She held them tightly. The Island Rep could feel the squishy bits of Isabelle’s paws on her palms; they felt like plush leather, it was sensory heaven to her, even submerged in the water.

   “Oh, that’s lovely, thank you, I - I love you too.” Isabelle said.

   Isabelle reefed her paws out from the Rep’s hands and flung them towards her face in an exuberant hug. The embrace which ensued with messy and had them splashing about in the hot springs but it was so, so much fun. And it ended with them settling down, with haphazard breaths and they stared into each other’s eyes.

   “May I?” Isabelle asked. Her words were slow and tender, mixing up in the steam still roiling off the meniscus of the hot springs.

   “Of course.” the Island Representative replied; Isabelle didn’t even have to ask but it was sweet that she had.

   Isabelle pawed at the Rep’s face as she angled her own so as to get everything in the direction it ought to be going. So that noses wouldn’t bump into each other; so that teeth wouldn’t clink against teeth but all that happened anyway. It simply couldn’t be helped but at least it was funny. When they finally started to kiss each other - contact, warm, lip to lip and mouth to mouth - they were both laughing.

   Isabelle’s kiss was everything that the Island Representative thought it would be. A little strange thanks to the physiological differences but it worked out nicely regardless. Isabelle’s kiss was a smooth caress, pressing forward but only with permission, with deft flicks of her wagging tongue whilst the Island Rep was a bit less controlled than that. Despite being human, she tried to be big and grand and long. She was free flying passion, poking forward with curiosity and excitement. 

   They were both loath to end it but they had to breathe on their own eventually. When it ended, there were stars in both their eyes and a fantastic happiness in both their hearts.

   “I promise to take you on more breaks like this one soon.” the Island Rep said and she finally felt that she may have everything she had ever wanted off her chest now.

   Isabelle giggled, demure. “I shall look forward to it.” She was evasive as she had her own designs - soon to be quite literally - now in her own mind. What if… for August… she could finally have plenty more escapes from behind the desks to light up the night with the Island Representative. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

   For now, they just revelled in the lovestruck looks that they couldn’t tear away from each other. Soaking in the cool, winter air of July nights and the warm water of the hot springs. Not even minding that, eventually, they would have to get out and what a hop, skip, and a jump of trouble that would be but for now, they would enjoy what they had a little bit longer.

[iwillbeinmynest]

Kisses Series - Bucky x Reader(f)  20

Part 20: Dying Kisses

Author’s Notes: This is it! The end! It’s been a great ride, thank y’all so much for reading and giving me feedback. Y’all are the best!

Word Count: 1.4K

Notes/Warnings: mentions of blood, violence, fear, despair, trauma, death

Series Masterlist

Y/N stood frozen in the stairwell. She was only a few feet from the bottom but still she waited. Her heart slammed in her chest and her hands began to shake. She heard voices and the shuffling of feet. Too many feet. 

 It should only be one. It should only be Bucky’s feet. 

 A silent deep breath and Y/N inched forward. 

 The voices were more distinct as she stood pressed to the wall just on the other side of the door frame. One, two, three men. Two of them laughing. They’re speaking a language she doesn’t understand but she recognizes the sounds of the dialect. It’s Latvian. 

 Her shoulders droop as her stomach cramps and her heart stutters. It takes everything she has not to moan at the pain her anxiety is giving her. Latvia. It was her nightmare coming back to life.

 Suddenly there is a new pair of feet. Heavy with boots that scuff the floor. He starts to speak and tears come to Y/N’s eyes.

 It was him. The man that tortured her. What was just pain and terror instantly morphed into sheer rage when the man spoke Bucky’s name.

 As if she were possessed, Y/N swung the door open wide and opened fire. One, two, three men dead in a matter of seconds. Now, her gun fixed on her torturer, she paused.

 She wasn’t sure why. Everything in her said to end him before he could blink next but, she couldn’t. She couldn’t because her curiosity got the better of her. Her brows pulled down, angry at the smile that uncovered yellowed teeth.

 “Princess, what a surprise.” He said calmly. “Once again I am impressed with your accuracy. But you’ll notice,” He moved a finger in her direction. “I have upped my guard since our last encounter.”

 Y/N glanced down quickly and saw the four red dots hovering over her torso.

 “This is the part where you drop your gun.” He grinned an clasped his own hands.

 Y/N grimaced and lowered her weapon. It wasn’t until she looked down to drop it that she saw Bucky in the corner of her eye. Suddenly, her fears became a whole new beast. Bucky lay on the floor taking slow and shallow breaths as his head dropped to the side and a tear fell down his face when he saw her.

 She jerked to move to him but the monster with yellow teeth raised a hand. 

“Ah-ah-ah. Don’t move.” He eyed her like a predator. “Those little red dots aren’t Christmas lights, you know.”

 Y/n stopped moving but never took her eyes off of Bucky.

 “So, he does mean something to you after all, huh?” He tilted his head back and forth. “I figured as much.” The man noticed the ring on her finger and the one on Bucky’s bloodied appendage. His metal arm that had once been putting pressure on a bullet wound was now reaching for Y/N.

 “Oh, isn’t this good!” He laughed. “You’re married? Maybe it is Christmas after all. Well, not for you. Before I kill you, I do want you to know my name. It’s-”

 The man jerked forward and exhaled a gargled breath before collapsing forward to reveal the arrows lodged in his back.

 The second he fell Y/n ran to Bucky and scooped him into her arms. She sobbed as she saw the full extent of his wounds. Five shots to the chest. It was a miracle he was alive right now.

 Bucky shouted out when she grabbed him but he endured it. He grabbed what he could of her which was only part of her forearm. 

 Y/N’s eyes were wide and her mouth was open in shock. “Tell-tell me what to do! What do I do?!” She begged.

 Bucky’s mouth moved but no sounds came out. He closed his eyes and tried to swallow. “You okay?” His voice was low and audibly pain-filled.

 “What?” Y/N didn’t understand. “I-I’m fine!” She blinked hard to try and get a grip and tears fell from her face onto Bucky’s. “What do I do, Bucky?” She sobbed.

 He shook his head. “Back up coming?”

 Y/n knew what he was doing and she felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside. She nodded. “Those are Barton’s arrows, They’ll be here-”

 No sooner had she start to say it did the team come running in. Steve came in first stepping over bodies and huffing out the shock that had caused his breaths to suddenly be heavy. Sam and Clint were in next, followed by Tony, Wanda and Nat.

 Y/n looked up at them desperate and eyes clouded with tears. “What do I do?!” She continued to sob.

 Bucky coughed and blood dripped from the corners of his mouth. “Y/N…”

 Her head whipped down to his and she tired to shush him. “I’m here.”

 “I love you..”

 Y/N shook her head. “Don’t. Please don’t.” She cried over him.

 The team stood still unsure of what to do next. Steve finally moved after a nod to Sam who knelt behind Y/N.

 She held Bucky tighter in fear that they’d take him from her. “Bucky, please, you can’t leave me. I love you, too. So much. Please, baby. You can’t just…” Her voice struggled to get out.

 Bucky reached up and wiped tears from her face with a bloody thumb. “I love you…” He said slowly.

 Y/N leaned down and put her lips on his. If this was her last kiss, she wanted it to last forever but she was crying so hard that she lost her grip on him and he slid to the floor. She leaned her forehead on his. “Please…” She whispered.

 When he didn’t respond Y/N cried even harder and Sam pulled her from him. 

 Y/N didn’t know what happened next because she was wailing into Sam’s chest. When she finally opened her eyes, Both Bucky and Tony were gone and Steve was wiping tears from his eyes. 

*******

 Wrong. It felt wrong. He didn’t know what, though. 

 The light. The light was wrong. It was wrong because there wasn’t any. 

 It smelled funny, here.

 He couldn’t lift his arm. Or move his feet. 

Oh, but he could move his toes. And now his fingers. He made his wrist twitch and suddenly...warmth.

 He fought to open his eyes and he honestly felt like giving up but, when the warmth spread to his cheek, he fought harder.

 The light came now. It was bright but maybe that was just him.

 She came into view and now he could feel his heart thumping in his chest.

 She looked sick. Pale and thin. He knew what that meant, it meant she’d stayed by his side through all of this. Whatever this was.

 And she was crying. But she was smiling.

 She sobbed. “Hey, babe.”

 Y/N’s voice brought the sting of tears to his eyes. He remembered now. The fight, the gunshots, saying goodbye. He was in recovery.

 His chest hurt. 

 “How long was I out?” His voice came out rough and scratchy.

 She put on a brave face. “Three months.” Her grief was heavy in her answer.

 “You look awful.”

  She choked on a laugh and winced. “You don’t exactly look like fresh-baked handsome, either.”

 Bucky smiled. “Fresh baked, huh?” He rolled his head over and took in his surroundings. Hospital? No. Med wing. 

 Her tone sobered. “You were dead for four hours, Bucky.”

 He turned back to her and saw fat tears rolling down her cheek. He reached for her, pulling his hand from hers and cusping the base of her neck. “Those tears for me?”

 She nodded and hung her head. “I swear, I died with you.”

 He just wanted her to be happy. “You think we’ve paid our dues, then?” He asked her and she looked up confused. He let the thought of a smile play at his mouth. “I know a beautiful group of Islands that we could pick from. Leave everything and go live on the beach.”

 A spark in her eyes and the tears slowed. “You’ve paid with your life too many times. I’d say you deserve to retire now.” 

 “And you? You gonna come with me?”

 She nodded again. “Always, baby.”

*   *   *   *   

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