#THAT PAIN WAKES MY MUSE FOR THAT DAMN GUY

[starrvsn]

౨ৎ BEWITCHED ⠆OSCAR PIASTRI 𖥻81 !

PAIRING ⠆singer-celeb!(oc)reader x oscar piastri, exes-to-lovers!au.

FACECLAIM ⠆laufey

ᵎᵎ EVERYTHING IS FICTION ㅤᵕ̈

ynsannasource tweeted!

WHEN WAS SOMEONE GOING TO TELL ME Y/N AND OSCAR WERE TOGETHER WAY BACK WHEN ??????

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﹫daydrmer WAIT WHAT???

⤷ ﹫ynnation i thought this was common knowledge 😭

⤷ ﹫daydrmer common knowledge for who !? y/n has always been so private about her relationships

﹫ynluvbot only the real ones know 🤞🏽

﹫81piastri RUE WHEN WAS THIS ???

⤷ ﹫dwnuderpiastri before his F1 debut apparently

﹫lan4norris PLS i need to know what happened between them

﹫oskrttt81 omg why do i feel like he would listen to her music before races 😭

⤷ ﹫vrmvroomf1 me when im delusional

⤷ ﹫mcclarenboys4lyfe imagine his tech just playing her music over the radio during a race 😭

⤷ ﹫koalaop81 bro would have war flashbacks 😭😭

﹫magnolia.sanna yeah she def wrote songs about him

—

ynsannasource tweeted!

a little update on y/n and oscar! after ALOT of digging i found an archived post from oscars instagram.

view image below:

oscarpiastri my baby is so talented 🤍

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﹫f1goss the nosiest person award goes to 🏆

⤷ ﹫ynsannasource girl please you're a gossip page

⤷ ﹫f1goss got me with that...

﹫magnolia.sanna FUCK she had to have written at least half the album about him

⤷ ﹫livefastpiastri what love will do to you is definitely about him omg

﹫papaya.mclrn does anyone know why they broke up? or like how long they were together for?

⤷ ﹫prettiestyn apparently, this is what i heard at the time but they both had mutually agreed to part ways because y/n was gaining so much traction on her music career and oscar was beginning his f1 career that following year. especially since they were long distance for majority of their relationship a lot of people thought it was really straining them from doing what they wanted, not sure how long they were together for tho

⤷ ﹫dreamingofyn i think they were together almost 4 years

﹫pasteypiastri new oscar lore just dropped

﹫ferralforyn i love the oscar and yn crumbs

liked by lilyhme, oscarpiastri, beabadobee, alex_albon and more

ynsanna hi everyone! my single ‘dear soulmate’ is out now <3 listen in on where ever you stream your music, i love you all so much thank you for always supporting me mwah 🩷

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bewitchedluv babe wake up!!! new y/n single just dropped!!!

piastri81bakery OSCAR IN THE LIKES ??!

⤷ fan11 FUCK BROS LURKING

⤷ fan12 wonder how he feels being someone’s muse 😩

alex_albon loved the song!!

⤷ 23lexbon ALEX WHAT ARE YOU DOING HEREE ??

⤷ lilyhme﹫23lexbon i put him on hahah

⤷ lilyhme﹫alex_albon ....WAIT YOU LISTENED WITHOUT ME ????

landonorris guys-guys what happening to me *turns into a warewolf*

⤷ lan4norris oh! okay…

⤷ bestiepierre10 trying to steal pierre’s brand i see

⤷ pierregasly can't outdo the doer i fear

georgerussel63 the feelings i felt listening to this

⤷ logansargeant alex blasting this on full volume in the garage got everyone in their feels

⤷ lilyhme i know there had to be a mechanic that cried

feelsforf1 they way half the grid is here 😭

⤷ alex_albon i put them on what can i say ??

⤷ lilyhme NO i put them on, give me my flowers >:^(

⤷ ashmartini148 damn near everyone but oscar 😭

yndoll yeah this song is def about oscar

charles_leclarc collab ???

⤷ fan04 PLEASE THIS HAS TO HAPPEN

⤷ fan05 I CAN DIE IN PEACE IF IT DOES

⤷ fan06 this and oscar and yn getting back together will be enough for me

danielricciardo cried during my workout, thanks y/n !

⤷ lance_stroll no pain no gain 🦾

fan07 everything is slowly falling in place…

fan10 hope oscar listens to this and comes crawling back because i would

fan09 the feral need for them to get back together is crazy

﹫ethunreal they way everyone is psychoanalyzing the song

⤷ ﹫starletyn what is there to analyze tho…. it is about him

﹫048122 yeah she’s so not over him like girl let him go

⤷ ﹫prettiestyn they split to focus on their careers like good for them but fuck i wouldn’t be over him too if i saw them everywhere

﹫mistyskies no because y/n was the reason i got into racing when she was with him during formula 2 and now he’s in f1 like it doesn’t feel right without her

﹫stellarf1 okay but the whole paddock under her comment section???

⤷ ﹫fan11 speaks volumes imo 👀

⤷ ﹫fan they def know about them being together

﹫yukipookie does he even have feelings for her still like… it’s giving one sided

⤷ ﹫sonnamyheart naw her music plays everywhere he def thinks about her

liked by lilyhme, landonorris, oscarpiastri, carlossainz55 and more

ynsanna new location unlocked: monza! thank you for ferrari for inviting ❤️

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fan14 guess the collab will be happening

fan15 can literally smell a collab from the fourth slide

alex_albon it was so nice meeting you!

⤷ lilyhme criminal that you met her before i did

⤷ alex_albon i facetimed you and you didn’t answer… sounds like your fault

⤷ lilyhme blocked and deleted

estibestie we all know what this means right???

⤷ leclarc16wishes charles is on his way to steal oscars girl??

⤷ fan16 NO YN&OSCAR LOVE REDEMPTION

fan17 they had to have crossed paths PLS

landonorris no fair >:(( come to mclaren garage next time!

⤷ ynsanna invite?

⤷ fan12 SLY LANDO NORRIS

⤷ fan13 we all know what youre doing

georgerussell you’re lucky you make phenomenal music, it was lovely seeing you!

carlossainz55 y/n is so much prettier in person, muy bonita!

⤷ fan18 oscar is punching air i know it

⤷ fan19 yeaaa shoot ur shot carloss

francisca.cgomes please come to more races!!! i had an amazing time speaking with you

⤷ ynsanna we’ll have to see… but it was so lovely meeting you 🤍

fan20 oscar needs to do something asap before one of the others take her

﹫livesoilove post replies

﹫fan21 OKAY ITS HAPPENING

﹫fan22 omg my manifesting did work

﹫fan23 so deserved omg

﹫fan24 i love this for them :’)

﹫fan25 their stories too, they def were togetherrr

oscar piastri's story replies

landonorris tfti :(

danielricciardo glad my pep talk actually worked :D #aussiebrothers4lyfe

loganseargent bro licked the plate clean

y/n's story replies

maudeapataw IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS

georgerussell having dinner with the man you wrote your song about i see

yourbff ya'll didn't talk at all or look at each other during the grand prix but you'll have dinner with him??? respect.

liked by yukitsunoda0511, maudeapataw, oscarpiastri and others

ynsanna enchantment in the air

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aussiepiastri81 i wonder who that is on the second slide

ynfan bruh is that george russell i thought we were rooting for oscar ???

⤷ starletyn girl...

magnolia.sanna OUR RED STRING LOVERS

pierregasly the seals look just like yuki!

⤷ yukitsunoda0511 cute?

⤷ pierregasly no, small and lazy.

⤷ ynsanna pls take your beef else where ❤️

⤷ pierregasly y/n who do you think is cuter me or yuki

⤷ ynsanna please don't make this into a competition

⤷ yukitsunoda0511 we won't because if we did i'd win :)

pasteypiastri pov: everyone knows who you're with but you soft launch reguardless

⤷ sonnamyhear and i'd eat it up, bones and all

landonorris tfti :(

⤷ oscarpisatri your fomo is honestly concerning

⤷ landonorris surprised you know what fomo means.

⤷ oscarpisatri i'm not like checo relax

⤷ schecoperez ouch :(

⤷ fan26 OSCAR UPGRADED FROM LURKING IN THE LIKES TO COMMENTING LFGG

sanpiastriluver y/n and oscars stories just one day apart :)

fan27 using y/n's song is soooo obvious, i love it.

fan28 just because you don't put the artist doesn't mean we don't know who's singing

fan29 bro fr said out of sight out of mind

fan30 they're just making it to easy atp

⤷ username a little to easy

fan31 the song choice is so cute :')

fan32 why do i feel like the soft launching was probably oscars idea

⤷ username it probably was LOL

⤷ username a peak introvert moment

liked by ynsanna, danielricciardo, landonorris, alex_albon and others

oscarpiastri always find your way back home 🫂

tagged: ynsanna

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dreamypiastri the hannah montana reference ????

⤷ sannamyheart knowing y/n she probably forced him to watch it

⤷ ynsanna and he loved every second of it

yndreamland is this a dream ????

pookieyuki oscar hard launching before y/n??

⤷ alex_albon lando owes me $50 now

⤷ f1kisses LMAO NO WAY THEY BETTED

⤷ landonorris thought i knew my teammate better than this 😣

ynsanna just a girl and her baguette 🤭

⤷ oscarpiastri me or the baguette?

⤷ ynsanna ...next question

danielricciardo remember me when yall get married, knowing i helped get you two back together again

⤷ rickycado03 in daniel we trust !!!!

landonorris no thanks lando for the picture of us???

⤷ ynsanna you crashed our date :(

⤷ landonorris … i wouldn’t say crashed i like to think i made it better oscar is boring anyways

⤷ ynsanna we were having much fun before you came thank you very much >:^(

⤷ alex_albon yeah y/n defend your man !!!!!!

⤷ landonorris who's side are you on ?????

⤷ alex_albon not yours duh.

liked by lilyhme, oscarpiastri, mclaren, troyesivan, yourbff and others

ynsanna home sweet home 🤍

tagged: oscarpiastri

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oscarpiastri and i wouldn't have it any other way ❤️

⤷ ynsanna never again 🤍

yourbff MY BABIES ARE BACK TOGETHER AGAINNNN

ynnation its like nothing ever happened :''')

fan33 so cute 🥹

mclaren you're welcome whenever you like y/n!

⤷ pookieyuki our certified wag

⤷ starletyn yn supremacy !!

fan35 epitome of red string lovers

fan34 you guys are so cute i think i might be sick

lilyhme you guys are the cutest couple ever !!

⤷ alex_albon cuter than us?

⤷ lilyhme hush you

logansargeant in my mind you guys were always together, glad to see you back 🫡

⤷ ynsanna logan :''(

⤷ landonorris words to make a grown man cry fr

danielricciardo i will be the best man at yall's wedding right :)

⤷ landonorris get in line buddy

⤷ alex_albon the mc more like....

georgerussel63 still cannot believe you all thought i was the one dating yn

⤷ ynfan not my proudest moment...

⤷ oscarpiastri we don't even look alike too

⤷ georgerussel63 yeah, im much taller and better looking

maxverstappen1 does this mean we all get to watch y/n when she goes on tour??

—

ownership of starrvsn. please do not repost, modify or translate.

[viridianfurn]

So I've been workin a lil somethin. It started out as a DnD character backstory, but it kinda took on a life of its own. I now have over 20 pages of disjointed plot points, interactions, dialogue, and world building of what is essentially shaping up to be a short(?) story. I maybe wanna make a comic/webtoon type thing out of it?? I think that'd be really cool but its for sure no easy task. But let me know if you find it interesting, my motivation highkey thrives off of praise lol

Read below the cut for info about his background and a snippet of his first encounter with his Patron!

This is Reiss Fairgrey, also known as Grey. He starts off as just a guy trying to survive living in poverty in the slums of Port Tae'ul. Since he was 13 he's lived with his younger sister Launa, and 2 other boys who'd been on the streets; Yu (the absolute love of his life, their relationship is a big part of my story) and his kid brother Nao. Things haven't been good lately and he's desperate to find a way out of their situation, when he encounters a strange fey-like entity offering him a deal...

“You go search for a way to free this one's spirit from being bound to this place, and in return you may claim power to elevate your status and protect you and yours."

TW: descriptions of gore

"Excellent," a wry smile curves upon the entity's lips, "then the deal is made." Suddenly Reiss is spitting up… blood? No, acid? Something. Something that burns as it bubbles up from within. He falls, bracing himself on the ground coughing up a large amount, but it keeps coming. He leans back on his heels and turns his head up towards the darkening sky, as though he could swallow it back like bile, but it remains relentless. It leaks from his mouth, traces down his neck in various streams, pools in the hollows of collarbones. When the liquid makes it to his chest, it begins to move of its own accord, toward the place over his heart. It traces along in a swirling pattern, forming a brand. When the design is complete a glow radiates from it and with this light a new agony tears through his chest. Reiss screams in distress but the substance filling his throat blocks the sound. His eyes roll back and Reiss collapses.  When he wakes, he can see the sun barely cresting the horizon. His stomach, throat, face, it all feels like hell. The ribbons of gore on his upper chest were sticky and steadily oozing blood. Tender, and fleshy, like when you prematurely rip off a scab. He was weak, and struggled to roll over and push himself up on his knees.  “Ohoho, you live?” the spirit mused. Reiss looked up, the entity had been waiting up on a branch in the tree, reclining against the trunk. The sight of them behaving nonchalant fills Reiss with indignation.  “Shit man what the hell?!” upon speaking Reiss gasps in pain, his voice is hoarse. Usable, but his throat is undoubtedly damaged. “You didn’t mention this in your fucking deal!” he chokes out.  “A small price to pay little slum-dweller. With that brand, you’ll be able to cast magic you’d never be able to otherwise.”  “Fuck you dude, you coulda at least warned me! Ugh, hrk!” “Now now, calm yourself, this one does not care for your howling and your injuries probably care for it even less.” “What was the damn point of this?!” The spirit rolled their eyes, “Hmph, this one does not like repeating things, so listen this time. The mark is a crucial part of our agreement, it acts as a medium. Through it, you will be given magic capabilities.” “Like, already?”  “That’s right! And you’ll only grow more powerful as time goes on.” The spirit dissipates into a mist then re-materializes to crouch beside him, and Reiss falls back, startled. The spirit reaches out and grabs him by the arm, hauling him to his feet.  “Come now, give it a try will you?” The entity clasps its hands together in excitement. “Focus on something in the distance and gather energy in your palm. then, imagine it shooting forth towards your taget. This spell is called Eldritch Blast and it will prove to be one of your most useful abilities.”  “Whaddya mean by gather energy? I just gotta put my hand out like this?” He jests, but by focusing even a little, a ball of magic forms and blasts forward into the woods striking a tree in the distance. He can see even from here, it’s not enough to take the tree down but he’d clearly carved a mass out of the trunk. “Woah…”  “Wow, I’m actually quite surprised, little slum-dweller! You have a more natural inclination for this than the previous contractee.”  “Quit calling me slum-dweller.”  “Hmm fine, little Fairgrey.”  “I didn’t tell you…how do you know my name?”  “This one knew, before you even stepped on this hill, who you were little Fairgrey.” That’s… suspicious, Reiss thought. But then, maybe it's magic? I don’t know what kind of powers they have… “Can we drop the “little” part?”  “Afraid not, that would be rather confusing for this one."

[wecouldmakediamonds]

Jukebox January: Day 2

the original post tag of all my posts

Today is songs starting with B, and this happens to include a few of my all time favorites! It's always hard to say if any one song is my favorite, because many songs mean a lot to me for many reasons, but some of them stick with me forever.

Bliss - Muse

This song is the musical manifestation of the aching feeling of seeing someone else being happy and wishing and wanting so, so much to have a little bit of the peace and joy in their mind. This is why it's one of my favorites. I always think it's so powerful because it's not wishing ill on whoever is so happy--he's singing "everything about you is so easy to love", it's just that wish to understand it, to search for that light and warmth. This song has such lovely contrasts music-wise too, the synth arpeggios with the scratches in the guitar riff, the minor key verses to major key chorus, it all adds to this feeling of both joy and painful longing at the same time.

Butterflies and Hurricanes - Muse

Yeah, today you get 2 Muse songs for the price of one. I can't help it! This one's also important because it's the inspiration for the first tattoo I ever got. The song's title is a reference to the butterfly effect ("the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado") and for me, it reminds me that small things can mean a lot. The tattoo itself is just a butterfly with some cool geometric patterns, but the meaning is for me!

Blinding - Florence + the Machine

I adore the whole vibe of this song, it reflects perfectly the feeling of "waking up" to the truth of something, of having your illusions about someone shattered, and the mix of both grief and freedom that comes with that. Makes me feel a lot at once in a beautiful way.

Barve oceana - Joker Out

Of all Joker Out songs, this is the one most meaningful to me personally. (To nobody's surprise, if they've ever clicked on my blog and seen the title!) When I say it's changed my life, I mean it. The line "Kdo zdej poje tiste pesmi ki je včasih pela jih?" feels like it was written specifically to remind me that I need to make music again. The whole song about someone finding herself in a faraway place, it's everything to me, it's me and my dreams and it tells me that I have to find that place for myself. Also, the bassline is so damn good...

Buen día Benito - El Cuarteto de Nos

El Cuarteto de Nos is a Uruguayan rock band which I discovered when participating in a Eurovision fan contest, actually, and I'm so glad I did because they're amazing. (Oh, and they've been around since 1984, so they have a huge back catalog!) This particular song is a favorite of mine because of the intensity of it: it's about a guy confronting his childhood bully in search of justice, and reveals more and more painful history as it goes on. It's worth looking up the lyrics to understand it if you don't speak Spanish (or if you're like me and only speak Spanish badly).

Four more below the cut so this doesn't get too long on people's dashes:

Boum Boum Boum - MIKA

Sometimes you just need a fun French song about banging your lover everywhere and shocking the bourgeoisie. That's all. The line, "s'aimer comme ça, c'est pas vulgaire" is always a good reminder, too.

Blood // Water - grandson

I love the genre mixing that grandson has in his music, plus the lyrics about corruption and greed are, unfortunately, always relevant. This one also was a big inspiration for an OC of mine, whose family's greed was the source of him being cursed, so I listened to it a lot when coming up with him.

Black Leather - KEiiNO and Charlotte Qamaniq

I love KEiiNO. I don't think I mention it enough on this blog because they don't really pop up in posts to reblog, so let me mention it now: I love KEiiNO. This song never fails to make me feel better about myself with the line "fashion your shame into a sight".

Bet Maijpuķītēm Jāpaliek - Tumsa

Every note of this song seems to be infused with beautiful melancholy. When I listen all I can feel is like I'm looking into memories through a haze, a pretty haze, but it's still memories, and I'm wishing to touch them again. Opens with the lines "Viņas sapņi ir par to/Tālu zemi, mīļoto", and considering what I said about Barve oceana above, there's definitely a pattern here...

[tadbitfooled]

ship bias

Send ‘Ship Bias’ and I will share up to 5 Ships I have a bias for for my muse!

I shall give for all 4 of my mains with either a detailed explanation or a really vague shallow reason, in no particular order

Durante Faust

Lae'zel - because he needs a tough lady to top him I mean. Uh. I just think the whole opposite things with him being a silly avoiding responsibilities kind of guy and her super serious, very responsible-ness would be a fun balance.

Rolan just because Durante flustering him sounds fun

now for a type of character, he would need someone with a firm hand but not a tight grip, someone forward and sure of themself, but also able to have fun and play around a little bit.

Wyll - just because Durante seems to be the type to play romance but be keen to avoid it, but I think Wyll could break that because he's so damn charming

Karlach - Could be cute. They would have fun together and once again, lady to top him. But I think it could be an interesting dynamic to say the least.

Gwenifar van Hol

Oh, someone who's super flirty and charming because she does not ever get the hint that someone's flirting with her because she just...Doesn't register the idea someone could find her attractive. And they just keep trying and she just thinks they're being nice it'd be hilarious.

Halsin - I feel like Halsin would appreciate how she does so much to help others. And Gwenifar would appreciate his wisdom and his whittling. She likes to paint so it'd be cute if he whittled figurines and she painted them.

Gale because sage4sage nerd bullshit. But also I think they'd just be super soft and cute, and the sheer irony of cleric healer with a god who values all life x wizard with a chronic pain condition whose goddess told him to blow himself up is great.

Shadowheart - I have no exact reason but they vibe really well in the game and I think Shadowheart having someone who's supportive but also able to say 'hey you need to think this through' is really good for her.

Um for spice reasons because of Ilmater vs Loviatar stuff...Someone involved in Loviatar like Abdirak...idk like. spice.

Talilah Bluethorn

A drow would be fucking hilarious her father would have an aneurism but don't be like. An overly cruel drow or something. A little nerd drow would be fantastic.

Alfira and her girlfriend, Lakrissa because they'd all be adorable and make a really nice cuddle pile thanks

An arranged set up would be hilarious due to her father's bloodline. She would not be interested in it at all and it'd be funny if they weren't too and both tried to sneak out of the event, helped each other, and then one of the elders is like 'oh so great you two met' and they're like 'what.'

Wyll because folk hero and Talilah has that heroic background with what her entertaining troupe would do (steal from the rich, give to the poor) and just they would have such a fun dynamic with his charm and romantic attitude and how she could match that with some playfulness.

Astarion because I really enjoy the thought of them finding each other annoying when they first meet because he held a knife to her throat and she headbutted him, but then they like each other's humor and find each other attractive and eventually go 'uh feelings have been caught.'

Tavinkas

Shadowheart - amnesia buddies. They're both struggling with abusive gods and trying to figure themselves out so it would be a mutual situation, with being able to give each other the push they need to get on the path they need to be on.

Wyll - look. He's charming, heroic, but also needs support but is fully capable of giving support back. Sure, he needs a few wake up calls to his situation but he would be so gentle with Tavinkas and gods know that's what he so desperately needs.

Someone just able to be gentle and supportive. He desperately wants to have gentleness in his life, as it was never something he was allowed to have.

I want the angst of Gortash and Durge thanks. They've both been dealt bad hands and Gortash just went with it but Tavinkas decides to find a new path and leave him behind. Just drive that dagger in.

Gale because Tavinkas does like intelligent conversation and learning things and I think Gale would be very good for that. Tavinkas is skilled in magic but I think he'd like to learn the finer points of it and Gale would be delighted to discuss it.

[frozcnhearts]

// Dazai in literally every AU in which Oda is alive is being like - gotta make everyone suffer, just so that this man can survive and be happy.

[yan-sideblog]

Consequences

(NOTE: This is based off my own headcanon/theory concerning the MC's past.)

"You know I'm not a naturally angry person." Alan spoke to the man sat a ways from him against a tree. He wasn't worried about him running though.

'not with that mangled ankle'.

"I'm also not what you'd call chatty but i think it's important you understand WHY this is happening." as he spoke he sat down his hatchet before walking over. "Wouldn't wanna have a slip up." he mused kneeling in front of the man.

"Especially with just how angry i am with you."

Truth be told angry doesn't begin to cover how he feels. What he feels twords the bastard in front of him is more like a deep seething loathing. Something that couldn't be snuffed out by any other means.

'If it could i wouldn't be in this situation. Boss isn't gonna be to happy with me when they find out'. The first part was a lie and he damn well knew it. Even IF there was an alternative he still would've picked the option that ended with this guy six feet under.

"Now i have more important things to do with someone infinitely more important to me so let's cut to the chase." he places his right hand on his shoulder and squeezes HARD. The unnamed man flinched from the combined pain of his ankle and the hand on his shoulder but he didn't dare speak in fear it'd make the situation worse.

Not that it'll help.

"I wanna have a little chat about Y/N." at the mention of his doe eyes name recognition flashes across the man's face. 'That's good' he thinks 'i won't have to waste time encouraging him to remember'.

"Now to me my doe eyes is a sweet, thoughtful, adorable and absolutely beautiful individual. Easily the only good person in my life therefore the most important person in it." he can't help the dreamy look that passes over his face as he speaks.

His mind drifts back to them, sound asleep in their bed where he left them. 'Hopefully I'll be finished here before they wake up' he'd hate to make them worry over his sudden absence.

But, like with all good things, those happy thoughts end as he refocuses on the bastard in front of him.

"So imagine my surprise when i find out someone had the fucking nerve to harm even a single hair on their head!" with every word his grip tightens. If the man were to wake up tomorrow there'd surely be a nasty bruise on his shoulder.

"Especially when that someone was a person who claimed to love them." he wonders what's running through this bastard's mind right now. 'Not that it matters' and it really doesn't.

His fate was sealed the second he heard what he'd done.

He can still clearly remember the terrified sound that tore from their throat as they jolted awake a few nights ago. Before he could even asks what was wrong they'd scrambled out of their bed to sit against the wall. Legs pulled up to their chest and head ducked under their arms protectively. All the while struggling to take in panicked breaths.

It took some time for Alan to help them realize they were safe and to help get their breathing under control. Once he was confident they were mentally present he, after making sure they were comfortable being touched, took them in his arms surprised by just how much they were shaking as they clung to him.

Now Alan might not be the smartest guy but he's by no means stupid. He knew enough about people partially through his own past experiences to know that something was wrong.

After some gentle prodding it was like the floodgates opened as they broke down again. It felt like it took hours for them to tell him everything. Both because they kept having to pause to calm down enough to speak and because of just how much there was to tell.

By the time they were finished they had fallen asleep again, and Alan had made his decision. That decision is what led him here and why this poor excuse of a man would be dead soon.

"Do you have any idea just how much you hurt them? How much they're still affected by what you put them through?!" as he spoke his other hand came to wrap around his neck. 'See how much HE likes not being able to breath'.

"I - I'm not. . I d-didn't. .!!" whatever excuses he had were quickly cut off by pressure around his neck. Not enough to kill him but enough to warn him to keep his mouth shut.

"That was a rhetorical question! I couldn't give less of a shit what you know or think." he spat. His already limited patience was running out fast 'i need to hurry this along before i fucking loose it'.

"Trurh be told they could be perfectly fine. Completely unaffected by everything you did to them and we'd still be here!" the hand around his neck began tightening. "And do you know why?" his hand starts cutting off his oxygen and this time the poor bastard tries struggling. Unfortunately for him even if Alan wasn't wearing his fingerless gloves he wouldn't feel his nails digging in.

'Still rude to do while I'm talking' it only takes his head slamming back against the tree to get the message across. "You done?" he nods frantically causing Alan to ease up on the pressure just a bit "Good. Now as i was saying it doesn't matter because your actions alone are irredeemable.".

"Because treating them any less than how they deserve is an offense i can't allow. And you did far worse than that." at this point both hands are wrapped around his neck and it takes EVERYTHING in him not to just snap it right thrre.

'Can't have that though' and so with great effort he removes his hands and stands back up. The injured man, who's now shaking like a leaf, briefly thinks it might be over. That hope is short lived as Alan picks up the hatchet he had discardee earlier before making his way back over.

"It's ok though. In time you won't occupy even a fraction of their thoughts." a genuine smile spread across his face. "And the first step to make that a reality is for you to no longer be breathing.".

Before he could utter so much as another syllable Alan brought his hatchet down with force splitting his head open. He wastes no time wrenching it free, allowing the now lifeless body to fall to the forest floor as blood pours from the wound. He let's some time pass before slipping his hatchet into a belt loop and hoisting the corpse over his shoulders.

'Now all i gotta do is drop it off and let nature do the rest.' he had planned this out thoroughly. Having lived there for 7 years he knew what paths would be traveled and when. Nobody would run across the body until winter was well over.

'By that time the elements and critters will have done their job' he mused with a smile. More than a few like to gnaw on bones so maybe the head wound wouldn't be noticeable by then. 'Hopefully that's the case' he thinks starting his journey 'sure would go a long way twords boss letting this one slide'.

Truthfully he wasn't to worried though. He & the boss were on good terms and Alan has established himself as a trustworthy, dependable individual. Even if they weren't he still would've done what he did.

"After all doe eyes only deserves to feel loved, protected and safe. And it's my job to keep them that way.".

[ragingbookdragon]

It's As Real As You And Me

Batsis x Kyle Rayner One-Shot

Word Count: 2.1K Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst,

Author's Note: If you cry while writing, it means you're doing it right...right? -Thorne

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

“Do we have to get out of bed today?” he groaned, silencing the alarm that had been snoozed at least three times before. “I don’t wanna get out of bed today.”

She snorted at him, rolling rather slowly to face his bedside. “I don’t think we have to.” She said. “We’re old. We can do whatever we want.”

He thought for a moment, old eyes trying to focus on the woman beside him; but without his glasses he couldn’t see a damn thing. “Breakfast at Pop’s?”

“That sounds wonderful,” she replied, rising from the bed. “I’m showering first.”

“Oh no you don’t!” he retorted, trying to hurry after her and she laughed, pushing him back onto the bed.

“Stop that, Kyle, before you pop your hip outta place again.”

“Ah, it’ll pop back in, (Y/N). Quit worrying.”

(Y/N) frowned at him, pointing, “You keep on and I’ll talk the kids into putting us into an old folks’ home so I can keep an eye on you better.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” Kyle griped. “We’d lose the only independence we’ve got, and you don’t wanna do that.”

They glared at each other for a minute before smiles split across their faces and they fell into laughter, pressing their foreheads together.

“I love you, Kyle Rayner.”

He gently raised a hand, caressing her cheek. “And I love you more, (Y/N) Rayner.” Pecking her lips three times, he pulled away and she helped him to his feet.

“C’mon. Let’s go get ready.” She said and he gasped dramatically.

“Well, Missus Rayner, you want to fool around in the shower? At our age?” he teased, and she rolled her eyes.

“God, it’s been like seven decades and you’re still the biggest skirt chasing dork ever.”

Kyle grinned at her. “I try.”

***

“Did KJ call you back like he said he was going too?”

“Mhm,” he answered, cutting into the waffles on his plate. “Spoke to him last night. Said he’d call again after he and Thomas get back from Vermont with Sophia and the other grandkids.” He looked at her, putting the fork in his mouth. “Martha Ann call you about Devin?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes. “Yes. He’s gotten in trouble with GCPD again.” She waved it off, picking up her coffee cup. “I’ve half a mind to tell her to send our grandson to Jason and let him sort that boy out.”

Kyle snorted. “Jason would wear that kid like a slipper.”

“That’s what he needs.” She shot back. “This is the second time in a month that he’s been caught shoplifting. Mark my words, husband of mine, that boy’s a kleptomaniac and if Martha Ann doesn’t do something about it, he’s going to get worse.”

He placed a hand on hers. “You’re getting worked up again. Relax.”

“How many times have I told you not to tell me to relax?”

“I don’t know, how many times have I not listened?”

“Ass.”

“Old lady.”

“I swear I’ve never seen two elderly people more in love and so at odds with one another than I have you two.” They glanced up, seeing Stacy with the coffee pot and another plate of eggs and bacon. “Refills?”

(Y/N) smiled and held out her cup. “Thanks Stacy.”

“Of course!” she looked at her. “You two going anywhere after this?”

Kyle met (Y/N)’s gaze and offered a shrug; she nodded. “I suppose we could take a drive around the countryside. You know, like old people do on Sundays.”

Stacy laughed. “Missus Rayner, you don’t look a day over twenty-five. Now Mister Rayner, I’m afraid that white hair of yours tells me you are more than a few over twenty-five.”

He scowled at the waitress. “If there was ever a time I wish was still in my twenties, it’d be now.” He gestured to the walking cane. “Bum hip. Bum leg.”

“Bum head.” (Y/N) coughed under her breath and he glared at her.

“You think you’re funny.”

“I think I’m adorable.” She smirked, waggling her brows and Stacy merely laughed, wandering back into the kitchen. (Y/N) sighed. “It does make you think though…about the old days.”

Kyle nodded. “I wouldn’t trade our time for anything but...” he squeezed her hand. “I want to be back in that suit just for a minute.”

(Y/N) nodded. “Yeah…patrolling with dad and Dick and the others.” Her eyes started to moisten, and she inhaled sharply, dabbing at her eyes. “Sorry sweetheart.”

His smile held sympathy. “You never have to apologize, muse.” She saw his Adam’s apple bob slightly. “I miss them too.” His voice was rather hoarse, and they sat in silence the rest of the meal, remembering their dearest siblings and friends who’d passed on. Her father Bruce, and oldest brother Dick, both their wives too. And Kyle’s closest friends had all gone on too; Guy, John, and Hal had passed the month before.

The price of getting old, they guessed.

***

“I wish my hands were still able to hold pencils like I once could.”

(Y/N) rested her head on his shoulder, eyes scanning the expanse of the sunset before them. “I know what you mean.” She inhaled the scent of the freshly cut grass beside the shore. “Your painting of this would be beautiful.”

Kyle hummed. “Not as beautiful as you are.”

“I’m ninety-two and you’re telling me that even covered in wrinkles and white hair that I’m prettier than the skyline?”

He nodded. “Always have been.” He shifted until he could see her face. “Always will be, my beautiful muse.”

(Y/N) grinned like the heavens had split and leaned close, pecking his three times lips. “I love you, Kyle Rayner.”

“I love you more, (Y/N) Rayner.”

***

She turned the burner off, pouring the gravy into the boat, before setting it on the small table. “Dinner’s ready.” She called towards the living room. He’d gone into the old study when they’d gotten home and pulled out his art supplies, determined to prove he still had it.

(Y/N) frowned. “Sweetheart, dinner’s ready!” she called a little louder that time and then huffed a laugh. “Fool fell asleep.”

Wandering through the kitchen doorway into the living room, she saw him in his recliner, chin tucked into his chest, eyes closed. She sat on the side of his recliner and touched his shoulder. “Kyle, dinner’s on the table.” He didn’t open his eyes and she bent her head down to look at his face. “Kyle?”

She reached down and took one of his hands, it was cooling. “Sweetheart?” Something tightened in her throat and with her other hand, she gently pressed underneath his jaw, holding for a few seconds before she let out a pained breath. “Oh, Kyle.”

(Y/N) curled her hand tighter around his, leaning down to press her lips to his temple. She couldn’t bring herself to move as she let out a quiet sob, pressing her face into his hair. “I love you,” she whispered. “I hope you know that.” Her lips wobbled and tears cascaded down her cheeks. “I wouldn’t trade our seventy-five years for anything. We lived a beautiful life.”

She pulled away and gently took his glasses off his face, setting them onto the table. Her eyes fell to his lap where his other hand lay, a color pencil still held in it. (Y/N) felt a watery laugh bubble in her chest as she saw the last masterpiece he’d ever made.

A portrait of the sunset they'd been looking at that day. A beautiful blend of red, orange, pink, and purple cascading across the sheet like an explosion of the sky.

Her eyes fell across the words written in white along the edge,

To my beautiful muse. Always and forever.

He still had it.

And it was perfect.

***

“Julia, can you push me out onto the patio?” she asked, looking out the window. “I think I wanna sit outside for a few moments.”

The young woman, no older than twenty-two smiled brightly. “Of course, Miss Rayner!” she happily complied, pushing (Y/N)’s wheelchair out onto the cobblestone patio, sitting her next to the table. “Do you want me to bring your dinner to you?”

(Y/N) nodded. “I’d like that. Thank you.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in a few moments.”

Julia wandered off and she glanced towards the skyline. It had been about six months since she let her children talk her into getting an in-home nurse after he had passed. She had argued, but after falling twice, she knew it was time to have someone look after her. (Y/N) was adamant about not going to a senior citizens home; she wanted to stay in the home her and him had built until she went too.

Her children and grandchildren had visited her the week before, all having to return to their lives once school had started and jobs went back. She understood—(Y/N)’d once been a busy wife and mother too. But it was lonely without him, and she missed him dearly.

Her eyes found the skyline again and she sighed heavily, feeling rather tired all of the sudden. A little nap wouldn’t hurt. And she knew Julia wasn’t the best cook so it’d take a while before dinner would be ready.

Just a few minutes of sleep.

Just a few minutes.

Just a few—

***

A warm breeze blew across her skin, and she cracked her eyes open, glancing out the open window of her bedroom. It felt like a normal Saturday morning. The type of mornings where she’d wake up to Tim or Damian jumping on her bed and telling her to get down to breakfast.

She blinked a few moments, not registering a thing until someone chuckled beside her. “You’ve been sleeping pretty soundly, sweetheart.”

Looking over, her eyes widened as she saw her father before her, young and handsome like he’d once been, sitting on the side of her bed. “Dad?” she breathed, and he smiled.

“Hello (Y/N).”

She shot up in a second, wrapping her arms around his neck, his own winding around her waist. “Dad,” she cried, tears gathering in her eyes. “You’re here.”

“I think it’s you who’s here, (Y/N).”

“What?” she pulled away and looked at him; her eyes drifted to the mirror hanging beside her door and she caught sight of herself—it registered as she lifted her hands to her face, no more wrinkles, no more snow-white hair, no more aches and pains.

“Looks like I fell asleep for more than a few minutes, didn’t I, dad?” she laughed, though she felt a deep sorrow.

He smiled sadly at her. “It’s the best way to go.”

(Y/N)’s eyes filled with tears, and she gazed at him. “I’ve missed you so much, dad.”

“I’ve missed you more, sweetheart.” Bruce replied, gently thumbing her cheek. “All of you.” He smiled again. “But you’re here now…and there’s a lot of people waiting to see you.”

Standing from the bed, he held his hand out to her and she took it, letting him pull her up; he walked over to the door and opened it, pulling her along as he stepped through it.

The scenery shifted from that of her bedroom to the backyard of Wayne Manor and she looked out to a large picnic table and seated around it were all the family and friends she’d lost through the decades. Dick was waving like a maniac, Kori beside him doing the same. They both looked young too. Hal, Guy, and John were sitting on the other side, ribbing Wally, Roy, and Garth over something; they too were young.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Why is everybody young again?”

Bruce hummed. “We all return to the best moments in our lives. When we were our biggest and greatest.” He glanced over her at something and smiled. “There’s someone who’s been waiting for you.”

(Y/N) looked at him with pulled brows then over in the direction he was, and she brought a hand to her mouth. She broke into a dead sprint across the backyard, leaping into his open and waiting arms. He lifted her with ease, like he used to do when he was young. Spinning them around, he buried his face in her hair as she buried hers in his shoulder as she shook with sobs.

“Sorry I wasn’t able to have dinner with you one last time, (Y/N).”

She pulled away and placed her hands on his cheek, putting their foreheads together. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you, Kyle.”

He shook his head, smiling at her. “You were there.” He reached up, putting a hand on her cheek. “You look as beautiful as the day I left you.”

(Y/N)’s lips wobbled, but she smiled widely. “I love you, Kyle Rayner.”

“I love you more, (Y/N) Rayner.” He pecked her lips three times. “Forever.”

[thuganomxcs]

SONGS TO WRITE YUSUKE:  whether  it  be  melodies  that  give  you  inspiration  for  your  muse  or  songs  that  get  you  into  the  writing  mood   —   pick  10  songs  you  find  that  give  you  the  urge,   the  drive,   or  the  creativity  to  write  your  muse   !!

1. Battle scars - Lupe Fiasco, Guy Sebastian.

“These battle scars, don’t look like they’re fading. Don’t look like they’re ever goin’ away. They ain’t ever gonna change.” Despite this giving me break up vibes, those lyrics gives me so much Yusuke vibes post the dark tournament. He’s dealt with two ‘deaths’ in his life in one little instances and it’s really left scars on him. It was at the moment Yusuke truly felt as though he’s taken the time he’s spent with his loved ones for granted and he’d be damned if he doesn’t cherish them even more now.

2. No love - Eminem ft Lil Wayne.

“I’m giving no mercy mark my words, ain’t letting up, relentless I smell blood. Don’t give a fuck. keep givin’ ‘em hell, where was you when I fell and needed help up?” Definitely one of those early pre-season one vibes with this song. This song definitely helps me vibe with Yusuke’s life before he got his life together. Back where people hated him without TRULY knowing him, the time where Keiko was the only one that shows any public kindness towards him. (I know you cared about him too in your own way Kuwabara, you’re still the GOAT.)

3. Judgment - Ryu ga Gotoku Zero .

“Wow, Breakin’ the law Breakin’ the world 壊せ 切り裂けTenderness” This entire song gives me Yusuke vibes, THANK GOD for Yakuza 0 because this lil piece here screams vibes for badboys. Whether it’s Yusuke during the start of the series or at the end of it, this song definitely reflects him in some way or another imo.

4. Daydream Generation.

“I know how it hurts when you been betrayed by people you trust, the pain never fades.” This is cheating considering it’s the ending of the entire series. I think this song could very well vibe with the entire cast to be honest but I always get a vibe to write as Yusuke when this pops on the playlist.

5.Old School - Overkill.

“They said that this would never last, we never gave a fuck!” This ENTIRE song is just attitude. It really vibes well with his flippant feelings for authority. Not to mention the name of the song is really tight if you’ve seen Yusuke in the ring.

6. Enemy - Imagine Dragons.

“Pray it away, I swear I’ll never be a saint no way.” I can honestly drop any single of imagine dragon,this one though..that ONE little sentence at the end is what gets me. It’s like Season 1 all over again, probably just those few minutes after he’s got ran over by car-chan. It’s kinda like ‘I got nothing but bad in me’ type of feeling when I hear it but OH he found out how wrong he was.

7. What about the rest of us - Action Bronson & Joey Badass.

“Lord have mercy, it’s the world we live in was only design for somebody wealthy.” To me this song speaks of how alienated Yusuke feels from the world around him. Like the song says with the prior statement, to him it really does feel like the world was made for the wealthy when people like him mean less than dirt to the ones with money.

8. Stand Proud - JJBA

“All right now. All right now. All right now 誇りのBullet (JOJO! JOJO! JOJO!)” This song itself is just hype. It was the chapter in the series I didn’t overall liked BUT I’d be damned if I don’t admit their openings were CLEAN. Either way just when this chorus hits I could literally that spark I need to get to my drafts. This is actually one of the songs that does play when i’m doin’ early morning drafts.

9. Headlights - Eminem ft Nate Reuss

“If the plane goes down, or if the crew can’t wake me up. Just know that I’m alright, I was not afraid to die.” This entire song is literally a redemption song. It gives me fees for both Yusuke and Atsuko, their relationship wasn’t perfect but there was still enough love there to fix them.

10. Dead and gone - T.I

“I turn my head to the east, I don’t see nobody by my side, I turn my head to the west, still nobody in sight.” This song right here is a letter to how much Yusuke’s friends and family shaped him by the end of the series. The old him was literally ‘dead and gone’.

tagged: @curseleads​ (thanks for tagging the boy)

tagging: @universestreasures​ (yusei), @pluviacuratio​ , @theothervonkarmagirl​ , @healingwords​ (ann), @adamnedmartyr​ , @xkokuryuhax​ , @chibitantei​ , @solforger​ , @acandlelitdeath​ , steal it homies

[bloody-bee-tea]

Bell

Nie Huaisang has barely sat down when Jiang Cheng speaks.

“I’m ready to marry,” he says without warning and watches in amusement as Nie Huaisang fumbles with the tea pot.

Jiang Cheng decides not to mention the stain he leaves behind on the table.

“What the—uh, I mean, that’s great, Jiang-xiong,” Nie Huaisang finally manages to get out and then he shifts in his seat. “It’s just that—you’re great and all, and good looking of course, and everyone would be flattered, really, but I’m not?” he finishes weakly and Jiang Cheng hides his amused smile behind his cup of tea.

“I’m not speaking about you,” he eventually tells Nie Huaisang and it’s almost comical how he sags in relief.

“Then why the hell would you tell me this, Jiang-xiong, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” he wines and finally gets around to pouring himself a cup of tea. “What brought this on?”

“My Sect is stable for now and it feels like the right time to settle down,” Jiang Cheng tells him with a shrug. “A good alliance won’t hurt either, and my Elders are getting on my case about a marriage. I figured, why not.”

“And there’s someone you like?” Nie Huaisang wants to know and Jiang Cheng nods.

There’s even someone he loves.

“I still don’t see why you would tell me about this,” Nie Huaisang says after a moment and Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes.

“I’m looking for your approval,” Jiang Cheng says and gives Nie Huaisang enough time to widen his eyes in surprise before he goes on. “I wish to marry Nie Mingjue.”

“Oh,” Nie Huaisang whispers and suddenly he seems tense and sad and Jiang Cheng frowns.

This is not the reaction he expected.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Nie Huaisang lowly says and Jiang Cheng puts his cup down harder than he wanted to.

“So I’m good enough for you but not your brother? Is this an insult to you or to me? Didn’t you say anyone would be flattered? Are you lying to me now, Huaisang?” he demands to know and Nie Huaisang flinches before he hides behind his fan.

Jiang Cheng glares at him, because Nie Huaisang damn well knows how he thinks about that.

“Of course not, that’s not it,” Nie Huaisang nervously says. “It’s just—da-ge isn’t doing so well,” Nie Huaisang finally admits and that at least Jiang Cheng can understand.

Even if a pit of worry opens in his stomach at hearing that.

“What do you mean?” he prompts Nie Huaisang when he falls silent again and Nie Huaisang’s fan speeds up.

“His qi deviations—it’s getting worse,” Nie Huaisang admits.

Jiang Cheng has seen a few of them over the course of his friendship with Nie Huaisang, mostly because Nie Mingjue didn’t seem to think twice about leaving his Sect for days or weeks at a time, always deciding to join Nie Huaisang when he came by on one of his visits to Lotus Pier.

Jiang Cheng just didn’t think it was this serious, yet.

“Worse?”

Nie Huaisang nods.

“More regular and more violent. Even er-ge—he told me—I should prepare, he said,” Nie Huaisang brings out and Jiang Cheng frowns.

If even Lan Xichen no longer has hope that his playing is doing something, then it really must be serious. The guy is a notorious optimist and for him to be pessimistic about it—Jiang Cheng doesn’t like it.

“Yeah, well, I haven’t played for him yet,” Jiang Cheng decides on a whim but a plan is forming in his mind.

He will not allow Nie Mingjue to die before he turns thirty. There’s no way in hell that will happen.

“Jiang-xiong, what do you think to achieve if even er-ge can’t help anymore?” Nie Huaisang wants to know but there’s the tiniest bit of hope in his voice.

“Maybe Lan Xichen goes about this wrong,” Jiang Cheng decides, the plan taking more concrete shape.

It would make sense if Lan Xichen’s playing isn’t having the desired effect if what Jiang Cheng thinks is true.

“Can you even play the song?” Nie Huaisang asks and Jiang Cheng grins at him.

“No, but I know a master who might be willing to teach me.”

He’s not talking about Lan Xichen, they both know it, and Nie Huaisang’s eyes go wide.

“It’s impossible, Jiang-xiong,” he then says with a shake of his head. “Even if Lan Qiren would be willing to teach you one of their secret songs, are you even good enough to learn it? And why would you think that you have more success than er-ge?”

“You seem to forget what my Sect’s motto is,” Jiang Cheng tells him and takes another sip from his tea. “Attempting the impossible is literally what I do,” he says and that, at least shuts Nie Huaisang up.

Jiang Cheng guesses it’s mostly because they are sitting in what was a burned out husk just a year ago but is now again a bustling, thriving Sect.

No one imagined Jiang Cheng would be able to rebuild Lotus Pier like this and he proved them all wrong.

He’s going to prove them wrong about Nie Mingjue’s impending death as well.

~*~*~

“Sect Leader Jiang,” Lan Qiren greets him when Jiang Cheng enters the room.

“Teacher Lan Qiren,” he respectfully gives back and Lan Qiren waves him off in the same move he tells him to sit.

Jiang Cheng settles down and waits for Lan Qiren to pour them both some tea before he speaks. He did learn his lesson with Nie Huaisang, as amusing as that was.

“I intend to court Nie Mingjue,” Jiang Cheng says and just like Nie Huaisang, Lan Qiren jerks with his words.

Jiang Cheng would be offended that this is everyone’s first reaction, but honestly, he thinks it’s more amusing than anything.

“Why are you telling me this?” Lan Qiren wants to know after a moment and Jiang Cheng gives him a winning smile.

“I need help with the courting gift,” Jiang Cheng tells him and watches as Lan Qiren’s eyebrows go up.

“What do you intend to give him that you think I’m able to help?”

“I need the Song of Clarity,” Jiang Cheng says without beating around the bush and Lan Qiren freezes.

“That’s a Clan secret,” Lan Qiren reminds him and Jiang Cheng shrugs.

“I know, but I’m counting on the fact that you care too much to deny me this,” he says. “Nie Mingjue’s death would devastate Lan Xichen and you love your nephew too much to want that to happen.”

Lan Qiren regards him in silence for a long moment before he sighs.

“If you want to marry him, it would devastate you, too. And you already lost so many,” Lan Qiren says and Jiang Cheng is surprised enough by his words that he falls silent.

He doesn’t see why Lan Qiren would care about if it hurts him, but it’s nice to know that he does.

“Which is why I won’t let it happen. But I need to learn to play the song.”

“What makes you think that you can achieve what my nephew cannot?”

“No offense to your nephew, but I think he’s going about this wrong,” Jiang Cheng says with a shrug.

“Elaborate,” Lan Qiren says, but his voice doesn’t snap like it used to in the classroom when he was outraged and Jiang Cheng counts it as a win.

“Lan Xichen is a formidable musician, but outside of a fight he’s too soft. I haven’t heard him play for Nie Mingjue but I’m guessing he’s trying for a gentle, soothing approach. It won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“Have you known Nie Mingjue to be gentle and soothing?” Jiang Cheng shoots back and Lan Qiren frowns. “Even when he cares about someone he’s gruff about it, an undercurrent of anger always there. It’s just who he is,” Jiang Cheng says, because he has witnessed it enough times to know it to be true.

Nie Mingjue doesn’t care about anyone more than his brother and even with him he can’t be gentle and soft. It’s just not who Nie Mingjue is as a person, and that’s perfectly alright. But Lan Xichen is trying to appeal to that side of Nie Mingjue, so it’s no wonder he’s not making any progress.

“What is your plan, then?” Lan Qiren inquires. “To sit on him and force him to listen instead of having him meditate?”

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng bluntly says, because he guesses that’s the only way he’ll get Nie Mingjue to listen and it would be the most effective. “The song doesn’t have an effect because Nie Mingjue is not gentle and soft, there’s nothing the song could react with. If you play the song when he’s angry and ready for a fight—it might wield more of a result.”

“You gave this a lot of thought,” Lan Qiren muses but he hasn’t yet snapped at Jiang Cheng and that simply has to be a good sign.

“Of course I did. I didn’t just wake up yesterday and decided I would marry Nie Mingjue.”

That happened a few weeks back, but Lan Qiren doesn’t need to know about that.

“Can you even play the guqin?”

“I was raised as the heir to one of the five Great Sects. We all had to learn,” he says with a shrug.

“But can you?” Lan Qiren asks again, clearly not buying Jiang Cheng’s bullshit.

“I have a basic understanding of it,” Jiang Cheng finally relents and a cold shiver goes down his back when Lan Qiren smiles at him.

“The Song of Clarity is one of the more complicated ones,” he warns him but Jiang Cheng has never met a challenge he wouldn’t take.

How hard can it be, anyway.

~*~*~

It turns out the Song of Clarity is a fucking bitch to learn and Jiang Cheng hates the song with a passion. It’s unnecessary stupid and hard and just out to make Jiang Cheng trip up over seemingly innocent looking notes and if he never has to play it again it will be too soon.

But he learned it for a reason and he did not go through all of this pain and hassle to simply never play it again.

“You’re ready,” Lan Qiren says two weeks into his lessons. “You can play it for Nie Mingjue.”

“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng says, as he bows to Lan Qiren over his guqin.

“Did you send an official courtship letter yet?” Lan Qiren wants to know and he frowns when Jiang Cheng shakes his head.

“No. I talked to Huaisang, who told me not to marry his brother, because he’s bound to die soon. I doubt Nie Minjgue’s answer will be different at the moment, and I’m not accepting that. Huaisang did give me his blessing to try though, so there’s that.”

“I see,” Lan Qiren says and strokes his beard. “If Mingjue accepts, you send him here, for a talk.”

That makes Jiang Cheng freeze.

“A talk?”

“Jin Ling is too young to give Mingjue a fair warning as to what will happen to him if he makes you unhappy, so I’m going to step in.”

Jiang Cheng is unable to find his voice for the longest of times, because that he didn’t expect. He knows Lan Qiren has to like him at least a little bit, otherwise he would have kicked him out the moment Jiang Cheng barged in with his outrageous demand but this—this almost speaks of family.

“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng chokes out and when Lan Qiren smiles at him this time, it’s a soft thing.

“You’re very welcome, Wanyin. And now go and court that stubborn man.”

“I will,” Jiang Cheng says and gathers up his guqin. “I damn well will.”

~*~*~

Nie Mingjue is frowning at him when Jiang Cheng refuses to take a seat in the great hall.

“Why do you have to be so contrary today?” Nie Mingjue presses out and Jiang Cheng can see it, the unnatural anger, caused by the always threatening qi deviation.

He doesn’t like it, but he will damn well use it for his own gain here.

“I’m itching for a fight, can’t you see?” Jiang Cheng gives back and bares his teeth at Nie Mingjue. “Though I doubt you can take me today. I bet the anger makes you all sloppy,” Jiang Cheng teases him, fully aware of Nie Huaisang’s nervous flutter of his fan in the corner of the room and of Nie Mingjue’s narrowing eyes.

“What do you want, Wanyin?” Nie Mingjue snaps and for this Jiang Cheng softens his smile as much as he knows how to.

“I want to marry you,” he says and doesn’t let Nie Mingjue’s surprised gasp deter him. “But not if you’re going to make a widower out of me in the week after our wedding. So you’re going to endure me playing the most boring, difficult fucking song for you, or I will force you to.”

“Force me to,” Nie Mingjue repeats and gets up. “You think you can force me to listen to it?”

“Look at you,” Jiang Cheng scoffs, though his heart is beating quicker with the threat hanging over him. Nie Mingjue is a formidable warrior after all. “Your hands are already shaking. You can’t beat me.”

Jiang Cheng and Nie Mingjue have sparred a lot when he came to visit Lotus Pier and Jiang Cheng did win a few times, but it was too rare for this kind of confidence and Jiang Cheng knows it.

He is counting on the fact that Nie Mingjue really is too far gone already to put up much of a fight.

“Fuck you,” Nie Mingjue hisses but he reaches for Baxia.

“You can, if you win,” Jiang Cheng cheekily gives back. “If I win, I will sit on you and you will damn well listen to me play.”

~*~*~

The moment Nie Mingjue hits the ground, Jiang Cheng is on him, whipping out the guqin Lan Qiren gave him as he settles down on Nie Mingjue’s back.

Jiang Cheng makes himself heavier than he usually is—using one of the many talismans Wei Wuxian came up with back in the day—and Nie Mingjue struggles under him, cursing and yelling, hitting the ground and kicking his legs.

Jiang Cheng will never get a better opportunity than this.

He starts to play the Song of Clarity, his own emotions running high from the fight and from his worry for Nie Mingjue and he thinks it might just be okay like that.

Clearly Nie Mingjue doesn’t react to the gentleness with which Lan Xichen plays for him; maybe he needs to have this song played a bit more aggressively as well.

Nie Mingjue doesn’t stop his struggling throughout the whole song but Jiang Cheng isn’t deterred by that. When he ends it, he looks over his shoulder down at Nie Mingjue who is glaring at him.

“You need me to play it again?” Jiang Cheng challenges him and Nie Mingjue huffs.

“I hate that fucking song.”

“The feeling is mutual, but you’re not getting out of this the easy way. So what will it be?” he demands to know and Jiang Cheng startles when Nie Mingjue slaps the ground, apparently in anger before he sags.

“Play it again,” Nie Mingjue says and Jiang Cheng can’t fight the rush of happy satisfaction that runs through him.

So he plays the cursed song again and then one more time for good measure, though for that last one he allows Nie Mingjue to get up and go through forms with Baxia and when he finally, finally vanishes the guqin again, Nie Mingjue’s grip is steady and his eyes are clear.

“How the hell did you do that?” Nie Mingjue demands to know once he’s done with his form and Jiang Cheng gets up to stretch his legs.

He never really was one for sitting down.

“I played the song, same as everyone else,” he gives back but Nie Mingjue shakes his head.

“Yours is different.”

“Because I don’t try to soothe you with it. I don’t want to get rid of your anger or your gruffness. I want to get rid of the death that could follow it, so I play for that.”

“Is that why Xichen’s song doesn’t work?”

“Probably,” Jiang Cheng says with a shrug and then he startles when Nie Mingjue simply drops Baxia to the ground.

There’s a heart stopping moment where Jiang Cheng fears that he overdid it, or that he did something wrong, that Nie Mingjue is experiencing a qi deviation at that very moment, but before he can move and try to help in any way possible Nie Mingjue’s hands are on his face and Jiang Cheng is being pulled into a scorching kiss.

“I don’t know what you intend to give me for our wedding, but nothing can compete with this,” Nie Mingjue breathes out when they part and Jiang Cheng darts in to nibble on his lower lip.

“Try me,” he says and claims Nie Mingjue’s lips again, because he can and there is nothing else he wants to be doing at that moment.

Judging by how they just barely make it to Nie Mingjue’s room, the feeling is mutual.

(Jiang Cheng does have a better gift at the wedding; he modified the Yunmeng Jiang Clarity Bell in a way that allows it to resonate with Baxia, to clear away resentment and to replicate the effects of the so despised song without Jiang Cheng ever having to play it again. It turns out Nie Huaisang is the most grateful for that, actually, because he started to hate the song with a passion, too.)

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[prettywordsyouleft]

Out Of The Shadows - Part 15

Summary: Singing was the only thing that kept you breathing. To Kihyun, you were too talented to step away from. And by a cruel twist of fate, because of him, you became a singer - except you only sang in the shadows.

Pairing: Yoo Kihyun x female reader

Genre: idol au / angst / drama / romance

Warnings: Y/N has a serious injury, and ongoing implications from it that might trigger some people. In this part: cursing, scandal aftermath, slight awkwardness from a boner, and light mentioning of wonho.

Word count: 2699

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final

Stirring from his slumber, Kihyun was temporarily confused by the added warmth along his side. As his brain grew more alert, and he chanced the morning sunlight that he knew was shining through the gap in his blinds to crack an eye open, last night began to form in his head again.

You had stayed over.

Although he was still struggling with how destroyed you were all night after your fight with Nina, Kihyun had to admit that waking up next to you could be something he’d like to do more often. A lazy smile crossed his lips as he took in your messy hair, one arm flung over his chest whilst the other was reaching to the headboard. As he worked his sharpening vision down the rest of you until the blankets cut you off midriff, Kihyun started to rely on feel. Your legs were tangled in his, one knee nestling rather close to what he realised could potentially be embarrassing for you to wake up and find.

Sure, it was human biology, but having his girlfriend discover a morning wood before he’d even been intimate with you wasn’t high on his list to tick off just yet. Scooting free from you, Kihyun slipped out of the room and into the bathroom, showering for the day and brushing his teeth before returning to his room. The apartment was still silent, and Kihyun wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

For once, he didn’t want to be an idol. Just a guy who happened to have a girl he harboured some really strong feelings for in his bed. Responsibilities and schedules be damned. If he could, Kihyun would stay here all day and just watch you.

Which, with a small chuckle, he realised sounded kind of creepy.

Just as he eased back onto the bed, you stirred, and Kihyun was simultaneously disappointed and anxious to see how you’d react to waking up here. You blinked slowly, stretching your body a little before letting your gaze stop gliding around your surroundings when you found him.

And then you smiled.

“Well, I think I might have just died a little,” he mused, grabbing at his constricting chest as you sat up and patted at your bed hair mindlessly.

“Died?”

He nodded solemnly. “Being the first person to see that smile of yours for the day was an honour. And the fact that you’re wearing my clothes…”

“I swear, it’s too early for you to charm the pants off of me, Kihyun.”

He grinned wickedly. “You don’t have any pants on right now.”

“Sinful man,” you muttered behind a hand that you tried to hide your delight over. Scooting closer to him, you leaned your head on his shoulder. “My head is pounding.”

“That’s what nonstop crying does to people,” he murmured, brushing a concerned hand to your head. “Thankfully, you’re not sick. There’s no fever there.”

“My skin hurts, though,” you confessed with a sigh. Looking at his face, you pouted. “Sorry. I doubt the last thing you want is to hear me complain so early in the morning.”

“The last thing I want is you hurting,” he corrected, brushing his lips against your forehead before reaching for the nightstand. He had fed you a pain reliever before you fell asleep last night, and the bottle of pills and water had remained there. Silently, Kihyun assisted you with taking the medication before scooping you up in his arms.

“I’m not hurting anymore,” you said into his neck, and Kihyun laughed softly. “What? I’m not.”

“Medicine doesn’t work that fast.”

“Your touch does,” you replied, wrapping your arms around him and nestling in. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Everything you did last night. I… I shouldn’t have called you.”

“No. You should call me. I’m your boyfriend.”

“You’re Yoo Kihyun too,” you whispered, and he groaned internally.

“Still your boyfriend,” he persisted, and you nodded.

“The best boyfriend.”

“Now that I can get used to hearing.”

“How about seeing this instead?” a new voice asked, and you both turned to see Minhyuk standing in just his PJ bottoms holding out his phone. Kihyun took in the pale expression of his friend before accepting the phone he held out.

You went rigid in Kihyun’s arms.

Minhyuk let out a wild laugh. “Yoo Kihyun consoles Starlet’s manager? What a title.”

“How… I didn’t see any…”

“A fan spotted you get out of your car and went to film you. She was going to ask for an autograph until you picked Y/N up and stood there holding her. A whole minute of you just holding her was captured on that film, Kihyun. And then you were caught kissing her forehead too. Dispatch are pissed that some school-aged fangirl got the scoop before they did.”

“This is not needed right now,” Kihyun warned in a strained voice.

You tried to get out of his lap, but Kihyun held you still. “Kihyun, I better go.”

“No, you don’t.”

“You’re in trouble because of me now.”

Minhyuk cursed. “This situation only gets worse.”

“I’m sorry,” you said, and both men looked at you incredulously. “I’m not trying to make you annoyed with me for apologising like some weak little victim. I didn’t think about the consequences last night when I called you. I didn’t think to wait until we were somewhere private. After everything I’ve been taught about idol—”

“You know the shittiest part about all of this?” Kihyun interjected, still staring at the video on the screen. “It’s not that I’ve been caught in a scandal. It’s that they think so poorly of you. That you’re Starlet’s manager. If that ain’t the kick in the gut of it all.”

No one said anything after that.

The scandal was handled swiftly by the company. Some excuse was given that didn’t sit well with Kihyun, and he had endured more than enough screaming from higher-ups to make him numb inside. The only thing that mattered was that he had been told to avoid you at all costs.

It didn’t sit well with him.

Still, he knew he had to ride out this storm, and giving more ammunition to the firing squad would be foolish.

When the door to his studio opened, Kihyun looked up desperately. “Did you get to see her?”

Changkyun nodded. “She’s… coping.”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Terry laid into her. Nina looked scared but was silent when he did so. Y/N is accepting all the blame. I have no idea how she’s going to cope tonight when she has to go home with all the pain from the scandal on top of the Nina stuff.”

Kihyun groaned loudly and slammed his hand down on the desk beside him. “I was the one who knew better. I should have just got her in the car and left.”

“She was crying. You acted like a man in love first,” Changkyun replied, and Kihyun glanced up at him through his tired eyes. Changkyun’s jaw was tense, but he didn’t avoid his gaze. “Last night was hard for me.”

“Hard how?”

“I’ve known that you love Y/N for some time now. Probably longer than you have. But since that day with Terry and I punched you, I don’t know. I’m a little too invested in Y/N. It’s not the same as how you feel. You don’t have to worry about that. I think it stems from Hoseok-hyung. I couldn’t – we couldn’t – do anything to help him. Even when I fought and tried to get management to listen. Watching them be shady with Y/N always makes me want to shield her.”

“We all want to.”

“Yeah, but Nina isn’t a bad person and yet last night I associated her with the likes of Terry. For the things she’s been thinking and saying to Y/N. She has feelings too. God, we all know I’m sensitive to others and how they feel. Yet I didn’t care for her last night. It was hard for me to let you be the only one to fully comfort Y/N.”

Kihyun smiled sadly. “You just went now and did what I can’t. You’re going to be the one protecting her for some time. You heard that they’ve banned me from even going to a toilet near her department.”

Changkyun grimaced. “I got kicked out when Terry spotted me. He went off at me for being there to cause more trouble. I uh, might have told him to go fuck himself.”

Kihyun didn’t stop the laughter that erupted from his hollow chest. Instead, he reached out and fist-bumped Changkyun before going back to the one question he couldn’t seem to answer.

What now?

“Today’s your lucky day,” Joonhyung said to Kihyun when he walked into the main Monsta X studio, smiling at him broadly.

Kihyun didn’t understand how it could be. He’d been on a communications lockdown with you for three weeks now. If Minhyuk hadn’t managed to get Nina’s phone number the other week, he would have gone completely insane. Knowing that you were doing as best as you could and that things with Nina had been spoken out and mostly resolved was the only thing that kept him going right now.

“Lucky how?” Hyungwon wondered, shooting Kihyun a worrying look.

“Management has decided on a duet for Kihyun and Starlet.”

Jooheon spluttered out his drink. “What?! How does that even make sense? Sure, the scandal has mostly blown over now, but putting them together again doesn’t sound right.”

“I don’t care,” Kihyun said, standing up immediately. “I get to see Y/N, right?”

“Well, not unsupervised. It’s just for planning and recording. I doubt you’ll have overlapping sessions if Terry has anything to say about it.”

“As long as I get to see Y/N,” Kihyun repeated, picking up his coffee cup and gesturing for the door.

Joonhyung told him which studio to head to, and he briskly made his way there, his heart thudding in his chest. Kihyun didn’t understand how he could go from uncaring to this alert so fast, and it was somewhat overwhelming to bounce back from the emptiness he had been experiencing of late. He hadn’t been tardy or thrown a fit once. Instead, he turned up to every schedule and did what was expected of him. Nothing less, nothing more.

Fans had noticed, though. He wondered if they had petitioned over you and him as they had with Hoseok.

Knocking on the door, he waited for it to open before entering, his gaze darting around the space until he found you. Stopping mid-step, Kihyun raked his gaze all over you. Whilst he hadn’t expected you to look a mess, he was surprised to find how well kept you were too. It was almost as if you had the same response as he had for all of this. To give no one room to fault you on anything else.

He smiled knowingly, and you mirrored it.

“Terry’s running late,” one of the staff member’s mentioned, glancing to the other in the room. “I reckon we ought to get some coffee, so he’s not raging when he gets here. You two will be alright for five minutes, right?”

Kihyun grinned and nodded once. There were some hidden gems still working for this company, after all.

Once the door was shut, Kihyun placed down his coffee and took a step closer. “Can I?”

“Why are you even asking?” you breathed out quickly, falling into his arms that you beelined for.

It was so familiar and foreign at once to take you in. Holding you as tightly as he could without harming you, Kihyun inhaled your scent, refamiliarized himself with your soft curves, and noted the subtle changes to your body. You felt rounder than the last time he held you, and he was relieved not to find the opposite. You’d also cut your hair, and he liked the change.

Mostly, Kihyun just liked holding you where you belonged.

“I was told today would be the only session I have with you,” you mentioned into the skin on his neck and then sighed. “The rest will be with Nina.”

“What?”

“The duet will be a live performance,” you continued, and he pulled back to take in your bleak expression. “The most you’ll see of me that day is waiting for you behind the stage.”

“Do you feel as if Terry scheduled this to punish us? Because that’s what I’m starting to think.”

You shrugged, attempting to smile. “Hey. At least we’ll record a song together. And if this works, I’ll get more duet opportunities. Sewoon will be screaming from the rooftops in euphoria.”

Kihyun shook with laughter. “As long as I get the first one.”

“You’ll always be first to me,” you told him, diving back in for another hug before stepping away.

You were both a picture of complete professionalism when Terry walked into the studio and remained that way for the whole planning and recording session. As you had mentioned, any follow up moments were recorded separately, and then Kihyun was scheduled time with Nina to set up the atmosphere of the performance. The song, Out Of The Shadows, which he felt was ironically named, was a power ballad that highlighted both his and your singing strengths. Outside the pressure of everything going on around him, Kihyun loved it. He’d listened to it more times than he cared to announce and couldn’t wait to unleash it on the world.

At least, the digital version of it.

Because it was a ballad, there wasn’t much need for practising with Nina. He would have his spot on the stage, and she would walk out to meet him just after the first chorus. It was mostly him teaching Nina how to look absorbed in him as they sang, the right way to act during the song, and when to allow the music to overwhelm her. She also had to appear as if she was the one belting out that exceptionally high note with him before the last chorus.

And so far, she had failed every time.

“It’s not that hard, is it?” he wondered, and Nina glanced at her feet before nodding.

“I don’t know what it would feel like to sing so boldly. Most of those moments in our songs are the ones I don’t perform.”

“But surely you know how it feels to belt out a note or two, Nina. You auditioned to be a singer.”

Nina chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m tone-deaf, Kihyun.”

“So?”

“So, I can’t sing.”

“You can sing,” he remarked, and Nina shot her wide-eyed gaze to his face. “Everyone can sing. I bet you sing in the shower.”

“Well…”

“So just belt it out.”

“What?”

“Right now. I’ll replay it. Just sing it out loud so you can feel how it overtakes you,” he urged, and Nina shook her head. “Why not?”

“Ever since I got told I’m a horrible singer, I don’t do it out loud anymore.”

“I’ll kill him,” Kihyun muttered, referring to Terry, before going over to Nina’s side. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re horrible. We all have the ability to learn. To improve. Instead of being told what you’re good and bad at, Terry should be encouraging you to try. But because he’s an asshole, allow me to be the voice of reason. You don’t deserve to sit in the mold he put you in. Yes, this industry is cutthroat, and I’ve heard and been told things that are soul-destroying. I was useless at dancing, did you know? I’m still not the strongest in my group, but I’ve improved because I tried. Now, you try.”

“This will be embarrassing,” she admitted but nodded once. Kihyun went over to replay the song and pointedly closed his eyes, so she didn’t feel any scrutiny on her when she started to sing.

He worked on keeping his face schooled to neutral as her voice cracked offbeat but opened his eyes to watch Nina take the note. She threw herself into it, and Kihyun grinned. “That was a perfect reaction to how you should hold it on stage. Let’s work with this, shall we?”

_________________

Part 16

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[honeesucker]

Iwaizumi Hajime as part of my Haikyuu boys after you text them *~spicy photos~* and then fall asleep... 

Word Count: 2,165

Content Warnings: Choking, swearing, dacryphilia, dubcon (can appear noncon but IwaxReader have previous safe word set up for safety), reader is asleep during penetration, overstimulation, double-penetration w/use of toy, Dom/sub themes, use of Daddy; all around we’re being grey-area debaucherous here - there’s aftercare though?

You didn’t hear the door open, or the duffle bag drop to the floor because you were in Iwaizumi and yours shared room, lounging on the bed in a Gudetama sleep short and tank top pajama set. Your chest rose and fell with your soft, deep breaths showing him you were indeed asleep, though even in your sleep you were teasing him (unintentionally, but try telling Iwaizumi that). 

Your legs were splayed open, the hem of one of the legs of your insanely short sleep shorts was riding up and sticking to your inner labia having become wedged during your movement in your sleep, this giving Iwaizumi a sweet little teasing view of your pussy. You didn’t hear him let out a groan from deep in his chest as he peeled off his work shirt, hook his thumbs into the top of his joggers and slide them down baring him to your sleeping form only in his dark grey briefs. He palmed his already hard cock through the front of his briefs, the friction sending jolts through his cock and only making the ache to bury all of him inside you that much worse.

How fucking dare you send those photos while he was at work and then fall asleep, and worst of all you knew he would’ve asked you to stay dressed for him until he got home – unfair because of how late it was – but it was just how you both worked together... but you had to be a brat and change into those damn pajamas, the apathetic face of the egg yolk staring at him from between your thighs. Fuck these shorts... Iwaizumi began to pull the fabric from your hips slowly, the silken cotton slipping from your body easily without much resistance. Iwaizumi froze when you gave a soft little hum in your sleep and shifted, but you only made it easier for him to grab you and pull you gently until your ass was lined up with the edge of the bed. He ran his large hand up your thighs, the goosebumps sprouting in the wake of his touch, ran his fingertips along your hips, along the curve of your tummy, up to the soft swell of your perfect breasts that he loved to abuse and leave bruised and sore. He thumbed over your nipples until the sensitive buds pebbled underneath your soft sleep tank, he gently pulled the front of your shirt down exposing your breasts to the cool air of your bedroom. You gave a soft moan in your sleep at the sweet ghosting ministrations of his skilled fingers, and he smirked, you were so easy to read... your body so honest even unconscious.

Iwaizumi traced his fingers back down to your thighs until he parted your legs further and was greeted by the sight of your already glistening pussy, lips looking so soft, puffy and welcoming. He traced up your inner thighs and along the outside of your core until he slowly dipped into the sweet honey coating your skin. His first finger wasn’t met with any resistance and elicited a low, melodious moan from you again. Iwaizumi had his one finger hooked in you, pressing into your g-spot as his thumb rubbed lazy circles with a gentle pressure on your clit which had your silken walls fluttering around his digit and more juices collecting on his knuckles and your lips. He yanked his briefs off, stepping out of them and gave himself a few strokes using the hand wet with your slick. He bit into his bottom lip to keep from outright moaning just yet, running his thumb over the pearly bead of precum that gathered at his tip to help lube him up more before he was lining up and rubbing the thick head of his cock against your hole. With a quick snap of his hips, Iwaizumi pushed forward into you; the full length of his cock stretching you with a pleasant burn and the jolting sensation of him pushing into you jostling you in your sleep and you woke up startled and feeling someone inside of you, panicked. You started swinging your arms trying to hit whoever was on top of you until both your wrists were captured and pinned above your head, and you saw your boyfriend, muscles covered in a slight sheen of sweat as he leant over you.  

“H-Haji-fuck-Hajime!” You whimpered, fighting against his grip. “Baby p-please it hurts, fuck, what are you doing? Stop!” A fat stream of tears was running down your cheeks as your boyfriend kept his brutal pace, thrusting the full length of his cock in and out completely. You felt the tight coil of your first orgasm already building which only heated your cheeks with embarrassment that you were enjoying this.  

“Thought you could fucking get away with it, hm Y/N?” Iwaizumi grunted, punctuating his words with harsh thrusts that had his cockhead up against your cervix, sending jolts through your whole body. “Thought you could send those fucking photos while I was working and get away with it untouched?” Iwaizumi was leaning over you, his large body, muscled and tight in comparison to yours made you feel so small, so caged in. He switched from his brutal pace as he moved over you, opting for deep-reaching hard thrusts that had buzzes of pain and shocks of pleasure hitting through your whole body. He leant down to your face, one of his large hands wrapping around your throat as he kissed away the stream of tears running down your face, nuzzling his own into the wetness that collected along your neck as well. “My little fucking dumb bitch should know better than to try and be a tease, should know that it will never end well for her...” he said, kissing and sucking along the tender flesh of your neck until he heard you let out a soft moan and bit down hard until he tasted sweet copper in his mouth. He sucked and bit a large bruise where your neck and shoulder met, pulling away with a red-tinted smirk. “Should know that such a dumb baby can only listen, not think,” he said, his thrusts pace quickening until he was spilling white hot seed deep into your body, filling you up but not slowly down. You still hadn’t cum once and feeling Iwaizumi’s cum in your pussy only triggered something in you that ached for more.

“Haji please,” you whimpered, wiggling your hips until his hands came down hard to still your movements, feeling that his cock was still as hard as ever inside of you and he didn’t look like he was done just yet.

“Now, now baby that’s not how I taught you to ask for something,” Iwaizumi mocked.

“Da-mmphmff fuck!” Iwaizumi interrupted your pleading with a series of harsh thrusts that shook your whole body out of its train of thought, his harsh laugh cutting through you, making your bottom lip jut out in a pathetic pout. “Daddy please, please help me cum! I’m sorry for being bad, please I’ll be your good girl!”

“Mm, that’s an improvement,” Iwaizumi said, moving inside of you again to help tighten the coil of pleasure building in you until he pulled out completely which caused you to cry out in frustration, until your eyes widened as you saw him reaching over into the nightstand. Your eyes widened further when you saw him pull your guys’ favorite vibrator, slim and teal in color with white swirls, like his old school colors. You watched him as he turned it on, the soft buzzing filling the room over your panting breaths, until he dipped it into your pussy without warning, though it was thankfully much smaller than him. He was twisting and pushing and pulling it in and out of you at all sorts of angles that had you writhing and begging for him to not stop until that is exactly what he did, robbing you of your orgasm again as you cried out and thrashed on the bed until one look from him told you to stay still. “Just needed to make sure this was nice and wet for you,” Iwaizumi mused, and you didn’t know what he meant until you felt the cool top of the vibrator prodding at the tight ring of muscle at your backside. You whimpered and pleaded with him but he ignored you, pressing the toy in further until your hungry ass sucked it in, a wanton moan escaping you as you wriggled at the fullness. You were an inaudible jumble of mewls and hums and moans as Iwaizumi fucked your ass with the vibrator, the sensations filling you up and building up inside of you so intensely. You were thrown through a loop of sensations as you felt the tip of Iwaizumi’s cock breaching your puffy, soaking hole. He slipped in easy due to his earlier orgasm filling you up with his cum, he swore under his breath as you felt even tighter than before, and now he could feel the vibrations and extra fullness of the vibrator in your ass through the thin wall separating your pussy.  

“Haji-Daddy, ‘mm gonna cum, oh fuck-” your voice was barely audible as you choked on the sensations filling up your lower half, and when Iwaizumi started pistoning in and out of you again in opposite time as he was fucking your ass with the toy you were nearly there.

“Come on, princess, I can feel you squeezing me-fuck-so tightly, cum for me baby! Cum on my cock!” Iwaizumi was pounding into your overstimulated body and with his permission you let go. Back arching and gummy walls gripping onto his cock as your entire lower half buzzed and contracted, pussy clamping down on Iwaizumi’s cock as he let loose another load of white cum, coating your walls and filling you up until he was dripping out of you with every squelching thrust. The vibrations from the toy still lodged deep in your ass kept you riding the wave of your orgasm until you were crying and begging Iwaizumi to take it out and thankfully, he did, having turned it off and thrown it near the dirty laundry. He plopped his body on yours, the weight of him making you feel safe as you came down from your high. His lips kissing along your temple and down to your jaw, along the line of your jaw and down your throat. He grabbed onto you and rolled your guys’ body until you were on top of him, panting and whining as he slowly slipped his softening cock out of you. He continued to kiss along your neck and shoulder, giving a gentle lick to where he bit you so roughly earlier. His hands were running up and down your back as your body still gave into little spasms from the intense orgasm.  

“You with me, princess?” Iwaizumi asked, running one hand down your back at the other stroke your hair.

“Mmm,” you answered, eyes shut and drifting in and out. You felt a gentle patting on your cheek that made you open your eyes, a pout taking over your features.

“Awe, don’t give me that princess, c’mon,” Iwaizumi groaned, petting your sweaty hair down, “need to make sure my baby is good and safe in her mind. Wanna try walking with me to the shower so we can clean up and come back and snuggle?”

You just nodded and let Iwaizumi lift you up and let you lean on him as you walked toward the master bathroom, the large shower that could fit ten just calling your name. He set you on the inset bench and let the steamy water take over as he gentle sponged your body with your favorite soap and then lifted you to press against him as you rinsed off, all the while Iwaizumi was praising you with how wonderfully you did for him, how good you made him feel, how you were his very good girl, his darling princess.  

You patted his cheek and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, reassuring him you were good and he did good and everything was good. Perfect, even.  

You two were back in bed about ten minutes later, clean bodies and clean sheets. You were tucked under one of Iwaizumi’s arms, snuggled into his side with your head on his chest.

“You sure you’re okay, princess? I wasn’t too rough?” Iwaizumi was full of anxiety with a bit of how he acted, but he knew you’d let him know if he pushed you too far, right?

“You were perfect, Hajime, you are perfect,” you leant up and kissed his jaw. “Plus, I didn’t need to say Oikawa, didn’t I?” 

You both burst out laughing, and he kissed the top of your hair as he pulled you tighter against him before you both drifted off to sleep, happy and fully satisfied – for now.  

[aspenheron]

Kiss Me, You Dork. [Senku Ishigami x Reader]

(you can also read this on ao3! click for link) 

Senku promised you science, you promised him love. Also, a good whack to the head if he got himself hurt for some experiment. And everything be damned if he didn’t love you too. (Which he did.)

Science this, science that. Your boyfriend was quite the nerd. As if having the theory of relativity on his shirt was proof enough. If he could date science itself... maybe you’d have some serious competition.

You were in this stone world together, thankfully not alone. It might take another million years to reach someone like Senku Ishigami again, if ever.

It was yesterday when you and the villagers finally finished the phone. A painful process, but the thought of losing the looming war was a lot worse. Senku tasked you to make manganese cakes with Gen. It was quite the job, especially listening to that damn song he made up. You’re never getting that out of your head any time soon.

As you reflect on the busy day behind you, you’re snapped back to reality by a mysterious noise.

A weird, deep sort of grumble from outside the tent you were sleeping in. You pitched your humble tent a few trees away from Senku’s lab. Your excuse if anyone asks? To keep science safe.

Graaahhm. The noise rang out behind a nearby rock.

You steadied your breathing, careful not to alert whatever is behind the boulder. The grumbling only got louder and louder, you were right next to the source. Shaky hands were placed on your weapon, you were ready to fend off an animal if need be. Sucking in a deep breath, you worked up the courage to face the beast. On the other side of that rock was…

Chrome. Not quite the beast you were imagining.

You let out a huge sigh. He was knocked out on guard duty, typical.

Should you wake him up..? Yeah.

You decide to let the poor guy sleep. His day was nothing but getting his ass handed to him in training. A night’s rest was just what he needed.

As you walk off, you make a mental note to roast him for snoring like a monster. Back to the tent, adventure over.

At least it was, until you felt a presence above you.

“Night owl, huh?”

You look up to see Senku sitting in a tree, gazing up into the starry sky.

You had to admit, he looked cool as hell up there. Though, there’s always a chance he got himself stuck. Either way, you’re surprised to see the man up. It was the dead of night, after all. Only the moon lit up the area, save for a few torches.

“Mmhm.” You replied to him, “You hear that animal back there?”

You quickly ascended the tree, taking your place on an adjacent branch to Senku’s. The distance was small, you could ruffle his hair from there.

Senku let out a few chuckles, “Chrome? Yes, sadly.”

The two of you talked on about your days. With all that’s going on, you don’t really get quality time with your boyfriend. There’s a mutual understanding it can’t be helped, there’s a war after all. With Tsukasa’s kingdom planning an attack sooner than later, it’s not quite the time or place for romance.

Though, you can’t help but admire the way Senku looks under the moonlight. Soon the conversation comes to a halt. It’s a nice silence, just enjoying each other’s company.

You find yourself drifting into your thoughts, landing on Senku as your muse.

You really love this man. He brings so much light, sometimes literal light, into this stone world. For all he’s done for the village, you, and the world to come… Thinking of it makes you giddy. And he’s not that bad looking either. The hair is a bit out there, but you’ve seen more. Ahem, Gen. Who are you fooling? You love his weird hair and his deep maroon eyes that mimic th-

“Is there something on my face?” Andddd he caught you staring. Senku turns a shade of pink, looking anywhere but your eyes.

You mentally thank the world for giving you this man.

“Kiss me, you dork.” You lean closer to him, carefully straddling the tree’s branch.

Senku leaned in for a quick peck. He hasn’t kissed anyone but you, and he isn’t too experienced either.

You burst out laughing, “Is there not a scientific formula for a kiss?”

“Hey.” Senku joined in the laughing session. “Kissing is ten billion percent not my area of expertise.”

You leaned over one more time, showing him a real kiss.

The shock of it all was too much for poor Senku. Flustered beyond repair, he fell right out of the tree.

Thankfully it wasn’t that high, but it was enough to leave a bump or two. Before you could ask Senku if he’s alright, the beast from earlier came out.

“Senku!” Chrome dashed out, clearly waken up by the thump of the fall. “I swear I just heard a beast fall from the sky!”

“Funny coincidence.” Senku rubbed the back of his head, feeling for bumps. “I heard a beast snoring behind that rock earlier.”

You smiled down on the two, now arguing about the so-called beast.

They’re never hearing the end of this one.

[general-kenobi357]

Someday Soon-Chapter 10

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Fem!OC

Summary: The Pogues work together to get John B off the island, a difficult task to complete when everything seems to be falling apart all around them.

Note: The last chapter of season 1, exciting but also sad. I probably won't be updating this series until after season 2 comes out so that I have it as a base but I do have a few oneshots I have been working on that I might post in the meantime. I hope you enjoyed my spin on the first season!

Word Count: 4.1k

🔅🔆🔅

I paced around the Wreck waiting for the others to wake up. JJ stood on the opposite side of the room clicking a lighter on and off. We hadn’t spoken to each other since last night and every time he caught my eye I would quickly look away.

I saw Pope starting to wake up before he made his way to where JJ stood watching police cars drive by.

“He's pinched for sure, man.” JJ said to Pope as I continued to pace while I listened to their conversation.

“No. They wouldn't still be patrolling if they caught him.” Pope reasoned.

“Let's hope.” JJ spoke defeatedly.

“You know, we were in that car. They're probably looking for us, too.” Kie spoke up, alerting us all that she had woken up.

“Well, if we're gonna be outlaws, we might as well help John B.” Pope addressed us all.

“So, find him before they do?” JJ asked while we watched Pope grab the keys to JJ’s bike and make his way towards where I had stopped near the door. “Pope?”

“I'm gonna get gas for the boat.” He explained before turning to me. “You coming?”

“Uh, yeah.” I answered unsure, I figured it was better than staying here with Kie and JJ.

“Hey, you be careful.” Kie told Pope. “Okay?”

“Meet us at the dock at three. Don't be late.” Pope reminded the pair we were leaving behind before we made our way outside.

“Okay, what is your problem?” Kie asked Pope, I didn’t even hear what had happened between the two and I was pretty sure I knew what his problem was.

“No problem, Officer. I'm just doing my job.” Pope answered as we got onto the bike.

“Look, I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings.” Kie tried to tell him as he started up the bike and revved up the engine.

“What was that?” He asked as if he had no control over the sounds of the bike.

“Look, I didn't mean to.” Kie tried again.

“Sorry, I can't hear you. What was that?” Pope kept taunting.

“Pope let’s go.” I told him, getting impatient with the game he was playing.

“Pope, I'm being serious…” Kie yelled as Pope lifted his feet off the ground as we started to drive away. “I'm trying to talk to you!”

I looked back as Pope drove off and locked eyes with JJ, his face was painted with concern and it looked like he wanted to say something but we were already too far away. I turned my head back around and gazed at the road over Pope’s shoulder. My grip tightened around his waist, in all the excitement of Kie and Pope’s argument, I hadn’t had time to rethink if I really wanted to get on the back of this death trap with a newly sober Pope driving.

“Are you good to drive?'' I called to him over the sound of the engine.

“Yeah I’m fine.” He reassured me, I supposed I would have to trust him as I didn’t really have any other options at the moment.

🔅🔆🔅

Once we arrived at Heyward’s we found a couple of empty gas canisters that we carried over to the gas pump out front. As we waited for the first one to fill up I tapped my foot on the ground, anxious to get back to the others. Even if we were fighting it was better to all stay together than to get split up.

“So.” I started unsure if I should continue or just keep my mouth shut. Pope was my only friend that was not on the run or not speaking to me at the moment. “You and Kie?”

“You and JJ?” Pope countered clearly not wanting to talk. I chuckled at his response to me.

“No, if yesterday proved anything it was that there is no me and JJ.” I explained.

“Yeah well that sounds about the same for me and Kie.” He finally said to me.

As much as the situation we were in sucked it was almost comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

We were quiet again as he switched the tanks and I put the cap back onto the now full one.

“Look at you two.” I heard a deep voice say from behind me. Turning around I found Heyward standing a few feet away, arms crossed over his chest. “Like some damn street hoods out here stealing gas from me. Isabella, I thought your mama raised you better than that and my own blood, I don’t know which one disappoints me more.”

“We're not stealing.” Pope tried to explain, I shook my head at him knowing it would be better if we stopped talking.

“Stop lyin'. I saw it in your damn hand.”

“Our friend is in trouble, and we need to help him.” I tried to defend, figuring it was too late to not get into trouble.

“John B did not kill anybody.” Pope added.

“Says who?” Heyward challenged.

“Says me.”

“I'm supposed to believe you?” Heyward continued. “After you ran out on your interview? Shit, boy, get in the house.”

“No.” Pope said staring right at him. I didn’t like where this was going.

“Oh, you a man now? Huh?” Heyward continued to push. “You wanna have a go at it with me? Is that it?”

“I'm taking these cans. You’re not gettin' in my way.” Pope said going to grab the gas canisters.

“Oh, I'm gettin' in your way.” Heyward said, walking past me to stand right in front of Pope. “And one day, you might be able to whoop my ass, but it ain't today.”

“That right?” Pope asked, getting angrier with every word.

“Yeah.” Heyward concluded just as Pope threw a punch at him. I stumbled back shocked that he had actually done it.

“Pope stop!” I tried to yell but it came out as a whisper.

“Oh, yeah! It's gonna take a little more than that. Try again.” Heyward challenged again after recovering from the first blow. Come on. You wanna hit your daddy? Try again. Hm? You want to hit me?”

I put a hand on Pope’s shoulder and as he turned it was like he realized what he had just done.

“I don't have time for this. I gotta help my friend.” Pope said as he turned away from his father.

We both grabbed a gas canister and tied them to the sides of the bike. I could see the tears streaming down Pope’s face as we climbed onto the bike.

“Yeah, yeah, you just go ahead. Yeah, you take everything, son. And Isabella don’t think I’m not telling your mama about this!” I heard Heyward continue to yell at us as Pope started up the bike. “You're an ungrateful son of a bitch, Pope.”

“It’s okay Pope. It’s gonna be okay.” I tried to comfort him as we drove off and Heyward’s threats faded.

🔅🔆🔅

As we pulled up to the garage that held The Phantom we heard yelling and clattering from inside.

“What the hell?” I asked Pope who looked just as confused.

I noticed two dirt bikes parked near the door as I pointed to them Pope nodded to confirm he saw them too. We rushed towards the door and Pope grabbed some old pipes on the way.

“Be careful.” I said as he passed me one of the pipes.

As we ran inside I wasn’t sure what to look at. Kie was being screamed at by some blond whose face I couldn’t see and JJ was one the ground being punched by Barry, the guy who had tried to take the gold from us.

“Hey! Don't touch her!” I heard Pope scream as he began to bash the blond’s back.

I moved towards where Barry was and hit him with the pipe in my hand. It didn’t seem to do much damage but it was enough to distract him and give JJ time to punch him square in the jaw. After we got the gun out of his hand JJ essentially beat Barry to a pulp.

As Barry laid out on the ground groaning in pain we moved to where Kie stood watching as Pope began to strangle the blond who I now recognized as Rafe Cameron.

“Pope.” Kie called to him as we watched him continue to beat on Rafe. “Pope, that's good! Stop!”

“He's had enough, dude.” JJ added trying to get Pope to stop.

“Snap out of it, Pope!” I said as JJ tried to pull them apart.

“Okay, we gotta go.” Kie reminded us as Pope finally let go of Rafe.

JJ and Kie rushed away to finish hooking up the boat but I stayed standing next to Pope as he looked at me terrified.

“It’s okay Pope. You’re fine.” I tried to tell him but I felt just as shocked as he looked.

“Stay off the cut.” Pope threatened Rafe who laid at our feet half conscious.

“Pope. Iz. We gotta go.” Kie called as she got into the car.

“Let’s go.” I said to Pope, taking his arm and guiding him towards the car.

As we drove away I noticed Pope staring at his hands as if they didn’t belong to him. I took both of them so he would stop and as we got further from the garage I continued to try and reassure him that he was fine.

🔅🔆🔅

Once we had arrived at the boat launch we had all silently begun to silently load up the boat after getting it into the water. Kie and Pope were standing watch as I packed the last of the food into compartments and behind me JJ checked the engine over. Once I was done I turned leaning on one of the seats as JJ checked various switches.

“A 1983 Formula 402 SR1.” JJ marveled at the boat.

“Mm-hm. The first boat to make the run to Bermuda in under 16 hours.” I added, with the number of times he had told me about this boat, I would never forget the speech he made every time he saw it. “Forty years old! And still the fastest thing that Kildare's ever seen.”

“Huh, seems like you’ve heard about her before.” JJ mused as he stood up to face me.

“Yeah once or twice.” I teased him, the smile on my face grew as he moved closer to me. I thought he was leaning in closer to my face when Pope interrupted us.

“Dude, where is he?” Pope asked worriedly. JJ cleared his throat as he turned away from me to address Pope.

“Give him a second. He'll be here. He's coming. He'll be fine.” JJ reassured us all.

“Shit.” I muttered as I spotted the lights of a cop car approaching us.

“Hey, yeah. Get back on the boat.” Kie told Pope as she moved to start untying it from the dock.

“Wait.” JJ stopped us all as we turned to see someone getting out of the cop car.

“No way.” I mumbled with a smile as I recognized John B closing the door behind him.

“No effing way.” Pope added.

“I'm sorry. You've gotta be kidding me.” Kie continued laughing.

“Shoupe let me take it for a spin.” John B explained as he walked towards the boat.

“Okay. That's believable. I'll buy that for now.” Kie said, she hugged John B before he hopped onto the deck of the Phantom where JJ and I stood.

“It wasn't easy, bro, but I got the Phantom for you, and she runs like she was made yesterday.” JJ told John B, handing the keys over. “You ready to go?”

“Where's Sarah?” John B asked, noticing she was absent from the group.

“She's not with you?” Kie asked him.

“No, we got separated in the swamp.” John B explained his worry growing. “She said she'd meet me here.”

“No, we haven't seen her.” I told him.

“Okay, well, I'm not leaving without her.” John B concluded.

“John B, look at me.” JJ started to say. “I know you feel bad for leaving, but there's no time, man. You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low, all right? Hang out for a couple of weeks and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that? Brownsville. You... Hey! You got that?”

“Yeah, yeah. Brownsville.” John B confirmed only half paying attention to what JJ was telling him.

“All right. Saddle her up, saltwater cowboy. Let's do this.” JJ said, hopping over the side of the boat onto the dock.

“Hey, John B.” I said, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. “I love you.”

“Yeah. I love you too.” He mumbled back to me. I felt like I was losing my brother as we pulled apart and I jumped down onto the dock. John B paused for a moment as he looked at us all. “Hey. I'm sorry for basically... throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing.”

“John B, we were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?” JJ said, as we all laughed at his statement.

“Yeah.” He confirmed.

“At least we did it together, though.” I told him with a sad smile.

“Pogue style.” Pope said.

“Pogue style.” We all repeated.

“Get out of here! Please. Now.” Kie told John B, reminding us all we were running out of time.

“We'll see you in two months, down in Mexico.” Pope reassured John B as we started to untie ropes.

“Hey, wait... wait a second.” John B stopped us before we could push the boat out. “Tell Sarah I said goodbye, okay?”

We all nodded our head confirming that we would find her for him.

“Don't forget. Cross the border at Brownsville, okay?” JJ reminded one last time.

“Got it.” John B confirmed as he started the motor up.

We all stood huddled together as we watched him fade from view as he picked up speed. I knew we would see him again but it felt like we were saying goodbye forever.

🔅🔆🔅

John B was long gone, hopefully far enough away that everyone looking for him couldn’t find him but I still stood on the dock looking at the sun set. Further down the dock Kie and Pope stood together, I couldn't hear what they were saying as they were talking quietly but I saw them hug. I smiled slightly, happy that the pair had made up.

But then my eyebrows knitted together in confusion as I watched the pair kiss, how could Kie warn me not to do something then turn around and do the thing she warned me against. I felt frustrated with her, I knew better, I knew I shouldn’t take it so personally but I still couldn’t help but feel my annoyance towards her grow.

That was until I felt a pair of hands settled on my hips and as I turned my head I saw JJ resting his head on my shoulder. I smiled at the action as I leaned into him content to just stand and watch the sunset as my worries faded further away.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you the other night when I said we weren’t together.” JJ finally spoke after a minute. “I didn’t mean that I didn’t want us to be together just that we weren’t yet. After all, you haven’t even asked me out.”

I turned around to face him and saw a huge grin on his face, his hands which were still wrapped around my waist loosened slightly. There was a mischievous look in his eyes as I rested my hands on his shoulders.

“JJ Maybank.” I started to say dramatically. “Will you go out with me?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure.” He began pretending to think about it. “Where are you gonna take me?”

“I don’t know, I'm sure we can sort out the details later.” I smiled.

“Well I’d like to know now so that I can figure out if it's worth it. Plus I mean I’ll have to find the right outfit.” He began to ramble, I playfully rolled my eyes at him.

“How about you worry about your outfit later and right now you just kiss me?” I interrupted him with my bold statement.

He stopped talking after that and began to lean closer to me. As I was about to lean in as well I stopped and looked into his eyes.

“Hey, don’t run away this time.” I playfully threatened him.

“Never again Sweetheart.” He replied before closing the gap between us and capturing my lips in his.

We were cut off after a moment though due to the sound of police sirens which I could tell were growing closer as they sounded louder with every passing second.

“Hey, guys, I'm sorry to ruin the party, but, uh, we gotta go right now.” JJ called to the others as his arms dropped from around me. “Come on!”

But it was too late as the cars pulled up surrounding the four of us, we had no other option than to stay put and listen to them.

“Hands up! Hands up!” The cops all called as they began to climb out of their cars.

“Pope, hands.” Kie reminded him as we all lifted our hands in surrender.

“We're too late. He's gone. God damn it!” A bald man yelled out as he ran to the end of the dock.

“Bratcher, have your guys stand down. Let me talk to these kids.” Deputy Shoupe called out before approaching us. “All right, where the hell is he? Where the hell is he?”

We all stayed silent as he tried to figure out where John B had gone. We all knew vaguely where he was headed but in all honesty none of us could have pointed to his location on a map, we had no idea how far he had gotten.

“JJ? I see you're livin' up to your name.” Shoupe began to single us out. “Pope, how about you? This isn't a fucking game! You can do the right thing now! Where'd he go?”

None of us answered his questions and before long he gave up, ushering JJ and Pope into the back of one car and Kie and I into another. I didn’t want us to be split up but I knew we didn’t have a choice, we were probably all being taken to the same place.

🔅🔆🔅

We sat in silence for a few minutes as I looked out the window until I noticed that Kie had tears streaming down her cheeks as she quietly cried.

“Hey, hey.” I whispered to her not wanting to get into more trouble. I shuffled closer to her, holding out a hand which she took. “It’s gonna be okay, we’re all going to be fine.” I tried to reassure her but in all honesty I had no idea if it were true.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered to me as she leant her head on my shoulder. “I’ve been awful to you lately.”

“No it’s okay. I was being just as terrible.” I whispered back to her. “I’m sorry, I know you were just trying to keep the Pogues together.”

“Yeah a lot of good that did.” She said defeatedly.

“Yeah well those boys always know how to mess everything up.” I tried to joke. I saw the hint of a smile playing on her lips before I pulled her into a hug.

“I just want to be friends again.”

“Me too.” I sighed. “I mean come on we’re the two that never fight with each other.”

We pulled apart with sad smiles as the car parked. I was nice to know that we were all friends again even if everything else had fallen apart.

🔅🔆🔅

The door opened to reveal Shoupe on the other side ushering us out. Once I stepped onto the ground I spotted JJ and Pope standing a few feet away, we were all directed into a tent with a table in the center and rows of chairs on either side. I sat down between JJ and Kie and Pope was sitting on the other side of Kie.

“Sit down. Don't move. We got a lot to talk about.” Shoupe said to all of us before turning to a couple of armed guards. “Keep an eye on these kids.”

We all watched as Shoupe left the tent. A silence fell over us as we listened to everyone around us talking, hoping to hear that John B was okay and that he had gotten away safely.

My hands found both JJ’s and Kie’s hands and I held onto them for dear life. Right now it felt like we only had each other and I sure as hell wasn’t going to lose anyone else.

“It’s gonna be okay. He’ll be fine.” JJ muttered under his breath as his thumb rubbed circles on the back of my hand.

My knee began to bounce as we all anxiously waited for any news they would give us.

🔅🔆🔅

Sirens continued to wail as people shouted to each other. The storm was only getting worse and all we could do was hope that John B had outrun it or found somewhere safe to wait it out.

After what felt like forever Shoupe finally returned but by the look on his face he didn’t have anything good to say.

“Did you find them?” Pope asked hopefully as we all stood up.

“No.” Shoupe responded bluntly.

“So, they got away?” Kie asked

“We, uh... we lost them.” Shoupe replied vaguely. “I'm sorry.”

“You lost them?” I asked in disbelief. “What do you mean you lost them? Like, they're gone?”

“What are you talking about?” Pope added to my questions.

“They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Pope.” Shoupe tried to explain.

“So, they're dead?” Kie asked as tears began to cloud my vision.

“We don't know.” Shoupe tried to defend himself.

“You drove them straight through the storm, man!” JJ snapped. “Are you kidding me? Come here! I'm gonna kill you!”

“JJ, stop!” Kie tried to tell him.

“I'm gonna kill you, you bastard! You killed him!” JJ said before trying to take a swing at Shoupe. Another cop grabbed JJ before he could continue. I moved to his side trying to get him to calm down, from behind me I could hear Pope start to yell.

“He didn't kill anyone, and you know it!” Pope cried.

“We're still looking for him, all right?” Shoupe tried to explain.

“Pope. Pope, just stop.” Kie said to him. “Please, stop.”

Kie fell silent for a moment and I turned to see what had happened. I followed her gaze to the other end of the tent to see all our parents walking towards us and at the end of the line little Emmy stood next to my Mom in her bright red raincoat.

As soon as she spotted me she let go of my Mom’s hand and ran towards me. I leant down wrapping her in a giant hug. The tears that stung my eyes fell down my cheeks as I held her tightly.

After a minute I picked her up and turned around to look for where my Mom had gone. I spotted her behind me holding onto JJ as he sobbed into her shoulder, my heart broke even more when I realized that JJ’s dad hadn’t even bothered to show up. I walked a few steps forward to wrap my free arm around JJ. We all stood holding each other, after a moment Kie and Pope joined our group as we all huddled together.

We were all a little broken without John B but we knew we had each other and for now that was enough.

🔅🔆🔅

[dreamcatcherjiah]

Tight Hearts | JHS Part 12

💞Tight Hearts (Idol!Hoseok x Reader)

Plot: The red string of fate was visible when our grandparents were children. They would play around, following the strings from one person to their soulmate and laugh happily when these two people inevitably found each other. It was a reason for happiness. But little by little, people stopped seeing the threads. In bad times, it was dangerous, it was a liability, so people stopped seeing them to protect each other from harm. When I was born, nobody saw them anymore, they just felt their soulmate. Anxiety, happiness, sorrow, love, the hearts of the soulmates are one, feel the same things, but it is almost impossible to find your soulmate, now that the threads cannot be seen.

Tight Hearts Masterlist

Part 12

A/N: AND SO IT BEGINS! The first of my July updates guys! I hope you guys liked this part as much as I loved writing it! Let me know your thoughts!🥺♥️ If you want to be added to the taglist, send me an ask!

Three weeks later.

Sitting in the kitchen island with your laptop open and your work email mocking you from the screen, you pulled your hair and you wondered what, apart from Hyejin, was keeping you working for that company. 

After some nasty negotiations with your boss by BigHit’s lawyers, you had been allowed to work from home while the situation normalised itself and you could be on the oposite side of town away from Hoseok without feeling pain. If you had known the middle aged man who called himself the soul of the company and took advantage of your absence would spam your mailbox with thousands of emails a day, you wouldn’t have had second thoughts about quitting. Damn the company and damn getting paid, you would think about finding a job using the time you were wasting answering all those emails. But no, you were a very headstrong woman and you would be damned if all the efforts you had put into securing that job went down the drain because you had happened upon a patronising asshole of a boss. 

You let your head fall to your hands. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, Hoseok and the boys had to be in three different places throughout the day, filming advertisements, recording for their comeback and getting ready for the different end-of-the-year performances. You would have to tag along, posing as Sejin’s new shadow, manager in training he called it, so people wouldn’t be suspicious of the new addition to BTS’s entourage. According to the head manager, if you just kept a low profile and didn’t stop tapping away in your computer, no one would think to question what your were doing. But for you to be able to calmly tap away in said computer, you needed to get all the phone calls done before you left the apartment. 

Some arrangements had been made so you could stay in they guys apartment the nights when there was an early schedule and Hoseok couldn’t stay with you in his own apartment. Taehyung was now Jimin’s new roommate and he had kindly (not unteasingly) offered his room for you and Hoseok to share when you simply couldn’t waste time commuting to the dorm and then the company. 

You could hear the cheery voices of the boys in the living room, watching some movie about a train full of zombies on its way to Busan. How they had managed to rope Hoseok into watching the movie was beyond you but you guessed that, since you two had been spending huge amounts of time together, it made sense that now that you could stand further apart, Hoseok spent time with his brothers. Your heartbeat accelerated and that was all the warning you needed before a shrill scream that sounded suspiciously between a mixture of Yoongi and your soulmate reached you in the kitchen. Chuckling, you put your phone down and listened while holding your breath for the next round of groans and complaints. What a big bunch of babies. What you did hear were some rapid footsteps approaching you and you didn’t bat an eyelid when two slim arms snaked their way around your waist and the head of your soulmate settled on your shoulder. Hoseok had taken to hugging you from behind when you weren’t paying attention to him, the uncertainty and nerves that you felt through the bond letting you know that he was still uneasy about invading your personal space or distracting you. Every time you noticed how he was about to extract himself from you, you would hold his wrist and tighten his hold around you, nesting against his chest. This time was no different and you let go a small sigh when you relaxed against his frame, your head finding purchase on his shoulder. You let your head roll to the side, ghosting a small feather-like kiss on his ear, making him giggle.

“Why do you leave me alone with all those adrenaline-junkies, horror-movie-lovers when you are just here scowling at your computer?” He asked as he moved your bodies side to side in a playful manner. “How long do you think you still have before you can come to the living room with us?”

You raised your hand to his head and caressed his brown hair out of his eyes.

“I don’t want to be in between you and the boys, I have done that for almost a month already,” you told him, a smile tugging at your lips at how he started shaking his head no the moment the words were out of your mouth, “go back to them, I still have to make some calls.”

He disentangled himself to you and, turning the stool where you were sitting, put his hands on your shoulders. His lips formed a small pout. That was something you had started noticing as the weeks went by. He was reserved most of the time, keeping contact to the minimum and only opening up when the two of you were alone. You guessed that falling asleep one in each side of the bed and waking up in each other’s arms had something to do with his (and your) gradual openness. But when it was late and he was tired, he became clingy and tended to use his cute face to get what he wanted from you. Usually it would be to turn off the lights or to get him a glass of water from the kitchen before you went to bed; but tonight he seemed to have a different plan.

“You are not in anybody’s way, do you hear me?” He sternly chastised, waiting for your nod to continue, “the boys were the ones who asked me where you were and invited you to join us in movie night. Now, what have we told you a million and one times about not isolating yourself?” His chin up and a fake angry look on his face, he was enjoying himself way too much with the whole telling you off thing, but still, you could not just not humour him. Not when his brown hair was tossed in every direction and looked as fluffy as it did right now.

“That I am part of the family now and I have every right to be anywhere with you guys as long as I don’t hide food from you and don’t try to isolate myself…”

His face lighted up like a christmas tree and he proceded to exaggeratedly motion to your work set-up.

“And what are you doing right now?” He question, eyebrow nearly reaching his hairline.

With a cheeky grin you booped his nose and took advantage of that brief moment when his face turned all shades of red and he looked at you open-mouthed to turn back around and answer your phone as it started ringing. I am working, you mouthed to a still malfunctioning Hoseok, with a wicked smile pulling at the corners of your mouth.

While you talked on the phone, you could see him look back towards the living room at the same time that a bit of uncertainty reached you through your string; at watching the movie or leaving you alone in the kitchen alone, you wouldn’t know.

Then Hoseok walked towards you, kissed the crown of your head and began cleaning the kitchen. It was a weird feeling, the both of you being in the same room, you working and him organising cabinets full of ramyeon, in companionable silence. It felt domestic. That word would have scared the living daylight out of you a few weeks ago; thinking only of the strong reactions you had when you thought that meeting your soulmate was automatically loosing your independence made your head spin. That had been only three short weeks ago, when you had been so guarded against this sweet man, who would buy four different bottles of shampoo in case he didn’t buy one you liked, the man who would put his life upside down for you, going as far as spending every possible night in his own apartment away from his brothers in case you felt uncomfortable living with seven men. You knew that somewhere deep down, he felt guilty for keeping you from your life as it was before you found him, he sometimes felt violent when some gesture or caress felt more a produce of the bond than natural and genuine. He felt sad when he had to say goodbye to his brothers when the managers dropped them off at night, and felt imposing when you had to follow them around to three or four different schedules in a day. In fact he had been mulling over that last one for the past few days; it wasn’t as if you could read his mind, you had just learned to map his emotions and the second he started looking at you sideways and feeling anxious you knew it was because of the busy schedule they had the next day.

Voices distracted you from your musings and you focused on how two sets of footsteps neared the kitchen accompanied by two hushed voices.

“… but I don’t want to interrupt her, hyung. She is working and that is her first priority…” whispered Yoongi.

“Well, if you had been a bit longer around her instead of being buried under your huge pile of self-imposed work, you would know her boss is an a-hole,” answered Jin. They were not walking anymore, they had stopped near the kitchen entrance, thinking they were whispering low enough for you not to hear them. You couldn’t help but agree with Seokjin. “I am this close to making her quit and hiring her myself, even with our workload she would be less stressed. Now kindly shut up and help me pry those two from the kitchen and take them back to the sweet delights of watching Joon internally scream.”

Pretending not to have heard anything, you swallowed a giggle and, noticing Hoseok hadn’t realised his brothers were coming, you went back to your laptop playing the oblivious victim too.

“Oh the joys of working over-time!” Exclaimed Seokjin as a way of making their presence known and he managed to startle Hoseok into dropping the cup he was rinsing into the sink.

“I promise I tried to stop him Y/N, you can keep working,” said Yoongi, who cleared his throat and, seeing Hoseok’s frantic movements behind your back, added, “But on the other hand, since you have been working very hard these past few weeks, I think it’s time you take a small break.”

His face was a sweet confused picture, torn between his desire to let you know that you could keep working if so you wanted and the one to please Hoseok.

“Come on, you two. Hobi, drop that cup, if you keep cleaning it you’ll turn it transparent. And Y/N stop being an excuse for him to get out of watching the movie,” Jin’s eyes, gleaming with mischief moved from a fumbling Hoseok to you and you rolled your eyes.

“Let’s go, it’s about time I clocked out at…” you looked at your watch, “well, 11pm.”

Hoseok walked up to you, nerves reaching you from his side of the bond, and guided you behind his brothers to the living room where Jimin got closer to Namjoon to open up a spot for you both.

The rest of the boys didn’t even flinch when Hoseok hugged your waist and rested his head against your collarbone; they all knew Hobi needed some sort of support to get through the rest of the movie and while he might have relied in one of the boys to get that emotional help in the past, none of them seemed to care you had now become his buffer. In fact, they all seemed to be smiling happily and content when you joined them.

The movie was in full swing now and, more than once Hoseok had opted to hiding his face against your neck, letting small whimpers linger in his chest. His body was tense and you could feel his lips pouting against your neck.

To try and calm him down, maybe take his mind off the movie, you started caressing his neck with your nails. Any other person would have started giggling at being tickled, but not Hoseok. He told you one morning when you woke up with him wrapped around you with his head on your chest that when he was a child, his mother and sister would caress his arms and his chest to get him to fall asleep. Since that particular piece of information had been incorporated into your knowledge about him you hadn’t been able to use it until now; running your nails in circular motions at the nape of his neck, up behind his ears and down to his shoulders. His body slowly started unwinding and relaxing against yours, his eyelashes fluttering against your skin and his slowing breath lulling you slowly to sleep. You wouldn’t know who fell asleep first, but soon you were drifting off. 

Hushed voices arose you from your deep sleep but too comfortable now nested under Hoseok’s arm you didn’t stir. The voices were gaining more definition as the seconds passed and becoming easier to understand.

“… and you were out hyung, like a log,” was saying Taehyung.

“I didn’t expect you to be so comfortable with her so quickly, if I am to be honest,” continued Namjoon and you tried not to tense up.

Hoseok took a deep breath and dropped a small kiss to your head.

“It’s not the bond, if that’s what you’re getting at Joons,” he told him firmly, “she is IT, guys. Her personality is brilliant, she can keep up with us, she knows just what to do when I am tired or frustrated… Just the other day she took a look at me, dropped her bag and latched herself to my studio chair with me. I just worked but she was there, steady, dependable, sweet. She doesn’t crave attention, mine or anyone else’s, she’s just happy being there. I can’t put into words what she makes me feel, but the fact that she’s my soulmate is only one more certainty for us. I can see me perfectly falling hard for her when we get to know each other more, that’s how I feel.”

Silence had fallen over the room as his brothers processed what Hoseok had just said, and you were happy enough to repeat your three word confession inside your head, not knowing Hoseok felt and reciprocated the same feelings through the bond. Verbalising is taken for granted, but you two had your own way of showing love.

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[ssahotchhner]

till death do us part

just a lil something about the reader and hotch breaking up, but the reader doesn’t know the real reason the relationship ended. lemme know what you think and what you’d like to see from me next (:

pairing: hotch x reader

warnings: nothing except a car accident i’m pretty sure, brief mention of guns. mostly pure fluff and angst (:

questions, comments, concerns

You roughly wipe the tears on your cheeks with the heel of your hand, annoyed at yourself for crying.

“I’m really sorry, Y/N, this isn’t how I wanted things to go.” Aaron’s watching you put all your things in a cardboard box.

“It’s fine, Aaron.”

He sighs and out of the corner of your eye you see the way his hands twitch at his sides. He’s so used to being the one to comfort you, he doesn’t know what to do with himself when he’s the reason you’re in pain. 

You finish packing the box and walk to the door of his apartment. Jack sees you and runs after you, “Y/N, you just got here! Why are you leaving? Can’t we play first?”

You take a deep shuddering breath and turn back around to face Jack, forcing a smile. “Not today buddy, another time.” You kneel to his level and reach out to ruffle his hair, “I promise, okay?”

He frowns at you, “Why are you crying?”

Aaron runs a hand over his face, clearly upset about having now upset not one, but two of his favorite people.

“I’m just sad, buddy, but I’ll be okay.”

“But why are you sad? Did Daddy do something wrong?”

Fuck, that kid is perceptive. “No, honey, Daddy and I both decided that it would be better if we didn’t see each other for a while.”

“Then why are you sad?”

“Because sometimes, even though you know something is for the best, it can still make you very sad.”

Jack’s still frowning and he reminds you so much of his dad, it’s stifling, “Am I ever going to see you again?”

It’s all you can do to keep your face from crumpling, even Aaron has to turn away, “Of course, Jack. We’ll still hang out, I promise.”

“Jack, why don’t you go play in your room now, I’ll be there in a minute.”

When Jack is out of sight, you sigh and put your face in your hands. Holding in your sobs, but just barely.

“I’m sorry,” It’s the most emotion you’ve heard in his voice this whole time, “I--I should have told him myself.”

You rise to standing, “It’s okay.” You pick up your box of belongings, “You’re sure this is what you want?” You know the answer, but you have to ask another time.

He looks at you hopelessly, “I’m sorry.” 

You were getting sick of hearing that phrase. You only nod and then open his door, walking down the hallway without looking back.

***

“Y/N, we’re all going out for burgers tonight, you coming?” Morgan plants himself on your desk and both Prentiss and Reid look around him hopefully.

“Hotch too?”

Morgan stares at you a moment, “You know, he asked the same about you?”

“Hm, strange.” You muse, not looking up from your report, “You can tell him I’m not coming, I have reports to finish.” Morgan plucks your pen from your hand, “Hey!”

“I know you guys are obviously going through something right now, but we’re still a family. I know he still cares about you and you still care about him.”

You sigh, “I know. I just can’t handle seeing him outside of a professional setting right now,” You look away from him as your eyes water, “It hurts too much.”

Morgan puts a hand over yours, “Okay. We’re all just a phone call away, alright? Don’t work too late.”

“I won’t,” You give him a small smile, “You guys have fun tonight.”

He smiles back and leans over to kiss your head, “Not without you, we won’t.”

They all say goodbye to you and Hotch walks out of his office, telling the others he’ll catch up with them in a minute. He walks down into the bullpen and stands in front of your desk, “I don’t have to go tonight if you want to go.”

“Aaron, don’t do this. I've already made up my mind. Go with them, they’re waiting. I have reports to do anyway.”

“I’m the unit chief, I know you don’t owe me any reports.”

You sigh, “I’m fine. Please just go.”

“I don’t want it to always be like this.”

“It won’t. I’ll move on eventually, but right now…” You chew the inside of your cheek and look away from him, “I still love you too damn much.”

He stands there for a few more moments and then he starts to back away, “Don’t stay here too late.” He says quietly and he’s gone before you can reply.

With everyone gone, you sigh deeply and lay your head on the desk for a while. You’d been on this team for six years now. Three of those years you had dated Aaron. The team had known, of course, which only made now even harder. And here Aaron was, completely unaffected. If you didn’t work here you’d bet the team wouldn’t even know he had just ended a three year relationship.

And God, did that hurt. That he could so easily just turn everything off when you could barely get out of bed every day. You wouldn’t go back to your apartment tonight, you hated being there. You used to spend nearly five days a week at Hotch’s place and now being at your own empty one felt suffocating.

Finally, you stand, and you walk to the one place you know you shouldn’t. Your hand hovers over Aaron’s office doorknob. Swallowing your fear, you walk in. The smell hits you first. It smells like him, it always has, but you haven’t been in here since the breakup so it hits you pretty hard. Your eyes travel over all of his things and land on the couch. He’s left his gray quarter zip fleece draped over the arm. Against your better judgement, you walk over to the couch and pick up the fleece.

***

“I told you to bring a jacket.” Aaron’s smiling at you as you both walk by the water. You had finished eating dinner at an Italian restaurant nearby and you had asked Aaron if you could walk for a bit before going home.

You roll your eyes, “I know, you’re always right.”

He chuckles and then starts pulling his gray fleece over his head, “Here.”

“Honey, no, then you’ll be cold.”

He ignores your protests and puts it over your head himself. It’s big on you, your arms swim in it and it falls to your mid thigh. You smile up at him, feeling much warmer already, “Thank you.”

Aaron smiles down at you, draping his arms around your shoulders and pulling you to him, kissing you softly, “Of course.”

***

Before you know what you’re doing, you’re pulling the fleece over your head and laying down on the couch, silent tears running down your cheeks. You don’t know when you fall asleep, only that it’s the first time you had in nearly five days.

***

“Did you and Y/N have an argument?” Prentiss asks Hotch as they both sip on a beer. The rest of the team is busy immersed in their own conversation.

Hotch looks at Emily and then away, “No. We broke up.”

Emily raises her eyebrows, “What? Why?”

He takes a long swig of his beer, stalling, “You should ask her. I don’t know if she wants people knowing.”

“So she broke up with you?”

“Not exactly.”

“Come on, Hotch, spit it out. I won’t tell anyone.”

He looks at the rest of the team who are obviously not paying attention and then back to Emily, “She wanted to get married.”

Emily waits for him to continue, but he doesn’t. “Okay… So?”

“And I wouldn’t propose.”

“Well, why not?”

He looks up at the ceiling and it takes Emily a moment to realize he’s trying not to cry, “How am I supposed to get married again knowing the target it put on Haley? How am I supposed to knowingly subject another person that I love to that?”

“Hotch, by being a member of this team, Y/N already has a target on her back. You know that.”

“Being my wife and being my colleague are very different and if someone like Foyet targets me again, who do you think they’ll go after, Emily? The team or my wife?”

Emily watches him for a moment, “You know, by that logic, you should’ve left Jack in protective custody with another family.” Hotch glares at her, “What? It’s true.”

They’re both quiet for a few moments before Emily speaks again, “You didn’t tell her all of this, did you?”

“She would have just said all the things you did. It was easier to just convince her I didn’t love her enough to marry her.”

Emily forces a laugh, “You played on her insecurities.”

“I’m not proud of it.”

“Well,” She sighs, “I don’t think you need me to tell you I think you’re being stupid. I hope you come to your senses before you lose her for good.”

Hotch knocks back the rest of his beer and orders another.

***

When Aaron walks into his office the next morning to find you sleeping on his couch in his fleece, it’s hard to stifle the tenderness he feels.

He quietly shuts the door and sets down his things before kneeling in front of you. “Hey,” He says softly, hoping not to startle you, “Y/N.” When you don’t stir he hesitantly puts his hand on yours and you groan a little before your eyelids begin to flutter.

When your eyes finally open you stare at him and you smile and he knows what’s happening. Those first few seconds after waking when you don’t remember what’s happened, “Aaron.” You say sweetly and you even reach out to touch his cheek, but then your smile falls and your hand recoils. “Oh my God.” You murmur and sit up, “I’m sorry, I-- I must’ve fallen asleep, I shouldn’t be in here--”

“It’s okay.” Aaron says and watches you struggle out of his fleece. Part of him wishes you would keep it on, “You should go home, get some rest. You’ve been here all night.”

He turns and walks to his desk, thinking you’d leave now, but you still sit on the couch. “When you go home at night… I know you have Jack, but… Does it feel as empty for you as it does for me? Because I can’t… I can’t go home, Aaron. The only reason I could sleep in here last night was because, surrounded by all your things, it felt like you were here.”

He barely looks at you, “Go home, Y/N. I’ll have JJ call you if there’s a case.”

The dismissal feels like a slap in the face. “Yes sir.” You grind out and leave before he can reply.

Everyone watches you storm from the bullpen, but nobody tries to stop you. Hotch has the urge to throw everything off his desk in anger, but there’s a knock at his door, “What?” He snaps in annoyance. It’s Rossi. “I’m sorry, Dave.” 

“Rough morning, huh? I saw Y/N leave, she looked upset.”

“The breakup has been… difficult for her.” He says slowly.

“Just for her?”

“I thought I was doing what was best for both of us.”

“And now?”

He sighs, “Jack asks for her everyday and I miss her even more than he does.”

“Have you told her that?”

“What good would that do either of us?”

“She might not be so angry if she knew you were hurting too.”

“If she knew I was upset then she wouldn’t understand why I broke it off in the first place.”

Rossi’s quiet for a moment, “Emily told me what really happened,” Aaron looks like he’s going to lecture both Rossi and then Prentiss about keeping things private, but Dave holds up a hand, “Aaron, you’ve got to stop punishing yourself for what happened to Haley.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Don’t give me that crap. Do you think Haley would want you and Jack to be alone forever? She’d be so thrilled that Jack has another woman in his life. You would take that away from both of them?”

Aaron’s shaking his head, “You couldn’t possibly know what she would want.”

“I do know that you self destructing this relationship lets Foyet win. You may have killed him, Aaron, but you’re still letting him control you. Just… Don’t let him win.” 

When Dave leaves Aaron paces his office, thinking about Foyet, Haley, Jack, and you. He walks back to his desk, sits down, and unlocks the drawer to his right. There’s a tiny velvet box, sitting there, staring up at him. Mocking him. You see, he had bought you a ring over a year ago and thought about asking you to be his wife every single day since. And every time, he reminded himself what had happened to the last woman he made his wife and he would lock up the ring again.

This time, he pockets the ring and runs out of the office without telling anyone where he’s gone.

***

There’s frantic knocking at your door and for a second you think something’s wrong. You grab your gun and hesitantly approach the door and look through the peephole.

“Jesus, Aaron.” You say as you swing open the door, holstering your gun, “You scared me.”

“Sorry.” He says and walks past you.

“By all means, come in.” You murmur sarcastically. “Did something happen?” You say louder.

Aaron’s looking around your apartment which is in a state of disarray. Clothes and dirty dishes everywhere. Your box of things you took from his place still sits at the door. All the framed photos of you and Aaron or you and Jack have either been taken down or placed facedown on their surfaces. 

“I would have cleaned up if I knew you were coming.” You say.

Aaron looks back at you and really looks at you, “Do you remember the first time I told you I loved you?”

You almost laugh, “What the hell is this?”

“Please, just… Humor me.”

You glower at him, “Of course I remember.”

***

The unsub had a child and he was driving like hell to get out of the city before you caught up with him. You and Hotch had ran straight to the car when the team realized the child was missing, peeling away from the curb so aggressively, the rubber burned on the asphalt. 

Hotch is driving the streets like a maniac while you’re on the phone with the rest of the team trying to figure out the way the unsub might be headed. 

“We got a visual he’s heading west on ninth.” 

Hotch made a hurried right hand turn. Derek was still talking and the last thing you heard was his frantic warning that the unsub was running a light through an intersection you and Hotch were coming from. But the warning came too late, the unsub collided with your side of the car so forcefully, the SUV tipped on its side.

You don’t remember much from the accident, but sometimes you were sure you could hear Aaron calling your name. The next time you wake, you’re in a hospital.

“Hey there, babygirl, you gave us quite a scare back there.” Morgan’s squeezing your hand and his face comes into focus.

“Aaron.” You manage quietly.

“He’s fine. Barely even injured, just a concussion. You took the brunt of it. I’m sure he’ll bully his nurses into bringing him in here once he realizes you’re awake.”

You laugh, but it hurts, “Ow.” You murmur, “Did… did you get him? Is the kid okay?”

“Yeah, we got him, he’s back with his parents.”

“Good…” Your vision is going fuzzy, “That’s… good…”

***

The next time you wake up there’s a thumb softly stroking the back of your hand, “Hey.” You know that voice, that sound of relief in his voice. You’re already smiling before you’ve opened your eyes.

“Aaron.” You manage.

You feel his hands on your face and your surroundings start to materialize, “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Are you hurt?” 

He laughs and gently kisses your forehead, leaving his head resting against yours, noses touching, “You almost died and you want to know if I’m hurt?”

You push your head into him even more, wanting to be closer, “I woke up earlier. Morgan said… You had a concussion.”

“Yes. And you have broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a concussion.”

“Hm,” You hum, “Looks like you and Jack are going to have to take care of me for a while.”

“I have something to tell you. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since he hit us.”

You frown, “What is it?”

“When… When the car hit us and you were laying there, I really thought you were going to die and I wasn’t going to get a chance to tell you.”

You frown, “Tell me what, baby?”

“That I love you. I… struggle sometimes to express what I’m feeling, but in our line of work I can’t afford to be. So I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

You smile and your eyes water, “I love you so much.”

***

“Why are you asking about this?” You ask Aaron now, arms crossed across your chest.

“Because, I promised myself then that I would never miss another opportunity to tell you how I’m feeling.”

You make a frustrated noise, “No offense, Aaron, but I’m struggling to deal with my own emotions. I don’t have the bandwidth to carry yours as well.”

He’s shaking his head, “I came here because I needed to tell you that… The things I said to you when we were breaking up, I didn’t mean them.”

“You mean when you told me I wasn’t good enough for you to marry? When you said I wasn’t good enough for you and Jack?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You implied it!” You snap.

“When Haley got killed, I-- I didn’t know how I could, in good conscience, let someone in like that again. And… then… with you, I had let you in without even realizing what I was doing. And then before I knew it, you were asking about marriage and I panicked. I… I couldn’t stand the idea of you having a target on your back because of me--”

“I don’t need you to baby me, I can protect myself.”

“I knew you would say that which is why I convinced you instead that I just didn’t want to marry you.”

Tears ran down your face and Aaron took a step to you, but you move away, “You knew my biggest fear was not living up to Haley, I confided in you about it more than once. And you…”

“I’m sorry. I thought I was protecting you.”

“So, what? Why did you come here?”

He sighs, “Because… I realize I was wrong to push you away. I miss you every second of every day and I don’t want to continue this way.”

“Then what do you want, Aaron?” Slowly, so slowly you think maybe you’re imagining it, Aaron gets down on one knee, “Aaron, no, don’t-- Here? In my disgusting apartment?”

He takes out a velvet box and opens it so you see a ring, “I love you and I don’t care about your messy apartment.” He’s smiling, his eyes watering, “I never thought I’d be truly happy again after Haley, but you changed my life. And you changed Jack’s life, too. I can’t live without you in my life and neither can he. So, Y/N, will you marry me?”

You’re nodding slowly, tears falling down your cheeks. He gets up off his knees and takes your shaking hand and slides the ring on before taking your face in his hands and kissing you tenderly. “I love you so much.” You murmur into his mouth, “Please don’t leave me again.”

“Never,” He pulls away just an inch to kiss your forehead, “Do you want to go tell Jack?”

Your grin widens, “I would love that.”

[therealvalkyrie]

Painter’s Hands and Guatemalan Coffee: Part 1

on the inevitability of dating a frat bro

Pairing/setting: Levi Ackerman x Female!Reader, modern!college!AU

Summary: When you catch your idiot boyfriend cheating, your grumpy roommate is there to pick up the pieces and watch your back as you toe a carefully drawn line in the metaphorical sand

Word Count: 5.0k

Warnings: light angst, fluff, cheating, alcohol, swearing, minor injury

AN: So!! I am REALLY excited about this fic, but it’s the first AOT piece I’ve ever written and the first piece I’ve posted at all in a WHILE. As of now, it can stand on its own as a mainly platonic/unrequited Levi x reader, but I have big ideas for potential expansion in the future! Please don’t hesitate to reblog/comment/send in an ask with any suggestions, questions, or feedback!! ~valkyrie

Palms slap flat against the door of your apartment as you stumble the last few steps, barely catching yourself before your right ankle twists out from under you. Sharp pain shoots up your leg, and you know it’s gonna hurt like a motherfucker in the morning.

“Shitshitfuck ow,” you slur as you slide to the ground, back to the wall, short skirt bunching dangerously high on your thigh. Fumbling fingers go to the ankle strap of your right stiletto and pull fruitlessly on the ties. With a whine, you curse the forethought  you had to double knot the thin cord when you were getting ready to go out earlier in the evening. Your tongue sits heavy and dry in your mouth as you lean your head back against the wall and press palms against your eyes until stars swim into your vision.

How the fuck did I end up here? you think with a soft hiccup, and all of a sudden you’re crying again.

As you sit in your apartment hallway, drunk and distraught and slowly freezing from the outside in, you recall the events of the night. Getting ready with Hange for girls’ night, meeting up with Sasha and Hitch at the new bar across town. Downing shots and cocktails until the worries of the week melted away, dancing until your feet ached and your eyes stung. Seeing your boyfriend across the dance floor making out with another woman. Correction, seeing your boyfriend making out with your best friend. Correction, seeing your ex-boyfriend practically fucking your former best friend in the middle of the goddamned club-

With that image freshly burned into your mind, you let out a gut-wrenching sob followed by a tremendous sniffle just as the apartment door opens.

--

A soft thump echoing through the apartment jerks Levi out of his light sleep. It takes him a second to remember you went out to your girls’ night, glancing over at his alarm clock. 2:17 am, sounds about right.

He rolls over and readjusts his sheets around him, determined to go back to sleep. It’s not uncommon for you to spend your weekend out with friends all night, and he learned a while ago that you’re perfectly capable of getting yourself showered and into bed after a night out. That’s one of the things Levi likes about living with you: you generally know how to stay out of his hair, and he doesn’t find himself caught up in yours.

When Hange had introduced you to him at the end of last semester as a potential roommate, he had been hesitant. In his book, anyone Hange approved of was bound to be at least slightly off their rocker, but he had been hoping to sign a lease for the next school year before leaving town, and after meeting you he felt willing to take a chance. He told himself it was because of your stellar recommendations from former roommates and respectable credit score, but the smallest part of his mind admitted it was also because of your pretty hands and intelligent eyes. 

That day at his favorite tea shop when you had met up to sign the lease, he had asked you about your major and you had practically lit up with the way you spoke about the architecture degree you were pursuing. The pair of you had chatted all afternoon, discussing books and comparing experiences with professors in the art department. When you learned he was in the painting program at your university, you had grabbed one of his hands off the table in both of yours and examined it closely.

“You have painter’s hands,” you had proclaimed after a moment, turning his hand in yours and tracing the cracks in his palm lightly. “Just like my mom’s.”

Levi had simply sat there, stunned at how such a small gesture made his heart race and neck grow warm.

With a groan, Levi rolls back over in an effort to shake himself out of his turbulent thoughts. 2:19 glows green at him from his bedside table, and suddenly he’s struck with the realization that he hasn’t heard you actually come into the apartment, let alone close your bedroom door with your habitual sharp snap.

“Damn it to hell,” he mutters as he flicks on a beside lamp and stuffs feet into slippers. Careful to avoid knocking over the painting set to dry on the easel by his desk, he opens his bedroom door and hears the muffled sound of sobbing from the front door.

--

Levi stands in the doorframe in sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, poking his head out into the hall. For a moment, he can only stare. He’s never seen you like this before, utterly dejected, scatter-brained, small, so unlike the confident woman in the tea shop.

“You look like shit,” he says plainly, the barest hint of concern in his voice.

You keep your eyes downcast and weakly flip him off,  continuing to sob gently. At the lack of your usual backtalk, his expression slips from his usual impassivity to a sharp frown.

A delicate hand encircles your upheld wrist and you let it go limp in Levi’s grip as he crouches down next to you.

“Hey, hey, what happened? Are you hurt? Why are you crying?” His calm tone helps you focus your mind, and you manage to hiccup a response.

“G-god I’m an idiot,” you sniffle, and raise your eyes to barely meet his. His head is ducked to your level, and he’s crouching on the balls of his feet, one hand gripping your limp wrist and the other hesitantly reaching for your shoulder. “Just leave me out here to w-wallow, or better yet take me out with the t-trash, that’s obviously all I-I am,” you gesture vaguely at yourself.

“Did someone tell you that? That you’re trash?” Levi asks sharply, dipping his head with yours in an effort to maintain eye contact. 

Your bottom lip trembles and you sniffle again. Just under the delicate white noise of life, Levi can hear his heart break cleanly in two.

“It was more implied,” you supply weakly.

Levi sighs, then drops his hands and straightens up. 

“Alright, up you get.” He extends his hand, and you stare at it for a second before adjusting your bag on your shoulder and gripping his warm hand with your freezing one. A solid pull later, you find yourself balancing in your heels, Levi’s hand gripping your elbow and the other around your waist. You mumble a thanks, and attempt a step on your right foot towards the door. The traitorous ankle buckles again and you cry out as you stumble once more. But this time Levi’s there to catch you against his chest, now fully supporting you at the waist.

“Ah, I forgot,” you mutter into his shoulder.

“Tch,” he clicks, gently chastising, and in a second he’s scooped an arm under your knees to carry you into the apartment. Vaguely, you wonder at how coordinated he is as he kicks the door shut and nudges the light switch with his elbow. Pretty buff for an art major, you muse, with your head laying against his chest and arms looped around his neck. How pathetic is this, can’t even walk into my own home.

He nudges his way into your room and casts his gaze around in the ambient glow of your desk lamp. You can tell he’s holding himself back from commenting on the clothes strewn across the extra chair by your closet and the lipstick-stained coffee cup sat atop a pile of textbooks on your desk, and you look down in embarrassment. There’s a reason you keep your door closed most of the time. Despite the mess, he successfully navigates across to your bed and gently puts you down, arranging your pillows behind you to support your back before disappearing into the living room again.

You take a moment to wipe at your eyes, sigh self-pityingly, and slouch down into your soft bed, not caring that you’re still fully dressed. Not only did you catch your boyfriend cheating, but you managed to wake up your (usually grumpy) roommate, reveal to him how messy you actually were, and injure yourself in the space of half an hour. Just about a record.

The shrill ringing of your phone breaks into the silence. As you’re digging through your purse to pull it out, you remember with a sinking feeling that you didn’t even tell the girls you were leaving the club, let alone what happened. You slide a shaky finger across the screen to accept the call and put it to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Uhm, hello? Where the fuck are you?” Hange’s loud voice makes you wince and hold the phone slightly away from your face.

“Oh god, I’m sorry Hange, I went home. S-something happened and I, well I just called an Uber and didn’t even think,” you finish lamely.

“What happened? Did you get home safe? Did someone hurt you? I swear to god-”

“Hange, I-”

“-rat bastard bartender was eyeing you all night I could’ve guessed he’d try something-”

“Hange!” She stops short and allows you to speak. “I got home safe. Levi’s here. I’m not hurt, the bartender didn’t try anything, I… I’ll tell you everything tomorrow, okay?” You inject your tone with some bright optimism in an effort to assuage her panic. “Tell Sasha and Hitch not to worry, okay?”

Over her momentary silence on the other end of the line, you can hear traffic sounds and faint club music, as though she had stepped outside to call you. A strained sigh, then: “Okay. I’m glad you’re okay, but I’m still mad at you for not checking in before you left. Had me worried sick.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I’d be mad too. Can you swing by tomorrow? And I’ll explain everything?” Your hand rubs down your face and you close your eyes in a guilty grimace.

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” The call ends and you drop your phone down onto your bed where it bounces gently away from you. 

When you open your eyes again, Levi is standing in the door holding a cup of tea, his other hand cupped around something, studying you with uncertainty. You sit up hesitantly against your headboard, surprised. You’d figured he went back to bed and left you to put yourself to bed as you usually did.

He crosses the room with his smooth gait, and in a moment, you feel two ibuprofen pressed into your palm and the mug of tea nudged into your other hand, your roommate gently prompting you to drink. He watches as you pop the pills and take a slow sip of the tea, smiling faintly when you recognize that it’s chamomile.

“Good.” He takes the mug and sets it aside on your bedside table. Pulling your desk chair up to the side of your bed, he sits, and leans over towards your feet.

His light fingers start to work on the knots in the ties of your shoes, and you can feel his voice rumble lightly as he says, “What happened, kid?”

You huff a laugh at the pet name, then consider where to begin. You decide straightforward is the best approach with someone like Levi.

“I saw Reiner and Annie at the club, sucking face in the middle of the dance floor. I thought he was at some quote unquote frat thing and she insisted she couldn’t come out to girls’ night because of some stupid group project. They didn’t even see me, I just turned around and left before I knew what I was doing. And poor Bertholdt, he probably has no clue what Annie’s been up to.” You take a shuddering breath and let out a choked sob, trying to stop the waterworks and unable to keep them at bay. “God, I’m such a spineless coward.”

“Hey.” Levi’s sharp tone startles your teary gaze to meet his eyes, which look practically murderous. He leans over to grasp your shoulders, warm hands scorching cool skin. “You are not a spineless coward. He is the goddamned spineless foolish bastard, and if I ever see his ugly mug I will wreck it so bad his own mother won’t be able to identify the body. As a matter of fact, that goes for Annie, too. Are we clear?”

You blink in shock before fully registering his words and nodding slowly. “Crystal.” Levi looks the most angry you’ve ever seen him, brow furrowed and mouth set determinedly.

“Good.” He returns his attention to your ankle. While you were talking, he had successfully untied and slipped your shoes off your swollen feet. “Now, let’s see what’s going on with your weak-ass foot.”

He spends a good minute poking and prodding and turning your ankle every which way in his grasp. “Does this hurt?” and “What about this way?” are answered with soft “no”s or a wince and a “yes”. His hands are practiced and intentional, and you briefly wonder how much experience he has with treating injuries. After a last gentle prod, he sets your foot back down on the bed.

“Well, it’s definitely not broken. It is swelling, though, and probably sprained. I’ll go see if we have an ace bandage or something.” He stands and moves to leave, but before he can get too far you gently grasp his forearm.

“Thank you, Levi.” Your voice is soft and sincere as you look up at him through curled and mascaraed eyelashes. “Thanks for picking me up off the floor and listening and taking care of me.”

Levi studies your tired face for a moment. The trails of mascara down your cheeks, a stray piece of glitter sitting on your cheekbone, lipgloss smudged on the left side. It seems as though his hand moves on its own, reaching out to stroke your cheek lightly, thumb gently brushing away the escaped glitter. He doesn’t miss the way your lashes flutter as you subconsciously lean into his touch. Finally, he tousles your hair with a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

“Tch. Don’t worry about it, kid.”

“I’m barely younger than you!”

“Whatever, brat.”

--

Levi is sitting at the kitchen table nursing a cup of tea and hunched over his laptop when you step out of your room late the next morning. Freshly showered, your hair curls delicately over your shoulders and the scent of peppermint body wash reaches his nose. He studies you for a moment. You’re wearing a loose sleep shirt, cotton shorts, and an oversized cardigan, and he can see where the ace bandage he found last night pokes out from under your fuzzy socks. Clearly, you’re planning to stay in today.

“G’morning,” you murmur, passing behind him to get to the kitchen. Your roommate grunts a greeting in response and takes a sip of tea in his odd overhanded way. You start your coffee routine, reaching for the French press and coffee grounds from a shelf and setting the kettle to boil on the stove. It’s grounding to go through the motions of a daily ritual after the emotional turmoil of last night. Or rather, the emotional turmoil of this morning. It had been hard to drag yourself out of bed before noon, and harder still not to crawl back into your warm sheets after a scalding shower. You steel yourself for the inevitable conversation as you measure out grounds, then finally turn and hop up to sit on the counter facing Levi when the only thing left to do is to wait for the coffee to brew.

“Sooooo,” you start in a long, drawn out syllable, leaning back on your hands.

His hands still on the keyboard and a quiet tension fills Levi’s shoulders before he turns his body fully towards you, resting a hand on the back of his chair. He doesn’t say a word, but his eyes are softer than they usually are when you interrupt his studying.

You take a deep breath. 

“So, uh, last night I was kind of a wreck and you were really sweet, and I just wanted to say thank you again and I’m sorry you had to witness that.” It’s said in a rush, and by some miracle you manage to maintain eye contact.

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. That’s what friends are for.” 

“I know, I know, I just-- it felt really nice to have someone, y’know, there after what, uhm, after what happened and I really was a mess I mean I must’ve looked so gross and I woke you up at like what? Two am? And you were just so steady and kind and I mean you even tucked me into bed for God’s sake--” you ramble on, the words falling over each other in your awkwardness. God, you idiot don’t you know when to shut the fuck up?? “--and I know how much you like it to be quiet at night and I really do try to--” 

Levi cuts you off when he stands fluidly from his seat and crosses the kitchen in two strides, entering your space and placing his hand over your mouth in the same motion. You look at him with wide eyes, suddenly breathing very oddly. The clean smell of paint thinner and black tea simultaneously clouds and calms your mind.

A beat, then: “Brat. Stop rambling, you’re welcome.” You study each others’ faces. Levi’s eyes are stern and steady as he looks up at you through elegantly disheveled bangs. To Levi, you look like a deer caught in headlights, all surprised eyes and warm cheeks. After a charged moment, he lets his hand drop and takes the smallest step backwards.

It takes your brain a second to reboot, then you’re fumbling over your words again. “Okay. Well, uhmm. Okay.”

“How’s your foot?” He glances down at the foot in question as if to check it’s still there, then back at you.

“It’s okay. Still hurts to walk on but I can handle it,” you manage to breathe out with the air left in your lungs.

“Good.” He nods once, then turns and sits back down at his laptop. He hears you huff half an incredulous laugh and slide down from the counter to pour your coffee. A shake of the head and a sip of tea later, his mind slips back into essay mode and away from the woman drilling holes in the back of his head with curious eyes.

--

“Hey baby!” You hear Reiner’s voice from the door as he pushes through it with his usual boisterousness. From your position at the kitchen table in front of your laptop, your back is to him and you allow yourself a moment to press your nails into the palm of your hand and steel your nerves before plastering a smile on your face. You stand up and turn to greet him, limping to meet him halfway from the door.

“Hey babe, come on in!” 

He winds an arm around your waist and pulls you in to peck you on the lips as usual, but you manage to subtly turn your head so it lands on your cheek instead. With the flash of an innocent smile as a coverup, you step out of his arms and make your way into the kitchen to set the kettle for coffee. “So, uh, how was your frat thing?”

He follows close behind you, completely oblivious, and cages you in with your back against the counter after you’re done at the stove. “Eh, it was alright. Got some new pledges, you know how it is.” He grins in the cocky way you fell for and leans farther into your space. You give a giggle and rest gentle hands on his chest, keeping him at a distance while feigning affection.

“Oh, sure. Busy night of fun, I’m sure.” Your tone is sickly sweet and you mentally grimace at yourself to take it down a notch. 

Fiddling absentmindedly with the collar of his shirt, you take a moment to mourn your relationship. While it’s about to end swiftly and brutally, you know that you will miss the security and warmth you had with Reiner in the beginning. You finally lean in to lay your head on his chest one last time, and your heart aches at the way he tenderly rests his chin on top of your head. The moment is broken by the kettle beginning to whistle and you gently push him away to go turn it off.

“How’re Hange and the girls?” He leans himself against the counter and watches as you bustle around the kitchen, preparing coffee as you usually do when he comes over. It’s one of the things the pair of you had initially bonded over, trying new beans and methods of brewing nearly every week. Recently, you had been using Guatemalan beans with notes of peach and candied almonds, a birthday gift from the cheating boyfriend himself.

As you measure out grounds into the French press, you maintain a cheerful disposition. This is it, you think. Don’t back down now.

“They’re doing great, we had so much fun! We went to that new bar on Oakland Street, I think it’s called like Stevie’s?” Of course it’s called Stevie’s, it had been all anyone could talk about since the new bar opened earlier in the semester.

“Oh, yeah, uhm I’ve heard good things, good things….” His voice has a nervous edge to it, and a glance in his direction confirms that he’s awkwardly rubbing his neck as he usually does when he has something to hide. 

You push on: “Yeah! I think you would totally love it! Very much your vibe. Anyway, we got absolutely plastered, to be honest I’m not even sure I remember how much I had to drink.” A pause for dramatic effect accompanied by a ditzy laugh. “But y’know, I do remember seeing one thing.” You carefully bloom the grounds before pouring the rest of the water in, focusing your gaze away from Reiner in order to keep your cool.

“Oh?”

You casually set the chicken shaped kitchen timer on the fridge to four minutes and adopt a thoughtful tone. “Yeah, I saw Annie there. Which was odd, because she told me that she had this huge group project to be working on. Guess she finished early. Oh, and you know what else I saw?”

“W-what?” A sharp turn away from the fridge reveals his increasingly nervous face to you

“I saw you there, too! Maybe you got so drunk at the “frat thing” you just don’t remember going, how funny is that?” You keep your voice light but find yourself unable to maintain a smile, your expression slipping into somewhere in between hurt and determined.

He shifts awkwardly on his feet and looks anywhere but your face, hand still rubbing the back of his neck. “Ahaha, really? Are you sure it was me, becau--”

“Oh, it was you. And do you know what you were doing?” This time, your voice is icier than the sidewalk in February after a week of sleet, causing his body to still and face to fall.

“N-no…” It’s almost pitiful how quiet he is now that his usually confident demeanor is shaken.

“You were kissing Annie. Which is funny, considering you both are in relationships.” The statement hangs in the air and you stare steadily into his eyes. You make it a point to regulate your breathing and blink back the first tears beginning to pool.

After another charged split second, your idiot ex-boyfriend decides on the worst path: badly gaslighting you into thinking it wasn’t him.

“I uhm, I was uh, are you sure? It couldn’t have been A-Annie-- I mean uhm, me, uh, ahaha, if it was, that’s so funny…” He stumbles over his words, only trailing off in defeat when you hold up a hand to silence him.

“Save it, Reiner. I already had a breakdown last night, I’m not particularly in the mood to deal with yours.” You limp over to the table and pull out a chair to reveal the cardboard box of his things you had packed up that morning. “Here’s your stuff, now get the hell out and stay the fuck away from me. Maybe go grovel to Bertholdt and see if you can salvage that relationship.” Your hand trembles as you point at the box and then the door and your lip quivers with the effort of not crying.

Reiner evidently sees the vulnerability in your eyes and decides to grasp at a few last straws, adopting a pleading mien, complete with sad smile and innocent eyes. He moves towards you slowly, as though approaching a wounded animal, and reaches out to lay a hand on your shoulder. “Aww, come on, baby, it wasn’t like that, it was just a heat of the moment thing, I didn’t mean--”

“Didn’t mean what?” Facade finally breaking, all you can muster up is a furious, cracked whisper and angry tears. “Didn’t mean to stick your tongue down my best friend’s throat? Didn’t mean to practically fuck your best friend’s girlfriend in public?”

“No, I mean, yes, but I, aw, c’mon sweetheart,” he admonishes, cautiously reaching out to wipe away your tears. You cringe away, but before he can touch you his arm is ripped away and he’s stumbling back with a shocked expression.

“I believe the lady told you to get the fuck out.” Levi’s standing in front of you out of nowhere, hands eerily still at his side. Evidently, he had come back from the store smack in the middle of The Dumpening, and a glance towards the entryway confirms there are grocery bags discarded haphazardly on the floor. Turning your attention back to the men in your kitchen, you see Reiner’s face has rapidly shifted from surprised to angry. He’s caught himself against the counter, breathing hard, eyes flicking from your teary eyes to Levi.

“Hey, this isn’t any of your fuckin’ business, buddy,” Reiner drawls, confident as he straightens up to his full height. He practically towers over Levi, the shortest of the three of you, and you can tell he’s already estimating your roommate to be an easy fight should it come down to that. Sharp panic enters your chest at the thought of a fight breaking out, and your hand flinches out to grasp Levi’s jacket sleeve desperately. You’ve seen Reiner in a couple bar fights, and even drunk he’s a force to be reckoned with.

He doesn’t acknowledge your touch, instead injecting a quiet venom into his usually dispassionate tone. “You made it my fuckin’ business when you touched my roommate without her permission in my home.”

The taller man opens his mouth to retort, but you beat him to the punch: “Reiner, just go. I want you to leave.” Some mettle has returned to your voice and you force obstinate lungs to take a deep breath. “Please take your stuff and go.”

Eye contact with Reiner usually makes you feel warm and safe and in love, both of you prone to wearing your heart on your sleeve. This time the experience is sullied by conflicting anger and hurt and guilt written across his face, filling your already aching heart with an unshakeable leaden weight.

He inhales sharply, then speaks in a much more uncertain voice. “Is this really what you want?”

Your mouth quirks to the side in an effort to quell more tears. “Yes, this is really what I want.”

The fight slumps out of his body, shoulders rounding imperceptibly, and he holds up his hands in defeat. He crosses to the cardboard box of his things sitting on the kitchen chair. You don’t miss the way Levi casually keeps his body between you and Reiner, staring him down as he moves towards the pair of you. Your grip hasn’t slackened on Levi’s jacket, and at this point you can’t distinguish if it’s to stop him from doing something stupid or simply to have something to hold onto.

Reiner hoists the box into his arms and turns his head towards you once more.

“Goodbye,” his voice cracks on your name and you tear your eyes away in favor of staring at the linoleum kitchen floor.

The front door clicks shut.

You finally drop your hand from Levi’s sleeve, sink slowly into the chair behind you, and bury your face in your hands. The dull aching of your heart seems to seep through the rest of your body until your limbs are heavy, ankle throbbing from standing on it for too long.

You hear Levi’s retreating footsteps towards the door, the shunk of the lock slipping into place, and the crinkle of plastic grocery bags as he picks them up off the floor. He works in silence putting the food away, giving you space to collect your scattered self. When his task is complete, he joins you at the table, sitting in the chair which had previously been occupied by Reiner’s box. 

When the chicken timer rings, he calmly shuts it off and returns to sit by you. 

When his cell phone dings with a text notification, he deftly sets it to “Do Not Disturb” and returns to keeping you company.

When you finally meet his eyes, it looks like you’ve aged a year.

“You all right?”

“Been better.”

“At least this time you’re sober.”

“Pfft,” you scoff. “Wish I wasn’t.”

“On that note, I got wine and cheese at the store. The “perfect break up cure”, in your own words.” His tone is dry, but his mouth is slightly quirked at the side. “And I saw that Pride and Prejudice is streaming on Netflix.”

His thoughtfulness chips into your melancholy, and you hazard a watery smile. “Aw Levi, you didn’t have to do that.” With that, you lean over and pull him into a warm hug, arms around his neck and chin hooked over his shoulder. He hesitantly puts his own arms around you and pats your back awkwardly.

“Really, it’s no--”

“Oh, shut up and let me be grateful for you.”

--

(read Part 1.5 here)