#Why the fuck would you want to swallow a watermelon whole when you can cut it up and enjoy it like that

[cxpperhead]

Fruit is one of the things Copperhead loves eating the most but one fruit in particular is as troubling as it is delicious. That fruit would be none other than fresh pineapple, a delicacy that tastes incredible but also has the nasty drawback of burning his tongue and screwing with his Jacobson's Organ. After consuming pineapple, Copperhead will be unable to pick up scents for a few hours until his tongue has recovered from the acid burns, making it a rare and risky treat.

[storiesoflilies]

school bus love (5)

synopsis: it’s high time to throw caution to the wind, don’t you think?

pairing: teen!toji fushiguro x teen!f!reader

warnings: none.

a/n: i just wanted to say that I absolutely adore all the comments saying this drabble series is making you nostalgic. besides me telling you all a bit about myself, the main goal really was to create a slice of life piece that makes people reminisce their school days xo

part 4

today was momentous.

freedom was teasing her, dangling sweet summer fruits and the smell of sea salt in front of her. she gritted her teeth, her wrist aching as she frantically wrote the final few sentences of her last question. the clock was ticking, and it would all be over soon.

three.

two.

one…

“that’s it, everyone! time’s up!”

she had never packed up her things so fast in her life, practically shoving her way through the throng of students gathering outside the exam hall. all she could think about was feeling the warm sun on her skin and seeing the patches of blue between the jagged white clouds. today marked the final exam she had to sit, and she was now completely free for the summer.

in a exactly a week’s time, she would be sunning herself on the beach, swimming through crystal-clear waters, and snacking on crunchy slices of watermelon in the shade of palm trees with her best friends. in a week’s time, she would be back home for a whole month, a prospect that should make her buzz with excitement, if not for the nagging reminder of just one thing.

she wouldn’t be seeing toji.

they’d had a handful of conversations over the past three weeks, but nothing more had progressed. she still wasn’t sure if he really liked her, and she was starting to become convinced that she had to cut her losses. it was becoming exhausting overanalyzing toji’s every word, trying to decipher any hidden meanings in his messages and figuring out times when he might have been glancing at her too.

the chase was quite boring without much progress to show for it, and it was a hard pill to swallow that toji probably just wasn’t into her the way she wanted him to be.

she put her headphones and tuned out the world – and all thoughts of toji – attempting to bask in the sheer relief of having finished her exams, which had all gone relatively well. later that night, after pampering herself with an extra self-care routine in the shower, she called her friends for a celebratory gaming session. naturally, she aired out her frustrations about her gorgeous boy.

“i’m just worried the conversation is gonna completely fizzle out, ya know?” she ranted, rapidly clicking her mouse buttons. “it’s not like we’ll be on the bus together anymore.”

“oh my god, girl. i literally agree with your mom,” asa suddenly snapped, taking her aback in shock. “why don’t you just ask him on a date right now?”

“r-right now?” she sputtered. “i can’t do that.”

“why not? if he says no, then you’ll know if he doesn’t like you, and you can move on,” morgoth hummed, a rare voice of reason for once.

that was a whole lot easier said than done.

could she even do something so bold? she doubted she was courageous enough for something like that, and she was still clinging to her little girl dream of being asked out by a boy on her first date. her heart started to pound as it battled with her mind, her soul watching the back and forth she was having within herself.

suddenly, a thread snapped, and the raging waves stilled as if nothing had ever happened.

fuck it.

she left the game, earning cries of protest and anger from her friends, and whipped open her notes app on her phone. if she thought too much, she would chicken out and change her mind. after typing a dozen variations of how she was going to phrase the message, she finally settled on one and quickly copied and pasted it into their snapchat conversation.

hey toji, are you free by any chance to hang out tomorrow? x

and hit send.

oh…

she hit send.

she.

hit.

send.

“holy fucking shit,” she whispered incredulously, a sense of dread spreading from her head to her toes.

morgoth grunted, “what happened now?”

“i just asked toji out on a date tomorrow,” she replied, voice cracking with electric nerves.

her friends both sputtered and coughed at the same time. “fuck off, no you didn’t,” asa said, obviously shell-shocked with a hint of excitement. “tomorrow?!”

“what do you mean ‘fuck off’?! you told me to do it,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and rocking back and forth on her bed.

“hah! well, what did you say?”

“i just asked him if he wanted to hang out tomorrow, and i put an ‘x’ at end to kind of… i don’t know, flirt i guess?”

her friends both cackled, and heat rose to her chest and face.

toji fushiguro is typing…

she gasped, more so screamed, “guys, fuck! oh my god, oh my god! he’s typing.”

“that was quick,” commented morgoth under his breath.

toji fushiguro has sent you a chat!

another shrill gasp. “guys, he replied!”

“leave it!” asa giggled, his giddiness infectious and making her laughter bubble out of her chest. “don’t be a desperate bitch.”

“fuck you, he replied quick! I’m not gonna just sit here and wait.”

toji fushiguro: yeah should be free for a bit tomorrow, when were you thinking?

oh my.

oh my…

“what’s he saying, huh?” asa giggled again.

“something good, i guess. her breathing suddenly got quicker,” morgoth chuckled, his laughter reverberating through his microphone.

hmm not sure haha, whenever you’re free i guess, i’m free all day tomorrow

play it cool. play it cool, goddamn it.

toji fushiguro: yeah, what about some time in the afternoon sure?

yeah sweet, does 4 sound okay or is that too late?

toji fushiguro: yeah 4 should be sweet, sounds good

aight, where do you wanna go? i still don’t know the good places to go to lmao

toji fushiguro: tbh i have no idea, sure like let’s just see when we meet up what you’re feeling

“hehe, guys, he says it’s up to what i’m feeling.”

ahaha ok then, where do you wanna meet up then?

toji fushiguro: oh yeah shit, uh you know where like the big wheel kinda is at the seafront? we could meet up there if you want?

the ferris wheel ahaha?

toji fushiguro: yeah the big wheel ahahah, literally the most recognizable place i could think of in town

haha ok no worries, i’ll see you tomorrow then, i’ll text you when i get there :)

toji fushiguro: yeah see you tomorrow x

she wasn’t a physical being limited to the confines of her bedroom anymore. no, she was limitless and infinite, soaring with ravens among the indigo clouds of twilight, her heart leaping with every sudden dip of their wings. life was good, life was meaningful, and holy shit. toji fushiguro had agreed to go on her very first date ever with her.

“guys.”

“what?”

“he sent me an ‘x’, and we’re going on a date tomorrow.”

p.s: fun fact, these are the actual text messages i sent to my boyfriend the day i asked him out :3

©storiesoflilies 2024, all rights reserved. please do not plagiarize, translate, or repost any of my work on other sites! i only post on ao3 and tumblr.

[simpsiren]

jaehyun x reader

description. A relationship with Jaehyun wasn’t always perfect. There wasn’t a definite label on it, which only sent the relationship down a complicated pathway as we tried to find the meaning of our love once again.

genre. ANGST, college!au, enemies(?) to lovers, dancer!reader x barista!jaehyun

word count. 7k~

warnings. toxic relationship, im so sorry i had to make jaehyun a bad boy here BUT IT HAS A GOOD ENDING I SWEAR

a/n. hihiii so this fic is basically based on using lyrics of a song to form a story and for mine ill be using boyfriend by ariana grande so hope youll enjoyy! please check out the other stories by the other authors here too!!

“I don't wanna be too much

But I don't wanna miss your touch

And you don't seem to give a fuck”

It’s been weeks. Weeks since I’ve talked to Jaehyun. Weeks since I’ve made any form of interaction with him. Weeks since I had his body close to mine.

He’s been ignoring me and yet I still can never guess why. I saw him walking out of his Psychology class today. I put my foot down, determined to settle on the decision that I just have to force it out of him instead of floating around mindlessly trying to dissect and figure out his weird attitude.

He walked down the hallway, bag lazily hung on one shoulder. He wore his black hoodie and grey sweatpants. His messy and unkept hair bouncing in the air with each step he took. It meant that he’s had a bad morning. I knew him long enough to know that if he doesn’t put effort into looking good then it meant that he wasn’t having any of it. I did think twice before approaching him. But he has left me in the dust for too long for me to handle.

“Jaehyun.” I said with a firm voice, running up to him and grabbing his arm tightly. He stopped in his tracks, his head turning slowly as his eyes trailed from my grip and to me. “What?” Jaehyun asked, sounding annoyed with his brows furrowed and narrowed eyes.

“What? That’s all you have to say?” I jerked my head forward, copying his same expression except that mine was intensified with how arrogant is What sounded. “Three fucking weeks. And that’s all you have to say?”

Jaehyun shook his arm to get off of my grip. Due to the force of his strength, I stumbled back slightly. He folded his arms, hands hugging his waist as he glanced down with a sigh and looked at me. “What do you want me to say?”

I scoffed loudly, running a hand filled with frustration through my hair. I adjusted my tote bag on my shoulder before standing firm and upright in my spot.

“An explanation on why the fuck you’re ignoring me would be nice, you know.” Jaehyun smacked his lips, almost in an awkward manner. But he kept silent for at least ten seconds, just staring down at me.

“I have nothing to explain.” Jaehyun finally let out dryly. But in a way it sounded like he was mad. My pupils flared. Rage was starting to build up in me while he kept up his nonchalant attitude. Jaehyun shoved his hands in his sweatpants and walked off. I would have stopped him, but I chose not to.

I didn’t want to annoy too much if I asked him again. All I wanted was to know why he kept ignoring me all this time. But it seemed like he didn’t care. Like he was able to erase me cleanly out of his life, ignoring me completely. He avoided my glances in class, he acted as if he didn’t hear anything when I called out to him and he’d walk past me casually as if nothing between us happened.

I stood there, staring at his back as his figure started to get smaller and further till he turned a corner and disappeared. I balled a fist in my hand, squeezing it so tight that my fingernails made an impression on my skin and having red marks on my palm.

To be honest, as much as I was mad at him, I missed him a whole lot more. I missed having his arms around me, I missed his whispers, I missed my fingers running through his soft locks. I missed his touch. I didn’t know I could be this touch-deprived till he ignored me. I walked back to my dorm, specifically Mark’s so that I could let off some steam.

“Wait like actually?” Mark shouted from the kitchen while he took out the large tub of strawberry ice cream and watermelon slices from the fridge.

I screamed into the pillow more, digging my face into it till I finally lifted my head up and took in a deep breath, turning my head sharply to Mark. “Yeah. Can you believe it?!” I shouted back, watching Mark bringing the desserts and taking a seat next to me. I shoved the pillow beside me and slumped into the couch with folded arms.

“I never thought he’d do something like that. He’s always been kind to me. And everyone.” Mark commented, picking up and watermelon slice and munching on it with a dreamy sigh. I huffed, grabbing the ice cream angrily and picking up the spoon, shoving it in forcefully to take a spoonful and eating it. “Not to me apparently.” I said with rolled eyes.

“We were completely fine before. I don’t know what happened and that’s what’s driving me insane!” I groaned out. After forcing Mark to get me ice cream, I thought my anger would subside at least a tiny bit. But having Jaehyun running circles in my mind has done it for me. Isn’t mind Jaehyun suppose to be the tired one here?

“Ah wait!” I alerted Mark, gaping my mouth open as I quickly turned my head to him. Mark does the same with raised brows. “Huh what? You know why he’s ignoring you?” Mark tilted his head and leaned in with curiosity.

I shook my head furiously, making Mark backed his head till his double chin showed. “Then what?”

“The dance assignment! Shit I forgot! Did you start?” I dropped the tub in my lap amd slapped Mark’s thigh vigorously, starting to get panicky as I remembered the assignment I’m suppose to pass up in a month’s time. Mark gave a half-shrug. “I’m doing solo for this one. Have you not started?”

“No! Urgh I can’t do solos. Is there anyone that wants a duet?” Mark puckered his lips, tilting his head up as he thought about it for a moment. “How about Taeyong?” He suggested. I looked at him with disbelief.

“Um hello? It’s Lee Taeyong. I’m pretty sure he’s doing solo. Even if he were to do a duet, all the girls would be fighting for the spot next to him.” I reached forward to pick up a watermelon slice and shoving it in my mouth despite the fact that I still had a little ice cream in my mouth.

“You never know. Just ask him next practice.” I let out a quiet ‘tsk’ I stared down at the table while I slowly chewed and swallowed all the food in my mouth. At least now I had something to do that can hopefully get my mind off Jaehyun.

“And I might not be the one for you

But you ain't about to have no boo.”

During dance theory in the lecture hall, I kept my eyes on Taeyong, who was sitting in the center a few rows lower than me. I rested my chin on the palm of my hand, head facing him and I pondered about how I can master up the courage to talk to him.

He’s the best dancer among all dance majors. From techniques to theory, he’s gotten perfect scores every time. It felt somewhat wrong for me to talk to someone of a high status like that. And of course his talent and visuals has had girls swooning over him for years.

I snapped back to reality when I reallse everyone started to pack and stand up from their seat. I blinked my eyes rapidly as I looked around before turning back to Taeyong, heaving a sigh as I notice him still standing there. I quickly packed up my things, slinging my tote bag on and rushing down the flight of stairs to where Taeyong was.

I was now standing in front of him, his bright red hair standing out while he kept his eyes on his things while packing up. “Taeyong?” I called out softly, bending forward. He finally lifted his head up. “Hi?” He asked, questionably.

“Um I was wondering what you’re planning to do for the assignment.” Taeyong glanced sideways before meeting my eyes. As I stared at him, I really now could see why all girls fall in love with him. I’ve never seem to notice since I’ve always been caught up with Jaehyun.

“Actually I’m-”

“It’s fine if you have another person to do duet with you. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of options and that’s totally fine I understand-”

“I didn’t even finish my sentence.” Taeyong cut me off with a light chuckle, a small smile forming on his face. He was so attractive. “Oh right sorry.” I blurted out, turning my head to the side and rubbing the back of my neck nervously.

“I was saying that I haven’t thought about what I wanted to do yet.” Taeyong stood up, holding his bag in his fingers with the handle. He was so close to me and I got extremely terrified with his height. Though the gap difference wasn’t much. I guess I’m just intimidated by his presence. “Mark recommended that we should team up.” I finally let out, forcing myself to not beat around the bush anymore to get this done and over with.

Taeyong’s smile got a whole lot brighter and bigger till his eyes form a thin line. “Sure! Been doing solos too much and you’re quite good.” I couldn’t believe what I just heard. Firstly, he said yes. Secondly, he noticed me dance before? I mean of course we saw everyone dancing but I never imagined Taeyong to actually look at me dances.

“Wait really?! Oh my God thank you! Um so do you have any classes after this?” I bounced on the ball of my feet excitedly, a smile unconsciously forming on my lips. Taeyong shook his head. “You want to start today?” I nodded my head eagerly.

“Alright. Let’s head to the dance studio. We only have one month left.”

Due to the limited time we had, it forced Taeyong and I to have dance practices almost everyday, particularly every night. We’d either use the dance studio and his own one out of campus that wasn’t far away. I started to bond with Taeyong more and more, realising how sweet and soft he was despite looking so intimidating at first. I liked the time I spent with Taeyong. He was able to make it fun for us even though we’d be laying on the floor dying by the end.

One practice, Taeyong and I just finished cleaning up our choreography that Taeyong was expertly able to come up by the third practice. It became normal for us to just lay down, arms and legs spread out on the floor as we stared up at the ceiling and let out loud and heavy breathing be heard.

That is, until my phone rang.

“You should get that.” Taeyong rolled over, his stomach on the floor while he kept his upper body up with the support of his elbows and forearm on the floor. I sighed, frowning. “I can’t be bothered to move.” The phone’s been ringing for minutes now.

Taeyong chuckled and stood up after taking in a deep breath, reaching his hand out to my bag and sliding me my phone. “Thanks.” I muttered as Taeyong sat down beside our bags to grab his drink.

I looked at the caller, instantly sitting up straight when I reallsed it’s Jaehyun. My sudden actions caused Taeyong to let out a, “Who’s calling?” I assumed he examined my shocked expression after asking that as I kept my eyes on the phone, Jaehyun’s name bolden on my screen.

I then remembered the fact that I blocked his contact a few months back and it had a time limit on it. And I guess the limit ended today.

“I’m picking up the call. And if I start screaming, you might want to run. Cause’ I’m about to get a lil bit psychotic.” Despite my warning, Taeyong let out a humorous laugh, nodding his head in response. “Alright, alright.” He said, waving his hand out lazily as a way to say, “Now go pick up the call.”

One click of a button and I brought my phone up to my ear, hearing Jaehyun’s heavy breathing. “Where the fuck are you?” His voice was low and deep, one filled with anger, but not the shouting kind. “I’m at a dance studio...?”

“Yeah and with who?” Jaehyun growled. I turned my head to the mirror, seeing Taeyong looking at my back. “With Taeyong. So what?” I questioned him, wanting to sound nonchalant.

Jaehyun scoffed in amusement. “At two in the morning?! You serious right now?!” His voice raised with each word, he was now screaming and I began to get scared. “How’s this your problem?! I’m practicing for my assignment with Taeyong. What the hell did you think I was doing!” I couldn’t help but shout back, wanting to fight and top his level of rage and anger. I had the right to be mad since he ignored me for so long. But for him to suddenly care about what I do and who I’m with? That wasn’t going to cut it for me.

“I don’t give a damn. I’m picking you up right now. Tell me your location.”

“No! We’re not done practicing!” I lied, groaning as I leaned forward and placed a hand on my forehead to cover my eyes.

“Practice another day-”

I didn’t notice Taeyong creeping up behind me, flinching when I felt his hand on my wrist, pulling my phone away from my ear. He snatched it out of my grip and held the phone to his ear. “You heard her. We’re still practicing. I don’t why you’re so worked up. But you can speak with her tomorrow. Have a good night now.” Taeyong sounded extremely professional, proceeding to end the call and handing my phone back.

“You didn’t have to...” Taeyong sat down beside me and sighed, the two of us now facing the mirror as we stared at ourselves. “I didn’t want you to go psychotic.” He joked, making me laugh slightly, though it hurt my core due to the physical training we did before actually practicing.

“Is that your boyfriend or something?” He sounded curious. I kept silent, looking up as I try to phrase who Jaehyun was to me. But I ended up with no answer. “I don’t know. We’re just... complicated.” I whispered. “Let’s not talk about Jaehyun. I’m getting sick of it.”

Absentmindedly, or perhaps not, I laid my head slowly onto Taeyong’s shoulder. He didn’t move and instead stayed there as comfortable silence filled the air, not giving a thought about our sweaty bodies touching each other.

Biology lecture ended. I was walking out of the hall when I thought of texting Taeyong to see if I could meet him for a short practice. I didn’t know why, I just wanted to see him and do anything with him, it didn’t have to be practicing.

Before I could even type a single letter, my wrist was suddenly being pulled back from behind, making me fall back a few steps till the grip guided me to stand. I looked up, seeing Jaehyun standing in front of me. Immediately, my eyes looked back at him filled with arrogance. “Why were you with Taeyong yesterday?” Jaehyun asked. Suddenly, his eyes grew soft and sweet. Which made me very surprised. It’s been long since I’ve seen the sweet side of Jaehyun before he ignored me. It made me feel something in my stomach indeed.

“I told you I had practice. I’m doing a duet with him for my assignment.” I said with a quiet sigh. Jaehyun ran a hand down his face, biting his lower lip as he looked away for a moment. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry... for getting worked up. I shouldn’t have since it’s for school.”

I clicked my tongue in amusement, smugly folding my arms and placing my weight on one leg. “An apology but no explanation? You’re an odd one Jaehyun...”

“We need to have a proper chat.” I tilted my head slightly at his weird words. Confused, but also nervous as to what he wanted to talk about.

We ended up going to his dorm. His roommate was out. We sat down on the couch together, his body leaning forward to reveal his back while I leaned back into the couch. There was a gap between us, which made me feel weird. The space in between was just... just there. And the fact that we used to cuddle on this couch made this more awkward.

“So?” I asked, my curiosity already killing me. Jaehyun let out a frustrated sigh. “I think we should just cut whatever we have completely.”

“What...?” I didn’t know what else to say. I wasn’t sure what to feel either. I could tell he was breaking down silently. I didn’t even need to look twice to confirm that. But I was breaking at his words as well, looking down to my lap amd biting my bottom lip. “Why?”

“I don’t know what we are,_____. Are we friends? Cause’ from the way we treat each other we’re definitely not. We aren’t in a relationship together either. We aren’t friends with benefits. We’re going back and forth and I’m sure you’re as tired about this as I am.”

As much as I wanted to deny, I couldn’t. Our relationship and what we were to each other was certainly not definite. It always confused me and put me in a tough spot. The way we treated one another was as if we’re in love. Maybe we were, or maybe we weren’t. Questions about us had always kept me up all night. And I guess it is right that we just cut it off completely.

“You’re right. I don’t see why we should be together. Or not. I don’t fucking know.” I stood up, making my way to the door. I had my hand on the doorknob. At that moment, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted everything to go back to normal. To when I would be in Jaehyun’s lap as we talked for hours, his turn table playing old school songs that I’ve never heard of but grew to like. To when we would go out together and do whatever we wanted till late at night. Basically back to when any of this confusion even happened.

“You still haven’t told me why you completely shut me out for three months straight though. It hurt me. You owe me an explanation soon. Goodbye, Jung Jaehyun.”

“I wanna kiss you, don't wanna miss you

But I can't be with you 'cause I got issues.”

Jaehyun could only seat there in silence, not sure of what to do now. His mind went blank the moment the door closed. He felt his phone vibrating in his back pocket. He leaned forward to take it out, proceeding to pick up the phone without even looking at the caller.

“Hey.” Jaehyun said plainly. He heard a few shuffling before someone comes up to the phone, their breathing could be heard. “Jae. I need to see you. Now. It’s urgent.” He recognised the familiar voice immediately.

“Soo? Why are you calling me?” Out of all the people that could’ve called him, she was the one that Jaehyun would least expect a call from. Let alone one that he wanted to hear from either. “A matter we can’t discuss on the phone. You know where to meet. In ten minutes.” The call quickly ended.

Jaehyun raised a brow at this. Many questions and possibilities popped up in his head. He quickly dashed out the dorm after grabbing his necessities, wanting to get this done and over with.

He waited by the park. A place that he and soo have had many memories. Ones that he wish to forget. But upon his visit to the park, of course they all had to come crashing back in his mind.

Soo came and motioned him to sit down on the bench that faced the lake. The dark sky being reflected on the lake’s surface as the cold breeze of the night touched their skin. “It’s about us.”

“There’s nothing between us.” Jaehyun was quick to reply, wishing he could just get out of this situation and think over about his other problems. Particularly the one about his complicated love life with a partner that he wasn’t even sure was his partner in the first place.

“Our parents are suspicious of us, Jae. You say that us not meeting anyone would solve it but if they don’t see us together-”

“It’s been three months do you think I wouldn’t realise it?” Jaehyun leaned forward and covered his face with both his hands, exhaling before lifting his head up back and looking at the scenery, hoping it’ll put him at ease even the slightest bit.

“You don’t want this. I don’t want this either. I have my own problems you know. I have someone I love.” Soo nodded her head, humming agreeably. “You’re right. We both don’t want this. But our parents do.”

Jaehyun groaned in annoyance, turning his head back to look at her. Soo blinked her eyes rapidly. She’s never seen him this mad before. “I know that way too damn well.” Jaehyun slapped his thighs and stood up, shoving his hands in his pocket and turning around swiftly to Soo.

“I don’t care what you do. You have a higher status than me and therefore you have a higher chance and authority for our parents to listen to you. Tell them I’m sorry but I really don’t want to be tied down to someone I don’t love.”

With that, Jaehyun stomped off, making his way back to the dorm. He immediately plopped himself onto his bed, sighing and he stared up the window. The couldn’t stop thinking about his lover. The fact that he couldn’t explain to her made his heart breal in every way possible.

He jusy wanted to be with her. But it was now his fault that she hates him now. And he’s not sure of what to do. The fact that he had to call off whatever they had couldn’t be anymore painful.

He wanted her with him right now. To have her presence right next to him. His arm wrapped around her as a way to protect her small figure from the world though he knew well enough that she was capable on her own. He wanted to plant light and sweet kisses filled with love all over her face. He wanted her touch of love that could send electric shocks throughout his body. He just missed her so.

“Even though you ain't mine, I promise the way we fight make me honestly feel like we just in love

'Cause baby, when push comes to shove.”

It’s been a few days since Jaehyun and I called it quits. And honestly, I was falling apart. I missed him a lot. It felt weird not having him around. It felt like back when he ignored me for three months. Except now the anger has disappeared, and all I craved for was his presence.

“The performance and assessment’s tomorrow. You ready?” Taeyong asked, breathing heavily as he walked to the speaker to stop the music. I squatted down on the floor, hugging my knees to catch my breath before gulping and nodding my head. “I’m surprised we managed to do this in a month despite our professor giving us four.” Taeyong nodded back agreeably.

“Let’s just hope we do well tomorrow then.” Taeyong walked back to me with his hands shoved in his pockets. I eyed him up and down taking the time to admire his outfit, which was simply just a tucked out loose white button under a muted blue waistcoat and black jeans and pointed shoes. The blue waistcoat was just to match his light blue hair that he dyed recently that suited him very well.

“Your outfit is simple, yet so pleasing.” I mumbled, my finger placed under my chin. Taeyong chuckled, taking one step closer to me. For some reason it made my heart race, the space between us got smaller and smaller unintentionally. “It’s probably because of my physique and natural features.”

Taeyong bent down to meet my eye level, tilting his head as he gave his cheeky eye smile that I got used to seeing very quickly. I ruffled his hair and laughed loudly. “Of course it is. You’ll definitely outshine me tomorrow.”

Taeyong slipped a hand around my waist, pulling me closer. This was definitely normal since our choreography included him doing this, but it made my face hot this time. “The purpose of a duet is to help each other shine together. I don’t think I’ll ever be outshining you.” Taeyong commented softlt with a gentl smile.

It was finally time for the performance. Everyone at the hall was seated, murmurs and chatters can be heard all over. Backstage, everyone was rushing to get ready. But I couldn’t help but peek at our professors and dance instructors that were about to grade us from behind the curtains.

“Nervous?” I heard Taeyong’s voice from behind me as he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. I glanced back before taking in a deep breath. “We’re the fifth to go. Calm your nerves.” This time, he placed his other than on my other shoulder, proceeding to rub his hands up and down slowy and soothingly, which instantly calm me down. “I’m trying.” I whispered.

The two of us waited anxiously backstage as we counted the number of performers going up on stage. Now’s already the forth and we’re up next. Our names got called. Before we headed up on stage, Taeyong held my hand, interlocking his fingers with mine for a short moment before flashing me a smile and letting go, proceeding to walk forward as I followed behind.

The music played and we started to perform. The lights on the audience shined brightly and I could see everyone’s faces. Of course to calm myself down I kept my eyes straight ahead. Everything went as how it should. Taeyong and I danced perfectly in sync as if we were made to dance together. Taeyong had to lift me up for a few counts, holding me by the waist. And one glance to the audience and I instantly saw Jaehyun sitting somewhere in the middle, his eyes looking right at me. I was shocked but I had to continue.

We ended the performance with a deep bow. I smiled widely at the audience, but I avoided Jaehyun’s eyes completely. Taeyong and I walked off stage. “That’s was amazing! You did so well!” Taeyong shouted as he pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged back and laughed, panting heavily as I tried to catch me breath. “You were great too, Taeyong.”

Taeyong pulled away from me. And as we were about to walk to the changing room, I felt a hold on my wrist. A tight one. I turned around, noticing Jaehyun right in front of me. He looked over at Taeyong before me. He didn’t say a word and dragged me away. I glanced back at Taeyong, his worried eyes making me want to release my grip off Jaehyun but I knew I can never since he was way too strong.

“What the hell do you want?!” I shouted when we finally came to a stop at a secluded and somewhat dark corner. “I can’t see you dance with Taeyong. I got jealous.”

My eyes squinted at his words, completely confused and bewildered. My mouth gaped open as I let out a scoff. “Jealous? Why should you be? We aren’t anything anymore. What’s my relationship with Taeyong have anything to do with you?”

“I don’t like seeing you with him, okay? Didn’t you ever think about how I felt when you’re always staying up late with him for practice? Or did you even think about me at all?” I grew quiet, struggling to even form a sentence of what to say.

“I don’t like seeing you with any guy.”

“You aren’t my boyfriend. You don’t have any say in who I hang out with.”

It was now his turn to keep silent, avoiding my eyes completely as he looked elsewhere. “You aren’t mine. But don’t you think we had something between us at all? It drives me nuts whenever I think of you. I had my reasons for avoiding you, okay?”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Sorry but I can’t handle any of this right now. I’m way too tired. Let’s talk some other time.”

With that, I walked off, trying to find Taeyong who just came out of the changing room with his outfit hung on his arm while he wore back his loose white tee and sweatpants. “You okay? I got worried.” Taeyong immediately rushed over to me and looked me up and down, concerned as to what happened just now.

“Yeah I am. I’ll go back to campus now. I just need some rest.”

Before taking a step, Taeyong stopped me. “Need a ride?” I shook my head.

“Thanks for the offer, but I much rather be on my own for now. I have too much on my mind.”

“I know we be so complicated

Lovin' you sometime drive me crazy

'Cause I can't have what I want and neither can you.”

I ended up staying late at night, staring off into the ceiling while hugging my cat plushie. And all I thought about was Jaehyun. I could never get him off my mind no matter how hard I tried to force myself to sleep. I could be staying up since I didn’t have classes the next day but my body was too physically tired. Yet my mental state seemed to be wide awake.

The next morning, I stayed in my dorm, pacing back and forth in circles as I figure out what to do. Suddenly, the door opened, making me flinch in shock as I realised it was just Mark. “You look stressed. You nervous about the results?”

“My mind is all over the place, Mark. Jaehyun’s driving me crazy and I just-” I grabbed my head with both my hands, letting out a loud groan and I plopped myself on my bed next to Mark.

“Won’t it be easier to just settle things with him?” I gave Mark and unimpressed look. “We did. We promised to not see each other again.” I let out a dreaded sigh. “But he came up to me yesterday and now all I can think about is him.”

Mark swung an arm around me, clearing his throat. “Then just tell him to back off. Now and forever. I can’t see my friend going crazy because of some frat boy.” I chuckled shaking my head. “He’s not a frat boy.”

“Sure acts like one.”

I hummed, giving a moment to think it over. “How can I meet him today though? He’s working.” Mark raised a brow, facepalming. ���You know he has a thing called breaks, right?” Mark deadpanned. And just like that, I made my way to the cafe where Jaehyun supposedly worked the afternoon shift.

I walked in, the bell above the door ringing to signal that someone has entered. I didn’t see Jaehyun brewing the coffee. I walked up to the counter, seeing a familiar face and decided to ask him where Jaehyun was.

“Hey, Jeno?” I called out to him gently, watching pouring his ready made coffee into a small cup. He looked up, instantly smiling brightly when he made eye contact. “Hey! Haven’t seen you for so long! Looking for Jaehyun?” I nodded, gladly thankful that he read my mind.

“He went out somewhere for awhile. He’s coming back soon. Want to wait here while I serve you some caremel frappe?” I exhanged his smile with mine, nodding my head eagerly. “You know me well, Lee Jeno.” I tapped my hand on the counter before walking off, taking my usual seat at the far corner of the cafe that’s out of sight from public eyes. I used to sit here when I would wait for Jaehyun’s shift to end before walking back to campus. It felt weird coming back here after avoiding it for so long.

After a few minutes, Jeno brings me my drink. I thanked him as he backed away and I resumed my waiting. I checked the time on my phone. Thirty minutes have passed and he’s still not here. Each time the bell rang, I instantly lift my head up only to find that it wasn’t Jaehyun.

Heaving a sigh, I leaned forward, my shoulder raising up as I continued to stare at the entrance. Finally, I saw Jaehyun through the window, walking to the door. But... he’s with a girl?

The door opened and Jaehyun walked in, the girl close beside him. She was wearing Jaehyun’s hoodie too. The plain black that he often wears. I kept silent, wanting to see where all this was going. Why was I feeling something? I shouldn’t be... right? I have nothing to do with Jaehyun, let alone his love life. Wait why am I even assuming that they’re together?

Jaehyun went up to the counter. He turned around to look at the girl. They were smiling and laughing together, which made the knots in my stomach tighter and my heart began to ache at the sight. As cliche as it sounds, I muttered a, “That should be me.”

The girl took off his hoodie. She was wearing a shirt under it. It seemed like she wanted to give it back but Jaehyun insisted on her keeping it, continuously shoving the hoodie back and forth till she threw it at him, kissed him on the cheek and ran out the cafe laughing. I frowned. I really didn’t like how this was going.

Jeno went up to Jaehyun, motioning to where I was seated. I instantly looked out the window as if I didn’t even see Jaehyun coming in and was minding my business. I heard his heavy footsteps walking up to me, and he sat down, dragging the chair closer to the table. “You didn’t say you’d be here.”

I turned my head and faced forward to Jaehyun, picking up my drink to take a sip, nodding my head. “I didn’t.”

“Who was she?”

I couldn’t help but ask. I was too eager to know. Too eager for something to confirm my suspicions, closure. “A friend.” Jaehyun said after exhaling sharply.

My lips form a thin line, my brows raising for a moment as I gave a “You sure about that?” expression with a hum. Jaehyun stared at me for a moment. I couldn’t read his face. “She’s just like Taeyong. Someone I’m working with for a project.” He said with simple directness.

Anger started to settle in, the tension between us growing tighter and tighter with each moment of silence in the air. “Your project partner comes waltzing in wearing your hoodie and giving you a kiss on the cheek? Some partner there.” I replied with sarcasm, nodding my head over and over.

Jaehyun cocked a brow, the side of his lips turning up slightly as he leaned forward, so close that our faces were a mere inch away from each other. “Now you’re jealous? That’s cute.” He chuckled lowly.

I blinked my eyes rapidly. Is he really going to do this right now? Despite me blushing slightly at him calling me cute. I couldn’t shake the fact that he was probably trying to get back at me and making me feel how be felt when I was with Taeyong.

“Why can’t I? You were jealous when I was with Taeyong too.” I blurted out, not sure if that was the right thing to say.

“You aren’t my girlfriend, and I’m not your boyfriend. But we can’t see each other with anyone else, or touch anyone else. We can’t have who we want either. Make an inference. Connection, hidden meaning.”

“Don’t bring the method to answering History questions into this.” I couldn’t help but laugh softly at his attempt to joke. I knew very well right now wasn’t the time, but I just missed it.

“Stress high when the trust low

Bad vibes, where'd the fun go?

Try to open up and love more.”

“Don’t you miss it?” Jaehyun asked, his face getting soft and gentle. He reached his hand out to mine, holding my finger with a light touch. Our eyes went down in unison, staring as our hands fit perfectly together.

“We’re complicated, indeed. We aren’t sure of who we are. And we don’t even know the reason for that. But doesn’t it all come down to whether we love each other...?” Jaehyun lowered his voice to a whisper, pur noses were now touching as I gulped, closing my eyes for a moment as I inhaled his naturally strong scent that not even his perfume could mask.

“I guess...” I started, breathing heavily. “I guess we’re just scared. I don’t know about you, but I can somewhat admit that I’m scared.”

“It’s been years, Jaehyun. Years since we’ve showed affection for each other yet we never seemed to get anywhere. But I liked it nonetheless. Despite the fact that we were just... stagnant.” I smacked my lips. “Or not perhaps I’d call it going back and forth.”

At that moment, I thought of us. Jaehyun and I. Years ago. When we first started. I met him here, at the cafe. I got addicted to him from first sight and I’d make it a mental note to visit him everyday and demand that only he should make and serve my orders. That’s how we grew close. Not on campus, but out. We kept our relationship like a little secret. But that was only for the fun of it; for excitement and thrill. I liked that about us. Being alone and only having each other. Turning back time was what I always wished I could do.

“I love you, _____. I missed us. When we were just happy. I guess this all started when I ignored you. I’m sorry for that. And you know I mean it.” Jaehyun couldn’t keep his eyes on me. He constantly looked down or avoided my gaze. He bit his lip intensely, as if trying to hold back tears.

“But if you would let me, I’ll explain it over dinner.” Jaehyun gulped, breathing in as his chest puffed up. I wasn’t quite sure of what to make of this. But in the end, my main goal was to settle this, on a good note. Whether I’d be with Jaehyun in the end or not. I just needed closure.

“Sure.”

Jaehyun offered to meet me at a high end restaurant. Somewhere I’ve never been in years since I was just like any regular college student. Poor.

I didn’t know what to wear. And I guess my outfit seemed to lower itself a lot when I stepped into the restaurant. I glazed my eyes over the place, spotting Jaehyun at the far end wearing his usual all black shirt, jeans, and shoes. A combination that never failed to cup his masculine body perfectly.

“You didn’t have to take me to somewhere this expensive.” I said, sitting down. Jaehyun smiled softly in greeting. “It’s only slightly above average.” He commented.

We ordered our food. It was taking quite awhile to come. “Um.. I suppose I should be giving that um explanation to you now.” Jaehyun spoke up, his hands on the table with his fingers interlocking with each other. I nodded my head, pushing the glass of iced water that was served to us earlier on, bringing it in front of me and leaning forward to take a sip.

“My parents want me and Soo, the girl you saw at the cafe to get together. I honestly didn’t even know why. And I never cared either.” Jaehyun lowered his head, fidgeting his fingers. “And just so you know, I never had feelings for Soo. She has someone else. The two of us agreed that we’d still maintain our private lifes and not let it interfere us.”

I bit my lower lip. I could tell he was telling the truth, that he was being sincere. It made my heart soften. But I didn’t want to show it. I didn’t want to seem easy and to just fall for him all over again just from a simple explanation.

“Are you going to do anything to fight back against your parents about it?” I asked, not wanting to say silent throughout.

“I simply told Soo to do something about it since she would have more influence on them than me.” Jaehyun leaned in, again his hand creept up on mine. He held my hand in his, bringing it up slowly and planting a light kiss on my fingertips. A gesture that I only ever knew would feel this amazing because its him. He was the only person I’ve met to have such a gentlemanly feature.

“Can we slowly... get back to how we were? I know it’s my fault. I know you won’t forgive me immediately. Do whatever you want with me. Whatever decision you choose, I’ll just have to accept it.” Jaehyun whispered, his voice growing quiet with each word as he looked down to my hand and caressed it with his thumb. I could still feel his kiss lingering on the tips of my fingers.

I brought my hand up to his chin, lifting his head up and eyes off the table, forcing him to look me in the eye. I leaned in and kissed his cheek, letting my lips stay there for a long moment before pulling away. I could see Jaehyun smiling slightly at my touch. He thought he could cover it up with a cough, making me giggle softly.

“I’m not forgiving you just yet. But I do admit that I missed how we were two years back.”

[honeypirate]

Hi 🥺 first of all thank you for the follow and the amazing writings 😭❤️ and secondly hopefully I can request a Aone x reader where the reader is like usually very blunt and mean skater girl vibes. But with Aone they are like all bubbly and very shy with him. And everyone wonders why they are together 🥺

Hopefully you can do this request !!!! Have a amazing day my love!!!!!!!

THIS IS SO CUTE AHHHH! 

thank you so much for this! i had so much fun writing it. i’m not experienced with writing skater things, this was my first try lol i hope you like it. 

Aone Takanobu x Skater Girl Reader

warnings: maybe a swear or two 

words: 2.5k

“God Ko did you have to take so long? We’re going to be late now. I should have just left without you!” you shouted at your best friend Koganegawa over the sound of the wind in your ears, your foot coming down to push against the concrete on the sidewalk as you both skateboard the relatively short distance to school.

 He had volleyball practice and you had softball practice at the same time in the morning, and being two out of a handful of students who like to skate you guys became fast friends,  when you ran into each other the first morning skating to school for practice he decided right then and there you would be best friends. 

“Oh come on Y/N-chan! I know you’re glad you didnt leave me behind!”  you shake your head, your hands shoved in the front pocket of your black hoodie as you coasted down the hill, “no part of me is glad!” you shout back and he sticks his tongue out at you, causing you to laugh. 

Since most of the teachers and faculty weren’t at the school in the morning you usually used your skateboard in the school, which wasn’t a problem until today. Because of Koganegawa being unusually late, they were practicing with a different setter, causing the ball to be set at the wrong angle causing Aone to hit it straight out the door at the same moment you passed by and of course hitting you in the back and knocking you off your board. 

“Aone you hit someone!” a voice shouted from the gym, Koganegawa who had stopped a few feet before you so he could go into gym was now on his knees with laughter, you caught your self with your hands and knees then with the momentum slipped onto your elbows, you felt your knees sting as you rolled up to a sitting position. 

You could hear the team running towards the door as you inspected your knees, Koganegawa having a hard time crawling over to you since he was laughing so hard, “you should have seen that! I wish I could have gotten it on video! It was hilarious!” he’s on his back now, holding his stomach as he laughs, you shoot him a glare “shut up you ass! It really hurt!!” you rubbed your wrists, they were starting to ache from the impact. 

The rest of your angry words died on your tongue as a white haired boy ran over to you, taking a knee and looking at you with furrowed brows. “Are you okay?” he says and you feel your cheeks flush from his intense gaze, he reaches out and takes your hands in his, inspecting your palms and wrists as you stared up at his handsome face, completely at a loss for words. 

“I didn’t mean to hit you” he says, the rest of the team behind him watching the scene go down, most of them silent, shocked that their quiet giant was speaking so much. You can't help the quiet giggle that escaped your throat when he looked back into your eyes, “I- I’m fine! No worries! A couple scrapes is all” you manage to say, your cheeks feeling hot and your palms starting to sweat, he was so cute! you ‘ve always had a crush on him from all the games you went to, he had such a kind and good vibe it made your heart happy, and here he was! Your crush! Basically holding your hands! After he hit you with a volleyball but that was a different case.  

“Yo Y/n why are you acting so weird?” Koganegawa says, now kneeling beside you both, looking between you and Aone, trying to figure out the vibe he was getting, the rest of the team had retreated back inside the gym and you heard some whispering from inside. You send a glare at him as Aone looks down at your knees now, the skin red and rubbed raw through the holes that were already in your jeans. His gentle fingers brush above the mark and you get goosebumps, when he’s satisfied that you weren’t really hurt he took your hand and helped you to your feet. 

He leans down and picks up your skateboard, handing it to you as he bows deeply “I’m sorry again” he says and you take the board before awkwardly bowing back, “dude you’re still late for practice” Koganegawa says and you curse under your breath, “see you after class Ko! Thank you Aone!” you say as you throw your board down, skating off in the direction of the girls locker room at the other end of the hall. 

“How are you friends with that girl?” Futakuchi was saying as they started to practice again, “she’s always angry. She's a psycho skater. You heard the rumor that she lit the principal's car on fire” Koganegawa growls “and that was just a rumor! She's a good person, sure she has mean vibes but she’s just a badass! She’s blunt and keeps me humble. She’s a good friend and you should see her play softball, she's insanely talented” he sets a ball to Aone perfectly to spike and the white haired boy hits it with so much force it slams against the gym floor. He didn’t like hearing Futakuchi bad mouth you, you were adorable and sweet, how could they not see that? “Focus guys come on” and with that their coach had silenced all talk unless it was vb related. 

“Ugh! Im so awkward! I thanked him! I thanked him for hitting me with a ball! God help me!” you think as you take your board out of the locker in the locker room, practice was finished and now it was time for classes, you make your way to your normal locker and stash your board there, leaning in, you rest your head against the board and books as you sigh defeatedly.

“Whats your problem?” Ko says coming up by you to his locker that was on your left, “did you fuck up stealing third again? Or maybe you’re feeling like an idiot because of your encounter with Aone earlier? Does someone have a crush?’ you growl and lean out of your locker “at least I wasn't caught with volleyballs in my shirt like boobs” you quip back and he gasps “that was one time!” he shouts and you scowl “yeah, sure, okay” you close your locker door and turn to him “if you tell anyone about this morning I’ll print off that picture and post it around school. Don't make me do something i would really enjoy” you smile sweetly before turning and heading down to your first class. 

After school you had more practice before showering and heading to the gym to wait for Ko, it was something you had done before but this time your stomach had flipped into knots thinking about Aone again. You wanted to run into him but at the same time you never wanted to see him again, you popped a cherry bubblegum lollipop into your mouth as you walked, your board under your arm. 

You stuck your head into the gym to see the team just standing and chatting, practice having just ended, you make eye contact with Aone and squeak as you pull your head back, pulling the sucker from your mouth as you lean against the other door that was closed, your heart racing and your cheeks already starting to feel warm. You weren't a shy person so why did he make you feel this way? You tried to calm your racing heart but before you could your heart footsteps approaching. 

Aone looked out the hallway, around the door to look down at you, his eyebrows furrowed. “Hi” you whisper before popping the sucker back into your mouth. You saw the corners of his mouth twitch up into a smile as he walks out into the hallway to stand in front of you. “I- I uh” you stumble through our words, swallowing hard you took the sucker from your mouth again, your hands moving through the air as you spoke, “I’m sorry about earlier. When i was being awkward. I thanked you as I left, essentially thanking you for hitting me with a ball and that was... weird of me. Anyway I hope you dont think im weird now” you look down at your feet for a moment, your faded black and white slip on checkered vans tapping together at the toes, before looking back up into his kind eyes “do you? Uh i mean, do you think i'm weird now?”  you twist the sucker stick between your thumb and forefinger as you wait for his response. 

He shakes his head no and you smile, a sigh of relief passing your lips as you scratch behind your ear with your free hand “oh good!” you say “im glad” he reaches out, taking your hand gently in his hand, a look of concern as he inspects your palm which was now covered in tiny cuts. You chuckle softly and relax your hand in his “it wasn't because I fell” you realize after saying that, that it was because of a fall, just not that one, you hastily correct yourself, the awkward feeling in your body growing “I mean, it wasn't because of you making me fall, it was because of softball, I forgot my gloves today” 

The rest of the team exited the gym now, stopping when they see you two, Aone doesn't let go of your hand he continues his inspection as the rest of the team just watches. “Aone” you whisper after a few moments and then he looks back up at you then over at his team, sending them a look that says if they didn't just go he’d be mad, Koganegawa in the front put a skip in his step as he ran off towards the locker rooms, pulling Futakuchi behind him so he wouldn't stay behind and be a dick, the rest of the team following suit, all of them watching you two the whole way causing your cheeks to grow as red as possible.

 “Uh shouldn't you go as well?” you whisper and pop the sucker back in your mouth, he watches you actions and you smile softly “want one? I have grape, cherry, and watermelon” he nods and says “watermelon” you reach in your backpack and hand him a watermelon bubble gum lollipop and he bows a little before taking off the wrapper and putting it in his mouth, a smile forming on his lips as he enjoyed the flavor. “Thank you” he says, his voice a little whistle-y around the candy in his mouth and you nod “no problem” 

After that you brought him a watermelon sucker every day, making sure to stop in after practice every evening and give it to him, he looked so happy every time it made your heart soar, after a little while he started sitting by you in the cafeteria, your other softball and skater friends looking at you funny the first few times but soon didn't mind. Your angry badass persona would be replaced by bubbly shy and cute, three things you rarely were. 

“What is going on?” Futakuchi said one afternoon in the cafeteria as he looked over at you two together “I don’t get it.” another one of the team members says “She’s skater punk and will beat your ass and he's a quiet soft boy won’t hurt a fly” one of Futakuchi’s friends says through a huge bite of a sandwich. Ko just sighs “you guys should get to know her. She’d never hurt a fly either. She's actually quite afraid of confrontation as well unless she knows you or you really deserve it�� after a moment Futakuchi says “i still don't see it”

Your phone beeps and you look down at it, it’s a text from Ko that just says “looking cozy ;)” you send him back a middle finger emoji. 

When you leave the cafeteria you turn to say goodbye to Aone but stop with the way he was looking at you, expectantly, like he wanted to say something but was too shy. You were about to ask him to walk you to class but the words couldn’t escape your mouth, your shy tongue keeping them in your throat. Koganegawa comes over and lightly shoves your shoulder. “Hey lovebirds” he says with a mischievous grin and you glare at him “what are you doing?” you ask him through your teeth, your cheeks growing warmer and he just chuckles “our y/n here is quite something huh?” he asks Aone to which he just nods once “I know a secret about her if you want to know it” your face turns totally red as you glare at the dumbass “Ko I swear to god if you don't shut your mouth” you seethe at him and he just laughs harder, sneaking to hide behind Aone and simultaneously standing on his tiptoes to whisper “she has a cruuush” your eyes go wide as you stare in horror at your supposed best friend, your cheeks red in embarrassment as Aone just looks down at you, confusion in his expression. “KO! Shut! Up!” you say and he shakes his head “on you” he finishes his sentence before taking off, you go to run after him but Aone just grabs your hand, keeping you next to him “is it.. True?” he asks and you look down at your shoes again, debating lying but you doubt you’ll get a better chance to confess, “yes” you whisper and after a few long seconds of silence you look up at him, meeting his eyes. 

 His cheeks are dusted pink as well as the tips of his ears and he has a small smile on his lips “I” his voice was a little too quiet so he clears his throat to try again “I like you too” he says and you feel your smile widen, going from ear to ear as you beam up at him “really?” you ask and he nods. You can't help but throw your arms around his middle and hug him in the middle of the hallway, he hugs you back gently, his big body almost engulfing yours. 

The bell rings for the first time and you pull back “will you walk me to my class?” you ask and he nods, smiling down at you with his eyes closed. You lace your fingers with his and begin walking again “to think this all started because you hit me with your volleyball and sent me flying off my skateboard” he sends you a look that says he was still sorry about that and you laugh, squeezing his hand as your cheeks turn red again “I'm not sorry about it Aone, so you shouldnt be either. I got to meet you and it was worth it.”  the tips of his ears turn red as his thumb brushes yours. You get a glimpse of Ko watching you down the hall very obviously taking photos of you guys and you remember what you told him you’d do if he ever told your secret, you squeeze Aone’s hand softly again and smile mischievously up at him, a smile he would come to know all too well, and say “so I have to do something a little, delinquent-y and I was wondering if you would help me? It’s a prank on Ko for spilling my secret”

[pototters]

Strawberry Flavored Cranberries

A/N: Inspired by a tweet I saw where someone asked what you would call a strawberry flavored cranberry. My response to them was “KiriBaku”. It’s KiriBaku.

Please enjoy this little fluff piece that I FINALLY managed to get transferred here properly~

Warnings: Bakugo curses a lot

KiriBaku

Words: 2,818

The self-proclaimed Bakusquad were enjoying their summer break at the beach just days before the start of their third year. Kirishima had somehow convinced Bakugo to tag along, but if anyone were to ask their other friends, they’d say that Bakugo simply couldn’t say no to Kirishima. Mina, Sero, and Kaminari all had their suspicions as to why, but Kirishima lived in the denial of his own feelings towards their explosive friend. There was just no way that Bakugo could ever like him back.

Whatever the reason, Bakuogo had come along and the five of them sat on the beach after a long day, enjoying some watermelon. They’d bought three, at Kirishima’s insistence, and were currently working through the second one. Kaminari had watched half in fascination and half in disgust as their redheaded friend devoured nearly an entire melon by himself. “Dude, are you even spitting out the seeds? You’re practically inhaling that watermelon. At least breathe between slices.”

Sero snickered as he commented, “He’s gonna be shitting seeds for a week.” Kirishima slushed, but didn’t get a chance to defend himself as Kaminari cut in, again.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he just turned into a watermelon with how much he’s eating!” Mina and Sero cackled at the thought as Bakugo quietly called him an idiot.

Kirishima’s flush only darkened. “That’s not funny, man. I just really like watermelon, okay? It’s good for you.” Kaminari patted him on the shoulder with another chuckle.

“It’s cool, dude. I’m just pretty sure I’d puke if I ate as much as you do. We still have dinner to eat later, and I know you won’t be skipping it even after eating all this watermelon.” Kirishima grinned a bit sheepishly, knowing his friend was right about that. His stomach was a bottomless pit, and he always ate a ton. While he always loved to eat meat, he had a secret soft spot for sweets and he tried to eat the healthy ones when he could. Like watermelon.

Mina chewed thoughtfully on her current slice, carefully spitting out a few seeds into the sand. “I dunno, you guys. I’m pretty sure Kirishima is already like a watermelon.” She grinned as the guys stared at her with baffled expressions. “Think about it! Watermelon is red, sweet, and everyone loves it!” A laugh escaped her as Kirishima turned the color of his hair.

“Mina, not everyone loves me. Geez.” He shook his head. “That would be impossible.”

“Not true!” She pointed at him. “Name one person who doesn’t like you.”

Kirishima opened and closed his mouth as he thought hard about it. “Villains. That’s a whole lot of people.” He shoved more watermelon in his mouth, grinning in triumph. Mina rolled her eyes.

“Villains don’t count, Kiri. You’re a hero. Of course they don’t like you. They don’t like any hero.”

“Actually, back in first year, I heard about one of the guys he helped take down in the Hassaikai took a shining to him. Wouldn’t shut up about wanting to fight him again.” Sero interjected, picking up another slice for himself.

Mina gaped. “Are you serious? For crying out loud, Kiri. Even villains like you.”

Kirishima pouted as he looked away, feeling the heat in his face build. “That was just one.” He paused a moment as he thoughtfully took another bite of melon and swallowed it. “Monoma doesn’t like me,” he said quietly.

“Since when does Monoma not like you?” Kaminari asked incredulously. “Sure, the dude can be a real annoying asshole, but I’ve never heard him say a word about you that was negative.”

Kirishima pouted even more. “But he can’t stand our class. He always takes the opportunity to say so.”

“Yeah, but that’s as a whole. Like Kaminari said, he’s just an annoying asshole. I don’t think he has anything against you personally.” Sero pointed out as Mina nodded her agreement.

“You’re all a bunch of fucking idiots.” Bakugo, who had been quietly eating his watermelon, finally spoke up. The others gave him a confused look.

“Let me guess, you’re gonna sit there and tell us we’re wrong?” Kaminari jeered as he narrowed his gaze at their explosive friend.

Bakugo rolled his eyes. “So what if I fucking am? If you’re wrong, I’m going to call it out.”

“All right, then, Mr. Smart Guy, what did we say that’s wrong?” Sero challenged. Kirishima watched Bakugo closely as a frown etched even deeper into his best friend’s mouth. Bakugo’s gaze dropped to the piece of watermelon in his hands, quiet as he seemed to contemplate something.

“Kirishima isn’t like watermelon, at all.” There was a surprised silence as they waited for him to keep going. “Not everyone likes watermelon. It’s disgusting.”

“You’re literally eating a slice of it right now.” Kaminari dead panned.

Bakugo growled at him. “That’s besides the fucking point!” His voice began to rise in volume. “It’s got all these stupid seeds you have to eat around, which is fucking annoying, and if you eat too close to the rind, the flavor turns bitter! That’s nothing like Kirishima in the slightest!”

It was quiet another moment as the rest of them processed what Bakugo had said. Kirishima felt the air rush from his lungs as he stared at him with wide eyes. Bakugo had all but complimented him, which was a rarity coming from him. Mina slowly smirked at Kaminari, who tried to hide his growing grin. Sero gaped, still stunned at how vehemently Bakugo denied that Kirishima and watermelon were alike.

Finally, Mina asked, a sly smile on her face, “Okay, if he’s not like watermelon, then what fruit is he like?” As they watched him, waiting for his answer, Kirishima could have sworn he saw the lightest dusting of pink color on his best friend’s features.

Without looking at any of them, Bakugo tossed away his half eaten slice and wiped his hands on his swim shorts. “A strawberry.” He’d said it quietly, but it was definitely loud enough for them to all hear.

Still, “What was that, Blasty? I’m not sure I quite heard you,” Kaminari said with a shit eating grin. Kirishima threw a near mortified glare at him, but Bakugo took the bait.

“I said, he’s like a fucking strawberry! They’re sweet and literally everyone likes them! Watermelon is so fucking tasteless. Plus, they’re not annoying to eat!” Bakugo’s face had turned a mottled red as his temper flared, though his friends suspected there was a secondary reason, as well.

Kirishima buried his face in his hands out of sheer embarrassment. That had definitely been a compliment. A very high one, at that.

“I dunno, man.” Sero challenged thoughtfully. “They do have those leaves at the top you have to eat around.”

“Tch, so?” Bakugo glared at him. “Everyone has something annoying about them, but those leaves are easy to remove.” Kirishima’s thoughts were running wild with that remark. Just what was Bakugo getting at?!

Kirishima couldn’t lift his gaze, yet, the watermelon forgotten next to him. His heart raced in his chest as he forced himself not to look too deeply into Bakugo’s straight forward compliment. There was no way there was any kind of deeper meaning to it, no matter how much he wanted it to.

No one was saying anything, and the silence was starting to get to him. Finally, before he could go crazy, Mina let out a heavy sigh. “Okay. I’m convinced. Kirishima is a strawberry.” She smiled and gave a shrug as Kirishima’s head snapped up, shooting her a shocked glare. “Sorry, sweetie, but he’s got a point.”

Kirishima stuck out his lower lip. “Yeah, well, then you’re a pineapple.” Mina gave him a bewildered look.

“A pineapple? How am I a pineapple?”

Kirishima grinned, feeling his face slowly return to a normal temperature as his heart calmed with the distraction. “They’re super acidic, which matches your quirk, but they’re still really sweet and fun to eat.”

Mina laughed, “Hell yeah! I love it!”

Kaminari smirked as he puffed up his chest. “Well, I know that I’m a peach.” They all laughed, but Bakugo scoffed.

“You ain’t a damn peach, dunce face.”

Kaminari gaped at him with indignation, deflating a little. “Well, it’s not like you’re exactly a peach yourself, you damn lemon!” Sero and Mina went into hysterics as Bakugo growled in response.

“He’s definitely a lemon! Such a sour puss!” Sero cackled as he agreed with Kaminari. Kirishima didn’t laugh, though, as he finally looked over at Bakugo. His best friend glared at the others, but Kirishima quickly looked away when their eyes met for barely a moment.

Mina was the first to notice that Kirishima wasn’t joining in on their laughter. “What’s wrong, Kiri? You think he’s something else?”

Kirishima flushed, then nodded slightly. “Yeah. I don’t think he’s like a lemon.” He could feel Bakugo’s stare on the side of his head as though he might burn a hole through his skull. He said nothing else, though, the rate of his heart kicking back up as it pounded in his chest.

They were waiting for him to go on, but he seemed stuck. Would his answer give away how he felt about his best friend? He didn’t want to risk ruining their friendship over a silly crush that he couldn’t seem to get over no matter how hard he tried. Bakugo was always so good at reading him, surely he’d see through him right away.

“What’s he like, then, Kiri?” Damn. Mina asked, so now he had to answer. He brought his knees up to his chest, and put his head between them.

“C-cranberry.” He stuttered out, feeling his face flame, and he knew he had to match his hair. There was a moment of silence; the only sound was the crash of the nearby waves, and Kirishima was certain they could hear his heart hammering against his ribcage as it threatened to burst from his chest.

Finally, “Cranberry?! That’s not even a fruit! It’s a berry!” Kaminari exclaimed loudly.

Kirishima looked up with indignation, “Well, so is a strawberry! What does it matter?” He heard Bakugo snort and call them idiots, but he ignored it as Kaminari let out a huff.

“Whatever.” Kaminari leaned back on his arms in the sand and stretched out his legs, smiling smugly. “I decided. I don’t care what Bakugo says, I am a peach.” Sero immediately scoffed as Mina cackled, and the three of them immediately began to argue about what kind of fruit Kaminari really was. Kirishima would have joined in, but he could still feel Bakugo’s gaze on him and it made him uneasy. He couldn’t breathe. Bakugo was smart and very perceptive. What had he seen in Kirishima’s answer? 

Standing up, he muttered that he was going down to the water and walked away. Their friends continued to argue, barely acknowledging that he was getting up. Once Kirishima reached the water, he let the waves lap at his feet; the cool water felt nice after walking across the burning sand. As he stood there, he let the rushing sound of the water calm him.

He took in a deep breath before letting it all out, attempting to dispel his anxiety. The sun was nearing the horizon and would be setting soon. It had been a good day, all in all. He only hoped that he hadn’t ruined it by speaking carelessly.

“Hey.”

His heart kicked up nervously as Kirishima turned at the rough voice of his best friend behind him. He tried for a smile, but wasn’t sure how successful he was. “Hey.” Bakugo frowned, probably catching the uneasy waver to Kirishima’s voice.

Glancing behind him at their friends for a moment, Bakugo clapped his hand on Kirishima’s shoulder and gently pushed him down the beach. “Let’s walk for a bit. Those idiots won’t notice if we’re gone for a while.” Without resistance, not even the slightest hesitation, Kirishima easily followed Bakugo’s lead down the shore. They walked leisurely, both of them quiet for the moment.

“You okay?” The sudden question caught Kirishima off guard, but he grinned as he nudged Bakugo’s shoulder with his own.

“Wow, first a compliment, now concern? Careful, Bakugo, I might start to think you actually like me.” Kirishima laughed, though he felt a tightness in his chest.

“God, you’re fucking dense. Of course I like you, dumb ass.” Surprise cut off Kirishima’s laugh as he stared wide-eyed at Bakugo. There it was - the telltale signs of a blush coloring Bakugo’s features. Kirishima hadn’t imagined it before, then. Bakugo stopped walking and Kirishima faltered, nearly tripping a step ahead of him.

“I mean,” Kirishima started, “I knew you had to at least tolerate me because you let me say we’re friends, but… I didn’t expect you to actually say it.” Lifting a hand, he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Bakugo’s jaw dropped with indignation, his temper flaring up. “Almost three years and you still think I just tolerate you?! Fucking hell, you really make me spell everything out for you.” Stepping forward, he grabbed Kirishima at the nape of his neck, and then their mouths were pressed together in a firm kiss.

Kirishima was too shocked to react, his body seizing up until Bakugo finally pulled away. Kirishima stared at his best friend, his mouth opening to speak, but no words came out. Bakugo couldn’t seem to meet his gaze as he continued to grasp Kirishima’s neck, fingers twining his hair, ungelled from swimming all day.

“Bakugo, I-”

“Shut up. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been trying to get you to notice how I feel?” Kirishima opened his mouth, but Bakugo cut him off, again. “Don’t answer that. Of course, you don’t. You’re so fucking dense.” Bakugo finally looked up at him with a wry smile. Kirishima flushed immediately, and his hands flew to cup both sides of Bakugo’s face.

“I like you, too, Bakugo!” Bakugo snorted, then laughed. Laughed. Kirishima was breathless at the sound, loving it even though it was at his expense.

“Yeah, I know. You aren’t very good at hiding how you feel. You’re always wearing your damn heart on your sleeve.” Bakugo grinned and Kirishima’s heart fluttered.

“That’s not fair, Bakugo. If you knew all this time, why didn’t you tell me?”

Bakugo rolled his eyes. “I just did, didn’t I? I wanted to give you a chance to figure it out on your own, but I underestimated just how oblivious you are.” He didn’t mean it in a malicious way, but Kirishima still pouted.

“Okay, that’s fair.” Kirishima blinked as he realized something. “Wait, then, all that stuff about me being like a strawberry? That was a real compliment?”

His best friend, maybe boyfriend, smirked as he raised a brow. “When do I ever say something I don’t mean?” All the time, is what Kirishima would have answered, but saying something like that about someone was definitely something Bakugo would never say lightly. Kirishima felt his eyes start to water, his chest swelling with love and affection for the blond. “Dude, are you gonna cry, right now? What the hell?”

Kirishima laughed and surged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Bakugo’s torso. “I’m really happy! I’m… relieved. I’ve been holding back so long because I was afraid of ruining our friendship.” Kirishima sniffled lightly and he felt Bakugo’s hand cup the back of his head.

He heard Bakugo give a soft sigh. “You couldn’t do that. Not you.” There was an implication behind Bakugo’s phrasing, but Kirishima couldn’t quite grasp what it was, and he let it go. Pulling back from the hug, Kirishima shyly pulled his lower lip between his teeth and chewed it carefully.

“Uh, do you think we could… kiss, again? I wasn’t exactly prepared for the first one.” Bakugo blinked, then immediately grinned.

“Definitely.” Kirishima felt himself being pulled back in and their lips found each other a second time. It was much softer than the first, less exasperated, and lasted longer. All of their emotions combined in the gentle action, and Kirishima felt as though his world had finally shifted fully into place.

They finally broke apart when they heard their friends wolf whistling and cat-calling them from down the beach. Kirishima flushed as Bakugo turned to flip them off. Despite that, he was grinning when he turned back around. “Ignore those bastards.” Bakugo’s warm fingers gently brushed back some stray strands of Kirishima’s hair from his face, giving him a curious look. “Before we head back, I gotta know - What did you mean back there when you said that I was like a cranberry?”

The blush across Kirishima’s face deepened as he gave Bakugo the biggest sharp-toothed grin he’d had all afternoon. “That’s easy! You’re like a cranberry because you’re tart, but then sometimes so unexpectedly sweet!”

“...You idiot.”

[wlw-lovestruck-fiction]

Hi Evoe, can I ask for you to write this MCxVinca fic? The request is where mc made deal with demons by giving up ability to feel touch to obtain darkness and light powers so she can keep up with Vinca and her friends. However, demon magic corrupt mc’s soul. Mc went dark and betray her lover by using Vinca’s knife to kill her so she can become Pride and take her mind reading power. Mc made it looks like it’s from Vuzgamad’s ambush and claimed that Vinca made her a successor before her death

Written by: @evoedbd

PART 3

Warnings for

Bad Language

Violence

Blood and Gore

Death

Part One, Part Two

+++++++++++++++++++++

MEMENTO MORI

“Yvette is going to be devastated when you’re gone, Vinca. It only makes sense that Rae steps up, tries to comfort her best friend. It will be glorious, a love story for the ages. Born of tragedy, the dead best friend’s fiancée becoming the love of our heroine’s life. Of course, they will try to deny the feelings… Afterall, I killed you right in front of our new little Pride, she couldn’t save you, couldn’t save anyone. Rae is going to be so tragically broken… but her feelings will just be too strong for her to deny. Of course, this’ll only be once Yvette is nearly driven insane by her own longing for just ONE normal thing in her fucked up little life. Just like a fairy-tale, Yvette won’t be able to hurt Rae… not after Rae was able to “kill” me, to find a loophole in Yvette’s curse. Perhaps she’ll expose that with a kiss, on the anniversary of your death, over your grave. As if you blessed it from the beyond. Extra incentive to leave your little twin behind.” Vuzgamad’s taunting voice was enough to have Vinca hissing between blows. The demon was so sure, so confident as she lounged in a stolen body, across a dingy chair as if it were the unholy throne of hell. Honestly, who the fuck did this bitch think she was? Vinca would have snapped back, have retaliated, if Rae’s punch hadn’t come so close to connecting, only diverted by her sloppier form. The puppeteer too inexperienced, or the mind not committed.  That didn’t render her completely ineffective, not when the shadows played on the edge of Vinca’s vision one moment, and the next she was blinded.  She should have been blinded, only the fact Rae was fighting with everything left of her prevented that power unleashing, prevented her from completely devouring the current Pride assassin.

“Come on Rae, SNAP OUT OF IT.” Vinca pleaded between gasps, between punches and kicks.  Rae advanced viciously, pushing into Vinca’s guard, bringing them to collision after collision.  The safest way to give Vinca victory, but also the most costly.  Rae was good, too good, stronger in hand to hand than Vinca.  It was only Vinca’s blades that granted her leverage, but she didn’t want to use them.  How could she?   Every time she did, it was another slash across Rae’s flesh.  A cut designed to hurt without maiming or slaying, but Rae just kept pushing.  A terminator. The worst foe Vinca could ever face.  Her heart constricted in her chest, costing her precious time, lowering her guard a second too long.  She ducked the next kick, staggered, fell to a knee.  Before Rae’s foot even met the ground, she had raised her second in a brutal kick to Vinca’s chest.  Had she been human, Vinca knew that kick would have done more than sent her flying, arms flailing, knees bent awkwardly.   There was no time to stop, no time to make the answering blow softer.  One foot up, a kick from the ground straight into Rae’s groin.  She wasn’t a man, but society as a whole always underestimated how painful a kick to the vag truly was.  Sure, women were designed to push watermelons out of holes the size of a lemon but come on.   Predictably, Rae locked up with a pained grunt, leaving Vinca free to roll free of the conflict.

“Oh Pride, you sho- NO.  Vinc, RUN.  Please!  I c-can’t…” Rae’s entire body was at conflict.  Her voice changed, tone shifting from malicious to pleading.  The tears gathered within her dark eyes were not solely due to Vinca’s brutal kick, nor purely heartache.  It was the blood of war, blood from a battlefield within her mind spilling through the cracks of a human body. Rae strained; body perfectly exposed. Hesitation.  Rebellion.  A dare within her eyes.  A plea. The perfect opportunity.  One Vinca HAD to take.  A blade, a flick of the wrist, a bullseye waiting to happen.  Until the answering flash of light swallowed the darkness of Rae’s eyes.   It burned, a thousand fingers pulling at the fibre of Vinca’s muscles, the molecules in her bones.   She screamed, rolled across the cool concrete floor as her soul burned, melted along with the metal of her blade.  Said blade fell harmlessly to the concrete floor, bending as softened metal met the hard surface.  Severed from Vinca’s soul.  Another fragment lost.

“Like… Hell… Am I… leaving you.” Vinca gasped out, chipped nails biting into the concrete as she pulled herself to her knees.   Her once bedazzled eyes were now surrounded by smudged makeup, running eyeliner on trickles of blood.  Blush complimented by gravel rash.  Scraped, reduced to bared teeth in threat.

“There’s still a little bit of me left? Oh, I sound so convincing, don’t I? Nobody will see this coming, never in a million years. There’s nothing left, you stupi-”

Vinca reached, plunging herself back into the muck that greeted her when she reached for Rae’s mind. She was in a canyon, looking up at the two sides, unable to decipher which side of the chasm she should scale, only that the muck was pulling her down. A quagmire. Stuck. Trapped. But one side was crumbling, falling into the chasm, building it and filling it. It was too much, it was going to crush her if she didn’t run, didn’t get out. GET OUT! Get out, get out, get out! But she couldn’t. It was all too much. Too hard. So much pressure. Crushing and consuming. She was going to die. She was going to drown in this nothingness. She stared at two glaciers, but one was crumbling, sheets of ice falling away into the blackest ocean, which continued to rise, continued to consume. Which should she reach for? What did this even mean? Why? Why was Rae’s mind suddenly so different? At the bottom, a glint of iron caught her eye. Bars of a vicious cage ensnaring a lone form. A figure drowning, clawing at the bars weakly as the ability to fight drained away.   Vinca was desperate, screaming in a thousand voices, a thousand tongues across conceivable time as she dug.  She dug, hands scooping as she dove into the water, tried to dig deeper into the mud.  It was so thick, so heavy in her hands, yet slid as freely as water.  Like a dog, she dug, arms blurring as she screamed. A handful thrown aside, two more replaced it.  It was futile.  Like fighting the rising sun with nothing but a Pinto and a lasso.  Still, Vinca had to try.  She drove the spurs to the steed. She drunk, trying to swallow the mud, digging the water.  Absorb it, take it in, anything!  Anything to save Rae.

A punch to the breast broke her from the musings, earning an enraged shriek mere moments before she responded in kind.  Rae squeaked in a similar manner, horror flashing across her face, followed by a flush to her cheeks.  Typical of her, to blush like a schoolgirl the moment breasts were involved.  Still, she pushed, using her powerful legs to kick through Vinca’s guard, expensive canvas shoes thankfully taking the brunt of Vinca’s slashes.  The harder Rae attacked, the further onto the backfoot Vinca was forced.  A punch to the face, a slash to the bicep, a death of a thousand cuts.  One cut had two souls bleeding, each worth a thousand words that Pride could never express.   A kick to the ribs, a slash across the thigh.  Please don’t make me do this.  A knee deflected by a hard forearm, followed by a blow to the chin.   Please run.  A backhand across Rae’s face.  Two people flinching.  I’m not leaving you.

“You can try all you want, Vinca, but you can’t stop her unless you kill her… then, there are all these demons.” Vuzgamad pointed out, lifting a little from her makeshift throne.  The demons encircling them hissed and snarled, making themselves known as Vinca drew too close to the edge of their temporary arena. They kept her trapped, pushing her back into Rae’s range time and time again, but never once harming her.  Never causing her to stagger.  It was either a leering blade waved dangerously close, or knuckles cracking beneath wicked bracers.   A few even simply cocked guns at her, each grinning wickedly as she stepped back into the arena.  Back to fighting her heart. It was all a game. A FUCKING game.  That bubbled in her veins, leading her next blow to land a little too hard across Rae’s chest.

“You know, this was all Rae’s idea.  I admit, I never would have put so much effort into ensuring an entire gangs worth of demons prevented you leaving.  A stroke of genius, but that’s to be expected.  Rae truly thought long and hard on how to pick you apart over our time together.   It seems she truly does know you better than anybody alive, as you’ve said.  Even Onyx, bless the girl, couldn’t endure the darkness.  But Rae?  It’s a pity such a virtue has you as her vice… right to the bitter end.” Vuzgamad continued, pausing to snicker at Vinca’s cry of outrage.  A slash across a demon’s throat.  It fell, offering no resistance.  The sound of a gunshot.  A crumpled host.  Two more demons stepping up, pushing Vinca back with seething hatred beneath their almost gentle movement.  

“Do you honestly think you’re doing anything but delaying the inevitable? By hurting Rae, you’re only making it harder for her to fight.” Vuzgamad’s laughter followed another punch to Rae’s nose, one punctuated by a sickly crack. Vinca cringed, leaping backwards as Rae staggered. With a heavy heart she took aim. A flick of her wrist had a blade buried in Rae’s nerves, immobilising the Chinese woman. Before Vinca could even draw a second knife, Rae’s eyes were upon her, the room suddenly darkened, filling her with a chill that ate at her very bones. It was not simply darkness, but the complete absence of light. All save two terrifying eyes. Eyes which seemed to burn, just like the blade in her hand. Just like the blade hidden within Rae’s flesh. Those powers… something so simple yet versatile in Rae’s hands. Something eating at her humanity. The blade was too hot, burning Vinca’s flesh. She screamed, letting the blade fall to the concrete mere moments before her knees did.

The demons around them hissed and snarled, triumph radiating from the hideous visages. Each and every monster was strong and rested, just waiting to pick at the remains. Numerous, beyond what Vinca could see.  Beyond what she could read whilst ducking and weaving.  Whilst struggling to figure a way out.   She couldn’t fight them all, nor could she leave Rae behind.  She couldn’t… couldn’t kill Rae.  No matter what, no matter how pressured, she simply couldn’t.

“Accept it, Vinca Wren.  One of you is not leaving here alive.  Its either you, or her.”

“N- Vinc you have t…” Rae growled, her own hands raised to her eyes, nails biting into her brow as she pressed her palms into her eyesockets.  She trembled; a torn flag trapped within a hurricane.  A grain of sand upon a landslide, an earthquake.  Helpless to it all, no matter how hard she fought.

Vuzgamad was right.

Even if she could beat some sense into Rae, supress what was eroding her, they’d never manage to fight out of this. Sure, the others might find them… but what if they didn’t? Vinca already knew, no matter what, that one of them would be too battered to escape.  There it was, laid out so fricken clearly, the trap she’d ensnared herself in.  Vinca cussed, tears bitterly trailing down her cheeks.  She was only twenty-three.  She didn’t want to die.  Not here, not like this.  An animal in a cage.  She screamed, wordlessly, furiously.  This was so fucking unfair.  She’d given EVERYTHING she had to give.  Her soul.  Her humanity.  Her heart.  She’d given everything save the breath in her lungs and it was STILL not enough.  What more could be taken from her?  Why did fate demand such a thing?  Vinca had no doubt Vuzgamad would kill Rae if Vinca herself escaped. Rae was only useful as a tool. For the hearts bound to her… underestimated. As always. Everyone fucking underestimated Rae, right up until she kicked their ass.  Fuck.  Everyone fucking shat on Rae too, like the most popular latrine in a garrison of soldiers with gastro.   So many people passed her up, never bothering to look into those soulful dark eyes, to question what lingered behind them.  They underestimated her tenacity.  Her intelligence.  Her humanity.

Gods, Vinca fucking loved her. It wasn’t just the little underdog scrambling to every victory that was endearing. It was the gentleness in her eyes. How she trusted her heart so fearlessly. How she continued to sacrifice and fight, even when she was almost broken. Even against the erosion to her humanity. She fought. Even when it was hopeless, she fought, and not even for herself. Rae was throwing herself to the metaphoric wolves, willing to die to protect what she loved.  Vinca knew Rae understood their situation.  She was too smart not to know the moment they walked in.  The moment the teeth snapped shut.  Rae had tried to shove her own foot into that trap, tried to take the fall, to let herself be slain to spare Vinca an ounce of pain.

It couldn’t be Rae.  Vinca realised after one more glance at Rae’s strained features.   How her hand trembled, muscles strained as if held taught by ropes from a thousand directions.  How desperate she was not to grasp Vinca’s fallen blade.   She was so damn beautiful.  Dark eyes flashing with her own fury, clarity for brief flashes, lightning of a storm.  Lips cut, bleeding with every grimace, soaking her chin.  Why?  Rae was a virtue in all but power.  She was love, she was generosity and kindness and patience.  She was EVERYTHING Vinca was not, the counteracting part to a whole that never had truly had the chance to bloom.  The whole Vinca would have given more than herself to see recognised.   This… this was her heart, already torn from her chest, stolen by the cruellest of fates… but at least she had been given the chance to have a taste of paradise.  If only she’d recognised that sooner, instead of fighting herself.

Vinca sighed, slowly rising to her feet.  Determination burning through her veins.  Once chance.  One single chance was all she needed.  A way to break through, to give everything she had left.  The ring hiding in her pocket, a led feather.  It’d always felt so heavy, despite being so light.  Now, it was the wind beneath her broken wings, the only thing preventing her freefalling, plummeting to the earth like the lone tear gathering in her eye.  She watched, saw Rae grab her fallen knife. Stared over the precipice. She was not brave enough to watch, to see that moment unfold.  She had to close her eyes, to let that silly little tear fall as she plunged herself into the murky darkness surrounding Rae’s heart.

If there had to be a sacrifice, so be it.

It would not be Rae.

It would NEVER be Rae.

[starkeristheendgame]

slutty omega peter bought a strawberry-flavored condoms and wants to try them out on his Alpha, tony.

I hope this bring your idea to life! I kinda twisted it a little so I hope that’s okay! Ages aren’t specific so you can imagine anything you’re comfortable with. I really enjoyed this and thank you so much for the prompt!

As a side note, never buy alcohol or banana flavoured lube/condoms. Trust me. They’re nothing but disappointment. JuicyLube does a wonderful Bubblegum and a pretty nice Strawberry/Watermelon!

TW: Daddy kink | Breathplay if you squint | ABO dynamics | Dick choking (?)

Frankly, this whole ’you’re a fragile, pretty little thing and I don’t want to break you’ method of approach Tony seemed to have adopted in regards to him since they’d begun to date was really grating on Peter.

Okay. So he was a little inexperienced. In terms of real time experience. He had enough sex toys that even Tony Stark had raised an eyebrow, and his porn folder was the largest file size on his entire computer. His over-average masturbation habit was the entire reason they’d begun to date in the first place.

And yet, the moment it became ‘official’, it was like Tony became his damned father, not his Alpha and partner. He fussed over how much he ate, when he went to sleep, if he was okay every five minutes. And worst of all? They’d barely done more than kissing and grinding, some clothed groping.

So, sue him. Peter was going to play dirty. It had been a month and if he didn’t get Tony’s dick in him some way or another, he might actually just implode. And then Tony would have to clean up and explain it to May, and.

And that brought him to now, exactly two days after he had furiously and triumphantly clicked the purchase button far too harshly. The box was small and unassuming, with nothing internal to say what lay within. Peter tore into it a little savagely, eager to put his plan into motion. The packets were small and slim, a pretty shade of pink. The foil crinkled a little as he moved it around, staring.

Strawberry flavoured condoms. Well, this one was. He’d bought a few different flavours, but he liked strawberries over any other fruit.They were sweet, sometimes with a little sour undercurrent, and he found as an artificial flavour they were better than the others. He gave a wicked smile and hid his stash, waiting eagerly for Tony’s return.

He didn’t have to wait long, at six on the dot the elevator doors opened, revealing the long slope of Tony’s back as he stood, staring out at the world through the veil of the Tower. He was wearing one of his sharpest suits, a sleek, black Tom Ford that was burnished with dark, dark red flowers. It was Peter’s favourite. It matched Tony’s scent. Musky and woodsy but with a sweet, faintly flora undertone.

“Welcome home, Daddy” Peter called from where he lounged on the couch, thighs splayed to be sure his sweet scent had filled the room. Tony turned almost immediately, nostrils flaring as his dark gaze swept over his Omega. Peter knew it had been a hard-working day by the tightness in Tony’s shoulders, the delicate ridges between his brows, but Tony smiled when he saw him, warm and welcoming as he strode towards the couch.

“Hello, sweetpea. Sorry if I’m late - Work was a nightmare” Tony greeted, sinking down onto his knees in front of Peter like a worshipper to a God, nuzzling into his thigh as Peter sat up, buried long fingers in his soft, dark hair with a pleased hum. “You smell excited” the older man noted, hands rubbing at the sides of Peter’s thighs as he tipped his head to look up at him.

“Close you eyes” Peter instructed, grinning as Tony blinked at him warily, but obliged, long lashes dipping down. Peter squirmed to reach his pocket, careful not to make too much noise with the wrapper, though he spoke to cover the crinkle. “Open your mouth” he added next, watching as Tony frowned, but followed the order, lips parting just enough for Peter to slide the package between his teeth.

Tony made a questioning and semi-affronted sound, waiting for a beat before slowly opening his eyes. Peter giggled as he went a little cross-eyed trying to see the package, leaning forwards eagerly to watch his reaction. Tony shifted and reached up to grasp the packet, eyeing it with a perplexed pull of his brows.

“A condom?” He asked, brows lifting as he looked up at Peter questioningly. The boy huffed and rolled his eyes, plucking the packet from Tony’s fingers and tearing into it. He wasn’t overly careful, because the condom wasn’t about the safety; it was about the taste, and he drove two fingers into it, enough that he could push those latex-clad fingertips promptly into Tony’s mouth.

The Alpha gave a surprised mmph but then paused, tongue sliding along the covered pads of Peter’s fingers. “Mm’erry?” He mumbled around his mouthful, looking up at Peter in an amused but still confused manner. Peter gave a delighted nod, withdrawing his fingers and carelessly tossing the soiled condom and packet onto the coffee table. He had another.

“If you don’t wear this and let me lick you like an envelope, I’m going to stage a protest” Peter announced, squirming his way into standing upright. Tony cast him a bemused look, rising when Peter tugged at his shirt collar and moving easily when Peter pushed him down onto the couch. Tony sprawled elegantly before collecting himself, and reached up to scruff the Omega, dragging him down and onto his knees in the space between his spread thighs.

“A protest, hm? And what exactly would you do, Pup? Ban me from sex?” There was an Alpha bite to his mocking, and a gentle teasing that let Peter know the bite wasn’t serious. He leaned against the hand that held him, baring his neck even as he pat himself down for the second condom, forcing a pout to settle in place of the submissive, meek expression.

Tony said nothing, but watched with a baited look as Peter set aside the new packet and reached for Tony’s cock, palming it lovingly through his pressed slacks. It hardened under his touch until he was working at it with purpose, gripping the shape through the soft fabric, thumb pressing where he knew the tip lay, his pleading gaze fixed on Tony as he reached for the buttons.

“Please, Alpha. You won’t let me ride your knot. You won’t let me taste your cum. Won’t bury yourself inside me. Wanna - Have’ta get it somehow” Peter begged shamelessly, cheeks reddening when Tony’s hand tightened, thumb digging into the hinge of his jaw, Peter’s needy whine making his cock thicken under his fingers.

“Oh, but Pup. You don’t even want to taste my cum. You just want something to hold your little treat in place” Tony chastised, his free hand reaching down as he leaned forwards, to grasp cruelly at Peter’s cock. The Omega whimpered, sucking in a deep breath of Tony’s scent, flared with arousal. He could feel slick making his asscheeks sticky, and he didn’t wait to reply, fingers fumbling with Tony’s zipper. The Alpha was wearing dark, silk boxers that strained over his impressive length, and Peter would’ve dived forwards to taste it, except Tony’s grip held him steady, forcing him to simply part the material instead, drawing his cock out into the air.

It was a gorgeous thing. Long and hard, thick like a drinks bottle. The tip was cut and dark pink, shiny with pre-cum. The soft swell of his knot-hold at the bottom just visible through the parted silk and cotton. If Peter had his way, he would push up, climb onto Tony’s lap and sink onto it until it was choking his throat. As it was, he forced himself to let go of the hard, warm skin, reaching shakily for the condom.

Tony’s intense gaze tracked him, right to Peter peeling the condom from the wrapper, careful not to touch it too much. He didn’t know if the flavour was in the lube coating or the latex itself. A soft, low Alpha growl had him freezing, gaze flicking carefully up to Tony, who was smirking at him. “Mouth” the Alpha commanded, letting go of his scruff and lounging carelessly back onto the couch, hips jutting slightly and cock curving into his stomach.

Peter faltered. It was all well and good practising on bananas, but…

Tony allowed him to use his hands to start off, just to get the condom properly situated over the tip of his cock. The Alpha hissed a breath, eyes going half-lidded as Peter shuffled between his knees, licking his lips eagerly. “You smell so good, sweetheart. So slick. Always so hard, keeping my hands to myself”.

Peter wanted to snap then why the fuck are you?! But Tony’s hand buried deep in his hair, threading through the soft curls and pulling him down until his hot breath fell over his cock, making the thick length twitch and drool.

“Go on then, Pup. Daddy’s had such a hard day, be a good little Omega and make me feel better, then. Take a fat load and my knot down your throat” Tony hummed, free hand loosening his tie. And, yeah. Peter knew that Tony wouldn’t actually be able to knot his throat, but the idea and the words had fresh slick flooding his boxers, a breathless, high keen escaping as he dove down eagerly.

At first, it was awkward. He couldn’t suck, because that would suck the condom right off and down his throat. And he couldn’t use his hands, so he had to try and roll the slippery latex down the stretch of Tony’s cock with his tongue and teeth. The ache of his jaw as he worked at Tony’s cock was delicious, and the sweet, almost sickly strawberry was thick on his tongue and made him drool.

Both, then. Lube and latex. Tony hissed as he worked his tongue over the roll of latex, making a noise of frustration when it wouldn’t go down any further. The lube was too slick and he couldn’t focus on breathing and working it down. “M’pha” he whined helplessly, letting his mouth close over the hot, pulsing length, swallowing what remained of the coating.

Tony took pity on him, running a soothing hand through his hair even as he swallowed a moan, eyes rolling back slightly. “Okay, sweetpea. You can use your hands” he permitted, voice a low rumble as his hips jolted into the wet, tight heat of Peter’s mouth. Peter managed to pull the condom down properly and sat back briefly to breathe and suckle his fingers clean.

It wasn’t like real strawberries, it wasn’t juicy and sweet-sweet, but it was still good, still had his eyes rolling as he shuffled on his knees, thighs aching. It was good, though, basking in the scent of his Alpha, breathing in his arousal. The sensation of his long cock stretching his mouth wide, cutting off his breathing. He couldn’t wait to taste the real thing.

“Good, sweetpea?” His Alpha checked in, stroking through his hair fondly. Peter nodded, looking up dotingly at his Alpha before he dove back into his task, laving his tongue over the smooth latex and slurping the strawberry, sweet flavoured drool. Tony was doing his best to maintain control above him, slow, rumbling growls emitting here and there, but the slow-burn of heir sex life had clearly taken the toll on them both.

Tony’s thighs trembled with the effort of not fucking into Peter’s mouth, and his low moans accompanied Peter’s high, throaty keens. The Omega was drenched, grey sweats stained dark with his slick, the scent sweeter and over-powering that of the strawberry as he suckled hard, like he was trying to lick the taste right out of the latex.

“God, baby. So tight. My little slut”.

And.

And Peter was cumming with a yowl, swallowing harshly around Tony’s cock as his hips jolted forwards, tapering off into a whimper as fresh slick soaked his thighs and cum made the front of his boxers as sticky and wet as the back. Tony gave a sound of surprise, hands fisting tightly in his hair as his hips jerked into the sudden suction.

“Christ, sweetpea. Like that, hm? Being my little slut? Fuck. Should’ve done this sooner. You could be bouncing on my knot right now. Spread open wide over it; being stuffed full of my cum” Tony panted, scent thick with desire as he thrust up shallowly into Peter’s mouth. Peter whined, already desperate to cum again, despite still twitching from his first.

He scrabbled at the condom, only barely managing to pull it away and to impale his throat on Tony’s cock in time, ears filled with the yelped, surprised moan from above as thick, hot cum flooded his mouth. The strawberry taste was still there from the condom and it was a curious mix of salty-sweet, overwhelming and too much. He spluttered, choking on the never-ending liquid and watching some of it spurt from his mouth, dribbling back down Tony’s cock as he fought to swallow as much as he could.

“Such a good Omega, baby. So good for me. Taking all my cum” Tony rasped above him, hands petting at his jaw to encourage him to pull away and catch his breath. Peter was a mess of drool and cum, wiping uselessly at his chin. He felt gross and sticky, but sated and happy, blinking dazedly up at his Alpha with a sticky, white smile.

“So…Can you knot me now?”

[twokinkybeans]

Stark On Ice Chapter 3: 7 A.M.

7 A.M.: “Seriously, another romantic song? What the fuck, Steve.”

Peter bites down his bottom lip at Tony’s snarky reply to the song reveal. It’s Monday morning, and they’re discussing their plan for the upcoming week. They’re looking at their seventh show already and from now on they’ll have to perform two choreos rather than just one. It’s safe to say that Tony is stressed. He’s tired. Tired of the intensive training for a sport he’d never done in his life. Tired of the country’s eyes on him. Of course, he’s used to being in the center of attention, but never before had his sexuality been such a hot item. Peter knows how much pressure there is on him right now, and he doesn’t really blame him for feeling on edge. However, he will not allow the man to scold their friend and coach just like that.  “Tony, come on, it’s-” “Oh,” Tony waves his hand dismissively. “Shut up.”

What?

Peter scoffs and raises from his seat. Tony’s lips part and Peter can see the regret crossing his face. He feels bad for the man, but he’s not going to let himself be treated this way. He doesn’t want to practice lifts when the man is this tense. So he grabs his bag and sighs. “Alright, then. Go home, take care of yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Wha-” He hears Tony’s dumbfounded voice behind him. Peter simply ignores it and lets out a small breath when the door falls shut behind him. He almost feels guilty about walking away without saying another word. Without giving Tony a chance to speak. 

Tomorrow. Tomorrow they’ll discuss it properly. 

He heads towards the rink downstairs and smiles at the familiar, comforting cold when he steps inside. It’s not like Tony is the only one who’s made sacrifices to participate in the contest. It’s been too long since Peter just… Skated. No choreo, no teaching, just flowing wherever the music takes him. Since it’s only 7 am the rink is still nearly empty. Peter sits down at one of the benches and slides his feet inside the skates. He doesn’t even bother taping his ankles the way he usually does to protect his skin. He won’t be on the ice too long anyways. He- “Hey, Pete.” Peter turns around and is surprised to see MJ standing on the ice and leaning on the edge of the rink.  “Hey hey,” he replies, forcing a smile on his lips. He enjoys seeing her, but somehow the little incident with Tony has crept under his skin. “Trouble in paradise, huh?” “Ugh, Tony’s a genuinely nice man, but he’s awfully stressed out and taking it out on Steve and me.” “So you left?” “Mh-mh.” “Cool. That’ll do him some good. Now get your ass over here and skate with me.” 

Peter smiles and gets up, letting his worries glide off his shoulders when he feels the smooth ice allowing him to slide across. This is where he belongs most. This is where he feels free. MJ grins and grabs both his hands. She too is meant for figure skating. Her grace, her passion, her- Peter frowns and tightens his grip on her hands a little. His head snaps up worriedly. Her fingers are rough and chafed. And thin. “Michelle,” he breathes quietly. The girl freezes right where she stands, and he feels the tension rising in her body. “Peter, it’s nothing I swear.” “Then how did you know what I was gonna say?”

MJ presses her lips together and pulls her hands back. She crosses her arms in an attempt to hide them. Peter takes a quick glance at her body and feels panic rising in his chest. He hadn’t been paying attention. Hadn’t seen it coming. Her thin frame is showing more bone than it usually does. He spots how she tried to use a thicker pair of leggings to cover it up, but he knows her. “It’s…” MJ sighs. She knows that he knows. “It’s not as bad as it used to be.” Her voice is small and defensive. Scared. Peter’s heart tugs at his chest and he bridges the gap between them. MJ relaxes slightly in his hold. How hadn’t he seen it earlier? “Has anyone… Said, y’ know, stuff to you?” Peter asks carefully. MJ shakes her head right away. “Not directly. It’s...” Her voice trails off, and she stares at her toe picks. “YouTube is different than national television. People have strong opinions. If they don’t like Clint, they hate me. If they love Clint, they hate me. I… My thoughts… They try to come up with a solution on how to fix that.” “Em…” “Peter, please. Don’t worry about it too much ‘kay? I’ve already told Pep. She’s getting me a referral to Dr. Banner again.”

Peter stares at her in awe and tears cloud his vision. “I am so proud of you,” he chokes out and hugs her again, more tightly this time. She’s been struggling again, but… She spoke to her coach about it. Pepper is fantastic, she’ll definitely make sure MJ gets the care she needs so much. He feels her smile against his cheek, and he sighs. It’s not the first time she’s struggled with food. It’s hard, in the ice skating world. Most skaters have… a handful of bad habits to cope with the stress of upholding their physique and nailing every performance. Peter has a bad habit of not taking good care of his blistered toes until he literally can’t walk. Sometimes, he pulls an all-nighter just to watch stupid movies on Instagram or TikTok or whatever, because the thought of laying down in the dark by himself is too much. It’s not right, but… He thinks he’s still doing reasonably well. Not aiming for the Olympics definitely helps. The thought alone has him shudder.

MJ nudges his side, and the movement has him break from his string of thought. “Wanna skate together?” MJ’s posture stills show how uncertain she feels, but her eyes light up at her mere suggestion, so Peter can’t say no. He never could. Not his skating partner and friend. “Of course, I… Did you eat this morning?” MJ presses her lips together again, but nods. “I… Yeah. I did. Not much, but enough to train. I promise.” “Good. Alright, let’s go through Watermelon Sugar?” “Ohhhh yes, I’d love that!”

Breathe me in, breathe me out, I don’t know if I could ever go without.

-

After an hour of training, Peter called for a break. In all honesty, he just didn’t want MJ to overtrain. He invited her into his little studio for a second breakfast instead. She’s seated at his kitchen table now while Peter preps their meal. “So about you and Tony-”

Her sentence is cut off by Peter’s phone vibrating on top of the kitchen counter. Incoming Call: Tony Stark. For a split second Peter debates whether he should ignore or pick up. He low-key wants to hear what Tony has to say. He taps the green button and brings the phone to his ear, sliding his other hand through his hair nervously. “Hi, Tony.” “Peter, hey.” Quiet. “Thank you for picking up.” “Yeah.” “I… I am sorry about this morning. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you,” Tony whispers. “Or Steve, of course.” 

Peter frowns a little, but a smile creeps onto his face. He honestly hadn’t thought that Tony Stark would apologize this soon. “Mmmh, apologies accepted, Tony. Thank you for calling me. I’m sorry too, I probably shouldn’t have left.” “Would… Would you be up for a cup of coffee later? My treat, of course.” Peter eyes MJ real quickly. The girl, who has already figured out what’s happening, waves her hand quickly. “Go!” she mouths. Peter grins. “Yeah, sure thing.” And feeling a little bold, he adds. “Only if you come to pick me up in one of your fancy cars personally.” Both MJ and Tony snort in unison.  “Deal.”

-

Peter sips his mocha latte and groans quietly when a dot of whipped cream sticks to his upper lip. He sucks his lip into his mouth and sighs contently. Only then he realizes that Tony is watching him. Peter blushes, and- 

Oh god. He blushed. He blushed. Nononono-

“I, eh,” he stutters and puts the mug down. He wants to say something but he has no clue what. He can’t shake the feeling that the way they’re hanging out now very much resembles a date.  God, especially since MJ showed him this… fanfiction thing earlier this morning. He’s heard of the phenomenon before, but never in his whole life did he think that one day people would be writing about him. MJ told him ever so seriously that she had, in fact, read some of them, and she’d been gushing about this Superhero AU where Peter is a kid with spider powers and Tony a mechanic that built a metal suit to fight off Earth’s greatest villains. As she explained the plot, Peter had to admit it did sound rather creative.  No clue why someone would give him weird insect powers, but if it works, it works, right?

It’s just that he… He never quite realized how smitten he is with Tony until MJ quoted a love scene, causing Peter to feel this stab of jealousy in his chest because fiction-Peter could have Tony, and he  couldn’t. So now, with Tony watching him like that, it seems like a slight overload of his senses. It has him paralyzed. Good or bad, he hasn’t figured out yet. Thank God it’s Tony who breaks the silence between them.

“I wanted to apologize for earlier today, Peter. I’m not sure what came over me, I… I panicked.” Tony sighs and stares at the floor. Peter’s earlier worries moving to the back of his mind. He feels they’re treading on thin ice. “Y’know Peter, my dad… He was very much against homosexuality. Always warned me. Threatened me. I know he’s not here to judge me anymore but… It feels wrong that the entirety of the US knows now… It’s- I don’t-” Tony can’t seem to find the right words and he casts his eyes down. His fingers curling around the ear of the mug a bit too tightly. His knuckles white, other hand pressed into the wooden table. Peter swallows. Carefully, he reaches out for Tony’s shaky hand. “Hey,” he whispers. “I’ve got you.”

Tony lifts his head slowly at those words. Peter’s heartbeat picks up rapidly when he sees Tony’s longing, no- yearning stare. Could this mean… It feels far too intimate and yet not close enough where their hands are touching. Peter slowly curls his fingers to drag the tips across the back of the man’s hand. Tony clears his throat.  “I…” his voice sounds squeaky and tense. “It feels wrong that the entire US has seen how I fell in love with you, and I barely even registered it.”

Peter can’t seem to breathe anymore. He blinks. Once. Twice. Did Tony really just say that? He feels sweaty, hot all over. Flustered, confused. He opens his mouth only to shut it again and blows his cheeks up- a stupid nervous tick. Tony’s hand twitches underneath his own, and then the man tries to slide it back. “Peter, I’m so sorry, I thought maybe-” Peter grabs Tony’s hand more tightly. “ Yes. ” Peter rushes as he suddenly finds his voice again. “Tony... Yes. I feel the same way.” 

Both men stare at each other intently. Their hands painstakingly close, yet they both press into each other a bit more. Peter’s gaze drops to Tony’s slightly parted lips. Oh, how he wants to kiss him. How he wants to feel the rough stubble against his cheeks. He wants to taste the dark, bitter espresso lingering on the man’s tongue as they breathe into each other. When Peter looks up, he can see the exact same thoughts crossing Tony’s mind and he gasps. The older man groans and pulls his hand back quickly.

“We can’t. Not… Not in here, Peter.” “Too public, I get it.” “Yeah.” “I-” Peter’s voice is cut off by the sudden loud ringtone playing from Tony’s phone. The man curses under his breath and grabs it from the table. “Shit, it’s Happy. I gotta take this one,” Tony apologizes, and Peter nods. The boy leans back in his chair and licks his lips absentmindedly as he gestures for Tony to pick up. He doesn’t quite follow what Tony says to his assistant. Chauffeur. PA. Whatever Happy’s function is. All he sees is how Tony’s expression darkens and he knows it’s not a good sign. Tony rambles on and then ends the call. Peter tilts his head. “You have to go, don’t you?” Peter sees the way Tony’s expression falters and sighs when the man nods. Confirming his suspicions. “I am so so so sorry, you have no idea how badly I want to stay here, with… With you.” Tony’s voice sounds so soft and gentle, and a downhearted smile tugs on his lips. Peter wants to bridge the gap between them and kiss him anyways. Make him stay. But he knows that Tony runs a business. If it’s important, it’s important.  “Go. We have time.” “Yeah,” Tony breathes. He leans forward again and quickly squeezes Peter’s hand. “We do.” 

Peter watches how Tony grabs his jacket and gives him one last dazzling smile before hurrying out of the little cafe. Peter huffs a bewildered breath now that reality crashes down on him. He smiles into the distance as he picks up his mocha latte and chuckles to himself when he realizes he’s counting down the hours until tomorrow morning, 7 am. That’s when they’ll see each other again in the rink. He smiles when he realizes that their song is, indeed, yet again, a romantic song.

I been tryna call I been on my own for long enough Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe

---

Masterpost Next Chapter

[thatfanficstuff]

Strange Fates - 14

Pairing: Mikaelson brothers x reader

Warnings: Blood, attempted assault, worried originals, bad guys destroyed in bad ways

***

Chapter 14: The Walk Home

The last thing you wanted to do was crawl out of bed and pull yourself together to open up your shop. Unfortunately for you, you had an appointment scheduled with a buyer. Even if you decided to reschedule, you’d have to go in to get his information so you might as well just open up for a bit.

Your mates were no happier about your departure than you were but they promised a home cooked meal and a movie together once you got home. That at least gave you something to look forward to at the end of the day. You met your client and did some housekeeping tasks around the shop before deciding to close up early. You paused at the door and considered calling one of the guys to escort you home but quickly decided against it. Afterall, there were several hours of daylight remaining and you wanted to surprise them when you got home early.

You resettled your bag on your shoulder as you walked, adjusting its heavier than normal weight. You’d come across a couple of books you thought Elijah might want to add to his collection, one for Kol about early covens and one for Klaus about the life of one of his favorite painters. That one had been of particular interest when you came across it as you were certain the Nicolas mentioned in the pages as one of the man’s confidants was none other than Niklaus. The hybrid always enjoyed reading about his historical exploits. 

Your smile faded as a large hand wrapped around your upper arm and tugged you sideways into an alley. Annoyance flared through you as you twisted in the grip and were unable to get away. Son of a bitch. “You must have some majorly shitty karma if I’m the random victim you plucked off the street. You’re not going to have a good day, asshole.”

The man snorted and shoved you away from him, your back colliding with the building behind you. You grunted and let your bag drop down your arm so you could grab the handle and swing it at your attacker. He snatched it mid-arc and yanked it from your hold before tossing it aside as if it weighed nothing.

He snarled and stepped closer as you mentally went through the magic at your disposal. You’d practiced your magic for years but had never actually been forced to defend yourself with it. “You’re a feisty thing for a whore.”

You frowned at the man, brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”

Another step and his body pressed against yours, holding you in place as he sneered down at you, having at least a good six inches on you. He inhaled deeply and the motion screamed werewolf. Shit. “Apparently the rumors are true. Never thought I’d see the day those Mikaelson bastards shared anything, let alone a woman. Ain’t you the lucky one?”

So, this was no random mugging. You were targeted, sought out. You were suddenly torn between killing your attacker and incapacitating him. Surely your mates would have questions for him but your immediate instinct was to destroy the threat to your family. The internal debate ended the moment he reached for the button on your jeans.

“Maybe I should show you what you’ve been missing. Show you how a real man fucks.”

You slammed your palms against either side of his head. “How the fuck would you know?” When you separated your hands, the werewolf disintegrated before you. There really was no other word for it. The spell was extreme, vicious, and one you never thought you would actually use. Your attacker was taken apart at a molecular level leaving nothing behind but blood and visceral matter. Unfortunately, you were wearing a good deal of it.

Though you were doing your best to keep yourself together, you trembled violently. You’d never killed someone before and while you didn’t regret it in the least, it was still a shock to your system. Several minutes later, you were composed enough to realize that someone was calling your name. More than one someone in fact. “I’m here,” you called back, hoping their enhanced hearing would be able to pick you out from the sounds of the city.

Within moments, Kol stood before you, cradling your face in his hands as he looked you over. “Are you okay?”

You swallowed past the lump in your throat and nodded. The movement was slight but he picked it up just the same if the way he tugged you against him and wrapped his arms around you was any indication. Your arms grasped him immediately and you sobbed into his chest. Your knees gave way, but he held you tight, kept you from going down. Vaguely you were aware that you were coating him in blood, ruining his clothes. But he didn’t seem to care so neither did you.

“I have her,” he said and you realized one or more of his brothers must have arrived. As much as you loved them, you had no desire to release Kol at the moment. He was peaceful, strong, and you knew he wouldn’t make you talk about what happened until you were ready. “Get her things and we’ll meet back at the house.”

He swept you up in his arms and you buried your head against his chest as he sped you home. In minutes, you found yourself sitting on the counter in your shared bathroom. He stepped back and pushed a strand of hair behind your ear. “Are you certain you are all right, darling?”

You closed your eyes and shook your head. “There is nothing about this that is okay, Kol, but I’m not injured. None of this is mine.”

“All that matters is your safety, Y/N. Everything else we can deal with, understood?”

Your eyes studied his face, taking in the streaks of blood that he’d picked up from holding you. His brow was furrowed and his face was drawn with concern. You didn’t care for the look, not on your happy Kol. Instead of answering, you leaned forward and kissed him. A simple gesture to acknowledge his words, to reassure that you were whole and hearty.

His sigh of relief was accompanied by a visible relief of tension from his body. He kissed your forehead. “Get in the shower. I’ll find you some clothes.” He stepped away and you reached out to snag his wrist before he could leave.

“Stay with me.”

His brows lifted in surprise. “Y/N?”

“I don’t want to be alone right now.”

His expression shifted completely in understanding. “Of course, you don’t. Come then.”

***

You hadn’t intended to linger in the shower, but the hot water was so relaxing, comforting. Kol and you scrubbed each other clean while occasionally sharing a soft kiss or a loving embrace. When you finally got out, you found your soiled clothing had been replaced by clean, comfortable clothes for the both of you. Kol saw to drying you off and helping you dress before turning you toward the door with a pat on your rear. “Go on. They need to see you’re all right for themselves.”

Anxious to see your mates as well, you hurried off. You encountered Klaus first. He stood at the bottom of the steps awaiting your arrival. You all but launched yourself past the last several steps. He huffed a laugh as he caught you in his arms and held you tightly against him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and nestled against him with your legs wrapped around his waist. One hand helped support your weight while the other cupped the back of your head. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You’re safe now. You’re home.”

He kept whispering soothing words as he carried you through the house. “All right, spider monkey,” he finally said and you couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped you. He squeezed you tighter at the sound. “Here’s Elijah. He wants to see you as well.”

You turned your head to see Elijah standing nearby, his arms open to take you from his brother. You felt a bit like a child as you were passed off to him, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. Right now, you just wanted to be taken care of. Elijah sat on the couch and positioned you so you sat sideways in his lap. Reaching to the side, he grabbed a blanket to drape over you and you rested your head against his chest as you settled in the warmth. Within moments, you were sleeping.

***

“I still don’t understand why she would come home without waiting for one of us. She knows all she had to was call.” Klaus’s angry words roused you enough that you were paying attention, but not enough for you to wake completely.

Kol sighed. “Calm yourself, brother. It was the middle of the afternoon. She had no reason to think anything would happen. Why should it?”

“Besides, you know very well it is not her you are angry with, Niklaus. You were scared, as were we all, when you felt her distress. And then when we couldn’t find her…” He moved beneath you and you assumed he’d shrugged to finish off his point.

The tension was still thick in the air and you could almost see Klaus pacing the floor. “What if we had lost her? It took us nearly 1000 years to find her.”

“But we didn’t lose her,” Elijah argued.

“And she’s home now. Safe. Everything will be fine,” Kol added.

“What if it’s not?” Klaus retorted and your heart twinged. Your hybrid still found it difficult to believe that anything good could happen to him. That the fates would be so kind. As much as you wanted to stay right where you were for the rest of the evening, you evidently needed to take care of your mates as much as they needed to take care of you.

“It’s not as if that particular wolf will be causing any more trouble.” You kept your eyes shut as you spoke. Sometime during your rest a persistent headache had taken up residence. You could only assume the light would make it worse.

The silence stretched for a couple of minutes until Kol broke it. “Yes, about that, darling. What precisely happened to him?”

You huffed a laugh. “I did. My magic did, I mean. I never used that spell on a person before. I used to practice on watermelons. Can’t say it looked much different.” Your attempt to appear unbothered was ruined by the shudder that ran through your body. Elijah’s hand trailed your spine in an attempt to reassure you.

He started to speak but was cut off by Klaus. “Why are your eyes still closed, love?”

“Headache.” The word was accompanied by a groan and you tried to bury your face further into Elijah’s chest. Not that you could without suffocating. His hand moved up to cradle the back of your neck and rubbed gently.

“Drink,” Klaus ordered and you cracked open your eyes to find him leaning over you, wrist level with your mouth. Your gaze locked with his as you leaned forward and took what he offered. He ran his hand over your head until you pulled away a moment later, your head already starting to feel better.

“Thank you.”

He nodded and gave you a soft smile. He sat on the edge of the coffee table so he remained close. “Now, pretty. Tell us exactly what happened.”

[zitkaplushie]

nightwing secret files liveblog:

this is gonna be a long one so it’s under a cut!

taking wing-

is that jason??

i like this 'a christmas carol' type exposition i'm ngl

i'm not sure if 'jason''s dismissal of the circus is dixon using an unreliable narrator, or if dixon actually believes that

god i hate this art so much

how dare u insult the teen titans in any way 😤 i like the name

also titans cameo!!

more awful jason characterisation (pls dixon just stay 8732894738 feet away from jason)

"without robin i have no family" i guess the titans are just chopped liver huh

"i always thought that one day i'd be batman" nope nope nope nope you have 0 understanding of dick's character if that's what you think mr dixon

i love clark having a part in dick becoming nightwing - i adore it - but the way dixon retcons the importance of the titans, and especially kory, in dick becoming nightwing rubs me the complete wrong way. i'm choosing to read this as a between the scenes moment, but i 100% dixon intended this to replace the titans' importance. and the way ppl just swallow it up w/o thinking about the reasons behind why dixon would want to erase the titans - and kory - pisses me off lmao

"i didn't mean to stay so long [with the titans]" *eternal screaming* he really wants to undermine the titans at every possible turn wow

at least the next page acknowledges the importance of kory in dick's life, but right afterwards we have "lmao she must've liked your costume. all the girls did. you're a chick magnet" (paraphrased) and i'm just back to sighing

also hi i'm mad at the framing of babs being the endgame bc of course they'd do that. and also at kory being shorter than dick. thanks! i hate it! i'm willing to bet that dixon asked for that specifically.

"this is where i came in" i'm confused at this part but tbh i don't care enough to think abt it any more

i'm also ughhhh at the way they're trying to give bludhaven importance. i don't care, i don't like it, he should've never moved there

ok i do really like that last page

the fact files things are good enough, i love the art for the haly's circus one! the pt barnum ref is 😬 though (ik ik it's the 90s but fjskdh why)

lost pages: teen titans-

ok so, i don't like devin grayson. i don't like her writing at all, i don't think she gets the characters at all, and hot take: if you dislike a character who's super important part of dick's life, and helped him come into his own and be who he is, you shouldn't be writing that character. (i'm talking about kory here, but tbh if you dislike any of the characters who dick interacts with frequently and are a huge part of his life - especially his love interests, and his family - you shouldn't be writing dick.) so i'm not going into this story with high hopes. however i've seen ppl talk about this story as being really good so i hope i'll like it too

you can tell she mostly cares about the fab five, which wouldn't be a problem if she treated the ntt characters better but alas ://

kory and vic both say 1 thing the entire page lmao

ALSO KORY NOT KNOWING WHAT DAY IT IS IS ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT I CANNOT BELIEVE

i loooove the parallel between dick grasping wally's hand and young!dick holding his dad's hand 🥺🥺🥺🥺

vic legit says one thing the entire story lmaoooooooo 🙃🙃🙃

i love garth and roy being brought to the tower 🥺

this is def some of grayson's better work, but it suffers from the same thing all of her stories do. she doesn't fully understand all the characters. if one character is off it affects the whole story. a lot of her stories have good ideas and poor execution, and this one definitely doesn't have awful execution but there's still something missing and as someone who loves the titans it's just sad. i get why people like this story - it made me tear up at the end ngl - but the rest of the titans are just as important as dick and it feels like the writer doesn't understand that. (i get this is a dick comic but it's still a titans story.) (it does however make me want to write a fic expanding upon this moment and the aftermath bc the idea of the titans all coming together to cheer dick up is so goooooood. are they gonna have a party celebrating dick's parent's lives? are they gonna eat junk food and watch a comfort movie? are they gonna just sit and talk?? the possibilities are endless!!)

the art is gorgeous as all of jimenez' art is, i love his style so freaking much!!

the next page is of the bludhaven supporting cast and all it does is remind me how much i do not care abt them. i think the only one i actually like is clancy, the others are expendable and forgettable. (i do love clancy a lot though, i wish she'd been written by more people than just dixon). though, i usually love guice's art, i think i actually prefer mcdaniel's take on clancy??? which is 100% a first for me.

i like seeing the set up to dick's apartment, bc i'm a sucker for layouts and maps. i wish this comic was way better written bc the concept of dick living in an apartment building and interacting with his neighbours is one i really like, esp in superhero comics. but again i have to say, alas.

a day in the life of nite-wing/hangin'-with tad:

painful... just painful...

i physically couldn't care less about this if you paid me

the next page is tad's file and i am Not Reading That. nope nope nope. and also fuck you.

next is a map of bludhaven, and like i said, i'm a sucker for maps.

the page after that is brutale's file and again i just do not care. the art is by damion scott who i really like, but the design looks like knock off scarecrow so

the next pages are files for double dare, lady vidc, shrike and blockbuster and i'm skipping them all bc i give negative fucks

next is a spread of what i assume is dick's cork-board? it looks kinda interesting but the writing is hard to make out and i don't care enough to try to decipher it

next is torque's files and same same, idc idc

nightwing's romances/orange you glad i didn't say banana?:

ok so y'all know i hate dickbabs. i hate everything about how it was built on the foundation of tearing down kory and dickkory and i'm a kory fan first and foremost so i hate this whole situation. so i'm already predisposed to disliking anything that talks about how babs is dick's true love, and talks down any of his other love interests. i come into this with an admitted bias. i'd try to be charitable but i don't see why i should when no one involved in the writing of dickbabs is charitable towards my faves so 🤷

i love love love stelfreeze's art! he's drawn babs in something else i read and i loved it then and i love it here!

i adore dick and babs' friendship, so the beginning is really sweet and cute. i also love the concept of baby!dickie being obsessed with watermelons and wanting to eat them forever

dewey decimal system!!! librarian babs reference!! fdjkh she's such a nerd i love it

babs trying to talk about romance and dick's like 'lol nah what abt fighting' lmao

i Do Not like babs hitting dick while talking abt 'i was segueing into talking about romance, hint hint'

this is romance? dick giving exactly 0 fucks?

why are these writers obsessed with hinting at dick and donna??? like first dixon and now grayson??? please stop!!!! i do love how he says he loves her bc 🥺🥺🥺 i love them

ur not being slick having babs call donna 'donna' and kory 'starfire', i see you grayson. i see ur hate for kory.

and reducing kory to just her body, and dick's sexual attraction to her boils my blood

i'm choosing to interpret babs's face in that panel as her being attracted to kory too

i do like that dick talks about being in love with kory, and thinking about still being with her. a) i'll take those crumbs, and b) thats how i see dick's relationship to love as being (though devin views him as kinda flighty and unfaithful so idk how we're agreeing on this lmao)

pls stop talking shit abt huntress devin, ur the one who made dick/hel a thing

since devin loves her brudick subtext, i'm side-eyeing the mention of bruce there

also why are we hinting at cass pls stop

babs being jealous and petty pls stop

the ending was smooth i have to admit it. if it was any other ship i'd probs love it but as it is, i'm tired of everyone else being downplayed in favour of the ~babs is dick's true loooooveee, it's always been herrrrr, from the beginningggggg~

i don't mind babs being dick's first crush though, in fact that's my hc for him because hello?? who wouldn't have a crush on babs??

thank you mr stelfreeze for accurately portraying babs' bitchface bc she's being a petty bitch here (and i love her but lmaooo i hate this whole thing)

next is the files on the bludhaven pd and i do not caaaare

then there's a timeline, but i don't care about any timeline that dixon writes. i'm petty though so i'm gonna read it and talk abt why i don't like the retcons.

i hate the dickbabs reference in YEAR FUCKING 3 jfc. pls stop with the retcons.

also lmao the difference between the way dick's canon relationship from that time is described in the shittiest way possible (though reluctant at first, dick begins a long and tumultuous romance with teammate starfire.) and how he wrote dick and babs' relationship (robin first teams with ... barbara in her guise as batgirl. the two will pair time and again over the course of their careers and develop a burgeoning affection for one another) this was at a time when they weren't even remotely interested in each other!!! there was no affections there dixon! no matter how much you wish it to be true!! and again the contrast with 'starfire' and 'barbara'! like it's dehumanising and i hate it.

and he can't even bother to get the new teen titans' team name right.

no mention of kory's importance in dick becoming nightwing, nope we ignore that bc it's thanks to superman now.

stepping away from the way he hates kory to talk about the way he hates jason! jason's described as a 'troubled orphan' and a 'juvenile delinquent'.

no mentions of how jason and dick bonded but as soon as tim gets introduced he talks about how dick and tim 'switfly bond as brothers'.

another incredibly impersonal description of dick and kory's relationship (the wedding of dick grayson and kory anders (aka starfire) is aborted by the rogue titan raven. dick and kory soon part company and dissolve their relationship.) but at least he calls her kory this time.

also i love how he speeds up through all the 'non important' development for dick but spends a whole page talking about all the bullshit he's been writing for nightwing. i understand why, but it's just lmaooooo 🙃 when you read it like that, it really shows how shitty this comic is.

talks of the 'doomed relationship' between dick and hel and i really hate it pls stop

the last page is dick's evaluation by the police academy and i do not care so i'm skipping it too.

[yeoobiii]

A New Home | Neighbour AU | Chapter 3

Prompt: “Hey, I locked myself out, can I stay at your place until my roommate comes home?”

Pairing: Harrison Osterfield x Fem!Reader, Tom Holland x Fem!Reader

Summary: Y/N’s life couldn’t have been more ordinary. She lived together in an apartment with her sister, while being a student at the nearby college. The small flat next to hers stood empty for a while now, until one day two young men moved in. What at the beginning seemed like a simple new encounter, tured out to turn her world upside down.

Warnings: swearing, drinking

Word count: 3.3k

Prolouge | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Your doorbell rang. You were currently not doing anything special. You were lying on your bed, scrolling through your phone. You got up and made your way to the front-door. You didn’t expect anyone or anything, so you wondered who could be at your door. The door doesn’t have a spy, which meant you had no idea who was standing on the other side of it.

As you opened the door, you were greeted by the smiley face of a blond boy with blue eyes. He was holding a paper-bag excitedly right in your face. A little panic started to spread in you. Since you were home alone and had no plans for the night, you were only dressed in a pair of black shorts, watermelon socks and a loose t-shirt with no Bra under it. Your panic was mixed with confusion. What was he doing here and why was he so excited?

Since the text he send to your sister two days ago, you haven’t heard from him. You really weren’t expecting anything anymore at this point. You also tried to do your best not to think about about him or this stupid kiss. You had to admit, it was hard and you needed a lot of distractions, but it worked somehow. Or actually it didn’t. You just liked to tell yourself that it worked.

So, now he was standing in front of your apartment on a Monday evening.

“I’ll be back in a second.” you told him and ran off, smashing the door back into its lock.

Harrison’s smile faded and was replaced with a confused look as the door was smashed shut right into his face.

You sprinted to your room and looked around for something to wear. You got out a bra. Also, you found a black shirt somewhere in the mess you called your room. You grabbed a pair of light blue skinny jeans from the floor and put them on. You decided the socks were fine. You got your hair free from the messy bun on your head, brushed it and pulled it together in a proper ponytail. After a second look into the mirror, you decided that you still looked awful, but not as awful as you did one minute ago. You rushed back to the door and opened it again.

Harrison was still here, looking around. His attention was back on you within seconds and he was still smiling brightly. The whole evening, he didn’t make one comment on what just happened.

“Hi, Harrison.”

“Hi, Y/N.”

You realised that you were still standing in the doorway, so you moved out of your way that Harrison step in.

As he put his bag on the kitchen counter, you asked:

“What are you doing here?” you didn’t know what to expect by this sudden visit.

“I hope you haven’t eaten yet.” he raised his eyebrows at you excitingly. You shook your head and signalised him to continue.

He took a deep breath and started explaining, while unpacking his bag:

“Even though your sister told me, you loved take out; I decided on something else, but still similar. Because I fucked up pretty badly last Friday, I wanted to make up for it. And I wanted to apologize. But I thought coming here and saying ‘I’m sorry’ is kinda lame. Even though, I really am. And since I have a secret source that told me you liked sushi, I thought I’d make sushi for you. Or we can do it together. However you’d prefer it.”

You were taken aback by his offer and his apology as well. In your head you always just told yourself that Harrison probably didn’t waste another thought about you, after he left your apartment on friday. And now here he was, apologizing and ready to make your ‘favourite food’ for you.

“I’ve never made sushi before.” you stated, since it was the only thing that came to your mind on what to say.

“Me either. See, that’s the point where I think this gets interesting. You can either watch me fail completely and use me to your amusement. In that case, I’ll probably end up buying take out for us anyway or you could help me and we could try to actually make some enjoyable sushi. So, what do you say?”

You were really impressed by his enthusiasm. It rubbed off on you a little. And suddenly, you found yourself, wanting to make sushi with Harrison Osterfield on a Monday evening.

You realised, Harrison was really sorry for what happened. From your point of view, he didn’t even have to be. He should be apologizing to his girlfriend out of everybody. Sure, the situation unsettled you, but in the end, it was you who overreacted. You were the one planning on apologizing to Harrison for handling the situation like this. But if it would have went your way, you probably just would have avoided him to the point where you were faced with the unavoidable. Maybe in the end, you and Harrison could become friends.

“Sure, I’ll help you.” you told him and with that made his lips curl up into a silly smile.

“Great!” he happily stated, “We need to cook some rice then.”

You and Harrison were hopelessly lost. None of you were really good at cooking, even though Harrison likes to believed that about himself. You were fast in telling him that microwaving eggs was not cooking. You could tell he was slightly offended.

“I can make pancakes too.” he tried to defend himself.

And you just weren’t the cooker. You rather spend your time on something else. In your case, something else meant lying around all day and night doing basically nothing. You were just lazy. And with that, your take out-habit developed.

The good thing was, Harrison thought ahead and basically bought twice as much from everything than you actually needed. The first pack of rice went to shit. It wasn’t until Harrison was about to open your second and last pack as you came up with the idea to watch a tutorial on YouTube on how to actually cook sushi-rice. And with that you actually managed to do it and you also figured out what the rice-vinegar and the rice-wine were for.

“I’ve just read it in a recipe and thought it sounded sushi-ish; I had no idea what it was for.”

“It sounded sushi-ish? Makes sense when it’s in a sushi recipe, don’t you think?”

Just as they thought the hard part with the cooking was over, they came to the part where they actually had to roll the sushi. This time, they decided to watch the tutorial right from the start. While you were chopping the veggies, Harrison was very focused on what the woman in the video said about how to roll the sushi. You found it quite adorable how serious he was taking all of this. He probably didn’t even realise he started to mimic the movements the woman made in the videos. You had to smile to yourself, what a dork.

“You got it?” you hinted at his phone.

“I think so?” he neither sounded and nor look a 100% convinced.

They finished cutting the veggies together. In the sushi-kit Harrison bought, was a bamboo-matt to roll. Getting the rice on the nori-sheets was already challenging enough for Y/N. She and Harrison ended up with rice all over their hands. The rolling itself actually went really well. You were impressed by how good of a job Harrison was doing. After the second roll you wanted to try it yourself, so Harrison showed you.

“You have to push it back.” he instructed you.

“Like this?”

“Maybe a little more.”

Your roll turned out okay. Harrison’s looked better though, so you let him continue. After you were finished rolling and the rice pan was empty, the only thing left was cutting the sushi. Harrison read somewhere that you should cut it with a wet knife, so it would make a good cut. After messing up the first few, you eventually got the hang out of it and it didn’t even look that bad. You got out a fancy plate you forgot you had and you placed the sushi on it. As you looked at your final result, you couldn’t feel anything but proud.

“We actually did a really good job.” Harrison stated, “I’m gonna be honest, I thought we would fuck this up completely.”

“Same here. I’m proud of ourselves.” you retorted with a smile on your face. You and Harrison high fived.

The kitchen was a real mess, though. Harrison offered to take over the cleaning, since it was his apology and it was his idea to destroy your kitchen. Harrison was carrying the plate with sushi into the living room where you told him to put it. Eating in the living room on the couch was also a thing you adopted after some time.

“What do you want to drink?” you shouted from the kitchen.

“Oh, I actually brought something, only if you don’t mind, though.” Harrison came running back into the kitchen and pulled out a whole pack of Capri-Sun.

“In case one’s not enough.” he grinned at you, and you couldn’t help but grin back, “I thought we better skip the alcohol this time, since that wasn’t a success last time.”

“That’s actually quite perfect.” you told him, and he was satisfied with himself. Even though you had to swallow a little harder at his last comment. Why does all of this bother you so much? The better question, why do you keep thinking about the way it felt when your lips touched?

You walked back into the living room and took place on the couch.

You even found some old metal chopsticks in one of your many kitchen drawers.

“I gotta be honest with you” you started and Harrison’s attention was on you, “I’ve never had sushi before.”

“Wait, what? No, your sister told me it’s your favourite.”

“My sister likes to mess with me and apparently with you too.” you admitted with a small smirk on your face.

“But what if you don’t like it? Then all of this was for nothing.”

“What do you mean? I had a great time making it. And I definitely imagined my Monday evening to be rather boring, so thank you.”

“Yeah, you had a good time?” he wanted to assure himself. You only nodded which was good enough for him. A proud smile formed on his face. You could tell he was satisfied with himself.

You ended up loving sushi. The mango ones were your favourite, so Harrison let you eat almost all of them. You decided against watching anything while eating and so you talked. Harrison told you on what projects he was currently working on and you told him about your major in college and what your plans for the future looked like.

You were both kind of in the same situation. As you told him about your future, you had no idea where to start, because you had no clue on what to do after college. And he was talking about what he was doing right now, but he had no idea what to come after. You figured that you were both the kind of people to just finish what they were doing at the moment and didn’t thought about what was about to come after.

“Do you like your major?”

“I actually do. At first, I started with a different one, though. I change after the first half of my first semester.”

Harrison turned out to be how you thought he would be. You probably could talk about everything and everyone with him and at the same time, he liked to place a joke here and there. Not once you felt uncomfortable or awkward while talking to him. He doesn’t take himself or anything else too seriously. You also liked the way his dimples showed when he was smiling wholeheartedly. His laugh was mesmerizing too. But you had to stop your thoughts right then and there. There was no way you were about to develop feelings for a guy who was already in a relationship. If so, there would be only one person ending up heartbroken.

Harrison kept his promise and went to clean the kitchen after you two finished talking. But of course, you weren’t the one to let him clean up the mess you fabricated alone. He refused to let you help at first but eventually gave in.

“When are you planning on getting Frankie back?” he asked as his hands were busy washing your dishes and more dirty stuff from the kitchen.

You didn’t expect that he remembered her.

“I’ve got finals this and next week and after that, we’ll probably get her back.” you couldn’t help the smile that crept on your face while thinking about your dog. You just now realised how much you actually missed her.

“Sounds great. Let’s say I bring my dog along as well and we go in the park with them together or something?”

He actually wanted to spend more time with you, and you were really happy about that. You liked Harrison and you were excited to get to know him better, maybe one day, you’ll even meet his girlfriend.

“That actually sounds fantastic.”

He was also glad, you wanted to spend more time with him. He couldn’t quite explain why he felt so comfortable around you, he just knew that he did. And it was reason enough for him to want you in his life as a friend. 

As Harrison handed you a plate to dry, soap dripped from his hand directly on your t-shirt.

“Oh, shit. Sorry.”, he tried to wipe it away not thinking about his still wet hands. He only made it worse, and you started to laugh, since he didn’t seem to realize what he was doing.

He was suddenly so close to you. Harrison looked up at you as if he wouldn’t understand what’s so funny, until he saw the mess he fabricated on your shirt. His cheeks slowly reddened out of embarrassment. He looked at you with an adorable and apologetic look. Harrison didn’t seem to realize how close the two of you were.

The both of you grew quiet, neither you nor Harrison broke the gaze between you. His eyes were the clearest blue you’ve ever seen. Your chest started to grow tight. What was happening? Before you could even register Harrison starting to lean in, your phone started to ring. The both of you exhaled deeply.

“I should probably get that.” Your voice was quiet and flustered.

“Yeah, you probably should.”

Harrison turned away from you as you went to pick up your phone. He went back to clean the last few items in the kitchen, while you saw a picture of your sister lightening your screen and making it ring and vibrate.

“Hi, Lu. What’s up?” your voice seemed kind of shaky as you started talking to your sister.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. What’s up?” you send an apologetic wave Harrison’s way as if to say sorry for the interruption.

“Wait, what happened?”

Harrison sensed that you sounded worried now. He wondered what was going on and if he could do anything to help. At the same time, he was still thinking about what almost happened two minutes ago. He tried to assure himself that it was nothing, he was fine. But he could not answer the question, what would have happened if you weren’t interrupted. He didn’t want to know. Or did he?

“No, no. I already ate … with Harrison, why? … let’s not talk about this now, okay?”

Harrison put the last spoon back into its place.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

Harrison felt guilty for overhearing your call, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that you sounded really worried.

“Okay, yeah. See you in a few. I love you.”

You hung up.

Harrison looked at you with a curious and worried expression.

“You should go.”

“Did anything bad happen? Maybe, I can help.” he suggested, meaning every word of it.

“I’m sorry, but my sister is supposed to be home any minute and she told me she had a fight with her boyfriend. She said she was fine, but I know when she’s lying. But thank you so much for tonight. And just so you know, I was actually planning on apologizing to you because I acted childish that day. I’m sorry-” you started to ramble as Harrison cut you off.

“It’s fine, alright? I’m the one in a relationship, and I could see I made you uncomfortable.”

You hated how he said that. Like, he knew anything about you or when you were uncomfortable, like he had any power over the way you felt or didn’t feel. But you tried not to think about this now. You just knew, when your sister came home, you had to be there for her, no distractions allowed.

“Listen, Harrison, I’m really sorry to kick you out like this. But I have to look after my sister as soon as she gets home.” you tried to explain.

“No, of course, everything’s fine. I’ll just grab my stuff real quick.” Harrison went to grab his jacket and shoes. “If I can help with anything, you know where I live.” he offered, already halfway out the door.

“Harrison?” you called after him.

“Yeah?” he turned around.

“Thanks, again.”

He just smiled at that and closed the door right behind him.

After your sister hadn’t shown up for another two hours, you started to get worried sick. You tried to call her at least twenty times and sent her over fifty text messages. You even thought about going over to the boy’s apartment to ask them if they would help you search for your sister. By the time your front door opened, you were lying passed out on your sofa, your cell phone right in front of you.

Your sister slid of her boots as quietly as possible, even though it was hard for her to stand straight. Due to the amount of alcohol in her blood system, she eventually woke you up anyway.

“Lu?” you called, rubbing your eyes.

“Hey, baby girl. Don’t… mind m- me. I’ll- jus go t-to bed.”

“Are you fucking kidding me, right now.” your eyes weren’t adjusted to the light yet, “I was up all night waiting for you to come home. I was so fucking worried after your call. Where the fuck were you.”

You sat up, your face in your hands, as you started to hear quiet sobs. As you lifted your head, you saw a girl. The girl seemed lost and messy. There was barely any colour in her face. Her black hair was dishevelled, and wisps of it hang loosely in her face. The girl seemed broken, a tear rolling down her cheek. You didn’t recognize your sister in this girls’ eyes.

“Matt’s leaving me.” she whimpered, the usual dynamic her voice carried was gone.

You scooped on the sofa and Lu slowly walked towards you and eventually sat down right beside you. You could see how hard she was trying to keep it together in front of her little sister. How hard she tried to stay strong in front of her.

“It’s okay.” You whispered.

It was that moment she broke down in front of you. The tears were now streaming down her cheeks, and her make up was all over her face. Her sobs grew heavier, as she dropped herself into your lap.

You knew it wasn’t the time to ask questions. You still wanted to know what was going on. But you figured that Lu wasn’t in the constitution to talk right now. At the moment she just needed you, her little sister, holding her and spending her comfort.

What could she have meant by saying that Matt is going to leave her?

–

Tags:

obsidianspidey, ixchel-9275

[thehomierobbstark]

Eat Your Breakfast

Pairing: Erik Killmonger x Reader [#TeamErikDon’tDateWhiteChicks]

Prompt: ….this shit mad weird but yall been accepting my lil odd ass fics n whatever so far so just go with it ig XD

A/N: Random lil shit I came up with the other morning.  I don’t like to eat breakfast (even though I love breakfast food… I just feel like its too much first thing in the morning) but if I had to be convinced, I wouldn’t mind this approach I suppose.

[Yall are lucky as FUWK. I was planning on semi ghosting until I could finish a couple more hybrid fics so I can post a few at once, but I ended up finishing this while I was at work so here you are]  Nods to @supersizemeplz to the style of writing I sampled a little bit in here. I don’t really know how to describe it, but if you’re familiar with her fics you’ll recognize it when you see it. Edit: She’s amazinggg and I love her please go read her fics if you haven’t!!

Warnings: At the bottom 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿.

This is for all my lil cute ass black gorditas out there rockin back fat, belly rolls and thick ass thighs that touch!!  x Reader is always gon be black, chubby, and sassy.

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

The early morning sunshine peeks through the blinds and into your bedroom, the warm rays caressing your cheek as you stir from your slumber.

You reach your arms out, stretching wildly and rolling around in the sheets for a moment, enjoying the soft cotton against your toes and the comfy fabric of the overlarge sweatshirt you’d slept in, quiet little moans escaping your lips as you sigh in content.

You’d slept amazing last night, finally getting a full nights rest after days of feeling restless and lethargic.  Every day you’d waited for the hours to tick by for the moment you could crawl back into your bed and try again.

You’d done everything you could think of to try and help; turned on the string lights and faux candles around your room for a subtle glow, lit your favorite lavender and vanilla scented candle to soothe your senses, even taking a luxurious bath routinely after work to relax your tired body.  Nothing seemed to be working the whole week, that is until Friday rolled around and he showed up.

Erik. The absolute love of your life.  He’d been swamped in work all week, unable to stop by and see you every night like he usually did.  He was over your place so often you almost wanted to ask why he didn’t just move in, but you didn’t want him to feel pressured into making a big decision like that based off your wants.

When the clock struck five on Friday evening he was finally free, and by 5:45 he was at your doorstop, a duffle packed with clothes for the weekend slung over his shoulder, and a bouquet of roses in his hand.  

You’d think by the way you’d enthusiastically hopped up into his arms and made him drop everything that you’d spent all night rolling around in those cotton sheets of yours, but you didn’t.

Instead, you’d spent it curled up in his lap, watching old reruns of Girlfriends while he massaged Tea Tree oil into your scalp, eventually drifting off into a deep sleep.

Last night was amazing.

Swinging your legs over the side of the bed, you tuck your feet into your house slippers and stand up to stretch your legs, hearing about five different joints pop and lock in protest.

Erik always begged you to go to a chiropractor to get that looked at, but you refused, arguing that it’d been normal for you ever since you were about 12.  Besides, why go to a chiropractor when he was the best back breaker in town you knew?

Wiping the sleep from your eyes, you wander out of the bedroom, your nose following the delicious scent of frying bacon and buttery biscuits just pulled from the oven.  You shuffle into the kitchen, seeing Erik over the skillet frying up an aromatic combination of veggies and meat for the omelettes he planned on making.

“Morning babygirl,” he calls to you over his shoulder, and you wonder how in the world he managed to hear you over all the noise he was making.

“Maybe if you didn’t drag your feet so much you’d actually be able to sneak up on a nigga one day.” He turns and looks at you, laughing at your scrunched up puzzled face at his comment.

You grunt off handedly, rolling your eyes and shuffling your ass on over to give him a good morning hug and kiss before standing off to the side to watch him cook.

You look over all the prepared food, basking in the intoxicating fumes of it all, and your stomach grumbles. More so in gas than in hunger.

“Uhh… who bout to eat all this?” you point a finger around at the spread, cocking an eyebrow.  

Erik had a huge appetite and could definitely eat about 3 servings all on his own, but you never ate anything before about 11:30 and he knew that. It was currently 8:00.

“Nah, you bout to eat some of this,” he answers, reading your mind again. “That not eating breakfast shit is not happening anymore. Go sit and wait for me.” He points with the spatula towards the dining table, already set up with plates and utensils.

You sigh, making your way on over to an empty chair like he’d ordered you.  While your nights rest was rejuvenating, you were not a morning person, and you didn’t have the energy to put up a fight.  Otherwise, you’d have oriented yourself in the direction of the bedroom and taken yourself right back to sleep, which would have probably resulted in you being dragged back anyway with a sore ass and your lips poked out.

You figured you’d pick the lesser of two evils and just go with it. What was he gonna do, force you to eat or something?

You plop down into the chair, making yourself comfortable and pouring some juice; apple for him and cran-pineapple for yourself.  It’s not long before Erik joins you at the table, setting a large plate with bacon, biscuits, a huge omelette and slices of fresh fruit around the edge.

He pulls out his own chair, leaving a significant amount of space between himself and the table.

“C’mere,” he motions you over with a couple fingers, patting his lap.

Already seeing where this was going, you sigh, ready to tell him that you were good with just juice.

“Look -”

“I asked you to come, I didn’t ask you to speak.  Bring your ass over here.”  He looks at you, unbothered, as your mouth drops open and your brows furrow.  

Meanie. He couldn’t just ask you like a normal person? He’s lucky you were in a cuddly mood, otherwise your verbal foot would be all up in his ass right now.

You push your chair out, grabbing your juice and semi stomping your way over to him. Fuck his apple juice.

He pulls you into his lap and takes your cup from you, putting it to his lips and drinking ALL OF IT, placing the empty cup onto the table.  

“Brat.”

You stare at the side of his face, trying to decide if you’ll be able to make a clean getaway to the bathroom if you smacked him in his shit right now and made a run for it.  

Before you could finish the thought, he shifts you in his lap, facing your body towards the table, his large frame hovering over you from behind.

Taking the fork and knife, he cuts a reasonably sized piece from the omelette, piercing it with the fork and holding it up to your mouth.  

“Open.”

OK. You were not about to be fed like a goddamn child, so this nigga can go on somewhere if he thought that was about to happen.

You didn’t even have a chance to react when he smacks you with an open palm hard on your exposed thigh, and your mouth opens wide in silent pain.  

Grabbing your jaw with one hand he gently places the food into your mouth, looking you into the eyes and daring you to spit it out.

You begrudgingly close your mouth, blowing a hard breath through your nostrils, chewing the food.  The entire time you stare daggers into his face, and he warns you that he’ll be smacking something else if you keep on staring at him like that.

You fix your face, finally swallowing the mouthful of food, and he pecks you on the lips, giving you a praise.

“Good girl.”

He repeats his actions with the knife and fork, aiming for the omelette again, and you grunt in protest, shaking your head.  He looks at you out the side of his eyes, waiting for your excuse, but instead you nod you head towards the back of the plate.

“The fruit? Please?” Your voice is small and sweet, and he complies, cutting a wedge of watermelon in half with his fork and feeding it to you.  If you were going to be forced to eat something this early, the least he could do was let you pick what you wanted.

This continues on and on, him joining in the feast too as he finishes most of the omelette and you the fruit, both of you sharing one of the biscuits and a piece of bacon together in comfortable silence.

Surprisingly, your stomach didn’t feel too full or upset, which was usually the response you’d get and why you never ate breakfast in the first place.  

If anything, you felt content and energized.  Perhaps a nice breakfast was just the thing you needed after a full nights rest.  

He’d poured some more juice in your cup and grabbed his own, sipping on it as his fingers played in the hair at the nape of your neck, your head resting on his shoulder and your legs spread out over his.

“How was your week, princess?” He asks you, and you can feel the deep timbre through his chest buzzing lightly on your own.  You snuggle into him more, moving impossibly closer and hugging his warm body tighter.

You look up at him, studying that gorgeous profile of his, eyes trailing over the soft angle of his jawline and the smile lines etched into the sides of his mouth, down to the soft tufts of hair around his chin you loved to scratch your fingers in.

All week this is what you’d been looking forward to, and it was finally here.

“It was perfect,” you tell him, and his eyes connect with yours, humming in satisfaction and leaning down to place a kiss onto your forehead.  

Your heart stutters in your chest, and you close your eyes and nuzzle your face into his neck, spending the rest of the morning wrapped up in each others arms and the feeling of your heart beat on top of his.

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

Warnings: Fluff, Humor

[irwintry]

2% Milk

Warnings: swearing

Author’s Note: sea bears

Word Count: 2.3k

part one two

Luke had never been this paranoid in his entire life.

Your words were short, your gaze no longer prolonged, and your tolerance with physical contact was growing thin day by day. You laughed at his jokes and smiled every time he walked in the room, but those lovely grins would falter as soon as his presence registered.

Luke felt sick to his stomach.

You were his. You had been his for nearly a year. He was yours. Even after you had gone back to school for your last year, he made sure to be there whenever you needed. He reminded you to take your pills on important days (just in case you forgot – he would never bug you about it in fear of it becoming bothersome), and he often dropped by whenever you felt exceptionally sad so he could give you a proper cuddle. Even if the journey took a few hours, it was always worth it to see you.

So now, his heart was in his feet at the thought of you no longer loving him. He had never loved anyone more.

Luke couldn’t believe there had been a time where he hated you. Even looking at you annoyed him, and now he still found himself lost in your eyes after dating for as long as you two had been. As cheesy as it sounded, they were his favorite color. He had given every part of himself to you throughout the past year, and he had never done that before to anyone, not even Mason. If Luke lost you, he’d lose himself, too.

It was a shame that was the truth. A person should never consistently rely on another for their happiness. You had become another half of him, so it was hard to deny that losing you would destroy him. He would never want you to feel guilty about the decision, even if it did tear him apart.

Commitment scared him. He knew of people his age getting married and settling down, and as bad as he wanted to do it one day, he didn’t know when he’d feel ready. He hadn’t been in a relationship as serious as this one with you, and he wasn’t sure he should be thinking about marriage so soon. Nevertheless, he was.

He pictured his life with you, and he’d smile. He envisioned the two of you in a white house with red shutters, a little boy and girl running through a sprinkler on the lawn. Years ago, if someone asked him what he wanted, he wouldn’t have told you the answer was a family. He never imagined settling down like that. He wanted to travel the world and live life as if there were no tomorrow. Now, he couldn’t picture living his life without you.

It was safe to say that Luke was terrified. You had never hesitated like this.

The front door to your parent’s home creaked slightly as he stepped through it. Your car was in the driveway, as was Mason’s. Luke expected to find the two of you in the living room playing Mario Party 12 on the Wii, but there was no excessive shouting coming from that direction. The TV was off, and the only sound he could hear was the distant murmur of two voices from the kitchen.

Luke hadn’t felt nerves like these since he played baseball in school. He dreaded batting – he preferred playing shortstop, but the team batting was always too good, so he never stayed in that position long enough.

He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. Truly, he wished he hadn’t.

You had been crying, and Mason – while usually very aloof when it came to any sort of emotion – was consoling you. From what Luke could guess, the conversation you were having with your brother was the reason you had started crying in the first place. It didn’t make sense to Luke at the beginning, and then he felt weightless in his boots.

He rested his forehead against the pale wall, eyes wide and watery as he attempted to steady his breathing. His hands were in fists on the wall beside his head, his fingernails cutting deep crescent indents into his skin. He couldn’t think. His brain was too muddled, and he couldn’t think.

You were pregnant. Pregnant. You were pregnant with a child. Most likely his child.

Luke swallowed and blinked a few times to let whatever tears had emerged fall onto the faux suede of his boots. Of all the times he thought about overcoming commitment, he never imagined it happening so soon. If he chose to be completely honest, no matter how many times he thought about it, he knew he would never be ready for the news.

He felt sick to his stomach. Every inch of him had numbed, and his limbs were no longer mobile as the conversation between you and Mason carried on. Luke tried his best to listen in despite his head losing focus every second.

“–not easy to even think about,” Mason said. “If you want me to tell him, I can.”

Luke’s ears perked, but his heartbeat was still too loud.

“Don’t... don’t do that,” you sputtered out through sniffs.

His heart ached. He wanted to stomp in there and press you tight against him until all worries faded away, but his touch wouldn’t help this time. At least he had an answer as to why you somewhat-removed yourself from him. He couldn’t imagine how heavy this felt in your chest. Every time you saw him, you were reminded that you were bearing his child.

Fuck, he thought.

But, what if it wasn’t his child?

Luke couldn’t think like that. He knew you wouldn’t cheat on him. If anything, you had room to believe he’d cheat on you. Though he never, ever would, but even you knew he had never been this dedicated to anyone before in his life.

“How would you do it?” Mason asked. His voice was calm, unlike what Luke’s would be if he were there.

There was a moment of silence. Luke pressed his palms flat against the cool wall and took a breath. It was shaky, but he had been holding it in for what felt like ages. Only a moment passed since he heard the news.

Suddenly, Luke felt so guilty. This was your news to tell, not his to overhear. He had to leave before he made any further mistakes.

“I don’t even think he wants to know,” you whispered, but he had heard.

Luke frowned, returning to his spot against the wall by the staircase.

“He’s– he’s never even talked about kids, s-so...”

“So?” Mason questioned.

“What if he doesn’t want it?”

Luke wiped his eyes and paced for a moment. Every tremor in your voice shattered his heart even more, he couldn’t take it. As much as he wanted to waltz in and say everything would be okay, he needed air. He needed to make sure he was okay before the day your reveal came.

And, he really, really hoped it would be soon.

-

Luke hadn’t seen you since he heard you talking with Mason that night a week ago. He pretended to be busy simply so he could sit on the news a little longer, but nothing helped. The two of you were so young, and you had been so careful. He couldn’t get over that part the most. He couldn’t remember what possibly went wrong one night a few weeks ago that brought the two of you to where you were now. He wasn’t angry at himself, and that scared him most of all.

The white house with red shutters consumed his mind when he wasn’t thinking about you. His smile was so big in his daydreams. He laughed while his kids danced in the damp grass, their tiny eyes brighter than his had ever been. It all felt so real now. This life was within reach if he just knocked on your front door – well, walked in (he hadn’t knocked in six years). He couldn’t keep avoiding you while he knew what he wanted. It wasn’t fair to you.

Besides, what if you didn’t want this?

Luke’s forehead had broken out in pimples because of the number of times he’d rested his hands up there. He could also blame the stress of this whole thing for making his skin cry so loud. With one long sigh, he reached for the keys to his bike and slung his jacket over his shoulder.

Ready or not, he needed to see you.

He walked in unannounced, his hands deep in his pockets as he rounded the corner into the living room. You had been balls deep in a film about two secretaries setting up their bosses when he walked in, your mouth wide open as you flung popcorn into it. Your hand froze in the air, the popcorn kernel hitting your shoulder on the way down. The air was too thick for Luke’s liking.

“H-hey,” you muttered as you scrambled to find the remote so you could pause the movie. “What’s... what’s up, Lu?”

He took a deep breath. What was he going to say?

“You’re sweaty,” you stated, standing up to greet him. Even then, you maintained a decent distance.

He nodded. “You scare me,” he whispered. He waited until confusion flooded your features before he continued. “You scare the fucking shit out of me. You know that? You like soy milk, but you drink 2% with your cereal. You hate watermelon, but you have three pairs of socks with watermelons on them. What’s the deal?”

“Luke, I’m– “

“You tell me you’re head over heels in love with me, then you suddenly start avoiding any contact with me.” Luke could no longer feel his fingers. Truth be told, he had no idea what he was saying. He couldn’t think straight when looking at you, so he simply just spoke. “Ya fucking terrify me, sweetie. So, what am I supposed to do, y’know? I’ve been sittin’ and makin’ myself sick over this. Every time you retract from a hug, I lose my goddamn mind. And– “

“Slow down.”

“I can’t... I can’t!”

“Please.” Your eyes were watery; he could tell you were thinking about spilling it all right then and there.

He shook his head. “I know– I’ve known... I-I know.”

“Know?” Your voice did not resemble your expression. You looked properly spooked. “Know what?”

“Baby.” Luke felt so pathetic.

“What?”

He couldn’t think a single coherent thought. “Do you want?” So, so pathetic.

You raised an eyebrow. “You’re confusing me, Lu.”

“Pr– “ He sucked in a breath and pressed his lips together. “Pregnant. Are you?” What, was he fucking Yoda? Luke wanted to hit himself.

The silence stung more than he expected it to. Your face had fallen, and the longer you waited to say anything, the more he wanted to make sure you would never frown again. Along with that, he began thinking of the many ways he could have addressed the situation much better than he had moments ago.

“How...” You sat down on the side of the couch, your eyes casting down towards the floor as you folded your arms. “How did you find out?”

It upset him how weak you sounded. He considered making a move to hug you now, but even then, he had no idea how you would take it. You appeared so fragile. It absolutely killed him.

“You– “ Luke took a breath. “You were with Mason the other night or something...”

Your mouth opened, and he could barely hear a soft “oh” come from your parted lips. “I’ve wanted to tell you,” you said. “I just... I needed to think I guess. I needed to convince myself that everything would be okay.” A tear fell down your cheek, but you wiped it away before Luke could reach out to wipe it himself. “Will it be okay?”

He nodded, taking a step towards you and flinching when he waited for you to move away. He took one more step when you inched towards him. “Sweetie,” he mumbled as he tugged on your waist.

You fell into him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders so you could hold him tight. “Sweetie,” you mocked. “’m scared.”

“Yeah?”

You nodded into his chest.

“Me too,” he replied. He raised a shaky hand to brush a few strands of hair away from your face. “I mean, what if the baby doesn’t like coffee?”

You smiled, and then your eyes widened. “You’re not... you want this?”

“Only if you do, sweetie,” he grinned. His brain was on fire. He felt sick, but he felt happy.

“I-I do,” you said. You reached a hand up to his cheek so you could bring him down to your level. The kiss you placed on his lips was soft and sweet, and it sent a swarm of butterflies to erupt in Luke’s stomach. “I-I’m just– wow, I-I’m so– “

Luke chuckled, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I’m so lucky.”

“Yes, yeah, I was gonna say that.”

He laughed once more, spreading his fingers against your stomach as he gazed longingly at you. “So, are you really lactose intolerant? Like, what is the deal with the two gallons of 2% in your fridge?”

You groaned. “Can’t believe you’re going to be the father of our child.”

“Believe it, sweetie,” he sighed – happily, he would add. He was truly the happiest he had felt in ages. Even when he claimed he never felt happier when he was with you, he never knew he would feel like this. He was so, so in love with you, and now he was lucky enough to have a child with you. He was so happy.

[andrina-the-amazingsupergenius]

Hurricane  || Watermelon

@ariel-the-rebellious

Summary: Set during March 3, Ariel seeks out Andrina after recovering her voice...

TW for anxiety, depression, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts 

ARIEL

Ariel still had yet to hear from Andrina, Arista, and Aquata. Attina had told her to seek them out, to talk to them, especially now that she had her voice back-

But Ariel was scared. She was so scared she had already lost her sisters for good. After all, she had poured her heart in to those letters; had gone days and weeks losing sleep and not eating properly just because she had no idea how to make things right. If they didn't reply to that, what else could she do? What else could she say that she hadn't already?

She didn't know. But apparently, it was time to find out. Time to face her fear and track her sisters down. Andrina was first, because Andrina was… well, she was Andrina. Andy. Andy who always tried to steady the middle ground; Andy who took Ariel swimming when her whole world fell apart last August.

Andy who always made jokes about their dead mom. And Ariel had forced her to re-live that death all over again.

She asked Attina to let her know when Andrina was home, and then went over to their apartment, heart flip flopping, jumping into her throat one minute only to be swallowed down and dip all the way into her stomach. She felt nauseous as she knocked on the door, waiting for her sister to answer. She had a key, of course, for emergencies, but she didn't want to just barge right in.

ANDRINA:

People didn’t really knock on Attina and Andrina’s door. Not unannounced at least, not when it was just Andrina bumming alone on the couch, the lock on their flat undone, no plans and no work and no anything to occupy all the extra space in her brain. No, during an afternoon like this, when Andy was in her sweats and the TV was on and Teeny wasn’t back for at least a few more hours, Andy just got to-- be.

And so her phone was left on some surface in some room (bathroom? Bed? Desk? Second shelf of the refrigerator?) and Andrina was in her Andrina-World when the knock came and ruined it all.

She sat up from the couch, her pink snuggie falling around her shoulders, and Andy’s brow furrowed as she slipped another kernel of popcorn into her mouth. Her stomach twisted. There was a little voice inside her that said, don’t open the door.

There was another voice that told her she had to. That voice was her father, who had called just yesterday to tell Andy that Ariel’s voice was back and Andy should talk to her and forgive her, because that’s what big sisters do.

Andrina had wanted to crush the phone into smithereens and then eat those tiny little phone pieces for good measure. She wanted to tell her father to fuck off. Instead, she’d pressed her lips together and then said yes daddy, of course daddy, like the good little Andrina who knew the song and dance. She’d been singing and dancing for her sisters for years now.

Staring at the door, knowing that she would have to perform again, she was tired already.

But she got up. She shed her snuggie and left the TV on and she crossed to the door. When she opened it and saw Ariel looking at her, she put her hand on her hip and tilted her head. “Oh look, a girl scout here to sell me something,” she deadpanned before she could stop herself.

She’d meant to say, oh gosh Ariel, aren’t I so glad to see you! Please do come in and cry on my shoulder. There there, pat pat, have some of my popcorn!

Whoops.

ARIEL

Ariel really hadn’t been sure what to expect from Andrina after the door opened. Maybe some sort of emotion. After all, the whole ordeal with that stupid, stupid dream had happened right before her birthday, Ariel had gone without a voice for two weeks, and- well, it had just been a lot. Even if it was anger, she expected to see some flicker of emotion on her sister’s face.

Instead, she was met with sarcasm. Typical Andrina, she supposed, but it still stung. And it was hard not to let it show. “I….” Ariel honestly didn’t even know how to react. What do you even say to that? “Is… Can…. Can I come in?”

ANDRINA:

No, Andrina wanted to say.

My dead mother told me not to let strangers in my house, she wanted to say.

Weird way to start your pitch, young lady, she wanted to say.

She wanted to say many things, most of them meant to cut Ariel down so she was even smaller. She was an easy target like this: quivering, fat-lipped, bug-eyed, nervous. Andrina could probably make Ariel burst into tears without a word at all if she really wanted to. Just shut the door. Pretend to stare right through her. Oh, wow, is that the ghost of my dead mom! Nope, just the ghost of my youngest sister, she’s dead to me too!

But Andrina didn’t say any of these things. The comments piled up inside her while her daddy’s voice rang in the back of her head like an alarm, warning her to be nice, to be, quote-on-quote, ‘the bigger person,’ since Ariel was, after all, just 18 years old. Andrina had never gotten to be 18 years old. At 18, her mother was three years dead and Andrina was helping Ariel with her homework, walking her to voice lessons, and making sure she laughed at least once a day. She’d never had the privilege of being naive.

And now she didn’t get the right to be angry either. Her hand twitched on the door. She stared at Ariel for one second, just one second, all those comments gathering like storm clouds. And then she let out a breath and shrugged, stepping aside so Ariel could duck into the flat. Andy kicked the door closed behind her, and she crossed her arms.

“So the rumour’s true,” said Andrina. “She speaks.”

ARIEL

It felt like forever that she waited for Andrina’s response. Time just tick, tick, ticking away as she stared at her. Her heart was going crazy with nerves and fear and stress. Finally, however, Andrina stepped aside, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Ariel stepped past her.

Already, she wanted to cry. She had been doing so much of that, more and more, lately - crying. It had never been all that difficult to upset Ariel, but the sort of ugly sobs that had ripped from her chest starting back in August were new and she still wasn’t used to the way they had torn her apart every single time.

She was so tired. It was what she was thinking when Andrina beat her to the punch, Ariel’s lips open already and just as soon closing shut at her quip. Again, she didn’t know what to say. It was as if Andrina didn’t even care Ariel had lost her voice at all. Maybe she even thought she deserved it.

That was fair.

“I…. I do. Um, I do, yeah. I talked to Daddy, and he, um… we…. We’re okay, now. For the most part. My voice came back after we made up. But, um… I don’t…”

Her face screwed up as she looked at her sister, trying to find a soft spot underneath all of her hard exterior. “I don’t think that’s right. I- I’m happy to have it back. B-But… I don’t think it’s right. I don’t… I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve anything. I don’t…”

She cast her gaze down to the floor, biting at her lip and shifting on her heels before she looked back up at her sister, tears pricking her eyes. “Andrina, please. I don’t know what else to say. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, I just- Please, please tell me what to say; what I can do. Anything.”

ANDRINA:

By the way, just so the reader knows: Andrina did think she deserved it.

In the grand scheme of things, a witch taking a person’s voice for fucking up seven people’s lives at once seemed about as lax a punishment as any, to Andrina. After all, they were mermaids-- Mermish was half sign language anyway, even if it wasn’t ASL. They had a hard of hearing sister for Poseidon's sake. It wasn’t like the witch had sewed Ariel’s mouth shut. She could breathe and cry and eat, she could, conceivably, be totally fine without a voice for the rest of her life. Was it a total bummer? Sure. Would Andy be horrified if it was her? Sure. But it was literally the least of the fucked-up things that had happened to the Triton sisters as a collective whole because of Ariel’s actions, so when Dell was yammering about getting Ariel’s voice back, Andrina just wanted to draw the curtains and disappear into herself. Why should she save a sister from a perfectly manageable condition when that same sister had treated her so badly?

Eye for an eye. That’s how Andrina lived, for better or for worse. She could be soft and cloying, she could play the cool mum, she could even be empathetic, up until the point that you took all that kindness and wasted it. That’s what Ariel had done-- that’s how it felt--and it continued to feel that way as Ariel simpered. I don’t know what else to say. Tell me what to say, what to do.

Daddy’s voice prodded at Andrina’s brain, and she knew she didn’t have a choice in the end, did she?

“Okay, here’s a thought. How about you ask how I’m feeling, Ariel? How about you ask why exactly I’m so mad at you?” Andrina said, her voice blunt. “Because I’m sure you think it’s because you summoned our dead mother and then yanked her away, and now I’m just a puddle of grief. Well, definitely pissed about that, don’t get me wrong-- especially because I have to live with an entire fucking lifetime of fake memories that aren’t even mine.”

Her voice had turned cold, the memories creeping in. Her mother fighting with her. Her mother patronizing her. Her mother taking her to brunch, laughing about boys, telling Andrina she loved her-- her mother, pitying her. Her mother, so disappointed.

Her mother, gone. And Andrina, left behind, with nothing but her anger. None of her sisters would understand.

“But that’s not why I’m still mad at you. I’m mad because I have done nothing but support you, and defend you to Tina in all of your petty little arguments, and meet your boyfriend, and offer to help you and you ignored all that. You didn’t come to me, you didn’t trust me-- though I’ve definitely earned your trust-- you went to a sea witch. And now? You’re hiding out with Jim, acting like you can’t go home because Ris and Q are so evil and you’re the victim in all of this. You’re not the victim, Ariel, you’re the fucking villain. You dropped a bomb on our family and now you’re hiding from your mess. You didn’t even have the balls to deliver your letter to my face. I deserve more than that. I shouldn’t have to be the one who ‘tells you what to do’ to fix your mistake. You’re 18. Daddy says it like it’s an excuse, but it’s not. You’re 18 fucking years old, that’s old enough to talk to your bloody sisters and, oh yeah, to realize that trying to raise the dead is basically the worst kind of black magic bullshit that you could pull.”

A beat-- just one, and Andy could practically see the apology in her eyes. She beat Ariel to it. “And don’t say you’re sorry to me. Fix it. Go home.”

ARIEL

Before Ariel could even open her mouth to answer Andrina’s first question, she was answering it for her. And then she was continuing on, and ranting, and she was cold and so, so angry. And Ariel had expected that. She knew Andrina was angry. She had felt it almost immediately upon reading her elder sister’s text the day after their shared fucked up dead mum dream.

But the more she continued, the more Ariel found herself wanting to interject. No, she didn’t understand- No, she didn’t get it- She didn’t get any of it, and she didn’t try to understand, Andrina was just angry and calling Ariel a villain and making assumptions, and-

Ariel had made assumptions first. She had made assumptions and got upset and that was what had led to the sea witch in the first place. And not that Andrina was doing the same things now, but…

She wasn’t going to say sorry again, actually. Instead, Ariel stared at her sister, incredulous. Speechless, for a moment. She had been so prepared to beg and plead and apologize again and again and again, but this… This hit her like a knife straight to the heart. It was like she hated her. It was like Andrina honestly saw her as a literal demon or something, and as guilty and awful and horrible as Ariel felt… she didn’t think that was completely fair, either.

Except that she also kind of did.

She thought back to when Andrina had taken her swimming after her fight with Attina just a few months ago. How Ariel had been mute then just because the Underworld had stolen all of the light from inside of her, and all of her words along with it. She hadn’t wanted to talk; didn’t know what was even worth saying. Still, Andrina had been there, swimming with her and distracting her and making her smile despite all of the horrid darkness. After Ariel finally found the courage to talk again, she had thanked Andrina. But she hadn’t gone into detail. Didn’t think Andrina would want to hear any more about their dead mother haunting her nightmares, seeing as absolutely none of their other sisters were able to discuss it or wanted to hear a single word of what Ariel had been through. (Nevermind that it had almost eaten her alive. She’d had Jim, at least, and Jim had been there. He’d understood. He’d listened. He’d helped her with the things she couldn’t unload onto her sisters, and the things she wouldn’t let herself unload onto them, either.)

She thought about how Andrina had went out to eat with her and Jim and made jokes and made an effort at all. She thought about how Andrina had texted her after her fight with Daddy even though she hadn’t really known the details; hadn’t known how bad it was and how broken she felt.

She thought about how she should have told her. But… she couldn’t. She couldn’t, because it was awful, wasn’t it? Every single part. Every word she had said. Everything her father had done, even if it had been in the name of love. (Her heart still shattered every time the sound of the snowglobe Dash had given her hitting the wall replayed in her head. Ariel’s possessions all held value to her, some more than others, Daddy knew that, and broken up with Dash or not that snowglobe had meant the world to her before Daddy had broken it.)

Ariel took in a deep breath, gaze fixated on a spot on Andrina’s shoulder as she took all of these thoughts and let them out with the exhale. Slow. Her eyes were wet with tears but only a couple had managed to track their way down her cheeks. She sniffled slightly and swallowed before finally speaking. “You’re right about a few things. You’re not- For the most part, you’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. Except that you are wrong, too. A little bit.” Ariel met her sister’s gaze now, jaw clenching as she tried to keep her heart from breaking too much. “I don’t think Arista and Aquata are evil. How could I-? That’s not-? I- That’s not why I haven’t gone home. I haven’t gone home because I hurt them. Badly. I know I hurt them. I know I dropped a bomb and stayed hidden away but that’s- that’s why I’m staying away. I’m not going to, to- to force them to live with me and see me every day after what I did. Not until I know things are anywhere near being okay again. Or if they ever can be. How cruel of me would it be to just flounce back on in like nothing happened after fucking up their world?

“And I didn’t deliver the letters in person because I didn’t- I- I couldn’t speak. That was why I wrote letters in the first place. So I could apologize and try to do something despite not having a voice. And then, that way, if there was any chance at forgiveness or any chance that any of you would want to talk, we could try and figure out a way to, but- no one reached out. Not to talk, anyway, I mean- Not you or Arista or Aquata. And I get that. I do. I get that you hate me. I hate myself, too.”

And this wasn’t Ariel trying to gain sympathy, even though Andrina might see it that way. This was Ariel being tired. The redhead shrugged and more tears fell but she- she laughed. Hollow. Empty. Tired. “I’ve been hating myself and thinking of myself as a villain for weeks, Andrina. So I get it. I do. That’s the point. I know I suck. I know I’m awful. If I could just delete myself from existence, I would, okay? But see, that’s- That’s also kind of the problem, Andrina. B-Because that’s what I was willing to do to begin with. It’s how I- I got into this- this mess. I figured my future - any dreams I had of acting or singing with my voice - didn’t matter if it meant the possibility of a better or happier life for all of us. Mainly me, maybe, selfishly and wrongfully so, I get it. I wouldn’t have my future that I always wanted but we’d all have Mum. A-And so, Attina wouldn’t be so worried all the time and Daddy wouldn’t get so overprotective and I wouldn’t feel so… so…” Unwanted. Outcast. Ostracised.

She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. My feelings don’t matter. Ever. The point is I would sacrifice anything for you guys. My voice. My life. If it would erase all the pain I’ve caused, I’d gladly throw myself into the abyss right now. If it would fix it, I would. But it wouldn’t. The only thing I can do is wait for you guys to talk to me, which it’s apparent none of you want to. You want me to fix it by going home? To more people I’ve hurt that hate me too, like you do, Andrina? I’m not just hiding because I fucked up and I want to run from my mistakes. I’m still at Jim’s because it’s keeping me alive. I have been so… haunted by my own mistakes and the hatred and the anger and the hurt of all of it that I cast upon you all that he has had to remind me that I have to eat, and bathe, and sleep, and stay alive. I don’t- If it weren’t for Jim, I- I don’t- I don’t think-”

Would she have given into the darkness? Would she have eventually caved, and called up Adella or Alana or Attina for help saving her from herself? Or would she have let herself be swallowed whole?

“Whatever,” Ariel sobbed, and laughed again, so, so tired of all the hurt and hurt and hurt and hurt. Her hurt, and each of her sisters’ and her Daddy’s, all piled on top one another. “It doesn’t matter. My life doesn’t matter, my existence doesn’t matter, okay. I’m alive. I’m a monster, a villain, a demon- I’m a horrible person who doesn’t deserve anything good. I’m glad this went so well. I can’t wait for Arista and Aquata to tell me how awful I am, too. Because I don’t already know it. Don’t already hate myself enough. They don’t want me home, Andrina. That won’t fix it. I don’t know why you and Attina seem to think it will. Especially you, feeling the way that you do. Hating me. I-”

Her palms and fingertips tingled and her chest felt tight with the crushing weight on her shoulders. She wished Jim were here. She wished Attina or Adella were here. She wished the Andrina from before she’d fucked up were here, to hold her and tell her that she didn’t deserve to die for this. But she did, didn’t she? That was how it felt. Like death was coming down on her, crushing her heart slowly under its heel right here in Attina and Andrina’s apartment, casting judgement and finding her guilty and worthy of meeting her demise. It was harder to breathe, now, and she was probably just annoying or angering Andrina more, and- She needed to leave. She needed to leave, she needed to go, needed to either outrun the unbearable weight of death until she could get to someone who would fight it off with her or let it win for once.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped, then, the apology Andrina had been expecting finally escaping. Ariel wrapped her arms tight around herself as if it could shrink her in size and hide her from the impending doom for a little while longer while she made her way toward the door. “I won’t- w-won’t- b-bother… you...”

ANDRINA:

Once upon a time, many boyfriends ago, Attina had this one boyfriend who Andrina suspected of more-than-average levels of douchebaggery. She tried to tell Tina this, but Tina just shrugged her off over and over, because Tina looked for the best in people-- and because Tina, more than anything, was scared of being alone.

So Andrina had to prove it to her. She went on a wiki-dive, scouring the Internet for evidence. And she found it. She found articles about partners threatening suicide, saying they couldn’t eat or sleep or stay alive without them (Jim is keeping me alive, said Ariel). She found articles about self-deprecation, and how those who used self-deprecation made apologies about the offender, not the person who had been hurt (I’m awful, my existence doesn’t matter, said Ariel). And the more she read about emotional abuse, the harder her heart fell.

At the end of it all, she had a bunch of links and notes and she didn’t even want to show them to Attina. She didn’t want to upset her sister.

But she did want to save her.

Those links were still burned into Andrina’s brain. The instinct-- the impulse-- to save her sisters was burned even deeper. And right then, as Ariel talked and talked and talked-- disagreed with her, made excuses for not going home, insulted herself over and over, didn’t notice every time Andy opened her mouth-- Andrina thought of all the things she once read. And she felt that same instinct, the one she’d been raised with, and she resented it.

She wanted to find that part of her, rip it out, and tear it up. She wanted to scream back at Ariel, This isn’t about you! My entire life has been about you-- you and Lan and Aqua and Ris and Dell and Attina-- you you you you you-- what about ME?!

But the guilt screamed louder. She couldn’t throw her tantrum, she couldn’t be the reason Ariel turned into a shell of herself and disappeared under the waves. So Andrina took all her anger, all her hurt, all the things she still had not said and she packaged it up. She packed her mother up. She packed her exhaustion up. Because that’s what a good big sister did.

Andrina was pretty shitty at most things, but she was a good big sister, when she wanted to be.

Ariel shrunk in on herself and she tried to slink back toward the door, which Andrina was still in front of, by the way. Andrina stepped in front of her quickly, sighing. “Ariel,” she said, and her voice wobbled. She didn’t expect her own voice to wobble like that. She reached out and grasped at Ariel’s shoulders. “Ariel, I never said I hated you. No one ever said that. I’m angry at you, but I still love you. That’s the thing, okay, we all still love you. Okay? I love you. I’m sorry, I-- I’m sorry I yelled and-- you’ve felt that way, I never wanted you to feel that way. I just-- I just want my baby sister to come home. You can come home. Ris, Q, they don’t hate you either-- we all love you and we’re sorry. I’m sorry.” The tears pricked against her own eyes.

She brought Ariel into a hug like she’d done so many times before and she would hold her as she cried, she would tell Ariel she loved her as many times as she had to.

ARIEL

She was going to leave. She was going to leave, and Andrina would never speak to her again, and Ariel didn’t know what would happen after that because what was life without her sisters? Just the last few weeks without them had made her miserable, she couldn’t imagine doing this any longer, she didn’t want to have to.

Andrina caught her shoulders and stopped her, though, so she couldn’t just leave and be out of her life like she thought she wanted her to be. And then her sister’s voice was unsteady and she was reassuring Ariel that she loved her and she was apologizing and all the redhead could do was shake her head as Andrina pulled her in close, sobs climbing their way up her throat and escaping.

“Y-You… Y-You shouldn’t,” she whined, voice high-pitched through her tears, and Ariel resisted the urge to just cling to her elder sister for dear life. “You shouldn’t love me, you were r-right, I h-h-hurt you and the others and D-Daddy and I don’t deserve it, I don’t de-serve forgiveness or l-love or a-a-anything.”

These were the things she would sob to Jim, late at night. He would always get upset, get angry; always remind Ariel that, just because she had fucked up - and fucked up pretty royally at that - that didn’t mean she wasn’t worthy of love or forgiveness. He’d remind her of it over and over again, as many times as she needed. Ariel didn’t want that now. Not from Andrina. She just wanted her to know how right she was to hate her and be angry and be mad because Ariel would be, too.

“I-If I were you, a-and I’d been forced t-to re-re-live the d-d-death of someone I l-loved that much, w-with a whole bunch of f-fake me-me-mories, I’d- I’d be so- so-” She couldn’t even finish, because fuck, she knew what that felt like. As much as she had done it to all of her sisters and her father, she had done it to herself, too. Ariel had forced herself to see what life with Mum could’ve been like and forced herself to experience her loss again, and this time it had been even deeper of a cut than when she’d been too little to understand. And not only that, she had lost her voice, too, and any hope of her dreams for the future (who could act or sing without a voice?) and along with it her drive and determination for the rest of her life.

And half of her family had seemed to hate her; had stopped talking to her and cut her out completely, and she had lost… almost everything. So of course Ariel hated herself, and of course she didn’t think Andrina should be forgiving her or apologizing or holding her. She had every right to strip the role of Big Sister away and be angry and cold and upset for as long as she needed.

But fuck, she missed her sister. Her whole body shook in Andrina’s arms and Ariel finally gave up and grasped at the fabric of her sister’s shirt, crying without sound for a moment before gasping for breath. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I wish I could t-take it b-back, I’m so sorry, I love you so m-uch, I’m s-sorry…”

ANDRINA:

Ariel kept collapsing in front of her, her face almost unrecognizable as it scrunched up and reddened with tears. The sobbing made her almost incoherent-- but hey, she was incoherent because that was sadness for you, wasn’t it? Or y’know, Andy had to hypothesize, since she didn’t have time to be sad herself. No time for sadness, no time for anger, no time for grudge-holding. No time for guilt either-- and she felt so much guilt, Ariel sobbing about their mother, the mother she so desperately wanted alive, the mother who Ariel thought Andrina missed.

Her heart pounded with her secret. That Andrina had woken up after the dream and felt a wave of relief.

It was the relief that broke everything open again. Like a trigger, Andrina was infected with the things she’d never said to her mother,  the things her mother would have never accepted about her daughter.

And all the things about Andy’s own life that she’d once loved and embraced,  the dream ruined-- it turned those things inside-out, because her corpse-mother had cast her eyes on it and deemed it not good enough.

She couldn’t tell Ariel anything about that. Imagine, a daughter that was relieved her own mother was dead.

A daughter who couldn’t find where all her guilt ended and the grief began. Or if there was any difference between the two at all.

Maybe Andrina should be grateful that she’d never tell any of her sisters, that Ariel was the one who was screaming out for help. It meant that she could be the big sister her mother would be proud of. So here she was-- holding Ariel even as she shook with her tears, rubbing circles into her back, standing strong.

Time to say all her lines, now. Time to perform.

She held Ariel tighter. “Shhh, I know, I know. It’s okay. I love you too, Ariel. I miss her too.” She lied effortlessly, even as her stomach curdled. She missed a mother who had never existed. She missed the peaceful bliss of her ignorance, in which she could lie to herself and pretend Athena would be proud.

“I got you, though. I’m not goin’ anywhere, okay? We’ll get through this. We’ll all get through this.”

Say it enough times, and maybe it’d come true.

ARIEL

She didn’t know how Andrina could go from being so angry to holding her now, telling her that she loved her and that they were going to find their way through this. It all felt so broken - Ariel’s heart felt broken with the loss of her family - she didn’t understand how it would ever possibly get better. But even still, she clung to her sister and she clung to the words she said, trying to hold onto them, trying to give herself hope.

For a long while, she just sobbed. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, until Andrina had to move them to the couch so that Ariel’s legs didn’t give out on her completely once they’d started to wobble, and she just collapsed in on herself even more, wrapped up in Adrina’s arms. And then, finally, there were no more tears left to cry and Ariel felt the weight lift off of her chest, just a little.

The guilt stayed, though. “I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’ve b-been… hating myself… s-so long... “ Ariel wiped at her face and sniffled through all of the congestion and snot and felt like such a complete and total mess. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean t-to… to fall apart… l-like that. I just… d-don’t know… w-what to do. I j-just… want to f-f-fix it. I just w… w-want… m-my sisters.”

She looked up at her sister through wet eyes and wanted to hug her and kiss Andrina’s head and hold her and take everything back. “Y-You can… y-yell at me. You c-can. I deserve it. I sh-shouldn’t… You can y-yell. It’s okay. Y-You can yell, I promise. I’m the one that h-hurt you. You should be able to… b-be angry, and upset, and not have to- t-to- comfort me. I don’t d-deserve it.”

ANDRINA:

Ariel didn’t realize: it was too late. It wasn’t Andy’s turn, not anymore. It had never felt like her turn to begin with, that had always been the problem. With six other sisters and her daddy to take care of, Andrina always felt a bit like she was suffocating, trying to keep her big personality contained enough. It meant her opinions and her feelings went through a stringent, rapid-fire editing process. She made her thoughts nice and PC for everyone-- especially thoughts about how Andrina didn’t miss Mum, or, rather, she missed a version of her that never existed, just like how Mum had always wanted a version of Andy that was never exactly real.

Her anger had been a mask over that. It hid the disappointment, the guilt, the twisted, hard-to-define grief that came with loving and losing someone who you never had a chance to forgive. At Andrina’s angriest, the veil had thinned and her careful control had almost crumbled into something resembling...truth.

Her anger was the only tool Andrina had. Fucked up? Sure. Did Andy even realize? Not really.

But it was over now. She’d sucked all the anger up again and couldn’t possibly unleash it. Not if she was going to stop herself from wounding Ariel and upsetting Daddy and making all of this go on and on and on.

So whatever, Andrina’s mother was still dead and she disapproved of Andy’s life choices from beyond the grave. Wahoo. Big shocker. Let Ariel have her perfect idealized version of her mum. Let her little sister think love was the most powerful thing (it wasn’t) and that she could be saved by it (she couldn’t). Popping all those bubbles wasn’t going to make Andy feel better.

She’d try to fix the things she could.

“Ariel, please stop saying you don’t deserve things. That’s part of the problem,” said Andrina, tiredly. “When you say stuff like that, all you’re doing is asking for us to comfort you and you can say you’re not trying to do that, but that’s how it feels and-- I mean, we love you, like I said. We’re not going to let you say such terrible things about yourself. But it’s also not really a great apology either, you know that right? You insulting yourself doesn’t make me feel better.”

She sighed. “Look, I was angry because I felt like you didn’t trust us. And it’s hard not to feel that way, still, when you refuse to come home. I know you say you don’t want to...force Ris and Q to deal with you, but that’s not...fixing anything. It’s your house too, and you can give them space and still live there. If they want to give you the cold shoulder for a few days before talking to you, y’know, like sisters do-- then that’s their decision. But no one’s banished you. Me, Lan, Tina, Dell, Daddy, we all would rather you were home, spending time with us, fixing these relationships. And if the house really is a place where you feel like you can’t be, because-- you’re so anxious and depressed because Q and Ris are mad at you and it makes you feel unsafe to yourself-- that’s a way bigger problem. And you should think about telling Daddy and talking to a professional about that. Because this isn’t the first time we’ve all fought and it’s not going to be the last. We can’t run away every time we get mad at each other.”

ARIEL

Andrina told Ariel that she was just asking for comfort, and though instinct told her to shake her head and deny, another part of her wanted to sob Of course I am, because, well, she was. She missed her sisters’ comfort, even if she didn’t feel deserving of it. But then Andrina asked her if she realized insulting herself didn’t make her feel better and Ariel’s face screwed up in confusion. “It doesn’t?”

She had thought it was what Andrina wanted - what all of them wanted - for Ariel to see how awful she was. She thought they all wanted her to realize and admit to it, to tell them everything she’d done wrong and how terrible she was for doing it and beg for their forgiveness. What else could work? What else could possibly make them feel better? Didn’t they hate her? Wouldn’t it make them feel satisfied to hear how right they were?

But apparently, it wasn’t like that. It didn’t help at all, and now Ariel felt even more lost than before. She wanted to scream at the skies for someone to just tell her what to do.

As if sensing this, Andrina started to do just that. And though it made Ariel tense up, fingers filling with static and head going all fuzzy as she mentioned Ariel feeling anxious and depressed and unsafe to herself, she knew what her sister was getting at. Because it was unbearable, feeling like this. Feeling like glass. Like she was only meant to hurt others, and therefore keep breaking herself.

“I-It’s different, this time,” she gasped. “It’s not- just a f- fight. I feel so- so awful. And hated. And b-broken. Like I don’t… belong in m-my own family anymore.” And that was all another whole part of the problem. Why did she feel that way? Even before going to Ursula, she’d felt ostracized in a way that had been growing for a while. She didn’t want to feel that way. She wanted to feel whole and a part of something again.

“M-Maybe you’re right. M-Maybe… Maybe I do need to- to talk to somebody.”

ANDRINA:

Part of Andrina wanted to push back. She wasn’t naturally soft and sympathetic the way that Attina was and the way that her mother had been. She was smart, always fine-tuned into people’s emotional landscapes but it felt like reading a book to her. Empathizing was something she had forced into her lap: by her mother, by her father, by having five younger sisters, by society or something, which said that girls needed to be sensitive and understanding.

If Andrina was ever herself, she’d tell Ariel how everything she felt was literally all in her head-- a story she was telling herself-- and her reality was much, much different. Sure, she fought with Attina, but literally every sister at some point had a row with Attina, who acted more Mum than sister. And yes, Daddy was strict with her, just like he was strict with literally every single one of them. These trials Ariel was going through had classic Triton written all over them. If anything, it proved she was just like everyone else. Not special, not other, not pushed out for any reason. Bloody hell, she wasn’t even the first Triton to have dreams of singing and acting.

Honestly, Andrina didn’t know where all of Ariel’s anxiety and depression was coming from. Maybe it was just Dead Mum Syndrome. All of them suffered from Dead Mum Syndrome.

Andy couldn’t say any of that though since that’d just make Ariel feel worse. So she once again edited her natural impulses, since in the end, Ariel going to someone professional would probably be the best outcome for everyone-- Ariel especially.

(And selfishly, Andrina thought, so she wouldn’t have to hear it anymore. She just wanted to put on her headphones and zone out, exhausted from 26 years of dragging along her sisters’ emotional burdens. And yeah, she felt guilty about that. World’s Worst Big Sister Ever. But she’d keep that a secret too, buried so deep no one would ever know.)

She smiled at Ariel, reaching forward again to grasp at her hand and give it a comforting squeeze. Mum used to do that to her. Mum taught her that.

“I think that’d help. Even just going once or twice, y’know. Daddy could go with you, or-- or Attina, or any of us, really, y’know family counseling is a thing,” she said. “I just want you-- and all of us-- to be okay. And I think we will, yeah? If we work together.” She lifted her hand away but only so she could put her arm around Ariel and give her a little squeeze. “Cuz I love you, guppy, yeah? Even when I’m mad, I love you.”

[samingtonwilson]

Loot - Part 9 - Jim Kirk

loot masterlist Word count: 2,786 Warnings: language

A/N: this is my favorite part of this story so far. i love it so much, it’s made the frustration associated with the last two parts worth it for me. part 10 is gonna be the last official part and then maybe an epilogue? also, i think it’s quite clear to see how reader’s changed over the course of this story which i love. i HONESTLY LOVE this part, holy shit. ENJOY IT, SERIOUSLY! AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!

In the queue waiting to use your favorite replicator of the plethora in the commissary, your eyes zeroed in on the table in the rightmost back corner. Your table in the rightmost back corner. 

It was occupied. And that, too, by the same plucky, blue-shirted ensigns that cornered Commander Spock in the middle of your discussion regarding his relationship with Uhura.

Due to that, you harbored some resentment. You and Spock didn’t interact much and every conversation you had with him fascinated you— his mannerisms weren’t as controlled and void of expression as you were expecting, he was just a little more controlled than the average full human being. 

You valued those conversations. While you knew he didn’t enjoy your company much, he often asked for your advice on his and Uhura’s relationship that seemed to be hanging onto its last, fraying thread. He likely sought out your advice because of the great amount of time you and Uhura spent.

During the time in question, you had told him you thought their demise came at the hands of Uhura feeling unimportant, like she came second to her half-Vulcan boyfriend. He only frowned in consideration ever so slightly as one of his eyebrows crept closer to his pin-straight fringe before the flood of blue shirts could get to him.

Therefore, your resentment increased at the sight of them at the table. Your table.

You crossed your arms over your chest as you glared at them. Your nostrils were flared. You’d developed a sense of possessiveness as a young child— probably a result of such a rocky upbringing, you clung to anything and everything you could that made you comfortable in any way.

Your shoulder was pushed by three fingertips and you stumbled a few inches to the side. “Stare any harder, sweetheart, and they’ll vaporize.”

You hummed out a sigh and loosened your arms. You moved up in the line as glanced at the frowning Southern doctor. “Blue shirts are the fucking worst.”

McCoy looked offended. “Ain’t a fan of you, either.”

You snorted. “You, Chapel, and Spock are the exceptions.”

“First you go on about hatin’ blue shirts and now you put me in a group with Spock. The insults just keep on comin’ this evenin’.”

You moved up again and placed your tray and empty dishes under the replicator. “This little act of yours is getting unconvincing.”

“And what act would that be?”

You picked up the tray that was now stocked with an array of Earth fruits that you desperately missed and walked beside McCoy— whose tray was also well-stocked. “This whole grade school ‘Spock is a green-blooded hobgoblin’ act.”

“Grade school?”

You nodded, maneuvering through the many officers that were vacating every table but yours. “You know how they preach to little girls that the reason little boys are mean is because they’ve got a huge crush? Like that— except not so heteronormative and, quite frankly, toxic for teaching a girl to equate a man’s meanness with love.”

You continued after grinning at Chekov as he waved from a centrally located table consisting of said Russian ensign, Sulu, and Jim. “You’re taunting Spock because of that sexual tension all of us can cut with a knife when you’re both in the same room.”

“That’s no reason to taunt someone,” he snorted, following you to your table.

You stood before the table and glanced at him. “But you don’t deny the sexual tension?”

“Who am I to deny anythin’, really?”

You smiled before looking at the blue shirts that were already staring up at you. You raised your eyebrows and motioned to their empty trays. “Finished?”

There was a girl whose scowl rivaled any of McCoy’s best, her hair a deep brown and her eyes matching. She shook her head once. “No.”

“Y’all look finished to me,” McCoy stated, raising a single eyebrow. He waved his hand with an even deeper scowl— it was like a scowling competition. “Up and at ‘em. Let’s go.”

You laughed silently as you stared at him, trying to hide your wide smile and teary eyes from the outraged, albeit obedient, ensigns.

Finally seated before your favorite crew member of the USS Enterprise, you cleared your throat and wet your lips. “Speaking of Commander Spock, can you keep a secret?”

“You got gossip, Cadet?” he asked with that same eyebrow cocked. When you nodded, he nodded back with a small smile. “Thank fuck. Gettin’ borin’ ‘round here.”

You stabbed a synthesized watermelon cube with your fork. “So you’re a gossip, eh, McCoy?”

“We’ve all got our vices. You gonna tell me before every damn hair on my head turns grey?”

“That shouldn’t take long. But,” you trailed off as you leaned forward and motioned for him to follow in suit, “he and Nyota are basically over.”

“Really? What’d he do?”

“Why do you assume he did something?”

“Well, did he?”

“Yeah,” you nodded with a wrinkled nose. “I don’t know exactly what, but it’s making her feel like she’s not a priority to him. And she’s talking to me about it rather than talking to him directly, while he’s also talking to me about it rather than talking to her directly. It’s like they’re both the same brand of evasive.”

“Yeah, that could be a problem.”

“What could be a problem?” you heard from just a few inches away.

You looked in his direction and sighed out. As if you needed to look at him— as if his voice and the overwhelming smell of citrus and sandalwood weren’t confirmation of his presence enough.

You set your fork down and leaned back. “Nothing.”

Jim scoffed and fell into the seat adjacent to McCoy’s. He slouched against the backrest and placed his clasped hands in his lap, one of his legs outstretched and the other bent to form a ninety degree angle. He looked totally relaxed with the soft smile over his full lips and the slacked nature of his jaw. “You sure?”

“Yes, Captain, I’m sure.” Your voice was far more gentle than intended.

“Uhura and Pointy are countin’ their relationship’s final days,” McCoy replied, eying you curiously for the moment preceding.

You clicked your tongue. “Bones! I asked if you could keep a secret!”

“And I never answered,” he said with a smirk. His enjoyment was visible in his brightened hazel eyes and smile of amusement. “You just assumed. There’s a sayin’ where I’m from, darlin’. ‘When you assume you make an—’”

“‘— ass out of you and me,’” Jim finished, frowning at his friend. “Bones, that’s a saying where all of us are from.”

“I didn’t need an accurate origin story to prove my damn point, Jim.” McCoy rolled his eyes when he met your gaze again. “Before I was so mannerlessly interrupted,” he said pointedly, “I was going to doubt your abilities to be a communications officer if you can’t ensure that I answered your question.”

“No, no,” you said, your voice thick with food you’d just swallowed. “I want to go back to what Captain said. You can’t just stick a Georgian flag in an idiom.”

Jim hummed in agreement, nodding. A smile pulled at his lips as he stared at you with a look that had your ribs rattling. He stole fruit from your plate. “Yeah. You can’t claim ownership to something almost universal for English-language speakers.”

“(Y/N)’s claimin’ ownership of this fuckin’ table.”

You scoffed at McCoy. “Yeah, because that’s pertinent.”

“It is,” Jim returned, nodding as his lips now formed a frown. “You’re claiming ownership of something that doesn’t belong to anyone on this ship— it’s Starfleet’s just like that idiom belongs to the English language.”

“You think you own that fuckin’ chair on the bridge—”

“You think you own the medbay—”

“What are we even arguing about here?” you spoke over them to the best of your abilities. Both men faced you, their eyes following your movements as you nodded upwards questioningly.

“We’ve lost sight of the real argument which was…” you trailed off. “Fuck, what was it?”

“Fuck if I know,” McCoy said as he frowned and looked down at his communicator. The small gadget was buzzing erratically against the table, rendering a huge grimace over his lips even as he answered it.

“So Spock’s been talking to you about Uhura, too?” Jim asked when McCoy continued speaking into his communicator.

You nodded. “He talks to you about her?”

“They both do— sometimes,” he answered, placing his forearms atop the table and drumming his fingers against the silver surface. “Can never get any real details from either of them.”

“It’s frustrating, right?”

“Insanely,” he laughed with a shake of his head, keeping his gaze on you unwaveringly.

McCoy sighed heavily and pushed back against the table to stand. Tray in hand, he sighed again. “Gotta head back to the medbay. Some stupid kid got into your Saurian brandy and isn’t handlin’ it too well.”

Jim looked offended. “It’s not—”

“Save it, Tiberius— I know it’s yours,” McCoy muttered as he walked away.

“Tiberius?” you repeated, smiling widely once McCoy was out of the sliding doors. “Is that what the T in James T. Kirk stands for?”

He visibly struggled to not return your smile. “What’d you think it stood for?”

“Something better than Tiberius, that’s for sure.”

“I’m surprised my fan club didn’t fill you in on that piece of trivia.”

You shrugged. “If I interacted with your fan club, they might’ve. It’s just too much gushing for me to be a part of.”

“Right. Have to keep that intense, angry, cynical persona up at all times.”

“Exactly. Thank you for understanding, Cap—”

“Call me ‘Captain’ one more time and I’ll be forced to kiss you right here, in front of the crew,” he interject, looking immensely satisfied with himself as your mouth remained hanging open. “To, you know, shut you up.”

You closed your mouth and swallowed. You frowned. “You shouldn’t go around kissing people— might send the wrong message.”

“What message? That I’m crazy about you and want a gossip-worthy relationship?” He was smiling softly, he was speaking softly, he was looking at you softly. “Because that would be the right message.”

You tilted your head. “Why can’t you just let this be over?” “Because I can’t.”

You stood up from your seat, retrieving your tray that you and Jim had emptied throughout your conversation with McCoy. You set it into the pile and started towards the door, hearing Jim’s steps behind you. “Sometimes I think we were better off last week when we weren’t speaking.”

You didn’t think that. For the entire week, you hadn’t thought that once. Neither were you two dating, nor were you two having sex— at least not as often as you two did once. You were just friends and, truthfully, it was enough for you no matter what your heartbeat told you.

As cliche as it was, being in Jim’s company forced you to be a better version of yourself. You were less angry, less anxious, less upset at the universe for everything that’d been thrown your way. He was a reminder that you didn’t need to be angry, anxious, or upset at the universe because he wasn’t angry, anxious, or upset.

It was when you left his side that you felt those three emotions. Angry— at yourself, at the artifact literally burning a hole in your closet, at Starfleet regulations, at every dismal scenario you could think up. Anxious— due to your actions, your feelings for Jim that ran far too deep, the artifact’s existence, the possible consequences of being caught. And upset at the universe for, well, everything.

“Now don’t lie to yourself, angel.”

You looked over your shoulder as you walked down the corridor, your eyes meeting an electric blue pair that had your steps faltering momentarily. “You’re calling me ‘angel’ now?”

He caught up to you easily, purposefully brushing his hand against yours. “Not a fan of it?”

You peered at him and clasped your hands together so as to not grab his on impulse. You smiled and shrugged. “I know I shouldn’t like it— but I do, for some reason.”

He stood beside you in the turbolift, beckoning it shut before anyone else could step inside. “It’s because you like me.”

“I like you?” you asked with a laugh, facing the doors rather than face him. “Is this high school? Are we attending Enterprise High?”

He pushed your shoulder, chuckling. “Shut up.”

“Listen, I know you’re a big, strong chivalrous man,” you started as the two of you exited the lift on your target deck of Excited Ensign Village, “and I could never knock anyone for wanting that, but you don’t need to walk to my quarters every night.”

“You’re a wonderful, strong person so I know I don’t,” he told you, nodding once in greeting to the passing ensigns. “I like walking you to your quarters. I like being around you.”

You smiled to yourself, biting down on your bottom lip. You shook your head. “You don’t think that’s a little narcissistic?”

“Narcissistic? Why?”

You shrugged and continued down the hall. “You think I’m a xenolinguist version of you— kind of narcissistic to like being around someone so similar to you.”

“So you see it, too?”

“Well, we both have master’s degrees in being left behind.”

You stopped in front of your door and you leaned against it, feeling the coolness of the metal seep through your shirt. You faced him easily and wrinkled your nose at him. “You can go now.”

He took a small step forward, placing his hand on the door and leaning in. “I’ll wait until you’re inside.”

“Concerned about my safety, are you?” You set your hands against his chest, feeling it collapse with an exhale.

He clicked his tongue. “Honestly just waiting for you to invite me inside.”

“I’m not planning on it.”

“Am I supposed to tell you I’m in love with you while running the risk of being heard by an excited ensign?”

Your mouth was dry, your throat was constricted with the feeling of your heart being lodged in it. Your hands remained on his chest, your eyes remaining in his as the blue turned from sapphires to the ocean before you. “What?”

“An ensign could hear me and complain to Spock— you know how much of a stickler he is for the rules—”

“You’re in love with me?”

It was his turn to tilt his head. He smiled a bit. “Thought it was obvious.”

“We haven’t— We’ve only known each other, like, two months and—” You felt like you were spiraling, every part of you was spiraling and reeling.

“There’s no set minimum time,” he replied, taking his hand from the door and setting his palm against your cheek to run his thumb over your cheekbone. “I love you.”

He closed the short distance between you to press his lips to yours, kissing you for the first time in only days while it felt as if he was kissing you for the first time in dreadful eons. His arm was securely around your waist with such tightness that your circulation could have been cut off, but your light head couldn’t mind it one bit.

“Holy fuck, if I thought you were narcissistic for just liking me,” you breathed once you broke the kiss, staring up into his dilated pupils that rendered his irises to mere bright rings.

He smiled into the next kiss, one his hands now gripping the black fabric of your shirt so it was tight against your back and the other sneaking under the shirt to sit against your waist. “Are you gonna invite me inside now? So I can say it over, and over, and over, and o—”

“You still can’t come in, Jim,” you reluctantly interrupted, offering him the smallest smile. “I have my weekly appointment with Bones before Alpha shift and he’ll hit me with a sedative if I’m not well-rested.”

“Should I doubt that excuse?”

“You love me?”

He nodded as if it was the easiest thing he’d ever done.

You could have melted into your boots at the look in his eyes. “Then don’t doubt it.”

Alone in the confines of your quarters, the smile didn’t leave your lips— you had never known such a full feeling. You were smiling as you pulled your shirt off and tossed it into the dirty clothes pile, smiling even as you dried your face after splashing it with scaldingly hot water.

It wasn’t until you unswaddled the burnt black shirt that your smile faded.

There was no clanging against the deck plating, no orange glow, and no engraved circular metal in your hand. 

There was no artifact.

tagged: @outside-the-government @daughterofthebrowncoats @multifandom-slytherin @buckyy3s @cinema212 @caaptain @dani-fae @wonders-of-the-enterprise @imaginesofdreams @the-witching-hours12-3 @kaitymccoy123 @anyakinamidala 

[nostalgiaispeace]

244.

you ever played “call of duty”? did you like it? are you into those types of video games at all?   nope.

do you like to cook for people, or do you order to be cooked for? has anyone ever told you that you were a good cook? neither; no

do you have any clocks in your house that chime when the hour changes? do those types of clocks annoy you?   nope.

what is your usual hair style? do you tend to wear the same style every day, or do you switch it up a lot?   bun. because work.

have you had the same doctor pretty much your whole life, or have you went to a bunch of different ones over the years? have you ever been to the doctor thinking something was horribly wrong with you, but it turned out to be something minor?   pretty much had the same ones my whole life until i moved.

are there any stores you feel uncomfortable going into (ex: if you dress girly, do you feel uncomfortable going into hot topic)? are there any stores that you refuse, or just never go in to?   no; no

do you look in mirrors a lot, or do you try to avoid them? how many mirrors are in your house?   avoid them; 2

what do you think is the greatest invention of all time? why? are there any inventions you wish had never been made?   electricity; because light; not that i can think of.

are you proud of yourself? do you feel that you’ve accomplished (or will accomplish) the things you want in your life? what other person are you the most proud of and why?   no; no; Matthew because of how far he has come

did you ever have a terrible roommate? what did they do that bothered you so much? no

if someone has a problem with something you’ve done, do you prefer they confront you directly? why or why not? when you’re the one who needs to tell someone about a problem, what’s your method of doing so? directly; because don’t be a pussy; i tell them

do you like the color gray?   sure

is it possible to love someone if you don’t love yourself? obviously

do you believe happiness can exist without sadness? i dunno.

what hospital in your area would you most recommend for good treatment?   i don’t know the name

who is the best person you’ve ever “met” online? Kehn

who is the most versatile actor ever?   Leonardo DiCaprio

do you ever nap and wake up and forget what day it is?   no

what was your maternal grandmother’s first name? Nelly

what was the last video message you received on your phone?   a snapchat

would you kiss someone you didn’t have feelings for? no

what would your dream engagement ring look like? i like my ring that i have.

is someone hurting you mentally at the moment? nope.

do you feel like no one understands you?   yeah

have you ever attempted to drown yourself? No.

would you rather deal with all your emotions at once, or none at all?   noneeee

what’s the best sex scene in a movie you’ve ever seen?   i don’t know?

is pornography evil or are you neutral about it? i like porn fine.

do you prefer to be monogamous, or are you more a casual dater or swinger? i’m in a serious relationship....

does your pet wear a collar? yeah

what is your favorite song in “the sound of music”?   i don’t like that movie.

what would you do if your mom/dad saw a hickey on you? i wouldn’t have a hickey.

you’ve just had an argument with the guy you like, and you walk away. do you want them to leave you alone?   yeah

have you ever read any self-help books?   yeah

do you thank the bus driver? i don’t ride the bus.

have you ever had your heart broken?   yeah

when was the last time you flirted? i try to flirt with matt daily but i’m probably not very good at it.

are good-byes easy or hard for you? hard.

whatcha listening to? I’m watching TV.

what do you feel about our president? FUCK HIM

do you remember the song, blue (da ba dee) by eiffel 65? no

if you told someone how far have you have gone with the opposite sex, how would others view you? i don’t think they’d care/

do you have a secret that you’ve never told ANYONE? not that i can think of

would you care if your last ex fell in love with someone else? no

what’s something you really want right now, be honest?   to turn back time and not spill mtn dew on my laptop

were your parents married when they had you? yeah

are they married now? nope.

would you marry someone 30 years older than you if they had millions? no

how long were employed at your last job? 4 years

if you found out you were pregnant who would you tell first? Matt or my mom

what did you do when you hung out with the last person you kissed?   we went to band practice and then chatted and i went to bed lol

do you prefer online classes or real classes?   Real classes.

do you like documentaries? have you ever watched one and find it boring? yes; yes

if you had to choose, would you rather be an alcoholic or pothead?   neither.

do you hate your ex?   no

do you like kids?   yeah

are your eyes the same color as your mom’s or dad’s? dads

do you think too much or too little?   Too much.

does anyone know your facebook password? no

have you ever seen the last person you kissed without their shirt on?   Yes.

…what about their pants? Yes.

did you ever rip off a barbie doll head? probably?

how many people have you slept with (sexually not actually sleeping)?   One.

do you have any sort of ongoing health problem? yes

are you a teenager and yet want a baby?   no

would you date a guy with a prince albert?   a what?

do you think you are a hick?   no. i get called a yankee lol

have you ever told someone to their face that they were ugly? probably

have you ever swallowed a watermelon seed?   Probably.

what would be worse - going out in public with no bra or no panties? without underwear.

would you ever let your child drop out of high school?   depends

honestly, do you think that inner beauty is as important as outer beauty? yeah.

do you pronounce “aunt” like “awnt” or “ant”? ant

have you ever seen wayne’s world?   yeah

what was your favorite video game as a child? spyro

list five things you’re currently thinking about:   “i hope my laptop doesn’t die”

is the last person you kissed a virgin? nope.

have you ever kissed anyone with a lip ring?   yeah

what was the last video you added to your favorites on youtube? i dunno

do you have any morbid interests? no

eat breakfast or skip it? skip

favorite disney channel show? lizzie mcguire.

do you believe in jesus?   yeah

would you ever get a tattoo in a “naughty” place?   naw

are your ears gauged? yeah

is there a band you like that many others dislike? which? probably

do you play pokemon go?   Nope.

are you a bad influence?   probably.

be honest. have you had any dirty thoughts today? no

honestly, have you ever danced naked?   sure

is smoking pot a turn off?   do your thing

have you ever scared yourself?   yeah

on facebook, do you have people listed as your siblings who aren’t really your siblings?   Nope.

is it ever okay for a woman to ask out a man?   Yes.

how important is it for a significant other to be good with kids? important considering he’s a dad

when did your last relationship end? when i was like 19

did your father go to college? many times

do you plan on going to college?   i wish

ever seen a burning building in person? no

do you like gore? eh

do you own any choker/collar necklaces?   yeah

did you have a “scene” phase?   i’m always in a scene phase.

how often do you shave your legs, if at all? why do/don’t you?   whenever i feel like it; because i’m lazy

are you dressing up for halloween this year?   probably not

horror movies: the bloodier, the better. right?   no

what do you think of people that smoke pot?   it’s whatever.

do you have pests in your house? if not, have you ever?   no

do you like korn? yes

what do you think of dodgeball being banned at some high schools?   good

when you were little, did you pick up worms? do you pick worms up now?   no;no

if you have younger siblings, do they play sports? do you go watch their games?   no

what do you think your friends say about you when you aren’t around?   don’t know

can you cut your own hair? not well

do you own a guitar? yeah

do you plan on seeing a band live this year? i wish

what’s a sport you don’t mind watching? olympics

what color hair would you like your baby to have?   i don’t care.

why do you think people care so much about looks?   because society

do you enjoy dancing? yeah

were you ever obsessed with the jonas brothers? yeah lol

do you ever feel like life is going by too fast?   yeah

do you pay for your own things?   yeah

have you ever gotten in trouble on the internet?   no

honestly, have you ever had lice? when i was really little.

do you think it’s possible to be in a long relationship without having sex?   sure

where did you last bleed from and why?   -

has the last person you kissed ever seen you cry? tons of times.

what do you like most about making out? i don’t really like making out unless like we’re gonna fuck.

have you ever had a guy put his hand in your shirt? yeah

what is the last thing you stapled? 

 dunno

who was your first prom date?

   never went to prom

have you ever been slapped in the face?

   probably.

have you ever touched a snake?

 yeah

are you lonely? no

do you like condoms? no

are you good at editing pictures? 

 yeah i think so

are you any good at public speaking? 
   yeah

would you have kids with the last person you kissed? i want to

have you ever thought of making love in a dressing room? no

do you know anyone who tries to steal everyone’s boyfriend?   no

do you appreciate raunchy humor? no

have you ever looked up porn on the internet? yeah

did you ever try cutting yourself? -

do you like to tell people who you like? sure

ever been institutionalized?   yeah

ever hold a newborn animal? yeah