#act three made me retract that statement so quickly | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

love-amihan · 3 years ago

Note

PLS I READ YOUR PROMISE FIC WITH JUNPEI AND IM SADDDDD 😭😭pls can you possibly do an alternate happy ending where junpei does survive or just fluff for him💓

| ʜᴏᴍᴇ | ᴊᴊᴋ | ᴀᴏᴛ | ʜǫ | ꜰɪʟᴏ | ᴛᴀɢʟɪsᴛs | ᴍɪᴍɪ |

TRUST // YOSHINO JUNPEI

amihan's note: you got it nonnie!! the first op scene scarred me emotionally, here's our bestboi doing his best! happy reading!

summary: itadori yuji became a huge part of yoshino junpei's life in a span of a day. junpei putting his trust on yuji resulted to a more promising future ahead of him.

bf!junpei x gn!reader

"zenin maki, panda..." mei mei says after yoshinobu asked them why they insisted on meeting with him.

aoi soon continues her words, "fushiguro megumi, kugisaki nobara, yoshino junpei, and my brother itadori yuji. these are the six, that i, by my name as todo aoi..."

mei mei fixes her hair following aoi's words, "and i, by my name mei mei" the two utters in sync declaring the goal for the meeting, "...recommend for first grade"

nobara looks back at the three boys she’s currently with, “quit being a slowpoke.” you smile at nobara, “let’s calm down now, there’s a lot of sale we haven’t check out yet.”

nobara looks back to you then at the three, she huffs and links arms with you, “you guys are lucky they’re with us or else i would’ve beaten all of you to pulp,” she excitedly walks with you to yet another store that’s having a sale.

“but they’re my partner,” junpei mutters, looking at the two’s retreating back, hand reaching out that’s full of shopping bags.

yuji chuckles at junpei’s misery, “you gotta get used to it, what’s yours is technically hers too.”

junpei’s mouth drops looking at yuji, “for real?!” the two started conversing, voices getting a bit louder. megumi walks ahead of them, blushing from embarrassment.

“junpei,” yuji nudge his side lightly, the three are ahead of them leaving them a little behind.

he hums quickly glancing at him before looking back at you again, “about the ring,” junpei halts and gives his full attention to yuji.

“what? something wrong?” the pink-haired asks, also stopping. junpei looks down, his shoulders dropping, yuji’s eyes widens.

“you-” junpei didn’t let yuji finish the sentence, just answering him with a nod for confirmation. “that’s it! we’re helping you!” yuji exclaims, full of determination.

“help with what?” megumi pipes in, hands in his pockets. “junpei’s proposal!” yuji smiles at megumi, his usual stoic face faltering after hearing the news.

junpei punches yuji’s arm lightly, blushing from the bold statement. “i’m not proposing!” he turns to megumi clearing the confusion, “it’s a promise ring.”

megumi lets out a small ‘oh.’ “what’s the difference?!” megumi rolls his eyes at his friend, “there’s a big difference.”

you appear in the scene together with nobara who’s glaring at them. “difference with what?” you skip beside junpei, giving him a small smile.

he shakes his head, nervously laughing, “it’s nothing.” you squint your eyes at him making him look away with a small blush.

you hum not wanting to push further, “wanna get ice cream?” you reach out for his hand intertwining your fingers with his.

nobara clicks her tongue, arms crossing over her chest, “boys and their stupid talks.” she turns around leading the way, “she’s extra cranky today,” yuji mutters staring at her retreating back.

you shrug, giving yuji a soft smile, “menstruation maybe?” yuji lets out an exaggerated ‘oh.’

junpei laughs a little while patting yuji on the back, “this is why you’re not popular with girls,” junpei says as yuji looks back at him.

“you’re starting to act like nobara too!” yuji looks at him, frightened. “it’s the truth,” megumi adds in and follows nobara, “and you guys are supposed to be my friends” he mumbles, looking dejected.

“at least, y/n’s nice to me.” you put on a sweet smile, “well truth hurts, yuji.” his lips forms into a pout, walking ahead not before muttering “bullies” under his breath.

the first years are summoned by satoru saying he has another mission for them, “he said it's top secret,” megumi informs them.

nobara shakes her head, “when wasn’t?” yuji soon changes the topic while making their way to ijichi's car.

“nobara’s good with planning surprises,” he says out of the blue causing for the rest of the first years to raise a brow at him.

“the promise ring,” the two boys nods in sync, understanding him. “ring?” nobara slightly tilts her head to the side.

junpei nods at her, pulling out the box from his uniform showcasing the ring. “this... for a promise ring?!” junpei rubs the back of his head.

“is it not nice for a promise ring?” nobara shakes her head, her eyes sparkling from admiration. “you might as well propose to them with this!” junpei blushes at the thought, “don’t be ridiculous, we-we’re still young!” he stutters in panic.

“oh come on, they will say yes,” she gives back the box, “no doubt about it."

junpei looks away, tucking the box back in his uniform pockets, “you never know that” he mumbles, yuji interrupts by clapping his hands together.

“we should make a plan,” in which nobara agreed on, “i’ll do it since it’s y/n.” junpei looks back at nobara and shakes his head, “you really don’t have to,” she waves her hand dismissing his statement, “i’ve already decided.”

for the second time today, you almost tripped on something while blindlessly reaching out.

yuta is doing an awful job telling you where to and not to go, “i'm so sorry y/n” he bows his head even though you’re blindfolded.

he didn’t know how he ended up being the one to assist you when he's really bad at communicating with others, “we’re almost there” he informs you.

you don’t know what to expect since there wasn’t anything special today, your birthday is still months away.

“what's with today yuta?” you face where you think he was which yuta corrects, “it won’t be a surprise anymore if i tell you.”

that didn’t stop you from trying to know until you feel one last little push, “huh? yuta?” you aimlessly try to find him until you feel someone take both your hands.

you try to retract your hands but stop once you hear a familiar voice, “it’s me,” junpei’s soft voice reaches your ears.

junpei slowly removes the blindfold off you, you blink trying to clear your blurry vision. once you did, you see all the effort and preparation put in all of this.

flower petals are thrown everywhere, fairy lights decorating the tree, to wrap it all up love songs softly playing in the background.

he's always been the romantic type and he never fails to amaze you every time, you look at him with pure adoration in your eyes.

you start to panic holding his hands, “i-is it our anniversary?!” you stumble with your words, feeling terrible for forgetting such an important milestone.

junpei shakes his head, smiling at you, “i wanna give you something, darling” you nod and wait for him to continue.

“y/n, my love. you’ve been with me through everything, may it be a pleasant or bad memories, you're always there by my side. you’ve always come to pick me back up to my feet when i'm down..." he takes a deep breath.

he continues, "what i’m trying to say is… will you grow old with me?” junpei looks into your teary eyes, “i want to be by your side until my last breath, you’re my everything y/n” he opens the box and showing the ring.

“of course i would baby,” you hold his face and close the gap between the two of you, kissing him passionately.

after pulling away, he slide the ring on your ring finger. “this is just to seal our promise, you better fulfill them” he sniffs and chuckles at his shakiness.

you lightly hit his arm while laughing, “you know that i would” he kisses the back of your hand admiring the ring.

“this is beautiful darling, you’ve always been a sweetheart” you hold his hand and look around.

“i love you” you smiled at him, “i love you more” he pecks your lips, the group coming out from their hiding spot.

clinking of glasses echoes the room accompanied by loud cheers of best wishes. yuji swings his arm around junpei who's laughing with you not long ago.

“you remember junpei?” both of you look at yuji, a little lost with his sudden outburst. “when we helped you with your first proposal?” yuji’s words are slur as he continues to rant.

“ahh that does bring back memories,” you smile at the thought, you bring your hand up and look at the ring.

“and now look at you!” yuji starts getting emotional, the alcohol may have started to kick in. “two of my best friends will get married soon,” he sniffs, tears now running down his face.

nobara laughs at drunk yuji while maki scolds him for drinking too much, it’s amazing how the group stayed together throughout the years.

even after graduating, all of them, including you knowing how they grew fond of you, making sure to stay in contact.

junpei smiles in malice, he decides to add more on yuji’s emotional state, he pats yuji’s back as megumi assists him.

“go and have your rest, best man.” yuji looks at junpei with big puppy eyes, his brain processing the information before breaking out in tears.

“be-best man?!” toge laughs in the background holding two thumbs up while panda stops maki from pouncing on toge for fuelling on junpei’s actions.

the group is already in their twenties yet one thing that never changes is how chaotic it has always been.

they really did bring out the best of junpei, you remember how he finally opens up to them and how he warmed up to the second years during the kyoto goodwill event.

it was tough for junpei at first, his experience would be best described as how yuta was treated back in his 1st year.

but the big difference is that junpei has yuji, with yuji's persistent approach and friendliness they soon take a liking of junpei.

the group feels more like a family than a bunch of friends in junpei's eyes, well for all of you.

it's a little family who you can freely express yourself to. he especially got close to toge, they talked about movies, planned pranks on the other students, they’ve made really good memories alongside each other. thus, toge’s antics rubs off on him.

you giggle and look down at the rings, it’s beautiful seeing them together.

“daddd, i’m already grown up” your child whines at junpei who’s babying him, “no, you’re not” he denies as he fixes your child’s collar.

the two of you are now married and have a child together, “come on now dad, stop that” you tease junpei, siding with your child.

the kid flashes a big smile and runs to you, jumping in your arms sticking their tongue out at him.

junpei huffs, crossing his arms and faking to be upset. “guess you won’t get ice cream later,” his tone in a sing-song manner, knowing their weakness.

the kid gasps loudly and looks at him with the most betrayed expression, their little banter is soon interrupted by a greeting.

“junpei-sensei!” one of his students greets making you smile fondly at the sight, he’s really come a long way.

his students who've always looked up to him and respected him. they never miss a chance to greet him outside the school, junpei smiles at his students greeting them in return.

this is yoshino junpei’s simple life, married to his first love, a small family with them, a supportive group of friends he made through the years, and finally a job that he loves doing.

this all happened because of the one decision he made that changed everything for the path ahead of him.

all because he put his trust on his long time friend, itadori yuji.

127 notes · View notes

anxioussweasley · 4 years ago

Note

hi! so i saw you were asking for requests so could i please request a fluff fred au with prompts 9 and 19 from the fluff part of the list? like reader and fred aren't dating but everyone knows they love each other and fred and reader kinda confess to each other while reader braids freds hair (he has it long like in goblet of fire)? some best friends to lovers kinda thing 🥺 thank you in advance, i love your writing!!

Braiding sessions and confessions

9. “Will you braid my hair?”

19. “We’d be a cute couple, don’t you think?”

Warnings: tooth rotting fluff, unedited

Word count: 2.1k

Masterlist

A/n: Thank you for the request love! I really hope you like this, sorry I didn’t edit it lol.

“Well, hello love,” Fred greets as he sits next to you in the great hall. His twin following on the other side of the table, sitting across from him. As Fred gets settled he puts his arm around you, pulling you closer to him.

“Hi Fred,” you mumble as you lay your head on his shoulder. Tired from the long night you spent doing assignments so you wouldn’t have any to do over the weekend.

“You two are gross y’know that?” George rolls his eyes, letting out a small chuckle when you and his twin's faces blush over. Fred retracted his arm from you to flip his brother off and you hurriedly sat up straight again.

“Oh shove off George, I know you're as emotionally stunted as a mandrake root but it is completely normal for friends to be affectionate,” Fred jokes, putting his arm back around you.

George only rolls his eyes, muttering under his breath, “yeah whatever you say.” His sarcasm radiating off of him.

You just giggle at the boy's antics, before turning back to fixing your breakfast plate.

As you fix your breakfast plate you try to reach across the table to grab the pitcher of pumpkin juice, but before your hand can clasp around the handle, Fred is reaching out and snatching it up with little effort. The boy gives you a warm smile, muttering an “I’ve got it,” before grabbing your cup and filling it up, placing it back down in front of you and filling his own cup.

“Thanks Freddie,” you smile shyly, reaching out for the cup and taking a sip. Small gestures like these were starting to confuse you. Fred was your best friend, so why did your heart flutter when he put his arm around you, or filled your cup for you, or winked at you, or sat by you, or looked at you, or basically existed in the same room as you. Well, you knew why… you just didn’t want to realize it yet.

“Aw what a cute couple,” George teased.

“George, I mean it. Shove. Off,”

“Are you going to hogsmeade today?” George directed at you, while shoving a piece of toast in his mouth.

“I’m not sure. Why?” You answered him, quirking your eyebrow at the question.

“Well, you see,” George started, Fred’s face already becoming hot with embarrassment, “Freddie here got caught while we were pranking filch last night. So he’s been banned from the trip. So I was just curious.” George gives you a knowing look, understanding that even if going to hogsmeade was your greatest wish in life, you would stay at hogwarts for Fred.

“George has already decided he’s going without me, and although I would love to just seek out, McGonagall said if I get caught she’ll be forced to kick me off the quidditch team. So I figured I’d just stay here and relax,” Fred informed. Hoping more than anything that you would offer to stay with him. The truth is he could easily sneak to Hogsmeade, but the idea of spending the day alone with you sounded much more appealing.

“I’ll stay here with you, if you want,” you suggested, heart warming at the thought of spending the day alone with Fred.

“Oh wow I never saw that coming,” George joked, his tongue laced with sarcasm. “You two should just admit you're in love already. You're so obvious even oblivious little ronnikens knows!” George exclaims making a big hand gesture down the table to Ron. Ron sits up straight, his mouth full of eggs, “what?” He questions looking between the three of you. Noticing how close you and Fred are sitting and the blush on your faces he quickly processes what George had said. “Oh, yeah, you two should get a room,” the younger ginger teases before going back to stuffing his face with breakfast. Fred glares at the younger boy for a minute as George quickly finishes his plate and leaves the great hall with Lee Jordan, before you or Fred can respond to his smug remark

A moment passes as you and Fred watch George leave and then you burst into a fit of giggles, “your brother is a real git sometimes.” Fred let out a loud laugh at that, nodding his head.

The two of you continued to eat breakfast, sitting shoulder to shoulder, laughing and joking. After a particularly loud laugh from you at one of Fred’s jokes, you looked around quickly to see if you had caught anyone’s attention. You noticed a group of girls glaring at you, and before you could brush it off as thinking you were annoying, you noticed they weren’t so much glaring at you as they were glaring at Fred’s arm around you. It had happened before. Girls glaring at you and Fred’s closeness, starting jealous rumors about you and Fred’s relationship. You have even had girls rudely ask if you were dating Fred, and when you promptly answer ‘no’, sweetly ask you to put in a good word for them. Despite your growing familiarity with the girls jealous stares. You started to feel uncomfortable as you looked back down at the table, unconsciously scooting away from Fred.

Fred noticed your sudden change in demeanor, glaring in the direction you were just looking, being met with the smug faces of a group of girls. Fred’s frown deepened before turning back to you and lightly bumping your shoulder with his arm. “Let’s get out of here, yeah?” His voice was soft, contrasting the glare he sent the group of girls over your shoulder.

“Yeah.” You answered quickly with a small nod. Fred stood up then, and offered his hand out to you, helping you off the bench and slinging his arm back around you as he led you to the Gryffindor common room.

“Sorry about all that,” Fred mumbled as you two strolled through the halls of hogwarts. He hated all the unwanted attention you got from being his friend. He knew his popularity among their peers, particularly their female peers, was a downside to your friendship with him.

“It’s not your fault, actually I’m starting to get used to it, I mean it’s been like this ever since you joined the quidditch team and got away with pranking Snape,” you giggle slightly at the memory of seeing the greasy professor in pink robes.

“You shouldn’t have to deal with it,” Fred sighed, “I mean we’re not- '' Fred”

paused, honestly saddened by what he was planning to say. “I guess, well, we’re not even together. They should leave you alone.” He finished, shaking his head, to hide his blushed cheeks behind his hair.

“It’s okay Freddie. really. Honestly I’m more concerned about how long your hairs getting,” you joke trying to lighten the mood.

Fred laughs, giving you a smug smirk, “oh, don’t act like you don’t like it.”

“Trust me, love,” you giggle, “I don’t like it.” You try to finish your statement with a straight face but are unable to control your giggles.

“You wound me,” Fred joked dramatically, holding his hands up over his heart. Well you thought he was being dramatic, really he moved his hands to his chest because his heart felt like it was about to explode at you calling him love.

“Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t mean to bruise your ego there,” you taunt before softening your voice and saying, “I’m just kidding Fred, I do like your hair long, it suits you.”

Fred's face broke into a wide grin as he thanked you before suggesting that the two of you go hang out in his dorm considering that the common room was possessed by a very loud group of first and second years playing exploding snaps.

You and Fred made it up to the dorm room in comfortable silence, the two of you making yourselves comfortable on his bed. Fred pulled out one of the twins' inventions fiddling with it as you mindlessly braided a small piece of your hair.

Fred couldn’t help but let his eyes drift to you, he knew his brother was right, you and him act like you loved each other. Fred knew he loved you, but what if you didn’t love him? He could never risk losing your friendship over something like that. Could never risk losing you, no matter how much he wanted you to know how he felt. He watched you silently hoping you wouldn’t notice as you focused on braiding your hair.

“Ginny use to ask us to do that,” Fred murmured with a chuckle.

“What? Braid her hair?” You answered your own question.

Fred nodded scooting closer to you. “Yeah, all of us tried to learn how, George was good at it, I got the hang of it eventually but Bill was the best, Charlie was okay at it, Percy could do like the special kind. French braiding? Is that what it’s called?” You nodded. “Ron couldn't get the hang of it to save his life, not that he really wanted to.” Fred smiled warmly at the memories of when Bill tried to teach him how to braid Ginny's hair when she asked him. “I don’t even remember how anymore.”

“It’s sweet that you all tried to learn for your sister,” you said as you finished the small braid in your hair.

“Yeah I guess. Will you braid my hair?” Fred mumbled, as he realized that his hair now might be long enough for it.

A big smile spread across your face as you sat up. “Of course Freddie, come here,” you patted the place on the bed in front of you, Fred moving to sit there with his back towards you.

You ran your hands through his hair checking for tangles. “Your hair is so soft,” you giggle, in awe of how soft the ginger's hair was. As you braided Fred’s hair you started humming softly. A warm feeling spreading through you as you realized just how much you wanted to be like this all the time. You wanted to tell Fred how you felt, but you didn’t know how.

Fred was having the same tug of war in his mind. A shiver running down his spine each time your skin brushed his. He loved the feeling of your hands in his hair, he loved having you in his room, in his bed, just being close to you.

“Thanks for doing this Y/n,” Fred mumbled tiredly, your hands softly braiding his hair and the soft humming of your voice making him sleepy. “I’m sorry about my brother earlier by the way, and the girls in the great hall.”

“I already told you it's okay Freddie. And your brother was just teasing,” you answered.

“Yeah but he was right though. We’d be a cute couple, don’t you think?” The words had escaped Fred’s mouth before he could even process what he was saying. His heart dropped to his stomach when you quickly pulled your hands away from his hair.

He sat up straight, quickly turning to you, to gauge your reaction. When his eyes landed on you, you were staring back at him with wide eyes. “You- you think we’d be a cute couple?” You whispered breathless.

When Fred realized that your initial reaction was not automatic rejection, the sinking feeling in his stomach lessened as he decided to summon all the courage he had. “Yeah, I really do. Y/n, George was right when he said I loved you.”

You didn’t know what to say. You didn’t know what to think. Fred was your best friend and you were in love with him, and here he is confessing to you. You didn’t snap out of your awe until you registered a sad disheartened look crossing Fred’s face. You cursed yourself for being quiet for too long. So you reached out your hands, cupping Fred’s face and bringing him closer to you. “I love you too, Freddie.” And with that you crashed your lips on his.

After the kiss Fred asked you to be his girlfriend, and after you happily accepted, you finished braiding his hair. The two of you lounged around his dorm for the rest of the day holding each other and wishing you hadn’t waited so long to confess.

“I knew it!” George yelled as he entered the room finding you and Fred snuggled up on Fred’s bed. Lee laughed at George’s loud remark. “I swear if you two look me in the eye now and say you're just friends I’m going to lose it!” George exclaimed, making everyone in the room laugh.

“We’re not just friends.”

#fred weasley #george weasley #weasley twins #weasleys #fred and george #fred weasley fluff #fred weasley imagine #george weasly imagines #hp imagine #fred weasley x y/n #anxiousweasley writes

125 notes · View notes

beann-e · 4 years ago

Text

Arranged Marriages With Stoic Guys

female pronouns used for this one !

“ y/n you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to “

“ are you stupid of course I have to “ you snapped at your father who stood hovering over you a slight smirk on his face “ eh thought you’d want to hear what you wanna hear “

you scoffed trying to push his arm off your shoulders this was all stupid you didn’t want to do any of this

“ honestly i’m doing what’s best for you y/n you need this — we need this “ he sighed “ I mean don’t you want to help your family and yourself think about how well set up you’ll be “his eyes went stone on yours “ you need this “

you flinched at the way his sureness slipped into his tone there was no way you were gonna get out of this “ no you need this there is no we right now “

his face hardened as he held out his arm for you to grab “ shut up and grab my arm “

“ i’m not going out there with you “

“ yes “ his voice was threatening and quiet “ you are “

“ I said im no— “

“ look you’ve been weighing this family down for years yet, we’ve said nothing— and now you finally have the chance to help us — to show you belong in this world and you won’t ? are you serious “

His face flew up into a look of annoyance “ you have no other purpose than to help us that is why you were born to be shoved into a family rich enough to secure your own and your families needs and now you mean to tell me you don’t want to do what you were created for “

your mouth snapped shut at his claims

“ are you that disgusting that you can’t even help your family “

you felt your body go cold as he continued to press into you

“ you preach how we’re the bad people yet you do evil shit like this“

he scoffed looking down on you “ i feel nothing but pure disgust to even have to go out there and call you my daughter “

he shook his head in disappointment before putting his arm out for you to grab again “ grab it “ his voice raised “ and you better go out there and put on that glorious look of innocence his father liked “

you gulped as he directed you quickly out the doors and draped the piece of fabric that you wore on your head. Placing it over your eyes and walking you down the aisle that had been so beautifully decorated

you were suppose to be getting married today not that you wanted to but, you had to.

you were the only girl in a family full of knuckle headed boys who just weren’t smart enough for an arranged marriage.

This was your fourth time being close enough to being married off though you hated the other 2 there was one that stuck out to you and that was number three

Your third boyfriend was one your family never liked they saw him as disgusting, vile, and too dirty with his language.

To you he was caring and open and rarely ever talked too harshly to you as long as you managed to never piss him off. You were happy with him and he was the only one you could ever see yourself settling down with until he told you He would take care of you and only you.

That was the nail in the coffin when you brought him over to dinner one night and out of the blue he spoke loudly so everyone could hear him “ look — with this whole marriage thing when I do marry your shitty daughter “

his eyes coming over to look at you and sending a look of reassurance your way making sure you knew he didn’t mean it. Them falling back to look at everyone around the dinner table who moved comfortably in their seats not caring how he talked to you as long as they would get to live lavish

“ i’m not taking care of you guys “ he scooped up the leftover food on his plate “ i’m only going out of the way for her and her only — the rest of you are on your own “

he shoveled the food in his mouth speaking carefully and making sure to watch his words knowing how serious he had to be with them in order for him to be heard by your parents “ you guys are using her for money and I don’t like that i’m not taking care of shitty parents and two brothers who act like they can’t even tell me how to spell yen “

him laughing and turning to your eldest brother a small smile on his face “ hey jerk face “

“ uh huh “ your brothers body wiggled in excitement to be acknowledged “ what’s up “

“ spell yen for me real quick “

“ babe don—“

“ shutup needa prove a point for your asshole parents “

“ hmmm “ your brother thought out loud as your other one jumped in the conversation “ hey dude what’s yen anyways “

your boyfriends mouth flying open as he slammed his hand on the table “ actually scratch that — i’m gonna pay for them both to go to elementary school and be two tall ass bodyguards that talk and say dumb shit like this to scare the kids into learning “

he pushed himself out of his chair kissing you softly before leaving the room. The door slamming as your father followed him anger swirling off his body at not only your boyfriends attitude for not wanting to help them but for coming in his house and making a fool of his family

you never got any of what your third boyfriend promised because he never got the opportunity to come back and your father made sure to have you cut off all contact with him.

So lucky you

free wedding , new guy

“ smile “ you felt your face do what you were told immediately as your feet shuffled down the aisle anyone could tell this was painful or at least anyone who actually knew you and not the 100 paid citizens of japan who sat in your wedding chairs

The guy you were marrying is a hero so, you can see how easy this is for him to pay for. He had to keep this little ordeal in the papers but only so, his father could stay relevant or at least that’s how they explained it to you no one explained that this was your e—

“ y/n“ your fathers voice was sharp “ take his hand“ you blinked finally realizing you were at the end of the carefully laid out carpet “ pay attention don’t make us look stupid “

you smiled carefully at the male before you dragged your foot stepping up and using his outstretched hand across from you “ thank—thank you “

it was silent which you immediately understood you knew he felt no need to talk to you ‘ maybe he’s not that into talking in public maybe he’s a private kind of person ‘

yeah he was so private that he said nothing but his I do’s and his occasional mhmm’s when you tried to get to know him with this continuing all night you never got to. This was all set up between his father and your own. you and him had no knowledge you were getting married today from what your father told you

“ so how— how is hero work “ you questioned as you two sat in the busy hall waiting for the doors to open up to allow people outside into the courtyard for pictures “ I hear you are one — a hero I mean “

you looked up to him as he faced forward his mouth making no attempt to move “ what really no it’s that hard ? “ you looked off speaking to yourself “ wouldnt think hero work could ever be hard“

“ did i just witness you ask and answer your own question “

your body shook as you felt heat rise up in your body your temperature high hands starting to feel sweaty “ oh uh “

“ if we have to get you checked for mental health problems i’d like to do so early “ he never broke his gaze from in front of him even when the doors opened “ I do not want to wake up with a knife to my chest or walk in on you talking to your imaginary friend after work “

you face dropped you understanding you were getting no where in communication with this man. You grabbed his outstretched hand and let him weave you carefully through the many people you didn’t know finally he stopped only to grip your hand tightly “ don’t move and wait quietly please“

you nodded your head as you watched him talk to the photographer guessing they were discussing where you were gonna take your pictures

“ hello there y/n “ you heard a booming voice say turning around only to bump square into a hard chest

“ or should I say daughter in law “ his voice scared you it was something about the way he was so sure of himself something felt wrong here

“ oh um do I— I know you “

“ of course you do “ he pointed to your new husband smiling “ you married my son an hour ago “

you shook your head uncomfortable with being left alone with now not only one person you didn’t know but also two plus a room full of people you couldn’t even name “ excuse me if I seem a bit “

“— lost , ditzy, bimbo like “

“ w-what bimbo? excuse me “

“ it’s ok as long as your quirk is as good as your father tells me I am fine with your intelligence level not being up to par my son is fully equipped with the knowledge to take care of a woman and provide like a man should “

“ I-“ you thought for a moment deciding on if you should go all out on the male that stood before you retracting into yourself when you thought of your father

“ oh y/n i know — it’s the bimbo tendencies? yeah here i’ll make it easier for you is there something you wanted to say“

you flinched at the statement smiling and presenting yourself happily as he smirked down on you ‘ he knows what hes doing ‘

“ no no nothing at all “ you said feeling his large hand pat you on your back “ good girl— get over there my sons kinda dense when it comes to talking to people “

you smiled to hold all the hostility in your voice “ yes i’ve seen so much of his density in our one hour together I find myself wondering how he can provide for me without proper communication skills “

the males eyebrow raising at your ability to speak back to an elder “ hmm he suffers with interaction due to lack of affection— childhood trauma as people your age like to say “

his smile tight and not fully reaching his ears “ I do expect that you’ll show him the proper amount of affection no matter if you got dragged into this or not “

you turned on your heel leaving the annoyed male to his own thoughts your hands coming up to interlock over your new ‘husbands’ shoulders “ hi shoto “

he bristled at your touch his shoulder moving to drop your hands as he pretended to stretch his arm in a small circle side eyeing you carefully alerting you to not touch him without permission again before he turned back to the male in front of him voice low “ I do not understand why I cannot take the photos the way I want to “

“ your father sai— “

“ their my spouse ? “ he was direct with everything he said “ it’s my wedding “

you could feel the questioning in every word he said voice low almost threatening the male in front of you “are you going to believe a 90 year old geezer who just found out beating kids is wrong or are you going to believe your beloved pro hero ? “

you could hear the teasing he held at the very end that even made you want to move just as fast as the photographer in front of you and follow after him

“ how do you want to take the photos y/n “ Shotos eyes looked down on you expectedly as you shook your head in confusion ‘ how did I end up picking our poses he wanted to change the generic one that was preplanned‘

you looked into his face as his eyes morphed into a look you couldn’t quite figure out “ i’m guessing you did this for me ? “

he shook his head slightly “ oh so you thought I would want something different from the basic ph— ok um “ you smiled as you turned to the front “ can we just do a um — maybe a hug but he hugs my waist that’s always a pretty marriage picture “

you moved to look back at him as the photographer agreed shoto moving carefully to stand behind you and wrap his arms around your waist hesitantly “ you can — it’s ok “ you felt as his shaky arms snaked around and sat in the spot that you guided them to your arms moving over them as your hands tried to soothe his jumpy ones

“ hey calm down “ you laughed “ just a picture — not me waging war on you family “

he looked down on your smiling face his own going through so many emotions not able to tell which one he wanted to show “ at least not the rest of them — your father maybe “ he watched as you turned back around the camera clicking as a genuine look of interest for you passed over his face

“ do you guys want to take another one “

“ um I think we’re good he doesn’t um— he doesn’t seem like a photo- e guy and i’m not very photogenic “

the photographer shook his head in understanding letting out a sigh of relief that he held as you moved to walk off your husbands grip tightening on you “ hey I — you can let go now sh— “

“ do you remember earlier “ he questioned “ when I told you to stay put “

your body flamed as you knew you’d done something wrong immediately feeling like you should try to defend yourself

“ why did you walk off “ his eyebrows furrowed “ how — why did you disobey orders “

“ I just—- I didn’t — your father— he — he came up and he— “

“ either way you didn’t listen you moved from the spot I placed you in” his eyes were staring holes into yours daggers really “so no matter who spoke to you — you were in the wrong “

“ I — it’s my body I can move “

“ yes you can in the spot I placed you “

“ I don’t even know you I don’t have t— “

“ that’s how it works “ his voice roared looking to the ground eyebrows furrowed as he was trying so desperately to understand you “ that is how it works in a marriage you listen to me —when I tell you to do something you do it and when I tel— “

“ no it’s not what — I” your face made up in confusion “ who told you these things —- this is ? i’m not a kid I am your wife now—we’re on two equal playing fiel— “

“ no “ you gnawed at your lip as he waited for a rebuttal seeing as though you had been answering him back after everything he said standing up straighter when he seen your tightly closed mouth “ i’m done with this argument I was just curious of something and you answered it “ he unwrapped himself from your body and turned to leave tugging at his suit

you not knowing wether to follow him or leave him be choosing the first option when he turned over his shoulder and stopped his movement

voice coming out short you were so confused with your new ‘husbands’ behavior he expected almost everything from you as if you could read his mind without words “ sorry — sorry “

he shook his head in understanding as he went to get his car from the valet opening the door for you as he opened his own getting in and setting himself up properly for a nice drive

your back hitting the seat hard when he took off your mind racing thinking this may be punishment for your words and anger towards him earlier.

‘ maybe he’s gonna play fast and furious while i’m In the car to get me to shut up ‘

“ I do not intend to scare you if that is what you are thinking “

he looked into his side mirror as he got over into another lane “ but I do intend to build structure where I see there is none “

you knew you should be quiet right now is not the time to fight for your rights in this new relationship not when he was driving like he’d never heard of a car accident

“ and I am not sure about you but I do feel right now is the best time to set that in place seeing as though I don’t know you and I doubt you even want to know me “

he waited on your answer “ when I stop talking that signifies you may speak “

“ sorry yes— no I do want—want to know you “

“ that’s interesting “ he sat back in the drivers seat as he eyed the road carefully slowing down a bit when taking in your answer “ i’d like to think that we were both forced into this “

“ ye-“

“ but that is simply not true “

your eyes refused to blink “ neither of us were “ he slowed the car down even more as he pulled into an underground parking garage “ you were handpicked by myself because I was asked to find a spouse to spark some uproar in the headlines or else i’d lose my title of number three hero and I am not too keen on giving that up right now with my father being number four and only living to climb the ranks “

he turned his car off as he turned to you “ i do not want to give him that enjoyment— “ he sighed “ you are not necessarily wanted nor needed— the only thing I can ask of you is to uphold this facade out there and i will give you and your family— everything i originally signed to in the contract“

he opened his car door as he stood fixing his suit again “ in here — my house you either follow my set of rules or you will be asked to leave and id honestly hate to ask you to leave “

you heart fluttered so he was interested in you

“ because then i’d have to talk to the media and I do hate when they ask me questions they have the material to supply themselves an answer with “

you heard the slam of the car door as you got out yourself hearing the two beeps from his car when locking it following him up the stairs as your eyes blinked several times

no no

you followed him up the elevator images flashing In your mind as you looked to the buttons remembering the number all too clear as he stepped out and onto the floor opening the door to the pent house your sweaty hands fiddling with the bottom half of your dress

“ shoto”

“ todoroki inside please my love — also “ he moved to his kitchen stripping off his jacket “ baby goes for me —my love goes for you in or out I don’t care — but do not overuse it — you will only annoy me “

you smiled softly trying to rush to ask your overwhelming question that was buzzing around inyour mind “ baby do you um— by any chance do you happen to have a rooma — “

“ who the fuck left the door open “ you heard the voice your ears had missed so much your body wanting to drop to the floor after hearing it “ shitty icy hot always coming in places and just leaving shit open— it’s like you don’t even know privacy “

“ well that is true I have never been awarded such thing as privacy I was off throwing up on tile after a long hard restless day of beatings “

“tch always so quick to spill your shitty trauma — wheres the bitch you set yourself up to marry “ he scoffed as you heard him nearing the kitchen “ marry for hire I mean “

shoto nodded as if the male could see it closing his fridge making his way over to you pushing you to follow him towards the loud deep voice “ she’s here actually though she’s going to be busy in a moment — you’ll have some time to meet her afterwards I promise “

“ god — if it goes on all night I swear — still can’t believe you hired some weird bitch to marry you and the whor—holy fuck “

Your eyes rose to meet his as you saw the tall blond drop his grenades he held in his gloved hands the loud clang echoing throughout the house “ my god I do ask bakugou if we’re going to stay together due to the department , that you do watch how you mess up our house , you have free range to destroy anything you want inside your own room “

“ shut —shut the fuck up ice tray“ his eyes narrowed on yours as he pointed at you “ this is the — the bitch you went to marry today — the one you picked out “

“ yes — I — is there a problem “ shoto turned to look you up and down “ though I did suspect some mental health challenges earlier i’m sure you can’t notice them up front right “

bakugous body shivered as he took a step back from you his body prepared to run

“ bakugou i’ve never seen you this “ your grip tightened on your dress pulling it up in the back hand dipping low to grab at your cell phone knowing you would have to call for help if he decided to be the bakugou you knew and kill you your ears listening closely as shoto spoke “ this afraid it’s quite eventful “

“ you— you dumbass “ he kept his eyes on you “ get the fuck out this isn’t the place for you— go back to your run down shitty cottage or something “

shoto stood confused as bakugou ran to grab you his hand tight on your arm his body stopping eyes made up in sadness face dropping as he felt himself wanting to scream and cry all at the same time. Hand only gripping harder onto your figure

“ what is the meaning of this —- I find this disgustingly rude — bakugou “

he shook his head eyes dropping to the floor your heart breaking he won’t even look at you that’s how bad your father screwed things up for you

Him pushing you away from him and towards the door as he spoke low hurt and pain ripping through his voice “ she’s gotta go “ his body moving to walk away “ now “ he screamed “ unmarry her or some shit—I don’t wanna see that bitch when I come back out here “

“ katsu— “

“ don’t you dare say my name not like that not with tears in your fucking eyes and sounding all sad and shit the last time you said it was the best time dont make me forget that shit “

your body shook in fear as his eyes weighed heavy on you shotos voice pouring out “ god bakugou please what are you saying your just being a bit of an— excuse my language my love but an — asshole aren’t you ? “

his body stalling when he thought back to a few moments ago “ wait how — how do you know his name “

your heart broke as you looked between the two men.

Just your luck that you would have to choose between a man who would most likely give you nothing but pure gentle love and supply your family the same only for one small thing in return or one that you missed so much every night you went to sleep

then again you would have no choice but to be married to someone that you’d already signed away your life to in a binding contract that stated your family and yourself would be very well taken care of and who were you to choose love over protection ?

146 notes · View notes

nadiecomoyo · 4 years ago

Text

Fortune Favors The Bold

Prologue

Before visiting Yuta, Gojo travels to America to see a group of skilled individuals. Once there he gives them the task to seek out cases where curses are out of the norm, in hopes to find more of Sukuna’s fingers. All four of them scramble across Japan with one goal in mind: find as many fingers as possible to feed to the new vessel before his execution takes place.

Song Inspirations: La Casita, The Plan, Leave The Door Open

WK: 3.5k

A/N: Hi! This is my first story. It’s more for my entertainment but if people like this then great. Basically Gojo meeting the gang and what not. Enjoy!

“Would your table like to start off with an appetizer while the last person in your party arrives?” the waitress asked, making her round yet again to the table for a third time that night. The pristine white table cloth maintaining the same cleanliness since their arrival. The only indication of the table being used are the four empty glasses littering the table. The exact table currently holding four people who remained silent as sharp glares descend on the vacant seat. The three men and one female all looked like they wanted to be somewhere else, the waitress noted that none of the guests have ordered food, only drinks.

Angel sighed, seeing the lack of initiative from the others, and decided to answer the patient waitress. “No thank you, we’ll order once he arrives. But can you get us four,” turning his head to see Nicole motioning to her glass, “I mean three glasses of Aviation and one glass of water.” The waitress jotted down the request and promptly left.

The lavish Gabriel Kreuther restaurant became alive at night: people chattering, plates and utensils clicking, instruments playing, yet their table did not have an ounce of sound. Unbeknown to the waitress and the people around them, the four were conversating in their minds.

[Some invite this is], Alejandro flicked his wrist to the seat next to him.

[The guy is almost an hour late. I don’t care who he is I’m ditching this place once I finish my drink], Thomas sent an annoyed look to the group. Alejandro hummed in agreement.

[Come on guys, it must be serious if he contacted us], Angel pleads to the other three at the table.

[It’s concerning how he found us. The barrier I generate around us clouds our remnants. The inevitable trails we leave behind should not be enough to trace us ba-]

[-Must be his Six Eyes!] Thomas’ eyes widened at his not-so-genius epiphany.

His internal excitement reached his body, their mental conversation did not help the incoming waitress with their drinks, who has not seen much of a reaction from the guests since they have arrived. She did not expect Thomas’ action and almost dropped the tray onto the floor. A quick apology towards the waitress and a mild smack on Thomas’ head from Nicole amended the almost tragedy.

[As I was saying], Nicole specifically looking at Thomas, [I’m just glad we’re here and not back home. I never want to be in the same room with him and my grandfather.]

[The bastard may finally have a heart attack], Alejandro snickering at the thought of the resigned clan leader kicking the bucket, [Either way being caught between a rock and a hard place sucks.]

Everyone was thinking the same thing since their special, late, guest invited them to the sought-after restaurant overviewing the New York skyline. They all did not like this encounter one bit. All four of them were uncomfortably realizing their present reality. Exorcising in the shadows for so long, while going against their respective clan’s wishes, they preferred no one knew about their prohibited activities. The confrontation by a certain sorcerer clearly irked them, especially Nicole.

[Those eyes of his annoy me beyond imagina-]

Nicole halted her sentence as all four of them sensed an overwhelming presence of cursed energy. Being seated in the middle of the room, it gave them access to seeing the entrance door. An overly tall white-haired man sporting black sunglasses entered the main dining room floor. He exchanged words with the host, who pointed to the reserved table under his name, and began to walk towards them.

“Look who finally arrived,” Angel’s sarcastic comment rang a bit too loud causing a few people at the other tables to glance at him.

Nicole quickly investigated the special guest’s mind.

[Oh, I am so late. But that chocolate pizza really hit the spot. I need to buy one for Yuta before I leave.]

Disappointed with the revelation, she retracted from his mind. Nicole begrudgingly sent him a smile as he sat down at the table acting as if he was not late by one hour.

“Sorry for the delay, traffic here is terrible amiright?” flashing a bright smile towards the four at the table, “My name is Sa-,”

“We know who you are. Can you get on with the point of this dinner? Your timing is immaculate, has anyone told you that?" Thomas interrupted Gojo, sending him the same bright smile back. Gojo seemed to expect that type of response and brushed his teasing comment.

“I knew I made the right choice with you all,” Gojo slouched on his chair and pointed at Nicole, “You made it a difficult task in trying to find all four of you, I’m impressed, but better luck next time.”

His jab at her technique hardly offended her. Unsurprising to her, it offended the three other males. Before the lot opened their mouths, she sent them a reassuring nod before speaking on her behalf.

“Now that I am familiar with your mind, I will sense your presence the second you come into the country again. I will make sure that you will never find us again,” [nor our clans] she thought, while staring into the black abyss of his sunglasses.

“Don’t stay away too far, I’ll miss you,” His shameless flirting earned him scoffs from Alejandro and Thomas.

[This guy, I swear] / [Gross], both men expressed their distaste.

“Are you going to tell us what this dinner is for? Certainly not to get to know us. You clearly have knowledge of us, it got you this far,” disgusted by his remark, Nicole wanted this dinner to end as soon as possible.

“Well to keep this as simple as possible, we recently found a suitable vessel for Sukuna’s fingers. The vessel’s control over the curse is immeasurable. I have never seen a vessel like Yuji Itadori, quite frightening. Fortunately, his execution is delayed by yours truly,” motioning to himself, “I see this as an opportunity to destroy all the fingers. It would be a waste to kill him, right? However, Jujutsu Tech only has a few of the fingers.”

Gojo leans towards the table assessing the table, looking at each person one by one. Not one ounce of interest shown on their faces. On the contrary, their minds were racing with the oh-so-simple explanation given by Gojo. The bomb of information he dropped on them almost short-circuited their minds.

[What the hell? What in the actual hell?]

[Suitable vessel?]

[Yuji who?]

The loud thoughts from the guys started to bother Nicole. Hushing them, they all turned to say sorry. The white-haired sorcerer smirked, “This is where you four come in. I need your help in locating as many fingers as possible.”

“That means he ate a finger and has the capability to consume more without any complications?” Angel questioned in disbelief.

“Mhm!” Gojo nodded in excitement, at least someone is curious. Gojo feels confident in his recruitment skills, all he needs in a breakthrough.

[Hold up, I need food to process this.]

Thomas stood up from his seat. His face held something in between of a constipated/happy look. He spotted their designated waitress, beckoning her to come to the table.

“Sit down,” Nicole pulled him back into his seat.

“Excuse me ma’am, can I get the pork chops drizzled in wine sauce with a side of potatoes and greens?” The surprised waitress wrote down Thomas’ order and waiting patiently for the others. Not having any other option, the people seated at the table quickly ordered their desired plates, wanting the waitress to leave them alone.

The three besides Thomas, who was enjoying Alejandro’s unfinished Aviation, began to think on why this pertained to them.

Alejandro was the first to talk, “that’s quite the task, I don’t know if we’re qualified to handle it,” letting a lie slip from his mouth. He wanted to test the waters with Gojo to see how much he truly knew about them. They never flaunt their techniques, something they learned at a young age, how can this guy know what they are capable of accomplishing?

Seeing through the lie, Gojo smirked. He knew these four individuals were capable enough to exorcise grade 1 curses, possibly special grades. Gojo heard rumors about an American group of jujutsu sorcerers who clear swarms of curses with ease. People who vanish as quick as they strike, never leaving a trace behind. With the help of his Six Eyes, the remnants of their cursed energy were enough to help him locate the group. The closer he got to them, the foggier his mind became. He relied heavily on his eyes to find the four sorcerers. Overall, that technique of hers is a tricky one. Gojo has an inkling that she has a trump card up her sleeve. The others? He has no clue what lies within them. His eyes are failing him yet again, the four people around the table do not radiate any levels of cursed energy. One would say he is having dinner with civilians. But if he squints his eyes hard enough, he can see a glimpse of their energies through the mental barrier in front of him.

“We both know you’re kidding,” Assertive in his statement, Gojo laid back, getting comfortable in his chair.

“Either way international affairs aren’t our thing,” Nicole chimed in.

Gojo shrugged at her comment, “Aiding your fellow jujutsu comrades? Saving the world? This may be overseas affairs however, you’re gonna feel the ripple sooner or later sweetheart. What are you going to do then?”

[Why should we help a country that did not even help ours to begin with?] Being in public, she could not do much but glare at him. Not like that did much to affect Gojo. He's used to being the bane of many people's existence.

“There should be other capable sorcerers, you didn’t have to come all the way over here?” the three nodded at Angel’s point. They all agreed with Nicole's response as well. Why help when the other side of the world turned a blind eye to them? Years of curses running freely through populated cities to small farm towns. The aid back then from Japan was non-existent.

“It would be easier for me to get help back in Japan, but I wanted to see if the rumors were true. And I am not disappointed.” The small praise from Gojo did boost the four’s ego. Getting some recognition from the strongest sorcerer felt nice for a second, until they remembered why he praised them. The bubble from his praise was popped, bringing them back to reality.

“If we chose to accept this task, we will get something out of this. No way in hell am I doing your work for free.” Alejandro crossing his arms continues, “I like saving the world as much as the next guy, but this will not be a one-sided transaction.”

“Alright then, what do you want?” intrigued by what his demands would be, Gojo shifting himself to look towards his right. Signaling to Alejandro that his attention is on him.

Alejandro glanced at Angel and Thomas, both who were already staring at him.

“Great question. We’ll let you know when we need a favor from the strongest sorcerer alive,” Alejandro stated, the three men wearing a smug smile.

“Idiots,” Nicole murmured.

“While we’re thinking on what you can do for us,’ Alejandro gesturing to the four, “stay away from our clans. Do not go near any member of our families.”

Gojo raised an eyebrow when he noticed how serious Alejandro became.

Thomas added on, “Our techniques were a bitch to train, but it had to be done. We trained during the nights growing up; it was the only time we were out of sight from our families. It got easier as we got older, more freedom to roam and do as we please. Hiding our exorcisms from them is not something we are proud of. But we know they would not approve of what we do. Not like they can do anything at this point.”

“But there’s something about disappointing our families that we can’t bear to see,” Angel received funny stares from the three besides Gojo.

“Ok mamas’ boy, save the sappiness for later,” sending Angel a playful wink, the group chuckled at Nicole’s side joke. Alejandro took the opportunity to ruffle his hair. Everyone getting some entertainment by messing around with Angel.

“No one knows what we do. Our clans have lost all hope in saving this country. Growing up we all saw our fair share of deaths caused by curses. Our people have let them roam around for so long. All four of us decided to do what our clans have given up on. So far, I believe we have made a difference and that is all that matters to us,” Nicole loudly sighed before continuing, “But just know I am fully against helping you for your cause. Years have passed here, and our situation only got better because of us. The only reason why I would help you is if they all agree. If not, count me out. Do not think just because your comfort zone is in danger that I will run to help. And I can proudly say that the other three all agree with what I am saying.” Nicole's animosity reached Gojo’s ears. The three men she mentioned did not say anything, but one look at their stern faces spoke louder than words.

“Fair enough, but what about the future? Why do we have to follow the same traditions or actions that they did? Alienating ourselves to protect our useless hierarchy instead of allying with our neighboring countries will greatly benefit us all. Let us show everyone that working together does make changes.” Gojo slid his glasses slightly. His sky-blue eyes peeking out from the black tinted glasses, startling the whole table. One can try to explain how it feels to be under the gaze of Gojo Satoru, but it can never measure up to the actual feeling. They knew he was serious about recruiting them for the task. No doubt about it.

[Man, this blows. He’s actually serious]

[Do we agree?]

[I heard in Japan the fruit is expensive. Should I sneak in a watermelon into the country?]

[His eyes are beautiful.]

“Well 'Mr. Motivational Speaker' you got your point across, now tell us about the task.” That last thought made the three men look at Nicole, she ignored them and focused on Gojo.

“One thing to know, there may be a chance that the fingers resonate. The other fingers may have reacted to the first finger being eaten by Yuji. The chance that it is already eaten up by a curse is highly likely. If you agree, I will give you four individual missions. Each location has had unusual curse activity, a finger can be the cause of the of activity. That is why I am sending each of you to investigate and retrieve the finger if it is there. I would go, but I need to deal with Yuji’s transition into Jujutsu Tech. He is still a kid. I want him to at least enjoy the remaining life he has. Remember his execution is postponed, he will be executed in the future. But before that happens, he needs to eat as many fingers as possible. He is our only way to eliminate those cursed fingers.” Gojo elucidated Yuji's importance in eliminating the indestructible cursed fingers.

“Say we agree, where would we go?” Angel asked the question the four were dying to know. None have ever ventured outside of their county. The thought of leaving America to Japan has them on edge for what is to come if they agree to the mission.

“Let me remember,” one finger tapping on his chin as Gojo tried to remember the important locations, “Nicole to Okinawa, Angel to Musutafu, Alejandro to Osaka, and Thomas to Shinganshina.”

Listening to their designated places did excite them. Spending their time exorcising curses throughout America, they have seen grotesque curses that makes anyone hurl to weak curses even a baby can kill. Given the chance to see other parts of the world, the group began to think hard about their decision. Each one hoping that their decision matches the others.

The silence after revealing the locations made Gojo rethink his method of persuasion, [Should have done this differently, maybe start a game consisting of each person saying what is great about Satoru Gojo!], he thought.

[How is that persuasive?], a feminine voice popped unexpectedly in Gojo’s mind. Ignoring the snark comment, he instead focuses on her presence. He feels her peering into his mind, it felt personal. Not intimately but comfortably, almost as if they were to be playing a game together. Not having much knowledge on her technique, curiosity got the best of him. And he intended to discover more about it.

[Is that so? Tell me how to persuade you], Gojo putting emphasize on the word ‘you’, wanting to continue this private conversation.

[Be truthful. What else is there to say but the truth? Everything else is a waste of a breath.], Nicole stared right into his blank glasses, seeing nothing but her reflection. Sighing from Gojo’s way of thinking, she observes her friends.

Seeing her friends in their own conversations, she returned her attention to Gojo. Rolling her eyes and said, [What is with the glasses? I know you can’t see through them.]

[Helps with my technique], feeling unsatisfied by his response she did not push any further. Seems like we aren’t the only ones cautious, she thought. Deep in thought, Nicole did not notice the group switching topics. Alejandro’s voice reeling her back into the conversation.

“Well why not? I want to see the curses over there. I’ll give them a run for their money,” Alejandro leaned back with his arms on the back of his head. head. Patiently waiting to see where this would go. His response gave Gojo hope as he looked for the other responses.

The three other sorcerers looked at each other. Each of them wondering whether they are making the right choice or not. But after seeing Alejandro’s determined face, they won’t allow him to go by himself. It is all four of them or nothing. No one gets left behind or stranded. They did not need Nicole’s technique to know what they were all thinking.

“We’re in,” all three of them agree to the task.

“Only because this will benefit us as well, don’t forget that Gojo,” she reiterated to the now overly happy sorcerer in front of her. Her negative tone did not match the small quirk on her face.

“Going to Japan huh? Who would have thought?” Angel’s left-hand brushing through his hair, “We have to be crazy from agreeing to this.”

“Extremely but what’s a jujutsu sorcerer without some craziness? Basically a requirement for the job.” Gojo reassured them. Briefly thinking of his students who attract themselves to danger, like moths to light.

“Hey where is ou-” Thomas got cut off by the tray of delicious food heading towards there table. The sight of their food was mouthwatering. The meats to the pastas, everything they asked for was cooked to perfection. The four silently thanking Gojo for inviting them to the restaurant.

As they all settled in with their food, something rubbed Angel the wrong way.

“That Yuji guy, is he ok with all of this?” The question caught Gojo off guard.

“Yeah,” Thomas losing interest in his food spoke, “no one especially someone his age should not experience this. What terribly luck he has,” staring at the skyline.

“Knowing you’re going to die in the future, he must have will power. No regular guy would continue to move forward like that,” Alejandro added in.

The group stopped eating once they saw how silent Gojo became. The topic wasn’t the most positive one, but necessary. The four are weary about Sukuna’s vessel, but if Gojo has faith in the boy then they will follow his judgement. Easier to stomach when the threat is nowhere near your home, praying that this trip will prevent things from coming over to America. Feeling bad for bring up the topic, they resumed eating. No one mentioning again the fate of Yuji Itadori.

[You ok?] Gojo looked up form his plate to see Nicole looking at him. The blankness of her face masked her slight nervousness on how concerned she sounded. She sent him an awkward smile and followed the other’s actions. She ate her food while feeling Gojo’s gaze on her.

[I’m ok], she paused after hearing his thought, to her surprise, relieved. A genuine smile broke onto her face. Not wanting him to see her smile, she concentrates on enjoying her dish.

Dinner almost went smoothly aside from the couple flirty comments towards Nicole. She did not mind them; not like she would tell him that. Her friends on the other hand showed their disgust to Gojo’s flirtation.

After thanking the waitress for her patient service, leaving her a hefty tip courtesy from Gojo, Angel had to be dragged out of the restaurant by Thomas and Alejandro, the poor guy forgets he's lightweight. It was best to enjoy the night as much as they could. The future is ever-changing and they would like to die with no regrets. As they were heading out, going their separate ways for the time being, Gojo had one more thing to tell them.

“You know I’m counting on all four of you,” his parting words held so much weight, but it was also a breath of fresh air. Nodding to him, knowing that they will not let Gojo down. Not when this is the new beginning, one where humans prevail over curses.

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk #jujutsu kaisen imagines #jjk imagines #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #sk8 #sk8 the infinity #mha #my hero academia #hq!!#hq #haikyuu!!#aot #attack on titan #writing #sukuna #ryomen sukuna

19 notes · View notes

toysoldiers-rwby · 4 years ago

Text

[CS] 13. And Look Good Doing It.

Cutting Strings

Characters: Penny Polendinda, Aurora Glade, Ciel Soliel, Ashley Xanthic Word Count: 4.8k

Goodbyes and beginnings.

Read on Ao3

Approval Rate: Unnecessary. Error: Enemy Unknown. Archive Encrypted. Memory Defragmentation 100% Complete.

“Day 377,” Penny said as the last words faded from her vision and her systems HUD disappeared. Her eyes telescoped, adjusting to her room rather than empty space.

The software maintenance ran a little longer than the estimated two hours. Though considering she was backing it up directly to a flash drive and encrypting it at the same time, it was within the acceptable margin of error. She detached herself from the maintenance station and set it on her folded cloths on her desk, waiting for instillation into Billy.

Sorrow and fear almost overwhelmed her for a moment. The last few days have been… sweet and sad. Aro kept PAWM’s spirits up, Focus almost fooling everyone about the time Ironwood had stolen from them.

Penny decided to focus on the memories that celebrated her 20th day of birth, according to the documents Xanthic had forged. Ciel looked rather annoyed that she was the youngest amongst the team was the most responsible. Aro and Xan corrected her statement as morally responsible which only annoyed the officer further.

With a giggle returned to the maintenance station. Usually Penny would enter sleep mode during her monthly tune up. With the cord plugged directly into her core, it had direct permissions and access to any necessary systems it needed. But this time Penny caught her bare reflection in the metal walls.

Aro’s favored nickname for May twisted Penny’s power unit. Doll. That was exactly what Penny looked like, artificial skin bare of organic imperfections and far too smooth over her metal chassis. She didn’t have muscles gave and flex like Aro’s back or shoulders. Her body didn’t tell a history with scars like Winter, or held secrets like May and Aurora. It was worse than a doll… even they had a belly button. Explicit dolls for adults could even be a substitute for intimate companionship-

Penny closed her eyes and immediately shut down that line of inquiries. During their remaining time together… even with an uncertain future, neither May or Winter was consciously pushing for sexual intercourse. In private and… faux private spaces; Aurora’s physical affection could easily overwhelm their judgment, May’s sweet behavior melted into something heated, or Winter would just tease and prod one of them until Aurora or Penny’s unpracticed restraint broke, but it never gotten far enough to be inappropriate. It was clear they all wanted to continue but the limited time they had left always soured the mood.

Her girlfriends had also reassured her that sex was an added benefit of a romantic relationship. She didn’t need to directly participate, they would be happy if she was in the same room watching, talking, or even left altogether. They only request she’d join in the ‘post orgasm cuddles’ as Aro put it.

Considering Penny’s fascination with their reactions… Observing is within her capabilities, at the very least.

Penny opened her eyes and watched the mechanical arm spin around her, slicing the artificial skin open with precision to only allow access to the panels of her chassis. As long as her core was intact, her body could be upgraded. Though… asking her father for such upgrades was… Perhaps Xanthic was a better alternative? If only she knew how much of her body was metal.

For a moment Penny analyzed the benefits of directly defying the General’s orders. Considering what the consequences had done to Aro and Xan, Penny immediately didn’t get far in her list of benefits.

The upgrades were done almost too soon for Penny’s liking. Another hour closer till departure. Penny went through the checks as if it would slow time.

Somehow her father had developed a small bio-fuel converter, allowing her to ‘ingest’ small meals. Penny tried it with one of Aro’s sweets, a hard candy that would hold off her oral fixation during class and made her kisses taste sweet according to May and Winter. Penny still saw no need for any gustatory sensors, but she the act of rolling her jaw, clenching and moving her tongue was rather soothing and satisfying stim. She crunched it and swallowed the pieces. There was no feeling of anything entering her systems, but no alarm that anything went wrong either.

Her coolant system was drained, radiator equipped with some ice Dust infused metal, and coolant system refilled with a mixture of more ice Dust. Apparently it was organic friendly and Aura reacting, as it was the same coolant flowing through her teammates.

Her joints were equipped to withstand more impact that better suited Penny and Aro’s fighting style. The only thing Penny could not test was her new gyroscope. Her partner’s Dust manipulation far exceeded any military equipment Atlas or any kingdom had. She could only hope it could withstand her partner’s constant fluctuating field. Though… if it failed she would need emergency work from Aro and Xan which would lead to them discovering her synthetic nature… and Ironwood would tighten his control over the pair. Penny desperately hoped her upgraded gyroscope worked as intended.

The last, but perhaps most important change was the belly button on her feature. Her fingers brushed over it, programing reading the indent as damage so she quickly rewrote the code to ignore her new belly button.

��Penny?” Dr. Pietro called through the door. A knock followed shortly after. “It’s… time.” He said softly.

“Be right there!” Penny called out. She slipped into her first layers for human modesty and then her stockings followed lastly by her dress and shoes. She tucked the flash drive into a pocket and opened the door.

Dr. Pietro gave her a bright smile and hug. Xanthic’s robots gave a deep and polite bow before walking in and taking her luggage. Dr. Pietro’s chair walked around Penny doing a mock inspection that settled his curiosity than anything.

“Upgrades working?”

“Yes, sir!” Penny chirped, rolling to the balls on her feet. “Everything is in optimal levels,” She saluted playfully.

Dr. Pietro laughed and lead her out of her room and into elevator to the exit… The walls where she spent her first seven months were nearly foreign to her. Has it always been so silent and… stagnate? The only warmth and comfort of this place was from her father. So Penny smiled and kept her attention on him, and the three little box on his lap.

“What’s that?”

“It’s uh…” Dr. Pietro laughed a little nervously, “For Ms. Soleil and Ms. Xanthic. An upgraded model of her eyes, some modifications to Ms. Soleil’s chakrams, and…Extra disk and memory storages for you. You’ve grown faster than I anticipated due to being exposed to a… wide array of characters so suddenly.”

Penny giggled behind a hand. The immediate image her simulators created was Xanthic arguing with everyone. The level of hostility is heavily depended on her level of boredom. She prevents herself from truly habituating to her environment, always causing trouble though lately she’d been too focus on passing her… responsibilities to the Happy Huntresses.

Her father smiled brightly at her reaction, “So Team APCX is doing well? I was rather worried at first…”

“Oh, please do not worry! It’s been absolutely wonderful!” Penny smiled. She felt her Aura stir in the chest from the near lie she told. Eventually Penny blurted out, “It was… hard. At first. But not anymore!”

Dr. Pietro smiled. “That’s a relief. It’s a shame APCX is leaving just as Ms. Marigold and Ms. Xanthic started to get along again.”

“… Again?” Penny asked.

“Oh yes! Before Ms. Xanthic changed her name and-” A loud crash just beyond the front doors interrupted her father.

"Her what horns?!"

“I’m running on 3 hours of sleep, I’m sorry it just slipped!”

“Hide behind me again and I will Slow you,” Ciel threatened.

The doors opened to reveal a small group of people. Her team, the Specialist supposedly advising them, and finally the Happy Huntresses. Of course the commotion would be caused by May and Xanthic. The hacker was surprisingly nimble, weaving through the small crowd when May looked like she was ready to strangle her. Or shoot her, Penny corrected as May knelt down, one half of her crossbowstaff aimed at Xanthic.

The hacker had run from the crowd and blindly towards the Polendinas. In a burst of gravity Dust she floated up before colliding with them. Aro waved at her former mentor and his daughter.

“Salutations Aurora!” Penny smiled launching herself into her partners arms. Her gyroscope kept track of the ground and the lazy twirls weren’t as disorientating. She found herself seated in Aro’s crossed legs, floating in the air for a moment while their foreheads was pressed together. Penny savored watching the slow way her eyes dimmed as Focus slept.

“Salutations, Penn.” Aro whispered with a happy purr.

“He… Hello, Dr. Pietro.” May muttered rising to her feet. She quickly trying to hide her weapon behind her back. Even fully retracted it still peeked from her shoulders. She walked to Xanthic and stiffly set her on the ground, awkwardly smoothing out the hacker’s clothing she may or may not have ruffled.

“Perhaps I spoke too soon,” Dr. Pietro said with a sigh. He gave the two disappointed looks. The two hotheaded bluenettes both flinched, the fight suddenly gone. May retreated behind Winter who laughed softly. Her father quickly approached Xanthic and Ciel before the hacker could flee too and presented her gift, “I know you said you didn’t want to change your eyes but… here is a version of the model you have. Same look, some new features.”

“… Thanks, Dr. Pietro.”

Aurora finally settled down and their feet finally returned to solid ground. Penny looked at Winter, ready to approach her but the Happy Huntresses intercepted. Fiona hugged her first but Joanna swept her up in a hug.

“We’re gonna miss you Penny!” Fiona said, voice a little flat from the pressure Joanna was applying.

“You’re such a rare flower in this cold*, cold kingdom*,” Joanna yelled glaring at Winter and May. Judging by their tentative glances at Xanthic it was because they were still at odds with her.

“Yeah, Swords. You really have a habit of livening the place up,” Robyn said. As always the leader was much calmer than her team and settled for patting her head and straightening her bow. “Take care of Aro?”

"Don’t you mean, Aro take care of her?" Aurora asked with a small pout.

“Your civilian ass needs all the help you can get,” Fiona teased. Aro rolled her eyes and let herself be pulled into a hug. When Joanna let go Fiona had somehow switched her hug from Penny to Aro. “Be good okay! Remember to eat all three meals, and to sleep. Don’t set buildings on fire! Unless…”

“They are SDC assholes.” Aro finished with a laugh. After another affectionate nuzzle Fiona jumped off and started to prounce towards Xanthic and Ciel. The officer quickly intercepted Fiona’s grabby hands. Aro gestured towards May and Winter, “Go on, I’ve… said my byes.”

“Did… did you ever answer May’s question?”

“I’m not leaving her,” Aurora answered quickly but calmly. Her sea-green eyes shined with tears that didn’t want to fall. ��Never her. Atlas on the other hand…” She held the statement in her mouth with a distasteful growl.

“A lot can happen in four months,” Joanna said patting her shoulder. “Platinum for example,” She said with a large grin. Aurora blushed, glancing away. Penny could feel her Aura stir up some heat within her.

“Maybe we can turn it into a place you’ll actually come back too?” Robyn offered. The leader gave Penny a charismatic smile, “Go on, Swords. May is patient when she wants to be but make her wait any longer and she might cry.” Penny nodded waving the women bye as she approached Winter and May.

“Sorry but… can you go over Sector 17 again?” Joanna asked a little timidly.

“17 is mostly Xan’s responsibility though it heavily overlaps with 18 due to their high Faunus population.” Aro explained calmly. “A lot of family from the mines, a lot of heating leaks, not enough lien…”

Penny tuned out their conversation when May rushed forward, pulling her into a hug. Penny was a little surprised at how she lifted her off the ground and carried her onto the airship. Out of sight from her father, May gave her a proper kiss. Her kisses were always the most chaste, sweet and smiling. This time Penny could feel a heated desperation like the one she witness between her and Aro two weeks ago. Penny tried to quell it, holding her face and meeting the kiss just as hard.

When May had to breath Penny pulled back and was returned to the ground. A soft chilled hand drifted to Penny’s cheek, guiding her eyes up. Away from the cameras and in the privacy of the airship, Winter’s military façade fell away to a sad and resigned lover.

While Winter didn’t literally sweep Penny off her feet like Aro could the way that Winter would cradle her cheek and tilt her chin up would had the same effect. Penny rolled onto her toes and she’d forget to breath. Winter’s lips may be the coldest of the three but that only made Penny chase her more. Eventually Winter pulled back to breath and the two huntresses held Penny tight for a moment.

“Aurora said you two had a gift for us?” Winter said.

“Oh yes!” Penny smiled. She dipped into the cockpit for a second, looking under the seats. With her sharp eyes she barely made out the slumbering mechanical pet. She picked it up and set it down at May and Winter’s feet. To them it appeared as a roughly shaped metal rectangle with some fur on top. Their suspicions eased when Penny opened a hidden panel on the back of his neck and inserted the flash drive into it. Slowly the goat horns extended out from his head, “Billy 2.0!” She said with a large smile.

He was no longer a pocket sized mechanical pet but stood near the same height of a medium dog. Aurora modeled his appearance after the Kiko goat native to island areas, such as Menagerie. The top was covered with fur that tapered to make it look like it had a metal underbelly and sides. Billy’s new chassis was retractable, malleable or layered. He stretched, the fur moving and metal shifting in a way that mimicked organic flesh to a jealous degree.

Upon seeing Penny the no-longer-tiny-goat happily prounced, his speakers bleating. Then he looked up to Winter and May, head tilting side to side as hard-light question marks popped up next to his head.

Whenever Aro or Xan wasn’t preparing the Happy Huntresses to take over the responsibilities and… less reputable activities, they helped Penny upgrade Billy. Xanthic altered an unused AI core with intelligence far greater than even the most intelligent bred dogs.

Ciel had offer to test it at her place in Mantle to keep the others from finding it. During testing Billy was able to correctly clean the floor, return an assortment of clothing and footwear to their proper places and work the dishwasher. Aro did the physical upgrades and because of their preference for Dust, equipped Billy with a cuddle warming function and the hard-light emotes.

May gasped, eyes wide. “That’s so… cute!”

Hearts appeared next and Billy did a little happy dance. He nuzzled her legs affectionately. Billy made shook his head at her and clomped his feet when May didn’t respond. A hard-light instructional picture of ‘How to pet animals’ popped up and Billy wiggled his head and ears expectantly. “Wow… what a brat,” May said. She finally pet him and he danced happily again.

He wandered back to Winter blinking expectantly. Penny giggled at her face. The Specialist looked down at it a little confused, conflicted, and surprisingly overwhelmed. Tentatively she knelt down and held out a hand to which Billy immediately nuzzled against.

“… His fur is soft.” Winter murmured in surprised. “I’ve always wanted a pet as a kid. I was thinking about getting one after graduation but never had time.”

“Don’t worry, as a completely inorganic entity his needs are minimal.” Penny said.

“But he still has needs?” Winter asked a little amused. She was a little shocked when Billy nodded his heads. A few images appeared by his head. It consisted of sleeping, more petting, and walking.

At the sound of someone approaching, Winter immediately slipped back into her military persona. It was disheartening, but adorably so when Billy threw a small fit at the lack of attention and headbutted Winter’s leg softly. Her composure broke a little, looking down at her new pet.

Aro laughed at the entrance, “He’s also too smart for his own good,” She said. Winter’s façade melted into a sad smile. She readily accepted Aurora embrace as she wrapped her arms around Winter’s neck. The two shared a content smile before Aro leaned up for a quick kiss… but considering how Aurora likes to expose as much as that tattoo as possible Winter followed and pushed until her back was against the wall.

Penny saw a flash of teeth as it sunk into Aro’s bottom lip. The Faunus tried to stifle a groan, ears fluttering a bout. It was only when Winter’s hands grasp the clothing tight under Aro’s breast did May and Penny intervene.

“Ahem,” May cleared her throat. Winter pulled back and looked down at the disheveled former businesswomen. There was an unmistakable blush outlining her cheeks and blossoming on her chest, creating a lovely contrast with her tattoos. Her lips were a little swollen with the kiss. With a satisfied hum Winter stepped back leaving Aro dazed enough to slide down the wall a few inches.

“Come, Billy.” Winter said guiding him off the ship. She did give Penny one more kiss, a tinder one to the inside of her wrist before finally leaving the airship. Penny heard Fiona and let out a gasp and tiny squeals and she knew Billy was dancing and bleating at her. May laughed at Aro, pressing their foreheads together as she helping the Faunus to the pilot seat and straightening out her clothes.

Similarly May stole one more kiss with Penny, lingering as much as possible before she heard Xanthic and Ciel walk up the ramp. The two Spymasters frowned at each other. Xanthic smirked, “Please keep Fiona from burning sector three to the ground. They have the most racist clubs.”

“I… make no promises,” May mumbled. The huntress gave Ciel a much more civil farewell and left, giving Penny and Aurora a longing glance.

“First stop, Argus,” Aro said. “Next stop Beacon.” The airship lifted off but hesitated. From the windows they saw May quickly wiping her tears, a broken smile on her face as she waved them off with one hand, the other hand tightly holding Winter’s. Winter was much calmer, a somber smile and a small playful salute bye.

Penny wrapped her arms around Aro, careful not to jostle her control over the ship. The pair blew their girlfriends a kiss before finally rising in altitude, seeing a real smile break over May and Winter’s face even if the pair was a little embarrassed. With a sad sigh Penny took her rightful place in the co-pilot seat. Aurora put on some soft house music.

At first the flight was tense and sad. When it droned on to long Xanthic made an displeased noise and stood to hover at the cockpit. “You know I hate tension unless I’m the cause of it. So fucking quit it.”

“Sorry if I’m sad that I needed to leave the women I’ve been in love with for years!” Aro snapped back, eyes flashing. Penny and Ciel was a little taken back by the vicious anger. Penny had a hard time recalling a similar outburst, but the one with Turk filtered in.

Xanthic had known her… and dating her- and wasn’t fazed. She merely posed against the metal frame and raised a brow. The hacker let the radio roll on for a bit while Aro slowly simmered down. Penny watched with a small smile as Aro’s words finally registered and a blush appeared on her cheeks. “… You did tell her, right? That you loved her?”

There was a whine as Aro sunk into her seat a little. “No…” Xanthic looked at Penny for confirmation. Penny wrinkled her nose, trying to remember a direct declaration of love. There were many acts and words that shown it but nothing explicit. Penny shook her head.

“Too be fair action speaks louder than words,” Ciel said. Penny glanced behind and Xanthic moved a little so she could see the officer. Ciel was laid back flicking through the TV for something to watch. She stopped at a station committed to celebrities and gossip. They flicked through several pictures of Aro draped on May, their arms linked together, or trying to taunt the women into a kiss. A few of them involved hand holding with Penny, arms wrapped around her shoulder or a calm and affectionate smile… it seemed to be in a much more platonic perspective when compared with May.

“You obviously love all of them.” Ciel said. She finally clicked past the gossip stations. There was nothing about Winter’s romantic life. Penny looked at Xanthic who met her eyes with an unspoken challenge.

Xanthic broke it first, looking back at Aro, “You should have just gotten her name tattooed on your ass cuz she clearly owns it.”

“How crass, there’s two other people,” Ciel’s eyes lazily shifted to Penny, acting as if it was an afterthought she just remembered. “A collar is much more versatile.”

Aro made odd whines and the two chuckled at their leader’s expense. Satisfied with the change in mood Xanthic laid down on the sofa, feet up in Ciel’s lap. The officer glared but didn’t entertain the hacker with a fight or argument and continued flicking through something to watch.

Penny finally decided to have a fluid stance on the hacker’s attitude and behavior. There were a few times Penny was grateful for her need to be the center of attention and urge to keep things from habituating. Penny gladly added this occasion to the list.

The flight to Argus was faster than projected, but they were in a nonstandard airship built by one of the greatest minds in Atlas. As the bay doors open and light filled the airship Penny had a sudden realization.

“I’m on a different continent…” She whispered softly.

“First time out of Solitas?” Aro asked. Penny grinned up at her and bounced in place. The Faunus smiled and took her hand. Before APCX stepped out Focus woke up and shined through her pupils. “I promise to make up for Cordovin.”

Penny frowned. It took a moment for Penny’s systems to access her preinstalled data and scroll down the list of Specialist to find Caroline Cordovin. A long list of… notes, were hidden under high level credentials.

“Ms. Aurora Glade!” The women greeted just as APCX stepped off the ramp. Penny smiled politely down at the women, but she didn’t have the magical concentration Focus gave Aurora. Ciel and Xanthic openly scowled at the next words that bellowed from the tiny women, “The shining jewel of what Atlas could bring to the world!”

Glancing at her partner, Penny saw Focus flash, reattuning for a subservient role in this conversation. Aurora laughed gently, scratching the back of her head in faux embarrassment. There was no blush and no flittering ears. Instead she was trying to fluff out her hair to appear softer. Despite the buzz on the sides of her head, Aro’s hair was still thick enough to accomplish that.

"Oh and company," Cordovin added, gaze lingering with distant at where Aro and Penny’s hands intertwined.

“Team APCX,” Xanthic quickly correct. Cordovin just waved the hacker off leaving her to scowl in open surprise. Ciel and Penny tried not to snicker or giggle at her face.

“Thank you, Specialist Cordovin.” Aro said, business voice smooth and low. “I will ensure your compliments reach my former mentor on my next return to Atlas.”

Cordovin smiled brightly and seemed to preen. “Of course you will! A civilized Faunus like you knows proper etiquette.” Penny moved racism to the top of Cordovin’s… notes.

“Ms. Glade!” A civilian with tangled mess of clearance badges and other tags ran up to her, followed closely by two of guards. “A moment of your time… or hour,” CCT Technician Terra Cotta asked, pushing up her glasses.

“Sorry ma’am. You lack the proper clearance levels for this area-”

Aurora interrupted the guard with a gentle laugh, but the hand in front of her face seemed to hid baring fangs. “Military still giving you issues?”

“Ms. Glade had far more pressing matters she needs to is scheduled to be attending,” Cordovin snapped. With a wave of her hands the guards cornered the technician.

“I’m sure Iron, G-General Ironwood,” Aro quickly correct, Focus briefly flashing at full potential before shrinking down to her pupils again. “Would greatly approve of any measure taken to avoid a communication failure between Kingdoms.” She said demurely. Penny must have been making a face because Xanthic and Ciel tried to hide their snickering.

“Hmm…” Cordovin rubbed her chin in thought. “Very well. Just remember you’re true purpose here, Ms. Glade.”

“To help protect Atlas and her people outside the kingdom.” Aro gave a graceful bow. Penny looked to the sharp tips of the horns that glistened in the sunlight. "How could I ever forget about the Kingdom that has done so much to me."

Of course Cordovin wasn’t tactile enough to notice the words. Penny smiled with some satisfaction as the women seemed content and turned to leave. After all military personal followed their leader away, Aro straightened. APCX and the technician laughed softly, Focus vanished and soft snarling expression on curling Aro’s lips.

Terra snorted, “Come on, let’s get you and your friends out of here.” She said leading them to the gates away from the Atlesian military base.

“We aren’t friends,” Xanthic quickly protested crossing her arms.

Terra gave a teasing smile, looking at the halo and horns “Girlfrie…” Her words drifted off as she finally noticed Penny and Aro’s intertwined hands. Possibly because Penny purposely pulled Aurora closer and her face may have been in an angry pout. “R-Right… teammates!” Terra quickly turned around trying to hide the panic look across her face. “Sorry. Aro always had a thing for blue hair and… you kind of remind me of Silvio Watts…”

Penny hummed angrily, glaring up at the halo. Aro laughed softly, giving her an affectionate and reassuring nuzzle. Followed by a kiss when Penny pressed their lips together.

“Actually Terra… Xanthic is more than capable of helping you with the CCT issues,” Aro said. Terra raised a skeptical brow at Xanthic. The technician seemed unnerved by the way her prosthetic eyes stared back. “She’s kind of… an unofficial protégée of Author Watts.”

“How did you manage that?” Terra asked Xanthic. “Dr. Watts only took on his nephew and just barely. He was so hard on that poor boy.”

Xanthic blinked slowly at her. “Good thing the dead can’t stop people from rifling through their research,” She responded coldly. Terra gave Aro an alarmed and concerned look and she gave a shrug of her muscular shoulders.

Ciel gave Penny an amused smile. “Never a dull moment with the anarchist.”

“What? A new school and kingdom not entertaining enough for you,” Xanthic said with an offended drawl. “At this point you should pay me for being your personal entertainment.”

“I’m not paying for a shitty escort.”

“Bitch, did you just…”

Penny smiled, rolling her eyes at the pair and looked around to take in the sites. Once away from the military base, she could clearly see the mixture of cultures. The buildings looked to be Minstral with Atlas functionality added in. Penny rested her head against Aro’s shoulder and enjoyed the kiss to her head.

Day 1 away from Atlas. Day 1 free from General Ironwood.

With a grin and a nervous laugh Penny pulled Aurora forward, to explore the new city.

#Penny Polendina #fic #cutting strings #pre-fall of beacon #aurora glade #apcx #ciel soleil #ashley xanthic #pfenning #qued

11 notes · View notes

choco-exe · 4 years ago

Text

𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚔𝚞𝚛𝚘𝚘 𝚝𝚎𝚝𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚘𝚞, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎! genre: fluff :> type: special one shot status: proofread pronouns: female word count: 1697 warnings: none

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °

“Kuroo-san!” The familiar voice hit Kuroo’s ear, like a melody tuning into his system. He pretended not to hear the girl calling to him, opting to continue making his way down the street. A tug on his shirt indicated for him to stop and turn, and he looked down to see a particular optimist that somehow knew exactly where he was at all times, trying to catch her breath. “My apologies, kitty.” He said teasingly, making her head snap up at the nickname. “You young people have much better hearing than me, so I suppose you tend to forget to speak louder.” Her cheeks dusted a coral red from his teasing earlier, she pouted as she looked up at him. “Stop acting like you’re an old man, Kuroo-san! You’re only seventeen!” Kuroo stroked his chin, as if he had a beard. “Only seventeen, you say?” He repeated, pretending to not be bothered by that statement. “That seems fairly old to me, wouldn’t you agree?” He leaned down, his nose lightly brushing against hers. Her face now blossoming into a deep shade of pink, she took a step back, away from Kuroo’s face. “Y-yeah! Only seventeen! You still have a long way to go before you’re a wise old man!” She poked his nose childishly, as if proving her point. Kuroo’s heart fluttered slightly at the contact, but his face was still bearing his teasing grin. “Are you calling me wise?” “Yes! I am!” Her reply made him pause; he didn’t expect her to actually agree to his comment. “You’re very wise when it comes to science!” “Is that so..” He murmured. “Well, if that’s all you wanted to say, I’ll take my leave now.” Leaning down, he took her petite hand into his own and kissed the back of it gently. He glanced up at her face and smirked, with his lips still barely lingering on her hand; her face was a mix between shock, embarrassment, and.. was that pleasure he saw? Nevertheless, he retracted away from her and spun around, waving goodbye as he began to become a smaller figure to her.. then immediately turned back, as if he forgot something. “It isn’t very gentlemanly of me to leave a girl as beautiful as you alone now, is it?” Kuroo stated. “Let me walk you to your destination.” When she was silent for a few moments, he frowned and leaned down to her height. “Did I break you?” He asked teasingly, poking her cheek. “Wha-” Her eyelashes fluttered as she came back into reality. “OH!” She hesitantly took a step back. “Um no it’s fine I can walk by myself my house is really near-” Her words came out in a single breath, and she scrambled away, like a mouse running away from a cat, leaving a confused Kuroo leaning down awkwardly. He slowly went back to standing up straight, furrowing his eyebrows. Did I go too far? He thought to himself as he shoved his hands in his pockets, going back to walking along the streets of Japan. He ran over their conversation in his mind, frowning when he remembered her saying, “you’re only seventeen!” Judging her expressions, she probably didn’t know my birthday was tomorrow.. Kuroo let out a heavy sigh. Oh well.

・‥…━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━…‥・

Waking up from a heavy slumber, Kuroo rubbed his eyes as he slammed his alarm off. He went through his morning routine before checking on his phone, and he was bombarded with messages, varying from his teammates to people he’d only talk to once, and it was for one assignment. He chuckled as he scrolled through all of them, but his heart began to race as he saw a message sent from her. The captain stopped walking to his kitchen as he slowly unlocked his phone, bracing himself for whatever she sent him. His eyes widened as he read the message, and he quickly dashed to his front door. Wrenching it open, he ran like mad, only wearing shorts and a tank top (as he was going to go jogging after eating breakfast.) After a few minutes flew by, Kuroo was right outside her door. He tried to tidy himself up as he knocked on the door, and when he heard footsteps nearing, he took a deep breath. “Kuroo-san..?” She murmured, the door creaking open as she rubbed her eyes sleepily with her sleeve; he thought she looked like an angel, even in an oversized hoodie with saggy socks. “Wait.. Kuroo-san?!” Her eyes widened, as if the sleep evaporated from her body. “W-wha-?!” Kuroo ruffled her hair, trying to stay calm. “Looks like a little kitty just woke up.” He grinned, as if he didn’t just run to a girl’s house at six in the morning. “How about you treat me to breakfast, yeah? Then we talk.” “I- um, okay!” She stammered out. “My treat! Just let me, um, get changed and.. give me thirty minutes!” She quickly scurried upstairs, leaving Kuroo standing at her doorway. He let himself in and went to the nearest chair, plopping himself down and going through the other birthday wishes he received. He was just about done scolding Kenma in a very long text about being awake at three am, when she nearly leaped down the stairs. Kuroo’s eyes immediately looked at her outfit: her hair a bit damp from showering, she was wearing an oversized black t-shirt tucked into straight-cut jeans. “Do I look overdressed?!” She asked frantically. “Are the jeans too much?!” Kuroo shook his head, chuckling at her questions. “Your outfit is fine, kitty.” He replied. “I’m the one that looks like a mess; you look perfectly normal.” Her face flushed. “I’ll take your word for it. Also, can you stop calling me kitty?” “Why, of course, kitten.” He got up and walked to the front door, putting on his volleyball slides. “You know that’s not what I meant!” She retorted, right on his heels and pulling a pair of used sneakers on. “No more nicknames!” “It’s my birthday, kitten,” he said lazily. “Respect the birthday boy’s wishes. Don’t tell me you forgot who was the first to text me, hmm?” Her face grew incredibly hot after she comprehended what he said. “I-I just wanted to be first, okay?!” She sputtered, embarrassed. “Don’t get the wrong idea!” “Alright, tsundere.” He stopped in front of a cafe. “Let’s eat here, yes?” She nodded, her eyes full of curiosity, as she had never been in the place before. Kuroo opened the door for her, slightly bowing as well. “After you, m’lady.” “Um, thank you- wait, I am not a tsundere! And isn’t it your birthday, not mine??” The pair walked into the building and was greeted with the aroma of coffee and pastries. “Who could say..” Kuroo replied, musing over many of the food in display shelves. “Surprise me, kitten. I’ll eat what you pick out for me.” “What if I give you something nasty?” She grinned up at him, although her eyes showed no mischief whatsoever. “Then I guess I’ll just have to give you a taste as well.” He nudged her forward, as they were in front of the line waiting to order. “Shoo, then!” She pestered, lightly pushing him aside. “Let me surprise you, like you said!” “Okay, okay, I’m going now.” Kuroo said playfully, walking over to a table beside a window. He swung himself into the chair as he waited patiently for her to go to him, replying to a few more texts as he waited. It didn’t take very long before she found him, balancing a few things in her hands. “Here you go!” “Whoa, kitty, careful now.” He quickly helped her set everything down on the table so that she wouldn’t drop anything. “Why didn’t you just call me for help?” “A female doesn’t need a male’s help all the time.” She replied back, sitting down on the opposite side of him. “You were literally about to drop something,” he argued, examining what she brought to him. Two lidded cups of something he assumed was either coffee or tea, a cinnamon bun, and a cake slice that had fruits adorned around it. “If Newton hadn’t invented his Three Laws of Physics, you wouldn’t know the reason why!” She blurted out, taking one of the two cups and sipping it. “I don’t know if you can have coffee, so I got both of us some tea! It’s actually really good, too!” “Don’t make me lecture you about Newton’s Three Laws,” Kuroo said jokingly. “I’m assuming the cinnamon bun is yours, then?” She nodded and continued to sip her tea. “What a sugary breakfast..” Panic flashed across her face when he said that. “Oh, no, are you not supposed to eat anything sweet?” She asked worriedly. “I’m sorry-” “No, no, it’s fine.” He assured her quickly. “You could think of my birthday as a cheat day; although I won’t have that much, I’ll still eat sweet things.” He grabbed a fork and stabbed a piece of cake, then brought it to his mouth. “This tastes like heaven, considering I haven’t eaten cake in awhile.” Her face immediately showed a sign of relief. “Oh, thank goodness.” She said, chomping on her cinnamon bun. “For a moment, I was afraid I just screwed everything up.” “You’re fine, kitten.” Kuroo decided to switch the topic before it became awkward. “Can I taste that?” “Hm?” She looked up from her food, syrup smeared on the edge of her lips. “Oh, sure-!” She was about to stab her cinnamon bun, but instead, Kuroo lifted her chin with his fingers and gently leaned in. Her eyes opened in surprise at the narrow proximity between them, but he didn’t move any closer to her face. “..may I?” He asked slowly. She had nothing to say or do except nod, and he gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, before kissing her softly. It was like a dream; a very short dream, as he pulled away faster than she wanted him to. “Sweet.” He concluded, leaning back into his chair as he tried to hide his face with his hand. “Very, very sweet, Y/N-san.”

ﾟ+*:ꔫ:*﹤ 𝚎 𝚡 𝚝 𝚛 𝚊 ﹥*:ꔫ:*+ﾟ

#kuroo #kuroo tetsurō #haikyū!!#haikyuu!!#one shot #kuroo x reader #hq fluff #hq kuroo #kuroo x y/n #fanfics #kuroo tetsuro fluff #kuroo tetsurou

25 notes · View notes

sourbat · 4 years ago

Note

25 or 50, hammertooth or magcharles? 🥺

Sunlight

I’ve been meaning to give butterknife a try...

(special thanks to @metalrat for letting me play with their headcanons here)

Charles was grateful he designed Mordhaus with hardly any stairs, save for the grandiose ones designated for the more lavish, festive rooms, and instead opted for more practical means of getting around the gargantuan fortress as quickly and effectively as possible. Naturally, the boys had little positives to discuss, and Nathan muttered a few lines about Vikings lacking elevators and smoothened flooring, but Charles saw little point in arguing over minor aesthetics. With so many servants, and the promise of Dethklok’s new army already exponentially growing, having alternative access to rooms, hidden pathways and chambers made locating, servicing, and, quite often saving the boys far more manageable and accessible.

“I, ah, took the liberty of cleaning a spare room in the dungeon.”

Charles wheeled Magnus up a gentle incline. Despite the model of the wheelchair, Charles required more than his usual effort to keep a steady distance between himself and the handles and the back of the seat. The scientist in the upper levels had supplied a remote control to the left armrest that Magnus refused to use on a basis of (his absolutely stubborn) principle, and with his right wrist handcuffed to the armrest, Charles was placed with the burden of carting the man through the dark, secret passages.

Magnus huffed underneath him. “Wonderful,” he said with a dry flick of his tongue. “I look forward to the sounds of screams filling my otherwise uneventful nights.”

Charles halted to let a hand rest on top of the man’s slumped shoulders. “The walls are thick, and will repress most sounds,” he exclaimed, not picking up on Magnus eye roll until he got close and witnessed Magnus’ less than savory reaction to his presence. “You, ah… you don’t care about that, do you?”

Magnus emitted another dry chuckle. “It doesn’t really matter where you place me, Charles,” he said, then wheezed out an airy cough. Charles leaned close, offering a handkerchief as Magnus covered his mouth with his one, freed hand. He brushed off the offering, shaking his miserable head at Charles. “A hospital room. A cell. A bedroom in a dungeon. I’m still your damn prisoner.”

Magnus had been like this since he woke up from the hospital three weeks prior. Klokateers were sent to locate him upon Toki’s request, but it was only Charles that knew of the man’s actual condition. He was found alive, though not without retaining some severe damage. Charles told the boys he was in a coma, and would likely never waken. A lie Charles knew he would, at some point, retract, but for now, found it easier to keep silent on Magnus’ progress. The impalement left by the assassin had damaged the central nervous system, and though it was possible to rewire the spine and provide Magnus the ability to walk, Charles declined approval for the experimental surgery. Partly out of fear. Partly as a means of enacting justice on a man who didn’t deserve to walk again. Partly out of something else.

This, and the recent heart surgery more than likely meant Charles didn’t need the handcuffs to secure Magnus into his seat, but when a klokateer handed him the restraints, Charles was hit with a blast of nostalgia, and could only think (and say), “why not?”

Magnus was declared healthy for release a few days ago, and since then, Charles busied himself with the arrangements. At some point, he would depart Dethklok for good, but until then, he’d work on this secret side project, fixing Magnus piece by piece, diagnosing the unknown source of his rage and misery, and would, eventually, have the man own up to his terrible acts. There was Toki to consider, after all. There was Abigail, too. Nathan. There was the whole damn stunt he pulled at the funeral.

But, for now…

“Prisoner, hmm?” Charles turned a wide, round corner, revealing yet another hallway leading to an elevator. He added nothing more, letting the stirs and weakened low chuckles inform him of what Magnus still thought of him.

“I sincerely doubt you’ll let me go once I’m all patched up,” Magnus remarked, then rested his heavy head on top of his free hand.

Charles deflected the statement with a question. “Where would you go?”

“Good point.” Magnus finished with a laugh, far softer this time. Charles wheeled him inside the elevator, not saying a word as Magnus’ stare rested on his legs. “You have me where you want me.”

Charles didn’t bother to come up with a witty remark, a joke or question. Any further attempt to detract or defer would have Magnus pushing back harder until he was using his one good appendage to wring the truth out of him.

So he remained quiet. Both men were silent the entire ride, with Magnus facing the consequences of his own actions, and Charles years of “whys and what ifs” he hadn’t bothered asking himself since learning of Magnus’ departure from the band. It had been so hard then, and now it was becoming close to unbearable; all the questions he wanted to ask Magnus.

Why did you do it?

Why did you toss your future away?

Why didn’t you answer my calls?

What if I had stopped it?

What if I had given you the attention you craved?

“What do you think?”

They stood on top of the head of Mordhaus. An icy, but refreshing morning hit them, stirring Magnus up to clench his ailing chest, and Charles to lower and offer the man his scarf. He was sure Magnus would refuse it, like had every small, kind offering affronted to him, but this time greedily took the cloth and brought it up to his bandaged front.

Charles took it as a sign of progress.

He asked again. “What do you think, Magnus?”

Magnus was silent. Not out of defiance, but because the sight of the sun compounded him so. He’d spent his entire recovery induced, forced to face the unending darkness and whatever machinations his mind would allow while under the influence of power opioids. His time spent awake wasn’t much better. Charles purposely kept Magnus in a room separate from the rest, secluded and lacking a window. Any light Magnus was exposed to was falsified, a product of man’s great undertakings. And, as of earlier this morning, Magnus would be spending an… undisclosed amount of time healing in his new room. Much like his hospital room, this one would be small, isolated and kept secret to most of the staff.

This room would also lack the extra lighting the hospital supplied, and somehow Charles knew that Magnus was aware of this.

Charles stared out at the blue fields below them, eyes gazing up the sea of swaying blades of grass against the morning breeze, and those in the distance that were gathering sunlight and shifting into a more natural dark green hue. In the distance, the top of massive trees shook against the harsher winds, gales that made the entire forests groan in misery at the start of a new day.

The sun, however, rose proudly against the icy winds and foggy atmosphere, tearing through the sheet and hitting Magnus with the first real warmth that he had no choice but to accept. Warmth Charles hoped he might be able to offer, one day.

If either would allow.

Charles lowered to Magnus’ level. “Well?”

Magnus blinked. Charles thought he heard something similar to that of a smothered choke. “It’s nice, I suppose.”

Finally, an end to the attitude.

“If you be good, I promise you can watch the sun rise more often,” Charles said, unaffected at how such a simple reward could sound so ominous coming from him. He saw Magnus shirk underneath him, and knew the message had come off as intended. Still, despite the cruelty behind his words, the desire to get close was still there, and his hands quickly left the wheelchair’s handles to rest on top of Magnus’s shoulder. “We can watch together… or on your own. Whatever you prefer.”

This time Magnus made no attempt to cover the frustration in his forced, pained laugh. “And who will have the honor of wheeling this waste of space up the topmost floor?”

The sarcasm, though unwelcomed, returned familiar feelings of a simpler past.

Charles pressed his face into the center of Magnus’ crown, breathing in the smell of freshly washed hair he had worked so thoroughly to clean. “…good point.”

#magnus hammersmith #charles foster offdensen #butterknife #warning: mentions of injury #ficlet ask thing #thank you #wxcked-fc #tw: physical disability

13 notes · View notes

skylarmoon71 · 5 years ago

Text

Earth 2 Harrison Wells x Reader-Imagine

Disclaimer: I don’t own the Flash.

“Woooo!” you grinned listening through the com link as Jesse and Wally were helping with a robbery. Harry had that constant frown and you just directed your gaze back to the two dots that were zipping after the car. They passed the car easily, forcing the criminals in the vehicle to pull up to a stop. “Alright, cuff them quick, remember don’t let him touch you. “ Barry instructed.

In a matter of seconds both criminals had no choice but to walk out of the cars. All three speedsters had them cornered.

“Mission completed. “ Wally said. You fist pumped. “We’re coming in.” Barry said. You pulled out your earplug, awaiting their arrival. You twisted your chair, ready to maybe get a bite to eat. Barry was probably carrying those guys to iron heights. “All in a day's work.” you spoke. When you looked back Harry was still leaned over the desk. You had a feeling you knew why.

“Hey Oscar, quit being a grouch.” he turned to you with an annoyed look.

“I don’t appreciate the nicknames you and Cisco insist on using on me.”

“Well maybe if you smiled once in a while we wouldn’t have too.” he just looked back at his computer.

“Stop worrying. Jesse’s a smart girl. She knows how to handle herself. She’s your daughter after all.”

A ghost of a smile made its way on his face. You and Harry never really got along, but every once in a while you would have moments like this. Honestly, you were sporting a huge crush on him. That’s why when he first came you made it your mission to avoid him. Whenever you did bump into him you gave him the cold shoulder.

You couldn’t trust him, and for good reason. After what happened with Eobard you told yourself you’d never trust anyone with that face again. Little did you know there was an entire multiverse of Wells.

Lucky you.

As time went on though, it was becoming harder to deny your growing attraction for the man. When you found out about his daughter, your wall slowly crumbled and you made any and all efforts to comfort him. The both of you still bickered though.

At that point you decided it was better to just give up on your feelings. He obviously didn’t feel the same way. And it didn’t make sense chasing after a man that had no interest in you.

With that thought you turned, exiting the cortex.

“Maybe I’ll stop by the store and get some beer.” you could tell it was going to be a long day. Might as well treat yourself with some booze and outdated movies.

~~~

“So what do we have today?” When you strutted into the cortex the next morning you were shocked to see no one there. Harry was the only one at his desk. He looked up, making a face when he saw you. You frowned. You were going to deal with this once and for all. You could deal with him not having feelings for you, but that didn’t give him the right to treat you like crap.

“Hey what’s your deal with me!” you demanded. He looked over, wondering if it was him you were yelling at.

“Excuse me?” you pointed. “Don't pull that excuse me crap, you know what I’m talking about. Ever since you got here you’ve treated everyone like the dirt beneath your feet. I allowed it at the beginning because you were a grieving parent, but your attitude still stinks, especially with me.” He slammed down his tool.

“I don’t recall being obligated to be a nice person. I’m not Ramon and Allen. I’m not here to be your friend. My only goal is to help with the new threat that’s it. “ you scoffed.

“You really are something else. I’m not asking you to be a saint. But would it kill you to wear a smile, or say good morning!!” he walked towards you like a lion approaching it’s prey. You almost backed down when he was standing right in front of you. He was staring you down, and all at once you seemed to lose the ability to speak. He towered you, blue eyes pinning you in your spot.

“Is there anything else you would like to get off your chest.” his voice was lower and you felt like the air had been smacked right out of you.

“N-No I-I..I uh..” somehow you forgot how to make actual sentences.

“I have no desire to be your crouch. Snow told me about your relationship with the previous Wells.” His words made you take a step back.

“W-What does that have to do with…”

“He broke your heart. Maybe it's your fault for being so naive. “ you felt a pang in your chest at his words. You looked up at him, eyes watering. You weren’t sure how, but at that moment Harry looked like he actually regretted the words he said. He looked down running a hand over his face.

“Listen that was..I didn’t mean it like that I just-” you didn’t want to hear his explanation.

“I think you’ve said all that you wanted.” you replied coldly. You tried to hide the tightening in your throat as best you could when you spoke.

“I won’t waste time trying to get close to another Wells. I should have learned my lesson the first time. “ with that you were gone. Upon your exit you almost crashed into Barry. He held you by the shoulders apologizing. When he saw your fresh tears he tried to find out the reason. You pulled away from him, rushing off. Barry’s eyes moved in Harry’s direction. He looked pissed.

“What did you say to (Y/N)!” he accused.

“You don’t have to lecture me Allen. I already know I messed up. “ Harry turned back to his desk. He wanted to punch himself.

~~~~

That night you were tucked in your bed, legs pulled to your chest. The memories of Dr. Wells, or Thawne for that matter replaying in your head. All the sweet words he said to you. How special he said you were. It was all a lie, a facade to ensure he accomplished his goal. You regret everything you ever felt for him. In some sick way Harry was right. If you weren’t blinded by your feelings for him maybe it would have been easier to see through him. Even when you found out about him you never wanted to believe it. But all the evidence was there, and when you confronted the man, when he was standing right in front of you, he never even looked sorry. He just wore that stupid smirk on his face. That sinister smile as he ripped your heart out of your chest and threw it in your face.

“(Y/N). “ you cursed at the voice behind you. After your little spew with Harry you made it your mission to avoid him. You succeeded for about a week. Of course he was going to find you sooner or later. The person who called you wasn’t Harry though, it was his daughter. You turned to her, forcing a smile on your face. “Hey..” you said a bit awkwardly. You could tell by the look on her face that she wanted an explanation. “What’s going on with you and Dad. “ you were hoping she wouldn’t ask that. “Nothing, you know us we could hardly stand each other.”

She placed a hand on her hip. “Yeah, usually you’re going at it like an old married couple, but you haven’t talked in so long and dad he’s..he’s not acting like himself.” you were a bit worried. Then you remembered why you were angry at him.

“That’s not my problem.” you stated flatly. You knew it was mean, but he was the one that said those things to you. He had no right.

Jesse looked ready to say something, but the person you were dreading walked out from behind her and you suddenly felt like crying again.

He stepped forward and just as he opened his mouth alarms started blaring. You flinched and Jesse braced. “Someone’s in Star Labs!” she bolted out to scope out the threat and Harry moved closer to you.

“You can yell at me later. Right now just stay close.” he instructed. You nodded. As much as he made your blood boil, it wouldn’t do any good if a dangerous meta was loose and either of you got hurt because of a spat.

You followed close behind as he moved in the direction of the cortex. When you made it to the entrance Barry was putting cuffs on an unconscious Jesse. Harry ran over in a panic.

“Allen what the hell are you doing!!” Barry waved his hands about to explain. Caitlin was kneeling down, retracting the needle from the girl's skin.

“Those metahumans we took down last week. Somehow they got out of Iron Heights. I think one of the guards slipped up. One of them has manipulative powers.” He informed.

“They twist your view. Jesse thought we were the enemy. “ Caitlin added.

“I had to take her out before she could get hurt. I locked one of them up in the pipeline but the other is somewhere here. “ Barry interjected. He looked down at the computer, trying to pull up footage of the halls.

“Try right behind you.” you spun around just in time for him to press his hands on your forehead. A red light glowed in his palm, passing through your skin. Barry zipped forward, shoving the male away from you. The meta crashed into the wall, falling down and passing out from the force of the blow. Barry wasted no time, cuffing him quickly.

Harry looked over to check you. “Stay back Harry, she's been hit.” Caitlin advised. She had a syringe in her hand, unsure of how to administer the shot without provoking you.

“Give it to me, I could get close enough in a second. “ You turned to Barry and you screamed in terror. He looked back, shocked to see the level of fear in your eyes as you backed up against the wall.

“Please don’t hurt him I’ll do anything please!!” you were pleading. Barry approached, raising his hands to show you he didn’t mean any harm.

“Hey (Y/N). Listen it’s me Barry.” he pulled off his cowl, but that just triggered you more.

“Don’t hurt them Dr. Wells I’m begging you! Please don’t, I’ll do anything!!” Barry froze, he recalled you saying those words before.

“S-She’s..she’s reliving a memory.” he muttered in recognition.

Harry stared. “What do you mean by memory? I thought he just manipulates your concept of the present reality. “ Caitlin shook her head. “They morph reality yes, but reality for everyone is different. Some people see their friends as enemies. Others face a reality they can’t control. One they feel powerless in” Harry couldn’t believe it. The level of horror on your face hurt him. When he made that statement about Dr. Wells he knew he crossed a line. What he didn’t realize was the level of emotional damage Thawne actually did to you. You weren’t a meta. So when he attacked you couldn’t do anything but stand there and watch as he tried to kill your friends.

Harry took the syringe from Caitlin’s hands, storming over to your direction. He couldn’t see you like this. When he was standing directly in front of you your eyes widened and you tried to scramble away.

“D-DON’T!” Harry pressed the needle into your neck. It took a while, but slowly, your eyes started to lower. Just as you were about to pass out you looked directly at him.

“Harry..” you said softly. He smiled, removing the needle. He tossed it to the side, cradling you into his arms. “I’ve got you, don’t worry. You’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you again. “

Barry and Caitlin watched from the back, both a bit stunned by the level of care the man displayed when holding you.

You groaned, holding your head as you tried to sit up. When you finally came to, Caitlin was right at your side with a smile.

“Look who’s finally up.” you gave her a weak smile, leaning against the head of the bed.

“I got socked by that meta didn’t I?”

“Affirmative.” she said cheekily. You just laughed. “Wow, my head feels like I got hit by a bus.” She jotted something down before placing a hand to your forehead.

“I think that’s my fault. I made that in a rush in case those metahumans got a hold of our speedsters. Unfortunately a shot like that does the trick but the dose isn’t really easy on regular people. “

“Noted.” you looked over, noticing Barry and Jesse standing at the door.

“ You really gave me a scare. How are you feeling?” Barry’s question made you shoot him a look.

“Sorry, I guess it was a stupid question. But hey at least we caught the guys.” you nodded.

“That’s good.” Barry was still watching you. “(Y/N), I just wanted you to know. What happened with Thawne..it wasn’t your fault. We know it hurt you maybe far worse than any of us.” you looked at him a bit taken aback. A shaky breath exited your lips. “Y-Yeah, you don’t have to worry about it. I'm over all that. It’s been months.” He shook his head.

“There’s no time stamp on how long those types of wounds heal. If you ever wanna talk, we’re all right here.” Caitlin and even Jesse smiled, agreeing with him. You gave another nod.

“Thanks guys, I appreciate it.” Jesse grinned.

“Of course, by the way. There is someone who’s just as worried. “ before you could ask you felt the wind blow your hair back. When she reappeared there was someone with her.

“Jesse I told you not to-” his complaints stopped when his eyes landed on you. She unhooked her arms and at that moment everyone started to make their exit. You turned to Caitlin with pleading eyes, begging her not to leave. She gave you a thumbs up, vanishing around the hall.

When it was just the two of you, you shifted back into the bed.

“Listen I-”

“I apologize.” Harry cut you off. You stared at him. Not sure if you heard him right.

“Wait..did you just say..” he stepped closer, taking a seat at the edge of your bed. Him being so close made you readjust your position. You picked at the sheets nervously.

“I was unaware of how deep Thawne’s wounds scarred you. Then I made a comment that was uncalled for. I apologize.” you bit down on your lip.

“I’m sorry too.” you said finally. “It was childish of me to avoid you like I did. I should have just talked to you. The truth is you were right. I let my feelings dictate everything I do. The feelings I had for him and the ones I have for you.” Harry looked over at your words.

“I-I like you Harry.” you confessed. “Y-You look just like him so I told myself never to go down that road again. But little by little I couldn't help but be intrigued by you, attracted to you. I’m so stupid!” you said, fresh tears falling down your cheeks. Harry moved closer scooping you into his arms.

“Don’t say that you're far from stupid. “ you clenched your hands into his clothing.

“I am..I am the foolish one. I’m just as much attracted to you.” he whispered. You pulled back.

“W-What..” his hands rested on your cheek, wiping any evidence of your tears.

“I distanced myself because I thought you were only seeking solace in me to replace him. I was cruel to you because it was the only thing I could do to deny just how much your presence affected me. I’m completely and utterly infatuated with you (Y/N).” you swallowed. He was so close now. “If I haven’t already ruined my chances, I would like an opportunity to show you just how much I care about you.”

“Okay..” you mumbled. With the way he was looking at you now there wasn’t much you could say. His thumb traced the outline of your cheekbone.

Everywhere he touched felt like a spark to your skin. His lips met your own in a slow, hesitant kiss. It wasn’t much at first, just the innocent touching of lips.

After a few moments you wanted more. Your hands tightened their hold on his clothing as you tried to pull him closer. He complied, pressing you softly into the mattress. You sighed at the feel of him. Your hands slipped into his hair and he gave a soft appreciative sound. Your stomach twirled at the little noise. Your hands wandered, you hooked your fingers into the hoops of his pants, pulling. His hips thrusted into you and you gasped. Your lips disconnected and Harry continued pressing kisses to your skin as you tried to regain your breath.

“We should...probably...stop..”you forced out in between pants.

“Agreed, they could..walk in at any time..” he was still pressing heated kisses to your body. His leg moved between your own and you moaned, looking at him a bit startled. Harry smirked down at you. “Then again, I think I’ve been holding out too long. Something tells me you have too.” you gulped when you felt his hand travelling under your clothing.

“H-Harry..” you whined weakly. You whimpered when he squeezed your breast.

“I finally have you, I’m not sure I really want to stop..” he growled into you ear.

Someone clearing their throat made you both turn.

“Allen.” Harry said sharply. Barry looked uncomfortable, like he regretted even coming in.

“N-Nevermind, It can wait. “ he dove out of there faster than you’d ever seen.

Harry’s eyes fixed back on you.

“Now where were we.”

93 notes · View notes

s-n-a-k-e-p-i-t · 4 years ago

Text

draco x hermione // love is blind

inspired by @raspberrykiss28 post. I just saw that and I was like wow a beautiful story, I must attempt. I tried what can I say.

ps. sorry for mistakes bc yet again i am tipsy. no one beta’d this, but no one ever does when I drink because I like my raw writing... okay here we go

- - - - - - - - - -

They were on the edge of the forest, someone had attacked her and he had jumped in. It was still. It was calm. Their heaving breathing, from a duel with some wizard far beyond their years, was the only thing filling the gaps of silence. In a small matter of seconds, he had reached for her, begging her to come into his arms, to meld their bodies into the safety of one another, to feel that moment of relief, similar to what they had found in one another in the weeks leading up to this. And just when they thought they had defeated who they thought was the last foe in their wake. And just as they realized it was over. And just as their fingers brushed, desperately grasping for one another, she saw it.

She watched as the curse.... dark, unforgiving, and cold, left a wand and she witnessed the second it hit his cool, dark eyes and in that moment, in that very second, she knew the cold hard truth of the matter. His hand retracted and searched for a hold, for an anchor, for anything that would tether him to this world and confirm it was all in his head.

But it wasn’t. And the realization flooded her face much more quickly than it did his. And she knew. In that moment, despite the glow of the moon, and the lights of the castle, that he would not find her.

She blinked as he fumbled, falling to the ground.

“G-Granger, are you there?”

She panicked and thought the worst. But she was the Golden Girl, able to overcome anything. And despite her emotions flying and the chaos surrounding them, she packed all the negativity away in the depths of her mind. Shoveling those worries under anything she could think of; the years and years of lucky get aways and somehow overcoming the worst. And she hoped for a moment that Harry’s luck had rubbed off on her, and that what was in front of her wasn’t the truth.

His cold hands reached for hers desperately, connecting in a whirlwind of sensations, his pulse racing. She tried not to give her hopes up, that it was just a situational thing, like all the moments they had spent in the towers, losing themselves from the reality of what was coming.

“Granger, I can’t,” his voice cracked as his hand squeezed hers, “I can’t see.”

The pain in his voice hit her like a train, knocking the breath out of her, she had never known him to be so emotional. She gasped and he heard it, his face crumbling along with his body. And he held her there, arms wrapped around her middle, on his knees as his body shook.

“Granger, I-”

“It’s okay,” she said, her voice pulling him back as his head followed the sound of her voice. He fell into her even more, and his legs gave way.

And despite her need to comfort him in that moment, to be there for him, to kiss away the tears on his pale, thin cheeks, she knew she had to act quickly. Whether it was a moment of desperation or not.

“Malfoy, you need to stand up,” she whispered, her voice strong, surprising her. She looked down at Draco Malfoy, on his knees, holding her like she was the last thing that kept him in this world and her heart skipped a beat. But she knew what she had to do.

His shoulders hunched and she could feel the panic in him rising.

“Malfoy, I need you to stand up and make it to the apparition point, I can,” she stumbled over her words, “I think I can help you, but I need you to help me get you somewhere safe.”

His shoulders bobbed against her hips. He shuddered and she could imagine his eyes searching for something, anything that could confirm his sight was intact.

“Draco,” she said lifting his chin, her voice steady, “I need you to trust me.”

He raised his head to hers, but his eyes were shut. But even in his features, she could see his honesty.

“Please, Hermione, I wouldn’t trust anyone else.”

The confession blossomed a strength inside her she hadn’t known, not recently at least, and she pulled him to his feet. They hobbled off into the darkness and with a snap they disappeared.

- - - -

ONE WEEK LATER

- - - -

Hermione had been scouring books for days and Draco had reminded her, but as time went on he let off much to her surprise. His snarky comments had turned into words of encouragement, something she didn’t know she needed from him.

And when she wasn’t looking over potions and counter spells and he wasn’t nagging her to hurry up, she was tending to him in a safe house of the Order that had been long abandoned before the war had started. She had learned his favorite way to take tea; no milk, three sugars. She had learned that he liked when she left the window open, to allow the calming sensations of the sea drift into the cabin. She learned that he had quite the brilliant mind when it came to suggestions for reversals. Not that she hadn’t noticed his mind before, but now, it seemed to awaken something she had never quite seen before. And he had noticed that she liked listening to classic piano melodies at night even though she never spoke to him after ‘work’ was over, that he knew she was always coming into the room based on the way the energy shifted around him, that she liked the morning stillness of being up before the world until he had to stir and disturb her, only to sit peacefully beside her and enjoy it too.

And when things became too much for her, that was when she returned to her books.

Scanning each page three times over, four if she thought she had an inkling of a solution. But nothing had been sufficient. Yet.

But then she began spending evenings with him. A cup of tea in both of their hands, sharing stories about their childhoods, something she never imagined would have come from forbidden kisses in high towers and glances across the classrooms. He was a person who had gone through hell much like she had. And she could see it.. Not in his eyes, but the way his hands shook and the way his brow furrowed as he retold certain events. He also apologized for much of the pain he had inflicted on her and she returned that by not apologizing for nearly knocking his teeth out third year. They had laughed about that.

And sometimes he would ask about her. What her parents did for a living, how she felt her first year at Hogwarts, even how she had felt in the months prior to their secretive meetings.

They were facing one another on the couch, legs crossed, their tea growing cold when he asked.

“Do you ever see me in your future,” he asked one night, as they nibbled on cookies she had whisked up as a companion to their cups.

“Malfoy, I-” she didn’t know how to finish the statement.

“In any capacity,” he added.

“Malfoy...” She started hesitantly, not wanting to crush his spirits nor wanting to give into him. She knew who he was, what he believed in, more so what he had believed in. And for the month or so they had been together, she had known it was always an act of rebellion, a way to feel something. And yet, she had always hoped it was something more. And now, sitting here across from him, spilling their darkest secrets and stories, she thought that maybe, he had felt the same. But she couldn’t risk it. Not now. She had to stay focused.

At her silence, he moved away from her, cowering on the edge of the sofa in a way she might’ve imagined him as a child, but never at the current moment.

“It’s fine.” He snarled.

But despite her will, something in her pushed her forward while also tickling the back of her brain.

“Malfoy, no,” she paused, mustering up the courage, “Draco,” he perked up, “I have alw-”

That’s it.

Her mind lit up, the idea flying to the front of her thoughts, sparks flying from every direction, slamming into her imagination. She darted from the couch, despite the disappointed sigh he released. She threw a book open, searching the index, finding the page, and there it was. A healing potion and a sprinkle of muggle belief.

She grabbed her cauldron and began adding the ingredients.

“Granger,” he moaned, “I swear to literally anyone if you make me drink another nauseating concoction I will hex you into next year.”

“Shut up,” she snapped back. She reached into her bag and pulled out a series of vials. A healing potion, she thought, a healing potion with-

She rushed into the kitchen and Draco sat up, feeling the air shift as she left the cozy living room.

She raced back to the table and began cutting, carving, and finally waving her wand over the thick brew in front of her.

“I’m not positive, but it’s an old Muggle belief,” she whispered, praying to everything that it would work.

She scooped the pale orange potion into a vial and hesitantly brought it to him. She bit her lip and she raised his hand to hers, passing it off before her fingers could linger too much.

“Drink it,” she pleaded.

He slowly brought the vial to his lips, fumbling slightly as he searched for his own mouth. She watched, nervously, as he took it down. He licked his lips and his head turned expectantly to her.

“How do you feel?” She asked, her heart in her throat.

“Like I did two minutes ago, he answered, and her stomach dropped as she waved her hand in front of his face, “Though, this didn’t taste nearly as bad as I thought it would.”

“I’m rolling my eyes,” she said with a scoff and stormed off back to her book, back to the drawing board it was.

“Happy I don’t have to see it!” He called after her.

She continued reading on and on and on and on. Her eyes straining as she struggled to stay awake. She had been so sure that she had found a solution. So positive it would make a difference and yet again she had failed him. She felt her heart sink. She was feeling less and less confident in her skills the more she failed. Her heart began to race and she struggled to control her breathing. When suddenly...

A hand on her shoulder. It made her jump. Draco had been relatively quite making his way over to her, in a way he hadn’t moved since before this. She whipped her head around to see his eyes boring into hers. She was speechless.

“Hermione,” he said, using her first name for the first time since that moment in the forest. “I see you in mine.”

“Draco-” she whispered, her voice cracking and getting the best of her. She quickly stood up, brushing her hair from her face and then grabbing his. His eyes followed her every movement. She gasped.

“Can you-”

“Yes,” he said, brushing a straying hair from her face. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Her body shuddered.

“I can see you now,” he nearly cried, his face painted with an emotion she had never seen him wear. Perhaps he even smiled. It must’ve been minutes before she finally gathered the strength to pull away, her doubt getting the best of her that he would leave, now that she had fixed him. That he would run away. Never to be heard from again.

“Draco-”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

A first for Draco Malfoy. He buried his face into her neck and held her.

“Now that I can,” he started, “I can see you in my future, in any capacity.”

She pulled his face to hers.

“So can I.”

#dramione #hell yeah #im super crossed sorry if this sucks #its 4 am and ive been drinking for a while #tw // alcohol #draco x hermione #hermione x draco #hermione granger x draco malfoy #draco malfoy x hermione granger #idk i tried i hope you like it #not my best but not my worst #again i tried #no beta bc i dont really care rn #i just write to write #emilywrites

10 notes · View notes

asgardianthot · 5 years ago

Text

Three times Bucky nursed Sam back to health

Words: 2247

Warnings: gunshot, injuries, vomit (but there’s fluff to make up for it!)

The first time, it came as a shocker; An unexpected attack on a regular mission. Sam was caught unready and was surprised by a gunshot on his leg.

As soon as he felt the impact, a wave of pain paralyzed him. Bucky heard him cry out in pain, then a few exchanges between the Falcon and Wanda over the comms.

"I'm okay."

That was all Bucky needed to hear, but the ache in his tone made the sentence difficult to believe. Hardening the grip on his shotgun, Bucky contemplated his options. He could continue fighting and help out the team, or he could take a look at Sam in order to find out if he truly was okay. Then, there was the problem of how he would handle that interaction. His mind had spent far too much time thinking of Sam lately, and he was clueless as to what to do about those feelings.

Eventually, he found himself kneeling down next to the injured man, not even realizing that he had ran over there.

"How bad is it?" The words left Bucky's mouth faster than the speed of his thoughts.

The veteran groaned as he rested his head against the wall, sitting on the floor and looking very defeated. There was a visible stain of blood leaking from his pants on the extended leg.

"I'll be okay. Go." Sam tried to ease Bucky, however wincing from evident pain.

Only when Barnes approached his hand to the harmed thigh, he noticed how shaky they were. He immediately retracted the gesture, suddenly feeling nervousness overtake him. Not only he didn't know how to talk to Sam anymore, ever since the realization hit him that he liked the Falcon, but now he was bleeding out right in front of Bucky. The latter was about to go into full panic mode.

"What- what do I do?" He stuttered.

"Just go back, I'm fine." Sam barked back.

The brunette knew that was wasn't an option. He shook his head and swallowed hard before speaking.

"No, you're not." He protested, reaching to lift Sam's body from the ground. "Come on."

By helping the fallen soldier hop on one leg, they managed to walk themselves to the quinjet, where they found safety and quiet. Sam was gently sat down, although it didn't stop him from complaining about the pain on his limb.

"Where's the medical kit?" Bucky asked, frantic.

Sam shut his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control the sharp feeling of a bullet pressing against his muscle.

"Under the oxygen." He sighed out. "I can get it, don't worry."

Bucky refused to dignify Sam with an answer, seeing how he most definitely shouldn't get up nor limp across the jet, and how Bucky himself had already established that he would be doing the curing.

The former assassin found the gauze and sprinted to wrap it around the injured thigh, as a way of stopping the bleeding and stabilizing the zone.

"That good?" He looked up from the wound to check up on Sam's expression.

The appellee nodded while pressing his lips together, riding off the wave of agony.

"I'm gonna stay here until the others get back, okay?" Before Sam could protest to that statement, Bucky raised his voice. "I'm staying, no matter what. You're hurt. You need me here."

That was the first time Bucky grew a pair when it came to Sam, and ever since, he didn't stop being honest. Being with Sam made him want to be open and caring and truthful about what his heart felt, which is why it didn't take too long until they were both pretty infatuated with the other.

The second time, Bucky had been expecting it. Sam's performance in missions had been sloppy lately, for the Falcon was under a lot of stress. SHIELD seemed to have a preference of sending him alone to take care of private matters, probably getting him ready for higher-stake issues. Bucky wasn't a fan of the idea. He loved Sam. They had been open about loving each other for a while now, and if there was something Barnes didn't appreciate was SHIELD forcing his boyfriend to keep secrets from him. Especially, since it meant Sam would receive orders at any given moment, and the former soldier now turned agent would have to fly out, no questions asked, only to return bruised and exhausted.

This particular night, though, Sam returned worse than usual. As soon as he stumbled inside the house, Bucky could hear him complain. When he saw the black eye and the way Sam held his ribs like they were about to fall off, his chest ached with concern.

"Why do you sound mad?" Sam asked, half-jokingly, while his boyfriend held an alcohol-dipped cotton ball to his face.

Bucky was uncharacteristically silent while he cleaned the open wound on Sam's cheekbone. The veteran was also enduring a broken rib and a lousy, dislocated shoulder. Nothing he wouldn't easily recover from, but also nothing that should have occurred in the first place.

"I'm not even talking." Bucky mumbled, not looking away from the bruised under eye area.

"And yet you sound mad." Sam smirked.

The brunette didn't grant him the attention. He didn't laugh, for there was some truth to Sam's observation. He wasn't mad at the man he adored, he was monumentally angry at the shady organization that was pushing the man he adored towards danger. He was frustrated at his boyfriend for agreeing in the first place, and he was more than worried for his future of crime-fighting. Not to mention how much it hurt to see him torn apart like that.

"You shouldn't be getting hurt like this, you know?" He eventually said dryly. "Just FYI."

Sam appreciated the response, but didn't lose the light attitude, thinking that it would hopefully make Bucky worry less.

"I thought it was part of the job." He narrowed his eyes, only to then get a rush of pain from the alcohol that seeped through his small wound.

He winced and bit the inside of his cheek in order to cope with it.

"Not so badly." Bucky remarked. "Not so often."

"You saying I'm dumb or something?" Sam raised his eyebrow, playfully.

The man healing him mimicked the expression, in a way of implying you said it, not me. He continued to clean Sam's face, taking his time as he wasn't prepared for what would come yet; someone had to pop the shoulder back into place. That was never pretty.

"I'm fine." Sam finally eased him with a sweet tone. "Just getting a hang of the new wings and all. Makes me a little slower."

Bucky nodded, still not buying it. Sam knew when Bucky wasn't tranquilized by his words, so he tried again.

"Hey." He made himself heard, causing Bucky to lower the cotton ball and look directly into his eyes. "I'm okay. Stop worrying."

It took a few seconds for Bucky to accept it, but eventually, Wilson saw the love and concern behind Bucky's eyes, behind all those layers. The latter placed a hand on Sam's cheek, to which Sam reacted with approaching him and planting his lips on his boyfriend's. With that kiss, Bucky transmitted how sorry he was for acting so cold.

The third time, was the worst of them all. Sam got infected in a laboratory base he was commanded to raid. It was an underground operation to create chemical weapons, and as he dealt with it, he accidentally ran into one of said creations. The virus made its way inside Wilson's organism too quickly, therefore, Sam flew back to headquarters where he could get checked. Hopefully, the virus was prevented from expanding thanks to an antidote, an aggressive vaccine that would flush it out and avoid his demise. The virus turned out to be so quick to spread that all agents at headquarters were told to get their own shot as prevention, even after the doctors had neutralized the threat to the point of making it non-transmissible.

The downside to it all were the effects of the antidote. Expulsing such a virus would cause a fever, vomiting, and all kinds of nasty experiences, which was why Sam was recommended to find someone to care for him that night, and assist him on such horrid state. Bucky, of course, stepped in.

I got you, Sammy. Always got you.

Sam gasped the words out with tiredness. “You’re gonna get inf-“

Yet he was unable to finish his sentence, for another wave of vomit crashed his body, and he had to throw up on the bin that was being held by Bucky.

The sick man was sitting on his bed, shirtless and sweating profusely, while Barnes sat behind him and surrounded him with his arms for support, while keeping the puke bin in his hand.

“I won’t. Remember?" Bucky said sweetly. "I told you before?”

He had explained a million times how he was immune to any kind of infection, because of the prevention shot, but Sam kept forgetting. The high fever didn't let him think straight, nor retain information for that matter.

“I can’t get it from you." He reminded him once again. "Now drink.”

As soon as the cup of water approached Sam's face, the latter bent over and threw up again. Bucky took the opportunity to lose the glass and fetch the wet towel he was keeping nearby. He patted it against Sam's burning forehead while the poor man panted. His sweat was as hot as his skin.

“Get it out.” Sam groaned, breathless.

“You’re doing great.” Bucky hushed him, trying to get the idea out of his boyfriend's head.

“Get it out.”

“You’re getting it out, Sam." He repeated himself, getting the water cup again. "Just drink.”

Apparently, the idea of hydrating –or probably just the mere thought of ingesting anything– kept provoking nauseas, for he rejected the water once more in order to throw up on the recipient.

Suddenly, the sound of sobs coming from Sam made Bucky's heart break in a million pieces.

“Knock me out, I don’t care.” Sam's pleas were echoed inside the bin, where he breathed loudly into. “Sedate me, just get it to stop.”

Barnes shut his eyes as he felt his heart weight. As painful as it was to break Sam's hopes for the hundredth time that evening, they had been through this. Wilson had to throw it all up, flush the virus out. He couldn’t just sleep the discomfort away.

Bucky got the second bin from the floor and handed it to Sam, retrieving the one that was filled with Sam's vomit and heading for the bathroom. He washed it on the sink, and when he returned, he saw Sam laying on his back with his chest heaving. The current caregiver turned the air conditioner up for the feverish man to sweat less, before sitting right back behind him.

He ran his hand up and down Sam's bare back. "Where does it hurt?"

“Everything.” Sam mumbled.

Barnes pressed the wet towel on Sam's forehead. “I know, baby. Where?”

All he could do was try to distract the ill man, and it worked for a minute.

“M’head.” Sam spoke with a tone that sort of implied that the towel made it better. “Chest.”

“Here?” Bucky confirmed on a random spot and soothed it with his hand. “Stomach?”

Wilson nodded. Bucky focused his caresses on the diaphragm, thinking that it must be in hell after contracting so much for him to throw up.

Then, he heard Sam gag painfully, yet nothing came out.

"Shhh, it’ll stop hurting, I promise.” He said softly while massaging his ribs.

“Don’t baby me.” Sam protested with his last bit of energy.

The reaction caused Bucky to be unable to prevent a smile. “What’cha want me to do, then? Scold you into health?” He mocked his suffering boyfriend.

“Idiot.”

“I can yell at you if you want.”

“You know that’s-“

Unfortunately, the jokes came to a stop when another gag reflex hit Sam, hard.

Bucky went back to soothing Sam's head.

“Okay, let’s not talk for now, maybe. I know it’s hard for you to shut the hell up. Especially when I’m talking, cause I’m such a moron, right?”

Sam simply nodded, and Barnes had to laugh because of course he had to call himself a moron for him to get quiet and calm.

The next morning, Bucky woke up to an empty bed. Panic overtook his every fiber when he realized that Sam wasn't there with him, for the ill man was probably very weak, still. A million scenarios of tragedy ran through his head in a fraction of a second; Sam could have walked downstairs and gotten hurt. He could have passed out somewhere. He could have tried to-

When Bucky picked up on the sound of the shower running, he jumped out of bed.

He ran inside, only to find Sam on his feet and working the water.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing?” Barnes frowned in concern.

“I stink.” Sam replied with abnormal tranquility.

“You could have fallen.”

Sam sighed and slowly sat down on the edge of the tub. Bucky reached out to help, but Sam was okay by himself. At least okay enough to sit.

“I can get up." Sam said with annoyance. "Or scream for help like a damsel.”

There was no amount of worry that could outweigh how Sam made Bucky feel. One small joke, and Bucky's face would light up with adoration. Feeling calmer, he smiled and held both of his hands on each side of Sam's face.

“How are you feeling?” He asked genuinely.

“Better." Sam was looking up at his boyfriend with loving eyes. "A lot better.”

“Good.”

Wilson grabbed Bucky's metal hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you.” Before Bucky can shake his head and reject his gratitude, Sam continued. “I would’ve thrown myself off the window if you hadn’t been there with me.”

A proud grin appeared on Bucky's features. “I make a great nurse.” He joked and bent down to kiss Wilson's forehead, only to scrunch his nose with exaggerated disgust. “You do stink.”

“I know. Help me get in there.”

Barnes proceeded to aid his boyfriend in getting undressed, and gave him a hand to sit under the running water. He gave Sam his privacy and came back only after he heard the water being turned off, and spent the entire afternoon pampering Sam, who never stepped out of the wet towels. Bucky just loved to wrap his body entirely and kiss his face until it bothered him.

#sambucky #sam wilson #bucky barnes #hurt/comfort #hurt/comf #tw: injuries #tw: gunshot #tw: blood #tw: vomit #angst #fluff #sambucky fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #sam x bucky #sam/bucky #sam wilson/bucky barnes #ftws #the falcon and the winter soldier

135 notes · View notes

pandawritespoorly · 5 years ago

Text

With Time: Chapter 6 - Dressmaker

Author’s Note: Well, here we are - my first made-up akuma. This one wasn't supposed to be more than a simple concept, but then my friend loved it and now we've got a decent background character who I may add in occasionally. He's great.

Chapter Summary: Ladybug and Chat Noir fight an akuma. Marinette makes a couple of lists.

First | Previous | Next

Ladybug exits Marinette’s room, immediately heading to the Eiffel tower. She’s done this often enough that she’s on auto-pilot while her mind is focusing on acting right.

Marinette might be a mess, but Ladybug is fine. After her little melt-down with Chat on the Eiffel Tower, she was determined not to let that happen again. She is a hero . Heroes don’t have a melt-down over the simple fact that she’d messed everthingupsomuchshe’soterribleutterfailurec-

No. No. That’s for Marinette. Ladybug is fine. Maybe a little more focussed on professionalism in the past few weeks, but that’s to be expected after that whole incident. Paris depends on her and she won’t let them down too.

Arriving on a rooftop nearby she surveys her surroundings. It doesn’t look like there is much damage, but it’s a type one, so that was to be expected. There seems to be some sort of event going on though - everyone around looked kind of dressed up.

Footsteps behind her, “Evening, M’lady!”

Pasting a gentle smile on her face and speaking in an easy tone, she turns to him, “Hello Chat. Do you know anything about the akuma?”

“Nope! Just got here.”

She sighs, pulling out her yo-yo, “Right, let’s see if the news has anything…”

Chat is about to suggest she check the Ladyblog, but thinks better of it. Alya may be a good source, but in the past few weeks, Ladybug has favored more professional news organizations. He doesn’t know what happened, but after their talk last month, he’s been trying to avoid upsetting her. He doesn’t know what caused her tears, but he hates the thought of her so upset.

She certainly seems better now. In all honesty, the next time he’d seen her she’d already looked better, so maybe she just had a tough time adjusting to her new school - a few bumps in the road that’d smoothed with time.

“Okay, definitely a type one...”

That’s a relief, sometimes the alert gets it wrong and they go in expecting one type only to be met with another.

Ladybug continues,”He goes by ‘Dressmaker’. He shoots glitter from his ...tentacles? Okay. If someone gets hit then they’re wearing a dress… they’re pretty tasteful.”

“Are you telling me this akuma isn’t a total eyesore?”

“Oh no, he definitely is, but his victims look great.” She turns her screen to him, where a man is wearing a dress… with tentacles? Yep. The akuma is wearing a glittery ball gown with three distinct colors. The top is hot pink, the middle is gold, and the bottom is a bright light blue. All the colors are entirely glitter and Chat can’t tell if it is just glitter or a very glittery fabric. Out of the middle there are four appendages that can only be described as tentacles - thrashing about, spraying glitter everywhere. Sure enough, when someone comes in contact with it, their outfit changes to a dress, though no one seemed to have the same one. On top of his curly hair sits a tall, heavily jeweled crown, with a blue flower gem in the center.

“That’s quite the outfit.”

“Isn’t it? But I guess there’s been worse ones. Though I’m pretty sure we’re going to have an afterimage of his dress burned into our eyes by the time we’re done with him.”

Chat nods, but looking at the akuma again on his own baton, something about the colors struck him.

“Wait, look at the colors on the dress…”

“What about them?”

“Pink, yellow, blue… isn’t that the pan flag?” “Oh hey you’re ri-”

Ladybug gets cut off when a blast of multi-colored glitter shoots just past the two heroes.

“Ladybug! Chat Noir! Hand over your miraculouses!”

The Dressmaker is on a nearby rooftop, having climbed up with his tentacled dress.

“Sorry buddy! Not happening! Don’t you know how this works by now? My lady and I make a fur- midible pair! We’re going to win!” Chat Noir’s grin grows in response to his partner’s customary eye roll.

“You’ll never defeat me! All of Paris will try a dress!”

“...’Try’? I thought your goal would be for all of Paris to wear a dress?” Ladybug is to the right of the akuma, but pauses in her approach after her question.

“That would be ideal wouldn’t it? However Ladybug, people are welcome to change out of them, I wouldn’t force someone to continue an experience they didn’t enjoy.”

“Aren’t you forcing them to do that right now?” Chat is impressed, this is one of the more considerate akumas they’d had, but as always there is a bit of a questionable leap in logic there.

“I am forcing them to try it.” Dressmaker punctuates his statement with a glitter shot at both heroes, who easily dodge,”As I said, they are free to do with their makeover as they please.”

Out of the corner of his eye Chat Noir notices Ladybug gesturing for him to back off. Shrugging, he says, “Well all of them certainly look purr -ty. Un- fur- tunately, I have a prior engagement and simply must be on my way.” Giving a quick salute, he turns and jumps several rooftops away before using his baton to meet his partner at the top of the tower.

Seeing his two nemeses back off, Dressmaker resumes giving people glittery make-overs. After watching for a moment to make sure he wouldn’t try to scale the tower, Chat turns to Ladybug.

“Everything alright Bugaboo?”

Even as she rolls her eyes at the nickname, he can’t miss her small smile.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“Then why-”

“I’d prefer to not get my suit turned into a dress. I think the easiest way to defeat him would be to catch him off guard. While he’s distracted with his makeovers I can wrap him up with my yo-yo.”

“Any ideas on the akumatized object?” “It’s got to be that crown.”

He nodded, that had been his thought too, “Well, there’s no time like the present!”

“I mean… I’m sure there are some people that could consider this a learning experience.” She sits down, leaning against a beam in mock-relaxation.

Chat gives an over-the-top gasp of disbelief and goes along with her - she didn’t joke very often so he treasures every moment he gets, “What’s this I hear? Ladybug suggesting slacking off- during an akuma attack no less ? Is this the end? Has Hawkmoth got you under some spell?”

She swats at his arm playfully as she stands again, “Rest assured Kitty, this bug is under no one’s spell.”

“Well, I’m certainly under your spell.”

She shook her head, and though he may have imagined it, he is fairly certain he saw a light blush on her face.

They swing off the tower in unison, quietly landing on the rooftops once more. Dressmaker wanders around, glitter flying about, unaware of the heroes approaching. A yo-yo shoots out behind him, quickly wrapping around his tentacles - restraining them.

“Hey! How dare you!”

Walking up behind him, Chat Noir plucks the crown from the man’s head and throws it one the ground before stomping on it harshly. The delicate headwear breaks into pieces and a dark butterfly flies out.

Ladybug retracts her yo-yo and quickly purifies the butterfly. With the akuma gone she realizes that the fight was so simple that she hadn’t called a Lucky Charm. Technically, she didn’t need to have one - she could just use her yo-yo - but without a timer going, she’d have no excuse to get away from Alya if the girl comes along. There wasn’t a lot of physical damage, but this is the one thing she’s supposed to to, so she can’t just not .

“Uh... Lucky Charm!” a red and black spotted figure falls into her hands. Her ever curious partner leans over her shoulder.

“What is it?”

“Uhh… a demon? I think?”

“Odd, but okay.”

She shrugs tossing it in the air, “Miraculous Ladybug!”

As the small bugs went about their jobs, the two heroes finally turn to the victim.

A curly haired man stands before them, looking disoriented. He’s dressed in a white dress with blue flowers.

Ladybug sees that the crown has turned into a blue flower hair clip. Picking it up, she holds it out to him. “Um, I’m guessing this is yours. Do you remember what made you upset Mr…?”

“Oh! Just Leonardo is fine.” He accepts the clip, putting it in his hair. “Someone said something about how men shouldn’t wear dresses - usually that wouldn’t bother me, but it’s just been one of those days ya’ know?”

She nods, understanding. Her hands fly to her ears as her earrings beep, “Well, for what it’s worth, I like your dress. Bug out!”

She waves at Leonardo and her partner as she ducks into a nearby alley. She and Chat have patrol soon, so there is no use going home.

“Spots off.” She detransforms once sure she is alone, and Tikki flies out of her earrings, landing in her open hands.

“I think Hawkmoth might be running out of ideas, that was the easiest akuma yet!” Tikki bites into a cookie as she speaks.

“Or he’s just bored. With all his free time you’d think his akumas would look at least semi-decent.”

Tikki giggles at the comment as she finishes her cookie, having eaten quickly.

“Ready Tikki?” at the Kwami’s nod, Marinette transforms back into Ladybug.

Ladybug quickly makes her way back to the top of the tower, where her partner is waiting for her, having not had to recharge.

“Long time no see, Ladybug.”

“I’m sure you managed to live without me for all that time Chaton.”

“I did, but every second was agonizing.”

“How do you do it everyday then?”

“Even I’m not sure. I think it must be magic.”

Rolling her eyes, she said, “Alright, whatever you say kitty. Let’s start patrol.” Jumping from the tower she shoots out her yo-yo to swing to the rooftops. Chat follows behind her. The two take off across the rooftops along one of their usual routes.

---

They’d been out for about an hour, and Ladybug is starting to get tired. Not that she will say anything of course, but she’d had a long day - much more eventful than usual. Their patrols typically wouldn’t last more than an hour and a half, so she only has to last another 30 minutes. Just 30 more mi-

Distracted and tired as she was, she lands poorly on a rooftop, tripping on her feet and almost faceplanting, if not for the fact that she manages to correct herself. Despite her hopes, her partner certainly notices her stumble.

“Woah, Ladybug are you okay?” he sounds concerned.

Of course she can’t even manage to get through a whole patrol, who does she think she is? “Yeah, I’m fine.” She adds a smile at the end to really sell it, “Just tripped.”

Somehow he doesn’t seem entirely convinced, “Are you sure Ladybug? You look a little tired…” He looks over her, seemingly as proof of his statement.

She holds back a yawn, “What are you talking about?” Her eyelids decide to take his side - fluttering closed for a moment too long before snapping back open, “I’m fine.”

He gives her a look, “I think we should cut patrol short. We could both use some rest, and we can’t protect Paris if one of us falls off a building.”

“No, no! We don’t need to-” Can’t even last one patrol and worrying her partner, what an idiot.

“ Yes we do. Before you protest, I get the feeling you would sooner run yourself into the ground than admit that you’re just as human as the rest of us. You need to rest too.”

She opens her mouth to protest more, but all that comes out is a yawn, and she immediately blushes in embarrassment. Chat grins.

“See, I was right! Now go home.”

She sighs in defeat, Chat Noir isn’t going to let this go. Taking out her yo-yo she turns in the direction of her home,”Goodnight, mon chaton.”

With that she swings away, hearing him call out a goodnight to her before he presumably turns to go to his own home.

Landing on her balcony, she says, “Tikki, spots off!”

Her Kwami comes to float in front of her, “Marinette, Chat Noir was right, you should rest.” “I know…”

“However, I wanted to talk to you first. I suppose it could wait until morning if you don’t think you can stay awake. Your health is important.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” She had climbed into her room, and now is sitting against her cat pillow, looking at Tikki.

“That’s what I wanted to talk about Marinette. I don’t think you’re fine. It’s been almost a month since you left Françoise Dupont, and I don’t think you’re handling it very well.”

“What?”

“I’m worried about you. I think you’re dwelling on it, and it’s making you scared to move forward. Marinette is stuck, and I’ve seen such a difference from how you acted before then, and now. Ladybug seems to have found a way to move forward though. As Ladybug you talked to someone - briefly - and I think it might have helped. I know most holders have a different mindset when they transform, and I think it might help a some if you brought a little Ladybug into your Marinette life.” The Kwami brings one of her paws to rest on Marinette’s face, looking at her chosen with concern.

“I don’t know Tikki…”

“It’s okay Marinette, it’s only a suggestion. I just want to see you move on, and I know your friends do too.” She kisses Marinette’s forehead softly before floating over to the small bed on Marinette’s desk.

Marinette sits awake for a few minutes, not sure what to think. Has she not moved on? She certainly moved schools… but was she dwelling on what happened too much? She tried to avoid thinking about that Thursday in general so surely she wasn’t. Tikki said that Ladybug seemed to have moved on. Was that true? Was Ladybug better? As Ladybug, she just tries her best to act like she did ... before . Ladybug only thought like Marinette when she was alone (during akuma attacks so that there’s no threat of attracting an akuma). Ladybug hadn’t gone through what Marinette did though. She has to move on right? So that means accepting what happened. She should make a list.

Taking out a small empty notebook from behind her bed, she starts writing.

Things to Accept:

Okay, what did she need to do? Write the things she avoided thinking about and...what? Just come to accept that they were true. That sounded right…

You messed up.

Everyone Most people at Françoise Dupont hate you

You don’t know how to do friendship properly.

That last one makes sense. She’d been pretty friendless before Alya and now… well she had a group of people that she enjoyed hanging out with, but they were just being nice. Okay, what else?

People want to believe you’re a bad person

It was like Lila said, she only tells people what they want to hear.

You’re a terrible hero, and Paris deserves better.

That one hurt, but it was true. What kind of hero attracts as many akumas as she has? That’s probably why Tikki gave her this advice. Best to tell Marinette before the earrings are gone and she can’t tell the girl anymore. Preferably, the earrings would be with Chat or Fu though, not Hawkmoth.

You’re an obsessive stalker-ish creep.

No one actually likes you.

Because if they did then what would that make her…? Her old classmates had thought her crush on Adrien was weird, and they’d all turned on her so quickly. She knew those people for years. They were good people, they were smart, she could trust their opinions.

You shouldn’t be trusted with responsibility

She’d been class president, and had been pretty terrible at it. They’d said so. As Ladybug, come on, it doesn’t take a lot of research to know she’d messed up quite a bit. Even her first akuma battle managed to go wrong.

She continues with her list, eventually making about two pages. Reading them makes her want to cry, but that’s against the rules… rules, she should make a list of rules to follow. She’s always been good at following rules.

Rules To Be Better:

Don’t cry

Smile

Be nice to people

Apologize when you mess up (again)

If someone needs a favor, do it

If asked, you’re doing good

Laugh at jokes, even when tired/sick

When tired/sick, do not show it

Take care of akumas as quickly as possible

Only lie if absolutely necessary - honesty is important

Adrien, Claude, Allegra, Allan, and Felix have been nice enough to be put up with you, don’t make them regret it.

There, that seems right. There is space to add to either list if necessary. Marinette reads over each list a few times. Reading over the facts helped make them feel less bad, that would lead to acceptance right? She would try to read them before bed when she could. As for the rules, she would memorize them, that would make sure she didn’t forget and accidentally break one.

~~~

Author’s Note: Marinette, honey, no. (So close, yet so very very far)

If anyone is wondering why the lucky charm is a demon, I spent far too long looking for something that would be symbolic of her current state (because her lucky charm is worried too) and finally found this, so I went with it.

I put together a reference slide for Leonardo, I’ll post it soon.

The next thing I've got planned on the timeline is actually the first akuma I thought up for this story, and has a much bigger impact on the story and characters. That said, I'm tempted to put a short chapter in between to give an idea on how the Quantics feel about all this, so I may do that next instead. I'm really looking forward to the akuma though, and you'll have to put up with (looking at the timeline) another two akuma battles pretty close together. These ones will probably last longer than Dressmaker though, and serve more of a purpose than just a 'check-up' on Ladybug.

As always, thanks for reading, and constructive criticism is welcomed.

First | Previous | Next

#miraculous ladybug #transfer #with time #fanfic #chameleon #salt #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #chat noir #akuma attack #leonardo #tikki

48 notes · View notes

phdcedotcom · 4 years ago

Text

Self-Protection and Machiavelli

A requirement I maintain for my Black Belts is to read certain books from a list that I have found over the years to be wellsprings of knowledge concerning self-protection. While I do require some of the traditional tomes such as the Hagakure, much of what I require my Black Belts to read was never intended to be read from a traditional martial arts context. One such book is The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli.

At the onset, if Machiavelli were still alive today, there is substantial doubt that he and I would see eye to eye on many topics, most notably religion. He did however understand the role of violence in human relations, or lack thereof. He understood that civility has its limits. He was far ahead of his time in understanding that social contracts are anything but binding. Among the many assertions made in The Prince, one is meritorious in our society as we watch it disintegrate before our very eyes.

“People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.”

I can hear the gasps from here. Why on Earth would someone teaching people to protect themselves from harmful elements in society espouse such aggressive ideologies? The answer to that question is rather straightforward and simple. If you are one that has asked the aforementioned question, have you turned on a television in the last four weeks? Have you been ensnared in a rapidly evolving cultural exercise in the American inner city referred to as a protest, the burning buildings notwithstanding?

Bravado is part of the American lexicon. “You may start it, but I’ll finish it.” This rather simple statement of self-identified gallantry begs one question: To what extent will you finish it, whatever “it” may be? Is that a bloody nose? A bruised ego? To expand on these possibilities, now ask yourself if the bruised ego or bloody nose will be sufficient to repel an assault from one of the cultural ballets that entertains us on a frequent basis in America.

Recently, I have had some animated conversations with many people close to me in my personal and professional life. Each individual related to me what they were willing to do in order to protect themselves, their family, and their sacred treasure if confronted with a throng of roving hordes of protesters. The question then becomes, what is driving them to make such statements? To examine this question, we return to Machiavelli, who stated that men are driven by one of two primary impulses, which are fear or love.

I mean this with as much love and respect as I can muster, but in the vast majority of cases, almost all cases actually, even the highest trained martial artist, marksman, or security conscious citizen stands ill-equipped to confront savagery in its most raw form. I will go as far as to say that most law enforcement officers that patrol our neighborhoods daily are ill equipped to look into the abyss. The reason for this is not because they are guided by one of the two impulses mentioned by Machiavelli. It is because they are governed and driven by both impulses simultaneously. We are terrified by the thought of losing what we love.

Being ensconced in the criminal culture, one thing that has not escaped me in my research and my professional travels is that the most violent people in society act on impulse, not rote reaction to stimuli. They are hyper-focused on the task at hand. They have little regard for short-term or long-term consequences that may result from decisions surrounding pleasure versus pain. They have been trained by doing, not by rehearsal. Their thought process does not stray into musings regarding things of value and endearment. They simply revert back to a natural state devoid of morality and become killing machines.

I asked several close associates of mine recently what things would go through their mind if confronted with a life and death situation that would likely result in the necessity of utilizing lethal force. The usual emotional suspects were resurrected, which were thoughts of their families, safety, their livelihoods, and the potential liability that could endanger their acquired treasure. In these cases, the individual in question has already lost the encounter because their focus has been diverted from the threat to their emotional or tangible sustainability. They are not seeking victory that will be made manifest through violence. Rather, they are seeking not to lose by holding on to the things that cannot help them survive in the moment of truth.

I am quickly becoming cognizant of the fact that many of my students and clients are not adapting to the “new normal” in American society. I detest that term by the way because it connotes the defining of normal by unknown, future facets of life that we can neither predict nor control. But it does have merit in our present circumstance because the new normal in America has strayed from peace and prosperity to angst, distrust, and barbarism. As martial arts instructors and self-protection teachers and mentors, we can no longer bury our heads in the sand and teach antiquated methodologies and mindsets. To do so is simply turning our clients and students into cannon fodder.

Our neighbors in the law enforcement community often make reference to a use of force continuum. This continuum dictates how they use physical violence to protect themselves or citizens during the unfortunate circumstance of a confrontation. To varying degrees, these continuums are made up of variables such as officer presence at a scene, verbal commands, and the use of various physical implements that can cause physical pain. The continuum also includes the use of tools that by their nature are lethal and can cause death or serious bodily injury.

My business partner and I make clear distinctions between martial artists and practitioners of self-protection methods and strategies. Self-protection practitioners learn skills and tactics that aid them in the detection, deterrence, and defeat of criminal threats against their well-being. Martial artists also share this skillset, but it is light years ahead in terms of refinement. Martial artists study violence and war and apply it accordingly.

We teach our clients to flee at all cost if conditions warrant. These conditions may include social elements such as crowds, or it may encompass physical elements such as terrain. The physical or emotional capacity of the person must also be taken into account. What may be justified for a physically fit adult male in his forties may not be conducive for a man confined to a wheelchair, and vice versa. If confrontation results, we teach our clients to “fight to flee,” meaning we do enough damage to ensure a safe retreat out of the clutches of the aggressor.

We now live in different times, in which mass gatherings can arise out of a very limited time and space continuum. The spaces that used to be safe for many Americans are now a battleground. What then do we teach our clients in a social climate where the social contract has come undone and savagery is the new soup du jour?

We teach a three-pronged approach to self-protection. First, principles of environmental and situational awareness are now paramount. It is simply not enough to be aware of situations. We must now be ever mindful of our environment. The places we used to think were safe may devolve into hotbeds of activity in an instant. Second, we must change what may be termed our emotion set instead of the mindset. Thoughts of loss, grief, and anxiety must be placed into the proper context in life at that specific moment in time. When teaching women, I reject the idea of not fighting back because it has taken her agency and dignity away from her in return for a future that will be wrought with uncertainty and memories of horror.

Finally, we must refine our training methodologies to include malicious tactics without malicious intent. It is at this point that teachings of Machiavelli come into play. In situations where one’s life hangs in the balance, there is no room for second guessing or the fear of judgment by others. A common complaint amongst law enforcement officers is the mischief associated with the Monday Morning Quarterback. The same holds true for a person that is truly in fear for their life in a circumstance that evolves quickly. If a student is truly in fear for their life in a scenario witnessed on television far too frequently today, we are not being honest with them when we teach them to fight with rules as they are being ravaged by those who have no regard for the rule of law. If your life hangs in the balance, give your adversary no room for retaliation. The difference between the criminal and the righteous citizen lies in the condition of the heart, not the act itself.

I hope one day to be able to retract this shift in focus. Social and political movements tend to swing like pendulums. We are witnessing an extreme swing to one side of the pendulum at present moment, and eventually it will move in the opposite direction. We must prepare our clients and students for what lies on each end of that spectrum as well as the middle.

Find me.

-PhDCE

#selfprotection #selfdefense #violence #security #martialarts #personalprotection #blog #writer #phd #scholar #karate

2 notes · View notes

flawlesspeasant · 5 years ago

Note

Do you have any new Jolex fics to post or recommend?? Nobody has been posting any lately.

So here’s one I wrote (circa season 11 or 12...?) in which Jo confronts Alex about the way he treats her vs. the way he treats Meredith.

_________________________________

Jo slid her hand down into the left pocket of her white lab coat and wrapped her hand around her pager as she leaned back against the silver metal bar that lined the perimeter of the elevator. She sighed and pulled the pager from her pocket, sweeping a loose strand of her silky brunette hair away from her forehead and out of her field of vision with her unoccupied hand. Upon seeing that she had no new pages, she crossed her legs at the ankles and rested the palms of her hands against the metal bar behind her.

The elevator dinged, and on the wall above the doors, the number “3” lit up in bright yellow fluorescence. The motor that was in charge of making the doors pull back stuttered and just as the doors began to close, a pale white hand with hairy knuckles slipped through the crack and caused them to retract once again. Jo clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes upon noticing the silver, expensive-looking watch on the wrist that belonged to the hand on the door; she recognized that watch and she knew exactly who it belonged to. She took her palms off the metal bar and stood up straight, prepared to breeze right past him once the doors were fully opened. The argument was still fresh, she still wore the irritation on her shoulders like a jacket and she’d rather walk up three flights of stairs than ride in an elevator with him.

Alex slipped through the elevator doors and stood directly in front of them, planting his feet firmly and making a bold statement with his demeanor. He had been walking down the steps just as Jo was entering the elevator and he had to act quickly if he wanted to make his move. Still out of breath from running down the steps to get to the elevator before it closed, Alex wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and folded his arms across his chest.

With a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head, Jo turned around and retreated back to the corner of the elevator she was standing in before she tried to run. She knew Alex was trapping her and to a certain extent, she was trapped. He was standing in front of the door, the doors were closed and for at least 45 seconds, she had to witness whatever it was that he wanted to say. She didn’t have to listen, though, and to make her point, she kept her hands in her pockets and rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.

“Look,” Alex started, lifting his head upwards and giving a stern expression that Jo didn’t notice for the fact that she refused to look at him. “I know you’re mad at me but we’re gonna have to talk about it sometime.” Jo kept her eyes geared towards the ceiling, which made Alex suck his teeth. “Alright fine, you don’t wanna talk about it? You don’t wanna fix it? Fine. I did my part.”

Jo smirked to herself and let out a disgruntled, sarcastic chuckle. “Sure you did,” she whispered, mostly to herself. She cleared her throat and finally laid her eyes on him. “You’re right. I don’t wanna talk about it,” she shrugged. Alex raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, clearly confused. “I’m just tired of having this argument when nothing ever changes.”

“Because I’m not sure what you want me to change. You snap on me all the time and you never tell me what your real issue is and then somehow you expect me to ch--”

“The way you treat me!” Jo held her hands out and threw her head back, feeling her blood beginning to boil once again. Their initial argument was at least an hour ago and up until this point, she was relatively calm again but the second she allowed her mind to wander, to revisit the very thing that had ruined her day in the first place, the anger was instantaneous. “Don’t make it seem like I’m throwing all this on you out of nowhere when I’ve been telling you about the same thing since last year! It’s not...random, Alex, it’s been the SAME thing! And thought maybe you would’ve done something about it by now but obviously--”

“What do you want me to DO, Jo?! What do you want me to say? You want me to stop being friends with Meredith? Not gonna happen. I’m not going to--”

“I didn’t ask you to stop being friends with her! I never asked that, I just want you to--”

“It’s not about what you want!”

“Yes, I know! You’ve made that painfully obvious since the beginning. I’m aware that it’s not about what I want and you know what? Maybe I’m kidding myself at this point. Maybe I’m stupid to think you actually give a damn about what I want. It was never about what I want. It was always about what she wanted then and it’s still about what she wants now.”

“Jo, there are things that you’ll never understand, alright? She was there for me when nobody else was, she was the only one that ever gave me a chance and we’ve been through alot together. She’s the only person--”

“I know that too,” Jo mumbled, tucking her hair behind her ears. She cleared her throat again and made her voice the best impersonation of Alex’s she could offer, “She’s the only person that ever had your back, the only person in this world you can trust, yeah Alex, I know. And you’re right, maybe I don’t understand. But I don’t WANT to understand. I’m not asking to understand...I just...really need to get away from you right now.”

The elevator dinged once again and Jo heard the familiar sound of the motors buzzing. The doors parted once more and on the other side stood two nurses that she didn’t recognize, their coats slung over their arms and their purses on their shoulders. She side-stepped Alex but was quickly shut down by Alex putting his arm up and blocking her exit. She glared at him with a clenched jaw, and Alex shrugged.

“Take the next one,” he mumbled to the two nurses waiting to get on and his own anger shot through the roof when the two women looked at him in disbelief. “Take the next one!”

The two nurses shook their heads at him, but eventually, they did as he said and walked away to wait for the next elevator. Alex jammed his finger into the number “10” button, which was the highest floor and would allow him the most time, and let the doors close behind him once again.

“I need to get away from you, Alex,” Jo closed her eyes and tried to breathe through her nose to calm herself down. “You really need to let me go.”

“No,” he put his hands on his hips and stuck his neck out. Jo raised her eyebrows. Was he telling her no? Was he telling her what she could and couldn’t do? As if she wasn’t angry enough. “You run from your crap all the time. You’re not running here. You’re not running out on me.”

“Let me go,” she clenched her teeth and in her pockets, her hands involuntarily bawled themselves up into fists.

Alex rolled his eyes at her and shook his head. “You know what Jo? If you really wanted me to fix it, you’d do more than just stand there with that sour look on your face. I can’t fix anything unless you tell me how to. I hate when you act--”

“Because it never freaking changes! It never changes so I don’t know why I have to say anything to you when you don’t put forth an effort! All you do is dismiss me and then tell me how much you care about me when in reality, you can’t be bothered to show it! Why do I have to say anything when nothing changes? I’ve been telling you about the same thing for a year! A whole year! Matter fact, longer than that! And nothing I do ever changes a thing! I put forth the effort, Alex! I moved us out of that house because I wanted t-to BE with you! Is it wrong for me to want to have you to myself? Because if it is then...WOW, yeah I’ve been nothing but unreasonable. I just don’t understand what YOU want me to say when nothing I say changes a thing. We can have this argument a million times but it’s always going to be the same. She’s still gonna be a bitch and you’re still gonna defend her so what’s the point here?”

“Stop calling her a bitch,” Alex mumbled and put his head down. It was his only defense, the only thing he could say and not sound like a tool. It was the only thing he even had to say for himself.

“No, I’m not gonna stop calling her a bitch because that’s what she is. She’s been nothing but a bitch to me. Everyone has. But it’s always worse when she does it because she rules the roost and does so with an iron fist. She’s a bitch and she makes everybody else a bitch.”

“She’s not a bitch. She’s just--”

“God, don’t you ever say anything else? You’ve already TOLD me about all the crap she’s been through. It’s a sucky excuse and an even poorer explanation. I’ve been through crap too and I don’t go around stepping on everybody else,” Jo folded her arms across her chest and sighed. “...I’m not knocking her. We all have our crap and we all go through it and I get that. But Alex...why is that license for you to feel obligated to her and not me? I could’ve used somebody...when all that stuff with Steph was going down and everybody around me turned against me, I thought...I thought it would be okay because I still had you. But..I didn’t. I didn’t have you, and I still don’t. But you know who did? You know who does?”

Alex sighed and felt his shoulders slouch. He ran his fingers through his shaggy, wavy brown hair and swallowed hard. He had nothing else to say. In truth, he didn’t realize just how much it bothered Jo. He knew that she had an issue with some of the things Meredith did and up until today, he thought they were all corrected. She didn’t like how Meredith came in the bed and kicked her out, it was resolved and hadn’t happened in a while. She didn’t like how Meredith could just come in the house as she pleased without warning, and they moved out. It was resolved. He didn’t know just how much Jo was bothered by all of this...and he had no defense. He had nothing to say for himself. He sighed again and looked up at Jo, his heart dropping upon noticing the tears lined around the rims of her bright brown eyes.

“I’m just...juggling,” he said. “I’m trying to be there for her and for you and--”

“You’re doing a crap job.”

“It’s hard, Jo! It’s not easy!”

“It shouldn’t be! It shouldn’t be hard! It shouldn’t be tough for you to be there for the both of us. It shouldn’t be easy, but it shouldn’t be hard for you to be able to turn off the supportive friend and turn on the supportive boyfriend. It doesn’t have to be hard, Alex. You’re making it hard. Just...let me know, okay? Let me know where I stand. Let me know...that she’s higher on the priority list than I am. You’ve already shown it, just say it. She’s a priority and I’m not.”

“That’s not--”

“It is,” Jo nodded. “Meredith...oh, Meredith. Let me make sure Meredith’s okay, let me make sure her kids are okay, let me make sure she has a shoulder to cry on. Oh, Meredith’s upset? Let me go cheer her up, let me go make sure she has someone to talk to. But Jo? Oh, she’s fine. She’s only being ostracized by more than half the damn hospital, she only lost her best friend, but she’s pulling through!” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “I’m just the one you come home to. Just the one you roll over to in the middle of the night and climb on top of when you’re hot and ready. You show it plain as day...might as well own up and say it.”

“You’re being selfish,” Alex mumbled and Jo’s jaw immediately dropped. “You can’t have me to yourself all hours of the day Jo, it doesn’t work like that. You’re being selfish.”

“...I’M selfish?!” Jo’s voice rose as she took her index finger and stuck it on her chest, pointing to herself. Her arm trembled as anger coursed through her body, white hot and in the place of blood. “Now I’m selfish?! How selfish was I when I was holding your hand as your dad was dying? How selfish was I when I was rubbing your back as all your friends, the one’s that have been through OH SO MUCH with you, voted against you? But I’m selfish, right? Selfish for wanting my boyfriend...if you’re even that anymore. I’m selfish for wanting the man that I love. You know Alex...some people…” her voice cracked as her eyes gave way to tears that she quickly brushed off. She chuckled again and prepared for a dose of heavy sarcasm. “Some women want..a ring, maybe? They want to talk about having babies with the man they’ve loved for years but me? No,” she shook her head. “I don’t want a ring...I don’t wanna marry you...I don’t wanna be the mother of your babies someday. Ii just want...to feel like you actually care about me. That’s all. And if that’s too much, then you know what else? Just get me a boat. Or an island, whichever one is cheaper.”

“Jo…”

“Just the boat, Alex. The boat. Or the island, I don’t care,” she shrugged her shoulders and as soon as the elevator dinged again, she wiped her face and prepared to leave.

“Jo, when you said… ‘if I’m even your boyfriend anymore’...what’d that mean?” Alex turned and let his eyes follow her as she shuffled past him in a desperate attempt to get out of the elevator. “What’d that mean? You breaking up with me?”

Jo whipped around fast as she stepped off the elevator. “I just want a boat or an island, Alex!” She held her hands up and backpedaled, ignoring the stares she got from the nurses and passersby for yelling. “That’s all I’m asking for.”

Alex watched her as she walked away. He kept his eyes on her until the elevator doors shut again and she was nothing but a memory. He still wasn’t sure what she meant and at this point, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

He had no idea how to fix this.

#jolex #fanfiction

28 notes · View notes

return-of-a-space-cowboy · 5 years ago

Note

Hey your writing is magnifique, may I request a Yandere Gio with a male reader underling, if possible they have a stand too?

Yes sure, this is the second male reader request I've gotten so I hope it's to your standards :)

When doves cry

(Yandere Giorno Giovanna X male reader)

"Do I really have to come" you asked your Capo thought the phone as you looked towards your boyfriend.

"Yes you do, Don's orders" he sternly spoke. You let out a sigh, today was supposed to be free from worry.

"Ok… I'll be there at 6pm" you said before hanging up. You saw your boyfriend pout as he heard your words.

"(Y/n), why did you say that, you've been working nights for weeks" he huffed. You felt your heart wanting to burst. For all he knew you were a nurse. He had no idea what your real job was, you wanted to tell him but you knew that it was safer to keep him blind to the Mafia.

"They offered me triple for overtime, you know we need the money" you responded with a sigh. He clung onto your shoulder and looked at you with worrying eyes.

"You shouldn't push yourself so far, I don't want you to become ill because of all that pent up stress" he said as he nuzzled into you chest.

"I promise I'll make it up to you" you whispered into his ear.

"You always say that…" those words pierced you. You hated when he reminded you of those broken promises.

"I really do mean it this time" you said as you kissed his forehead.

🐞🐞🐞

You sat in the limousine, pouring a small glass of cognac as you waited for your Capo. You slumped back before taking a sip.

"Seems you arrived early" a familiar voice said. You looked towards the door to see him walking through the door.

"So why did the Don need me" you asked. It had only been three months since the previous Don had been killed.

"Well it only seems fair, you did replace Squadra Esecuziono single handedly" he responded.

"That is a huge over statement" you retorted as you took another sip.

"I'm sure the previous Don had his personal guards do most of the work, so don't try boosting my ego. I'm simply just piece in the game" you continued.

"I know you don't like to seem arrogant but trust me, you have what it takes to be a Capo yourself. You have a calm composure and a good sense of judgement" he said as he poured himself a glass.

"INXS is a great stand for one such as yourself" he then commented as the limousine started.

🐞🐞🐞

Your eyes wandered as you walked through the halls, looking at the opulent interior. From detailing painted in gold, pillars carved into perfect form and pieces of art that screamed suficicaion. You felt so small in this large hallway.

"So… what's the new Don like? If you've seen him that is" you asked the Capo.

"How would you respond if he was one year younger than you" he asked.

"Your kidding me!" You exclaimed.

"See for yourself" he responded as you both reached the doors, beyond these doors was the man who you would serve with your life to.

You took a deep breath and closed your eyes before pushing the french doors open and saw the Don himself sitting like a king on his throne. His hair like small threads of gold, his eyes as blue as the sky, his body was smaller than most men but still had tone to it and his skin a slight pale tone. He looked like a living porcelain doll. You were stuck in awe.

"I am glad to finally be able to meet you in person (Y/n)" he spoke in a soft tone and his lips titled into a small smile.

"Likewise Don..." you said as you bowed down before him.

"Giovanna, Giorno Giovanna" he said as he walked towards you.

You stood back up and looked at your Capo.

"Your probably wondering why I summoned you here" Giorno said.

"Yes, I am" you responded.

"I'm sure you've heard about what happened to most of the former Don's guards" he began to explain. You gave him a nod.

"I knew that when I became Don I would need some form of protection, so I looked though the profiles of various members in our organisation" he continued.

"I thought you would fit the role perfectly" he concluded. You were shocked, the new Don wanted you to be his bodyguard. It was flattering sure but you knew it would be a time consuming job, not to mention the excuses you would have to come up with for your boyfriend.

"I'm flattered by your offer but I don't know if I could accept-"

"Take your time, I'm sure your overwhelmed by my proposal. I'll give you all the time you need to decide" he said as he placed a hand on your shoulder, which caused you to flinch. He had a bright warm smile on his face that made you wonder how someone who seemed so gentle could have killed the former Don.

🐞🐞🐞

From the balcony Giorno watched as you left in the limousine. A dreamy expression plastered on his face, his heart fluttered.

'He's even more handsome in person' the blonde thought, causing a pinkish hue to cover his face before he covered his face.

'what am I thinking?' he thought as he let out a sigh.

Giorno was confused, he was well aware of sexuality but he just couldn't comprehend how he could fall so desperately in love with someone he had only interacted with once, maybe his thoughts would clear if got to know you more.

🐞🐞🐞

You sighed as you opened the door, you felt so relieved to be back home. The TV's light illuminating the lounge room and your boyfriend asleep on the lounge. had been waiting for you to get home. You smiled before shuffling right beside him, you didn't care how uncomfortable the lounge was. As long as you were with him.

🐞🐞🐞

A month had passed since Don Giovanna had offered you the position, you still hadn't given him a response. Your Capo was constantly asking why you hadn't taken it up already but you never responded to him.

You had done a few tasks for the Don. Mainly escorting him to Mob affiliated events, however despite that he had always kept you close by. He'd ask you questions about yourself, from your favourite books and bands to more personal questions like your upbringing and daily life. He just seemed so interested in you, maybe it was just him wanting to know about the person he would put his trust in or maybe he was just curious.

It was a pleasant day and with a day off you decided to keep your promise that you made. You and your boyfriend sat down at the rock at the marina watching the sunset, not the most extravagant date sure but the greatest pleasures came from the smallest of acts.

"(Y/n) it's beautiful" he mumbled as he rested his head on your shoulder.

"I knew you would love it" you whispered as you pecked his cheek.

Time seemed to stop and it was perfect, you wanted this moment to last forever but a voice tore you out.

"(Y/n) what a coincidence" a familiar voice said. You quickly turned your head. To your shock it was Giorno, standing on the nearby dock.

"(Y/n) who's this?" Your boyfriend said as he shuffled away. You a mental breakdown. God what were you going to say.

"He he was one of my patients, how's you arm going Giorno?" you lied.

you saw the amusement in his expression but he simply played along.

"Good as new" he responded.

"Oh (Y/n)" your boyfriend said with slight distress in his voice as he looked at his phone.

"Yes"

"My grandma's had a stroke I need to go to the hospital"

"I'll take you"

"No I'll just take a cab, I don't want to trouble you"

"No you take the car, I'll take the cab" you offered to end the back and forward between you two.

"Are you sure?" He asked as you gave him the keys.

"Yes" you said. He gave you a quick hug before climbing up the rocks

"Thank you" he said before disappearing into the distance.

"So your boyfriend doesn't know?" Giorno asked.

"And why do you assume he's my boyfriend?" You retorted as you climbed the rocks.

"I was around longer than you knew" he chuckled, Causing you face to go red. You stood up and looked at him, looking as perfect as usual but his eyes. They weren't as clear as usual, the seemed clouded.

"I'm not bothered in the slightest about your sexuality" he assured you.

An awkward silence between you grew as you had no idea what to say.

"I'd like you to show me your stand, I've heard so much about it" he said

"Heh ok but don't anticipate something powerful" you commented as you summoned INXS, a small mirror in your hand. Giorno gave a confused look before asking.

"So how exactly does it work?"

"Well to put it in simple terms, it reflects the desires of anyone caught in it's reflection. I can use it to disguise myself as someone the desire or have it creates an object of their desire" you explained.

"So what do you do from there?" He asked.

"Well I can get close to my target without worry of them being sceptical or I can make a trap out of their desired object" you continued.

"Interesting, most stand users in Passioné have more offensive stand but you use yours to simply trick your target" he said.

"It's not about the ability, it's about how it's used" you replied to the blonde.

"Show me how it works" he ordered.

"Well sure but I'll let you know that I see myself as normal while it's active, so you don't have to worry about me prying into your secrets" you said as you held out the mirror so his reflection was shown.

"See what I mean"

"No you look the same to me" Giorno said with a confused look.

"That's funny I'm sure I got your reflection" you said as you tried again.

"Has it worked now?" You asked.

"No" he replied. It baffled you, why wasn't your stand working? Did it possibly have something to do with his stand?

You looked around and saw someone on the boardwalk just to the side and you pointed INXS at them.

"You look very pretty but I think I prefer you in your normal form" the blonde snickered. Your face turned bright red as you heard him say that but you tried to think of what he said as a joke.

"What do I look like…"

"You have long, wavy blonde hair. Slightly tanned skin, light grey eyes and a very slender figure for a lady" he explained. You instantly retracted your stand, causing you to return to your normal form.

"I'm glad I got to see you today (Y/n)" Giorno said with a small smile on his face.

"And why would that be" you asked.

"Because your a pleasant person to be around and honestly it's easier to talk to you, I feel like I can act like myself " he said.

"I'm flattered but-" you began to speak before Giorno cut you off.

"I want you to come with me" he ordered.

"Giorno this is unexpected, I really should get going, I don't know how my boyfriend is going to feel when he gets home" you explained as you tried to back away from him.

"I can take you to your house after" he stated through grit teeth as he grabbed you by the wrist, his gentle persona slowly deteriorating more with every mention of you significant other.

He dragged you into the limousine.

"What is going on?" You asked him as he slammed the door shut.

"You trust me right?" He asked. You obviously had your doubts about what he was doing at this point but you wouldn't dare tell him.

"Of course I do boss" you said as you tried to remain calm.

"Who do you trust more me or him?" He asked, his eyes becoming more clouded.

"What do you mean by 'him'"

"Your boyfriend" he hissed.

"What does my boyfriend have to do with this?" You yelled at him.

"I want what he has, I want your loyalty and your undying affections… I want you to be right beside me" he stated as he wrapped his arms around you.

"But Boss-"

"Don't call me boss or Don anymore, I want you to call me by name from now on" he whispered in your ear.

"Giorno please understand, I don't see you that way"

"I understand that your confused but you'll realise your feelings for me sooner or later" he mumbled as his hands played with your hair.

"Giono your not thinking straight" you said as you tried to shake him off of you.

He stopped smothering you and gave you a stern look.

"My thoughts are as clear as day, do you think I became Don by just going with a spur of the moment" he hissed.

"And I don't want you to talk about that man ever again, it's not like you'll ever see him again" he continued.

"What did you do to him!?" You screamed.

"I haven't done anything, but I'm sure by now one of my assassins has done away with him" he explained. Everything crumbled around you. Your brain overflowing with thoughts. You had lost the love of your life and something inside of you snapped.

You grabbed Giorno by the shoulders and pushed him into one of the seats.

"You… you…" you mumbled, unable to form a proper sentence as tears formed in your eyes. The blonde male brought a hand to wipe away your tears.

"(Y/n) I can give you whatever you want if you choose me" he lulled to you.

"But if you don't... I just want to remind you that I know everything about you and That I can easily make your life a living hell" he continued, still with a sickeningly sweet tone.

"All you have to do is be right beside me" he cooed before pulling you in for a kiss.

#yandere x reader #yandere jjba #yandere #giorno giovanna #giorno #male reader

90 notes · View notes

rollercoasterwrite · 6 years ago

Text

Guilty Pleasure.

One-shot written for the lovely Dee aka jjongyyu ~

Au where Jonghyun works in the Creative Affairs department of an entertainment company and has a secret crush on Jinki who is the young handsome CEO of that company. Oh and Minho is Jonghyun’s bff/fuck buddy.

Prompt/Plot : Jonghyun will be fired by his head department soon, so before he's kicked out he braves himself to ask his CEO (Jinki) out for a date.

Pairing : Jongyu

Genre : Romance, angst, slice of life

Word count : 8 k ~

Jonghyun didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or punch someone in the face. Of all the things he would’ve thought could’ve happened today, getting fired wasn’t one of them.

The tension in his face must’ve been clear, because then he heard, ‘’ If things could’ve been any different we would’ve kept you Mr. Kim, but with the merging of the two companies… we have to make some changes. ‘’

His eyebrow cocked. Changes? The word echoed in his mind in a loop, growing louder and louder until a clench was visible in his jaw. The unease he could read on the HR lady’s face only added to his anger.

‘’ Changes? ‘’ he finally spat out as he rose from his chair. A flash of fear crossed the woman’s face before him, but he went on nonetheless.

‘’ I’ve devoted almost 7 years of my life to this company and you’re now telling me that my presence here is just some kind of liability to the company’s growth? ‘’

His words rang loudly in the room, their release harboring all the rage and disbelief that had bottled up inside him.

A heavy silence followed them while an expression of fear hung over the woman’s delicate features. Jonghyun suddenly felt ridiculous for his outburst, but he didn’t just want to relent; not after all he had given over the years.

‘’ Look, Mr. Kim, ‘’ the long-haired brunette carefully uttered. ‘’ I know our CEO has planned to write letters of recommendation for all the employees who are being let go so that they can find jobs in similar companies. ‘’

‘’ You’ll be fine, ‘’ she ended with a tight smile.

Unbeknownst to her, only one word had been enough to make his anger drop. In its stead, longing and distress curled into a tight knot inside his stomach. His jaw fell slack and his gaze became unfocused as he let his mind go astray.

‘’ Mr. Kim? ‘’

The sound of her voice instantly snapped him back to attention. He shook off any distraction with a sharp cough and quick swipe of his hands on his blazer.

‘’ I understand, Mrs. Hwang, thank you. ‘’

After giving a quick bow in her direction, he walked towards the door and grabbed the knob. A sudden surge of imminent fear clawed at his insides, but he managed to exit the room with his dignity intact.

No one would see him falter.

***

No one at work anyways, because as soon as he left his workplace, his phone was on his ear, ready to spill his heart out to the only one he trusted enough to do so.

He lucked out after three rings.

‘’ Is this a booty call? ‘’

The question wasn’t unusual, pretty regular actually, but in that moment, Jonghyun was totally caught off guard.

‘’ Woah… how about ‘’ hello, how are you? ‘’ ‘’

He heard the other snort.

‘’ Oh yeah, I remember when we used to have normal conversations… ‘’ the other answered, making Jonghyun sigh at the heavy sarcasm in his tone. ‘’ When you didn’t just need me for my dick, ‘’ he went on nonetheless.

Jonghyun sighed again, closing his eyes to regain the little composure he had left. ‘’ You know you’re more than that to me… ‘’ He ignored the click of the tongue he heard and said, ‘’ Something bad happened and I need to talk… ‘’

The soft tone in which his request had been made seemed to do the trick, because the next thing that came out of his friend’s mouth was, ‘’ Where do you want to meet? ‘’

The blonde’s lips stretched into a lopsided smile. ‘’ My place? ‘’

‘’ Fine. See you in a few, ‘’ the other settled before hanging up.

That only had Jonghyun feeling lighter. With a renewed energy, he got into his car and hit the road. One thing he had always enjoyed was how close he lived to his workplace, but his quick arrival to the apartment complex in which he lived in only reminded him that in two weeks he wouldn’t have that luxury anymore.

Everything had been so perfect and he was now losing it all. Jonghyun would’ve loved to say that the worst thing about this news was that he was going to lose his job, but it really wasn’t. He was losing the one thing he had been fantasizing about day in and day out for the last year and a half. He felt stupid, childish and a little delusional when he thought about it, but that hope had kept him going more than anything else.

The thought of that imminent loss made every step he took towards his apartment feel heavier. When he was finally in, he got out of his blazer, loosened his tie and fell back on his couch, shielding himself from his surroundings by the arm he brought up to cover his eyes.

This is so fucking shitty.

That statement translated into a groan in the outside world, a groan that held all his tiredness and frustration. He wasn’t one to admit it, but he didn’t like change. He didn’t like the idea of having to change up his routine even in the slightest, so the thought of having to change such a big part of his life was definitely one of the scariest things ever.

He wasn’t tall to begin with so having to jump over that big of a hurdle didn’t seem feasible to him. Images of him breaking a leg were already piling up in his mind, bringing a slight tremble to his hands.

He straightened up immediately to bring his focus elsewhere, anywhere, but he was saved the trouble as the doorbell suddenly rang.

Jonghyun jumped off the couch and ran towards the door, unlocking it quickly before turning the knob.

A grin cracked his lips as he pulled his tall friend inside and closed it. Before he could have the mind to greet him, his eyes zeroed in on the bottle the other had in his hands.

‘’ What’s that? ‘’

The brunette smiled. ‘’ Some Jack. ‘’

Jonghyun scrunched up his nose in slight disgust. ‘’ Why didn’t you bring rum? ‘’

The other’s smile instantly dropped. ‘’ Are you serious right now? ‘’

A twinge of guilt made Jonghyun realize how ungrateful he was being. ‘’ No, I’m not, ‘’ he immediately retracted. He extended a hand to squeeze the other’s free one. ‘’ Thank you. ‘’

Their eyes locked for a while, leaving place to an unspoken conversation that left the air around them heavy and tense.

Jonghyun pulled his gaze away first. ‘’ Minho… ‘’

His mind trailed down the usual road it went whenever he was around his best friend, but a sudden curve brought him elsewhere, leaving him on a road full of bumps that lead to a dead end.

‘’ I got fired. ‘’

The words stumbled out his mouth like a pile of rocks, crushing anything else between and around them.

Minho’s eyes doubled in size as his mind wrapped itself around what he had just heard.

‘’ Fired? ‘’ he all but yelled in the hazardous zone the other’s words had just created.

Jonghyun nodded before all the tension that had built up in his body left him with a sigh. The little energy he had left seemed to leave him too, so he turned away and found his way back onto the couch again. Sitting this time.

Minho followed suit and was right beside him a second later. ‘’ Jjong… ‘’

The brunette’s soft voice had the blonde looking his way.

‘’ How can this be? ‘’

Jonghyun’s lips thinned in a brief smile from the worry he could hear in his friend’s voice.

‘’ Remember when I told you there would be a fusion of our rival company with ours? ‘’ The other nodded instantly. ‘’ Well, unbeknownst to us, that also meant that they would have to make some cuts in the staff to be able to afford all the costs that came with that reorganization… ‘’

Another sigh left him again. ‘’ So they cut me… ‘’

A deep frown creased the other’s brow. ‘’ The fuck? ‘’

‘’ Yup. My exact reaction when I first got the news, but there’s no way around it, so… ‘’ He inhaled deeply. ‘’ I just have to be a man and accept it. ‘’

‘’ Or you can be a man and fucking kick their asses, ‘’ Minho rectified as his hands tightened into fists.

Jonghyun knew the other was seriously angry for him, but he couldn’t help but find the sight endearing.

A breathy laugh left his plump lips. ‘’ It’ll be fine, Minho, ‘’ he reassured. ‘’ I already feel better talking to you. ‘’ His hand slid on the other’s thigh before he gave it a soft squeeze.

He knew that had the desired effect when he saw the other’s features soften.

‘’ What about Jinki? ‘’ Minho asked in a whisper as his gaze settled on the hand the blonde had on his thigh.

Jonghyun flinched. ‘’ Mr. Lee, ‘’ he instantly corrected before retracting his hand.

‘’ Whatever, Jjong. We’re talking about the same person. ‘’

Jonghyun didn’t fail to hear the sudden edge in his friend’s voice. ‘’ What about him? I won’t be seeing him anymore anyways… ‘’

As much as he wanted that to put an end to the conversation, he knew there was no chance it would.

And it didn’t.

‘’ You’ve been fantasizing about this man for the last year and a half, Jjong. You can’t just act like it’s nothing. ‘’

Jonghyun fell silent as Minho peered at him intently. ‘’ What do you want to me say? ‘’ he uttered after a while, voice quiet.

‘’ I don’t want you to say anything, Jjong. I want you to do something, ‘’ Minho sighed.

The blonde’s eyes widened. ‘’ Do what? ‘’

A small smile brightened the other’s face. ‘’ You’re leaving that place anyways, so why not risk it all and ask your boss on a date? ‘’

Jonghyun seemed to forget how to swallow in that moment, because a second later air failed him and left him struggling through a coughing fit.

‘’ Are you crazy? ‘’ he shrieked when he finally recovered.

Minho chuckled. ‘’ Well, I’d say a little craziness never hurt nobody. ‘’ He then scooted a little closer, leaving little space between them. ‘’Plus, I’m getting tired of you moaning this man’s name whenever I’m fucking you. ‘’

Jonghyun felt his face burn with embarrassment, making him immediately look down. ‘’ That only happened once… ‘’

The words barely left his mouth, but Minho heard them loud and clear. ‘’ No, it happened twice. And if it happens a third time, I’ll start getting jealous… ‘’

Jonghyun looked up again, eyes lighting up with surprise. ‘’ But… we’re… ‘’ The rest of his words died in his throat, reluctant to see the light.

‘’ I know what we are, Jjong, ‘’ the brunette filled in. ‘’ So I’m telling you that you should pursue the one you really want before this thing between us starts getting complicated, ‘’ Minho advised, his words bearing the heaviness of an untold truth.

The blonde swallowed hard against his now dry throat. ‘’ Minho… I… ‘’

His attempt to respond was cut short by a finger pressing against his lips.

The brunette gave him a reassuring smile.

‘’ Don’t worry about me, Jjong. Just go for it. ‘’

Jonghyun wanted to protest, but in that moment, he could only nod.

***

But actually going for it definitely wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. Jonghyun had started out with great resolve the next morning, but when he had actually set foot in the building again, every bit of courage he had mustered up on his way left him. He was reminded that this wasn’t just one of his colleagues he had to go talk to. No, it was the actual CEO of their company for god’s sake. And it wasn’t like he was running into him every day either, so he quickly realized that for this to work out somehow, he needed to actually ask for an appointment with him. Which…

… was more than terrifying.

Jonghyun could actually count the times he had talked to Mr. Lee.

The first time was almost two years ago when the man had been promoted to the CEO chair to follow in his newly retired father’s footsteps. Jonghyun had been so excited for the change because the first Mr. Lee had been a source of fear to all of them and had made the workplace a living hell.

The transition had been honored with a big event after work.

They all found themselves in one big room, impatiently waiting for the man’s first speech. A few minutes later, they were granted their wish. As soon as the new CEO stepped on stage to introduce himself, Jonghyun knew they were in for a great era. The handsome brunette was all smiles and frankly that made Jonghyun unable to focus on what he was actually saying. Never had a man left such a strong impression on him with his presence alone.

After the speech was over, all the employees scattered throughout the room to talk and rejoice while Mr. Lee took the time to introduce himself to everyone personally. Jonghyun didn’t actually think he would get to talk to him, but somehow the taller man found his way to him.

‘’ And to who do I have the honor to be talking to? ‘’ Mr. Lee asked with a dashing smile as he stopped in front of him.

Jonghyun blinked a few times, mind stunned by the fact that this man was actually real and actually talking to him.

‘’ So should I assume you have no name then? ‘’ Mr. Lee teased with a soft laugh.

It had taken him a few more seconds, but Jonghyun had finally managed to remember his name before the man had continued with his round of greetings.

The second time they had talked was during a congratulatory dinner that had been arranged to celebrate the great work the Creative Affairs department had been putting in to keep their company on the map.

That night, Jonghyun found himself in the spotlight for his ideas to the grand displeasure of their team manager, baby face Mr. Lee as they liked to call him, but that didn’t dampen his pride one bit, especially when Mr. Lee called for a toast in his honor.

Jonghyun felt his heart flip inside his chest when he locked eyes with the man who was sitting at the opposite end of the table, but he swiftly diverted his attention to his glass, emptying its content in one swift gulp.

The night went on with pleasant conversations as they ate and drank more than they could handle, Jonghyun being one of the only reasonable ones. Being a light drinker, he kept himself in check, sipping slowly on his second glass of rum as he fell back into more of an observant role. The one thing he found himself watching the most was his team manager sucking up to their CEO. He had always hated that little brat and he knew the feeling was mutual, but his over the top reactions towards everything the older man said only solidified that feeling.

After a while, Jonghyun decided to give himself a break by going out for some fresh air, without knowing that this would turn out to be the best decision he could have made. In a strange twist of fate, Mr. Lee came into his line of sight a few seconds later with another one of his irresistible smiles.

‘’ Do you mind if I keep you company for a while? ‘’

Jonghyun shook his head. ‘’ Not at all… ‘’

He nervously watched as the brunette plunged his right hand into one of his black dress pants pockets and took out a packet of cigarettes. The shock must’ve been visible on his face, because then Mr. Lee said, ‘’ I gotta admit… I can’t shake off this bad habit. ‘’

The airy laughter that followed his words had Jonghyun feeling weak in the knees and in that moment, he found himself thinking that this man couldn’t possibly be human.

‘’ Do you want one? ‘’ Mr. Lee asked.

Jonghyun shook his head again, slightly embarrassed, which earned him another melodious laugh from the other.

‘’ Hmm, you’re one of the wise ones then… I see you didn’t drink much tonight, ‘’ the older man observed.

Jonghyun inadvertently scrunched up his nose. ‘’ I wouldn’t say I’m wise… ‘’

‘’ Do you have a bad habit then… or should I say a guilty pleasure? ‘’

Yeah, gushing like a little schoolgirl over a man I barely know.

‘’ Is that really the kind of thing I can admit to our CEO? ‘’ Jonghyun pointed out instead with a bashful smile.

Mr. Lee then graced him with a smile even brighter than any of the ones he had seen before, making Jonghyun suddenly fear that he would lose his sight.

‘’ I was right then. You are pretty wise. ‘’

Jonghyun had thought at that moment that this was going to be the end of him, that he was going to die right this instant, but somehow he had managed to stay alive to finish the conversation nicely and get back to work the next day. He had found himself with even more motivation to push himself and give his all to the company.

The last time they had talked was a little over a month ago when there had been the first announcement about the merger between LJ entertainment and KK entertainment.

That day, a special meeting was called with all employees and a few hours later they were listening with worry and anger at the news. Jonghyun was worried and angry too, but once again, Mr. Lee’s presence provided his mind and body with great distraction.

Once the tense meeting was over, they all went back to their offices, but as soon as Jonghyun settled back in his chair, he received a call from the CEO’s secretary telling him that Mr. Lee wanted to see him. Jonghyun had no clue why that would be, but he didn’t question the request and immediately started walking towards the feared location. He had never actually set foot in his office before since his team manager was the one talking on their behalf, so he felt terrified. Especially after such news.

When he finally entered the man’s office and closed the door behind him, he felt like this was going to be his final moment.

‘’ Sit down, Mr. Kim, ‘’ Mr. Lee indicated with a smile as he crossed his arms on top of his desk.

Jonghyun wasn’t reassured one bit by that smile; he had had plenty of occasions to witness them and he now felt confident in knowing when they were genuine and when they were forced. This one definitely fell in the latter category.

The blonde still sat, his body tense as he waited for a catastrophe to come. He waited patiently, fearfully, but silence dragged on as the man facing him looked down to the table he was leaning against.

Jonghyun grew even more scared, which made his heart do a painful flip in his chest when Mr. Lee looked up again.

‘’ Do you think I made the right decision, Mr. Kim? ‘’

The blonde’s eyes widened, surprised. ‘’ Eh? ‘’

Mr. Lee’s face relaxed as he laughed. ‘’ I’m sorry, Mr. Kim. I should explain myself better, ‘’ he realized as he straightened up some more.

‘’ I’m talking about the merger of LJ with KK, ‘’ he then specified with a retrieved seriousness.

Jonghyun’s brows creased in a deep frown, still confused by the other man’s inquiry. ‘’ I don’t understand, Mr. Lee… you’re the CEO, we trust you know what’s best for the company. ‘’

His words made the older man sigh. ‘’ Can I be honest with you, Mr. Kim? ‘’

The blonde’s teeth dug into his bottom lip, mind still fear-ridden, before he nodded.

‘’ Being the CEO of a company doesn’t mean you have all the right answers, ‘’ he immediately shared in a way that revealed to Jonghyun the burden he was carrying on his shoulders.

‘’ I didn’t take this decision lightly, but I now fear the consequences, ‘’ the brunette went on, gaze still digging into his.

‘’ I’m sure you made the right decision, ‘’ Jonghyun instantly reassured. He didn’t know that to be true, but he did trust in the man facing him.

The ghost of a smile danced across the older man’s lips. ‘’ I don’t want you to tell me what you think I’d like to hear. I want you to tell me what you honestly think. ‘’

Jonghyun tensed up even more at that, body paralyzed for a few seconds. When he finally managed to remember that he was a human being and not a static object, he said, ‘’ But… why me, sir? ‘’

Mr. Lee really smiled then. ‘’ Because as I once told you before, you seem to be a wise man. ‘’

Jonghyun felt himself blush and looked away. ‘’ Sir, I’m not… ‘’

‘’ And I don’t know the whole spectrum of business management so I’m really not in a good position to-

‘’ I didn’t call you here for that, ‘’ Mr. Lee interjected. ‘’ I’m asking for your opinion because your work here tells me that you’re a man with great vision and intuition. You constantly seem to be thinking outside the box and that’s what our company needs more of. ‘’

Jonghyun froze in a state of shock again. To hear this man say those words to him… It was…

‘’ If there is one thing I definitely regret is not talking about this with you first, ‘’ the other man added more quietly.

Jonghyun’s gaze instantly shifted to his face as his heart fluttered. The look he saw on it gave him every indication that he was not joking.

Upon the other man’s insistence, he had managed to share his true nuanced thoughts, leaving him feeling distraught and grateful when he had finally stepped out of his office half an hour later that day.

Now, all this seemed to be part of another life; a life that was ending in a few days. Jonghyun knew his time was now or never, but he really couldn’t see himself actually taking that step.

He was utterly terrified.

***

Another few days passed and Jonghyun now knew that he would be leaving the company and Mr. Lee behind forever. He had been too caught up in making sure the projects and ideas he had been working on would be carried out in the way he had intended them to, to actually plan out how he was going to confess to their CEO.

And there was no need to, really. Entertaining that thought had been childish all along and it really wasn’t viable in their adult corporate world. Jonghyun knew there had never been a chance for him to actually get a date with their CEO. This wasn’t some romance story that created unlikely situations to fulfill the reader’s desires. This was real life; his life.

And in his life, he was now three days away from being released from his current duties and falling into an abyss full of anxiety and rum. He still didn’t understand how something like that could’ve happened to him, but there he was, going through his files to reminisce over all that he had created over the years. It wasn’t his property to take and leave with, but it was proof that he had made a difference here.

A difference that didn’t seem to matter in the grand scheme of things, but a difference nonetheless.

Jonghyun was just about to go on his lunch break when the phone on his desk rang. He frowned at the unfamiliar caller ID, but answered anyways.

‘’Hello? ‘’

‘’ Hello, Mr. Kim. This is Mr. Lee. ‘’

Jonghyun froze, once again petrified by the only idea that this man wasn’t just some kind of unreachable mirage.

‘’ Mr. Kim? ‘’

A quiet exhale left him as he was brought back to the reality of the moment. ‘’ Y-yes? ‘’

‘’ I need to ask you a favor. ‘’

Jonghyun’s eyes widened in surprise and slight confusion. ‘’ A favor? ‘’

‘’ Yes, ‘’ the other man confirmed before taking a slight pause that had Jonghyun sliding to the edge of his chair, alert. ‘’ I would like you to have dinner with me tonight. ‘’

Jonghyun’s shock came out in a string of coughs that had him lowering the phone to actually get himself back into a normal breathing state.

He finally glued the phone back onto his ear after a few seconds. ‘’ E-excuse me, sir? ‘’

A breathy laugh ensued. ‘’ I guess I should work more on my communication skills before I actually get one of my employees killed. ‘’

The jest had Jonghyun feeling more relaxed, a foolish smile cracking his lips. ‘’ I wasn’t expecting that, sir… ‘’

‘’ Well I don’t aim to be predictable, Mr. Kim. ‘’

The man’s smooth answer had Jonghyun’s heart racing despite the unforgettable formality of their relationship.

‘’ I can see that… ‘’

‘’ So, will you join me for dinner? ‘’ the older man reiterated.

Jonghyun chewed on his bottom lip as one of his fingers curled around the phone’s cord, mind reeling with what could be behind that request. It was a few more seconds before he realized that losing an opportunity to spend more time with the man he longed for would be beyond stupid.

He needed to make the most of the little time he had left in his presence.

‘’ Yes, sir, ‘’ he finally answered.

***

Jonghyun looked slightly in awe and disbelief at his surroundings as the waiter guided him through a dimly lit hallway, lined on each side with sliding shōji doors. He had been in Japanese restaurants before, but never had he been in one of those private dining rooms he had seen many times in the movies.

They finally stopped in front of one of them. Jonghyun had no time to even think about bailing out as the waiter slid the door open and gestured for him to enter. Jonghyun gave him a quick parting bow before he stepped into the room. The sound of the door sliding shut instantly made fear rise fiercely inside him and the eye contact that quickly followed did nothing to help his distress.

The warm chocolate eyes he looked into suddenly disappeared behind a resplendent smile.

‘’ Good evening, Mr. Kim. ‘’

‘’ Good evening, Mr. Lee, ‘’ the blonde shyly reciprocated, barely moving an inch.

‘’ Are you just going to stand there? ‘’ the brunette bantered, chuckling.

Jonghyun felt his face heat up and quickly moved to divert his attention from the sensation. He took seat on the mat settled in front of the table, bringing him to eye-level with the taller man.

‘’ I’m glad you could make it, Mr. Kim, ‘’ the young CEO acknowledged with a gentler smile.

Jonghyun’s teeth dug slightly into his bottom lip, gaze expectant. ‘’ Why am I here, sir? ‘’

‘’ I will tell you soon, ‘’ Mr. Lee reassured. ‘’ But first, let’s order some food. ‘’

The blonde slowly nodded and took the menu that was handed to him. He glanced at the options that were on it, but his discomfort prevented him from really giving them any real thought. Here he was, alone with the man that had been the object of his desire for an excruciatingly long time now, and he had no idea how to act.

‘’ Did you make a choice? ‘’

The question snapped him back to attention and he found himself embarrassed by his lapse in focus.

‘’ Um… no… I don’t really know what to choose, ‘’ he admitted.

‘’ Hmm, well I know what’s good here… ‘’ Mr. Lee briefly pondered. ‘’ Do you mind if I order for us both? ‘’

Jonghyun shook his head vigorously, more than happy to relent control. ‘’ No sir, not at all. ‘’

A few seconds later, the waiter came back in and took the order before leaving them be again.

At that moment, Mr. Lee reached into a bag that Jonghyun hadn’t noticed before and took out a bottle and two glasses. Once they were all settled between them, the blonde finally saw what the bottle was.

‘’ Vieux domaine? ‘’ he immediately gasped as his eyes doubled in size.

A prideful smile lit up the other man’s face as he grabbed the bottle to open it. ‘’ Yes, I couldn’t help but notice that you always went for rum, so I thought I’d bring one of my favorites. ‘’

The blonde’s look of surprise went from the bottle to him as his heart fluttered. He couldn’t believe this man had paid attention to his drink of choice. He couldn’t believe this man was even paying any attention to him.

Mr. Lee gave him another warm smile before pouring some of the drink in each glass. Once he set the bottle down onto the table again, he asked, ‘’ Would you mind if we went on a first name basis? ‘’

The question did nothing to relax the other’s expression, making him look back at the other man as if he had just said that he wanted to bend him over the table and fuck him.

The brunette chuckled. ‘’ Am I asking for too much? ‘’

‘’ No, sir… it’s just… ‘’ Jonghyun’s eyes darted downwards. ‘’ It’s just… we’re not… ‘’

‘’ I know what we are… Jonghyun. ‘’ The emphasis on his name had the blonde look up again, his face still unable to conceal his bewilderment. ‘’ But right now, I want this conversation to feel more comfortable, more… open, ‘’ the older man pinpointed in a tone that felt utterly honest.

Jonghyun slowly nodded as the other man’s words started registering in his mind. He knew calling his boss by his first name wasn’t going to be comfortable, but he felt honored to have that privilege.

‘’ Okay… Jinki, ‘’ he tried, before instantly cringing. Saying it in the privacy of his apartment was one thing, but saying it to the actual man was another. It didn’t feel right.

‘’ Jonghyun, ‘’ the other firmly called as he watched his employee recoil in a hunched stance.

The latter looked up again, embarrassed. ‘’ Relax, please, ‘’ the brunette insisted. He then took his glass into his hand. ‘’ Let’s drink. ‘’

The warm smile he was given then did help Jonghyun relax a bit and he picked up his own glass. Watching the other raise his glass, he did the same and brought it to his lips after a shared smile. He hummed in contentment as the different accents of warm spices mixed in with the rum danced across his taste buds before continuing their voyage down his throat.

‘’ I haven’t had that one in a while, ‘’ Jonghyun shared. ‘’ Thank you, si- ‘’ He bit his lip. ‘’ Jinki, ‘’ he rectified in a voice that had a little less assurance.

Jonghyun didn’t miss how the one facing him tried to restrain himself from laughing. ‘’ It’s my pleasure, ‘’ Jinki finally replied.

The door slid open at that moment and in came a group of waiters and waitresses carrying various plates of food. By the time everything was displayed on the table, Jonghyun was left wondering how they would possibly be able to go through all of it.

Once the restaurant’s employees made their way out and slid the door shut again, the blonde finally voiced his concern.

‘’ Um… this is a lot of food… ‘’

The brunette grinned. ‘’ Yes, it is, ‘’ he agreed before picking up chopsticks and grabbing a maki with them. Jonghyun watched as his boss’ cheeks puffed out as he chewed, thinking in that moment that there probably was no cuter sight than this one.

He followed suit by picking up his own chopsticks, but he first went for a strip of wagyu beef. He couldn’t help the moan that left him as a different set of flavors invaded his mouth. He felt his stomach grumble for more and immediately went for a few other strips before going through a few of the other dishes, momentarily forgetting about everything else.

His stomach finally let some space for his mind to think again when he felt an intent look on him. He paused and looked at his boss with worry, but the latter just smiled at him.

‘’ Seems like we both have quite an appetite, ‘’ the brunette playfully noted.

Jonghyun felt the heat of a fierce blush creep up his neck and cheeks.

‘’ I’m sorry. It’s just really good, ‘’ he said quietly.

Jinki’s face brightened up even more. ‘’ I’m glad you think so. It’s my favorite restaurant. ‘’

The blonde’s heart flipped. Favorite restaurant?

‘’ Sir… ‘’ Fuck. ‘’ I mean, Jinki, ‘’ Jonghyun started again. ‘’ I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but… why am I here? ‘’

There was a sigh first, before Jinki’s expression became grave. ‘’ Because what I feared became a reality… I made a mistake. ‘’

Jonghyun’s brow cocked as a mix of surprise and confusion seized him. ‘’ What mistake? ‘’

‘’ The merger, ‘’ Jinki instantly replied, voice tense.

‘’ How is it already a mistake? ‘’ the blonde asked, still confused.

‘’ Because the company is losing you because of it. ‘’

The intensity with which the answer came sent chills down Jonghyun’s spine. Searching the other’s eyes, he realized that the decision had not been run by him beforehand.

‘’ Who made that decision? ‘’ he inquired as an answer immediately formed in his mind.

Jinki sighed again. ‘’ I… I gave each team manager the liberty to make their cuts, since they know their team members best … ‘’ His gaze wavered briefly. ‘’ I never thought for a moment that you’d be cut in the process. ‘’

Jonghyun’s lips thinned into a tight line as his jaw clenched. The thought of kicking his manager’s non-existent butt was very strong, but he managed to rein in his anger as he took hold of his glass and gulped down the rest of its content.

Looking again at his boss, he said, ‘’ Manager Lee never liked me, so his decision makes perfect sense. ‘’

‘’ I should’ve anticipated that, ‘’ Jinki remarked. ‘’ A man with your talent is inevitably going to make other people envious. ‘’

Jonghyun’s anger immediately melted from the heat the other man’s praise created in his body.

‘’ I’m not that talented… ‘’ he abashedly noted.

‘’ Yes, you are, ‘’ the older man immediately countered. ‘’ And if it wasn’t for the sake of impartiality, I would’ve bypassed his decision and kept you anyways. ‘’

Jonghyun looked back at him in disbelief, convinced that if this kept on this way, he would meet his end.

‘’ I’m trying to fix my mistake, Jonghyun, ‘’ Jinki went on before pausing to take in some of his drink.

‘’ I’ve been making some calls to people I know for the past few days and I found you a similar position in another company, ‘’ he then revealed as he looked at the younger one earnestly.

Every muscle in the blonde’s body tensed up as a strong sense of unease grew inside him.

‘’ Sir, ‘’ Jonghyun voiced, before cursing himself once more for the slip. ‘’ Jinki… I can’t accept that from you. ‘’

The older man’s face lit up with surprise. ‘’ Why? ‘’

‘’ Because I think you’re not making a wise choice putting so much faith in me like that… you don’t know me… ‘’

They locked eyes, darker ones still glowing with surprise as paler ones dimmed with worry.

‘’ I have everything I need to make a wise decision, ‘’ Jinki stated with conviction. ‘’ Your work speaks for itself. ‘’

Jonghyun looked away, crushed, realizing that the only interest the other man had in him was for his work. He should’ve been happy to be noticed for that, but it became even more clear to him in that moment that it would never be enough.

He looked up again. ‘’ You did say you wanted this conversation to be more open, right? ‘’

Jinki nodded. ‘’ Yes, I want you to be able to say what’s on your mind. ‘’

Jonghyun acknowledged his words with a nod of his own, teeth digging into his lip again as a spike of fear stabbed his chest. He knew he was about to make a fool of himself, but he also knew there would never be another opportunity like this for him.

He had to seize it.

‘’ Jinki… ‘’ he started quietly. ‘’ There is something I want more than a job right now. ‘’

‘’ Oh… what is it? ‘’ the other asked with genuine interest.

‘’ I… ‘’ Jonghyun took a deep breath. ‘’ I want to get to know you on a more personal level. ‘’

Jinki smiled. ‘’ I’ve been wanting that too, that’s why I wanted us to have a more comfortable conversation. ‘’

‘’ But… you probably mean that in a friendship type of way while I don’t… ‘’

His confession had him looking away, eyes darting downwards to his crossed legs to prevent himself from seeing the utter disgust on his boss’ face.

There was a pause, a long pause, leaving the blonde to wonder if he should just apologize and leave, but before he could actualize those actions, the silence was broken by the other’s voice.

‘’ You mean… you want us to be more than friends? ‘’

The older man’s soft and quiet tone had Jonghyun’s eyes flicking upwards. They searched his face, but it gave him no further clue. His expression was unreadable.

‘’ Yes, ‘’ he admitted with as much strength as he could pull out from himself in that moment.

The brunette’s chest heaved with a deep inhale before he released that breath through a quiet sigh. He wasn’t looking at Jonghyun anymore, instead, he directed his attention to his glass before picking it up and downing it like the other had previously.

When Jonghyun saw him fill their two glasses again, he realized the door wasn’t being shut in his face. He still had space to speak.

‘’ I’ve wanted to ask you out on a date for a very long time now… ‘’ he said with a little more confidence.

That seemed to bring the other man out of his bubble. ‘’ Jonghyun… ‘’ His voice sounded unsure, vulnerable, making Jonghyun’s brow furrow with concern.

‘’ If the circumstances were any different, I’d say yes to you. I’ve had these thoughts too, but… I’m in a difficult position… ‘’

Jonghyun felt a little soothed by Jinki’s saddened expression and sincere tone, but it did nothing to lessen the sorrow that spread through him.

‘’ You mean… because you’re a CEO? ‘’ he croaked as the feeling menaced to spill out of him.

Jinki just nodded, eyes glinting with a pain of his own.

‘’ It doesn’t have to be known… ‘’ Jonghyun spontaneously offered as his mind grasped at any little thread of hope it could possibly find.

Jinki looked at him, stunned. ‘’ I can’t ask you to be a secret, Jonghyun… ‘’

‘’ You’re not asking, I’m offering, ‘’ Jonghyun asserted. ‘’ I can’t believe I’m even saying this myself, but if there is no other way, I’m fine with it. I just want to be close to you. ‘’

Jinki pondered the thought, eyes zeroing in on his glass again. When his eyes fell back on the blonde’s face, he felt his chest tighten.

‘’ I don’t want to say no to you… ‘’

‘’ Well don’t then, ‘’ Jonghyun instantly threw back.

‘’ But what if… ‘’ Jinki stopped himself.

Before he could continue, Jonghyun jumped in. ‘’ Let’s not think too far ahead. Let’s just start with a date, alright? ‘’

Jinki’s shoulders relaxed slightly as he slowly wrapped his mind around the idea. ‘’ Alright. ‘’

The blonde’s lips twitched upwards at the unexpected turn of events before his hand curled around his glass again. ‘’ Should we toast to that? ‘’

Jinki’s brows furrowed in confusion. ‘’ To what? ‘’

‘’ To you bringing me to another fancy restaurant for our first date, ‘’ Jonghyun half joked, half decided.

That had the other’s face lighting up brightly again as he laughed a frank laugh. ‘’ Why should I be the one treating you? You asked me on a date, so it should be the other way around. ‘’

The blonde’s lips curled into a cute pout. ‘’ I’m going to be jobless soon, remember? ‘’

Jinki ignored the leap his heart took inside his chest at the endearing sight and said, ‘’ Not if you take that job I was telling you about. ‘’

Jonghyun scrunched up his nose at the idea. ‘’ I’ll think about it… ‘’

‘’ What could possibly stop you from saying yes? ‘’ the older man wondered, confounded.

‘’ A few things, but… there are many ways you could persuade me right now… ‘’ Jonghyun hinted in a tone that held no subtlety, before choking back a chuckle at the other’s flustered expression.

Clearing his throat, the brunette said, ‘’ This is a business meeting, Jonghyun. Not a date. ‘’

That was all it took to have Jonghyun’s eyes glinting with hope. ‘’ So you mean that next time… ‘’

‘’ I don’t mean anything, Jonghyun, ‘’ Jinki immediately dismissed.

‘’ You certainly are comfortable to say what’s on your mind now, ‘’ he then observed with a slight note of annoyance.

‘’ Well that’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? ‘’ Jonghyun reminded, not without some defiance.

Jinki’s jaw tensed, but not from anger. ‘’ I’m still your CEO, behave. ‘’

‘’ Hmm, right, ‘’ Jonghyun hummed. ‘’ I only have to wait a few more days... ‘’

That had Jinki shaking his head as he bit back a smile. ‘’ You are something else. ‘’

‘’ Well now that I know that my desire wasn’t completely foolish, I’m not going to hold back. ‘’

Jinki looked up to find the blonde’s eyes and shivered from the intensity in them. It was a few seconds before the energy in the room shifted into a more relaxed atmosphere as the latter’s eyes brightened with a soft smile.

Grabbing his glass again, Jonghyun asked, ‘’ Can we make it official with a toast now? ‘’

‘’ Yes, sure, ‘’ Jinki agreed as he found himself spellbound by the other.

‘’ To our first date, ‘’ Jonghyun said, grinning.

‘’ To our first date, ‘’ Jinki echoed as he returned the smile.

They broke contact briefly to drink before locking eyes again, matching smiles dancing on their lips.

It was a little more than an hour later when Jinki voiced that he should be taking his leave. By then, they had cleared most plates on the table and had gone through almost all the bottle of rum.

The brunette got up swiftly, making Jonghyun do the same, although a little more clumsily.

'' Well, I guess it's goodnight then, '' the younger one said first despite his desperate want to spend more time with the other.

'' You know we can leave this place together, right? '' Jinki reminded, a slight note of amusement lacing his tone.

The remark had the blonde biting his lip in embarrassment.

'' Right... ''

Jinki smiled fondly at the cuteness he was faced with before taking a few steps to close the distance between them.

Looking into the other's bright eyes from such a close distance made his heart stop for a moment before its rate quickened to an unsustainable pace.

Before he could tell himself not to, he pulled the smaller man in for a kiss, his strong hands grabbing at his small waist.

Jonghyun's eyes widened in shock before his lids slowly fell over his eyes. He kissed back softly, one hand settling at the back of the taller one's neck, right before a quiet moan left him as he savored the feeling of Jinki's soft and sweet lips on his.

Jonghyun wanted more, but before he could claim it, the other pulled back a bit.

Jinki tried to speak, but found himself lost in the intensity beaming from the other's gaze. Not able to resist, he pressed his lips once more against his, relishing the soft sound it brought out of the other.

But before he could lose himself even more, he pulled back again, this time taking a step back to put more distance between them.

'' I'm sorry, '' Jinki said, eyes darting to the floor.

'' There is no need to be, '' Jonghyun instantly replied as he took in the brunette's troubled expression.

That didn't seem to reassure the other one as a long sigh left him.

Jonghyun's throat tightened with worry, but before that feeling could incapacitate him, he stepped closer to the taller one and said, '' I don't want you to feel guilty about this. ''

Jinki looked up, eyes dark with his own load of worry. '' I know... It's just... I really like you and I didn't expect the night to take that turn and... '' He paused to catch his breath. '' And I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed right now. ''

Jonghyun felt himself melt at that. '' You're so cute, '' he couldn't help but say before smiling at the subtle blush his words created on the other's face.

'' I get it, Jinki, " he finally addressed. '' But like I said, let's just take it one step at a time. ''

Jinki nodded, shoulders relaxing. '' Yes, you're right. ''

That was enough to get them going and a few minutes later, they finally stepped out of the restaurant.

'' So it's really goodnight, then? '' Jonghyun said again, lightly rocking his body back and forth, as they stopped in front of Jinki's car.

'' Yes, but we'll see each other very soon, '' Jinki promised with a smile.

Jonghyun returned the smile before stepping back. He reluctantly waved him goodbye when he finally settled in his car seat and started the engine.

Once he walked away and entered his own car, he couldn't help but fear that this night had all been a dream.

It was only the next day that he got confirmation of how real it had been when the HR lady called him in and told him that there had been a mistake and that he wasn't going to be cut after all.

Jonghyun left her office feeling beyond relieved, astounded and even more enamored with the man that would remain his CEO after all.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

AFF AO3

#jongyu #jongyu fic #shinee fic #jonghyun #onew #minho #shinee #shawols #angst #romance #slice of life #sarastuff:jongyu #aff and ao3 links at the end #this was really hard to end cause I feel like there was so much more to explore with this but yeah this is it #I've read it too many times now to know if it's good but let's say it's my gift for the 11th XD #the first title of this was I Want You but then Guilty Pleasure was really the perfect one for it #I can't think right now so I can't elaborate more on my other thoughts for this story so yeah you can always send me asks haha

36 notes · View notes