#already had a panic attack thankfully nobody was here to see

[ninoochat]

The shower here have no water pressure I have THICK curly hair this is my very own handcrafted by satan himself piece of hell

[joostsblog]

hey i love ur work !! could you do a joost x reader who’s scared of the dark and there’s a power cut or something pls 🩷

you're all i think about ~ joost klein friends to lovers one shot

My masterlist here ✨💌

Pairing: Joost Klein x female!reader

Description: A movie night at your friend Joost's place turns into disaster and maybe something not so bad after all when there's a power outage.

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: Tysm for the request, I loved writing it! I hope you enjoy❣️You can always send in requests <3 (title borrowed from the song lights out by fizz!)

Warnings: a panic attack, fear of the dark, not proofread

Movie night tonight? Joost had texted into your friend group chat and somehow nobody was down. Except for you. You were always down if Joost would be there. You would cancel other plans if it meant that you would be able to see Joost. So this is how you ended up by your friend Joost's doorstep, snacks in hand, ready to spend the evening at his place.  

You had known each other for a few years now, hanging around in the same circles but it had only been 7 months (7 months and 11 days to be precise, you kept count) since you had suddenly developed a crush on your friend. A crush so bad that sometimes you almost couldn't contain it and you were afraid that any second you would lose control over yourself and just blurt out your confession in front of all your friends when you hang out. Thankfully that hadn't happened so far. So you kept your secret.

You were afraid that if Joost would find out about your true feelings for him, it would ruin your friendship. That all the long hugs, the loving teasing, the ruffles through your hair, the sweet compliments and pep talks would end because he would feel weird about showing that affection to you.

"(Y/N)!" Joost exclaimed with a big smile as he opened the door for you and engulfed you in one of those heavenly hugs. "So glad you could make it!" he said as he rubbed your back softly. "I can always count on you," Joost said after pulling back.

"Of course!" you said.

A short while later you were both lounging on the sofa, while High School Musical was playing on the TV (Joost's choice), giggling and singing along. Your sides were almost touching, Joost's fingers occasionally grazing yours when you both reached for the popcorn bowl at the same time. In moments like these, the longing and wanting you had for Joost was almost unbearable. You just wished there was a universe in which you could just reach out for him and kiss him on the lips as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Instead, you were damned to stay at a distance and just drink up every small touch that occurred to keep you satiated.

Suddenly the TV and all the lights in the room turned off all at once and you were sat in darkness.

"What the-?" Joost laughed amused.

You were frozen on the spot and stayed silent as you were scared of the dark. You just hoped that the darkness wouldn't persist too long as you could feel yourself spiralling already.

"I'll check if it's the fuse," Joost sighed, obviously slightly annoyed at the inconvenience.

"Alright," you said quietly as Joost got up and used his phone's torchlight.

You took a peek outside the window and realised that the streetlights were also off which would imply that there was a bigger power outage.

"Fuck fuck fuck," you whispered.

This was bad. Not knowing when and if the power would come back on only worsened your state and being left alone in Joost's living room certainly also didn't help. You grabbed your phone and forced yourself to get up from the sofa. You walked to the door that connected to the corridor to look for Joost.

"Joost?" you asked timidly before you turned your head to look down the dark corridor.

"Booo!" Joost suddenly said with a laugh appearing out of nowhere in front of you.

Your heart skipped a beat and you dropped your phone. Your body started shaking uncontrollably as you tried catching your breath, having absolutely no control over your bodily reaction to what Joost probably thought was a harmless joke. Overwhelmed you could feel the tears slowly trickling down your cheeks.

"(Y/N), everything alright?" Joost asked concerned as he registered your quick breathing. You tried answering but couldn't produce an intelligible response. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Joost said as he realised his mistake. His arms quickly wrapped around your body as he engulfed you in a warm embrace. His chin was resting on your head as he was taller than you, his hands softly caressing you. "(Y/N), I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," you could tell that Joost felt bad for causing your panic.

"It- it's f-fine," you finally managed to push out.

"No no no, I'm sorry," he repeated, softly swaying your bodies back and forth.

"No, I'm such a chicken, I'm afraid of the dark," you explained, voice straining as your throat felt tight and your tears made it difficult for you to speak.

"I swear I didn't know," Joost said. "Come here," he said and led you back to the sofa. "Sit down and close your eyes, just pretend you're taking a nap, okay?" he said and you did as you were told. He softly put a blanket around your shoulders as he sat down beside you. Joost rested his hand on your cheek and wiped away some of your tears.

"I feel so stupid," you admitted, feeling terrible.

"No no, please don't, Lieverd," Joost softly insisted and you wondered whether the pet name was a slip of the tongue. "Don't say that," he said and suddenly you could feel his lips pressing to your forehead and your heart fluttered. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'll be right back, I swear," Joost said before getting up from the sofa.

You kept your eyes closed and tried to calm down your breathing slowly. Having felt Joost's lips against your skin just a moment before sure did distract you but it also certainly added to your nervous heart beating.

"Here I am again," Joost said in a soft tone to not scare you this time. You could hear him shuffle around the room before he said "I got us some lights," and you opened your eyes.

Joost had propped up both of your phones with the torchlight illuminating the ceiling as well as his laptop and iPad which just showed a white screen at maximum screen brightness.

"I don't have any candles," Joost said apologetically.

"It's fine," you softly laughed. "Thank you."

"Well, candles would have been more romantic," Joost said and your heart fluttered again. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked earnestly.

"This is much better, thank you," you said. "But a hug would be nice."

"Of course," Joost smiled and opened his arms as you crawled over to him into his arms. "I'm sure the power will come back on soon," Joost tried reassuring you, his hand softly stroking the back of your head as you were cuddled up against his chest. Joost started softly humming some melody and the vibrations from his chest started calming you down more.

"This is nice," you murmured and you could hear a smile in Joost's hum, his hand drawing circles on your back. "I'm sorry if I ruined this night."

"No, don't be silly," Joost pulled back lightly to look at you sternly. "Any moment spent with you is perfect."

You looked up at him, heart beating fast as you realised how close you two were to each other. In this moment you wished you were in pitch darkness again because maybe then you would have had the courage to close the few centimetres between you and kiss Joost.

"Don't tell the others, but you are definitely my favourite out of all of them," you said which was the closest thing to a love confession you were able to get past your lips. You saw how Joost's eyes lit up at your words, a grin spreading across his lips.

"You are also my favourite, Lieverd," he whispered. You looked at each other in silence, Joost's hand holding your head, his other arm still wrapped around your shoulders. Joost moved his hand to cup your cheek instead and looked at you fondly. His thumb was just resting by the corner of your mouth. You almost didn't dare to breathe just to not interrupt this delicate moment. Joost's thumb lightly brushed against your bottom lip and your heart skipped a beat before he moved closer to you and you instinctively followed suit. As your lips were only a centimetre apart the both of you briefly paused as if to ask the other for permission before you closed the gap and your lips finally met in a kiss. It was gentle and sweet but yet so passionate. Your hand was resting on Joost's chest you swore you could feel his heart beating faster. His arm was holding you close and his smell engulfed you. It was everything you had hoped for and so much more. After you broke the kiss you grinned at each other, Joost's hand caressing your cheek.

"I'm gonna make sure you'll never have to be in the dark again, I swear," he said before leaning in to kiss you again.

[angels-fantasy]

Girl let me just say your fics are superb and thanks for the quirkless child one I requested with Bakugou! I promise I’ll leave you be for a bit in a second, but… post final war; everyone who has came out alive clearly is suffering from injuries, health issues, and trauma (both physical trauma and mental trauma) no? So how about a Bakugou x Reader with a reader who was essentially Bubbly, Firery and Energetic, to after the war who is exhausted, is often having nightmares over Bakugou cause well he nearly died, sleep deprived and basically depressed because I can guarantee nobody should be sane after a war, especially not children like our lovely highschoolers. Please make it angst to comfort, because seeing how Bakugou also has developed I’m sure as sad as he would be he would also be understanding and try to be comforting (despite his awkwardness). I’d appreciate if you could get this done to be as close as possible (and maybe just a little long than the one I requested last time- no pressure) BUT if anything you find in my request may be too triggering or something feel free to make it less triggering and change it, I just ask if you can keep the same vibe and theme with the reader who changed drastically after the wars and is getting comforted by Bakugou, Angst to comfort (duh), thank you so much, and I hope I’m not troubling you too much! — An anon who enjoys suffering, angst, and comfort ((SAC) Anon); (get it? Suffering, Angst, Comfort, SAC, wait that has a good ring to it, damn I have a new alias, I’ll shut up now)

I'm Okay, As Long as He's Here (Request)

Katsuki Bakugou x Reader

Details/Warnings: reader has a panic attack and nightmares!! pls be weary of this. angst to fluff, well, my attempt at angst lol

Word Count: 1k

thank you for your request and the support :D it means a lot to me 🩷 btw don't ever feel like you're bothering me or like you need to leave me alone! i like talking to everyone :) also this is a good little plot, but im not the best at writing angst but this is helping me improve i think, so please tell me how i did! i really hope you like it SAC anon hahah

Before the war, you were a different person. Looking at you now, no one would ever guess you were once a bubbly, out going person. But Katsuki knew you were, and sometimes, he missed the old you.

It was hard to watch you wake up crying in the middle of the night from your horrible nightmares of the war. Some being about his near death experience, and others being about him dying in other ways.

Some nights, you didn't sleep at all, and it was really showing.

"Hey, keep your head up. I don't want you to fall asleep." Katsuki said. It was already months after the war, so you were all back at school, but you were one of the few students that was struggling the most.

He definitely has his struggles too, but he knew he had to be there for you, because yours were much worse.

You opened your eyes wider, trying your best to stay awake. "Sorry. I couldn't sleep last night."

"You havin' nightmares again?"

You nodded, he sighed.

"Come sleep in my dorm tonight. You sleep better with me and you know it."

You agreed and continued trying your best to stay awake for the rest of the day. Occasionally, Katsuki would have to wake you up or remind you to stay awake. The lack of sleep made it hard to focus, especially in Hero Training. Thankfully, Mr. Aizawa and the rest of the teachers were understanding of the students who were struggling.

Once school was over it felt like a weight was lifted off of your shoulders. You knew you had homework to do, but right now you'd rather sleep. Or at least attempt to. Since you were going to be with Katsuki tonight, you were probably only going to have one nightmare. Plus, he'd be there to comfort you.

Following your boyfriend to his dorm room, you immediately changed into some of your clothes that he had there for you, and then laid down on his bed.

For a while, you just silently watched him as he sat at his desk and did his homework, something you should also be doing.

"What're you starin' at?"

You smiled, but not as brightly as before, "I'm just admiring you."

He huffed, "Good, I'm awesome."

Rolling your eyes, you said, "And there he is."

He laughed and continued doing his homework. You just continued watching him, because it was something that comforted you. It was a reminder that he was okay and alive.

Knowing he was safe right in front of you, you fell asleep.

...

You didn't know what time it was, but it must've been late since the room you were in was dark.

You clutched your chest as you sat up in bed and breathed heavily, feeling tears prick your eyes.

Of course, you had another nightmare again. This one in particular was about Katsuki, and he was in the arms of Shigaraki. You saw the villain use his Decay quirk on him, and your boyfriend began to crumble away but you were paralyzed in your dream. There was nothing you could do.

The nightmare felt so real and so scary, like they usually do. You felt so helpless and scared. The evil that emitted from Shigaraki and All For One was something you'd always remember.

You subconsciously began to rock yourself back and forth and made self soothing noises as you continued to have a panic attack. They never got easier, or less scary as time went on. It always felt like you were going to die.

Your panic must've woke Katsuki up, because you suddenly heard his voice calling out to you.

"Hey, hey! Breathe baby, you gotta breathe." He said.

You shook your head, "I-I can't! It hurts. I'm scared, I'm gonna die!"

He carefully grabbed your hands and held them in his. He took one of them and brought it to his chest near his heart so you could feel it beat.

"What is my heart doing right now?" He asked. This was a method he used to ground you during these situations, especially because he knew how you felt about him and his safety.

You looked at his chest, "Beating. Your heart is beating."

"Right. Now what do you feel here?" He asked, now placing a hand on the blanket that was on top of you guys.

"The blanket."

"What does it feel like?"

"It's soft and fluffy."

As he continued distracting you from your panic, you eventually calmed down. You were still crying a bit, but he held you in his arms as you let it out.

"He killed you Katsuki. I was so scared, and I couldn't do anything!" You cried into his chest.

He rubbed your back, "You know that shit isn't real, no matter how real it feels. I'm right here living and breathing. I'm safe, okay?"

You nodded and sniffed, "Okay." You placed a hand on his chest over his heart and felt it beat, the steady rhythm of it comforting you.

Katsuki grabbed that hand and kissed the palm of it, "Love you. I'll be here all night, 'kay?"

"I love you too. Thank you."

"It's no problem."

The next morning, you felt more rested than usual. It must've been because you only had one nightmare, which was an improvement.

You noticed you woke up before your boyfriend, so you just let him sleep a little longer while you got on with your morning routine. You had a lot of your own things in his room, including an extra toothbrush which you were thankful for.

When he eventually woke up, he walked over to you and hugged you tightly.

"You feelin' okay?" He asked.

You nodded as best as you could in his tight grip, "Mhm."

"Be honest."

"I am! I feel a lot better than last night." You insisted as you pulled away slightly, still keeping your arms around him.

He hummed and kissed the top of your head, "Mkay. Wanna sleep with me again tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll bring more clothes later."

He smiled, "'Kay. Let's go to class." He said and threw an arm over your shoulder, making you smile up at him.

Yeah, you knew things would be okay as long as he was around.

authors note

i hope you liked it! i'm sorry it was kinda short, i've been in a little writing stump but im trying to get out of it!

love ya 🩷

tags for bakugou fics: @doumadono @shonen-brainrot

[fixingmysociallife]

Breaking my routine with techno table tennis

G'Day Depressos!

For my whole life, I've been struggling to be more spontaneious and easy-going (with mediocre success). 12 years of school and extra-curricular activities gave me little time to experiment , since me and all of my friends were equally busy and could only have planned meetings.

But now, in college, my life changed drastically. I'm at home 5 days a week, have only one permanent evening activity and lot's of free time. It was hard at first, but then my social life gained a little momentum and I tried a meriod of new things, a few of which you can read about on this blog. I felt like I was improving so fast and was so proud of myself! But a few days ago, I realized that I was just tricking myself. Truthfully, I never had a problem giving away time that wasn't already preoccupied with something else. I'd go out alot on Wednesdays und Saturdays, because I didn't do anything special these days anyway. But then, a few friends asked me to come along to an interesting club on a Tuesday-the day I have regularly my Aikido class. And damn, I was so conflicted. Dancing to techno whilst simultainously playing table tennis sounded interesting, even though neither was something I was exceptionally excited about. But in the end, I chanelled the spirit of my tumblr blog and when along-to my dismay, in the end.

It started with me having PMS and being grumpy and tired that peculiar day. I went to uni, studied and laughed, but was feeling uncomfortable inside. If I hadn't promised to go the week before, I surely would have declined now. We arrived still quite early, brought our jackets and bags to the coat check and went inside. Damn, that was horrible air. It smelled like smoke, drinks and a lot of humans and I could already see my headache waving from afar. But nevermind, I tried to keep an open mind and positioned myself around the big table tennis table along with everyone else. We played the game where everyone walks around it and if you can't get the ball on your turn, you're out. Well, I always lost on my first try, which I was not surprised about. My hand-eye coordination is horrible and it gets worse when I feel like I'm being watched. And, of couse, I was being watched. Nobody really cared that I was out, but in that moment it was kinda humiliating for me. I also kept thinking about Aikido and what a great practice I could have missed. My friends insisted on playing more rounds instead of starting to dance and I grew more and more uncomfortable.

And then, about an hour in, all my negative feelings climaxed into a panic attack. I was crying, shaking and hyperventilating and thankfully, my bro immediatly noticed and pulled me outside. Everyone was really understanding, which made me feel better, but I was still emberassed. They were also a little mad that I didn't tell them what was up with me beforehand, but of couse, I didn't want to taint their expierience.

Afterwards, the evening got better because I swapped playing for dancing and coincidentally met an old friend I hadn't seen for years. We ended up leaving before midnight, the day after we had a math lecture after all.

I learned from this expierience that I still have to work on letting go of a fixed routine, being bad at something in front of others and putting my own feelings first. My friends' reaction gave me a little more confidence already tough.

I'm sorry that I didn't post for so long, but I had two big exams coming up and was mostly at home studying. But I have something planned for christmas that I would like to share here and I'm also going to a BlackPink concert on Monday, maybe somthing interesting will happen.

Anyways, see you next time,

Byee!

[hoedamn-eron]

closure

Marc receives an unexpected text.

Warnings: Inaccurate depictions of DID (only knowledge from the show and some light research). Mentions of past abuse. Parent death & sibling death. Word count: 1,924 (got a little carried away) GN!Reader, no use of Y/N (only briefly in this - mostly focuses on Marc and his father)

Apologies for the wait on this! Realised on 25/07 that Marc never gets the cake for you, soz.

The café had been Marc’s choice. He’d been thrown into a less than ideal situation and anyone be damned if he couldn’t at least pick the café (and they also had good coffee, none of that floral shit that Steven likes). And he promised you he’d bring back some of that cake you liked, the red velvet one. You told him not to worry about it, but you knew it helped him to have a task at hand.

He'd gotten the text message a few days ago. He wasn’t sure how his father had got his number or what he was doing in London, but seeing the text made him want to swiftly throw his phone into the Thames. He felt his chest tighten, and his shirt suddenly felt too small. His hands were clammy and he found it hard to breathe. Steven had to quickly front to get them home and to give Marc time to calm down. Thankfully you weren’t in work to help Marc through his panic attack.

After running Marc a bath and helping him calm down and eventually settle him on the couch, he showed you the text.

Hi Marc. Hope you’re well. I’m in London, I was wondering if we could talk?

In the time that Marc hadn’t replied, another text had come through a while ago.

I understand if you don’t want to see me.

He’d opened up about his past to you, of course he had, but he had been reluctant to do so. You never brought it up, for Marc’s sake. You knew what it did to him, how he felt about his childhood, despite how he opened up to you about it. You wanted to protect him from the evils of the world. Nobody deserved what he went through.

Marc asked you for your opinion on the text the next day. He’d been sat at Steven’s small dining table, staring at it all morning, wondering whether or not he should answer. You had sighed softly and scooted a chair over to him and sat in his, your arm wrapping around his shoulder.

“I personally think that you’re strong enough to do this,” you said gently. “But I also think that if you don’t want to talk to him, then that’s okay too. I’ll be proud of you either way.”

He had given you an uncertain look before going back to the text, his thumbs hovering over the letters on the touch screen (you’d gotten him an upgrade from the flip phone not long after you moved in). You watched him all morning, not moving from the table and staring at the text message. You had to go to work so you quickly made him some lunch and placed it on the table in front of him before placing a kiss on his cheek. “I love you. Whatever you decide will be the right decision for you.”

Marc have you a closed lipped smile as you walked out the flat. His eyes went back to the text.

It’s not going to change the more you look at it, mate.

Marc sighed. “What do you suggest, Steven?”

I think they’re right, I think whatever you do is right for you, whether you go to see him or not. You control the situation here, so what you say, goes.

So here he was, in the café that he chose, so he could have some control in the situation. He’d arrived early, he wasn’t sure if it was nervousness or if he just wanted to be there first. He’d already assessed his exit strategy if he needed it, picking the table closest to the door. He chose to have milk in his coffee today so it was cooler and he could drink it quicker. His leg hadn’t stopped shaking since he sat down.

You’re doing all right.

Marc glanced at Steven’s reflection as the other man gave him a thumbs up in the window. The café door opened and closed, Marc turning to look and tensing up.

The sight of Elias made Marc have an uneasy feeling in his stomach. The last time he saw him was just a little over two years ago, at his mother’s shiva, and even then that was through a window. Elias looked older, tired, a lot greyer in his hair than what Marc was used to and there was some stubble adorning his jaw and chin. He was never one for facial hair, he had always said he felt unclean with it. Marc remembered that he tried to grow a beard when he was a kid, and Randall complained that it itched after a few days. The beard was gone by that night.

Elias looked around the café before his eyes settled on Marc. Elias let out a large sigh, and his shoulders sagged as he tentatively made his way over to the table but didn’t sit down. “Marc.”

Marc swallowed nervously, his heart hammering hard against his chest, just like it did when he received the text. “H-hi, dad.” He mentally kicked himself for stuttering. He shook his head lightly. “Do you want to sit down? I can order you a coffee?”

Elias nodded slightly as he took a seat in the spare chair opposite Marc. “Just an English Breakfast tea, thanks.”

Marc took the opportunity to quickly leave the table and try and settle his heart. He was taking deep breaths as he waited in the queue to order. It was fine, he could leave whenever he wanted. You and Steven had both told him it was okay if he changed his mind. He was in a public place, he wasn’t back in that house in Chicago. He was fine.

After ordering and walking back to the table, Marc sat back in his seat, not quite being able to meet Elias’s gaze. He drank his coffee to occupy himself.

Elias broke the silence first. “You look well.”

Marc stared at him for a moment before reaching to take another sip of his coffee. “How did you get my number?”

Elias sighed before averting his gaze. “It wasn’t easy, I’ve been looking for over a year. There were a lot of dead ends and word must have gotten out because a woman came to the house, telling me to leave you alone.”

Marc held back a smile as he shook his head. “Layla.”

“Yes, that was her,” Elias replied, looking away for a moment as he thanked the server for his tea as it was placed in front of him. “We had a little chat. She said you’d just gone through something and needed some time to find yourself. I pushed her, I admit, she eventually told me where you were. Don’t be angry at her.”

“I’m not,” Marc muttered, pulling a face at his now cold coffee. “I could never be angry at Layla.”

They fell into silence again. Marc glanced at his reflection to find Steven staring at Elias with an unreadable look on his face. Marc bit his lip before leaning forward, deciding to look Elias in the eye. “Why are you here?”

Elias hesitated, taking a gulp of tea. “I thought it was time to…the last time I saw you was…well, you know. I just wanted to see how you and…how you and Steven were doing.”

Marc blinked in surprise. He didn’t know his dad knew about Steven. Steven didn’t know that Elias knew about him, his own eyes wide as he stared at Elias. He’d never indicated when Marc was a child that he knew about Steven.

“I wanted to – “

“You know about Steven?” Marc asked, eyes hard at his father.

Elias’s shoulders sank before he slowly nodded. “I do. I’m sorry.”

“You let me live like that for eight years.”

“I know.” Elias looked down at his hands which were fidgeting on his lap. “I’m…I’m ashamed. I thought that she would get better, that I would be able to help her.”

“But she didn’t. You didn’t help her.

Elias nodded, then looked up at Marc with tears in his eyes. “No…no, she didn’t get better, and I’m sorry.”

Marc shook his head and looked out the window, barely seeing Steven with a single tear flowing down his cheek. Marc grit his teeth as he willed himself to not cry, he would not cry over that woman ever again. She made his life, and Steven’s life, a living Hell, and his father had let it happen. There was no way he didn’t know. The marks and bruises weren’t exactly hidden very well, and Wendy Spector had no qualms about where she left the marks.

“You let her do that to me,” Marc muttered, turning back to his father.

The gentle call of his name by Steven went ignored.

“I was just a kid.” Elias nodded, the hurt and ashamed look still on his face. “Mom didn’t just lose a son that day, I lost a brother. I blamed myself, and I never stopped blaming myself and you just…let her blame me too. We were supposed to be a family.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t know,” Marc snapped, his jaw tensing in anger. “I was miserable, for half of my life. Do you think it’s normal for mothers to beat their sons?”

“No, I know it’s not, but your mother wasn’t well – “

“Why are you still making excuses for her?”

Elias hesitated before shaking his head, the tears flowing freely down his cheeks. “I don’t know. I loved her. I loved our family. I tried to have everything go on as normal, but I…”

Elias shook his head as the words failed him. Marc stared at Elias, his arms now crossed tightly over his chest. Elias looked back up at Marc after a few moments. “I made a mistake. Your mother made a mistake, and I’m sorry I didn’t do more. I want to fix what little of a relationship we have. I understand if you would never want to see me again.”

Marc studied his father for a second before he stood, giving a nod to his father. “I’ll think about it. There’s a lot to unpack, and I’m finally at a good place in my life. I need some time, dad.”

Elias nodded sadly. “Okay, Marc. I’m glad you came to see me today. It means a lot that you took the time. And I hope that I’ll be able to talk to Steven too.”

Marc merely stared at him before turning and walking out the café, leaving before he said anything else. He took a big, deep breath as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he turned to look at his father in the café, still sat at the table and drinking his nearly forgotten tea.

Elias had always shown Marc kindness, even if he was protecting Wendy. His father was still there for birthdays, his Bar Mitzvah, and even when he was having trouble at school. He tried his best, he really did, but Marc couldn’t help but hold on to that resentment that he would always feel in the pit of his stomach. His father may have loved him, but he loved Wendy more.

Finally turning from his father, Marc made his way back to the flat. The sun was high in the sky despite the chill in the air, and he felt…lighter. Just a little, but he felt the difference.

I’m proud of you, mate.

Marc sighed before he felt himself smiling a little.

Tagged - @ahookedheroespureheart

[whumpy-writings]

Too Long

Of Vampires and Men Masterlist

Whumptober 2022 Masterlist

Day 3: Hair's breadth from death

CW: Suicide attempt (unsuccessful), depression, ptsd, self-loathing, guilt, gun, alcohol, disordered eating, starvation, nausea

DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT

It was the weekend, the barracks empty as the students were off enjoying the pleasures of the city. Aldon shook as he lay curled in bed, tears streaking down his cheeks. He was just so tired. He thought he could do it. Starve himself to death. It was the punishment he deserved for murdering an innocent human to spare himself pain. He couldn’t live when every time he fed it meant he had to hurt someone.

But it was taking too long. He wasn’t strong enough to wait it out until he finally succumbed to starvation. If it was just the hunger he could probably do it, but the panic attacks and the nightmares and the constant shame and self hatred that pressed down on his chest were too much. He needed to end things. Tonight. 

Aldon wiped his eyes and sat up in bed. He stared at his hands for a moment, the bones clear ridges through the skin. He couldn’t take this pain anymore. 

Aldon stood up and made his bed, smoothing out the sheets. Then he crouched down and pulled up the floorboard where Franz stashed his contraband liquor. Aldon picked up the bottle and ran a finger across the label. 

He looked around the room one last time. He had already neatly packed his things so nobody would have to deal with packing up his stuff. He didn't want to trouble anyone. Aldon quietly closed the door behind him, He swayed a bit as he stood in the dim hallway. He reached out a hand to steady himself. Soon it would be over, he thought.

After a moment, he was able to take one step and then another. Slowly he headed for the armory. 

The building was empty, thankfully. Aldon grabbed a pistol and loaded a bullet. It would only take one. He tucked the pistol inside his jacket pocket. The weapon was heavy but the weight of it gave him some comfort. He was almost done with this misery.  

Campus was quiet and no one saw him as he climbed up the ladder to the top of the barracks. The moon shone down and sparkled off the rooftops of the city. No one would interrupt him up here. Aldon leaned back against the chimney and popped the cork off the bottle. He took a swig of the liquor. It burned down his throat and he almost puked once it hit his stomach. He kept drinking though, hatred bubbling in his chest. He was a fucking coward. He had a loaded pistol on his lap but he needed to be drunk enough to pull the trigger and blow his brains out. He groaned as a wave of nausea hit him. Tears sprang to his eyes. I deserve this. 

Aldon was halfway through the bottle when he heard someone climbing up the ladder. His whole body tensed as he picked up the gun. This was what he wanted. To die. His hands only shook a little as he pressed the barrel of the pistol against the base of his jaw. It was almost over. Tears streamed down his face and he couldn’t stop his sobs. He was scared, so scared. He needed to kill himself but the coward in him didn’t want to die. Whispered that there must be another way out of his misery. Whoever was coming up was almost there and he needed to do it now. 

"Al?" a familiar voice said and Aldon let out a sob. His finger was resting on the trigger, the cold metal pressed against his skin and a breeze ruffling his hair. He was so close.  

"I don’t want you to see this. Please Franz, go away. Please," Aldon whispered shakily. 

"I’m not going anywhere," Franz said quietly as he stepped onto the roof. "I’m here for you." 

Aldon’s entire body was shaking. "I just want to die. I just want to die. Please Franz, please just let me die."

Franz took a couple steps towards him. "I’m sorry that you’re in so much pain." He crouched down a few paces away. "You can talk to me. I want to help." 

Aldon couldn't stop sobbing. He pressed his other hand to his face as he cried, the gun still firmly held against his jaw. I need to give Franz some sort of reason, he thought. I owe him that much.

"I hate myself so much," Aldon finally said. His voice came out scratchy. "I just can’t live like this anymore. I can’t." He was starting to shake now. "I’m an awful person and a murderer and a coward and I know the world will be better off without me in it." He was sobbing so hard he could hardly breathe. "I’m a monster."

"Even monsters deserve to live," Franz said quietly. "Please Al, will you put the gun down?" 

Aldon hesitated. One moment. Two. He was so close to ending everything. Finding some sort of peace. But Franz was here and he was kind and patient and was one of the few people who might actually understand his pain. Aldon lowered the pistol and set it in his lap. 

"I’m just so sad," he whispered and then Franz’s arms were around him like they would never let go and Aldon dropped his head to Franz’s shoulder and cried. He wrapped his arms around his friend like an anchor. 

"We’ll figure this out Al, I promise," Franz whispered into his ear.

"How?" Aldon asked.

"Together."

Taglist: @thecitythatdoesntsleep @whump-cravings @thecyrulik @neverthelass @michelleswhumpyreblogs @whumpsydaisy @the-monarch-whumperfly @aswallowimprisoned @secretwhumplair @whumpzone @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @nicolepascaline @susiequaz12 @princessofonwardsworld @itsleighlove @pumpkin-spice-whump @wiwinia @sunflower1000 @whump-blog @blushing-snail @melancholy-in-the-morning @suspicious-whumping-egg @whumpsday @ceph-the-writing-spook @inkkswhumpandstuff @whumpycries @honey-is-mesi @quietly-by-myself @darlingwhump

[thesolferino]

True Calling

⤷ dream x f!reader.

⤷ word count: 3.9k

⤷ requested: yes, by this lovely anon!

— summary: dream meets his favorite singer on an among us livestream.

“Dude, what could go wrong? Just do it.”

“What could go wrong?! Literally so many things, you ass.” 

Dream heard Sapnap sigh through the mic right into his headphones, the dim grey of his Discord background doing barely anything to illuminate his features as he stared at his open messages blankly.

“First of all, don’t.. speak to me like that, I am doing you a favour by sitting here and listening to you panic about stupid shit. Second of all, nothing big could go wrong. What, you’re a little awkward in the beginning, maybe, and that’s it.” Dream adjusted his headphones a little bit, Sapnap’s rant flowing into his ears but dissipating somewhere halfway to his brain, because, yes, things could go wrong and he can’t be proven otherwise.

“Did you forget that I’m a public figure? And that my fans are insane? I say one wrong thing and it’ll be memed and haunt me in my dreams. Did you forget that SHE’s a public figure? And that this is live? God…” he retorts back, listening to Sapnap helplessly sigh once again in response. He anxiously switches from his Discord to Twitter, then to YouTube, to Twitch and then back to Discord, frantically clicking around. In reality, he knows Sapnap is right, and it’s anxiety whispering into his ear that he’s gonna somehow fuck up, but maybe it’s simply easier to stay and argue with him into the night instead of actually responding to that message.

The stream is still going. Quackity’s voice speaks over Sapnap’s quiet breathing. “Damn, he’s still not responding. Um, let me try Tubbo, maybe?” 

Before he knows it, the opportunity to join the stream is slipping out of his fingers, and Dream isn’t sure if he’s happy about that or not. On one hand, he gets to meet one of his favorite artists whose album he’s played way too many times to count, and on the other, the chances of him embarrassing himself in front of that same artist and a hundred thousand other people are extremely high, and he’s not sure if he likes the odds of that.

“Man, I don’t know. You won’t listen to me, anyway. Don’t join if you don’t want to.” Dream hears the annoyed tinge in Sapnap’s voice, and that’s what pours the last bit of courage into his veins because the best way to do anything in life is to follow Sapnap’s advice after you’ve already irritated him to the point of defeat, and he murmurs a quick “bye” and hangs up before the other can even respond, typing a rapid “Sure, send me the VC link” back to Quackity. 

He hears a delighted exhale coming from his Twitch tab just as Quackity forwards him the link. “Okay, nevermind, we’ve got Dream! He’ll join in a second.” 

With that, he swiftly closes the Twitch tab and with an encouraging sip of water, he finally joins the Discord voice chat with the rest of the players. Your Discord image sticks out like a sore thumb to him despite being a super basic, Googleable picture of you that he’s probably seen a million times by now, and upon seeing it, reality slaps him right over the face and he realises that, oh shit, he actually joined.

“Hey everyone.” Dream speaks into the mic and a mix of excited voices greets him at the same time as he loads up the game. Your icon is missing the green halo. He stares at it, as if you’ll magically speak up if he stares long and hard enough. That, apparently, works.

Pokimane’s “Dream, hi!” seems to set something off in your brain, and you speak again.

“Oh, Dream?” the green halo appears, and Dream resists the urge to say something stupid or bite his hand or anything of the sort when you say his name. “Aren’t you the guy who listens to my music all the time?” you giggle.

Quackity laughs loudly in his usual fashion, and Dream feels his hands go cold as the Among Us loading page pops up. “Wh-huh?” 

“Yeah, you-you listen to my music a lot! Your fans always tag me under that… ‘Dream’s Spotify’ Twitter account, I remember you.” Dream swears his heart is about to jump out of his chest and start bouncing around on the floor because his ribs are way too restrictive for that type of movement, but he tries his best to play it cool and laughs lightheartedly.

“I do! I’m, like, your biggest fan.” he grins, as if you can see him, and you laugh in return.

“Yeah, man, you pay my rent. Thanks.” you say and a couple of people laugh while Dream inputs the code and his character finally pops up, immediately running around like the rest of the group. He runs around your purple character and hears you chuckle as you run around him too, but not for long, because the game starts and everyone mutes themselves. He audibly sighs, because he can afford to, considering he’s not streaming and nobody can hear the amount of courage this whole thing is taking him. 

A notification pops up on his screen - the Dream Team group chat seems to be talking. Must’ve already found some way to make fun of me, he thinks to himself as he huffs out a large breath and runs through cafeteria and weapons to do his tasks in navigation. Corpse is hot on his tail the whole time, and not to say he’s an untrustworthy guy, but Dream isn’t really looking forward to getting killed before even speaking to you properly, so he runs around, trying to find somebody to stick with so Corpse doesn’t shove a knife in his back while he’s doing a task. 

Thankfully, Karl emerges somewhere from the direction of storage right into communications where Dream was going, too. Just as Dream starts finishing download and Corpse and Karl line up behind him, his screen flashes bright red and white and the bold letters “Dead body reported” pop up. Everyone unmutes themselves and his eyes bore into your character, immediately.

“Alright, the body was in top left of the… uh, upper engine. I need everyone’s positions.” Rae immediately spoke.

“I was in electrical, I-I went through cafeteria to the upper engine with Poki, there was nobody there, we did our tasks, went down to lower engine, then Poki left with Toast, and I went to electrical and the body was reported.” Sykkuno said, and Pokimane confirmed with a hum of agreement.

“Dream?” Rae asked, and he spoke up.

“I never even went that way, I went through weapons to nav, and then to communications, and then the body was found. Corpse can vouch for me because he was following me the entire time and I kinda thought he was gonna kill me. And Karl saw me in communications, us three were all together when you… reported the body.” He rambled, trying to defend himself.

“Yeah, it’s true, he was with me the whole time.” Corpse supported.

“Karl, which way did you get to communications?” Toast asked.

“Uh, through storage.” Karl replied quickly.

“That’s funny, ‘cause I was in security, and I could swear I saw you walk past.” Toast said, and a couple of “ooh”s echo through the call.

“That makes no sense because even if I did go that way, I wouldn’t have time to get to communications and start doing my task with Dream and Corpse if I killed Ethan! And Rae, you-you saw me do my task in storage!” Karl loudly defended himself.

“...that… that’s true, yeah.” she said.

“If you ask me, Toast, you’re being real sus for lying about that.” Karl threw it back at Toast, who protested.

“Listen, I didn’t say you killed anybody, I just said I saw someone run past!” he claimed.

“Bretman and Y/N are being real quiet, though.” Corpse points out, and the green halo around your icon lights up once again.

“Oh shit, I didn’t realise I was muted. Sorry, guys.” you laughed. “Um, I was with… Quackity, in… what’s that shit on the right called?”

“O2.” Quackity quickly jumped in.

“Right, O2. I went to… top left, first, and I did my tasks there, and then to weapons and then to O2, and then the body was reported.”

“You were in top left?” Rae repeated.

“Yeah.”

“And was there anyone with you?”

“Um… no? I was alone, and then I saw Quackity in top right, and then we went to, uh, O2 together.” you said and Corpse sighed loudly.

“That means she could’ve had the time to kill Ethan and run.” Toast points out.

“Hey! I didn’t kill anyone! I don’t even know how this game works…” you whined into the mic and Quackity laughed.

“Yeah, I dunno Y/N, you were dancing real suspiciously around me…” he said, causing you to defend yourself louder.

“Why would I kill anyone?! I don’t even know how to do that, I’m a nice person!”

“I don’t think she did it, guys.” Dream pipes up, tugging at the wire of his headphones absentmindedly.

“Shut up, you simp.” Quackity fires back instantly, making everyone in the call laugh, including Dream.

“Damn right, I’m a Y/N simp. She can do no wrong. I mean, look at that innocent face! She did nothing, I’m-I’m sure.” He argued, making you cover your mouth and giggle.

“Their face is literally the same as everyone’s! We’re all astronauts!” Rae protested, but Dream kept shaking his head.

“No, hers is more innocent.” he said. “Toast, why are you so set on accusing everyone, anyway?”

“Oh, you’re so not attacking Toast right now-”

“Guys, I think we should skip.” Sykkuno pipes up to calm the conversation, and everyone agrees, even though most of them mumble “sus” under their breath as soon as they mute their mics.

Dream’s tiny green astronaut stomps his way over to the left side immediately, changing paths this time and making his way into the Upper Engine, trying to finish his tasks in time and possibly find someone to accompany him so he at least doesn’t have to argue over his alibi. He had four tasks left, two of them in Upper Engine, so after that he was free to roam around wherever his heart desired. Just as he started doing one of them, he watched your purple character step in and run circles around him, earning you a quiet laugh that he didn’t know he uttered until he heard himself do it and silently scolded himself for getting that flustered at something so simple.

The two of you did your tasks together before going down to reactor. Just as Dream started doing one of his tasks, a dead body was reported again and he unmuted himself as Toast immediately started borderline yelling into his headphones. 

“Bretman just killed Sykkuno RIGHT in front of me. I literally watched him do it. He killed Sykkuno in COLD BLOOD.” he confidently claimed and Dream, quite uninterested, grabbed his bottle of water and lightly sipped on it, wiping beads of sweat resting right above his eyebrows with his forearm, blindly looking around the darkness, trying to get his eyes to adjust looking away from the computer screen. His eyes searched for the window - it was open, just enough to let a fresh breeze inside, but it never seemed to do that, letting humid air in with open arms like a welcome guest. Florida is fucking hell, he thinks, gulping down some more water.

“No, I didn’t! I seriously did not, he’s the one who killed him and is trying to frame me now. I swear to God, Toast…” Bretman shouted into his worn mic, trying to argue back. 

“Yeah, to be honest, Bretman, you were silent the whole time when Ethan died.” Rae reasoned, earning quite a lot of “ooh”s and causing little “voted” signs to appear next to Poki, Toast and Karl’s names as Bretman tried his best to fight back.

“I didn’t know I was muted the whole time! You know I’m bad at this! Why would I... you know what, nevermind! Vote me! Vote me! You’ll see when Toast kills you all, I don’t care anymore. I literally saw-”

Dream slumps further into his chair, sure that the foam would have a dent of his body shape imprinted even when he’s long gone from it, and unlocks his phone with a quiet sigh. He opens Discord, and wishes he hadn’t, because Sapnap and George are always on the front lines and ready to make fun of him at any chance possible. He types back a stupid joke, calling them losers, but before he can press send, a Twitter notification pops up on his phone that almost makes his painfully sweaty hands lose grip of the phone. 

“this is so boring” your message reads, from your official Twitter account. Dream blinks a few times, and looks up from his phone to observe his murky, empty room, eyes flashing from the window to the ripped chocolate bar wrapper that somehow made its way onto the floor to a cup of coffee from this afternoon. Did the humid air finally get to him? Hallucinations?

He clicks on the notification - it proves to not be a product of his imagination, after all. Three dots dance around on his screen cheerfully, but they suddenly stop. His ears tune in. Bretman is still defending his honor. Something else must’ve interrupted you. His shaky hands barely hit the right letters.

He takes a handful of screenshots amidst his euphoria, and forwards them to the group chat with no caption besides an emoji sticking its tongue out - he wants to tell them to suck his dick, or something along those lines, but your message remains a priority as he rushes back to the Twitter app to reply.

“Right” he manages to write without a typo. “They’re annoying”

Three dots immediately return to his screen like a happy memory, and he almost can’t believe you’re texting back so fast. George would probably humble him by saying it’s because you have nothing better to do, but what George doesn’t know can’t hurt him, Dream supposes, and clicks on your profile instinctively as he adjusts his headphones on one ear. By the time you finish typing your message, the group decided to vote out Bretman, who ended up not being an imposter.

The three dots disappear as quick as they came, and so does the anticipation that bubbled up in Dream’s throat as he sourly leaves to finish the rest of his tasks. The rest of the game stays as boring as it started, save for the giggles and hushed laughter that came from you at every few jokes he made - of which he made quite a lot, in a desperate attempt to make you laugh, at least a little bit. Of course, Quackity was there every step of the way to accidentally mention how Dream sounded a lot more hype and alive during this game than he does ever, but you win some, you lose some, eh?

In the next game you actually decided to set up proximity chat, so of course Dream followed you around everywhere, hot on your tail at all times - what else is he supposed to do, when the chance presented itself, really?

“Are you imposter?” His character obnoxiously ran circles around you as you did your wires task slowly and unsurely since this stream was your first time playing.

“No, but I wouldn’t tell you even if I was, dummy.” You replied, running around his own character briefly before running up to do the rest of your tasks, watching the green astronaut follow you close behind. 

“Why not?” Dream questioned, eyes following all your movements since he didn’t have anything better to do considering he finished all his tasks. 

“Do you not know how this game works?”

“Yeah, but you’d tell me, right? I wouldn’t… rat you out.” He heard a sigh coming through his headphones in response, and his grin widened just a little, watching your character walk away from him.

“I know you wouldn’t.” you replied. “I’ll tell you if I’m imposter, I guess.”

“You wouldn’t kill me, would you?” Dream spoke into his mic, reaching to fix it and realising the way his hand trembled a little, fully aware he was walking the line between flirty and obnoxious more than usual. He lowered his gaze just to see his keyboard reflect the light of the computer back to him - the sweat from his palms seemed to seep onto the keyboard. He refused to think about the mocking things his best friends would say if they found out how nervous he was just to talk to you. 

“No, of course not! I wouldn’t be able to kill you.” You chirped just as a dead body was discovered and the two of you were torn from the conversation. 

In the next one, his screen flashed an ominous black and red with the word “Impostor” and your purple character stood proudly next to his green one, and he snickered to himself, adjusting his headphones one more time (the more he did it, the more he was convinced it was one of those anxious habits of his).

Shifting in his chair, he started moving and couldn’t believe his eyes when he realised the two of you managed to lock yourselves in a room with Corpse and Sykkuno, accomplishing a double kill in barely the first two minutes of the game. The two of you vented while Dream muttered curses under his breath, breaking out in a sweat wondering if you’re going to get caught or not as you casually hummed to a random tune while faking tasks, hitting the notes in such an effortless way that it made Dream relax and get even more nervous at the same time. It didn’t take too long before the body was found, and you seemed to adapt to the game very quickly, as Dream just sat back most of the time and watched you stretch out a whole essay on why you and Dream could NOT have been imposters. 

“Why would they stick together the whole time? Couldn’t they get at least someone else to vouch for them?” Toast complained. 

“Girl, Dream wants some… alone time with Y/N, obviously.” Bretman said, despite being the one most sus of you in the first place, forcing laughter out of the whole lobby, Dream’s sticking out the most as his mood constantly swayed from finding the whole thing funny to being worried sick if you actually find him weird.

“Exactly! And we’re gonna have our alone time if we want to, thank you very much.” 

Well, Dream thinks, taking a stressed gulp of water from his bottle, at least we cleared that one up.

“I don’t think that sounded the way you wanted it to, Y/N.” Karl pipes up, making Quackity burst into another fit of loud laughter, and you immediately protested.

“It sounded exactly the way I wanted it to! Now, vote Rae or else.” 

When the meeting was over, he ran after you through cafeteria, grin splitting out on his face before he even spoke.

“You’re pretty…” his silence extended as he watched your character stare at his. “...pretty smart.”

You snorted. “Right. You’re pretty…” you extended your silence in return, mocking him. “...too.”

His heart jumps. “You forgot a word there.” he says as you stomp out to storage.

“I said what I said, Dreamy.” 

He swears this can’t be healthy for his blood pressure. In the corner of his eye, Discord notifications pop up like crazy. The boys must be watching your stream. His heart swells with both pride and dread, knowing he’s about to be called something along the lines of pretty Dreamy for the next two months.

“How do you know I’m pretty? You’ve never even seen my face.” Dream replies as heat creeps up like a spirit rising from soil, from the back of his neck, seeping into his ears and cheeks somewhat equally. His eyes dart to the window again. Of course it’s the stupid Florida weather that has him burning up, flustered. Maybe he should open another window.

“Is this an invitation to see it?” you say, a teasing tone clinging off your voice and he can practically hear you smiling. 

“No, I’m just saying! If you want to see it, though, that… that can be arranged.” he bites his lip as a physical attempt of holding back the smile that breaks out as he waits for your response, chest puffing in both nervousness and odd confidence.

“Can it? I mean, I don’t need to see it, I just know already, you have those… pretty boy vibes. But I wouldn’t…” you chuckle. “...be opposed to seeing it, for sure. Don’t count on me not to leak the pictures, though. I want the clout.”

“What do you MEAN you want the clout, you’re Y/N! You don’t need clout from a Minecraft YouTuber!” He argues back, a small wheeze escaping him mid sentence as you giggle and run around, with him following your every move.

“You keep my fucking lights on, man! Whenever your Spotify Twitter account thingy tweets that you’re listening to my stuff, the streams go up! I need your clout.” you say as you run into admin and snap Toast’s neck and run back out casually, as if nothing happened. 

“Yeah, that’s how me listening to your songs on repeat works.” he says and you let out some sort of irritated groan.

“Shut up, smartass.” Just as you say that, somebody seems to find the body and you’re pulled into a meeting, where Rae susses both of you immediately.

“No, because both of you are always together! And someone always spots you walking by the place where the bodies are found! At some point that can’t be a coincidence, right?” she accuses, practically yelling into the mic.

“Of course they’re always together, check- check fuckin’ Twitter! They’re trending on like three different spots already!” Quackity jumps in, loud as always, and the lobby gives off mixed reactions.

“What? We are?” Dream asks, and Quackity confirms with a “yeah, man! Check!” and so he complies, quickly pulling out his phone to check the trending tabs. Sure enough, among the politics and sports, “DREAM Y/N”, “PRETTY BOY” and “DREAM FACE” are crammed, sat at 7th, 14th and 18th place, respectfully. A satisfied grin breaks out on his face. At least they see it, too.

“This has to be the first time Dream has trended for something heterosexual.” Karl points out, earning loud laughter from Quackity and Bretman, less loud on your part.

“Exactly! We’re a power couple! Stay mad!” You shouted, with Dream supporting you in the background, although still shyly adjusting his headphones every few seconds, unable to comprehend that oh, this is actually happening.

Both of you get voted out during the next few minutes, but that really means nothing to Dream - they actually do him quite a favor, because the two of you get to excuse yourselves and he sees those three familiar dots dance on his screen again as he leans back into his chair with a dopey grin, playing with the strings of his sweatpants, waiting for your next and next and next message. 

He opens Discord on his computer to type one last message into the groupchat before turning it off for the night:

Dream (03:14): maybe Minecraft wasn’t my calling after all

Dream (03:14): can’t believe I just met my soulmate on Among Us

[ladyylesbian]

communication trials part two

pairing: natasha romanoff x fem!reader

summary: r deals with the aftermath of breaking up with natasha and figuring out how to move forward with her choices

warnings: anxiety, panic attacks, angst to happy ending

word count: 1396

a/n: honestly not in love with this but i hope you like it

you do not have permission to translate/repost my works anywhere! all mistakes are mine and mine alone. likes, comments, and reblogs are always welcome & appreciated <3

GIF by whatelsecanwedonow

part one

“I think we should break up.”

It had been a few days since you muttered those words to Natasha. Instantly you regretted opening your mouth. Knowing that saying those words would cause all the trust you had spent months building with Natasha to break. You had gone out of your way to avoid her knowing that if you saw her face then everything you’ve worked on pushing down over the last few days would come out.

To make matters worse, tonight was the night of Tony’s party. A party nobody else knew was being thrown to celebrate your birthday. If it was up to you then nobody would know your birthday. There was nothing appealing left to celebrate. You were tired of crying on your birthday. You are tired of the disappointment and heartbreak that fills each one. This was all you could think of as you pulled out the first thing you saw from your closet.

As you were standing in front of the mirror and smoothing out the outfit you put on there was a soft knock at your door. Panic flowed through your body as you walked towards the bedroom door. Pausing for a moment to gather yourself you glanced down towards the floor taking a deep breath and saying a quick and quiet message to yourself under your breath, “you can do this”.

The last person you would have expected was waiting on the other side of the door.

“Nat? What are you doing here?”

“I thought you could use someone to walk down with” the redhead said uncharacteristically shyly.

You glance at her eyes then your gaze falls down to her held out hand. Your mind is racing with thoughts. Completely unsure if you should accept the comfort your now ex girlfriend is offering. The comfort you so badly missed and really needed in this moment. Your hand slowly went to take hold of her own hand before you suddenly remembered she isn’t your comfort anymore. You gave that up.

“I’m fine. I’ll be down in a second” a pained look came across your and the redheads face simultaneously.

Watching her hand fall back to her side was another punch to your gut. Turning around and closing the bedroom door you walk in front of the mirror yet again taking a moment to calm yourself from seeing Natasha again. She was just as beautiful and strong as she has always been. It was relieving to know that she was not breaking the same way you were. You could feel the tears starting to make their way into your eyes, so you look up and blink them away.

As you’re walking down the hallway towards the elevator you notice Natasha is still there. Your chest tightens a little as you make your way closer towards her. The button to call the elevator was already lit up so you decided to stare forward attempting to ignore the redhead. Thankfully it was mere seconds before there was a ding followed by the elevator doors opening.

The two of you were standing shoulder to shoulder until half way down Natasha turned to you. She had looked you up and down and silently begged you to acknowledge her presence. You made an audible sigh before mirroring her stance.

“Can I help you, Nat?” you spoke with a fake underlying tone of annoyance.

“I know what’s bothering you. Did you forget that I’m a trained spy? More important than that, did you forget that I love you? You could have talked to me!” the redhead said increasing in volume.

You couldn’t help but stare at her with your mouth open. The last thing you expected was for Natasha to actually find out what was going on with you for the past couple weeks. Your heart felt like it could have beaten out of your chest and part of you wished it had. The entire reasoning you had to break up with Natasha would crumble away if you had this conversation. You would have broken your own heart for no reason. Every ounce of pain and sadness would have been for nothing. Now you knew it was for nothing because Natasha knew, she knew everything. You open and close your mouth a few times trying to find the correct words to say back. Instead you only managed to say a few panicked words, “I- how- who told you? Tony?”

The redhead tried to stifle a laugh but failed causing you to frown. She noticed this and quickly went to grab ahold of your hands.

“You, my love, you told me. Your actions and your words. Ever since that briefing, I should have noticed faster. I should have talked to you. You had been screaming it for weeks and I couldn’t hear you. I am so sorry I wasn’t listening to you earlier” Natasha spoke with extreme softness and love in her voice as if you could have shattered simply from hearing her words.

Slowly you remove your hands from Natasha’s grasp and she thinks she’s blown any chance she had to get you back. As you place your hand onto her cheek looking deeper into her eyes than you ever had before you notice the surprised look on her face. For just a moment the pair of you are the only two people in the world, that elevator is the only place you want to be. Standing so close to each other you can feel her chest brush against your own with every inhale. Your desire to push your lips against hers becomes so overwhelming you can’t help but to start leaning in. Then you hear the ding and the sound of elevator doors opening announcing the arrival at the main floor.

“I’m so sorry Nat” you sputter out quickly, stepping backwards and rushing out of the elevator not bothering to look back at the woman you have left behind yet again.

The rest of the night consists of dodging almost anyone who wants to speak with you out of fear of anyone saying happy birthday to you or more importantly anyone overhearing someone else saying happy birthday to you. All your attempts at running for safety in the corners of the giant rooms are constantly getting squashed by a different avenger pulling you back to the center of the room where the music is so loud you can feel it under your feet.

Once you’ve been dancing for a while is when over the speakers you hear Tony starting to make an announcement, “Thank you for coming everyone! I am not sure if many people know the true reason for this party but it’s for someone who’s very special and incredibly important to me.” You feel your heart is starting to race, your hands starting to feel clammy, your head is starting to spin, and you’re shifting your weight between your feet. All you want is for the floor to swallow you whole. Anything to get you out of this situation that makes you feel so vulnerable.

Only when you feel your feet starting to trip over each other do you realize there’s a soft hand holding onto your arm dragging you away from the center of the room towards the back door. Forcing yourself out of the mental fog you look up to see the same red hair that has saved you many times before.

The moment she’s dragged you through the door your back is against the wall. After taking a few seconds to calm yourself down from your previously fast approaching panic attack you try and find those green eyes that make you feel the safest in the world.

“Are you okay?” Natasha asks, finally meeting your gaze. The tears in your eyes causing her to feel stupid over asking a ridiculous question. Still she waits for your reply. Hoping to hear anything other than the slightly muffled speech Tony is making. Your body shrinks slightly before you decide to stop running. Your quick glance down to Natasha’s lips doesn’t go unnoticed by the redhead. She makes a sharp inhale before giving you a small nod, that’s all it took for you to lean in again for the second time that night. Right as your lips reach her lips you hear, “everyone please wish Y/N a happy birthday!” and you deepen the kiss.

[kiyosamu]

painful reminders

(part 1/3)

——— ♡ ———

pairing: suna rintaro x female reader

genre: angst to comfort

cw: brief mentions and descriptions of assault (not from suna, not domestic violence), reader experiences post-traumatic stress, panic, anxiety

——— ♡ ———

“hey, i’m here now. you’re safe.”

the words echoed in your mind for a few seconds too long. you were hardly able to register their meaning while under the influence of your deep fear. you felt nothing but dread; impending pain and horror that you were sure was coming at any moment.

——— ♡ ———

suna slumped his body on the window of the train, trying to contort his larger than average build into a position comfortable enough to get a few moments of rest before arriving at his stop.

“attention passengers. there is a situation and we need to make an emergency stop at the next station. please gather your belongings and file out of the train as soon as we arrive.”

weird, he thought. must be another petty robbery. maybe someone refusing to get off of the tracks, or something exciting, like a mass murderer.

suna caught himself just as he had the thought, stopping his process immediately.

he shook his head, unimpressed at his ability to appear removed and disinterested no matter the situation. not to mention the scenarios running through his mind; scenarios that would terrify any sane person with an ounce of emotion no matter who they were.

suna scoffed and sat up to grab his bag.

of course, he knew it was nothing like that. that’s probably why he didn’t stay in his head and scare himself with anything further. why bother upsetting yourself by simply letting your mind run away from you? stupid, he thought. he never understood overthinkers. not only was it not productive, but it was exhausting.

thankfully, this station was only about a ten minute walk from the next, the one he was supposed to get off at. even though he was coming home from a tiring practice, the athlete never seemed to run out of stamina.

suna squinted as bright blue and red lights lit up the dark streets. rain began to pour and suna cursed his odds. the forecast predicted only a 10% chance of rain, and he just so happened to be getting caught in that unlucky percentage when he had to walk even further just to get back home.

he groaned and pushed his hair out of his face. the rain soaked his clothes, his sweatpants and shirt clinging to his body. suna felt disgusting and suddenly the thought of a hot shower was even more appealing than the leftover onigiri he had waiting in his fridge.

just as another thought of self pity was about to cross his mind, another police car flew by him.

must be pretty bad, wonder what happened..

that thought was as far as his curiosity went. if it was major, he’d probably hear about it on the news or in the paper. if not, well, it really was none of his business.

as he turned down the next street, he saw four police cars all blocking off the station. police tape sectioned off the area and officers stood with their arms crossed and chests pushed out as other vehicles pulled in.

he blinked a few times, taking in the scene for a second before realizing he’d stopped walking. suna brought himself back to reality and stared at the ground with his hands in his pockets. while he was shamelessly nosy as a teenager, he’d grown into quite the reserved young adult who knew how to mind his business.

unfortunately, that new trait flew out the window the second he heard a familiar voice.

——— ♡ ———

“officer, please. he said he’d come back for me, i don’t feel safe going home… i don’t have family here, i don’t have anywhere else to stay-“

“look. you’re just scared, but you’re not injured.” the man stared down at you with an emotionless glare. “there’s nothing more we can do for you. the suspect assaulted two other women and they’re cooperating. why are you asking us for more when we’ve done everything we can so far?”

his voice was as cold as your quickly declining temperature, the rain soaking through your t-shirt and causing you to shiver.

“he.. he held a knife to my throat. there’s-“ you lifted your hand to lightly trace the marks on your neck that had been squeezed in place only an hour before. “he said he was going to kill me but…” you trailed off, the night’s events playing over and over in your mind with no indication of stopping the endless repeat. “but then he saw the lights and ran. he said he’d be back for me…”

the officer sighed.

“criminals often utter threats to make their victims submit to their words and give in. they want to commit their crimes as quickly as possible. we’ve gone over this, you didn’t know him. he doesn’t know anything about you-“

“but what if he does?!” you shouted, tears streaming down your cheeks before you’d even realized you were crying.

“listen ma’am, you need to calm down-“ the officer grabbed your wrist and you ripped it away from him, covering your mouth and staring in disbelief at the officer. you were in shock. you couldn’t process what was going on, let alone what had happened. you didn’t know what to do.

you froze as you felt an arm around your shoulder. a familiar voice spoke your name with tenderness and a low, empathetic tone that you’d never heard from him.

“i’ll take her home, officer. she’s my neighbour.”

while that was true, you were still surprised at the gesture. rintaro suna had been your neighbour for 3 years. the two of you were friendly; you’d been to each other’s homes a handful of times and sometimes would share a meal or drop off some food that was too much for one person.

you were both single, living alone in your apartments. although you weren’t super close, you always felt like he was a friend. a slightly distant, reserved, quiet friend, but a friend nonetheless.

the two men exchanged words for what felt like an eternity before suna squeezed you closer to him, guiding you out of the area and walking you towards your apartment.

you opened your mouth to say something. anything. even just a greeting, a thank you for the escort home.

when you stopped walking, he stayed close to you and looked down at your expression.

you opened your mouth to say something but the moment you did, you relived the traumatizing situation once again and fell into a deep panic.

“i-i-… no-n..” your words broke as you felt your body shaking. the cold rain was doing nothing to help your condition, and if you could describe it in any way, it was like losing control of your own sanity. you felt the panic wash over you as the phantom pressure of the knife pressed against your windpipe - your mind quite literally putting you in a choke hold.

“hey. i’m here now, you’re safe.”

the words echoed in your mind for a few seconds too long. you were hardly able to register their meaning while under the influence of your deep fear. you felt nothing but dread; impending pain and horror that you were sure was coming at any moment.

suna wrapped his arms around you protectively. he didn’t know why, he didn’t even really know what was going on, but he knew that all he wanted to do in that moment was to prevent anything further from hurting you.

you clutched at his hand and dug your nails into his skin. you didn’t mean to, you didn’t even realize you were doing it. suna would be lying if he said it didn’t hurt, but he ignored it and held you close against him until you felt like you were okay to walk again.

when you caught your breath, you pulled his hand away from your face.

“i’m sorry… i don’t know what happened.” you choked out.

“you had a panic attack.” he said quietly. “we don’t need to talk about anything right now, though, okay? let me get you home. you went through something horrible and you’re freezing cold. it’s just a little more up the road, can you make it?”

you nodded, dropping your hands to your side and suna instinctively held onto the one closest to him.

“i’m scared to stay in my apartment… alone…” you whispered.

“you can stay with me.” suna said this with more certainty than suggestion. if anything, it was a statement. he was planning on having you stay over or even him staying at yours. whatever worked, he just didn’t want you to be alone and he knew you had nobody else to call.

he had never planned to get involved in your personal business like this. he didn’t want to be the weird neighbour, and he already worried if bringing you food some nights would make you uncomfortable.

those thoughts were always put to rest whenever you smiled at him and graciously accepted his gestures. your warm smile and the way your cheeks made your eyes squint when you were really happy was an image he’d always have trouble shaking out of his head for the following days.

suna snuck a glance at you as the two of you started to walk again. your smile that he swore could light up an entire city was nowhere to be seen.

he would do anything to see that smile on your face right now.

you looked like a shell of what you once were. he knew that you’d experienced something traumatic, but seeing you like this made him feel something hard in his chest.

you didn’t deserve that.

a painful squeeze developed deep inside him when he thought of what your face must have looked like when it had happened. a sweet girl who seemed to always bring out the bright side in any situation. you’d made him sweets (that he secretly broke his athletic diet for) when he’d lost an important game, and always made him smile whenever he saw you.

it was different right now. he felt anxious. he squeezed your hand in his and you didn’t even flinch, didn’t even seem to notice as you looked ahead with a blank stare.

on the other end, his touch alone was enough to give you the tiniest bit of comfort. it wasn’t much, and you were still scared, but it was enough to get you home.

——— ♡ ———

part 1 | part 2 (in progress) | part 3 (in progress)

[fruitcoops]

Can I please ask for some protective Cubs and/or Coops. I adore these boys and I love the fics where they always have each other’s backs. It could be a similar situation to Remus and that Stan guy or something different. No pressure or anything and if you don’t vibe with this prompt don’t stess bestie

Yes, I love protective Lions! For the anon whose meds got mixed up: I'm so sorry that happened, and I hope this provides the comfort you were looking for in the form of Cub lovin' <3 SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

TW for panic attacks, forgetting to eat a healthy meal

It was Sirius who noticed first. Then Remus. Then Finn.

He was still kicking himself over that one, to be honest.

Sirius moved like a solid wall, murmuring in quiet French as he led Logan out of the gym and into the hall with Remus hot on their heels. A pang hit Finn right in the heart—I want to understand, he thought, fervent and afraid as he set the jump rope down. I would build the Tower of Babel again to understand how to help.

His pulse picked up; sweat itched at his forehead even after he stopped exercising. “Something’s wrong,” Leo said under his breath as they hurried into the hall.

Obviously, Finn bit back. He should have known since the second Logan started snapping his fingers in a nervous tic, should have seen the fucking signs—

“Everything alright?” James asked cautiously from the weight bench where he laid. “Did someone get hurt?”

“Just—just hang on a second.”

“Respire.” Sirius sat crosslegged across from Logan, whose eyes were squeezed shut as he leaned his head against the wall about ten feet from the door. “Logan, respire.”

A gentle but firm hand moved Finn out of the way by his shoulder; Remus slipped past them with a cup of water. “Drink this,” he ordered as he took Logan’s twitching hand between his own. “Open your eyes if you can.”

“Gonna throw up,” Logan managed, his voice high and reedy.

“Lo?” Finn’s mouth was dry. Logan hadn’t had a panic attack since their last year at Harvard together—he barely remembered what to do.

Logan’s chest caved at the sound of his voice, and one pale green eye cracked open to stare at him in sheer terror. “Finn. Finn, it’s happening, I don’t know what to do—”

“Move.” Finn’s throat hurt, but his brain kicked into autopilot. I can fix this. “Leo, get some damp paper towels from the break room. Cap, give him space.”

Leo disappeared from his stunned place by his side; after a moment’s hesitation, Sirius held his hands up and backed away. Logan was still gripping Remus’ hand with white knuckles. “How do I help?” Remus asked as soon as Finn knelt next to Logan.

“Grab some more water, and granola bars.” Slowly and deliberately, he reached up and cupped the side of Logan’s face. He had never allowed himself to do it at Harvard, but Logan always came back to himself quicker with a grounding touch. “Logan, can you look at me for a second?”

He shook his head. “Gonna throw up.”

“Alright.” With a shaky exhale, Logan leaned into his palm. “There you go, good job. Are you still dizzy?”

“Little bit.”

Past adrenaline rush, past collapsing, moving through dizziness. Finn ran through his mental checklist like it was just yesterday that Logan had crumbled after a bad game in from of scouts. “Cap was right, you need to breathe. I’ll do it with you, okay?”

He watched Logan’s chest move up and down, erratic at first before slowing to match Finn’s steady pace. Something damp and cool brushed against his free hand and he pressed the paper towel to Logan’s forehead, then kissed Leo’s cheek in gratitude as he sat down. “What happened, love?”

Logan swallowed hard and licked his lips, but his eyes were opening. “Dunno. I was almost at the end of my reps. I was fine.”

“Did you eat?” Sirius asked quietly to his left, waiting with his arms crossed. Despite his stance, he didn’t look angry.

“Bagel for breakfast. Coffee.”

His mouth tilted down. “That’s not enough.”

“Desole.”

“We’re not upset,” Finn assured him, sliding the makeshift washcloth to his temple. “Just worried.”

“It’s really warm in here,” Logan panted. His pupils had dilated so far they almost masked the green entirely. Past dizziness, into dehydration. “Is anyone else warm?”

Finn’s sweat was already cooling on his body as he handed him the water glass. “Drink.”

In twenty seconds, half of it was gone. A decent amount spilled over the front of Logan’s shirt from his shaking hands, but that didn’t seem to bother him. Leo’s whole face was lined with concern. “Better?”

“Oui.”

Finn glanced up at the others and gave them a quick nod. We’ve got him. Sirius squeezed his shoulder as he passed, and Remus passed him a couple energy bars before heading back into the gym. Logan’s breaths were coming easier; they waited in silence until the rest of the water was gone and his face regained some of its color. “You can’t skip breakfast on heavy workout days, Lo,” Finn said, folding his legs under himself. “You know that’s how these get triggered.”

“It’s been long enough that I thought I’d be alright.”

“Does this happen a lot with you?” Leo asked. Insecurity flickered over his face and Finn felt a stab of guilt.

Thankfully, Logan shook his head. “Not for a while. They used to, back in school.”

“Then why’d you skip breakfast if you knew it might happen?”

“I slept weird. Didn’t wake up hungry, and by the time I was, we had to go.”

“We can take another five or ten minutes to make sure you eat instead of having a panic attack.” Just to make that extremely clear, he added in his mind. “For future reference.”

Logan’s nose twitched as he looked toward the gym door. “Sorry for interrupting your practice.”

“Health comes first,” Leo said firmly. “Practice won’t ever be more important than your safety.”

“It’s our job—”

Finn held his hands up in a timeout motion. “Panic attacks aren’t something we fuck around with, remember? The guys will understand. Coach will understand. Besides, we’re your boyfriends. It’s our job to take care of you when you’re feeling shitty.”

Logan looked between them, sighed, and leaned forward to rest his forehead on both their shoulders. “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Leo said into the soft skin of his neck with a light kiss.

Finn rubbed small circles onto the back of his hand and buried his face Logan’s slightly-sweaty curls. “Love you, three. Ready to head back in?”

“Only if you’re ready for me to kick your ass in squats.”

Leo snorted. “Bold of you to assume Cap’s letting you near anything heavy for the next 24 hours.”

“That assumes he lets you in the gym at all,” Finn amended.

Logan rolled his eyes. “I’m fine.”

“And I’m sure he’ll believe you, after you’ve been cleared by every doctor in a four-mile radius.”

“I’ll make him let me in.”

“Now that I’d pay to see,” Finn laughed. He internally cheered at the rosy splotches of temper that lived a semi-permanent life on Logan’s cheeks.

Leo nodded. “A true battle of wills.”

Logan’s jaw ticked at the side. “You’re the worst boyfriends ever.”

“Nah, we’re just protecting you from your big bad older brother who is fully capable of banning you from the gym if you don’t play your cards right.” They heaved him to his feet by his hands; if Finn spent a little extra time dusting his back and thighs off, that was nobody’s business but their own.

“Are you done?” Logan asked with clear amusement written all over his face.

“I’m protecting the booty,” Finn said solemnly. Next to him, Leo fought a valiant battle against the grin trying to take over his face. “It’s a very important booty, you know.”

“Like you’d know, Pancake O’Hara.” With a playful smack to his—admittedly lacking, in comparison—rear end, Logan strolled back down the hall to the gym and pulled the door open.

“Yoga mats,” Sirius said without preamble. Leo clamped a hand over his mouth and hid his face in Finn’s shoulder.

“But—”

“Yoga mats. If you even breathe on the weights, I swear to god I’ll sit on you.”

“You’re the worst.”

“Love you, too.” Sirius narrowed his eyes down the hall. “You two have absolutely no excuse to chill out here. Congrats, Harzy, your rotation for the bench press just started. Knutty, Bliz is waiting for you by the ice baths.”

“Oh, god,” Leo groaned.

Even Sirius looked sympathetic as he moved aside to let Logan in. “It’s only fifteen minutes. You’ll sur—Logan, put that down!”

[oneoftheprettynerds]

Welcome To The Darkside: Dark!Steve x Reader (Mob AU)

Chapter 1 in the Lipstick and Crayons Series

A/N: I just posted a story I know but I’m in love with this idea right now and this is my favourite fic right now. It’s going to be a three or four part fic I think and your support in any form: like, comment or reblog is appreciated greatly. Here is a piece of my heart right here.

Warning: Eventual Non-Con, Sickening Threats, Mob Themes, Violence, Death, Manipulation, sort of Blood Kink I think, Cheap Tricks later.

Genres + Characters: Mob AU, Single Parents AU, Steve Rogers x Reader.

Summary: Steve can't ever repay you for what you did. After meeting you, Steve believes his broken family is the missing piece in the puzzle of your own wrecked one. Indebting the crime lord to you has been the biggest mistake of your life, cause now you can't get rid of him, no matter what. Loyalty and favours go a long way in the mob.

Chapter 1 : Welcome to The Darkside

The gunshots around you frightened you more than anything in your life ever had. The merry, joyful ambience of the carnival was ruined in an instant. Screams around you provoked your panic-stricken form to gather your wits and run or hide. It wasn’t just you caught up in this dreadful situation, there was also someone you’d protect at any cost.

Picking your daughter up and setting her on your hip, you looked around for the way out. Who would have thought that open grounds were hard to get out of? Another wave of terror ran through you when the gunshots audibly neared and the crowd ran in random directions.

You decided to go along the way you recognised the games and shops at. You ran as fast as you could, checking on Grace in between to find her looking curiously all around but still more intent on eating her cotton candy than inspecting. You couldn’t be more thankful for kids' oblivion than at that moment in time.

A bomb explosion up ahead in your path made you halt in your tracks because you knew some of the attackers were scouting there. Turning back wasn’t an option, neither was crying and you were sure you closer to the exit this way. Another blast behind you took away the option of you retracing your path. You weren’t considering it but it gave you little comfort to have your options open.

As the shrieks and screeches grew tenfold, your best bet was to hide, the assaulters had already surrounded the field, the chaos around you informed you. Jumping through innumerable dead bodies, of kids and adults that ached your heart, and dodging bullets while laying low, you went inside a photo booth to hide.

This will not be in vain; you’d protect Grace no matter what.

The curtain to the photo booth provided cover from predatory eyes while the rest of the metal booth was quite safe against bullets you concluded hopefully.

You were just looking for a weapon to prepare for any adversity that might come your way, when the sound of crunching of pebbles made their way to your ears.

Failing to find a weapon in few seconds you opted to attack the intruder yourself when a voice reached your ears, “Mama?”

You puzzled your eyebrows and lowered your defences by just a bit when a toddler stumbled inside the booth, blonde haired and blue eyed. You were definitely not this girl’s mama but you grabbed the kid’s forearm and pulled her inside, shushing her gently and seating her beside Grace on the sitting bench inside. You were thankful Grace entertained her by offering her the pink cloud of sweetness.

You peeked outside but failed to find anyone else in 20 metre radii of you, nobody resembling the wandering kid nor looking for one. You did not know what you would do with another kid in your hands in this dire situation nor was it a wise decision to bring her inside and take her under your wing but you did not have it in you to leave an unsuspecting child, a mere four or three-year-old at that, during a calamity so extreme.

Your maternal instincts governed your thought process, imagining Grace to be in her shoes, all alone and discarded while a possible terrorist attack was happening. The kids’ corpses lying outside gave you no doubt that these children’s fate would be the same if found by the attackers.

A small tug in your dress made you look back and you found the azure eyed kid at your feet, offering you the street food you bought earlier while hugging your leg and observing you. Grace munched in the back silently, still happily eating and unaware.

You kneeled and whispered, “What’s your name, honey?” Maybe the girl understood the urgency, maybe she was just mimicking you but even she murmured in a low voice, “Sarah.”

You nodded, “Sweetie, I need you to sit there quietly and make no sounds, okay? We are playing a staying quiet game.” That was a stupid thing to ask of a kid but you hoped, you really, really hoped she would comply.

Her eyes widened in recognition of something as she eagerly asked, still in a hushed mumble, “Like I does for Dada in meekings?”

“Yes, you smart kiddo. Exactly that.” You replied with what you hoped was a convincing smile and ruffled her hair while nudging her towards her former seat. With kids, you knew a little encouragement went a long way to get them to do things. She whispered an ‘okay Mama’ and went about and sat.

You didn’t get to enjoy her obedience as the thud of pebbles crunching met your ears again. Your breath hitched; your intuition told you that this was not another kid confusing you for its parent.

Your eyes found a discarded piece of metal rod from the booth’s wrecked framework. You grabbed and hoped for the best, to save both the kids at your ability’s mercy.

Steve only saw red. The moment the first shot sounded in the air, he knew whom the assailants were, whom they were coming for. Going out tonight was a bad idea, a really reckless one indeed but when his daughter started bawling seeing the carnival’s lights from the car and wanted to get up and close, he couldn’t say no. He really tried to though, he really did.

It hadn’t been even a year since his wife died, but the father-daughter duo was getting by. He knew his wife took his daughter to the carnival and bought her things, toys and teddies, on every birthday of her own. It was a ritual his wife started, spending her birthday with her little offspring during the daylight and going out for a romantic dinner at the end of the day with her dear spouse. If only things could still be that way, could still stay the same.

When his wife turned out to be an elaborate spy all along, he was baffled. His professional side was, dare he say, impressed by the commitment to character but his personal side was beyond disappointed, disheartened in the worst way because his daughter was his most precious asset in this cruel world and that gift was given by such a treacherous person.

She begged and pled for mercy, to let Sarah have her mother and swore on her life that she quit her espionage journey when she actually fell in love but Steve didn’t trust a single syllable out of her filthy, deceiving mouth, not anymore.

He didn’t kill her though, because Sarah was his first priority no matter what. Her assassination was the work of his rival mob, ‘The Vice Kings’ led by the bastard Rumlow. It was an open invitation for war in the city, for them money came first and useless people had to die. They killed two birds with a single stone, git rid of a useless former member and successfully made a statement.

Then began the still happening rivalry between those Vices and his mob, ‘The Avenging Cartel’. The wound from his wife’s assassination was still fresh, he didn’t miss her as much as he had taken the hit to his pride. There had been a peaceful agreement until the brutal maiming of his spouse and now he was working more than ever, barely able to make time for his princess and that was his only regret, missing her childhood.

And now he felt more futile, his palette of emotions ranging from hues of ire to shades of dread. He couldn’t believe his entourage of trained professionals failed to monitor a two-year-old. He had just stepped aside to take a call, leaving her with his latest driver and three bodyguards. How could he be that clueless to not realise the imposters infiltrating his ranks, standing right there and selling away his location?

As soon as the sound of the first firearm shooting reached his ears, he leapt towards his daughter only to find her missing. His little minx thankfully escaped for one of her little adventures and successfully evaded these cheats, whom he shot right in the middle of the eyes when he glanced at the grenades packing in the coats’ undersides.

His moment of gratitude evaporated in mere seconds as he realised that the Vices now surrounded the entire area, their mission being his daughter’s abduction. If they wanted to kill both of them, they would have already, considering Steve’s distraction gave them quite too many openings. They wanted him to surrender, because mobs worked that way; only when one leader signed off his territories did it become the other party’s possession. If they just cut one head, another would grow in its place, a new leader would succeed the predecessor.

He sent emergency signals to both Barnes and Wilson, the only ones he could trust right now, summoning them with back-ups. The screams of the crowd did not ease him at all, piling on his burden and stress as he prayed for the first time ever, that by some miracle he would reach his daughter first in this field and she would safely be in his arms by the end of the night, not become a victim to what his enemies were planning.

He did have a tracker in her pendant but this realisation hit him later than he’d like to admit, the frustration clawing away his wits. The ground was now quite empty, piles of bodies scattered across the field abruptly where people became victims to the grenades, any person who failed to protect themselves, died. As he was pulling his phone out again, his eyes caught sight a flower bead. The same bead he and his daughter used to make a bracelet a month ago. She wore that everywhere, to day-care, while bathing, to birthdays.

The bracelet was obviously broken now but it was almost like a trail that led to his treasure, like in the Hansel and Gretel’s fairy-tale that Sarah loved. He followed with quiet steps, the beads far apart and some resting under the debris but they sure did lead him somewhere, and when he found the even the pendant in his path, he knew he had only the few beads to rely on.

Some thumps and crashes made him alert, his pistol ready, and when he neared carefully to a distorted metal framework of sorts, his eyes widened.

A young woman had a body in front of her lying on the ground. In a pool of scarlet it rested, still and unmoving while her breathing quickened, her eyes shining with tears that she tried too damn hard to confine to her eyes. He knew how hard the first kill always was, but one grows numb with increase in body count.

Brave women were his type and he would have been turned on by her courage, her hands stained red with whatever weapon she attacked with. Her soft facial features and her curves in the dress she wore were a show stopper for sure, and he would’ve been flirting with her if it was not for the brutal severity of the situation, his daughter missing and in possible danger.

His vigilant senses, courtesy of the epinephrin, picked up two things; the butterfly bead that rested in the door of the booth the woman stood at and the creep shadowing her from behind, ready to attack with a baseball bat he might have found in one of the other game shops.

Steve used his position behind the neighbouring booth to make a bull’s eye shot, the bullet going just an inch above the female’s shoulder and going across the creep’s head. The logo on the corpse’s leather jacket showed Steve he picked the right side to defend.

The sheer suddenness of the move caught the woman off guard as she dropped her weapon and twisted back to find the soulless eyes of her possible attacker staring at her. She quickly armed herself with her attacking rod once again and tried to trace the bullet back from its shooter, her eyes wide and calculating.

Steve decided it was time to interrogate, to find Sarah.

The graze of the bullet above your shoulder alarmed you and you stood dumbfounded only for an instant though. You were sure the bullet was meant for you but the thud of a body behind you, seemingly preparing to attack you proved you wrong.

Calming yourself, you still stood on the ball, because someone killing your attacker didn’t necessarily mean you were safe. With just a pull of the trigger, your fate could very easily be the same. You had to play this smart.

“Lower your weapon. I won’t repeat myself.” A husky voice called out, laced with seriousness which left no room for argument.

You did as he said, knowing that shabby rod was no match against the gun. He stepped out from his hiding position and gave away his location, steps slightly treading towards you. Your hands trembled, heart thumping a bit too loud while blood and sweat coated your frame.

When moonlight lightened his face, you saw his blonde luscious locks, slightly overgrown, a neatly trimmed beard darker than his hair and the cerulean blue eyes that were clear as crystal but shadowed with proficiency.

“Good, now did you see a kid around here? Blonde and blue eyes?”

His question didn’t surprise you, the gun barrel trained on you did. The previous man you had killed, that laid dead ahead of you had asked the same question. You did not know why they were after the toddler nor did you have the time to dwell on it. Time was of the essence now and he was expecting an answer.

The fact that he saved an unsuspecting lady was a plus point, but you also had to consider that he was threatening you all the same. But if that was his kid, it was understood, the resemblance between them was uncanny but that wasn’t enough proof. However, as your flickered to the man you killed, you noticed the logo on his jacket was the same as the one on your possible murderer’s jacket. It still wasn’t enough evidence but you had no choice, the man had a gun and you had two kids relying on you. At least he wasn’t on the bombing side.

“Yes, what is she to you?” You tried to be brave but you were sure he saw right through you.

“You don’t ask the questions here but this one I’ll answer. She is my daughter. Now, where is she?”  

“How do I know you’re not lying? I can’t just and her over to you!”

“Her name is Sarah; she is my carbon copy. She is wearing a pink dress with white flowers; pink crocs and her hair is in a ponytail with a white scrunchy. She had two white clips in her hair beside the ponytail. Enough proof?”

No, you could be a creepy paedophile for all I know.

You were still contemplating when he spoke again, “She’s my daughter and I know she’s in that booth beside you. I appreciate you trying to protect her I think but she’ll respond to me calling her. Sarah?”

The little toddler poked her head out, her eyes brightening in recognition and you heaved a sigh of relief involuntarily. Your maternal instinct made you anxious for kids you barely even knew. She ran towards her father shouting ‘Dada’ and jumped into his arms while he hid his gun. You almost snorted at that, tons of dead bodies surrounding you and he was worried about the gun?

He propped her up, hugging her tightly, and with what you knew now, he was scared to death and rightfully so.

Grace poked her head out and ran towards you now, hugging you from behind your legs and silently peeking at the mysterious human. You held Grace’s hand now, intertwining your fingers and felt relief after long. Even though there was no knowing that the man would help you two but you gave yourself comfort you weren’t alone here, not anymore.

Sarah turned and met your eyes again and whispered lowly, “Oops Mama, I think the games over! Sowwy!”

Steve’s eyes widened at that and you laughed at her innocence, feeling light. You played along with the kid, “It’s alright.” You didn’t want to play ‘Mommy’ anymore after that thinking it would offend her father but even, he chuckled, his laugh beautiful and boisterous.

Suddenly men dressed in black and armed with weapons ran about, skidding and crossing you to survey the area out. You shielded Grace once again but the father ahead of you didn’t even flinch. Noticing your unease, he came closer and put a hand on you arm, “I’m Steve and don’t worry, these are my men, the good guys.”

You nodded, not agreeing with his idea of good and bad but since you hoped he did acknowledge that he owed you one, you hoped none of these men would attack you. You introduced yourself and he nodded.

With Sarah on his hip, he started following one of his men and you followed along hoping to get to the exit. He even asked to drop you home but you refused, just wanting to get to the parking and put all these guns out of your kid’s sight. He tsked over his shoulder and you knew he would insist again later but for now he listened intently to the man he addressed as Buck.  

This Buck eyed you several times, not so discreetly, while Steve renounced the whole incident of some spies and whatnot. You closed your eyes, not wanting to eavesdrop and just wanting to relax but you could do neither right now. They were after Sarah; you had presumed right.

Sarah made grabby hands from over Steve’s shoulder while Grace slept soundly in your arms, maybe jealous of her. She pouted and then slowly began her lower lip began to tremble. A whine escaped her mouth as she started bawling. Steve stopped to shush her but she continued screeching, “I miss Mama!” and tried to get away from Steve and jump into your arms. Buck looked surprised while Steve’s eyes pleaded yours and you nodded and gave Grace to her and took Sarah in your arms, gently shushing her and patting her back. She drooled in the crook of your neck but that was nothing new and quietened down. You didn’t want to give Grace away but you couldn’t see another child so miserable, not when you had one of your own.

Steve and ‘Buck’ observed you, not saying anything so you broke the silence. “I’m sorry she confuses me with her mother, I hope she doesn’t get offended by this.”

“She’s no more.” Steve looked down and you cursed yourself for breaking the silence, make the situation more awkward and unbearable.

“I’m sorry.” Well that was better than joking about how Grace didn’t have a father either.

“Don’t be, she deserved what she got.” Steve mumbled and continued walking with ‘Buck’, lightly patting Grace and kissing her forehead.

The peck should have bothered you but you were too engrossed by his words to eavesdrop further or check on Grace. What did he mean she deserved it? You didn’t even want to think of the probability of him killing her. With all the soldiers that surrounded you, you suddenly realised he was capable of more than you thought and you felt stupid for feeling safe with him when you did. He was a leader of sorts, a person with unimaginable power and you had dived headfirst in the kind of things you should avoid at all costs. Even though you hadn't crossed him or weren't on his bad side, getting involved was a mistake.

You learnt this lesson the hard way soon enough.

[lepusrufus]

Double edged scalpel ch.5

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4

Summary: someone please give Nicole a break for the love of Miranda. And there be smut y'all

---

Seeing Cassandra's softer side made something flutter within Nicole's chest. The brunette was a sadist through and through. Witness to that fact was the array of torture devices that littered the dungeons. Not to mention the prisoners she frequently killed, only to haul them on the autopsy tables in her study to be examined, chopped and sectioned by the both of them.

But there was an uncharacteristic sort of gentleness in the way their lips slid against each other, sharp teeth occasionally biting down on Nicole's lower lip but never enough to draw blood. In the way Cassandra would drag sharp nails against flushed skin, but not go beyond the pleasurable amount of pain. Even the glint in golden eyes when Nicole went over some old notes of hers on more tricky anatomy concepts. Having an exclusive look at this side of Cassandra felt beyond intimate and the thought almost made her miss when the brunette spoke from where she was leaning over a notebook.

"Okay let's just wrap this up, I have plans."

Nicole hummed, dropping the liver she was holding in a freezer bag. Most body parts were already bagged and ready to be picked up by Cynthia and her undercooks, they were just putting into practice some things the brunette was curious about. She dropped the now blood soaked leather gloves in the sink and went to sit by Cassandra, who was scribbling some final notes.

"In that case I'll go enjoy a cup of tea," she sighed. "Tea that I had to skip because someone was eager to start on this early."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at her, accompanied by her usual smirk. "I meant plans with you."

Oh? That was new. The brunette laughed at Nicole's wide eyed expression and snapped her notebook shut. She took her sweet time putting it on the shelf with the others and checking the time, pretending not to notice the redhead's inquisitive expression. Then, she lifted Nicole’s chin with a thankfully not covered in blood finger.

"Don't get me wrong I love it here but," she grimaced, "it gets stuffy sometimes. Especially in summer."

Well, that much was true. The undergrounds of the castle were oddly warm, although not downright hot, compared to what one would expect from a castle. Pair that with the annoyingly humid atmosphere and having to wear a leather apron and gloves so as to not completely ruin your outfit and you got the perfect recipe for discomfort. She really ought to ask Cassandra about installing some kind of better ventilation down here.

"Meet me in the attic in about… an hour." She leaned down and their mouths were so close that Nicole could feel icy breath on her lips.

The attic? She's never been to the attic, it was not only off limits for most staff but also dangerous if rumors were to be believed. Not that she had the clarity of mind to voice any concerns when Cassandra finally leaned in to kiss her, complete with a nip on her lower lip that made Nicole’s breath hitch.

---

The fact that Nicole had no idea how to get to the attic could be a slight problem. She had asked Anita, but not only did she not know, she also seemed mortified by the idea. Another maid just gave her vague directions to look for a ladder on the top floor. As if that wasn't like trying to find the needle in a haystack. Or the needle in a giant castle.

She was just wandering around the top floor, praying not to stumble upon anyone who would be less than thrilled to see her there. A sigh of relief escaped past her lips when she heard familiar buzzing and steps coming towards her.

"Oh Cas-" she swallowed her words when she noticed red hair spilling from underneath a black hood.

"Nicole! What are you doing here hmm?" Her inquisitive hum was way too exaggerated the same way her fangs seemed too sharp when she grinned.

"I was just looking for Ca- lady Cassandra. She asked me to meet her in the attic."

Daniela's mouth fell open, almost forming an O shape. Then back to her characteristic giggle, almost as if laughing at a joke only she knew.

"What, you don't know how to get there?"

"...Not really," she sheepishly admitted.

And that was a mistake. Nicole would've preferred to wander the hallways until Cassandra eventually got bored enough of waiting and decided to come see where her glorified lab partner was. But her plan was ruined by Daniela wordlessly grabbing her arm and pulling her in the opposite direction she was going in. She even went the extra mile to partially turn into a swarm, which made Nicole's panic skyrocket. She didn't mind bugs. But having hundreds of them fly all around you, accompanied by manic giggling was a whole other thing.

Before she knew it though, Daniela let go of her arm, laughing a little at Nicole's stumbling. She gestured dramatically towards a ladder and said:

"There you go. Say hi to Cassie for me."

"Th- thank you my lady." And with a small bow of the head she grabbed the ladder and started ascending on shaky legs.

"And enjoy your date," she called out, once Nicole was at the top of the stairs.

Blushing, she decided to ignore the comment and start looking for the sister less likely to turn her into fly food.

The attic looked… old. It was obvious that people didn't come here often, although someone probably did clean it regularly as there were no cobwebs nor dirt on any surfaces, aside from some dust. It was full of neatly arranged boxes and crates, their contents as mysterious as the castle's inhabitants. Tentative steps took her across ancient floorboards, navigating old rooms.

"Rah!"

Nicole damn near jumped out of her skin, a string of curses spilling past her lips. "Jesus fucking christ Cassandra!"

The brunette only laughed, hands on her knees and pretending to wipe a tear from her eye.

"That's what you get for making me wait for so long."

"I didn't even know where the attic entrance was! Good thing one of your sisters came to my rescue." Nicole rolled her eyes at the last word.

Cassandra stopped laughing, eyes narrowing slightly. "Which one?"

"Uh- Danie-"

"Did she hurt you?" Cassandra grabbed her arms, golden eyes looking for any visible injuries.

Nicole just laughed softly, taken off guard by the display of concern. "No, no. Just gave me a bit of a fright, that's all."

With an eye roll, Cassandra guided her further into the attic, through more dusty rooms, until they reached a short corridor, light spilling from its other end. The room they entered was relatively small, almost half of it occupied by stacked boxes as if it used to be a storage room like the rest of the attic and nobody bothered to completely clear it out. A few pieces of furniture were also present: a couch with a coffee table in front of it and paintings leaning against a wall to collect dust. This room however had a window, left slightly ajar, that allowed you to see the mountains stretching on the horizon, crowned by the beautiful orange hues of dusk.

Nicole moved to the glass to take in the view, mouth almost hanging open, when an ungodly screech from outside made her backpedal straight into Cassandra.

"What the fuck was that?" She asked, eyes widening at the sight of flying creatures circling the towers.

"Mother's flying guard dogs."

"They sound the same way I'd imagine the souls of the damned do." Nicole didn’t take her eyes off the ghoulish creatures, almost as if keeping eye contact would dissuade them from attacking.

Cassandra just shrugged. "Wouldn't be too far off. Also here." She sat on the couch, gesturing towards a cup.

Nicole went to sit by her side, grabbing the mystery cup. She frowned slightly when the steam reached her nose, bringing with it a pleasant minty and honey aroma.

"Tea?"

"Since you were so disheartened about having to skip it earlier," Cassandra averted her eyes, seemingly finding the curtains very interesting.

After a long sip, she let out a content sigh. The warmth was more than welcomed, despite the weather. She set the cup back on the table and turned her attention on the brunette, now fidgeting with the corner of a pillow.

"Thank you," Nicole said, leaving a small kiss on her cheek.

Cassandra smiled and turned around, locking their lips in a kiss that at first mimicked her gentleness, but soon turned hungry when dainty hands made their way to the brunette's nape, pulling her closer. She shifted them both, pushing Nicole down on the pillows littering the couch, until she was laying on top of her, legs on each side of her waist. Her focus was on leaving a trail of nips and kisses down Nicole's neck when the redhead jumped and barely stifled a yelp at another screech from outside.

"Ugh what the fuck is today, scare me out of my mind day?"

"How are you scared of these but countless dead bodies don't phase you?" Cassandra laughed, sound muffled by her position with her mouth against Nicole's neck.

"I used to work on corpses, not on ugly gargoyles that could chew my face off!" She gestured wildly at the window and the few creatures visible outside.

"You what?"

"You...didn't know?" Nicole couldn't help a giggle at Cassandra's confused expression.

"How was I supposed to know?"

"I thought your mother told you already. Or your sisters," Nicole shrugged.

"They knew?!" And, after something seemed to dawn on her, "Oh I'm gonna kick both their asses."

Nicole couldn’t help letting out a small laugh, placing her hands on Cassandra's cheeks and, with a pout for dramatic effect, "Right now?"

As much as the sight was both funny and endearing, the warmth starting to pool at her core was making her beyond impatient.

The indignation in golden eyes was replaced by an all too familiar glint and black painted lips went back to their work on Nicole's neck. Sharp fangs pierced the skin there, just enough to draw a few drops of blood and a whine. After licking every last bit of it, Cassandra's lips moved to the collarbones and lower, hands slowly starting to undo the buttons of Nicole's pesky uniform that was in the way.

When both the button up and the skirt were discarded on the floor Nicole tangled her fingers through black hair and pulled Cassandra in for a kiss. Her free hand went to the back of the dress, pulling down the zipper and guiding it off of the brunette's shoulders. Once both of them were left only in undergarments, Nicole pulled back to look up at the brunette.

"If I knew I was supposed to dress up I would've asked the chambermaid if there's anything fancy in the uniform stash," she said, taking in the beautifully intricate lace of Cassandra's matching bra and underwear, complete with a giggle at her awful joking.

The brunette only raised an eyebrow. "Mhm I can take care of that. Not like you'll need these for long though." Her hands reached under Nicole's back to unclasp her bra and in mere moments that too was on top of the pile of clothes on the floor.

Then Cassandra bent down to crash their lips together, tongue slipping past Nicole's lips when a wandering hand elicited a gasp from her.

Cassandra was by no means a patient person. Quite the opposite actually. But teasingly dragging her nails across sensitive skin only to feel the girl under her squirm and whine when her hand just won't go where she needed it made waiting all the more sweet. Slender fingers started to toy with the edges of Nicole's underwear. After a groan against her lips and an impatient tug of hair, Cassandra finally gave in, slipping two fingers inside her. She felt Nicole arch into her, a broken moan escaping past her lips when she broke the kiss to let her head fall back into the cushions. Cassandra took that as an opportunity to kiss the length of her neck, occasionally stopping to suck or bite at a spot, enjoying every gasp and moan she drew out of the redhead.

With Cassandra's rough pace it didn't take long before Nicole was clenching her thighs around her hand. Cassandra kissed her, swallowing her moan as she came.

The small room in the attic, Cassandra's drawing room she would later find out, was the perfect secluded spot. They spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other. First evening of many.

[kiribaku-queen]

Sero falling for a civilian who turns out to be a villain. Not a huge one but still bad, she wasn’t even suppose to interact with him and kept it a secret from the other villains (so not one of those were she was sent to spy on him). he tries to convince her to join good (angst) maybe end with some fluff? (Like he does save her from evil or he wants to be with her so bad he turns to evil just for her l)

In the Hands of the Most Lovely Villain

Fluff, action, angst

Word Count: 2.8K

A/N: stan latino sero

Her eyes were like the burning, passionate flames of the sun. Lively and spontaneous. Her eyes showed the story of an adventure. Sero always knew what she was thinking because her eyes showed it all. They showed so much emotion that even when she tried to hide it, she just couldn’t because her eyes never lied. One reason why he loved looking into her eyes so much. So why were these same eyes that he loved so much staring back at him with anger and fierceness?

He remembered when he first saw those eyes. They were so big and innocent, full with curiosity of the world.

You were wearing something girly that day: a sun dress with floral prints that flowed in the wind just right, enough to make any man glance at your direction. You felt like you were in a movie, where you were the main character that just moved into the big city, starting her life all over again. But you don’t normally dress like this. You decided to dress up in something out of your comfort zone because you never get to go out. And honestly, you were in love. Your father never allowed you to explore the city without the escort of your older brothers. Your four older brothers. You’ve tried escaping. Oh, how you’ve tried. Did they catch you every single time? Yes. So there was no point in trying anymore. However, on special occasions, they would allow you to get some fresh air. But only when you never left their sight at any point in time.

Today, though? You were up for a challenge.

You had to come up with a clever plan. And when you mean clever, you mean clever. So deceiving that your brothers wouldn’t be able to tell you slipped away.

Your brothers stood on every side of you. Two in front of you and two behind you, trapping you in this invisible jail. So there really was no way that you could ‘accidentally’ fall behind or run away. Looking left and right very discretely, your eyes lit up upon seeing a public bathroom. You stopped, making all 4 males stop with you. You held your stomach and faked a pained expression.

“I’m going to use the restroom,” you announced, hastily making your way to the bathroom. But you quickly got annoyed when all 4 brothers moved with you. You had only taken one step only to stop again.

“I can go by myself,” you sighed at them with a side eye.

“We can all go together,” the third oldest said.

“No!” you whined, giving them the biggest pout to convince them to let you go alone. But they knew looks could be deceiving and weren’t falling for it. They didn’t even blink. “I don’t need all of you guys to go in!”

“She’s right,” the second oldest stood up for you. You snapped your head towards him and a bright light shone in his direction. Could this be? Could a miracle be happening to you right now? Is your second oldest brother the light to your world?

“She only needs one. I’ll go,” he offered, pushing his way through but was quickly stopped when the rest of your brothers placed a hand on his chest.

“No, I’ll go!” the youngest brother wanted to replace him.

“It should be me,” the third oldest said. But your eldest brother couldn’t stand for any of the bickering.

“I’m the oldest. I’m going,” he interjected, causing you to groan in annoyance. Your eldest brother moved everyone out of his way so he could escort you into the bathroom but you had other plans.

“You want to see your young sister go to the bathroom? Pervert,” you say as you covered your chest with your arms, ashamed of all of your brothers. The look on every single one of their faces almost made you burst into laughter. The way their faces contorted into disgust almost immediately was a sight to see.

“Ew no. Just go, pipsqueak. Make it quick,” they said, turning around enough to give you privacy but close enough so that nobody could make it through. Victorious, you happily entered the bathroom and closed the door behind you. You rested against the back of the door, releasing a sigh of relief. In years, you’ve never felt more free and exhilarated. Thankfully for you, the moment you looked around, you saw a window that was slightly cracked. As quietly as you could, you made your way out of the window, taking it one leg at a time. You took your time coming out the window, trying to make as little noise as possible. When you slipped up, making a noise that you were sure your brothers were going to hear, you froze. But you looked back at the door and no one was storming in. Phew. You were safe. Gently stepping down on the ground, you entered the busy streets full of people shopping and walking around. And just like that, you escaped from the grasp of your brothers and roamed free for the first time.

Sero Hanta sat on top of the one of the roofs, eating bread and enjoying the breeze. Being a hero doesn’t give him many days off. So when he finally gets a break, he’s going to enjoy it to the fullest. Sure, he’ll see villains here and there while on break, but heroes were always there to stop them. He was just another civilian, another passer-byer that watched as the crime went down. Sero laid back and relaxed as he chomped on his bread, scanning the people below him. And that’s when he saw you.

You looked lost, walking with a plan in mind but no end destination. With big, curious eyes that sparkled in the sunlight, you aimlessly looked around, stopping to window shop from here to there. You looked like a lost child that was excited to be without a parent, able to explore the world independently for the first time.

You found yourself turning a corner, snaking your way through alleyways, only to be stuck at a dead end. No big deal. You could just turn back and retrace your steps. The moment you turned around, you tilted your head in confusion. Wait, which way did you come from again? Here? Or was it other there? The more you turned, the more you confused yourself. You pouted to yourself, thinking how you got into this situation. Panic started to rise in you, but you tried your best to settle it down because the more you panicked, the more you knew that you shouldn’t have left your brothers. And you knew you didn’t want to think that so you worked on your breathing until you calmed down fully. Getting lost was a part of life, no? This is okay. You were okay. Just try going one way and if it fails, then try again.

Sero saw the concerned look on your face, one that was scrunched up in worry. He saw how your eyes darted from left to right, trying to figure out which way was the right way. Sero got to his feet and stretched out his arms. He wasn’t on the clock but there was no problem in helping a pretty lady.

His tape came out so easily, so effortlessly. Like it was his second sense. He came a long way from high school. Back then, he had to focus on where he was shooting, how far, how sticky, when to let go, when to shoot out more. Now, he didn’t even have to think. Sometimes he doesn’t even know his tape is out already. He just sees himself flying through the sky. Sero tapes towards you, wrapping his tape around the pipe that laid just above your head, and he descended like spiderman would: holding onto it, upside down like a spider.

He thought he’d scare you, but actually blushed at your reaction. He was expecting a little yelp, maybe even a loud shriek from you. But you didn’t seem surprised by him at all. Eyes never wavering, just lips parted ever so slightly, wondering who this man was in front of you. And when Sero looked into your eyes, he instantly fell hard for you. But those can’t be the same eyes that were staring daggers into him right now.

You were tired. You were worn out. You were slightly hunched over, arms dangling to your side. You were trying to catch your breath and moving as little as possible to not open the gash on your side more, all while trying to process that the guy you were seeing in a pro-hero coming to stop you and your brothers from even more chaos. The room you were stuck in was basically falling apart. The walls were crumbling, the roof was coming undone, fire spit from all directions. Your brothers already escaped through the broken window and it was your turn next, but some hero had to stop you in your tracks.

It was only you and him in the room that was gradually falling apart. Only a piece of burning wood stood in between you two.

“(y/n)…” Sero whispers your name in disbelief.

But you didn’t have time for this. You had a job to do and right now, your priority is to get this hero off your back and catch up with your brothers. So you would do what anyone in your position would do: you attacked him.

You lunged forward with a grunt, swinging with all your might. Instead of hitting you back, Sero flies from wall to wall, dodging all your attacks. You could swing, and kick, and use your quirk all you want, but he moved away from you so swiftly that you barely managed to get him. His eyes were glued to your figure that was desperately trying to hurt him.

“(y/n),” he kept repeating your name. And that’s all your kept hearing, over and over in your head. It was distracting you from the mission.

“(y/n), please, let’s talk,” Sero begged, still trying to dodge your attacks while at the same time trying to make sure that no rubble from falling ceiling was coming down on him.

“Get away from me!” you yelled, so distracted and confused, trying to land your hardest hit, but he moved just in time to escape your punch that cracked the wall behind him.

God, you were embarrassed. Humiliated. Confused and angry at the fact that this guy you had hopelessly fallen for was a hero. A hero. Out of everything that he could have been: a cop, a teacher, a doctor, a regular guy… a god damn hero. That would never fly with your family. You were born and raised a villain. You had the villain mindset. All you ever known was to do villainous acts. You were taught that all heroes were bad in your eyes and you could never see what ‘good’ in the world they were trying to do. All your life, you hated heroes because… they were the ones who killed your mother. So how could the one you loved turn out to be a hero? This had to be some kind of mistake.

What a mistake you made because the moment you got distracted in your thoughts, Sero took the opportunity to wrap you in his tape causing you to be unable to move. You screamed and yelled, lashing about and trying to escape but all your means of escape were for naught because it wasn’t budging one bit. Sero got closer to you, trying to understand what was happening.

“(y/n), please. Stop,” he desperately tried making you listen to him but with you flailing about like a crazy woman, this was getting nowhere. And then he yells at the top of his lungs like his life depended on it.

“Stop!” he yells with all the hurt in his voice. This finally made you freeze up like you had been broken from a spell. “Just stop.” His voice goes back to being soft and caring. “This isn’t like you.”

“You don’t know me. You’ll never know me!” you retaliate, back to struggling with his tape that seemed to stick even more to you the more you moved.

“No, I do know you. You like crying about sappy romance movies and then complaining about them for the next week. You love trying new foods but pick out everything you don’t like about it. Every time you see flowers, you have to stop and admire them. You like the color blue but not a bold blue, a baby blue. You like having your hair played with, even when you’re upset. You crinkle your nose every time you have to sneeze. I know you!” Sero went on a rant, spewing everything and anything he knew about you. But deny, deny, deny you did.

“What would some hero know?” you spat in his face.

“Then just tell me! Try to make me understand! All you have to do is just tell me why you’re doing this!” And that’s when you exploded with emotion.

“It’s all because of you! All you heroes ruined my life. You killed my mother and what? You’re going to kill me now?”

“(y/n), I would never,” he reached out to cup your cheek but you hissed and pulled away from him.

“I will never, never, forgive anyone, not even you.” Angry tears poured out but it made you feel sad at the same time.

“Maybe I can help you!” Sero suggested, eyes wide with desperation. You shake your head.

“Sorry hero, I’m a villain and always will be a villain. Unless you join me, then I think we are done here.” A pocket knife that you were hiding in your sleeve slips out and you cut his tape, letting you free. Not wasting another moment, you leapt your way through the rubble and to the window. You were about to jump when a hand caught your wrist. When you looked back, it was Sero with tears brimming his eyes.

“Let go!” you try to wrestle your way out.

“I can’t. I can’t. Don’t leave. Don’t go back to them. Please!” he tried one last attempt in to getting you to stay and for him to completely understand. But what was the use? He was never going to get it. If you tried to let him into your villainous life, he would turn his back on you someday and turn you and your whole family in. You couldn’t risk it. This is why you should have never fell in love with a hero in the first place.

“Sayonara, Sero,” you whisper, using the pocket knife to cut his hand free and escape without a hitch. Sero retracks his hand and clutches it to stop the bleeding. Fuck, was he really just going to let it end like that? Was he just going to let the girl of his dreams go without putting up a fight? He had to find her again, and he knew just how to do it.

You pushed the door to the rooftop open, stumbling a bit before catching your stepping again. Policemen and heroes were right on your butt but that didn’t bother you.

“Shit,” you cursed under your breath. You stopped at the very edge of the building. One more step and you could fall over and possibly unalive yourself. Heroes and policemen, all armed with guns, surrounded you from all sides. A helicopter flew above you, keeping their eye on you. You felt a little famous because even the news was here to report on your little robbery. Eyes, cameras, guns, all on you. It’s lovely being the center of attention.

“Surrender now or we’ll shoot!” one of the policemen shouted at you. You rolled your eyes, put both hands up and slowly turned around. You gave them a sweet smile and started giggling.

“Ah, this was fun but this is where we say’ goodbye’. Adios amigos,” you say before spreading your arms wide and letting the wind take you. The chorus of gasps sang in your ears as you fell of the tall building, loving the feeling of being airborne, like you were free and alive. Everyone who was present and those who were watching on the news were shocked and bewildered that you would take your own life rather than being handed over to the police. But they got an even bigger shock when white tape securely wraps around your waist and a man is seen pulling you to him.

“Wait, isn’t that…” someone started to point out.

“It’s ex-hero Cellophane!”

“Is he an accomplice?”

“Is he a villain now?” many questioned and asked among themselves. Meanwhile, Sero helped you escape as you smiled and cuddled into him.

“You need a better code word. I almost didn’t catch you there,” Sero complained. It almost sounded like he was scolding you.

“But you caught me anyway, didn’t you?” you say sweetly, placing a big ‘ole kiss on his cheek. The frown on his face slowly transformed into a smirk.

“Anything for you right?”

“My partner in crime,” you rested your head on his chest, allowing him to take you anywhere as long as you two were together. As villains.

A/N: literally fuck me for this being so overdue. I keep saying this BUT im actually finally back into my writing mood and i had so much fun writing this piece. I just had a brainfart and idk why it took me so long to get over it. But once I started getting those juices flowing, writing became fun again. Hope you enjoyed it and I hope i did your prompt justice! Thank you for reading!

[smellsfaintlyofvanilla]

can i request a childhood friends to lovers with annie and gn reader? :)

Of course!

Also sorry if you wanted a fic, this just worked out a lot easier in headcanon form haha

Also also, I also accidentally wrote some implied fem reader but it’s a little too late to take it out now, whoops. It’s still 90% GN though hahaaa

Annie with a childhood friend S/O: HCs

AU: Canon

Warnings: Season 4 spoilers

It had all started with the fall of Wall Maria

You lived with your parents inside of Wall Rose your whole life, so the sudden influx of people following the attack on Shinganshina was a bit to get used to

But then you met Annie

She was twelve, the same age as you

She didn’t talk much, and especially not about her life before the attack, but you did know that she was supposedly orphaned in the chaos

When you talked to her at first, you had felt pity for her

After all, she had lost her home, her parents, and was now abandoned in the middle of the overcrowded and overpopulated cities

And even though she remained mostly emotionless, there was a slight tug on her features that made her look quite... sad

So, with much convincing from you, your parents agreed to let you take the poor girl in for a few weeks, until the panic had died down and an orphanage would take her in

You weren’t exactly abundant with food, shelter, money, or really anything, but you made it work

And Annie, though dedicated to her cause, couldn’t help but find herself indulging in your presence

Even with Reiner and Bertholdt, she truly longed for a close friend that she didn’t associate with through the Warrior Program

So, even after Annie was eventually taken in to an orphanage, you two remained friends

You would always walk up to the front door of the building she stayed at, and the second the lady would answer, you would ask for Annie

Nearly every day the two of you would hang out

You’d take her with you as you ran out to get groceries for your parents, and you would always buy an extra loaf of bread behind your parents’ backs to give to Annie—since you knew the kids at the orphanage were never fed enough

You’d talk to her excitedly about whatever was on your mind, and even though she seldom talked much, she’d listen patiently to every word you said

And, whenever some kids started to pick on you, they’d be on the ground in a flash, noses bloody and crying out obnoxiously

Even though you appreciated the sentiment, you’d usually have to pull her off them so she wouldn’t go too far

And, after the first few incidents, you were practically invincible. Nobody wanted to touch you in fear of retaliation from Annie

Slowly, as the two of you grew closer, she told you more about herself.

Her father was the one who taught her to fight like she did, and she strived to one day make him proud

It made you quite sad, to see her talk about family with such a sad smile, whilst you had a perfectly healthy and intact family

In the very rare instances where she would vent and cry to you, you’d hold her and reassure her that her parents love her no matter what, and that you’d always be there for her

You swore that the two of you would do everything together.

So, when Annie signed up for the military to get revenge for her parents, you signed up too, to follow her and keep her safe

She paled when you told her, telling you to stay home where you’d be safe, and that she promised she’d visit you whenever you could

But you just smiled and told her that you promised to stay with her no matter what, and that you weren’t gonna leave her alone

It was there, fifteen years old, that she realized she had fallen for you

Being in the Cadet Corps together only further strengthened the bond between you two

Not only did it give you the chance to meet Bertholdt and Reiner, who were her other best friends she met in the orphanage

But, by some miracle, you and Annie were selected to share a bunk, much to your delight

It took a few days of convincing her, but eventually she started sleeping in the same bed as you

You had told her, “We’re just friends, it isn’t weird!”

And you were right—partially

It wasn’t weird when you were twelve and oblivious, but now that she was hard crushing on you, it was much different to her

When it came to daily life and training, the routine was almost always the same

You’d wake up and get breakfast with Annie, sitting with her in silence since you were usually too sleepy to make conversation, but sitting close to her nonetheless

Occasionally, you’d be so tired that you’d lean your head on her shoulder and take a quick nap before practice

She tried to look indifferent, but her red cheeks always betrayed her

Then you’d go out and train for hours with your assigned training partner, Mikasa

She’d almost always destroyed you in combat, but you learned a lot from her, and came to befriend her over the months

Annie would always get jealous of yours and Mikasa’s friendship, so you’d occasionally have to talk to her about it in one of your many late night talks

You’d see her facing away from you—opposite of what she’d usually do—and you’d know something was wrong

You’d tap her shoulder, and when she turned to face you, you could always tell something was wrong

So, you’d ask her what it was, and once she finally spit it out that she thought you and Mikasa were getting really close, really fast, you’d be quick to reassure her

You’d grab her hand and pull her closer to you, always causing her to blush, but you’d thankfully never noticed it due to the dark lighting

“Annie, I know how you feel. I get it. I’m close with Mikasa, yes, but she’s nowhere near your level. No matter what, I’ll always be your closest friend.”

And it always felt so bittersweet to her.

She was glad you held her so dear in your heart, but the word “friend” was like an arrow to her heart

She treasured you so dearly, your friendship alone already filled her life with joy and fulfillment

But she wanted to be closer to you

Even if it compromised her mission

Which is something that came up more than once with Reiner and Bertholdt

They could tell she was crushing on you, and were less than pleased

Bertholdt tried to reason with her, to coax her out of it gently by telling her how getting close to her would only end up in pain. Because, in her own words, she was a traitor, someone who’s done such unforgivable sins that they’ve become unlovable

Reiner, though, has a much harsher approach. He knew how protective she was of you and your wellbeing, so he often threatened your safety if Annie ever tried to get closer

Once, in an argument, he suggested “getting rid of her permanently,” but the terrifying glare she sent him proved that that option was completely off the table, unless he wanted to face a furious and grief induced Titan shifter

Which, he didn’t. So, he never brought it up again

Despite all this, she was very hesitant to confess to you. Bluntly put, she didn’t think you liked her back.

You acted the same as you did when you were child, and she was the same as she had always been to you—a close friend, but nothing further

Of course, you always loved her, but how was she supposed to know that?

Still, as time went on, it became more and more obstructive

Her thoughts and insecurities kept her up at night, yearning to love you while you lay sleeping mere inches away from her

It ended getting so distracting that she just decided she didn’t care if you reciprocated or not, she needed to get it off her chest

Even if there was a tugging feeling at the back of her mind that you would say no, and the friendship would be ruined

Still, she couldn’t bear to hide her feelings, so she came up to you one day after breakfast and shyly asked to meet her behind the barracks after afternoon training had finished

You casually mentioned this while training with Mikasa, but she only laughed

She knew Annie had a crush on you—it was obvious to anyone who was paying attention to how she acted around you, really—but decided to keep quiet, encouraging you to see what she wanted

So you did

When you walked around to the meeting spot, you saw her leaning against the wall biting her nails, a habit that only came out when she was really stressed

She didn’t seem to notice you at first, so you called out her name and smiled and waved when she saw you

“So what is it you wanted to talk about?”

She clammed up at first, staring at the ground nervously

You found this behavior really odd for her, considering she always appeared so confident and put together

And here she was, blushing and fidgeting like a schoolgirl

In an effort to ease whatever her concern may be, you grabbed her hand in your own, running your thumb over it

“It’s fine, Annie. You can tell me anything.” You smiled warmly

It gave her the final little confidence boost she needed to confess

“I... Y/n, I’ve always treasured our friendship no matter what. I feel like no matter what happens, you’re always there for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful for that, for having a friend like you.”

She paused and took a deep breath before continuing

“I don’t wanna make anything weird between the two of us, but this has been weighing down on me for ages. Fuck it... I love you Y/n. And I— I know you don’t like me back, that’s okay, I just want—!”

“Annie.” You spoke calmly, cutting off her panicked mumbling

Her flustered-ness was adorable, you thought, and you couldn’t help but giggle a little bit

And Annie’s heart dropped

Poor girl thought you were about to reject her

But, after a moment, you spoke

“I love you too, Annie.”

And those were the best five words anyone had ever spoken to her.

Although it wasn’t apparent on her face, she was absolutely overjoyed that you returned her feelings

She felt like, for just that moment, no matter what happened, she would be happy because she was with you

She immediately jumped onto you, wrapping her arms around your neck and lifting her feet off the ground, nuzzling her face in your shoulder

You returned the affection, moving one hand to her lower back, and the other one tangling in her golden blonde hair, undoing the messy bun she always kept it in

After that, the dynamic certainly changed between you two

In a good way, of course

She no longer felt weird about cuddling closer to you at night, waiting until you had gone asleep to press her chest against your back and spoon you

At mealtimes, whenever you went to nap on her, she would always carry you to bed instead, and claim you weren’t feeling well when Shadis asked her

And she’d totally share some of her food with you if you were feeling extra hungry

You two technically were keeping your relationship a secret, but everyone knew anyway

Especially because, every morning, you two were always the last to get up, so all the other girls could see the two of you cuddling and sleeping together so comfortably

So when the two of you eventually announced your relationship on your three-month anniversary, everyone was just kinda like “was it supposed to be a secret?”

But the two of you spent your years as Cadets together, and the both of you couldn’t have been happier

Then, one day, it came time to pick a regiment

Since you both made the top ten, Annie tried to convince you to join the Military Police with her

You two could live peacefully together inside of Wall Sina, safe from all the titans, and paid handsomely enough to live comfortably

But you were hell-bent on joining the Scouts

You said that you were gonna help protect society from the titans, and now that you had Eren on your side, saving humanity actually seemed possible

She was horrified when you told her, however

The Survey Corps had such a high, high mortality rate, and the chances of you being dead within a year of joining were alarmingly high

She almost considered joining the Scouts with you, to keep you safe

But she knew she had a mission to carry out, and that mission couldn’t progress without her joining the Military Police

So, she swore that she would write letters and visit whenever she could, but she was going to join the Military Police

It was hard for both of you, at first

Neither you nor her had slept without the other in well over four years, so the sudden shift was incredibly lonely

You’d always spent time together during your days off, though

You’d go back to your hometown and visit your parents for the day, courtesy of the horses provided by the Scout regiment

Hitch would also constantly tease Annie about constantly writing letters to you, but Annie would always snap back “At least I have a partner.”

And it always shut her up

When the time came, and she had to shift into a titan to attack the Scout regiment, per Reiner’s instructions, she was terrified

She knew you’d be one of the little soldiers out there, and she doubted she could tell you apart at a glance

If she accidentally hurt you, or god forbid, killed you, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself

Still, she had to go on with it

She never had a chance to check whether any of the countless bodies that day were you, so you can imagine the pure relief she felt when she received another letter from you in the mail

But upon reading the contents of the letter, her heart dropped a little bit

Sure enough, the “abnormal titan” you had encountered was all over it

You detailed seeing it up close, and watching helplessly as she crushed your comrades left and right, and how lucky you were that the titan skipped over you

A twinge of panic came over here on realizing that she was this close to accidentally killing you

But, she bit the bullet and wrote back, the letter reeking of faux concern

But, when the day came that the idea of Annie being the Female Titan was brought up, you were distraught

They made a good point, though. The titan looked quite like her, for starters

When you had first seen the titan, chasing behind you, you recognized the icy blue eyes right away

You pushed the thought to the backburner of your mind, but you couldn’t deny that when you looked at the titan, the first thing you saw was Annie

They brought up other things too, such as fighting style, her apparent absence that day, and others

All overwhelming evidence of her being a traitor

But you argued

Of course you argued

Why wouldn’t you argue?

Annie was your everything, she was there for you for years

You had known her from the day she was a lost, lonely orphan, spirit trampled just like the walls themselves

She was always so loyal to you, she would do just about anything to keep you, and her friends, safe

But, the responsibility fell on you to corner her

Hange had given you an ultimatum that day

“If you truly believe she is innocent, then you should have no problem helping us investigate, no? Lure her into a corner, and we’ll see if she truly is a titan.”

At first, you weren’t sure what to do

Part of you was appalled by the idea

Incriminating your lover? Out of the question. On the very very slight chance that she was a titan, you weren’t gonna be the one to pull the trigger

But the other part of you was filled with blind faith in her

She would never do something like that. There’s no problem in clearing her name

So, you agreed, and one day, you pulled her aside from her Military Police duties and told her to take the day off with you

She agreed in an instant, following you around town to the “destination” you had in mind

But she froze when you tried to lead her down the tunnel

A small seed of doubt planted itself in her mind

‘Is Y/n... trying to lead me somewhere where I can’t transform?”

So, she stalled, trying to make up her mind whilst spouting out excuses of being scared of the dark

But then a sound rang out

A shout, or a whistle of sorts

And all of the sudden, countless soldiers ran towards her at all angles, holding her arms behind her back and putting a cloth gag in her mouth

She didn’t piece it together right away—or rather, she didn’t want to piece it together—that you had, in fact, set her up

It wasn’t until you stood on the steps to the tunnel, staring into her eyes

And you didn’t move to help her

You had promised, back when the two of you were little, that you would always follow her and always protect her, no matter what

She realized at that moment that you weren’t there to save her

You were there to trick her

So, she pulled out the spike on her ring finger and cut a small gash in her finger, and lighting sparked and materialized out from her, before a puff of smoke and flesh manifested

Your mouth was agape the whole time

So she was the Female Titan...

A traitor...

You had known her for so long, and this is what she really was?

You couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that the sweet little lost girl was truly a heartless murderer

But the evidence of that fact was standing right in front of you, 15 meters tall

You were frozen in place, still standing on the stairwell

You expected to be squashed like a bug without hesitation

You couldn’t imagine Annie ever doing that, but at the same time, you couldn’t imagine Annie being any bit of what she was right now

But, to your surprise, she didn’t

She kneeled down as delicately as she could, given the confined space of the street

And brought her thumb to your back, rubbing it gently a couple times in a comforting matter, almost like she was trying to say “It’s okay, don’t worry.”

But another quick flash of lightning brought her attention away from you

Another shifter

Eren.

You watched in shocked horror as the two of them wrecked through Stohess district

They fought, and fought, and fought, destroying buildings and sending wreckage everywhere

But, at the end of it all, she was reduced to a mere doll stuck in a crystalline prison

You were able to recognize one thing, though

Her face, mere moments before crystallizing

She was crying

You longed so horribly to reach out and stroke the tears from her face, yet two feet of impenetrable glass separated her from you

You visited her crystal every day

Waiting for something, someone, anything, to break her free and return her to you

You were so sick and tired of the war, of the fighting, of the heartbreak

But the universe showed no signs of giving you a break, though, as you were always called upon to fight again and again

To fight the titans, and then to fight the other traitors, Reiner and Bertholdt, and to fight Marley, watching in horror as Paradis repeated the actions the Warriors had done to Shinganshina so long ago

Yet, still, you visited Annie through it all

Checking up on her, updating her on your adventures and how the story was unfolding

And you knew it was mostly pointless—after all, she couldn’t hear you at all

But you stayed and talked, waiting indefinitely for her to wake up

Because, all those years ago, you had promised to be by her side and protect her no matter what.

[shini--chan]

I have an idea! What would Allies do after finding out that their s/o have (another) stalker? It can be another yandere, a creep, ex, jealous coworker with bad intentions or even a serial killer.

And a good idea it is, my dear anon.

Yandere Allies – Feindling America

You were already fast asleep, snoozing away under the covers in your shared bedroom. He, on the other hand, was still wide awake and had decided to settle down in the living room to do some light reading. His insomnia was due to the usual reasons – too much caffeine, too much stress, too much curiosity to just let the day finish.

And because he was worried, intently, about you. There was somebody else trying to stick their grubby fingers in your shared life, and pry you apart. That was something he was absolutely sure off. After living so long, and becoming paranoid due to his position on the global stage, he knew very well when he was being watched.

There was something after you in particular, he didn’t like it.

Out of his peripheral vision, he caught sight of somebody moving in the bushes. A spike of adrenaline shot through his body, and for a moment he was tempted to storm about side and give that creep a hook. Yet a better idea came to mind – first to fire a warning shot.

He net his book aside and sauntered to one of the glass door to the balcony and gave the pane a few sharp knocks. It was enough to catch their attention. It was almost comical how the figure froze, and the hood swivelled in his direction. Alfred couldn’t identify them in any capacity – they wore non-script jeans and a grey hoodie along with a pair of gloves. But this was about digging up the war axe.

Grinning, he flipped the bird at them, and then proceeded to draw a thin line across his throat in an unmistakable message.

Alfred would see this as a chance to play hero. He would finally be able to prove to you how capable he is at protecting you, how attentive he would be when it would water down to your safety. Of course, he would make sure there would be a lot he wouldn’t catch wind off – it would be the instances where he would come off as an evil master mind or as a control freak that he would skilfully hide from you.

He might or might not elect to torture the fool that would be stalking you. For him, waterboarding that creep would be a method of stress relief. It would also drive home the point that nobody should dare try to get between him and his sweetie.

Canada

Besides you, your phone beeped for what must have been the twelfth time in the span of one minute. You sobbed harder and buried your face in his chest. Matthew calmly stroked your back, making quiet soothing noises as he held you close.

“(Ex) will have to leave you be someday. This can’t go on forever. One day that jerk will have to accept that you’re gone for good”, he told quietly, while cautiously shifting his position to a more comfortable one.

You were both on the backseat of his car, having sought sanctuary there after you started panicking upon seeing the messages. All the memories had started to overwhelm you, and you had gripped his arm as if it was the only thing that was preventing you from drowning.

“No, that won’t be the case. Before I met you, I tried to leave so often only to be lured back into it. It was only because I met you that I haven’t gone back”, you cried, gazing up at him with a tear-stricken face.

“Shh, I will think of something. There shall be hell to pay.”

Matthew would be concerned about your wellbeing first and foremost. He would cater to you, cuddle with you, sooth you. But don’t think that would mean he would go easy on you should you step out of line and try to flee from him. When he would say he would never let your ex take you back, he would be indirectly saying he would never allow you to leave him.

Naturally, he would be careful and avoid any explicit rhetoric stating that your place in the world is at his side, but the message would be there, hidden between the lines.

With the legal sway he would hold, he would easily have your ex punished in some capacity. This could range from a fine to a restrain order to spending some time in jail.

China

A scream pierced the silence of the night, followed by a yell as the attacker was swept off his feet. Yao didn’t hesitate to continue beating the culprit up, even though he was on the ground.

After all, this was a man that had just been a few milliseconds away from dragging you away and murdering you, after doing unspeakable things to you, things that couldn’t be lightly talked about in any context.

“So, you’re the vermin that has been butchering people left and right for the past four months. You’re just as disgusting as I expected”, Yao commented as he brought his foot down on his back in a harsh stamp.

You had taken seat on a tree stump that was standing by. The near death experience and the fight going on in front of you had utterly rattled you. You were numbly staring at the scene playing out, heads in your hands, whole body trembling and eyes wide blown.

He kicked the killer in the side and was rewarded was a grunt and a hiss: “And I’ll fucking kill you too.”

“Sure you will”, Yao drawled sarcastically and pressed the criminals head into the dirt. “Get used to the taste of it.”

Contrary to expectations, Yao would approach the situation of serial killer being after you calmy. Not because he wouldn’t care about you, but rather because he would be far to old to be surprised by such a – in his eyes – trivial thing. And because he would know that letting himself drown in anger or panic would just result in him making grave mistakes – ie. losing you.

Nevertheless, he would never be far off, lurking behind corners, just out of sight of you and the murderer. He would also scoure your online activity, searching for any suspicious doings from other users. Furthermore he would use the opportunity to learn more about you and your strengths and weaknesses.

England

“Ah, ah, ah. Keep your dirty paws off that”, Arthur chided Jane and firmly grabbed Jane by the ear, harshly tugging there. It wasn’t the most humane treatment of a mortal, that England knew very well. However, he was in a sour mood, your infuriating co-worker being one of the contributing factors to it. Besides, he hadn’t made it one of his life maximas to be nice.

“You dare”, she hissed. When he gave another sharp tug, she yelped and dropped your phone, showing one of your social media profiles. Jane Smithers was persistent, he would have to give her that. Yet that would just be her downfall because she had decided to use that trait to try to ruin your life.

“Oh yes I dare. I dare to not tolerate your disgusting behaviour. Between you and me, we’re going to have a very long talk about your morals.”

She snorted and grabbed his hand.

“I could sue you for sexual harassment. We’ll see if you’ll still be laughing then.”

Oh, he had expected such a threat to come from such a vile person as her. He chuckled lowly – did she really think she could best him when it came to anything.

“And then spend some time in the nick for lying to judge and jury. Don’t think you’d be able to weasel your way out of this. I’m the one here that can have your framed and believe me, I could get you a bloody life sentence.”

She stared at him, uncomprehending, before realisation dawned and she let out a harsh laugh.

“So that is how (l/n) did it. Slept the way to the top.”

“No. (Y/n) has talent, impeccable talent. So unlike you, my dearest never had to resort to the methods you were so kind to mentioned.”

Arthur would see it as his duty to protect you – your physical & mental wellbeing as well as your reputation. So of course he would go after any jealous co-worker that would try to ruin you to any extent. And as mentioned in the snippet above, he wouldn’t be exactly nice about it. Any means would do for him, as long as the risk of his machinations backfiring on him and you would be relatively low.

During the whole process, he would letting you know about everything. It would be his point of proving that the world is a horrible place and that you can only find solace in his company and attention.

France

Francis was in the kitchen when you came stumbling in, frazzled and panting as If you had just run a marathon. By the way your extremities were trembling and sweat dotted your forehead, he wouldn’t be surprised. The only question was why.

Aside from that, fear danced in your eyes, and that was the only further information he needed to know that something was wrong. Rushing forward, he scooped you in his arms, ignoring the coffee that he had been preparing, and asked you:

“What happened, ma cherie?”

Instead of answering, you leaned your head against his shoulder and wrapped your arms around his torso, taking heavy, laboured breaths, as if you were crying. That was when he realised that you were. It worried him.

Was this something that he had done? What had caused you to become so distressed? Was it something he could fix.

“You don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want to”, he offered shakily, unsure about what he should do to cheer you up. How could he, when he didn’t know why you were in such a state?

Thankfully, you supplied him with an explanation, one that caused his concern to freeze to ice cold anger: “There is some creep following me. He grabbed my butt when I got off the bus.”

Whoever that devil was, he was going to have hell to pay,

Francis would be enraged that somebody would be so disrespectful of your boundaries and of the fact that you’re already taken. In the brief moments of his more intense bouts of fury, he might do something as rash as to track the creep down and bludgeon him with something, probably a newspaper.

However, his preferred method would be character assassination (this would work especially well if the culprit in question would have a high social status) and verbal abuse. In this case, his revenge could be long-winded and very elaborate.

Russia

The temperature of the corridor had dropped since the last time he had visited – a testimony to the bad insulation and the approaching winter. Ivan thought it did her justice. After all, she did deserve this after nearly kidnapping you.

Speaking of her, she was sitting near the bars when he approached and when she glimpsed him, she quickly scooted away. Clever; she had learned from what had occurred the last time.

“Come to taunt me again?”, she seethed, curling into a tight, haggard ball of fury. Understandable in her case, however he wouldn’t shed any tears or have any sleepless nights.

“As is customary. I have to elevate your boredom somehow”, he confirmed, grabbing a chair and seating himself opposite her.

She stared at the door at the end of the passage, hungerly tracing it and searching the shadows for any sign of you. Ivan derived pleasure from mocking her: “How foolish are to think I would have brought my lover with me? I didn’t the last few times so why should it any different now?”

“You’re so very attached to (y/n), so I had my hopes.”

“Then I’ll have to forever dash them. That I owe you.”

She snarled at this; face twisted to a nasty frown.

“You know, you and I aren’t so different. So it is even more hypocritical of you to claim the moral high ground. Does (y/n) know even half of the things you’ve done in the name of your love?”

“I detest the comparison. I walk free while you rot in solitude, unloved and unwanted. While you have done everything wrong, I have done what was right where it counted most. You go very far by suggesting anything else.”

Russia would be the one to act the most intense of all the allies. He would have had people that were dear to him ripped away from him in the past, so he invest a lot of energy in insuring that wouldn’t happen to you and him.

That would mean he would go up to 11 in this case. As in, he would either kill this person and dissolve their body in acid or feed it to the pigs. Or he would leave this other yandere to rot somewhere after having dragged them before court for a very showy trail to break their spirit.

[mesozoic-system]

Bakugou Katsuki is not as bad as he seems.

Okay, fine. That's a lie. Bakugou is a loud and obnoxious asshole with little to no character development and will snap at anyone who breathes on him the wrong way.

Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to why he's like that.

You all know what PTSD is, yeah? If not, it stands for "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder". It's something that causes panic attacks, unnecessary aggression, trust issues, nightmares, anxiety, depression, and more. People will develop it after a traumatic experience. It takes years of therapy to recover... actually, most people never recover from it.

Fun fact: Katsuki canonically has PTSD. It's confirmed, and you know what? After everything he's been through, it's not much of a surprise. He's been through one tragedy after another and never seems to get a break.

When we first met Bakugou Mitsuki (Katsuki's mother) in chapter #96, we instantly realized how aggressive she was. I mean come on! She talked smack right in front of him and his teachers- in front of All Might who she knew her son was very fond of. Katsuki may be irritable, but to have your own mother backhand you in front of your own role model is a little much.

Later on in chapter #165 during the Provisual License Exams, we get a little more information that only points towards more abuse- and this time it's not so verbal.

Most people paid no real attention nor gave it a second thought in these panels, but remember when Katsuki suggested to use violence against the kids? Of course, you'd look at it and wave it off as "normal Bakugou behavior", but what he says next took me by surprise:

That's right. He was raised that way.

Which means either Mitsuki or Masaru (or both) had struck him in some way multiple times as he was growing up, and I doubt it was Masaru.

"Spoiled" my ass. He might have a strong quirk, but people don't turn into little monsters just by being praised. It'll definely boost his confidence, but not dramatically. This could also explain his aggression toward Midoriya. He realized how helpless he was and had power over someone else for once. But that's just a theory.

Okay, let's fast forward a bit. He's finishing up his third year of Middle School and is preparing for the UA entrance exams. He's pushed away his childhood friend to follow his own dreams and tells him to jump off the roof.

Literally.

And then he walks out the door only to regret it much, much, muuuch later in the series- y'know. The "character development" I was talking about.

Next time we see him though, he gets what he deserves.

One panel he's tramping through an alley with his friends, and the next, he's being swallowed alive by the most perverted-looking slime monster I've ever laid my eyes on.

While Izuku's dreams are being crushed by his own hero, Katsuki is fighting for his life in the middle of town. He's struggling, but all he could do was look back at all the dozens of fearful eyes...

Right there. Right now. Look at him:

He's terrified. He's humiliated and afraid and hurt and despite all of the heroes that were there, none of them had even attempted to save him.

And this is where it really starts. This is where it all begins. Next thing we know, Izuku's running straight for him... The boy Katsuki's bullied almost all of his life is risking his own in order to save him.

You know the story from there; All Might trains Izuku to withhold his power, they get accepted into UA, and then comes the Sports Festival.

Katsuki's already made up his mind: he's gonna win. He's willing to give everything he has to show the country what he's made of, and this may be his only chance to make up for the mishap several months ago. And Monoma, being a professional at making things worse by opening his mouth, rubs salt in the wound.

It was pretty easy to predict Katsuki's reaction: pissed off and more than ready to prove him wrong. He does, but it cost him his "first place" during the Calvary Battle. But that's okay 'cuz it's not over yet!

Welcome to the next and last stage of the festival: The Battle Tournament, where all the kids get to beat the shit out of each other until only one remains.

Turns out, Katsuki does win. It was a foolproof plan: get Todoroki to go all out on him so he can make a final impression before the end of the day. But it was obvious that Shouto was still unsure of himself, so Katsuki did what he did best:

He had to piss him off.

But instead of getting angry and bursting into flames like he had planned, Shouto threw away the battle at the last second, and everything Katsuki had worked for with it.

No shit he's gonna be upset! He worked his ass off to get where he was, and the whole point was to leave himself a footprint! His entire life had been dedicated to that moment, and it faded away right in front of him.

Midnight put him to sleep and he woke up and threw a temper tantrum.

Now this is was UA did wrong:

Why would you do that?! They were all aware of what happened to him only a few months ago, he obviously hasn't properly recovered from it, and they restrain him in front of thousands of people. They cover his mouth and gag him, lock his hands in a tiny metal box and expect him not to go insane. Helloooo?! Wake up! He's just a kid!

Several months go by and now it's time for camp. Katsuki is tired. They all are. It's been a long day of training and training and training, and suddenly villains come out of nowhere, and nobody is prepared. And who shows up? The League of Villains, and they're after certain students...

Tokoyami escapes safely, but Katsuki isn't so lucky.

Just think about that for a second. When we see Shigaraki holding a picture of him, it's the one where UA tied him up. He knows what this child has gone through and he pities him. To be honest, I think the LoV treated him much better than anyone ever has (except maybe Kirishima). They're hesitant, but they treat him with kindness. They didn't just want him for his quirk. They saw what the heroes did to him and wanted to help him get the revenge he deserved.

But when All Might showed up (more like "burst through the wall like the Cool Aid man"), Katsuki is instantly teleported in the strangest way possible... and the most traumatizing.

He chokes out this weird slime-like substance that devours him within seconds. Thankfully it only last that long, but then again, the Sludge Incident, remember?

Yeah, bet that brings back some memories.

But what must have hurt him the most was All Might's downfall and early retirement. He said it himself:

After several chapters, he finally burst. He's been holding all the pain inside of him until it bubbled over and he couldn't take it anymore. So he went to the only person he could- the person he hated and yet trusted the most.

Maybe the Class 1A concert helped him in a way. It seemed like it brought him down and maybe even relaxed him a little. And something incredible happens. Something we haven't seen from him at all until now...

(From here, I'll try to keep it short to avoid as many manga spoilers as I can. That and I'm tired...)

He began to change; started to support Izuku... in his own twisted way, of course. As chapters went by, he started to open up little by little. He admitted what he had done to Izuku in middle school to All Might, which had brought him some peace of mind. It wasn't quite the apology we had hoped for, but I guess it'll do.

And during the war, he made the greatest sacrifice, finally unlocking his quirk's full potential. Despite being unable to move, he used his quirk to throw himself in front of Izuku without thinking, taking a blow to his stomach. To his stomach.

He was impaled.

Holy shit.

Last time someone had been impaled was Nighteye, and he died from his wounds.

But Katsuki somehow managed to survive... And woke up ready to beat Izuku's ass if he didn't wake up.

Anyway, that's all I have to say (so far). However, I'm excited for Season 5 of the anime series! Can't wait to see our new story animated! I mean, I've been watching the episodes as they come out, but still.

-Blightcon