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highlordofkrypton · 6 months ago

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batman equalizer au // the knight from nowhere - chapter 1 & 2

Read on AO3.

SUMMARY: Bruce Wayne is dead. In the wake of his death, he leaves a trail of bodies and the ruins of a city. He can’t do this anymore; he can’t be a man who uses justice as an excuse for violence, so he leaves it all behind. Now, a nobody in a nowhere town, he starts to like his mundane life—no heroism, no villains and no pain—until one day, injustice finds him. Heroes aren’t real, but sometimes, all people need is a knight.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's basically just the Equalizer but with Bruce Wayne with fun cameos!

Chapter 1 & 2

Every day, eight o’clock on the dot, the employees of Home Depot file into the massive warehouse on North Avenue, right on the big intersection near the highway. Not quite in the middle of the city, it has the perfect balance of busy and calm all at once. Just enough clients to make the day go by, but not enough for them to overwhelm the staff.

You’ve got Erica at the front cash. She’s been here for years, so much that she runs the customer service section better than any of the managers. Her hairstyle’s old, perpetually stuck in the eighties and teased into the stratosphere, but her heart’s as big as the ‘do. For every person that squeezes into the not-quite open doors, she flashes a gum-clenched smile—always classic bubble gum flavour.

Geronimo and Juan always come in at exactly the same time. They’re cousins and live on the same street. They’ve also both got the same snoozing habits, which make it a real wonder whenever they come in early on a day like today.

“Hey, Mister Kane! Bright and early as always?”

“Yeah, he’s old. He ain’t got nothing better to do.”

The two teens stop in front of the older man. Mister Kane came out of nowhere one day, applying for a job just like anyone else. The city’s big enough for them to not recognize him, and though he keeps to himself, everyone thinks of him as part of the family. They’re comfortable enough to tease him, at the very least.

With an elegance unbefitting of such an unassuming man, he uncrosses his leg and sets the newspaper down. He cocks a slender dark brow in their direction, questioning. On his lips, an amused smile greets them.

“How old do you both think I am?”

“Old enough to ride dinosaurs!”

“Old enough to live before the internet.”

“That’s not even that old, tonto.”

Mister Kane laughs, a low smooth sound, and folds his arms across his bright orange apron. “C’mon, you two. You’re on time for once, don’t wanna be late punching in ‘cause you were fooling around.” He shoos them along.

The bell rings for the start of the shift, and the boys sprint across the backroom to get their aprons. Mister Kane hops to his feet and heads right over to the building materials section of the warehouse. There are a few wood orders from yesterday he didn’t get a chance to finish, and he likes the calm that comes with working with power tools. He can’t hear anyone over the sound, and there’s a nifty boundary that keeps clients away from him while he’s handling machinery.

Sneakers squeak from across the aisle, and it can only be one person (because the two late bloomers are already in).

For the life of him, Barry cannot show up to work on time, but he’s a good kid, and his family situation’s tough, so management gives him a pass. It helps that no one complains; everyone goes out of their way to give Barry a hand.

“Morning, Mister Kane—I mean, uh, Bruce,” the young blonde flusters in the face of his friend. “Good morning, hi, hey.” His windbreaker hangs over his shoulder, along with his lunchbox which are hooked by two fingers. “I,” he breathes heavily from the running. “Overslept. Was studying.”

And to think, Bruce was just going to ask about his night.

“Sounds rough,” he muses politely. “Hurry up, you just missed the bell. Time’s a tickin’.”

“Ope, right on, Mis—Bruce! I mean, Bruce, not miss Bruce.”

Bruce squeezes his shoulder, reassuring that there’s been no harm and no foul. He told the kid not to call him Mister Kane. The teens, sure, but he’s not that old. At least, not on paper. The aches in his body, the old injuries that didn’t heal right and his horrible blue plaid short-sleeved button up and pleated khakis say otherwise. Funny, how style choices can really age a person. Actually, it has to be orthopedic shoes. (What? They’re comfortable.)

“Go on, Bar,” he reminds, steering his friend in the right direction—towards the break room.

Barry waves, and Bruce can just hear the sounds of the young man mumbling to himself. “Right on? What was that, Bar? Who are you?”

The people here are good and the life he has built for himself is good. Bruce is kind and polite, speaking when spoken to and helping whenever he can. He’s a man who’s been given a second chance, and he’s making the best of it, however he can.

He puts on his safety glasses and a pair of gloves, then gets to work on trimming the various pieces of wood. Some are long and flat boards, while others are basic two by fours. Around his third order, Barry comes back around wearing his apron. His glasses and his gloves stick out of his pocket.

“When’s your exam?”

“Three weeks. I’m alright on most of the core competencies, like collaborator, communicator and leader, but I’m stuck on the medical expert section. The, um,” Barry clears his throat uncomfortable.

Bruce tips his head, lifting a brow curiously. “Which part?” His tone is gentle, encouraging. This place is a safe space, there’s nobody around to judge. “If you’re going to be a forensic scientist, you might as well get comfortable with the job.”

“It’s the medical examiner portion. I’m alright with the science, but it’s more the cause of deaths and offering a hypothesis? I just can’t really imagine… murder.” Barry’s voice drops low. Well, he can, but there’s a knot in his chest, and a wall that keeps him from staying objective. He looks away, throat bobbing with an uncomfortable swallow. “I just want to help people, you know. I want to make sure I’m getting it right, but the thought that a person—,” he pauses.

“You have to think of the people you’re helping. It’s difficult to face death, and there isn’t a way to undo it, but the next best thing is what you can do for the living.” He offers a reassuring squeeze and loads in the next piece of plywood for trimming.

The sound of the saw offers both of them a moment of reprieve to think about death. Bruce runs the vacuum that seems to echo across the entire store, and shuts it off, handing the piece for Barry to transfer into the ‘pick-ups’ rack.

“I think you just need to find the line between using your imagination to connect the evidence, and letting it go too far where you put yourself in a victim’s shoes. Once you get into the habit, it’ll be muscle memory.” But for Barry to learn, he needs experience. “Do you have any combat training? Or have you ever fired a gun? It might help you get insight on the way the body moves, and how projectiles work.”

“Oh, no, Bruce. I-I couldn’t.” Barry holds his hands up in surrender. The thought of a gun feels like a violation against everything he is as a person. He is politeness incarnate, and he can count on his hand the amount of time he’s ever been in a confrontation. (Twice, and both times his—adoptive—big brother Carter got involved, which meant that his adoptive father Jay would also come to the rescue. Of the person who caused Barry trouble, of course. Carter is known for his… excessive force.)

“It’s not as bad as you think. You busy this weekend? I’ll take you to the range. And look up some martial arts classes. It’ll help.” If it doesn’t help with understanding physical struggles, then at the very least, it’ll help Barry find an outlet for his stress. “You don’t have to shoot if you’re not comfortable. You can just watch and jump in whenever you like.”

“Do you have a gun?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Oh.”

Barry seems to think about it for a long while, but he doesn’t inquire further about it. Instead, he bounces on the balls of his feet, eager to help and making sure that he does all the heavy lifting, not Bruce. He seems to buy into the thought that Bruce is older, even if his hair has barely started graying at the temples.

It has to be the orthopedic shoes. No one over seventy wears orthopedic shoes.

Before long, the two of them are easing back to their routine with Barry chatting away about his day and asking Bruce if he’s up to anything new. Bruce never is; his routine is simple, contained and quiet—just the way he likes it. They have lunch together. Barry’s adoptive mother, Joan, always packs a sweet note on Mondays wishing her son a good day. (For the rest of the week, the kid’s on his own.) Bruce’s lunches are always simple, but the ingredients are treated with great care. Today, he has sautéed green beans in garlic butter, and a simple roasted chicken breast. In the afternoons, he’ll also have an Ensure and Barry always checks to see the flavour of the day. Strawberry, ooh, nice, he’ll say even if there are only three choices.

The people here are good and the life he has built himself is good, yet at the end of the day, once warm farewells are exchanged along with pleasant smiles, his expression slips into nothingness. As soon as he is alone, he becomes no one and he is empty.

… or that’s how he thinks he should feel.

It was like that at first; this life felt painful and underserved, but it’s grown on him. He has friends and even if it’s built on a lie, he’s found a peace he’s never known before.

Maybe—

Maybe he can finally start to forgive himself.

***

Oasis Apartments are exactly nine minutes away from North Avenue, except during rush hour where the light have an added two minutes to them. It’s situated right by the highway and drinks up all the sounds of rumbling vehicles through the building’s too-thin walls. Bruce can tell when an eighteen wheeler drives by from the faint rattle of the windows.

The only thing even faintly resembling an oasis is the dirty pool in the centre courtyard with its peeling palm-tree lining. He can even make out tiki torches trapped somewhere in the overgrown greens.

He didn’t pick the Oasis for its amenities or its comforts. In a place like this, no one asks questions. Either they’re too shitfaced to care, or too worried about how to make ends meet before the next rent is due. He doesn’t even care that it’s close to the Depot; he’d applied for the job after signing the lease and paying (in cash).

Bruce walks the steps up to the third floor where his apartment is. There’s an elevator in the building, but he’s pretty sure it hasn’t worked for over a decade. Swinging his lunchbox in hand, he thinks about Barry’s plight and how to help and he pays no mind to the sounds of living filtering in through the various apartment doors.

His thoughts come to a halt as his gaze travels towards a boy sitting at the top of the steps of the third floor. His gray eyes drink in the child’s appearance—his ever ratty clothes, never combed hair and worn shoes—before setting on the open textbook on his lap.

“Cheezus Christ, Mister Bruce! Took you look enough,” the kid grins, flashing his missing tooth—his right lateral incisor.

“Language,” Bruce clips, too tired to put on a smile. Not that his unsociable personality would stop Jason from coming over. He’d explicitly started showing up in Bruce’s life regardless of how welcoming he was.

“What? It’s not like I said ‘fuck’.”

Bruce stops in his tracks and levels the kid with a deadpan stare.

“What?”

Some battles just aren’t worth fighting. The saying has never quite rung true for Bruce until this very moment. He prays to the gods above for the strength to do good in this child’s life, instead of pointing out the obvious: Jason swore to prove his point, thus defeating the purpose. The kid would argue, and they’d go round and around until someone relents. It was by the fourth encounter that Bruce realized Jason was doing it on purpose—trying to pick some kind of mundane argument so that he could stay, if only to finish up the conversation.

Bruce has also long learned not to ask for the boy’s mother anymore. A curious gaze slides towards her apartment, the one right next to his, and her voice comes through: loud, flirty and most importantly, slurred. He sighs softly.

“Yeah,” Jason agrees, looking down at his math book. He doesn’t need to know what Bruce is looking at.

“What about the other one?” Bruce swiftly changes the subject, nodding his head at the apartment across from theirs.

This time, Jason wiggles his bum to turn and look at their neighbour’s place. You know, to make sure that they’re on the same page. His mood lightens up considerably, happy to have an answer for Bruce.

“Oh, Mister Kent got a big break at work. He’ll be out late. I think he’s nervous ‘cause he baked us pie.” Jason jabs his thumb towards Bruce’s door where a foil-wrapped pie awaits him. “Mom already took hers.” And she’s probably having it with whatever client she has with her.

Bruce sighs, again. “Did you eat?” He asks, as he climbs the last handful of steps and picks up the pie.

His keys jangle before they slide into the lock, and the door opens to reveal the most unimpressive apartment in the city. It’s clean, but it’s also empty. Only the bare minimum of furniture are present, and the only reason he even has a second set of cutlery is because of Jason, so they can eat together.

“Well, if you were any slower, I would’a eaten your pie. Count yourself lucky.” Jason trails after him, textbook tucked against his chest and his schoolbag perilously hanging over his shoulder. The zipper’s still open, and its contents threaten to spill across Bruce’s floor. Maybe that’s intentional, too; he can never know with this kid, and in a way, he finds that pleasantly amusing.

“I am truly blessed,” he replies, flatly.

Jason knows the routine by now. He takes off his shoes and sets them by the door. The first time, his socks had holes in them, and he had fought and rebelled against the idea of revealing his poverty to Bruce, even if it was already obvious. This apartment is free of judgement, and it’s a truth that Jason clings to. He’s also prouder now because Bruce got him a whole six-pack of white socks that he washes carefully in the bathroom sink.

If he has a jacket, he’ll stand on his tiptoes to hang it on the coat rack, but he’s only got a light sweater today. He pads over to the kitchen, slings his backpack on the spine of his chair and places his math book on the table. There’s enough place for exactly two people to eat comfortably, and maybe three if Bruce ever invites Mister Kent inside. Maybe then, the googly eyes will stop.

“What do you want?”

Bruce wraps a plain white apron around his waist, and opens the fridge to show Jason his choice of ingredients.

“Grilled cheese!”

“I can make you other things, you know. Things with vegetables.”

Jason sits up a little straighter and cranes his neck to get a better look inside Bruce’s sparse fridge. There’s food, but it’s always the bare minimum for the week. Maybe a little more these days because Jason practically lives here.

“And tomato soup!”

“But—”

“Grilled cheese!”

“I—”

“Tomato soup!”

Well, not much point in arguing anymore.

They both get quiet, focused on their tasks. Bruce gets the soup going, and despite its simplicity, the ingredients are treated with care to achieve perfect richness. It also helps that his palate has not changed in this new life, and his groceries are of the highest quality. He takes great care in disposing of the labels, and making it look like he’d picked them up just down the corner. He takes great care in arranging everything in his home to perfection.

The grilled cheese is the last, made with sourdough and three kinds of cheeses. While he prefers to cook the bare minimum for himself, Jason deserves… more. Bruce slices chives to sprinkle across the perfect crust, adding colour to the golden brown, and swirls a whip of cream across the top of the soup. He cleans the plates and the bowls, ensuring the best possible presentation.

He would be proud—

Bruce shoves that thought out of his mind, but it’s too late. The pain and the grief begins to set in. He has to stop for a moment, staring past the two plates of food, until he can settle his heart and return to baseline.

I am no one,

I come from nowhere,

I feel nothing .

He repeats his mantra as many times as required. When he gets a hold of himself, Bruce breathes in, and carries the food over to his guest.

Jason closes his book, and hops off his chair to wash his hands. He also grabs the cutlery, and brings it over. The two of them? They make a great team.

The food—it’s the best thing Jason has ever tasted. After his first bite, he hums, swinging his feet and wiggling his body to an invisible beat. Good food makes his entire being sing. He smiles to himself and takes a bite of the sandwich. It’s also fucking amazing. Naturally. Everything this weird old man does is kind of… awesome? Not that he’d say it.

“This slaps! How do you make food so good?” He asks with a half-chewed bite in his mouth.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

Jason swallows, and takes a big gulp of water. “When my mom makes it, it’s good, but this feels like something you’d get on your birthday at a fancy restaurant.” Don’t get him wrong, he loves his mom’s food, but this feels special and they’re just having dinner at home on a monday.

“You wanna learn?”

“Um, f—friiiiiiick, yeah!”

“Alright, but you’ve got to help me with a project in return. Think you can swing by on the weekend? Not this one, but the one after? I’m trying to help a friend.”

“Depends,” Jason muses, tapping the spoon on his chin and taking a bite of the sandwich. He keeps talking with his mouth full. “What’s the project?”

“You’ll see.” Bruce smiles. “How good is your acting?”

“So good, it’ll make Timothy Chalamet eat his shorts.”

“I don’t know who that is, but sure.”

“You don’t know him!” Jason nearly gets up on his seat, throwing his hands up in the air. “He’s the guy! With the movie! Where he does the thing!”

“Alright, alright, if you settle down and finish your food, I’ll see if we can find one of his movies.”

“Fuck yeah!”

“Language.”

“Oops,” but Jason doesn’t seem too sorry about it.

“How was your test?”

Jason gives him a thumbs up, mid-bite. “Aced it!”

“Good boy,” Bruce hums.

He doesn’t need to ask the boy to finish his homework, either. Jason insists on it before doing anything else, which gives Bruce the time to clean up and decompress from work. He patiently prepares his lunch for tomorrow, and tells Jason to bring the leftovers of soup and grilled cheeses back home to his mother. (Or for himself to keep for later.)

About halfway through Dune, Jason falls asleep on the couch, leaning against Bruce. He takes it as a sign that the child feels safe with him; Jason sleeps heavily enough that the sounds of the television or the neighbours through the thin walls never get to him.

Bruce is happy to finish the movie. He’d read the book back in high school, but never got around to watching the film. Time was precious, and he’d spent so much of it trying to be productive. He was one man trying to save the whole world. By doing so, he’d missed the most important parts of it. The people and the experiences who made up his whole world were right there, yet he’d favoured a crusade against an invisible enemy.

No amount of bodies had cured his grief; it’s why he’s trying something new, this time.

Three knocks rap against his door. Bruce is careful when he gets up, replacing his support with a pillow, to answer the door. Jason’s mother, Catherine, glares up at him. Her gaze turns to her son on the couch, and though there is no evidence of foul play, she chooses anger as a defence mechanism.

“This again? What the fuck are you doing with my son?”

Bruce is an even calm in the middle of Catherine’s anger. Her eyes are bloodshot and she’s lost even more weight. Jason had asked him once if he would marry his mother so that she could stop selling herself to the local criminals, even a guy like Bruce would do. He thought about it, but decided against it. People make choices, and they have to live with those choices. The best Bruce can do is give Jason a place to stay so he can have a little peace.

“Jason,” he calls, his voice a low rumble. “Get your things.”

He doesn’t need to ask twice. The kid sits up, rubbing his eyes and drags his feet towards the kitchen. He packs his bag and makes sure to slip the food into it. His mother won’t want to take charity from Bruce. For some reason or other, she hates him. Clark, too. Maybe it’s because they’re nice to him, and they remind her of her failures. Who knows.

“I swear to god, if you do anything to my son, I’ll fucking kill you.” She hisses at Bruce. “I told you not to come here,” Catherine grabs her son’s arm and pulls him away. “There’s something off with that man.”

“Yeah, he’s weird, but he’s nice,” Jason argues back.

#my fics #equalizer #equalizer au #bruce wayne #batman #batfam #jason todd

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lemonluvgirl · 2 years ago

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The Designation Games (Part 2)

Ya’ll are in luck, I busted my butt this weekend to not only revamp this story, and edit it, but I also wrote another chapter/part. And I added some typical Alpha/Omega smut adjacent behavior! Enjoy, your thirsty babies ;)

The Remake Center was everything Haymitch had warned them it would be and more.

After a long day of being poked, prodded, tested, waxed, plucked, and scrubbed to near death, She, and all the other tributes were released back to their rooms at the training facility. The preps explained it was so they could eat and rest and talk strategy with their mentors until the next morning when they would meet their stylists and receive the results of their genetic testing.

Things Katniss had never had cause to fuss over in her life before. They complimented her in the end though and said she was a change of pace to work on because she never complained. After she thanked them for their services and they gushed over her. She had a feeling she had made allies of them or at least endeared them to herself. And while she didn’t think they would be of any help when she was in the arena she also acknowledged the fact that acting agreeable could be of some benefit in the week preceding the start of the Games. These were the people in charge of making her look presentable to the Capitol audiences, which in turn helped her garner sponsors. So she took Haymitch’s advice and didn’t fight them, even when they poured hot wax on her legs and yanked out the hairs section by section.

Later, at dinner, with Haymitch, Peeta, and their escort, Effie, she tried to pace herself in between courses.

While the dining on the train had been lavish, here in the tribute center it was even more opulent. The meal was an entire affair, with things like appetizers, and something called hors d'oeuvres, salad, and soup courses. All that before even getting to the main course. Then there was dessert. By the time it was over, she was relieved to not feel sick again like she had the first night on the train.

Everyone made small talk, about the prepping process, and Katniss and Peeta had informed Haymitch that they followed his instructions to the letter.

“Good, because the preps report to the stylists and they can make or break you come time for the interviews. You need to stay on their good sides.” Haymitch cautioned as he placed a hand over the top of his drink when an Avox, a mute demi-human servant, came over to try and refill his glass.

It made Katniss feel slightly better to see Haymitch taking it easy on the drinking, and focusing more on the conversation.

She hoped things would stay that way throughout the next few days while they prepared for the Games.

When Haymitch invited them to the roof for a nightcap, she almost declined out of principle, but Haymitch practically ordered her to accompany him and Peeta. Effie was miffed about being excluded but Haymitch put her off, citing mentor/tribute privilege.

When they finally got up to the roof, it was late and Katniss was disappointed to see that the stars were rendered almost invisible by the brightness of the Capitol lights. The sight made her chest ache with a longing for home so acute that she had to stifle a small whimper. She felt more than heard Peeta shifting closer to her, maybe alerted to something in her scent that signaled distress.

Katniss almost groaned in frustration. She didn’t want him hovering, worrying about her like she was some weak and pathetic creature just because of her designation. But at the same time, something inside her felt pulled towards him and his rich and calming scent, like she was on an invisible string. It was a concerted effort to remain as she was. She didn’t want to shrink in fear, or approach in curiosity. Still, she felt Peeta studying her as if searching for the slightest change in her demeanor.

“Alright, so I figured it was time for us three to have some more honest talk.” Haymitch began, getting her attention as he beckoned them over to a section of the roof that contained a small garden replete with windchimes.

He took out a flask and then produced two small tea cups from his coat pockets. He proceeded to unscrew the cap on his flask and tip it into the first cup, filling it midway with some kind of light brown liquid.

“Drink this.” He said, passing the cup to Peeta. Peeta took it gingerly, careful not to spill but he didn’t immediately drink it either. Haymitch didn’t bother repeating his instruction, but went on to pour some liquid into the second cup and then he extended his arm to offer the cup to Katniss.

She automatically shook her head. She felt her skin pimple into goosebumps with awareness like it did whenever she felt danger or risk had entered a situation.

“I don’t want it.” She said in refusal.

Haymitch made an impatient noise and thrust the cup at her, barely managing to not spill the contents.

“Just drink it.” He ordered. She frowned, and opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off.

“We already had wine with dinner, Haymitch.” Peeta protested, seemingly on her behalf. Katniss frowned, formulating a retort in her mind to let Peeta know she didn’t want or need his interference.

“This is the part where you both start trusting your mentor because he knows what the hell he’s doing.” Haymitch asserted in a steely tone and after a moment Katniss reached out and took the cup.

It was lukewarm and only smelled faintly of alcohol.

“What’s in this?” She questioned, unable to help herself.

“Something to calm your nerves. It should help you both concentrate.” Haymitch promised.

She lifted the cup to her nose and underneath the light liquor scent, she detected some familiar notes of herbs and spices. Tea and something else.

“Is it a suppressant?” Peeta asked in a skeptical tone. Katniss’ mind nearly boggled to hear Peeta say the word. Suppressants were illegal, at least in the districts. The Capitol didn’t want their district workforce to have access to anything that could help them hide their Alpha or Omega natures. So no, suppressants were not something brought up in casual conversation.

“Something like that,” Haymitch said before taking a gulp from his own flask. “Don’t worry, it’s perfectly fine here in the Capitol. They give it to us mentors all the time.” He said, then he noticed his tributes’ nervous expressions and he spoke again, “We can speak freely here. The wind and the chimes drown out most listening devices.” Haymitch added.

Katniss breathed in and inhaled the rich and earthy smell of the tea that had been infused with whatever Haymitch kept in his flask. The sharp scent of the middle-aged alpha man in front of her also made its way to her nostrils when she inhaled, plus the deeply distracting but fresh and soothing scent of the young alpha next to her.

The tea itself smelled remarkably similar to the one she remembered her mother brewing at home for her father, in the years before the Capitol found them. Her mother had been a district trained healer before she became an Alpha’s mate. She had a vast knowledge of plants and herbs and the various ways to combine them.

Katniss took a small sip of the tea. Peeta, after seeing her, did the same. Then they all waited. A minute passed by and a slight tingling sensation started on her tongue and made its way down her throat. Then it spread, slowly through her body.

It did make her feel calmer, in a way. The scent of the two Alphas near her became muted and she was able to take deeper breaths. The suppressant in the tea dulled her senses as well, but right now that was what she probably needed. Being in the presence of two alphas was not an everyday occurrence for her. Especially when she felt so out of sorts. She quickly drained her cup dry, diving into the comfort it provided. A few minutes ago she had felt prickly and ready to flee or fight, like her every instinct was heightened and every nerve in her body had been sent on high alert.

But the herbs in the tea helped her to push those clamoring sensations down, and focus. Besides that, the taste reminded her of home.

“What do you know about the different designations?” Their mentor asked, breaking the silence. He was looking at her, not at Peeta. She felt singled out for a moment, but then again, she had been the one who was thrown off the most by her mentor’s discussion of heats and ruts, and the intricacies of Alpha and Omega dynamics.

She looked into his Seam gray eyes and felt placated by the lack of artifice in them.

“I know-” She hesitated, wishing she had paid more attention in her history of designations class when she was in school. She had been too preoccupied with her plans for hunting and foraging. With staying alive.

“I know what everyone knows I guess. What they taught in school. There are three distinct types—alpha, beta, and omega.” She offered.

Haymitch nodded at this but remained silent as if encouraging her to go on. Peeta shifted slightly, turning as if to get a better view of her while she spoke. It almost made her scowl, but she resisted the urge. Determined to ignore it, and answer the question, she focused on Haymitch.

After a moment she resumed.

“Designations were the reason for the catastrophes that destroyed the modern world in the previous era. They caused wars and unrest and the human race tore itself to pieces because alphas and omegas couldn’t suppress their savage natures. The Capitol says that’s why they can’t allow alphas and omegas to live among betas. That’s why they are reaped for the Designation Games. To weed out the unmanageable ones. To keep the beta population safe from violence and savagery.” She says in an almost rote tone, something she memorized to pass an examination, but never took to heart. The words leave a bad taste in her mouth.

Her father was an alpha and he hadn’t been a mindless, violent savage. Neither had her mother been a hapless Omega slave he ordered about. They had been a man and woman, human as any other. Who loved each other and their family.

The fact that others like them were reaped and forced to fight to the death savagely, simply for being born something other than a beta, wasn’t a flaw of designation, it was the error of those who came up with the Games and those who perpetuated them. Anyone would fight to preserve their life. Alpha, omega, or beta alike.

“Did you know that everyone alive today has an alpha or omega in their ancestry? And you don’t even need to go back very far. As little as four generations in most people.” Haymitch asked before taking a sip from his flask.

Katniss blinked at him, startled.

He ignored her look of shock and forged ahead.

“What they don’t teach in the districts is the history of post-cataclysmic genetics, it's not essential for most of the jobs we do. Miners don’t need advanced schooling to break down rocks. But in the Capitol, the history of designations also comes with a genetics class. Everyone who has gone through secondary school there can tell you that alphas and omegas make up an integral part of the population. Something like 60 to 70%.”

“But that’s just not possible,” Peeta said, taking the words right out of her mouth.

“It is actually because it’s not their primary designation. It’s their secondary designation. Their dormant designation.” Haymitch disclosed quietly.

“Wait, what? How can someone have two designations? And how can one of them be what did you say--dormant?” Peeta said in a bewildered tone while Katniss stood in stunned silence.

“After the catastrophe that destroyed North America, the survivors, all the scientists, and leaders did their best to try and correct the problem of designations. They envisioned a world full of betas, without the messiness of alpha and omega instincts. At first, they thought to breed alphas and omegas out of the population entirely, but there weren’t enough people left to successfully eliminate those designations. They needed alphas and omegas, specifically because alphas and omegas are among the most naturally fertile, especially when paired together. So, instead of trying to breed alphas and omegas out, they tried to alter their genetic makeup to bypass their baser instincts. Suppressants only worked as long as alphas and omegas took them and had access to them. Which, in a post-apocalyptic world, that had suffered a major collapse of infrastructure and industry, was not a long-term solution. So the idea was to overwrite alpha and omega DNA with beta DNA and breed a new generation of people who despite their parents’ designations, would never go into heat, or rut, or show signs of being anything other than even-tempered betas.”

“That’s…” Peeta began but trailed off.

“Yes, it's quite the feat of science,” Haymitch said the words with a spiteful sort of sarcasm.

“Wait. How can you tell us all of this? Isn’t it some kind of secret? I mean, why keep it from the people in the district if it's a part of history?” Katniss finally found her voice, and she questioned Haymitch while her eyes narrowed skeptically.

“Well, there are two parts to that answer. Let’s take the easiest one first. It’s not exactly a secret. The information is out there, but not many people are smart enough to connect the dots. I believe they teach something about genetic failure in the school unless things have changed since my day.” Haymitch said arching a brow.

Katniss thought for a moment, she vaguely recalled her monotone history teacher's voice saying something along those lines, and posters in the school hallways encouraging people to make note of their friends and family members’ temperaments in the event of GF.

She nodded, carefully. Beside her, Peeta gave a sound of agreement.

“Right, so, genetic failure occurs when something goes wrong with an individual’s written code. It’s uncontrollable, and it only occurs during the late adolescent stage of development, when a person’s hormones are still fluctuating and unpredictable. That’s why only people between the ages of 16-18 present. There’s a breakdown in the genetic programming that allows the individual’s secondary designation to overcome the beta overlay.” Haymitch explained.

“Oh.” Katniss sat back with a frown. She tried to wrap her mind around the idea that she, and the people like her, her father, mother, Haymitch, and Peeta, had their lives upended and often cut short because of a failure of genetic programming. A failure they had no control over, if what Haymtich was saying was correct.

“So why even have the Games? Why not just round up every person who presents as an alpha or omega and execute them?” She demanded, angrily. Haymitch frowned at her, but after a moment he replied.

“For the same reason that the scientists couldn’t breed alphas and omegas out of the gene pool. We are integral to the population. Without the assistance of alpha and omega fertility, an all-beta population would go extinct within three generations. Society is still recovering from the cataclysms. Our population can only handle so much pruning at this point. We still need alphas and omegas, even those who somehow overcome their genetic programming. They need young alphas and omegas that are bright and capable, smart, and able to curb their instincts as well as utilize them. They need them to win the Games and contribute to the local population.” Haymitch informed.

“Is that why the children of victors are often reaped?” Katniss asked, her voice alight with realization.

“For the most part. Victors tend to have large families, and though the majority of their offspring often turn out beta dominant, there’s always the chance that one or two might present as something else.”

“So that leaves the other half of the question. Why are you telling us this?” Peeta asked.

“All the mentors inform their tributes at some point. Most do it on their first night on the train. Unfortunately, that night I was indisposed.” He paused here, and Katniss is sure they are all recalling how he had gotten so drunk they hadn’t even seen him until the next day.

“But I’m clear-headed enough now, so I thought it best not to beat around the bush any longer.” Haymitch said.

“So all the other tributes will know about dual designations?” Peeta queried in a serious voice.

“Yes. And they’ll be out to play you and your natures against each other. Which is why I want you two to present a united front. This has to look like a team effort, you two are going to be friends, like we talked about. Close friends for the next few days.” Haymitch said in a more commanding tone.

“You want Peeta to put his what where?!” Katniss almost shouted. They had been discussing their strategy for how the two of them would tackle their training session tomorrow.

It would be the first time they met all the other tributes, and Haymitch had some crazy plan that was supposed to create some kind of scent barrier that would keep the other Alphas and Omegas from getting too close.

“Shh.” Haymitch hushed her harshly.

Peeta was already shaking his head.

“I’m not going to do that. That’s—it would be too much, Haymitch!” Peeta replied testily.

Katniss stole a glance at him. The spot of color high on his cheeks told her he was as uncomfortable with this idea as she was.

“You two are the strongest contenders that 12 has produced in years. I can smell how strong you are and I’m old and sloshed more than half the time. Those sharks down there,” Haymitch stopped to point to the floor, and Katniss took his gesture to mean the other tributes who were occupying the floors of the training center below them, “they’ll be able to smell it too. The tributes from the Career districts look for angles to exploit like this. Those with demi-human parentage train at a special academy from the time they’re young. They specifically spend time around other Alphas and Omegas on purpose to prepare for the Games. They desensitize themselves for years until they are basically immune to the opposite gender’s pheromones. And then they volunteer when they turn eighteen. They will single you out, play their little games and force a physical response that will put you at a disadvantage. In the past five years, I’ve had one or both of my tributes sabotaged with premature heat or rut before the gong even sounded. Trust me when I say you don’t want to start off the Games doped up out of your mind on some Capitol concoction to pause a heat or rut, and then be forced to sweat out the meds and wait for your full senses to come back to you. The Careers will get the upper hand and they will hunt you down if you two try to go it alone.” Their mentor told them in a deadly serious tone.

Katniss felt the blood drain from her face as the scenario that Haymitch had just painted sprung to life in her mind. Real terror clawed it's way up her throat.

Peeta appeared beside her, suddenly closer than he had been a second ago, his hand clutching the cup tightly in his grip. A soft growl escaped his lips.

Katniss looked over at him with shock, but he was staring directly at Haymitch, not quite baring his teeth, but it certainly wasn’t a smile that was on his face.

Haymitch merely rolled his eyes, dismissing Peeta’s behavior. Katniss looked down and away from them, fighting the urge to blush. Why did the idea of Peeta growling at Haymitch because of her make her heart race?

“That’s a good start, but save it for training. The wind chimes cover a lot but they don’t cover shouting or fighting. And you better finish drinking your tea boy. No need for all that posturing with me.” Haymitch warned in a half-amused tone.

“Alright, say we believe you about how serious it is that the other tributes will want to sabotage us, what’s to say that Peeta…what did you call it? Scenting me? Won’t do the same thing and trigger a biological response anyway?” Katniss asked, wanting to get off the topic of alpha posturing and back on their strategic planning.

“Because I’ll be here to supervise,” Haymitch replied.

“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or—” Katniss said, uncomfortable with the idea of not only letting Peeta scent her but also with the stipulation that a third party would be present to watch them. It sounded creepy.

“Look, I don’t get off on teenage fumbling if that’s what you’re worried about. Besides, you have all the charm of a dead slug, sweetheart. No, I would be there to make sure you two follow instructions and don’t get carried away. Also, I’d be dosing you two with some light suppressants right before each scenting session so your responses would be mitigated.” Haymitch explained.

Katniss bit back a few choice words, especially after hearing him liken her to a dead slug. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

What possible reason could Haymitch have for instructing his tributes to bond together in such a way? For all his faults he really didn’t appear to be a pervert. And if Peeta was in the same precarious position she was in, didn’t it make sense for the two of them to help each other?

This was just a strategy.

It was all part of playing the Games.

So if that was true, why did it feel like some insane voice in her head was practically purring at the thought of Peeta rubbing his scent all over her?

“Okay,” Katniss said, almost too quickly.

Haymitch looked over towards Peeta.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Peeta asked Haymitch, voice full of concern.

“Much safer than some random Omega stealthing you with her slick on your scent glad when you’re not looking, boy.” Haymitch replied tersely.

Katniss let out a quiet gasp.

Did Omegas really do that???

She couldn’t even imagine…

Ok, no stop it. She told herself, immediately trying to erase the mental image of rubbing her own wet fingers over the raised, puffy gland on Peeta’s neck.

She was suddenly very glad for the tea Haymitch had given her. In fact, she wondered if he had any more on hand.

Katniss cleared her throat, “So what do we have to do?”

They were directed to sit down beside each other. Peeta led her, hand hovering above the small of her back to the small bench in the rooftop garden.

For the first few minutes, they simply sat next to each other and Haymitch asked them to concentrate on each other’s scent and proximity.

Katniss could taste Peeta’s trepidation on the roof of her tongue, and she was sure he could probably taste hers. But underneath that, there was an undercurrent of other notes in his scent.

Skepticism, uncertainty, and faint flickers of…anticipation? Excitement?

She tried to concentrate on his scent but the more she tuned into him, the fuzzier her thoughts became.

That same languid warmth spread through her again, slowly, making her relax and filling her with a strange sort of comfort.

In the quietness of that headspace, Katniss heard the voice that had been swimming in the back of her mind, not quite loud enough to be heard before, but always present, and lurking ever since she went through her fever.

Alpha is strong and kind. He would be a good mate. We must show him our neck. We must be good! Please our Alpha, and he will care for us!

“Oh, my odds! What the hell was that?!” Katniss spoke up, startled.

She heard Haymitch try and stifle a chuckle.

“That, I’d hazard to guess, would be your Omega voice, sweetheart,” Haymitch replied.

“My what?” Katniss asked, bewildered.

“You know, the mental manifestation of your biological imperatives. The little voice that tells you to suck up to any Alpha in the vicinity. She’s an untrustworthy little bitch, but it’s better that you get acquainted with her now and get used to ignoring her bullshit advice than being blindsided during the Games.” Haymitch explained.

“How? How do you know she’s untrustworthy?” Katniss managed to ask after a brief pause.

“Because Alphas have their own stupid little voice. Except it ain’t so little and its twice as stupid. Am I right, boy?” Haymitch asked, looking over at Peeta.

Peeta now had his eyes open and was regarding Haymitch with something like frustration.

But when Katniss turned her attention to him he refocused on her.

“I—um, yeah. I started to hear it after I came out of my fever.” Peeta admitted, one hand scratching the back of his neck self-consciously.

“What does it say to you?” Katniss asked, genuinely curious.

“It’s always barking at me about stupid things. I honestly just try to ignore it, most of the time.” Peeta replied vaguely.

Katniss wanted to press him for more information but Haymitch cleared his throat.

“As much as I love you all’s little sharing fest, it's getting late and you two have to get an early start tomorrow. So, now that you both have been introduced to your hormonal alter egos, I say we get this show on the road.” Haymitch drawled impatiently.

Katniss felt her heart speed up, and the now significantly louder voice inside her head was practically salivating at the idea of letting Peeta scent her.

Peeta for his part look slightly stressed and hesitated to come any closer to her.

“Um, do you want to—?”

“We should just—”

They both began speaking at the same time and behind them, Haymitch let out an exasperated sigh.

“Sometime before my liver gives out on me.” Their mentor needled them.

“Now you’re just outlining the benefits for us to drag this out.” Peeta bit back turning his head to stare down their mentor over his shoulder. His comment was rather acerbic and surprising to Katniss.

But then she giggled. She realized if there was one thing she could get on board with Peeta about, it was serving up some sass to their slightly overbearing mentor.

Peeta’s head whipped back around at the sound of her laugh and his eyes widened. He seemed stunned that he had made her laugh.

Katniss’ eyes crinkled, and she held her smile, willing him to see that it was ok.

His gaze locked on her smiling lips, and he breathed out a relieved breath. Then he gave her a smile that was so genuine and sweet, with just a hint of shyness that it made her inner Omega practically swoon.

Katniss found herself leaning in without thinking, and tilting her head slightly to offer up her neck to him.

Peeta’s pupils grew dilated, and he sucked in a breath. The tip of his tongue poked out of his mouth to wet his soft-looking, plush, and rosy lips. He leaned in, but then pulled back slightly.

Katniss fought a whimper, and the urge to pull his mouth down to her neck.

He reached out and gently took her hand.

“Is this okay?” He asked, blue eyes holding hers until they darted back down to her neck, and the soft patch of skin that was beginning to throb under his scrutiny.

“Yes,” Katniss breathed the word softly, in a voice that she would have been embarrassed to hear coming from her mouth at any other time.

Peeta nodded to himself and leaned in.

She had expected him to start licking immediately. Because that was how Haymitch had explained it. An Alpha’s saliva could create a temporary bond with an Omega if applied directly to her scent gland, and vice versa.

So Katniss was surprised when Peeta’s lips placed a tentative kiss on the side of her neck instead, right above her scent gland.

But still, even with that tiny, almost chase kiss, it felt like her body had erupted with heat.

“Oh,” She exclaimed, involuntarily, in a high and surprised voice and it seemed to trigger something in Peeta, because, in the next moment, he attached his whole mouth to her gland and absolutely covered it in kisses.

And the sensation was unlike anything Katniss had ever felt before.

Her entire body was alive, and thrumming with energy. Her muscles tensed and arched under his touch. She found herself tilting her head back more, inviting him to claim her neck and her scent gland thoroughly.

And he did. He parted his lips and began to suck. An intense ripple of pleasure surged through her, and she bit down on her lip to stifle a cry.

Waves of delicious and forbidden heat spread down to her lower abdomen and then lower still, to a part of her that she had never felt so aware of or preoccupied with before. There was a needfulness rousing inside her, curling and coiling into something splendid or awful, she wasn’t sure which.

The only thing she was sure of was that Peeta’s mouth was magic and she never wanted him to stop—

“Okay, that’s enough.” Came Haymitch’s rude interruption.

Katniss’ eyes blinked open and she was startled to discover their mentor standing just a few feet away. She had forgotten he was there! That he was supervising them! She struggled with an overwhelming sense of aggravation at his interruption and also a small but growing sense of mortification that he had witnessed her wanton behavior, but Peeta it seemed hadn’t even heard him. He was still lavishing her gland with his mouth.

“I mean it, let her go,” Haymitch repeated, and this time Peeta did respond, with a low growl, more intense than any sound she had heard him make before.

It shocked Katniss and scared her a little. But the moment her scent changed from that of a receptive and pleased Omega to one rife with fear and worry, Peeta pulled back and stopped.

“There he is. Thought we lost you for a minute there, boy.” Haymitch said gruffly, approaching them slowly and cautiously, as Peeta leaned back and blinked his eyes slowly, as if trying to blink away a dream.

“Sorry…” Peeta answered, still somewhat out of it. His eyes had the look of a man who had dived too deep and come up too quickly.

“The first time touching an Omega up close can be intoxicating.” Haymitch replied dismissively, almost too casually. But when Katniss looked at his expression she could tell he was unsettled.

But then he gestured for them both to stand up. When they did, Haymitch stepped towards her and cocked his head to the side, inspecting.

Their mentor let out a low whistle.

“He got you good, sweetheart.”

Katniss clamped a hand down over her swollen and tender scent gland and shot Haymitch a murderous glare, but he just laughed.

“I don’t think it’d be a good idea for you to return the favor right now. You two need some time to cool off, so we’ll have you scent him in the morning.” Haymitch instructed.

The rush of endorphins was finally starting to abate and her head was clearing more by the second. And in the wake of her unrestrained behavior, she felt completely shocked and caught off guard at her own response to Peeta’s scenting of her.

So she took Haymitch’s instructions for what they were, a dismissal, and used the opportunity to flee the rooftop as quickly as her feet could carry her.

#everlark fanfiction #everlark #everlark a/b/o #thg #peeta and katniss #lemonluvwrites #The Effect #The Designation Games #tdg #alpha peeta #omega katniss

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ask-the-clergy-bc · 1 year ago

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Idk if anyones done this yet, but how would the papas II, III,&IV help out their s/o that is incredibly stressed from college and work? With college it’s because their up all night working on homework or studying for exams;cramming too probably and then work doesn’t always help because when they aren’t doing school, they’re working so there’s only a few free days.

(There was one time I was up until 3 or 4AM working on some stuff cause I was working a night shift and got home late. I think I about cried and went “F it, I’m going to bed” cause I was exhausted)

Oh man, study cramming is rough! The Papas DEFINITELY know the feeling!

The Papa's Helping Their S/O With Balancing Work and College

Prefacing this with a fun fact about all of our Satanic Popes. In order to be Papa you are trained in many ways, one of which being higher education! All the Papas have a PhD's (mostly in Theology)! So they all know what it's like to be constantly studying on top of their duties!

Papa Nihil: The overwhelming work load of Papacy is exactly one of the reasons he ran off to do the Ghost Project in 96'! He knows what you are going through and wants to comfort you through it. It might not be helpful, but this is one of those times he encourages you to quit your job so he can take care of you while you finish school. If you aren't willing to give up your job, Nihil will still support you. But he WILL nag you that something has to give before you get too burnt out! Encourages you to try to find a way to cut back either commitment to some degree. His reasoning that is if you can make them both less soul sucking you'll have more energy and your performance will increase for both! He tends to forget that's not always possible... even for someone like himself. But if that doesn't work he's the first one there with a pizza and a shoulder to cry on! Nihil might spirit you away for breaks as you need them.

Papa I: Luckily for you, you are hooked up with the man who is an academic hard working machine! Papa's spare time is dedicated to his sheer love for his position AND his hobby as a scholar. He was the seminary student who went over board for all of his papers, and has written several dozens of books. Knowledge is his hobby and Papacy is his passion. Burn out can happen for Papa too, but he knows how to prevent it. For you, he definitely steps in to help you manage your time and energy. Papa knows that the average person can only study so much in a day and retain it. That, and he knows how important work is for you. So Papa helps sit down and make a schedule with you. He gives you all the effective study methods that has helped all the students he's mentored. You end up getting one of those big calendars where every week you stick your work schedule on it, your assignments due, and breaks. He then gives you a second planner where you figure out what classes to focus on per day based on assignment need. Soon you are still busy but MUCH more organized to the point where you can BREATHE again.

Papa II: Many would accuse him of being heartless and just expect him to tell you to suck it up. He's known for being unsympathetic to his staff or occasional proteges who complain. But the truth is, he would never expect you to run yourself ragged. For his staff, he doesn't expect completely restless nights. Papa just believes that if you are going to work for something, you better do it right and actually put in effort. But Papa knows you also need the chance to relax and unwind... he's a party animal after all! In your case, he will only interfere if it gets to the point where you aren't properly rested and overly stressed. Night shifts and finals are one thing, but you sobbing from sheer stress is another. Papa is the one to take you by the shoulders and tell you that you are over doing it. You need to rest where you can. He will help you where you need him. Papa's knee jerk reaction is to find you a better job or just let you quit. Like Nihil, he'd be happy to take care of you while you just focused on school. But with class, he'd help you manage the stress. By offering to find you tutors or an advisor that can guide you to a more balanced class schedule. Papa is also not above intimidating any professor or manager that gives you shit for being late or needing a day off to recuperate.

Papa III: Papa hates that he can relate to you so well over this. Funnily enough, there are tons of people who think he just floated through life and was handed Papacy on a silver platter. But Papa worked his ass off to get where he is! He did well in seminary and in his degree programs! And that's on TOP of the difficulties he faced during! He only got to reap the benefits once he became Papa and had more freedom to party. Now, that's too say he's not above cutting class or skipping a day of work when the occasion calls. Everyone needs a mental day off. So when you're at the point where you just cry in his arms because you're tired from working late AND staying up to catch up with classes... he takes action. Papa will call your managers and professors and somehow get you an entire day or two off. No questions asked. He insists that your mental well being is way more important than any test or shift. You can't be successful if you can barely keep your eyes open or your thoughts straight! Papa will promise to help you study AFTER your days off. For now, he makes sure you have the proper rest your mind needs.

Papa IV/Cardinal Copia: Actually, he is the worst person you can ask because he's a workaholic! He used to be worse in his Cardinal days, as he would take on everyone's work loads just to make sure everything was done correctly. On top of that he, like Papa I, is a tireless scholar. It's not until Papacy that he actually slowed down and basked in much more free time. For you, he tries to get you to slow down as much as you can. When he has free time between work, he'll study with you. Copia knows the more effective methods and will work with you to implement them. Copia also LOVES to help with your class work so you can take a break. He'll make you take naps or eat while he proof reads your papers and checks your citations. He will make flash cards for you and quiz you. And on days you go to work he makes the effort of packing you lunches or having your uniform ready to go. Anything to make your day less stressful! Most importantly, he'll stop to give you a kiss and tell you how proud he is of you. That, or let you know that you need to rest. Copia knows that encouragement and helping you through burn out is the most effective thing he can do!

#ghost bc #the band ghost #ghost headcanons #ghost reader #reader insert #gender neutral reader #papa emeritus i #papa emeritus ii #papa emeritus iii #papa emeritus iv #cardinal copia #papa nihil

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ancrchy · 1 year ago

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hey y’alllll, jay here with jeon jiwoong — spoilt brat and trust fund baby banished to daegu after repeated fuck-ups back in seoul! his dad got sick of him spending his trust fund on partying and reckless endeavours so he removed his access to it and made him live with his grandma in daegu. more info about him will be below the cut! i also have an about page up. like this post if you’d like to plot, i'll drop you a message! i’m available on discord too if that’s better for you.

₊˙ ◌ ⁎˚ 〇﹒﹙kim sunwoo. cis male. he/him.﹚guess who was almost late for their shift at lapis roasters��again?? that’s right, it was jeon jiwoong! it’s a wonder their job as a/an barista isn’t in jeopardy. the 23 year old has been working at sunset galleria for three months, and is well known for their outspoken nature. on bad days, they can be rather arrogant, though. when the mall is dead at night, they can usually be found flirting with customers, but don’t tell their boss!

001. BACKGROUND

his dad’s side of the family comes from old money

they have a family business, which jiwoong is expected to inherit one day

his paternal grandparents had set up a trust fund for him, one he gained access to once he started college (he is in his final year and is currently on leave)

big mistake, because he took it as an excuse to do whatever he wanted

he went out partying every other day and dabbled in illegal activities like street racing etc.

what really did it for his dad was when he had gotten into a small accident after one of those illegal street races

his dad removed his access to his trust fund and sent him to daegu to live with his maternal grandmother

his mother had fallen ill and passed away when he was in high school but he had never healthily processed it; his dad was also too busy with work to realise that

this is also why he turned to bad company as he got older, because all the fun distracted him from the loss he never properly dealt with

he used to visit daegu during holidays when he was a child, but has never been back since his mother passed on

his dad wanted to send him away to reflect on his mistakes and have a taste of hardship, so he would understand the value of money and the responsibility that came with having a trust fund

so he decided it was best for him to live in daegu with his maternal grandma, who comes from a more humble background than his paternal family

his dad also figured that in order for him to inherit his family business one day, he has to understand the importance of hard work, which is why he insisted he get a job and not live off his grandma

i imagine this to be a time of reflection and learning for him, where he has to work for the first time ever and kind of returns to his roots, or his mom's roots, whom he avoided thinking about the past couple of years

002. PERSONALITY

a spoilt brat who has never lived a day of hardship so you can expect him to be struggling with this whole job thing

in the beginning, he most probably would be complaining or whining about how he wants to go home

but he's your typical softie whose bark is louder than his bite

might cause trouble for you and end up feeling really bad about it but doesn't know how to apologise because it makes him look "weak"

he's honestly just a child at heart and a lot easier to please than you think (just buy him some ice-cream and he'd be grinning from ear to ear)

seemingly doesn't take things seriously but it's only because he struggles with being vulnerable

is very prideful and might stay up all night perfecting his latte art just because you made a comment about how it sucked

very outspoken and not afraid to speak up about how he feels, certainly does not believe in the saying that "customers are always right"

frankly isn't the best barista out there (before this job, he didn't even know how to make 3-in-1 coffee lol) but he has a way with his words so customers often come back for more

misunderstood bad boy trope in a nutshell

potential redemption arc in the future as he loses his spoilt brat tendencies and start to come to terms with the loss of his mother

003. WANTED CONNECTIONS

enemies to lovers/enemies to friends: could be someone who thought of him as a spoilt brat at first and started to realise that he wasn't as bad as they thought he was?

a childhood friend: someone he had met when he was a child visiting daegu every holiday but grew apart from when he stopped visiting after his mom's death.

more than friends, less than lovers: is it just harmless banter or are you actually flirting with each other?

opposites attract: you are hardworking, modest and come from humble beginnings, the complete opposite of jiwoong. people who hear that both of you are good friends often ask, "how?"

bad influences/birds of the same feather: you're just like his friends back home who enjoy partying and living on the edge. he's meant to be turning over a new leaf but it's a challenge with you in the picture.

a parental/older sibling figure: someone who tries to guide him onto the right path. the person he turns to whenever he faces a problem.

neighbours: your muse lives in the same neighbourhood as his grandma. could be someone that is close to his grandma and is forced into showing him around or helping him adjust to life in daegu.

regular customers at lapis roasters: you can always expect a free upsize or a free cookie whenever you pop by.

flirtationships: doesn't have to be anything serious. you're pretty to look at and he's born with a glib tongue so he has to let you know.

#sunsetintro

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tteokdoroki · 4 years ago

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an ode to winter | dabi.

♡ pairing: dabi/touya todoroki x fem!reader.

♡ word count: 14.1K

♡ rating: mature, 18+, mdni.

♡ genre: manga war arc!au, single-parent!au, unplanned pregnancy!au, angst, fluff, smut.

♡ summary: touya todoroki had broken a lot of things, your heart, promises, your window a few times, but you swore he'd never leave your child feeling that way. but when he wants back into your life, will he take no for an answer? And do you even want to say it?

♡ warning(s): please read ! heavy smut, ( literally 5k of it ), MANGA SPOILERS IN THE EXTENDED ENDING, mentions of pregnancy, mentions of semi-toxic!relationships, struggling with parenting, blackmail ??, unprotected sex ( wrap it before you tap it, losers ), handjobs, oral sex ( female receiving ), fingering ( female receiving ), choking, branding, squirting, spit!kink, needy touya lol <3

♡ author’s note(s): OK so this started out as a fic for my bestie @ozzy-bozzy but then turned into this long ass vent fic bc i do be struggling!! i’ve barely written for touya so apologies if his character is off. special thanks to @bakugous-trauma for beta reading n @doinmybesthere for the summary and beta reading and thanks for 4.7K MWAH <3

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the snow had fallen heavy that day, its flakes dancing along the window panes while you’d brought her into the world. you hated the cold, the way it nipped at your nose and stung at your cheeks, how it could freeze over a heart so badly that it would take years to thaw it out. you’d complained about the ice sheets that frosted your windows to the doctors, the ones on the roads too, but they’d simply wrote it off as your anxieties related to bringing kori home for the first time in such weather.

funnily enough, your daughter much resembled the cold in many ways. you’d named her ‘kori’; meaning ice, since her hair was white as the crisp blanket of winter outside and her eyes a piercing shade of aqua marine, that for a while, had no meaning written behind them except for a cool curiosity that you knew didn’t come from your side of the family. she wasn’t warm either, the first time you held her, her flesh against yours was almost a painful spark of frostbite— you expected that it was related to the lineage she came from too.

you thought that you’d resent kori when she was born; for the struggles that her new life had brought to you. you’d given birth alone and afraid, having lost friends and contact with your family due to keeping your pregnancy a secret. if they had known who caused you to end up in this situation in the first place, you were sure you’d have lost them all anyways. you hadn’t a chance to attend maternity classes due to the hours you worked in order to ensure yourself and your child’s financial security. although, prior to her arrival, dabi had told you that if you chose to give your daughter the todoroki name; you both would be looked after when the right time came.

and like a fool in love, you’d believed him, avoiding the apologetic gazes of the doctors and midwives who’d delivered your baby as you filled out her paperwork and birth certificate. one nurse even asked you if you wanted to contact endeavour for support, and you couldn’t blame her— the rumours of your child potentially being that of natsuo todoroki’s had spread fast through the hospital and it was a given, figuring his bad boy college reputation. natsuo and his ventures into the college life were no stranger to the media, so it didn’t surprise you nor the doctors to believe that this wasn’t the first time a girl had given birth alone to a todoroki child. you suspected that if there were any, enji todoroki would have paid them off.

so you let them believe what ever false truth that might have plagued the hospital walls about yourself and your daughter— not having the heart to tell them that you’d probably receive a much larger sum of money to keep hush about the child that you mothered and the child who’s father belonged to endeavour’s deceased, eldest son.

so you realised, thumb held by the chubby hand of your sweet infant girl; that you couldn’t hate her for the mistakes you’d made and the mess you’d become tangled up in— you could only promise to do your best in raising her despite the odds and difficult circumstances, you could give her the life and childhood that her father never had but most certainly deserved.

“miss yn...”

your midwife; himari enters the room, calling for you— tearing your gaze away from the hypnotising sea-foam eyes belonging to your daughter, the way she looked at you only reminding you of dabi. you’d told him once that his eyes always took you to the mediterranean sea, to which he’d laughed and mentioned you’d never seen it before. when the pair of you realised that this was true, the boy with the black hair and intoxicating stare made an oath to you, that he would take you there someday so you could bask in the warm sun and dip your toes into the clear oceans. you only hoped that this oath still remained true.

“miss yn...” himari tries again, this time stepping further into your hospital room. your thoughts had carried you so far away that you hadn’t realised how close she’d gotten as she lingered by your cot. her hands lay flat against her pale blue uniform, nails you note—neatly trimmed— and a smile that would have made you feel comfortable had you not known she’d volunteered to care for you because she too believed she’d be paid off by endeavour. you almost felt bad that she thought the silly lie was true and that she had a shot at a big time bonus but it was funny to think that no one would believe her when she eventually took to the news to claim that she cared for the next heir of the todoroki empire. “it’s says here, that kori is scheduled for feeding— i was wondering if you wanted to continue breast feeding or try pumping a bottle or two today?”

chewing on the inside of your cheek, you hum with hesitance. feeding kori was something you’d never discussed with dabi, some of the nurses had assured you that it was possible for you to do both— so that you could grow closer to your daughter and form a tight bond whilst also giving the opportunity to others to feed her when need be. there weren’t many others, but you figured that dabi might want to give bottle feeding a whirl when he finally returned from the league business. the business that had made him miss his little girl’s birth.

kori gargles from hunger in your arms, drawing your attention back to her tiny form. a stray strand of hair curls against her forehead from underneath her blankets and swaddling— the end you notice has a slight tint of red to it. the icy shell around your heart thaws. glancing back up to himari; you grin with a decision in mind. “i’d like to try breast feeding again, we can use the pump tomorrow.” you say, voice quiet.

“do you need any help getting her to latch?” your midwife asks, aiding you into a comfortable position to feed kori.

“no,” you smile after getting settled, pushing down your gown to expose your breast to your little girl. “i’ve got her, i can take care of her.”

you say the words more so to yourself than to himari, a hidden reassurance that you’re more than capable of raising your daughter on your own.

for now at least.

that winter, dabi never came home.

the snow melts, the flowers bloom and the seasons change. your daughter grows with the swift transition of the weathers too, her hair is a little longer now but the small curl of red against her forehead remains hidden and the same. her eyes open wider, still that deep shade of ocean blue, she can sit up on her own, throws toys out of her crib and her favourite movies are bambi and bambi two. they’re the only things that she watches, which you hate, because they remind you of her. an innocent child who loses one parent and is left in the care of the emotionally closed off other.

you hadn’t realised how much you would need dabi, but still he is nowhere to be seen.

raising kori on your own proves a challenge, especially now that she’s a little bigger— it was easy after she was born; she was quiet and only made a fuss when she was hungry or needed to be changed. went down easy too, that was until her wails reared their ugly head as soon as the colder parts of winter hit. no matter what you did, the girl would cry for hours on end until her face would hurt from how scrunched it was and her fingers would turn red from the grip she had on your hands.

since her birth, you and kori had to move three times due to the noise complaints about her consistent crying throughout the day, evening and night. by the time february rolled around, you’d ended up in an apartment not so far from dabi’s old neighbourhood— it was a shitty area with high crime rates and an eerie feel to it that made you clutch your purse tighter when you walked home from the late night shifts— you had never had any intentions to raise kori in a dump like this, you wanted a better life for her than what dabi had, but your shabby two bedroom apartment in the dark side of town would be enough for now.

the rent was cheap since your current boss at the local grocers market was close friends with the building manager, but your boss was also a sleaze who thought offering you an extra 10% off of your weekly shop and an expired coupon for the coffee joint down the street would be enough to get into your pants. he was just another thing on your list that you hated about the world, about the current life you lead but you needed to keep him close to keep your rent low and a roof over your head.

besides, it had been a few days since you last saw him at work— the asshole was probably taking a few days to himself while you and your colleagues practically ran the store.

you can’t leave kori with a sitter; they never worked with her. your daughter was far too temperamental for the average person and would spend one night with her before taking their pay and quitting. the only person able to handle your beloved little girl was the old lady who lived two floors above yours, mrs. yamamoto. she was a sweet woman, widowed by fifteen years and had taken a liking to kori that one time you’d helped with her groceries when she couldn’t make it out in the february winter after your little girl was born.

it seemed kori liked mrs yamamoto as well, she was only ever quiet in the woman’s presence and you put it down to how high she had the heat up in her apartment. one time, it was up so high the power in the building went out for an entire night— which was hell for you since kori wouldn’t stop bawling. however; you appreciated the help, you’re sure that without the help of the elder woman you would have been far under the surface— drowning in regret.

but sometimes, it’s easy for the darker emotions to slip through the cracks— take a choke hold over your sanity. there would be nights where guilt would consume you and tears would flow heavily down your cheeks while your daughter slept. it was hard being alone, no one to confide in about the troubles of parenting or to reassure you that you were doing a good job at taking care of your child.

it didn’t help that winter was coming up again, kori’s first birthday fast approaching. the sudden milestone only made you wish that dabi was around more — it hurt you to know that there was possibility he’d run out on you and his responsibilities as a father but part of you believed that your lover was better. the eldest todoroki son appeared way too excited throughout your pregnancy to leave you with nothing.

despite not being able to make it to appointments due to his criminal nature, dabi had somehow manged to find the money to get you a 4D ultra sound of your baby, telling you a few odd jobs here and there allowed him to scrape the cash together. you never asked what it was that he did, afraid of what you might find in the eyes of the man that you loved so much.

why did you allow yourself to love a man who wouldn’t have given you the time of day if he hadn’t broken into your home? his seafoam eyes a glowing shade as he threatened your life through shards of broken glass and then wails of cop sirens outside. were you just as broken as he? had you not realised it yet? you could blame this whole mess on the fact that he kept coming back, but you always let him back in. dabi was a broken man who only knew blood and grit and grime and you were the girl with a chance to lead a normal life— yet you poured all of your heart and all of your soul into loving him because you were so sure that you could fix him.

and every single time you’d convinced him, convinced yourself that what you had could be normal and domestic— dabi would slip between your sheets, pinning you to your bed with your name heavy on your lips and the emotion of love painted into the turquoise flecks in his eyes. they burned with passion while his heated cock sunk between your plush thighs and welcomed him into your warmth. the moans you’d share while your skin slapped together, creating a bubble of safety where you were the only two people on the world.

dabi made promises against your swollen lips as his fingers swirled hidden messages of desire into your slick, puffy clit. he couldn’t give you the ring, the wedding or the house with the white picket fence and dog barking at the post man in the front yard— but he could give you every part of him from the good to the bad, the beautiful to the ugly and he would seal that promise with a throaty groan of ‘you are mine and i am yours...’ into your ear as you came together.

but it seemed that like all things, dabi’s promises were broken like shattered glass— never meant to be kept or eternalised. the shards cut your delicate fingers, the pain numbed as you were left to pick up the pieces and be strong for the small life you were now responsible for.

you were careful to not let the door fly in and hit the wall opposite as you unlocked it, stumbling into your two bedroom with kori’s chubby legs locked around your hips and bag full of groceries in your other hand. “look princess,” you coo down at your daughter sweetly, watching as she drools all over your staff lanyard from work. “we’re home!” bending down, you dropped the produce off by the door before heading off to your living room area, propping kori in front of her toy mat.

smiling down at her, you brush the pure white hair that curls over her cobalt eyes and kiss her freckled cheeks— heart swooning at the way kori giggles in your arms. she’d been on her best behaviour the entire week, keeping out of trouble with the staff at her daycare and mrs yamamoto in the place upstairs, so it was only right that you treat her.

“you hungry babygirl? want mommy to make your favourite, hm?” kori is barely old enough to talk aside from a few babbles and repeats of mama but that doesn’t stop you from asking.

“mmmamamamaa!!”

you press another kiss to her baby fat cheeks before heading to the kitchen to prepare her favourite dinner— spaghetti. ever since kori started eating her solids, she hadn’t been a picky eater and you noticed that her appetite much resembled dabi’s, who couldn’t afford to be fussy about any of the meals you’d made for him before he disappeared.

making the sauce is easy, a dish you’d prepared from when you were a child and used to cook with your parents— you retrieve the ingredients from the groceries and pull out the stuff you’ll need to cook them. you mince the vegetables easily like you’d been taught as your mind gets away from you.

you wish that dabi was here to enjoy the domesticity of your current life— maybe him being around would lift the dark cloud over your life. sometimes it hurt to know that he would be missing out on moments like this and you could imagine him sitting by the couch while kori played with her toys and you cooked for them both. in this world, he’d laugh at her fascination with colder toys and magnets— make a joke about how much your little girl resembles him and kiss your cheek when you served them both up their favourite meals.

tears pool in your eyes at the thought of your wish never being granted and that’s all it takes for you to slip and cut your finger while chopping up the garlic. “fuck!” you boss, dropping the knife and squeezing your hand around the wounded digit. you know that the clattering of the knife has scared kori, and from the way she looks at you, you can already tell that she’s seen you injure yourself. “god, fuck...that hurt.”

there’s a pause in time, while you rinse your cut under the tap, cold water soothing the sting before kori starts to wail like her life depends on it. in a rush, you grab a tea towel in hopes that it’ll stop the bleeding and head straight for your baby, hoping that you’ll be able to soothe her. by the time you reach kori, her eyes are red with tears and snot dribbles from her nose down to her chin while she babbles loosely all the new words she’s learned— in a whiny tone.

“baby, don’t cry mommy’s got you,” you murmur to her, reaching out to the little girl with open arms. your heart breaks at the way her bottom lip wobbles in a watery pout. kori crawls into your arms, white mop of soft baby hair buried into the junction between your shoulder and your neck— her tiny body shakes with awful heaves and cries while her tears dampen the old hoodie of her father’s that you wear, effectively ruining the fabric. “come on honey, it’s okay! momma didn’t mean to scare you...”

she snivels in your arms, quiet for only a second while you walk around the apartment bouncing her. walking kori up and down seems to soothe her for the most part, a trick that worked when she was first born and had her horrible crying fits. “good girl, mama’s got you...” you continue to soothe her, brushing a finger under her white lashes to remove her tears. all is well for a second and it seems her tantrum has calmed, until she grabs onto your wounded finger and makes you curse in pain again.

“shit!”

“m-momma-!” kori whimpers, face creasing in pain as her cheeks start to heat up again. you fear that if you don’t do something soon she’ll bust a lung from crying.

you shake your head in an attempt to calm her down, baby sobs striking right through your body and resume bouncing her, hoping that it’ll work. “shhh kori, honey, it’s okay— mommy’s okay and so are you...” in the process of comforting her, you somehow trip over the discarded knife, sending it flying into the cabinets across from the island and making another loud noise that further spooks kori.

at this she screams bloody murder, the sound of her little chest heaving giving you a splitting headache. you were tired, tired of your daughter’s crying , working long hours with no help and raising a child all on your own. you were tired of the pain spreading through your head and your body and your heart. you needed an out or break at the very least.

you should feel guilty for what you’re about to do, heading for the nursery with a heaving baby in your grip. you can’t think of anything better to do than put kori down for a nap and hope that her crying tires her out— you do your best to pry the little girl from clinging onto your clothes and tuck her into her crib as she sniffles, quickly backing out of her room before she can call for you and make you feel even worse than you already do.

you close the door quietly behind you, somewhat sliding down it while your own sobs take over your body— shaking you violently as you hug your knees to your chest. you don’t know how long you sit there, biting your lips and holding onto in your whimpers while tears stream down the apples of your cheeks, but eventually

you find yourself drifting off with dreams of your happy family.

you jump awake a few hours later, surrounded by a thick darkness from the sky outside. the hum of the city streets helps to bring you back down to earth as you rub the sleep from your puffy eyes and blink away the exhaustion. you don’t quite remember when you’d fallen into a slumber but you figure that kori must have eventually, judging by the quietness that surrounds your apartment.

the blanket of the night allows your guilt to burn brightly in your chest— you shouldn’t have left her alone. scrambling to your feet, you stumble over to the kitchen counter and grab your phone to read the time. 11:06pm. it’s just about time that you check on your daughter, but with two steps of heading to the nursery and you’re met with foreign sound that doesn’t quite fit in with the usual creaks and squeaks of your apparent.

happy gurgles belonging to your baby creep out from underneath her bedroom door, low humming or singing to accompany her sweet sound. humming that you don’t recognise. with a pang of fear to your heart, you reach for the knife on your kitchen floor as a weapon of defence— this would go down nicely with the police. a single mother on self defence...yeah, that could work out.

the knife shakes in your hand as you approach kori’s nursery, barely steady even when you push open the door.

“...touya?”

nothing could prepare you for what you’d see after walking into that room but when your eyes fall witness to your love standing in the centre of the room with a little tuft of white hair cradled to his bare chest. the air around you tingles with warmth as if dabi has heated the place up with his quirk and your little girl curls into him as if she’s known him all her life. but she hadn’t, he hadn’t.

all at once, your heart heals just as it breaks— it’s been so long since you’ve seen the villain that you can’t help but notice all the changes in him, the way his eyes droop a little more with exhaustion and his hair dusted with a the slightest bit of white. he was noticeably thinner too, maybe from being away from a warm bed and good food for too long...so a half of you was relieved that he was home, the other— hurt and betrayed.

“hey beautiful,” dabi’s timbre voice fills your entire being, stimulating your senses into a dull tingle. his lips a drawn into soft smirk as he rocks kori back and forth, your baby’s eyes flutter with the gentle indication of sleep. “how’ya been?”

if you weren’t frozen in shock, you would have given the villain a piece of your mind. how dare he...after all this time apart from you, from his daughter...ask how you were doing? your eyes flutter to the open window behind the oldest todoroki son, as if you need to look away from him to convince yourself he’s real and he won’t disappear when you look back.

proven right by meeting the cool, chartreuse sea of his eyes— your throat runs dry as all you’d ever dreamed of saying in this moment, flees from your mind. “what are you doing here?” you say, trying to sound firm even though your voice falls through.

touya stays quiet, twirling a long finger through the small curls on his—your daughter’s head. “i was in the neighbourhood.” he mumbles, gaze tearing away from you to focus on the content infant he has in his arms.

you should feel angry, you should be screaming and kicking at dabi— forcing him out of your home with your child safe in your own arms but your body doesn’t will you to. hurt seeps through your veins at the casual aura in his tone. of course dabi would treat the situation as if it never existed and that he’d been with you the whole time. the pain of seeing him with her as if he’d been in kori’s life from the very start wraps around your heart in a poisonous grip and squeezes hard until you’re choking back a sob, letting it sit in the base of your throat.

you refuse to break in front of him.

“you need to go. you need to put her down and you need to leave.” you attempt to assert yourself in a harsh bark, almost making dabi jump. he’d never seen you like this before, but then again he hadn’t seen you in a year. he could only imagine what motherhood had done to you, especially facing it on your own. touya hesitates, kori shifting in his soft grip— one he didn’t even know that he had as a villain but you steady yourself and repeat your words. “touya, i said you need to leave.”

“why? so you can fall asleep and leave her crying on her own again?” the villain spits out, harsher than he intended. he watches your face fall and your body curl in on itself and he feels bad. dabi had promised you a lot of things since realising he loved you, and not hurting you like his father hurt his mother was one that he’d just broken. relenting, the dark haired villain eases kori from his pec and tucks her into her crib.

there’s a beat of silence and then. “i’m sorry.”

“you should be.”

“yn,” he sighs, running a hand through the light roots of his hair as he leans over his child’s crib. the young father tilts his head, scanning kori’s face while he identifies every characteristic she has from the family he’d done his best to free himself of. “i’m sorry, it’s just— just that she was cold and crying, so i took off my shirt and held her and she warmed up and—“ dabi pauses his quiet rambling, finally looking up from the slumbering baby tucked away into powder blue silk and locks eyes with you. “and she probably has my mom’s shitty quirk. and i can’t get over how much she looks like them, how big she’s gotten.”

touya finds his shirt after admitting that, throwing on the thin white material before closing the window he came through. he moves with the swiftness that comes with his job, and it’s almost peaceful to watch. you stay plastered by the door, torn between falling right into the palm of his hand and demanding the answers that you and your daughter deserve.

it makes you feel a little sick when he gazes down at kori with pride, it makes you queasy at how easy she was to handle to him. touya todoroki doesn’t know half of what it was to raise his child...but did that make you a bad mother? was there something he shared with kori that you didn’t? dabi hadn’t known what it was to love someone other than himself until he’d met you, but you’d spent your entire life around family and friends who took care of you and made you feel cherished every day. you had all of that before you had dabi, and you’d given it all up for him.

shouldn’t you be the one to easily put your daughter down for a nap? to soothe her tears? and for him to come so briskly into your lives and take care of it all when he doesn’t even know what you’d been through, hurts most of all.

“you don’t even know her,” you start, tremble to your bottom lip as the sob in your throat builds up and threatens to burst. “you never saw her after she was born, never cut the cord, never knew her weight. you don’t know how tiny she was when she came into the world, you don’t know because you didn’t come!” with each word, stray tears manage to escape from your tired eyes, but you’re too fixated on dabi to bother to wipe them. it hurts to cry, it stings even as they stream down the apples of youth cheeks but you don’t move.

“yn, sweetness, i—“

“i know how much she weighed when she was born, four pounds and thirteen ounces. she was so tiny i was scared that she would break—“ you’re gasping now, almost choking yourself out on the pain that burns brightly in your lungs and claws its way up your throat. “i know her favourite foods, what fabrics irritate her skin, her favourite stuffed toys, how she likes to be swaddled in her blankets at night or that her curls make her face itch but they’re practically untameable.”

you start to heave, losing breath with every word and dabi does nothing but watch, keeping an eye on kori to make sure she stays sleeping as he steps towards you. “i know that i love her more than i’ve loved anything in my entire life, despite how much i suffered alone bringing her into this world. and i know that i named her kori after the ice that frosted the windows of my hospital room while i waited for... you.”

touya remains emotionless while you descend into madness, letting you cry it out. “i’ve been watching...”

you want to scream, beat his chest and blame him for how insane you’ve become. “watching isn’t enough touya, she needed you. i-i needed you.” you whimper, falling limp against the door frame as your hands move threateningly towards your hair as if you’re going to rip it out from the root. “...you couldn’t come and visit? not once i-in the eleven months that she’s been alive? not once while she’s been breaking me down and giving—“

“giving you a hard time? i tried, i took care of you from afar...i’m the one who made your boss disappear. the one who put his hands on you.” dabi sneers towards the end of his once gentle words, standing a breaths width away from you. you hate that you crave the same touch from him as he gave to kori, but you’re still so mad at him.

eventually, it all becomes too much and you succumb to the tears that wrack your exhausted body. you sway with each choked wail that tumbles from between your chapped lips and dabi surges forward to catch you after kicking the knife from earlier away, letting you sink into the warmth of his embrace. he feels like home, smells like safety and not a word is uttered as he brings you to the floor and cradles you like he did with his daughter.

dabi doesn’t need to say sorry when he shows you through how close he holds you to his heart.

when you finally calm down, dabi lifts you bridal style to your bathroom and draws you a bath with the salts and lavender extract from the cupboard above the sink. neither of you speak except for when he softly offers to help you undress— to which you decline— and when he tells you he’s going to fix something to eat.

you knew damn well that the villain could not cook, he hadn’t been when he was little since endeavour took away the entirety of his childhood and you’d only taught him the basics when he was still on the run and stopped by your place from time to time. his favourite thing back then had been to watch you cook to the weird music you kept playing, hips swaying to the beat and a sparkle in your eyes— but you didn’t do that anymore, he could tell those days were long gone.

dabi orders in takeout in the end and you have half a mind to curse him out for using your money— but the day’s events have exhausted you beyond your wits end, so you eat with him in silence atop your double bed after dressing in an old shirt of his. “stay the night.” is what you tell him, scared that he’ll leave. he puts his cigarette out on your balcony. the doors usually stayed locked so kori couldn’t crawl out on her own but you opened it for him since dabi liked to smoke and you hated the ash.

he promised to quit back then, and he hadn’t now.

“i’ll stay.” dabi says, throwing the butt over the ledge and stripping his clothes as he follows you to bed. he decides not to mention he wanted to stay anyway. you peel back the covers enough for him to slip in behind you, heated arms wrapping around your waist and settling on your tummy, where he rubs small patterns into your skin. the villain’s chest is overwhelmingly warm against your back— reminding you of the days where you would spoon and he’d wait with baited breath for kori to kick.

both of you lay together, wide awake in the dark for goodness knows how long. touya’s breath balmy against the nape of your neck and if you focused hard enough, you could feel his eyelashes fluttering against your skin. he pretends to sleep, refusing to acknowledge that his proximity to you affects him in the worst of ways— evident in how his prominent hard on presses against the swell of your ass.

rolling over, your heart skips a beat at the way your love’s eyes still manage to glow brightly in the dark— ignited by the flames of his quirk and emotions of angst from the past.

they flicker as he looks to you, pale skin illuminated by the silver moon slipping in from your balconies, scars as enticing as ever. tentatively, you reach a hand out to cup his face, not kidding the apprehension that paint his matured features even as you run your fingers down the scars on his jaw. “been a while since we’ve been like this,” is all you can muster up, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek while your free hand snakes between your bodies in an attempt to pleasure the man.

fear strikes you right in the chest, leaving you panting as dabi flips you onto your back quickly, pinning your wrists against the bed. “don’t,” he growls, almost feral in tone and in his eyes. “don’t do something you might regret in the morning.”

you lay still, staring at the man above you in an attempt to read him. doing so had always been hard, but tonight you can see every detail of his life and every part of him. the fear of being his father and disappointing another group of people, a broken man torn between the people he loved and the life he led— you could finally see him. you wondered if it hurt him to be away from you and his child, if he ever thought of you.

you take a deep breath, fabric of the sheets fuzzy in your ears as you shake your head up at him. “i could never regret being with you,” you sigh, dabi’s gaze lowering. “i just need you...”

your proclamation is all the permission dabi needs before he ascends on your neck, almost whimpering at the taste of your skin against his tongue. you know that he’s avoiding your lips, scared that things may not feel the same if he kisses you there— as if your love might have fizzled out from the months that you’ve been apart. the villain’s mouth is hot against your skin, sharp teeth sinking into the column of your throat— it’s not hard for him to find the spots that make your back arch and body tingle, the dark haired man would be embarrassed to admit that he had your body mapped out in his brain. you were all that he thought about in the months between then and now.

you miss his lips, but you fear that if you push your love to far he’ll clam up and withdraw from you completely. you can’t lose him while you have him now. in the meantime, your bodies press against one another hotly, burning while dabi paints shades of blue and purple deeper than his eyes against your flesh before lapping at each love bite with an odd tenderness people wouldn’t think he possessed at first glance. as he works, touya loses grip on your wrists, allowing them free roam across the expanse of his back.

your nails leave light tracks across his back, trailing up from his muscled back to the nape of his neck— curling in the white roots of his hair in an attempt to tug him up to your lips. “baby,” the old pet name tumbles from between them before you can catch yourself, laboured from where you’re short of breath. “please kiss me, please..”

with newly mussed hair, dabi is still for a moment before leaving one last mark at where your jaw meets your neck— wet tongue lolling over the fresh bruise while his large palm move back to cup your head. a thumb belonging to a scared hand runs over your bottom lip, pulling the plump flesh down while he watches your face for a reaction. “are you sure that’s what you want, beautiful?” the villain chuckles into the dark of the night, pink muscle running over his own lips to wet them in anticipation. “you want your man to kiss you?”

your senses go into overdrive, desperate for any kind of contact from the man above you— he feels so close and yet, a million miles away, even with his body making its way between your thighs and your chests pressing together eagerly.

“touya—“ you breathe, barely able to finish your sentence before the man himself delves deep into your mouth. his lips move with hesitance at first, sucking on yours slightly and parting for air more often than he should but you grip him by the whites of his hair firmly and tug him further into the kiss. your tongue dances along the seam of his lips, prying them open as you seek permission for entrance— dabi groans lowly as you tug on his roots and force your way into his mouth, tasting him as if it were your last time.

you swallow each of his moans that mingle softly with your own, while your tongues dance together messily— the kiss were and sloppy as if the two of you were out of practice. your worries fly out of the window from there, it’s good to know that neither of you had been with others during your time apart instead you feel like a teenager making out with their highschool crush for the very first time. dabi’s hips rut into the plush bed beneath you both and you can tell that even the slightest touches are riling him up beyond belief— it’d been almost a year since he’d felt you against him in any way and it didn’t help that you were so ready to accept him.

that you still wanted him.

whimpering at the thought, the villain pauses against your lips to catch his breath— panting softly. you can feel him pulling away, questioning if he deserves to be with you after everything he’d put you through. so, cupping dabi’s jaw, you let your free hand slip between your heated bodies and glide your fingertips along the waist band of his sweats.

“yn, i ain’t so sure about this,” dabi sighs, body twitching at the proximity of your hands to his hardness, his eyelids flutter shut and lock away his beautiful blue eyes— holding fear, insecurity and desire. “what if ya’still regret this later on?”

smiling up at him, you thumb at his cheek and work your hand deeper into his pants, past his underwear. “you’ve been away too long baby, i would regret not being with you more,” you coo up at him just as you grasp at his hardened length, watching as dabi shudders in your grip. his cock leaks hotly against your soft palm from going untouched for so long, your fingers explore him— tracing down the thick veins on the underside of his length. “let me make you feel good tonight.”

“fuck, sweetness. talk pretty with that filthy fuckin’ mouth of yours.” touya breathes heavily against your mouth, both of yours falling open in hot moans. cheekily, you run a thumb over his tip, circling the slit at the top. dabi collapses on top of you, burying his mop of salt and pepper hair into your neck as he drives his hips into your hand at his own leisurely pace. “y’better live up to those words—shit, don’t go letting me down, princess.” jade orbs finally open, heavy with lust and desire as the air around you tingles with a newfound desire to make each other feel good, settling on the planes of your marked and scratched skin.

your grip around dabi tightens while he fucks into your closed fist, wet sounds filling the room from where he leaks at his bright red tip— almost hot as his hands that dance up your sides and tenderly touch at your hips. so unsure, yet so needy. clear, thick precum guides the movement of your hand as it slides up and down your lover’s girth— he’s much bigger than you remember, swollen with an impending orgasm and dabi stutters when you reach further down his boxers to grip at weighty balls full of his seed, just about ready to burst.

he howls from deep within his chest, the noise only muffled from the drool that glides across his tongue before the villain’s wandering and scarred palms stop at your rib cage, settling just under your breasts. you don’t bother to stop pleasuring him even as his quirk ignites, blue flames burning right through your night shirt to expose your skin to the cool night air. without even a second thought, dabi’s mouth ascends on your tits, taking one into the hot cavern while his free hand seers marks over the other.

the thought have being branded by your man makes your hips jump and your hand squeeze his cock in your grip— a reminder of what’s to come later on. his strawberry tongue rolls across your hardened nipple and you yelp in surprise with the sudden feeling of cool metal across the exposed flesh. “y-you have your tongue pierced?” you squeal as dabi repeats his actions, loving the way you arch your back into his mouth and your heart rate speeds up.

“never know when a bit of metal’s gonna come in handy, sugar tits.”

you barely have time to formulate a response before your boyfriend’s mouth is back on you, biting and sucking and marking your raw flesh like a man starved of his last meal— you don’t let up either, quickly pumping his cock as he continues to leak, painting your hand with teases of his incoming release. you’re sure that his sweatpants and the sheets below you will be stained with his arousal from how much precum oozes from his dick, slicking up your hands and creating the perfect flashlight but you don’t dare to think of anything else but the way dabi’s face twists with pleasure as he desperately thrusts himself into the softness of your palm.

his cheeks flush red, globs of drool connecting the roof of his mouth to his tongue while his eyes grow fuzzy at each step he takes closer to orgasm, the very drool from his mouth covers each of your breasts as dabi switches between them— creating a layer of wet against your supple skin that shines under the moon. you flick your wrist around him, faster, harder— giving the villain everything you’ve got to make him feel good.

“shit pretty girl, y’gonna make me...cum,” touya shakes in your grip, eyes crossing and tongue becoming lazy against your marked up chest. his salvia pools against your skin while he pants and fucks your wet hand as if it were your pretty little cunt clamping down on him. “fuck, fuck, fuck. don’t you fuckin’ stop, don’t you dare fuckin’ stop...”

he barks out the demands, but there’s a neediness to his tone and whine to his voice that makes you grin with pride, even if you’re barely there from having your nipples stimulated beyond belief. “cum for me touya, please, wanna feel you come undone for me.” you beg him, ever so slightly and it’s just enough to push the villain over the edge, sending him into an earth shattering orgasm. you don’t dare to stop as you jerk him off, guiding down from his high as his cock twitches from release and paints your knuckles with the thick white of his seed. he mewls contendly into your breasts, slowing his hips while the world of colours dance behind his cerulean eyes.

“here with me yet?” you murmur to him, grasping his wild locks to tilt his head up towards your face— dabi looks so blissed out but the smirk on his raw and bitten lips tells you the night is far from over.

pressing a searing kiss to your sternum, your boyfriend’s pierced tongue makes yet another appearance as he trails the muscle down your soft tummy— biting your navel as he goes. “never left gorgeous, but don’t you fucking dare think for a second that this is over, y’got that?” he sits up quickly, grabbing hold of your doughy thighs and using them to pull you down the bed. the pads of his fingers start to burn marks into your skin, dancing along your legs and stopping just above the waistband of your underwear. “gotta stretch this cunt open before i give you my cock, remind you of who the fuck you belong to.”

spreading your thighs nice and wide, you release a breath you hadn’t realised you’d been holding as dabi’s hands finally come into contact with your slit, prodding at your slick folds from over your panties. lowering his face between your open legs, your boyfriend hums in satisfaction as he peels your sticky panties away from your pussy. “why, babydoll, you’re so fucking wet down here. this can’t all be for me, can it?” touya teases you, hot breath fanning against your unused sex while his fingers play with the string of your slick that coats them. “y’must’ve missed your man badly for your lil cunt to look this fucked up, s’pecially when i haven’t even touched’ya yet.”

you shiver and nod weakly, willing to say or do anything to feel more of your boyfriend against you. “s’all for you dabi, o-only you could get me this wet, n-no one else could take your place...” you mewl, hips bucking into the air while the man himself watches you grow needier and needier, hormones expelled into the air. dabi grins, leaning into your core once more to press his nose into your wetness, sniffing your spiked panties like the dirty man he is— only to then lay his pierced tongue flat against your folds, tracing your hole with the muscle while his nose bumps at your clothed clit.

“saved this all for me, huh? you’re so loyal, sweetness. waiting for me all this time…” he kitten licks at your cunt until you’re writhing amongst the already solid sheets, forcing his spit into your hole from over the thin fabric of your panties, creating a more prominent outline of your puffy lower lips as your thighs quieter around his head. they threaten to close as he works on you through your underwear— teasing and prodding at your sex to see if you respond the same way to his touches as you used to.

you force your shaking through his black and white locks, grabbing hold of his roots in an attempt to pull dabi back to your heat when he lifts his head from between your thighs— pushing your lips into a pout. “no, no no, baby, please— need you to eat my cunt, want your mouth on me, please!” you cry out, but you’re quickly pacified by his scarred hand which cups your pussy— seat of his hand grinding into your clit.

“god, if i had known you were still this eager to fuck me i woulda come home a long time ago, babydoll.” he chuckles, licking up your inner thigh and biting down on the plush flesh. “need’ta get rid of these though, they’re getting in my way.” the villain gestures to your panties, making you watch as his quirk burns it’s way through the silky material until it’s nothing but ash against your sheets. you gasp as soon as your cute little pussy is exposed to the cool air, missing the warmth of touya’s pink tongue against it. “better.” he sneers, eyes bright and glowing in the dark with a new sense of feral desire.

thick digits press into your tight hole at the same time touya takes to sucking on your swollen clit, forcing their way up your velvet walls in search for your pleasure spot. dabi chuckles against your sticky folds as you begin to whine, hips rolling up into your lover’s face while his tongue draws rough patterns onto your bud. you’ve missed him, missed this. the nights where the villain dabi would sneak into your home, becoming your touya todoroki between the four walls that you shared— where you would spend nights seeing stars by his hand or his cock and he would make you his over and over again. the memories have you clamping down on his digits like there’s no tomorrow, greedily sucking them in as he strokes at the walls of your sex and makes your whole body shake.

touya works hard at pleasuring you, apologising for his absence through slurping the juices from your folds only for you to gush and paint his scarred chin with more of your nectar. the way you taste makes him dizzy, he could spend the rest of his life between your thighs and never miss the outside world like he did before tonight. he wants to be good for you, make you feel good too and it’s not enough to feel the ecstasy roll off of your heavenly body in waves— he wants all of you, mind, body and soul to belong to him.

you can barely breathe, leaking with every swipe of his tongue against you and every twist of his fingers inside of you. you can feel everything at once, the euphoria crackling across your brain, high on the way touya makes you feel. “god, t-touya, don’ stop...feel so fucking good…” you heave in a drawn out moan, barely able to tell what’s up and what’s down as the villain pulls his fingers from your slick hole and replaces them with his tongue ( only after they’ve pushed down on your g-spot over and over again ).

“you’re not the one giving orders, sweet stuff, oh no.” dabi reminds you sloppily, looking like a child with no table manners as your nectar smears across his face. for his own satisfaction, he delivers a harsh smack to your pussy, watching as your entire body jolts and jumps up the bed. “your cunt is mine and i’ll do what i want with it, show you how much i missed it.”

his possessive words almost set you off, the knot in your stomach growing tighter with every pinch of your nub and every swirl on his tongue inside your walls, committing every ridge to memory. your body burns and you’re not sure if it’s from dabi pressing against you so hotly or because of the desire that fuels the fire inside you.

“yours, yours, yours!” you chant like a mantra, high pitched and whiny— your voice mixing with the crude sounds of your own pathetic cunt, that grows louder when dabi spits on your clit to add to your wetness. he lets it drip between your folds, fingers to busy with stimulating you to catch it before it slides between your lower cheeks, opting to use his tongue on you instead.

“ya’like that don’t you? missed your whinin’ pretty girl, fuck, even missed making you a fucking mess.” you keen into his touch, babbling incoherent praises to the man between your legs as he spreads you wider by the ass with one hand and forces his fingers back into your cunt with the other. his fingers curl into a come hither motion, repeatedly pressing down on your spongy spot as he sloppily makes out with your puffy nub— taking only one, two, three strokes to make your eyes roll into the back of your skull and your orgasm to wash over you.

your body convulses, shaking as you’re hit hard by your release— juices gushing all over your lover’s face even as he refuses to let up. “t-touya no...no no...can-can’t,” you whinge, tears clumping in your lashes. dabi spreads your lips again, using three digits instead of two to continue stimulating your clit until another release builds up inside your lower belly— clear liquid gushing out of your abused pussy and staining the sheets below.

he hums proudly, pressing a lasting kiss to your fluttering hole before reaching up to your lips to do the same, barely allowing you the time to catch your breath— chest heaving while you come down from your high. “so pretty when you squirt for me like that, sweetness,” dabi moans into your mouth, allowing you to taste yourself on him. but as soon as he comes, he’s gone— rolling you onto your stomach and lifting your hips so your ass sits in the air for him. “gonna take my cock now, kay?”

“kay,” you mumble into the sheets, brain too fuzzy to resist as the villain manhandles you the way he wants.

after shoving down his sweatpants, the eldest todoroki grips the peachy soft flesh of your ass— smacking it a few times with his heat activated palms to watch the flesh jiggle and his handprint sink into the skin. you lean back, watching over your shoulder as his cock stands at full attention, hard from seeing you come undone on his fingers and tongue. it burns bright red at the tip, another fat glob of precum making it shine and making you dribble with anticipation. “y’such a fuckin’ slut, my beautiful slut… hungry for my cock even after i’ve wrecked your lil pussy so bad,” dabi says with a cocky lilt to his voice, the very tone making your hole clench around nothing. he taps his sticky cockhead against your slit, running it up and down your cunt three or four times— groaning as it slides between your cheeks. the sensation causes your back to arch as you wail, fingers gripping the bed covers so tight that you almost cause them to tear. “don’t you worry baby, ‘m gonna make up for lost time, you don’t have to miss me anymore.”

there’s a double meaning to his words that you don’t ask him to elaborate on, too caught up in the way he teases your hole as he dips his length in— only to pull it right back out. “don’t tease, need you badly,” you plead, earning yourself another harsh spank to your raw ass cheeks.

“shut the fuck up and let me fuck you,” the words are harsh against his tongue, but dabi utters them softly as he relents to his wishes. his cerulean gaze flutters down to where your bodies begin to join, his large hand gripping his length before he starts to push into your dribbling entrance. “god, you’re s’fuckin’ tight, you might as well be a virgin.” pussy spasming at his words, you leak against touya’s cock, creating a lewd squelching sound as he pushes more of himself into you. the weight of dabi’s thick girth causes painful, yet delicious burn which he eases by rubbing soothing circles into your clit once more. “been s’long, i outta fuck you open again, huh?”

“uhuh, take me again touya. make me yours, all over again.” you slur over the spit drowning your tongue, eyes fluttering shut when the villain’s hips surge forward his dick brushes against your cervix. his rough, calloused palm grabs your neck from behind, forcing you down into the sheets while he bottoms out inside of you and pushes the last of his cock past your entrance. the two of you groan in unison, touya sitting heavy inside of your walls before you muster up the energy to say. “move.”

he doesn’t need to be told twice, whilst dabi was enjoying the feeling of being engulfed by your soft, warm insides— cock twitching in relief from time to time— he finds it within him to pull back from your selfish cunt to thrust into you with all his might. the force pulls a broken squeal from between your bitten and bruised lips, your hips pushing back against dabi to keep him inside of you. the pair of you move in sync, bodies dancing in a sensual grind between lovers that moulds your cunt into the shape of your boyfriend once more. “oh fuck yeah baby, oooh, missed your cunny s’bad…” dabi yowls loudly, listening for the squashy sounds of your sexes moving against one another. “christ, you like when i talk about your pathetic little pussy like this?”

you bite down on your lower lip, embarrassed by your own bleats of pleasure when he degrades you like this. annoyed by your lack of answer, touya grabs onto your hips and pulls you off of his cock, only to slam them back into you seconds later. his pace is unforgiving and relentless from there, forcing your body up the bed with every thrust into your core. “yes! like it, love it, missed your cock so bad touya!” you cry, holding onto the sheets for dear life as his dick drags along your pleasure spots and his hands burn marks into your ass and hips.

weakly, you attempt to match his thrusts. circling the meat of your ass back onto dabi and squeezing around the head of his girth every time it plunges into your sopping pussy. your arousals mix as he pounds away at your hole, a thick string hanging between your bodies and dribbling down your inner thighs, tainting innocent skin. the wet noise reverberates across the room, creating a passionate symphony with dabi’s deep, pitiful moans.

even though it had been a while since the two of you had been intimate like this, dabi still knew all the ways to get your body going. he took you from behind but still let his marred hands wonder and explore the planes of your skin, pinching here and there, marking your body as his to use and his alone. there’s love hidden beneath his rough touches, little signs that he missed having you so close to him— having you split open on his cock while you dripped on his pelvis and ruined your bedsheets, was his own way of unleashing his pent up emotions of love, anger and despair onto you and you wanted it. you wanted his good and his bad while he fucked you like his life depended on it, balls deep inside the pussy of the woman he loved was where he was most vulnerable with you.

“s-shit, sweetness, you’re such a pretty mess, so fucked up on my cock, can feel you clamping around me like my greedy bitch should.” you’re stuffed so full, clenching every time touya drives his cock deeper into your gummy cunt, head prodding at the sensitive bundle of nerves inside of you. he’s losing his mind at how you choke out his iron hot girth, clear liquid seeping down your thighs at every thrust. “you’re my beautiful brain dead baby, letting me fuck you like this, yeah? missed you baby, missed this,” despite his words, touya is no better than you, mind hazy with thoughts of you creaming around him because of how good he’s made you feel. him, and no one else. you saved yourself for him after all these months, the least he could do was bring you to cloud nine.

he does so by angling his thrusts up to meet your pleasure spot every time, howling your name in the way he knows you like just to feel your hot cunny spew more of your juices out against his tummy. “missed you, thought about this for months,” you lament, elbows that kept you up finally giving out as your body tiredly collapses into the sheets— dabi’s balls still clapping against your ass. he follows you down into bed covers, chest pressing hotly against your back as the jackhammers into you from behind. “thought about your fat cock in my tight pussy, t-touched myself to you...made being alone worth it, made waiting for you to come home worth it. ‘cause i get to see your beautiful face when you fuck me…” you barely register what you’re saying, babbling incorrectly while the temperature of your body rises with your level of arousal.

behind you, touya’s cheeks burn with a new feeling. deep down, all he wanted was to be validated as a lover to you, he’d always been deemed as the bad guy incapable of feeling anything for anyone other than himself. but you, you had proved him wrong so many times and he still found your words hard to believe. yet, it felt good to know how much you loved him. snaking a hand down to your face, the villain squishes your cheeks together and brings you up to his own face despite the arch to your back— he keeps up his sinful pace, your lower cheeks bouncing with every push and pull of his length while he drips a globule of his saliva into your pouting mouth. “shut up,” he grunts harshly, although love is written across his cobalt eyes.

you smile up at him dopily, keeping eye contact with him as you swallow gratefully. “anything for you,” his hands slip from your squashed cheeks to your throat, cupping it as he holds you against him. more arousal pools in your lower stomach, turned on by the thrill of him being able to end your life right then and there, all it would take would be one flame but you know more than anything that dabi loves you and would never hurt you. “i love you, touya todoroki. i a-always will.”

your admission makes dabi’s heart stop in his chest, heated pants tickling your ear as he continues to take you and claim your body as his. with newfound vigor, he links his free hand with yours that lays against the bed and rams his cock into your core as hard and as fast as he can, determined to make you cum. “i—oh fuck, i love you too, sweetness…” the arsonist can feel the way your cunt flutters around his girth at his confession, tears building up in your eyes once more. god, you were so pretty like this, arched for him perfectly in the moon, stars illuminating every curve and dip on your body— showing off the stretch marks from where you’d carried his child. everything about you turned him on in the best possible ways and everything about you that turned him on, also turned out to be everything he loved about you.

your stupid big heart, your stupid big eyes when you say that you love him, your stupid smile when he used to kiss you and hold you and even now when he fucked you. touya todoroki was in love and in the worst possible way but he couldn’t say he regretted a single moment of it, not when you stayed true to him after all these months of being apart. you raised his child and you loved him all the same and a part of him is grateful that you never turned your back on him like everyone else he’s ever loved.

so the least he could do is make love to you, push his creamy cock into the depth of your core while kissing down your spine to watch you shudder oh so cutely. it’s messy and sloppy and the pair of you should feel nasty for the stench of sex in the air, lingering against your skin. but you don’t, how could you? not when love and adoration tingles in the air as well, it’s messy because of the unadulterated emotions you feel for one another— deep in vulnerability is where dabi grinds his cock slowly into you, hitting all the right places that make you scream his name into the night. makes him mumble incoherent praises against your bruised neck and squished cheeks as he lewdly licks a stripe up the column of your neck to behind your ear.

you gush around him and he grunts with ecstasy into your ear, tightening that knot in your stomach as you both step closer to your highs. “you like the way i fill this cunt up, huh? yeah? when i hold you like this, when i fuck you like this?” dabi mutters to you lewdly, holding onto his sanity by a thin thread as his own release sneaks up on him. “tell me you like it...fuck sweetness, please.”

“i love the way you fuck me touya, fuck! only you can make me feel this good,” you moan to appease him, bouncing back against his cock while his hips begin to stutter and your eyes begin to cross. it’s true, you love belonging to him, being able to bring him such pleasure and you know he feels the same way. the villain prods at your g-spot over and over again, stealing your breath away as he pulls you up and into your chest, changing the angle of his hips to bring you to the last hurdle. “baby—ohmygod—-touya! ‘m sososo close, don’t stop...don’t stop, gonna cum, give it to me, give it to me please!” you chant, eyes fluttering shut as you lean your head back against his shoulder and search for his hand, voice rising with every octave as you get closer and closer.

“fucking cum for me sweet girl, shit, cum all over this fucking cock.” dabi manages through gritted teeth, grasping your hand while the pace of his thrusts grow inconsistent.

that’s all that you need to hear before the damn breaks and arousal floods through your entire body courses through your veins. white dances behind your eyes in flashes as your release flushes out of your pussy and drips between touya’s balls, coating them in a layer your honeyed slick. you slump against your boyfriend, not able to mutter a word as you convulse in a silent scream and squeeze both his hand and cock alike.

gently, he pushes you down to the bed and pulls his cock from your intoxicating heat— his free hand clasps around his cock, palming himself towards a swift release. “yeah, oh fuck yeah, fuckin’ love you baby,” he cums on your back and your ass, thick, potent and milky seed landing on your flushed skin before he collapses beside you and exhaustion settles in his bones.

you black out for a few minutes after, fingers still intertwined but dabi manages to slip out long enough to retrieve a washcloth that's damp and warm to clean you both up with. you wake up just as he crawls back into bed with you, kissing your hairline while he makes himself comfortable. “almost thought i’d killed you for a second,” the villain jokes, slinging a loose arm over your bare waist and pulling you to lay on his chest.

“you couldn’t, even if you tried.” you counter sleepily, drawing star shapes on your boyfriend’s naked stomach. a comfortable silence sweeps over the room, despite the thoughts that linger on your mind. looking up at dabi, you notice him drifting off but still can’t help the words that slip from your lips. “why didn’t you ever come back?”

you feel dabi’s chest rise and fall with a deep sigh, fingers coming up to scratch at your scalp— something that used to help you to sleep when you were together before. “i was figuring out a way to get out of the league, to be with you and kori.” he says after some time, catching your eye as you give him a confused look. “shigaraki doesn’t know about her, i never told him. but i knew from the moment we found out about her, i didn’t want her to be a part of the life i’m involved in and knowing how the league works, they’d find a way to make use of her.”

you stay quiet, not knowing what to do with the new information and dabi’s reasoning for staying away for so long. on one hand you were grateful to him for keeping your daughter quiet and safe but part of you still wished he’d given you a sign to let you know it’d all be okay. grabbing your chin, he forces you to look up at him—passionate flames burning in his eyes. “i need you to trust me on this one sweetness, i promise nothin’ will happen to you nor kori. so long as i’m around.”

“pinky promise?” you ask him sweetly, feeling the truth to his words.

you hold up your pinky to the villain’s face, smiling through exhaustion as he rolls his eyes down at you. “pinky promise, babydoll. now get some shut eye, kay?” touya links your pinky with his, scoffing when you make him kiss them.

“g’night, touya.”

“sleep well, babydoll.”

the bed is cold when you wake up the next morning.

the panic sets in quickly, speeding up with the chirping of birds from your balcony outside. you shouldn’t be tearing up over the childishness of a pinky promise. he always made you promises but never actually kept the and as quickly as dabi had waltzed back into your life, he had left you alone and in the cold once more.

gathering yourself together, you stumble out of your bed— avoiding any mirrors that may show the cascade of marks dabi had left against your skin from the previous night. you feel embarrassed and ashamed that you let him back into your life so easily, especially now that you had kori to think about. tears start to well in your tired and puffy eyes as you head to the kitchen, thinking that a mug of coffee will calm you down before you prep your daughter for the day.

but as you wander out of your room, the familiar sound of your baby girl’s laugher drifts through the air— seemingly coming from the kitchen. the sweet melody calls out to you and suddenly your casual stride to the kitchen becomes a brisk walk so you can reach her faster. “kori? baby? did you climb out of your crib again—?” you call out to her, stopping in your tracks when you round the corner.

dabi stands in the middle of your kitchen, still shirtless, with kori balanced on his hip— in one hand he holds a small blue flame, which you’re sure he believes is safe enough for kori to play with while the other steadies your baby girl while she claps and squeals. a first. you’re not too sure when the last time you’d seen her happy was, but you figure her father’s presence had something to do with it.

“i was going to make you breakfast, but the little shit woke up and i didn’t have enough free hands to make you a grilled cheese.” touya smirks over at you, diminishing his flame to grasp kori’s hand and use it to wave at you. she squeals happily, curls bouncing and eyes lighting up in a similar way to her father’s. your heart melts at the sight of them being together, seeing the mannerisms that they share and how joyous they seem. they both grinned the same way, shared the little twitch in their noses and even their sneezes. kori todoroki was an exact replica of touya todoroki, right down to the tiny red curl she had lost in her white locks.

“you know, i thought you’d left,” you make your way across to the island where dabi sets his daughter down and check her temperature— just in case her sudden change in mood is down to any sickness. “the bed was cold when i woke up.”

“didn’t i make you a promise last night, sweetness? i’m not going anywhere,” the arsonist reminds you, wrapping his arms around you from behind while you wipe at kori’s pudgy baby cheeks and give her the once over again. “if you’re checking the kid’s temperature, she's usually pretty cold because of my mom’s quirk. something ice related will be coming through, but she must’ve inherited your strong constitution. guess she has a normal body temp when i’m around ‘cause it balances her out.” while dabi explains the inner workings of kori’s incoming quirk, she claps and babbles excitedly from her place on the island— making a game out of throwing her toys off of it. all of dabi’s logic makes sense and you seem a little more relieved knowing how to take care of her from here.

picking her up, along with her stray toys, you set your baby down by her playmat again and switch on some baby-safe cartoons while you fix yourself and dabi some coffee, kissing all over kori’s face beforehand. he had whined when you pulled away the first time to give your daughter some attention, it was almost comical how the big bad villain had pouted then. “i wonder if there’s anything of mine she inherited or if it’s all you and todoroki genetics.”

“well, her pretty smile certainly didn’t come from me, babydoll.” dabi muses with a light chuckle, arms trapping you against his chest once more as you continue to make you both some much needed caffeine. the coffee machine whirrs as you sway together in the early morning sunshine, warmth from the sun brushing against your skin and touya’s hair tickling your neck before he presses kisses over your fading love bites while kori’s annoying shows play in the background. everything feels complete and at peace. you feel like a real family. “i could get used to this, this life with you.”

you spin in dabi’s arms, cupping his cheeks and taking in his face for the millionth time in the last twelve hours. “then stay, or at least visit some more now that you’re back. you may not feel it, but kori and i need you. everything has always been better when you’ve been around touya… and i mean that. stay.” you stare at him with pleading eyes, standing on your tiptoes to stare him down and communicate just how much you needed him here with you both.

and for once in his life, touya todoroki feels the most loved he’s ever really felt. here in this shitty two bedroom apartment with his angelic little girl and his beautiful girlfriend during the winter season— touya knows this is right where he needs to be. “i’ll stay, for as long as you’ll fuckin’ have me.”

“forever, then?” you ask, eyes lowering to your boyfriend’s lips.

“forever it is, babydoll.” the villain nods, following your gaze before leaning down to capture your lips with a promise written into your sweet kiss.

extended ending

you thought that the best kind of weather was when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds but the air around you was still as cold as a december’s day. the breeze is enough to make your nose run just a little, but occasionally the warmth of the sun’s rays radiates across your skin like a warm blanket, balancing it out.

it was the kind of weather where people didn’t know how to dress, some wore mismatched shorts and jerseys whilst others were decked out in scarves up to their cheeks and sandals where their toes flopped out. it was the kind of weather that reminded you of dabi and kori, they were your warmth and your cold, they balanced each other out and made your family whole.

kori sits on your right hip as you push the car door closed and wave goodbye to an accomplice of your boyfriend’s— your driver for the evening. your little girl’s curls are combed back into two even pigtails, dark blue bows in each one while the red lock of her hair ( now, much longer ) curls against her forehead stubbornly. she looks so pretty, all fancied up a dress that dabi had chosen for her on this particular occasion, the lace irritated her only slightly but the decapitated endeavour plushie her father had gifted her served nicely as a distraction.

you bounce her once, cooing down at your baby before you look to the hospital in front of you— a look of determination in your eye. ever since the night touya had visited you and swore to stay, he’d kept his word to the best of his abilities. being a villain was still a major factor in your relationship, he came when he could stayed if his job permitted it— taking care of your daughter when your shifts were long and even going as far as to learn his and kori’s favourite recipes to cook on the nights where you couldn’t or you didn’t fancy take out.

in the last few weeks his visits had become slightly more scarce with shigaraki becoming more and more demanding, but touya’s plan to leave the league was slowly coming to fruition along with endeavour and the hero society which had both carved a life of struggle for the three of you.

your boyfriend being busy had given you more time to reconnect with the friends you had lost over the last year, meeting up with those from college, mina and tsuyu ( who’d simply thought you’d gone off the radar ) for kori’s first birthday. they absolutely loved her and your sweet girl loved all the attention she was getting. you even had the chance to reunite with your parents, who were more remorseful that you felt you couldn’t come to them for help than the fact that you’d gotten pregnant during college.

of course, they all asked who the father was and you simply told them that he had died ( which was half true ), using the excuse that you were embarrassed to be widowed and with a child at your young age.

shaking your head, you enter the hospital and recite the words that touya had made you practice the night before. you were here by endeavours orders and needed to see mrs.todoroki. your lover had used some sort of hack to put you on the list of visitors for his mother but one look at kori was all the guards and staff needed to let you through. a few nights prior to today, dabi had asked you to do one thing for him before it all went down, kissing your knuckles over some sushi take out.

so despite your nerves, you would go through with this for him, especially if it meant your family could be together. some guards escort yourself and kori to rei todoroki’s room, leaving you with a curt nod and slightly more polite wave to your daughter. the room itself is slightly bleak, a chair and some blue cushioned sofas positioned in an L-shape parallel to the blanketed bed. there’s a tv in the top left corner which and a set of draws underneath where a clear vase sits— containing blooming blue flowers.

rei looks up when you enter, grey eyes flashing with confusion despite the blank look on her face as kori babbles happily in your arms. “who are you?” she whispers, hands retreating from her flowers and folding neatly in her lap.

“oh! i’m yn, your son’s fiancé and this,” you beam kindly, further entering the room and being sure to lock the doors behind you. you nod your head down to your daughter who waves around her endeavour plushy— paying no mind to the situation unfolding. “this is our daughter, your granddaughter...kori todoroki! she’s just turned one and daddy thought it was about time she met you, isn’t that right pretty girl?”

“dada!!!”

rei blinks and you smile again. “she’s a daddy’s girl,” you explain and lift your hand to snow the small sapphire engagement ring on your ring finger. touya had proposed last night as well, certain your plan would work out. “and quite frankly, so am i! how can i not be when your son treats me so well.”

nodding slowly, the wife of endeavour looks down at her hands which you note, nervously fiddle with a stray petal. “so, natsu and you—?” you can see her trying to work it out, curiosity written across her features. you could see why the woman might think kori was natuso’s child— they looked a lot like each other just by first glance but rei was missing an important feature. the colour of kori’s eyes.

“oh no, your other son. the eldest one.” you correct her with a sinister shake of your head. swiftly crossing the room to set your daughter down in rei’s lap. you watch with an evil air of satisfaction as rei todoroki freezes with fear, as the mistakes her family paid out to touya suddenly come to the forefront of her mind. she wobbles with kori still in her grip and you shoot her a dark glare— reaching over to fix her flowers in their vase. “touya picked these out, always said that you loved them. such a pretty shade of blue, no wonder why they’re your favourites, right?”

“please leave.” she looks up at you pleadingly, shaking like a leaf in the breeze outside. oh how you wish your fiancé was here to see this but he had more important things to do.

rolling your eyes, you grab the remote to switch on the tv— pinching kori’s nose affectionately to make her laugh again. “come sit with me rei, let’s watch some tv to help you calm down.”

the woman nods weakly, barely moving an inch as you take a seat beside her with a smile. you skip channels a few times, pride swelling up in your chest when you finally land on the right one, touya’s broadcast flashing across the screen. he sits leisurely in a chair, shirtless with all of his beautiful scars on display— a painful reminder of his childhood and what he’d become. “i, touya todoroki, was born as the eldest son of endeavour. today i’ve killed over 30 innocent people until now, some to protect my family. my daughter, who i have not been able to see due to my father. i would like to let everyone know why i’d end up committing such a hideous act.” he speaks such calmness and clarity, and you can’t help but feel emotional at how he stands in front of the world.

kori grins, leaping up at the sight of her father on the screen and claps her hands. “dada!! dada!! lookie s’daddy!!” she squeals while rei struggles to breathe, panic set in her eyes.

you put a hand on the woman’s shoulder, offering her a sweet grin in an attempt to calm her before the oncoming storm. “keep watching, mrs.todoroki, touya said we’d be one big, happy family after this.” the words are sugar coated and sickly sweet, carrying the dark meaning across to your fiancé’s mother.

looking away, your heart swells while touya tears down the hero society and spills the truth for all of japan to see. you were grateful to the man he’d become— loyal to you, to your daughter and the dreams that you had. the satisfaction of seeing the real villains of the world fall was much greater than any hush money enji todoroki could ever offer.

fin.

— TAGLIST:

@husband-to-tomura-shigaraki @grace-todoroki @toshiuwu @whet-ones-write

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winter-soldier-vibes · 3 years ago

Note

just a wittle request, could you do something where bucky comforts the reader who has mommy issues after she has a panic attack over the thought of turning out like her mother?

Hi there, sorry this took so long! I still haven’t processed my own so I had to take a few breaks. I apologize if this is off the path of what you meant, I’m going off of my own experience but I know it’s different for everyone.

You're nothing like her.

Bucky x reader

Word count: 3219

Warnings: mommy issues, toxic childhood, talk of divorce, panic attack/anxiety, negative self-talk

A/N: This takes place in a timeline where Bucky is retired

-------------

You did everything you could to avoid it. To avoid her

You left home as soon as you could. When you were in college you were surrounded by people who were homesick, people who wanted to go home, people who finally had to take care of themselves. Things you couldn’t relate to.

You had been supporting yourself most of your life. Not that you had much of a choice. Your dad left when you were younger, your mother blaming it on you. If you had been better, maybe he wouldn’t have left. You, being young, believed her. What else were you supposed to do, growing up in a world that preaches ‘mother knows best’?

Load of bullshit to you.

You knew better now, being an adult, that she didn’t know best. She worked or went out with friends and left you to raise yourself, telling you it was your fault when she neglected her responsibilities. And when you would get upset she would play the victim, crying ‘woe is me’ because you were so ungrateful to the person who raised you after you drove her husband out.

“You know it’s your fault right?” she had snapped at you one night at dinner. There was a graded paper, a B written on the top of it.

“What?”

“You’re the reason he left me. He just couldn’t stand you. You’re the reason why he left and why I’m so miserable now.”

You had felt tears in your eyes.

“Tears, really? Tears aren't going to change the fact that MY husband LEFT.”

Her husband, not your father.

No, you knew better now to know that what she had done and said was wrong. But that didn’t make you forget. It didn’t make it any easier for you.

You went to college, saved up as much as you could, and gave tight-lipped smiles when people asked why you didn’t go home on weekends or vacations. You tried not to talk about her much, but that didn’t stop you from thinking about her.

You had stood at your college graduation, caps thrown and loud laughs and cheers echoing around. There were a bunch of people celebrating around you, taking photos, but you had stood on the outskirts. You had a small smile on your face for everyone else, but you couldn’t help but feel empty inside. You hadn’t made many friends, not close friends, but that was a good thing. You could take the photo so no one was left out.

Not so much of a text from her. She hadn’t come, she hadn’t called or anything.

In a twisted way, you were glad that she hadn’t. She couldn’t make a big deal about how you weren’t the top of your class or how you didn’t deserve to be. How you didn’t have a job set up to start the next week even though you already were planning on submitting your resumes. There wasn’t a way to please her, so it was almost better that she wasn’t there.

You had texted her after a few days and she made up some bullshit excuse that she had forgotten to put it on the calendar.

She liked your Instagram photo though. So thoughtful

You worried you would turn out the same way. Or that she had rubbed off on you in some way. You kept to yourself as much as you could, staying in, keeping your emotions to yourself. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust people, maybe it was, but more so you were worried that you would seem like you were playing the victim.

You didn’t want to bother anyone or make anyone feel obligated to listen to you. You worried that behind your back they would complain about you being emotional or making everything about you.

You worried they would talk about you the same way you thought about your mother.

People are supposed to look to their parents to teach them what to be, yet you found yourself wanting to avoid everything your parents did to you. They taught you exactly who you didn’t want to be.

Your father left. Your mother hated you.

You didn’t share your opinions because you didn’t want to be told you were wrong. You didn’t want to force your ideas onto anyone. Not like what you said would make a difference anyway, not that it mattered in the first place.

You remembered all of the sentences you would start but not finish because no one had heard you. Trying to jump in a few times and eventually giving up when the conversation had moved onto a new subject. All the times people would interrupt or interject, making you feel like you didn’t have something to say that was worth hearing.

You thought it would get better when you got a job. But the pressure you put on yourself to do well in school was transferred to the job you had gotten. You still were afraid that people saw yourself as your mom used to and that you would never be good enough for anyone. You thought that achievements would make you feel fulfilled.

But if you didn’t believe in yourself, what were a few “job well done's” supposed to do?

It made it hard to get into a relationship. People say that “you have to love yourself before you can love someone else,” but that didn’t feel so true to you. It was more that you didn’t trust yourself to love someone else. You worried about hurting whoever you were with, and you told yourself that if you didn’t get close to anyone, you couldn’t hurt them.

But then you ran into him.

He was on a morning run and you were walking home from a night shift, both too tired to see each other coming. You because you had just finished a shift, him because he was running off the nightmare he had had the night previous. Both of you craving a sleep that seemed just out of reach.

You were very apologetic, as was he, both afraid that you had hurt the other. You avoided his eyes even though they were trained anywhere but your own, as he fiddled with his gloved hands and you scratched the back of your neck.

It was the first time either of you had seen someone as unsure as yourselves

You had parted ways with only each other's names. Bucky and y/n.

The two of you crossed paths a few times in the following weeks, eventually getting each other’s phone numbers and agreeing to meet for coffee rather than hoping the other left at the right time. Eventually, the subtle nervous tics each of you had died down as you got to know each other.

For the most part.

You still overly apologized for everything. If you were a few minutes late, if you spaced out...you took the blame for everything.

Traffic had been bad, a storm and an accident causing you to be 5 minutes late rather than 15 minutes early. You had run into the coffee shop, scanning the restaurant with wide eyes when you saw Bucky sitting there casually.

“I am so so so sorry, I should’ve left earlier, there was an accident, I’m so sorry I’m late -”

“Y/n, don’t worry about it,” he had said, a smile on his face and a slight flash of concern on his face. “Seriously, it’s a couple of minutes. It’s literally fine.”

“No, I’m really sorry, I should’ve known or called or something.”

“Relax. It’s totally fine, I promise,” he had said, concern a little more present on his face. “Are you okay though?”

“What? Yeah, I’m good. How have you been with everything?

You wouldn’t let him talk about you. The same way your mother never let you talk about yourself.

Don’t think about her.

He had started opening up to you but you still kept your personal life under lock and key. Your name, how work was, and your physical well-being was about as personal as you got. Even so, if work had been a shit show or you had to pull an all-nighter would go unspoken. He didn’t need the burden of your personal issues. Not when there was nothing he could do about it.

The past was the past, you just had to learn how to get over yourself.

You couldn’t change what your mother had said over a decade ago.

You worried if you talked about yourself at all then you would be making the situation about you. You worried you would project your anger or sadness onto him. He didn’t deserve that. Plus, it wasn’t like he would be able to do anything, right?

You promised yourself you wouldn’t let him get too close. That if he didn’t get close to you, you couldn’t hurt him.

But damn, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t start developing feelings for him. And from the way he had started acting, you thought maybe he was too.

The hugs that were ever so slightly too tight or when he smiled at you a little longer than normal. He had opened up to you about many things in his past, and from the way he talked about it, you could tell he hadn’t talked about it much with anyone else.

You found comfort in your friendship, the way he trusted you. You liked being there for him, and you were honored that he trusted you enough to open up to you. Yet it also made you uneasy that you would ruin it in some way or drive him out.

The same way your mom drove out your father.

Goddamn it don’t think about her.

The closer you got and the closer you and Bucky had gotten, the more nervous you were. That you would turn out like your mother. You were having a harder time keeping to yourself, keeping up the façade that everything was all bright in your world. You wanted to be a light for everyone.

But at some point, days turn to nights and the light gives way to the darkness.

And you weren’t sure how much time you had left before you cracked.

Bucky had started making small moves towards you, and you were trying your best to deflect them in efforts to not fall flat on your face for him. He came over Wednesday nights for a movie and take out with you, and what started as being on two opposite ends of the couch had moved to being next to each other to him having his arm wrapped around you. Sometimes you felt he was a little too close and you would either shift away or get up to grab another drink or ‘use the bathroom’.

When you came back you would make an attempt to sit a bit further away.

Sometimes when Bucky would say goodbye at the end of the night he would hug you. That was nothing new, you were both big on hugs, but lately, he had been hugging you longer or tighter, lingering a few moments longer than could be platonic. You had started ending the hugs earlier, giving him a small squeeze before pulling away.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to be with Bucky. It was that you were so scared that you would drive him away, leaving you as soon as you had started calling yourself his.

Which is what brought you here. Bucky had come over for another one of your movie nights and had his arm behind the couch rather than around you. An invitation for you to curl into his side, but he wanted you to make that choice. Eventually, you had found yourself curled up with him, his arm wrapped around you, and you could feel the tension.

You wanted to move away before you found yourself in too deep, but you couldn’t resist. It had been a long day and you found comfort with Bucky. Bucky turned his face slightly towards yours, kissing the side of your temple and you felt butterflies in your stomach. Your mind told you to shift away, to not let him get too close, but you found yourself turning your head towards Bucky and he leaned forward to kiss you gently.

After a moment you broke away, emotion taking over you. “I’m sorry, Bucky, I - I can’t do this,” you said, resting your forehead against his.

“Why not?” Bucky whispered, looking into your eyes.

Because I’ll hurt you.

I’ll disappoint you.

I’ll drive you away and I can’t lose the best thing that’s happened to me.

You sighed, standing up and moving away from Bucky. You couldn’t say those things to him out loud. Not without the entire story. And you weren’t ready to share all of that with him.

Bucky stood up with you, afraid he had just ruined the friendship or whatever relationship he had with you. “Y/n, wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

You had already left the room and couldn’t really hear him over the sound of your thoughts.

This wasn’t supposed to happen

I wasn’t supposed to let this happen

How could I be so stupid?

You were feeling tears in your eyes and Bucky followed you, afraid of what he did. Your breathing was picking up and you had started mumbling some of these things to yourself.

“Y/n, what’s happening, what did I do?”

You shook your head “You didn’t do anything, but I need you to leave, please,” you said, trying to hide your emotions. You hated being like this.

“I’m not going anywhere y/n, just tell me what’s wrong.”

“Get the fuck out of here Bucky! I don’t want your help!” you snapped suddenly, Bucky looking taken aback before your eyes widened.

“Oh god…”

You shook your head and started crying harder, stumbling over your words. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that, I didn’t mean to yell, I’m so sorry Bucky please don’t leave I'm so sorry.”

Bucky came forward and hugged you gently and you cried into his shirt. He whispered comforting words into your ear as you tried to breathe, embarrassed at how vulnerable you were being.

Bucky kept his breathing slow and even, trying to get you to match him. He had no idea what was happening but he knew he needed you to calm down before he asked. Whatever it was had to be something deep, and you weren’t in the space to talk about it right now.

He brought you over to sit on the corner of your bed, still hugging you as you cried. You were mumbling out apology after apology but Bucky wasn’t having any of it. He kept hugging you, telling you that he wasn’t going anywhere and that you were safe. He had never seen you so upset, or upset at all to begin with.

After you had calmed down a bit, Bucky asked you again what had happened. You shook your head, not knowing what to say.

“I’ve opened up about so many things to you, right?” he pulled back to look at you.

You nodded slightly.

“And you’ve never judged me for any of it.”

You shook your head this time.

“Then why can’t you let me do the same for you?”

You took a deep breath, fiddling with your hands. “I don’t wanna hurt you,” you said, not meeting his eyes.

Bucky drew his eyebrows together, still confused. “Y/n, you’ve been the nicest person I’ve ever met. How would you hurt me?”

You were already shaking your head. “No, see, that’s what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna be nice and sweet and...and I’m gonna fall in love with you, and you’re gonna fall in love with me. A-and then I’m gonna let you down over and over again and snap at you for things that aren’t your fault and...and you’ll get sick of it and leave and I’m going to hate myself for it, okay?”

“Hey, hey, slow down,” Bucky held your shoulders as they started shaking. You brought a hand to cover your mouth, Bucky hushing you again. “What are you talking about? Where is this coming from?”

You took a shaky breath as you ran a hand over your face. “I’m just like her, Bucky. I told myself I would never let myself be like her…”

“Like who?” Bucky asked, blood already boiling at who made you feel like this.

Her.

You weren’t supposed to think about her.

You promised yourself.

“Y/n, stay with me here,” he said, guiding your face back to look at him. “Who?”

“My mother.”

Bucky looked at you for a moment. “What?”

“You know, mothers bring you into the world. They say a mother knows when something is wrong with their kid, that babies are put on their mother’s chest because the skin-to-skin contact starts the bonding process. They’re supposed to protect you, and love you, and take care of you. But then you start to get older and it’s your fault that you were born when you didn’t ask, or your dad left and it’s your fault before you even knew he was gone. All I wanted was to be told what to do and all she would do is tell me what I did wrong. I can’t be like her and the older I get the more scared I am that I’m going to hurt everyone the way that she hurt my father and me.”

You had started crying again as Bucky looked at you, both broken-hearted and furious that someone would make you feel this way. Not to mention it was your own mother.

You took another shaky breath. “I thought the world of her when I was younger. And she barely even gave me the time of day. I keep telling myself that I’m not what she thought of me, but what if I am?” you shook your head again. “And I am so scared that I’m just like her.”

“Y/n, look at me, I need you to look at me when I say this, okay?” he cupped your face with both hands, wiping away your tears with the pads of his thumbs as he looked into your eyes. “You are nothing like your mother.”

You let out a small sob. “You don’t know her.”

“I don’t need to,” he said firmly. “You are kind and gentle. You work hard and you make sure that everyone is taken care of before you even consider yourself. You aren’t going to scare me away or hurt me.” He wiped fresh tears from your eyes. “You are your own person, your mother has no say in who you get to be. Who you are. You are not your mother, and you never will be.” he said, still holding your gaze.

You held his gaze a little longer, knowing he believed what he was saying. You didn’t, not quite yet, but maybe if he believed in you, you could too. You nodded slightly, giving him the smallest of smiles. “Thank you.”

Bucky returned the small smile. “You know I love you, right?”

“I love you too,” you said, smiling.

You meant it, and you knew he did too. And maybe one day, you would love who you’d become too.

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tags: @babydaddy-buckybarnes @buckys-blue-eyes @buckys2thicc @broadwaybabe18 @peggycarter-steverogers @im-sick-of-failing @barnesplums @bucks-bunny @mardema @abitgryffindorky @freigeistundanderes @thatfangirl42 @strawberrimae @sup--ernova

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thestarrynightslover · 4 years ago

Text

How to Say I Love You

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader

Word count: 2,582

Warnings: Smut implied.

Summary: One day, Jay takes it upon himself to be an extra-cute boyfriend. The reason? It takes (y/n) a while to find out.

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the One Chicago shows, or its characters, also not associated with it in any way or know anyone involved with it.

A/N: Posting super late because the day was hard. So, just some more Jay fluff to brighten our days. Hope you like it!

(y/n) = (your name) (y/l/n) = (your last name) (y/n/n) = (your nickname)

| masterlist |

As soon as you woke up, you felt light kisses being pressed to all of your very exposed skin, and an inevitable smile came to your lips.

“Good morning, princess.” Jay whispered in your ear with a husky voice.

“Good morning for you too, baby.” You answered him while bringing his face closer to yours. On that movement, before you could kiss him, you caught a glance of your bedside clock. “Oh my God, Jay! Look at the time! I thought we’d agreed to get as much sleep as we could after last night!” You quickly reprehended him. “Or have you forgotten that both of us still have to go to work today?” You asked, trying to sound annoyed at him when the most you managed to do was breathe out was a moan, as he nibbed your earlobe.

“Oh, I know how much you like sleeping, babygirl. But I know that there are a few things you’d give up your sleep for.” He stated in a very sexy tone.

“And what exactly makes you think that you’re one of those things?” You teased your boyfriend, hoping he’d respond to it like you thought he would.

“Ah, just a little something,” he teased back while slowly putting his hand between your legs, not even bothering to lift the hem of the shirt you were wearing, “like this.”

“Oh, Jay…” And, just like that, you were completely fine with waking up early.

---

Throughout the day, you just couldn’t keep the smile off your face, as your boyfriend took it upon himself to be the cutest person in the world. Why? You had no idea. All you knew was that he'd gotten the day off but, since you couldn't the same, he'd decided to go to work nonetheless.

His romantics for no apparent reason started with a bouquet of your favorite flowers and a note that read:

“Will you be my lunch date today? *blinking face*

P.S.: 12:00 - 13:00 is all I have. Sorry, doll :(

Meet me at our spot?

⎼ Your bae.”

He used bae. If he wasn’t so cute, and if you didn’t love him so much, you would have cringed at the choice, and he knew it. Ah, that man...

A few hours after that, you went to meet Jay for lunch at your spot ⎼ which was one of the benches along the Riverwalk, where you’d first met ⎼, absolutely decided on calling him out for being so mushy. But, as you walked closer towards him, you could see that your boyfriend was holding a picnic basket in one hand, and a bottle of champagne in the other, and, as corny as that was, you couldn’t help but grin.

“Drinking on duty now, detective?” You asked, raising your eyebrow at him.

“Nope. This one’s without alcohol. And, trust me, you’ll like it.” He told you, a sweet smile on his lips.

“Hum, maybe... But I wouldn’t really mind if it was bad either.” You half-whispered at Jay.

“Oh no?” He asked you with a smirk this time.

“No. The company makes up for anything else.” You said while moving to kiss him.

“Geez, babe, you're such a dork!" He said, making fun of you after the kiss was over.

"Really? That's what you're going with?" You, the dork? Big joke.

"What else can I say if it's the truth?" Jay asked you through his lashes, an innocent expression in-face.

"Look who's talking!" You said while rolling your eyes.

Not long after that, he put an end to your little banter. Saying that he didn't wanna spend another second of the few moments the two of you had until the evening arguing was an understatement. You agreed, even though you knew that both of you secretly enjoyed the bickerings as well as you did everything else.

Later, on that same day, when you were about to leave work, you decided to call your boyfriend.

"Hey, babe." He answered, on the fourth ring, voice letting on some tiredness.

"Hey there, handsome! I'm already leaving work, think I’mma go swim a little. Unless… There's a chance you're getting off a little earlier yourself?" You tried your luck, thinking about making him relax a little before you two left for dinner.

"Uh… Sorry, babe, I don't think I'll be able to." A deep sigh. Something was wrong.

"Jay. Is everything okay?" Another sigh. Shit.

"It's nothing for you to worry about, baby. Just a pain-in-the-ass case we can't seem to solve. When all I wanted to do was be home with you." He confessed.

"Huh. Now, tell me, who's the dork?" You heard his muffled laugh over the phone.

"I am. You know it. I know it. Everyone who knows us knows it." At that, you were the one who giggled. "And, believe me, I bear the title with pride." More laughing, from both of you this time.

"Okay, then… So, um, is there anything I can do? Maybe we cancel that dinner reservation?"

"No! No, not at all! You just… Go do your swimming and don't worry about me, okay?" Jay sounded a bit weird this time, but you brushed it off, thinking that it was just the stress of the day.

"Okay…" You replied, still unconvinced.

"Alright, I gotta go now. Love you."

"Okay, bye. Love you too. Be safe!"

"Always, baby." With that, he hung up quickly, which he never did ⎼ always dragging the conversations for as long as he could. But, once again, you decided to do what your boyfriend told you to and not worry about it.

It was already a bit into the evening and you were stretching your body to leave the swimming pool, when you saw him. Jay. So you got out and walked over to him.

"Fancy meeting you here, miss (y/l/n)." He greeted innocently.

"Well, this is a surprise. Yet another one. On the same day." You said, just to let him know that his weird behaviors weren't going by unnoticed.

"Ah, you know what they say… Gotta keep the relationship interesting!" Ha, ha. He was up to something. So you just gave him a suspicious look. To which he answered with a huge smile, saying: "What?"

"Nothing. Nothing besides the fact that you're up to something. What is it?"

"Oh. My. God." Jay said emphatically, faking offense. "I'm offended. You think that poorly of me?"

"What do you mean?" You asked him, a bit confused this time.

"You really think that I can't just try and brighten my princess's day?" He said, walking closer to you this time.

"Well, I guess that I wouldn't object to that, but what I'm saying is tha-" Before you could finish your sentence, he was pulling you towards him, pressing your bodies on a tight embrace and kissing you passionately.

"Oh no, Jay, you should let me go! I'm all wet!" You squeal out as Jay keeps holding you up in the air against his firm abdomen.

"I don't mind." He told you with a shrug of shoulders. "I'm used to having you like this." He, then, whispers in your ear and you can feel his smirk, as he kisses your neck.

"Jay!" You hissed in fake disapproval. "We're in public! You can't be saying these things to me in public!"

"Sorry, baby. But you know that I just can't help myself around you." He tells you, deliberately taking his time. At that, you just throw back your head in laughter. "Besides, it doesn't seem to me like you're feeling all that bothered with my actions…"

"But I am!" You said assertively. But then you remembered your conversation from earlier and asked him, in a softer tone: "Hey, um, how did the case go? Are you still feeling up for the dinner thing?" As soon as the words left your mouth, you watched Jay shift his entire demeanor.

"Yeah! We're definitely still going! And, as I told you before, the case was just a pain in the ass, nothing more." He sounded nervous. Weird. Like he was hiding something.

"Jay…"

"Let's just go, okay? Cause we still need to get ready for dinner. I already put your stuff in the duffel bag. My car's right outside." Jay told you quickly, like he didn't wanna give you time to make any conclusions.

"Okay, then…"

---

“C’mon, (y/n/n)! We’re running late!” You heard your boyfriend shouting for you to come out of your shared bedroom.

“Hey! Don’t you dare to rush me! Not when you’re the reason I’m running late in the first place!” You sharply answered, stepping out into the living room whilst putting your earring on. “Besides, that place we’re going is just too fancy. I need to look perfect.” You added more calmly, only now realizing how Jay was staring at you. “What? Is something wrong?”

“Wha- wrong? No! No!” He quickly assured you and closed the distance between the two of you. “You already look perfect. Every single day.”

“What? Jay, I’m serious!” You pouted, giving him an annoyed glare.

“I am too! You look gorgeous, baby.” He told you with that glorious smile of his. “And, really, there’s just no place on the planet that could make you look any less gorgeous.”

“Okay, now you’re just trying to get me to hurry up!” You accused, hitting him with considerable strength in the chest.

“Ouch! That hurt! And, yes, I am trying to hurry you up! Because we have a reservation!” He yelled at you in response. If it was any other time, you would’ve argued with him, of course. But even you had to admit he was right, you were on the clock.

“Okay, okay! I’m just gonna grab my purse and we’ll go!” You shouted back, already from the bedroom.

After that, the two of you managed to leave your apartment and get to the restaurant on time, due to Jay promising the cab driver a doubled pay if he went faster.

As soon as you arrived, though, you saw it was worth it. You still had no clue of what got in your boyfriend’s head to take you out on this kind of date for no apparent reason like that, especially after everything else he’d already done, but you obviously weren’t about to complain either.

The maître walked both of you two to a table on the upper floor of the establishment, it had an amazing view of the city and it was a pretty reserved space. So, right after you'd placed your orders and been left alone, you half-squealed at Jay:

"Oh. My. God." Your smile was wide and your eyes were shining. "This place is incredible, babe!" He looked at you with devotion, clearly amused by your reaction.

"I know right? I'm really glad we got to come here." He stated, his whole behavior letting you know that he was just as impressed.

And, like that, the evening flew by and you caught yourself stifling yawn after yawn.

"Baby, you’re not too desperate to go home, are you? Because there's still one thing I wanna show you." Your boyfriend said, pulling you by your hand to get up. Then, he guided you to that part where you'd been able to view most Chicago, earlier in the night.

"Wow," you said, leaning against the balcony to see the details, "this really is great, babe." When you’d walked past this part you wondered about why they hadn't put any tables there, only a small couch, but now you knew. They didn't want to make that space ⎼ that landscape ⎼ prisoner of one couple, or one family, that would most likely stay there the entire night.

"It is." He agreed with you.

"You know, I hadn't brought it up yet, because I thought that you'd eventually tell me on your own, but you've been acting a little weird the whole day. This morning in bed, the flowers, then the picnic lunch, picking me up at swimming, and now this… You didn't sound too good on that call either, and I gotta admit that when you said we were going out for a fancy dinner, I didn't think it'd be here, where it's practically impossible to get a reservation. So, just… Talk to me, Jay."

"(y/n/n)... Would you even believe me if I told you that that's what I've been preparing to do the whole day?" He asked you with a shy smile.

"Will you be mad at me if I say no?" You asked, a bit apprehensively. He just laughed.

"Nah, not really." He told you jokingly. "But I have." He said, more serious this time. “Baby, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” He started telling you.

“Jay-” You whispered nervously, sort of anticipating what was about to happen.

“No, just- just please let me finish. I need you to understand how important you are to me, princess. Hell, I know that words aren’t really my strongest suit, but you deserve to know that you’re my light, my lifeline, my happiness… You’re my everything, (y/n/n). My entire world. And, because of you, now I think that it is actually okay to dream, to hope for a better future, for a future. That’s why I wanna ask you, tonight, to be my future, just like you already are my present.” At that moment you couldn’t keep the tears off of your face anymore, and you would’ve jumped him right then if he hadn’t gotten down on one knee. “Will you marry me, (y/n) (y/l/n)?” He asked you with a timid smile and teary eyes of his own. As you took in the man you loved, kneeled before you, holding an open box with the diamond ring you’d recognized as being his mother’s, you just stood there crying, not managing to say anything. “B- baby? Please say something.” Jay spoke again, letting out a nervous choked laugh. So you forced yourself to answer him.

“Oh m- my God, yes!!” You squealed out.

“Yes?!?” He repeated what you said, still on the ground.

“Of course, yes!!!” You confirmed, pulling him up to kiss you. While at it, your boyfriend, now fiancé, almost dropped the small velvet box he was holding.

“Okay,” he started, chuckling, after the two of you parted a little, “let me put this thing on your finger before you back down!”

“Ha, ha. As if I was going to! You’re only in a hurry because you’re scared you’ll drop your mom’s ring.” You bickered a little, letting him know that you recognized the jewelry, to which he responded with a bright smile, saying:

“It’s your ring now, princess. And, trust me, she’d love you almost as much as I do if she were still here.” He told you, shining eyes meeting yours, as he slipped the stunning piece in your finger.

“Jay.” You breathed out as the tears resurfaced in your eyes. “It is so beautiful…” You told him looking down at the ring you had in-hand. “And… You really mean that?”

“100%, princess. If I’m being honest, there are a lot of times when you actually remind me of her…” He said, tearing up a little.

“Awww, babe...” You said throwing your arms around him again.

And that’s how you two stayed. Just holding each other, under a very starry night in Chicago. More than ready to start walking down that new road together.

439 notes · View notes

darthfrodophantom · 3 years ago

Text

Ectoberhaunt Day 5: Ouija Board

Summary: To get into the spooky season spirit, Tucker and Sam convince Danny to play a video game late at night, and Danny isn’t pleased about the subject of the video game.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/34303123

Too Close to Home

“Let me get this straight,” Danny interrupted. “I fight ghosts - real ghosts - on a nightly basis. And now that I actually have a free night you want to take up the time that I should be sleeping to fight fake ghosts?”

He shook his head as he looked at his computer screen, the only light in his entire bedroom aside from the digital clock that showed the hour: 11:45. From the first-person view of the computer game on his screen, he watched the avatars of both of his friends attempt to throw basketballs into a hoop.

“But this is way more fun,” Tucker’s voice said over Danny’s headset. “And it hurts a lot less! Ah! Dang it Sam - you messed up my throw!”

Sam cackled triumphantly. “Better pay more attention to your timing then.”

Tucker groaned as his avatar abandoned the basketball for spray paint cans, which he chucked at Sam. “Besides Danny, we’re not fighting ghosts: we’re hunting them.”

“Fine, fight, hunt, whatever. I still do both of them,” Danny argued.

“Not like this you don’t,” Tucker grinned. “God he’s gonna get creamed.”

“You know Danny, maybe we should let you go to bed. You’re gonna ruin my perfect streak,” Sam teased.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Or maybe you’ll actually do better because you have a true ghost hunting professional on the team,” he defended. He had no idea why he was bragging - he’d just been given an out and given the late hour he should take it, but now it felt like he needed to defend his pride as a ghost hunter. …That thought sounded a little too similar to something his parents would say and he quickly dismissed it. “Besides, I played the tutorial, I know what I’m doing. I’m just trying to figure out why we’re doing this.”

“Because it’s spooky season,” Tucker replied with a hint of sarcasm.

“We are only five days into October, Tucker, and if you’re gonna keep doing this all month I am going to hit you with the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick,” Sam threatened.

“I dunno, it might be worth it,” Tucker teased. “What do you think Danny?”

Danny shook his head, even though none of them could see it. “As the only person in this group who has actually been hit by the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick, I would back off,” he advised.

“Listen to Danny Tucker,” Sam chuckled as her avatar walked over to the white board to set up the hunt. “He’s actually speaking wisdom for once. Now come over here and pick out your gear.”

The playful teasing between best friends stopped as they actually got serious and picked out the gear they would need for their mission. Since Danny had no money, he couldn’t really participate in the conversation, but it seemed like Tucker and Sam had played this enough to know what they needed to bring. Sam started the mission, and their avatars found themselves inside the trailer looking at another whiteboard.

“Alright, looks like our ghost is named Thomas Clark and he responds to all of us,” Sam informed the group while Tucker’s avatar walked over to the shelves to equip supplies.

“Well that’s a dumb name for a ghost,” Danny complained as he looked at the bulletin board next to the computer. He had to squint at his screen to read them, but the articles were fairly legible and contained ghost stories he remembered hearing his parents talk about. It also had a recent article that he actually remembered running in USA Today proclaiming Amity Park as the most haunted city in the world - he didn’t know whether to feel proud or annoyed.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sam agreed, though her voice was laced with sarcasm. “He should have gone with Thomas Phantom instead.”

Danny rolled his eyes as Tucker burst out laughing. “Oh yeah, now that sounds like a proper ghost,” Tucker added between laughs.

“I knew I was going to hate this,” Danny groaned under his breath. “Can we just get this over with?”

Sam’s avatar turned to face the new whiteboard. “Alright, fine. Objective one: find out what kind of ghost we’re dealing with - standard. Objective two: witness a ghost event.”

“I am a ghost event,” Danny smirked, causing Tucker to burst out laughing again.

“Objective three,” Sam snapped, “capture a photo of the ghost.”

Tucker’s avatar grabbed a camera and snapped a picture of Danny’s avatar. “Got one!” he proclaimed, which drove both boys into laughter.

“Objective four,” Sam said louder, “get a ghost to walk through salt.”

“What? That’s dumb. Everyone knows that’s an old wive’s tale,” Danny complained as he shook his head. Did the creators of this game actually do any real research before they made this game?

“Are you regretting this yet Sam?” Tucker asked as he finally stopped laughing.

“Let’s just get in the house,” she groaned. Danny smirked in triumph, and he could tell Tucker was sharing a similar smirk on his end.

They divided up equipment between the three of them, but not before Danny could comment on the inaccuracies of each of the pieces of equipment and how useless they’d be in an actual ghost fight. From faulty science to just being plain incorrect, Danny made sure to have pithy comments about all the equipment. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much that it had to be accurate - he was not his parents - but as a ghost and a ghost hunter, it just felt a little more personal than he wanted to admit.

Because he was the newest one, Danny got stuck with the Spirit Book (“What? Are they trying to imply all ghosts can’t write? That’s alivist!”) and the EMF Reader (“...Okay that one’s actually accurate”) because they were apparently the easiest to use. Laden down with their gear they walked up to the small house. Sam’s avatar unlocked the door and they headed inside. Danny noticed the tonal shift immediately. Outside he could hear wind and crickets chirping, but once he stepped inside the doorway, an oppressive silence covered his headphones. It reminded him of the sensation on a pressurised airplane and it unnerved and unsettled him...a lot more than he planned to admit to his friends.

“Alright, spread out,” Sam instructed. “See if you can find the ghost room.”

Ghost room, right. He remembered that from the tutorial. It had been the garage in the tutorial, so he figured he should start there. He walked back through the dark house, turning lights on as he went. It wasn’t because he was scared - absolutely not, he was a real ghost hunter! - it was just much easier to see. He pulled out the EMF reader and walked into the garage. It had an eerie quality to it, and he couldn’t tell if it was because he remembered seeing the ghost there last time (a mean looking (and inaccurate) ghost covered in blood and holding an axe) or if it was because he was alone and the room was so large, but he did not like being in here.

“You know, in the tutorial, the ghost was a bloody axe-man,” Danny remarked over the walkie talkie.

“Yeah, I think he’s standard in the tutorial,” Sam remarked offhand. He did not want to admit how good it felt to hear her voice in the oppressive silence of the house. They were clearly focused on their tasks, and that was a good thing, but it felt a lot better hearing their voices.

“Red blood,” he continued, simply to trigger more conversation. He didn’t get any EMF readings, so he gratefully left the garage. “Not ectoplasm. It’s like they didn’t even try.”

“Ugh, Danny, they’re going for a horror aesthetic, not something real,” Sam sighed.

“What? Ectoplasm-stains are horrifying,” he countered as he walked through the rest of the first story. Still no EMF readings.

“Only when it’s yours,” Sam said, and the weight of those words echoed in the silence of the house that made him stop moving for a moment. “No cold spots upstairs,” Sam informed them to break the silence.

“Yeah, no EMF downstairs,” Danny added. “I’m gonna check out the basement.” That’s where they loved to hang out in the real world, so it seemed the next best choice.

“Oh hang on, if you’re going down there I’ll go with you,” Tucker spoke up.

Danny stopped halfway down the stairs. “It’s fine, I’m pretty used to basements,” he joked weaky.

“Yeah, well the last time you went into a basement alone with untested ghost equipment you died.” Tucker said it light-heartedly as a joke, and it was one they’d said a bunch of times before, but somehow it just didn’t feel the same in this tense environment. It felt too...personal.

He waited for Tucker’s avatar to appear before they walked down the stairs together into the basement. Unlike Sam’s basement or his own, this basement had a much creepier feel to it, with the foreboding worn brick walls and discolored cement flooring. Honestly he was glad Tucker went down there with him because it just felt better having another person there.

“Sam, maybe you should get down here with the thermometer,” Tucker mentioned as they both walked through the basement. “Because we’re not--”

Danny whirled around as he heard something thud hard against the ground behind him while he jumped in his chair. The EMF reader in his hand jumped up to three dots and blared at them while he stared at a box of tools now on the ground. The ghost was clearly in the room. Danny half-expected his ghost sense to go off, but he had to remind himself it was just a video game. There wasn’t actually a ghost here.

“What happened?” Sam’s urgent voice said over the walkies.

“Ghost knocked something off the shelf down here,” Tucker said as his avatar walked over to the toolbox. “Ooh! We’ve got fingerprints!” he cheered as his avatar shined a light on a glowing handprint.

“Oh that’s so not how that works,” Danny complained, just to help lighten the mood. Honestly he felt a bit jumpy knowing that the ghost was in the room...and he couldn’t sense him. He’d dealt with invisible ghosts before, but his ghost sense always gave him a vague idea of where they were...except for now. He turned in his chair to check the room behind him. No ghosts, no ghost sense. It’s just in the computer game.

“Figures that the ghost would be in the basement,” Sam remarked as her avatar walked down the stairs and opened her journal. Right! Journal. Danny opened his and placed their one piece of evidence inside. The sooner they got all of those the sooner they could leave, and he really liked that idea.

“I’m not seeing freezing temperatures, but it is a little cooler than the rest of the house,” she continued. “So let’s start setting stuff up in here. Tucker get the DOTS up and I’ll place the camera. Danny place the spirit book.”

Okay, this wasn’t so bad with the three of them in the room. He could hear them moving around and he could see them, so it made him feel a bit better. And there was still no sign of the ghost. He put the spirit book down near the toolbox and looked away from it. Maybe the ghost wouldn’t write in it while he was watching? He didn’t know.

“Ooh!” Tucker cried excitedly.

“Did you see it in the DOTS?” Sam asked.

“No - Ouija board! Oh yeah!” Tucker cheered. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“Oh I love these,” Sam agreed. Danny’s brow furrowed as he looked at the screen. Why were they acting so happy - didn’t they forget there was a ghost in this room with them?

“Hang on, let Danny try the Ouija board,” Tucker suggested. “You know, because he’s never seen it before.”

“Ooh good idea,” Sam agreed. Danny walked over to where they were and saw Sam’s avatar set down a light brown board.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sus about your motives right now,” Danny said. He had a bad feeling about this...

“No Danny, it’s fine. These are actually pretty cool in this game,” Sam assured him. She quickly explained how the Ouija boards worked in the game and what questions to ask, and against his better judgment, he walked over and activated the board. The numbers and letters glowed orange against the light color of the wood.

He decided to start with something easy, so he swallowed and forced his voice to come out clear. “How old are you?” He jumped in his chair and his avatar backed up quickly as the planchette moved across the letters.

“Y - O - U - N - G,” Tucker read. “A young ghost.”

“Oh God, I hope that doesn’t mean it’s the crawling baby ghost,” Sam sighed. “I really hate that one.”

“Ask it something else,” Tucker encouraged.

“I don’t know,” Danny hedged. For some reason the Ouija board set him on edge. Something deep in his gut did not like this. Even if it wasn’t real and he kept telling himself it wasn’t real, he didn’t like it.

“No dude, it’s okay,” he assured him. “You can ask two questions before a significant sanity drop. Just ask it one more and you can go back to the truck.”

He very much wanted to go back to the truck. He just needed a chance to regroup. He was a ghost and fought ghosts for a living and he could not understand why this game unnerved him so much. But Danny Phantom wasn’t scared of ghosts, any kind of ghosts, and he wasn’t about to show it on a video game. “Fine,” he groaned as he picked up the board again. “Who died?”

This time he knew what to expect, and didn’t jump as much as the planchette started moving. First to the D, then to the A. Over to the N, then looping back to the N. It ended on a Y.

All three of them stopped moving. The silence became even more deafening around them. Danny dropped the Ouija board and backed up as far as the game would let him. He felt a cold sweat drip down his back. Danny. It spelled Danny. How did it know his name?

“...That has got to be a coincidence,” Sam finally said after the silence that seemed to stretch on forever.

“The ghost’s name must be Danny,” Tucker suggested, voice full of forced bravado.

“...No it’s Thomas,” Sam said slowly. “It must just be reading your username to scare you,” she decided.

“No my...my username is GhostBoy,” Danny reminded them, finally feeling like he could speak.

“Is this game actually haunted? Danny, what did you do?” Tucker accused, voice bordering on hysterics.

“What? I didn’t do anything!” Danny yelled back. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He put a hand up to feel his breath - still normal temperature. He looked around his room. There wasn’t a ghost here. But how did it know his name? And that he did almost die in a basement? “You’re the one that told me to use it!”

“Okay, let’s just calm down,” Sam interrupted. “It’s gotta be a coincidence. Let me try it and see if it says the same thing or gives me my name. It could be a new update that checks the name on the Steam account or something.”

Sam moved closer to the board, but before she could touch it all their flashlights flickered.

“Shit!” Tucker yelled.

“Run!” Sam cried in a panic.

Danny followed them up the stairs to the main level. The idea of running from a ghost, not fighting it, was so foreign to him, but he had no choice. He was powerless here. No ghost powers, no weapons, no thermos. He was completely helpless against this ghost.

He bolted for the garage, the one other room he knew how to get to. Sam’s avatar was running next to him. He could hear footsteps behind him and he swore as he ran towards the garage. Sam diverted into another room, but he continued into the garage. He found a locker he’d opened before and rushed into it. He barely remembered to turn off his flashlight and he waited. Seconds passed and he realized he was holding his breath. No...not holding his breath. Not breathing. He looked down at his hands and saw the glowing white gloves. When...when did he change into his ghost form?

Sam’s voice over the walkie startled him. “What the--? Oh my G--” The walkie feed cut to static and then nothing.

“I...I think it got Sam,” Tucker’s voice said over the walkie. Danny turned on his flashlight and saw that it was no longer blinking. He threw his head back in relief. The hunt was over. He climbed back out of his locker, keeping the door open again just in case.

“Dude, she was running right next to me. It must have followed her instead of me,” Danny told him. “Ugh, well what are we going to do now? She’s the only one who knew what she was doing!”

“Wait, I thought you would be a pro because you’re a ‘professional ghost hunter’ - isn’t that what you kept saying?” Tucker teased.

“Yeah, well I lied! This is nothing like ghost hunting!” he argued as he walked out of the garage. He was going back to the trailer. “Real ghost hunters would bring some kind of weapon and wouldn’t just run around helpless! We should just call it.”

“What? No! We’ve got two more pieces of evidence to collect. And we haven’t done any of the objectives! Tucker retorted.

“Fine!” he snapped as he walked down the main hallway. “if you want to keep looking for clues you can, but I’m going back to the trailer to check--”

The front door slammed shut. His flashlight blinked again.

“Shit!” Tucker cried.

Danny could hear the footsteps behind him. He could feel a heart thumping in his headset. He started running off to a room but stopped. No, he was not running again. He was going to stare this ghost down and prove that Danny Phantom was not scared of some ghost. His image struck fear in the hearts of ghosts and his name carried respect in the Ghost Zone. He was not going to let some video game ghost get the better of him and spook him with some Ouija board trick.

He turned around to face it, camera at the ready. If he was going down, he was getting a picture of it. The ghost blinked in the hallway and Danny saw the cause of his anxiety for the first time. The ghost floated down the hallway, with white hair and a black and white jumpsuit. It...it was him. The ghost was Phantom.

He completely forgot to take a picture as his own image rushed at him. He saw two gloved hands cover over the screen and then everything went dark. He heard the crash of breaking glass, saw a strange underground cavern for a second, and then he was back in a foggy blue version of the house.

The ghost of Sam’s avatar approached him, and he heard her laughing over the headset. It sounded like she’d been laughing for awhile. “Oh my god Danny, did you see the ghost?” she asked between laughs.

“It...that was...oh my God,” he groaned. It all made sense. Spelling Danny was likely an Easter egg, a cute nod to his name of Danny Phantom. The fact that it happened in the basement was just a coincidence, because it’s a creepy spot and a commonly haunted area. He hadn’t summoned anything. He wasn’t being targeted by some ghost in the computer. It was just an Easter egg paying homage to him.

Suddenly all the stress left him and he laughed. God, it felt so good to laugh after all that panic. This game had gotten him so worked up and over what? Over a ghost that looked like himself? Suddenly it all seemed so silly that it scared him that much. He had felt actual dread and fear, enough to trigger an unconscious transformation out of a need to protect himself, but there weren’t actually any real consequences. Now he just got to walk around unhindered in this ghostly version of the house, but nothing else actually happened.

Sam laughed along with Danny. “So you did see it then?”

“It was...oh my god Sam it was me! It looked just like me!”

“I know!” she exclaimed. “As soon as I saw it I forgot to keep running and stared. So of course it killed me. I did get a picture though,” she bragged.

“Oh man. I meant to, but I was just too stunned.” Now that he felt much better, he decided to wander around the house following Tucker who, for some reason, was still trying to finish the level on his own.

Sam suspiciously stopped her laughing. “Wait...Danny, your voice sounds weird. Are you...are you in your ghost form?”

Danny bit his lip as a slight blush graced his cheeks. “I don’t want to hear it.” But the telltale whoosh of the glowing rings turning him back to his human form seemed to be all the confirmation she needed. Except, he didn’t hear her laugh.

“...Danny, I wanted to apologize,” she said, and that made Danny stop moving and look quizzically at the screen.

“What? Apologize for what?” he asked.

“For goading you into playing this game,” she clarified, her voice surprisingly serious. “While I’ve been hanging out here in the spirit world, I realized why this game set you off so much.”

“What do you mean? I never said it set me off,” Danny defended. How could she possibly know that? He thought he was playing it pretty cool.

“Oh please,” she scoffed. “You’re in your ghost form and you were panicking after the Ouija board thing.”

“Hey you would panic too if--”

“Danny I’m trying to say that I get it,” she interrupted. “Being near a ghost without your powers? Without any weapons? Being powerless? It’s one of your biggest nightmares, that your powers will fail when you need them. And this game, it’s too close to home.”

Danny stopped moving and stared at the screen, because she was absolutely right. This was too close to home. How many times did he have to check to make sure his ghost sense wasn’t actually going off? How many times did he keep thinking about how similar everything felt to his own experiences? How unnerved he was about a ghost in the basement? It was too similar to his real life...except he had the tools he needed in his real life. Not a flashlight and some dumb spirit book, but actual real tools and powers and weapons, but here they were all taken away from him. Everything he relied on to fight ghosts had been stripped from him in the game and trapped him helpless in a house with his friends. Of course that bothered him. It was, as Sam said, one of his more recurring nightmares.

“...Yeah I think I’m good never playing this game again,” Danny admitted, the closest he planned to get to acknowledging everything she said was true.

“Honestly? I don’t blame you,” Sam agreed softly. “I think it’s easier for us because we’re used to this role: when there’s a ghost in the area, we help figure out what’s going on and support you. It’s not all that different from this game,” she explained. Her ghostly avatar followed Tucker out of the house and he followed after them. “But when you’re used to doing the fighting and defending and can’t...I guess it’s probably harder to separate yourself from the game.”

He reached behind him and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah,” he sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. It was too similar to his daily life, and as he tried to argue at the beginning, he didn’t need to hunt fake ghosts poorly when he knew how to fight real ghosts well. “You know you sound like Jazz,” he pointed out, trying to lighten the mood and change the subject.

“Wow, you’re going to insult me after I tried to help you?” Sam scoffed. “See if I ever help you again!”

Danny smiled at the screen, glad to be back to the teasing. He definitely felt more relaxed and more like himself. “Oh look, Tucker’s finally calling it quits,” Danny observed as Tucker closed the door to the trailer.

“God, I can’t wait to find out if he saw you.” He could hear her grinning through the headset and honestly he felt the same. Out of all of them, Tucker would be the most excited about this addition.

The screen changed over to the menu screen, showing all their accomplished objectives. It also meant that all three party members could talk to each other again. “I can’t believe you left me!” Tucker complained. “It’s even worse when you’re in there on your own! Do you know how much more evidence we needed to collect? Um, a ton!”

Sam laughed, and Danny had to join in. “Okay so we are sorry about that, but Tucker did you ever see the ghost?”

“No, which is probably why I’m the only one that survived!” he complained.

“Oh my god Sam, he didn’t see it,” Danny groaned.

“Oh my god.”

“No wait, didn’t see what?” Tucker asked. His voice had calmed down a bit and was colored with curiosity.

“Tucker...the ghost was Danny,” Sam told him.

“Uh no, we clarified his name was Thomas,” Tucker corrected.

Sam and Danny both groaned. “No Tucker, the ghost was Danny Phantom. It was skinned to look like Phantom,” she clarified.

Tucker’s line sat silent for a long time before he finally exploded in a shower of shock, excitement, and regret. “NO WAY! No! That is so cool! I mean I knew the developers were fans, but this is so cool! Like literally the best tribute ever. Oh my god I can’t believe I missed it! No!” he cried. He was so loud into the microphone that Danny had a hard time believing Tucker didn’t wake his parents.

“It’s why both of us died,” Danny explained. “We were just too shocked seeing it.”

“We’re going back in. I need to see this,” Tucker demanded.

Danny bit his lip. He was not going back in. He meant it when he said he was done. He almost had his explanation on his lips before Sam spoke up first. “I doubt it’ll show up two times in a row. I Googled it and the skin will be here for the whole month of Halloween as a random draw, so you’ve got time to see it. But if you want to try again tonight, I’ll keep playing if you want. Danny...he needs to get some sleep.”

“What? No, it's so much easier with three people. Come on Danny,” Tucker pleaded.

“Nah, Sam’s right, I should go to bed. Gotta be rested for those real ghosts tomorrow,” Danny chuckled. “Besides, being killed by my own image was a little weird.” And also a little too close to home, considering some of his memories of Dan.

“Yeah, this game isn’t Danny’s jam,” Sam explained simply. He had a feeling Sam would talk to Tucker more about what they discussed while their avatars were dead, and honestly he didn’t mind. He didn’t want to keep secrets from Tucker, he just really didn’t want to talk about it any more tonight.

Tucker sighed. “Alright, fine, you’re off the hook. At least you gave it a try though.”

“I did, and you’re both gonna owe me one for doing it too,” Danny reminded them.

“Dude, pretty sure you’re in the negatives when it comes to IOUs from us,” Tucker pointed out with a good-natured laugh. “Testing out inventions, excuses at school, doing your homework, remembering the thermos when you forget it, distracting your parents…”

“Okay okay, I get it,” Danny groaned as he left the screen and exited out of the game. “Well fine, then I’m less in the negative now. And on that happy subject, I’m going to bed. Good night guys.”

“Good night Danny,” Sam replied. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Danny almost hung up on their private Discord server when he heard Tucker speak up. “Hey Danny, wait.”

“What?” he asked curiously, his mouse still hovering over the disconnect sign.

“The type of ghost...was a Phantom.”

I’ve never cross-posted on tumblr before, so this will be a first! I hope you enjoy!

#ectober month 2021 #ectoberhaunt trick #ouija board #Danny Phantom #phasmophobia #light angst #2k21 prompt ouija board #2k21 day 5

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lemonluvgirl · 2 years ago

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The Effect (Part 12)

Finally back with the next installment. I have been dealing with weird health issues lately, but today I was finally able to finish a new chapter and keep my lunch and dinner down. So, here you go you a/b/o loving cuties. Enjoy.

Katniss did her best to remain cooperative when the strange people who made up her ‘prep team’ worked on her body. They were like a trio of colorful birds who flitted about with their strange tools and chirped in their odd Capitol accents. They were all betas and didn’t make one comment about her designation. They were too preoccupied with the sorry state of her nail beds and her split ends. Things Katniss had never had cause to fuss over in her life before. They complimented her in the end though and said she was a change of pace to work on because she never complained. After she thanked them for their services and they gushed over her. She had a feeling she had made allies of them or at least endeared them to herself. And while she didn’t think they would be of any help when she was in the arena she also acknowledged the fact that acting agreeable could be of some benefit in the week preceding the start of the Games. These were the people in charge of making her look presentable to the Capitol audiences, which in turn helped her garner sponsors. So she took Haymitch’s advice and didn’t fight them, even when they poured hot wax on her legs and yanked out the hairs section by section.

Later, at dinner, with Haymitch, Peeta, and their escort, Effie, she tried to pace herself in between courses.

While the dining on the train had been lavish, here in the tribute center it was even more opulent. The meal was an entire affair, with things like appetizers, and something called hors d'oeuvre, salad, and soup courses. All that before even getting to the main course. Then there was dessert. By the time it was over, she was relieved to not feel sick again like she had the first night on the train.

Everyone made small talk, about the prepping process, and Katniss and Peeta had informed Haymitch that they followed his instructions to the letter.

It gratified Katniss to see him taking it easy on the drinking, and focusing more on the conversation.

She hoped things would stay that way throughout the next few days while they prepared for the Games.

When Haymitch invited them to the roof for a nightcap, she almost declined out of outrage, but Haymitch practically ordered her to accompany him and Peeta. Effie was miffed about being excluded but Haymitch put her off with the promise of a belching contest after consuming the alcohol, citing some district 12 custom that Katniss had never heard of.

“Alright, so I figured it was time for us three to have an honest talk.” Haymitch began, getting her attention as he beckoned them over to a section of the roof that contained a small garden replete with windchimes.

She automatically shook her head. She felt her skin pimple into goosebumps with awareness like it did whenever she felt danger or risk had entered a situation.

“I don’t want it.” She said in refusal.

Haymitch made an impatient noise and thrust the cup at her, barely managing to not spill the contents.

“Just drink it.” He ordered. She frowned, and opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off.

It was lukewarm and only smelled faintly of alcohol.

“What’s in this?” She questioned, unable to help herself.

“Something to calm your nerves. It should help you both concentrate.” Haymitch promised.

She lifted the cup to her nose and underneath the light liquor scent, she detected some familiar notes of herbs and spices. Tea and something else.

“Is it a suppressant?” Peeta asked in a skeptical tone. Katniss’ mind nearly boggled to hear Peeta say the word. Suppressants were illegal, at least in the districts. They were not something brought up in casual conversation. For him to do so meant he didn’t fear being overheard.

“Something like that,” Haymitch said before taking a gulp from his own flask. “Don’t worry, it’s perfectly fine here in the Capitol. And we can speak freely here. The wind and the chimes drowns out most listening devices.” Haymitch added.

The tea itself smelled remarkably similar to the one she brewed at home. She took a small sip. Peeta, after seeing her, did the same. Then they all waited. A minute passed by and the familiar tingling sensation started in her stomach. Then it spread, slowly through her body. It did make her feel calmer, in the way she often felt after drinking her homebrewed midnight concoction. It dulled her senses as well, but right now that was what she probably needed. Being in the presence of two alphas was not an everyday occurrence for her. Especially when she felt so out of sorts. She quickly drained her cup dry, diving into the comfort it provided. A few minutes ago she had felt prickly all over, like her every instinct was heightened and every nerve in her body had been sent on high alert.

But the herbs in the tea helped her to push those clamoring sensations down, and focus. Besides that, the taste reminded her of home. The herbal tea was not quite as strong as the one her mother had taught her to make, but it took the edge off.

She looked into his Seam gray eyes and felt placated by the lack of artifice in them.

“I know-” She hesitated, wishing she had paid more attention in her history of designations class when she was twelve. She had been too preoccupied with her plans for hunting and foraging. With keeping her family alive. She hadn’t the faintest clue that she would one day present as anything other than a beta. Her mother was a beta, even if her father wasn’t. Female offspring usually took after their mother in designation, as males took after their fathers. Male alphas were rare, very rare, with all the Capitol had done to curb the population, and she had never heard of a female alpha. Which was what she always believed she was until she stepped on the train to the Capitol and Haymitch told her she wasn’t. She still couldn’t quite believe it. But there was a part of her that was ready to find some answers.

“I know what everyone knows I guess. What they taught in school. There are three distinct types—alpha, beta, and omega.” She offered.

After a moment she resumed.

“Designations were the reason for the catastrophes. They caused wars and unrest and the human race tore itself to pieces because alphas and omegas couldn’t suppress their savage natures. The Capitol says that’s why they can’t allow alphas and omegas to live undocumented. That’s why they are reaped for the Designation Games. To weed out the unmanageable ones. To keep the beta population safe from violence and savagery.” She says in an almost rote tone, something she memorized to pass an examination, but never took to heart. The words leave a bad taste in her mouth.

Her father was an alpha and he hadn’t been a mindless, violent savage. He had been a man, plain as any other. Who loved his wife and children. The fact that others like him were reaped and forced to fight to the death savagely, simply for being born something other than a beta, wasn’t a flaw of the alpha designation, it was the error of those who came up with the Games and those who perpetuated them. Anyone would fight to preserve their life. Alpha, omega, or beta alike.

The Designation Games made sport of alphas and omegas and their instincts. Every year they started them off with a run for the supplies in the cornucopia. Inside weapons, food, and basic medicines could be found but what every tribute wanted were the tiny packets of suppressants. Little red pills that allowed a tribute to remain in control of their actions. Without them, everyone was at the mercy of their designations. Alphas would abandon their teammates and their plans after catching a coying omega scent on the breeze. They were driven to distraction and became unreasonable. Easy prey for muttations and Gamemaker-designed traps. Omegas faired worse. Without suppressants, the presence of so many alphas concentrated in an enclosed arena forced them to go into premature heat, which for most omega females didn’t start until they were eighteen or nineteen years old.

Yet, some omegas as young as fourteen had gone into heat on screen. In that state, feverish and mindless with need, they were often unable to defend themselves from any threat, be it Gamemaker-designed or another tribute.

Katniss blinked at him, startled.

He ignored her look of shock and forged ahead.

“But that’s just not possible,” Peeta said, taking the words right out of her mouth.

“It is actually because it’s not their primary designation. It’s their secondary designation. Their dormant designation.” Haymitch disclosed quietly.

“Wait, what? How can someone have two designations? And how can one of them be what did you say--dormant?” Peeta said in a bewildered tone while Katniss stood in stunned silence.

“After the catastrophe that destroyed North America, the survivors, all the scientists, and leaders did their best to try and correct the problem of designations. They envisioned a world full of betas, without the messiness of alpha and omega instincts. At first, they thought to breed alphas and omegas out of the population entirely, but there weren’t enough people left to successfully eliminate those designations. They needed alphas and omegas, specifically because alphas and omegas are among the most naturally fertile, especially when paired together. So, instead of trying to breed alphas and omegas out, they tried to alter their genetic makeup to bypass their baser instincts. Suppressants only worked as long as alphas and omegas took them, and had access to them. Which, in a post-apocalyptic world, that had suffered a major collapse of infrastructure and industry, was not a long-term solution. So the idea was to overwrite alpha and omega DNA with beta DNA and breed a new generation of people who despite their parents’ designations, would never go into heat, or rut, or show signs of being anything other than even-tempered betas.”

“That’s…” Peeta began but trailed off.

“Yes, it's quite the feat of science,” Haymitch said the words carefully, but his mouth pulled slightly to the side as if he didn’t quite mean it the way he said it.

“Well, there are two parts to that answer. Let’s take the easiest one first. It’s not exactly a secret. I believe they teach something about genetic failure in the school unless things have changed since my day.” Haymitch said arching a brow.

She nodded, carefully. Beside her, Peeta gave a sound of agreement.

“Right, so, genetic failure occurs when something goes wrong with an individual’s written code. There’s a breakdown in the genetic programming that allows the individual’s secondary designation to overcome the beta overlay.” Haymitch explained.

“Oh.” Katniss sat back with a frown. She tried to wrap her mind around the idea that she, and the people like her, her father, Haymitch, Peeta, and even that Hawthorne boy she had known once, were somehow considered aberrations, failures of science, and worthy of being culled from the populace.

“So why even have the Games? Why not just round up every person who presents as an alpha or omega and execute them?” She demanded, angry all of a sudden at the artifice and the manipulation that had been shoved on her all her life. Haymitch shot her a look so reproachful she almost flinched. He frowned at her, but after a moment he replied.

“For the same reason that the scientists couldn’t breed alphas and omegas out of the gene pool. They are integral to the population. Without the assistance of alpha and omega fertility, an all-beta population would go extinct within three generations. Society is still recovering from the cataclysms. Our population can only handle so much pruning at this point. We still need alphas and omegas, even those who somehow overcome their genetic programming. They need young alphas and omegas that are bright and capable, smart, and able to curb their instincts as well as utilize them. They need them to win the Games and go home and contribute to the local population.” Haymitch informed.

“Is that why the children of victors are often reaped?” Katniss asked, her voice alight with realization.

“So that leaves the other half of the question. Why are you telling us this?” Peeta asked.

“All the mentors inform their tributes at some point. Most do it on their first night on the train. Unfortunately, last night I was indisposed.” He paused here, his eyes filled with a touch of, well, not embarrassment, but maybe regret. But it was gone just as swiftly as it had appeared, “And with all the questions going around about designations, I thought it best not to beat around the bush any longer.” Haymitch admitted.

“So all the other tributes will know about dual designations?” Peeta queried in a serious voice.

“Yes. And they’ll be out to play you and your natures against each other. Which is why I want you two to present a united front. This has to look like a team effort, you two are going to be friends, close friends for the next few days.” Haymitch said in a more commanding tone.

“What?!” Katniss almost shouted.

“Shh.” Haymitch hushed her harshly.

Peeta appeared beside her, suddenly closer than he had been a second ago, his hand clutching the cup tightly in his grip. A soft growl escaped his lips.

Katniss looked over at him with shock, but he was staring directly at Haymitch, not quite baring his teeth, but it certainly wasn’t a smile that was on his face.

“If all the tributes know then why do we need the windchimes?” Katniss asked, wanting to get off the topic of alpha posturing.

“Because most of them get a sanitized version. The bare minimum. But since I have the two of you this year, I’ve had to adjust my strategy.” Haymitch said.

“Why? What’s so different about us?”

“Because sweetheart, the tests came back and I peeked at the results. Peeta’s just what we thought. An alpha/beta combination. But you, well you’re a special case.” Haymitch said, with a glint in his eye that didn’t seem particularly reassuring.

“What do you mean special?” She half whispered, fear stealing the strength from her throat muscles.

“You’re something no one’s ever seen before. An alpha-omega fusion that defies everything that Capitol scientists thought possible. You’re basically like one of those birds from home, what are they called? Mockingjays? A blend of Capitol science gone awry and mother nature’s perseverance winning out.” Haymitch declared with a tip of his flask in her direction, like a mock toast.

Katniss felt like she’d been slapped, so caught off guard is she. She struggled with the knowledge Haymitch had just dropped on her like a bomb. She wrestled with it, unable at first to reconcile to the truth, but then all of it made sense in a strange way. Hadn’t she spent the last few years believing she was an alpha? Wasn’t that what all her instincts had told her?

“What does that mean? For me, and for…for the Games?” She finally asks, after gathering herself and batting away the shock.

“It means that no one has seen anything like you in the history of the Games,” Haymitch says, before draining the last of the contents from his flask and giving her a strange smile.

#The Effect #thg #thg fanfiction #a/b/o fanfic #a/b/o dynamics #a/b/o verse #lemonluvwrites #thg au #everlark #a/b/o everlark

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illfoandillfie · 3 years ago

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Good Boy

it’s a little late but this is the final blurb from my Platonically event for Aggressively Arospec Week! Usual caveat that I didn’t really edit it. Sort of follows on from the last smut blurb i posted but can be read as stand alone.

Words: 2,071

Warnings: smut (obv), cockwarming, dom reader, sub ben, orgasm delay

The evening where Ben bent you over the arm of the couch really opened the door for you to play with some other kinky ideas. Nothing too heavy or painful was suggested – spanking with a hand was about as far as you wanted to push it, at least so early on. But both of you had some experience with a couple of kinks from previous relationships and could suggest things that might be fun to try. Neither of you claimed to be experts and google was consulted more than once to answer questions for you, but through the process you found out that Ben was quite good at being dominant when he wanted to be.

Mostly you played around with elements of degradation since, while talking about the couch incident, you admitted it was a key part of why it was so hot – feeling as if Ben was putting his pleasure above yours – though you also tested out some light bondage and incorporating toys into your sex more often. There was one night where Ben put his fleshlight between your thighs, making you hold it as he fucked it (though of course he’d also made sure you came eventually with a mixture of a vibrator and his tongue), and another time he told you how to masturbate, directing your fingers so you got what pleasure he wanted you to have but only when he decided you should have it, and all without lifting a finger himself. Even when he’d got so hard and horny from watching that he just wanted to be in you, even then he made you do all the work, telling you how to rub your clit and when to clench down on his motionless dick until you both came. He even managed to call you a slut once or twice, though it never rolled off his tongue as easily as Kitten did.

Then one day you made what was meant to be a harmless joke. “Maybe you don’t like calling me a slut because you’d prefer it if I called you that,” Ben’s reaction was interesting. He laughed but it was a higher pitch than normal, his cheeks flushing lightly. You suspected he might not hate the idea and proved as much when you cooed at him, “Do you want to be my pretty slut Benny?” He nodded slowly, the pink on his cheeks getting more pronounced. It made sense really. Ben liked pleasing people, especially pleasing you sexually. He liked going down on you just because, sometimes not even letting you return the favour afterwards, and liked to make sure you felt good while you were having sex, even if you couldn’t actually get off. So when you made a gentle suggestion for him to take off his clothes, he did exactly what you asked. There was no questioning, no talking back, no snarky comment, no brattiness at all. Just service. When you talked about it later you both agreed that you’d liked the dynamic. He obviously enjoyed following instructions and making you happy and, aside from the physical sensations and the orgasm that made you feel good, you also really enjoyed the gentle domination. It was caring in a way. Knowing you were making Ben happy by letting him make you happy. And trying to show it through your words and your touch so he’d know he was appreciated. It was clear that you should experiment with that dynamic more, as well as the other things you’d been trying. And you were already looking forward to the next time you’d get to instruct him, ideas for what to do and how already forming in your mind.

So when Ben had a particularly busy day a few weeks later, you decided it was your chance to try the gentle domme roll again. He left the house by eight in the morning and you didn’t see him again until after six that night. A combination of errands and meetings with his agent and just general business kept him occupied and when he finally did get home he seemed quite tired, flopping onto the couch with a grateful sigh, stretching his legs out down the length of the seat. You sat on the edge of the couch, in front of his knee. “Sorry, Y/N, did you want to sit here too?” “No, it’s fine, you stay there. I was just thinking that maybe I could...” you lay your palm over the front of his pants, softly rubbing until he took the hint. “Oh, really?” “If you’re up for it. I could look after you.” “Go ahead,” he voice sounded huskier than it had before and he cleared his throat as if that would help. You adjusted the angle of your body as you brought your second hand to his crotch, popping the button and tugging down the zip on his jeans, “Lift your hips for me,” He complied easily, letting you tug his jeans and underwear down to his thighs so you had better access to his cock. You got a little more comfortable, laying down beside him on your front, your legs in the air behind you, as you began to tease his cock, tracing your fingers along his length. It was enough to make his breath hitch. “Just relax,” you cooed, laying your head down on his hip so you could watch him get harder under your attentions, “that’s right. Doesn’t take much to get you hard, does it? Such a greedy slut, aren’t you? You kept your voice soft and sweet as you spoke, though you sped up your hand a little “Always so ready for me.” “Thank you,” he said breathily as he nodded. “You’re welcome. I know you just want to feel good right now, don’t you? Yeah, and this feels so good. My hand on your cock, stroking you over and over. Probably my breath too, when I talk, yeah?” “Mmhmm, yeah.” “Yeah. Must feel so nice. So good.” “Yeah,” it was nearly a whine. “I don’t blame you sweetie, I want to help you. I want you to feel good. That’s why I’m doing this. So my pretty needy little slut can feel so good. But y’know what would feel even better?” “What?” “My pussy. Right? Being deep inside me, so warm and tight. That’d feel so good, wouldn’t it?” “Oh f-fuck, yeah, yeah it would.” “Maybe I could give you that instead. My pussy instead of my hand.” It seemed to take a moment for the words to reach Ben’s brain. There was a pause where all you could hear was him panting as you brushed the head of his cock with your thumb, and then, “Really?” “Do you like the sound of that?” “Yes please,” “Okay. Why don’t you keep touching yourself while I get ready.” Ben nodded, his hand replacing yours on his cock as you stood up and began to shimmmy out of your pants. Immediately he began stroking himself faster, touching himself the way he usually liked. “Careful,” you warned, “I know you’re a greedy slut. I know you want it, you need it,” you stretched the word out sweetly, “but if you cum now that’s it, sweetie. No pussy.” Ben whimpered and, with great effort, slowed the pace of his hand to better match the one you’d been using. “Good boy,” you leaned in to kiss Ben, feeling him whimper against your lips. You were a little wet already but not enough so you let Ben dangle, let him wait a little longer, reminding him to cum yet, as you spat on your fingers and rubbed them along your slit. Ben groaned as he watched you press two fingers into yourself, his hips bucking a little as he released his cock. “In a second, sweetie.” You laughed, “You’re so good for being so patient. I know you’re a desperate fucking slut but you’re being so good.”

Ben breathed out another, “thank you,” as you finally sank down onto him. You went slowly, partly because that was the game you were playing and partly because your fingers hadn’t quite been enough to get you ready for his cock. But rubbing more of your saliva over his length helped make it easier and there was only a small sting that accompanied the stretch as you took him fully. When you properly situated on his lap, you felt Ben release a breath he’d been holding. Gently you placed your palm against his chest, rubbing it in a soothing circle. “Is that better? Is that what my slut wanted?” “Yeah,” he whimpered as you quickly clenched on him. “You like being inside me, don’t you Benny?” “Yes, of course. Feels incredible.” It was a bit of a boost to your ego and you couldn’t help but smile, “Well that’s good, sweetie, cause I’m going to stay here for a bit. I like feeling you inside me too and I want to keep feeling it. So why don’t you just watch TV and don’t worry about how tight my pussy feels or how badly you want to cum or anything like that.” Ben nodded and turned his head towards the TV. You settled against him, leaning your head on his chest and slowly running your fingers along his side. It was strangely intimate even though neither of you was looking at the other. A type of intimacy that didn’t feel too close to any of your romance limits. Every now and then you’d reward Ben by pressing kisses to his chest or neck or lips, letting your arms slip around to his back so you could squeeze him tightly. He’d whimper whenever your movements changed, feeling his cock shift inside you or feeling you tighten around him for a moment. But he didn’t complain. His arms were as tight around you as yours were around him. There was no way for you to be any physically closer than you were already and yet it felt like he was trying as he embraced you. You could feel his breaths through the rise and fall of his chest, the way he trembled slightly whenever you clenched or moved. You kept reminding him that he was being so good for waiting, that you loved him, loved how obedient he was and how well he listened to your instructions. That it was okay if he was a slut who liked to feel good because you liked making him feel good and wouldn’t waiting for it just make everything so much better anyway. The praise made him bashful. He focused his gaze on the TV, eyes seeming almost out of focus as he made sure he didn’t look at you, but his cheeks flushed and he squirmed in his seat. But he also seemed a little proud oh himself, proud that he was pleasing you.

You made him wait through six advertisement breaks before you began to rock against him properly, your own breath feeling less even. He moaned as soon as you moved, though he kept his head directed towards the TV until you guided it with your fingers, gently turning him to face you. Seeing you, seeing the way you intentionally grinded your hips against his, made him moan again. “Such a pretty sound from my pretty slut,” you whispered, “Keep sounding pretty for me. I like knowing how good I’m making you feel.” It didn’t take too much longer for him to actually cum, worked up and teased as he was. You didn’t mind either, even though there was no way for you to reach your own high in such a short time. But that had never been the point. He panted into your shoulder, mumbling out more thanks and words you only half heard which just made you chuckle as you carded your fingers through his hair.

You stayed like that for a while, just cuddling as he collected himself, listening to his breathing even out and an odd whimper or two leave his lips. “That was nice,” he eventually said, laughing a little, still seeming a bit coy about how into he’d gotten. “If you don’t mind, we could stay here for a while. I could keep warming you until you got hard again.” “You’re filthy,” “Thats not a no,” you laughed back, “I promise you can cum in me again. If you’re good.” “If that’s what’ll make you happy.”

#my writing #my blurbs #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy smut #ben hardy imagine #platonically event #ahhhh i did it!!#seven blurbs in seven days (or near enough skdjkjsasl)

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sunlightwoo · 4 years ago

Text

maybe in another life

☀︎ pairing: soulmate!jeonghan x g.n reader x soulmate!wonwoo

☀︎ genre: soulmate au, best friends to lovers au, there is some hints of fluff, but there is like really heavy angst cause of warning major character death,,, but there is hints of a love triangle going on, and twinge of slow burn in terms of lovers to exes to also strangers to lovers

☀︎ wc: 7.1k

☀︎ plot: you think that it’s strange that your soulmate bond is based on the colors that you are able to see. the more that you’re with them, the more present the colors are said to be. however you notice that the color in your life drains more and more away your life and know that it only happens when someone is falling out of love with the other. could that be the reason why you stopped seeing color with him when you thought that you were soulmates?

☀︎ a/n: hey guys!! i know i said that money talks was gonna be my last svt work but i decided to post this cause i was honestly interested in seeing what you guys would think in the seventeen version of this :) but the original version was posted on my birthday with my ults and you can read it right here if you want!!

[ gina is listening to : pinwheel by seventeen ]

“He still hasn’t picked you up yet?”

Your head whipped over to look at Jihoon, your coworker that was finishing up wiping down the last of the tables of the restaurant and you gave him a small smile as you shook your head in response. It had been over an hour since your shift had ended, and usually on days that you’ve had a long shift like today, your boyfriend Jeonghan would have picked up since the busses would not be running that late at night.

“It’s Saturday, he’s probably running a little late at the dance studio today with practice and stuff.” You whisper softly and continue to glance outside the window to see that the rain didn’t want to stop at the fast race it was pouring at.

It wasn’t the first time that your soulmate had been running late from picking you up at work, but you couldn’t blame him. He had been practicing a new choreography that he had been creating with his friends these days and you knew that he was a perfectionist, one that was willing to practice until all of his limbs fell off to make sure that he had gotten all of the moves down in one go.

That was how you met him in the first place, since a mutual friend of yours had introduced you both to one another. It didn’t take long for you both to realize that you were each other’s soulmates until you noticed that your soulmate mark was color, since your life had always been monochrome until you spent more and more time with him. He was the one person that had brought the vibrant colors into your life, and you knew that you were soulmates.

Even though he had often been busy at the dance studio that he was often found at, he always made time for you to go on the little, but meaningful, dates that you always treasured. You remember falling in love with Jeonghan slowly, but surely, as he had been nothing but caring and acting as though you were close to one another long before you had realized that you were soulmates.

And you loved him.

The sound of a car going off brought you back to reality as you notice the car headlights shining past the window and you recognize it to be Jeonghan’s car. After bidding your goodbyes to Jihoon and grabbing your stuff, you tried to outrun the rain that poured as you had gotten inside the car to see Jeonghan holding a bouquet of flowers in front of himself towards where you were looking at him with a surprised and curious expression.

“What’s the occasion, Yoon?” You teased as you took the bouquet into your own hands, raising your eyebrows at him while he was already giving you a playful look on his face.

“I can’t spoil you once in a while?” He playfully retorts and you jokingly shake your head in response, just as he lets out a quiet laugh and held your hands into his before gently kissing your knuckles, “I just wanted to get them for you, because I know we haven’t been spending, much time together even if we are under the same roof.”

He wasn’t wrong; these last few weeks have been more off than you had felt it where it was days like today that made you think about how distant you were with Jeonghan, compared to when you first started dating. You remember the vibrant colors that flew in when you first met him, remembering that the colors of the sky when it rained were gloomy, but still more colorful than you had imagined with monochrome, and since then you remember all of your colors being more and more full of love and illuminance.

“I love you, Jeonghan.” You say with a small smile on your face, hand still in his as he started to drive once again while you were on your way back home and the three words that were reciprocated from his own lips made you feel full of love.

“I love you, too.”

Or it should’ve, as you weren’t sure what to think of it as you drove home in comfortable silence with your hand being held in his on the gear shift and your other holding the bouquet of flowers. However, what you didn’t notice until that night was that the starry sky looked a little dimmer as you looked out the car window, the moonlight that you had grown loving for its brightness became more dull than what you remembered seeing at night.

You were currently sitting on your couch with your phone in one of your hands, humming to yourself as the other was brushing through the soft locks of Jeonghan’s hair in your lap. The two of you had decided on a lazy day and were currently waiting for your takeout that you had earlier to arrive as today was one of the few weekends that both of your schedules had synched up for a date night at home, and you were excited for it.

Despite the fact that you had thought about the idea of the color draining from the night weeks ago from the sky when you looked outside, all of the remaining colors of your life remained vibrant as you weren’t as worried as you thought it to be. You continue to go through your phone and hum when suddenly a giggle erupts from Jeonghan that you look at him confusedly for a moment, when his eyes locked onto yours in a split second as a small smile paints his face.

“Is there something on my face?” He muses and makes a weird expression that made him look too exaggerated to you as you playfully hit his chest in retaliation, shaking your head in response as you smiled back at him.

But he had never giggled around you like that, not in a while and you were confused as to what might’ve initiated it now.

“No, but I’m guessing one of your friends texted something funny to you that you giggled?”

You watched as his face reddens for a moment at your words, and you were even more curious at what he might’ve been looking at on his phone that made you wonder what he might’ve been giggling about. However, it seems as though he might’ve caught onto your thoughts when he shakes his head in response and suddenly shows you a picture of who you recognized as some of his friends, Wonwoo and Mingyu from the stories that you’ve heard, messing around at the studio they danced at.

“They’re just being dumb again,” He chuckles and sits up for a moment just as he mentions the both of their mere existences, “Reminds me, Wonwoo is actually coming over to give back the spare clothes that he borrowed the other day because he tore one of his other clothes the other day.”

For almost a split second you were nervous; you had never met any of Jeonghan’s friends except for Jihoon since you worked together, but in the three years that you had dated and been soulmates with him, you had never met all of his friends that he’s mentioned before. You were pretty sure that they knew of you, considering there were moments that he had come home playfully complaining about how they teased him about your existence, but you were also amused and confused at the very thought of never introducing you to his friends.

Was he embarrassed of having you as his soulmate?

Just as you were about to speak up, the sound of the doorbell rings as you close your lips shut, watching Jeonghan leave from his spot on the couch to grab the front door as it leaves you with your thoughts once more. It drowned out the loud chatter that came from the duo that must’ve been at the door and the more that you had thought about him never introducing you to his friends, the more you wondered how much of your relationship was actually real considering the fact that these last few months, or almost an entire year, you had been having dates in your own home when you were able to have the time to.

“Prove it that your soulmate is real, Jeonghan.” You hear someone say at the door, and you could only assume that it must’ve been Wonwoo, when suddenly the view of the two entering your living room is present in your line of vision.

You smile at the new individual that you had yet to introduce to and let out a small wave, when you notice how he had stood there with a nervous, but also an unknown expression on his face. On the other side of the spectrum stood Wonwoo with his mind suddenly in places that should not be in the areas that they were in.

When he had first heard about his best friend having a soulmate of three years, he wasn’t sure if they were even real because even though they had been friends since high school, never had Wonwoo once seen a picture, or even met the said soulmate that Jeonghan speaks so highly of. However, now that he was standing in your living room seeing that you were real, he feels like he had been struck with cupid’s love arrow mixed in with all the possibilities of soulmates even existing.

All because his mark of the red string was tied to your pinky finger, even though you were already someone else’s soulmate.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Wonwoo, I’ve heard a lot about you.” You softly say and he nods in response, just when he hands over the bag that was slung over his shoulder over to Jeonghan, before turning back towards where you both were standing.

“I’ve heard a lot about you too. Y/N, right?” He reiterates, making you nod in response and think about how you feel just a twinge of guilt from the fact that maybe you overthinking it all earlier and doubt Jeonghan shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

“I shall take my leave, since I am assuming you guys are having a night to yourselves, but don’t let me stop you.” He chuckles awkwardly, turning to greet his friend goodbye and leaves out of your apartment before you could even let out a goodbye, however you thought that maybe you should get to know him more considering that both him and Jeonghan were well friends.

It was one of your goals that you plan on accomplishing and you could only hope that maybe you could understand why the color that was draining from your life was becoming more and more evident.

“Hey, where are you heading out to?”

The sound of Jeonghan’s voice ringing out from behind you makes you turn around from where you were standing at the front door and you noticed how the colors that were in your vision were duller as his neon pink hair that you knew he had recently dyed became more monochrome. You didn’t want to jump to any more conclusions since the last time that you did had ended up where you both didn’t talk for almost a week and it was because you were scared of what was yet to come.

“I’m just going to grab some lunch with Wonwoo. I thought you had to help Hoshi with the choreography today?” You ask as there was a small hum that escaped his lips when he closed the water bottle in his hand with its cap and you wondered why the small glance that he was giving you sent chills down your spine.

“I was going to get ready, but you’re going to hang out with Wonwoo again?” He replies to your question, and you nod in response just as you stood your ground from where you were still standing at the door.

For the past several weeks, you had been hanging out with Wonwoo on the days that you knew Jeonghan would be busy on your free days as you wanted to be friends with him, given the fact that he was Jeonghan’s best friend. However, with the price of somehow spending time with Wonwoo apparently had the cost of the other being more distant, as you found him staying at the dance studio longer than he usually would stay, even if it was later into the night.

Along with the distance that was created between you and Jeonghan, the colors that you once adored while being with him continuously became duller and you knew what it was. You could tell that something was wrong with your soulmate bond with him, and you didn’t want to make the same conclusions that you made the last fight you both had, but who were you to judge when all the color in your life was slowly draining out?

The sound of a car horn brings you out of your stare down with Jeonghan and you watch as he disappears back into the kitchen without another word, leaving a small pang in your heart that left you unsettled just as you decided to walk out the front door. You notice how Wonwoo was giving you a small smile by the time that you had reached his car and mumbles for you to seatbelt just as he starts up the car again.

From Wonwoo’s end, he knows that you were soulmates since he could never ignore the red string that was connecting his pinky to yours. However, he also feels guilty knowing that you were oblivious to that information, along with the fact that you were also somebody else’s, his best friend’s. He doesn’t know when he would ever confess to you that you were soulmates, because he knows that you would probably pick Jeonghan anyways because of how long you’ve been together as a fated pair.

He never would’ve wished it upon himself to be the person to break a soulmate bond, even if it was for his own selfish needs.

Until then, the red string felt like a burning reminder that he almost could’ve had a happy ending, if he had met you sooner. The thoughts of him constantly practicing how to tell you that your soulmates haunted him, as he could never find the right words to say them, which was why his first resort was to ignore and push you out of his life, if you weren’t so insistent on wanting to be friends in the first place.

That was something that he had regretfully, but also selfishly took upon himself. He didn’t want to get close to you because he’s scared of the heartache that comes with being rejected by a soulmate. He knows that those heartaches are known to be deadly to people that yearned for a soulmate, like him, and there were ways for him to get rid of his bond before it was too late, but he also knew that it was unfair to both you and him if he were to sever the red string, being warned that he would never have a soulmate again if he cuts it.

Which was why he chose the selfish way out and continued to get closer to you just as friends, knowing that you were Jeonghan’s soulmate and not his as the two of you were currently grabbing some lunch at a nearby burger and boba joint.

The two of you had planned to come here for days, since the minute that you both heard that it opened closeby to where you worked. Despite the fact that it was raining outside again, you still made sure that today was the day that you got lunch together, because it was the only other time that you knew that you were free before you were swamped with life responsibilities once more.

“The boba is really good here, I think I have a new favorite place now,” You smiled as the cold cup in your hand filled your taste buds with a delicious sweet flavor from the drink in your hands, “You didn’t have to pay for today though. I’ll have to owe you for next time.”

Wonwoo shakes his head at your words with a smile on his face just as he puts down the burger that was in his hands, taking a moment to finish chewing before he could speak again. If anybody were to look at you both from the way that you were unknowingly looking at the other, they might assume that the two of you were on a date, and you couldn’t help but think about Jeonghan again as there was a flash of a frown that appears on your face until you remember that you weren’t out with him right now.

“It’s fine, Y/N. You don’t have to pay me back, today’s my treat, remember?”

You do remember, as the last time you guys talked about grabbing lunch was the day that you and Jeonghan fought as he walked out the front door to cool off. That night you had called Wonwoo to see if the latter had arrived at his best friend’s apartment, in which he did, making you relieved as he had asked you for your side of the story when Jeonghan had fallen asleep in his guest room. You had fallen asleep to reassuring words from him that the two of you would figure it out in the meantime, but you couldn’t help but wonder why Wonwoo’s words left a warmer feeling in your chest more than usual knowing he still has yet to meet his soulmate.

Was it normal?

“Wonwoo, what’s your soulmate bond, if you don’t mind me asking?” You say while crossing your arms on top of the table, curious as to what the latter’s bond was because he had never once mentioned it in your presence whenever you two had met.

“It’s the red string.” He replies, suddenly growing nervous at how you were already asking about his bond, unsure of how he was going to go at it now that he was caught off guard at your sudden question about it.

“By any chance, do you know where they might be?” You ask, now even more curious about the possibility of him finding his soulmate pretty soon if he was connected to his soulmate by a string that is known to appear if they’re closeby, however Wonwoo knows that he shouldn’t bluntly say it.

“I do know where they are, but I found out too late, because they already found their soulmate that isn’t me.” He grimaces, noticing how the sudden curiosity that was in your eyes reduces to now an expression that left questions in both your minds as the two of you now sat in complete silence.

And maybe the both of you realized something that you shouldn’t have known, because the rain outside that was downpouring became louder than the ringing that was in your ears from your pounding.

Maybe this was a mistake.

You were now living in constant fear, but not for the reasons that you had thought it would be because of. It was another rainy day, but this time in mid-August as the colors of your life around you almost matched the grey and gloomy clouds that were storming above you. The sound of your heart constantly pounding in your chest was making you nervous every time that you woke up next to Jeonghan, unsure of whether or not the breaking point of your relationship will actually end.

You couldn’t even remember when you had last exchanged I love yous.

Your stomach churns at the mere thought of an empty feeling that used to be so filled with love and care, but now all you could ever feel around Jeonghan was the constant worry of whether or not he still loved you. Did he even still love you, you think to yourself as the reasons why the colors draining from your vision erupted in your mind.

They would only leave if one of you had lost the love for the other, but you didn’t want to think that Jeonghan didn’t love you anymore. You knew that he always loved everyone, platonically and romantically in your case, with his entire being to the point where he would always be willing to put their needs before his own. Could it be any different that he stopped loving you as the distance between you both grew deeper and farther?

The sound of the front door being opened and slammed shut makes you look away from where you were working on a new menu for the cafe, only to see an upset Jeonghan walk straight past you and into the kitchen as you were suddenly confused at the sudden act.

“Is everything okay, Jeonghan?” You called out to him quietly and just as the words had left your lips, he reappeared from the kitchen with an exhausted look on his face before speaking up.

“Can we seriously not do this tonight? I’m really not in the mood to argue or talk about it all.” He snaps and you felt taken aback from the sudden anger that was clearly evident in his words and at the tip of his tongue as you crossed your arms in front of him to stand your own ground.

“What’s your problem-”

“You, you’re my problem and I hate it.”

The three words that left his mouth leaves a heavy feeling into the atmosphere as the feeling of your heart grew heavier by the minute. There were definitely words that were waiting to be said as the two of you stared at the other, one with frustration in their eyes and tears filling the other. However, you weren’t sure what else to say, because you had never thought that you would suddenly hear him say that you were a problem to the burdens in his life.

“What problem am I to you, then, if all I’ve been doing is try to save the dying relationship that we’ve been avoiding?” You press, already hearing the rising tone of your voice from the fact that you were growing hurt from what he was saying, unsure where all of his thoughts had come from but you were also almost sure of where it was going to go, and you wanted to wait for the right moment to ask him.

“Everyday when I wake up next to you, the colors from my life start to drain and I know that it’s the living guilt that I created for the both of us-”

“Then when did you stop loving me, Yoon Jeonghan?”

It’s silent again as his throat suddenly becomes dry at your question, his frustrated expression from earlier suddenly falling short as his eyes were now starting to avoid your pained ones. He knows he had started the fire this time around, not knowing how to deal with the almost monochrome vision that he had been experiencing the last few months, but he couldn’t let it go if he were to lie to you about when he had first stopped loving you, because that night was when he felt it that you also stopped loving him as well.

“The first downpour, when I gave you those flowers.”

Neither of you talked as you felt your heart pound even louder than it was earlier in your chest, but you weren’t even sure what else to say when you suddenly think of all of the fights that have piled up and climaxed to this exact point. The signs were all there, and you felt as though you were foolish enough to not realize that it wasn’t even healthy to stay knowing that there was something wrong in the first place when you first noticed the first wave of colors vanish.

Rather than saying anything, you grabbed your phone from where it was sitting on the couch and put on your shoes before leaving past the front door with a slam behind you. Despite the fact that there was a heavy rain outside, you didn’t care as you felt like you were being suffocated if you were to stay in that room with him any longer, and you allowed for your legs to let you run to wherever they wanted you to take you to.

That place somehow ended up being Wonwoo’s apartment after running in the rain for almost half an hour.

Your hand was raised to knock on the door, the thought of him possibly being busy past your mind as he opens the door with a confused look on his face, until he realizes that you were shivering drenched from head to toe. After dragging you inside, he takes it upon himself to grab some extra clothing and blankets so that you could dry off, but he was concerned at the way that you had stood in the middle of his living room with no words leaving your lips to explain why you had run in the pouring rain.

“I think me and Jeonghan just broke our soulmate bond.”

With those words hanging in the atmosphere of Wonwoo’s living room, there was a broken sob that already slipped past your lips as your knees buckled from beneath you, making you kneel with your head low crying with your arms hugging yourself. You were definitely feeling the immense pain that came with the slight sever of your soulmate bond and you weren’t sure what was even worse, the fact that you might never have another soulmate again or the actual heartbreak itself.

“I-”

“Can I wash up in your bathroom, Wonwoo? I don’t want to get sick in your own home.” You mutter almost inaudibly, not wanting to talk about it with him when you notice how he nods just slightly, before handing you an extra towel and the spare clothes that he had earlier for you to wear.

By the time that you were alone in the bathroom with your thoughts in the shower, you could feel the tears from earlier still stream down your face, but there was nothing else except for a numbing pain that came with them as you washed up. You hated the feeling of the heartache that came along with the fact that the person you had thought was your soulmate wasn’t the person, and now you weren’t sure what else to do.

It was when you finally dried yourself off and got dressed that the little bit of color that you once still had suddenly became monochrome and your heart sank into your stomach. A life that was once filled with color, that you were so used to in the past few years was now so easily gone as you were now greeted with the shades of blacks, whites and greys again, and you thought that maybe it was finally concluded that your relationship from fate was finished.

You walk out of the bathroom and head back to the living room to where you last saw Wonwoo, but it sounded as though he was in the middle of a call with someone, making you wonder who might’ve been calling since it was close to midnight. It wasn’t until you had gotten closer that he finished up the call and made eye contact with you, however there was a solemn look on his face that made you feel uneasy, since you had never once seen him in this scenario where he had looked like he was hit with bad news.

And it was.

“Hoshi called from the hospital,” He whispers quietly as you noticed that there were tears in his eyes this time around, his phone clutched tightly in his hand and you could feel a lump in your throat with newly fresh tears that were already threatening to leave your eyes once again.

“Jeonghan passed away in a car accident.”

A little over a week passes by.

You were currently collecting your thoughts and leaving the funeral home where Jeonghan’s funeral was being held, heart feeling heavy as you were slowly walking back to your car in silence. There were many things that you wanted to say to his family, ones that made you want to apologize a million times for not being enough for him, but you also have heard his side of the story from Hoshi the night that it all happened, because he was on the phone with Jeonghan seconds before the accident.

There was something that made you feel sick as you sat in the passenger seat of your car, waiting for Wonwoo as you noticed something out of the corner of your eye; a speck of color. You weren’t sure how it could’ve gotten there as you were pretty convinced that the universe wouldn’t be able to give you another soulmate so soon, and why would they when you had lost touch of all color as soon as Jeonghan passed?

The sound of a car closing beside you makes you turn to see Wonwoo, who had the keys in his hand, in which he was already looking back at you with a curious, but also concerned look.

“Are you okay?”

Those three words felt heavy like a lump in your throat as you wondered whether or not you should answer it with the utmost sarcasm that you can spare, or the truth. In the last week of mourning, Wonwoo had always been the one to check up on you despite the fact that he had also been mourning in his own time, the loss of his best friend feeling unbearable, but he didn’t want to go through the pain alone.

It was cruel of the universe to take him away from you, Wonwoo thinks as he remembers holding onto your shaking figure the day that Hoshi had broken the news to him and his heart aches at the memory of you looking helpless. He hated how much you were in pain for the last few days, where it was hard for him to get you to eat meals and sleep during proper hours when you weren’t crying, but he knew that you also felt bad for having him around; yet somehow he didn’t mind it.

“I can see a bit of color today,” You whisper quietly, turning away to look out the window of the car and it stops, just in time as there was a slight hue of red that you were able to see from the traffic light that makes you not want to meet his eyes.

Wonwoo’s heart was now pounding in his chest and there was a feeling of dryness that was suddenly in his throat, words caught up in it as he wasn’t sure where he could even step in to tell you what he had been dying to tell you the last few months. The red string on his finger felt like it was tightening by every second that he was with you, but he wasn’t sure how you would feel about it, especially after the events of today.

However, it was you who had started to connect the dots, seeing as though the more that you have been spending time with him, the more hues of warmer and eventually cooler colors start to show up again in your vision. The only thing was that you knew about the various types of bonds, where the same person would not get the same bonds twice for different people, making you question what the actual bond might be.

“Wonwoo, I want you to tell me the truth… Are you also my soulmate?”

The light turns green and Wonwoo drives again, this time the tension that was between you both growing heavy as you were waiting for his response, when all he wanted was to buy some more time. He didn’t want to tell you the truth now, not like this as you were regaining color into your sight again, but it was almost like when you had asked him that question, his pinky had burned from the string that made him almost flinch at the pain it had inflicted onto him, which was why he had pulled over to the side of the road so that you can talk, without any other distractions towards any of you.

“Are you able to see where my red string ends?” He whispers to you quietly, in which you shake your head in response, wishing that you could in order to ease your stumbling thoughts, but there was nothing as he takes a couple moments to collect his thoughts and takes a deep breath to himself.

“I’m sorry for not telling you the truth when we first talked about it, Y/N.”

There was a small smile on your face, one that was on your face that expressed both pain and almost relief that his soulmate was nearby and that you weren’t going to be soulmate-less. You remember the one day that you had lunch with him when he mentioned who his soulmate was, but you didn’t think that it would be you, making your stomach churn at how guilty you felt knowing that you actually had two soulmates that existed right in front of your eyes.

“Wonwoo, you don’t have to be sorry, it’s not your fault that all of this happened. If it was meant to be, then I guess everything leading up to now was meant to happen…” You breathed out, feeling tears prick at the corners of your eyes when he suddenly reached over to hold your own hands into his, “But I’m going to need some time to just let this sink in. I want to be sure that it’s you, okay?”

He nods in response, feeling almost as if a weight had lifted off of his shoulders and there was the urge that he was holding back to just hold you into his arms right then and there in his arms. Time, he thinks to himself as he knew that it was also a big block as to whether or not your possible relationship could continue to blossom into something more, which was why when he had started the car back up and started driving again, he can only think of the best thinking to make sure that you two could keep going with what you had, and to him it was to bring laughter and teases to make you at least feel better for the time being.

“Wonwoo, what if we did this-“

“We say that we’re soulmates right now and kiss.” He teases, making you look at him with an amused look but shake your head in response with your hand still in his as you wonder where the sudden burst of energy had come from despite the moment that you had earlier.

“Wonwoo, no-“

“We officially become soulmates eventually,” He jokes and watches how there is a glint of sparkle in your eyes that he hadn’t noticed present before when he glances over to look at you, but he doesn’t push it as he decides to just keep your distance temporarily, “You’re not saying no, love, you have to say something.”

You thought about it for a moment, thinking that maybe playing the long game with him wouldn’t be too bad as you knew that maybe this was a sign that could test to see if he was actually your soulmate. Colors may be one thing, but would you also eventually see the red rope that he has been seeing the past few years of dealing with it?

“How about we play the long game?” You propose, looking at him with a small smile as he raises an eyebrow at your words of waiting a bit with him, “We see how the next year or so goes, and if more color appears on my end, then we’re soulmates. If not, then we can just overthrow the universe and see what happens then.”

“So it’s not a rejection then?” He whispers hopefully, suddenly feeling nervous at the fact that you weren’t opposed to the idea of him being your soulmate and feels his heart pound louder in his chest as he watches you nod in response.

“I think I knew back then that I was connected to you at some point, Wonwoo, with or without the red string visible to my eye.”

There was a shaky breath that left your lips as you finally felt a sudden weight lifted off your chest, seeing as though you were somehow finding your own way to move on from Jeonghan’s passing. It wasn’t ideal, considering it was by testing the waters to see if Wonwoo was actually your soulmate, or if it wasn’t real since you weren’t even sure of what was happening in the moment, but you knew something was there.

“Can I kiss you?” He asks almost teasingly, and there was a smile that coats your lips, one that you haven’t been able to express in the past few days but somehow with him it almost came naturally because of how calming his aura came to be around you.

“Maybe during another downpour, we’ll see what happens.”

“Hey Y/N, thanks for letting me head out early it means a lot.”

You look up from where you were currently cleaning up behind the counter of the glass case that was once filled with delicious sweets, giving Jihoon a small smile in response as you waved him off.

“It’s not a problem, Jihoon. Besides, you better not be nervous because anybody who says no to marrying you will regret it.” You teased, watching the male stand at the closest table to the counter of your co-owned cafe blush a bit at your words.

“Yeah but… it’s raining hard out there tonight. Will you be able to get home dry?” He asks in which you nod in response, just as another individual has entered right on cue like it was meant to happen.

“He’s here to take me home, just go propose to your soulmate already.” You grinned, watching as Jihoon gives you a soft smile and leaves before he can get caught in the rain tonight.

With an amused look on the latter’s face, your eyes met with Wonwoo’s, who had been standing against the counter that you were currently cleaning. There was an umbrella in his hand, along with a familiar jacket that you must’ve forgotten to take with you, but he brought it anyway because he knew that you would’ve gotten cold from the rain.

“You could’ve gotten sick, you know. That wouldn’t be good on any of us.” He teases and you give him a playful look, not wanting to be bothered with the jacket when in a split second, you felt his arms wrap around your waist swiftly, chin on your shoulder as he was swaying both of your bodies side to side.

Two years have passed since you remember talking about the effects of a downpour with him, the sight of it making you feel various emotions as you stared at the red string tied at the end of your pinky of your left hand that was almost parallel to the ring on your ring finger on your right. After opening up your new co-owned cafe with Jihoon months after you and Wonwoo decided to play the long game, the rush of colors came along with that new success as you knew that it was for all the times that you have spent with him.

Every downpour and daylight that led to the very moment made you feel grateful that you made the decision to play the long game, because the promise ring that came with the downpour the night you both kissed felt like sparks. You probably would never forget how realizing that he was your soulmate felt, because it was the same electricity and love that overwhelmed you like you had when you first found out about Jeonghan.

“Okay, let’s go home you big baby.” You giggled, shaking your head at his playful banter and took the jacket from his hands over your shoulders, before grabbing your keys to lock up the cafe for the night.

The two walk into the city with peace on your mind, the gentle downpour highlighted perfectly the illuminated city buildings that were around you both as you walked to your shared home together, and you wouldn’t want to have it either way. Whether it was a day with rain or sunshine, you knew that it couldn’t be too bad as long as you had someone with you with their hand in yours.

“Do you think he’s watching us, from up there?” Wonwoo suddenly mumbles softly, your hand in his as the sound of the soft drops of the rain hitting your umbrella resonates from on top of you guys and you hummed in response, nodding as you smiled and kissed his hand gently.

“I think he’d be happy that his best friend is the one to save me from being soulmate-less for the rest of my life, instead of someone that I could be with that might hurt me.”

“I don’t think I could ever want to intentionally hurt you, Y/N, or in any other life. You know that, right?” He says, joking slightly to relieve the small tension that was starting to rise, but you knew it was both of your worries that were talking and you couldn’t blame him.

The tomorrow is unpredictable and you weren’t sure what could happen to any of you by then.

“I know Wonwoo, and I know that you love me, like I love you.” You reply and suddenly you are pulled into his arms, hands cupping your cheeks as he places a soft kiss on your lips as you kiss him back and smile against his own.

There were small bursts of giggles that came from you at the flustered feeling of him spontaneously kissing you, but the shimmer in his eyes said otherwise as you knew that even though the entire universe was held in them, they were only meant for you to see. A galaxy that was meant to be lost in, but somehow you knew right where you were as you were both standing underneath a shared umbrella on a night of downpour, but this time it was flushed with colors and vibrant illuminations that made you feel ignited especially with him.

“I love you too, Y/N.”

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fuck-customers · 3 years ago

Text

Submitting cause this one might be long and I don’t want to clog things up too much. It’ll need some background to be understood.

Ok for the background stuff:

I currently work in a lab handling Covid samples. Since our lab is very new and the company just recently came into our state myself and all my coworkers are independent contractors from different recruiting agencies. We all go hired at (about) the same time and none of us are above the others.

That being said, very early on in starting some people were chosen to be “mentors” (basically just doing paperwork and helping make sure everyone learns new training methods so we’re all in sync, they don’t get extra pay or benefits or a title or anything for being a “mentor”, except that they have a private chat on our messaging system with one of the higher ups for our shift, Dr. K) I’ll call these people N, V, and M

Our volume just recently started picking up to where we’re pretty busy through the night (we work 12 hour night shifts) but in the beginning we were super slow. Our department supervisor split everyone into two groups, A and B, to help with break scheduling and allowing us to go home early on the slow days. We used to go home early pretty often but now that we had picked up in volume it had been decided we couldn’t do that anymore.

Today however was so dead that Dr. K decided we could send people home. Since it’s been a while since we sent anyone home, we figured he would find a fair way to decide who to send home, because it wouldn’t be fair to just say “ok whoever was next to go home before it got busy several months ago can leave today” since it really has been such a long time.

And he was going to! We had a training thing to complete this week, so originally it was supposed to be whoever had already done the training could leave early.

I overheard V talking to some others, and N was at a computer behind me talking to Dr K on chat, so they let me and another coworker read over their shoulder and we saw the messages where Dr K specifically said “don’t send home anyone who didn’t complete the training”. Since the training has to be completed with live samples, and luckily we had just received some, I went to tell my boys (my 3 best friends in the lab, a group of guys I just call “the boys”, for reference) about what was happening so we could go do training together.

So me and the boys went to go complete our training, excited to be able to leave early. But then N comes over to where we were and says “don’t get your hopes up, M is throwing a fit and now we’re having problems deciding who’s going home.”

To try to keep this short (too late) M, a member of group A, had also seen the messages from Dr K since they’re a mentor and decided to message all of group A and tell them Dr K said they could leave early at 2am. And since it was close to 2am (maybe ten mins before) they all decided to just come in, sign the attendance sheet, and leave. Most of them hadn’t yet completed the training either.

So in the end my group, B, got fucked even though we’d all completed training, and we always end up getting screwed when it comes to stuff like this. N and V confronted M about it and I guess M was freaking out and yelling at them in the lab trying to defend themselves and there was nothing N or V could do since group A had already left anyway, and Dr. K just let it go.

I was already in a bad headspace tonight, depression kicking my ass. Going home 5 hours early and getting paid for it was going to brighten my mood, but then it all blew up and kinda made things worse. I don’t know if our direct supervisor (let’s call them J) will do anything about this, or if they even can, especially since they weren’t even in the lab today. And I don’t think complaining to anyone else will help either. It just sucks for us and isn’t fair. Next time we get lucky enough to have a leave early day I hope whoever decides that also finds a fair way to choose who can leave, like maybe just putting everyone’s names in a random generator and letting that pick for us.

Thanks for reading this long yall. I’m just frustrated and angry about all this. Hope everyone had a good Labor Day though!

#call center problems #fuck retail #fuck managers #cashier problems #tw #fuck co-workers #happy ending #fuck coworkers #server problems #embarrassing #trigger warning #fuck customers #submissions #retail justice #retail law #tw:

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mcufox123 · 3 years ago

Text

Would you maybe? I don't know

Modern AU WandaxFemReader

Summary: Reader is confused by liking Wanda.

Warnings: PG-13, some cursing

A/N: This is a fun little piece. The group is mentioned but the main focus is the reader. Any suggestions please let me know!

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS!

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You are a nurse working in Boston. You had moved here right after graduating college and besides working you spend a lot of time with your very close-knit group of friends. The group started with you and Nat who moved into your apartments. A couple weeks after moving in you were at a bar and Nat tried to hit on Steve. He turned out to already have a boyfriend, however, named Bucky. Soon enough it was the 4 of you. Steve was a veteran and worked with other veterans and soon introduced everyone to Sam who brought along his friend from college Tony. Carol and Wanda were next to join they happened to be your next-door neighbors. Carol came over to complain about the noise you and your friends were making, and Wanda came over with apology cookies, that is how your friendship started. Tony also brought along Bruce who was friends with Thor. Clint, Nat’s childhood friend also moved to Boston for his job who also brought his roommate T’Challa. Your group expanded over the course of a year. And now 3 years in you all spent a majority of your time at your apartment.

Nat and Bruce had just started a new relationship and it was nauseating to you. They were often cuddled on the couch when you came home and were definitely not quiet in the bedroom. Living there started to interfere with your sleep schedule. One day while Nat and Bruce were out Wanda and Carol came over to hangout.

“Maybe you should just tell them to shut up?” Carol told you as Wanda and her listened to you whine about your predicament.

“But Nat is finally happy. It took her so long to be this happy, I'm not going to whine to her about it just yet.” You said trying to compartmentalize your thoughts in your head.

“That’s so kind of you Y/N, but what about you? What makes you happy?” Wanda asked in a sweet tone. You and Wanda had grown closer as Nat was preoccupied. You both spent many nights cooking dinner together and cuddling up on the couch watching tv shows, most the time falling asleep on each other. You had a soft spot for her. You considered it to be more than a friendship, but you had never been with a girl to make it more than a thought.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right I’ll talk to her, thanks guys.” Just then Nat comes through the door with a very drunk Bruce.

“Hey guys! Let me just put him to bed then I’m all in for the girl’s night!” Nat said while escorting Bruce to her bedroom.

You opened up another bottle of wine and as soon as she came out, she pulled up a stool to contribute to the conversation. The 4 of you gossiped about almost everyone in the group, company excluded. You talked about Tony’s new girlfriend Pepper and what she started bringing to the group, which was mostly keeping Tony in check. You talked about T’Challa and his advancements in his job and hoping that he didn’t move because of it. You talked about when you think Clint was going to propose to his long-term girlfriend Laura.

“Alright I'm making a group chat without Clint and Laura to take a pool for when he’ll pop the question. $1 buy in.” You sent the text to all of your friends and soon your phone was blowing up.

“Ya know, I don’t know why but you sending that text reminded me of this one time in college when I was at a party and we were playing truth or dare, and I got dared to send a text to our professor saying that I believed that I was a giraffe. He recommended that I seek help.” Carol said wiping her eyes as she laughed. You all stared at her in confusion. The comment being from out of nowhere.

“That’s really a great story, you should tell everyone at movie night.” Nat said sarcastically.

“Hey now, let’s all just get along. Carol that was a random story, Nat she should tell everyone she is a giraffe when she wants.” Wanda let out in an almost serious tone.

“Yeah,” you said backing up Wanda. The night went on a little longer with now 4 empty bottles of wine and a very tipsy group of friends.

“Hey, I have an idea, let’s play truth or dare.” Nat said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Now why would we do that?” you ask very annoyed. You guys weren’t in college anymore and you had nightmares about the game. You knew the idea was only in her head because of the giraffe story.

“Because it’s fun,” Carol chimed in.

“Thank you, Carol. Now let’s start I’ll go first. Carol truth or dare?” Nat said.

“Dare!”

“I dare you to go flash our neighbors.” Nat said. Carol was not even hesitant, she got up walked to the window and lifted her shirt to flash the outside world, before walking back like she had just accomplished a huge task. You rolled your eyes as the game continued.

The game continued with a few more rounds all being very stupid tasks. Nat was currently in the room with Bruce giving him a lap dance with the door closed. She walked out with her hair a mess.

“Ok my turn. Y/N truth or dare?” She asked fixing herself back on her seat. You were very tipsy by this point.

“Dare!” you said very enthusiastically. You were not prepared for the task you were asked to do.

“I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room.” You froze. The obvious choice was Wanda, but you couldn’t do that. Could you? You for sure weren’t going to kiss Nat because that’s weird, and you always secretly disliked Carol so that was out of the question. The only logical choice was Wanda. You hesitantly leaned over to give Wanda a kiss on the cheek. As you pulled away you saw her cheeks were as red as tomatoes causing you to also start to blush.

“Boo that wasn’t even a kiss.” Nat groaned on.

“Yes, it was. You never specified what kind of kiss it had to be!” you counteracted Nat.

“I thought you would just assume it was a kiss kiss like on the lips like an actual kiss.” She argued back. Carol and Wanda just kept looking at the two of you unsure of what was happening.

“You want a kiss kiss? I will give you a kiss kiss.” You turned to Wanda and put your lips on hers with all of the liquid courage you had built up. You heard her gasp at the action but soon was reciprocating the kiss. Her lips were so soft and perfect, and you felt electrical shocks go throughout your body at the interaction. Your lips moved in perfect sync with each other. You only pulled away when you heard Carol wolf whistle at the two of you.

You felt embarrassed as your cheeks started to turn red. Wanda just looked at you stunned by the action. There was an awkward silence before you spoke up. “Wanda I’m sorry that was, that was,” you couldn’t find the right words. “Ya know what it’s pretty late and I’m getting sleepy I’m going to head to bed.” You said not looking at anyone in particular. You stood up and walked to your room.

“Y/N wait.” You heard Wanda say behind you, you just shut the door behind you and locked the door crawling into bed.

The next morning you woke up and walked to the kitchen to get breakfast. Nat was already out there, and you saw waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, toast and eggs all spread out on the table. You ignored all of that and simply walked to the coffee pot.

“I made you breakfast, also there is freshly squeezed orange juice, with no pulp.” She said pouring you a glass. You didn’t even acknowledge her. Instead grabbed the box of cheerios from the cabinet with your coffee and heading back to your room. Before you could close the door Nat put her foot in the door.

“Look, Y/N, I'm sorry about last night I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It’s just I thought you both liked each other, and I figured I’d give you a little nudge ya know? Be a good friend?” She said while you continued to walk to your bed and get your laptop out to watch Netflix.

“Ok well you were wrong. I don’t know what to tell you.” You said trying to convince yourself more. In all honesty you haven’t stopped thinking about the kiss. You had thought about Wanda’s lips from the moment they left yours. And the way that she kissed you back. That had to mean something right? Like maybe she felt the same way for you. But you weren’t sure you liked girls. But maybe you did? Maybe Wanda could be your girlfriend. That was weird for you to even think about having a girlfriend. You were so confused.

Nat saw your internal turmoil by look on your face. “What’s wrong Y/N?” she asked concern clear on her face.

“I never liked a girl before.” You said staring at your hands. You couldn’t even look her in the eye. You were so scared saying it out loud. But it was true and now you felt like you did like a girl. A very specific girl, who had beautiful reddish hair and green eyes that pierced your soul. She had the best laugh where her nose would scrunch up and she always tried to make everyone feel better.

“Y/N, its ok. You are allowed to like girls, especially ones who make you happy. You’re allowed to like Wanda as more than a friend. A friend would not kiss another friend on a dare the way you kissed Wanda last night.” She said rubbing your back.

“I know I just, she’s just, and I'm just.” You tried to explain failing to find the words.

“Talk to her, let her know. She’s a pretty understanding person and I think she could help you.” Nat said before giving your arm one last squeeze. “Also come eat my breakfast, I cooked too much food.” She said while getting up and moving to the door.

“Can you bring it to me please? I'm super comfy right now.” You asked with pleading eyes.

“Yeah sure.” She said while walking out of the door to get you breakfast.

You spent a lot of time that day writing in your journal and watching tv, the perfect lazy day. You didn’t see much of your friends that week. You took on more shifts at the hospital and stayed in on call rooms to avoid thinking about your friend who you couldn’t keep out of your head. You thought if you just stayed away, it would all go away and be ok.

You came home one day exhausted and just went right to bed. When you woke up you opened your door to go to the kitchen, but you stopped as your eyes landed on a specific pair of green eyes staring back at you. You were frozen in your spot. The person you had tried to get out of your head was now sitting on the couch in your house. “Want to watch a movie?” She asked like nothing had happened. Like everything that happened that one night didn’t happen. It frustrated you that she was so calm about all of this while you were losing sleep. You continued to walk to the kitchen to get food before answering.

“Sure, you want any snacks?” you asked her.

“Yes please! Can I have some popcorn?” you started to get the popcorn out and put it in the microwave and then went to get out a bowl to put it in. There was a silence that came again and stayed there. The only sound was the kernels popping in the microwave. You looked at your hands while you could feel Wanda staring at you.

When the popcorn was finished you dumped the bag in the bowl and walked over to give it to Wanda who was sitting on the couch. You would usually sit on the same couch as her but tonight decided to opt for the love seat. You didn’t even look at her, but Wanda had a frown at your choice of seats. You kept your eyes trained on the tv waiting for the movie to start but it never did.

“What is it Y/N? Why are you in such a mood?” she asked.

“I’m not in a mood. Why do you say that?” you asked her, knowing it was stupid because you were in a mood and she could read you better than anyone, even Nat.

“Yes, you are. If you weren’t in a mood, I would’ve seen you this week. If you weren’t in a mood, you would tell me all about work and how crazy it is, and we wouldn’t even get to start the movie. If you weren’t in a mood, you would be sitting on this couch with me probably with your feet draped over my legs. Why aren’t you sitting with me?” She was aggravated you could tell but you didn’t know how to answer that.

“I don’t know.” You said which only made her get up and start pacing in frustration.

“God, Y/N, you’re so frustrating just say it we all know why you’re in a mood.” She said now standing directly in front of you.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. It seems like you know why I am in a mood more than I do so tell me why.” You said to her not having the courage for the words that needed to be said. You quickly regretted saying that. She climbed onto your lap, so her eyes were directly in front of yours. She put her arms around your shoulders so there was no way to escape. You suddenly couldn’t focus on anything other than how close your faces were.

“You do know Y/N. It’s because there is something here, with you and me. That kiss that we shared was incredible and I couldn’t stop thinking about it, or you. So why are you pushing me away.” You couldn’t think of anything to say.

“I never kissed a girl before, and I just didn’t know I could feel this way about someone until we kissed. And I just wasn’t sure if it was ok for you.” You said giving her the basic train of your thoughts.

“You weren’t sure if it was ok for me? Did I not communicate that enough in the kiss or do I have to show you how ok it was for me?” she asked. You sat there frozen as she leaned in and put her lips on yours again not even waiting for permission. You tensed up at first, but after a second you were quick to reciprocate how right this felt for you too. Her hands were playing with your hair and yours on instinct went to her hips trying to pull her closer.

She pulled away when you did that. “I thought you weren’t sure Y/N? Do we have to keep figuring this out?” she asked while pretending to make a confused face.

“Yeah, I think we can keep figuring this out.” You said while leaning up to kiss her again. She pulled back again though.

“Are you sure you’re, ok? We don’t have to do anything. I’m ok with taking this slow.” She said looking at you, reading your face for any signs of being uncomfortable.

“I just really want to kiss you again.” This time you spoke the truth.

“Then kiss me.” You didn’t even hesitate leaning in again, placing your lips on hers. It quickly got heated as she pushed you back further onto the couch. You didn’t try to fight back, you only continued to move your hands all over her body, exploring places you never would dare before.

Her lips left yours and started to leave a trail going lower down your face till she started sucking on your neck. You let out a moan and felt her smile against your skin. All of your earlier thoughts, questioning if this was right were out the window now. With her in your arms everything felt right.

She came back to your lips where your tongues were soon dancing together. You didn’t even hear Nat and Bruce come in the door. You only pulled away when you heard a cabinet close in the kitchen. You looked over your shoulder to see them both staring at you and Wanda.

“Don’t stop on our account we’re just grabbing some snacks for the show.” Nat said smugly. Wanda buried her face in your neck, clearly embarrassed, as were you. She climbed off of you and walked into the kitchen.

“Ha ha very funny Nat.” Wanda said while walking over to grab some water. You sat up on the couch eyes trained on the girl with reddish hair. Her hair was disheveled from the heated make out session, and her lips were already swollen a little.

“It’s so good to finally see my roomie after a week of being MIA.” She said while smiling at you.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” You said as you rolled your eyes. You finally got up from the couch to sit on a stool in the kitchen. You weren’t sure what would happen next. Wanda came over however and picked the seat right next to you scooting it closer, so she was basically on top of you, which you weren’t complaining about. It had only been a few minutes, but you already missed her being in such close proximity to you.

The four of you stayed up chatting before Bruce and Nat decided to go to bed, claiming they had a long day tomorrow. As they walked out you turned to Wanda smiling.

“Hi,” you said with a smile spreading across your lips.

“Hi,” she said back just as smiley, reaching her arms around your shoulders as she had done earlier that night.

“Would you maybe, I don’t know, mind if I kissed you again?” you said shyly. She didn’t even answer before bringing her lips to your again. The action that was so foreign before was now becoming addicting. The kiss this time was short however before she pulled away.

“Would you maybe, I don’t know, want to be my girlfriend? If not, I totally understand if it’s too fast for you.” You just brought your lips to hers as your answer. You pulled away and simply took her hand in yours before guiding her to your room. You made out but that was it nothing went any further. You just laid in the comfort of each other’s arms for the rest of the night.

In the morning you woke up with a smile on your face and an amazing girl in your arms. You got up to go get some coffee for the two of you in the kitchen. You walked out to see none other than Nat and this time Steve too.

“Hey there Y/N! Do anything fun last night?” Steve asked with a smile on his face. Nat had already told him.

“You’re dead Romanoff.” You said while pouring a cup of coffee.

“Oh, come on Y/N! I can’t help it if you guys are adorable together. Steve, you should’ve seen them last night they were like connected at the hip the entire night.”

“I can’t wait till the rest of the group finds out. Bucky, Sam, and Tony, all owe me $15.” Steve said nonchalantly.

“What do you mean they owe you money?” you asked confused by the statement.

“Well, you guys were already inseparable, and I figured it was a matter of time before you both got together so I made a pool of when it would happen. I said before the end of the month which happened, so I win.” He said it like it was obvious.

“Yeah, you guys couldn’t get together like a week earlier?” Nat asked annoyed.

“Hey now, no more betting on my love life, ok? Or else next time I want in.” you said cheekily.

“Well now, there is a pool when the two of you will sleep together, you want in on that?” Steve said.

“They almost did last night believe me.” Nat jumped in before you could argue. Just then Wanda came out of your room with a yawn. Steve and Nat just whipped their heads to look at you with ‘oh shit’ eyes.

Wanda came over and wrapped her arms around your waist before reaching up to give you a kiss. You melted into her before she pulled away “Morning cutie.” She said before taking the coffee out of you hand and going to sit next to Steve who was still shocked that Wanda just exited your room.

“You do not mess around. Damn Y/N” Nat said with a mischievous grin.

“Ok Nat, it took you what like an hour before you jumped Bruce’s bones.” You counteracted. That shut her up real fast as Wanda looked around clearly confused by the conversation she had missed. After that night you and Wanda were the next couple in the group. Everyone supported you guys and soon enough you got your own place together to watch movies together.

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