#also one day I will finish the last two chapters of Let's Go Steal A Protege so it stops haunting me

[landososcar]

packing it up ; LN4

— pairing(s) ; college hockey player!lando x figure skater!reader

— summary; in which lando's transfer to a new school not only brings him a new team, classes, and friends, but a girl who will change his life forever.

— warnings; not edited, i'm not american, im also not a figure skater so there's probs plenty of inaccuracies lolll

chapter one — prev … next

⸝⸝ ʚ 𖥔❆ ! ⌗ °•˚❆ ˖⋆*ೃ ༄

“did you hear about the new hockey guy getting transferred? oscar was saying he’s like the best college player in the country” lily and i never really talked about hockey unless her boyfriend and his friends were around, yet here we are. the mention of the sport easily piqued my interest and my eyebrows raised as i wiped down the bench-top that separated my best friend and i.

“why would the best in the country get transferred here… of all places?” my question sounded like a dig at our schools team, and whilst that may have been my underlying intention, it was true. our school hadn’t won anything to do with team sports in decades, and we weren’t about to start winning again anytime soon.

she pulled her phone out of her pocket whilst muttering something about showing me the new guy because he’s starting when break finishes. “i don’t understand — why’s this so last minute? school goes back in three days?”.

she shook her head at my question before explaining that “it’s not actually last minute, they’ve been planning the transfer for a couple months but oscar forgets to tell me important things like this”. it made sense but now i didn’t understand why this was considered important to lily.

the confused look on my face must have prompted her to continue talking because she gasped and squealed “oh! i didn’t tell you - he’s gonna be oscar’s new roommate! the two boys have already planned to go out for dinner the first night after his transfer so they can get to know each other a little better” as the words were leaving her mouth she turned her phone towards me.

the screen was lit up by an instagram account and before i got a proper look, lily stated: “his name is lando! he’s cute isn’t he?”. my hands grabbed her phone to focus more on the photos he’s posted — many hockey related, but more importantly, a couple of shirtless ones.

lily calling him cute was an understatement; i’m pretty sure that he’s the most beautiful man i’ve ever seen in my life. i shook myself out of the trans i was in — yes he’s adorable, but lily would never let me live this down. lily can’t know how cute i think this man i’ve never met is. lily can’t know that i want to steal her boyfriend’s new room mate.

but i either overestimated my ability to hide the growing crush or i underestimated my best friend’s ability to see straight through me. she squealed! she actually squealed and gasped and pointed her manicured finger at me — simultaneously! “oh i am so setting you two up, you think he’s fine- oh my god i need to tell oscar he will definitely help me set yo-“.

“you are not telling oscar a thing!!” i whisper shouted, although it seemed pointless as the few left over people in the cafe had already given us harsh looks due to lily’s squealing after her ‘groundbreaking discovery’. if oscar knew, he’d tell lando, and i would never be able to come face-to-face with the new boy if he knew.

lily scoffed at my objection but i kept talking before she was able to try and make up a story about why telling her boyfriend would be a good idea, “as if lando would even car. he doesn’t know who i am and he’s the best college hockey player in the country so he definitely wouldn’t care about me when there’s probably thousands of girls begging for his attention.”

the eyes staring into my soul narrowed and i could tell she wasn’t happy with something that i said. “okay, but you’re different,” she continued before i could argue about how insane she sounded, “firstly, you’re the hottest girl in the countr— do not shake your head at me, i will slap you— secondly, i don’t care if he’s got hundreds of girls begging for him because he obviously doesn’t care about them-“

“so why would he care about me?-“

“thirdly, i have something those girls do not— my boyfriend, aka, an in!”

“you’re insane”

“and you’re coming to dinner with us tomorrow night after he has moved his stuff into oscar’s room!” the legs of her chair were scraping against the floor and before i could protest, the girl was flying out the door of my workplace, “i love you!”

she had to be kidding. i couldn’t go to dinner with him, i can already see me making an absolute fool out of myself.

⸝⸝ ʚ 𖥔❆ ! ⌗ °•˚❆ ˖⋆*ೃ ༄

it was hard to focus on the way my skates slid along the ice when all i could think about was this dinner i was being dragged to. i don’t know where we’re going and therefore, don’t know what to wear, not to mention i have to face oscar when i was absolutely certain lily had told him every detail of our conversation from yesterday. normally, skating helps distract me but it wasn’t helping at all today.

my attention was grabbed however, when the bulky doors to the school’s skating arena clicked open. i spun and turned to look at who walked in but heard his voice before i could see him.

“i figured i’d find you in here” jax, my skating partner’s voice echoed around the mostly empty building.

jax and i have been skating together since we started middle school. eventually, he got a scholarship for silverbrook university and we decided i had to do everything i could to join him at our now shared school. if i hadn’t gotten into silverbrook, jax and i would have had to find new skating partners, which would have basically resulted in us starting from scratch with new people.

skating in pairs takes an awful lot of trust and chemistry — i need to be able to completely rely on jax’s ability to fling me in the air and catch me before i go crashing to the slippery surface beneath us. and i do, which is why jax and i are such a good skating duo.

and while i’d trust him to throw me ten feet into the air, i wouldn’t trust him with my lactose intolerance. that probably sounds stupid but jax and i know each other on the ice — if someone asked me what his middle name was, i wouldn’t be able to tell them.

i consider jax my friend but i don’t think i’d go out for dinner with him. “hey jax! are you coming for a skate?”

i noticed jax’s usual smile slightly falter and i could tell something was off. the boy was known around campus for the smile that practically never left his face — well, that and the fact he’s the best figure skater in the state. before i could ask him if something was wrong, he blurted out words that almost sent me ass up from where i was standing on the ice.

“i’m going solo — maria and i thought it would be good for me to step away from duo skating for the next season”.

saying i was upset that my skating partner and our coach was ditching me would be an understatement. but the worst part is that i heard the words ‘next season’ come out of his mouth. next season, as in the season that started with the school year. next season, as in the season that had competitions beginning in three weeks.

“you’re fucking with me, jax,” the thoughts racing through my mind made it impossible to say coherent sentences to the man in front of me. “jax, you’re ditching me and taking our coach! what the fuck am i supposed to do? am i supposed to just find a spare figure skating coach and partner off the street? you guys have completely fucked me over! i can’t believe this.”

the words poured out of my mouth before i could stop them and i couldn’t find it in myself to regret them. there was nothing i could do to save myself from the predicament that two of the people i trusted the most in this world had put me in.

i got off of the ice and put my blade guards on as quickly as possible before storming directly past him. i had to regulate my breathing so i didn’t have a panic attack right there in the locker rooms. i grabbed my phone out of my bag and went to message lily but stopped myself.

i couldn’t tell her how much of a hole i had been pushed into. especially not when she was probably at oscar’s house, helping the new star skater move in.

⸝⸝ ʚ 𖥔❆ ! ⌗ °•˚❆ ˖⋆*ೃ ༄

it should be made known that i have the tendency to be late to things, no matter their importance. so, when i texted lily that i was going to be a couple minutes late to dinner, her quick response of ‘okie dokie x’, showed that she expected nothing more from me.

as i stepped into the restaurant, my nerves tangled with the lingering emotions of the day. it felt like my confidence had been shattered on the ice earlier, but i plastered on a smile, determined not to let it show. my focus was on getting through dinner before begging lily to spend the night at our dorm rather than her boyfriend’s so we could debrief.

“look who’s finally here!” lily's voice rang out as her eyes found me, her smile as bright as ever. i smiled at her apologetically but her face didn’t show anything but a smile for even a split second.

i walked over, exchanging quick hugs with lily and oscar before turning to face lando. up close, he was even more attractive—his bright smile and confident posture radiated an easy charm. when he pulled me into a hug, his warmth caught me off guard.

“it’s so nice to meet you,” i said, my voice betraying a little of my nervousness.

as an overthinker, i’d spent all day worrying about how awkward this dinner was going to be but as his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into a hug, i’d never felt more comfortable meeting someone.

“yeah, you too!” he replied with a grin that seemed to light up his entire face. he smelled faintly of fresh cologne, and i scolded myself for noticing.

as we all sat down, the conversation flowed easily. lando fit seamlessly into the dynamic, his easy banter with oscar balancing out lily’s usual exuberance. i tried to relax, though my mind still wandered to the mess jax and maria had left me with.

“so, y/n,” oscar said as he passed me a menu, “lily and i were telling lando about your figure skating.”

at the mention of skating, i felt lily’s eyes snap toward me. my stomach twisted, but i forced a smile. “yeah, i’ve been skating for a while now.”

“she’s amazing,” lily cut in enthusiastically. “you should see her perform; she’s unreal.”

“wow,” lando said, looking genuinely interested. “what kind of skating do you do? like competitions?”

“pairs skating,” i replied, trying to keep my voice even. “competitions mostly. it’s... a lot of work.” i let out a breathy chuckle, trying to stop my voice from breaking – doing anything to stop myself from breaking down in front of my friends and the new boy i’ve just met. there was a pause as i took a sip of water, and i saw lily’s brows furrow slightly, sensing something was off.

oscar, oblivious to the uneasiness in my voice, nodded appreciatively. “lando you should come watch her next comp; lily and i go to as many as we can – you can join us!” lando nodded eagerly but stopped when lily cut her boyfriend off.

“–is everything okay, y/n/n?” she could tell something was off at the moment, and as much as i didn’t want to burden oscar and lando with my new skating drama, the way she asked made it impossible to brush off.

i hesitated, but under the weight of their collective stares, the words tumbled out. “jax decided to go solo. and maria’s going with him. he only just told me this morning.” i let out a heavy sigh and it was clear that neither of the boys knew what to say in the moment.

lily, however, refused to stay silent and gasped. “what? that’s insane! with the season starting so soon? what are you supposed to do?”

i shrugged, my gaze fixed on the table. “i don’t know. figure it out, i guess.”

“that’s a jerk move,” lando said, his voice tinged with anger. “to leave you hanging like that? who does that? especially with the season so close.” i sent him a grateful smile and he continued talking, “i’m assuming the season starts at the same time as the hockey season, yeah? that’s like three weeks away… what a dick move!”

i glanced at him, surprised by the intensity in his tone. his expression was sincere, his brows furrowed as if he genuinely cared. “thank you, lando,” i murmured, “it’s fine though, i’ll just have to make it work”.

“you’ll figure it out, y/n,” lily said, her voice firm. “you’re too good not to.”

i nodded, appreciative of her faith in me, though i couldn’t quite share it. the rest of the dinner passed in lighter conversation, but i couldn’t shake the warmth of lando’s defense or the nagging question of what i was supposed to do next.

lilyzneimer added to their story!

⸝⸝ ʚ 𖥔❆ ! ⌗ °•˚❆ ˖⋆*ೃ ༄

[innytoes]

I do! After my last WIP stalled I decided not to post anymore WIPs and wait until they were finished and post on a set update schedule. For smaller fics that could be daily or every other day, for larger fics it's twice a week or once a week.

My current 35-chapter longfic updates only on Thursday, because if I spent over a year and a half writing it, I'm gonna stretch out the serotonin of posting it for as long as possible too. (And I don't like Thursdays lol, so it's a little pick me up).

I do it both because as a reader I like the 'weekly episodic' feel when people post fics with a spread out update schedule, and because yeah, if I wrote over 100k, I'd like comments on every chapter and not just one at the end. It just makes the whole thing more fun and gives more of a feel of community.

Like, I'm not gonna be mad once it's all up that someone will binge the 35 chapters and just leave one comment, but getting to share a story bit by bit and talking about it with people who comment makes it way more fun. (Insert the whole Fandom as a Community vs Fandom as Consumerism/Content discussion here.)

That said, comments don't really influence the fic. I wrote the story I wanted to. Sometimes I may add a paragraph or sentence here or there is someone has a very funny idea or insightful comment (or is confused about something), but the fic is basically finished before I start posting.

Hi Inex! Is it okay if I mention you in my paper [on ao3 as a collaborative site] as an author that posts chapter by chapter in order to get more engagement from readers and make sure you take comments into account before the whole thing is published?

(Additionally, if there's anyone else who specifically posts chapter by chapter instead of all at once for their own benefit and for engagement purposes, pretty please let me know.)

Sure, you can mention me!

I know astolat also posts chapter-by-chapter when she puts up finished works. If anyone would like to add others in the comments, please do so!

[dustofthedailylife]

How to Steal the Duke's Heart 101 (2)

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Pairing: Wriothesley x (gn!) Reader

Summary: After Wriothesley managed to get you back out of prison again you wanted to go back to living your life. However, things wouldn't go so smoothly, especially since you missed the man you had grown to love during your time in the Fortress. However, maybe fate is smiling down on you for once...

Tags: Fluff, lots of kissing, you were in prison (but innocent), swearing, french kissing (we're in France after all)

A/N: People asked for a Chapter 2 - I got an idea - here we are. Hope you enjoy and thanks for the crazy support on part 1 ;_; <3

In the following days, you stayed in the Infirmary. Your concussion and the accompanying migraine flare-ups made it hard to do anything but lie in bed with closed eyes. 

Sigewinne, who was introduced to you as the head nurse, took care of you during the time you were at the Infirmary. And she religiously made sure that you didn’t leave the bed under any circumstance. She came by twice a day with some funny-tasting shakes which, despite their flavor, worked like a charm against your headache.

Wriothesley also stopped by at least once a day, no matter how occupied he had been around the Fortress otherwise. And every time he walked through the door with confident steps, and pulled a chair by your bedside, your heart was about to burst straight out of your chest. Even more so when he leaned closer to you to press a fleeting kiss to your lips as if it was second nature now.

Both you and him often stayed up late to chat the night away and tonight was no exception to that.

You were leaning against the headboard of the bed, and he was sitting on the opposite side of the bed with his back leaned against the footrest himself. He had brought a thermos flask filled with freshly brewed tea and two cups over to the Infirmary and you were both happily sipping away on it together. A small smile was displayed on his lips as he engaged in conversations with you – just like you had always done while dining together at the Cafeteria. There was just this unspoken feeling of comfort in the room whenever you could spend time with him and you wished it would last forever.

“How are you feeling? Getting any better?” Wriothesley inquired, tapping two fingers against his temple, symbolizing the location of the pain he was speaking about.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think it’s getting better finally. Sigewinne’s shakes and potions definitely helped–”

“You can actually drink them?” He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling upwards.

“They’re definitely not good, I won’t lie. They taste like seaweed and sand. It’s like–”

“Like you ate an entire beach and every time you close your mouth it feels like you’re grinding dirt between your teeth.” He finished the sentence for you with another low chuckle that made your heart skip a beat.

“Exactly! How do you–?”

“Well, let’s just say I’ve been on the receiving end of these shakes a couple of times myself.” He smirked, took a sip of tea from the metal cup in his hands, and sighed. “But tea is infinitely better.”

“Oh, without a shadow of a doubt. I agree.”

A comfortable silence settled between you as you each quietly sipped on your tea. You eventually find your eyes wandering across his form - his broad chest and shoulders, to the sliver of skin showing below his neck. Even though he was trying to cover it up with black belts, the deep scars that evidently littered his skin couldn’t be hidden fully. The same applied to the scar right below his enchanting eyes.

Especially the scars around his neck looked like they came from a wound that would take a miracle to heal and recover from and you couldn’t help but wonder what could’ve caused it.

It was as if your body had started moving on its own when you leaned forward, tracing the long scar below his eyes with your index finger, down to the ones down his neck, stopping just short of his collarbone. 

Despite the deep scars and slightly bumpy texture, the skin felt soft and you could feel a slight shiver run down his spine as you ran his finger over them. He observed your facial expressions closely as you did and eventually put his bigger hand above yours to stop your motion and pressed your hand against his chest with a smile. Although there was hurt lingering behind his icy blue eyes.

“How did you get these scars?” You mustered up the courage to ask, your eyebrows pulled into a frown.

“Oh, that? I battled a gigantic undersea monster when I conquered the Fortress of Meropide. Guess who emerged victorious?” He smirked.

“Wait… really?” You ushered in surprise.

“No.” He replied dryly while averting his eyes.

You retracted your hand from his chest while apologizing. You felt like you had overstepped a boundary by asking.

“It’s –” He hesitated before pointing to his neck. “This one right here is the reason I’m here.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” You reassured, not wanting to pry into his private life if he didn’t want to tell you. He took hold of your hand once more and gave it a reaffirming squeeze before sighing deeply.

“I… killed my parents. Well, adoptive parents. I’m an orphan.” Another long sigh escaped him as he averted his eyes to where your hands were intertwined. “To keep it short, they seemed like nice and law-abiding citizens at first. Like a picture-perfect family. But eventually, they treated us, me and my siblings, like trash, and sold us out one after another. I know for a fact some of my siblings did not survive because of what they did and one day… I just– snapped and ended things and set the remaining children free. They didn’t go down without a fight and that’s that. As for the others?” He brushed along his arms with the fingers of his right hand. “I’ve gotten into fistfights and the like down here a lot, nothing too special about those, really.”

He fell quiet, fiddling with your thumb, clearly nervous about how you’d possibly react to this revelation. Would you resent him? Push him away?

But you did neither of these things. You couldn’t even imagine how hard growing up must’ve been for him. And then being sent from one hell straight into another because you defended yourself and others from harm? Fontaine’s justice system was a lot – but after your case and especially after hearing his now, one thing was evident: It was everything but just.

“You’ve never been free. Not even for a single day of your life?” You questioned.

“I guess not. Although I can’t really complain. My position allows me more freedom than some people above ground have. My sentence ended a long time ago but I have no reason to go back up permanently now. Besides, I’m needed here.” He chuckled dryly before looking back up into your eyes which were now glistening with tears as you were on the verge of crying.

He took your face between his hands, wiping your eyes gently with the pad of his thumb before bringing it closer to his to press a sweet kiss to your lips.

But it wasn't long before you were interrupted by the door being flung open, swiftly followed by little tippy steps. Looking over Wriothesley's shoulder towards the doorway to the room you spotted a very displeased and borderline angry-looking Sigewinne.

"Your Grace." She almost hissed with one of her little arms stemmed on her hips and the other pointing to the wall clock that read 1 a.m. "My patient needs rest and this doesn't include staying up way past midnight and drinking caffeinated tea!"

He threw you a half-amused, half-apologetic look before sliding off the bed in one smooth motion. Spreading his arms out to both sides, he turned around with a sly smirk and looked at the head nurse.

"Ah, my apologies. It seems I must've forgotten the time again."

"Hmph… and also, while we're at it – you should rest more and drink less black tea as well." Sigewinne remarked matter-of-factly while looking at Wriothesley disapprovingly.

"I'm getting quite enough sleep, thank you very much for your concern."

"Your eyebags would beg to differ." 

"Touché."

Sigewinne crossed her arms with a triumphant smile painted on her lips as she watched Wriothesley walk out of the room with an apologetic shrug in your direction.

The head nurse promptly rushed to your bedside to fluff up your pillows and tuck you back into bed. She quickly checked if your bandages needed to be changed again before quickly wishing you goodnight, extinguishing the lights as well and closing the door behind her.

This was what a lot of evenings that week looked like. Staying up late with Wriothesley, chatting the night away, drinking tea with the occasional kiss thrown in.

As soon as the week had passed and Wriothesley had ripped your criminal record into shreds in front of your eyes you would’ve been able to return to your old life. But you still hadn't fully regained your strength yet. So upon doctor's orders, you stayed a little longer than you needed to. Not that you particularly minded - especially since you were allowed to stay in a guest room right below Wriothesley's office, which was infinitely more comfortable than the Infirmary. 

Just a couple of weeks ago you could've never imagined staying here longer than you absolutely needed to, but now you found yourself not quite wanting to leave anymore – at least you weren’t in a hurry to do so.

You spent most of your time lounging around in Wriothesley's office, scanning the bookshelves, reading some books, going through his tea collection with growing fascination, and generally just lazing the time away in his presence.

You grew incredibly closer during that week. You spent almost every free minute he had to spare together. Mostly on the sofa in his office with your head resting on his lap while he worked through some files with his feet resting on the coffee table. 

But as soon as the day came where you were officially escorted back out of the office he was nowhere to be found. You had been told to pack your things by the guards because you were about to be escorted out of the Fortress again soon. And while you prepared your things you looked for Wriothesley around the Fortress as well, since you didn’t want to leave before saying goodbye.

So, you stopped by the Infirmary, asked Sigewinne if she’d seen him already, asked several guards and Wolsey at the Cafeteria, but to no avail. It was as if the Primordial Sea itself had swallowed him.

And thus you were meeting at the pickup spot with the guards and were escorted out without seeing him again. You knew that, back then, his reassurance that you’d see him again had been a lie and the chances for that to happen were slim. Especially since he seldom ever left the Fortress. So you entered the elevator you had arrived in with a knot in your stomach that was the size of a boulder.

During the ride up you felt how the air that wafted into the elevator shaft became clearer and fresher again and you couldn’t help but wonder about your feelings that had developed for Wriothesley. Did they just emerge out of your circumstances? Was it just because he was the only one you really ever talked to down here? For the sake of your aching heart, you hoped that was the case and you’d forget this little crush once you returned to your old life again.

Surely that would be the case.

The elevator came to a halt and opened with the same mechanical hiss it did back when you arrived at the bottom of the ocean. You stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air as some droplets of rain collided with your skin.

At last. Freedom.

You didn’t even know where to go or what to do first so you simply ventured towards the City. You had exchanged the coupons you had for Mora again and buying some tea and fresh ingredients for your favorite dish sounded like a good start.

You first went back to your house, to drop off your things and change into something more presentable than your inmate clothes that smelled like oily grease. 

You took a warm shower and slipped on your favorite clothes before heading back out with a pep in your step. The bruise on your face was still slightly visible but that wouldn’t hinder you from enjoying your regained freedom. 

You happily walked into your favorite tea store that was close to your home, greeting the old lady behind the counter enthusiastically whom you always had friendly chats with before your time in prison. She briefly looked up in your direction before knitting her brows and returning to noting things down in her notebook without ushering a single word of greeting in return.

You became slightly unsettled because it seemed like the atmosphere in the room had changed when you entered. You had never seen her behave like this before, she had always been forthcoming, friendly, and extremely chatty. Nonetheless, you went up to the counter with a smile, greeting her once more.

“Hello, it’s great to see you again Madame Dubois. I came to buy a pack of my favorite tea again.” You cheered with a wide smile, feeling ecstatic about being able to do mundane things like grocery shopping again. You fondled with your wallet, taking out the Mora you owed, still remembering how much it cost – but just as you were about to put it on the counter you saw that the woman hadn’t moved an inch and was still scribbling away in her notebook.

“Hello? Madame?” You asked in confusion, trying to gain her attention.

No response.

“Madame?”

She slowly looked up at you again and was now clearly annoyed.

“Please leave my store. I don’t want to have my reputation tarnished by serving a criminal.”

You opened and closed your mouth a couple of times, ringing for words of protest but your mind simply blanked because of the sheer audacity of the situation. So, instead of standing up for yourself you simply walked out without another word. 

You were innocent and always had been, so why would she treat you this unfairly? And even if you had actually committed a crime, wouldn’t you have served your sentence and redeemed yourself again now?

With a tarnished mood you continued your way down the street until you came by a clothes store you used to frequent. You began browsing the clothes rack outside to get your mind off of the unpleasant encounter and even found two pieces you wanted to try on.

Throwing them over your arm you walked inside the store and right into the direction of the changing room. But just as you were about to enter it, the store owner stopped you, taking the clothes you had picked out of your hands without a word.

“Uhm, I wanted to… try these on.” You ushered in defeat, already suspecting where the conversation would venture from here. You were beginning to sense a pattern here.

“You can’t try that on.” The vendor said with determination.

“Why?”

“Pft.” She scoffed eyeing you from top to bottom, clearly not in a hurry to give you any sort of reply. “You’re not fooling me. I know that you’re going to steal something if I let you go into the changing room.”

“Madam, I’m innocent. I was never a criminal to begin with. I was falsely accused and convicted.” You protested weakly, feeling the lump in your throat grow in size.

“Mhm, yeah sure. And I’m the Hydro Archon.” She scoffed once more and pointed you towards the exit. 

With sagged shoulders and the urge to cry you found yourself outside of the store again and we're just about done with the day at this point. You half-considered just going back home again and pretending this all was just a bad dream but that would mean you'd just give up.

Was this how all former criminals were treated in Fontaine after being released? If so, it was truly no surprise that no one actually ever returned from the Fortress of Meropide if this was how they were welcomed back. Not because the Fortress wouldn't let them leave even after serving their sentence – but because they were unable to leave. Because they were brandished and irredeemable in the eyes of society.

The voice of Wriothesley from months ago now echoed in your head: “Once you get used to the Fortress you’ll find yourself unable to want to leave.”

Back then you had no idea how true that sentence would ring eventually. Not only because you missed him dearly already but also because you knew things would never return to how they had been before you had been to prison. Nothing you could say to the people on the surface would change their perception of you, because they wouldn’t believe you.

You continued to walk down the street and eventually came by your favorite cafeteria. You had often spent time here before being unrightfully incarcerated. You remembered that you had always gotten along well with the owner of it – but you had the suspicion that that would change now as well.

Unsure whether or not you should even try your luck you eventually walked towards a table and sat down. But your suspicions would remain correct – you would be politely asked to leave from here as well by the man you once got along with quite well, too.

He can’t risk the good reputation of his business and the other customers might feel unsafe sitting next to a convict.

How were you ever supposed to return to a normal life again if everyone treated you with so much disdain?

You decided to just give up for today and plopped down on the side of the pavement, next to some small rose bushes out of sight, and started crying. You needed a valve for all the anger and frustration that had accumulated over the day, and if that was it, so be it.

You wanted nothing more than to return to your old life, or heck, even go back to the Fortress of Meropide. But neither of those were possible. Society had decided you were a sinner and the Fortress was off-limits since people without a criminal record couldn’t get back in. Only former prisoners with a record could go back and decide to stay there, normal citizens, however, were not given that opportunity.

“Is everything alright?” A high-pitched voice addressed you with concern.

You looked up and looked into the face of a purple Melusine with blue hair in the famous blue Fontainian officer uniform. Her eyes were filled with worry and she was leaning over slightly so she was on eye-level with you.

“Mhm, everything’s alright.” You sniffled, wiping your eyes with the back of your hand.

She didn’t look convinced and her brows furrowed even further. She looked around and hurried off before swiftly returning with a cup of tea and some pastries from the cafeteria you were unable to get even basic decency from just ten minutes ago.

With a genuine smile on her face, she handed you the items proudly.

“Here, take this. Maybe this will make your day a little better. Remember that just like after rainfall the sun will eventually shine again, there will be brighter days after crying again, too!”

Lost for words and touched by the kindness, you accepted the gift from the friendly Melusine who was already happily hopping away again. At the end of the path, she turned around once more waving and pulling the corners of her mouth up with her hands, signaling you to smile, before returning to her job.

You didn’t know whether to continue crying because you were still feeling like you were drowning at the bottom of the sea or because the only one who had shown you an ounce of humanity today had been a being who wasn’t technically human.

Just what were you supposed to do now?

A couple of weeks passed after that day and things had gone just as bad as they had on your first day. You had found a handful of shops that would still accept you as a customer, and while they weren’t your favorite of all time, they served their purpose of letting you survive.

However, you were seemingly unable to find a stable job again. Your old job no longer wanted you as an employee and all the letters of application you had sent out, had stayed unanswered. You still had enough savings to make ends meet ends for a couple more weeks but after that, you would most likely have to start selling your belongings.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough already, the realization that contrary to what you originally wanted to believe – that you’d quickly get over what you and Wriothesley had after being free again – couldn’t be further from the truth. Reintegrating into society was made impossible to you so there was also no way to distract yourself from craving to see him just one more time. Also because he would be the only one who would show you kindness, understanding and love in a time like this.

No day passed where you didn’t find yourself daydreaming about the times you had sat together and chatted the night away, how you had met up for lunch and dinner, how attractive his smile had looked, how good his aftershave had smelled – and how perfectly intoxicating his lips had felt on yours. 

Why did he not wish you goodbye when you had to leave?

And much worse was that everything reminded you of him. The coat with the red silk lining you saw while passing the clothes store. The familiar tea smell that lingered around the tea store. The whiff of perfume out of the perfumery that smelled just like him. Everything just made you miss him more and it was beginning to become excruciating. 

And on one of those days when you sat alone at home, reminiscing about your time in the Fortress of Meropide you suddenly had an idea. In your present state – without a criminal record – you were legally unable to enter the Fortress… unless-

You jumped up from your seat, your heart practically beating out of your chest over the realization that there was one way out of your predicament.

One solution.

You needed to commit a crime.

You grabbed your jacket and rushed out of your door without a moment of hesitation. You set out for the market and were practically rushing down the street now. You were dead set on your decision. The more you thought about it the more excited you got.

Once you arrived at the plaza you spotted the booth of the jeweler and headed straight in the direction of the table with big, determined steps. You already made out an expensive ruby necklace from afar that was dangling freely from the jewelry stand. That thing must be worth thirty thousand Mora minimum. Stealing that would surely land you a prison sentence for a while – and once you had that, you were free to stay in the Fortress of Meropide for as long as you wished after. You would have the necessary criminal record to make it your forever home.

Smugly smiling to yourself you arrived at the table, eyes still transfixed on the necklace that now dangled teasingly in front of your eyes. Time felt like it was moving in slow motion at this point. You purposefully reached your hand out, clutching the gem with your entire palm. The look on the face of the jeweler was changing with every millisecond that passed. His brows lifted, his eyes became wide and his mouth formed into an o-shape, ready to scream protest over the theft of one of his most precious items on display. Yet, before any of that happened – before you could yank the necklace down from the stand and make a run for it – a bigger hand enveloped your own calmly.

You could feel a chest pressed to your back and a hand on your shoulder, still expecting your plan to work. One of the guards must’ve sensed your intent and just stopped you before you could make a run for it. But the change to a calm look and the smile on the face of the jeweler told you that the situation wasn’t quite like you believed.

“This is the one you like, darling?” A deep smooth, voice inquired from behind you.

Shock shot through your system. You knew that voice like the back of your hand. You had been craving to hear it again for weeks. You had been craving for it since the day you left the prison.

What was Wriothesley doing here?

“We’ll get that one.” He declared towards the jeweler, motioning to the ruby necklace that you still clung to. He handed a small coin pouch to the man behind the booth, who was now happily smiling, weighing the Mora in his hand with a pleasant hum.

Scarred and callused fingers wrapped around your cramped fist and carefully opened your fingers, gently taking the beautiful necklace out of your grasp. 

You were still standing on the spot, unable to move as you were frozen in shock about what just happened, while the man of your dreams put the most expensive jewelry you had ever touched around your neck. Where did he even get this much money to splurge for an item like that?

No. Where did he even come from?!

“Thank you.” He nodded towards the jeweler with a handsome smile before leading you away from the booth calmly. But you could feel how tense he really was, by how hard his digits dug into your shoulder.

He dragged you into a secluded side alley behind some crates that hid you from prying eyes and promptly pushed you against the wall. An icy gaze pinned you down and the iron grip on your shoulder became impossibly tighter.

“What in God's name do you think you’re doing?” He hissed through clenched teeth.

“Nothing.” You feigned innocence. But your voice was barely even above a whisper and you found yourself unable to look him in the eyes.

“Nothing?” He gasped in disbelief. “You were about to steal that necklace just now.”

And to undermine his point he pressed the gem into your skin, which now sat between your collarbones.

“Are you insane?! You only just gained your freedom back!”

“Freedom?!” You bit back exasperated with tears welling up in your eyes out of anger and frustration over the downward spiral your life had been in for so long now. “This ain’t freedom. This is hell. I can’t do this anymore.”

“That’s not a reason to want to go back to prison!” He hissed, pushing your shoulder against the wall even harder.

“Don’t you dare lecture me about anything?! You didn’t even have the courtesy to say goodbye to me when I left.” You hissed.

“I didn’t want to make it harder for you. It was for the best.”

“Shut the fuck up.” You swore fiercely. “You don’t know anything. You don’t know what’s best for me because fuck, this isn’t it. Everyone shuns me, I can’t find a job, I can’t even buy groceries. I don’t have any–”

Before you were able to finish your tirade you were abruptly interrupted by his lips hungrily crashing into yours. 

Immediately the million questions you wanted to ask him and the shock about the situation were forgotten.

You inhaled sharply and shut your eyes and your hands immediately reached up to grab a fistful of his hair, lightly tugging on it while deepening the kiss. A low satisfied grunt vibrated through his chest as you did, sending a shiver down your spine in return. 

He pressed himself up against you, trapping you between himself and the wall. One of his hands found his way around your waist, greedily squeezing at your flesh below his palms. Further pulling you into him as he held you impossibly closer than you already were while devouring you like he was a man starved for air and you were his oxygen. 

His other hand found comfort at the back of your head, preventing it from crashing into the brick wall he pressed you against.

Slightly parted lips danced across your lips down your jaw to your collarbones. Only interrupted by his heavy pants and roaming hands that didn’t seem to know where to touch first.

“Fuck,” he muttered breathlessly with half-lidded eyes, “You drive me insane.” 

For someone who had been blessed with a Cryo vision, you were surprised at how his touch could set you ablaze so easily. Pure flames licked at your skin where he touched you. Hot open-mouthed kisses were placed wherever he could reach. Silken lips entangled with yours as you dangled on the edge of consciousness from being overwhelmed with raw emotion.

It was as if time had stopped for both of you. Lost in the intimate moment of your shared passion, somewhere in a back alley of Fontaine.

He was so close yet you wanted him to be closer. You wanted to hold him and never let him go. You wanted him to kiss you until your lips were sore and you no longer had any air to breathe.

If the kisses you had shared in the Fortress of Meropide had been addicting already then this right now was the most dangerous drug in existence. You were intoxicated by the taste and feel of his lips for no one had ever kissed you like this before. Nor did you want anyone but him ever kissing you in the same way. 

At this point he wasn't a want, he was a need. You needed him like you needed air to breathe and water to drink. And he felt the same about you. 

He carefully parted his lips, prodding the tip of his tongue against your bottom lip, practically begging for entry. And you allowed it as if it was the most natural thing in the world. 

The butterflies in your stomach did somersaults and were about to burst out of your chest when he slung both of his strong arms around your midriff to pull you even closer once again.

A string of saliva connected your lips when he separated from you to catch some air. His eyes were still clouded with emotion as they still hungrily looked at you. His face was still so dangerously close you could feel the tingling sensation of his breath on your lips. 

His arms maintained their position around your waist and he pressed his face into the crook of your neck with a deep inhale. 

“I missed you so much.” He muttered into your shoulder with a meek tone.

You felt like all the weight of the past weeks was lifted off your shoulders at once and you were finally able to breathe again – all despite being buried between the wall and a 6’3” man who was hugging the dear life out of you right now.

“So did I.” You sniffled, only now realizing you had begun to cry because you were so overwhelmed with joy.

“Please, take me with you. Don’t leave me again.” You pleaded, desperately clasping a fist into the fur of his coat. “I don’t want to stay here anymore. Not like this. Not without you.”

He sighed deeply, moving his palms to your shoulders, gently squeezing them. He looked at the floor pondering before directing his gaze back at you again.

“Are you truly sure about that?” He inquired seriously to which you just replied with a determined nod. 

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.” You answered and placed a quick peck on his lips once more. “I’d have committed a crime only so that I could be with you again.”

A low chuckle echoed through his chest and he placed a kiss at the crown of your head.

“Please don’t do that.”

You looked at him with a pout because how were you supposed to come with him when you weren’t allowed at the Fortress?

“I might have a different idea.” He announced smugly.

“And that is?”

“Work at the Fortress.”

“But… I don’t have the required qualifications for the job. I would never get accepted, let alone be even invited for an interview.” You complained, furrowing your brows.

“Well. Are you willing to learn?”

“I-I guess?” You hesitantly answer, looking up at him in confusion. “I’m not sure I follow.”

He took a step back, directed his gaze to the ground, and put his index finger to his chin, acting deep in thought.

“Well, then you’re hired.” He suddenly declared with a smug grin painted on his lips.

“What?” You huffed perplexed, causing him to snort out a laugh.

“My love,” He took your hands into his, lifting them to his lips to press a soft kiss to your knuckles. “Have you already forgotten who I am? I am the one who makes the rules down there.”

After you promptly agreed to his impromptu interview and hiring process, Wriothesley accompanied you back to your house to pack your things. He was barely able to stop himself from smiling from ear to ear. And you reciprocated that feeling. You would be getting a separate room in the Fortress that you could customize to your wishes. And the best part about it was that you technically could always return to the surface still – because, you weren’t imprisoned. You were about to start a new chapter of your life and you couldn’t be more excited.

Sure – things didn’t go like you had expected them to, but all’s well that ends well. Maybe you should stop by your old friend's house sometime to thank her for framing you for the crime you were falsely convicted of back then. After all, it netted you the Warden of the Fortress of Meropide at the end of the day.

As soon as you stood back between the high iron-clad walls that smelled like machine grease and oil you felt right at home. It was as if you had never left. But unlike the first time you arrived here, you were happy. 

You were free, you weren’t a criminal, no one would judge you here and you would be able to spend time with the man you loved. In fact, you’d even say you were happier than you probably had ever been.

Wriothesley led you to your new room, which happened to be below his office, and told you to make yourself right at home. He sat down on your bed and stayed around for a while to chat with you while you unpacked and decorated the space to your liking. Ultimately he had to excuse himself because he was called by a guard for some official business. And with a quick kiss that both of you smiled into, he was off.

You continued unpacking for only gods knew how long until your eyes eventually began to fall close on their own. When you checked the clock on the wall again you saw that it was nearly 11 p.m. already and you decided it was probably time to head to bed. 

You headed to the bathroom that was next to your room and got ready for the night, brushed your teeth, and washed your face before slipping into your favorite pajamas and settling down on your bed.

But as soon as you turned the lights off and lay down on your pillow, something hard was poking your temple. You reached below the pillow and touched something hard and round that felt incredibly cold to the touch.

What the heck?

You grabbed it and quickly pulled it out from below the pillow. The dimly lit room was immediately enveloped in a light blue light. But whatever it was that you had expected it to be it wasn’t this. The light of the orb in your hands was pulsating steadily like a heartbeat and you were quick to discern what that foreign item in your hand was. A cryo vision.

You furrowed your brows and concluded that it must be Wriothesley’s. He did sit on your bed earlier. Maybe it fell off his coat.

You shuffled out of the bed and headed back upstairs, hoping to find him in his office. 

While climbing up the stairs you could quickly make out the smell of fresh tea as well as the quiet notes of a gramophone playing classical music.

As soon as you got a view of the room you found Wriothesley sitting on his desk with closed eyes, a cup of tea held to his lips. Seeing him just enjoying himself made a smile creep up on your face as you approached him.

“Hi.” You whispered as you walked towards him on tippy-toes.

“Hi.” He set down his cup. “Did the music wake you up? I figured you must already be sleeping.”

“No, nothing like that.” You shook your head, taking the hand holding the vision out from behind your back to show it to him. “I found this under my pillow, I think you must’ve lost it earlier.” You discerned, looking at the glowing vision in your hand.

Wriothesley eyed you and then the vision curiously as he jumped up from his desk and walked up to you. 

He gently put his palm around your hand that was holding the vision, closing your fingers back around it again with a soft smile.

He lifted your chin so you looked him in the eyes before speaking again.

“It’s yours.” He declared.

“What? Stupid! I can’t keep your vision! You need it!” You began protesting but were quickly shut up when Wriothesley slipped the coat off his shoulder, revealing the blue orb that was still danging down from one shoulder.

“It’s not mine.”

Your mouth fell open and a thousand thoughts started racing in your mind. How could this be? You? A vision bearer? But you didn’t even feel anything. Wouldn’t receiving a vision be more flashy than simply finding it below your pillow?

“It seems like even the gods think you’ve finally found your place in the world.” He ushered proudly, slinging his arms around your shoulders and pressing a soft kiss to the crown of your head with a gentle smile.

“I don’t even know how to use it.” You muttered with uncertainty.

“I’ll show you.”

If the gods think you’ve managed to find your place then you’d simply have to trust their judgement. And if you honestly listened to your heart you would probably agree with them.

Whenever you looked at Wriothesley, you felt like you had finally found the place where you belonged. 

You were home.

Because home is where he is.

Do not repost, copy, translate or edit - © dustofthedailylife || reblogs, comments, and asks about Genshin or my fics are always greatly appreciated and motivate me! Maple dividers are mine - do not copy.

[pandora-writes-one-piece]

The Meet Cute - Ace's Story - 9

Source for pic

Firestarter 9

Word Count: 4410

Tags For The Whole Story: Fem!Reader, slight NSFW (It's mature, not explicit), slightly sugestive behaviour, flirting, jealousy, frenemies, sexual tension, miscommunication, unresolved tension, slight angst, slow-burn, romantic comedy vibes, alternate universe modern setting, swearing, drinking, fluff, feelings realisation, denial of feelings.

Special Warning: English is not my first language, I apologise for any possible spelling or grammar mistakes.

Summary: After moving away from the hustle and bustle of Grand Line City to help your father around the property following a horse-riding accident - and in the hopes of healing your broken heart after your asshole ex-fiancé cheated - you settle into the country calmness of the Calm Belt. You intended to have some alone time, to reflect and heal, but your childhood friend's older brother, Ace, seems to be there just to upset that fragile peace you're striving for. He's a flirt and a womaniser. But why does he also have to be so handsome and perfect? And how long can you resist his charms?

Notes: Almost at the end! I was planning on having only 10 chapters, but chapter 10 - which is in Ace's POV - is starting to get big. So maybe 10 and an epilogue? We'll see! Also, sorry if the next chapter will suffer a little delay, I will try to finish it soon, but life has been getting in the way! 😶

Tag List: @rosidaze @beachaddict48 @armiliadawn

Masterlist for previous introductory chapters.

|Previous Chapter 🔞 | | |Next Chapter|

Days roll by slowly and you feel the happiest you've ever been. The only time you're apart from Ace is when he's working or when you're helping your father. You spend all the rest of your time together, hanging out, getting to know each other, and having so much sex.

You have only spent one night apart since you two hooked up. The night after you visited the fire station, he told you he was busy with work because the reports from the whole week had piled up and he was going to pull an all-nighter, so he couldn't be with you. The other nights were spent in each other’s company. 

You slept with him at the fire station once and then he developed the habit of climbing your bedroom window so you could be together. Even though he usually arrives when you're already asleep - because of work - and it's not until you sense his hot touches and lingering kisses that you realise he's next to you. 

And you both have to be very quiet, because Shanks would be very mad if he found you desecrating your childhood bed. 

Finally the last day of the Jubilee arrives and it's Ace's day off work, so you decide to turn it into a proper date. You'll eat something there, play a few games - you've been eyeing a giant stuffed panda since the first day - maybe ride the Ferris wheel, and then Ace suggests driving to your spot for a privileged view of the fireworks at midnight. 

And after… 

Well, you'll both see where the night takes you. 

You have already eaten some snacks at the food stalls and are now enjoying a piece of candy floss - which Ace keeps stealing from you - when a little kid bumps into your leg and falls on his butt. It takes you a bit to calm him down and find his parents and suddenly you lose sight of Ace. 

Raising your eyebrow, you take another bite of your candy and wait in the same spot. He might have seen someone he knew and wandered off to say hello. 

“Did you miss me, Firestarter? I've only been gone for five minutes.” He says from behind, near your ear as he lays a kiss on your cheek. 

“Oh, barely even noticed you were gone.” Sticking out your tongue at him, you offer the rest of the candy and he happily takes it. “Why were you gone?”

“Business.” He chuckles softly and winks, letting you know that he will either tell you later or it's a surprise. “Let's go to the Ferris wheel.” 

You take the hand he offers you and smile at the giddiness you feel from such a simple gesture. It's amazing how he can warm your heart just by holding your hand. Waiting in line for the wheel takes almost no time and you both hop into the booth, settling in together and sighing at the sight.

You're about to snuggle into his embrace when he takes something from his pocket and you raise your eyebrow. “Turn.” He instructs, rotating a finger to indicate you should turn your back on him. Curious, you do as he tells you. 

His fingers are soft and warm as he moves little strands of your hair aside. You hear a small clasp and then he places a necklace on your chest, clasping it at the back. It's a locket with a heart. 

“This is lovely, Ace. It's beautiful.”

His lips scorch your skin as he presses them against your nape. He murmurs an agreement and continues his worship down your exposed spine, leaving a trail of kisses and feather-like touches, creating a burning and aching sensation all over your body. 

“Ace…” You whine and melt into his touch. 

“You're so perfect.” He keeps murmuring sweet nothings against your skin and you turn around, enveloping his neck in your arms and losing yourself against his lips in a passionate kiss. 

No outside view compares to the stars his touch reveals. The languid strokes of his tongue against yours trace out a constellation of your own, while his fingers caress your skin, igniting goosebumps like the fiery trail of a meteor. 

The booth comes to a stop far earlier than both of you would like and you emerge flushing, panting and quite dishevelled. Both sporting equally goofy grins of fools in love. 

No, that's not true. You know you're in love, but you have no idea how Ace feels about you. 

Maybe you'll confess once the fireworks start? See how he feels about you. You know he cares for you, that much you can tell. And you're willing to wait, if he's not at the same stage as you are, since he did claim to want a serious relationship. 

Yeah, you'll ask him. 

As the resolution sets in and the midnight hour approaches, you start to make your way back to the car, but Ace gets called over by some friends and you tell him to go say hi as you browse some vendor stands. 

“So you're Ace's new thing?” The voice is haughty and scornful and it takes a hot minute for you to realise that the person is talking to you. 

“Excuse me?” You ask as you turn around and are greeted by a tall, elegant girl with a snide smile. 

“Honey, don't play dumb.” She spits as she throws her hair over her shoulder. “Ace likes to have playthings to toy with from time to time. He gets tired of his one-night stands and dates a rando for a few weeks. Until he gets bored.” She laughs a high-pitched annoying laugh into her hand and stares at you from top to bottom, making you feel self-conscious about your casual outfit - denim overall shorts and a cute over the belly top. “Oh, and honey, you are certainly boring.”

The remark leaves a hot blush on your cheeks as it stings. This girl is poking her finger in the wound and digging, making it worse. She's the type of girl Ace would go for: tall, skinny, pretty. And you… you're just you. A normal girl, nothing too special. 

“Enjoy your time with him, sunshine, soon enough, he'll trade up. I'm sure he's told you you're special, and that he's never met someone like you; that you were never just some random girl, right? Does he have a special nickname for you, too?”

You're pretty sure your teeth will snap from all the grinding they're doing. You want to tell this girl to go to hell because you know Ace cares for you. But what she's saying strikes too close to the truth for your liking. It's all too real. And that's when she hits you with the final blow. 

“I bet he's taking you to his special place to see the fireworks, right? Think you're the only one, honey? Think again. Been there, done that. And here I am. Jilted, as you'll also be.” She gives another high-pitched cackle and you swallow the lump in your throat. There's nothing you can say to her. No comeback, no witty response. She's telling the truth, you're sure of it. “And think about it, honeybee, didn't he tell you the other night he was too busy to spend the night with you? You thought it was about work? Oh, honey…”

You practically freeze on the spot. Yes you thought he was busy with work. You didn't doubt it at all! But if she knew about this, could she have been the one to spend time with him? And here you thought that you were actually special, that this time he was telling the truth and really wanted to be with you. 

Turns out you really are just another girl? 

You see Ace coming back and the girl disappears just as quickly as she appeared. You're standing in the same spot, heart thumping against your chest, eyes prickling and throat dry. 

“Hey, Firestarter, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost.” He touches your cheek softly and you recoil, a hurt look on your features. “What's wrong?” Ace eyes you with confusion. 

But you don't quite know what to tell him. “I… this girl…” You take a deep steadying breath. “I… never mind.” Swallowing the huge lump that has formed in your throat, you reluctantly accept his hand. 

Your head keeps replaying the words that girl told you, like a broken record, echoing them over and over. And every time your heart constricts harder against your chest as tears start to prickle the corners of your eyes. Once you reach the jeep, you feel Ace's worried look burning into you, yet when he asks you what's wrong again, you don't really know what to tell him. 

You don't know if you're just making things up in your head or if what the girl said is true. What you do know is that your already fleeting trust in Ace has been rattled. And you feel more insecure than ever. 

“Can you take me home, Ace, please?” Your voice is a mere whisper and you can't force your eyes to meet his. Are you really just another thing for him to play with when he's bored? Or are you actually as special as he makes you feel? You need time alone to process and think and you can't do it with him giving you worrying looks. 

“You don't want to go see the fireworks? At our spot?” He sounds more sad than upset, but you shake your head at his words. A scornful expression on your lips as a dry chuckle rumbles through your throat. 

“Is it really our spot, Ace? You told me it was special and you wanted to show it to me because I am special. And that's fine. But I'm not the only special girl you've had in your life, am I? I'm just your current special girl.” You're stubborn, and so are your tears. Yet you're not surprised when one breaks through the barrier you were constructing and falls down your cheek. “And that's also okay! You've had your life before me, and I can't blame you for that! Especially because I knew that before we happened.” A silly little sob escapes your lips and Ace stares at you, helpless. It looks as if he wants to hold you and comfort you, but you're giving him all the signs that you want him to stay away from you, so he does just that. 

“I'm really confused at the moment, Ace. Please, take me home.” You climb into the passenger seat, vowing not to say anything else because you're feeling hurt and slighted and you know you'll snap and end up shouting and getting mad at Ace. 

And you can't really do that. You told him the truth. He had a life before you reconnected. He could have dated, fucked, kissed half the town or the whole town. It was none of your business. 

It still hurts, though. Because you really were starting to feel special. In your mind you had a made-up scenario where Ace had never felt for anyone the way he feels for you. That you're the first girl he ever fell in love with. Yet, according to that girl, there were other special girls before. And it should be fine, as you keep repeating to yourself. 

But it's not fine. 

Because you wanted to be special for Ace. 

And you're not. 

Ace climbs into the jeep and before starting the engine, his eyes try to pry some kind of information from you as to why you're behaving like this. You keep silent and face the window, effectively shutting him out. Sighing deeply he starts the car at the same time bright lights erupt in the sky, though neither of you cares to watch them now. 

When Ace stops the jeep in front of your porch, you climb out immediately and he follows you. You're halfway up the stairs when he grabs your wrist to stop you. The burn in your eyes is getting stronger and you just want to open the dam and cry your heart out. 

Whispering your name Ace wills you to turn. You do, reluctantly, but have trouble facing his gaze. 

“Are you going to at least tell me what happened before you go?” He sounds so distraught. Enough to make you glimpse at his dark eyes, though your expression is still very sombre and pained. 

“A girl came to talk to me, Ace. She told me you had a tendency to get bored of one-night stands when you found a special girl. You would give her a cute nickname, treat her as if she's the only girl in the world, take her to your special place and then, once you got bored again, you traded up. She made it quite clear that I'm not your type at all.” You couldn't help the sting and venom from dripping out of your words. 

You had been mulling over the girl's words during the silent ride, growing angrier and angrier at them, at her, and at yourself. You were the gullible one for believing that someone would find you special. 

“But you are special.” He says frowning and tugging at your wrist in a feeble attempt to get you to descend the steps and come closer to him. Yet you don't relent. 

“Yet you can't deny what she said.”

He looks down and sighs. “I don't lie to you, Firestarter. You know that. You know there were other girls before, but I have never taken them to our place. And they might have been special if you want to call them that, but none of them compares to you.”

You do know that he doesn't lie to you. He told you that and you chose to believe it. 

Though… “The other night when you said you were busy, did you meet with a girl?”

Ace grits his teeth and avoids your gaze as your jaw drops in surprise. He's not denying it. 

“It's not what you think. She came by the station to-...”

You pull your wrist hard, away from him and he has no choice but to open his hand for fear of hurting you and he lets you go. “I don't want to hear this right now, Ace. I don't. I need to think.” You place your index and thumb against the bridge of your nose, trying to both contain a throbbing headache and the torrent of incoming tears. “I need some time apart to think things through and if you start to sputter excuses I'll just be angry and that's not what I want. I need to think about us objectively.”

You take a step back, climbing another step, still shaking your head and raising your hand to stop his words or his strides. To stop him. Period. 

“Don't reach out, Ace. Don't. I'll speak with you when I'm ready.” You make the mistake of looking into his face before you turn and you can almost feel your heart shatter into tiny pieces. 

He looks devastated. 

Yet, so do you. 

-*-

You barely sleep all night and each time you get up - often, actually - to get food, water or use the bathroom, you notice that Ace has a small light on in his room as well. He must be struggling to find sleep, too. 

Every time you think about the look on his face, you feel like crying. It seems as if you are special to him, it really does. But are you, really? Or is it just wishful thinking? 

Deep down you have trust issues that still need healing. Your ex cheating on you only brought them to the surface, but you know enough about trauma to realise that many of these issues stem from childhood and from feeling abandoned by Shanks. Although you hold no grudge against your father, you know you still haven't fully healed. Little triggers like what happened with that girl, are all it takes to get you spiralling out of control. 

You know you need to deeply evaluate your feelings for Ace before taking this relationship further. Because there will always be girls from his past. Ace has been around. You knew that. So it's bound to happen. 

Girls hold grudges like a miser hoards gold! 

They will come and try to claim him, throw you off with hurtful words, and plant seeds of doubt in your mind. You need to decide now if you are willing - and strong enough - to face that every now and then. 

And if the relationship you build will be strong enough to withstand it. 

Sighing, you check your phone again. You're fighting hard against calling him. You've caught him writing something to you twice, seeing the speech bubbles appear. Yet, he hasn’t sent any text. Although part of you wishes he had reached out, another part of you is glad he's respecting your request. 

You do need time to process. 

Your heart, however, doesn’t. It keeps pounding relentlessly against your chest, reminding you it has already made its decision: it wants Ace. Desperately. It's a longing and a yearning so deep it almost aches. 

You miss him. 

You miss his scent, his touch, his voice and his kisses. You need him. 

You cuddle the pillow he uses when he visits and take a deep sniff, filling your lungs with his scent and shed a few more tears. The only other night you've spent apart was… 

The one the girl knew about. The one he was probably with her. 

Sitting up you throw his pillow to the floor and cross your legs, finding your phone and unlocking it. You find Luffy’s contact and rejoice when you realise he's online. You had a vague idea he was at the firestation today, but this confirms it. 

You call, and it rings twice before he answers, greeting you with your name. “How are you?” He sounds worried. Has Ace spoken to him already? 

“Hey, Loof.” Your voice sounds hoarse and raspy from all the crying. “I'm… feeling shitty.” You chuckle softly while fiddling with your ankle bracelet. 

“Ace told me you needed some time apart from him.” He sounds serious, which is so rare that you sit up straighter. “Want to talk about it?”

“Hmm, hmm.” You mumble between a sob and a hiccup. 

He calls your name again with a sigh. “Ace really likes you. I've never heard him speak about someone the way he does about you. He even told Grandpa you two were getting serious. He never tells Grandpa anything!”

The pressure on your chest builds up and starts to expand. Does he really think you're special?

“Loof… this girl came to me at the festival. She knew Ace couldn't be with me the other night. She implied she was with him and when I asked him, he didn't deny it.”

You sound miserable. You can't help but think that perhaps you're the one keeping yourself from being happy. You've had that thought before. When you discovered that Ichiji was cheating on you, your first thought was that it was your fault. That you deserved to be cheated on because you hadn’t tried hard enough. 

And now, your mind instantly goes to the same place. Ace spent the night with another girl because you just aren't good enough for him. You're not what he wants in a girl. 

Completely ignoring everything he tells you and how he acts towards you. Because he keeps acting devoted and dedicated to you, and you're too dumb or too self-absorbed in self-pity to realise it. 

Perhaps it's time to stop feeling sorry for the misery you create for yourself and start taking responsibility for your actions. 

Ultimately, you have to be the one responsible for your fate. 

“I know who she is. Ace was with her for a little while, but it wasn't that serious. I didn't even meet her officially… Anyway, she did come by the station the other day, when Ace was working. He was talking to you on the phone when she came looking for him. The station issn’t exactly private if you're not in the rooms, and he wasn't. Maybe she overheard the conversation between the two of you?” He exhales your name on the other side. “She was barely here for five minutes. Ace told her off and she left pouting. I'm sure that whatever she told you was meant to try and split you up.”

You're seething now. Obviously it was meant to split you two up! She couldn't know about your trust issues, but anyone who's dating Ace has to have them. He's a player. There will always be a nagging feeling about other girls he's been with. So it wasn't exactly a shot in the dark. She baited the hook and you swallowed it whole. 

You can bet she's just waiting for you to blow up your relationship - or beginnings of one - to smithereens so she can pick up Ace's pieces and help him get over you. 

“Fucking hell, she will!”

Luffy laughs on the other end. A short shishishi that gets you laughing along with him. “That's the spirit!”

Tears are still streaming down your face. But you might've reached a decision. You're going to take that leap of faith and give all of yourself to Ace. No reservations. You need to accept him for who he is. 

And, more importantly, you need to trust him. 

The previous plan will have to go back into action. Tell him you love him. Maybe you can build from there? Because you do love him. And there's no bitch in the world that's going to tear you apart like that. 

“Thank you, Luffy. That was enlightening. I needed that.” You sigh into the phone, your voice much lighter. 

“Anytime! You know, I really like my dumb brother.” And he laughs again, making you chuckle with him. “I've never seen him as happy as he's been these last few days. So talk to him soon, will you?”

You promise to do it first thing tomorrow since sleep is finally claiming you, and you say your goodbyes to your friend. Before going to bed, you pick up Ace's pillow from the floor and check out his window - the lights are now out. 

Okay, you'll both get to sleep on it. Tomorrow is a new day. 

-*-

Yet, tomorrow begins with a raging storm. There's pouring rain everywhere and you rush to help Shanks with the animals. Both of you are working hard and pulling the hay bales inside the barn, because the forecast did not foresee this deluge, and the bales were fine outside. 

Shanks tells you he tried to call Ace to help - your heart somersaults - but he was heading to the station to help since there were floods all over town. 

Well that's just another thing the storm manages to hinder. Your encounter with Ace. You were planning on heading to his house as soon as you helped Shanks, to talk with him, yet you can't do that now because he's not there. 

And there's no use in calling him. For two reasons, actually: one, he's probably super busy and two, the lines are acting up because of the storm and the service is down. 

So you decide to wait out the storm. 

Yet, the afternoon rolls by without any sign of the storm stopping, and now you're overly anxious. Ace is still not home - the jeep is out - and you need to speak with him. You don't think Luffy would've shared your conversation with his brother so Ace is probably still feeling devastated by the way you parted yesterday. You feel responsible. And you miss him so much. 

You try to call him again and by the third time, you finally get through. 

Ace sputters your name with surprise. “Ace!” You can barely hear him and you're pretty sure he can barely hear you. There's lots of static and the thunder and pouring rain don't help at all. “Ace! Can you hear me?”

“Barely!” He says something else but you can't understand it. 

“Are you at the station?”

“Yes.”

“I'm going to meet you there! We need to talk.”

You're not sure he heard you at all, but you think you hear him saying for you to stay home. Probably because of the storm. Yet, it seems like the rain has finally relented so what better time to go to him than now?

You're not quite sure if he hears you or not, but you need to get this off your chest before you go. “Ace, I love you.”

You hold on a second but are only greeted by static. He might not have heard you. 

Sighing, you get the car keys and send a text to your dad - even if you don’t know if he’ll get it or not, so you’ll leave a note in the kitchen as well. Shanks is over at Benn Beckman helping him because the roof of the barn broke and they need to fix it because all the animals are getting wet. Shanks promised he would not get on top of the roof, in case his back gave out, but he's still helping out any way he can. So you let him know you are going out so he doesn't worry. 

You've gotten into the habit of patting your car before turning the ignition and it responds well to praise, so that's exactly what you do before starting the engine and it doesn't let you down. 

Grinning, you make your way to the station, going well under the limit because the road is wet, slippery and the rain reduces your visibility significantly. 

You can't wait to see Ace. You need to feel him against you. There's an unending desire to feel his lips moving in tandem with yours, his tongue caressing your own as his hands explore you. The stupid silly grin doesn't leave your face. 

Not even when you spot the tiny black cat in the middle of the road and you swerve right to avoid hitting the poor thing. 

Not even when your car slips and slides as you push the brakes. 

Not when the deafening sound of metal crashing, windows breaking and the sickening crunch of broken bones fills your ears. 

It all happens too fast. 

Then darkness descends just as quickly.

[kooahae]

After Last Night: Jungkook's announcement

Read the previous drabble here

The next chapter here by release date

Summary: Jungkook has something he'd like to share with his loved ones.

Pairing: best friends to lovers/established relationship,Jungkook X female reader 

Warnings: mentions of drinking but other than that none :) super cute fluff this time around. and like usual ...they are so down bad for each other.<3

Word count:  2.3K

A/N: I promised one more fluff before the angst so just letting you know the next drabble will be a bit darker, but as always thank you for reading <3

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

If these last two months taught you anything, Nothing beats waking up to Jungkook. He smells good, always showers you with kisses, makes you breakfast, and makes you feel safe and warm. Today you noticed he’s being extra affectionate- which almost seems impossible given who you’re talking about. You can’t complain though, It feels super nice to be desired all the time and It’s even better when the person loves you as equally as you love them.

“Wake up baby.” Jungkook plants a kiss on your collarbone. 

“I am up. You’ve been kissing me everywhere for like 15 minutes straight. I was just enjoying it.” You reply with a grin creeping onto your face.

Once you open your eyes, you’re met with a shirtless Jungkook hovering over you. You drape your arms around his neck to be greeted by the biggest grin on his face. 

“We have stuff to do today!” Jungkook states, his excitement evident. 

You Just nod- You do recall him saying his mom asked for you both to visit this weekend. You’re not surprised either. Jungkook is a serious mama’s boy. You understand though. No one is as cool as Mrs. Jeon, but back to what’s right in front of you. World’s most perfect boyfriend.

“You’re so pretty at every hour of the day.” He says cupping your face. 

How could you not want to wake up to this every day?

“I love you.” You state and he smiles. 

“I love you too. Come on gorgeous, let’s start our day.” 

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You’re finally finished getting ready, and you can tell you look great because Jungkook can’t stop complimenting you. 

“I have the hottest girlfriend ever.”  He says and you smile. 

“You’re perfect and sweet, thank you, baby.” You respond, pecking him on the lips. 

You’ll never get tired of that either.

“I’m gonna put bam in the car, then I’ll be back up to help you carry anything you may be bringing.” 

You nod. As he walks out, you check your outfit one more time. Your top is just a basic crop shirt, your jeans are snatching you in all the right places and you picked the best pair of sneakers to match. You look great and casual. You don’t know why you’re so nervous either, you’ve known his family your whole existence. You’re just going there in an elevated role in Jungkook’s life, you’re still the same person they’ve known.

“Ready baby?” Jungkook’s voice rips you out of your thoughts.  You nod yes and turn to him. 

“Let’s go.” You say and flash him a smile. 

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

The car ride is almost a full two hours due to traffic, but Jungkook and you have been singing at the top of your lungs and pointing out the scenery on your way. He’s also been stealing kisses at every light and telling you how excited he is to see his family. You know Jungkook is his family’s shining star, so the feeling will be mutual for them. It always makes you smile to see them interact. Even more so, it makes you grateful to be cared about and included. 

You notice you’re about 10 minutes away from his parent’s house, so you check the mirror and touch up your lip gloss. 

“You look perfect baby, plus it’s just my family. You’ve known them forever.”  He says gripping your thigh as he enters the driveway. 

You gave yourself that pep talk earlier, it’s funny that it’s actually him saying it to you now- he’s right though!

“I know but I just can’t help the butterflies I feel.”  You tell him truthfully

Jungkook parks the car and looks at you. “Are they because of me?” He says with a flirty smile. 

They weren’t before but now…

“Yeah.” You say smiling at him. 

“Yeah?” He asks one more time, raising an eyebrow still grinning and leaning in

But Bam’s barking interrupts you. -you almost forgot he was in the backseat. You both look and see he’s barking at Jin who is standing in the doorway.

“Come on pretty,” Jungkook says pecking your nose one more time as he opens the back door to let bam out-then yours. He makes sure he grabs your bag and his as well. 

Jin is tackled by Bam before he can greet you both like he usually would. You would help him up but when Bam is this excited, there’s no stopping him. 

“Have fun with that hyungie!”  Jungkook states while smiling and laughing at his brother. 

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

 “There’s my sweetheart!!” Jungkook’s mom yells out of excitement as she comes to hug you.

“Hi, Mrs. Jeon I’ve missed you so much!” You hug her back. You see his dad approaching as well. 

“Just so beautiful and youthful!” She says placing a hand on your shoulder delicately. 

“Um, what about me?” Jungkook pouts. 

“My handsome boy!!” She yells mimicking the excitement she had speaking to you, causing you to chuckle. 

You hug Jungkook’s dad and so does he then his mom asks for your help in the kitchen while he takes the bags to his bedroom. 

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

You and Jungkook’s mom have a great relationship. You always loved helping her cook dinner -one because Jungkook always comes into the kitchen super excited when dinner is done and, it taught you and Jungkook both how to cook. Secondly, nothing beats the little gossip sessions you always get to have with her before the boys come in. 

You’ve been listening to her talk about Jin and his love life, she really wants to be a grandmother soon.  

Mr. Jeon and Jin walk into the kitchen to sit in the bar area, so you guys stop the conversation- girl time is strictly girl time. Plus Jin would probably freak out and go on a rant about how having Jungkook as a little brother is room to not have a kid. 

Everyone is just conversing and then Jungkook walks in.

“It’s so different being here instead of home isn’t it?” He says looking at you. 

He’s so pretty.  You nod your head in agreement.

“Oh, I knew there was something I wanted to ask about. We heard you moved back into the condo with Jungkook. What’s new with you since you’re single? Anyone pursuing our girl that I should be on standby about?” His dad asks. 

Oh? 

Single? 

Last time you checked you’ve been in a relationship for two months… 

You’re about to speak but someone beats you to it.  

“Ahh, that’s why we are here!” Jungkook stands up and comes behind you moving the spatula you had in your hand and pulls you into him. 

You tilt your head up at Jungkook furrowing your eyebrows- you’re still confused…

Didn’t his mom invite you guys? 

She didn’t like Seojun, and from what you know about Mrs. Jeon, something you’ve known your whole life- she doesn’t pry too much unless it concerns someone’s overall well-being. 

“I asked if we could come.” He says immediately looking down at you smiling. Rubbing his fingers over your eyebrows to smooth them down, a motion he does often. Telling you to stop worrying.

He also knows he would have been in for it if he was hiding the relationship from them.  

“I wanted to tell everyone I have a girlfriend and that it’s someone everyone approves of.” He says pecking your lips.

“Mom, Dad..” He says looking up at them proudly with the biggest grin. Then he looks at you in the eyes.

“This is my girlfriend, She’s super smart, kind, and takes good care of me. I like taking care of her too. You guys will definitely approve” He says as if they don’t know you- he’s so cute. You can tell it was important to him to make an announcement in person. Which makes you feel good too.

Leave it to Jungkook to find a way to be outrageously cute. 

“That is great news! Congratulations to you both!” Mr. Jeon says smiling widely 

“Finally, now I can stop acting like I don’t know,” Jin says taking a sip of water, before he and Jungkook wink and send each other finger pistols. 

“Sorry, it took so long for me to tell you,” he says once he realizes Jin just exposed what he knew first. 

His mom? She’s super quiet…

“It has to be the best day of our lives…” She finally says. 

“As parents, all we have ever wanted was for you to bring someone that’s at least half of her standard home…but it’s actually the best news I could ask for as your mom! My beautiful son has found an equally beautiful person.” She says grabbing your hand and nodding in approval. 

“ And the best part is, she was here all along,” Jungkook says as he goes to embrace his mom. 

“Let’s drink!” Mr. Jeon says excitedly. 

You smile. This is your family too, always has been. You love it here.

“Highballs!” The males of the family shout in unison. 

Yep- you’re definitely in good company. 

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

After a few drinks and eating together, you’re all sitting around telling stories.

“Who said the L word first?” His dad asks - he looks like he’s invested in the newest rom-com.

Jungkook smiles “Me! Do you know how long I waited to tell her? Practically my whole life.”

His dad just smiles and nods. “I was always telling your mom you both were completely smitten over each other. I���m glad to be right.”

“I said it first, I know our son!” She says lightly slapping his shoulder.

They’ve always been so playful with each other. You hope you and Jungkook stay like that too. 

You all continue to play games and drink. Bam of course is making his presence known every few seconds he goes without attention from you and Jungkook.  

Jungkook can tell you’re getting sleepy as you lean your head onto his shoulder while everyone continues to play the board game. 

He tilts your head up with his finger under your chin. 

“We can go to sleep after this, okay?” You smile lightly and kiss his dimple. 

“Okay.”

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

“Goodnight everyone!” You yell as you and Jungkook walk up to his bedroom. 

“Goodnight, see you in the morning for breakfast.” His parents say in response. 

You’re so damn lucky you think to yourself. You already know what you’re walking into when you’re here and it’s one of the most comfortable atmospheres to be apart of, just like when you were younger.

Once you finally change into your pajamas and crawl into bed, you watch Jungkook remove his shirt and change into sweatpants before joining you. You immediately scoot closer to him

He looks you in the eyes as he brushes your hair out of your face.

“What are you thinking about baby girl?” He asks

“I haven’t been in your room in what feels like forever. Do you remember when we snuck out to that party in 9th grade? We really thought no one would notice us trying to climb into the window” You smile, tracing his tattoos as you lay your head on him. 

“Yeah I do, I wanted to confess to you that night. I was so mad that we got in trouble. It ruined my proposal.”

“Oh yeah? How would you have told me?” You say and look into his eyes. After all these years, they still have that pure, one-of-a-kind sparkle- always tugging at your heart.

“Now that we are older. I was gonna ask in such a lame way. I prepared one of those singing cards that played a song and the ending just was me saying ‘Ahhh___ I like you. So like me back please’ ”  You both laugh. 

“I liked you then too. I would have said yes” You say reassuring him and his card idea from back then. 

You both stare at each other, enjoying the silence but comfortable aura surrounding you. 

You then notice Jungkook is thinking about something.

“Kook? What’s up?” You say lifting your head some more.

“About earlier, I’m sorry for not telling you baby. I just wanted to have a bragging moment.” He says smiling. 

“Bragging?” You say and he nods his head confirming. 

“Yeah. I didn’t mean for it to take you by surprise… it’s just that I have the prettiest, smartest, loyal, hard-working, sexy, fun, and loving girlfriend ever. Of course, It needed a big announcement. I brought the love of my life home with me.“  Jungkook’s cheeks are slightly red from the blush creeping up on them

You’re sure you look the same as you hover over him and kiss him. 

“You’re always making me feel special,” you say. Jungkook feels his heart start to beat out of his chest. 

“That’s all I wanna do.” He says reassuring you, leaning up into the kiss before he pulls you down with him. 

“We aren’t home.” You remind him and he smirks.

“ I was going to behave, I promise.” He says as you reach to turn the light off.

“Let’s get some sleep.” You say nuzzling into his neck, but not before he can plant the soothing kiss on your lips. 

“I love you, Goodnight princess.” 

“I love you more, Goodnight baby.”

You and Jungkook fall asleep in the same room you used to when you were younger. You’re so happy that the same arms you get to wake up to are holding you as you slumber. You’re even more grateful his family took the news well. You had a really great day, and it’s all because Jungkook never falls short. 

You make a promise to yourself to always make sure to treat him just as beautifully as he treats you. 

Taglist: @joyfulwobblerhoagieegg @diorh0seokie @jennafromhome @taesungx @kimber-kook @whoa-jo @kaiparkerwifes @yoonglesbby07 @bangtansoneyondanfan

[kellycataclysm]

The story so far for Lyra and Harvey

This is long so settle in.

Let's begin with a link to my AO3.

The Words We Never Say is the story that started it all and is very nearly finished! Two chapters to go!

You could read it if you like, or you could start back at the beginning in Year Zero/One. Allow me to give you a suggested storyline to follow.

Please be reminded that the content I write is NSFW as I am writing adult relationships and they contain adult situations.

Meant To Be - A 'What If...?' tale set in the summer of Year Zero, a turning point in Lyra's life and a chance meeting with someone that may leave a lasting impression...

Ask Me Anything - Two flirtatious friends. Only one bed. An opportunity to get to know each other a little better.

Whispered Dreams of Stardust - The night of their first kiss and what happens next.

I Really Should Go - The words of two very polite people who really don't want to leave. Harvey and Lyra's first night together.

Walk of Shame - The morning after the night before for Harvey.

NEW WIP - Waiting for Your Embrace - Spirit's Eve, year one. Dressed in their finest costumes, Harvey waits for Lyra in the maze before taking her away, somewhere quiet, just the two of them...

Risky Business - Lyra and Harvey get a little carried away at the spa. What's a little risk when you're sure you've met the love of your life?

Always in my Dreams - Takes place after they said those three little words. (Let's get coffee... no, you know the ones I mean. ily.)

The Coffee Connection - Year One from Lyra's perspective.

NEW WIP - Snowbound - Harvey's Birthday, year one. Lyra and Harvey barely even notice the snowstorm outside when they only have eyes for each other. Harvey asks to try something for his birthday and Lyra is only too happy to go along for the ride. It all starts with a blindfold...

Picture Perfect - Harvey explores his feelings for Lyra while away at a medical conference.

One Weekend in Winter - Lyra and Harvey are reunited after his trip. A special moment in their relationship.

The Magic of Falling Snowflakes - Inspired by the spectacular art that I was gifted as part of our Winter Star gift exchange. Harvey moves in with Lyra and finally finds his home.

Steal Your Heart - Year One from Harvey's perspective.

A Sense of You - A fluffy story of one winter night just after Harvey moves in with Lyra.

Mirror, Mirror - Slow dancing to Billie Holiday. Champagne kisses and fireworks. New Year's Eve for Lyra and Harvey.

Texting Temptation - Harvey has to survive a day at the clinic during which Lyra sends him many tempting messages and pictures. Tease.

NEW WIP - As yet untitled one-shot. Harvey takes care of everyone. He definitely takes care of Lyra, in so many ways. Wouldn't it be nice, especially on their honeymoon, if they switched things up a little?

Wild Hearts in the Wildflowers - Lyra and Harvey in their honeymoon period, at the Flower Dance.

Echoes of Autumn, Snapshots from Spring - A collection of moments throughout their lives, inspired by Inktober and Kinktober.

My long fic, full of melancholy, yearning, fluff, and spice takes place at the end of year six, in which Stardust and Harvey have been together for five years and need some help remembering what brought them together in the first place.

Year Six also includes a small one-shot, told through the eyes of their daughter, called The Fairy Garden.

Thank you so much to the ever-generous, supremely sweet, and endlessly talented @saradika-graphics for these absolutely beautiful dividers. Go see and read everything they do! All utterly wonderful!

[iwamaye2]

Chapter 2: Racing Hearts

Welcome back!!! thank you for the ongoing support it means the world to me! I am so glad y'all are loving the story as much as I love writing it. Once again my requests are open so feel free to submit them if you'd like. 18+ Content warnings is as follows: Romantic and Intimate Scenes, Parental Conflict, and Professional Rivalry.

The soft morning light filtered through the curtains of Toto's penthouse hotel room, casting a warm glow over the rumpled sheets. You stirred, your body nestled against Toto's, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath your cheek. The events of the previous night played back in your mind - a whirlwind of passion and connection that left you feeling closer to him than ever before.

Toto's arm tightened around you as he began to wake up, his eyes slowly opening to meet yours. A sleepy smile spread across his face, and your's as well. "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured, his voice deep and husky from sleep. "Good morning," you replied, reaching up to brush a lock of hair from his forehead. "Last night was..." "Unforgettable," Toto finished, leaning in to kiss you softly. You said "I wish we could stay like this forever."You sighed deeply, knowing that the real world still awaited you both. "We have to get back to the paddock soon. But we can savor this moment a little longer Schatlzi." Toto also started tracing lazy patterns on your bare back. "Just a few more minutes," you agreed, Toto also pulling you closer. "I don't want to let you go libeling." Toto said. For a while, you layed there in each other's arms, the outside world long forgotten. But eventually, reality intruded, and you both reluctantly began to get ready for the day.

As you dressed, you shared a few stolen kisses and lingering touches, each one a promise of the moments you would steal away together sometime in the future. With a final kiss, you left the sanctuary of Toto's room discreetly, while heading back to your own team's hotel inconspiculesspley. The next upcoming race weekend loomed ahead, filled with the possibility of more challenges and opportunities, but you felt a renewed sense of determination. Whatever obstacles that were sure to lay ahead, you were ready to face them with Toto by your side.

The Monaco Grand Prix was always a spectacle of glamour and fierce competition, but this year it felt even more charged. You navigated the paddock, trying to focus on your work despite the swirling emotions inside you. Being so close to Toto and keeping a your relationship a secret was becoming increasingly challenging. As the race weekend unfolded, Toto found himself constantly aware of your presence. He admired your professionalism and how seamlessly you handled the pressures of the paddock. Yet, every stolen glance and subtle touch you gave him made his desire to be open about your forbidden romantic relationship stronger.

During a late - night strategy meeting, you and Toto found a rare moment alone. The teams participating had then dispersed after, leaving the two of you alone, and surrounded by data screens, and racing simulations. "I can't stop thinking about you Toto," you admitted, your voice soft and filled with emotion." Toto smiled, feeling the same pull. "Me too Mien Libeling," but we have to be careful; your father is already seeming to grow more suspicious." "You sighed softly," Toto running a hand through his hair. "I know, but hiding like this is killing me. I want to be able to hold your hand in public, to kiss you without having to constantly look over my shoulder." Toto reached out, holding your hand gently. "Well'll find a way Schatlzi. We just need to be patient a little while longer."

The next morning, as you reviewed the latest telemetry data, your father, Christian, approached you with a stern expression deeply visible on his face. "I've noticed you spending a lot of time in the Mercedes garage lately," he said, not bothering to try and hide his suspicion. You tried to keep your voice steady. "I'm just doing my job, Dad. Analyzing our competition. Just like you asked." Christians eye's narrowed. "Just remember where your loyalties lie. Toto Wolff is not someone who should be trusted." You nodded, feeling the weight of his words. "I know, Dad. I won't let you down, I promise." But as your father walked away, you couldn't help but feel the tension between your professional duties and your personal desires.

Later that evening, you and Toto managed to slip away quietly from the paddock to the quiet seclusion of your hotel room. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as you both took a moment to breathe, away from the prying eyes and the relentless pace of the race weekend. Toto pulled you into his arms, his touch sending a shiver down your spine. "Finally, some peace," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. You looked up at him, your heart racing. "Ive missed this. Missed you." His lips meet yours in a kiss that started gentle but quickly turned passionate. The tension and longing of the past few days melted away as you lost yourselves in each other. Toto's hands roamed your body, pulling you closer, deepening the connection you already shared. Breaking the kiss, he rested his forehead against yours. "I don't want to hide anymore either." "Me neither," you whispered, your breath mingling with his. "But like you said Toto we have to be careful. For now." Toto nodded, you both trying to understand the delicate balance you both had to maintain. "We'll find a way. Together." Toto spoke. The night was a blur of whispered words and shared touches, each moment reinforcing the bond between you. In the quiet of your hotel room, away from the chaos of the race, you found solace in each other, your love a sanctuary amidst the chaos of the impending storm.

The following day, back in the paddock, you and Toto were able to steal a brief, passionate kiss in a quiet corner, the intensity of your feelings undeniable. The world outside faded away, leaving just the two of you in the stolen moment. As you pulled away, your heart still pounding, you whispered "We have to be careful." "I know Libeling," Toto replied, his eyes dark with emotion. "But you're worth the risk."

Reflecting on your relationship, you couldn't help but smile. Despite the challenges and the secrecy, your feelings for Toto only grew stronger. You knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy, but you were ready to face whatever came your way, as long as you had him by your side. Your father Christian, on the other hand, seemed determined to interfere. He couldn't understand your feelings for Toto a man older than him, and triple your age, and was deeply intent on keeping you focused on your work and away from the man he considered his biggest rival and enemy.

"Don't let him distract you," Your father would say, his voice firm. "Stay focused on the team, on the race." You nodded, outwardly agreeing, but your heart was already set on Toto. No matter how hard your father tried to sway you, your feelings were already unshakeable. You were in love, and nothing, not even the fierce rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes or Toto Wolff and Christian Horner, could ever change that.

[thesakuragarnet]

The Boy Born With Everything

Summary:

It had been five years since the war ended. Five long years that Touya had spent in an asylum of a hospital, watching from the other side of a glass tube, occasionally being let out to prevent his muscles from completely atrophying once the surgeries gave him range of motion…or to eat soba with his youngest brother. Once again, his body wasn’t supposed to last a month, much less years. Touya thrived on proving other people wrong…and he’d done it again.

Now, he finds out that, not only is he allowed to go back home (albeit with an ankle monitor), but also, his old hookup has nominated him for the new villain rehabilitation program.

After all these years, Touya will be able to fulfill his dream...he'll be a hero.

THIS WORK IS 18+ ONLY! TAGS BENEATH THE KEEP READING SECTION

Word Count (first Two Chapters Posted): 8,212 words

AO3 link

Tags: Fix-It Fic, Hero!Dabi, DabiHawks, LOV redemption, MHA 426 coping (everything after it has been retconned probably with this), swearing, explicit s3xual content, Final War Arc Spoilers, drinking, making out, fluff, angst, smut, hurt/comfort, Touya has Both Quirks (Post-Quirk Awakening)

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

Chapter One: Prologue || Before The Betrayal

One week before X day. 

Merging with the Meta Liberation Army had its ups and downs…but this could definitely be shelved in the list of ups. Compress whistles as he rolls the dolly cart into the rec room of the Gunga Mountain Villa, and everyone’s heads turn to stare at the crate full of alcohol. It was a gift from Trumpet for the exponential increase in new recruits. Dabi, Toga, Spinner, and Twice had finished their meetings for the day, and they've been waiting on Compress to return with their “reward for cooperation”. Dabi’s eyes scan the bottles as excited murmurs bubble in the room. 

Alcohol affected his body differently. His fiery Quirk processed it, burning it up almost instantaneously, resulting in him getting shitfaced quickly but also sobering up in the same hour. If Dabi wanted the buzz to last, he had to keep drinking. He was going to have to hoard a bottle for himself. Compress opens the crate with flair, brandishing each bottle as he sets it on the center table. There’s vodka, sake, whiskey…plenty of options. 

“Oh, please can I have some!” Toga beams broadly, reaching for the bottle of vodka, but Dabi snatches it, opening it with little effort. 

“ No ,” Dabi hisses firmly, annoyed at her puppy-eyed stare as Toga pouts, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“What’s the point in being a villain if you can’t break the rules and do what you want?” She grumbles, and Dabi rolls his eyes. 

“It’s for your own good,” Dabi sighs, hating that he sounds like a parent…but he doesn’t want Himiko drunk around this compound of complete strangers. The liberation members come from everywhere…the last thing he wants is for someone to take advantage of Toga when she’s vulnerable, whether that be by stealing the little wad of money she kept in her A-line coat or…he doesn’t even wanna think about it. It comes down to the facts. It’s for her own good.

“C’mon, Dabi . You’re such a letdown . Nah, Toga, he’s right,” Twice replies as he drinks directly from a bottle of sake. Compress rolls his eyes, muttering something about Twice acting like an animal as he snaps, turning the two marbles in his hand into glasses before handing one to Spinner. 

“He’s right, my dear. You should stick to tea,” Compress sniffs as he sits down in one of the armchairs, crossing his legs as he pours whiskey for himself and Spinner. 

Dabi takes a breath as he puts the bottle to his lips, gulping it down, barely registering the ever-so-dull burning sensation running down his throat. The liquor starts filtering through his system the moment he pulls away from the bottle, sighing as the walls around his mind begin to dissolve, letting the real Touya come to the forefront. He found it harder to keep the mask up when he got intoxicated, acting a little more smiley and talkative than usual. He leans back onto the couch, sinking into the textured fabric as he unceremoniously props his leather boots up on the table. 

“C’mon. You guys are so lame !” Toga groans, staring at her fellow League members drinking without her as she kicks her feet in the air on the beanbag. 

“Dabi’s just lookin’ out for you,” Spinner explains, turning to Himiko as he sips his glass. 

“Am not,” Dabi scoffs, trying and failing to keep up his front; in truth, he’d grown to view Toga as a little sister. He felt protective over her; it was incredibly irritating. Dabi starts slugging the vodka, gulping with a comical force that clearly shows he’s trying to get as wasted as possible. 

“If you throw up, you clean up,” Spinner says flatly, but Dabi ignores him, draining the bottle until there’s only half of it left. 

“Fuck, that’s nice,” Dabi huffs; his vision blurs for a moment and his body feels lighter. 

“Guess I’m late to the party,” A familiar voice chuckles from behind Dabi, nearly scaring him out of his skin while simultaneously putting his heart at ease. Dabi never realized how much he enjoyed Hawks’ voice before; he never noticed how it was sweeter than honey beneath the shit-eating grin and the charismatic facade. Dabi would be lying if he said he never found Hawks attractive; embarrassingly, he’s had a little bit of a crush on him for a while. It was infuriating. Hawks has everything Dabi’s always wanted…and it makes his blood boil. He’s got the world’s eyes on him as the number two hero, always watching with overwhelming adoration. He’s got fans, he’s got fame…he’s got the approval of the number one hero…Touya’s father. It almost makes him sick how easy Hawks has it…to be beloved so easily. It’s not fair. 

Dabi stares at Hawks through his thick upper eyelashes, eyes tinged with lust but mouth drooping in a jealous frown. Hawks is too pretty for his own good, Dabi decides the longer he stares at him. Surely that’s not just the alcohol talking. 

“Hawks!” Twice gasps, leaping up from his seat on the floor and wrapping his arms around the hero in a vice-gripping hug. “You made it! I was hoping you’d be hit by a plane on the way here!” 

“Jin, always a pleasure,” Hawks grins, patting him a little less than condescendingly on the head before squirming out of his hold. 

“Care to partake with us?” Compress beckons, flourishing with another glass that practically appears out of thin air. 

“No thanks. Can’t drink and fly. Don’t wanna get a ticket,” Hawks winks, and Dabi almost gags at the terrible joke. But if the dumb bird turned him off that much, why were his thoughts swimming with ideas involving Hawks? Why can’t he stop staring at his lips like he wants to kiss them? The idea of kissing Hawks makes his head spin…makes something stir deep inside that he thought was long dead. Lust? That had to be it. To think it was anything deeper was crazy; the alcohol was just probably making him horny. It was a silly coincidence, regardless of how often he thought of Hawks prior…which was daily. He’d become a little obsessed with his double agent, finding it hard to keep him on a longer metaphorical leash. He enjoyed his company…enjoyed talking to him…it was fucking weird. Sure, Dabi was well aware of his own abandonment issues and attention-seeking habits, but…why did he unconsciously latch onto Hawks ? He pretended to play dumb with himself, shoving any urges or ideas deep back from where they came from in his chest. But now, the alcohol is making them float right back up to the surface. 

Dabi takes another long drink from the bottle, swishing the liquid in his mouth absentmindedly as Hawks makes eye contact with him. The hero looks mildly amused before he leans over the back of the couch, whispering in Dabi’s ear:

“Hey, Dabi, I need to talk to you. Can we take a walk?”

His husky voice and the heat of his breath totally don’t send something that can only be described as arousal pulsing through Dabi’s lungs. He hates it. It’s stupid. It’s just because he’s drunk. He’s clingier than usual…and Hawks is objectively attractive. That’s the only explanation. 

“Mkay,” Dabi slurs, finishing off the bottle before slamming it on the table as he swallows a hiccup. He leaps to his feet on swaying legs, the room spinning ever so slightly and making him marginally nauseous. 

“Fuck,” He whines under his breath, regretting chugging so much alcohol in a short period. Granted, he’d planned to just chill out on the couch all night, but, apparently, that was no longer the case. 

“Back later,” Dabi murmurs sloppily to anyone who cares as he follows Hawks out of the room and into the hall. 

Dabi is in another world; he’s hearing Hawks’ voice but not processing anything he’s saying at all. He’s mumbling and nodding, the illusion of paying attention, but he’s too captivated by the faint glitters in the hero’s irises. His gaze falls onto Hawks’ lips…they look so soft. Soft enough that part of Touya wants to reach out and touch them, even though he knows he wouldn’t be able to feel them. His senses are so fucked up…it cuts him viscerally to the core how much he wishes he could feel things again. Every sensation is dulled except his emotions, ironically…which have always been the strongest to begin with. His emotions are still as real and passionate and reactive as they were before his accident at Sekoto Peak. 

The two keep walking down the hall, Hawks dawdling on about whatever “intel” he’s managed to obtain and how many copies of the Liberation manifesto he’s disseminated. Dabi loses his balance for a moment, nearly stumbling and falling on his face, but Hawks catches him, arm lurching forward and clutching his chest. Dabi blinks as he stands up straight, turning to look at Hawks. The hero seems… concerned . Why the fuck should he be concerned about him ? Hawks has zero reasons to give a shit. His eyes dart to the hero’s lips again…and lust undoubtedly pools in his gut. 

Dabi just wants to feel something…anything at this point. Anything other than the raging anger and desperation that’s always bubbling beneath the surface of his cold and callous facade. Hell, just his imagination is enough to set his shriveled heart ablaze. The concept of another person…of Hawks touching him intimately…it’s ethereal. The temporary drunk confidence makes him completely interrupt Hawks as he slurs:

“Doyouwannamakeout?”

“Dabi. You’re drunk,” Hawks snorts, caught off guard and probably flustered with the sudden spray of pink that dusts his cheeks. 

“I’d make out with you sober, too. And other things. If you wanted,” Dabi mutters bluntly, pointing his finger at Hawks and poking him sharply in the chest, “I don’t really wanna talk business with you right now.”

Hawks raises an eyebrow before taking a look around. 

“Right here in the hallway?” He smirks in disbelief, but Dabi roughly shakes his head before grabbing Hawks’ wrist. 

“My bedroom.”

…

…

The door slams shut behind Dabi, and he hears the click of the lock as the dam breaks and his inhibitions go up in azure flames. As soon as Hawks turns back around, Dabi’s hands cup his face and pull him into an overwhelming kiss. Kissing Hawks is just as heavenly as he’d imagined it. It’s perfect even in the haze of alcohol. From Hawks’ point of view, it’s suffocating; Dabi’s clearly never kissed anyone before. 

Dabi drunkenly moans into Hawks’ mouth, panting weakly as Hawks’ tongue slides against his. Hawks takes his gloves off, throwing them on the floor in a rush before running his hands through Dabi’s hair, fingers combing through the cheaply dyed fluffy locks. 

In the back of Dabi’s brain, he knows this is probably empty; Hawks is probably seducing him for intel to get closer…to gain Dabi’s trust. That’s why he agreed so quickly. There’s no logical reason he’d actually be interested in his disgusting patchwork mug. But…part of Dabi wonders if he does feel something for him…if there’s a chance that he’s actually wanted by someone…for once in his miserable fucking life. He shoves the thought back into the recesses of his mind, focusing on the faint sensation of Hawks’ lips as they suck and bite and lick Dabi’s troubles away. Dabi’s hands drop to rest at Hawks’ waist, gripping tightly beneath his jacket as his fingertips slide along the sides of the hero’s belt.

“Top or bottom?” Hawks grins slyly as he breaks the kiss. Dabi’s mind reels; not only was he kissing Hawks, but they were gonna have sex. It’s highly suspicious for the hero to want to move so fast; the Commission probably ordered Hawks to get information by any means necessary, but who knows when he’s going to get another chance like this? It’s not like Dabi’s even had sex before…and now…the number two hero is going to be his first time. 

“Don’t care- hah -just want you,” Dabi huffs, greedily pulling Hawks in by the front of his shirt for another filthy kiss. Hawks melts into the gesture, hands delicately reaching down to unbuckle Dabi’s belt. Dabi breaks free from the kiss with a gasp, looking through his fuzzy vision to watch Hawks slip the belt off him with ease, tossing it to the side before unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. Dabi blinks, and he’s on his back on the bed; Hawks tugs the villain’s pants down enough to free his half-hard cock from his gray boxers. Dabi’s eyes widen as he watches Hawks climb onto the bed, kneeling down to press a gentle kiss to the tip of Dabi’s dick. The villain gulps, chills rolling beneath his skin as he stares at Hawks; the Pro kisses up and down his shaft, maintaining eye contact beneath his winged eyeliner, seamless and sexy. 

Dabi chews his scarred bottom lip, imagining what it would be like to fuck Hawks’ throat. Imagining what it would be like to fuck him…to be fucked by him…to succumb to mutual pleasure. The concept of feeling good was foreign to him, much less in a sexual manner, but this whole situation stirred his insides from his brain to his balls. If he was going to die in the war in a week, he might as well not die a virgin, even if he was so drunk he might fall asleep before aftercare. 

“You taste sweet. Not what I was expecting,” Hawks sneers as he laps up the beads of precome slowly dripping down. “But I’m not complaining.”

He’s doing this on purpose. The soft whisper of his voice and the deep intonations send vibrations up Dabi’s spine. Hawks is completely giving his all to seduce him right now. Dabi doesn’t care. He doesn’t care that he’ll probably be even clingier after this hookup. The war was in a week. And he would be dead. This wouldn’t matter. What does matter is for fucking once he’s giving in to his inhibitions…to an experience that he’s never had…one that might reward him in the end. His dopamine pathways must function somewhat . 

Hawks presses his lips to Dabi’s tip before slowly taking him into his mouth, sucking his length inch by glorious inch. 

“Fuck,” Dabi borderline whimpers, his other hand reaching down to run through the hero’s blonde locks. He was pretty sure he was getting off more on the idea of everything that’s happening than what he was actually feeling, but, regardless, it felt euphoric. This was a high he’d never felt before; it made his head feel floaty and his stomach feel warm and his heart pound with a violent fervor. 

Dabi’s head falls back onto the pillow, arm coming up reflexively, hiding his eyes as his back arches and his jaw drops. His voice comes out in a raspy groan, low and long and rising in pitch the more Hawks’ head bobs up and down. Dabi mumbles something unintelligible, panting heavily as he resists the urge to buck his hips. The lewd noises consume Dabi’s bedroom, the slurping and sucking of Hawks’ lips perverting the quiet and mixing with Dabi’s weak gasps and hums of pleasure. 

“You like that?” Hawks murmurs, knowing damn well that he’s skyrocketed the villain to cloud nine. Dabi can only manage a weak nod as he risks looking down at the depraved scene between his legs. It sends another jolt of pleasure through his body when he realizes that Hawks is naked from the waist down…and fingering himself. He can barely make it out in the darkness, but it’s clear the way Hawks bites his lip. 

“You ready to fuck me?” Hawks taunts, and Dabi’s absolutely sure he isn’t, but he wants to get on with it anyway, so he nods. 

Dabi nearly chokes when the tip of his dick catches on Hawks’ rim; the noises pouring from the hero’s throat are like forbidden fruit, kissing Dabi’s ears and filling his chest with butterflies…or maybe it’s just the alcohol. 

Hawks’ hands grip Dabi’s pecs over his thin white V-neck T-shirt, thumbs tracing over perky nipples and making Dabi groan.

Hawks sinks down until he’s sitting fully flush in Dabi’s lap, eyelids fluttering as he bites his lip to hold back a moan. 

“Dabi, you feel so good ,” He cries out, voice strained and breathless as he grips at Dabi’s shoulders. Dabi stares up at him, alcohol boiling in his blood as the hero begins to ride him, rolling his hips in a way that makes his dick twitch. It’s all in his head. He knows he can’t really feel it, but… goddamn if sex with Hawks isn’t more intoxicating than the vodka. He looks like a Greek god, stripped down, heavily muscled, and haloed in the dim sunset from the window. He’s never looked more attractive; it’s too good to be true. There’s no way the number two hero is riding his dick right now, and yet, the brutal sounds of skin slapping against skin and Hawks’ needy moans suggest otherwise. 

“ Hawks ,” Dabi pants, wanton and delirious, cock throbbing inside as Hawks bounces up and down and up and down. His throat feels tight…like how it used to before he would start crying before his accident. Dabi starts rolling his hips, thrusting up into Hawks, and the hero gasps, wings flaring out as his face contorts into pleasure. Curses fly from his lips, involuntary and jumbled together as his breath hitches. Dabi’s mind is on fire; desire bubbling in his lower back and making drool pool on his tongue. Heavy breaths fill the air as the bed beneath them creaks from their rampant movements. Hawks brings his own hips down with every upward rut of Dabi’s, getting as much friction for the both of them as humanly possible. Hawks doesn’t realize Dabi’s only getting off on the raw emotions and intimacy of what’s happening over any physical pleasure. 

Dabi sits up, hands moving to Hawks’ hips to get a better grip when he sees the hero’s leaking cock, hard and untouched. Before Hawks can say a word, Dabi wraps a hand around it, coating his fingers in precome as he starts to jerk him off. Hawks twitches, Dabi’s name on his lips, sweat beading on his brow. 

“ God ,” Dabi moans like a bitch in heat, head fuzzy and speech garbled as the high reaches an almighty climax. He can feel something happening when he watches Hawks writhe in pleasure. “Gonna come.”

“Me too,” Hawks grunts, moans pitching higher in tune with Dabi’s rasps as they both let the euphoria consume them. 

Dabi comes first, completely wrecked and not even sure how it’s happening. His hips stutter, cock pulsing and balls emptying as a pathetic moan bursts from his lips. Hawks keeps riding him through it, sending sparks across Dabi’s vision as his own orgasm hits like lightning down his spine. It gets all over Dabi’s hand, but he doesn’t even hardly notice, haphazardly jerking Hawks off through every spasm.

Finally, the overstimulation is too much for them, and everything stops…stillness pollutes the bedroom, save for Dabi and Hawks’ chests heaving with each intake of breath and sigh of relief.

Dabi’s vision is blurry, the alcohol slowly leaking out of his system as his Quirk finishes processing it. He should be completely sober in a few minutes, long enough for the afterglow to wear off. He vaguely registers Hawks lifting off of him, his own dick falling limp against his thigh as Hawks crawls forward, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Dabi’s lips. 

The villain’s eyes close, letting the blackness envelop him as he moves his lips to complement the hero’s. He can barely taste the sweat on Hawks, but it’s enough to confirm that this isn’t a dream. Dabi lazily wipes the come off his hand and onto the sheets beside him. He’ll worry about cleaning up tomorrow; right now, he wants to live forever in this moment. This moment of temporary bliss with someone who’s making him feel wanted … seen … loved ? That’s probably the wrong word to use, but Touya doesn’t care. The man was so touch-starved it’s a wonder the mere lack of hugs hadn’t killed him, but Dabi didn’t need to reveal that to anyone else. He didn’t need to reveal just how desperate he really was for the attention. They didn’t need to know that he clung to it like a moth to a candle. When he opens his eyes, Hawks is smiling at him. 

BZZT! BZZT!

Hawks’ phone vibrates in his pants pocket, and a feather pulls it out, bringing it to Hawks, whose forehead wrinkles when he reads the message. He sighs as he pushes himself off of Dabi, getting ready to swing his legs over the side of the bed.

“This was fun, Dabi, but, I’ve gotta head out-”

“Don’t leave,” The words come out as a desperate hiccup, embarrassing and full of fear that Hawks has never seen on Dabi’s face or heard on his lips before.

Hawks freezes when he sees the empty expression in Dabi’s eyes, longing for connection…for any sense of security. This wasn’t the villain he was used to spending time with. Hawks expected him to just roll over and sleep without so much as a “thank you” for everything he just did to him. 

“Please, don’t leave,” Dabi repeats, eyes distant and welling with bloody tears. His mask is slipping…Hawks is seeing Touya . It puts a pit in his stomach as the alcohol starts to wear off. He’s being too vulnerable. He needs to shut up and act like none of this mattered. He grits his teeth, tongue heavy in his mouth as he blinks away the crimson beads. Silence…silence is the clearest option. If he takes it back, it’s acknowledging that it happened. 

Hawks doesn’t say a word about it, letting the thoughts stew in his brain as he begrudgingly sinks back into bed beside Dabi, hating that he’s going to have to explain himself to his handler. The villain grips the sheets, staring at the ceiling as the numbness consumes his body, unable to feel the warmth of the hero snuggling next to him. It floods his veins, hardening his heart and reminding him of one simple fact. Everyone leaves him eventually…and he will never be enough for anyone to want to stick around.

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Chapter 2: Home

It had been five years since the war ended. Five long years that Touya had spent in an asylum of a hospital, watching from the other side of a glass tube, occasionally being let out to prevent his muscles from completely atrophying once the surgeries gave him a decent range of motion…or to eat soba with his youngest brother. Once again, his body wasn’t supposed to last a month, much less years. Touya thrived on proving other people wrong…and he’d done it again.

The hospital had thoroughly milked Enji Todoroki dry. Enji Todoroki’s alleged “atonement” involved pouring money into the best doctors and researchers the world had to offer…and…with surgery after surgery, Touya began to look like himself again. Compared to the last time he’d been turned into a burning corpse, the extra two years of rehabilitation and work made a drastic difference.

Within the first year, Touya went from being able to speak only a few minutes a day to holding a conversation for a full half hour. Now, he can yap as much as he did when he was a little kid, which is unfortunate for everyone else’s ears. Shoto, however, doesn’t mind. Touya always manages to fill the silence that Shoto quietly occupies, and he’s more than happy to listen. 

Natsuo was the one who had the hardest time coming around…and, after about a year and a half, Touya began to come to terms with why. The sibling that he had the closest bond with fell into the path of his anger, and Touya himself cringed when he remembered how he bragged about almost having him killed.

The rage still lurks below the surface, but Touya’s taking steps to keep his anger in check. Therapy had worked wonders. Once the doctors realized Touya wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, Rei petitioned for Touya to talk to a therapist to get him to open up more. 

The first session fundamentally shifted the world for Touya because, for the first time since his reveal, someone from the outside actually acknowledged that he was abused. Touya believed no one cared; the public had only given a shit because Dabi was a villain. They hadn’t cared about Endeavor’s sins against his family. To hear someone voice that his pain and anger were real and valid felt liberating. 

When he finally got full control of his motor skills again, Touya wrote Natsuo a letter; he showed up to visit him a few weeks later. It was a rough reunion; there was a lot of yelling on Natsuo’s part. For once in his life, Touya kept his mouth shut.

He knew Natsuo had a right to be angry. All he could do was apologize and explain why he did what he did. Natsuo’s relationship with Touya was going to take time to be repaired; it wasn’t something he could fix overnight. Besides, he had a new life now with his wife. Touya understood. 

Fuyumi always brought such a bright smile with her behind her glasses during her visits. She often came with a basket that the workers would either confiscate or sift through to pick and choose what Touya got. Touya used to see Fuyumi as just another chess piece that got in his way growing up…but…now…it’s different.

No one else brings things for him.

Touya often asks her why she decided to waste her time teaching brats, but she just brushes it off, changing the subject. 

Fuyumi was the first person other than Shoto to learn that Touya had in fact come back to the house. He felt obligated to tell her. After all, he hadn't just left her with the burden of being the oldest sibling once…but twice.

Fuyumi broke down halfway through, sobbing about how she thought she was seeing things when she saw a shadow in his old room that day. One minute, Touya was standing in front of his altar, and then, he was gone in the blink of an eye. A few months later, Touya opened up even more to her. 

|

“I’m sorry for calling you and Mom useless.” The throaty rasp echoes from the tube, reluctant and crackly. Fuyumi stands in front of the glass, peering at her older brother through the darkness. 

“When did you do that?” She raises her eyebrow, caught off guard by the sudden apology as she smooths her dress.

“A lot…before Sekoto,” Touya admits. 

“Oh…,” His sister trails off, lips pursed. 

“I don’t think that anymore. Think it was just Dad. His views. Toga and Magne weren’t useless. Changed my mind,” Touya speaks slowly, trying to articulate with his new lips. They’d finally finished the facial reconstruction surgeries, and he’d just gotten the bandages off the day before, just in time for Fuyumi’s biweekly visit. 

 |

Rei Todoroki held the record for the most visits to Touya Todoroki, the former supervillain known as Dabi. She coordinated with the rest of her children to ensure they still got their time out of the week in the early stages of Touya’s rehabilitation. She didn’t care that Touya could only speak a few sentences; seeing her eldest child alive and breathing was a blessing in disguise. Their first private meeting was tearful, but it gave Rei unimaginable hope. When she saw her son crying real tears, not blood, she knew he was going to survive, and demanded Enji to put as much money into his recovery as possible.

Not that Touya would show a shred of gratitude to his excuse for a father…too little too late. Touya didn’t want to see him, regardless of Enji’s promise to stay by his side until the end of his days. He was a coward, a fraud, and an abusive piece of shit for lack of better words. Touya would see his father in hell, just like he’d promised. Until then, he didn’t care if they breathed the same air on the same planet…at least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

He hated that a part of him still loved his father; he was latched on like a leech, disgusting hope bubbling in his stomach. But his memories were too powerful for him to ignore. Touya couldn’t separate himself from the neglect.

The first few times Enji showed up, Touya ignored him…and it soon became clear that he didn’t outwardly care anymore about his father’s approval. Now, Enji was living in the old Todoroki house with a caretaker where he wouldn’t be a problem, divorced from Rei and mulling over his own consequences. Truth be told, Touya still doesn’t understand why he isn’t behind bars…and he regretfully knows his questions will never be answered. 

His hair had grown back to the same style from when he was thirteen; it's soft, white, fluffy, and always hanging in his face to the point where it's borderline annoying. His tear ducts were fully functioning again, which was simultaneously relieving and irritating; he could easily fall into the trap of being the crybaby of the family again.

His skin was still mismatched like it had been when he’d woken up the first time; after all, Touya doubted they could do a better cosmetic job than Ujiko. However, they had succeeded in restoring the nerve damage after several breakthroughs. Touya finally had physical feeling. 

Once Touya’s doctors assured the staff he was no longer a danger, they removed the metal bindings keeping his limb strapped to his side; they couldn’t restore his right arm, so they developed a prosthetic one. 

The prosthesis felt…alien. An extension of his body made up of alloys and other shit he can’t give names to. He’s gotten along just fine with it so far.

They’d been working on it since they realized Touya wasn’t keen on dying, and he’d gotten to test it out for the past year whenever he’d be released to spend time with Shoto. He’d exploded his right arm on purpose during the fight, opting to keep his dominant hand. It seemed like a fantastic idea at the time…but…then again…he hadn’t planned to survive. He hadn’t planned for anyone to survive.

Touya feels like every day is whiplash. His heart is under constant monitoring; the doctors are worried it’ll freeze solid or melt at a moment’s notice.

His body isn’t used to harboring both sides of the family Quirks, and he’s still having trouble believing that he has both. Since his Quirk Awakening, the facility kept him doped up with Quirk suppressants, for his safety and for theirs…mostly theirs.

The chest strap of the heart monitor still feels uncomfortably tight…something he’s going to have to get used to.

Feeling was something he was going to need to get used to. 

…

…

“Todoroki Touya,” The worker’s voice bellows, and Touya steps forward, zoning into reality. He’d been lost in his own thoughts all day, mulling over the fact that he’s finally being released.

One of the first things Touya wanted to do when he got out was get new piercings… that was something the doctors hadn’t prioritized, so his helices and triple high nostril were missing from his new flesh. He’d have to find some seedy place to get them later this week; today is his coming home party that his family hasn’t been able to shut up about. Originally, it was supposed to be a surprise, but Shoto hadn’t gotten the memo. 

Ker-CHICK!

Touya’s jaw drops in a silent gasp as they shoot the tracker implants into his neck. Pain was another thing he was going to have to get used to. He hadn’t felt physical pain in so long…it was weird. 

“Protocol,” The guard huffs, and Touya shrugs, staring beneath thick eyelashes. He didn’t blame them. The guard nods toward the end of the hallway, and Touya walks past, still handcuffed and lucid. 

Touya can’t wait to get out of these gaudy prison scrubs. Fuyumi and his mother had shown him some outfits online and let him pick out something that he could change into when he got home. He feels like it’s silly to be chomping at the bit for soft clothes, but these thin itchy scrubs have been the bane of his existence since he regained feeling in his skin.

He wonders if the others were given such a shitty wardrobe? Touya hadn’t been allowed to ask any questions about his fellow League members; he’d been answered with cold silence whenever he tried…and Shoto said he wasn’t allowed to disclose anything. 

‘I just hope they fucking made it…,’ Touya thinks to himself, remembering his ragtag found family after so many years of living alone on the street. Now…he’s going to be with his blood family. He wouldn’t be lounging around a bar, drinking his troubles away while laughing about petty arson. He’d be sitting at a table, eating dinner with his mother, his youngest brother, and his little sister.

Maybe he could figure out a way to get in touch with Himiko…he finds himself worrying about her the most. She was a total psycho, but she was his total psycho, his unspoken little sister.

He’d let her paint his nails when she begged incessantly. He’d helped her draw faces and insults on the other members with lipstick while they were sleeping. He’d helped her fix her hair the way she wanted, pulling it in those tight space buns that would have been nearly impossible if Touya hadn’t been adept at dissecting YouTube tutorials. Toga was just as much his sister in his eyes as Fuyumi. 

Touya waits patiently at the door at the end of the hallway, turning his wrists and wincing at the tightness of the cuffs. The green light above the door illuminates, and they slowly swing open, allowing two staff members to walk through. One stands directly in front of him, brandishing a taser. Even though they’re letting him out, they don’t trust him. Typical.

The other man walks behind Touya and begins clicking through the cuffs to unlock them.

“You’ll be able to get your belongings at the front. Remember to take the Quirk suppressants as instructed. It’s medication, so it’s important to follow the instructions. You’ll have to wean yourself off of them or you won’t be able to-”

“Control my Quirk. Yeah. Got it. As if I was good at that before anyway,” Touya scoffs sarcastically, flexing his hands once the cuffs fall free from his wrists. 

The staff member falls silent, lips pulled into a thin line that proves he’s stopping himself from reprimanding Touya’s smartass comment. People are still afraid of him. Touya isn’t sure if he’s happy about that or not. It’ll mean people will leave him alone, sure…hopefully. 

Touya brushes past the two workers who eye him warily, following the signs toward the discharge station. This facility had grown to replace Tartarus in the past few years, and it felt like a new maze every time he was allowed to roam the halls. It isn’t long before he stops at the final set of doors.

Touya takes a deep breath before raising his prosthetic arm. The silver glares from the overhead lights, making him squint as he pushes open the door, recoiling at the harsh lighting of the lobby area. 

“Touya!”

When his eyes adjust, he comes face to face with his mother. His heart twists. This is the closest he’s seen her; he was only allowed out of his holding tank or cell when Shoto was the visitor.

Her scar is gnarly up close, slicing across her face and spreading like fire; it makes a pit hollow out in Touya’s stomach. He put that there…whether he meant to or not. The flames of his supernova-like predicament from the final fight had consumed everything…if it hadn’t been for Rei, Natsuo, and Fuyumi…he would’ve died in that explosion. 

Her hair had grown back to just below her shoulders just like Fuyumi’s. Touya’s sister jumps up from her seat in the lobby and rushes forward with a bouquet of flowers to Touya’s chagrin. 

“What’s with those?” Touya mutters pointedly, trying to withhold any cutting remarks. She’s trying…the fact that his family is trying speaks volumes to him. It’s no longer empty words and promises. 

“Oh, I figured we’d brighten up the house! Mom and I fixed up your new room!” Fuyumi smiles before covering her mouth with her hand, “Oh, shoot! That was gonna be a surprise!”

“It’s alright, dear,” Rei smiles warmly. 

“Hey.”

Touya spins around at the sound of Shoto’s voice, and notices he's holding a duffel bag. 

“I got your things. I wanted to make sure they actually gave back all of your stuff,” He admits, the corners of his mouth pointing upward softly. Touya’s heart skips when he realizes Natsuo didn’t show up. It made sense.

He has his own life and his own family now. Rei, Shoto, and Fuyumi are the only ones living in the new house…and now…Touya’s going to be living there too. He’s not really sure what his next steps are going to be yet. It’s not like he can just get a normal job after being one of Japan’s most feared villains of the generation. Hell, he doesn’t even have proper education past middle school.

…

…

The car ride home was less than ideal, primarily due to Touya’s motion sickness. He managed to survive the car ride without incident, but only after he begged Fuyumi to drive ten under the speed limit.

Touya’s breath is taken away just by the outside of the house as they pull up to the property. Rei planted Rindou flowers all along the outside garden, creating a sea of cerulean. Fuyumi parks in the garage, and, finally, the car stops. 

Shoto hops out of the car, grabbing Touya by the wrist and pulling him outside. Touya takes in his surroundings, squinting in the fading sunlight as Shoto leads him around the side of the house through a door.

The living room is enormous, and the largest television Touya’s ever laid eyes on is mounted on the wall. He doesn’t get much time to look around as Shoto continues to drag him along as soon as they kick off their shoes. Shoto opens another door, leading to a hallway with art pieces adorning the walls. The colors blur as Shoto pulls him up a staircase leading to the second floor. 

“Can we slow down?” Touya blurts. 

“On a schedule,” Shoto mutters, making Touya raise an eyebrow. 

“Schedule?” Touya echoes, but Shoto appears to ignore him, his grip tightening on Touya’s wrist. Finally, they reach a door…with a crude sign that reads “Touya-nii” on it. 

“Here,” Shoto releases his grip on Touya’s hand and unceremoniously flings the door open, stepping aside for Touya to walk in first. 

He inches into the room, socks sliding against the hardwood as he takes in the space. Fuyumi and his mother set up a desk for him in the corner, decorated with an empty vase (probably to be filled with the flowers Fuyumi bought), a picture of the family from many moons ago (with their father quite obviously cropped out), and Touya’s old comics and Pro Hero books. Shoto sets the duffel bag in the middle of the desk while Touya keeps exploring. He stops when he sees the bed. 

The thin mattress is covered by his baby blanket; the yellow and blue stars are faded with age. It looks incredibly tacky, but it makes warmth bloom in Touya’s chest. He can’t believe they even kept that. There’s another handmade sign leaning against the back wall that reads:

WELCOME HOME :)

The only other aspect of the room that stands out is the bookshelf littered with Touya’s old belongings…he recognizes them from his altar in their old house. 

Touya flinches for a moment, the memory of praying in front of his own altar flashing across his vision. 

“Do you like it?” Fuyumi’s voice sounds hopeful as Touya turns around to see them standing by the desk. 

“Your new clothes are in the closet! I’ll go start dinner!” Fuyumi grins cheekily as she leaves the bedroom.

“You just get settled in, sweetheart,” Rei whispers, walking up to Touya and kissing him on the cheek before she slips out of the room, followed by Shoto, who closes the door behind them. 

Touya walks to the closet, jerking it open to see a pair of black cotton drawstring pants and a simple, soft gray sweatshirt with a black cat on it. He reaches up inside the sleeves, temporarily indulging in the gentle sensation of the fabric rubbing between the pads of his fingers. It definitely is going to feel better than these stupid jailhouse scrubs.

Touya never realized how much of the world he missed when his tactile senses were numbed.

He strips out of the old clothes, tossing them into the corner of the room before he slips on the new outfit. He sighs in relief, feeling the itchiness fade before walking up to the mirror.

It fits. Good. He was worried he’d told Fuyumi the wrong sizes.

He turns his attention to the bag on his desk…his belongings from the facility. 

Touya opens up the duffel bag, his heart stilling when he sees the fireproof synthetic fabric spilling out. He lifts the jacket up, examining the stitching and conductor cuffs; it’s his jacket from the first war. They must’ve raided all of the hideouts.

It’s the jacket that he was wearing during his vision…dissociation…whatever it was before he practically exploded. The image of himself as a hero with his family was burned into his brain…but…Shoto wasn’t in that fantasy.

Over the past few years, Touya had grown to realize how much he appreciated his little brother, and it made his heart pang that he directed his anger at him for so long.

Touya walks over to the closet, putting the jacket on a coat hanger before walking back to the duffel. The boots and stitched leather pants are the only other notable things in the dark void besides his clear bag of medications. 

Touya pulls out the bottle of Quirk suppressants, reading the instructions on the side of the bottle.

TAKE 1 PILL EVERY 12 HOURS FOR 1 WEEK. THEN TAKE 1 PILL EVERY 24 HOURS FOR 5 DAYS. THEN TAKE AS NEEDED. REFILLED UPON REQUEST. 

Touya sighs as he opens the bottle, shaking a pill out into his palm. He puts it in his mouth, letting the pill dissolve on his tongue and swallowing the bittersweet taste. 

‘I should probably see if I can help with dinner…might as well make myself useful,’ Touya thinks to himself as he walks out of his room. He gets to the top of the staircase when-

Knock. Knock. Knock. 

The sound echoes through the household.

“Oh dear,” Rei’s voice sounds strained. 

“He’s early!” Fuyumi gasps. 

“He used to be the fastest Pro alive, and you didn’t think he’d be early ?” Shoto bluntly replies. 

‘Fastest Pro alive? Wait…’

Touya’s heart races as he slowly makes his way down the staircase. 

The last time he was face-to-face with Keigo Takami, he was trying to charbroil him for murdering his friend and breaking his heart…for being a lying traitor…for confirming everything Dabi already knew but didn’t want to face.

The sex meant nothing. The kisses meant nothing. Keigo was playing with him like a toy to be used and cast aside. 

He’d talked to his therapist about Keigo…about how he thinks that’s the first time he felt romantic love for another person. The burning devotion turned to seething hatred the moment Hawks murdered Jin Bubaigawara.

He’d fully mourned Jin during these five years, processing the death, wondering why Keigo had chosen to target Dabi for intel.

Dabi wondered if he meant anything to Keigo, even though he knew he probably didn’t. He knew Hawks probably didn’t think about him…knew he was probably glad he was locked up for so long. 

For a while, Touya wrestled with whether or not he was upset that he failed to finish Hawks off. He felt so many conflicting passionate emotions toward him. It felt chaotic…unstable…nuclear, even. Sometimes he felt consumed with regret for hurting him, and others he found himself reliving the betrayal.

When Touya finally reaches the bottom of the stairs, he sees Keigo standing in the living room. He’s wearing a suit with a katana bag strap draped across his chest.

Keigo Takami looks up…and his golden gaze meets Touya’s turquoise. 

Touya’s heart monitor beeps twice, giving himself away by signaling an elevated heart rate. He needs to sit down.

For half a second, he wonders if he’ll just black out and get concussed on the stairs like an idiot. Instead, he slowly sinks to sit down on the final step, loathing how weak he must appear. 

“What are you doing here?” Touya manages to squeak out, his chest feeling tight. 

Keigo opens his mouth to speak, staring at Touya in disbelief. His eyes scan over the skin grafts before falling to his prosthetic arm. Touya feels naked.

“Hawks! Come help me in the kitchen!” Fuyumi materializes, whisking Hawks out of sight without a word. The heart monitor keeps beeping. 

“Touya?” 

His mother’s voice kisses his ears, soothing his erratic heartbeat as Touya zones back into the real world, pulling himself out of memories as she puts her hands on his knees. 

“Why is he here?” Touya’s voice sounds pathetic, leaving his lips in a broken mumble. His mother seems shocked that he doesn’t sound angry. Tears well up in Touya’s eyes, and he hurriedly wipes them away.

He can’t let Keigo know he’s crying over him. 

Rei’s eyebrows furrow when she notices the tears, but she chooses not to bring attention to them. 

“He’s here to discuss…Hero Commission business with you, Touya.”

‘The Commission?’

“Didn’t he lose his fucking Quirk to All For One?” Touya sniffs indignantly. 

“Touya! Language!” Rei hisses. 

Touya mumbles a half-hearted apology. 

“Hawks is the HPSC President now,” Rei explains. 

Touya’s heart monitor whines again. 

‘Why would he do that? After everything they put him through? Why the fuck would he ever accept that position? After they groomed him to be a glorified brainwashed soldier to do their dirty work?’ 

Touya shouldn’t care…he shouldn’t care what Keigo does. He shouldn’t care how it affects him or his past. Keigo has no affiliation with Touya. They had a one-night stand. He was an old situationship.

Touya swallows. 

“He couldn’t wait until tomorrow?” He groans. 

“He wants to talk to you about this as soon as possible, honey,” Rei sighs, “I had a long talk with him. I think…I think it’ll be good for you.”

‘Keigo talked to my mom ? What the fuck did he tell her? Did he tell her about us ? Us…what am I thinking? There was never an us…’ 

“Okay.”

…

…

“Keigo.”

“Touya.” 

The two sit in tense silence on opposite sides of the table, facing one another with an unspoken uncertainty. The rest of the family remains in the kitchen, trying not to eavesdrop, but most definitely hanging on to every word the two speak. 

“So…do I call you Mister President now or-”

“Keigo is fine,” He admits, straightening up in the chair. He looks tired, but he’s still as annoyingly smiley as ever. 

“I’m,” Keigo takes a deliberate breath, “I’m glad you were able to recover smoothly.”

“Me too…,” Touya trails off, slightly disgusted with the awkward small talk. 

“I have a proposition for you,” Keigo clears his throat, and Touya raises his eyebrow. 

“Oh?” He huffs mockingly. He hates that Keigo is speaking with such formality. It’s unbecoming. It’s unlike Keigo.

It’s another mask for Keigo Takami. Touya can see right through it. They know each other more intimately than this. This is stupid. 

“Well…you’re allowed to say no…you need to know you’re allowed to say no and that will be one hundred percent acceptable.”

“Spit it out,” Touya scoffs, curiosity suddenly piquing. 

“I’ve consulted with a number of members of Class 2-A of UA and the higher-ups. And…you’ve shown considerable progress mentally and emotionally…and physically, obviously, but. Based on your psychological evaluations…and…and your…um…past aspirations. I’m-”

“Cut the shit, what is it?” Touya taps his foot impatiently. 

“You’re eligible for the program I put together. The new villain rehabilitation program…we’re making former villains into heroes.”

[kikiswriting7]

Take a Chance ✵ JJK ✵ MYG - 4

✵ Pairing: Yoongi x Reader x Jungkook

✵Summary: Y/N just move across the world to start her University. She is paired with a roommate who is complete social butterfly and makes a bet, Y/N needs to take more chances. And at the hint of her new found friend, her social and romantic life take a dramatic turn.

✵Tags/Warnings: Smut, College AU, red flag, sexual tension. angst, dirty talking, drinking, friends with benefits, full of cliches, friends to lover, temptation

✵Notes: Hello! Sorry it took a bit longer than imagined! I am also writing my bachelor thesis together with this and its a whole lot of words hahahah Anyway hope you enjoy it and if you want to be added to the tag list please sign up on this link! (You must be over 18 ;) )

lots of love, Kiki

CHAPTER 3 - ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL

Jin is screaming at the TV as we play the video game he so desperately begged to play. "Seriously!? How can you be this good?! It's not fair! You said you never played it before!" He quickly restarts the game from the point where I finished, and he didn’t. I shrug it off, smirking. We've been playing every other day together, either through calls or him coming over. Normally, we play some co-op game where we can team up against what we swear are young boys, who we are sure are screaming behind every elimination point we get. But today, he wanted to try this new Mario game where we need to complete the courses against each other.

“What can I do if you keep falling over?” I say with a straight face and a side-eye when he restarts the same level we have been trying to finish for the past two and a half hours.

Jimin, sprawled on the couch next to us and entertained by his phone, just laughs off the misery of his friend, earning him a fast shush.

“Ahhh, shiiiiish,” he says, taking a deep breath before pressing play again. “You know, I think we finally found someone who's good at winning. I bet she’s better than JK….” Jimin says to no one in particular. But the one he was talking about, equally sprawled in a corner, is quick to glance his friend’s way.

“I would bet my chips on you, Dice,” Jimin says, poking my leg with the tip of his foot. The nickname, unfortunately, stuck. Not because I liked it, but because they thought it was hilarious—such a random word for a nickname. Gabi proved her point for the nickname not too many nights ago when we were at a bar and I refused to do more shots with her.

The nudge delivered by Jimin was enough to lose my timing and jump wrong, letting Jin follow on with the course.

“HA!” He jumps over the seat. “Who’s the best now?!” He is excitedly playing the game standing up now, getting the attention of the two other boys in the room.

“Clearly not her…” JK mumbles under his breath. I give him a bad look, sitting back on the couch. Not too many jumps later, Jin’s character follows suit, descending to the bottom of the screen with a sad losing music. Jimin laughs again at the situation and goes back to being on his phone.

They have been over almost every day for the last five weeks. Eli is also one that doesn’t miss an opportunity to be over. However, since Yoongi introduced Mina, he’s been a bit more distant. If he doesn’t say he’s busy trying to finish a project for whatever class he has, he vanishes, to the point that not even the others know where he went. Whenever we do get to talk, often just small talk when the others are choosing the movie, he seems to always go back to the subject of this girl in school that he thinks is adorable. Every time he mentions her, he manages to describe her loosely enough that I (Jimin, Gabi, and I) think that the only person he could be describing is me. Mina was ruled out as a suspect as she doesn’t go to the same school and doesn’t exactly fit the characteristics he keeps mentioning.

“Man, you need to jump literally two seconds earlier,” JK gets up, steals the controller from Jin, and drops in the middle of the two of us, breaking the zoning out that I was entering.

Before he presses start, he leans closer. “Sorry, but this one you're not gonna get lucky, Dice.” And turns back to face the TV.

The countdown starts, and we both get ready to try and not lose first. Even Jimin, who clearly doesn’t give a single care, sneakily puts his phone down to watch what is about to unfold.

The game starts, and we both are flawlessly jumping the boxes, each step closer to the point Jin and I couldn’t pass. Knowing the circuit better, I know when to run faster, so I end up in front of JK, who is now reaching closer and closer to the edge of the seat. Everyone is holding their breath as we both successfully pass the point where we were stuck, and we can clearly see the end of the course and the last jumps we need to make when the door slams open with an out-of-breath Gabi, breaking our concentration long enough that we cannot complete the almost-done course.

Jimin rolls his eyes. “What is it now?” he asks.

“Oh man! I have piping hot freaking tea,” she slams the door shut. “I just saw Yoongi!”

“Are you for real?” Jungkook jumps up and points to the TV. “We almost won!”

“If you let me finish, you would have the same reaction as me,” Gabi says, flicking him off. She locks eyes with me before she continues, “I saw Yoongi. With Eli. As in, them together, quite close, together.”

Jimin is now the one sitting up. “What the fuck? Are you serious?” And Gabi just nods, confirming it.

“Forget it. This is so stupid. And so what if they were together?” Jungkook sits back down next to me but receives a side-eye from all of us, without reply.

“Anyway… thought you should know that,” she looks at me and at Jimin. Us three have developed almost psychic abilities at this point. We all know now that she means that the mystery girl might, in fact, not be me, but Eli.

Jimin sits back, rubbing his temples, processing the revelation. The room falls into a heavy silence, the excitement from the game now a distant memory. Jin, sensing the tension, puts down the controller and turns to Gabi.

“Wait, are you sure it was Eli? Maybe it was someone who looked like her?”

Gabi shakes her head, her expression serious but still with wide eyes. “Oh, I’m positive. They were really close, drinking that coffee.”

I glance at Jimin, who looks back at me with an expression that mirrors my confusion and concern. Eli and Yoongi? The idea of it doesn’t sit right, but Gabi's encounter seems hard to refute.

“Maybe they’re just friends?” I suggest, trying to diffuse the situation, though I know it sounds weak.

Jin, always the peacemaker, tries to lighten the mood. “Yeah, maybe it’s just a misunderstanding. You know how Yoongi is, always friendly with everyone.”

But the seed of doubt has been planted. I can’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself growing more and more interested in Yoongi. His charm and the way he could always make me laugh—it was hard not to develop feelings. But now, knowing about him with Eli, of all people, it feels like a punch to the gut.

Jungkook, still beside me, is watching me closely. He’s  become good at reading my emotions, even when I try to hide them. He shifts a little closer, his shoulder brushing mine, offering silent support. 

Jimin, ever the skeptic, isn’t convinced. “Gabi, you sure you’re not jumping to conclusions? Yoongi’s always been a bit of a player, but this seems... different. I mean, I’m pretty sure that both of them know that you like Yoongi…”

Gabi crosses her arms, standing her ground. “I know what I saw. They were way too close to just be friends.”

The room falls silent again, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I can feel Jungkook’s eyes on me, and I know he’s worried. I can sense he wants to say something, but he holds back.

Finally, Jin sighs. “Look, sitting here speculating isn’t going to help. Plus, Jimin I might add that hes our friend for ages, so maybe lets not jump the gun here.” He says giving him a small side eye “Why don’t we do something to get our minds off this?” He suggests

Gabi nods enthusiastically. “There’s a party at this club in the city centre. We should go. It’ll be a good distraction.”

Jimin looks at me raising an eyebrow and smirking, waiting for my reaction. I take a deep breath, trying to push away the hurt. “Yeah, let’s go. Maybe a party is exactly what we need.”

As we start getting ready, the mood in the room shifts slightly. The anticipation of the party brings a sense of normalcy back, even if just temporarily. Jin and Jimin are quick to joke around, trying to lift everyone’s spirits. And starting the pre drinking that we normally do before going out. 

The drive to the party is filled with laughter and light-hearted banter, a welcome distraction from the earlier tension. When we arrive, the thumping music and the buzz of people immediately envelop us.

Inside, we try to stay together. We find ourselves mingling with the people in the middle of the club. But my mind keeps drifting back to Yoongi and Eli. I spot Jungkook across the room coming back with a few more drinks, our eyes lock. He gives me a reassuring nod, and I feel a bit more grounded.

As the night goes on, Gabi, Jimin, and I find ourselves getting progressively drunk. We take shots, laugh at stupid jokes, and dance like there’s no tomorrow. For a while, it feels good to let loose and forget about the confusion and hurt.

“Another round?” Gabi shouts over the music, holding up her cup. 

“Why not?” Jimin grins, already looking a more then just a bit buzzed.

I laugh, feeling the alcohol warm my veins. “Let’s do it!”

We clink our glasses together and down the shots, the burn of the liquor making me wince. But it’s a good kind of burn, one that makes me feel alive and carefree.

Jungkook watches from the sidelines, a small smile playing on his lips. He’s sticking to soda, playing the responsible one tonight. He catches my eye and raises his glass in a silent toast. I smile back, grateful for his steady presence.

Hours pass in a blur of music, laughter, and drinks. At some point, Gabi pulls me onto the dance floor, and we lose ourselves in the rhythm. Jimin joins us, his movements loose and carefree. We’re a trio of drunken joy, and for a moment, everything else fades away.

But then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Yoongi and not far behind, Eli. My heart sinks, and the carefree feeling evaporates.

Gabi, noticing my distraction, follows my gaze and frowns. “Ignore them,” she says, squeezing my hand. “Tonight’s about having fun.”

I nod, trying to take her advice to heart. But it’s hard to shake the image from my mind. Jungkook appears beside me, offering a gentle smile. 

“Hey, wanna get some fresh air?” he asks, trying to talk over the loud music. 

“Yeah, that sounds good,” I say, grateful for the escape.

We step outside, the cool night air a welcome relief from the stuffy, crowded club. The outside, filled with people smoking and chatting loudly in the street. 

“You okay?” Jungkook asks, his voice soft.

I shrug, definetly feeling the alcohol in my system now and dulling the edges of my emotions. “It’s fine. Its not like we had anything anyway” I try to push away the conversation that I definetly don’t want to have right now. 

He nods, understanding. “You deserve someone who sees how amazing you are.”

I look at him and raise an eyebrow. For the past weeks, he has kept to himself with the flirting. We all have been going out together and his presence ever so reasuring. I give him a small laugh and shrug away his statement. 

He smiles, his eyes warm. I don’t know if it’s the alcohol, but I swear I could see his eyes sparkle when looking back at him. My heart flutters and I definetly must be way more drunk than I thought. I need to go find Gabi. She must be drunk in a corner somehwere. 

I quickly turn around and stumble and Jungkook quickly grabs my arm to bring me back to my feet. “Should we go home? I think you had enough of party today…” he says carefully. Damn that cold feeling on my stomach. I definelty don’t feel anything for him. But why do his lips look so pink and soft? I can only imagine what they would feel like..

I shake my head snapping out of it, catching his big round eyes staring back at me. 

“No, I need to find Gabi. We always come back together.” We weave our way back through the throngs of people, the music thumping louder as we reenter the crowded club. My head is swimming, a mix of alcohol and emotions making it hard to focus. Jungkook stays close, his hand lightly resting on the small of my back, guiding me through the chaos.

As we make our way to the bar, I spot Gabi leaning heavily into Jin, laughing at something he said. Jin, ever the gentleman, is trying to keep her upright, a bemused smile on his face. Jimin is nearby, his gaze darting between Gabi and the crowd, looking slightly lost.

I manage to make my way over to Gabi, and she immediately latches onto me, her eyes bright and unfocused. “There you are! Let’s do more shots!” she exclaims, her words slurring together.

I’m about to agree when Jimin and Jungkook intervene. “Nop, no more shots for you” Jimin says firmly, gently prying Gabi off me. “You’re already drunk enough.” Jungkook nods in agreement. “Let’s get you some water instead.”

Gabi pouts but doesn’t resist much as Jimin leads her away from the bar. I giggle but I feel a twinge of disappointment, part of me wanting to keep the party going, to drown out all the emotions bubbling inside of me right now. But Jungkook’s steady presence next to me is a reminder that I will not be taking anything else tonight other then water. 

Just then, Yoongi and Eli approach our group. They don’t make it obvious that they arrived together, and no one brings it up. Yoongi’s eyes find mine, a mix of concern and something else in his gaze. Eli is by his side, but there’s a distance between them now that wasn’t there before.

“Hey,” Yoongi says, his voice calm and composed. “You guys okay?”

I nod, with a loose smile on my lips “Yeah, just trying to keep Gabi from getting too drunk.”

“I would say Jungkook and Jimin are trying to keep you both from getting more drunk” Eli jokes and I feel him tense next to me.  “It was his idea!” Gabi butts in the conversation and points to Jimin who, also drunkly, tries to steady her. 

Yoongi glances at Gabi, who is now back to happily chatting with Jimin and Jin, then back at me. “I can take you guys home if you want. I’m heading out anyway.”

We leave the club, Yoongi and Eli flanking us as we make our way to the bus stop. Gabi and Jimin are in high spirits, though their drunken state makes it clear that they’re struggling to keep their balance. Gabi leans heavily on Eli, her laughter spilling out in bursts that mix with the cool night air. Jimin, also swaying slightly, is grinning like a fool and bumping into things as we walk.

Yoongi sticks close to my side, his presence steady and reassuring. Eli occasionally glancing back at Yoongi and me.

The bus ride is a mix of awkwardness and exhaustion. I notice that Eli is starting to fidget. Gabi and Jimin are getting more out of control, their drunken antics making it hard for me to keep a clear head. I try to help them find their seats, but Gabi keeps giggling and leaning against me while Jimin slumps into the seat, his head resting against the window.

Yoongi sits beside me, his arm brushing against mine. He leans in slightly, his voice soft. “How are you holding up?”

I glance at him, appreciating his concern. “I’m okay, looking forward to get home”

He nods, a small smile on his lips.

The bus jolts to a stop, and I watch as Eli exits, waving goodbye with a slightly disheveled look. The doors close behind her, and the bus continues on its route.

By the time we reach our stop, Gabi and Jimin are both in bad shape. Jimin stumbles off the bus and as Yoongi unlocks the door, as he is the who is the most sober between all of us, Jimin pushes him aside and crashes onto the couch in the living room, his body collapsing in a heap. Gabi, somehow finding the energy, manages to make her way to her room, though she’s swaying and mumbling incoherently.

Yoongi helps me get Gabi to her bed, making sure she’s settled before turning back to me. The apartment is quiet, the noise of the night replaced by a peaceful stillness.

I make my way back to the front door, feeling a wave of sobriety wash over me as the adrenaline from the night fades. The reality of the situation hits me hard. I’m alone with Yoongi, the person I’ve been trying to understand and connect with for weeks, but was just out with one who I tought was one of my best friends here. 

“Thank you for everything tonight,” I whisper trying not wake up Jimin who was asleep not too far, I look up at him with a shy and grateful smile. 

He takes a step closer, his eyes locking onto mine. “It was my pleasure. I’m just glad you are okay.”

There’s a charged silence between us, the air heavy with unspoken words and emotions. Yoongi’s gaze drops to my lips, and I can see the desire and warmth in his eyes. Without thinking, which I can only blame the 5 shots and the many cups of wine I downed this evening, I lean in, my heart racing.

Yoongi meets me halfway, his lips capturing mine in a heated kiss. The world around us fades away as the kiss deepens, his hands finding their way to my face, holding me close. The kiss is a mix of longing and relief, a culmination of all the emotions we’ve both been holding back.

When our lips finally meet, it’s a delicate, exploratory touch—soft and hesitant, as if we’re both savoring the moment of first contact. His lips are warm and tender against mine, sending a rush of sensation that makes my heart skip a beat. The kiss deepens slowly, becoming more passionate but still gentle, as if we are both savoring the newness of the moment.

His hands move to cup my face, holding me gently but firmly, as if anchoring us both in this moment. I respond, my hands resting on his shoulders, feeling the tension and warmth of his body. The kiss becomes a dance of give-and-take, each movement smooth and synchronized.

Suddenly, Yoongi’s hands slide down from my face to my waist, pulling me closer against him. The intensity of the kiss increases, and a soft moan escapes my lips as his tongue brushes against mine, teasing and exploring. I can feel the heat radiating off him, the firmness of his chest against mine, and it sends a shiver of excitement through my body.

I run my fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer, the kiss growing more fervent. His hands roam my back, tracing patterns that make my skin tingle with anticipation. Every touch, every brush of his lips feels electric, and I’m completely lost in the sensation, in him.

We finally break apart, gasping for breath, our foreheads resting against each other. Yoongi’s eyes are dark with desire, his breathing ragged. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” he admits softly, his voice husky with emotion.

I nod, my heart pounding. “Me too,” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the sound of my racing heartbeat.

He smiles, a soft, genuine smile that makes my heart flutter. “I should go now. It’s late, and you need to get some rest. You’re definitely going to need some coffee tomorrow.”

I manage a small laugh, still feeling the aftershocks of our kiss. “Yeah, you’re right. Thank you, for getting us back here.”

He gives me one last, lingering look before stepping towards the door. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” I reply, watching him leave. The door closes behind him, and I’m left alone in the quiet apartment, feeling a mixture of exhilaration and nervous anticipation for what comes next.

I head back to my room, feeling completely sober now, the kiss still fresh on my lips. He’s right. I will definitely need that coffee tomorrow.

The sharp light of morning filters through the thin curtains, turning my small bedroom into a bright, albeit blurry, reality. My head is pounding with the remnants of last night’s revelry, and I feel a dull ache behind my eyes. I groan and stretch, hoping to shake off the fog that lingers from too many drinks.

I roll over to check my phone, squinting at the screen as I fumble with the brightness. The messages from Jungkook, sent in the group chat, catches my attention first, asking if we all made it back safely. Yoongi’s reply—a simple thumbs-up.

God. Yoongi. Did I actually kiss him last night? The reality of what happened last night comes crashing back. My heart skips a beat as I remember the kiss, the heat of his lips against mine, and the surge of feelings that accompanied it. The warmth of Yoongi’s touch, the intensity in his eyes—it all feels so vivid and real, despite the haze of alcohol that clearly clouded my judgment.

I sit up, shaking my head to clear the lingering grogginess. My fingers instinctively brush over my lips, still tingling from the kiss. Was it a mistake? Was it something real? The confusion and anxiety settle in as I replay the moments leading up to that kiss in my mind. The way Yoongi had looked at me, how our lips had met, the way his touch had felt.

I stumble out of bed, trying to piece together the fragments of the previous night. The sun’s rays are harsh against my eyes, magnifying the headache that pulses with each heartbeat. As I pad across the room, my reflection in the mirror catches my eye. My hair is a mess, and I look as disheveled as I feel. I reach for my phone again, scrolling through the messages to see if there’s any sign of further communication from him. But there’s nothing new.

I head to the kitchen, hoping that a strong cup of coffee will help me clear my head. The ritual of brewing coffee is a small comfort amidst the turmoil. As the aroma fills the kitchen, no matter how hard I try, my mind keeps returning to the kiss.

The way Yoongi’s lips had felt on mine was more than just a normal kiss— Had it been just the alcohol talking? Or was there something real beneath the surface? I keep replaying the moment in my head, his warm breath against my cheek, the way his fingers had cradled my face. But Gabi had seen him with Eli, not long before. 

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions inside me. I need to talk to Yoongi, but how do I even begin with a conversation like that? What if he sees it as just a mistake, or worse, what if he regrets it? Maybe he was drunk too and might not even remember last night. 

The coffee brews slowly, giving me time to gather my thoughts. I decide to take a shower, hoping that the refreshing feel of water will help me clear my mind. As I let the hot water cascade over me, I try to focus on the present, on the routine of getting ready for the day. 

Wrapped in a towel, I check my phone again. The lack of new messages from Yoongi only heightens my anxiety. I wonder if he’s also been thinking about what happened, or if he’s already moved past it. The uncertainty is eating at me.

“Hey, thanks for last night. I was wondering if you are free later? Thought we should talk”

I hit send and put my phone down. Now, it’s a matter of waiting for his response. I hear commotion on the living room as Jimin starts to come back to himself. I prepare an extra cup of coffe and head to the living room. I drop onto the couch next to Jimin, who’s already wincing at the strong aroma of coffee. He looks as rough as I feel—his hair sticking out in odd angles, and the dark circles under his eyes making him look like he’s been through a battle.

 “Man I feel bad if you feel like how you look” Jimin grumbles, his eyes half-shut as he reaches for the coffee I’d prepared for him.

“If I were you, I’d keep quiet. You don’t look much better yourself,” I reply, trying to match his attempt at humor with my own. I lean back against the cushions, feeling the slight comfort of the soft fabric against my tired body.

Jimin takes a slow sip from his cup, grimacing as the bitter taste hits his tongue. “Ugh, I don’t even remember getting home last night. Was it really as crazy as it felt?”

“It was a pretty intense night,” I say, trying to keep my tone casual. I don’t mention the kiss, not really sure why. I blame the hungover I’m nursing. “We all made it back somehow. Gabi’s still asleep in her room.”

Jimin nods, his gaze distant as he tries to piece together fragments of the previous night. “Yeah, I remember bits and pieces. I think I saw Yoongi...”

The mention of Yoongi makes my heart race a little faster. I try to push away the nervousness and focus on Jimin’s recovery from his hangover. “Yeah, Yoongi was a real lifesaver. He helped get us home and made sure everyone was okay.”

“Oh, nice of him,” Jimin replies, his voice a bit clearer now. 

I manage a small smile and nod, though my thoughts are still consumed by the kiss and the uncertainty of where things stand between Yoongi and me. 

The sound of my phone buzzing interrupts the quiet moment. I reach for it, my heart skipping a beat as I see Yoongi’s name on the screen. I quickly open the message, hoping for some clarity.

“Hey, I’ve been thinking about last night too. I’m free this afternoon. How about we meet up and talk?”

A mix of relief and anxiety floods over me. He wants to meet and talk—this is my chance to understand what really happened between us. I take a deep breath and compose my reply.

Sounds good. How about we meet at that? I’ll see you there around 3?

I send the message and set my phone aside, feeling a slight tremor of nerves in my stomach. Meeting up with Yoongi will bring everything out into the open. I glance at Jimin, who’s now scrolling through his phone and looking slightly more awake.

“Hey, I’m heading out this afternoon to meet up with Yoongi,” I say, trying to sound nonchalant. “Do you think you’ll be up for a little while? Maybe we can catch up after I get back?”

Jimin nods, managing a weak smile. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just need to get through this coffee and maybe a nap. You go ahead. I’ll be here.”

“Thanks,” I say, feeling a touch of gratitude. “let me know if you need anything else”

I’m not surprise that we were walking up late, way past noon. I get ready, throwing some casual clothes and leave the appartment, taking my time to reach the café. The sunlight feeling oddly warm and bright as I head towards the café. The crisp air helps clear my mind a little, though the anxiety about the upcoming conversation with Yoongi lingers. I keep replaying the kiss in my mind, trying to decipher its meaning.

When I finally reach the café, I find a quiet corner table and settle in, hoping that the ambiance and the soothing music will help calm my nerves. I order a drink and wait, my thoughts a whirlwind of anticipation. 

Yoongi arrives right on time, looking casual but put-together. He spots me and gives a small wave as he walks over, looking not at all bothered by anything. Why do I have a feeling this might go south?

“Hey,” he says as he approaches, taking a seat across from me. “Thanks for meeting up.”

“Of course,” I reply, trying to keep my voice steady. “I thought it was important we talk.”

We both sit in silence for a moment, the weight of the kiss hanging between us. Finally, Yoongi breaks the silence, his voice low and sincere.

“I’ve been thinking about last night a lot,” he starts, looking directly into my eyes. “I really felt something when we kissed,” he had said, and I could see the sincerity in his eyes. But then, he had added, “But I’m not looking for anything serious right now. So I would appreciate if we could keep it low what happened.”

Yoongi’s words hang in the air, and for a moment, the world around me seems to blur. The warm café, the chatter of other patrons, the gentle hum of the coffee machine—all fade as I focus on the unexpected turn in his confession

His expression is a mix of apprehension and regret, as if he’s bracing himself for my reaction. I sit there, trying to process the weight of his words. The initial rush of relief I felt when I saw his message this morning feels like a distant memory. The knot in my stomach tightens as I grapple with the reality of what he’s saying.

I’m still silent, struggling to articulate my thoughts. The brief silence feels interminable, filled with the noise of my own racing heartbeat and the hum of the café around us. I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves.

“I’m ok with that.” I try to brush it off even though the only thing in my mind was that damn kiss. He still seems tense. “I mean it was just a moment of…intensity. You just want to forget what happened?” I ask him

Yoongi’s gaze drops to his hands, fidgeting with the edge of the napkin on the table. “Not exactly forget. More like…keep it as a moment that happened between us, but not let it change things or complicate what we have right now.”

I nod slowly, the disappointment settling heavily in my chest. “I understand. I guess I should’ve expected something like this. I mean, we were both drunk”

We sit in silence for a moment, the initial tension easing slightly as we both process the conversation. Yoongi takes a sip of his coffee, and I try to find solace in the soothing ambiance of the café.

Finally, I’m the one to break the silence. “Do you want to talk about something else? Or maybe just…hang out for a bit?”

“Uh, actually I’m a bit busy today. Maybe another day?”

I nod, trying not show the dissapointment that is brewing inside. 

“Yup. Thanks for the talk today!” I say to him and he quickly finishes his drink and gets ready to leave.

Yoongi finishes his coffee quickly and stands up, his movements a little too eager as if he’s anxious to leave. He offers me a quick, somewhat awkward smile before gathering his things.

“Thanks for being chill about it,” he says, his voice filled with genuine relief. “I’ll text you later!”

I manage a small, forced smile in return. “Yup. Thanks for the talk today!” I watch him as he heads out, the door chiming softly behind him. The café feels emptier now, the absence of his presence leaving a noticeable gap.

As the door closes, the reality of our conversation settles heavily in my chest. I stare down at the remnants of my coffee, the once comforting aroma now a bitter reminder of our discussion. The weight of his words, the certainty of his boundaries, and the palpable sense of finality hang around me like a shroud.

The quiet of the café feels almost oppressive now, the gentle murmur of conversations and the clinking of cups a distant background noise. I glance around, feeling disconnected from the world outside, lost in the aftermath of our conversation.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my swirling emotions. I had hoped for more clarity, a resolution that would either move us forward or let me put the past behind me. Instead, I’m left with an uneasy acceptance of the boundaries Yoongi has set. It feels like a door closing softly, leaving me in a limbo between hope and resignation.

With a sigh, I gather my things and stand up, taking one last look around the café before heading out. The sunlight outside feels warm and bright, but it does little to chase away the lingering shadows in my mind. Previous ✧ Next

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[vibratingskull]

Yandere Thrawn x F!reader chapter 12

Yandere AU - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11

Tags : Yandere behaviors (duh), gaslighting, funerals

“It is with a heavy heart that we have to say goodbye to two of our esteemed colleagues.” Thrawn ceremoniously says, in front of two coffins in the grand hangar of the Chimaera, “Those two women accomplished their duty with diligence, uprightness, and more than anything, with an undying loyalty to the Empire. We can only strive to do as well as them.” He concludes. 

He advances and leaves a single rose on each of the coffins. They are both empty, but the gathering behind him doesn’t know it. One coffin for the Captain promptly expelled in the cold and never-ending night of the universe and one for you, carefully hidden in his suite, paralyzed and powerless. 

All your colleagues are here for a last homage to two women who strived to accomplish their duties each day with righteousness. Only Thrawn knows the truth about you two. “Farewell, Ma’ams.” He finishes and everyone bows to your coffins. 

The coffins are taken to the furnace of the Chimaera and the gathering spreads in little groups, discussing about you or what this ceremony inspired them. Thrawn sneakily steals a third rose in the bouquets displayed and walks calmly among the cells, accepting greetings and congratulations as he walks by before joining the little group of officers that beat you up. The group is strangely silent contrary to all the others, still uneasy, like they could be discovered now. 

“Gentlemen, Ladies. My congratulations.” He says, his hard gaze traveling from one face to the other wincing with more or less discomfort. “You have executed your last mission with brio. You can be proud of yourself.” 

But they aren’t. In their eyes they killed two of their colleagues and nothing will be able to take that weight off their shoulders. Not even Thrawn. That is well, he doesn’t care if nightmares prevent them from sleeping at night. “I know this is little consolation, but you have my gratitude.”, “Thank you, Grand Admiral.” one of them mutters. “Just know you have done the right thing,” he assures them before approaching Faro who stayed in the doorway. 

“You did not want to see the ceremony from a better point of view?” He asks, curious. “No.” She responds with a somber tone, “I do not deserve it. I was a bad friend to (F/n)...”, “How so?”, “I turned my back on her when she needed my help the most. I did not believe her when she proclaimed her innocence to me. This is unforgivable.” She lowers her head, clearly disappointed in herself. “The false proves were convincing. I, myself, had some difficulty separating facts from fiction.” He consoles her, but she hears none of it. “Still! I should have known, I should have believed her no matter what. And now I can’t even say sorry.”, “I am sure Lieutenant Commander (f/n) would not hold it against you. Raise your head, Commodore. Do not let it hold you down, I need you ready and alert.”, “Yes, Grand Admiral.” she acquiesces but her heart isn’t into it. “Do not be too hard on yourself. You have done what was expected of a Commodore in your hard situation. You can be proud of yourself.”, “Thank you, Grand Admiral. What are you going to do with that rose?” She tilts her head. “This little thing? My suite could use some rose fragrance.” He answers enigmatically. If Karyn didn’t know him well she would have thought he sadistically smiled. But she does know him well, he isn’t like that! 

Thrawn walks silently in the corridors, inhaling the scent of the red flower pressed against his nose. He will give you that rose. He will command you a proper large bouquet later, for now, he will offer you that single flower, red like his heart beating for you.  

You gave him so much pleasure yesterday you deserve a gorgeous bouquet! He also started looking into the housing market and he found some properties on some isolated planets, some charming little cottages away from towns and villages. With a big garden for you to lazily bask in the sun, to do some gardening if you so wish, but mostly for his children to play. He can’t wait to meet them, to see them running around you two and doing cartwheels in the green grass.  

He wants a big tree to install a swing for them to play, a pool for you to relax on a deck chair to read, and a patio to eat under the sun with the family when the good days finally arrive. He wants a large family. 

He wants children with you! He wants to see you round and swollen with his babies. 

He keeps fantasizing about his future domestic life when he reaches his suite. He immediately heads towards his bedroom where you obediently await his return every day. “Hello, Cha’cah.” He greets you with a smile. 

You are hidden under the covers, recoiling in a ball. Still and mute. If he couldn’t read your heat signals he could think you were dead. He sits on the edge of the bed, laying his hand on your hidden shoulder and gently squeezes it, “Stop hiding, Ch’acah. Let me see your face.”  

As you refuse to move he grips the cover’s hem and pulls on it, revealing your face to his eyes. How beautiful you are, all pouty like that! You grumble and immediately try to hide your face again. 

You cannot face him. 

Not after what happened yesterday. You are still in shock. 

He chuckles and pulls more on the cover, “Come on, now. Do you intend to deprive me of your ravishing face?” He demands and immediately leans in to kiss your cheek. You do not respond to the kiss, forcing your eyes shut, slightly trembling.“I have a little present for you.” He takes a little lick at your cheek and takes the rose off behind his back. 

You remain mute and eyes shut. He brushes the rose under your nose making you sneeze and finally react. You hesitantly take the rose between your hands while he kisses your temple. 

He is so happy! You’ve made such progress in your relationship! You desire him as much as he desires you now, craving each other's presence. He wants to hug you all day long, having you on his lap while he works at his desk, embracing you all night! He wants the complete page! The real deal! 

You surely spend the whole day awaiting his return desperately counting the hours until he returns in your arms. Your pa ack ssionate night must plague your mind and entice you to do it again, but you’re so shy you surely won’t try anything 

He can’t wait to hold you tight tonight again. And surely you too! 

But he knows he still has to tame you, he is only midway through his goal. He needs a lot more tenderness and sweet touches for you to be fully comfortable and open. 

 He knows it. 

But he is prepared for it. 

You?  

You are confused, out of your mind, dwelling on the same questions, the same interrogations spinning in your head non-stop. 

You trusted him, you looked up to him, felt safe with him… You placed your life between his hands! 

You spend all day eyes hypnotized by the bay; looking at shiny stars, dissociating completely, mind bubbling and bursting out of your skull.  

His fingers come gripping your chin to spin your face towards his burning red gaze. “Let me look at you, Ch’acah. Let me admire your gorgeous face, I miss it dearly all day long.” He demands, between a plea and an order, “How I love to appreciate it in detail. Your expression yesterday night was just so... Exquisite.” He praises, his red eyes shining brighter, “If only you knew how long I desired it.” 

You gulp, lowering your gaze before him. 

Was... Was it all your fault? If you kept your mouth shut and didn’t speak his name, would it have happened still? 

“Why do you not look me in the eyes, my sweet? I so long for your gaze on me.” He asks, his thumb coming to caress your lower lips, parting them lightly. You gasp, at a loss for words. What to respond? How will he react? Will he kiss you? Will he become violent? Will he just shrug it off? Will he slap you? Will he leave you alone and untouched? 

Far away from your confusion and trouble, Thrawn observes your face, idolizing your features, adoring your dazed expression. How are you so effortlessly beautiful? He wonders, simply amazed. And your voice... Truly mesmerizing. 

“I... I just...” You start, raising your eyes to meet his to immediately get a flashback of the dark and heavy gaze he had last night. Absolutely terrifying. He looked like a carnivore that spotted a bleeding prey. 

And he acted like one... 

How much of what happened is actually your fault? How much responsibility do you hold? Clearly, you shouldn’t have masturbated in your Grand Admiral’s bed, but does it legitimize his actions? 

Surely not... Or maybe... Yes? 

“You were so captivating yesterday.” He continues, “Touching yourself so shamelessly in my bed like that. I could have admired you for entire hours. And when you whispered my name... So lowly, so... lecherously...” He deeply inhales like he is fighting back something inside of him and buries his head in the crook of your neck, making you jolt and tremble, on edge, “I could not believe what I heard. You, desiring me? My heart warmed up in joy. If only you knew how much it meant to me.”  

You... Desiring... Him? It’s true you were masturbating to him, but... Did that give him any right?  

He lazily kisses your neck, laying on you, trapping you under his weight. He gives sweet, little licks, making you start and tremble between his large hands. He cannot help but chuckle, it is so endearing how reactive and sensitive you are. You are simply so sweet to him. So adorable and easy to adore. One of his hands traces its way up your arm to trap your valid hand and intertwines your fingers together, holding it firmly. 

 “You are so silent, Ch’acah. I miss your melodious voice, will you not sing a single word to my ears?” He demands, kissing the scar on your neck, letting the sweet memory replay in his mind. “I... I am... not sure I-” you start before he cuts you entirely, “Of course, Ch’acah, of course you are confused. It is a large step that we took together, it is a true leap of faith. But together we can make it work.” 

You can clearly hear the satisfied smile in his voice as he pecks your nape tenderly, but you are not as sure as him. “It’s not... It’s not what I am trying to-” You moan sharply, hissing as he suddenly sucks on your skin. You squirm under his large and tall body, trying to get out of under him, but your two casts prevent you from moving properly, and either way, his strength keeps you firmly in place under him. He raises his head to look at you with a foggy gaze, heavy with dark desires.  

“It is all right, ch’eo ch’acah.” he murmurs darkly, “We will figure it out. I will satisfy you like you never were before.” And before you can contradict him he captures your lips in a demanding kiss. He devours your mouth, robbing you of all your air. You refrain a yelp and bite his lip til he bleeds to make him stop. He parts with you with a grin, licking his bleeding lip with brighter eyes, “Interesting...” He takes note, strangely pleased by your reaction. 

You try to look enraged, frowning your brows and baring your teeth to deter him, to make him realize he should back down. But instead, you see even more hunger brewing in his predatory gaze, like something switched in his mind. A single drop if his blood falls on the corner or your lips and he spreads it on your lips with his thumb, adorning your mouth with rich, deep red. 

“I love your energy, Ch’acah.” He says with an increasingly deranged gaze, but his voice as still and calm as it always was, “Can you keep it up all night?” He asks, hope flourishing in his dry heart. You look at him shocked and at loss for words you only can gasp at his outrageous demand.  

He visibly softens at your reaction, caressing your cheek tenderly. “It is all right, ch’eo ch’acah. We can take it slow.” He says lowly, brushing his nose in the crook of your neck, “There is so many things I would like for us to do, so many things I would like to share with you.” 

You do not know it yet but you love him too, he knows it, but you are still confused. He will give you more time. 

At least until he cannot repress it anymore... 

“I just want you to know you filled my heart with joy yesterday.” He confesses, “Knowing we reciprocate feelings... This is truly a blessing by the Warrior.” He tenderly looks into your eyes, holding your cheek with his warm large palm, preventing you from escaping him. 

Are you reciprocating his feelings? Wait, what feeling are we talking about? Lust? Love? Hate?  

“Thrawn.” You manage to say with a firmer voice, catching his attention, “I think you are... misunderstanding the situation. You are dear to me, but... I don’t think I wanted-” He tilts his head, squinting a bit, his gaze slowly switching to dark lust to...Warning and threats, shutting you up. 

You feel yourself starting to tremble under his black gaze. 

“Ch’acah... Oh Ch’acah.” He chants, a grin flourishing on his face, “You do not make any sense, ch’eo Ch’acah.” He darkly chuckles at your discomfited expression, “You called for me, and I simply responded. I would never have laid a hand on you without you desiring it, I think you are mixing responsibilities here. ” He lowers his head to brush his nose with yours, a purr raising in his throat,  

“Thrawn...” you try again. He shushes you, putting his bumpy forehead against yours, looking deep into your human eyes, “You are still confused. Your consciousness is trying to convince you you did not want it because you lost your former lover tragically. It is trying to protect itself from pain and loss.” His thumb caresses your cheek as he speaks, hypnotizing you with his red eyes. 

Is... Is it true? Thrawn never lied to you until now and you cannot imagine him truly assaulting a woman... Could it be the truth? 

But why are you feeling so dirty and disgusted with yourself? 

“It is a perfectly natural reaction, it is your survival instinct trying to protect your mental and physical integrity. It is extremely common in fields bordering on death daily. I have witnessed it plenty of times.” He outrageously lies to you, “Trauma can take many forms, denying oneself a chance with love is pretty common after a loss.” 

“But I felt so gross after it...” you feel tears rising behind your eyes, his touch burning your skin off. “How can I even know you’re right?” Your voice cracks. 

You didn’t let yourself cry in his presence, and while he was away your mind was so full and blank at the same time no tears reached your eyes, but now they threaten to spill all over. 

“It is quite simple, ch’eo Ch’acah.” His smile dripping with false sweetness, “If you cummed it means you enjoyed yourself and desired it. This is not something easy to fake, is it not? Did you cum?” He plays cruelly with you, forcing you to admit your greatest shame. 

That you came under his assault. 

“I... I am not sure? I-I just-” He licks your cheek with the flat of his tongue, making you whine and gulp, “You cummed really hard Ch’eoh Ch’acah, like I promised you would. There is your proof my sweet.” He muses, thoroughly amused by the situation. 

It is so sweet of you to try to understand the situation while reconciling with the sweet persona he offered you all this time. Your broken mind cannot compute the fact that he of all people did that to you, that you must have provoked the situation in some way. That your gentlemanly and sweet Grand Admiral could never assault you. 

And he fully intents to take advantage of this vulnerability. 

“Discard those negative sentiments and doubts, your body knows what it wants and what is good for it. The mind is more tricky to appease once wounded, it will take you time to heal, but I know how to help you mend quicker.”  

“You do?” you ask with a voice where hope and fear mix. 

“We should simply do it again.” He drops the bomb with a deliciously satisfied smile. You open your eyes wide open, incredulous, “Excuse me?” You ask in a white voice. “It is exposure therapy, Ch’acah. Making you confront your fear will help you.”, “I am not sure this is for me.”, Thrawn tilts his head like he didn’t understood your reaction, “I only want what is best for you, (Y/n). You know that right?” 

“I... Think” you gulp. 

“I only want to help you.” He insists, “Do you believe I could do anything to hurt you? Me? Your Ch’acah?” 

Your mind froze. The memories of yesterday night fighting the memories of your sweet polite friend. Thrawn, always so nice and supportive, your Ch’acah who forgave your stab in his back. The one you wounded in his flesh. Is it possible? That you completely misconstructed that situation and he is telling the truth? You knew each other for years, Eli and Karyn trust him. He never raised his hand on anyone. He is an upright man, a moral person you blindly trusted. 

Your brain cannot reconcile those two very real aspects of him, one must come up on top. He simply awaits which one, ready to jump into action and modify his plans in split second if you realize the monster he truly is. 

“...No...” you finally let out, tears flowing on your face. 

He smiles carnivorously, congratulating himself. Those long days playing the good loyal friend all cumulated to this moment. Before the impossible dilemma he presented you, your brain chose to hide the truth, too ugly to witness. That he is such a monster, that he assaulted you and took advantage of you in more ways than one... Before the hideous reality, your mind buries its head in the sand and convinces you all of it was just a bad dream, a misunderstanding, that your tormentor is still your nice friend, only wanting the best for you. 

“No, I cannot believe that...” You broke down completely. 

“Shhhhhhhhh... It is good, my sweet.” He caresses your hair gently, brushing your noses together, “I do not hold it against you. In confusion you are ready to believe anything. Even that your most loyal support could do anything against you.” You sob, big tears rolling off your eyes, you gasp for air “I... I never wanted to think that about you!” You gulp, “But I was so confused and afraid. Thrawn I am so sorry!” 

“No need to be, Ch’eo Ch’acah. I forgive you.” He holds you tight, hugging you, shielding your body with his massive one. “You are grieving and in pain. Your disarray is understandable. You may not worry, I am not holding it against you.” He murmurs into your ear with a sickly sweet tone. 

Oh, sweet thing... So sweet and fragile little darling... How blissful he feels at this very instant. You, presenting your excuses to him, your torturer, craving a rational explanation that aligns with your views of the world so much you are willing to believe your executioner. You are just a sweet, little bird with broken wings. It is easier to believe you hold responsibilities and lay against yourself than face the reality that your best friend and benefactor assaulted you. 

Absolutely fascinating how one’s mind is ready to believe anything rather than a painful and uncomfortable truth. But right now he is incredibly grateful for it. He ravished you and got out of it dirt free. 

No.  

He got out of it as a saint! As the one who tries to heal you, working against your dysfunctioning mind and consciousness. How could you be mad at him? Him who forgave you every transgressions and kept you under his wing to propel your career? 

At least in your eyes... 

This gamble was high risk, he is deeply, viscerally aware of it, but also high reward and he hit the jackpot! Now you are his, and his alone. To toy and play with all he wants. 

He refrains from whispering “I love you.” in your ear, you had enough earth-shattering info for the day. He will whisper it endlessly to you later when you are less on edge. 

He buries his nose in your hair and deeply inhale your scent. You still smell like sex. Nothing surprising, he left you as is yesterday, in your soiled clothes, drenched in your essences and musk. As much because he wanted to smell his victory on your body for one more day than because he felt you would have clawed his face if he approached you. He spend the whole night in his office working to leave you alone with your fear and doubts, letting them fester in your mind to destabilize you mentally. 

And it was the right call... 

He stands back up on his feet, wrapping his arms around you to lift you up bridal style, “You are soiled, ch’eo Ch’acah.” He lets you know, forcing you to lower your gaze in embarrassment and defeat “Let me clean you up thoroughly, you will feel so much better after...” 

@bluechiss @blueninjablade3 @al-astakbar @thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics @twilekchiss@pencil_urchin @ineedazeezee @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching  @obbicrystaleo @germie2037 @leo4242564 @davesrightshoe @holylonelyponyeatingmacaroni 

[sanccharine]

12 | what the fuck was that?

hogwarts au

pairing: hufflepuff!tzuyu x slytherin!reader genre: fluff, slice of life word count: 2.7k

warnings: brief descriptions of injuries, swearing, and lots of quidditch ·_·

summary: whether on the field or during class, you never shied away from trouble. and in your sixth year, trouble seemed to follow you like a shadow, though you couldn’t complain. especially when that series of misfortunes led you to the transfiguration prodigy, chou tzuyu. includes: red velvet’s yeri, txt’s yeonjun and soobin, viviz’s sinb, loona’s olivia hye, and le sserafim's yunjin

status: ongoing a/n: hi hi, we're back after like two months and there's not a single thought of tzuyu i fear, ha ha ha, read it and weep <3 also @eternallyghosting here you go

masterlist | chapter 11 | chapter 13

You stared at your hands. Your broom in your right, still. Your bat in your left, shaking. 

There was no room for you to fuck up. 

More disoriented than ever, you ran out of the changing room. Eunbi had already disappeared down the corridors. The further you jogged, the louder the shouts became. A collective mass of students and teachers, yelling at the top of their lungs, to start the first Quidditch match of the year. 

Silently and slightly out of breath, you found the empty space behind Yeri, saved for you in the line-up. The Gryffindor team kept stealing glances at you, though you didn’t have it in you to take part in playful banter. It seemed like no one in your team felt that way. Just as you were about to ask Yeri about what Eunbi revealed in private, the referee blew the whistle. Both teams mounted their brooms and filed out. For the first time that day, you didn’t think and let instinct take over. 

Right hand effortlessly steering your broom, you followed your team. While the commentator rambled about the game and introduced the teams, it was customary for players to do a round—permissible showboating. It might be hard to believe, but you really weren’t one to show off, at least not at this stage, though you can’t lie, you did like the attention… sometimes. Often, you’d throw a smile or two, maybe taunt the other team, or go handless when your name is called. 

Today, you did none of that. 

The referee reminded you of the rules and fouls, picking out specific members and reminding them of past mistakes while the commentator kept the audience busy. None of it filtered in apart from the raucous crowd, an overwhelming static clouding your mind. 

You were squinting at the referee when a deep sigh came from your right. 

Just as you turned to Yeonjun, a voice filtered in. 

“Then we have one-half of the infamous Slytherin duo…” the commentator dwindled into a mumble towards the end, “ah, found it! Kang Yein!” 

Kang Yein? Who is Kang Yein? 

Confused, you turned around to see the commentator’s booth. The first thing you noticed was the yellow and black scarf engulfing the face of a boy you sort of recognized. Glasses and striking black hair, you knew him, of course, you did, he hung around with Yeonjun sometimes. But you couldn’t place a name. 

“Did he just…?”

You barely finished the question when Yeri answered. “Yeah, that’s me. I’m Kang Yein.” 

When you turned back around, you and Yeri shared a look.

“And the other half of that duo…” 

Whatever he said was a name alright, just not yours. Though, he did get your last name right. Of course, he did. It was a well-known title. There was no messing that up. 

You threw another glare over your shoulder. The commentator pushed his glasses up as he fumbled over his flashcards. Who let this kid do this job?

“Cut him some slack,” Yeonjun said as if he read your mind and your attention was on him. He was facing ahead, pretending to nod along to the referee, but speaking to you from the side of his mouth. “Soobin’s new to this, he’s just nervous.” 

Soobin. That was his name. 

“Oh, this is my best friend! Choi Yeonjun, my brother, my partner in crime,” you sent an unamused look to Yeonjun while he just hung his head. “Slytherin’s beloved keeper.”

“But I’m the keeper,” Yunjin said from down the line, but Yeonjun just let out another deep sigh. 

You decided it’s best to forget that this Soobin person existed. 

Once the referee blew their whistle, the teams split as the members took their positions. The crowd erupted once more. 

You closely followed Yeri. You were doing pretty well, that is, if you could ignore the way your left hand convulsed, so much more violent than any time before. 

“Did you know?” you shouted over the wind, your eyes flitting between your batting hand and the field around you.

“Did I know what?” Yeri yelled back. 

You had a few seconds before the game started, you quickly sidled up to Yeri so you didn’t have to keep shouting. 

“That Eunbi kicked Hyukwoo out?” you asked, eyes now on the field. The referee was speaking to the two captains of the teams. 

Yeri, who’d been leaning down to ready herself, pulled a face. “What?” she asked, dead-focused on the referee. Ready to fly away at any given moment. “She really did it?” 

“Yeah, she just said—wait, hold on, you knew?” you trained your gaze on your friend and tried not to glance at her batting hand, still at her will. 

Yeri shrugged. “I mean, she mentioned it. I didn’t think she’d actually do it.”

“And you didn’t think to tell her that we don’t have other substitutes?” you exclaimed. “I know we don’t like Hyukwoo, but we don’t have any beaters now and if—”

“Substitutes? What substitutes?” Yeri squinted as she shook her head as if she was trying to get rid of flies around her. “We don’t need substitutes.”

“Yeri, are you serious right now?” At your tone, Yeri finally turned to look at you. Yeri gulped when you turned to show her your left hand, shoulder down, it was trembling. You asked again. “Are you serious?” 

A light flashed across Yeri’s eyes. She didn’t appreciate your tone, but she gulped the emotion down when she glanced again at your hand. She understood where you came from, she really did.   

“Well, tough,” you had to bite your lip to prevent yourself from saying something you regretted. You also understood where she was coming from. Sometimes the worst thing is that your friends just know you better. “We’re the only beaters now, then. Don’t think too hard about it.” 

You couldn’t even get a word in when the whistle blew. Couldn’t even catch the devilish grin she’d sent you because, in an instant, Yeri vanished from your side.

“And the game begins!"

Chasers and bludgers. Bludgers and chasers. That was where your attention was supposed to be. 

Your eyes were roving the arena, dead-set on finding them. From corner to corner, the excited crowd is a blurry mass of flailing hands and team colours. Skies blue, field green and brown, golden rings and colourful banners. Everything filtered in. 

It was concerning how blurry your vision was. You were moving. Your teammates were moving. The bludgers were moving. Yet, none of it registered.

Eunbi was nowhere in sight. Though that shouldn't be a concern, she’d asked to keep chasers in mind. 

Chasers and bludgers. Bludgers and chasers.

“What are they doing?”

Why couldn’t you focus?

“Are they alright—Is this what they’re supposed to do? No, right?”

Your head snapped to the commentator booth. You couldn’t see him, Soobin was only a fuzzy mess of yellow and black, but you did hear him choke on his own spit. 

“Sorry!”

He was right, though. What were you doing?

The static in your head seemed to grow louder than the buzz of the crowd. Light melted in until your vision was white. You were in the air, but you weren’t moving. Floating in place, in the middle of the game. Useless.

You reminded yourself, that you didn’t have room to mess up. You simply couldn’t. 

But how could you do anything when your own hand fought against you. 

On the verge of dropping your bat, on the verge of dropping to the ground yourself, you scrunch your eyes shut. A pain at your temple blooming as the static grew louder. Almost as loud as the beating of your heart, deafening in your ears. 

But then, you heard it. A singular sound. That familiar crack. 

Your broom was already turning—already moving—towards the sound as you opened your eyes. A bludger headed straight for Olivia. 

Olivia, blind to it.

The bludger, a ball on a mission.

And you, ignoring your hand.

All three were flying at unimaginable speeds.

You couldn’t tell if the screaming crowd was the result of your eventual collision or for something else in the field. You didn’t have the mind to think about that. Instead, you did what you did best. You did something stupid and put yourself right before the ball, ready to take the hit if your shaking bat raised to defend didn’t. 

But then, you did. 

Defend, that is.

Sort of.

The bludger hit your bat. 

Except it didn’t defend it at all. Instead, the ball pushed right through you, merely slowing down the ball. 

It was as if the whole game stopped. Your hand thrummed with the effect. How your wrist hadn’t snapped all over again, you didn’t know? Somehow, your arm, in its jelly-like state, was still attached to your socket.

“What the fuck was that?”

No, because what the fuck was that?

In slow motion and with much horror, you watched the ball head straight towards your teammate. Olivia, still oblivious, was ready to pass the ball, her flight slowing automatically to get the aim right. Maybe the hit wouldn’t be fatal, but it would still injure her pretty badly. 

Your eyes were burning. So was your throat. 

The sound hadn’t registered then, but you were screaming Olivia’s name. 

Unfortunately, she turned, more startled by your scream in the middle of a game than anything. 

If your failure played back at a snail’s pace, replaying second by second. Then, Yeri’s success was lightning, blink and you’d miss it. 

And you did miss it. 

You didn’t know where she came from. Or how she came to be there. Or even where she’d gone afterwards. All you heard was that crack, deafening and proud. A bludger successfully being defended by a beater’s bat. 

“Oh, did you look at that? That was so cool!—Wait, that’s—”

“It happens.”

You jerked to the side when Eunbi appeared out of thin air, her eyes on Yeri as she did both of your jobs as one player. 

“Try again,” was all your captain said before zipping away. Within a matter of seconds, you lost sight of her. 

So, you did. And tried again.

You followed that crack. Much closer to you this time around. That was good, you were so fast, this is really good. 

Within moments, you were at arm's length of defending the bludger. Though, the second your left arm swung out, your confidence seemed to plummet. 

Much like before, your hit was bad. But unlike before, you managed to stop the ball from hitting your teammate. The only thing was you hit the ball towards the ground. 

You questioned if you should follow it, bring it back up, maybe try to strike a chaser. But your aim has been so off, and your strength is non-existent, you doubted you could hit an opposing teammate, or worse, what if you hit one of your own? 

But then, very much like before, Yeri flashed in your sight out of nowhere. And in a single clean arch, she thwacked the ball right back into a Gryffindor chaser, their broom careening to the side, making them drop the quaffle. Only for Yeonjun to swoop in to catch the ball for himself. 

This time around, Yeri paused to look at you. Not long enough to catch exactly what she was thinking but enough to know what she had in mind. 

You nodded. You hoped you both had the same idea. 

The next time you heard a bludger, you flew in blind. You swung blind too. Mustering any and all strength you had to deflect the bludger. And it worked!

And right on your tail, was Yeri, ready to aim it at a player. 

It was tiring. Constantly speeding. 

But it wasn’t as tiring as it was confusing for the opposing team. 

None of your hits had any bite to them, not to mention, they lacked any aim altogether. Players, the disadvantage being your teammates included, scattered like flock the second you hit a bludger. They were fearful your shoddy aim would find a target on their back. It was disorienting enough that it bought you time—bought Yeri time to zip in and zip out, a clean hit at a random player. 

And when your aim sent the bludger sky high, the crowd laughed. And when Yeri’s deadly aim shattered a broom in half, the crowd gasped. 

The referee blew the whistle, either a change in broom or a change in player was needed. Regardless, you had a few minutes of respite. Inhaling a deep breath, you chanced a glance at Yeri, tilting your neck all the way to see her flying leagues above you. 

She was grinning like a mad woman, eyes alight, positively buzzing with adrenaline. And when she found you staring, her grin only widened, you didn’t know that was possible. 

You met her halfway when she exclaimed. “Good plan!”

She shouted, before heaving a breath. Both of you were struggling to maintain composure, any more second of this break and you were sure the pair of you would drop like flies. 

You could only nod. 

“Keep doing it,” Yeri nodded, before gulping in another breath. “I’ll find you.” 

You nodded again when the whistle sounded off. 

Taking your position, you were a little bit more confident this time around. 

It just so happens that people got wind of your tactic. Players no longer scattered, their attention was attuned to Yeri, ready to dodge the moment she hit. Plus, both the Gryffindor beaters had their eyes on her too. And it definitely didn’t help that she was slowing down. Yeri was too busy defending herself to attack anyone. And you were getting sick of it.

Without thinking, you headed straight towards your chaser, a stray bludger near you while Yeri was busy. Your best friend was too far to catch it after you failed. It was all on you. 

You didn’t think about who the chaser was. 

You didn’t think about where Yeri was. 

You didn’t think about your arm. 

You swung the bat, with all your might. 

A deafening crack popped your ears.

“Did you—Did you see that?! Oh my—Oh, wait!” 

And then Soobin squealed. Like properly. We’re talking at a decibel only dolphins can reach. You wouldn’t have paid him any mind if he hadn’t sounded so ridiculous. You wouldn’t have paid him mind because you were watching your bludger find a Gryffindor chaser. 

Soobin exclaimed something else, though it got drowned out by the crowd. Their cheers. 

And then they gasped because your hit had been deflected. 

But it didn’t matter. You were finally playing the game. 

Grinning, you tried to find Yeri. She was easy to spot since she was waving her bat in circles as she leaned down. 

Switch back to usual tactics is what she signed. 

Finally confident, you leaned down on your broom as well. 

You were playing well. Perhaps, the best you’ve played all week. 

However, you couldn’t ignore the small voice of doubt in the back of your mind. One that pointed out that your hits were constantly being deflected. That they were weak. 

It was as if your mind were split into two, warring against each other. Were you to rejoice at the fact you were playing, finally playing? Or worry about the fact that you were barely attacking the other team? 

Of course, there was a third, smaller part of your mind wondering where the seekers were. After that first hit of yours, Eunbi made herself scarce. From time to time, you’d see something jet past, a green blur just to know it was her. 

Good or not, playing or not, it was evident that you were tiring out. You were one hit away from succumbing to exhaustion. 

Where was Eunbi when you needed her?

You didn't answer the question. A bludger was on its way. 

They hadn’t hit it yet, but from the way both Gryffindor beaters angled themself, you could guess what was about to happen. They were gunning for Yunjin. 

It didn’t really compute. Honestly. 

Even if it did, you doubt you could make sense of any of it over Soobin’s screaming. 

Wind thrashing against your uniform. 

Your broom whistling as it sped. 

Yunjin’s horrified expression, at you or the bludger, you weren’t sure. 

The only thing you knew for sure was that you swung your bat. Hard. 

With both hands. 

Then, you tipped. 

And then, you were falling.

any feedback is much appreciated.

a/n: i will say i had more but it didn't fit, we need a cliffhanger you know ? i know you know :] see you in another two months ? lol anygays have a good day/night everyone !

taglist: @someone-who-likes-broccoli @tatliegilim @nanabongos 

send an ask to be added !

[pipsipey17]

it's part of the job | chapter 2: poisson rouge.

ceo!dom!natasha romanoff x assistant!bot!fem!reader

series masterlist | main masterlist

chapter summary: a night at the bar with your cousin is something you needed to distract yourself, or is it?

chapter warnings: idk, jealousy?

previous chapter • next chapter

“I missed you.” Wanda said to Natasha after they broke the kiss, “You’ve been so busy these past few days, we don’t even get to go out anymore.” 

“Yeah well, the company won’t run itself you know?” Natasha said as she sat back down and started to work on her computer once again, leaving Wanda standing beside her. 

“You should take a break from work baby, you might overwork yourself.”

Natasha sighed deeply, they just made up this morning after fighting for what seems to be the third time this week but she really is busy, “I can’t, I still have a lot of things to do.” 

“I know that you’re busy, you always are, but can we please just go out for lunch or something?” Wanda asked her wife.

“I’m really sorry Wanda, but I really can’t.” Natasha replied which made Wanda huff out in annoyance, “You know what, fine. I’ve always been your second priority after all.” Wanda lastly said as she walked out of Natasha’s office and slammed the door shut. Natasha groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose trying to keep her composure.  

You were working on your desk when you suddenly saw your boss’ wife walking very quickly out of the room with a look that seemed to be like she’s angry but she was also about to cry. You sighed, realizing that they probably fought again, it wasn’t new to you though, almost everytime when Wanda would visit they would end up fighting. 

Your phone suddenly rang making you snap out of your deep thoughts, you looked at the caller ID and saw that it was your cousin Meg who was calling, “Hey Y/N! Wanna go to the bar later?” Meg immediately said when you picked up the phone. 

“Don’t you have final exams to study for?” You asked. 

“Yeah but I just finished studying for all of them and I decided that I could go for a drink before taking my exams you know?” 

You went silent for a few moments. You thought that you could use a drink or two, since it’s been a while since you last had one. You could also use a distraction from your attraction towards your married boss by flirting with other girls at the bar, “Alright, sure, I’d love to.” you replied which made Meg squeal in joy, “Great! I’ll see you later.” she said then she ended the call.

~~~

“Hey Meg!” you greeted as you saw your cousin rushing up to you and then hugging you. 

“Hi Y/n, ready to get wasted?” Meg said as she wiggled her eyebrows at you. 

“Hell yeah, but not so much, I have to go to work tomorrow since you won’t be able to.” You said.

Meg rolled her eyes and said, “You’re such a workaholic, can’t you at least have some fun tonight?” 

You sighed in defeat, “Fine, just don’t get too wasted, I'm not going to drag your ass back to your apartment.” you replied then Meg smiled at you, “Alright, let’s go.” 

A few moments later, you and Meg were hanging out by the bar since Meg thought that the bartender was kind of cute. The three of you continued to chat until you saw a familiar figure across the bar, red hair that was curled at the end (think of her hair in Civil War) plump lips, sharp yet somehow round jawline- oh no, it couldn’t be her right? You shook your head and looked at the same redhead who was now looking at you, you held eye contact for a good 5 seconds until you immediately looked away. 

It was definitely her.

You would steal a few glances every now and then and when you do, your eyes would meet hers everytime, like her eyes never leave your body even just for a second. It made you feel uneasy since she is your boss and you’re seeing her outside of work, but at the same time, it turned you on. 

“Do you know her?” her sister, Yelena asked as they were sitting at a soft chair while drinking some beer and champagne. 

Natasha asked her sister out to have a drink with her because she just wanted to loosen up a little from all the stress that she was having from her work and her broken marriage but also the feelings that she has for you that are buried deep down within her. 

Natasha drank from her glass, “W-what? Who?” she asked. 

“That chick over there by the bar, you have been staring at her for a good few minutes.” 

“N-no, I just thought she looked like someone I know.” Natasha lied to hopefully stop the topic at that. 

“Shame, cause if you did I would ask you to introduce me to her.” Yelena said which made Natasha grip her wine glass a bit tighter, feeling her jealousy starting to rise.  

Yelena cleared her throat after she finished her bottle of beer, “So, marriage problems again?” she asked and Natasha nodded in response then replied, “We have been fighting constantly these past few weeks.” 

“About what?” Yelena asked again. 

Natasha leaned back to her seat and sighed, “It’s just always been two things, it’s either we fight about how we don’t spend time together anymore or she accuses me of having an affair.” 

Yelena hummed in response, “But do you?” she asked hesitantly.

Natasha raised a brow at her sister, “Do I what?”

“Have an affair.” Yelena simply replied.

Natasha scoffed, “Of course not, Lena. I’m loyal to my wife through the ups and downs of our relationship and I love her.” She hesitantly said the last part because of her growing feelings for you. 

“Hey, care for a drink?” You suddenly heard a woman speak as you were busy scrolling through your phone. You made eye contact with the woman then looked at her from head to toe, she had brunette colored hair that was until her shoulders, brown eyes and a slender figure, she’s gorgeous but not as gorgeous as your boss- No, you shouldn’t be thinking of her right now, think of the woman in front of you. You shook your head trying to clear your thoughts of the redheaded woman. 

“Sure.” you replied to her then the woman ordered two shots of vodka, she handed you a shot glass then you clinked your shot glasses together and drank it.

“I’m Maria by the way, just in case you might scream it later.” she said with a wink.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” You flirted back, “The name’s Y/n by the way since it might be you who will be screaming later.” You said to her with a smirk on your face. You honestly don’t know where your boldness came from but it could be from the alcohol.

Maria started caressing your thigh and said, “How about we test that theory now? I live nearby.” her lips were now close to your ear, “You might want to take care of your friend first, I’ll wait for you outside.” she lastly said then started to walk out of the club. 

Once Maria was out of sight, your eyes immediately searched for the redheaded woman but she was nowhere in sight, she must’ve headed home since there was work the next morning.

You faced Meg who looks a bit tipsy but not drunk she’s still busy flirting with the bartender so you nudged her arm making her look at you. “Hey, I gotta go, someone’s waiting for me.“ you said to her in a bit of a hurry. 

“Okay then, I’ll be staying here for a while longer.” Meg replied

“I should call you a cab-” The bartender suddenly chimed in, “Don’t worry about her, I can drive her home.”

As much as you wanted to trust the guy, your trust issues kicked in, “Why should I trust you?” You ask him. 

“You can trust me ma’am, in fact, I can give you my calling card if that’s what it takes for you to trust me.” The bartender replied then he handed you his calling card, “Sam Wilson, bodyguard and a part-time bartender.” you read out loud.

You eyed him head to toe, he does seem like a bodyguard because of his bodybuild and you just hope to God that he’s saying the truth, “Alright, Sam I trust you, not fully but you get the point. If something happens to my cousin you’re dead to me, got it?” you said to him threateningly. 

“Yes ma’am,” Sam simply replied, then you nodded and walked out of the club.

“Took you long enough.” Maria said to you the moment she saw you step out of the club, she was lightly seated on a black motorcycle which is probably hers 

“Sorry about that,” you said to her but then you felt eyes on you, it gave you chills but you ignored it.

Maria got onto her motorcycle then you followed suit, sitting behind her. Your arms were wrapped around her waist and speeded off. 

Little did you know, a certain redhead saw the whole scene unfold in front of her. Even back at the club when the woman approached you and got all flirty with you, she hated seeing it, it made her jealousy boil. But what made her jealous even more was when she saw you leave with the same woman who approached you at the bar. 

Natasha has to make her move sooner or later if she wants to claim you and she’s going to do whatever it takes for her to fully have you.

[castielific]

20 questions for fic writers

How many works do you have on A03? 25

What's your total word count? 454 434 words

What fandoms do you write for? Supernatural. My first english fics were about Teen Wolf. Before that, I wrote in french about House MD and Stargate Sg1.

Top 5 fics by kudos:

Baby One More Time (sterek): 4 142 kudos

Carry You Home (sterek): 2 157 kudos

Fancy and the Tramp (destiel): 1 147 kudos

But she's the Devil in Disguise (sterek): 1 030 kudos

Grace my Soul (destiel): 891 kudos

Do you respond to comments?

Not all of them. Mostly because sometimes I'm not sure how to respond and feel ridiculous saying the same thing again and again. I appreciate them all though. They all make me so happy and I'm grateful to those who takes the time to leave one. They always make my day.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Like Clipped Petunias (destiel). This is my darkest fic. I've had people telling me they had PTSD from it. The end is really angsty and horrifying. It was not supposed to end this way, but this is where the story took me. In the end, I think it fits.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Grace my Soul (destiel) comes to mind. Baby Jimmy is such a delight and the last chapter of that fic is my favorite one.

Do you get hate on fics?

I don't remember ever getting any. I did have a few problems with people stealing my stories or posting them elsewhere. In the past, I also had a few stalkers/stans sending messages that creeped me out (especially for my french fics).

Do you write smut?

Yes! I didn't used to for Teen Wolf, but I've realized that fic with a higher rating tends to get more views (which I get because I rarely read pg13 or under myself), so I started writing it. I both love and hate writing those parts. It always feels kind of awkward to share those imageries, I'm never sure what words to use or how far I should go.

Craziest crossover?

I have a WIP that was a Psych/Teen Wolf crossover.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes. More than once. I've had a few cases of people putting their own name on my stories, but mostly people repost it without my consent on other websites such as wattpad. Ao3 is the only place I post, so if you see one of my story elsewhere, it's been stolen. Please warn me if you do.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! It's such an amazing thing to think about! I have had translations in spanish, russian and chinese.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Once or twice. To be honest, I think I'm too OCD for it to work, I want it exactly as I want it lol. Help from betareaders is precious though, sometimes they write a couple paragraphs for me, or help me reformulate some things better, or just brainstorm the stoyline with me and give me brillant ideas. Fics are always better with some help.

All-time favorite ship? Destiel forever bb

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Frozen Inside (sterek) is the only WIP I've ever posted. I feel terribly guilty about it because it's been more than half a decade now and people are still asking me for a sequel. Sometimes I read it over and try, but it's just...done. Thankfully, the last chapter could be taken as a end. Kind of. God, I feel awful and I'm so sorry.

I also have tons of unpublished wip that are nearly over. I wish I'll be able to end them, because there are some stories I really really like.

What are your writing strengths?

Hyperfocus. My best stories come out that way. I'll write fifty thousand words in two days or not at all. Sadly, I can't control it. Inspiration also tend to come at the exact moment I can't possibly write, which is sooo frustrating.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Description and world building. I tend to focus too much on the action and dialogues, but forget to tell about where they are and when. I let readers fill the blank way too often, which is something I really need to work on. I've been trying to rewrite some of my fics into original stories and that made it very obvious to me.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

It depends. Sometimes the translation is in the end note and it can put me out of the story, especially if it's an important part of the dialogue. If it's just a few words or if it's done in a way you understand it anyway, it can be beautiful!

First fandom you ever wrote in? Stargate SG1.

Favorite fic you've written?

The Guy Next Door (destiel), I think. I laughed, I cried, I squealed, I facepalmed. I must have looked like a maniac writing that story. Castiel was very fun to write for that one. Dean...I wanted to slap Dean so many times while I wrote. I had no control over him, I swear, he kept on being an idiot and made me scream at my screen.

I was surprised earlier, that this fic is not in the top five stories because it's one of my personal favorite.

This exercise was very fun to do. I won't tag anyone, if you feel like doing it, just do it, I'm curious to read about all of you!

[cutedisneygirl]

Love Online Chapter 17

Warnings: none just cute and fluff, there is sort of sad part but nothing major.

Chris and Merida head back towards the living room and into the dinning room. Everyone is still sitting at the table. Chris pulls out Merida's chair for her and she sits down and he then sits next to her.

"I'm sorry Merida." Carly said.

"It's okay. You didn't know."

They finish eating, and Lisa brings out dessert. After dessert they all head into the living room and hang out and watch a movie. Chris and Merida cuddle up together. At one point Merida lays her head on his chest. He looks down at her and smiles and kisses her head. When the movie ends he looks down and sees Merida is asleep.

"She must have been tired." Lisa says.

"Yeah. I guess we better get to bed. Which room is she staying in?"

"I figured you two would want to be together. I put you both in your old room."

"Uh...mom we haven't...we have been sleeping in separate rooms."

"Oh well uh I guess..."

"I can let her have my bed. I'll sleep on the floor." Chris wraps his arms around her and gently places her in his lap and wraps her arms around his neck and gently stands up.

"Goodnight guys. We will see you in the morning. Come Dodger, come Dixie."

Dodger and Dixie follow Chris up the stairs and to his room. Chris gently places Merida on the bed. She is still sound asleep. He wonders if he should wake her to change but decides not to. He takes her boots off and places them on the floor at the end the bed. He places a blanket over her and then changes into a t-shirt and grey sweat pants and grabs a pillow from the bed. He places it on the floor next to the bed. He then grabs the sleeping bag he has kept in his closet and spreads it out on the floor. He also grabs a blanket from the closet then lays down on the floor. Dodger curls up at his feet and Dixie jumps up on the bed and curls up next to Merida.

The next morning Merida wakes up and looks around. She doesn't remember getting in bed. She sees Dixie next to her. She then hears snoring. She sits up a little bit and leans over the edge of the bed and sees Chris on the ground asleep. She smiles. He looks so handsome and cute asleep with Dodger at his feet. She lays down and watches him sleep for several minutes. Then he stirs and rolls over and opens his eyes and looks up and sees Merida watching him.

"Well good morning beautiful."

"Morning."

"Have you been watching me?"

"Yes." She smiles. "You look so cute laying there with Dodger."

Chris smiles.

"Did you put me to bed?"

"Yes. I thought about waking you to change but decided not to. I just took off your boots."

"Oh, I didn't realize how tired I was."

"We had a long hard day. We were running around playing with the kids."

"True."

Chris sits up. "Did you sleep okay?"

"I did. I hate you slept on the floor though."

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"You could have slept up here with me."

Chris smiles. "I thought about it, but then decided that would have been a bad idea."

"Why?"

"For a lot of reasons."

"Like?"

"I wouldn't have been able to keep my hands to myself."

Merida smiles. "I would have loved to snuggle with you and fall asleep next to you."

Chris smiles. "I know, but I just didn't think it was a good idea. I want to be careful Mer. I don't want to do anything your not ready for and go too far."

"But snuggling up together is not going to far."

"I know, but babe laying beside you in bed is just a bad idea trust me."

"Okay, I wont argue with you."

Merida picks up her phone off the table next to her. She sees she has a message on Instagram.

Fangirl # 4 –You need to end things with Chris now! He's not right for you! How can you steal him away from all of us? He needs someone more in his world! Your all wrong for him. He will eventually see that and he will dump you! He's only going to break your heart! His relationships don't last. He can't commit! Don't you know he's afraid of commitment? Girl you are only going to get hurt! He doesn't really love you! I suggest you end it now before he breaks your heart!

Merida then starts crying. "What! No!"

"Mer, babe, what's wrong?" Chris says getting up and sitting down on the bed beside her.

Merida lays her phone in her lap and doesn't answer she just places her hands over her face and continues to cry.

Chris takes her hands and removes them from her face. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Merida looks down and doesn't answer. "Babe, look at me. Please."

Merida looks up at Chris with tears running down her face.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"I...you..."

"What is it?" he asks rubbing her hands that he is holding.

She looks down at her phone in her lap. Chris looks down and picks up her phone. He opens it and sees the message that is still open.

"Shit! Babe, you need to report her and delete this message."

"Chris, why did she say that?"

"Because she's jealous. She doesn't like seeing me with you. She's trying to get to you."

"But what she said about..."

"Its not true."

"But..."

Chris places his hands on her face. "Mer, listen to me. I love you! I love you with all my heart! I want you, you are my girlfriend. You have made me happier than I have been in a very long time. Don't listen to these fangirls alright? They are just trying to get to you. Okay?"

Merida nods her head but continues to cry and bites her lip.

"Babe, please stop doing that. You have no idea what it does to me."

Merida looks up at him and half smiles. "Will you do it?"

"Will I do what?"

"Report her and delete it?"

"Sure. Do you want me to block her too?"

"If you think you should."

"Probably wouldn't be a bad idea."

Chris picks up her phone and reports, blocks and deletes the message. "Done."

He sets her phone down on the bed next to them. "Now stop worrying. I'm not going anywhere. Come here." He says pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. "I love you Mer. So much."

"I love you too."

Chris and Merida get up and both get ready taking turns taking a shower then head down stairs where everyone is seated for breakfast.

"Good morning guys." Scott says.

"Morning." They both say at the same time.

They eat breakfast then Merida stands up and gets ready to help clean up but Lisa stops her.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to do that. Why don't you go outside with the kids?"

"I don't mind helping."

"Really, its okay I got it. Go on."

Chris grabs her hand. "Come on babe."

Chris leads her outside where the kids are playing baseball. Chris and Merida watch for several minutes. "Would you like to take a walk?" Chris asks her.

"Sure."

"Alright, let's find Dodger and Dixie."

Chris looks around and finally sees Dodger running after Miles. "Dodger!" He calls.

Dodger comes running and jumps on Chris knocking him down and licks him.

"Dodger!" He laughs "Stop."

Dodger stops and looks at him. "Let's go for a walk." Dodger stands back and runs around in circles. Chris stands up. "Okay now to find Dixie."

Merida heads back inside. She calls for her. "Dixie!"

"She's on the couch," Scott says.

Merida walks over to the couch and finds Dixie curled up on the couch. "Chris! I found her!"

Chris walks in with Dodger and when he sees Dixie he laughs.

"Come on Dixie, let's go for a walk." Merida says.

She quickly jumps up and runs towards Merida. Chris grabs the leashes.

"Mom, we are going for a walk. We will be back later."

"Alright." She smiles.

They walk towards the park. Chris is walking Dodger and Merida is walking Dixie. They walk for about an hour before they head back to the house. They spend the day hanging out with Chris's family. His sisters and niece and nephews leave and its only his mom and Scott. While they are sitting on the couch watching a movie, Merida is curled up next to Chris she starts getting cramps. Chris looks down at her and notices her cringing.

"Babe, you having cramps?"

Merida nods.

"Did you bring your pills?"

"I think...so." She says cringing.

"Want me to get them for you?"

Merida nods her head.

"Where did you put them?"

"In my purse."

"Okay I'll be right back." Chris kisses her head and heads up stairs to his room. He grabs the pills from her purse and heads to the kitchen and pours her a glass of water and then heads back to the living room and sits back on the couch beside her.

"Here babe." He says holding the water in one hand and the pill in the palm of his other hand.

Merida takes the pill pops it in her mouth and takes a few sips of the water then sets the glass on the table in front of her.

"Thanks." She says curling back up next to him laying her head on his chest.

"Your welcome. Do you need me to get you a warm cloth?"

"No, I think I will be okay."

"You sure?"

"Yes, thanks."

"Alright." He kisses her head.

Chris's mom and Scott watch them and smile. They have never Chris this way with a girl before. They can both tell how much he cares for her. They finish the movie then all head to bed. While Merida is getting ready in the bathroom Chris changes into his grey sweat pants. He takes off his shirt. He is fixing to put on another shirt when Merida comes up behind him and wraps her arms around him.

"Why don't you sleep in the bed tonight?"

Chris lays the shirt on the bed and turns and wraps his arms around her.

"Babe, I really don't think..."

"It will be fine. I promise. I hate you sleeping on the floor."

"I just don't want..."

"Chris, stop worrying. You're always telling me not worry, now I'm telling you not to worry. It will be fine." She leans forward and kisses him in the lips.

Chris smiles and sighs. "Fine."

He grabs the shirt from the bed and starts to put it on but Merida stops him.

"You can leave it off."

"Okay."

"I love seeing you without a shirt on." She smiles.

"Oh you do?" He says raising his eye brow.

"Yes I do. I love seeing your muscles and all your tattoos."

Chris smiles and kisses her. "I'll be right back."

Chris heads to the bathroom. Merida climbs in bed and gets under the covers and pulls up Instagram. She sees a post. "Uh oh! Chris!"

"Yeah?" He calls from the bathroom.

"Uh...you need to see this."

"Waut?" He says coming to the door of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth.

"Come here."

"Un sec." He says with a mouth full of toothpaste. He rinses his mouth and then heads to bed. He climbs in beside Merida.

"What is it babe?"

"Look at this."

Merida shows him her phone. He sees the post.

Chris and Merida were spotted walking their dogs in the park in Boston, Massachusetts. They look like the happy couple.

Fangirl#2 Aww how cute. They do look like the happy couple. They look so happy together! 😊

Fangirl #1 @Fangirl #2 Cute? Are you kidding me? Chris is hot and Dodger is cute but she is ugly! He deservers so much better than her! What is he thinking? Why is he with her? He can do so much better!

Fangirl 5 @Fangirl #1 I agree! He deserves so much better! I prefer Jenny over her! I wish they would get back together!

Fangirl# 1 @Fangirl 5 Yes I agree 100%

Fangirl #3 @Fangirl 1 and Fangirl#5 Why can't you two just leave him alone? He's happy. They are perfect together! I'm happy for Chris.

Fangirl #1 Shut the fuck up! Why are you defending him and sticking up for him? She's all wrong for him! He will just mess up his life with her. She's got drama! I saw the post with her and her ex! Shes nothing trouble and it will end up messing up Chris's career! So why don't you just Shut up and stop trying to take up for him!

Merida starts crying. Chris puts the phone down on the bedside table and turns to Merida.

"Babe, don't let them get to you."

"But Chris they..."

"No, stop. You know the media is bad right now. You cannot let them get to you okay?"

"Chris I...."

Merida pauses and looks up at Chris with tears in her eyes.

"Maybe you..."

"Maybe I what?"

Merida bites her lower lip looking at Chris then looks down. Dixie has curled up at her feet. "Maybe we should..."

"Babe, if your fixing to say what I think you are, don't! Look at me."

Merida continues to cry and doesn't look at him. Chris lifts her chin up.

"I love you! Nothing will change that. You can't listen to them. You are not wrong for me. You will not hurt me or my career. Okay? Remember what I said?"

Merida sniffles.

"I know, but...they..."

"Babe, do I need to take your phone and delete Instagram?"

"What! No!"

"Then stop. I told you I would do that if you didn't stop. I love you and I'm not trying to be mean, I just..."

"I know Chris. I'm sorry. I'm trying this is just hard."

"I know it is babe. But I promise it will be okay. The mean comments may never stop but they will eventually die down okay?"

Merida nods her head.

"Come here." Chris says holding out his arms and motioning with his head. Merida moves closer to him and lays her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry Chris. I love you."

"It's okay. I love you too. I will always be here. I'm not going anywhere." He says kissing her head. "Now get some sleep."

They curl up together and are both asleep within a few minutes. The next morning Chris wakes up before Merida and quietly climbs out of bed. He picks up his phone from the bedside table. He sees its 5:00 am. He knows everyone is asleep. He quietly heads down the stairs and to the back yard. He gets on Instagram and posts.

This is a message to all my fans. Thanks for the ones that have been supporting me and helping to try and defend me and my girlfriend. She is a wonderful person with a big heart. She is the most caring person I have ever met. She has been through so much. Please, to the ones who have been writing all the negative comments, I am asking you from the bottom of my heart, to please stop. Neither one of us appreciate it and she does not deserve that. She has been through enough and this does not make it easy on her. I love her with all my heart and want all of you to love her as well. Thanks. Love you all. 😚😊

After Chris posts to Instagram he heads back inside and back to his room. Merida is still sound asleep. He climbs back in bed next to her after setting his phone on the table beside him. He kisses her head and wraps his arm around her.

Merida wakes up and sees Chris laying beside her with his arm around her. He is sleeping soundly and even begins to snore. Merida smiles and picks up her phone beside her. She sees she has a notification. She clicks on and sees that Chris has posted on Instagram. She sees the posts and begins to cry as she reads it. Every day she loves Chris more and more. He is really trying to protect her and look out for her. No one has ever cared this much for her. Chris stirs beside her. He looks up at her.

"Well good morning beautiful."

He then notices she is crying. "Babe, what's wrong?" he asks sitting up.

"Nothing."

"Something is making you cry. What happened?"

"Your just so sweet! How did I get so lucky?"

"Awww babe, I'm the lucky one." He says putting his arm around her and kissing her. "I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you."

"For what?"

"What you said on Instagram. That was sweet and means a lot."

"I meant every word."

"I know you did." She said laying her head on his chest. He kisses her head.

"Your so beautiful."

"Aww Chris." She says looking up at him.

Chris then leans forward and kisses her passionately. He then gently nudges her ear with his beard.

"Chris. Stop." She laughs.

"Does that tickle?"

"Yes."

Chris does it again and rubs his beard on her ear and neck.

"Chris!" She laughs again.

Chris smiles. "I love hearing you laugh."

He nudges her ear again and Merida laughs. "Chris, stop!"

"How about if I do this?" He asks kissing down her neck and down to the neck line of her shirt and then rubs his beard above her shirt.

"A little, but it actually feels nice too."

"Oh it does?"

"Yes." She smiles.

He reaches up and pulls part of her shirt down and kisses her rubbing her with his beard.

"Chris!"

"What? Did that tickle?"

Chris stops and looks into her eyes. "You are so beautiful."

Merida smiles. "Should we get up and go down stairs?"

"What's the rush? We can stay in bed all we want. I'm comfortable and don't want to move."

"I am too, but we can't stay in bed all day. Wouldn't your mother and brother start to wonder about us?"

"Maybe but I don't care." He says leaning towards her and giving her a kiss on the lips. "I could lay here beside you all day."

Merida smiles once again. "I love being beside you too but..." she starts to say but Chris cuts her off by kissing her again and then kissing down her neck.

"Chris?"

"Yes?"

"You asked me if I'm ticklish, are you ticklish?"

Chris laughs. "I guess that's something you will have to find out." He says smiling and winking at her.

"Oh, are you saying I need to try and tickle you to find out?"

"Maybe." He winks.

"Mmm well, lets see."

Merida then reaches for Chris and starts tickling his sides. He begins to laugh.

"Oh I think I found your spot." She says tickling him again.

"Okay, okay, Mer stop!"

"I think we are even now."

"Yes, for now," he smiles.

Chris and Merida eventually do get up and spend some time with his mom and Scott. They spend a few more days in Boston then head back to North Carolina. Chris spends a few days with her then leaves. He doesn't want to leave her, but knows he has to. It was hard saying bye. He kisses her bye and tells her he will talk to her when he gets back home. After Chris leaves she spends the day doing laundry and reading and that evening as she is climbing in bed Chris video calls her and they talk for about an hour and then say goodnight. Merida goes to sleep dreaming of Chris.

Taglist: @cevansbaby-dove

@sarahrogersevans

@hollybee8917

@willowsages-blog

@nescavaneck

@eva-knits12

@nicoline1998enilocin

@tess-love

@angelbabyyy99

@bookishtheaterlover7

@frogeezz-blog-blog

[funficwriter]

Gin Ichimaru x Subordinate who likes to write :3

A/N: Welp, this turned out much longer than I expected. Also you gotta love how I switch back and forth between darkfic to fluff. Hope you enjoy!

Warnings: None for this one

Ever since you joined the 3rd Division, it was typical of Gin to be curious about the type of person you are outside of work.

So imagine his spiking curiosity when he hears excited chatter among the other seated officers about compelling characters and beautifully executed tragedies. I HC he's very much into literature, so you can bet he'll extend an ear.

"Hanako-san has to be the only antagonist I ever felt bad for! That twist regarding her child's death in the winter! And her last lines! That newbie here is something, eh?".

His mind jogs and traces it back to another subject of his curiosity. So you write well, eh? Why did he not know? No matter, he had a plan to see more.

You were assigned some documenting work. After a while, you decided to steal a little time working on your novel. As you confirmed no one was around and scribbled away, you thought of how a lot would be needed to bring you back into the real world...

Or just your captain's appearance.

Your trance was snapped once you saw a thin hand emerge into your field of vision, which was taken by your notebook, point to a line of dialogue: "My, my... You've already aroused the reader's curiosity in Hanako-san's legacy. Well done".

Before you could even think of saying 'thanks', your notebook was gone. It didn't take a genius to know who took it: "Sorry, little Y/N. I'm a fan of yours, but I'm still a captain and I can't let anyone slack off. You can expect it back by tomorrow.".

Generally, he doesn't do much with confiscated items, but you'd be so so wrong to think the same applied to your novel. No, he finished everything for the day, wore his comfiest kimono, brewed some tea... The minute he started to read, he was gone. Even Kira could barely hold his attention for any remaining matters.

The next morning, you find your notebook back in your room, next to a few persimmons, chocolate and a note in his beautiful handwriting: "I don't think I can go on without knowing how the story ends. I noticed you were free this evening. Please join me for a cup of tea so we can discuss further.".

And so, a new bond forged not of official relations, but a shared interest, began.

From then on, you two often had tea and snacks together, discussing books you liked, characters that stuck with you... You liked Gin's taste, even incorporating a bit of it in your next chapters. Sometimes, you two would get Izuru to join you.

Gin would totally encourage you to write for the Seireitei Communication. It's clear to the 3rd that you're gifted with words; Why hide it from the rest? And if you're nervous about the quality of your work, he'll gladly sit you down for one of his writing seshs, letting you look over his work and he yours.

Speaking of which, assuming he's older, ergo had more writing years than you, he's a pretty great mentor. He likes to praise but never gives it so easily so you're incentivized to keep getting better. He's also great if you feel that a piece isn't living up to its potential, but you can't tell why.

"I see... The set-up is exquisite, but I think you're preoccupied with the recurring details to a point where it harms the climax. Remember to let that shine on its own.".

There's also times where you two compete, whether it be on who can write the more coherent story, the more sorrowful character...

Congrats, you are now his much-touted 'writing companion'. If he wants to fluster you, though, it's 'writing playmate'.

After a while, some might notice that Gin's column and yours are... Answering each other? Like, if he brought up a certain topic, you would bounce off of it whether in terms of agreement or heated debate. Many readers expressed that they enjoy this exchange of ideas.

Once you two are close, it's not at all unusual for him to sneak up behind you while you write like the first time, sometimes even hugging you and resting his chin on your shoulder. Careful not to let him see the growing blush~

One night, you were writing a romance scene. Out of nowhere (as usual), you hear his low chuckle: "How dreamy~"

You turned back to see him grinning at you. Trying to keep stoic, you decided to ask: "I thought that they had good chemistry, unless you think otherwise?".

"Not at all! It was obvious, but just one detail I must point out; When you got to the confession point, you started to skim out on a lot of detail that could endear the reader to this moment.".

He had a point. Were you getting bashful about it?

"But don't worry, Y/N. There's nothing that improves writing like experience. If you ever need a real life example of such scenes, you can always ask me~".

Did he just... Allude to romantic moments between you two? With time, you find that yes, this darned fox couldn't let you know he was interested in you without teasing you.

For one, let's say that after you got together your romance scenes became... Much better.

You two would also use each other as characters in all sorts of writing. To fluster you, Gin would enjoy doing so in old-fashioned style romances. Sometimes he foreshadows dates through that!

If you're feeling petty, you can always present a story where he's the main character and gets beat down by a force of nature he can't control :p

By the time you finish your novel, there's probably a pair that is a lot like you two anyway.

Analyzing each other's work!

Gifting each other fine ink and writing tools!

Seeing who can write the most intense love letter to the other!

All in all, this is my brainrot and I'm gonna go hyperfixate bye bye :3

[ageofbajabule]

Roommates | Chapter 5

picture creds to samsfallingsky on ig.

Danny x F! Reader

Word Count: Roughly 5.3k

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Mentions of cheating, some Violence, Alcohol

If you haven’t read part 4

If you want to join my taglist fill this form out🫶🏻

Author’s Note: Hello everyone!! Chapter 5 is finally here! I’m so sorry for the delay! And I hope you all enjoy this, and Roommates is soon coming to an end…🥹🩵

Her POV

After shutting the door you sat on the couch crying to yourself after hearing Danny say that. You had thought he had changed, but you were proven wrong again. Would he ever change? Or would he constantly give you the hot and cold effect.

Who cares, you’re here to work. Not to make a relationship work, this should strictly be professional. But you couldn’t help but think at the idea of being with Danny. Sure he was an asshole, but deep down you knew the real Danny was in there somewhere buried and asking for help. But how would you get that Danny back?

Danny’s POV

Once you heard the door click shut you knew you were done for. She had heard what you said, but it wasn’t true… She wasn’t a quick fuck. She was more than that, but she wouldn’t believe a word out of you now.

“So, Texas is next up?” You asked Sam, “Yeah, Fort Worth. It’s like a 9 hour drive I think. So plenty of sleep on the bus.” He chuckled softly, walking Rose to the tour bus. “Yeah…” You sighed softly stepping onto the tour bus. You shuffled your way to your bunk bed, placing your shoes by the small table on the bus. You slid into your bunk, closing the curtain getting under the blankets letting sleep overcome you.

Her POV

You finished making sure everything was stored away, before heading onto your tour bus with some of the crew immediately going to bed.

The drive to the next state was a bit bumpy. Considering you’ve never really been on a tour bus before. But you also didn’t sleep much after hearing those words from Danny. After all if he truly thought you were a quick fuck, you could always talk to Gabe. Since he wouldn’t leave you alone last night, two can play at that game.

If there was one thing you could do, it was to piss Danny off. And what better than to piss him off with some guy you truly weren’t interested in.

The buses had rolled up to the hotel, you had gathered your things making way into the main lobby. Communicating with the receptionist on getting everyone’s room keys ready.

The guys had come stumbling into the hotel, groggy and sleepy. “Morning guys.” You smiled softly at them, as you gathered their room keys. “So we have two days off until the show. I know today you guys have free will to do whatever your heart desires. But I do know there is dinner tonight with the crew and everyone. Then tomorrow you guys have an interview in the morning, and a small photoshoot in the afternoon. Soundcheck will be the morning of the show as usual.”

The guys had all nodded. “Great work Y/N! I don't think we've ever had a more prepared worker.” Jake had chuckled lightly, smiling at you. “I’m just doing my job. And don’t want to mess anything up.” You laughed lightly, seeing Danny steal a glance at you. You looked away for a moment. “Uh, so here are your guy’s keys to your rooms. You are all on the same floor, it should be like that for this whole tour, and then I will be in a room at the end of the hall.” You passed each of them their room keys.

Once you got to Danny you handed it to him slowly then turned away. “I’m sure you guys want to freshen up and such before heading out for the day. There is a zoo that I figured everyone would probably like to check out then. So, once you’re all ready just text the group chat and we’ll meet up in the lobby.” You smiled softly, “Oh I hope this zoo has penguins!” Josh said excitedly. You giggled softly, smiling at him. “I’m sure they do, but for now I’m gonna go freshen up.” You parted ways from the guys.

As you walked away with your bag, you felt like a set of eyes were burning through you. And sure enough when you entered the elevator, as you turned around you caught Danny staring. You looked off to the side, pressing the button on the elevator to take you to your floor.

➳

It was around 3 in the afternoon. The guys had messaged the group chat that they were ready to head to the zoo. In which everyone met in the lobby. Josh is wearing a brown jumpsuit with his new society symbol. Along with Jake wearing his go to button up shirt, with very few buttons buttoned, and a pair of worn jeans. Sam wore a very mismatched outfit, and Danny opted to wear black jeans and a yellow muscle tee. You couldn’t help but look at him, he was still undeniably attractive even after what he said to you…

“Ready to go?” You smiled at them, they all nodded piling into the van. You opted in sitting between Jake and Josh, letting Danny and Sam sit next to each other. You striked a conversation with the twins immediately, talking about the upcoming outfits for this tour and the ideas they had in mind.

While Danny tried to have a conversation with Sam about something back home. Danny would try to steal glances at you, but you just ignored him as much as you could by engaging in conversation with the twins more.

Once you all had arrived you exited the car, and Gabe had come to the zoo from another van with the rest of the crew. “Hey Y/N!” He had walked up to you, “Hey Gabe…” You shot a smile at him, deciding to head up to the entrance you had all paid your admission to get into the zoo. “What are you most excited to see?” You smiled while keeping a conversation going with Gabe.

“Um, I think the giraffe’s.” He chuckled softly, walking close by your side. You knew this would definitely set Danny off.

The rest of the day in the zoo was spent pretty much with Gabe, however you noticed Danny had been lingering behind the two of you with Sam beside him. You had opted to use the restroom breaking off from the group saying you’d catch up with them later.

Once you used the restroom you had come out, to find Danny waiting outside. “Hi Danny.” You said in an annoyed tone. “Y/N let me ex-“ “No Danny. There is nothing to explain. I think you’ve pretty much made it clear last night that I’m just an easy fuck.” You yelled at him, but only loud enough between the two of you.

“But you’re not!” He threw his hands up. “Really? Cause it sure as hell seemed like it? Why would you say that if you truly don’t mean it?” You put your hands on your hips. “It’s not as easy as you might think.” He sighed, rubbing his temple. “Let me guess, is it ‘Bro Code’” You looked at him, and he looked back. “You can’t be serious Daniel.”

You laughed nervously shaking your head. “Wow, really living up to the fuck boy type aren’t ya?” You walked up to him, “In case you haven’t noticed, that’s not gonna fly with me. I know you’re better than that, Josie even said so.” You scoffed walking away, feeling him pull your wrist to pull you to him.

“I can show you I’m not like the rest of them…” He held your face close to his. “Danny…” You looked down, but he tilted your chin up to face him. “Give me a chance.” He had pleading eyes. “Danny… I can’t. You’ve already hurt me so much…” You felt the tears burning your eyes. “So you would rather run to Gabe…” He scoffed, pulling away from you.

“It’s not like that Danny.” You looked at him. “Then what’s it like? Cause to me it seems like you have some sort of interest in him.” He chuckled, “Gabe is just a friend. Nothing more. I don’t even find him-“ “Find him attractive or find him interesting? It’s because you want me…” Danny pulled you to him. “Please. Give me a chance.” You pushed him away slowly, “I think you need to work on yourself before trying to make something work between us…” You sniffled, feeling your tears fall.

You felt him let go of you. “I’m sorry…” You wiped your tears walking away from him, going to an exhibit of Wolves. You found Josh looking out at them, you made yourself not look like a crying mess before clearing your throat letting Josh know you were there.

“Oh, Hi Y/N.” He smiled softly, “Hi Josh…” You stood next to him. “I’m assuming you and Daniel finished talking”, he shifted his gaze towards you. “How did-“ “It’s honestly not hard to tell when your brother is in love with someone, and they love them back…” He chuckled softly. “What is it?” He smiled softly, “I’m all ears.”

You let out a small sigh, “It’s just. One minute he is this sweet amazing guy, and then he just becomes cold… Like as if I’m nothing to him, but just another girl in his eyes?” You sat on the bench, as Josh then sat next to you.

“I’m not excusing his actions… By any means. But, Daniel has… He’s been through the ringer, with his last relationship especially.” He scratched the back of his head. “Josie didn’t particularly fill me in, not that she needs to. But Daniel just…” You put your head down.

“You remember Jasmine?” Josh put a hand on your shoulder. You looked up at him, nodding slowly. “Heard of her…” You made a half smile.

“Well, the reason Danny is the way he is. Is all because of her. She filled all these thoughts of lies into his head. Trying to make him the villain… But in the end it was all her…” He spoke softly, “Did she…” “Did she cheat? Is that what you are asking?” He looked at you, you nodded. “Yes… And tried to say that it was because he didn’t give her enough attention… That all he cared about was the music and the boys… But Danny really did balance out his every day to day life. He gave her everything he could.” He sighed softly.

You looked at Josh, “So… Danny. Has been beating himself up ever since?” Josh nodded at you, you felt your heart drop. “Josh… I.” He shook his head, “There was no way you could’ve ever known… Danny doesn’t like to talk about her. And I understand why. But… He needs to move past it.” He sighed softly, you nodded. “If you wanna know more… Maybe you should talk to Danny. I think he’s scared of loving you. As you can tell, last time didn’t go so well.”

“Come on. We should get going, we have dinner reservations tonight. And should head back to freshen up.” He stood up offering a hand for you to get up.

You took it standing up, “Thank you, Josh…” You smiled at him as he smiled, pulling you in for a hug. “Of course.” You smiled softly, hugging him tightly before letting him go.

➳

Dinner was at a secluded yet expensive restaurant. The boys insisted on dining here to have a relaxing night, and to treat their crew to a well deserved dinner as they claimed. You had opted into wearing a sleek black dress with an open back. Fitting all of your curves, and opted to wear red strappy heels to pop out the outfit.

You had went in a separate van from the guys arriving with other crew mates filing into the building as you were guided to the table you would be dining at. You heard someone clear their throat and saw Danny’s head snap up to look at you, you caught a glimpse of his eyes blushing and looking away for a mere moment to try and avoid eye contact.

Then Josh chimed in, “Y/N you can sit next to me.” You smiled softly, mentally thanking him and sat down next to him which was a couple seats away from Danny. You adjusted yourself in your seat, looking down at Danny, catching him staring at you again. You shot your eyes back to look at Jake across from you. “So Jake, did you enjoy the zoo today?” You smiled softly engaging in small talk.

“Yeah, it was nice to see so many animals.” He chuckled softly, “Although I do feel quite bad for some of them… Some should just be left in their natural habitat. But I can understand why some are there, better taken care of?” He shook his head, “Sorry I’m rambling…” You shook your head, “It’s quite alright Jake.” You smiled softly.

Gabe had taken a seat next to Jake, which you looked up at him smiling softly. “Nice of you to join us, Gabe.” He nodded, smiling at everyone. “Wouldn’t miss it.” You heard a chair move on the floor, indicating someone was getting up. You looked up to find Danny standing up and walking away, “What’s his issue?” You heard Jake ask, and Josh looked over at Sam raising his hands. “He said he had an important phone call to take.” Sam shrugged, you knew Danny didn’t have an important phone call. He was just pissed to see you interacting with Gabe.

You leaned over to whisper in Josh’s ear. “I think it’s because of Gabe…” You pulled back to see Josh nod his head and motion for you to go. You sighed softly, standing up from your seat. “Going to use the ladies room.” You smiled softly, walking away from the table making way towards the hallway of the restrooms to find Danny standing at the end of the hallway.

He in fact did have a phone call. One hand in his hair pulling it nervously, his back was facing you. He hadn’t known you were there yet. “Josie… I fucked up. I don’t know what to do.” He sighed, “I mean. I didn’t do anything to entirely fuck it up, but I just keep fucking up. And I’m trying not to.” You heard him mumble some ‘okays’ and ‘yeah’ then he finally said his goodbyes and thanked his sister before getting off the phone.

You played it off that you had just made your way to the hallway. “Danny?” You called his name just above a whisper. He turned on his heels, “Look, I’m not entirely sure it's smart for us to have another conversation. Especially after how today went…” He looked down at you.

“Well we need to have a conversation. Maybe not here, but some time and some where…” You played with your hands. “Y/N…” “Danny. Please.” You looked up at him, pulling his hand into yours. “We can’t keep doing this…” He caressed your cheek. “I want you to be happy, and I’m scared I can’t do that for you.” He looked at you with hurt in his eyes.

“Danny… I-“ He pulled you closer to him, kissing your lips softly. You wrapped your small hands around his, kissing him back softly then pulled away. “Tomorrow. We will talk. I don’t want alcohol to have an influence in any of this conversation…” He rested his forehead against yours. You nodded slowly, “Tomorrow. Breakfast after your interview?” You giggled softly. He nodded, “Sounds like a plan darling.” He kissed your forehead softly, “We should probably head back.” He chuckled and walked away first, you gave it a little bit of time then made your way back sitting next to Josh again.

“So…?” Josh leaned over to your ear. “Tomorrow he and I will talk…” You whispered back, smiling softly. He smiled softly, “See. It’ll work out.” He chuckled softly.

For the rest of dinner you kept stealing glances with Danny, shooting a smile and blushing from the small acts. After a couple glasses of wine, everyone was ready to head back to the hotel. Josh suggested you rode back with them. You had sat in the back between Danny and Sam. Sam was busy talking on the phone with his girlfriend Natalie, while the twins had their own small talk. Danny played your hand that rested on your thigh.

Intertwining your fingers together, he rubbed his thumb across your hand. You looked down at your hand then back at him, smiling softly. Then Sam had finished his phone conversation which made Danny and you slip your hands away. Your heart ached, longing to be able to show your love for him… But you understood why.

➳

Next morning came. The day was filled with two interviews in the morning. Leaving some time for the guys, before their photoshoot in the afternoon.

You had done a check-up on them making sure they were awake. You had knocked on their doors earning very quick responses that they were in fact awake and ready for the day. Lastly you had come up to Danny’s room, when he answered he was just finishing getting ready. “Morning, beautiful.” He smiled softly, “Morning…” You couldn’t stop yourself from blushing. “Just checking that you are all ready to go. Van will be here in a few minutes to take you guys over to some radio station I believe it is. For your interview as a band, and then a short one with Jake.” You smiled softly.

“Don’t forget our breakfast together then…” He smiled softly, you nodded your head. “Trust me, I didn’t forget. Could hardly sleep last night because of the nerves.” You giggled softly. He pulled you in closely to kiss your lips softly. You kissed him back, then slowly pulled away. “Listen we can’t let anybody see us until this is all figured out…” You sighed softly with a little bit of hurt. You wanted to express how you felt to Danny in front of everyone. But you wanted to make sure you heard everything before biting the bullet.

“Yeah… I’m sorry.” He put his head down scratching the back of his neck. “It's okay, I just don't want to be a secret is all.” She rubbed his cheek with her hand. He nodded, “Well I should probably head out, before I get yelled at for being late.” He chuckled softly, you nodded. Just let me know when you’re back and we’ll go for our breakfast.” You smiled softly, walking back towards your room.

➳

The early morning of the guys' events went by rather quickly. Danny had sent you a text signaling he was waiting in the hotel lobby for you. You fixed your outfit, and adjusted your hair before heading out to meet him in the lobby. That’s when you bumped into Gabe. “Oh shit, sorry…” You looked up at him apologetically. “Oh it’s alright. Hey, um did you want to go out tonight?” You looked at him and gave a light smile. “I’m sorry Gabe… Not tonight. I think the guys had made plans and asked me to join them.” They hadn’t but you needed something to go with.

“Oh, alright. Well if plans don’t turn out, I’m here.” He chuckled lightly walking away. You nodded and made way to the lobby, walking up to Danny as he waved you down. “Sorry, I bumped into Gabe on the way down here…” You sighed softly. “Is he still trying to make moves on my girl?”

You blushed at ‘my girl’, “I’m sorry, my what now?” You giggled softly. Danny wrapped his arm around your waist pulling you close. “My girl…”

“Come on lover boy, I’m starving.” You swatted his arm playfully. He chuckled following behind you. Luckily there was a breakfast joint not too far from the hotel. It was within walking distance, you both decided to sit on the little balcony outside. It was only you two seated out there.

“This is a cute little place.” You smiled softly. “Not as cute as you.” He smirked, looking over at you. You scoffed playfully, “Good one…” You shook your head giggling softly as you blushed.

“Alright. So, what do you want to know?” He opened the menu, observing it and deciding on what he wanted to order. “I want to know about her…” You looked up at him with soft eyes. He met yours, his body tensed a little bit. “What is there to know…” He closed the menu, fidgeting with the edges. “Well Josh told me the basics… But said I should talk to you more about it. I know she hurt you… And filled your head with lies…” You put your hand across the table to grab his. He pulled his hand back slowly.

“Danny…” “Y/N… She is in the past for a fucking reason.” He said through gritted teeth. “Daniel, I’m just trying to figure out why you’ve been acting like you have been towards me.” You snapped at him. “I’ve been acting towards you?” He smirked, “Yeah, you’ve been acting like an asshole!”

“I have?” You watched as Danny sucked in a breath, his eyes looked tortured. Almost as if he was having a battle within himself. “It’s not that easy to explain.” He looks at you with hurt in his eyes. “Well I’m all ears. You said we were gonna talk. So let’s talk, let me in Danny…” You sighed softly, reaching for his hand again. He sighed deeply, holding your hand in his.

“Jasmine was… She was my everything. And then… she just broke my heart and tried to say it was my fault…” He had tears forming. “But all I ever did was give her everything I had to offer… But it just wasn’t enough.” He sighed, you rubbed his hand softly with your thumb. “Danny…” “And the worst part is, she slept with the proclaimed guy she told me not to worry about…” He sniffled as tears fell.

“Tried accusing me that I was sleeping around when I was on tour, I invited her to join us all the time. But she always turned it down saying she couldn’t because of work… Even though Jita takes some time off to join Jake for a few weeks or so. And anytime I planned a nice trip together she would make a fit, and shut it down immediately. So then I would just go with the guys or play my drums figuring out different sounds and techniques for new music. And she swore up and down all I cared about was myself, the music and the guys…” He let out a small cry. “I saw a future with her, and she just tore me down… And I guess I’ve just reflected on the words she left me with and acted on it…” He looked up at you with puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks.

“Danny… I’m so sorry.” You put your other hand around his, kissing it softly. “You’re not a bad guy. You’re a great guy who got his heart broken by an ungrateful bitch.” You bit your tongue. “Sorry…” “No it’s okay… she was a bitch.” He chuckled softly, “I just. Was scared I was going to hurt you. I mean, I kind of already did with being a dick towards you… And I really am sorry for that.” He looked into your eyes. You smiled softly, looking into his eyes.

“Y/N, I just… What I’m saying is.” He blushed, putting his head down. “I want you in my life… And I know I’ve been an asshole to you for the past two months going on almost 3 months. I just want to start fresh, and treat you the way you deserve.” You felt a few tears threatening to spill, “Danny… All I ever wanted was an explanation and you… Did more than that.” You sighed contently, “Danny I’ve been crazy about you ever since we first met. As silly as that sounds.” You giggled softly, and he laughed softly. “Funny thing is, I was too. Josie even told me to make a move… I was just, I don’t know.”

You smiled at him, “Josh told me that you were scared to love again. I think that’s what was holding you back… And I completely understand, after going through a breakup like that… It’s hard to come back from.” You looked into his eyes lovingly, he nodded watching you.

“So, why don’t we start fresh? I’m sure the guys would be happy that we’re not at each other's throats.” You giggled softly, “Yeah I like the sound of that.” Danny chuckled, smiling softly. “But with one exception?” You looked at Danny with a questionable look, “What exception?”

“Be mine? And only mine. I want you to be my girl. And I want you and only you…” He held both of your hands. You looked into his eyes, nodding your head. “Yes… I- I will Danny…” He smiled leaning over the table kissing your lips softly, as you kissed him back.

“Oh thank god, I thought I was going to walk out of here a lonely man…” He chuckled softly, you shot a glare. “You’re on thin ice… So I'd watch it.” You giggled softly. “I think I’ve learned from my mistakes, I don’t want to lose you…” He smiled softly.

“Alright, let’s order. I’m starving and you still have a photoshoot to attend after this.” He nodded signaling the waiter over to place your orders. “But then I have you for the rest of the day right?” He smiled at you softly, “As long as your schedule stays clear after the photoshoot, then yes.” You smirked at him. “Oh I’ll make sure it stays clear.” He chuckled softly.

➳

Breakfast with Danny was wonderful, you got to know a lot more about him and his family. Along with him learning about yours. And how the two of you lived so close to one another but never crossed paths before.

Danny insisted on you joining the guys on their photoshoot, but you wanted to stay behind and catch up on some work for tomorrow’s busy day leading into Friday.

You decided to head down to the hotel’s bar. Sitting at a small booth, texting Danny to let him know where you were when the guys came back in case they wanted to join you.

A few hours had passed and you were only 2 tequila soda’s in. It was around 6pm and Danny had sent a text signaling he would be down soon. And the guys would join later. You smiled, sending a response back, before finishing up your work and putting it away in your bag waiting for him to arrive.

You had seen Gabe walking into the hotel’s bar. You caught eye contact with him, groaning quietly to yourself. Will this guy ever get the hint? You’re clearly not interested in him. He made his way over to you, “Hey Y/N!” He smiled softly, “Hi Gabe…” You gave a half smile. “Are you alone? Mind if I join?” He smiled, “Uh, Danny is actually meeting me here soon. And the others will be joining…” You took a sip of your drink.

“Well would they mind that I join?” He smiled softly, you thought to yourself. Danny would mind, in fact it would set Danny off you thought. “Uh, sure why not.” You smiled softly, regretting letting him join. You weren’t sure how Danny would react, and of course Gabe sat next to you, and quite close actually. “So, what have you been up to?” He asked taking a sip of his beer. “Oh just finishing up some work for tomorrow’s show and Friday’s show.” You nodded, “What about you?” You tried to keep the conversation simple or to a minimum until Danny arrived.

And of course, Danny was taking a little longer. “Talking to the crew about how insane the new set up is on this tour. I mean Nashville was just an insane evening, it turned out amazing.” He chuckled softly, and you nodded. You caught Danny coming in hot out of the corner of your eye. He raised an eyebrow at you motioning towards Gabe, you gave him a defeated look while shrugging.

“Danny! So glad you joined us.” Gabe smiled at him, Danny smiled back sitting across from you, “The others will be here in the next half hour. I thought you’d be the only one here Y/N…” He said a little annoyed. “Gabe decided to join, he saw I was alone and well…” You gave Danny an apologetic look. “Can’t leave a woman alone by herself in a bar these days anymore…” Gabe chuckled softly, you felt uneasy around him. And Danny could pick up the vibes.

Gabe continued to talk about the stage techniques and set up with Danny while you chewed on the inside of your cheek, waiting for the others to join. And finally the three Kiszka boys piled in. You tapped Gabe on the shoulder, “I’m gonna get a refill, you guys want the same?” Danny and Gabe nodded. “I’ll be back.” You smiled as Gabe let you slip out, and followed behind you.

“You know… You really are beautiful…” You could hear the sultry tone to his voice making you cringe. “Gabe… We’ve already had this conversation.” You went up to the bar placing an order for everyone. “Y/N, come on. Give me a chance… So what if we work together?” He chuckled softly, grabbing at your waist. “Gabe, I said I wasn’t interested.” You shoved his hands away. “And don’t touch me.” You looked at him with angry eyes.

“Woah, hey now… No need to get angry. I’m just-“ “You were just leaving.” Danny spoke up startling Gabe. “Hey man… It’s not-“ Danny grabbed him by the shirt. “It's not what it looks like? It sure did though man. How about you leave my girl alone. And get the fuck out of here…” Danny was beyond pissed, you could see the rage in his eyes.

“Your girl…” He scoffed looking over at you. “You’ll fuck the rockstar, but not me. Fucking easy skank…” He smirked, your eyes went wide. Then Danny’s fist met Gabe’s jaw, knocking him down. “Don’t you ever call her a skank!” Danny gripped his shirt, holding him to the ground. “Come on man, I’m sure she’s an easy lay.” He chuckled, and Danny clocked him again. As the guys rushed over to pull him off of Gabe.

“Danny! We can’t cause a fucking scene in here.” Josh snapped at him, as Sam picked Gabe up walking out of the bar, Jake was checking on you making sure you were alright. “You think I’m gonna let him talk about Y/N like that?” He was angry, and looked over at you with concerning eyes. “Are you okay baby?” He walked up to you, caressing your cheek. You nodded, “I’ll be alright… I just didn’t think that would happen.” You let out a shaky breath.

“Wait, baby?” Josh and Jake looked over at the two of you. “Are we missing something here?” Jake chuckled softly, waiting for a response.

“Well, uh…” Danny smirked, looking between all of you. Sam joined the group again, “Alright he’s being sent off. Got him fired for sexual harassment… What did I miss?” He looked around. “Daniel was getting ready to fill us in on something rather important.” Josh said with a smirk.

“Oh, well what is it Daniel?” Sam questioned him.

“Y/N and I are dating…” He smiled, pulling you close to him.

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to be continued…

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