#also the difference between that and 'i want to swim by your side' sigh they really went OFF with this page

[makoandharu]

Iconique

[reshinless]

Can you write kinich x reader smut

──── i w'na ride?!

𝜗𝜚 synopsis. whatever position he wants >_o

𝜗𝜚 pairings. kinich x gn!afab!reader(?) see this however u want cuz in som of the bullets i use boobs or discreetly mention chests (kinich is also a lowk perv)

𝜗𝜚 director's notice. i'll explain why he'd like this trust me, !!nsfw content ahead!!

inspired by the moments where he kept hitting the pose where his hands behind his head plus the one scene where he sat in a tree with his hands behind his back (or maybe i'm imagining things.)

kinich who reluctantly visits the beach(es) plus hot springs in the toyac springs region because mualani says you both need it, seeing as how much you both work beside each other, you'll definitely need a nice bath! especially the rumors of the heated conditions the springs seem to excrete.

kinich who no matter how long you and him have met each other, he'll never get used to seeing you in a bathing suit. even when you both were still kids fooling around on the beach with mualani. the atmosphere back then has almost never changed, walking along the sandy coast, feeling each little particle fall over your toes, the sun roughly about to set, the scenery was a sight to behold!

now that you both were older.. he would be lying if he said he wasn't attracted to you, your way of fighting, your appearance, how well you compliment him, it was almost like a corrupt addiction. even ajaw mentions how cheesy it is each time he sees kinich looking at you, whether it be lust or love in his green eyes.

mualani was overjoyed to hear that you've never gone out to swim, especially in the temperature she's usually in. kinich decides to tag along, totally not because he definitely wouldn't mind seeing you in different swimsuits/trunks.

kinich who you didn't mind letting him stay outside the changing room while you put on different suits while mualani actually help you choose (unlike someone who just kept ogling his eyes at you)

mualani who chose something that revealed more than appropriate portion of your skin (which was a lot, and imagine this similar to the one lumine wore!!), kinich who couldn't stop eyeing you up and down, ajaw teasing with digital sunglasses over his face; "y'know sunglasses help cover up what you're tryna look at!"

cue kinich smacking bro away again :pray:

you only got more attractive in his eyes. watching how you walk up to him, holding out a bottle of sunscreen to him, asking if he'd put some on your back before you'd go surfing on mualani's shark.

kinich didn't wanna admit but he was a little more than just turned on while spreading the lotion over your shoulders and back down to your back, his calloused hands feeling you up and down..

kinich who felt a little guilty but couldn't help but always slowly let his view dip down to your ass. shit he could already imagine what it'd look like without that last piece of clothing. too bad he can't rip it off you right here and now.

kinich who ran his hands around your chest, your sides, every curve that you wouldn't suspect him from.. he could already feel the tent in his pants rise.

kinich who couldn't resist looking at your pretty body through the blurriness of the water, almost forgetting to swim back up from being a little more than distracted. only coming back up after mualani mentions he's the winner of holding their breath underwater challenge.

a sigh of relief.. or maybe pleasure rather remembering yesterday on how close he got to be to you, palming his erection with hurriedness, thinking of how soft you felt under his fingers, only a thin layer of sunscreen that wouldn't make it weird between you both, kinich catches himself moan your name quietly in the changing room before he goes back out to you and mualani for day two of your summer break of 5 days in total.

sitting under the comfortable shade of an umbrella he brought, putting sunglasses on to rest for a bit before going in the water, or at least that is what it looks like. in all real reality, he was taking sneaky glances at you from less than appropriate angles, he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it.

kinich could barely hold himself back for the next 2 days, wherein you all toured around mualani's hometown (for the sixtieth time, but then again it never gets old seeing a different culture every now and then!)

on the last day of your adventures with mualani, she offers for you both to finally bask in the warmth of the hot springs! the natural wonder of her home! kinich was reluctant at first, but agreed seeing how you were just oh-so happy to oblige.

this time, mualani got you a different swimsuit, one muuuuuchhh more revealing this time. it's clear now that she knows kinich's little crush on you, and now she knew that you liked him back.

mualani who coincidentally forgot the milk, and silly snacks she baked earlier that morning, oh would you look at the time! i guess she has to go get them... kinich who lowkey panicks, he already is a little flustered from your new look (but manages to quickly cool himself down)

kinich who is gentle while letting you slowly dip your feet into the water, this wasn't his first time here but he knew it was yours, stepping into the water first while holding your palms softly.

you two finally both sit in the springs comfortably, right in front of him, talking about whatever you and mualani did while he sunbathed (under an umbrella). building sandcastles and such.

"ahhh... kinichhhh! you should've been there. i would've wanted you there at least, dunno about mualani-" it felt like almost immediately his trunks tightened.. maybe he got the wrong size?

oh but the sound of you verbally saying you needed him definitely is a huge turn on. well you didn't necessarily say 'need' but you definitely wanted him there, good enough.

kinich who already has you straddled on top of him, directly on his boner, fuck he could feel it already. his hands are already on your hips letting you grind over his erection, this felt better than he could've ever fantasized of!

kinich who lets you ride him, the water you both were already surrounded only made it sound all the more dirtier. it didn't help that the sly little smile on your face, all he could do was bury his face into an arm of his own, looking away from you.

kinich whose hands were in his hair, intertwining with every little strand, the flush on his face only worsened each time you bounced on it, he could barely make eye contact with you, not because he didn't want you.. ohh it was because he thinks if he did he'd come immediately!!

kinich who holds you close as his climax comes closer as well, holding you tight in his embrace, he could feel your warmth, your skin, your everything, all he could was quickly drift his calloused palms back down to your hips, making sure no drop of cum was waaaasssttteeedddd

you could see how good you made him feel, even with just a sneaky, yet lustful glance, yet plop plop plop is all you can hear echoing throughout the cave, your hands propped up on the wall as kinich pushed against your back, his grunts only getting louder, eager to please you. seeing how your eyebrows knotted

kinich who felt intoxicated as hell in your scent, almost breathless as his head fits into the empty slot right beside your collar, fire pooled down inside your abdomen as you slowly reached your peak, watching how beautifully your eyes rolled back, feeling warm semen shoot up in your stomach. holy shit were you a beauty to see.

the musky scent of sweat mixed with the warm water below you both, kinich could still feel you clench harshly on his cock, even after release, fixed & still processing what you both had just done.

kinich who brings you out the bath, wrapped in a towel, bridal style and all, before mualani can come back with the milk and snacks- "hey what is that white stuff mixed in the water- what did you two do?!"

kinich who holds your hand while you both stroll throughout the shops opened up at nighttime, the constellations in the sky connected like it was used to it, the fresh scent of grilled fish was clear in the air's aroma, filling everyone's noses, mualani couldn't just give all this fish just to you two anyway!

kinich who fully confessed his feelings to you, no sex no lust, just him wanting you to sense how much he's been longing for you, in hopes you'd reciprocate it. in which you did with open arms!

m: "aha! i knew it! you both finally told each other you like each other didn't you!!", k: "no need to shout.", y/n: "i suppose!"

mualani will stop teasing for now, and let you two be, just with each other as the stars reflect off the light you've shone into his life.

kinda cringe might delete :100:

[nsharks]

bleeding blue | apocalypse au

part fifteen —other parts

pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley x fem!reader words: 3.7k tags: death. blood. cannibalism mention. zombies of course. AFAB reader. single dad ghost. there will be sex but it isn't here yet. slow burn!!! enemies to lovers. summary: After losing your companions, you run into a skull-masked man and his daughter. They are your last hope for survival.

Pearly sunlight weaves through the trees, casting freckles across the calm current of the creak. Somewhere, a raven bleats loudly, but your ears block out the sound. The skin between your brows wrinkles with concentration as you tightly grip the wooden makeshift spear, its carved point hovering just above the water.

Numerous fish writhe below you, and your eyes dart between them studiously before finally settling on the meatiest one. With a quick stab, your spear pierces the water's surface, but all it hits is the mucky bottom of the creak. The fish startles with a splash and swims off downstream. 

"Fuck me," you huff, standing up from your squatting position on the rock to soothe the growing ache in your thighs.

Fishing shouldn't be much different than hunting, yet, it's been hours and all you have to show for it is a small chub the size of your palm. With a sigh, you decide your craving for fish isn't worth all this effort and leap off the rock, carrying your measly catch in one hand and spear in the other. Maybe the still waters of the pond could be an easier spot to try someday.

You chose the creak over the pond because it's a greater distance from camp. The longer walk allows you to fixate on the emerald green leaves fluttering in the breeze and the soft chatter of swallows that are returning after their winter migration. Everything is starting to turn into Blue's favorite color. For the first time, you departed the cabin without a jacket, opting for only the long-sleeve tee from Ghost. You had the sleeves rolled to your elbows while fishing, but as you trek back through the wild grasses, you push them down and allow the fabric to brush your knuckles. 

There are hardly any flowers left on the Pink Sorrel after all your foraging. It's a shame they taste so good because the petals are a beautiful fuschia. Arriving at camp, you amble over the plucked stems, bound across the trench with ease, and spot Blue on the other side of the gate offering Grim a wad of grass.

The moment you returned yesterday, she had asked how training with Ghost went. That was quick, she'd observed. Weasling past the rules of your friendship, you gave her a half-lie: He went easy on me this first time. She didn't seem fully convinced that Ghost and 'going easy' belonged in the same sentence together.

"Hey," you greet. "Open the gate for me?"

Grim is given a pet across his back before she leaps up to undo the locks. 

“Hey. How’d it go?” She looks at your near-empty hand. "Fucking noodles. That's it? I thought there were lots of fish there."

"There are. I just suck at catching them."

She gives you an apologetic smile. "Oh— Ghost was looking for you, by the way."

It takes you a moment to respond. "He was?"

"Not sure what for." Her brows furrow. "I'm also not sure where he went. He was here, and then—" Her blue eyes glimmer like water in the sunlight as they shift to something in the distance. "Oh, there he is."

The very person you'd spent hours of alone time trying not to think about arrives as a shadow, lugging what appears to be—you squint—a fucking corpse behind him. Upon closer inspection, it is certainly a body, and with how wonky the limbs look as they drag against the ground, it must be a Grey. That's a little more reassuring, and a lot less bothersome, than if it were a human corpse. 

He drops the corpse in front of the trench, rubs his gloved hands together, and then passes through the parted gate. 

"Is that what you wanted Twix for?" Blue asks, nodding to the Grey.

Ghost explains himself in an even more gruff baritone than usual. "Knew I smelled something." He speaks at you. "I wanted you to check south while I checked north."

"Oh. Sorry," you say lamely and hold up the small chub. "I was, uh, fishing. Looks like you found the source, though. Just one?"

He nods. "Only found one. Could be others so we'll keep an eye out."

"Why did you bring it here?" you ask curiously. 

Blue is the one to answer. "To burn it. Sometimes it seems like they attract each other, haven't you noticed?"

"Right," you grimace. "Blood and rot. Their favorites."

Setting down the catch and spear, you help Ghost gather some wood from the modest pyramid stacked beside the cabin. He nudges the Grey with a booted foot, making it tumble limply into the trench. Starting the fire in there should keep the flames contained.

As you silently place the wood and some kindling over the carcass, your mind is in two places at once. With Ghost right next to you, it's impossible to not think about yesterday; how it felt to be grabbed by him, how he questioned you again about the ammo trip, and how you can't help but detest the thought of him looking at you in pity like he once he did. 

You also think about how much you fucking hate Greys. Christ, they are disgusting. Your fingers accidentally brush against the paper-thin skin that hangs off the bones and a shudder travels up your spine.

Ghost starts the fire with a match and the two of you watch the flames catch, quietly at first— then, they roar through the corpse, quickly turning it black. Bitter smoke intermingles with the crisp spring air and the smell has you coughing into your arm.

Blue has taken it upon herself to avoid the fire, making an audible gagging sound before scooping up Grim. In her absence, you shift from foot to foot, stealing a glance at Ghost. He watches the ash build up and the flames tamper down in mild interest. 

Your fingers curl up into balls, fisting the excess fabric. "Are you worried about more?" you ask him.

It's the first thing you've said to him - actually said to him - since cutting your training short. He loosens a breath and slightly shrugs his broad shoulders. "No. I told you. We never see more than a few at a time." You weren't worried, but if you were, his dismissal of the subject would reassure you. "You should be careful until I finish your bow, though. Unless you're good at throwing knives."

"I'm not," you almost snort, voice no louder than it needs to be. "But Blue is quite good at it. She's been killing squirrels for me."

He hums his response, a low sound that gets lost in the crackle of embers, and you wonder if that's him showing a lack of interest in this kind of conversation with you. With a deep inhale, you change the subject to one you can't ignore.

"Ghost— I want to apologize," you turn to face him, straightening your shoulders. "I wasted your time yesterday. It won't happen again. If we could... give it another try, I would like that."

The smoke is starting to fade. Ghost breaks his gaze from it to study you. You try not to shrink away, wondering what he's thinking. If he feels pity, it's impossible to detect in the dark irises set behind his mask, though, you've never been able to find much of anything in them. 

"You didn't waste my time, Twix. I have an interest in your capabilities." 

"What?" 

"If you're going to be staying here," he elaborates, "—then your strength is of value to me. I'd like to know that if I ask you to do something, you can do it. That if shit happens again, I can rely on you."

"You can," you breathe out. "I am... capable."

"You are," he agrees, looking away. "You're good with a bow. You think quick. But you're still weak, and you doubt yourself." The blunt comments make your brows lower, but you can't help but feel satisfied with the glimpses of approval. "Yesterday was my fault. You weren't ready for it and I should've known that."

"I am ready," you protest, lips parting as you shake your head. "Let me try again. I don't want to be coddled."

"I'm not going to coddle you," he replies in a firm drawl. "I want you stronger first. Let's start there."

“Okay.”

A hand.

There's a hand on your shoulder, heavy and firm, offering a slight shake. With a gasp, your eyes fly open to darkness, only the white of a skull visible above you, illuminated by a sliver of moonlight. 

"What the hell?" are the first words you sputter, voice harsh and raw from sleep. You grip your throat to clear it. 

He scans your face. "Get up. Come on."

"What? What... what fucking time is it?"

"Almost dawn. Let's go."

It takes a few deep breaths to calm the rush of adrenaline ignited by his abrupt wake-up call. Go where? you think to ask, but instead, you slick a hand through your hair, warily rubbing your eyes to adjust to the lack of light.

Somehow you end up outside, wading through the sprawled-out fog as you follow behind his silhouette, the morning so early and quiet that it would've felt like a dream if not for your crunching footsteps. You braid your into a single, tight braid along the way. With such shitty sleep, you're too out of it to even scowl at his backside, wondering how getting up at this hour will in any way make you stronger. 

The answer is in the two axes he carries and the towering oak tree he stops in front of, your eyes climbing up the height of it before landing back down on Ghost. Your hands are forced out of your coat pockets when an axe is offered to you, fingers curling around the handle and abs tightening from the surprising weight of it.

Confusion rolls around in your gut. Slowly, you ask, "Um. You... want me to cut this thing down?"

"We need more wood after yesterday." He inclines his head and gives a tap of his own axe to the thick trunk. "Good size for you to start with."

"It's huge," you mutter under your breath. "Why do we have to do this so early?"

If there's any reasoning to it at all, he doesn't bother sharing. Rather, he stalks over to another tree about ten meters away. The calm air is soon shattered by the rough sound of metal biting wood as he starts effortlessly cutting the trunk. A large part of you considers dropping the axe and leaving without a word, but you ignore it.

"Alright then," you whisper to yourself. 

It's not the first time you've chopped down a tree. You used to help Paul with it, and truthfully, you're surprised Ghost has never asked you to do chores like this sooner. It's certainly bigger than the skinny, young trees you used to go for, evident in how little of a dent you make with the first swing.

Either you're as weak as Ghost claims, or this axe of his is heavier than the one Paul had because your biceps feel strained by the third hit.

"Have you never done this before?"

The voice at your back nearly makes you drop the axe. Whirling around, you face the colossal presence of him and wonder how you didn't notice it sooner.

"I have." You rest the thick blade on the ground, grumbling. "Do you have a thing for sneaking up on people?"

"Be more aware of your surroundings." His tone teeters towards admonishing, and he looks you over before ticking up a brow. "And fix your stance before you throw your bloody back out."

He nudges the toe of his boot against yours, forcing you to spread your feet further apart. Your lips roll together as he grunts in approval. "Try again now."

When he takes a step back, you face the tree again, bending your elbows before extending them sharply. The blade cuts deeper this time, if only by a little.

"You're focusing too much on your arms," he remarks behind your shoulder. 

Your eyebrow twitches. "I'm... I'm holding the axe with my arms. Why would I not focus on them?"

"When you're shooting arrows, what muscles do you use the most?"

Thinking back to those lessons from Paul, you answer almost immediately. "My back." It's always the part that gets most sore. "And my... my shoulders, I guess."

"Focus more on those."

His advice helps. The next swing deals considerable damage to the bark. You turn to see his response, but he's already gone back to his tree.

The next few days involve so much chopping and sawing that you think you might be starting to hate wood and all of its forms. After the trees are down, you have to cut them into sizeable logs. The back-and-forth motion leaves your arm numb. You quickly realize why Ghost is making you get up early for this work— once the sun is out, it becomes miserable, cold sweat cascading down your back and temples. 

Blue decides this is not the kind of training she's interested in watching. You don't see much of her except during dinner where she offers to cook the squirrels she's caught for you. You don't object. You pick the meat apart down to the needly bones, wiggle your sore toes of their confinements, and knock out earlier than either of them. Fatigue goes back to claiming you swift and heavy, like a current that pulls you down, down, down. The dreams sit behind a dark wall, blocked for now. 

It goes on like this for a whole week, and somewhere along the way, you stop hating it. The grunts that leave your mouth are laced with exertion and focus. Your arms don't hurt as much. You split the logs apart as your mind fills with thoughts of everything you hate. Greys. Death. Pity. You imagine breaking all those things into a hundred, rotten pieces. It feels... good.

One morning, you awaken to sunlight already bleeding through the plywood, and confusion sits you up. You look around, wondering why Ghost didn't get you up sooner, only to find Blue lying belly-down on the raggedy rug, flipping through one of her new magazines.

"Where's Ghost?" 

"Good morning to you, too," she sings. Her chin inclines from where it rests in her palm. "I decided you need a different kind of training today. He's setting it up."

"You... you decided that, huh?"

She hums. "I made you breakfast. Go eat." She waves her hand. "I'm sure he'll be done soon."

You have no idea what she's talking about, but your stomach guides you to the cooked meat calling your name. She points out things in the magazine, like old celebrities and ridiculous perfume ads, cute boys and yummy sweets she wishes she could try; you nod along as you eat.

When he returns, she perks up. Practically tugs on your arm. You have to remind her that you're still barefoot. She impatiently groans the entire time you are lacing up your boots, taking your sweet time on purpose. 

The pond is where she leads you. That place where you first saw her.

Except today, there is a thin log stretched across one end to the other. A bridge.

"We have got to work on your balance, my student," Blue announces, hands on her hips. A gentle, warm breeze tousles her hair and she swipes it from her face. "We can't have a repeat of you-know-what."

Your brows shoot up and a chuff of breath leaves your nose. "Are you trying to say I have no sense of balance?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Come on, now."

You almost forgot Ghost followed the two of you out here until he sits on a tree stump with his carving knife and the bow he's making. He's been working on it for a few hours every day. Today, when you steal a glance as Blue clasps your hand and leads you to the homemade bridge, it almost looks like a bow, finally taking on a curved shape. You can't see much of it, though, because soon you are being instructed to cross the log.

"Without falling," Blue adds. 

"Easy," you tease, shrugging. 

"Prove it."

The log is about the width of the metal beam, but much shorter. You cross over it, arms outstretched at your sides and boots hovering a few feet above glistening water that is teeming with fish. When you step down on the other side, you shoot Blue a grin.

She rubs her chin. "Not bad, not bad. Again."

You do it again with ease, even though your muscles are still stiff from your morning workouts. 

"Okay, this time, we're going to make it more realistic." 

By realistic, she means baring her teeth in a growl and sticking her arms out like a Grey. All of a sudden, you are being chased across the log, Blue running behind you. Explicatives leave your lips until your boot misses a step and you fall into the water. This time, the shallow pond offers a comfortable temperature that doesn't send your body into panic mode. You break the surface, able to stand up on the rocky bottom, and throw your wet hair out of your face as laughter bubbles up your throat on its own accord.

You look up at Blue, playfully glaring. She smirks.

"Come here, Grey," you say.

You grab her by the ankle and pull her down into the water with you. She gasps and giggles, thrashing around in her soaked clothes as you splash water in her face. 

"Or," you taunt, "Should I say Amelia?"

Her eyes widen. "How did you—" 

Then, she's leaping at you, pushing your head under the water. "Don't ever call me that."

"Or what?" You tease and swim away, scaly fish brushing against your ankles as the wide legs of your jeans ride up. "You'll kill me?"

"Might have to!"

You're not sure how long the two of you swim in there. Minutes. Maybe an hour. Until your fingertips are pruney like how they used to get when you used to swim in the pool with your sister.

You hoist yourself out of the pond and sit by the water's edge, drenched shirt clinging to your breasts uncomfortably, but you don't care. You've felt far more uncomfortable things. The buttery sunlight kisses your exposed cheeks as you wring out your hair, Blue sitting beside you to do the same thing.

She peels off her wet jeans, probably uncomfortable in them. You would do the same if you were eleven and didn't care. On her thigh, the thick scar from her bullet wound blemishes the soft, pale skin.

"I'm a better teacher than Ghost, huh?" she says.

"So far," you nod, glancing at him. When you do, his eyes meet yours across the short distance. Only for a second. Before they flicker back down to the bow.

"He hates swimming, you know."

You look at her. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. He never really goes in with me." She shrugs and buries her fingers in the grass. "Hey. Look. There are those violets I told you about."

You follow the direction of her eyes and sure enough, a patch of wild violets decorate the ground, gently bent in the breeze. As your clothes dry, the two of you pluck them. They are beautiful. Dark purple petals. You braid them into her hair. She tries to do the same for you, but her braiding skills need some work. It's a nice break from the past week you've had, your sore limbs sprawled against the grass to dry.

It's when the sun starts to lower that Blue puts her jeans back on. Your clothes are still wet, and the wind is starting to pick up, spreading gooseflesh across your skin. 

"Here."

The familiar low voice announces his presence. Tucking your wet hair behind your ears, you look up at Ghost. The two of you haven't exchanged many words except for his occasional correction of your form while cutting wood. 

He stands against the sun. You take the finished bow from him in quiet awe. It's even nicer up close, the smoothed oak caressing your palms as you glide them up and down the length of this new weapon. The first one he gave you was made for a child, but this one is larger, the perfect size for you. Your index finger gives a pluck to the string, feeling the hum of vibrations. He must have just added that. 

"Thank you," you tell him honestly. Whatever uncertainty or irritation you might feel about him doesn't change the swell of gratitude you feel in this moment. It’s a tangible thing that sits in your chest. “It's... great, really."

"Might take some getting used to,” he says gruffly.

You shrug. "That's alright."

You glance to your left where Blue is still changing. With a swallow, you hold the bow tight to your chest. "Do you think I'm ready to try more tomorrow? Not just the wood. I feel like... I feel like I've been getting stronger from it already."

He gives a short nod. "Tomorrow, then."

[mr-yuugo]

On Full Display

-Azul Ashengrotto X Gen!Reader- -FLUFF-

Words: 1,606

Summary: Reader finds out that Azul tried to remove the last picture of his chubby merform from the Atlantic Memorial Museum, but he forgot of one picture you had all taken a long time ago.

You can also find this on AO3 and WATTPAD!

You hummed as you brushed your hair. You use your finger to move around the smaller pieces out of your face only for it to end up sticking up.

You let out a huff as your hair wasn't cooperating. "Dumb hair..." You placed down your hairbrush as you swam to the other side of your room.

You had a makeshift vanity with the different things you had found in your younger years, never wanting to get rid of it even if there were newer and better ones out there. You looked at yourself in the mirror before deciding you looked presentable enough. You looked down at the messy vanity and let out a chuckle.

You picked up the picture frame that was placed down on your vanity and brought it close to your chest. You hugged it as you twirled around.

"Ahh...I miss them. I hope they come visit soon." You mumbled to yourself as you placed it back where it was before. The picture was of you, the leech twins, and Azul when you were only little merkids. You took one more look at it before exiting out of your home, deciding to swim around for a bit before doing your daily chores.

...

"Ahh! Azul!!" You called out as you eagerly swam to his octopot hideout. "Y/N...what is it this time?" He mumbled out. "Look what I got my hands on!" You excitedly showed him the camera you had in your hand. "I found a camera! Do you think it will work?" You asked as you moved it around in your hands as you examined it.

"Ah Y/N has found a camera! That's so frikin' cool." Floyd said as he came up behind you, snatching the camera away.

"Not fair Floyd!" You said as you rolled your eyes. He tossed it and Jade was quick to catch it. "This old thing seemed as if it would disintegrate any second it seems," Jade said as he gave it back to you much to Floyd's displeasure.

"It wouldn't hurt to try it? Even then the pictures from this camera come out with some sort of plastic film covering it so I think it will be fine underwater."

"Using your mer-brain huh?" Floyd snickered. "Come on give it here I want to click the button!!" He laughed as he reached for it but you shook your head. "Who said I wanted you in the picture Floyd!" You said as you stuck out your tongue. "I came to take a picture with Azul!"

"Whaa! Why Azul!" Floyd yelled out. "I already have pictures with you I have none with Azul!" You yelled back. "And who said I wanted a picture with you, Y/N?" Azul said as he kept himself in his octopot. "Oh! He got you Y/N!" Floyd began laughing hard as you just stared at the boy in embarrassment. "Well, that's one way to kill me..."

"Oh come on Y/N, why don't we all take a picture? You can even be the one to click the button." Jade suggests. You sighed in defeat as you nodded your head. "Fine, you all in?" You asked the three of them. Floyd and Jade nodded their heads as Azul only groaned in annoyance.

"I'm not taking a picture!" He yelled out only to realize that Jade and Floyd were pulling him out of his octopot. "L-let go of me!" He cried as he was forced between Jade and Floyd.

You laughed at the scene as Jade put his hand on Azul's cheeks forcing his mouth to form a smile. You quickly got next to Floyd and extended your hand in front of you. "Okay, guys smile!" Shortly after you said that you clicked the button.

A few seconds passed and you all heard the camera snap. You smiled happily as something began coming out of the camera. "Ah! I think it worked!" You laughed in contentment as you swam around eagerly as you waited for the picture to be out fully.

When it did you stared at it confused. "What's wrong Y/N?" Azul asked you as Jade and Floyd let him go. "The picture is black, it's not showing anything..."

"Huh, how strange..." Jade said with widened eyes as he came over to you. Unfortunately, Floyd swam faster and snatched it out of your hands. "What a bummer... it's making me mad! I was so excited too but turns out your camera is trash!" Floyd pouted as he looked at it though his eyes then widened and he started smiling in content.

"Woah! Now this is cool! Look the image is appearing like magic!" Floyd laughed as he shoved the picture in your face. Your eyes shined as you looked at it. "Awesome!" You snickered as you took the picture. You smiled at yourself as you could clearly see the four of you. "I love it! I'm gonna put it up in my room!"

"Please don't..." Azul said as he began to tear up from embarrassment.

...

You swam quite far from your home, passing by numerous colorful corals on your path. You halted for a second you looked to your left and noticed the Atlantica Memorial Museum up ahead. Something catches your eyes as you gasp. You were certain you just saw humans walking in. "Now that's something I never see around here..." You said to yourself with a chuckle. The sight of witnessing the humans trying to swim so deep in the sea made you laugh.

"How silly!" You laughed once more as you swam closer to the museum. You were certain the museum was closed but the guard seemed more than happy letting them in. "Maybe it's a special event? Oh, I want to go talk to them!" You thought to yourself.

You saw one of the humans and thought they looked oddly familiar. "That sort of looks like...Azul!" You beamed as you got closer. Fortunately for you, the guard at the front had gone in with the others so there wasn't anyone stopping you from going in.

You did your best to keep quiet though the occasional giggle would leave your lips as you saw Azul walk on human legs.

"Everyone, welcome to the Atlantic Memorial Museum. We are on a study tour today. Regardless of why we are here, I recommend you take your time and enjoy yourselves." You heard Azul speak. You then saw a little seal start talking with Azul, well at least that's what you thought it was. From the corner of your eye, you saw Jade and Floyd approach.

It took everything in you to stop yourself from giving away your hiding spot. They started moving to another part of the Museum as you continued to follow them. Azul had started telling them of how you merfolk lived underwater.

After a while, you saw the humans separate into groups and you found it a perfect opportunity to swim up to Azul to talk to him. You left your hiding spot as you swam at lightning speed towards Azul. "Aha! Azul!!!!" You cheered as you hugged him tightly, spinning yourself with him at a fast pace as he gasped.

"Y/N??" He yelled out your name. "Y-your holding me too tight-!" You let him back down with a smile. "Ahh, I'm sorry! I'm just so happy to see you! Those legs look great by the way!" You chuckled.

He looked away flustered as he pushed up his glasses. "What are you even doing here?" He asked you. "What? Not happy to see me?"

"That's not it! Just answer my question." He sighed. "Well I saw the group of humans walk in here and I wanted to talk to them but then I saw you and the twins!"

"I see, have you told the boys hello yet?" He asked to which you shook your head. "No, I wanted to see you first!" You smiled at him. He looked to the side again before looking up at you, his eyes widened in panic as he grabbed onto your shoulders and forcefully made you move to your right.

"Heyy! What gives!" Floyd whined as he swam past you. "Don't give me that crap Floyd. If I hadn't you would have taken both me and Y/N." Azul sighed in annoyance. "Floyd!!" You called out. "Oh, how wonderful!" You smiled as you noticed Jade approach as well and you said hello to him too.

"What are you guys even doing here hm?" You asked and noticed Azul instantly freeze up. "Well, our buddy Azul here was planning on destroying picture evidence of his young chubby merman self!" Floyd laughed loudly. "How embarrassing...it was the last thing remaining of this planet that anyone would see of my past self..." Azul murmured in defeat.

"Now now Azul." Jade snickered as he flashed his sharp teeth. You hummed in confusion. "Last thing on the planet...?" You mumbled. You started laughing loudly out of nowhere and Azul grew even more flustered. "How silly of you Azul!" You continued laughing.

"Silly-! Stop laughing!" He furrowed his brows. "I'm sorry but did you really think that was the last photo of you in your chubby merform?" Jade's eyes seemingly widened as you smirked to which he did as well. "Now even I had forgotten." Jade sighed.

"Remember the picture we all took together that one time, with that old camera I found? The one I said I'll put up in my room?" Azul looked shocked as you swore his soul started leaving his body.

"That picture is still in my room! On full display!"

[lillian-gallows]

Kinktober Day 28: Size Difference with Simon "Ghost" Riley

Pairing: Simone "Ghost" Riley X Fem!Reader Word Count: 1436 Warnings: Size kink, Body worship, Oral (F Receiving), Fingering (F Receiving), Soft!Simon, Squirting, Chair sex (Does this count as chair sex if there's no P in V? I'm gonna say yes), Pet names.

Kinktober 2024 Master(sub)list.

Minors DNI

Simon can’t help but stare.

You’re not even doing anything out the ordinary, nothing odd or even unique.

Seated in his recliner in a little ball, knees curled under yourself, in one of his t-shirts and your comfortable panties, simple white cotton, with a book in one hand and a mug of tea in the other.

The thing that has his staring is that fact that you’re swimming in that chair and shirt because they’re so massive compared to you.

And it makes something in his chest preen and makes something low in his belly feral.

The knowledge that he can throw you over his shoulder without even breaking a sweat? It makes him want to scream with how much it turns him on.

And the fact that you feed into it without knowing, or he’s pretty sure you’re not aware, is one of the best parts to him.

You’re just being you, and it’s all he needs in life.

As if sensing his gaze on you, your eyes flick up to look at him, head still tilted down toward your book, causing your gaze to come through your lashes.

“Si? You okay?” Your sweet voice drifted to his ears and had him feeling like one of those old cartoon characters that float toward their lover on a cloud of hearts as he approached you.

“I’m fine, Love.” He answered as he came to crouch next to you, putting him lower than you where you sat.

Your book was closed in an instant, and the mug discarded to the side. “You sure? You’re being awful stare-y.” You teased lightly, the kind of teasing that’s meant to gauge mood, lest something be wrong and he’s too scared to admit to it yet.

God, he loves how you show your love.

Sitting forward a bit, your soft hand brushed through his blond locks as it came to hold his cheek, the smallest bit of stubble scratching your palm, no need to hold to regs when on leave, and you loved it when he got scruffy.

Leaning into the soft touch, Simon eyes held your gaze. “Just wondering what a bastard like me could have possibly done to deserve an angel like you…” He whispered into the small space between you.

You let out a sigh as your brows furrowed slightly. He knew you hated it when he talked about himself like that, but also understood where it came from. “Simon…” You started like you always did, like you were going to scold him for his negative self-talk.

“It’s not that, not this time.” He said, stopping you in your tracks. “Even the best man doesn’t deserve you.” He continued, watching your face flush a little. “Can I show you?”

“Show me?” You questioned.

“How much I love you…” He clarified, brown eyes flickering between your own and your lips, which were pulling up into a smile.

Rather than speak, you nodded and leaned in, meeting him halfway in a sweet kiss that turned heated so fast it made your head spin.

His massive hands slipped under you to pull your legs forward, so he could settle on his knees between them, where they moved up to your thighs, squeezing the soft flesh as they slid up and down.

Your own finger threaded through his hair before settling at the space where the back of his neck met his head, holding him to you as you nipped at his lower lip, a polite request for more than just lips in your kisses.

And Christ above, who was he to deny you anything?

His lips parted, tongue meeting yours in a dance that pulled a pleased sigh from you.

Your bum scooted closer to the edge of the chair, and he met the movement, pressing his body to yours, his belly right up against the apex of your thighs, allowing you to roll them against the solid plains of his body unconsciously.

His own desire for you pulled his lips from yours to kiss down your neck, the temptation to leave marks was loud, but he resisted, this time he wanted to be soft, not claiming.

The little sounds you made had his cock jumping in his sweatpants, craving to hear more, more, more of those sweet sounds.

As his worked his way down, he bypassed what he knew was under his shirt, instead his hands slipped under the material to your hips to carefully slip your panties down your legs, tossing them aside like they’d offended him, which got that beautiful bell-like laugh from you.

That laugh morphed in his ears into a soft moan as his touch shifted to the space between your beautiful legs, thumb tentatively finding your clit, not wanting to overwhelm you too quickly.

He was already going from zero to a hundred, no reason to rush your body to catch up to his.

“Simon…” You breathed against his lips, eyes having drifted close long ago, body leaning into his touch like you needed it to survive.

“I got ya, Dove.” He murmured back, his own eyes watching your expressions, half for any signs of discomfort and half just because he loved to watch your pleasure displayed there.

One of your hands left his neck to try and drift lower, but his free hand caught your wrist, pressing his lips to your pulse point. “Don’t worry about me. This is about you.” He said before returning it to where it had previously been.

You pouted but he was quick to kiss the expression from your lips. “Next time.” He promised.

“Next time.” You confirmed, asserting that you’d hold him to that.

And knowing you, it would be when he was doing something equally mundane as how he’s found you.

Returning to the task at hand, his calloused fingers ran up and down your quickly dampening slit, then he guided you to lay back in the chair a bit, pushing his shirt up your tummy to press his lips to the soft part of your belly, then another a little lower.

The muscles in your belly twitched in anticipation but then he jumped down to press his lips to your inner thigh, then another to the crease of your hip.

Even he could admit he was teasing you, so when you let out a slightly frustrated sigh he chuckled and gave in, pressing his lips to your clit, the tip of his tongue flicking out to make a little circle around the pretty bud.

Your body reacted immediately, trying to seek more, but his hold on your hips kept you in place as he ran his tongue up the whole length of your pussy, dipping into your hole for only a moment before returning to your clit to lightly suck, earning him a squeal and a tug at his hair.

But he didn’t budge, instead his fingers returned, but this time rather than circle your clit with his thumb, he pressed one into your cunt while his tongue worked your bud until he felt like you could take a second finger.

That was when he zeroed in on your G-spot with curling digits, smirking when you once more tried to buck up into his touch, but his superior strength once more won out, keeping you right where he wanted you.

Soon enough he felt your legs begin to shake, pussy twitching and flexing with your impending orgasm, and he was relentless, intent to see you come apart on his fingers and mouth.

And come apart you did.

With a broken cry of his name, your body clenched down on his fingers as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through you.

Normally he would stop there, let you come down a little before you kept going, but this time he decided to try something new.

Continuing to bully your G-spot and clit, he watched as a second more intense orgasm built and crashed over you, soaking his fingers, face, and the chair under you.

He nearly came in his pants like a teenager at the sight, and it was all the proof he needed that you had to be an angel because that was damn near a religious experience.

Finally letting up on you, he ran his hands up and down your body as you panted, soothing you softly.

“I…Didn’t know…I could do that…” You managed as your eyes managed to open.

Before you could think any further, he had you in his arms, standing with his hands under your ass as he carried you toward the bedroom. “Then let’s see if you can do it again.”

[esmerulia-chantelle]

Yours

Azul Ashengrotto x GN!Reader

Summary: Azul plans to confess his feelings for you but things keep getting in the way between him and you. What is he supposed to do?

Notes: Reader is a sophomore and is not Yuu. Azul calls you sweetheart.

A repost from my old blog @escha-evenstar. Edited.

Azul liked to think he was a man who had a plan for everything — always prepared and with a calm and confident facade. Yet he was put to the test when suddenly someone came along.

Someone who occupied his thoughts more often, making him ponder about things such as "What are you doing right now?" or "I wonder if you'd like the new menu I added."

Someone who tugged at his heartstrings whenever you'd greet him with a warm smile or engage in conversations with him, occasionally clinging on his arm.

Someone who changed something inside of Azul.

That someone was you.

He didn't expect to develop a close relationship with you. To have special moments with you. To still have you by his side despite who he was and what he did. Azul didn't plan for these things to happen. It just did.

Just like his first kiss you.

Azul's face flushed pink as he recalled that memory. Your body was pressed close against him as you held onto his arm. He turned his head around to look directly at you only to have his lips meet yours in an accidental kiss.

His slender fingers went to touch his lips as if to caress the area where you just kissed.

Your lips felt so soft and warm. I want to kiss you again.

Azul sighed. As much as he tried to lock away what was bubbling inside of him, it just couldn't be hidden away. He likes you.

No, scratch that.

He loves you. Deeply. Hopelessly. With all of his three hearts.

Azul decided he wouldn't be a coward anymore and hide away his true feelings. He was going to confess. He didn't want to stand by idly anymore while other guys took a chance for your affections. What if you accepted that person's feelings? The idea of you being in a romantic relationship with someone else did not settle right with Azul, the corner of his lips turning down into a frown and uneasiness pooling in his gut. He couldn't let that happen.

Azul wanted to be the man for you, and he was determined to make you his.

The following day after the night of your accidental first kiss, Azul would finally confess his feelings for you. For this, he already got it planned.

Invite Y/N for dinner. Azul would take you out on a private, romantic dinner at the Mostro Lounge. He would be extra particular with his appearance, wanting to look attractive and handsome for you. He would also enlist help from the eelmer twins in cooking and serving the two of you with your favorite dishes.

Start conversation. Azul would strike up a conversation with you. He would start with giving you compliments, all honest words of praise of course, before conversing with you like usual. This would keep the mood pleasant and enjoyable.

Showcase self. Azul wanted to be deserving of you. As the conversation would carry on, he would subtly showcase his strengths to prove that he was the right choice for you.

Set the mood. After finishing your meal, Azul would take you to one of your favorite sections inside his cafe. There was this open space with a huge glass wall that showed the vast waters full of underwater life that surrounded Octavinelle. The unique subaquatic plants that swayed with the current. Different species of fish swimming in various appearances and colors. You found it all serene and mesmerizing to look at. And when the moment is right..

Confess. Azul would confess and ask you to be his. And then hopefully you'll say yes.

Perfect plan, right? It would have been if only he could actually ask you out.

How could he invite you when you were always taken away from him? Every single time he'd approach you, something or someone else required your attention and you'd have to leave.

He couldn't ask you out while on your walk to school since a classmate of yours sought you out regarding your group's presentation for the day.

"Y/N, good morning. I'm sorry to bother you so early, but could I get some help for our presentation later today?"

During lunch break, Azul was waiting outside your classroom. When you were about to leave the room, someone else arrived looking for you.

"Y/N! I apologize. I understand you're supposed to have your lunch break but I'm afraid we have some urgent matters to attend to. I have already informed your Prefect, Yuu. Grim too, of course. We'll need the residents of Ramshackle Dorm for this matter. But not to worry though, since I am oh so gracious, I shall provide the three of you with hearty meals afterwards. How generous of me as Headmage, right?"

When your eyes met with his, Azul felt a certain longing. You gave him a quick apologetic smile and wave before following after the Headmage. Azul gave you a smile of his own but the moment you turned around, his facial expression showed how annoyed he actually was as he glared at the Headmage. He let out a deep sigh, trying to keep calm.

Not to worry. We share a class this afternoon so that means I'll have another opportunity. I'm definitely going to ask you out!

The first subject for the afternoon class was about to start but you still weren't around. Your usual seat beside him was feeling cold and empty.

Where were you? Did something happen?

Azul wondered since you were always punctual in class. Soon, the class professor came in bearing news.

"Mx. Y/N has been excused by the Headmage due to.."

What?!

Azul couldn't focus on what else the professor was saying. He was starting to get extremely vexed.

That Headmage, why I-

He didn't finish his thoughts as he heaved another sigh. He needed to calm down. No matter, he'll see you after school. There's still time. He's not going to miss it.

The last class with Professor Trein drawled on a bit longer than usual.

Why now of all times?

Azul sighed for the umpteenth time that day, his pen tapping impatiently on his desk. He glowered a bit as he waited for class to end. As soon as they were dismissed for the day, he immediately rushed over to your classroom. When he saw that most of the students from your class already left, Azul clicked his tongue in displeasure.

Did you leave already?

"Oh, hey Azul!" A bright, cheery voice spoke breaking Azul from his thoughts. "Are you looking for Y/N?"

It was Kalim who spoke.

"Hello, Kalim. And yes, I am looking for Y/N. Have you seen them?" Azul asked.

"Y/N was actually here a few minutes ago. They were waiting for you."

Upon hearing Kalim's words, Azul felt his heart race a bit faster.

"But then someone suddenly asked them out. They said they wanted to talk in private."

Wait. What?

"If you need them, they went around that way," Kalim said as he pointed to a direction where he saw them leave.

Azul thanked him and then briskly walked away to find you.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, he finally saw you. Your school uniform that accentuated your body and fitted you perfectly. Your (h/l) (h/c) hair fluttering with the soft breeze. And your eyes. Your beautiful (e/c) eyes that mirrored your pure heart and soul. You looked so ethereal in this moment that Azul thought of confessing right then and there.

Except there was another guy in the scene with you.

"I've always liked you Y/N! Will you go out me?" He said.

Azul felt something inside him snap.

Ever since this day started, Azul couldn't get ahold of your time and company. He just wanted to ask you out for dinner, was that so wrong? He sought you out all day long yet every damn single time someone took you away. Sevens, it's like they were testing him. Pushing him beyond his limits. And at this point, he was more than just frustrated. He was seething with resentment.

Azul has had enough and he's not letting anyone or anything get in his way.

With long, heavy strides, he made his way over to you.

You were confused. One minute, someone was confessing to you. The next, you were suddenly pulled away by a different person and lead somewhere else. You tried to keep up with his pace as you recalled what just happened.

"Oh. Uhm.. I'm flattered you think of me like that.. but I'm sorry. I can't return your feelings," you apologized to the student who just confessed to you. He opened his mouth to speak some more when someone cut in, immediately holding you by your wrist.

"I believe your conversation is now over. We're leaving." It was Azul who came in, eyes glaring at the guy coldly before he proceeded to drag you away.

And now here you were in this situation. He'd been pulling at you for quite some time now. You asked him what was going on, but he'd only squeeze your wrist. It wasn't enough to really hurt you but it was like he was wordlessly saying "just follow me".

Is Azul angry? Did something happen?

You continued to follow after him, deciding to not speak momentarily until you reached your destination. Along the way, a number of students looked at the two of you curiously. With the way his cold, blue eyes stared ahead, and his walk, although slower compared to earlier (upon your request), still brisk enough as he tugged at you to follow him. When someone you knew would try to come close to you, you'd feel Azul tighten his grip on you.

I guess he doesn't want any interruptions. He seems to be in a rush and in a really bad mood.

So you'd just wave at them with a nervous smile as the two of you continued walking.

Azul lead you to Octavinelle, specifically to the Mostro Lounge. You also noticed he took you to your favorite spot.

He finally stopped walking and let go of your wrist, turning around to look at you. He wasn't saying anything though; he's just staring at you. When you looked at his eyes, the coldness that was there earlier was gone. Instead, you saw all sorts of intense emotions reflecting in them.

"Azul..?" You called out his name softly. "Uhm.. if there's something bothering you.."

A lot actually bothered me today.

You took a single step towards him. "Or if there's anything you want to say.."

There's a lot really.

You moved even closer, hands raised to touch his glasses. "Or if you need me.."

I do need you.

You stopped just a few inches from him and completely removed his glasses, looking directly into his blue eyes. "I'm right here for you."

The both of you looked fixedly at each other. Staring with such intimacy, gaze filled with love and tenderness.

"Y/N," He called out your name in his smooth, charming voice as he caressed your cheek. It made your knees feel weak.

"Y-yes?" You stuttered.

He slowly drew your body towards him; an arm wrapped around your waist, your chest in contact with his, as Azul's other hand cradled your face to look up at him. You felt the familiar heat rise on your cheeks, tinting them with a pink blush. Your grip around his glasses loosened as it slipped away, landing on the floor with a soft clink. Your hands unconsciously settled on top of his chest because of the close proximity. The two of you stuck in a staring contest.

It was like time was frozen. Your gorgeous (e/c) eyes that shone like the stars, looking so nervous. The blush dusting your cheeks. Azul thought you looked so pretty and cute he couldn't help but chuckle, causing your face to flush a darker shade of red.

"Azul," you whined, pouting. You thought he was teasing you again.

But the way you moved your lips like that made Azul want to do something. He started leaning down closer to your face.

Every second like this made your heart thump in nervousness, feeling completely flustered.

"Sweetheart?" He said so softly, his special endearment for you tugging at your own heartstrings.

"..yes?" You whispered with shaky breaths.

Azul's face was so close with your own you could feel his breath on your lips. With his eyes half lidded and his voice low and hushed, he muttered his deepest, most genuine feelings for you. "I love you."

Before you knew it, his lips crashed onto yours in a heartfelt kiss. Your eyes flew shut, kissing him back and savoring the feeling of his soft lips against yours.

The kiss felt sweet yet passionate at the same time. As if you were both conveying your ineffable, overflowing feelings for each other through the kiss.

Oh sevens, it feels so amazing!

Your hands gripped onto his uniform coat while Azul pulled you tighter to him, both not wanting to let go of the other. He kissed you with so much fervor you felt like you were going to melt from all the affection you were receiving.

A moment afterwards, you reluctantly pulled away and broke the kiss. The two of you stared at each other lovingly in silence. The only sounds to be heard were the heavy breathing and the loud beating of your heart.

"Please be mine."

You were rendered speechless. Azul's voice was laced with so much love and need for you. He wanted you. He desired you.

"I'll give you anything you want. I'll do anything for you. Anything! I love you so much, Y/N. So please.. stay with me and be mine."

You felt your eyes start to water from his words before tears escaped from the corners of your eye, dripping down on your face.

"Sweetheart?" Azul became worried.

Did I just make you cry? Did you perhaps not feel the same-

You held both sides of his face and pulled him down to you for another kiss. Azul was dazed for a second before he relaxed and eagerly kissed you back.

"I love you too, Azul. So much," you said in between kisses with tears of happiness pouring out of your eyes. "Of course I'll be yours."

When he finally heard you say those words he'd been yearning for, his eyes widened in shock. "You mean it?" He asked in disbelief to which you nodded at his question.

"You really do?!"

You giggled at his reaction. "Of course I do. You don't know how long I waited for you, Azul. And it makes me so happy to know you feel the same way." You stroked his cheek affectionately. "I'll always be yours, Azul," you said while beaming at him with your bright smile.

The corners of his mouth curved into a wide grin. Azul didn't like relying on luck but right now, he felt like the luckiest man in the entire Twisted Wonderland. Because someone like you loved him back with all of your heart. He gave you a sweet peck on the lips before saying, "And I'll forever be yours, Y/N."

Meanwhile..

Earlier after classes ended.

"Jamil! How are you? You're later than usual," said Kalim.

"It's fine. Professor Trein's discussion for today was just longer than usual," Jamil replied. "Anyways, I saw Azul walking out in a rush. He also actually left class the same way. Did something happen between him and Y/N?"

"It's not what did happen. More like, what will happen." Someone joined in on the conversation; it was Jade.

"What do you mean by that? Is Azul up to something?" Riddle asked suspiciously.

"Hahahaha! It's nothing like that, Goldfishie," a singsong voice piped in.

Riddle's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "I told you not to call me by that nickname, Floyd."

Floyd just laughed away and ignored his remark. "Hehe~ Are you guys curious what's gonna happen?" A teasing smile graced his face.

"I don't think Azul will be happy if we told them," Jade said as if disagreeing with his twin brother, although his eyes meant otherwise.

"Bah! They're gonna find out sooner or later anyways."

Jamil spoke, "I couldn't care less what Azul does but if it's related to Y/N... what is it then?"

Floyd's eyes crinkled as he grinned. "Azul is.."

"Is what? Is what?" Kalim asked eagerly.

"..going to confess to Y/N!!"

There was a pause, before the three shouted in unison.

"EEHHH?!?!"

Riddle, Jamil, and Kalim were shocked, processing what they just heard.

"Well, I know that Azul expends a great amount of effort on everything that he does. If he will do the same in making Y/N happy, then I have no objections. But if he ever hurts her," Riddle said in a stern voice. "It will be off with his head!!"

Jamil sighed. "Well.. I guess as long as he treats her right, I'll be okay with that."

Meanwhile, Kalim was still silent.

"Kalim, are you alright?" Jade asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Totally! It's just-" Kalim chuckled while rubbing the back of his head.

"I thought they were already dating."

Masterlist here!

If you enjoyed this: likes, comments, and reblogs are much appreciated. Thank you for reading!

[facioleeknow]

He loves me, he loves me not • Bang Chan

Does he like you or are you friends delulu?

WC: 1906 Genre: smut, fluff, lifeguard!au, highschool/college!au (implied)

TW: kids, smut, not proofread, shuhua x soojin (gidle)

AN: this wasn't supposed to contain any smut but Dahlia (@comet-falls ) made me think about Chris on his knees in the most inappropriate time (Brat).

Taglist: @bahng-chrizz

Working a summer job wasn't the worst thing you ever did, by far but it wasn't exactly how you planned on spending your summer. Especially if the job in question was at the snack bar at the local community pool. You wanted to spend your summer lazing around towns and spending way too much time at your best friend’s house, not yelling at kids not to run around and trying not to melt under the scorching summer heat. 

The job, though, even if it resembled largely your own personal hell most of the time, had its perks. First of all you had free entrance at the pool and the keys which meant that if you wanted to swim late at night you could and you were sure the owner didn’t mind. And second the lifeguard assigned to keep the little demons at bay was Christopher Bang, and he was dreamy. 

It wasn’t like you and Chris went back but you two knew each other as you had a mutual friend, Lee Felix, who was probably the sweetest and kindest person you knew. The friendship between you and Felix was weird, he was a literal angel and you were the biggest people-hating person you knew, he loved the sun and hot weather and you hated light and suffered if the temperature went past 15°C; but he never pointed the differences out and he was one of the closest friends you had, except for Shuhua of course.

You were extremely thankful to Felix, and not only because he went past your discrepancies but also because he was the one who found you the job; thanks to him you were able to freely ogle at Chris with heart eyes and a slightly open mouth.

“God he’s so hot,” you whined. That day was particularly hot so Chris had discarded his tank top and was only in his trunks, basking in the sun. The sight was glorious.

“Can you stop drooling on a man? It’s embarrassing,” Shuhua sighed and kept fanning herself with a random newspaper you found behind the bar and gave her. Her and her girlfriend Soojin finally agreed to visit you at work after you complained for weeks about how excruciating it was to stay around little kids all day without support. She had been side-eyeing you all morning for simping like that for a man, insisting that it wasn’t very girlboss of you and you insisted back that you knew but he was different, he was actually nice, which earned you an even more sour look.

“Leave her alone, I’m sure you were like this when we weren’t together,” argued Soojin, looking fondly at the other girl. 

“Oh my god, she was even worse and I had to sit through it all the time and of course I couldn’t say anything,” you agreed with Soojin which made Shuhua whine quite loudly.

“Excuse me miss,” a little voice interrupted your conversation, “ can you give me another ice cream?”

“I’m sorry sweetie, but you already ate two and your mother told me not to give you any,” you forced a smile. That kid came everyday and demanded all the ice cream and when the mother said no he threw one hell of a tantrum. 

You tried to resume your conversation with the girls, hoping that the kid would spare you that day, but as soon as you turned the child started screaming and crying for ice cream. Like. Every. Damn. Day. Shuhua scoffed once again and looked at him with that one scary stare she always had.

“Kid, didn’t your mother teach you not to interrupt adult’s conversations?” by the tone of her voice you could tell that your best friend was really ticked off and not just pretending to make the kid quiet. You kinda felt bad for the kid, being on the other end of Shuhua’s annoyance wasn’t something enjoyable. At all.

While you were thinking about that time when you had fucked up really bad and Shuhua yelled at you, the kid sprinted towards the counter, grabbed your phone and then started running in the opposite direction.

“Are you fucking serious?” you mumbled to yourself. as fast as you could you got out of the little snack hut and tried to run after the kid, who was extremely fast and wasn’t wearing shoes which gave him better grip on the wet floor. However you were way taller than him and his little legs could only do so much, your hand started grazing his shoulder and you were already tasting victory when your forehead collided with a hard metal surface. The elevated lifeguard seat. Your luck couldn’t be any better. You fell backwards.

Your head hurt like a bitch, that pole was very sturdy even if it looked rusty. You closed your eyes, the world was spinning a little bit. You could feel people looming over you and faint shouting a bit more far away from you. Soojin and Chris were both kneeling beside your slumped form.

“Are you alright?” Soojin whispered worriedly. You groaned, the last thing you needed was a gigantic bruise in the middle of your forehead.

“My phone.”

“Shuhua went to get it, don't worry.”

A big warm hand gently patted your head and started brushing hair away from your face.

“Are you sure you're okay?”a male voice asked. Chris. Your eyes shot open. He was smiling at you and it was the sweetest smile you had ever seen in your entire life.

“Yeah,” you sputtered. Your whole body was on fire, and not in the good way.

Chris put his muscular arm around your shoulders and helped you sit up. The closeness between both of your faces was making your heart beat wildly.

“I'm going to get some nice, wouldn't want a bruise to ruin your pretty face,” he winked at you playfully.

Soojin raised an eyebrow at you but your mind had escaped your current body and was metaphorically running in a flower field.

Maybe the summer job wasn't that bad.

From that day Chris would always exchange small talk in the morning with you when the pool was quiet and the kids were still sleeping. Sometimes he would catch you staring and he'd send a wink your way paired with one of his adorable smiles which made you extremely flustered. Shuhua and Soojin insisted he liked you, you insisted that he was being nice because you had a mutual friend. But after what happened earlier that day you were starting to toy with the idea.

It was extremely hot and everybody was struggling except the kids that still ran around like it was any other day. The snack hut felt like a furnace but the shadow it provided gave you at least some protection. Chris on the other hand didn't look so good, he was wearing a cap to protect his head against the sun but the heat was getting to him and you could see that. Your hand instinctively flew to the small fridge behind you and grabbed an ice cold bottle of water. 

The walk to the chair was agonizing, your nerves we're so taut that you could play violin on them. The universe though, must have not liked you getting close to that particular spit because once again he sent a kid against you. The blonde, giggly, snotty child ran into your brand new t-shirt (a cat shirt) ice cream first and then proceeded to smear it across the front of it. 

“Hehe, sorry,” he giggled and then ran away.

“I like you shirt,” chuckled Chris, now in front of you. You decided to ignore his comment and handed him the bottle.

“It's really hot, you should drink plenty of water.” 

He took the bottle and smiled again, that man was all smiles.

“Go to the staff room, you can wear my shirt, I have the tank anyway, I don't need it.”

You froze. You? Wear his shirt? Your brain was shutting down.

The staff room wasn't far but it was separated from the pool which meant you could freak out as much as you wanted. Chris' bag laid open on the bench in front of you, his shirt was neatly folded on top. It was a plain black shirt and it smelled of laundry detergent and baby powder. 

“Oh my god, he's not stinky like other men, I love him,” you whispered to yourself while you admired the shirt.

Maybe you were starting to like your summer job.

When you told Shuhua about the shirt incident she was adamant he liked you but you were still very reluctant to believe that. She kept bugging you and insisting that you should ask him out and that he was definitely into you. But still, being the stubborn woman you were, you kept to yourself and the summer swiftly came to an end. The last day of the job had a bitter taste to it, how would you survive without your hot lifeguard to gawk at? You didn't know.

The pool wasn't open, you were only supposed to put all of the pool chairs inside and lock up.

It was hard work and it was still very warm but you were getting paid, so you had to do it. Chris had other plans, he sent you in the staff room to make “inventory” while he carried inside all the chairs.

Y/N:

He's taking the chairs inside all by himself

His muscles look so sexy

I'm feeling hot and bothered rn ngl

Shuhua:

Ew

Just fuck already

“I wanted to surprise you but it seems like you were the one who surprised me,” Chris chuckled from behind your shoulder. 

The gasp you let out was inhuman. You were screwed. As a way to escape the situation you started to slowly back away from him, but soon your back hit the wall effectively trapping you. 

“You think my muscles are sexy?”

You nodded slowly.

“Feel them then.” His warm hand gripped yours and gently guided it to his arm.

“Very impressive,” you stuttered trying so hard not to faint on him.

Chris had his eyes fixed on you, he had this look, dark and intimidating. It was hot.

“Can I touch you?”

“YES!”

Your lips met in a soft chaste kiss, it was almost innocent, but his hands wandered your body. He gripped and kneaded your flesh feverishly. His plump lips trailed down your jaw and stopped at your neck. His link tongue darted out to lap at the skin.

Your mind was clouded with so much pleasure from only his mouth on your neck that you didn't notice his hand had slipped past your underwear until he pressed on your clit lightly. He had made you gasp twice that day, but the second one was for a completely different reason.

You were so wet it was easy for him to slip his fingers inside you. You instinctively threw your head back and smacked it a little too hard against the tiled wall.

“Careful baby,” he groaned. His fingers slipped out of you and a whine escaped your lips but your voice got caught in your throat when you saw what he did next. He kneeling. In front of you. And looking at you like you were a goddess.

“We should go out sometimes,” he said while he yanked your shorts down.

You definitely loved your summer job.

[nebulablakemurphy]

Moves & Countermoves (Part 14)

Summary: No one ever wins the games, even fourteen years later, Y/N is still playing.

Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen

Sunlight seeps through the curtains of Y/N and Haymitch’s room at the tribute center. Katniss and Peeta are taken to suit up for the games.

Y/N does not want to leave this bed; she does not want to live this nightmare.

Haymitch startles himself awake with his own snoring. He had too much to drink last night, after Chaff refused his bangle and the alliance.

“No, Haymitch. Give those kids their best chance.”

They fought, then made up; the way brothers do. Still it is Finnick wearing Haymitch’s token into the arena.

Y/N turns over in Haymitch’s arms, resting her head against his chest, lulled by the steady rise and fall.

“I can hear you thinking.”

“Bullshit,” she calls it.

Haymitch huffs a laugh, “it’s true.”

“Fine. What am I thinking?”

He flicks her ear, playfully. “Never said I was a fucking mind reader.” I just know you.

“His leg.” Y/N confesses, “Peeta won’t be able to take the prosthetic off. It hurts when he leaves it on too long.”

Haymitch sighs, “the kid’s strong. He’ll pull through.”

“I won’t be able to live with myself if anything happens to them.”

“You’d be surprised by the things you can live with.” He knows first hand.

Y/N holds her tongue.

“I know it’s not fair and I know that it hurts you.” I hate that it hurts you. I hate that it hurts them. The damn kids that grew on him like warts.

She lifts her head from his chest, staring into those tired, blue eyes. Tracing the furrow between his brows, “it’s not your fault.”

“So you can read minds.”

“No, I just know that you hate yourself.”

At this Haymitch laughs, rumbling out from deep in his chest. “Hate is such a strong word.”

“I love you, Haymitch,” she tells him.

He half smiles, “now that is your own fault.”

————————————————————————

The viewing room is different this year, all sponsors have chosen tributes. The arena theme is unclear but the tropical setting will make for an interesting game.

Finnick will thrive there, which is good news for all of them.

Katniss is visibly shaken when she’s raised onto the pedestal. Peeta is placed strategically on the opposite side of the cornucopia.

“Let the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games begin. May the odds be ever in your favor. Ten, nine……”

“Something’s wrong.” Y/N covers her mouth with one hand.

“Eight.”

“Cashmere’s right there,” Haymitch points out. “She’s in a good spot.”

“Seven.”

“Brutus.” He’s on the opposite side, not really an enemy, certainly not a friend.

“Six.”

“Well there’s no perfect spot.” Peeta’s got Mags, and Parker. The male tribute from ten, without allegiance to the rebels or the Capitol.

“Five.”

People are going to die in the bloodbath, there’s no way around it.

“Four, three, two, one……” Cannon.

Katniss dives in, swimming toward the rocky pathway which leads to the cornucopia. Brutus comes up about the same time, hot on her trail for a moment, before jumping back into the water.

Gloss is keeping an eye on her as Cashmere reaches the weapons; securing her own, her brother’s and the bow. Gloss trips up, leaving Katniss alone when she finds Cashmere.

“Katniss,” the blonde says, gently. Extending the bow and arrows to her, with the arm sporting Y/N’s gold bracelet.

Katniss eyes the token. This is who Y/N’s chosen, above anyone else. After a moment she nods, accepting the weapon and drawing it quickly.

Gloss joins them, gathering his sword without a word. Prepared to defend them against the other victors. All three turn to Finnick, ready to strike.

“Good thing we’re allies, right?” He also flashes a bangle.

Leaving Katniss too stunned to speak.

“Duck.” Finnick warns, throwing his trident; it lands in district five’s male tribute. Cannon. “Don’t trust two. I’ll take this side, you three hold them off.”

“We need to find Peeta.” Cashmere says, shocking Katniss farther.

“I’m on it.” Finnick disappears, beyond the edge of the cornucopia.

A flicker of dark hair crosses the screen and Haymitch grabs Y/N’s face. Turning her away from the screen and holding her hostage as she bats at his hands.

“What are you doing?” She protests, continuing to push at him.

“Don’t look.”

A scream, the slash and stab. The blood that gushes out in its wake.

“Haymitch, please, who is it?” Y/N is panicking in earnest now.

Cannon. Her body tumbles into the water.

“Seeder.” Haymitch releases her, spared from the image forever ingrained in his mind.

“Mags found Peeta, he’s over here.” Finnick calls.

Peeta is grappling with Parker near his pedestal.

Katniss tries to line up a shot, but it’s impossible with the tangle of limbs. Eventually they both go down, under the water. Finnick dives in to assist but the cannon booms.

“Peeta?”

The viewing room is still, until that blonde head of hair pops out. Panting and disoriented, searching for Katniss. When he finds her there Peeta knows it is worth it. The bloodshed, the fight, the reason to keep on living is right here. “Katniss.”

“Peeta,” the archer reaches for him from the rocks.

Just that morning, Katniss told him she wanted no allies, only him. Luckily something seems to have swayed her. Cashmere, Gloss, Finnick and Mags have joined them. Together they set off into the forest for refuge, taking a moment to breathe about half a mile out.

The cannon sounds, five more times, in quick succession. “Guess we’re not holding hands anymore.” Finnick remarks.

“You think that’s funny?” Katniss sneers.

“Every time that cannon goes off is music to my ears.”

“Finnick,” Cashmere warns, with a shake of her head.

“Let’s keep moving,” Peeta insists.

The forest is deep, vines hanging in all directions. Peeta is at the forefront beside Gloss, hacking down the overgrowth to clear a path.

Katniss spots the shimmering ahead, something not quite right about the edge of her sightline. A forcefield. “Peeta, no!”

He rebounds off the electro current, knocking down the others. His body emitting hints of smoke.

“He’s not breathing.” Katniss cries, turning Peeta onto his back.

“Anybody know CPR?”

“I do,” Finnick takes over.

Katniss keeps a close eye, not sure that she trusts him.

Cashmere touches her back and the girl flinches, “it’s ok, Katniss.”

Haymitch watches intently, he does not turn Y/N away or even attempt to. Come on Finnick. Come on Peeta.

“Come on. Come on, Peeta.”

“Please, Peeta.”

The boy gasps, drawing fresh air into his lungs.

Y/N’s shoulders sag in relief, running a soothing hand over the lively child in her belly.

“Alright,” Haymitch huffs, resting a hand over hers. “Everybody calm down.” As if he himself hadn’t been in a state of unrest. He leans forward, addressing their child directly. “That means you too.”

There it is, the familiar brush of his lips against her stomach. Y/N realizes that she hasn’t felt it as frequently this time around. Perhaps she prevented it, she wasn’t ready and he knew it. She regrets that now.

————————————————————————-

After some investigation Katniss discovers that the arena is a dome.

“We’re safest with our backs protected, I say we set up camp here for the night.” Gloss says, eyes still scanning the area.

“I’ll take first watch,” Finnick volunteers.

“Not a chance,” Katniss grunts out.

“Honey, that thing I did back there for Peeta, that was called saving his life.” Finnick cocks his head to the side. “If I wanted to kill either one of you, I would’ve done it by now.”

“Enough,” Cashmere cuts in, they’re worse than a couple of kids.

“Just for a little bit, let’s get some rest.” Peeta squeezes Katniss’ arm as he passes. Tucking in comfortably, against one of the trees and falling asleep.

Finnick helps Mags get settled. Cashmere and Gloss break off in the opposite corner.

“We’ve gotta get them some water.” Y/N picks at her nails, anxiously.

“You want me to go?” Haymitch offers.

“I’ll go.” Sponsors this year are chomping at the bit to send essentials for their favorite tributes. All seated near the request booth. Y/N paints on a smile as she approaches them.

“Y/N,” a hand reaches out to grab her. “We’ve been waiting to help Katniss and the baby.” The Capitol woman coos.

“That is so kind, thank you.” She jerks her chin towards the desk. “Come with me?”

The woman squeals in delight, nearly leaving behind her pocketbook in haste.

“We’d like to send my tributes water.” Y/N tells the man working the booth.

“How many bottles?”

“Not bottles.” Y/N wracks her brain, “do you have any kind of filtration system?”

“Nothing portable.”

So they can’t use the salt water.

“Is this an arena without any fresh water?”

“There is water.” The man says, giving Y/N nothing to work with.

————————————————————————

Katniss can’t risk sleeping, so she sits up with Finnick as the sky grows dark.

“How’s Peeta?”

“He’s ok, I think.” Katniss croaks out. “Just dehydrated like the rest of us.”

The national anthem rings out over the arena, lighting up the sky with images of the fallen.

Katniss thinks of her mentors then. How many were their friends?

A chime finds their ears as the Horn of Plenty ends. A parachute. Water, Katniss hopes.

She moves for it, splitting open the metal container. No water, just a note and…

“What’s that?” Finnick wonders, looks painful to use.

“From Haymitch and Y/N, I think it’s a spile.”

“A what?” Finnick follows her to the nearest tree, watching as she hammers the sharp end in with a rock. The sound wakes Peeta.

For a moment there is nothing, Katniss slams her fist against the tree. She can survive without food, she’s done it before, but not without water.

“Why isn’t it working?” Y/N is fuming, ready to wring the man’s neck who sent the faulty tool. But then, by some miracle, a steady stream of water begins to flow.

Once everyone has had their fill, those not on watch return to sleeping.

“Well if you’re not going to sleep, I will.” Finnick decides.

“Go ahead,” Katniss nods, prepared to handle it on her own.

The viewing room begins to clear out, supply booths are closed and most sponsors have excused themselves. Y/N and Haymitch take the elevator up to their floor, switching on the projector as they ready for bed.

Cashmere comes to sit beside Katniss, noticing that she keeps dozing off. The blonde says nothing, just offers a soft smile before turning her gaze out to the forest.

Y/N dares to close her own eyes, wrapped up in Haymitch’s arms as he massages the back of her scalp.

“Ahhhhh!”

Y/N turns back to the games. Back to Katniss with blisters on her hand from the thick mist.

Haymitch hisses, “get outta there, sweetheart.”

“Run!” Katniss calls, rousing the rest. “Run! The fog is poison.”

Maybe this is part of Plutarch’s plan, make it believable.

Finnick has Mags on his back, bringing up the rear. Katniss and Peeta are between Gloss and Cashmere, offering whatever protection they can. But the fog is closing in from all sides, leaving no clear path.

Poison hits each of them in turn, Cashmere worse than Gloss, who doubles back for his sister. Peeta worse than Katniss when his foot gets caught on a root.

Finnick wails when the mist finds him. Mags is silent, though the pain is evident on her features, arms coming loose enough to topple them both over.

“Mags, please!” Finnick rushes her back on.

The six of them stumble over each other, fighting to clear the effected area which spans endless.

Peeta is down, unconscious.

“Peeta,” Katniss shakes him, patting at his face. “Peeta, we have to keep moving.”

“Shit,” Haymitch curses.

Y/N paces the small space beside the night stand, tethered by her husband’s hand.

Gloss has Cashmere tucked up under his arm, her skin a tapestry of raised blisters. “We need to get him up.”

Cashmere pants out. “I’m…it’s bad. Save Peeta.”

Finnick and Mags stop to assess the damage.

“Here,” Katniss approaches Cashmere, tossing one arm over her shoulder. “I’ll take her.”

Gloss does not argue, gathering Peeta and dragging him forward.

“We’re almost-”

“Katniss, you have to leave me.” Cashmere insists.

“No,” Katniss cuts her off.

In the end it is Mags who disappears into the fog, allowing Finnick to help the others. The cannon that follows is deafening, paired with Finnick’s agonized scream.

It hits Y/N square in the chest, her knees buckle, sinking back onto the bed. She does not cry. Allowing anger to fill the holes left by the games. It seeps into her blood, familiar and all consuming. Burning hot.

Haymitch can feel the shift, from grief to rage and he does not fault her for it.

Y/N blinks at the screen. “I can’t live with it.”

“I’ll help you.” Take it out on me, if you need to. Just let me make it better…at least let me try.

Part 15

Series Taglist: @praline357 @flowercrowns-goodvibes @justheretoparty420 @avocadotoastwithegg @treehouse-mouse @emo-markie @spilled-mi1k @magical-spit @greaser9902 @jessicamellarky @yourebuckingkiddingme @smuha2004 @sendhelplease @ninimackbrews @wittiestrain184 @r1dd1kulus @erenluvr69 @helpimhyperfixating @jackierose902109 @jellybear455 @dreammgc @dadbodfanatic-x @ftdtcmlovr

[croissanthemums]

soulmate au - @wolfstarmicrofic

Sirius trailed him with a heavy stomp, his hands grabbing Remus’ arms to stop him from walking away. “What the hell, Remus?! What’s your problem?”

Remus stopped in his tracks to turn towards Sirius. “My problem is that I love you!” he exclaimed before he could even stop himself from doing so. He snatched his arm back, balling his hands into a fist to prevent them from shaking, keeping it firmly at his sides.

Sirius stood right where he was, mouth slightly agape. The courage coursing through Remus’ veins was pushing him to say what he’s always wanted to, right from the second he realised what his feelings meant.

“I’ve been in love with you before I even knew what love was!” Remus paused to catch his breath, whilst also trying to drown out the drumming of his own heart. “I know I’m risking a lot saying this—our friendship—you! But fuck that—I…I can’t fucking stand this anymore. I can no longer fucking watch you mope about some bitch who doesn’t even give a single fuck about you—cos I love you and it hurts seeing you get hurt!”

“All this time I’ve been waiting for you to see me—actually see me! I was there when you were complaining about girls not wanting you. I was there when you endlessly whined after your exes broke up with you—I was fucking there!” Remus glared at Sirius, who still looked limp in his place. “When you started realising you like boys as well as girls and asked me if boys would find you attractive, I wanted to tell you then that it would be foolish for them not to see how wonderful you are and it would be their loss for not doing so—but I couldn’t cos you were my fucking friend.”

“When you asked me to set you up with someone gay—I was there, Sirius. Me. But you only saw me as a friend and nothing more. Nothing more!” Remus sighed exasperatingly. Throwing his frustrations at Sirius whilst telling him how he really feels was not a choice he would’ve done earlier today, or ever. But nature took its course and the universe told him to fuck it.

“Remus, I…” Sirius finally spoke, his eyes still wide. He raised his hand to reach Remus’ but seemed to changed his mind mid-way.

“What? No funny comebacks?” Remus challenged. The choice of letting his anger lead this conversation is much more ideal than actively contemplate the consequences of him admitting his feelings towards his best friend.

It was a choice between letting the rage out or letting the tears go. With the former, Remus could just pretend to be angry at Sirius. While the latter would eventually lead to a lifetime of hurt.

Not only was he breaking up their friendship by confessing, but saying how he feels out loud just made it seem more real.

“No.” Sirius replied, gulping. His adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Remus shouldn’t be looking but he was, not only that, he’s also turned on by it. “I’ve always seen you that way, Remus. Always.”

“What?” Remus blinked. It was his turn to be rendered mute. His head was swimming into thousands of different possibilities of what Sirius could’ve meant.

“You were the reason why I realised Iiked boys too.” he paused. “The moment I saw you on the train, with your stupid freckles and stupid hair and stupid smile—how could I not see you? The reason none of those relationships worked out was because of you—”

Remus scoffed, cutting Sirius off. “Oh, so now you’re blaming me?!”

“No! No! Of course not!” Sirius protested, his arms gestured into surrender. “I couldn’t stay in a relationship with them for long cos I didn’t like them as much as I do you! They could kiss me endlessly but the feeling it would give would never amount to the happiness I get when I’m simply next to you. You are the one I want, Remus. You’ve always been the one I want.”

“Then why do you keep dating other people?”

“Cos I’m a fucking knob and I didn’t know that you were someone I can have.”

Oh.

Oh.

Sirius took a step forward. “Please forgive me for all the stupid things I’ve done before. I can’t promise not to make stupid things again cos I know I’ll make more, but I swear that none of it will be done to hurt you.” he paused to take Remus’ hand, his eyes completely fixed on him. “Remus John Lupin, you may not believe in soulmates but I do—cos I believe I was put in this world to find you and love you.”

“And I believe I was put in this world to stop you from doing stupid things—well, more stupid things that could land you in Azkaban.” Remus replied. Sirius gave him a small smirk.

The warmth spreading throughout Remus’ entire body was undeniably strong. The love he has for Sirius Black—who’s a complete idiot—was stronger than the hatred he has in himself for falling for his bestfriend.

“I love you, Sirius.” Remus muttered. It didn’t take long for Sirius’ hands to cup Remus’ cheeks, capture his lips, and slide his tongue in. The way Remus imagined it happening before was magical, but the actual one was a hundred million times better.

Sirius broke the kiss to get a whiff of air, his forehead pressing into Remus’ as he ran his thumb across Remus’ cheek. “I love you so much more, Moony.”

[parkerpeter24]

the swim quotient

pairing ➳ swim instructor!peter parker x reader

w.c. ➳ 4.6k

summary ➳ peter’s your swim instructor and even though you want to keep a professional relationship with him, feelings– and your best friend– get in the way.

okay so this is supposed to be my birthday present to myself (even tho it was like a week ago so belated birthday, me) this fic could be read for mcu as well as tasm peter

“8 to 9 am is the time for kids. if you want one-on-one lessons, you need to come at 7 am.” the guy behind the desk told you that as he pushed down his glasses to get a better look at your face. you nodded and filled the form for one-on-one classes and paid the fees.

it would be just easier without all the humiliation, you thought, that’s why you chose to learn alone. it was a reasonable price even if it cost you a few more bucks than learning with the others.

“your trainer will be mr. parker.” he informed you and you thanked him, “you’ll find his number in the list outside.” exchanging smiles with the older man before you left the office of the community club. you checked out the list, clicking a picture of number under the name ‘peter parker’.

you hoped the guy wasn’t too harsh on you. you still remembered the time your dad taught you how to drive. just the thought of it made you wince. the constant jabs at your sanity and judgement, it all was just too much to handle. but you were hoping for the best now.

when your friend called you on your way back home, you told her about your idea of learning how to swim, “you know, i would have saved you in case you were drowning.”

you rolled your eyes but her comment made you chuckle, “what if you weren’t there?” you held the phone between your shoulder and ear as you fished for your keys in the tote bag you were carrying, “i’m a little nervous, what if this peter parker guy is horrible?”

“there’s a guy?” you could practically hear your friend’s raised eyebrow but you continued your ramble, not stopping for her to elaborate on her thoughts.

“you know, i don’t really trust any guy to teach me anything.” you entered your apartment, placing the keys in the keyholder and kicking off your shoes, “they’re just not that good at teaching.”

“maybe he’s a cute guy?” she chuckled at the other end.

“it won’t matter if he’s not a good guy!” you sighed, plopping down at your couch, your legs instinctively going up as you placed them one over the other on the couch.

“what if he’s a really good guy.” your friend could not have sounded more suggestive and you almost wanted to gag at that comment.

“gwendolyne.” as you’d guessed, a whine sounded from the other side of the phone. she hated when anyone called her, her full name.

“it’s gwen for you. anyway, just give it a try and if you don’t like his way of teaching, then you can just ask for another coach.” she said and you thought it over. she was right, you could always ask for a different person to teach you.

“thanks, gwen.” you smiled, “okay, i have to go now but i’ll call you later.”

the next day you were on your way to the community club pool and even though you had hated waking up at 6 am, you were also a little excited– and nervous– to experience something new.

you entered the facility, carrying your swimming costume and other equipment in your tote bag. as the swimming pool came into view, your eyes searched for your trainer– he has to be around here somewhere.

“excuse me, miss?” the voice came from behind and you turned to find the source. your mouth parted to say something but no words came out. if anyone else was in your place, you thought, they would have had the same reaction. a gorgeously tanned guy, brown mop of hair swept across his forehead in a way that was messy but as if on purpose. and oh, he was not wearing a t-shirt.

his swim trunks hung from his waist perfectly, carved abs and a chiselled torso above that. you were almost mesmerised by just one look of him.

“um… you’re (y/n), right?” you noticed his tinted cheeks and snapped yourself out of your daydream.

“that’s me.” you answer, standing up straighter, “you must be mr. parker?”

“oh, call me peter, please.” he smiled at you and you were bound to give him one back, “why don’t you go and change and we’ll get started.”

“yes.” you nodded, quickly making your way to one of the changing rooms. your mind was racing with thoughts as you changed into the swim gear. he seemed in his early twenties, very close to your age but finding him attractive felt against your morals. you were supposed to have a professional relationship with him and if he was a good teacher, you would just suppress your feelings deeper inside you than the depth of this swimming pool.

“all ready.” you said, walking out from the changing room only to find peter was already in the swimming pool, his hair falling in front of his eyes as he emerged out of the pool. he pushed his hair back, away from his forehead, as it sat perfectly over his head.

“hey!” peter gave you a smile as you walked to the side of the pool where the pool ladder was situated, “you excited for your first lesson?”

“a little nervous.” you chuckled, telling him the truth for some reason. you should probably trust the guy if he was going to be the one who pulled you out in case you were drowning.

“hey. no need for that.” his voice was comforting as you climbed down into the pool, the water level reaching your chest, “just breathe… while your head is above water.”

“what?” you couldn’t help but chuckle at his little quip.

“sorry, that was a silly joke. anyway, let’s start with holding our breath underwater, alright?”

“you’re the boss” you smiled.

“okay, i’m not the kind of person to be all like, ‘i told you so’ but i told you so!” gwen exclaimed before you even finished your sentence.

“i was going to say he’s a good teacher!” you were back at your apartment and it was after you had breakfast that you received a call from gwen.

“and?” she waited for you to go on as if she already knew.

“and… he was kind of cute.”

“i knew it!” she cheered and you couldn’t help but laugh along with her, “you should totally kiss him.”

“i- he doesn’t even like me! i want to keep it professional.” you had said it with an affirmative tone but you doubted your own voice.

“maybe tomorrow?” you groaned at that.

“you’re mad. bye.” you chuckled.

“maybe tomorrow you can make out in the-” that was the last you heard of your friend’s voice before you cut the call.

the next day you made it to the pool on time. there was no sign of peter and you didn’t know whether you should get in the pool or not. you waited, sitting patiently on the bench near the pool until you caught sight of peter. he was carrying a bunch of equipment almost too much for a single person to carry.

you rushed up to him, “hey.” you said. he smiled when he saw you.

“sorry, i’m late.”

you just shook your head at his apology and held out your arms, “need some help?” him handing you a few of the kickboards and a few goggles.

the two of you carried those to the store room and placed the certain items in their assigned boxes. peter checked the time on his phone once you both were done, “we only have 40 minutes left, why don’t you go change and we’ll start right where we left yesterday?”

you gave him a nod and quickly went to change into your swimming clothes.

once the two of you were inside the pool, peter told you to hold onto the wall, “i need you to relax your body and hold your breath for as long as you can.”

you nodded and slid your pair of goggles over your eyes before doing as he told you. estimatedly 30 seconds later, your head was out of the water as you released your breath, standing beside your instructor.

“good! that was good. almost three seconds more than yesterday.” he gave you a grin and you chuckled, “now what i want you to do is breathe out through your nose slowly while you’re underwater.” he explained.

again you did as he said, pulling yourself up every time you needed a breath.

“don’t push your limits.” peter said once after you had tried to hold your breath for longer than 35 seconds, “my arm is right here in case you need to hold onto something.” a blush appeared over his cheeks as he realised what that must’ve sounded like, “you know! i-in case you need help.”

maybe it was you, reading in between the lines, but the chuckle he let out made him sound kind of nervous. you were definitely not going to tell gwen about this.

over the next two days, you continued to practice breath holding underwater until peter proposed you move on to the next step. as soon as you entered the pool that day, it was the first thing he said.

“leave the wall?” you gave him a look of uncertainty, “are you sure i’m ready for that?”

peter nodded simply and held out his hands for you to take, “here, i’ll help you.” you took his hands but he could probably notice your nervousness– which he didn’t need to know was partly because both your hands were in his– and hesitancy as he said, “just trust me, okay?”

“i trust you.” you replied before his sentence was even finished.

he smiled, pulling you away from the edge of the pool slightly, “i won’t leave your hands until you’re completely ready.” he smiled and guided you to relax your body and let it float just like you had been doing up until now. this time, however, it was peter’s skilled hands that you were holding instead of the dull wall.

he walked back, pulling you along the surface of the body as you let yourself float against the water. It was only a few seconds in that you pulled yourself up from the water, holding tightly onto peter’s hands, “s-sorry, i-” you expected him to be frustrated or scold you for not doing better. but he didn’t do any of that.

“you okay?” he squeezed your hands gently, “did you accidentally breathe in water? it happens when you’re a beginner.”

“i’m okay. i just thought i was going down instead of floating.” you chuckled a little awkwardly.

“oh! that means that you need to push your head further down. if your head is down, your legs will automatically float close to the surface.” he explained, all the while holding your hands and you nodded, letting him know that you were listening to him even though you were zoning out, a fluttering heart in your chest as you outlined his slightly wet curls.

thankfully you had understood the basic points of what he was trying to explain to you which made your session go smoothly from that point.

when the two of you were out of the pool and the kids had started filling in, you walked over to peter, who was standing with another guy and talking to him.

when you reached the two men chatting over whatever they were chatting over. the other guy nudged peter’s side with his elbow, giving him a smirk as soon as you reached there. He quickly turned, eyes slightly wide, “oh. hey (y/n)!” he seemed nervous again but the other guy cleared his throat before you could say anything, “right! (y/n), this is my friend ned. ned, (y/n).”

ned leeds. you’d read his name on the list of employees outside the community club office, just below peter’s name.

“i’ve heard a lot about you, (y/n).” ned gave you a smile, extending his hand for a handshake.

“oh?” you looked over at peter, shaking ned’s hand, but the brunette’s head was already turned towards his friend in what you could only assume a warning. it made you chuckle, “i teach the kids.” ned gave you a smile and you could tell why he was the one assigned to teach the kids. he seemed like the kind of person who was good at making people around him comfortable just with his presence.

“you wanted to say something?” peter was the one to ask after ned parted ways with the two of you to look after all the kids– there were way too many.

“i just wanted to ask whether i did well today…” you gave him a little smile.

“oh, you’re a natural.” he grinned back, “i was impressed!”

“yeah?” you asked, not really believing his words, even though a warmth covered your whole body. you felt a deep sense of accomplishment and the smile on your face increased tenfold.

“yeah.” he confirmed, a smile covering his own face.

“thank you.” you smiled, eyes staring into his beautiful brown ones, “you look nicer when i’m not wearing the goggles.”

peter looked at you, “w-what?”

was that a nervous ‘what’ or a disgusted ‘what’? god, had you messed up already? how could you have said that out loud? it was probably one of those stupid moments of confidence boost where you ended up telling an answer to the whole class in a very firm voice only to be told it was wrong.

you gave him a pursed smile, “uh.. i should get going. see you then.”

the look of stun was still written all over his face as you turned to leave, but you didn’t give him a chance to say something. you weren’t ready to face rejection from a guy you hadn’t even asked out. not that you were thinking about asking him out. for all you cared, you didn’t care at all.

you felt a small splash of water on your leg, wetting your jogging shoes. you let out an offended, “hey!” before you noticed the little girl leaning against the wall of the pool. you raised your eyebrows at her as she beckoned you closer with her little hand. you leaned forward in a squat position in front of her to let her say whatever it was she wanted, “hey kid, is everything alright?”

“i’m cassie.” she introduced herself before asking, “is he your boyfriend?”

even though peter could not be seen around anymore, you were certain whom she was referring to.

you chuckled and shook your head, “oh, no. he’s not my boyfriend.” yet you wanted to add but somehow refrained yourself from doing so.

“i think he is cute.” she gave you a challenging look, making you chuckle at her adorableness.

“hey, i’ll back off if you like him.” you promised, giving her a finger gun. she shrugged.

“if you really like him then, i can let you have him.” she said, her elbows holding onto the pavement that was beneath your feet.

“oh, really? that’s very sweet of you, cassie.” you smiled at her.

“but you have to buy me ice-cream.” she grinned before quickly turning away and swimming away at the sight of ned walking towards that side of the pool.

it was raining heavily the next day. you thought to call peter before going to the pool unannounced in case it was closed. you called him once at 6:23 am but his phone was busy. who could he be talking to this early in the morning?

he called you back at 6:24. you picked up after counting to five, not wanting to seem too desperate, “hello?”

“hey, (y/n).” you could hear the small smile he was holding on the other end, making you think if he had forgiven you for what you blurted out yesterday, “what’s up?”

“hey... peter, it’s raining pretty heavily, are you going to the swimming pool today?”

“oh, i’m already in! but i understand if you can’t make it today.” he stated and you nodded, realising after a moment that he couldn’t see you.

“yeah, i can’t today… and tomorrow’s sunday so i guess i’ll see you monday?” you asked.

“sounds good!” he said.

you held the phone close to your ears, not really knowing what else to say. you couldn’t think of anything as you silently heard all the background commotion on his end. he didn’t say anything either and for a moment the thought that he didn’t want to end the call either crossed your mind.

but you pushed that out of your head.

“i’m sorry about yesterday.” you finally spoke, “i shouldn’t say that to-”

“i appreciated it… it just came as a surprise.” he chuckled, “and you left too quickly.”

you couldn’t help the smile that covered your face after hearing his comment, “sorry about that.”

“hey, stop apologising already. maybe i can give you a compliment next time so that we’re even.”

it was your turn now to fall silent. your heart skipped three beats at once as he said that. despite that, you found yourself smiling, “sure, i don’t see why not.”

there was another beat of silence but peter decided to break it before it could get uncomfortable, “so, you busy?”

and so the conversation continued. you told him you were just looking out to the street where small water puddles had already formed. you told him that you loved the rain. he told you that he hated it since the time it rained so much on his birthday that he was stuck at school for five straight hours until his uncle ben came to pick him up.

it was almost an hour later when you had to excuse yourself from peter as your doorbell rang.

“i’ll see you monday!” he said before hanging up and you quickly made your way towards the door. whoever it was had rung the doorbell twenty times in five seconds.

so probably gwen.

“i cannot believe this!” was the first thing she said as she welcomed herself into your house. no ‘hello’s or ‘how are you’s, “a car went right past me and almost stained my lab coat!”

“um... good morning to you too?” you chuckled, watching her get comfortable over your couch as she removed her shoes. she was clearly going through a rough week, “what’s wrong?”

you sat over the couch and her head immediately rested on your lap, “i can’t smell any more chemicals. my brain will explode.” she complained as you ran your hand through her hair.

“you were at the lab all night again?”

“slept on the couch” she sighed and relaxed further, feeling your fingers thread through her hair comfortingly.

“maybe you should slee-”

“coffee.” she mumbled, “i need some coffee.”

getting up from the couch, she made her way into the familiar kitchen, the white tiles reflecting enough light for her to wince and squint her eyes.

“are you sure you should have coffee right now?” you asked, leaning against the counter as she pulled out her favourite coffee mug from your cupboard.

“yes.”

soon the two of you settled back onto the couch, this time with your respective coffee mugs as you talked about her work. then gwen decided to shift the conversation to you, “so how’s swimming going?”

“it’s alright.” you tried to hold back your smile but gwen kept staring at you, making you break out laughing.

“and how’s your sexy trainer?” she took a sip from her coffee unbothered whereas you almost choked on yours, coughing slightly, “come on, you can tell me.” she pushed a little.

“he’s alright.” you replied, trying to sound disinterested but who were you fooling. gwen knew you better than that.

“so, when are you asking him out?” once again you almost spat your coffee out, deciding to place the coffee mug on the coaster at your coffee table for good.

“okay, you need to stop. we’re just friends. he’s supposed to be my trainer, that’s all.” you rambled out and gwen gave you a look that told you to cut through all the bullshit, “and i like him.” you whined, falling against the armrest of your couch.

“ask. him. out.” your best friend said, emphasizing on each of her word.

“he doesn’t even-”

“how do you know! have you ever tried… oh, i don’t know, asking him out?”

you rolled your eyes at her stubbornness. it was a trait you simultaneously loved and hated about her, “i’m not doing that.”

“ask him out.”

“what if he has a girlf-”

“ask him out and he’ll tell you.”

“but what if he doesn’t want to-”

“ask him out!”

“gosh! gwen i can’t.” you shook your head, mostly to yourself.

“(y/n). come on. ask him out before someone else does.” gwen said, a soft look etched over her features despite being deeply sleep-deprived, “have faith in yourself.” she smiled

“i-i’ll see…” you gave her a smile back, feeling an ounce of confidence, “maybe i will ask him out.”

“now that’s my girl!” gwen grinned and threw her arms around you.

you spent your sunday taking gwen out to dinner and then shopping because she deserved the break and you knew the second monday’s first minute illuminated on the digital clock beside her bed, she would start worrying about working her ass off on her new project.

and you were right as she called you just as you were about to leave your house for your swimming class, complaining about the horrible coffee in the lab, “i would have picked up some on my way here but it was too early.” she groaned.

“maybe i can bring some over after swimming today?” you offered, locking the door to your apartment and throwing the keys into your bag.

“unless you’re too busy with your peter guy?” gwen snorted at the groan you let out at her comment, “you’re asking him out today.”

“yeah, yeah, yeah.” you dismissed and quickly added, “and i’m never too busy for you, you know that.”

“i know.” she said, making you smile. the two of you bid each other a goodbye once she had to get back to work.

you found peter sitting in the same spot you had waited for him that day as soon as you reached the pool. you quickly changed and walked back out, noticing that he was still busy scrolling through his phone. walking up to him, you tried to not look into his phone as he texted someone, “watcha doing?”

he jumped at your question, looking up at you with wide, brown eyes, “oh. you scared the crap out of me.” he chuckled, registering that you had asked him a question, “i was just texting my aunt… about groceries and stuff.”

“oh.” you said, your mouth forming an ‘o’ shape.

“so, you ready?” he asked and you nodded.

You climbed down the stairs of the pool ladder until your feet touched the tiled floor. Peter jumped in after you.

“i think it’s time we started kicking.” was the first thing he said, “i’ll show you how it’s done then you can do it too.” you nodded and watched as he dived inside, kicking the water with his legs as he slowly moved forward, leaving behind small splashes in his wake.

swimming back towards you quickly, he wiped back his hair from his forehead and you somehow forced yourself to not lend him a hand, “your turn!”

you gave him a smile, breaking out of your chain of thoughts, “okay then.” taking a deep breath you got ready to go underwater but peter’s hand wrapping around your wrist stopped you. you looked at him this time with slightly widened eyes, “uh…?”

“you’re not wearing your glasses.” he laughed and this time you were pretty sure that he seemed nervous as he held onto your wrist.

“oh.” you realised and pfft-ed at yourself, “silly me.”

he released your hand then but before you could do anything to adjust your goggles, his hands went up, fingers grabbing at the edge of the eyewear, gently propping it over your eyes carefully, “that okay?”

you weren’t quite sure if you’d noticed right but just before the glasses covered your eyes, a tint of pink covered his cheeks. or it could have been just your rose tinted goggles. damn uv protection.

“o-oh. yep.” you replied, feeling your cheeks heat up. he smiled sweetly at you and you almost wanted to grab his pretty face right there and kiss over those upturned lips of his. but you couldn’t. not like this.

“you okay?” he asked, looking slightly concerned but you quickly nodded, not feeding into his worries.

“yeah.” you dived in then, keeping your hands straight as you kicked your legs up and down. you remembered his advice for keeping your head low and you applied that. almost thirty to forty seconds later, you resurfaced and took a deep breath, “was that alright?”

“yeah! that was good for a first try!” he gave you an encouraging smile, “just let your waist move freely.”

“how?” you asked, a little confused.

“is it okay if i place my hands on your waist?” the question made you cough even though you were several inches away from water. peter’s hands raised in defence, “i don’t need to-”

“no, it’s fine!” you blurted out, feeling on fire which even the water surrounding you couldn’t put out, “you can.”

“okay, just do what you were doing, i’ll guide you.” he said, seeming as nervous as you were feeling.

you did as told and this time peter’s hands placed themselves on either side of your waist as you started kicking. he helped you with the movement, moving your waist a little in tandem with your legs.

after the hour was finally up and you had changed into your regular clothes, you found peter talking to ned and contemplated going up to him for all of fifteen seconds before deciding to go up to him.

you waited until ned was gone and walked in his direction, “peter?”

he immediately looked in your direction, “oh, hey… you’re leaving?”

“yeah. well, i actually… i needed to talk to you about something.” your heart was going to jump out of your chest. you couldn’t even meet his eyes, your gaze fixed upon the dusky floor.

“what is it, (y/n)?” you could feel his curious eyes over yourself.

“well, i… it’s kinda…” you waved your hands around, trying to find the right words to say until he disrupted you mid-sentence.

“is it about that compliment i owe you?” he said, letting out a small laugh. he was probably trying to lighten the mood but this was not helping your situation, “well, i’d say you’re really-”

“i kinda like you-” you shut yourself up after that, looking up to see his reaction. his face changed from one of shock to a confused one.

“wait, you-”

“i thought i would keep a professional relationship with you. but i… you’re just really pretty and it’s unfair!” you complained, not holding back now. this was your last chance. you considered he might not want you around here anymore.

“how is it unfair, exactly?” you looked up at him to catch his raised eyebrows, however, a small smile played over his lips.

“well, for starters i wish you would go out with me. but that’s-”

“yes.”

“what?” you were sure you looked like a raccoon caught red-handed stealing food.

“i wanna go out with you. afterall i do owe you a compliment.” he smiled, making you smile too.

“i might owe a little girl an ice-cream.”

———

masterlist ✨

[bwabys-scenarios]

Fixer Upper

Perv!Kurapika x Fem!Reader

Part 6

part 5

part 7

taglist: @fabitheraven @tsukilover11 @ashdownunderscorebeloved @lemonslut @homeinmydreams @superweeniehutjrsblog @bugmomwrites @heartsforseo @lixiawinter @altaircc

if you’d like to be ADDED to the taglist, please comment a red heart ❤️, make sure you’re able to be tagged/mentioned, and have your age in your bio(IF YOU ARE ALREADY ON THE TAGLIST, YOU DON’T NEED TO ASK TO BE ADDED AGAIN!!)

A/N: I wrote this because I desperately want to go swimming but I can’t. Will also be a beach and hot springs trip in the near future because it’s MY fanfic I can write what I want

Kurapika woke up with a headache, grateful for whatever soft surface he was nestled against. He knew he needed to get up and take some medicine for the pain, but how could he when he was just so comfortable?

‘Mmm… when did I fall asleep?’

He slowly lifted himself up, blinking sleepily as his eyes focused on the surface he’d been lying on.

His eyes landed on two soft mounds laid he’d been resting between, his tired mind trying to make sense of what they were before he heard something.

“Mmph… Kurapika, you awake?”

(Name) pushed herself up, rubbing at her eyes as she yawned. Kurapika stared at her for a few seconds as he began to process everything.

His hands were at either side of her hips and his face inches away from her boobs. Was that… was that the soft surface he’d just been sleeping on?

Kurapika rose from the couch and sprinted to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. (Name) was too tired to react and ended up rolling over and pulling the throw blanket up to her chin.

‘When did I end up… like that? I was lying between…’

He slowly stroked his cock to the residual feeling of her boobs pressed against his face. Kurapika lifted his shirt to his nose, sighing in contentment at (Name)‘s lingering scent.

It made his stomach coil into a tight knot, the man barely containing a whimper as he came onto his freshly cleaned sheets.

It was still dark outside, the man realizing he’d need to get his sheets to the laundry room before anyone else woke up.

‘I wanna sleep like that again…’

He sighed softly as he carried his sheets to the laundry room, stealing a glance at (Name) when he passed by.

She looked awfully cute all cuddled up on the couch. Kurapika couldn’t help his eyes softening when they landed on her sleeping form.

He set his sheets down on a chair and stepped closer, crouching down to take a look at her sleeping face.

She was smiling in her sleep, the blanket pulled up to her chin. Kurapika tucked some of her hair behind her ear and made sure she was completely covered before stepping back.

It was much easier to look after her while she was asleep. He watched over her every day from a distance, but now he could take in the small details he hadn’t been able to during the daylight hours.

Now that she was asleep, he could give her a sweet smile and admire her cute face without feeling guilty about leaving her in the near future. He’d always found her cute, ever since they first met during the first stage of the Hunter Exam.

Even now, nearly three years later he still struggled to understand the feelings he had for her. Being near her soothed something deep inside him, calmed the raging fire in his heart that threatened to burn away the last bits of humanity that still remained.

He wondered if it was the same type of care he felt for Melody. She also helped him feel softer, but it was different. Melody felt more like a mother figure, someone he could never look at in the same way he did (Name).

No, his feelings for (Name) were more complex than friendship. He just didn’t know exactly what it was yet.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Kurapika jumped back at the sound of someone’s voice echoing through the living room, his eyes gone wide with both shock and embarrassment.

“I- um. I was just tucking her in.”

Killua stared at him from the hallway with narrowed eyes. “You’ve been looking at her like a creep for the past 5 minutes.”

Kurapika’s cheeks darkened. “I…”

Killua groaned and walked towards the kitchen, opening the fridge and taking out the milk. “First you get drunk and beg for her to hold you while you sleep, and now you stare at her while SHE sleeps. What the hell is wrong with you?”

‘I begged for her to hold me? Oh god…’

Kurapika groaned and held his aching head in his hands. “Please be quiet, my head is pounding.”

Killua thought about yelling for a moment, but (Name) was sleeping peacefully just a few feet away.

“Whatever.”

He made himself a bowl of cereal as Kurapika skittered away to wash his sheets before anyone caught him.

Killua had seen the way he’d looked at (Name), and it made him uneasy. How could he look at her like that yet be so cold to her when she was awake? It didn’t make sense to him.

‘Is he… unaware of his feelings?’

——————

A few days pass by quietly.

Kurapika had tried following Leorio’s advice one night and looked up some random porn to watch.

He didn’t enjoy it one bit. Watching other people have sex wasn’t something he was interested in. He ended up being more embarrassed than aroused, quickly clicking off of the video and rolling over in bed with a huff.

The woman in the video wasn’t someone he could ever see himself being interested in. She wasn’t soft, her voice too shrill and her eyes not holding that familiar warmth that made his stomach do backflips.

She wasn’t (Name).

Kurapika thought about her face when she’d woken up to him nestled between her chest. She didn’t look angry, just a bit sleepy. She’d had her hand in his hair, gently combing her fingers through his blonde locks.

He was hard again, just from the thought of (Name). He didn’t even need to think of her in states of undress, just thinking of her smile and sweet voice when she spoke to him could make him cum before he could think.

Kurapika panted softly to catch his breath, his cum painted over his bare chest. He was a little embarrassed at how fast he finished, just from the thought of (Name) alone. It had only been a few minutes between turning off his phone and orgasming.

For some reason, his instinct told him he shouldn’t cum so fast, that he shouldn’t feel good about it.

‘I’ll get better… wait why do I care about that?’

He shook the thought from his head and wiped his chest off with a tissue before running to the bathroom to shower.

(Name) was too busy packing up premade lunches into a basket to pay any attention to the blonde. After a quick shower, he entered the living room wearing a pair of sweat pants, no shirt.

“What are you doing, (Name)?”

The girl glanced back, only to avert her gaze when she noticed he didn’t have a shirt on.

“O-oh, I’m just packing up for our trip to the pool. I know it’s still really early-“

“It’s 4 am, (Name).”

He walked over to her, sighing. “You should get some sleep. I can finish up.”

“No, you don’t have to do that, I promise I don’t-“

He put a finger to her lips and smiled.

“Be a good girl and head upstairs. I can handle making some sandwiches.”

(Name)’s eyes stared at his finger, her face heating up. She didn’t dare speak, blinking up at him with her pretty (e/c) eyes so obediently.

Kurapika’s brief burst of courage crumbled when his eyes met her’s.

“Go on. Get some sleep now.”

He shooed her away before he could see he’d gotten hard again just by making eye contact. She giggled, sending him a sweet smile.

“Thanks, Kurapika. You’re the best.”

Oh.

That made his heart flutter. Him, the best? That was objectively wrong but it still gave him butterflies.

“G-goodnight.”

He cursed himself for being so nervous. She was (Name), his close friend. He had no reason to be nervous around her.

Unless you count the weird sexual feelings that kept bubbling to the surface every time she was around.

But he wasn’t going to acknowledge that. Kurapika pushed those feelings down much like he had pushed down his more innocent attraction to her back in York New.

‘Just two more weeks. Then I’ll be gone, and away from her. She’ll be safe, and I can focus on my mission.’

—————

Gon and Killua were the first ones up, quickly ascending the stairs to (Name)’s room.

“(Name)! The pool opens in an hour!”

The girl opened the door, sleepily pushing past them and down the stairs to make breakfast.

“We don’t have to be there the second it opens, you know.”

Gon gasped. “Of course we do! Early bird gets the worm, and the worm is the good table with the green umbrella!”

(Name) sighed. ‘Again with the green umbrella. He gets so mad when someone else takes that specific table…’

As she reached the final step on the stairs, she paused.

“Is that the smell of someone cooking? Oh no, LEORIO!”

(Name) dashed forward, only stopping when she heard Leorio yell at her from the bathroom.

“CAN’T A MAN SHIT IN PEACE?”

‘Wait, if the boys are upstairs and Leorio is in the bathroom, that leaves…’

Kurapika stood in the kitchen, flipping pancakes while bacon sizzled on the stovetop next to him.

“Oh, (Name). You’re awake. I went ahead and made breakfast since so you could sleep in.”

(Name) walked closer and peeked over his shoulder. “Oh wow, this looks great Kurapika!”

The man suppressed the pride swelling up in his chest, instead smiling back at her. “Thank you. It should be ready in a few minutes. Why don’t you go get dressed?”

(Name) was very happy this morning. Not only was breakfast being made for her, but Kurapika was the one making it! He was back to being the sweet Kurapika she knew.

But (Name) wasn’t sure how long this would last.

‘I’ll just soak up all the time I have with him. Just smile and be happy while he’s here.’

She grabbed her bathing suit from the laundry room before running upstairs.

——————

Kurapika knew he probably shouldn’t go. He was still struggling to look at (Name) without getting aroused. He was almost sure he’d spend the entire trip trying to hide his hard on from (Name) as she pranced around the pool in her less than modest bathing suit.

But he couldn’t say no when (Name) was giving him such a cute smile as she planned out their day. It might just break her heart, and although Kurapika was capable of that for the right reasons, not wanting to go with her to the pool was not a good enough reason.

“Kurapika, you almost ready?” She asked from behind his bedroom door.

The previous day, Kurapika and Leorio had taken the mom van to town and bought themselves some decent swim wear.

Before, Kurapika would have just stripped and swam in his underwear, but apparently that was looked down upon in public settings.

“Yes, (Name). Could you grab me something to pull my hair back with?”

“Of course!”

(Name) ran to the bathroom and dig around the drawers. It was weird, she was always losing scrunchies and hair ties. She grabbed a pink ponytail holder and walked back to Kurapika’s room.

His door was open now, allowing (Name) to enter.

Kurapika wore a pair of navy blue swim trunks and a plain white shirt. Currently, he was combing out his longer than usual hair.

“Oh, (Name), just in time.”

He took the ponytail holder from her outstretched palm and pulled his hair back into a low ponytail.

“Ah.”

It didn’t look good. His hair looked messy and Kurapika hadn’t wrapped the ponytail holder around his hair enough, so it was slowly slipping from his hair.

(Name) stepped closer, pulling the ponytail holder from his hair with a giggle. “Sit, I’ll do it.”

He did, a bit flustered with her close contact. She used a comb to brush back his hair evenly and place it in a ponytail, making it tight enough that it would stay in place, but loose enough to not cause a headache for the blonde.

“There, all better.”

She smiled over his head, a little giddy that she was seemingly taller then him in this state. He rose from his seat and quickly dwarfed her.

“Thank you. I may need a haircut soon, I hate how my hair keeps getting in my eyes.”

(Name) pouted. “Aww, but I love your long hair. It’s so pretty!”

Kurapika looked away quickly. “…”

‘She likes my hair longer…’

“But of course, I like your hair short too. I think I would like any style you tried.”

She sat on his bed next to him and leaned on his shoulder. “If you’re ready for a hair cut, we can schedule one w-“

He shook his head. “I… think I’ll keep it this way a little longer.”

(Name) smiled. “Hehe…”

He let her lean on him for a few minutes. He’d missed the feeling of her body against his, Kurapika almost craved it.

(Name) sighed before standing up. “It’s time to go. If we don’t hurry up, Gon and Killua will freak out.”

He frowned, but didn’t argue. Kurapika tried to soak in the lingering warmth of her body against his.

——————

The five piled into the mom van and drove to the pool. It was only 8 am, but the two boys were shaking with excitement in the back seat.

They got to the pool minutes after it opened, and they were lucky enough to be the only ones there so far.

Leorio and Kurapika unloaded the ice chest and picnic basket from the van and followed Gon to the table with a green umbrella. Usually that table would be enough for Gon, Killua, and (Name), but they had two extra people today, so they also took up the table next to it.

“Alright boys, sunscreen first, then I’ll take out the pool toys.”

Gon happily sat on the table as she rubbed sunscreen into his back. Killua attempted to just jump into the pool, but was caught by Gon and dragged over.

“No offense Killua, but if you don’t pit sunscreen on you’ll turn into a hot dog again.”

Killua scowled at his friend as (Name) made sure she got every inch of his exposed skin with sunscreen. She didn’t want to hear him whine and complain about his sunburn for the next few days if she missed a single spot.

“Okay, you’re all set. Here.”

She tossed a few pool rings into the water and the boys immediately jumped in to catch them. Kurapika watched this with mild amusement.

‘They’re like trained dolphins.’ He thought, snickering to himself.

“Kurapika, you’re next.”

The blonde blinked from his seat. “Me? But I-“

“But nothing. You’re almost as pale as Killua, come here and I’ll get your back.”

She patted the seat in front of her. Leorio pushed Kurapika forward. “Go on, she’s not taking no for an answer.”

He sat down, pulling off his shirt with a huff. Kurapika usually wasn’t the type to be insecure about his appearance, but being around (Name) was an exception.

She never commented on his appearance, but he’d catch the worry in her eyes when she noticed he’d lost weight or garnered too many new scars.

(Name) tried not to react to the new scars decorating the pale skin of his shoulders and back. Instead, she began applying the sunscreen quietly.

“Ah-“

He cried out when he felt the shock of both her touch and the cold sunscreen touch his back, pulling away a bit. Leorio started snickering, applying some sunscreen of his own.

Kurapika sent him a glare before he tried to relax. Her hands ran over the length of his back and shoulders, the man barely holding back a whimper when he felt her nails brush against his skin.

When she finished, she handed him the sunscreen. “You can handle the front, right?”

He gave a quick, flustered nod. Kurapika didn’t think he’d be able to handle having her hands all over his chest.

She gave him a smile before moving on to her Leorio’s back.

Once everyone was covered in sunscreen, (Name) pulled down the shorts she’d pulled on over her bottoms and threw her shirt into the dry clothes bag.

Kurapika stared as she bent over to pull her shorts down, his eyes flickering red for a split second before he turned to look away.

“Ah…”

Kurapika looked up to see (Name) struggling to reach her back with the sunscreen.

‘Why isn’t she asking for help? She just helped all of us.’

The blonde began to stand to go and help her, but Leorio was faster.

“Oh, stop it. I’ll help you.”

The dark haired man towered of the shorter woman, snatching the sunscreen out of her hands. “Should of just asked.”

Leorio mumbled as he began working the sunscreen into her (s/c) skin, Kurapika’s eyes narrowing. He didn’t enjoy seeing seeing Leorio’s hands all over (Name), it unsettled him.

“Leorio, ouch! You’re going to rub me raw!”

She smacked his hands away, sighing. “You’re too rough, this is why I didn’t ask.”

That was only a half truth. (Name) didn’t like relying on other people, even though she was the shoulder to cry on for many.

“I’ve got it.”

Kurapika pushed Leorio into the pool and squirted some of the sunscreen into his hands.

“Oh, thank you Kurapika. Be gentle, please.”

Kurapika couldn’t ignore her when she was asking so sweetly, could he?

He rubbed it between his palms before hesitantly placing his hands on either of her shoulders. She didn’t react, patiently waiting for him to continue.

He didn’t want to admit how much it aroused him to have his hands roam her body, even if it was only her back. The sight of the white sunscreen covering her screen was also a big turn on. He could just imagine her with her butt in the air, completely covered in his-

Kurapika finished quickly before rushing to jump into the water himself. That would help cool him down, and hide his boner.

—————

(Name) sat on the edge of the pool with her feet dipped in the water, trying not to flinch when drops of water hit her skin.

“(Name), when are you getting in?”

KIllua and Gon waded over to her, carrying pool toys. She shrugged. “In a minute. I’m just getting used to the temperature of the water.”

Killua groaned. “You said that ten minutes ago, just get in already!”

He waited impatiently, watching her with those cat like eyes. She knew if she didn’t get in willingly soon, the two would drag her in.

(Name) sighed and slowly slipped into the water, letting out a squeak when her hips dipped in.

“Okay, Im in. Happy now?”

She waded deeper in, dropping her shoulders under the water to get it over with. Gon approached, smiling.

“(Name) do you want to play Chicken Fight with us? Leorio is refusing to play so we don’t have enough people.”

She tilted her head. “That implies Kurapika will be playing.”

Killua huffed. “Yeah, it surprised us too, but he agreed to play.”

(Name) nodded slowly. “Alright, I’ll play. What are the teams?”

Killua pointed to Gon. “Me and and Gon versus you and Kurap-“

“Never mind.”

She began to wade away but Gon caught her arm. “(Name), please! This is the first time we’ve had enough people to play! And it was so hard to convince Kurapika!”

She groaned. “But… ugh fine. You’re such a brat, you know I can’t say no when you’re looking at me with those puppy dog eyes.”

Gon cheered and pulled her to where Kurapika was waiting.

“Okay, I’m on going to ride on Gon’s shoulders.”

“(Name) will r-“

(Name) tried to swim away again, only to be tackled by Killua. “You’re not escaping now!”

He dragged the complaining woman back.

“Doesn’t it make more sense for you to ride on my shoulders? You definitely weight less than me.” (Name) stated, her hands on her hips.

“Does that really matter? I’m not weak, (Name). I’ve carried you before.”

“It matters to me. It’s… uncomfortable.”

“Why?” the three asked in unison. (Name) stared at them, her eyebrow twitching.

Sometimes she forgot that none of her friends were anywhere close to normal. They possessed inhuman strength, and none of them seemed to know about basic social norms.

Well, besides Leorio.

“Women don’t like being picked up if they think they’re too heavy. It’s embarrassing.” Leorio yelled out as he flipped through his textbook.

(Name) slapped a hand over her face. “Gee, thanks for explaining Leorio.”

“No problem, doll face.”

Kurapika glanced between her and Leorio. “Why would it be embarrassing? To me you’re light as a feather.”

The girl looked down at herself. Being heavy wasn’t the only thing she was worried about.

She was terrified her thighs would squish his face too tight, or tummy would press again his head.

‘God men are dense. They don’t have a single thought behind those eyes.’

She finally sighed, climbing up the ladder. “Alright…”

Kurapika walked over and turned. She hooked a leg over his shoulder and he pulled her close, her thighs instantly squishing his cheeks.

‘Oh no.’

He hadn’t thought about how her pussy would be flush against his neck, and thighs wrapped around his face. Kurapika’s face instantly turned red, incredibly grateful his lower half was under water.

“Is this alright?” She asked, flustered herself. He only gave her a nod, not able to speak.

Gon and Killua approached the two, a menacing aura surrounding the boys.

“What’s the rules?” Gon asked, suddenly very serious.

“No touching the person carrying, and no nen.”

Killua nodded at (Name)’s words. “Fair enough.”

The two pairs stood across from each other, (Name) absentmindedly petting Kurapika’s head.

“Enjoying yourself up there, (Name)?”

She ruffled his hair in response, the blonde chuckling.

Killua gagged. “Ew, save the flirting for after the fight.”

The two blushed, Kurapika’s grip nearly slipping from (Name)’s thighs. She quickly returned his hands to her thighs. “H-hey, careful! I’ll slip off!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

‘Flirting? I wasn’t…’

Kurapika didn’t have time to think. Gon stepped forward and Killua raised his hands to push (Name). Kurapika quickly stepped out of the way, Killua nearly falling off of Gon’s shoulders.

“Crap, Gon turn to the left!”

Killua was finally able to reach (Name) and give her a push. The girl gasped, her thighs squishing against Kurapika’s face to try and regain balance.

“Mmph…”

Kurapika could feel his pants tighten, his grip on her thighs tightening. He was coming to the realization that he MUCH enjoyed the feeling of being in between her thighs.

Once she regained balance, (Name) gave Killua a push of his own. “You little brat, I’m gonna-“

One final push from Killua sent her flying off Kurapika and crashing into the water.

“Oh shit I used way too much strength- (Name)!”

Killua jumped from Gon’s shoulders and into the water. Kurapika had already moved to pull her up by the arm, the woman coughing.

“Yikes Killua, knocked the air from my lungs…”

Kurapika helped her to the edge of the pool, getting her to sit down. He was still in the water, checking over her with worried eyes.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Leorio walked over, having seen what happened. “You alright? You hit the water like a cannonball.”

(Name) groaned. “Leorio please don’t compare me to a cannonball, I’m going to throw up.”

She leaned back against the ground, Kurapika snickering. “Yeah Leorio, how rude of you.”

Killua hovered over the girl, crouching down to poke her cheek. “Sorry, (Name). I got too excited.”

She pushed his hand away. “It’s alright, I’m-“

Her nose started to bleed, causing all four of the boys to crowd around her.

“Jesus, are you-“

Leorio lifted her up into a sitting position. “Sit up, you’ll choke on the blood.”

He examined her as Kurapika and Gon exited the pool, waiting for Leorio’s opinion.

“She’s fine, just got water in her nose when she fell. Must of irritated her so she got a nose bleed.”

He pulled her to her feet.

“I’m gonna take a break from pool time. You boys have fun, okay?”

She walked over to the table and Leorio handed her some tissues.

Kurapika glanced from (Name) to Killua. The white haired boy looked like a guilty mess.

“She’ll be alright, Killua! She’s been through worse.”

Killua’s head whipped towards the black haired boy, sending him a look. This instantly made Kurapika suspicious.

“Gon, what do you mean by that?”

Gon slapped both of his hands over his mouth, Killua answering for him. “He means when she fought during the Final Phase of the exam. She broke her leg, remember?”

Kurapika DID remember.

flashback

(Name) had to fight Illumi, who at the time they knew as Gittarackur. Kurapika, Killua, and Leorio watched as the two entered the ring, cheering for their friend.

“You got this (Name)! Beat his scary looking ass!” Leorio yelled out. Kurapika glanced between the two in the ring, his heart thumping against his chest.

He wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. (Name) had proven herself to be capable, but the man she was fighting had the aura of a killer.

“Ready, start!”

(Name) crouched into a fighting stance. Gittarackur seemed to observe her for a moment before walking forward calmly.

“If you give up now, I will not have to hurt you. I’d prefer to win quickly.”

(Name) faltered for a second, a look of confusion crossing over her face. “Why would I give up so quickly? I’m here for a r-“

Gittarackur didn’t give her chance to finish her sentence. He was already pinning her to the ground, his hand squeezing her throat as she clawed at his hands.

“Ah, I can’t kill you, can I? Hmm…”

He pulled his hand back just before she was about to pass out. Kurapika felt a hand on his arm, his eyes darting to the left to see Leorio.

“Kurapika, you’re moving forward.”

The blonde blinked before looking down to see he’d taken several steps forward before Leorio had stopped him. He hadn’t even noticed that his body began to move on his own.

Kurapika was still reeling from watching Gon’s fight, so he assumed that’s why he had moved. Leorio kept his grip on his arm as their attention turned back to (Name)’s fight.

“I’ll say it again. Give up, and you’ll leave without any permanent damage.”

Kurapika internally seethed. The man was leering down at (Name) like she was a mouse and he was a cat that had caught her in his paws.

‘Just give up, there’s plenty of other chances.’ He thought, biting his lip.

“I’m not giving up anytime soon.”

The man didn’t react, only moved his hand down her body slowly until his palm rested against her leg.

“Last chance.”

The two stared at each other, (Name) not saying anything. If Gon could withstand the beating he had, there was no reason she couldn’t.

The sound of bones breaking filled the air, along with (Name)’s anguished scream.

“(Name)!��

Kurapika rushed forward, having to be physically restrained by Killua and Leorio. The two other boys were barely able to hold themselves back at the sight of (Name)’s pained expression.

“This could have been avoided, you know. I did warn you…”

He tapped his finger against the broken limb, humming to himself. Each tap caused the girl to gasp out, holding her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from throwing up.

“Mmm… should we move on to the next leg? Or are you ready to gi-“

(Name) used her unbroken leg to slam into the side of his face, rolling onto her stomach. She grit her teeth as she struggled to get to her feet.

“(Name), just stop! Please!”

It was Killua this time, his cries surprising Leorio and Kurapika. The white haired boy clutched the fabric of his shirt as (Name) struggled in vain to get up.

“I didn’t think you had any fight left in you. Interesting.”

The kick had done little to no damage to Gittarackur’s face. The man crouched back down in front of the struggling girl. He pulled her up by her hair and looked into her hazy eyes.

“I can’t kill you, and you won’t give up. How annoying, will I have to beat you into submission?”

He held her easily, as if she were just a doll. “Guess you will, if you can.”

She dig her nails into his skin, staring into his eyes. “I’m not giving up, so we’re going to be going at this for a while.”

The man tilted his head before dropping her onto the floor. “Oh dear, I don’t have time for that. I guess I’ll just forfeit and try again.”

For good measure, he stepped on her broken leg as he left the ring.

Kurapika ran to her side, Leorio close behind. “(Name) you idiot, look at you…”

Killua appeared next to her, crouching down to look at her leg.

“Still… won…”

She sat up quickly, and Leorio held her hair as she threw up. Kurapika watched on in anger, his eyes scarlet.

This was the first time he witnessed (Name) throw herself into harms way, and it wouldn’t be the last.

flashback end

At the time, Kurapika hadn’t known (Name) as well so he hadn’t been as angry, but now, just thinking about the sound of her bone shattering was enough to make his body tremble in anger.

“I remember. She… she’s stubborn.”

“Yeah, both of them aware.”

Killua and Kurapika glanced at Gon and (Name).

——————

It was lunch time, and everyone but (Name) was playing in the pool. The boys had finally convinced Leorio to join them for a game of Chicken Fight, Kurapika on his shoulders.

Currently, the two pairs were tied. They’d both won twice before (Name) approached the pool.

“Alright boys, it’s time for lunch. You can continue after.”

Gon and Killua waded out of the pool and dashed to (Name)’s table. Kurapika and Leorio took a little longer.

“Boys, no running by the pool! You’re going to bust your heads open!”

She grabbed the two by their ears and marched them to the table.

“Hey- ow!”

The two were sat down, rubbing their ears. Kurapika held back a snicker, finding Killua’s pouty face hilarious.

(Name) handed out sandwiches and bags of chips, setting a container of slices fruit in the middle of the table for people to take from.

“There’s drinks in the cooler. Boys, don’t you even think about touching the beer. That’s for Leorio.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” Killua replied, grabbing a soda.

They ate as a group, Kurapika on one side of (Name) and Killua on the other.

As they ate, another group drove into the parking lot. (Name) only glanced up for a second before continuing her lunch.

“Killua, Gon, be on your best behavior. No drowning anyone and NO I don’t care if it’s accidental.”

“But it really was an accident last t-“

The woman held up her hand, silencing Gon.

As the group finished their lunch, the other group of people filed into the pool. They were all men, ranging from 18-27 years old.

(Name) didn’t pay much attention to them, focusing on packing up their basket and reapplying everyone’s sunscreen.

The boys went back to playing in the pool, (Name) glancing up from her romance novel to check on them every few minutes. They seemed to be having fun, she hadn’t seen Kurapika so happy and carefree since the Hunter Exam.

“Hey, how you doing?”

(Name) placed her bookmark on the page she’s been reading and looked up to see a few of the men had approached her.

“I’m, uh, doing well. How about you?” she answered hesitantly. The ring leader of the group smiled down at her, his eyes trained on her chest.

“Better now that I’m talking to you, little lady.”

(Name) visibly cringed at this, pulling her towel around herself. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

The man’s eye twitched a bit at her annoyed tone, but his smile didn’t falter.

“You could help us by giving me your number. Not everyday I see a woman like you around these parts.”

(Name) glanced to the pool, seeing none of them had noticed the men surrounding her. She thought of what to do for a moment.

“Um… no thank you. I don’t give my numbers out to strangers.”

The man tilted his head, acting offended. “Aww, we don’t have to be strangers. Let’s change that!”

He reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She moved to wrench herself free, but his grip was like iron.

“Shh, don’t struggle. I ain’t gonna hurt you if you play nice.”

(Name) considered her options. She could use her nen and at least take out the man with his grip on her, but by the looks of the men around him, they were ready to grab her if she attempted to escape.

“Get your hands off of her.”

(Name) sighed in relief as Kurapika came into view, his hair still wet from the pool.

“Buddy, I’m not sure who this woman is to you but she’s coming with us. Back off, and no one gets hurt.”

Kurapika glanced to (Name), his eyebrow raised. ‘Are they being serious?’

Killua stood next to Kurapika, his hands behind his head. “Should we kill them?”

“No, Killua, no killing.” (Name) called out.

“It’s hard not to when they’re threatening to kidnap you.” Killua replied, his nails sharpening into claws.

Gon and Leorio were nowhere to be seen.

“I’ll give you men to the count of 10 to get to your car before hell breaks loose.”

Kurapika stretched a bit as he spoke.

“One.”

The men laughed, the ringleader shaking (Name) by the shoulder.

“Two.”

“He’s being serious! That’s fucking hilarious.”

“Three.”

Killua began to walk forward, his eyes narrowing.

“Four.”

(Name) tried to slip from the man’s grasp, but was quickly subdued by her grabbing her chin. “Stay still, you little bitch.”

“Five.”

Kurapika’s eyes began to turn scarlet as he watched the man grab her roughly.

“Six.”

The sound of someone creeping towards the men could be heard.

“Seven.”

Leorio and Gon jumped into view, wielding the water guns (Name) had bought Gon and Killua for Christmas last year.

“Eight.”

The two cocked their guns, pointing them at the men.

“Nine.”

Killua reached the first man, who immediately swung at the young boy.

“Ten.”

Everything happened at once. Killua threw the man into the water and grabbed (Name) so quickly she could barely think.

Leorio and Gon pulled the triggers on their guns, spraying the group of men in something that smelled AWFUL.

Kurapika reached the man that had grabbed (Name) and pulled his arm back to pin him to the ground.

It all happened with 10 seconds, surprising both (Name) and the men that had previously surrounded her.

“We gave you a chance, you scum.” Kurapika whispered, contemplating breaking the man’s arm. It made him sick that this filth had its hands on (Name).

“P-please, let me go! I wasn’t going to anything, promise!”

The blonde hummed. “Really? It sure seemed like you were planning on taking her without her consent.”

(Name) placed a hand on Kurapika’s shoulder. “Kurapika, he’s not worth it. Just let it go.”

He glanced from her hand to the man trembling beneath him before he sighed.

“Get out of my sight.”

The group of men scrambled into the parking lot, gone before the blink of an eye.

“Wow, scared the shit out of them, didn’t you Kurapika?”

Leorio stood next to him with his water gun slung over his shoulder. (Name) covered her nose at the smell of the liquid seeping out.

“Yikes, what the hell did you spray them with? It wasn’t… pee was it?”

“(Name), you think so little of us.”

She groaned. “What was it then?”

Gon held up an empty bottle of beer, beaming. “Just some hot beer!”

“Gon, put that down.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Kurapika hovered over (Name), his eyes pouring over her body. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

She shook her head. “No, no, I’m fine. Just… I think I’m ready to go home.”

(Name) wrapped the towel around herself a little tighter.

“I understand. Go wait in the car, we’ll get everything packed up.”

Killu and Gon followed (Name) to the car, just to make sure nothing happened in the parking lot. The men were long gone, but they weren’t taking any chances.

“Sorry your day was ruined.” Killua said as he climbed in. (Name) sighed.

“It’s not your fault, Killua. No one could have expected that.”

He hadn’t just been talking about that, Killua still felt incredibly guilty about pushing her too hard. After that, she hadn’t gotten back in the pool. To him, that meant she didn’t get to have as much fun.

“… I guess.”

Gon tried to lighten up the mood. “Hey guys want to hear about the newest reptile species that’s been discovered?”

——————

Leorio hoisted the cooler onto his shoulder with ease. “You got the rest?”

Kurapika gave him a curt nod. “Yes, go ahead. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Leorio left to pack up the ice chest, leaving Kurapika to pick up the picnic basket and other scattered personal items.

As he bent over to pick up (Name)’s towel, he spotted a book under the table.

‘Is that the book (Name) had been reading?’

He pulled it out from under the table and gave it a once over. It had a removable cloth slip that hid the cover, their causing the blonde to raise an eyebrow.

‘Why would she need to hide the cover?’

He noticed there was a bookmark noting where (Name) had stopped reading.

‘Mm… I’ll just take a quick peak.’

He opened the book, his eyes scanning over the words.

He slipped his fingers into her dripping cunt, smirking when it drew a moan from her lips.

“Does that feel good, sweetheart? You’re so-“

Kurapika slammed the book shut, his entire face going red.

It took him a moment to process when he had just read.

‘Does… (Name) like these types of books?’

She’d definitely been reading it earlier. How had she kept such a neutral expression while reading such smutty acts?

Kurapika carefully dropped the book into her basket, making sure the bookmark was in place. He didn’t want her knowing he’d seen her dirty little secret.

Not yet.

He was able to keep his growing hard on a secret by wrapping a towel around himself. No one would question it, considering he was still dripping wet.

“Kurapika, hurry up, Gon won’t stop talking about reptiles!”

“Coming!”

——————

The group arrived home, (Name) walking up the stairs to take a shower. She’d been more quiet than usual on the way home, and the boys were worried.

“It makes sense, she did get harassed by a bunch of creeps only 30 minutes ago.”

Leorio wasn’t wrong, but it seemed like more than that. Killua glanced up the stairs with a sigh.

“Yeah… I guess.”

Gon and Kurapika sat in the living room watching the news. The blonde pretended to pay attention to the boy rambling next to him, but his mind was still on that book.

“Alright, we’re doing takeout tonight. What’s everyone in the mood for?”

(Name) had descended the stairs, wearing a pair of sweatpants and tank top, with a towel holding back her wet hair.

“Burgers.”

“Pancakes.”

“Chicken.”

“I don’t care.”

(Name) held onto the stairwell railing, her other hand pinching the bridge of her nose. “Well. I can only think of one place that serves all of those things, and it’s only dine-in.”

“Then let’s go eat!” Gon exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He ran to put on his boots and Killua joined him.

“I just put the clothes o- never mind. Go get in the car, I’m going to change.”

“Why do you need to change?”

(Name) glanced up at Leorio before pointing to her chest. “No bra.”

Without another word she began to climb upstairs, the two men glancing between each other.

‘No bra…’

Kurapika thought back to when he’d fallen asleep on her chest. Was she wearing a bra then? Would it have been even softer if she hadn’t been?

‘Stop. If you keep thinking about this, you’ll just get hard again.’

He pulled the fabric of his sweatpants a bit to hide himself.

——————

“Welcome to Wafflehouse, sit where you’d like!”

The group of five sat at a nearby booth, Gon and Leorio on one side, Killua, (Name), and Kurapika on the other.

“Why do you always get to sit by (Name), Kurapika?” Leorio asked with a pout.

“No offense Leorio, but you have really long legs. If I say next to you we’d both be squished.”

Leorio smirked. “Who said that was an issue-“

Kurapika reached over and smacked him on the head. “And that’s another reason you can’t sit next to (Name).”

Killua tapped his nails against the table, his head leaning against (Name)’s shoulder. “We’ve been sitting here for 15 minutes. I’m bored.”

“Hi bored I’m (Name).”

The white haired boy groaned and turned to pout at her.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll go ask at the counter.”

Kurapika moved so (Name) could slip out of the booth.

“Have you guys heard the news?”

The other three stared at Killua, who had suddenly grown very serious.

“What news?” Kurapika asked with his eyebrow raised.

“There’s something (Name) wants to do entirely for herself.”

Leorio and Gon jumped up in surprise. “For herself? That’s new.”

‘Does she never do anything for her own enjoyment?’ Kurapika thought.

Killua nodded. “She wants to see a movie next weekend. I heard her talking to her friend about it. She seems really excited.”

“What movie is it?” Kurapika asked. Killua shook his head.

“She didn’t say, all I know is she plans on asking us if we want to go Friday. From what I heard she wants us to go with her. I can get the movie title before then so we can prepare.”

Leorio nodded. “I’ll be free next weekend, so I can go. What about you?”

The rest nodded. “Then we’re in agreement.”

(Name) walked back a minute later, a smile on her face. “She’ll be here to take our orders soon! I went ahead and placed an order for our drinks.”

Kurapika gave her a smile before moving out of the way for her to slide back in.

The waitress brought their drinks a moment later and took their order.

A man walked past the group and sat in the booth in front of them silently. None of them even glanced up to look at him.

“(Name), can I play on your phone?”

She nodded and opened her phone, clicking off a few things before handing it over.

“Yay!”

Gon began to play some random game she’d downloaded just for him as they continued waiting.

“Hey there, Miss.”

(Name) looked up to see the man who’d sat in the booth in front of them standing before them.

“Hello?” she answered, earning a quick frown from him.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

She gave him a confused looked before following his gaze.

Oh.

“You, with the blonde hair. You’re awfully pretty, would you mind if I paid for your dinner in exchange for your number?”

Kurapika blinked before meeting the man’s eye.

“Excuse you?”

The man smiled. “I’ll pay for your friends too, I don’t mind.”

Leorio snickered from across the booth, his fist smacking against the table. Killua wasn’t doing much better, his hand covering his mouth to quiet his laugh.

“Mister, Kurapika isn’t a girl.” Gon said, confused.

The man blinked before laughing. “Aww, that’s a good one. No man can be that pretty.”

“I guess I’m an exception.”

Kurapika stared up at him with those cold eyes, talking in the deepest voice he could manage. The man instantly realized that the boy had in fact been right.

That pretty blonde he’d just hit on was not a girl, but a twink.

The man stuttered out an apology before leaving the Waffle House.

“Pretty girl…”

Killua bursted into laughter, Leorio following his lead. (Name) glanced to see Kurapika’s irritated expression, and she even caught a hint of embarrassment flick across his eyes.

“Kurapika…”

She placed her hand on his, the man stiffening ever so slightly. “You’re a pretty boy.”

If anyone else had said this, it would have just pissed him off further, but coming from (Name)’s mouth it sounded soft and sweet.

“… thank you, (Name).”

He placed his other hand over hers and squeezed it between his two palms gently. “I appreciate that.”

(Name) sent Leorio and Killua a look, causing the two to quiet down.

“Well I don’t think you look like a girl! You smell way too much like a guy!”

“What does that even mean?”

“You’re sweaty and gross.” Killua replied.

“Killua!”

“… sorry.”

Their food was brought out soon after. They ate, paid, and left as soon as they could.

[kangen-wanshi]

300 man, that's a lot of followers congrats!!!

For the event, “We should get married.” + Childe and/or Welt would be fantastic (idk if you're allowing two different characters from different series though, if not feel free to pick between them) congrats again!

A Proposal ft. Childe, Welt Yang

The question in regards of marriage often orbit the two of you - yet, either of you seems to ever took the question to heart. Or at least, that's what the two of you thought.

Tags: Fluff, separate, marriage stuff duh, no gendered pronoun used

A/N: Ty anon!! Here have some marriage stuff with best boys of the series:))

Childe, He always asks you

He’s naturally a big family man - both of you are aware of this. And ever since he saw how you’re getting along well with his family, his urge to marry you just keeps getting stronger and stronger each day. He likes to propose to you ‘jokingly’. Throwing the question of “Will you marry me?” as a way to compliment you everytime he finds himself falling in love with you, every time he sees you doing something even remotely small. Cooking? “We should get married so I can taste your cooking everyday.” Bandaging his wound? “You’re so careful in taking care of me.. Let’s get married so you can dote on me all you want when I return to you all bloodied and bruised.”  Just walking around enjoying each other’s presence on a date? “You’re so lovely. Marry me?” Maybe you’re just dense, maybe it’s just his way when he delivers those lines, but you often reciprocate his question with a light “Sure” and a fit of giggles that color your cheek red. And he never said anything after! Honestly his fault for being too busy falling head over heels for you.

It was just like any other day. Visiting Liyue Harbor, taking a stroll when the sky slowly turns to the color of red, fading into night every minute as the air grows colder.

You had ended your walk on the piers of the harbor, leaning on the wooden railing, watching ships come and go - merchants resigning for the day, fishermen going into the night sea. And as usual, in his eyes, you’re as stunning as ever.

“Hey,” his gentle voice coaxed you out of your mindless trance. His gloved hand came to hold yours, as he gave you a gentle squeeze, “Let’s get married.”

You laughed - ah, he could drown in your voice of delight over and over, and he would swim back up just to hear it all over again. He looked at you shaking your head lightly at his request, before finally settling your eyes on his smile.

He waited for your usual answer, ‘Sure’, or ‘Of course’, followed with flattering giggles. But it never came. He was then greeted by your look of surprise. Did his question come out a little odd this time? Was it the way he looked at you so carefully, so lovingly - so gentle, an absolute contrast to his bloodthirsty attitude, that you managed to catch your words stuck between your tongue?

When you looked at him again for sure, you spotted an adoration you’ve never seen before. A hopeful gaze, a loving look, a side he preserved just for you, waiting for an answer.

You mirrored his eyes and crinkled on your cheek when you smiled back at him, squeezing his hand in return with as much adoration, leaning closer to him as you placed a chaste kiss to his lips.

“Let’s.”

And this time, you promised him about the true meaning behind your answer.

Welt Yang, He keeps wondering..

It’s a running joke in the Express Family at this point. As much as March and Caelus like to call Himeko their mom and Welt their dad (or sometimes uncle), they kept encouraging you and Welt to get married already. To the point that even Dan Heng has become part of this cheering squad. You always blushed and waved your hand dismissively at their remarks, followed by Welt who also shares a similar amount of embarrassment, sighing before pinching the bridge of his nose.  All their efforts always ended with the two of you leaving the question hanging in the air. Not an uncomfortable type - but the one where the two of you let the question circle in your brain without explicitly mentioning to one another. Welt have thought of marriage - as obvious as it seems. Perhaps it came with age, perhaps it came with his past experience, perhaps it came from a place within his heart full of his love for you, either way, it’s rare to see a day where he doesn’t think about marrying you. He’s thoughtful about these things. Careful planning, watching your reaction every time he brought up the topic subtly, seeing your view on marriage itself, attempting to answer the questions he’s been asking himself through normal conversation.

Both you and Welt had finally managed to step foot in Jarillo-VI, after much much asking Himeko - who, simply giggled at your request and let you go to explore the land of Everwinter.

Both of you had a curious yet fun expedition together treading through Belobog and the various areas around it. Welt continuing to observe the corrupted areas, while you, enjoying the culture and befriending some of the locals you’ve heard so much about from the trio.

It’s only when Welt returned from exploring the Underground to visit you at the Museum, that he found a rather.. Endearing sight. You were walking through the hallways of the Museum, a blonde little girl and another boy seemingly leading you through the various artifacts on display. 

You seem to be highly invested in what they’re saying, even though Welt swore some of those stories couldn’t have been true. 

Either way, he saw how you entertain the children in their stories and guide, providing the truth of your own (that you already know about), but twisting it so that it’s believable for children with high creativity and much, much spirit like the pair.

He didn’t even realize that he’d been staring at you from a distance, watching your cheek and your eyes lit up and softens at the childrens’ antics. 

It was not until a lady with blue hair in white came to your aid to peel the children off of you that he realized he’d been staring - and that you had spotted him from a distance, gesturing him to come over with a smile and open arms. 

“Why didn’t you come over to me earlier?” You giggled as he sink himself into your embrace, burying his face to the crook of your neck with a chuckle, “Sorry, love. I was just.. A bit in a daze when I saw you and those kids having fun,” he pulled away, “You looked like you had so much fun - I.. Wouldn’t want to ruin that.”

“What nonsense, I’m sure if you were given the chance to tell tales to them, they would be smitten with your every word.” You giggled, kissing his cheek before pulling him along to sit on one of the many benches in the Museum, sitting in front of a painting, with your head leaning on his shoulder, hands still intertwined with each other as Welt traced circles on the back of yours.

In comfortable silence, your eyes are stuck on the painting hanging on the wall, while his eyes have stolen few, if not many adoring gazes towards you. 

“If I were to ask you to..” He inhaled, “.. To marry me, will you?”

You giggled, pulling yourself away from his shoulder as you looked up to him with a grin, “Oh? Where does this bravery come from?”

“Just.. A thought.” He rolled his eyes playfully, now holding your hand within both of his, tips of his fingers found their way to your empty ring finger, “If we could.. I would love to tie it together with you.”

His words weigh many emotions behind it. If he were to stay and bind himself to you - what about his home? What about his planet? His final destination? Dozens of questions flashes through your mind and various reasons to not just because you don’t want to trap him with you, but when he looked at you so softly, when his pursed lips held his words true, you swallowed your questions and smiled up to him.

“If you asked me to marry you..” you leaned your head back on his shoulder as one of his arms wrapped around your shoulder, his head resting atop of yours, “Of course there’s not other answer than ‘yes’.”

Welt speaks true with his eyes. And at that moment, you saw your reflection in his eyes - one that shows how he truly sees you.

As his home.

[nsharks]

bleeding blue | part fifteen preview

Pearly sunlight weaves through the trees, casting freckles across the calm current of the creak. Somewhere, a raven bleats loudly, but your ears block out the sound. The skin between your brows wrinkles with concentration as you tightly grip the wooden makeshift spear, its carved point hovering just above the water.

Numerous fish writhe below you, and your eyes dart between them studiously before finally settling on the meatiest one. With a quick stab, your spear pierces the water, but all it hits is the mucky bottom of the creak. The fish startles with a splash and swims off downstream. 

"Fuck me," you huff, standing up from your squatting position on the rock to soothe the growing ache in your thighs.

Fishing shouldn't be much different than hunting, yet, it's been hours and all you have to show for it is a small chub the size of your palm. With a sigh, you decide your craving for fish isn't worth all this effort and leap off the rock, carrying your measly catch in one hand and spear in the other. Maybe the still waters of the pond could be an easier spot to try someday.

You chose the creak over the pond because it's a greater distance from camp. The longer walk allows you to fixate on the emerald green leaves fluttering in the breeze and the soft chatter of swallows that are returning after their winter migration. It's the most beautiful day in a while, and the warmest, too. For the first time, you departed the cabin without a jacket, opting for only the long-sleeve tee from Ghost. You had the sleeves rolled to your elbows while fishing, but as you trek back through the wild grasses, you push them down and allow the fabric to brush your knuckles. 

There are hardly any flowers left on the Pink Sorrel after all your foraging. Arriving at camp, you amble over the plucked stems, bound across the trench with ease, and spot Blue on the other side of the gate offering Grim a wad of grass.

"Hey," you greet. "Open the gate for me?"

Grim is given a pet across his back before she leaps up to undo the locks. 

“Hey. How’d it go?” The flicker of her eyes to your near-empty hand is answer enough. "Fucking noodles. That's it? I thought there were lots of fish there."

"There are. I just suck at catching them."

She gives you an apologetic smile. "Oh," she chirps. "Ghost was looking for you, by the way."

"He was?"

"Not sure what for." Her brows furrow. "I'm also not sure where he went. He was here, and then—" Her blue eyes glimmer like water in the sunlight as they shift to something in the distance. "Oh, there he is."

The very person you'd spent hours of alone time trying not to regard arrives as a shadow, lugging what appears to be—you squint—a fucking corpse behind him. Upon closer inspection, it is certainly a body, and with how wonky the limbs look as they drag against the ground, it must be a Grey. That's a little more reassuring, and a lot less bothersome, than if it were a human corpse. 

He drops the corpse in front of the trench, rubs his gloved hands together, and then passes through the parted gate. 

"Is that what you wanted Twix for?" Blue asks, nodding to the Grey.

Ghost explains himself in an even more gruff baritone than usual. "Knew I smelled something." He looks at you. "I wanted you to check south while I checked north."

"Oh. Sorry," you say lamely and hold up the small chub. "I was, uh, fishing. Looks like you found the source, though. Just one?"

He nods. "Only found one, could be others." 

As you drag in a deep breath, you recognize the faint smell he must be referring to.

"Why did you bring it here?" you ask curiously. 

Blue is the one to answer. "To burn it. Sometimes it seems like they attract each other, haven't you noticed?"

[whiskey-bumblebee]

Uptown Girl (part two)

Pairing: dbf!Aaron Hotchner/Reader

Accessibility/Diversity notes: 99% gender neutral, but one use of 'she' for reader. Reader can swim.

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: Implied (public) sex, smut, dbf!hotch (reader is an adult).

A/N: The daybed I'm imagining is like this

Tagging: @ssamorganhotchner @hausofwhores <3

"Slow down," You breathe.

"Sorry, sorry," Hotch replies.

When he pulls away from you, his lips are puffy, his hair is mussed, and the collar of his polo is completely off-centre. You smile and run your fingers through his hair affectionately, smoothing it flat again.

"Pretty boy," You murmur, and he blushes under your attention.

"Do you want to swim?"

You eye the pool behind Aaron's head. It looks inviting, the blue almost as nice as the Caribbean. Almost. The pool floatie also looks inviting, and that's when you realize that you're looking for an excuse.

Aaron shuffles slightly up the daybed, until his hips are between your legs, rather than his face. You run your fingertips over his bare shoulders, taking in each freckle atop his skin. Thanks to the warm weather, and your afternoon in the sun, his skin was warm, and seemed to be taking on a bit of colour.

"If I'm doing a bad job, you can tell me," He kisses your neck affectionately, trailing kisses over your chest.

You laugh. "No, not at all. I just wanted to talk."

The gauzy white curtains flap in the breeze, sending cool air over your bodies.

He rolls off your body and relaxes on the sheets beside you. You bite your lip as your eyes rake over his body. He's shirtless, a sheen of sweat over his skin, and his jeans are hanging low on his hips. It's with a pang of guilt that you notice his prominent erection. He notices you noticing him, and reaches for one of the many throw pillows on the bed.

You laugh as he moves the pillow in front of his hips, obscuring your view.

"Damn, you're tempting," You sigh. "And you're good. I just don't know if I can come in public."

You gesture around your pool area, which is, of course, empty. Having sex in the open air is erotic, yes, but it's also cast a shadow of self-consciousness over you. Your neighbours are miles away, but you never know who might be testing a new drone, or whether one particularly loud moan might carry through the summer air to some unwitting person's ears.

"What did you want to talk about?"

You bite your lip again, nudging at the throw cushion which he's still holding in place. Hotch laughs, but holds firm.

"C'mon, talk to me. I promise I'll make love to you later." There's a boyish grin on his face, but that doesn't stop your stomach from dropping at his words.

Practiced as ever, you plaster on the wild child smile. You slip away from Aaron and dive into the pool. Aaron chases you, which you know without even having to look. Sure enough, once you surface, you see the ripples from his splash radiating to the edges of the pool, and you watch as his body glides towards you, under the water.

He runs his hands up your calves, then your thighs, settling on your hips as he swims to the surface. He doesn't even have to ask; as soon as his head pops out of the water, you brush his hair back so he can see.

He smiles at the gesture as he opens his eyes, keeping his hands firmly on your hips.

"You're avoiding me."

"You've been giving me head for the last ten minutes," You hold your grin in place, but it's starting to falter. "We have different definitions of avoidance."

He says your name slowly, and your grin finally fades. Your mouth falls into a frown, and his expression quickly matches yours.

"Hey," He says, rubbing his thumbs in circles.

"I don't think I can look at you and say the things I need to say," You breathe, dropping your hands over his.

He nods, and swims over to the stairs in the shallow end. He takes a seat roughly in the middle, so that his chest is above the water, but the rest of his body is submerged. Propping his elbow on the edge, he rests the side of his head against his hand.

You slip onto a floatie, lying on your back and pulling your sunglasses over your face so you can look at the sky comfortably. The sun immediately undoes the cooling effect of the water.

"I'm listening," He says, and you're not sure whether you're hearing his dad voice or his profiler voice. It seems too gentle to be interrogative, but there's an edge of seriousness.

"So, you came over," You start, unsure exactly how to phrase your thoughts.

"I did," He replies.

"And I'm really glad, and I'd like you to stay, as long as you can. And I really," You can't help but laugh. "I really would like you to make love to me, if this doesn't completely kill the vibe."

You take a deep breath, dropping one of your hands into the water so you can run your fingers through it.

"But it's only because I made up an excuse."

"It isn't," He interjects. "I'm here because I was desperate to see you. You know that. I missed you while you were in New York."

You sigh.

"I want you... I want you to be here because you want to be here. Not because I called and you came."

He says your name again, dragging out the last syllable.

"Aaron," You reply before he can interrupt again, and you take another deep breath, steadying yourself. "I want you to be here because… Because you love me."

The silence is so long, so excruciating, that you slip back into the water so you can stare at him and read his expression. You've drifted to the deep end of the pool without realizing, and you swim over to the nearest edge so you don't have to tread water. It's completely unintentional, but all of a sudden, the pool's entire length is between you and Aaron.

You stare at him. He's staring off to his right, his fingers threaded through his hair. It's still silent, and even the sound of the water lapping at the pool's walls has ceased. You resolve not to say anything until he does. You've played your cards. If he doesn't like them, he can fold.

He looks over at you, and the expression on his face is something you don't know how to read. It's not one you've ever seen before, and for a second you're angry at yourself, knowing that your poker face is thin. Anyone could read you: desperate for his affection, on the verge of tears, like a dog waiting at the front door after a long day. And because it's Aaron, you might as well have hired a skywriter to spell out the words above you both: I love you. I love you, I love you. Please love me back. I don't know what I'll do if you don't love me back.

For a few more painful, long, minutes, he just stares at you. You hold his gaze and map his features, trying to make sense of them. His lips are pressed together, although not so tightly that it's his tell for repressing a spiteful comment. His jaw is fixed, but all of the times you've seen him in profiler mode, it has been. The typically hard line of his brow is soft. His eyes are marginally wider than usual. His head is normally inclined slightly forward, a result of sitting hunched over a desk for so long, but also, you know, a way of making his features appear sharper, harsher. When he tips his head forward and makes eye contact from under his brows, anyone will confess anything to him. He's never used that look with you, and this is no exception. You note that his head is in a neutral position, even tipped slightly back.

You don't need to be a profiler to know that it's a vulnerable expression for him. He's outside of his shielded norm, and the head tilt, with its many meanings, also has the practical effect of baring his throat to you. Okay, you think. There's a vulnerability here, but I knew that already.

"Come here," He says, finally.

The silence has been so long that you almost think you're imagining his words, which isn't helped by the fact that he said them quietly. But he's looking at you expectantly, so you paddle slowly over. You leave a slight distance between you, but it's shallow enough that you can comfortably stand.

"Is that what this is about? You need me to tell you that I love you?"

You nod, uncomfortable at the way he's phrased it, but you know that it's true nonetheless.

"What's your expression?" You ask. Even if this goes terribly, you want to memorize it. If this is the last way you'll ever see his face, you want to file it away forever.

Your question prompts a change; he looks surprised. At least you can recognize that one.

"My expression?"

You nod gingerly.

He stands up and walks towards you, closing the distance.

"This is what it looks like when a man is watching the love of his life beg for something she's always had."

It takes a minute for his words to sink in, but as soon as you've processed them, you smile so widely that an ache sets in. Hot tears spill over your cheeks, liquid relief overflowing.

He wraps his arms around you, and you rest your face against his shoulder, your nose turned into his neck.

You can't help it, and you laugh even as you're crying.

Aaron strokes your back, holding you close as your emotions work their way out of your system.

As you calm down, he starts to sway the two of you side-to-side. You rest your right hand against his chest, and he keeps his arms wrapped around you.

There's nothing you can say that will rival what he's just said, so you're happy to stand in silence.

He takes your chin in his hand and guides your face towards his. It's like you're kissing him for the first time, and for a moment, you just stay an inch apart, watching him look at your lips. You share breath like it's the most natural thing in the world. You close your eyes and feel his lips against yours: slow, soft, reserved. It's a kiss with no ulterior motive than to be shared, passed back and forth between you like a cigarette.

When you finish, Aaron's hand is cupping the side of your neck, his thumb resting on your cheek.

"I'm getting cold," You murmur.

He nods, and presses his lips to yours for one last, short kiss.

He leaves you standing in the pool, watching as he walks over to the daybed, retrieving your towels, long-abandoned. He nods for you to get out of the pool, and you practically float up the steps.

It's with all the tenderness in the world that he wraps a towel around your shoulders, and your hand brushes his as you take hold of the corners, keeping it in place.

He takes your free hand in his, kissing your knuckles gently, then leads you to the house.

[anangelwhodidntfall]

Always: Neteyam Sully

Avatar Masterlist 

word count: 600

description: Neteyam feels insecure after Ao’nung keeps going after you, so you remind him that you choose him 

Since seeking refugee and practically joining the Metkayina clan, things had been rough well rough for some of your family, since leaving the forest they were forced to adapt to the way of water and for some of them it was hard on while you and Kiri adapted easily though the people were still on edge about you and your family. Ao'nung and Roxto in particular loved to give you guys a hard time, especially Ao'nung who would constantly flirt with you and who also knew you and Net were mates just rile him up in hopes to get you guys in trouble.

You and Kiri finished your breathing exercises with Tsireya, and were walking along the beach looking at the different shells and trying to see if you could see any creatures on the surface level when you saw Ao'nung and Roxto walking towards you two making you roll your eyes.

"Well look at what we have here, a couple of freaks, especially this one." Roxto said to Kiri as you hissed at him.

"Leave us alone." I said standing in front of Kiri.

"I agree but this one her kinda pretty if it wasn't for her temper." Ao'nung said trying to touch you only to be met with your fist.

"Try and not either of us again, I dare of you." I said to him.

"You really think you can take both of us freak?" He said getting eye level with me until a blue body slid in between us making me take a step back and realize it was Neteeyam.

"Back off now." He said to them where they both stood off for a few minutes before they left us.

Once they left, he turned his attention towards us and pulled us into his arms and squeezing you two before letting you guys go.

"Did they hurt you at all and who is responsible for Ao'nung busted lip?" He asked looking over you two for injuries.

"We're fine. He tried to touch Y/N and she punched and dared him to mess with us again." Kiri said excitedly while you kinda looked at the ground worried for his reaction.

"Kiri head home." He said as Kiri hugged you and thank you again for defending her.

"Are you mad?" You asked him once she was gone.

"No I'm not mad at you, in fact, I just fell in love with you more for defending her...I'm just mad that he continues to mess with you knowing that you're my mate. Mine." He said growling as he paced until he felt your hand on his wrist.

"My love, please calm down you don't have anything to worry about, I don't want him. I only want you...there's a reason why I choose you to be my mate." You said wrapping your arms around his waist and laying your head on his chest.

Neteeyam sighed feeling you wrapped around him and instantly felt calmer as he rested his head on top of yours placing a kiss in your hair.

"I know you do, I just don't want to lose you." He said making you look up at him.

"And your not going to. Come on let's go turn this day around....what do you say we go for a swim or something?" You offered wanting to cheer him up.

"I would like that. As long as you are here by my side." He said making you smile and you laced your hand with his.

"Always." You said.

[promptthebear]

Kissmas Day 6

Prompt: A kiss that is leading to more, but is interrupted by a third party.

Pairing: Edmund x Reader

A/N: Finally, finally this one is done! Apparently I can't write any Narnia fic without going way overboard. Also be forewarned this one is a little spicy, but still PG-13/T so it keeps within my boundaries for this series. If you want to know how explicit I'm willing to get for Narnia characters specifically this is a pretty good benchmark. Anyway, enjoy!

When Edmund invited you to spar with him, you were immediately suspicious.

“Why on earth would I need to learn swordplay?” you asked, standing up on your tiptoes and gently pressing your lips to his “I’ve got the best swordsman in Narnia to look after me”

A blush rose across Edmund’s cheeks, a pretty red canvas for those freckles he never quite outgrew. You resisted the urge to grab hold of his face and cover it with kisses, putting your own mark between the constellations already dappling his skin.

“You’re very sweet,” your betrothed replied, glancing quickly at Abelia, the grumpy she-badger who was serving as your chaperone, before sliding his arms around your waist “And very right. But what if there comes a time when I’m not around?”

“Then I’ll just go find Peter,” you said, chuckling at the way Edmund’s nose scrunched in annoyance “Even if he’s only second best, he can at least provide a nice diversion while I make my escape”

The smack of his hand against your arse came so quickly, there was little chance of Abelia noticing. A sidelong glance at the talking badger confirmed this fact. She hadn’t even so much as looked up from her drop spindle, far more concerned with crafting an even thread than minding the two of you.

Emboldened, Edmund ducked his head and stole another kiss. This was far less chaste than the one you had given him moments before, threading his fingers through your hair to deepen it and brushing his tongue over the seam of your lips.

You tried to muffle a moan and almost failed. It was all you could do to keep upright as Edmund continued to lavish your mouth with affection, going as far as to tug at your bottom lip with his teeth before breaking the kiss and gently tilting your head to the side so he could whisper in your ear.

“Listen here cheeky girl,” he kept his voice soft, but there was a stern edge to it that nearly had you squirming “I’ve booked the training pitch for us, and I’ve been promised we’ll have at least an hour alone. No Abelia, no Tumnus. All you have to do is meet me there tomorrow, okay?

You looked up at Edmund with wide, hopeful eyes. Alone? The promise hung between you, almost like a magic spell. It sounded too good to be true.

You’d known Edmund since he’d first came to Narnia, when he was ten and you were eight. You’d loved each other in the way only children can, squabbling over card games and rounds of chess, falling asleep together by the fireside after reading on long winter nights.

At sixteen and fourteen, you’d been betrothed. Since then you could count on one hand the number of times you’d been alone, as though you hadn’t been playing at kissing and going for twilight swims only a few years before.

Reputation didn’t matter so much to Edmund’s siblings, you had been around so long they already considered you part of the family, marriage or not. Your family, on the other hand, was a different story. You were their only daughter, and being such a small household from Archenland, there was a lot riding on this marriage. So until the day of the wedding, you had to keep up appearances.

The sound of Abelia clearing her throat shook you from your reminiscing. You glanced over at the she-badger, who had set aside her drop spindle and was now making a “move apart” gesture with her claws. With a sigh, you did as you were asked, pausing to give Edmund one last kiss on the cheek before turning and gesturing to the nearby couch.

“Shall we sit? Perhaps play a game?”

Edmund nodded, bringing up a hand and running a finger nervously under his collar before he sat next to you. It was hard to tell in the rosy glow of the firelight whether or not his blush had gotten deeper, though you could certainly feel a kind of flame on your own cheeks.

Satisfied that her charges were once again behaving themselves, Abeila took up her spindle and began to wind the thread with practised ease.

“Only half an hour longer, my lady,” she warned, her voice growly by nature rather than intent “Your lady mother wants to sup with you this evening.”

“Yes Abelia.”

Under the table, you could feel Edmund’s hand brush your knee as you began setting up the board for checkers. You glanced over, and were pleased to see the usual mischievous gleam in his eye.

“Tomorrow” he whispered, giving you a small smile, which you returned.

Tomorrow.

***

It was high noon by the time you set off towards the training pitch. The sun was at its zenith, shining brightly over a cold, clear day. There was not a cloud in the sky, save for the ones made by your breath as you walked.

Even dressed in layers as you were, you still felt exposed. You’d borrowed a set of training garb from Lucy, which consisted of a linen shirt, leather jerkin and matching trousers. While you appreciated her generosity, they were a far cry from your usual gowns and petticoats.

You were well aware of the fact that the outline of your legs, thighs, and hips were all prominently on display in the snug breeches. Already, you’d garnered some stares from passing stable boys and squires going about their daily chores. The feeling of their eyes on you sent an anticipatory thrill down your spine. Whether Edmund had asked you to dress this way for function or his own benefit, you couldn’t say, but you were certainly eager to find out.

The training grounds were, surprisingly, empty when you arrived. Save for a few sparrows pecking about the grass, there was not another living soul to be seen. You stood on the dirt track circling the field, listening to the wind buffet the trees and the occasional birdsong while you nibbled at your bottom lip.

Surely you had heard Edmund correctly? The training pitch, tomorrow. That’s what he had said, you were certain of it. And yet here you were, without any sign of Edmund. Perhaps he had been called away and hadn’t had a chance to send notice. Or maybe Abelia or Tumnus had caught him trying to sneak off and he was attempting to explain himself without drawing suspicion to you. Or perhaps Peter had needed him to-

“First rule of sword fighting. Always be aware of your surroundings.”

Your shriek rang out, high and sudden, scaring the nearby sparrows into flight. How Edmund had managed to sneak up on you, in full plate armour no less, would forever remain a mystery. Solving said mystery, however, was far less of a concern to you than trying to connect the toe of your boot to Edmund’s shins.

“What’s the matter with you?! You scared the living daylights out of me!”

Edmund didn’t seem the least bit concerned by your admonishing, laughing and dancing away from your volley of kicks with an easy confidence. His bright eyes and wide smile made you forgive him almost instantly, letting yourself be caught when he reached to put his hands about your waist.

You stood on tiptoe and kissed him, open mouthed and unashamed. Edmund responded in kind, allowing his hands to freely roam along your body now that you were no longer under Abelia’s watchful eye.

The thick metal of his armour made it difficult for you to do the same, so you chose instead to use one hand to cradle his jaw while you brought the other up to twine in his hair. You could taste the tea he’d recently drunk on his breath, a blend of cinnamon, cardamom and ginger from Calmore you knew he favoured. A soft moan escaped your lips as Edmund grabbed a handful of your bottom, squeezing it none too gently. You pressed your body against his, hoping he could feel your warmth and eagerness through his armour, silently imploring for more.

When Edmund finally broke the kiss, you whined, which made him laugh again. You watched as he gathered up a pair of swords from the grass nearby, more than a little confused. Initially, you assumed that the remark about him teaching you swordplay was nothing more than a ruse, to mask his true plan from Abelia and anyone else who may question your intentions for that afternoon. Did he truly wish to put a sword in your hand?

“Come on, you needy thing” he said as he tossed a sword to you, hilt end down. You managed to catch it, albeit a little clumsily “I said I was going to teach you how to fight, and I’m nothing if not a man of my word”

The sword felt strange in your hand, and you held it at length from your body as though you were afraid of what would happen if you brought it too close. Try as you might, you couldn’t keep your arm from trembling slightly, which almost ousted the weapon from your grasp.

Edmund watched you for a moment, before finally driving the tip of his own sword into the dirt and closing the distance between you two.

“Second rule of sword fighting,” he announced, his voice cheerful and relaxed “Know how to hold your weapon properly”

He reached out and closed his hand around your own. Despite his armour, he had opted not to wear gloves, and you could feel the callouses on his fingers as he began to adjust your grip. You stood, entranced, while he guided you into a more natural stance, his touch leaving a trail of tingling warmth each time it came in contact with your hand or arm. When he was satisfied with your position, he stepped back and went to retrieve his own weapon.

“Alright. Now, I want you to try and hit me.”

Your astonished expression made Edmund grin in spite of himself. Had he made that suggestion to his sisters or Peter, they would’ve knocked him flat without a second thought. You were far too sweet for your own good.

“It’s alright darling. They’re only tourney swords, watch.”

To prove his point, Edmund ran the index finger of his other hand along the blade’s edge. You watched, waiting for blood to appear, but let out a sigh of relief when none followed. As Edmund had said, the blades had been blunted for practice or sport.

“See? You wouldn’t hurt me even if you wanted to. Well, I suppose you could, if you smacked me with the hilt. But please don’t. My face is the only asset I’ve got”

You laughed, the action pulling some tension from your body. Edmund smiled encouragingly, before bringing up his sword and crooking the fingers of his other hand.

“Come on then. Or are you just going to stand about admiring me all day?”

With another laugh, you took a couple cautious steps forward. Edmund watched your feet with the trained eyes of a practised fighter, but otherwise didn’t move. A few more steps and the space between you two had shrunk to little more than an arm’s length. You stared at your betrothed for a moment, once again giving him the chance to change his mind.

When no protest came, you thrust your sword forward, aiming to hit the side of Edmund’s shoulder. It was a clumsy attempt, without enough force behind it to make for a decent strike, and Edmund sidestepped it easily. You expected him to come dancing around your other side, grinning like a fool and taunting you into having another go, when you felt the flat of a blade smack across your ass.

You whirled, gasping in both surprise and affront. Edmund was roaring with laughter, nearly doubled over with the force of it. You couldn’t help but pout a little, feeling betrayed.

“Oh god, I’m sorry dearest” he said, still a little breathless “That wasn’t very sporting of me, but I couldn’t help it. Here, let’s try again, only this time I want you to put more weight on your front foot and really extend your arm. Then you’ll have better balance and a more fluid thrust, alright?”

You nodded, doing as instructed while Edmund returned to his spot in front of you. As he said, the motion was smoother and your feet felt surer beneath you as you pushed forward. Once again, you tried to strike Edmund’s shoulder, figuring that was a safe choice lest you miss your target.

This time, you managed to glance the blade off Edmund’s arm before he darted away. He let out a playful whoop, before disappearing again behind your back. You turned as quickly as you could manage, knowing he was going to try and spank you again, but Edmund was quicker. The flat of his sword struck your ass with a sharp, stinging blow. You grit your teeth, refusing to let him have the satisfaction of hearing you cry out, and spun around to face him again.

Edmund’s grin, large and knowing, was the first thing you saw after turning. It was all you could do not to toss aside your sword and wipe the smug look off his face with the palm of your hand. It reminded you of your summers as teenagers and all the times he ducked you in the river, before finally apologizing and pulling you in for a burning kiss while you’d clutched at his bare arms.

The memory made you shiver, and you wondered if perhaps this was the same sort of game. Your betrothed's face gave nothing away, whatever he was scheming was staying locked away behind that infuriating smile.

“Giving up already, are you?”

Taking a deep breath, you brought the tip of the sword up once more and pointed it directly at Edmund’s chest.

“Not a chance, your highness.”

With that, you rushed at Edmund, throwing sportsmanship to the wind and hoping you could surprise him before he was ready. For a moment, he appeared genuinely taken off guard, and you relished the way his eyes widened as you swung your sword through the air. However, a well timed feint from an amateur was no match for the best swordsman in Narnia.

The resulting vibration of Edmund’s sword clashing with yours made your teeth knock together and seemed to shake the breath from your lungs. You clutched at your aching wrist, and doubled over to kneel in the dampened grass. Your sword fell from your loosened grip, now useless and forgotten on the ground.

Immediately, Edmund was crouched beside you, having tossed aside his own weapon the moment he saw you go down.

“Oh god, sweetheart, are you alright? I’m so sorry, did I hit you too hard?”

You sat, your face protected in the cradle of your arms and knees, refusing to look Edmund in the eye. When he reached out a hand and placed it on your shoulder, you pulled away.

“Darling?” his voice dropped low, into that special, soft tone he only used for you “Darling, look at me, please.”

Even when he said your name, you didn’t look up. You waited, trying to keep your breathing even. Inside your mind, you began to count.

Three…

Edmund moved even closer. You could feel his breath by your temple, his face only a few inches from yours.

Two…

He said your name again, but to no avail. This time, when he placed his hand on your arm, you didn’t move.

One…

The look of shock on Edmund’s face as you leapt and tackled him into the grass was one you were going to savour. Within seconds, the two of you were tussling atop each other like puppies, the world lost in a whirl of limbs and giggling.

You had the advantage, but Edmund was faster and stronger. It wasn’t long before he had you pinned beneath him, his face hovering just above yours and his arms forming a cage on either side of your head. Your legs were tangled together, one of Edmund’s knees trapped between yours, and your feet seeming to go every which way.

“You little minx” he panted, your mouths so close the two of you were almost sharing breaths “I was scared I’d really hurt you.”

“Will you forgive me if I yield?”

Edmund studied your face, the put upon pout, your flushed cheeks and the way your eyes shone with mirth, and felt what little resolve he had crumble.

“Of course. How could I stay mad at you?”

By way of apology, you reached up and pulled Edmund’s head down into a bruising kiss. He moaned, softly, before working your mouth open with his tongue, which you received without protest. Your bodies were flush together, the metal of his armour searing cold against your skin. You were about to offer to help him remove his chest plate, when your hips jerked up instinctively, knocking into Edmund’s and revealing the hardness in the front of his breeches as they brushed together.

Embarrassed, you broke the kiss and hid your face away in the side of his neck. The two of you had had many firsts together, but nothing that had ever gone below your waistlines. Edmund chuckled, the sound warm and reassuring in your ear.

“Hey, it’s alright. Don’t worry about that, okay? I just want to focus on kissing and touching you. It’s all I’ve been able to think about lately, you’ve practically driven me to distraction.”

You looked up at your betrothed, who’s cheeks were equally as flushed and eyes equally as bright as your own. You thought about the first time he’d kissed you, beneath an apple tree in the orchard. You’d been scared then, and embarrassed too, but Edmund had guided you through it with as much patience and gentleness as anyone could have asked for. Since then, you knew you’d always be safe with him.

“Alright, I suppose I’ve caused you enough suffering for one day.”

Edmund laughed again, before bringing his mouth down to kiss your neck. You moaned, tilting your head to the side to give him better access, and this time when your hips bucked upwards, you didn’t feel as ashamed. It wasn’t long before he was tugging at your collar, trying to gain access to the tops of your breasts.

You slipped a hand between your bodies, doing the best you could to open the laces on your shirtfront despite the awkward angle. That was all the invitation Edmund needed. He began a trail of heated, open mouthed kisses along your collarbones, each one leaving a faint red mark in their wake. Your body felt as though it was on fire, pleasure and want coiling deep in your stomach.

Every sense you had was filled with Edmund, his smell, his taste, the feeling of his lips and fingers exploring your exposed torso. He touched you as though you were something precious, his personal goddess of love and beauty laid almost bear beneath him. You moaned his name over and over, like a prayer, begging your most devoted follower to offer all he had in the worship of your body and soul.

Edmund…Edmund…

“Edmund!”

The two of you split apart as though you had just been burned, Edmund scrambling to his feet while you hurriedly tried to arrange your shirtfront back into place. Above you stood Peter, every inch a High King with his face like thunder and the afternoon sunlight glinting off the peaks of his golden crown.

You kept your eyes trained to the ground, studying where the grass had been trampled0 beneath your footsteps earlier on. Any explanation for this was going to have to come from Edmund, your tongue had left you to fend for yourself and you wanted nothing more than for the training pitch to open up and swallow you up.

“Peter…I…we-” Edmund’s voice was shaky, sounding more like a little boy who’d been caught nicking sweets than a grown man of one and twenty.

“I have been looking for you. Everywhere.” Peter’s tone was even, but there was a biting inflection to each word that made you wince “The council. Has been looking for you.”

Edmund’s cheeks went from flushed to pale so quickly, you were afraid he might swoon.

“Oh God. The foreign policy meeting. Was that today?”

“Yes, Ed! It was hours ago, or would’ve been if you’d actually bothered to show up. I had a room of dignitaries and house representatives, some of them all the was from Calmoren, looking at me like I was the biggest fool ever to walk the face of the Earth, and asking where you were. As if I had any bloody idea!”

Peter’s shouts rang out through the air, clear and dripping with every ounce of disappointment the young king could muster. While his ire was directly entirely at Edmund, you couldn’t help the cold shock of guilt that was now settling in your stomach. Edmund had been distracted lately because of you, he’d even said so himself.

“I’m sorry!” you cried out suddenly, rising to your feet so you could take hold of Edmund’s hand “It’s my fault. He wanted to come and see me, that’s why he missed the meeting. I’m so sorry Pe- Your Highness.”

There was little change to Peter’s expression, saved for a single raised brow. However, his eyes seemed to soften ever so slightly as he looked you over, taking in your mussed shirt and hair, and the way you were clinging to Edmund’s arm.

“Who’s idea was it to come out here?”

You and Edmund exchanged a quick glance, but said not a word.

Peter let out a sigh that seemed to come from the soles of his boots, before trying again.

“Tell me. Whose idea was it?”

“Mine.” Edmund interjected, before you could even open your mouth in his defence “I said we were going to have sparring practice”

It was all Peter could do not to roll his eyes.

“Wonderful. Then you can be the one to explain to the council why the meeting was moved to next week.”

Any glib comment Edmund might have made in reply was silenced as Peter grabbed his brother by the collar, and proceeded to drag him off by the scruff like a misbehaving puppy. You watched as Edmund was frogmarched across the training pitch, Peter half carrying him as though Edmund wasn’t at least a good foot taller and wearing full plate armour. The look on the High King’s face told you that this was something he’d had more practice doing than he probably liked.

They were about halfway across the field when Edmund finally wrenched himself free from Peter’s grasp, which in turn caused some sort of argument to break out. You were too far away to hear clearly, but you caught a snippet or two, mostly Peter’s exasperated baritone saying something about “the wedding is in a month, just wait, would you?”

He punctuated that statement by cuffing Edmund around the ear, and though the younger man yelped in protest, he didn’t return the blow. You couldn’t help but chuckle softly, imagining that this was also most likely a scene that had frequently played out in Edmund’s life. He seemed to forgive Peter quickly, however, since he didn’t pull away when Peter then slung an arm across his shoulders.

Before long, the two of them were approaching the cluster of trees just before the path that would lead back to the castle courtyard. Just before they disappeared from view, Edmund turned back to face you, brought a hand to his mouth and mimed tossing a kiss to where you were waiting. You laughed, delighted, and returned your own volley of kisses, which Edmund then pretended to store in his pockets for later.

Edmund was a lot of things. Stubborn. Sarcastic, and well acquainted with a healthy sense of mischief. But in spite of all that, at least he was never boring.