#although of course friends can flirt in a friendly way but at a certain point it becomes hard to draw the line

[is-this-fascism]

is me and my best friend jokingly flirting but slightly also real flirting yuri?

yaknow this is how me and my girlfriend's relationship started so. let me know how that goes

[robininthelabyrinth]

I'm absolutely delighted your prompts are open! Your writing is amazing and always makes me smile, it's the best way to start the day along with a cup of coffee!

Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are given another chance at raising a child after a family is killed leaving only a young child behind. Lan Sizhui is delighted to have a baby sibling. Though everyone is more or less nervous about it (mostly be Wei Ying is a gremlin) but also there isn't any other options.

ao3

“It’ll be fine,” Jiang Cheng said, rolling his eyes. “Hanguang-jun raised Lan Sizhui, didn’t he? And he turned out fine.”

“I did,” Lan Sizhui said agreeably, then frowned. “I think I did, anyway.”

“Not to be a spoilsport, but, realistically speaking, how much raising did Hanguang-jun actually do with you?” Jin Ling asked, and held up his hands when Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi both glared at him. “I don’t mean any offense or anything! I’m serious. We know he was in seclusion those first few years, right? Who raised you then?”

Lan Sizhui thought about it. “Back in the beginning? Well…that was mostly Teacher Lan, I guess.”

“Teacher Lan’s the best,” Lan Jingyi said loyally, then added, “Well, other than that fondness he has for surprise quizzes. But that’s not applicable to parenting, is it?”

Lan Sizhui made a face that suggested that maybe it was, in some weird way, shape, or form.

“Teacher Lan, really?” Jiang Cheng asked, clearly getting drawn in despite his best intentions – as was often the case. There was a reason their little group swung by the Lotus Pier nearly as often as they did the Cloud Recesses and Jinlin Tower, despite Jin Ling not living there part of the year any longer. “Wasn’t he mostly in recovery for those injuries he got during the war? I would’ve figured Zewu-jun would’ve been more involved, wouldn’t he?”

“He was around sometimes, but no, it was mostly Teacher Lan,” Lan Sizhui said. “Zewu-jun was often busy – he was rebuilding the Lan sect –”

“I was rebuilding the Jiang sect! So what? I still raised Jin Ling, and he wasn’t even supposed to be here – I had to fight the Jin sect for months just to get the opportunity – ”

“Yes, jiujiu, we know!” Jin Ling said hastily. “You don’t have to tell that story again! You didn’t have to tell everyone that story in the first place!”

Jiang Cheng huffed. He was probably going to tell the story again whether they liked it or not.

“I think I see what you’re saying, Jin Ling,” Ouyang Zizhen put in, always a good fellow for throwing himself on a conversational sacrificial sword. “If Lan Sizhui was already a few years old when he was adopted, and then Teacher Lan raised him for the next three years, then he would’ve been old enough to be entered into the Cloud Recesses’ official junior classes by the time Hanguang-jun took charge of his education, right?”

“Yes, that’s what I meant, that’s it exactly!”

“What does it matter?” Lan Sizhui asked.

“Yeah! Hanguang-jun still raised him the rest of the way,” Lan Jingyi put in, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring. “Gave him lessons and tips and all that!”

“Isn’t that something he does as a sect senior anyway?”

“Well, yes, but it’s different for Sizhui, okay?”

“I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with that. After all, the person who teaches the most is the same as the parent, and being the person raising them is what matters no matter when they’re adopted,” Jin Ling said, with an eye on Jiang Cheng, who looked begrudgingly pleased. He looked begrudging all the time, though, so it was probably just pleased. “But my point is – once you were part of the lessons, even if he was raising you the rest of the time, you still already mostly had your personality down by then, right? We’ve never seen what someone raised entirely by Hanguang-jun from birth would be like.”

They all stopped to consider that.

“More than that,” Jin Ling continued. “This kid’ll be raised not just by Hanguang-jun, but by Hanguang-jun as he is now – after he and Senior Wei got together. You know?”

They did know.

“And of course, that’s all putting aside that the kid will be raised by Senior Wei himself, too…”

“Maybe we should start investing in defense talismans,” Jiang Cheng mused. “Because everything is going to explode. Everything.”

-

“Everything will not explode,” Lan Wangji said calmly.

“Are you sure?” Wei Wuxian asked. “Because I’m not sure, and I’m more likely to be involved in these hypothetical explosions than you are.”

“Mm. I’m certain.”

“But…”

“Wei Ying will be an excellent father,” Lan Wangji said, and his voice left no room for doubt.

“It’s easy for you to say,” Wei Wuxian whined, though he was smiling now. “You already have the experience of it! They say that it’s easier the second time, when you know what to expect…”

“Do not tell lies,” Lan Qiren said mildly. He was looking over some of Wei Wuxian’s notes – he’d insisted on any new inventions passing through a sanctioned approval process before they were put into practice and had volunteered himself to review them, a matter that had caused Wei Wuxian no end of stress until he realized that Lan Qiren really did intend to approve anything that met his standards and, moreover, understood musical cultivation enough to understand what he was driving at with most of them, even the esoteric ones, at which point Wei Wuxian gotten extremely enthusiastic about the whole thing.

This didn’t mean that they were friends or anything, but they’d at least formed some sort of tentative truce.

Most of the time, anyway.

Wei Wuxian squinted at his old teacher suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying that it’s not easier the second time?”

“I am only saying that I have experience in raising a child not my own,” Lan Qiren pointed out, and Wei Wuxian nodded, slightly abashed; he knew that the old man had basically raised Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen, of course, although sometimes he forgot. “The first child I raised was Xichen and his personality as a child was much as it was as an adult: gentle, amiable, friendly, obedient.”

That made sense. Wei Wuxian nodded.

“The second child I raised was Wangji,” Lan Qiren said. “He bit people.”

Wei Wuxian burst out laughing.

Lan Wangj virtuously ignored them both, continuing to write a letter without the slightest hint of embarrassment – even his ears hadn’t turned red. What a shame!

“I can testify to that myself,” Wei Wuxian giggled, leering at his husband in the hopes of getting a rise out of him. “He’s still a biter – for certain lucky people.”

“He was a lot less discriminating when he was younger,” Lan Qiren said, and Wei Wuxian winced, abruptly remembering that Lan Wangji’s uncle was, in fact, still in the room. Luckily it was pretty easy to flirt around Lan Qiren, who didn’t seem to notice most of the time, but it was still a bit awkward. “And I once succumbed to temptation and gave him mixed messages, which I believe made it worse.”

That sounded like a story.

“He gave me a candy after I bit Sect Leader Jin,” Lan Wangji clarified, which made Wei Wuxian start laughing again. “He did not expect me to remember. I remembered. Nor did I allow him to forget about it.”

“It is easy to make mistakes while raising a child,” Lan Qiren said, ignoring Wei Wuxian’s cackling. “But if one means well, and tries hard to do the right thing, children are very forgiving – usually.”

Despite his best efforts to remain neutral, Lan Wangji’s eyes curved slightly in a smile. Wei Wuxian felt his heart go all warm and melty all over again.

“This is true regardless of whether it is the first or second child,” Lan Qiren added. “I have confidence that you will both do fine.”

“We will,” Wei Wuxian proclaimed. “With parents like me and Lan Zhan, how could the kid go wrong? And we’ll even try to avoid too many explosions!”

“Please do. One Lan Jingyi is enough for the Cloud Recesses.”

“You know, I was wondering – how did you end up with him being quite so…hmm…”

“Oh?” Lan Qiren said, and Wei Wuxian noted to his amusement that Lan Wangji straightened in back in sudden alarm despite Lan Qiren’s extremely nonchalant tone. “Have you not met Lan Yueheng yet? I must introduce you when he returns –”

“Perhaps not,” Lan Wangji said, sounding a little worried.

Worried, in this case, meant fun.

“No, I think I definitely need to meet this person – Lan Zhan, stop batting at me! I know exactly what I’m doing…”

-

Wen Ning looked down at the baby with which he had been entrusted.

“I don’t have any idea what I’m doing,” he confessed.

The baby gurgled.

“I think Wei-gongzi may have been thinking more about ‘babysitter that doesn’t need to sleep and has inexhaustible energy’ and less about ‘is this person qualified to take care of a baby’.”

More gurgling.

“I just wanted to apologize in advance.”

The baby yawned.

“…right then.” Wen Ning straightened up. Someone was going to have to raise this child, and based on how distractable Wei Wuxian was when he was around Lan Wangji and visa versa, it looked like it was going to have to be him. “Let’s do this.”

[spilledkauffie]

SFW (Fluff) Alphabet · Zemo

List made by @caitlinpotter || Sorry I’ve been so absent this week; I promise I have content for the weekend!

*xFemale!Reader || NSFW Alphabet ❤︎

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Quite affectionate— he loves giving you affection, and it’s all across the board with him. It can be from soft sweet touches to actual affectionate actions done for you.

Full HC list on this soon! ✧

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend?)

Literally the best— for starters he’s super loyal, because if you’re truly friends with him he’s not giving up on you easily. Your friendship wasn’t exactly easy to get to, mostly thanks to his profession, but once you’re in, you’re in. 

100% defensive of you— anyone tries to come at you in any negative way, he’s got a comeback to absolutely destroy them. Also, having someone of his reputation around can be beneficial for when you want to be left alone, as he seems to intimidate people a little bit.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

When you cuddle him— he loves it when you just come over without saying a word and cuddle up next to him, he doesn’t ask questions he just lets you get as close and be as cute as you want. Sometimes he has to chuckle at just how physically needy you are, like absolutely burying your face against his back, nuzzling softly, with your arms around him in an attempt to get his attention / also loves waking up to you cuddled right up against him.

When he cuddles you— he can just tell when you need it, so often times he reaches out for your hands with a “come on, come here,” naturally, you give in, he pulls you into a hug, slightly rocking you back and forth. It’s a lot of soft touches and feathery kisses.

↳ if you’re lying on your stomach, he’ll lie down with you. Resting his head on the small of your back, brushing his fingers across or down your back, sometimes he places soft kisses against your skin, which always gets your attention. You either: 1). turn on to your side, he hooks and arm between you legs and uses your thigh as a pillow. 2). you lay on your back, letting him rest against your stomach, gradually he makes his way up to give the corner of your lips a kiss.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they around the house?)

For sure— it’s not long before you’re practically living with him. Now that you’re in his life, he wants you around for everyday life; what is his very soon becomes yours. You picked up on it when he started to suggest “why don’t you stay here... tonight? And maybe tomorrow?” more often.

Around the house— he’s quite casual. You never feel expected to get up at a certain hour (regardless that he gets up early), you’re never expected to be downstairs and dressed immediately, it’s more of a calm atmosphere that lets you wake up. You don’t constantly have to be around each other, he knows space is important. Sometimes it’s just doing your own things in the same room in silence together. Despite the status of Baron, he behaves like your average individual around the house, he likes to do things himself.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

It’s actually really hard for him— it’d have to be in person though, as hard as it would be. For starters it would take a lot for him to actually call it over, he’s extremely patient and an expert at working things out with you, because he truly doesn’t want to it end.

↳ a most likely situation for ending it would be that he can’t guarantee your safety due to whatever he’s getting himself into, and he’d rather make the call to let you go than to have no choice in truly losing you because of his own dangerous choices. 

He’d leave it open though— sitting across from him, you stay quiet after both coming to the conclusion that it’s over. However, he leaves you with: “if you ever need anything, in any way. . .” you nod, a few tears falling as you stay silent, staring forward. Coming over to you, he softly wipes a tear away, kissing your temple, whispering, “I’m sorry,” before walking away.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

He’s definitely committed in the relationship— ring or no ring, if you’re in a relationship with him he’s all in, not the type of person to just have a fling here and there. It’s total dedication to you, and you only. 

Considering he’s done it once before—there’s a lot of past memories surrounding the topic of marriage for him, which is why there’s probably going to be a good amount of time together before any proposal. He just wants to be sure, plus there needs to be time to talk everything out before rushing into anything. 

↳ when the time does come though, it’s a mad romantic, but personal proposal, with the most gorgeous ring in the world.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Physically— he’s super soft with you. He never wants to startle you, it’s always what you’re comfortable with. Touches are more than just flirtatious with him, they can be comforting, encouraging, supporting, etc. (He also knows what you’re not comfortable with as well so he can avoid it)

Emotionally— it’s a little more complicated. With your emotions he’s super gentle and understanding, always. He listens to anything and everything you say or just need to vent. He doesn’t interrupt and only gives his thoughts when you ask for them. He never intends to hurt you feeling either, he’s very careful. However, with his own emotions however, he’s a little harsher. He doesn’t really like to show any of the more complicated emotions. And doesn’t always give himself much grace for feeling certain ways, he tends to repress.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? What are their hugs like?)

Only from you— he doesn’t really like other people getting friendly, unless he really really knows them, even then it’s different. He doesn’t get physical with other people unless it’s a “move— you’re in my way,” situation, but that doesn’t count as friendly.

Extremely handsy— he love to bring his arms around you, so he can completely hold you whilst hugging you. Whether it’s around your waist, shoulders, hips, etc., just depends how the hug is done. He also tends to stroke his hands when hugging you, up and down your arms, back, sides, thighs, wherever.

↳ he likes to nuzzle against your neck, during front or back hugs, with the bridge of his nose, or his lips. He also gives tender kisses while he has you so close. Not kisses with other intentions, just sweet loving kisses that make you smile. Sometimes he brings his hand under your jaw, to tilt your head just enough so he can kiss your lips.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

It takes time, but it’s not forever— when he knows he will tell you with no hesitation. He doesn’t debate telling you or worry about it being too bold, nope, he means it when he says it and he says it when he means it.

He also says it in different ways— it’s not always “those three words,” through his gestures and other phrases you hear I love you a lot.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Not if it’s someone you’ve known before him— he’s not intimidated by pervious friendships that predate your relationship. 

When people flirt with you knowing he’s with you— he gets real jealous, real fast. Given that fancy occasions are kind of a routine thing, you’re around a lot of other people who want to flirt with you, and often do pretty openly. It’s rare that Zemo ever leaves your side, which helps, but that doesn’t stop people from trying, which he hates. Typically he just tries to keep you physically near, so he can be there to prevent it.

↳ one time he left to get you a drink and an old rival of his found you. Trying to be polite you remained in conversation, feeling fine until he caressed your shoulder. Almost immediately Zemo was back at your side. Handing you your drink civilly, with a “here you are, Darling,” he then glared at the man standing across from you. Not so subtly, Zemo slipped his arm around you, literally pushing off the unwanted hand and replacing it with his own. You leaned into him more, attempting to make a point, as Zemo continued giving a half smile half glare.

He doesn’t do much about it in aftermath— he’ll calmly admit to you that he was jealous, but he also gets you with “I understand why people want to talk, flirt, and be with you,” he shrugs, “you’re beautiful, they’d have to be blind not to see that, but yes,” he tilts his head, “but. . . I have to admit, there’s part of me that wants that only to myself, of course.” It makes you smile how calm he tries to keep himself, despite the frustration. It’s usually you who actually does anything after these type of conversations though.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Lightly running fingers up your neck— when he’s kissing you, he traces his fingers slowly up the side of your neck, until he reaches your jaw, there he strokes his thumb across your jawline.

Holding your hand— sometimes when you’re flirting with him, you like to get as close as possible without touching, he knows the game and subtly slips his fingers between yours, then he goes in for the kiss. He can feel your smile and your hands hold his tighter as you give in.

Hand kisses— he gives these whenever, wherever, and however often he can. It’s a cute way of showing affection in a very classy way. He uses them as hello / goodbye greetings, although typically you require more than a kiss on the hand for saying goodbye.

Soft, but turns into more— it starts out as a super sweet gentle kiss, but slowly you can feel it deepen, to which you usually break the kiss with a smile, “Helmut,” you laugh, holding onto his arms around you, as he moves his mouth to your neck, “I don’t have time for this,” you try to stop giggling.

As for himself— he loves the taste of you lips, so every time you kiss him, he adores it. However, there is a sweet spot at the base of his neck, that when you kiss there makes him stop mid sentence.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Fantastic— he’s actually perfect with kids. Maybe it’s past experience that plays into it, but he’s so sweet with kids. When they accidentally run into him, he gives a “be careful, little one,” before stepping out of their way. Something you’ve noticed is that he talks to them like they’re little adults, which is adorable.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Staying in bed— one way or another one of you convinces the other to stay in bed. Sometimes it’s him asking you to stay just a little bit longer, when you can’t, he understands and watches you get dressed, asking what your day looks like. / Other times it’s you compelling him that it’d be more fun to stay and cuddle with you.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Relaxing— it’s a calm, safe, and warm environment when you can both just relax from the day in each other’s arms. Sometimes you’ll lean back against him and ask what he’s reading, when he says Machiavelli, you smile and get cozy, “perfect, that sends me right off,” you close your eyes as he begins to read aloud.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

He’s not an open book— there’s a lot of history with him, some good, but also some bad. Even before the whole campaign to end Super Soldiers, he has a bit of a shady past, with his own military exploits. Some he’s made amends with, others he hasn’t.

Depends how much you already know— if you already know a good amount about him, 1). he’ll ask to even the playing field, so he can know you equally as well 2). he doesn’t mind you asking questions since you’re already aware of his general history.

Surface level stuff— interests, fascinations, favourite this-or-thats, he’s pretty open about though! He doesn’t mind sharing or talking about any of the casual topics about himself, it’s just the more personal stuff that takes time.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He’s extremely patient— The only way you would know is by a facial expression. His looks give him away more than his words or attitude does.  

↳ if you’re not getting along, he’s the first to apologise, and it’s not an “I’m sorry” end of conversation apology. It’s a well thought out apology, because you don’t argue about the little stuff, it’d have to be something big to get you at odds for a while.

Silently frustrated— even if he gets mad, he keeps his cool in circumstances. Never raises his voice, his tone just gets a little deeper.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He remembers everything— seriously, he does not forget anything. You’re his number one priority, so of course he pays attention. Even if there’s something you just mention at random, he’ll remember it. Say you mention how you used to have/like/want something, there’s a good chance it’s showing up again.

He also asks— he’s genuinely curious about you and wants to know as much as he can about the person he’s in love with. So, he loves childhood stories, random details, and little quirks about you.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

The moment you said those three words— when you know everything about him, his past, his lifestyle, and you still decided to say I love you. And you still standing by it even though it meant waiting for him.

He also loves remembering the first time he saw you— he says he could never forget it, it was like a divine beauty just walked in.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you?)

Veryyy— he’s extremely protective of you, but not overbearing, he’s good a being distantly or subtly protective. In other words in public / at events / new places he keeps an eye on you, even if it’s from a distance.

He will literally do anything— there’s no limit with how far he’d go to protect you from anything or anyone, even if he knows he’s outmatched, he’ll find a way.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Dates— he puts a lot of effort into them, mainly trying to make it a perfect yet comfortable setting. So if you like quiet restaurants, that’s what he’ll find. If you like outdoors, he’ll find a stunning walkthrough garden, etc.

Celebrations— it’s always extravagant and grand and beautiful whenever you’re celebrating anything with him. He wants you to feel like the royalty he believes you are.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

How easy criminal life is for him lol— you love the fact that he surprised you with a real classic art piece for your birthday, but the exact details on how he got it isn’t as pretty. You frequently ask if there’s any other way he could make a living.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He’s not vain— despite the fancy and classy lifestyle, he’s never thought himself as an individual of great beauty. He likes beautiful things, which is why he says he was so attracted to you, but personally he doesn’t think much of himself.

He cares though— it’s not like he doesn’t care whatsoever, which is why he’ll usually ask you “what do you think of this?” in regards to fashion. He wants to look nice for you, and he knows how to do that. But he’s not the guy to check himself in the mirror, or constantly fret about his looks.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

He doesn’t need a relationship— but that’s what makes your so special. Since he’s not the type to just constantly need someone to feel complete, the fact that he does need you make you and your relationship all the more important to him.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

He can crash literally anywhere— you’ve found him on the couch, on the floor, in a chair, and you have no idea why it’s a habit of his, but it is! And you have definitely addressed him about it before.

↳ walking in to his study, you found him asleep on the floor between the couch and coffee table, shaking your head and crouching down, you woke him up. Looking up to you, you asked, “Helmut, why are you sleeping on the floor?” / “Hmm- wh- I’m not on the floor, you’re on the floor,” he states sitting up, brining you into a hug with him.

[kung-laos-hat]

Kiss Me

Kung Lao x Fem!Reader

AN: Kung Lao, my beloved. Wrote this while listening to Kiss Me More by Doja Cat ft. SZA, banger song. Not proof read yet‼️

Summary: Who doesn’t like when a little friendly rivalry turns into something more?

“You ready to meet your match this time?” Kung Lao chuckled, adjusting his footing and placing a hand on the tip of his hat.

“Course’ I am Lao,” (Y/n) huffed, getting into position, “When they get here make sure to let me know, yeah?”

This had become a daily occurrence. After dinner time, when lessons and training were done for the evening, the three of them would return to the court and cash in on a little sparring. It was their odd way of spending time together outside of missions, plus with the grand tournament coming up, they could use the extra practice.

Usually they had a rotation system that went Liu versus (Y/n), then (Y/n) versus Lao, then Liu versus Lao. They would rest a little after each match, then continue on per usual. However today’s session was going a little different.

Yesterday, (Y/n) had won against Lao and was so proud of her achievement she couldn’t help but rub it in, and Lao, being the prideful young man he was, demanded a rematch. He claimed the mission he’d gone on earlier that day had screwed him over physically. (Y/n) agreed to it, and now here they were.

“3...2...1... fight!” Liu Kang called out from the top on the stairs leading into the main hallway. As the pair lunged at each other, causing reddish brown puffs of dirt to fly off of the ground, he calmly sat and observed.

Minutes passed, and neither party seemed to have even made a scratch on the other. However, an impressive amount of blocking was being done by Kung Lao currently, so Liu assumed the victory would go to (Y/n). The girl had a giddy smile plastered across her face, and it seemed like she, too, expected the victory to be hers.

Liu turned to the side and reached for his water, but noticed he hadn’t brought any with him. He sighed and stood up.

“I’m going to fetch some water from the kitchen. Continue on, but please don’t wreck anything or kill each other. Master will have a fit and then I’ll receive part of the blame for not monitoring you two properly.” Liu said.

“Expect to come back to my—,” (Y/n) began before dodging a kick, “Another one of my victories!”

“Fat chance!”

Previous to all of this, the two friends already had some sort of tension between them. It started off as a friendly rivalry, competing for trifling things such as the last egg roll or using the bathroom first in the morning. But as the years passed, the competitons began to become more... personal. And so did the bickering. Somehow (Y/n) and Lao shifted from “if you don’t shut up I’m gonna kick your ass” to “if you don’t shut up, I’m gonna make you.”

Nevertheless, the three of them quite enjoyed their dynamic (despite Liu Kang shooting knowing looks at the two individually).

Now (Y/n) had Kung Lao backed into a corner with her (weapon/power) held against his neck. Lao strained his neck upwards, his left arm holding his hat behind his back.

“That was the saddest block I’ve seen all day, Lao. Do you yield yet?” (Y/n) smirked triumphantly.

He glanced down at her and huffed. “Watch your tongue, (Y/n).”

He swiftly slid his foot under her, knocking her off her feet, and brought his hat back up to his head before disappearing into the ground. He reappeared behind her and attempted to pin her to the ground, but she jumped up and tackled the boy, landing with her legs straddling Lao’s right one and her hand on his chest.

“You’re so predictable these days,” (Y/n) laughed.

Lao propped himself up on his elbows, “You’re only saying that because you’ve gotten used to my moves.”

“Maybe you should take some time away from me,” (Y/n) jeered, “Y’know, and learn some better ones.”

Lao furrowed his eyebrows, “God, if you don’t stop flapping your mouth—,”

“You’re trapped under me, what are you gonna do? Kiss me?” She laughed.

Lao brought his leg up and forcefully kicked her off, sending her tumbling across the court. (Y/n) jumped onto her feet, narrowly avoiding hitting the wall.

“If you keep that up I just might.” Lao teased.

“You wouldn’t have the nerve,” (Y/n) lunged at him again.

Lao used his hat to block her attack and landed a solid kick to her side. “Is that a challenge?”

God, every word that came out of the girl’s mouth was beginning to get him fired up. He could feel his chest begin to tingle with a mix of excitement and anxiety. What if (Y/n) genuinely wanted to kiss him? If he tried, would she pull away? Kung Lao had always been the bolder of the two, but still.

Kung Lao charged at her and grabbing her hands, holding them behind her back with one hand before she could fully regain her footing. With his other hand he grasped the collar of her top and pulling her closer to his body. (Y/n) was paralyzed by this sudden action and her breath hitched. She looked up at Lao with uncertainty, the color of her cheeks turning redder than the fabric Liu Kang tied around his head.

Lao’s hand trailed up to her face, holding the side of her jaw with his pointer and middle finger while his thumb traced circles over her lower lip. Lao was looking directly into her eyes now.

“Just say the word and I will, (Y/n).” His tone was quieter and more serious than ever before.

(Y/n)’s mouth quivered. It felt like her brain had entirely blanked and she couldn’t find anything clever to respond with.

“I— I... I yield!” She cried, quickly pulling away in embarrassment.

(Y/n) ran up the stairs just as Liu Kang returned. She nodded to him in acknowledgment, but continued to rush off to her room.

Liu stopped and glanced from her retreating figure to his cousin who stood along in the court.

“So... who won?” He cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Kung Lao buried his face in his hands.

———

The next couple of days seemed incredibly off to everyone. (Y/n) went out of her way to avoid interacting with Kung Lao, and vice versa. Lao’s thoughts were just too jumbled for him to approach her, no matter how much he wanted a confirmation on whether she felt the same or not, and (Y/n) was having a difficult time making sense of Lao’s actions.

What would happen if they did like each other? Although at this point, neither of them were sure if “like” was the correct term to use. (Y/n) was certain up until then that Kung Lao had meant everything was a joke and simply took this one a little too far. The insults, the flirting, all of it had been a joke, right? That was their silent agreement. Lao would never do anything with the intention of... well... getting to (Y/n), per say. Their intentions with eachother had always been purely platonic.

But was that really the truth in (Y/n)’s case? Or had she been ignorant to her own feelings towards the boy all along? Is that why she couldn’t stand to look him in the eye now? What if she really was in—

“(Y/n)! Master wants me to accompany him somewhere, so I can’t make it tonight.” Liu called out as he jogged to catch up with the girl.

She blinked, “Oh, it’s alright Liu, we can reschedule for another night then.”

He stretched his arms over his head. “Why don’t you use the time to catch up with Kung Lao? It seems like you two hardly got to spend time together this week.”

(Y/n) blushed and began to shift her feet uncomformably, “Lao and I— we’re- I haven’t...” She sighed, “I’m not exactly in the mood to talk to him any time soon.”

Liu frowned, “It isn’t my place to speak in the matter, and I’m not sure what went down between you two, but If Lao said something I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

The girl groaned and leaned her head back. “That’s what I’m afraid of...” She mumbled.

Liu placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair, then placed both of his hands on her shoulders.

“You’re a smart girl, I’m sure you two will be back on track eventually. Remember: a little communication goes a long way.”

She nodded, “You’re right, I know. I’ll try to sort it out.”

___

Now, Kung Lao was completely crumbling over why (Y/n) had pushed him away. He believed that (Y/n) felt something for him, he was sure of it, and he’d been searching for an opportunity to pursue her for months. So when she jokingly asked if he would kiss her, how could he have resisted?

It was an impulsive decision, he admitted, but he was so sure she felt the same that he thought it didn’t matter. Maybe he should have been more forward and confessed his feelings for her in a different setting.

Buuuuut it was too late now. He blew it. And now she was avoiding him. He was a fool to assume such things about her.

Lao signed and threw himself done on his bed, sprawling his arms and legs out dramatically.

“Cousin? I’m heading out soon, I came to say goodbye—,” Liu’s voice faltered when he saw the state of his friend. He stifled a laugh. “Y’know, if you if this is effecting you so badly, why not just apologize and talk to her?”

Lao’s head shot up in alarm. “Oh no, how much did she tell you!?”

Liu laughed, “Little to nothing, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t noticed the strange energy between you two lately.”

Lao groaned and sat up.

“Heed my advice, and stop moping around, Lao.” Liu patted the other young man’s shoulder before setting off to find their master.

___

A few hours passed and Kung Lao finally felt like he had the right words to explain how he felt to (Y/n). Yes, he’d spent hours cooped up in his room, scribbling his thoughts down on paper until he ultimately decided it was best to be direct. The poor girl was probably confused enough as it was.

It was settled then. He’d talk to her tomorrow after training and lessons, but right now it was probably best to focus on dinner.

He silently walked down the main hall and towards the kitchen. He was sheet he staff had already cleaned up dinner, and seeing as he wasn’t present to eat with the others, it was likely they didn’t bother to prepare him a plate.

Lao opened the door but froze in his tracks at the sight of (Y/n) standing in front of the counter, her shirt stained with the remnants of assorted ingredients. She staggered back at the sight of him in the door way. Lao’s eyes strayed to a small tray of egg rolls and a few other dishes.

“Kung Lao,” She breathed out.

He cleared his throat. “That seems a little excessive for a late night snack.”

“Oh this—,” (Y/n) glanced to the tray and back at him, “You weren’t at dinner, and I didn’t expect you to come to the kitchen... it was supposed to be a secret.”

“I see.” Kung Lao was silent for a moment. “Oh. OH— this is,” He gestured to the tray awkwardly, “for me...”

(Y/n) pursed her lips and nodded, glancing down at the floor. The two of them stood without a word for a moment, anxiety building up in their stomachs. Neither of them wanted to be the first to break the silence, and yet both of them had so much to say.

“I’m sorry.” (Y/n) mumbled at last. “I took our usual teasing too far last time, and I shouldn’t have avoided you—,”

“I wanted to kiss you.” Kung Lao blurted out. “I still do. And wanted you to want me to kiss you.”

“Kung Lao, the jokes we made were fun and all—,”

“Well, I’m not playing around anymore, (Y/n). This time it isn’t a joke.” The serious look he had on the other day had returned.

“So...,” (Y/n) began, barely a whisper, “what are you saying?”

Kung Lao exhaled heavily and furrowed his brows. “How can I be any more transparent right now!?” He growled, “I’m in love with you, (Y/n).”

It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted off of both of their chests in that moment.

(Y/n) smiled and wasted no time to wrap her arms around Kung Lao’s neck and press her lips against his. He kissed back without hesitation and wrapped his arms around her body shamelessly. Kung Lao deepened the kiss, and their lips moved together feverently, as if this was something they’d both been yearing for for a while.

When they finally separated, (Y/n) rested her head in the crook of Lao’s neck, sighing happily.

“You know what? I think I just might be in love with you too, Lao.”

[yanderecandystore]

Black and Red take the advantage of Buddy being gone to flirt and drop hints about wanting to have another child with the s/o. Blacks wants to have the s/o be in a relationship now while Red wants to wait a bit more. Also I hope you feel better! Self care is best care :o - Cold Anon

Wow, I loved when I received both of your requests because like- Oh shit this fits so well!

If y'all don't mind, let's make this a complete Headcanon with both of your requests!

TW/Tags: NSFW // Forced relationship // dubcon (I don't condone this actions irl, so please read this with caution if the subject triggers/harms you in anyway) // Poly/Threesome (although it's only like half mentioned because I took way too long to write this lmao) // if you're confused on what is going on, you may want to check this [🧃] // delusional thinking and manipulation // non gender specific yandere boys and female reader just cause I'm kinda want to to make this one female just because- // swearing

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Thank God the walls are soundproof [Yandere!Among Us x F!Reader - Headcanon]:

Okay but let's first have a real talk, like- Imagine your alien dog just went missing out of nowhere, and then these hoes come in and say some shit about "family" and "mating" and all that jazz-

Bitch, my dog just ran away, control your horniness-

I think that they have been up to this point pretty much saying "we dig you, like a lot!" but also making it seem like it's nothing too serious?

Since they know you're unaware of their true feelings and intentions, it felt only right to give you some time and ease you in this relationship as quickly and smoothly as possible. Some flirting and constant compliments should have done the trick, yet you weren't really understanding what they meant with it.

You thought it was weird to see two people suddenly expressing so much affection to you despite the fact they were both married to each other and that you never felt like the type of person to attract people, so seeing two people to openly flirt with you made you think they were only joking around.

It could be their little thing, right? Flirting with other people in front of one another? Yeah, that could be it-

Of course you have assumed the possibility of them being polyamorous and are trying to call you to their family and form a triad, but then again, sounds kinda hard to believe, right? Two people wanting so badly to be with you? Sounds like something straight up out of a fantasy story.

Although, you couldn't lie that you kinda wish it to be true, since they were very pleasant to be around and well… You found them attractive and pretty charming in a weird way. Their romance with one another seemed so passionate and pure that you felt a little jealous and maybe craving a little bit of their attention.

I guess you tried your best to stay oblivious to their advantages either unconsciously or just defensively, as it can be quite shocking to receive so much attention out of nowhere from those two.

They always seemed so… I don't know, in their own little world….

After Buddy had disappeared, their presence had started to seem more stronger, it was so oddly coincidental how they started to act more friendly than ever towards you after Buddy disappeared.

You shouldn't be so suspicious of them, after all, it was only common sense that people would start to be friendlier and start comforting you after a tragedy.

Yet, you still doubted them, and right now you realize exactly why. Their weird attachment to you was starting to make a lot of sense.

It was the third time you had a breakdown after Buddy disappeared, and it's been the third time that they helped you by "comforting you out", even though you don't feel necessarily more comfortable by their constant caresses and odd words- they keep going on and on about how things will get better soon, that you'll be part of bigger family that promises to cherish you and never abandon you.

And although their words were strange and oddly soothing considering that you felt lonely due to your sweet boy running away, you still felt odd about their exact words and expressions that were thrown at you, but you disguised it as "being their awkward way of showing affection". Because it's a lot easier to lie to yourself than to admit that you were surrounded by possibly dangerous people, it was easier to believe that Buddy was going to come back anytime soon than to admit that the possibility of him already being dead was possible.

But sometimes reality will pull your hazy brain to observe the intriguing situation you found yourself in, since you were still a little hazed by the constant crying and the despair you felt for your best friend, it took you some to realize them both cuddling with you and placing small kisses here and there.

Either you had ignored/blocked out the feeling of invasive touches and phrases that were so off the rails, that even if they sugar coated their speech you would still feel threatened by it, or you were simply disassociating from this particular event.

Who would've guessed that being locked in your own room all day with only two people to talk with has started to make you crave their attention? You just felt like letting them touch you and say nice things despite how it felt…. Weird.

You started to feel guilty, to feel awkward whenever they praised you and touched you a little more roughly in more private areas. You felt good yet awful, you felt like this situation was wrong but it did feel right in some weird way.

You felt ashamed of their soft voices- Or more accurately, Red's soft voice and Black's deep breaths covering your skin with each kiss. They seemed to be on their own little worlds, just like you were a couple of seconds ago.

When you tried to free yourself and get up, Red took the opportunity to make you sit in their lap facing your back to them, they shushed you as you noticed Black felt a bit sad at your sudden reaction. You weren't expecting to be stopped from getting away from their hold which made you feel wary of the situation.

You've let them pamper you for too long, you've let them touch you and crave you for way too long. Black took the fact you were stuck on their partner's lap and decided to take a bite for themselves. A deep kiss that although heavenly sweet to them, it tasted bitter and provoked you to start wriggling against Red to get away from their hold. This was starting to be suffocating.

Yet nothing, they didn't let you, they chuckled at your struggles just like a person would chuckle at an infant playing around and trying to get their attention. Red whispered sweet nothings while Black seemed to be enjoying licking your skin, from your shoulder to your neck, it felt good yet somehow a little too… Good? There was something like desperation starting to appear in Black's breathing, their licks felt sloppy and the sounds coming from deep in their chest made your mind hazy, made your body crave more of this mix of rough and soft touches coming from them both.

Yet your mind told you otherwise, your conscious kept telling you about more important things that you should be worrying about. You felt like this was not exactly what you wanted at the moment, but your body was betraying your own thoughts as you felt yourself getting just as needy as them.

You still told Red you felt like this was happening too fast for your comfort, yet they only told you to relax and enjoy the view.

The "view" was Black getting more and more agitated, they seemed high out of their mind if not completely lost in their own instinct. Drooling like an animal, breathing like they have runned up a hill, and although there was only lust and admiration in their eyes, there was something in that frantic laugh that made you feel like there was something else in their hearts.

"- Black, we talked about this… Look at her, your scaring [Y/N], babe." Red said while pushing Black to back off a little, without putting too much pressure, just telling them to get back a little.

Black didn't take it personally yet still whined like a lost puppy. Black surprisingly hasn't said much considering the situation you were all in, you would at least hope for them to say something, yet they couldn't make any comprehensive sounds except for growling and heavy breathing.

"- Can you see it, [Y/N]? It's so adorable when they get like this, it's even better if you let them get impatient, not like you'll have to wait much, they're simply too easy to please, you know?" Red giggled into your ear as Black was grinding the bed like a desperate dog in heat, which still scared you a bit-

How hungry their eyes looked made you squirm and distance yourself from them, which led to Red holding you tighter since you were getting closer to them. It felt like it was normal for them, this sort of ritual, and you just seemed to get yourself involved in, not knowing how to respond to anything.

"- Uhn- R-Red- I…. I think we should go to sleep already-" You said, it was indeed very late, and you were starting to feel like not being part of this- Something was very, very off, your gut told you that much as you started feeling pretty nauseous.

"- So soon? Are you feeling nervous darling? I did tell a certain someone that they should have been more patient, yet they said they couldn't wait any longer-" Red said, mentioning Black who was flustered and angry at how their partner seemed to act so casually about their "condition".

"- But I don't think you need to worry your little head, after it we can go to sleep together, okay?" Red answered you while nuzzling your neck, now they noticed how much they were craving this moment, yet still not as much as their shape shifting partner.

"- No! I-I mean- Shouldn't you two sleep in your own rooms- I think the others would get suspicious of three people sleeping in the same bed." You managed to stutter out, yet you felt like your words had caused more harm than it should have.

Black growled in a more animalistic manner while also hitting their hands in the bed to try to take your attention, their expression was of anger mixed with disappointment.

Red just sighed and shook their head, they put their hand in your face and guided you to look at them, their tone sounded patronizing and disappointed.

"- It's that really what you're worried about? What other people think… This has nothing to do with anyone but us, love. So please try to focus on the now instead of how they'll react. And besides, we wouldn't want to miss this opportunity, now would we?" They said while kissing you just as passionately as Black did. Yet you didn't get what Red meant with that, so you obviously asked.

To which they didn't really respond, just hugged you again after slowly pulling away and saying:

"- Normally we have to wait up to six in six months to get their next heat, but apparently it came earlier than it should have! Isn't this beautiful darling? It's like all the stars have been perfectly aligned for us to be together." Red squeaked excitedly about the pattern of luck they've been having lately! First started with your dog disappearing, then it went to you being more comfortable with them around you, to you downright accepting being part of their family!-

The truth was actually rather bitter, you didn't really agree to any of these and you seemed to have tried to get out whenever you could, but both Red and Black took your lack of response as a sign of acceptance rather than anything else. Why else would you let them cuddle you three times in a roll, if not because of love? Why would you let them kiss you, if not because of love?

"- It's going to be so much fun adding two new members to the family, don't you think love?" Red spoke once again although not really towards you, but rather to their very attentive partner that was fuming with the idea of a new kid ever since their heat began about three days ago.

Thanks whatever cosmic entity to have granted them not only the privilege of holding you for so long during this time of need you were facing, but to also have gifted them this marvelous opportunity. Their species are fertile only periodically, it's not like they can do this any time they want, so to be in heat while your stupid bodyguard is missing it's a fucking miracle.

Yet I guess it would be really rude to mention that to you in person, after all you did love that mutt with all your heart, so-

Well, it's not like Black can express how desperately they want to pounce on you, they go through a thembofication when they're needy like this, besides- What good are words if they can simply let their moans filled the room and let it clear through actions how fucking long they have been craving this.

Your dog would have smelled them a lot sooner and tried to warn you about this, he could have prevented this but it seems like he ditched you, which is so unfair, none of them would ever leave you alone, but who cares about Buddy anymore, right? They're pretty sure that after you have a baby you'll forget him, because children and dogs are literally the same thing, ask Mini Red about it-

The fear that overcomes you when seeing them take off their disguise through your very eyes it's both heartbreaking and a little exciting. It's horrible for Black to see you screaming and trying to get out of the room despite the fact the door is locked tight and the walls being soundproof, were you really that disturbing that you couldn't handle?

Or maybe you realized who has been going around, ya know, eating people? And you thought you would be one too, which seemed to be the first time both of them understood what your worries were.

"- Oh no darling, don't worry okay! Shh- Everything it's fine- Look, we know this is sudden but it only felt right to show you the truth right now. You understand that right?"

Red tried to calm you down while simultaneously putting more fear in your heart.

"- Let me go! I-I- don't want anything to do with- With that thing! Or even you for that matter!" You spat venom at them while you squirmed in the mattress as Red was holding your arms and Black was holding your legs from kicking them.

So much hatred in only one sentence, truthfully, this wasn't going to go so well.

For you, that is.

You'll see that you love them, you see that this pity party you're throwing is absolutely ridiculous, weren't you kissing and whimpering at their touch five seconds ago? Honestly dear, hypocrisy doesn't look good on you.

But maybe you just need to relax a little, and let someone take care of you. Clearly the disappearance of "Whatever his name was" took you by surprise and made a big impact in your consciousness, but after proving you how much they have to offer, surely you'll understand their point of view.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

[sinnergetreadymp3]

CHAMERON FIC CHAMERON FIC CHAMERON FIC

Uhhhhh I feel like I should give this a title but I have no idea what to call so uh, nevermind !!

Anyways,I finally finished the fic I said I was writing like,a month ago lol. All my Chameron stans out there this one's for u,I rlly hope at least one person enjoys this,I rlly enjoyed writing it !! Ok sappy stuff outta the way,here it is:

As rain pounded against the window Charlie sent what was probably the thousandth crumpled ball of paper across the room.

"Jesus Charlie,is your arm not getting tired?"

Charlie smirked at that, clearly preparing to make a dirty minded joke,but a thoroughly exhausted Richard Cameron was already one step ahead.

"You know what,forget I asked, you're gross."

Getting up from the seat at his desk and ignoring an indignant retort from Charlie, Cameron thought of the rest of his friends,out for the weekend. Todd and Neil celebrating their one year anniversary, Meeks and Pitts embarking on a two day road trip,for what they still claimed to be, entirely platonic reasons (although the rest of the poets were all too aware of the almost palpable romantic tension between them). Even Knox had found something to do with himself on this miserable Friday night.

And here Cameron was,stuck in his dorm with nothing but stacks of extra homework and his obnoxious roommate to keep him company.

Speaking of that obnoxious roommate, "Oh come on Cam,you're not seriously going to bed already,it's barely eight!"

"Shut up Dalton,I'm tired."

Refusing to admit defeat, Charlie sprung from his own bed into Cameron's, attempting to wrestle the poor boy from his comfortable position.

"Charlie,get off you psycho!" Cameron managed to get out, already laughter threatening to give away just how welcome his friend's childish antics were.

After a few more minutes of "fooling around" as Charlie insisted on calling it (mostly because of how profusely it made Cameron blush),the two boys lay breathless beside each other,trying desperately to think of something else to do that would ward off impending boredom.

After a few moments of comfortable silence,Charlie suggested,looking expectantly towards the ginger, "Wanna go to the cave?"

With extreme,mind numbing boredom as motivation, it was inevitable that Cameron would say yes. It certainly helped that Charlie was gazing at him with those oh-so convincing doe eyes of his. Charlie Dalton and his stupid,gorgeous eyes. And his stupid,gorgeous smile,which Cameron was abso definitely not thinking about as he got up and grabbed his coat.

The two boys trudged through the woods,bickering lightly when Cameron complained of the cold that Charlie apparently couldnt feel at all,but always with an unusually friendly air between them. Before long they were sat together in the middle of the cave,sharing an apple that Cameron had managed to salvage from somewhere (a feat Dalton was of course impressed by),and trading stories of girls and parties galore. In Cameron's case, the stories of girls were few and the parties were from years long before even middle school,so Charlie did most of the talking.

After a while though,the boys came to discussing their friends,and the luck they all seemed to have in finding each other so easily. Charlie, ever the romantic,made no waste of his extensive vocabulary,tediously lamenting on all the opportunities of love he had missed and the everlasting loneliness he was doomed to,all because his dashing knight in shining armour would never come to find him and-

"Why dont *you* just find somebody?"

Charlie,still sprawled dramatically over a rock ,and mildly offended at the interruption,indignantly questioned "What do you mean?"

"What I said? You dont just have to wait around for somebody to come find you and fall madly in love. Why don't *you* just find somebody?"

He thought for a moment,taken aback by the ginger's harsh words,but eventually decided to humout him for a moment.

"And where exactly do you suggest I find him then, hm?"

Cameron shifted in his seat,not expecting to be taken seriously and certainly not prepared to be giving advice. Especially not *this* kind of advice. Especially not to *charlie*.

"Well,uh," he looked up to see the other boy looking at him expectantly,with that ever-present smirk on his face that, oddly enough,made Cameron feel a little more comfortable.

"Maybe,you could,I don't know, consider that the guy you're looking for has been here the whole time?"

"Wow Cam,Pittsie and Meeks' radio must've really gotten to you. All those love songs have turned you into a big softie." Charlie joked,grinning and nudging Cameron playfully.

Through a soft laugh,Cameron continued, "No I'm serious man,I think you're making this whole love thing way harder for yourself. I mean- and be honest with me, what's actually wrong with the guys at our school?"

"Other than the fact that about three quarters of them are raging heterosexuals?"

Laughing again,Cameron replied "yeah,other than that."

After about zero seconds of careful consideration,he had come to a conclusion, "Well,I guess nothing,but I dont know? Cameron, I don't see how this changes-"

"It *changes* things because clearly you don't anything about half the guys at our school. And you can't write off people you don't even know." At some point, Cameron had gotten up and started pacing around,but with the end of this triumphant speech,he finally sat down,a little closer to the other boy than he had been before.

Charlie looked across at Cameron and was suddenly met with a wave of fondness. Weird,how all it took was to sit and talk for a while before someone you thought you near hated,started to feel like your favorite person in the world. And,was he going completely crazy or Cameron at his most comfortable, without the fear of a teacher lurking nearby,without the stress of constantly trying to prove himself,was he... A little..... attractive??

All at once,Charlie made a decision,partly to try and prove himself wrong,but also because hey,if Richard Cameron was the surprise love of his life,what better time to figure it out than right now?

"So how,sir Richard Cameron,do you propose I get to know all these charming suitors?"

Cameron, completely in the dark about Dalton's recent epiphany,was still stubbornly trying to explain how much easier Charlie's love life could be,if only he would let it.

"Well,maybe by actually talking to them? Y'know,kind of like,What we're doing right now."

"So,what you're saying is,*you* could be my knight in shining armor," he said with a smirk.

"Well,that's not what-"

"No,no it's fine,as long as we're talking about this version of you. Regular Cameron is kind of a buzzkill but Cave Cam is actually a kind of.... And I can't believe I'm saying this but,in here,like this...well. You're actually a little hot."

After this, overwhelmingly romantic confession, Charlie was certain he had completely stuffed it,and sure enough,

"Gee Charlie,thanks. Really makes me wanna ride into the sunset with you." To say Cam's ego had been hit was an understatement,but before he could make a swift exit from the cave and lock himself,alone,in his dorm for the rest of the weekend,of course Dalton kept talking.

"God,I'm sorry,that was, I have no idea why I said that. I thought I was being funny but out loud- god I'm so sorry," while he had initially been mad,seeing Charlie fucking Dalton blush (and because of *him* no less) was rather funny. And sure,a little cute. So Cameron decided to hear him out.

"Can I start over? You're not saying anything so I'm gonna start over. I,uh, I really do think you're hot. Like really hot. And not just right now,all the time,like that time we were at rowing practice and I started pushing you around and we ended up on the floor and I saw like,a single sliver of skin because your sweater had ridden up,and I couldn't stop thinking about it all day,which I thought was a little weird but then-"

"Uh,I think I get it,Charlie." Now Cameron was the one blushing.

"Uh,sorry. What I meant was,that I *do* think you're hot l-"

"As you've said"

"Yeah,yeah,but it's more than that. Like,when I realized we'd basically be spending the whole weekend alone together,I was actually sorta excited for that,even though I knew I'd just be sitting by you while you did homework the whole time,I like,wanted to do that. And tonight,I haven't talked like this with anyone who isn't Neil like,ever. What I mean is,I guess,is that,I think that uh,"

Deciding to lighten the mood,Cameron tried for a little sarcasm, "Wow,Dalton, stuttering? I must be superman or something."

"I'm trying to be romantic here Carrot top," Charlie said with a grin,

"Listen,I don't really know what I'm doing here,but I think it might be kinda nice if we tried having a little romantic weekend of our own. Just to try it. If it totally sucks we can pretend it never happened and the others don't have to know about it and-"

"Charlie."

"Yeah?"

"Relax," Cameron said with yet another laugh ,he didn't think he laughed like this since... Well,he couldn't even remember.

So with a radiant smile on his face,he said,"A romantic weekend of our own sounds amazing. Gotta warn you tho I'm not a great kisser."

"Well, lucky for you I am a great teacher," Charlie replied,with a somehow even bigger smile on his face than Cameron's,

"Why are you laughing,I *am* a great teacher!" Unfortunately for Charlie,his indignance only made Cameron laugh harder.

"I'll believe that when I see it."

"If you shut up and stop laughing,maybe you'll get to." After this was all it took to get the ginger to sober up, the look on his face pushed Charlie to make his final,but (in his opinion) most important decision of the night.It was high time he flirt with Cameron way more often (which was *very* difficult to explain to the other poets,at least the first time).

[hatterstan-shameblog]

The Best Quiche in Tokyo

Rating: ‼️18+ Minors Do Not Interact ‼️

Warnings: explicit sexuality (it literally takes place at an orgy so like.......Y’know)

Characters: Hatter (Takeru), Aguni, and Female Reader (You)

Summary: When one of your customers invites you to a potluck-slash-orgy, you assume the “orgy” part is a joke—because nobody really hosts a potluck and an orgy at the same time, right?

Notes: One time, @nessinborderland (happy belated birthday btw) gave me the brilliant idea of Hatter hosting an orgy and serving really good food and I just......ran with it. This ended up being part comedy, part character study—and mostly features Aguni, if you can believe it! I don’t know, I just let the story take me where it wanted to go! (Also, this is definitely the longest thing I’ve written on here, so get ready to dig in!)

It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon in March, and you’re standing in front of a hat shop. Well, technically, you’re slightly to the left of a hat shop, peering down a skinny alleyway in search of a door or a set of stairs—something to indicate that there is, in fact, an apartment up there and this is not just an elaborate prank.

There is a very good chance this is a prank—after all, the eccentric man who walked into your stationary store two weeks ago seemed...off. Not in a bad way, just. One-of-a-kind. Unique. Entirely himself, in a way that people usually aren’t.

Was he flirting or was he just overly friendly when he leaned in just a bit too close to see the various fonts available for his choosing? It’s difficult to say. He did seem genuinely interested to know the difference between serif and sans serif, which doesn’t much thrill your customers on the regular. Does asking for an extra business card ‘for his personal records’ count as a pick-up line? It’s hard to say. Not that it matters much, of course—you are a professional, he is a customer, and there’s nothing more to it.

And you really are a professional, because when he told you that he wanted—in metallic gold, 30-point, center aligned—to say, quote, “The Third Annual Springtime Potluck and Orgy: Presented by Danma Takeru,” you didn’t so much as bat an eye. Partially because he was very insistent that you spell his name correctly, and partially because. Well. How does a person respond to that?

In truth, he ended up being one of your better customers—he showed a genuine interest in the process while still deferring to your expertise—and when one of the printed invitations arrived in your mailbox, you figured you might as well go see what the fuss is about. It could be an opportunity to meet some new friends, maybe drum up a little business if you’re lucky.

And besides—a potluck-slash-orgy? Who would even do that?

The merry little jingle of bell catches your attention, and you turn your head to see a solemn-looking man peeking his head around the hat shop’s glass door. He looks at you. He looks at the plastic-wrapped pie in your hands. He looks back at you.

He frowns.

“Hi,” you say, putting on your most charming smile in the hopes that he’ll stop looking at you like you just slapped him across the face, “I’m, uh, I’m here for the party!”

You shuffle over to him, careful not to scuff the white of your sensible-yet-pretty patent leather heels on the sidewalk. Maybe you’re dressed too formally—he’s wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of jeans while you’re sporting a calf-length chiffon dress dyed in a lovely array of watercolor blues and violets.

Oh dear, what a faux-pas! There was no dress code listed on the invite, but maybe you should’ve dressed in a more casual fashion. You don’t live far, you could probably run home quickly and change...

“Do you...have an invitation,” the man asks, crossing his arms across his chest and furrowing his brow. Is he annoyed? No, no. He seems. Confused? Wary? How very strange.

“Oh, of course,” you answer, reaching a fumbling hand into your purse to search for the little pink envelope, “I almost forgot it walking out the door, but I remembered at the last second! I can be a bit scatterbrained sometimes!”

The man doesn’t say anything, but leans forward to inspect the invitation once you manage to produce it from the cluttered mess that is your handbag.

“I know the time said it started at three, but the pie took a little longer than expected. It takes time for the chocolate to set, and—“ you gasp, covering your mouth with your invite-laden hand, “I haven’t kept you waiting, have I? I’m so sorry, Mister...?”

“Call me Aguni,” he says, and his eyes narrow slightly when you give him your most chipper ‘thank you’ and apologize for not being able to shake his hand at the moment. What a strange man.

“You,” he asks slowly, “you read the invitation, right?”

“Of course I did! I’m the one who made them,” you explain, puffing your chest up with pride, “and our host was kind enough to send one to me! He must have really liked my work!”

“...Yeah,” the man called Aguni says, “I’m sure that’s it.”

But, to your pleasure, he steps aside and holds the door open for you to enter. Such a strange man, but at least he’s gentlemanly enough to hold the door for you as you step inside.

“Oh, wow,” you say, “this place is amazing!”

And maybe it sounds silly, but you’re being entirely honest. There are hats in shelves, hats hanging on the wall, hats on faceless plastic heads on the counter and placed atop a long wooden table to the left—all of them in different shapes and colors, embellished and feathered and ribboned to the nines. There’s a certain magic to a little place like this, a kind of whimsical charm you want to bottle and keep on the kitchen windowsill.

“Walls could use some paint. Floor needs polished, too,” Aguni says, “but...yeah, I guess it’s nice enough.”

You follow him as he leads you towards the back, your eyes drinking in all the details of this fascinating little shop.

“No, no, the walls and the floor are perfect,” you assert with a wide-mouthed smile, “it gives it character. Makes it feel...like home, I think.”

“Takeru says the same thing,” Aguni answers with a chuckle, “although I also think he just doesn’t want to put in the work. He’s...not very handy.”

There is a second door at the very back of the shop, and once again, Aguni holds it open for you. Perhaps his original air of discontent was a simple case of shyness—maybe he just takes a bit to warm up to people. Well, just wait until he tries your homemade triple-chocolate silk pie; you’ll be best friends in no time!

He leads you into a tiny courtyard, which is just barely big enough to hold a steep set of metal stairs and a handful of plant pots, which remain empty due to the early spring cold. But, oh, it must be so lovely back here when the plants are in full bloom! You say as much to your companion, who actually manages to smile a bit in your direction as he leads you up the stairs.

“Those are mine, actually,” he tells you, his boot-covered feet thunking up the stairs at a leisurely pace, “He lets me garden back here.”

You picture it—this tall, stoic man, kneeling on the ground, his gloved hands tending little green sprouts as the morning sun shines gold and warm on the cold stone ground. The thought of it warms you. Does he know anything about succulents? You’ve always thought they would look so cute in the shop...

“Look,” Aguni says when the two of you reach a very drab-looking door, “I’m not trying to be a jerk, but...you sure you’re ready for this?”

What an odd thing to say! Maybe you’re acting more nervous than you originally thought? It is rather daunting, walking into a party of strangers; but, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

“You’re sweet for worrying about me,” you respond, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “but if everyone is half as lovely as you, I’m sure I’ll do just fine. I will probably stick with you for a while—if that’s okay, of course!”

“Alright, then.” Aguni says—and is that a hint of a blush you see creeping up his neck? All this time, you thought he was just being strange, but he’s just a little shy! You give his arm a knowing pat before withdrawing your touch, and he quickly turns around to unlock the door.

Are all of Takeru’s friends this adorable? You hope so. You follow your bashful escort inside—the genkan is already full of shoes, but you manage to squeeze yours in between a pair of snakeskin wedge heels and the wall. Aguni also removes his boots, and you’re happy he isn’t going to stay down in the hat shop the whole time. He can introduce you to everyone, and maybe—

You hear something. Was that...? No, no, you must be imagining things. You definitely did not just hear a woman moan on the other side of the wall. You stop and angle your head towards the door slightly to get a better listen. It’s all rather muffled (it must be well-insulated!) but there’s definitely some kind of music playing. Maybe it’s part of a song?

It happens again. This time, it’s deeper, and more of a prolonged “ah” sound. And then laughter. Aguni is looking at you in that concerned way of his again.

Instead of waiting for him to open the door for you a third time, you decide to take initiative and open it yourself—a show of confidence, to put his mind at ease. For a moment, it looks like he’s going to try and stop you, but he instead just crosses his arms and watches as you open the door to the rest of the house.

The first thing you see is candles. Little flickering spots of yellow-orange flame, winking inside clear glass votives. A trio of them on the kitchen table to the left, surrounded by a mismatched variety of trays and plates and bowls, each holding a different delicacy.

There’s a candle on the kitchen counter, next to the refrigerator. One on a bookshelf, which is filled to bowing with vinyl LP’s. Two on either side of the television, and a cluster of them on a coffee table next to a fishbowl of shiny gold squares and—

Oh.

Oh, dear.

There are limbs. Moving, writing, reaching. Hands grabbing. Mouths kissing. Mouths...doing things other than kissing. Oh, God, there’s boobs. And somebody’s butt. Aw, geez, there goes another one. How many naked people are there in here, anyways?

“Oh, hey!”

A familiar voice calls out from the fleshy throng, and your stomach drops. Like Venus emerging from the surf, you see Danma Takeru rise up from the crowd, hair mussed and smiling mouth smudged with at least two different colors of lipstick. While he does appear to be wearing some kind of brightly-patterned robe, the more he stands, the less confident you are that it’s actually covering anything.

You spin on your heel, unwilling as of the moment to become visually acquainted with your host’s penis, and you’re met once more with Aguni’s concerned stare. This time, though, you understand why he’s looking at you like that, and it makes the burn of embarrassment creeping up your neck that much hotter.

“Do you want to leave?”

This is. Oh, boy. This is a lot. Aguni must be able to sense your discomfort, although you imagine it’s rather palpable at the moment.

“I,” you say, “I don’t...know.”

And you say you don’t know because you truly don’t know what to do. Was it really so naïve of you to think that the ‘orgy’ part of the invitation was some kind of weird inside joke? Is there some kind of social protocol for these things?

You feel two hands descend upon each of your shoulders, and you try to convince yourself that they are slightly damp with sweat as opposed to any other kind of aqueous material.

“You made it,” Takeru exclaims with genuine excitement as he gives your person a gentle shake, “I’m so glad you decided to come!”

“He’s covered, don’t worry,” Aguni says to you before directing his attention over your shoulder, “I take it you didn’t tell her.”

“Tell her what?”

The hand on your right shoulder stays while the left slips away, leaving room for Takeru to stand at your side and squeeze you against him in a weird little half-hug. In another situation, you might enjoy the way the silk of his robe whispers against the skin of your arms, perhaps smile at the warm comfort of a lazy arm thrown about your shoulders like a heavy scarf, but. Well. Right now, it’s just a little...awkward.

Aguni rolls his eyes.

“About that,” he says, gesturing impatiently at the debauchery behind your back, “I mean, just look at her face.”

“Mori-chan, how could you be so rude to our lovely guest? Darling,” Takeru says, turning your face towards him with two fingers under your chin, “don’t listen to him, you’re...ah, I see what you mean.”

Is your expression really that bad? It must be, because Takeru very slowly and very carefully withdrawing his arm from around your shoulder and taking a generous step to the side. His mouth is twisted into a rather comical gaping frown, his eyes nervously darting side-to-side.

“In my defense,” he says, putting his hands up like some kind of fucked-out traffic cop at a four-way intersection, “the, uh, the orgy part was very prominent. Big letters, right at the top.”

“I,” you reply, “I thought it was...a joke?”

“This is why we don’t just hand out invitations,” Aguni grits through his teeth, “for fuck’s sake, Takeru, we’ve talked about this!”

“I know, I know. I am humble enough to admit when I’ve fucked up, and this time, I have fucked up in a truly spectacular fashion,” Takeru’s gaze shifts from horrified to quizzical as he scrutinized you for a moment, “Unless...you’d like to stay?”

You look at the pie. The slowly-warming chocolate is beginning to sweat beneath the thin film of plastic wrap you so lovingly secured with lilac ribbon.

“Or you could slap him on the way out,” Aguni offers, “he’s very slap-able.”

“It’s true! And when you slap me,” he whips his head to the side suddenly, “my hair does that and it looks really cool!”

Yeah, okay—it did look pretty cool. But, does he deserve to be slapped? Probably for something else, but not for this. It’s a simple misunderstanding, and honest mistake on both your parts.

“I want...” you start, and the way they’re looking at you, wide-eyed and breath-bated, reminds you of the final rose ceremony on The Bachelorette.

It’s kind of hilarious, actually.

“I, uh,” you continue, “I want to...to put this in the refrigerator, if that’s okay? It’s, uh, starting to melt...”

To say that Takeru’s face lights up is an understatement. With a mega-watt smile and a sparkle in his eye, he swoops his arm back around your shoulder and begins leading you towards the kitchen.

Although you have (almost) gotten used to the sea of strangers fucking and moaning in the background, you still choose to politely avert your gaze as you pass them by. You instead focus on Takeru, who has taken this opportunity to explain the inner-workings of...whatever this is.

“...And I personally see to it that these events remain exclusive,” he says, “Although I do occasionally invite outsiders, such as yourself. You were just so sweet and helpful, I couldn’t resist trying my luck and sending you an invite.”

“Thank you,” you say, “although, I, uh...”

He opens the refrigerator door and motions for you to place the pie inside. Luckily, it’s mostly empty, save for a collection of bottled water and a tin of what looks to be cat food. You’re grateful to not have to carry it around anymore, and thank him for his assistance.

It’s finally time for you to acknowledge the proverbial ‘elephant in the room’—except, you’re not exactly sure how to begin.

“I,” you start, stopping to bite your lip, “I, uh. Is it okay if I...don’t, y’know, do the whole...uh...sex thing?”

“Oh, do you prefer to watch?”

“No! I mean, no, uh,” you laugh nervously, “I’m just...”

Takeru chuckles.

“I’m only teasing. You’re more than welcome to skip the sex and go straight to the food. As long as you’re on the kitchen side, nobody will touch you. It’s one of our rules.”

He motions for Aguni to come over with a wave of his arm, smiling when the tall man comes to lean against the kitchen counter.

“Mori-chan also prefers to abstain from the more salacious aspects of our little gathering, so the two of you can keep each other company.”

“I’m usually in charge of the food,” Aguni adds, “and I try to make sure the candles stay lit.”

“I, uh, I noticed those on the way in. They’re nice.”

Takeru leans towards you as if he’s about to share a secret.

“I don’t mean to be indelicate,” he says in a low tone, “but there is a certain stench that comes with these events. Sweat, musk, various secretions...it all really adds up in the end.”

“It’s awful,” Aguni concludes, “but candles help dissipate the worst of it.”

“Oh, and the ambiance,” Takeru exclaims, “there’s just nothing like candlelight to really get people in the mood for—“

A sharp ding! makes you jump. From what you can gather, it came from the small oven to Aguni’s left.

“Hold it right there,” Takeru growls towards Aguni, who had been in the middle of donning a pair of floral-printed oven mitts, “she needs thirty more seconds.”

Aguni looks at you and rolls his eyes. You stifle a giggle behind your hand, hoping your host doesn’t notice.

“I saw that,” Takeru snips towards Aguni, “honestly, Mori-chan, you get one new friend...”

And even though he’s mid-scold, there remains a joviality to Takeru’s tone—a testament, you believe, to what can only be a long-standing friendship between him and Aguni. It’s hard not to feel jealous of their easy back-and-forth, their banter like a well-matched game of tennis.

“Now you can take her out,” Takeru says, “but, so help me God, if you don’t let her rest for seven minutes–“

“–They’ll never find my body, I know, I know,” Aguni finishes, gingerly placing a metal pan on the stove, “Look, we’ve got it handled. You can go back to your side of the party and I’ll call you when it’s plated.”

“Fine,” Takeru answers with a false pout, “but only because I know she’ll keep you honest.”

And just like that, it’s just you and Aguni once more—but, this time, he seems much more at ease to have you around. Happy, almost. It must be kind of boring, sitting alone in a kitchen while everyone else is...well, busy.

“So,” you say, moving to Aguni’s side to peer into the baking pan, “looks kind of like...a quiche?”

“Not just any quiche,” Aguni answers, opening the drawer to his right and digging a hand inside, “the best quiche in Tokyo.”

He pulls out a shiny silver chef’s knife and places it on the counter. Next comes a pair of dainty forks, delicate little things one might use for tea cakes at a French-inspired bistro. Knowing what you know about Takeru—which, granted, isn’t very much at all—it doesn’t surprise you in the least.

“You’re in front of the plates,” he says, tapping the cabinet directly in front of your face, “grab us some?”

“But we’re supposed to wait seven minutes,” you protest, all while following his instructions, “it’s only been...like, three.”

Aguni’s eyes take on a glint of mischief.

“Only a problem if we get caught.”

Honestly, it looks divine. Pillowy-soft and the perfect pale-yellow hue, delicate tendrils of steam billowing out as he drags the knife through. You hadn’t ever seen a non-rectangular quiche before, but you suppose it makes sense; there are a fair few people in attendance, and the standard circular composition wouldn’t quite feed everyone.

He serves you first. A corner piece (which he insists are the best), speckled with herbs and studded with little pieces of what you assume to be some kind of ham. Little strings of cheese stick to the blade of the knife, and Aguni scrapes them off with the side of a fork, which he then hands to you.

“Takeru doesn’t cook much,” Aguni explains, playing his own small square, “but when he does...”

The sound that comes from your mouth as you take your first bite of quiche could rival any of those happening in the orgy across the room. Oh, that is so good! Buttery crust, the salt of cheese and ham, the subtle bite of onion—and there’s something else there, something you can’t quite place, but you know it tastes absolutely heavenly. Immediately, you take another bite.

“Grew the herbs de Provence myself,” Aguni mentions, “He refuses to use store-bought.”

“Makes all the difference,” you respond, “I could eat the whole pan by myself.”

“I did that for my last birthday, actually,” Aguni chuckles around a forkful of quiche, “Takeru insisted on putting all thirty-eight candles in before carrying it to the table—you know, like a dumbass. Part of his hair caught fire, and I had to give him a haircut at two in the morning because he was so distraught.”

The two of you laugh—Aguni at the memory, and you at the idea of a tearful Takeru sulking as Aguni snipping the fried locks with a pair of kitchen shears.

“He forgave me, even though I took a whole two inches off,” Aguni sets his empty plate in the sink and looks out of the small window above it, “He’s not a bad guy, you know. Doesn’t always make the best choices, sure, but he’s got a good heart in him.”

There is a sadness here, something in Aguni that speaks to a troubled past you haven’t quite unearthed yet��and you know better than to press him, especially here, especially now.

“Well, I can’t say I’m an expert,” you say, handing him your plate, “but you two seem like decent people. Orgies aside, of course.”

“Of course,” Aguni nods, “though I don’t suppose you’ll come to the next one, will you?”

For the first time since your arrival, you allow yourself to watch the festivities happening across the room. It isn’t that bad, you suppose—it’s just a group of people having a fun time together, laughing and gasping and enjoying each others’ bodies in a safe and comfortable place. It’s not something you necessarily want to do yourself, but...well, the ‘weird’ factor of the whole thing has gone down exponentially over the past hour or so.

“And miss out on the best quiche in Tokyo,” you say, nudging against Aguni’s arm with your shoulder, “not a chance!”

[chocochar]

ᴍɪꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ? | ᴅᴀʙɪ/ᴛᴏᴜʏᴀ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | 𝒱𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑒'𝓈 𝒟𝒶𝓎 𝒮𝓅𝑒𝒸𝒾𝒶𝓁

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6: TBA

(AN: This is just an extra little chapter I'm adding since I haven't posted chapter 6 yet! It's a little late, didn't get the chance to post it on Valentine's, but here it is along with a small pic I did of Dabi and Kaoru! This is kinda canon to the story, kinda not, just meant for some cute fluffiness. ouo Hope you enjoy~)

[(F/n)’s POV]

        It's Valentine's day, that special day where lovers go out on dates, girls give chocolates to the boys they like, all around a sweet, fluffy day!

        ... Except if you're like me and you have your son's dad (ex boyfriend?? Does he count as one?) sometimes living with you, then disappearing for a couple days. 

        In normal circumstances this would be kind of fine, depending on the situation, sure! But he's not only a villain, he's only been in our lives for a few weeks, and again, I have no clue the state between us right now. We're friends, kind of, we get along, and I can't deny I have some feelings still there for him. For now I've steeled myself against these nagging heart pounding moments, and what day it is won't change anything!

        "Happy Valentine's day!" I exclaim, standing in front of the boys as they binge watch something on TV. Kaoru looks curious about what I have behind my back, he's used to he and I exchanging candy on this day and White Day as well as him making me a home made card; Dabi meanwhile looks puzzled, cocking a brow and glancing at my hidden hands.

        "It's Valentine's day?" He asks. I'm not too surprised, I used to always surprise him every year with chocolate's on this day, although I quickly came to find out he's not a sweets fan. So pulling my hands out from behind my back a smile brightly at the two, a bag of chocolates in each hand.

        "Yep, I had you two leave last night so I could make them!" I reply, handing Kaoru his. He already had some from my mom, who made all the boy's in the Todoroki family (except a certain someone) chocolates with the little guy. He takes them with a,"Thanks mom!" before untying the bag and looking at all the wrapped assortments, all his favorites.

        I hold Dabi's out to him, and he stares at it before taking the bag and looking it over. He looks suspicious maybe, or just still puzzled, it's hard to tell with him, and opening it he peers in. 

        "Don't worry, I already know you don't like sweets much, sooo it's more on the bitter side! So it isn't super sweet, but it's I think the right amount so it isn't too bland too," I explain before he can say anything, his cerulean orbs lifting to meet my (eye color) with a small look of surprise on his aloof face.

        "Heh, you remember that, even now?" He asks, and I cross my arms, nodding.

        "Of course, you forget I only ever gave you chocolates back then. Well and Natsuo, but that was just because he's like my little brother," I reply, before my cheeks turn pink and I stutter,"B-But this doesn't mean anything, okay?? It was simply a friendly gesture, p-plus your brothers will be getting some too!"

        He blinks before chuckling and lowering his head, the shadow of a grin on his mouth as he mumbles,"Yeah, okay, I gotcha."

        Pulling out a wrapped sweet I watch him open and pull it out, popping it into his mouth with a little hesitation, and I feel the breath I didn't realize I was holding release when he doesn't look disgusted. He says,"They're okay, thanks." but he eats another, which I take as a clear sign he likes them a little more than he let's on. I feel pretty content knowing that.

        Glancing at the time I gasp and hurry to my room, saying,"Ah crap, I gotta start getting ready!"

        "Where ya going, mom?" Kaoru asks turning around on the couch and getting on his knees, resting his elbows on the back of it to look at me as I come out, changed into nicer outfit fit for a date; I head to the bathroom for my hair and makeup. I peek out and go to say but my mouth closes immediately when my eyes meet Dabi's, who's also glancing back. Why do I feel so awkward admitting what I'm going to go do today?? It's not like we're together! Curse these feelings...

        "Uh, well, some friends at work, Ira-san and a couple other girls, invited me to a group... date..." I say the 'date' part more quietly and avert my gaze, slipping into the bathroom. 

        "A group date?" Surprisingly both ask this simultaneously, Kaoru sounding more puzzled probably about what that is while Dabi's tone is almost taken back, although maybe I'm imagining it. He can't be upset, right...?

        "Yeah, I agreed since they're my friends, although I doubt anything will happen," I say, starting on my makeup. I hear Kaoru hop off the couch and come running to the bathroom as well as bigger footsteps following suit; both come to peek into the bathroom, and glancing at them Kaoru tilts his head while Dabi has an almost intense stare. I avoid it, focusing on my eye shadow.

        "So, like, you all are going just you guys?" Kaoru asks, to which I shake my head.

        "We're meeting up with some guys Ira and another friend know, I've met a couple of them once or twice, but I'm only going for Ira-san," I explain to the little red head, his eyes widening before his expression pulls a 180 and he looks troubled. He looks back at his dad then back to me, Dabi's eyes never leaving me and the stare seeming to grow in intensity. I can feel it burning into me, he's upset or mad or bothered, or all 3, and I regret telling them as guilt eats at me.

        "A-Are you going to get a boyfriend??" Kaoru asks worriedly, to which I look at him in surprise before smiling and shaking my head, going back to my makeup.

        "Me? No, honey, I'm just going to hang out with the girls-"

        "Are you sure about that?" I freeze when Dabi finally speaks up, my eyes looking at his reflection before I face him nodding, his tone matching the heat in his blue orbs. Wait...

        "... Are you jealous?" I ask, not so much accusingly but more speaking out loud. Is he jealous, and that's why he looks so mad? His eyes narrow and he only says annoyed,"Jealous? Why would I be?" Turning he heads back to the living room, Kaoru watching him go before lifting his blue eyes back to me. 

        "What about dad?" Kaoru asks, but I'm not sure how to reply. Scratching my cheek he seems to take my awkward silence as a response and lowers his gaze, following after Dabi while I finish getting ready.

[X][X][X]

[Third Person POV]

        When (F/n) leaves the father and son are watching TV. She looks at them after kissing Kaoru's forehead and says,"Well, um, I'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

        Dabi is silent, not even looking at her, while Kaoru says,"Okay, mom." She glances at the scarred villain and scratches the back of her head, trying to ignore the guilt she has building. They aren't dating, after all, does he still have feelings too? He's so hard to read, but to her it feels like he's almost pouting. Leaving silence spreads over Dabi and his 'mini me' while the TV plays, Kaoru feeling worried and fidgeting with his shirt. 'I-I want mom to be happy, b-but dad seems upset... What's gonna happen if she does get a boyfriend or something?' the child thinks.

        It's only a minute or two since (F/n) left when Dabi suddenly stands and Kaoru looks up surprised at the man. This turns to confusion when the ravenette starts to put his disguise on, and Kaoru jumps to his feet asking,"A-Are you leaving dad??"

        "No," Dabi replies, looking down at the boy from behind his sunglasses. "Go get your shoes and jacket on, we're going out."

        Kaoru blinks a few times before nodding and hurrying to get ready, also putting on a beanie to hide the messiness of his crimson hair. When he comes back out he follows his dad out, the man shutting and locking the door before taking the lead to wherever they're off to.

        Which just happens to be the same restaurant (F/n) is making her way to. With some stride ahead of the two Kaoru points and whispers to his dad,"Look, isn't that mom?"

        He gets no reply but they stop when she waves at a group of people a few feet away. Running over he can see 3 other women as well as 4 men, Dabi narrowing his eyes as one in particular seems to eye up the (brunette, blonde, etc). Grabbing Kaoru he pulls him to a shop beside them, the two hiding in the shop's doorway; watching (F/n) go inside with the group Dabi gestures Kaoru to follow, the boy lost on what's going on but following anyways.

        The scarred man chooses to hide in the tables further from the group but close enough he can still see her, he and Kaoru starting to look through the menus. 

        "Yeah, (F/n) works at the station with me," one woman says, presumably Ira from what Dabi has heard about her from (F/n). They're luckily within earshot he can hear some of what they say.

        "Oh wow, really? Must be a tough job, what with the villains and all," one man says, probably the one eyeing up (F/n).

        "Yeah, but it's fulfilling to help. Plus, it pays decently," (F/n) answers, giggling at something someone says that the villain can't hear.

        "Well you probably look nice in the uniform too," the same man flirts, (F/n) laughing, a little forced, and responding,"I guess so, it's not very flattering."

        When the man again flirts Dabi's hand starts to billow smoke and Kaoru looks surprised before tapping his dad's arm, having heard the conversation too; he may be a kid, but he knows about flirting, and now he's seeing what his mom meant when she asked if his dad was jealous.

        "Hey, dad, um..."

        "What?" Dabi asks, the smoke disappearing as he luckily manages to avoid starting a fire.

        "Well, I was thinking of getting this, would that be okay?" Kaoru quietly asks, pointing at his menu to show the raven haired villain. 

        "Whatever you're hungry for," Dabi responds, seeming lost in thought as he takes a moment to glance back at the table, able to catch (F/n) smiling at one of the men. He sighs, Kaoru watching this before looking down.

[X][X][X]

        As the group date persists the boys follow them, no one seeming to notice as they keep their distance as well as hide if they happen to nearly catch them following. After 2 hours of this and the group heads to a karaoke cafe Dabi sighs annoyed and sits on a bench, rubbing his neck. Kaoru joins him and looks at the man, able to feel how tense he is just from where he's sitting and fidgeting with his shirt. That's when he decides to ask,"Dad... Is it true you're jealous, and that's why we've been following mom around?"

        Dabi goes visibly stiff and Kaoru bites his lip, asking after,"Do... Do you still like mom?"

        It's silent, people passing by while the child waits to hear what his dad has to say.

        "... I think so, yeah," he replies, clasping his hands together as he looks up at the red head. Kaoru looks surprised but his face lights up, Dabi adding,"But I don't know if things could be the same like they were before you were born. There's just some things that can't be changed, that stand in our way of having that chance to even try to get back together."

        "I-Is it cause of her job and yours, those are what stand in the way?"

        "Yeah, those are probably the biggest factor..."

        Kaoru is silent a moment before replying,"But... what if that can change? L-Like what if you stop being a villain, going back to being who you were? I know mom missed you, and ever since you came back she's been happier I think, so what if things could change? Like you go back to being 'Touya' and change the way you look and stuff?"

        Dabi is silent, actually slightly taken back by the fact this kid suggested all that, before he takes in a breath. "That's a lot easier said than done, Kao... Hah, this was a stupid idea, why'd I follow her? Ever since I found you two I feel like I don't even know myself anymore." He sighs, lowering his head. Kaoru averts his eyes. "I don't regret it, given I got to know about you and saw her, so don't assume that. But..."

        "What do you mean?" Kaoru asks, his blue eyes looking worried as his dad speaks.

        He stops, shaking his head. "When I'm around you two I guess the best way I can describe it is... I feel like my old self again. I feel like Touya again. 10 years of only wanting something, only feeling one way, then suddenly a 180 and those change on me. Feels like I've got whiplash or something."

        Kaoru is puzzled by that last part but oddly he isn't as concerned now, it feels like that's a good thing, that his dad feels like that cause of him and his mom. He thinks about something his mom said a few days ago, about how his dad has seemed different the last week or two, maybe she meant this!

        Noting how late it's gotten Dabi stands, saying,"C'mon, let's head back before she gets home. She'll kick my ass if I keep you out this late." Given it's dark out he lets Kaoru piggyback, the boy holding his arms around his dad's neck and looking around as they pass couples; their talk has him imagining what it would be like if mom and dad got together, and he feels some envy inside when he thinks about his friends who have this wish of his. But he's also happy still, just having both there even if things are weird.

[X][X][X]

        (F/n) doesn't get back til late, coming home to find Dabi asleep on the couch with Kaoru wrapped up in blankets on the floor. Smiling softly she turns the TV off, covers the scarred man in his blanket, before going off to bed.

        The next day she assures the two she didn't wind up with a date, even adding,"Although, you two might have already known that." The way she says it clearly gives away she'd caught them following, and both avert their gazes, rubbing their necks simultaneously. 

        After this things settle even though Dabi acts a bit different, (F/n) taking note. 

        A month later he disappears for 3 days and (F/n) notes it's March 14th, White day. Obviously she's not in school anymore, so White day isn't that important; she gets some chocolates from Natsuo, as well as a homemade card and chocolates from Kaoru, but she feels a little... Down. Dabi has been gone, and while it's silly she remembers when Touya would somehow remember to gift her chocolates years ago (although she knows it's because Fuyumi reminded him, but that doesn't matter). Shaking her head she gets into bed and sighs, mumbling,"What am I expecting? This shouldn't bother me..."

        She goes to bed with this in mind.

        Only to wake up surprised the next morning to her favorite chocolates as well as a plush of her favorite animal sitting on her pillow. Staring at them in shock she looks around, getting up to go see if Dabi was there; he isn't, the door locked and it feeling like he wasn't even there. But grabbing the items she softly smiles, a small card with them simply saying,'Don't take this the wrong way, just a friendly gesture.'

        "Guess this year you remembered, huh?" she mumbles, laughing quietly to herself.

(AN: Okay this is finally done!! It was longer than expected, I got the idea for the date following after, which was supposed to be sillier than it came out to be... -w-;

But I hope you guys liked it! Again, take it as canon to the story or just a little extra one shot, either way I hope you enjoyed! 

Part 6 will be coming either tonight or tomorrow also~)

[ericsonclan]

That Was a Flirt Line

Summary: Prisha goes into town to help resupply when a certain person becomes a bit too friendly with Violet.

Word Count: 1995

Read on AO3:

Prisha looked out at the port town of Marblerock, the wind blowing through her hair and causing wisps of braid to fall out and curl around her face. The pirate gave an excited smile as she looked towards the marketplace further into town. She was really glad when Louis asked her to be part of the group to resupply, especially since that meant she could spend time with her love. It had only been a few weeks since she and Violet had gotten together, but Prisha swore she felt the happiest in her life that she could ever recall.

Plus while life at sea was fun, the adventures memorable and the crew priceless, being stuck week after week on Ol’ Kickass was draining. It would be a nice change of pace to walk on the land and stretch her legs. Maybe spend a few moments alone with Violet. Prisha’s eyes traveled over to the blonde pirate who was leaning against the side of the ship. Her heart felt like it could explode with how much she loved Violet but those words were far too premature to say out loud. It was silly to think like that.

“Alright. You two ready?” Louis’ voice snapped Prisha back into reality. The captain gave a friendly grin as the tailcoats on his coat blew proudly in the wind.

“Yeah. Let’s head out.” Violet glanced over at him then kicked off the side of the ship and made her way towards Prisha. The two shared a soft smile before Prisha reached over and intertwined her fingers with Violet’s. They walked down the gangplank and onto the dock with their captain leading the way. Louis began to excitedly talk about this and that, how he hoped they could get good deals on products and maybe even find a trinket or two to buy as well. Prisha kept looking over towards Violet, feeling her heat pitter patter whenever the blonde looked over and gave a shy smile. Within minutes the three pirates had made their way towards the market. Children laughed as they ran around the open town square. The different sellers of fresh produce, jewelry and instruments called out, trying to persuade the people walking by to purchase their wares.

Louis spun around and gave a dazzling smile to his friends. “Alright, ladies. You know the dealio. Split off and get the necessary ingredients and supplies we need. And remember-”

“Get the medicinal herbs for Ruby,” Violet kicked aside a pebble.

“Get pearl onions for Omar and colored thread for Brody,” Prisha smiled when she saw Louis nod in agreement.

“Alrighty, then let's head out!” Louis dramatically tipped his pirate hat then disappeared off into the first set of booths.

Prisha lifted up Violet’s hand and placed a soft kiss on it, causing the blonde pirate to turn red. Prisha smiled then slowly let her hand slip free of Violet’s. Her own heart raced at the romantic gesture she had just done. Her relationship with Violet was her first true one besides… Prisha shook her head to try and banish the past. No. That never was a real relationship or anything good. All it was was pain and lies that tainted her past. This relationship with Violet was real.

Each pirate began to work to locate their own assigned items. With three of them it made the long list of items seem more manageable. Prisha slowly made her way through the crowd and over to the stand that held the medical supplies that Ruby had requested. “Excuse me, I’d like to get these items.” Prisha pointed to the nearby needles, bandages and ointment.

The seller nodded and turned around to get the supplies. “Sure thing, give me a minute and I’ll wrap it up for you.”

Prisha began to look around the marketplace while she waited for the boothkeep to gather the supplies. She wondered how the others were faring on their list of supplies to get. Her eyes scanned the area, noticing Louis getting into a heated yet friendly bartering match with a seller over a pair of earrings that certainly weren't on the list. Prisha knew who they were for though and knew Louis had chosen well in terms of jewelry for Clementine.

Prisha looked away and her eyes instantly focused on Violet who was walking by when she spotted something at a booth that caught her eye. The blonde’s eyes brightened and a small, soft smile appeared on her lips. Prisha felt her heart skip a beat at the sight. Violet was so beautiful. The way her eyes shone when she got excited, how her hair looked like the warm early rays of sunshine that came each morning. Prisha was quickly pulled from her thoughts though when the shopkeeper slid over her purchase.

“That will be five ducats.” The shopkeeper's voice didn’t seem to hold Prisha’s attention for long though.

“Oh, do you see her? Her hair. Her eyes. I love her!” Prisha slammed her hand on the stand, her emotions overpowering herThe pirate paused for a moment, realizing what she had just declared. A bright blush covered her cheeks. “Wait, I don’t know you. Why am I telling you this?”

The shopkeep seemed unimpressed. “Five ducats.”

“Right.” Prisha slid over the money and quietly took the supplies and tucked them away. Turning around she noticed Louis had made his way to a fruit stand filled with quite a variety of options. It would be wise to go and check to see if he needed any help. Luckily she had found all the supplies Ruby had required at one stand.  

As Prisha wandered over, Louis’ attention was drawn towards her. He gave a friendly smile. “Hey, Prisha! Already done?” he asked, holding up a piece of fruit and sniffing it. Louis was most likely trying to figure out its ripeness, although Prisha wasn’t sure how useful smelling it would be.

“With my first set of supplies. I just thought I’d drop by and offer my assistance if you needed it.” Prisha looked around at the array of fruits. Different colors filled her sights: apples, oranges, peaches and more filled each and every corner of the stand.

“That would be great!” Louis beamed. “I was trying to figure out which was the freshest fruit and I thought we’d start with-” His words quickly faded out, however, as Prisha’s gaze turned once more to Violet.

The blonde pirate was just two stands down and seemed to be in the middle of her own purchase. The shopkeeper was busy talking about all the different merchandise she had while Violet nodded absentmindedly, her eyes searching the stand for the items she needed.

“You know...” The shopkeeper's voice carried over through the air and sounded overly friendly. “I could give you a special price on your purchase today. Just for you.” The girl winked which Violet didn’t seem to notice nor the playful touch the shopkeeper gave to Violet’s hand. The blonde pirate was completely focused on looking at the merchandise that she was considering purchasing.

“Oh okay. Thanks.” she replied, simply grabbing the items she needed.

“So, Prisha, are those oranges ripe?” Louis looked over at his friend who was holding an orange that Louis had put in her hand to examine.

“That was a flirt line!” Prisha hissed under her breath. Her jealous little heart filled with anger at the forwardness of that seller. Balling her hand into a fist, Prisha caused the orange inside it to explode. Bits of pulp and peel flew in the air as the orange’s lifejuice slipped down and coated Prisha’s hand.

Louis looked shocked for a second, his eyes large at what he had just witnessed. He made a quick mental note to never mess with Prisha before turning back to the stand keeper.

“We’ll take a dozen, please! Including that one.” He gestured to the pathetic remnants of the orange in Prisha’s hand.

Prisha wondered whether or not she should go over there and talk to the seller. Let her know just how grave her foolish mistake was of flirting with someone who was already happily taken. At least Prisha hoped Violet was happy with her. The pirate’s mind started to spiral for a moment before she saw Violet making her way over towards her.

“Hey, you got any more shopping to do? I was able to get everything that I need.”

Prisha nodded.  “Besides some pearl onions for Omar and perhaps checking out a stand or two for my own enjoyment, I’m pretty much done as well.”

“Well, you want to finish shopping together?” Violet gave a shy smile and scratched the back of her head.

“I’d love to,” Prisha smiled and was surprised when Violet snuck a small kiss on her cheek before holding her hand and leading the way. The blonde pirate seemed shocked by her own forwardness and turned her attention to her feet to hopefully calm down her heart.

Prisha felt her own heart grow peaceful and she glanced up at the sky. Perhaps she was overreacting a minute ago. There was no need to get in a fight over that line, especially since the Ericson pirates wanted to avoid any arrests. Although Prisha was willing to risk getting tossed in a cell if someone else tried to make a move on her love. Soon Prisha’s attention was drawn back into the simple joy of walking with Violet.

“Prisha? Why the fuck is your hand sticky?” Violet looked over at her love.

“I may have crushed an orange in it,”

Violet looked utterly lost at why Prisha would do something like that.

“It was stupid.”

“Well, let's find some water to wash your hand,” Violet looked around and spotted a fountain. She guided Prisha over to wash her hand. After that was done they continued on with their walk. The three pirates continued their shopping for another hour or so before gathering by the fountain when they had finished up.

“Well I’d say that was a pretty successful shopping trip.” Louis looked proudly at the pile of supplies.

“Yeah, we didn’t do too bad.” Violet leaned against the fountain with a faint smile.

Prisha eyed the impressive pile. “We should figure out how to carry this all back to Ol’ Kickass so that Omar can prep for dinner.”

“Hear, hear,” Louis jumped up from his spot and began to discuss with his two friends what the best course of action would be. He offered to carry most of the heavy stuff while Violet tried to take as much as she could so that Prisha wouldn’t be overwhelmed due to only having use of one arm.

Once everyone was set with their share of supplies, they began to make their way back. Violet and Prisha immediately linked hands again while Louis led the way, the baskets draped on Prisha’s arm tapping softly against her side.

“So, tell me, Louis, did you happen to buy those earrings for Clem?” Prisha’s statement threw Louis off his walking groove for a second and he nearly stumbled.

“Why yes, I did,” Louis looked proud as he held up a pair of simple yet beautiful gold earrings. “I was able to get it for a steal too.”

“Did you steal it?” Violet looked at her best friend with a smirk.

“I did not - I’m an honest pirate!” Louis huffed and continued to lead the way while Prisha and Violet shared a laugh. Soon they had returned to Ol’ Kickass and Louis scampered up to greet his love with a hug before pulling her in for a tender kiss. Mitch and Willy began to tease the couple’s affectionate display before Brody appeared beside Mitch and whacked his arm. Soon Prisha and Violet were on board as well and the pirates gathered around to help with supplies and hear any exciting tales the pirates brought back with them. They would eat their fill of fresh food tonight.

[feuilly-cakes]

Twilight - review

I'm now revealing myself to be twilight trash, but let's talk about it! In this review you'll find the good, the bad, and the ugly (in list form even!) I know this story like the back of my hand, and this is a reread, so although I've only read this particular book once before, I can't be unbiased here. I am a more critical reader now than I was at 14 though, so hopefully this review counts for something. There will be a warning before the section with the spoilers if you haven't yet given in to the curiosity.

I loved it. I gave it 4*. I also found certain parts offensive. Some parts were very funny, and others just as dramatic as you'd expect from a book published for teens in 2005. The love story was, dare I say it, good. It's an enemies to friends to lovers, with a very quick progression on those last two. Both Bella and Edward acted just like regular teens around each other, and if there wasn't a vampire aspect involved it wouldn't have been criticised too heavily on the relationship front. I pretty much sped through the book, even with life getting in the way and pausing every 5 minutes to stick annotation tabs in. We are given a good amount of information about vampires, the history of the characters, and also the kinds of people these characters are. Aside from the offensive/insensitive parts, the entirety of which I will be listing below as I picked up on them, there are only a few moments of genuine real life creepiness not related to the Port Angeles scene right up until the epilogue, which made me very uncomfortable for reasons I shall be explaining. As a random note, I noticed 9 obvious instances of foreshadowing. She must have known where she was going with this series, or else that was a strange coincidence. The rest of this review will contain spoilers Let's begin with how this differs from the movie, since pretty much everyone has seen the movie. First and foremost, there are the characters - Bella and Edward specifically. Bella in this book is a typical teenager with a strong personality. As a child she had tantrums over going to Forks, saying she 'hadn't made a secret of [her] distaste for Forks.' She has a fierce temper, but she is also kind, frowning upon Jessica Stanley's judgement of Esme for adopting kids because she can't have any biologically. She's not vain but she cares about her looks, fussing over her skin being paler once she got to Forks - 'My skin could be pretty' 'I had no color here.' Sarcasm is her thing, and she despairs that none of her new classmates seem to get her sense of humour. She's friendly though an introvert, smiling and waving at everyone who greets her after a week of school while not knowing all of their names. She loves girls nights, and finds being around other girls 'invigorating'. She's independent and won't let Edward question that: "No, she did not send me here. I sent myself." However, she notices she has a very strong crush on Edward that is almost obsessive and finds it 'pitiful' and 'pathetic'. At least she's self aware. 

Bella is very funny at times, especially when referencing her clumsiness (I won't spoil this because humour should never be spoiled). Bella is very smart and resourceful, but not in the obvious way. Schoolwork is a breeze for her because she's done most of it at her old school, but she's smart in other ways. It's Bella who figures out about Edward's mind reading abilities and questions him about it, and who flirts with Jacob Black to get information about the Cullens and why they aren't allowed on the reservation. It's Bella who tells Edward that men and women should be equal or as close to equal as they can, each saving each other the same amount of times. It's also Bella who feels that Mike Newton understands her, because they both were new in Forks at one point, and both lived in sunny places and probably both experienced the chain link fences and metal detectors that Bella was shocked were not at Forks High School. (Personally that threw me for a loop too, that schools could have metal detectors.) Edward is closer to the movie characterisation, but acts more like a typical teenage boy. He's moody but charming, awkward at times but also mischievous. At one point he cuts Bella off in the school car park and then deliberately stops his car to wait for his siblings, causing a queue behind them and giving Tyler Crowley the opportunity to ask her to the dance. He does all this to anger Bella, and it was absolutely hilarious. He flip flops between cheerful and broody, and finds Bella utterly fascinating. He is constantly relearning boundaries and ways to make Bella and himself feel more comfortable. An interesting aspect of his character that was definitely unintentional and handled poorly was the way he was coded as demi-sexual. He states that he has never wanted anyone before Bella, and his adoptive mother Esme thought there was something missing in him. As this is offensive I'll be bringing it up again later. Back to some positives, he likes to sing under his breath in a very fast speed that looks like his lips are trembling, and finds the heat of Bella's hands very pleasant. I thought this was cute, and I had to tab it for future reference. A not so cute thing is how he can 'dazzle' Bella by being close to her face and breathing on her. She describes this as her mind going blank, after which we see her agree to whatever he says while she is in this state. It's a bit creepy but he doesn't take advantage of it at first after being made aware of it, he only does so towards the end, which we shall get into later. He also hears the minds of others as a background hum that he can then focus in on, which I found interesting. Now, onto actual plot things that differed, we have Bella never buying that book on Quileute legends, instead simply flirting with a 15 year old Jacob to get his information and then combining that with a google search, and coming to her conclusions that way. Next, we have the Volturi being mentioned but not by name, firstly on vampires a-z in the section: 'Stregoni benefici: An Italian vampire, said to be on the side of goodness, and a mortal enemy of all evil vampires.' and then in a scene that wasn't a part of the film at all, wherein Edward and Bella are in Carlisle's office, talking about his history, and they are brought up simply as Carlisle's artistic friends from Italy. They are named but the word Volturi is nowhere in this book. In a similar vein, several backstories are revealed in this book that we didn't really get to see until later in the series. Bella gets some meaningful interactions with Jasper, who actually sits next to her and touches her to calm her down in the hotel. It's also implied somewhere in those chapters that Alice possibly knew about Bella planning to sneak off and let her go anyway. Finally, Bella is awake after the venom gets sucked out. This is important because she tells them that the venom is gone and thanks Edward before passing out. She was awake and aware the whole time, though in incredible pain. Another difference happens but I'll be discussing that with the other creepy things. Next, I would like to discuss a few things we learn about Vampires. Did you know that despite their physical perfection, a hungry vampire looks like they are recovering from a nose job? The bruises are very prominent, and likely not pretty to look at. Did you also know that they a venomous in the true sense of the word? Alice tells Bella that the venom is to incapacitate victims with the pain, and becoming a vampire is just a side effect, not the true function of the venom. The pain is there for a reason, and that reason is to torture victims with the burning sensation so they can't get away. These vampires may sparkle, but they aren't cute. I will never get the image of snake fangs out of my mind in conjunction to twilight vampires. Am I the only one who didn't realise the inherent creepiness of that because there's no mention of it in the films? Alright, now onto the offensive/ creepy stuff. I'll be bullet pointing these with elaboration where needed. -Bella refers to herself as an albino simply because she is pale. This one just didn't sit right with me, for reasons I can't explain. Stick with me here, it gets worse. -A casual comment about suicide: 'I guess he considered me old enough now not to shoot myself by accident, and not depressed enough to shoot myself on purpose.' This one is tricky, because everyone has made jokes like that, but it made me personally uncomfortable and didn't need to be in there considering the tone of the rest of the book. -Upon Edward talking to her again after the car park incident, Bella says this: "Do you have multiple personality disorder?" This needs no elaboration. Buckle up, it gets worse. -Jacob. He tells Bella his people's legends after she flirts with him, all the while telling her he didn't believe them himself. Then he asks her: "So do you believe we're a bunch of superstitious natives or what?" As someone who is not native american, I can't give a personal perspective here, but I don't believe this is something she should have had a native character say. Stephenie Meyer is a white woman and had no place essentially calling the people she culturally appropriated a bunch of superstitious natives. It was jarring to read that line knowing that it's not her culture and she has no right to say that, only someone from the culture has the right to say that. As I said, I'm not native american and I haven't looked deeply into what exactly she stole and changed, but I know she did it, so that can of course be a pretty major offence to many people. -She compares her clumsiness to being 'almost disabled'. Gross. -The watching her while she sleeps thing. Let's talk about it. She guesses he's been spying on her when he knows where the key is after the meadow date, and he says he's been watching her sleep. It's undoubtedly creepy, but Bella isn't concerned about that. Oh no, she's concerned about what he heard while she was sleep talking. She actually seems unbothered by the stalking aspect, which is why I think these actions flew under the radar for so many people. If Bella thinks it's fine then it must be fine, right? This should have been handled differently. -The Aphobia. Edward tells Bella that Esme was 'afraid that there was something missing from [his] essential makeup'. This is really harmful, but it wasn't intentional. I have no doubt that Stephenie Meyer had no clue and perhaps still has no clue that asexuality is a thing and that she accidentally made Edward demisexual, by simple fact of him being interested in no one before Bella. Nonetheless, it needs to be warned for. -There are heavy implications of p*dophilia here, by choice of language. Regarding Bella's class, full of people her age. Edward calls them a 'class full of children' then on the next page calls Bella 'an insignificant little girl' and then a few chapters down he calls jacob a 'child' to which Bella responds that he is not much younger than she is and Edward cheerfully replies that he knows. It's beyond creepy and I wish it wasn't there, because if it had gone the opposite way of Edward making old man jokes it could have been funny and not horrifying to think about. -Lastly though not leastly, the epilogue. All throughout the book Bella has under no circumstances wanted to go to prom. She is tricked into going to prom. Alice sees the future, Edward reads minds, they knew she wouldn't want to go but bamboozled her into going anyway, and when she starts shouting and crying, Edwards tells her "Don't be difficult". This is creepy and horrifying, that they are taking away her agency and treating her like a child when she tries to refuse. Although she goes and has a goodish time, it still wasn't right to force her into that position. Thus concludes this review, and I leave you with the knowledge that if you read this you get to see the part where Charlie Swan tells Bella that Carlisle Cullen is very attractive. Good day.

[funny-mlb-screenshots]

My Favorite ML Fics (With links and descriptions)

One Thing After Another - Marinette notices that, sometimes, Adrien acts a little out of the ordinary--like the time he stood in a cardboard box for no reason, or when he actually hissed at Nino. It's only when she starts to notice the similarities between Adrien and a certain feline that she begins to get suspicious.

Basically, Adrien acts like a cat when he probably shouldn't.

Back to Us - After a reveal so shocking it rocks the core of Paris itself, the villain Hawk Moth is finally defeated...at a great personal cost to heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir. With the city safe, they go their separate ways, returning to the lives they were forced to put on hold since receiving their Miraculous.

Now, seven years later, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is on the rise, studying at the fashion college of her dreams by day, working at her dream internship by afternoon...and occasionally moonlighting as Ladybug by night. This routine is set so firmly in place that, once it's shattered by an old-yet-new enemy, and the reappearances of a cold friend and a hot partner, the whiplash threatens to send Marinette spiraling down into chaos.

As Ladybug, she can do anything...but soon those limits will be tested, whether she is in or out of the costume

Truthful Scars - Adrien Agreste has never been an expert in controlling his emotions. When feelings for his classmate in pigtails begin to arise, he can't stop himself from seeing her any chance he gets—even when wearing a pair of cat ears and a black tail. Although his affections are strong and true, he doesn't exactly know how to deal with them, especially under the watchful eye of his father.

After all, what's a boy to do when he accidentally finds out that the girl he's got a crush on returns his feelings?

 [Obsession - Miraculous has unintended side effects. A chance encounter leaves Chat Noir in Marinette's magic hands. Scritch and scratch, this kitty has needs. MariChat.

Glaze - He watched her fade, right before his eyes, and he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Quiver - Spring in Paris, a time for flowers and love, for fashion and passion. But heated blood can lead to dangerous decisions and Adrien’s about to discover how hard things can be. Hawk Moth is on the horizon. COMPLETE]

Smoulder - Marinette traced her fingers down the smooth lines of the magazine, a blush creeping to her face. It wasn’t just his toned, muscular body that set her aflame, although that was certainly a bonus. It was his eyes. The way his body appeared, languid like a summers day. His body said relax but his eyes said devour. From the pages of the advertisement, Adrien smouldered in a way that he’d never done during any of his other numerous photographs, and yet she was struck with a familiarity that made her skin tingle, made her swallow with sudden and surprising nervousness. She was sure she’d seen that expression somewhere before. A pair of green eyes looking at her like that, with an unknown question in his hungry gaze. She’d seen that smoulder before.

In which Adrien loses a bet and becomes an underwear model, Marinette loses her mind, and the whole fiasco starts a fire which might lead to the pair discovering their identities.

Telltale -  It all starts with a simple injury, but slowly Ladybug begins to really see who Chat Noir is, and Adrien begins to see Marinette…

Pick-Up and Chase - After she accidentally trips into Adrien and apologizes about "falling for him," Marinette learns that he's no match for cheesy pick-up lines--whether they were unintended or not. And while she finds it flattering that he turns into a flustered mess with only a few words, Marinette comes to regret making him uncomfortable. That is, until she learns he's Chat Noir. At which point the phrase "just desserts" becomes a permanent fixture in her everyday plans. A story in which Adrien is flustered, Marinette is smooth as glass at dropping lines, and Chat Noir gets the romance he was always asking for--even if he doesn't quite know how to handle it

Won’t Tell a Soul - Nino accidentally runs head long into the biggest most stressful secret he can imagine, but now that he knows the truth about Marinette he is determined to help her in any way he can.

Serendipitous Fate Adrien is excited to reveal his true identity, while Marinette is terrified. But Master Fu says they can't afford to be distant any longer. Chat Noir and Ladybug are meant to work in tandem both in and out of uniform, their strength stemming from the bond created between them. Yet, teenagers are sometimes better at dancing blind than running with wide open eyes, even with the steps laid out before them.

Steps in the path of an expanding world. Apart, they'll flounder. But together, they might just stand a chance.

Anywhere, I wouldve followed you - Indygodusk "Just because you care for something, doesn't mean you get to keep it."

Lately, Marinette's luck has been failing her. No one's guessed her secret identity yet, but after Hawk Moth escalates his attacks, she decides it's time to finally tell Chat Noir. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. To make things worse, her home life is falling apart, college is looming, and she can't keep a boyfriend. Secretly, Marinette's not sure she even wants to be Ladybug anymore.

Adrien's life isn't faring much better, especially after dark secrets about his mother come to light.

Then the unthinkable happens. Afterwards, both Adrien and Marinette have to make their own luck. In the process, they defeat the bad guy and make their dreams come true (even if those dreams weren't what they thought they'd be).

Sting - When Chat Noir inexplicably disappears, leaving Ladybug bee-hind to face Papillon on her own, a new wielder is chosen to keep the akuma from swarming. Ladybug is adamant she doesn’t want another partner buzzing around and why is this new-bee flirting with her?

Meanwhile, Adrien just wishes Ladybug would stop bugging out and listen to him because his bee puns are fuzz-tastic.

The repercussions of the bee are farther reaching than anyone realised.

The Parts of You - “I just…” Her hands migrated from covering her face to clutching her hair. Her ears matched her suit but her eyes were glowing with — what was that? Love? Admiration? His chest tightened. “I can’t talk to him! I always get tongue-tied, or say something stupid, or trip over my own feet. It’s so embarrassing! I mean, I’ve gotten better since we first met, like, we’re actually kind of friends now, but it’s kind of a big leap to go from ‘I can sort of string more than two words together in front of you,’ to ‘Please date me, I love you,’ you know?” His breath hitched at the word “love,” but Ladybug didn’t seem to notice. “Plus, it’s not like we’re super-close or anything. I mean,” she tittered nervously, “we’ve known each other for years, but it’s not like talking to you.”

If words could have killed him he would have been in his grave.

In which Identity Shenanigans™ make everyone's life way harder than it has to be.

Breeze - Marinette sobbed into her hands as she recalled Chloé’s hurtful words, each and every one of them.

“You’re nothing! You’re not even worth yourself, much less your so-called friends! Don’t you see they just hang out with you because they pity you?! You’re worth the dirt under my feet, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And you have no right to speak to me like that, you pathetic little brat. You don’t even have the right to speak to anyone! Just keep your stupid thoughts and ideas to yourself because nobody wants to hear them!”

After a big fight with Chloé, Marinette finds herself sobbing on her bed. The words hit her deep down. And before she knows it a dark Akuma comes fluttering in, ready to introduce her to Hawkmoth…

Technical Difficulties - “Man,” Nino groans, accepting defeat at last, as he gives the golden elevator doors a vicious, vengeful kick. Just like that, he remembers his present company.

Nino turns chagrined eyes to Ladybug.

“Er. Sorry… Probably shouldn’t take it out on the doors?”

Ladybug doesn’t seem to hear him. She is staring hard at the security camera located in the corner. He’s never seen her so quiet… not that he’s seen much of her, that is. Definitely not this close.

Damn, he can’t help but think. What Adrien wouldn’t give to be here right now.

“I’m sure they’ll fix it soon,” Nino offers tentatively, because it seems like something Adrien might say. Or Ladybug, probably, if she weren’t so distracted.

“They will,” she acknowledges, but her eyes are still pretty far away. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

“What?“

Ladybug straightens. She makes a decision; it does really pretty things to her eyes, so Nino doesn’t hear her at first, when she asks him for his hat.

— In which Ladybug gets trapped in an elevator with... Nino. { LoveSquare, brotp!MariNino, all-around-friendship!fic } Prompt:Trapped in an Elevator.

 Curiosity and Satisfaction - When Adrien agreed to this line of work, he thought all his focus would be on the job of catching the elusive Lady Luck. It never crossed his mind that someone else would catch his attention.

 Turn Loose the Mermaids - Marinette should have dragged him under the water in and feast on his body when she had the chance. Maybe then she wouldn't have been his prisoner. Blasted pirate.

That awkward moment when… - “Marinette wasn’t an idiot. As many precautions as she insisted they take, she knew she and Chat Noir were both going to find out sooner or later. Of course, Marinette assumed that the way they’d found out wasn’t by running right smack into each other and detransforming in front of the other. So of course, in a typical calm and rational manner, they pointed to each other and screamed.”

Because, nine times out of ten, letting the cat out of the bag just ends up being very, very awkward.

Tandem - Two students get carried away in a friendly game of dodge ball.... and two other students get very suspicious

Best Frenemies - Marinette Dupain-Cheng leads a double life. It’s often difficult, but it’s the only way to protect the people she cares about. But when her rival, Chloé Bourgeois, discovers her most closely guarded secret, she finds the two separate aspects of her identity blending together… but maybe that’s not such a bad thing. It can be nice sharing the journey with someone even if it's the last person she ever expected to trust with her secrets.

Chloé Bourgeois leads a double life. It’s often difficult, but it’s the only way to protect the people she cares about. But when her rival, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, discovers her most closely guarded secret, she finds the two separate aspects of her identity blending together… but maybe that’s not such a bad thing. It can be nice sharing the journey with someone even if it's the last person she ever expected to trust with her secrets.

The Date - They had a simple deal: one date. Chat had one date to sweep Ladybug off her feet. If she still didn’t like him in that way at the end of the day, he’d give up his attempts altogether. Ladybug took the deal, knowing that her heart belonged to another.

But we know them too well.

Wherever I Go - Marinette accidentally gives her class the impression that she has a crush on Chat Noir.

Adrien decides it's time to get over Ladybug.

Ne Me Quitte Pas - “This is my umbrella,” Adrien told him, as though he didn't quite believe it and the words would bring some sense to it.

“Even I could have told you that,” the kwami said with a shrug, his focus returning to his meal.

“Why did she keep my umbrella?” he asked, only half-directing the question at Plagg.

The kwami, however, chose to answer anyway. “Well, she is your friend, isn't she?” he asked as he finally gave in and stuffed the cheese in his mouth. He swallowed, closing his eyes in satisfaction. “What's so weird about it?”

Bring Me Home - Everybody deals differently with the consequences of Hawkmoth's defeat.

The day after, Ladybug eagerly awaits her silly kitty, finally ready to hand him her heart and start a new chapter of their story with him. He never shows up.

The day after, Adrien Agreste shuts the whole world out, ashamed of his father's action, while Marinette grows more and more exhausted and depressed as the years go by.

Five years later, can anything really be salvaged out of the remnants of their relationship?

Kitten Therapy - After scoring the highest points in a stress level test at school Marinette and Adrien have to take 'recreational hours' in order to prevent being akumatized. It seems like a long awaited break for them until Ayla hacks into CCTV and discovers …?

Mostly fluff. Especially the kittens.

Eperdument - All the pieces are starting to fit together, as much as Marinette doesn't want them to fit. As much as she desperately fights against seeing the signs, sometimes the cat refuses to stay in the bag.

And sometimes the cat kwami refuses to stay out of her lunch bag.

I Didn’t Want it to be Like This - There was always the possibility that someone would find out. Marinette, Paris’s very own Ladybug, knew that it was a high chance. Eventually someone was going to put two and two together.

The Most Eloquent Reply - Deaf Marinette

MDR - Marinette liked not knowing much about her online friends. With the arrival of a newcomer to their group chat, they suddenly start to believe that she has a crush on herself, no matter how obvious she tries to make it that she likes someone else. AU.

[sassyhazelowl]

Title: Of Chlorine, Nephews and Things Getting Better Pairing: stingue Word Count: 3, 400 Rating: PG Warnings: none A/N: @blackbloodrose20 I’m your secret Valentine for the exchange hosted by @ft-fairyexchanges. I hope you enjoy the story! It got a bit away from me, as this pairing tends to do, but I think it works.

-

This was not Rogue’s day.

“That was so embarrassing, Uncle!”

Rogue ignored the faint smells of wet clothing and chlorine that permeated the car and the soft croon of the radio, fingers gripped tightly around the steering wheel in mortification. His clothing clung to his skin and his hair to his scalp. When he’d slipped on the side of the pool and fell in, he hadn’t been planning to take a dip.

Shut up, shut up, shut up.

This was said silently in his mind of course. Neil, his nephew, already had reason to doubt his sanity after what happened this afternoon. No reason to give the poor boy more evidence. Really, he probably shouldn’t even be driving, the shaking made things a bit unsteady and it was hard to focus on the road.

“For you or me?” Rogue replied archly, a beat too late. 

Lips burning, he took a hand off the wheel and scrubbed the back of it across them, hard. It felt good, for a second, then the burn came back. It had been a long while since he’d had a man’s lips on his.

The pre-teen in the passenger seat stopped to consider the question seriously, as he always did. Unfortunately for him, he was very much like Rogue was at that age. Awkward, quiet and serious. He tended to fade into the background of things, like a child-shaped shadow. He’d been like that for as long as Rogue had known him, which was about two months.

Neil flipped his too-long bangs from his eyes, peering over, “Are you okay?”

“Just wet.”

“You did fall in a swimming pool,” Neil pointed out and Rogue could feel his stare at the obvious and lame answer. “And Mr. Eucliffe had to pull you out and give you mouth-to-mouth.”

Rogue nearly hit his forehead on the steering wheel at the reminder but the last thing he needed today was to be pulled over. 

When Neil had brought home a permission slip and interest for swimming, Rogue’s friend really pushed for Rogue to let the boy join. Yukino seemed to have these sorts of things all figured out - at least where Neil was concerned. She said the boy needed a confidence boost and something to keep him busy. Rogue really just signed it because he thought that would buy him an extra hour three times a week alone - he didn’t realize those three hours would be spent in a damp, smelly building surrounded by a handful of middle aged moms on their cellphones. 

And he definitely hadn’t thought he’d be fished out of the pool like a drowned rat in front of everyone. Then kissed -- no, not kissed, mouth-to-mouth, absolutely not a kiss, it was a valid, medical procedure. 

It was a violent flashback to high school times. Stomach heaving, he shoved those thoughts away. That was the past. It was the past, and it couldn’t hurt him anymore. He was past that now, in a better - ok, well, different, anyway, place.

“I’m fine,” Rogue repeated numbly, realizing with dawning horror that the next swimming practice was sooner than he could handle. All those people were there. Mr. Eucliffe would be there too. High school never ended, did it? “It’s fine.”

Everything was fine.

What was another emergency visit to the therapist?

~

“Hey! You’re that guy from Swimland!”

If Rogue’s shoulders could creep up any higher, he’d be an actual turtle hiding in his shell. Lacking a shell and a retractable neck in general, he winced and slowly pivoted around, life-sustaining coffee in one hand and an indulgent raspberry danish in the other.

“You are! Everything good?”

The overenthusiastic swim instructor’s bright blue eyes twinkled and his smile gleamed. Too bright, too shiny… too loud. Suddenly, the burning on his lips returned, along with the butterflies. That danish was expensive, flicked across his mind, which was a shame because he’d most certainly not be able to eat it now.

I hate my body, Rogue thought to himself crossly. He’d really, desperately needed a sweet treat for the week he was having.

“Hello, yes, I’m fine, now, uh, thanks.”

“No problem.” Wink. Smile. Rogue’s stomach squirmed a bit more. “Not every day I get to save someone like you.”

“What does that mean?”

The swim instructor blinked, taken aback by Rogue’s tone shift. He reared back a bit, shifting an eyebrow and becoming more guarded. Some of the shine hid behind those clouds, the sunshine more bearable when he frowned instead of smiled.

“Uh… sorry?”

Rogue sighed, blowing the air out with a mix of regret and irritation at himself. He was fairly certain he wasn’t misreading the intent, but what if this guy really was just cluelessly friendly and a natural flirt? He probably had a girlfriend at home and was just nice with all the parents who paid his salary, so once again, Rogue was blowing things out of proportion. Rubbing the bridge of his nose and taking several deep breaths, he forced a smile with more teeth than cheer.

“No, I’m sorry. I’ve been having a bad week… month… several months, actually. Can I buy your coffee as an apology?” Rogue really, truly couldn’t afford that, but he’d also feel terrible for the rest of the day if he didn’t at least offer.

“If you’re having a bad week, maybe I should’ve bought you a coffee. I’m Sting Eucliffe, by the way. I’m sure you probably know that --” Rogue didn’t, which made him feel worse -- “But I really came up on you like a pal instead of someone I haven’t officially met yet. My friends say I can come on strong. And you are?”

“Rogue, Rogue Cheney, Neil’s uncle. I’d shake but…” He held up his coffee and danish.

Sting looked him up and down with a tug of a smile that made his stomach flutter even more, “You’ve got your hands full. Uncle, huh? Neil’s a good kid; good swimmer too. Say, might be coming on too strong again, but you look like you need to talk. I’ve got a few hours before work… fair warning, I talk a lot, you might get sick of listening.”

Rogue sincerely doubted that. It would be like getting sick of the sun.

But Mr. Eucliffe might get sick of him. He didn’t have a lot of cheerful and chipper topics at the moment. Broke up with his long-term boyfriend, rather violently at that, last year on Valentine’s Day. Something about him being too brooding and not into fun. Lost his job to office politics, scrabbling to collect unemployment and find a new one. Hence why he was at the coffee shop in the first place, laptop waiting and white mocha in hand. Acquired a pre-teen ward, one he didn’t even know existed until he got a phone call two months ago. Rogue wasn’t close with his family after the falling out, but his sister had always been fond of him. Still, he’d spent long nights wondering why Neil was with him and not their parents. He was too afraid to call and ask.

He looked up into that hopeful, puppydog look and felt the resistance on the tip of his tongue disappear.

“...Sure.”

~ 

“Hey! Mr. Cheney!”

Rogue looked up, startled, nearly but not quite losing his balance. It was tempting, for a split second, to fall in. But at some point Mr. Eucliffe would realize Rogue was not only a proficient swimmer, but had won many competitions in college. Plus, he’d just regained his reputation with the moms - they hadn’t harassed or teased him too much about it. But falling in seemed to have broken some ice and more than once he’d been invited into their little gossip circle. It felt nice to belong, even if it was just a group of bored moms that would go their merry ways after their boys lost interest in swimming and moved on to the next sport.

Rogue had gotten in the habit of showing up a little early because Neil wanted to help set up. Today was the big meet, and Neil had been anxious all morning. 

“Congrats, man. Neil told me.”

Rogue felt a smile slip onto his face, although he wasn’t sure if it was the warm congratulations or the fact Neil was starting to open up to people. He’d taken a particular shine to Mr. Eucliffe, and Rogue found it nice to have someone who seemed to care as much about his nephew as he did - Neil gave them an excuse to talk. A coffee date here, some time after a meet there, before practice started during set-up.

“Thank you, Mr. Eucliffe.”

“I’ve told you this a million times, it’s just Sting. I don’t stand on ceremony.” 

That was true enough. Rogue had been regaled with many exciting stories of Sting, the globetrotter, getting in trouble for his lack of decor. Swim instructor was just the latest in a long career of job hopping and city changing lifestyle. Rogue had to wonder how long… how long before Sting grew bored and moved on. Like sunlight, he never stayed in one place.

Swallowing the lump that formed, he tried not to choke on his smile. He should be happy; he finally found a job. And it was a good job, a better job than his last one too. Things were looking up. It was too soon to be fretting about the future, like his therapist always told him.

“Thank you… Sting. You’ve been… you’ve been a big help. I probably couldn’t have done it without your support.”

“Aww,” Sting flushed an adorable shade of pink, his normally cocky look taking on a more boyish cast with embarrassment. Rogue had to fight back a blush of his own.

Neil stared between them with a look only a teenager could pull off but he didn’t make any quips. 

“Good luck out there, kid,” Sting said to him, giving him a friendly punch to the shoulder. Ducking his head, Neil mumbled in response before slipping away to get changed. He turned to Rogue, rubbing the back of his neck, “I guess this is it, huh? The last big meet.”

Rogue’s smile slipped this time but he didn’t say anything. What was there to say? This little bubble of happiness wasn’t going to last forever after all. Happy things didn’t last in Rogue’s life.

“Yeah.”

“Since it's the last meet, we should celebrate. Take the kid out for some pizza, get wasted on root beer. It can be a little party.”

“For the group?”

Sting cocked his head, doing that thing that made Rogue feel like he was trying to read him. He shrugged, trying to pass it off nonchalantly, “I was thinking just the three of us. Love the other kiddos, of course, but there is a team party on Saturday. After this meet, I’m not the coach anymore anyway.”

Rogue sensed a trap. That anxious feel was creeping up on him, little and lurking, something wasn’t right, something was coming, he needed to do something, anything, because something wasn’t right, something was coming, he needed to do…

“No.” Rogue’s reply came out a little too sharp, a little too shrill. He backtracked, staring away at the unnaturally blue pool water as he mumbled, “No, um, sorry, Neil and I already have plans with Yukino.”

“Oh.”

Rogue didn’t say more or look before retreating to the bleachers, waving to Amara and Nicole as they stomped in, armed to the teeth with entertainment for younger siblings and bags full of supplies so their families didn’t starve. He knew within minutes the husbands would troop in, having gone to park the car, and then the rest of the crowd would follow to get a seat. For once, timing was on his side.

He had an easy out, and like a coward, he took it.

~

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Rogue’s friend Yukino was eyeing him with a soft, concerned expression.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

She fiddled with the end of the blanket a moment, debating, before sighing, “Well, you keep inviting me over or out for coffee or to take Neil out, and that’s great and no problem. But it’s kind of weird? And you’ve been mopey. I thought things were going well with the new job.”

“It is.” It was. The new job was great. It paid the bills, his bosses appreciated him and he enjoyed the work. It was a big step up from being stuck under his old boss’s micromanaging and unethical thumb.

Neil, who had been quietly watching the movie Yukino and Rogue abandoned from the shadowy chair, piped up, “He’s sad because swim season is over. I told him I want to do it next time too but he’s still unhappy.”

Yukino wasn’t a fool. Armed with the new information, her gaze sharpened and she narrowed in, dropping the kid gloves behind her.

“Oh, so it’s about that. I see. And what have you done, exactly, since swim season ended besides moping and trying to use me to distract you?”

Rogue had nothing to say for himself that wouldn’t be damning. 

Yukino smiled a smile he wasn’t the biggest fan of and remarked, “Valentine’s Day is in a few days. I know you are the Scrooge of V-day after He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named…”

“Voldemort?” Neil blinked in confusion and a laugh of surprise barked out of Rogue, breaking him out of what was the beginning of a spiral at the mention of his ex. Doggedly, sensing he was now part of a grownup conversation, Neil pressed on, “I didn’t know you liked Harry Potter, Uncle Rogue.”

“Your Uncle is the biggest Harry Potter nerd, Neil,” Yukino confirmed. “But that’s not who we’re talking about.”

“Oh, okay. Maybe we can talk about Harry Potter later though, Uncle Rogue?” Neil asked hopefully. Rogue felt stabbed through the heart. Was this the same withdrawn, sulky child he picked up from the bus station with a backpack and small rolling suitcase? 

“Absolutely.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” It was the easiest promise Rogue had ever made and he hadn’t hesitated for even an instant.

“Great,” Yukino clapped her hands together, “Now the task at hand. Uncle Rogue is going to take some initiative!”

“With Mr. Eucliffe?” Rogue winced, thinking fast how to explain things to Neil, feeling things crumple. But the boy added quickly, “I hope it’s with Mr. Eucliffe. Uncle Rogue, you’re always so happy around him, and I want you to be happy. Plus, he’s always so happy when he sees you too.”

“It’s settled. Let’s get to work.”

~

His finger hovered over the bell. He’d only been here twice before, once with Sting’s car broke and he needed a ride and another when Sting got wasted at a bar crawl calling Rogue’s number by accident. Neither situation was particularly romantic, and Rogue hadn’t the nerve to cross the threshold then.

Sucking in a deep breath from between his lips, he shoved the bell, torn between hoping no one answered the door and desperately hoping someone did. 

When the door opened, he swallowed, hard. An intimidating woman answered the door with cutting edge fashion, perfect make-up and an expression that made Rogue want to close the door like he was in a horror movie. She looked him up and down with the interest of a large predator gauging meal or toy. Sting never mentioned a girlfriend! In fact, Rogue had hinted about it more than once and Sting always insisted he was single and free. Who was this? Did Rogue go to the wrong house? Did Sting go get someone to take away the pain of Rogue’s rejection?

“Is this the Eucliffe residence?”

“It is.”

Pursing her lips, she raked him up and down, before stepping aside and motioning in. Even her heels clicked judgmentally on the foyer’s tiles. So not a girlfriend? Definitely not a sister or at least not a full sister.

“We are roommates. I’m not surprised Sting did not mention it. I ate his last boyfriend alive. So you are here for some groveling I see, along with Valentine’s gifts. Smart. You better not have cheated on him, or I will eat you alive too.”

Rogue felt a full body flushing coming on, pausing to listen to the well-manicured roommate’s dirge of information. Sting had literally talked for hours and hours and never mentioned a roommate, an ex or the fact that they were apparently dating?

“We are dating?” slipped out of Rogue’s mouth. A wicked smile curved her lips in a less-than-reassuring way and she offered a slender hand, “I am Minerva Orlando. It is a pleasure to finally meet the man of the legend in person, Rogue Cheney.”

“Min? Who’re you talking to? I thought you were getting ready to go out on your date!”

“Maybe you should get out of your boxers, put the tissues away and worry about your own date, moron. Your boyfriend’s here looking dapper with a box of candy and some roses after all.”

Rogue wasn’t sure about that, but it sounded better than what he actually looked like, so he kept quiet. He had the feeling she was hassling her roommate at his expense and enjoying every second of it.

“What?” Sting yelped from the other room, followed by the sound of crashing and stumbling then a hefty body hitting the wall so hard it shook at the impact. Much to Rogue’s relief, he did not appear in his boxers. Hair wild and in a hideous pair of sweats, Sting was shedding a trail of candy wrappers and swears behind him as he tore into the doorway. Seeing Rogue, his face went through a myriad of emotions before settling on sheepish for a long moment then he ran his fingers through his hair, trying for suave.

Minerva rolled her eyes, “Okay Casanova. I am going out on my date. No sex on the table.”

“Wha--” Sting sputtered, eyes wide, and Rogue wanted to melt into the shadows forever. That had definitely not been on his mind 3 seconds ago, and now he was having trouble focusing on what he came to do, remembering all those times he’d seen Sting in swim trunks and only swim trunks.

“Uh, hi,” Sting said uncertainly. “I kind of… thought you were done with me. I mean, at the swim meet… you were pretty clear.”

“We are dating?” was the only intelligent thing Rogue could say in response, everything all jumbled up. 

Sting scratched his cheek, “Ignore her. It sucks, but anytime I have a friend, she assumes I’m dating. Hazards of being gay with an aggressively supportive roommate, I guess.”

The front door slammed noisily, confirming Minerva had left the building.

“I brought you these… as an apology,” Rogue abruptly changed the subject, shoving the sweets and flowers at Sting unceremoniously. Not chocolates, not roses, that’d be Too Much, but it was a start. Sting took them awkwardly, that megawatt grin of his lighting up the room as he admitted while smelling the gift, “Never gotten flowers before. What do you do with them? Min! Min! Oh wait, she left… shit.” 

Snapping his fingers, he made a wait-here motion, disappearing back through the doorway and leaving Rogue standing in the hallway. Just as he was about to peer through the door, Sting returned, flowers shoved into a coffee mug with a crass saying printed across the front, still in the plastic sleeve and looking a bit bedraggled. He handed the whole thing back, making another motion, and disappearing in another direction.

The next time he emerged, he was changed and presentable.

“So… ready to go on a real date?” he asked with a smooth and causal tone that Rogue envied. Sting really did do things on the fly. “And I’m not just saying that because of Min. I was going to ask you at the pizza place weeks ago if you wanted to go out for real. Also, I’ve seriously been jonesing to kiss you this whole time, not going to lie. Your lips have been on my mind since day one.”

“Maybe you should fix that before we go out on our first real date then,” Rogue replied with a rare giddiness pulling the other man in to indulge in his fantasies.

This was totally Rogue’s day, and he was going to make the most of it.

[phoneboxfairy]

A Dance of Stars Ch 2 (Undercover Dancer sequel fic)

(Read from the beginning on ao3 here - https://archiveofourown.org/works/22918666/chapters/55226749 Thanks again to @random-rave)  Lucy’s illustrious stint at Club B began the following Thursday night. She arrived at the club well before her set started, with Natsu even accompanying her to her dressing room. He figured she was nervous about her big debut and wanted to keep her company. She had no objections. Of course, since it was her first night, she only had one set, but she still felt the jitters coming on. Having Natsu there helped a lot. So she changed into a schoolgirl outfit: button shirt, pleated skirt, and thigh high stockings hiding a pink string bikini along with club standard high heels. She finished putting her hair up into ponytails and was working on makeup when she felt a familiar warmth. Natsu had wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck, comforting her racing mind with a dragon hug. “Natsu?” “I wanna kiss you...” “Hold on.” She smiled and finished applying her eyeshadow. Then she turned her head and smiled. “Go ahead, love.” His hands wandered before his mouth ever met hers. Warm hands squeezed soft boobs, made her gasp then giggle. “Naughty boy. That’s not a kiss.” “Duh, but I ain’t finished yet.” At long last he kissed her, delighting in the way she leaned into it and the soft sigh. For a few moments he was tempted to take it further, to slip a hand under her skirt for a little pre-set treat… but for once he refrained. He didn’t want to throw off her concentration on such a big night. After all, they were most certainly going to play once they got home. No need to rush. For now he was content kissing her. ...at least until a knock on the door claimed their attention. “Yo, Andromeda! Your set starts in five minutes. And Natsu!” “Whaaat!?” “Get your ass out here!” She clearly wasn’t giving him a choice. He treated Lucy to a kiss for luck, then reluctantly went to see what the hell Cana wanted. “Being engaged to a dancer gives you special perks, especially if you’re both friends with the owner’s girlfriend.” “Okay? And?” “And shut up and follow me if you want the best seat in the house for your woman’s show, that’s what.” “Oh!” Instant comprehension made his eyes light up. No way would he ever turn that down, not when he loved watching her dance. Needless to say that by the time Cana led him to a certain spot right in front of the stage Natsu’s eyes were sparkling in anticipation. The lights were low. The crowd murmured, something about not knowing what to expect with this new girl. Natsu couldn’t help smiling at that. He knew they were in for quite a treat. For that matter so was he… The music started, something smooth and jazzy with techno beats thrown in. “Give it up for our new celestial princess. Here’s Andromeda!” Cana’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker. A spotlight illuminated the stage. Lucy ascended and the crowd roared as she took a spin on the pole. “That’s my girl,” Natsu murmured, swelling with pride, love...and more than a little lust. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, keep his eyes off her. Not that anyone present could blame him. Her hips swayed with the music as she ran her hands over her top. She unbuttoned slowly, the look on her face cute, naughty, sexy as hell. When the top slipped off her shoulders she crossed her arms, squeezed, stroked over her little pink bikini. Whistles, wolf calls, and cheers were accompanied by bills being tossed to the stage. They’re eating it up. Good… Lucy smiled. She turned to face away from her captivated audience and grabbed the pole. She stuck her butt out a little bit. What started as more hip swaying soon became all-out twerking. When she reached back to lift her skirt with her free hand the audience went wild. “Hell yeah! Take it off, babygirl!” A certain familiar voice brought a bit of blush to her cheeks...although it was by no means an isolated request. Her fans wanted more. And Andromeda would do anything to make her fans happy. So she twerked her way out of the skirt, delighted by the positive feedback. Lots of cheering, lots of tips. Plus, she was having a lot of fun with this new role. Another pole spin, complete with spread eagle splits. Then she kicked her heels off and moved to the floor. She flirted and teased the crowd, and even accepted some pretty generous tips… although she did have to swat away a few over-friendly hands. See, Lucy had a mission. There was a reason she had wanted Natsu to be front and center for this, and she was going to enjoy using him as a living prop. She had the feeling he wouldn’t mind at all. She slithered to the edge of the stage, moved her leg, rubbed her foot against his thigh. Somehow he froze and blushed at the same time. Lucy couldn’t help giggling. “Want a dance?” His eyes widened and he nodded, not exactly trusting his voice. “Good...” Here she reached behind her neck and untied her bikini top. She tossed it right at her awestruck man then climbed into his lap. “Having fun?” Another nod. One hand dared to slip up to her waist, stroking her bare skin lovingly. “Very good...” Her dance continued. She rubbed against him in time with the music, pleased and flattered when she felt him stiffen against her leg. Her hands splayed over his chest as she nibbled his jawline and licked his neck. “Now, put me back on the stage.” No hesitation. He did what he was told. Then he did something that she hadn’t anticipated. He took a few bills from his pocket and slipped them into her garter, then flashed a fanged grin that sent a jolt of warm arousal right between her legs. From that point she focused her gaze on him. She got back to her feet and s l o w l y loosened her bottoms, letting the pink material hit the floor. The celestial princess was bare save for a tiny pair of panties straight from the spirit realm, panties that were transparent but covered her most intimate area with shimmering glitter. One last move, the same upside down splits maneuver from her audition piece. The crowd went ballistic, showering her with money and cheers. ~~~ Lucy was pretty shocked. Never would she have imagined, not in a million years, having the courage to strip for such a huge crowd. She certainly never expected such success on the first night. Natsu thought she was being ridiculous. “What’d you expect? We both know exactly how sexy you are.” They were home now, cuddling in the blissful haze of afterglow. “I just meant, you know, the cheering and all the tips...and speaking of tips, why’d you tip me?” “Wasn’t I supposed to?” “Huh? What do you mean?” “You’re supposed to tip if you enjoy the dance, yeah?” “Y..yeah that’s usually how it works.” “Then I don’t see the problem.” Cute grin as he kissed her nose. “You get to dance, I get to watch, and I can add to our wedding fund the only way I can right now.” “About that...I want to start training you. I’m sure Bacchus would let us borrow the stage Sunday before we open, if you want...” “Sounds good.” He kissed her nose again, then grinned when she let out a huge yawn. “For now, I think my star dancer needs some rest. Busy weekend ahead of us.” “Mm-hm, the first of many...” She snuggled into his arms. “Night-night, love...” “Sweet dreams, princess.” With that he rocked her to sleep. As his own eyes drifted close he couldn’t help realizing how lucky he was to call Lucy his girl, his woman, his future wife… ~~~ If Lucy’s initial success shocked her, the crowd’s reception the next two nights blew her mind. Each night saw a bigger crowd. It was almost like word was spreading and everyone wanted to see the hot new dancer at Club B. By Saturday night she had nearly a full house for each set, with men and women clamoring to see her moves. Natsu was in his usual spot in the front row, happy to serve as moral support as well as a living prop when the situation called for it. That’s not to say things were perfect. In fact, Lucy’s escalating popularity in such a short time caught the attention of a certain full-time dancer. Her name was Jenny, and she had been working at Club B long enough to become known as one of its star performers. Jenny was far from pleased that some newbie was stealing her thunder. Lucy had no idea. She was, after all, just there for a side gig. Saturday night. Lucy had finished her last set of the night, a naughty bunny girl number that drove the audience absolutely wild. She stepped backstage, slipped on a silky robe, took a long drink of water. Stripping was fun, but holy crap it was exhausting. She leaned against the wall, giving herself a few moments to relax. She was just about to turn and go to her dressing room when an unfamiliar voice caught her attention. "You're the new girl, right? Lucy, stage name Andromeda?" The voice was attached to a woman with ample curves, a petite waist, long blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. "Yeah, that's me. You must be Jenny." "Yes. My incredible reputation precedes me." Smug smile. "I happened to catch your routine. You've got some pretty good moves...for a rookie." “Thanks I...think?” Lucy knew damn well that this was a backhanded compliment. She also knew that Jenny was trouble. “You’re welcome to watch if you want. Maybe you’ll even learn something…” Nasty chuckle. Jenny whipped her hair back and swayed her way to the stage without giving Lucy another glance. Yeah, she’s trouble alright… So Lucy watched Club B’s star talent from a distance, and understood the other woman’s so-called incredible reputation. She was every bit as perfect as the girls she had studied, with an added dose of raunchiness that the crowds went nuts for. She flirted. She teased, straddling one customer then mimicking receiving oral from another. Jenny wasn’t the type of dancer content with leaving her panties on. She peeled her thong off, flung it into the thirsty crowd, and finished her performance stroking herself with her legs in the air. Lucy didn’t know whether to be impressed or revolted. Mostly she was shocked. The look Jenny flashed her as she left the stage wasn’t just smug. It was borderline mean. “You’ll never be one of us. Maybe you should just leave stripping to the real dancers, little girl.” Speechless, she could only stare back in shock as Jenny sauntered off to her dressing room. “Lucy! There you are! I was lookin’ all over for you.” Big smile as Natsu offered Lucy his hand. She took it, grateful for his presence, even more grateful when he pulled her into a warm hug. “Sorry about that, Natsu. I got a little distracted, that’s all.” “It’s alright, babygirl. Let’s get goin’.” Eventually she would tell him what had just happened...but not now. Now she wanted some quiet time with the love of her life. Some quiet among the chaos… ~~ “Ready to give it a try?” Lucy’s voice rang across the empty club. Natsu, who had been watching videos on a communications lacrima, looked up and grinned. “You bet. Let’s do this.” He joined her on the stage. “Follow my lead. Don’t walk. Strut. It’s all about confidence.” She demonstrated, he followed. “Good. Very good. Now start adding tricks. Crowds like flashy dances. Remember, you’re Draco, the celestial dragon. Worthy of the starry queen Andromeda. Now show me you’re worthy of that name...and your queen.” He nodded. She stood at the edge of the stage and watched. At first his brow was furrowed in concentration but his expression quickly became a dark sexy smile. Backflips. Handstands. Jump kicks. He even added bursts of flame magic as his confidence increased. Confidence that, this time around, was well placed. Oh, he was worthy, alright. “So...how was that?” “Amazing.” She walked over to him and hugged him. “Good job, Natsu.” “Thanks, Luce.” He kissed her, rested his forehead on hers. She sighed. “Say, are you feelin’ alright?” “Me? Y..yeah. I’m fine.” Here she bit her lip, glanced down at the ground. He definitely noticed. “You’re not fine. Something’s been botherin’ you since we left last night.” “How could you tell?” “I know you. You never just want to cuddle after dancing, not unless something’s wrong. Not that I mind cuddling.” Natsu put a hand on Lucy’s cheek. “Then I heard you crying in your sleep. That’s not like you at all. So what’s going on?” Lucy burst into tears, burying her head in Natsu’s shoulder. “Hold on. Let’s go somewhere private.” He scooped her up into his arms, carried her to her dressing room, and sat down on her couch.  She kept crying, although the flow of tears lessened a bit as Natsu stroked a hand through her hair. He didn’t say anything. He knew she would talk when she was ready. “...I met one of the other dancers last night. Jenny. She...said I was good for a rookie…” “That’s good, right?” “I thought so at first. Then I watched her set and she totally blew me out of the water. And then, when she finished dancing…” Sniffle. Natsu squeezed her shoulder. “She said...I could never be a real dancer. And maybe...maybe she’s right…? Maybe we’ll never earn enough for our goal...” “No, Luce. She’s wrong.” As he talked she felt the comforting warmth of his hands kneading her back and shoulders. So she snuggled closer. “Every time you’re on stage I can’t take my eyes off you. You’re always confident and sexy as hell, and everyone in that crowd knows it. You are a real dancer, no matter what some jealous brat thinks.” “You really think so…” “I know so.” Deep kiss. “Listen. Next time you feel like you’re not hot enough, remember I’m watching, and I’ll always think you’re sexy. Dance for me like you did on the undercover mission.” “Kinda like this?” There was a naughty sparkle in Lucy’s eyes as she peeled her top off. She licked her lips slowly and rocked against him, never breaking eye contact. “Mnh. Exactly like that, baby.” She giggled. Then she shimmied out of her yoga pants and tugged his shirt off. “Whoa. What are you up to?” Not that he was complaining, merely taken by surprise. “My first set is in three hours. I think we have plenty of time for some fun and a shower before I have to get ready. What do you think, Natsu?” “I think I love the way you think, Lucy…” Natsu took initiative. He shifted their positions so Lucy was on her back, then rested his forehead on hers. “Comfy?” “M-hm.” She kissed him, wrapping her legs around his waist mid-smooch. Kiss, caress. Lucy’s hands roamed then tugged his pants down. He growled. “Love it when you’re frisky.” Her only response was a giggle and another kiss, eager to enjoy being with him. They were just about to get properly hot and heavy when someone knocked on the door. “Hey Lucy, are you alright?” “Y-yeah, Cana. I’m fi-iiiiine.” A squeal as Natsu squeezed her nipple. She could have smacked him if it hadn’t felt so good. The doorknob rattled and panic briefly flared. “No no no don’t come in! We’re um…we just wanna be alone, that’s all.” “Ohhhh, I get it. Well, you two have fun alone.” “That’s the plan.” Natsu growled, grinning one of his devilish grins. He let his hands roam down to her waist. Adept fingers untied her panties, flung the garment across the room, then stroked over her sensitive pink skin. She mewled. "Natsu...please..." "Want more, babygirl?" He stroked a thumb over her clit. Shudder. She nodded. "Talk to me." His voice was a growl. "I need you inside me, Natsu. Fuck me. Now. Please." "Anything you want." He could never say no, not when her need was so evident in her voice, not when he could smell her arousal. And definitely not when she begged. He sank down into her. Gods, she was so soft, so warm, so wet. She arched her hips to meet his thrusts. Exhaled sharply. "Holy shit...ahh!" "Feels good." He didn't have words, too focused on fucking his woman. He set a pace, making sure to adjust his speed when she begged for more. She begged often. He had her pinned down, felt her nails dig into his back, felt her muscles clenching around his cock, milking him. Holy shit she was so close. For that matter so was he. He growled, grabbed her ass, started slamming into her. For a moment he wondered if he was going too hard, but that worry dissipated when he heard her moan. Sweet, sexy motivation. At long last, climax. It wasn't mutual but that didn't really matter. All that mattered, all they cared about, was enjoying laying together as the waves of passion crashed over them. Tender kisses and nose nuzzles accompanied sweet whispers of affection. "I love ya, Luce." "After all we've been through I should hope so." She ruffled his hair, rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you too, Natsu." For a while they just cuddled together. Then Natsu broke the silence. "Still want to shower?" "Yeah. I probably shouldn't be all sweaty for a performance." "I wouldn't mind." He nibbled her bottom lip, making her giggle. Without missing a beat he got up and scooped her into his arms. "Alright. Let's go." With that he carried her to the shower. Once the water was nice and warm they bathed together, washing away the evidence of their amorousness then taking a few moments to relax in one another’s arms. Soon enough it would be time for Lucy to get ready for her first set of the night. Soon enough she would have the crowd going wild for every move she made. But for right now she simply wanted to chill, to relax with her Natsu. Even if it was just for an hour or so, his presence alone made her happy…

[prettywordsyouleft]

Mixed Signals

Prompt: #166 – “You’re calling that jealousy? Believe me; if you can still use your legs, I’m not being jealous.”

Pairing: Park Jinyoung x reader (ft. Jaebum)

Genre: friends to lovers / university au

Warnings: miscommunication / jealousy

Word count: 1739

You had enough. Without a definite answer, you were simply swimming upstream, fighting the currents as they washed over your exhausted body, and you couldn’t keep swimming towards him anymore. For the past year, you had been in a push and pull relationship with Park Jinyoung. He was the first one to befriend you when you started university, and having a similar mindset about education and goals, it was easy to fall into his company. You’d sit together in the classes you shared, you’d study in the library with him on your free periods and he’d even contact you in the weekend to see how you were.

It made sense you had formed some kind of crush on him after the first couple of months of friendship. You weren’t someone who had a lot of experience with the opposite sex, but you were certain he was flirting with you most days. And you of course, gave it right back, sometimes even lying awake at night revisiting everything he had said to you during the day. In the beginning, you were anticipating him asking you out.

Yet he never did.

Five months passed you by without so much as a single confession and by the eighth month, you were convincing yourself you had definitely read all the signs wrong. And then he would touch you affectionately or do something for you that really went out of his way to just be seen as a friendly gesture. So you would start fantasising again, anticipating that impending confession that this wasn’t so one-sided after all.

Jinyoung was enigmatic; you could never read his emotions when it came to you.

After a year of wondering if you were just friends or not with the student, you decided to put a plan into action. You weren’t normally such a bold person, and whenever the campus bar held events, you were at home with your head in a book instead. Yet when you heard from a mutual friend of yours, Im Jaebum, about the band night at the bar and that and his band was playing, you decided to go along.

“Really?” Jinyoung asked, his face scrunching up as he judged you. “This is so unlike you, Y/N. You don’t ever go out.”

“Maybe she wants to enjoy her college years now,” Jaebum answered on your behalf, slinging an arm over your shoulder. You glanced up at him and nodded firmly.

“That’s exactly it, so are you in, Jinyoung?”

Jinyoung stared at Jaebum’s arm around your shoulder momentarily before shrugging. “It might be interesting.”

You grinned; your plan was working.

The night arrived and although you were anxious, you knew Jaebum had planned this along with you and you couldn’t exactly back out. Part of the reason you couldn’t give up on the idea that Jinyoung did actually like you was because others insisted that he did too. And Jaebum had been adamant that he just needed a small shove to confess his feelings.

You smiled at Jinyoung over your glass of juice and then pointed to the stage. “It’s pretty good, huh?”

“It’s loud,” he corrected and you nodded too quickly, then realised you were meant to be convincing him this was where you actually wanted to spend your Saturday night. You inwardly groaned and lurched forward to grab your juice, taking a sip. Jinyoung smirked. “Isn’t that beverage a little juvenile for your big night out, Y/N?”

“Oh? This?” You pointed at your drink and then laughed nervously. “I uh, don’t drink alcohol. But I don’t need to be intoxicated to have fun!”

“And are you having fun?”

You shrugged. “I mean, you’re here with me, so at least I have someone to experience this with. And then when Jaebum comes out, it’ll be nice.”

Jinyoung folded his arms over his chest at your mentioning on his friend and nodded softly. “If you insist.”

When Jaebum’s band did come out, you actually had a good time. It was your first time hearing him sing live like this and you were grinning and clapping along to the music in your chair. Even if you were here for ulterior motives, you genuinely enjoyed the performance.

“That was awesome!” you exclaimed when Jaebum came to rest beside you, grabbing your almost finished glass and downing it.

He then frowned at you. “Just juice?”

“She’s living on the wild side tonight,” Jinyoung mused and his friend chuckled before wrapping you up in a hug.

“I could see you from the stage dancing in your chair. It was so cute that I had to come hug you to say thanks!”

“You all play really well; it was my first time seeing a band live.”

“If you can call them a band,” Jinyoung muttered dryly but you ignored his comment, turning your sole attention to Jaebum. The musician grinned and launched into a conversation with you.

“Do you want to dance with me?” Jaebum asked after finishing what he had been talking about and you nodded, taking his hand and following him out onto the space near the stage. You had your back to the table so you couldn’t see Jinyoung but Jaebum certainly could. “You know, if looks could kill, I’d be dead right now.”

“Do you really think so? I’m wondering if we’re wrong. I should’ve just confessed myself instead of doing this. At least then he could reject me and I’d be able to close this awkward chapter in my life.”

Jaebum shook his head and pulled you closer. You were surprised, but in a good way. “You’ve been trying to confess for the last four months. And look where that’s gone.”

You grimaced, thinking back onto all the times you had tried to tell Jinyoung how you felt. You had even written him a letter that still travelled around in the bottom of your bag. “So you might have a point.”

“And I’m right, he’s not happy about me holding you at all,” Jaebum smirked and lowered his head, still keeping an eye on his friend at the same time. “He’s totally jealous.”

“You think?”

Jaebum stood up straight, his smile faltering. “Uh yeah. Y/N, he just left.”

“What?!” You spun to see Jinyoung missing from your table. Saying goodbye to Jaebum quickly, you dashed outside, thankful you had chosen not to wear heels today. Seeing Jinyoung stalking towards his car, you raced after him, stopping him from getting into the vehicle. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve had enough of your little outing, go back inside and play with Jaebum some more. I’m going home.”

“But I wanted to spend time with you tonight!”

Jinyoung eyed you in distaste. “Really? Because you were clearly enjoying the physical ways of Im Jaebum just now.”

“So you are jealous,” you announced and Jinyoung scoffed loudly. You smiled to yourself. “You are!”

“You’re calling this jealousy? Believe me; if you can still use your legs, I’m not being jealous.”

You stared at Jinyoung in confusion before you realised what he was referring to, your cheeks flooding crimson. You then lowered your head, feeling small and pathetic. “Like you would do that to me anyway.”

Jinyoung shut the door to his car and turned to lean against it, staring straight at you. “What would you know of what I would do and not do with you, Y/N?”

“Precisely, I don’t know! Because at every opportunity that I think you’re going to tell me, I get nothing! Okay, so Jaebum helped me tonight. You saw straight through me, I don’t do scenes like this, but I was getting sick of waiting on you!”

“Waiting on me?”

You nodded adamantly. “I like you Jinyoung. I’ve liked you for almost a year now. I’m shy and awkward so it took me being stupid like this to even get to the point of telling you. And yet you’ve had so many opportunities to convince me you don’t like me, and you never do! I’m sick of playing this game where I don’t know where I stand with you. Because you never seem to tell me properly!”

“Are you done?” he asked simply and you glared at him, tears welling in your eyes.

“I knew there was nothing!” you managed to say before turning on your heel, but you didn’t get far. Jinyoung wrapped his arms around you from behind, drawing you back into him and lowered his head with a sigh to your shoulder. His lips pressed into you softly before he lifted his head back up. You realised you were shaking. “Don’t mess with me anymore; I’m done having mixed signals.”

“Is this really confusing you? Me holding you like this?” he asked softly and you swallowed with how husky he sounded. His grip tightened around your waist and his mouth found your neck, kissing along it gently until his hands were turning you around and his mouth hovered around yours. “Really?”

“You like me?”

“I was jealous,” he admitted, his jaw clenching for a moment. “I thought it was obvious you were mine already.”

“You can’t claim someone you haven’t confessed to,” you chided and Jinyoung nodded. “I didn’t know what you thought.”

“Now you do.”

“Do I?”

Jinyoung groaned exasperatedly. “Y/N, I like you just as much, if not more than you. Happy?”

“This is so unromantic,” you mentioned and Jinyoung rolled his eyes.

“You’ve read too many books. That’s why you never picked up on how I felt because you were waiting for something magical and life-altering to happen.”

You shook your head repeatedly. “If you had just kissed me, I would-”

His mouth found yours then, kissing you passionately. You had never experienced something so powerful before, your previous kisses all being so juvenile in comparison. When Jinyoung pulled back, you were breathing heavily, and somehow entrapped up against his car door. He smiled warmly at you. “What about now?”

You blinked away your stupor and smiled back. “I think I’m starting to understand you. Though before you said if you were jealous, I wouldn’t be able to walk but I still can.”

“I’ve kissed you once and you’re already thinking to that level with me?” he wondered incredulously, shaking his head but smiling all the same. “And you think I’m the one giving mixed signals, you’re driving me crazy.”

You stretched up and pecked his lips gently. “Good, I can’t be the only one feeling that way.”

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[jerkbitchidjitassbutt]

What If I Told You (8)

Characters: Jensen x Reader; Jared Padalecki; SPN Cast members at times.

Summary: You and Jensen have been the closest of friends for years after meeting on the set of SPN, but what will happen when you and Jensen have a kissing scene?

Warnings: Cursing; divorce; break up; angst-ish at times, but mostly fluff. For this chapter: Canon divergence from the show, spn-related sadness.

I consider this an AU, as Jensen is divorced from an unnamed ex in this fic. This is completely a work of fiction, and I wouldn’t want his reality to be any different, this is purely for entertainment.

A/n: Just a tiny bit more until the big one. Special thanks to my rosie for beta-ing this for me.

11 Months Ago

 “You’re going to do what, exactly?” You hissed as the ‘brother’s stood adjacent to their marks. “A soul bomb? What the hell are you even talking about, Dean?”

“You heard me, Y/c/n.” Dean barked. “I have to do this. I have to get rid of her.”

“Your girlfriend, you mean?” you sassed, voice laced with annoyance.

“Don’t!” he bellowed pointing a finger towards you, a gruffness present that was unmistakably Dean.

“Oh, give it up, Winchester. This is just another way for you to sacrifice yourself! Another self-deprecating, ‘I have to save the world because no one else will’ guilt trip you’ve managed to load on your own shoulders! Failing gloriously, I might add, to notice that there are actually people here who are trying to help you!”

Your voice cracked slightly, standing in the library of the bunker with Sam, Rowena, and Crowley, waiting as the witch gathered the ingredients to inlay Dean’s body with a million souls to remove Amara from earth, thereby shredding his very existence with her.

Dean moved closer to you, taking slow, methodical steps. In reality, Jensen was moving towards his secondary mark, following the track given to him by the director.

“I know that, Y/c/n… but there isn’t any other way.”

A single tear shed from your eye as you yelled, “Yes there is! There’s got to be! We can find another way!” you choked.

Sam stood off to the side, witnessing your outburst with a slightly solemn frown.

“Hey.” Dean murmured, closing in to your space, placing his hands on your shoulders. “I’m sorry, okay? I am… but I’m the only one who can do this, sweetheart.” He confided, pain, guilt, and defeat enlaced in his gaze.

He drew a single finger gingerly across your cheek to catch the tear that fell.

“Why? Why does it always have to be you, Dean?”

This was the closest your characters had ever come to any indication of feelings for one another canonically, but in true ‘Supernatural’ fashion, it was brazened with heartache and despair.

Jensen’s stare was heavy with emotion before he pulled your form into his arms, yours wrapping around his midsection as one of his hands cradled your head, placing a chaste kiss to your temple before quickly moving away, an unspoken word left when he moved to stand in front of Ruth, ready to accept the spell.

“Alright. Let’s do this.” He said.

“AND CUT!” the director bellowed across the set. “Reset, everyone! 5 minutes!”

Rushing towards the makeup chair to have the tears wiped from your cheeks, Jensen caught your arm.

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, concern lacing his eyes.

“Um… yeah. I think so.” You answered, wiping at the sides of your eyes with your knuckles.

“Come on, Y/n. That was your first emotional scene. It’s normal to have some issues with it. It’s just you and me now. You can tell me.”

You huffed, an exasperated sigh leaving your lips. “Yeah, uh… that was kind of hard.” You said, your bottom lip trembling.

It was strange, the scene ended, but a lump was still lodged in your throat caging the hurt and sadness that you felt while in character. You weren’t a noob on the show at this point, but it was true that it was your first stint as an actress where you had to get super emotional in a scene. Couple that with the hurried embrace that was intended to leave your character in a state of abandonment and disarray as Dean rejected her support, it seemed to bleed over even after the director called cut. When Jensen, or Dean at the time, took you into his arms, you had felt safe; but it ended as quickly as it came.

So, when he practically whimpered, “Hey, c’mere.” And opened his arms with a sorrowful expression, you were actually a little hesitant to step into his hold, fearing a tightly built damn would break.

But when he circled his arms around your waist tightly, a sense of relief and calmness flooded you from his warmth. A few more residual tears fell as you pressed your cheek into his chest, from nerves and sentiments previously spoken, as he gently rocked you from side to side.

“I know it can be hard, darlin’.” He whispered into your hair, his slight Texan accent making you smile. “Its almost like you’re really there.”

“It was.” You confided. “It was almost like…” you stopped yourself, biting your lip, feeling as though you were about to reveal too much. It’d been about a year that you had been hiding your feelings for your costar, and you didn’t want to blow it now.

“Almost like what, Y/n?” Jensen asked as you cursed yourself. He pulled away and cradled your face in his hands, “Tell me, sweetheart.” He pleaded.

You still had your lower lip pulled between your teeth as you look up at him through your tear stained lashes, his thumbs lightly brushing against the apples of your cheeks where tears still lay.

“It was almost like I was begging you not to leave me.” You confessed, a ball of nerves sinking into the pit of your stomach.

He smiled sweetly and wiped a few more tears, his large hands caressing your face soothingly. He placed a kiss to your forehead and professed, “You don’t have to worry about that, Y/n… ever.”

The memory caused a swirl of emotions as you hopped into the backseat of a large SUV sandwiched between Jared and Jensen with Misha riding shotgun. Cliff was transporting all four of you to the set location for the day, each of you having a specific scene to film in the house that was rented by the studio that was supposed to be yours and AU Dean’s home for the episode. Riding with the three of them was always filled with teasing and torturous pranking, usually on Misha, Cliff merely rolling his eyes with a small chuckle. Clint was following behind, carting some of the other actors and crew members in his car while you elected to share in the hilarity that was sure to ensue in the ‘J2M transport’.

When you piled in, Jared made sure to get in last and take up as much space as possible, practically smushing you and Jensen into one seat of the giant back row. Jensen threw his hands up as you were crushed into his side, a laugh bubbling in his chest at his friend’s antics.

“Good Lord, Moose. Do ya mind?” you giggled as he shoved one of his long legs into your space.

“I’m just trying to get comfortable.” He mused, smirking.

“I can see that… princess.” You cooed mockingly, to which he respondent by contorting his long body into an even smaller space so he could jap you with his knees, pushing you even further into Jensen’s frame.

Finally, as Cliff berated Jared that he needed to get going—although the smile never left his face—Jared settle into his seat, still taking up a good proportion of the available space. Jensen was still leaning against the doorframe with one arm leaning on the armrest of the door and the other splayed across the back of the seat. When you attempted to sit up strait instead of practically laying on him, his arm enclosed around you, caging you into his side as his hand rested on your shoulder.

You looked up at him with a curious smirk, to which he responded by grinning and throwing you a subtle wink. You sort of snuggled back into him, getting comfortable for the ride, only catching the end of a shared, playful look between Jared and Misha.

“So, you guys are coming to Rob’s party tonight, right?” Misha spoke, a bit too cheerfully.

“That’s tonight?” you asked, worry laced into your words.

“Yep. The fourteenth at 7.” He replied, holding up his phone to show you his Google calendar. “We’re getting out by 5 tonight.”

Jared started laughing sheepishly, what could only be described as a chortle, “Hee. Hee. Hee… you have a Google calendar. You nerd.”

“Hey, now.” He defended. “I accept that title proudly.”

Almost as though Jensen could sense your nerves, knowing that the two of you had promised to talk later, he ghosted his lips over the shell of your ear and whispered, “Don't worry… we’ll make time. I promise.”

You closed your eyes and slightly nuzzled into him further, feeling the trepidation dissolve. You began to feel confident that things were going a certain way… Jensen was endlessly flirting, if that was even the word, essentially holding you into the curve of his body in front of the three people he was closest to. Even if the words hadn’t been spoken, his actions were indicating what you had been hoping for the past two years. You two had kind-of-sort-of snuggled before, but this was definitely different. Your grandmother would’ve called it ‘canoodling.’

Before you could respond to his statement, Misha and Jared’s teasing got into a friendly debate, wavering your attention from the concern of your whatever-it-was that was blooming with Jensen as the began to swat at each other. Jared playfully poked at Misha from between the seats while Misha was helplessly batted his hands away.  

“Hey! Children!” you chuckled, sitting up and trying to separate them. “Don't make me turn this car around!” you said, using your best ‘mom’ voice, courtesy of Kim Rhodes.

Before long, you were pulling into the set location shortly after you had settled back into Jensen’s side.

As you received your direction, nerves bubbled slightly as you remembered that you would have to kiss Jensen once more. A wave of heat coursed through you as you were reminded of the feeling of his lips and the way his tongue moved against yours. Granted, as this was for film, there probably wouldn’t be as much of that this time, if there were any, but now with everything sparking to the surface, this kiss may be even more intimidating than rehearsal.

You were pulled to the side as they touched up your make-up and hair. Thankfully the rain had dissipated by now, and all that remained was early morning dew clinging to the leaves and branches of the trees.

You were led into a quaint cottage that had a red front door and a swing on the porch that overlooked a small garden and a large maple tree hovering off to the side. It was impressively picturesque. Quiet and small, but lovely; something you wouldn’t mind having one day.

You were handed a copy of the pages for the scene you were about to film and took a deep breath, eyeing Jensen out of the corner of your eye as he spoke to the director. He always seemed so calm and collected. His brows furrowed as he took calculated mental notes and expressed his wants for the act to unfold. There wasn’t a scene or a stunt that edged his nerves or that he didn’t give every ounce of talent to. You wished you had that ability—to make it so effortless and even lighthearted in the darkest of times on set.

You couldn’t help the way your lips curled at the sight of him, even as you twisted the pages you were given anxiously in your hands. The director gave you your queues and set instructions and positioned you on your first mark.

As you were taking a deep, calming breath (yeah, right), Jensen appeared in front of you.

“You doin’ alright, sweetheart?” he asked, ever present in ‘actor’ mode seeming as though all of his energy was now focused on the task at hand, while you were busy in your own mind and emotions.

You huffed uneasily and replied unconvincingly, “Y-yeah. Kind of.”

He placed his hands on your shoulders and kneaded the muscles that tensed under his touch before grasping the back of your neck gently and pulling you closer to him.

Jensen rested his forehead against yours and encouraged you to take a deep breath. Your eyes fluttered closed but your mind raced, as you feared the multitude of eyes that were trained on the two of you, waiting and wondering, but being in his powerful embrace made your surroundings disappear, even momentarily.

“Remember, Y/n… its just you and me, okay? You don't have to worry. I promise.”

You nodded at his reassurance and opened your eyes to his gaze, “Just you and me.”

He parted from you and took his mark, and the director called, “Action!”

“Hey, Dean. You’re home early! Did you have a good day?” you began, waltzing down the stairs into the living area of the foreign home, trying to seem as energetic as your alternate self, but one with no knowledge of monsters or things to hunt in the night.

Jensen slipped seamlessly into his characterization of Dean, a shocked and worried expression donning his features as he stood in the doorway just off of the porch.

“Y/c/n?” he sighed in disbelief.

Dean had just found his ‘home’ and tracked down what he and Sam believed to be the cursed object that sent them to this world. It wasn’t until he checked the mailbox and saw an envelope addressed to ‘Dean and Y/c/n Winchester.’

“Yeah?” you lightly chuckled, meeting him in the hallway and placing your hands on his chest. “Are you okay, honey? What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

The scene progressed with Dean standing in bewilderment and quizzing you on the historical events of the timeline he was thrown in to. When he asked your character how many years the two of you had been married, you entered into the lines you’d rehearsed.

“Dean? What’s going on? You’re scaring me.” You recited, choreographing your steps to land on the second piece of green tape.  

The two of you danced around each other in the small space, narrating the lines you were given for the scene until the arc was timed.

“I need you to destroy your grandfather’s pocket watch.”

“What?” you breathed in shock, “Dean, that's all I have left of—“

“I know. Really I do. I’m so sorry, but you have to do it or something bad could happen… to me. And to the rest of our family. You have to trust me, sweetheart.”

As you nodded cautiously, he stepped lightly on his feet to carry himself around the table in the dining room, a set of windows shining a dim light into the small space from behind him. As he rounded, he gave you a slight, subtle nod, as if encouraging you to be prepared for the dialogue to come.

“But listen, Y/c/n…before I go, there’s something I need to tell you; something I could never tell you before, in my other life, because—well, because I’m not brave enough…” he closed the distance between the two of you, tracing his hands along the backs of the chairs that were pressed into the table as he passed, but never removing his stare from your eyes. When he reached you, he traced his fingertips along your hair, careful to avoid disturbing your soft curls.

“I need to tell you how much you mean to me. I—“ he choked, pausing to swallow thickly and run his tongue along his lower lip. “I love you. I always have, from the day that we met. I don’t dare cross this line in my real life, but I don’t know that I’ll get another chance to tell you, Y/c/n. I love you. I’ve always loved you. And I need you to remember that, forever.”

You didn’t fail to notice his improvisation this time—and that he remembered to use the accurate name—your heart fluttered as he looked at you with such sincerity and a passion burning behind his eyes. As much as you wanted to indicate that you caught it in some fashion, whether it be a little change in your facial expression or throwing caution to the wind and pulling him into your arms, the large camera that was less than two feet from you in either direction reminded you of your current need to stay in character. The blocking continued, each camera operator moving in sync to capture each of you from different angles until they backed away slowly, preparing for you to retreat.

“Baby?” You whimpered, pulling from his grasp and backing away slightly. “I’m just going to go call Sam, okay? Maybe he can help.”

As you turned, you felt Jensen’s fingers thread through yours as the director shouted, “Hold!” indicating that you were to stay in your position as they adjusted angles and filters. As you were frozen in place, a light but purposeful brush of Jensen’s thumb back and forth across yours caused a chill to run up your spine, but if you looked in his eyes at this moment, all would be lost, so you continued to face the opposite wall.

“All right, action!”

Jensen’s—or Dean’s—hand gripped your wrist and spun you quickly against him, his hand flying to your cheek to hold you steady as his lips pressed to yours. You brought your hand to his neck when his mouth molded, relishing in the wistfulness as all sensation flooded your system and lifted you into oblivion.

He trailed the pad of his thumb across the apple of your cheek and pulled away slightly, allowing you to remain in his hold.

“Tell me you love me, Y/c/n. Please? I need to hear it, just once.”

Tears pricked at the sides of your eyes at the emotion of the line. Dean was so torn between being with the woman he secretly loved, in a world where he was safe, and being back in the universe he belonged in. The simplicity of his want was not lost.

You gripped his hand that was still on your cheek and let a tear fall, something that wasn’t scripted, “I do love you, D-Dean.” You stammered. “I do. I love you.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry for everything. I hope it all makes sense soon.” He whispered.

Dean placed one more kiss to your lips and retreated, leaving you standing with a bewildered expression and watered eyes. Sam met him out front and they hopped into a hotwired truck to attempt a spell to return them to the correct world, but not before Dean turned and glanced longingly at the small house with a wooden picket fence, a regretful and sorrowful smile on his lips.

You watched the playback with the director, made a few small adjustments to a few lines, and finished the scene.

You and Jensen sat beside each other on the front porch swing and took sips from the waters that were brought to you, both of you resting your elbows on your knees as you swayed.

“You know,” he spoke up after a few moments of silence, glancing down at his boots. “That was probably one of the hardest scenes I’ve filmed in a long time.”

Slightly surprised, you looked at him with confusion, “Really? Why is that?” you asked apprehensively.

“You remember when we filmed the soul bomb scene? How it felt real? Do you remember what you said?”

You nodded, “Of course I do, Jay.”

He directed his eyes to you, emeralds shining in the sunlight, “This time… I was begging myself not to leave you.”

<Series Masterlist / Part 9>

A/n 2: I received an anon ask when I was looking for fic ideas(see below) for a Jensen x actress!reader fic a while ago, but recently got hit with a spark of inspiration. This is based off of the song “What if I Said” by Anita Cochran and Steve Wariner and will be a short mini-series. Also there is a wife mentioned in some parts, but I purposefully left this person nameless as to not insinuate anything for Jensen’s real life.                                                                

Anonymous said: Hi! Just saw your post about looking for fic ideas. I’ve had this idea that I really like where reader is an actor on Supernatural and is friends with Jensen. They have a scene where they have to kiss or even just have to be right up in each other’s space and it makes them realize they like each other. It’s probably a common thing to write about, but I thought I’d ask anyway. Thanks!

[ijustwant2write]

The Benefits of Friendship-Ivar Ragnarsson x Reader

(GIF credit to @honestsycrets)

Masterlist

Summary: requested by anonymous: ‘Hello! I’m not sure if you’ll take this idea but I figured I would give it a shot. Could you do one with Y/N and which ever Ragnarson son you would like (Bjorn, Ubbé, Sigurd, Hitvtserk, or Ivar). Can it be about Y/N’s first time with them? Y/N could either be Viking or a slave from another place mentioned in the show.’

Characters: Ivar Ragnarsson x Reader

Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name

Warnings: mentions of sex, forced marriage, humiliation

(A/N: Siv and Hilde are made up characters; also I hope this is along the lines of what you want.)

(Also A/N: IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT AGE YOU DO CERTAIN THINS LIKE KISSING, HAVING SEX OR EVEN HAVING A RELATIONSHIP, DO WHAT MAKES YOU COMFORTABLE AND ONLY DO THINGS WHEN YOU ARE READY! DON’T LET OTHERS TELL YOU WHAT TO DO!)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sitting at the kitchen table, I stared at the gifts bestowed to me from my suitors, men trying to bribe me into marrying them. There was jewellery, dresses, foreign foods, and of course money, but I didn’t want any of that. Being betrothed scared me, I knew nothing of what men wanted, nor how to be a perfect wife. I never knew what it was to be loved (besides from my family), there seemed to be no men in Kattegat that were interested; those asking for my hand in marriage only did so because my family were fairly wealthy. Normally this hadn’t bothered me in the past, after a long think about men, I had decided that living freely was the best option for now, before I was trapped in a marriage I didn’t want to commit to.

Though seeing my friends fooling around with the other boys, or even beginning relationships of their own accord, made my true feelings shine through. Festivities and feasts were probably the worst. I couldn’t get away from it, they were huddled up together, kissing, flirting. Although I was happy for them, slight jealousy always shone through, forcing me to leave them before I ruined the night.

“Still having trouble choosing?” my grandmother asked as she slowly walked towards me.

“Something like that.” I mumbled, still staring at the gifts.

“They’re all very nice, wouldn’t mind some of these myself.”

“Oh, how will I ever decide?” I sarcastically stated.

“I don’t understand how you’re not married off already.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s enough men longing for you,” I rolled my eyes at her,“and these are only a few offers.”

“Well they won’t want me when they realise I can’t be the perfect wife for them.”

“Ah, what makes a perfect wife anyway? As long as they have somewhere to stick their cock, men are happy.”

I grimaced at her statement.“Thank you grandmother.”

I had stared at these items for far too long, and I needed to get away from them. My parents didn’t want to pressure me, but they were going to want an answer at some point. How was I supposed to make a decision like that when I hardly knew them? I hardly knew anything about men in general! It was embarrassing to think I hadn’t even kissed a man, yet I was going to be married soon. All these lies I had to keep up with, answering people’s questions with made up stories just so I didn’t seem sad or unwanted. There was only so much you could make up with a lack of experience.

As usual, it was busy in the centre of Kattegat. I wove between people, smiling at those I knew. But no matter how much I tried to distract myself, my mind found itself constantly thinking about my big decision. Perhaps I should talk to some of the other girls I knew in arranged marriages, they didn’t all seem bad...

Looking over a handful of bracelets at a stall, I heard the familiar sound of scraping along the ground. I saw him approaching in my peripheral vision, as well as the crowd dispersing quickly, some hiding their faces.

“Hello Prince Ivar.” I turned to him and smiled, curtsying before him.

“(Y/N), it’s good to finally see you again. Where have you been hiding this time?” He asked, walking past me with his crutches.

I followed on.“I wasn’t hiding, I was only at home. I had important things to do.”

“Ah yes, your suitors. I have seen quite a few come and go.”

I sighed.“Yes, there are a few to choose from.”

“I’m not surprised, your family are almost as wealthy as mine, there will be many wanting to marry you.”

“And here I thought that they were marrying me because they loved me.”

He chuckled.“You always knew this day would come, we even spoke of this when we were young.”

Being a wealthy family, we were respected just as much as Ivar and his. I had grown up with the Ragnarsson’s when I was much younger, though we parted as we became young adults. There were too many responsibilities for them, and as for me, I had to act like a proper lady; they went off raiding, avenged their father, came back, argued, and here I was, waiting for someone to take interest in me. It seemed that Ivar was the only one who bothered to keep up conversation with me. At first I assumed it was to stay loyal and friendly to my family, but we somehow ended up as friends again. Ivar was blunt and honest, and I didn’t have anyone around me like that anymore. I needed that, he kept me sane.

“I know. It’s just...”

“Let me guess, you’re scared?”

“What? No-”

“All women are scared, don’t worry.”

“I suppose so. I just don’t want to choose the wrong one. What if he’s nice when I first meet him and then cruel as soon as I am bound to him?”

“Then you better make the right decision.”

I rolled my eyes.“How am I to do that when...never mind.”

“No, go on. What is it? It seems that I am to be your council today, I should give my advice.”

He came to a stop, and it was only then when I realised that we were stood outside the Great Hall. I leaned against the wall, looking away from him. It was too embarrassing, there was no way I was going to tell him my true thoughts. 

“(Y/N), you’re hiding something.”

“No I’m not! Let’s just stop talking of this, I came out here to get away from these thoughts.”

“Come, you need a drink.”

“I am not letting you get me drunk.”

“You do that yourself, I have no part in it.”

I sat with Ivar for hours, my cup overflowing with alcohol as I ranted to my friend. I didn’t know whether he was actually interested, but that didn’t stop me. I couldn’t believe how angry I was becoming over this, how much emotion I had hidden within myself. At first the hall had been quiet, only us two in there (minus my shouting as I drank more and more) until Hvitserk and Ubbe walked in, their group of friends trailing behind them, laughing loudly. Ivar and I looked over, watching as they approached. Ivar grunted, he never got on with these people, let alone his brothers. I normally would welcome them with a smile, beckon them over even, but right now, I didn’t need any couples around me.

“(Y/N)! There you are! Finally, Ivar has been missing you.” Ubbe teased, rubbing Ivar’s head. The younger brother shoved him away, avoiding eye contact with me.

“(Y/N), you’re drinking without us? We best catch up then!” Hilde and Siv giggled as they crowded me, snatching up the drinks being poured out. Ivar and I shared a glance, not sure where this night would lead.

Unfortunately, my night was filled with questions from my friends about my suitors; what they looked like, how much money they had, what gifts they had bestowed upon me. It was draining to go over the details, and they could tell that I was holding things back. However, this didn’t stop them from interrogating me, soon everyone was joining in.

“You know what I just realised?” Hilde caught everyone’s attention.“I’ve never seen (Y/N) around a man, romantically I mean.”

The others looked at each other, some nodding and others thinking it over. I glared at her, praying that this conversation wasn’t going where I thought it was.

“Have you ever been asked about courting (Y/N)? Any gifts, any gestures? Besides those wanting you for money.”

“No.” I mumbled.

“Really?! Even at feasts and festivals? Not even when everyone is pissed up drunk?” Siv exclaimed.

I lowered my head, humiliated by my ‘friends’ words.“I...it just...”

“(Y/N),” Hvitserk held back a laugh,“you have had sex, right? Please tell me someone has taken her virginity!”

I opened my mouth to retaliate when Hilde interrupted.“Why didn’t you tell us? We would have set you up with someone!”

“No wonder shes’s always frustrated! That explains a lot!”

Siv gasped.“Is that why you’re always with Ivar? Because you’re both virgins?”

Ivar growled, slamming his fist on the table.“You know very well that I have bedded women before.”

“Ivar, not getting it up doesn’t count.”

I didn’t hear Ivar’s insult back as I bolted from my chair, rushing out of the room. I thought these people of dear friends, yet here they were, disrespecting me, only judging me by who I had sex with...or who I hadn’t had sex with. It was dark now, and that mixed with the alcohol was really effecting my stability, I was stumbling over my own feet as I tried to navigate my way back home. When I finally made it there, I quickly calmed myself, not wanting to wake any of them with my sobbing. Luckily I found that none of them were awake, making it easier for me to crawl into bed, curling up into a tight ball as I silently cried myself to sleep. 

The next day I was quiet, still upset about being made fun of. When asked if I was well, I responded to my family that I was still overthinking my decision of a suitor. The lie worked, all of them soothing me, reassuring me that my mind would be made up soon. 

Daydreaming as I looked out of a window, I was brought back to reality when I saw a slow, tall figure stumble its way towards my home. My eyes squinted, confirming my guess as to who it was. Without a word being said, I grabbed my cloak, rushing outside to meet Ivar halfway. He looked pissed off (nothing unusual there), not making eye contact as I cam to a stop in front of him.

“Ivar, what are you doing here?” I asked, out of breath from running.

“I wanted to check on you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“You seem surprised.”

“Sorry, I’m sure you have better things to be getting on with.”

“You’re my friend....come, let’s go for a walk.”

Ivar seemed skittish, nervous almost. I wanted to be careful with my words, especially since the conversation wasn’t flowing as well as it usually did. Ivar was explosive, one wrong word and he could get so angry that even the Gods would tremble. We found ourselves on a winding path in the woods, an uncomfortable silence filling the atmosphere. 

“You’re still upset over what was said?” Ivar finally said, leaning against a tree as he took a moment to rest.

I suddenly snapped back.“Yes! Of course I am! They embarrassed me, I thought they would be more sympathetic. I’ve never mentioned it before because I was scared something like this would happen-”

He raised his hand as he interrupted me.“Alright, I get it, I don’t need to hear your rambling.”

“You really know how to make someone feel better.”

“I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. Look...I understand what it’s like to be in that situation. But how could that be true?”

“Really Ivar? I don’t exactly have men throwing themselves at my feet.”

“They are fools.”

“Don’t pity me.”

“I’m not.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, slightly blushing from his comment.“What are you trying to say?”

“Why do you care so much about what they think?”

I knew he was trying to change the subject.“It’s not really about them. It’s about the man I’ll be marrying. Who wants a woman who has never had any experience? I’ve never even kissed a-”

Ivar grabbed the back of my head, harshly pulling me in to kiss him. Shocked, I stayed still against him, unsure of what to do. But as soon as he started moving his lips, my instincts kicked in. I started to get more into it, liking how it felt, especially when his other arm wrapped around my lower back, our bodies pressed together.

Ivar pushed me away gently.“There, now you’ve kissed a man.”

I knew that my next words were bold, but I was going to say it anyway.“You know that I’ve not done anything else as well right?”

“(Y/N), you can’t possibly want to bed a cripple-”

“Don’t use your legs as an excuse! Do you want to fuck me or not?”

His mouth gaped open.“I-Right here?”

“Yes. Ivar I trust you-”

“But what if I can’t....”

Insecurity swept over me.“Do you...do you want to?”

I saw that he was thinking about it, before a darker look washed over his face.“Get on your knees.”

“What?” his sentence made me breathless, but I liked how he said it.

“Just do as I say, I’m going to show you how to properly please a man.”