#and act very snarky towards each other to the point where everyone else wonders if they hate each other

[dangans-ur-ronpas]

togiri is so funny to me because they probably wouldn't be caught dead doing something as vulnerable and sappy as holding hands in public but in private they're into gunplay or something

[captains-simp]

hey! so i love wanda and i was wondering if you could write one kind of enemies to lovers or something like that where reader and wanda don't get along well, jealous scene or maybe a very suggestive fight. very angst but happy fluffy ending please

Enemies to lovers owns my whole gay heart and I CANNOT write it without there being sexual tension so xksksjsks smut alert

@g-cordelia hope it's okay to combine your request with this too so there's a healthy dose of angst and fluff with it

"Please don't go."

"Don't you fucking lie to me."

Warnings: choking, fingering, spanking, strap on sex, mentions of oral and hints at mild injury

6k words

[ masterlist ]

Buy me a coffee ☕

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Your actions jeopardised the whole mission." Steve said sternly before raising his voice when he saw he received no reaction from you or the redhead. "Whatever is going on between you has to stop!"

"You say that like it's ever been any different." Natasha added.

The pair that usually felt like the protective big brother and sister of the team where acing the role of disappointed parents. Admittedly that did make you feel bad, but Wanda showed no signs of giving an apology and you would be damned if you did first.

Natasha and Steve waited for any kind of response from either of you and got nothing. You and Wanda continued to glare at each other from opposite sides of the table, your stubnorness stopping either of you from looking at the two standing at the head of the table.

"Just write up your reports." Steve sighed, giving into the tension of the room before anyone else. If it had been just you, Wanda and Natasha there was no telling how long you'd be in there.

You both got up from the table at the same time, still refusing to break eye contact.

"Y/n stay behind a minute." Oh so they're switching it up to disappointed teachers now. Your attention fell to Steve in a look of confusion although that didn't mean you missed the smirk that played on the corner of Wanda's lips. You cursed her like a sailor in your head and hoped she heard but her back was to you and she was strolling out the room.

"I thought you guys were getting better." Steve sighed as he leant against the table.

"We were when we didn't have to talk to each other." You said honestly. There had been a few weeks prior where you and Wanda had had no missions together and therefore had no reason to talk or train with one another.

"You can't resort to avoiding each other as a way to solve your problems. All that does is make things escalate even more when you're actually together which will inevitably happen. Because believe it or not you two are on the same side and have to act like it." Natasha said sternly. You stared down at the table and thought about how how her words were. But it wasn't like you had that warning before.

When the pair infront of you knew you weren't going to say anything in response Steve filled the silence once again. "You're both suspended from missions until you can learn to work together." He decided.

"What?!" You cried as you snapped your head towards them and stood up. "You can't be serious."

"Deadly." Natasha said. You looked frantically between the two in disbelief.

"Alright." You said finally and clenched your jaw. You turned around and left the room without objection from the two Avengers, heading straight towards Wanda's room.

You never really knew why you and Wanda never got on. Maybe it was because she reminded you so much of the popular girls in high school you always envied while wanting them in your bed...no, it definetly couldn't be that. You just didn't know what.

It didn't take long to get there when you were walking like you were out for blood, that wouldn't be an unexpected result of what you planned. You banged on her door several times in a closed fist so it didn't take her long to answer.

She looked concerned when she opened the door and as soon as she realised it was you that same smirk from the meeting room fell back into place.

"Did they ground you?" She asked as she leant against the doorframe.

"Suspended." You spat. A shit eating grin started to appear but you wiped that off her face instantly. "Both of us."

"What the fuck? I didn't-"

"Yes you fucking did and now I'm paying for it too. You wanna know the best part? We can't go back in the field until we can work together nicely." You said bitterly.

"Why don't they just keep us on separate missions?"

"You can go ask them that later. Right now we're training." You said simply and you grabbed her forearm and pulled her out of her room down the corridor.

"We just got back." Wanda argued but followed you anyway after slapping your hand off her.

"Not prepared to put the work in, witchy?" You mocked, not looking at her as you marched through the compound.

"Don't call me that?" Wanda warned as she kept your pace.

"What are you gonna do? Read my mind?" You continued to taunt as you arrived in the gym and made your way to the mats.

Wanda put her red jacket on the floor and stepped away to take up her position as she eyed you. "I could snap all your bones into pieces so small they could be mistaken for ash." Wanda said stoicly.

"I don't think that's gonna get you another mission." You replied calmly, knowing that while there was a truth to Wanda's words she would never give you more than a split lip or bloody nose in the worst training sessions.

"Don't be a smartass y/n, it doesn't suit you." Your jaw clenched at her words.

Without warning, the entirety of your right arm lit up in flames and was aimed at Wanda in an instant.

You sent a wave of fire her way that she swiftly engulfed in her powers and sent back towards you. She looked less than impressed from your warningless attack.

"That was tacky." She said.

"I know, seemed fitting for you." You grinned but stopped when the red mist surrounded your body and lifted you into the air before a larger wave of fire was sent hurtling down to the redhead. The wall of fire blocked her view of you and subsequently dropped you to the ground as she dealt with the flames.

As soon as you landed and the fire parted you sent another blast Wanda's way only for her to do the exact same thing. You both ducked at the same time, your powers hitting opposite walls and leaving marks Tony would be on your asses about when he found out.

Wanda was clearly thinking the same thing. "We can't use our powers in an enclosed space, especially not yours." She said, her accent thickly woven into her voice.

"Okay then, let's see if Natasha's lessons have paid off." You said as you raised your fists and got into your defensive stance. Wanda mirrored you the way she had been taught and narrowed her eyes.

"They definelty have." She insisted as her eyes flickered over your form to try and identify your weak points already in a very obvious way.

"Just try to keep up." You mocked and swiftly moved to swipe her legs out from under her but she was surprisingly prepared. She jumped up to avoid your attack and kicked her leg out mid air and landed it on the center of your chest. You stumbled back in shock while Wanda looked very proud of herself. The last time you saw Wanda train it was clear she wasn't familiar with close range hand to hand combat. You hadn't expected her to improve so significantly in such a short amount of time.

You gritted your teeth and went for her stomach this time which she easily avoided but wasn't expecting another attack to follow so quickly. She blocked the continuous blows from you until you saw your moments and kicked one of her legs out from under her. Your mistake was thinking you succeeded the moment she was down because she spun around and kicked both of your legs out. You caught yourself partly as Wanda stood up so you were on kneeling.

Wanda's smirk was quick to take place when she saw your position, not missing the opportunity. "You look good when you're on your knees." She quipped.

Your eyes widened at her boldness and a heat rose up your neck that you knew wasn't your powers. You rolled back on the balls of your feet and swiftly stood up to look anywhere but the smug redhead infront of you.

"No snarky remark for that?" She challenged and you charged at her again. Anger feuled your attacks making them miscordinated and all round bad.

"Shut the fuck up, Maximoff." You huffed and made her grin even more at the clear signs that she was getting to you.

One of your punches was pushed to the side and Wanda took the chance to show you just how much she had learnt from Nat. You weren't entirely sure how she even did it it was so quick. Your arm was outstretched behind your back painfully due to Wanda's unrelenting grip on it and made it that much easier to push one of your legs down onto the floor. She held you like that for longer than necessary, soaking up the view of you struggling in her grasp.

"Get off." You snapped and winced when she pulled your arm back more.

"What's the magic word?" She teased.

"Now." You demanded. She tutted and pulled harder. "Maximoff!" You ordered through the pain. She leaned down beside you as her voice dropped to a low whisper.

"Beg." It was one word but you couldn't deny the effect it had on you. It was as though her light breath on your ear shot throughout your body and settled in a place you really didn't want it to.

You were about to object and tell her to stop being a bitch but her grip tightened and she pulled to a point where you thought your arm might just snap off under any more pressure.

"Please." You cried through gritted teeth. She instantly let go all too quickly and you collapsed onto the mat on your front. You heard her chuckle menacingly but cut herself off when Nat appeared in the doorway.

"We told you to write up your reports, not train." Natasha scolded as she watched you massage your shoulder and glare at Wanda.

"Sorry, just got a bit carried away." Wanda smiled, her innocent and sweet act that she put up for everyone except you returning. "Y/n's had enough now anyway." She smirked to herself.

"Fucking psycho." You muttered loud enough for her to hear but not Nat. Her jaw visibly clenched from that making you revel in the small victory as you finally got up from the mat.

"Just get on with the reports." Nat sighed and turned to leave as Wanda called out.

"On it."

"Aww, you trying to be a good girl, Maximoff?" You mocked as the pain subsided and your need to overrule what had happened came through.

"I don't have the time to stress over that, not when I'm busy putting brats in their place." Wanda said as she advanced towards you with a look you had only ever seen aimed at those you were fighting against.

"What?" You whispered as you backed up and felt your back hit the wall. Wanda's hand came up suddenly and wrapped itself around your throat firmly and cut off your breathing. Your eyes widened as you grabbed at her hands but she didn't budge. She looked amused at your efforts as her head tilted slightly to the side.

"And you certainly need to learn your place." She took her hand away and left you gasping for air for a split second before grabbing your arm and pulling you out of the gym.

You stumbled a little as you tried to keep up with Wanda's long strides you could usually match. Your whole body was already trembling in anticipation, more so by the tension filled silence between you both as you travelled through the compound and ended up outside the redhead's room.

She opened her door and shoved you into her room swiftly. You didn't have much chance to take in your surroundings because the Sokovian gripped the back of your neck and forced you to lay on your stomach on her bed.

She made quick work of your clothes, discarding them to some soon forgotten about corner.

You turned your head to the side and gripped the sheets as you felt Wanda's slim fingers trialing up the back of your thighs before she gripped them roughly and forced them apart and lifted your lower half up. Her fingers returned and glided along your drippikg folds, collecting your arousal as she reveled in the effect she had on you.

"What was it that made you this wet, slut? Was it being on your knees for me? Begging me? Or did you enjoy the pain? I bet you enjoyed me choking you too." She chuckled darkly and didn't wait for you to respond.

She slipped two fingers inside your soaking cunt without warning making you gasp out in pleasure. Her fingers curled inside you beautifully, brushing some kind of nerve ending every second they were buried inside you. She had you a moaning, quivering mess in no time.

"Wanda...fuck! Right there, oh God!" She snickered against your skin as she worked her fingers expertly. Even then she wanted to test you. Well it was more that she was setting you up for failure.

"Shut the fuck up. I don't want to hear another sound from that whiny mouth." She ordered and you couldn't help but shiver from her dominant nature.

Of course it didn't last long. Her fingers felt so damn perfect inside you and you couldn't help but moan at the unspeakable pleasure.

She brought her hand down fast and landed it on your ass with a harsh smack that echoed through the room. She did it to both of your asscheeks until they were bright red and you were trembling. The sadistic redhead didn't stop there, she continued to rain down smacks that edged you further to your edge with the pleasurable pain.

Soon, you were moaning into the air as you came around Wanda's slim fingers, desperatly clenching around them in an attempt to prolong the pleasure. Thankfully, she kept pumping her fingers inside you, not caring when the overstimulation kicked in. She even started scissoring her fingers inside you, stretching your walls in a way that has you whimper loudly.

"Gotta stretch you a little to get you ready for my piece, sweetheart." She said in a sinister tone. "There's no way you'd be able to take it otherwise, it's already going to reck you with its size." She husked into your ear and withdrew her fingers, spanking you again when you whined.

Wanda got off the bed and disappeared into her closet, shortly returning with a large strap secured around her waist and pointed at you. You whimpered at the sight of it, not sure you could handle its size.

The Sokovian kneeled behind you and gripped your hips with both her hands as she lined up the strap with your entrance.

"I'm going to fill you up so nicely, Princess. Gonna have your cumming in no time." She husked, her voice dripping with lust.

A scream was ripped from your throat when Wanda thrust the entirety of the strap into your pussy. She set about her harsh, abusing pace instantly and preened at the sound of the pleasure filled cries that left you.

She grabbed a fistful of your hair and slammed your head down into the pillows on your side do she could still hear all of your desperate moans. The rough action earned the redhead a cry of her name.

Her pace was unrelenting, everytime she thrust back into you she somehow managed to hit deeper, pounding the toy against the most sensitive and pleasurable part of your cunt.

"Mommy!" You moaned loudly, not realising your slip up until the words left your lips. Your eyes widened and you feared Wanda's response, but what you got was a smack from the redhead that stung your ass in the best way. Her fucked you with increasing vigor too, wanting you title to spill from your lips again. And it did. Over and over, each time going straight to Wanda's pussy.

"Fuck, I'm gonna cum." You whimpered as you gripped onto the sheets tighter to prepare yourself for your release. But Wanda pulled the strap out the the very tip and held it there as she leant over to whisper in your ear.

"Beg me." She ordered and you whimpered again. It wasn't like you hadn't already submitted to the red head you hated but begging would be something that would loom over you for a while.

Your thoughts clashed with the overwhelming need from your pussy as it desleratly tried to clamp down on the tip that didn't provide nearly enough pleasure.

"Please, Wanda." You whispered.

"Please who?" She asked sweetly, clearly testing you making you groan.

"Please, mommy just let me cum." You whined and Wanda smacked your ass hard. She edged the dildo in further ever so slowly and stopped again.

"Mommy, please! I need to cum." You tried again, desperation seeping into your voice. Wanda hummed.

"I can see that." She mused as she rubbed small circles on your throbbing and soaked clit. "I just don't see why I should, brat." She punctuated the name with a harsh slap to your ass again and you caught onto what she was hinting at.

"Please, I'll...I'll be so good for you, mommy."

"Yeah, baby?"

"Yes! Please mommy I'll be so so good for you. Just please please let me c-" You were abruptly cut off by your own whorish moan as Wanda snapped her hips forwards and filled you up entirely.

One of her hands tangled itself in your hair and forced your head down into the pillows, not stopping your incoherent babbles filling the room along with the sound of your pussy being fucked by Wanda and her thighs slapping against yours.

The Sokovian tugged on your hair again so your head was off the pillow.

"I'm gonna cum!" You cried out into the air.

"That's it, baby. Soak my fucking cock." And with that demand you came harder than you ever had around Wanda's strap and moaned continuously as the redhead prolonged your pleasure by continuing to pound into you.

But it soon became too much for your sensitive pussy. You squirmed away from Wanda but she placed one hand on the middle of your back to keep you flat against the bed.

"Too much." You managed to say, however the redhead didn't seem to care.

"I'm nowhere near done with you, Princess."

*

Laying panting and gripping onto Wanda's bedsheets like a lifeline wasn't exactly what you expected to be doing on a Thursday night. You were drenched in sweat and although Wanda had pulled out the toy minutes prior, you were sure you could still feel it filling you up, the faint throbbing a forewarning of what was to come.

It took you a while to gather the strength to get up. With anyone else you probably would have just stayed the night in their bed, but you weren't sure you could do that with Wanda. Although she wouldn't kick you out, you didn't like the thought of sleeping beside the redhead. It seemed far too...soft? Whatever it was, you were sure Wanda would agree.

You searched for your clothes while she took a most likely deliberately long shower, images of her naked figure covered in water invading your mind.

Once you cursed them away they were just replaced with flashes of what you had been doing for all those hours, remembering how she pulled on your hair as she praised you when you went down on her. Of course you did that while on your knees.

What happened between you and Wanda wasn't a one time thing. In fact it became increasingly common until you were in each other's beds almost every night. You would have been fuck buddies if you had considered each other a friend.

It worked. You and Wanda were able to work out your pent up frustration towards each other in a way that didn't hurt one another....well, if that didn't include the scratches along Wanda's back and the constant aching between your legs.

You didn't even make snide comments about each other in meetings or during training. You were able to keep everything in the bedroom.

The success of what you two had going forced you to ignore the noteable change in feelings you had towards Wanda. You saw her differently but couldn't quite tell how. Sometimes it was as though the unplaceable emotion you had towards her from from start spiked and other times you were purely confused.

It was always most prominent after she made you crash over the edge of bliss or when she came undone beneath you. Those moments when your bodies went limp and you were caught up in each other's embrace because you didn't have the energy to move. Hearing her exhausted breathing match her rising and falling chest and faint heartbeat if you had your head on her chest. Those tender moments were the ones that caught you off guard.

You refused to make a big deal out of it though. You refused to investigate your feelings or even acknowledge them. What you had with Wanda was the most efficient thing you could do. You didn't want to muck it up but you knew it couldn't go on forever. Another labelless feeling emerged at that thought.

Natasha was the only one who knew what you were doing. Neither of you told her, the spy was able to figure it all out on her own quickly and confronted you both about it once, only saying to be careful. That was the only time she addressed it verbally but you could always feel her watching you both carefully when you trained.

You thought it was going great. You and Wanda had finally been cleared for a mission that you would both be on, the team certainly needed the man power. That was until Nat told you otherwise.

"What do you mean I'm not going?!" You exclaimed across the room. You had seen Nat in the meeting room looking up something on her tablet and had gone in to enquire something about the mission that was long forgotten.

"I've thought about it and you and Wanda still aren't deemed the most reliable when put together for a mission, with this one being as important as it is we can't afford to make mistakes." Natasha sighed.

"So why don't you take Wanda off the mission? I have more experience."

"Her powers are perfectly fitted to this mission, we need her."

"And not me." You knew you came across as petty, but you had been dying to go back into the field.

"Y/n." Nat tried but you scoffed and glared at the screens with those assigned to the mission. Your eyes found Wanda's picture first and your jaw clenched at the sight of her ridiculously attractive face.

"What did she say to you?" You demanded as something clicked in your brain.

"She didn't say anything, this is my judgement." Natasha began but you didn't buy it.

"We both know if it was you you would have told me as soon as you decided it. You had no issue with me and Wanda being on this mission before. Hell, you cleared us both for the field." Nat glanced down at her tablet guiltily as she searched her brain for another hopeless lie.

"This is unbelievable." You scoffed and turned sharply on your heels to storm out of the room, ignoring your name being called by Nat.

You soon found Wanda in the kitchen making herself a coffee as she hummed softly. You willed your brain to ignore the warmth you got from seeing the redhead in her own, peaceful world.

"Do you have a problem with me?" You demanded, snapping her out of her trance. She visibly figited when she saw you approach her and lean on the edge of the kitchen island on you hands with an expectant look.

"No?" She said, seeming unsure.

"Don't you fucking lie to me." She seemed startled by your increasing aggression.

"What are you talking about?" She asked as she stirred her drink.

"Don't play dumb with me, Maximoff. You got me off the mission!" Wanda stopped her movements as she froze, clearly caught off guard by your discovery. Given how Nat had acted you guessed you weren't meant to find out it was Wanda who said something.

"It's for the best." She finally said but avoided your eye.

"It is not your place to decide what's best for me, you don't get to do that." You argued.

"There should only be a few people on the mission." She tried.

"I know that, I've seen the intel. But we already discussed that those people should be powered. Why am I being taken off?" You demanded again.

"It's dangerous." She muttered as she stared down at her drink.

"It's my fucking job. You think I don't know that."

"Of course you do, but there's a bigger risk than the usual missions we've been on. A bigger risk of you getting hurt." She muttered the last bit, like she wasn't entirely sure she wanted you to hear her. Granted, Wanda showing concern for your safety was new.

"Any one of us could get hurt." You said, lowering your voice marginally.

"But it's you I'm worried about." She insisted. It was your turn to become uncomfortable, shifting slightly under her gaze that held something new.

"I can take care of myself." You said as you crossed your arms, feeling a sudden defensive need to protect yourself.

"I know... but I care about you." You exhaled slowly, becoming increasingly uncomfortable at the tone of her voice. "If something happened to you..." She continued, "I don't know what I would do." Her voice was barely above a whisper, the softness laced in it undeniable. It sparked something in you. Something you didn't want to accept.

"Good luck on your mission, Maximoff." You said through gritted teeth and went to leave but Wanda was behind you instantly and took ahold of your hand to pull you back.

"Wait, I wasn't done-"

"Well I am." You snapped and yanked your hand out of her grip.

"What..?" She said slowly.

"If you don't want to work with me then we won't, no need to keep fucking anymore." You huffed and went to walk away.

"That wasn't what I-"

"Stop!" It wasn't a cry of anger. It was pure desperation. Your pleading look took Wanda by surprise and pained her to see. "Just stop before you say something you can't unsay." You said shakily. Your unspoken message was received. You didn't want to hear about Wanda's feelings towards you. She just didn't know it was because you were afraid that it would uncover what you had been feeling all along. You couldn't handle it. You were scared.

Wanda nodded, defeated, and let you go. You were filled with grief as you walked away, your footsteps feeling heavier than usual. You wanted to look back, to go back to her. But you couldn't.

*

You distracted yourself with a particularly ruthless training session the day of Wanda's mission. Carol showed you no mercy in sparring, weight lifting and boxing - even encouraging power use every now and then. But your mind still wandered to the redhead the way it usually did.

When you finally collapsed on the mat in defeat Carol chuckled and tossed you your waterbottle before encouraging an ice bath and strolling out of the gym for her evening flight.

You stayed on the floor for a while after you finished your water, only stopping staring up at the ceiling when Nat's outline blocked the lights. You sat up and looked at her hopefully, seeing that she was back from monitoring the mission and didn't seem distraught or upset.

"How did it go?" You asked as she sat down across from you.

"It was a success." She said but she didn't seem all that happy.

"And everyone's okay?" You asked cautiously. Nat gave a half shug and sighed lightly.

"There was ice - a lot if it and it was so cold. Dangerously cold." Nat started. You tried not to clench your jaw or show any signs of annoyance, knowing there was no need to point out that mission was fitted for you and your powers that would have guaranteed everyone's safety.

"Wanda got a little cut up, it was impossible to fight on that ground." You eyed the door and bit your lip, refraining from giving in to the urge to go see her.

"She doesn't want to talk to anyone right now, but she needs seeing to the cut." Nat said as she placed a first aid kit down infront of you. She was back already? And why did you have the kit?

"She won't see anyone either." Nat said before you could verbally question her. It took a moment for you to understand what she was saying.

"I don't think she wants to see me, Nat." You said as you pushed it back her way only for her to toss it into your lap.

"Goddmit, y/n. Can you two stop dancing around each other and actually talk?!" She exclaimed.

"We tried that-"

"Talking, y/n, not shouting or arguing. Talking." She said firmly and got up before you could protest further.

You pondered over what Natasha said for a while. You knew she had a good point, that talking was exactly what you should have done from the start, but it was just another thing that frightened you.

"Your job is facing your fears." You muttered aloud to yourself.

You finally got up from the ground, first aid kit in hand, and trudged along the compound towards Wanda's room. You tried to figure out what you could say on the way. But it all came out a jumbled mess that made no sense. Multiple times you stopped in the hallways and considered turning back before convincing yourself to keep going.

You knocked softly on Wanda's door and was surprised that it opened for you. The redhead in question was sat on her bed with a pillow in her lap, fiddling with her hands the way she always did when she was anxious or deep in thought. That evening it was both.

She glanced up at you as you closed the door but turned back to her pillow quickly when you gave her a short smile that didn't quite meet your eyes.

Regardless, you cautiously walked towards her bed and sat down next to her with the small box between you. You brought one of your legs up under you so you could face Wanda and eyed the cut above her eyebrow in concern. She still didn't say anything, neither did you.

You opened up the small box and got out a pack of wound closure strips and carefully unwrapped one. Wanda didn't object to you gently holding the area around her cut as you placed the strip on and lightly smoothed over the edges until you were sure it would stay on.

"I let my emotions cloud my judgement." She mumbled as you prepped another strip.

"It happens to all of us." You said.

"But I didn't listen to you. I should have." You sighed and stopped unwrapping the strip to look up at the redhead and watch her closely. She looked back at you with a guilty and pained expression that was full of regret.

"Yeah." You nodded slowly as you went back to the medical tape and raised your hands to put it on but the Sokovian held your wrist to stop you. "What's done is done, so just let me put these on and we're good." You said but she still didn't let go.

"Just like that?" She questioned.

"The mission was a success. If I'd had been there you wouldn't have gotten hurt, that's all."

"You were really mad though." She continued and you put your hands down to rest them, not failing to notice that Wanda was still holding your wrist but with a much lighter grip.

"It's hard to stay mad at you." You admitted.

"You've always been mad at me."

"Well it wasn't exactly like you were the friendliest person to me." You pointed out. "I was never mad at you, Wanda. I just hated that... that you made me feel something I've never trusted, so I didn't trust you. It was never your fault, I was unfair." You admitted as you stared down at the tape the whole time, afraid to meet the redhead's eyes.

"What did you feel?" Wanda asked, her voice void of emotion making it more difficult for you to say. You gulped as you continued to stare at the tape, willing yourself to give Wanda the answer she needed. The answer she deserved.

"Love." You voice shook. "I loved... love you." You were shaking more as you finally looked up at Wanda. Her eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted like there was a million thoughts trying to be heard but without the ability to.

She didn't say anything for a while. A long while. She stared at you in disbelief then at her pillow as though it would give her all the answers.

Tears rushed to your eyes that you tried to blink away as your head swam with curses to yourself for admitting your feelings. You had opened up and been vulnerable to Wanda, and the result was the exact reason you had sworn to never do it again.

Once you were sure she wasn't going to say anything to you, you took it as your cue to leave. To leave so Wanda could prepare her rejection speech for you. However, as soon as you put your hand to the door she spoke out.

"Please don't go."

You turned around slowly and met her light brown eyes you had always found impossible not to get lost in when you had your fingers or tongue inside her. You timidly went back to the bed and paused before sitting down next to her, facing the wall instead of her this time.

"I thought it was one sided." She started and you felt yourself begin to shake with nerves again. "I thought you didn't love me back." You looked to Wanda quickly and searched her features for any signs of a lie, any signs that she was setting you up to push you down but she was gazing back at you longingly with tears glistening in her eyes.

"When you confronted me about the mission, I was going to say it then, you knew that." You squeezed your eyes shut and nodded, remembering the fear you felt in that moment.

"I wasn't ready, I thought I wouldn't ever be but," You took a deep breath "I want to try, for you." You took ahold of Wanda's hand to reiterate your point. "I care about you too Wanda, so much. More than I could ever express or even handle and I didn't know what to do about it. I mean we've tried a fair few things now," You both laughed a little, "but it I don't think any of them are going to work as well as accepting it and...and I don't know." You looked to her for guidance because fuck did you need it. You needed Wanda to guide you down whatever path you chose to take, as long as she was there with you.

"Maybe we could start with something small." She suggested with a small smile that made her eyes shine.

"Like a coffee date?" You tried.

"Exactly like that." She confirmed, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Then I'll pick you up around 2." You said cheesily making Wanda laugh. "But first, I have to finish tending to this cut." You declared as you turned around to face her entirely and crossed your legs under you, pausing for a moment to give Wanda a short and sweet kiss.

[wondernimbus]

two sworn enemies — draco malfoy

pairing: draco malfoy x female!reader

summary: there is only one thing worse than being hated by draco malfoy; it’s being fancied by him.

requests are closed for now! please refrain from plagiarizing my work.

After being on the receiving end of Malfoy's torment for four whole years at Hogwarts—a place where she's supposed to be making friends and learning and making the most out of all her youthful years—[Y/N] is beginning to grow tired.

The last thing she’s supposed to be worrying about is a snarky Slytherin boy who always has some sort of rude remark resting on his lips every time he comes across her in the corridors. Or anywhere, for that matter—Draco Malfoy's incessant jest seems to stay within no boundaries.

Eleven-year-old [Y/N] used to be fazed by it; she used to cry herself to sleep every time the platinum blond would push past her in the hallway, yelling out something offensive on his way, usually to do with her friendship with blood-traitors and the "big-headed" Harry Potter (or so Malfoy referred to him). She used to feel angry—angry enough to want to whip her wand out at him and hex him into oblivion every time he'd even as much as lay eyes on her. But the more Malfoy tried to bother her, the more it didn't anymore.

Fourth year wasn't so bad. Malfoy had already called her about a hundred nasty names at that point and was running out of them—his creativity was dwindling and [Y/N]'s concern along with it. She'd even laughed at him, one time during Transfiguration class—genuinely laughed, not out of frustration or anger but because she found something that he said to her funny.

"How does it feel being surrounded by blood-traitors and Mudbloods, [Y/L/N]? Pity you chose the wrong crowd to hang around."

"How did it feel to get punched by a girl, Malfoy? I hear Hermione packs quite a punch."

Malfoy’s nose had wrinkled into his signature sneer before he scoffed. "Tell Granger she can improve her right hook." At which point [Y/N] had snorted out a laugh—and yes, it wasn't a full-blown burst of chortles, but it was a laugh nonetheless.

Fifth year rolls around and Draco Malfoy is the least of [Y/N]'s worries. She's gotten over his nagging at this point; all his jabs have lost a bit, if not all of their luster.

But then a week after classes have started, Malfoy starts acting—weird. Very weird. [Y/N] has no idea what's gotten into him, but Draco's cruel insults seem to have veered off course and taken a very dramatic turn. He still yells at her in the hallways, but not to make some harmful jibe [Y/N] has heard thousands of times before. Instead Draco—yes, Draco Malfoy, the same boy who has never once failed to torment her in the past years they've known each other—has now made it a habit to yell pick-up lines. At her. At [Y/N]. At the same girl he's been bad-mouthing for the past four years.

The first time it happens, [Y/N] can't believe her ears. She thinks he's yelling at someone else other than her, because there is no way bloody Draco Malfoy is shouting "DO YOU PLAY QUIDDITCH? BECAUSE YOU SEEM LIKE A KEEPER" at her from halfway across the Great Hall.

But he's definitely staring at her, grinning widely in that conceited sort of way that [Y/N] has always despised.

"Is he talking to me?" [Y/N] asks Hermione, bewildered.

"Looks like it." Hermione looks just as surprised as her. "Knowing Malfoy, he's not up to anything good. Ignore him, [Y/N]."

But ignoring Draco Malfoy is not something [Y/N] is capable of; the feistiness in her makes sure of that. So instead of moving on and turning a blind eye, she cups her hands over her mouth and yells, just as loud, "ARE YOU A BLUDGER? BECAUSE I'D LOVE TO BASH A BEATER'S BAT INTO YOUR—"

Whatever Malfoy is up to, [Y/N] isn't entirely sure she's enjoying it. The next afternoon—also in the Great Hall, while [Y/N] is doing her homework instead of eating lunch (because Snape apparently thinks it's a good idea to ask for a four-page essay when the school year has barely even started), there's a thump and [Y/N] looks up to see that there's a little red envelope sitting on her empty plate. Looking even further up, she sees an owl flying away from the table and out of the roof of the Great Hall, where the owls always come from to deliver letters—although that only happens at breakfast. Which means this is from someone else, likely another student.

[Y/N] stares.

"It's a Howler," Harry says from next to her, like she doesn't already know.

"I'm aware," she mutters, narrowing her eyes at it before she sets down her quill to grab it.

"Who would send you a Howler?" Ron has looked up from where he'd been shoveling beans into his plate. He crowds into her space, peering at the envelope she now holds in her hands; and she can't really answer him, because only her name is scribbled across the front in handwriting she doesn't recognize. Whoever sent it to her didn't bother with writing their own name.

She hesitates, brows furrowed as she, too, wonders where it's from. Her parents don't have a reason to send her a Howler—unless she's done something wrong that she isn't aware of. But it's only been a week since school has started and as far as she can tell, she hasn't done anything worthy of being sent a Howler. Or at least not yet.

"Might as well," she sighs—it's going to deliver its message one way or the other, anyway, and [Y/N] prefers to open it herself than have it burst into flames, rain ashes down upon her homework, and then start talking—so she opens the envelope.

The Howler jumps to life in front of her, hovering in front of her face, and [Y/N] has never seen a piece of stationery look so angry before. A forked tongue slips out of the envelope—[Y/N] braces herself for the worst, despite not knowing who on earth might have sent it—until a familiar voice booms around the Great Hall.

"ARE YOU A BASILISK? BECAUSE WHEN I SAW YOU, I FROZE."

Ron's shoulders automatically start shaking with laughter. Most of the Great Hall—or at least the ones close enough to hear the Howler—have turned around to watch the spectacle unfold, giggling behind their palms and pointing at [Y/N] like she can't see them. [Y/N], in the meantime, stares, completely dead to the world and everything else around her, because she knows that voice.

But then the Howler keeps talking. "IF YOU LET ME TAKE YOU ON A DATE, I CAN PROMISE YOU THINGS THOSE FILTHY PEASANTS CAN NEVER GIVE YOU."

The entire hall has fallen completely silent. [Y/N] feels her face burning up, but not with embarrassment—[Y/N] is angry. She feels it thrumming in her veins, curling around her lungs, clouding all of her senses.

With a single flick of [Y/N]'s wand, the Howler bursts into flames with a final feeble wheeze of I'm also a fairly good snogger. Ron is roaring with laughter and Harry has also joined in. Two-faced gits.

[Y/N] slams her palms down on the table and vaguely even registers the pain this gives her as she steps out from behind the bench and turns around to face the Slytherin table because of course she knows who sent the Howler. Of course she knows who would go out of his way to humiliate her in front of the entirety of Hogwarts, because that extremely irritating, maddeningly haughty voice can only belong to one person—and sure enough, the idiot in question is standing there on top of the benches, arms outstretched towards her and that proud, snooty look on his face like he expects her to actually be impressed.

Over Ron and Harry's laughter, [Y/N] shouts angrily, "Malfoy!"

Malfoy drops his arms to his sides, hops off the bench, and swaggers towards her. She meets him halfway—and when she does, she doesn't hesitate to shove him angrily by the shoulders. He stumbles back a little, but he's still grinning annoyingly wide. "Have you come to me bearing an answer?" he says, his tone mocking, and [Y/N] just barely suppresses herself from whipping out her wand and jabbing it somewhere she wouldn't want a wand anywhere near. They are still surrounded by teachers. "I imagine it's a yes—who would turn me down, after all—"

"Drop the fucking act," she hisses; all eyes are on them, because Hogwarts never passes up a chance for gossip, and this might be the most exciting one yet. Draco Malfoy publicly asking out the girl everyone knows he's hated, and has hated him, for a long time—what a spectacle. But [Y/N] knows that his intentions are far from genuine; this is just another way to humiliate her and get on her nerves. And as much as she hates to admit it, it's a pretty good fucking move, because she hasn't been this annoyed by him in a long time.

Her teeth are gritted together so hard her words barely come out coherent. "I don't know what you're playing at," she practically growls, taking a step closer to get in his face, "But I encourage you to get yourself together."

But Malfoy seems unaffected. "Pity you didn't let the Howler finish," he drawls, still with that same smirk on his lips as he wriggles his brows suggestively. "I could've told you more about my superior snogging skills."

"Which is exactly why I didn't," she fumes. "We're in the middle of lunch—any more of you talking about your 'superior snogging skills' and the entirety of this hall would've thrown up on themselves. I know I would've."

At this, the smile on Malfoy's face droops a little, a ghost of his familiar sneer seeping in. [Y/N] takes a step back away from him, because she can't stand being more than a few feet near the prat. "You've got a lot of nerve, pulling this," she scoffs. "Try it again and you'll regret it. Now excuse me while I go do my bloody homework."

And then she turns around, goes back to the Gryffindor table, and does her bloody homework.

—

But Malfoy, as it turns out, isn't as weak-willed as he lets on. She's started receiving Howlers every morning at breakfast, all of which burst into flames every time to rain ashes upon her innocent plate of eggs and toast, but only after loudly blurting out some ridiculously bad pick-up line. It's been four days since the first Howler and they've only gotten progressively worse ever since—"you must be a Boggart because I'm terrified of pretty women"—and [Y/N] is beginning to grow so very tired.

Today, she hexes him in the middle of the hallway just as he's coming out of Potions class. She had warned him, all those days ago, that he'd regret it if he didn't let up. So [Y/N] watches, terribly amused as Draco starts wailing in the corridor, his hands splayed over his face in a measly attempt to cover the sardines falling out of his nostrils. It's an irreversible hex—or at least for eight hours—but until then, Draco will have to deal with the tiny fishes that shoot out of his nose at random intervals. [Y/N] can't bring herself to feel bad, not when he's humiliated her time and time again in front of so many people.

No Howlers arrive the morning after. There's a sense of what feels like disappointment coming off of the Great Hall; some people have actually turned around in their seats to watch her in anticipation for an owl to come swooping down upon her bearing a red envelope. Unfortunately for them, it doesn't happen. [Y/N], meanwhile, is finally at peace.

Or at least until Ron jabs her in the side and goes, "So are you?" he's grinning. "A Boggart, I mean."

It's a reference to the Howler she received yesterday. Her movements are dangerously swift; immediately she smacks the back of his head, sending him into a complaining frenzy. She rolls her eyes. "Stupid Malfoy."

"As much as I hate to say this," Harry begins, "I kind of wish you hadn't hexed him into stopping. His pick-up lines were pretty funny."

"Ha!" [Y/N] points a finger at Harry and nods approvingly, laughing a little. "That's a good one, Harry."

Harry stares at her dead in the eye. "Oh, I wasn't joking."

Her face falls.

"I suppose being on the receiving end of Malfoy's affection isn't any better than being hated by him," says Hermione, offering [Y/N] a sympathetic smile. "It's a good thing you showed him not to mess with you any further, [Y/N]."

[Y/N] tries for a smile of her own, but it comes out all stiff and crooked. "I feel like the past few days have been a fever dream," she says, shuddering. "This new form of—bullying, I don't know—has just been so weird. The bad names I've gotten used to, but—the compliments? The pick-up lines?"

"D'you think he's gone off his rocker?" Ron suggests.

"Maybe he fancies you," says Hermione off-handedly.

The effect this has on the three is instantaneous; Ron, Harry, and [Y/N] simultaneously blanch as though they've all swallowed something sour at the same time. Ron is choking on a piece of toast and Harry has spit water everywhere.

"Absolutely not," [Y/N] is shaking her head, nose wrinkled in distaste. "He can't possibly—that's ridiculous. We've hated each other for years."

"Feelings do change," Hermione shrugs, rolling her eyes at Ron and Harry, who have yet to recover from their initial shock. "And besides, it was just a suggestion. Although I don't see why he'd go out of his way to send you Howlers repeatedly asking you out if he doesn't fancy you."

"Because he wants to humiliate me in front of everyone!"

"Oh, alright, alright," Hermione sighs, sensing her defeat. "But you never know."

Ron has gathered his bearings once more. He turns to Hermione, genuine concern flooding his features, and blubbers, "Did I hear you right? Malfoy—fancying [Y/N]?"

"Yes, Ronald." Another eye-roll. "It's not that outlandish. Boys are boys—even Malfoy."

"Merlin's beard," he slumps down in his seat, shaking his head. "I don't think I've ever been this surprised. Not since I heard that Percy managed to score himself a girlfriend, and that was three years ago."

A few days pass, and while no more Howlers arrive, Malfoy is still as insistent as ever in his attempts to "woo" her—or, well, whatever it is he's trying to do. [Y/N] doesn’t quite know what to call it anymore; for some reason, it no longer feels like an attempt to bully or humiliate her. It's not as though he's insulting her, and it's not like her reputation is in any way being lessened. In fact, most of Hogwarts, it seems, enjoys the so-called "love-hate relationship" they've got going on, and expects them to get together sometime in the near future.

[Y/N] learns all of this from Fred and George, who are always a good source of gossip.

"What better love story than two sworn enemies falling in love?" George gushes, clasping his hands together.

"So romantic," Fred sings, closing his eyes and swaying his hips as though listening to a sultry tune only he can hear. “Setting aside their differences to answer the call of their hearts."

"Oh, Malfoy's still an arse, of course."

"But it's still romantic."

Part of [Y/N] wishes that the twins hadn’t told her that, because it makes it all the more confusing on her part. If, by some miracle, Malfoy does fancy her—what is she supposed to do? Ride off with him into the sunset? They are enemies—they have been for four, supposedly five years now, except this year Malfoy is being an insufferable twat who won't stop yelling pick-up lines at her in the hallways.

[Y/N] decides to turn a blind eye on him. If she ignores him for long enough, he's bound to stop.

Right?

—

Despite being a close friend to the famous Harry Potter, [Y/N] can say she’s made a name for herself at school that stretches far beyond just that girl who hangs out with the Chosen One. She’s been playing for the Gryffindor Quidditch team for two years and has contributed to some of the house’s most fantastic wins as a Chaser, and she’s also a fairly good student. She may have a penchant for trouble-making, but she knows how to limit herself. She prides herself for her work ethic and thus her grades are above average—enough for her to earn the favor of most of her teachers and for eager first-years to sometimes come up to her asking for help doing homework.

But enough for those very same first-years to come up to her in the hallway ready to do all of her biddings for the day, practically demanding her to hand over her books so that they can carry them for her? No. Certainly not. [Y/N] may have made a name for herself, but definitely not one renowned enough to earn the eleven-year-olds now crowded around her moments after she steps out of potions class, telling her that, “We’re here at your disposal! If you need us to do anything, just say the word!”

[Y/N] stares at the three children clustered around her, all wide-eyed and for some reason incredibly eager for her to start bossing them around.

Taken aback, she ushers them into a corner; the hallway is busy and people will keep bumping into them if they stay in the middle of the hallway like that.

Once away from the bustling main corridor, she bends down a little so that she’s at eye-level with all of them. “At my disposal?” she repeats, eyes narrowing playfully. “What do you mean?”

“We’re here to carry your books for you or grab you snacks from the kitchens or tie your shoelaces if you need us to!” one of them exclaims, bouncing on his toes.

Alright—this is getting ridiculous. [Y/N] pauses, lips pressed together into a thin line as she stares at each one of the first-years in turn; all three of them are staring at her as though waiting for her to start asking them to do push-ups.

She inhales. Someone must have put them up to this, because there is no way these children woke up this morning and simultaneously decided to become her servants for the day.

“Well,” she begins, smiling at them—and good grief, did she really look that young when she was eleven? “Thank you for offering to help me. I appreciate it, really—but lucky for me I’ve got some very capable arms and I think I can handle tying my shoelaces and carrying my books around and whatnot. But again—thank you. You’re all very nice.”

She pauses to look at their reactions; the smiles on their faces have drooped a little as they turn to one another, seemingly at a loss for words. “But,” the one girl says, frowning, “We’re supposed to help you.”

[Y/N] raises her eyebrows. “Supposed to?”

Someone definitely put them up to this—[Y/N] is certain of it now. And she has a good guess as to who.

She starts by saying, tone gentle, “Did someone tell you to do this? Because that’s really kind, and I’d love to thank them.”

The girl bunches up her lips in thought, shuffling her feet against the ground. “We’re not supposed to say,” she mutters, glancing at the two boys next to her nervously.

[Y/N] inhales. She needs confirmation, so she crouches down so that she’s the same height as them, and offers them all the friendliest, most trustworthy smile she can muster. The kind that wins over eleven-year-olds. “You won’t get in trouble if you tell me,” she tells them gently, and waits for them to nod in understanding before she goes, “Was it Malfoy? Draco Malfoy?”

They don’t have to respond—the looks on their faces are enough confirmation. [Y/N] suppresses the urge to roll her eyes, because of course Malfoy is the kind of person to somehow get first-years to do something like this. And she’s pretty sure it has something to do with bribery.

“Did he promise to give you anything, maybe?” [Y/N] presses on patiently.

The girl leans in and cups her hand over her mouth to whisper excitedly, “Chocolate frogs. Five for each of us.”

Ah. Of course. [Y/N] sighs inwardly and nods, standing up properly to once more tower over the tiny first-years. As much as she would love to have her own personal butlers, there is absolutely no way she is agreeing to take any part in exploiting these young kids. So she ruffles all of their hair in turn and promises to give them much, much more chocolate frogs than Malfoy will ever be able to offer if they swear to ignore him for the rest of their lives.

So she stands there in the hallway, a minute late for Transfiguration, watching the three first-years skip down the hallway, grinning excitedly to themselves—no doubt because they’ve just been promised what could be an infinite supply of chocolate frogs.

Which [Y/N] will now have to spend a lump of her summer savings on. Great. Bloody fantastic.

She didn’t think she could hate Draco Malfoy even more than she already did, but now, with the burden of buying chocolate frogs resting on her shoulders, she realizes that anything is possible.

[Y/N] finds Draco later on in the day when she’s heading to the Great Hall for dinner; as she’s passing by a window that coincidentally overlooks the Quidditch pitch, she sees him zooming around the stadium by himself, no doubt practicing to better his (in [Y/N]’s opinion) ghastly Seeker skills.

So she trudges off to the pitch, arms folded over her chest as she yells, “Malfoy!”

He notices, stops in mid-air, and immediately flies down to land in front of her, one hand on his hip and the other resting on top of his broom. That signature smirk is already on his face, mirrored by [Y/N]'s angry scowl. “Here to take me up on my offer for a date?” he grins, shaking his (sweaty, wet) hair out of his eyes. [Y/N] watches the movement, unimpressed. “Or were you just planning to watch me practice?”

She scoffs, tearing her eyes away from the way he’s running a hand through his blond hair. “Neither. I thought you were bad enough, Malfoy, but bribing first-years into doing my bidding for me? In exchange for bloody chocolate frogs?”

Malfoy’s hand pauses in carding through his hair. He drops it back to his side. “So you figured it out.”

”Why else would first-years be so eager for me to boss them around?”

”Maybe because they find you just as beautiful as I do?” he suggests, eyes glinting, the smile on his face growing even wider. [Y/N] lets out a quick breath of incredulous laughter, because is he really still keeping this act up when no one is around to see? Is he that desperate to get on her nerves?

“Just stop it, Malfoy,” she says through gritted teeth, taking a step closer to him. At this, he whistles a little, eyebrows rising, and for some reason [Y/N] tries very, very hard not to look at the sweat trickling down his forehead, the pale pink hue of his cheeks from the strain of practicing—“Please for the love of Merlin can you just drop the whole I’m-in-love-with-you act? You got what you wanted. You’ve annoyed me enough.”

Draco's nose wrinkles. “Oh, but that’s not what I wanted,” the smile on his face falters a little. ”Did you really think I did all of this just to annoy you?”

[Y/N]’s eyebrows furrow—and is that her heart skipping a beat? No. No, definitely not. Falling quiet for a few moments, she finally sniffs and says, “Why else would you go out of your way to act absolutely smitten by me?”

An echo of Hermione's voice from several days ago reverberates through her head. Maybe he fancies you.

Malfoy shrugs, his smirk falling just the tiniest bit to be replaced by a semblance of sincerity. But that can’t be. And then he says, “Maybe I fancy you,” and [Y/N]’s eyes widen.

That can’t be right. Flabbergasted, she blinks, taking a step back. This has to be some sort of joke—no, yes, that’s exactly what this is: another way to crawl under her skin and annoy the daylights out of her. She has to applaud him for his creativity.

Pinching the space between her eyes in irritation, she looks up at Malfoy, inhales, and says, deadpan, “I’m being serious.”

“I am too,” Malfoy counters, eyebrows raised innocently, and [Y/N] has never wanted to smack him more than she does now.

She lets out another incredulous laugh, because this entire situation is just so bloody ridiculous that she can’t quite wrap her head around it. Throwing her hands up in the air in frustration, she turns to him and says, “Alright—okay. Let’s say you do fancy me. I’m going to pretend for a few seconds that you do—okay?”

Draco watches her, evidently amused judging by his grin, shrugs, and nods.

“Okay,” she huffs. “If you do fancy me—why on earth would you?”

Draco opens his mouth, but she cuts him off: “We hate each other, Malfoy. We’ve hated each other since the moment you laid eyes on me and I laid eyes on you. What could have possibly changed your rotten mind?”

He rolls his eyes at this, shifting a little on where he stands. “For starters,” he begins, like he’s talking to a five-year-old, “I didn’t hate you. I disliked the fact that you hung out with the wrong sort of people.”

”The wrong sort of people,” she repeats, deadpan.

“The Weasleys. Blood traitors. Mudbloods.”

She scowls at him, brain struggling to fathom what the bloody hell he’s trying to tell her. Managing to once more plow through her confusion, she says, “Your point is?”

“I’d have asked you out long ago if only you were smarter with who you chose to befriend,” and there it is—that familiar, distasteful sneer [Y/N] hasn’t seen in a long time. “Your family’s one of the oldest wizarding families around. It’s a shame.”

She lets out another scoff of disbelief, but the first few of Draco's words have something inside of her stirring. She refuses to address it and instead says, “So—and again, I’m pretending—you fancy me because of my family?”

He lets out a little sniff. “Not what I said.”

”What is it you’re trying to say, then?”

“Blimey, how long is it going to take you to realize that I actually bloody fancy you?”

Draco has dropped all pretense of nonchalant arrogance; he’s staring at her, obviously frustrated and a little annoyed. He stops leaning on his broom and lets it drop to the ground in favor of advancing towards her until he’s mere inches away from her face.

”I fancy you,” he repeats, and it’s funny, how he says it, because declarations of love are supposed to be sweet and gentle—not scathing and angry. He’s scowling down at her, lip curling, brows drawn in together in the middle in a tight frown. “I’ve decided that I don’t care who you hang around anymore because I fancy you. Do you get it now?”

[Y/N] swallows, staring at him, momentarily frozen. Malfoy doesn’t seem as though he’s joking—and now she doesn’t know what to say. She’s never been this close to him before—close enough to see herself in the reflection of his eyes, which are a striking grey and remind her of thunderstorms brewing behind dark clouds—

She takes in a deep breath and swivels around, turning away from him. “Stop sending children to be my servants,” she says, and starts to walk away—until Malfoy grabs her wrist and forces her to look at him again.

For a moment the look in his eyes convinces [Y/N] that he’s about to apologize, but then his lips are splitting into a wide grin again and he says, “What if I bribe a seventh year into doing your homework for you?”

Another scoff. She tears her wrist away from his grip and stalks off, in complete and utter disbelief.

”Or a house-elf to bring you food?” he calls after her. “Someone to do your hair for you in the morning? Or someone to yell at me for you?”

She halts at the last one, and for some odd, unknown reason, she feels like smiling. But she doesn’t, because that will open a door into something she isn’t sure she wants to explore. So she turns around, suppressing that mysterious little smile, already twenty feet away from Malfoy as she says, loudly, “I like doing that last one myself, thanks.”

From this distance, she thinks Malfoy might be smiling. But she doesn’t stay long enough to find out.

click here to read pt. 2!

[oneprompt]

hii!!! i absolutely love your works and writing style omg… could i rq ace shanks and robin with a gender neutral or fem reader (both are ok) that have a similar personality of a cat because of having a devil fruit from the feline family? like they’re very lazy but also competent and responsible when needed, sarcastic and also a bit on the physically affectionate side (loves cuddles) if it isn’t too much to ask? feel free to delete if it is,, but if you dont then thank you<3!

authors note: hi , hun <3 i’d be happy to write such a cute prompt ! i hope you enjoy .. + sorry i’ve been so slow everyone ;; i’ve been very stressed out ..

Nico Robin x Cat Devil Fruit! Reader Headcanons

• When Robin first meets you, she assumes your devil fruit with form you into a fearsome creature, one that can tower over all, overwhelmed with a taste for blood. But she’s pleasantly surprised to see how cute you really are! The soft fluffy fur that overthrows your flesh when you’re in your zoan form is a sight Robin loves to see. She loves cute things, especially animals.

• Robin is the type to appreciate mellow moments in her life, even things as basic as sitting in silence. So, naturally, she’s happy to cuddle you, both in and out of your zoan form. Robin adores having you lay your head on your lap while she reads through her most beloved novels. She’ll make sure to be attentive, even when she’s focused. Such as stroking your head and saying sweet nothings to you.

• Finds your sarcastic attitude funny. Robin isn’t new to such attitudes, having met dozens of people from every corner of the world, nearly. She has enough patience to last a life time, it seems. Robin isn’t bothered by your laziness or sarcasm. Although, if she must, she will push you to help out more whether along the battle field or with basic errands upon the Sunny.

• Robin admires your more serious sides. Seeing a person who isn’t too buckled down often act that way is a sight to behold. She admires your strength and intelligence, regardless of what the situation holds. She’ll make sure to tell you how proud she is of you when you two are cuddled up in bed together.

• With her interest in morbid things and horror, Robin will more then likely ask how far your form can go. Can you turn into a beast like cat? Can you tear a person down with just a swipe of your claws in a different form? Robin can’t help but wonder if you can turn into such a thing… She’s a tiny bit disappointed when she learns you cannot evolve into too terrifying of a form.

• Robin loves when you use your zoan fruit during cold nights. Sometimes, a humans touch and blankets aren’t enough to warm her up. Sometimes, fur may be needed. Sure, there’s Chopper but Robin would rather cuddle her partner, of course! Some nights you wonder, is Robin genuinely cold… or is she just saying that to act all clingy and lovey?

Shanks x Cat Devil Fruit! Reader Headcanons

• Shanks finds your kitty form to hit him with a nostalgic glow. He grew up on a ship where he was surrounded by all sorts of different people with varying bodies, and he can remember each zoan user he saw through his time upon the grand line. Your cat form just has such a sweetness mixed into it.

• He loves cuddling you! Shanks is touchy regardless, always wanting to have at least an arm swung around his partner, whether they’re normal or not. Shanks likes to hold your paws a lot especially, tracing his rough thumb against the plush pinkness of your toe beans. He can’t help but laugh at the sight of them! Even if it embarrasses you..

• Shanks loves showing off your powers and form to his friends, he gets all giddy seeing his friends stare in bewilderment. Having such a… normal feline zoan fruit is out of the question until they see you. Shanks will gush all about you, rambling on about how soft you are and so on, even if you’re standing right beside him.

• He likes to cuddle you at night, you’re like a sleeping aid. Shanks loves curling up into you, feeling his heart patter with ease at your gentle touch upon his scarred up skin. You’re his home, his sanctuary within the cold nights that lay upon the sea.

• Shanks loves your sarcastic humour, it always makes him snicker. Whether you’re just being sassy to a friend or to an enemy, Shanks will hoot and holler in approval, nearly. He’s so supportive of… quite literally everything you do, his love is never ending almost!

• You being lazy doesn’t serve any issues to Shanks! He’s on the sea to be with his beloved friends, regardless of anything else in the world, what his loved ones want to do is what’s best. Shanks is happy to let you lounge around all day! He sees no point in hassling you to do things you don’t want to do. Perhaps he shouldn’t think so carelessly…

Ace x Cat Devil Fruit! Reader Headcanons

• Ace is always excited to see new things, especially the untapped powers of others! When you tell him about your devil fruit, Ace expects you to turn into a hurling tiger that can decimate anyone that waltzed into their path. So, he’s rather shocked to see you morph into a prim and cute kitty. He’ll certainly point and laugh… how crude of him.

• He finds it to be the cutest ever! Ace definitely teases you over it… In a kind way, though. Not in the way you may become insecure over your zoan type. He loves to have you in your cat form, petting you whenever he wants, nuzzling into the abyss of your fur. Ace isn’t the type to be around animals too much… So, he’s certainly excited!

• Drags you out of bed to train your form! Ace doesn’t mind being lazy but he knows how much potential you hold, he does. Any zoan user can be an unstoppable force, even ones with the stupidest of animals. He wants to help you unlock nirvana within your fruit, allowing you to defend and protect yourself as much as you may need.

• Ace will give you a ton of cuddles after training. He loves hearing you purr while you hold onto him, it’s just the cutest thing ever. Bless you…! He gives you so much praise, telling you how great you did during your devil fruit training. Ace only wants the best for you!

• Ace can be rather sarcastic with his quips and is thrilled to have you do the same. He’s mature, yes, but that won’t stop him from being snarky to people. He especially loves seeing you act that way towards marines or anything like that, makes him explode in laughter!

• He‘s always star struck when you show off your smarts. Ace isn’t the smartest himself and having a partner who can take charge when they must, especially without being asked wows him. Is he easily impressed by you? Oh, yes. Certainly.

[glorified-red]

What is the boys go to method of persuasion (read: manipulation) and how would someone persuade them in turn?

This request took wayyyy too many of my brain cells, thanks fish, you’ve killed me

Batboys Method of Persuasion

word count: 1390~

warnings: none

I’ve been wanting to write angst for a few days now and I am so close to diving into Nightmare and never coming back until the whole series is written.

Dick Grayson

Dick uses social influence consciously and subconsciously all the time

Social influence is how we are all wired to believe that if the people we admire are doing something, then that behavior is normal and we should act that way as well

He uses this to his advantage whenever he leads the titans or any of his siblings

A role model of sorts

Dick acts like the perfect vigilante and people subconsciously follow

It started with Jason when he was first learning about Robin, then with Tim, and eventually with Damian

Going out to patrol with Jason and being very careful about what he’s doing in front of him in the off chance that he picks up the habits Dick has

Knowing Tim watches him so closely so Dick might as well take advantage of it to keep his brother safe with protective patrol actions

Seeing Damians adoration for Dick and genuinely trusting what his older brother says, so why not slowly show Damian how to assimilate into the family through his actions

Theres plenty of different ways this affects Dick however

The constant pressure of needing to be perfect and make the right choices

The feeling of everyone and no-one watching him at all times

And even people pleasing tendencies, because what else is left of his self-importance without admiration?

Which is exactly why the easiest way to persuade Dick into doing something, is making sure he likes and trusts you

He couldn't care less about what strangers think of him, but those close to him? Those inside his circle of influence? Dick wants them to love him

Thats exactly why he tries to keep the family together; exactly why he takes every argument with his siblings to heart

The Liking Principle: we are more likely to comply with requests made by people we like

Ask Dick to do something and he will cross a valley for you not only because he loves you, but because he feels like he has to go through with it to make sure you still love him.

Jason Todd

Jason loves to use reciprocity

He exploits it every chance he can when he’s the Red Hood, how else would he have gotten so powerful?

Reciprocity is how we feel obligated to give back to others what we receive from them, especially if there was no cost to begin with

Jason spared plenty of criminals as Hood to use them for deals or favors later, always bringing up the fact that he could've killed them and could kill them now

He’s not afraid to say to those criminals, “Remember when I did this for you? Yea, I want compensation now.”

He doesn't use it much to his family aside from the typical sibling drama of Jason driving to get Tim food and then bringing it up again to get a few pop tarts during patrol

The more the time passes though, the less he can use reciprocity since it'll lose its draw

So he tends to use it within a few days or weeks

Jason keeps tabs, especially when it comes to crime lords or mob bosses

With his family he kinda just remembers? He’ll see a cookie and automatically remember that Dick owes him a pint of ice cream

But reciprocity works both ways

Jason knows this, so if anyone is smart and cunning enough to see through his manipulation and do it back? He’ll comply

The best way to do this is through consistency and commitment

Make Jason commit to his morals or word by bringing up statements he’s made in the past

His word means a lot to him so twisting it or holding him to it will definitely make him cave

Especially if his word was public and other people were there as witness

But be sure to reward him and reciprocate so that he keeps doing it ;)

Tim Drake

Tim’s method of persuasion is so meticulous 

Anchoring: the tendency to rely heavily on the information presented first when making a decision

He mostly uses this at work because it works better with numbers

Having a point value presented for the company so he can appease the snarky board of directors

Twisting and manipulating how the stock market values look by prefacing inflation or previous values from months past 

Or maybe shifting employee percentages around to make it seem more successful than it really is, not by a lot but enough that Tim can get them off his back

It’s not lying, he’s just presenting the information a different way that makes it seem more pleasant for his side

Since Tim is well aware that information can be tweaked or presented in a bias manner, persuading him can be a bit tricky considering he’d much rather do his own research

The Ellsberg Paradox, a wonderful experiment that showed people tend to lean towards things they know about rather than take a chance on unknown factors

Like the true introvert he is, Tim needs to know every detail before he makes a decision on something instead of going in blind and regretting it

Want to persuade him into going to a party? He needs to know exactly who's going, what to wear, what’s being served, what’s the earliest time he can leave—the list goes on

Trying to persuade him into doing something risky? Give him the details and he’d have no choice but to sigh and go through with it

Damian Wayne 

Damian and the hot-hand fallacy

When someone experiences a success, they’re more likely to continue that streak

He uses this to his advantage when it comes to Robin

Showing his father that he is self-sufficient because Damian busted this ring by himself and took down this villain too

Setting down a steady foundation of success to persuade more privilege and independence with the cape on

It’s a way to prove he belongs as well as keep the line of success for Robin going, purifying the colors so to speak

Dami also uses it on his siblings, especially when Dick took Batman’s role

Taking a weak, low point and showcasing the success that was brought to the mantle through him rather than previous Robins

It’s his confidence, his drive, the passion to maintain success lest he break that streak and tarnish his name

He's also used it to present new tactics or weaponry to the family, stating the success rate or how it has been used in the family before

However, with the inflated importance of Robin’s role, it doesn't take much to persuade Damian back into line

That’s where his weakness of persuasion comes in, The Authority Bias

Authority figures are perceived to be correct and have a stronger influence on others because of this

Damian not only grew up being forced to respect Ra’s and Thalia, but its so deep rooted in him that it is very rare for him to speak out against someone of higher authority than him

Hence why he respects Dick so much as Batman, or even Bruce because he is Damians biological father

So the easiest way to persuade Damian into doing something is to assert authority or dominance over him

There has to be merit behind it however, or he will call your bluff and not take you seriously

Bonus

All of the batboys share one method of persuasion that can also work on them: Mimicry

Its natural for us to respond more positively to people who act, look, or sound similar to us

This comes in handy with survivors on patrol, each of the boys mimicking body language or softening their voices to appear less threatening

In Jason’s case, he likes to appear more human by taking off his helmet so his voice doesn't sound as intimidating, it sounds similar and soft

For Tim, he sometimes takes off his cape to seem less like a super hero and more like an ordinary guy, especially for younger kids

In general though, it’s an unspoken bond between them all that they can tell exactly who each brother likes just by watching mimicking body language or adaptation of speech—very easy to tease each other about it

And of course, mimicry works on each of them as well

Makes them all—in their own way—feel less outcasted

Taglist ♡

@anothertimdrakestan

@bungunz

@red-hood-redemption ​​

@missredrobin

[emmys-grimoire]

FINALE analysis + season 4 predictions

I was right about where we were headed, but I didn’t expect THAT twist. Damn.

It was the goodbye lesson like anticipated. Mammon’s being broody because you’ll inevitably have to part, and the others are varying degrees of depressed. They throw the party they were planning last episode.

Then the brothers spring their request on Diavolo, in hope he would have the power to make MC a permanent part of the family.

It doesn’t go quite as planned.

Bad Blood

Diavolo apologizes and refuses (or for some reason he can’t?). The reason he does so is mildly interesting.

The conflict between the Celestial Realm and the Devildom is well-documented and frequently alluded to, but this might suggest there’s some bad blood between the Devildom and the Human World, too. Do they even have a ruler, though? A CEO of humanity? Haven’t heard of him, if so. 

The Celestial Realm doesn’t claim MC as far as I know. I’m not sure how MC officially “joining” the family via polygamous marriage would upset the balance between the three realms, unless everyone’s aware of just how much of a powerhouse they are.

When you catch up with him later, you discover Diavolo is feeling jealous again.

He DID admit he doesn’t like sharing back in Season 2.

But he seems to be a good sport about it so far.

Simeon’s Brother

The bombshell comes at the very end of the lesson, delivered in a cliffhanger after the brothers say their goodbyes and leave.

Back at the cafe, Simeon gets a surprise visitor!

And it’s...

Raphael!

Judging by how they react to each other, I suspect Raphael is disguised and not easily recognizable, and he wasn’t the person Simeon was meeting with in a prior lesson because it seems this is the first time he’s seen Simeon in his ‘human’ form.

... I’m a little concerned that Raphael feels the need to disguise himself, and it’s a good enough get up to fool someone as perceptive as Simeon. I don’t know if he’s acting on Michael’s orders, if so. It’s clear Simeon wasn’t expecting him, too.

I did wonder if Michael had brothers like Lucifer. When I learned that Raphael acted more like a retainer towards him, I dismissed him as a potential sibling candidate. It did not occur to me that he could be Simeon’s brother, because Simeon didn’t mention having any brothers of his own.

Which also concerns me because that might mean they’re not particularly close for some reason...

Additionally...

... This is pretty alarming. Diavolo doesn’t reveal whether or not this information was voluntarily given to him by the Celestial Realm, or if he has agents who deliver him news. The Celestial Realm seems to be pretty insular and close-fisted, to the point of frustration (Diavolo complains about it to Simeon during their tea party in season 2), so I’m wondering if this is someone else paging him out of alarm. It doesn’t sound like it’d be Luke, because it’s “regarding the Celestial Realm” as a whole, not just Simeon in particular.

In conclusion...

Cerberus was a red herring. Maybe he pops up in hard mode?

I was right about us heading to the Celestial Realm next, but at this point I think that was an obvious conclusion.

I am dreadfully curious about how season 4 is going to start after such a juicy cliffhanger. Somehow I can’t see it starting with Raphael being an obvious villain and endangering Simeon right off the bat, and I can’t think of Simeon doing anything that might earn him the ire of the Celestial Realm (angel x human relationships are not forbidden). He certainly hasn’t done anything on the same level as stealing an incredibly powerful artifact from his boss this season. 

I’m thinking the start won’t be as ominous as it foreshadows, and it might have something to do with Father acting up. They did just establish Simeon fears him above everything else: maybe he woke up from a long nap and he’s cranky about something related to Simeon. Maybe Michael was forced to reveal what happened to the Ring of Light.

But conflict with Father immediately? At the start of Season 4? Eh...

I don’t think Simeon has fallen. Can you quietly fall? Sounds like it’d be a pretty dramatic thing, and something Diavolo would notice.

Regardless, I’m hype for Raphael/Michael/Celestial Realm drama. They’re definitely coming. I’m getting the snarky vibes from Raph already, and he’s only been given one line of dialogue.

I’ll be writing a season 3 review after this semester is wrapped up. Then maybe I’ll have the time to finally write all the other things I planned, too.

[thunder-at-dawn]

Rose Colored Cheeks

word count: 3,657

summary: days before the l’manburg vs. dream team war, wilbur and eret decide to have a toast to how far they’ve come. in the process, eret points out how easy it is to make wilbur blush, and the commander decides to have some fun of his own.

woooo! this fic is done, and it’s the longest fic i’ve ever written for this account so far! enjoy one of my favorite duos :D

warning: this is a sfw tickle fic! don’t read if that makes you uncomfortable :]

cw: alcohol

“Eret, I have a question.”

“Wilbur, I likely have an answer.”

“When was the last time you drank alcohol?”

Eret huffed, leaning against the outside of the camarvan as she thought of an answer for her leader. She pondered in her head, not quite being able to come up with a clear answer.

“...I can’t come up with an exact date. It was more than quite a few months ago, but...it was definitely within the past year.” She nodded. “I don’t exactly remember what happened or where I was, my memory is a little hazy. Although... I believe I was likely drinking because of a celebration of some sort, perhaps?”

“A celebration?” Wilbur repeated.

“Yeah. I usually only drink when it comes to special occasions.” She shrugged, glancing at the sunset that was slowly spreading over the sky. “What about you? When was the last time you drank?”

“Not fairly long ago.” Wilbur shook his head. “Probably only a month or two ago.”

“Why do you ask?” Eret questioned curiously, before she suddenly felt Wilbur take her hand in his own.

“Come inside with me, Eret.” He said with a smile. She smiled as well, letting Wilbur guide her inside of the camarvan. Once they were inside of the van, Wilbur let go of her hand to walk into the back room. The eyeless entity leaned against the wall, being able to hear her friend rummaging through various things to find what he was looking for.

“Ah, there we go.” She could hear Wilbur mutter quietly. The young man returned from the back of the room, holding two empty champagne glasses, one in each hand, and setting them down in front of him.

“Are those for what I think they’re for?” Eret asked with an eyebrow raised.

“They might be.” Wilbur chuckled, heading back into the back room momentarily. She could hear more rustling, and he reentered, holding a bottle of champagne in his hands.

“In a few days time, we go off to war with the Dream Team. I wanted to have a proper gathering of some sort, where we celebrate our triumphs one last time before the war, before we have even more to celebrate.” Wilbur exclaimed, placing the bottle on the table. “However, not only are we the only ones awake right now, we’re also the only ones on our side who can legally drink. So... I think that we should have a toast.”

“A toast?” Eret repeated curiously, stepping forward towards her comrade.

“A toast, to how far we’ve come. You’ve been a good person to me, Eret. You’ve been a friend, a comrade, a brother. While I didn’t want to have to come to the terms of war with the other side, I know this battle will bring us closer than ever before.” Wilbur continued to speak as he attempted to twist the cork off of the bottle. “So, because of that, I believe... that we should... should have a toast- ugh. A toast to our-“

“Do you need any help with that, Wilbur?” She interrupted, watching her leader struggle to get the cork off.

“Nonono, I’ve got it.” Wilbur insisted, still struggling to twist off the cork on the bottle, shaking it to see if that would get it loose.

“Are you sure?” Asked Eret, entertained by her commander’s struggle.

“I promise you Eret, I’m fine, I-“

POP!

“Oh no!” Eret laughed as she felt a stream of cold champagne spray onto her jacket. She rushed over to help control the spray as Wilbur panicked, quickly dipping the bottle down and spraying the insides of the glasses with the cold, sparkly liquid. Afterwards, he grabbed an empty potion bottle nearby, attempting to spray the rest of the champagne into it. It filled up quickly, and Eret laughed more when Wilbur started to repeatedly curse out loud when it started to overflow. Eventually, the champagne stopped spraying out of the bottle.

“Wilbur, are you drunk already? The champagne is supposed to go in the bottle.” Eret joked.

The commander’s face suddenly turned a bright pink. “Sh-Shut up.” He stammered with a chuckle, shoving Eret’s arm before rushing off to find something to clean up the mess with. She giggled, following him to the back room.

“Has anyone ever pointed out how easy you are to fluster?” She asked with a shit-eating grin.

“Eret, stop talking.” Wilbur demanded as he rummaged through the chest.

“Your face is like, bright pink. Like a peony. That’s how much you’re blushing.”

“I’m not blushing!” He insisted. Eret simply laughed at him, doubling over and clutching her stomach as Wilbur rolled his eyes.

“Relax, I’m just teasing you.” She giggled, placing a hand on his shoulder. “How about we clean this up later, and just go ahead and celebrate, like you said?”

Wilbur couldn’t help but smile when he saw Eret taking enjoyment in the situation, chuckling quietly. “Alright… I suppose this mess can wait.” He said, handing her one of the glasses. He picked up his own, holding it up.

“A toast to the future.” Eret said with a smile, holding her glass up as well.

“And to how far we’ve come, my friend.”

-

“Hehey. Hey. Wilbur. Wilburwilburwilbur.”

“Oh my god, what?”

“This was a great idea.”

“Hmm… judging by how you’re acting, I’m not quite sure.”

“I’m not acting! I’m saving my acting skills for the stage and the spotlight.”

Wilbur rolled his eyes, but couldn’t fight back a grin. They had a few…refills, he wouldn’t lie.

And while he was still in a somewhat of a decently regular headspace, Eret was another story.

She’s on a whole different astral plane, he thought. His friend beside him had been cracking jokes and snarky remarks, her speech was slurred, and hiccupy giggles were seemingly always pouring out of her mouth. They had moved out of the camarvan, and were now sitting next to each other outside in the grass, under the stars.

“Wilbur… y’know, I think the last time I was like this, I was at a party, and…” Eret paused, staring at Wilbur as she giggled, the continued. “And- and there was this guy there, and he told me about this thing called updog. It was really cool, and I think someone like you might wanna hear about it~!” Dragging out the last word, she rested her arm on her friend’s shoulder. Wilbur watched the other explain her story with amusement, even giggling a bit himself before he rolled his eyes.

“Hmm, really Eret? Well, now that you’ve told me, I must know…what…” He sighed, wondering if it was really a good idea to go along with this. “…What’s updog?”

While it wouldn’t be able to be seen from behind her sunglasses, Eret’s blank eyes widened in amusement, and she snorted before cracking up with laughter. “Y-Yohou- Yohou fehehell fohor ihihit!” She hiccuped, laughing as she leaned back into the grass.

“Oh my gohod.” Wilbur snickered, laying down next to Eret in the grass. Her reaction was only making him beam more. “Eret, if you keep laughing this loud, you’re going to wake up Tommy, Fundy, and everyone else here in L’Manburg.” He chuckled.

“Sihince whehen dihid yohou cahare *hic* abohout Tohommy’s sleheheep schehedule?” Eret asked through hiccupy, hysterical giggling.

“Oh, shut it.” Wilbur grumbled as he could feel his cheeks heating up.

“Yohou’re bluhushing! Agahain!” She observed, pointing at Wilbur’s pink face. She sat up and gently held his face, eyes widening in surprise. “Wohow, you’re a bit warm, actually!”

“Am not.” He scoffed, leaning into the touch of Eret’s hand.

“Are too.” She snapped back.

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am noHOHOT-!” Wilbur jumped in place when he felt a hand squeeze at his side. The pink blush on his face only grew deeper. “Eret!”

“I win!” Eret threw her hands in the air, once again going back to a giggly state afterwards. Wilbur crossed his arms, grumbling under his breath as his friend laughed with victory.

She lowered her hands and her giggles slowed down as she looked back at Wilbur. “You really are easy to fluster. What is that, the third time I’ve made you blush tonight?” She asked, grinning softly at her commander.

“Oh, shut it.” Wilbur groaned, before coming up with a question to ask. “Actually, Eret, how easily would you say you blush?”

“Hmm… not that much. I take pride in not being a big flustered person like you.” Eret responded, her speech slurred as she giggled once more and poked Wilbur’s cheek. He hated that he could feel his cheeks heating up, and could see Eret’s smile grown more in amusement.

However, he did come up with an idea.

“I bet I can make you blush.” Wilbur challenged.

Eret’s eyebrows raised up, curious about this idea of Wilbur’s. “Oh, really?” She asked, leaning towards Wilbur. “And how do you plan to do that?”

“I have my ways.” Wilbur shrugged, a smirk creeping onto his face.

“And your ways are not going to work. However, I would be very, very entertained to see you try!”

“Alright…” Wilbur shrugged, glaring at his friend. “You better prepare yourself though. I’m not going to be nice.”

“…Huh? What do you mean by thAT-?!”

Before Eret could continue, she was knocked into the grass, landing with a thud. Opening her eyes, she saw Wilbur’s grinning face, and took notice of the fact that he was straddling her legs, and she couldn’t move them.

“Now, Eret, I’ll have you know, I like to pride myself in being an observant person. And just about a week ago, I observed something very interesting.”

“And what would that be?” Eret asked before a hiccup stopped her from saying anything else.

“…Do you remember that one day, where Tommy was just… I dunno, being more of a pest than usual? He was being super loud, and he kept poking me. And at one point, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine…and it escalated to one big, childish tickle fight between everyone in the camarvan that day.”

Oh no.

Any but of confidence Eret had before this had dropped. Wilbur could easily tell.

“You remember that, right? Surely, you do, because, out of the corner of my eye, I caught you getting tag-team wrecked by Fundy and Tubbo.” Wilbur smirked, chuckling as he saw Eret’s confident smile suddenly drop.

“I-Is that your plan? Tickling me until I blush?” Eret asked, trying to regain her confidence back. “That’s not going to work.”

“Stuttering already, are we? Are you a bit embarrassed, Eret?” Wilbur asked.

“Of course not.” She responded a bit too quickly, shaking her head.

Wilbur simply laughed at her predicament, already planning things in his head. “Anyway, no. I’m not going to tickle you…yet. Seeing as you’re already a bit nervous…I think that I should make you a bit more anticipated for what’s to come.”

Oh no. Oh fuck.

“You see, I had to do a bit of…convincing, to get Fundy to tell me about your spots. As your commander, I think that there are certain, important things that a leader should know about his comrades.” Wilbur’s smirk grew, and he adjusted his hands so that the were resting in the crevice to Eret’s armpits.

“You know the keep your arms up game? Classic game to play? Yeah, Fundy told me that you were playing this game, and you were horrible at it. Like, you moved your arms down instantly, he said.”

Eret scoffed. “Okay, says you. I literally helped wreck you the other day, and your arms instantly went down when we played that game.” Wilbur recalled the memory, and knew that his face was going red from the way Eret was now laughing at him.

“Yohou’re bluhuhshihing agahain.” She pointed out with a grin.

“D-Don’t get confident with me.” He stammered. He was stuttering! He was the one supposed to be doing the flustering right now! This wasn’t fair!

Whatever. He shook off the feeling of flusteredness, sliding his hands down Eret’s body, his confidence coming back when he heard her inhale sharply as his fingers glided across her hips.

“Oooh, your hips are a good spot, I’ve heard.” Wilbur said in a low tone of voice. He knew Eret always purposely lowered the tone of her voice when wrecking to make people flustered, both from first hand experience and from observation, so maybe it would work on her as well. “Eret, how would it feel if I just…ever so lightly traced my fingers around your hips?” He proceeded to do as he said, watching Eret grin and cross her arms over her chest.

“This is nothing, Wilbur! I’ve *hic* had worse than this.” She smiled at him, her confidence restoring.

“Oh? So there are spots that are worse?” Wilbur raised an eyebrow, then found himself laughing at how quickly Eret’s smile dropped. However, he still didn’t get that sweet, rosy hue across her cheeks that he was looking for. She snickered as well, giggling along with him.

“Yohou’re so sihilly, Wihilbur.” She said lazily, her slurred speech continuing to shine through.

“Silly?” Wilbur questioned, suddenly stopping the light tracing on her hips. “You know what I think is silly, Eret? How ticklish your stomach is.” He smirked, moving his hands and resting them on top of the named area, watching as Eret’s giggles started to die down.

“Your stomach…oh, man. Fundy said that you were such an adorable little mess here. He said that he scribbled all over your stomach and your sides, you just would not stop laughing and giggling! And your sides…they’re just as bad. If not, worse!” Wilbur tapped his fingers on top of Eret’s stomach, watching the other’s nervous grin grow.

“Scribbling, squeezing, poking, clawing. Anything will work here, that’s what Fundy told me. And the button! The giggle button, I like to call it. You’re just so fucking giggly whenever someone presses the button! However, I guess that’s it’s job, isn’t it?” The commander lightly tapped one hand on Eret’s side, the other having a finger trace circular motions around her belly button. “How are you feeling, Eret? Feel like blushing yet?”

“You’ll nehever break me, Wilbur. I’ll never blush! Never!” Eret spoke with firmness and assurance.

“Oh, trust me. I will break you, Eret. And I know exactly how I’ll do it.” Wilbur grinned, slowly moving his hands upwards on her body, and tapping along one final spot: her ribs.

“Now, tell me, Eret. Fundy said that this is your worst spot. You instantly lose control whenever someone scribbles and pokes and prods at your ribcage. Digging in between each rib makes you squeal, and a raspberry? Ohoho, a raspberry, just one singular raspberry, makes you scream. So, is it true? Is this your worst spot?” Wilbur asked, his voice laced with mischief.

Eret simply grinned, shaking her head. Fuck. Wilbur hated to admit it, but he would’ve been a flustered, giggling mess at this point. How had she not broken yet?! It was kind of impressive, in all honesty. There was one final chance, one last idea that Wilbur had.

“…I can tell that you’ve been giggling this whole time, and have been holding back your emotions. You really want to laugh, don’t you, Eret? Well…I’d just love to help with that.” Wilbur smirked, quickly pushing up her shirt, lowering his head down, taking a deep breath of air, and blowing the biggest raspberry he could on Eret’s stomach. She shrieked, clasping both hands over her mouth, muffled giggles spilling out.

“Oh, don’t be like that!” Wilbur lifted up his head, taking advantage of what Fundy had said about the keep your arms up game, quickly shooting his hands into her underarms and scribbling at the hallows. Eret instantly drew her arms down, bubbly laughter flowing out of the young soldier’s mouth.

“AHAHAHAHA!! NOHO, WIHIHILBUHUR, QUHUIHIT IT!!!!” Eret yelled, attempting to grab his wrists and push his hands away.

“Quit? But I just started!” Wilbur said, a wide grin on his face as he moved to Eret’s hips, squeezing and pinching at the flesh. He then quickly moved to her thighs, scribbling and scratching at them, delighted when he felt Eret’s legs attempt to kick out from underneath him.

“YoHOuou- *hic!* yohohou baHAstAHARD!” Eret threw her head back, hugging herself across the chest.

“Oho, namecalling now, are we?” A cheeky grin was on Wilbur’s face as he continued to rapidly move spots, now squeezing up and down her sides. After a few moments, he dug a finger into her belly button with one hand, and spidered the fingers on his other. Eret did her best to squirm away from the touches, but anywhere that Eret leaned, Wilbur would simply skitter his fingers there to push her back into the position he wanted.

“WIHIHILBUR! ThAHaht- AHAHAHA! SHIHIHIT!” Eret tried pushing away her commander’s nimble fingers, but had no success. She then let out a noise that neither of them had expected. Wilbur paused his hands in surprise, giving Eret the time to grip onto his wrists.

“…Was that a snort?” He asked with a shit-eating grin on his face. Eret shook her head, denying the truth. “…Do it again.” Wilbur smirked, blowing another raspberry on her stomach. Eret was quick to break, her laughter the only thing that could be heard throughout the empty fields.

“CuhuHUHUT ihit ohohout!” She said before another snort escaped from her.

“I’m going to get you to blush, Eret!” Wilbur insisted, wiggling fingers across her torso.

“Thahat’s nohohot gohonna hahaHAPPEHEN- NONONONO! WAHAHAIT!!” Eret screamed with laughter, suddenly feeling Wilbur’s fingers dig in between the bones of her ribcage. She thrashed back and forth, trying to escape Wilbur’s wiggling fingers.

“Awww, is Eret a little bit ticklish on her ribs? Can she not handle it? I don’t think she can!” Wilbur smirked.

“WIHIHILBUR, PLEHEHEAHASE!!”

“Please continue? Your wish is my command!”

With that, he ducked down his head once again, a raspberry planted right onto her ribs this time. Eret screamed, throwing her head back as her laughter momentarily became silent, then came back in hysterics. She hugged her stomach, too tired to fight back, laughing with the goofiest grin that Wilbur had ever seen from her.

“Having fun?” Wilbur smirked.

“Thahahat wahahas ahawfuhul!” She refuted, now able to look at her commander directly in the eyes.

“Awful? You never told me to stop, not even once!” He commented, his eyes widening as a realization set in. “You enjoyed every second of that, didn’t you?”

And with that, Wilbur finally got what he oh-so desperately wanted. A rosy pink blush, quickly spreading across Eret’s cheeks. Both of them knew it was there, and no words needed to be exchanged. Eret groaned, placing both hands over her face to hide the new color.

“Yes! I told you I could do it!” Wilbur grinned triumphantly, finally getting off of Eret and laying next to her in the grass. He listened to her catching her breath, and saw the rosy blush still there when she removed her hands.

“And that’s what happens when you make fun of Commander Wilbur Soot! You get punished for iHIT- AAAHAHAHAH!” The commander was suddenly greeted with scribbling fingers in his armpits, shrieking loudly and trying to squirm away. “EHEHEREHET! WHAHAHAT THE FUHUHUCK?!”

“Don’t think I don’t know where your worst spots are, Wilbur!” Eret smirked, taking her revenge. “While you had to use your ways to get Fundy to tell you my spots, Tommy just told me yours, no questions asked!”

“AHAHRE YOHOHOU FUHUHUCKIHING SEHEHERIHIOHOUHUS?!” Wilbur barked out, cackling loudly.

“Very serious!” Eret grinned, moving her hands down to his sides and planting a raspberry on his neck. She lifted her head back up, stopping her fingers when she saw a bright red blush across his grinning face.

“Ohoho my gohod, I lasted so much longer than you!” Eret laughed. “What was that, thirty seconds?!”

“Shut the fuck up.” Wilbur groaned through the leftover giggles that spilled out of his mouth.

Eret laid down next to her commander, the two of them looking at each other before laughing. Neither of them were exactly sure while laughing. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was because they both got wrecked. Maybe it was the sheer stupid silliness of the situation. But what they both knew was that this would be a night to remember. That is, if the champagne would let them remember it at all.

-

“You look like shit.”

“Tommy!”

“What?! It’s true!”

Eret sighed, rolling her eyes at the young boy’s behavior as she entered the camarvan, closing the door behind her. The liquid mess from last night had been cleaned up, and she was feeling groggy from the events of the previous night.

“Good morning, Eret.” Wilbur greeted with a nod. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Not the best.” Eret chuckled, taking her place at the table in the middle of the van.

“You and me both, big man.” Tubbo groaned.

“Everything okay, Tubbo?” She asked, her eyebrow lifting up curiously.

“Yeah, I’m mostly fine. I just woke up with-“ Before he could finish, Tubbo paused, covering his mouth and coughing. “I just woke up with, like, a really bad cough. Out of nowhere.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Wilbur asked Tubbo, then turned directly to Eret as he spoke, a smirk creeping onto his lips. “Would you say you have a tickle in your throat?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Tubbo agreed. Wilbur didn’t focus on him, only smiling as he noticed that rosy hue on Eret’s cheeks from the night before return.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay, Eret? Your face is quite red~” He dragged out the last word of the sentence in a teasing tone.

“I’m fine, Wilbur.” Eret groaned, glaring at Wilbur from across the table.

He was never going to let her live this down, wasn’t he?

[sunflowers-n-rocknroll]

The One With Dean’s New Girlfriend

Pairing: Dean x reader

Warnings: angst, unrequited love, fluff

Word Count: 2, 528

A/N: This was written for @smol-and-grumpy​ SuperFriends Title Challenge. I chose title number 31, The One With xxx’s New Girlfriend. ;) And the beautiful divider was made by @firefly-graphics​. 

“Morning Y/N,” you turned at the sound of your name, your neighbor stepping out of his apartment.

“Morning Dean. Heading out?”

“Yup, got some errands to run. You?”

“Work.”

“Hey what are you doing this weekend?” he asked as you stepped onto the elevator.

“Uh not much. Grading, catching up on some laundry.”

“Sam’s having a get together at his house Saturday. It’s been a while since we’ve done that with the other guys and we were wondering if you would be able to join us.”

“Uh yeah of course. It’s been a while since everyone’s been together,” you smiled up at him and when it felt too long you looked away. Dammit. You hadn’t been too obvious, had you?

You had had a crush on Dean Winchester since you first moved in. At first, you tried to ignore those feelings. Telling yourself he was just a handsome guy. A very handsome guy. However, as you got to know him and you started to become friends those feelings became stronger. A simple crush had developed into something more complicated but there was nothing you could do. Dean had never shown any indication he felt something more for you than a simple friendship. Despite your simple flirting at times you didn’t want things to get awkward between you two.

“Alright well, I’ll let Sam know you’re coming over,” he said as you stepped out of the elevator. “Oh, and it’s at two. Later Y/L/N.”

“Later Winchester.”

The weekend couldn’t come fast enough. The school days seemed slower, but teaching managed to distract you for a while. Saturday morning you managed to finish some very needed chores. When one rolled around you started to overthink things. What were you going to wear? This was a simple get-together with the guys so some jeans and a simple t-shirt right?

But you also couldn’t stop thinking that Dean would be there. Your feelings didn’t seem to be going anywhere and maybe you should do something about them. Or maybe not.

Grabbing a pillow you screamed into it and you would’ve kept going if your phone hadn’t rung.

“Heya Sammy.”

“Hey Y/N. Dean said you were coming over?”

“Oh yeah, I was actually on my way over there.”

“Cool. Uhh…”

“Something wrong Sam?” you could hear that tone in his voice. There was something going on, something he wasn’t telling you.

“No uh. No. Nothing.”

“Right. Well, I’ll be over in a couple of minutes,” deciding to go for some shorts and a cute tee you put on your sneakers before going to the kitchen and picking up the pies you had made.

Sam’s call had left you unsettled, but you couldn’t put your finger on what could possibly be wrong. Aside from your worries, you were just glad to be able to see your friends again. Walking in through the backyard you saw everyone was already here. Castiel, Benny, Garth, Kevin, and even Jo and Meg were here. You saw Kevin, Garth, Benny, and Jo on the porch laughing at something Garth had said. Meg and Cas were sitting down by the pool and you had to smile.

Those two had been walking around each other neither confessing their feelings. Everyone else was probably oblivious to what was going on between those two, but you had known both of them well to know that their snarky comments towards each other were to try and mask their true feelings.  

You saw Sam walking over towards you and laughed as he wrapped you in a hug.

“Long time no see stranger,” you said laughing.

“We were starting to really miss you around here,” he said as he let you go.

“Well, I hope these pies make up for it.”

“Oh, you are awesome.”

“I know,” you said in a nonchalant shrug.

“Alright come on. Everyone wants to say hi.”

Been around everyone reminded you how much you had missed them. It had been weeks since you had come together. Getting back to work had kept you all busy, but everyone acted as if no time had passed. As if it was barely yesterday that you had all been together.

“Y/N!” Jo had stood up from her chair and was making her way over to you as you stepped onto the porch. “It is so good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see everyone. How’ve you been?”

“Busy. The new bar is up and running, but work is never done.”

“No, it is not. By the way, how are you and Benny doing?” you looked around noticing Benny had gone inside, but you still kept your voice low. Jo was never one to talk about her private life to just anyone. The only reason you figured she told you stuff was because she had known you the longest and you weren’t one to discuss your private life either.

Jo tried to look away but it did nothing to conceal the faint blush rising to her cheeks. “We’ve uh, we’ve been doing really good so far.”

“The other guys know?”

“Yeah. We asked they didn’t make a big deal out of it.”

“Well, I can tell he makes you act like a teenage girl with her first crush so he must be good.”

“Oh, he’s really good.”

“We need a girl’s night. I want all the details.”

“Next Saturday?”

“You’re on.”

You went over to the other guys, everyone seeming to be in good spirits Sam’s call almost forgotten. Not seeing him outside you went to go see if he was in the kitchen. You stopped as you stepped in through the back door. Dean. Dean was standing there with another woman. And they were kissing. She was all over him, but could you blame her? I mean look at the man. But did they really need to be going at it here? Ignoring the tight feeling in your chest you turned to leave. Oh god, you had been standing there for too long.

“Y/N.” Great. Turning around you saw Sam coming down the stairs. On one side you were grateful Sam had been the one to call your name, but on the other, you had been wishing to slip away unnoticed.  

“Hey Sam I was uh-I came looking for you,” you were purposefully trying not to look at Dean. You didn’t care if it was noticeable or not. If you looked at him every emotion going through you would be plastered on your face. It would be so obvious.

You noticed Sam shooting a look at Dean, but you didn’t know what that was about. “Yeah sorry I had a work call.”

“Sam it’s the weekend,” you rolled your eyes.

“I know, I know. Let’s-”

“Hi, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Krystal. Dean’s girlfriend.”

Oh. You tried not to cringe at her frilly voice and ignored the way she looked you up and down.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Y/N,” you gave her a tight smile.  It wasn’t real, but what were you supposed to do? Dean had a girlfriend. Of course, that explained why he never made a move on you. He didn’t like you. You wanted to slap yourself. Why hadn’t you seen it coming?

“Hey, where’s-” Jo’s voice stopped mid-sentence and you could feel her behind you probably scrutinizing the scene in front of her. “There you are. Sam, there is a problem with your grill. Y/N, Meg was asking for you.”

She wrapped her arm around your shoulders Sam and her bickering about something as the three of you made your way outside. Sam said your name and you knew there was a question involved but your mind was still in that scene back there.

“Sorry what?” you saw him and Jo share a look, but you didn’t have it in you to question them about it.

“I asked if you wanted a beer,” you knew there was something else he wanted to say but you just said yeah and went to go talk with the others. The whole afternoon felt like you were in overdrive. You didn’t want to see Dean. Those times when your eyes did find him, he was there with her always by his side. Now you knew where Dean’s feelings were at, but yours were all over the place. The feelings that had been developing for him were strong and real, but now that he was with somebody else your feelings were scattered and you were left to pick them up.

For the next few weeks, you avoided him to prevent the pain from becoming intolerable. If he wasn’t even yours why did it hurt so much? Sam and Jo had tried calling you a few times, but you avoided the topic. What was the point of expressing your undying love for Dean now when he clearly didn’t feel the same way?

A knock on your door pulled you away from your thoughts and you went to open it. “Sam, hey what are you doing here?” you asked.

“Well,” he shrugged, “since you didn’t want to meet for lunch yesterday and you didn’t pick up the phone the day before that and you have also avoided Jo I decided to pay a visit,” he smiled. That charming smile of his that you knew you couldn’t resist. And he also knew.

“Fine. You can come in.”

He stepped into your apartment making his way to your kitchen. He took a seat in one of your stools at the counter as you moved around your kitchen trying to figure out what to cook for dinner. And also avoiding him.

“So what’s going on?” Right to the point. Of course, you knew you couldn’t avoid him forever, but you had also hoped not to have this conversation.

“What do you mean? I’ve just been busy with school.”

“Right. And this behavior has nothing to do with Dean’s new girlfriend,” welp there it was. Sam was smart, but you had hoped your attitude had come out as indifferent and not that you were hurt Dean was seeing someone else.

“Hey, I have nothing against your brother seeing someone,” you said.

“I think you do,” he just wouldn’t drop it.

You heaved a sigh. “Sam-”

“Y/N. I know you have feelings for Dean. Hell everyone knows. Except maybe his dumbass,” you snorted a laugh. “But he’s completely clueless and I know that you’re feelings towards him are true so maybe you should talk with him.”

“Sam I’m not going to come in between him and his girlfriend. If he hasn’t made a move he’s clearly not interested,” you turned rummaging through your fridge,

“Maybe you should ask him,” you nearly dropped what you were holding upon hearing Dean’s voice.  

You turned glaring at Sam first. He held his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t know you were stopping by.”

“The door was open.”

“Right,” you cleared your throat. Oh god, things were going to be awkward.

“Anyway I should go,” said Sam. Trying to make a run from the tension in the room. Standing up he clapped his brother in the back before giving you an encouraging smile which you did not find encouraging at all.

“So-” you began.

“Listen I didn’t know you felt that way about me,” you could hear your heart breaking right there and then. You knew what his next words were going to be and you couldn’t bear to hear them.

“It doesn’t matter,” you rushed to say. “It was just a simple crush and I’m glad you found someone. You guys are good together.”

He nodded. “You’re a great person and you deserve someone good.”

You wished he hadn’t said that. It hurt more than seeing him with somebody else. You wanted to scream into the void. Unrequited love was a bitch.

The next few weeks were spent avoiding Dean at any cost. You had just wanted to erase that whole encounter in your apartment. With winter break around the corner, you were so excited to have found an apartment not far from the school you worked. Thankfully packing took your mind off of Dean. At first you had a tough debate with yourself about whether moving was the best option. Was it because of Dean? Yes. Was this being too dramatic? Also yes but you couldn’t live right in front of the man you loved knowing he didn’t love you back. But the bigger reason was for yourself. You needed a change.

Deciding to take a break from packing you decided to order some takeout and put on a movie. Thirty minutes later you went to answer the knock at your door. You were met with familiar green eyes when you opened the door, your food in his hands and you couldn’t help but notice that his hair was a little damp and so was his jacket. He had probably been outside.

You had no idea what to say. He was there, but you had no words.

“What are you - uh - what are you doing here?” you managed to ask.

“Brought your takeout,” he said holding the bag up.

“Right. Come in,” it was awkward and you couldn’t stand it anymore, thus one of the reasons you were moving.  

“You’re moving?” something in his voice made you look up at him, his green eyes scanning your apartment full of moving boxes.

“Oh...yeah. I found an apartment closer to school. Makes things simpler,” he set down the food at your counter but didn’t move.

“This is because of what happened isn’t it?” he wasn’t looking at you, he was visibly shaking. From the cold, you thought.

“Here. You should take off your wet clothes.”

“No, no Y/N I- I need to talk to you. I’m probably too late, but I wanted to apologize.”

“Dean for what?”

“For hurting you.”

“Dean-”

“No, listen. I lied ok. I lied to you and I lied to myself. That day after I heard you and Sam I couldn’t stop thinking about you. And I realized that maybe your feelings weren’t one-sided.”

Your heart was beating a mile a minute. Was this real? Never in your wildest dreams would Dean be confessing his love for you. Ok, maybe you had dreamed about it.

His eyes still wouldn’t meet you. His hands were resting at his sides and when you went over to take hold of one you could feel him shaking. He didn’t pull away, but his eyes finally found your face.

“Let’s get you out of these wet clothes first,” you went to move when his hands were suddenly cradling your face and his lips were on yours. His nose was cold and so were his cheeks, but his lips were soft and warm. Those lips that you had dreamed of kissing were on yours now.

He pulled away, his lips brushing against your when he spoke. “Please don’t say it’s too late.”

“I can never stop loving you,” he kissed you again and you could feel the smile on his lips.

“Be my new girlfriend?” he asked when he pulled away again.

You laughed. “Yes.”

[drxwsyni]

Denied︱Yandere Shindo Yo x f!Reader

Prompt: “I can’t wait any longer.”

Trope: Jealous!Character x Friend!Character

a/n: This is my submission for the weekly nsfw prompt from the @bnhabookclub! I’m feeling really self-conscious about posting this so I hope it turned out okay. I don’t have any content for this character so I figured this might be a good start. Please read the warnings and only continue if you’re comfortable with them. This is set in a college/university au, quirks still exist and everyone is 18+.

5.8k words

Warnings: dubcon/noncon, swearing, some degradation at the end, yandere behaviour

_____

He was just another guy in your department at first.

Lingering in the study hall, making small talk with other students before lectures. You saw him a lot, but nothing ever moved past brief glances.

Your friends were the ones who introduced you to him. Whether you should be grateful or not was beyond you at this point.

It was late, you had a night class and were packing your laptop into your backpack at the end of a lecture. A Friday night usually didn’t mean much for you. Just as you were at the moment, your plans would usually lean towards the monotonous side. The comfort of your dorm room played a large part in those plans―but not tonight.

Those who chose to grace you with their presence time and time again, while you wouldn’t always consider them your friends, were set on dragging you out with them for drinks. You didn’t necessarily mind it, but the pushiness wasn’t completely appreciated. Especially when it came in the form of a couple not so restrained individuals.

Every friend group has their flirts, yours being no exception. Only now there was a new addition.

Shindo Yo.

He made his presence very clear. Transferring into your class right before the deadline for availability, he quickly wormed his way into your life. It was a matter of keeping himself in all the right places where he knew you would be.

Like with the peers you chose to hang around with, of course.

It was sickeningly quick, the way Yo grew comfortable in your presence. The whole night was spent trying to weasel your way from his side. It was a task that proved to be much harder than it should’ve.

You’d shove off the arm draped over your shoulders, or move away from his frame leaning against yours at a bar table. He just met you, yet he was already so goddamn clingy. As far as you were concerned, it only proved what kind of person he was. Someone who got too comfortable too quickly―absolutely no awareness for someone's boundaries.

As much as you hoped he’d leave you alone after that painfully tiring night out, he didn’t. Yo sat down in the seat beside you the next class you two had together.

A cheeky, “This seat taken?” Of course it wasn’t―you always got to class early so there was never anyone occupying the surrounding area for a while. Which meant he had time to chat your ear off until the prof showed up.

“Don’t think I got your number last Friday.” You knew he was looking at you with that shit eating grin. There was no way you’d give him the time of day to look though.

“You didn’t.” You pretended to read a page in your textbook in an attempt to silently convey how much you’d rather not to speak to him.

“That’s right, I didn’t.” He paused, presumably waiting for something else from you. And when you didn’t speak, he did. “I think it only makes sense I did get it though.”

You spared him a side glance, noting his jovial attitude, “And why is that?” Sounding a little snarky wasn’t your intention, but the excessive amount of affection he’d shown deemed it permissible.

He gave a half-hearted chuckle, “We’re in the same class, we hang with the same people. And now,” he put his laptop and water bottle on the table in front of the two of you, “we sit together. Don’t you think it’s only natural that we exchanged numbers?”

He acted so casual, his tone so friendly that it was hard to deny him. And in an act of reflex, you didn’t. “I guess not...but we could just―”

“Here. Make a new contact for yourself.” Yo extended his unlocked phone towards you, and with a reluctant hand you took it. The contacts app was already open, so you started to type in your information.

“Not gonna give me your phone too?” You looked up at the man who was waiting expectedly, eyeing the device that was resting on your textbook before looking back at you.

“Oh, uh...yeah, sorry.” Mildly embarrassed, you handed him your phone as you spoke, not before unlocking it and opening the same app. His fingers brushed yours as he took it from you, and for a moment you wondered if the contact was just as intentional as all the other times he insisted on touching you last Friday.

The two of you sat in silence as you finished filling out the contact form.

He returned your device, you doing the same. You mentally rolled your eyes upon seeing the heart emoticons Yo placed next to his name.

“Now that that’s out of the way, why don’t we start hanging out more? From what I’ve seen you don’t exactly make a point in talking to anyone. You could use the company.”

Was that supposed to sound friendly?

“Ah, I don’t know. I’m pretty busy with school and―”

“Oh, c’mon. I’m sure you can find some free time. If it’s parties you’re not big on we can just study together.”

You looked at him, slightly offended at the interruption but also confused at the offer of studying. He seemed like the kind of guy to just wing it through all his classes. Going out for more drinks certainly wasn’t on your to do list and it was something you presumed he was more inclined to suggest. But studying―that was something you could do. “I guess...if you’re okay with that. I’ve got some free time after this class, it’s alright if you’re too busy though.”

“No, I’m good too. Why don’t you send me your schedule so I know when you’re free.”

It was a harmless suggestion. Convenient even―he wouldn’t have to pester you over when it was a good time to study. But something about that smile of his didn’t sit right. It was more like a grin―suggestive in a way.

It made you uneasy.

You took out your phone, “I’ve got a lot of classes so I’m not sure we’ll be able to see each other very often.” Opening his contact, you attached the image of your schedule to the text and sent it. A second later and his phone buzzed atop the table.

“Perfect. Would you look at that, our schedules are actually pretty similar.” Yo was scanning the timetable, meanwhile you weren’t feeling so pleased hearing that you might have to be around him more than you could handle.

He looked like he was going to say something else, but just as he opened his mouth to speak the professor walked into the room. You hadn’t even realized it, but amidst your conversation with Yo the majority of the students had filed in.

It looked like the instructor was still getting ready for the lecture, booting up the terminal at the front of the room to display a powerpoint.

“You mind if I borrow a pencil? Forgot some stuff in my dorm.” He was back to looking at you with that smile of his. Maybe it really was just a friendly gesture, nothing more.

You were probably overthinking things.

“Yeah, gimme a sec―” Rooting through your pencil case, you managed to locate a spare utensil for the man. Offering it to him with a quiet “Here,” Yo took it from your hand.

“Thanks cutie.”

The professor started up the powerpoint. All attention shifted to the front of the room, meanwhile yours remained on the nonchalant behaviour of the man sitting next to you.

_____

The lecture was over before you knew it. Note taking and trying not to fall asleep were the main battles to be had, aside from trying to distract yourself from Yo.

Was he closer than he was before the professor started speaking?

“Hey, earth to (y/n).”

You looked up at his soft brown eyes, “What? Oh, sorry―zoned out a little.” Awkwardly, you stuffed your notes and laptop into your bag.

Yo laughed a little at your state, “Yeah, I can tell.” He began doing the same before continuing, “So, where did you wanna study. I know of a nice little place in the library on this side of campus. Or maybe if you’re hungry we can go to that new cafe that opened up down the street…”

Right, you promised him you’d study.

Somehow in your muddled thoughts the declaration got lost on you, but naturally such a thing would never happen to Yo. He was much too persistent for that.

The library was secluded. Not a good idea.

“The cafe should be fine. Is there anything in particular you want to go over?” All your belongings were effectively shoved into your bag. You stood up, retrieving the light jacket that was hanging off the back of your chair.

Yo began doing the same, picking up a discarded sweater. “Hmm, I think I just wanna go over the basics. But I’d be more than happy to help you out with anything.” He was pulling on the article of clothing, pushing the chair in with his leg. “I’ve actually got pretty good grades in this class. Think you need a tutor?”

His tone was almost teasing, but you paid no mind. “I think I’m good. Why don’t we just focus on the material from today’s lecture. Not quite sure I retained most of it to be honest.”

“Cool, you can borrow my notes if you missed anything.”

He was already walking in the direction of the door before you could respond, his backpack lazily slung over his shoulder.

You wouldn’t lie to yourself. Studying with someone was better than being alone. It’s just...Yo was very eager. You’d known him for less than a week, and he was already acting like you were lifetime friends. Actually, it felt like it was a little more than that.

But you’d keep it as friends. Besides, you weren’t about to abandon the people you had long-term committed relationships with for fresh meat.

Following him out of the room, you tried to maintain a safe distance between the two of you. Both physically and in conversation―it was safer that way.

_____

It would appear that Yo really was as intelligent as he claimed. You missed more than you thought from the lecture, and the man didn’t hesitate for a second when it came to diligently explaining the content.

Surprisingly, the time you spent with him was enjoyable. Perhaps you judged him too soon. There were no complaints on his end as you went over the material. A back and forth that should be painstakingly tedious was nothing but the sort.

You just studied. Disregarding a few flirtatious comments here and there, he was mostly respectable. And when the time came to go your separate ways, you did so with a hint of reluctance. However, that too was quickly disregardable.

The relaxing atmosphere of your dorm was much preferable.

It wasn’t the last time Yo asked to study with you. Surely enough, when the opportunity presented itself, he had one thing in mind. Always a one sided initiation, he would send you a quick text, asking if you were free.

You were always free, and when it came to something as harmless as studying there wasn’t anything to hold you back from holing up in a cafe with Yo after class.

But that wasn’t enough for him.

Too much distance, you presumed. It wasn’t something you minded―you preferred it that way. But Yo was a man committed to closeness. And he wanted to be close to you.

He came to your dorm room unannounced, passing it off as checking up on you. And if you weren’t doing anything you would be soon, him always insisting that an impromptu study session was in need.

You had no clue how he found your dorm room.

Yo was nice to you. Patient, understanding―a little touchy, but still. He was nice. It made it easy to overlook his less than ideal traits.

The traits that had him slowly integrating himself into your everyday life. Or at least trying to.

He suggested doing something that didn’t involve hovering over textbooks and drowning in the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Going out for dinner, seeing that new movie that just came out, going to a live music performance at the bar.

You denied him at each turn. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Yo. It was just that you had your suspicions about him. The relationship you two held was still newly formed. Maybe a month had gone by at the most, and during that time you were trying to get a better idea of the kind of person he was.

The person he didn’t let everyone see.

There was no way he was so effortlessly kind and helpful. He was a good friend, someone to study with. But there was concern to be held when it came to the prospect of who he really was. If there was a different personality underneath the layers of sweet sentiments and innocence, you needed to be aware of them.

He was a man to be kept at a distance at the moment, for your own sake.

Your other friends didn’t warrant the same treatment. You’d known them since graduating high school for the most part. Maybe a few of them were newer acquaintances, but they still had at least a year under their belt.

Another month went by, and you were still on the same level of friendship. Study buddies, with the occasional bout of small talk here and there.

But he was pushing you. The disconnect was getting to him. The visits to your dorm didn’t stop, and he started suggesting other, less public spots to go over the course content.

He brought up going to the library once again.

“They’ve got these private rooms we can rent so it’s easier to study. Doesn’t that sound better?”

You trusted Yo, but only to an extent. Not the way you trusted your other friends. And he saw that.

Two more months and not much had changed. Exams were rolling around and you needed to focus more than ever. But a little fun couldn’t hurt.

A few times here and there you were once again dragged out to social events. Parties, bar hopping―shameless behaviour.

Except it wasn’t―not to Yo.

He tagged along, like he would with any other excursion you went on. Like the first night you went out with him he was as clingy as ever. And just like before you kept pushing him off. Maybe not as much, but enough for there to be a difference. A difference between the way you treated him and the way you let all your other friends get close to you. That’s what was shameless―his complete disregard for your boundaries.

After one night of repeated resistance he got worse. The insisting attitude was amplified. He sat closer to you, and you did your best to subtly inch away. Sometimes you let him have his fun, but mostly you wanted to maintain that space that kept you safe. If he did turn out to be someone that wasn’t the man you’d been studying with for almost four months, you needed to have a way out. Being in public with him did the trick.

The two of you were burning the midnight oil―luckily the cafe on campus was open until the current ungodly hours of the night. Yo was as helpful as ever, going over the seemingly endless notes and lecture powerpoints as many times as you needed. You tried to help him, but he was too smart for his own good, or at least that’s how he acted.

And yet, his normal beaming personality―always a little too kind to feel genuine―just seemed a little...off.

You couldn't quite place where the feeling came from.

“Ahh, well I don’t know about you but I’m ready to pack it in,” he sighed with a stretch. The two of you were huddled around a small table, nearly completely covered in papers, textbooks, wayward sticky notes―you name it.

It was late, neither of you were really tired, but the idea of going over the same thing you’d been reading for the past three hours wasn’t appealing.

You agreed, “Yeah, I’m good with that. Thanks for helping me tonight, probably would’ve procrastinated otherwise.” It was the truth, you were a glutton for punishment, and avoiding the necessary was something you were prone to do.

“No problem, cutie. You know I don’t mind. I get a lot out of it too after all.”

You shook your head, lightly laughing at his claim. “Like you need it, your marks are practically perfect.”

Both of you were lazily moving your things into your respective bags while he responded. “It’s not just the studying, I get to spend time with you.”

You glanced up at him with an inquisitive look before disregarding the notion. “Yeah, okay. Well lemme know if you wanna cram a bit more before the exam. You know by now I’ve got nothing better to do.” Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you grabbed the empty mug and placed it with the other dirty cups at the counter.

Yo did the same, “Actually, would you mind stopping by my dorm really quick. For once there’s actually something I don’t get about the lessons. Maybe you could help?”

He was giving you the innocent smile, waiting for a response. “You mean like...right now?”

He nodded, “Yeah, it’ll only take a sec. Left the notes there by accident.”

It seemed harmless enough, and if it would be brief then surely you could spare the time to assist him.

You followed Yo out of the cafe, letting him lead you to the residence building he was staying in on campus. It wasn’t a long walk, and you were thankful given that you wanted to spend as little time as possible completing this final task of the night.

The journey up the elevator and to his room was done in silence, you taking in the familiar surroundings as your own dorm building was made to look almost identical. Eventually you arrived at his door, him unlocking it and letting you enter first.

He had one of the single room dorms, fit with a separate washroom and kitchen area.

“It’s just in my bedroom.” He moved past another door, and you remained trailing his path. “I’ve got it here somewhere...Here it is!”

He held out some papers being kept together by a staple in the corner. You took it, venturing further into the room as you scanned the documents.

“Ah, Yo...isn’t this stuff we’ve already gone over?”

You heard the door to his bedroom shut behind you, prompting you to turn in his direction. Yo still had his hand on the doorknob, a pensive look mixed with almost a brief moment of conflict. But that quickly faded.

“Y’know, I’ve been trying to figure out how I was gonna go about this for a while. I just...I can’t wait any longer. And honestly, I’m surprised you even came up here.” He laughed off the notion, eyes coming to rest on your form.

You put the papers down on the windowsill. “What are you talking about?”

He was looking at you with almost apathetic eyes, contrasting the slight smile that was just a little too off. “What, you think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve been treating me?”

“I’m not sure I’m following, Yo...”

“You keep pushing me away. Time and time again…” He took a step forward, “You don’t do that with anyone else. Why is that?”

He was blocking the only exit to the room. You eyed the door, a pang of anxiety washing over you. “I don’t know what you’re talking about...Can we just go over the work―”

“Shut up. You know what I’m talking about.” He spoke slowly, drawing closer to you as he continued, “Your little friends don’t get the same treatment. You don’t mind getting close with them, do you?”

He was backing you further into the room, each stride he took forward being responded with a step behind from you. “What makes them so special, huh?”

Another step.

“They have something I don’t?”

Another step.

“I bet they’ve got you wrapped around their finger.”

Another step. His methodical and drawn out rant didn’t cease.

“And they’re probably fucking telling you to stay away from me, aren’t they?”

You hit the desk behind you, leaning back to put a desperate few more centimeters between the two of you. It left you at a loss for words, seeing this completely new side of him. Something threatening.

Yo was barely even a foot away, voice dangerously low. “Oh, sweetheart.” In an unexpected movement, he cupped your face with both hands, staring directly into your pleading eyes. “You don’t have to listen to them anymore.”

A little too gently in contrast to his demanding attitude, Yo pressed his lips against yours. You grabbed his forearms, attempting to pry him off. He only responded by deepening the kiss, pressing you further into the desk behind you. Unable to comprehend his actions, you stood there frozen.

He didn’t stop, one of his hands weaving its way into your hair, a leg pushing itself in between yours. Seemingly unsatisfied with your lack of reciprocation, he gave your locks a harsh tug. The brief pain made you gasp, and he took the opportunity to push his tongue past your parted lips. If you knew any better you might’ve just bit down on the offending intrusion, but something told you it would only bring bad news.

Yo held you against him until you were frantically pushing against his chest. The lack of oxygen must’ve been mutual, as soon he pulled away.

But he wasn’t quite done yet.

Moving past your lips, Yo began leaving a trail of light kisses―along your jawline, descending to the soft, supple flesh of your neck. The hand that once remained cupping your face had moved, opting to wrap around your waist to prevent you from squirming out of his grasp.

“Y-Yo, I don’t think―”

He bit down harshly on the junction between your neck and your collarbone, stopping your train of thought and earning a small yelp. A little gentler, he sucked on the spot before detaching from it, moving to place new marks on a few other areas.

The whole time you were at odds with yourself.

This was wrong. He was just a friend. It’s all you wanted him to be.

And yet, the nagging voice in the back of your head grew more and more distant with each passing second.

Yo paused his ministrations, “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do this. You’re such a fucking tease, you know.”

In a swift movement he gripped your hips and lifted you into his arms, forcing you to wrap your legs around him for support.

“What are you doing? I think we should just―”

“Just what? It’s your fault I’m like this.” He was moving towards his bed, and upon reaching it laid you down at the foot of it. Not wasting a moment, he climbed over your form, nestling himself in between your legs. He leaned down to capture your lips with his once again. One hand next to your head was used to steady himself while the other moved to undo the buttons of your blouse.

Finally catching on to his actions, your own hands flew to the one fumbling with your top. You managed to break the kiss, a little breathless as you spoke, “Stop it Yo, please.”

He took both of your hands, using only one of his to pin them above you. Without the obstacle he resumed his attack on the other side of your neck, ignoring your pleading, now preferring to simply rip at the shirt. You heard a few buttons hit the ground as they flew from the fabric.

Sitting up slightly, Yo fixed his gaze on your now exposed chest. “So...fucking beautiful.” It came out in a breathy sigh, like the sight eased every tension in his body all at once.

He was getting impatient. His head dipped back down to your exposed chest, alternating between gently nipping at the skin and latching onto one spot for a few moments before moving on. His now free hand trailed down the side of your waist, inching lower and lower down your body.

It was a pitiful attempt―trying to pull your hands out of his grasp. Yo was much stronger than you once perceived, another thing to prove just how much you didn’t know about him. Your quiet pleas fell upon deaf ears, him paying no mind to your protests in favour of reaching some self satisfying goal.

The wandering hand slipped beneath the hem of your skirt, and you could feel his fingers brush against the seat of your panties. He momentarily pressed his fingers into the plush and covered skin. That didn’t seem to be enough for him though, as in a swift motion he pushed the fabric aside, a digit slipping between your folds. He massaged teasingly small circles repeatedly, making you unconsciously buck your hips in hopes of gaining more friction. After a few moments his fingers delved lower, gathering some of your slick in between them.

Yo smiled dangerously against your skin at the realization, “You’re fucking enjoying this, aren’t you?” His hot breath fanned against you as he chuckled. “Good, it’ll be easier for the both of us if you stopped acting like you didn’t want me.”

You whimpered at his crude words, turning your head to the side in shame. He was right, the heat you felt pooling from his actions wasn’t intended, at least not from you, but it was there nonetheless.

“C’mon, don’t get all shy now.” Without warning he pushed a single finger into your burning core, earning a shocked gasp from you. His thumb remained circling your clit as he pumped agonizingly slowly in and out of you. He added another digit soon after, the slight stretch making your face scrunch up in a small wince.

Assuming he’d gotten bored with leaving marks all over your chest, Yo moved up again to press his lips back into yours.

His fingers curled expertly inside you, reaching that soft, spongy area that sent your mind reeling. You were slowly falling apart around him. And in a moment when you were trying to come back to your senses, Yo activated his quirk, sending ripples of low vibrations through your core.

You jolted from the unexpected sensation before you felt your body reacting sickeningly quick to its effects. He didn’t cease his attack for a second, muffling the moans you tried desperately to hold back while greedily working his mouth against yours. Leaving no area unexplored, you could only let him consume you further as your body succumbed to his ministrations.

Yo’s actions grew more intense, his fingers moving faster in an almost brutal pace while he let his quirk grow in intensity every time he hit that sensitive spot, targeting it with each thrust. You felt the coil in your lower abdomen start to tighten as he slowly worked you towards release.

He broke the kiss, leaving you panting in his wake. “Fuck, I can feel you getting close.” Yo accentuated his claim with a few harsh pumps, somehow going deeper than before. You arched your back at the sensation, earning a pleased look to creep across his face.

“P-please, Yo. I w-wanna―”

“What? You wanna cum, is that it?” He lowered his head back to your neck, pressing light kisses into it before ghosting his lips against the shell of your ear. “I don’t know if I should let you. Been such a bitch to me these past few months, you think you deserve it?”

As if to prove his point, Yo halted his movements, retracting the effects of his quirk. You squirmed beneath him, whimpering at the loss of stimulation.

“I should make you beg for it. How does that sound?” Tantalizingly slowly, he began lazily pushing his fingers back into your heat, dragging them against your sensitive walls while removing them just as steadily. He repeated the action, smirking down at the sight of you writhing against his touch―or the lack of it.

“Yeah, I think that’s what you deserve. Go on, beg for―”

Before he could finish his demand, a few loud knocks could be heard at the door of his dorm room.

“Yo! You in there buddy!?” The voice of a man you didn’t recognize bellowed out from the other side of the door. Your body froze at the sound.

The last thing you wanted was someone finding you in this position. The thought made your blood run cold, and you looked up at Yo to see if he was having the same idea.

From the look on his face, he definitely wasn’t.

Yo ripped the hand away that was pinning your wrists down to the bed, instead clamping it firmly across your mouth. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, grasping at his grip on your face.

“Yeah, what’s up man!”

As soon as he spoke an intense bout of vibrations crashed through your core. He returned to thrusting in and out of your sopping heat, not relenting even as you thrashed against his hold.

It was too much―his quirk now more powerful than ever. He continued to rub tight circles into your clit with almost the same level of vibrations, maybe a little less intense than the ones he was sending through you with his other fingers.

The man outside his dorm spoke again. “I was just wondering if you had the notes from last class. Me and a few guys need them right now.”

Yo spoke without breaking eye contact with you, relishing in the way you tried to control the little noises as a result of his relentless movements. The glint in his eyes that you once saw was gone, now replaced with an empty darkness.

This was the Yo who was being kept from the public. The person you did your best to avoid for so long.

“I do actually, I’m in the middle of something―why don’t I stop by your place in a few minutes?”

You tried to close your legs, or somehow move away as you were pushed towards release faster with every passing second. Yo only pressed your head back into the mattress with more force, acting more as a warning than a way to keep you in place.

“Okay, sounds good man. Hey―are you with someone right now?”

His methods were wreaking havoc on your body. The fear of being caught and the intensity of his actions sent you over the edge. As if sensing you were done for, Yo let out a final wave of forceful vibrations, sending you crashing hard into an orgasm. Your eyes shut tightly as you rode out the blinding sensation, body seizing up completely.

You didn’t know how long it lasted for, but by the time you finally came down from your high it seemed the investigative man on the other side of the door was gone.

Yo removed his fingers, holding them up to his face in awe. Through your tear stained vision you could catch the glistening of your slick, stringing as he pulled his fingers apart. You watched in disgust as he continued to lap at the substance, sucking his own digits clean with a sinfully low moan resonating from his throat in the process.

Focusing anywhere but at him was a better option, but he wouldn’t have that. As you tried to turn your head again with eyes trying to distract themselves on something that wasn’t the man towering above you, the hand over your mouth moved to clamp around your jaw.

“Fucking look at me.” Yo turned your head back harshly at the demand, and your eyes met his. The threatening tone in his voice was one you’d never heard before.

“I’m gonna go give my buddy what he needs, and you’re gonna stay here until I’m done.”

He waited a few seconds, gauging your initial reaction. Finally, Yo released his hold, climbing off the bed and letting you curl into yourself in defence.

“If you’re gone when I get back, I’ll tell everyone just how much of a little slut you are. And we both know they’ll believe me, I’m way more likeable than you’ll ever be, princess.”

A pitiful sob wracked your body, soon turning into steady convulsions from crying. “I-I’m not...m’not a s-slut.”

He grabbed a notebook that was sitting on his bookshelf before walking to the side of the bed where you were trying to move towards in an attempt to leave. He crouched down next you you, petting down the hair on your head in an almost loving manner, “Oh I know that, but your friends don’t. They might let you tag along with them but I know they don’t really like you. Not how they like me.”

At his point you were sobbing into your hands, trying to rub away at the hot tears streaming down your face. “D-don’t―please don’t tell them that.”

Yo swiped a thumb across your cheek, doing little to rid them of your tears. “I won’t, you just be a good girl and nothing bad will happen, okay?” He gave your face a few reassuring pats before retracting his hand.

You were a mess―clothes disheveled and hair turned unruly.

He was bluffing. He had to have been.

“Don’t move, I’ll be back as soon as possible!” Yo was exiting the room, giving your crumpled form a final once over before leaving, notes in tow without letting you get out another word of protest. The door shut with a thud, and you could hear the signature click of a lock falling into place.

You could leave. You should leave.

And you wanted to, but his words kept repeating in your head. If he wasn’t bluffing then you weren’t too sure if your friends would take your side. It wasn’t just your friends either. Your family would find out, your school even.

Yo was a well liked man. A trusted man. You trusted him.

He was so good at what he did. Hiding his true intentions under that far too positive and easy going attitude. It made it easy to disregard him, and look at what happened when you did.

You denied him the satisfaction of such a closeness for so long, not even knowing what it was doing to him. Realistically, it shouldn’t have done anything. Any sane person would’ve taken the hint long ago to leave well enough alone.

But the absence of light in his eyes, the condescending attitude―all of it was evidence to show that he was everything but sane.

He’d be back soon.

And you stayed where you were.

[angularbean]

Snuggles Not Struggles - Zuko x Reader

This is my first Zuko x Reader, I’m sorry if its bad! This gif isn’t mine but please enjoy! I got a bit carried away! Please request!

Word Count: 2489

---

You stared out at the sky where fluffy clouds were scattered within it, your (h/c) hair whipping around your face. Here you sat, with your knees tucked underneath your chin, on your third day of nonstop travel with the rest of the Gaang. The cool wind felt nice against your hot skin, but sitting on Appa for three days straight was starting to get to you. Everything started to get irritable. Katara and Sokka bickered for what it seemed like the millionth time that day for whatever reason, something about food or something which would make sense because Sokka always seemed to be hungry.

“Will you two just shut up!” Toph screamed, looking, or at least trying to, towards the sound of the bickering siblings. 

“Don’t tell us what to do!” Sokka retaliated as Katara ‘hmphed’ and nodded in agreement. 

You let out a sigh and looked over to your friends. Sokka and Katara sat in one of the corners of Appa’s saddle, shoving each other as they still continued to bicker despite Toph’s protest. Top sat in the corner next to them, outwardly groaning as she threw herself on her back and covering her face with her hands. Your eyes traveled to the corner next to you, where a certain banished prince sat. He rolled his eyes at the scene in front of him and rested his chin on his hand, looking out towards the trees below them as Appa finally descended closer to the ground. His hair flowed in the wind as his pale skin glistened in the sunlight. He looked so, in short, beautiful. 

It wasn’t a secret about how you felt about him. Everything about Zuko just made your heart flutter. From the first time you met him at Kyoshi island, to the time he tried to join the Gaang. You don’t know why he made your heart skip a beat. Maybe it was the way his black hair fluttered in the wind, or how his eyes shone like flecks of gold in the sunlight, or even how his voice always seemed to soothe you no matter how anxious you were. Okay, maybe you did know why you crushed on him but you would never admit it. You would never hear the end of it from Katara. She had caught you staring at him as he trained with Aang once, and she never let go. She would always give you knowing smirks or winks whenever you’re around Zuko. 

As you admired how Zuko looked in the golden sunlight the sunset produced, he turned and his golden eyes met your (h/c) ones. You felt your whole face flush and quickly turned away. He caught you staring, how embarrassing. Desperately, you covered your face with your hands to cover faint blush dusting your (s/c) cheeks. Next to you, Zuko’s face was dusted with the same blush. Unbeknownst to you, he had been admiring you just a few minutes before. 

“Look a village!” Aang pointed, gaining the attention of everyone. “We can stop there for the night!” He continued which elicited cheers from everyone as he landed Appa near the entrance of the tiny village.

Sokka was the first one off of Appa, planting kisses on the grass. Everyone took the time to stretch their limbs. After three consecutive days of being on Appa, it really took a toll on your limbs. You stretched until you heard a satisfying pop, causing you to sigh in content. 

“Oh, ground! I never knew I’d miss you so much!” Sokka practically moaned, still kissing the grass.

“That’s how you get sick. Disgusting,” Katara stated as her face contorted in disgust which caused Sokka to glare at her. Sokka opened his mouth to deliver a snarky response but you quickly stopped it.

“Come on guys, no more fighting. Let’s find somewhere to stay,” You stated, trying to keep the peace. Zuko walked over to you and placed a hand on your shoulder closest to him.

“(Y/N)’s right. We should head in before the sunsets.” Zuko agreed, a trace of nervousness his voice. He quickly removed his hand and walked towards the village.

Sokka grinned at you and placed his hand on the same shoulder Zuko had.

“(Y/N)’s right. We should head in before the sunsets. Also, (Y/N), I’m in love with you but I’m too much of a baby to admit it. Let’s make out.” He mocked, deepening his voice as best he could, as he made kissing noises at you. 

You quickly shoved Sokka off of you as your blush deepened from the small contact you had with Zuko, which caused Katara to giggle. 

“Shut up.” You muttered as you headed towards the village with the rest of the Gaang in tow, who continued to tease you. 

---

Everyone decided to do some quick supply shopping before you all turned in for the night. Since the food had run out everyone decided to get some nonperishable food first, considering no one wanted Sokka to whine about there not being food. Sokka lead the group through the market, with Toph next to him, Katara and Aang chatting behind those two, which left you with Zuko. As you walked, there would be the occasional brushing hands together but neither of you stopped nor acted upon it. 

Sokka stopped to browse one of the stands, in turn, you decided to look around as well. Your eyes landed on a small stand run by a young woman, it was a little jewelry stand. You approached it as the lady made eye contact with you.

“Hello! Is there anything I can help you with? Is there something specific you’re looking for?” She asked.

“No thank you, I’m just browsing,” you answered as you offered her a smile.

“Let me know if you need anything!”

With that, she left you. Your eyes scanned through the jewelry; necklaces, bracelets, rings came in all sorts of assortments, sizes, and color. As you browsed, your eyes landed on a small necklace. The necklace itself was simple, the centerpiece was a small crystal held horizontally by small chains. Regardless of its simplicity, you loved it. You made a mental note to come back tomorrow morning as the sun began to finally set. You hoped it would be there tomorrow as you headed back to where your friends were.

Before the Gaang began their shopping trip, this wonderful elderly couple offered their shed to them. One thing they forgot to mention was the bed arrangement. As they entered the shed, they realized how spacious it was but the problem was that there was one four beds, each on a different wall of the shed. There was six of you. None of you thought to bring your sleeping bags with you and Appa was all the way back at the entrance so everyone fought for those four beds. 

Toph already called one of the beds and no one really wanted to fight her for it. For someone that small, she could really pack a punch. Everyone else had to decided who got what. Of course the only way to do it was playing elemental rock, paper, scissors. In the end, Sokka came out as the victor and earned a bed to himself. That left you, Katara, Aang, and Zuko. It seemed the obvious arrangement would be you and Katara then Aang and Zuko. However, it seemed Katara had different plans. Her lips spread into a condescending grin as she pulled Aang to one of the other beds.

“Goodnight (Y/N)!” She sang as she dragged the poor air bender behind her, who had an obvious blush coating his face. 

It was obvious what she was doing, and it frustrated you. How could she, you’d never forgive her! 

You and Zuko looked at each other in disbelief.

“Uh. We don’t have to share a bed if you don’t want to. I-I can sleep on the floor.” Zuko offered as he refused to make eye contact with you, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. This time, you didn’t miss the pink tinge of his cheeks.

“No!” you responded a little to quickly causing a feeling of embarrassment to rush through your veins. “I mean, n-no I-I don’t mind. The floor wouldn’t be too comfortable anyway.” Zuko gave you a small smile in response. 

You couldn’t believe how attractive this man was, especially in the light of the fire that you guys had started. He practically glowed. Maybe, you could forgive Katara, just this once. Zuko had already climbed into bed, facing the wall. Not wanting to seem weird for staring, you climbed in after, facing the fire that was a good couple of feet away from you. The bed was small to the point that your backs were touching which caused your heart to flutter. You tried to sleep for a good ten minutes but you couldn’t seem to. To be fair, you were sleeping next to your crush. Kind of a hard situation to just ignore. You tried shifting around a little bit by placing your leg over the side of the bed, but that proved to be very uncomfortable. There were’t very many positions you could sleep in since most of the space was compromised. 

No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t get comfortable. You tried shutting your eyes and forcing yourself to sleep but it never worked. Zuko didn’t seem to be able to sleep either, as he continuously shifted on his side of the bed. Eventually he just flipped over. His back was pressed against the wall as he faced you. That seemed to prove more comfortable for him as he stopped shifting. You could feel his warm breath on the back of your neck, causing you to tense up; creating goosebumps on the back of your neck. Your heart beat rang loudly in your ears and you silently hoped that he couldn’t hear it, but you doubt he couldn’t. Hell, you’re pretty sure Toph could hear it from the other side of the room. 

You let out the breath you didn’t know you were holding and shifted for the millionth time. Your body was close enough to the edge of the bed to the point you thought you were going to fall off, maybe you should just sleep on the floor. Maybe then you’d stop your heart from racing.

Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her waist that pulled her back slightly.

“Is this okay?” A sleepy Zuko whispered in her ear. In that moment you were sure your ovaries exploded. And you thought his voice was attractive as it was, his sleep voice was even better. 

“Y-Yeah,” you chocked out after trying to get a coherent sentence out. You silently cursed at yourself for stuttering and tried to even out your breathing. 

You could still feel his even breath on your skin, so he had to be asleep. Everything felt unreal. Here you were, being spooned by the most attractive person you’ve ever met. There was no was you were going to be able to sleep. 

About half an hour passed and you still had no success in sleeping. You decided to shift your position one last time. You sat up a little, pushing up the thin blanket covering you, and pushed your self back into Zuko’s chest. While trying not to wake him up, you tried to mold yourself against him as you push your backside against him still trying to get comfortable. A soft grunt escaped Zuko’s lips as his hands gripped your waist, holding you in place. 

“Are you trying to turn me on?” Zuko grunted in your ear. “Stay still.”

Blood immediately rushed to your face as you struggled to formulate words. 

“I-I’m so-so s-sorry.” In which Zuko on hummed in response. Where did this come from, last time you checked this boy was awkward as hell. Yet here he was, spooning you while he rested his head on the crook of your neck. His surprisingly soft hair tickling you. Your heart was beating out of your chest and your mind was racing. You couldn’t believe this was happening and how nonchalant he was about it!

Your body seemed to give you mercy as you finally were able to fall asleep.

---

Sunlight immediately impeded your vision, causing you to squint your eyes. Your eyes were met with Zuko, sleeping peacefully his hair covering his face. Man, you could get used to this. His eyes fluttered open, gold ones meeting (e/c) ones. You couldn’t quite name the look in his eyes, maybe the best way to describe it was adoration. Zuko smiled softly as he raised one of his hands from the small of your back to brush a strand of hair out of your face. He opened his mouth to say something but he was instead interrupted by squealing. 

Startled, you pushed yourself away from Zuko, causing you to fall of the bed. You groaned in pain as you rubbed your back. Zuko immediately sat up and looked down at you.

“Are you okay?!”

---

As you headed back to Appa, you never heard the end of it. Katara talked off your ear, asking you a bunch of questions which you didn’t answer. Toph just teased you about the whole thing. You were sure the boys were doing the same exact thing to Zuko a few feet behind you. Ignoring everyone else, Zuko caught up to you gaining your attention.

“Hey so uh, I saw you looking at this yesterday and I thought it would look really pretty on you. Not that I was staring at you or anything I just happened to notice...” Zuko rambled. He gave you a cute little box that was topped off with a bow. You raised an eyebrow and opened it. You then realized that it was the necklace you were looking at. Grinning you threw yourself onto Zuko, pecking him on the lips; successfully shutting him up. 

“Zuko, I love it! You didn’t have to!” You smiled at him. “Can you put it on me?” You asked, handing him the necklace. He nodded and motioned you to turn around, which you did. His fingertips brushed your shoulders and the back of your neck as he clipped on the necklace, causing your skin to tingle. Once he was done you turned and faced him, the necklace resting in between your collarbones. 

“Beautiful.” Zuko stated as he wrapped his arms around you, pushing you flush against his chest. Both of you leaned in until there was little to no space left in between you. 

“Finally! I thought we were going to have to force them to kiss!”

“Sokka! Shut up! You’re ruining the moment!” Katara scolded, causing the two to start bickering.

Rolling your eyes, you closed the space, pressing your lips against Zuko’s as the siblings bickered in the background.

[violet-knox]

Unspoken Words

Moonie’s Writing Challenge Part 1: Luminous 

Pairing: Young Snape x Slytherin Female Reader

Prompt:  “If we get caught, it’s your fault!”

Summary: With the last few months of your time at Hogwarts coming to an end, you plan a night under the stars with your boyfriend Severus.

Word Count: 5554

A/N: Phew. There were moments where I thought I wouldn’t be able to get this out in time but I’m so glad I was able to do it! It was a bit rushed (it’s been a long month), but hopefully when the semester ends, part 2 will come out a little quicker (and maybe written better >.<). Thank you @moonie-writes​ for your support and your patience! I hope it turned out alright.

If there was one thing you’d regretted most during your Hogwarts years, it was definitely your lack of adventure. The castle alone held such historic and powerful stories within its walls, it was a shame you hadn’t explored every crevice, every hidden passageway and appreciated just how much magic flowed through every stone the last seven years you spent in this majestic school. You’d missed out on a lot and to make it worse, you were mere months away from graduating, months away from leaving Hogwarts behind forever. All you’d cared about the first five years of school spending each night studying in the depths of the library, was your reputation and your academia. Knowledge is power as they say, but for you, it was much more than that. Knowledge opened doors, kept your options wide. Knowledge was a comfort for you because books could never let you down. Of course, it was no surprise to anyone that you’d found yourself taking as many N.E.W.T classes as you could the last two years, not even your boyfriend who seemed to be the only person to support your thirst for academics. 

Naturally, you were teased within your own house for your obsession with books and your need to expand your horizon, but you knew the Sorting Hat placed you in Slytherin for a reason. ‘Strong mind, a great need to prove yourself. Yes, plenty of potential, indeed…’ You were almost positive you’d be placed in Slytherin and clearly the Sorting Hat shared the same sentiment, but you couldn’t help your doubts rise every time someone pointed out your affinity for knowledge or the fact that your test scores ranked highest of your year, above any Ravenclaw. It wasn’t until you’d met Severus, hidden in the darkest corner of the library with so many books stacked around him, it sort of appeared as if he was using them as building blocks for a wall to separate him and the rest of Hogwarts. He was closed off at first when you started speaking to one another, but you didn’t mind. You were happy spending your time together in silence as you both studied. Severus never knew how overjoyed you were to find another Slytherin just as invested in books as you were. You wouldn’t have minded if you never spoke to each other after that first encounter, you were just happy to know you weren’t alone. The simple knowledge that your passions were shared with one of your housemates was enough to keep you smiling. 

But if neither of you spoke to the other after that evening, you would have missed out on yet another milestone during your days at Hogwarts, one that it seemed Severus had been searching for long before anyone else at this school. Finding someone you could enjoy the company of, trust with your heart, someone to give you hope. It was an experience no one should ever miss out on and you were glad that you’d at the very least managed to find your other half during your time here. Your studies at Hogwarts really wouldn’t have been complete without Severus and tonight, you were hoping to enjoy a very special night with him, a night you’d been looking forward to the last few months as you monitored and studied the stars. 

“This is ridiculous.” The greeting your boyfriend gave as soon as you entered his dorm was really much more serene than you’d expected, or at least, his tone was. Usually when he’d protest, he’d be much more firm and demanding, but it seemed this time, his protests fell a bit short. You suspected that this was likely because he was secretly just as excited as you for tonight. Even if he wouldn’t admit it, you could see that twinkle in his eyes when he looked at you as he prepared for your evening. “Why do you even care so much about this?”

“Because Sev, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!” you said, walking around to stand beside him and take his hands in yours. “Come on! You can’t graduate Hogwarts without sneaking out at least once!”

You began to soothingly rub small circles into the back of his hand with your thumb, smiling up at him and hoping that would be the end of the long string of protests he’d started ever since you’d brought up the idea of spending a night under the stars with him. The first day you’d brought it up, he looked at you as if you’d gone mad and dismissed it. But of course, you were relentless and continued to bring it up until he’d agreed.  

“I don’t see why I have to be there. You should go without me,” he said, pulling his hand away, tugging on the sleeve of his robes too short for his lanky arms. 

“No, Sev! I want you there!” You said, hooking a finger under his chin to bring his attention back to you. His eyes still cared so much misplaced shame, so much regret for the way his life had turned out, but you were determined to help rid him of all that and replace it with nothing but admiration and prosperity. “Please?” 

Your soft tone and pleading eyes pierced his heart, as it always had, and he felt himself letting go of any worry or doubt over the plans you’d made for the night. He wondered at times if you’d somehow managed to discover a spell similar to that of the imperius curse, leaving its victim with nothing but trust and love for the person who’d cast it. It would surely explain a lot about the past year he’d spent thinking about nothing but your happiness.  

With a final reluctant sigh, he grasped at his bedsheets and began folding the topmost layer; a thin green cotton blanket that you’d continuously insisted one of you bring on your little adventure. Despite the fact that he knew you were aware of how much he hated blind risks, you still insisted on keeping it a surprise and it irritated him more than he would ever admit to you that you continued to refuse to share your plan with him. “If we get caught, it’s your fault!” 

“Don’t worry,” you said as you took the other end of the blanket and helped him fold it. “I have the perfect spot for us.”

You finished folding the blanket and Severus took it, holding it over his joint hands. He looked at you and gave a small pout as a final resort which of course, did nothing but make you smile. He knew there was no point in asking, but he just couldn’t help himself. His heart was beating out of his chest in anticipation for tonight and he wanted to feel prepared. “Will you tell me where we’re going now?”

You sighed and rolled your eyes at him. Crossing your arms, you shifted your weight to one side and gave him a scolding look. “I told you…”

“It’s a surprise,” you both said in unison, his tone much more venomous than yours. You frowned, never able to get used to his snarky demeanor even after all these years. You’d especially hated it when he’d poke fun of you like that, but you weren’t about to let that get in the way of what you had planned tonight. You were going to enjoy your time and spend a beautiful evening with your loving boyfriend.

“Please, just a hint?” He tried again, despite knowing the answer. “At least tell me how far we’re going.”

“No! Now, come on! Almost everyone’s left already!” You pulled on his sleeve and urged him to follow you as you left his dorm. You were tired of his nonsense in all honesty. He should’ve learned by now to trust you and know that you’d never put either of you in danger, yet he still continued to doubt you. You knew when you’d started dating you’d have to stay patient with him. He wasn’t one to stand foolish behaviour and at first, you’d found it quite complimented your outlandish humour, but after a while, his sly comments got a bit tiresome and you wished he’d let loose a little rather than take everything so seriously.

“Relax Sev, this is going to be fun,” you said, hooking your arm through his, hugging it to your chest as you walked through the nearly empty common room to the exit. The sun had yet to set which gave you plenty of time to sneak out of the castle without being seen. 

Closing the door behind you, the dimmed lights from the torches illuminating the halls, you began to lead Severus towards the Entrance Hall and just when you’d reached the top of the stairs exiting the dungeons, you heard some rather brisk footsteps heading your way. Quickly pulling on Severus’ arm, you silently rushed toward the door near the staircase leading to the basement. Leaving it slightly ajar, you hid in the unknown room, Severus immediately reaching to grab your hand. 

“These bloody children are acting like absolute buffoons!” McGonagall's voice travelled through the crack between the door you held and its frame. Your heart beat furiously against your chest, praying you wouldn’t get caught when you hadn’t even managed to reach your destination. You could tell Severus’ concern was growing larger than yours as he anxiously squeezed your hand. He’d trusted you and you bloody well was not about to turn around and listen to him whisper ‘I told you so’ when you hadn’t even been caught yet. “Start with the basement and dungeons Filch. I suspect none of us will find sleep tonight.”

“Of course Professor,” spoke the crinkled voice of the caretaker you’d been lucky enough to avoid getting detention from all these years at Hogwarts. “Mrs. Norris and I will catch any wandering students.”

Looking down at their feet, you saw a raggedy looking cat glaring in your direction, her eyes piercing yours. Jolting back, you pressed your back against the wall, your palm gripping onto the doorknob as your other hand slipped from Severus’ grasp and wrapping around his shoulder instead, pulling him closer to you. Severus instinctively wrapped an arm around your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder, your fear for the consequences of getting caught shared between you as you both held on to one another.

The sound of footsteps followed as you heard Filch and McGonagall part ways but neither of you could move a muscle in fear the cat had stuck around in suspicion. You could feel Severus’ breath quicken against your neck, his grip on you tightening and you knew he was upset about the situation you were in. He likely blamed you for it and was about ready to give you a long lecture about how he didn’t want to sneak out in the first place. While you understood his perspective and shared his worry about getting caught, you just couldn’t bear the thought of missing out on yet another adventure if you hadn’t taken the risk and nor could you stand being scolded by him for something that had yet to happen. 

After a few short moments, you slowly looked back through the crack of the door and saw the hall completely empty. Deciding it was safe to continue on your way, you slowly began to push the door open when you felt a hand jolt over yours, stopping you in your tracks.

“(Y/N), this is a bad idea,” Severus spoke with such vexation in his voice, his hand tightly wrapped around yours like he was about to stop you from making the biggest mistake in your life. “They’re clearly increasing their patrols tonight. We should just head back.”

Taking your hand off the doorknob, you pushed him back, having just about enough of his attitude. It was within his right to protest of course, but you’d never asked him for much before. You’d always been the one to follow the rules growing up and you were ready to have just a bit of fun before graduating. It would do him absolutely no harm just to support you for once rather than try to impose what he thought was best.  

“No! Severus I’ve been looking forward to this all month! Besides, you heard McGonagall, Flich is heading to the dungeons as we speak. We’d be better off going our own way then risking going back now.” 

Turning around, you pushed the door open and walked back out to the Entrance Hall. Without looking back, you marched straight out towards the courtyard and like a faithful puppy, you heard Severus’ footsteps following swiftly behind you. At this point, you had begun to wonder if you truly should have gone on your own but the feeling of his nimble fingers brushing against your palm before his hand firmly took yours reminded you of the joy of sharing such moments with him. You loved him and wanted him there with you as you gazed up at the stars enjoying one of the last nights you would have at Hogwarts. 

You both walked in silence as you continued to lead him around the parameter of the Black Lake, further and further towards the Forbidden Forest. You were fairly certain at this point you were safe from any staff members, but you knew no words had to be said for either of you to understand the other. Silence was your place of comfort. It's where your relationship started and where you’d always find yourselves again regardless of any disagreements. 

The sun had almost set, and the air had begun to cool as the wind settled down for the night. You were nearly there, and the excitement of tonight's event began to settle back into your chest, any worry of being caught melting away as you thought of how you were going to spend your night with Severus under the stars. You were so close to finally reaching your spot when Severus slowed to a stop near the bottom of the hill hidden behind the forest. 

“Our first date?” he whispered, his eyes sparkling with memories as he shifted his gaze from the hilltop to you. You simply smiled and nodded, placing your hand over his arm and pulling him closer. You’d hoped that he’d enjoy a night in the spot where you’d had your first official date atop the hill he’d found years before, secluded from the rest of the school. You’d loved its location the first time he’d taken you there; the view of the castle reminding you of the first time you’d arrived at Hogwarts, staring at it in its entirety from the boats taking you to your new home. You knew how important that spot was to him so you knew going back there too often would ruin its allure. And thus, you waited for the perfect moment to return to the spot where he felt safe and comfortable, where you’d shared your first kiss and declared your love for one another.

Severus smiled back, a smirk appearing on his face wider than you’d ever thought you’d live to see and this time, he was the one to surprise you as he began walking at an alarming rate up the hill. You’d almost fallen over from the sudden motion, your hands still firmly connected as you jogged to keep up with him. Your soft giggles filled the delicate air around you with amour as you stopped and peered over the sun setting behind the castle, illuminating it with a halo. The night had yet to begin and the setting was already so perfect. 

Offering a hand to Severus, you took one side of the blanket and helped him lay it out on the grass. Quickly taking off your shoes, you crawled up towards him and finally settled yourself down with one arm over his chest and your head lying on his shoulder. Severus’ hair sprawled out as soon as he laid down on the blanket, holding you closely as he shut his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of your warmth against the cool chill of the outdoors. He’d never told you how much he appreciated you, but he hoped you knew that he loved everything you’d ever done for him.

After a short moment, you propped yourself up, leaning on your elbow. Your smile grew when you saw his own, complimenting the blissful look he wore on his face. You could hardly push back the urge to reciprocate his silent ‘I told you so’ from before and though you were glad he’d finally approved of your planned evening together, you couldn’t help but make some sort of comment. “Enjoying yourself?”

“Shut up,” he mumbled, lightly rolling his eyes. You giggled at his defensive tone and slowly slid a hand up his chest, resting it over his shoulder. 

“Fine,” you whispered as you leaned forward. You fluttered your eyes, pausing as his lips brushed yours. He jolted forwards in an attempt to connect them, but your hand on his chest kept him down, your lips escaping his as you smiled. You felt his lips tug into a smirk, your breath lightly brushing against his skin before you finally pressed your lips together. You kissed him with a touch so soft, your lips barely moving against his, the sweet taste shared between you so strong that it almost felt like cotton candy melting in your mouth. 

Severus slowly rose a hand to tangle his fingers in your hair as the other lazily found your waist. A moment had barely passed before you felt him pressing your lips closer together, your kiss slowly losing its gentle allure, replaced by a growing need to merge with the other. Without parting, you slowly threw a leg over him, straddling him as your chest lowered itself against his. His hands eagerly went to your waist, one of his legs slightly raising itself as you parted for air. Your lips hovered over one other as you both raced to catch your breath. 

You slowly felt his hands move from your waist, down to your hips, only stopping at the hem of your skirt when you suddenly pressed your lips against his. You could feel him take in a sharp breath with your surprise kiss, his chest frozen when you parted rather quickly. You smirked at him before moving both your arms to rest on the sides of his head, your lips kissing the corner of his mouth before you slowly started trailing them down towards his jaw and following it towards his neck. You left small love marks below his ear as you felt his hands slowly slipping beneath your skirt to find the smooth skin of your thighs. 

Severus let out a sigh, relishing in the contrast of the heat between you and the cool air of the night. You’d switched over to the other side of his neck, shifting down enough to give him a full view of the sky. 

“(Y/N),” he whispered to get your attention. “The sun’s set. Look.”

Pausing your motions, you lifted yourself off him and settled in his lap as you looked up to where he’d gestured. Smiling, you watched the subtle twinkle of the early stars appearing against the darkening night sky. Looking to your side, you saw the moon shining brighter than you’d ever seen before, it’s edges crisp and as white as the clouds on a sunny day.  

“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” you said, enchanted by the creamy sky, stars slowly beginning to appear one at a time. With the stress of your N.E.W.Ts coming up, you’d almost forgotten what if felt like to be relaxed. You were happy you’d picked a spot outside to watch the stars tonight, the light breeze you felt was a much needed upgrade to the thick air you’d been used to while cramped in the library these last few weeks.  

“Yes, it is,” Severus whispered back to you. It was hard to look away from the mesmerizing sight but the hands you felt on your thighs slowly slipping down brought your attention back to him only to find he hadn’t been looking at the sky. Instead of reflecting the stars from above, his eyes twinkled with its own allure for you. 

“You’re not even looking!” you giggled, lightly pushing down on his chest to tease him before you removed yourself from him completely and lay on your side, propped up on your elbow. 

“I am!” His tone of course protested your claim, but his eyes still tuck to yours, his smile complimenting the shine they held against those black orbs. You reciprocated his grin and gently settled yourself to rest your head on his shoulder. His fingers immediately ran along your hairline as he tucked a few strands behind your ear. 

It embarrassed you at first, the way he’d spend what felt like hours at a time staring at your face, his eyes roaming over every feature until they finally settled back to match your own. You knew he especially loved when you’d put your hair up though you suspect he’d rather enjoyed the tease of having to push aside your hair when it was down. You’d gotten so used to this little routine of his over the past year, it honestly stopped bothering you a while ago.  

The way he looked at you, you’d never seen anyone look at another human being like that before. It made you feel special, like you were the most important person to have ever walked the earth and of course, to a Slytherin, that gratitude he offered you meant a great deal, especially when you knew how much more he needed such assurance than you. But it hadn’t taken you long for you to return that longing look he gave you because he truly did mean the world to you. He was everything you’d imagined in a partner; loyal, caring, supportive, loving. You’d never imagined falling in love with someone who’d also carried so much baggage with them, but it was his past and his traumas that made him so special and naturally, you were the only one to recognize that. 

“(Y/N)?” The distantly muffled sound of your name echoed in your head as your eyes fluttered open. You took a deep break in when you realized you’d fallen asleep on Severus’ chest. “(Y/N) wake up. Look!” 

Opening your eyes, you slowly raised yourself off him to see Severus pointing at the sky with a smile on his face. Looking up, you searched the stars a moment until you saw it. A quick flash of blue light disappearing just as quickly as it appeared. Not a moment later, you saw another flash; a purple spot in the sky lighting up as it flickered and moved closer to where you saw the blue light. 

“It’s starting!” You exclaimed as you quickly scrambled to sit up and search your robes. You pulled out two objects that looked like muggle binoculars taken from the 19th century and gave Severus one as you laid back down next to him, bringing the other to your eyes. You searched the skies once again, the stars larger and your view much more narrow than before. Your heart beat heavily against your chest, hoping the man you’d bought these mystic objects from during your last Hogsmeade trip hadn’t made false claims when he said they would help you see the Luminous Dancing Fairies set to migrate during the next eclipse. Of course, you didn’t have a reference of what to expect when looking through them since no one had managed to spot them long enough to obtain a proper description, but you hoped you’d at least see more than simple flashes of light. “Wow!”

Fairies began dancing within your view, their wings sparkling with light as they twirled, each with a colour of their own. More and more appeared in the sky as they continued on their way and you noticed the majority shone with blue and purple lights though on occasion, you would spot one with green, yellow or red wings. But the ones with white wings were your favourite. They appeared to be the rarest of their kind yet they shone the brightest of them all, the flashes they emitted almost blinding through those binoculars. 

“They’re much more… Energetic than I’d imagined,” Severus said. He himself wasn’t sure what to expect tonight, though he was happy you’d dragged him along to be a part of history. To be one of the first to get a proper glimpse at the creatures Wizard kind spent decades studying from a far, wondering what sort of stories they carried with them as they flew across the galaxy.

“Really? I suppose they have to be if they have to travel for so long.” You smiled at the sound of his curious tone, happy he’d managed to find some interest in the night’s event. 

“Thanks for planning this,” he said softly, a small bit of reluctancy present in his voice. He’d regretted giving you such a hard time the last few weeks when it came to your plans for tonight, but even he could admit when he was wrong. Truthfully, the inevitability for your lives diverging after graduation scared him, stressing him out more than usual these last few weeks. He’d spent so long trying to hold onto his relationship with you, focused on spending as much time with you as possible, he’d forgotten what it truly felt like to be with you. He finally felt a sense of comfort tonight and all it took was a simple night under the stars away from any worries of the future. 

Setting down the binoculars, you turned over to see his smile shining back at you, his eyes shining almost as bright as the fairies dancing between the stars. You lost yourself in the loving look he gave, hoping the night would never end and he’d learn to let loose a little. Leaning in, you pecked him on his lips, keeping your eyes closed when you parted as your nose stayed an inch from his. You loved the experience of watching the Luminous Dancing Fairies Migrate of course, but sitting here with Severus, watching him enjoy the night with you was what had truly pushed you to plan such a night with him. You knew the night would have turned out perfectly even if those binoculars didn’t work as they were advertised because Severus’ company would have made the night completely worthwhile. 

You could never put into words how much you loved him. He had his flaws of course, everyone did but you just couldn’t help the feeling when you first met that he was different to those you’d spoken to, that he was somehow meant for you. Soulmate was quite a strong word to define it and you knew that if you hadn’t grown close to one another as friends before you started dating, you wouldn’t feel the way you did right now. But when you met, when you first started chatting over absolute nonsense, you couldn’t shake the feeling of comfort, a feeling you’d only get if you’d known someone a very long time.  

Finally opening your eyes, you snuggled into him, your hand wrapped around his waist, your head laid on his shoulder and your pair of binoculars completely disregarded. You had your fill of the stars tonight and all you needed now was a bit of comfort from the boy you cared so deeply for.

“You’re going to miss the fairies,” he whispered, his own binoculars pushed to the side as he peered down at you, his arms snaking around you and pulled you into him as tightly as he could. The air around you settled as you felt his heart beginning to race against his chest, his own disregard for the stars clear as the moon that shone above. 

“I don’t care,” you mumbled back, closing your eyes as your smile stretched wider than before. Severus was hardly one to complain, enjoying the gentle pressure of your weight on his chest much more than watching the fairies dancing in the sky. You both got comfortable as you cuddled together, oblivious to your surroundings and brushing off the subtle sounds of rustling around the edges of the forest to the wind.

“At least two a yer found a spot without disturbin’ half the forest.” You both jolted from your place, turning towards the familiar voice behind you, your hearts stopping as your eyes met with the half giant staring down at you. 

“Shit,” you cursed under your breath as you scrambled to jump to your feet, Severus following swiftly after. Everything had gone so well, you’d enjoyed your time under the stars and completely forgotten you were breaking curfew, letting your guard down and ultimately, getting yourself caught by the gamekeeper. But worst of all, Severus had trusted you and you’d completely let him down. His punishment was to be shared with your own for the mistake you’d made. 

“Come along then. I’ll take yeh back to the castle,” Hagrid said, gesturing for you to follow. The joy you felt not a moment ago shriveled into nothingness as you looked back at Severus to find him folding up the blanket, already saying goodbye to the wholesome night you were supposed to share together. Pushing down the regret you felt, you walked over to help Severus before looking up at him, your brows furrowed and your eyes heavy with shame. 

‘Sorry,’ you mouthed, your heart dropping when he looked away. He was upset with you and rightfully so. You’d promised him nothing would go wrong, that this would be a night worth remembering and of course, it was, you just hadn’t imagined it ending this way. You anticipated nothing more than anger from him if you had gotten caught, but no matter how much you told yourself you could handle it, you just couldn’t bear the disappointment that radiated off of him as you both began to follow Hagrid back to the castle.

The next few minutes went by agonizingly slow and you felt like you were walking to the chopping block, your relationship to be cut in half and killed forever. The agony you felt, each step heavier than the last was unbearable. You wanted nothing more than to reverse time and keep Hagrid from catching you. You would have even settled with going back to the moment you left the common room and just spent the night in there instead of living through this awful moment. The loss of house points and detention you could bear, but you couldn’t come to terms with the disappointment Severus threw your way. You’d offer to take Severus’ punishment and double your detention if you could, anything to keep Severus from suffering through the consequences of a mistake you’d made. 

But how bad could it be if Hagrid was the one to catch you? Your punishment would likely be endless if Slughorn or McGonagall caught you. But the heart wrenching thought that Severus would remain angry with you, possibly wishing to never speak to you again seeded itself in the back of your mind. You couldn’t imagine going forward without him by your side. He was your rock, your support, your best friend and you could hardly go on knowing you’d lost someone so important to you. The spiral you’d fallen into had removed you from reality and you’d found yourself going through the motions once again, trying to keep from drowning in this overwhelmed state you’d known all too well. 

Your body went into autopilot as you felt your breath taken away from you. Struggling to breath, you tried to run from the barrels of emotions dumped into your mind until you felt the slightest brush of a familiar warmth grasp for your hand and pull you to safety. You’d snapped back to the real world just as fast as you’d left it to find Severus’s fingertips brushing against your palm and with one sly move, your hand was in his. Your mind was blank, all thoughts of his anger towards you vanished as you looked down at your intertwined hands, his grip on you tightening as the seconds passed. 

Looking up, your eyes met the softened expression on his face. His eyes gleaming in the moonlight, conveying his love for you. Smiling, your shoulders lightened knowing he wouldn’t let one disappointing night ruin what you’d built together over these last few years. After everything you’d both been through, doubting the bond you had with him was something he could never comprehend, but he’d come to recognize the look of despair on your face and quickly learned that a simple gesture was all you needed to remind you of your inseparable connection. Walking hand in hand, you realized that though your night was over, you’d got to enjoy what little of it you had together as you would finish your journey at Hogwarts together. Nothing could spoil your love for him, and you were happy to face any consequences thrown your way if you were to face them with him by your side.

~

Part 2

~

@raven-hopeflyte​ @sleepysnapesnake​ @wanderingtrails​ @darkthought15​ @bush-viper-cutie​ @fluffymadamina​ @dracos-mudblood​ @mitchiesdungeon​

[loverspersonas]

the most beautiful moment in life | part vii

pairing: ot7? x reader

genre: hyyh au, high school au, angst, drama, fluff, smut?

length: 5k

summary: Eight strangers with different stories happen to meet one day, by fate or some kind of cruel, exquisite happenstance, and realize that they’re not as different as they thought.

↳series masterlist

“So it was under this character?”

“Yes,” you answered.

“And it was in English?”

“Yes,” Seokjin said.

“Spelt exactly like this?”

“Yes, Taehyung, okay?” you exclaimed, exasperated. “We covered this already. We were under the bridge by the river and we saw it on the graffiti wall.”

The next day at school, the eight of you met in the library after you and Seokjin had called in a meeting. The way you spoke about it made it sound like you were some sort of breakfast club. You had met in detention, after all. Maybe you could even form a band like they did in the movies.

Taehyung gave a noncommittal shrug. “Just making sure we don’t miss anything.”

“In case you’ve forgotten,” the librarian appeared in front of your table, shooting a scalding look between all of you. “This is a library, and we don’t tolerate noise here.”

“Would you look at that,” Yoongi said dryly without looking at her. “Must’ve slipped our mind.”

He didn’t bother hiding any irritation in his voice, so the librarian opened her mouth to retort until Namjoon started with a polite smile, “We’re sorry. We’ll keep it down.”

That seemed to be reassuring enough for her, because she walked away. Leave it to Namjoon to pacify any of the teachers.

“Isn’t it kind of weird that we didn’t notice it before?” Jimin asked in a lower voice.

“We were a little distracted,” Namjoon said. “And it was dark.”

“What if it wasn’t there before?” Hoseok asked.

Jungkook frowned. “Meaning what? Someone wrote it afterwards?”

Yoongi rolled his eyes. “No, it magically appeared there overnight, Jungkook. Yes, someone put it there.”

There was something you didn’t like about his tone. Something about his mood had been off all morning. He could’ve been sarcastic to anyone else, but to you, Jungkook was a little different. You felt almost defensive about him. “You know, that attitude isn’t very helpful,” you spoke pointedly.

Yoongi’s expression was as dry as sand as he looked at you. ”Sorry, did I hurt your feelings, princess?”

It was clear since your first conversation that the two of you would have a kind of relationship where teasing and picking at each other would become a norm. But you hadn’t realized before that he would have these major mood swings. You glanced at him in slight disbelief.  “I told you not to call me that.”

“And I told you I don’t care—“

“Guys, really?” Namjoon said, looking between you. “Can we get through a conversation without you two biting each other’s heads off?”

“If one of us stops acting like an ass,” you muttered under your breath.

“Or if one of us stops being such an entitled princess,” Yoongi retorted, apparently having heard your comment.

“Yoongi,” Hoseok said, his eyes holding something like a warning.

The older boy let out a sigh and grumbled, “Fine.”

“Back to the main point,” Jimin spoke slowly, like he was making sure you and Yoongi were finished. “Smeraldo. We’re assuming it’s an artist. But none of us have ever heard of him?”

“Or her,” you corrected.

He nodded at you. “Right. Or her.”

“It could be a small artist,” Taehyung said. He was rolling a coin around the table, not so concerned about the noise it was making. “You know, like a local thing. They don’t have much of an online presence normally.”

“Explains why I couldn’t find anything on google,” Namjoon added.

“Then how do we find them?” Jungkook asked.

“The old fashioned way. Look through books, magazines, shops or galleries. Maybe even more graffiti locations.”

Taehyung gave a small sigh. “I forgot how difficult life was before the internet.”

You shot him an amused glance, to which he gave you a sarcastic boxy smile. “Ever the dramatic, Tae.”

“How did the painting end up here?” Seokjin asked. “At Sky Academy of all places.”

There was a small gap as most of you pondered over it. Then Hoseok asked, “As in, what if somehow the academy is connected to the artist?”

“Maybe.”

You gazed around the table for a bit, watching your own expression being mirrored. Seokjin had a good point. What if Smeraldo was associated with the academy? It could make sense since all kinds of people and places endorsed the brand that was Sky. Did that mean that it was just a coincidence you had come across that painting? Or had it been left there intentionally?

You broke out of your thoughts as Yoongi shifted in his chair, grabbing his things as he got up. “Well, you guys have fun with your little research project.”

“Where are you going?” Jimin asked.

“History.” His eyes flicked in your direction. “Which I currently have a 90 average on, to all those who doubted me.”

You held back a scoff, shooting him a fake smile. “Who did you have to pay to change your grade?”

He looked like he wanted to make a retort equally snarky, but settled with mimicking your fake smile, though his was much colder. 

Taehyung watched him leave before looking back at the rest of you. “I can really feel the love here.”

It had been a while since you last found yourself on the rooftop of the academy’s main building. Students weren’t typically allowed access to it, except for the gardening club who had done a very nice job of decorating the place with green and shades of purples and pinks and yellows. You loved breathing in the air from up here, where the floral scent fused with the breeze. It was also quiet, and so ideal for when you wanted to think or be on your own. 

Which seemed to be often these days.

“Hey.”

The voice startled you a little, but your shoulders sunk in relief when it was just Jungkook walking towards you. 

“How’d you know where to find me?” you asked.

“I saw you leave,” he said, sitting down next to the ledge you were occupying. “Not very stealthily, might I add.”

You were downstairs with him and a few of the others and were about to go to the cafeteria for lunch, when you found yourself abruptly wanting to come up here instead. You rolled your eyes slightly. “I’ll work on it. We seem to have thing for rooftops, huh.”

He looked around the vast space, at the plants and the glass ceiling cover with a newfound amazement. “I didn’t know we could come up here.”

You couldn’t help but find his innocent fascination a little amusing, but refreshing too. “Me either. Not until last year when Min-hyuk—“ Now, you remembered why you’d also been avoiding the roof. “We stumbled upon it trying to outrun the football team.”

Jungkook noticed the break in your sentence and your mood, but didn’t comment on it. “They’re that bad, huh?” he joked.

“You have no idea.” You glanced sideways at him. “Say… how come you’re not on any sports team? You look like you could be a jock.” 

And you meant it, especially in this lighting that was doing wonders for his side profile. If he wasn’t such an introvert and recluse, he could very well fit in with the sports crowds. You don’t think you noticed it before, but Jungkook was handsome. Soft, shiny hair, a sharp nose and jawline. Not to mention, he was well on his way to being built like an athlete. 

He snorted. “I thought jocks were obnoxious and dumb.”

Your mouth formed into somewhat teasing smile. “But you’d be a nice jock.”

“An oxymoron,” he said, returning it with a laugh. He cleared his throat a little as the laugh died down. “Min-hyuk was nice, wasn’t he?”

Your demeanour lost every trace of amusement. “Everyone’s nice at first. Not everyone stays nice.”

“You did.”

At first, you didn’t say anything, didn’t know what to say. Sometimes you realized it was harder to talk about yourself, especially personal things like insecurities. Was that what Min-hyuk had meant in that one argument when he’d called you unattached and indifferent? 

“Can I ask you something?” you started. “When you were on the roof that night, if I hadn’t been there... what would you have done?” 

He turned away from you, staring into space as he thought about it. “I don’t know. I feel like if it had been any other day, it would’ve been different. But that was the day we all met. When we found that first painting. It doesn’t make sense, but something kept telling me to hold on a little longer. And then you showed up and it was almost like a sign.”

“I have been called many things,” you mused. Somewhere underneath, maybe you were even amused or flattered. “A sign is not one of them.”

“It’s hard to explain,” he ended up saying. 

“Most things are.” 

You weren’t going to push him to talk about that night anymore. It was his lowest and darkest point. But you were glad he’d found something to cling to, whether it had been the words transpired between you two on the other roof, or the ambiguous hwa yang yeon hwa. That sliver of hope was like a raft in the middle of the worst kind of ocean. Staying afloat in the storm that was your mind was a struggle you knew all too well.

“Yeah.” His voice trailed off for a bit, like he was gathering courage to ask his next question. You could feel him watching you, as though expectantly. “Were you expecting someone else to come up here?”

“No.” As you turned your had to look his way, you bit back a smile, happy that nothing about it felt forced. “But I’m glad it was you.”

Slowly, his mouth curved into a similar smile, and you think you would’ve just stayed that way if you didn’t turn back to the skyline. 

Jungkook released a wistful sigh. “The sky’s really nice from up here. No wonder the garden club doesn’t want to share.”

You laughed. “Right?”

“I hate this,” Jimin said for what you were almost certain was the 500th time.

“The hospital?” You left the elevator of the said memorial hospital first, stopping when you realized the boy wasn’t walking with you. “You’ve said that already.”

He only began walking down the hallway after he noticed the expectant look you were shooting him. “No, the paint on these walls. What is that, eggshell white? It’s atrocious.”

“Okay, first, I really liked your usage of atrocious. And second, relax a little, Jimin.” The tension set in his shoulders was obvious not just to you but the staff and visitors passing by. Granted, hospitals had that sort of effect, but he didn’t need to be this anxious before he even stepped foot in the doctor’s office. “This place doesn’t hate you as much as you hate it.”

He scoffed. The sleeves of his sweatshirt were long enough for him to keep pulling and tugging at. “That’s hard to believe. If the building was alive, I’m sure it would spit me out instantly. I’m like that piece of cardamom you accidentally bite on.”

“You don’t like cardamom?”

“It’s possibly the only thing more atrocious than this paint. How can you like it?”

After the sharpness in his voice and the brief silence that followed, you asked, “How’re you feeling now?”

He wouldn’t look your way, but the blush staining his cheeks was obvious. With his shoulder, he gave you a light push before speeding up. “Shut up.”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?” You let out a small laugh, picking up your pace to match his. If only you were blessed with legs as long as his. “I got you to loosen up a little.”

“I guess,” he mumbled. You let him speak to the receptionist on the floor as you lingered by the side, walking back and forth with your hands in your pockets. He returned to your side a few minutes later, and somehow the anxiety was now practically radiating off of him. 

“So, have you always come here alone?” you decided to speak to get his nerves down.

“My parents used to come with me,” Jimin answered. “Then they got busy and… well, I didn’t feel like their presence was helping anyway.”

You raised a brow. “And mine does?” 

He pursed his lips together, finally looking at you. You noticed then that he wasn’t much taller than you. Sure, you usually wore boots with platform heels, but out of all the boys, he might’ve been closest in height to you. “I’m not sure yet. I just know that when I ran into you last time… it didn’t feel so horrible to be here.”

“Park Jimin?” A nurse with a clipboard was looking around the waiting area.

Jimin released a breath before stepping forward. “That’s me.”

She nodded at him. “The doctor will see you now.”

As soon as she left, you noticed that Jimin was hesitating to follow her. You came forward to stand beside him, and touched his arm lightly. It seemed to bring him out of some kind of trance. When his gaze found yours, you tried for something like an encouraging smile. “I’ll wait out here.”

Finally, he managed to nod, slowly walking in the direction the nurse had gone in.

While you waited, you found yourself roaming the floor in your boredom. No one paid you any attention, so you didn’t think it was a problem. As you were walking, eyes moving with the patterns on the floors, there was something like an itch in the back of your mind. Like something in your memory being tugged forward. 

That was when the floor, the walls, the rooms and posters you passed, all became a familiar sight. Too familiar for someone who tried to avoid the hospital in general. You swore you could even hear someone saying your name. Until you realized that someone was actually saying your name now.

There was a woman in a white coat and a long black ponytail offering you a friendly smile. “Y/N. I thought I recognized you.”

You took a moment to gather your thoughts from inside your head to acknowledge her appearance. “Dr. Kim.”

“It’s been quite a while.” Her brow furrowed. “While it is good to see you, I hoped you didn’t need to come back here.”

“I’m not here for me,” you said quickly. “I’m here for a friend. As moral support.”

“Of course.” As she stepped closer, her voice lowered a little. "Can I ask though… how are you doing? The migraines haven’t come back? If your prescription’s out, I can get you—“

“No, it’s fine,” you interrupted, hoping she understood that you didn’t want to talk about that. “I’m—I’m fine for now.”

She looked at you before sighing sympathetically. “I know you refused to see the psychologist I recommended, but I do hope you’ve been talking to someone.”

With a careless shrug, you said, “My guidance counsellor is trying, for sure.”

The way she was looking at you made it seem like she was debating whether or not to continue. “After the night they brought you in, when I actually had the chance to speak with you…” Her mouth turned into a contemplative frown. “I could just tell there was something more. I’d hoped therapy would help.”

Now, it was your turn to frown. The discomfort was like an itch on your skin, but you tried to ignore it, forcing a confused smile instead. “Help with what? I’m fine, Dr. Kim. It was just a little scratch.”

“Some wounds run deeper than you think,” she said quietly, her eyes fixed on yours until she tore them away, and her face regained some lightheartedness. “Have you visited that boy recently?”

At first, the abrupt change in topic took you aback. Then you shot her a puzzled look. “Boy?”

“I know you didn’t want anyone to know it was you leaving flowers in his room, but his family really appreciated it—“

“Y/N.” Jimin reemerged by your side, his gaze then landing on the older woman he too recognized. “Dr. Kim. I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”

Dr Kim smiled at him. “I presume that you’re the friend who needed moral support.”

He laughed, only with a tinge of uneasiness as his hand moved to the back of his neck. “That would be correct.”

“Well, I’m glad.” She looked from him to you, eyes fixating on yours with something you didn’t fully understand, or didn’t fully want to understand. “I hope you can do the same for each other.”

Jimin waited until she was out of sight before turning to you. “What did she mean by that? How do you know her?”

“She was my old family doctor,” you lied. “How did it go?”

“Oh,” he said, as though remembering why he was even there. "Better than I thought it would. It was just a checkup.”

You started to nod and then your eyes caught a glimpse of the paper he was trying to tuck into his pocket. The kind of paper you were quite used to seeing yourself. “You got a prescription. Jimin… you’re not—“

“It’s nothing serious, Y/N,” he said, lips tugging into a little smile. “Just something for my throat.”

He did that a lot, you realized. Answering with a charming smile to distract the person from the actual answer. You wouldn’t press on, even though you wanted to. A part of your mind was still stuck on some of Dr Kim’s words.

“Come on,” Jimin said, tugging your arm forward. “They’re still serving bagels.”

When you reached home, the lights were on and your mother was sitting on the sofa in the living room. And you would’ve been at least a little surprised, but you were a little distracted.

“Where have you been?” she demanded, getting to her feet. “You didn’t answer your phone.”

“My phone was dying,” you replied distantly as you removed your shoes and jacket. “I didn’t see.”

She released a sigh. “Look, you can be mad all you want, but at least text me where you are or that you’re okay.”

You finally stopped and glanced at her briefly. “I was at the hospital.”

Suddenly, your mother’s voice dropped. You couldn’t read her face, but she swallowed almost nervously. “Oh. Is everything okay?”

“A friend didn’t want to go alone.”

Her eyes widened. “Your prescription. I completely forgot.”

“It’s fine. I got it already.”

She stood there like she still wanted to say something else, but wasn’t sure how. “But is everything okay… with you?”

“I saw Dr. Kim,” you decided to say. Maybe because you wanted to make sense of what she’d said, and because there was a chance, your mother might know something. She’d been there that night in the ER with you. “She said something, and it was kind of strange…” You shook your head. “You know what, it’s probably nothing.”

You turned to leave when your mother spoke again. “I know that I haven’t talked about the night they brought you there.” You opened your mouth to tell her you didn’t want this conversation again, but she raised her hand to stop you. “It’s not that I don’t care, I just—I thought it was better that way for you. I wanted you to move on with your life.”

For the longest time, that was what you wanted too. And for a longer time, you’d really just wanted to hear from her. You tried for a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes. “I’m starting to think that you can’t really move forward without looking back first. I’m tired. I think I’ll head to bed now.”

“Y/N.” You turned halfway, waiting for what else your mother had to say. She hesitated, unfolding her arms from her chest, and finally met your gaze. “I didn’t mean what I said the other day.”

You found that your voice wasn’t working in that moment. And maybe that was because you didn’t know what to say to her. So, you glanced at her another time before heading to your room.

The last thing you wanted that night was to leave the apartment to find yourself at a park near the Academy. What you wanted was a nice bath, to watch an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, maybe even a bowl of ramen. But the universe didn’t want those things for you, because as soon as you were getting ready for bed, your phone lit up with a text. And normally, you would’ve just ignored it, but you knew it would stay in the back of your mind like an itch you couldn’t get rid of.

Thankfully, it wasn’t too late that buses had stopped running, and that your mother had already retired to her room. You found yourself at the park about a half hour later, and a familiar figure by the swings.

“If you were anyone else, I would think you brought me out here to murder me.”

Yoongi turned his head at your voice. Although, it wasn’t too chilly that night, he was wearing a wool beanie. “Why do you assume I didn’t?”

You gave a small hum. “You don’t give off murderer vibes. You’re more… gothic, underground rapper.”

His hands were in the pockets of his jacket, expression maybe just slightly amused though the streetlights weren’t bright enough to be sure. “How long did you take to come up with that?”

You might’ve retorted if it was another time, but it was late and a part of you didn’t want to agree to his message, asking you if you meet, but another part did want to despite any better judgement you might’ve had. “I don’t have a lot time before my mother notices I’m not in my room. And if you don’t kill me now, she most definitely will.”

“I doubt that.”

“Well,” you said with a shrug. “You can’t always be a princess.”

He paused for a second. “I was being an ass earlier.”

Good, you thought. He caught on to your jab at him. “When? I didn’t notice.”

There was a noise of disbelief as his hands fell at his side. “You know what? Forget it.”

“Wait,” you found yourself saying. Maybe it wasn’t so tactful to respond with sarcasm when someone was trying to be serious. At least, not all the time. “You wanted to apologize, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Who said anything about apologizing?”

You raised a brow. “So, you dragged me all the way out here this late at night because you didn’t want to apologize?”

He gave a half frustrated sigh. “I wasn’t trying to sound like a jerk. Sometimes I’m thinking about something else and it just… happens without me even realizing it.”

You started to nod in understanding. “You project.”

He frowned. “What?”

“You project your feelings on to other people. Even when they’re not who the feelings are directed at.” You shrugged at his surprised expression. “That’s what you were doing earlier, wasn’t it?”

“I wasn’t mad at any of you,” he said finally, sighing to himself. He brushed some of the hair out his eyes. “There’s just—other things I’m dealing with right now.”

You wanted to feel for him, and deep down, you probably did. But you didn’t want to let people off for being cruel just because they thought they were allowed to. You didn’t want to do that anymore. “That’s not an excuse to be mean.”

“I know.” At least, he had the decency to sound like he meant it. He didn’t meet your eyes as he went on, instead glancing at his feet. “Sorry about what I said to you.”

Suddenly, Yoongi wasn’t the only one who felt awkward with apologies. You forced something in between a scoff and a laugh. “Please, it’s not like you hurt my feelings or something.”

“I didn’t think so. But you probably wanted to hear it, didn’t you?” He narrowed his eyes, smirking a little as he saw your expression. “Don’t even deny it.”

You rolled your eyes, folding your arms over your chest. “Yes, Yoongi. Thank you for stroking my ego with a half decent apology.”

His expression actually became slightly incredulous and offended. “Half decent? I had to ask Namjoon how to do it.”

Raising your eyebrows partly from surprise and partly because that was the first time you’d heard of anyone asking for instructions on how to apologize, you said, “So, you’ve already practiced this before, possibly more than once, and yet you’re still this unrehearsed?” 

“Okay, fuck off,” he scoffed. When you started to laugh, you were sure he was actually going to punch you. “I’m not good at talking to people. Sue me.”

“Well, I can’t for that,” you said with a shrug, the laughs gone but a smile still lingering. You grabbed on to one of the swings, settling into it. “It would be too hypocritical.”

“What, you?” Yoongi said with skepticism. He followed your actions, taking the empty swing beside you. “Please, you're Sky’s favourite girl. You don’t even have to try, and people will fall at your feet.”

It was funny how easily moods could go from amused to sour. “Everyone keeps saying that,” you said under your breath.

“What?”

“It’s not like that.” Shaking your head, you tucked some loose hairs from your ponytail behind your ears. “Not anymore, at least. Everyone keeps imagining this past version of me, but present me is someone else, and I—I’m so confused which one I am or I’m supposed to be.”

It had to be something in the air, you told yourself, that was making you open up this. It had to be, because you didn’t randomly just burst out with your thoughts. Or maybe it was the fact that you’d already talked to Yoongi about serious things once. Because he seemed like someone who wouldn’t make fun of you or be condescending. He seemed like someone who could try and relate.

“Well, which one do you like more?” he asked after a second.

At first, the question took you by surprise, because no one had ever asked you anything like it. But you knew the answer without having to think. “Neither.”

“Why?”

Because they’re either fake or distorted beyond recognition. “I don’t know.”

The swing continued to move without you controlling it, and could feel his hooded gaze on you, both calculating and curious. “Why were you in the middle of the highway?”

“What?”

“The night we all met at the river. What were you doing?”

“I don’t have a death wish,” you said darkly as soon as you sensed the undertones in his voice. The same undertones everyone at Sky, including people who’d been your friends, had shown to you the previous year.

Yoongi didn’t argue with you. His swing wasn’t moving anymore, so he sat there patiently, hands still folded in his pockets. “Then what were you doing? And don’t say you don’t know.”

“I was thinking,” you answered finally.

His mouth quirked up slightly. “Only for you would something so normal actually become dangerous.”

The glance you cast at him was part affronted. “What does that mean?”

With a sigh, he shook his head. “It means don’t hate yourself because you think everyone around you does.”

You glanced at him a little surprised. “How straightforward.” 

But it wasn’t quite exactly that. It wasn’t that you hated yourself in a pitying way, or that made you want sympathy from other people. It just felt like there was something like poison rooted in the back of your mind, the tiniest drop that was touching every other part of you. At least then you could tell yourself that there was a reason for everything bad that had come your way, even if it meant it was your own fault.  

“But true. Not everyone hates you, Y/N.”

In the back of your mind, you realized it was one of the rare times he actually said your name. “You don’t?”

“I apologized to you, didn’t I?” he said as though it answered the question.

“But you never did? Not even before?”

He shrugged, as though the answer wasn’t as important to him as it was to you. “I didn’t know you enough to hate you. And neither does anyone else.”

You didn’t say anything at first, letting the creaking of the swings’ chains fill the empty space instead. “I thought you said you didn’t care. About any of this.”

He sighed, like you were a child who had too many questions that he didn’t want to deal with. “Back to this, are we?”

As you turned your head to look at him, you narrowed your eyes a little. “You know, you’re really good at diverting, too.”

While throwing a grin at you, he said, “Thanks, I’ve had a lot of practice.”

But you knew that him trying to divert from the topic wasn’t because it was a bore to him. You’d spent a lot of time pretending to care about things yourself. Somehow, you could tell the difference even now. “You do care,” you said again. “At least a little. Or you wouldn’t have been there at the river with the rest of us.” You wouldn’t have pushed me out of the way of that car.

“Believe what you want, princess,” Yoongi said with another eye roll. 

This time, you chose to ignore the nickname, and instead, you grinned at him cheekily, pushing your swing further. “You know what? I’m going to get you to admit it.”

He scoffed lightheartedly, in a way that told you this was amusing to him, and looked at you still swinging. “Don’t hurt yourself trying.”

“Some day,” you emphasized. “You’re going to admit that you care. That Min Yoongi has a heart after all, and it’s so big and capable of— wait, where are you going?"

“To find somewhere this conversation won’t follow me.”

As he got up from the swing and started walking out of the sand box, you were watching him only with the faintest incredulous expression. “You’re hilarious.”

chapter vi // chapter viii (coming soon)

[honeydots]

174 for the persona topic of ur choice [big eye emojis]

“I don’t owe you a damn thing”

Summary: A week after the announcement of Akira’s death, a certain Goro Akechi walks into the café, leaving Akira with limited options and an exciting new high. 

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(ao3 link)

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Sojiro left to get cigarettes. 

The café was quiet as usual. Akira tried to eat his curry as slowly as he could, savoring each bite like it was his last. His days were slow now, and tense. Eating was one way to fill up his time. Chew, swallow, repeat. Chew, swallow, don’t think about the yellow bruise on his jaw and how it aches when he bites, repeat. 

Morgana lounged on the counter next to him. Akira would sometimes offer his spoon and let him lick off the remains. It felt normal, and it felt safe. Safe enough that he could take off his stuffy hood in there, confident that there was no one to hide his face from. 

The announcement of his death had been just over a week ago. Thinking about it gave him a high, a tingling buzz in the back of his head. Another way to keep himself entertained during long mornings. He was buffered and bruised, but still up and kicking. It was easy to remember how hard his heart pounded, and how each pulse fueled his ego a bit more. He had been scared out of his mind, and that was just where the thrill lied. 

But the highs would come down and the excitement would leave, and he would be left sitting in a café, laying low and silent. His only job now was to heal and prepare himself for their next battle. Which, as fun as a rush of adrenaline could be, was nice in itself. He could relax a while, switch himself onto a lower setting. 

The door chimed, and Akira figured it must’ve been Sojiro back from his errands. He turned to nod a greeting. But, with a surprised spurt from Morgana he froze in his seat, faced with the walking and talking front of who he was supposed to be hiding from.

Goro Akechi stood at the door frame with a neutral expression as he scanned Leblanc up and down. Jacket done up neatly, gloves pulled on, he looked just as unbothered as he would when he’d made a habit of coming over before November. 

Akira felt every muscle in his body tense. He’d let his guard down and was about to pay for it. His mind was moving a million miles a minute. He wondered if he could escape him. That, or he could go on the offence. Tie up Akechi and gag him, call the thieves and figure something out together. Though that wouldn’t be so easy, especially since he could have a gun on him. The thought gave him goosebumps. 

Akechi looked him in the eyes, and Akira got ready to run. This was it. If he reached for his pockets, Akira could duck down and dodge, shove a chair in his way and run upstairs to the window. If he tried to jump him plain and simple, Akira could strike first, and maybe have Morgana make a swipe at his face. He could do this. He could do this. 

But Akechi did not reach for his gun. Nor did he take a step. In fact, he hardly moved at all, aside from his expression easing into something calm.  

“Ah, good. I was worried you might be sleeping,” he said, instead of,  “This is it, Kurusu! Time to die!” like Akira thought he would. 

Akira stared at him. Had Akechi known he’d be here? Had he known he was alive? He gulped and kept himself tense, trying to steady his breathing. He couldn’t get distracted here— if he missed something it could mean game over. 

“Akechi,” Morgana sneered, his hackles beginning to raise. Akira barely spared him a glance. He idly hoped that at least he’d be able to get out safe. He could alert everyone else. That was, if Futaba wasn’t already listening in on their conversation. 

He could feel Morgana’s animosity from where he sat. Akira knew he was thinking about protecting him, but he wished he wouldn’t. One of them had to get out of here unscathed; everyone was going to be in danger unless they did something. Akira could feel sweat beading on his forehead. 

Akechi, on the other hand, seemed entirely unbothered. Shoulders lax, soft breaths. Akira had to fight feeling assured to his presence. He couldn’t afford to lose himself relaxing into his company. Not now. 

“That’s quite the tone you’re taking with me,” Akechi sighed, shrugging. “Though, I’m not really surprised. I wouldn’t expect most to place their faith in me again.” 

That was a peculiar line. At least it might’ve been. Akira hoped he wasn’t reading too deeply into his actions, but there was something about him right now. He wasn’t acting hostile, or even angry. It wasn’t like he was trusting him, but the whole atmosphere was off. 

Akira felt his phone buzz several times in succession. He assumed that was Futaba. She’d probably picked up on Akechi being in the café. That was a relieving safety net. He couldn’t pick up now, though. His full attention remained on his personal headsman. 

Akechi walked a few steps towards them. Akira maintained a very watchful eye, but didn’t try to make a run for it. His gut told him that this was the best move for now. He adjusted a bit in his seat, staying prepared to jump if he needed to. 

But somehow, he was getting the feeling he wouldn’t. Akechi seemed relieved. Akira didn’t know what to make of it. 

He looked Akira up and down, keeping that easy expression on his face. “At least you’re healing well. Not to say a ragged look isn’t befitting of you.” 

Akira raised his eyebrows. In any other situation, he would’ve cooed back something snarky. But his mind was focused on trying to understand what he’d just meant. The pit in his stomach was diminishing with every word. What was going on? Why was he being so friendly? 

Morgana beat him to asking. He clicked his tongue.

“What’s your game here, you traitor.” 

Akechi’s expression didn’t falter. He hardly missed a beat. “My, is my visit really so unexpected? How peculiar. I presume you did explain to everyone, Akira-kun?” 

No, he had not explained to everyone because Akira, undoubtedly, had no goddamn clue what was going on. This was the first time he had seen him in person since the palace. He hadn’t even tried to communicate with him, lest he get arrested and shot for real this time. There was absolutely no piece of conversation Akira had been able to catch onto. 

But instead of expressing any of that, he said “Yup,” and added, “Morgana’s just a little testy right now,” as an afterthought. 

“Wha—” Morgana stuttered, not hopping on to Akira’s new and very quickly improvised plan of  “well, might as well see where this goes.” If Akechi wasn’t shooting up Leblanc, then what could the harm be? He ignored the dam in the back of his mind keeping back all the certainly harmful ideas.

Akira acted like he didn’t hear Morgana, and tried to adopt a more relaxed pose. He hoped he’d realize, but if he didn’t, that would be okay too. Morgana was easy to play off, and Akira was nothing if not intrigued. 

His phone buzzed again. A little more fanatically. Sorry, Futaba. Right now wouldn’t be the best time to yank it out and explain himself. She’d need to hold on a little longer. 

Akechi grinned, looking satisfied. Akira considered that a big plus in the bullshitting direction.

“I see. Perhaps I’m on edge, too. Though really, with all the hoops I’ve jumped through for you, can you blame me? I’ve done a bit more than lounge around as a café pet.” 

Morgana’s tail shot straight up. “Don’t call me a pet!” 

Akechi chuckled, and Akira smiled a bit. It was very familiar, and Akira had to remember not to sink into the feeling. He tried to keep his head up and ready, since this could still be an elaborate scheme on Akechi’s part, but he’d already missed this. He’d already missed him. It wasn’t going to be easy to fight him again, if it came down to it. 

Akechi leaned down to Akira’s level. Akira, in turn, propped his chin up on his fist. Performative, but natural. It made Akechi’s grin spread wider. 

“I’d like to speak with you privately, if you don’t mind?” Akechi said, syrupy and smooth.

Akira knew one thing for sure. Agreeing to this would be a very, very bad idea. Whatever trick Akechi had up his sleeve was a card none of them had seen before, and one that no one had anticipated. 

But there was something weird going on. There were better and more efficient methods of going out for Akira’s head than this. Akechi didn’t seem like the type to bother with small talk, especially not after he’d already tried to kill him once. His motives were already known, so there was unquestionably something up. 

And Akira couldn’t deny how excited he was getting, either.

“Sure,” he said, earning himself a pointed look from Morgana and another flurry of texts. He ignored them both in favor of his swelling suspicions. He decided he would take this as far as it could go. Who knows, this could save their necks, even. 

Akechi stepped back a bit. “Then lead the way.” 

Akira scooted out of his chair and rolled his shoulders back. Morgana was looking back and forth between them frantically. 

“Wait, what? Where’re you going?” Morgana stammered, his tail now flicking nervously. “You’re gonna go with him? Alone?” 

Akira tried to give him a confident look, that he knew was probably not going to do Morgana any favors. “Watch the café for me.” 

“Huh!?” 

The two of them walked upstairs, leaving Morgana to fend for the café himself. Akira did feel bad, but it wasn’t like he could sit him down and explain his plan (that “plan” being basically nonexistent anyway) with Akechi around. It might be easier to do this on his own, too. Akechi was notoriously difficult to figure out, and he’d need to be on the lookout for any stray hint he could get. 

Akira sat down on the foot of his bed and, to his surprise, Akechi joined him there. They were shoulder to shoulder, though not quite touching. Akechi tended to keep his distance, so if there were any concrete indicators that he was acting up right now, this was one.

Akechi set his briefcase down in front of them. He gave way a long exhale, and Akira could literally watch the tension leave his shoulders. It was nice to see if he was being honest. 

They were silent for a little while. It was almost a nervous quiet, but not in a jarring way. It was light and anticipating. An all around pleasing mood, which made it hard for Akira to stay on his toes. 

“I appreciate you putting up with my antics,” Akechi started, breaking their shared silence. He didn’t meet his eyes. “But you can imagine this hasn’t been the easiest cover up.” 

Akira didn’t reply. He needed to know more before he tried to make a counter. Akechi was smart and observant, and Akira knew that if he slipped up that this could turn sour. Though, that was a sound start. More confirmation that Akechi for whatever reason did not think Akira had died.

He continued. “I didn’t think you’d listen when I asked you to keep from contacting me. Though I’m glad you did, because I think there’s a chance I’ve been hacked.” 

Akira almost flinched, thinking about how that hacking was definitely the work of Futaba. He was surprised Akechi had noticed. Though, he’d probably argue something among the lines of you can never be too thorough, to which Akira would laugh in his face, him being the biggest loose end that had ever escaped his grasp. 

He thought more on the first half of his spiel. Akechi had, allegedly, asked him to do something. He wracked his brain for any memory of a conversation they’d had like that. Akira was prone to hanging on to their interactions. It seemed really unlikely that he would miss something so important. And even while he’d been drugged in the interrogation room, he had been more than aware enough to remember that Akechi had never paid him a visit. The only “Akira” Akechi had seen was his cognitive form. 

That train of thought caught Akira’s attention. His cognitive form?

Akechi carried on undisturbed. “That’s why I didn’t text you before I came, by the way. I’ve been too busy to get it checked out. And your identity being revealed is too big of a risk for the both of us.” 

Akira was hardly listening. He thought he might be onto something. If their plan had gone accordingly, then the last time Akira had seen Akechi was in the palace. But the last time Akechi saw, or thought he saw Akira, was in the interrogation room. 

“I understand that I’m the reason you ended up in that situation, but you know we can use this position to our advantage, don’t you?” 

Which meant, whatever last interaction Akechi remembered he had with Akira was actually with the cognitive form of him in Sae Nijiima’s cognition. 

“We probably share a similar goal now, anyway. Though, don’t think I’m going to change my stance just like that. I have a way I plan to go about things.” 

Akechi should’ve killed that cognitive form of Akira. But there could be a chance that wasn’t the case, no matter how small. And if that was so, then… 

“I am willing to make a sort of compromise with you. But, compromise means both sides are satisfied, so you must also let me have my own leeway.” 

What had the cognitive Akira done with Akechi that Akira didn’t know about?

“...Akira-kun? Are you alright?” 

Akira jolted. He looked at Akechi straight in the eye. What had he been saying? He’d gotten too lost in his own thoughts. 

Akira blinked a couple times. Yes, he was fine. Start there. 

“Uh, yeah,” he said, which only made Akechi look more suspicious. Okay, shit. He needed a reason why he’d been spacing out. “No, I am, it's just… um. It’s nice to see you again, is all.” 

Which wasn’t a lie. He was very happy Akechi was here with him. Nothing had stung more than his betrayal. The idea that they’d found a way to come to an understanding was fantastic. But that was like a single match in a dark tunnel. Figuring out his cognitive form had done something to convince Akechi to (...probably?) not kill him was great; but making this work was going to take more effort than that. 

His reply got more of a reaction out of Akechi than expected. It made him gulp and look down at his hands. 

“Ah, well. Yes, it’s good to see you too. I must say it was a relief to see you had made it out just fine. Not that I expected any less.” 

He was fiddling with his fingers a bit. Akira fixated onto the motion. A nervous habit? Why was he nervous? He’d never really seen him like this before. Which could mean, maybe, his cognitive form had? 

Okay, he was not about to be jealous of a cognition of himself. He didn’t even know what he’d done in there. Jumping to conclusions was the wrong way of going about this. 

He tried thinking about what he’d told Sae-san, but that night had gone by in a haze. He must’ve given off some sort of impression to her that made the cognition figure out a way to dispel Akechi’s attempted murder. Maybe it would be better to think what he might say while on a load of drugs. 

Not... an encouraging thought. He could’ve said almost anything if that was the standard. Had he convinced her that he was a stellar conman? Or, like, a ninja? If he made it out of this interaction alive and well he’d have to give her a call. Maybe it would be a little awkward, but he’d done worse. 

It was still silent between the two of them. Okay, new goal. Akira only needed to last long enough that he could excuse himself to use the phone. The way this was going, he would probably be fine. Akechi mentioned he was busy, so he’d probably be on his way soon anyway. 

Akechi sighed and tucked his arms into himself, making no moves to give up his spot. Akira wondered if he could bring up work or something to get him to go. He felt bad forcing him out, but hurt feelings didn’t matter much when it was his life on the line. Though he looked kind of… delicate (was that the right word? He didn’t know. Less stable than usual, maybe. Not to say he usually gave off emotionally steady vibes) at the moment. Maybe he could make him lunch or something to make up for it. Assuming they’d get that far. 

Before Akira could try and really nicely kick him out, Akechi filled the silence again.

“I know this is presumptuous of me to say, but perhaps have you not picked up on my motive for making myself known to you?” 

How many times could Akira think ah, shit today? Yup, you guessed it Akechi, Akira had absolutely no idea why he had come to Leblanc. He couldn’t exactly just say that. Especially since Akechi seemed almost fragile (was that the right word? Eh.) right now. Like the question had some hidden meaning. He’d always been one for games, but this was a different side to Akechi. 

“What do you mean?” Akira asked, deciding that this was the most ambiguous answer he could give. He leaned forward onto his knees, and it made Akechi tense up. 

He looked away. “Don't get any ideas. I simply need to understand your… stance on the matter, first.” 

His tone was conflicted (was it? Fuck. Words, Akira, find the right ones). And he’d swear up and down his ears were pink. That was new. Not conflicting, though. 

“You wanna tell me yours first, detective?” Akira grinned. Maybe teasing was the way to go. Nothing unnatural about it; he had joked with him all the time before. He hoped his confidence would outshine his being utterly clueless.  

“I’d rather your opinion, actually,” said Akechi, the pink tinting his cheeks now. “Do not tell me I came all this way for nothing.” 

He was as difficult as ever. Not that Akira minded. He wondered how far he could push it. 

“You know, I was pretty drugged up. I might need a little hint, here.” 

Akechi turned and glared at him. “Whatever enjoyment you’re getting out of this isn’t going to last.” 

It had always proved pretty amusing to poke fun at him. Akira really had missed their bits of banter. He still remembered feeling so low whenever he thought about where they’d been headed. Akira was pleased to know he’d been a little right, and a little wrong. Right enough for the thrill, wrong enough for the aftermath. 

“I mean it. I have no idea where we left off,” he said, making his tone something baited. He knew he wouldn’t get away with it, but it was always worth a try. 

Akechi narrowed his eyes further. “You know I don’t trust you.” 

“I don’t trust you either,” Akira replied with a cool head. “Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?” 

Akechi smirked. “I don’t owe you a damn thing.” 

Akira sat back up. Had anyone ever gotten anywhere without a little playful prying? “You’re not getting an answer out of me unless I get something to work with.” 

A short moment of silence hung. Akechi must’ve been considering (considering felt close. It was on the tip of his tongue) something. They were staring at each other. Before this, Akira had barely noticed how deeply red Akechi’s eyes were. He could tell something was going on behind them, processing (maybe?), evaluating (he was always doing that, though), thinking. 

“You are the worst kind of tease, you know,” he said. 

And then his lips were on Akira’s. 

Oh. 

(Okay.) 

 Goddamn. 

Akira was the type who prided himself on quick thinking. He could be up on his feet in no time, ready to pounce at a moment's notice. So now, while his mind froze at temperatures below sub zero, his body was more than happy to return the kiss, keeping only his last remaining pieces of competence shining loud and proud. 

Had he expected a kiss? No. Not at all. 

Was he upset about it? Also no. 

They broke apart for a moment, and Akira tried very hard not to let his shock show. When Akechi’s eyes lightly opened, they must’ve been pleased with whatever they saw, because a coy grin spread across his face. And what could’ve been some relief, too. 

“Satisfied, now?” he asked. 

Akira was left with two options (well, not really, but he pretended that was the case): One, was to tell Akechi there must’ve been a misunderstanding and that, boy, he sure was glad Akechi hadn’t murdered him, and just maybe they could work all this out over a cup of coffee. Go downstairs and talk through this, no guns or knives, just two boys and a cat and some curry, too. Hey Akechi, no hard feelings, but not this time around, buddy. 

Or, there was the ever present option two:  

“Not yet,” Akira hummed, and leaned back in for another. 

It was longer, and deeper this time. Akira pushed further, ignoring the adamant pain in his jaw from his bruise. Akechi squirmed underneath him in surprise. They started slow and easy. Akira turned and put one hand on Akechi’s waist. For a moment Akechi’s hands were nowhere, before settling on the back of Akira’s neck, tentative but secure. 

Akira decided that he’d forget about what his cognitive form may or may not have done for now. He was going to keep enjoying this. There was an inkling telling him this was probably his sought after answer, given Akechi’s welcoming reaction. How his cognitive self achieved this would be a mystery forever, but man, what a guy the version of himself in Sae-san’s head was. Atta boy. 

It did occur to Akira that the phone call he’d planned to give her might’ve turned out more

than uncomfortable. A smooch or two with Akechi was a much better method to figuring this out, among other things. He wondered if it would be inappropriate to thank her. Probably. 

He pushed again, but this time was met with some force. They were leaning into each other now, already breathing heavy and taking whatever pauses they could to gasp for breath. Akira slid his hand higher onto Akechi’s side, and with a tug he grabbed a fistful of his jacket to pull him in closer. Akechi’s fingers stayed pressed into the nape of Akira’s neck, but every so often would climb a bit higher towards his hair. 

Akira put one hand on Akechi’s chest and pulled them apart for a moment. Akechi looked confused, and a bit concerned when Akira took the second to massage his jaw with his other hand. But as he applied force onto Akechi, he got the picture and started to lay down, and even loosened his tie. Akira swung his leg over his body, straddling him and earning a quiet, “Oh,” before planting his forearms over Akechi’s head and closing the space between them. 

Akechi’s hands looped around Akira’s arms, and ended up taking their place back in his hair, getting wrapped and tangled in the curls. It was heavier now, and hotter, as they moved in sync and melted deeper into each other. 

Akira had no idea how much time passed. He stayed there in the moment, blissfully at a loss but unarguably having one of the best afternoons he could’ve asked for. 

But then, of course, rang a voice so shrill and so loud, he realized it was possible this hadn’t really been the time.

“HUH!?” 

Morgana sounded completely exasperated. He was standing on the top of the stairs, eyes wide and his mouth hung open. Entirely still. He must’ve gotten worried about Akira having been up here with Akechi for so long without so much as a word. 

The three of them stared at each other in silence. No one made a move. Morgana was obviously processing something he didn’t know how to understand. Akira felt a little nervous to look down and see whatever expression Akechi was making. If murder hadn’t been going through his head before, it surely was now. 

Morgana stumbled. “What’re you— you’re— Akira…?” 

Akira was going to once again try and flex his bullshitting mastery, but instead Akechi very loudly cleared his throat, and lightly shoved Akira back until he could sit upright. 

“I, ah, really should be getting back, anyway,” he said, fixing his tie while Akira finished awkwardly climbing off of him. “I wasn’t joking when I told you I was busy, after all.” 

His voice was stable and clear, but he was flushed pink and refusing to make any sort of eye contact. Akira decided not to comment, at least not while Morgana was still here. His poor cat seemed a little traumatized as it was; he didn’t need to witness any witty flirting. 

That wasn't the finisher, though. No end in sight for Akira’s day of twists and turns. A few moments later none other than Futaba bursted upstairs, out of breath and with a wild look in her eyes. It occurred to him that he shouldn’t have totally ignored her texts. 

“Is everyone still alive!” she shouted, arms wide in front of her. She glanced between the group, and relaxed her pose when she saw the very mundane-looking scene in front of her. Thank god Akira wasn’t on top of Akechi anymore. Morgana seeing was one thing, Futaba was another. He didn’t even want to think about what Sojiro would do if he found out Akira had made Futaba witness teenage hormones at their finest. 

She slumped down and looked at Morgana. “What the heck, Mona,” she sighed, looking a little embarrassed. “What’d you scream for? I got all worried.” 

Morgana tried to justify himself. “Because of them! They were…” he trailed off. He was acting so sheepish. It occurred to Akira he may not actually know the word to describe what he’d just witnessed. He almost snorted, but had enough tact to realize that wouldn’t be so proper at the moment. He could laugh about it later. 

“‘They were’ what?” Futaba asked, turning and leering at the pair. Akechi was flattening his hair a little, and Akira was trying to remain as stone faced as possible. She scowled.

Akira felt like he could see the gears turning in her head, which was a bad sign. More of an awkward sign, really, because Akira didn’t actually care much if they knew. He was gonna tell them a slightly modified version of the story after he’d finished, anyway. 

Akechi, on the other hand, seemed like he absolutely would mind if this all unfurled in front of him. He stood up just a little too quickly to be casual, and straightened his jacket. 

“I’d ought to go now, then. Thank you for having me,” he said, adjusting his gloves. He picked up his briefcase and made his way for the exit, fast paced and wide steps. Akira watched him with entertainment, and Futaba’s eyes followed him every step of the way. 

He stopped in front of the staircase, and waited there for a moment. Akira wondered what he was gonna do. His mind worked in very particular ways, and Akira was surely interested in such a flustered (hm. Maybe that was it) version. 

He turned back and faced him head on. “I’ll come again. I’d argue that didn’t quite serve as a suitable answer.” 

Futaba’s eyes darted between them. “What do you mean ‘answer,’” she said, furrowing her eyebrows a little more as she tried harder to connect the dots. 

Akira nodded in reply, and Akechi smiled something sweet, but just about devious, too. He walked out of view without another word, and the room was silent until the chime of the door opening and closing signaled his exit. 

Futaba did not waste a second. She zipped over to Akira, followed closely behind by Morgana, who leapt onto the bed. 

Futaba squatted down. “Okay, Akira. First of all, what. And then second of all, hey, what.”

Akira wasn’t exactly sure what to reply. Hot damn, while appropriate, would probably not exactly satisfy Futaba. More than anything he’d probably gross her out. And spark a million more questions. 

She must’ve been confused for a number of reasons, very much like Morgana, and like himself too. Ultimately, yeah, he had no idea why he’d just had a passionate make out session with Goro fucking Akechi, of all people. He admitted that it did go swimmingly, though. And he obviously wouldn’t say no to a round two. Or three. Honestly, why limit himself by putting a number on it. 

This was an unexpected turn of events, for sure, but definitely an advantageous one. Genuinely and acutely having Akechi on their side was not a problem at all. And occasionally steaming it up on his bed was, more than anything, an improvement to their previous relationship. Akira couldn't say he minded one bit. 

It was dangerous, too. He needed to give Sae-san a call still, no matter how weird it might turn out. And he had to let everyone else know that, for whatever reason, Akechi was willing to work with them, to at least some sort of extent. That Akechi was pretty mellow right now, and did not think for a second he’d gone through with the murder. 

Akira had to be doubtful of him. He didn’t have a choice in that. But he decided it was more than worth seeing where this would take him. Not to mention way more fun. 

Futaba sat staring at him with beady eyes from the floor. Morgana looked no less shaken than before, but was waiting impatiently for Akira’s answer, too. 

There was really no use lying. 

“Well,” Akira started, shrugging his shoulders and feeling just a bit greedy. “I think I have a boyfriend now.” 

[charlthotte]

Breaking Through the Iron Wall - Aone Takanobu x Reader

Chapter 5

The night before, I had checked multiple times that my alarm would ring at a rather early time - not wanting to repeat the situation of the latter day. After doing all my morning rituals at a normal pace that time, but not bothering with niceties, seeing as though everyone saw my normal face yesterday. Though my hair was a bit more out of place, probably due to all of the running I did yesterday, however, no one would notice except me. Curly hair was just curly hair to them.

Heading downstairs, a rather strange sight was bestowed upon me - my parents sat at the table together and engaging in conversation for once. My father wasn't very happy about the move - his tailoring business gained a lot more profit and customers back home, and here, customers were a rare sight to see. Usually now, breakfast was just take what you want and go, today an actual meal lay across the table. Soon, my parents took notice of me and beckoned for me to sit down with them. After taking my seat they soon engaged me in conversation. "Morning (Y/N), how was yesterday?" My mother inquired, her hands wrapped around a mug of tea.

"Pretty normal" I responded, "Besides the fact that there was a little mishap with the train."

"I heard about that, did you get to school on time?" My mother leered over the edge of her glasses - punctuality was a big thing for her.

"Just about, if only by a moment. It didn't cause any trouble though."

"Good." My mother curtly replied. I didn't want to know how she'd react if trouble had ensued.

"Enough of that, have you met any new people?" My dad sparked up, trying to liven up the atmosphere.

"Yeah... I guess I've met about 5 people."

"Elaborate." My mother said, peering over her glasses again.

"Well I met two girls called Hiroko and Rea in physical education. I met someone in social studies called... Futakuchi." I paused before saying his name - talking about him wasn't a very pleasant feeling. "I also met the volleyball captain and then someone on the train called Aone."

"It's nice to know you're getting along with people!" My dad cheerily smiled at me, the exact opposite to my mother's expression.

"You know (Y/N), you shouldn't be calling your acquaintances by their first names - they may think you to be immature and disrespectful."

My head sank, of course she'd think to say something like that. "I'm sorry, it's just that they told me to call them by their given names."

"Don't do that with anyone else." She scowled, always having to poke the fun out of every conversation. I immediately tucked into my breakfast - not wanting to talk to her anymore. After all, she'd only ever say negative things to me.

I checked my bag, making sure everything was packed, and so I stepped out of my house, not waving my parents goodbye. Sometimes I wondered how my dad put up with her. The walk down to the station was peaceful, in great contrast to the sprint of yesterday - finally getting the time to admire the scenery of the street surrounding me. A beautiful scent wafted towards me from the bakery - making my stomach churn for its deliciousness, even though I had just eaten. But I couldn't dare veer away from my path in pure fear of being late again. My feet carried me closer and closer to the train, until the point where I was already inside it. Finally giving me a rush of relief. 

Once again, Aone was sat by himself in the exact same seat as yesterday, almost as if he owned it - like some sort of territory. Upon seeing his face - I smiled and cheerily waved my hand. In return, the left side of his lip curled up in his subtle smile. Almost skipping, I made my way over to him. That whole time - his little smile never left his face, it was so tiny, hardly noticeable and that's why I found it kind of adorable. It was as if he was not letting anyone see his smile besides me - truly endearing. As soon as I took my place beside him, I dug through my bag for my book. This time opening to the page detailing the lavender flower. 

This flower was given as a sign of distrust, contrasting its beautiful being. Lavender was a common scent in every aromatic product, as it was known to relax and put people to sleep easier. Perhaps that was why its meaning was so contradictory, if the recipient did not know the meaning behind the flower - they would have no clue that the giver did not harbour any trust for them. Truly deceiving, therefore making it the flower of maltrust.

Just like yesterday, I made sure to turn the page slowly, so that Aone could read alongside me. It was strange that a man I had only met 24 hours ago was now reading alongside me, just like friends who knew each other inside out. Aone and myself were not like that at all, he had spoken only two words to me - his name. Yet, we sat next to each other in silence, as if there was nothing left in the world for us to talk about. The truth was far from that - we had yet to talk about everything, even the littlest of trivial things. I wondered if we'd always stay like that - side by side in silence.

We stayed reading for the remainder of the train ride. After it had arrived at its destination, I once again hesitated to move until everyone else had began to exit the carriage, I then hurled my bag over my shoulder and stepped outside once more. I felt I needed to tell someone about my big decision. "Hey Aone." His head sharply turned towards me, "I've made a decision about being your manager... And I'm going to do it.”

The left side of his lip began to curl up more than it had before.

"I know I may not know anything about the sport, but I'll try. And if you don't like me being there you can always tell me and I'll stop." I rambled, starting to become flustered about the situation again. Aone shook his head and placed his hand delicately upon my shoulder.

"It's okay." He spoke in a deep and comforting tone, trying to calm me down, assuring me that the decision I had made was the correct one. It worked, the simple gesture he made stabilised my mind.

"Thank you." My eyes shifted towards his, gratitude shining from them. The simple words he spoke had just brightened my day. In return, he nodded his head. The rest of the journey to school was silent, but it was a pleasant silence - just enjoying each other's company. 

Silence stayed present until we reached the volleyball gym, even though it was before school started, the majority of the team was gathered there, and of course - so was Futakuchi. His snarky smile arose as he saw me standing at the entrance. "Has their highness made their decision yet?"

"Yes." I bluntly replied, it was too early for his antics.

"And what would that decision be?" While saying that, he put his face rather close to mine - perhaps trying his hopeless intimidation tactics again.

"I'm going to be the manager, if you'd let me."

Futakuchi then started jumping around, acting like and elated child hearing exciting news. "Isn't that just great! I am so looking forward for their highness joining us. The news is music to my ears." He flailed his arms around randomly.

"Can it, Futakuchi." Moniwa shouted from across the gym, coming towards him - hopefully to clip him around the back of the head. "Oh hey, (L/N). You decided anything yet?"

"Yes..." I paused for a second, taking in a deep breath, "I would like to be your manager."

"Oh, that's great. I think it's time for you to meet everyone then." He then whistled, signalling the rest of the team to gather. Once they did, he began introductions. "Everyone this is our new manager, (L/N) (Y/N). She is starting as of today." The rest of the team bowed at me - quite the reception. The captain spoke again, "Number one is our vice captain and middle blocker - Kamasaki Yasushi. Number two is myself. Number three is our wing spiker - Sasaya Takehito. Number six is another wing spiker - Futakuchi Kenji. You've already met Aone, the crucial centre of our iron wall. Number twelve and thirteen are a wing spiker and libero respectively - Obara Yutaka and Sakunami Kosuke. There are other people here who are not officially on the team yet." He gestured over to a group of what looked like first years.

"Nice to meet you all." I bowed at them, feeling seriously overpowered by their presences. I was pretty sure that, that feeling would stay sewn into me for a while.

[cottage-babe]

Burning Scars part VII

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Masterlist

not me studying ATLA maps when i should be studying for school oml

Summary: Y/n, a werewolf from a hidden village, comes across Zuko and Iroh after being exiled. How has fate intertwined the wolf into the avatar’s destiny? 

MENTIONS OF BLOOD

*****this chapter takes place at Season 2 Episode 12*****

___

Oh boy... this is so rough.

It was quite crazy how everything could tumble down hill so quickly. 

After the teen’s fight at the Misty Palms Oasis, Y/n and Zuko refused to talk to one another. It was a constant, petty competition between them; waiting to see who would crack first. It was astonishing how Iroh managed to keep himself collected when the two children he looked over were in a silent battle. 

Iroh’s club had (thankfully) fetched the trio’s Ostrich-Horses from the stables and collected all of their things. After saying their thanks to the White Lotus, they hopped onto the saddles of their rides and set off toward their next town; Ba Sing Se. 

Y/n refused to share seats with Zuko as she had previously and tried to convince Iroh to see her point of view. The uncle had shut-down her idea at first, but when noticing her ‘persistence,’ he agreed and let her ride on the back of his saddle. ‘Persistence,’ of course, being her threats of walking beside them and slowing down their estimated week-long trip. Ahh, the power of time. 

They had wanted to go straight through the desert to save the days that it would take them to go around it, but the citizens of the desert advised against it. The Wi Shong Desert was impossible to cross. It would be unbearably hot, their water would disappear quickly, and it was easy to get lost when your surrounded by identical mounds of sand. Not wanting to take a chance, the trio followed the directions and traveled the edge of the taunting desert. 

This new path was preferred by Y/n, as she didn’t have the appropriate coverings for the heat like the two men did. They were returning to the same terrain that they were in before, the foresty-rocky one. The werewolf was definitely more comfortable with this change. 

The days passed slowly. 

Iroh and Y/n talked a bit, but not as much as they had before. Of course, it wasn’t like they were mad at each other or anything, it was just that the tension between the two teens were still present and it made things... awkward. The werewolf didn’t want Zuko to hear her talk about things because it might give him the impression that she grew comfortable with him again when she 100% was not. Zuko never talked much, but now there was an ever-present scowl embedded on his face. It wasn’t a pretty sight. 

When night came, the tension was even worse. They would sit, eat, drink, all in silence. Iroh, being the wonderful person that he was, tried to chisel at the quiet, but either neither would answer or one would release a snarky comment. 

After the first couple of days, Y/n’s anger and annoyance had eased slightly. She wasn’t even mad at him anymore for what he had done, the only thing that continued to irk her was the fact that he never apologized. He never admitted that he was wrong or that he understood her reaction. Zuko just continued on with the trip acting like she was in the wrong. 

There was one night in particular that set her off once again. 

They were unpacking the food that they had; the supply was dwindling. Of course, the trio had enough to last them the entire trip, but the sight of their food becoming so minimal was affecting their morals. At least, it was for Zuko. 

The boy made it his very job to complain about their supply almost every second. Iroh and Y/n learned to tune out his whines and pouts, but then he said something that triggered her anger. 

The werewolf couldn’t even fully remember the words that he said, but the idea still lingered in her mind.

“Maybe we should quit wasting our food on dead-weight like Y/n.”

She honestly could’ve just let it go like she had done with everything else he had said. Perhaps it was the traveling that lowered her tolerance, but those words set her off the edge. 

Y/n had stood up from her seated position around the campfire and glared at Zuko. Then, she simply turned around and left. No words exited her mouth, no reassurance that she was coming back, absolutely nothing. Iroh had jumped up from his seat and asked her where she was going, but he didn’t receive an answer. Just the silent crunching of her feet on the dirt path and her silhouette disappearing into the trees.

It wasn’t until twenty minutes later that the girl returned.

Her appearance was shaggy; her clothes were obviously put on lazily and her hair was slightly messed up. The one thing that was most prominent, however, was the very dead rabbit resting in her grip. 

Blood was leaking from it into her hands and some of it was smeared on her face. She was still irritated as she skinned and cooked the animal across the fire; her glare piercing through the top of the flames straight into Zuko’s eyes. Y/n shared the meat with Iroh that night and he seemed glad to have some real food for once. 

She felt as though she earned some respect after that night. 

For the rest of the trip, Zuko didn’t complain as much. He didn’t say things that would purposely get on her nerves, he just remained silent. Not one word left him again. 

His silence really helped Y/n get the time she needed to think. She thought about those feeling that she had for him in the flower shop, but she couldn’t see herself as that person anymore; as that love-sick teenager. It’s not who she is, it never was. It must’ve been the vulnerability that Zuko offered her; she fell for the soft side of him, a side that isn’t Zuko. They both had let down their guard and look where it got them; not even on speaking terms. 

It was relieving when they made it to the boarding docks that would bring them to the gates of Ba Sing Se. They were at an underground place, a cave from the looks of it. There were many people formed in lines or waiting with their baggage beside them. All the way across the cove, there was a large wall stretched to each side. Y/n assumed that there was water hiding behind it. 

Before they entered the docks (Full Moon Bay, as Iroh had called it), the trio tied their Ostrich-Horses to some stables and gathered their things. While the boys put on their bags and such, Y/n stood in front of their rides. 

“Thank you,” she whispered and smoothed back both of their feathers. “You’ve done so much for us, I wish we could repay you.”

Their two steeds looked down at her with a look that showed their understanding of her words. But their expressions revealed something else too; like their was something she could do. She honestly didn’t know what it was, not until they began walking away from the stables. 

“So, are we going to be coming back? What’s gonna happen to the Ostrich-horses?” Y/n asked just as her eyes saw the interior of Full Moon Bay. 

Iroh shrugged his shoulders. “They will possibly be handed over to other travelers. We don’t have a use for them anymore; when someone goes to Ba Sing Se, they hardly ever leave.”

Y/n stopped walking as the words hit her. Quickly, she turned around and shouted to the duo about forgetting to get something. It wasn’t a great excuse, but she needed to do one last thing before she started her new life here.

She had talked to Iroh privately before they started on their trip to Ba Sing Se. He told her how Zuko and him were planning to stay there for a long time or at least until everything died down. Iroh gave her permission to leave whenever she wanted, but said that he and Zuko would love it if she stayed with them. Y/n, at the time, almost considered leaving because of the situation with the other teen in the group. She had spent a couple days thinking about it; about the pros and cons, the risks that she would be taking, etc. In the end, she decided that staying in the boy’s company could benefit her, especially if Ba Sing Se was as wonderful as everyone else made it out to be. If anything, she could leave their group when they made it inside the walls; if she really wanted to. 

But she still needed to do this one thing first.

Y/n ran back to the stables and looked for their animals. There were quite a few there, but she quickly found the ones that she had been riding for the last week. They seemed happy to see her and she felt the same toward them; she finally understood what they needed from her. 

The werewolf untied their straps and removed the saddles from their backs. 

Then, she brought them to the edge of the forest, away from traveler’s eyes. Without a word, Y/n let them go out into the wilderness, free of the restricting fabrics that the humans had put on them. They almost didn’t run at first, just staring at her with large eyes, but after a moment they walked into the trees and their silhouettes blended with the shadows. 

Y/n let out a sigh. She felt really good. 

Quickly, she ran back to the entrance of the Bay and met up with Iroh and Zuko. The uncle greeted her while the boy just ignored her presence and continued walking. They followed Iroh to one of the lines and waited, explaining that they needed to get their passports checked first. 

Y/n was pouting the entire time. She wasn’t used to waiting in long human lines; she didn’t see the point of it. Why didn’t they just get more people to look at their documents so everything would go by faster?

Both her travel buddies were silent the entire wait and she was fine with it. Y/n spent her time people-watching; something that she found herself doing quite often. She excused herself by saying that she needed to ‘study the human culture,’ but in reality she just found it interesting. There were so many types of people around; some with large amounts of luggage, big families, even a group of bald people wearing yellow and holding a stick! There were so many interesting characters here.

Finally, they made it to the front of the line. 

A woman checked their passports, then handed them three tickets with a stamp. They each took one of the papers and headed over to the large wall that towered over the people. 

There was a man there that asked for their tickets and directed them toward a very large boat. It marveled Y/n. She had heard stories of these large things that could float on water, but seeing it in person was something else. 

How can this hold a bunch of people?

The werewolf had paused in her spot to think this and Zuko, who was walking behind her, shoved her shoulder as he pushed passed her. 

“Watch it, you’re in the way.”

She huffed and crossed her arms. Iroh placed a hand on her should for comfort before he kept walking to catch up with his nephew. Y/n was getting a little sick of all this. 

They walked across a board and entered the ferry. They were told to stay on the top deck until they landed at the boarders of Ba Sing Se. Y/n trailed behind the boys as they looked for a spot empty enough for them to rest; eventually settling near a railing on the side of the boat. 

A kind lady went around the ship passing bowls of food to each passenger; the trio being included. Before Y/n took a sip, however, she looked over the edge into the the deep blue water. They were very high up.

“We’re going really fast.” She thought aloud. 

Iroh joined her on the railing and looked at the water, ignoring her random words. “Who would have thought after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace,” he shut his eyes as he paused. “As a tourist!”

Y/n let out a small laugh at the old man’s silly words. But then, of course, Zuko had to come and ruin it. 

“Look around. We're not tourists, we're refugees.” He said as he move to stand on her other side.

“Lighten up, Zuko.” Y/n replied while her eyes stayed on lake in front of her. Maybe she’d be able to see a fish jump out!

She could feel the boy glaring at the side of her head, but she chose to ignore it, just like she did when he would complain before. She heard Zuko take a sip of his bowl before spitting it out dramatically. “Ugh! I'm sick of eating rotten food, sleeping in the dirt. I'm tired of living like this!”

The werewolf rolled her eyes, but set the bowl down on the deck, taking his reaction to the food into consideration. I think I can wait until we make it to the city. 

“Aren't we all?” 

The trio turned around from their positions on the rail and saw three teens, all about the same age as Y/n and Zuko. One stood closer to the front, a boy, about the same height as Zuko, but with shaggier hair. He had a smirk etched across his face and a plant stuck out from between his teeth. 

“My name's Jet,” The boy explained as he walked out from the covers that the Ferry had set up. He extended his hand behind him. “And these are my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot.” 

Behind him, the two teens let out a greeting. Well, the shorter one did, but the tall, mysterious guy just nodded his head. Zuko let out a small "hello" while Y/n waved politely. This was the first time she personally met another set of human teens. 

The first boy, Jet, began to walk up to Zuko as he spoke. "Here's the deal. I hear the captain's eating like a king while the refugees have to feed off his scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Zuko wasn't answering the kid, wasn't even looking at him anymore, so Y/n almost did all of them a favor and declined the boy's advances for her travel buddies, but Iroh spoke before she could. 

"What sort of king is he eating like?" The uncle asked. Y/n rolled her eyes; that's not what she expected him to say. 

"The fat, happy kind." He smirked at Iroh before turning his attention back to Zuko. "Want to help us 'liberate' some food?"

The werewolf tugged on Iroh's sleeve. "I really don't think this is a good idea." 

Trust her, if her instincts were telling them not to, then they really shouldn't. She knew all about stealing food (especially from the humans), but something was off about Jet. She didn't want her group getting mixed up with the "freedom fighters" if they didn't have to. All they had to do was wait until the next morning to buy food from the city. 

Y/n looked at Zuko and met his eyes. She was pleading silently, don't. 

But the boy didn't listen to her. He threw his bowl out into the water and turned toward the group of teens. 

"I'm in." 

Y/n placed her hand on her forehead in exasperation. Of course he would do his own thing. She decided to settle for glaring at Jet's welcoming smile. 

The strange boy seemed to feel her eyes and turned to look at her. 

"Don't worry, princess, we'll bring your boyfriend back in one piece." Jet spoke once Zuko made his way over to the group.

Y/n and Zuko both scoffed at his words. Jet looked between them quickly while his smirk grew. 

"Ohh… I see." The boy took a step toward her. "Why don't you come too? I could use another lookout."

Y/n crossed her arms. Lookout?

Just as she was about to voice her opinion, Zuko stopped Jet's advancements with a stuck-out hand. 

"She's not coming with us." Zuko looked at her sternly. "Stay here and watch my Uncle."

Y/n was about to let out a sarcastic comment, or even something slightly mean to say that he can't control her, but there was something about his eyes that made her rethink it. He seemed… cautious? Maybe he can see how shady these teens really are. 

"Fine, but if you get caught, don't expect us to come and save you." 

With that, she turned on her heel and faced the lake once again, hearing the four receding footsteps as they walked away. 

The werewolf folded her arms and placed her head on them with a sigh. She really shouldn't be worried about Zuko, especially since they weren't on the best terms at the moment, but her heart couldn't help it. They had made it so far and it could all be ruined with this act of rebellion. Not to mention, if he let her go with him, Y/n could protect him if he needs it. Zuko has his bending, but that could only get him so far. She was trained for fighting. 

"You look as though you have a lot on your mind."

She lifted her head and looked to where the voice came from. Iroh was sitting on the floor, his bowl of rotten food resting in his palms while his eyes shined the colors of the setting sun. The girl took the spot next to him and followed his line of sight. 

The sunset was beautiful. The sky was a mixture of pinks and oranges all the way down to the giant ball of fire that glowed. Beams of light shined passed the small clouds that littered the sky, showing the power of the rays of sun. It was so pretty that she wished she could paint it to remember this moment. 

“So much has been happening recently; it’s just a lot to handle.” Y/n whispered.

Iroh nodded his head in agreement. “I can understand that. You’ve gone through a lot at such a young age.” He paused for a moment. “And I’m sorry that my nephew has added on to your stress.”

“It’s not you that I need an apology from, it’s Zuko.” She shook her head dejectedly. “And what is up with him?! One minute he’s all friendly, like he cares, and then the next he’s just so... infuriating.” 

The sun finally made it’s way past the tips of the mountains and fell out of sight. The orange took a deeper tone, but the view still left her awestruck. Iroh placed a hand on the wolf’s shoulder.

“I think there are some things that you need to learn about my nephew,” He began. “Zuko didn’t have many friends when he was a child, he was reserved and only ever talked to his sister and mother. And then after his incident when he was thirteen, he had taught himself to put up barriers, ones that not even I could break. But you must remember; Zuko is a child, just as you are. He may act cold-hearted, but underneath it all, he has a good spirit.”

Thirteen? He’s been out on his father’s mission for at least three years? 

“So, what you’re saying is that him being rude is actually his way of showing he cares? That doesn’t make any sense.”

Iroh laughed a hearty laugh. Y/n joined in slightly, but couldn’t see what was so funny. 

“I suppose that is a good way of putting it.” His laughter died down to a serious tone. “I just want you to know, Y/n, that although this does explain his personality, it does not excuse it. If you are having issues with him, then talk to him and let him know.”

Y/n sighed as the sky finally receded into darkness. Maybe he is right, she’s had plenty of time to think about everything, so the next step would just be to talk. The werewolf decided to point the topic in a different direction. 

“So, Zuko told me about the four nations and what bending was. He thinks I’m part of the Earth Kingdom.” She smiled at the older man. “Do you think I can bend?”

Iroh shrugged his shoulders with the same laugh as before. “Maybe. If you’d like, I can teach you some techniques that I know.”

Y/n’s eyes widened. Wait, I might be able to bend?

“But I thought you could only bend one element? You can do two?”

“No, no, no.” He waved his hand out. “I just studied their techniques and memorized some. I can’t say that I can help you fully, but I can try my best.”

That was honestly good for her. After Zuko had told her last time that it probably wasn’t possible, she had felt dejected. But maybe there’s hope now?

Suddenly, she saw something moving around in the sky. It was hard to focus her eyes in the dark, but the sight of a large animal flying over head caught the duos attention. 

“Uhh, what is that?” Y/n eyes with her eyes squinting. 

It flew off past their boat and into the opposite direction of Ba Sing Se.

Iroh shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve only seen one like that before...” Then he looked at the girl next to him. “Don’t tell Zuko that you saw that. He... is scared of flying animals.” 

She raised an eyebrow at his obvious lie, but promised to not tell the other boy. It was then that a smell hit her.

It smelled so warm and delicious that her mouth almost watered the second it hit her nostrils. She looked around until she saw the source of the aroma. 

Zuko, Jet, and his two freedom fighters were back with two large bags. They were reaching into the sacks and pulling out bowls, passing them to the refugees on the ship.

When they were finished, they made their way back to Iroh and Y/n with their bowls in hand. Zuko had given a bowl to Iroh and completely ignored Y/n, so she had to get her food from Jet. 

“Thank you, Jet.” She said with a smile as the sight of the food made her happy. Maybe the freedom fighters won’t so bad. 

Iroh and Y/n shifted their seating arrangement until they formed a circle with the four other teens. Jet was going to take the seat beside the werewolf, but Zuko beat him to it, claiming that his bag was there, so it’s his seat. 

They began to eat, Y/n almost scarfing down her entire bowl with one bite. She couldn’t deny it, she was hungry. They were surviving off of food that barely filled her, so now that she had the opportunity to eat, she wasn’t going to miss it. 

Y/n was so invested in her bowl of food that she couldn’t even process the conversation going on around her, all she knew was that Smellerbee had stormed off and Longshot had gone after her. All that was left was her two traveling friends and Jet. She decided that now was the time to tune into the banter that was happening.

“From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall.” Jet said as he leaned back into his arms. 

Iroh nodded his head. “It’s a magnificent sight.” 

“So, you’ve been there before?”

Y/n slowly lowered her bowl with wide eyes. Was he going to tell him about his life of a war general?

Instead, Iroh settled for a solemn look on his face. “Once, when I was a... different man.”

Surprisingly, Jet didn’t pry the way she expected him to. “I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se: for a new beginning. A second chance.”

A new beginning? Is that what I need?

It hadn’t hit her until then, but this new life that she strove for, a life away from her pack, away from her shame, was something that she already had. The boys had given her this opportunity the moment they asked her to join their trip. 

Ba Sing Se was this refuge for people who wanted what she had. It was a refuge for Iroh and Zuko, too. Did I really consider leaving them? It made her feel a bit of shame, she can’t just leave when things get tough.

“Hey, Zuko?” Y/n asked as she set her bowl on the ground in front of her. 

The boy just hummed in response, not quite looking at her as he continued to eat. 

“Do you think we could talk? Soon?”

Zuko stopped his chewing and looked at her questioningly. He set down his half eaten bowl and stood up. “Let’s go.”

She followed him to a separate area of the ferry. Most people were around the front of the ship, either eating the remains of the food or sleeping against the hardwood floor. There were some families around them at the back of the ship, but most weren’t paying attention. The duo stopped at the railings at the end of the boat. 

They were silent for a second, Zuko waiting for the girl to say something while Y/n was trying to regain her thoughts. C’mon brain, you can do this. 

“So, I guess I should start off with a ‘sorry’? I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you, especially since what you did was an accident.” She paused to let him talk, but he just continued to stare with a bored look on his face. “Uhh... I’m also sorry for insulting you. I was mad and didn’t think about my words. Everything else I said after that, though, I completely meant. You were a jerk to me.”

The corners of Zuko’s mouth lifted slightly at her words as he soaked them in. She didn’t really have much else to say, she hadn’t done much wrong. Y/n could only hope that the boy understood that. 

He sighed and looked off to the side. “I guess... you not at total fault here.”

Y/n almost scoffed, almost, but held it back. This was what Iroh was talking about; Zuko had walls and this might be the best apology that she’d get out of him for now. She didn’t really know what else to say, so she was happy when he started to speak again.

“I-uh-maybe shouldn’t have gotten mad when you called me out. Should’ve just accepted it and moved on, but-uh-I’m still learning.” 

Ok, this is going way better than I expected.

She half expected him to reject her apology and stomp off angrily, continuing to hate her for the rest of his life. She was glad that it’s going in the opposite direction. 

Y/n couldn’t help the giddiness that she felt rise within her and wrapped her arms around the boy’s stomach. He didn’t hug her back at first, but when he realized that she wouldn’t let go, he awkwardly settled his arms around her shoulders. She could tell that he was slightly uncomfortable with the affection, so she eased herself off of him with a grin on her face.

They began their walk back to the group with much less tension than when they came. 

“You know, Iroh told me that he’d teach me some earthbending to see if I was a bender.” Y/n spoke smugly. 

“Really? He shouldn’t, it’d be a waste of time.” The boy replied as she pouted in response. “I hope you know that I had to tell Uncle to make sure you would stay during the travel to Full Moon Bay. Don’t make me regret asking him.”

Y/n smiled. So, that was why Iroh brought up her leaving? She was kind of confused on why he would mention it if he wanted her to stay, but not it make sense. His approach was wrong, but it made sense. 

“So what I’m hearing is... you’d miss me if I left?”

Zuko just groaned out and sped up his pace, leaving her behind as their group came into view. For the rest of the night, the random cluster of six talked and joked around, the anger no longer being apparent between each teen. 

It was finally back to the way it used to be; only ten times better. 

___

There’s something so fulfilling abt writing a long chapter, I love it

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Masterlist

Taglist: @bucky-blogs @hopefuloperaangelnerd @simplyfandomish @oddlypointlessescapes @lozzybowe @woohoney @whalerus @cece-lives-here @bwndito @kiaoizz

[k1ng-for-a-day]

Fluff headcanons for Freddy and Jason, platonic/friends

:00000000 Another request??? How intriguing. I’m kinda excited for this one actually, (probably because I actually like Freddy Krueger. Sorry I’m a dumbass). Anyways I hope you enjoy this, even thought it’s probably not the greatest.

A platonic friendship between two different entities? Might seem a bit rough, but they’ll make it. I think,

🖤How The Hell Did This Happen?🖤

😼🗡 I feel like it was on accident when they became ‘close’ with each other. Like the Mondo and Ishimaru situation in Danganronpa, except it wasn’t at a bath house. (Imagine it though-)

😼🗡 It probably started because Krueger was jealous of Jason, and attempted to mimick his own rival in order to beat his own game. In the end, however, Jason would always laugh at Freddy being a dumbass, and would attempt to help him.

😼🗡 Freddy being egotistical was probably like, “get tf away I’m fine 😾” and would do everything on his own. When he would almost successfully complete the task, Jason would outsmart him and ruin his scheme. At this point Freddy was pissed at him for doing this and confronted him about it.

😼🗡 “Hey forest tumor, what the fuck did you do to my plan?” The crispy ass bacon man asked the hockey masked man.

😼🗡 Jason simply snickered and said one word, “Yes.”

😼🗡 At this point Freddy is just amused, abliterated, broken, bewildered, and utterly frustrated at this point. He started to retort something to Jason and they start a whole ass argument. This argument practically lasts for generations, but suddenly Jason came up with an idea. He quickly wrote it down..

😼🗡 What it said was this: If Freddy could somehow not become egotistical for a week, then Jason will serve Freddy in the dream world. If Jason could become more ‘selfish’ than ‘selfless’, then Freddy will get whatever he wants. The two agreed to this arrangement and thought they were going to win.

Day 1

😼🗡 Everything is off to a pretty decent start. Freddy had attempted to help people much more, and has completely removed the snarkiness within his comments. Additionally he’s also made more people happy within this short outcome. It seemed like he was a generally nice guy. Like he was before... the event. Nevertheless Krueger seemed immensely different to the one we all know of.

😼🗡 Jason on the other hand was a different story. He was unable to give small berries to the creatures within the forest, and had to act more like Krueger. How was he supposed to do that? It was difficult for him nonetheless, but he barely succeeded. At some points of the trial he had to stop himself, think, and stop what he was doing. He just couldn’t help himself at all it seemed. He was having an identity crisis at this point.

😼🗡 When talking to each other that day, Krueger kept covering his mouth everytime he was about to say something snarky or narcissistic. He even stopped himself before he said a very, very horny comment. Jason on the other hand had to come up with really egotistical things to say, which were hilarious but cute. He would write things like, “I-I have the b-best m-mask.” or little things like that. Freddy wanted to laugh so badly, but he was unable to. It seems like torture for both parts.

Day 2

😼🗡 The next day, Jason knew what to do; he needed different clothes in order to help him concentrate. He quickly took something inside his cabin, and put it on quickly. He stared at himself for a bit, and tried other outfits. Once he found one he deemed “acceptable”, he went out of his cabin and started to act a bit more ‘stern’ to say the least. It really seemed like his soul was twisted in a way that he was completely nothing. That he was a pure void and there was nothing more.

😼🗡 On the other hand, Freddy still had a difficult time. He would cover his mouth before saying certain words, doing certain actions, etc. It came down to the point he wouldn’t speak, and he would write little notes instead. These notes were usually ‘nice’, and if someone didn’t like how it seemed he would explain what he meant. It seemed like he became a bit more shy within these set of rules. It was strange since yesterday he was completely fine, but now everything seems.. off.

😼🗡 When they went to talk, Jason spoke in barely understandable sentences. He said certain words that helped convey his message, but Krueger was confused. In the end they just wrote notes to each other, even though Voorhees still attempted to speak.

Day 3

😼🗡 At this point, Freddy felt immensely off. The dream world felt like a living hell for him, so he had to leave it quickly. He put on a jacket, and went into the woods. It was much more humble, calm, and overall a decent environment. It was very nice. What the fuck is happening to him..?

😼🗡Coincidentally, Jason wanted to leave the forest, stumbling upon Freddy and raised his voice at him. Only a few words actually came out, “LEAVE, BURNT RAT”, and that was all.

😼🗡 As Voorhees continued on his little quest for ‘freedom’, he walked into an urban environment; something he wasn’t use to. His eyes were wide like a child, and he was absolutely flabbergasted. Many people went up to him with strange looks, but no one really cared. He was like a kid in a candy store. He wanted it all, he needed it all. That was his dream; to become a dictator. Or was it really his? Was he high or smth?

Day 4

😼🗡 After yesterday, Jason rented a hotel with the little money he had, and acted like he had bank. He would attempt to add little comments in order to make people pay attention to him, and he just became someone completely different. In actuality, he just didn’t want to fail his own bet. He wanted to succeed, prevail, and show Krueger who are ally was the king.

😼🗡 On the other side of the spectrum, Krueger was more outgoing and had a blast in a more natural environment. The only problem was that it was more difficult to maintain his jokes than anything he could imagine. This really wasn’t him, but if it’s a bet he’ll play, it’s one to win a game.

😼🗡 On that particular day, they refused to chat with each other. They didn’t even want to look at each other. They were upset, stuck, and trapped in this ‘new world’.

Day 5

😼🗡 On this one day, he snapped. Someone entered the dream world that he was immensely upset about. This person was very confident, snotty, and somewhat a bitch. Everytime he tried to catch this ‘person’, he was out played by one of their tricks. It got to the point where he was the one embarrassed, and overall frustrated that he wasn’t successful. So, he finally gave up and said this, “Shut it you watered down version of Fifty Shades of Grey. Do you even know who you’re fucking messing with? I’m Freddy Krueger hun, and this place is hell on Earth for you!”

😼🗡On the flip side, Jason realized shortly that what he was doing was completely stupid. He thought about what his mother would say in this instance, and was disappointed within himself. He became what he hated most in a few short days. In the end he decided to leave his hotel room, and return to the quiet, peaceful life he once had. He laid on the grass and sighed, wondering how his rival was doing in the dream world. “Maybe he lost too? No, he probably won.” He thought to himself. He was nervous for the end result.

😼🗡When Jason entered the dream world, he was ready to admit defeat. He sat down in front of Krueger, and wrote about his failure. To his surprise, his rival actually nodded along with him. He revealed that he also lost as well. In the end the both were confused on what to do, but realize that they kind of had it hard for each other. One raise by the quiet sounds of the forest, while the other was raised in a hostile, urban environment were disaster could easily happen. It was enjoyable, but kind of self destructive. Since then they actually became acquaintances with each other.

🖤The Relationship🖤

😼🗡 Ever since then, these two were fucking chaotic. One in a dream, while the other in the sheets. (I tried to make a dirty joke but I messed up-)

😼🗡 These two would literally have non stop arguments about their favorite things. For example if Freddy brought up his favorite genre of movie, Jason would write about how his opinion is wrong, and they would just be in a huge feud. They wouldn’t fight, but they would argue non stop until someone gives up. (Jason would usually succeed when it came to these arguments since Krueger would get bored and think they’re “useless”).

😼🗡 I feel like their friendship would be like Ishimaru and Mondo; they hate but love each other. Like Freddy will be like, “Wtf it’s the walking stick 😾,” and then Jason would be like, “🥺🥺💞💞,” and then it would just be a whole other feud.

😼🗡 When it comes to affection Jason attempts to hug Freddy, but Krueger is a pain in the ass. He would immediately get him off and say a snobby comment about he “doesn’t need attention like this because he’s already perfectly fine.” In the end he’ll just submit to the physical attention. When Freddy actually wants to give Jason ‘affection’, however, he’ll say something like, “Wow walking stick, you actually look nice,” or some half assed compliment. Sometimes he’ll actually genuinely say something nice, but it’s rare since he’s not that type of person.

😼🗡 When Jason gives Krueger a compliment, he’ll just say something like, “damn right I am!” Or something narcissistic. If Jason writes something like, “you’re adorable”, Freddy will act very dramatic towards it, and kind of weak. Later on he’ll start to give him the worst nightmare of his life, apologize, and act like a prick, but he actually likes compliments like those. He just won’t admit it because he wants to act like he’s better than everyone else. He wants to appear tougher, more on edge, and a fucking god compared to the others.

😼🗡 If Voorhees flusters Krueger enough, however, Freddy will attempt to kill him. 👏👏👏

😼🗡 Sometimes they’ll give each other some dumbass gifts that are usually made to insult each other. For example Freddy gets a pot/pan, and Jason would get something like a shower cap or body wash. Just something to poke fun at each other with.

😼🗡 Later on they’ll actually start talking/venting to one another about their past, current situations, and other things. Sometimes it’ll get to the point one of them actually shows signs of feelings. Sometimes Jason will actually catch Freddy crying a bit, but he’ll make some dumb excuse. “I-I was just laugh! T-that’s all...” or “I-it’s just a power of mine! I-I can’t... feel..”

😼🗡 When it comes to Jason admitting his feelings to Krueger, he’ll actually be like a dad to him somewhat. Like he actually fucking cares about his well being. It’s kind of interesting actually.

😼🗡 Sometimes Jason will catch Krueger looking at himself with a mirror he made, and ask, “Am I really good enough?” And other things as well. He’ll even tell terrible things about himself in order to make sure he can actually feel. It just to the point he might actually cry. Once he tears up a bit, he’ll immediately throw the mirror on the ground and breakdown for a bit. It’s best not to both him in this state.

😼🗡 If Krueger is a bit harsh on himself, Jason will actually comfort him in a way. He’ll still be mad, but a bit calmer.

😼🗡 When it comes to Jason, on the other hand, he will never cry in front of Freddy in fear he’ll be made fun of. When he does cry it’s usually in his cabin, or somewhere quiet in the dreamworld. If Freddy does actually see this, he’ll actually pay him on the shoulder, lecture him about it, and just hope he’ll be a bit calmer that way. Usually he doesn’t know how to handle sad situations like this, but he attempts to in order to make people more welcome. Even though it may not actually help at all, it does benefit the situation in a way.

😼🗡 When Jason vents to Freddy, he holds him like a teddy bear in order to feel secure.

😼🗡 U h anyways....

Shit I thought of:

😼🗡 Freddy is a chaotic neutral crackhead and Jason’s a lawful good soft boy. What could possibly go wrong?

😼🗡 I feel like if Voorhees were to sing a song, Freddy would either join him or force him to shut the fuck up.

Jason would actually have a good, quiet voice that would be decent for certain songs. (Basically his voice would probably sound like certain opera voices but very soft).

Kruegers is very raspy and would mainly be good for rock songs.

And NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES introduce them to vocaloid. There is a reason for it and it would cause destruction for the w h o l e w o r l d.

😼🗡 I feel like if they were to get lost, Freddy would get them deep into an awful rabbit hole, or Jason would actually find a way out of the predicament.

😼🗡 Honestly Freddy will act as though he is the most craziest person Jason has ever met. In actuality, Jason is the most insane person he’s met. And his mother too.

😼🗡 When these two talk about music, honey you are in danger. Freddy will talk about rock from the 1960s, and bring up some other modern day songs he’s actually interested in. Jason would critic him and say classical music is the way to go. Or literally forest sounds. Depends on his mood. When it comes to this argument, they will deadass fight each other. No joke. They will literally get anything they have and start World War 3.

😼🗡 Everytime Freddy tries to say a horny joke, Jason will smack him with anything he can find in the room. Favorite one to smack him with- pots and pans.

😼🗡 I feel like this relationship is a mixture of two people who should never interact become each other’s support or something like that.

Welp, that is practically all I could think of currently. I know this was somewhat short, but honestly I can’t really think of much. Unless someone has any other good ideas, I hope you enjoyed this! And thank you so much for your request!