#and it's really painful when they just keep re-poking you in the same spots

[cerbreus]

it's wild that i'm not worried about my upcoming surgery itself, but more the like, preoperative requirements conflicting making me really nervous about whether my surgery will get canceled. them cutting me open in 3 places and manhandling my organs and inflating me like a human balloon? fine, funny to imagine even.

[wri0thesley]

uuuhhh hey nat can i get some jotaro, jolyne, and johnny getting confessed to by someone who's being really nervous and blushy about it and generally just looks like they're about to McFucking Lose It on the spot? if not, it's fine! also been a fan of your work for some time now okay bye-

♡ Jotaro is always a frightening man to confess anything to - much less confess something that feels this important. You’ve heard him talk about people fawning over him, seen him roll his eyes - and as a whole, you’ve gotten the impression that Jotaro Kujo is not a man who values romance highly. Still, this has been haunting you for what feels like weeks. Every time you see Jotaro, your heart seems to flip-flop over itself in your chest, and you know that the longer you hold onto your feelings, the harder it’s going to get to keep them a secret. So you gather all of your courage to your chest and rehearse what you’re going to say over and over again. 

It’s not hard to find Jotaro on his own. He’s the kind of man who likes his peace and quiet. The two of you have become close enough that he doesn’t bark out a question as to what you want - he merely looks up at you from his spot under a tree. His face seems neutral, but you know him well enough to see the slightly quizzical uptilt of his eyebrow, the turn of his mouth. He patiently waits for you tp speak, even as you feel your cheeks begin to heat up.

Your voice is an awkward stammer. Your hands are shaking. You have to re-start, four times - and when you do manage to get your words out all at once, they’re a light, quavering mess. Jotaro’s eyes widen the smallest amount as you explain your feelings. As you talk about how you feel like he understands you, how his presence is a comfort, how you feel safe by his side and it’s fine if he doesn’t feel the same way, but if you didn’t get this off your chest you were simply going to die--

Are those two spots of red, high on his cheeks? Jotaro grabs the brim of his hat and pulls it down. You’ve seen this move a hundred times - he’s either angry and frustrated, or he’s embarassed. Your heart does a painful wrench as he murmurs, low; “Yare yare daze.” And then, he looks back up at you, and the sun seems to glint off of his eyes and his lips are marginally crescent-moon shaped, almost smiling. “You didn’t need to be nervous.”

It’s not a confession back - Jotaro doesn’t do things like that. But he scoots over to one side, letting you sit beside him - and when you do, he wraps an arm around you tenderly and pulls you in, and that’s just as good. 

♡ Everybody loves Jolyne. You’re just one in a pool of faceless admirers, you know - only you’ve gotten close enough to call Jolyne a friend. You get to see her roll her eyes, put her arm through yours, exclaim wildly that the two of you should go on some slap-dash adventure. You’re helpless to resist when Jolyne calls you in the middle of the night with mischief in her voice as she asks you if you want to pull a prank on some asshole in the neighbourhood who keeps being rude to her mom. 

You go along with it, swept up in the tidal wave that is Jolyne Kujo. You can’t not look at her sparkling eyes or her wide smile, the muscle in her lean body - you can’t not breathe in the ocean air scent of the body spray she uses. You’re hopelessly in love with her. She comes close to you and you can barely string a sentence together. 

She’s more attentive than people give her credit for. It’s after one of these nighttime adventures, when the two of you are sat on her bed amongst her cuddly toys and blankets, that Jolyne pokes you in the side with her elbow and grins at you.

“Come on,” she instructs you. “Spill. You’ve been out of it since you got here! What’s it about? A boy? You can tell me!” She’s laughing, smiling, and your heart aches. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe she’ll let you down gently and you can move on. She sees that you begin to tremble. You wonder if she can tell that your cheeks are getting so hot you could probably fry something on them. “Hey . . . are you okay?”

Now or never. You open your mouth and spill out a confession. You’re not sure what you’re saying - you’re stammering all over the place. You must mention her hair and her skin about a hundred times. You must say some horrible embarassing things - and you must look like you’re about to bolt at any moment, like a frightened horse, because suddenly Jolyne has grabbed you by the face and is kissing you. 

♡ Johnny has had plenty of lovers. You know all about his status as a playboy before the Steel Ball Run; and you suppose if you did admit something to him, you’d just be added to that number as another hopeless romantic who thinks they can fix a broken man. You would like to think it’s something more - that you and Johnny share some deeper bond. You’ve spent countless nights under the stars talking about your hopes and your dreams, admitting shameful secrets, feeling like he’s the only person in the whole world who understands you - you swear you’ve even seen Johnny’s pale freckled face pink when he looks at you. But it’s not enough to imbue you with confidence even so.

Snatching a moment away from the reporters and journalists who want to talk to him at all hours of the day is a difficult task in and of itself. He’s surrounded by people always, nowadays - he always tries to make time for you, but he’s not always successful. You see tension drain away from his shoulders when the two of you manage to escape to a quiet private room in today’s hotel on his press tour. Johnny sags as he rests in a chair (he refuses to use a cane or an aid in front of photographers, though he does sometimes need one - it is not so simple as merely ‘being able to walk again’, though Johnny insists that’s how he wants people to see it.), all of the world weariness seeming to drain out of him.

“I’m always so glad you’re here,” he says, his eyes half-lidded. “I feel like I can be myself for a sec’.”

When you don’t respond, he opens one eye lazily. You’re standing there, trembling like a leaf. Your breath feels short. You worry you’re about to have a panic attack right there where you stand, and the feeling doesn’t abate as Johnny murmurs, all low Southern drawl; “Sugar?”

(He’s called you pet names since the Steel Ball Run has been over. Every time, it fills your heart with a warm glow that you feel like you don’t deserve.)

You let everything come out in a rush of words. You assure him you’ll leave if he doesn’t feel the same, that you’re sorry to bring it on him at such a busy time, that you understand if he never wants to see you again - but spilling out of your mouth are words about how much being with him has meant, how you want to wake up next to him, how you think about him always . . . and Johnny stares at you, blue eyes wide. You finish what you’re saying and you stand there, swallowing, barely able to breathe - and Johnny says nothing.

“Okay,” you say, your voice cracking. “I’m . . . I’m sorry, Johnny, I won’t bother you again--”

You turn so that he doesn’t see that your eyes are swimming with tears. You can barely walk. Your legs feel like they weigh three hundred tonnes; like you’re iron, welded to the floor. Johnny’s voice breaks through the haze of pain in your head;

“No-- wait . . .” You turn your head, your cheeks wet with tears. Johnny’s eyes do not leave your form for a moment. “Y-you . . . I thought ya knew. It’s always been you.”

[kanene-yaaay]

Sentence Starters - Part 1

I decided to gather all my Sentence Starters in a post. This is the first round! 

Thankys for all the awesome askys and lovely words. It was very fun to rite all of this!

[~.~]

[Is that a smile?]

"Wait, wait," Kaminari stopped the study session, gathering everyone's attention as he got up from his chair, hands resting on the tabletop as he inclined himself on Iida's direction, a grin on his face, "is that a smile?"

Iida immediately blushed, the smile disappearing as he brought his attention back to the notebook in front of him. "No. It was not and I-I apologize for the distraction."

"No, no, wait, dude! Make it come back! Oh, the pain of the seriousness descend upon us again." The blonde cried in faux despair, Kirishima at his side picking up the opportunity of having a break after hours of studying, his eyes flying to the TV's screen behind them.

His eyes sparkled as he saw the characters having a tickle fight on it.

"Bro," he felt a true smirk blossoming on his face, looking his gaze with Kaminari, only to see the same playfulness mirrored at him. "Don't tell me that-"

"AS I WAS SAYING!" Iida immediately cut his sentence, wobbly lips and loud gestures, his gaze flying just about everywhere. "I just remembered I have a very informative and rich book about this topic in my room!" He got up, titters already bubbling on his throat when he noticed his friends following his movements.

He took a few steps away. "I will get it and be back shortly!" Iida adjusted his glasses, strict pose. They wiggled his fingers.

"Don't worry! We will help you."

"Yeah, bro! It wouldn't be very mainly of us to not offer a hand after all the help you gave us, right?"

"Oh," Iida reasoned, "I see."

And then he dashed away.

He managed to just have a few steps before two arms hugged him from behind in a firm, yet gently, grip. The blue haired-boy will forever deny the true squeal that escaped from his lips at this moment, or the barely contained giggles as Kaminari appeared in front of him, fingers clawing the air next to his ribs.

"Now, let's see that dazing smile, shall we?"

[~.~]

[Awww, you’re just a big, strong, giggly bear!]

"Awww, you're just a big, strong, giggly bear!"

Yagi almost could feel the smirk, just as much as he could feel the heat completely taking over his face, smile going from an ear to another, snorts and fast giggles pouring from his lips.

"Am nOT!" His voice failed when Hizashi found a very tickly-ticklish spot right on his upper rib, prodding and poking there, "Nonono nohohoho, wait! Not thehehehere!" his other hand scribbled lightly on his neck, not helping in any way his actual, rather silly, state. "I am!! I ahahaham!"

Now was Hizashi's turn to laugh, taken back with how quickly the number one hero gave up with just a few gently tickles. "Quick like that? Come one, little listener! Where is your resolve? Your determination! You fire!!"

Yagi just shook his head, a squeak running from his mouth. "Plehehehehease!"

"Well, well," Hizashi made a big show of thinking, giving Toshinori some time to take a few breathes, "if you really want me to stop you already know what to say!" And, in a few seconds, he was back at his 'attack', scratching his nails on the other's side, snickering as his friend wiggled on the place.

"No! Anyhihihihi- Anything but thahahahahat!"

"I am waiting. ~"

"Okay! Okay!!! Plehehehehease!" Yamada hummed, slowing his tickles to a finger going up and down Yagi's torso, keeping giggles, yelps and titters filling the air. "I-I ahaham an ahahahamazing friend and peheheherson and - oh gohohohod, no pokes! - and Ihihihi deservehehee nice thihihihihings!"

"You sure do!" Hizashi stopped his attack, blinding smile. "Your giggly bear."

[~.~]

[ I promisse I am doing my best!]

"I promise I am doing my best!" Midoriya half grunted, half protested, pulling the capture's weapon from his friend and only managing to trap him further on it.

"I can see." Shinsou deadpanned, doing his best to not smirk with the other's slight pout in his direction. He laid his head on the tree behind him, closing his eyes, already accepting his fate to hear Aizawa's complaints of him being reckless for doing extra training with a new move and no supervision. "I am going to die here. Give everything I have to my cats, except for the Eraserhead's autograph, that will be buried with me."

That time he failed to control his smile when the fanboy gasped. "YOU HAVE AN ERASERHEAD AUTOGRAPH?"

"Yep."

"Shinsou. I need to see it. Now."

"I can't man, I am stuck." And in a flash all Midoriya's efforts where redoubled. "You're really such a fanboy."

"It's an autograph from Eraserhead!!! You know how much rare this is?" He cried (not literally) in response. "Can you try to at least help me?"

Shinsou opened one eye, lazily, the excited gaze staring him back almost made him feel bad about his next words.

Almost.

"Nah, I am going to take a nap."

"WHAT. Shinsou!"

Shinsou didn't answered, keeping his eyes closed.

"Shinsou."

That was, until he felt a squeeze on his hips, a surprised squeal flying from his mouth, eyes flying open.

Midoriya was smiling, eyes gleaming.

"Midoriya." Another couple of squeezes, his body squirmed from a side to other, a wobbly smile starting to take form on his face. "Midohohoriya, don't you da- NO! You suhuhuhuck!"

"Don't worry, Shinsou! With both of us giving our best you will be free in no time! Plus ultra!!"

[~.~]

[Shhh! you gotta be quiet!]

"Shhhh," Sero chastised with no heat on it, trying with all his soul to not laugh out loud with the mess of giggles and half-French sentences that was Aoyama. "You gotta be quiet! You don't want Aizawa-sensei finding us wake at this hour, right?"

The other just shrieked on his shoulder, hugging him tighter as Sero concentrated his tickly efforts on the back of his ribs, poking his way to the spine and coming back to re-start the cycle.

"Çahahah chatouille! So muhuhuhuch!"

"Sorry, man, I literally understood nothing you just said."

"Mehehehercy! Sero, mercyhihihihi"

"I know that one!" Sero beamed at the change to tease more his friend, happy in see the previous bad mood from the blonde's nightmare disappearing at each snicker. "Merci is 'thank you'. Awwww, you're welcome man! You know I am always here, even if it is to tickle-tickle-tickle all your sadness away!"

Aoyama yelped at the silliness, attempting to concentrate, words and languages losing meaning on his mind. He still tried, nevertheless.

"Tickles!!!! It tihihihihickles!" The black haired boy changes his technique to scribble all over Aoyama's neck, fishing a couple of squeaky giggles. "Non, Sero, non!"

"Yes! Tickles! It's such a cute word, right?" Sero ignored his friend's denying, especially as his words were accompanied by the other melting more on the hug, arms never pushing him away. "And it has a nice ring on it. Like, tickle tickle tickle tickle tickly ticklish tickles. ~"

Giggles and snickers cut the night, filling their hearts and smiles with warmth and joy, and, at this moment, that was all that mattered.

[~.~]

[ "You can't be serious about this." ]

"You can't be serious about this."

"Well, you dipshit, I clearly am! Let me fucking go, now!" For the fifth time, Bakugou struggled - not enough to really escape, but both decided to be quiet about this detail - on Todoroki's hold that pinned him on the floor of his room. Colored eyes stared him back, blinking a few times, curious.

"WHAT." He questioned, ignoring the slight heat to dust his cheeks.

"So, you're not ticklish?"

"Of fucking course I am not. I am not weak like you extras!"

Todoroki hummed and poked his stomach. "I don't think it's a weakness." He watches with analyzing eyes the way the other squirmed and his lips were pressed firmly, looking for any real discomfort but receiving only a 'tsk' on his way. Huh. Adorable.

Poke. Poke. Poke. A quick scribble. Prodding. Prodding. Prodding.

"And this looks like it's affecting you."

"That is because - tch, stop that damn pohoking! - you keep touching me, you half and half creep!"

"No, I think it's because you're awfully ticklish." He wormed his hand to the blonde's armpit, scratching there and freeing a tiny smile for the way his friend's chest shook with trapped laughter. "I am ticklish too."

Bakugou's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "I am getting you back!"

Todoroki hummed, nodding and letting go of Bakugou's hands, immediately attacking the boy's armpits with a vigor that resulted in a mix of crackles and loud laughter.

"Okay," he dodged from Katsuki's hands, which flied on his direction, trying to tickle any available ticklish spot they could find. "I won't let you succeed, then."

[~.~]

[ Theeeere we go! There’s my happy girl/boy! ]

"Theeeere we go! There's my happy girl!" Eri squealed in response, squirming, wiggling and thrashing in an attempt to escape the nimbly fingers scribbling on her armpits, her legs kicking just about everywhere. "That is right! Hear those awesome laughter! Oh, is there a song more melodious than that? I don't think so."

"Paaaapaaa!!" The younger girl protested, "don't behehe mehehehean!"

"Sorry, sweetie, but there is no Papa here!" Hizashi stopped the tickling in order to hold the girl in the air, his 'malefic' grin losing for a second its evilness to show a genuine smile as Eri giggled harder. "I am now the Tickle Monster and I love to tickle sweet little girls just like you! Mwuahahaha!"

"Dahahahahad!" And in less then a second Eri was captured by Aizawa, who held her in a hug, blowing raspberries on her neck. "No! No!" She shrieked in delight "No more tickle monstehehers! Nahaha!"

"You smile is beautiful and don't let anyone say you otherwise." He mumbled, giving her a final, loud raspberry before meeting her eyes. Eri nodded, reminiscent giggles and squeaks still escaping from her mouth, especially when Yamada decided to crush both in a bear hug.

[~.~]

[ “Come on bro-you needed this.” ]

"Come on, bro," Kirishima tried to not laughter out loud as Bakugou turned at him, flames on his eyes as the bucket - previously full of water - fell from his now wet hair. "You needed this."

Bakugou tensed his legs, arms spreaded, ready to attack.

"I was just, ya know, helping you to cool down."

"I WILL SHOW YOU THE DAMN COOL DOWN, YOU SHITTY HAIR."

Kirishima even tried to dodge and run, however it didn't take more than a minute to find himself laid on the floor, Katsuki pinning his arms under his knees, hands kneading his thighs with vigor enough for him to immediately fell in belly laughter, not that Ejirou would try to hold his reactions, anyway.

"Come on duhuhuhude! Takin- ah, not that! - Tahahahaking revenge! That is sohohoho unmanly!!! Hehehehehehe!"

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE DUMPING A FUCKING BUCKET ON ME!" Bakugou retorted, with no real harm, hands switching between tickling the thighs and squeezing the calves, eyes attentive in finding the best spots so he could focus there, snorts freely following his actions. "Stupid rock and his stupid puns. I am going to kill that fucking chicken when I see him again."

"Bu-buhuhuhut, bro! Didn't you know that revenge is-"

"Don't you dare!" The blonde attacked his sides, scratching and prodding there, all his efforts concentrated in not letting the other's next words come out. "Don't you fucking dare if you know what is better for you, you shitty hair!!"

Kirishima struggled, crackles flying from the gigantic smile plastered on his face, a playful glint on his eyes showing how much fun he was having with that. He did his best to take a deep breath.

"Don't." His explosive friend warned.

"Dihihidn't you know that revenge is better served cold- nO NO BAHAHAHAHAHAKUGOU! I'M SAHAHAHAHARRY!!"

[~.~]

[Did...did we just break Todoroki?]

"Did..." Midoriya gulped, staring at the teenager still laid on the floor, back turned to them making it impossible to see his previous red face, with a big, full grin stretched on it. He had been like that for the past three minutes. "Did we just break Todoroki?"

Iida peaked from his hiding spot behind the couch, had been dragged there after Midoriya thought the other would be quick and merciless on his revenge. "I don't think so, Midoriya. Maybe he is just resting in order to recover his energies!"

Izuku nodded, hand holding his chin as he frowned in a thoughtful face.

'Or he is planning a sneak attack.' His brain provided and the one with green curls found himself staring at Iida, who still faced their other friend innocently. An evil idea lighted his mind, not even slightly heroic but...

He felt the sudden urge to giggle, the mental image of the serious, taller boy laughing and having fun too much appealing for him to stop his next words. "You should go check him."

"Me?? Why? Don't you think he will ti-" a lightly blush painted Iida's cheeks and he stumbled a bit on his words, adjusting his glasses as distraction, "I mean, attack me?"

'Oh, absolutely.' His mind provided, making it even more difficult to keep his straight face.

"No. And if anything happens you're the quickest one here!" Midoriya beamed, adding when the teen didn't seemed convinced. "And I think he actually fell asleep."

"On the floor?!" Iida was up in an instant, walking on Todoroki's direction. "That is unacceptable! He can suffer from an awful back and neck pain from being on this position for too loONG!"

His last words were broke by a shriek as his legs slipped on the patch of ice created under his feet, making him lose his balance enough for Todoroki to jump and lock an arm around him, digging his fingers on his armpit.

"Boo."

A wall of ice surged in front of Izuku, making him 'eep', Iida's laughter and incoherent babbling filling the air as Shoto clawed his stomach, eyes staring deep into Midoriya's soul when the boy turned to look at him, a playful small smirk plastered on his expression.

"You," the one with green hair felt a shiver run down his spine, a wobbly, excited smile taking over his features "are next."

[~.~]

[ It’s been a while since we’ve done this.]

"It's been a while since we've done this." Her words came out in between reminiscent giggles, the ghost feeling of fingers from their tickle fight still gazing at her skin, the night breeze being enough to lead to a few small yelps before her laughing began to finally die. "I almost forgot how adorably tickle you both are!" She took total advantage of the fact she was laid in the middle of them to distribute a couple of playful pokes.

"Mehe too!" Mirio smiled, bright and happy, pushing her hand away only for her to lightly push him back and both be captured in a roughhousing, his attention being deviated when Tamaki turned to the other side, curling in a ball, silent giggles shaking his body still. "Hey, Amajiki, how didn't you tell me your calves were ticklish?!"

A flustered squeak flew from the shy boy, who needed a few seconds of silence before being able to answer.

"I didn't knew about it too..."

"Aw man! So many tickle fights I could've won!"

"You're welcome! Now, because of my brillant discovering we can enjoy plenty of snorts from our cute Suneater here!" Nejire winked, sneaking a pinch on the blonde's cheek, who retailed with a quick squeeze on her side, both snickering at Amajiki's whine. "Wait, you used to lost the tickle fights?"

"Yeah!!" Togata rolled to pull his childhood friend on a side hug, letting him hide his red face on his neck. "Amajiki has the best sneaky tickly attacks! I never saw it coming before it was too late!" They chuckled. "The best sneaky attacks and the best sq-"

His sentence was stopped by a crackle as two fingers tased his ribs and made him jump away from the other.

"I-" Tamaki gulped, keeping the determined look firm on his face, even as he felt his cheeks burning again as his two friends turned at him with surprised smiles. "I am g-going to ti-tickle you. A-again."

Mirio blew a raspberry at him, Nejire full laughing in the background. "Your neck is almost as bad as his calves, though."

Suddenly her voice was extremely close and Mirio turned around in the exact moment her index finger was almost touching the said spot. "Hey! Don't!"

"Your face!!" She only laughed harder. "Remember... Remember on our first year when I sat behind you?"

"Yes," now was his time to laugh, the memories of high pitched squeaks when the girl would randomly scribble her pencil on his neck flooding their mind. "Mic sensei praised my 'high note', that one time!"

"I think Aizawa sensei almost expelled you both because of those." Tamaki added, in a small - but deeply fond and amused - tone.

"I couldn't help it! You jumped every single time." She protested, too much distracted to notice Togata getting closer, a playful smirk on his face. "It was so cute!"

"I bet it wasn't cute than this!"

"Nono! Mirio!! Nohohohot agahahain!"

Tamaki only smiled, the sound of teases and laughter making a warm feeling take over his chest.

They never said the exact words but it was very clear by the smiles, the memories, the care in every act.

They would be forever happy for the friendship they had.

[simplee-dreaming]

Lift Your Spirits

A/N: I'm very tired but I had to get this idea out. It's probably a load of nonsense but I hope you like it anyway.

Word count: 1094

Summary: (Set during Civil War) The reader is confined in the compound with Wanda and Vision.

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

“B4.”

“Hit.”

“B5.”

“Hit.”

“B6.”

“Hit.”

“B7.”

“You’re cheating!” You cried in frustration.

“Cheating?” Vision asked.

“You’re clearly using your powers to see through my board,”

“Why would I need to do that? The answers are written all over your face,”

“Well then you’re reading my mind or something,”

“I don’t have mind reading powers, Y/N. Now, I think you have something to say,”

You sighed.

“You sunk my battleship. Congrats, you win,” you said, sarcastically.

You stood up from your chair at the table and went to collapse onto the sofa. You winced in pain as you tried to lie down.

“Y/N, be careful,” Vis said.

“I am being careful, that’s why I’m here aren’t I?” You responded.

“You sound like you’re not enjoying yourself,” Wanda said, sitting opposite you.

“Oh yeah, it’s great fun being confined to this facility with a broken rib and a fantastic losing streak at board games,” you responded.

Tony Stark had confined you to the compound after you had broken 2 ribs during the fight in Lagos. You were healing well but he didn’t want to risk you injuring yourself further. Wanda was also confined to the compound after the US government denied her a visa after labelling her a weapon of mass destruction. To make sure neither of you escaped the compound, Tony enlisted Vision to supervise you both. You were fine with being stuck with the two of them, it was just the “being stuck” part that you hated.

“I’m so fed up, I wanna be out there. I wanna fight,” you complained.

“Mr Stark has instructed me to keep you both here until further notice,” Vision re-informed you. He was stood in the kitchen, preparing dinner. “Wanda, does this taste okay? I want to make something that will lift your spirits,” he said.

Wanda stood up and went over to him. She took a spoonful of the broth and sipped it.

“Spirits lifted,” she said, nodding.

“In my defence, I’ve never eaten anything before so…” Vis began.

“It’s perfect,” she interrupted.

“Ugh, get a room,” you scoffed. They both turned to look at you.

“Maybe you should try some of this to lift your spirits,” Wanda said.

“I’ll just wait until it’s served, thanks,” you replied.

“I understand you’re frustrated, Y/N, but there’s no need to be rude,” Wanda said.

“I’m not being rude! I just can’t be arsed to get up-ah!” You winced in pain as you tried to adjust yourself.

“Here, let me help,” Wanda said. She sat next to you on the sofa.

“Help how? No offence but you can’t exactly heal bones can you,” you responded.

“No, but I can help numb the pain,” she said. Wanda lifted up her hands and wiggled her fingers. Tiny red sparks jumped around the tips of her fingers.

“Is this gonna hurt?” You asked.

“No, it’ll help for a bit,” she said. She placed one hand very gently on your ribs, careful not to hurt you. The tiny red sparks jumped between her hand and your ribs now. You jolted.

“H-hey, what are you doing?” You said.

“Is it numbing the pain?” She asked.

“Well yes but-ah!” You yelped, jolting again.

“What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

“No, it just-ah! It just….it tickles!” You said, biting back a giggle. She raised an eyebrow at you.

“Oh?” She responded. Her fingers danced a bit more and the ticklish sensation doubled.

“Wahanda, wait! Noho,” you giggled. She wasn’t hurting you, but she applied enough pressure to really make it tickle.

“Is it helping?”

“Nohoho!” You giggled.

“No? Oh dear, maybe I’m not doing enough,” She placed her other hand on your stomach and her powers started to tickle again. You grabbed her wrist with your hand.

“Wahahanda, please!” You cried. She had you cornered on the sofa so you couldn’t move.

“My, you really are ticklish!” She teased. She wiggled her fingers a little more and you collapsed into giggles. Vision stopped what he was doing to observe.

“Stohohohop,” you shrieked as the sensations increased once more.

“I’m just trying to help, not my fault you’re so ticklish!” She said. She applied a bit more pressure so it tickled even more but didn’t hurt.

“Wahahahanda! Plehehehease!” You pleaded, tears starting to form in your eyes. She noticed your desperate state and slowly released her hands. Your ribs felt numb so you couldn’t feel the pain as bad as before.

“Did that help?” She asked. You nodded in surprise.

“Did you tickle me on purpose?” You asked. She winked and nodded.

“You little…” you reached over and squeezed her side. She squealed and slid away from you.

“Pardon me, but, um, what was that?” Vision asked. You both looked at him.

“You never seen tickling before?” Wanda asked.

“I am familiar with the term, but never seen it with my own eyes before,” he replied. Wanda turned to you and raised her eyebrow. You nodded as if you were communicating telepathically. She slowly stood up from the sofa and walked over to Vision.

“So, tickling is basically when a person as sensitive as Y/N laughs at the smallest touch on their body,” she informed him.

“Oi! I’m not that sensitive,” you replied. She turned to you and tilted her head to the side before looking back at Vision.

“Y/N is a prime example of someone being extremely ticklish,” she said, turning back to wink at you. You sighed.

“So, Vis, have you never been tickled before?” You asked. He shook his head.

“Hm, I wonder…” pondered Wanda. She reached over and poked Vision in the side. He looked down at his side then at Wanda.

“Yes?” He asked. She poked him again and he responded the same.

“Hm, maybe you’re not ticklish,” she said.

“I doubt that, try his stomach,” you said from the sofa. Wanda spidered her nails across his tummy. He flinched a little but made no sound. She hummed curiously again and reached up to tickle his neck. He twisted and let out a tiny squeak.

“What was that?” He asked.

“You’re ticklish,” she said.

“Oh. Right,” he replied. She looked at you and you both laughed.

“Don’t worry Vis, we’ll soon find your weak spots,” she teased.

After dinner, you and Wanda teamed up to try and find all of Vision’s tickle spots but had awful luck. The night ended with Vision discovering just how ticklish you and Wanda both were.

Safe to say that being confined with those two wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

[tomtenadia]

A Little Braver - Chapter 11

Hello everyone. That’s me back from my holidays and I have ch 11 ready for you.

The first part is our two lovebirds still on holiday in Doranelle and they get to be cute and yes, this part as fluff. Enjoy it while it lasts.

For the second part and the ending, just blame the angst gremlin. I decline every responsibility.

It was Sunday and also Aelin’s last day of holiday in Doranelle. She and Rowan had spent their Saturday in the Cambrian Mountains and did a lot of hiking, had a picnic near a waterfall and swam naked in the pool in front of it and also engaged in some other more interesting activities. The day had been perfect and they had managed to survive two full days without fighting and they both were impressed by it.

Now they were in his car and Rowan was driving her to the coast. He had explained that it was the last part left to explore and that one of his colleagues had suggested a lovely place. He had made lunch for both again and they did manage to set off a bit earlier.

Aelin was comfortable in her seat, her feet on the dashboard and he stared at her while her head was turned to look outside. 

After their talk he had decided to stop feeling guilty. Aelin had been right and they both deserved a second chance at happiness. He had finally decided to accept what he felt for her and maybe that was why they had not fought for two whole days. They had been both pushing the other away, too scared of caring once again. He still was, if he was truthful to himself. Her job scared the heck out of him. But he was done pushing her away.

“Are you comfortable over there?”

She turned and smiled at him, her blue eyes lit with mirth “are you going all health and safety on me, captain?”

“You are the firefighter, you should know the dangers of such a position in case I hit hard on the brakes.” He explained, stopping a mocking smile from appearing on his lips.

“Well, just don’t slam on those breaks, captain. Can you do that and deliver us safely to the beach?”

His hand gently brushed her naked knee. She was wearing a pair of blue shorts and a colourful top.

“Will the water be warm enough for me to swim in it?”

Rowan nodded. “According to my colleague this is a lovely beach and not too busy either. Something only the locals know about.”

Aelin pulled her sunglasses down on her eyes “wake me up when we are there.”

Fifteen minutes later Rowan poked her arm “Ohi, sleeping beauty. Get up.”

Aelin lifted her sunglasses on her head and glared at him “why can’t you behave like a well mannered man? I don’t know, wake me up with a kiss?”

He got of the car and opened the rear door and unloaded the two backpacks “get your arse out of my car. We are at the beach.”

“So, so rude.” She complained while leaving the car and grabbing her stuff from him. They had warmed up to each other but she still adored their bickering.

He started walking and she ran after him, grabbing his hand in hers.

They arrived at the beach and she rejoiced at the discovery they had the entire place to themselves.

Rowan selected a space not too far from the water and deposited their stuff on the ground, placing also the two beach towels for them.

In an instant Aelin had removed her clothes and was standing in front of him in her bikini.

He stared at her “is that your… bathing suit?”

She posed for him “lovely isn’t it?”

It covered very little, thought Rowan. Two red triangles covered her breasts all tied together by some very flimsy strings and the same for the bottom part.

He grabbed her hand and pushed her down on the towel “sit,” he rummaged in his back pack and took out sunscreen “you have a very fair skin and you will burn.”

Aelin sat down and he took a place behind her. He dropped some cream on her back and started spreading it on her back “you do the front,” he said by passing her the bottle.

“I thought you’d love the honour.”

Rowan sighed “if I do that it might lead to something else which is not appropriate on a beach in the middle of the day.”

Once his hands stopped she reached for the knot behind her neck and untied it, the top of her bikini falling off. She untied the one on her back as well and turned to him “up to the challenge, captain?” She took the bottle and put a dollop of cream on her fingers and started spreading it on her naked breasts and enjoyed staring at his expression morphing into pure lust.

“You’ll be the death of me.” He put more cream on his hands and began massaging her breasts making sure they had a nice cover “given how flimsy your bikini is, you need protection everywhere.”

“So considerate of you…” she teased him arching her back into his touch. She never had enough of him. She had a few men before Sam and no one had ever made her feel like that. Not even Sam.

Once he was done he bent over and recovered the piece of garment “come on, cover up.”

She took the piece of her bikini from him “scared by a pair of magnificent boobs?”

“No, we are in a public place.”

She slowly put the top back on and he offered to tie it for her “let them stare.”

Rowan’s mouth was at her ear again, biting gently her lobe “I don’t share.” and the tone in which he said it made her toes curl.

She then pulled away and ran to the water, jumping in it with happiness. Rowan stood and joined her slowly.

“Come one, it’s stunning.” She shouted emerging from the water.

Rowan smiled then ran and once he reached her he tackled her and carried Aelin like a sack of potatoes and threw her sin the water as soon as they reached a deeper spot. 

Aelin re emerged. She tried to protest but she found his body against hers, his lips kissing her hard. She stared at his tanned and muscular body and ran a hand along his chest “I don’t share either, captain. I am very jealous of what is mine.”

Those words were his undoing. He grabbed her legs and pulled them around him and Aelin climbed on him and a moment later they had completely forgotten they were in the middle of the sea.

Luckily for them they had remained the only two people on the beach as their adventure in the water was followed a bit later by one on the sand.

Fully clothed again they now lay side by side. Aelin had her eyes closed, trying to suntan a bit and Rowan on his belly reading a book.

Aelin turned on her side and lifted the cover of his book and noticed it looked like about some theory of flight or tactics “we are on holiday and you are working?”

He turned to her.

“Your book,” she pointed “it’s about flight tactics. Can’t you enjoy a day without thinking about flying?”

“I’d like you to know that I am reading for pleasure. The fact that the book is giving me great ideas is another matter.”

Aelin scooted closer to him and placed her head under his arm and stared at the book with curiosity. She noticed strange drawings “are those flight manoeuvres?”

He nodded and with his arm he pulled her closer “this,” he pointed at the diagram “is called barrel roll attack. It’s quite cool.” Then he pointed at another one “this is the Immelmann and this one…” he turned the page “these are a low and high yo-yo.”

“They have funny names.” She looked at the book “this one seems cool,”

“This is a high G barrel roll.” He explained “you do this when the attacker is at your tail and you can feel his guns on you. It’s far more brutal than a regular barrel roll. Not recommended if you have a sensitive stomach.” He took out his phone and showed her something “Fenrys put a camera on his fighter during training and this is a video taken during training and a mock dogfight.”

Aelin watched the video with amazement “Play it again, it was so fast.” He did it and she stared at the jet completing the manoeuvre “was that you?”

Rowan nodded and showed her a few more videos of their training. She was fascinated.

“I still want to see you fly. For real.”

He put the phone down and looked at her “Lorcan says it’s fine. We can do that when I come back.”

Aelin nodded and he kissed her. He closed the book and pulled her closer and then lay down with his arm over her in a very protective gesture. She turned and snuggled all the way against his torso and let his body protect her from the sun. 

It was a few hours later when Rowan woke up and realised they had fallen asleep on the beach. Aelin was tucked in his embrace and was sleeping soundly and he was glad to notice that her body was in the shadow of his body. It would have been a very painful awakening. 

“Hey, sleepyhead.”

She opened her eyes and looked up at him and he loved the freckles that had appeared on her face.

“We fell asleep.”

“You really do make a good pillow.” She told him while sitting back up.

“I will make sure to update my resume, I am sure it’s a very sought after skill.” He stood and offered his hand to her “come on, let’s go for a stroll.”

She wore her top again “we don’t want to cause a riot, don’t we?”

Rowan smiled and he pulled her up after he took her hand.

They walked for a while. The beach had turned out to be much longer than they thought. Aelin had kept her shoes in one hand and walked the whole distance with her feet in the water. She hadn’t realised how much she needed a holiday. In the past year her life had been complete dedication to her job. It had helped to keep the demons at bay. But now there was Rowan and hopefully she had found someone with whom to walk the path back toward light.

“Fancy going out for dinner tonight?”

“I am craving seafood.” She said swinging their linked hands “we can stay here. Have dinner and then go back to your flat.”

“Sounds like a great plan.”

It was much later that night when they finally rolled back into Rowan’s flat.

“I am so tired and my face is on fire.”

Rowan cupped he face with his hands “you have freckles and you are stunning.”

Aelin gave him a smile and then ducked “I call dibs on the shower.”

Rowan laughed and let her win.

The shower took her a bit longer than planned. Her thoughts wandered to the fact that she was meant to fly home the next day and sadness struck when she realised she did not want to leave Rowan. They had the four best days so far and she hated that she had to wait two more weeks for him to be back and finally try and work on the foundation of their relationship that they had built during that holiday.

Once back in Rowan’s room she started packing. He had given her her own room but she never used it. They had ended up sharing the room and the bed.

She was busy groaning at packing when she felt his arms fold around her waist from behind. His smell of pine and snow was much stronger and she leaned against his chest, closing her eyes “I really don’t want to go.”

“I’ll be back in two weeks,” he told her against her ear.

“I know,” and she hated how petulant she sounded. She turned in his arms and buried her face in his naked chest. Rowan held her tight, her head tucked under his chin.

“I love when you hold me like this. It makes me feel less alone.”

Rowan squeezed her and they remained like that for a time that it felt endless. He didn’t want her to go either and he had a feeling they were going to be two very long weeks. He was getting used having her in his bed and loved waking up in the morning with her scent around him. He eventually pulled away and sat down on the bed and put on his briefs “come on,” he patted the bed “time to sleep.” She climbed in bed with him and took her usual position nested against him and his arms protectively around her.

Aelin was once again in his car but alas, this time it was not for an adventure. He was driving her back to the airport. Her holiday was officially over and she had been grumpy all morning. 

His hand was resting on her knee giving her comfort.

“Are you going back to work tomorrow?”

Aelin shook her head “I need to start tonight. We are on night shift.”

“That sucks.”

In the distance she noticed the shape of Doranelle airport appear and her heart sank.

Rowan parked in the short stay car park and he grabbed her hand and together they walked into the airport. Check-in was a breeze and he eventually walked her just before the security area “this is as far as I can go.” He told her sadly.

Aelin crashed against him and fought it very hard not to cry.

“Hey…” he said very gently caressing her head “I will be back soon.”

She took a deep breath and pulled back.

“Call me when you land. I don’t trust those civilian pilots.” His thumb brushed her lips gently then he leaned over and kissed her.

“These are going to be two very long weeks.” He whispered against her mouth.

“I know.” Then she kissed him one more time and pulled away with all the courage she had. One of them had to let go eventually.

He kissed her one last time and let her hand go and stared at her walk away until she disappeared behind security.

***

It was a few hours later when Aelin landed back in Orynth. She had texted Aedion before boarding and gave him an ETA. While she waited for her bag to arrive on the carousel she phoned Rowan and he answered at the first ring.

“I am pleased to say that my pilot did manage to land us safely back in Terrasen.”

She heard Rowan scoff “It’s not that difficult, he just needs to press a few buttons and use the stick for landing and take off.”

She loved to tease him “he was hot though…”

“Sure, if you fancy men getting paid to fly a big metal trap in a straight line…”

She chuckled “we turned a few times as well.”

“You banked,” he corrected her.

“Uh?”

“An aircraft banks, does not turn. Then we roll, pitch and yaw.”

She huffed “fine, we banked. Happy?”

Her bag arrived and she placed it on her shoulder.

“Was the flight okay?”

She started walking to the exit “yeah, no turbulence this time.” She reached the main doors and walked through “what are you doing?”

“Getting ready to head to class.”

“Are you going to crush those little bastards?”

Rowan laughed “oh yes, I have a very hard exercise in mind.”

She spotted Aedion in the distance and weaved at him “Aedion is here. I gotta go.”

“Be safe, okay?”

“You too, captain. I am getting quite fond of having you around.”

“Bye menace.”

Aedion found her within minutes and hugged her as if he hadn’t seen her in a lifetime.

“Welcome back.” He squeezed her “give me your bags.” He grabbed her stuff and they walked back to his car “how was you holiday?”

“I had a good time.”

“You seem happier.”

“How is the station? Is it still standing?” She changed the subject. She had no intention of talking about her time with Rowan with her cousin.

“It is still standing. We had a few interesting calls, but nothing we could not handle. The team we got from west is blending really well in our team.”

“Good.”

They arrived at the station not long after and once she got off the car Lysandra and Elide ran to her and hugged her fiercely “I was away only for four days.”

“We missed you.” Then Lysandra grabbed her arm and pulled her to the lockers room “get changed and talk.”

Aelin opened her locker and dropped her duffel bag inside it and took out her uniform “So nosey,”

“You have just spent four days with hot captain. Come on girl, we want details,” and both women sat on the bench.

“We had a good time.”

“And?”

“And it was relaxing.”

“And?”

Aelin removed her clothes and remained in her underwear “and that’s it.”

“You are telling me, that you just spent four days living in his flat and you two did nothing?”

“I am not telling you anything.” She wore her trousers, then grabbed her top and finally her blue shirt “things happened but they are between us.”

“Aelin, I have a bet to win.”

“I knew it.” Shouted Aelin, fixing her hair again in a tight braid.

“Well, they had to concentrate on a new target since Aedion and I are off the betting pool.”

Aelin stopped and turned to Lysandra and the woman showed her her fourth finger now carrying a gorgeous ring.

“Holy fuck, he did it. He finally proposed.”

“It was beautiful,” said Elide dreamingly.

“He did it here at the station?”

Lysandra nodded “he waited for me and Elide to come back from a call. He placed loads of candles in a heart shape in front of the rigs and as we drove back in he stopped in front of the ambulance on one knee. And then he proposed.”

Aelin hugged her best friend “this is amazing. So friggin awesome.”

“So nothing happened with hot guy?”

Aelin looked at the clock. She still had twenty minutes before the start of the shift “Fine. Just as an engagement present.” And she took a seat beside the two women “Rowan and I, we… had a great time.” And at her expression, Lysandra squealed and Elide smiled as well.

“Is he good?”

Aelin laughed “he is… very skilled.”

“Holy shit. How many times? Where? Any naughty places?”

Aelin knew this was going to happen. She and Lys had always shared such things “the first time we did it three time. The night I arrived in Doranelle. And we did it in the sea and on an empty beach.”

“Ok, I am really jealous right now.” Asked Lys grabbing her friend’s hands “what does this mean?”

Aelin shrugged “he is away for two more weeks. Once he is back we… will discuss things.”

“Ok, from a scale from 1 to god, how good is he?”

Aelin laughed “definitely god.”

“And is he…?” Lys’ eyebrows lifted in a suggestive manner.

“I am not telling you that.”

“What does he do to be a god?” Asked Elide shyly.

“Make you scream so much the neighbours thinks he is torturing you.” Explained Lysandra deadpanned.

Aelin laughed and grabbed Elide’s hand “don’t worry about all of this.” She said tenderly “how is it going with Lorcan?”

Elide blushed savagely “really well. I… I told him about… me.”

“And?” Asked Aelin curious. She hoped the man had been nice to her. She knew where his office was.

“He has been nice about it. He promised he’ll wait for me and that when I feel ready he will show me everything.”

Aelin chuckled “Good.” Then looked at the clock “girls, let’s go.”

The team was having a relaxing night in front of the tv. Aelin was on the comfy chair  her legs draped over the arm, reading a book. Rowan’s manual on flight techniques that he had lent her. After he had shown what he was reading at the beach she had started getting curious and wanted to be able to impress him upon his return. Her phone was in her lap and they had been texting all evening. She was hoping in an easy shift when the dispatch alarm went off. Everyone jumped and she and Aedion took a rig each after the announcement called for two engines and the ambulance.

Aelin ran to her turnout gear and got dressed super quickly and jumped in the engine.

“Did I hear correctly?” She asked Nox who was already at the wheel ready to go “are we going to the airport?”

Nox nodded.

“Those bloody civilian pilots.” She joked but no one got her and she wished Rowan was there, he would have loved it.

They arrived at the airport and Nox stopped the truck. Aelin got off and met the man in the car with red flashing lights “Follow me. We have a collision between two aircrafts. The big one then crashed into the hangar and we have people trapped in there as well.”

Aelin ran back and they followed the car and when they reached the accident site they were not ready for the carnage in front of them. The plane had slammed into the hangar and a raging fire had enveloped a side of the aircraft. Aelin searched for the second plane but could not see it. She jumped off the truck and went back to the man to get an idea of what they were dealing with.

“I thought you said there were two aircrafts.”

The man silently pointed at the remains of a smaller aircraft under the bigger one. There was nothing left and the smaller plane had been reduced to smithereens.

She went back to her team and started shouting orders “Manon, Asterin, try and crack the aircraft door open and see if we can save someone. Wesley, Kyllian you go with Ress and cover Asterin and Manon with water.” She ordered them “Ansel, you are on the aerial and get Manon and Asterin where they need to go.” Then she turned to the rest of her squad “Aedion, take Luca and Brullo and stop the aircraft fire. Remember that the fuel is in the wings.”

“How do you know that?” Asked Nox surprised.

“That is not important now.” She went to their engine and grabbed mask and oxygen tank and tools “Ren, Nox, you two are with me. We are going inside the hangar.” They all geared up very quickly and in the distance she noticed Dorian’s approaching. “Aedion, we might need to call west if it gets worse.”

Aelin and the two guys ran to try and find and entrance to the hangar but the frame of the plane was stuck inside it, blocking any access. “Be careful, there is jet fuel everywhere.” They walked under the wing on fire but they could not see any point of access inside the hangar.

“Can you hear it?” Asked Nox.

“Fuck, there are people still in the hangar.” The nose of the plane had collapsed as the landing gear had failed. Then she noticed it. A small passage near the nose. She removed her oxygen tank from her shoulders, pushed it through the opening and walked to the small hole.

“What are you doing?” Shouted Ren.

“Going in. I am the smallest of the three.” She kneeled and started to wriggle her body through the small opening “open up a bigger passage, we need to find a way to evacuate the civilians.”

Once on the other side, the heat was unbearable and fire and smoke made visibility impossible. 

“Fire department, call out.” She shouted to draw attention. A massive explosion rocked the hangar and she threw herself on the ground and rolled quickly on the side managing to avoid a piece of the roof of the hangar collapsing on her.

“Fire department, call out,” she shouted again. Slowly she began walking deeper in the raging inferno in the hope someone was still alive. Everything was collapsing around her. Then she heard it. A voice. 

“Fire department, call out.”

She heard the call again and tried to walk to the voice. Then she saw it. A person was on the floor and beside it there was another one. She ran to them.

“Are you okay?” The woman was in shock but alive.

She had a look at the man lying on the ground and searched for a pulse and found none.

“You need to come with me.”

The woman started shaking and Aelin pulled her up on her feet. She had no time. 

“Go through there, there are firefighters outside. They will help you. You are safe.”

The woman nodded and kneeled and slowly slithered through the small aperture.

“Ren, there is a woman coming out.” She shouted.

“We can’t open a passage. If we do this side will collapse completely.” Shouted Nox in a panicked voice.

“Go through the other side, go through the nose, but I need a fucking bigger passage.” and she left again not waiting for a reply.

Manon had cracked open the door of the aircraft and she and Asterin had made their way inside. The cabin was full of smoke and fire had started to spread from a gash that had opened where the wing was attached to the fuselage. Manon smelled fuel and knew they had to be quick.

“We are with the fire department. If you can walk we need you to follow us and evacuate the aircraft immediately.”

Asterin walked deeper down the aisle “cover mouth and nose with something.” She noticed a few injured people “Manon, you take those who can walk.”

Manon nodded and directed people out of the main door and once at the aerial she shouted for Luca.

The young man climbed the aerial very swiftly “I am passing you some passengers, make sure they get down safely.”

Luca started ferrying people back and forth leading them to safety to two waiting Lys and Elide.

Asterin heard a few ominous sounds and pushed the people down the aisle, Manon joined her and together with the last two passengers they ran into the cockpit and slammed the door shut when an explosion rocked the plane.

Luca flattened on the aerial and covered the person he was accompanying, with his body.

On the ground Aedion and his two men took sheltered from the explosion and Dorian did the same. 

“Evacuate the civilians quickly.” He shouted over the noise.

Lysandra and Elide took all the survivors to the ambulance that had been parked at a safer distance.

“Aedion, I want that fire under control.” Dorian barked again “we are getting close to the collapse point.” then he realised he was missing one person “where’s Aelin?”

“Inside,” and Nox pointing at the hangar.

“Alone?” Shouted Dorian in rage “you let her go inside alone? That is not protocol.”

“She was the only one who could fit through the small gap.” Ren bit back, not caring if he was being disrespectful to his CO. “Nox and I are trying to open a second gap but the fuselage is the only thing holding up the hangar right now.”

Dorian slammed his hat on the ground and tried to call Aelin over the radio but no response came over.

Aelin knew she was lost. She had found two more people beyond saving, but she did not give up. The heat was becoming worse by the minute. She continued walking until she spotted two figures hiding in a corner. They were alive “Fire department,” she shouted. The two people waved at her. One was badly injured “can you walk?”

“I can manage.”

“Lean on me,” offered Aelin to the man. Slowly they crawled back to the nose of the aircraft and as she did with the first person she pointed the exit to them.

She looked at the small screen on her wrist and noticed that her oxygen was running low.

“Shit.” She probably still had fifteen minutes. She could try and save someone else.

Dorian saw the two people come out of the passage and for a moment he hoped a third one would appear as well but Aelin never did. “Where are you?” He whispered to her.

Aedion got the aircraft fire under control, but not yet the hangar and Nox and Ren could finally work on opening a bigger passage for them to go in. They knew it was a race against time. Chances were Aelin’s oxygen was running low and they had to get in and find her quickly. 

Aelin’s breathing apparatus beeped signalling her that her juice was up. She had moved even deeper in the hangar and she had lost sight of the nose of the plane, her only landmark to her way out. All around her there was nothing but fire. She threw the air tank on the ground, now exhausted and useless. She removed the mask and the stench of jet fuel hit her. The smoke grew thicker and she began coughing, her lungs burning at every breath. She placed the mask again against her face and walked a bit more searching for more survivors.

Aedion saw it happen in slow motion. He was helping Nox and Ren opening a new passage to the interior of the hangar when the structure folded on itself. The material, now compromised by the crash and the heat had given up like a house of cards in the wind.

“No… no… no…” said Nox frantically, “Aelin is inside. Fuck it, Aelin is still inside.” He shouted.

Aedion turned to him with a dangerous glare in his eyes.

He ran to the engine and went to grab his oxygen tank but Dorian stopped him “you are not going inside.”

Aedion freed himself from the man’s grip “I am going in and I don’t give a fuck. I am not letting her die in there.”

“You can’t go in there.”

“If you love her as much as you claim you will let me go in and save her.” Aedion wore his gear in defiance.

Dorian tried one more time to stop him but Aedion did not listen and slowly crawled through the passage they had managed to open. 

Aelin stopped and coughed a bit more. Her lungs and her throat were on fire. She could feel the fumes from the jet fuel starting to have an effect on her. She moved a few steps then she heard it. 

A moment later the whole structure collapsed on her. Her mask rolled away from her hand, and Aelin, trapped under the debris, sank into unconsciousness as the fire now surrounded her completely.

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[taetaespeaches]

“You’re always going to be enough, Kid.”

yoongi x reader (or oc) genre: fluff; angst word count: 2.2K

a/n: omg this is the last of this angsty period for Min/Kid!! We have officially made it! This is hardly angst, it just has Kid expressing some of her insecurities and it’s definitely mostly fluff. This takes place the morning after, “I didn’t think you’d care if I came back.” Our babies are on their way to a happy, healthy relationship! Yay! Thanks for sticking with me through the sad shit, hopefully this officially makes up for it all lol. I hope you all enjoy and thank for reading! :)) 

p.s. the angsty bit of this is roughly based on “peace” off of Taylor Swift’s album, folkore. 

CUDDLING closer to the warm body next to you, you hummed contently as you felt a small kiss on the top of your head.

“Morning, Kid,” Yoongi’s low, sleep-filled voice gently spoke, you smiling against his bare chest. In place of a response, you placed a kiss to his warm skin, before peppering them across his chest, his light laughter rumbling against your frame as you did so. “Gross, affection,” he teased.

“Shush,” you mumbled against his skin, “you love it.”

He hummed, wrapping his arms around your body, hugging you tightly against him. “It feels early.”

“There’s no sun,” you commented, peaking past the man’s form to inspect the window, the sky still darkened as the sun was just preparing to emerge.

“Why are we awake?” He asked you, confusion drenching the question making you giggle.

Arching your back so you could look up at his face, Yoongi tucked his chin into his neck to peer down at you. “You’re cute,” you pouted up at him, endeared by his sleepy swollen eyes.

A small smile graced his face just before he scrunched his nose cutely, a sign of his negation. “Want to watch the sunrise with me?” Your eyes widened at the question. You hadn’t spent many mornings with the man yet, but you knew watching the sunrise was not one of his regular hobbies.

Sitting up on your elbows, you stared at him for a moment, studying him. “What?” He asked, a faint smile on his lips.

“Just trying to figure out who you are and how you got into the body of my Honey Boy,” you teased, your gaze traveling his features. A gummy smile beamed at you as he reached up, tousling your hair a bit.

“I’m just full of surprises,” he told you, meeting your eyes.

You held each other’s gazes for a moment before yours traveled to his lips. Suddenly, Yoongi lifted himself off the mattress, supporting himself on his elbows and forearms, craning his neck to push his lips to yours. The kiss was sweet, Yoongi pulling away to rest his forehead to yours.

“I need coffee,” you smiled, Yoongi chuckling in response.

Kissing you once more he nodded. “I’m on it.”

Yoongi lazily crawled out of bed, you smiling in amusement as you watched him waddle around the room, finding his clothing.

“Forget the sunrise, I prefer this view,” you teased as you sat up on the bed, Yoongi stalling to shoot you a glare. “What?”

“Stop it,” he warned you, an adorable smile on his face as he avoided your gaze, grabbing his underwear off the floor.

“Not my fault you’re sexy,” you flirted, Yoongi laughing at the comment as he put the bottoms on.

“Yeah, yeah, Kid,” he mumbled, walking toward you, scooping his shirt up along the way. Leaning down, he placed a kiss to your forehead. “Remind me to move those fucking condoms to the drawer,” he mumbled against your forehead, you laughing loudly at the comment as your hands settled on his hips.  

“No,” you whined playfully, Yoongi smiling as he kissed your lips once. “Watching you walk across the room butt ass naked at the very last minute is my favorite part.”

“That’s your favorite part?” He asked you in offense, pulling away just slightly to look at you with an expression of disbelief.

You smiled widely, laughing as he shook his head, his gummy grin breaking through. Reaching up, you poked one of his cheeks and he grabbed your hand in his, bringing it to his lips. A shiver suddenly shook Yoongi’s frame, you shooting him a wide-eyed look. “It’s cold outside the bed,” he told you, giving a fake shiver to further his point.

“You’re the one who left the bed,” you told him sassily, Yoongi scoffing in response.

“Where the hell are my pants?” He looked around making you giggle. He spotted them at the bottom of the bed on the floor and went toward them, snatching them up.

“Don’t put on jeans,” you protested, Yoongi looking at you with wide eyes.

“They’re all I have.”

You let out a sigh wrapping yourself up tighter in your comforter. “You need to start bringing an overnight bag.”

“Oh fuck, I actually have one in my car.”

Giving him a look of confusion, you asked, “wait, why?”

“I was on my way back to the studio,” he told you, your expression staying the same, making Yoongi let out a small amused chuckle.

“You’ve been staying at the studio?”

“I didn’t really feel like being around anyone,” he told you more seriously, you nodding.

“No, yeah, I get that,” you gave him a small smile. You stared at one another for a moment before you smiled a little wider. Put your pants on so you can go get your sweats,” you teased, Yoongi chuckling as he stepped into his jeans.

“Yes, ma’am,” he sassed on his way out the door.

“And make my coffee!” You shouted after him with a smile. You could have been mistaken, but you swore you heard a scoff in response. You smiled to yourself as Yoongi shifted around your kitchen, putting a pot of coffee on.

Looking around the room, listening to him shuffle outside your bedroom, you sighed in contentment, the space feeling warmer and more peaceful knowing he was there, and that he’d keep coming back. You didn’t even flinch when you heard the front door open and close, alerting you of his momentary absence as he went to retrieve his overnight bag. Instead, you took it as your cue to crawl out of bed yourself and get some clothes on.

Singing to yourself as you put some underwear and sweatpants on, you didn’t hear Yoongi re-enter the apartment until he was walking back into your room, complaining about the weather.

“It’s still so cold in the mornings,” he whined through a pout, dropping his duffle on your bed. “It’s April, isn’t it supposed to start warming up?”

“I don’t know, you tell me, Grampa Min,” you teased, turning to face him with your upper half still bare, which Yoongi did not miss as his eyes lingered on your body for a moment.

Walking over to you he attempted to bite back a grin as he shook his head. “You’re never gonna let me live, are you?” You shook your head with a proud smile, Yoongi chuckling just before he began taking his shirt off.

“Oh?” You said in surprise. “We’ll miss the sunrise.”

Pulling the shirt over his head, he revealed a wide gummy grin as his shoulders shook in laughter. “Here,” he told you, holding the bottom of the shirt open, nodding to it.

“Oh,” you said, in realization this time, understanding he was wanting you to wear his shirt. “Oh, you really are cute,” you grinned, allowing him to put the shirt over your arms and head.

“Yeah, yeah, a honey boy,” he said for you, you smiling widely.

“You are,” you cooed, pressing your lips to his as you pulled the shirt down your abdomen. “Thanks, baby,” you whispered against his mouth before walking past him. “Hurry up and get dressed, we’ll miss the sunrise.”

Making your way to your kitchen, you went straight for the coffee mugs, feeling very appreciative for your personal coffee maker that was currently dressing in your room. Filling your own mug, you poured another for Yoongi before taking a sip of your own.

As you waited for him to meet you in the kitchen, you started thinking about Yoongi staying in the studio. It was something you would have done. Isolating yourself, almost as if you deserved the pain of loneliness and the hurt that came with the fight. Shielding yourself from the world, and the one person you wanted most, as you sorted through your thoughts. It wasn’t really any different to what you had been doing in your apartment for the past few days.

The tulips, sitting in a water pitcher on the kitchen counter, caught the corner of your eye, and you focused in on them. They were soft colors, pink and white, and it reminded you of the blush of Yoongi’s cheeks when you’d stare at him and make him feel nervous.

You heard Yoongi’s sock covered feet scoot across the floor toward you, but you continued staring at the flowers. Yoongi came to stand next to you, pressing his lips to your temple gently, the touch comforting, and you leaned into his frame.

“I love the bouquet,” you told him, your gaze lingering on the flowers for a moment longer before breaking your focus and taking another drink of your coffee, looking toward the sliding glass door that led to your deck area.

“Yeah?” He mumbled against your skin before his hands came to take your mug of coffee from you, you letting him easily as you watched him hold it in his large grasp.

“Yeah,” you watched as he brought the mug to his lips. “Even if I pretend in the moment I don’t care for them, I love flowers.”

“Noted,” he grinned and then took a drink.

“I poured you a cup,” you told him, gesturing to the mug next to him.

“Yeah, I saw,” he grinned again, you giggling lightly. He breathed out slowly as you reached for the other mug of coffee, claiming it as your own. You continued looking outside as Yoongi watched you. “What’s on your mind, Kid?”

You sighed, tapping your finger on the ceramic in your hands. “Can we have a bit of a serious talk real quick?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi nodded, you looking up to meet his thoughtful gaze.

“I’m gonna fuck up, Yoongi,” you told him, your insecurities coming to the surface, disrupting the easy-going morning. His eyes were on you intently as he awaited your next words. “You told me that you go through a lot mentally, but I do too, and I just feel like I have to warn you that I have my own burdens and they do get heavy sometimes,” you breathed out, pausing for a moment to inspect his features, searching for signs of panic. There were none. "I'll lock myself away as I sort through my mind, I'm going to get mean in fights, I'll to try to push you away.” His eyes were still gentle as he looked at you.

“I know all this, Kid.” Your eyes widened at the comment, surprised by the words. He let out a tiny chuckle. “I mean, I don’t know how you act when you’re stuck in your head and your insecurities, and I’m yet to see you actually be mean in a fight,” he gave you a small smile, your lips quirking up as well. “But I know.” You stared at him and he sighed. “I always prepare two masks, hiding my true self behind the defensive image, I thoroughly hide myself,” he recited, your eyes widening at the lyrics of his song ‘140503 at Dawn’. “Out of all my lyrics, I was surprised at first to find out those were the ones that stuck out to you.”

You recalled the moment in the café on your second (impromptu) date when you showed him you had scribbled those lyrics down in your journal upon your first listen of Agust D.

“Jesus,” you giggled in embarrassment, looking down to your feet. “You must have thought I was such a freak.”

“No, no,” he smiled, “not at all.” Dipping his head to catch your gaze, you looked up to meet his eyes. “I thought you were interesting, and that maybe we would relate on a lot more than what we were seeing on the surface. I think there’s a reason everything feels so comfortable between us.”

“This shit lives in me though, Yoongi. And I know you get that feeling, but I just need you to truly understand that the baggage comes with me,” you warned him.

“I know,” he nodded sincerely.

“I can be your friend, and lover, and I can fight beside you and remind you of who you are underneath the mask, and I can give you silence, and-” you trailed off, tears gathering in your eyes. “I can’t promise you peace,” you said, your voice breaking.

“That’s more than enough,” he assured you. “And if you fuck up, you’ll still be enough.”

You gave a slight smile at the comment before turning serious again. “Are you sure?”

“Be my girlfriend,” he suddenly told you.

“What?” You asked in surprise, your eyes widening at the… request?

“Will you?” He adjusted, giving you a small shy smile.

Looking at him in that moment, him staring at you, you both knew you already belonged with each other. A label wasn’t necessary, but the sentiment was there. And of course you wanted to be his girlfriend. “Obviously,” you smiled widely, a laugh slipping between your lips at the small blush on his cheeks. “Oh my god, this makes you my honey boy-friend,” you cooed. “Swoon.”

His shoulders shook in laughter as he leaned forward, catching your lips in a kiss. You kissed him back, holding your mug in one hand so you could place your other hand on his plush and pink-tinted cheek.

“Swoon,” he giggled against your lips, you laughing with him. Pecking your lips once more, he leaned his forehead against yours. “You’re always going to be enough, Kid. Don’t worry about that.”

Smiling, you kissed him gently once more. “You too, Min.”

[tatooedlaura-blog]

Maybe WE don’t believe in YOU!

It’s throwback Thursday time ... this is a goodie from 2009 (dragged kicking and screaming from Gossamer) ... oi, these things amuse me at times :)

any and all errors are from the original post and have not been changed to preserve giggles and chuckles :)

@today-in-fic​

&&&&&&&&&&

He saw her sitting halfway up the bleachers, amidst yelling parents and clapping children. He knew she'd gone outside a good 15 minutes ago but since she'd neglected to come back, he though he'd better go and collect her. He didn't move fast, more at his usual long-strided amble given there wasn't much to hurry about anymore. Since the police station was next to the elementary school fields, he didn't have far to walk; soon standing beside the rickety aluminum riser seats.

She didn’t notice him at first but when she did a general sweep of her surroundings, as was natural habit at this point, she lit on his face staring up at her and with a barely noticed head-tilt, she gave him a half smile.

Figuring this was an invite of the most discreet kind, he picked his way through the scattered crowd, settling next to her without a word. Silently, they sat together through the last minutes of the game as well as through the exodus of people, kids, strollers and family dogs.

It wasn't until the last person stepped off the field that Mulder turned to her, squinting against the late afternoon sun, "hi."

Pushing her hair back, only to have the light breeze ruffle it again, "hi."

"So, got a little tired of Sheriff Blowhard and his parade of blightless minions?"

"A little. There's only so much blowharding and blightlessness one can take. Besides,” nodding towards the now deserted field, "they looked like they needed another fan."

Knocking shoulders with her gently, "you know, if we get our paperwork done, we can get the hell out of Dodge."

Holding silent for a moment, "promise me our next case won't be like this. I don't think I can do this again anytime soon."

"Well, I'll try to order us up a nice, juicy monster but don't hold your breath."

"Just promise to try. That's all I ask."

One glance into her tired, dull eyes made him nod, "promise."

"All right then." Standing and holding her hand out to him, "let's, as you put it, get the hell out of Dodge."

"If only the place was actually called Dodge."

"Getting the hell out of Parson Village doesn't exactly have the same ring to it, does it?"

Finally down on the ground, they walked back across the parking lot, "not really."

&&&&&&&&&

Working through the last of the forms, they said good-bye and left, glad to be leaving the place behind them. The drive back to the hotel was quiet but a companionable quiet, one where Mulder left the radio off and Scully stared out the open window, enjoying the fresh air and the colors of the setting sun.

Back at the hotel, "do you still want to leave now or wait until the morning?"

He knew she would prefer to go than stay and since he wasn't tired, "now works for me." Checking out went by in a flash and once Mulder had made a not so secretive trip to the vending machines, they were off, "you sure you want to drive first? I'm awake."

Scully just turned the car on, "I'm good for now. I'll let you know when it's your turn."

"Fair enough." Putting his seat back to a decent incline, he settled in, "mind if we keep the windows open for awhile?"

She gave him a smile, "as long as you don't mind me having the wind blown look."

"Naw, you wear it well."

"Okay, now you're just buttering me up."

With a laugh, he rested one arm at his side, the other on the middle compartment, hand dangling by the shifter, "just say thanks, Scully."

"Thanks, Mulder."

He was feeling a bit mischievous but held off until they had been on the road for a few minutes. From his position, he could tell no one else was on the quiet country road and in a fairly nonchalant way, he made like he was turning on the radio but instead, pushed the shifter forward into neutral.

The engine revved, Scully looked around in panic, then saw Mulder's hand beside the stick, "what the hell?" Shoving it back in drive, she swung and hit him near full force in the chest, "are you insane?"

Now for the fun part.

Wincing, he curled his arms to his chest, pretending the blow had actually hurt him, "damn. I was just gonna turn the radio on. I bumped it on accident." Plastering an appropriate grimace on his face, "there's less painful ways to kill me, you know."

Her face scrunching in honest apology, "I'm so sorry. I thought you did it on purpose. I … I'm sorry."

Rubbing his chest for good measure, "remind me to ask before moving next time." The urge to laugh nearly won but he held it in, "I feel extremely sorry for any suspects on the receiving end of your fist."

Automatically reaching over, she wrapped her hand around his forearm, "I'm sorry."

"S'okay." Wondering how long she'd keep her hand there, "was kind of funny though, wasn't it?"

She shrugged, "maybe it will be later but right now, I just feel bad."

"No harm, no foul, right?"

Keeping her hand on him with no sign of letting go, "right."

&&&&&&&&&

They switched places a few hours later, Scully beginning to yawn and stretch to keep herself awake. Mulder, who'd managed a nap, readjusted the seat and mirrors before looking over at her, "all set?" Head already lolling on the seat and eyes closed, she only nodded.  As always amused by the swiftness she could fall asleep, he pulled the car out of the gas station and back on the freeway.She slept for about a half-hour, then woke again when he hit a bump in the road, "sorry."

Shaking the cobwebs from her brain, "no, it's okay." After re-positioning the seat back, she stared out the window for a minute before, "where are we, anyway?"

When he turned to look around, she swiftly reached over, flipping a small switch on the dash, "we're about 10 miles from the middle of nowhere."

"That's specific."

He gave her a lopsided grin before looking back through the windshield.

She wondered how long it would take for him to notice.

Not long, she soon discovered.

Taking a cursory glance at the speedometer, he slammed on the brakes, throwing them both forward slightly, "what the hell?" When he had looked, he saw in horror that he was doing 120. Still talking to himself, "there's no way in hell I was doing 120."

Playing along, "what?! You're going 120? I don't need to die tonight, Mulder."

"I didn't realize …"

"Just slow the hell down!!"

He shrank into the seat and heart pounding, he brought his speed back to 75 but when looking out the window, he would swear they were nearly crawling. She then watched him look from the speedometer to the road to the speedometer once again, then to the smile she couldn't contain, "why the hell are all the gauges in metrics now?"

Reaching over, she re-flipped the switch, turning everything back to normal, "did you really think I'd let the neutral thing go unanswered?"

Instead of being annoyed, he looked at her admirably, "nice."

&&&&&&&&&

She was sound asleep again an hour later when Mulder discovered he was contemplating how long he could shut his eyes before it got dangerous. Poking his finger into Scully's thigh, "hey, you awake?"

When she only mumbled, he knew they were both done for the night but with only an hour left to go, he debated pushing it.

Until he heard his tires running on the rumble strip.

Yeah, it was time to stop.

Especially when he saw it … a bright beacon of hope in the distance.

Wal-Mart.

24-hour, anyone can sleep in the damn parking lot, beautiful, shiny Wal-Mart.

He pulled off the exit ramp and soon, he stopped the car in the center of a vast expanse of parking lot. Cracking the windows so they wouldn’t suffocate, he put his seat back, stretched and promptly fell asleep.

A blissful sleep that lasted almost a full two hours, until, “what the hell?”

The sound of her voice jolted him upright and his hand caught the horn, beeping it obnoxiously as he blinked against the painfully bright light in his eyes, “huh?”

By now, she was rolling down the window and being the least polite he’d ever heard her, “what!?”

The flashlight lowered but all Mulder could see was the spot it had burned into his retinas. The spot spoke in a low, male voice, “evenin’ folks.”

Again, Scully rolled off with, “what!?!”

“Just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

He could feel Scully building rapidly towards some other, more improper phrases and heading her off with a hand on her arm, “we were tired and thought we’d take a nap instead of wrapping ourselves around a telephone pole.” As the spot began to fade, he could make out an older gentleman behind the lowered flashlight, “I thought people could park and sleep here for the night?”

“RVs can park but ya’ll aren’t in an RV so I thought maybe you were havin’ some trouble.”

Hearing Scully sigh resignedly through her nose, he spoke again, “no trouble, sir. Just tired.”

“Well, ya’ll be careful.”

As he turned and walked away, Mulder looked at her irate expression, “hi.”

“You’re coming with me.”

“Where?”

Unbuckling her belt, “I have to go to the bathroom and you’re coming with me.”

Opening his door, “why are you pissed at me? I didn’t scare the shit out of you with a flashlight.”

“Just come on.”

She stalked across the parking lot, Mulder trotting to catch up, then settling into an easy gait until they got to the store entrance, “are you gonna make me come in with you or do I get to wait outside the door?”

With eyes narrowed, she left him in the entryway and disappeared into the ladies room. Deciding to go himself, he still beat her back and was leaning on the wall when she came out drying her hands on her jeans. She seemed calmer and leaning next to him, “I’m hungry.”

Gesturing through the doors that led to the actual store, “I bet there’s something in there, if you’re willing to risk it.”

“Lead the way, partner.” Both were shocked by the amount of people in the store, “what time is it anyway?”

Finding her wrist with his hand, he twisted her watch around until he could read it, “um, 1:15.”

“Why are all these people here? Don’t they have homes and beds?”

“Insomniacs make the best shoppers.”

She let a small chuckle escape her nose, “just find me something to eat.”

Well, she should have known not to A) shop when she was hungry and 2) shop with Mulder. She should have also put her foot down when he suggested getting a cart.

An hour later, they were finally through the checkout.

Scully had found some sandwiches, drinks and chips for them both, then stupidly gave Mulder control of the cart. He immediately steered towards the entertainment section and was soon pawing through the $3.99 DVD bin.

That killed a half-hour right there. Damn those bins and their B-movie classics.

After he’d found several handfuls of movies, he veered through men’s clothing for socks, housewares for a new shower curtain (which Scully silently thanked God about), hardware to replace the two flashlights he’d left in their hotel rooms, back to menswear  for the underwear he’d forgot on the first trip (black boxer briefs, much to Scully’s amusement), then finally through women’s clothing, where he stopped in front of a rack of slogan t-shirts.

Standing for a moment, he studied them, then picked one up with an alien beside a spaceship who was pointing out and stating, “maybe WE don’t believe in you.” Holding it against her for a second, he tossed it in the cart and finally moved to the check-out.

She followed, dumbfounded by the last hour of her life, “Mulder … why …?”

“Shhhh, it’s too late to argue and too early to win.”

Whatever the hell that meant, she graciously allowed him to pay for their food, along with the industrial size Payday bar she tossed in at the last minute.

&&&&&&&&&&&

As they ate their makeshift dinner sitting in the car, “why did you buy me that t-shirt? Do you really think I’m gonna wear it?”

Grinning with a mouthful of half-chewed turkey, “you will. You’ll be getting dressed for something and you’ll just get the urge to put it on. So you will and you’ll realize you like it and that’ll be that.”

“Is this how you get your shopping done because I can see why your cupboards are bare.”

“Never ask about a man’s shopping habits.”

“Mulder?”

“Yeah?”

“Trade you sandwiches?”

He handed the rest of his sandwich to her immediately, taking her partially eaten roast beef in its place, “no dressing?”

“Nope.”

“So much to teach you, grasshopper.”

&&&&&&&&&

“I’ll drive if you want me to.”

Scully shook her head, “naw, I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m not tired now so I’ll keep you awake.”

With a grin in his direction, “God help me.”

“God’s probably asleep Scully. All you got is me.”

“Again, God help me.”

&&&&&&&&&&

They were finally navigating Washington’s outskirts by 3:30. He watched her staring ahead and fought the demon lurking inside him.

He really shouldn’t.

He really, really shouldn’t.

It would be evil and wrong and cruel and more than likely funny as all hell … if she didn’t kill him afterwards.

 …

He’d risk it.

Waiting another minute or so, he spied a light blinking in the distance and as they approached it, he braced his feet against the floor. Once they were about 10 feet away, he yelled, gripping the dashboard and the doorframe, “blinking yellow!!!”

She locked up the brakes, as expected, and bought the car to a screeching halt. The stop flung both forward, then back against their seats, with Scully screaming in his ear, “son of a bitch … it’s yellow Mulder! I don’t have to stop for a blinking yellow!”

Looking at her with as much seriousness as he could muster, “I didn’t tell you to stop.”

“Then why the hell did you yell ‘blinking yellow’ in my ear!?”

“I didn’t know if you saw it.”

He had never witnessed her nostrils flaring before and though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, she looked kind of cute doing it but … “are you trying to get us killed?”

He was now smiling despite the fact she had steam shooting out her ears, “there was no one behind us. I checked.”

Another nostril flare came his way before she turned the car off, still sitting in the middle of the intersection, got out and moving to his side of the car, pulled open the door, “drive.”

Still grinning, he scrambled over the gearshift, Scully sliding smoothly into his seat, putting her head back and closing her eyes.

Silence, he had not expected. Yelling, hitting, yes but not quiet. Quiet from Scully meant planning, concocting, calculating, organizing … quiet meant bad things … quiet meant very deep piles of shit with him underneath.

“Scully …”

“Home.”

Suddenly sober, he restarted the car, “I was just playing.”

“Home,” she repeated, then, instead of returning to sleep, she dug some gum from the glove compartment and proceeded to chew a wad of it, very loudly.

Now, he could take bullets, he could take slime, he could take beratement of the highest degree and, as demonstrated, he could even take bile but he absolutely despised the cud-chewing noises she was making. He withstood it for a long as humanly possible before, “could you please get rid of that? You sound like a damn cow.”

“You want me to get rid of the gum?”

“Yes!”

“Where do you want me to put it?”

His mistake was answering too quickly, “anywhere. I don’t care. Just stop chewing it.”

“Okay then.” Undoing her seatbelt, she twisted so she faced him, and in a gracefully disgusting move, she rolled the gum in her fingers, then proceeded to push it up his nose.

He knew something was coming and completely powerless to stop it, he just sat there as a thumb-size chunk of grape Hubba-Bubba was fitted into his right nostril.

She then calmly sat back down and re-buckled herself in.

He left the gum there as he turned to her, “Scully?”

“Yes, Mulder.”

“I believe we’re even now.”

Her belly laugh echoed off the windows and he began laughing as well, slipping the gum from his nose and putting it in his mouth.

Through her laughter, she grimaced, “eww, that’s disgusting.”

“But it’s grape.”

&&&&&&&&&

They finally made it to Mulder’s apartment and since her brain had drifted completely, she didn’t really notice where they were until he stopped the car, “why are we here?”

“Literally or existentially because I don’t think I can take a metaphysical discussion at the moment?”

“Literal.”

“You drove. You drop me off then drive yourself home.”

“Where’s your car, Mulder?”

Pointing to where he always parked, he saw an empty spot, “your house.” His head dropped to the steering wheel, “damn.” Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, “I’ll take you home.”

“No. I want out of the damn car and I want to go to sleep. Right now.”

“Then grab the bags from the store … I’ll get the suitcases.” They managed to make it in his door before dropping everything simultaneously. Mulder then re-picked up her bag and set it in his bedroom, “I’ll take the couch.”

“No, I will. I shoved gum up your nose.”

“And I yelled ‘blinking yellow’.”

Contemplating for a half second, “you’re right.”

He gave her a grin, “just help me change the sheets first.” Nodding, she had the bed stripped by the time he came back with a clean set. They finished in no time and he stepped back, nodding his head, “two people make that way faster.”

“Anytime Mulder but for now, I’m using your bathroom then going to bed.”

“Aye, aye captain.”

Meeting him in the hall on the way back from the bathroom, “g’night, Mulder.”

“’Morning, Scully.”

Before going to the bedroom, she grabbed one last thing, then changed, crawled under the clean sheets and was out before her head hit the pillow.

&&&&&&&&&&

He woke up leisurely. The phone hadn’t rung, no one had knocked on his door, obnoxious garbage men hadn’t rattled the dumpsters … he had woken up because he had finally caught up on his sleep. Marveling at the idea, he stood and moved silently towards his bedroom to check to see if she was awake yet.

Finding her spread eagle on her stomach, covers twisted around her and bare leg sticking out, foot hanging off the side of the bed, he nearly laughed when he saw her wearing the neon green t-shirt he’d bought the night before.

Deciding to let her sleep, he went to the bathroom, then made himself a bowl of cereal. By the time he’d sat down with his second helping, he heard the creak of his bedroom door. Looking up, he saw her standing there, hair tousled, eyes partially open, wearing only the t-shirt, which fell to mid-thigh. Swallowing the frogs in her throat, “’morning.”

After a glance at the DVD player’s clock, “afternoon.” Without comment, she padded across the cool floor and dropped down next to him, curling her legs underneath her. Covering them with his blanket, she reached over, took the spoon and helped herself to a large spoonful of cereal. Shaking the milk off, she had it nearly to her mouth when he finally spoke, “I thought you said you’d never wear that shirt?”

As the cereal entered her mouth, her lips quivered in the slightest of smiles, “shut up, Mulder.”

[kienava]

several folks requested beacon era bees for a fic giveaway and i miss them so enjoy <3 

_________

Dancing - Blake can’t remember the last time she enjoyed it.

She remembers going to functions with her parents when she was little and frolicking to her heart’s content before self-consciousness hardened into an opaque shell around her.

With the White Fang, there were plenty of other teenagers who were just as awkward and nervous as she was, but nights spent with them around bonfires always felt stolen and forbidden. Having fun meant wasting time that could be spent on the mission.

Seeing so many hunters-in-training taking the time to relax and forget their own insecurities reassures Blake now. She’s somewhere safe, relatively speaking, and she’s allowed to take a night off from trying to fix the world. She’s allowed to enjoy wearing a dress, and she’s allowed to enjoy yelling the wrong lyrics to songs along with her friends.

Yang was right to encourage this, she thinks. And the fog machine is actually pretty cool.

Considering how difficult it is to look anywhere else when Yang is in the room, Blake’s seen surprisingly little of her. Yang greeted her when she came in and then ran off, and Blake hasn’t spotted her since. It feels a little silly to want to thank someone for inviting her to a school-wide event, but she certainly isn’t going to thank Sun for stepping on her foot three separate times. Blake feels compelled to find her partner and say it anyway, and she’s confident the buzzing in her stomach won’t stop until she does.

Sun is trying to figure out how to re-knot his tie properly after tying it around his head and subsequently loosening it beyond salvation. Neptune is about as helpful as Blake would have guessed, and when Jaune gets involved, the whole thing is a lost cause.

Blake searches the room. It’s challenging enough to look anywhere else when Yang is in a room - but despite that, she’s surprisingly difficult to find.

It’s only when a giggling, stumbling couple clears out of the balcony that Blake sees her. She’s watching from one story up, her elbows propped on the railing and her chin resting on tight fists. There’s a wistful look on her face, and Blake might not have recognized it if she hadn’t seen it before.

She remembers watching Yang drag a piece of chalk across a blackboard, that same expression following as she looks at the floor. Sometimes Yang is loudest when she says nothing at all. When a teacher asks if her semblance causes her pain and she doesn’t say no. When someone mentions their mother at lunch and Yang doesn’t have a quip ready in reply. When someone asks if she’s interested in anyone and she says nothing at all.

Blake thinks she’s started to understand what those silences mean. Right now, Yang is unmistakably lonely.

It’s written in that cloudy, content smile. A quiet yearning with no particular velocity, like a single firefly hovering still over a field in the middle of the night. Look directly at it and it disappears.

Most people are born alone, but nobody is born lonely. That kind of thing has to be learned, practiced, perpetuated. Eventually, when solitude is a choice, it’s a comfort. Blake understands, though it’s not something she ever thought she’d have in common with the most extraverted girl in the whole school.

Maybe it’s foolish to hope that Yang will feel Blake’s eyes on her and turn her head, but Blake hopes anyway. She doesn’t remember when she started wishing so recklessly. The thrill it brings is something she’s only ever mined from the pages of her favorite novels, usually in the moments before an almost-kiss or a bracing confession. So she wishes, and she hopes, and she watches.

Yang keeps her eyes on the crowd, scanning with a soft focus that says she isn’t searching for anything. She glances toward the corner where the fog machine is. Weiss has made plenty of vague threats about the machine breaking under mysterious and unprovable circumstances, so it’s probably smart to keep an eye on it. But that can’t be the sole reason Yang has sequestered herself on the balcony.

Blake drifts off, leaving Sun, Neptune, and Jaune to their contained chaos. Pyrrha will probably intervene before anything gets broken.

At the bottom of the stairs, Blake bumps into the couple from the balcony, but they’re too wrapped up in each other to notice. As they whirl towards the dance floor, already laughing and twirling in each other’s arms, Blake looks over her shoulder, and she suspects her expression matches the one she just saw Yang wearing.

A few other people are up on the balcony, including Ruby, who’s so sick of her shoes that she’s put her bare feet up on a table. Blake passes by and raises an eyebrow at Weiss, who’s in the middle of an impermeable tirade about how revolting and utterly inappropriate it is to take off one’s shoes in public. Ruby simply leans back in a chair precariously, hands behind her head, eyes closed. Sooner or later she’ll lose her balance and fall over, but Weiss is right there to catch her, bare feet and all. That’s what good partners do, isn’t it? Catch each other, no matter what. 

Yang finally looks away from the dance floor when Blake is just passing Ruby’s table.

“Blake!” she calls. Her distant, foggy smile has brightened into a wide grin, and Blake feels like she’s just reached the bottom of a page.

“It's pretty exciting up here,” Blake replies. “I think I just heard Weiss mention foot sweat.”

“Gross,” Yang laughs.

Blake slides up next to her and grips the railing. “I think it hurt her to say it more than it hurt me to hear it.”

“Definitely.”

Yang looks back down at the party, and Blake hears the beat of silence that follows.

Blake pokes Yang’s shoulder. “So, are you having fun up here all by yourself?”

“I’m not by myself. Ruby and Weiss are--”

“Arguing about foot sweat.”

“And I’m having a great time watching.”

“Uh-huh.”

Yang turns to face her fully, and Blake is struck once again by how beautiful she is. The dress is cute, but it’s the attitude, the smirk, the pop of her hip.

“You got something to say, Miss Belladonna?” Yang teases.

“I came up here to say thank you, actually.” Blake rocks away from the railing, hiding her hands behind her back. “But I’m a little confused. You went on and on how much fun this dance was going to be, but you’ve barely done any dancing yourself.”

Yang mirrors her but leans one elbow on the railing. “Sounds like you’ve been keeping tabs on me.”

It’s like their own little unconventional waltz. One leads, the other follows, alternate, repeat. Is it too soon for Blake to know that she would follow her partner anywhere? Is it wishful thinking for her to believe Yang would do the same?

Blake could say something, or she could let her sly silence do the talking.

Yang holds her gaze for a moment, then another, before looking over the railing.

When Yang looks back again, her lip curls shyly, and Blake’s pretty sure she’s not thinking about the fog machine anymore.

“I’m glad you came,” Yang says.

Blake wants to kiss her again, pick up where the left off in their dorm room. First kisses are supposed to be messy, and Blake wouldn’t trade it for anything, but she feels the need to thank Yang for this night in as many ways as possible, with and without words. After all, Yang hears her no matter what. 

But they’re in public, and Blake isn’t sure if Yang would be comfortable with that. For all the attention she commands, Yang doesn’t make a point of sharing personal details with... anyone, really, now that Blake thinks about it. Not on purpose.

Blake remembers when she accidentally saw Yang’s bullet-bruised skin after a heavy fight, and she knows that the rest of their team doesn’t know about it.

When one of their friends needs to talk, Yang is happy to listen. Yet she never brings up anything more serious than a bad homework grade herself. She overwrites her own silences with easy jokes and disguised deflections. If Weiss and Ruby are around, she’s wary. Maybe she doesn’t want her sister to worry.

Blake knows what it’s like to keep the truth from people and think that you’re protecting them.

“Yang?” she asks.

“Hm?”

“You are having fun, right?”

Yang shifts. “Of course. Aren’t you?”

“Mostly.”

That catches Yang’s attention, and suddenly this is a very serious matter to her. “What’s wrong? Did someone spike the punch?”

“You wish.”

“Did someone not spike the punch enough?”

“No...”

“Because I can fix that.”

“Nothing needs fixing,” Blake says. She reaches for Yang’s hand and squeezes, hoping it’s convincing. “Tonight is pretty much perfect.”

Yang frowns. “Pretty much?”

“Well, I’ve barely seen the person who asked me to come to this thing in the first place.” Blake steps closer, and she sees Yang’s breath catch in her chest.

Yang covers it with a light and fleeting laugh. “Yeah, I could have guessed Sun wouldn’t be the most attentive date on the planet.”

Blake almost rolls her eyes because that one is way too easy to see through, but she’d rather watch the blush flare under Yang’s freckles. “I wasn’t talking about Sun.”

“Oh.”

Yang doesn’t move, and she doesn’t say anything more, and Blake isn’t sure what to do. Whatever Yang’s silence is trying to say is drowned out by Blake’s deafening need to kiss her, and it certainly isn’t helping that Yang is still holding her hand.

“Blake...” Yang says the name like she’s starting something, and it’s infinitely more exciting than turning a page.

In invitation, Blake nods her head towards the stairs and tugs just slightly on Yang’s hand. “You promised me a dance.”

“I guess I did,” Yang laughs.

She looks down at their hands like she’s double-checking a lock, and Blake hopes she never gets better at hiding it when she’s nervous.

Maybe she’ll get to kiss Yang later, when they’re walking back to their dorm at midnight after staying late to help clean up. Blake’s legs will be pleasantly exhausted from jumping around all night, and Yang will pull her jacket out of nowhere and drape it around Blake’s shoulders. Blake will pause to shiver and pull the coat tighter, and momentum will carry Yang half a step in front. She’ll turn around to see why Blake stopped following, look up at the shattered moon, and then find Blake’s eyes watching her, waiting. It will take a moment, perhaps two, for Yang to gather her courage, and then Blake won’t feel the cold at all.

It’s a scene right out of one of Blake’s books - but it doesn’t even compare to the way Yang looks at her when they reach the bottom of the stairs, all light and admiration. Blake can’t help but think of the couple she ran into earlier, and she allows herself to make one wish.

She hopes they stay like this always, side by side, braced to spin and fall and catch each other.

Blake certainly isn’t going anywhere.

***

[cross-posted on AO3]

[snapplejaxs]

Locked The Door Behind Him

Dean Winchester x reader  SUMMARY: Dean accidentally wakes the reader, trying to sneak out of her apartment. smut, fluff // 3k wc. 

*a/n - (y/f/n) = your friend’s name 

♡︎  •  ♡︎  •  ♡︎  •  ♡︎   •  ♡︎

The loud sound of Bucky's picture frame hitting the wooden floor shakes you out of sleep. You open your eyes to a dark apartment and a dim light reflecting from the half pulled curtains. You blink, trying to adjust to the sudden awaking, but your eyes are heavy and your thoughts are confusing. You give in to the drowsy and shut your eyes. You didn’t need to get up and investigate the noise. You can recognize that sound in your sleep. Literally. You know it's that old photo of your departed dog because it's always falling off your nightstand. You keep making a mental note to upgrade the frame to something new and sturdy but it seems like the least important thing to do during your busy day. But tonight, the damn thing sounds like an old civil war cannon it's so loud.

“Shit.” You hear Dean whisper to himself.

Your consciousness returns. Along with a shudder up your spine. You lay perfectly still and keep your eyes closed. You can't see him, not in the dark anyway, but you know he's looking at you. The room got dead silent when Buck's frame fell. You imagine him pausing in one spot, watching you to see if you move. It's what you would do if you were in his position of trying to sneak out of some stranger's apartment at 4am after a bar hookup.

When you don’t respond to the loud slam, Dean continues dressing. You hear the quiet sound of denim sliding over skin. You picture him balancing on one of his, surprisingly smooth and hairless, legs while trying to get his jeans on as silent as possible.

God, this is not how one night stands are supposed to go. You were meant to thank him for the great time, made sure he got in his car safely, lock up your apartment, and then go to sleep. Not fall unconscious next to some man you don’t know. Sure, you might have just fucked him but that doesn't mean you know him.

What if he's stealing your expensive jewelry? Or digging around in your drawers for panties to take home because he's some weirdo, like that guy from that episode of SVU you saw the other night. That woman got murdered by her hookup. Maybe you should get up. Dean could be in your kitchen looking for the biggest knife right now.

Peeking an eye open, you look and see Dean’s silhouette thrashing around inside his t-shirt looking for armholes. There's no knife or panties in his hand. You feel a little better at that. You open both your eyes to try and see better in the dark light. But still, you barely see him.

Your apartment got pretty dark at night. And you made sure you turn off all the lights before you left to meet up with (y/f/n) to go drinking. You didn't plan on tonight going the way it did, bringing a man back to your place and all. You just wanted to put on a little tight dress and enjoy your weekend off with your best friend.

But then you saw Dean.

Or more like, Dean saw you. You and (y/f/n) were on stage, in the middle of tipsy karaoke when they started poking at your ribs and signaling at the bar. You looked over and saw Dean. Turned around in his chair, eyes glued to yours, and nursing a bottle of beer. He stared at you like you were a Super Bowl game. Like if he turned away for just a second, he’d miss something he didn’t want to miss.

When he brought his beer down from his mouth, he gave you a toothless smile and a wink. Ho-lee-fuck was it the hottest wink you have ever seen. He never took his eyes off you as you stood on stage singing off-key. He licked his lips while looking straight at you. He made you feel nervous. An entire room full of people and just one person made you feel nervous.

When the song ended, you didn’t know what to do with yourself. Of course, (y/f/n) whispered nothing but the dirtiest advice in your ear. 

'You’re a single and sexy adult.'  'You make your own rules.’   'It's been months, and you need to get back out there.'

And then there was the one that sold you.

‘It’s just one night.’

You bought all the naughty advice from your friend. Took a shot for good luck, And approached the winking stranger. You thought he was sexy from across the bar with stage lights burning in your eyes, but nothing compared to when you stood face to perfect face with him. He had gorgeous green eyes, flawless freckly skin, and a flirty smile. He introduced himself in a gravelly old movie narrator voice.

"Dean."

You couldn’t believe he was an actual person speaking to you in a small town bar and not some actor on TV. Dean unmistakably had a face for the cameras. But he told you he worked a regular nine to five and was just in town on business.

(y/f/n) made an excuse to leave and you stayed behind for a few drinks with Dean. The two of you drank and flirted for about an hour, before talking turned into a public makeout session in a secluded booth near the bathroom. There was some under the table leg touching and lots of tongues. Things got so heated that the bartender had to hit the table and tell the two of you to, 'take it to Motel-6.'

Not ready to say goodnight, you boldly suggested an after party back at your place. And Dean wasted no time. He grabbed your hand and dragged you to his car.

The kissing only intensified when the two of you were alone. His hands massaged at your knee. Then crept up to squeeze at your thigh. When you felt his hand crawl up your leg even further, you didn't argue. Instead, you found yourself spreading your legs to welcome him under your dress. He rubbed the outside of your panties until you were damp and swollen. It felt damn good. But you needed more than his soft little circles. His hand went lower, sliding over your clothed opening. You moaned into his mouth, and wrapped your hand around his neck, stroking his soft hair. His finger slipped inside your panties. You gasped and broke the kiss.

"Dean, my place." You remind him.

He nodded. "Which way?"

"S-swain." His finger roamed up and down your swollen lips. "Take Swain un-, until Courtland Ave." You reached down and guided his finger inside of you. You felt his thick fingers stretch you. "Just don't stop."

Dean started his car. A loud rumble came to life. His headlights lit up the parking lot. It excited you. Hearing his car, seeing the lights, it all made you realize how real it was. You were really leaving a bar with a man who didn't even know your last name. He knew nothing about your job, your family, your breakup a few months ago - nothing. And yet, he was knuckle deep inside of you.

You heard the wet sounds as he slid them out and rubbed your wetness all around you. He teased at your clit with his slow circles and then sped up his movements. After a few minutes of his little pattern, he dipped back into you again. You purposely clenched down on him. Dean curled his finger and went faster.

"Shit." You threw your head back against his seat and cried out. "Fuck." You held his wrist. You could have cared less about keeping quiet or cool, your body was on fire. You had never done anything like that in your life. You got fingered by a guy after you shakily gave him directions to your apartment. The same apartment you were about to fuck him as soon as you got there. So scandalous and out of character for a working girl like you.

Dean suddenly stopped his thrusting. You felt his hands pull away from you and it made your eyes open. You look around confused about why he stopped. You were so close.

"Is this it?" Dean asked nodding towards your building.

"Yes." You panted. "You can park here. It's fine." It was your turn to grab and pull. You yanked Dean out of his car, into your building, through the elevator, and into your apartment - kissing and grinding the whole way through.

The thought of fucking a stranger made you so eager to hop in bed that the lights were the last thing on your mind. No, 'take your shoes off' or 'get comfortable.' You kept everything the way it was as the two of you tangled each other and raced to get undressed while walking towards your bed.

You kicked off your pumps and slid your drenched panties down to toss away in the darkness and sat on your bed to watch Dean's shadow outline drop his pants and boxers. You had no idea what to do next.

"I've never done this before." You confessed. There was a small pause.

"I know." He snorts. "Do you want to stop?"

"No."

Dean stepped back to roll on a condom. You didn't even notice he had one in his hand or saw where it came from. This might have been your first one night stand, but something told you he knew his way around these pretty well. You laid back and let him take the lead. And he did.

Once he was secured, Dean hovered above you. He dipped down and placed a single kiss on your lips. Re-positioned himself. Then kissed you again as he slowly pressed himself down on top of you. He balanced on his elbows and deepened the kiss with a lip bite. You invited him in. His tongue was warm and active. He rolled himself into you, his tip hitting you just right as his mouth explored yours.

He slowly slid himself inside, inch by thick inch. He was big, and your body knew it. There was some natural resistance. Dean brought a hand down to massage you, his way of saying 'relax' without speaking words. Dean kept massaging until he was able to keep pushing through. It was a painful stretch, but at the same time felt good. Feelings you haven't felt in months.

Once he was fully in, he pulled away from you to breathe. “You okay?” He whispered. His voice was close. You liked that he was so close, it sent shivers down your spine.

You responded with a nod, then remembered he couldn’t see you in the dark, so you hummed out, “mmhm.”

Without another word, Dean reattached his lips to yours to continue where he stopped. His hands floated up and down at your sides, then rested at your waist to hold. He pulled out almost entirely, only to slide himself back in with more ease. You whined into his mouth. You wanted to scream, but he wouldn't let go of your lips. He felt good sliding in and out of you. He was hard and warm.

Dean continued rocking, nice and slow. His hands left your hips and found yours in the dark. He laced his fingers into yours and held them as he kissed you. You wanted to feel more. You wrapped your legs around the middle of his waist and pressed him in even further. Trying to give him the hint.

Dean pulled his knees up and picked up his movement by only a little. He slid your hands up as far above your head as they could go and you used the opportunity to lift your hips to push yourself against him.

"More," you spoke against his lips. "Please. More."

Dean let go of your hands and wrapped around your lifted waist and hosted you up with him as he sat on his knees. You gripped his shoulders and threw your head back to cry at the ceiling. He felt so much deeper in you. Dean attached his lips to your exposed neck. He wrapped an arm around your bare waist and pulled you close. You placed your legs to his sides and straddled him, starting your own rhythm as you rode him.

Dean separated from your neck and hissed into the darkness. You wrapped a hand around his neck and squeezed, choking him. He cursed in the darkness and you felt his arms hug you tighter, he liked what he was feeling. You rode faster. He felt so good. Each stroke made you crave for the next, deeper and harder.

The room filled with your in-sync heavy breathing and moans. You dropped your head down, in an attempt to look at him in the dark, but met his lips. You let go of his neck and dug your nails into his back, scratching and pinching. He grunted inside your mouth.

You smelt the cologne melt off his sweaty body that rubbed against your layer of sweat. You were high off of him. Your clit rubbed up against him in just the right way. You could feel your body building an orgasm from deep within you, and slowly rising up. You pushed away from Dean.

"A..ah...aah..." You sing into the air. "Dean," you squealed out at the intensity of your orgasm traveling throughout your body. You fell limp on his shoulder and let heat and pleasure overcome you. “Holy fuck.” Escaped your lips in a whisper as ecstasy ripped through you in waves. Dean pecked kisses at your shoulder.

After your twitching stopped, Dean carefully lowered you down on your back and planted himself back on top of you. He kissed your jaw, your neck, your shoulder, and moved down to take one of your nipples into his mouth.

"Hmm." You arched up. He sucked and nibbled, starting a slow thrusting pace. He pulled off one nipple and moved to kiss and suck the other. His hand rested on your waist and held you gently as he started speeding up. You hugged his sweaty back, lazy running your fingers through his hair as he chased his own release.

"Dean." You turned your head towards him and his lips collided with your swollen lips, that he loved to kiss so much.

Dean's hips stilled. He drew his lips away and let out a shaky breath. He buried his head on your shoulder as he jolted, and bucked into you. No words came from his mouth but breathless grunts, whipped against your neck, before a sigh of relief.

He came.

He kisses your shoulder once more. You feel a wet residue as he lifts his head to find your lips. Dean kissed you a lot. You didn't expect that from him.

You weren't expecting some rough hookup, but you weren’t expecting him to be so tender either. He was a tall guy with a deep manly voice. So where did the vanilla come from? Dean didn’t fuck you like you were the chick at the bar he just winked at and fingered in the car. His touches were soft, his kisses were sweet. He even held your hand at one point. Was it you? Did you put out the vanilla vibe? Not that it bothered you. You weren’t complaining because it was still good sex. Amazing sex.

Even after he finished in his condom, he kept a slow pace of thrusting. Like he couldn't get enough of you. It made you feel good. Not just physically but mentally and emotionally good. You’ve been in actual relationships with men and no one fucked you like Dean Winchester.

When he finally stopped shuddering, he rolled off of you. Not far. You felt his hot arm next to yours. Still physically touching you.

It was silent. But a good silent. A bittersweet silent. A silent you were gonna miss when Dean was gone. And the silent is still there. And more lonely.

"You sure you've never done this before?" Dean laughed in the dark.

"Haha." You chuckled. "I'm sure." You could have attempted to joke back to him, but you didn't want to hear whatever he had to say in return. You knew this wasn't his first time. Not with the way he acted. Dean was too comfortable with a stranger's body. He came prepared for it. There had to be other girls. You weren't his first and you aren't gonna be his last. As soon as he leaves here. He'll be in another town. At another bar. Winking at another girl. And you'll still be here. In the silent.

Your stomach started to hurt. But you're 99% sure it's from the stretching Dean gave you. You rolled over to the side, looking for some type of relief. your arm stopped touching Dean's. he said nothing. made no attempt to get up and leave. He just laid there. the two of you did. That must have been when you fell asleep.

You didn’t remember falling asleep. But obviously, you did. Because here you lay now. Pretending to be asleep while watching Dean tiptoes around your studio in the dark, holding his breath, and collecting his clothes one after the other like an arcade game. It’s late. Maybe you should just tell him to stay for the night? Would he if you asked?

Abruptly his cell phone starts ringing.

You slam your eyes close when you hear Dean’s feet patting across the floor. His ringer shuts off and the room instantly falls quiet. You don’t have to see to know Dean is, once again, stuck in place and staring at you for any type of movement.

With your eyes still closed, you reposition yourself and tuck further into your blanket with a sleepy sigh into your pillow. Just to sprinkle a little Meryl Streep into your fake sleep performance. He must buy your act because you hear the wooden floor creak as he starts to walk again.

You peek an eye open to see where he is. You catch Dean slowly pulling the front door open with one hand and holding his heavy boots in the other. He slides out of your apartment, reaching around the door to lock it behind him, before closing it little by little. He was gone just like that. Your apartment falls silent.

_________________________

Likes, re-blogs, and feedback are encouraged.  Plagiarism is not. Please don’t. ♡ 

[shroomcult]

Hey folks!

Here’s my Day 1 post for Soma Week 2021. Tooth-rotting fluff towards the end - please enjoy. ^-^

@soulxmakaweek

Maka awoke with an audible groan, first registering the lack of her weapon’s familiar soul wavelength in the room before anything else. Whether she was disappointed or grateful of his absence was difficult to determine in her hazy mindstate.

Soul had been fussing over her for the past day, and while his concern for her comfort was endearing - his mother hen routine got old fast. 

His over-attentive behavior was at least understandable. He had little to do cooped up in their hotel room, and ended up alternating between watching cooking shows at a considerately low volume, pacing around what little square footage they had, and laying in his bed beside hers tapping out the rhythm to whatever was blaring from his headphones. He was sure to pester her about how she was feeling at least every 20 minutes and his restlessness had been grinding on her last nerve before she fell into a fitful sleep. 

If she had to hear “you okay?” or “need anything?” one more time, she was liable to snap and throw the closest object to her directly at his dumb, fluffy head. Not that he actually deserved it.

If she were being honest with herself, she was mostly frustrated with the situation itself - not Soul.

Well, maybe she was a little frustrated with Soul. 

He may have been outwardly kind towards her in her predicament, but she could feel something else beneath the surface of that. She was well-versed in the subtle language of Soul’s facial expressions after all. 

He was dying to tease her, and while she commended him for keeping his mouth blessedly shut about the humor in her suffering - she knew it amused him at least a little bit.

Because despite the fact that they had been sent to the bustling beach-side city of Recife, Brazil to take down a particularly cunning and repulsive kishin - she was not stuck in bed over any kind of work-related injury inflicted during their battle with the corrupted beast. 

There was no glory or dignity that could be gained from the current state of her weakness. She had not received her injuries from a tense and thrilling battle, but instead from being negligent in her application of sunscreen before falling asleep splayed out on a beach towel under the unforgiving afternoon sun.

Soul had even recommended that she apply sunscreen a second time for her “hella pasty” skin and she responded to his comment in kind by throwing the sunscreen bottle at him with impressive accuracy and force.  

Now she was bedridden with what was likely sun poisoning and had a complexion comparable to a hot dog. 

Perhaps she should have taken Soul’s advice after all.

She also may have reached her last straw with Soul’s smothering behavior earlier and said something along the lines of “please get the hell out of here and give me at least an hour of peace,” before taking her rather unsatisfying nap.

That certainly explained his absence.

She let out a heavy sigh before deciding she would deal with the pain of moving so that she could re-apply aloe vera for the twentieth time that day. Only this was the first time she would be doing it without Soul’s assistance.

It was difficult to reach most areas of her back without him. She was certainly flexible enough to do it on her own, but the pain that came with stretching her arms was something she would prefer to avoid experiencing if possible.

She started on lathering her arms and chest area first, grounding herself in the way it stung yet soothed at the same time. 

She only got through a small portion of her back before the combination of fatigue, nausea, and pain convinced her to give it a rest. 

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to just figure out where Soul was. She didn’t need him or anything. She was just checking in - making sure he didn’t get himself into any trouble while she was asleep.

She made an awkward hobble across the room to retrieve her phone, careful to avoid bending her scorched appendages on the way there. 

It only took a ring and a half for Soul to pick up her call, and she cursed herself for the way her entire body relaxed a little at the sound of his voice.

“Hey. Everything alright?”

He had that pleasant gravelly quality to his voice that usually indicated he either just woke up or he had a few drinks. 

“I’m fine, Soul. I just woke up, actually. What have you been up to?” she’d tried to sound casual, but the hitch in her voice when she tried to lower herself back on to the bed betrayed her. The soft cotton sheets felt like they may as well have been a brillo pad against her sensitive flesh.

“Just givin’ you space like you asked. Found a neat little place to drink just down the road from us. To be honest with you, I think it might be a swinger bar or somethin’ - everyone here is middle aged and horny as hell.”

Maka felt a twinge of irritation at that last comment. Was he really off flirting with a bunch of Brazillian cougars while she was stuck in bed?

“S’not like I’m interested, but they keep buyin’ me drinks anyway. I don’t speak very good Portuguese and they seem to think that’s pretty sexy of me,” he added with a throaty chuckle that raised goosebumps across her skin.

“Why don’t you just stay there all night then! I could care less what you do!!”

She felt a bit childish for her outburst, but blamed it on Soul’s innate ability to push every last button she has in very few words.

“If you don’t care, then why’d ya call me in the first place?” She could just tell that his lip was curling into a smirk by his voice alone. Oh, he is so lucky he’s not in book-throwing distance.

“Just wanted to make sure you weren’t dead in a ditch somewhere,” she murmured with only a little bit of edge left in her. 

“Oh yeah? That all?”

“.... Also, I guess you can come back to the hotel room.”

“Sorry? Can you speak up a little?”

“I said you can come back to the hotel room! Don’t make me say it again or you can sleep on the streets!”

He responded with an amused snort, “Oh, that’s very gracious of you. What a loving and benevolent meister I have.”

“Yeah, whatever. Don’t fall in a ditch on your way here.”

“Love ya too, Maka. Be there in a few.”

With that the phone call cut off, and she was left staring at the ceiling and feeling an overwhelming warmth in her face.

She decided to blame that on the sunburn rather than her weapon’s comment.

It only took about 20 minutes before she heard the click of the hotel door as it swung open, her partner poking his head in first and flashing her a shark-toothed smile before he kicked the door open the rest of the way. He was carrying an entire pack of drinks under his arm and a plastic CVS bag in the other.

“Stopped by CVS round the corner. Dunno if you’ll like ‘em, but I got these weird electrolyte drinks. S’posed to help hydrate you better or something,” he said as he plopped down at the end of the bed, emptying the contents of the plastic bag.

“Also got you some ibuprofen, more aloe, and a couple snack things. I know you said you weren’t hungry, but you should really try and eat at least a little bit.”

Maka only nodded, slightly overwhelmed by how caring he was being despite her recently sour attitude. 

He tilted his head to the side for a moment, regarding her with gentle eyes before he got up and sat closer to her on the bed, being especially careful not to let his legs touch hers.

He slowly placed the back of his hand against her forehead muttering something about a fever, but she was too focused on his close proximity to her to even register what he was saying. He smelled of beer and limes and sunscreen.

His skin was a perfect bronze color, and he was showing off a lot more of it than he usually did. He was clad only in swim trunks, slider sandals, and a loose-hanging tank top that the top of his scar peeked out of.

He had been out in the sun just as long as she had, napping right beside her even, and yet his skin only tanned; never burned. The lucky bastard. 

He used the same hand he’d checked her forehead with to brush back a few stray hairs from her face. “Sleep okay?” he asked in a hushed tone, as if he were worried his voice would bother her. 

“I slept okay, I guess. Not much else I can do right now anyways.”

He nodded and gave a sympathetic click of his tongue, running his hand through her hair a few times before reaching for the aloe on the nightstand.

“Need me to get your back?”

She ignored his question, opting to rub the short-cropped silver whiskers covering his jaw with her palm.

“You need to shave.”

He rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated huff, squeezing the tube of aloe into his palms and rubbing them together. 

“I’ll just take that as a yes and pretend you think I’m roguishly handsome.”

That earned him a laugh from her that clipped short when he placed his hands softly on her back. It only hurt for the first brief moment of contact, but she soon hummed her approval as the stinging sensation in her back felt dulled and soothed wherever his hands caressed her. 

He was talented with his hands - knew just the right amount of pressure to give and take at each moment. She really had needed this. Trying to reach that spot between her shoulder blades on her own had been a nightmare.

Minutes passed with only the sounds of their breath and Soul’s practiced hands over her skin. It should have been awkward, but it wasn’t. Everything was just easy with him.

“Hey, Soul?”

He acknowledged her with a noncommittal grunt.

“Thank you. I know I haven’t exactly been pleasant lately, but I really do appreciate all of your help.”

She wanted to say more, it felt as though she hadn’t really expressed to him how much he means to her, but Soul wasn’t one for flowery words and declarations of love. She knew that was enough of a thanks for him. 

“You don’t gotta thank me for all that, Maka. We’re partners, this is what we do for each other.”

“Right,” she whispered, a faint smile gracing her lips.

“All done,” he announced, “you gonna hang tight and read for a bit?”

“No - I’d like to, but I just feel too tired and nauseous to focus on anything like that right now. Maybe I’ll just try to take another nap.”

Without a word, he sauntered over to the book she had brought - a period-piece romance novel that he would make fun of at the first given opportunity. After it was in his grasp, he collapsed on his back right next to her. He really did kind of reek of beer, but she didn’t have the heart to push him away.

Once he found her bookmarked spot, he started from the top of the page with a hardy clear of his throat, reading the lead male love interest’s lines in the most posh and ridiculous accent she could have imagined.

She immediately burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles and snorts, which only encouraged him to continue, smiling from ear to ear as he did.

She nearly ran out of breath when he began reading the female heroine’s dialogue in a shrill voice that sounded more like an old British nanny than a pretty young woman. 

He continued this entertainment for an admirable hour and a half before he had to admit that his vocal cords were defeated from the strain of ‘fancy British lady voice.’ 

By the time he had put the book aside, she had a hand curled around his bicep and her face was buried in his neck.

He’d said he was watching TV, but he fell asleep within 10 minutes of setting her book down much like an old man.

Her skin felt dry and tight, a feeling she was easily able to ignore while Soul was reading for her. She was aware that she’d need to get up soon to re-apply aloe, or she’d regret it later. Yet, it was so difficult to move away from him. 

He was breathing deeply, and he smelled less like a bar and more like a beach the closer she was to him. He always looked so peaceful when he slept too. He looked young, like he didn’t carry the exhaustion that he usually does. 

Despite the calm, collected demeanor he always tried to hold around others - he carried a lot of weight on his shoulders from pretending to be the person that other people need him to be. From taking the load off other people’s backs, he only strained himself and she felt this tiredness from it all that seeped into the very cracks of his soul.

She wished he didn’t have to try so hard all the time. She wished he could let himself be taken care of for once.

“I know you told me before that I don’t need to thank you. That the things you do for me are what I should expect from a partner, but you really are more than that to me, Soul,” she’d only whispered this into the crook of his neck, but she lifted her head up just to check that he was still unconscious. 

He appeared serene, his breathing steady and not a crinkle in his face to indicate her words had disturbed him from his slumber.

“You can always depend on me too. I’d love to take care of you the way you take care of me. You deserve that - you know that, right?”

Not even a twitch.

She sighed, not expecting him to respond in the first place, but a little disappointed she hadn’t had the courage to tell him this while he was awake. She assumed it safe that he was in a deep sleep and began threading her fingers through his thick tufts of hair sticking up from his forehead.

“I know that when you say you love me, you’re talking about as a partner, as a friend. Well, I love you too. I love you a lot, Soul. I’m always afraid to say it back ... because it would carry a different weight when I say it. It’s like I’m afraid you’d just know.”

His breath hitched for a moment and her heart nearly jumped into her throat. 

He only readjusted slightly, pressing his cheek against the top of her head and making a small sound akin to a whimper before his breathing evened out again. 

She let out the shaky breath she had been holding and turned her head ever so slightly to press a soft kiss to his throat, where she could feel the warmth of his pulse.

“I hope we stay partners for a really long time.”

[thequibblah]

⭐

anon: omg hi I think I sent in a ~free choice~ directors cut a while back but if you can't think of anything you wanna talk about I would LOVE to hear more about the way you write the Snape/Lily relationship and and the way it breaks apart, and even specific scenes related to it because in this house we are Anti S/nily

i hope this person was you but if not HAHA i will take this opportunity to answer their prompt as a "free choice" if you don't mind!

so. good old.... severus. ahhh.

writing interactions between snape and lily is like, one of the most rewarding challenges of this fic. now.... pitchforks away, my lovelies.... it's such an interesting emotional space to explore on her end, to me. personally i've never had a friendship end over something big and irrevocable, so it's really brand-new water to tread.

what makes it even more fascinating is that because of the setup of CT — starting after the lake incident — snape is less a presence in her life and more an absence she's working around. if i can get boring and pretentious for a sec, this was something i worked on a lot in college creative writing classes — writing about a thing in the past by avoiding it, or touching upon it and flinching away, or approaching it sideways.

now. we none of us have the patience of serious literary fiction readers in our fic HAHAHHA so this is a lot more dialled-back (dialled-forward??). but that was basically the approach to begin with, with these two. and then it was a matter of exploring the trajectory of it — how when the wound is rawest, lily is actually most forgiving and generous towards him, as she's had less time and space away from him/their friendship, and is busy making excuses for him.

(aside: i didn't realise until actually confronted by it that so much of her attitude towards him comes from her attitude towards petunia, a relationship in which she got used to receiving barbs before she gave them back, but the blood tie keeps her from a clean break. with snape there's no blood relation, obviously, but there's a shared sense of history, of childhood, that kind of lives in the same part of lily's brain/heart. so... really, two people who loathe each other overlap quite significantly in lily's emotional landscape.)

re: lily's excuse-making — it doesn't help that the only person who pushes her on snape is james. (her friends all have learned to avoid the subject, as you do when your friend is friends with someone you don't like but you can't say anything until after they're finished, and then you're like omg thank GOD i hated them from the start!!! but of course in this case they couldn't go overboard with that sentiment, lest it come off as "you should've known better/we knew better and you didn't") thanks to the circumstances of the lake incident, some of those messy feelings towards snape are entangled in messy feelings towards james (early on in the story especially), so the resulting conflict is.... bad....

She half-stumbled backwards, as if she’d been slapped. “I don’t need you to remind me,” she hissed. To her embarrassment, tears of frustration sprang to her eyes. But if she’d thought that would make him back off, she was wrong. “Yeah, except you do need the reminder,” said James. “Because you don’t get it yet. He chose them. Not you.” Lily was shaking. “I believe in second chances,” she said, fighting to keep her voice level. “But you really, really test my faith, James.” And without waiting for him to answer, she stormed up the girls’ staircase, wiping at her cheeks.

bad.

lily's true blind spot is, of course, that she's more willing to forgive snape's missteps with her. and of course james has to go and point that out :/

“Let me put it this way. If Sni — if Snape were Mary’s friend and he’d said that to her, wouldn’t you tell Mary she ought to never speak to him again?” Lily shifted uneasily. “Well, sure, but I’ve known him since—” “—you were children, whatever. Say Mary did too. Would that change anything for her?”

so the first time lily is like wait actually fuck this!!! it's because he reminds her, in an argument, about how callous he can be — a callousness which i think she's never liked, but it's easier to forgive sharpness when it's your friend poking fun at people you don't like, and less easy when...

“Yes, do let’s talk about Potter,” she said, dangerously calm now. “Let’s talk about how your mate Mulciber used an Unforgivable Curse on him—” To her absolute shock, Severus scoffed. “It was three bloody seconds—” “Shut up,” Lily said, too stunned to think of something better to say. “Shut up, you don’t seriously think that — that because the two of you have a childish rivalry, he deserves torture?” “That’s not what I said,” he replied, looking mutinous. “I just meant, everyone’s acting like he’s some big survivor — always playing for attention—”

...well, when that.

best/worst impulses aside, lily knows that the true measure of someone is how they treat the people they dislike, not their friends, and in a sense his attitude towards james (and generally other people) in this scene makes her realise what she'd read as inconsideration or insensitivity is in fact...

"...You’re weak-willed and pathetic and you’re — you’re not a good person.”

...so there's that.

as anyone who's read lily's current petunia drama will know, she's got a bit of a problem with letting go. but after her mother's death (and the attached stick to your sister she's all you've got), she manages a weirdly good break from cokeworth — because a lot of her childhood was wrapped up in hogwarts, and in snape (whom she hasn't spent vacation time with in over a year at that point). with neither at hand, she hardly has time to process it/feel homesickness.

but note this, at the start of 7th year:

“Was last year nothing to you?” Her voice had sharpened. “I wasn’t freezing you out to punish you, Severus. I was treating you how I plan on treating you from now on.”

of course lily's just making a point here, but when i wrote that i was like wow she (and i lol) are kind of onto something — snape totally does think this is like, a temporary purgatory period after which she really will come around. and through months of her getting visibly closer to his nemesis, he holds onto that belief — despite what she says. (funnily enough, childhood rose-tinted glasses make them both see what they want to see in each other, in very different ways)

that's why when he hears her say what she says to una in that hogsmeade trip, he immediately comes to his own conclusions. that was another important, interesting thing for me — for other slytherins, "loose ends" are opportunities for cruelty, for punishment, to finish what they've started. (not so for regulus, who's grown up with sadism and is frankly repulsed by the idea of pain for a flimsy cause — best believe there was absolutely a point to him orchestrating an attack on the teacher getting close to his brother. but that's another story.)

not for severus either — his loose end, in his own mind, will always be lily. he senses that something's broken, but he has absolutely no self-awareness about what it is, and his extending an olive branch was more about her coming to his level than him going to hers (aka the way apologies ought to work). he realises, over a year out, that it's up to him to fix it, but it's too late — lily's quite moved on at that point, and her residual emotions towards him are indifference and pity.

if only snape had known to leave it there!

looping full circle back to the lake incident, then, the argument in 41 is once again very personal — but rather than him pushing her away, it's him trying to get her close again. and now, stressed about all the bs in the world but also with all the petunia-related learn-to-let-go stuff fresh in her mind, lily is absolutely in the right state of mind to recognise when she's wrongly judged someone. this calls for scorched earth, she realises, or she'll never be able to shake him and move on for good.

and so what started with severus telling her that she's special, that there's a place in a new world for her, ends sort of the same way.... and the break that began with his casual, almost unintentional cruelty, ends with her very deliberate cruelty. as a bonus, she's ready now to use the one thing he's always wielded like a shield in their arguments — james, how the marauders are, etc. etc. — against him, and genuinely mean it.

(she might regret that soon. but not the way you'd think!)

[percyinpanties]

whee happy valentines fellas ♥

my health has been all over the place, so my secret plan of writing a few tiny valentines fics sadly wasn’t doable, but i finished this one at least. i didn’t edit, so there’s most likely typos. it’s... not the best thing i’ve ever written but it’s soft and fluffy and I hope you enjoy ♥

ship: percy/ nico

rating: teen +   words: 2.6k

____________

Nico still isn't sure how he feels about going for a first day on Valentine's Day of all things, but when Percy had asked him, he hadn't found it in himself to turn Percy down. If it meant getting a shot with the one guy Nico has been pining after for an embarrassingly long time, Nico was perfectly happy enduring the kitsch and romantic expectations that came with a holiday as silly as this. If he is perfectly honest, Nico isn't entirely sure what his own expectations are going into this - or what Percy’s might be - maybe because Nico still struggles actually believing that Percy sees him as more than a friend, or at least wants to get to that point. The point stands though that Percy asked Nico for a date on Valentine’s Day, and even Nico doesn't manage to convince himself that Percy didn’t mean it that way given the romantic nature of going out tonight of all nights.

Percy hadn't actually said all that much about what he planned to do, beyond promising Nico he wouldn't take him to a stuffy, fancy restaurant for boring small talk and overpriced food neither of them cared to eat. It's a small mercy and while Nico is glad they won't be stuck awkwardly sitting across from each other with very little to distract from the uncharted territory between them, only knowing what they won't be doing gives him very little to work with. Of course, Nico could just ask, but he's almost afraid Percy might change his mind about the whole thing after all if Nico pushes it too much. It doesn’t make sense, and Nico is very aware of that, but it doesn’t stop him from staying quiet just in case.

In a stroke of luck, Nico has to work the day of the date - which doesn't only guarantee his evening will actually be free, but also distracts him enough to stop from agonizing over every little detail. He just knows he'd have spent most of the day pacing his room if he'd stayed in his dorm, and even busy at work he still finds enough time to do just that until his shift is done. There's a hundred worries buzzing around his head, most of them entirely nonsensical - from silly questions like whether to put his hair up or down later to the truly worrying implications this date going badly could have for Percy's and his friendship - and thinking it all over for the hundredth time doesn’t serve to calm Nico down at all. If anything, it only increases his anxieties. Nico tries to convince himself that it's just Percy and they'll be fine either way, but given that Percy has never been just Percy for Nico, that line of thinking doesn't get him particularly far either. 

In the end, all Nico can do is fully throw himself into work in an effort to distract himself enough before he does something stupid like cancel their date last minute because his anxiety got the upper hand. It’s a mediocre solution, but it gets the job done more or less and by the time Nico leaves work, he’s more stressed about making it on time than he is about all the ways the date could go wrong.

Nico has just enough time to change out of his work clothes and freshen up before Percy texts him, already waiting downstairs and ready to go. Despite the nervousness now permanently settled in the pit of his stomach, Nico finds himself smiling. He is looking forward to this, has been for days, even if right now it feels like there is a tangible chance that he’ll either spontaneously combust or go into cardiac arrest before the night is done. Nico only allows himself to stall for a moment longer, check his pockets, take a deep breath and tell himself it’s going to be fine before he is out the door and down the stairs. 

When Nico steps out of his dorm building, Percy is leaning against a streetlight right across from the entrance. It's already getting fairly dark outside and Percy, only sparsely illuminated by the cheap yellow bulb above, looks absolutely stunning in the low light. Granted, Nico would think Percy looked good in a ragged trashbag and crocs with tennis socks, but this is different: It’s clear Percy made an effort tonight, all dressed up and put together in a way Nico isn’t at all used to seeing Percy. 

Percy looks up when the door opens, a smile, soft and shy, settling on his face. Nico's heart gives a painful squeeze and if he hadn’t been completely whipped already, this might be the last straw. 

"I would've brought flowers, but..." Percy says in lieu of a greeting and pushes himself away from the streetlight as he trails off, shrugging. 

"Good call." Nico says and steps up to Percy, indulging in the briefest of hugs before he can chicken out. His heart is already beating hard enough that he can feel every thud against his ribcage and as much as Nico tries to get a handle on it, he doubts he stands a chance. "Wouldn't have wanted to carry them around all night. Where are we going, anyway?" 

"It's a surprise." Percy says and the wink that follows turns Nico's cheeks a bright red. As grateful as Nico is for it not being awkward, he also wouldn’t mind Percy being a little less smooth because at this rate, Nico might not make it through the night.

"My car’s parked just down the street, it's not a long drive." Percy adds after a moment and tips his head to the side to indicate where he’s talking about. 

They drive for maybe twenty minutes, talking quietly over the radio, Percy watching the street while Nico mostly watches Percy. There is certainly something in the air, but even so, it’s not nearly as awkward as Nico had feared it might be. Percy makes him feel just as at ease as he always has, and there being more on the horizon that just friends hanging out doesn’t change that. 

The surprise turns out to be an honest to god drive through cinema just on the outside of town. Nico didn't even know those were still a thing, but evidently he was wrong. It's nothing he ever would've come up with, and much better than any of the places he'd thought Percy might take them too. It's cheesy, sure, but not really in a bad way. Unlike going to the movies, they’ll still be in their own little bubble here, just the two of them in Percy's car. It’s more intimate, even though that thought alone is enough to make Nico blush while Percy shows the tickets to the guy at the entrance before they’re allowed to pick a spot. They're lucky to be there early, parking in one of the front rows without any big cars ahead obstructing their view. It’s dark all around them and Nico can barely see into the cars next to them - which means they won’t be able to see much of them either. Somehow that’s a comfort too. Nico doesn’t necessarily want to have strangers bear witness to their date, even if nothing happens at all. 

"So…" Percy starts as he turns off the ignition and shifts in his seat. "I hope this is a good surprise?" 

Nico grins - he's already feeling much more at ease than before Percy picked him up. 

"Depends entirely on the movie you picked." He says jokingly and pulls his legs up to the seat, shifting until he manages to get them crossed under himself. He’s leaning more against the door than he’s leaning against the seat, mostly so he can look at Percy as much as he can look at the (so far unlit) screen up front. 

 Percy is quiet for a moment, his lips pursed, and Nico can’t tell if Percy’s actually worried about his movie choice or only trying to hold back a grin. "My bloody Valentine?" 

Nico laughs. For Percy he’d have suffered through one of the mediocre “romantic classics” theatres screen on Valentine’s Day but this - this is so much better than that. 

 "I love horror movies." Nico says, not even trying to hide his grin. It’s maybe not the obvious choice for a first date, but it certainly feels like the obvious choice for Percy and him.

Percy smiles softly. The expression does something to Nico’s insides, especially when the same fondness shows in Percy’s voice when he replies:  "I know."

Nico has to avert his eyes, because if Percy keeps looking at him like this, Nico might just do something stupid like lean over the console and plant a kiss on Percy’s lips. It’s not the first time tonight that he realises how much thought Percy actually put into this and while it shouldn’t be a surprise that Percy wants this to go well, too, it still catches Nico off guard to be reminded. 

Before Nico can say anything else, the screen up front comes to life and breaks the spell. The pre-movie ads start rolling, audio coming directly from Percy’s car radio. Nico settles more comfortably into his seat  and Percy grabs them some snacks and sodas from the backseat, and whatever line they were toeing a moment ago is forgotten again.

Nico has seen the movie before, and he’s fairly sure that Percy has too, not that he’s going to mention it. Given that the car affords them some measure of privacy, too, there’s nothing stopping them from quietly talking - and honestly, mostly poking fun at whatever happens on screen. Nico wears an almost constant smile on his face, and Percy seems to be enjoying this just as much, eyes moving between Nico and the screen up front every now and again.

Horror movies don’t scare Nico much, especially the 80s Slasher flicks like the one on screen now - but even he isn’t immune to jumpscares and well, if he grabs at Percy because of a particularly surprising spook and Percy takes that as an invitation to hold Nico’s hand, Nico certainly won’t be the one to take his hand away again even if it makes his heart rate double for a few beats. 

By the time the credits roll, Nico feels a little less like a silly highschooler getting nervous over his first crush and more like a completely smitten idiot hovering a foot above ground and he’s not sure if it’s really an improvement. Nico only reluctantly lets go of Percy’s hand when they have to pull out of the parking spot, taking their place in queue of cars getting out of the cinema.

“This was really nice.” Nico says quietly as silence starts to stretch between them. It’s not an uncomfortable quiet, but it’s late and Nico isn’t sure how much more time Percy’s planned to spend together tonight and he wants to say this before he loses his chance.

“You really put a lot of thought into it, didn’t you?” Nico adds and he’s careful to keep his tone curious rather than disbelieving. 

Percy hums, eyes darting from the rearview mirror to Nico and back again. He’s smiling and for the first time tonight, Nico catches sight of a blush spreading on Percy’s face, too.

“Well, yeah.” Percy admits and this time, he’s not looking at Nico but rather keeping his eyes on the traffic slowly weaving together. “I… wanted it to go well, because I… I mean…” Percy huffs, then takes a shaky breath. Maybe he was more nervous than Nico realised until now. “I really like you, Nico.” Percy finally says, and now is face is flaming red. “I didn’t wanna screw up my chance.”

Nico gapes at Percy for a moment, then drops his gaze to his lap, feeling his own cheeks burn, too. Technically, Nico knows that Percy likes him, given that it was heavily implied by Percy asking him on a date on Valentine’s. Hearing it is something entirely different, though.

“You didn’t. Screw it up, I mean.” Nico says before making himself look up again. Percy’s eyes are still on the road, as they should be - and it’s probably for the better too, because Nico isn’t sure he’d be able to hold back from crossing the distance if Percy looked at him with that soft gaze again now. “I had a really good time - I mean, I still do, I guess.”

They’re finally at the exit, and Percy pulls out onto the main street, glancing over for a moment once they’re going straight on the road. 

“Good.” Percy says quietly, softly, and takes his hand off the gear shift to offer it to Nico again. Nico’s heart skips like it’s preparing to leap out of Nico’s chest, but that doesn’t stop Nico from reaching out and lacing their fingers together.

They drive in silence for a few minutes, only interrupted by Nico’s yawns becoming increasingly frequent. Percy smiles at him, looking over every other moment before his eyes are back on the road, and Nico in return doesn’t bother pretending that he isn’t watching Percy just as much.

“I was going to suggest getting a milkshake from the drive through before I drop you off.” Percy says and, almost absentmindedly, strokes his thumb along the length of Nico’s hand. “But it looks like you’re gonna fall asleep before we get there.”

Nico groans before he can stop himself, the thought of ice cream sounds almost entirely too good right now.

“I’d kill for a McFlurry.” He admits, making Percy laugh. Nico squeezes his hand, mostly because he can. 

“McFlurry it is then.” Percy says and there is that fond tone again that Nico doubts he’ll ever get over.

It’s well after midnight by the time Percy parks the car outside of Nico’s dorm building. They walk with fingers laced between them and Nico can’t deny being tempted to invite Percy up with him. There’s no need to rush though, Nico knows that, and he’s dead tired too, so chances are nothing much would be happening tonight either way.

Even so, Nico stalls at the door, not quite ready to let go of Percy just yet.

“Thank you.” Nico mumbles, feeling himself blush again as he looks up at Percy. They’re standing close together, and after a second of hesitation, Nico grabs Percy’s second hand in his free one too, both hands held between them now. “I… I’d really like to do this again. Soon.”

Percy is looking down at their joined hands, stroking a thumb across Nico’s knuckles again before he raises his eyes to meet Nico’s gaze. “Yes, please.”

Nico feels like his insides are putty, like he could just melt and disappear through the cracks in the pavement. Percy is looking at him, fond and smiling and warm, and Nico can’t take it. This time, there is nothing holding him back, and no reason to try either.

He doesn’t let go of Percy’s hands as he steps closer, bringing them practically chest to chest. Percy’s face is turning pink, like he knows what might be coming but still wants to leave the choice to Nico.

Nico doesn’t quite have to rise up to his tiptoes, but it’s a close thing. At first, it’s only a chaste peck pressed to Percy’s cheek, but even that is enough to send a jolt of electricity through him. Nico’s eyes are lidded, they are so close, and when Percy turns his head, Nico doesn’t make himself stay away any longer. He lets his eyes fall shut and presses their lips together. 

Nico has kissed people before, but this feels like the first time all over again. He thinks his heart stops entirely for a moment, before resuming it’s beating with vigor. A shiver runs through him, skin tingling and hair standing up. Nico doesn’t back away when they part, and it’s hardly a second before Percy is kissing him again.

[paganinpurple]

A Feline’s Family - MariChat May 2019

It’s been another hard week. Whilst I found a little time to edit, I found none to write. I’m gonna try writing some more today, but we’ll see. No promises on the next update as a result.

Autocorrect and I had a love-hate relationship during this chapter. It loves to tell me I’m wrong and I hate it because it’s deliberate this time.

Buy Me A Coffee?

AO3

Chapters (If there’s no link, it’s not written yet)

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11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20

21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31

Day 22 - Sick

It was still the middle of the night when Chat awoke, briefly confused by the proximity of the ceiling above him and the darkness-muted rose colour of the duvet cover against his chest. As the memories of the sleeping arrangements from earlier caught up to his foggy mind, and the emptiness of the bed as well, he heard a muffled noise from the floor below.

Peering over he spotted a head of dark, messy hair – as its owner stood bowed over her desk, grabbing at something hastily. He noticed the tissue in her hand when she brought it up to catch her sneeze, tossing it in the trash in favour of a fresh one when she lapsed into a new bout of sniffles again.

“Are you okay, Bugginette?” he rasped out. He gripped at his throat as she looked up at him, the mere act of saying a few words feeling like an attempt to swallow a block of sandpaper.

“Kiddy?” she sniffled, her nasally tone making it clear that her nose was blocked up and interfering with her regular speech. “You should be asleeb. You need your res’ to feel bedder.”

“Looks like I could say the same to you.”

Taking advantage of his super-abilities, Chat leapt over the guard rail by the bed and landed almost silently beside her. She flinched for a moment at his reckless actions before giving him a half-hearted swat to the arm.

“You scareb me,” she grumbled when he laughed, her accompanying frown deepening when it transitioned into more of a coughing fit instead as his raw throat protested. “You shouldn’ do dat when you’re sick.”

“And you shouldn’t be down here without a blanket. Besides, I’m only a bit sick. You seem much worse off.”

“Nahb,” she told him, her voice adding a new consonant to yet another word that didn’t need one, “I always seemb worse than I actually am. I don’t feel too bad, excepd that I can’t stob sneezing.” She punctuated her words by grabbing another tissue to catch the next one that exploded out of her suddenly.

“Nuh uh,” Chat croaked out, catching her off her guard by sweeping her legs out from under her and scooping her up into his arms. “Thank God for enhanced abilities,” he thought as he wobbled for a moment, slightly weakened from his illness, but still plenty strong enough to carry her safely.

Keeping his tail  pointed straight out behind him for balance as he began to ascend the steps back up to her bed, Chat desperately tried not to think too hard about the feeling of her arms pressed against the bare skin of his neck or the way she didn’t seem to cling too tightly to him. She had absolute trust in him not to drop her and it made him glow inside with pride.

When he reached the top he gently sat her down, gesturing for her to scoot up the bed and climb back under the covers and -to his relief- she did so, though not without a pause for a sneeze or two on the way. He climbed back down to grab her box of tissues and situated them beside her except when he tried to retreat again this time, she gripped his wrist. He looked up at her face for further clarification.

“You comeb back to bed too,” she sniffed, her inflamed nose standing out even in the darkness.

“I will in a minute,” he smiled, “Just need to get a few things for us first.”

With a quick fumble for the no-longer-hot water bottle from earlier, Chat retreated again to prepare to take care of his Lady.

*

It seemed like only a few minutes later when the words, “Hey, you still awake?” roused Marinette from the restless doze she had slipped into.

“Hmm?” she murmured.

“I made us hot drinks,” came the whisper again, “Lemon and lots of honey with a shot of cold medicine mixed in. Like my mom used to make me when I was sick. If you breathe it in while it’s hot, it can help with the sneezing too.”

Blinking a few times, clearing away the tiredness from her eyes, she tried to focus enough to take the mug from him.

“Sit up properly first, or you’ll choke or probably spill it.”

“Dowing meb? I’ll do boff.” Huh, her nose seemed to be even more clogged than before. Maybe it was to do with her tiredness, or maybe she really was worse than usual.

She righted herself, pulling the duvet up to her chin before freeing her arms to take the mug from him. The steam wafting from it smelled delicious and she inhaled as deeply as she could manage through the one nostril that would allow it. It was with a pleasant surprise that she discovered it soothed her skin where she had rubbed it raw with the tissues.

A tiny, hesitant sip revealed it tasted as good as it smelled and gave way to a much larger gulp from the mug. It was followed almost immediately by a hiss in pain at the scalding temperature.

“Careful!” he scolded her, “It needs to be hot to help the sneezing. Breathe first, drink after.”

“How comeb you’re drinkin’ yours already then?” she huffed.

He smirked gently, not fully facing her as he took a long drink from his own mug. “Didn’t let the kettle boil for mine. Switched it back on for yours. It’s you who’s been sneezing; my throat just hurts.”

“Ohb. Well, are you at least feelin’ any warmer dow?”

“Yeah, much warmer. Which reminds me…” He leant over towards the end of the bed and snapped up the hot water bottle he’d forgotten about, boldly pulling the duvet away from her and tucking the cosy accessory against her pyjama top before replacing the cover.

“Uhb…danks,” she mumbled, a warmth spreading through her from both the water bottle and her sudden affection for his thoughtfulness. “You didn’t habe to dough. I would’b been fineb.”

“Marinette.” His words were chastising.

“I would dough!” she told him, sounding very much offended despite her affectionate smile.

“You’re only sick because of me, Princess. Now blow on it a few times so you can drink it down. I think Sleeping Beauty needs a little more sleep than she does beauty right now.”

“Are you drying to say I look ab mess, Kiddy?”

“A gorgeous mess,” he smirked slyly, “As always.”

She chose to blow on her drink and take a tentative sip instead of responding awkwardly to his dreamy gaze.

*

When her drink was over half empty and Chat had finished his, he took the mugs away, leaving them on the desk below to be dealt with properly in the morning.

Marinette took her time curling up under the duvet, finding the optimum position to sleep in with a nose as snotty and blocked as hers bothering her. She whined for Chat to hurry up the whole time she did so, acting as if he was deliberately trying to slight her by being out of the bed at all. His amused chuckle was quickly becoming her favourite song.

When he finally started to crawl over to her, he laughed at her sprawled form laying in the centre of the bed, gently poking her side to get her attention. “I need some space too, you know,” he snickered.

“Dere’s plenty of roomb if we cuddle dight,” she said back, the cold medicine loosening her tongue enough to be even more forward than she had earlier. She didn’t even notice his startled expression at her words, instead using her arm to sloppily beckon him towards her more.

He responded eagerly, sliding into bed and positioning himself so that her face was resting against his collar bone. She snuggled in close until her nose hit something. From his viewpoint, he missed the way she screwed up her face in irritation, so he had no opportunity to think of it as cute – though he definitely would have done if he had seen the expression.

“Your bell is in de way,” she grumbled, stubbornly giving the mentioned bell a tiny headbutt in defiance, “Be Adrien againd sob I’m comfy.”

He chuckled again, -louder this time- his throat no longer feeling particularly sore when he did, thanks to his drink and most likely to Plagg too. After all, the small creature must have been enhancing his own body’s natural defences to his illness.

“Anything you say Bugginette,” he said fondly, dropping his transformation and his eyelids too, as he started to drift off to pleasant thoughts and dreams for the remainder of the night.

Buy Me A Coffee?

[danwhobrowses]

MCU: 10 Ways WandaVision and Falcon & The Winter Soldier are the Same

So now we have 2 of Marvel's Phase 3.5 shows in the books, and both have been pretty great. In the 7 week wait for Loki though we'll have time to mull things over.

When watching the Falcon & Winter Soldier finale though, I started to notice that there were some patterns between it and Wandavision. While two completely different stories they did share some similar beats, so here's 10 I spotted and thus 10 to look out for when Loki comes around.

Spoilers for WandaVision and Falcon & The Winter Soldier, give it a watch before you give this a look

10 - Villains become Memes

While one can contest that Zemo acts more as an antihero in The Falcon & the Winter Soldier, he still provides an antagonistic edge in the story. However, both he and Agatha became villains that had charisma to charm the audience, and their actions brought about multiple memes. On Agatha's side there was the wink, Agatha All Along and her in the fitness outfit, while with Zemo there was the 'it captures the experience', his iconic dancing and Turkish Delight. While not a story beat on the shows, the writers must've known that fans would gravitate to these characters to give them such content to use. Also add a hat tip to John Walker who got his own memes too with him about to embed the shield into a dude's chest, and Wanda herself for her nose scrunch being used as a meme alongside Thor's 'is it though?'.

9 - The Government aren't exactly helpful

While the Government aren't entirely the enemy in the show, they don't do well to stay on our heroes' good side. In WandaVision, they enhance Wanda's grief in the fact that she can't even lay him to rest, SWORD instead deciding that her lover is government property and they are harvesting his 'organs' and vibranium skin as a resource to use for weapons. On Falcon & Winter Soldier, the US Government deliberately deceive Sam by having him hand over the shield to put in a museum, only to then take it out and give it to John Walker without even telling Sam or Bucky about it. In addition when they disavow Walker they try to reclaim the Shield - which, as the Contessa does reveal, isn't technically their property either. While Falcon & Winter Soldier delved deeper into the government's lack of help through the GDC subplot motivating the Flag Smashers, there were still similarities found with how SWORD - which is quite different to its comic version - antagonizes Wanda. In the end all this escalates because of them, and in the end neither of them get to keep the Vibranium.

8 - 'Good Person' is Bad Guy

Although there's a more supernatural threat in both stories, the characters end up having their trust betrayed by people they believed to be decent. For WandaVision it is current Director of SWORD, Director Hayward, who appears adamant in silencing Wanda after using her as a means to power up White Vision as a programmable weapon. For Falcon & the Winter Soldier, it's Sharon Carter - descendant of Steve's beau who he also made out with - the discarded agent who gave up a lot for the heroes only to not get it in return, remaining enemy of the state and becoming the Power Broker. The shows can also have this reserved for 'Agnes' and John Walker but in the end people expected them to break bad from day 1. You could make a statement for Wanda since she looks to be an antagonist for Doctor Strange 2 though.

7 - The MCU add a little history

Marvel has had a habit of changing Wanda's (and Pietro's) origin on a whim, the MCU deciding to source their powers on an Infinity Stone. Doing this however left a gap in the fact that Wanda is a Witch, which they cleaned up in WandaVision. Treading back on the Scarlet Witch being a mantle (though cutting her mother being a Scarlet Witch before her) as it is in the comics, they changed Wanda's powers from being latent and amplified by the stone rather than gifted to the stone itself. Falcon & Winter Soldier added to their history with the impactful Truth: Red, White and Black story, adding Isaiah Bradley into the MCU to further layer the conflict and tragedy Sam faces with being Captain America. Both are welcome additions to the MCU timeline, setting up for newer things to come in Phase 4 Movies.

6 - The hero wins the fight, but not the day

Winning isn't always winning, as Wanda and Sam would discover upon the finale of their respective shows. Wanda defeats Agatha and Hayward is forced to face his crimes, but she has also come to terms with the face that the Hex must go, and in turn her family with it. While the Hex has freed all its residents, Wanda knows that she's not on anyone's good side either with the people she subconsciously enslaved. Sam gets it a little better, he's recognized himself as Captain America and given a patented 'Cap-speech', but he was unable to save Karli Morgenthau from being killed, someone who he was once so close to reaching and sympathized heavily with. Although the Super Soldier threat is neutralized, the Flag Smashers' ideals will live on to further radicalize itself, and its vision will further sow conflict and division.

5 - (Mostly) Bigger Roles for old MCU Side Characters

Never one to shy past their crossovers, Wandavision and Falcon & the Winter Soldier both brought back side characters - some more obscure than others - from older films to gel into the plot. WandaVision brought back Darcy from the Thor franchise and Jimmy Woo from Ant Man & the Wasp to great comedic effect, fans already wanting a spin-off with them and possibly Monica - who may also count but technically not the same actress, the same can be said for 'Pietro' too. Falcon & the Winter Soldier stayed primarily in their lane of Captain America movies; with Batroc and Sharon both debuting in Winter Soldier and Dora Milaje's Ayo debuting in Civil War, while it was less comedic, the story was more interwoven with them since they all had ties to the main two characters.

4 - [Person] is obviously [Character]

Possibly a bit of a narrative backdrop, or maybe years of MCU has clued us in on a plot twist a mile away, but both shows also were unable to hide well that Agnes from WandaVision and Sharon from Falcon & Winter Soldier were in fact Agatha Harkness and the Power Broker. It's not to say that knowing ruined the story, it just felt more of a 'when' rather than an 'if'. The main difference though is that Sharon managed to keep her villainy secret, and remains that way, while Agatha went too far in trying to take Wanda's power rather than help her with it and has now become stuck as Agnes instead.

3 - New Blood coming on the Hero Scene

While the shows already did their job in setting up Wanda and Sam as big league heroes, they also looked a bit more in establishing new blood too. WandaVision established the potential for the twin Maximoff boys to grow into Wiccan and Speed - once Wanda finds a way to re-canonize them, Falcon & the Winter Soldier also made sure to introduce Elijah Bradley, Isaiah's grandson, which may also aid in establishing a Young Avengers team - what with Kate Bishop also soon to appear in Hawkeye. WandaVision also created the origin for Monica Rambeau, having her body altered by the Hex, which will likely be furthered in Captain Marvel 2, Falcon & the Winter Soldier also established John Walker as the US Agent to leave a potential for Thunderbolts, as well as introducing Joaquin Torres - opening the possibility to have a new Falcon. While not a bad thing to set up for the future, it is interesting that both shows had exactly 3 names that could become future heroes.

2 - 'Villain' character partly redeems themselves after a Grief-Fuelled Mistake

Make no mistake, technically speaking Wanda is still a villain in WandaVision: she enslaved an entire town and suppressed them as side characters of a tv show. But the thing is that she didn't really intend to cause pain, it was an impulse action triggered by her grief. The same can be said for John Walker in Falcon & the Winter Soldier, he was already pressured by the standards being Captain America would entail and he was feeling the stress of a string of failures, a Dora Milaje humbling and a frosty reception from Steve's two close friends, juiced up on Super Soldier serum, and then his best friend just got killed because he didn't back him up, in a rage he killed a Flag Smasher with the shield - even though they were fleeing and not the one who killed Lemar, which he would lie about to Lemar's family. Despite this though, they managed to find some form of redemption, even if it was small. Wanda released the Hex and stopped Agatha from going haywire with her chaos magic, John gave up on his revenge seeking to save a truck from falling. Even though it doesn't entirely make up for what they did, it was at least a sign that they had not completely gone off the deep end...yet.

1 - Comic-Accurate Costumes

Comic costumes are always a tough one because some of the older costumes were borderline atrocious. WandaVision at the very least managed to poke fun at it with them dressing up most of the Maximoff/Vision family in their comic-accurate costumes, Speed getting a few more nods in the finale alongside Wanda's revamped and quite on the money look. In Falcon & Winter Soldier, there was accurate costuming for John Walker's US Agent look and Sam's Captain America costume, not to mention Lemar's Battlestar outfit, Zemo's mask and Batroc's jumpsuit.

Overall, it's not a bad thing that they kept these story beats, but it may be worth trying to avoid some of these in later tv show plot points so that it doesn't appear repetitive and formulaic. These shows have been great, so let's keep that momentum going.

[oikawasass]

I’m in the mood for some really sad angst so take this.

final goodbyes.

‣ pairing : bakugo x fem reader.

‣ oneshot.

‣ synopsis : after a messy and unexpected fight during a training mission, katsuki finds himself forced to say one last goodbye.

‣ wordcount : 2.3k+

‣ warnings : pure angst, swearing, character death, minor gore.

It was supposed to be an easy mission on that cold winter day, one that was simply for training purposes so the students would be able to begin learning what to do in tough situations from experience, rather than a lecture. A quick sweep of a few thugs in the area assigned to the pair and approved by Aizawa himself. 

The two were confident in the mission given to them, knowing that with their combined strengths It would be a breeze, taking them a few minutes tops. Neither Y/n nor Bakugo had expected things to take such a turn the way they did. The simple thugs they were sent to deal with had brought much more of a punch than either of them had expected. A simple battle with a couple of wannabe villain lowlifes, ( in Katsuki’s words, ) had turned into a 2 vs 16, one of those sixteen people being an extremely dangerous and wanted villain in the area who was called “Pressure.” Despite the rather incredible amount of power the teens had combined, the odds weren’t in their favour from the start.

They were outnumbered, and the sheer strength of not only one of the most wanted criminals in the city, but all of his goons backing him up, it was too much for Bakugo and his girlfriend to handle alone as much as they both hated to admit. The two heroes in training held their ground as best as they could, hoping to buy themselves enough time to call for help, or some sort of backup. Even Katsuki knew that their chances of making it out of there on their own weren’t very high at all. 

It was when Pressure had set off an ear ringing, blinding explosion that things really took a turn for the worst. Y/n and Bakugo had been violently thrown away from each other due to the amount force the blast had administered. The last thing they saw before their vision went white, was the couple’s red and scarred hands desperately reaching out for each other. But they were too late. The villains had fleed before the explosion went off, leaving the couple to presumably die. 

Bakugo’s eyes slowly blinked open, a light fog of dust and rubble from the debris of the explosion clouding his vision. His body tried so desperately to pull him back into the sweet lull of sleep as the pain of his injuries and aching body slowly spread throughout his limbs and joints, but the blonde refused to lose consciousness another time. His injuries were nothing severe or fatal, so there was no excuse for him to stay down any longer. How was he supposed to become number one if he allowed a simple blast to knock him down, after all?

With a sharp inhale and a loud groan, Katsuki pushed himself up off the shredded concrete and into a sitting position, allowing himself to come to his senses a bit more before he forced himself to his feet. The boy leaned back on one of his palms, catching his breath for a moment before a single thought overtook his mind, sending him into a panic.

“Y/n.”


He shot up to his feet, not caring to try and balance himself before frantically running to all the large piles of rubble that littered the snow-covered ground around him. He was throwing metal scraps, large rocks, tree branches, anything and everything in his way while he searched for her.

“Y/N!! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!” Bakugo shouted, in hopes of hearing some kind of response from her in the distance. His heartbeat only grew quicker, hearing the fast pulsating ring through his ears as his panic grew. His determination and will to stay calm in situations like these were long out the window by now. All he cared about was finding his girlfriend.

“Y/N!!” Another heart-wrenching scream of her name left Bakugo’s dry throat. She had to be here somewhere, it's not like she just went and vanished into thin air. 


Bakugo rose his forearm to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the blinding light the setting sun was reflecting off the snow in hopes he would be able to see more clearly. That was when he spotted a shadowed human figure lying dead centre in all the rubble surrounding them, there she was.

He bolted over to the frail-looking girl as quick as his legs would carry him, crashing down onto his knees beside her. She looked absolutely horrible, Bakugo felt himself cringe at the sight of her blood-covered face. She had large scratches covering each of her limbs, as well as a small bump that seemed to be poking out of the inside of her chest, showing she had definitely broken a few ribs. And to top everything off, there was a large metal rod piercing through the lower right of her abdomen, and it was in deep.

“Dumbass, you look like shit.” Bakugo said to her, supporting her head with one hand while using his other to mess around with the small intercom jammed in his ear, attempting to get some kind of reception so he would be able to call for help.

Y/n slowly lifted her gaze to look up at him, a pained chuckle falling from her bloodied lips. “J-just. . cause I-I can't move d-doesn’t mean I w. . won't kick y-your ass f-for that.” She choked out through her raw throat. Bakugo tsked quietly and shook his head, amazed at how she was able to crack a joke despite being so wounded.


“Like you could ever kick my ass anyway, shitty girl. Now stop talking, save your breath.” Bakugo continued to mess with his earpiece, finally hearing some static and the voice of his teacher on the other side.


“Ground zero reporting in, (hero name) severely injured. We need help.” His tone was panicked while his words were rushed out of his mouth. The blonde was willing to waste no time in having help arrive, not with his girlfriend's current state of suffering and deformation. 


“Yeah- I'm at location 23AZ, just hurry up and fucking find me, we don't have time to sit here waiting.” Once Aizawa disconnected, he returned his full attention back to the girl who was practically withering away beneath him.


Taking a strong grip on the sleeve of his costume, he tore off the fabric, ripping it into something similar of a cloth to push against her stomach wound, a desperate attempt to stop the crimson blood spilling out of it. A small cry of pain escaped Y/n’s throat at the pressure to the gash, and Katsuki felt himself flinch at the sound. It pained his ears to hear such an anguished sound come from the h/c haired girl he called his, but her bleeding out was absolutely not an option, he wouldn’t allow it. Not now, not ever. It appears the amount of stress Bakugo was under was evident on his face, his furrowed brows and bottom lip caught between his teeth not able to slip past the observant gaze of Y/n.

“W-worried. . .isnt a g-good look o-n you. . .” She smiled sadly, weakly reaching up an unstable and jittery hand to softly cup his right cheek, using her thumb to try and pull the edge of his mouth into a small smile. Y/n knew her time was running short, and she wanted to see him smile in her final moments, not upset. Though she knew her reaction would be the same, if not worse if their roles were switched, so she understood his concerns.


“What the hell else am I supposed to do, idiot? You’re-You-re bleeding out in front of me goddammit.” Bakugo’s words caught in his throat, a small crack in his voice accompanying the evergrowing agony and worry he felt in the pit of his stomach.

“I-its ok-okay, Katsu. . .It hardly. . .e-even hurts anymore.” She was slipping away quickly, her dazed and tired state of mind disabled her from feeling as much pain as she was actually in. It wasn’t good, she would lose consciousness soon, and that couldn’t happen. Bakugo could see her eyelids struggling to stay open, fluttering open and shut every so often as she tried to stay awake.


Bakugo felt his heart sting in pure fear. Katsuki Bakugo never got scared. He was always confident in his ways and knew that losing would never be an option for him. But right now, he was completely and utterly terrified. He couldn’t lose her. He couldn’t. “Hey, keep your eyes on me, okay? You-You’ve gotta stay awake princess.” That was a pet name she always loved so much. He felt himself leaning into her touch against his ash-covered cheek. The frigid, bitter winter air and lack of blood flowing through her system caused her to be cold to the touch, her normally warm, comforting hands were practically frozen.

“I kn-know. . .but. . .s-so. .tired. . .” Y/n’s lids fell halfway shut, failing to flutter back open like they had been before.

“No. No, you need to keep your f-fucking eyes open, you hear me? Don’t go to sleep. Just-Just a little longer okay?” Bakugo was surprised at his own stuttering and cracks in his voice, but he was even more surprised to feel a drop of blood trickle down his chin. When he raised his hand to wipe it away, he saw no colour on the skin of his hand. It was a clear, shiny liquid.


Bakugo was crying.

Y/n weakly moved her thumb to wipe away another drop that fell from his tear duct. “d-don’t. . please don't cr-cry. . “ her voice was nothing above a whisper now, the little bit of strength she had left to speak leaving her body. “I-I lo. . love you, ‘kay?” she felt a tear roll down her own cheek. “I love y-you so m. . uch.” She was being forced to say goodbye to someone she knew was her first and only love. Her heart was breaking during the exchange. Katsuki and her had planned to spend so many more years together, make so many more sweet and beautiful memories with each other, cross so many more milestones and hurdles life would throw at them, all while they were one. 

Now the harsh reality was, they would never get to experience those years, memories, nor milestones together.

This was their final goodbye.

“I love you more, stop talking like that.” Katsuki’s jaw was clenched tightly shut, his words slipping out of his mouth through gritted teeth. “You’re not gonna fucking die here, goddammit! You can’t fucking leave me behind!” 


Katsuki’s choice of words was important. Y/n was the only one besides Kirishima he allowed to get close to him, it was true. But Y/n was the one who Bakugo was truly able to open up to, without fear of seeming weak or being judged. She was the only one he allowed to really see his true feelings and emotions every moment of every day, even at his weakest points. She was helping him to grow into the great hero he strived to become, she couldn’t leave him. 

“I-I need you, you idiot! How am I supposed to be satisfied with being number one if you aren’t there being a close number two?! You’re supposed to do this with me!” Bakugo was shouting now, trying to get through to her weakening body as he felt her slowly fade away in his arms.


“I-I I know. . you can do-do it. . without me. . .” her eyes fell closed a final time, the hand she held up against his cheek slowly sliding down his skin as her body went limp. Katsuki quickly removed his hand from her abdomen to hold her it up and keep it from falling. No. She couldn’t die here, not like this, not when she deserved to live such an amazing and fulfilled life as a pro hero, not when he had never taken every moment he got to express just how much he did care about her, not when he couldn’t apologize for things like all the fights he’s caused in the past. 

All the lighthearted bickering they shared, all the secret sleepovers they had in Bakugo’s dorm, Y/n hiding from Aizawa in Katsuki’s closet when he had shown up unexpectedly, the sweet words of encouragement she would speak to him ever so softly when he was feeling low, he wasn’t ready for that to end. Katsuki would never be ready for that to end.


“Y/n. . .” Katsuki’s strained voice choked out, waiting for a response. He didn’t receive one.


“Y/n. Answer me.” He spoke more stern this time with a shake to her body, hoping this was some sick joke and a serious tone of voice would force her into an answer.


It didn’t work.

Katsuki’s body fell on top of her, head resting atop her chest as he felt like he was about to be sick to his stomach. There was a sharp, yet empty feeling in his gut, it felt like someone had just stabbed him.

No more calls of her name left his lips, no more shaking her body while trying to wake her up, it all stopped. Now he was left alone, shattered into what he felt was a million pieces. She was gone. And here he was, laying on top of the near mangled body of his first love, still holding her cold and limp hand to his cheek while he felt something build up and sting deep in his throat.

As his hearing went fuzzy, and all he could hear was his own racing heartbeat in his ears, Katsuki screamed.

Katsuki screamed out of the sheer ache and torment his body felt as she lay lifeless in his arms.

[nct-bliss]

Collapse

NCT Female Subunit AU

BLISS x NCT DREAM

Just after a collab dance performance between the two units, Jiwoo passes out backstage. Haechan isn’t too happy about his best friend’s irresponsibility.

We’re off to an angsty start hahaha.

__

“Where’s the pin for this outfit?!”

“Can we go over the choreo one more time please?”

“Hell no Yunhee. You better be kidding.”

“Should we test our mics again?”

A groan. “Do I really have to pick up Kayo and spin her?”

“Yes. Yes Jisung, you do.”

A hundred thousand words of chaos swirled around Jiwoo’s mind as she leaned over the vanity, looking into the mirror. Her members, both the girls and boys, were scattered around the room, doing last-minute preparations.

She smoothed down her already-straightened hair and fixed her gaze on her reflection. There wasn’t a single flaw in her makeup. Her outfit was pretty modest by idol-standards, and still very pretty. Her feet adorned boots as opposed to heels. Everything was as perfect as it could be.

So why did she feel so shitty?

Her stomach felt light yet heavy at the same time, like a pit was buried deep inside it. Her entire body felt like it could crumble any second, at any touch or movement. Her head was killing her, it hurt so much.

It’s probably just last-minute anxiety, Jiwoo assured herself. 

She forced herself to straighten up, absentmindedly adjusting her left earpiece once more. Then she whirled around, ignoring the pounding sensation at her temple as best as she could.

“Are you guys ready?” She asked, unsure if it was even her own voice she was hearing.

“Yes,” Kayo and Chenle chorused before shooting each other glares. “Stop copying me,” they repeated together again before yelling at each other.

Jiwoo focused her attention on the member closest to her. “How long again?”

“We’re going on in two minutes,” Jeno told her, pausing before frowning slightly. “You okay?”

Jiwoo laughed lightly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just nervous for some reason.”

“You’re shaking a little...” 

“I promise I’m fine, Jeno. I’m just not used to having only choreography to memorize.”

“If you say so.” He sounded unconvinced, and Jiwoo couldn’t blame him. She could faintly hear the tremor in her own voice.

“One more minute!” The manager called, and the group made their way closer to the stage. 

Jiwoo felt her head spin under the bright lights and constant noise of bustling activity. She held onto Lian who was walking in front of her, gently keeping a hand on her shoulders. Partly for physical support, partly so she could talk to her in a closer distance.

“You remember everything?” Jiwoo whispered.

“Yeah,” Lian answered, probably rolling her eyes. “Do you?”

“I remember. But if I die halfway, don’t be surprised. I feel like shit.”

Lian turned to face her, worry reflected in her watery eyes. “What’s wrong?” 

“Head is killing me. I just feel awful.”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?!” She whisper-yelled. “You shouldn’t be on stage right now.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s just a 3 minute choreography. As soon as we’re done, I’ll probably just crash on the couch in the dressing room. I didn’t want us to re-plan the whole thing.”

“Okay...” Lian still sounded worried. 

Finally, it was time. Jiwoo pushed herself up and let go of Lian to make her way across stage. It was dark and the lights were only going to come on once they were all in position. She felt a comforting squeeze of her shoulder as Jaemin walked past her, and she flashed him a small smile.

Showtime, Jiwoo thought, leaning down to crouch in her beginning position. She replayed the choreography in her mind a couple times, just to get her attention off the dull thud in her head. 

She raised her head as soon as the lights flashed, giving an alluring smile to the camera.

__

Five minutes later, both units were walking backstage again, everyone feeling half-thrilled and half-tired.

“Did you guys hear those fanchants?” Minji exclaimed, detaching her earpiece. “That was crazy!”

“Right?” Renjun laughed. 

Aria smirked. “Okay, but did anyone notice how loud it got when Jisung had to pick up Kayo?” 

Jeno and Chenle burst out laughing while the two mentioned just looked away in embarrassment. “I did notice!” Yunhee cackled. “I was trying so hard not to laugh in the middle of dancing.”

“Oh, I didn’t even hide my laughing,” Donghyuck chimed in. “I’m pretty sure the cameras saw me.”

“Ugh, you guys are the worst,” Jisung groaned. 

Kayo rolled her eyes. “Literally neither of us wanted it. But someone just had to bring up the idea to the choreographer.” 

She narrowed her gaze at Minji, who just smiled innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

They all talked some more and laughed, able to relax now that all their performances for the day were done.

Jiwoo was the only quiet one, walking slowly compared to the others. Her legs felt like they were tied down by an anchor. Her stomach turned and felt even worse than before. She lagged behind the group, the only destination on her mind being a couch or just anywhere to lie down. 

She could make out Lian’s face turning around to ask her something. Jiwoo opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Instead her mind felt cloudy and she couldn’t think of anything. Dark spots filled her vision and she shut her eyes before falling down onto her knees.

“Jiwoo!”

“Yah, what the hell!”

“What happened?”

“Jiwoo what’s wrong?!”

“Can someone get a water bottle?”

A pair of hands gently laid her down, so her head was resting on someone’s lap instead. Someone else adjusted the position of her legs.

Jiwoo’s vision was still dark but she could hear everyone around her. The sounds of voices and footsteps felt drowned out, as if she was underwater, or in a tunnel.

A voice that sounded like Jaemin’s spoke. “Does anyone know what’s wrong? Jiwoo never mentioned she was sick.” He sounded really upset.

A soft tone replied. “She told me she wasn’t feeling well just when we were walking on stage.” Jiwoo recognized it as Lian’s, and she sounded on the verge of crying now.

“I could tell something was off earlier too, but she told me she was just nervous,” Jeno added, distress evident in his words.

“Dammit, Jiwoo.” That was definitely Aria.

Jiwoo’s eyes fluttered open after a few more seconds, her head still hurting. Her vision was mostly clear, just blurry around the edges as she blinked up at her members.

The first thing she saw was Minji’s face. So that was whose lap she was laying on. The second was Jaemin, leaning over closely. And the third was Donghyuck...

Who looked both extremely terrified and angry at the same time. Jiwoo internally swallowed at the scolding he would surely give her once she was fully conscious.

“Jiwoo! Can you hear us?” Minji asked, gently pushing a hair strand out of her face.

“Yeah,” Jiwoo replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She had a naturally raspy tone, but it seemed almost intensified now.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” Jeno asked.

“Six.”

Renjun rolled his eyes. “She fainted, it’s not a concussion.”

“It doesn’t hurt to check!”

“Here,” Chenle popped up in her vision, holding a water bottle. “Drink some of this.”

Jiwoo sat up a bit, lifting her head from Minji’s lap to instead sit in front of the older girl. She took the bottle with a small smile before lifting it to her lips. Jaemin helped her steady her grip by placing his hand on top of hers.

The cool water felt extremely refreshing as it flowed down her throat. It cooled her instantly, and alleviated some of the pain in her head. Her vision cleared completely at this point too.

“Are you feeling better?” Jisung asked tentatively, hovering like he was ready to spring up and get something for her at any moment.

Jiwoo smiled at him. “Yes, I am now.”

“Good,” Kayo said sweetly, before she glared sharply at Jiwoo. “Now I can say this: what is wrong with you?!”

“The whole day went by and you didn’t say anything until we literally stepped on the stage, and only to Lian!” Renjun snapped.

“Okay, before we get into any of that, let’s figure out what’s actually wrong with her,” Jeno sighed. “Are you sick? Burning up?”

Chenle placed his palm on her forehead. “No, she feels fine.”

“Did you not eat anything all day?” There was an odd note to Jaemin’s voice, as if he was seriously not wanting to hear an answer to that.

“I mean, I ate no differently than I do on our usual performance days.”

“So barely anything, then.” Yunhee sighed.

“Guys, I don’t think it was food,” Jiwoo assured them. “I think I just had a really bad headache, and all the stuff I did today didn’t help it at all.”

“Oh yeah, that makes sense. I’m sure a five-hour long rehearsal, both in the studio and on stage before, totally helped you feel better,” Aria said dryly.

“I’m sorry guys.” Jiwoo curled up a bit more with a frown. “I’m so used to shrugging off stuff just to get work done, and I didn’t want to mess up our schedule in anyway.”

Lian poked her. “You’re forgiven. Just don’t do it ever again,” She sniffed.

Jeno let out a deep breath. “You almost gave us all heart attacks.”

“I’m sorry.”

Chenle stretched. “Well, now that Jiwoo is taken care of, let’s go eat.” He shot Jiwoo a look. “And you have to eat at least two plates.”

“I can’t eat that much!”

“Too bad.”

They all stood up, and Jiwoo lifted herself away from Minji with ease. Well, for two seconds before her legs felt shaky again. Almost instantly, a hand wrapped around her waist and she looked up to see Donghyuck.

He tightened his hold and pulled her close to his side. “Yah, you can’t just get up and walk like nothing happened after all that, you idiot,” He scolded.

Jiwoo blinked as her head hit against his chest gently. “Thanks, Hyuck.”

They lingered behind the group as Jiwoo walked slower than usual, so she didn’t feel dizzy again, and Donghyuck supported her weight. 

“That was so stupid,” He spoke, his gaze fixed frontwards so she couldn’t see his face. 

Jiwoo winced at the edge in his tone. “I know, I’m sorry I freaked you out-”

“No, Jiwoo. You should be sorry for putting yourself at risk like that,” He snapped. “You never take care of yourself.”

“Work is more important,” she argued quietly. “We’ve been planning and practicing this for weeks, no way was I gonna ruin it.”

“It’s not just about that,” He sighed, the sharpness in his tone subsiding. “You’ve always done this, even as a trainee. You put everyone and everything above yourself, and it scares me.”

Jiwoo’s eyes widened slightly before she looked down, memories of trying to support her very hectic and poor household in New York resurfacing in her mind. “I know...it’s a really bad habit that I’m used to.”

Donghyuck stopped and ruffled her hair, facing her with a more calm expression. “Just please promise me you won’t do this again.”

“I promise I’ll try my best.”

“Hurry up, you two!” Kayo yelled from the area where the table of food was. “Or Yunhee is gonna eat all the dumplings!”

Jiwoo and Donghyuck exchanged a fond look before hobbling towards everyone. “Okay, okay! Save us some!”