#and there's 5 one shots for At Home planned to bridge the time jump because we're jumping to 1917 BABY

[weather-mood]

ITTM Sequel Update

Finished outlining the plot to the ITTM sequel ('I Can't Help That I Need it All'). It's 42 damn chapters!

Part 1: The Early Years (12 Chapters)

Part 2: The Claudia Years (19 Chapters)

Part 3: The Final Act (11 Chapters)

Is it less scary to start reading a fic that's '1/?' or '1/42' ?

[arkhamsrevenge]

Lost and Resurrected pt 3 final part

Hey yall! So sorry for the delay I'm working on the Arkham Knight and the Queen of Hearts as well as other Jason x Reader one shots! Thx for being patient

Part 3 

Jason was able to stop the truck full of drugged children. I sent it to the police, hopefully they can get the children back to their homes.  

“Come on Egon’s probably heard the truck didn’t make it to the drop point already.”  Jason whispered. I nodded, holding out my hand for Jason to take. “This isn’t gonna make me puke again, is it?” Jason asked, referring to the first time we teleported to the truck; he threw up on the side of the road right before he put a bullet into the driver’s shoulder.   I snorted. 

“Again pretty sure it was nerves and not teleportation.” Jason rolled his eyes and took my hand. In an instant we were standing outside Egon’s warehouse.  

“WHERE ARE THEY? THEY ARE TWO HOURS LATE! FIND OUT WHERE THEY ARE NOW!” Egon screamed in German. I smiled slightly. That bastard deserves everything that’s coming to him.  

“Oh good. He’s pissed. Let’s go.” Jason started towards the warehouse, I smiled and ran after him flicking my hand to break the window while Jason jumped inside, kicking Egon who let out a shout.  “Don’t worry, we got them.” Egon roared grabbing Jason my the throat and throwing him back outside, into me. Jason and I both fell, his back to my front.  I hard a crack as my nose smacked into Jason’s back. Fuck broke my nose. I pulled Jason to his feet as Egon stalked towards us.  

“You children cannot beat me. I taught you how to fight and you are but a women. You cannot fight man.”  

“Cannot fight man?” I smirked. “Then why is it you’re dying.” Egon stopped in his tracks, and started to foam at the mouth. He choked once, twice then dropped to his knees. Jason chuckled.  

“How’d you know?” I wiped my nose the blood, spiting some out of my mouth.  

“You always have a back up plan.” I said smiling, blood surely still staining my teeth. Jason’s brow furrowed, he came closer to me putting both hands on the side of my face.  

“You good, Princess?” He asked, examining my nose. We hadn’t been this close since the night I got attacked. Heat rose in my cheeks. I swallowed.  

“Yea. It doesn't hurt.” I said taking his hands in mine and bringing them down. I then ran my finger down the bridge of my broken nose, healing it up right away. “See? Magic.” I whispered, doing jazz hands. Jason laughed. 

“OK Houdini, let’s get out of here before the cops show up.” I nodded, letting Jason lead the way.  

5 Years went by, Jason and I traveled all over the globe, funded all by Talia herself. Though I’m pretty sure she just wanted to stall us so we didn’t kill Batman. She loves him, I don’t blame her for wanting to protect him, but I don’t think Jason wants to kill his former mentor anymore. Hell, what do I know, Jason’s been a mystery from the day I met him. Over the years we’ve became close for sure. Fighting along side each other, knowing the other will always be right there if trouble arose. Jason and I stared to be able to communicate without saying anything, our moves would be in sync with each other, we’d be capable to pull off any combo attacks we wanted . And spending 5 years with a person...it changes you. I changed anyway. I felt like I could really love Jason given the chance but his goal was more my feelings. He needed to heal, mentally. I don’t know how to help him other than what I’m doing now. I’ve only see him break down once. When Talia informed us that Batman had taken another robin, a boy name Timothy Drake. Talia had left the photo graph taken of the two with Jason, when she left, he stood holding the picture for a moment.  

“Hey Princess, do you have a spell to erase memories?” Jason asked, his voice breaking slightly. “Because I wish I never met Bruce Wayne.” He finished as his knees buckled. I was able to catch him before he hit the ground. I brought us gently down on the carpet, arms around Jason as he silently cried into my shoulder. I held him for over an hour until he declared he wanted to go to bed. I helped him get ready (no stranger to doing that as he still had his bad days from the pit. Some days he struggled to function, some days he’s out of it and needs a little more assistance). I wiped Jason’s tears away with my thumbs, knowing I couldn’t take away his pain, caused me pain. He kept his eyes down, staring at the floor, his breathing was fairly normal now exhaustion was sinking in.  

“I’ll be out there if you need me.” I whispered standing up. I combed his hair back with my fingers trying to relax him a bit more, then lightly kissed the top of his head, before turning to leave. Only to be stopped by a hand around my wrist, only this time, his hand was warm, not ice cold. Turning back to Jason, I caught his green eyes staring into mine. He swallowed roughly, his adams apple bobbing.  

“Stay?” I didn’t want to know his mental state but something about the way he asked. It’s a question but a plea. He moved his hand from my wrist before holding his hand in mine before slowly pulling me towards him, giving me time to pull away if I wanted. I followed his lead and climbed into bed with him. We laid next to each other, starting, hands still intertwined before I spoke.  

“Always.” I woke up the next morning still holding Jason’s hand. From that night on, we slept next to each other. I wasn’t off the hook from the pit either. There are days at a time when I can’t feel ANY emotion. That’s when I really dive into the mystic arts as emotions won’t get in the way. Although, because I’m numb essentially, Jason must remind me to eat and drink water or snap me back to reality if I stare off into space too long.  

“Earth Space Princess. Come back.” He’d say to bring me back. Sometimes I wouldn’t hear him, I would tune him out accidentally. Then Jason would crouch down in front of me and put a hand on my knee, shaking it lightly. “Hey Y/N come back to planet earth, will ya?” Eventually, I’d come back. On the days I’m out of it Jason would become closer to me, watches me like a hawk, just like when he’s out of it, I do the same. Jason, now 21 and I now 22, are going back to Gotham, Jason’s plan coming together. Talia came by an hour ago she’s debriefing us on everything going on in Gotham, A man, going by the name Hush, has some information for us that will help us get an advantage over the big bad bat.  

“My father is dead. Ra’Al Ghul is no more...The Batman did it. Defeated my father by sealing up the pits, he can no longer revive himself.” Talia spoke sadly.  

“I’m...sorry.” I replied not really knowing what else to say. Granted, life is better without that evil roaming around. And as for the pits...no one else can abuse the power they grant.  

“Thank you, I want you both take all you can from the Batman. Take his city, his power, everything. I want him to fall.” Talia sneered. She then grabbed Jason by the shirt and kissed him. Jason’s eyes went wide, he froze in place. Anger bubbled in me. I reached for Talia, gripping her hair my the roots and pulling her off of Jason. I threw her aside, putting myself between them. 

“You’re one sick bitch.” I lashed. My voice sounded different...deeper. The power I was feeling. “Leave now. Before I scalp you.” I growled. Talia held her head, looking at me and smiling? 

“There it is. That's what I was looking for.” I blinked and pointed to the door. “I needed to see for myself how far you got.” My eyebrows furrowed. “Jason told me you were good at dark magic but I didn’t think you’d reach this level. Those black eyes give you away, if you wanted to you could kill me by raising your hand. You’ve done it my dear. You are as beautiful as an angel but dangerous as arsenic. A deathly angel. An angel of death. Look yourself.” Talia said pointing to the mirror beside me. I turned to the cracked mirror hanging on the wall. Sure enough black eyes were looking back at me, with dark veins surrounding them, my entire body was covered in dark veins in fact. I inhaled closing my eyes, trying to calm down, I felt an arm wrap around my waist. I knew immediately it was Jason. My anger ceased. I opened my eyes to see my natural eye color had returned. I looked normal. “I apology Jason. I wanted to see Y/N angry, I wanted to see if what you said about her was true.” I glanced at Jason who was looking straight ahead at Talia. He still hadn’t said anything. 

“Leave. Now.” I sternly said. Talia nodded and went out the door. Jason and I stayed where we were for a moment.  

“Angel of Death is a little dramatic, huh?’ Jason finally said. I breathed out a laugh.  

“Says the guy wants to go by Red Hood.” I shot back. Jason chuckled.  

“So what do I call you in the field then, Princess?” I shrugged.  

“I don’t know. Why? Did you have something in mind?” Jason shifted, running his hands through his hair.  

“Yeah, actually. You looked like...like my definition of an Archangel.” I blinked.  

“An Archangel? How?”  

“You looked just...I don’t know how to describe it Princess...you just did. Something not of this world, something ...so beautiful but deadly. Just as Talia said.” A small smile formed on my face.  

“Beautiful huh?” I teased.  Jason rolled his eyes.  

“Shut up.”  

“Archangel it is then.”  

[dreamwritesimagines]

Burn The Witch 7 - After Midnight [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s an extra chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤

Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.

Summary: Missions require stealth.

Series Masterlist

For a spy, working at unusual hours was nothing new. During your training at the academy they would wake you up at ungodly hours to drag you to exercise just so that you would get used to being ready to fight anytime.

So technically you weren’t supposed to be this tired, but you hadn’t gotten any sleep last night. To your surprise, at around 5 in the morning you were assigned to a new mission to capture and bring another member of HYDRA in. It was unexpected because your superiors had told you earlier that earning Bucky’s trust and getting information from him was the priority, and they hadn’t sent you after any target for days up until this morning. You weren’t exactly complaining anyway, other missions weren’t your priority.

Even if you kept telling yourself what you were doing was just business, somehow talking to him didn’t feel like it.

“God damn it,” you muttered to yourself when the sight of your reflection in the elevator mirror caught your eye, making you heave a sigh and push the button to your apartment. Your shirt was stained with so much blood that you could hardly see the white and you licked your thumb before trying to scrub off the dried blood on your cheekbone. The elevator made a small noise before the door opened and you stepped outside, dragging your weary self to your door.

“What’s up neighbor?”

You jumped out of your skin and turned to Keith who was watching you with a grin on his face, holding a cup of coffee.

“What the fuck?”

“Likewise. Why are you covered in blood, you normal civilian you?”

You opened your door and stepped inside with him following you suit.

“Mission.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, “Young lady, look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t kill the Winter Soldier.”

“What? No!” you made a face, “I could never- it was another kind of a mission.”

“You already have a mission, didn’t you tell them you’re supposed to focus on that one?”

“The target was heavily protected and it needed my expertise.”

“Nobody likes a brag.”

You rolled your eyes, “Keith, General literally told me that before sending me there.”

“You’re not supposed to get close to targets anymore,” he reminded you and you shifted your weight from one foot to other, biting inside your cheek.

“It got out of control,” you murmured, making him sigh.

“Y/N.”

“It’s not like I wanted to!” you defended yourself, “It was just necessary, that’s all.”

“If you get in close combat with a target you might end up with visible injuries, and that would compromise your cover as a civilian and tip Barnes off.”

“I know, I know…” you murmured as you walked to the sink to wash your hands, then switched the coffee maker on.  

“Do you?” he insisted, “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re looking for trouble.”

You grabbed a cup from the shelf and turned to him.

“I just wanted to get it over with,” you said, “Okay? I have other things in mind.”

He pulled his brows together, “Like what?”

“Like…” you waved your hands, trying to find the words, “Like other stuff. Like my main mission— by the way I couldn’t ask the other night, why did they locate you here?”

“General said your relationship with Barnes is progressing well. It’s better to have another agent close by, just in case he decides to make a late night visit.”

The innuendo wasn’t lost on you and you raised your brows, “I feel like I’m working in a dark alternate version of a matchmaking system where they hook you up with a date you can’t trust.”

“So every dating app out there?” he asked, making you laugh as you sipped your coffee.

“Speaking of dates,” you started, but was cut off your phone beeped and you checked the time, then cursed under your breath.

“What?”

“I can’t believe I’m working at a stupid milkshake shop,” you grumbled, “I need to take a shower and get to work, see yourself out.”

“You know, you could bring some milkshake home,” he said as you walked to the bathroom, “That’s what a good neighbor would do.”

“Goodbye Keith!” you called out and closed the bathroom door.

                                    ***

You really, really needed something to snap you out of this sleeplessness. Preferably coffee, preferably in an I.V. or something because you had a feeling drinking it wouldn’t be enough at this point.

“Thank you and bon appetite!” you smiled brightly at the customer after serving them their milkshake, then dropped the smile and pulled the small apron off your uniform.

“I’m going to take a break and get some coffee,” you told your coworker “You want anything?”

“No thank you,” she said and you fixed your hair before walking outside to make your way to the coffee shop.

Keith had a point. It was stupid to get in close combat with a target, especially now. General had sent you there with clear orders of you keeping your distance and using your sniper rifle, not your dagger and in the heat of the moment, you had decided to go after him when you couldn’t get a clear shot.

“Hi, can I get a hot red eye please?” you asked the barista, “Actually no- make it a black eye, largest cup you have.”

She smiled slightly, “Long night?”

“You have no idea.”

She swiped your card before giving it to you and you walked to the waiting counter to lean against it, nibbling on your lip.

You really, really wanted to believe that your sour mood was a result of you not getting enough sleep, but deep down you knew it wasn’t like you to take unnecessary risks.

It was the fact that you had been too distracted to take the shot at the right time because you were looking down at your phone when the target had walked out of his building.

But after all, it was your main mission, wasn’t it? You had to make sure to get Bucky’s attention to get closer to him. Maybe two missions at the same time had these kind of disadvantages, but it wasn’t as if you could walk there and tell them not to give you side missions.

If you wanted to be a handler, you had to prove yourself.

You took the lid off the cup, the scent of hot liquid filling your nostrils and you grabbed the sugar packets before tearing the top off to pour sugar into it. You dipped the thin stir stick into the beverage to stir it, then put the stick between your lips but as soon as you turned around and saw who had just gotten his coffee, you held your breath.

“Hi!” you said breathlessly, pulling the thin stick off your mouth, “Um- Captain—Captain America sir.”

“Oh God no, please call me Sam.” He offered you his hand and you shook it.

“Hi Sam.”

“It’s Y/N, right?”

“Yes!” you said, “Yes, it’s wonderful to see you again. Under much better conditions where I haven’t been shot at.”  

“Bucky just went to that uh….” He paused, “Milkshake shop right? He just went there to see you.”

You scrunched up your nose, “Oh no, I literally just went on my break.”

“That’s alright,” he said, “He’ll be back here. Would you like to sit down?”

Nope.

Nope, you did not want to sit down.

You had planned a whole strategy to pull the wool over Bucky’s eyes, but Sam’s file told you that he was an excellent judge of character, much better at reading people than Bucky. Everything that you had told Bucky to manipulate him had worked so far but persuading Sam wouldn’t be that easy.

Seeing that any small sign could tip him off, you had to put even more of an effort into the illusion.  

“I’d love to!” you said and followed him to the nearest table. You sat down and pushed your hair behind you ear, smiling up at him.

“I never got to say thank you,” you said, “For saving me back there.”

“Don’t mention it, really,” he said, “How’s your arm?”

“It got better,” you said, “I thought I was dying but as it turns out, it was just a graze. Only thing that’s hurting right now is my ego.”

“Oh it happens.”

“Even you have to admit, that was a bad first impression.”

He grinned, “For what exactly?”

“For—um… for a first—first impression. In general,” you stammered and sipped your coffee while he sat back.

“So how do you find New York?” he asked, “Bucky mentioned you just moved here.”

“It’s been a month, yes,” you said, clearing your throat, “I like it so far. I mean, aside from getting mugged, I enjoy it. It’s very different than where I grew up in but like— it’s very new.”

“Yeah, especially if you’re from a small town…” he mused, “Where did you say you moved from by the way?”

“Cannon Beach, Oregon.”

“I love small towns,” he said, “Very peaceful.”

“They are!” you said, “I mean sometimes a little too peaceful with nothing to do but…”

“You know, visiting Oregon has been in my list for a while now,” he said, “Any advice on where to go if I end up visiting there?”

Oh he is good.

If you weren’t a trained spy, you wouldn’t have even noticed that he was trying to see whether you could be trusted or not. Bucky, being secretive himself hadn’t even asked anything about your so called hometown but Sam knew exactly what to ask to see if you were hiding something.

You thanked Chloe for making you read everything about your file the other day in your mind before you pursed your lips, deep in thought.

“Well my hometown doesn’t have much to offer but— do you like hiking?”

“Sure, why not?”

“We have a state park,” you said, “I think you’d enjoy it. Natural view, all green and peaceful. Back in high school, every semester break my friends dragged me there and the there was this one time we were all there, I got stung by this huge wasp and it was just before the school dance and I ended up not getting asked out by my crush—anyway, it’s a long way of saying I don’t hike anymore.”

That made him chuckle and he seemed to be convinced that you were sincere, thankfully.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as his eyes went over your shoulder, making you look up and gasp.

Jesus, as it turned out you weren’t the only one with a mission who required you to get in close combat.

“Oh my God.” You covered your mouth with your hands, staring up at his bruised face half hidden by his hat. Sam pushed his chair back, clearing his throat.

“I should probably step outside,” he said as he stood up, “Gotta make a call, I’ll see you later.”

“Thanks man.”

“What happened?” you asked as Sam walked out of the coffee shop and Bucky sat down across from you to the seat Sam had just left. He tried to offer you a small smile.

“It’s nothing.”

“Bucky it doesn’t look like nothing…” you mumbled, your brows pulled together “Does it hurt?”

What?

“Does it hurt?”

You weren’t supposed to ask that, you were supposed to gather info on where he went and what he was doing on missions of his own.

“Not at all,” he assured you and you took a shaky breath.

“What happened?”

“There’s this thing me and Sam are working on,” he said, “Don’t worry about it. I went to the milkshake shop to see you but…”

You wanted to ask for more details but something told you it could create a problem to insist this early so you decided against it.

“Just tell me you’re safe?”

A soft light crossed his eyes, “I am,” he said, “I promise.”

You paused for a moment before you pushed your hair behind your ear. “I gather you’re kind of used to getting hurt then?”

“A little,” he admitted, “That’s why I couldn’t call you or anything. I got caught up in something.”  

Ah. He wasn’t giving you any details even if he thought you were a civilian.

He could like you, but he still couldn’t trust you. Maybe it was a precaution, maybe he wanted to keep you away from his mess, but either way, it was very clear that he had trust issues.

You took a mental note to put it on your report for General and shook your head.

“Of course,” you said, “You don’t need to explain anything, I’m just glad that you’re well and safe. Bruises aside.”

“Looks that bad huh?”

“No!” you said quickly, “No I wouldn’t say bad. Not by a long shot, you’re still pret—uh…dashing. Cute as a bug’s ear I’d say. Looking—looking aces. Dynamite even!”

He pulled his brows together, keeping his eyes on you.

“I may or may not have checked some early to mid 20th century slang just in case,” you admitted, making him tilt his head in confusion.

“Just in case of what?”

“Just in case you said something and I didn’t understand on the second date,” you said, “And let me tell you something, you guys spoke a completely different language back then.”

“You’re joking,” he said with a small smile and you crossed your arms.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Say one more term and I will.”

You thought for a moment, “Fine. Are you ready for this?”

“Absolutely, bring it on.”

“I will….” You trailed off, searching your mind for the right words you had checked online the other night, “I will snap my cap if you spook me showing up looking like you were about the buy the farm last night.”

A clear laugh escaped from his lips as it lit up his whole face and that was when you realized how rare it was to hear him laugh out loud. A warmth filled your stomach and you raised your brows, your nose in the air.

“See? Told you,” you pointed out and stole a look at him, “Was it—was it good?”

“It was great,” he said when he could pull himself together, “Absolutely perfect.”

“Why thank you,” you sipped your coffee as he cleared his throat.

“Speaking of the second date…” he said, making you bite down a smile, “Any chance you’re free tonight?”

“I am,” you said, “But you’re not.”

He pulled his brows together, “Hm?”

“Have you seen yourself?” you insisted, “You look like you—you almost died or something!”

“It wasn’t a big deal, really.”

“Well, those bruises say otherwise,” you said, “You need some rest. How much sleep did you get last night?”

He averted his eyes and waved a hand, “Some. Enough.”

“Bucky,” you said, leaning in slightly, “How much?”

Everything the government and your division had gathered on Bucky suggested the same thing; The Winter Soldier was basically created for war. He was the perfect soldier, and there was no way anyone could get any information from him. There was a reason why they had sent you into this mission, trying to get intel from him by force was absolutely impossible.

Even the government knew that.

But the same unstoppable soldier who would probably die before saying anything to the enemy caved in when you batted your lashes.

“Two hours.”

Your jaw dropped and you shook your head, “Nuh uh.”

“It’s enough, it’s more than—“

“Nope,” you cut him off, “You’re going to rest at home and—eat soup and watch garbage TV, mister. No dates for you on two hours of sleep.”

A soft smile pulled at his lips, “I can function with two hours of sleep darling.”

Your heart did not skip a beat at that, it was just you being very focused on your own cover and that was it.

“Well I don’t want you to just function,” you mumbled, “You need to take care of yourself too.”

Judging by his expression you could see that he wasn’t used to hearing that and you put your coffee on the table, then reached out to gently put your hand over his vibranium one. His hand twitched like a gun recoiling in your hand, even if you knew it was involuntary and a look of disbelief crossed his features, as if he hadn’t expected you –or anyone to touch that, as if he was afraid that you would be scared.

But of course, that was the spy in you speaking. Your cover wasn’t supposed to notice anything of the sort.

“How about…” you trailed off, “We have a date tomorrow? You go and get some rest tonight, and I’ll pick what I’m gonna wear for tomorrow and spam my friends with outfit ideas.”

“You sure?”

“Of course,” you said, “We have all the time in the world for dates. And I happen to live here, you know? It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

He smiled and turned his hand to entwine his fingers with yours, rubbing his thumb over your knuckles.

“Good,” he rasped out, “I like the sound of that.”

                                         ***

You should’ve known your superiors wouldn’t make it easy for you. This time, you were allowed to take your team with you because as it turned out, the right hand of the target you had brought in last night had gotten away, so now you had to take him down for your superiors to cut a deal with the target.

The first part of the mission had gone splendidly. He was alone and in hiding, so setting your gear up on the rooftop and pulling the trigger hadn’t been difficult whatsoever. You watched as a couple of agents burst through his door so that they could retrieve his body and fixed your ski mask before starting to dissemble your rifle to carry it easier.

“Anyone wants to grab some dinner?” Keith’s voice reached your earpiece and you yawned.

“Nah,” you said, “I’m going to go home and sleep for a year or something.”

“Deleting the security cam footage of the building right now,” Chloe let you know, “And I want dinner, I’ve been running on multiple cups of coffee.”

“You got it.”

“Are you buying?” one of the agents in your team asked, “If you are, we’re coming too.”

“Yeah man, I’m buying. Tacos?”

“Sounds good, just let me check—“ Chloe started but then gasped, “Shrike, get out of there right now!”

It was almost instinctual. You grabbed the small pistol out of your boots and turned around to point it at the person behind you but as soon as you recognized who he was, your heart started pacing.

Bucky had decided not to rest at home after all.

“Hi soldier,” you managed to say, “We have to stop meeting like this.”

Chapter 8

[miyalove]

➳˚｡⋆ MUTUAL CONNECTION.

➳ pairing. roommate!kuroo x fem!reader x (slight) terushima

➳ warnings. slight dubcon (kuroo listen’s to reader having sex), voyeurism, swearing, masturbation (male), pining

➳ notes. thank you for 500 followers! here’s a spicy fic to celebrate... if it gets enough love then maybe a part two will be out

2.4k | thinking you were going to be home alone, you decide to invite your favorite fling over to have a good time. surpisingly, you’re not alone and your roommate kuroo is torn between letting you know that or locking himself up in his room to torture himself.

he’s in some deep shit now. the playfully cocky man is grown enough to admit that. as much as he wanted to blame you for his trouble, he’s adult enough to admit that maybe… just maybe, this one is on him. you thought that he was out and with fair reason too. he did text you saying so; ‘late classes. don’t wait up’. only it turned out that his professor had a last minute change of plans because as he got to class, on the door was a note detailing how they were canceled.

it wasn’t much of a sweat for him though. he wouldn’t mind a day home alone with his thoughts. it would allow him to catch up (and even get ahead) in most of his classes so this was basically water under the bridge. instantly, his feelings of serenity changed when you arrived home and not alone either, but with your current prey— terushima.

he was a younger guy compared to kuroo, but not by much. fit, intelligent, a cosmetology major (so he never looked bad) and kuroo knows just how much of a good dude he is in bed too. courtesy of you, of course. every now and then, you’d get into tangents about your flings and terushima was the only one that you had only good things to say about. it wasn’t as if he was jealous though. please, kuroo feels all emotions but he prides himself on not feeling that on. him? jealous? nothing of the sort, really.

he thought you were hot and when the two of you meet for the first time, there was just something that clicked. you got along so well with him like puzzle pieces perfectly slotting together. you two got along so well that since then you were practically attached by the hip. that was nearly a year ago, when you meet. if the circumstances were different he might have made a move on you, but things are complicated now because even if he thinks about what you would look like underneath him; he can’t make a move.

you guys are roommates. he missed his opportunity to have something more once he asked you to move in with him. and you being a broke college student, just like him, happily said yes. it would become awkward if things didn’t work out because hell— he’d be living with his ex which could make a great plot to a cliche hallmark movie but not to his life.

for now, he’d have to keep things on the down low. even if you constantly came at him with flirty teasing. it happened mostly when you were drunk— everyone tends to have more courage when they’re 5 shots deep in tequila. however, there are some instances of ‘friendly’ flirting that happens especially when you’re sober. he doesn’t miss the vague compliments that, if either of you questioned, things would start spiraling. he doesn’t miss the stares that last a little too long or touches that linger for a split second longer than needed. the way you giggle a little too much to not be considered flirting.

but even at that, even with fate constantly pushing the two of you together be it through classes, parties, or running into each other on the street; he never made a move and neither did you. and at first, he was okay with that, but right now not so much because right fucking now, he’s stuck in his room wanting nothing more than the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

he didn’t even know you were still seeing terushima. sure, you bragged about how great he is in bed but you were more of a one and done kind of girl (as you lovingly explained to him one drunken escapade). so to see the bleach blonde again (in his own house of all places) with you straddling his lap rubbed kuroo in a way that was anything but pleasant. he didn’t want to be subjected to this kind of torture so he figured running into his bedroom would be a good solution to his problem.

he anticipated just blasting music in his headphones. drown out whatever was happening just a few feet away from him. arriving at his destination, he gently shut the door to his room. throwing himself on his bed and reaching for his laptop, he’s glad that the noises haven’t started up yet. but when he searches his bag for his headphone and nothing comes up, it then dawns on him that he leaned his pair to a friend and now he is more fucked than you.

he panicking. a low whine of despair escaped his lips as he felt pity stir in his chest for himself. just his luck that his pretty roommate was fucking a completely different dude and he’d have to sit her and take it like some kind of incompetent loser. he contemplated going out there to stop whatever was happening. to just maybe knock on his door or yell out to you, to have you guys know that he’s in here and it’s not just you and terushima. yeah, just yell out to you guys would be easy, right? open the door, scream a simple “please don’t!” and done. he so sure that his plan is golden that he reaches for his door knob with a grin.

but then he hears you moan.

and his eyes widened at the sweet sound.

he can’t help but freeze up. how could something so lewd sound to pretty? his grip on the knob tightens. kuroo finds himself thinking hard to himself. this is so bad. even if he’s heard how pretty you sound, doesn't meant anything. as a good roommate, hell, as a good friend, he should go out there and tell you what’s up.

but then he hears your pleas again, however it’s not a moan this time. you let out a shakily sigh that was followed by some other words that he couldn’t really make out because of the distance. you sounded so needy, so desperate to have someone touch you to make you feel good. the mere thought of you desperately pleading with that pretty little mouth of yours made him dizzy.

with everything that’s happening, it makes sense that his dick starts to stiffen. he fumbled about his room. trying so damn hard to ignore the growing pain in his cock. he did some quiet jumping jacks, paced around his room, and tried to drawn everything out by screaming in his head.

it seemed that most things where to no effort. when he hears you let out a low groan followed by the succulent sound of wet lips kissing at your skin is when he finally lets go. desperately kuroo’s hand clutches his crotch over his shorts as he tried to control his thoughts and raging desires. he pleaded with himself to keep it cool, but no matter his attempts, it felt like his dick had a mind of it’s own— which it does.

no matter how hard he shut his eyes, or how loud he blasted super bass in his head, he couldn’t get the image of you naked out of his thoughts— you were probably fully nude by now, underwear (if you were even wearing any) scattered across the living room floor. he imagines that you’d wear something elegant yet contradicting sexy. lingerie that framed your body perfectly. kuroo would have to demand you to take them off or he’d rip into them himself. you’d be on full display just for him— terushima, he meant. not like him him. dear god, he felt sick but at the same time so fucking horny. it’s a weird combo that only you could ever invoke from him.

would you be weirded out if he jerked off to the idea of you having sex with someone else? of course, you would! it takes a special kind of crazy to think that you’d be okay with him just barging in on your private time. there’s no other way around it. you’d probably hate him for the rest of your life, if you were to find out what he was doing. but it’s not like he can do anything about it. it’s not like he can not not listen to you.

it’s far too late to interrupt now because he’ll look like some kind of perv that was actually enjoying listening in on his roommate fucking another guy. when his head start to finally clear, a deeper voice erupts from the intimate silence. it’s  terushima.

“you want me to fuck you right here, baby?” he breathed out. even with the distance, kuroo could hear the leather of the couch shift. he only can only imagine how you two are positioned right now. “what if your roommate sees?”

“then he can enjoy the show,” he knew you were just playing along. drawing out the teasing to further your play time with terushima but it’s startling really because— if only you knew.

at this point, kuroo thinks he’s about to explode. he could practically hear the smirk you had on. the way you were dripping with lust had him biting back a groan. the things you do to him when you’re not even doing him was insane. he tried to block his thoughts out, think about something that’ll kill his boner but nothing came to mind.

nothing could kill his intense wanting when all he could picture was that he was the one making you moaning right now. that it was his name that you were grunting as you ride his cock. the thoughts made his dick impossibly harder, the pressure building up so much that it felt like he had no choice but to rub it over the fabric of his shorts.

it was like his body was acting without thinking as he began panting quietly to himself. when the sound of your voice got louder, his pace over the fabric quickens. his cheeks flush at the scandalous act. there is no way he’s rubbing one out to the sound of you fucking another guy.

but then your voice gets more needy, pleading with a desperation that kuroo couldn’t help but wish was for him. something inside him snaps. then all at once he’s betraying his thoughts. he’s not thinking straight when he finally pulls his shorts down. sighing in relief as his dick springs up, slapping his abdomen.  

he waste no time wrapping his hand around his cock. eyes fluttering close when he gets a good rhythm going. slowly pumping when he hears you whining. then quickening his pace when he hears your moans getting faster. the slapping of skin on skin contact making his imagination grow wilder. he can’t help it really. picturing you all spread out, taking his cock like the good girl he hopes you are. your expression shifting to absolute bliss when he hits your sweet spot. he’s drowning in pure pleasure. his body completely laxed as he slumps over.

he slows when he hears your voice again, “god, fuck. just like that.”

it’s airy and pitched. begging and praising terushima as he fucks you perfectly. the image of you taking him— kuroo (not your other stupid fling), makes his breath hitch.

“f-fuck,” he mutters. his hand picks up speed. so many thoughts running through his head. mainly of you spiraled out in his favorite position, and so wet that his cock would just slide into your pussy easy. you’d be begging him to go harder and with such a sweet fucked out voice, how could he say no? he’d grab your hips and slam into you. you’d practically forget who the hell terushima was if, kuroo has his way with you.

hearing your moans pick up, his imagination gets the best of him. his hand pumps faster and faster. his body feels hot as he imagines your tight pussy swallowing his cock, sucking him in ever time he tries to pull out. he pictures you to be greedy in bed wanting every inch of him inside you and pounding so hard into you’d practically be seeing stars. he imagines running his hands gently through your pretty hair, petting you every once in a while and cooing about how much of a good girl you are. he’d be ready to pull at your roots if you even dare to tease him because he knows you’d try something as cunning as that. you’d do it with pleasure, a smirk plastered on your lips and nothing but trouble lining your hues.

“oh god– fuck.” he’s nearing the edge. he can feel the brink of his heat snapping. as if the gods are finally righting their wrongs. your melodious moaning reaches his ears.

“fuck. i’m– i’m gonna cum!” if this were any other circumstance, kuroo would say that it was romantic. the two of you finishing together. the blissful ride coming to an possibly wholesome end. silks of white hot pleasure filling you up and just when you think it’s over, he’d lean down one hand gripping your thigh while his long slender fingers go to work on stuffing all the leaking cum back into you. fuck. you’d be squirming under his touch caught between begging him to stop or wanting to go again and again and again…

opening his eyes, kuroo’s hues are meant with darkness. a stickiness all over his hands and tummy that he’s come to be all to familiar with at this point. he wishes he could finish how he imagined but he has to snap back into reality every once in a while. a bitter feeling fills his chest, a huge shift from his lust filled yearning a few seconds ago. things were certainly going to be a little weird from now on. kuroo considers himself quite the extrovert (sorta) but he’s kind of terrified to see how he’ll naturally react to you now that– that that has all went down.

taking one last look at the white strings that cover his body, he let’s out a way too loud (especially given the circumstance) groan. grabbing at a dirty towel he starts to clean himself off. when warm thoughts of you invade his memory again, he grimaces a fluttery feeling overcoming him.

“oh, i’m so fucked,” tossing the towel somewhere in his room. he falls asleep to the sound of your soft giggles as his soundtrack.

[devilyn]

drunken honesty | tsukishima kei

— alexa, play: us by keshi.

maybe we’ve been

a little too guarded

from things that have hurt us

a bit more than we thought

— synopsis: drinking always made you more honest, which is how you ended up calling someone you shouldn’t have in the bathroom in the middle of a house party.

— genre: angst, happy ending (yay)

— word count: 1.9k

“Did you drink again?”

You wanted to lie to him. But you knew he would find you out right away no matter what. So you laughed weakly, the bass pounding against the bathroom door as if trying to force its way into your inebriated brain.

“You went to another party, and just expected me to pick you up after you got drunk again?”

His straightforward tone was always so cruel. It was one of the many reasons the two of you ended up breaking up. Even now, through the drunken haze that the many alcoholic drinks put onto your consciousness, he knew just how to hurt your feelings.

“I’m sorry, Kei,” you croaked out.

“You say that everytime,” he spit out like venom, as if the words hurt him too. “When will you learn to stop all of this?”

You bit back tears. The beat-up soles of your sneakers pressed firmly against the sticky bathroom floor as if they were the only thing keeping you grounded. You forgot why you called him in the first place. You couldn’t even remember why you had ended up at this party. It must’ve been Kuroo who dragged you along again, claiming that you needed to stop moping in your bedroom all the time. When in reality, he probably knew of your terrible drunken habit that was calling your ex-boyfriend.

“Drunk calling me isn’t going to get my attention the way you want it to,” he continued, your silence not stopping him. He was frustrated, you could hear it in his voice. “And it’s sure as hell not going to get us back together.”

“Come pick me up, Kei,” you finally pleaded. “I wanna go home.”

You heard him curse a few times, then the sound of his chair skidding back against the hardwood floor, and then keys jingling.

“You’re a fucking nuisance,” he grumbled, and despite the sting in your heart, you smiled.

“I love you,” you whispered, and you could picture him furrowing his brows and pushing his glasses back up against the bridge of his nose.

“I love you,” you repeated.

“I’ll be there in 15 minutes, so you better be outside or I’m leaving without you.”

“Bye.”

The sound of him hanging up beeped through your handphone, and you closed your eyes.

“I love you,” you murmured again to a man who could no longer hear you.

Maybe, deep down, this was your plan. You could only be honest with him when you were drunk, which is why you ultimately agreed to Kuroo’s invitation. In reality, you could’ve asked Kuroo to get you a ride back to your dorm building, but you unconsciously called Tsukishima instead. It’s not like Kuroo didn’t know that either. That must’ve been why he poured you so many shots even before the party started.

You jumped as the pounding on the door grew louder. Only then, did you realize it wasn’t the music, but another party patron who was begging to be let in or else they’d pee their pants. Quickly, you fumbled with the door handle and wrenched it open. Sheepishly, you smiled at the group of girls who forced their way past you into the tiny bathroom.

In less than 10 minutes, you managed to track down Kuroo and yell over the loud music that your ex would be picking you up. If you weren’t drunk, you might have noticed the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, but instead, you gave him a tight hug and bid your close friend goodbye.

This meant you only had to wait 5 minutes in the freezing cold for Tsukki to arrive. You stumbled over your feet a bit as you squat down to sit on the edge of the sidewalk, but ultimately managed to accomplish your goal safely.

Your breath came out in white smoke, and despite how cold it must’ve been, you couldn’t feel it over the heat that alcohol always brought to your skin. Your vision blurred, and you closed your eyes to force back the tears pricking at your eyelids.

Just a few years back, you had asked Tsukki out in this same cold. It took you three days to process the fact that he had accepted your confession, and that the two of you were then going out. Aside from the occasional teasing from his volleyball teammates, things were smooth sailing. Tsukki was a surprisingly sweet boyfriend behind his tough exterior, though he never let up on the brutally honest side of him that made him who he was. You never minded it--it was a part of him, after all. 

When did it all go wrong? Did university truly pull you two apart like everyone said it would? You had hoped that his friends would be right when they said you two would make it--that your relationship was strong enough to survive anything. But all it really took was a few glares, one or two missed dates, and a couple sharp insults under his breath, and you gave in.

It didn’t mean you loved him any less. But there were nights after the break up where you’d lay down and stare up at your ceiling, wondering why you gave so much of yourself to someone who, towards the end, never seemed to give you the same amount back.

“What? Now you’re going to catch a cold and call me over too?”

His voice used to be warm when addressing you, but was now as cold as it was to those he thought were a bother. It made sense. You were merely a bother to him now, after all.

“Kei,” you murmured, eyes still closed as he tossed what you assumed to be a jacket into your lap. “Why did you never let me in?”

A question you always wanted to ask him, but never had the courage to until you were drunk enough. The inquiry silenced him. It seemed he couldn’t even come up with an insulting jab in response to that. Instead, he grabbed your arm to pull you up off of the cold concrete, forcing the jacket around your trembling shoulders.

“I did,” he answered simply, and you could almost feel his sharp eyes narrow as you snorted. “I let you into my apartment multiple times.”

“You’re really cute when you act stupid,” you giggled, eyes fluttering open to look up at him. “Let’s stop playing around. Do you know why I broke up with you?”

“I never asked,” he responded snarkily under his breath, his hands steadying your form to make sure you didn’t trip over your own feet. You absentmindedly watched him pull the passenger side door open and help you inside the warm vehicle.

“It felt like you didn’t love me,” you told him anyway. “And you didn’t say anything when I suggested we break up, so I thought it was what you must’ve been waiting for all along.”

He was silent. With a sigh, he buckled your seatbelt before slamming the door shut and making his way over to the driver’s side.

“I realized, you know. That you never told me you loved me. Not once,” you continued when he was settled into his seat, the door closed behind him. His phone was hooked up to the car stereo, playing music quietly. But you knew he could hear you, even if some of your words were slurred. “I knew that you showed it in different ways. Like how you never missed my birthday even if I never brought it up, and how you’d ask us to eat together because you knew around what time of the day I’d get hungry.”

You turned to look at your ex, the tears finally streaming down your cheeks. He had his gaze focused on the road in front of him, hands clenched around the wheel despite having not released the parking break yet.

“But what am I supposed to do, Kei? What am I supposed to do when I don’t see those signs anymore?”

Were you still drunk? You didn’t know anymore. Maybe your body was forcing you to still be drunk so you could continue honestly telling him your thoughts. In reality, you suddenly felt very sober, especially as the sorrow built up in your throat.

"You just stopped one day. Stopped texting me what I wanted to eat for dinner, stopped remembering dates, stopped helping me study for exams," your voice trembled. "And you started ignoring me or genuinely insulting me."

You placed the heel of your palms against your eyes in an attempt to stop your tears. 

“I love you so much,” you breathed out between soft cries. “So what am I supposed to do when you don’t feel the same?”

Tsukki was silent as he put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb. His eyes never left the road, though you could see on his face that he was troubled.

You slid further down into your seat as if trying to make yourself seem as small as possible. You placed a palm over your mouth to hide your sobs, closing your eyes again, as if that would stop your endless crying.

Fifteen minutes must’ve passed. He had waited for you to stop crying before he spoke.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, the sound barely audible over the softly playing music.

You didn’t respond, burying yourself into his jacket.

“I’m really sorry,” he repeated. “For how I acted. For making you think I didn’t love you. For everything.”

His voice cracked as he spoke, and you could hear him curse quietly again, as if angry at himself for showing weakness.

“You know me,” his voice continued to quiver, “I’m a prideful prick. I never wanted to look weak in front of you, so I shut you out when things started getting tough. Volleyball and school got to me when I was frustrated, and I ignored you because of it, when I should’ve just told you honestly. I let you break up with me because I didn’t want to beg for you to come back, even if that’s what I really wanted to do deep down. I took my anger out on you when you drunk called me, because I was upset you kept coming back to me even though you broke up with me.”

You rubbed at your wet cheeks as his hand came over to rest hesitantly on your thigh.

“I love you,” the car rolled to a stop in front of your dorm building. “And I’m sorry it took this long for me to say it.”

He finally turned to look at you, and you could feel yourself tearing up again. His brown eyes reflected your sorrow, and you fumbled to unbuckle your seatbelt so you could throw your arms around his shoulders.

“You’re so stupid,” you cried, “A stupid idiot. I hate you.”

“I think I deserve that,” he laughed weakly as your arms tightened around him, hugging yourself as close to him as you could despite the awkward positioning.

“Next time, can we please just talk to each other?” You buried your face into the crook of his neck as his arms came around you to rub gently at your back.

“Yeah,” his tone was warm again, and it melted away any inebriation that may have still been in your system. “Let’s do that. Without the alcohol this time."

He pulled back to rest his forehead against yours, gazing into your teary eyes and snickering when he spotted your pout.

“Should I take us back to my apartment? I think there’s a lot we should catch up on.”

Your pout twitched up into a smile you could no longer hold back. “Mm. Let’s go home.”

[daim1812]

Unknown Number (Levi Ackerman x Reader)

Warnings: 18+, High School Reader, Reader's at legal age, Creampie, Shower Sex, Degradation (faintly), Perv! Levi, slight spanking and out-of-the-blue sex.

One Shot: 18+, One night stand (kind of)

Guides:

(Y/N) - Your name

(L/N) - Last name

(H/C) - Hair color

'Ring, ring, ring, ring!'

My eyes open delicately, getting used to the little light coming through the curtains. I stretch out on the bed, the sheets running over my body as I don't stop stretching my muscles. I make little sounds and then I sit on the bed. I look at the nightstand on the left side of my bed and notice my phone. I turn off the alarm that keeps ringing and check the time.

7:48 AM

My eyes widen rudely and I bolt out of bed. Soon I find myself in the bathroom, undressing and throwing myself into the water, taking a quick shower. I get out of the bathroom and soon start dressing.

I put on my underwear, my shorts, my black skirt and my white polo shirt. I decorate my feet with white stockings with blue lines at the top which reach my knees. I put on my black school shoes and run to the living room, grab my black jacket (uniform combination) and go back to the room to get my keys and backpack.

I walk to the door and after opening and locking it, I start running to school while I put my backpack on my shoulders.

8:10 AM

I'm a little late for school, but it was all worth it. The bell had already rung and everyone was going to their respective rooms. I run to my classroom and enter carefully, noticing that I had arrived early since there were still people missing from the class.

I sit in one of the chairs at the front and take out a folder, a pencil, and some notes.

There was an important exam that day. This exam would keep my grade for the year and no other exam this professor gave us was worth more than that exam. I had spent all that week studying like crazy so I could learn that test. My friends had spent some days with me studying, but then they decided to do it on their own, so I decided to continue with my studies.

The night before I had been feeling quite nervous to the point where I could no longer sleep. I finished studying and decided to go to sleep. I was able to fall asleep very late, so late that it was almost dawn.

I sigh nervously when the teacher comes to class. After he came in, he passed out his good morning and began handing in the exam. As soon as he gives me the test, my mind freezes and my hands immediately start to sweat, but I don't let it get me nervous.

I started to take the exam and later I could already remember some things that I had studied and read about 20 times in a row.

As I was about to finish the exam, only 5 questions unanswered, my phone started ringing. I took it cautiously so that the teacher or someone would not see me. I looked at the screen and frowned.

Unknown number

I put it back in my pocket and continued with the exam. I was almost done, two more questions so I could finish the exam, turn it in, and then leave the classroom. But my luck was so horrible that the stranger didn't seem to understand the concept of ignoring a call.

Unknown number

3 missed calls

I was getting quite annoyed so when he called again I answered, leaning my body to the side and letting my voice come out in a whisper.

"Hello?"

"Why did you do it, Petra?"

A male voice tasted my right ear and my insides wanted to know more about that voice so deep and strong.

I swallowed hard and whispered again, looking sideways and noticing that my partner on the right side was watching me curiously. I smiled at him and returned my attention to the call.

"I think you have the wrong number. Please don't call again."

I was about to hang up when the male voice spoke.

"Why the hell do you have Petra's phone number? Who are you?"

I was offended and upset. I looked at the cell phone and when I was planning to respond with an insult, someone takes the phone from me, making my face become a total poem, my body freeze in a strange pose and my heart pound strongly on my chest.

"Miss (L / N), you have 0% on the exam. Now, go to the principal's office; we will see if there you answer the phone on his face. Get out of my class now." And he hung up the call.

Perplexed, furious, stunned, my blood boiling, I grabbed my backpack and my phone which the teacher had left on my desk.

With an immense urge to cry, a lump in my throat, with an internal shame, I walk out of the room to the office to sit there waiting for a lecture that would leave me wanting to jump off a bridge.

I arrive at the office and no one is there, not even the secretary was there. After a few minutes standing in front of the secretary's desk, she arrives with some papers. She smiles at me and I explain why I'm there. She shakes her head disapprovingly and tells me to sit in one of the chairs near the desk.

I do what she tells me and soon I see her disappear from my sight.

I have tears accumulated in my eyes and I only screech when I realize that I had screwed up my semester just because of some stupid who wanted to annoy me at that very moment. This was all the fault of that idiot behind the phone.

I bite my lip furiously and grab my phone, unlock it, and look up the number I don't know, dial it, and wait for them to answer.

After a few long minutes, I hear the male voice answering my call.

"You are a fucking asshole, did you know that?"

I come out with the first thing that comes out of my mind, fury and rage blocking my reason and my thoughts.

"And who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that, brat?" I hear him growl and it makes me angrier than I am.

"BECAUSE OF YOUR FUCKING FAULT I JUST FAILED MY SEMESTER! COULDN'T YOU GO FUCK SOMEONE ELSE'S LIVES?" I was screaming like a fool in the office, my tears starting to come out of my eyes. I notice that I scream and lower my voice so as not to attract attention.

"Tsk. That is not my problem, little girl. If YOU had studied and if YOU had not answered the call, none of that would have happened. Therefore, it is your fault. Irresponsible." I let out a frustrated sigh and dry my tears.

"Was I the one who called like 20 times? You are an idiot, an egocentric, a real piece of shit." And with that said I ended the call.

I cry like a fool, phone in hand. I hear my phone ring again and this time I curse out loud. I respond quickly with a lot of anger.

"WHAT?!"

"Curse me again, little girl, and I swear, I'll break you in two and not in a very cute way. What's your name, brat?” His voice lowers a bit in tone and I can tell that he is talking a little bored about the situation. I look sideways and lower my head, looking at my uniform.

"And what does that matter to you?"

"Brat... don't answer a question with another question. Answer the damn question. What's your fucking name?" He raises his voice a little and I stay silent.

“(Y / N)..." I whisper, but I know he heard me.

"Good. I'm Levi." He introduces himself in a short form.

"Nice to meet you..." I continued whispering.

"Anyway... what private school do you go to?" He asks and I frown.

"It’s a public school."

"For a girl very demanding of her grades, I am surprised that you’re not from a private school." He arrogantly says, making me angry again.

"Do you think public school students have no goals? We have more dreams than private school students could have. I imagine you say that because you were in a private school. I also imagine that because you were in a private school, you are a huge jerk . " My subconscious gives me a high-five and I gladly crash them. This is how it is done.

He huffs against the earpiece and then sighs.

"Do you want to play, little girl? Because I do I love to play. Fucking the lives of people who challenge me is my favorite pastime." His voice changes a bit in tone, being authoritative and mocking, but at this point I couldn't tell much.

"Moron." I whisper as low as possible, but he hears me. Still, he ignores what I said to go back to his question.

"What school do you go to?"

"None that you care about." My subconscious drops the popcorn and smiles wide, loving my responses.

"(Y / N), you are giving me a headache. Tell me where the hell is your school." He growls, and this time I bite my lip, something inside me liking that growl. I look at the floor and hear the sound of heels hitting the ground, announcing that someone was coming down the hall from the office.

I look at the phone and when I see the secretary lean in, I quickly hang up the call, lower the volume and put it on silence.

I look at the secretary whose name is Felicia and she tells me that I can go to the director now. I rolled my eyes for me and sighed, thanking the secretary and then headed for the principal's office.

After giving me a lecture and a half of all the bad things I have done, he lets me leave school, since many of my teachers had been absent.

As I'm on my way home, I can't stop thinking about the idiot that cost me my semester. Tomorrow I had planned to go to the teacher to see if he would give me the opportunity to make up the exam even if he took away some points. I would tell him what had happened and pray to God that this teacher had the decency to help me.

I get home and throw my backpack on the couch in the living room. I lived alone, but my parents helped pay for the apartment while I kept studying at that school. Sighing, I decide to just sit on the couch and put on a series that I had been watching in the previous week.

I spent most of the day watching the show, until I heard my stomach growling while just laying on the couch. So I started to prepare some food that I had in my kitchen.

After I finished, I sat back on the couch, ate something, and then, realizing that it was late, packed everything up, put the plate in the sink, and went to my room. I bathed, changed, checked the notebooks, and then went to sleep.

When I closed my eyes, the first thing that came to my mind was my semester all destroyed and the male voice that ruined everything.

I curse out loud and knock all of that out of my brain. My subconscious is moving its head from side to side, shaking its head as it makes all trace of what had happened in the day disappear.

Minutes later I had already fallen to sleep with my pillow on one side, sleeping to wait for tomorrow.

===============

I got to school early, walking down the hallways to get to my first classroom. I enter the classroom and meet the teacher who had thrown me out. I say good morning to him and he does not hesitate to say something to me.

He starts class and I don't stop paying attention at all times. At the end of the class, I go to the teacher and explain what happened. With a great and beautiful miracle from heaven, the teacher understood. He told me to come the next day so that I can take the test again. I left the classroom happy and headed to my next classes.

Coming out of my third class, going to recess, I decided to go out of my way to go to my friends to go to the bathroom. When I was going to go in, I trip over someone and my phone, which I had in hand rummaging through my music, falls to the floor. I almost scream when I see it on the ground and I feel like dying. I squat down and pick it up, looking at it to see if something had happened to it. This starts to boil my blood and I stand up again, looking at the person to whom knocked down my phone. I looked at the person and noticed his features. He had totally gray eyes, dark and full of many problems. I could notice it. His hair covered his forehead a little and it was jet black. He was a little short, more or less my height. I feel self-conscious, like he's intimidating me; I feel attracted to this. My cheeks turn a little red, but it quickly fades.

"Can't you see where you're walking, brat? Tsk. Reckless." I was going to continue walking, but I whispered, making him stop and turn around. "What did you say?"

"Don't you have ears?" I faced him, now speaking a little loud.

"Come and say it to my face.” He leaned closer to me a little, challenging me. I frowned, this attitude reminding me a bit of the idiot on the phone. I shake my head a bit and face him.

"That you are a fool.” I looked up at the man in front of me and he raised an eyebrow.

"And you are a very irritating brat ..." he leans a little closer to me and grabs my nape, closing the distance between us. He brought his lips close to my ear and with an extremely sensual voice, he whispered. "... (Y / N).”

He walked away.

With a mischievous smile that then turned into a fine line on his lips, indicating that he was in a bad mood, he disappeared from my sight.

I was puzzled by what happened. I came out of my trance and went into the bathroom. I did what I had to do and then I went with my friends. I wasn't paying much attention to what my friend and best friends were saying, I was only thinking about the gray-eyed man. In this Levi.

When classes were over, I went home, stopping somewhere to buy some food. I didn't feel like doing anything to eat so I bought myself some Chinese food and then went home. I breathed a little sigh when I got to the apartment, I wanted to get there to eat and then go to work at 6 in the afternoon, at the cafe on the corner.

As I got to the front of my apartment door, I realized that there was a silhouette in front of my door. I frowned and moved closer; noticing the short boy's hair, I rolled my eyes, passing by his side and pulling out the key.

"Are you following me, inept?" I look at him, as I feel his gaze on my body. He doesn't show any emotion and he just flinches at me.

"Did the cat bite your tongue, you idiot?" I said again, smiling sarcastically. He didn't respond and I was already starting to get a little irritated. I opened the door and stepped inside. I was going to close the door, but Levi's hand stops me. I look at him and mumble. "Want something?"

"Let me make it up to you for missing this semester." Finally he said, a dry and serious tone. He gave me a little chill down my spine, but I shook it off fast.

"I don't even know you."

"We can change that." He pushed open my door and stepped inside, ignoring my screams. I rolled my eyes again and closed the door. I saw him looking at my apartment, touching everything and watching it carefully.

"This is filthy dirty. How can you live here? Disgusting." He pouted his lips and the blood went straight to my head. I calmed down and went to the kitchen.

"So... Levi, right?" I grabbed a plate and served the food to myself. My subconscious kicks me a little and I curse. "You want...?" I offer him. He walks over to the kitchen and looks at the food. Then he looked at me seriously and nodded. I smiled at him, for the first time, and served the food for him. I took it to the table and put some bottled water for him, a crystal glass next to the bottle.

"And... how do you plan to reward me?" I look into his gray eyes and for a moment I lose myself in it. My cheeks turn crimson and I have to look at my plate to relax. My subconscious doesn't seem to like my behavior very much and makes me understand that I don't know him.

"I'll talk to the teacher about the situation.” He said curtly, just eating some of what I served him. I bite my lip a little and look at him. Fine lips, perfect for kissing. An upturned nose, made to measure. His gray eyes and small dark circles under his eyes, a symbol that he was not sleeping well. I felt a little bad and curiosity wanted to win me in this, but I did not let it.

"I already spoke to him. Don't worry."

"Don't address me informally.” He said quite cold and cutting, causing me to squirm in my chair a bit, feeling that what he had said was wrong.

“I’m sorry..."

"What did the Professor said to you?" He asked after a great silence between us.

"That tomorrow he would give me the opportunity to make up the exam. At least he understood that an unknown idiot made me fail the class." I look at him, not caring about the labels or anything.

He watches me calmly, serenely, boredom included. It seemed like he didn't want to be there.

"Call me idiot again and I won't answer, brat." He murmured and went back to eating, ignoring my gaze on his body. He had some buttons undone and you could see his abs a bit. I died internally and my subconscious had to fan itself with their hand.

"Okay. Also," he looks me in the eye irritably. "Could you leave before 5:20 PM? I have to work."

"Where do you work?"

"In a coffee shop on the corner. They pay good so I stayed there. Besides, I need the money." I add with a nod, picking up the chicken and putting it in my mouth, giving some liking to my palate.

"How much do you get paid per hour?" Levi is looking at me now, his eyes never stop piercing my white polo from school. I hadn't even had a chance to change my clothes.

"$5.25 an hour. It's quite a lot for me. Not much though. I only work 5 hours, plus tips from clients, which isn't much either. But I like the place; it's quiet and has a Christmas scent most of the time. That's something I love a lot. " I smile and he doesn't stop looking at my smile. I notice it and I can't stop shifting in my chair.

"How old are you?" I look at him with some food in my mouth; he's waiting for me to delight the chicken. I swallow easily and press a lock of my hair behind my ear.

"18." I muttered, going back to eating some more of the chicken, which was actually yummy.

"I see." He stops eating and grabs the crystal glass in a very strange way. He picks it up and drinks from over the glass. I feel lost in the way he holds the glass. When finished, he puts it back where it was and watches me. "You smell.”

"What...?" I whisper incredulous. Did he just...?

"You smell. Take a shower. " His back touches the back of the chair and his gaze infuses mine.

"WHAT?!" My cheeks turn red with rage and I have to restrain myself from getting up from the chair and punching him in the very beautiful face that he has. "WELL, IF YOU WERE NOT ROAMING AROUND LIKE A SEXUAL HARASSER, I WOULD HAVE ALREADY BATHED! Now, get out of my house!" I yelled at him, lifting myself out of the chair and walking to my room in a fury. I don't hear him speak or mutter anything, so I deduce that he was gone. I closed the bathroom door and took off all my clothes, the school uniform, leaving it in a place away from the water. I step into the bathroom and sigh, thinking about how long the day had been. I sigh again when the water passes through my body slowly, filling me with joy. I let the water wash away all my worries, my despair, my crazy starts and I let myself be carried away by the sound of water falling to the ground. I let go of my (H / C) locks and put my head in the water, the water sliding all over my body. I lather up slowly, loving every second and minute that I spent in the shower.

Suddenly I feel a hand surround my waist and another hand position itself in my mouth, so that no sound comes out. A silent scream comes out of me and I feel myself dying in the arms of a stranger.

"Take it easy." The cold, emotionless voice calms me down a bit, noticing whose he was. He lets his hand escape my mouth and positions it on my waist. I breathe hard, trying to get past the bad scare I had.

"Are you stupid or what? You almost scared me to death Levi. Oh my God!" I put a hand on my chest and calm down. I hear him snort and cling to my body.

Good grief of the cowboy saints and the entire galaxy!

He had a heart attack body. I didn't see it, but I did feel it. A few abs pressing against my bare back, a v-line running down his crotch and... and let's not talk about his little friend. He was more than a friend at this point.

I feel my cheeks burn and then a short, low moan escapes me. He reaches up to my ear and with his teeth grabs my earlobe, pulling it for himself. I moaned loudly and I squirm in his chest, my breathing starting to go wild.

"Le-Levi ..." his name leaves my lips and for the first time and I feel that it is the most beautiful and most sensual name that I have heard in my entire life. He seems to like me how I moan his name because he now he presses his semi-hard cock against my buttocks, taking my breath away.

"That's it... moan my name, slut.” He whispers in my ear and even though he called me a slut, it made me so wet, getting a loud moan in response. So encouraging.

His hands run through my body and never move away from me. I feel his breath on my neck and I tremble at the touch of him on my stomach. His hands slowly move up my stomach and he positions himself close to my breast. He seems to try to retract, but he doesn't. Instead, he just goes ahead and grabs my right breast, squeezing it in his hand, making me squirm at his gigantic hands that literally fit my breasts perfectly.

I screech at his hand starting to pull on my nipple, his other hand kneading my breast. Then he presses his manhood to my back and begins to rub against me, moans escaping my throat.

I can't think, everything is blocked in my mind. I try to listen to what my subconscious is telling me, but my body doesn't want to respond and begins to rock my hips against Levi. I hear him growl and bring his mouth to my neck, sighing against me, sticking his tongue out of him and licking a large part of my neck.

I moan loudly and can't stop moving my hips back. He bites my neck slowly, digging his teeth into me a little. I drop my neck on his shoulder and he now holds me in his big arms.

"Are you so needy, (Y / N)?" He whispers into my neck and then turns me around, this time letting me see the whole picture of him. His pecs, his strong thighs and legs, his gray eyes now a little black and his hair a little wet because of me.

I bite my lip and don't take my eyes off him. My eyes land on his manhood and I feel myself almost falling to the ground from the greatness before my eyes.

Could that really fit into such a small place?

He watches me lustfully, noticing that I see his manhood with eyes of concern and desire. He wraps his arms around my waist and presses me to him, slowly getting closer to my lips. He smirks mischievously and runs his tongue across my lips.

“It will fit. And if he doesn't fit in, I'll have to force him." Then he kisses me.

He kisses me with a force that pushes me back and my back is pressed against the cold wall. I groan at the cold touch and he takes that opportunity to subjugate his tongue into my oral cavity.

I feel myself dying before his lips and his hands go down my waist, resting on my ass. He imprisons me on him and his member presses on my stomach, slowly coming down into my crotch.

The water falls on our glued bodies and gives it an exciting and lustful atmosphere. Levi won't let me go, kissing me until my lungs are out of breath. He stops kissing me and starts spreading kisses all over my face until he reaches my neck where he starts giving small, wet kisses. One of his hands goes up my stomach and positions himself on my breast, grabbing the already erect nipple and manipulating it at will.

He makes me moan and gasp continuously, letting me run my hands through his raven hair and pull him with quick movements.

After a few seconds, Levi looks me in the eye and I have to blink quickly not to get behind in his gaze. I see him smile mischievously and then as he grabs my ass, he makes me jump and my legs wrap around his waist.

My hands go behind his neck and I let them rest there. His lips seek mine and when he finds them, he kisses me with passion and eagerness. I kiss him back and soon we are carried away by the kiss.

The water continues to fall on our bodies and now I can begin to moan like a cat in heat. The only thing that can be heard is the sound of water falling against the floor and our breaths accompanied by short, soothing moans.

Suddenly I find myself looking between our bodies together, noticing how Levi grabs his member and leads him to my entrance. I groaned loudly and dig my nails on his shoulder. He growls at my act and gives me an angry look.

"Do not do that." He mumbles and I know he is holding back, that deep inside him he had liked what I did.

I bite my lower lip and look into his eyes.

"I am a virgin."

All the anger has died down, going to a more formal face, a face of perhaps surprised, but he knew how to hide it quite well. I watch him warily, wandering my eyes all over his face and hear him snort.

Then, I feel his lips touch mine again, but in a softer and more subtle way, letting the cold of my lips warm to his. I feel like dying before the softness that he takes. One hand is still supporting my weight and the other now places it on my cheek, holding it gently. We kiss for a short time and then he pulls away from me, a bit of saliva connecting our lips. Levi give me a little "tsk" and then returns his gaze to our crotches.

"I know you're a virgin ... I'll try to be as careful with you. If it bothers you, just squeeze my shoulders and I'll stop." I nod and he gives me one last look, then begins to press on my entrance.

I bite my lip quickly, the same with which he looks at me while he is pressing his throbbing member against me. He pushes the head of his member inside and I let out a silent scream, internally crying.

Levi spreads kisses down my neck and my head leans back as I try not to cry from the pain. He stays like that for a few seconds, pampering me in his arms, kissing my neck, repeating to calm me down with a slow and deliberate voice.

He looks at me and I try everything to be able to look at him. He brings his forehead to mine and after giving me a little kiss on the nose, he whispers:

"I'm going in."

He subdues the entire length of him inside me, taking my breath away and finally breaking every virginity he had. I try to hold back my tears, but soon one or another comes out of my eyes. Levi kisses me and does not move inside me, understanding that it was better for him to get used to the length and thickness of him.

I pat him on the back, my head pressed to his shoulder, my teeth gently biting my lower lip. His cock throbs inside me and I feel Levi growl low. His hands make me jump a little so that the weight is just right for him and his member takes this opportunity to impale himself inside me again. My throat goes wild and I let out all the louder moans I've ever heard made before.

Levi begins to move inside me slowly, his lips pressing on my shoulder as I moan without concern into his neck. My head tilts a little and it gives me a chance to look Levi in ​​the eye. I press my forehead against his as Levi begins to sway continuously and eagerly.

"More..." I sighed between moans, my nipples rubbing against his chest, letting Levi draw a growl that felt it all over my pussy, getting me more wet than necessary.

Levi looks me straight in the eye and his heart surrenders to what he sees. Suddenly he pushes me against the wall, the water falling between us, and without letting me think for a moment what was happening, his member begins to rush in and out of me.

He fucks me with such agility that I can't almost breathe. His lips stick to my neck and he bites down hard, leaving his bite marks on the edge of my neck and my collarbone.

I hear Levi's grunting and my pussy can't help but contract and get wetter than before, and Levi notices this, making it harder for him to get in and out.

"You're so... tight." I groan in response, my head flooded in clouds and paradises as I am supported by Levi.

Even though my mind was screaming at me what the hell I was doing this with a guy I barely knew and who, to make matters worse, almost made me miss a whole semester, I didn't have the slightest desire of importance in me. It felt so good in the arms of that short boy. I felt that I could achieve glory while he pampered me with words and on the other hand made me want that sexual act more intensely.

Fuck, he felt so good. He felt so fucking rich.

Levi bites my nipples and brings me back to reality. Almost drooling into his arms that keep pressing me to the wall, I look at him with lust and a little confusion as to why he did that.

His eyes meet mine and I can't contain my moans as I watch him suck on my nipples. He bites and then licks my nipple, moving to the other to repeat the same action. Suck, bite and lick.

I screech at the itch on my bottom and instantly know that Levi had whipped my ass with his hand.

My pussy tightens around him again, and Levi moans again, loving that my pussy took the size of him so well.

"Look at me." He orders me, smacking my ass again. His mouth is drawn to one side with a mischievous smile as he does not let my nipple escape from his thin and luscious lips.

It's hard for me to look at him, but I do my best to keep my eyes from closing in pleasure. His hand grabs my chin and makes me look at him, those gray eyes now with dilated pupils and his wet hair pressing into his forehead.

So sensual.

My nails dig into his back and I moan maddeningly at his onslaught nonstop. We stared at each other, he gripping my chin tightly so that my head wouldn't tilt back, and I between closing and opening my eyes. I bite my lower lip and continue moaning, my breasts rising in time with the fierce thrusts.

"I told you... to look at me." He growls against my chest, his teeth nipping at my nipple with no subtlety, making me scream on the spot.

I look at him quickly, the water droplets almost blurring my vision. Still, I don't take my gaze away from his as he continues to grab my nipple and violently slap it between his lips. He sucks incessantly, like a baby, and my pussy squeezes my juices.

"Le-Levi ..." I call his name as my waist rises in time with his hips. His balls hit my entrance, the water and my juices creating an extravagant sound throughout the bathroom.

"I am so close." I moan at him, grabbing his cheeks and forcing him away from my nipples, letting a POP roll off his lips. I look into his eyes and push my lips against his, kissing him passionately, pushing my tongue into his mouth.

His thin fingers sink into my hips and he soon begins to thrust rapidly, in and out of my wet pussy without any difficulty.

He pulled me away from his lips a few inches when I felt my orgasm reach its maximum. I dig my nails back into his back and scratch him from the bottom up, wanting to hold on and hold on to him.

I hear him growl and gasp a little in my ear when he notices my pussy twitch around him as he presses his cock's head against my G-spot.

I bite his shoulder quickly as a high-pitched scream comes out of me, not being able to take much more of that passionate sex session. My fingers continue to dig into his back as my toes curl and my legs jerk. My moans are heard throughout the apartment and Levi seems to love it as he pulls my earlobe and growls in my ear.

Soon his thrusts begin to cease, the white liquid fading inside me, running gently down my lips and my thighs. I hear him moan as his member lets out the last drops of his semen on me.

He holds me for a few more minutes, our breaths heavy and colliding with both of our necks. My nipples are still upright on his chest and his member comes out of my pussy to give his semen a chance to come out of my hole.

Levi lets my feet touch the ground gently, still watching the spasms of my orgasm in my legs. His fingers are still buried in my hips as I lean back on the wall. I clear my throat and uncomfortably turn so the water runs down my wet, sweaty back. Levi says nothing and I pray to keep it that way.

After cleaning up and letting Levi do the same, I walk out of the bathroom to get dressed. Levi comes out behind me with a towel hooked around his waist.

My cheeks are flushed and I have to turn my gaze not to let him know that I found that image too tempting.

After dressing and looking at the clock next to my bed, I can tell that my workday would soon begin.

"Umm ..." I mumble, watching Levi put his shoes on and then stand up and look at me. "I think ... it's better now ... that you leave ..."

I almost whisper the words, but the intimidating look Levi gives me leaves me stuck on in my place.

I hear his footsteps approaching me and my subconscious starts to panic. I forget to breathe, my hands sweat and my heart pumps with more force as his hand is positioned on my waist, drawing me towards him.

"For a little girl ... you made me come like no one else." He mutters, the mischievous smile appearing on his face. My blush is higher than before and I really couldn't think clearly.

I walk away from him and point to my bedroom door, causing him to walk me to the front door.

He does not look at me at any time and I only flinch to murmur goodbye when I see him cross the threshold of the door.

Before leaving, he takes my chin, makes me look at him and with a face of loathing mixed with lust, licks my lips slowly.

Sensual.

"You don't smell now, idiot." He whispers into my lips, leaning back slowly. "Call me to screw you again ... and I hope this time is not your semester." I smile and watch him disappear from my sight as he stepped into the elevator.

I closed the door as quickly as possible and took a deep breath.

OXYGEN, ENTER MY BODY.

My legs slowly sag and soon I find myself on the ground with my cheeks red, my hands pressed to my knees and my mouth half open in surprise.

I really did something like that?

What kind of outrageous person have I become?

Fuck, but it had felt wonderful. He made me touched the sky and he swore he wanted to do it again. My fingers slowly trailed down my thighs, remembering how his hands roamed up my hips and infused me against his, his cock throbbing every time he sank inside me.

I feel my fingers position themselves on my panties, my head tilting back with a groan. I had hardly felt the glory and wanted more.

My fingers get lost inside my panties and land on my clit, giving me the feeling of desire and anguish for more. I start a slow, fragile movement against my clit, thinking of Levi's hands touching me as if it was the only thing I wanted to do at the moment. My other hand lowers the bra over my breasts and my fingers engage in kneading and pinching my nipples, which begin to rise up against my fingers.

The swaying of my fingers doesn't compare to Levi's thrusts, but they calm me with lust when I insert one of my fingers into my entrance. My head slides back into the door with a solid moan, my pussy getting wet non-stop as I masturbate in the doorway to the memories of Levi fucking me in my bathroom. I let myself sink into thoughts and continue my instinctive process of spontaneous release.

I prick and knead my nipples, my other fingers running circularly over my clit, seeking quick release and relaxation. My moans rise again in pitch and suddenly I find myself moaning Levi's name as my body contracts and rises into the air. My hips jerk as my body squirts liquid from my pussy. I continue to moan as my body relaxes on the floor, the liquid exposed all over the floor at the entrance to my apartment.

Flushed, wet, with lust clouding my head, I get up to clean everything that my body dripped. I head back to my room, taking a quick bath, putting on my work clothes, and grabbing my things to get out of the apartment. I mentally note that I had to go to the pharmacy to find some contraceptive pills since I had let a total stranger come inside me.

Before opening the door to leave, I remember my phone, rummaging through my purse. I unlock it and the message on the screen frightens me and makes me wet again.

Very sensual.

Message from: The bitch who screwed up my semester 🤦🏽‍♀️

Your moans were heard throughout the hall. I was barely gone and you were already dripping for me. Brats like you deserve a lesson. And you will see what a lesson I will teach you... slut.

The boy from the wrong number was extremely sensual.

End

Thank you so much for reading this!~

Have a good day or night, beautiful. 🥰

This is a translated version. The original version will be posted in due time.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

JL Fic Recs: Angst With Happy Ending Pt. 3

Hey all!!

OKAY, so... I somehow LOST the original ask that this list was supposed to attach to, so I’m going to just offer it as a standalone list, because I need it posted for another ask I have, LOL.

So, for whoever asked about 2 months ago for Angst with a Happy Ending, this one is for you, LOL. I’m sorry, I have no idea why your post disappeared from my drafts. Enjoy, all, a rare List Without an Ask :). ENJOY!! And as usual, add your faves! <3

ANGST WITH HAPPY ENDING Pt 3

See also:

Angst With a Happy Ending

Angst With a Happy Ending Pt. 2

Angsty Fluff

A Room of One's Own by whitchry9 (K+, 2,174 w., 5 Ch. || S2 Timeline, Hurt/Comfort, Supernatural, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Coma, John Whump, Worried Sherlock, POV John, Angst, Friendship/Bromance, Hospital) – When a severe head injury lands John in a coma, somehow he ends up in Sherlock's mind palace. It's actually pretty nice there, and John is entertaining the notion of staying there, rather than returning to his broken body. But Sherlock isn't taking it as well, and John can feel him breaking around him.

To the Nines by suitesamba (M, 2,724 w., 1 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Magical Realism, Pining, Angst, John Whump, Time Travel, Fortunes, Time Jumps) – John skips forward in time, and Sherlock reads the signs that point to nine. John knows he’ll eventually be with Sherlock, but the waiting is nearly impossible, and his body is a lot more than transport. A foray into magical realism where all the canon events occur, and a hell of a lot more.

Reversed by whitchry9 (K+, 3,072 w., 6 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Medical Anomolies, John Gets Shot) – The man pointed his gun at John's chest, right at his heart, and shot.' Wherein John is shot, and Sherlock is the one panicking.

Bridges by sussexbound (M, 6,602 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TLD / S4 Fix It, Love Confessions, Mending Relationships, Moving Back In, Pining Sherlock, POV Sherlock, Past Abuse, Shaving) – The silence between them is deafening, interrupted only by the hum of the traffic outside, and the soft click-clunk of the plastic cups Rosie is playing with on the floor beside them. It is the first time they have been alone together, since Sherlock’s birthday. It’s only been two days, but it feels huge, important, like there is a precarious bridge stretched out before them both that they need to at least attempt to traverse.

London Gods by a_different_equation (E, 11,092 w., 5 Ch. || American Gods Fusion || Magical Realism, Sex Magic, True Love, PTSD John, First Kiss/Time, Marathon Sex, Sensuality, Genie Sherlock, Human John, Internalized Homophobia, Star-Crossed Lovers, Soul Mates) – Sherlock Holmes is a jinn who does not grant wishes. However, when Dr. John H. Watson, recently returned from the war in Afghanistan, gets into his cab by "accident", it might not even need magic to grant both men their deepest wish: love.

The Hand You're Dealt by Lady Sam Mallory (T, 12,092 w., 1 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Light Violence, BAMF John, Doctor John, Injury, Friendship) – Sherlock, John and several others are trapped in a building when an explosion disrupts the crime scene they are working.

Kintsugi by distantstarlight (E, 14,772 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Regret / Remorse, Loneliness, Separation, Drug Use, Healing, Protective John, Sad Sherlock, Dev. Rel., Complicated Relationships, Love, Angst With Happy Ending, Sherlock is Called Freak, John’s Penance, Voyeurism, Doctor/Caretaker John, Guilty John, Detox, Fingering, Love Confessions, Cuddling, Slight Non-Con Turns Enthusiastic Consent, Virgin Sherlock) – Sherlock Holmes becomes estranged from the man he had once considered his best friend after John lets him down horribly in public. It seems that the world's only consulting detective will be on his own once again...or will he?

The Burning of the Leaves by blueink3 (M, 15,915 w., 3 Ch. || Post S4, Angst, Reichenbach, Parentlock, Past Jolto, Idiot John, Sherlock’s a Mess, Puppies, Fluff, Possessive / Jealous Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Sherlock POV, Matchmaker Sholto, Melancholic Feelings, Emotional Sherlock, Domesticity, Love Confessions in the Rain, Kissing in the Rain, Pet Names, Panic Attack) – After the events of series 4, Major Sholto invites John and Sherlock to lunch one day. It nearly proves to be too much for their tenuous relationship as the past haunts the present, putting the future that Sherlock so desperately wants at risk.

The Palmyra Atoll by elwinglyre (E, 16,609 w., 3 Ch. || TSo3 Divergence / Episode Fix-It, Stockholm Syndrome, Kidnapped John Watson, John Whump, Evil Mary, Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, Toplock, Limited 3rd John POV) – As John's preparing for the wedding, Sherlock is preparing to have his heart broken, and Mary is prepared to do the unthinkable. Intervention required. Enter Sherlock. Set before Sign of Three with a far different outcome. John is drugged, kidnapped, and left on an island, but not just any old island.

Wonderful, Etcetera. by VictoryCandescence (T, 16,955 w., 3 Ch. || Wonderful Life AU || Alternate Timelines, Brotherhood, Homophobia, Suicidal Ideations, Mentions of Drug Use, Friendship, Different TRF, Sherlock’s Past, Victor Trevor is Past Boyfriend, Depression, Hallucination?, Love Confessions, Christmas, First Kiss) – Sherlock thinks everyone would be better off if he had never existed, including and especially himself. When he finds himself in a world in which his wish has been granted, he begins to think perhaps even he could be wrong – but it takes an unlikely chaperone to make him not only observe, but understand.

I Think I've Come A Long Long Way To Sit Before You Here Today by ArwenKenobi (T, 18,251 w., 3 Ch. || Grief/Mourning, Passage of Time, Major Character Death, Alternating POV, Sherlock Whump, Pining Sherlock, Hospitalization, Coma, Revenge Murders, Hallucinations, Love Confessions, Brutal Accident, Mystrade, Ghost John) – One year after John is killed Sherlock starts to wonder whether John has actually gone anywhere.

Permanent Fixture by vitruvianwatson (E, 18,836 w., 9 Ch || Post-S4, Parentlock, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, They’re Good Parents, Blushing Sherlock, First Kiss/Time, Explicit Consent, Sexual Content, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Big Feelings, Crying, First Kiss, Fluff, Anxious Sherlock, Inexperienced Sherlock, Emotional Communication, Love Confessions) – Now, as Rosie sat curled up against Sherlock’s side, John watched and wondered exactly how he had ended up here. Domesticity had never suited him before, not at any point in his life. His disastrous marriage had been proof of that. But somehow, here in the warmth and safety of 221B Baker Street, here with Sherlock Holmes reading medical jargon to his daughter, Sherlock’s bony feet nudging against his leg, John couldn’t imagine anyplace that would make him happier.

Silhouettes by allonsys_girl (E, 28,585 w., 7 Ch. || Canon Compliant, POV John, Heavy Drinking, Sad/Depressed John, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Reunion, Foot Jobs, Blow Jobs, Infidelity, Cheating, Drug Use/Abuse, Anal, Switchlock, Rimming, Parentlock) – Sherlock and John find comfort in each other's arms, but as ever with these two, it's not your typical relationship. It's fluffy at the beginning, gets deeply angsty in the middle, gets porny at the end.

A Home for Us by sussexbound (M, 30,581 w., 12 Ch. || Scars, Bedsharing, Grief, Doctor John, Hurt/Comfort, Post-TRF, Implied/Referenced Torture, Sherlock POV, Pining Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation, Heavy Emotions, Clingy Sherlock, Hallucinations, Disassociation, Emotional Turmoil) – He has been on the road for two years, and he is exhausted. He’s almost accepted that he will never see London (John) again—almost. But then there are nights like tonight, where he is weak, and all he can think of is the warmth of the flat they once shared, the crackle of the fire in the hearth, the teasing smile playing at the corner of John’s lips, the boxes of half-eaten Chinese takeaway balanced precariously in their laps. He aches at the memory of it, at the realisation that it is something he may never experience again.

The Winter Garden by Callie4180 (T, 31,213 w., 13 Ch. || Post-S4, Retirement, Christmas, Slow Burn, Grown-Up Rosie, Parenthood, Rosie’s Cat, Angst with Happy Ending, Holidays, Beekeeping, Magical Realism, Sherlock POV, Sherlock’s Violin, Future Fic, Sussex, Honey, Magical Healing Honey, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Scar, First Kiss, Touching) – As Sherlock nears the end of his career, he's given the gift of a cottage in Sussex. The honey from the beehives out back is amazing.Almost...magical.

Only To Be With You by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (M, 40,768 w., 4 Ch. || Black Mirror / Future AU || Character Death, Future Technology, Sickness/Cancer/Illness, Heavy Angst with Happy Ending, First Person POV John, Pining John, Heart-Wrenching Angst) – I tell myself that next time I’ll come near this same place again. Wait around for the mysterious stranger in his coat to dash past me, hot on the heels of a new criminal in black. I think this all the way back to my Exit, planning where I’ll wait and what I’ll say when I see him. Scheming on how to get his name. It’s only once I reach the Exit Point door that I realize two hours and forty-five minutes have passed, and I realize that this won’t be the last time I Visit. It won’t be the last time at all.

Inscrutable to the Last by DiscordantWords (M, 48,842 w., 6 Ch. || Post-TRF, Alternate S3, John’s Blog/S3 is a Story By John, Divorce, Marital Difficulties, John is a Mess, Emotional Reunion, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Grief / Mourning, Pining John, First Kiss, Adorably Clueless Sherlock, Nostalgia, Love Confessions, Eventual Happy Ending) – He wasn't Sherlock, he couldn't work miracles. All he'd ever been able to do was write about them.

Anchor Point by trickybonmot (E, 49,856 w., 80 Ch. || Truman Show AU || Psychological Drama, Suspense, Slow Burn, Dark Characters / Fic, Alternating First/Third Person, Protective John, Anxious/Worried Sherlock, Tender Moments, Love Confessions, Hand/Blow Jobs, Cuddling, Jealous John, First Kiss/Time) – The world tunes in nightly for Sherlock, the ultimate in reality TV: Sherlock Holmes, a real person with a legendary name, unknowingly lives out his life in a staged setting contrived by his brother. Things get complicated when a retired army doctor joins the show to play the part of Sherlock's closest friend. This fic borrows its concept from the 1998 film, the Truman Show. However, you don't need to have any knowledge of the movie to enjoy this story.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by SilentAuror (E, 50,635 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4/S4 Divergence, Case Fic, For a Case / Reverse Fake-Relationship, Conferences, Marriage Equality, Travelling / New York, Pride, Homophobia, Bottomlock, Marriage Proposal, John POV, Sexuality, Love Confessions, Emotional Love Making, Public Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Passionate Kissing, Needy/Clingy Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Touching / Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Little Spoon Sherlock, Intense Orgasms) – John and Sherlock go to New York to attend a conference run by the National Defence of Traditional Marriage Coalition in order to investigate the potential bombing of the annual Manhattan Pride parade. As the conference unfolds, John finds himself repulsed by the toxic ideology being presented, which becomes relevent to his own unacknowledged issues and his friendship with Sherlock...

Gold Rush by ShirleyCarlton (E, 71,783 w., 17 Ch. || Post S3 / No Mary, Friends to Lovers, Mentions of Past Sexual Abuse, First Kiss, Case Fic, Slow Burn, Alternating POV, Switchlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Marriage Proposal, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Abduction, Anxious/Insecure Sherlock, Miscommunication, Emotional Lovemaking) – John has divorced Mary and pops round to 221B one evening to find Sherlock in the middle of a case. As Sherlock tries to find the identity of a young woman’s stalker, John realises he can no longer deny his feelings for Sherlock – which then, to their befuddlement, turn out to be mutual. Shy kisses and tentative embraces ensue. But will Sherlock be able to cast off a shadow from his past that he thinks might prevent John from wanting to stay?

Repairing the Broken Things by BakerTumblings (M, 75,252 w., 15 Ch. || S4 Compliant, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Trauma, Hospitals, Big Brother Mycroft, Misunderstandings, Realizations, Severe Accident, John Whump, Pneumonia, Medical Procedures, Bed Sharing, First Time, Healing, Happy Ending) – "I'm calling today to notify you that there's been an accident."

Points by lifeonmars (E, 53,791 w., 42 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || HLV Rewrite / Canon Divergence, Married Life, Pregnancy / Baby Watson, Drinking to Cope, Boxing / Fisticuffs, Clueless John, Angst, Minor Medical Drama, Tattoos, Christmas, First Kiss/Time, Eventual Happy Ending, Love Confessions, Doctor John, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Burn, Case Fic, Drugging, Blow/Hand Job, Emotional Love Making, Parenthood, Passage of Time) – What if His Last Vow never happened? This fic picks up a few months after John and Mary's wedding, in an alternate universe where Magnussen doesn't exist, but Mary is still pregnant. Life continues -- just in a different direction. And slowly, Sherlock and John find their way to each other.

Lunar Landscapes by J_Baillier (M, 57,046 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || S3/TAB Fix-It, Slow Burn Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Confessions, Drugs, Pain, Medical, Injury, Sherlock Whump, Mental Health Issues, Panic Attacks, Romance, Secrets, Tragedy, Trauma, BAMF John, Doctor!John, Drug Addict Sherlock, Injured Sherlock, Grieving John, Idiots In Love,  Protective John, POV John Watson, PTSD Sherlock, Sherlock is a Mess, Medical Realism) �� An accident forces John to face the fact that Sherlock's downward spiral had started long before his flight to exile even left the tarmac.

Hell Sent, Heaven Bound by ConsultingHound (M, 64,381 w, 16 Ch. || Angels / Demons AU ||  Fallen Angel Sherlock / Angel Cop John, Alternate First Meeting, Slow Burn, Case Fic, John & Lestrade are Friends Before Sherlock, BAMF John, Mind Palace John, Friends to Lovers, John in Denial, Sherlock Picks Out John’s Clothing, Clubbing / Dancing, Mildly Jealous John, Awkwardness, Kidnapping, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Sacrifice, Worried / Anxious Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, Immortal to Mortal) – Ex-War healer and current angelic guard John Watson is not having the best day. He overslept, he’s underpaid, and now there’s someone tagging the Council’s building walls. However things may be about to get interesting: there’s an unusual stranger hanging around (the definition of tall, dark, and handsome), a literal underground cult is brewing, and rumblings are coming from hell. Can he keep his neighbourhood safe, how and why is he being connected to all this, and who the hell is Sherlock Holmes?

White Knight by DiscordantWords (M, 69,840 w., 13 Ch. || S4 Compliant/Post S4, Marriage For a Case, Jealous John, Pining John, Janine / Sherlock Fake Relationship, Serial Killers, Case Fic, Undercover as a Couple, Weddings, John is a Mess, Misunderstandings, Wedding Planning, Jealousy, Drunkenness, Love Confessions, Angst with Happy Ending) – Green. The word green was used to convey a great many things. Illness. Envy. Inexperience. Standing there amidst Janine's chattering bridesmaids, watching Sherlock furrow his brow and study fabric swatches, watching him smile and simper and flirt, John thought it a remarkably apt colour choice. Because he felt quite sick to his stomach, he feared the source of said sickness might very well be jealousy, and he had absolutely no idea at all what to do about it. Or: Sherlock needs to fake a relationship for a case. He doesn't ask John.

Just To Hold You Close by sussexbound (E, 70,841 w., 18 Ch. || Alternate First Meeting, Sherlock POV, ASD Sherlock, PTSD John, Demisexual Sherlock, Bisexual John, Cuddling/Snuggling, Platonic Cuddling, Enthusiastic Consent, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, First Kiss/Time, Sexual Tension, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cuddle Negotiations, For a Case Until It Isn’t, Hair Petting, Sexual Negotiation, Anxiety, Trust Issues, Slow Burn, Panic Attacks, Frottage, Hand/Blow Jobs, Referenced Self Harm / Abuse / Suicidal Ideation, First Kiss/Time, Anal) – When a woman is murdered and the last person to see her alive is recently invalided army vet turned reluctant (and prickly) professional cuddler, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes is pulled into a world of intimacy and intrigue he never could have imagined. John is a conundrum and mystery: frank yet reserved, tender yet angry, open yet afraid. Sherlock is instantly drawn into his orbit, and begins to feel and desire things he never has before.

The Monument of Memory by J_Baillier (M, 79,663 w., 14 Ch. || Post S4 Fix It Fic / S4 is Canon, Angst, Family Drama, Guilt, Case Fic, John Loves Sherlock, Complicated Feelings, Mentalism / Hypnosis, Murder, Grieving John, Sherlock is a Bit Not Good, Team Work, Trust Issues, BAMF John, Psychological Trauma, Protective John, Autistic-Spectrum Sherlock, Parentlock, John POV) –  A genius traumatised by a past he's only beginning to recall. The psychopath sister that time forgot. A missing woman and a mentalist who may or may not be a murderer. And, in the middle of it all, stands John Watson.

Thermocline by J_Baillier (M, 83,557 w., 14 Ch. || Scuba Diving AU || Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Marine Archaeology, Asexual Sherlock, Horny John, Relationship Drama, Technical/Scuba/Wreck Diving, Slow Burn, Underwater /  Medical Peril, Doctor John, Hurt Sherlock, Anxious Sherlock, John POV, Protective John, Body Appreciation) – John "Five Oceans" Watson — technical dive instructor, dive accident analyst and weapon of mass seduction — meets recluse professor of maritime archaeology Holmes. As they head out to a remote archipelago off the coast of Guatemala to study and film its shipwrecks for a documentary, will sparks fly or fizzle out?

Kintsukuroi by sussexbound (E, 91,823 w., 20 Ch. || S4 Compliant / Post-TLD, Grief / Mourning, PTSD, Internalized Homophobia, Therapy, Past Abuse, Alcohol Abuse, Nightmares, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Depression, Anxiety, Bed Sharing, Love Confessions, Cuddling, Suicidal Ideation, Masturbation, Minor Character Death, Sexting, Frottage, Inexperienced Sherlock, Rimming / Anal / BJ’s, Emotional Turmoil, Finding Each Other) – “I love you.” Sherlock sees the words hit John with almost physical force. He reels back a little, jaw twitching and eyes filling. “I love you,” he repeats, a little softer, a little more gentle, as earnest as he possibly can. Because they’ve been teetering on the brink of this thing for years, and it had become painfully obvious over the last few months that they were at a tipping point. This had to happen. Now it has. Now they can see where they end up. The tears in John’s eyes spill over, and he wipes at them angrily. “Do you even know what that means?”  

The Summer Boy by khorazir (T, 94,706 w., 6 Ch. || Post S3/Post TAB/Alternate S4, Friends to Lovers, Flashbacks, Sussex, Bullying, 1980′s Kid Sherlock, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Inexperienced Sherlock, Grief/Mourning, Pining Sherlock, Background Case Fic) – About half a year after the fateful events at Appledore, Sherlock and John embark on a private case in Sussex. For Sherlock, it’s a journey into his past, bringing up memories both happy and sad that he has locked away for almost thirty years. For John, it means coming to terms with the present – and a potential future with Sherlock. Part 1 of the The Summer Boy series

Northwest Passage by Kryptaria (E, 95,157 w., 27 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Canadian AU ||  BAMF!John, Canadian John, PTSD, Anal / Oral Sex, Rimming, Emotional Hurt / Comfort, Drug Rehab, Falling in Love, Pining Sherlock, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Panic Attacks, Switching, Anxious / Protective Sherlock, Hugs for Comfort, Suicide Mentions, Healing Each Other) – Seven years ago, Captain John Watson of the Canadian Forces Medical Service withdrew from society, seeking a simple, isolated life in the distant northern wilderness of Canada. Though he survives from one day to the next, he doesn't truly live until someone from his dark past calls in a favor and turns his world upside-down with the introduction of Sherlock Holmes." Part 1 of Tales from the Northwest

The Adventure of the Silver Scars by tangledblue (NR [M], 142,458 w., 41 Ch. || S3 Fix-It, Post-HLV/ Post-TAB / Canon Compliant, Case Fic, No Baby, Angst, Humour, UST, Slow Burn, Angry John, Reconciliation, Not Nice Mary / Leaving Mary, Dependent Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Caretaker John, Fist Fights, It’s An Experiment, Virgin Sherlock, Dancing, Drugging, John Whump, Pet Names, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Scars) – It’s been thirteen months since Mary shot Sherlock and John finds he’s still pissed off about it. Sherlock had thought everything was settled: John and Mary, domestic bliss. But when John turns up at Baker Street with suitcases, the world’s only consulting detective might not be prepared for the consequences. A new case. Some old scores to settle. Certain danger. Concertos, waltzes, and whisky.

Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court.

Against the Rest of the World by SilentAuror (E, 151,714 w., 20 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Post-TRF, Hiatus Fic, POV First Person Sherlock, Present Tense, First Kiss/Time, Big Brother Mycroft, Escaping from Capture, Soft Sherlock, Toplock, Insecurity, Infidelity, Travelling, Introspection, Pining Sherlock, Depression, Fantasies, Yearning for the Past, PTSD Sherlock, Suicidal Ideation) – Sherlock has been away from London for nine hundred and twelve days and counting, and has no idea what sort of reception to expect when he finally returns.

[optimistic-dinosaur-nacho]

The Door

Dark!Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: Sleep Paralysis, Dark, non-consent touch, Somnophilia (Non-Smut you’ll know why) Summary: As an apprentice scientist at the Avengers Tower, you’ve became friends with one of the Avengers who knows you more than you know yourself. With a sleeping condition, you were too tired to close your door. And left it opened for an unwanted guest.

A/N: Okay, for those who may be freaking out, I’m not doing 18+. This is completely clean but it is dark. I suggest you don’t do this or not read if this triggers you. 

Being up this early in a big city, it wasn’t your favorite thing in the world for you. Having a well-paid job, it was such a huge dedication to you. After years of engineering and building technology, you wanted to be like your boss. Him and his team always walked around the building most of the time. A couple months, you don’t see them a lot. This was technically their home. Their rooms were built in here while you rent at an apartment in downtown Brooklyn. 

It was small and the landlord never bothered you a lot unless you ran into him in the halls. 

You met a couple of the team in the building. Dr. Banner, you met him everyday, he was your assistance to becoming less of  an apprentice. He always thought you were smart with your work. Every idea came from you and Banner liked when you came up with new tech. 

Tony was your boss but for someone like him, you meet him once a month. You thought today you were more tired than before. It reminded you that it was getting worse.

“Morning, Miss L/N,” You hear a friend call to you.

Other than being around Banner, the first avenger was the one to walk up to you at a party that Tony arranged for his co-workers. His gentle smile and blue crystal eyes looking at you.

It was like looking at your school crush years ago.

“Captain,” You respond, holding your clipboard closer to your chest and adjusted your white coat. He pulls the corner of his lips into a grin, “I see you’re early up.” You followed his gaze to see the clock that was 6 in the morning. You nod, “Yeah. I just realized I had unfinished business.”

Steve’s brows twitched into concern. The concern that made you realize you might’ve said too much of yourself to him. During that party, you might’ve too a couple drinks and your mind just makes you admit a lot of things no one knows about you.

You knew what you said to him. You were lucky to have him not bother you too much, he never pushed things too far with you. He always kept his distance. You sighed, “I guess I didn’t get enough sleep last night,” You let out a laugh. Steve looks up and down at you. Out of concern he did.

“Have you spoken to your docto-”

You cut him off before he could finish, “Captain, I’m okay, really.” Steve’s lips close firmly and he breathes out through his nose. His fingers curling slightly to reach for your hair, skin. Some sign of reassurance. “Is there anything I could do?” He asked, you shook your head and turned away from him. 

“I should go. It was really nice to see you, Captain. Say hi to the others for me?” You say, Steve couldn’t help but nod and grin softly.

After that you made your way to the lab. Bruce made you do some research, test some things over the monitors and checked in with Tony on the comm. Friday gave out the results every once in a while. You made some successful projects, some may have blown in your face a couple times but it was all good.

You hadn’t seen Steve since that morning, you went to the large room with the couches and kitchen, making yourself some coffee since you never gotten one on your way over.

Steve knew a lot about you since that party, well, after that party, you two just started to talk more. It was usually when you meet in the hall or in the morning like you did this morning. He knew about your conditions at home. The insomnia was a problem because you had sleep paralysis since you were a kid. It gotten worse over the time. It usually could last for several minutes that felt like an hour. 

You start to panic. Words couldn’t come out like someone had ripped your tongue out. As a kid, you couldn’t see anything. Your eyes felt like they were taped shut, but you could feel something around you. You could move your head, toes, fingers, but you couldn’t move your body off the bed. No twists or turns, no jerks or anything. You’re frozen on the spot like rocks holding you down, thinking you’re going to eventually suffocate in your mattress. 

You hear Bruce come in with his board and his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“Okay, we have a change of plans,” He says.

You turn to him and furrowed your brows. He peers up at you, “You mind if I keep you another 5 hours? You’ll be home by nine.” You were tired enough already. Especially drinking coffee that had way too many shots. But you were in it for more money. This is why you loved your job but hated to get home late.

“Yeah, sure.”

Banner nods, “I’ll give you another 10 minutes. Meet me down at the lab.” With a nod, Banner heads back to the elevator as you enjoyed your cup of coffee. Feeling a bit worried, you took another cup of coffee to-go. You met up with Banner once again and you both went back to work. Doing the same things since you got there, you burned your finger, but you managed to bandage it up.

Bruce eventually led you off and you were off at 10.

Jesus Christ. It felt like you hadn’t slept in a week, your eyes are burning, urging to blind your vision of driving. Luckily your home wasn’t far from the Tower and you parked your car, jumping out tiredly as you made your way to the door and up the stairs. The elevators in the building were broken due to one of the fire breakouts in one of the rooms. They shut them down and suggested to rebuild them again.

You weakly reached in for your key and unlocked your apartment. Greeted by your welcome home scent of candles. Dropping your keys on the table along with your bag and coat. You stolen a small snack from the fridge and ate that toward your room. 

Kicking your shoes off, you tossed your clothes off. Your window facing out toward the city, your faint light of your lamp lit only half of your room as you undressed and threw on a shirt and plopped onto your bed. You reached for the switch of your lamp and looked over to see your bedroom door open.

Your eyes and legs began to disagree with you so you turned off your lamp and laid down on your bed.

And just like that, you went out.

His hands gently slid the window up, opening it wide enough for his broad shoulders to squeeze in through your apartment room. His heavy footing hit the wooden floor. In uniform, he wanted to be stealth as possible. His thoughts wandered farther than he could’ve questioned himself. 

He watched you from afar. Seeing you limp into your bedroom like a zombie. Your back turned toward the window, he could imagine every curve. His eyes gotten dark the second he saw your room lights on. Your kitchen light was on, your music that was a classic jazz, gently played on the speaker. 

With a gentle touch, he turns off the speaker and hears what might’ve been the shuffle from your bedroom. 

He froze on the spot, thinking the fastest and quiet way to dart for the window but he never heard footsteps. Instead he heard what sounded like faint whimpering. The sound of struggles, he then realized you were awake. 

You were woken up from a bad dream. Once you did, your eyes went heavy and your brain began to function the surroundings. The car sounds and sirens filling your ears, you could hear your air condition whir in the other room. You were awake, but you were stuck.

Your sleep paralysis had begun. 

Your finger tips barely moved, your eyes frantically looking around even though you saw darkness. You whimpered and moved your toes. Then you froze. You stopped moving your fingers and eyes. Knowing where your door was, you could sense someone staring. You breathed out slowly.

“I know you can sense me.”

You stopped breathing to the sound of a deep voice. Your fingers began to twitch more to wake your body up and run from whoever was there. You hear their footsteps come towards you. 

You couldn’t scream, all what came out was groans and whimpers. The intruder shushes you, his hand touches your arm and you shook. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to see you. So... vulnerable.”

You felt their fingers drag against your arm like some animal they were petting. “You don’t know who I am, do you?” He asked, you shook your head and whimpered. Not answering to his question, you were begging to have him leave. You then felt a heat against your ear, “Take a wild guess, sweetheart.” The familiar words of sweetheart falling from his lips, you realized who called you that during the whole party at the tower.

Steve.

You only turned your head and whimpered. You needed to move your body. Steve grins, darkly, “I know your paralysis could last for several minutes. Even if you woke up now, you’d be scared to even get away from me.” You could  sense that his face was closer to yours. His fingers dragging over your stomach, almost riding up the shirt. 

You then felt his fingers touch your cheek. “You’re so beautiful...” You turned your face away from his hand and whined. You felt tears that you didn’t know you were making, they slid down your cheeks. “So soft...” His hand drags down your thighs and stops at your knees. 

You began to start moving your feet. Your head shook and you let out a whine. You feel the hands pull away and you kept moving your fingertips. Your eyes finally opened and you jumped up from your bed with a huge gasp. You choked out strangle sobs and saw that no one was in your room. Steve was no longer there or someone.

Your brain only made up the things in your sleep paralysis, but it felt too real. That night you tried to sleep on your side instead on your back. Keeping your lamp on, you figured to call in sick for tomorrow.

You then made sure...

You closed the door that night.

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[seagreen-meets-grey]

When Lightning Strikes Ch. 15

When your life is nothing but a cloudless sky, lightning can come and strike you so unexpectedly, you won’t even know what hit you.

Or: When Hiccup and Astrid meet, it is as if lightning strikes.

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 16] [Chapter 17] [Chapter 18] [Chapter 19] [Chapter 20]

Crossposted on ao3 and ff.net

_______________

The rain splattering against the window glass shook Hiccup out of his stupor. Lips still tingling where they had just so brushed against hers, he hurried through the apartment and onto the balcony where the wind was blowing enough rain under the roof that it hit most of his clothes. Resigned, he picked up the drying rack and maneuvered it into the living room. It wasn’t like any of the clothes had already dried, anyway. Besides, this had distracted him for at least two minutes from his brain’s attempt at understanding what had happened in the last hour.

A knot was forming in his stomach and it grew limbs, spreading into his chest, knocking against his ribs for attention. “Oh, bud. What a mess, huh.” Toothless looked up from his nap on the couch, blinking at Hiccup before laying his eyes on the newest accessory in the room. A few socks were still swinging slightly from earlier momentum and he swiped at them with his paw. Hiccup picked him up and flopped onto the couch himself, putting the cat down on his stomach where it immediately lay down and eyed him expectantly.

“This is not going to end well. We can’t pretend anymore that everything’s fine. And I can’t still wait for her to get more clarity and maybe eventually come around, can I?” Toothless started licking his paw. “Yeah, yeah. I know, bud.” He sighed. “No more waiting, no more guessing, no more holding out. She’s on her way home right now. She’ll want to save her marriage. And I can’t stand between her and a happy life now, right?” The cat didn’t answer, only the voice of a radio host crossed the distance between him and the kitchen. He ran his hand over the sleek black fur until the sound of purring provided the right background noise for his thoughts.

“It doesn’t matter what I feel and it doesn’t matter if she ever felt something for me-“, he allowed himself a moment of daydreaming, “because she has a husband, and yeah, they need to work through some issues, but if she wants to do that, then I want to support her decision. I don’t want to, but then again, I do. Toothless, does that make sense?” The cat’s ears perked up at the sound of its name. Hiccup looked his bud in the eyes, searching for an answer to his dilemma. “I guess, if you love somebody, you want them to be happy, even if it means you leave empty-handed and with a life’s worth of heartache.”

For a while, he watched the gray sky through the living room windows, stroking his cat’s back. The radio host was replaced by ads, then music, briefly interrupted by a traffic report. Some confused Toyota driver was going the wrong way. Or maybe they were going the right way, they just picked the wrong lane. Or the wrong way on the right lane. Did that make sense? What was the right way to go here? Was he doing the right thing? Was there even a right lane to pick?

He groaned and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. The purring stopped. Soon enough, the weight on his stomach disappeared when Toothless decided he’d had enough of Hiccup’s drama. “You’re right, bud. Can’t keep doing this forever.” He lifted himself up with a heavy heart trying to pull him back down. But there was no use.

On his way out, he grabbed only his phone and an umbrella. The air had cooled significantly, raising goosebumps on his skin. Maybe he should have brought a jacket. He considered going back inside to get one, but the option of staying there and waiting for the world to fix itself was too tempting, so he turned around and started walking down the street. He had to end this.

_______________

She had to end this. The entire ride home, she drummed her fingers on the wheel, bounced her unoccupied leg up and down, shifted on her seat with restless energy at every traffic light, every intersection, every speed limit sign. She was both anxious and determined. There had never been a point in her life where she’d been more sure about anything. Least of all on her actual wedding day, as she could finally admit with a feeling of sweet relief.

When she turned her key in the door to the apartment, however, her hands felt like lead. While she’d come clean about her feelings to herself, she had yet to do it in front of someone else, someone who deserved to know it probably the most. Someone whose voice carried over from the living room.

Quietly closing the door behind her, she took off shoes and still damp jacket like she’d done for almost every day for the past year and a half. Her keys jingled and she closed her fist around them in order to smother the sound. Why she didn’t want him to know she was here was beyond her, but the second she decided on announcing her presence, someone else beat her to the chase.

Momentarily perplexed, she halted in her step towards the living room, trying to place the male voice chattering away, prompting a chuckle from Eret. Her curiosity whacked her anxiety over the head and she turned the corner to see who it was.

The man sitting next to Eret on the couch was unfamiliar to her. Tall, broad shoulders, muscles, casually-styled sandy hair. Crossed legs, one arm draped over the back of the couch, the other holding a beer, comfortable. He was the first to notice her, pausing mid-sentence to curiously raise his eyebrows in her direction. His eyes were the color of liquid chocolate, at least 70% cocoa. He was handsome, with a pleasant, welcoming smile. Eret followed his eyes and flinched.

Astrid raised a hand in greeting, uncertain about what to do. This other person in the apartment disrupted her plan. “Hi.”

“Hi, there.” The man waved back, looking at Eret expectantly, waiting for an introduction.

Eret cleared his throat, a nervous tilt in his smile. “Um, this is Astrid, my wife. Astrid… This is Timothy.” She racked her brain when that name rung a bell somewhere in the back of her mind, especially as he sent her a meaningful look. “My coworker. The one I told you about.”

“Oh,” she said. Then something clicked. “Oh.” The coworker he’d told her about. Repeatedly. The one she’d mistook for his mistress. Well, fuck, kill her now.

“Nice to meet you, hon.” When she frowned at that nickname, he was quick to put his hands up in an apologetic manner. “Sorry, that probably came out wrong. It’s just what I call everyone.” He slapped a hand on Eret’s knee. “Even this chap here.”

Eret copied the gesture. “And our boss.” The two men shared a laugh and Astrid’s eyes flitted back and forth between them, feeling like an outsider to a deeper inside joke. Their laughter subsided and they seemed to remember she was still in the room. “Do you… want to sit?” Eret asked hesitantly, conveying the same uneasiness she felt. She simply cut to the chase.

“We need to talk.”

Fortunately, Timothy understood his cue. “Well, hons,” he announced, drinking the rest of his beer and standing up from the couch, “I guess it’s time for me to hit the road. Gotta beat that Sunday traffic.” He laughed at his own joke when no one else did, not even his hon chap Eret, whose mood had suddenly turned serious.

They said goodbye to Timothy and when the door closed behind him, Eret discarded of the empty beer bottles and they sat in silence on separate ends of the couch for a few minutes. Astrid tried to sort through everything they needed to cover in this conversation, but she didn’t know where to begin, although it was all in a way connected. But what probably made her anxious the most was how to go on from there. She didn’t want to end this day with another fight, didn’t want to lose her closest friend in the aftermath of this whole mess. No more yelling and accusing, that’s what Hiccup had advised.

“So… Timothy, huh,” she made the first step, stilted lighthearted tone sounding absolutely misplaced to her ears.

But Eret gladly jumped onto the first wooden plank. In order to get to the other side of this chasm, they would have to build the bridge together. “Yeah. Tim is…”

“Your coworker,” she finished. “And not your mistress.” She didn’t avert her eyes as she said it, owning up to her mistake.

“Not my… No. But what I told you about Dana is true. She tried to seduce me. Several times, actually, even though I told her I’m married and not interested.” The old monster scratched at her abdomen, but she refused to pay attention to it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked instead, keeping her voice as level as possible, and received the same effort from Eret.

“I tried to, but you wouldn’t hear me out! Besides, I could handle her. It didn’t mean anything to me. And with the way you accused me of cheating, I was glad I hadn’t told you earlier.”

She felt the words like a punch to the gut. “Well, if you had told me earlier, then maybe I wouldn’t have gotten so suspicious when you kept talking about your coworker every other minute of the day like a teenager gushing about his crush!” He winced and averted his face. She’d somehow struck a nerve there, which made her guilt explode from where it was nesting inside her ribcage. Throwing her hands up in the air, she jumped up and released it all with one loud yell. “GAH, I’M SORRY!”

He still wouldn’t look at her. “Okay.”

“What do you mean – okay?!” She started pacing through the room. “I’m hurt you didn’t share the fact with me that someone came onto you several times – which is harassment, by the way – and then I rubbed it in by accusing you of committing to it! I’m fucking sorry, Eret!” She kicked at the couch and a flash of pain shot through her toes. Well, so much for no yelling.

“Yeah.” The couch table was still more interesting than her. “That’s why Tim was here. We were discussing how to report Dana without her claiming harassment and sexism herself.”

Astrid put her hands on her hips, taking stance. “Just say the word and I’m gonna knock her fucking skull in.”

He huffed. “I can handle it.”

“You can han– Eret, I’m not some bozo offering you tips on selling your car! I know I should have let you speak yesterday when you called and I’m sorry I didn’t. I couldn’t handle it. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve been running from confrontations for quite a while. And will you please just look at me?!”

Jaw clenched, he finally met her gaze, and for the second time that day, she was met with a look in someone’s eyes she wasn’t expecting. She’d prepared herself for fury, for a stubborn wall of fire, for a loaded canon – but not for hurt, guilt, insecurity. Her anger deflated.

“I know.” He was almost whispering. “I should know. I should know that I can always count on you.”

“You should know?” The implication wasn’t lost on her and it stung like a hundred bees. “Why do you think you can’t count on me?”

“I… I didn’t mean that. I know you’d do anything. It’s just that…” He got on his feet, pulling at his short ponytail, voice rising. “Every time you become distant, and we fight, and you go on your solo trips, it’s like there’s a whole world out there for you that I’m not a part of. Over time, that feeling festers, and it makes me wonder.” He paused, piercing her with a look that demanded only the truth. “There’s someone else, isn’t there.” She blinked, sucker-punched to the lungs, staring back at him, shock evident on her face, judging by his grave nod. “So there is.”

“I…” This was not how she’d imagined this topic to be broached. Her first instinct was to tell him that nothing happened, but as of this afternoon, that would be a lie. “It’s complicated.”

Eret shook his head disappointingly, a gesture that irked her a lot. “Accusing me of cheating and then…”

“I didn’t cheat on you!” He regarded her with poisonous doubt, frown deepening. No more running. “Yes, I have feelings for someone else! But it’s not like I planned so, and it’s not like I didn’t try to fight it, and I certainly didn’t do it on purpose!”

“But still you didn’t talk about it with your husband!”

“Like that’s something you do!” The guilt, the frustration, it all came together in a giant wave, pressing every emotion out of her chest with the volume of a tsunami. “Like you just go to your spouse, the one you promised to love until death, the one you made a fucking huge commitment to for the rest of your life, you just go up to them and say hey, guess what, I’m in love with someone else, what do you think of that, do you want potatoes or rice for dinner?!” She sucked air into her lungs with a sharp, shaky breath, not slowing down, even as her eyes began to sting. “This is not something you do, it’s not something you fucking do, just like that, expecting not to make everything worse, and admitting that the biggest decision I ever made in my entire life led to a big! Fucking! Failure!”

A hot tear ran down her cheek and when she wiped it away, more followed, until she was quietly sobbing, shoulders shaking as she refused to break down completely. She felt raw and exposed, exhausted after her emotional outburst. Eret said nothing for a long minute. Then he sunk back onto the couch and put his head in his hands, fingers raking through his dark hair, messing it up until most of it had escaped the ponytail.

“I need a drink,” she mumbled and walked into the kitchen. Eyeing the bottle of wine on the shelf, she opted for some peppermint tea. Calming, refreshing, and didn’t have to cool in the fridge first. Waiting for the kettle to boil, she took a deep breath. Slowly, the shaking subsided and the tears stopped running. She wiped her hand over her swollen eyes and blew her nose on a paper towel.

When the water boiled, she grabbed her favorite mug from the cupboard and fished the last tea bag from the box. She let it steep for a few minutes, regaining her composure, before she returned to the living room. Leaning against the bookcase opposite to the couch, mindful of the stack of beautifully illustrated books behind her, she carefully took a sip, relishing the feeling of hot tea calming her nerves. Eret was still hunched over, head in his hands.

“I was gushing about my crush,” he finally said, voice low and brittle, laden with the effort of finding the courage to get the words out.

She sniffed, unsure if she’d heard him right. “What?”

“I… have feelings for someone else, too.”

It took her embarrassingly long to connect the dots. “Huh.” She sat down next to him, processing the information. In a strange way, it made sense. She couldn’t explain it, but it just felt… It felt like Eret. And it also explained all the knee touching from earlier. “Oh man,” she sighed. “We’re a mess, huh.”

He tentatively glanced up at her. She noticed the little pools of tears that had formed in his eyes and she realized he’d been as afraid to tell her about his feelings as she’d been, probably even more so. Eret had always been so sure about himself and his place in the world, something that had attracted her to him in the first place. Discovering this new side of himself, the confusion, the fear of people’s reaction, her reaction – she couldn’t exactly say she could relate. Meeting his worried expression, she gave him a reassuring smile and reached for his hand. His sigh of relief cut straight through her heart, and when he accepted her hand and returned her light squeeze, it felt like companionship.

“So… Timothy, huh,” she repeated her earlier line, eliciting a small shaky laugh from Eret. He sat up and leaned back against the cushions, wiping a hand over his face.

“Yeah… He’s great.” He turned to her with an earnest face. “I’m sorry. You’re right, this is a mess.”

“Well, I’m glad we agree on something for once.”

For a while, they just sat there holding hands in companiable silence, feeling closer than they had in a very long time, the only sound an occasional slurping of tea.

“I know I should have asked this sooner,” she finally said, “but do you want to talk about it?”

He seemed to be wrestling with himself for a moment and she tried her best to not feel offended by his hesitation. She wasn’t any better, after all. “I don’t really know what to say. One day I’m a heterosexual fella going to bed with his wife, the next I’m thinking about all the different ways I wanted to touch my new coworker. The rest just spiraled from there.”

“When did that happen?”

“About a year ago,” he confessed, carefully regarding her reaction.

“Okay, so, do you know if Timothy’s into men?”

“Uh yes, very openly so, he carries his cute little rainbow flag everywhere and constantly complains to me about the horrible guys he’s dated.”

“Good, that’s good.” He curiously raised his eyebrows at the scheming look on her face. “Have you talked to him about your sexuality?”

“No, I haven’t told anyone, and how are you so okay with this?”

Now she really did feel offended, putting the empty mug on the couch table with a clank. “Excuse me? My best friend tells me he likes dicks and he asks me if I’m okay with it?!”

“Your best friend is also your husband. And that’s not what I meant. You’re weirdly calm about the fact that I’ve been emotionally cheating on you for months on end.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sorry, did you not hear me yelling about my feelings for another man back there? You know, right before I burst into tears? We’re in the same boat here, buddy.”

He snorted. “I don’t know if I like this sarcasm on you.”

“It may have rubbed off on me from someone else,” she admitted.

“Right. Your someone else.”

“Hmm…” She bit her lip. “I really am sorry. I thought about telling you, but I never did, because I had this stupid notion in my head that telling you would mean I failed at something. Namely, making the right decision when I married you.”

“That… No, that makes sense. Sounds like Astrid to me.”

“But was I right?” she asked uncertainly. “Does this mean I failed?”

“Well… You said earlier – or better, you yelled – that your decision led to big failure. Do you really think that’s what this is? A big, fucking, failed marriage?”

Now that she heard him say it, she didn’t need to contemplate much. “Yes and no? I don’t regret marrying you. I love you, but not the way I used to. You’re my closest friend and incredibly important to me, and I will always treasure our time together, past and present. But… That is all I can give you.”

An enormous weight disappeared from her chest when she said it out loud and when Eret nodded and agreed, “I feel the same… I think.” He scratched his head. “No, I’m sure that’s what it is. And I’m also one hundred percent sure I was very into you, which makes me at least bisexual, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe.” She shrugged. “Sexuality can be fluid, right? So who knows what nuance of sexuality you are and what you’ll be next week. Anyway, I wouldn’t be mad at you if you decided you’ve always been gay. Would it feel weird to hear you tell me you never actually loved me? Probably. Would I get hung up on it, knowing you cared about me deeply in a platonic way? Fucking hell not.”

Eret grinned in a relieved and almost proud way. “I’m glad you’re my friend, Hofferson.”

“Me too.” She took a deep breath. “So, does that mean…”

“That this is over?” he completed her sentence and gestured between them, an understanding passing between them. “Yes, I would say so.”

Relief washed over her, combined with a bit of sadness, then peace, and not one flicker of doubt. She leaned into her best friend, her soon-to-be ex-husband, and hugged him tightly for a long minute.

When they pulled away, the shadows in the room had grown longer, announcing the imminent departure of the sun. Soon the horizon would light up colorfully, ending the day with a temporary, ever-changing painting that put every self-respecting lava lamp to shame. Realizing how late it already was, Astrid couldn’t believe how much time had passed since she’d had lunch with Hiccup, and how long she’d talked with Eret.

“Full disclosure, though,” she said while getting up to switch on the light, “last week I took a pregnancy test and it was negative.” Eret blinked a couple times. “Turns out it had just been a mixture of too much emotional stress and chocolate cake that made me take it.”

“Chocolate cake,” he repeated a bit dumbfounded, following her as she carried her empty cup into the kitchen.

“Yeah, I tried to bake the perfect cake and the one I ate was way too sweet.”

“The one you– Did you eat an entire chocolate cake by yourself? While your favorite pool was closed?”

“Oh, I’m glad that’s the part you choose to focus on.”

He sat down at the kitchen table and absentmindedly mimed stroking an invisible beard, a habit he’d picked up when he’d grown an absolutely hideous goatee in college. “I don’t know, I’m still processing it. Were you… sad? Okay? I don’t know what to say here.”

“I was glad. You know I want kids one day, but not like this.”

He nodded. “Probably best. Not that I wouldn’t have been happy regardless – wait, was it even mine?”

“The baby that doesn’t exist?” she scowled at him. “Yes, of course it would have been yours, you muttonhead!”

Holding his hands up in surrender, he believed her. “Alright, alright. I don’t know, could have been your secret lover.” Her scowl deepened and he quickly continued. “But you’re right. It’s better this way.”

“Good, glad we agree. Now will you please stop with the non-existent beard? You look ridiculous.”

“Tim thinks it’s funny.”

That brought the scheming look back on her face. “Seems to me like he’s interested in you. Now that you’re single, you should ask him out.”

A nervous chuckle escaped him and he squirmed a little in his seat. “I don’t know. I just agreed on a divorce.”

“That’s not the problem. You’ve wanted to do it for a long time. You’re a chicken.”

“I’m just being considerate of you–“

“Bullshit. You’re a chicken.”

With a groan, he frowned at her. “You’re quite a handful sometimes, do you know that?”

“Chicken,” she sang, finding joy in pushing his buttons without another fight looming on the horizon. She’d missed her friend and she finally had him back.

“Okay, fine! I haven’t had to ask anyone out since you. I don’t know how to flirt anymore.”

She snorted. “Seriously?” Sitting down next to him, she draped one hand behind him over the chair, shuffled closer and placed the other on his knee, regarding him from beneath her eyelashes. “Are you sure about that, hon?” He jokingly pushed her away, tipping her chair a little. “I think you were doing just fine earlier. Just text him that you want to go out for beer and tell him what happened. Then you can pepper in that you want his dick and voilà, you got yourself a hot date.”

“Yeah, yeah. I think I’m just gonna start with the beer.” He fished his phone out of his pocket and began to type before he paused and looked at her in earnest. “I feel good about this. How about you?”

Something told her he wasn’t just talking about asking out his crush. “Yes, absolutely. This feels right.”

With a content nod, he continued typing and hesitated just a second before sending his message. “Phew, done.” Another thought seemed to come to his mind. “Err, by the way, you’re not my dictator.”

“Huh?”

“Yesterday on the phone, I called you a dictator. That’s not true.”

“Yeah, we both said pretty mean things in the past. Things we didn’t actually mean and are sorry for.” Hiccup would be proud of her. She’d stopped running from an important confrontation, she’d talked about her feelings, she’d let Eret speak without accusing him of stuff, and she’d only yelled a little. It felt good. She wanted to tell him. Where was her phone?

“Apology accepted and returned. Great, now that we settled that, you still haven’t told me about the other guy.” He cracked his knuckles, receiving an unimpressed look. “I want to know who will pay part of the divorce.”

She punched his biceps. “He’s not going to pay shit, you cocky bastard.”

Rubbing the now sore spot on his arm, he shrugged and earned himself an eyeroll. “Worth a try.”

Seemed like calling Hiccup had to wait a little. But after waiting for so long to tell him about her feelings for him, what were a few minutes more? It wasn’t like he was going anywhere.

“Okay… Um. Do you remember Dagur’s 30th birthday party?” she started.

Eret chuckled. “Eh, partially. It was a wild night.”

“But do you remember Hiccup?”

He searched his memory for a second. “Heather’s ex? The skinny guy with the jawline?”

“Yes. He was at the party.” Now came the part that was hard to tell the guy that she’d been engaged to back then. “I will not call it fate or destiny or anything at first sight. But… Do you remember when you claimed you could repair the oven by yourself and were almost electrocuted?”

Not sure where this was going, and with the remnants of a hurt ego in his posture, Eret nodded. “Yeah?”

“Well, meeting Hiccup was like that, but without the pain. I felt like I was the current. And the funniest thing is, the moment I saw him, the lightning storm started outside.”

“Oh yeah,” he mumbled. “I remember there being rain.”

Encouraged by his lack of judgement so far, she continued. “I didn’t understand my sudden attraction to him at first, I just knew that it was strong and it only grew stronger over time, even though I only met him a couple times after that. That one time when we were out doing wedding chores, remember?”

After a minute of contemplation, he nodded. “When you bought that book that he painted pictures for and were super excited about it.”

She rolled her eyes. “He didn’t paint pictures for it, he illustrated the cover. And it was absolutely gorgeous!”

“So, he did paint pictures for it.”

“Oh, shut up. You know what I mean.”

He shrugged, not understanding what the big deal was. But he waved at her to continue.

“I thought it was just a phase and I didn’t want to bother you with it and dampen your mood. You were so happy and looking forward to our wedding and I didn’t want to ruin that by telling you something that would have been over just a few weeks later, anyway. Only that it wasn’t a phase. And the longer I waited, the worse it got.” Her fingers found a lose thread on the tablecloth and she absentmindedly started playing with it. “I was in denial about it. That was the only way for me to keep my sanity the closer we came to our wedding day. In the end, I decided to go through with the wedding because I didn’t want to just throw away everything we built together.”

“Did…” He gulped. “Did anything ever happen between you back then?”

She shook her head. “No. He came to the party, though. We talked outside for a while and I invited him in, as a friend. But he said we shouldn’t see each other anymore. Looking back, that was probably for the best, no matter how much it hurt, because the moment I saw him again a week ago, it all came back in an instant. Not that it was ever truly gone.”

A spark of understanding flashed up in Eret’s eyes. “Is that why you acted so weird from time to time? Distant, I mean?”

“Yeah, that was part of the reason. I just… I felt like something was missing from my life. That’s why I went on my solo trips. To try and find myself, I guess. It helped in the moment, but not in the long run.”

He looked bashful. “And I thought you were going on vacations with your lover.”

Astrid discovered that being on the other side of such an accusation didn’t hurt any differently than making the accusation herself. “I would never do that! I may have kept important feelings from you, but I would never cheat!”

“Me neither.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

She crossed her arms. “Yes! I only accused you of it because I wanted a reason to escape a relationship that didn’t make me happy anymore. I know I should have just talked to you earlier. We already settled that.”

“Okay.” He nudged her with his foot. “Go on.”

“Like I said, I ran into him last week. I thought I could just be friends with him and push my feelings away, but no.” A little nervous, she left the tablecloth be and twirled strands of hair between her fingers. “I was with him when you called. He showed me his favorite spot in the woods. And… Well, he advised me to talk to you about everything. But I hadn’t even admitted my feelings to myself, so anything beyond that seemed impossible. I lashed out at him as well.” The memory of their fight was still fresh on her mind. It had only happened a day ago, but it felt like weeks had passed since then.

“So, he doesn’t know how you feel.”

“Well… He might have an idea. He certainly knows there’s something between us; he addressed it during our fight yesterday. And… I kind of kissed him today. I didn’t plan on doing it, I just… did it. It wasn’t even a real kiss, our lips barely touched, but– I think it was obvious enough.” At this point, she had pulled out a considerable amount of hair with her fingers, tangling it into a ball. “Then I decided I could no longer go on like that and came here.” Eret was quiet for a while. “What do you say?”

“I say we should have talked way sooner. Would have saved us both a lot of pain. Did you talk to anyone else about this?”

“My mom, but that was still before the wedding. She definitely suspects something now as well, though. And I thought about telling Ruffnut, but she’d have just found a way to include your looks into her arguments and based her opinion on that.”

He chuckled. “Good call. That woman needs to get laid more.” She kicked his shin. “Ow! What was that for?”

“She doesn’t need to get laid like some horny rabbit! She’s just very shallow regarding looks sometimes.”

“Okay, sorry,” he apologized, rubbing his shin. That should be a nice bruise tomorrow. Good. “Does he like you?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “I think so.” A sudden memory flashed through her mind. “I think he even told me once! I ran into him shortly after he and Heather broke up and he said he liked someone else. He said he couldn’t ask her out because she was engaged. Looking back, what are the chances he wasn’t talking about me?” The more she pondered it, the more obvious it seemed. Excited butterflies were dancing through her stomach. No, really, was she remembering this right?

The short sound of a speeding race car came from Eret’s phone, three times in a row, and the little notification light lit up. Eret fumbled for the device. From the look on his face, she could guess who texted him back.

“And?” she asked impatiently.

“He’s in for a beer. Tomorrow after work.”

“Yes!” She held her hand up for a high-five, but Eret was too busy texting Timothy back.

“Now you,” he said when he put his phone down. “I can’t be the only one going on a date right after breaking up with my spouse.”

“Right.” Her heart started pounding as she got up to retrieve her phone from her jacket and leaned against the kitchen counter. She was going to do this. Now.

She had three missed calls. One from her mom, which she ignored. Because the other two were from Hiccup. Understandably, after she basically bolted from his kitchen earlier. There was a voicemail attached. With jet planes flying through her stomach, she pressed her phone to her ear, heart kicking harder against her ribs when she heard his voice.

As she listened to his message, one plane after the other crashed from the sky in a fiery explosion.

Eret looked at her in concern. “Everything alright?”

Her pulse was deafening in her ears, blood rushing through her veins, trying to make her heart beat again. “Fuck.”

[dyde21]

Outta Your League 1

I’ve recently been REALLY into Marvel and I actually started a long multichapter fic about Spidechelle. Been posting it over on Ao3 but thought I might share the first chapter here if anyone is interested!

It’s basically a what if they Avengers tried to figure out spiderman and Civil War never happened.

XxXxXxXxX

Peter’s life hadn’t exactly been normal in around two years. To him, his new normal day was when the crime he stopped while wearing a red and blue spandex suit, didn’t involve any kind of alien weaponry. He liked those days, they were simple. Usually didn’t involve massive wounds he had to hide from his aunt, and didn’t lead to him having to repair his suit over and over again. 

Peter had also gotten used to “Weird” days, as had most new yorkers after all the strange things that had started happening from around the time the world was introduced to Iron Man. The Alien invasion had really shattered the old definitions of “weird” pretty handidly.

Honestly though, chasing a large russian man in a massive Rhino outfit as he literally ran against traffic and swatted the cars away like they were made from cardboard was still pretty weird even for him. 

Swinging faster, he managed to get the momentum he needed as he launched off, planning a carefully aimed web onto the shoulder of the large man and pulling himself towards it, landing on his back. His added weight barely even seemed to register to the man as he continued his rampage, the two large duffle bags of cash still under one arm. 

“Hey man, this is a one way street. If you want to head this way you should take the next left  then turn at 5- WOAH” Peter barely managed to drop off him in time to avoid being scrapped against the bottom of a bridge between buildings as the man charged threw it. 

Landing on his back, he scrambled to his feet and shook his head to clear his thoughts. A blaring warning in the back of his skull had him dodging to the side just as a car was kicked right where he had been standing. He crouched on the nearby mailbox as he looked between the car and the large man looking at him. 

“All right, I get it, no one likes a backseat driver. My bad.”

“Little Spider. Stay out of my way or you’re going to get squashed.” He warned before turning around and starting to walk away.

Peter quickly got a good grip of the lamppost as he shot a web at the back of the man again, holding him in place. 

“Look. I’m just doing my duty. Animal control is on it’s way and I’m sure we can find you a good forever home, so let’s just calm down okay?” He said as he strained to hold him in place.

The man seemed surprised by the fact he was being held in place. “It seems you have some strength in you after all.” He offered in his strong accent before he leaned forward and actually put some strength into steps.

Peter groaned from the increased strain, but he continued to hold on. What he had failed to notice was the lamp was starting to give up quicker than he was. With a loud crunching of metal, the pole snapped near the base and Peter was yanked forward, tumbling across the cement as he let go over the web. 

He scrambled to all fours when again, there was a warning in his head. He looked up just in time to see another car being thrown towards him. 

Summoning plenty of strength he managed to jump off the ground, just getting enough height to clear the car as it whizzed past, mere inches from him. However what his unhelpfully sporadic internal warning failed to notify him about, was the large metal fist heading straight for his side.

It connected with him, and sent him rocketing through the front window of a nearby store. There were some gasps and concerned calls from him from nearby civilians. 

He got up, thanking God above that none of the glass had decided to give him a new piercing, as he stumbled up. “Sorry about the glass! But honestly I think this pla- woah!” Another car was sent sailing towards both him and the shop, where he noticed a few people cowering behind the counter. 

Kicking some glass away to make sure he got solid footing to stick to, he crouched down and braced himself, catching the car with a huff. Hell, these things were freaking heavy, even with his strength. 

Glad to see that the car was empty, he managed to drop it just outside the store. 

“Come on man, there’s clearly no drive thru here!” He called out, slinging himself out of the store to hopefully prevent more property damage and adding another store he’d probably be banned from. 

The large man loomed over him. “I don’t have time to play with brats like you.”

“Aw man, it’s spring break and everything for me. I have plenty of time to play with strange russian men like you. Rhino, Mr. Rhino? Is there a Mrs. Rhino in the picture?”

The man, who he felt Rhino was an appropriate name, merely responded by swinging a large fist towards him. Knowing first hand he didn’t want to get hit by it again, he ducked out of it easily enough, before launching himself upwards into an uppercut. 

His own hit seemed to surprise Rhino, who didn’t seem too concerned about it as it knocked him back, getting him a foot off the ground before he landed onto another parked car, making Peter wince. He was glad he didn’t own a car because after all the shit that happened in this city, it was like a 50/50 chance it could survive a year. As Rhino struggled to get back up, Peter started waving his hands and flexing his fingers. Punching that guy’s suit felt like punching a steel beam. What was it even made out of? He really needed to add some better padding to his knuckles. While he always had to pull his punches to avoid seriously injuring, or even killing people, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell to hit some things. Just as his mind started to analyze different possibilities as to what he could use, the large man unfortunately decided to get back up again.

Weird days were the worst. Why couldn’t he just have helped some old ladies with groceries or tracked down runaway cats. Even muggers were fine for him after this long of practice. But this? This wasn’t how he wanted to spend his spring break.

Rhino let out a yell and put his head down as he started to charge towards him. Diving to the side, Peter dodged easily enough until he realized the path Rhino was on. Thwipping another line to the Rhino’s head, he pulled hard and managed to redirect the angle of the charge, moving him in a large arc away from civilians before the web snapped as it got wrapped around a car. 

The Rhino tore off the dangling web as he let out another annoyed shout. 

While Peter liked that the street gave him plenty to work with, it also meant there were far too many things to worry about. He had to get him someone more open and less breakable if he was going to take this dude down. 

Getting an idea, he managed to shoot his hand out and snag one of the bags of money with his web, and yank it free as he grabbed it, holding it up for Rhino to see before he turned and ran. He hoped the bait would be enough, and judging by the sounds of the brutal crushing of metal rapidly approaching him from behind, it was enough.

He continued to swing just ahead of the rampage, taking the most direct path he could to the park, all the while calling out. 

“Coming through! Clear out of the way! One crazy and one slightly less crazy animal themed man coming through!”

Most people knew to clear out so he was pretty sure there weren’t any serious injuries. New Yorkers were pretty good at adapting to weird.

Once he reached the park, he shot another web but it caught onto one of the weaker branches near the top of a tree and when he tried to swing it just snapped off, leaving him tumbling into the grass. 

He hated the park. No tall buildings anywhere.

He scrambled to his feet, but it was too slow to dodge the very angry pursuer as he felt the man’s large metal foot collide with his side into a powerful kick, sending him hurtling across the park. The snapping sound he heard could only have been a rib or two and Peter knew he had to be careful to recover before he hit a tr-

With another crack, Peter’s body collided into the tree, breaking off a few more branches as he crashed onto the ground coughing violently. His vision blurred a bit and his ears were ringing. 

Okay, maybe he should have stuck with the property damage. He realized the bag had slipped from his grasp, the Rhino was standing over it, reaching down to pick it up.

Before his rationality, or survival instincts could stop him, he reached out with his good arm that only mildly felt like it was on fire to thwip and snatch the bag back towards him. 

Great, he still had the angry rhino man’s attention. Now what to do with it?

“You. Are a very hard bug to squash it seems.” He said with a laugh as he stomped towards him, cracking his knuckles. 

“Thanks.” Peter said, stumbling to his feet. “You know cockroaches get all the credit for being hard to kill but I think that’s pretty unfair. Spiders are pretty strong you know? He said, holding his side and wincing. Yup. His ribs were not happy right now. 

“A bug is still a bug. All of them can be squashed under foot.”

He said as he suddenly rushed towards him. 

Swiveling behind the tree, his spider sense only barely alerted him in time that the tree would not actually stop the man as he dove out of the way as the man barrel through the tree. However it seemed the Rhino wasn’t quite as dumb as he seemed because his arm shot out as he did and caught Peter again, sending him flying backwards and crashing into a fountain.

As he laid there, the broken fountain pouring water onto his head he just groaned. 

“I hate water spouts.” He muttered as he forced himself to his feet. He always got back up. He had to.

The way his balance seemed to not go with him though was starting to make him question that motto. 

“I was going to let you live, little bug. But now, I think I do want to squash you.”

Bracing himself, Peter raised his hands. He could tell this was going to be a long fight.

As the man started to charge, Peter’s danger sense went off again. Only this time it wasn’t directly ahead of him, but rather to the side of the Rhino. 

A second later a small explosion ripped through the air as the Rhino was launched sideways off his feet, sending him crashing through another tree.

Peter just stood there, confused. He was pretty sure he couldn’t cause explosions with his mind, but today already was weird so the possibility wasn’t 0 it was him. 

“Aren’t zoo keepers supposed to stop animals from fighting?” Came a voice he had only heard on the news before as Ironman flew in, landing a few feet in front of him. 

As the Rhino got to a knee and shook his head, Ironman raised a hand at each of them, repulsors charging up. “You, spider boy, what’s going on?”

Peter’s eyes widened as he raised his hands. “Mr. Ironman sir! I’m not looking for a fight, I was just trying to stop him from rampaging. Mr Avengers, sir.”

The metal man looked at him for a second, before he lowered his hand and Peter took a deep breath. “Then why were you running with a bag of money?” He asked, but no longer threatened him. 

“Bait. Trying to get him out of the city.” He said reaching down and tossing it near him. “It’s not mine, and I don’t want it.” He paused. “Well I mean I do, but like it’s not mine to take. I want it legally you know? Being a superhero doesn’t pay. Well maybe it does for you, but like you’re THE Iron Man. I’m just a ki- a new guy. But it’s not my money you know? Yeah, you know.” He muttered, his nerves making him ramble. 

Iron Man just brought a hand up to his helmet and Peter could hear a sigh from inside the suit with his enhanced hearing. “You talk a lot, you know that?”

“Yes sir, Iron Man, sir. It’s a habi- Look out!” Peter’s eyes widened as a tree was soaring through the air towards them. Peter dropped prone to the ground while Iron Man merely blasted it in two. 

Peter went to stand up but another wave of pain from the sudden motion had him stay on all fours. 

This didn’t go unnoticed by Iron Man as he glanced over. “Stay down, you’re hurt. I’ll take care of this then I think we should have a talk.”

Peter’s blood turned to ice at that comment. That… didn’t sound good. Sure he idolized the avengers, but they were in a different league. He was just your friendly neighborhood spiderman, he wasn’t looking to get involved with them yet. Plus were they mad? He hadn’t exactly applied for any permissions to go out. Did he need like a permission slip for this? He had just started helping people after Ben died. Plus if they found out who he was, they surely would tell May and she would kill him for lying to her then ground him.

He tried to get back to his feet, but another wave of nausea hit him as he stumbled against the tree. Okay, he could rest for a second.

As he glanced back up, he saw Iron Man fighting with the Rhino. It was clear he was holding back to avoid causing too much collateral damage but he seemed to be having an easier time. 

Rhino had ripped a drinking fountain out of the ground and hurled it at Iron Man who dodged to the side. Unfortunately, Peter was now directly in its path. Forcing himself to his feet, he knew he had to dodge or he was going to be in a world of pain when someone was suddenly in front of him. 

His eyes widened as the muscular back of someone in a leather jacket, and more importantly the large round metal shield being held in front of him as he had placed a foot against the tree for support as the damaged fountain crashed against his shield and broke apart. 

“Are you okay?” Captain America said as he turned around, glancing at him. 

If Peter wasn’t currently trying to avoid throwing up in his mask from pain, he would probably be starstruck. Ned was never going to believe this.

“Yeah, thank you Mr. Captain America.”

“Just call me Cap.” He said with a nod, before he rushed forward to help Ironman. 

Ironman fired a beam towards the Rhino, which he dodged. However Cap had gotten into place and the beam reflected off his shield and slammed into the Rhino from behind, knocking him off his feet. Iron Man landed with another blow to the Rhino’s head and the man finally stilled. 

The two said something, but then turned to him. Peter had finally had enough time for his head to stop swimming and to pretend like he wasn’t in egregious amounts of pain.

Iron Man’s mask flipped up, revealing Tony Stark’s face as he approached next to Cap, who was in civilian clothes. 

“Uh wow, it’s an honor to meet you guys.” 

Cap nodded towards him as Tony crossed his arms. “I would say the same but I have no idea who you are. You sure you aren’t with him? You two seem to have the same hobbies.” He said, gesturing to his outfit. 

Spiderman’s eyes widened. “I was totally doing this first, he stole my schtick. But I’m Spiderman.” He reached out a hand out of instinct.

While Tony just stared at it, Cap reached out and shook his head. “Steve Rogers.” 

Ned definitely wasn’t going to believe this.

Spiderman looked between them. “What are you two doing here? Not that your help wasn’t totally appreciated, because honestly it would have been a pain for me to bring him down on my own, you know. But like, this seems almost… too small for you?”

“We were out on unrelated business when we passed by and saw what was happening.” Cap offered, which explained why he wasn’t in uniform.

“Well… that explains that! I should go. I got more uh… spider things to do. Walls to climb, webs to spin. You know.” He offered lamely as he started to step away. As much as he really didn't want to leave what could be his only meeting with any avengers, he also knew that his life was already messed up enough and that he didn’t need to make it even more complicated.

“Wait.” Tony said and Peter froze in place. “I still have some more questions.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Iron Man, but I promise to stay out of your way. I really should be…”

Tony reached out a hand. “Spiderman, I’m serious we need to talk. Come with us to the tower...”

Fight or Flight instincts kicked in as Peter spun to the side, and shot a web, webbing his hand to the tree as he stepped back. Then he shot another two webs to pin his feet to the ground. “Are you serious? This better not have come out of you.” Tony said, glancing at him then his hand.

“Really, I gotta go.” He said, tensing as he looked at Captain America, waiting for any kind of motion but Cap just raised his hands in peace. “I’m sorry.” Peter continued. 

“We’re not going to force you into anything. We’re just trying to figure out whose side you’re on. You’ve been making waves.” Cap offered, still making no signs of approaching him. “You can talk to us.” He offered in a calm tone.

“Yours. I promise. But I can’t get involved.” With that, before Cap changed his mind or Iron Man seriously tried to break out of the webs, which Peter had no doubt that he could with a suit that advanced, he shot a web and left. Ignoring the protest in his side, he swung as fast as he could away, only sparing a glance behind him to see that Tony had freed himself, but neither of them made any moves to follow him. Which was good, because Peter was pretty much at his limit after that fight and knew he couldn’t take them if they seriously tried to capture him. He had only escaped because they let him, which was both a reassuring and scary thought.

Eventually he managed to get back to his apartment after a few detours to make sure he wasn’t followed, and changed and hid out in his room.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands flew up to his head as he just stared ahead, his mind racing a millions miles an hour as his anxiety started to creep up. 

While he knew it wasn’t like he could be a masked vigilante without drawing attention, and he knew it was bound to reach the level of important people eventually, he had really hoped it would not be this soon. He was just trying to help the people he could, and graduate from high school. He wasn’t looking to get involved with a team that reached international news for what happened with Ultron. He could barely keep his identity a secret from his aunt and his crush, and he knew the second more people out who he was, the more they would end up being in danger. 

But this was probably all over now. The Avengers were now interested in him, and he knew he couldn’t avoid them forever. They were definitely the good guys, but he was barely 15. If he was honest with himself, it was because he was scared. Scared of his family and friends getting hurt because of him. Scared of being forced to stop being Spiderman. Scared of the fact he may end up disappointing his heroes if they actually got to know him. 

Taking a deep breath he went to go take a shower, knowing he needed the water to calm him down. His new normal felt like it just showered and all he could do right now was take a shower and hope his bad luck would leave him alone just this once.

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you for reading! If you’re interested in the full story feel free to check it out HERE

[elysiashelby]

In Another World - T. Shelby Imagine Ch. 5

Paring: (Eventual) Thomas Shelby x Aliena Welsh (OC)

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Word Count: 5, 835

WARNINGS: Cursing

Summary: Aliena Welsh has been living in the universe of the show Peaky Blinders for a year, and the time has come for the show to start. But how will this affect her and Thomas’ relationship?

MASTERLIST  CHAPTER 4  CHAPTER 5.2

A/N: So, there was supposed to be chapters before this one, but because I have such a hard time writing Aliena’s character into the show, I decided that those extra chapter will come after I finish S1! The first line break will indicate spoilers for those chapters, so skip to the second one, if you want to avoid reading what’s gonna happen.  

“Tommy! Tommy!” A man yelled from outside.

I was jolted from me sleep, and me body sprang forward. I wasn’t the only one who had this reaction. Tommy ‘n I both sprang up. We looked at each for a second before he leaned over me body and looked out the window. 

Tommy let out a little sigh of relief. “It’s just Curly.” He yanked the blankets off of himself. 

Meanwhile, I was busy rubbing the sleep out of me eyes. “Why would he be here at night? Did you get a new horse, Tom?”

He was busy getting his work pants on. “No. It should be about a delivery that was supposed to come in.”

Me ears perked up. “A delivery?” I leaned closer to him, practically leaning over his shoulder.

Tommy was putting on his shoes. “Yeah. I made a deal with a guy in London. Wanted motorcycles.” 

I widened me eyes in shock. 

‘The show is beginning…’

Just as Tommy was rising to his feet, I grabbed his arm. 

His eyebrows furrowed then his hand stroked me face. “What’s wrong?” He asked.

I kept looking side to side. I was trying to come up with a proper excuse. I was brought out of me trance when Tommy placed down his other hand on me face and tugged me to look at him. 

“Oi, Ali! What’s wrong?”

I huffed, closing me eyes shut before opening them. “Guns.” I said with a shrug. “Guns not motorcycles.” 

Tommy blinked his eyes a bunch of times before he shook his head with a dismissive scoff. “No, Aliena, it’s a shipment of motorcycles. Go back to sleep. I’ll be back.” 

I rolled me eyes, shoving off his lingering hand on me face. I hummed. “Yeah, you’ll see. If you wanna talk ‘bout it when you come back, just wake me up. I don’t mind.” I turned 'round and laid back down.

“Right...” The bed springs sang as he stood up. I heard the door close rather than saw it. It took some time, but I went back to sleep. 

“Aliena, wake up! Wake up, right now!” Tommy yelled as he shook me. He held me up by me arms.

Me eyes were squinted as I was trying to find the strength to open them. “Wha?”

“How did you-? No…” He muttered something before he began to speak again, “What’s a TV show? Explain to me how you knew about the guns.” 

I chuckled with a smile on me face. I couldn’t help it. “Can you think about letting me go first? You’re soaking wet, by the way.” He let me go but the crazed look on his face never went away.

“Explain.”

I nodded. I started to climb out of the bed. “A TV show is like a series of movie pictures.” I stood on me feet, reached up, and carefully took off his cap. Tommy was just staring down at me.

“Except they’re shorter and meant to tell the same story in this case, at least.” I slipped off his drenched coat, never looking away from his gaze.

“A TV show has episodes and sometimes if it’s successful, or they were highly popular- they would have a season. A season or sometimes called a series, they both mean a collection of episodes.” I turned around and went to hang his coat on a chair.

“So, you’re telling me that me and my family had something like that. In what, your world?” He scoffed to himself. A hand raised to his mouth, going over his bottom lip. 

I turned back to him. I knew I had a grave look on me face. I tried to look stern as I replied. “Yes.” 

He shook his head while pursing his lips. “No.” He muttered.

I sighed, looking down at me hands while trying to pick out the non-existent dirt from under them. “Try not to think of it like that.” I rushed to him and cradled his face in me hands. “Think of me as Gypsy kin like you said. I can see into the future, that’s all. I have dreams. I hear spirits.” 

Tommy chucked humorlessly and looked up while his tongue poked out to quickly lick his bottom lip. He tsked as he brought his head back down while nodding. “Right.”

“I don’t know what else to say.” I laughed nervously while looking away. I never took me hands from his face. 

Tommy sniffed before saying. “We keep this between us. You can’t tell anyone else. They’ll lose their minds, or think you’ve lost yours. I have questions. Can you answer them?”

I, finally, put me arms down. I shrugged. “Don’t know. It would depend. But you can give it a shot.”

Tommy sat down, so I scurried to do the same. 

“The guns that just came. Would I be-! No. … Is it safe to keep them?” He asked.

I furrowed me eyebrows as I scoffed. “Tommy, it’s common sense that it’s not safe to keep ‘em.”

He sighed. “Not like that. Would it be a stepping stone to the family business?”

I thought about it. “Yes.” I jumped as I had a thought. “I got it. I’m not giving you any details, so form your questions into ones that can be answered by ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”

Tommy leaned forward, spread out his knees a bit, then rested his elbows on his knees while his hands held up his head. 

There was silence for a while. I managed to keep sane as I fiddled with me hands. Tried cracking them all.

Tommy cleared his throat. “Very soon, I’m going to take a horse down to Garrison courts. There’s a rumor that a Chinese girl there is a witch. I’m gonna pay her to do the powder trick. Does it pay off?”

I whispered. “Yes.” 

Without any warning, he stood up and walked to the door. Before he left, he said. “Go on back to sleep.” He closed the door behind him.

I was staring at the door long after he was gone. The room was oddly colder than before. I ran out of Tommy’s room and went into me own. I didn’t go back to sleep. I just drew until it was time for me to go to work.

It’s been a year since I magically appeared in the universe of Peaky Blinders. It’s been a wild ride. Me birthday here was celebrated with the Shelby’s and me girlfriends. Polly got me paints and pencils for me drawings. Ada’s present had to be given to me at night since it was lingerie. She said it was because I would have a fella of me own anytime now.

‘Yeah, right!’

Arthur was so sweet and bought me canvases. Only to find out it was because John had bought me paints, who was beaten to the punch by Polly. They told me after that they planned on giving me two pound each if I didn’t like the present. 

I had to get me present from Tommy the day after me birthday. He walked with me a little ways out of Small Heath, where there was a lone tree in a field. I could see it now. I remember clasping me hands over me mouth. Me tears wasting no time to flow down me face. I ran to it and started tracing the lettering engraved into headstone that was there under it. 

I talked about it in passing. I never expected for him to get it done for me. I told him that I wanted a headstone for me ma’. I would never see her again, so I wanted somewhere where I could grieve me loss. He gave me that. I sobbed into his arms so much that day.

It sucked going over to the Ritz after that. I was supposed to still be having fun which I was, but me eyes stung. Angelica gifted me expensive dresses she thought I would like, and I did. Christiana gave me hair accessories which I appreciated. Cassie gave me a pearl necklace. I cried again. It was me da’s birthstone. It was like I got them back for a day. 

Despite me joy for having a place for me ma’ and carrying a piece of me da’ around, I think it made me depression worse. After all, me ma’s birthday was in February. The guns were found a week before me ma’s birthday. 

On that day, I had Freddie drive me to Blackpool beach. I had me a good ‘ol breakdown at there, then I went back home. I didn’t explain it to Freddie, but I think he understood. He must have known that I was grieving.

I locked meself in me room and got bladdered. I stole a bottle of whiskey and almost drank it all. I should have known that Tommy would catch me. He decided to babysit me, and made sure I scarfed down some bread and drank water before I went to sleep. I made him talk to me, though. I made him talk to me ‘til I fell asleep.

Work was hell the next day. I wasn’t hungover, but I had a good headache. Had a cob on the whole day, but I had to keep a lid on it. It’s hard dealing with people who control your salary the whole day ‘cause if ya piss them off— they can easily dock your pay. 

Mrs. Davies down at the bakery and Mrs. Aitken down at the flower shop loved pinching me cheeks. It was nice at first, but then they started fucking doing it harder and harder every time I came in.

Anyway, the first season starts today since Tommy told me in the morning that he’s taking Monaghan Boy down to Garrison courts. 

‘Let me tell you, I am not happy that I’m gonna have to deal with Grace fucking Burgess. I do not want to see Thomas Shelby fall in love! In front of me face! It’s torture! As if I’m not already depressed. I have enough baggage all on me own, sir!’

I stopped sweeping the floor and pinched the bridge of me nose. This is how fucking gutted I am! I exhaled slowly before I decided to stop worrying ‘bout the inevitable and focus on me work. 

“Finn?” That was Tommy.

Me mind instantly connected the dots and I ran to the parlor. I got there just in time as he picked up Finn’s discarded ciggie. 

“Finn Shelby, what in the ‘ell are you doing smoking? Stop smirking, Tom. Arthur wants you.” I took the ciggie out of hand and pushed him aside. 

“Sorry, bud. You’re on your own.” Tommy lightly brushed the back of his cap on Finn’s face as he left. 

Finn looked up at me. I shook me head. I crouched down to meet his gaze. 

“What have I told you abar these horrid things? Huh, Finn! Just ‘cause your brothers smoke doesn’t mean you hafta.” I stubbed out the ciggie and left it in the dish. 

“But it’s no fun being the only one who doesn’t do it. They don’t have anyone yelling at them.” He said with a pout.

I huffed, feeling annoyed. “That’s not true. I nag Tommy all the time.” I crossed me arms.

“Liar! I’ve never seen it!” 

“Yeah ‘cause then he wouldn’t be able to face ya, so I have to scold him in secret. So, don’t tell ‘em I told you about it.” I ran me hand over his hair, smoothing it out. “I catch you with one of these again ‘n I’ll smack you upside the head. I promise.” 

“No, you won’t.” 

“I bloody will!” 

Suddenly, there was a shout that caught our attention and I flew to me feet. 

“I'm calling a family council tonight at 8:00. I want all of us there. You hear me? There's trouble coming.” Arthur yelled as Tommy stormed off. 

Arthur and I made eye contact ‘n we just nodded at each other. I walked around the table and shut the door to the betting shop. I dusted off me hands then turned me attention back to Finn. 

“Go on then, la. It’s your free day.” I walked back into the living room where I had to finish sweeping. 

Finn followed after me. He sat in one of the two chairs. 

“Aliena,” He said. “when I grow older, you’ll be my wife, right?”

I froze at the question, or was it a statement? I giggled. 

‘Does little Finn have a crush on me?’

I stopped laughing and asked. “What are you on abar, Finn?”

“I don’t know. I figured that when I grow up, you’ll marry me.”

I began to giggle again. “Finn Shelby, you won’t even propose to me. Just expect it of me, eh? Well, I’ll make you a deal. If I’m still single by the time I’m 30, I’ll marry you.”

Finn jumped off the chair and rushed over to me. I had to crouch again to meet his eyes.

“You promised, Ali! You can’t take it back!” His smile was so big and adorable. It made me heart melt. 

‘I can’t believe that me first love confession is from a 10 almost 11 year old. Just me luck!’

“Now you take me promises seriously, huh? Yes, I promise. Now, run along. I still need to work out some errands, and I can’t have you bugging me.” I shoved him toward the door, and I didn’t pay attention to where he ran off to. 

True to me word, I got done with the sweeping then went on to finish me errands. Mrs. Davies’ pinch was slightly less harder than Mrs. Aitken’s today, and thank the Lord for it! 

‘I swear one of these days these ladies are gonna leave me with bruises!’

I had to run to the house ‘cause Mrs. Davies was chatting me up for so long. When I got there, Polly and John were walking in at the same time. They noticed me. 

“Aliena, how come you aren’t in the house already?” Polly asked me. 

I had to run a few more steps before I was caught up with them. “Mrs. Davies was chatting me up again. Wouldn’t let me leave ‘til I finally made up an excuse.” I was clutching me side since it had cramped up a little. 

‘I’m getting better at running. Which is good since I’m, well, maybe used to be an asthmatic. I don’t even need glasses to see far away anymore!’

“Well, shit. Looks like when the meetings over, we’ll have to fucking hussle to make dinner.” 

John opened the door for us and we walked in first. We walked into the betting room where Finn was standing by the door of. 

Polly and I walked on ahead. 

John said to Finn, “Sorry, little man. Maybe when you’re older.”

Arthur clapped his hands before shouting. “You’re all late. Why the-!”

“Yeah and we’re here now. Let’s get on with it.” Polly interrupted while taking off her coat and taking a seat. 

John took a seat and I leaned on a beam next to him. Me eyes naturally drifted over to Tommy’s direction. He had a ciggie burning. 

‘I swear this man! Well, baby steps.’

I’m fucking tellin’ a blag to meself, but at least I got him off the opium. He’s not drinking or smoking any less, though. 

‘I’ll give him one year. On December 3rd when the season is over, I’ll get to him. By all that’s holy, I’ll be bugging him abar his smoking!’

I think he felt me glare ‘cause he looked straight at me. I knew I was caught, but I wasn’t flustered. I glared at the ciggie by his side then back up at him. 

The little fucker just smirked and raised it to his lips. 

I rolled me eyes and looked to Arthur who was about to start the meeting. 

“Right! I've called this family meeting because I've got some very important news. Scudboat and Lovelock got back from Belfast last night. They were buying a stallion to cover their mares. They were in a pub on the Shankhill Road yesterday, and in that pub there was a copper. Handing out these.” Arthur said as he passed one to Ada then the rest of the pile to Lovelock.

Ada passed it onto John who read it aloud. “If you're over five feet and can fight, come to Birmingham." John passed it to Polly.

“They're recruiting Protestant Irishmen to come over here as Specials.” Arthur told us.

“To do what?” Ada asked.

“To clean up the city, Ada.” Tommy answered. “He's a Chief Inspector. The last four years, he's been clearing the IRA out of Belfast.”

I bit me lip as I knew that the tension in ‘ere would start to rise.

Arthur asked, quite agitated- might I add. “How do you know so bloody much?”

“'Cause I asked the coppers on our payroll.”

“And why didn't you tell me?”

“I'm telling you.”

Arthur took a swing out of his flask. I’m not equipped to handle stressful environments within friendly prescenes. So, I was making dumb faces in the corner. Like meme worthy faces. I literally did a tight lipped smile, that “white people” meme smile. I sported that smile with me eyebrows raised while widening me eyes, and looking away to the corner where no one stood.

“So, why are they sending him to Birmingham?” Polly asked with a magnifying glass in her hand.

“Well, there's been all these bloody strikes at the BSA. And the Austin works, lately. Now the papers are talking about sedition. And revolution. I reckon it's communists he's after.” Tommy said. 

But I noticed that when he said the comment about the communists, it got a reaction out of Ada.

“So this copper's gonna leave us alone, right?” 

“There are Irishmen in Green Lanes who left Belfast to get away from him. They say Catholic men who crossed him used to disappear in the night.”

“Yeah, but we ain't IRA.” John said. The attention turning on him. “We bloody fought for the King. Anyway, we're Peaky Blinders. We're not scared of coppers.”

“He’s right.” Arthur said.

Then, John delivered that famous line. “If they come for us, we'll cut them a smile each.” 

Let me just say, I had to hide me smirk. It was crazy how I felt pride when he said that.

“So, Arthur. Is that it?” Thomas asked. He looked unimpressed. 

“What do you think, Aunt Pol?” Arthur completely dismissed Tommy. 

Polly looked over at Thomas. I knew she knew that Tommy was up to something. I just hoped she never suspected I knew anything abar it too.

“This family does everything open. You've nothing more to say to this meeting, Thomas?”

“No. Nothing that's women's business.”

“This whole bloody enterprise was women's business while you boys were away at war. What's changed?”

“We came back.” 

Polly said or did anything after that. I was expecting a judgemental hum, at least! 

“Right! This concludes the family meeting!” Arthur announced. 

Polly stood straight up, her chair scraping the wood floor. “Come on, Aliena. We need to hurry up with dinner.” 

I followed her into the kitchen.

After dinner, I noticed that Polly had pulled Tommy aside as I was taking everyone’s dirty dishes to be washed. Not a minute later, Tommy came up to me.

He cleared his throat, his hand reaching for a ciggie. 

“Reach for it now and I may just throw this cuppa water at you.” I said with a teasing smile.

“Don’t know why. You know I’ll smoke it the minute I’ll leave your sight.” 

I blew raspberries at him.

“Well, Polly asked me to join her in church. So, it’s best if you sleep in your room tonight. I’ll probably be working ‘til late morning anyway. Okay?” He was looking at me with such expecting eyes. I noticed that he always wanted a definitive answer from me, hardly ever accepting me nods. 

“Yeah. Got it.”

“Good.” The second our conversation was over, he reached for a ciggie again. I paid it no mind this time and focused on getting the dishes done. 

The next morning, I got up abar an hour earlier. I was almost tempted to go back to sleep, but instead I crawled out of bed and took out the suitcase that hid under me bed. I unlocked the one that had an assortment of items, and took out me locked diary. 

I still don’t know why I was given a suitcase full of miscellaneous item, but I knew they would come in handy someday.

When I first came here and I couldn’t sleep, I took the liberty of writing out what I could remember from each episode. I knew it would benefit me!

I wrote, ‘After Thomas and Polly talk, the scene shifts to Grace coming into town. She gets the job. Then, Arthur gets captured by Campbell and gets roughed up badly. Tommy goes to the Garrison where he meets Grace. He comes back to the house and-’

Simultaneously, I shut me eyes and shut the book. I heaved a big sigh. 

‘Tommy will meet Grace today. “Are you a whore?” The gobshite! He’ll probably start distancing himself from me.’

I sighed again. When I gathered me pride, I got up and decided to have an early start on the day. I won’t allow Thomas Shelby to write me off from his life like that. 

‘I don’t care if the little fucker sees me like a little sister. I’d still be special to him and that’s all that counts. He stands between me and the whorehouse, in me opinion.’  

I did me hair in a bun, as always, but I choose a maroon button-up shirt and a green midi length skirt. Look, the skirt came to about the middle of me legs, alright? Then, I made breakfast. Polly wasn’t up yet which was absolutely weird for me! I didn’t know if she was out doing something, or something.

When I was done eating, I got me coat ‘n headed out the door. Men greeted me and moved out of me way like always. When I got to John’s door, I was troubled. The kids weren’t used to seeing me this early neither was John. I didn’t want to exactly intrude, but I also wanted to get some stuff out of the way, so I could see the scene where Arthur comes home after he gets beat up. 

So with that in mind, I unlocked the door to John’s flat. I immediately started cooking breakfast. When seven rolled ‘round, footsteps came pattering down. A head peaked from ‘round the corner and it was Katie.

“Ailena?” She asked. “Why are you here so early?” 

I smiled at her. “I just missed youse. That’s all.”

She scoffed with a smile. “It’s only been a day.” She took a seat.

I got up from the chair I was sitting on ‘n poured her some juice. “A day can feel like an eternity.” 

We had some time to talk before John came down. He was definitely surprised, but happily took the breakfast I made him and left to the shop. Once he left, I went to get the other kids up. I had them all dressed and “in school” by 9 am.  

They moaned and groaned abar having to be taught by me, but they would learn it’s for their own benefit in the future. By the way, the only one who was civil was Katie and John Jr.. But that was because I just read ‘em books— so he had nothing to fuss abar. When it hit 10:30, I said me goodbyes and told them to stay safe. 

I rushed back home where I found Finn smoking. I kept me promise and smacked him upside the head. Told ‘em it was time for school ‘n he ran off to get his stuff. He was getting better. Already getting closer to reading in his grade level. 

See ever since I took up the job to be their teacher, I’ve gone to sleep later. It was around 3 in the morning when I was by meself and 12 when Tommy decided he needed sleep. Any other time I would have to hassle him to sleep. His sleep schedule was a mess, but no matter what- he always got up at 5:30 or 6. 5:30 is with sleep while the latter is without.

When I was by meself, I would stay up making the lessons. 

It would be critical thinking problems that you’d get back in the 2000s. Stuff that I was asked. For math, it ranged from each kid. Katie was on percentages and long division, Ilsa and Finn were on multiplication and division and the adding and subtracting of long numbers, while Robbie was barely learning how to add and subtract. John Jr. was learning how to count to 100. 

It was almost 12 when Arthur pounded at the front door. I had abandoned Finn and ran to tell Tommy, who was in his office in the shop. 

I opened the door without knocking which caused him to look up at me. 

“It’s Arthur.” I said, almost breathless. 

His eyes widened and he instantly got up and rushed past me. I followed after him. We both went to the parlor where Polly was looking after him, working on wrapping up his hand. Tommy took one look at his face then ran out. 

‘Grace.’ I thought. 

“Ali, heat up a kettle of water, will you?” Ada told me.

I nodded. I went into the kitchen, filled the kettle with water, and heated it up. 

“Here ya go, Ada.” I said once it was done.

She took it and set it aside while I walked over to John who was leaning on the doorway. I took on the left since he was on the right. 

“John, wipe the blood out of his eye.”

“Since when did you give orders?”

“I'm a trained nurse.”

John and I both had these smirks on our faces while Arthur scoffed.

“Don't make me laugh.” Arthur said. “It hurts me face.”

“I bloody am.”

“You went to one first aid class in the church hall and got thrown out for giggling.” John said.

“Not before I learned how to stop somebody from choking.”

“I'm not bloody choking, am I?” Arthur said.

“You will be when I wrap this cloth ‘round your neck.” Ada said while pouring the water into a pan. The door opened and in walked Tommy with a bottle of rum.

I couldn’t stop the chuckle that came from me throat. John and I looked at each other, still having similar smiles.

“Let me see him.” He walked ‘round to Arthur with a ciggie hanging from his lips. He inspected his face before giving ‘em the bottle of alcohol. “All right, have this.”

Arthur took one swing before putting it back down with a groan. Tommy wrang the cloth of its excess water. “Give me that.” He said, pouring some of the bottle into the cloth before pressing it against Arthur’s face.

He inhaled sharply in pain. 

“You’re all right.” Tommy said, trying to soothe him. Both of his hands cradling his brother’s face.

But Arthur clasped his hand around one of Tommy’s arms. “He said Mr Churchill sent him to Birmingham. National interest, he said. Something about a robbery.”

Tommy backed away from him. Almost visibly upset, if you knew how to read him. I didn’t miss the pointed stare Polly gave ‘em either. 

“He said he wants us to help him.”

John interrupted. “We don’t help coppers.”

“He knew all about our war records. He said we're patriots. Like him.” 

I scoffed to meself since I knew the truth. ‘Fucking bastard! Didn’t even fight in the war.’

“Wants us to be his eyes and ears. I said-!” Then, he groaned in pain. Polly sh-ing him up as she bandaged his hands. “I said we'd have a family meeting, take a vote.”

Tommy said nothing. Just kept staring off. Now that the show was starting, it was so much easier to read him. It was obvious to me that he was rattled, but I’m sure to the rest of the family it looked like he couldn’t have been bothered.

“Well, why not? Hmm? We've no truck with Fenians or communists.” 

Tommy kept his mouth shut again. He was looking over at Polly and then at me. He exhaled audibly before Arthur started up again.

“What's wrong with you? What the fuck is wrong with him lately?” He turned to Polly.

She said. “If I knew, I'd buy the cure from Compton's chemists. Ali, come help me clean his face up.”

I stood straight. Tommy and I shared a glance before I looked away and took the cloth that had been discarded onto the table into me hands. I barely touched his face with it and he fuckin’ hissed.

It was the dead of night. I was busy correcting past homework that I had given to the kids. I was on Finn’s math when I heard Tommy’s door open and then close.  If I remember correctly, he was supposed to use his pipe to go to sleep tonight. 

That worry alone motivated me enough to finish up Finn’s paper faster. 

‘The bastard is stubborn. No, all men of this age doesn’t like asking for help. Especially the help of a woman.’

I exhaled with puffed cheeks as I marked Finn’s last problem. I hurried out of me chair and to Tommy’s room. Me robe whipped around me. When I opened the door, he had a fire lit and was rolling out his pipe. 

He looked at me. No emotion shown. I was mad. I was-!

‘I didn’t think as I marched up to him. I didn’t slap him, but I slammed me hand down on the light he had lit.’ 

No, that was just an intrusive thought. I really wanted to do it, though.

I walked up the light and blew it out. “You’re not doing this. You have me.”

“I did this because I don’t want you.” Despite saying that, he rerolled up his pipe and set it down on the nightstand.

“I outta break that thing, you know. Just chuck it into the fire downstairs.”

He whipped his head up at me and he glared. 

It made me shiver and not in a good way. Reflexively, I glared back. “Don’t try intimidating me, Thomas. Not tonight. You want to sleep. Let’s do it my way as agreed. Because you have fallen asleep my way and you were the one who set up-!”

“Yeah! Okay, I got it.” Very childishly, he laid down with his arms crossed above his eyes. 

I sighed. ‘I should probably ask him about the shovels. If he still hears them with me.’ 

So, I did. 

“Tommy, do you still hear the shovels? Even when I’m here… with you?” 

He stiffened. Then, he dropped his arms. He looked up at the ceiling with his jaw clenched. He tsked, closing his eyes. “No. I don’t hear them.” 

“Do you still dream abar them?” Me throat burned as did me face. 

“Yes. But not as often anymore.” His tone was so sad.  

“Then, why were you-?”

“Because. I shouldn’t be relying on you, a girl who’s not my family, to get me sleep at night. One day we’ll have to go our separate ways. It’s only right that you find yourself a good man and you can’t sleep with me then, now, can you?” He looked at me. The look on his face was sharp. 

‘It’s like he’s breaking up with me.’ I laughed at the thought.

“You don’t have to worry abar that. I’m not gonna find meself a good man anytime soon.”

“You don’t-!”

“I do! So, let it go and let me help you. You’re a good man, Tom. I don’t want to see you suffer. Especially when all you want is to do is get a good night’s rest.” I stopped fiddling with me hands and dropped them to me sides. 

‘He wouldn’t know that there was a warning lying ‘round me words. That he was gonna be suffering more. Soon, he’d have to orchestrate Danny’s fake death. Then, everything else.’

“Fine.” He said. 

I took off me robe, climbed over him, and laid beside him. I bit me lip before deciding to speak. “Lay lower than me. Don’t question it, just do it.” 

He sighed and did as I said. I scooted meself up then closer to ‘em. “Lift your head.” He did it and I extended me arm under his neck. “Face me.” He did it. His head near me chest. With me free hand, I brought it up to his face and began to stroke his cheek and run me fingers through his hair. 

I whispered things to him like, “You’re safe now,” “You’re home,” “Nothing’s gonna hurt you,” and “It’s okay to fall asleep.” 

And he fell asleep. He fell asleep fast. I, on the other hand, didn’t. I was too hyper aware of his body being so close to mine. This was the first time I’ve ever held a person of the opposite sex. It surprised me that this even worked! 

But, like I said, I didn’t fall asleep fast like he did and sometime during the night, his breathing quickened and his hold on me tightened, by a lot. I figured he was ‘aving the dream abar the tunnels, so I started soothing him again. It took ‘em awhile, but he calmed back down. I couldn’t bloody go to sleep after that, so it took me abar another 30 minutes before I fell asleep.

The next day was calm, nothing noteworthy happened. At night, Tommy told me that I was to head to bed. I asked him why ‘n he said that he was heading to Charlie’s yard. I twitched at the name. I always did when he said that name. After all, it’s me birth name.

The day after that in the midmorning, he ran to me ‘n asked me if his plan to fake Danny’s death would work. I told ‘em yes.

I saw when he came back, visibly disturbed, his head hanging low. I wanted to comfort him but Arthur got to him first. I remembered me place then. I couldn’t comprehend the plot that much. I watched as they had their dispute. I jumped when Tommy closed the book shut and then walked off. 

He grabbed me arm before he left ‘n told me I was sleeping by meself t’night too. I nodded and then he left the shop. 

That night I watched as the snow fell. Me heart felt as if someone was squeezing it through me chest.

Guess me wish wouldn’t come true, afterall.

TAG LIST: @amirahiddleston​ @nemesis729​

[prurientpuddlejumper]

A Punchable Face That I Want to Kiss, Ch. 4

<- Chapter 3 | Chapter 5 ->

Summary: Your not-boyfriend is dead and you might just do something crazy like, I dunno, murder a serial killer. 

2,815 words

Red. 

All you could see was red. It boiled in your veins, it choked your thoughts, and gripped your throat with its skeletal fingers as you tried to sleep at night. It made your hands shake. Your world was swallowed whole by the pigment of blood and you could not escape.

It shouldn’t have been possible to hurt this much. He wasn’t supposed to mean that much to you.

But he did.

He did and you knew it, but admitting it would have given him too much power. You still weren’t even sure why he was stuck so deeply in your heart. He was rude, spoiled, and an idiot, somehow both over- and under-confident at the same time, always grating on the wrong people’s nerves. But beneath all the posturing, there was something soft you wanted to protect at all costs—something you had barely glimpsed and could only infer its shape by the outline of the walls he built around it.

You could never get him out of your head, no matter the time of day or how you distracted yourself. His pull only quieted when you were in the same room, and now that he was gone, he was cannon fire booming ceaselessly through every chamber of your memory. A deafening reverberation of regret. At the end of each day you just wanted to find yourself back in his arms again. He must have known how you felt. But you never told him. You never said it out loud.

He was never supposed to be this important to you. It was just sex.

It shouldn’t hurt this much.

You shouldn’t have been this angry.

For a week or two, you hid it well. The last thing Chilton said to you was don’t get involved. He wanted you to survive, and you wanted honor his last wishes and not die. But the red followed and you could not shake it.

You were the only one mourning for him; there didn't even seem to be a funeral. It was as if he just disappeared and nobody cared. Except you. The world moved on, and everything went back to normal. Nobody faced any consequences for what they did to him.

Chilton had gone to Will for help, and Will called Crawford to arrest him. Crawford was stupid enough to believe another of Hannibal’s frame jobs, stupid enough to let Miriam Lass grab the gun from his holster and fire. Your blood boiled red every time you saw them, and you struggled to contain your fury. But there was only one man who was really to blame. The Chesapeake Ripper. The one who had manipulated the whole situation to make Dr. Chilton take the fall for his crimes and then be swept six feet under.

Hannibal Lecter was still assisting on cases with Jack Crawford, and every time you saw him free, your blood boiled hotter, and hotter, until you came to the only resolution that allowed you to breathe: you were going to kill him.

You should have gone to Chilton’s house the moment you knew he was in trouble, stayed by his side, and fought. You were a coward. You didn’t protect the man you… the man you were sleeping with. The man you promised to protect.

Chilton was dead, and you knew who was responsible. Nobody was doing a thing about it, but you could—like you should have done in the first place.

Hannibal wouldn’t see it coming if you simply walked into his office with a gun and shot him point-blank in the face. You would go to jail, but the problem would be solved. Just like that.

It was smart for anyone involved with FBI investigations, even as a consultant, to own a gun, and so you did, though you’d never used it. You got it out of its safe, and looked at it. It was terrifyingly heavy in your hand. Then you put it back and locked it. Tomorrow.

The plan fermented for what felt like months of sleepless nights, ruminating on just how you would do it, and building up your resolve. Every time you thought, today! you found a reason to put it off. You took the gun out and cleaned it, then put it back. You avoided Hannibal—avoided everyone—because the murderous look in your eyes would be too clear, and you didn’t know who to trust—even Will Graham, who should have been your ally in revenge, seemed to be cozying up to Lecter in a creepy way.

You took the gun out.

It was Valentine’s Day. Romantic movies marathoned mockingly on your TV set, and red hearts and roses flooded the stores and streets as couples held hands in the snow.

Today.

This time you meant it. This time you wouldn’t be a coward.

What were you doing?

Hannibal’s office loomed above you, and you circled the block again. It was suddenly too real. You couldn't kill a person! You didn't want to die! What if you were wrong? What if Will was wrong and you were gullible to believe him and you would be killing an innocent man? No. You’re going to be strong. You can do it.

You took a resolute step up the short stone staircase to the entrance landing. The office was a brick Victorian building in the historic district, next to an old stone cathedral, which gave the whole location a flare of drama. You stepped into the foyer, the ancient wood floors creaking beneath you. You wouldn’t be able to sneak up on anyone in this place, but that wasn’t the plan. He would think you were just here to talk to him.

“Don’t.” The man’s voice so close in your ear made you jump with a startled yelp.

“You’re not a killer,” he whispered. “Even now with that gun in your pocket, you’re undecided. But Hannibal won’t be.”

“Will.”

Emergency lights flashed Danger! Danger! in your head, even as you breathed a sigh of relief that it was him.

“I thought you wanted to stay away from Hannibal Lecter. You were supposed to be the smart one,” he chuckled morbidly. “Though I understand your impulse,” he said, reassuring you that he was here as your friend, not the Ripper’s date. “He killed your lover. Hannibal made it happen as surely as he pulled the trigger himself.”

You stiffened and blushed, but what was the point in stammering out denials? Of course Will would know. Will knew everything. That beautiful brain of his.

“Was it that obvious?” you groaned.

“I don’t think Crawford knows.”

Your lower jaw trembled, teeth chattering together as your knees suddenly went weak. You were finished. You took your hand off the gun and rubbed your eyes with your sleeve to hide the redness. “If you know, then Hannibal must know too,” you grit your teeth to keep your voice steady. “I thought I could just... get the drop on him…”

“I’m going to catch him,” Will stated as a fact.

“Are you?”

He didn’t answer. Something had changed in Will. Part of him was still that innocent puppy who had been your friend, who had made you jealous of his unwavering gaze for Alana, and you hoped that part would win in the end.

“Is Hannibal going to kill me?”

“Don’t give him a reason to,” Will warned with a sort of shrug that was more in his face than his shoulders. He would have told you if you were in immediate danger. You had trusted him when no one else would, and that still bought you some favor, whatever dark place he was in. If he told you trying to kill Hannibal now would only lead to your death, you had to believe him.

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

“What does anyone do? Grieve? Keep going? I promise I will catch him. Don’t do anything rash to get in the way.” With that, he brushed you off and went up to Hannibal’s office for therapy.

A shiver ran up your spine at whatever “therapy” between those two entailed. You turned, and didn’t stop walking until you were home.

It was a miracle Hannibal didn’t kill you. In hindsight, he was probably just as aware of your relationship as Will Graham, and predicted your half-baked vengeance plan from the start. You were spared because he preferred to watch you suffer in impotent rage.

  *****

Crawford pulled you aside, arms crossed, shrugging into the raised lapel of his wool coat against the cold Maryland breeze.

“You need to calm down.”

“I can’t.” Everything was red. “You’re not doing anything about Hannibal, and he murdered Beverly! He murdered… he…”

Crawford could be dense at times, but he was still an FBI agent. The clandestine relationship you had with Frederick Chilton had not, in fact, escaped his notice—at least it became painfully clear when Chilton was shot in the face, and you melted down and became as obsessed with Hannibal Lecter as Will. The people Crawford worked with made his job so fun, sometimes. So fun. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Come with me.”

You climbed into Crawford’s car, and were surprised when he kept driving for two hours. It was starting to feel like a kidnapping. In a different city, he pulled up in front of an extravagantly baroque beachfront hotel and medical spa. It reminded you of those addiction treatment resorts where rich people go when they spend too much of their yacht money on cocaine.

“It is critical to the investigation that this remain secret, but hopefully seeing this will help you get your head back on straight. I need you thinking.”

A glass elevator brought you up to a suite on the 23rd floor. Jack knocked three times on the door, then crossed his arms, and leaned against the wall. “I’ll wait outside,” he said.

Paranoid bolts and locks slid and clicked open one by one, and the door tentatively opened a crack at a time, until a familiar eye and fluffy brown hair neatly styled back appeared in the opening. It took a moment for your brain to believe what your eyes were seeing, but there was no mistake.

Your heart cracked open and rainbows spilled out.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch!” Chilton squealed as you launched yourself into his arms, nearly knocking him off his feet, heedless of the fact that he was probably still injured. His cane went clattering across the hardwood floor.

“You’re alive,” you said. “You’re alive!”

“I am.” Anything sarcastic or clever he meant to say was lost to the smile tugging on his lips, and his hands finding their way around your back, pressing your body against his. An ache he had mistaken for the background misery of his life was soothed, filled like an empty crater.

He was surprised how genuinely happy he was to see you again.

“You’re alive.”

“You’re alive” was all you could manage to repeat like a poorly-programmed robot as you stared at his face, his suit, his posture—it was really him?—as you patted the sides of his face up and down making sure he was corporeal. It was impossible! There was a red scar where the bullet had entered his left cheek, but otherwise he was perfectly fine. You glanced around the room—a spacious luxury suite with leather furniture, an enormous bed, and a panoramic view of the skyline and ocean as purple dusk settled across it. He was the only person you knew who would stay in a place as ostentatious as this.

He was alive all right.

“But you were...”

“You always said my face was ‘punchable.’ Apparently it is also shootable,” he said dryly.

A bark of laughter sprang from your throat. You snaked your hands around the back of his head and purred, “I can think of better things to do with your face...”

Your lips met his in a clash of pent up longing. You wanted to kiss him until the pain of separation was gone forever, until you filled yourself up with so much of him that you would never miss him again. He gasped into your mouth, fingers curling up the back of your neck, through your hair, guiding you to the bed.

Falling on top of him, you pushed him down onto the mattress, lips never leaving the salt of his skin. He smelled like spicy cologne, but his antiseptic hospital smell had worn off. His hands were already busy trying to find their way underneath the hem of your shirt.

“Wait a minute—you let me think you were dead, asshole!”

  *****

He explained the situation while you sat on the large hotel bed in disbelief. Jack Crawford was not ignoring Hannibal Lecter. There was a plan to catch him, but it was dangerous, and worked better if Lecter believed his plan for Chilton to take the blame for the Ripper murders and die was successful.

Chilton was also keen to remain “dead” until Lecter was apprehended, as there was a distinct possibility he might otherwise return to finish the job.

You could understand the need for secrecy, but the fact that you were left out of the plan? You shook your head, clearing away thoughts of rejection. Chilton had been in a coma for a long time, so the initial decision not to inform you wasn’t his, and it wasn’t as though you would have had visitation privileges in the hospital. You weren’t a relative or spouse. You were just his fuck buddy.

It felt as though there was yet another reason he waited until now to let you see him, but you couldn’t place it.

“To be honest,” he added, with a sheepish side-glance, “I didn’t think you would take it so hard.”

  *****

When Jack rapped on the door to signal that it was time to go back home, Frederick lingered with you by the doorway. With a hand on your cheek, his eyes locked on yours, and he instructed gently and firmly, “Do not let Hannibal Lecter kill you.”

“I’ll try.” You cupped his hand under yours, and turned into it, kissing his palm. There was something else important, before you left, “Hey, one more thing. I…” The last time we saw each other, I was pretending that I didn’t care as much as I do. I never got to tell you that I love you, you thought. But you could never tell him that. You weren’t even sure if you were dating. “I missed you.”

You wrapped your arms around him and drew him into a hug. He held you so dearly, leaning his head into the crook of your neck and just breathing.

“Frederick…”

The moment that name tumbled so casually out of your lips, a sigh into his collar, the floor dropped from beneath him and he was falling from a moving airplane toward something deadly or wonderful, or perhaps both.

When your relationship had been strictly professional (and adversarial) you called him by his last name, and the habit hadn’t changed. It was what you were accustomed to calling him.

He never liked being called by his first name, in fact. He preferred Doctor Chilton. He had worked hard to earn that title and the respect it came with. “Frederick” was weak, and the only people who used it did so to demonstrate their lack of deference.

But when you said it, its meaning changed.

His feet couldn't find purchase on solid ground, so he held on to you harder, like his life depended on it.

He looked frightened, reluctant to let you go as you pulled back from the hug. If things went wrong you could end up in Lecter’s refrigerator, so you understood why. “Hey, you know, maybe it would be safer if I stayed here… with you,” you offered meekly.

The well-dressed man stepped back suddenly, stiffening. “You-you can’t stay here—there, there are rules: suites are for patients only,” he backed away and paced nervously as he explained. Then he turned on his heel just as quickly back to you, “But maybe you shouldn’t go back until this over. I can pay for a room at a different hotel, without the fussy restrictions…”

“No, no, never mind,” you hushed him with a tense not-laugh. It was unclear why he was so panicked about you staying, but he was recently shot in the face, so you would give him as much space as he needed.

“It was a silly idea, anyway. I have work. Thank you for the thought.” You pulled him into a goodbye kiss, and went for the door. Before turning the handle, however, you turned around one last time, a broad grin across your face, and practically tackled him into an embrace.

He could tell by your sappy expression what you were about to blurt out.

“Do not say it...”

“You’re alive!” you cheered, and the world felt alive again, too.

[ahsoka-lives]

Iris pt. 3

Part 3 of my Inquisitor!Cal series!!

A/n: I’ve decided on a series name!! Im calling it Iris because thats what fake moon they live on lmao. Thank you sm for all the love on parts one and two, it means so much to me. I will try to keep posting updates frequently for my sake and yours :) also this gif is by @sovahunter​ !!

Warnings: Using the force mildly inappropriately, things get a lil handsy but nothing serious yet.

Word Count: 3k

  The sun was beginning to go down on the moon. There were only a few hours before you were meant to meet with Cal for dinner. You sat in your office in the maintenance hall filling out the completion forms from your appointments. You found yourself taking your time and looking for any way to drag out the time. Maybe you could give him a rain-check, say you got caught up with work? 

Yes, that’s perfect. You wouldn’t be turning him down necessarily, you’d just be postponing so there would no reason for him to be upset or disappointed, right? You nod to yourself and place your papers into your bag. 

“BD-5, are you there?” You say into your comlink. 

“Yes, y/n. What is it?” 

“I’ll be there soon, would you mind getting dinner started? Oh and are you up for a movie tonight BD? My plans have uh, changed.” Your voice becomes quiet as you go on. 

“You are exceedingly predictable, Y/n, I’ve already begun dinner.” 

“I don’t remember programming you to analyze behavior“ You retort as you exit your office.

You giggle and shake your head. Your companion was your closest friend on the base and listened very well when you ranted about your problems, including earlier that day about the Inquisitor. 

The halls of the base were quiet as they usually were at the end of the day. As you neared the training room you came to a halt. What if Cal was in there again? If you run into him, you couldn’t rely on yourself to talk your way out of dinner. BD-5 was to send a note to him explaining that you had too much work to do and couldn’t join him tonight. 

You decide it’d be best to take the long route to the living quarters and avoid the risk. You head toward the building exit, there was a stairwell for the service workers that led to a large bridge that you could access and get to the living quarters without having to pass any officers or Inquisitors. 

The bridge had large windows that overlooked one of the landing pads that held personal ships making easy access for when an emergency calls. The echo of your shoes hitting the smooth concrete filled the bridge, there was a peacefulness that came with the vacancy. The vents allowed for the sounds of the waves crashing to flow inside with the mist of saltwater. 

You pause for a moment and take in the view, only to be interrupted by the whirring of an imperial ship coming down onto the landing pad below you. You were several floors up but the ship still looked massive. It was a newer model of the tie fighter, with nearly transparent wings and more black detailing than silver. Whoever was inside was lucky to have it, or just skilled enough to have earned it. 

Against your better judgment, you decide to wait for the pilot to exit. There was still dust settling around the ship as the cockpit opened. Time seemed to have slowed with your anticipation. 

Inquisitor combat gear head to toe stepped onto the black sand. You stood in awe of the confidence and power that radiated off of the individual standing below you. A helmet covered their face and head as they marched forward toward the pad guards. 

The guards bowed their heads slightly to the Inquisitor before handing them a small holo-communicator. You hadn’t made out what the communicator was showing and your attention was taken from it before you could. A small and familiar BD unit was hopping toward the Inquisitor. 

Then it clicked. 

It was Cal.

Your eyes snapped toward the Inquisitor who had given the communicator back to the guards and began to remove his helmet. Cal turned to face his companion and the two seemed to be having an exchange. 

Cal’s arm abruptly shot out and reached into the empty air. A few seconds later a small cylindrical piece of metal caught in his hand, his saber. He stood completely still for a moment and his head bowed slightly with his eyes closed as if he was saying a prayer but you knew better than to think the man was praying. 

His head tilted slightly and a small smirk crept onto his face. An empty hand rose and gestured toward the cliffs, reaching once more before closing into a fist. His eyes were still shut as his fist raised, reopened, and two fingers gestured in an upward motion directly at you.

You covered your mouth to stifle your gasp, which was useless as it was clear that he knew of your presence. You backed away from the windows and tried to collect yourself. Adrenaline was coursing through your veins, how long had he known you were watching him again? 

Your thoughts were interrupted by something fluttering inside the bridge from a vent. You felt your curiosity pique as it was carried to you by the wind, hovering right in front of you before dropping to the floor. 

Resting in perfect condition at your feet was a flower. 

- 

Cal pulled his helmet back onto his head and looked to the window he sensed you at moments before. He waited a moment before allowing BD-1 to jump onto his place by his shoulder. 

He hoped you liked your gift, he knows you hadn’t seen any of flowers in a long time. Most don’t know of the flora covering the stretches of the land beyond the facility, and for good reason, the fauna was territorial and most are not as prepared to defend themselves. 

He was disappointed in you for canceling dinner but he certainly wasn’t surprised. After all, when he saw you last that morning he had been quite forward with you. He also knew that he couldn’t rely on you to be as forward with him, you were afraid of him. However, he couldn’t help but he enjoy the fear he inspired. But he didn’t want it to be that way for long, his plan was to turn that fear into something else that would be much more enjoyable. 

“What am I going to do about our little stalker, BD?” He was asking himself more than his droid. If you really were busy with work he wouldn’t want to disturb you but he was sure you made it up. Of course, there was no way to tell from the message since your droid spoke in it and the robotic voice held no trace of inconsistency that would indicate a lie. 

Maybe he just had to see for himself.

-

You seemed to have gotten to the elevators before Cal, you’re surprised, to say the least. Upon entering your apartment you immediately head to your room, not wanting to explain the flower or your flustered appearance to your droid. You sigh loudly and look at the flower still in your hand. 

Why was it still in your hand? 

Truthfully, you loved it. You didn’t even know there were flowers on this moon and since it came from him... well let’s just say it felt important. You carefully place it into your bedside table before going to your washroom. You splash the cool water onto your face and calm yourself down. You probably won’t see him until the start of the next work week in two days. 

You pause at the sound of voices coming from behind the two doors blocking you from the main living area. Maybe BD-5 had the television on. You shrug it off and dry your hands before making your way to the kitchen. Once you opened the bedroom door, the voices ceased. 

Your droid appeared in front of you

“Y/n, I told him to wait outside but he insisted on entering. I see what you meant by ‘He has no sense of boundaries!’” BD-5 hurriedly explain.

For a moment you were confused until you remembered 'He has no sense of boundaries’ was something you said to BD-5 about Cal. 

Cal, the Inquisitor who you cancelled dinner plans with. Cal who you just ran from again. Cal who was comfortably sitting on your couch staring at you. Yes, that Cal. 

“ ’No sense of boundaries’ is actually a direct quote from my last performance review.” He chuckled and put his hand on his chest in mock exasperation. “I’m a little hurt, though.” 

You sat there in shock at the Inquisitor sitting in your home as if it was his own, arms stretched, legs relaxed, now in his regular clothing. When did he even have time to change? 

“Oh, you get used to changing quickly when you have less than 60 seconds to be ready for a mission.” He chimed, bringing you out of your thoughts.

“Get out of my head.” You snapped. 

His eyebrows raised and a smirk came over his handsome face. He raised his hand and flicked his wrist. 

You winced expecting something to smack you in the head, only to turn and see BD-5 leaving the two of you. 

“Relax, I don’t want to hurt you” He stood up and took a step toward you. “I was disappointed to hear you can’t be with me tonight so I thought I’d stop by and see you for a few minutes.” He spoke so kindly. 

Your heart swelled at his apparent thoughtfulness and you almost felt bad for telling him you were too busy.

“Th-that’s very sweet of you, Cal.” You stuttered out as you tried to remain as calm as possible. He was just back from some kind of mission and obviously still on high alert. 

“Why are you doing that again? Is there something you don’t want me to know, flower?” He was speaking so gently now, it didn’t match who you saw minutes ago on the platform. 

“Doing what?” You asked, playing dumb once again. It was now that you noticed he had taken several steps toward you and your heart jumped. You nonchalantly turned and walked into the kitchen, knowing he would follow. 

He huffed and rolled his eyes, ‘so that’s is how we’re playing this’, he thought to himself. He followed you into your kitchen where you had put your island between the two of you. 

“Why are you trying to keep your thoughts about me hidden from me? It must be tiring to put all that effort into keeping me out of that pretty little head of yours.” He decided he would play along, that is until he becomes bored. “I haven’t even tried to pry my way in yet, do you think you could keep me out if I did?”

“I-I probably not.” You nearly choked out. His eyes were burning into you now and you felt like you could faint. He was right, it was draining to be tightly wound for so long. 

“Probably?” He scoffed playfully and almost showed you a full smile. “That’s really cute, flower. You know I can take what I want when I want it.” 

Your heart must’ve given out. At first, from the compliment that made your face burn slightly from blushing, then again with his second statement. You knew he could take what he wanted in more ways than one and it made you feel a different kind of weak.

“Why can’t you just ask me what you want to know instead of looking for it in my head?” You were surprised at how brave you were being and there was no turning back now. 

“Will you be honest with me? Or did you want BD-5 to come back in and lie on your behalf?” He thought that would stun you for a moment and he was right. You stood there, eyes opened a little wider, mouth agape, processing his words once again. 

“That’s what I thought. You know, I’m not mad, flower, I’m just disappointed.” He tsked and leaned his back against the counter. “When will you learn that you can’t keep things from me? Or is the better question, How?” 

“H-how?” You could admit, you were scared. But you couldn’t ignore the arousal swelling inside of you from him being so forward. You couldn’t help but think that he was similarly assertive elsewhere. His lips were pinkish red and it looked like there was a small cut on it, maybe from today’s mission. Wondering what they felt like against your skin was probably, no, definitely not what you should have been thinking about but you couldn’t catch the thought from coming forward in your head. 

“Yes, y/n. How will you ever learn?” His voice was low and steady, his eyes still on you only now they looked different. His normal green was tinted lightly with yellow. 

You opened your mouth to question it when his hand raised and his wrist flicked to the side once again. This time you didn’t flinch, instead, you watched in near amazement to see what he did. Only, what he did was not something that called for amazement.

The door to the kitchen slid shut and locked. Your eyebrows raised and you looked at him again, only to find he was now only steps ahead of you. You felt a small panic ensue and start to move to the other side of the island, hoping to make space between the two of you, only to feel two strong hands grip your waist and pull you back. 

You let out a small yelp as you’re set onto the countertop with Cal standing in between your legs. Your breathing is all too heavy as you place a hand on his chest and one on the counter to balance yourself. 

“Is this so bad?” He coos and gently moves a piece of hair from your face. 

“N-no, n-not at all.” You felt frozen in place, unsure of his next move. His eyes still have a light yellow sheen over the iris and you’re just about to ask when his thumb moves to caress your cheek. His hands were soothing but slightly rough,  you assumed from time spent with his saber. Stunned, you stay silent and watch his face for any signs of what he might do next. 

He then gently moves your chin up to make you meet his eyes and moves two fingers to press to your temple. Your body runs cold as the realization hits you. 

“Now, are you going to let me in, or am I letting myself in?” He growled lowly, his other hand on your waist holding you steady. 

You didn’t know what else to do besides, you definitely did not want him poking around in your head so you closed your eyes and tried your best to clear everything out, just like Trilla taught you. But you were no force-sensitive warrior. No, one of those was standing against you with his fingers pressed to your temple. 

He really should commend Trilla for her teaching effort, but he was sure she didn’t tell you that some force users are especially gifted in mind reading. Usually this would hurt whoever was on the receiving end but Cal was better at it than most.

“You need to relax, flower, or it may hurt.” He muttered. 

You felt the idea of letting him in creep forward in your mind and it was all too tempting. Was this a mind trick? Wait, did he say it’d hurt?

Suddenly a soft kiss was pressed to the side of your neck, then another, and another. Your hand pressed into his chest and grabbed his shirt in your fist. He hummed against your neck before his hand left it’s place at your temple. You relaxed for a moment and closed your eyes feeling content, his lips were soft and warm against your skin. You would never expect him to be so gentle. You moved your hand up to his hair as he continued peppering kisses to your neck and slightly exposed shoulder.

And as quickly as it came, the moment left. Your hands were suddenly moved behind your back to support you, only this wasn’t you. Your eyes flew open and a gasp left your mouth as his teeth dug into your neck. Two fingers returned to your temple as he sucked a mark onto your skin, as if to distract from the pressure he was applying to your temple. And distract it did, your mind was left vulnerable and all it took was a light push to open up for him.

He pulled away from your neck to look into your hazy eyes. He read through your many, many thoughts of him as you stared back into his, unable to move. His eyes were now nothing short of golden and it would’ve caused a shocked reaction if you didn’t feel so dazed. Him being in your head felt good, like a spice high.

He hummed again and a small smile formed on his lips. Who knew you could have such inappropriate thoughts of him. Having gotten what he came for, he released his hold on your mind and body. Knowing you would be weak from the high, he moved to support you.

He hooked an arm under your knees and one behind your shoulders. This time, with only the movement of his eyes, the kitchen door slid back open. He carried you to your bed and laid you down, noticing you had fallen asleep in his arms. He stilled for a moment and took note of how you furrowed your brows slightly even in your sleep.

You were so cute.

He pulled the covers over you and placed a kiss to your forehead.

As he turned to leave he felt a pull back toward the bed. Against his deepest wishes, it wasn’t you. It was something in your bedside table. A small part of him thought about respecting your privacy before remembering that he really didn’t care.

Sliding open the drawer, he didn’t know what he was expecting but he felt almost relieved by what he found.

“Good girl.” He muttered before shutting the drawer again and leaving you to dream of him again. 

[amongtheshadowandlight]

In Twilight: Chapter 5 of ?

Chapter Five:  A choice of Regret

The room was...underwhelming.

It was rather bare for a room in a wondrous castle, outfitted with nothing but a simple bed and desk, a lit fireplace to the right of the room. None of the giant paintings she had heard of, a four poster bed and grand wardrobes. It felt like no more than her bedroom back home. |

What caught Ombretta's eyes was the cloaked figure standing by the far side of the room, staring out of the wide window. They slowly approached the figure, a growl escaping Link as they got closer. The cloaked stranger turned around with a small gasp, the only thing showing was the lower part of their face. 

"...Midna?" The stranger asked, the light voice sounding familiar to Ombretta, as if she knew them or rather her.

"You remember my name?" Midna giggled out. "What an honor for me."

The cloaked stranger looked down, "So, this is the one whom you were searching."

"He's not exactly what I had in mind....but he'll do. And then some."

The stranger looked back up and towards Ombretta, who shifted slightly in her spot. The gaze bored into her deeply. "How strange..."

Why is everyone saying that towards me?

She finally moved her gaze away, lowering herself to Link's level, in what Ombretta could only think was to get a closer look. "You were imprisoned?"

"Both of us were." Ombretta finally spoke up, lowering herself to their level as well, holding out her still cuffed wrist in view, hiding the grimace of the metal rubbing into her skin uncomfortably.

"I am sorry."

"Poor things." Midna cooed. "They have no idea where this is or what's happened. So, don't you think you should explain to them what you managed to do...?" Midna leaned back slightly in a stretch. "You owe them that much...Twilight Princess."

The stranger shrunk her shoulders slightly, almost like she was carrying a weight on top of them. "Listen carefully...this was once the place where the power of the gods was said to slumber. This was once the Kingdom of Hyrule. But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king that rules the twilight...it has been turned into a world of shadows, ruled by creatures that stun the light..."

It was quick. Quicker than anything that has been dealt with before. How quickly the shadowing fog filled the room, the light blotching out instantly. Hearts pounding as seconds dragged on, guards standing in formation, waiting on what, no one knew.

The chaos was swift to follow. Monsters of a grotesque form came from the fog, their screeches deafening to all who could hear it. The guards' cries added to the mix as they ran to them, to their duty of protection, not only for the crown, but all of Hyrule. But the fighting was in vain.

The noise ceased almost nothing, but just as deafening as bodies laid shrewd about, some struggling to move as others stayed still as stone. A sight hard to stomach, looking at the little guards left, looking for more of the assault to come. But all that came was the sound of footsteps. Footsteps of a man who gave no regard to what he had accomplished to do, what he had already destroyed. The room was at a standstill, no movement was made, as if every muscle was frozen. Then came a voice, a voice that carried out a single question, a question that brought our lives to it's knees.

"It is time for you to choose: Surrender or die."

Ombretta could do nothing but lower her head, her gazing falling to the ground. Her heart became heavy as the words floated around her, she couldn’t even imagine being left with such a decision.

"Twilight covered Hyrule like a shroud, and without the light, the people became as spirits." She continued, making Ombretta shoot her head straight back up. "Within the twilight, they live on. Unaware they have passed on into spirit forms. All the people know now is fear...fear of an nameless evil."

The stranger, now standing straight once again, turned from the window to back towards them, "the Kingdom succumbed to twilight, but I remain it's princess..." The hood was lowered, the familiar voice now matching a face. "I am Zelda."

Ombretta hastily lowered her head back into a bow.

"You don't have to look so sad!" Midna cried out, making Ombretta widen her eyes as the casualty of Midna's being. "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?"

"Midna, this is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been searching far and wide for you. Why is this?"

Midna jumped off Link's back, floating in midair as she turned her back on the princess, shrugging her shoulders. "Why indeed, you tell me."

"Wait! Your Highness!" Ombretta stood straight, taking a step forward. "My cousin, Pendrick. He's a knight. Is he one of the ones that...?"

Princess Zelda shook her head. "I couldn't tell you, I have no means of looking at the records, if they were even in order right now."

Ombretta nodded her head and stepped back, her hands wrapping around her forearms. She didn't like that answer. An answer that burrowed itself into the pits of her stomach, churring it ruthlessly.

"Time has grown short. The guard will soon make his rounds. You must leave here. Quickly."

Midna plopped herself back onto Link's back, looking towards the door. "Come on then!" Pulling on Link's ear, she forced Link to turn, heading out the door. Giving the Princess a slight bow, she followed them, bouncing down the stairs. Her hands flew to the wall to steady herself as she skidded to a stop as they heard a door opening, barely stopping herself from stepping on Link.

"Not that way! The guard's coming, boy...he's prompt!" Midna looked around before pointing to the opening they came in before. "There!"

Ombretta waited for Link to get up to the opening that led them outside of the castle, before jumping up herself, following Link in a slow stroll as she watched Midna float off ahead of them, bouncing towards the end of the roof. Giving Link a slight shrug, Ombretta jumped down onto the roof and walked to where Midna was, the rain already beginning to soak through her clothes.

"Well, I guess a promise is a promise, so I'll take you back to where you first tumbled into the twilight...but, are you sure that you should be going back? Aren't you forgetting anything important?"

Ombretta watched in horror as Midna spun around, her form changing into the likeness of both Colin and Ilia, the yells of terror sending Ombretta's stomach down to her knees. "What happened to them!?"

"You want to save them right?" Midna asked, still in Ilia's form. "Well, in that case, little Midna will be happy to help you! But, you'd have to be my servant, and like my servant, you'll have to do exactly as I say!"

"Like hell!" Ombretta cried, her fists clenched at her sides. "I don't know about Link, but I'm not going to be your servant! We barely know you!"

"Well, why don't you two go back, take some time and give it some thought."

"Wait-!" Ombretta barely got more out as she felt her body break apart bit by bit, vision going blurry, nothing but swirls of colour.

The swirling finally stopped as she felt her body getting put back together, the yellow and black covered stone was now the clear sky of the Spirit spring. She fell back into the water, her legs being without any feeling. She could feel the water seep into her already soaked clothing, but ignored the chill it was giving her as she looked around the spring, her gaze eventually landing on Link, who was standing next to her, a quiet whine escaping him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, Link." Ombretta scratched behind his ear lightly. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Oh! That's right. I forgot to mention something.."

Ombretta slowly rose on shaky legs as she looked around the spring, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Though you left the darkened realm, you haven't transformed back into your former self and won't anytime soon! Now, why could that be?" The laughter felt like a slap to the face, a scowl appearing on Ombretta's face as she looked down at Link, who looked just as annoyed as she did. "See you later!"

"Well...." Ombretta spoke up after a few moments of silence. "That sucks for you, huh?"

Link huffed.

"I don't know what that means, but don't give me it." With a small sigh, Ombretta rubbed her forehead lightly. "Genuinely don't know what to do now- hey! Where are you going?" She swiftly bounded up to Link, who was walking out of the gate, but stopped at the oh-so-familiar voice speaking up again;

"So, now what?"

Ombretta jumped back as she watched Link's shadow come out from under him, the shadow forming into Midna. Oh, so that's where she went.

"Did you think I'd disappeared?" She asked. "Listen, there was another thing I forgot to tell you. Don't you think you can just run off and save your friends, because you can't."

"And why not?"

"Just beyond the bridge, the land is covered in twilight. Last time, you both were pulled through by a shadow beast. If you want to go that way this time, you'll need the cooperation of someone from the twilight, like me. So you really do have to listen to me, saving your friends and all that...that'll depend on your actions."

Ombretta scoffed lightly, hanging her head. She knew that Midna had a point. She wanted to help her friends and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Midna was right. They needed her.

"Well, what do you say, weird girl?"

"Well, looks like there isn't much of a choice, is there?"

"Glad you came around. But now, I need a sword and shield that'll suit me." Midna said, crossing her shadowy arms. "So what do you plan to do? The more you dawdle here, the twilight continues to expand." And with that, Midna shot down back into Link's shadow and out of sight.

"A sword and shield huh?" Ombretta mumbled, tapping her chin lightly. "Oh! Wait, the gift for the royal family! That would work."

A whine came from Link.

"I mean, it's not like the royal family is going to be needing it right away?"

Link huffed, making Ombretta smile.

"So, it's decided." Ombretta began the trek to the right, Link following beside her "Let's go then."

The trek to home was slow, both of them now moving with caution. Something felt...off. It was quiet, too quiet for Ombretta's liking. It seemed like everything was at stand still, as if the very life was sucked out of the forest. Not even a small breeze blew through the darkened leaves, leaving the air slightly hard to breathe.

"Something doesn't feel normal..." Ombretta mumbled, knowing she wasn't going to get an answer. "What happened since we've been...gone?" Ombretta pointed a finger when she felt Link's gaze on her, "don't answer that."

A growl from Link caused Ombretta to stop both in mid-thought and mid-step. Following his gaze, within the cleaning in front of Link's house, was a bulblin. The bulblin was just standing there, occasionally looking around the area, as if it was looking for something or someone. What made Ombretta shiver was the weapon it was holding. Not the size of the weapon, but the telltale colour of drying blood spattered across it.

With another low growl, Link stalked towards the bulblin, making the lunge once he got close enough. Ombretta -who was remaining out of sight- was so enraptured by the fight, didn't hear the footsteps behind her or see the weapon raised.

Ombretta cried out as the club came into contact with her side, flying into the ground with a hard thud. Flopping onto her back, Ombretta barely had a moment to turn to the side before the club came crashing down on the ground. With as much power as she could muster and ignoring the screaming pain in her side, Ombretta kicked the bulblin, sending it tumbling back enough for her to scramble backwards. Ombretta could only watch as the bulblin stood back up while she scrambled across the rough ground, only to be tackled by Link. Wincing as he sunk his jaws into it's neck, tossing it aside like it was nothing.

Link let out a quiet whine as he walked over to Ombretta once the bulblin had exploded into the dark mist, sitting on his hind legs in front of her.

"Thanks, Link. I didn't see the second one, must’ve heard the commotion." Ombretta huffed, pressing her hand into her chest. "Din, my heart is racing."

Link looked down at Ombretta, more specifically, down at her right leg and let out another whine. Following down to where he was looking, Ombretta grimaced at the long cut down her leg, the wound already starting to bruise and swell, a rash starting to form around it.

"Must’ve gotten that when I fell, didn't even feel it..." She winced at the pain that shot through her leg. "...feeling it now, though. I should clean this up." With a small grunt, Ombretta pushed herself to her feet, using a nearby trunk for support. "You don't mind if I use your house to clean my leg, do ya? Thanks."

She slowly made her way over to the ladder, gripping one of the ladder rungs as she looked back at her furry friend before making the climb up to his door. "I'll watch out for you. Be careful alright?"

Ombretta walked into the darkened house, not bothering to start up the fire but rather choosing to light a simple candle. "Okay..." Ombretta muttered, looking around the room as she waved the match out. "Where do you keep your medical stuff again...?"

After a few moments of intensive searching, Ombretta let out a little cheer at the sight of the small basket tucked away in the back of a cupboard. Pulling it out, Ombretta plopped herself gently on the floor, pulling out a wad of bandages and a small vial of spring water. "Whaddya I tell you about keeping spring water on hand, Link?" She muttered as she poured a small amount on her wound before wrapping the bandage around her leg. "Serves me right for not wearing longer pants today, huh?" 

Ombretta huffed at herself for that last sentence. It wasn’t like she knew that this was going to happen today...or was it yesterday? She sighed as she tightened up the bandaged and secured it to her leg, her hands pausing in their movements for a split second. The dull ache in the back of her head became more noticeable once again. Giving her head a slight shake, she finished securing the bandage and placed the rest of the roll and vial back into the small basket.

Once the basket had been put back where it belonged, Ombretta got to her feet once more, making her way back to the door before looking out the small window, looking for any sign that Link was back, and hopefully in one piece. Ombretta shuddered at that single thought. With Link's current form, it wouldn't be a shock if the others thought of him as a simple beast, a monster coming back for the feast. She really hoped that he was heeding her warning. She knew that even her own father would quickly slain him if given the chance, dead set on protecting the village and wouldn't be the wiser that he was killing one of their own.

But she would know.

Her stomach flipped, shaking her head to try and rid that ugly thought. Her fingers began to drum on the doorframe, bottom lip in between her teeth as continued to watch out for Link, the seconds now beginning to feel like hours as her mind ran through every scenario possible, one being worse than the other. But nothing felt more like a breath of fresh air once she saw Link walk back into the clearing, sword and shield strapped to his back. Blowing out the candle, Ombretta exited his house as quickly as she could, climbing down the ladder. "Did it go well?"

A few huffs from Link, making Ombretta sigh.

"Oh, right, can't talk. I miss you being human already."

Link whined, beginning to walk the path towards the forest, Ombretta following beside him. They walked in silence, the nerves starting to jump as the bridge was coming into view, the shadows almost seeming to crawl over the wooden planks, trying to reach out to them.

"Wait...." A whispering voice called out, stalling both Ombretta and Link. "Come...to my spring..."

Ombretta's gaze bounced between the gate to the spring and Link, who heedfully walked into the spring.

"You have....been transformed....by the power of shadow...come...to me..."

It was almost hypnotic, her feet almost seeming to move on their own, like her soul, her very being wanting to know who exactly that was. They both looked around the spring, humming when they realized it was just the two of them-

Ombretta let out a scream at the sight of large stones landing heavily within spring, seemingly coming from the sky, a red barrier connecting the pillars. She whipped around, her eyes bulging as she realized they were trapped.

"Beware...A shadow being...it approaches..."

Quickly, Ombretta ripped the sword out of the scabbard, gripping the hilt tightly as she scanned the area. She gasped as a large black mass landed in front of them, recognizing it as a monster from the princess' story.

Link was the first to lunge at it, his teeth managing to nick the monster before it swung at Link, sending him back into the water. With a snarl, Ombretta swung the sword, gashing the monster's back, a loud scream escaping its mouth (at least, Ombretta hoped it had a mouth under that mask). In it's stunned movement, Link jumped up and sank his teeth into the being deeply, another deafening scream coming from it before it dropped into the low water.

A glare was hard on Ombretta's face as she watched the being explode in a flurry of black squares, flying back up in the air. She slumped forward once the black squares were out of sight, her free hand resting on her bent knee, a small pained laugh escaping her as she exhaled. The joy was short-lived as wonder took over as she watched as the stones began to glow, the worn out etchings becoming more prominent, the water looking like liquid gold as it swirled around their feet.

However, that wasn't the main beauty of the spring's glow as a ball of light rose from the water, it's light mesmerizing to them as they watch the ball hover above them, mouths dropping open as translucent figure began to form, the form taking a shape of a goat, specifically an Ordon goat.

"O brave youths..." The ethereal voice circled around them once more, the pure command laced in his voice nearly made Ombretta fall to her knees. The thought of just standing in front of something so mystical felt insulting.

"I am one of the four light spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I am Ordona. The black beast you slayed was a shadow being, it had come to seize the light I wield." Ordona paused before continuing once more; "My brethren in Hyrule already had their light stolen by these fell beasts. The entire kingdom has been reduced to a netherworld rule by the cursed powers of darkness."

Ombretta fought the urge to grip at her hair once more, instead choosing to grip more at the hilt in her hand. A feeling began to overwhelm her. Anger, disbelief, guilt?

"The blight will not stop with Hyrule. Before long, the entire world of light will fall into the hands of the king who rules the twilight. To save this land from the king of twilight, the lost light must be recovered. There is but one who can revive them. You."

Ombretta swiftly looked down at Link, who seemed to be frozen in place, unable to tear his gaze from the glowing entity.

"You still have not discovered your true power...those transformed by the twilight cannot recover their true forms. Unless...if you were to return to Faron Woods where you were first transformed...if you were to revive the light spirit...there, you may find the means to regain your other state of being..."

Ombretta's free arm shot up to cover her face as a bright light shone over them, the light fading away after a few moments. "Well...that's not something you see every day..."She said slowly as she lowered her arm. Twisting the blade that was still in her grip, she kneeled. "Hold still for a moment." She slid the sword back in it's scabbard before standing back up and walking to the gate. "Well, let's not waste anymore time."

Link let out a loud bark, pausing Ombretta mid-step.

"What?"

Link stayed planted, a hard stare boring into Ombretta.

"I don't speak wolf, Link." She crossed her arms. "Let me guess, 'It sounds dangerous, maybe you shouldn't come', right?"

Link nodded firmly.

"Huh, maybe I do speak wolf...anyway! Link, I'm coming. And there really isn't anything you can "say" to change my mind." Ombretta turned around, continuing towards the bridge, a small smile stretching across her lips as she heard Link's footsteps coming up next to her.

As they made their way across the bridge, they could spot the black wall of twilight, the black mass effectively cutting off Ordon to the rest of the world. As much as Ombretta didn't really want to admit it, the wall was enticing to the eye, the beauty of the glowing orange markings seemed to call out to her.

"Hey...look..." Midna's voice popped in as she flew out of Link's shadow. "The Faron Woods that you know so well, they're now covered in twilight. You two might not be able to come back but, do you still want to go?"

Both Link and Ombretta looked at each other before nodding at Midna.

"So...you're telling me that we need your help to get through here?" Ombretta asked as she walked over to the wall, hesitantly holding out her hand towards it. "Will it hurt if I-ah!" Ombretta let out a loud gasp as she watched her fingers go through the shadow wall, like it was purely just a mist.

She made no move to take her hand out, but just stared at it. "This...shouldn't be possible, should it?"

"Nope."

"Figured." Slowly, Ombretta inched forward, letting the shadow cover her like a shawl. "See you on the other side.

[basine]

The Entrance Exam

As the only child of the family, Mei had expectations that she had to meet. She had to grow, she had to become the person that could help her parents, no matter the cost. That is why for so long, she wanted to become a hero. She wanted to have the ability to help her parents when they grew old as well as help those around her. As she looked up at the tower in front of her, the sun glimmering off the windows, Mei couldn’t help but stifle a small smile. She finally made it. She made it to the entrance exam and now finally needed to prove that she could do something with her life. Not be an errand girl running goods from house to house, the chance to prove that she could be a real hero.

Mei then heard a voice come from one of the rooftops near the structure that she was told to approach. 

“Alright. Tsuiteru Unmei, your objective is to find the red scarf in the building. There will be obstacles in your way, be prepared for anything. Use your quirks to the best of your ability, you have 30 minutes… starting now.” the voice echoed from the rooftops.

Mei tensed up. No fanfare, no nothing. Just getting down to business the hard way.

Mei cracked her neck and reached into her pocket for one of her decks of playing cards. This deck had the normal red checkerboard pattern that you would find in local shops for very cheap. Mei didn’t like to spend money on cards that she would only ever get to use once, it seemed like a waste. As Mei looked down at the cards she realized she had just spent a minute talking to herself. Only 29 minutes left, and Mei would have to make the most of those.

Mei thrust herself into the building through the front door examining her surroundings. The smell of musk and mold filled her nose. 

“Must be because of how old this building is or at least, how the examiners want the building to seem,” Mei thought to herself. 

She started to look for ways that she could climb up the building but couldn’t seem to find any sort of staircase. She should have expected this because this was of course the entrance exam at THE hero academy. Mei drew her first card and it was just what she had hoped for. A bright yellow card capable of producing a small burst of light and energy that could maybe break a hole in the ceiling. Mei brought her arm back and thrusted it forward as the card turned into a yellow projectile as it hurled toward the ceiling. A small little bursting sound happened when it hit the ceiling and part of the ceiling came tumbling down.

Mei smirked at the sight of this and drew her next card which was purple and thrust it onto the ground as she jumped into the air. The purple card hit the ground and spread out in a little cube of purple energy. As Mei jumped and hit the little cube that formed it gave way to her weight and then thrust her up into the air. Mei then landed in the super hero pose that she saw some of the hero’s doing on her television. Mei giggled, and had the biggest smile on her face. She glanced up to see a similar situation.

At this point, Mei repeated the same process for what seemed like 10 floors which only left 2 yellow and purple cards left for Mei to use. By her calculations she was only up a quarter of the building with approximately only 15 minutes left. She needed to find a more effective way up the building if she wanted to get that red piece of cloth at the top. Mei paced around for a moment and felt something under her left foot. She glanced down to see a small device with a blinking red glowing button on it. However before Mei could think, a large and heavy twill rope fell and pinned her to the ground. Fortunately, for both Mei and the school, She did not drop her deck of cards because that could have spelled disaster. The only time Mei ever let go of all of her cards it caused a gigantic explosion in her backyard destroying the back of the house. 

Mei with her hands pinned couldn’t reach and grab the next card off of the top of her deck. She was too weak to move the heavy rope off of her and could only move her head.

“This is it…” Mei thought to herself. Why did I think I could be a hero, I’m way too weak to become a hero. I can’t even move this rope off of me. 

Mei sighed and tears started to roll down her cheek. The hero she wanted to be started to fade away from her mind. She would only ever be Mei, the errand girl. She couldn’t be the person to save her parents, to look after them. She was a failure.

“Ten minutes remaining” the same voice from earlier exclaimed through a P.A. system.

“Fight… don’t give up so easily Umi,” the voice inside of her head said.

The voice she heard was right. She couldn’t just sit here and do nothing. She might be a failure and not be able to finish this exam but she couldn’t go home and tell her parents that she gave up because of a stupid heavy rope. Mei grunted as she started to strain her head to reach her hand about 5 feet in front of her. She pushed and felt her whole body starting to give when she finally grabbed the top card of the deck with her teeth. She grabbed it and spit it out not even looking what color it was. It happened to be the color that Mei wanted which was red. As the card came back down as a bolt of fire, it hit the rope. The rope bursted into flame and Mei was finally able to move again. She rolled away from the burning rope escaping too many bad burns, a pain which she was used to at this point. 

With only about 8 minutes remaining, Mei had to make a desperation attempt to try and climb most of the building at this point. With only 29 cards remaining, Mei would have to do something amazing to pull off passing this entrance exam. Mei in her head started doing some quick calculations in her head. If she used most of her blue cards, she could form an ice path that could wrap around the building if she was fast enough. That wouldn’t get her all the way to the top of the building but it would be a start. The rest of the plan she would think of as she was doing it.

Mei’s legs started moving as if they weren’t hers. She had a renewed sense of passion and wanted to see this through to the end, even if she didn’t make it. Mei busted out of the window with blue cards in hand and started throwing them on the side of the building. As the cards hit the gray bricks that burned when you touched them, they froze over and followed the trajectory of the cards. Mei made sure the cards formed wide enough for her to slide up the ice with as little issue as possible. Most of her curved card throws had a good spin on them to wrap around the building as she was sliding up the ice. She felt the wind brushing by her as she gained momentum by moving her feet like an ice skater. Daddy’s ice skating lessons seemed to have finally paid off.

*Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three…* Mei counted in her head as she threw her cards. 

When she hit 3 cards Mei developed a plan to get to the top of the building. With only about 5 minutes remaining to grab the small piece of cloth, Mei had to make a desperate attempt to finish on time. If she didn’t… that was ok. She could go home and tell her mom and dad that she tried her hardest and she would find a different way to provide for the family.

As Mei reached the top of her ice slide she leaped off with the grace of an expert diver. She wasn’t one but she did have Daddy pay for a few lessons. As she was falling Mei took out two cards, one blue and one purple. Mei launched the blue one straight below forming a small platform of ice jutting off the side of the building. When the platform was fully formed, Mei threw her purple card making a bouncy surface appear on the outside of the ice floor. Mei turned herself so her feet were facing the ice block. Her feet hit the purple sludge that forms and it gave way just a little bit as it shot Mei all the way past her ice bridge and all of the floors that seemingly had numerous traps ready for her. She passed the crest of the top of the building and landed on her two feet.

As she pulled her head from facing the ground Mei saw a large dragon in her way. Mei couldn’t help but let out a little scream. She was expecting to fight villains and other students but she never in a million years thought that she would have to fight a dragon. With only three minutes left, Mei had to quickly devise a way to get past the dragon. She assumed that her little red cloth was behind the dragon. Her hypothesis was quickly proven correct when the dragon shuffled onto its four legs. There was a small piece of red cloth tied to a pole behind it which was what she needed to get. 

Mei thought for a second and before she could think her body started moving. 

The voice in her head said “No time, just move we need to win.”

“Let’s win this Akuma. For both of us.” Mei replied.

Mei smirked because she hadn’t heard his voice in weeks. She smiled and let her legs do what Akuma wanted them to do. Mei prepared her few red cards which she had left as her body moved swiftly towards the impending danger. The dragon's tail whipped around and Mei instinctively jumped and rolled over the tail. She looked at the creature with a smile, she couldn’t be stopped now, she was too committed to winning and becoming one of the few students at the hero academy. She made a quick move to the right and the dragon instinctively followed. Mei then closed her eyes as she tossed 5 of the red cards down to the floor making a wall of flame appear. Mei knew that the material beneath her wasn’t wood so the flames wouldn’t stay for more than a few seconds but it was enough. The dragon reeled back from the sudden burst of flames which Mei used to her advantage.

Mei felt the flames heat up around her. She threw a blue card at the base of the flames allowing it to immediately extinguish in the one spot. She slid on the newly created ice and flung a yellow card at the dragon. The same bursting sound as before happened but, instead of it being destructive it was being used as a tool to daze the creature. The dragon reeled as it was blinded for a few seconds. It was enough for Mei to sprint and slide underneath the dragon and grab the flag behind it. No notification was given but Mei used her last purple card to make a semi- parachute to softly and safely glide her way to the ground.

As her feet touched the ground she heard clapping coming from the same rooftop as before. A woman dressed in green robes and olive armor made her way down the building on the back of a dragon. As she and her gigantic beast reached the ground, she stopped her clapping and removed herself from the back of the dragon.

Her face looked stern and rough as she glanced at Mei. She looked like a person sizing up an opponent before a fight. That stern and rough look never went away as she talked to Mei.

“Well, you retrieved the scarf within the time limit… just barely I may add. You used some interesting tactics to scale your way up the building, however you did it recklessly…” the examiner said looking scornfully at Mei.

“I ummm… ma’am, was using the full capabilities of my powers or uhhh… at least how I know to use them…” Mei replied shyly.

“Well we will need to work on how you do use them. Being reckless against an opponent that is more active than Lux could have gotten you killed. Fortunately, it seems you have won my favor for now. Your technique was steller and your intelligence on the fly is one of the best I have ever seen. Your strength however… needs a lot of work.”

“Yeahhhhh… I’m not the strongest person… I do make up for my lack of strength with my brain though! At least… that’s what Daddy told me.”

“Your father was correct... for now… you can’t always rely on your brain or your quirk, you need to worry about your body as well.”

There was an awkward silence before the teacher broke it. 

“Well… congratulations Tsuiteru Unmei, welcome to the academy.” She smiled at Mei for what seemed like the only form of emotion other than just being pissed off.

Mei smiled the biggest smile. She was overwhelmed with emotions. Being a quirkless child wasn’t easy for Mei. Her classmates would always joke about her being the only quirkless one in her class. Then she finally got hers when she picked up a deck of cards her parents got her when she was 10. With so little time to learn about her quirk, Mei thought her chances about getting into the academy were zero. She was wrong. With herself and Akuma in her head, she would become the person who she wanted to be. A hero not for herself, but for the people that couldn’t be.            

@taiyuu-oct

[sonicgetsrawed]

cayyyy can i request a bit? domestic modern varigo but it's hugo gay panicking bc v just claps back? safe flight btw!! love you and all ur fic babies!!

Ok sorry babes I saw gay panic and modern and the rest went out the door!!! I hope you still enjoy!!! A continuation of my day 5 varigo week prompt!!! Enjoy!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

It had been two weeks since he’d ran into the most beautiful stranger he’d ever seen, and he couldn’t stop thinking about him. Sure he’d been able to keep his cool during their initial encounter, but since then he found himself becoming more and more flustered whenever he thought about their upcoming meeting in a few hours. Varian had texted him only forty eight minutes after their disastrous meeting, not that he’d been counting the minutes or anything. And after three failed attempts to meet they were finally meeting up at a local cat cafe that Rapunzel had insisted they go to. Realistically he knew he had nothing to worry about, there was no way this could go worse than their first meeting, but mentally he was freaking out. He’d spent the last two weeks not only casually texting Varian, but also getting Rapunzel to share as much information about him as possible. He didn’t know what the fuck was wrong with him. He hadn’t cared this much about a date in a while, hell he hadn’t even cared when it was a blind date, but now he was a fucking mess. And now it was time for him to meet with Varian.

He quickly grabbed his keys off the counter and headed out the door, the cafe only being about two blocks for each of them. Which was great because neither had a car. He hurried down the street, shooting Varian a quick message to let him know he was on his way, not five seconds later he got a reply.

Coffee Bean: see you soon!!

Hugo’s heart melted as he held the phone to his chest. He’d heard the words before, but when they came from Varian it sent his heart pounding in his chest. Actually anything Varian did sent his heart fluttering. It stopped completely when he spotted the shorter, panic quickly rising in his chest. He looked like an absolute angel standing on the sidewalk, rocking back and forth on his heels slightly, his eyes glued to his phone. He wore a smiple pair of dark jeans, the bottoms rolled up around his dirty untied blue converse, a dark grey T-shirt underneath his too big blue flannel. Hugo glances down at his own outfit, a pair of black slacks, his freshly polished work shoes instead of his usual boots, a plain white button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a green vest left open to appear more casual. Shit. And it was with a startling realization that Hugo knew he was overdressed. He didn’t have time to go back and change, he’d already told Varian he was on his way, if he took too long he’d think something happened, or worse that he’d been ditched. Hugo ducked into a nearby alleyway, shedding his vest and button up, tossing the button up behind a garbage can and praying it would still be there when they finished their date before throwing the vest back on over his white undershirt. There wasn’t much he could do about his bottom half, but he hoped he didn’t look too overly dressed now. He took a moment to compose himself before heading back onto the sidewalk.

“Hey, Coffee Bean!” Hugo called, his heart fluttering as Varian turned to face him, offering him a small lopsided smile and a wave.

“I was starting to worry you got lost.” Varian teased, any nervousness he had when they met seemingly gone.

“Haha, me, lost? Psh, no.” Hugo said, a light dusting of pink already painting his cheeks. It was sweet Varian was worried and he’d made a fucking ass of himself. “Um, you look nice, I guess.” Fuck, he was so fucking stupid. “I mean you always look nice! Like constantly. Just in this constant state of nice.”

“Just nice? I thought I looked pretty sexy with coffee all over my shirt.” Varian said, pushing up on his tiptoes so he could smugly smirk at Hugo.

“I- I’m- uh- you- yes.” Hugo stuttered, shooting a finger gun in Varian’s direction. Thankfully Varian just laughed.

“I’m just teasing, but you do look nice too.” Varian said, sinking back to his normal height. And Hugo quickly found he missed him being so close. “Shall we head inside?”

“Yes!” Hugo said, perhaps a bit too excitedly if the look Varian shot him was anything to go by. “I mean, Uh, unless you don’t want to?”

“Oh no, I do. You still owe me that coffee.” Varian said, swinging the door to the cafe open. Hugo followed close behind, mentally slapping himself for already making an idiot of himself. He should probably apologize for ruining his shirt again.

“Hey, Var-“

“What do you want?” Varian asked, pointing to the menu on the wall before heading to the register. “I’ll have a hot chocolate please.”

“I’ll have a coffee, Uh, black.” Hugo ordered, cringing at his own order. He didn’t even fucking like coffee, why did he do that? He hadn’t even paid any attention as the barista rambled off their total until Varian held out his card. He didn’t think as he grabbed Varian’s hand, preventing him from handing over the card. “It’s my treat.”

“I- I thought you were joking.” Varian admitted, his face flushing as he glanced down at their hands. Hugo quickly pulled back.

“N-no, I was serious. I told you I’d get you that coffee.” Hugo said, handing over the cash to the barista and putting the change in the tip jar.

“But I-“

“You can thank me later.” Hugo said with a wink before tripping over a cat that had chosen that exact moment to rub at his leg. “Fuck.” And the furry death trap had the audacity to hiss at him.

“Shit, are you okay?” Varian asked, barely suppressing the laugh that bubbles from his lips. Hugo stares emptily at the ceiling, could he just disappear right now? Could this please be a dream? Was a redo possible? A cat jumped onto his stomach, apparently not. “Awww, this one likes you.” Varian cooed.

Hugo glanced down at it, the same gray bastard that just tried to kill him. “He’s plotting my death I can feel it.” Hugo deadpanned, pushing himself up into a sitting position, staring in awe as Varian joined him on the floor.

“Aw no, he’s just a sweetheart. Aren’t you?” Varian said, scratching the cat underneath it’s chin, it immediately erupted into a series of purrs. He turned the tag over in his hands, glancing at its name. “Ruddiger?”

“He’s been here for a while.” The barista said, leaning over the counter, expanding when Varian tilted his head. “Ruddiger. All of the cats are adoptable, Ruddy’s been here the longest.”

“Is that so, buddy? I can’t see why.” Varian said, letting the furry beast crawl all over him.

“I can.” Hugo mumbled, not that Varian heard him, he was too focused on the furry fleabag.

“Can we adopt him?” Varian asked, why he asked him in the first place he’d never know, but he did with those wide blue eyes, his bottom lip jutting out into a pout, the cat squished against his face. And Hugo knew he was so fucking royally screwed. He’d never be able to say no to this boy, and goddamn it he didn’t think he wanted to.

“Okay. Fine.” Hugo grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose, Varian letting out a squeal as he hugged the cat close.

“You hear that Ruddy? You’ve got a home now!” Varian said excitedly, nuzzling the cat. Hugo smiled, completely enthralled watching Varian’s face light up with complete and utter happiness. They forgot about their drinks, and left the cafe, Ruddiger in tow, to get Varian all set up for his new friend. It definitely wasn’t the date he had planned but he wouldn’t change it nonetheless. Varian was perfect in every way and Rapunzel’s numerous descriptions of him did no justice to the boy in front of him. He hadn’t even noticed the night was over until he was at Varian’s doorstep.

“I’m sorry this didn’t go the way you planned.” Varian said, wiping his hands on his jeans, the furry bastard already settled inside his apartment.

“That’s okay, this was a hell of a lot better than drinking coffee in some stuffy cafe.” Hugo said, stuffing his hands into his cat hair covered pants.

“I’m glad you think so, because you still owe me a coffee.” Varian said with a smirk.

“I’m- what?” Hugo said, the realization that he never actually bought Varian the coffee he promised dawning on him. “You’re right.”

“You’ll get used to it.” Varian said with a wink, not giving Hugo a chance to respond before grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him into a kiss. It was fast and a little sloppy, almost like he had to convince himself to do it before he backed out, but to Hugo it was perfect. And he didn’t even care that his button down was gone when he got back to the alleyway.