#and they are complete opposites when it comes to what twin braids mean

[voidishwings]

Going a LITTLE insane about Arafellin hair bells right now, because outside of a Southlander context in combat, they’re Borderlanders, they fight the Dark One, the bells are SUPPOSED to make a sound while they’re fighting, and would effectively scare off the ravens and rats that act as the Dark One’s eyes and his spies. Wearing something in combat, against the Shadow and otherwise, that would ‘scare off the eyes of the Lord of the Grave’ when they bring death to another, acting like a protective “ward” in a sense in battle. Is any of this explicitly said in the books? Not really, but it’s my interpretation.

[chososbabymama]

shybassist!choso x blk reader; MDNI!!

[CW// referenced child abuse, swearing, implied NSFW]

gege been deprivin us of choso content so i made my own !

this has been sitting in my drafts for weeks and i want it gONE

ShyBassistChoso who first sees you at a gig his band played at. it was at a local festival and your best friend was a huge fan of them and their lead singer, satoru. as soon as you had seen choso, something about him... intrigued you. the domineering energy that stemmed from his appearance was a complete opposite of his actions. as he fiddled with his base, it was almost as if he was trying to make himself smaller. you started to look a little harder at him. the way the cutoff t-shirt hugged his frame in a way that left you wondering what it looked like off. the way the dark material of the cargo pants made his legs seem miles long. but what mad you coo internally were the cute little twin pigtails that sat neatly atop his head. everything about the bass player made you want to know more. shoulders hunched in concentration, you couldn't help but peer even closer at him from your spot as he tuned and plucked the stings with an arousing expertise. as if he could feel your lustfully curious gaze, the man lifted his head and scanned the crowd before meeting your gaze. his dark orbs widened in surprise at your intensity. you've never been subtle about the things you want... and you thought it best to make that known. so you wriggle manicured fingers in his direction and flash a wide grin in hopes he'd respond. as soon as the man realized your attention was TRULY on him, his whole face flushed into the prettiest shade of pink you had ever seen before he looked back down as his bass and started to fiddle with it.. it was then you knew, you HAD to have him.

ShyBassistChoso who felt the heat of your gaze on him throughout the WHOLE set. at first he thought it was the heat from the stage lights, but as he continuously locked eyes with you between songs, the burning sensation in his ears hadnt gone away. you made choso nervous, and that fuckin terrified him. the last person he'd chosen to get romantically involved with had done great harm to him and his family (something choso didn't take lightly at all). so when you and your friend had gotten backstage passes to meet the band, his anxiety was through the roof. now that you were in their dressing room he had a better view of you and god you were just so fuckin pretty. the long floral skirt your wore had slipped down your waist a bit from all the movement in the crowd, revealing a sliver of your tummy. your two-toned black and red lips were coated in a generous amount of gloss. i wonder if she tastes sweet... choso swallowed hard, hands twitching with a fierce desire to touch. by the time you had introduced yourself to the other 4 choso had calmed down enough to stop his hands from sweating, but fuck his ears were still so red... you had stood in front of him with a warm smile on your face before sticking a hand out for him to shake.

'hi, im y/n. i really liked your set earlier! best show i've been to in a while.'

choso had quickly wiped his hand on his pants again for quick measure before grabbing yours. the soft pads of your fingers were a comforting contrast to his calloused palms, run down from years of practice.

'h-hi. im choso, i play bass... i really a-appreciate you coming, it means a lot to me- us! i mean us...'

choso once again felt his body grow warm as you threw back your head and let out a surprised laugh. your smile had gotten even wider as you stared at him with interested eyes.

'im glad i could make it then, i love supporting local artists. my best friend has a thing for gojo... as you can see'

you had pointed to the side where your friend was sitting next to gojo, LITERALLY twirling her braids as he spoke lowly in her ear. you roll your eyes fondly before turning back to choso, seeing him flicker his gaze up and down at you made your head tilt in confusion. what's he doing... his pigtails shook as he coughed nervously and reached to scratch the back of his neck.

's-so who are you... into... in the band?' he managed to make eye contact with you for all of 2 seconds before he shyly avoided your shocked gaze.

as you processed his words you took a mental assessment of the man in front of you. you could see this embarrassment had spread all the way to the back of his neck. from what you could tell during his time on stage, choso is a man filled with passion. seeing the way his eyes lit up during solos and accompaniments from his fellow bandmates was exhilarating. the way he expertly strummed his bass, it was almost as easy as breathing for him. he may not have been the lead singer, but choso dominated the stage in a way that made you wanna serve the pussy on a platter al dente.

ShyBassistChoso who as soon as the set was over, became... so fuckin soft? not in a toxic-masculinity kinda way! but in a overwhelming way that made you wanna scream and punch a wall. when the group began unpackin on stage, the crowd saw a small blur of pink hair zip through and fling itself on the platform.

'BIG BROTHER THAT WAS SO COOL!!!' you and everyone else in the building watched as choso easily slung his bass behind his back before opening his arms; catching a little boy with pink hair, wild eyes, and the cutest smile on his face.

everyone audibly coo'd at the sweet display, watching the little guy wrap his arms around his brothers neck and nuzzle into him. the look that choso gave his little brother was a sight to see. eyes once filled with adrenaline held nothing but fondness for the pinkette in his arms. cocky smirk falling into a small gentle smile, booming vocals being replaced with a deep gentle tone filled with love. choso was responding to his brother with matched enthusiasm, ruffling his hair before putting him on his shoulders and continuing to unpack while entertaining the little guy. it was something that filled your chest with warmth, watching the way choso handled the boy was enough to want to know more.

he's a family man... i could provide....

even now as you maintained conversation with choso, you could tell he was still keeping a watchful eye of his little brother bouncing around the room. is wasn't long before he made his way back to his brother, climbing and getting comfortable on choso's lap. he looked toward you with wide eyes, looking at you with a sense of wonder you only see in children. he quickly fixed a bright smile on his face and stuck out a hand.

"hi! im yuuji, choso's my big brother! you're really pretty, are you a gift from god?" the way he was completely serious...

you had covered your mouth to conceal your amusement, but choso could see your wide smile no matter how much you tried to hide it.

"no sweetheart i'm sorry, im not. why would you think that?" you giggled, yuuji really was adorable. you bent down to meet his gaze and tilt your head in fond confusion.

he raised his finger up and spoke with childlike authority,

"well uncle 'toru said that pretty people like him 'could only be a gift from god' so i thought you must be like uncle!" your head jerks back in surprise and you laugh as choso whips his head to glare at his bandmate (satoru was pointedly ignoring choso and he continued to speak casually with your friend... is he starting to sweat..?).

"i-i'm so sorry... sometimes i'm not there to monitor what they say around him. they love him no doubt... but gojo is the most unserious person i've ever met, so i can't say im surprised honestly."

choso had begun to laugh with you and yuuji had decided to entertain himself by playing with some drumsticks he picked up. as you watched choso reposition his brother to make sure he was secure you decided to answer his question.

"well... to answer your question-" choso's head snapped up quickly and he gazed at you eagerly... how cute.

"-im into this one guy in your band. tall... dark hair... really good with music..." choso slumped slightly, thinking you were referring to suguru, the drummer. untill he heard you continue,

"he also has the coolest tattoo across his nose and the sweetest little brother who called me a 'gift from god', i was actually thinkin about askin for his number, you think i have a shot?"

ShyBassistChoso who had once again flushed, but this time he was not nearly as nervous. he'd always been someone who valued his family more than anything, found included. his ex-partners had never completely understood that about him. and poor yuuji would try his best to get along with those people, but children aren't stupid. they know when they're not wanted. choso's last boyfriend had been particularly nasty, saying terrible things to yuuji and even going so far as to threaten him with physical violence in order to damage their relationship. after that, yuuji had changed. he was withdrawn and would hold himself back, not wanting get in the way of his brothers happiness. it came to a head when choso came home early to see his ex push yuuji to the ground, he'd raised his hand the smack the boy too but by then choso had flown forward and beat the shit out of the man. his ex tried to excuse his shitty behavior, citing several times that yuuji was a bother but choso wasn't having it. told the bastard to get out of his house and never come back (choso had taken all his ex's stuff out the apartment and burned it in a fire before sending him a picture of it an blocking his number, but not before taking the bastard to court and pressing charges).

ShyBassistChoso who watched you ruffle yuuji's hair (with his permission of course) with the softest smile on your face. you were usually awkward with kids, but yuuji was easy to talk to. seeing you with him made him feel...warm.

after all, he IS a family man....

maybe it was too early to say, but something about the way that you handled yuuji made him soft in ways he couldn't really explain. maybe things with you could be good. better, even. ever since that last bastard choso has done everything he could to make sure yuuji knew that nothing was more important than him... but maybe there was room for one more? choso closed that part of himself off a while ago, but meeting you has given him a small sense of...hope? yuuji had begun to play an interesting game of patty-cake (that he totally didn't just make up) with you, and you were gladly entertaining him.

ShyBassistChoso looked towards you and decided that he was done shying away from new possibilities. he smiled in your direction,

"yeah.. i think you have a real good shot."

THE END

[itsavgbltpta]

Should You Watch Skip & Loafer?

(English title: Skip & Loafer)

(Japanese title: Skip to Loafer - or Sukippu to Roofaa)

A Brief Summary

Mitsumi comes from a super small town, but she has big ambitions.  Her plan is to attend school in the big city (Tokyo) in order to become a government official and make things better for her very small hometown.  She’s so dedicated to this goal, that she doesn’t realize other people may not have the same kind of mindset and would rather loaf around.  Enter Sousuke, a fellow classmate she meets after getting lost on the way to her first day of school in the maze that is Tokyo.  Sousuke likes to take things at his own pace (slow) and not get himself deeply involved into anything or with anyone.

The pair are almost complete opposites, but they become friends anyhow and learn a bit more about the world and themselves throughout their freshman year in high school.

So, should you watch the anime?  

Definitely yes, unless you absolutely can’t stand slice of life anime.

I looked forward to watching Skip & Loafer every week as it gave me a warm, squishy dose of wholesome goodness.  It’s just so gosh-dang nice.  My heart could barely handle the genuine feelings in some episodes.

Skip & Loafer is also a funny show, but funny in a friendly way.  It’s not slapstick violence, but instead shows off how goofy things can be when high school kids interact with each other.  But to be fair, the show has its serious moments too.  High school isn’t all laughs, after all.  Each of the characters have darker bits to them, as do all people.  The way the show explores how the characters grow is… well, I used the word before, but honestly, “wholesome” is the best description for Skip & Loafer.  Because even when some darker moments happen, things end up okay in the end.

While I mentioned this is slice-of-life-esque, there is a hint of romance throughout as well.  But romance isn’t the main focus, it’s just part of the high school experience - which is what the focus of Skip & Loafer really is.  Kids figuring themselves out a little at a time with some bonus shenanigans thrown in.  You know, your classic school festivals and sports day fun.  Throw in the whole “country hick in the big city discovering new things” vibe, and you’ve got yourself this anime.

And I mean that in the best way.  Though my high school days are long past, so maybe my opinion is slightly tinted by nostalgia’s rosy color.

The art design and animation add to the wholesome feeling the show gives off.  The character design is pretty simple, but they do a lot with faces and expressions.  I love some of the derpy faces Mitsumi makes, and the little blush marks characters get when embarrassed or nervous are very cute.  While I don’t know much about fashion, the clothes Mitsumi and her friends wear seem fairly realistic to what you could find normal Japanese teenagers wearing today.  I do enjoy extreme and weird outfits, but in a slice-of-life style anime, regular fashion is a nice touch.

The plot is mostly about the day to day life and ambitions of high school students.  We learn a bit about the group and how their childhood experiences (such as being a child star, being made fun of, etc) have shaped them, but also how they can still keep changing.  Like I said, freaking wholesome.

Besides Mitsumi and Sousuke’s developing friendship, you’ll get to peek into the lives of some of Mitsumi’s other friends and family, such as:

A tsundere classmate who wants Sousuke’s attention and has the same bangs as Misato from Evangelion (Mika).

A blonde bombshell super-model type that wants friends who don’t care about her looks or fame (Yuzuki).

A classic nerdy introverted girl with twin braids and glasses who thinks good looking people are jerks (Makoto).

The ultimate bestie from back home that is the most supportive person on earth (Fumi).

The epitome of OCD and the type who would probably plan out every bathroom break on a trip (Takamine).

A passionately dedicated drama club student who will do anything for the sake of their art (Kanechika).

And a cool aunt with a bit of an adam’s apple that helps out with good fashion tips and a place for Mitsumi to stay in Tokyo (Nao).

**Disclaimer here that I am not trans, but in my opinion, I think Nao’s inclusion in the story was very tastefully done.  Pronouns were used correctly, and no big deal was ever made of Mitsumi’s aunt formerly being an uncle.  She mentions it to her friends once when they are going to stay they night in case it bothers anyone.  But it doesn’t.  And I really like that.**

Plus even more friends and family!  There are quite a few minor characters that still make a big impact, and some I’d like to know more about.  As Skip & Loafer was a manga before it was an anime, I assume we do get more, so yay!  But even if you just watch the anime only, the story ends at a good stopping point. 

Where does it rate on my personal scale?

S: I will buy it at full price (unless it’s released by Aniplex USA, because fuck their pricing).

->A: I will buy it on sale sometime down the line.

B: I had fun watching it, but don’t need to own it.

C: It’s not my cup of tea, but wasn’t awful.

D: Dropped it.

X: Finished it out of spite, but did not enjoy it.

Skip & Loafer ranks at a solid A.  It was one of my favorite shows of the season and I would like to have the chance to watch it again even if streaming services die.  I’m also tempted to check out the manga to get more of my wholesome fix.

[cherryatiny]

𝐃𝐚𝐝! 𝐀𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐳: 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 '𝐝𝐚𝐝'

𝐺𝐼𝐹𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑒, 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠

⩥ 𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠

„See princess? And this is how you trim audio when working on a song.“ responded Hongjoong excitedly, from how interested his daughter was in the matter of creating and producing music, just like her dad.

The little girl squealed on his lap happily, as she just edited her first song. „Wow, daddy's work is so cool! I'm gonna be like daddy when I grow up!“ He couldn't help but smile at how his cute daughter was an exact copy of him when it came to her looks, interests or even personality.

„Okay princess, can you be a good girl and be quiet for a while? Daddy just has to finish this one song, I promise it'll take just a few minutes.“ his daughter nodded, always obeying the words of her dad.

Sitting there quietly, she looked at the screen of his computer, the small pink headphones Hongjoong bought for her on times like these when they listened and worked on music together, on her head, as she listened to the song that featured her dad and his seven friends.

The girl suddenly jumped up on his lap, his hands swiftly catching her, not wanting to imagine the piercing cry of pain she'd let out if she fell. „What are you doing, princess? You have to be careful baby, or else you'll fall. Why did you even jump?“

„I heard dad singing in the chorus!“ exclaimed his daughter. „But daddy wasn't singing in the chorus, princess.“ frowned Hongjoong confusedly, not knowing what his daughter meant. „I know. I was talking about dad Seonghwa.“ his daughter not being able to distinguish between the voices would be completely okay, after all, she's just a toddler, but his daughter calling his friend Seonghwa dad intentionally, was not that okay for him.

„But Seonghwa isn't your dad. I'm your dad.“ Weird jealousy-like feeling flowed through his veins at that moment. „I know that you're my dad, but mommy said uncle Seonghwa is my dad too!“

„No my little dummy, you missed it, uncle Seonghwa is your godfather, not your dad, him being your godfather doesn't make him your dad, princess.“ explained Hongjoong as he smiled at his little girl, embracing her in a tight but careful hug full of love since she's tiny and fragile.

⩥ 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚

Heating the zucchini sauce, that his friend Hongjoong taught him how to cook, before pouring it on the pasta, Seonghwa served his twin daughters the meal they love so much. „Okay.. enjoy your meal, my loves, what do you say?“ waiting for their answer, the girls thanked him loud, cheerfully. „Thank you, daddy!“

Seonghwa smiled proudly at how well you two raised them. „That's it, smart girls, after your parents! And don't forget to eat everything! You have to eat, so you can be strong and healthy girls!“

No answer was given to him, as the two girls munched on their lunch, stuffing their mouths with pasta. In the meanwhile, Seonghwa washed the dishes he made dirty by cooking, before taking one serving of the pasta to eat as well.

Sitting down on the chair opposite of his daughter, he dug his fork into the meal, watching his daughters. „How is it? Do you like it?“ The younger twin tried to answer, but her words were muffled as her mouth was full.

„Princess, what did I say about talking while you're eating? Finish chewing first so you don't gag on the food and say it to me after that.“

„It was yummy but dad makes it better!“After finishing the last bits of their meals they place the empty plates one on another, the older twin, picking it up and placing it into the sink, she was hardly able to reach. „What are you talking about princess, daddy cooked it.“

„I didn't mean you, daddy, I meant dad Joong.“ Seonghwa felt his eyebrows frowning on their own at his daughter calling his best friend her dad. Yes, it was stupid to be jealous of something like this, but he just couldn't help it. „Why are you calling uncle Hongjoong your dad?“

„He's as old as you daddy, so I thought he could be my dad as well!“

⩥ 𝐉𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐨

Sitting his three kids into their child seats and fastening their seatbelts, Yunho got into his driver seat, carefully leaving the parking lot. Looking in the rear mirror, his two boys were playing together deep down in a conversation, while their little sister slept.

Nevertheless, he still drove quite slowly, because he knew the kids might throw up from the number of roller coasters they rode with Mingi's daughter today.

Coming home, his daughter was still sleeping and he didn't have the heart to wake her up from her peaceful state. Picking her up on his arms, her head laying on his shoulder, the two boys jumped out of the car, already running to the house to rant about their day to you.

Hearing their shouting from outside, you were already waiting for them in the hallway, the two boys jumping onto you, embracing you in a hug with their tiny arms. Smiling at your husband Yunho that was standing in the hallway.

„I missed you my loves! The house was empty without you. Did you have fun today at the amusement park?“

„Yes! Dad bought us ice cream!“ Yeah. You could see that since a chocolate stain adorned his light green t-shirt, smiling at your sons whose day was lightened up by the chocolate ice cream they loved that much.

„Yuyu, what did I tell you about buying the kids ice cream. It's full of sugar and chemicals, I could've made them one myself when you came home, and it won't stuff chemicals into their bodies.“

„But I didn't buy them ice cream, Y/N, Mingi did... Wait! Did you two just call uncle Mingi your dad? I'm actually hurt.“

Yunho cried and fell to the ground dramatically to show how much his boys calling his best friend their father hurt him. Only resulting in the boys laughter.

„[Mingi's daughter's name] said she's our little sister as well as [Yunho's daughter's name] and that you're one of her dads, so we thought that Mingi's our dad too!“

⩥ 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐞𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐠

„Mommy, mommy, can you please braid my hair?“ squeaked your daughter cutely as she ran towards you with a hairband in her small hands. Handing it over to you as you cooked a meal for lunch.

„Mommy is busy, come over here, daddy is so good at braiding hair.“ exalted your husband Yeosang himself as he motioned for his daughter to come to him.

Spreading his legs widely for his daughter to sit in between them in his lap as her back faced him.

Brushing her soft and silky hair into a ponytail, he took the hairband from her hand and started braiding her hair into a (really messy) braid.

The girl stood up, running over to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror. Stepping out onto her stairs so she can see herself, she saw the terrible creature that was supposed to adorn her head.

Unbraiding the messy hairstyle, she ran back to the room where you and Yeosang were. Ignoring Yeosang who looked at her confusedly as to why she damaged the braid he made, the little girl tugged at your t-shirt to gain your attention.

„Mommy, mommy, why are dads so bad at braiding hair?“ scoffed the girl as she pouted with playful anger at Yeosang.

„Do you have experiences with other dads that you can generalize it?“ asked Yeosang as he watched the two of you with wide eyes, to catch every detail. „Dad Jongho couldn't braid my hair as well.“

His daughter calling his best friend dad seemed to spark jealousy and some kind of anger in him. „And who told you to call uncle Jongho 'dad'?“

„And who told you that you're good at braiding hair as you claimed?“ scoffed the little girl at her dad as she hugged you closer to her, not letting you go as she was acting petty with her dad. „Damn, who is this kid so mean and sarcastic after...“

⩥ 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢 𝐒𝐚𝐧

Looking out of the window on the immense garden their house had, San's two sons were playing soccer there. One as a goalkeeper and the second one trying to score a goal against his older brother.

The last night there was a big storm which caused the mud to be all over their garden. However, the boys didn't seem to care that they were covered in dirt head to toes.

Even though it was in the boys' nature to not care if they're dirty, he knew you'd be angry when you came home and saw all the dirty clothing and scraped knees. So he rather called them to come inside, the boys ran inside the spacious house.

„Boys, you know how angry mommy will be, what did we say about playing in the mud?“ Scolding them playfully the boys didn't like the restrictions you two made.

„But daddy Wooyoung lets us play outside even after rain when there's mud." The younger one whined, trying to persuade his father San to let them continues playing, instead getting a reaction out of his older brother.

„He's not your dad, Wooyoung is our uncle you dumbass.“ Not believing his ears, San kneeled down to be on the boys' eye level as he scolds them.

„Hey you, don't call your younger brother dumbass, where did you even learn that word? And you, don't call uncle wooyoung your dad, or I'll have to have a serious conversation with that dumbass.“ scoffed San at the two boys as he stood up, about to look for some clean clothes to clean this mess before you came home and scolded all three of them.

„Daddy? And if you can say dumbass, why can't I?“

⩥ 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢

Coming home from work, all exhausted and your body sore, you placed your keys and bag on the table in the hallway, shouting some greetings to alert Mingi and your daughter that you're home.

Not getting any response, you stepped into the living room, being met with the image of your husband Mingi pouting and sitting on the ground with arms crossed over his chest as he frowned cutely at the little girl that sat opposite of him.

Your daughter doing exactly the same as if they were imitating each other. „What's wrong with you two, did something happen?“

Looking at them with confusion in your eyes, you sat on the ground with them, waiting for their clarification of whatever happened.

„[Mingi's daughter's name] called Yunho her dad. He's not her dad, I'm her dad! If I called any other kid my daughter she'd start crying too, so why can't I?“

Trying to hold back the laughter at Mingi's childish behaviour, you looked at your daughter, expecting her to say something. „Daddy don't be jealous, even though I have eight dads and you're one of them, you're the best one, and my most favourite one! I love you, daddy, so don't be mad at dad Yunho anymore.“

You could see Mingi's bottom lip quirking at her words and you knew that he wanted to cry from the heartwarming words your daughter said to him, nevertheless he couldn't lose his composure as he was playing offended with her for the past two hours.

„Okay princess, come here, to the best daddy you have, but don't you dare wish any of them on the father's day.“

⩥ 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠

Sitting on the soft couch in your and Wooyoung's house's living room, you listened to the conversation between him and San as you watched your son of 10 months laying on the mat with clattering toys dangling above him, that was placed on the living room's floor.

His tiny figure trying to reach out for them, but failing. Seeing how his eyebrows started to shrug, the displeased expression on his face, Wooyoung could sense what was about to happen and he was definitely not in the mood to hear his son's piercing hysterical almost scream-like cries.

„Okay, okay, young man, come to daddy before you make us deaf with your crying.“

Picking him up, Wooyoung placed your son on his lap, the tiny boy laying there as he looked up at San's dimples, the man in question couldn't help but smile and giggle at how cute his best friend's son was.

Leaning towards him, he tickled the baby with his fingers, not failing to make your son a giggling mess. The boy in your husband's lap reached out to touch his dad's friend, his tiny fingers gripping on San's t-shirt.

„Da-da. Dada!“ Both your and Wooyoung's eyes widened at hearing your son talk for the first time, „Say that again, bun.“

Encouraged him Wooyoung, trying to make his son say 'dad' again, however, he wasn't the one his son meant.

Reaching towards San, your son somehow turned himself over onto his stomach and tried to get over to San. „Dada!“ screamed your son once again as he was trying to move himself to San's lap somehow.

„W-what? Baby no, that's not your dad! I'm your dad, that's uncle San, he's not your dad.“ Wooyoung tried to turn your son over, so he could look at his real father, but the boy only protested, letting out those cute 'dad' blabbers over and over, resulting in you laughing at how grumpy Wooyoung got because of this situation.

Well, saying that Wooyoung didn't invite San over for about a month was understandable.

⩥ 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨

Sitting on the ground of his room, while playing with cars that belonged to him, you listened to him rambling about everything - his day in the kindergarten, the toy cars, the cute puppy he saw, when suddenly he switched the topic of his chatter,

„Mommy, why doesn't daddy Yeosang have a boy, who'll play soccer with me?“ Not realising the way your son called your friend at first, you thought about a way to answer his question, when you actually discerned one of his words after a while,

„Look, baby, it's- wait, why did you call uncle Yeosang 'daddy'? He's not your daddy, as you've said he has his own child and you have your own daddy.“

„I know mommy, that he's not my real daddy, but he's [Yeosang's daughter's name]'s daddy, and when I'll be grown up, I'll marry her and he'll become my daddy too!“ explained your little son before returning to his previous task of playing with the cars that were all over his room's floor.

Not being aware of your husband Jongho that stood outside his room and eavesdropped your whole conversation, he exposed himself when he suddenly scoldingly whined from the hallway,

„Yah, aren't you way too young to have a wife, definitely not Yeosang's daughter, if that girl is at least as half the way as Yeosang is, she'll be able to kill you with her words alone. And her father is way too buff, it'd be stressful to have him as your father in law, what if he gets angry. Definitely not, he won't be your father in any way, young man.“

[leah-bobeea]

Magazine Girl; Steve Rogers

You ever start writing a fic about a journalist reader at two am who’s eventually gonna end up doing steeb, over his desk, biting down on his expensive leather belt?

❀ ❀ ❀

Warnings: CEO!Steve x Journalist!Reader, Angst, Steve’s a little mean, Bossy Steve, Shy/Anxious reader, Dom!steve, mentions spanking, oral (m receiving), unprotected sex, coercion (a little teensy bit), Bad writing lol

Word Count: 3.9k

A/N: Terrible writing w/ a terribly rushed ending. Written on my phone, in my notes app, not beta read, and barely proofread.

❀ ❀ ❀

Yes, your hands were busy. Not busy typing out a rough draft of this stupid article on Steve Rogers, not busy calling his secretary to set up a meeting with the man, or the closest to him you could get, not busy doing their job at all. They were busy tapping your pen against the glass tabletop of your desk, successfully annoying Wanda, who sent you an aggravated look from across the room.

“Seriously, Y/n?” Wanda moved from where she was at her desk, clearly not making a breakthrough on her article for this month's issue either. You could only shake your head in reply. Throwing your head back to stare at the ceiling, you starting explaining. “Maria gave me this huge article, Wanda. Cover! And, trust me, I know she’s testing me and doesn’t think I’ll actually be able to do it so she can fire me, or belittle me, or- or something! I don’t know what to do, help me, bestie.” As you finished rambling you looked up at her with your best puppy dog eyes, hoping for some of that amazing advice she gives.

Wanda laughed and pulled a chair over from an empty desk, sitting down and haphazardly throwing her feet on top of your cluttered tabletop. “She wouldn’t give you an article you couldn’t handle, she loves you, Y/n. If it’s truly as difficult as you’re making it out as that means that she knows you’re ready for it, and you’ll do amazing. Who’s it on anyway?”

She was doing such a good job at easing your nerves until she brought up the topic. You whined high in your throat and threw your head to the side before uttering, “Steven Rogers,” you turned your body back to Wanda, “What more do I need to say?” Her eyes widened just a little. “Sheesh...I’d start making phone calls, and praying, maybe?”

❀ ❀ ❀

“Hello, Miss. Carter, um- this is Y/n L/n with Shield Mag-“ “Please hold, dear.”

You pulled the phone away from your head and let it rest on your naked thigh, quickly pressing the speaker button. It was times like this when you were grateful that you let your grandma convince you to buy a house phone. Peggy Carter was the fifth person you’d contacted trying to get an interview with this man and she was the second lady that humored you enough to at least pretend like she’d get back to you.

She’s his main assistant so you might have better luck this time...

Thirty minutes later you had your head inches off the ground and your toes wiggling in the air. Humming the annoying hold music to yourself, you braided, unbraided, and re-braided a single strand of your hair. At thirty-nine minutes you were ready to give up until you heard a click on the other line.

You scrambled to turn off the speaker and press the phone back to your ear.

“Miss. Carter I was hoping to set up an interview with Mr. Rogers, over the phone, in person, or through email, if that’s possible?” You asked, hopeful that she wouldn’t shoot you down immediately like everyone else.

“Well, Magazine Girl, I only do in person. But I am a very busy man, so I need to know right away, what’s in it for me?” Your breath hitched and you almost fell and cracked your head open from how startled hearing his voice made you. Then, you nearly gave yourself a head rush from how fast you sat up.

“Well, um, Sir, you would get a headlining article, and uh, a cover on the June issue of Shield Magazine. That’s um, that’s if you want a cover- you don’t have to be on the cover if you don’t want to, just the interview would be mentioned on the cover, but-“ His chuckle was gritty and vivid, effective in stopping your babble. “I’ll see you Friday around noon. Goodbye Magazine Girl.” He hung up on you before you could even comprehend anything but that captivating laugh.

You rubbed at your eyes and grabbed your planner and pen. “Friday at noon...”

❀ ❀ ❀

The next day you were back in the office, sitting in Wanda’s stiff chair with twin caramel lattes sitting in front of you. That was the thing about you, you’d come to work early bearing gifts just to tell your closest friend your good news. You’re sweet like that.

When Wanda arrived it was fifteen minutes later and your latte was halfway gone. Hearing her black stilettos click on the glossy linoleum made you perk up immediately. As she approached, you stood, handing her the latte and wrapping your arms around her lithe body.

“I got an interview!” You squealed, rocking your bodies side to side. She stilled you and smiled. “Gosh, that’s great, Y/n. How’d you get it?”

“Well, I called, like everyone, and he picked up, Wanda! he picked up! I’m scheduled for Friday, and my Lord, Wanda, his laugh, it's like honey...” You trailed off, sighing at the thought of him. Your head was rested on her shoulder, a faint smile on your face. “You’ve got a crush on him!” Wanda exclaimed, grabbing your shoulders and holding you an arm's length away to get a good look at your bashful face.

You gasped, “No I do not! That would be totally unprofessional!” The cackle that erupted from her made her sound like the wicked witch of the west. And honestly, under her stare, you felt like Dorothy stuck under that house.

When Wanda was finally done laughing maliciously she let you go, plopping down in her desk chair and sipping her latte. She pointed over and your desk and gave you a look. “Better start drafting those questions... we wouldn’t want you to blank on your crush.” “Wanda!”

❀ ❀ ❀

The days leading up to Friday were excruciatingly long, yet the hours until twelve flew past all too quickly.

It seemed as if your wardrobe was never ending, full of clothes that you deemed inappropriate for a meeting with the CEO of American Enterprises. You threw yourself back onto the bed, hair and makeup done but body still wrapped in a fluffy white towel. “Oh Milky, what am I gonna wear?” The soft white kitty glared at you from the pillow she was perched on, meowing at you aggressively.

Ten thirty blinked on the clock and you sat up, glancing at all of the clothes that were scattered on the floor. “I guess this will do.” You picked up the same emerald blazer you had chosen originally and layered it over some basic Levi’s, and gray low cut blouse flowing over your form. A belt was necessary, so you grazed over your options. Brown wouldn’t go, even though it was your only fancy belt. The only black one you had was old, the leather cracked and worn, but it had to do. You slipped on some pretty black heels, lucky that you painted your toes a similar color to your blouse. After accessorizing you sprayed your signature perfume, the one that got you your first college-aged boyfriend, and the same one that you were wearing when you got your first real job.

By the time you were on the Metro, it was eleven o’ six, and you were worried. If you were late you’d lose this chance, and probably your job. The car stopped around eleven fifteen, giving you fifteen minutes to make your way to the building, check-in, and try to not seem so nervous.

Finding the building wasn’t difficult at all, after all, it is the second biggest building in New York City, competing with Stark Tower. The “A” at the top wasn’t illuminated, but it still stood out against the other buildings, cowering over them.

You found that the doors were heavy and if you denied Wanda of going to those burn boot camps you would have extreme difficulty prying them open. The inside was classy, just as you expected. The lamps had blue shades and the front desk lit up with a design that resembled the American Flag, but with less curved stripes and only one large star.

The receptionist was one of the women who shot you down immediately when you called and was a little surprised when you checked in. “Hello, I’m here for Mr. Rogers, twelve o’clock?” She searched for something on her computer, clearly trying to see if the appointment was legitimate. When you were proven correct, she handed you a temporary security badge and a sharpie to write your name on it. “Have a seat over there when you’re finished. I’ll call for you when Mr. Rogers is ready for you.” She smiled, it was fake, but it helped you feel more comfortable.

The red couch was stiff and small, clearly not meant for long periods of sitting. The badge was clipped onto your blouse, not your blazer, and the weight of it was pulling at the already low cut neckline. You thought about moving it, but your attention was quickly turned to the coffee table, where your magazine sat, opened to an article you wrote. Your hands were a little shaky as you went to close the magazine, but you were interrupted before you could grasp the bent pages.

“Miss. Y/n? Mr. Rogers is ready for your interview. Head up to floor thirty six, the door on the right.” Miss receptionist sounded bored, her eyes never left the monitor in front of her. “Thanks.”

Some of the others in the waiting area looked up to you after hearing where you were going, causing you to blush.

You felt lucky to get the elevator to yourself. Thirty-six floors is a long way to go, yet you got there in under three. In the elevator you adjusted your outfit and flattened your hair, hoping it wasn’t frizzy.

The door on the right was clearly not just a meeting room but an office, which you thought was odd. You also found it odd that no one was in the room, you expected to at least be met with his assistant or secretary, if not Steve himself.

Your eyes scanned the room to make sure it was completely empty before taking a seat on the leather chair on the opposite side of the big desk. You opened your notebook and got out your lucky rooster pen before going over your questions once again, hoping he didn’t think they were stupid.

You waited fifteen minutes for him, growing increasingly irked as the minutes built up. When he walked through the door you felt like your heart stopped.

Six-four build covered in a black suit and tie, white undershirt pristine. Blonde hair disheveled and a perfectly manicured beard. The door slammed shut and you heard the clinking sound of a glass being set down. Steve lifted his head and you snapped yours to the front, hoping he didn’t catch you checking him out.

The room was silent besides a rustling coming from behind you. You busied yourself with your notebook, highlighting the questions you wanted to ask most.

“You’re a very patient girl.” He observed. Steve made you wait on purpose. He knew from the first person you called that you wanted an interview, he was friends with Maria Hill after all. But he wanted some entertainment, and after looking into you, he knew you were the right girl. So far he’s made you wait an hour and fourteen minutes for just a smidge of his attention.

“Yes, Sir.” You mumbled, accidentally stopping the highlighter too soon, pressing it down, and letting the pink ink bleed to the next page. He hummed in approval as he rounded the corner, drink in his hand, coat jacket discarded, sleeves rolled up, first couple buttons loose. Finally, Steve sat in the big chair, keeping eye contact with you as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the mahogany table.

“Give me that.” Your eyebrows furrowed at his statement, “What?” You asked, putting your pen down on your lap. Steve motioned for your notebook, and you opened your mouth, starting to stumble over your words. “Oh? um- Okay?” You handed it over to him and he relaxed back into his chair. A question bubbled in your throat, but you didn’t let it escape. Instead, you watched as his eyes scanned the papers, blue cursive, and pink highlighter, little stars and flowers drawn in the corners. “Mr. Rogers, are you ready to start the interview?” You tapped your watch, twelve twenty four.

He nodded, “Yes, I’m ready.” You cleared your throat and went to ask for your notebook, but he beat you to it. “Miss. L/n, is there an achievement or something that you’ve contributed to me that you are most proud of?” Why was he asking you your own questions? “Sir, I-“ He cut you off once again. “Answer the question, doll.”

You huffed and crossed your arms over your chest. “I- um, no. I haven’t contributed anything to you that I should be proud of, Sir.”

“Is there a particular moment or memory of building this relationship that stands out to you?” He continued with the questions, tilting his head to the side. Why was he twisting the questions onto you? When you didn’t come up with an answer he chuckled, sounding sickly sweet like molasses dripping straight from the sugarcane. “Patience finally wearing thin, honey?” You nodded eyes staring at his chest, you couldn’t quite muster up the courage to look him in the eye.

He snapped your notebook closed and slid it towards your side of the grand desk. “You couldn’t answer my questions correctly, Y/n.” You nodded, eyes now downcast, admiring the pattern on the blue carpet. You felt like you were going to cry. This big scary man was mean and just wouldn’t let you conduct your interview and you didn’t know why. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“I know you are, doll. But, if you can’t answer my questions how can I answer yours? You have nothing to offer me.” This was it, you were losing your chance. “Business wise, that is.” Your head shook, and your hands were clasped together, your left thumb rubbing your right nail back and forth. “I don’t understand, Sir.”

“I’m friends with Maria, Y/n. If you’re able to get this article done and get me on the cover you’re gonna get a promotion, you want that, right doll?” Your eyes went wide, “Yes, Sir.” Now, he stood, coming around to the front where you are and leaning against the desk. “She said to make it difficult, but I don’t care enough to do all that. So, doll, I’ll answer your questions. They’re quite good actually. And I’ll do a little photoshoot for the cover, but you’ll need to pay me back.” You gulped, hands suddenly sweaty, you felt like a little chihuahua, trembling under his gaze.

“How? Um, how do I pay you?” Gosh, even your voice was shaky. “Stand up. Lose the blazer.” Steve commanded, slowly unbuckling his belt. You could faintly tell from the buckle that it was Hermès. You stood and took off your blazer in a rush, folding it poorly and setting it on the arm of the chair. “Atta girl.”

He placed his hands on your shoulders and then ran them down to your hands, giving them a little squeeze before he hooked his index fingers into your belt loops, pulling you closer. So close that the tips of your shoes were touching. He leaned down to kiss your neck and you stiffened, but when he grazed his teeth over the bruised spot he just created you melted into him, your hands grasping at the pristine white button up, letting out a little whimper.

Steve pushed you back a little and took in your form, then he pulled the little security badge off, tossing it to the side. Like a little kid, he pulled at the neckline of your shirt. “Off.” You would’ve giggled at him if he didn’t look so scary right now. His blue eyes were piercing into yours, left hand so tight on your hip you thought he might leave bruises.

By the time your shirt hit the floor, he was pushing at your shoulders, hinting at you to go to your knees. “Sir, I don’t know-“

You started, knees hitting the carpet underneath you. He shushed you and guided your head to look up at him. “It's okay, baby, you don’t have to know how. I’ll do all the work, doll. Now, undo your bra.” As expected you did as he asked immediately, fumbling with the clasp until it fell down your arms. It ended up next to your thigh as you watched him pull his belt through the loops.

Steve walked around you and kneeled down, belt in his hands. “Put your hands behind your back.” You nodded immediately, so submissive, completely at his mercy. “Yes, Sir.” Steve loved how polite you were. He made quick work of restraining you, tying your hands to rest against your jean clad ass. The metal felt harsh against your skin and the soft, expensive leather snaked up your arms.

When he was back in front of you he sighed and shook his head. “I should’ve had you unzip me first.” Hearing Steve say that finally brought you to the reality of what was about to happen. You watched with big eyes as he undid the button and then the zipper, the sound making you tremble. His dress pants puddled on the floor and you were in awe as he massaged his bulge through his boxers. Slowly, he pulled them down to the middle of his thighs. His cock bounced up to hit his abdomen and he hissed as he stroked it a few times. “Open as wide as you can, honey.”

As always, you did as asked. Your tongue stuck out a little, wetting your bottom lip. He grasped the back of your head and leaned you forward a little, then you felt his blunt tip on your tongue. You gagged and spluttered when Steve was about halfway seated, he pulled out and leaned down, kissing you sloppily. “Breathe through your nose, baby. Don’t forget.” Then he was back at slowly entering your throat. “Fuck...” he grunted, finally fully seated in your throat, your nose pressed against his nicely groomed pubic hair. He caressed your throat then, rubbing the bulge in your throat, resisting the urge to press down and have you choke on his cock even more. “So good, Y/n.”

Steve started rocking into your throat, slowly fucking it as spit leaked from the corners of your mouth. After minutes of abusing your throat, he finally pulled out, adoring the way tears ran down your cheeks and how you hiccupped, wanting to desperately rub at your raw throat to soothe it. Your hands pulled at the belt and your eyes begged Steve to undo it. “Up, doll.”

He hoisted you up from your armpits and bent you over the desk. Steve pressed kisses down your back and reached in front of you, unbuckling your belt and throwing it somewhere to the left of you, then he unbuttoned and unzipped your pants, tugging them down with fervor.

Steve undid your restraints and left more kisses down your back until he reached your ass, spreading your cheeks to reveal your tight hole and glistening cunt. “I’d love to see this ass all bruised and red, but I’ll have to save that for another day.” His index and middle finger ran circles on your clit, your back arching to press into him more. “Sir, please!” You gasped, your hand flying out to the edge of the table and nearly knocking over the glass of whiskey he left on a coaster when Steve finally pushed two fingers into your aching hole.

“Gotta open you up first, doll, get you all sloppy and ready for my cock.” You cried out as he hooked his fingers, rubbing the magic spot inside of you. “Please, Steve, please.” He cooed at you, pulling his fingers out, and instead traced his name over your clit. “You gonna come, baby? Huh? You gonna drench my fingers, little girl?” You were moaning in wanton, hips humping his hand desperately. He brought his other hand down and started fingerfucking you again, giving you just enough to push you over the edge.

Your moans were breathy, your legs twitching, and you were panting by the time your orgasm faded. “I hope you know I’m not done with you yet, doll, I still haven’t come inside you.” That made you whine high in your throat and you tried, to no avail, to slam your legs shut around his hand.

Steve’s right hand fisted his cock a few times, making sure he’s rock hard and dripping with pre-cum, while his left kept your lips spread, showing him your gorgeous pussy. The blunt head at your entrance shocked you, and you yelped at the intrusion. “Sir!”

He leaned his head down and spit where you were joined, trying to make the glide even easier. “Shut up, doll.” He snapped after you cried out. Once he was as deep as possible inside of you he reached for his belt, looping it over as if he was going to spank you, and stuffed it into your mouth. “Bite down,” Steve demanded, a hand snaked around to the front of your neck where he was applying light pressure.

When you tried to push back against him he held your hips down against the wood steadily and started snapping his hips at a fast speed. Each thrust pushed you down onto the table, letting your clit rub against the mahogany wood.

Your vision felt spacey like you could black out any moment as he choked you. Your orgasm washed over you and you had to use all the strength you had in you to keep biting down on the belt. You didn’t want to know what would happen if you disobeyed his and let it go. Steve’s hips harshly snapped against your ass a few more times before he stilled inside of you, filling you with his spunk.

Before Steve cleaned you up and let you leave his office he had to finger his cum back inside of you, making sure none of it went to waste. Then, he made sure you had a way home, and a way to contact him, because, “Now you’re no longer Magazine Girl, but My Girl.”

@lo-bells

[miraculouswolf99]

Field Trip To Greece

My own take on the Field Trip salt stories that usually are crossovers with Batman and have Damienette. But this is my version with them going to Greece and involves my OCs Lyon and Vallia Garden.

*****

“Mari, Mari, MARI,” Adrien basically yelled into his friend’s ear.

Marinette woke up with a jolt in her bus seat.

“What,” she groaned, never being much of a morning person.

“We’re almost at the sanctuary, so I figured to wake you up,” Adrien smiled at his friend.

“Thanks and curse how fast this bus is,” Marinette said.

“And curse Hawkmoth for late night akumas,” Adrien suggested.

“That to,” Marinette agreed. “Even in Greece, he still finds a way to annoy us in Paris.”

“Well, you brought the horse miraculous for a reason,” Adrien said.

“How are you not tired,” Marinette questioned him.

“I’ve always been a morning person,” Adrien shrugged. “Blame my father for a lot of early morning photoshoots.”

“I’d slap your father if it did not mean risking my future as a fashion designer in the process,” Marinette says.

After revealing themselves to each other after Miracle Queen, the two had developed a more brother-sister relationship. They both thought that it would be better for them to know each other after having all their allies exposed to Hawkmoth and Mayura. They joked around, teased each other, and also always had each others backs.

Having each other’s backs certainly helped them when Lila’s lies got worse. After Chloe had willingly helped Hawkmoth, she had been sent to a private reformatory school in Sweden. Lila took the opportunity to tell more of her lies, saying that she had been telling her “best friend” Ladybug to keep the Bee miraculous away from Chloe for months. And just like everything else Lila ever said, their class ate it up like it was their last meal.

Adrien had joined Marinette almost immediately after he made his “deal with the devil” in order to get her back into school. He threw himself off the “high road” the moment that Marinette told him that Lila threatened her. But even with him backing up Marinette every time she caught inconsistencies in Lila’s tales, there were still few that actually believed them. Some even went as far as scolding Marinette for her “brainwashing Adrien” into thinking that Lila was a liar.

Kim, Juleka, and Nathaniel were the only ones that stayed loyal to their friends. Especially since Marinette had done so much for them in the past. Like curing Juleka of her photo curse, helping Nathaniel get together with Marc, and Kim had been her friend since they were in diapers. With their group was also Kagami, Luka, Marc, Aurore, and Mireille. The rest of Bustier’s class was pretty much made up of Lila’s attack dogs.

What annoyed Adrien the most was how his so-called best friend. Nino may be siding with his girlfriend, Alya being Lila’s biggest supporter/attack dog, but that also meant he was part of the problem. He certainly never helped Adrien when Lila would constantly hold onto his arm no matter how many times he told her to let go. It was driving Adrien crazy and he was very close to taking Plagg up on his offer to Cataclysm the liar.

“I bet the garden is going to be beautiful,” Juleka says, her seat next to the two heroes.

She was sitting next to Nathaniel while Kim was in the seat in front of Adrien and Marinette. They were all in the seats at the back of the bus.

“I heard that the Garden Family Sanctuary is ranked as an unofficial wonder of the world,” Nathaniel said.

“Anyone else find it odd that a nature sanctuary is run by a family with Garden as their last name,” Kim asked.

“I think this is one of those ‘don’t think about it too much’ times,” Marinette shrugged.

“I haven’t been here in years,” Adrien was glad to be back.

“You’ve been here before,” Juleka asked.

“There was a charity fashion show here about a year before my mother disappeared,” Adrien explained. “I was here with my parents for it.”

“Did you meet any of the animals here,” Kim looked excited. “I heard that they let any animals here roam free even when they have events or tours here.”

“The animals do roam around the sanctuary as they wish,” Adrien says. “But the Garden family and all their employees work hard to tame all their animals privately to make sure that even the predators do not harm anyone. They spend months to years taming them before releasing them into the main part of the sanctuary.”

“It really sounds like an amazing place,” Marinette said.

“I can’t wait to draw some of the animals,” Nathaniel already had out his sketchpad. “Marc requested I draw him the most amazing animal that I see. No pressure. Haha.”

Juleka patted his shoulder, but her obviously hiding her laughter made her attempt to comfort him fail. 

But, as usual, their good moods had to be ruined by the Italian that never seemed to go five minutes without hearing the sound of her own voice. And, also as usual, she was spouting her nonsense. They were very close to throwing her out the back of the bus if she did not stop talking.

“Of course I know the Garden family,” Lila brags, lying through her teeth. “They are basically family to me.”

“Here we go again,” the five friends groaned.

“The mother and her two daughters mostly handle the plants,” Lila continues. “The father and their son handle the animals. It’s only natural since they are the only ones that can stomach having to put down the more dangerous animals.”

“Tell us more, Lila,” Alya was recording the entire time.

Adrien growled. “There has never been a case of an animal being put down at the sanctuary. The closest that comes to that is when an animal gets sick and there is nothing they can do to help it.”

“They have to put it out of its misery, don’t they,” Marinette asked.

Adrien nodded. “The youngest two Gardens speak fluent French, so I was able to spend some time with kids my own age during the fashion show. They told me that while it breaks their hearts, it is better than letting the animal suffer.”

“I can see where they come from for that,” Juleka says. “They love, take care of, and train all the animals. So it’s only natural that they form a bond with them.”

“I know I am not the brightest person in class, but how can they believe such crap,” Kim shook his head. “Whenever anyone even slightly mentions someone famous, she instantly says she is either best friends with them or somehow related to them. It’s impossible.”

“Tell that to the sheep that follow her around like she’s god’s gift to the world,” Marinette rolled her eyes.

“Makes you wonder if we really are the only ones in class with braincells,” Nathaniel, of all people, said.

The bus doors opened as it came to a full stop at the sanctuary. Bustier was the first out and the class followed her. They all first went into the sanctuary. And even from what little they could see from where they were, it already was one of the most beautiful places any of them have ever seen.

Trees, flowers, and even fruit and vegetable plants were growing as far as their eyes could see. The entire sanctuary also seemed to be covered by a glass dome, making an environment similar to a greenhouse. It made sense since there were probably plants in certain areas that needed to be grown in certain temperatures.

But today the dome’s windows were open, letting in the natural light of the sun, even if it looked like squares on the ground because of the dome’s window linings.

As Bustier lead them to a stop, two teen their age approached the group. Adrien recognized his two penpals. The ones he met in Greece when he was there for the fashion show. Lyon and Vallia Garden.

Vallia was quite beautiful and had a grace and elegance to her style. She had long blond hair braided with roses and butterflies and had pink streaks. Her eyes were a stunning silver that you could see, if you were close enough, had specks of blue in them. Her style was a red, pink, and purple dawn colored dress with gold flats. On her wrists were diamond rose cuff bracelets, a butterfly on the one on her right wrist.

Lyon gave off a very icy exterior that also screamed honor and loyalty that only a knight would have. A tall boy with hair that was black with streaks of white and blue in it, coming to the length of Adrien's. His eyes were the opposite of the girl's, blue with silver specks. His outfit of choice was a sky blue t-shirt under a white jean vest, matching the blue pants with white boots. On his hands were white fingerless gloves. Around his neck was a sword and shield pendant as well as a white cloak only going down to his knees.

They all also saw that the two did have crystal medallions on their foreheads. Vallia’s was a rose quartz butterfly and Lyon’s was a sapphire wolf.

“Your pen pals are hot, Adrien,” Marinette smirked as she saw her honorary brother staring at Lyon.

“Shut up,” Adrien grumbled, making Marinette giggle.

Bustier turns to the class. “These two are going to be our guides through the sanctuary. Please show them the proper amount of respect since they are the ones that work here.”

Lyon and Vallia gave the teacher the side-eye. While they technically did work there, their family owned the sanctuary and it was like Bustier had completely forgot about that and thought that they were just employees of the sanctuary.

“Shouldn’t we be guided by adults,” Mylene asked, trying not to sound offensive to the two teens.

“We’re your tour guides because we are the only ones here fluent in French,” Lyon told the class, his French flawless.

Adrien hid that he was chuckling behind his hand. He knew the twins were fluent, but the looks on his classmate’s faces when Lyon spoke in French was just so funny.

“Before we begin, let us introduce ourselves,” Vallia said, also switching to French. “My name is Vallia and this is my twin brother, Lyon.”

“Please also take note of a few rules of the sanctuary,” Lyon says. “While the animals here have been tamed, do not touch or interact with them without permission. Certain movements or actions could cause them to badly react. They are all also on specific diets, so do not feed them unless we give you food to give them.”

“The plants should also all remain untouched,” Vallia added. “There are certain plants here that are not native to the area and survive here only because we created the right environments for them. Especially the ghost orchid. There are barely even 2000 ghost orchid plants left in the world and they need to remain here so that they do not go extinct.”

Most of the class nodded, understanding the rules. Lila hid how annoyed she was at not being able to take whatever beautiful plant she wants or touch any cute animal that she sees.

The tour than began, the class following the twins deeper into the sanctuary. Already they were starting to see a ton of the animals that lived there. There were some animals of Greek origins. Such as brown bears, red deer, lynxes, rock lizards, weasels, and wild boar. There were also more international animals. Like white-tailed deer from North America, jaguars from South America, pandas from China, African panthers and lions, Indian tigers, horses from Canada, even komodo dragons from Indonesia. And that was just the beginning.

“The Garden Family Sanctuary was founded almost a hundred years ago by siblings Apollo and Persephone Garden,” Lyon says. “Having been named after the god of the healing and the goddess of flowers, they had always loved helping nature and animals.”

“They started out with an animal shelter that took in any and all animals,” Vallia continued for her brother. “They had a very clear rule about being a no-kill shelter. The more popular they became, the more room they needed. And since they already came from a rich family, they bought more land. And over the years, it grew into the sanctuary you see today.”

“With the amount of animals and plants coming, there has been chat about buying land on another island to expand the sanctuary,” Lyon said. “Which means more area to protect from smugglers and poachers.”

“Your French is very good,” Marinette compliments them.

“Thank you, we’ve had years of practice,” Vallia says.

“It helped when we hosted a few French fashion designers here a few years ago for a charity fashion show,” Lyon said.

Adrien caught the smirk that Lyon sent his way. It made the blond blush.

The group continued walking through the sanctuary. A few of the animals curiously looked at the group, but chose not to get near them. There were a few did cuddle up to the twins, who happily petted them before sending them away with a treat in their mouth.

But even as the twins tried to talk about the sanctuary, Lila was still telling her lies as the classmates not under her spell surrounded her. They listened to her more than they did their actual tour guides.

“Yeah, poachers and smugglers try to get in all the time,” she was saying. “The first time I was here, I saw one and tried to tell the employees and they didn’t believe me. They certainly did after I single-handedly stopped him from taking a rare blue tiger.”

“That is so cool, Lila,” Rose unknowingly encouraged more lying. 

“They should make you a partner here if you caught a poacher that they did not even know was there,” Alya said.

“They wanted to, but my mother said I was too young to be part of a business,” Lila says.

Adrien saw the twins look at each other as they hear what is being said. He knew that while the two were mostly quiet around those they do not know, other than when they gave tours, they would definitely not take liars sitting down. They were extremely protective of their family, which was why Lyon practiced archery while Vallia is an expert with the bo-staff.

“The Garden family would never offer someone outside of the family a part of the sanctuary,” Lyon stated, making the class look at him.

“We would appreciate you not tell such tall tales about such a charitable family,” Vallia crossed her arms. “They are well-respected by all of Greece and do not deserve to have such lies told about them.”

The class looked very insulted at the accusation of Lila being a liar, which happened whenever anyone said that. It happened more than you think since Bustier’s class was the only one in the entire school that actually believed her. Everyone else knew that Lila was nothing but a liar.

“Something tells me that things are about to get interesting,” Juleka whispered to the rest of their group.

“You’re the one that knows them, Adrien,” Marinette says. “What do you think they’ll do?”

“I’ve been in contact with them for years,” Adrien said. “And from all I know about them, it’s a slight miracle that Lyon hasn’t already threatened to shoot her with an arrow.”

“Does he do that often,” Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.

“Only to those that really anger him, really annoy him, or threaten his family,” Adrien said. “But that last part also includes the sanctuary and all of the animals kept here.”

“Guess we should be thankful that he doesn’t have them on him right now,” Kim says. “Even if he could get rid of our liar problem with a single shot.”

“Lyon was actually scouted by the coach of the Greek Olympian archery team,” Adrien tells them. “But Lyon doesn’t like competition. He says that they are nothing but barbaric events meant to to do nothing but enlarge egos and decrease braincells.”

“Can are class even lose what they don’t have,” Marinette smirked.

All of them laughed at her joke. When Marinette got sassy and sarcastic, it was hilarious. She could sass-talk like nobody’s business.

“Haw dare you,” Lila put a hand over her heart and then started up the crocodile tears again. “How could you be so mean to me?”

That was when her sheep glared at the twins.

“Lila is not a liar,” Alya was her main supporter as usual. “You’re nothing but simple employees. I bet you do not even know the Garden family. Lila, on the other hand, is basically an honorary member of their family.”

Both twins crossed their arms this time, staring down the class.

“Let us fully introduce ourselves,” Lyon narrowed his eyes at them. “My name is Lyon Garden and this is my twin sister, Vallia Garden. Our family owns this sanctuary and neither of us nor the rest of their family have ever met this girl.”

Adrien was seriously smirking at this point. He had seen this coming and was very glad that it had finally was. Especially since Lila did not even get the number of family members right. There were two Garden parents, but the children were another story. Lyon and Vallia were the youngest of the family, but Vallia was the only girl and they had two older brothers.

“You’re probably just lying to make Lila look bad because you’re jealous,” Alix glared at the twins. “She’s connected to the Gardens while you are not.”

“Don’t believe us, we don’t care, but we do have a friend in your class that knows who we are,” Vallia giggled. “Isn’t that right, Adrien?”

The sheep looked at the model. He only smirked as he joined Lyon and Vallia’s side.

“You two certainly know how to make an impression,” Adrien tells them, chuckling.

“If we really wanted to make an impression, I would have started at my favorite wolf den,” Lyon snickered. “But I would have been too tempted to order my wolves to eat them.”

Adrien laughed at the looks of horror on his classmates’ faces.

“If you guys haven’t figured it out, it was my family that the twins were talking about before,” Adrien says. “We were the ones that came here for the charity fashion show. It was great to meet the two youngest members of the Garden family.”

“So these are the sheep that follow that liar like lost puppies,” Vallia looked at Adrien. “The liar that doesn’t know how to take ‘no’ for an answer?”

“Got it in one, Vallia,” Adrien says. “And she’s been telling lies about your family since this field trip started. She even said that your family was three girls and two boys.”

The twins rolled their eyes.

“Wow,” Lyon shook his head. “Vallia might wish she had a sister, it’s just us and our two older brothers with our parents.”

Vallia playfully slapped her brother’s shoulder.

While Adrien took his two friends over to the rest of his group to introduce them, the rest of the class finally seemed to get that Lila did indeed lie to them. They turned on her like lions on an antelope and started yelling at her for lying to them.

The twins made mental notes to contact their parents about needing to sue a girl for slander and defamation. 

[whatsupmrstark]

Bare

Peter parker x stark! Reader (aged up peter ofc)

Summary: a fun day at the compound leads to getting caught by your less than approving dad

warnings: smut with lots of plot have fun

Everyday felt like a never ending date. But in a good way.

You and peter have been together for a while, 10 months to be exact. And nobody knew, well nobody means the avengers your friends and... okay so everyone knows except your dad and happy but hey! Don’t judge the mans scary about his kid. Not that you were scared but more of Peters sake.

The affair started about a year ago, you hung out when he stayed at the compound. He was the only person there under the age of 30 and you two hit it off. Then days at the lab together and so on. You begged your dad to transfer you to midtown and after almost two months of begging and throwing tantrums he agreed, under the pretense you had all your classes with peter and we’ll that was just a bonus.

So then from there you kissed a kiss turned into kisses and dating and homecoming and now your here 10 months later cuddled up against him in the most not obvious way watching a movie with your dad and the rest of your family.

“Nat I swear to god your telling me you wouldn’t fuck him” Wanda whispers sneaking a peak at vision,making sure he hadn’t heard,before focusing back on the movie. You and peter hadn’t stopped your incessant tapping, yes you learned Morse code as an avenger study but you always put it to use in times like this.

He finished pressing out I love you to the skin on your back. A little smile played on your faces as you sat up more in your seat, “hey dad will you go get me more popcorn?” You looked down at him he was a row in front of you in the makeshift theater. And for a stark we all know what “makeshift” means he just nodded grabbing your bowl “Hey me too” Bucky laughed extending his arm to hand his bowl.

Hold up let me explain the seating.

In the front row was nat, Wanda, your dad, and Bruce all huddled together as the scary can and will kill you if they’re angry tier

Then middle row you on the end seat peter next to you and Bucky and Steve on his other side -the soft kid at heart tier

And the third row had vision, Sam and Thor the undecided, we got in to late to pick a good spot tier?

Tony enjoyed culturally enriching the group of misfits and had on a Risky business and sandlot marathon. Right now your halfway through sandlot and halfway through your pantience to go the fuck to bed.

Leaning over into Peters ear you whispered “can you sleep in my room tonight?” He nodded before turning to whisper back “how am I gonna do that, what if mr. stark comes in” you rolled your eyes and kissed him softly, you guys weren’t fans of pda but it was just a peck

“He won’t just come by after everyone’s sleep and I’ll lock the door” it was a good enough answer because he nodded before turning back to the movie just as tony came down the isle handing you both bowls of popcorn, hot buttery and fresh just how you liked it.

By the time the movie ended it was almost 12 and everyone was off to sleep, except tony, he headed down to the lab to work on something and you headed off to take a shower.

Post shower and ready to drag yourself into bed you looked up at the ceiling fighting sleep when you heard your door creak, Peters eyes darting around the dark room till they landed on your stiff body “hey are you awake” you nodded stupidly “yeah I’m up” you twisted around in the sheets, scooting over so he could have get half the bed, “is my dad asleep?”

He just shrugged as he climbed into the bed “Friday where’s tony” you asked aloud, one of your favorite parts of the new update was tracking where you all were in the compound. “Mr.stark is in suite” you just shook your head a little “safe and clear” peter sighed resting into the bed comfortablely, “I can’t believe you own Spider-Man pants” you giggle looking at him Choice of pajamas

You two talked for a while about nothing and everything as you usually did, you fell asleep and peter just watched for a while, you’re tense expression dwindle away drooling on his chest as you curled up tighter against him. It wasn’t long until sleep over came him and he too slept long and hard.

When you woke up, you rushed peter out and back to his room stealing kisses and feeling the adrenaline of doing what you’re not supposed to.

And this continued for a week, a full week of blissful domestic sleeping, the best sleep of your life. Cuddled into your boyfriends body and completely aware of your maybe consequences.

Friday night you sat around the dinner table. “Not for you to take this the wrong way but when is May getting back peter?” Sams question has everyone’s eyes on the two of you, trying to his the fact your holding hands under the table “she’s supposed to get back Monday-I’m excited I haven’t seen her in forever” Sam just nodded to the answer going back to his mash potatoes.

After dinner you all gathered in the living room to play some games laughing and fights and boards flipping halfway through a game of life. “Yknow Thor maybe you should have six sets of twins” everyone laughed at the joke seeing his two cars trailing behind another. “Haha, you and peter are probably the only ones here who will have kids” Wanda blurted and you wanted to dissolve. Of course tony hadn’t taken that the wrong way but everyone kinda shut up. The game ended with vision being victorious and everyone went their separate ways.

Peter was the next to slip up, on Saturday night you were doing what you usually did, watching a horrible reality show on Netflix about nothing but sex and bikinis and girls with awful fake tans. Bucky, who luckily always found a way to spend time with you on saturdays, was really invested though he’d never admit. “I really really thought brad and Angela were gonna get together by the end of that episode” you laughed at his commentary.

Bucky was sitting criss cross on the floor between your legs as you sat on the couch “Bucky I swear your hairs gonna look.. fantastic” you chuckled as you braided another section “are you sure you don’t want Rasta beads on the front” he scoffed eyes still trained on the tv in front of him “no sam would laugh at me and Steve would probably make me take them out” you leaned to the side and forward to look at him smirking and continuing with trained hands at the clusterfuck of braids in his hair

“I think when you take these out your hairs gonna be like beach wavy” taking a comb and brushing out another section “like micheals hair?” You sometimes forget he’s not up to date on all the technical girl stuff “yeah micheals hair makes him like 10 times hotter”

“Who’s hot?” You practically jumped out your skin, Bucky got startled and went into defense “Peter what the fuck, you don’t sneak up on people like that!” You slung an arm over the back of the couch to hit him but he just laughed and swung over to sit next to you. “Another trash reality show marathon” he laughed as he watched the show along with you.

As more time passed you stopped paying attention to peter, when you finished buckys hair you leaned back and curled into the blanket. Watching peter now, he never really got into these show like you and Bucky, you didn’t even get into these shows like Bucky.

And then you felt the little pang of jealousy you got when a girl tried something with peter, he was obviously always uninterested in anyone but you. “Did you just look at her ass?” Peter broke his gaze from the tv and fixated on you “what?” Buckys eyes left the tv too looking between the two of you on the couch opposite to him, mouth full of frosted mini wheats straight from the box.

“You totally just checked that new contestant out, stared at her ass!” He laughed and the got serious once he realized you werent joking. “Babe.. you’re kidding right?.. I really didn’t even look and–“

“What’s all this babe stuff peter” both of you stopped shellshock and turning your heads to look at your dad fridge open as he rooted through it “it’s- uh.. yeah- hey mr. stark” you wanted to laugh and piss yourself at the same time.

“It’s some new slang stuff tony, Yknow how the kids are today” Bucky covered for you as he got up to put his Wheaties away “I’m gonna head to bed kid don’t watch it without me” he winked as he turned around shooting finger guns at tony- “goodnight buck” you all chimed at the same time

“Jinx”

“Double jinx”

“Triple jinx” you all harmonized like a well oiled machine, your dad let out a deep chuckle as he stirred his fresh coffee

“Okay cut it out, since you don’t look busy why not come help me in the lab kid” you both looked up excited and tony looked at you a little sad, “we can work on your new suit” you just let your smile fade and nodded

You three walked down the hall together in complete silence “so dad, this is like the seventh?- seventh right peter?- super spidey suit and I’ve yet to see mark one of iron girl” peter nodded to your predictions statement and tony just rubbed his temple as he picked up the speed and hurried to the lab peter going too. You stopped at your bedroom door “I’m still gonna be asking for it in the morning” you shouted at them and tony just looked at you down the hall smiling at his little girl.

You stopped at struck a quick pose “I am iron man” you mocked his voice, you could see the skin around his eyes crinkle when he laughed just as the elevator door shut them from view. And you headed into your room.

Not a few hours later peter snuck into your room, you paused the movie you were watching and looked at him as he slumped into your bed half sleep already “Yknow I had to call your dad babe for the past 3 hours because he didn’t believe it was slang”

“Hey you’re the one slipping up not me- and god please never call me babe again I already am my father” he chuckled against the pillow his face was smushed in “cmere baby I wanna cuddle” you rolled your eyes and clicked off your tv “Peter any form of babe- not even bae- is acceptable anymore, get creative”

Then came Sunday- the day known to be wasted away worrying about everything you have to do and getting none of it done.

Soon after checking if tony was in his suite you texted peter

You:Come over peter

Peter parker:The last time you texted me that... 😏

you:Just get your ass over here I want to cuddle

You didn’t hear him till your door pushed open and he came into the room. He sauntered over and kissed you. “Hey” he smiled pulling away “hi” , “so what do you wanna do tonight” he asked sitting on the edge of your bed.

You pulled your legs into a cross cross position sitting up against the headboard, “I don’t know, wanna make out?” He just smiled at the brashness murmuring a soft ‘yeah’ as he climbed foreword kissing you. Soft kisses turning into strong ones and you were laid down peter over top of you savoring every second.

“Y/n..” before the words left his lips you’d already felt his hard on press on your thigh for a second. “Are you okay if we..” you asked, usually when you guys did it it was at Peters house and this was new territory.

Peters eyes locked with yours, your peaceful demeanor soothed his anxietied state. He started kissing you again grinding against you this time. Your hands that were draped around his neck ran through his hair finding purchase on the back of his head. You loved being close to him just as much as he did you. The heavy weight of his body against yours made you relax, you felt safe.

Your kiss moved to his neck sucking a small bright red spot that’d be gone by morning you tapped at his side to turn over and you two did just that, resting on his abdomen before scooting down, kissing at his collar bones that peaked beneath the shirt.

You tugged at the top, pulling it up and over his head before just scooting it off the bed. “As much as I’ve seen you peter, I miss you so much” he had the most blissful look in his face. Completely content. Lips a bright shade of pink tucked into a smile. You went back to kissing all down his chest admiring every part of your boyfriend.

“I love you” you smiled and pick your head up to look at him “you what?” He never wanted to pull you down on top of him more “you heard me”

“I love you more peter” you punctuated the statement pulling your sleep shirt over your head. “Can I-“ you gestured to his shorts tucking your index fingers into the waistband of his boxers “yeah” his throaty response stung at your ears.

You pulled both the offending items of clothing off his hard cock sprang up and rested back against his abdomen while you dropped the clothes off the bed. Hands landing on his thighs, gently patting and rubbing the muscular legs you adored.

You pressed down on him leaning forward to kiss him before going back down hand wrapping around him, his head fell back on the pillow already. You pumped him slowly kissing at his v line admiring your work as Peters breath shortened.

You licked your lips before wrapping them around the tip, sucking slowly, tongue twirling over his slit tasting his oozing Precum leisurely taking more of him into your mouth. “Fuck, y/n” Peters hand slipped into your hair. He wasn’t a head pusher but he liked to rest his hand and feel your movements, something to ground him and not get lost in his senses.

You kept bobbing he let out faint noises of moans. “Y/n I can’t be quiet you know that” voice strained and quiet

You lifted off him, a bit of spit had dribbled out your mouth, a slick string of mixed bodily fluids attached you to him. “Hey, FRIDAY put on sound control. Block the whole room out” you spoke fast. “Yes miss stark” the response made you happy.

“What the frick is that” you looked at him massaging his thighs again before stroking his cock. “We had to add an update because I play music too loud for people to sleep. It’s just in my room” you smiled at him and he gracefully laid back to his resting position

You returned to your previous activity’s sucking harder. He didn’t hold back letting out all the beautiful sounds he knew you loved to hear. “That’s it baby” hands returning to your hair as his hips threatened To jut out. You took a hand down petting and rubbing his balls coaxing his first orgasm out.

Peter groaned hard, not expecting to cum so quickly his hot load shooting in your mouth, swallowing quickly and pumping him through his high. Scooching up to rest above him he pulled you into a heated kiss, stomach hot and body aching, wishing to be touched. He pushed at your shorts sliding them down your thighs as much a he could. You lifted one knee at a time trying to get the clothing off. Somewhere in that your tits ended up in his face as he watched you struggle “babe” he chuckled watching you wiggle around in attempt to remove your clothes.

You looked up at his face, he was smiling tenderly post laugh and you just gave up sitting down on your bottom to pull them off your ankles, taking the time to take off your underwear. “I could’ve helped” he fake pouted running a hand from your calf to your knee then up to your thigh as he moved over top of you.

Peter kissed your neck giving warm wet kisses down your chest. He flicked at your nipples before wrapping his lips around one sucking generously eliciting vague sounds of pleasure from your mouth. Your legs wrapped around his mid section, Peters body slotted perfect in the space between your legs. You leaned your head back bumping into the headboard as his tongue swirled and lapped at the bud “ow” hands slipping to hold the spot.

He pulled away fast “are you okay?” Full of concern “yea yea just keep going” you burned in embarrassment as he smiled back, nothing ever seemed to go as smoothly and as sexily as you imagined. Peter leaned back down sucking the other abandoned peak into his mouth, he picked up on the tongue swirl you’d done to him earlier. Caressing at your hip, you looked down seeing his back muscles flex in the dim light coming through your window. “God you’re so sexy” words slipping past your lips in pleasure.

You could feel the smile against your chest as he continued hand sliding between your body’s to your aching core, nimble fingers dancing in all the right places to make you sweat. “Peter” the soft moan of his name had him jumping. Finally letting his fingers glide though your folds, wet and eager.

His head descended kissing down your stomach before placing soft kisses across your hips, legs parting when his three middle fingers rubbed at your clit, fluid and steady movement supplying just the right amount of gratification to leave you dizzy.

Your hips raised involuntary, one of his hands come up to push you back down.

He pulled his fingers away from you, a soft whimper at the loss of the stimulation he provided. “Peter-“ you’re voice was hoarse and whiny as you looked at him so badly wanting him to do something,anything.

“Peter please just fuck me” you could feel the air that left his mouth hit your thigh when he let out a chuckle, your body was hot all over and all you wanted was him. Peter craned over you kissing you more his knee coming between your thighs as you went to shut them.

When you two parted you leaned over to get a condom turning back to peter, sitting on his haunches between your parted legs, his hand wrapped around his cock as you opened the foil packet.

Almost as soon as you’d discarded the packet peter had the condom on and pulled you back to the bed kissing down your neck and shoulder “I love you y/n” hot messy words as he kissed your knuckles fingers interlocking as he held your hand.

You looked down between you two taking the one free hand you had to guide him in, sighs of practical relief left both of you as he slowly sunk in. Your free hand is just now as interlocked as the other, the back of your hands pressed into the sheets Peters nails digging into the fabric below as he started to move his hips.

He groaned so softly “fuck” he kept the slow pace he’d started, wanting you to fully adjust. “Please go faster” your breathy voice that theatened to moan was enough for him to increase his pace. Both your breathing and the sound of you bed creaking filled your ears.

Your legs wrapped around his hips, a loud moan left your lips as he hit the spot he’d been looking for adjusting to hit it with every thrust. Peters lips felt warm and wet when he bit on your shoulder removing a hand from your grasp to hike your leg up. “Fuck you’re so tight” he sounded breathless.

You bit your lip “let me ride you” he continued thrusting and then stopped abruptly “and it’s not even my birthday?” He smiled coyly pulling out as you two switched positions, Peters hands reaching out and greedily grabbing your thighs. You flipped your hair around getting it out your face grabbing onto his shoulders and raising your hips off his lap as he helped himself running his tip along your slit the rubber glistened even more “go ahead sit on it like a good girl” if you weren’t so ready to cum you’d have blushed but he knew just how to egg you on.

Lowering down onto him felt like being impaled in the best way possible “fuck” starting with a grinding motion and starting to rock up and down, the bed squeaking even louder. Peter brought his hand down to rub your clit, going over in a back and forth motion, your hips bucked up to him and a loud moan ripped through you “fuck peter don’t stop” he knew just how to bring you to the edge.

You bounced faster on him his fingers working magic “peter- fuck I’m so close- can I please cum?” He nodded one hand on your waist to help guide you “cum on my cock baby” you whimpered at his words before cumming hard around him clenching down and eyes rolling back “holy shit” you breathed out against the skin of his neck as you his in the crook, body slumped and leaned forward. He was still hard and ready inside you “use me Pete” you whispered in his ear kissing his sweet spot.

Peters hands ventured at your waist rubbing the skin before he grabbed handfuls if you hips his fingers dug into the skin of your ass as he gripped hard, picking your body up and moving you up and down him- god what his super strength could do “who’s is this huh?” He asked as you pulled your head out of hiding moaning a ‘yours’ as he moved your body all on his own. power and Dominance in every movement

You were a mess- your cum coated his cock as it pulled against your sensitive walls “pete- I cant just-“ you whimpered out as he just dropped you down on himself over and over. the sound of you body colliding back with his rang in your ears and you bit your lip to hold back a moan “cmere baby” Peter thumb cradled your chin as he pulled you in for a wet hot kiss, you’re eyes felt sewn shut you were breathing heavily through your nose as you let him in swallowing his groan as he thrusted up slowly the short quick movements seem to hit ever spot you could imagine in such little time “peter let’s- holy fuck- let’s switch” you pulled off his face and he nodded, hand firm gripping himself to pull out and flip you two over.

His warm hands held on to the expanse of your back before just tipping you straight off his lap onto your back, instead of into your pillows you now looked up and seen your footboard as peter smiled down at you before kissing your neck, soft wet open mouth kisses full of every tender moment his actions might have lacked.

Your hands came down around his neck one dancing across the tender skin from your previous attacks, the other gliding through his hair and grabbing at the bit on the nape of his neck- “Peter” you moaned breathlessly

Peters hands had found its ways to your thighs as he kneeled over your body. Fingers leaving impressions from grabbing at you. He sounded just as breathless as he pulled off you admiring the mark he left- soft red and swollen soon to be dark and purple. He lifted your legs and moved you around, adjusting to an easier position.

“Tell me you want it- tell me you want me as much as I want you” his face was red and hot, he still looked so soft and nice sittting above you “fuck- peter I want you” you grabbed his hand lacing your fingers just as he did before. He moved his hips easily finding his place sliding in so perfectly “it’s like you were made for me”groaning he commented. the silence that surrounded you both felt so comforting and empty- filled by every noise made in the room. The light bed rocking, gasps and groans as he quickened- the skin on skin contact decimating into a tune you’d hum the next day.

As he moved longer and stronger he let go of your hand pushing his into the bed propping himself up as he rocked into you. Your legs wrapped around his pert ass, his toes digging deep to keep traction on the soft sheet. “Fuck y/n” he breathed through gritted teeth

“Peter I’m so close- are you with me”

He nodded biting his lip, looking down to where you wrapped around him so perfectly “I’m right behind you”

He let the consistency of his movement out the window, he was hitting deep and hard and fast. “Peter-“ you grabbed his bicep “cum in me” he locked eyes with you if he wasn’t so caught up in making the two of you finish he would have had a kid in a candy store expression. Instead he quickly pulled out taking the condom off and sinking back in, soaking in the feeling of his bare cock in you, everything he’d imagined and more. But he could barely ground himself at the moment he had to focus on the rough feeling of raw knees pressing into mattress.

Everywhere you touched left fire, every noise you made sounded like birds chirping on a Sunday morning, everytime he looking at your face eyes shut in pleasure holding your self back, waiting for him.

It was all too much “y/n— holy shit— I’m gonna cum” he moaned hips twitching and eyes rolling as he came feeling the relief of the tension in his stomach as his coil snapped. Jutting in and out a few times relishing in the feeling of you, hot, wet, messy and tight. Feeling you pulsate after you came.

He collapsed on top of you, dick buried deep, chests heaving against one another, your legs wrapped right around him. You could hear him swallow deep in his throat as he let out another deep breath. “Holy shit best one yet” he groaned feeling your chuckle vibrate against his ribs. You ran idle hands through his hair, regaining from your own orgasm.

You two sat like this for a minute until he got enough and pulled away “god damn” he muttered just enough under his breath to not be heard. Pulling out slowly not wanting to go, admiring everything he’d been able to do. “I feel sticky” you locked eyes as you both looked down

“I can’t believe you let me do that” he fell over next to you on the bed, you scooted over to give him more room. “You deserve it, plus I’m on birth control now”

“Your what!?” He smiled and practically giggled picking his head up to look at you.

You just nodded “I said I had cramps” you elaborated. He just kept breathing an arm sneaking down to play with your hand “we should tell them”

You sat up looking down at him “if we tell we can’t do things like this” you frowned

“Am I just a secret to you?” He didn’t sound accusing, he sounded sad.

Pity and guilt filled your chest. “It’s not like that and you know it- I just wanna-“ you readjusted your searing and looked him in the eyes

“Stealing moments like these make it worth it for me, but tommorow I’ll shout from the rooftops I’m in love with peter Benjamin parker, dad be damned”

“Dad be damned” he chanted, bright toothy smile in place

“Scream it now, sound proof and all” he gestured around the room

You shut your eyes and shook your head,

“IM IN LOVE WITH PETER PARKER” you shouted

“Cmere let’s get you cleaned up” peter groaned, sitting up and taking you with him on his way off the bed

Afterwords you two laid in bed “do you know what time it is” you mumbled against his side as you curled up against him

“Snack time?, please I want grapes” Peter brushed some hair out of your face as you groaned

“I don’t think I can get up I’m so tired” you looked up with a pout sitting up onto your forearms, cradling your head. “... but if you give me a piggy back ride” you smiled and he leaned in kissing your forehead, soft lips pressed against the sweat soaked skin.

“Deal.. but I want one on the way back”

You immediately furrowed your brows and he chuckled “I’m kidding, I’m kidding... unless”

“Shut up” you laughed at him leaning off the bed to pick up the discarded clothes from earlier. Tossing his shirt and shorts over and sitting up to put on your shirt the two of you got up

You piggy backed all the way to the kitchen, being as quiet as you could.

It was complete silence, you could hear the flick of the light switch, overhead lights shutting on and illuminating the common area.

“Do you think Sam ate all my grapes?, I swear to god I’m this close to making tony call a meeting” he turned to like at you as you jumped onto the counter just shrugging.

When the fridge door opened it lit up his face, the led glow compared to the light created by Tony’s green initiative was nothing.

“And what would the queen of stark industry, miss y/n stark like to snack?” He joked with you turning and flashing an award winning smile

You shrugged hopping up to open a cabinet. You found the worst best snack In the world. The peanut butter and jelly two in one and a spoon. Breakfast of champions.

Peter watched you crack the jar open leaning against the island and popping a grape in his mouth. “I don’t know how you eat that” he laughed “I mean how psycho do you have to be to eat a pb&j minus the bread” you rolled your eyes “for one- it is good- your just a baby about trying new things and two— did you just call me psycho?” You hopped back into your place on the counter watching him with murder eyes as he flushed with color. “I kid” he shrugged.

You two giggled and talked. eventually you closed the lid on your jar and he zipped the packaging of him grapes and you were on his back once more.

You immediately fell into bed shrugging off your shirt “were still cuddling I hope you know” you looked at peter as he took of his shirt and shorts. He met your eyeline a little smile on his face “and who am I to deny you cuddles?” He joked around before falling immediately silent. You had lifted your hips and slid your underwear off under the covers, thinking nothing too much of it before just throwing them on the ground.

But peter couldn’t help but feel a slight excitement. He never really said anything but he like the idea of the two of you sleeping naked. He doesn’t really know why. So he just went over the foot of your bed, adjusting into his spot on your bed. you flipped to be facing him just as he threw his boxers across the room. “You’re a mess peter” you mumbled scooching in closer to him, holding him across the abdomen and laying your head flat on his chest.

Peter liked the feeling of your skin against his, it was soothing almost therapeutic. You were quick to sleep so he just laid there in the dark playing with your hair and listing to your breathing. It wasn’t much longer till he too fell asleep.

—

Early bird gets the worm was Steve’s thing. And apparently he thought the best course of action was shock. So he started with tony.

It took him a while but he eventually got tony to wake from his sleep. “What the hell are you doing Rogers”

Steven would just plaster on a bright smile “up and at em tony we’ve got big plans today” of course your father just grumbled and tried to turn back over. After a few minutes of Steve poking him he huffed and got out of bed.

Then they even to Bucky. Steve has this one down pack. Growing up the only way nicks mom could get him up on time was.... a wet willie. As much as Steve hated to pull this card he was more excited to have a productive day with the team. Something they haven’t had in a while

With Bucky awake they divided and conquered. Wanda, vision, Sam, Clint, thor, and Bruce were all quick wakes.

Now all nine of them stood outside of Natasha’s door. “I’m not doing it” Sam spoke up. An immediate uproar of ‘not it’ fell from the group. Steve eventually sighed and took the job of waking her up. Much to his surprise she was already up and in workout clothes. “Morning” she addressed Steve as he entered her room seeing the small flock of avengers .who were watching like this was the next best thing, scatter in the hallway.

Then that left you and peter.

It was bright early and seven am when you woke up with peter laying almost across your body. You had to push with a bit too much strength to get up, head groggy and eyes fuzzy.

upon standing You immediately felt the tingle between your legs that , from last experience, would go away to a dull ache in a hour or so. Hobbling into the bathroom you peed, washing your hands and splashing cold water against your warm skin. You had picked up your toothbrush when you heard footsteps of impending doom coming down the hall. “Oh no- oh shit” you mumbled dropping your toothbrush on the counter. Just as you got out the bathroom taking a side glance to peter who was passed out with the sheets and blankets pushed down his naked body past his thighs, only the knee down covered. “Peter” you whisper screamed. He stayed plum asleep no wiser to the world around him as you scrambled to find a shirt- any shirt- which happened to be Peters.

The soft knock on your door made you heart rate pick up. Peter twisted his head to the side but didn’t even wake up a little. “Y/n” you heard your dads voice. You almost shit yourself when the door handle moved. You looked at the lock in pure horror in the split second between the handle twisting and the door opening.

Peter forgot to lock the door after getting a snack. Peter forgot to lock the door. Your dad is coming through that door. Peter is completely asleep. Peter is completely asleep completely naked and completely exposed.

Fuck

You could hear tony shush all the avengers just as the door cracked open. He assumed you were asleep it being so early and all. When he opened the door and saw you, you froze in place. “Good you’re already up” Steve spoke up behind him.

At the same time Bucky Sam and nat rushed down the hall “peter isn’t in his room. Where could he be?”

Your eyes flashed quickly between your entire family standing in your doorway. Down to your fathers koala slippers and then up to his eyes, bright and cheery despite the obvious exhaustion he hid so well. By now his eyes had a chance to give you a one over. You were flushed and looked jittery and nervous. Then his eyes hit your bed.

And all hell broke loose.

“WHAT THE FUCK”

That one woke peter up.

“Dad” you tried to keep your voice calm

Peter frantically pulled the sheet up then the blanket all the way to his neck.

“UH— Mr.Stark I-Um fuck” he swallowed hard. His stomach was in his throat and he felt increasingly more uncomfy as the other avengers watched from the door.

Tony clasped his hands together and took a deep breath “peter I’m gonna ask this one time- and I don’t want you to lie” he spoke pointing his finger at him barely wanting to open his eyes after the sight he just had to absorb.

“Yes sir- mr. stark- sir” you had to close you eyes and shake your head. Peter was his mentee and, hell if you didn’t know any better you’d think your dad liked peter more, the most peter would get is a slap on the wrist and be on with it.

But here was peter parker acting like your dad would blast him down in the next ten seconds if he misspoke. “Okay-okay- why IN THE HELL are you NAKED in MY daughters bed?” Tony finally looked at the boys face. He was covered in a shade of red he’d never seen.

“Dad” tony whipped his head to you almost having forgotten you were right there. “You’re not speaking for him” he turned attention back to flustered, scared shitless, bare naked peter. “If I have to ask again, what the fuck is going on peter- for the love of god just say it”

“I’m in love with your daughter” peter whispered. You smiled and I love you too wasn’t practical in this situation but you mouthed it to him anyway.

Tony let out the deepest most exhausted sigh you’ve heard leave him in years and just shook his head “I can’t deal nor process this right now. So I’m going to go to my room and take a nap and I want to see you both as soon as I’m up” he turned and pushed past the rest of the power rangers to get out mumbling things under his breath your glad you couldn’t understand.

You turned and looked at nat who was hitting Sam who was trying not to laugh. “But mr.stark I’m in love with her” he mocked Peters voice. And you rolled your eyes. “I have no words” you looked him dead in the eyes. “And if you pick on peter about this again I’ll tell my dad you knew the whole time” Sam shut up quick and you slammed your door shut.

Peter let out a sight of relief sitting up in your bed. “Holy shit y/n tony knows”

You got into the bed handing him his boxers. “I couldn’t even care less right now I need another four hours sleep”

Peter laughed and curled up into a cuddle with you. “You’re just like your fucking dad”

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

How would the guys handle a “girly girl” S/O? Either poly or individual is fine with me. Thanks!

"How would the boys act with a S/O who is a girly girl? Could they handle that?" -anon

I've said this once and I'll say it again!!! I don't think the boys have a type!! So if you're a girly girl?? Totally won't care. Here you go!! (Made this poly btw)

Poly!Lost Boys x Girly Girl S/O

The boys had spotted you on the boardwalk. Pastels, teased hair, manicured nails, and expertly done makeup to match. You were a prim little girly girl, and their complete opposite. For some reason, that only drew them to you

At first, they just wanted to mess with you. "Piss off the princess" as David had some eloquently put. And it was fun. So fun, actually. They flirted with you, of course, but David made sure to play with your hair, putting a strand out of place. He stroked your cheek, his gaze making you flustered as you tried your best to keep up with them. You could've sworn a second ago you had been surrounded by your friends, but they were nowhere to be found now. Marko had leaned in close, a wide smile on his face as he asked what perfume you used and blatantly took a whiff. You had squirmed at his closeness, and tried to give him a reply. He'd hummed, telling you that he liked it with a grin that made the compliment seem far too suggestive (even if it wasn't). Paul took your distraction as an opportunity to play with the edge of your skirt. You yelped and bat his hands away, but he was already leaning down. He whispered in your ear, "Nice heels. Though, I'm surprised your feet don't hurt. Maybe you wanna spend some time off them?" He flirted. Dwayne was the only one that didn't tease you as ruthlessly as the others, and he caught you before the blonde terror twins could make you trip backwards. You had pressed your back right up against his chest, and quickly looked up to see the handsome brunette. It was all a little much for you, the onslaught of teasing and flirting, and you had flushed bright red. Dwayne rubbed his knuckle against your cheek, quietly asking, "What's wrong, princess?" And that had been the final straw. You had broken away from the four, stomping off as you cursed the boys and their antics. They had jeered, calling for you and asking you to come back

They bothered you every night after that, and eventually they weren't such an unwelcome sight. Really...they could be quite charming when they wanted to be. Despite the warnings you'd recieved about "boys like them", you ended up dating them. All four of them.

Marko low-key likes that you're extremely girly. It makes him look more tough whenever you stand besides him, and he's definitely willing to fight anyone who bothers you. Marko would interlock his arm with yours, and ask you questions about the things you liked (even if they were things he had no interest in). He would even talk to you about makeup and fashion, and just saw your style as your own personal self-expression. He liked to hang out in your room and play with all the stuff you had on your walls. He's not big on wearing makeup himself, but he likes to watch you put it on. He'll hover just a little bit out of the sight of the mirror, tilting his head to the side as you focus on applying your eyeshadow and eyeliner. He likes to watch you make yourself "look pretty" and will argue that, "You're always pretty". He always smiles when you ask him what color you should use, and he grins a little bit more at the boardwalk that night. Will watch "girly" movies and shows with you, and actually likes some of them. Will even listen to some "girly" music with you. Likes to listen to gossip, and totally knows all the names of your friends. Is one of the only boys that can tolerate your friends. Will still tease you from time to time about how girly you are, but he never means it in a bad way. Was totally ko-ed that one time you were chewing bubblegum and blew a bubble while talking to him. Won't explain why, but he just thinks it was really hot. The two of you went into an alleyway, and he was the one chewing gum when you left.

Paul had been completely devastated when he heard that your favorite singers were Cyndi Lauper and Madonna, and had tried to convince you to come back to the cave with them just so he could show you some "real music". You had denied, as you were hesitant about getting on one of their death machines. Especially Paul's. The first time he had you listen to metal, you had just said, "this sounds very angry" and you swore that Paul looked like he was about to cry. Literally conditions you to like it, but will mostly put on soft rock/ballads as a "compromise". He listens to some of your music as well, and one time you caught him humming "Physical" by Olivia Newton John afterwards. He's the most willing to let you put some make-up on him, but only something that "rockstars" would wear. You end up finding out that Paul looks really good with some eyeliner. Let's you paint his nails, but the boy can barely sit still long enough for you to do one coat. And trying to wait for it to dry? Forget it. He even likes the painted nails, but, again, he cannot sit still. Paul loves the fact that you mostly wear skirts. Whistles every time he sees you, and is definitely the type to try to sneak his hands under your skirt to try to cop a feel. If you sit on his lap, his hand is going straight to your legs. You gotta hold them so he won't try anything. Likes to pick out your outfits, even if he usually aims to make it as skimpy as possible and most of his choices get vetoed.

Dwayne is the nicest to you, and he treats you like a little princess. He always tells you that you look pretty, and would let you talk about whatever you wanted. He just likes hearing you talk, even if he has no idea what you're saying. Listens to you talk so much that he starts to pick up some of your slang. In his deep voice, he just says, "That was totally bogus". Type to hold open doors for you and treat you like a lady, even if the others make fun of him for it. He's your giant bodyguard, and he basically makes sure no one tries to take advantage of you based on how non-intimidating you look. The type to buy steal you whatever you want, and may spoil you a bit. If you like a certain piece of jewelry, he's giving you it the next night. He was the one that helped you pick out your earrings when you and them decided to become more official. Let's you braid and brush his hair, but he never wears it out of the cave. If you wear sneakers one night, he'll tie your shoelaces for you so you don't have to bend down in your skirt. Low-key has a kink for when you put on lip-gloss. He just likes watching you apply it, and will pull you into a kiss as soon as your done. It's one of the rare instances where he'll do PDA, so you let it slide that when he pulls back and half of your lip gloss is on his lips instead. He just comments, "Bubblegum." And acts like nothing happened. You mostly want to ride with him because he's the safest, and he always helps you on/off of his bike

David could be a perfect gentleman at times, when he wasn't being an ass. He teases you the most out of all the boys. He likes how feminine you are, mainly because it makes him feel more manly and tough. His all black coat and punk/metal look really constrasts with your feminine style, and he loves watching how beach go-ers immediately back down when you tell them that he's your boyfriend. Yeah, they weren't expecting that. He enjoys pushing your boundaries and testing your knowledge on things outside the mainstream. He will even suggest books and movies to you, but it wasn't until you started dating that he actually got you to listen to him. This was mainly by literally giving you his copies or watching them with you at the cave. You two mainly have conversations about those things, or about the things going on in your life. He's really not the type to be interested in girly things, so rip- Loves and almost insists on having you ride with him, mainly because he loves the way you have to hike up your skirt and how tightly you grip onto him. Definitely teases you by calling you "little girl" along with his usual "kitten" and "sweetheart". Likes that you're a girly girl a little bit too much, especially the fact that you get your nails done. You scratched your nails down his back one (1) time in bed, and he had to keep himself from vamping out and biting you in retaliation. Likes to joke about how he and the boys are "corrupting" you, but secretly thinks it's kind of hot

The boys all call you "barbie" and it's a running joke in your relationship. If you ever start to annoy them, they'll say, "Okay, Barbie"

One of the boys favorite things is picking you up from the mall or the boardwalk when you're with all your friends. They live for the looks your friends give them, whether they're judging your choices or giggling at how cute they are. One of your friends comments about you not possibly being able to date all of them long term, and the boys roll their eyes. David just replies, "Long term is exactly what we had in mind", and ends up telling you about their vampirism soon after. It was a bit of a shock, but after some time to adjust they were able to convince you it wasn't as bad as you thought. But they knew convincing you to change would be a whole other battle...

Overall, none of the boys really mind that you're girly, but they'll definitely tease you for it

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Sweet Pea//i can't get her off of my brain

Request: Can I request a Sweet Pea/Reader with the song If U Seek Amy by Britney Spears, i can't think of anything plot wise but probably something to do with a party, maybe smut if you're up for it?

hey! enemies to lovers! i repeat, enemies to lovers! is that surprise though? do i know any other tropes? yes. am i going to use them in my writing? no. i hope you like it!! and have a great day everybody!! 

You’re not sure whose party this is. Rebecca’s, Ruby’s? No, it definitely begins with a J. Juliet? Nope. Jade! It’s Jade’s party. It was Juliet’s last night. Although you’re not sure how you can have two separate parties in the same house. Juliet and Jade being twins, they have to share everything, but their parties are separate, or at least thats what they tell people. Most of the time however, they blend into one. 

Its very rare that they have an empty house, but when they do they have weekend long parties. Both insisting that they’re nothing alike. But they both involve a copious amounts of alcohol, loud music, and drama. 

A flash of dark purple hair rushes past you as you walk through the front door and Jade sends you a quick wave and smile as she passes, she’s quickly followed by Juliet, with her pastel purple hair knotted in a braid and almost hitting you in the face as she chases her sister into the kitchen. 

“Give me that back. Its mine!” Juliet shouts angrily. You hear Jade laugh loudly over the music and then they’re both arguing. 

“If you wanted it, you shouldn’t have left it.” Jade replies, her voice teasing as she ignores her sisters tone. 

You’ve known them since you were a kid, and they’ve always argued like this. When it was their birthday, you had to bring the exact same present for both of them otherwise all hell would break lose. Even the box had to be identical.

“You don’t even drink. What do you want with vodka.” 

“I want to annoy you.” She shrugs. 

“Fuck off.” She snatches the bottle back and Jade pouts at her. 

“Someone’s touchy. Have you and Rebecca had a lovers quarrel?” 

“Shut up.” She huffs before storming off. She’s clutching the bottle tight to her chest when she passes you, her head hung low as she stares at the cream carpet and your eyes follow her as she makes her way through the large group of teenagers stood in the living room. 

You feel an arm around your shoulder making you look beside you, and you’re greeted with a very happy Jade. 

“Is she okay?” You ask, pointing in the direction that Juliet slumped off to.

“Yeah.” She glances towards the stairs and you see a slightly worried expression replace her smile. “Her and Rebecca had a very minor argument before the party about something idiotic and she’s been in a foul mood ever since.” 

“Oh.” 

“Anyway.” She changes the subject, the smile reappearing on her face and she greets a few people walking through the door. “Lets get drunk!” 

“You don’t drink.” You laugh, letting her lead you to the kitchen. 

“But you do though, so you’re drinking for the both of us. So, get this down you.” She hands you a shot of something bright red that burns when you drink it and tastes like a mix of fire and soil. “And this.” She shoves another one in your hand and you grimace, but down it anyway. “And take this for the road.” She gives you a red cup with an undisclosed liquid in it and pats you on the back. “I’m gonna go see if Juliet has stopped moping, but I’ll talk to you later.” 

“Have fun.” The two of you walk out of the kitchen and into the crowded living room. In the five minutes you’ve been in the drinking, there seems to be at least twenty more people just in the living room alone and you grimace as you watch the people dance and spill their drinks. 

You honestly have no idea how Jade and Juliet manage to clean up after their parties, and you’re even more confused as to how their parents haven’t found out yet. There’s been a few times where you’ve fallen asleep on the floor (or in the bath) and when you’ve woken up, the house has been spotless. 

Jade walks up the stairs, pushing past the couple’s making out before she disappears. And you’re left standing in the middle of the makeshift dance floor (the lighter patch of the carpet thats usually covered by a very expensive rug) trying to find your friends. 

You instead find Sweet Pea, looking smug as ever while he talks to some girl from your English class. The school year is coming to a close and graduation is looming. For some people, that means studying as hard as they can, getting ready for college and trying to cling on to the last bits of high school before they go off into the big wide world. 

For Sweet Pea however, he’s clinging onto something but its certainly not memories. He’s hooked up with somebody different at every single party you’ve been in the past month, and rumors are spread around the school like wildfire. 

People that have been to several parties in one night have seen him at every single one of them, all with somebody different. And it leaves you wondering what he says to these girls that gets them into bed so quickly or if he just doesn’t last that long when he actually gets to it. You’re favourite theory being the latter. 

He looks away from the girl he’s taking to, feeling eyes on him and before you can look away, the two of you make eye contact. A smirk takes over his appearance and you send him a disgusted stare when he winks at you before going back to flirting. 

The origin behind yours and Sweet Pea’s hatred for each other is unknown to everyone, even the two of you yourselves. But its notorious around Riverdale High. You don’t like him, he doesn’t like you. Its been that way since the serpents started, and even though the hatred between the two sides has long been over, you and Sweet Pea still can’t stand to be in the same room as each other. 

You find him cocky, arrogant and annoying. He finds you stubborn, irritating and very petty. When the two of you are in the same room you can bet that within two minutes there’s going to be an argument. Usually because you like to wind each other up, despite claiming to hate talking to each other. 

If there’s an opportunity to annoy one of you, the others going to take it, no matter the situation. Which has grown increasingly irritating to your friends when they can’t get through a conversation without being interrupted by Sweet Pea throwing something at you or you continuously flicking him in the head until he gets annoyed. And then it ends in name calling until one of you goes to far and the other storms off.  

You pull your gaze away from the tall serpent, now swapping spit with a blonde  and find Betty instead, sat on the sofa with a frown on her face while she holds a full bottle of beer. 

“Hey.” You don’t mean to startle her, but with the volume of the music only getting louder as you approach her, you have to practically shout. She jumps, seemingly being pulled from her thoughts and sends you a small smile as she watches you sit down. “Are you okay?” You lean in, until you’re practically shouting in her ear. It takes a few seconds for her to realize what you’ve said, but when she does she just shrugs and slumps back into the soft furniture. 

“I’m not really in the partying mood.” She replies and you send her a sympathetic smile. 

“Whats up.” 

“Boy trouble.” She huffs and looks out into the crowd. You follow her gaze until you find Jughead leaning against a wall, a drink in his hand as he watches Archie and Veronica dance. 

Large grins are on all of their faces and Betty lets out a deep sigh. The only problem is, you don’t know why one she’s referring to so you have no way to cheer her up. 

Betty’s relationship with Jughead and Archie is almost as complicated as yours and Sweet Pea-Wait. No, thats not right because you and Sweet Pea have the complete opposite of a relationship. You have an, un-relationship. Or, whatever. 

You shake your head, willing that thought and any other like it out of your brain forever, before looking back at Betty and hoping the right words to say will come to you soon. 

“Its okay.” You place a gentle hand on hers and she looks down at it. “I get it. Boys are complicated. But you are far better than any Riverdale High boy. Just think, you’ll be at college in a few months and you’ll have your pick of all the highly educated men that know what to do and how to treat you right.” You nudge her gently and a soft smile twitches at her lips. 

“I suppose so yeah.” She shrugs. 

“But tonight, we’re high schoolers. And do you know what high schoolers do at parties?” 

“What?” 

“They drink and make bad decision that they regret in the morning! So drink that and lets dance.” You say, pushing the bottle towards her. She rolls her eyes, but you can tell she’s suppressing a smile as she takes her first sip. “To peer pressure.” You bump your cup against her bottle before taking a drink. 

“Y/n!” Willow shouts from across the room gaining yours and Betty’s attention. Her red hair bounces as she pushes excitedly through the crowd and by the time she makes it to where you’re stood there’s a bright smile lighting up her entire face. She hugs you and then Betty, complimenting both of your outfits before finally remembering why she came over in the first place. “Have you seen Amy tonight?” 

“Nope.” You shake your head. “But I have only been in here and the kitchen so she could be anywhere.” 

“Damn.” She sighs. 

“She could be in the bathroom.” Betty suggests.

“Or smoking up outside.” You add and she ponders the idea for a minute before nodding. 

“Yeah.” She nods. “Probably. I’ll see you around.” She waves at the two of you before wandering through the house and disappearing out the patio doors. 

“Come on Cooper.” You grab the blondes hand, pulling her off the couch and into the sweaty group of people. She follows reluctantly, keeping her head down as she tries her best not to bump into anybody. 

“Baby, it wasn’t like that.” A guy you pass says desperately to his girlfriend who’s stood with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl stuck on her face. 

“What is ‘does she take a piece of lime for the drink that I’mma buy her’ mean?” She replies impatiently and you and Betty stop a few feet away from them, wanting to hear more of whatever this conversation is. 

“I was talking about you.” 

“You were talking about me?” She repeats and you and Betty share a look, both of you knowing where this is going. When your question is repeated, you’re in a big trouble. “I have a citrus allergy, you know this.” She shouts and storms off leaving the guy alone and you and Betty holding in laughter. 

“See, we haven’t even started dancing yet and you’re already cheered up.” 

“True.” She shrugs. The song changes to something even more upbeat and the two of you start dancing (jumping around). 

Halfway through though you get distracted by a familiar serpent, passing you and a wicked smile takes over your face. 

You stick your foot out while dancing and the next thing you know Sweet Pea stumbles, spilling his drink over himself and a few other people. You stifle a laugh while he apologizes to the people around him and Betty sends you a disapproving look. 

“What the fuck!” He shouts and looks around, his eyes instantly settling on you and a deep scowl takes over his face. A few people around you stop dancing to watch what is happening, all waiting for the inevitable argument thats about to break out. You however, are unaffected. You just look at him, a sweet smile plastered on your face while you watch him dab at his t-shirt. 

“Oops.” You mumble, looking him up and down as he mutters curse words under his breath. Betty moves closer to you, a part of her worrying that an actual fight is about to break out, and you notice that even Jughead, Archie and Veronica have shuffled a little closer to the three of you. 

Betty exchanges awkward glances with Jughead and Archie before looking down at the floor, and you and Sweet Pea continue the small staring contest you’ve found yourselves in. 

He gives up first, looking down at his now stained shirt and you smirk triumphantly. “I hate you.” He mutters before shoving past you, making sure to bump your shoulder. 

“It was nice bumping in to you Pea.” You tease, watching him storm off and he flips you off over his shoulder. 

“You guys are actually ridiculous.” Betty shakes her head at you. People start dancing again, the moment seeming to have been forgotten already and you just shrug at her. 

Amy rushes past you a second later, distracting you from dancing and your eyes follow her as she runs further away. 

“I found Amy!” You say to nobody in particular making Betty laugh. 

“What do you think Willow wanted Amy for?” She asks and you send her a look. 

“What everybody wants Amy for.” 

“Se-” 

“Weed.” You interrupt, before looking at her confused. “Where you about to say sex?” 

“What? No.” She says quickly and you furrow your eyebrows in confusion. “Did she look upset to you?” She’s changed the subject and you look in the direction she ran off to. 

“I mean maybe. I dunno. Is Willow around?” You ask and the two of you crane your necks to look around. You spot Willow stood by the patio doors. Her arms are wrapped around her, and she’s crying a little. You frown before slowly pushing through the stumbling teens “Are you coming?” You ask Betty, but she’s too distracted staring at Jughead. You sigh, and grab her shoulder, turning her to face you. “I think its clear who you want. Archie may have been the boy next door you had a crush on, but Jughead was your first love. Go talk to him, those college guys can wait.” 

“Are you sure?” She asks, looking at you quickly and you roll your eyes at her. 

“Yes. He looks a little lonely to be honest. If you know what you want, you should go for it.” 

“Maybe you should take your own advice.” She replies and glances at Sweet Pea sulking in the corner. 

“What are you talking about?” You frown. 

“Nothing.” She shakes her head. “Go see whats wrong with Willow.” 

“Have fun!” You smile, she nods before taking a deep breath and slowly approaching Jughead. When you get to the patio doors, Willow is no where to be seen and you let out a frustrated sigh. 

Why do high school parties always have to filled with angst and drama? Why can’t they be light, fun, easy? Why is there always something? Speaking of something...

“Sweet Pea.” You take a deep breath and turn around to face the very angry boy. 

“Y/n.” He says through gritted teeth as he clenches his beer bottle. 

“To what do I owe this pleasure.” You ask, really not caring about the situation. 

You want to know if Amy is okay, when she comes to parties she’s usually in high demand due to the stuff she brings with her, but sometimes that makes her a target. And if you’ve lost her, and now also a very upset Willow, you’re screwed. 

“The pleasure is all mine.” He smirks, looking you up and down. He’s back to his usual self and that only means one thing, he’s planning something. 

“You’re disgusting. Do you know that?” You huff. 

“Yep. You tell me at least once a day.”

“And yet you never listen.” You sigh and lazily pick at your nails. When you don’t get a reply you look back at him to see him watching a game of beer pong. 

“Sorry, what did you say?” He says, suddenly remembering what he was doing. 

“You’re an ass.”

“You also tell me that every day.” 

“I know. It’s a very tedious job but someone has to do it.” You send him a sarcastic smile and go back to looking around the crowded room. 

“What are you looking for? A life?” 

“Wow, I’m so hurt. Seriously what year is this and how old are you?” You roll your eyes. “And if you must know, I’m looking for Amy and/or Willow.” 

“Why?” His face lights up as he also looks around the dark room and you have to admit you’re glad he’s decided to help you. His height certainly gives him an advantage, and if anything does happen, you can just leave him to deal with it while you run away. 

You watch him look around, the way his jaw tightens and the muscles in his neck tense when he thinks he see’s her...oh god. What the hell had Jade given you? 

Your eyes widen as you try to ignore your drunken thoughts and Sweet Pea looks back at you confused as he waves his hand in front of your face. 

“Are you involved in the devils lettuce?” 

“The devils lettuce? Did you seriously just say that?” You snort, whatever lapse of judgement you’ve just had, has definitely passed. 

“Yes, I did. And I’m standing by it.” He huffs, moving to lean against the wall beside you. 

“Well, no. I’m looking for Amy because she looked upset. Willow was looking for her earlier but twenty minutes after they found each other, Amy stormed past me and then Willow was crying.” 

“What’s this got to do with you?” He asks rudely and you send him an annoyed look. 

“They’re my friends. I do have them things you know.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I know. It surprises me really.” He nods along. “Well, Amy told me that she’s going to meet me.” He says and your eyes widen as you turn to look at him. 

“Are you actually about to useful for once in your life?” You say, you’re tone becoming happier as he looks at you smugly. His smirk falters a little when the thought of you being cute crosses his mind, but he just does the same thing he does every time he has a thought like that. He locks it in a box in his brain and shoves it as far away as possible. “Where are you-” 

“I don’t know where or when.” He says and you huff loudly at him, punching him in the arm. “I’ve seen her once or twice around here though and I think she knows my face. I dunno, the person I used to get the dev-that stuff from, got caught and so he had to stop doing it.” 

“Was it Fangs?” 

“It wasn’t Fangs.” 

“It was Fangs wasn’t it?” 

“Yeah...it was Fangs.” He finally admits. 

“And it was Jughead that caught him wasn’t it?” 

“It wasn’t Jughead.” 

“It was Jughead wasn’t it?” 

“Yes fine! It was Jughead.” He huffs making you giggle. The two of you look at each other, a begrudging smile playing on his lips as he watches you laugh. The changing lights dance across your skin and he feels himself getting lost watching you. 

“Its hard to see with all the people standing in my way.” You mutter. “You’re a giant. Have another look.” You interrupt his thoughts and he feels his cheeks heat up at the fact that he was was looking at you like that. “Come on.” You grab his arm and lead him towards the stairs. He looks at your fingers wrapped around his arm and his mind blanks. 

It seems whatever he’s been drinking was stronger than he thought. 

“Wait.” You stop suddenly making him walk right into you. You feel yourself fall but he grabs you just in time, steadying you before the two of you jump away from each other. 

“I found them.” You point to the red head and black haired girls sat on the fourth step making out. “Well, that was short lived.” 

“At least they’re happy.” He shrugs. 

“Very happy it looks like.” You agree, the two of you watch as the kiss gets more heated and then suddenly you feel like you’re intruding. Both of you turn around and make you’re way toward the kitchen, both in desperate need of a drink, maybe not as strong as your others. 

“Damn.” Sweet Pea sighs dramatically as he leans against the counter. You don’t acknowledge him, instead pouring two drink out and handing him one. “I said damn.” He repeats and you suddenly remember why you don’t like hanging out with him. 

“What?” 

“I’m not gonna get any tonight.” 

“How awful. I’m sure your parts can take a day off.” You glance down and he rolls his eyes at you. 

“No, not that.” He shakes his head. “Thats fine, and it never takes a day off.” 

“Thats gross.” 

“I’m talking about weed. If Amy’s busy, where am I gonna get it?” 

“I dunno.” You shrug, now very bored of this conversation. 

“You can get it wherever you like as long as you do it outside.” Jade interrupts, saving you from a very tedious chat with someone that annoys you more and more with each passing second. Or at least thats what you’re trying to tell yourself. Because the five minutes you spent not arguing and actually helping each other, was actually quite pleasant. 

“Of course.” He says. She looks between the two of you and a knowing smile settles on her lips. Her and Sweet Pea seem to have a silent conversation while you just stand and stare at them confused. 

“How was Juliet?” You ask and Sweet Pea lets out a soft breath. 

“She fine. More than fine actually, when I found her she was already making out with Rebecca.” 

“Ohhhh.” You laugh. 

“What about you two. Have you been up to anything exciting?” 

“We watched two girls make out.” Sweet Pea shrugs, not realizing the implications and you and Jade just stare at him. “Not like that.” He blushes. 

“Willow and Amy.” You say, deciding to help him out of the hole he’s dug himself. 

“Ohhh. Aw. Thats cute.” 

“Yeah I know right.” You nod. “I think its been something thats coming for a while though.”

“What is it with everybody boning at my parties.” She wonders. 

“I think it shows how good your parties are. How many people hook up at Juliet’s?” 

“Very true.” She agrees. “Speaking of boning. You’s two seem oddly close.” She looks between the two of you and Sweet Pea and you both look at her disgusted. 

“We were both looking for Amy.” You defend yourself. The tone in your voice makes Sweet Pea’s chest ache. He no longer wants to talk to you, or anyone really, so he stays silent, trying his hardest to blend into the kitchen cabinets and figure out why he’s feeling all of these things all of a sudden. 

He’s been in the same room as you countless of times before, some would say too many times. And all of those times he’s wanted to kill you, but as cheesy as it sounds, the way you said that killed him a little and he can’t quite understand why. 

“Sure you were.” She teases. 

“Shut up.” You grumble.

“Jade, somebody’s thrown up in Aunt Vera’s vase.” Juliet rushes into the kitchen. Jade huffs loudly, placing her drink on the counter before following her sister out, leaving you and Sweet Pea in silence. 

You hum along to the Britney song playing, awkwardly looking around and trying your hardest to think of something to say that isn’t insulting. You haven’t quite realized why you don’t want to insult him yet, but when you try and thing of anything nice to say, you’re mind goes blank. 

He does look good though, even if his t-shirt is stained. And now you feel a little bad about doing that. His hair isn’t styled meticulously like it usually is. Its more hurried, less effort in it but you think he suits it more. He still has the curl at the front and you have a need to brush it away. 

nope. nope. this is not happening. nope.

“So...” You trail off, your lips forming a pout while you stare at the tiles on the floor. 

You can feel him watching you, and a blush creeps up his neck. He’s waiting for you to do something, say something, anything. But nothing happens. There’s no big, magical moment that you’re both apparently desperate for. You just stew in silence, letting the awkwardness fill the room until its almost unbearable.   

“I’m gonna look for Betty.” 

“I’m gonna go find Fangs.” 

Both of you say at the same time and rush out of the room, heading in different directions in search of anyone to talk to. 

You find Betty pretty quickly, but she’s sat on Jughead’s lap making out with him so thats a bust. Jade is busy cleaning vomit up with Juliet and Rebecca  and as much as you’re want a distraction, you’re not that desperate. Willow and Amy have just walked up the stairs so they’ll probably be locked in a bathroom or bedroom somewhere in the next five minutes. 

You’re only option is Veronica and Archie. And to your surprise, they’re not dry humping. They seem to be having an actual conversation. 

“Hey.” 

“Hey.” They reply in sync. It creeps you out but you push past it, sitting down beside them. 

“Have you seen Amy tonight?” Archie asks quickly and you nod your head, not really paying attention to what he’s just said. Its only after a few seconds do you realize whats he’s said that you look at him confused. It seems Archie Andrews is not the boy next door everyone seems to love.

“I have.” You nod. “But any dealings are cancelled for the time being. She’s busy.” 

“Doing what?” 

“Willow.” 

“Ohhhh.”

“What dealings? What are you two on about?” Veronica asks, only now joining in the conversation. She spaced out after saying hi, staring at the lights as they bounce around the room. 

“Nothing V.” You laugh, making eye contact with Archie. “What have you guys been doing?” 

“Drinkinggggg!” She cheers excitedly, lifting her cup up. Liquid spills out the side of it, landing on her shoe and the next thing you know she’s crying uncontrollably. 

“Some of us more than others.” Archie adds. “Come on Ronnie. Lets get you home.” He picks her up easily and she laughs loudly while flopping backwards in his arms. 

Soon its just you, sat on the sofa with half of your drink and nobody to talk to. A part of you kind of wants Sweet Pea back and you suddenly find yourself looking for him in the crowd. 

From across the room, he’s doing exactly the same thing, and when the two of you make eye contact, you find yourself smiling. 

“Why the hell did you do that?” You mumble quietly as you quickly look away. “Oh god, he’s coming over now. Fuc-Hi Sweet Pea.” 

“Er-hi.” He’s nervous. None of the usual confidence he has is in sight. He’s stood in front of you awkwardly, with his hands in his pockets while he thinks of what to say. “Bye.” He says quickly and turns around, whispering curses to himself while he moves through the crowd. 

Okay, maybe being alone isn’t so bad. That was weird. Really weird and you don’t like it. You need it to go back to normal, so you decide to follow him. Managing to catch him just before he goes back into the kitchen. 

“Pea!” You grab his arm, spinning him around. He looks slightly startled and you find yourself staring at him confused, its an unfamiliar expression on him and you feel an unfamiliar feeling stirring in your stomach. “It seems those five minutes we spend helping each other has fucked up our dynamic and I can’t stand it anymore. So I’m giving you permission to insult me.” You know you sound insane, but maybe its something you need. 

“I don’t want to insult you Y/n.” 

“What?” Your jaw drops as you stare at him in utter shock. “Why the hell not? I have plenty of things to insult.” 

“Because I don’t feel like it.” He shakes his head.

“There’s got to be something that you don’t like. What if I start?” You suggest. He just stares at you, eyebrows raised and arms crossed. 

“Why are you doing this?” 

“Because this.” You motion between the two of you. “Us being awkward and weird around each other. Its not normal. We insult and upset and sometimes cause physical pain. Thats our thing. But not knowing how to talk to each other isn’t. And not wanting to say awful things to each other, certainly isn’t. The world doesn’t feel right if we’re not verbally abusing each other.” 

“Have you just made a romantic speech about hating each other?” 

“Yes. And I’d do it all again...for you Sweet Pea.” You say, a smile twitching at the corners of your mouth while you wait for a response. 

“I have been wanting an excuse to tell you that your hair look absolutely awful tonight.” He mumbles making you grin. You move to hug him, but catch yourself in time. Sweet Pea looks at you weirdly and you send him a forced smile, trying to laugh it off. 

“So, where’s the blonde you were sucking face with earlier?” You look around. 

“I dunno.” He shrugs. “Why? Are you jealous?” 

“Yes.” You deadpan. “I’m just so desperate for you that I get jealous of any other girl that so much as looks at you. 

“Aw, babe.” He teases. And odd feeling washes over you when he says babe, a mix of butterflies and breathlessness. “You should have told me sooner. There’s plenty of Sweet Pea to go around.” 

“Have I told you today that you’re disgusting?” 

“Yes, you have in fact.”

“And yet you still don’t do anything about it?” 

“Love me or hate me, its not my fault everyone wants me.” He shrugs and you roll your eyes.

“Please. The only people that want you are either moronic or desperate.”

“Ohhhh, so that explains why you’re constantly flirting with me.” He says cheekily and you look at him offended. 

“I would honestly rather flirt with Reggie than you.”

“Ouch. You’d really chose Mantle over me?” He asks. 

“Definitely.” You nod confidently. 

“Well, thats good because look who’s coming over. Hey Mantle!” He shouts over the music, waving his arms around and your eyes widen when you quickly look around. Reggie is slowly making his way towards the two of you.

“What do you want Sweet Pea?”

“Y/n was just telling me how much she likes you.” Sweet Pea replies and you send him a death glare. He glances at you, sending you a quick wink before looking back him.

“Oh, really?” Reggie asks and turns to look at you. 

“I-”

“Yes. She would not shut up about you. Just constantly, Reggie this, Reggie the-ow! Anyway, gotta go.” Despite hitting him as hard as you could, he seemed relatively unaffected by it, instead walking away and leaving you alone with Reggie.

“So, you like me huh?” 

Yep, Sweet Pea definitely won this round. 

After half an hour of small talk with Reggie, you finally managed to get away. Sending him to get you a drink so you could slip off and hide upstairs for a bit so he could find somebody else. 

You’ve decided to sit in the spare room for a bit. Your thoughts about Sweet Pea are going a million miles a minute in your head and so you need some time to think. To figure out where they’ve come from all of a sudden. Or maybe you’ve been thinking them for a while and you just haven’t paid much attention until now. Until you saw that he could actually be nice, and that you wanted to see more. 

Ever since Sweet Pea left you alone with Mantle, he’s been thinking about you. About the way you look at him when you’re annoyed, or your smile when he says something funny. Or the look you get when you’re about to insult him. You always look so pleased with yourself.

He remembers the way you looked at him when you thought he knew where Amy was, and he remembered the way his chest hurt when he couldn’t help you. 

He then remembers that you gave him a speech as to why the two of you need to insult each other. In a very sad way, its the most romantic thing anybody has ever done for him. 

But he wants more. He wants real moments with you that aren’t just filled with childish name calling and shoving. He wants sweet nicknames, and story sharing and getting to know more about you. But when he thinks about, he knows a lot. He knows you’re favourite film, you’re favourite band. He knows the reason you don’t like that one song from them and why you’re favourite is your favourite. Your memories behind you’re favourite place in Riverdale and he wants to take you there and add to them and oh

He’s the worst. He left you alone with Mantle of all people. He doesn’t mind Reggie now, but he knows what he’s like. And he knows he can get practically anybody in bed. 

“Have you seen Y/n?” He doesn’t care that he’s interrupting Betty and Jughead. He doesn’t even register the way they’re looking at him, annoyed expressions mirroring each other. He’s too busy looking around the dark and busy room, scanning the crowd for you. They shift slightly to look at him properly and a knowing smile appears on each of their lips. 

“Can’t get her off your brain huh?” Jughead teases. 

“Shut up and just tell me if you’ve seen her.” He snaps. 

“She went upstairs.” Jade chimes in as she passes and Sweet Pea sends her a thankful smile as he hurries past her. 

He takes the steps two at a time, narrowly avoiding kicking people in the head and just as he’s about to search every single room, scaring himself in the process when he interrupts couples, he see’s you walking out of one of the rooms. 

“Sweet Pea. Hi.” You say startled. “Thanks for leaving with Reggie by the way.” You grumble angrily. “For twenty minutes he talked about football and girls he’s hooked up with.” 

“Shut up.” He shushes and you stare at him offended. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Y/n. I hate you.” 

“Thanks?” 

“Or at least I thought I did. I thought I hated you more than I hate peas and rich people.” 

“You hate peas?” 

“Yeah.” He nods his head. “Thats not really the point I’m trying to make though.” 

“Sorry.” 

“I thought I hated you, and maybe I did for a bit. But then I think somewhere my hate got confused with a different emotion and I found myself looking forward to seeing you. Even if it was to insult you. And then tonight, we were nice to each other for the first time ever and even though it was only for five minutes, I liked it. Despite how weird and awkward it was. And I want more. I want more of it until it stops being weird and awkward and its just us. Being nice. I want to hate you less Y/n.” 

“I think what you just said was nice.” You say unsure, trying to figure out what exactly he’s trying to say. “But either way I have a need to kiss you so I’m going to do that okay?” 

“Okay.” He nods eagerly and within seconds your lips are on his, your body pushing him into a door as your fingers tangle in his hair. His hands grip your waist tight as he kisses back with just as much desperation.

You pull away first, breathless and panting and he’s looking at like you’re the only person he sees. But the sweet look is soon replaced by his smug smile and you know whats coming next. 

“I thought you’d rather choose Reggie over me.” He teases making you roll your eyes playfully. 

“Yeah, well I guess I’m moronic.” You shrug and his smile grows. 

“You’re only just figuring this out no-” He’s interrupted by you kissing him again. And he figures that whatever insult he had, can wait until afterwards. 

[phoenix-manga]

The Serpent and the Octopus [pt. 2]

It was another day of mundane school work for the merchildren. It was the same old routine for them, from morning to noon they listen to the adults ramble on about something semi-interesting until the bell rings. 

Azul looks at the merchildren playing tag and swimming about in the classroom, he scoffs at them and continues to study his spells. He thinks that they’ll fall behind if they just continue to slack off and waste the opportunity to be better.

He was focusing so much on writing a spell that he failed to notice the leech twins swimming up to him, Floyd poked his side which made the octopus yelp in surprise, nearly dropping his fish bone pen. 

Floyd: Ahahaha! You’re so jittery today Azul!

Floyd grinned at him with his sharp teeth. Azul huffed and fixed the writing supplies that were scattered about from Floyd’s prank.

Jade: Don’t go around scaring people Floyd! What if I accidentally hit you as a reflex? 

Azul huffed and looked at the eel boy with a look of annoyance. But it doesn’t seem to faze Floyd a bit.

Floyd: Don’t worry about that! I can dodge easily!

Azul: What is it that you want anyway?

Azul fixed the remaining scrolls and books that were on his desk. Jade had a curious gleam in his eyes as he leaned over the desk and huddled closer to him.

Jade: I just heard from the teachers that there’s another royal visiting our school today

Azul scoffed at that, what was so great about royals visiting when they have had a few visits in the past years? What was so great about this one?

Azul: That’s it? Another royal merprince or princess visiting isn’t news, Jade…

Floyd: But this one is special, Azul! I’ve heard the royal is from the Serpent Sea

Floyd’s eyes twinkled with intrigue as he said this. Now that is definitely something worth listening to. Azul has read books about the Serpent Sea from the local library, and they were all interesting. 

How they live in a section of caves that are spacious enough to maneuver their long bodies, yet the maze-like tunnels will get you lost if you aren’t familiar with the area. And how it was so dark that sunlight could barely shine through the waters but with their bioluminescent bodies it was no problem navigating.

But what he was interested in the most was the theory that the Sea Witch’s lair was rumored to be the body of a deceased serpent. No one has solidified this claim but with the uncanny resemblance the lair had with the serpent folk it was a shocking theory to discuss to those who read about it. 

Before he could inquire anything else from the twins the teacher came rushing in. Their teacher swam in the classroom and clapped her hands to signal the children to go to their seats.

Teacher: Class, I have a special announcement to make! As you all know, the Serpent King is currently visiting the Coral Sea for a political discussion. 

However, this time we received some special news from our king! The Serpent King has brought his daughter along for a visit! We are given the opportunity to meet the princess of the Serpent Sea! Please treat her nicely, okay?

Most of the students were excited at the news and some were even speechless. Azul heard snickering; he recognized those two merkids who weren’t paying attention to the teacher. They were the ones who picked on him for being a slow swimmer and called his tentacles gross. He could hear their hushed conversations from his seat.

Merchild A: Princess… Pfft! I bet she’ll look like those ugly anglerfish. So creepy with large jaws!

Merchild B:I bet they’re more like those blobfish! People tell her she’s pretty only because she's a royal, I doubt they actually mean it!

As the two kids gossiped among themselves, Azul’s expression hardened into a scowl, he always hated how they thought so highly of themselves; that they weren’t ashamed of openly bad-mouthing someone they assumed would be different.

The merchildren started to go quiet as soon as the teacher motioned someone to come in, the majority of them were in awe as Cerule slowly and carefully swam into the classroom. 

Azul had to admit that he wasn’t expecting the princess to look so radiant.

Her oarfish tail was glittering in the water, almost like a jewel, and the red fins looked like lace decorating the tail. Her red and white hair was styled neatly into a braid with a golden shell clipped to one side of her head. 

For someone who was supposed to be the daughter of the intimidating Serpent King, she looked like the complete opposite. She had such a gentle face that would make anyone stop and admire. Azul could see that the two who were bad-mouthing her earlier had wide eyes and their jaws open, even the leech twins looked intrigued.

Cerule looked around the classroom, the eyes of all the people staring at her made her feel nervous but she kept her head high and made sure that she didn’t look the least bit bothered by their staring.

Teacher: Class, this is Princess Cerule! The Serpent King’s daughter, please say hello to our visitor

The students rose from their seats and greets her as they bowed.

Students: Nice to meet you!

Cerule: I-it’s nice to meet you too…

She greets the students with a graceful bow. The teacher urged her to sit at the available seat which just so happens to be next to Floyd. She carefully swam to sit next to the boy and made sure her tail wasn’t getting in the way.

The twins glanced at Cerule who was fidgeting on her seat, her tail was definitely too long and she looked like a group of canned sardines.

Jade: Are you alright?

Jade asked, seeing how uncomfortable the princess looked. Cerule faced the twins and wore a nervous smile, embarrassed to have to admit that she felt the space was too small for her long tail.

Cerule: Ah, I’m sorry… I’m not used to small spaces…

She looked away, as if she was ashamed to look quite foolish in front of strangers. Azul has never seen any royal act like this, she’s acting like a scared guppy in a room full of sharks. He had to admit, it was quite amusing to see someone of royal status act this way.

Teacher: Alright, let’s begin… instead of a lesson, for today we have a discussion about what the Serpent Sea is like 

Princess, would you care to share with us what your home is like? We don’t hear much from the Serpent Sea

Cerule: O-of course!

The entire class hour, the teacher and students inquired about what the Serpent Sea is really like and Cerule was starting to feel like she would have a small chat with her father about how other kingdoms perceive them. 

There were so many questions that were outrageous and it clearly doesn’t sound like her home at all. She has a feeling it was because of his unintentional wrong impressions; she is very aware that her father looks like he’s about to murder someone. 

As soon as the class hours were up, the teacher instructed the students that they were drawing lots on who was going to be the tour guide for Cerule and show her around the Coral Sea. The students were excitedly writing down their names on pieces of paper and passing it to the teacher.

Azul went back to his studies as the teacher rummaged through the papers. He couldn’t care less about being a tour guide to a royal, it’ll just take him away from his precious study time. The teacher pulls out a paper and calls out the name of the student.

Teacher: Azul! Seems like you get to be Cerule’s tour guide! Congrats!

At that announcement, the octopus dropped his writing pen in shock, he looked to see everyone looking at him. Some with envy while the twins were mouthing to him with a teasing look.

Floyd: Lucky you! We’re tagging along anyway, there’s no way me and Jade would leave you alone

He felt uncomfortable with the way the merchildren were staring at him, but it was partially worth it since the two bullies were eyeing him with such envy, just now weren’t they making fun of her before she showed up? 

It was satisfactory that he managed to snatch away a golden opportunity from them but then there is the princess… who was still struggling to keep her tail from wriggling too much.

He hasn’t formally talked to any of the visiting royals but he assumes that they would be the same. Know-it-all kids who think they’re better than everyone, despite his growing interest to know more about the serpents, he still feels like he should keep his distance.

As soon as class was over and Cerule was slowly getting out of her seat the other students who didn’t leave started to swarm around her. Cerule recoiled a bit at the bombardment of faces that got too close to her personal space. 

They were trying to persuade her to join them instead, but before Cerule could get a word out she felt someone’s hand pull her away from the crowd.

Jade: Hey! Don’t go against what the teacher said. It’s rude you know!

Jade had a glint in his eye that warned them not to intervene as he swam alongside his twin. Floyd held Cerule’s wrist as he swam towards Azul with a grin on his face.

Floyd: Azul~! Try to keep the princess near you, wouldn't want anyone else to snatch her away, right?

Floyd has this cheeky grin as he ushers the princess towards him. Azul gathers his things and looks at Cerule and introduces himself, showing curtsey before the royal.

Azul: Pleasure to meet you, princess. I’m Azul Ashengrotto. The twins are Jade and Floyd Leech, they’re my friends, you could say…

Cerule: Nice to meet you! Umm… where do we go exactly?

She asked nervously, twiddling her fingers.

Azul: We’re going to the Atlantica museum. It’s the best place to start the tour

Said Azul as he gathered his schoolbag and swam to exit the classroom, along with the other three right behind him.

[padawan-jiejie]

My Choice [3 / 3]

Summary: You are Anakin’s twin sister and Mace Windu’s apprentice with forbidden kind of interest in Master Kenobi. You’re there to witness your brother’s turn to the Dark side and have trouble dealing with the consequences. Five years later, you visit Obi-Wan on Tatooine…

PART 1   |   PART 2

Word Count: 5.8k

Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi x reader

Warnings: !MyEnglish!, ptsd talk, talk about regrets, angsty!reader, but also comforting!Obi and fluffy!Obi and baby!Luke + one more character has a cameo and overly fluffy ending  the reader is a bit of a crybaby in this one, sorry

A/N: THIS TOOK ME SO LONG - I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE!!! Also I haven’t read the comic about Obi-Wan and his time on Tatooine so… I just hope all of you are doing the best you can and enjoy 💖💖💖

Tagged:  @retrobhaddie​ @multi-madison​ @treestarrrrrrrr  @fandoms-pizza-wifi-ym13​ @lysawayne

Five long years since the tragedy of the Jedi. Since their failure and the purge. After all those years, here you were. Flying in your stolen ship, fleeing away from your inevitable destiny. You ran out of supplies and had to take a break, stop somewhere safe. You had a planet in mind, it was close and you were certain no one from the Empire would be looking for you there if you don’t stay for long. It was the hole of the universe after all. But somethin- no, someone was calling for you to land there. So you set the coordinations to Tatooine. You used your connection to the Force to find the perfect place to hide your ship nearest the pull you sensed. You shut down all systems and took a deep breath. For the first time in years, you would step into the harsh, dry and sandy grounds of the planet you were born on. It wasn’t your home for a long time and you felt bitter and nostalgic looking outside. Yet as you were sitting there in the cockpit, you saw a familiar cloak walking towards your position from behind a mountain. At that moment, all your worries and doubts faded like a mist.

You ran out as fast as you could and stayed staring at the figure few feet away from you. Your heart was beating quickly from the excitement and when he pulled his hood off and looked directly into your eyes, it definitely felt like coming back home.

“Y/N?”

“Obi-Wan…”

Your voices were nothing but a whisper. A whisper that told a million words and more. Obi-Wan Kenobi was standing there in front of you and it was like yesterday when you said your last goodbyes. And he was stunned. He came to the conclusion that it was very likely he would never see you again in his lifetime after Order 66. He never quite made his peace with that and couldn’t believe in what was happening. He thought he was hallucinating. There you were, in all your beauty and grace. Your y/h/c hair was messy, y/e/c eyes red from fatigue and your brown robes dusty. Even like that you still managed to look as elegant as always.

Kenobi took a hesitant step towards you, fearing that you might disappear any second. You didn’t. He took another step closer and you jumped into his arms.

“I’ve missed so much, Obi-Wan!” You blurted out as tears of joy started streaming down your face. You held onto him tightly and sobbed and cried your heart out. As he came to reality, he too embraced you and buried his face in your neck. It wasn’t just a dream. You were indeed here. In his arms. Right where you belong.

“Y/N… I am so happy you’re actually here. You can’t imagine how bad it was being alone like this!” He lifted you up and spun around before putting you back on your feet.

You dried your tears, while he was holding you close to him by your waist. “Master Jedi, I… You… Just… Me…” You spent hours thinking about all the things you wanted to talk about with him but now as you finally had the chance to express yourself, your own mouth was failing you. You could not even make up one proper sentence.

“I-I’m… Umm… It’s been so long.”

“I know, I was afraid I would never see you again. I’m so glad that will not be the case.” He said with a blissful expression. You smiled at him and he kissed your forehead, sending a warm feeling to rush through your body.

“Obi… I could sense you. With the Force, I sensed you. I think.”

“I sensed you too. That’s why I came. I thought I was losing my mind. What would you be doing here, right? But now I see that my senses have not abandoned me yet.”

“No, they are still pretty decent.”

“Oh, decent you say? Well, what are you doing here anyway? I guess you’re not just stopping by to say hello to an old friend.”

“Actually, I ran out of supplies so I need to get some food and stuff. And I think I need to check this beauty for any damage.”

Obi-Wan frowned and touched his beard. “That is not the ship Bail Organa had given you. What happened to it and how did you get this one? It looks ancient.”

“Yeah, you really don’t wanna know how I got that. Maybe I’ll tell you later but it’s a long story that I don’t wanna get into right now.”

“If you think that would be for the best, I’ll leave it be. But come on. We’ll go to my little house and I’ll get you something to eat.”

“That would be so nice! I am starving! Um, but I shouldn’t leave her here unguarded.”

“Don’t worry about it. Nothing will happen to it. Trust me. And if anything does happen, I have my methods of getting it back.”

“Alright then. But um, I actually call her Soka. Because of the blue and white stripe there on the side.” Obi-Wan paused for a second, then smiled. With one of his arms around your shoulders, you two walked over to the house that he was apparently now living in. The place looked poor and you couldn’t help but think about the Jedi quarters you spent half your life in.

“That’s a whole another level, Kenobi. Even for you.”

“There wasn’t really much to be picking from.”

“Sorry.”

“That’s okay. I’ll get you some soup.”

You sat down near a tiny window and pulled your legs to your chest. The heat reminded you of your childhood. How you used to help your mom with cleaning, cooking and then would go to play with Anakin and the other local children. Looking back at it now, you could tell that as much as it sucked, those were good times. Just you, your mamma and your big brother Ani. You signed at the thought, pictures from the past running through your head. Padmé, the handmaidens, Qui-Gon and young Obi-Wan with his cute padawan braid. He certainly did not enjoy it when you hopped next to him and started playing with it, asking him questions why is he letting grow only so small piece of his hair. A sad smiled appeared on your lips as you remembered the moment you met. He didn’t really believe in neither you or Ani and none of you could see how important you would become for each other. What a wonderful team you would make in the future. It wasn’t fair that it all fell apart out of nowhere.

“Here you go,” Obi-Wan said, holding out a bowl of soup, waking you up from your trance.

“Thank you.”

After you finished your meal and your stomach felt better and you and Obi-Wan were sitting next to each other, both trying to get a grasp of this situation. You haven’t seen each other in 5 years and it didn’t look like you accomplished much. Quite the opposite. Former Jedi Master looked dragged from his current life, you could see the wrinkles forming on his face. He looked a lot older now. For you, it was your eyes. Obi-Wan remembered how they would always light up whenever you had some crazy idea or simply when you were happy and oh, how he loved your smile! Your eyes had a sparkle in them whenever you smiled or laughed. Now? Your eyes felt cold, tired and filled with sorrow. As if you’ve grown tougher during the time of your separation. He pointed that out.

“That’s because I had to grow up. Suddenly I had no one to look after me and as you know my entire life I had someone by my side. Whether that be my mom, my brother or my master or… Padmé or you. Life had been hard on me, Obi. That’s just how it is. In my core, I feel the same but on the outside, I lost a lot of my faith. But don’t play it on me. You’re damaged too.”

“I am not denying that.”

“Speaking of which, how do you like living on Tatooine?”

He laughed. “Like isn’t the word I would use. More like tolerate. But as you can see, I manage. Nobody’s visiting but sometimes I go to check up on Luke - much to your step-brother’s distaste when he notices me.”

Obi-Wan would swear on the Force that as he mentions Luke’s name, for a split second your eyes filled with that spark he thought you lost. Maybe you weren’t that doomed after all.

“Luke? My nephew? How is he? Is he tall already? I mean, I know, he’s 5 but is he okay? Are they taking good care of him?”

“Not to worry, milady. They are maybe too protective of him but he’s not actually lacking anything. He’s in good hands.”

“What does he look like? Does he have brown hair like Padmé or is he blonde?”

Obi-Wan was amused by your interest in your nephew. He knew you would ask him about Luke but he didn’t realise how eager you would be to find out more about him. “As far as I am concerned, he is blonde. He’s just like his father with blue eyes and I am sure he’s going to be an excellent pilot. Not like someone.” He gave you a side-glace and you looked at him in disbelieve. Is he really challenging me like this?

“Of course! Make fun of my flying skills! You know, I got better since the Clone Wars and I no longer crash-land as you could see back there.”

“I am never going to forget the moment when you almost killed us while landing and Anakin turned at me and said: ‘See, master? And you complain about my flying!’ I will always remember the face you made! And you didn’t want to talk to us the entire day.”

“You two totally deserved it! Don’t try to sugar-code it!”

“Silent treatment never resolved anything, Y/N. Besides, you could have us all killed.”

“No, we are not going down that road. I did save you so shut it, Jedi! I too have some tricks up my sleeve - you are not as perfect as you think you are.”

“Oh is that so? I thought I was being completely irresistible!”

Your body unintentionally reacted with a flush on your cheeks to his statement. Mostly because it was absolutely true and thanks to the fact that you ran out of ideas of how to out-sass him, you just proclaimed: “Okay, I give up.”

“And what were you doing this whole time? I suppose, you still don’t want to tell me the story behind the ship.”

“Well, no. But I was mostly just moving around the Outer Rim. Nothing too special. I wanted to stay off the radar for as long as possible and I think I was quite good at it. You know, putting my stealth-mastery into practice once again. You wouldn’t be proud of me though. I tried to be true to what I was taught since I was nine. To be a good person and to protect peace in the places I went to and I tried to suppress my emotions about all this but… I couldn’t do that. I thought that the Republic were the good guys and I thought that the Jedi, although not exactly always right, were too the good guys. We had each other’s back and now all of that is gone and call me stupid or naive for having hart time adjusting to that. Sometimes it just gets too rough and too much to take, knowing that all of what I was fighting for tumbled down… I’m sorry, it’s just been getting to me lately.”

Obi-Wan put a hand on your shoulder. “I understand. It wasn’t easy for neither of us but it was worse for you. I know how miserable you were when Yoda told you that you should stay out of Luke and Leia’s lives.”

“That’s not the only thing that’s bothering me.”

“What is it then? I am here, you can talk to me about anything. I might not have the solution but I am listening. If that’s enough?”

You were tense. How would you tell him this? How were you supposed to say it out loud? You could still see it in front of your eyes and it was haunting you in your dreams. Never in a million years would you thought that this would happen. After all that you’ve been through you thought he knew better and a part of you still felt like he didn’t deserve it. You closed your eyes to calm yourself down.

You swallowed. “Have you felt… something? Even if it was just in the back of your head…Do you know anything about Anakin?”

Now Obi-Wan knew what you meant. His hand rubbed your back as he sighed. He heard about him a couple of weeks ago. Anger, sadness and helplessness were boiling inside him. He thought Anakin died on Mustafar and when he overheard that Darth Vader was actually causing some problems out there in the Galaxy, he was horrified.

“I found out some time ago. I couldn’t believe it.”

You bit on your lip to stop the sobs coming out from your throat. Salty water blurred your vision. Your heart was aching. You somehow always felt that he wasn’t killed, the feeling of your brother was still present but to learn that he is now a huge threat in the galaxy was not only shocking but also tragic and traumatizing. You blinked and teardrops fell down. You quickly brushed them away and took three deeps breaths.

“Forgive me my sentiment but… It’s hard to deal with that because I remember all those times during the Clone Wars and despite the fact that it was a war, it was actually… Some of the best time of my life. We lost our friends, we were shaken and not once and we risked our lives for a better cause and we were heroes thanks to that but we… We had each other. Me, Anakin, Padmé and you. Even Ahsoka and Rex and Cody! It felt like a family. Yeah, a very dysfunctional family but… It was something to let you know where you belong… Where home is. If I wasn’t on a mission with Ani and Snips, I’d be with Padmé or you, just having the time of my life. It wasn’t perfect but if I knew what was to come, I would certainly more appreciate it then! Now I just…” You covered your face in your palms, crying. “I wish I could just forget that this is happening.” Echoed your voice from behind your hands.

Kenobi felt your despair and pulled you into him, letting you cry your feelings out while holding you in his arms. He himself didn’t exactly process the events yet, but he knew that you needed his support right now much more than he needed yours. He waited for you for five long years and he was ready to wait for next 50 if it meant he could see you one more time. Now he didn’t want to make your issues seem smaller because he felt betrayed too. He wanted to help you get through this so he kept on rocking you back and forward until you looked up. He caressed your cheek and lightly kissed your forehead. He was well aware of what your supposed family meant for you so he decided to let you feel like you still have at least a part of it. Because you do. Dispite his Jedi teaching, he would never let you go.

“Tomorrow I’m going to take you to see Luke. Owen will probably throw us out but if it is going to help you, I’ll take you there.”

“Thank you, Obi-Wan. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it, Y/N.”

You melted into his embrace and listened to his heartbeat. He was a soothing presence to you. He’s always been. After getting over your depressive emotions, you found a warm feeling creeping up from inside you. You buried it deep down so it wouldn’t bring you pain while you and Obi were apart. As you were so close there, it was coming back up to the surface. This time, though, there was no Code, no Jedi Council, no forbidden attachments to make you feel wrong about what you felt. Obi-Wan sensed this change in mood and smiled to himself. He felt it coming back too.

After you both showered - separately, may I add, we’re not there yet - and changed into more comfortable clothes, you decided to go to sleep. He insisted you keep the bed to which you replied: “Obi-Wan, there’s no way you’re sleeping on the floor and I want to feel like I am not alone in here so just… Are you up for cuddles? Please? I need my cuddling buddy back.”

He just shook his head in amusement and didn’t say anything. He couldn’t reject you at this point. Not to mention that when you were together on missions to deal with some Jedi business with no one around, snuggles were on a daily basis. Although I must say, there was one time when Anakin appeared out of the blue, saw you two getting way too close for friends and wouldn’t shut up about it for a week. It was kind of cue though.

Obi-Wan tugged himself under the sheets next to you on his not-so-comfortable bed and lay on his back. You put your arm around him and placed your head on his chest. His heartbeat was steady and calming. Even though you were tired, you couldn’t close your eyes to fall asleep. You had to wonder what is Luke like and what will you feel when you see him. You held him once when he was born and couldn’t help but wonder if he is Force-sensitive too. It would be only logical.

“Obi-Wan?”

“Umhm…”

“Do you think that Luke and Leia should be raised to be Jedi?”

“Well, I hope so. I don’t know about Leia but Luke is so much like Anakin when he was a child, it would surprise me if he wouldn’t grow up to be one.”

“Who’s going to show him?”

“I am. If you’ll stay, you can help.”

You tighten your grip around him. “I don’t know. The problem is that I and Ani had such a bond through the Force and I still feel him and I fear that if I stay here, he may be able to find me.”

“Why would he come back to the planet that represents everything he despises? Slavery, his mother’s death, sand.”

“I know but he had the chance to kill me before as a Vader and he didn’t. What if the Sith have some plans with me? What if they want me to turn to the Dark side?”

“I highly doubt that would happen.” He protectively put his arms around you. “Mace Windu taught you about the Dark side and when they could turn you to it completely, they had no interest in doing that. Why would they suddenly change their minds?”

“I don’t know. I guess you’re right but the possibility of hurting you or Luke is making me go nuts.”

“I understand that but again, Anakin knew that even with your knowledge of the Force and with our feelings for each other being strictly against the Code, you stayed loyal to the Order. Even now when things are so uncivilized, you still decided not to turn, that shows your strength and even if Vader senses you, he will see that.”

“You mean he would rather kill me than try to turn me? Yeah, cool, can’t wait.”

“You know what I meant. You don’t need to worry about him. If he comes, which he won’t, he’ll have to get over me first, anyway.” He kissed your hair and whispered: “Good night, my love.”

You spent so much time in space and on cold planets that now walking around the sands of Tatooine was an absolute horror. You were sweating and thirsty and the two suns high on the sky were blinding your vision. You and Obi were on your way to Owen and Beru’s moisture farm. You never saw or met them but Ani told you about them. He blamed them a little bit for not searching for Shmi and you couldn’t help but feel the same. You were sure they were good people but at the same time maybe if they did something more, your mom would be still alive. You knew these thoughts were not the Jedi way but let’s face it, you and your brother were never the perfect examples of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan stopped and pointed into the distance where you could see a small dot on the horizon.

“That is where they live but maybe you should go on your own. Owen isn’t really fond of me and if you arrive alone and say that you are his step-sister, he’s probably gonna let you in. I’ll wait for you somewhere here.”

“Okay. Thank you, Obi-Wan. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome but umm, I changed my name.”

“You changed your name? To what?”

“I call myself Ben Kenobi now.”

You sighed. “Satine used to call you that.”

He just nodded and you smiled at him. She meant so much for him when they were young that you understood why he did that. He wanted to pay her some tribute. Besides, you would have done the same if you were at his place.

“Well, Ben, wish me luck.”

He squizzed your hand and started to walk away. You swallowed and walked the other way, towards your distant family house. You were nervous and excited at the same time. You desperately wanted to meet Luke but you didn’t know what would Owen and Beru think about you being there. As you almost reached your destination, a sight in front of you made you stop in your tracks. There was a little blonde boy sitting in sand playing with some droid parts. He didn’t seem to notice you so you stood there amazed. He looked exactly like his father. You felt tears of happiness mixed with nostalgia burn in your eyes. You covered your mouth as Luke’s toy fell apart and he mumbled under his breath. You sniffed and made your way to where he was sat.

Luke turned around startled. “Hello. Who are you?”

“Hi…” you whispered, gaining strength to speak more. “Umm, you’re Luke Skywalker, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am. But I asked you first.” He made a grimace of childish anger and you had to smile. You dropped to his level and held out your hand. “My name is Y/N Skywalker.”

His expression changed. Obviously he knew that name and kept on wandering his eyes between your hand and your face. 

“You are my dad’s sister?”

You nodded.

“Uncle and aunt told me about you. They said you would never come.” He took your hand and held onto it.

“I am sorry. For everything. I am so sorry, Luke. You were supposed to live with your parents somewhere else and enjoying your life very differently.”

“I like it here.” He was genuine but you knew that one day this place would be too tiny for him.

“Okay.” You stroke his cheek and you sensed the Force in him but he pulled away.

“I shouldn’t talk to strangers.”

That hurt. You were a stranger. He didn’t know you and even if you loved your nephew so much, this was the first time he saw you.

“That’s right, you shouldn’t. I hope that one day I won’t be a stranger to you anymore but for now… It was lovely to meet you, Luke.”

“Sure. It was lovely to meet you too, umm…Should I call aunt Y/N?”

“That’d be great.”

“What would be great?” 

Both your heads shot up as you heard a voice. There was a man with scruffy in grey robes and he looked mad.

“Luke, come here.”

“It’s okay, uncle. This is Y/N. She’s my dad’s sister. You told me about her.”

You stood up and Owen frowned at you. He shook your hand, though he was suspicious.

“Luke is telling the truth. I am Anakin Skywalker’s sister and just came to say hello. I never had a chance to properly meet him and I stopped by and I couldn’t go without meeting my nephew. You too. From what I understand, you are my step-brother. Thank you for taking care of the boy.”

Owen crossed his arms over his chest. “Kenobi told you where to find us?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No. I’m glad that we finally met but I don’t want your Jedi stuff anywhere near Luke. His parents had life bad enough and I don’t want him to get hurt like they and you did.”

You blinked confused. You sensed Luke’s connection to the Force and you knew he would become aware of it sooner or later. “We got burned. Many times, I admit but neither Ben Kenobi nor I mean any harm to him or to you.”

“I believe you. On the other hand, why add insult to injury?”

A sandstorm was raging outside. You were supposed to be on your way by now but something always came into it, making it impossible for you to leave the planet. You’ve been living with Obi-Wan for 9 days now and as much as you were scared something unfortunate was going to happen because of your sibling bond, you couldn’t deny how your mood improved over time. You finally had a moment to breathe, to live, to drop the worries because when he was around simply being himself, it was so easy to forget the reality. It would come back to hit you later but when he was telling you stories, he heard in the Mos Eisley Cantina and you two would laugh, it didn’t matter. When you two cooked and tried to combine both of your (anti)talents, sometimes it resulted in friendly arguments and spilt tea. At night, you would fall asleep in each other’s arms only to wake up to the warmth of the body next to you and the calming feeling of safety. If there would be anyone to witness it, they’d say they’re watching a married couple doing normal things. It felt right being there, being like that, although it was a bit strange at first. It made you feel wanted, welcomed and loved. It gave you a sense of much-needed belonging. Little did you know that Obi-Wan felt the same.

It was already late at night but you couldn’t sleep and the sandstrom made you feel uncomfortable. It had been 15 years since the last time you experienced one and you didn’t like remembering it. It brought up old fears to the surface. Lucky for you, though, former Jedi Master managed to stay up as well to keep you company.

“Will you finally tell me where did you get the ship?”

You smirked. “From a friend.”

“A friend? What friend?”

“Don’t be jealous.”

“I am not! I am just… curious.”

You turned to sit on the bed face to face with him. “We’re not the only survivors of the Purge. There are more Jedi in the galaxy.”

“I knew we couldn’t be the only ones!” His eyes filled with hope.

“I met a guy called Kal Cestis. He was a padawan when it happened. He helped me to get my new ship. Not exactly new but better than nothing since my original one broke down.”

“Hmm… Interesting. Do you know anything about Ahsoka?”

“Unfortunately no. I haven’t seen her anywhere. Not that I’ve been to many places but if she’s alive, she’s hidden well.”

“I don’t think she gave up like that. She must be somewhere out there.”

“I really hope that she is. I miss her.”

“We both do,” Obi replied and caressed your cheek. You leaned into his touch and closed your eyes. It was an intimate moment that you decided to delve into.

Obi-Wan was watching you, trying to print this image in his memory. He never wanted to forget you and the way you made him feel. It was precious and sacred to him. You were captivating, graceful and he was thanking the Force every day for bringing you back into his miserable life. He didn’t deserve you and yet he never wanted to let go off you. He couldn’t. He knew it was selfish of him to want you all for himself but he was too attached.

“Y/N?”

“Um?” You opened your eyes to look into his. You were cantured by his intense gaze and your lips parted. You weren’t used to him staring at you like that as if you were the most devine creature in the galaxy and your cheeks turned the deepest shade of pink.

“Can I kiss you?”

Your stomach flipped and your held your breath for a second. You blinked several times before placing your hand over his, still resting on your cheek. “Yes.” was a simple word but there was so much more behind it.

Obi-Wan lowered his head to your level and cupped your face to pull you to him. You couldn’t believe it. After so many years of loving this man and having to hide it, you were able to finally express it. You waited for him to softly press his lips to yours. It was sweet, slow and filled with so much emotion. All of the unsaid ‘I love you’s, all of the suppressed feelings, all of it finally blossemed into this special moment. Electricity ran through both of you at the slight touch. It was new and you couldn’t quite put a finger on this feeling inside you. It was your first kiss after all! Obi-Wan was your first crush, first love, now first kiss and most definitelly he was going to be your first also in another way.

He pulled away to see your reactions but you didn’t let him. Your hands shifted to his neck and brought him back to you. He started kissing you properly this time and let himself loose. Deepening the kiss, he found himself hovering over you and soon you were lying under him. You both laughed as your back hit the bed. He kissed you one more time and lay down onto his side next to you. You stared in his eyes that reflected all the kindness in the world.

“Y/N, I know where you stand, I know Master Yoda told you to stay away from Luke and Leia and I know that you’re afraid what would happen if you stay here longer but please. We’ll figure it out somehow… I love you, Y/N. I have for years now.” He brushed your hair out of your forehead and played with it for a while. “I can’t let you go after this. I won’t. I wanted to be with you for so long and now that we are finally allowed to be ourselves freely, I am begging not to go. Please.” 

“I have already made up my mind and I am not backing up.”

He kissed the tip of your nose to shut you and took your hand in his. “Yes. It is up to you in the end. I can’t make decisions for you, I know. I don’t want you to go but the last thing that I do want is to be forcing you into something. Even if you'll leave… I promise that I will wait for you. I have waited ages, I can wait a little longer. I’d really rather not but you are worth it, stars.”

“Obi-Wan…”

He smiled sadly and it broke your heart. He was giving you freedom even when he was lonely. He was fully aware of your stubborness but this time you gave in.

“You are the love of my life. You’ve always been. I have loved you so much all this time and I always will. I want to stay but I am too scared that something’s gonna happen to you or to Luke so I… I thought about it and…” You squeezed his hand. “I decided to cut myself of from the Force so that I could have a life with you.”

“What?!”

“I have made my peace with it. I am like a beacon to Vader if he decides to search for me, this is the only way I can have what I want. You.”

Obi was staring in disbelief. You just decided what your faith was going to be and Obi-Wan was the happiest man alive. He was shooked at first but soon happiness and pure joy took over him and he hugged you, nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck. You pulled him even closer to you as you let the sandstorm outside be completelly forgotten. 

It’s been about a week since you and Obi were living officially together in your new home. It wasn’t ideal nor perfect but hey! What is in this galaxy, right?

You were walking hand-in-hand from a town where you successfully sold your ship, Soka. It was a little sad since she reminded you of your adveture with Kal and of your friend Snips but at the same time, you were most likely never going to need her again. Hopefully.

The two suns were shinning bright, tanning your skin. The course and rough sand was cracking underneath your weight as you walked. The dry air made you thirsty and at some point you couldn’t help but cough. You two were wandering around the place without putting much thought into it and before you knew it, you pauzed.

“Won’t we reach the spot were you first landed on Tatooine if you continue walking that way?”

“I think we will.”

“So this is where it all started. The Skywalker’s journey straight to the botom!”

“Not straight.”

You gave him a you-know-what-I-mean look.

“I’m just teasing. Sorry, Y/N.”

“You always are, I don’t mind but... Actually, you know what? I think I want to change my name too.”

“What? Why? Your name is so lovely!”

“Because it is my choice, not yours, mine. I guess I want to asociate myself with something different. I want to disconnect from my past and focus on the future. Luke’s gonna carry on the Skywalker legacy. It wouldn’t fair if no one carried on yours. Besides, Y/N Kenobi sounds pretty great, doesn’t it?”

Obi-Wan was staring at you with open mouth. “You want to take my last name?”

You put your arms around his shoulders. “I do. I mean, you’re not getting married but still you can take this as a sign of my devotion. I truly, deeply love you and I want to be all yours - body, soul, even the surname.”

He didn’t know exactly how to react to that, so he just crashed his lips onto yours. He was astonished. “I love you so much, my sweet Y/N. You are the greatest thing that happened to me. Although not the name, I am yours too. Body and soul.”

You pulled him into a tight embrace. People passing you by were giving you strange looks but it’s not like any of you cared. You simply stayed in the moment, forgetting all your worries. It was a promising day for you two, after all. Promising for your relationship but most importantly it meant a new start. It was an enterance to a brighter state of existance and a new stage in life. A stage where you could finally be a little selfish and build a life for yourselves. A life where your and Obi’s love, was the only thing that mattered.

[strivingscribe]

ILIC ~ CH 31

It’s Lost Its Charm by  MsMoon

Chapter 31 ~ A Multi-Pronged Attack Plan

Chapters: 31/?

Chapter Navigation: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,16, 17, 18,19,20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31,

Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age,

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Violence,

Relationships: I feel like it’s a little early for that…

Summary: Now that Amy's awake, it's time to hammer out some plans...

Magpie had left Siheta and Bull in the Chantry, sprinting towards Amy's new room. She was relieved to see Tunan and Tunen more presentable than they had been... Not that Tunan was much of a chore in the mornings. He was mostly quiet, needing time to wake up fully before being ready to converse with anyone... Tunen on the other hand. She was a feral cat and needed expert care after waking otherwise you'd get swiped.

“Hey! Good. You're both up. Uh...” she stuttered in place, trying to think of what to say next exactly. “There's a council meeting right now, but if you guys wanted to wait in the tavern—”

“Council meeting?” Tunan asked, his voice conveying a sense of puzzling concern.

“Yes. With Amy being...well, back. Mostly. Everyone's gathering to discuss...things.” she shrugged.

“When are we leaving?” Tunen interrupted.

“What?” Magpie felt as cold as everything in her seeped into a deep dread. Leaving?

“Yes, leaving, as in returning home.” Tunen clarified. Had she asked out loud? She must've.

“I'm... not leaving.” Magpie announced, incredulous.

The twins did that thing that they do from time to time where they exchanged a glance that held layers of communication. Magpie could read Tunen's frustration along with Tunan's (strangely smug?) acceptance. It was endearing because she was able to read it...it was also irritating.

One of Tunan's fingers twitched towards his sister. “Um. Why not?” he asked haltingly. “I mean...”

“We came here to find you.” Tunen follows, her manner abrupt. Clearly, it's still too early for her to stray away from that hissing cat inside of her.

“And I appreciate that.” Magpie said.

“Can I just..” Tunan was now actually holding his hand up towards Tunen, attempting to cage the beast. “Can I ask...why you want to stay?”

Magpie blinked at him. “I mean.. you did. Just now.” His expression fell, as if to say, ‘really? now? you're doing this now?’. If she was being honest, she'd have to admit that she was stalling, because...

Because this was an out. She could leave. But she didn't want to... and now she needed to ask herself why.

“I mean... the Inquisition is in a position to actually fix the problem.” The typical excuse was the easiest to fall back to.

“What problem?” Tunen asked.

“Uhhh! The breach? All the breaches?”

“OK, so...” Tunan stepped in again, apparently taking on the role as mediator. “You think the Inquisition can help, and you want to be a part of that?” he asked, and Magpie at least felt like he was genuinely interested in her response.

She took a deep breath and tried to settle herself. “I think... I think...yeah.”

Great work there. So eloquent.

“Look, I just feel like... I need to be here.”

Tunen had been staring at her in complete befuddlement. Her eyes twitched towards her brother, and she deflated with a sigh at the look of obvious reproach on his face.

“Just... tell me you're not doing this for the shems.” Tunen grumbled.

Magpie felt her back teeth grind. Something about that statement rankled her, but she's fighting to keep that from showing.

“I am in a position to help. And I want to stay for me.”

“What makes you think they'd allow you to do anything worth doing anyway?” Tunen countered. “And even if you did do anything worth doing, what makes you think they’d let you own it?”

“Look, I'm technically working for Amy, here.” Magpie argued, dismissively. “That carries a lot of weight.” And that much was true. Even though Magpie wasn’t really working for Amy, she’d managed to convince others that she was… and when people heard that, they kind of fell in line.

“Yeah, and who's she anyway?” Tunen continued, not at all impressed. “Until I got here and you started talking about her, I had never heard of her.”

"Well, she's a big deal right now to everyone.” Magpie snapped.

She couldn't help but notice that Tunan kept turning between the two of them, a single hand stretched in both directions, though his focus shifted as each of them spoke.

“According to who? And for how long? I swear, these shems just give out shit and then take it away. That’s what they do. What assurances do you have that any progress you've made is safe or will last?”

“Alright.” Tunan's voice was very deep, and he typically kept his tone low. Now was one of those rare times his voice felt as though it boomed simply because he wasn't trying to sound docile anymore. The boom of his unfiltered voice shocked even him. He cleared his throat, and lowered his voice again. “Let's take a breath... and remember that we are all here for each other.” he reminded, as though he were attempting to sooth a pair of caged beasts.

“I... want to stay.” Magpie announced, feeling the truth of that and the weight behind it even if she wasn’t certain the motivations in the statement yet. “This has become important to me, and I feel like I am not done here. I appreciate that you came all this way; and I am sorry that I'm the only one that was here, and I'm not being as cooperative as you'd like.”

“That's not—” Tunen began, but couldn’t really finish her thought.

“But!... It all boils down to me not wanting to leave yet.”

At that Tunan nodded, giving his sister a placating look. His head tilting, his brow peaking in his version of puppy dog eyes. She sighed at that, the fight mostly taken out of her.

Tunen shrugged, reluctantly. “Well... at least it's interesting here.”

Tunan continued nodding as well, seemingly relieved.

“But we aren't going to keep sleeping on the floor, are we?” Tunen pleaded.

Magpie chuckled, shaking her head. “Doubtful.”

“Well, that's a relief.” Tunan murmured, preaching against the wall now that he didn't feel the need to dive between the two of them as a negotiator. “And your Amy is pleasant enough.”

‘for a shem.’ Went unsaid, but Magpie had a feeling that was very much felt. Even if Tunan didn’t voice it as much as Tunen, he had never been overly fond of operating near or with humans.

But that was a discussion for another day.

“Great.” Magpie said. “Good talk. Now...if you'll excuse me. I have a meeting to get to.”

“Oooh. Fancy.” Tunen cooed, her tension seemingly defused now that they’d talked.

With a soft snort Magpie left them, making her way to the council chamber. She was relieved that the map room was enormous (at least in comparison to Josie's office) and that she wasn't the last one here.

Seeing Amy was a bit of a shock. She was between Josephine and Leliana — odd because they usually flanked the table at opposite ends. Cullen was glaring down at the map. Madame de Fer was there as well, near Leliana's usual spot.

Magpie was a little shocked to find Amy in...well...nice clothes. Amy always had to make do with whatever she could find. Seeing her in something fitted was...strange.

She was wearing a very delicate looking white tunic with long sleeves that billowed, but over that was a tightly fitted dark leather vest, very tailored breeches, and knee-high boots. There were various straps and belts, both to keep things in place and to string sheaths onto.... Her hair was mostly down. The braid had been undone, a thick ponytail hanging low on the nape of her neck while errant curls leaked out to frame her face....

She looked good. Even better, she looked…healthy. Not leaning or waning as Magpie had seen after her previous episodes.

Thankfully, Magpie noticed Sehita in the shadows behind Amy. The towering woman caught Magpie's eye and nodded for her to join them. That put a halt on her next internal crisis, as she had no idea where to really put herself. She trotted over, relieved when Amy's eyes lighted on her and she smiled.

Amy reached for her hand once she was in range, the gesture instantly assuaging her tension. The fact that it was easy for Amy to turn away from the others to greet her was…comforting. She could deal with the questions of why she didn't want to go home, and if she had a proper place that would affect any change later. Right now, she was needed and wanted and that counted for something.

“Well damn.” Varric said, entering with Sam right behind him. “Would you look at this.” he said, motioning to Amy.

“Yeah, they can't keep me down, and honestly that's what matters most.” Amy said with a conspirator’s grin and a stubborn gleam in her eyes.

Again, Varric seemed to come up short, blinking rapidly and holding his hands up. “And with complete sentences this time.”

“Every time I go down, I come back with upgrades.” Amy warned. “One day I'll be invulnerable.”

Cullen half scoffed half laughed at that.

“I said 'one day'.” Amy defended.

Sara and Blackwall were the last to show up, and Sara couldn't just show up without making a fuss.

“Ooiii! Lookatchu! All gussied up!” Sara crowed with a leer.

“I mean, I don't know what you've been doing, but I—” Amy reached down, griping, and pushing up her own breasts as though she were situating them properly. “was getting fancy.” It seemed to be the right response, as Sera giggled, and Blackwall looked elsewhere with a grin.

The room filled up soon after. Solas, Cassandra, and Bull finally making their way into the chamber. Even this big room seemed a little crowded.

“So, we have our Charmer back and better than ever.” Varric noticed as a way of kicking off the meeting.

“Indeed.” Leliana confirmed. “And considering that the information she has shared with us has been verified, I believe we are ready to move.” Gazes sharpened as that was dropped in front of them.

Not that Magpie ever had any real doubts about the things that Amy was saying. With everything going on, a human touched enough to predict the future wasn’t that crazy. She’d seen Sam use a glowing hole in his hand to close rifts, after all.

“Verified? Then…?” Cassandra’s questions went unspoken as she couldn’t find the proper words or the paths for those words to take.

“Our two-pronged plan will begin tomorrow.” Cullen stated with the certainty of steel. “Cassandra will disguise herself as a Lieutenant with a regiment under her to reinforce our position on the Storm Coast. Simultaneously, Sam will make his way to initiate contact with the mages at Redcliff. According to Amy, after the initial contact, Sam will be invited back to Redcliff formally. This will give Cassandra and her team time to deal with whatever is going on at Caer Oswin.”

“Our scouts have confirmed that while Caer Oswin is inhabited, there is very little in the way of noticeable traffic.” Lelianna informed. “It should be easy for a regiment and a team to secure the grounds.”

“Considering the time it will take for Sam to initiate the plan with the mages, Cassandra’s team could potentially be finished and on their way to Therinfall before Sam is finished with Redcliff.” Cullen estimated, though whether this is his opinion on the time it would take traveling back and forth between Redcliff, or his high estimations of Cassandra, it was difficult to say.

“It is not the entourage that I had hoped for,” Josephine began. “however, I was able to secure a few prominent Orlesian nobles to accompany our concerned party to Therinfall.”

“Abernache?” Amy cut in to ask.

Josephine eyed her first, eyes drifting to the ever-present paperwork in front of her before saying, “Yes…Lord Abernache is among those who are interested in confronting the Templar order.” She seemed only slightly put off by Amy’s insight.

“A prominent figure?” Madame Vivienne asked, though by her tone one may think she were inquiring about the weather.

Amy shrugged. “No more or less than anyone else. He has his part to play, and that is enough to note his significance. That should be enough on its own.”

Perhaps Amy didn’t see it as she wasn’t really meeting anyone’s eye, but Magpie couldn’t help but notice the slightest arch in Vivienne’s brow. As though Amy had said something she had not anticipated… What that meant, Magpie wasn’t sure, but she did know look of reappraisal when she saw one.

“How far is Caer Oswin from Therinfal as far as traveling time?” Amy asked.

“It would take a well-armed troop of men moving with purpose less than a full day’s travel, given the terrain…and the need for secrecy.” Cullen shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps a few hours more, but not by much.”

“After the hubbub at Redcliff, I intend to take my team and hustle towards Therinfal Redoubt.” Sam announced.

“That might be unsafe…” Amy murmured, concerned. “Mostly because you will have already undergone so much.”

Sam smirked at her. “Ease up, mum. We’re all grown, and we can take care of ourselves.”

Amy’s eyes scrunched up as she glared at him, but it was more for being called ‘mum’ than anything.

“Bull, Solas, and Varric will be accompanying me during my tour of Redcliff.” Sam announced. The three people he had called out nodded their assent. “We’ll have another team waiting in the wings to help Cassandra. Madame Vivienne, Sera, Blackwall, that’ll be you. Don’t imagine any of you will have a problem handling rogue templars.”

“Not at all.” Madame Vivienne replied coolly.

“Cullen will move some troops into the Hinterlands after the initial contact, under the guise of reinforcing the camps we’ve established and surveying the damage that the Mages and Templars have reeked. In truth, he will be in place should anything happen that requires us to take Redcliff from the mages and the magister.”

Sam paused and surveyed Amy. “We don’t have much time, but while this is all happening, at least in the day and a half it’ll take us to travel there, make contact, and return, we would like it if you met with a few tutors that could assist you with your magic.”

Amy gave a single, decisive nod. “I would like to begin that as immediately as I can, actually.”

“I don’t see why not.” Sam murmured with a shrug. Everyone was already on standby as it was. “It shouldn’t be too difficult wrangle everyone together after the noon meal.”

“Tutors?” Solas asked, his eyes darting back and forth. “What tutors are those?”

“Madame Vivienne has brought a magic user with her. One who relies on his music to work his magic.” Lelianna announced.

“Zither??” Amy asked, half laughing already. “Oh, this’ll be a wild ride.”

Again, while Madame Vivienne’s face revealed nothing, Magpie noted her eyes darting to a very smug looking Lelianna. Lelianna hadn’t told Amy anything about anyone named Zither, that much Magpie was certain of… whether or not the mage recognized this wasn’t entirely clear, considering her consummate poker face.

“From what I understand,” Josephine began, flipping through some of the pages on her clipboard. “we have several mages that are more than willing to weigh in their opinions as well. Norton, Baxtien, Elossa, even Siheta will all be present and capable of aiding Amy if their expertise should be needed.”

“Oh good. Always better to perform for a crowd.” Amy half grumbled with a taxed smile.

“If you can perform at all.” Bull grunted with a smirk. Amy flicked her middle finger up at him with a dazzling smile. “Seriously, Charmer, maybe you’ve got everyone else convinced you’re almighty, but I’m still on the fence here. You haven’t really given me anything that’s impressed me.”

It was a bluff, but the tension that spiked through the room at Bull’s words was very real. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see how Amy would handle this.

She smirked. “I can give you eleven reasons.” She said with honey-sweet words, and her grin only depend when Bull’s attention snapped away, obviously trying to pair the number 11 with anything significant to him. He didn’t have 11 chargers… so… She held a finger to her lips as though she were telling a secret. “The first hit’s free.” She used the same finger tracing the secret on her lips to point to the hinterlands. “She’s right here… and she’s so pretty.” She said, leaning over the map almost suggestively, her eyes never leaving Bull’s. “All orange and yellow with such majestic curling horns and livid fire. I know you’d love to take her.” He smile was positively feline.

Bull blinked hard before taking in a deep breath through his nose and letting it out.

“Wait…” Sam’s face went slack. “Are you ….talking about a dragon?”

“A Ferelden Frostback, right under your noses. Weak to cold but resistant to fire damage. She cannot be slowed or disabled, and she’s got a whole mess of drakes to protect her and her dragonlings.” She straightened before looking to Sam with a more serious air. “There’s a pass leading to Redcliff that’s being guarded by bandits that aren’t bandits.” She waved off his look of confusion. “One mystery at a time, Sam. I can explain later. One of your scouts will warn you of this when you try to take the road, that is if they haven’t already.”

“They…haven’t. We’ve been focusing on the people and the cult, and you know, that whole mage/templar fight thing that’s going on.” Sam grumbled.

Amy ignored Sam’s cross tone to continue explaining. “The bandits are set up in a nice little nook. Beyond that nook is a natural stone archway that leads to her lair.” Her eyes bore into Bull. “I wouldn’t advise entering that archway and her lair until you’re completely ready to take on a high dragon.”

“I’m always ready to take on a high dragon.” Bull practically growled; his enthusiasm high.

“Bull.” Sam murmured, attempting to regain control.

“Boss.” He whined.

“Priorities.” Sam reminded. “Take out the bandits, set up a camp there to fall back to if things go south with the mages, take on the mages. Then, once we’ve gotten the mages taken care of…maybe after we’ve sealed the breach, we’ll go after the dragon. It isn’t as if we’ll never be in the Hinterlands again.”

Bull seemed mollified even if slightly petulant.

“There were some names that you mentioned that I’d like to revisit.” Lelianna noted. “Names of some mages that you said Sam should talk to.”

“Yes!” Amy said, snapping right back into the gravity of the situation before them. She righted herself, and her attention was now back on Sam. “Clemence will be the easiest to find. You’ll be asked to meet in the tavern, and he’s there. He’s a tranquil alchemist, but Alexius doesn’t want the tranquil around. So, he’ll volunteer to go with you and join the inquisition.”

“Lucky.”

“Talwyn is at the bar in the tavern. You can speak to him after Clemence. But you should keep these interactions subtle.” She scowled, sounding disgruntled as she continued. “I’m sure Linnea will be watching you, and she could be a problem.”

Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Next is either Lysas or Hanley. Hanley’s a human mage standing near the statue to the hero of Ferelden, and he’ll be very happy to see you. He hates the involvement of the mages with Tevinter. I don’t think it would be hard to convince him to go to the crossroads to wait for you. Lysas is an elf mage who you’ll find against one of the stone archways that lead to the chantry. He voted to abandon the chantry, but the alliance with Tevinter has him shaken. He’s another one that I might be persuaded to leave if promised some protections.”

“Considering that all rouge mage and templar activity has been thoroughly halted, none of them should have a reason to stay.”

“They might not have the choice, considering that they’re Tevinter chattel.” She growled. “I don’t know if they realize it yet, but Alexius will confirm that when you meet him.”

“asshole.” Sera spat.

Amy’s face pulled into a complicated frown. There was disapproval there, but her expression seemed… almost sorrowful as well. It made Magpie wonder if perhaps there wasn’t more to this story…

“We all have our missions.” Cullen said, with what felt like finality. “If there’s nothing more, be ready to move out a dawn.”

Magpie watched as everyone began to filter out of the room, and Amy zoned in on one person… She made a beeline for Solas.

[lo-55]

Shattered Chains of Fate Ch. 2

Through a misunderstanding and a poorly read application, Ichigo Kurosaki gets a chance internship at the Chaldeas Security Organization. It changes everything. 

 May. It’s May already, and Ichigo has made it approximately a month and a half without getting himself into some batshit insane situation where he almost dies.

 Then Rukia Kuchiki comes along and all of a sudden he’s not a wizard he’d a fucking Shinigami. Which is cool, and a lot easier if he’s being honest, and the world itself isn’t at stake this time so.

 Cool. Cool cool cool.    

 It does mean that Rukia, stubborn and snappish and almost as brash as he was, will be sleeping in his closet for the foreseeable future.

 At fifteen Ichigo would have flipped out about it. At eighteen he’s spent months at a time bunking down with Mash and whatever other servants there were. Everyone from Asterios to Medusa to Shirou Amakusa Tokisada, crammed together in a tent or settled around campfires.

 So he snatches his sisters pajamas and lends them to her and their life begins.

 And it would be fine, really, he doesn’t mind fighting. He likes fighting by himself than having to rely on the others to do it for him. It eases the bitterness of weakness that’s been festering in his heart for years. So it would be      fine, really    , if it weren’t for the fact that all of these hollows that he’s fighting have started to target his friends, too. They’re not even safe at school.

 Orihime was attacked by her own brother and it makes him sick. How could someone attack their own sister? Even warped and twisted?

 It was worse than Mordred and Artoria. At least they had always had a strained relationship, but Orihime’s brother had      loved    her.

 He sat with her after the fact, his hand on her shoulder while he slept against his leg. Rukia had erased her memory, and his families too. He didn’t like it.

 “Everyone has the right to choose their life. And to remember themselves,” he told her solemnly. “It’s how humans grow and change. It’s how we get stronger. These bonds that we make with other people, and even the ones that we break…”

 Rukie eyed him speculatively. “I never would have pegged you for a philosopher, Ichigo.”

 “I’m not.” But he’s got his ideals, and Ichigo is unbending. War has tempered his spine from bone to steel. Idly, he braids a long strand of Orihime’s hair while Rukia is busy changing Tatsuki’s memories. Maybe it will be easier for them not to remember this, but Ichigo will not take back what he said.

 So many friends have forgotten him, so many have never met him to begin with and only his memories live on of their time together. He really hates this…

 But Rukia is his guide in this case, and there’s nothing he can do for now. “This is how it has to be, Ichigo. There is no other choice,” she says firmly, like it’s an absolute truth.  “This is the life of a shinigami.”

 Ichigo lets Orihime’s hair fall into place and lays her on the floor before he stands and turns to Rukia.

 “      Chacun voit midi à sa porte,”    he says it mostly to himself, but it bewilders Rukia.

 “What?”

 “It’s nothing,” he shakes his head. “Let’s go.

 *

 Ichigo has never been out of the country before he’d signed up for an internship at Chaldea. It was supposed to be two weeks studying with the security organization, and the poster at the bus station by his house hadn’t said anything about mages, or time travel, or masters or servents. Di Vinci tells him later that its spelled so only mages or people with potential to be mages can even see it.

 He shouldn’t have seen it to begin with, totally untrained as he was, but somehow he did. Because he did have magic circuits, even if they weren’t used often or much. So hed loaded onto a plane with a half a dozen other master candidates from all around japan. His dad had agreed, all to easily. And now he stood in a breakroom with Romani and Mash, and Medusa and Cu and Olga Marie all standing around him.

 “I don’t get it,” Medusa says, eying the phantom speculatively. “If she’s dead, how is she here?”

 Ichigo shrugs. “ I have no clue. I’ve always been able to see ghosts but I don’t know anything about them.”

 “H-hey what do you mean by that?” Roman asks, turning towards him. “You can see dead people?!”

 “Well, yeah,” Ichigo sort of shrugs. “That’s not the weirdest thing happening here, ya know.”

 Roman can’t really argue with that.

 “Isn’t it obvious?” Olga Marie crosses her arms over her chest, looking down at the two gingers in front of her. Ichigo, sat on a couch, and Roman next to him. They both look at her, clueless until she rolls her eyes in aggravation.

 “It’s just like what happened with Mash. When the bomb exploded and I-” she falters, her yellow eyes darting around before she gets herself under control. “After the explosion, I found the two of them. At the same time Mash formed her contract with him, I must have done something similar. There’s two types of energy,” she goes on. “The energy of the physical world, Mana, and the energy of the soul. Reitsu. Just as Caster, Rider, and Mash are drawing on his Mana as servants, I am now bound to his Reitsu as a soul-based familiar.”

 “Such a thing is unprecedented,” Roman argued, looking somewhere between stunned and frightened. They were all standing on that blade right now. The world had ended and they, a group nowhere near qualified to save it, were now in charge of stopping it.

 “Ah, nae as much as you’d think,” Cu said, his voice lilting and accented. “My teacher, Scáthach, she ‘ad shades an’ such.”

 “The queen of the shadow lands?” Mash clarified, which meant nothing at all to Ichigo. Cu nodded. “It would make sense for her to have such things…”

 “Ah, does that make the director Ichigo’s servant now too?” Roman asked.

 Olga Marie bristled. “I’m no ones servant! I’m still the director here so you better show me proper respect!”

 Ichigo couldn’t help snickering at her. “Man, you’re so full of yourself.”

 “What did you just say?!”

 “Are you dead and deaf? I said you’re full of yourself,” he grabbed her cheek and pulled it until she shrieked and lashed out at him, beating her fists against his chest. Mash did her best to cover her laughter in the background, hands over her mouth.

 “Even still,” Roman stepped between them, carefully extracting Ichigo from Olga Marie’s fury, “This doesn’t explain everything. When someone ray shifts, it’s their spirit that manifests in the location, while their physical body stays in chaldea. So how can two different energies both manifest like that? I don’t understand…”

 Olga Marie puffed her cheeks out. “The answer to that is much more technical. Even though it’s the spirit that is sent back it's still a physical body that a mage has when they interact with the time period around them. It is… a reversal of the third magic, so to speak. The opposite and the twin of Heaven’s Feel, it is your spirit and your soul and your life, but your body is left behind while Ray Shifting.”

 This must have made sense to Roman, but Ichigo was, to put it mildly, completely lost.

 “What’s the third magic, what’s ‘heavens feel’, and what’s ray shifting?” Ichigo asked. Olga Marie face planted, and started cursing his very existence.

 * *

 “I must say, I didn’t expect you to be this good with a sword already,” Rukia admits, watching Ichigo snap the practice sword around, knocking aside each tennis ball she sends shooting at him through the pitching machine.

 Ichigo stands, light on his feet with a sword roughly the size of a claymore. It was heavy and the reach was long but awkward. He’s used to holding broad swords, mimicries of clarent and excalibur while his Saber’s try to beat their lessons between his ears. It feels strange to hold something so long and so heavy. More than that, it feels like something is missing. Like the sword is a couple inches too short, like it doesn’t fit his hands quite right.

 He has to remind himself that it isn’t his sword at all. This power is Rukia’s, not his own. Was this how Mash felt, their whole time together? Borrowing another person’s power to boost your own. It made his skin crawl minutely.

 “I've been in a few fights,” Ichigo says, looking towards her with a shrug of his shoulder. “I’ve got friends who are in the kendo club.” He works mostly off of instinct. He always has, and it hasn’t failed him yet. He blocks each tennis ball, and those he can’t block he dodges swiftly, until Rukia finally calls it a day.

 “You should get some rest while you can,” she advises. “We’ll be out tonight hunting hollows, no doubt, and you still have school work to do, don’t you?”

 “Well yeah, but school feels so unimportant now…” It has since he’d gotten back. What was a test in the face of someone trying to blow up the whole of human history?

 Rukia smacks him hard over the head, until he yelps in offense.

 “Hey!” He rubbed the bump on his head, glaring balefully at the short shinigami. Rukia is, of course, utterly unaffected by it.

 “School is important! You have a life to get back to after I get my powers back, and you need your grades to do it!”

 “Geez, you’re so rough… And fine,  but you’re gonna help me study for friday. You have to take tests too.”

 Rukia looks startled, but she nods all the same, and they walk home together. Ichigo considers telling his dad what’s happening. There’s a strange girl in the house, and Ichigo is putting himself in pretty serious danger lately, but it barely makes a difference if he does. What will Isshin even do? He can not stop them from fighting, and he cannot help them in this fight. He can’t even see spirits.

 These kind of things, he understood, were hereditary. Being a medium, and being a mage both were things that were handed down from parent to child, though they were kept largely separate. Mages dealt in living energy, and usually had little to no spirit energy, and vice versa. He could see spirits, and so could Karin, and even Yuzu could sense their presence from time to time. Yet despite all three children being sensitive to the supernatural, Isshin had no idea.

 Which meant, more likely than not, his mom had been able to see them too.

 She’d never said anything about it, but Ichigo had been so young, where would she even start?

 And now, there was no way for them to find out. Ichigo has questions, but no one has answers.

 “What are you thinking of?”

 He startles, looking down at Rukia. He’d been so caught up in his own thoughts, he’d almost missed the house entirely.

 “I was thinking about my mom,” he admitted. “I was wondering if she could see ghosts like me and Karin can.”

 “Your mother?” Rukia repeated. She touched her chin in thought. “I suppose it’s not unheard of. There used to be quite a few humans who could see spirits. Some could even utilize enough reiryoku to actually combat hollows. But those died out some time ago.”

 “Oh yeah?” Ichigo leads her inside. His sisters were out somewhere, and his dad was upstairs in his room, down the hall from Ichigo’s. They jog up the stairs together, Ichigo’s back thumping hard against his back.

 “Yes. They were called Quincy. They could manifest reitsu into weapons to battle hollows with. But unlike shinigami, they didn’t purify the souls. They destroyed them.”

 “Thats kind of fucked up.”

   * * *  

 Ichigo still can’t tell if he’s here as a spirit or as a physical body, but it’s his living energy, his mana, that Mash is feeding off of when they start their first fight with the locals in domremy. They’re only human, so Ichigo fights too, and runs at Mash’s side when they chase the French soldiers back to their fort.

 It’s there that the monsters attack and Ichigo gets his very first look at a saint.

 She’s barely older than he is, fierce and terrible and humble all at once. She leads with utmost confidence and does not falter, even in the face of terrible odds. She’s… weak, for a servant. Far too weak.

 There is something very wrong with france.

 Ichigo is broken from his thoughts by Roman coming over his wrist communicator.

 “All right, fine job everyone! I was watching with sweaty palms and sweets in my hand! The director is tending to other matters right now, so I’m in the command chair again!”

 “Doctor,” Mash began, looking towards his hologram. “Those were the sweets that I got, right?”

 “Huh? What? ls that right? I found them in the Command Room next to the tea, so I thought…”

 “...I got them as a token of gratitude, for when we return from this Order,” Mash was actually starting to look irritated for the first time since they’d met.  “  Needless to say, they weren't for you, but for Senpai, who no doubt fought bravely on the frontlines!”

 “Mash... you've become such a thoughtful person!” Roman smiled proudly at her and, shamelessly, shoved the rest of the candy into his mouth. “I must say, these are some really tasty sweets. I'm sure Ichigo will be thrilled, too!”

Mash turns towards Ichigo, her mouth drawn in a line. “...Master. When we return to Chaldea, please reserve enough combat resources for one attack. I've registered one more enemy that I'd like to hit with the "back of my blade.".” Which was apparently something a shield had.

 “You’re more violent than I thought you were…”

 Then someone was screaming a ‘dragon witch’, and they retreated again, to the forests outside of vaucouleurs. It takes a while to get their bearings, but Ichigo understands. There’s two Jeanne d’arc’s. The saint that stands before them and a witch that is trying to destroy france. That’s what’s causing the world to fall apart here. So that’s who they have to stop. Only…

 She’s about a hundred times stronger than they are, and she has an army of dragons, and dragon themed servants with her. By the end of the second day Ichigo finds himself with a saint, a queen, a musician, a pop star, and a dragon all following him around like puppies.

 At night he finds himself sitting by the fire, with Jeanne, Ruler, sitting across from him. Kiyohime, a princess out of a story he’d read ages ago is curled up on his lap like a cat instead of a dragon. Her horn pokes at his hip irritatingly, and on his other side Mash has fallen asleep as well.

 He should be more worried about the fact that she’s somehow convinced herself that he’d Anchin, considering the fact that she burned him alive in a bell tower, but thus far all she’s really done is hold onto him a little too tight.

 Jeanne is looking at him too. There’s something about her, a charisma that makes Ichigo want to follow her off a cliff. And he probably would, if he wasn’t so damn stubborn himself.

 “Yeah?” he asks, breaking the silence. “What, is there something on my face?”

 “Oh!” Jeanne turns away, shaking her head. Her strange headpiece glints read in the firelight. “No, it’s only that you seem very close to her.”

 “Who, Kiyo? We just met. She’s the one that latched onto me.”

 “No, not her. Mash.”

 Ichigo looks again at the girl sleeping on his other side. She looks older as a demi-servant, someone halfway possessed by a heroic spirit, but her face is the same. She’s still filled with wonder and innocence.

 “Oh yeah. Well, I’ve got two little sisters at home. Mash reminds me of the youngest one. Yuzu. They even have the same hairstyle…”

 “That explains it, then,” Jeanne’s smile is soft. “I’m the youngest. I had three brothes, and my sister as well. I imagine they’re still in Domremy. Although my two oldest brothers came to fight under my flag, so they might be travelling still.”

 Ichigo tried to think of that. Tried to think of letting anyone in his family get even close to a battlefield and found himself shaking his head. “I couldn't do that. I want to protect my sisters. I wouldn’t be able to put them in danger.”

 Jeanne peered at him over the fire, her smile still somehow serene. It must have to do with being a saint.

 “I wished to protect them too, of course. They are my brothers, and war is a bloody, gruesome hell to walk into. But sometimes we must have faith. In the Lord to guide us, and in the people around us to stand at our sides and watch over us.”

 “Didn’t your people, ya know, burn you alive?”

 “Yes,” she allows, tilting her head towards the sky. “But still… I hold them no ill will.”

 Ichigo decides, then and there, that Saints must be insane.

 The first person they lose, the first person he loses in these wars, is Marie Antoinette. She dies to protect him, and the stinging, bitter taste almost makes him claw out his tongue.

   * * * *  

 “Do you know where you are?”

 Soft fingers run through his hair. Something tickles his nose and he’s assaulted by the smell of roses and daffodils.

 “I’m in a dream,” Ichigo says, huffing irritably. His eyes open slowly, and he finds a deceptively soft smile hovering above him. Ichigo would believe it, if he didn’t know him better. As it is, he tugs at a long strand of off-white hair that falls across the man’s shoulder.

 “Ouch. You’re right, this is a dream. However did you guess? I thought it was a rather good one…”

 Ichigo rolls his eyes at the Caster. He can see his staff, wrapped in ribbons, stuck into the earth beside them. This man was always dramatic.

 “There’s nowhere else I would see you, now is there?” He sits up slowly. His companion doesn’t move back, and in a minute they’re hip to hip, facing eachother.

 “Ah, That is true. You never know, I am a rather famous mage. Mayhaps I teleported you here for my own amusement.”

 “That does sound like you,” Ichigo allows. He paused, squinting. “Did you just say ‘mayhaps’?”

 “You don’t like it? I thought it was eloquent.”

 “Stop acting so weird,” Ichigo scolded, knocking their heads together lightly. “It hasn’t been that long since I’ve seen you.”

 “On the contrary, it's been over 4,500 years.”

 “You never change,” Ichigo rolls his eyes, and his visitor smiles, soft and fake.

 “Perhaps I don’t. One of the aspects of immortality is that people tend to stay the same, you know,” he teases.

 “I don’t, but I guess I’ll take your word for it,” Ichigo figures it’s easier than trying to fully puzzle out the man. He’s always been bewildering, ‘beyond human comprehension’ or something. Ichigo isn’t totally human anymore now. He sits, dressed in black next to his companion cloaked in white.

 “I thought you were supposed to disappear from my memory,” Ichigo says abruptly. He’s not sure what kind of explanation he’s looking for.

 A shrug is what he gets. “I told you once. That’s one thing I can never get used to. Perhaps it just didn’t work this time.”

 “Right,” Ichigo says dubiously, “it’s got nothing to do with us being friends. “

 The mage says nothing, but his smile thins at the edges. He’s still on about it then. ‘I can never truly close the gap, and be friends with a human’. It’s bullshit, because they’re friends and ichigo knows it, and so does he. He’s just stubborn and stuck on the idea of being the mysterious wise man figure in Ichigo’s ever evolving life story.

 “Where are we?” Ichigo asks, letting the tension drop for now. The sky is the palest blue and there’s flowers as far as the eye can see, pink and blue and yellow. There’s no horizon any way he looks, and he realizes belatedly that they’re sitting on top of a tower.

 “Isn’t it obvious? We are on the reverse side of the world. Where there is no beginning and no end, this is the very edge of paradise.”

 The air tasted like sunlight and hope, but Ichigo isn’t fooled by the prettiness of it all. He knows this man. Better than he wants to be known, certainly.

 “Maybe someday I’ll save you from this tower,      princess    .”

 “That is quite impossible,” still a  warm hand lands on his, a strange kind of thanks.

 “I’ve done impossible things before.”

 And he would do them again.

 * * * *

 Ichigo was starting to think that everyone here was made of tragedy.

 France was bad enough. Between executions, and curses, and people just doing their best for others, Ichigo is starting to wonder how any fairy tale ever had a happy ending, for the figures of myth certainly had none. Not Jeanne, the Saint of Orleans. Not Elizabeth Batharoy, the wannabe pop star and future vampire. Not Kiyohime, who had followed him all the way back to Chaldea and now was stuck waiting for them to return.

 And now, Euryale, and Asterios were the same. They were hardly the monsters out of legend. They were just people. Just people clinging to each other, like wreckage in a storm.

 Ichigo leans forwards against the railing of the      Golden Hind    , watching the moon dance across the water. They’re pretty screwed, he realizes. Heracles has to be killed twelve times for them to succeed, and they’d almost all been killed on just the first try.   They’d only escaped because a labyrinth had sprung up out of nowhere, glowing green and winding their way to the center of safety.

 The heafy thump of footsteps on ship wood brings his attention to his newest servant. Asterios. He towers over all of them, almost ten feet tall if you counted his horns. He should have been terrifying, all hard muscles and hulking power. His long hair is matted like it’s never been brushed out properly, and his eyes are a red that seemed to glow in the starlight.

 “Hey there,” Ichigo waves at him, and he comes to a halt at his side. He looks at him, and shifts from one foot to the other. There’s manacles on his arms, and his ankles as well. “Why don’t you sit?”

 Asterios did as he was bid. When he was sitting, he still came up to Ichigo’s shoulder.

 “It’s a nice night, huh?” It was peaceful, sailing on the endless sea. They have a lot of fights ahead of them but for now… He breaths in the sea salt air, and the cool darkness.

 “Yes… It is…      free    ,” Asterios speaks slowly, like making words is a chore. Has he ever really spoken to humans, before now?

 “Yeah. I guess it is,” that’s what Francis had said. The seas were freedom for her and her men. The King of Storms, the endless oceans bowed to her and the       Golden Hind    .  “Have you been here long, Asterios?”

 He perks up when he hears his name, looking up at Ichigo with the strangest expression. Ichigo has no idea how to place it. Hope? Happiness? Either way he’s smiling now.

 “No… Want to … stay… with euryale and… everyone.”

 “I get it,” Ichigo nods to him. “It’s nice to hang out with friends.”

 “Friends…”

 “That’s what we are, right?”

 Asterios smiles at him, and nods. “Yes… friends.”

 * * * * *

 “Honestly… I thought you were supposed to be helpful,” Ichigo knocks on his own bodies skull, watching his dopple ganger wince away from him. “But all you’ve done is get my body torn up and cause a mess. You’re screwing up my ‘cool guy’ reputation!”

 “Hey! It’s not my fault, I wouldn’t have jumped in if you weren’t so slow! Those kids would have died if I hadn’t jumped in!”

 “Oh yeah, and you kicking that hollow again, to protect ants, what are you a saint?!” Ichigo yanks him into a headlock, roughly shoving his fist into his hair. It was weird to be fighting with himself, but honestly? Not even remotely the weirdest thing to happen.

 “Get off!” The mod soul tries to kick him in the face, but Ichigo takes him to the ground in a rough grappling hold. He’s not too worried about his shoulder. His body is strong enough to handle being roughed up, and he’s taken worse hits than that.

 “Let me go! I’m not gonna let you kill me but-” His voice wavers before growing vicious with conviction.

 “I’ll never sit by and let another creature die!”

 Ichigo is so surprised he lets go, sitting above the trouble maker. He won’t make eye contact, his voice dropping low and rough. His hands are shaking, Ichigo realizes.

 “Right after I was born, the soul society they- they decided that the mod-souls had to go. The day after I was born I was chosen to die! Everyday I watched them kill off my brethren. And even after I escaped I still lived in fear, everyday that I would be discovered and killed… And I decided. That I was born, so I have the right to live and die freely, and so does everything else! So I won’t kill and I won’t let even ants die!”

 This mod soul. A creature made to fight, made to die, made to kill all without a single choice. Ichigo’s hands tighten into fists. Just like Mash. Just like Fran. Just like Mordred. A living weapon. Ichigo lets him sit up, and sits back on his heels. The mod soul grips his shoulder, grimacing. It must hurt. This is the first time he’s ever felt human sensations. He was fast, fast as the wind.

 “So that’s it…”

 Abruptly, the tip of a cane shoves straight through his skull, and the pill that had started this whole debacle comes popping out the other side. Ichigo reacts, snatching it out of the air before anyone else can. They’re not alone anymore.

 Ichigo finds himself looking up at a pair of grey eyes half hidden under the brim of a striped hat. They’re looking right at him, even though he’s no longer in his body. He knows, with great certainty, that this man is not human.

 “I’ll be taking that back now,” he says, holding his hand out expectantly. He looks almost harmless. Almost. But Ichigo can see the calluses on his hands and the hardness in the back of his eyes. Whoever this is, he’s a fighter. Even with the geta sandals, he hadn’t made a sound when he was approaching.

 “Hell no!” Ichigo clutches the pill tighter and straightens up. “Who the hell are you supposed to be?”

 “He’s just a greedy salesmen,” Rukia comes to stand at his shoulder, her eyes narrowed at the stranger with the unsettling eyes. She'd watched the whole exchange between them, between Ichigo and yet another tragedy.

 “I get it. He’s the one who sells you your supplies here, isn’t he?” Ichigo stands, slowly, keeping his hold on the pill tight. This guy had made a mix up, and if he thought Ichigo was gonna let him take this mod soul away, he had another thing coming.

 “My, my, you’re a perceptive one,” the man pulled a fan out of his sleeve and snapped it open over his mouth. “I’m Kisuke Urahara. And these are my associates.”

 “It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out,” Ichigo said blandly. “She said you're a salesmen, and she has to get her gadgets from somewhere.”

 “Either way, I should take that product back. If it’s compensation you’re after-”

 “I already said no!” Ichigo snapped, anger rolling under his skin like a fire. “People aren’t products and I’m not giving this one back to you!”

 “Ichigo,” Rukia cut in, her voice cool and firm. It's ice on a bruise and Ichigo let's her step before him, her dark eyes on the salesman. “It’s fine. I’m satisfied with this purchase, and you don’t exactly work legally. So whatever happens, it’s not your responsibility anymore.”

 Even though he remains largely impassive, this Kisuke guy still stares at them, trying to read between lines that don’t exist. Ichigo is honest, and Rukia has his back in this case.

 So he and his associates leave, and Ichigo pops the soul back into his body once their gone. He finds brown eyes staring up at him, his mouth open in confusion.

 “You didn’t… send me back?”

 Ichigo knocks his head again. “Don’t be stupid. If you give me a dumb speech like that, how can I sit by while you get smashed up?”

 “I - you’re kinda crazy.”

 “I know,” he had to be. “So, do you have a name?”

 “A name? No, no ones ever given me one of those…”

 “Alright then,” Ichigo tilts his head, thinking. A mod soul, a kaizo konpaku… He could go with Kai. But that sounded too cool. He was wind fast, and if he remembered right the inca wind was called… “Kon. You’re in charge of my body while I fight hollows. You can explore, and try new things, but don’t go destroying property or getting peoples attention. Or hurting my body! Deal?”

 He held out his hand, and Kon reaches up and grasps it.

 “Deal.”

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

Getting away with it (7/?)

Summary: August Walker was dead. At least that’s what people   believed for almost 2 years. When the CIA found reason to believe that   he was alive they made it their top priority to find him. Including   sending one of their best female agents to recruit his twin brother.   Walter Marshall.  

Pairing: August Walker x Reader (Walker) + Walter Marshall x Reader (Walker)

Warnings: none

Wordcount: 2.321

A/N: We learn a little about what August is exactly planing and it ain’t good

Masterlist

Part 1 >> Part 2 >> Part 3 >> Part 4 >> Part 5 >> Part 6

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*If you wanna be added (or removed) to the taglist please do it here Thanks x

Evie had slept like a stone. Giggling she brushed her teeth, watched by her mother who was suppressing a grin at the amount of white foam in front of her daughters mouth. 

“You remember what I told you about Walter yesterday?” Walker asked. Evie nodded.

“I won’t tell.”  She slurred, the toothpaste going everywhere, making Walker roll her eyes as she chuckled. Evie spit out the toothpaste, turning around to Walker.

“Do you think he likes Frozen?” Evie asked with big eyes. Walker frowned, surprised once more to how children seemed to go from one thought to one completely different.

“I don’t know. You have to ask him.” She smiled as she got down on her knees and began to braid her hair.

Evie was drawing in the living room when Walker joined Marshall in her kitchen. He had a file in front of him, wearing his pyjamas. His hair seemed to be even curlier, if that was possible, a wild mess on top of his head.

August Walker seemed to be the perfect husband and father from the outside. From what Walker had told Walter it wasn’t love at first sight. At least for her. They had spend 7 months on their first mission, posing as newlyweds. 

“It almost took 5 months for me to realize that not everything he did was the mission. Like when he made breakfast in the morning. I used to be the clear opposite of a morning person.” Walker mused as she was cutting some fruit for Evie to take to kindergarten.

“Really?” Marshall chuckled, taking a sip from the coffee she had made for him.

“I was the worst. Honestly. August was up every day before 6 am. Working out first, then breakfast. Then working out with me again….” She smiled a little as she seemed to think back.

“I was incredibly intimidated by him after I read his file. I know how to defend myself, yes. But August was not only a huge man, he had that glimmer in his eyes where you never knew what he was thinking. That never went away though. But it shifted. It was after I came home later than usual that I found him sitting in the kitchen.

6 years ago

“Where have you been?” August asked as she walked in. He ignored the urge to compliment her on her new hairdo.

“Out.” She frowned, walking past him. August reached for her upper arm, making her turn around and shove him with her arm up against his chest.

“What the fuck August?” She huffed.

“I was… We are here on a mission. May I remind you that you are to pose as my wife. And as that I should know about your whereabouts.” He said sternly. She rolled her eyes.

“You seem to forget that we’re not actually married, Mr. Walker. And sometimes I need to see something different than your face.” She looked up at him, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

“If this mission fails, it will be all your fault.” He growled quietly, trying not to look at her perfectly shaped boobs, that her arms pushed up. 

“My fault. Right. Whatever August…” She shook her head, turning around to leave again.

“Stop.” He simply said. He heard her breathe in deep, but she stopped. 

“The next time you stay out longer at least drop me a message. Otherwise I will come and find you.” He said.

“Right…” She turned around to face him again.

“It must be so hard for you to not have control about every little thing, huh?” She mocked.

“The serious and angry August Walker who people at HQ whisper about… But not me. You don’t intimidate me anymore. You won’t scare me. If I want to stay out, I do. Wife's do that all the time. It’s you that has a problem with it.” She raised her left eyebrow at him. 

August breathed in deep, trying to control the anger boiling inside of him.

“I don’t intimidate you?” He smiled at her.

“So you don’t lock the door behind your bedroom door each night? You don’t carry your gun with you around me? You don’t watch each and every step I take? What changed after our first meeting?” He asked, curious. Because to him it felt like they were off to a good start when he had invited her for lunch in New York.

“I read your file.” She simply said.

“And what does my file say about me?” He asked, slowly walking towards her.

“That you can’t be trusted.” She said quietly.

“And what do you think about me?” He asked, stopping in front of her as her back hit the wall. August suppressed the urge to close his eyes as he inhaled her scent. It was intoxicating. He towered over her, looking down in her eyes that glared up at him.

“I think that you’re a control freak. And in the second you lose the control over a thing, it drives you insane.” She said quietly.

“And you think I lost control about you?” He asked, his hands coming down on the wall next to her head.

“You never had control over me.” She whispered. August chuckled and slowly leaned down so his mouth was close to her ear.

“Do you think I can’t hear you moaning my name in the middle of the night when you touch yourself?” He asked, breathing her in as he saw her closed her eyes.

“Why do you keep fighting this? Just… give in.” He continued, his lips ghosting over her neck.

He heard her breathing got faster, as her hands slowly came down on his waist.

“I’m not just a fucktoy. Against all odds I care about you August. And if you hurt me, I am going to serve you your balls for dinner.” She finally said.

“And how would you do that?” He grinned against her skin, his lips tracing up her neck.

“Like I am going to tell you.” She whispered, voice shaking.

Finally his face was in front of hers, his eyes looking into hers.

“I have no doubt that you might be the only one on earth who can take me down.” He said.

“And why is that?” She asked, his lips inches away from hers.

“Because I think I love you.” He whispered, before his lips crashed down on hers.

unknown location, now

August knew enough about Anthrax to know that it’s consequences would be just enough for what he was looking for. With his Laptop in front of him, he sat at his kitchen table, waiting for his contact to get back to him. Looking out of the window, where everything seemed to be gray for some reason, he sighed.

He was convinced he had formed the best plan possible. Meeting up with his contact, paying him, getting the Anthrax, spreading it in China. What he needed was someone who could synthesize it, so it would have the most severe effect once he finally he hold on it. He had been thinking about a scientist him and Walker had taken down years ago who had planned something similar to what he was planning now. Back then August thought it was insane what he planned. Oh how much had changed over the years…

He couldn’t watch the news without the anger boiling inside of him. People all over the world were committing crimes on a daily basis and the law enforcement was sheer helpless against the amount of it happening. Closing his eyes he breathed in deep, trying to imagine a world in which he had brought peace. In which he could see his daughter grow up in peace, without the worry of her being taken too soon. A world where maybe he and Walker could be happy again. He was sure that she would understand his reasons, if he were to explain it to her. At least he hoped so. Because against all odds, August still loved her.

He knew she hasn’t been with another man ever since he left

A message on his screen made him look up.

A.Nonymus: Meeting confirmed. Pick up arranged in 9 days. Meeting to take place right under their nose.

August grinned as he read the message. There was only one place in the world where he knew how to find the information about where the scientist was being held that was accessible to him. August Walker was going home.

Langley, Virginia, same day

“Okay so it seemed like we now have a time frame to when you will be having your first meeting as August.” Walker said as she read the Email Miller has send her.

“And?”

“6 weeks. You’ll stay here until the beginning of next week and then you’re off to boot camp.” She bit her lip to hide her grin.

“Boot camp?” He asked, Eyebrow raised.

“Well… You gonna have to learn everything August did. That includes his fighting skills.” She looked up at him, looking him up and down.

“What?” He asked, following her eyes up and down his body.

“I don’t mean this in a mean way, so I’m just saying it.” She sighed. Marshall nodded slowly.

“You need to work on your physique. It’s not like you’re not muscular enough, I’m sure you are. But he was just…”

“More.” Walter said with a blank expression. Slowly Walker nodded. Walter began to laugh as he saw her sorry expression on her face.

“I let myself go a little the last months, I know. I’m on it.” He chuckled.

“Better start sooner than later. Otherwise you will be a mess at the end of the boot camp.”

“What exactly will I learn in this bootcamp?” He asked.

“Basic CIA stuff. Weapons, Intorigation, close combat… the usual.” She shrugged.

“That doesn’t sound so bad…” He said.

“I learned what you will learn in 3 weeks in 2 years.” Walker explained.

“Oh…” Marshall nodded. He should really get back to his workout routine.

“But hey. If you survive these three weeks I’m gonna show you how to kill someone with a spoon.” She grinned.

“The mustache really was his thing, huh?” Walter asked, looking at one of the rare pictures Walker had of August.

Walker looked up from where she was sitting, seeing the picture he was holding. It was August at one of their first days after they moved here.

“For some reason he was really fond of it.” She shrugged, a grin plastering to her face as she looked at Marshall.

“You know that you also have to look like him, right?”

“I’m not getting a mustache. That’s where i draw the line.”

“Oh come on.” She pouted.

“I won’t go through a whole undercover mission, looking like a 70s pornstar.” He shook his head.

“Moving on. How many missions did you have with August in total?” He asked. Walker had to think about that.

“We were on 15 missions until I had to go in maternal leave. After that we didn’t work together.”

“All undercover missions?”

“Mostly. We worked very well together as a team. He was more of the… brutal matter while i was very delicate. Sloane used to joke we were unstoppable.”

“He hates Sloane. Why?” Marshall asked. Walker sighed.

“In his eyes she represents everything he hates.” Walker said.

“I just can’t understand how a person can change so radically in a short amount of time…” Marshall said.

“Thinking back he always was a bit off. But it really got worse after Evie was born. I should have seen it sooner.” Walker sighed. Marshall looked at her for a long time.

“Do you think you could have stopped him?”

“I don’t know. I like to believe I could have. But… Once he set his mind to something is hard changing it. Even if it means genocide.” 

“Do you want to see him again?” Marshall asked softly. With a sad smile he looked at him.

“I do. I just don’t know what happens if I see him.” She whispered.

“You do still love him.” Marshall said.

“Against everything a part of me still does. No matter how hard I try not to.” A tear ran down her cheek.

“You have to let him go. He will never change and you will never join him in his world view. He will keep breaking your heart.” And Walter won’t let him. He cared for her. Probably in a way he wasn’t supposed to. But that didn’t mean he would stop worrying about her.

He could be a friend for her. Maybe even an uncle for Evie. 

When Walker left to pick Evie up from Kindergarten Marshall sat in his room, all the files he had about August on the floor, arranged after year and case.

It would be hard to become August. Who seemed to have no weakness. For the millionth time since he started studying him only days ago he asked himself, how someone would want to kill so many people. When Marshall joined the police he wanted to keep people safe. It would be his duty until he had to retire. August had sworn the same oath when he joined the CIA. But something along the way went wrong. 

His guess was the last mission he went on with Walker. She had already been pregnant then and been captured by a group of terrorist or a day. Most of the file he had received from that mission was blacked out, but the pictures of dead bloodied man attached to them spoke more than words. 

August Walker seemed to do everything to protect the little that he loved. And Marshall could only hope that his hadn’t changed in the last couple years. Because if he would have to choose if he had to protect the world, or Faye, Evie and Walker, he didn’t know which choice he would make.

[umbrellalad]

An Excerpt from a Book I’ll Never Finish

The Galaxy and all it’s Stars

Why is quiet so hard to hear? Sitting in the quiet, listening and thinking and all I can hear is the static in my brain. No matter what I do I can’t turn it off. Even when I try to use it all the thoughts do is jam together, running into each other jumping around until all it’s caused is a headache. I try to sort them out, to figure out what it is the universe is trying to whisper in my ear, but all I hear is noise, noise, noise, until I have to just stop trying. 

My thoughts are as vast and as jumbled as the universe itself, so you’d think we speak the same language, but I guess the two don’t mix, because all I can hear is static. My room reverberates with the stuff. A box full of echos only I can hear. Still, it’s better than outside, where all of my thoughts are trapped inside my own head. Outside they swirl in the wind, forming a cloud around my head. I have to reel them in, chain them up to keep them from running out. I don’t know why they’re so hard to control. Others don’t seem to have a problem with controlling their own heads. They walk around perfectly content with the way they’re thinking, the way they’re acting, the way they’re talking. To them the world is nothing but hopscotch for one to enjoy. For me the world is a tight-rope across a windy canyon. One wrong step and it all goes tumbling down, down, down.

I find comfort in the universe. With something so colossus and magnificent, how can anything I do possibly ruin it?

Still, at times it feels like the universe is shrinking in on me. Gravity increases and the galaxies collide in on themselves. Then I go to bed. Wake up. And the universe has begun expanding again. 

Waking up today was easy. Summer had begun. I no longer had to worry about the load of homework or projects piling up while I sat in my room doing nothing.

I roll over and look at the clock at the side of my bed. It’s a retro rectangle of an alarm clock, because somehow turning the clock face into a rectangle made it more desirable then. 

9:26. Not a bad time to wake up. Early enough that I haven’t wasted the day away, and late enough to feel like it’s too late to go back to bed. 

So I get up. Whatever extensional crisis took it’s turn last night has retreated back into the basements of my brain. If it was a good day hopefully I wouldn’t have another one until at least four.

Downstairs my mom is cooking breakfast for my sisters and my brother. I can smell the bacon as I walk into the kitchen. What would be described as a peaceful, welcoming scene to wake up to is anything but. There’s not so much serenity and love in the air as there is simply hunger and tension.

My youngest sister Brielle is sitting at the table, smearing scrambled eggs on the table. Now with this behavior one would guess Bri is three? two? She’s ten. My theory is she doesn’t have that little voice in our heads that tells us our actions will have consequences. Or that she does have this voice, but only listens to it when the consequences include her. She knows that she could get up from the table right now, and Mom would go over and clean it up without a second thought.

The twins Adalyn and Asher are play fighting. A game that will without doubt turn into a real duel the moment one of them knocks their elbow the wrong way on the couch. They’re both 13. Old enough to know that actions have consequences, but still too young or too sociopathic to care. 

My mom sees me first. She’s making more eggs for Adalyn and Asher along with frying bacon. “Morning sweetie, do you want anything?”

White Dwarf

A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to that of the Sun, while its volume is comparable to that of Earth. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes from the emission of stored thermal energy; no fusion takes place in a white dwarf.[1] The nearest known white dwarf is Sirius B, at 8.6 light years, the smaller component of the Sirius binary star. There are currently thought to be eight white dwarfs among the hundred star systems nearest the Sun

My mom is a white dwarf. She was once a shining star, a radiant young woman, full of life, energy, and excitement. When she was young my mom would go on spontaneous adventures with her friends. They would go skydiving or cliff jumping or bar hopping or just go on a road trip to the middle of nowhere. I’ve seen pictures from back then. She looks so free, so unburdened. When Mom had kids that part of her life took a decline, and when my dad left it ended completely. No more time for spontaneity. No more opportunity for it either. Now she’s only a remnant of the woman she used to be, but she still manages to give off the same warmth. 

I know she has a lot on her plate, so I try to stay out of her way most of the time. I do my best to be self-sufficient and try not to cause her too much worry. 

I wish I could be more like she was, when she was a kid. I find it hard to even leave the house without planning it a day in advance. She would board a plane and fly to Italy without a second thought. My life consists of the same thing everyday, no changes, no excitement. Is it because I made it that way or is it the way it was made for me?

I say no, like I always say no. Not because I don’t want to accept her hospitality, but because I don’t want to add to her plate of things to do. 

Nor do I want to partake in this mess we call a home life.

I grab a banana from a bowl on the table and sit on the opposite side of Bri. I look down at the egg she’s using to decorate the table. She stares at me challengingly. 

I take a bite of my banana.

Adalyn and Asher’s voices rise. Someone hit someone else a little too hard. 

Bri glares at me harder, increasing her pressure on the eggs.

Asher screams.

The banana feels tough in my throat.

The sizzling of the bacon rises.

Bri smooshes her eggs.

Adalyn yells.

My head hurts.

The scent of bacon gets thicker.

My heart picks up pace.

A cry.

A scolding.

A challenge.

A throbbing.

A yell.

I get out of my chair and go back upstairs.

My room is safe. In my room I don’t have to worry about screaming children or a messy home. The only things I have to worry about in my room are the things I create myself. Still challenging, but at least here I have a sense of control.

My headache lessens and my heart slows to its normal pace.

This house is like a prison. Everyday it feels like it’s closing in on me, tightening it’s hold on my life. There’s nowhere to go, no escape. It just drives me deeper and deeper into my own brain. 

I’m sitting on the floor. I’ve found that sitting in places where one wouldn’t normally sit when there are chairs available, is calming. It gives me a fake sense of personality.

Looking up I examine the face looking back at me in the mirror. I inherited my mother’s thick blond hair. It falls past my shoulders in ringlets. Needing something to do, I part my hair and braid it into two plaits. 

Full lips. Brown eyes. A freckled face.  Heavy brows. A pointed nose. Thick lashes. 

This is who I see in the mirror. It’s me. This is the body which my mind, my soul, my essence is encaptured. An infinity of possibilities, an infinity of features and these are the ones I’ve been graced with. An whole wide universe to choose from and this is where my soul settles. 

Oh look there’s the existential crisis. In almost record time.

I sigh and fall back onto the carpet. Stare up at the ceiling. The quiet is nice.

A crash sounds from downstairs. More yelling.

A sudden urge strikes me. Like my chest will explode if I don’t do what it says. 

I need to get out of this house.

I pull on my shoes from my closet and jog downstairs.

“I’m going to go on a walk,” I call to Mom.

She’s busy trying to talk Bri into eating some fruit with her eggs. She doesn’t hear me. I stand in the middle of the kitchen. I don’t see Adalyn, but Asher is sitting on the couch, looking very upset about the book he’s most likely being forced to read. No one sees me.

I’m used to being invisible.  As soon as the first attempt to be seen goes unnoticed, all of the others just melt away. 

I go out the front door, not bothering to take my phone with me. I don’t have to worry about getting texts. I was never really one for making friends anyways. Whenever I did find people to hang out with it always felt superficial, like they were just pretending to tolerate my company. Besides, I could never find the right thing to say. My mind wouldn’t go with the flow of their conversation, it would pick at each word, each voice inflection, each micro-expression. Trying to decipher the hidden meaning in every one of their simple sentences. 

When I was 14 I had a friend named Blake. She was my first real friend. We had met at school when she said something funny in history and I laughed. She turned around and smiled at me and I smiled back. We exchanged numbers and then every night we would text for hours. We talked about school and the teachers we hated. She talked about the boys she had crushes on and I told her why they weren’t good enough for her. We traded music suggestions and talked about how Sherlock deserved a fifth season. 

I would lay on my side in bed and smile in the glow of my phone screen. It was the best feeling in the world.

But then the spaces between her texts got longer. And I started to realize that the only nights we talked were the nights where I texted her. And then that feeling started to melt, to harden in my stomach. I worried that she felt obligated to text me back. What if she didn’t actually want to text me, and only did because she felt like she had to?

So I stopped texting her, and I waited for her to text me. 

And the text never came.

A couple times after that she would say something like “Hey we haven’t talked in so long!” and I would reply “omg what’s up?” But it was just that. An obligation. She had gotten bored of me and after a while I began to wonder why it hadn’t happened sooner.

My feet slap against the hot concrete as I walk away from home. I don’t know exactly where I’m going, but it feels good to go. I keep walking until I find myself at the edge of the sidewalk. Trees, tall and proud, loom over me. 

I step into their embrace. In the trees the air feels cooler and the light is muted. Sun shines in through gaps in the leaves, trickling over the stones and the roots. I go deeper into the woods and I feel the pressure in my head drop with each step. The world seems to sparkle and I find solace in the quiet beauty of it all. This is a place untarnished by whatever messes us humans decide to create. 

Eventually, I find what would become my refuge. It was a large pile of  massive stone blocks, shaped so that if there was a fourth side it would have been a square. But the fourth side must have fallen out, must have given way to nature, because all that remains are a few scattered blocks leading up to the top.

I like to think that it was once part of a grand castle, and that this structure was all that remained from that era we’ve romanticized so. But I live in the United States so that’s unlikely. I don’t know why it was built, or what it was meant to be, but now it stands in solitary, unbothered by whatever expectations were once put onto it.

Excited, I move towards the stones. It stands over four times taller than me, but still I climb. I crawl over the blocks and pull myself up until I stand at the top of the ruins. My heart clenches as I look down, but it’s not a completely bad thing. It’s… exhilarating. For the first time in a while I’m not stuck inside my own head. The thoughts that normally ping ponged around in my head had flown out. My mind was clear.

It was amazing. 

I felt like I was alone, sitting on an island of time just waiting. I don’t know what I was waiting for, but I didn’t mind the rest. I laid down across the stones and looked up at the sky. It was framed by the trees, a perfect little viewing spot just for me. 

I laid there for a long time. Watched as the clouds raced across the sky, eventually moving out entirely and leaving the sky open for the stars. It’s so funny how when we think of stars we think of tiny little dots sprinkled across the heavens, while in reality stars are massive, flaming orbs of heat and gas, so big we can’t even comprehend how big they really are. The sun is the closest star to Earth and we are so used to it that its mass settles slightly better in our tiny brains. But if you think, if you truly think about how immense stars, the galaxy, the universe is… Our brains aren’t big enough. 

Proxima Centauri

Proxima Centauri is the closest star to our sun. It is a small, low mass star and is a member of the Alpha Centauri system. It is located 4.244 light-years away from the Sun in the southern constellation of Centaurus. This means that even if traveling at the speed of light was possible, it would still take 4.244 years to reach the star.

The second closest star in the entire universe, and at the height of technology right now it would take 73,000 years to get there. An amount of time past comprehension. We think that time is something we observe, but time will continue long after everything else is gone. The only thing we do is give time a little more meaning, a little more use. Time goes and goes and goes and goes every if there’s no one and nothing to observe it.

I don’t know how much time I spent laying on those ruins, but eventually I stood up, climbed down, and walked home. 

Quietly pushing open the door I stepped inside. It’s moments like this I don’t mind being at home. When the house is silent everything seems a bit more bearable. The shadows give everything mystery, making each step a small adventure.

I tiptoe upstairs, making sure to step over that one stair that always groans. I peek into Mom’s room. 

She’s asleep, sprawled out across the bed. She had probably thought that I was just in my room all day. I couldn’t blame her. It wouldn’t have been off brand. 

There’s just a small part of me that wishes she would have stayed up so that we could have talked without the commotion of my siblings wrecking the house. But it’s unreasonable, it’s late and she’s tired. 

I’m tired too. Closing the door to my room I fall onto my bed. My head is still clear from my little adventure.

It was a pretty good day.

[writeintrees]

Pain in a Superpowered Society

Blurb:  In a world where superpowers are highly regulated, Sarah has the misfortune of having chronic pain and the ability to swap bodies. What will happen when the authorities catch up to her and try to utilize her power?

Words: 5332

Warning: pain, institutionalization, superpowers, vomiting, military, dissociation, losing consciousness, panic attack

“Don’t touch me!” I yelp at the woman crouched beside me. She pulls back her hand at the way my hoarse voice catches at the corners. It’s the voice of someone scared and desperate and she is smart enough to know that’s a dangerous combination. She stands and exits the room. My shoulders ache against the coarse concrete of the wall I am pressed up against. My hands shake against the ripped fabric of my pants. The room is faintly lit by sunlight filtering through holes in the sheet metal above. The roof is peeled back at the corner like the lid to a can of tuna. I scan for a foothold. The wall is cracked in the middle, like someone had started to take a sledgehammer to it only to decide it was not worth the trouble. Moss has collected in the fissures so I guess that person gave up a long time ago. Voices approach the door. I push myself up to standing. A wave of nausea hits and I steady myself as stars spatter across my eyes. A large man appears in the doorway, and I see a dark green uniform in my speckled vision. I do not wait. I make a run for it, whipping across the room and catching my foot in the sledgehammer indent to gain purchase on the top of the wall. I am ready to use the momentum to heft my body upward through the small opening when I feel a strong arm loop around my legs. His knuckle makes contact with my exposed knee and next thing I know we are both on the floor. 

My breathing is fast and shallow. I gasp for air and feel like I am dying. I scramble to my feet and away from the large body rolling on the gravel. His roars are drowned behind my own panicked thoughts. Fuck not again. Shit shit shit I’m dying. I know, logically that I’m not, but my mind screams it just the same. I hear the footsteps of people in heavy gear, feel a sting in my right arm, then everything buzzes into blackness.

I jolt awake in a dimly lit room. I lie on a twin sized bed, still in my filthy street clothes. A thick glass wall bisects the room, dividing the space between myself and the woman who had crouched before me earlier today. Or has it been longer than that? How long have I been out? 

She sits typing on a laptop, the blue glow of the screen illuminating her dark braided hair. I begin to stir and feel a prickle in my left arm. There an IV connects to a bag full of yellow fluid. I feel like a caged animal here. Do I even have any rights with my powers? What the fuck is going on?

“You made quite a mess out there.” The woman speaks without looking up from her computer. The voice crackles through a set of speakers by the -- what I now gather to be soundproof --  glass. A twinge shoots between my ribs when I try to take a deep breath. I lie back and press the heels of my hands into my eyes. Come on, keep it together. You are safe. Wherever you are, they are not hurting you. It helps slightly, but not enough. The prickling feeling in my left arm intensifies. I rub at it absentmindedly, trying to focus on my breathing.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Her voice sounds more direct. She is probably looking at me now. I keep my eyes closed and keep trying to quiet my body.

“Not really?” My voice sounds more strained than I meant for it to. The feeling of bugs crawling up my arm and under my skin increases. 

“Alright. I am legally required to read you your rights. You are under quarantine until you are given clearance and then you will be free to move within the building and interact with the other powered individuals housed here.” She launches into the whole spiel. “This is a government sanctioned mandatory four week training and assessment program, and the evaluations during this period will determine your designation at the completion of the program. The three options are that you will join the security force, be put in confinement indefinitely, or released to live a relatively normal life, under close watch of course.” Her tone is bored as she recites these words she has no doubt she’s said a hundred times before. I take my fingernails to the film holding the IV in and start picking at it as she talks. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. The nurse said you were severely dehydrated and low on electrolytes when you came in.” Too late. I already have it halfway out. My throat tightens as the plastic tube slides out of my vein and drips yellow fluid across my arm. I turn the small plastic valve to the closed position. I rub at my arm and feel the crawling sensation subside. 

An awful thought hits me and I finally make eye contact with the woman, “Did anyone touch me when I was out?” My voice is panicked. She eyes me closely.

“Not after what happened to the first guard. We handled you with hazmat suits after that. That’s one heck of a power you’ve got there. Is it only through touch or can you do it through the air as well.” There is a hint of curiosity in her gaze, like she doesn’t know what to make of me. Fair enough.

“It’s only through touch. Well- at least I think it is.”

“Alright, good to know.” She makes a quick note then closes her laptop and slips it into her bag. “I’ll be back tomorrow to talk again. Hit the buzzer if you need anything.” She gestures to a com on the door on this side of the glass. I stare at the door for a few minutes after she exits. Where the fuck am I? What do they want from me? I swing my legs to the edge of the bed and test some of my weight on my legs. It feels like my knees are splintering as I push myself upright. I take slow steps to the window at the foot of my bed to see the top of a lamp-post and a building across what looks like a courtyard, but no people walking around. 

I glance around the room. There are two cameras, one by each door. Twin doorways out of the room which is mirrored on either side of the barrier. The glass is solid and thick. Everything is likely vacuum sealed for people who’s powers carry through air. Not like I could use my power to break out of here anyways. I walk over to the door with the buzzer. My steps are a little more solid. Movement always helps. Yep, I was right. There is a rubber rim around the door. There is a window through the door at eye level, revealing a small room on the other side with the lights off. I take a shaky breath and press the red button. At first there is no sound or sign it worked. Maybe I didn’t press hard enough? I look up at the camera. There is a buzz and a voice comes from the speaker, “yes?”

I am flustered. “Um, hi, I’m not sure who to ask or if you even can help but, um, is there any way I could get an ice pack? Or some frozen peas or something? -- Please?” There’s a pause before they respond. Stupid. They don’t care about a silly ice pack. You’re here who knows where and you want ice? Whatever there’s no harm in asking. And it would let you think more clearly.

“Yeah I think I can manage that. Would you like some food as well?”

“Yes please. Thank you so much.”

The com buzzes again as it turns off. I smile in the little victory. I don’t want to have to make this trek again, so I sink against the wall beside the door. Maybe ten minutes later I am startled again by the buzz of the com.

“I know you’re there. It’s no use trying to jump me.” I stand up and see that there is a man inside the small room. 

“I’m not… I mean I wasn’t-” I trail off. It’s too hard to explain. The man smiles at me from the other side of the glass. He slides a plate of food and an ice pack into a compartment in the door. 

“Here you go. My name’s Jonah if you need anything else.” When he slides his door shut, a small green light blinks on my side. I pull the things out my side.

“Thank you. I’m Sarah.” 

“Pleased to meet you Sarah.” He smiles before he leaves. The door opens into a hall. I see a number plate on the door opposite mine, 113. I sit on the bed and rest the ice pack on my knees. I begin eating the sandwich Jonah brought. 113. How many are holding cells? Are there more floors? 

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

“Good morning Sarah! How are you feeling?” The cheery voice cuts like knives and the lights blare through my eyelids. All I can manage is a groan and I pull the sheets over my head. 

“Oh no you don’t, you’ve had enough sleep. It’s time for your medical assessment.” I peek out and see the yellow rubber of a hazmat suit before she pulls back the sheets. 

“I’m Doctor Santini. Could you please stand up for me?” I groan again in protest then roll to my side and push myself shakily to sitting. Behind the face shield of the hazmat suit, a shock of red hair curls around the doctor’s face. She is bright and cheery while I can practically feel the dark circles under my eyes. My bones ache with fatigue and stiffness. On the other side of the glass partition is that woman in the suit and dark braid. Her arms are behind her back in a casual but intimidating gesture. This time she is not alone but has an assistant who is taking notes at a standing desk. 

I stand and do what the doctor asks. She has me walk in a straight line, hold my arms in front of me, all standard stuff for assessing physical fitness. I am able to do everything she asks and hope she doesn’t catch the scrunching of my brow or sharp inhales. I go to lie down again as she taps something on her tablet.

“Now is there any pain or discomfort anywhere?” 

I let out a sharp breath of amusement, “why?”

“I need to make sure nothing’s broken or infected.”

“Ok I can tell you I’m fine there.” She looks skeptical. I roll my eyes and push myself up to seated again. “I don’t have a fever and I’d be in more pain if something were broken. I promise you. I’d notice.”

She insists on a more thorough physical examination. I can tell she is suspicious of my vague and unusual answers. I do not want to have to explain, I just want to get out of here as soon as possible. I am already exhausted and it is still the early morning, at least it feels like it. I have been having to sleep almost until noon lately for the fatigue to ease. Why did they have to wake me up so fucking early? The doctor pulls a curtain across the glass and has me change out of my filthy clothing and into grey cotton pajamas. After examining and palpating my bruises, she seems finally satisfied. I curl back up on my side facing the wall. I hear the metal clangs of curtain rings sliding along the rod and the door latching behind her.

“How long have you had your power?” The woman in the suit asks. I had forgotten she was there.

Can’t you people just leave me the fuck alone? I didn’t ask to be here.

“Sarah, I am a busy woman so let’s make this quick and painless.” 

I smile weakly. Alright suit lady. Let’s get this over with, but it will be by no means painless. “Okay. Can I stay on my back though?”

“I don’t see why not.”

I roll onto my back, knees up and I speak into the open air. “I’m not sure how long it’s been. Um… It started about the time when Carlson was elected.”

“Six years. That’s impressive. Longest someone’s kept off our radar is ten but most are found within the first few months. What did you do all that time?”

The assistant is typing a mile a minute. The tapping makes it hard to think. I give the briefest recap possible. Honestly it has been a huge blur. I feel the lady’s eyes burrowing into my skin. I try to keep my gaze softly focused on the ceiling and take a deep breath. My hips and back ache. All of my muscles feel twisted and constricting. Breathing is hard. Staying still is hard. Moving hurts. I need some fucking distraction or I'm going to go and do something reckless in here.

“What is your power exactly?” The assistant keeps tapping away. What is she even writing? No one is speaking right now. The cinched ankles of the clothes they gave me cut into the backs of my calves. My hips ache. I roll again with my back to the woman again. 

“It’s hard to explain.”

There is a long pause that I am too tired to feel the tension in. She seems to realize I am not planning on elaborating. “Suit yourself. Adam will come by later. He’s one of our trainers here for our more uncooperative guests. He’ll find out what you’re hiding.”

“Pfft. Guests.” I whisper at the padded wall. Reminds me of a mental hospital. I curl into a ball and try to adjust the waistband and ankles of the pants. One hand lifts to rub at my temples.

I must have fallen asleep because next thing I know I hear the buzz of the com, “Ready or not it’s training time!”

I don’t move to look at the door. The rubber of the hazmat suit creaks and sticks to the hard floor. The sound gets louder as he approaches. Can’t I get just a moment to think? Fuck this shit.

“Hey, you awake?” The voice is clear and not muffled by a suit hood. I turn to see what I had thought was the yellow rubber of the suit was instead the squeaking of worn in sneakers. 

“Wha- wait you aren’t wearing a suit!”

His laugh is deep, one of those belly laughs that are always genuine. “Yeah, I always find it works better to get to know someone if they aren’t being treated like some feral animal.”

He sits down casually on the end of the bed. I jerk my legs up and away. My heart is racing. Don’t get too close. You’ll get hurt. It’s alright. I’m alright. I take a deep breath to remind myself I am alive. Again a small stabbing comes with the expansion of my rib cage. The trainer, -- Adam was his name right? -- well whatever his name is he is looking straight at me just like everyone else does. Trying to figure out what breed of freak I am. This is where all the disappeared people go then? Do the people here find out your powers then how to weaponize them? I’m afraid they will have little luck with me. Mine are useless. 

“Now I’m here because you refuse to explain what your powers are. I talked to the guard who tried to nab you back where they found you. Sounds like you put him in a world of hurt.” He flashes me a smile. I hear the screams of the guard in the back of my mind and squeeze my eyes shut. Fuck. I’m so sorry. Shit, that poor guy.

“I’m sorry Sarah but I can’t leave without finding out what your power is.”

“I- I hurt people. Please stay away. I don’t want to hurt you too.”

“I’m a big boy. I can take it. Believe me whatever you are packin, I’ve felt worse.”

“No, you don’t understand, I-” I didn’t even see his hand coming. Suddenly my chest feels like it is constricting. Panic shoots through me. He’s fast. But now he is throwing up on the floor, propped on his hands and knees. Everything is muted. I can’t feel. Fuck I’m dying. Shit shit shit shit- 

I dig my fingers into my scalp, hanging onto my hair for dear life. Everything is spinning and splotchy and dull. I just have to ride it out. I try to remind myself that this won’t last long, that I had contact not so long ago so this one will be brief, but my body screams out that this is the end of the world. It feels like forever. 

“You alright?” A woman’s voice comes from the speaker. The world is starting to return to normal. The pangs in my body shift back to their normal spots. I let out a shaky breath of relief. 

Andy stands up and gives a big thumbs up with a grin. “Whoa that was a trip. Wowie. Kendra did you get that?” He yells over to the door. In the window a girl with a long blonde ponytail rolls her eyes and nods. 

“No kidding that’s a whopper of a power you’ve got there.” He seems to notice that I am still curled up in the fetal position and seems confused at this. He waves me up, “come on, let’s look at the footage.”

The blonde opens the door and he goes inside the small room. Jonah is there as well, looking much more kindly at me than Kendra is. I stand hesitantly outside the threshold. 

“Come on in. I don’t think you are going to try to get the jump on us. And if you do, just know there is no way you can get through the second door.” I glance in and see sure enough that the door into the hallway is just like the one into the room, minus the window. 

“Kendra, let’s see what we got.” 

Kendra keeps as much distance between us as possible. I try to stand back to respect this. I definitely would not want to be near me either. Adam’s trust is very misguided. I watch curiously as the scene we just lived plays out from an aerial view. Each of us curling into ourselves. It only takes a minute and twenty seconds for Adam to stand back up and give a thumbs up. The video pauses. It felt like hours. Every second ached for something missing and felt like a milenia. I bend to clutch my knees and take a deep breath. 

“Here,” I look up to see Adam pointing at a close-up of me during the transfer, “what is going on here?”

Fuck. “Um, what do you mean?”

“I mean with most powers I’ve encountered with skin-to-skin contact, those only affect the other person. But it looks like you are going through the same thing I am.” Ha. Not exactly.

“Yeah. You get kinda used to the pain over time though.” I leave it vague so I’m not lying but he will misinterpret what I am saying.

“Well shit. That’s no fun is it? That fucking sucked.” This time I am the one smiling. 

“Yeah, it really does. Welcome to my world.”

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

I know they won’t give me scissors or anything else to cut my clothing. I wait until it is dark and start working at it with my teeth and fingernails. I am able to rip out the tag and work the elastic bands until they snap with minimal pain. My jaw is left a little sore but I can finally sleep better tonight without those things cutting into my skin.

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

Four armed guards in hazmat suits enter my room and lead me to the training room. After a long visit with a psychologist and the talk with the trainer, I got moved out of the isolation chamber and into a more regular room. No glass partition this time. After assessing my security risk they let me pass on to the next stage of training. 

Adam is not alone this time. He is with a guy about 5’ 6” with short black hair. 

“Time for combat training Sarah. Now step up on the mat and put these on.” He holds out a pair of padded gloves that reach up to the elbow.

“Shouldn’t I be more covered?”

“Nope, today we are working on controlled movements and body awareness. This should help you prevent unnecessary skin-to-skin contact in your every day. Also it counts as combat training for the books. Don’t worry, we’ll start off nice and easy.”

I don’t know about this. We start with footwork, then simple punches and blocks. The boy working with me says he made a bet with the others that he wouldn’t throw up like Andy did. I don’t want to know how he heard about that. I think of a large room full of other powered individuals all laughing and analyzing that image Andy showed me. My stomach turns at the thought that they would figure it all out. My breathing is starting to catch on my throat as we keep moving around the mat. Everything is fuzzy, like my eyes and brain are full of cotton. My arms feel red and swollen and my leg muscles ache. I mention this and Andy says that’s good, that it's a sign of a good workout. It takes everything I have to not glare at him or spit choice words. He takes over on the next part of block sequences, starting to go a little faster. Sweat beads on our foreheads and catches the lights. I feel hot and pummeled and I take a quick glance for somewhere I could go to throw up. In that moment my reaction time slows enough that I take a blow to the shoulder that knocks me onto my back. 

Andy kneels down, “you gotta keep your eyes on the target!” I curl my knees up and clench my belly. “You alright? Are you hurt?”

“What the fuck do you think?” I spit at him. My weight shifts so I roll onto my side, but I had not noticed that my loose pants had ridden up my calf and the exposed area makes contact with his ankle. For a moment it feels amazing for the aching to die down. I sit back up without pain in comparison to before. I feel half dead again. “Shit, I’m so sorry coach. I didn’t mean to. I swear.” I am able to focus on him. I look to the kid -- who is looking like he is about to piss himself and with eyes as wide as saucers -- and yell at him to get some ice. I get Coach Andy onto his back with ice and talk him through breathing and relaxing his muscles. It helps and his movement quiets down. It lasts maybe 5 minutes, enough for me to get used to the lack of pain before it hits me again like a truck. He and I gasp for opposite reasons as the transfer reverts.

“That time was different? Why?” 

Because my body flips out at the training for no fucking reason., that’s why. I look up at him with a pang of remorse. This is my burden to bear. He motions for the guards to come back in and escort me away.

“No more training until we figure this out.”

I am led back to that first partitioned room. Helping him through it actually made the world feel more real. Less faded. I exist between two extremes, both unbearable for their own reasons. At least I know a goal and keeping moving can help. It made me feel a little less dead.

Shortly after I return to my room, Kendra wheels a cart just through the threshold and quickly retreats back into the small room. Andy enters on the opposite side of the glass. His face is hardened and he looks much older. More drained, somehow.

“You are uncooperative during sessions. Not only with me but with the rest of the team as well. The higher ups wanted me to do this sooner but I believed in you and thought I could get through to you.” His stiff demeanor shows how much I disappointed him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-” He waves his hand in dismissal.

“Just put on the equipment by the door as I instruct you to.” He talks me through attaching leads to my chest and stomach. I put a cap on my head and gloves over my hands. He instructs me to sit upright and answer his questions to the best of my ability. I don’t interrupt to say I cannot sit upright comfortably on the bed. Let’s just get this over with.

“Does your ability cause pain in others?”

“Yes.”

“Do you also have pain inflicted upon yourself by your ability?”

“Kind of?”

“Please answer yes or no. Does your ability cause you physical pain the same as it does to other people?”

I think for a moment. Panic attacks and emotional pain yes, but physical pain… “no.”

Adam scowls as he types into his tablet. “So you lied to me.”

My heart jumps. “Yes.”

“Why do you ask for ice and heat packs?”

Tears begin to well up in my eyes, “because I wouldn’t be able to bear it otherwise.” I chew at the inside of my cheek and feel the pain blossom out of my jaw into my ear and up to my temple. A hot tear splashes onto my arm.

“Your ability doesn’t just cause pain in others, does it?”

“No.”

“Are you in physical pain right now?”

“Yes.” 

“Is that what the ice packs are for? Reducing your pain?”

“Yes.”

“So what I was feeling whenever we made contact. When we were in the training area. That is how you feel all the time?”

“Not all the time.”

“Not when you make contact?”

“No.”

“So what do you feel when you make contact? You seem like you are affected as well.”

“I feel numb, like I’m dying.”

“So the pain goes away?”

“My pain goes away but if the other person is in pain then I get their pain.”

“So you feel each other’s physical sensations?”

“Not exactly, more like the way our bodies are geared swap. Like if you are depressed I feel depressed or if my body is stupid and interprets the feeling of clothing on it as pain then you feel that with your own clothing.” I see him glance at the chewed through and loose ankles of my pants.

“You really feel like that all the time?” He says, hushed. His voice has softened again and so have his eyes. There’s this gooey pity look that I get every time someone finds out about my pain that makes me want to disappear, to melt into the bed.

“It’s not so bad...” What felt like something strong in my head comes out as even more pitiful. I can’t bear to look at him again. I instead direct my gaze at my feet and slowly rub them against each other. 

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

“What? You scared to hit a disabled girl?”

We’re three weeks into the program and Adam seems to trust me again. He moved a freezer into the training room and I get to take breaks whenever I need them. The stern lady came in and threatened that if I tried anything, my privileges would be immediately revoked and I might just have to live the rest of my life in a cell. I am free to go to the dining hall and lounge with the rest of the people in the program. The facility is large, but not as large as I sometimes imagined. There are about a hundred people in the program right now. People are constantly cycling through. The first day I was given privileges, I walked into the lounge and was met with a lot of looks in my direction and whispers. The boy who I had fought my first combat training day ran up to me and yelled: “this is the girl I was telling you about!” Everyone swarmed me with questions after that. Some wanted to touch me to prove who was the toughest. I was taken aback at first. The boy, Suman was his name I later found out, pulled me aside and said they are just curious and mean no harm. Turns out a bit of a legend had cropped up around me. Only half of it was true, but I am not telling them which half just yet. I started getting an audience during my training. Not that that was odd. On the contrary, it seems that watching each other train is a common pastime here.

The blocks have gotten easier over time. Andy has me hitting a bag that he painted green and yellow and wants me to hit skin on green and glove on yellow. I have more padding on my arms and that reduces the pain of it. My limbs still buzz for about an hour after each session, but I am sleeping better with the exercise. 

I finish the training and head back to the lounge with an ice pack to recuperate. Jonah is there playing cards with Suman and a girl who is able to compress light into matter. Really cool stuff. Others start to trickle in as the afternoon continues. Luke tells a story about a guy they brought in yesterday who could coat himself in ice like armor. In just three days Luke will finish the program. He is hoping to be offered an assignment in the guard. A kid comes up to me and pats me on the sleeve saying I did good today. The attention turns to me and one of the boys with a tough persona bets his buddy that he wouldn’t even be phased if he touched me. Despite all the talk, none of them have ever transferred with me. His friend bets he would end up on the ground. I have been working with a medical professional every other day and transferring with the doctor and having her figure out what body mechanics and nervous system calming techniques would be most helpful for my case. Central sensitization they are calling it. I had no idea there was a word for it. I half thought it was all in my head. Turns out my central nervous system just freaks out over every little thing and it causes a whole slew of problems.

“Alright. Come and give it a shot. I bet ten bucks that you’re gonna puke.”

The boy looks up at me with wide eyes. I smirk back. He doesn’t want to show that he was making a big talk with no follow through, so he approaches me. 

“It should last only about 30 seconds at this point. You ready?” I hold out my hand for him to touch if he likes. It’s not too late to back out now. His friends start cheering and laughing and he touches my hand. The dimming hits less hard now. I breathe through the momentary panic like the psychologist taught me. He said it’s common to feel like you’re dying when something so overwhelming and constant over so much time goes away. The boy already has his head in the trash can. I help him lie down on the couch.

“I can’t believe you guys actually are signing up for this.”

“Who wants a turn next?” Jonah yells. A few hands shoot up.

A/N: I found this in a free write I did in 2018. It resonated with me, so I hope it finds someone else who needs it. I really like the idea of body swaps or mind reading, since pain is such an internal experience.

As always, any comments are critiques are welcome!