#and yeah you guys were but to be honest maybe you should’ve stepped out of the kitchen

[enemiestolovershoe]

Hiiii i love your writting so much and i would love if you could write a noah X reader inspired by the song 7 minutes in hell by chrissy costanza

Seven Minutes In Hell

Noah Sebastian x Reader

Warnings: Toxic relationship, Intense emotional manipulation, Arguments and fighting, Emotional whiplash, Dark themes of obsession and unhealthy attachment, sexual content (no smut)

Words: 1.2k

A/N: Thank you so much anon! 💕

Disclaimer: While the characters in this story are inspired by real people, the events and interactions are purely fictional and not reflective of reality.

"Oh my god, do angels ever fall this hard?"

Your hands were shaking. Not from fear—no, not that. From frustration, from rage, from the overwhelming need to scream until your lungs burned.

But you didn’t.

Because you were too busy staring at him, at the mess of a man standing in front of you, his brown eyes burning with the same anger you felt twisting inside you.

Noah fucking Sebastian.

Your greatest mistake.

Your greatest obsession.

Your greatest sin.

And yet, even now, after everything, you couldn’t stop. Couldn’t walk away. Couldn’t breathe without him even if being with him felt like suffocating.

You slammed your phone onto the counter, jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. “Why the fuck do I always have to find out from someone else?”

Noah scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “Here we go again.”

“No, seriously,” you snapped, stepping forward. “Why do I always have to hear about your bullshit secondhand?”

“I don’t owe you a fucking explanation,” he shot back, voice dripping with irritation. “You wanna know something? Maybe stop listening to everyone else and ask me first.”

You let out a humorless laugh, shaking your head. “Right. Because you’re such an honest guy, huh?”

He clenched his jaw, muscles tensing. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” you sneered. “Call you out on your bullshit?”

His hand slammed against the wall, inches from your head, his body caging yours in. “You wanna act like I’m the only one who’s fucked up?” His breath was hot against your skin, his tone low, dangerous. “Like you’re not just as bad?”

The worst part was that he was right.

"The devil dancing in the dark, I kinda like it in his arms."

And maybe that was the problem.

Because even now, even after all the screaming, the accusations, the nights spent wondering why the fuck you stayed. Hispresence still set your skin on fire. His anger still made your pulse race.

You should’ve shoved him away. Should’ve left him standing there in his stupid black hoodie, with his stupid, messy hair and his stupid, intoxicating gaze.

But you didn’t.

Because you never did.

"Come my way."

His lips were on yours before you could stop him, his hands gripping your waist with bruising force. You gasped against his mouth, but it wasn’t in protest.

It never was.

His teeth dragged against your lower lip, and you whimpered—pathetic and needy. His grip tightened, and you let him have you. Because that was what you did. You gave and he took and you never once thought to stop him.

Because you didn’t want him to.

"When you kiss me, I can feel fire within me. Heaven’s got me burning. Yeah, you got me playing seven minutes in hell."

His mouth left a scorching trail down your neck, his breath heavy, ragged. “You drive me fucking insane.”

You dug your nails into his shoulders, letting him press you harder against the wall. “Good.”

"Touch me, bringing me down to my knees."

And you did. Over and over again. Because this was the only way you two knew how to communicate—through touches that burned, through gasps that replaced apologies, through passion that should’ve never been mistaken for love. 

But it always was.

"Love the taste of sinning."

You hated yourself for this. For craving him even when you swore you never would again. For wanting him even when his voice still rang in your head, sharp and cruel from the last fight.

But you weren’t the only one.

Because Noah was just as fucked.

Noah’s POV

"Close your eyes. I’m gonna be your favorite vice. Forbidden from your paradise. You wanna take a little bite."

She looked like a fucking angel—eyes dark with anger, lips swollen from his kisses, skin burning under his touch.

And he wanted to ruin her.

No, he already had.

“You think you’re so fucking innocent?” he muttered against her lips, hands gripping her thighs. “Like you’re not just as twisted as me?”

She exhaled sharply, her nails dragging against his scalp, a mix of anger and need in her eyes. “Shut up, Noah.”

A smirk pulled at his lips. “Make me.”

And she did.

"Close the door. Oh, drop your halo to the floor. No, you don’t need it anymore. I’ll never leave you needing it anymore."

Her hands were trembling, but not with fear. No, it was something else entirely. Something dangerous. Something that matched the fire in his own veins.

And he wanted to ruin her with it.

“You always come back,” he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

She exhaled sharply. “And you never let me go.”

Noah smirked, tilting her chin up. “You don’t want me to.”

And maybe she didn’t. Maybe that was the problem. She was his. Even if she hated it, even if she hated him. Shebelonged to him. Just like he fucking belonged to her.

It was a curse.

A disease.

And neither of them wanted the cure.

"When you kiss me, I can feel fire within me. Heaven’s got me burning. Yeah, you got me playing seven minutes in hell."

She gasped into his mouth and he groaned, his hands fisting in her hair. The way she tasted—like whiskey and bad decisions, like something he couldn’t quit. He was drowning in her, lost in the way she gasped against his lips, in the way her body curved against his like she was made to fit him.

He was supposed to be the devil in this story, but God, she felt like heaven.

And that terrified him.

Didn’t want to quit.

Would never quit.

"Touch me, bringing me down to my knees."

His mouth ghosted over her jaw, down her neck, lower, lower. Her fingers twisting in his hair as he dropped to his knees in between her legs.

Because that was how it always ended. With them tangled in sheets, out of breath, drenched in sin and sweat, pretending the world outside didn’t exist.

Until it did.

Until the cycle started all over again.

Until the fire consumed them both.

Readers POV

The sheets were tangled around your legs, your body still humming from the aftermath. But the peace didn’t last. It never did.

Because the second you opened your mouth, the spell shattered.

“Noah,” you whispered.

He didn’t move.

You hesitated, then reached for him, fingers grazing his back. “What the fuck are we doing?”

Noah let out a sharp exhale, running a hand through his hair. “Burning.”

You swallowed hard. “And when there’s nothing left?”

Silence.

Then, finally, he turned to you, eyes darker than you’d ever seen them.

"Why do I feel heaven on your skin? When I wanna be your eighth deadly sin?"

He leaned in, lips hovering over yours, voice so quiet you almost didn’t hear it.

“There’s always something left.”

And maybe that was the worst part.

Because no matter how much it burned, no matter how much it hurt—You’d both keep coming back for more.

Taglist: @alwaysfightforwhoyouare @courta13 @Lacy1986 @chey-h

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[ronansslynch]

no cuz they rlly put jesse pinkman in a HOLE in the GROUND and those n*zi fucks YELLED at him and TORTURED (!!) and ENSLAVED (!!) him after he’d already been through hell and back like ????? the writers were genuinely so sick and twisted for that 😭

[smellslikechahnspirit]

[Book]

Are we good for each other?

4. Boxing

Bang Chan x F. Reader

Synopsis: Written according to y/n trophy. A story about how you two met. Both having a difficult life, finding peace in each other. Not without lots of drama. Just read it, it's great.

Genre: Enemies to lovers, soft, some smut, drama

Warnings: Under eating, depression, toxic ex (Let me know if I missed something)

Word count: 1122

______________________________

[7:16 AM]

Chris opened the door of the dorm. You both walked in and you couldn’t keep your eyes still. There was so much to take in. “Don’t mind their mess. We have so much stuff we never really know where to put all of it. My dorm is way cleaner.”, Chris said as he looked at you with a sarcastic dorky face.

You laughed at his expression. As he gave you a little apartment tour, you kept finding things you wanted to ask about, and he’d tell you where they got it or what it was. You were having such a fun time with him just going over all of their stuff and some pictures here and there.

Suddenly Minho walked in. “Hey, I keep running into you two huh?”, he said while grabbing a soda from the fridge. “This is the second time, Minho…”, Chris said. “I don’t know, to me it seems like you two are way too distracted, I figured you guys were “studying” gaming by now, yet you’re still here, doing absolutely nothing.”, Minho said while laughing.

“Well, wasn’t that the point? Shouldn’t Chris stop doing so much and just enjoy some rest?”, you asked him. “Hahaha, right, that’s the boss his orders Minho. But no, you’re right. We should’ve been gaming by now. I guess we are both just a bit adjudicated, due to….stuff.”, Chris said, not wanting Minho to know about your conflicts from before with each other.

“Yeah, to be honest I feel like were stalling it, since we both have other things on our mind.”, you said. Both of you were really stressed out indeed, both about your own life problems or hardships. “Well, then forcing something like this, because you ‘have to’ isn’t gonna help a soul. Why not…I don’t know…go out for boxing for a while. Really get your anger out, you know. It personally always helps me. I mean I couldn’t focus either if I was so riled up by adrenaline and stress or all kinds of shit.”, Minho spoke and right after he went to grab a thing or two and waved goodbye while walking out of the door.

“He leaves so abruptly, it’s so funny.”, you said. “Yeah, that’s just how he is.”, Chris agreed. “Hey but maybe he was right, we can’t focus right now, I know you feel it too, there’s too much happening inside both of our brains right now, you wanna punch some bags?”, Chris asked being very hyped and pumped up while doing some jabs in the air.

That made you laugh. “Yeah sure, I just don’t have gym clothes with me, of course.”, you said. “Oh well I’m pretty sure the gym always has stuff you can buy or borrow. Well figure it out.”, Chris said. He grabbed his keys and both of you stepped out of the apartment and went back to his car.

The second you stepped outside the door you felt that weird dizziness again. But just like before, you decided to ignore it. “Hey, you okay? You look a bit pale…”, Chris asked, noticing you closing your eyes there for a second. “Yeah, fine. Let’s go punch some bags?!”, you said, trying to act excited. Which you kinda were, but you just felt weird. Also, because you were in fact getting paid for helping him game better, yet now you were off doing something else. You kinda didn’t care and if it came down to that conversation at JYPE, you’d just blame him. It seemed it had become a habit if yours. Blaming him for stuff. “Alright…”, he answered.

[7:34 AM]

When you arrived at the gym, you asked the women behind the desk if there were rental leggings and such. Luckily, they offered those. Chris was gonna pay for everything, so you picked out some cute pink ones. And a matching sports bra. Both of you went to the dressing rooms.

When you were done and walked out, Chris was already waiting there for you and had fixed some boxing gloves for the both of you. You quickly put your hair up in a bun and took the gloves he got for you from his hands. As you put them on you saw Chris looking behind you, then smiling. You turned around and saw one of the other members of Stray Kids, Jeongin, training for boxing, as their assignment.

As Chris happily walked over to him and his coach to say hi, you felt it again. You were so incredibly dizzy. Up to the point where your vision became black. You dropped to the floor. Jeongin’s smile faded as he watched u fall down.

“Hyung…”, he said now pointing at you. Chris turned around instantly and ran straight towards you. You were already on the ground so he couldn’t break your fall. “Y/n, can you hear me? Y/n, please open your eyes.”, Chris said as he held your unconscious body in his arms.

While Jeongin called for help, Chris stayed right beside you trying to get you to wake up. When you finally did, he smiled. “What the fuck…did I sleep?”, you asked very confused. “You fainted Y/n…”, he said while looking at you into your eyes. “How are you feeling? Motion sick? Dizzy? Nauseous?”, he kept asking as medic came to check up on you. Chris was pushed aside for a second. “All of the above…”, you said almost fainting again.

“Okay do you have any idea what might have caused this? Any illness? Or did you work out to hard? Maybe you’re dehydrated?”, the medic asked. “No, no, I’ll be fine. I think I just didn’t eat enough this morning.”, you said. “Y/n, you have to eat, that’s important.”, Chris said very worried. “I’ll be okay let me just get up first.”, you said as you tried to stand, with the medic and Chris, both helping you up.

“Ow!”, you then suddenly screamed, and you looked at your foot. Chris now also looked at it. “Oh no, that’s not good.”, Chris said as he kneeled down to take a closer look. “Did I break my fucking ankle?”, you asked almost crying out in pain now since you wanted to stand on it but couldn’t.

Chris and the medic switched places again, so the medic could take a look and Chris could hold you up. The medic tried touching it, but you pulled away. “Can you stand on it, or move it at all?”, he asked. You just cried out in pain silently and shaking your head no. Chris held you closer than before now, trying to comfort you. “I think it might be broken…”, the medic said and called an ambulance. “It’s going to be okay.”, Chris reassured you.

Part 5

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© 2022-2025, smellslikechahnspirit • No posting on other sites or platforms, rewrites, or translations

[sevasey51]

Family Ties

Summary: maybe playing games that involve people's emotions baggage isn't a good idea - Kelly learns that the hard way.

Paring: Matt Casey x Kelly Severide

“Okay, maybe playing ‘whose family is most dysfunctional’ wasn’t the best idea we’ve had,” Kelly Severide said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He leaned against the wall in the firehouse kitchen, glancing at his husband, Matt Casey, who was currently holed up in the bathroom.

They had been enjoying a quiet evening with some of their closest friends from Firehouse 51, each taking turns sharing their family stories—some funny, some cringeworthy, and others painfully relatable. The laughter had flowed freely until they reached the topic of family dysfunction, which had hit a bit too close to home for Matt.

“Casey’s been crying in the bathroom for an hour. We can’t get him out,” Kelly continued, his tone a mixture of concern and exasperation. “What do we do?”

Cruz, who had been washing dishes nearby, looked up with a grin. “Honestly? I thought it was just a fun game. Who knew it would hit that hard?”

“I thought we were just sharing stories to bond, not send him into a breakdown!” Kelly exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice. “I should’ve known better. I’m going to try and talk to him.”

Before he could reach the bathroom door, however, the door swung open, and Matt stepped out, his face a mixture of red and puffy eyes. The laughter in the room died down as everyone turned their attention to him.

“Matt…” Kelly began softly, concern etched on his face.

“I’m fine,” Matt said quickly, though it was clear he wasn’t. He attempted a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Just needed a minute.”

“Yeah, a minute,” Kelly replied gently. “You’ve been gone for a while. Do you want to talk about it?”

Matt shook his head, but he could see the understanding in Kelly’s gaze, the way his husband always seemed to know when to push and when to pull back.

“Come on, Casey,” Kelly said, stepping closer. “You don’t have to put on a brave face with me. You know that.”

“I just… I guess hearing everyone’s stories reminded me of my own family,” Matt said, his voice shaky as he leaned against the bathroom door frame for support. “It’s hard sometimes, you know? I thought I was over it.”

“Hey,” Kelly said softly, reaching out to take Matt’s hand in his. “You don’t have to be over anything. We’re a family, and we deal with things together. You know that, right?”

Matt squeezed Kelly’s hand, grounding himself in the familiar comfort of his husband’s touch. “Yeah, I know. It’s just that my family… they were never really there for me. I guess it still hurts sometimes.”

Cruz, who had been observing quietly, spoke up. “You’re not alone in this, Casey. We’ve all got our baggage. Just look at all of us. But we’ve also got each other. That’s what matters.”

“Exactly,” Kelly said, nodding in agreement. “We’re here for you. Always. You’re part of our family now, and we’re not going anywhere.”

Matt took a deep breath, the weight of his emotions slowly lifting as he felt the warmth of their support. “Thanks, guys. I just didn’t want to bring everyone down.”

“Bringing everyone down? Nah,” Cruz said, shaking his head. “We all need those moments sometimes. It’s part of being a family. If we can’t be honest with each other, what’s the point?”

Matt smiled, feeling a flicker of hope igniting in his chest. “You’re right. I just need to remember that.”

“Why don’t we turn this around?” Kelly suggested, a playful glint in his eyes. “Let’s share the most embarrassing family story instead. Trust me, it’ll lighten the mood.”

Matt chuckled softly, feeling more like himself. “You first,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Okay, okay,” Kelly said, clearing his throat dramatically. “So, once upon a time in a faraway land called Chicago, I was forced to wear a bright pink tutu for a charity event…”

As Kelly launched into his story, Matt couldn’t help but laugh, the sound echoing through the kitchen. His heart warmed as he watched his friends share their own embarrassing tales, each one a thread woven into the fabric of their family.

In that moment, surrounded by laughter and love, Matt realized that while his past might have been filled with heartache, he had created a new family that would always be there for him, no matter what. And that was more than enough.

As the laughter continued, Matt felt the weight of his worries lift, replaced by the warmth of belonging. With Kelly by his side and their chosen family around them, he knew he could face whatever challenges lay ahead—together.

[venactricisfics]

Bound by Instinct: Teen Wolf Story

Chapter Eight

Pack Bonding?

“Don’t worry, Scott,” Kira said reassuring him, “I’m sure it happens all the time.” 

“Yeah, Scott,” Stiles chuckled at the way her words came out. “I wouldn’t worry about werewolf impotence or whatever.” 

I looked at him, utterly confused. As much as I tried I didn’t know if I would ever understand them.

“It’s a sex joke,” Malia said to me matter-of-factly. I still didn’t get it. But I smiled anyway.

Scott groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "Great, thanks, guys. Really making me feel better about this."

Kira patted his arm, offering him an encouraging smile. "I'm just saying, maybe she's different. It doesn't mean anything's wrong with you."

Peter scoffed from his spot against the car. "Oh, but it does mean something. Something very interesting."

Scott shot him a glare. "Not helping, Peter."

I tilted my head, still trying to piece it all together. "So... does this mean I'm stronger than an Alpha?"

"Not necessarily," Lydia chimed in, ever the voice of logic. "It could just mean that you're immune to Alpha commands. Or at least, Scott's."

I frowned. "So, not special, just a problem?"

Peter's smirk widened. "Oh, you're special, Little Wolf. Just not in a way any of them were prepared for."

Scott sighed, clearly frustrated but trying not to show it. "Alright, so what now?"

I met his gaze, my resolve hardening. “I want to figure out what I am and what I can do.” 

“How do you suppose we do that?” Stiles asked, skepticism lacing his voice.

“Fight,” Derek’s voice carried from the bleachers, calm and certain. He’d been watching the whole exchange, unfazed—like he knew something the rest of us didn’t.

I turned to face him, arching a brow. “Alright. Who’s first?”

My gaze swept over Scott and the others. I’d fought before—coyotes, mountain lions, other wolves—but never like this. Never with so much skin and so little fur.

“I don’t want anyone getting hurt,” Scott said, his concern evident.

“We heal,” I reminded him with a small shrug.

Stiles gestured toward Derek. “You’re the biggest one here besides Peter. You take her on. Scott’s still recovering from his… emasculation. Or is it de-wolfification? Whatever you’d call it.”

I raised a brow. “Why not Peter?”

Derek stepped forward, his expression unreadable. “They think you’ll let him win.”

I scoffed. “Why would I do that?”

Lydia crossed her arms. “Because human girls are conditioned to be weak—to let their partners dominate them.”

I shook my head. I wasn’t human. But as I glanced at Peter, then back at Derek, doubt crept in. Could I actually take him down? Peter was stronger, bigger, more experienced. And if I was being honest, part of me wasn’t sure if I even wanted to try.

I scoffed, rolling my shoulders. “I’m not human,” I reminded them.

“And yet,” Lydia countered, tilting her head, “you’ve been learning to live as one. Some instincts don’t just disappear.”

I met Derek’s steady gaze as he stepped closer. He was bigger, stronger—but I wasn’t going to back down.

“Are we doing this or not?” I asked, shaking off the last of my hesitation.

Derek gave a small smirk, cracking his knuckles. “Try to keep up.”

Derek let out a low, rumbling growl, his stance shifting as his claws flexed at his sides. His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, sharp and assessing. He wasn’t holding back.

I should’ve been nervous. Maybe I was. But I refused to let it show. Instead, I smirked. “I should be telling you that.”

His growl deepened, his fangs flashing as he leaned forward, muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike.

I wasn’t like him—not yet. I hadn’t mastered partial transformations or any real control over my shifts. But something primal stirred inside me as I met his gaze, unflinching. My bones ached, heat searing through me as my canines lengthened, sharper than I’d ever felt them before.

I let out a growl of my own, low and dangerous, surprising even myself. I could feel the shift pulling at me, urging me to give in. To fight. To win.

“That pull,” Derek said between his teeth, “pull back unless you want to fully shift.” 

I nodded as we circled each other, holding onto the pull, maintaining control. Each movement urging our next response. It was if he knew I wouldn’t make the first move, that I would hold back. And I was, I didn’t know where the line was.

Derek lunged at me, sending me barreling to the ground. Derek wasn’t taking it easy on me. 

I hit the ground hard, the breath momentarily knocked from my lungs. Derek was on me in an instant, his weight pressing down just enough to remind me that he had the advantage. He wasn’t going easy—not that I expected him to.

“Come on,” he growled, his claws digging into the dirt beside my head. “Fight back.”

I gritted my teeth, my instincts screaming at me to react. The pull was still there, simmering beneath my skin, waiting for me to give in. But I couldn’t let it control me. Not yet.

Instead of struggling wildly, I used his weight against him, twisting my body and kicking out hard. I felt the impact as my foot connected with his side, knocking him off balance just enough for me to roll free.

Derek recovered fast, landing in a crouch, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Better.”

I didn’t give him time to say more. I lunged.

Derek toppled to his back, and I mustered enough strength to hold him down, claws digging into his flesh.

His face relaxed, and he held his hands up in surrender. I felt the wolf still fighting me for control, and I growled again. Instinct pushing me with every fiber to go in for the kill. 

“Control it,” Peter’s voice cut through the primal thoughts. “You won.” 

My breathing was ragged, my heart pounding so hard it echoed in my ears. Derek’s surrender should have been enough. But the wolf inside me didn’t want to stop. It wanted to take. To conquer.

His blood was on my claws, the scent sharp and intoxicating. My grip tightened.

“Little Wolf.”

Peter’s voice was closer now, calm but edged with warning.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to blink, to see Derek—not as prey, not as an enemy, but as my friend. My claws retracted, and I pulled back, stumbling as the tension in my body snapped like a frayed wire.

Derek exhaled, watching me carefully as he pushed himself up. “You felt it, didn’t you?”

I nodded, my hands shaking as I flexed my fingers, still half expecting to see claws.

Peter’s gaze lingered on me, something unreadable in his expression. “That’s the difference between control and giving in. You walk a fine line, Little Wolf.”

I glanced at Peter, Derek, and then the others. There was a mixture of emotions I saw reflecting in their eyes. Fear, pity, and even pride. 

I blinked, my eyes were wet again. 

I hated that—this human reaction I still wasn’t used to. Wolves didn’t cry. Not like this.

Swallowing hard, I wiped at my face with the back of my hand before anyone could comment on it. But I could still feel their eyes on me. Watching. Weighing.

Derek stood first, rolling his shoulders like the fight had been nothing more than a warm-up. “You held back.”

I didn’t answer.

Peter, however, smirked. “She did. But not at the end.”

Scott stepped forward, his brow furrowed. “You almost lost control.”

“I didn’t,” I snapped, too sharp, too defensive.

“But you wanted to.”

The truth of it burned in my chest. I had wanted to. That feeling, that pull—it had been intoxicating, overwhelming. I had never felt power like that before.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to meet Scott’s gaze. “And now I know what it takes to stop.”

Peter chuckled lowly. “For now.”

“So, like, just remember people are friends, not food,” Stiles attempted to break the tension. 

I huffed out a laugh, shaking my head. “Right. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Stiles grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “Good. Because I don’t think Beacon Hills is ready for a werewolf Jaws situation.”

Malia snorted. “That’d be kind of cool, though.”

Scott shot her a look, but before he could launch into one of his morality lectures, Lydia spoke up. “The real question is—what happens next?”

The amusement in the air faded as everyone turned back to me.

What did happen next?

I had proven I could hold my own, that much was clear. But I had also proven that I was something different—something unpredictable. The kind of power I carried made Alphas wary, made packs nervous.

I squared my shoulders. “I train. I learn to control it.”

Peter’s smirk widened just a fraction. “That’s my girl.”

Derek’s shirt was ripped where my claws had sliced him, the wound was deep, not healing on its own. I eyed him carefully as I moved to inspect. Fighting yet another instinct to clean him to aid the healing. 

Derek caught my wrist before I could reach him, his grip firm but not unkind. His eyes, still glowing faintly, searched mine with something unreadable.

“You don’t have to do that,” he said gruffly.

I hesitated. “It’s instinct.”

He exhaled, releasing me. “Then fight it.”

I swallowed hard, curling my fingers into a fist as I forced myself to pull back. My wolf whined in protest, but I ignored it.

Peter chuckled lowly from behind me. “Fascinating.”

I shot him a glare. “What is?”

“The way you wrestle between instinct and control.” He tilted his head, amusement flickering in his gaze. “You’re not just resisting the urge to heal him—you’re resisting the need to claim.”

My breath hitched. The words settled heavily between all of us.

Derek stiffened. Scott frowned.

I forced a laugh, shaking my head. “You’re reaching.”

Peter only smirked. “Am I?”

“He’s your nephew, so that makes him part of my pack,” I said, the weight of my words settling heavily in the air between us.

I hadn’t realized it until that very moment, but it was true. The Hales—Peter, Derek, and the others—had become my pack, though I hadn’t consciously made that choice. It happened quietly, almost without me noticing. It started the night they found me on the side of the road, broken and lost, and without hesitation, they’d taken me in. Not because they had to, but because in their eyes, it was simply what was done for Pack. For Family.

The connection I had with them wasn’t just some fleeting thing, easily broken or forgotten. It was solid, ingrained deep in my bones, as much a part of me as the wolf I fought to control. I could feel it—the loyalty, the bond that had formed between us, and suddenly, it felt like the Hales were the first true family I had in years.

I hadn’t just joined their pack. Somewhere along the way, they’d made their way into my heart, whether I was ready for it or not.

Peter raised an eyebrow at me, his gaze sharp. “That’s quite the revelation, Little Wolf. A pack bond that runs deeper than you think.” He leaned back slightly, his smirk turning into something more contemplative. “Didn’t expect you to claim it so easily, but you’re right. Once you're part of the family, you’re in for life.”

Derek, who had been quiet until now, nodded in agreement. His eyes softened, just for a moment, before the hardness returned. “Family means something. Even if you don't realize it right away.”

I felt the truth of his words settle within me. It was a bond forged in silence, in shared experiences, in the understanding that no matter how dark the road ahead might be, we’d walk it together. And as much as it scared me to admit, I wasn’t sure I could ever imagine walking it without them now.

“So does that mean she’s not going to lick the blood off Derek’s stomach while Peter watches?” Stiles smirked, his eyes lighting up with mischief as he leaned back, clearly amused by the tension he was stirring. “Cause I’d love to see that.”

The air around us seemed to freeze for a moment, the weight of Stiles’ words hanging in the space like a bomb waiting to drop. I blinked, I wasn’t exactly sure why that was so funny, and looked at Derek, who was still sporting the remnants of my claws on his body, his expression a mix of annoyance and embarrassment. But it wasn’t his reaction that had me biting my lip in frustration—it was the knowing look on Peter’s face. This was another thing that meant something different to humans. 

Peter’s lips quirked upward, as if he found the entire situation more amusing than anything else. “You’re getting bold, Stiles,” he said, his voice carrying that dangerous edge that always seemed to accompany his smirks.

Derek, who had been about to retort, froze as Peter spoke, his expression shifting to something far more serious. “That’s enough,” Derek growled, his voice deep and gravelly, a clear warning to Stiles.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, the awkward tension now replaced with a strange mix of annoyance and amusement. "Stiles, seriously?" I shook my head, half-laughing, half-exasperated. “That’s the kind of joke you think is funny?”

Stiles raised his hands in mock surrender, grinning. “Hey, what can I say? A little humor never killed anyone… well, except maybe the people who tried to take down Derek.”

Peter’s smirk only deepened, though his eyes flashed with something darker for a brief moment. “Keep poking the bear, Stiles, and you might get more than you bargained for.”

The playful tension shifted again, but this time, I couldn’t help but feel a small bit of relief. It was easy to get caught up in all the dangerous, heavy moments around us, but sometimes, laughter—or even the discomfort it caused—was a necessary reminder that we were still human. Or at least, close enough to it.

"All right, enough with the weirdness," I finally said, trying to shift the focus off of the strange moment we’d found ourselves in. “Can we just get back to the part where I’m supposed to be learning how to control this… wolf thing?” I gestured vaguely at myself, not really sure how to explain the chaos brewing inside me.

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “Right, right, the serious stuff,” he said, sounding far too amused for his own good. “Just making sure everyone’s entertained.”

The smirk on his face faded as we all got back to the reality of what we were really up against.

“So who’s next?” I asked, my eyes narrowing as I glanced at Peter. “Do you think you can take me? You are the big bad wolf, right?” I teased, circling him, my movements slow and deliberate. I could feel the tension building again, the energy crackling between us, a dangerous dance of dominance and defiance.

Peter’s gaze never left me, his posture relaxed but poised, like a predator waiting for its prey to make a move. He didn’t flinch or respond immediately, but the corner of his mouth curled into that knowing smirk, the one that made my stomach flip in ways I couldn’t quite explain.

“I don’t think you know what you’re in for, Little Wolf,” he said, his voice low, almost a growl, as if savoring the challenge.

I smirked, emboldened by the thought of taking him on. “I have an idea,” I replied, my voice just as low, matching his intensity. The air between us felt thick with the weight of unspoken promises, the kind that danced on the edge of a fight but never crossed the line—yet.

Peter’s eyes darkened slightly, but his smirk never wavered. “I’m not some toy for you to test your limits on, Nova,” he said, his tone a mix of amusement and something deeper. “But if you really want to see if you can take me down…” His voice trailed off, leaving the challenge hanging in the air.

I stopped circling him, meeting his gaze head-on. “I don’t want to take you down,” I said, my voice steady, despite the adrenaline rushing through my veins. “I just want to know if I can hold my ground.”

There was a brief, dangerous pause as we locked eyes, and then Peter let out a soft chuckle. “You’re not backing down, are you?” he asked, clearly entertained by my boldness.

I shook my head, a smirk of my own forming. “Not today.”

Peter’s lips twitched, and then, with a sudden fluid movement, he took a step toward me. I braced myself, ready for whatever he had in store, but he didn’t attack. Instead, he simply reached out and pulled me closer, his grip firm but not forceful.

“Careful, Little Wolf,” he whispered against my ear. “You just might find more than you’re looking for.”

I swallowed, my heart racing, but I didn’t back away. If anything, it only fueled the fire inside me.

“Show me what you got,” I leaned in, my voice steady, though my pulse quickened with the challenge. My eyes burned gold as I locked them with his, the wolf inside me itching for control. “I’m not afraid.”

Peter’s expression shifted slightly, his smirk turning into something more dangerous. The air between us grew thicker, charged with an energy that was almost palpable. He stood perfectly still, his eyes narrowing, sizing me up.

“Careful what you wish for,” he said, his voice low and husky, like a promise, or a threat.

I felt the challenge echo between us, my body tense, but still, I didn’t back down. The pull of my wolf was fierce, demanding, but I held it back, keeping control. Peter didn’t need me to go full beast—not yet.

Then, in an instant, he was right in front of me, his presence overwhelming, like a force of nature. He reached out, fingers brushing the side of my face before trailing down to my neck, his touch almost too soft for the intensity of the moment.

But I didn’t flinch.

“Impressive,” he muttered, his lips brushing against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “But it’ll take more than that to shake me.”

I didn’t hesitate. Without warning, I snapped forward, my teeth grazing his neck, marking the line between teasing and claiming.

Peter chuckled darkly, the sound low and filled with something wild. “You really think you can take me on, huh?” He stepped back slightly, testing my reaction.

“Only one way to find out,” I shot back, my voice thick with determination. “You’ve been dominating for too long. It’s my turn.”

His eyes gleamed with something fierce. “We’ll see about that,” he growled, and just like that, the tension exploded.

He moved towards me, his presence looming, commanding. But I didn’t budge. My eyes narrowed as I waited for the blow. He hesitated, and I took the advantage. 

I lunged at him. 

Peter’s eyes widened in surprise as I moved with precision, my wolf instincts taking over. He hadn’t expected me to be this quick, this relentless. My paws pinned him to the ground, my claws digging into his chest, but the moment I leaned forward, I heard his breath catch. Without thinking, I ran my tongue along the side of his face, feeling the coolness of his skin against mine.

It wasn’t about domination. It wasn’t about power. It was about showing him that I wasn’t afraid of him—or anyone, for that matter. I shifted back, my human form feeling strangely fragile compared to the strength of the wolf inside me, but I stayed on top of him.

I collapsed against his chest, my breath heavy, my heart racing from the surge of adrenaline. There was silence for a beat, the tension between us vibrating in the air like a living thing.

Peter’s chest rose and fell beneath me as he let out a slow, deep breath. He reached up to touch the side of his face, where my tongue had lingered, and I watched him intently, waiting for his response.

“Well,” he muttered, his voice low and rough with something I couldn’t quite place. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

I smirked, propping myself up on my elbows. “What can I say? I like to surprise you.”

Peter’s lips curled into that familiar, dangerous grin. “You succeeded, Little Wolf. I like it.”

I raised an eyebrow, my smirk deepening. 

Stiles' voice broke the silence, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his timing. "Was that supposed to be kinda hot?" he asked with a chuckle, glancing around at the others.

The pack stood frozen, mouths agape, staring at the scene unfolding in front of them. They’d clearly never seen anything like it—most likely a mix of awe, confusion, and maybe a hint of jealousy.

I stood tall, unbothered by my nudity as I extended a hand down to Peter, who was still lying on the ground, looking slightly dazed but amused. “You good?” I asked, my tone casual as if we hadn’t just had an epic wrestling match.

Peter’s lips curled into that same grin of his as he took my hand and rose effortlessly. “Better than good,” he said, his voice thick with approval.

“Okay, seriously,” Stiles continued, trying to lighten the mood as he glanced around at the others. “I’m all for a good show, but you two have officially crossed into something that should probably be private.”

Lydia shot him a look. “If you’re going to talk, at least make it interesting,” she said, rolling her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

I glanced back at Peter, who seemed to be soaking it all in. “Don’t mind him,” I said, giving Stiles a playful shove with my shoulder. “He’s just bitter he didn’t get to be part of the show.”

The others laughed, but it was Derek who spoke up next. “Next time, I think we should keep things a little less… intense.” His voice was dry, but there was a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

I nodded in agreement but didn’t back down. “Who says it’s over?” I shot Peter a smirk. “We could keep going if you want, big bad wolf.”

Peter’s grin widened, and I could see the challenge in his eyes. “We’ll see, Little Wolf,” he murmured, the promise of something dangerous lingering in his words.

“I can’t wait,” I said back, matching the intensity in Peter’s eyes.

But Lydia cleared her throat, breaking the tension and pulling everyone back into the present. “Alright, someone needs to address her current situation,” she said, her voice pointed, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she glanced between me and the others.

Derek and Peter exchanged a quick glance before returning their attention to me. They had gotten used to me in my less-than-modest state—after all, they’d seen more than enough of me by now. But the others were a different story. Stiles was trying his best not to look, though I could tell by his shifting gaze he wasn’t succeeding. Malia, on the other hand, looked entirely unfazed, but I caught her trying to hide a smile. Scott seemed mostly concerned, his eyes darting uncomfortably, while Kira just shook her head with a small laugh.

“Right, right,” Peter said, stepping forward with a mischievous grin. “I suppose we should be a little more… considerate of company.” He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. “There. Better?”

I rolled my eyes but let the jacket fall over my shoulders. “If you’re going to be a gentleman, at least get me something to cover up with that isn’t one of your old jackets.”

Stiles snickered. “At least someone’s got some decency.”

“Yeah, I just didn’t expect it to be Peter,” Derek muttered under his breath, but his eyes softened slightly as he looked at me, not quite breaking into a full smile.

I gave him a pointed look. “Just because you’re too broody for chivalry doesn’t mean everyone else is,” I teased, pulling the jacket tighter around me.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Malia spoke up. “So… are we done here, or are we going to have another round of werewolf sparring?”

“I’m good for now,” I said with a smirk, finally feeling the shift in atmosphere as everyone started to relax again. “But Peter and I still have a few things to figure out. Right?”

Peter’s grin was all teeth, but the slight shift in his posture told me he wasn’t about to push me further just yet. “Right.”

—

The soft hum of the car's engine and the passing scenery blurred around me, my mind lost in the back-and-forth of thoughts. My fingers dug into my flesh as I hugged my knees tighter, trying to calm the conflicting emotions inside me. The wolf part of me wanted to assert itself, to claim the strength and freedom that came with it. But the woman—me—wanted something more. She wanted balance. Peace. The ability to be both at once, but not let one side swallow the other.

Peter and Derek's voices faded in and out as they discussed me. Their words weren’t harsh, but they didn’t need to be. It was clear they were concerned, maybe even unsure about how to handle what I was becoming. The weight of their conversation hung heavily in the air, but I tried to block it out, not ready to face what they might be planning.

I liked staying with Derek. He was easy to be around. He didn’t expect anything from me except to learn. To grow. He had a calm about him that made me feel like I wasn’t just fitting in but belonging. I wasn’t sure if I had ever felt that way before. Peter, on the other hand, was an enigma—he pulled me in with his magnetism, but I wasn’t sure if he was someone I could trust myself with. Not completely, not yet.

The thoughts danced in my head. Who did I want to be? Who was I? The wolf, the woman, the monster? Or something else entirely?

“Hey,” Peter’s voice pulled me out of my spiral. His hand brushed against my arm, gentle but commanding, as if he could sense the chaos in me. “You okay?”

I glanced over at him, offering a tight smile. “Yeah. Just... thinking.” My voice came out too soft, unsure. I knew he could hear the underlying unease, but I didn’t know how to say what I needed to.

Derek’s voice, slightly more distant but steady, came from the backseat. “She’s figuring it out, Peter. Don’t push her.”

I nodded without speaking, grateful for Derek’s understanding. I wasn’t ready to talk about it—not yet, anyway. I just needed time.

Peter didn’t press me, but I could feel the intensity of his gaze on me. He always seemed to be watching me, reading me in a way I wasn’t entirely comfortable with. But I couldn’t help but feel that same pull.

"Whatever you decide," Peter said quietly, "we'll be here."

I didn’t respond, but his words sat with me. Would I be able to reconcile the wolf with the woman? Or would one part of me eventually consume the other?

“I’m sorry,” I said softly, “I wish I knew which parts of being a wolf were ok and which parts make you uncomfortable.” 

Peter was quiet for a moment, and I could almost feel the weight of his thoughts before he responded. His voice, when it came, was measured, careful. “You’re still learning,” he said, the words warm but firm. “It’s not about being uncomfortable. It’s about understanding. We all have our own limits, even the wolves. And you’re not just learning how to be one of us; you’re learning to be yourself with it all.”

I turned to face him, meeting his gaze, and felt something shift in the space between us. He was right, in a way. It wasn’t just about fitting into a mold. It was about finding what I could be without losing myself. But the fear lingered—the fear that I might become something I couldn’t control, something that scared even me.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” I murmured, my fingers fidgeting with the hem of my jacket. “But sometimes it feels like I’m losing control. Like I don’t even know who I’m supposed to be.”

Peter’s eyes softened, and for a moment, I could see the flicker of something that wasn’t just the Alpha looking at me. There was understanding, maybe even empathy. "The control comes with time. With understanding yourself, and learning to listen to both parts of you. The wolf, the woman... they're not enemies. They don't have to be."

I swallowed hard, processing his words. It didn’t make it easier to understand, but it made it seem like there was hope. Maybe I didn’t need to choose between the two. Maybe I could be both—at least, I hoped I could.

Peter shifted in his seat, his voice turning playful to break the tension. “You’re just like the rest of us, Little Wolf. Messy, complicated... but it’s you.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his words, even if they were laced with a hint of teasing. The truth, though, was that he was right. I was messy, complicated—just like the world I was stepping into.

But maybe that was okay. Maybe I didn’t need to figure it all out right away. I just had to take it one step at a time.

“Well,” Derek said reassuringly, “I was hoping you’d at least take a bite out of Peter,” he smirked, “But you were able to control the shift.” 

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Derek, my lips twitching into a smirk. “Oh, you wanted me to bite Peter? You know, he’s already got a thing for me, so I don’t think he’d mind,” I teased, feeling a little more at ease with the banter.

Peter, who had been silent up until that point, shot Derek a pointed look. "Control is key," he said, his tone smooth but with a hint of amusement. “And I’d appreciate it if we didn’t test my patience, Derek.” He wasn’t truly angry, but I could tell he didn’t want to encourage any further mischief.

Derek chuckled, clearly enjoying the lighthearted moment, but there was a seriousness beneath his words. “You handled yourself well. That’s all that matters. You’re getting stronger.”

I nodded, feeling the weight of his praise, though there was still a part of me that wasn’t entirely convinced. It was one thing to control a shift in the heat of the moment, but it was another thing entirely to keep it under control when it wasn’t so immediate.

Peter turned the conversation back, his tone more thoughtful now. “The more you practice, the easier it gets. You’ll find your balance eventually.” His eyes softened as they met mine, giving me an unspoken promise of patience, of understanding.

“Guess I’ll have to get used to having my strength tested,” I said, leaning back in my seat, my hands still fidgeting with the fabric of my jacket. I could feel the weight of the journey ahead of me. There was so much left to learn, so much to understand—not just about being a wolf, but about navigating the world that had suddenly opened up to me.

The car rolled into the garage at Derek’s loft, the familiar hum of the engine slowing as Peter parked. I stared at the concrete walls, the dim lights, the shadows that seemed to hold memories of everything I had tried to leave behind. Derek’s place had become my sanctuary—a place where I could breathe, where I could make sense of who I was. But now, with everything swirling in my mind, the idea of returning to that comfort didn’t feel like the right choice.

Instead, I found myself watching Peter, the weight of everything between us hanging like an unspoken promise. Chaos. I had always been comfortable with it in some form. I didn’t have the answers, but I knew I didn’t want to run from it anymore.

“I want to go home with you,” I said, my voice steady but soft, testing the waters. “If you still want me there.”

There was a long pause, the kind that seemed to stretch between us, thick with the tension of both unspoken and spoken words. His hands were on the steering wheel, fingers curling around it so tight I thought he might crush it. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but his eyes flicked to mine, that usual coldness briefly slipping into something softer.

"You sure?" he asked, his voice rough around the edges, not because he was unsure but because he didn’t want to make it more than it was.

I nodded, pushing myself up a little straighter in the seat. "Yeah. I’m sure."

Peter didn’t say anything right away, just let out a breath, his shoulders relaxing a fraction. But his eyes, those eyes that always seemed to see too much, flicked back to the road, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Chaos, huh?” he muttered, almost like he was toying with the idea. He met my gaze again, and for a moment, I saw the mask he usually wore slip, just enough for me to see the edges of what he was hiding. "You know what you're getting into, right?"

I leaned forward, unbothered by the shift in proximity, the car now feeling too small for the distance between us. “I think I’ve always known,” I said, my voice quieter now, not as certain as I wanted it to be but brimming with something I couldn’t ignore.

His grin was dark, teasing, the kind that felt like an unspoken warning. "Alright then."

Derek glanced between me and Peter, his expression unreadable before he climbed out of the car. "I’m still here if you need me," he said, his tone steady but laced with concern.

I gave him a small nod. "I’ll need you. You’re my pack, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Derek’s gaze lingered on Peter for a moment before he added, "Just don’t let him get you into too much trouble."

I smirked and raised an eyebrow, glancing at Peter. "Can I get him into trouble?" I teased, the playful challenge hanging in the air.

Peter met my gaze with that trademark half-smile of his, unbothered by my jab. "That’s the real question, isn’t it?" he said, voice low and amused.

“She’s good for you, Peter,” Derek said, his tone softer now, his gaze lingering on us both before he turned and walked up the steps to his loft.

I watched him disappear, then turned my attention back to Peter. The car hummed quietly beneath us as he pulled back onto the road. I couldn’t help but smile, the tug of something warm curling in my chest.

Peter noticed me watching, his smirk widening as he kept his eyes on the road. “You’re staring again, Little Wolf,” he teased, his voice a low drawl.

“I know,” I replied, leaning back slightly, my lips curling into a sly grin. “You like it when I look at you.”

He chuckled, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, the mischievous glint never leaving his gaze. “Maybe I do,” he murmured.

“Were you serious about what you said this morning?” I asked. 

Peter’s eyes flicked to me briefly, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I’m always serious,” he replied with a certain edge in his voice. “But we said a lot of things this morning, so you’ll need to narrow it down.”

I bit my lip, the uncertainty from earlier creeping back in. “The part about being my… mate?”  I asked, trying to gauge his reaction.

Peter’s grip on the steering wheel tightened just slightly, his eyes still on the road. There was a flicker in his gaze, an acknowledgment of the weight behind my words. He didn’t speak right away, letting the question settle in the air between us.

“Ah,” he finally said, voice low but steady. “That part.”

I swallowed, unsure whether I wanted an answer at all. But I needed one. I couldn’t keep pretending that everything was just casual when there were things left unsaid.

His gaze shifted to me, something unreadable passing over his face. “I didn’t just mean it in passing, if that’s what you’re asking.” He paused for a moment, his voice softening. “But being with me isn’t easy. It’s... complicated.”

I couldn’t quite suppress the flutter in my chest at the way he said it—part warning, part promise. I took a steadying breath before replying.

“I can handle complicated,” I said, meeting his gaze with determination. “I want to handle it. Hell, we can be complicated together.”

He smirked, “You swearing now, Little Wolf?”

“Maybe, am I not supposed to? Is that another human thing?” I quirked a brow.

Peter chuckled, the sound low and amused, but there was a certain fondness behind it as he shot me a glance. “Nah, you’re free to swear. Just didn’t think you had it in you.”

I shrugged, a playful glint in my eyes. “I’m full of surprises.”

“You don’t say,” he replied, his lips twitching into a smirk as his hand reached for his chest, the cut from my claws still bleeding. 

I narrowed my eyes, “Why aren’t you healing?”

“I’m healing, it’ll just take a little longer, your claws cut deep,” he glanced over at me, “not quite as deep as an Alpha’s claws but deep.” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” I stammered.

Peter held up a hand, stopping me before I could finish. “Don’t worry about it, Little Wolf. It’s nothing I can’t handle. Besides, I kind of deserved it, didn’t I?” His voice was teasing, but there was a quiet understanding in his tone, as if the cut wasn’t just physical.

I felt a flicker of guilt, but I also couldn’t help but notice the way his words danced in the air, heavy with unspoken truths. “Still,” I muttered, “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

He smirked again, his gaze lingering on me. “You didn’t. You just reminded me that I’m not invincible.” He shifted a bit, his fingers brushing over the wound, clearly trying to minimize it.

I watched, feeling that strange pull again, the one that made me want to reach out and help, but I hesitated. What did I know about healing, about how to make things right? All I knew was that the ache inside me wasn’t just for him—it was for me, too.

“You’re still thinking too much,” he said, his voice softening slightly as he read me, his gaze never leaving me. “It’s just a cut. We’re both still here, that’s what matters.”

“Would you be okay with me helping it heal when we get home?” I asked, recalling the way he looked at me when I tried to help Derek.

His lips curved into a smirk, his eyes darkening just slightly. “I’ll let you help me. Only me.”

The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver coursing through my entire body, the kind of feeling that tingled in the deepest parts of me. Before, I hadn’t understood the significance of such a touch, but now it made sense. It wasn’t just an Alpha’s command or a pack connection—it was something deeper. It was a mate thing. A human thing. Something that tied us together in a way I hadn’t fully grasped until this moment.

His eyes didn’t leave mine, and for a second, I felt like I could lose myself in the storm brewing in them. I realized then that the way we touched, the way we shared space, was no longer casual or just about survival—it was about something far more intimate. Something that, even if it was new to me, felt like the most natural thing in the world.

“Only you,” I promised, my voice quiet but resolute. The words were simple, but they held so much weight. They were a promise, an acknowledgment that no matter what chaos surrounded us, I was here, fully here, and I would be for him—always.

It wasn’t just about healing his body anymore. It was about healing each other in ways I hadn’t known were possible. And I knew, in that moment, that whatever we faced together from here on out, we’d face it as more than just a pack. We’d face it as mates.

I climbed out of the car when we finally arrived at Peter’s cabin. Leaving his jacket on the seat behind me. The night air prickled my skin, but I was more focused on the man beside me. 

Wordlessly, I helped him pull his shirt up over his head and toss it on the ground. My fingers traced the four slash marks that littered his otherwise perfectly crafted flesh. They were my mark on him. I looked up at him, eyes locked, seeking his permission. 

His breath hitched, just barely, but I caught it. That slight pause, the flicker in his eyes—he was letting me in, letting me see him in a way few ever had. His chest rose and fell steadily beneath my touch, warm despite the cool night air.

I didn’t need words to understand the answer he gave me. It was in the way he held still, letting me take control. The way his lips parted slightly, waiting, anticipating. The way his hands, usually so quick to take, to claim, remained at his sides.

This was different. This wasn’t a test of dominance or power. This was trust.

Slowly, I leaned in, my lips brushing just beside the wounds, breath ghosting over his skin. I hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment settle between us. Then, with deliberate slowness, I let my tongue trace the edges of each wound, my wolf responding instinctively to the act of healing, of claiming.

His sharp inhale sent a thrill through me, a silent confirmation that this wasn’t just about mending flesh. This was something primal, something that hummed beneath the surface of our bond.

I pulled back just enough to meet his gaze again, my fingers still pressed against his skin. “Only you,” I whispered, reaffirming the promise I’d made.

His smirk was slower this time, less teasing, more knowing. “Only me,” he echoed, his voice rough in a way that sent a different kind of shiver through me.

Chaos, I had chosen. And I would choose it again.

[marmorafarms]

The Hazards of Love Ch 5

Hey guys! Next chapter, the timelines will merge!

Pairing: Labru

Word Count: 2152

You can find it on ao3 or under the cut!

NOW

As he pulled into the apartment complex, Laios realized he really should’ve called Izutsumi before hand. Bursting in uninvited probably wasn’t the best course of action. At the very least he could’ve called either his sister or Marcille to ask if any of them were home. He could be coming to a completely empty apartment. Well whatever. If nobody answered, he would call the three women and see if they were there, or if they’d be there soon.

He took the steps up to the apartment two at a time, thoughts of saving Kabru filling his mind. He had already heard Falin’s perspective, and Marcille would probably agree with her. But Izutsumi would be completely honest with him about the situation. She didn’t care if what she said bothered anyone or not. And that’s just what Laios needed right now. Everyone else spoke in ways he didn’t understand. He needed someone to be blunt with him. “Izutsumi!” he practically shouted, banging on the door. “Are you there? It’s me, Laios! I need to talk with you! Izutsumi!”

A few moments later the door was wrenched open, a woman with shaggy dark hair and black cat ear headphones glaring at him.

“Christ,” she growled, “You could’ve just knocked like a normal person. But if you did that, it wouldn’t be you. What do you want?”

“I need your opinion on Kabru,” Laios said without preamble. “I want to know what you think I should do.”

“What the fuck? Why me?” Izutsumi said, staring at Laios as though he had grown a third head. “I don’t know shit about Hanahaki. I mean, does anyone really?”

“You know how to be honest though! I have some thoughts and I need you to tell me what you think! Please,” Laios begged. Izutsumi stared at him for a moment before sighing dramatically.

“Fine, come in. Marcille is here, she might be more helpful.” “She’s not as blunt as you are,” Laios said, following Izutsumi into the apartment.

“Yeah but she’s dating your sister. She knows more about that shit than me. I don’t like anyone, ever. And I never will.”

“You might,” Laios said.

“Don’t threaten me,” Izutsumi snapped. “I never will, and I like that.”

They entered the living room where Marcille sat, nose in a book. It seemed like she was reading one of her romance novels. It looked like the title was “Sorry, bro” so maybe not. But some of her books had misleading titles. Marcille looked up as they entered, a very surprised look on her face.

“Laios?” she said. “Falin’s not here if you’re looking for her. She’ll be back soon though!”

“I was looking for Izutsumi,” Laios said.

“Why?” Marcille asked.

“Oh well that’s nice,” Izutsumi snorted. “Sometimes people want to see me, Marcille.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Marcille said, flustered. “I just…you and Laios don’t usually hang out on your own. I was just curious!”

“I had a question about Kabru,” Laios said.

"I understand even less than I did before,” Marcille said, putting a book mark in her novel and setting it to the side.

“You and me both,” Izutsumi said, curling up on an armchair. Laios took a seat on the couch by Marcille, and breathed out loudly.

“I don’t understand why Kabru is sick,” Laios said. “Because I do love him. But…I need you to tell me what’s wrong with me!” he said, looking at Izutsumi. “Why is my love not enough? Why is he sick?”

“Why the hell would I know?” Izutsumi said with a stricken look. “I don’t know shit about that! I already told you, I don’t know or care about love and dating.”

“But you always have something to say about how weird I am,” Laios said. “You’re good at pointing stuff like that out. Maybe you noticed something strange about how I am with Kabru.”

“Uh…I don’t think I have,” Izutsumi said with a frown. “You’re always looking at him with a stupid look on your face. I don’t get it either. Maybe you’re onto something though. Something might be fucked with how you really feel about him.”

“Wait that’s it!” Marcille suddenly burst out, startling the other two.

“What do you mean?” Laios asked, eyes wide. “Do you know what’s going on?”’

“Izutsumi said something might be wrong with your true feelings,” Marcille said, turning to face Laios. “Have you and Kabru ever kissed? Or had sex?”

“Marcille!” Laios said, blushing violently.

“Well have you?” She insisted. “You have to be honest!”

“We…umm…” Laios said, trailing off. “Do I really have to say it?” he asked in a tiny voice.

“That’s proof enough for me that they did,” Izutsumi said. “I don’t want to hear any gross details.”

“I need a yes or no,” Marcille said, a firey look in her eyes. “This is important!”

“Yes!” Laios finally burst out. “But we only did that stuff one time! And he came down with Hanahaki right after I left the dorm.”

“Oh my gosh,” Marcille said with a gasp. “I think I get it! How did you feel after you two did it? Because with me and Falin--”

“Um, I don’t really want to hear about your guys’ sex life,” Laios said, clearly uncomfortable.

“I’m not going to go into details, so shut up and listen!” Marcille snapped. “The morning after our first time I felt so happy! So content. I had wanted it for so long. I was truly happy. Is that how you felt? Were you happy?”

“I felt…worried,” Laios said slowly. “I was worried he’d regret it. He said he didn’t but…”

“You didn’t believe him,” Izutsumi supplied, and Laios nodded.

“That’s exactly it then,” Marcille said, clapping her hands together.

“He has this because you’re not letting yourself love him! You were so sure he didn’t actually love you that you refused to let your feelings blossom, and he got sick! And for some reason, you STILL aren’t letting yourself love him on a deeper level! It’s all surface level, but you have the potential!”

“He obviously loves you,” Izutsumi said. “He wouldn’t be like this if he didn’t. So what’s the deal?”

Laios was silent. He knew exactly the reason. But how the hell could he fix it?

“Because he’ll get tired of me one day,” he said softly. “Or…or at least that’s what I’m scared of. Everyone I’ve ever been with gets tired of me and leaves. I feel like it’s only a matter of time.”

“I guess you just gotta get rid of that thought and you’ll both be good to go,” Izutsumi said. Laios looked up at her, a look of anguish on his face.

“It’s not that easy!” he wailed. “I can’t just rewire my brain! I can’t just make my worries go away, that’s impossible.”

“Falin told me you were going to try and fall in love with him,” Marcille said. “Well, here’s your way to do it. You have to try, right?”

“You’re right,” Laios said sadly. “I have to at least try.” But even so,

Laios had no clue how to even go about this.

THEN:

Kabru couldn’t even remember the last time he had weed. Probably back when dispensaries weren’t a thing, and he had to just take what he was given. Laios, on the other hand, knew his stuff.

“Falin smokes a lot,” Laios had said with a shrug, “I learned all this from her.”

Finals were finally over, and Kabru wanted to celebrate. He, Rin, and Daya went bar hopping, and it was weird as always. Kabru had agreed to be the designated driver that night, and his friends got trashed. The worst part was that Rin had flirted with him all night. He thought of her as a big sister, not as someone he’d want to date! The whole situation had been awkward, and Kabru wanted to do something fun this time.

Laios had suggested they have a movie night, and Kabru had fought hard to not think of this as a date. So what if it was just them? So what if they were watching a movie together on Kabru’s twin bed? The dorm wasn’t big enough for a couch, so they’d be pretty cramped. Dammit he should’ve asked if he could’ve gone to Laios’ apartment! Laios had his own place, somehow not needing a roommate. Why had he been okay with this?

So here Kabru was, staring at the bag of candies Laios was offering him, unsure of what to do. Laios had brought over some edibles, and Kabru wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea or not to be under the influence around him. What if he wasn’t able to keep his feelings concealed? What if Laios viewed him the way Kabru viewed Rin?

“You don’t have to have one,” Laios said. “If you don’t want any, just say so. But I think I’ll have one.”

“Sure I’ll have some,” Kabru said, and Laios snatched the bag away.

“ONE,” he said firmly. “If you have some, you’ll go backwards in time and meet the devil himself.”

“What?!” Kabru said with a small laugh. Laios smiled, and handed him the bag again.

“The first time I had edibles with Falin…well let’s just say it went badly.”

“Okay,” Kabru said, “Just one.”

They began flicking through some streaming service, looking for something to watch. They were sitting side by side, thighs almost touching. If Kabru wasn’t feeling so floaty and peaceful, he would probably be freaking out. Suddenly, Laios gasped.

“What?” Kabru asked, amused at how excited Laios looked.

“The Princess Bride!” he burst out. Kabru blinked.

“The Princess Bride?” he asked, and Laios nodded excitedly.

“Yes!” Laios said. “You’ve seen it, right?”

“No,” Kabru said, and Laios’ mouth dropped open, looking at him as though he’d just grown a third head.

“No way!” he said, and Kabru shrugged.

“I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never got around to it,” he said, and Laios clicked on the movie.

“We’re watching it right now,” he said, and Kabru raised his eyebrows.

“Well…okay,” he said.

“It’s good, you won’t regret it!”

Kabru wasn’t convinced, but soon found himself laughing hard as the movie played out. It was truly hilarious, and he loved the fact that Laios was quoting it, saying the lines perfectly along with the characters.

“Have fun storming the castle!” Laios said along with Miracle Max.

“Think it’ll work? It would take a miracle!”

Kabru watched Laios, heart swelling with happiness. He just looked so joyful, so relaxed. He had never seen Laios so purely content before. He looked radiant, beautiful. Kabru found a smile crossing his lips, and it grew even more when Laios looked over at him.

“What?” Laios asked, tilting his head.

“You just look so cute,” Kabru said without thinking, eyes hooded. Part of him was screaming at him to stop, that he would completely lose his friendship with Laios if he continued.

“Cute?” Laios asked, looking confused.

“Yeah,” Kabru said in a husky tone, putting his hand over Laios’. He leaned in close, eyes beginning to close.

“What’re you…?” Laios breathed, but didn’t have time to finish his sentence. Kabru had closed the distance and pressed his lips against Laios’. All he could think was how soft his friend’s lips felt. Laios tensed up, but soon began to melt into the kiss, letting out a soft moan.

Kabru slowly pulled away, and Laios looked at him, eyes glazed over.

“Kabru?” Laios asked, sounding dazed. “Can you do that again? But like, a lot?”

Kabru laughed and Laios began to giggle as well.

“Yeah, hell yeah,” Kabru said. This time they both leaned in, lips meeting and going from soft and uncertain to deep and passionate. Time seemed to slow as the two began to explore each other. Laios’ hands were shaky as he pulled of Kabru’s shirt, fumbling a bit as he reached the button on his jeans.

“Wait,” Kabru said, and moved back. Taking a deep breath in, he settled in between Laios’ legs.

“You first.”

Their night was full of ecstasy, fireworks bursting in their hearts as the two became one. It was perfection for them but good things never could last, could they? Kabru repeated those words over and over as he sat on the edge of the bed. It was morning, and Laios had left in a rush.

“I had fun Kabru but…I need to think about things.”

Think about things. Probably code for “I wish this had never happened.” There was a tickle in the back of his throat, and Kabru coughed. And weirdly, something came out. Not phlegm, not spit but…

Oh no.

A daffodil petal sat in his hand along with a bit of blood.

So that was it then. Laios didn’t love him, and he was going to die.

[4townie]

Road to 4☆TOWN

part 11 | part 12 | part 13 | part 14 | part 15 | part 16 | part 17 | part 18 | part 19

“Hey, sorry that call took so long. Taeyoung doesn’t really know when to shut up.” Robaire chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Janelle’s waist. “So where do you wanna go? Another movie? Maybe get some dinner? I know this really great Jamaican spot by—”

“Oh. Jamaican food.” Janelle pushed Robaire’s arm away from her and stepped back.

“Do…do you not like Jamaican food?” Robaire asked in confusion.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…” She sighed. “That was my ex’s favorite thing. We used to go to this one restaurant every other weekend. Little did I know whenever he wasn’t taking me, he was there with another girl.”

“Wait for real?” Robaire stepped closer. “That’s such a dick move. What kind of guy would cheat on a girl as sweet as you?”

“I wondered that all the time.” Janelle wiped a crocodile tear away from her eyes. “Sometimes I still wonder if I wasn’t pretty enough for him or maybe I should’ve just put out so he wouldn’t go with all those other g—”

“No, no.” Robaire gently grabbed her hips. “Whatever happened with that jerk is all on him. You’re perfect just the way you are, don’t worry about a thing.”

Janelle smiled up at him. “Thanks, babe. You’re so sweet. I guess I was wrong to be worried about you spending time away from me.” She frowned. “Whenever he would go out, he claimed he was just seeing his friends. I only found out about the cheating because he got one of his whores pregnant and she accidentally outed him to me over the phone.” She sighed. “I’m still getting used to the idea that I can trust that you’re being honest with me. He really did a number on me. How pathetic is that?”

“It’s not pathetic at all. It seemed like it was really rough on you.” Robaire caressed her face. “I promise I won’t ever make you feel like that. If there’s anything I can do to help you feel better, just let me know.”

“Well,” Janelle wrapped her arms around him, “you could come over to my place more often. I miss having you around.”

Robaire blushed and gave her a crooked smile. “I thought you said your dad was staying with you while the renovations were going on at his house.”

“The renovations are done. He’s out of my hair.” She smirked and leaned in. “And out of our way. You could sleep over if you wanted.”

“Oh, uhhh…” Robaire leaned away nervously. “I mean, it’s been a while. I’m a little out—” Janelle cut him off with a deep kiss. They pulled apart, and he blinked a few times. “I-I guess one night couldn’t hurt.”

“It would really make me feel better after you brought up my ex.” Janelle nodded and grabbed his collar. “Being with you feels kinda…healing. I’m so glad you could do that for me.”

Robaire smiled and rested his forehead against hers. “Yeah. I am, too.”

[berlinat8am]

nick coming out while everyone is high off their ass

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congratulations!! you are one of my favourite moments in the entire how bright we burn verse! whether you're really invested in nick and jeff's relationship or not, you have to admit this moment was truly heartwarming and a long time coming. while this might not be the end of niff's struggles by any means, it's definitely a step in the right direction. as a certified nick lover, this moment really was such a great moment of character growth!! his parents probably won't be this supportive though, right? this chapter really gives me crystal clear by hayley williams vibes. as for you, is there something that you're hiding from the people around you? a secret you're keeping from your loved ones? are you afraid you will be judged for being yourself? try to get to the bottom of what it is that you're truly afraid of, and the price you're paying to keep it hidden. is it really worth it in the long run? I know you have it in you to be brave, and you deserve to be your true self! your real friends will see that and support you <3

(bonus: a little shout out to trent for also coming out this chapter!!! a lot of boys were feeling it that day truly)

. ─── *＊✿❀○❀✿＊* ───

✿ snippet from chapter 9 (hot[boxed]), until we burn out:

“Doesn’t matter,” Nick replies before anyone else can. “It’s like a ‘who touched it last’ situation. I’ve had sex with him more recently.”

That’s enough to have everyone stop their giggling, and it’s almost like they’re not high at all anymore. Everyone directs their attention to Nick and Jeff as if Nick’s just made some kind of declaration. In a way, he sort of has.

“Holy shit,” Jeff mutters quietly. Sebastian’s eyes are on him while everyone else’s are on Nick, including Jeff himself.

“Hasn’t everyone in this room had sex with their roommate?” Nick asks distantly, maybe hoping he’ll finally get an answer to the question he posed to Blaine last year about whether it’s normal to regularly get off with your roommate at boarding school regardless of sexuality.

There’s a series of no’s from across the room from pretty much everyone, and Nick just shrugs. “Guess I must be gay then.”

Jeff’s expression is some kind of mix between shocked and thrilled, while everyone else continues to stare at Nick like he’s completely changed their lives. Honestly, this is the least shocking thing to be said tonight, but maybe Blaine’s a little bit biased since he’s known about them for almost a year now.

“I’m gonna be honest guys. I know I invented this joke, but I can’t tell if this is still a bit,” Meatbox says. Nick snorts out a laugh in response, and a few of the others laugh along with him.

Blaine looks at Nick to try to gauge his reaction, but Nick honestly seems fine. He exchanges one quiet glance with Jeff, then shrugs, as if he’s suddenly completely unsure why he’s bothered with keeping this a secret for so long.

“Not a bit,” Nick replies, putting Meatbox out of his misery. “I’m bi. Sexual, not lingual. I’m still failing Spanish.”

The room bursts into stunned silence, the laughter from Nick’s quip fading into a weighty pause as everyone processes what he just said. For a second, no one moves or speaks, the moment suspended in the haze of the evening. Even Meatbox, who always seems to have something to say, looks like he’s been momentarily dumbstruck.

Nick is the first to break the silence again, probably figuring he should be the one to do it. His voice is steady but gentle when he opens his mouth again. “Also, yeah. We’re together. Probably should’ve told you all months ago. My bad.”

Blaine’s attention turns to Jeff, who hasn’t said anything in a long time. He’s still looking at Nick like he’s expecting something else, like maybe he thinks he’ll take it all back and brush it off as some kind of high thought. But Nick doesn’t take it back, just keeps joking around with the guys, and Jeff seems to be in disbelief about it.

Nick must notice this at the same time Blaine does because he turns his attention back to Jeff and reaches up a hand to run gently through Jeff’s hair. “Sorry I didn’t tell them sooner.”

Jeff’s mouth is hanging slightly open, like he’s still in shock or can’t quite process what he’s seeing. Maybe he’s just really, really high. Either way, he smiles a little and leans in closer. “You’re not going to change your mind?”

Nick shakes his head. “Not this time.”

The corner of Jeff’s lips quirks up into a smile, and even though his eyes are dilated and blacked out from the weed, Blaine can tell they’re smiling, too. “I must be dreaming.”

“You’re not,” Nick whispers. “I’m going to kiss you now, and then you’ll know it’s real.”

Jeff nods vigorously, and he reaches up to wipe a runaway tear from the corner of his eye. Blaine didn’t realize until now how much it was hurting Jeff to keep this all to himself. He’s been a horrible friend.

When Nick kisses him, the entire room erupts into cheers. Jeff grins into it, his hands fisting the front of Nick’s hoodie like he’s afraid letting go might wake him from his dream. Nick pulls him closer, unbothered by the whoops and hollers from the Warblers, and he deepens the kiss with a confidence Blaine’s never seen in him before. It’s the kind of confidence worthy of a showstopping solo, like he’s been holding his breath for years and is finally letting it out.

. ─── *＊✿❀○❀✿＊* ───

✿ thank you for taking this quiz! check out @lusthurts on ao3, tumblr & spotify! (all credit for the fics and playlists to them)

✿ link to the how bright we burn series on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/series/3955438

✿ link to the niff playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2YcSfCTfekzfOtm4dq3PFa

✿ links to the memes: part one I part two I part three

✿ links to the other results pages:

★ trust as the foundation of every strong relationship

★ the junior year warblers new year's party and everything that happened around it

★ the warblers raising robotic babies

★ sebastian getting shitfaced at his dad's wedding and turning his speech into a roast

★ the seblaine break up

★ jeff and sebastian's friends with benefits era

★ you're my favorite person in the world

★ seblaine hooking up for the first time

★ seblaine playing truth time (7 minutes in heaven/empire state building)

★ seblaine smoking and almost hooking up in sebastian's room after performing at kings island

★ i love you / the way i feel about you is ineffable

[sometimesiwritebadly]

Accident (Sirius Black x GN Doctor!Reader)

Summary: As an intern, you've resolved yourself to not having time for a life outside of work. But you cute neighbor is inching his way into your heart, and is happy to make a move while you tend to his injuries.

Based off one of my prompts!

“Does that line usually work for you?” “...yes?”

Warnings: Mention of blood, motorcycle accidents, and concussions. Nothing graphic.

Word Count: 1.4k

Notes: Everything i know about being a surgical intern and about medicine in general comes from grey's anatomy. I realize the fictional show about doctors in the US in the 2000s i probably different than being a doctor in the UK in the 1980s but i simply don't care. Also this is a No Voldemort AU where everyone is happily living out their 20s tyvm

Masterlist

Since your surgical internship had begun, you’ve had very little time for a social life. Outside of your work friends, you hardly ever saw anyone else. Your life consisted of work and sleep (although let’s be honest, sleeping was not always something you got to do.) You didn’t even know your previous neighbor had moved out until you met the new neighbor as he moved in. 

It was the end of an excruciatingly long shift the day he moved in–you had been on call all night, and all you wanted to do was get into bed and sleep for the next twelve hours. You’d practically stumbled into the lift and was just about to press the button to your floor when you heard a voice yelling for you to hold the doors.

You, somewhat reluctantly, complied. Your bed could wait two extra seconds. When the man ran into the elevator, carrying two boxes easily, you were simultaneously grateful and horrified that you’d waited.

One one hand, this guy was hot. Like, hot hot. He had tattoos running down both arms, beautiful long hair, and a jawline so perfect you didn’t think the plastic surgeon at your hospital could recreate it. 

Now the old you, the pre-internship you, would’ve been all over him. You know that you’re attractive, and with the right outfit (and maybe a shot of tequila for the nerves) you could definitely pull this guy. However, at this point in time, you were not in the right outfit. You had messy hair, scrubs you’d been wearing for two days straight, and you were sure you had giant bags under your eyes. This was not ideal. So, you just looked down, hoping he’d get off the lift before your floor and forget all about the mess of a person he’d seen.

“I’m Sirius.” You looked up at the sound of his voice, to find the man not ignoring you, but instead happily holding his hand out towards you. You accept it, shaking his hand. 

“Like the star?” You asked. He nodded, impressed that you knew of it. “I’m Y/N.” You glanced at his boxes, “You moving in?”

“Yeah. 4b.”

Your eyes widened, just as the lift opened. “Oh. I guess that makes us neighbors.” You stepped out before him, moving to stand by your own front door, labeled 4a. “So I’ll see you around?”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.” The smirk on his face should’ve turned you off–it was obvious Sirius knew exactly what kind of thoughts were going through your head. Yet somehow, he managed to find the line between charming and cocky with ease. You quickly turned around, unlocking your door, ready to let the memory of your new neighbor slip away with sleep. 

~~~

You didn’t see Sirius too often–there was an occasional run in in the hallways, but nothing more than small talk and smiles passed between the two of you. The next time you had a real conversation was under much better circumstances…for you, anyways. 

You were on your way home from a rare calm shift at work. No traumas entered the ER, only a few small surgeries–it was nice having a break from the normal hospital chaos. You made it home from work early enough that you might even be able to see some of your friends that you hadn’t been able to see properly for months.

As you walked towards the entrance of your building, your eyes immediately landed on Sirius. He was standing with a couple other men, talking animatedly about something. As you moved closer, you could hear and see what was so exciting for him–a new motorcycle. 

“So you weren’t getting enough dates on your own, Pads? Need a motorcycle to get some?”

“This is not about getting dates Moony, I’ve always wanted a motorcycle! But if my motorcycle happens to help me get dates…” He said, making the other two men laugh. It was at this point Sirius noticed you walking towards your building. “What do you think, 4a? Will the bike help me get a date?” With you, he continued in his head. 

4a was the name he’d taken to calling you. At one point he’d said that he would come up with a cooler nickname once you knew each other better, but as you were always working, that hadn’t happened yet. 

“Well, I do have lots of friends who find guys on motorcycles sexy, but…” Sirius’ smile disappeared at the last word before you continued, “When I think motorcycle my first thought isn’t sexy, it’s accident waiting to happen.” Sirius scoffed, while the other men laughed at his expense. The shorter one moved to stand with you before speaking.

“I’m with her, Pads. The motorcycle is a bad idea and I vote no. Peter Pettigrew, by the way.” He held out his hand for you to shake, which you happily accepted as you introduced yourself. 

“Wormtail you traitor!” Sirius said, hopping onto his new bike, “Not that it matters what you lot think, because this is not up to a vote. The bike stays.” He turned on the engine, allowing the machine to roar to life. 

“At least get a helmet!” You spoke loudly over the noise, before turning to head up the stairs to the entrance of your apartment building. Before you could reach the door, however, you heard a crash. Instinct kicking in, you turned and swiftly moved to Sirius. It appeared he��d lost his balance on the bike, falling off of it and hitting his head on the pavement. Luckily, his two friends had caught the bike before it landed on Sirius. 

Sirius tried to stand up, wanting to shake off the fall so his friends wouldn’t make fun of him too much (he was already trying to figure out how many galleons he’d have to give Moony and Wormtail to not tell Prongs. He’d never be able to live it down.) Instead of being able to stand, however, he found himself unable to sit up, let alone get off the ground. His vision blurred, and it wasn’t until his cute neighbor was in his line of sight that he regained his bearings.

“Careful, careful, you need to sit up slowly, okay?” You immediately jumped into doctor mode. There were some small cuts on his arm, but nothing a bit of rubbing alcohol and some bandages couldn’t fix. You were mostly worried he’d have a concussion. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Sirius, like the star.”

“Like the star, that’s right–” Before you could continue your assessment, Sirius spoke again.

“I may be named after a star, but you look like one.” This gave you pause. Behind you, the boys were cracking up. 

“Does that line usually work for you?”

“...yes?” You let out a slight giggle.

“Perhaps it works better when you haven’t just fallen off a motorcycle. Now, what day is it today?” You moved a finger in front of his face as he spoke, watching carefully as his eyes tracked its movements. 

“Tuesday.”

“Who is the prime minister?”

“Um…that lady. The one Moony is always complaining about.” You turned to look at the taller boy, who you assumed was Moony. He nodded, confirming that Sirius was actually talking about Thatcher, even if he couldn’t remember her name. 

“Close enough, I guess.” You slowly helped Sirius stand up, talking to his friends as you did so. “I don’t think he has a concussion, but if he starts feeling nauseous or faint, the ER is only a couple blocks from here. I can run up to my flat and grab my first aid kit if you’d like–”

“Oh, that’s alright. We’ll fix him up.” There was a bit of an odd look shared between the men, but you didn’t pay too much mind. Sirius was now standing on his own, no longer looking to be too dazed. You were sure he’d be fine.

“I won’t say I told you so, but please buy a helmet Sirius.”

“What if I liked having you dote over me?” He smirked.

You rolled her eyes. “If that’s what you want, all you have to do is ask.” You began heading up the stairs, “But don’t expect me to say yes until you’ve bought the helmet!” You gave him one last glance, heading inside before you could regret your bold move.

“C’mon lads.” Sirius made sure the bike was parked properly before making a move to the nearest apparition point. 

“Where are we going?” Remus asked, as he and Peter walked behind him.

“To buy a helmet, obviously.”

~~~

taglist:

@avada-kedavra-bitch-187

[kissami]

☄︎. *. ⋆ LAST CHRISTMAS •°. *࿐

➵ In which his friend group goes on a Christmas trip and Diluc can’t help but wonder how his old lover feels about him? Maybe he’ll rekindle that romance or, he finally moves onto someone new finally.

➵ warning: ANGST!! toxic!Diluc, MODERN AU

➵ based on “Last Christmas,” by Wham!

➵unedited (what a surprise lol)

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Last Christmas- Wham!

0:02-〇───── 4:21

⇄   ◃◃   ⅠⅠ   ▹▹   ↻

VOLUME: ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇ 100%

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

His fists tighten at the sight before him. Seeing her, with him, destroyed him entirely.

Just last Christmas, he was with her. Happy and content, but this year, he felt betrayed and heartbroken.

He clenched his jaw, walking away as you stood near him and wondering where he was going. You found it weird how he was so excited to spend this Christmas with you, but when his eyes landed on the group ahead, his entire being changed and his aura wasn’t the excited and cheery one that was once there.

But still, you greeted everyone and oddly enough, everyone was extremely friendly with you. Especially the girl who was eyeing your almost boyfriend since you stepped foot in front of the cabin.

You wondered when he would come back after making yourself comfortable in your shared room and unpacking. You even went as far as unpacking his things and ordered some snacks to have once he arrived.

You bit your lip debating on if you should go and check out how he was doing but once you saw how late it was, you knew your answer.

You walked softly out of the room, afraid to disturb anyone who was already asleep when you heard hushed whispering coming from the kitchen.

Peeking your head out, you saw him with her.

“Listen, as much as your letter was absolutely breathtaking, I do not return those feelings anymore. I’m with Thomas now and you’re with your new lover. It isn’t fair for them for you to be so drawn to me like this. It’s been a year, Diluc. Please just get over me.”

Chewing on your nail, you watched curiously as you saw the way he gripped her hands in his. The way his lip quivered and his cheeks a rosy pink.

The back of your throat burned and it was almost too hard to swallow as he gripped her cheek gently to face him.

“I was a fool for falling for you, Cindy. But if you kissed me now I know you’d fool me again.”

You gulped, pressing your back to the wall and sighed in sadness as nothing else was discussed between them, but you knew what they were doing.

So you did what you could at that moment. You walked away with tearful eyes and chest full of regret for even believing he was over her.

Sitting out on the porch, you gripped your phone debating if you should call your older brother to come and get you. You saw no point in being here if he was so undecided on who he wanted.

You stopped a loud sob leave your mouth with your hand, clenching your jaw in anger that you were such a fool for trusting him with your heart like this.

You’ve heard the stories of his ex lover from his brother. How destroyed he was because of her, but you never would’ve thought this out of all things would happen. That he could easily fall back in love with her the moment the two of you stepped foot out of his truck.

Was he even ever in love with you? Did he ever stop loving her?

The answers to those questions seemed so clear now that more tears burned your eyes to release.

Wiping your sweaty palms on your jeans, you got up and swung the door open, only to jump back in fright that he was standing in front of you now.

“[Y/N]…you heard everything, didn’t you?” He spoke softly but you ignored the way he looked at you.

“Yeah and it’s clear you guys like each other so I don’t see the point in being here anymore. If you wanted a rebound, you should’ve been honest and tell me instead of stringing me along like an idiot.”

You tried to walk past him, but he quickly grabbed your hands in distraught as he needed to let you know how he truly felt now.

“Just give me one second to explain.”

“There isn’t anything to explain, Diluc. I heard you clearly so I don’t need to hear you say that you don’t need me anymore.” You couldn’t hold back the fat tears that were now rolling down your face and the quivering of your lips as you stared into his beautiful and deadly eyes.

“Listen to me. Yes, what I did was so incredibly wrong and I’m so sorry for doing that to you. It was wrong of me to be so upset seeing her and making it seem like you were a second choice but you’re not. Believe me.”

Seeing the look of despair in his eyes, your heart couldn’t handle leaving him like this so you let him continue.

“It’s been a year since she broke my heart. I gave her my heart and I was such a fool for thinking there was something there still when there isn’t. I gave her my heart but she gave it away. This year, I’m giving it to someone special. To someone I truly love and so incredibly infatuated with.”

Swallowing slowly, he grabbed your form and gave you a tight hug.

“I love you. I’m sorry for breaking your heart, but understand I needed closure to truly get her out of my life forever when you’re the one I truly want and need. I didn’t kiss her..”

Crying into his chest, you held onto him tightly, afraid he would runaway. You couldn’t stay mad at him, because this was the first time he ever told you he loved you.

You would’ve liked it better if it wasn’t due to the fact you were doubting your relationship, but it’ll do for now.

If only you knew the ache in his chest that she was gone, forever now.

[venomous--fics]

@geekgirlofarchangels Requested: Hi! (I just wanted to say that I love your writing, it's amazing)😍

Can I request Eddie Brock x reader, who bake sweets for him, basically try to show her love for him in many ways in a day to day basis, and when she decides to tell him that she loves him, she sees him with Anne and misunderstand everything.

She panics, but ends fluff? Sorry for any mistakes English is not my first language

A/N: No worries!! Thank you for the request and I hope you enjoy!! Day 6! So many more to go!

"I think I need better piping tips." You said, looking over to Eddie for some reassurance.

The man had a one track mind, and right now, the only thing he could think of was the cookies you had in the oven. He's been staring at it for the last five minutes.

"A watched pot never boils." You said, finally catching his attention.

"And watched cookies never bake." he retorted turning around to look at the cake you'd be decorating, "I think it looks nice."

"Really?"

"Of course!"

"You're not just being cute and nice, right?"

"What would I gain from lying? Name one thing."

"More sweets?"

"That is true, but I don't have to lie to get those."

You rolled your eyes with a smile as you moved the cake to the other counter so that way you had room for the cookies. Before you, Eddie wasn't really the type of guy to have a sweet tooth, but oh boy you sure did change that. You worked at a bakery, and you were still practicing your skills any chance you got.

Eddie was a good and somewhat unbiased judge. He never lied to you, but he was never mean about anything either. If something needed worked on, he'd tell you nicely.

"Why are you stressing so much about your decorating skills anyways? I think you're amazing at it."

"My boss really wants me to start helping out in the decorating area..I was just worried that I was totally going to suck." You set your piping bag off to the side and wiped off your hands, "I just want to make sure I can do everything perfectly."

"You got this. It'll be a breeze for you. I mean, c'mon, look at it. It's really good."

You took a moment to really admire your cake. Yeah, it was pretty good.

Eddie really was so nice and loving to you. He was nothing like any of the other people you'd chosen to spend your time with before. Eddie actually wanted to do things with you, and he was constantly dragging you along for new adventures, and actually paid attention to your wants and needs.

You really liked him. Well, if you were being honest, you were really hopelessly in love with him. And you wanted to tell him, and you were sure he felt the same, but you really wanted to make it special.

Should you write it in icing on a cookie? Or maybe he was a bit tired of cookies. Maybe he'd expect you to do that since you're a baker and all. Maybe you should just tell him. Face to face.

You both left for work, saying your goodbyes and sharing a kiss or two. You were going to tell him after work. It'd finally be a weight off your chest to finally say just how you felt.

Despite having a seemingly normal day, you began to feel a little puzzled towards lunch. Normally, somehow, someway, Eddie always found his way to your work. It was bizarre how your lunch breaks always lined up, but you were sure he did that on purpose.

He didn't show up today, so you spent your break alone. You'd texted him to have a good rest of the day at work, but he never texted back. Maybe he just got busy, you told yourself.

You managed to clock out and make your way home, and still no response from Eddie. He wasn't even home yet. It was 6:45. Normally, he's home way before you. You shrugged it off as a late day at the office as you changed out of your work clothes.

Eddie got home at about 7:15 pm, and didn't say much as to why that was. He was his normal cheery self. He doted on you as usual, and you two ate together. Every thing was fine, but it didn't feel fine.

Things continued on like that for a few days. You had this persistent nagging feeling that Eddie was hiding something, and it was getting in the way of talking to him. It was getting far too annoying to ignore.

Today, one of your rare days off, you decided to hell with it. You were going to make Eddie a nice dinner and just tell him. Maybe then the nagging feeling would go away. Maybe you were just nervous because this was a huge thing to say, especially to Eddie.

You were making your way downtown, to the store, to pick up a few ingredients for dinner. Your list was short, so this really shouldn't take too long. You walked passed a café that you and Eddie frequented, and your body froze just a few steps passed the big front window. The hell was that?

You must've been seeing things. Surely you hadn't seen what you thought you saw, right? Not wanting to be seen, just in case your eyes weren't tricking you, you turned your body a little. You couldn't believe it. There was was. Even if all you saw was the back of his head, you knew it was him solely because of who was sitting across from him at the little table.

"Anne?" you asked yourself quietly.

She looked like she was in good spirits today. Her smile was warm and inviting as always, and it looked like she was chuckling at something Eddie had just said. You couldn't look away.

Why would he do this to you? Are you really surprised? After all, he did love her first. Maybe he never really loved you to begin with.

You made your way back to the apartment to gather your thoughts. There was to be a rational explanation for this. They weren't doing anything bad, but, you did find yourself worrying because...Well, you know, it was Anne.

For the first time in years, you felt angry. How could he do that to you? You should just leave and just call him later and tell him that you're never coming back. You froze halfway to the door once you realized what had really happened. Eddie chose her. And you knew that time after time he'd do it again.

You felt stupid. You felt a few tears slip out and you tried to fight them off, but that only seemed to make it worse. The door opened, and the sound of keys hitting the counter caught your attention.

"Oh!" Eddie said, "You're home! Good, I have- Hey, are you okay?"

You just stared at him.

He walked over, attempting to comfort you, but you took a few steps back, causing him to freeze. He looked wounded.

"Did something happen?" he asked, lowering his hands.

"I don't know," You said bitterly, "Why don't you go ask Anne?"

"Anne?" Then it registered, "Oh! Oh, no, babe, that's-"

"I don't want to hear any excuses, Eddie! How could you do that to me? How could you string me along and then just backstab me like that."

"No!" He really wanted to hold you, but he knew he had to refrain, "No, no, no! It wasn't like that. I swear!"

"I can't even look at you." You rushed into the bedroom, slamming the door. "God! I'm so, so stupid!"

Eddie listened to your slightly muffled yelling for a minute or two before moving over to the door to open it.

"I shouldn't even be here anymore!" You shouted, throwing open the door, "I have to go."

You tried to move past Eddie, but as a reflex, he grabbed your arm, "Please don't do that."

You tugged and pulled, but you couldn't wiggle free. He wasn't holding too tight, and he wasn't hurting you. You just couldn't get free, "Let go of me!"

"I swear I'd never do that to you!" He pleaded, "Will you just let me explain?"

You stopped fighting and just stared helplessly ahead, "What is there to explain, huh? You don't love me like I love you, so there's nothing left to talk about."

"You love me?"

"Of course I do! But it's obvious that you don't love me! So, just, let go!"

"I love you too!" He said loudly.

It's like the whole world stopped in that moment as your head whipped around to look at him. He looked like his whole world was about to end. This wasn't how any of this was supposed to go down.

"I love you." he repeated, "I- I'm so sorry I didn't say it sooner. I..I got nervous so I, as stupid as it sounds, I went to Anne for advice."

Your whole body relaxed as you listened to him.

"I wasn't sure how to say it- Or, I guess, say it right." Eddie sighed a little, "I asked her what I should do. She was always better at this stuff. She gave me this bright idea of a movie and dinner...But it seems like that's all out the window now."

You realized your mistake, "Eddie, I'm sorry...I didn't want it to happen like this either. I had a plan too, and I guess I ruined it."

"I should've just told you. I was just scared you wouldn't feel the same."

"Wouldn't feel the same?" You wanted to sound offended at the thought, "Eddie, why do you think I do all these nice things for you? I wanted to tell you for ages, but I just couldn't."

Eddie let go of your arm, and pulled you into a hug. He hugged you like his life depended on it. You hugged back before sighing, "This really isn't how I wanted this to go."

"I know." he said, "Doesn't make it any less true, does it?"

You shook your head.

"I mean it. I really do love you. I just wanted to make sure I did everything right this time." He sounded disappointed with himself, "I guess I'm always going to screw some things up."

"That's okay." You reassured, "I don't know if you noticed, but I ruined this whole thing. Your plan, my plan. All of it."

"I wouldn't say ruined." Eddie pulled back to look at you, "I'd just say this was a little out of the ordinary."

"Do you still want to go out for dinner? Is that still in the cards?" You asked curiously.

"Of course. Why don't we just take a breather for a little bit."

[bbysamu]

#Haikyuu boy when he suspects his teammate has a crush on you

featuring:: OIKAWA Toru, KUROO Tetsuo, AZUMANE Asahi, SUNA Rintaro 

genre:: slice of life / fluff 

warning:: none! 

a/n: hehehe jealous Haikyuu boys are kind of cute 

❥ OIKAWA Toru

Oikawa is seething as he watches Kindaichi blush while listening to you describe some weird animal you saw on discovery channel. Oikawa always thought he’d feel a sense of pride if he catches his teammate crushing on you. Yet, watching the slow smile spread on his kouhai’s face and the obvious deep tint in his cheeks as you pat his shoulder for emphasis, Oikawa is angry. And when Oikawa is angry, Oikawa is petty. You jump slightly when you feel the pretty setter’s arms snake around your waist. “Toru! You scared me! sneaking up like that...” Oikawa smiles down at you, “I just wanted to see what MY GIRLFRIEND and my kouhai were laughing about”. “oh I was just telling Kindaichi about this fish I saw on the TV last night. It could glow in the dark! and Kindaichi was just telling me about how he loves glow-in-the-dark fishes.” Oikawa turns to Kindaichi, who seems to shrink under the glower of his captain, “oh does he now? Does Kindaichi like the fishes MY GIRLFRIEND saw on the tv last night?” Kindaichi nods slightly, “yeah, I've always been pretty fascinated with fishes”. Oikawa smiles, “that’s cool! You know what else was very cool? When MY GIRLFRIEND and I went on a DATE to the aquarium. It was super fun. MY GIRLFRIEND and I saw so many different kind of fishes. MY GIRLFRIEND even bought us matching BOYFRIEND and GIRLFRIEND fish rings. She got the clown fish one and I'm the anemone. MY GIRLFRIEND AND I can’t be separated. MY GIRL--”. Oikawa was interrupted by Iwaizumi. “SHUT UP OIKAWA! We get that Y/N your girlfriend! Just shut up already”. Oikawa turns to Kindaichi, “do you get that Kindaichi?” Kindaichi nods quickly before running away. “Toru...” You sigh, “why are you so petty? We were just talking”. Toru laughs before pulling you close, “sorry babe. I just get so jealous when MY GIRLFRIEND talks to my teammate who has a crush on her”.

❥ KUROO Tetsuro 

He glares across the room at Lev, who’s little crush on you was starting to get on his nerves. Lev was anything but subtle. It was the annoying way he butted in when the two of you are walking home, offering to carry your backpack, as if Kuroo hadn’t already offered the moment he saw you. It was the annoying way he yells “Y/n-senpai!” when you visit them at practice and runs up to you like a little puppy, when Kuroo should’ve been the one to greet you first. Kuroo knows Lev was no threat to your relationship and as captain, he really should just let it go. So why is he picking on the tall middle blocker and making him run extra dive practices? “Kuroo, can I take a break now?” Lev asks, out of breath from diving onto the floor for twenty minutes. Kuroo was about to say “no”, when Yaku steps in, “yeah take a break Lev”. Kuroo glares down at the Libero as Yaku glares up. “Get a grip on yourself Kuroo. You’re gonna kill the kid”. “Maybe he should’ve thought of that before he’s goes around flirting with MY girlfriend”. Yaku laughs, “so this is what its about? Man, you’re petty. Just talk to him”. Your pretty laughter interrupted his conversation as he looks to his left and sees Lev cracking some jokes with you. Kuroo turns back to Yaku, “don’t worry, I'll talk to him after practice. But only after another twenty minutes of diving practice”. “Kuroo....” Yaku warns. “what? I’m not being petty. You know he needs it”. 

❥ AZUMANE Asahi 

Asahi is a calm and kind man. He hates confrontation of any kind, which is why he’s sweating profusely as he watches Sugawara chatting and laughing with you. Asahi knows Sugawara would never try to ruin your relationship, but he also sees the way the pretty setter’s eyes lingers on you for just a tad bit too long. He walks over and awkwardly inserts himself into the conversation, purposely putting distance between you and Sugawara “hahaha, what are we laughing about guys?” You look at him and smiled, “just about the new Jujutsu Kaisen episode. Babe, you watched it right?” “no, I didn’t yet”. “no worries, I can re-watch it with you!”. Pretty soon, you and Suga resume your conversation. Asahi was not about to confront his friend for taking up his time with you, but he wasn’t about to let this conversation go on any further. He checks his invisible watch, “oh no Y/n! It’s getting so late, we gotta go! Bye Suga!” He pulls you away before you have to time react. Asahi glances back slightly to see if the setter was watching the two of you and he was. Asahi hates himself for being so petty, but he couldn’t help himself as he tightens his hand around your waist and pulls you into a kiss. “woah, babe, what was that for?” “nothing, I just love you, you know that right?” You smile, “yes, but prove it to me again?” He doesn't even hesitate as he leans down again. 

❥ SUNA Rintaro

Suna definitely considers himself an observant person, which is why Atsumu’s little crush on you was immediately discovered by him. It wasn't that Suna was angry. Atsumu is his friend and honestly, who can blame him for having a crush on you when you’re....you. Suna wasn’t angry, he was just annoyed. He was annoyed to see the faintest hint of blush on Atsumu’s ears whenever he talks to you or the goofy smile the faux blonde is unable to wipe off when you smile at him. Suna is sure he’d explode if he sees Atsumu shyly glancing at you one more time, whenever he thinks people aren’t looking. Which brings us to the situation at hand. Atsumu walks into the empty locker room, “Yo Suna, you said you wanted to talk?” “Atsumu, do you like Y/N?” Atsumu couldn’t stop the heat from rushing to his cheeks as he sputters, “what? no! of course not!” Suna smiles, “you don’t have to lie, I'm not mad”. Atsumu knows he can’t hide this from the observant middle blocker. “I’m sorry man. It’ll go away soon I promise.”  Suna puts his hand on his shoulder, “yeah I know. Thanks for being honest. Maybe it’ll help to distance yourself from her these days.” It was both a kind suggestion and a thinly-veiled threat at the same time. Atsumu nods. Suna pats his friend’s shoulder before meeting you outside the gym. “Why are you smiling like this, Rin?” He glances down at you gently and lovingly, “nothing, just happy to get something off my chest”.

stay fetch, xoxo

[sour--disposition]

Behind His Back

-

harry lewis x fem!reader

-

please see my pinned post for masterlists/request info :)

requested: Hello, could you do something where reader is best mates with cal and he brings her to shoots and in vids and such and her and Harry are kinda together but no one knows then someone accidentally outs them thanks !! 🙌🏻

Yours and Cal’s laughter reached the spot that the other guys had picked for filming long before the two of you did, poking and chasing each other as you barrelled through the doors. Cal was joining in on some game that they were filming for moresidemen and he’d dragged you along so you could sit off camera and poke fun at all eight of them.

As soon as you’d fallen into the venue, a bright smile had stretched across Harry’s face. Seeing you as happy and full of life as you were made him impossibly happy, as soppy as it sounded. All he wanted was to wander over and pull you into his arms, maybe surprise you so you let out that funny squeal you did whenever she shocked you.

But he couldn’t.

Although he’d never said it, it was sort of an unwritten rule of Cal’s that you were off limits for any of his friends. Maybe that made it all the more exciting, sneaking around behind your best friend’s back. You knew that it wouldn’t end well, it would either end in heartbreak between you and Harry or anger from Cal. Neither was an outcome you wanted, but one of them was bound to be inevitable.

Ethan had noticed Harry staring at you and was prepared to embarrass his best friend, not knowing that he was one of the only people that knew the truth about yours and Harry’s relationship. “Gonna go give your girlfriend a smooch, Bog?”, Ethan asked, grin as bright as ever as he shoved Harry playfully in your direction.

You and Harry both froze, eyes wide in surprise and fear. The humour drained out of Ethan’s face as he watched yours and Harry’s reactions and a tense atmosphere immediately fell over the group. Even the camera crew looked awkward.

You could see Harry desperately trying to conjure up some sort of excuse for what Ethan had just said. Ethan looked like he would do just about anything to retract his words. But what was said was said and you just had to deal with the consequences.

“What the fuck is he on about?”, Cal asked, voice harsh and angry. His eyes were fixed on Harry, practically pinning him to the spot. “Harry. What the fuck is Ethan on about?”.

“Look, mate-”, Harry started, words getting caught in his throat.

“How could you?”, Freezy spat, voice like venom. He turned to you, looking at you like you’d just taken a knife to his back. “And you?”.

“Don’t be mad at her, Cal”, Harry pleaded, voice desperate.

“I’ll be mad at whoever the fuck I wanna be mad at!”, Cal shouted, making Harry jump and sending a wave of anger coursing through your veins.

“You know what, no”, you started, leaving Cal’s side of the room and walking to stand in between the two of them. “You have no right to be mad. We’re adults. We don’t answer to you. I don’t answer to you”, you stressed.

You could tell that the others in the room had no idea what to do. Guilt was written all over Ethan’s face and varying levels of worry and awkwardness seemed to be spread throughout the rest of the guys. Everyone was following the discussion like a ball in a tennis match.

“I live with him and you’re my best friend, I’m kind of involved in this!”, Cal exclaimed. You mumbled something under your breath that neither Cal or Harry heard, but it only seemed to antagonise Cal more. “What?”, he demanded.

“I’m just saying, last time I checked, it’s not you sneaking me into your apartment, but whatever”, you commented casually.

“Y/N”, Harry warned from behind you, taking a few steps closer to you.

“I’m not going to pick between my best friend and my boyfriend!”, you cemented. “If you’re going to make me pick, you’re making the decision for me”, you told Cal, a finger pointed towards him. “And it won’t go in your favour”, you cautioned.

“You’d pick Harry over me?”, Cal asked, looking genuinely offended. “I’ve known you since we were 12”, he reminded you.

“I love him”, you said, voice suddenly small and shy. “And if you don’t want any part of that, then I don’t know what to tell you”, you shrugged before turning your back and walking out of the venue.

Harry stood stock still. Everything in his body was telling him to chase after you, tell you that he felt the same way, but he couldn’t get his body to move. The shock of Cal finding out and then you telling everyone that you loved him, it left him paralysed.

“Is anyone gonna go after her?”, Vik asked, eyes tearing between Harry and Cal.

“I’ll go”, Harry and Freezy said at the same time.

“She won’t wanna see you right now, mate… In the nicest way possible”, Harry told his friend, leaving him no time to answer before following you out of the venue and finding you a few feet away, sat on a bench.

“Hey”, Harry said, catching your attention. He sat down next to you, forearms resting on his thighs as he leaned forwards. “That could’ve gone better”, he whispered, pulling a sardonic laugh from you.

“You think”, you snorted.

“I love you, too”, Harry blurted, barely giving you time to finish your sentence.

Before you had a chance to say or do anything in response, Cal was stalking away from the venue doors and towards the two of you. “Cal-”, you started.

“Look”, he sighed. “I reacted badly. I shouldn’t have gotten angry, alright”, he huffed. “I was just caught off guard, I had no idea”, he defended.

“That was sort of the point”, you chuckled. “Because we were worried about what you’d say”, you explained. “Or that you’d react like this”.

Harry sat still beside you, always unsure of what to do or say when it came to disagreements between you and Cal, and it was only made worse by the fact that he was in the middle of the situation. He let his hand leave his lap and join yours, squeezing around your fingers supportively.

“Nothing I say is gonna make this go away?”, Cal asked, face pulled with pain.

“No”, you said simply, a sense of finality settling in your voice. “If you love me enough to be worried about Harry hurting me, then you love me enough to let me love Harry”, you told him gently. “And, in the nicest way possible, it really has nothing to do with you”.

Cal sat down next to you, a heavy sigh leaving his chest as he sunk into the bench. “I feel like I should’ve seen this coming”, he complained.

“To be honest, mate, you really are clueless”, Harry chuckled from beside you.

“How long have you been together?”, Cal asked you, looking up at you from his dejected slump.

“Officially, almost three months”, you told Cal.

“Unofficially?”, he asked warily.

“Nearly six”, you admitted.

“How did I not realise?”, Cal groaned, dropping his head against the backrest of the bench. “I can’t believe I missed it”.

“We were really good at hiding it”, Harry shrugged. “It was like mission impossible to be honest, you made everything quite inconvenient”, he jibed, earning him a swat over the head from Cal.

“At least I never heard you shagging”, Cal sighed. His eyes went wide as a silence fell over you and Harry, a smirk threatening to peak through onto your lips. “Are you fucking kidding me!?”, he exclaimed, almost jumping up out of his seat.

“Yeah, none of those one night stands were one night stands”, Harry mumbled as he itched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Sorry, and all”. You could see Cal cringing, knowing that he’d heard his two best friends have sex with each other couldn’t have been a fun thought to have running through his mind.

“If you excuse me, I am off to pour acid into my ears”.

[obae-me]

A Taste of Your Own Medicine

Author’s Note: I finally did it! One of my bigger projects finished! And this is the most ambitious thing I’ve posted in a while! It’ll be my biggest post for sure! I truly, truly hope you guys enjoy this. I hope this sickfic can make you feel a bit better during these times. (*slaps fic* This bad boy can fit so many cuddles in it). Thank you all for your encouragement and support, it’s honestly what helped me get this finished! Also, I swear I’ve been over this thing more than thirty times to try and catch mistakes, but it’s a lot so if I missed mistakes I apologize. 

Word Count: 18,300

Warnings: Blood, Medication Use, Vomiting, I’m not a doctor in any way shape or form, so please don’t take any of this as a personal guide. 

As Always, Read Safely, And Please Enjoy!

Lucifer, then Satan and Mammon. After that came Beel and Belphie, followed up by Levi. Lastly Asmo. All of them, every single one, had fallen ill. Try as they may, none of them had been safe, and you’d been the main one working to nurse them back to health despite you knowing nothing about caring for demons. It had been...what was the right word? Grueling? No. Enjoyable? Well you couldn’t quite say that either. It had its ups and downs. Working for about a month straight on little sleep wasn’t exactly a dream job, but the affection and actions you’d seen were priceless. The pictures on your phone and the memories in your head would keep your heart warm for the rest of your life, but you could go no further. You were done. Done with being a nurse. Done with restless nights. Done with this illness. 

The House of Lamentation had finally begun to feel normal again, normal except for your persistent fatigue accompanied by strange shifts in your body temperature. It started off small at first, you had hardly noticed. Unfortunately, it had grown rather rapidly, impeding your day-to-day life. The fuzzy thoughts in the back of your mind knew that something was unnatural. Your body shouldn’t feel like this. Yet, afraid of facing the truth, or hoping you were just overreacting, you insisted that just sleeping it off would bring you back to normal. 

Only... you should’ve known. You should’ve seen the signs. The sneezing, the breathlessness you felt with the simplest of things, the discomfort settling in your bones. What were you going to do? Well, you figured the best thing to do was move onward, acting like nothing was amiss. Fake it till you make it. Whatever it was would go away on its own, it had to. 

But it wouldn’t, and as much as they would refuse to admit it, each demonic member of the household had grown fond of being fussed over by you. Tugging you in all directions, demanding constant attention, wearing your energy down to dust. Although, if you were being entirely honest, they tended to do that regardless. However, after being treated so specially, their neediness grew tenfold. Thus, without giving yourself a break, every morning you ended up feeling worse than the day before, and it was only going downhill from there. Perhaps you should’ve told them, nipping it in the bud before it had a change to blossom into something terrible. In retrospect, that should’ve been the obvious path to take. Yet, driven by some desire you couldn’t place, you pushed yourself so far past the breaking point that your own body had to stop you. 

Waking up to your alarm in the early hours of this particular morning was more difficult than you’d like to admit. Removing the blankets might as well have been pushing stones off your body. Your limbs felt stiff, gravity’s pull was stronger than it should’ve been, and moving forward was like pushing through waves of molasses. However, you went forward, still fooled under some grand delusion that you’d feel better once you freshened up. Gathering up a change of clothes and a towel for your morning shower, you stumbled out of your room. Getting to the bathroom had been a blur, the only thing you could recall was consistently leaning your weight against the wall to keep your legs steady. You’d met no one in your path, assuming they must’ve all already been in the dining hall, the faint smell of breakfast foods flooding the hallways. It made your stomach churn. 

Before anyone could see you in this downright pathetic state, you entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind you and locking it. You took a moment to catch your breath and press your forehead against the cold wood of the door. It felt amazing against your skin. But you couldn’t linger, you had to get ready for RAD. As you turned, you came up to the sink, settling your items on the side of the bowl. It was then you saw your face in the mirror for the first time that morning. Biting your lip, you splashed some water on your face, hoping it would wash away some of the hints of sickness-- the not-sickness...you weren’t sick. Right? You couldn’t have caught the demon illness, right? Was it possible? Your head was throbbing, the heart in your chest pounding in panic. What were you going to do? You couldn’t miss classes, you couldn’t let anyone know, you couldn’t be a burden. Brush your teeth, you thought. Get ready, play it off. It’s not that bad. It’s not that bad. Stop overreacting. 

Showering felt nice, it was the only thing so far that let you feel some peace. The steamy hot water released some of the tension in your temples and lungs. Although, the intense heat made you lightheaded, and a single little misstep in the shower had you almost plummet to the floor. Shaking, gasping for air, desperately attempting to cling to the slick stone wall, you slowly sat on the wet tiles, leaning your body back so the stream of water landed directly on your chest. The comfort almost coaxed you back into sleep, but before you could fall into slumber, you jolted. How long had you been in there? Five minutes? Half an hour? You could forget about washing your head today. Crawling out of the shower, the frigid air burnt the inside of your nose, shuddering you with a few sneezes. Not good. You rushed to dry yourself off and pull your uniform on. Before you headed down to the dining hall, you blew your nose, shook your head, and prepared yourself to sound as normal as possible. Somehow you managed not to stumble down the stairs, something you were thankful for. Maybe it wasn’t as severe as you thought it was. 

Arguing could be heard past the hall doors. That wasn’t too rare, it’d become tradition almost, to the point where being met with an unclamorous silence was somewhat threatening. What was it this time? Mammon stealing something? Beel eating something? Belphie not doing something? 

It was hard to comprehend the words, but you could make out the important pieces. “I bought that for ya, so it… … … that I took it back!” Mammon growled. 

“Once you… … …  it was mine!” Asmo shrieked. “It wasn’t yours to sell … … … buy it in the first place!” 

Ah, so it was another Mammon related issue, you didn’t need to be a hardcore gambler to win that bet. Raised voices didn’t do any good for your head, the pressure in your eardrums throbbing. You stayed silent as you slid inside, or at least you tried to stay silent. Instead, you accidently made your presence prominent as you shut the doors too harshly behind you. Heads turned all at once, your knees threatening to turn to jelly under the gaze. 

“Is something the matter, MC?” Lucifer asked, the first one able to sense something wrong. He always knew. You were never able to hide anything from him. However, the fact that you’d been able to play things off in his presence up till now settled a sort of twisted pride inside you. You blamed Pride himself for his bad influence. Lowering his cup from his lips, he raised an eyebrow. 

You mustered up a usual grin. “Just...tired,” you lied. Had your throat always been this sore? And was it the table full of warm food, or was it terribly hot in here? Not the healing sort of temperature either, but rather the sticky suffocating heat that formed waves in your vision. Or maybe the room was swirling on its own? Tugging at the collar of your shirt, you took a single step forward, attempting to walk again. You lowered your head, turning away from the eldest, remaining as inconspicuous as possible for fear he’d take one good look at you and expose your troubles. Lucifer was not convinced, shifting his gaze between his morning cup of coffee and your strange stature. For the time being, he dropped his questions, lying in wait for you to exude any signs that you were lying. 

Doing your best not to trip up, you eventually sat down at the dining table, a spot left open for you between Belphie--who was sitting up asleep--and Asmo. The demon of lust luckily didn’t seem to notice your weaker state, continuing on his tirade against his older brother. “Mammon, I swear to whatever forces may be listening that if you don’t get it back I will ruin you, you hear me?!” 

“Yeah yeah, you can try!” Mammon scoffed. 

Asmo spoke again, his words blocked out by the sudden ringing in your ears, the shrill noise spurring on pain behind your eyes. As you bit the inside of your cheek, you squeezed your eyes closed till the painful sound faded away. Only, opening them back up now seemed to make everything worse. The light was harsh, far too harsh, blinding rays striking off every reflective surface. Your vision started to swim, blurring the features of those around you. Squinting, you groaned a bit to yourself before lifting a utensil from the table, attempting to eat some of the breakfast in front of you before anyone became suspicious. Every bite sank heavily to the bottom of your stomach. 

“Will the two of you be quiet, for sin’s sake?!” Satan boomed, his wrath peeking through his composure as his brothers started to take their spat too far, interrupting what should’ve been a quiet morning. Although, when had that ever happened? Magic spilling from their fingertips, demon forms exposed, Mammon and Asmo were each ready to brawl it out at any moment. The ruckus finally managed to stir Belphie who was visibly irritated. 

The miniscule amount of food you had eaten started to already stir sickeningly within you. The sweltering heat you had felt before stripped away in a moment, a frightening chill creeping over your body. Before you could think, you got to your feet, breathless, heart pounding as an overwhelming presence of something agonizing forced you to move. Getting up too quickly caused the whole world to rock, your head doing somersaults. Lucifer obviously was now convinced everything was far from fine as you swayed on your own two feet, the legs of his chair screeching against the hardwood floor as he stood. Everyone in the room quickly went quiet, all eyes on you as you fumbled. The weight of their attention seemed to push you further over the edge. “It’s...I’m…” You needed to move, to be anywhere but here, so you staggered a few steps away from the group. 

You heard the thud before you felt it, not quite comprehending what it meant to feel the floor fall out from beneath you as the world shifted sideways. The area became a chorus of shouts as seven demons called out your name. You didn’t fully blackout. Your consciousness was too stubborn to be snuffed out like that, but you couldn’t fully talk or move either. 

A pair of arms wrapped around you, bringing you close to their body. Despite being right next to you, somehow everything still felt so far away, like you were experiencing everything secondhand. The smoothness of leather touched your cheek before the glove was supposedly discarded, cold skin touching your face. “They’re burning up,” Lucifer announced, the undertones of his voice just barely wavering, or perhaps your sense of sound was just as skewed as your sight had been. He flipped his hand over, his knuckles brushing against your forehead. You tried opening your eyes to look at him, but it was next to impossible. 

“MC?! Hey, what’s with you?!” Mammon shouted, two hands squeezing your shoulders. The panic in his words was apparent. “What’s wrong with them?!”

“I think they’re sick,” Belphie chimed. 

Satan sounded distant, but his voice still drifted to your ears. “Should I alert Simeon and Solomon?” 

Without warning, you sensed yourself being lifted off the floor, the sudden movement jerking the last strands of your consciousness back as you lurched into a black weightlessness. You swam through the fog, trying to pick back up the voices in the room. 

“...the human world to get a few things,” someone spoke. As you shifted your body, the people went silent, but not for long. 

“They’re awake!” 

“Thank heavens…” 

“Oi, everyone get off ‘em!” 

Somehow, you found the energy to open your eyes. There were no arms holding you and the dining room was far gone. You were now in bed, in your room, surrounded by demons, angels, and the only other human in the Devildom. The confusion of the blank spot in your memory shot panic through your nerves, not to mention it was uncomfortable to be stared down like this. “What…?” You gasped, trying to sit up in bed. A washcloth slid off your forehead and down your face. Someone’s gentle hands guided you back into a lying position, taking the rag and putting it back in its place. 

Lucifer had a chair pulled up to your bedside, lines popping up between his eyebrows in worry. He finished pressing you back up against your pillow, pulling the blankets back over your chest. “Don’t move too much,” he ordered, his words harsh but his eyes soft. “You collapsed in the dining hall.” 

Well, that part you could recall. They must’ve brought you here. Despite it only feeling like a second, you must’ve been out long enough for the other exchange students to arrive. “Is-” You interrupted yourself with some coughs, quickly turning your head into your pillow. Even just speaking left your lungs weak, but you had a question. “Is it…? 

“It’s not what the brothers had if that’s what you’re asking,” Solomon nodded. “You as a human couldn’t catch that particular illness. Although if you had, you probably wouldn’t survive. So lucky you, right?” Levi nearly dropped to his knees at that prospect, eyes wide with fear, as if he wasn’t convinced that you were lucky at all. You had to admit, you felt far from it. Many of the other siblings shot the sorcerer a dirty glare, everyone’s nerves strangely on edge. Solomon closed his eyes and laughed a bit. “Aha, but like I said, it’s a very mortal disease. Just a cold or the case of the flu from what I can tell.” 

“Just?” Mammon growled, barking out his opinions like an angry guard dog. “They’re lying here looking like they're two seconds away from pushin’ up daisies and you make guesses? You’ve been acting so calm and treating this like it ain’t that serious! And to be honest, it’s kinda tickin’ me off!” He took a few serious steps towards Solomon, shoulders squared, ready to fight. Luke ducked behind Simeon’s body for protection, but there was no need. Before he took things too far, Mammon growled and resumed his brisk pace around your room. 

“I hate to agree with him,” Asmo started, “But Mammon’s right.” The fourth-born frowned, some of his outward sparkle dulled with concern. Every hint of his and Mammon’s dispute had faded away. “This isn’t a joke! You have to do something, Solomon! Save them!” Asmo flung himself over the sorcerer begging and pleading, reacting as if you were on your deathbed. Mammon pushed a haughty breath of air between his teeth, turning on his heels to sit beside you on the bed. His nervous energy could hardly be contained, erratically adjusting the blanket over your body as one of his legs bounced up and down rapidly. 

Solomon shook his head, brushing Asmo off of him. “I was simply trying to lighten the mood.” You caught a flicker of amusement in his eyes as he watched these powerful demons on the brink of falling to pieces. “If treated properly, it shouldn't be fatal. Plenty of monitoring and rest and the body should heal on its own. Of course if it worsens or persists, then a doctor might be required, but we can cross that bridge when we get to it. Although, like I was saying, it would be best if I went to the human world to at least get some proper medicine. We wouldn’t want our MC here to suffer the full brunt of the symptoms, and I doubt the remedies here would have a desired effect.” 

With that, Lucifer sighed, lifting his chin to address the sorcerer. “I shall accompany you to the human world. We’ll get what we need and come right back, understood?” 

Either the demon of pride’s stern glare wasn’t at its peak today or Solomon was generally unaffected. The sorcerer looked past him and right at you with a grin on his face. “He gets rather overbearing when it comes to you doesn’t he?” 

“We’re leaving,” Lucifer huffed, his arms wide to shepherd everyone out of your room. Several of his siblings cried out in protest. “Everyone out! The last thing MC needs is the bunch of you bothering them.” The only one he didn’t tug along was Simeon, the angel turning down the light and approaching you as soon as everyone had gone. 

A short laugh rumbled in his throat. “They sure do care about you a lot,” he smiled. He took Mammon’s previous spot on the bed by you, settled by your hip. He discovered the bump in the blanket that served as your arm under the covers. Slowly, he ran his hand up and down over it. “What a terrible thing for you to be this sick.” It wasn’t often the angel frowned, but in this case he appeared deeply troubled, as if he was taking your pain as his own. “I can help you fall asleep if you’d like me to. Solomon warned me against using too much magic against your weakened immune system, but I should be able to let you sleep peacefully.” He waited for a response, not moving forward with anything till you nodded your head slowly. Golden light rushed to the ends of his fingers, the soft skin of his fingertips brushing against your eyelids to close them. A shudder ran down your spine, your own body tingling, and you wondered if it was his magic or simply just the tender gesture. “Rest well, MC,” Simeon whispered. “Feel better.” And then just like he suggested, your mind quickly got swept along into a blissful sleep. 

Angelic magic or not, it didn’t seem to hold back the fever for long. Even in your dreams, all you could feel was frigid fire. Your nerves were fried, unable to tell if you were freezing to death or boiling. And the dreams...the images flashing in your mind of threats you couldn’t understand, dangers that filled you with panic. Someone was uttering words to you that you couldn't understand. All you could do was try to run, try to escape. Everything about you was screaming. 

Through the mist of sickness, you could finally make out the voice. “...gotta...can’t...help…” After a few moments of the whimpering and the distress, you were alarmed to figure out it was the sound of your own voice. But you couldn’t even feel yourself saying the words. 

“I’m here,” another person muttered past the darkness. “It’s alright…” The stranger shushed, trying to sound sweet to cover up the panic in their tone. “The one time I need that pompous jerk around and he’s gone. Figures.” You could hear a few pages being turned, a frustrated click of a tongue followed after. “Why didn’t I look this up before? Why wasn’t I prepared?” The anger from the other being in the room seemed to affect you. You thrashed a little, kicking your feet as if it would help push off the suffocating agony. Two hands clamped down on your shoulders, pinning you to the bed. “Calm down...Please calm down...I need to calm down.” Once you went back to being mostly still, more pages were turned. “Have the afflicted wear light clothing. I can do that.” A weight was shed off of you as the blanket pulled back. Air struck your sweat covered skin, sending chills down your body. You began to tremble. The front of your RAD uniform was tugged at, someone working at the buttons to shed the outer layer off your body. 

“...won’t...s...sor...is…hah…” Your speech was broken, and even if you knew what you wanted to say, your mouth wouldn’t let you. Someone took your hands, lifting your arm to let gravity help assist in removing the sleeve. You could feel it slip before fully crashing against the bed like a dead weight, free of the thick uniform fabric. The same was done with the other arm. Then a hand supported the back of your neck, lifting your upper body just enough until the extra layer was yanked out from under you. Removing the jacket had been like opening an oven. Heat from your body suddenly escaped into the room, no longer trapped behind unnecessary insulation. Even in your rather deranged state, you could feel your shirt sticking to your skin. Now you seemed to be shuddering harder.

“Hydration...medication...Curses, Lucifer, get back here...Nothing...there’s nothing here!” The individual grunted in a growl of vexation, a frantic flutter of paper soaring further away before something heavy struck the ground far from you. You managed to stop moaning, switching to feverish panting. Your company tutted at you again, stroking the top of your head tenderly. “Can you even hear me at all? Breathe, MC, breathe.” It’s embarrassing to admit it took you much longer than you would’ve liked to remember how to control your breathing. Once you took some deeper inhales, you heard your caretaker sigh in relief. “Good…Well, not good, but better.” 

Reality had sunken in almost completely now, just covered with a thin layer of dreamy haze. You cracked your eyes open, a mess of blonde hair and worried green eyes looking down at you. “S-Sa...tan,” you murmured. 

His hand stroked your head a few more times before grabbing the wet rag again and dotting it across your face. The energy you needed to retain consciousness was quickly fading. Satan’s hands grasped your face. “Hold on!  Look at me again, come on.” With every ounce of power you had left, you lifted your eyelids as much as you could. Still half-lidded, you only caught glimpses of his green sweater as he slid one hand under your back, lifting you up gently. Your head bobbed down, chin against your chest as Satan settled your back against your headboard. Gentle fingers lifted your head, some plastic brought to your lips. “You have to stay hydrated, drink just a little.” You wrapped your lips around the straw, sucking water into your body until you felt like you were going to be sick again. Satan moved to put the cup back down, and in that time he made the mistake of letting you go. Gravity tugged your body down, nearly slipping out of bed, threatening to fall to the floor. Thankfully, the demon of wrath was there to catch you. Head resting against his shoulder, you breathily let out a ‘thank you’ that was probably closer to a slurred series of sounds rather than a statement. 

His arms wrapped tightly around you. “Don...lea…ve...”

Then everything went black again. 

When consciousness flooded back to your mind, you had no idea how long it had been. Turning to your other side, you rubbed your head against the pillow. Everything was still much too warm. You slipped an arm under your heavy headrest, hoping to get to the cooler side. Your pillow twitched. Your pillow...was moving? Up. Down. Slow. Rising with steady breaths. You woke up, shifting enough in your spot to alert the person in your bed. Placing a book to the side, Satan rubbed one of your shoulders. Taking a moment to realize what position you were in, you felt your stomach flop once you came to the conclusion that you were lying against Satan’s legs, clinging to his clothes, hand against his lower back, head resting against his stomach. “You alright?” Satan wondered, pressing a hand to your forehead. You didn’t need to speak for him to know the answer. Not really. “I’ll admit, you had me worried for a while there.” He sat up fully, your head sliding back to your pillow--your actual pillow. You quickly retracted your death grip on him, hugging your arms close to your body. If there could be any more heat in your cheeks, there would be. 

Shame creeped into your bones. “S...sorry.” 

His expression brightened a small amount, pleased with the fact that you could speak mostly clearly now, even if your voice did sound ragged. He pulled the blanket back over your shoulders and up near your chin. “Don’t worry about that, just worry about feeling better.” He twisted his body, grabbing something off your nightstand again. “Here, have some more water. Everything I’ve read says that you need to stay hydrated at all times.” You dug your elbow into the mattress, lifting your head enough to not choke as you drank. As Satan lowered the glass, you noticed it was almost completely empty. You didn’t remember drinking that much. Exactly how delusional had you been earlier? How much had you forgotten? You downed the rest of the drink in small sips, lying back down when you were done. 

“Did…” You squeaked. “Did I do anything…” 

“Weird?” Satan finished your sentence for you. “So you don’t remember all of it, I take it?” You shook your head. “You started moaning, hyperventilating. Once you calmed down a bit you collapsed on me and refused to let me go. I figured since I was going to monitor you anyway I would…” A small blush formed on his cheeks. “Hold you till Lucifer got home.”

You looked away from his face, still a bit self conscious. You decided to change the subject. “He’s still gone?” 

Satan’s lips almost curled into a little snarl. “Yes. I have no idea why he’s decided to take his sweet time to-” He cut himself off short, clearing his throat and removing any traces of rage. “Don’t worry about him, I’m sure he’ll be home soon with the medicine.” You felt the top of your head being pet again, tempting you to close your eyes. “Until then, is there anything I can get for you?” You shook your head once more, allowing yourself to indulge in your impulses, moving closer to his body. Despite seeming mostly unaffected by the intimacy earlier, he took in a short sharp breath, lifting his head to the side to hide part of his face. His hand was near your face, tauntingly close, reminding you of how chill his skin was and how good it felt to have him stroke your head. You closed your eyes, bringing your head forward enough to bump against his wrist. A stifled gasp rang through the air before he took a deep breath. “It’s unfortunate that you had to be this sick to…” His sentence trailed off, his hand that you’d ran into pressed against your burning cheeks before brushing against your hair, running down the length of locks before starting again. “Conserve your energy,” he whispered. “Go back to bed.” 

“... … how are they?”

“...still feverish… …sleeping for a long time…” 

“I’ll take over… … get some rest.” 

Soft voices somehow roused you from your deep sleep, the final click of your door leaving you awake. You flitted your eyes open, immediately upset with how dry and crusty they felt. It didn’t help you feel any better when you noticed Lucifer by your bed, busy observing a small cardboard container. He was quick to notice you move, turning his head towards you as you wiped the grime from your eyes with the back of your finger. How embarrassing. Having to be sick, weak, vulnerable, positively distasteful, and in front of the people you thought highly of no less. Memories of Satan flooded back into your mind. Would they all think less of you after this? For how low you’d fallen? For how weak you were? You couldn’t let that happen. What had happened with Satan couldn’t be helped, but from here on out you would do your best to be independent. You adjusted to sit up. 

“What did I say about moving too much?” He scolded, his hand outstretched to settle you back down. You swept his gesture away, sitting up fully and focusing on the item in his hand. A regular box of human world medicine. You reached out for it, and despite being annoyed you’d swatted him away, he handed it to you. The tones of his voice casually shifted from his typical strict nature to low and sweet. “Is...this the one you need?” You glanced it over. Gel pills, daytime and nighttime ones, for cold and flu symptoms. You nodded. He seemed relieved. “It doesn’t happen often, but I was glad for Solomon’s help in picking the proper medicines,” he admitted. “Who knew humans needed so many medications? And you even have entire shops dedicated to them.” He shook his head as a deep frown formed on his face as if he just realized how fragile and complicated human bodies could be. You sighed, agreeing with him in your mind. You were thankful he managed to bring this back though, for as much as you hated proving he was right, you desperately wanted the medicine to ease your aching symptoms. You tried prying the flap open, annoyed when it refused to tear apart. From out of the corner of your eye, you swore you spotted the smallest smirk cross over Lucifer’s face. “Would you like some help?” You grumbled, turning your torso away from him as you attempted again to open the simple package. In slight sadistic fashion, he simply observed you struggle for another few minutes before you tore the box open. Even just working on that had you nearly breathless, but you scrounged up a little triumphant grin. Pulling out one of the bubble sheets, you settled the box back in your lap which Lucifer quickly picked up, returning to read the details printed on the back. “No more than four doses a day,” he announced. “You can take two of those pills now and then wait for four hours before you can take any more.” He read all that out with the confidence of a doctor who knew exactly what he was prescribing. “I want you to check in with me before you decide to take more, understood?” 

You desperately wanted to be snippy about it, but the energy for defense was long gone. Plus, you knew that he needed to have his hands on the reins at all times, and his stubbornness was especially bad when it was a situation he had no control over. “Okay,” you squeaked, pressing your thumb tightly against the foil backing until the pills were free. Dumping them out into your palm, you sighed to yourself once you spotted the empty glass of water from earlier. You’d have to go refill it. 

As soon as you pushed the blankets back and swung your legs out of bed to stand up, Lucifer tightly gripped your shoulders. Normally, he would’ve reacted before the thought even crossed your mind, but your actions must’ve stunned him more than usual. “Where do you think you’re going?” 

Wincing a little, you cleared your throat before you spoke. “I need water.” You tried to get back up, but your weakened strength was no match against Lucifer’s, and he was hardly trying. 

“Then let me get some for you.” Your lips parted to utter out a rebuttal but he’d have none of it. He grasped your ankles, pulling your legs back into bed and folding the covers back over the lower half of your body. He pointed a gloved finger at you. “You’re not to move.” He plucked the empty glass off the tabletop, striding out of your door before you could even try to argue. A low groan rumbled in your chest, your lungs convulsing out a few more coughs. By the time you got your breathing managed again, the demon of pride was back in your room, handing you a fresh glass of water. A deeper frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as he watched ripples form in the liquid as your hand shook. Attempting to stabilize your hold only seemed to make it worse. He reached out, his intention to help you drink. Before he could, you popped both pills in your mouth and grasped at the cup with both hands as you brought the rim to your lips, watching his arm fall dejectedly back to his sides. Even the smooth gel coating went down rough, feeling more like two sharp stones scraping the inside of your esophagus. With your nose more stopped up than usual, by the time you were done drinking you were gasping for air, resulting in coughs again, hard enough to nearly make you gag. Lucifer took the cup from you before you could drop it, settling it on your nightstand. You were bowled over, tears streaming from your eyes. Rare panic crossed over Lucifer’s face, rubbing your back till the coughing fit came to an end. He took a deep inhale once it was over. Then he placed his touch over your forehead again, his thumb gently rubbing against your temple. When he retracted, you nearly let a little moan betray your feelings. You’re supposed to be independent, you reminded yourself. Lucifer shifted in his seat a bit, brandishing another item from his pockets. “We got one of these things as well,” he explained, taking the little item between his fingers and squinting to better study it. “He said it would be useful in monitoring your temperature, but...he failed to explain how it worked.” 

If you were feeling even just a bit better, you would’ve laughed. Lucifer took the thermometer and pointed the end towards your forehead, his eyebrows raised as he waited for something to happen, only to scowl when nothing did. You let a similar cocky expression coat your face as he was the one to struggle with something so simple this time. If only he knew he had the right idea but the wrong type. He’d gotten one of the older fashioned versions. “This kind goes under my tongue,” you explained. 

“Really?” He hummed. “How strange. Seems...messy.” He held the end close to your mouth, his face showing no signs of amusement this time as he waited. You hesitated, your heart beating faster at the emotions swelling in your chest. Independent, independent, independent, you repeated in your mind. Only, you’d caught him in a very impatient mood. With his other hand, he cupped it around your chin, carefully pulling your jaw down till he could slip the end of the thermometer under your tongue. You pressed your lips back together, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. The small device beeped once it got its reading. Lucifer pulled it out and brought it back towards him. “101.4” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair before settling the thermometer down, attempting to guide your body back down in a lying position. 

You stopped him, grabbing his wrist, eyes focusing on anything other than his face. “You don’t...have to do this.” 

He entertained you, fully capable of pushing you down should he desire it, but he let you keep him in your grasp. His eyes narrowed. “What thing in particular are you talking about?” 

Taking as deep of a breath your lungs would allow, you corrected yourself. “You don’t have to take care of me, I mean.” Words strained and cracking, they did little to convince the demon. “I’m well enough to take care of myself. Trust me, I’ve done it plenty before.” 

Distrustful and discouraged, he stiffened, tugging his wrist away. “Be that as it may, while you are down here you are my responsibility. It is part of my duty to ensure you are safe and well looked after. Do you expect me to just walk away from my role?” 

You’ll admit, it wasn’t very rational, but something other than the fever in you burned. “I’m not an assignment to be written off, Lucifer.” 

“You know I didn’t mean that.” His crimson eyes looked down at you for a moment, the air silent between you save for the faint rattling in your chest. Eventually, he spoke back up, the previous forbidding expression gave way to a small smile. He closed his eyes and chuckled a little, taking you aback. “When did you ever get so prideful? Is it too bold to assume it’s my doing?” Then his hand moved forward, unbothered by your past attempt to push him away. He brushed sticky strands of hair away from your face. “If you truly don’t want me here, I will leave.” Your chest seemed to flutter at his words. It wasn’t that you...didn’t want him there. It was that you did. Almost too much. If there was anything you didn’t want, it was to be a hindrance. You knew how busy Lucifer was. His trip to the human world had probably already doubled his workload, and if you were right they’d all  skipped classes for your sake, and- “MC.” He cupped your face, the look on his face told you that he knew everything you were thinking. “Not worrying about anything else, not overthinking it, do you want me here, yes or no? A simple question and two simple options.” 

“I…” You knew the answer, and he did too, trying to hold back his amusement until he could hear the answer for himself. “If...you...want to.” 

He shook his head in a defeated way. “You’re incorrigible, you know that don’t you?” With your acceptance, he took your shoulders, letting you lie down. He took the rag that had fallen off to the side, gently brushing it across your face. Under your eyes, over your cheekbones, under your chin. Then he leaned forward, his upper body resting against your bed, his head propped up under one of his hands. He gazed at you, tracing your jawline with his knuckle. The skin across his cheeks turned a light pink. “Of course I want to be with you. Not a moment goes by that I don’t desire to be at your side.” 

The fast acting medicine and the fact that you’d been so distracted by his peaceful touch, you’d totally missed what he’d told you. “Hm?” You sleepily hummed, too focused on how close his body was to yours. 

“Nothing,” he mused, making sure you were secure under the covers. “I’ll tell you once you’ve recovered. Sleep now.” 

The muscles in your body slowly woke you up, screaming at you to change positions after having slept like a stone for Diavolo-knows how long. Eyes still closed, sleep still foggy on your mind, you turned over in bed. However, even with the smallest amount of alertness you possessed, you were very aware of how...generally upsetting your body felt. Soon it was all you could focus on, forcing you awake. Groaning, mourning the comfort of sleep, you slowly stretched out your weary legs. Your feet pressed against a foreign lump in your bed. 

Mammon shot up, uncurling himself from the foot of your bed as he apparently woke up from a nap. “MC!” He crawled forward, placing both of his hands on the side of your face. “How ya feeling?” His sudden energy left you a bit winded, still trying to comprehend him caressing your face so tenderly. He let his arms drop to your shoulders. You shifted under his gaze, shaking your head. 

“Like garbage…” Hot, sweaty, gross, you felt uncomfortable in your own skin. Mammon frowned, his blue eyes wide and shimmery. He resembled a puppy for just a second, observing your face for any sort of hope that by some miracle you’d fully recovered. When he saw you were still the worst for wear, he sighed, grabbing the covers around you and tucking it against your legs. Only, the blanket wasn’t one that you owned. Running your hands over the fabric, you noticed that this was one of Lucifer’s blankets. It was lighter and cooler than the blanket you had on before. You took in the rest of your room for a moment, noticing more than one thing out of place. Mammon had been resting on one of Belphie’s pillows, one of his new expensive ones. In fact the pillow you had been sleeping on was replaced with one of Sloth’s. On your nightstand, near your box of medicine and a box of tissues was a little diffuser, one you recognized as Asmo’s. A small plume of steam flushed out of the top, a mild comforting scent spreading throughout the space. A book that wasn’t yours, a replica of some sword draped over your table, and a number of other things that had never been between your walls before were littered here and there. You tilted your head. “Where did these things come from?” You wondered.

Mammon lowered his eyelids, his hands on his hips as he settled into a more comfortable seating position beside you. “Listen, my hands get grabby sometimes when I get anxious.” 

You simply blinked at him. “You were worried?” 

His sincere expression changed as he frowned, pink touching his cheeks as he shook his head. “W-well of course! Lucifer would make sure I never saw a lick of Grimm again if something happened to you…” His voice turned to a lower mumble. “And what, you thought I wouldn’t be worried after watching you take a spill like that? Had me thinking you’d bit the dust for a second!” His eyes flickered around the room as if he was making sure you two were truly alone. Then he leaned past you, fluffing up the pillow you had been laying on. As he straightened, he pressed his hand against your forehead, his body temperature much warmer than Lucifer’s. “Never make me that worried again, yeah? I...You see...Just don’t, okay?” 

You hummed an affirming tone, nodding, a small smile creeping across your mouth. Then after the moment had passed, you shifted in your spot. You felt disgusting even after all that effort to take a shower this morning. Lucifer did say not to move too much, but right now you wanted to be clean more than anything. Pushing back the blankets encouraged a similar reaction to Lucifer’s earlier. 

“Oi! What do you think you’re doing?!” Mammon scurried to his feet, standing in front of you with his arms wide to block you from moving, even though you had yet to even leave the bed. “Bed rest means staying in bed last I checked!” 

“Please, Mammon, I just want to take a shower, I’m grimy and gross. I feel like an over-steamed dumpling.” 

“Don’t let Beel hear you say that.” You managed to stand up, but your sense of balance left much to be desired. On instinct you ended up grabbing Mammon’s shoulders to keep from falling over. “Alright, nuh uh, you can barely move! What if you end up falling and cracking that head of yours open, huh?” Your mind was brought back to your morning mishap and near tumble in the shower from before. “You’re lucky you didn’t injure yourself too badly earlier!” 

Your eyes widened. “H-how did you know about that? I don’t remember telling anyone.” 

His eyebrows raised. “I’m talking about the dining hall, dummy. But now that you’ve let that little detail slip there’s not any chance I’ll let you go now! No way.” He put one arm under yours to keep you steady, ready to keep you back in bed for good. 

Gathering up what little energy you had, you took several deep breaths, gently pushing yourself away from his body until you were standing on your own, just barely stable. “Mammon, please?” It had been your goal up until now to look as far from pathetic as possible, yet now you poured all that into your expression, eyes pleading, head tilted a bit to the side. 

He squirmed. “Tch, you think you can do whatever you want just by giving me some puppy-eyes? Who do you think I am?”

“Fine,” you grumbled. “I bet Asmo would let me take a shower. Maybe I should call him and have him take care of me instead.” 

“Asmo?! I...you...fine! But I’m c-coming with you, to make sure you stay safe and all.” 

You lowered your eyes at him. “You can stay outside the bathroom.” 

“I’m not payin’ for a busted door if I need to break in. I’m going inside! I’ll just turn around or somthin’.” 

He stared you down with a nature stubborn enough to match your own. In your state now, you had little time to squabble. “Fine.” You started walking, leaning against bits of furniture to keep you steady. Acting rather gentlemanly, Mammon rushed ahead of you to open your door. Once he did, he took your arm tucked against his in a sort of escorting fashion. Saying nothing, you both took steady silent steps to the bathroom. You were immensely pleased to find it unoccupied, leaving Mammon’s side to step in. Like he promised he would, he followed you inside, shutting the door before his cheeks turned dark with embarrassment. He turned, parking himself in a corner with his face to the wall. 

“I-I’ll be right here in case something happens, alright?” For him to come this far for you was...The added heat rushing through your body only caused you to feel worse, so you flicked on the water to heat up as you stripped. As you were taking off your pants, balancing on one leg, you teetered to the side, nearly falling. The tub right next to you served as your saving grace. You panted, cursing at yourself for being so clumsy. “You alright?!” Mammon clasped his hands over his face before turning around. “MC?” Riddled with nervous anxiety, he danced back and forth on his feet. 

“I’m okay,” you wheezed. Just barely. You planted your foot against the fabric of your pants, tugging your other leg out. “Just keep looking at that wall.” You questioned the idea of him being in here at first, but now you were beginning to have little trust in yourself. What if you did collapse, locked, exposed inside an empty room till someone came looking for you? You shuddered. Climbing into the shower, you pulled the curtains across the rod until you were completely concealed. You let out a breath of relief as the steam once again cleared up your airways, the pressure building up in your head loosening. Shutting your eyes, you let the water wash over you, cleaning off the sticky sweat that had clung to your body. You simply stood there for a few moments, appreciating the serenity. Then you figured it would be best to get yourself clean while you had the capacity to. Reaching down for the soaps you used, you washed your hair and vigorously scrubbed down your body, envisioning all the germs swirling down the drain. Although by the time you were done, you became aware of the fact that you might’ve made the water a bit too hot, and you might’ve once again pushed yourself a little too far. Nausea came along with the dizziness, the floor losing it’s feeling of solidity. After you turned the water off, you tore the shower curtain back, stepping onto the bathroom mat. 

“You done?” Mammon asked. Right now, all you could do was grunt in response. The small burst of energy you possessed had plummeted. You bypassed the towels and straight for your clothes. Only, the clothes you had been wearing previously were gone. On cue, Mammon explained. “Oh I got you some pajamas. Not good to be lying in those same clothes all day, besides, I got you something comfier.” Folded up on the floor by the tub were a comfortable pair of your pajamas. Pushing aside your humiliation, you picked up the “pajamas” he’d picked out for you. One of your shorts and...one of his t-shirts. It was one he had bought on a whim, much like most of his other purchases. Merch from an action movie you and him had watched in the theaters a while ago. He loved this thing. You could only stare at it for a few seconds. Mammon was right, these would be much nicer to sleep in. 

With a meek voice you started slipping into the new outfit, still dripping. “T-thank you.” You had hardly finished poking your head through the shirt before your knees began to tremble. Your head felt foggy, your mind threatening to slip. “M-Mammon,” you gulped, your voice shaking. 

He spun around, eyes squeezed shut. “What? What is it? Are you bleeding? Are you hurt? Are you dressed? Can I look?” As soon as you ‘mm-hm’ed he flashed his eyes open, took in the sight of your shuddering frame before hurrying over to you. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head for a moment, the world disappearing as you plummeted to the floor. You woke up in his arms hardly a few seconds after your fainting spell. Held tightly against his body, he wrapped his limbs around you, supporting you to keep you upright. “Hey, hey!” His voice shook as he squeezed you. “MC!” 

“ ‘s too...hot.” 

“Stupid human…” He muttered, his rugged tone falling short. “And you’re still drenched! Are you trying to make yourself even worse?” When his sharp remarks were met with your silence, he pulled you closer. “Ah...Really not good, huh?” He asked softly, one of his hands rubbing your back. You could only slowly shake your head. “Let’s get you back to bed, eh?” He brushed some damp hair away from your face before he dragged you out the door, his distress growing ever more visible the more you seemed to slump harder against him. It felt like an eternity inching back to your room, flopping facedown onto your bed as soon as it was in your sights. The mattress bobbed up and down, the movement surprisingly soothing, almost lulling your body to a light sleep right then and there. “Alright, come on. It’ll do you no good to fall asleep like that.” Mammon helped lift you up, letting you settle your head against his body, arms wrapped around his neck as he worked to get you back under the covers. He tucked you in, moving about the room nervously the less responsive you became. Shutting your eyes to conserve some energy, you listened to him curse under his breath, grumbling to himself about “fragile humans”. At some point, a dry fabric came into contact with the top of your head. You were pushed slightly to make some space for him to sit down. He adjusted you till your head was in his lap, the fabric massaging against your wet hair. “Stupid human…” He repeated, softly scrubbing the towel against your scalp. “Why’d you have to go and get yourself sick, huh?” 

“...didn’t...mean to...I’m sorry…” 

The motions across your head stopped, then you felt the back of his hand stroke against your cheek. “Now don’t sound like that...Do you know how much it hurts me to see ya like this?” He paused and then resumed ensuring your hair was as dry as he could get it. “Don’t you worry, the Great Mammon will be right here for you till you feel better, alright?” His voice sounded strained. “So ya better get better…” You cracked your eyes open, pushing yourself up. “What’re you doing? I-“ He quickly cut himself off as soon as you settled yourself between his legs, head against his chest. You could hear his throat casually gasp for breath. His nose came down to nestle against the top of your head, his arms dropping the towel, instead wrapping around your body. “Don’t do this for anyone but me, ya hear? Only I...only I want to take care of you like this.” He pulled the blanket up around the both of you, his soft breaths growing deeper and deeper. Eventually you both fell asleep. 

Your mind was flooded with more fever dreams, clips and scenes of moments your conscious mind wouldn’t even know how to explain. It blurred the line between what was real and what was simply your imagination, so in the moment, when you were disturbed from your sleep, you didn’t even react. Your body was moved, flipped over, weightless, moved from the soft surface you were on to something firmer. You could only process it for a mere second before you were plunged back into a nonsensical plot your frayed mind came up with. After what felt like some time, you were just barely awoken again when harsh and hushed whispers buzzed in your ears. 

“They shouldn’t be down here!” 

“So cute! I mean, poor thing.” 

“Are they still asleep?”

“Take them back.” 

Once you realized that this was real, you slowly became aware of more things around you. As tired numbness left your limbs, you felt your arms pinned against your body, something around you constricted your movement. Panic struck you for only just a second, feeling that your blanket was simply wrapped around your body. You figured in your restless state you must’ve trapped yourself inside it. An involuntary groan escaped your mouth as you squirmed a little, moving your feet in an attempt to feel an escape. 

Something outside of you moved you, tugging you tighter against something firm, a pressure rubbing circles into your back. It soothed you enough to keep you from struggling, but you were steadily waking up. The “wall” you were against vibrated as a deep voice rumbled out of it. “I just thought...it wouldn’t feel like a family dinner without them.” Your body was adjusted again, lifted to be propped up against what you now understood was a torso. One strong arm kept you still, draped against your back. 

“S-surely you can’t hold them and eat at the same time, Beel,” someone muttered. “Why don’t you let your big bro hold em?” 

The body holding you tightened around you, shielding you. “No.” 

“Don’t underestimate him.” 

“Should we wake them up?” 

“Don’t humans heal faster when they sleep?”

Someone else let out an exhausted breath. “Fine, but they’re to be put back in bed once you’re done.” 

The chest your head was against hummed with satisfaction. “Got it.” Soon, quiet but eager eating noises could be heard outside your muffled prison. If you connected the dots correctly, you were resting against Beel who had brought you down to dinner while you had been asleep. Was this a brief glance into what Belphie felt like? Albeit with more comfort and less...pain. Although he’d probably beg to differ. Right now, you couldn’t even pinpoint where the source of your suffering was coming from. It just seemed to be...all over, even down to the tips of your fingers. Even if you had wanted to move, you didn’t have the energy for it, so despite being almost wide awake at this point, you stayed in place. You tried to focus on anything else to keep your mind off the aching. Beel’s heart sounded like a distant drum. Burying your face closer against his body, you let out a small whimper, focusing on the melodic thumping of his healthy heart. You could even hear the pace speed up as your cheek pressed up against him. 

“Beel, you alright?” 

The sound of eating stopped, and a clink of something metallic against glass sounded before a second arm enveloped you, a hand settled at the back of your head. “I’ll eat in a little bit,” Beel whispered. 

“In a--” 

“Shhhh! Shut up, Mammon!” 

“I mean…” The voice returned to barely audible. “Whadda sayin’ ‘in a bit’? You’re not sick again are ya?” Beel didn’t grace anyone with a response. You were gently squeezed in his hug, a weight coming down on top of your head, presumably his chin. The hand behind your head moved to the space between your shoulder blades, moving up and down in rhythmic strokes along your spine. It was uncanny, you thought, how he almost immediately knew how desperate you were for some comfort. Or maybe he was just perceptive like that. If anyone would be, it would be Beel. 

“How are they feeling?” Someone asked. 

Cooler air poured against your face as the space left for you to breathe was made wider. Light from the dining hall illuminated outside your eyelids. Beel’s hand pressed against your forehead, moving down to cup your cheeks. Out of everyone, he always ran the warmest, bordering on nearly being a walking furnace. And yet even he moaned in unease, his stomach groaning alongside him in worry. “Still too hot,” he announced. You allowed yourself to flicker your eyes open, looking up at him just as he moved his hand away. Both his eyebrows raised in surprise before he quickly frowned. “Did I wake you up? Sorry.” You figured that now that everyone knew you were up, it would be time to move. Sitting up straighter in your spot, you wiggled one of your arms out of your cocoon, pulling the fabric of your blanket off your head, letting it settle around your waist. You rubbed spots out from your vision, blinking as you soaked in the sight of the room. 

Asmo politely dabbed at the corners of his mouth with a napkin, settling it back in his lap before addressing you with the sweetest pair of eyes. “Good evening, darling! How’re you feeling?” 

You had half of a mind to try to play the “I’m fine” card, but with your fit with Satan and fainting scare with Mammon, it would be no use to even try to pretend you were fine. So you didn’t see the harm in being honest. “Like I’ve been to hell and back.” 

“You are in hell,” Belphie quipped. 

“You know what I mean.” You turned your head and glanced up, your heart pounding more prominently when you once again realized just how big Beel was compared to you, an otherworldly size. Sweeping away your embarrassment, you started tugging at the blanket to free your legs, moving to leave his lap. “Sorry, Beel.” 

His hand grabbed one of your wrists. “What do you mean?” He tugged at you, repositioning you firmer in his lap. “You didn’t do anything.” His beautiful amethyst irises stared right into yours. “I wanted you here. Meals aren’t the same without you.” He pat the top of your head, letting his fingers scratch gently into your scalp. In most situations, you’d find your open vulnerability to be embarrassing, but right now you couldn’t care less. You leaned back into him, nestling your nose into his chest, using his body to block out the light. Beel gripped the blanket and pulled it back up to settle around your shoulders. 

“Speaking of meals,” Lucifer started. “It’s about time MC had something to eat.” 

Satan spoke up. “Do we even have anything decent enough for sick humans to have?” The brothers went back and forth for a while, bringing recommendations hypothetically to the table about what would be best for you. 

“Belphie knows the most about humans, what do you think?” Beel wondered. 

A lone monotone hum rang out for a moment. “I think it was stew or something like that.” 

A strange bout of irritation drilled in you. You turned your head, addressing the group. “You know you could just ask the human right here. I might be sick but I’m not completely helpless.” 

Brusque tones usually granted you grating glares, but even Lucifer seemed to give you a pass. “So?” The eldest questioned. “Tell us what you need and we can get it for you.” 

Something about that knocked the rebellious wind out of you. You lowered your head a bit and sighed. “Don’t even worry about it, I’m not hungry anyway.” A bold statement to claim whilst sitting in the lap of Gluttony. 

Shaking you lightly, Beel squinted at you. “You’ve barely eaten all day.” The expression on his face turned Lucifer levels of stern. It wasn’t an appearance he took too often. Even now you knew this was a losing battle. A flash of a memory popped up in your mind, one of when Beel had been sick. You pressed your lips together into a thin line. 

“It’s fine.” 

“It’s not.” 

“Beel--” 

“MC. Eat.” His flat tone trembled throughout his body, sending a shudder through you. Lucifer was always strict, so it never caught you off guard, not anymore. But when Beel got this way it pierced through everyone in the room. As if they’d been the one commanded, everyone took a single bite of their meal. 

You gave in, your stature shrinking. “Fine...something light then. Soup’s fine. I’ll go get some…” 

Beel’s arms wrapped around you again, keeping you to him. “No you won’t. Levi.” 

The third-born almost yelped, sinking down into his seat before stuttering. “S-sure, I-I’ll get it…” As he headed to the kitchen you could hear him grumble. “Of course he had to pick me. Why me? It’s always me…” You felt a bit sorry for the otaku as he slunk away. In fact you almost felt sorry for everyone in the room. Even just alluding to the skip of a meal had Beel suddenly tense, on alert. He had you held against him in a guarded manner, his torso bent forward to lean over what he could of yours. He didn’t settle back down till Levi came back in a handful of minutes later, resting a bowl of soup in front of you. It was of human origins you assumed, it looked like regular chicken noodle. The aroma had bits of nostalgia bubble within you. And now that it was here, you hated to admit that you actually were hungry. 

You reached over to try to grab a spoon, falling just a bit short of the table’s edge. Beel’s arms were admittedly much longer than yours, not needing to sit as close as you usually did. Beel grasped a clean utensil for you, getting a decent portion of stock in it’s dip. He held his other hand under the spoon to make sure he didn’t spill any, then he brought it over to you. Did you try to deny it? Maybe a little, but Beel’s spine-chilling glower had you reconsider. You opened your mouth and let him feed you. The hot broth slid down your sore throat easily, relieving some of the pain. As it warmed you up from the inside, Beel finally went back to smiling, everyone breathing in relief. “See, doesn’t it make you feel better?” Beel brought a new spoonful to your lips. 

You swallowed again and admittedly nodded. “A bit.” 

Out of the blue, Beel brought his face down, planting a gentle kiss to the top of your head. Some of his siblings gasped, but if the demon of gluttony heard it, he pretended he hadn’t. His free hand went back to rubbing your back, and you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t nice, the many sensations driving some of the pain from your mind. “Good,” Beel beamed. “Remember, your body needs fuel to keep going.” 

“I know…” The parallel between now and when he had been sick was almost perfect. Beel took the bowl in his hands, bringing it over to settle in your lap, keeping it steady in his hold. “Isn’t it hot?” You asked, worried he’d burn his skin. 

“Not to me,” he assured you. 

You sighed, taking the spoon from him so you could eat yourself. “Thank you for always looking out for me, Beel.”

You expected him to be pleased, but he quickly turned downcast. “I couldn’t protect you from this.” Heart breaking, all you could do was stare down into your lap, watching the broth gently swirl in the bowl. This had mostly been your fault. If you had done something just a bit differently, maybe…

“No, Beel, that wasn’t your fault,” Belphie spoke up, pushing his plate with his leftovers on it closer to his twin to finish. “Besides, it’s your job now to take care of MC now more than ever, right?” 

Beel turned his head away from the food, peering down at you in his lap. He nodded once, bringing his head down to press his forehead to yours. “You’re right. Sick or not, I’ll always watch over them.” 

After dinner, Beel carried you back up to bed, reluctant to let you be free of his arms, but he managed. After giving you one last once-over and another little kiss to your temple, he hurried back down to the dining hall. After all, he was far from having his fill of food. Lucifer had followed the two of you inside, taking your temperature once more. 100.7, still higher than he’d prefer it to be, but glad to discover it had gone down even if just by a hair. He allowed you to take some medicine and urged you to get some more rest. Flicking the light off, he wished you sweet dreams before he left, torn away from you by work he couldn’t ignore. Although, even with the comfort of your bed and the satisfying feeling of something warm in your belly, for the first time, slumber eluded you. It wasn’t that you weren’t tired--exhaustion might as well have been your permanent state at this point--but shutting your mind off, drifting away into peaceful bliss didn’t seem like an option right now. 

You spent a few hours on your D.D.D. scrolling through posts and web-pages, anything to keep you occupied. Although, that eventually bored you after a while. You sat up, trying to not let the loneliness of your empty room consume you. Had everyone gone to bed already? Had you already gotten used to falling asleep with someone beside you? That couldn’t be the case, right? You slowly got out from under your covers, padding over to the door. Maybe if you walked around the House of Lamentation enough, you’d be able to go to bed. You were feeling a bit better, capable of moving around on your own at the very least. You entered the empty hallway, the midnight moon rays creeping across the rug settled across the stone floor. The branches outside the windows cast twisted shadows across the corridor. Some people might’ve found it dreadful, but whether it was your own stranger tastes or the fact that you’d been down here so long, you found it to be serene in a mystical sort of way. 

Drifting through the halls like a weary ghost patrolling the perimeter, you wandered past each of the brother’s rooms. The house was surprisingly still. Before you knew it, you ended up in the music room. Shifting your feet towards the gorgeous ebony piano, your fingers brushed lightly over the ivory keys. Pushing down a low B, the note reverberated through the room, your skin tingling at the broken silence. It quenched some of your boredom. So you pushed another one, the lowest note this time, the deep tone rumbling through you. 

“Having fun are we?” 

You jumped, every hair across your body standing up on end. Swirling around, you met a pair of ruby eyes in the shadows. A string of curses left your lips. “What in hell’s name are you doing, Lucifer? Nearly scared me to death…” You pressed a hand to your beating chest, adrenaline coursing through your veins. You sunk to your knees, the wind knocked out of you. 

He stepped further into the light, arms crossed, almost fuming. “I could ask you the same question. Once again I have to wonder, what are you doing out of bed? Are you that determined not to recover, is that it?” Hair slightly messy, well-tailored pajamas barely creased, you figured he must’ve just gotten out of bed, possibly disturbed before he could fall asleep. It would explain the death glare he was giving you. 

“I...couldn’t sleep,” you answered truthfully, followed by an innocent little shrug. 

With two fingers, he pinched at the bridge of his nose. “And so Levi just let you waltz around on your own?” 

You tilted your head. “Levi?” 

Something dawned on him with your confused question. A terrifying smile arched over his face, the corners twitching as the small amount of light in the room was snuffed out by his menacing aura. “Leviathan…” Yelping at the sudden movement, Lucifer hoisted you over one of his shoulders, gliding across the floor at a ridiculous pace until he was in front of Levi’s room. You wiggled, beating a gentle fist against Lucifer’s back. 

“Let me down!” 

He let you slide off of him, settling you back on your feet, but he quickly grasped one of your hands to keep you to his side. Despite his furious demeanor, he gently knocked on the door, waiting for approximately two seconds before knocking harder. “Levi!”

You heard the otaku approach his door before he swung it open. “What?! I’m in the middle of a very important raid! What could you possibly need--” The entrance to the room cracked open, Levi sticking his head out before all the color drained from his face. The tangerine hue of his eyes flickering from you to his older brother, the demon with paper-thin patience. Levi gulped, the little bump in his throat bobbing.

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but didn’t I inform you that you would be keeping an eye on MC tonight?” The higher lilt in his question was laced with hostility. “Or maybe I didn’t make myself clear.” You felt a pang of guilt for the demon of envy. 

“Lucifer,” you urged, tugging at his hand which kept you in a vice grip. “I’ll go back to bed, it’s not an issue.” He was ready to blow a gasket, the weariness of dealing with work and keeping his brother’s shenanigans at bay without your assistance clearly was affecting him. Who knew he’d come to depend on you this much? You reached up, rubbing his shoulder with the sweetest look you could come up with. “Please, don’t be angry.” 

Shutting his eyes, squeezing your hand, he gave himself time to breathe. “MC, rest. Levi, take care of them. And no, I’m not asking.” The dark circles under Lucifer’s eyes almost seemed to run blacker, his irises duller than they should’ve been. 

“Hey, don’t worry about me,” you comforted him. “Go get some sleep yourself.” 

His shoulders sagged ever so slightly. “The sick shouldn't be fussing over the hale and whole, you know, but I will. I shall see you tomorrow.” He brought your hand up, kissing it before he let it go. “And, Levi.” The demon of envy flinched, hoping that he’d been forgotten. “I’ll see you tomorrow as well.” 

Levi hung his head low as his older brother walked away, preemptively sniffling at his possible doom. “...and my raid is ruined…T-this is just the worst.” You were a bit sorry for Levi for being thrown at you like this, but you couldn’t help but wonder in the back of your mind if he...had forgotten about you. You watched the outline of Lucifer disappear into the darkness before you shivered. The temperature inside the house was dropping. “Huh?” Levi snapped out of his pitiful thoughts. “Are you-are you cold?” 

“A little…” 

“O-oh, I guess...maybe...Would it be alright if you stayed in my room tonight?” His stance shifted behind his door, anxiously moving his gaze around to keep from making direct eye contact with you. 

Sighing, you nodded. After all, with the adrenaline crash, you doubted you had energy left to walk back to your room. “Sure.” 

He let you in, shutting the door behind you and locking it with a magical charm to keep the riff-raff out. He scurried over to his tub-bed, pulling out some random plush collectibles, and letting them rest against the floor for now. He spun on his feet for a moment, taking in his room before bringing his thumb up to bite on the nail of it. “Y-you can stay anywhere, I have some blankets I guess...Gah! Why did Lucifer have to make me watch you?” The heart in your chest sank a bit, and you lowered your head, a small “oh” leaving your lips. Clutching his hair, Levi immediately regretted what he said. “No! No no no no, that’s-that’s not what I-I-I--” He stuttered for a good while, unable to grasp proper control of his tongue. “Wait, wait!” Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he picked up one last Ruri-Chan plush from the bed, covering part of his face with it. “I just...I don’t remember the last time I took care of someone sick…Knowing me, I-I’ll somehow make you worse! What-what if I’m forced to make a split second decision that could be the-the difference between life and death?! I’ll end up killing you! Living the rest of my life in isolated drunken regret!” 

He quickly spiraled down a slippery slope of what-ifs, a dramatic fantasy playing out before him where he’d been cast out of the Devildom as your murderer, a disgusting vagabond, living on wildberries and wildlife with naught but his loneliness and shadow to keep him company. His rising anxiety was making him hyperventilate. You had to come over to him, gently take his shoulders and shake him slightly, dragging him back to reality. “Levi, I highly, highly doubt it will come to that. When Lucifer means ‘take care of me’ he mostly means making sure I have what I need.” You gave the sides of his arms a little rub. 

“But I don’t know what you need!” 

“Well, what I need right now is for you to calm down, first off,” you told him, dropping your hands back to your sides, gripping the end of the tub. Climbing into his bed had never really been an issue before, but hoisting yourself over the edge proved difficult a task. You felt his shaky hands come under your arms, hoisting you enough till you could sink yourself into his nest of pillows. You grinned, thanking him as you reached up to rub the top of his head. “See? Stuff like that, nothing too difficult. Fetch quests and escort missions. Easy mode. I’ll be here, just do your own thing.” 

That seemed to ease him enough. He gripped one of his blankets and pulled it over you, moving back over to his desk. Muttering about the raid, he clacked at the keys, his mood steadily improving the more he lost himself in the world of gaming. You felt at the fabric of your pants, remembering with a small moan that they didn’t have pockets...meaning you’d left your D.D.D. in your room. Figures, you thought. So, in your last ditch effort to stay entertained, you moved Levi’s pillows around, making a small wall to prop yourself against, peering over the top of the basin to stare at his screen. You watched his character move around, fighting random enemies. He was completely absorbed, lightly talking to himself as he moved along, humming the victory theme anytime a quest was completed. At one point, he was paying too much attention to a beautifully fleshed out character model to notice what they were telling him, information that he needed to know but missed out on. After that, he was sent towards a boss that ended up instantly killing him when it finished charging up its “claymore of chaos’ move. Levi tried one more time, then three more times, and then about twenty. “What the heck?! How am I supposed to beat you?!” Levi finally shouted, pushing himself slightly away from his desk. 

Speaking up for the first time in a few hours, you shared with him the information he missed. “You’re supposed to use your Mystical Missile spell.” 

He jumped, almost falling out of his chair. “I thought you were asleep!” 

“I still can’t sleep…I don’t know why.” You pulled your blanket tighter around you, peeking at him from your spot. A blush ran over his cheeks, rubbing the back of his head. 

“Oh...Really? Mystical Missile? But it’s a trashy beginner spell.” 

“That NPC lady said it would work, I dunno.” You shrugged. “Try it out, it can’t hurt.” 

So he did, removing one of his high level skills to equip the basic one. Severely doubting success, he entered the boss arena again. It was admittedly tense, keeping you both on the edge of your seat. Once “claymore of chaos” was building, Levi let the spell fly towards him. The boss staggered, a crack forming in it’s armor. “It worked!” He shouted, yelping as a new flurry of enemy spells flew towards his character.  If it was entertainment you were looking for, you found it, cheering him on as he hunched over, focused on his every move. Once it went down, you both whooped and cheered. It had been a bit too much for your lungs, dissolving into some coughs. Levi rushed to his feet, rubbing your back. “You okay?” 

You nodded, letting your body shudder with a few more hacks till it was done. Voice more hoarse than before, you still smiled at him. “You did it!” 

A laugh bubbled out of him. “Victory! Dun dun dun! Legendary item acquired!” Then his expression fell for a second. “Have you just been sitting there, watching me the whole time?” You nodded. He gripped one of his hoodie sleeves. “Would you rather do something...together?” 

You brightened. “Sure!” 

Giddy, he hurried over to the computer, picking up his loot before saving the game, closing the program. “If you’re in the mood for watching something, how about this new anime I found? I’m only a few episodes in, but I can start over! It’s called ‘I Transferred To A New School, But Everyone There Is Part Of The Elite, So I Have To Try And Keep Up With My Classmates Despite Me Being Normal, But I Accidentally Fooled The School Into Thinking I’m A Long Lost Heir To A Forgotten Throne’.” 

Blinking, you stared at him. “You lost me at Elite.” Why the Devildom had anime with titles the length of chapters, you’d never know. 

“It’s good! I promise!” He shifted his monitor so you could see it from your spot easier, turning the anime on with an elated aura, much nicer than the gloom-and-doom one from earlier. This was the Levi you loved to see, the one you tried to cherish as much as you could. He sat in his chair, scooting back till he was beside you so you could watch it together. It was a cute anime, something mostly a slice of life, a normal main character in a school setting surrounded by powerful beings, the plot moved forward with magical shenanigans...something about it sounded familiar. One of the episodes showed the main character fallen ill under some strange circumstance, their roommate they stayed with flustered but determined to take care of them. The friend--and obvious love interest--asked if he could hold the protagonist’s hand. Levi made a little noise. “MC, c-can I hold your hand? I mean, if that’s super weird don’t even listen to me because who would even want to hold hands with me anyway and--” 

“Sure,” you smiled, reaching your hand out from the blanket a little. 

He hesitated for a second and then took it, resuming to watch the show. Much to your amusement, any move the character made, he made as well, taking it as if it were some sort of guide. He brushed the hair from your face, made sure the blanket was tucked gently around you, ensured you were comfortable. Then, the friend in the show made a bold move, snuggling next to the main character as they both fell asleep. Levi went stiff, becoming extremely flustered. You had to admit, the concept was...enticing, and you almost leapt at any opportunity to tease envy. You tugged at his hand, making him look at you with your arms outstretched. If this had been an anime, he would’ve collapsed, his soul flying from his mouth. But even Levi couldn’t resist the temptation. He stepped into his bed, slowly, warily at first. He let you take him into your arms, wrapping his own body around you as you both squeezed together in the tub. “I...I...This is...a dream…” 

You chuckled, settling your head on his chest, feeling his motoring heart pound in his chest. “Let’s watch some more, Levi.” Only, you hardly remembered anything after that. For shortly after he curled against you, the strange barrier keeping you awake completely collapsed. He had draped the blanket over you both, fidgeting with the hair at the nape of your neck. You must’ve turned your head against him, comforted enough by his presence to fall asleep.

“Medicine?” 

“Right here.” 

“Water?” 

“You brought me like a gallon’s worth.” 

“D.D.D.?” 

“You can see it in my hands.” 

Lucifer went down the list, the actual written list he’d come up. You sat in bed, trying hard not to blush and squirm under the many gazes in your room this morning. “Extra blankets?” 

“I have everything and anything needed to last an entire week in solitary!” You shook your head, a little irate at each of them, but appreciating their concern all the same. Icepacks, blankets, snacks, water, bandages, and many other things were brought in your room in preparation. “You all are only going to a Student Council meeting, not off on some lengthy business trip.” 

“Absolutely right!” Asmo shouted, sitting next to you in bed, hugging you to him and caressing your cheek against his. “It’s some stupid meeting anyway, which means one of us can stay can’t we?” 

Every member of the household was already shouting reasons why they and they alone should have the opportunity to stay with you. Lucifer’s little vein above his eyebrow throbbed. “Enough!” The room went silent. “As much as I would love to permit myself to stay home,” he cleared his throat, “not a single one of us can miss today’s meeting. Which is why I’m taking every precaution. EDP?” 

You gently pushed Asmo off of you, raising an eyebrow. The demon of lust pouted, stroking your head instead. “What’s an EDP?” You asked. 

“An EDP is a short term we use for an Emergency Defense Pillar,” Satan explained. “A popular and fairly new little device in the Devildom, especially for lesser magic users or those who aren’t trained in combat.” 

“I’m still at a loss,” you admitted. “Is it like a baton or something?” 

Rummaging around in his pockets, Mammon brandished a small black object. It was cylindrical, about as big as a lighter, a glowing red button on the side. “I brought it! Now, let me teach you, human. If you’re being chased or cornered, this handy lil’ doodad is going to be essential if you wanna escape. You just push this little button here, and--” 

Lucifer’s chest tightened. “Mammon, don’t!” 

The second born pressed the button, his mistake just now clicking in his mind, chucking it a bit in front of him. Asmo grabbed you and tucked you against his chest, pushing your back to the wall while he shielded you with his body. Every other brother hit the floor, jumping away from the object. A huge pillar of fire sprouted from the object, swirling blue flames emitting intense heat as well as a roaring sound. It nearly burnt your eyes. Asmo tucked your head into his shoulder, waiting until the fire was suddenly sucked back into the small container, rattling against the floor. Your protector pulled away from you, letting you stare at the pitch black circle burnt into your ceiling and floor, a round chunk taken out of your carpet, some fibers still flickering. Lucifer came over and snuffed out the singed pieces with his shoe, the vein in his head more prominent. He was about to shout but you beat him to it. “That’s absolutely unnecessary! In what scenario would I need to use that?! Is there even a safety on that thing?!” 

A little sheepish, Mammon picked himself back up off the floor. “Well, you’ve gotten the best visual example you can get. You’re welcome.” 

“I don’t want it, someone take it with them,” you groaned. “What if I end up accidentally getting flame-broiled in my sleep?”  

Beel closed his eyes. “Flame-broiled hell bats…” 

Lucifer bent down and picked up the EDP from the floor. “Perhaps this is a bit too dangerous.” 

“Glad we can see eye to eye on that one…” You tapped the screen of your D.D.D., noticing that the time to the meeting was rapidly approaching. “You guys have fifteen minutes! Stop worrying about me and get out of here!” 

Many wide-eyed demons scrambled to get out your door, knowing that the punishment for being late was not something they wanted to risk. Even Lucifer was rushed, booking it out of your room. Then he popped his head in. “You’ll call if anything happens?” 

“Yes.” 

He left again, the door shutting. It burst back open, his overprotective nature coming to light. “You have your alerts on, right?” 

You chuckled, you couldn’t prevent yourself from doing so. “Yes, mother hen, now go!” He growled, but this time left for good, the uproar from the group slowly fading away. Once more, you shook your head, staring at the charcoal colored circle against your ceiling. “They’re insane,” you stated aloud. 

“Truly,” someone replied. You yelped, chucking the closest pillow at the sudden voice. Solomon caught it, laughing. “Sorry for startling you. The demons are gone, I’m assuming?” He walked back over, handing you your plushy ammo. 

“They just left. Why are you here?” You took the pillow from him, settling it in your lap as you crossed your legs over your mattress. 

He pulled an upset face. “Why do you sound so suspicious? I’m here to check up on you. I had to make sure those demons were taking care of you properly.” He grabbed a chair from your table, scooting up by the bedside. He spotted the hard-to-miss burns and sighed. “Maybe I should’ve gotten here sooner. Oh well, an easy fix. Spirits of twine and stone, turn back the time to whence this matter was well known, heed the Sorcerer Solomon!” Flowing restorative magic rushed over the floor and ceiling, soaking into the atoms, leaving it as perfect as it had been earlier. Actually, almost better than how it had been before. Not even the smell of burning remained. In a small flourish, he stretched out his hands. “Ta-da.” 

“Thank you.” You couldn’t help but giggle at his theatrics. “And the brothers have been taking care of me just fine. I don’t have a fever anymore.” 

He reached his hand out, thumb brushing across your face, he hummed to himself before pulling you gently, pressing his lips to your forehead. You gasped a little, covering your mouth as your face burned. He sat back, nodding. “You feel much better.” He caught your expression, trying to stifle a smirk. “Hm? I was simply taking your temperature.” 

Composing yourself, you tightly gripped the pillow in your hands. “Kinda an old method, don’t you think?” 

“I prefer traditional practices,” he shared. “But that wasn’t the main reason I came over.” 

“Oh?” You’ll admit, at first the EDP had seemed utterly ridiculous, but in this dreaded scenario, you almost wished to have it in your hands. Solomon pushed back his cloak, reaching behind his back and pulling out a fresh steaming plate of food. Already you felt sweat bead across your face. “A-ah, how nice of Simeon to make me something.” It was more of a personal wish, although you knew that it wasn’t going to be the case. 

“Not Simeon, actually. I made it!” He beamed, completely oblivious. “How long has it been since you’ve had a home-cooked human meal?” 

“N-not too long ago actually, and-I-um-the brothers made sure to feed me before they left so-” 

“Surely you can have a few bites, right?” He pleaded. “I made sure to add all kinds of ingredients I know have some healing properties, so I’m sure it’ll enhance the flavor. Here, no need to waste extra energy, let me feed you. Say ah.” 

“MC!” The sound of someone frantically calling your name in the distance slowly brought you to. “MC!” Something snapped as you moved, pain coursing through your entire body. You opened your eyes, not able to see much through the leaves. Wait...leaves? The smell of earth and roses rushed to your nose. That and the thorns trapping you and piercing you were enough to tell you what you needed to know. You were somehow entangled in a rose bush. The voice sounded again, closer this time. “MC, where are you?!” 

Audio recognition kicked in, able to place the voice. Tilting your head back, you put all the power you could into your shout. “Belphie!” There was silence for a while, and white hot panic settled in your stomach...or maybe that was. Oh that was right…

Suddenly the leaves were pulled back, Belphie’s head staring down at you. “This is new for you.” 

You tried to move, but your clothes were stuck in the thorn’s clutches, not to mention any movement you made drove the bush’s claws deeper into your skin. “I…I think I’m stuck.” 

“Wow, that really sucks for you.” 

“Belphie!” You tried sitting up, a sharp pain in your cheek causing you to hiss, drawing in breath through your teeth. Something drifted down your cheek, the taste of bitter copper coming across your lips. Blood. “P-please help me.”

“I was only joking. Don’t move, you’ll make things worse.” He tugged at some of the branches, the disruption poking you some more. Tugging at your sleeve, he detangled your shoulder, working on your lower arm next. 

“Ow, ow, ooooow,” you whined. 

“Don’t be such a baby.” Leaning down a bit too far, one of the thorns pricked him right in the thumb. He cursed, threatening to leave you alone once you laughed. “You’re really scratched up…” He frowned as he gestured to many thin red scratches across your body. You whimpered again, reaching up at him to tug you free. Sloth kicked in, his impatience to take his time fluttered away. He basically flattened the bush with his feet, breaking the twigs stuck to you with his hands. His arms wrapped around your torso, tugging you up, the sound of some fabric tearing as he did. He sighed, taking you a few steps away from the bush before letting you slide past his arms, flopping to the soil. He came down to kneel beside you, grabbing thorns and leaves out of your hair, rubbing a thumb over the small wound on your cheek. “When you wonder why we worry about leaving you alone, this is why. How long have you been napping in bushes?” 

“I…” A sudden chill overtook you, your stomach and the food...you remembered the food Solomon had fed you. The taste...torture. You could feel it in your throat. 

“MC?” You pushed Belphie away, scrambling on your hands and knees to another unfortunate set of flora. Without nitty gritty details, let’s just say your body had the smart idea to not keep Solomon’s food in you any longer. Trembling, you coughed up the last of it, cold sweat dripping down your face. Belphie’s hands touched your back. “You’re not going to be sick on me, are you?” You didn’t respond to him, trying to catch your breath. He mumbled, pulling you into his lap. Covered in dirt and sweat, you curled into him, shivering. Then the both of you watched in slight horror as all the plants planted around your...expulsed poison all wilted at once, almost crumbling to dust. “Wicked father of demons…” Belphie breathed. “What the hell did you eat?” 

You only needed to utter one word for him to understand everything entirely. “Solomon…” 

“Dear Diavolo…I’m lucky to have found you alive.” He whipped his head around. “He’s not still here is he?” 

You shook your head, rubbing at the saliva on your lips. “I don’t remember...I don’t remember leaving my room…I don’t remember…” 

Working hard to get to his feet, he lifted you along with him. You wrapped your arms around his neck, your legs against his body, groaning into him. “Alright, I guess we’re doing this now.” He held onto you, sidestepping past the destroyed flora and towards the house. “I’m just telling you this now though, if Solomon is still here, I will leave you.” 

Reaching up his neck, you grasped tightly onto some of his hairs. “I will drag you down with me.” 

“Confident words for someone I’m carrying like a baby,” he snickered, but he let the witty back and forth drop as he entered the house. For a moment, he stood still, taking in the air of the place. “I think we’re good,” he announced, but continuing to take wary steps up the stairs. He picked up the pace in the hallways, sneaking away towards the familiar spiral staircase that led it’s way up to the attic. The doors he pushed open were heavy in more ways than one. Quietly shutting it behind the two of you, he headed over to the bed. A jolting ticklish pain raced down your body as Belphie jabbed his fingers against your waist. “Off, parasite.” You relinquished your grasp as fast as you could, flopping onto the attic mattress. You crawled up, sliding under the covers, planting your face into the nearest pillow. Right when you thought you were recovering, you were back to being bed-ridden. Belphie left you alone in silence for a minute. When he came back, you had to take a moment to realize he had ever been gone. He was stealthy like that. He dropped a small first-aid kit as well as a bottle of water on the blanket. “Come here.” 

“But I-” 

“But I,” he mocked. “But I don’t care. I need to look after some of those scratches.” Huffing, you dramatically threw the blanket to the side, coming over to sit in front of him. Taking the water bottle in hand, you gratefully moved to take a hearty swig to wash down some of the acid. Belphie grabbed it from you before you could. “Not for drinking.” He twisted the cap off and pulled out a small clean washcloth from his pockets. He pressed the fabric against the opening and tilted the bottle up, getting the rag slightly wet. He then pressed it against your cheek. “We don’t want these infected.” Slowly, he dabbed at each of your shallow scratches, making sure they were clear of dirt. Once he was done with that, he shoved the remaining water at you. 

“I don’t want your rag water.” 

“Fine.” 

But the acidity in your mouth was grating against your teeth. You snatched the bottle from him, swallowing some grateful gulps to cease the gentle burning. Belphie had a mild cocky expression, wiping away the blood. Closing an eye due to slight stinging, you watched his concentrated face. “So…” You started, watching him soon open the box and remove a small tube of medicated ointment. “Why’re you home?” 

Squeezing a small amount of the clear gel on the tip of his finger, he started applying it to your cleaned wounds. “Oh, I snuck out of the meeting.” 

“Belphie!” 

“What?” He took one hand, grabbing your face for a second, squishing your cheeks, mimicking the way your lips pursed. You shook him off, trying to keep yourself from being flustered. “Can you blame me? All I could think about was you...nice and warm in bed...and I was sleepy.” He let out a large yawn. “Still sleepy.” 

“Well…” You paused for a second, heat rising to your cheeks. “I’m glad you did.” 

He stopped for a second, looking into your eyes. “Hm? Say that again?” 

Swallowing a lump in your throat, you furled your eyebrows. “I didn’t say anything.” 

“Are you suuuure?” He drawled. “Cus it sounded like you missed me.” One look at your embarrassed face sent him laughing. He poked at your ribs, tickling your sides, singing the words. “You missed me, you missed me.” 

Burying your face in your hands, you kicked him a little. “Stop it!” 

“Fine,” he smirked. “Anyway, I think you’re mostly taken care of. Most of these have dried and scabbed over. They weren’t very deep anyway.” He lifted your arm, turning it to make sure he’d treated you completely. “So now we can do what I came here for!” It was his first excited expression in a while. He jumped into you, grabbing you by the waist against the bed. Both your heads hit the pillows, the blanket following shortly after. Already you could feel his face against your back. A happy hum of his buzzed into your skin, his hands rubbing against your stomach. Pouting a little, you realized that with Belphie stuck to you like this, you weren't going anywhere soon, so you shifted to get comfortable. You relaxed with a heavy sigh. “You know…” Belphie drowsily muttered. “I...missed...you too…” 

“MC! My poor precious MC! I’m never ever leaving you alone again!” Asmo wailed, clinging to you like if he let you go you’d suddenly die. “I can’t believe Belphie did this to you!” 

Speaking up from the corner, Belphie scoffed. “I actually helped them, just so everyone knows.” Back in your room, each of the demon brothers had returned from the meeting, having found you and Belphie after a while in the attic. Of course, your small wounds, Belphie’s absence, and the strange destruction of a segment of the garden was called into question. 

“And my plants!” Asmo shrieked. “They were such a lovely background for my Devilgram posts! They’re ruined!” 

“I’m so-” you tried to apologize, but Asmo pressed a gentle finger against your lips. 

“Shush! I don’t blame you a single bit, my darling. It’s all these ruffians!” He kissed your cheek in spots around your little wound. 

“Hey! Solomon’s the person responsible, not us!” Mammon shouted. 

Lucifer’s weariness was especially noticeable today. You wondered what he had to put up with at the meeting. “At the very least, we’re glad you’re safe, MC. Knowing what Solomon’s cuisine is capable of…” He pinched at the bridge of his nose. “I’m heading to my office...try not to burn the house down,” he sighed, exiting quietly. 

You tilted your head. “Is he okay?” You asked. 

“When Belphie left, let’s just say Diavolo wasn’t exactly pleased,” Satan explained, a wicked grin stretching his lips wide. “So in exchange he agreed to be Diavolo’s personal servant tomorrow. I hope our Demon Lord has some entertaining things in store.” 

Belphie’s face brightened. “Did I do that? Whoops.” Hardly a glimmer of remorse in him. 

“You guys owe it to him at least to try and make it a calm night,” you urged, hoping to ease some of the shenanigans already being plotted in their minds. 

Mammon shook his head. “Why do we gotta owe him anything? If he’s out for the count tonight, I can hit the casinos without a problem!” He came over rubbing your head. “Give me some of that luck, yeah?” You doubted you had any, but he bounded out the door. 

“Belphie, I’ve got a little idea I’d like to try, but I need an extra set of hands. Care to join me?” Satan curled a little finger around his chin, mischief making his green eyes glow wild. 

Belphie chuckled. “Ab-so-lutely.” With devilish grins, they both sniggered, malevolent whispers drifting between them as they left. 

A rumbling growl echoed through the room. If this had been anywhere else, you would’ve been terrified. But this was the Devildom, and you knew Beel’s stomach when you heard it. “Oh...I’m sorry, MC, but I’m starving. I’ll see you in a bit.” He came over, trying to give you a hug despite Asmo still holding onto you for dear life. He ended up hugging both of you anyway. With more than a little speed, he also left your room, probably heading straight for the kitchen. 

A high pitched ‘bling’ reached your ears. Levi pulled out his D.D.D.. “Oh! The new patch for Sorcerer’s Scrolls has been released! I gotta go!” He moved to run but stopped in his tracks before he got too far. “Do you wanna...watch more of that show tonight?” 

“Sure, Levi,” you smiled, watching him sprint out of the room, a joyful spring in his step. Although, once everyone had left, you couldn’t help but lower your head, patting Asmo’s wrist. “You can leave too, Asmo, you don’t have to stay with me.” 

He made an overly dramatic gasp. “But I do! Don’t sound so sad!” Pulling a bit away from you, he let his cheeks turn a bit pink. “And to be completely honest, I’ve been dying to get some alone time with you.” He squirmed a little bit, but then jumped to his feet. “So! You just sit there and let Nurse Asmo take care of everything, ‘kay ‘kay?” Is that why he had brought that large bag with him when he came in? It was a peach-colored tote bag, settled on your table, a fluffy pink pom-pom clipped to one of the handles. He bounded towards it, rummaging around, looking for something important.

A little--well a lot--guarded against potential Asmo intentions, you tried craning your head to see if you could look inside, but no dice. The end of your nose tickled again as it had the past few days. Grabbing another tissue from your bedside, you tried to blow your nose as quietly as possible. Your poor nostrils were so dry by this point it was bordering on painful. You sniffled, reaching over to squirt some hand sanitizer in your hands. “I thought you hated being around sick people,” you told him. 

“You’re the only exception! Besides,” he grabbed out a familiar tool, one you had no idea how he got his hands on it. A stethoscope. “I want to use all these goodies Solomon got me!” 

The name still almost sent a shudder down your spine. “Solomon? Why?” 

Practically skipping back over, he sat beside you on the bed, strangely excited about this. “Aren’t bodies fascinating?” He touched his own skin, dragging his hand down his neck. “I love to know what makes this perfect body run! And you have absolutely no idea how desperately I’ve longed to know how yours does too!” Taking a good look at him, you could sense that he was truly and undeniably curious as to how your mortal body differed from his. Or possibly just craving a closer look into you altogether. Of course, you still had to close your eyes and deeply sigh. How many times would Solomon be the source of general chaos? Asmo took the end to the stethoscope, looking at it strangely. “Tell me, dear, how does this work?” You let out a light chuckle, and he looked at you curiously. “Don’t make fun of me, that’s just mean!” 

“I’m not! I’m not, I promise, it’s just…” He resembled that of a little kid right now, a rare sort of innocence about him. Here he was, a demon of many millennia, and he just wanted to play doctor for a bit. “Never mind.” Brushing off your thoughts, you took the binaurals, putting the earpieces in his ears. One of his hands gently clutched the diaphragm, so you wrapped your own hand around his, guiding the end of the stethoscope to your chest. 

Listening it to a moment, you could watch the gentle awe cross over his face. “T-that’s you.” 

You brought a hand up to cover your mouth. “Yes, Asmo, that’s me. What, you didn’t think I had a heartbeat?” 

“No, I knew! It’s just…” He closed his eyes, going silent. You didn’t want to disturb his moment, but you felt a sneeze coming on. Grabbing another tissue, you covered your nose, tilted your head down towards your lap, and sneezed. Moaning a bit, you blew your nose again, hard enough to make your ears pop. Sitting up, you chucked your used kleenex into the trash. You were about to apologize, but then the glee drained from Asmo’s face. He brought his hands up to his mouth and shrieked. 

“What?! What’s wrong?!” As soon as you had asked, the answer presented itself towards you. Warmth dripped down your lips, forcing you to close your mouth as fast as you could. 

“Blood! You’re bleeding! Hold on!” Lurching towards the tissues, Asmo pulled five out at a time, pressing it against your face. You pinched your nose, pressuring your hand against the bundle of kleenex. “Look at all this! No, no, no, no, you’ll be alright, darling.” Your gut instinct was to tilt your head up, but Asmo placed his hand on the top of your head, tilting it slightly forward. “Oh, don’t do that, you’ll end up swallowing it. Stay there, I’ll be right back.” He got up sprinting, leaving you alone with the smell and taste of blood. When he came back, he had a cold wet rag in his hands. “Here, use this instead. Give me those,” he softly ordered, tugging at the already blood soaked tissues. You took the rag in your hands, using that to stop the flow instead. He pulled you into his arms, rubbing your back. “Poor thing, it’s just non-stop problems for you right now, isn’t it?” You let him hold you, tilting your head against his as you waited for the blood to stop.  Slowly, he brought his hand up to pet the back of your head, giggling a bit to himself when the action made you shiver. 

After a bit of time, you tore away from him, cautiously removing the rag. You touched just above your lip, sighing in relief when it had stopped. “That was unexpected.” 

Stealing the cloth from you, he started wiping the excess blood off your face. “About gave me a heart attack!” With his free hand, he cupped the side of your face. 

A little idea crossed your mind. “Heart attack, huh? Better check that out.” Reaching for the stethoscope, you cleaned the earpieces before putting them in, pressing the small round medical disc to his chest. It was a bit stunning, you had to admit, how loud it sounded. In the human world before, any mentions of demons or angels were always in an ethereal sense. Whether you believed in them or not, you never really thought about them having hearts. Were they even similar to yours? At least...the drumming beating sound of life was the same. 

He finished up cleaning you off, tilting his head and grinning. “Well?” 

“Undeniably alive...and I’m very grateful for it.” 

He squealed, flopping onto you, pushing you both down onto the bed. Every hint that he had been frightened before was gone. “Aren’t you just the sweetest?! Come here, you!” He littered kisses over your face, sending you into a little flurry of embarrassed titters. 

“Asmo…” 

“Isn’t it a human saying that they can kiss the pain away?” He pecked his lips over your eyelids. “Well, you better prepare yourself...I won’t stop kissing your perfect little face till you feel better!”

The bedroom door violently swung open, the handle nearly making a dent in the wall. Demons poured in, nearly falling over each other. They were all in demon forms, ready to tackle more danger. When they noticed that Asmo was fawning over you, they all puffed up, jealous and irritated. “We heard you scream and thought something happened!” Lucifer roared. Kinda late, weren’t they?

“Hey, why’re you getting all kissy with MC?!” Mammon jumped onto the mattress, trying to pry you from his brother’s arms. 

“Don’t you think I deserve to be embracing them?” Satan attempted to push them both aside. Before you knew it, your room was a small war-arena, everyone climbing on the bed. You were squished between them, passed between different hands. Then something wobbled, the sound of wood and metal groaning before a loud snap pierced your ears. The bed hit the floor, a poof of dust causing you to cough. Your bedframe lay scattered in broken pieces across the ground. 

“My...bed…” You ran a hand through your hair, pinned under the doggy-pile of demon lords. You looked between each of them with stern looks, each of them blushing in embarrassment over their actions. “Well...I guess it means I’ll be using someone else’s bed for the foreseeable future.” 

All at once, their faces lit up, and at the same time they all shouted the same thing. “Me!”

[sunkissedpages]

instead of you [part eighteen]

pairing: [best friend’s brother] tom holland x college!reader

summary: you didn’t expect to spend your summer pretending to be your best friend’s girlfriend- then again, you didn’t expect to fall for your best friend’s brother, either.

warnings: swearing, mentions of +sex

word count: 2k

series masterlist

“Sam and I will take the bunk beds.”

The room was a decent size. It was definitely bigger than Sam’s dad had made it sound. A large window on the back wall flooded the space with natural light and offered a view of the city below. By the door was a small fridge and a countertop with a sink and a couple of burners built in so that guests could cook their own meals. There was a queen sized bed jutting out from the western-facing wall and built into the adjacent wall were two twin-sized bunks, one on top of the other, making the room feel... cozy.

Harry and Tom traded looks with each other.

“Kidding.”

The boys visibly relaxed and chuckled awkwardly.

“If I ever have to share a bed with Tom again it’ll be too soon,” Harry sighed.

“Is that any way to treat your big brother?” Tom scoffed.

“I’m taller than you.”

“For now.”

“The fuck’s that supposed to mean? You’re twenty-five, you’re done growing.”

Tom shrugged. “Yeah, but I could always make you shorter.”

“Oh, what are you going to do, cut my legs off?” Harry challenged.

“I never said that.”

“Jesus Christ guys,” Sam said, finally cutting in. “Can we not threaten each other until we’ve had at least a few hours of sleep?”

“Whatever,” his twin grumbled, kicking off his shoes by the door.

Tom slung his backpack onto the top bunk and pulled his sweatshirt off over his head, exposing a strip of his stomach in the process. You looked away instinctively, hoping that you hadn’t drawn any attention to yourself while doing so.

“You always get the top bunk,” Harry whined.

“Yeah, because I’m older.”

“That’s not fair!”

“My brothers are actually ten years old,” Sam explained to you, raising his voice so that you could hear him over the bickering.

“No, I think ten-year-olds know how to take turns,” you said dismissively, not missing the glares from the other two Hollands.

“You’re right,” Sam agreed. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and sighed. “Reminds me of the family vacations we used to take. The six of us used to share one hotel room when we traveled.”

“Four boys... I don’t know how your mom did it.”

“None of us do.”

“I thought we were going to sleep,” Harry muttered from where he was already laying down on the bottom bunk, clearly irritated.

“Give us a minute to settle in, dude,” Sam shot back before dropping into a whisper. “It’s going to be a long week.”

You shook your head, putting your hands on his shoulders. “Everyone’s just cranky because they’re tired,” you reasoned. “We’ll get some sleep and then grab some food and then maybe they’ll be in a better mood.”

“You don’t know them like I do,” Sam warned.

“That’s true, but won’t they tone it down since I’m here?”

Sam snorted. “Wishful thinking.”

You rolled your eyes. “Whatever, I’m going to hop in the shower. I feel gross after being on a plane for so long.”

“I’ll go after you,” Sam replied with a nod. “Let me know if you need anything.”

You thanked him with a kiss under the watchful eyes of his brothers who both groaned in protest.

“Oh, fuck off,” Sam growled against your lips.

“By the way, sharing a bed doesn’t mean you get to mess around because I don’t want to hear that shit.”

“Harry!” Sam and Tom shouted, Tom going as far as throwing a pillow at his younger brother from the top bunk.

“Just being honest! We heard you going at it like rabbits when you had your own room, and I didn’t say anything about it then-”

“Harry.” To your surprise, it was Tom who cut him off, raising another pillow in warning. Thankfully, Harry took the hint that time and shut up, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance.

You smiled to yourself with the knowledge that your little Easy A stunt had worked, and looked over to see that Sam was wearing a matching smirk. He winked at you before turning to glare at his brothers.

“On that note, I’m going to shower,” you said, mostly to Sam, and made your way over to where you had dropped your suitcase by the door.

You gathered a set of pajamas to change into and then wandered into the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind you. It was one of those rolling doors so you had to be extra careful not to knock it off its hinges or the track and cause even more noise than necessary. You set your change of clothes on the counter next to the sink and began to undress, leaving your worn clothes on the floor.

The shower was kept in a room separate from the room with the sink and vanity, something you had read was common for Japanese washrooms. Inside the second room was a bathtub with a complicated looking panel next to it. With a closer inspection you determined it was used to fill the bath with water and customize the temperature. The showerhead was secured to the wall just to the side of the tub which meant you would have to hold it while you showered, but you didn’t mind. You were used to holding the showerhead for... other reasons.

Your shower was quick. You didn’t want to take too long when you knew other people were waiting for it. You were drained too. Even as you dried yourself off with a towel you could feel your arms start to get heavier.

You wrapped your hair in your towel and put on your pajamas shortly after, trying not to cringe at the way the fabric clung to your still-damp body. Usually you wouldn’t get dressed in the bathroom right after taking a shower because it was always so humid and sticky, you’d go out in the bedroom to do it, but as Sam’s girlfriend the latter wasn’t an option. So you dealt with the discomfort and ventured back into the main room.

It was dark now. Someone, you assumed Sam, had pulled the blackout curtains shut so that the daylight could no longer stream through the window. Harry was already fast asleep, but Tom and Sam were still awake, scrolling through their phones on their respective sides of the room.

Sam was perched on top of your bed, resting comfortably. He wasn’t underneath the covers, probably because he knew you didn’t like to share a bed with someone who hadn’t showered.

He smiled when he saw you and pushed himself up onto his elbows.

“Shower’s all yours,” you said.

“Thanks.”

You watched him rifle through his suitcase for pajamas and then eventually disappear into the bathroom before finally flinging yourself onto the bed. You still needed to take your hair out of the towel and brush your teeth, but you took a moment to just. Lay there.

Tom didn’t acknowledge you, hadn’t so much as looked at you since you came out of the bathroom, but you still found yourself looking over to him.

At the airport he had seemed at least a little concerned that he would have to share a room with you. Even in the cab to the hotel he kept sneaking glances at you when he thought you weren’t paying attention. But now he looked completely relaxed and you were second guessing yourself. Maybe you’d been projecting. Maybe he hadn’t been anxious at all.

You, on the other hand, felt like you hadn’t been able to exhale since Dom had announced that you’d be sharing a room with Sam’s brothers.

It had dawned on you as soon as you stepped into the hotel room that you’d never be able to let your guard down. Before this point you had at least been able to take breaks, retreat to your hotel room with Sam and be yourselves without worrying that one of his family members was around. You hadn’t needed to keep up the act 24/7, but now you had no other choice. It was only for a week, but you knew it was going to be exhausting. You weren’t even sure that your current performance was believable, and that was without all of the more intimate interactions couples had in private. The good night kisses, the cuddling in bed together, falling asleep in each other's arms, the good morning kisses, all things you’d have to take into consideration. Most couples you knew moved in harmony, like they were one person, half of a whole. You and Sam were more like the hands on a clock. You were always moving in the same direction, and once in a while you’d overlap, but more often than not you were facing each other on completely opposite sides of the clock. It was what made you such good friends. Best friends. But what would make you terrible lovers.

To be fair, a lot of people misunderstood your dynamic, which you had been using to your advantage. They assumed that since you were always together you were basically the same person- and they weren’t necessarily wrong. You and Sam spent a majority of your time together. You knew each other well enough to finish each other’s sentences, to voice aloud what the other was thinking before they even said it.

The vibration of your phone next to you disrupted your train of thought. It was a text from Sam.

Can you come here rq? I need help lol.

Confused, you pushed back the covers and stood up. You dropped your phone back on the bed and walked over to the bathroom, keenly aware of the way Tom stiffened in his bed.

You rolled back the door and found Sam standing in his boxers next to the tub.

“What is it?” you asked, shutting the door behind you.

“How did you figure out the shower? I can’t get the water to be hot.”

“This is what you called me in here for?” you said, exasperation dripping from your voice.

“Yes! I don’t want to take a cold shower.” He said it like it should’ve been obvious.

“Did you try messing with the knobs? That’s how I figured it out.”

Sam’s cheeks turned a faint shade of pink as he pursed his lips, thinking about how to answer.

“Not all of them,” he admitted.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Sorry?”

“It’s the one on the left, dumbass,” you said and twisted the knob for him.

“Thanks,” he mumbled sheepishly. “I just didn’t want to fuck up the shower or anything.”

Men, you thought to yourself shaking your head.

“I’m going to bed,” you told him. “Before your brothers think I’m in here giving you head or something.”

“Let them think what they want,” he said, shrugging it off.

“I want to preserve what little amount of respect they have for me, thanks.”

Sam just chuckled and thanked you again as you let yourself out into the room with the sink. While you were there you hung up your wet towel and brushed your teeth with your finger and the toothpaste the hotel provided. You were too lazy to go get your toothbrush out of your bag.

“That was fast.”

You jumped, hand racing to your heart when you realized it was just Tom. He was still in his bed, but had rolled onto one side so that he could talk to you.

“You scared the shit out of me!” you hissed.

“Sorry.” He didn’t sound very sorry. “What did my brother want?”

God damn it, Sam.

“Why do you ask?”

Tom shrugged. “Just wondering.”

“He needed help figuring out the shower,” you explained.

“Glad he has you for that.”

You narrowed your eyes at the boy in the top bunk. He was trying to get under your skin. Why?

The ball was in your court. You could be the bigger person and let it go, or-

“He has me for a lot of things.” You pushed your tongue against your cheek so that there was a visible outline and brought your fist up to your mouth, moving it back and forth subtly so that he’d get the idea without being too obscene. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?"

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[fific7]

Evil Twins - Part 1

Billy Russo & Aleksander Morozova x Reader

Summary: When two worlds which have already collided then collide with yours - that’s an explosive situation.

A/N: This does not follow canon, it’s mainly a mix of fluff and angst with quite a lot of lemon zest 🍋 My Fantasy Punisher/Shadow and Bone crossover AU.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content including oral and unprotected* sex between consenting adults. Some drinking & swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My photo edit)

New York City

Billy Russo awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in bed and grabbing for his Glock. What the hell? Thunder was rumbling loudly overhead and he sighed, putting the gun back under his pillow and laying his head back down. It was probably the bright flash of the lightning followed by the beginning of the thunderclap that had awakened him.

He was just closing his eyes again when he spotted something, only vaguely visible in the dim light from outside, in the corner of his room. It was…. swirling?

Grabbing his gun again, he sat up and pointed the Glock at the corner. It was getting bigger. “You’ve got two seconds to show yourself before I blow your fucking head off,” he announced, calmly.

He squinted a bit to get a better look but it didn’t make much difference. What the fuck was it?! Smoke? He decided he had no choice and leant over, switching on the wall-mounted bedside light.

The… smoke cloud?… was still increasing, becoming bigger and blacker with every second. Then he saw the vaguest silhouette of a tall figure within it, moving towards him. He leapt out of bed, on the far side of it so it was between him and whatever the fuck this was.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Aleksander Morozova - or General Kirigan, the Darkling, the Black Heretic, the Starless Saint, whichever of his many names he decided to call himself at any given point in time - could see a tall figure brandishing some kind of strange gun at him as he began to emerge from the swirling shadows.

Following certain unfortunate incidents - including a huge and furious argument with his darling mother - he’d decided it would be politic to get out of Ravka for a while, much as he didn’t really want to. But this wasn’t where he should’ve ended up. What was this place?

He emerged completely from the shadows and immediately felt something bounce off his kefta. He heard a ‘ding’ and looked down at the wooden floor at his feet. A bullet.

Looking quickly back up, he saw that the man opposite him was glaring at him, eyes wide and unbelieving, gun still pointing at him. He also realised that looking at this man was like looking in a mirror.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Billy was dumbfounded. He’d just shot the fucker! And the bullet had bounced off him. Fuck. He threw the gun down onto the bed and slid his hand under his other pillow, pulling out his Ka-Bar. No way he’d get past that.

He took a moment to have a good look at the dude opposite him.

Dressed in riding boots and some kinda long black tunic thing, with a black fur-collared full-length cape over it. What a freak! Was he a goth or something? But then he realised something even freakier…. this guy looked exactly like him.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The two of them were still contemplating each other, when finally Billy spoke. “Who are you? And what are you?”

Aleksander laughed. “Usually it’s me asking those questions.” Billy huffed, “You’re in my fuckin’ apartment, so just answer them!” He saw the guy draw himself up, and he said, “I am Aleksander Morozova, also known as General Kirigan, commander of the Second Army of the Grisha.”

“Means fuck all to me,” grunted Billy. “One name not enough for you? And why do you look like me? Are you some kinda shapeshifter or somethin’?”

“I have many names because I am centuries old. And I don’t know what a… shapeshifter?…is,” said the other, “…but I am the Shadow Summoner. And who are you? Where is this?” he waved a hand round at the apartment.

Billy scoffed, “Centuries old?!! Oh fuck off. You’re the same age as me by the looks of ya! I’m Billy Russo, ex-US Marine Lieutenant and now CEO of Anvil. That’s a security company, mainly staffed by ex-military vets. And this….” he also waved his hand around, “…is my penthouse apartment in New York City.”

Aleksander shook his head, “I have never heard of that place.”

Billy eye-rolled, “How can you not have heard of New York?!” he asked, incredulously. “And what the fuck is a Shadow Summoner?”

“It’s becoming obvious we are from two different worlds. I seem to have been diverted from my intended course, I don’t know why,” shrugged Aleksander. “Well maybe it’s time you took off to wherever it is you were headed for in the first place,” said Billy.

“It seems that I have been brought here for some specific reason,” replied Aleksander, “and it also seems I cannot leave for the moment, I have already tried.” He waved both hands around, firstly extending and then curling up his fingers, watching them closely as he did but it was clear that nothing at all was happening. “You see? Nothing. It is worrying to me. My shadows are no longer obeying my commands at present.”

Billy sighed and perched on the edge of his bed, “Great! Just fuckin’ great! This is just…! So when can you leave?” The other man spread out his arms, “I have no idea.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Devon, UK

Way across the Atlantic, you were already hard at work in your little bookstore in Appledore, Devon. You had a snug apartment above the store and had filled it with lots of your favourite things. It was a cute little coastal town and you loved living there. The community was small and friendly especially in the winter months, only increasing in summer with all the tourists who came to stay. As long as you made a decent living during the holiday season - which you normally did - then winter was a much calmer, chilled time of year.

You added a final book to the new display in the centre of your store and stepped back to take in how it was looking. Yeah, not bad if you did say so yourself. It was comprised of a fantasy trilogy for young adults about some ancient guy who could summon up shadows, and was a bit of a villain from what you could tell from the story synopsis on the book covers.

Not your cup of tea, to be honest. Generally speaking, all types of action stories were more your thing - something with a bit of ‘va-va-voom’. In fact, you were looking forward to tonight when you’d decided you were going to sit down with a nice tub of ice cream and rewatch one of your favourite series. The one with a relentless avenging ex-Marine whose family had been killed and his psycho ex-Marines buddy. Who happened to be rather hot to your mind.

You sighed a little, heading back behind the counter. That was the only thing about Appledore. It was a lovely place, but there was a distinct lack of hot guys.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

New York City

Billy and Aleksander were sitting on separate sofas in Billy’s living area, eyeing each other warily. Aleksander had been trying to explain to Billy all about his world, the Grisha, the Fold, volcras, Ravka, the Sun Summoner, sand skiffs - as much as he could.

It had blown Billy’s mind, to be honest. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. In turn, he’d explained all about his military career and the shitshow which had eventually developed once he’d come back to New York. Aleksander looked as equally confused as Billy.

Billy sighed, “I mean, what the hell are you gonna do? You don’t belong here. I need to go to work in a couple of hours. I’m not leaving you here so I’d need to take you to Anvil with me, and you sure as hell can’t go out looking like that.”

Aleksander looked down at his kefta which he’d unbuttoned. His cape was draped over the back of the sofa. “What is wrong with the way I look?” he huffed. “S’pose I could always say you were going to a Comic Con,” muttered Billy. “A what?” “A Comic Con. it’s where fans of fantasy comics go to have fun. They dress up as their favourite characters sometimes. I could always say it was cosplay.”

Aleksander shook his head, “I still don’t understand what you’re talking about. Are you saying I’d look out of place in my uniform? All the Grisha wear these,” he pointed at his kefta. “Not what we wear here,” said Billy, “…and I still don’t get why you look so much like me.”

“I have no idea!” said Aleksander, through gritted teeth, “I told you that already!” “Alright, alright! Calm down.” “I AM CALM!!!” roared the other man.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

New York City

Slightly later that morning, Billy was showered, suited and booted and ready for work. He’d persuaded his uninvited visitor to put on a borrowed leather jacket of Billy’s over his kefta as Aleksander refused to take it off. He’d also made him put on a pair of black trainers, which he’d done very reluctantly. These two items had instantly transformed the freaky-looking guy into someone at least a little more acceptable to your average New Yorker.

Aleksander was wriggling around in the jacket, “It’s not very comfortable.” Billy heaved yet another large sigh - he felt like this was all he’d been doing this morning - “Look, just wear it! You’ll get used to it.” He noticed the other guy sniffing at the collar of the jacket, then his eyes lifted to Billy’s, “You wear perfume?!” “Men’s cologne,” snapped Billy, “or aftershave, as it’s also known because - guess what! - you use it after you’ve shaved!”

His fingers stroking his chin, Aleksander nodded, “Okay, that I understand. We do not use this perfume in Ravka.” “Cologne!” yelled Billy. “Fine, cologne then. Why don’t you like it when I call it perfume? That’s what it is, after all.” “Women wear perfume. Men wear cologne. Okay? Now c’mon, I’m gonna be late.”

Billy strode over to his front door and tried to open it. The handle wouldn’t budge. He shook it, rattled it, pulled the door handle back and forward, exerting more and more strength but nothing worked. He stood back from the door. “It won’t open,” he said, rather unnecessarily. He looked at Aleksander, “Is this you? Or something to do with you?” “No!” he protested, “I have nothing to do with this.”

A somewhat raspy female voice spoke from behind them, “No, but I do.”

The two men swung round, both gaping as they saw that there were what could only be described as rippling waves distorting the whole interior of Billy’s flat. The light had also diminished quite drastically and then they both saw a woman’s head and shoulders start to become defined and then fully visible in amongst the ripples. She seemed to float there at head height but she obviously wasn’t physically present.

“Mother!” exclaimed Aleksander.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Devon, UK

You snuggled down amongst the soft cushions on your sofa, tub of ice cream and spoon in hand and scrolled to the series you were looking for. It was quite gory in places but you loved it - except for the bit right at the end where the hot dude got killed. That made you sad although you couldn’t deny he definitely had psychopathic tendencies.

As you were looking for the one you wanted to watch, another series caught your eye in the ‘Suggested for You’ section. Hey, it must be based on that trilogy of books you had in the store right now. Maybe you’d give it a try after you’d finished your current one.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

New York City

“Mother?” echoed Billy, “….what’s going on here?!”

The woman’s head swivelled towards him then back to Aleksander. “My two boys, together again. How sweet.”

“What!?” said the two men in tandem. She gave a bitter laugh, “How I managed to produce two such problematic children, I’ll never know.” “What are you talking about, Baghra?” ground out Aleksander. Billy was just standing there, dumbfounded and looking between the two of them when suddenly her glare focussed in on him.

“Maxim.” Billy returned her stare, “I’m Billy!” he corrected her. She shook her head, “You will forever be Maxim to me. And as I’m your mother, do not argue with me. Now…. no doubt Aleksander has been making a great fuss about how he’s many centuries old, has he?” “He did mention it,” said Billy, begrudgingly. She nodded, “I thought he might have. Listen to me, both of you. You are twins, so obviously you were born within minutes of each other. To me.” The two men exchanged glances, before looking back at her. “It became obvious to me that Aleksander - from a relatively early age - was going to cause himself and everyone around him nothing but trouble and strife, so I took a radical step.” “What did you do, Baghra?” questioned Aleksander.

“If you’d have patience, I’m trying to tell you!” she snapped, before continuing, “I got one of the few Heartrenders in existence at that time to take Maxim out of Ravka to a secret location. There, he placed him in long-term suspended animation. When you…” she pointed an accusatory finger at Aleksander, “….started all that nonsense with the Sun Summoner and hunting for the stag, I travelled with another Heartrender to where Maxim was, and brought him out of his enforced hibernation. I had to protect him as there was no guarantee you’d survive, Aleksander.” She stared at his scowling face and carried on speaking.

“He had no memories remaining of his past life and so I took him into the forest, there is a portal there which only I know of. There used to be more knew about it but I am the only one left now. Other universes can be reached through it. And I decided to send Maxim to another one. This one. It was only three months ago in Ravkan time, but in this universe more than thirty years have passed.”

“Wait… what?!” Billy was pissed. “You… you just threw me into some portal and walked away? Not knowing where I would end up?” “I had to save one of my sons!” she spat out, “…the other one had lost his mind and was on a collision course with disaster!” Billy put his head in his hands, before looking up again and raging at her, “I was abandoned for a second time by the woman I thought was my mother in this universe! She was a drug user, a total mess! I was placed in an orphanage… it was terrible!” He saw a remorseful look pass over her face for a split second, “I am sorry, Maxim! But I had no choice. Then I had to step in again when he…” pointing again at Aleksander, “….was nearly killed by volcras. I managed to get him to the portal before he fully regained consciousness. He thinks it was his idea to leave Ravka after we had an argument, but I managed to plant that idea in his mind before I pushed him into the portal.”

Billy and Aleksander both snorted in unison, then glanced at each other again. Billy looked back at her, “You’re sorry? That doesn’t quite cover it. I went to war! And now I’m in a very bad situation due to things which went down in Afghanistan during that war.” Aleksander chipped in, “And how dare you make a decision like sending me to another universe without consulting me first?”

The sigh Baghra gave echoed round the apartment. “You are a pair of ungrateful whelps! And now it sounds like I have to get you of trouble too!” She pointed at Billy this time. “I firstly had to find some very old documents about it, but I managed to find out how to enter the limbo section of the portal, which this is, because I wished to speak to both of you before I sent you on your next journey.” She lifted her hands and swirled them around in a kind of ritualistic fashion, “Be on your way to the next universe!” she chanted, and suddenly the rippling got even more pronounced.

Billy and Aleksander began feeling overwhelmingly dizzy, feeling as if they were falling but in fact realised they seemed to be rushing through time and space.

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Devon, UK

It was Saturday tomorrow so because you could sleep in a bit as you opened later, you finished the first series (but not the second one - it always upset you) of the one you’d originally been watching, and had then moved on to the one based on the trilogy.

You peered more closely at your TV screen - yeah! you were right, the hot bad guy looked so similar to the hot bad dude in the other series they could be twins! Was it the same actor? You’d need to check on the credits but it must be, surely.

No reflection on the series you were watching, but having finished your ice cream you dozed off during episode 6.

You woke up - you had no idea how much later - and as you sat up slightly, realised that you were feeling very strange. Standing up from the sofa, you were so dizzy that you collapsed back down onto it. You tried not to panic, but you’d no clue as to why you felt so unwell all of a sudden.

Then you noticed that your apartment appeared to be rippling. Rippling??!! What the…. The rippling waves began to die down a little and you were suddenly aware of two looming figures standing over you. Their outlines and features slowly became more defined, more solid, and eventually you realised you were looking up at both the hot bad dudes from the TV.

Of course you were.

Okay, your reeling mind said to you, maybe the celestial Powers That Be had been listening when you were complaining about the lack of hot guys in your town.

They were both looking down at you, clear interest in their eyes. Maybe because you were wearing silky shorts with matching tank T. Your sleepwear didn’t leave too much to the imagination.

So you stared at them, and they stared right back at you, although again you were acutely aware of two sets of very dark eyes roaming all over your body.

You wondered if someone had spiked your ice cream.

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