#anyone else see his tongue playing with alicent sorry not sorry

[writingsofwesteros]

[zorkaya-moved]

"you’re not a monster ,  you’re just hume." darcy.

@wonderloste

Her presence may be just an ordinary thing in this land of wonder and fantasy. [ALICE] they call her, but is she really? It doesn’t matter, though; they all continue to sing the same song. At first, it took away her sense of self, but then she understood that it’s better to play the role without forgetting the core of who she was. The Wonderland started to become mundane, her new reality. Adaptation and apathy would slowly creep in, bringing back the sensation of ‘normality’ into her. It wasn’t the best, but it was how she survived. Calmness would come, and sharpness would be only present when it was required. Her tongue would return its silver lining as charisma and patience would return with time once more information was received and once more time passed. There’s no reason to rush, to push, to put herself in danger. She didn’t want to die, and neither did the one whom she followed through those nightmarish scenes. 

But once again, Zarina found herself lying on the grass with her back turned to Dary as if she was hiding her face away from him. The pleasant cool wind felt nice after a warmer day. How disastrous was the previous interaction, but not because it was life-threatening but because of what it reminded her. Her mother’s slap, her mother’s scream, her mother’s fear, her mother’s apology, her mother’s embrace, her mother’s pleading to never let this power overtake her mind. 

She disliked how ready Darcy was to use his life to save her. Perhaps, she pushed him away and doubted his love because it was never that simple in her life. Maybe it was because she couldn’t allow anyone to save her anymore, not when she could remember Vasilisa’s death to this day and not when she remembered being kidnapped and tortured for days until she almost broke, if not for Yaroslav and Victor. Such love, such emotions, such sincerity. Maybe it was scary to have someone being all of that, even if it was his own choice and his own views. Darcy White was a stubborn man, all too stubborn. It’s no wonder she butted head with him. Not that it was bad. People who spoke their minds had a higher standing in her eyes.

“...” 

You’re not a monster, huh? Just a human. He should be right. Maybe it was all her wrongdoing and her survival that made her see herself borderline a line between a beast and a human. However, this power within her raged, and she had to keep it controlled. Or else, she may lose everything. Or so she thought. There weren’t many things she was unsure about, but the powers of an elemental were a very rare showcase of how she still had doubts and concerns despite her irritating confidence that probably drove the man next to her into moments of gentlemanly approach slip into biting snippets. 

You’re not a monster, you’re just a hume. 

Anyone makes mistakes. It’s better when you can acknowledge them. 

“I’m sorry,” Zarina suddenly said, breathing out a soft sigh. He deserved it. Even if he didn’t need to hear it. Even if he didn’t want to hear it. Even if he knew already. It didn’t matter. What mattered to her was to say these words out loud. It's important for her to say them out loud. “I knew you were not lying, but I still doubted you.”

Zarina then turns to lay on her back, eyes glued to the sky of the Wonderland. She could hear the tick and tock of his clockwork heart, her senses were much sharper than when she had all of her [accessories] on her. Her golden eyes don’t look at Darcy, not yet. It’s not time for her to really look at him, not until she finished her thought. 

“I’ve had people save me before,” she continued, deciding to speak more earnestly. She didn’t know just how much he knew about her life or her experience. These Wonderlandians are another breed of suspicious and unique; it was making her put her guard up and lose that skill of smooth-talking for a bit as she was in her survival mode. A reminder of her military days, but she had to be more flexible. Hard-headed people may not always win. “I promised myself that no one will ever have to do it again. Not having any knowledge about this place and then you appearing? You made me feel weak, and I hated it. I felt weak with a person I did not yet know, and it put me on edge." It's true, it's truer than anything. Survival, manipulation, adaptation, presentation, lying, and gambling with danger. "Where I've come from, being weak means death. And those who make you weak - if they're not your family - will use it against you. It was hard to deny the possibility you'll change your mind about me the longer you'll spend your time by my side.” 

Lips were pressed together after that as if she tasted something bitter. It did feel bitter, she was a stubborn bitch, and she could acknowledge that. Then, she relaxed and breathed out again while closing her eyes.

Once she finally looked at him, a rare apologetic look crossed her feminine features. She really gave him a run for his money sometimes, didn't she? Almost died once as well. Not only that, but she did not trust him with information about her capabilities, causing that kiss to occur... How rare for her to experience the emotion they call 'regret.' It's quite prominent within her at this moment. Now, there's no way she'll hide away such important information. Whatever question he'll ask, she'll answer without an ounce of lies or deceit.

“I thought that I’d be fine being a monster, a beast, if it meant protecting those I care about, but I guess I’m just afraid of seeing someone - who [sees] me and still stays - die," Vasilisa's smile still seemed so beautiful in her head but it was already fading away. "I believed it when you said you [knew] me, but I didn’t want to accept it because, well, usually, people leave upon learning more about me,” there was a self-deprecating chuckle that followed, but Zarina then pushed herself up to sit down. “Been thinking about that for the last couple of days. You know but choose to stay. You do not need me; you said so yourself. But you... choose to stay. I didn’t have many people who did that. It felt too good to be true. But now? I feel quite the fool for my continuous testing of your resolve from before.”

Not everyone loves winter. Its freezing touch, its sharpness, its biting cold, its chilling lullabies. But it seemed the White Rabbit - as white as snow itself - decided to remain within this winter tale. He said once that she felt warm to him as he was an 'empty' vessel, but she did not see that hollowness. He is as alive as she is. Soul, no soul. Heart, no heart. He is breathing, he is speaking, he is staying with her. It's all that matters.  

“You can laugh now,” she added, looking over her shoulder at the White Rabbit. It’s said as a half-joke; her small smirk said it all. “Or you can say I’m an asshole, doesn’t really matter. After all, you know that just like you said… I’m a selfish creature, a very greedy and selfish hume with stubbornness akin to a mule. Certainly, it’s what makes our banter fun, right?” Sometimes, it’s too fun to give him a headache just to see if he’ll throw a snarky word at her. It’s a bit too fun. “If I’m not a monster in your eyes, I’m glad. Though, now, I wouldn’t mind becoming one if it means staying alive by your side. I'll be quite a beautiful one, wouldn't you agree?” She winked at him, bringing the monologue to a more lukewarm yet humorous end.

[sleeping-on-cracking-ice]

Hello! Can you write something with female Y/N and Chishiya? She helped him with something and is injured after that. She fell or burn her back or hit her head, but pretends that nothing happened since she think he doesn't care and the injury it's getting worst by days, Chishiya didn't notice at first and he just don't understand why Y/N is not talking with him but lets it go, then the day of game comes and they both have to play and Y/N faints few hours before registration. He is panicking suddenly aware of his own feelings towards her and he is SO worried and feels guilty. I hope you can add a lot of angst but fluffy end? I'm sorry if this is messy, english is not my first language 😭 Thank you!

Of course! And don’t worry your English is great 😊 I hope you enjoy! ❤️

Panicked Confession | Shuntaro Chishiya

{Alice In Borderland Masterlist}

Character(s): Chishiya (ft. Kuina, Usagi, Ann, Hatter)

Summary: You get badly burnt while saving Chishiya in a game, but made sure he knew nothing about it. Just before leaving for the next game, you pass out and Chishiya finds you, causing him to panic

Warning: swearing, burn injury, vomiting, fainting

Word Count: 4.9k

*reader is female

“Shit! Guys come on!”

You, Chishiya, Kuina and Usagi rushed through the bottom floor of the building. Flames were curling in the air around each side of you, quickly closing in to eat you alive.

All four of you had almost completed the game, being the only players left after the last puzzle of the building. It was a diamond game, a game of intelligence. You were lucky to have been with Chishiya, as Diamonds games were his specialty.

You were all sprinting across the room, together in a tight pack so the flames don’t manage to touch you. You were panting, feeling your lungs collapsing in on themselves, but you had to press on. Only a few more steps before you could jump through the glass window at the end of the room, which was quickly being engulfed.

Suddenly, you saw Chishiya, who was running next to you, trip on a loose bit of debris laying on the ground inconveniently. You looked back and saw him holding his ankle in pain.

Of course, just your luck.

You all stopped abruptly, skidding along the floor and looking back to Chishiya in fear. He saw you all, his eyes widening.

“What are you doing?! Go!” he called out, wincing in pain.

You looked towards Kuina and Usagi, watching as thoughts spiraled around their heads to figure out what to do. The flame was too close behind Chishiya for it to be safe, if someone was to help him, they would have to risk their life doing so.

Both Kuina and Usagi shook their heads and looked away. They turned away from Chishiya and began jogging towards the window again. You froze. There’s no way they would just leave him like that.

“Guys!” You called out to them. They turned to you with fearful expressions painted on their face. “What are you doing?!” You asked, fear and worry dripping from your words. You had to make up your mind soon or you would be burned to a crisp.

Kuina motioned for you to come to her. “Y/N, there’s no time! We have to go!” you could tell she felt awful about this decision, but you weren’t giving up just yet.

You looked back at Chishiya laying on the ground. He was staring at you with a worried expression, wanting you to hurry up and leave him. You couldn’t leave a friend that easy to die. You had to at least try.

You let out a big sigh and lifted your aching legs to race towards Chishiya. He began yelling at you the moment you started running. “No, no, no! Go Y/N! What are you doing?!”

You ignored his shouting and quickly knelt down beside him to lift his arm around your shoulders. You weren’t going to lose anyone else, you promised yourself that after your friends died in the first game you played after appearing in the Borderlands.

Chishiya kept arguing and shaking his head as you tried to lift his body. He was surprisingly heavy for someone his size. “Y/N, go! There’s no time! You can’t save me!” he at screamed you, becoming more desperate with every plea.

You continued to ignore him and began dragging him along towards the window, where Kuina and Usagi were already working on breaking the glass with debris from around them. “You’re not going to off yourself that easily Chishiya as long as I have a say in it,” you rasped out, struggling to keep upright with the extra weight on your shoulders.

As your heart pounded in your ears and you felt the fire become hotter and hotter around you, you suddenly felt an incredibly sharp pain across your spine. The sensation spread all through your body, from your head to your toe, making you cry out and almost collapse to the ground, but you stayed strong.

Chishiya had given up arguing with you, using his good leg to take a bit of his body weight off your pained shoulders. With his help, you managed to move much quicker, limping and staggering your way towards Kuina and Usagi, who had broken the window and were now waiting for you to come, yelling at you to hurry up.

You didn’t look back; you didn’t want to see how close the flames were. You knew it would do nothing but make the situation worse.

As you neared the window, you slowed down as Kuina ran out to help you lift Chishiya up and out of the window. You were relying completely on adrenaline at that point, having lost all of your strength through running and carrying Chishiya.

You managed to lift yourself through the cracked window, earning a few cuts from the leftover glass on the way, and collapsed onto the grass ground below you. A large barrier from inside the room (probably manufactured for the games) closed over the destroyed window as you fell, being lucky to be the last out of the four of you to escape. The flames were locked in, unable to harm you.

The four of you laid on the grass, panting and trying to regain your breath. As your adrenaline calmed down, the pain of your large burn mark set in. You covered your face with your hand and silently screamed against it, trying to drown out the searing pain somehow. You couldn’t worry the others, not after what just happened.

**************

The next couple of days was nothing but a struggle for you. As soon as you arrived back from the game, you stumbled your way to Ann’s medical room. She took a closer look at your burn wound, applying whatever she had to try and reduce the chance of it getting infected. But unfortunately, that didn’t reduce the pain.

After allowing Ann to wrap a bandage around your upper back to protect the wound, you slowly made your way back to your room on the upper floor. You didn’t want to rush yourself in case you made your wound worse, so you took your time in getting there.

Unfortunately, it was a bit too much time, as you managed to bump into Chishiya who popped out from around the corner. A small panic raised within you; you didn’t want Chishiya to see you like this! It’s embarrassing enough to like someone you had no chance with, but for them to see you stumbling and holding onto the wall because you can’t even keep yourself up? No, not today.

You stood more upright than before, giving Chishiya your best fake smile. “Hey Y/N,” he said, walking past you. You breathed a sigh of relief. Well, that wasn’t too bad.

You started to walk again before you heard Chishiya call out from behind you. “Oh, wait Y/N!”

You turned around, biting your tongue so you didn’t let out a yelp of pain as the skin on your back twisted with your movements. “Yeah?” you acknowledged him.

He gave you a half-hearted smile. “Thanks again, for earlier. I would’ve been a goner if you hadn’t risked your life like that for me,” he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. You’ve never seen him thank someone before, so you were shocked.

“Oh, it was no big deal! We should all help each other out, considering we haven’t really got anything else other than each other,” you said, smiling happily. You felt all giddy from him acknowledging the fact that you risked yourself for him.

“Yeah, but it was still pretty cool of you. Even Kuina and Usagi were willing to leave me there,” he chuckled as his own joke.

You laughed and shook your head at him. “I’m sure they were just doing what they thought was best for everyone else in the moment.”

Chishiya nodded and gave you a small wave. “I’ll see you tomorrow night then! Hatter let me know in the meeting this evening that you and I are together again. I’m glad though, because you seem to have the skill and brains to get through some tough games.”

You were flattered by his compliment. “Thanks, you too though! We would have burnt to a crisp if it weren’t for you during that diamond game tonight.”

The small talk was killing you. You just wanted to get back to your room and wallow in the silence that engulfed it. At least there, you could suffer from your burn wound a little louder than out in the public eye of The Beach.

Chishiya laughed at your statement. “No, I’m sure with you there it would’ve been fine,” he said back, making you smile wider.

“I’ll see you later then,” you exclaimed, waving a hand at him. He waved back with a grin on his attractive features before he turned around and continued down the hall with his hands tucked into their usual spot in his hoodie pockets.

You let out a big sigh of relief. That was close. You felt the pain seeping through your body the longer you stood there, hoping for Chishiya to just end the conversation. You felt guilty, it may have looked like you were trying to escape, since you were slowly backing towards the corner. Hopefully, he didn’t notice.

You stumbled the rest of the way towards your room, wincing and hissing in pain on the way. It felt like Ann didn’t do anything at all, but you couldn’t blame her. She had extremely limited resources and could only leave to search for more every few weeks.

When you finally made it to the door of your room, the familiar number engraved onto the middle of it, you gripped the handle and walked inside.

You collapsed onto your bed onto your stomach. There was no way you would be able to sleep on your back with this kind of pain, so you had to resort to either on your side or on your stomach.

Let’s just say, you had a restless sleep.

****************

You were hoping after a night’s sleep that the pain from your back would have disappeared at least a little bit. But you couldn’t have been more wrong. If anything, it had become worse. You probably managed to roll onto it a few times during the night, reopening any part of the wound that had sealed up over the time you’ve had it.

It took you far too long to get out of bed in the morning. You groaned and moaned in frustration as you crawled your way out of the duvet, almost collapsing off your bed. You felt rather pathetic, but who wouldn’t after not being able to do the simplest of tasks from a wound.

As you were walking to your closet to look for something to wear, you remembered you had to go see Ann again that morning. She had told you last night to return to her medical room the next morning so she could reapply a new bandage onto you, in case the other one gets bacteria or blood on it during the night somehow.

You quickly put on your usual swimmers to wear around the hotel and the black hoodie that you wore most of the time when you got cold. You didn’t want to risk anyone else seeing your wound. The gaping burn mark across your upper back was bound to attract unwanted attention.

You made your way down the hall to go see Ann again. There was nobody in the halls around the rooms due to it being close to noon. You slept in longer than you expected.

You slowly walked down the couple of flights of stairs, making your way to Ann’s medical room on the lower floor. The walk down to the lobby felt longer at that moment than it ever had.

You approached the door with the red cross along the front of it, indicating the medical room. You were about to lift your hand to turn the doorknob before you heard a loud voice yell from further down the corridor.

You shifted your eyes and saw none other than Chishiya striding down the hallway with his usual cocky smirk painted across his face. Of course, you had to run into him out of all people.

“Y/N! Wait!” he yelled as he jogged up to you.

You stayed silent, waiting to hear what he had to say. You wanted to ignore him and just walk into the medical room to see Ann to avoid any kind of questioning or suspicion from him, but you knew that would only make him more curious.

“Hey, you alright?” he frowned, questioning you. He reached out to place a gentle hand on your forearm, but you flinched away before he could touch you.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you answered, trying to sound normal. The piercing feeling that your wound brought you began to make its way around your body again, making you slightly shift and shake. ‘Of course, it just has its moment while I’m talking to the one person that I don’t want to look like a weakling in front of,’ you thought to yourself in your head.

Chishiya frowned at your flinch, but seemed to shake it off quickly, moving onto something else. “So anyway, where were you this morning?” he asked, leaning closer to you.

“I-I was in my room. I had a late sleep in,” you said, gripping the doorknob to the medical room.

“Oh, weird. Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?” he said with a smirk on his face.

��Oh shit, he’s mocking my bad memory,” you thought, feeling embarrassed.

“Um… no? Should I?”

“You, Kuina, Alice, Usagi and I were going to meet up this morning to steal some food from the kitchen and take it to the rooftop. You didn’t show up near the pool where we said we were going to meet!” he exclaimed. He was laughing, obviously not caring too much about your forgetfulness.

You thought for a second. You did recall having that conversation. You guessed that you forgot about it because you were so focused on trying to reduce the pain from your burn. Even if you did remember, as if you would’ve been able to run away from the chefs in the kitchen after taking the food with this injury.

“Me and Kuina even knocked on your door. You must have been really knocked out if you didn’t wake up from Kuina’s loud yelling.”

He then raised his eyebrow and smirked. “Unless you were hiding from me?”

Your could tell he was obviously joking, but he wasn’t far off from being right. That has been your intention since last night, but trust Chishiya to figure you out quickly enough.

You heart rate picked up from his accurate accusation. “Uh, sorry Chishiya, but I really have to go,” you mumbled out, giving him a quick fake smile before walking into the medical room and closing the door behind you.

Chishiya’s mischievous smirk fell from his face. You didn’t even give him a chance to say goodbye, and you seemed oddly nervous from his accusation that you were avoiding him. He felt somewhat hurt. Were you trying to avoid him?

He shook off his suspicions and continued down the corridor to the lobby to find something to entertain him for the meantime. You wouldn’t try to avoid him, would you? Perhaps he’ll confront you about it later.

*************

You were laying in your room reading a book when you heard the usual ring of the bell that was Hatter’s signal for everyone to move down to the lobby to prepare for the night’s games.

“Shit! Is it that late already?” you asked no one, glancing over at the digital clock on your nightstand.

You panicked and saw it was the time that you would head out to games. You said to yourself earlier that you would give yourself an early mark so you could get down there at the right time, considering you would be slow due to your condition, but you got distracted by your book and lost track of time.

You rushed to your feet a little too quickly for your body’s liking, causing the pain of your wound to shoot across your back without mercy, making you yelp in pain and fall forwards.

You managed to catch yourself before you face planted into the ground. You let out a few deep breaths, trying to regain your strength while the piercing pain became worse from your insistence.

You pushed yourself off the ground, placing your foot underneath you and attempting to stand to your feet. You had to make it to the cars at least, you knew if anyone found you at The Beach during game time, they would mark you a coward, or worse: a traitor.

You cursed under your breath and let out pained sobs as you tried to get to your feet again. But unfortunately, your body just wasn’t on your side at that moment.

Your feet gave out underneath you and your head pounded, causing you to feel dizzy and suddenly nauseated. You leant forwards as you emptied the contents of your stomach out onto the floor, gagging on the taste of it in the back of your throat.

Your eyes began to feel heavy, not being able to take the pain and stress you were under. You managed to roll yourself to the side so you wouldn’t land in the pile of vomit and lay yourself across the floor safely before you face planted.

“Fuck,” you rasped out, feeling helpless at that moment.

You couldn’t do anything as your vision narrowed, passing out from pain on the floor of your own room, no one around to help you.

*************

“Hello again everyone! I would like to say a few words before we all get into our groups and drive to our games!”

Hatter’s usual booming voice thrusted across the crowd in front of him. Another night, another gathering. Just like every other day.

Chishiya stood at his usual spot in the back, leaning against the cement wall and rolling his eyes at Hatter’s words. He never seemed to have anything useful to say. Just some preachy words that created false hope.

‘How about for a change, he gave us some advice? It would probably spare some people a few headaches,’ Chishiya thought to himself.

He stood on his toes and tried to search the crowd for the top of your head. He was becoming anxious. You would usually be down in the lobby by now.

He was more nervous due to the way you’ve been acting all day. Usually, you two were joined at the hip twenty-four seven, but the only time he saw you that day was in the morning when you walked into the medical room.

He wondered why you were going in there. You never went to Ann unless it was for something drastic, but you seemed completely healthy and unharmed.

As the time ticked on, Chishiya became more and more worried. You would never skip out on a game; you were too afraid of being caught by the executives for that.

Hatter finished off his nightly speech with the list of groups and which number wristbands go where. Chishiya didn’t even care to pay attention as everyone began making their way towards the entrance of the hotel where they would pile into the cars and drive off to the games. He ran the opposite way, clambering up the flights of stairs to reach the level your room is on. If you had to be anywhere, it would be there.

He powered his legs into a sprint, having to brush his white locks out of his face once or twice due to them getting in the way. He eventually arrived at your room, stopping and panting to regain his breath.

He knocked on your door quietly at first, not knowing if you were asleep or something. “Y/N?” he called out through the door. “We need to head off to the games. Did you not hear the bell?”

When he received nothing but silence as an answer, he took it upon himself to walk in to see if you were there. He opened the door and peeked his head around the side, being careful in case you were indecent for some reason.

As he walked in further, his heart dropped as he saw you laying on the ground passed out.

“Y/N!” he exclaimed, rushing over to your body and kneeling beside you. He lifted your head onto his lap gently and immediately checked your neck for a pulse. A small feeling of relief flowed through him when he felt the beat of your heart on his fingers.

“Oh my god Y/N, what’s happened to you?” he stressed, tapping your cheek with his hand to see if you would wake. He was beginning to become more worried as time ticked on. He glanced over at the clock on your nightstand and saw that it was getting later. He had to wake you up before registration closed for all the games.

He lifted you up from under your arms, using all his strength to pull you into your small bathroom. He placed you gently on the tiled floor, stuffing a towel underneath your head for support. He quickly shifted your body around, trying to look for any source of injury that caused you to pass out. He froze when he noticed a few stains of blood on the back of your hoodie. He quickly lifted the hem of your shirt to see what was causing the stains.

His eyes almost popped out of his head from the sight. He gasped at the huge burn wound on your back, stretching across from your shoulder blades to your waist. The bandage that Ann had wrapped around it had come loose, hanging off your abdomen carelessly. His heart filled with guilt as he examined it more closely. Why didn’t he look after you?

He immediately put two and two together and realized that you had probably passed out from the pain of the burn mark.

He stood up from his position on the floor and grabbed a small cloth from your towel rack, running it under the water from the tap. He knelt back down next to you and carefully placed the wet fabric against your wound. He was so afraid of hurting you, but he had to do what he could to make you better for the game.

“Oh, come on, please wake up Y/N,” he breathed out. Stress and anxiety filled his tone, making the air more tense.

“Please wake up, please be okay. I love you, please don’t die Y/N,” he suddenly felt small tears gathering in his eyes as he stood up quickly to refresh the cloth that he was using to clean the burn.

He felt his hidden feelings begin to pour out of his mouth. He couldn’t handle the strain seeing you like this was having on his emotions.

He brought the cloth back, but this time he turned you over slightly so he could place it on your face. Your eyes were still shut tightly, not showing any indication of opening.

Chishiya ran the fingers of his other hand along your cheek, tapping softly on your skin, hoping that you would wake up from the physical contact. He felt desperate. He has never felt this helpless before, not even in games.

He allowed his few tears to fall down his cheek, lifting your head and pressing his forehead against yours. “Please wake up, we have to go. Just wake up and I’ll take care of you,” he mumbled out with shaky breaths.

He didn’t know what else to do. He could do nothing but hope.

A few minutes passed with Chishiya just holding you and pressing the cold cloth onto your face, trying to make you open your eyes. And eventually you did.

Chishiya breathed in a huge sigh of relief when he saw your eyes flutter open slowly, dazed and confused. He smiled and kept the cloth pressed to your face, caressing your cheek with his thumb.

“Oh, thank god,” he breathed out, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and bringing you into his chest for a close hug. You groaned loudly at the contact as Chishiya accidentally placed his hand on your wound.

“Chishiya, be careful,” you rasped out against his chest. He flinched away immediately and apologized.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up,” he said, lifting you up under your arms again. You groaned, not being able to stand up on your own yet. Chishiya kept you close to his chest as you leant against him.

He managed to clean you up with you leaning most of your body weight on him. He helped you wash out your mouth and clean your teeth to get rid of the taste of vomit and reapplied the bandage that had fallen off your wound. He did it all with such care and concern, being afraid of hurting you or overwhelming you with anything.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at the games?” you asked after you had finished rinsing your face.

“I noticed you weren’t at the lobby when Hatter called everyone, so I ran to your room and found you,” he answered, fixing your hoodie on your back from when he had to lift it to clean your injury.

“So, everyone’s gone?” you asked with a worried expression. Chishiya nodded, leaning on the sink next to you to check your face to see if you were alright.

“But if they find us, they’ll mark us as traitors!” you exclaimed, fear filling your head.

Chishiya placed his index finger on your lips to shush you. “Shh, only if they can hear us. We can just stay in here and be quiet, and hopefully no one suspects that we’re missing,” he said, smiling to calm you down.

You searched his eyes for any uncertainty but chose to let it go and just listen to him. “Okay.”

You both sat side by side on the floor of your small bathroom, Chishiya running his hand up and down your arm to keep your anxiety away. After a while of comfortable silence, you spoke up.

“Thanks, Chishiya, for helping me. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be lying on the ground next to a pile of my own puke,” you laughed at yourself.

Chishiya giggled. “It’s okay. I care about you Y/N, I couldn’t just leave you there.”

You looked at him with sparkling eyes, being taken back by his statement. “Really?” you asked, not believing him.

He smiled lovingly and caressed your cheek with his fingers. “Of course, I’d do anything if it was to help you.”

You thought you would have a cute moment together, but that flew out the window when Chishiya slapped you lightly across the cheek. Not enough to hurt you, but enough to bring a shocked expression onto your face.

“But next time, tell me when you’re hurt instead of trying to hide it from me like an idiot! You really think you’d be able to hide something like this from me?” he scolded you like a mother, but you giggled at his reaction.

“Yeah, I’ll tell you next time. Why did I ever think I could keep something from someone with an intelligent mind like yours,” you teased, leaning closer to his face.

Chishiya raised his eyebrows. “Hm, thanks, I guess? Not sure if that was a compliment or if you’re poking fun at me.”

You chuckled. “Take it however you want,” you whispered. You finally closed to space between you, allowing your lips to clash against his. Chishiya let out a shocked sound, but quickly melted against you and accepted your kiss.

You both sat on the floor of your bathroom, moving your mouths together while Chishiya tried hard to place his hands on you without touching your burn mark. You appreciated his care, but he ended up having to awkwardly place them on your upper arms, rubbing up and down them slowly.

You pulled away first, making Chishiya chase your lips as you moved away, making you giggle. “There’s my thank you gift,” you said cheekily, leaning away from him and back into your seating position.

Chishiya pouted at you. “That’s it? That was barely a kiss!” he argued, trying to move closer to you, wanting more of your affection.

“Chishiya, your tongue was in my mouth. I think that clarifies as a kiss,” you stated, placing your hand on his mouth and pushing him away gently. “Maybe let down that tough guy persona more often and take care of me, maybe then you’ll get more kisses.”

Chishiya leaned back and frowned. “Fine, but don’t expect this to be the norm now. I’m not going to let you control my personality just for a bit of affection.”

Well, that was a lie.

Author’s Note: Every Chishiya fanfic I’ve written has had some sort of angsty moment in it 😂 this man is going through it

[fruitcoops]

If you feel up to it can we pretty please get some more pre-coops PT sessions?

Oh, pre-Coops pining, I missed you. This is slightly different (and a bit fluffier) than the other fics. I hope you enjoy it all the same! Coops credit goes to @lumosinlove <3

TW for mild sickness (coughing, sneezing, etc) and mentioned ankle injury

Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths, Sirius repeated in his head as he limped down the hallway, grimacing each time his crutches slipped on the freshly-waxed floor. It had been weeks since his last flare-up and as much as he hated the idea of losing a chance to see Remus, he hated the thought of waiting any longer to be back on the ice.

Sirius paused just outside the PT door to collect his thoughts. They had been doing this for months, but even the memory of Remus’ gentle hands on him still made his breath catch in his chest. He rested his forehead on the doorjamb with a sigh. I’m hopeless.

He frowned when he saw the closed door—Remus liked to keep it open, so anyone could pop in and say hello when they passed by. It was one of Sirius’ favorite things about him.

“Who is it?” a gruff voice called from inside when Sirius knocked cautiously. That’s definitely not Remus.

“Uh, Sirius Black?”

The door swung open and Moody gave him a quick once-over, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not scheduled until Tuesday.”

“My ankle is flaring up,” Sirius said, glancing over Moody’s shoulder toward the desk by the wall. All of Remus’ things were still there, thankfully. “I was hoping Loops could take a look before the weekend.”

Moody grunted and let him in the rest of the way. “Lupin’s out today, but I’ll poke around and see what I can do. Have you been doing your stretches?”

“Yes.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.” The mere thought of disappointing Remus almost made him nauseous.

“Good.” Moody continued mapping his foot and ankle, keeping a careful eye out for any signs of pain.

“Where is Remus, by the way? Is he okay?” Sirius did his best to stop the worry from leaking into his voice.

“Got some sort of flu. Dumb kid takes the bus everywhere, so I’m not surprised.” Despite his harsh words, Moody had a fond look on his face. “He tried coming in, actually, but his voice was shot and he kept sneezing so I made him stay home. With the weekend, he’s got three days to recover.”

Relief slowed Sirius’ racing heart. “Good to know. Does he need soup or anything?”

Moody shrugged as he straightened up and patted Sirius’ knee. “Ask him yourself. Number’s on the board if you don’t already have it. Your ankle just needs some ice and ibuprofen, by the way—don’t stop using your crutches until next Friday.”

“Thanks, Moody.”

“See you around, Cap.”

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

As soon as practice finished, Sirius pulled his phone out of his pocket and proceeded to stare at Remus’ contact information for the next seven full minutes. Finally, he thumped his forehead on the steering wheel and pressed New Message.

Message To: Loops

Are you okay?

Moody said you were sick

A few seconds passed without a response and Sirius’ good leg began bouncing up and down. “This was stupid,” he muttered to himself. “This was so stupid.”

His screen lit up.

New Message From: Loops

Hey! I’m a little under the weather, nbd

Thanks for asking : )

“Oh my god,” Sirius whispered, holding his hand over his mouth. “Why did I do this?”

Message To: Loops

Yeah no problem

Do you need anything? It’s not safe to drive yourself

I have soup

Sirius groaned aloud and flopped forward again. “No shit, Black, everybody has soup.”

His phone was silent for a few moments before three dots appeared, blinked, and vanished. It happened two more times, until Sirius’ heart threatened to escape via his throat.

New Message From: Loops

That sounds really nice, thank you : )

A link popped up below the text; an address. His address. Sirius’ cheeks started to hurt and he realized he was smiling wider than he had since they last won a game, quickly starting the car and turning out of the parking lot.

Making canned soup wasn’t difficult—for the first time, he followed every letter of the instructions on the can. Burning it was not an option. Ten minutes and a warm Tupperware later, he was back on the road and following Google Maps down the busy avenues of downtown Gryffindor.

Remus’ apartment building was almost as cute as he was, but maybe that was just Sirius’ smitten brain throwing a party over the fact that he finally got to see it. Bright yellow with brick siding, it rose many stories above the street, and he hurried up the concrete steps to the porch, where a small buzzer sat.

Fenwick, Benjamin

Fortescue, Alice

Lovegood

Lupin, Remus

Sirius pressed the button. There was a crackle, a hiss, and finally a croaky, “hello?”

“Remus? Hey, it’s Sirius. Um, I brought your soup,” he stammered, suddenly tongue-tied.

“Oh.” Surprise laced the congested voice on the other end. “Oh! Okay, yeah, thank you. Come on up. Did I send you my apartment number?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Ugh, sorry. My brain is toast.” The buzzer clicked.

Sirius bit his lip and pressed it again. “Loops?”

“Yeah?”

“Your apartment number?”

“Oh my god,” Remus laughed. “I’m so sorry. It’s 6B, and the elevators just got repaired last week so you should be fine.”

“Merci.” Sirius opened the front door and carefully balanced his Tupperware on one forearm as he called the elevator and headed toward the sixth floor. Tinny music played through the speakers—if he strained his ears, it almost sounded like the Bee Gees.

The ride was quick; soon, Sirius was waiting outside a plain apartment door with his hand raised to knock, steeling himself to see Remus face-to-face. With a sharp inhale, he tapped his knuckles on the wood and stepped back.

The silver doorknob turned and then Remus was there, leaning on the doorframe in pajamas and fuzzy socks as he winced at the bright sunlight from the hall. His nose was bright red and his eyes were glassy with dark circles underneath; his soft curls stuck up in a cowlick on one side, but he smiled at Sirius all the same. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Sirius swallowed around the dryness of his throat and held the Tupperware out. “It’s chicken noodle.”

Remus blinked, then lit up when he saw the soup. “Thank you so much!”

“Ne rien. I’m sorry you’re sick.”

“It’s not your fault,” Remus said with a shrug. “I’d invite you in, but—wait, aren’t you supposed to be on crutches?”

Sirius blushed. “I couldn’t carry the soup with them. It’s just a few minutes.”

“If this wasn’t the sweetest thing ever, I’d lay into you about proper procedure,” Remus teased, reaching out. Their fingers brushed and Sirius winced a little at how cold he was. Would a hug be out of order? Remus curled his hands around the base of the container and sighed at the warmth. “God, I didn’t even know I was hungry until you brought this.”

“Glad I could help.” He could feel his pulse in his toes. “I should probably let you eat then, eh?”

That perfect crooked smile slipped a little. “Yeah, probably. I don’t want to get you sick, too.”

“Always looking out for me.” The smile returned and Sirius whooped internally. “Text me if you need anything else, okay?”

“You got it, Ca—" Remus sneezed into his elbow, then waved him off as they both burst out laughing. “Alright, alright, get outta here.”

Sirius made it halfway to the elevators before a thought struck him; Remus’ door was almost closed, and something jolted in his stomach. “Wait!” he called before he could think about it.

Remus poked his head around the edge of the door, looking confused and a little hopeful. Sirius wanted to wrap him up in a blanket and cuddle him until he felt better, then kiss him all over his flushed face. I’ll make you soup whenever you ask. “Yeah?”

“I—I missed you today. When I went in for a checkup. It was weird having Moody mess with my foot.”

The edges of Remus’ eyes crinkled gently, making his freckles pop. “Missed you, too. See you Tuesday?”

“See you Tuesday.”

“Thanks again for the soup, Sirius.”

The noise that almost slipped out of his mouth when Remus said his name would have been wildly embarrassing—thankfully, Sirius managed to swallow it down and offer a mock-salute with a smile instead. He didn’t stop grinning all the way home.

[yoongiseesawmp3]

candy kisses - yoongi

don’t judge me. stream butter. stay safe out there

summary: yoongi is y/n’s weed dealer, and he needs help expanding his business portfolio. weed brownies, anyone?

warnings: weed. trifling friends. a small couch. don’t read if you’re a narc or if you’re gonna point out the two grammar mistakes i found that i will not fix

word count: 3.3k

“when was the last time we smoked together?”

you don’t hear yoongi because you’re currently very focused on rolling this blunt correctly. your work in the past has been sloppy, rushed, and you’re worried about disappointing yoongi while also disrespecting his high-quality product, so you’re mega focused on the little pieces of herb in your hands that are trying to run away. you’re half aware of his gaze on you as you work, and you’re also barely aware that your tongue is just slightly sticking out, a sign of your steady concentration which yoongi is about to break.

“you look cute when you’re focused like that,” yoongi says nonchalantly, almost making you drop the blunt just as you’re about to bring it to your lips to wet the paper. 

“thank you?” you reply, noticing how relaxed yoongi is on your couch. just black sweats and a white t shirt on, and yet it’s hard for you not to stare at him. actually, you’re staring right now, so get back to work. you finish up the blunt and lean forward, searching your coffee table for your lighter. 

“looking for this?” yoongi asks, picking it up from underneath a stack of take out napkins that you’ve carefully curated. is that a fire hazard, a lighter underneath cheap napkins? probably. 

“yeah, thanks,” you answer, reaching over to grab it from him. “how’d you know it was there?”

“you always keep it on that little plate thing with the other tiny stuff you lose all the time,” he explains, and you glance at the napkins and see the minuscule design element you barely remembered peeking out from underneath. 

“ok, how’d you know that was there?” you ask, holding the blunt up before you start to slowly light the end of it.

“i go nuts for interior design,” he explains with a shrug. “the colors on the plate match your couch pillows. it’s a nice touch.”

“thank you,” you respond quietly. who notices stuff like that?

“you’re welcome.”

it’s quiet as you take your first puff of the blunt, one quick one just to test it and another, longer pull after for good luck. the acidic smoke hits your tastebuds before you breathe it in. you hold it for just a second, and then exhale, watching the cloud that forms in front of you. you turn to yoongi and intend to pass the blunt to him, but you realize you don’t have an ashtray ready so you pull that little plate from its paper prison and ash the blunt before yoongi takes it from you. your fingers brush as he takes it, and you notice how soft his hands are, so you tell him.

“thanks, it’s your lotion,” he replies, and you laugh at how comfortable he gets every time he comes over. 

“i thought i smelled peaches,” you joke, trying to rearrange the mess on your coffee table now. you push an empty vape pen out of the way as you search for any other trash to throw away, and still yoongi is watching you as he exhales from his first pull. he looks like that caterpillar from alice in wonderland.

“you shouldn’t smoke those little vape things, it’s getting metal in your lungs,” he tells you with a little bit of authority in his voice. you watch him as he pouts his pretty lips and closes them around the blunt, their slight downward slope mesmerizing as he breathes in. 

“well if you didn’t take so damn long to refill our stash i wouldn’t need these little vape things to get a buzz,” you bite back, graciously taking the blunt as he passes it back to you. you watch him hold the smoke just a second longer before pursing his lips to slowly let it all out. you’re still thinking about his lips when he speaks again. 

“do you like edibles?”

“um, it depends,” you reply. “what kind?”

“how many are there?” he asks, curious. 

“why, are you trying to expand your business portfolio?” you joke. “but really anything that you can use butter in, or infuse cbd oil somehow can be an edible i think. but i like brownies the best.”

“so, hypothetically, if i made weed brownies, could i make them here? and could you maybe help me with the recipe?”

“sure, but why do you need to make them here?”

“to hang out with you,” he says with a shrug. “is that ok?”

“that’s ok,” you reply, wondering if your heart is beating fast because of the blunt or the idea that yoongi wants to spend more time with you. “when?”

“are you free friday?”

-

you know how everyone uses phone alarms to wake up now? and sometimes if you hear that ringtone out in your everyday life it brings you war flashbacks? 

well, the timer on yoongi’s phone is going off, playing your typical morning alarm, and he won’t turn it off, so you’re about two seconds away from committing murder. 

“yoongi!” you shout to the man missing in action. “your brownies are done!”

you hear the bathroom sink running followed by yoongi’s shuffling footsteps, and you watch as he dashes to the kitchen while he dries his hands off on his sweatpants. 

“shit, sorry,” he apologizes, grabbing his phone off the counter before ending your misery. 

“thank you,” you sigh as you relax back into the couch. you hear his movements echoing in the kitchen, the oven opening, the pan clattering on top of the oven, and the impressed whistle yoongi lets out as he checks his masterpiece. “how do they look?”

“incredible,” he replies, popping his head out of the kitchen with an excited look on his face. “do you wanna be my first customer?”

“i’m letting you use my kitchen, so you better not charge me for trying one of your edibles,” you warn as you get up. your kitchen is a mess, by the way. yoongi might be a great chef when it comes to meals, but he didn’t know shit about desserts before today. so actually, he’s using your kitchen AND your baking expertise, you should get the entire batch for free. 

“i’m not gonna charge you,” he agrees with a roll of his eyes. “this time.”

“how much are you gonna take?” you ask, peering over his shoulder as he slices the pan of sweets into bite size portions. you get the urge to lean your head on his shoulder as he does, but you’re not sure if that would be weird, so you’ll settle with standing close enough to feel his warmth along with the warmth of the brownies. “just one to start?”

“i’m not sure i did this right, so one could be too much or not enough. it’s better to be safe and start small,” he explains.

“god, look at the delinquent who brought drugs into my home being responsible,” you tease. “it’s cute.”

“i don’t think you’re supposed to call your dealer cute,” he counters.

“good thing you’re not just my dealer, then,” you quip back as you snatch a piece from the corner, the best piece of any brownie, illegal or not. 

“wait,” he semi-shouts, grabbing your hand before you pop the piece into your mouth. “should we have a plan before we take them?”

“what do you mean, a plan?”

“like if something happens,” he explains, a nervous look in his eyes. “maybe i won’t try one, so i can keep an eye on you in case i made them wrong.”

“yoongi, we’ll be fine,” you assure him, picking up another piece and holding it out to him. “i won’t take it without you.”

“is this the peer pressure to do drugs that adults are always talking about?” he asks as he carefully takes the brownie from your hand. again, your hands brush, but this time yoongi just stays there, sort of cupping your hands in his even though you’ve already passed the contraband to him. you whisper his name, snapping him out of whatever thoughts were clouding his head, and he pulls his gaze up to your eyes, which have an excited glint in them that yoongi wants to see over and over again. he especially wants to be the reason for it, but he’ll settle for the simple pleasure of enjoying how it highlights the flecks of light that dance over your eyes. and now you’re noticing the way he’s staring at you, and it’s making your hands clam up, so you try to clear the air. 

“so, do we cheers with these before we take them or what?” you joke, and you’re rewarded with a silent chuckle and the shaking of yoongi’s broad shoulders. 

“i’m not sure, you’re the edible expert,” he replies. “we should just take them.”

“whatever you say, boss man.”

-

taking the edible was easy enough. waiting for it to kick in was another story. 

first of all, you and yoongi both have had butterfly fueled jitters around each other since the longing gaze you shared in the kitchen. that awkwardness was paired with the anxious jabbering of yoongi as he questioned every feeling, sight and sound, questioning if “this is what it feels like.” 

second of all, jimin and taehyung somehow found out you had a whole pan of weed brownies and quickly made their way over, and they might have mentioned this to hoseok too. he’s bringing pizza though, so you’re not mad about that. you had planned on watching your favorite movie with yoongi tonight, so the more the merrier? and also pizza. you were looking forward to that more than having your home invaded by three extra boys.

on top of your house being invaded by boys, you’re starting to wonder what’s going on between you and yoongi all while your mind starts to slowly drift away with your ability to focus. right now you can only think about how yoongi is starting to lean into you more and more and also did he look that good when he first got here? he’s never wearing much more than pajamas of some sort, but today he looks a little more put together than usual. it’s not a drastic difference, he’s wearing adidas track pants paired with a baggy, black button up, so anyone else wouldn’t think much of this outfit choice. but...did he dress up for this? is he trying to impress you? meanwhile, you’re wearing pajama shorts and a t shirt that’s so old it’s basically a family heirloom. 

having jimin and taehyung here keeps you distracted from the way yoongi keeps nervously running his hands over his thighs, and you definitely need a distraction from that. you started the movie a few minutes ago, but you swear you could just sit here watching yoongi and be just as entertained. 

“you know that wasn’t in the original script?” yoongi asks, snapping you out of your thoughts with his little fun fact.

“yeah, i knew that,” you reply, noticing how close he is to you now. taehyung took up the other side of the couch with his big ass self, so you’re slightly squished up next to yoongi in the corner and his eyes keep flitting around, like he’s equally excited and nervous about your proximity. “i thought you said you hadn’t watched this before though.”

“i haven’t,” he responds with a shrug. 

“then how did you know that?”

“...i read the imdb page before i got here.”

“nerd,” you tease, smiling at the thought that yoongi takes an interest in what you like. you’re about to share your own bit of trivia about the movie (because you could talk about it for hours) but hoseok banging on your door stops you.

“special delivery! yummy pizza!! give me weed!!!” hobi shouts from the other side of your door. you rush to your feet to answer it, hopefully to put a stop to his yelling before neighbors complain, but the edible is starting to hit and your knees suddenly feel like they’re made out of jello. you sway slightly and you feel yoongi’s hand on your back steadying you before you step around jimin on the floor to let hoseok in.

“you’re gonna get me evicted,” you warn hobi as you open the door, and he responds by kissing the top of your head. he makes his way to the kitchen and taehyung follows, leaving a loopy jimin and a pink-cheeked yoongi with you in the living room.

“hyung, are you good?” jimin asks yoongi, and he simply nods. “y/n, can you get me some pizza please?”

“go get it yourself, jimin.”

“you’re a terrible host,” he quips back, sitting up too quick. you can tell he’s feeling what you felt when you stood up, and jimin smiles. “hyung, the brownies were really good. can i have another?”

you and yoongi both say no at the same time, and jimin thinks it’s the funniest thing in the world. his giggle attracts tae’s attention as he comes out of the kitchen, several pieces of pizza stacked on one plate.

“what’s so funny?” he asks, handing you each a slice as he makes his way back to his spot on the couch. you take yours and sit back down, even closer to yoongi now because hobi has taken your spot on the couch. you’re practically in yoongi’s lap now, but you don’t mind. 

“yeah, was it actually funny chim or are you just high?” hobi asks, a fleck of brownie on one side of his face and a piece of cheese on the other. why are boys so gross?

“i don’t know, but when yoongi and y/n answered together it just sounded like they’re an old married couple that spends so much time together they start to sound the same,” jimin explains.

“aren’t we all like that though?” you ask. 

“eh, the two of you are getting worse,” taehyung replies. “you have been hanging out a lot lately.”

“that’s because y/n is my business partner now,” yoongi says calmly. business partners? is that all he thinks of you?

“do business partners talk about how kissable their partners lips are?” jimin asks, back to laying completely on the floor. there’s an awkward pause before he speaks again. “are you sure i can’t have another piece of brownie?”

“wait, who said the kissable thing?” hobi asks.

“yoongi hyung. he thinks y/n has nice lips.”

“and a nice ass,” taehyung adds.

“i hate you all,” yoongi grumbles from semi-underneath you. 

“you know you can kiss me if you want,” you tell yoongi before thinking about it. yoongi looks at you with something in his eyes that you can’t read, and your heart skips a beat. you look away from him quickly, turning the sound on the tv up a little louder. “actually, forget i said that.”

“i will if i can have more brownies.”

-

letting jimin have another piece was a mistake. 

nothing bad happened, he just ended up falling asleep on your floor and now he’s asleep in your bed after a nice group effort of carrying him to your room. hoseok left after that, saying he needed to get home for mickey’s vet appointment in the morning. he took some of the brownies with him and he’s going to try to get namjoon to eat one to see if he’ll do a dramatic performance of a poem or something for a dumb bet between him and jin. 

that leaves you, yoongi and taehyung. somehow there’s one less person on the couch now and yet you’re still smushed up next to yoongi, but you’re not complaining. it’s keeping you grounded, feeling him breathing next to you. otherwise you’d go back to thinking about his thighs in those track pants, and that isn’t good for anybody. it’s bothering yoongi though, if only because he’d rather be like this just the two of you, minus the nine foot giant next to him that found one of your newer vapes. it’s banana flavored, and yoongi finds himself wondering if your lips would taste like candy after smoking it.

“taehyung, can you stop blowing your smoke at me?” yoongi finally asks.

“sorry hyung, not many other places i can blow it,” he responds. “it’s a small apartment.”

“sorry about that,” you say, reaching for the vape in taehyung’s hand. 

“not your fault, y/n,” he replies. “you could invest in a bigger couch though.”

“or you could sit on the floor,” yoongi offers.

“why hyung? i thought you’d like sitting so close to y/n,” taehyung smiles. “beside, you can just buy y/n a new couch when your very successful brownie business kicks off.”

“yeah, since i am just a business partner to you,” you mumble, exhaling the sweet smoke. it wisps around yoongi and he tries not to look annoyed, but you like messing with him. he looks cute when he’s flustered.

“or you could buy a bigger apartment when you move in together,” taehyung suggests before getting off the couch. “but i’ll solve the couch problem for you, for now. jimin is awake and he found some of y/n’s school pictures, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“i’m never inviting you over ever again!” you shout, loud enough for jimin to hear you in your room.

“y/n, you were really cute in high school!” jimin shouts back. taehyung shouts “i wanna see!” before he’s gone, leaving you alone with yoongi at last.

“i was really awkward in high school,” you say more to yourself than yoongi. “but whatever.”

“i’m sure you’ve always been cute,” yoongi responds after a beat of silence.

“i don’t think you’re supposed to call your ‘business partner’ cute.”

“oh come on, you know i didn’t mean it like that,” yoongi says with a smirk, silent confidence starting to creep out.

“i would like a new couch, though,” you tell him. you smile at each other and it’s quiet again for a beat before yoongi speaks.

“you haven’t moved away.”

“what?”

“taehyung got off the couch, there’s plenty of space now, but you haven’t moved,” he explains quietly.

“yeah because the space is on your side, you should be the one to move.”

“what if i don’t want to?” yoongi asks, a slight challenge in his voice. you stare at each other for a moment before you lean in. your lips barely meet before you pull away, but yoongi’s cupping your chin and pulling you back in for a real kiss before you can crack a joke. it’s slow at first, but then you get more comfortable with it and move your lips slightly, yoongi following your lead. you part your lips and he deepens it, the hand on your chin falling down to the back of your neck to keep you in place. 

he was right, your lips do taste like candy. he could stay here like this forever, but eventually you have to breathe so you pull back and let your head fall down to the crook of his neck. you stay like that, catching your breath, and yoongi’s arms pull you closer to him to you’re fully seated on those damn thighs and he’s taking the discarded vape so he can have a taste, and he lets the smoke curl around you before he leans back in. now you get a chance to taste the sweetness on his lips, and you can’t believe you didn’t do this sooner. your arms are draped lazily over his shoulders, and you tap his back to signal that you’re pulling away again.

“for what it’s worth, i’ve always thought you had kissable lips,” you tell him. “but i have a better ass.”

“i’m not arguing with that,” yoongi replies with a smirk, cupping his hands around you as he moves so that you’re underneath him on the couch, lips tangled and the world forgotten. 

damn, you really should’ve done this sooner.

[knives-out20]

Discrepancy - Dean Corso x Male!OC - #3

Fandom: The Ninth Gate (1999)

Pairing: Ambrósio ‘Ambrose’ Fargas (OC) x Dean Corso

Warnings: Swearing, Faggotry, Spoilers for The Ninth Gate, Flirting, Homoerotism, Sexual phone stuff but not phone sex y’know, Ambrósio has no chill and knows no bounds y’all,

Notes: what is going ON y’all....lmao

Dean lay on the bed of his hotel room in Paris, talking to Ambrósio over the phone. "Ambrósio, how are you holding up?"

"I'm lying down if that answers your question, Dean" Ambrósio answered, definitely wearing a shit-eating grin.

Lying down, Dean thought. "What're you doing?"

"Oh, I dunno...talking to some shady book dealer over the telephone."

"I'm shady?" Dean chuckled. "First I'm out of place, and now I'm shady?"

"Yea, man, what the fuck is with your fucking gray hairs around your ears, you got premature graying or something?" Ambrósio inquired, squinting a bit.

"Have you just been thinking about the hairs around my ears lately?"

"I've been thinking of more than the hair around your ears, Dean."

"My facial hair?" Dean teased.

"More than your hair, man."

Dean grinned, "ever the flirt?"

"I try my best, Corso." Ambrósio rubbed his thigh, biting the edge of his lip.

"You been, uh...back at the house, as of late?"

Ambrósio shrugged. "Carmen let me go back to check it out with her really buff boyfriend, like, wrestler-type buff, Jeronimo's huge."

"Is he setting some high expectations up for me?"

Ambrósio decided to mess with Dean. He put on a puzzled tone, "who said they're for you?"

This caught Dean off-guard, like Ambrósio wanted it to. "Oh- uh, nothing, I just- all this had led me to assume-"

"Chill, man, calm down, I'm playing around" Ambrósio giggled. "It felt a bit...grim, but that's obvious, y'know? I mean, with...the reason why I'm staying with my friends in the first place."

"Yea."

A moment of silence struck the two before Ambrósio asked Dean another question. "Where are you right now?"

Dean's gaze darted around his hotel room. "In a hotel."

"Central?"

Dean slowly licked his lips in thought. "Uhh...Sure." He nodded, pulling out a slip of paper and a pen. "I'm staying at this Hotel Central place nearby, in this room. You can reach me there if you're specific."

"No, no. Out of the country." Dean corrected him.

Ambrósio scoffed, "yea, so where are you?"

"France. Ever been?"

"You offering?"

"Again?"

"I'm assuming that's a no."

Ambrósio broke out into a smile as he leaned back in his seat. "Does adoption not exist in America, or wherever?" He giggled. "I'm adopted, half-Pakistani."

"Ever been?"

"You offering?" Ambrósio joked.

"Don't lose hope" Dean smiled. "If I grow to like you enough, decide I need some sort of companionship in my life, I'll reach out."

"You make it seem like it'll be a privilege to me, to be able to hang out with you. It's quite the opposite."

"Oh, really?"

"Yea. It'll be a privilege to you, or rather anyone, to hang out with me, Ambrósio Fargas."

"That's true. Any new up-comings with your..uh...grandfather?"

"Mmh." Ambrósio hummed in a gloomy way. "Jeronimo has an uncle that's in the funeral business. He'll help with all the funeral stuff for my Avô."

"Wish I could come."

"It's like you want to be out of place, Dean, jeez" Ambrósio laughed.

Dean liked listening to Ambrósio's laughter, even more-so since he caused it. He assumes he just liked that he was able to make Ambrósio smile during this suddenly-dark time in his life, given the abrupt death of Victor and all.

Ambrósio and Dean got hit with another moment of comfortable silence. It seemed to be a running thing between the two men.

"You still lying down?"

"On my bed in Carmen's guest bedroom, yea. Why? You gonna ask me what I'm wearing?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you're still wearing that red shirt."

"I have a damn washing machine, Dean" Ambrósio licked his lips. "It's unbuttoned just like the first time you saw it."

"You wearing those gray pants, too? With the stripes?"

Ambrósio hummed his answer, meaning a 'no." "I'm wearin' some shorts, actually. Switching things up, today. What're you wearing, Corso?"

"Same things from the day you first saw me."

"Not one for changes, eh?" Ambrósio questioned. "Well, no. You probably are, given that Balkan's making you go here 'n' there around the globe for some old books 'n'...whatever. Y'know?"

"Yea," Dean nodded. "I'm really sorry, too, Ambrósio. About your grandfather. I never meant for this to happen to him, I didn't anticipate it like you did, but anticipation really has nothing to do with it." He explained. "I'm sorry."

"It's nothing. My Avô was old as hell anyway, Dean. He was bound to go sometime, but I just...not so soon. He was a good man."

"I'm sure he was, he seemed like it."

Ambrósio smiled. "You're a good man, too."

"Really?"

"Yea." Ambrósio nodded. "You, you- you didn't need to give me your hotel number that night you first came, you didn't need to come inside the house to call for me the other day. You didn't need to make sure I was okay, and gonna be okay. You didn't need to make sure I had some place to stay, or ask for Carmen's number in order to reach me. Hell, you don't need to be talking to me right now" he listed out, admittedly blushing a bit.

"But...I am."

"But you are, exactly. You added me into your little equation when you had the choice to leave me in your memories as Fargas' pretty, queer grandkid."

"'Pretty'?" Dean repeated.

"I'm fucking divine, Dean, it's in my name. Meanwhile, Dean means like...'valley.'"

"Would you describe me as a valley, Ambrose?"

"A valley of weird gray hairs, some round glasses, dark academia, and an angular face."

"You think my face is angular?"

"In a good way, pretty boy."

Dean smirked to himself, dragging his free hand slowly down the side of his face. "You think I'm pretty, too?"

"I thought the flirting made it obvious."

"I'm more than a pretty face, y'know" Dean sassed.

"Well, duh. I'm not shallow" Ambrósio scoffed. "I like when we talk, too, and not just for your voice-"

"You like my voice?"

"I've told you this before!"

Ambrósio chortled. "I don't only listen to Hendrix and Foreigner, Dean, Jesus Christ."

"Who else do you listen to?"

Ambrósio stepped back, towards his staircase. "I could listen to you. You sound like you could do a number on people if you sing."

Dean knowingly shook his head, looking down to hide his smile. "I don't sing, but...thanks."

Dean hummed in agreement. "You mentioned reciting poetry, when I met you."

"Yessir."

"What writers do you like?"

"Aw, damn, uh..." Ambrósio scratched his jaw in thought. "Baudelaire, definitely. And JP Marquand, Oscar Wilde, and Lord Byron. To name a few."

"Quite an array."

"You like?"

"I wouldn't shy away from the names. It's an impressive list."

"Thank you, I know." Ambrósio smiled, proud of himself.

"You still lying down?"

"Yea, what're you doing?"

"Lying down, on my hotel room's bed, talking to the dreamy, divine grandson of Victor Fargas." Dean flirted, stroking his beard.

Ambrósio poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. "I am dreamy."

"You really are."

"So..."

"So?"

"So, we're just both lying down, on our beds, talking to each other over the telephone?"

"Why, would you rather be doing something else, with somebody else?" Dean joked.

Ambrósio raised his eyebrows. "I'd rather be doing something else that involves being on a bed, with you...Doing a far more scandalous activity than just talking."

Dean fought back a grin, looking over at the wall. "You're on quite the roll, huh?"

"Whether it be the romantic poets I indulge in, or my natural-born charm, the world may never know."

"I think it's just you, honestly."

"I'm touched." Ambrósio placed his free hand over his chest, where his heart lay underneath. "Oh, also- I figured out another song you remind me of."

"Really? Which?"

"Poison by Alice Cooper. I was gonna say his other song Feed My Frankenstein for the sake of the title and sexual themes, but there's lyrics in there regarding a body part that neither I nor you have...I'm assuming. There's nothing wrong with if you do, though. I have a guy friend with the body part, but he's saving up money to get rid of it."

Dean's eyebrows jumped. "You listen to Alice Cooper?"

"Sometimes, do you?"

"Not really my thing."

"Ah, yes, let me guess." Ambrósio raised a finger in thought. "You enjoy sitting back in leather armchairs, surrounded by dusty, possibly-expensive books and listening to the likes of Debussy, Chopin...I happen to like Tchaikovsky myself, if he's any your style."

Dean laughed softly. "No, not actually. I don't know what I listen to, I don't know if it could be classified as one thing."

"If you ever come back to Portugal, we could listen to my records together 'n' see what you're into" Ambrósio offered.

"Are you asking me out?" Dean joked.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm a gentleman, I'd buy you dinner, first." Ambrósio corrected him. "I'm just flirting your socks of for the time being." He told, sliding a hand through his dark hair; he closed his eyes and gave it a tug, trying to imagine that it was someone else, someone specific, tugging his hair in his bed.

"I'm not wearing any socks right now."

"Task complete." Ambrósio nodded slowly, sure of himself. His smile grew when he heard Dean's slight laugh through the phone.

"Dinner, huh?"

"Yea. Wine, music, candlelight, the whole shebang. Again, a gentleman."

"The sound of it does intrigue me."

"That's the goal" Ambrósio stared up at the ceiling. 

"Your activity from before, regarding a bed...What would that include?" Dean didn't know what he was doing, nor what he was hoping to accomplish, but liked the power it held over Ambrósio trying to flirt with him...Well, trying and succeeding, but he liked playing a hard-to-get guy.

"Oh, I'm not entirely sure." Ambrósio partially lied. "Winding, twisting, turning, gyrating, writhing...incessant writhing" he purred. "Perhaps some assorted debaucheries along the way."

"You can be so charming when you want something, eh, Ambrose?"

"Or someone," Ambrósio added. "And I can be so charming, full stop."

"Of course you can."

"Alright, how can I get to you, Dean?" Ambrósio asked him. "Tell me the rules." He whispered through the telephone, Dean stifling a shiver.

"Can I trust you?" Dean playfully rolled his eyes.

"Oh, my dearest Dean, have I given you any reason not to?"

"That's true."

Ambrósio's voice turned into another whisper, "you and I could be as thick as fuckin' thieves. Tell me the rules, Dean." His fingers stroked from his chin to his cheek, a faraway look on his face.

Dean could just imagine the look on Ambrósio's face as they spoke. "First, you gotta tell me if I can call you 'chico' yet."

"Beg for it, like you wanted to" Ambrósio reminded him, free hand trailing down his neck, down his torso.

Dean turned back around, seeing Ambrósio holding onto the opened gate. "What is it, chico? Can I call you ‘chico’?"

“If you ask nicely.”

Dean rolled his eyes knowingly, “save either one of us begging for something from the other for another time.” He finally flirted back. 

Dean held a knowing expression on his face. He should've expected this.

"No problem, Ambrose. Can I call you 'chico', yet?"

"Only if you beg like you wanted to." Ambrósio flirted.

Dean looked around in thought, "wouldn't you rather in person?"

"Would either one of us want to travel seventeen-ish hours for you to beg me for something so small in the midst of your big book mission?" Ambrósio rhetorically asked. "You wanna call me 'chico', you gotta do what you suggested. It was your words, not mine, big man."

Dean hummed. "Please?"

"'Please' what?"

Dean giggled quietly. "Please, can I call you 'chico'? Please?" He insisted, "please? Let me call you 'chico', Ambrósio, please."

Ambrósio had a smug look on his face, "you may."

"That was barely any begging."

"Let's save actual begging for some other time, when we're closer together. Okay, amor?"

"Okay, chico." 

"I also thought of another song."

"You're full of them for someone who supposedly couldn't think of any."

"Shut up," Ambrósio chuckled. "I Was Made For Loving You."

Dean licked his lips, "by Kiss?"

"You like Kiss?" Ambrósio looked surprised.

"I know Kiss, and I know the song you mentioned. How come I never remind you of any Jimi Hendrix songs?"

"That's not my problem" Ambrósio replied. "I Was Made For Loving You, Dean. Take it or leave it."

"Y'know what, Ambrósio?" Dean inquired. "Maybe you were."

"Not even 'maybe', Dean. I know I am." Ambrósio checked the time. "Listen, I gotta get going, a guy's gotta run. Talk soon?"

"Sure thing, chico."

"Bye, Dean. Stay safe."

"You too."

Ambrósio and Dean hung up their phones, Ambrósio's head spinning of round glasses, prominent cheekbones and smooth voices as he left the bedroom. Whereas Dean stayed where he was, rubbing his thighs with thoughts of dark, soulful eyes, inked-up torsos, and dreamy grandsons.

Both of them just hoped Dean's mission would end quick so the two could talk physically again, or maybe do a greater deal than talking.

[happys-crazy-queen22]

Title: Road Trip

Gif credit @spuhuras

First twilight imagine. First Sam Uley imagine. I hope you all enjoy.

It's a little smutty.

Happy reading dollies

Feedback is greatly appreciated ❤

BEEP BEEP!!

As you were packing up snacks for the trip you heard a loud honking outside. The pack ran through the house to see what it was all about and you followed.

There was a RV parked in the drive way. Sam and Edward came out both with smiles on their faces.

"What's going on? We were supposed to be going on a little road trip just you and me".

"We'll, we thought why not take a family vacation together". Edward told you and the pack.

"Are you all going to behave and not threaten or kill each other"?

"We'll be fine". Sam came and scooped you up planting a kiss to your lips.

"I like the idea that all of us are going but how are we supposed to have alone time"?

"I'm driving so you can ride up front with me".

"That's not what I meant Sam Uley". You say sternly.

"Oh. Ooh. We'll figure out something". He quickly kissed your lips, put you down and ran inside grabbing the snacks and heading on the bus.

"Wonderful". Frowning as you got on the bus, Sam patting the passenger seat up front with him.

Taking a seat beside him, you got comfortable since it may be a long trip cause you had no idea where you were going. Everyone piled on the bus. The whole Cullen family and the pack. There was hardly any room to move but they all were happy to be together. Kinda weird if you asked anyone that knew them.

About fifty miles into the road trip you got this surge of sexual excitement. It came out of no where and that's why you wanted to be alone with Sam. It's been happening from a month now. You didn't know what was happening to you.

"Sam"? You whispered looking in the back. Knowing the Cullens and the pack had such great hearing and could read minds you had to be sneaky.

"Sam"?

"Yeah, babe"? He didn't take his eyes off the road.

"I'm horny". You purred. He blinked his eyes at you, like he was processing what you told him.

"Now"?

"Yes. If you didn't invite the families you would be balls deep in me right about now". You moaned just thinking of the idea of Sam pounding into you.

"I love you but you really need to control yourself at the moment". He scorned you. You huffed, crossing your arms and slouching in your chair.

"Fine. I'll go see what the guys are up to".

Sam shook his head. He wanted you just as badly but he knew how to control his urges.

Walking back to the back of the bus. Edward came up to you. "Hey, sorry if we ruined your getaway week".

"No, it's okay. We can do it another time". You told him with a slight smile.

"I'll make sure you two get some alone time. I know that's what you wanted since you cant get it when the tribe is around".

"You really need to stay out of my mind, Edward. It's not nice". You laugh.

"Actually, it was in Sams mind. He can't stop thinking about it. It's really disturbing what all he's thinking about, to be honest".

"How are you in his mind without him knowing"?

"He's distracted with driving and the scenes he's picturing".

"Can you tell me what he's picturing up? Please"?

"I'm not giving you a mental picture. I'm not your porn source".

"Oh so that's what kinda stuff he's thinking of". You bit your bottom lip.

"That's my Sam alright. He's alittle freaky in bed. May not show it as a alpha but when he's in bed he is way alpha-yer". You laughed as you made up a word to describe Sam in bed.

"Yeah, I didn't need to know that". Edward scrunched up his eye brows.

"So, where are we going"? You thought why not ask someone else and they may tell you.

"It's a surprise".

"If you want to give me a surprise Edward, give me Sam, a room and have Sam give me tons of orgasms then that would be the best surprise you could ever give me". Edward chuckled but you were dead serious.

"I think we should go to our seats before you tell me actually what Sam does in bed".

"I can tell you. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two". You giggled as you walked passed Edward.

"Hey now". He chuckled shaking his head going back to Bella. Who heard everything and was quietly giggling to herself.

Getting back to your seat, Sam was still in drivers mode which annoyed you.

"Where are we going"?

"I'm not telling you so stop asking. You'll love it, I promise".

"Fine". You chewed the corner of the inside of your cheek. Getting a idea that Sam would love and hate.

Seaching for the RV guide to see if there was a door or curtain to close you off from the others. And there was. The divider was in the wall and you found it easily closing you off.

"What are you doing"? Sam asked confused.

"Just watch the road and enjoy". You seductively said getting down on your knees beside him. Undoing his belt and pants. You slid your hand in his boxers pulling out his cock. Running your tongue from the base to the tip. Sam shivered as you did so.

"Stop. Someone's going to catch us".

"You really want me to stop"?

"Yeah, we have too".

"Well, someone has a mind of his own". You kissed his cock as it grew in your hand.

You wrapped your hands and mouth about his cock, sucking him off. Swirling your tongue over this tip licking up his pre-cum that was oozing out.

"Shit. Don't stop". Sam moaned throwing his head back.

"Sam, road". You giggled as Sam jerked the bus back on the road, growling at you.

You went back to stroking and bobbing your head. Taking him down your throat, gagging a little as he hit the back of your throat. Sam closed his eyes tightly trying not to cum right away, he didn't want you to stop.

"Road, Sam". You said with a pop of his cock. He jerked the wheel back in place. Rubbing his eyes. You continued you tease and suck him, he tried his darnest to keep his eye on the road.

Meanwhile in the back of the bus, everyone was holding on. They didnt know if they would get thrown one way or the other. All of them confused except Edward, he was giggling heavily his face looked as if it got heated from the laugh.

"What the hell is going on"? Jacob cussed as he was forced on to Paul as Sam jerked the wheel again.

"Maybe he's dodging pot holes"? Esme suggested, shrugging her shoulders. 

"Maybe. I'll go check". Jacob got up from his seat.

"I wouldn't do that". Edward warned but Jacob shrugged it off and opened the divider coming to a scene he never wanted imprinted in his brain.

Sam was a moaning, groaning mess under your touch. He bucked his hips when he could without slowing down the bus. You sped up your bobbing and pumping him. He was close to coming and felt it as he tensed up.

"You going to cum for me baby"? You purred as his face turned beet red. He nodded with a grunt. You wrapped your mouth around his cock and he exploded down your throat. The warm liquid slipped down your throat with ease, you hungrily swallowed it down.

"Fuck". He cursed under his breath.

You both were so caught up between sucking and coming that you didn't hear Jacob freak out.

"Oh god. My eyes". Jacob screamed shutting the divider.

You giggled as you wiped your mouth going back to your seat. Sam panicked and fastened his belt and pants. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

"That was fun". You say with a smirk.

Sam growled giving you the evil eye. "It's not funny".

"Stop pouting. We had a good time. It's his fault for coming in without knocking".

Sam rolled his eyes and turned on the turn signal as he pulled into a gas station. Coming to a stop. The buses door swung open and Jacob ran off. The pack laughing at him.

"What happened"? Bella asked as she got off the bus.

"Jacob saw something for mature eyes only". Edward chuckled as Bella caught on.

Sam and you got off the bus, eyes were on you two. "So dodge many pot holes lately"? Emmett asked with a snicker getting a slap from Alice.

"Does everyone know"? Sam blushed.

"We have a pretty good idea but we'd like for you to tell us". Emmett opened his mouth again but instead of Alice slapping him Rosalie did it.

"Shut up, Emmett". You told him.

"I told you we should stop, now everyone is making jokes". Sam was embarrassed.

"Who cares. I bet everyone here has been in the same position we are right now. I don't care. I liked what I did and I would do it again. If you dont want to be with someone that does stuff like that then we need to break up right now".

Sam stayed quiet. You threw your arms up in frustration walking away.

"We've all be there, Sam. Dont worry". Carlisle reassured Sam. Emmett nodded with agreement.

"Should I apologize"?

"I would if you ever want that to happen again".

Sam took of running after you. He found you in the woods beside the gas station playing with a twig.

"I'm sorry". Sam came up behind you spooking you.

"I just don't know why you got so mad".

"I was more embarrassed. Jacob saw. Im supposed to be the alpha not some teenager getting caught fooling around with his girlfriend".

"I'm your girlfriend and imprint we can do whatever we want. Who cares who sees or what they think. I love you and I'm going to show you how I feel".

Sam smiled wrapping his arms around you engulfing you in a warm hug. "I love you and I'm sorry that I got them to come with us but I had my reason".

"What crazy reason was that"?

Sam pulled away making you whimper as the cool air hit you. He pulled put a box and got down on one knee in front of you.

"I love you and I wanted the people most important in your life to see this moment. Y/N Swan will you marry me"? Sam asked. You heard twigs breaking around you as the families circled around you. Bella had her phone with your dad video chatting since he had to work.

"God, you're amazing. Yes, Sam Uley I will marry you". You pulled him up by his face, your hands cupping his face bringing him to your lips kissing all over his face.

"I love you, I love you". Sam took your hand and slid the ring on your ring finger.

"I love you more". His kissed your lips softly.

"Congratulations guys". You heard your dad over the explosions in your head as you were kissing Sam. And also something about road safety.

"Thanks. Thanks everyone for being here. It means alot. Sorry I was rude for not wanting you all to come".

"That's okay. We know how it is when you find someone you can't get enough of". Bella and Edward kissed. Emse and Carlisle kissed. Jasper and Alice kissed. Emmett and Rosalie kissed. The packed just looked at each other and nodded. They all knew what you were going through. Finding that special someone is hard but when you do you want to do everything together even if you get caught in the act.

"Sorry to break up this moment but we need to get going. I promised Y/N that Sam would give her tons of orgasms so I'm driving and they can have the back bedroom". Edward spoke up and getting the keys from Sam. Everyone laughed awkwardly.

"Really, Edward? Really"?

Sam buried his face in your neck with a groan that turned into laughing. You giggled at how subtle Edward was.

This was going to be a very interesting road trip.

[contrabandhothead]

Talbert. Any Talbert. We just need some Talbert once in a while.

childhood friends - floyd talbert

this gif is originally from here

- CHILDHOOD -

you and Tab had always been the talk of the town, even when you were young

the ladies in their finest Sunday dress constantly remarked that you two would be together someday

but of course, you two were kids, so you didn’t care

the only thing that mattered to you two was who could run the fastest and the glory of sitting under your shared sycamore tree

the sycamore tree had always been your spot, ever since Tab broke his arm while trying to climb it when you were both young

perhaps it wasn’t the largest thing in this small town, but it was the most sacred thing to the two of you

perhaps the only thing that mattered

Floyd did always say, as long as that tree was there, he’d be by your side

you two were the best of friends, close as close can be

you shared everything: your lunch, your tree, your families, your houses, the flu you caught

hell, even your clothes

you two had been through everything together as well, the highs and lows

but everthing began to change when puberty hit

you had started to develop this warm feeling in your chest, a feeling that spread all the way from your aching heart to the tips of your toes

but only when Floyd was around, it didn’t happen with anyone else

when you asked your mom one night about it while she tucked you in, she just laughed and said that you’d find out soon enough

you began to feel uncomfortable around Floyd

i mean, no one would tell you what was happening, and it only ever happened when Floyd was around

so logically speaking, Floyd must be making you sick!

although this was the conclusion you came to, you never avoided him

i mean, how could you??? he was the Floyd to your [y/n], and you were the [y/n/n] to his Tab!

the sickness started to get worse as each day passed

now, instead of just the warm fuzzy feeling, you were getting swarms of butterflies in the pits of your stomach

their wings flapped like crazy whenever he was around... it was almost as bad as the one time you had to give a presentation in front of the whole class!

you finally got your diagnosis when you were 13: chronically in love with Floyd Talbert

and it was the worst

you recieved your diagnosis at Mary Baker’s sleepover

you weren’t even sure why she invited you

i mean, sure you two were friends, but no one could top Tab’s friendship

your bond was tight as a corset, and it was as elusive as smoke

when you had told the rest of the girl’s about how Tab was making you sick, they giggled as you described your symptoms

Alice screeched when you told her about the butterflies, exclaiming “you’re not sick, silly! you’re in love with him!”

that was perhaps the most frightening moment of your life, and the one that unlocked doors to a whole new world of possibilities

you had decided that night, lying awake in your sleeping bag in the dark, that you were going to confess to Tab

that’s how all love stories start... right? i mean, that’s how mommy and daddy started dating

besides, Tab always felt the same way about stuff that you did, so why would he not feel the same love you felt for him?

you found yourself in quite the rude awakening when school came

you and Tab always met at the corner by the schoolyard... it was convienent, and most people didn’t wait for others there

but today was different

you knew he had been making more friends than you, or what he called “broadening” his “horizons” (which you told him was a load of hogwash), but you didn’t know that he had acquired so many in the past couple of weeks

you recognized a few of their faces, like Bobby Olson and Henry Freeman, but the majority of them appeared to be upperclassmen

you watched them begin to make their way up to the school, staring at them questioningly

Floyd always waited for you, even if you were late or sick

your curiousity began to get the best of you, and you felt yourself itching to run up to Floyd and curse him out so hard that your momma would wash your mouth with soap for the next 20 years

instead, you chose to trail behind them, hanging on to their every word... but you soon learned that you wish you had just kept the cat in the bag

Henry smacked his lips together obnoxiously as he chewed his apple, he’d always been a slob

“say, Floyd, what about that [y/l/n] gal that’s always around you, what about her? you could always ask her out, ya know. she ain’t an ugly broad, and her family’s nice. hey, and i heard she even knows how to shoot a gun! ” He stuffed his uneaten apple into his bag, and you knew that it would rot there for the rest of the year.

Floyd scoffed at him, rolling his eyes and pulling at his lip. He’d always had that bad habit. “are you serious, Hen? i’d never ask her out if my life depended on it! yeah, sure, she ain’t ugly, but she ain’t pretty either. her family ain’t nothing but white trash either. now that girl, Mary Baker? i’m going for her, she’s a real lady.”

you could feel the tears welling up in your eyes as you blocked their next words out, feeling the corners of your eyes sting with each new drop

you and Tab were best friends, you were supposed to be best friends. how could he say something so cruel about you?

you wish you could be more shocked, but you weren’t

Floyd had always been superficial, but you knew this was a whole new level

pulling your worn hand-me-down cap over your eyes, you shuffled into the dingy classroom

you somehow managed to barely converse with Tab, despite the fact that both of your desks were next to each other for each class

you even walked home without him, something you’d never done

it felt wrong without him at your side, like a piece of you was missing

when your mother asked you what’s wrong, you broke down, slamming the cap you had on all day on to the table

in an angry outburst, you had told her what Floyd had said

she wrapped her arms around you, cradling you close as your body wracked with sobs

later that night, when she was stroking your hair on the couch, you finally spoke

“momma... why does it hurt so much?”

she sighed and shook her head, continuing to thread her fingers through your hair as she spoke

“baby, your first heartbreak is gonna be the worst.”

Floyd knew something was wrong, but he never asked

and true to his word, he was dating Mary Baker now

and Mary, bless her soul, she had asked you if it was okay for her to go out with him

she told you she wasn’t sure if you still liked him, but she wanted to check with you before she said yes

and though you were jealous of her, you tried so hard to hate her.... but you just couldn’t

it wasn’t her fault that Floyd didn’t love you, she never made him say those things

you told her it was okay and that you didn’t like him like that anymore, but your conscious was screaming at you that you were a liar

Floyd was getting desperate, he was trying everything at this point

every time he asked your momma if you could come play with him, he always got the same answer

“she’s not home right now, but i’m sure she’d love to some other day”

you were never free the next day, even though he knew you were home

Floyd had even begun to throw rocks at your window during ungodly hours of the night, the pebbles making tiny thwacking noises against your window

he hadn’t been in your house in so long that he began to think that you had moved rooms or that you slept through it all, but you had heard every single rock hit the window

the only time Floyd ever saw you was at school, and even then you still barely spoke to him

you started hanging out with a new group of people, including his girlfriend, and for a while, Floyd gave up

but he was starting to get fed up

fed up with his friends, fed up with his girlfriend, fed up with his mom asking him where you were, fed up with the letters he kept writing you that he never sent, fed up with the fact that your beautiful smile wasn’t lighting up every room he entered

so he snapped

he stopped hanging out with his friends, he yelled at his mom, he tore up the letters, and he tried to forget about you... but he couldn’t

every time he kissed Mary, he wished it was you, and it was driving him mad that it wasn’t

so he broke up with her

you were sitting in the field behind the school when Mary had run up to you, and at first you were happy to see her

but you soon became worried when you noticed her tear-streaked face, her mascara creating inky black tears

you threw your book down, standing up quickly and enveloping her in a warm hug

she clung to you as she cried, her tears soaking the shoulder of your shirt

“Mary, what happened?” you questioned

she just sobbed harder, and your eyes began to focus on a familiar pair of shoes that stood behind her

trailing your eyes up the legs of Floyd, you met his eyes

you narrowed your own, letting go of Mary for a moment

“you did this,” you seethed, anger spewing from every orifice of your body. “you did this, Floyd.”

Floyd finally found his voice, breaking his silence with a small whisper. “[y/n/n]...”

when the familiar name rolled of his tongue, you lost it. jabbing a finger in his face, you screeched, “no, Floyd. you don’t get to say my name. you don’t get to whisper it like it means something to you when it clearly doesn’t! me and my family were there for you, we helped you with everything! i took care of you when you got the flu. i gave you my socks when you lost yours, even though i didn’t have another pair for winter. i helped you learn to read when you were struggling. my mother cooked you breakfast, my mother gave you a place to stay for the night when you felt like you couldn’t show your sorry face at home. how dare you go and disrespect us, after all we’ve fucking done for you! you broke Mary’s heart, and you left me the moment some new people came along. you’re a bad person, Floyd! you’re horrible! i hate you!”

Floyd didn’t see you for two weeks after that

he knocked on your door every day after the initial week, but all that he got was a firm door slammed in his face by your parents

by the 15th day, he had had enough

when your mother went to slam the door, he slammed his foot in between the door and the frame

it hurt like a bitch, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make in order to see you

“Mrs. [y/l/n], please, i need to see her!”

your mother paused at the urgency in his voice, contemplating her choices

you had been pent up in your room for weeks, barely eating or getting out of bed... she could see you wasting away

besides, Floyd was like her own child, and it pained her to refuse him

she peeked out her head from behind the door, taking a good look at Floyd

he was haggard. his cheek bones were sunken in, and he looked like he hadn’t seen a hair brush in days.

your mother slowly opened up the door, clenching her jaw.

“Floyd Talbert, if you don’t fix whatever you did to my baby girl, i promise i’ll skin you alive.”

Floyd nodded, anxiously glancing behind your mother to see if he could spot you

when Floyd opened your door, he quickly spotted the lump underneath the mass of threadbare blankets you were hoarding, with your head nowhere in sight

you groaned, pulling away from your warm cocoon. “ma, i said i don’t want any...” you trailed off, locking eyes with the boy that you never wanted to see in your room again.

you grabbed the book closest to you on your nightstand, chucking it at his head

he ducked, but the flurry of books just kept coming

“you son of” another book. “a fucking bitch!” another book “i will” another book. “clock you so hard” another book. “you’ll fly into next tuesday!” you threw two more just for emphasis

Floyd held his hands up in front of his face, attempting to bat away the books. “jesus- oh my- dear lord, how many fucking books do you have? for christ’s sake [y/n], can you please just listen to me?”

you stopped, but not willingly... you ran out of books

angrily staring at one another, you both huffed in anger

Floyd stared at you, finally breaking the silence.... he was always the first to apologize

“look, i messed up, okay? i should’ve never said those things about you and your family. you’re not ugly, you’re the most beautiful girl i know. and i’m sorry i called your family trash, that’s not true. you’re right, i was being an ass, and you deserve an apology. i only dated Mary to get popular, and that was wrong of me. she deserves an apology too, but you deserve one first...” you could see the tears welling up in his eyes, and his adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. “i miss you, okay? i fucked up so bad, and the only person to ever really know me as well as i know myself left me. i miss you so much [y/n/n], you don’t even know. i used to write you letters, ya know? i never sent them, and i regret it. you’re the only person i care about right now, and i don’t deserve your forgiveness, but i need you. please.”

his voice crumbled to a whimper at the end, and he fell to his knees crying. you ran over, cradling his head in your hands as you rocked him back and forth. you silenced his whimpers, kissing the top of his head.

“ya know, i haven’t seen you cry like this since you broke your arm.”

Floyd smiled, a choked sob leaving his throat

you sighed, humming a small tune to yourself

“i missed you too, Floyd. and i’m a liar, i don’t hate you. what you did was wrong, but i love you too much to hold it against you.”

Floyd glanced up at you, hope in his teary eyes. “friends again?” he whispered, not sure if this was real.

“i missed you, Floyd.”

you and Floyd hadn’t been separated since, practically conjoined at the hip once again. everything seemed to be fine. that is, until the war happened.

wow this is garbage and i just spent like an hour on it... anyways, i’m so sorry this request is so old, but we all need some good Tab in our lives. should i do a part 2???? i hope you guys have a good day/week 💕

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 35: The Heir of Slytherin

Wet!

Alice automatically tried to pull away from such a thing, spluttering in disgust as she realized she was sunk in water with hands and knees. Splashing and flailing as she tried to get up in protest, she realized there really wasn't anywhere to go that wasn't covered in a thin layer of water.

Heart still thudding painfully in her chest from the last near death experience, she tried to lurch to her feet to find the new chamber. The first realization was how sick she was of the color green. Though it had no visible source, the hue managed to highlight the large stone pillars spaced every few feet in the shape of yet more snakes, as if she hadn't enough of a fright from those knowing the king of the species was slithering about somewhere.

Still gasping painfully for normal breath, she latched onto a new bit of color with painful glee and quickly hurried to Lily's side. "Oh thank goodness you're okay!"

She just nodded, getting to her feet in the same shaky but hurried way with Alice supporting her elbow. "Potter pulled me out of the way," she muttered, sounding quite like she'd been hit over the head anyways she was in such disbelief. "I, I've never frozen like that-"

"I'm so sorry, I thought you were right behind us!" Alice wasn't even listening, pulling her into a tight hug, nearly sobbing in relief, guilt, and lingering worry.

Lily patted her awkwardly on the back before trying to pull away, and Alice let her with the excuse of rubbing still dripping fingers over her face to brush the strands away clinging to her eyes. Together the two went about to everyone else, rounding their group into a tight circle with no protests. It was no secret that the dangers behind them were only the start of their worries. This was the basilisks layer.

Several heavy moments of silence not even broken by the drips of water anymore persisted before the eldest Black finally spoke up, "can you believe I'm related to such an atrocity? Moony, promise me if I ever start to looking like my ancestors, you'll put me out of my misery."

Regulus turned slowly on the spot from one of the too life-like statues to see Sirius gazing up, and up, at a statue of a brutish man with broad features and a cruel expression. He had to admit, Sirius was right in one regards, there didn't seem much of a family resemblance.

"We're supposed to be looking for the book to get out of here you bloody idiots!" Frank snapped.

"Well I don't see anyone wandering off to go find it," Potter snapped right back, no one even daring to shift their weight, let alone move from each other in pursuit.

"Anyone else going to give summoning it a try?" Pettigrew finally asked in the smallest voice imaginable. None yet had, they were all aware any trace of movement could summon the beast even faster to them, but it was either that or stand here like the most delicious thing this snake would have had in centuries like a waiting buffet. So taking one last breath of dread, he cautioned, "everyone close your eyes," following his own advice before finishing, "accio book."

His ears had been expecting a splash, but instead the book fell into his outstretched hand perfectly dry. They waited several more agonizingly long moments for anything but surely a beast of this size would have made itself known. Hissing the air, moving about in the pools of water, something. Cracking his eye open just beyond the lashes and letting out the smallest puff of breath in relief, Peter quickly began muttering out Harry's story.

James made a mad attempt at a laugh as his son described Salazar Slytherin as monkyish, giving Sirius a look that promised this would come up later in much better circumstances. For now, they had more important things they had to concentrate on.

Ginny was alive! That was honestly the first bit of good news any of them had been given in such a long time!

That was the last bit of good news they were likely going to get, as a ghostly figure arrived in front of Harry.

Small mercy though it was, they were all grateful no such apparition appeared before them. Unlike Harry, more focused on poor Ginny, every one of them were well aware something not right was happening for this to be appearing. Had the diary been some sort of magic supplicant? It was impossible he looked the same now as he did fifty years ago, but they were all at a loss what answer that could be. One thing was clear, he was somehow connected to this place, no way was it a coincidence otherwise. Explaining yourself away as a memory didn't seem like a good explanation at all.

The longer it kept going, the worse it got. None of them had ever wanted to sit around and laugh at a little eleven year old like this Riddle was doing, and the chills in the air as talk turned to souls only grew worse.

Amidst Riddle's rant of how he got Ginny to do all this was a sad story indeed, but what came next would quite honestly take the cake for surprising things he wasn't sure he'd believe for the rest of his life.

"Wormtail, I swear, now of all times! To be playing one of you're bloody word games! Tom Riddle's Voldemort, honestly," Sirius turned around to face him fully, eyeing him like he'd hand fed his mind to the awaiting basilisk. "He's a muggleborn from an orphanage, remember."

He didn't answer, his mouth was half hanging open, the words still echoing off his tongue leaving him with a nasty taste left over in surprise. Not a muggleborn, but a halfblood. Voldemort/ Riddle's mother was a descendant of the statue behind them as surely as Sirius, but only through half the lineage!

There was an odd noise Peter only noticed in the back of his mind, but one he quickly realized he should be paying attention to. It was a grinding, sort of scraping of stone moving across stone, and suddenly his heart ran colder than the murky water still covering his shoes. He did not want to look up. He did not need to look up. He knew better than to do it, even before he heard the horrified voices around him, and James' whispered, "Merlin, no."

Peter could only pray now in between reading faster than he ever had in his life that he was almost done, that he'd rather be sent anywhere else in the world than where they were now! He couldn't be shocked over the biggest news of their modern life if he didn't survive this place first!

Where was Fawkes?! Why hadn't what Peter said in echoing Harry summoned the phoenix to them in here again? A bird with healing tears would have bloody come in handy with where they were! No time to think about it, no time to think about anything-

Too late, he was always just too late on the uptake on everything, and this time was no different. No sooner was Riddle calling forth the basilisk through his words than the horrendous noise of something larger than their life was crashing into the waters below. Just as he realize what was coming for them than suddenly he couldn't see anything, the cloying black of an endless smoke over his face only just barely covering the sound of the spitting and hissing frustrations of a hungry beast.

There was no prompting to run as the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder thickened in the air, but the problem was, there was no where to run. The only way to get out of this place had to be opened by a parselmouth, and none of them had miraculously gained that ability! The only way to get away from this king of serpents was to finish reading the text, but the moment he gained his sight back he'd surely be faced with the golden eyes of death.

Someone reacted, there was no telling who, the eight tried to break into a run while desperately shooting any number of spells as the darkest of creatures edged forward. No matter what color the magic or where it struck, only the lingering black powder in the air kept it temporarily disoriented.

"Regulus!"

"Sirius-no-"

Too late, the brothers collided, falling headfirst into an even deeper pit of water. Both remained face down, for fear of moving of the creature above them or a worse reason he couldn't tell, and he wasn't going to wait around.

James and Remus were already on Sirius' heels the moment they'd realized he'd turned around, Peter right behind, but it was his slightly shorter pace that saved them. The basilisk's tail struck him across the chest, and he sailed out of sight up the tunnel when the other two had a chance to duck out of sight.

"No, no, no!"

"Finish the damn chapter!" Potter shouted, sidestepping back to where he'd last seen Peter as Remus kept trying to dance through the poisonous skin and teeth to Sirius.

Neither could move more than an inch without meeting scales, the snake encircling them and still spitting and hissing madly every second. It's tongue flickered the air again, head turning towards Evans as Alice tried to keep going, pleading with her voice to stop cracking. They were all cornered, the beast having every one of them pinned down, only the black powder in the air saving them from a perfect strike-

Squeak!

A rat should not have been the very last thing Frank would have expected to find down here, but really, where was the surprise? After seeing all the bones of its brethren in the previous chamber, of course it should make sense more would come out of hiding and run for better cover in all this chaos! It was also somehow their saving grace, as the gray rodent continued squeaking in fright, darting from one patch of water to the next. The basilisk's tongue flickered curiously in the direction, jaws widening and saliva dripping to the ground as a more common meal finally came across its path that wouldn't fight back.

The basilisk lunged, as Alice reached the final word.

[intoanothermind]

The Glue - Part Four

T H E   G L U E

Word Count: 2.1k words

Synopsis: Glue or Variable? This is the big question about Frankie’s existence. Assigned to the same role as Newt in WCKD’s Lethal Experiments, Frankie suddenly realizes that she will become just a variable to activate brain reactions in her former Group A friends. Without memories and being the only girl among several boys, she has the feeling of already knowing some of them. The new question that matters to WCKD is: will Frankie play her role as a variable correctly?

- Newt x OC (Frankie)

Masterlist

<Part 3 | Part 5>

(This will be a miniseries of Newt from Maze Runner. It will consist of 7 parts and a spin-off. I won’t do a reader insert as usual, but you will soon understand why.)

—

P A R T   F O U R

The girl shifted in her bed unable to sleep. At the age of fifteen, she was about to have hormones on her skin, and her recent thoughts were bothering her to the point of dropping her sleep. She had grown there inside the CRUEL, not just mentally. Not only the girl, but her friends also developed and she found herself thinking of one of them more and more often. The skinny little boy had become a handsome teenager, still thin, but with more apparent and defined muscles.

Her blond hair darkened to almost brown, and although she still had a few childish features, Newt had become a handsome young man. Cuter than the girl had imagined before. And thinking so much about her friend made the girl restless under her own skin. The girl looked around at the girls she had known for years: Teresa, Rachel, Alice, Skylynn, Hayley, and several others she had not had as much friendship with as the first. He lifted his chin to read the inscriptions on the metal sign hanging a few months ago on his headboard.

                  Franklin

                  Group B

                  Subject 5

                  The glue

The words, so similar to Newt's inscriptions, gave the girl a certainty: She couldn't sleep until she saw him.

The girl got rid of the covers as if they were a straitjacket. Feeling slightly more relieved, she checked to see if the other girls slept and crept out of the room when she realized yes. He only bothered to silence his steps, knowing that no one else would be awake at this hour. For a second she stopped, thinking Newt would be asleep too , but then she remembered that he didn't mind being woken up by her. Smiling, she continued her way down hallways she knew as the back of her hand. He opened the door to bedroom GA1-10 , silently counting five beds, and headed for it. The boy in bed 2 shifted, and the girl stopped, mentally praying that Thomas would n't wake up and see her there.

Your request has not been fulfilled.

- Frankie? He asked, his voice slurred and sleepy. - Why are you here?

The girl swore silently before answering.

"I can't sleep, and I came to see Newt." She confided. Although not as friendly with Thomas as she was with Newt and Minho, she saw no problem talking to him.

“Al right!” She could have sworn Thomas rolled his eyes, but it was too dark to know. “Just don't wake up everybody.”

The girl smiled, even though she knew he couldn't see it. “Thank you, Tommy!” She whispered.

Thomas waved at her and lay back down. The girl continued on her way, not really caring if the others were already awake. Thomas was part of the new Creators, so if he allowed it, anyone else's opinion was disposable. She saw Newt in his bed, lying almost on the edge of the bed and leaving much of it free, as if already anticipating her arrival. She smiled, approaching the boy with soft blonde hair and angelic serene features. She sighed, lying on the bed and settling beside him. Newt shifted, as if recognizing her physical and mental presence there, and his foggy brown eyes widened, understanding his predicament.

“Frankie?”

“Hi blondie.” She whispered, smiling slightly.

“What are you doing here?” Newt asked, closing his eyes momentarily with sleep, but pulled the girl's lean body to tuck her against him.

She shuddered at his touch, but tried not to show too much.

“I can’t sleep.” She whispered, her face buried in the boy's broad chest. "My thoughts won't let me relax."

“What thoughts?” Newt asked , still with his eyes closed, as he reached a hand to her friend's hair and stroked the brown strands.

The girl cringed. “Better not to know.”

“You know I won't give up until I can't anymore, don't you?” He asked, and the girl realized that this could be her chance. Her chance for a first love or losing her best friend.

But she realized she wanted to risk it. For Newt she would risk her life.

“Newt.” She called, her tone lower. “Do you really want to know what bothers me so much lately?" She asked before she lost her nerve.

“Of course I want.” he replied, feeling the anxiety almost waking completely.

He wanted to know. Newt had realized that the girl had been lost in thought and always blushed when he drew her out of her mind, and became increasingly curious about it. She shifted in his arms carefully, and Newt pulled back a little, waiting for her to adjust. But he felt his heart explode in a swirl of sensation as he felt her lips on his. Newt opened his eyes in surprise, but when he realized that his dreams really did come true, he closed them again, enjoying the cherry and chocolate taste of his girl's lips. He wrapped her around the waist and she seemed to relax in his arms, parting her lips to receive his tongue.

The girl was ecstatic. Finally had taken the courage to do what her body and heart have long asked, and one felt the happiness when Newt responded. She had been unsure at first, as she had never kissed anyone before, but when the blonde squeezed her around the waist and as he explored her mouth further, she relaxed and stopped caring about it. Nothing else mattered but her along with him and the happiness that took her completely. When the air was needed between them, the girl broke away from Newt, breathing hard, but with her eyes closed to avoid seeing his reaction. Although Newt responded to her kiss, she didn't know what to expect from now on.

"Frankie..." Newt began, choking on the words, and the girl opened her eyes. “That was...”

"Sorry, Newt, I shouldn't have come." She whispered, still worried that the others would wake up.

She was about to get rid of Newt's arms and get out of there never to look back in his face in shame when he stopped her. The girl looked up, finding his brown eyes shining to her. Her small hands were flat against the boy's chest, which held one hand around her waist like a cage and the other caressing her cheek fondly. Newt leaned down and touched his lips to hers in a simple peck full of affection and desire.

"You have no idea how long I waited for this." She heard him murmur against her lips, and smiled, her heart bursting with even better sensations than before.

“Good to know.” She whispered, her fresh breath hitting the boy's lips, which shuddered.

"You know I won't let you get away, don't you?" He whispered.

The girl smiled and kissed him again, promising she didn't intend to run away from him.

Never.

Not from him.

~ * ~

I woke up from my dream with my body being rocked. I opened my eyes slowly, trying to drive drowsiness out of my body. I blinked several times, trying to wake up. It wasn't enough to wake me up, but I could see that it was Minho who was rocking me. He grinned, making his eyes even smaller as soon as he saw me awake.

“Minho?” I asked, looking around and noticing that no one else was near the edge of Deadheads, where I slept.

Ben was in the distance, waving at us as he waited for the Doors to open on a new morning.

“I came to say goodbye.” Minho answered, capturing my attention again. I raised an eyebrow in question and he shrugged. "I missed you and decided I could say goodbye to you every day."

I smiled, nodding. “Of course! And I'll be waiting for you every day on the way back.”

Minho smiled back, leaning over me to kiss me on the cheek before running toward the already opening doors. As soon as he was out of my sight, even before reaching the Doors, I turned aside, trying to sleep again, but couldn't. Rough thoughts disturbed my mind, and I felt some sort of struggle or anguish in my chest. As if I was predicting something bad that could happen. I simply shook my head, dispelling the melancholy thoughts, and stood up. I didn't do much different from the day before - I just tucked my sleeping bag between two roots and fixed my hair with my fingers. The difference is that I could go to Homestead to brush my teeth. Which was a blessing when Newt provided me with a brush the day before.

I scratched my right eye to ward off sleep, and headed for headquarters. I was about to enter the bathroom when I was barred.

“Good morning, Frankie!” Exclaimed Newt excitedly.

I giggled. “Good morning, Newt.”

“I'll let you use the bathroom, but I wanted to warn you that today you're going to work with the Builders, all right?” he said.

“Sure.” I nodded in agreement.

~ * ~

“Frankie, I already said you better go work with Frypan.” Said Gally, possibly for the tenth time.

“Greg challenged me.” I said, shooting a hard stare to Greg, who worked not far from us. “And besides, it's my bathroom you're building.”

I kept carrying a few logs that had come with me to the Box until I tripped over my own feet and almost fell to the ground if it wasn't for Gally's quick reflexes.

“All right, Greenie?” Asked Gally, and I nodded back.

“That's what you get letting a little girl do men's work." I heard Greg mutter and I had to take a deep breath to control my anger.

“Stupid slinthead.” I muttered under my breath, but Gally could hear it and giggled.

"Why won't you help Frypan or Chuck in the kitchen?" Suggested Gally again.

I snorted mentally. “Why do you want to get rid of me so much?!”

"It's not to get rid of you." Said Gally, a little uncomfortably. "But if you get hurt, Newt eats me alive."

I frowned. "And why would he do that?"

Gally bit her lip, seeming to hold back the laugh and as if he knew something I didn't know.

"You have no idea, do you?" He asked with an enigmatic smile.

“Of what?” I asked, increasingly confused.

Gally shook her head but kept silent.

“Go before you get hurt.” He insisted again, and I got annoyed.

I threw the logs on the floor and marched furiously into the kitchen. Frypan was busy with dinner, and I preferred not to get my hands dirty. What if my food wasn’t good enough, and the boys hated it? I would rather not be screwed the rest of my life.

"Something for me to do, Frypan?" I asked him, propping my hip on the sink beside him. "Preferably not involve me cooking anything at all."

Frypan laughed and waved to the back of the kitchen.

“Chuck is back there cleaning the tank. What do you think about helping the boy?”

I made a face but nodded. “Better than spoiling the food here.”

~ * ~

“Tired already?” asked Minho, and I just mumbled an answer.

With my head down between my arms crossed on the table, all I could think about was sleep. My day was tiring, and not just working with the Builders or in the kitchen - or even going to wait for Minho in front of the West Door - but it was my mind that was exhausted too. I was just on my third day there in the Glade, and I was as confused and stressed as someone who had spent years there, like some of those boys.

"Wouldn't you rather go to sleep, Frankie?" Newt asked right next to me.

I raised my head slightly from the dining table where we were sitting, seeing Newt, Alby, Minho, Chuck, and some of the Keepers looking concerned at my decaying appearance that was calling for a good, wonderful night's sleep.

“All right, I'm going.” I muttered, rising from the table. “Good night.”

I got a lot of good night murmurs back, and for a second I considered inviting Chuck to sleep with me, but dismissed the idea when I saw him having a good time talking to Jeff, one of the Med-jacks. When I reached the edge of Deadheads, I didn't think much before grabbing my sleeping bag and crossing the skeletal, gray trees that hid the beautiful, living forest behind them. All I wanted now was a good place to sleep and hide from what tomorrow awaited

[thirsty-x1]

Crush On U | Han Seungwoo

Request:

crush on u is one of my favorite songs !!!! like..... it’s just so good. do you think you could write a smutty / angst sort of thing with seungwoo inspired by it??? i sorta get secret idol relationship from it but that’s just me !! it’s upto you ofc but i’d love to read that ⭐️🥺

↬ Pairing: Seungwoo x fem!reader

↬ Genre: Smut, slight Angst, Fluff, it has all of it

↬ Warnings: explicit language, oral sex, unprotected sex.

↬ Word Count: 2.7k

↬ A/N: please, I beg of you, listen to Crush On U before reading this story. This song was literally written and produced by Seungwoo in 2017 and he dedicated it to Alices. If you read the lyrics, you will notice he is a little teasing shit. I love him.

It wasn’t unusual for you to stare at the screen, smiling at the soft expressions your boyfriend made, answering now and then despite knowing that he couldn’t hear you anyway. You had grown used to it at some point: the cancelled dates, the abruptly ended phone calls, and the lack of messages. Sleeping alone wasn’t something that made you uncomfortable anymore, but there were small things that you couldn’t change. Somehow, you always ended up buying more food than necessary, or setting up the table for two, or playing a movie and turning around to make a comment to the unfilled seat beside you, or knocking on the studio door to ask something before realizing that there wasn’t going to be any reply. It saddened you, but there was nothing that Seungwoo could do to avoid it, either.

Touring, fan meetings, promoting, dance practice, vocal training, song writing, exercising… It was his dream and he was making it become a reality. You loved seeing his expression whenever they got recognized, or watching the fan cams and notice how much he really enjoyed being on the stage. Despite all that, your heart clenched whenever you realized that you weren’t by his side to celebrate his birthday, or his achievements, or any kind of holiday. All you could do was to smile whenever he got the opportunity to video call you, telling you about his whole day, and you had to hide your emotions in order to not make him feel guilty. Because you knew that he would end up blaming himself, even if both were aware of the situation.

Another of his videos started playing, this time a compilation of sweet interactions with his fans, and you melted. He was always so good, not just with you but with everyone surrounding him, and that was probably what you loved the most. Humble, kind, considerate… Those were mere words that couldn’t even start to describe how amazing Seungwoo really was. Up to this point, you had managed to control your jealousy and fear, but the insecurity kicked in every now and then, after all you still were human and couldn’t really help it.

A rush of loneliness washed over your body and you stopped the video, the still image of his gentle eyes almost bringing tears to your own. Sighing, you turned off the phone and started to walk towards the bedroom when a notification popped up, the bright screen distracting you for a bit.

Seungwoo ♥:

21:56 Open up, I have something to show you.

You quirked an eyebrow. Did he mean he had sent you a link or something? There weren’t any other messages though. After a few seconds, noticing that you didn’t reply, he sent another text.

Seungwoo ♥:

21:58 I meant the door. Open the door. I’m waiting.

The beating of your heart suddenly shoot up, an incessant ringing in your ears as you tried to process the words quickly. You read the message over and over again, as if to find something that indicated it was off. Were you asleep? The soft knocking on the door caught your attention and you ran towards it, not even thinking anymore as your hands fidgeted with the keys in hand, making it hard to open it, a tall figure completely covered coming into view. You could recognize it immediately: the scent, the bangs that covered his eyes under the black cap, the soft eyes that stared right back at you over the mask covering half of his face, his broad shoulders… Your arms were around him in a second, your face burying in his chest. He stumbled backwards, giggling as he held you closer, the air escaping your lungs in the tightest embrace ever.

“How are you here? I thought…”

“I haven’t seen you in months. You got even prettier, somehow.” You slapped his arm, knowing pretty well that you looked like a mess: hair tied up, wearing your old pajamas, bare faced. “I like you like this, I mean it.”

“Yes, well, I haven’t seen you all natural in a long time.” He laughed and took off the cap and the mask, showing his no-make up face and hair sticking out. “Not fair, even like this you look fucking gorgeous.”

As he laughed, you stepped aside to let him in, observing as he took off his jacket and left it on one of the chairs, sweat stains barely visible through his black shirt. You closed the door and stared at him incredulously, squinting your eyes and crossing your arms, his eyebrows shooting up when he finally realized your inquiring gaze.

“What?”

“Did you run here again?” He froze on the spot, giving himself away. “Last time you caught a cold because of that! Plus, you will get spotted easily, you aren’t really the kind of guy that goes unnoticed…”

While you kept nagging him, Seungwoo smiled and walked towards you, pinching your cheeks and stopping your blabbering before placing a kiss on your lips, shutting you up completely. Your whole face flushed a thousand colors, a mix of embarrassment and slight annoyance stirring up in your stomach as you controlled yourself and boop his nose lightly, although the touch denoted more.

“I couldn’t help it, the car is way too slow and I get anxious. Besides, they will always give me life lessons on the way.” You chuckled at his comment, giving up.

“You said you had something to show me, right? Your sole presence is enough but I’m still curious…” He brightened up at the mention of it and hurriedly grabbed his phone with one hand as the other took yours, pulling you to the sofa and making you sit on his lap.

“It’s a song… I-I made it. I want to show it to the agency and release it for the public.”

“Really? That’s amazing! Is it any of the ones that you showed me?” He shook his hand, biting his lip as he handed you the phone and snuggled his face on your shoulder.

“Just– Listen to it. I want you to be the first one to listen to it.”

Your chest filled with warmth as you pressed play, the beat being quite groovy. The lyrics didn’t take much time to come and they made your heart jump. Half of the song in, you could sense the knot in your throat and your sight getting blurry. The song drifted to the end, replaying and Seungwoo finally stopped hiding, wondering why you hadn’t said anything, eyes going wide when he saw the trails of tears run down your cheeks. He dried them with the sleeve of his shirt, no words coming out while he did it, not sure of what could he even say.

“I really liked it… I loved it so much.” Your voice broke while you were speaking and he took a deep breath, caressing your hair as you finally started sobbing loudly. “I’m sorry, I don’t… I can’t…”

“Shhh, I know. I know.” He cooed at you, softly swaying your body. “I love you, I really do. I know it’s not the best thing, but I swear I was completely sincere.” His words only made you cry even more.

“I love you too.” You started to recover, facing him. “I m-missed you so much…” He couldn’t help but to giggle at the small pout you were making, your swollen face looking way too adorable in his eyes.

He kept hugging you, waiting for you to stop, although he had to admit that he was also holding back his tears. When he noticed you had stopped crying and now were simply laying against his body, completely still, he realized that there was something else.

“You seem to be in deep thought.” You blinked a few times at his remark.

“Ah, yeah, well… You know… The lyrics are wonderful but the beat…” His expression turned serious, ready to take any criticism. “Isn’t it too suggestive?” Evidently, you had taken him by surprise.

“S-Suggestive?”

“Yes, like… The ‘babygirl’, the almost-moans, the feeling… It seems almost erotic.” He was pressing his lips, trying to not laugh at your furrowed brows. “I’m not sure I want everyone to hear you like this.”

Seungwoo chuckled again, running his nose on the side of your neck, sending chills down your spine as his hand started touching your thigh delicately. You could feel his hot breath against your skin, tickling your nape, his mouth close to your ear as his fingers played with your hair, letting it loose.

“Then how about I let you hear me now? In the way that only you can make me sound.”

His whisper was innocent but the connotation behind his words was the most sinful thing ever. You shifted your body to straddle him, leaving his phone aside, the song still playing as you attached his lips to yours. Melting into the kiss, you felt him massaging the inside of your thighs, and he left a soft sigh as you started to grind against him. The temperature between both of your bodies started to raise, the gentle touch turning into a needier one with each kiss, his hands slipping past the band of your pajamas and grasping your ass.

Tired of the teasing, your fingers tangled in his hair, eliciting a whine from him. That was it. Those were the sounds that only you could hear, that he never showed to anyone but you. You smiled and kissed him again, swallowing his tiny whimpers, biting his bottom lip when you felt his hardness against you. Slowing down, you got off him and kneeled, wasting no time in pulling his erect member out and sucking him off. Usually you would have teased him, but all this time abstaining from each other had been enough. You bobbed your head, making sure to lubricate him enough and his hands came to grip your hair, moving the few strands of your hair and as you ran your tongue along the underside of his shaft, you couldn’t help but to notice that small detail.

“Is this what you meant when you said you fell in love seeing my hair tied up?” He was about to explain when you suddenly engulfed his swollen tip, causing him to throw his head back.

“F-Fuck… Maybe I did.” The view before him was way too erotic, and he thanked the heavens for having you.

Maybe you were feasting yourself a little too much because Seungwoo finally tugged on your hair and pulled you up, changing your positions in a swift motion, his hands already discarding of your clothes. However, after all that and unlike you, he took his time: his fingernails grazing over your skin, stimulating you slowly. He started placing soft kisses on your skin in the lightest way possible, the contact was brief but so sweet that you didn’t dare to ask him to hurry up. You felt like groaning in frustration when he moved the fabric of your underwear aside, the pad of his fingers rubbing on your folders, starting by the outer zone and then drifting to your middle, slipping in his middle and ring fingers as he teased your clit with his thumb. It was so loving, so devoted, and so eternal. The sensation started to become too much as he fingered you, his tongue lapping at your juices.

Just like he had done before, you gripped his hair, but even if you tried to stop him, that only seemed to motivate him even more. He became more passionate, his pace picking up as his eyes fixed on your expression, seeing you in complete bliss almost made him cum on the spot. As you started to tighten around him, he pressed up, smirking when he found your spot and you came unexpectedly. He got up, leaving you empty as he indicated you to open your mouth to suck on his fingers, keeping you busy with your own taste as he aligned and thrust into you, your moan muffled. It wasn’t long until his own sounds started to fill the air, sounding like music to your ears, the song playing for the trillion time as he fucked you to the rhythm. The overstimulation traveled through your body, your nails digging into his back through his shirt, and you had to hold back in order to not paint his whole neck with purple and red. As his hips faltered, he hid his face on the crook of your neck, burying himself deep inside of you each time, your second orgasm ripping through you almost at the same time as he started spilling into you, filling you in the most delicious way.

For a few minutes, he didn’t move, enjoying the closeness and the warmth that both of your bodies exchanged. Both of you hissed when he pulled out, and you couldn’t help but to chuckle as he panicked seeing his seed drip out of you, taking off his shirt as a last resource to try and not make a mess. Maybe it wasn’t the best decision, considering that the sight of his exposed chest and abdomen had you biting your lips, making him get startled and laugh at your reaction.

“Like what you see?” A dumbfounded smile spread on his face, complete innocence and dorkiness taking over in contrast to the hot mess he was just before.

“I have always liked what I see.”

Not too long after that, both were laying down, cuddling on the bed. Suddenly, all the lonely nights evaporated into nothing as you inhaled his scent, your hands drawing nothings on his exposed skin. Your fingers traced his tattoos, the line of his muscles, his jaw… All in the most deliberate way, as if you were trying to engrave every detail into your memory for when he went away again. His eyes tried to do the same, watching every expression you made, the sound of your voice, getting goosebumps at your thoughtful touch. His chest fluttered a little.

“You know… I really meant what I said on the song.” You nodded absent-mindedly. He shook his head, grabbing your chin lightly so you would look at him and focus. “I genuinely want to fill the rest of my future with you. I don’t feel like hiding this anymore.”

No sound left your mouth. Those were the exact words you wanted to hear since so long, but right now, there was something off. Even if he said that, you knew that next morning he wasn’t going to be by your side, nor the day after that. You knew that he wouldn’t be with you on the rainy days, or to hold you when you felt lonely. You also knew that it wasn’t easy to come out to the public, and that his career could get damaged from it. Yet you wanted that, you wanted him all to yourself, and you felt selfish for it.

“Even if I feel the same way, I think it’s better like this. At least for now. I’m happy to just be with you, and to see people love you like I do. You deserve this and I don’t want it to be taken away from you, what if you end up–”

“I won’t regret it.” He cut you off abruptly, sitting down in the bed and stared into your eyes. “I have more than just a crush on you. It’s so much more. Maybe it won’t last a life time, maybe it will, I can’t know that, but I do know that I want to live with you each day from now on.”

“Me too.” There was no use in fighting against him. You believed his words, but you couldn’t do that to him anyway. “The song… The song is enough for me. Each time I listen to it, I’ll remember you and your promises. Let’s make it our own, personal secret.”

“Fine.” He chuckled, surrendering to you. “I will make my huge crush on you public through the song.”

You were thankful that he took it in a good way, your body snuggling against you to enjoy what was left of the night in his tight embrace. Both stayed asleep, not thinking about what was going to happen the next day and just seizing the short moments you shared, making them undying.

I am: soft. I love his song so much so I really hope I made it some justice with this story ㅠㅅㅠ Please, go stream it because he deserves it so fucking much.

~Nani

unedited

[hearts-hunger]

life tends to come and go || river x payton

Read on AO3 here ♡

Summary: Payton remembers the first time he danced with River.

Pairings: Payton Hobart x River Barkley || The Politican

Genre: Fluff, angst

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: Mentions of death

A/N: These two are about to end my whole career as a functioning human being. Fuck season 2, River and Payton were both bi and were deeply deeply in love with each other :) The title is taken from “I Won’t Share You” by The Smiths, which gives off major River x Payton vibes. Enjoy! ♡

“So... should we kiss?”

River couldn’t help a chuckle, endeared to Payton’s blush as he realized his silver tongue had abandoned him the moment they were alone together.

“Sorry,” Payton said bashfully. His hands clasped tightly in his lap. “That was weird.”

“It’s ok,” River said sweetly, his comforting voice patient and kind. He moved closer to Payton on the edge of the bed, forgetting everything that wasn’t the bespectacled, rosy-cheeked brunette. “I’d love to kiss.”

Though Payton’s eyes sparked with excitement, River let Payton lead, wanting him to be comfortable. He leaned in, lips bowed like he wanted to kiss him, but River was patient; he could feel the shyness radiating off Payton in waves, and wasn’t surprised when Payton pulled back.

“I’m sorry,” he said again. His laugh was nervous, deflecting. “I’m just a little nervous.”

River ducked his head to meet Patyon’s eyes, showing that gentle smile that Payton felt was more genuine than anything else in the whole world. It almost made him embarrassed, to be seen and loved so honestly.

“You don’t have to apologize, Payton,” he said softly, giving him a smile. “I’m nervous too.”

“Not possible,” Payton said, and River’s laugh eased the tightness in his chest.

“I’m always nervous when I’m around you,” River said. “The big scary politician. You’re kind of intimidating.”

Payton snorted and made River smile. 

“Please,” he scoffed. “I’m a joke compared to Astrid. I’m ten points down.”

“Good thing I never cared about politics anyway,” River said lightly. “Just... maybe had a thing for politicians.”

He brushed his knuckles over Payton’s cheek, feeling the warmth of his blush. “We don’t have to do anything tonight. I just wanted to be with you.”

Payton leaned into River’s touch. “That’s what I want too. More than anything.”

River smiled. “So, we’ll just see where it goes?” he asked. “Is that ok?”

Payton nodded. Then, feeling a sudden flash of bravery, or overconfidence, he moved closer and gave River the kiss he hadn’t earlier. River kissed him back slowly, easing it deeper; his fingers twined with Payton’s and he felt an incredible tenderness as he felt the slight shake to Payton’s hands.

“Let’s dance,” River said gently. “Loosen up a little.”

Payton breathed a laugh. “Ok.”

River gave Patyon’s hand a final squeeze before getting up to grab his phone, scrolling through Spotify until he found the song he wanted. Music filled the quiet in Payton’s room; he laughed when River danced back over to him and drew him close to his chest. 

“We’re just gonna take it easy,” River said sweetly, combing his fingers through Payton’s hair and framing his face with his big hands. Payton’s hands settled on River’s hips as they swayed to the music. Payton would have been happy to stay that way forever; River’s smile was warm and gentle, his dark curls falling over his forehead, his expression easy and happy in the dim light.

“You’re beautiful,” Payton said suddenly, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he had a chance to think. He blushed but couldn’t take his eyes away from River’s smile.

“Thank you,” River said sincerely. He traced his thumb over Payton’s bottom lip. “I think you’re beautiful too.”

River led him gently, dancing them around the room to the slow song. Payton didn’t recognize the song, but the lyrics stayed with him: I won’t share you with the drive and ambition, the zeal I feel, this is my time. He felt it was a little on the nose and searched River’s eyes.

“What band is this?” he asked innocently.

A small smile tugged at the corners of River’s mouth. “The Smiths,” he said. “Do you like it?”

Payton shrugged. Before he could answer, River took his hand and led him in a spin, making Patyon laugh. When Payton was back in River’s arms again, he pressed as close to him as he could without tripping up their steps.

“The song’s not about pride,” River said, reading Payton’s worries without having to ask. “It’s not really about ambition, either. It’s about fear.”

“Fear of what?”

River’s eyes were impossibly kind, that patient blue that Payton felt expressed River’s heart more than anything he ever said or did.

“Intimacy,” River said. “Vulnerability. Feeling things. He’s afraid to share everything inside him with a partner, or even a friend.”

Payton’s laugh was mirthless. “Sounds familiar.”

“It shouldn’t,” River said. He rubbed circles against Payton’s waist. “You’re sharing yourself with me, right now.”

Payton closed his eyes. “It’s easy with you.”

River chuckled and kissed the tip of Payton’s nose. “I’m glad. You have so much beauty and light to share, Payton. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Payton met River’s eyes. He had the thought that River could be slow dancing to The Smiths with Astrid, or anyone else, and he wondered how he’d gotten lucky enough to be this close to River, held in his arms. 

“Why me?” Payton asked.

“What do you mean?” River asked.

Payton shook his head. “Why are you with me? Why are we doing this?”

“Do you want the truth?”

“I’m a politician, River, of course I want the truth. I can’t work with anything else.”

River smiled. “Alright. I’m in love with you, Payton.”

Payton was stunned into silence for a moment, looking up at River and that gorgeous grin, those boyish curls, that almost unbelievable sincerity. 

“You... you are?” he offered lamely.

River laughed. “Yes, I am.”

Payton still couldn’t come up with anything of value to say. “Well, what about Astrid?”

River shrugged. Payton was only vaguely aware that River was still leading them in a slow dance, but he was happy to let River lead.

“I wish Astrid only good things,” River said. “But... it’s just not meant to be.”

If anybody else had said that, Payton would have thought that sounded flippant and noncommittal, but everything River said was sincere and thoughtful.

“I’m in love with you, Payton,” River said softly. “It’s different than with anyone else.”

“Me too,” Payton said. He realized that wasn’t exactly a winning answer and quickly amended it. “I mean, I feel that it’s different with you, too.”

He bit his lip, thinking of how best to say what he wanted to; under River’s gentle gaze, he realized he didn’t need to word things so carefully. River saw him, in a way no one else did; he heard what he meant to say, regardless of what came out of his mouth.

“I fell in love with you the first time I saw you,” Payton said. He closed his hand a little tighter over River’s and felt River do the same in response.

“I didn’t know what to make of you. I had everything so carefully planned out, and then I saw you the first day of school, and I felt like I wanted to throw all my plans out the window. Harvard, D.C., Alice, everything. I made myself get over you, for the good of the campaign, but when you showed up here - ” Payton laughed at the memory of the tall, confident boy with a sweet smile and a mop of curls, speaking fluent Mandarin. “I fell in love with you all over again. And when you kissed me...”

River smiled. “What, like this?”

He leaned in, just as gently as he had that day, brushing his fingers over Payton’s jaw. Payton’s breath was warm on his skin, and the sound Payton made had River weak in the knees.

“I love you,” Payton said. He could feel River’s smile.

“I love you too. I wanted to tell you that day, but I thought I might scare you off.”

Payton gave a soft laugh. “Well, you’re stuck with me now. How do you feel about being First Gentleman of Saint Sebastian High School?”

“Greatest honor of my life,” River teased.

Payton smiled. “As it should be.”

River put his hand to Payton’s face, brushing his thumb over his cheek. “I’m glad I know you, Payton. I’m happy I can be someone you share yourself with.”

Payton leaned into his touch. “I think you’re the only person who really knows me.”

“We both do,” River said. “And that’s better than no one knowing at all. It would be a shame to never really know you. You deserve to be known as deeply as you want to be, especially by yourself.”

“Will you help me?”

River smiled and kissed him again. “Of course I will.”

 ----

The song plays on Payton’s phone, unable to fill up the room that misses River’s warmth like Payton does in his very bones. He tries but he can’t conjure up River this time; maybe it’s too real, too raw. This memory that Payton has memorized, River dancing him around to The Smiths and kissing him gently, knowing him more than Payton had ever been known, and more than he ever would be again. Maybe it’s too close in his heart to the place he keeps pain.

Payton almost feels the press of River’s fingers on his lips, gentle and tender in a way Payton had never been touched until he met River. The last lines of the song fade out, and Payton thinks he hears River’s voice singing them. I’ll see you somewhere, I’ll see you sometime darling.

Payton restarts the song before it can end, and sits to listen on the piano bench with enough room left for River’s ghost.

forever taglist:  @tv-saved-the-teenage-girl​​ @hazah​​ @dashlilymark​​ @punkgeekchic​​ @cultofbeatle​​ @stephydearestxo​​ @luckytrashgooprebel​​ @someone-get-a-medic​​ @chlobo6​​ @devin-marie​​

(i’m having a litle bit of a panic about using this taglist because it’s for my queen stuff, but i hope you don’t mind being tagged in this!) ♡

[twoidiotwriters1]

Pure Blood 23 (Sirius Black x F!Oc)

Words: 2, 347

Masterlist:

Chapter 22: // Chapter 24

I open my eyes slowly, a ray of light is reflected near my face, I stretch my body and my senses begin to awaken. My arms feel heavy, I have a knot in my stomach and I’m exhausted, as if I had not slept well.

I look around me and it's confusing to see that I'm not in my room. I’m in the infirmary.

"What?" I to sat up on the stretcher.

"Oh, it was time for you to wake up, Miss Singh," says Miss Pomfrey.

“Time? I- Madame Pomfrey…” I say with a raspy voice

The nurse comes up with a tray, puts it on the table next to me and hands me a glass of water.

"How do you feel?"

“Tired…" Despite having taken water, I still feel a tickle in my throat, and I tell her.

"Surely it’s the start of a cold, something normal if we count that you were submerged in ice water.”

I frown and suddenly all memories come at a high speed. Trixie, Felix Felicis, the Marauders and the Black Lake.

"How long have I been here?"

"Five days. Don't worry, that is also normal, I gave you several potions to avoid any infection or other reaction, but for now you should only take this.”

She hands me another glass and I don't hesitate to drink the dark liquid quickly. I wince and return the glass to her.

"I'm glad you’re awake now, I was tired of pushing all your friends out of here, especially young Black– that boy doesn't know what a no is…” She grumbles and my heart beams at it, I can't help but smile. "Every day he was asking for you, thanks to Merlin they are now in class.”

"Will I be able to go to my room soon?"

“You’ll only stay this day and night, tomorrow you’ll be back in your bed, your teachers are aware of your situation as well and after this weekend you’ll be able to go to classes," She grabs the tray.

"Thank you very much,” She nods and leaves.

There are hardly any complaints or snores from the few students who accompany me in the infirmary, but it’s not something that bothers me. The same silence calms me and I decide to close my eyes to sleep a few more hours.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Yes, of course, she has already woken up, but I warn you, if you make a lot of scandal, I will kick you out, you have been warned.”

Madame Pomfrey's complaints wake me up again, and then I hear footsteps until someone draws the curtain of my space.

The marauders along with Lily and Jenna smile when they see me, I reciprocate with a sleepy smile. The first to run to me is Jenna and she wraps me in a clumsy hug and then helps me sit up.

"Glad to see you alive, P,” She says sitting next to me. I laugh slightly.

"I'm glad too,” My voice is still quite hoarse, I expect it will worn out after I while

"How you feel?" Lily asks.

"Better, Pomfrey says I will have a cold, but nothing serious."

Sirius walks to the other side of the bed and drags a stool to get closer, all his movements make him look like a small child. Peter stands behind Sirius, James steps to Lily's side, and the last member stays away from everyone, like a fearful puppy.

"I guess you want to know what happened after you fell into the lake," says James raising an eyebrow. I nod and he smiles, glancing at Sirius, who shifts uncomfortably. “Paddie here,” He points out, "I have never seen him run so fast in my life…”

Everyone looks at Sirius and he runs a hand through his hair. "I wasn’t going to let you drown," He looks at me. "Anyone would have… you know, saved you.” He clears his throat. I can't help but smile at his nervousness.

"I took care the devil, she didn’t run away," James continues proudly.

"Is she the devil now?" The others look down in embarrassment, except Sirius and James.

"You were right about Trixie," says Lily. "I'm very sorry, Persephone." Someone scoffs, “–And Sirius, we should’ve believed you from the beginning…”

"Sorry, P. she really seemed like a good girl."

"You are forgiven, that was all part of her plan.”

"That reminds me," says Lily, approaching and then hitting my shoulder. "What you did was so dangerous! Who would think of wandering around school at dawn, I don't understand how Filch didn't see you?"

I press my lips and play with the hem of my blanket.

"Yeah, I guess it was luck," I say nervously.

Suddenly Sirius gets up from his chair and points to me.

"You used Felix Felicis!" He exclaims.

"Mister Black!" Poppy yells from afar.

"Sorry!" Sirius answers and sits down again.

Jenna looks surprised.

"Explain yourself now, Young Lady.”

I roll my eyes.

"I just wanted to make a plan so that everyone knew her true intentions, then I remembered the potion, the rest was... luck." I feel another punch to my shoulder, but now on Jenna's side. "Stop hitting the sick girl!" I complain trying to don't hurt my throat.

"Great move, Singh,” says James, I just smile at him.

"The good news," says Sirius, "is that the devil was cast out. Apparently your luck continued and Mcgonagall saw that Trixie threatened you, in the end she had to tell the truth, in addition to telling the reason why she changed schools,” He raises his eyebrows looking at me with amusement.

"She got a teacher and a few students in trouble for setting a whole tower on fire," adds Jenna.

"Does it sound familiar to you?" Sirius and I laugh.

Lily gives me her notes and some books so I won't be so behind, and offers to help me when I can be in my room. Jenna brings us up to date on the gossip and the marauders take it upon themselves to add a few pranks.

But after a few minutes, everyone falls silent and I focus my attention on Remus Lupin, who’s leaning against the wall. The rest notice the tension.

"I guess they need a moment alone," says Lily.

"But-" Sirius wants to complain, but James tugs on his shirt to pick him up. Only Remus and I were left.

The boy is nervous, but slowly sits down on the seat where Sirius was.

"I'm not going to eat you, Remus,” I say to break the silence. His gaze remains low, it seems that the fabric of my sheet is more interesting. “Wolfie?”

That catches his eye and he finally looks at me. His eyes are watery.

"After all I said and did, how can you keep calling me that?"

"You don't like the nickname?" I know it's not what he expected to hear, but I want to make him suffer a little.

"Persephone, I-" He stirs uncomfortably. "I don't know where to start."

I slide my hand up to take his and give it a little squeeze.

"I'm not mad, Remus. It never was, not with you.”

"Why? I was terrible and said things that…” He sighs. “I do not understand.”

"Trixie just played with you, Remus. It is what she does with other people, I knew that something was wrong and what you said in the gardens, it did hurt, but I also knew that you were angry, everything got out of control, but at least it's over.”

Everything’s true, Trixie is an expert manipulator and I knew that Remus was only part of her trick, I am more angry with her than with him.

"I'm so sorry Percy,” Remus says, tearing up.

"Oh, come here, you idiot.”

His arms wrap around me and we hug for a while.

"Still, you must pay all those times you left me hanging," I say when we break apart. And he nods, wiping his face.

“Sorry…”

"Yes, I also expect many of those," I add.

"I'll do anything, I'm sorry, I should have believed you. Sirius too, I can't believe I let myself be manipulated by that girl…”

"It's not your fault.”

"It is, you couldn't understand it, I was weak, I should have seen it!”

"No one could, Remus. When I met her I also fell. I thought she could be my best friend, but what really matters is that she can't hurt you anymore.”

"Thanks for taking care of me, Percy," he says with a big smile.

"It is a pleasure.”

Dumbledore and Mcgonagall walk in, interrupting us.

"Glad to see you, Miss Singh," Dumbledore begins, and I wince.

"I am in trouble?"

"We will discuss that," says Mcgonagall, and I beg Remus to get me out of there, but he mouths ‘I'm sorry’, and then leaves me alone.

Here we go.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"Do you need anything else, P? I don't want to leave you alone.”

"Jenna, you haven't left me alone since I was able to leave the infirmary, go kiss Marlene or something," I complain, then sneeze into my handkerchief. “It's only a cold, I won’t die.”

“You're no longer lucky, you’re probably dying of a cold now!" She scoffs.

"Very funny, come on, go to Hogsmeade and bring me treats."

She rolls her eyes.

"It will only take a while and I'll bring you a soup.”

"But I want sweets!"

"When you get better."

"How boring,” I cross my arms and pout like a little girl.

Jenna leaves the room and I sigh as I settle into my bed. I appreciate all the care from Jenna and Lily, but they haven't left me alone at all, it was a miracle that Marlene and Alice were able to get them out to Hogsmeade. I almost hugged them for saving me, if it wasn't because I could make them sick.

These days I have only read and done some homework, but I managed to distract myself, I didn’t give it much importance, the teachers knew about my state, I don’t think they’ll so rude, also Mcgonagall is proud of me for having done something so heroic. Although I didn’t like the part where I got points taken. Slughorn, who is the real Head of our house, barely found out what happened, and told me not to worry, after all, I am his best student.

The door opens and closes without me knowing who it is.

"Jenna?" No one answers, but I hear footsteps approaching, then extra weight on the side of my bed. I turn and see a huge black dog leaning on my mattress.

"Sirius?" The dog tilts its head slightly and sticks its tongue out. I laugh when he reaches for my hand forcing me to caress him. "I don't want to know how you managed to get here," he replies with a bark.

I shake my head, grinning.

"Shouldn't you be with the others?" He barks again and walks backwards a bit as if he's about to jump. "Oh no, don't even think about it, you’re a huge dog, you can't fit here!"

The dog watches me for a few seconds and then moves away. He enters the bathroom and then returns in his human form.

"How boring you are," he says with a lopsided smile.

I roll my eyes and sneeze again. Sirius approaches and sits at the end of the bed leaning against a pillar.

"You don't look very good.”

"Since we clarify the obvious, why are you here?"

He shrugs, but his gaze drifts for a few seconds.

"I didn't really want to go to Hogsmeade.”

"And is it better to be with a sick girl?" I raise my brow.

"It's funny to hear your hoarse voice, very sexy,” his eyes widen when he realizes what he said and I laugh when I see his flushed face. "No- I didn't want to–”

"I never thought I could live long enough to see Sirius Black embarrassed while trying to flirt."

"I don’t–" He clears his throat. "I'm not flirting with you.”

“Clearly.”

Seeing him in that state is a lot of fun. If I weren't on medication, maybe I would be embarrassed too.

"Anyway, don't get too excited, Singh," He complains, but I can see a slight smile. We were silent for a few minutes, until he spoke once more, “Juno has not come to see you?"

I sigh and grimace.

"Jenna told her I was sick, but she didn't care.”

I’m disappointed and hurt by my older sister's actions, but I'm also not surprised.

"And Regulus?"

“I haven't seen him either.”

Sirius frowns. "He's been acting weird lately."

"What do you mean?" I ask sitting up.

"I'm not sure, he's usually with you or even with other Slytherin students, but now I see him closer to Rosier and others who don't seem like good people."

I remember Evan's interruption before my plan.

"It looks like they are planning something, hasn't he said anything to you?"

I shake my head.

"You must talk to him," I tell him.

"I don't think it's a good idea, I'm not his favorite person.”

“Sirius, please. Maybe he is in trouble and right now I can't help him,” I say, reaching for his hand.

He looks at me surprised at my tone, but in the end he sighs.

"Fine, but I don't guarantee anything.” Sirius looks down at our hands and frowns. "You're freezing,” He then holds the other one.

"Pomfrey said it was normal,” I say a little nervous. He comes closer and touches my cheek.

"Are you still cold?"

"A little," I whisper.

His eyes show concern, but then he realizes our closeness and his hands tremble.

"I-I better get back, your- your classmates won't be out for long…”

“Okay…”

“Uh– you… will you be alright?"

“I'll survive.”

He nods and then gets up.

"See you later," he says and leaves the room.

Okay, maybe the potions are not that strong, and maybe they’re not causing my heart to be pounding.

Taglist:

@treestarrrrrrrr @siriuslysirius1107      @thagreenmoon @madmaiden2890    @ren-ela​  @avipshamitra​   @auroraawrites​ @findzelda​  @lizlil​ @siriusmuch​   @chloe-geoghegan1​ @reverse-hxlland​  @may-rapp​ @the-specific-oceans

@littledeadgirlwalking

@bloodorangemoonlight​

[remywrites5]

if you're taking prompts (which if you're not feel free to ignore this) but i would *love* to see wolfstar with sirius buying remus flowers?? (for no reason other than he loves him, cause we love a sappy romantic Sirius!!) 🧡🧡🧡

           Remus was just about to close up the antiques shop he owned for the night and go home. He risked a glance at the record store across the street but he couldn’t see anyone through the window. He ran his fingers through his curls and chastised himself for his stupid crush. He really needed to get a new hobby that didn’t involve drooling over a shopkeeper across the way.

           Sirius Black. Even his name sounded effortlessly cool, matching the whole leather jacket, full sleeves of tattoos, long hair and oh by the way I ride a motorbike thing. Remus thought he was above that whole bad boy mentality but maybe not. Well, everyone had to have a weakness for something.

           Remus stopped dead in his tracks on the way to the back room when he noticed an old antique vase full of flowers. When had that even happened? It must have been near the end of his shift or surely he would have noticed them sooner. He pulled the vase down from the shelf and looked at the arrangement. Yellow sunflowers and purple roses with baby’s breath filling the spaces in between. They were stunning and Remus glanced around in surprise even though he knew the door was locked and no one else was in the store.

           He took the flowers out of the vase and held them gently. He placed them on his desk as he got his coat on, not wanting to ruin them by trying to hold them and complete the task.

           Stepping out into the street, Remus glanced again at the record store across the way. He knew it was just wishful thinking to imagine it might have been Sirius that had left him the flowers. He’d only spoken to the guy a handful of times. And sure, Sirius had brought Remus coffee one day, from the café down the block, when he noticed Remus had been dead on his feet. It was a small gesture but one that Remus had appreciated. He’d yet to find a suitable way to make it up to Sirius.

           Sirius stepped into the front window of the store and Remus felt his breath catch. He felt ridiculous that seeing a handsome bloke could have such an affect on him. Sirius glanced his way and gave a little wave. Remus smiled back in return and gave a timid wave of his own. A moment later Sirius was gone and Remus stamped down his disappointment. It was like he had conjured Sirius up by the power of his own longing.

           Getting the flowers home in one piece was harder than he’d imagined with having to take the tube home. He was careful not to get jostled by his fellow passengers or else the lovely bouquet would get ruined. No one had ever bought him flowers before and Remus wasn’t about to kill the first bouquet of his life.

           Honestly Remus was still a little thrown by receiving the flowers in the first place. He wasn’t even dating anyone. He really couldn’t think of anyone who would go to the effort of putting them in that vase while the shop was open and be sneaky enough to do it without Remus noticing.

           Except Sirius Black, Remus’ traitorous mind unhelpfully supplied. From what little he knew of the man, Sirius was always up to no good. He had a tendency for throwing out customers that didn’t respect his music tastes or were rude. He’d once heard a story of Sirius Black throwing a man out of the store just for saying a disparaging thing about The Ramones.

           Sirius Black and James Potter, the guy who owned the café down the street were always throwing block parties. About once every three months or so James and Sirius would organize a big do and get everyone on the street involved. James and his wife Lily would provide coffee and pastries, Sirius would provide the music, and have crates of records to sell for cheap, Sirius’s brother Regulus would give discounted tattoos in front of his shop next to Sirius’, the florist shop owned by Frank and Alice Longbottom would give our tiny bouquets for a dollar, Marlene Mckinnon, who owned the secondhand clothing shop would bring a rack of silly hats that people bought out of tradition, and Peter Pettigrew who owned the pet shop always brought a new little of puppies or kittens to sell for half off.

           Remus was the only one who had never really participated. He felt bad about it but as an antique shop he didn’t really have much to contribute. He refused to undervalue the things in his store, things he had lovingly collected over the years. The price he sold them for was the price they were worth. If he gave away antiques at a discount he would go out of business.

           Clearly James and Sirius understood that because after the first three times they asked, each time with Remus giving the same refusal, they had stopped coming around to ask. It was easier that way, not having to give the same excuse over and over. But the block parties had been going on for a year and a half now and it was hard not being a part of it. It still meant some increased traffic to his store but it felt wrong to get customers that way when he wasn’t participating in the festivities.

           They were getting ready for their next one in just a few days and Remus already could feel his stomach churning with the familiar feeling of being left out once again.

           Remus entered his one bedroom flat, toeing off his shoes and heading straight to the kitchen. He got down a cut glass vase – an antique he’d gotten on a trip to Prague and kept for himself – and filled it with water. He placed the flowers inside and put them on the windowsill where they could get the most light in his dingy flat. Already the place looked brighter and Remus couldn’t help smiling.

                                                           ***

           “You can’t tell me anything?” Remus asked Frank Longbottom incredulously the next morning. He was late to open up his shop because he’d stopped by the florists to ask about the bouquet he’d received. He glanced down at his watch and exhaled loudly in frustration. “Come on, Frank!”

           “I’m sorry but he told me not to,” Frank answered with an apologetic smile.

           “He?” Remus echoed, raising an eyebrow.

           “Oh damn it,” Frank said, chiding himself for his slip up. He pointed his gardening shears at Remus. “That’s all your getting out of me, Remus! Don’t ask me anything else because I’m not saying a word.”

           Remus sighed and tugged his fingers through his curls. “Fine, thanks for nothing, Frank.”

           “You’re welcome!” Frank said pleasantly, waving Remus off.

           Remus stepped out into the sunshine and tilted his face up towards it. It really was a beautiful day and the street was already a bustle of excitement. He needed to get to his shop and open up but he took a moment to soak in the crisp air of early Spring.

           He must have been soaking a little too much because someone plowed right into him. Remus got knocked sideways and fell to the ground hard. He was just about to tell whoever it was to watch where they were going when the words died on his lips.

           “Oh, Remus!” Sirius Black said, smiling brightly. Remus would have happily soaked that up instead of the sunshine. “I’m so sorry. I’m useless before I have my coffee. I was just on my way to the Doe-Nut Hut.” Sirius scrambled around getting the records he’d dropped up off the ground. “Can I get you a coffee? It’s the least I can do after knocking into you so rudely.”

           “Oh, um…” Remus swallowed thickly and glanced around. Suddenly every word in the English language seemed to have left his head. Maybe he had hit it on the sidewalk and he had a mild concussion.

           Sirius stood and held out his free hand to Remus. Remus took it and was hoisted back up onto his feet. “So…coffee?” Sirius said, continuing to clasp Remus’ hand even once their desired result of getting Remus back to his feet had been accomplished.

           Remus glanced down at their joined hands and finally was able to unstick his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “I have to open up my shop.”

           Sirius nodded. “Okay, I’ll meet you there! I’m just dropping these off for the sprog real quick. I have to start his musical education early, you know? Before James poisons him with shite like James Blunt.” Sirius gave a little shudder as he gave the name. “Or Michael Buble.”

           Remus looked at the record on top and read the name. “David Bowie? Are kids really into that kind of thing?”

           Sirius snickered. “He is if he’s going to be my godson!” Sirius dropped Remus’ hand – more the pity. Remus immediately wanted to grab it back. “You go open up and I’ll be there in twenty, with coffee, I promise.”

           “Okay,” Remus said, giving a small nod. He watched Sirius go bounding away down the sidewalk towards the café, blinking slowly as he wondered what had just happened. Glancing at his watch, he was already fifteen minutes late opening up his shop. Cursing under his breath, Remus took off in the other direction, grabbing his keys out of his pocket to unlock the door.

                                                           ***

           Remus sat behind the till with his hands wrapped around the cup of coffee supplied for him by Sirius Black, while the man himself wandered around the shop. “You’ve got a lot of neat things in here,” Sirius said, stopping and looking at himself in one of the many mirrors Remus had in the shop. Sirius fixed his hair for a moment and then continued on.

           “Thank you,” Remus said, taking a sip of his coffee. “You know this is now twice I owe you for.”

           “Huh?” Sirius said, poking his head around from a bookcase to look at Remus.

           “You’ve gotten me coffee twice now,” Remus reminded him, playing nervously with the sleeve around the cup. “It doesn’t seem very fair.”

           Sirius laughed, the sound of it filling the room, each cold lonely space of it. “The coffee is free, mate,” he explained, turning on and off an old Tiffany’s lamp. “Jamie doesn’t make me pay for it. So you don’t owe me anything.”

           Remus shifted in his seat. “Oh, right. Well, I still appreciate it even if you didn’t pay for it yourself. It was a kind gesture.”

           Sirius abandoned the lamp and came over, resting his elbows against the counter. “You’re not indebted to me, Remus,” he said with a lopsided smirk. “I just like doing nice things for you.”

           “Why is that?” he asked, his heart rate speeding up. He nearly jumped out of his chair when the bell rang signaling a customer had come in. He looked up at Sirius expectantly but Sirius was already grabbing his coffee cup and making his way towards the front of the store.

           “See ya later, Remus!” he called out before the bell rang again and he was gone.

                                                           ***

           That night at closing Remus found a bouquet of lilacs and white roses.

                                                           ***

           The next morning when Remus got to his shop, Sirius Black was leaning in the doorway waiting for him, holding an old record player. Remus’ brow furrowed in confusion as he took in the sight before him. Sirius merely smiled and scooted out of the way so Remus could unlock the door.

           “Did we have an appointment?” Remus asked after stepping inside while Sirius following after him. He thought maybe Sirius was there to try and sell the record player for some cash.

           “Nope!” Sirius said cheerfully, putting the record player down on a mahogany desk. “But I was thinking about you last night and I realized just what your store needs.”

           “Oh?” Remus inquired, trying and failing not to think about that fact Sirius Black had just uttered the phrase I was thinking about you last night.

           “Music!” Sirius said, dropping the needle down onto the record he’d already had on the player. “It was so quiet in here. You need some music to liven the place up. I wasn’t quite sure what you liked so I went for something classy like your shop. Figured some punk rock wouldn’t really go with the vibe you’ve got going on in here.”

           The music began to play and Otis Redding began to sing. Remus smiled and gave Sirius an encouraging nod. Sirius matched his smile and held out his hand. It took a Remus a moment to realize what he was asking and then took it. Their fingers laced together and Sirius brought his hand up to rest on Remus’ shoulder. Remus put his hand on Sirius’ back and they swayed in time with the music. Remus had never considered himself much of a dancer but this kind of dancing was easy. All he had to do was hold Sirius and shuffle his feet. At least he could handle that.

           Try a Little Tenderness faded out and Stand By Me began to play. Remus dropped his hand from Sirius’ back and spun Sirius under his arm. Sirius burst out laughing and made his way back to Remus and their original position.

           When the second song ended, Remus broke away and smiled shyly at Sirius. “Come to the block party tomorrow,” Sirius said suddenly, catching Remus off-guard. “I know you normally don’t but just try, okay? Please?”

           “I don’t have anything to contribute,” Remus said, tugging on one of his curls self-consciously.

           “Just contribute yourself,” Sirius told him, reaching out and giving Remus’ arm a squeeze. Remus felt heat radiating through his body just from that small point of contact and fuck he really had a problem. “That’s enough.”

           “Okay.”

           Sirius grinned as if Remus had just said something brilliant. “When you get tired of Otis just let me know and I’ll bring you something else,” he said as he backed up out of the store. “I’ll see you tomorrow at the block party!”

           “Bye,” Remus said, giving Sirius a small wave as he left the store. My Girl filled the store, keeping Sirius’ presence there even after he’d gone.

                                                           ***

           That night in the same vase there were red roses and marigolds.

                                                           ***

           Remus closed up his shop an hour early so that he could participate in the block party for the first time ever. He was anxious about what this would entail or if the other shop owners would judge him for coming to the party when he wasn’t doing anything for it. It felt disingenuous but then Sirius had invited him to come.

           He wound his way through the sea of people just to get across the street to Sirius’ shop. When he finally broke through the crowd his eyes were immediately drawn to Sirius and the bouquet of flowers in his hands. When he noticed Remus, he smiled.

           “Hi,” Remus said, taking the flowers after Sirius held them out to him. “So it was you leaving me the flowers then?”

           Sirius nodded. “Is that okay?”

           “Yeah,” Remus said, hugging the assortment of different colored tulips to his chest. “I was kind of hoping it was you.”

           “It was a real pain getting them into that vase every day without you noticing,” Sirius said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. He had London Calling playing over the loud speakers. “Especially with all those damn mirrors you have.”

           Remus laughed and shook his head. “You know you could have just asked me out. Now I’m definitely indebted to you.”

           Sirius took a step closer. “I’ll call it even if you kiss me right now.”

           “Such a bargain,” Remus quipped, bending down and capturing Sirius’ lips in a chaste kiss. After a moment he broke it and straightened back up. Sirius still had his eyes closed and he slowly blinked them open.

           “That is what today is about,” he joked, licking his lips. “Did I say one kiss? I’m pretty sure I meant ten.”

           “How about three kisses and a date tonight?”

           “Are you haggling with me right now?” Sirius asked with a huff of amusement.

           Remus put flowers down on one of the speakers so they wouldn’t get crushed as he pulled Sirius back towards him. “Well?” he asked, just barely brushing his lips against Sirius’.

           “Unlimited kisses forever and you come home with me tonight.”

           “For that price I’d better be getting a lot more flowers out of the deal,” Remus teased, rubbing his nose playfully against Sirius’.

           “I’m guaranteeing a lifetime of flowers, happiness and pretty much whatever the fuck you want, Remus,” Sirius said, slotting their mouths back together and kissing Remus hungrily. Remus could faintly hear people cheering and clapping but he didn’t dare break the kiss to see who it was.

           “You’ve got yourself a deal,” Remus said breathlessly before kissing Sirius again. He should have made it to a block party a lot sooner if this was the kind of stuff on offer. At least he’d finally made it and he was pretty sure he’d gotten the best thing on the block.

[lightspeedrobin]

Dormouse - Sakuma Ritsu X Reader

A/N: Finally back again with a fic on the 1st year anniv of this blog (not that this has been active most of the year lol).

Have some Ritsu fluff and a bit of Sakuma bros bonding!

P.S. This happens after the Scout Story: Tea Party, but you can read this one without reading the scout story.

Title: Dormouse

Characters: Sakuma Ritsu, Sakuma Rei, Reader

Pairing: Sakuma Ritsu/Reader

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 2512 words

-

“Maa-kun’s busy again today…” You hear Ritsu complain as you two enter town on your way home. With Mao busy with his unit practice and squeezing in the Student Council work that came up today, you two are left to walk home by yourselves.

You cross your arms over your chest and turn to Ritsu, who’s walking listlessly with a faraway look. “Well, we can’t help it if he’s still practicing with Trickstar. I hear they’re getting more jobs lately too since they’re becoming more popular now.”

He lets out a long sigh. “I drank a lot of tea today too during club so I’m beat. I wish Maa-kun would give me a piggyback-ride...”

“Oh, you had club activities today too, huh? No wonder Mao texted me to come pick you up. I had some stuff to do after class too.” You reply, remembering the sudden message you received from Mao at lunch. Sorry, I might stay longer in school today. You and Ritsu should go on ahead without me, it says. 

“Yeah, we got caught up in playing those characters from Alice in Wonderland that I didn’t notice how much tea I had.”

“Oh, which character did you play as?”

“The Cheshire Cat.”

You place a hand under your chin and try to imagine it. Oh, that actually suits him, you think. “Well you do seem like a cat sometimes. Wanting to be spoiled, napping in unusual places and all. Plus you can get a little mischievous sometimes...”

“But if we’re talking about napping, wouldn’t the Dormouse be a better character? I just need to lie down and do nothing else. Easy, easy...” He says, bobbing his head up and down as if to satisfy himself of his own reasoning.

“I guess”, you reply. The two of you make your way through town, occasionally engaging in some small talk. Ritsu talks about his clubmates and unitmates and you talk about a big play your class is preparing for. 

On the way, you see Ritsu yawn for the nth time since you two started walking home and you begin to wonder if he’s been sleeping his usual amount lately. Knights must be slumped with idol work recently, as expected from one of the top idol groups in the school. 

Ritsu has been silent for a while now and you wonder if he’s starting to get sleepy. Just when you are about to ask him, he collapses on your back and his hands fall on your shoulders, half of his weight shifting towards you. He gives a satisfied hum. “Ritsu, come on. You know I can’t carry you all the way home like this.” 

“Nnn...” He only groans in response and nuzzles his head on your shoulder. You put a foot forward to accommodate the sudden weight and to prevent the both of you from tumbling down the sidewalk.

“Is this how Mao carries you home everyday? You’re too heavy, Ritsu!”

“How rude. I’m not even eating too much.”

“Well, you’re taller than me so that’s more body mass!”

“...Nnnn...”

“Ritsuuuu….”

With all the strength you can muster, you manage to drag Ritsu to a nearby bench. He curls up as soon as you lay him down. “Okay now you’re acting like a cat who just found a nice napping spot.”

“...I told you… I’m a mouse… a dormouse...” He mumbles, sleep clearly taking over from his tone. He must’ve been tired from his club activity if he’s being extra sluggish on the way home. But then again, the sun’s already way down the horizon that you assume he should be getting more active by now. Either way, without Mao, you two aren’t going anywhere. 

You turn to him. “Ritsu do you need to rest a little? I really can’t carry you the whole way.”

“Mmhh...” He mumbles something you can’t make out as you sit down on the other end of the bench. The next second, he wiggles over your lap to use as his pillow. “You’re so warm… I think I might stay here foreeeveeeeeer...” 

Seeing a content smile on his face as he once again drifts off to sleep, you lean back on the bench and look up at the sky. As expected from being in the city, there are fewer stars visible and he only bright object you can see is the moon as it begins to rise.

Ritsu shifts a little on your lap and makes a little noise. You can feel his steady breathing, the sight of him sleeping peacefully almost lulls you to sleep but you quickly turn your attention elsewhere so as to not nod off too. 

You don’t know how much time has passed since then when you feel your phone vibrating from your pocket. You quickly fish it out, careful not to move too much to wake Ritsu.

A message from your mom. Saying that she’ll be a little late for dinner. Wait. Dinner?

“Oh no!” You nearly jump in your seat but the sudden cry wakes the sleeping idol on your lap. Ritsu starts to groan. “...You’re too loud… Don’t shout...”

“We need to get home! Now!” you exclaim, hastily tapping his shoulder. 

“Whaaaat? Let me rest a bit more… It’s not like I need to be home early today. ” 

“But I need to be home right away. I need to make dinner!” you spell out. You still need to take out the meat you planned to use from the freezer to defrost it, and the other ingredients would also take time to prepare. You were excited to try out a new recipe today, too.

“You know, it’s not bad to have takeout every once in a while.” Ritsu comments, not moving an inch on your lap. 

“Yes, and we already had that the other day. Now would you please sit up so I can get my stuff?” 

Ritsu doesn’t move. “...Five more minutes.”

“Ritsu...” you call one more time.

“...”

After giving up trying to wake him, you consider carrying him again so you two can get moving, but carrying a sleeping Ritsu would feel much heavier than a half-awake one from a while ago. And you’re already struggling to stand up the first time.

“That’s it. I’m calling him.” Pulling out your phone from your blazer jacket, you easily find the number you’re looking for and tap on the dial button.

Shifting from your lap, you feel Ritsu’s head perk up. “Him. You mean Maa-kun?” You didn’t get to reply though, as you hear the voice from the other line picking up.

“O-Oh, um… sorry for suddenly calling. I was wondering if you’re around the park by the convenience store… Yes, the one on the way home.” Ritsu sits up and leans closer to try and listen. He doesn’t hear much though except for your voice humming in response to whoever’s on the phone. 

“I have Ritsu here with me but he’s too tired to walk and I can’t carry him all the way back and— Oh you’re coming over? That’s a great help, thanks!” Ritsu strains to filter out the noise so he can hear his beloved Maa-kun even for just a few seconds. 

However, to his absolute horror, he hears a familiar giggle, the unmistakable deep voice sending warning signals through his entire system that finally jolted him awake. 

“Just you wait, my adorable Ritsu! Onii-chan’s on the way to get you~.” 

And the call drops.

You return your phone to your pocket as he watches you in shock. “You called my idiot brother?!”

“Well, who else am I supposed to call? Mao’s probably still practicing with Trisckstar.” You retort, expecting that reaction from him. His eyebrows knit together in displeasure.

“No one. We could’ve gone home by ourselves.”

“No, we couldn’t. You’re heavy and we still have halfway to go before we even get to our neighborhood. You didn’t even want to get up.”

“Tell that bug to go back.”

“No can do. And even if I tell him to, there’s no stopping him now from any opportunity to spend time with his cute little brother.”

“Ughhh....” He falls again onto your lap. Happy that he’s finally given up, you exhale a relieved sigh. You don’t notice, though, the sneaky hands crawling to your sides until they began tickling you. 

“As punishment, I’m gonna torture you until you send him away.”

You try to push him off you but you’re too distracted from all the tickling that you can only jolt from side to side. “Ritsu—! Stop!” You try to say in between laughs. 

“No can do.”

You attempt again to swat his hands away and throw him off your lap. You raise your knees alternately to force him to sit up and he does, and you immediately edge yourself away from him on the bench.

Ritsu slides from his seat to follow you, though. “Oh no, you’re not getting away.” He says in a clearly playful tone. 

You reach the end of the bench and almost fall off when your hands landed on nothing beside you, and you know you’re doomed to another tickling. Your reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Ritsu and he lets out a mischievous laugh. 

“Got you~.” 

But just as he got close enough for his hands to reach you again, a sing-song voice grabbed his attention.

“Oi~! Ritsu~!” Ritsu snaps his head at the distant voice approaching. He clicks his tongue in annoyance. “Oh great. He’s here.”

Recovering from the tickling session, you wipe a tear on your eye as you see Rei come into view. You stand up to greet him. “Rei-san. Good evening!”

“Good evening, little lady. Thanks for calling.” Rei flashes you a grateful smile before turning to Ritsu. “Now, is my precious little brother too tired to walk home? Come here to Onii-chan and I’ll carry you~” And, without waiting for a response, Rei easily scoops him up.

Ritsu pushes away as he’s forcefully made to lean against his brother’s chest. “Put me down, stupid brother! I didn’t ask for you to come! Let go of me!” He kicks his legs up and tries to wriggle off him.

Rei pouts at his little brother’s rejection. “Aw, but you used to love me carrying you like this home.” 

“Can you please not talk about that embarrassing past? It’s disgusting!” Ritsu spats, feeling Rei’s hold on him loosening. “How are you here already anyway?”

“Whenever my dear brother’s in need, I’ll always arrive at the speed of light.” Rei proudly says, obviously not the answer anyone is looking for. After seeing the irritated look from Ritsu and the nervous laugh from you, he finally explains. “I just finished a job with Undead in the area and we’re staying at a cafe nearby at Kaoru’s suggestion.”

“Oh, you were with your unit mates, then?” you say, beginning to feel guilty. “Sorry for calling you so suddenly when you had a prior appointment.” 

“Oh so you apologize to him but not me?” Ritsu grumbles, still holding on to the small grudge from earlier. You pretend to not hear him.

Rei adjusts his hands under Ritsu before he replies. “It’s quite alright, little lady. It’s just a detour we made before we part ways and go home.”

You hesitate but with how Rei is close to rubbing his cheek against Ritsu’s, who is still trying to push him away, you think that he was glad he got the call too. You giggle at the rare sight of these two brothers.

“Hey! Don’t just laugh at me, help me get off of this idiot.” Ritsu calls out. 

You try to hold another laughter in but it spills out when Rei starts rocking Ritsu to maybe try and get him to fall asleep. “I’m sorry, Ritsu. It’s impossible to not watch this!” 

Ritsu pouts at you in betrayal. Oh, how you wish to take out your phone and quickly snap a photo of his face.

“Now, now. Come on, Ritsu. Onii-chan will carry you home so you can sleep here in my arms~” Rei smiles wide, another rare sight. Ritsu continues to struggle in his brother’s hold, but then suddenly stops and drops his head down, his bangs covering his eyes.

Rei stops as well. Did Ritsu give up resisting? “Ritsu?” Rei hesitantly tries to meet his eyes, and then you see him flinch.

“Put. Me. Down.” Ritsu shoots Rei with a murderous glare. His tone clearly shows he’s had enough of this. “Or I’ll report you.”

Rei, taken aback by this brother’s warning, frowns but still moves to set him down. Ritsu dusts himself off and glares at Rei.

Seeing the clear rejection from his younger brother, Rei starts to sniffle, rubbing the corners of eyes in fake tears. “Oh Ritsu, you’re so mean to your dear big brother!” 

Almost immediately, Ritsu snaps back. “My only family here is Maa-kun and...” He steps closer to you and, without warning, latches onto your arm. 

You were surprised by the sudden gesture, not sure how to react. You hesitantly call his name but he’s busy sending death glares to his brother, who now wears a distinct pout.

Finally, Rei gives a defeated sigh. “Well, it seems i’ve been rejected yet again today. I’ll head back to the cafe. You two be careful on your way home.” 

You feel bad now for calling him out here. He must’ve been looking forward to spending some time with Ritsu. But Rei must’ve sensed your growing guilt and smiled at you, as if assuring you that it was no problem at all. He did get to carry Ritsu, after all, even if it was for a short time.

You smile back at him. “Thank you and sorry for the trouble! Please be careful as well!” And you give a small bow before he turns and walks back the direction he came. 

“Finally he’s gone.” Ritsu speaks, voice starting to tone down. “Now I can rest in peace.” He lets go of your arm and sits back down on the bench. He pats the spot you were sitting on earlier. “Come on.” 

But you don’t move and as he looks at you in confusion, you smugly grin at him. Calling Rei might’ve been a good move after all. “Oh good, you’re wide awake. Now you can get home by yourself, right?” You say and turn on your heel to start walking.

You hear Ritsu make a surprised noise from behind you. “What? Noooo… don’t leave me heeeeereee...” He quickly rises from his seat and reluctantly trails after you. You can’t see his face but you’re sure he’s sulking right now. Just that image of him in your head is enough to make you giggle. You slow your pace down though so he can catch up, but as soon as he does he hooks an arm around yours.

“Ritsu, if you’re thinking of having me carry you again—”

“This is fine as long as I’m walking, right?” 

You sigh. This one really is a handful, but he can be cute sometimes.

“Okay, fine.”

—

Heya! I’ve also started uploading my fics on AO3. You can follow me @lightspeedrobin​ !

[siribear]

whisper fiddles with the knobs on her pipboy, switching between diamond city radio and radio freedom every other word. the minutemen are calling for their general. the ink spots don’t want to set the world on fire. and whisper remembers everything that happened yesterday.

but dr. amari should be finished with nick by now. it’s been exactly fifteen minutes since irma left and came back, and the hostess has even set up a customer in their own memory pod. a ghoul, likely reliving pre-war memories. eyes closed, a small smile tugs at the corner of their mouth. happy memories to relive, at least.

whisper remembers - almost everything.

click, set the world. click, calling general alice. click, on fire. click, to the castle. click, i just. click, calling general - click, want to start - click, alice to - click, a flame - click, the castle - click, in your heart.

‘hey, doll.’

‘nick!’ whisper jumps to her feet and looks him over. hard to tell how he’s doing, glowing eyes giving away absolutely nothing. he doesn’t wear any signs of fatigue or duress. at least his voice is his own. ‘how are you feeling?’

he brings a cigarette to his lips. doesn’t light it. maybe it’s just about the comfort of it. ‘i’m fine. the doctor told me about my passenger. he didn’t do anything to you, did he?’

with a jerk of her head, she leads him to a side room, empty but for another memory pod and decorated with old paintings on the walls. whisper walks to the middle of the room, her arms crossed. nick’s eyes narrow. ‘alice, if he hurt you - ‘

she raises a hand. ‘we talked. we - really just talked.’

‘you talked.’

even to her ears it doesn’t sound real, and she’s the one that sat with the mercenary. the man that murdered her husband, stole her child. talked. she runs a hand through her hair. ‘do you remember anything?’

‘not a lot after leaving the memory pod.’

‘and before that?’

he stares, frowning. ‘how much do you want me to remember, doll?’

she sighs. too much unraveling. ‘ideally? nothing. i only ask that you don’t talk to anyone about it.’

‘and your friend?’

deacon - ‘especially not him. everything is.. complicated.’

after a moment, he nods. ‘things often are. that little boy, was that your son?’

‘shaun,’ she says on a sigh, her eyes watering. ‘yes, it was.’ happy, reading comics, smiling.

‘not a baby, though.’

whisper frowns. ‘no, i guess - i lost more than i thought.’ two hundred years is two hundred years, but to lose those years watching their son grow up on top of everything?

nick grunts, tucks away the unlit cigarette. ‘can i ask how long you were down there?’

‘this is the real interview, then?’ she tries at a smile. ‘two hundred years.’

‘you were frozen pre-war, then.’

‘the last thing i saw was the bomb drop before the vault elevator took us down.’ she keeps her breathing surprisingly even. but she doesn’t want to talk about more, has to steer this away from her or she might remember that she can’t - ‘now that you know, i have a question of my own.’

‘whatever you need.’

‘are you the real nick valentine? i’m familiar with him, and operation winter’s end, but this - ‘ she waves a hand. ‘i don’t understand how he would be here.’

‘i - ‘ he pauses, trying to collect himself. ‘he was being treated at CIT for PTSD, and they scanned his brain. the institute took those memories and uploaded them into me. kellogg’s weren’t the first memories i’ve had in my head.’

‘i - i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to put you through that again.’

‘the institute is to blame for this one, doll. i’m here to help you, and you aren’t alone.’ she blinks, eyes stinging, and throws her arms around him. just to know that someone else understands that shock of waking up in a different world.

a soft knock on the door makes her step back, and deacon sidesteps into the room. ‘why am i never invited to parties anymore?’

nick looks to her, unsure, so she goes along with it, like they’re who they were before yesterday and she can still look him in the eye. ‘your invite must have gotten lost in the mail,’ as if he understands the postal service. she taps a finger against her chin. ‘did i even mail it? who knows these days.’

deacon pouts. ‘maybe one day i’ll be cool enough for your parties, partner. anyway, i bring word from the commonwealth!’ he announces like a town crier. thankfully, nick prompts deacon to continue. ‘our stalker from last night was... apprehended the other night.’ he looks to her - or somewhere over her shoulder. ‘you remember?’

‘i remember,’ she says, a little too quickly.

deacon shoves his hands in his pockets. ‘hancock’s men killed him. turns out he was a synth. they picked him up going into the rexford.’

‘looking for us,’ she figures. ‘dodged a bullet there. literally.’

nick looks between the two of them, probably deducing where the ‘complicated’ is coming from. ‘well,’ he starts, stepping around deacon toward the door, ‘i’ll leave you two to handle the rest. alice,’ she looks over to him. ‘remember what i said.’

‘thank you, nick.’

he leaves them alone with only their tension to fill the void. though deacon still stands with his hands in his pockets, his shoulders are still held high. whisper, for her part, wraps her arms around her stomach, looking everywhere but at her partner. now, she’s face to face with her shame, her guilt. it’s only been a month since nate’s death - has she been unfaithful in a way? acted in poor taste?

deacon’s likely here to tell her she’s lost her position in the railroad. crossed a line because there were definitely better options in that alley, and she didn’t choose those. instead she gave into the cigarette smoke on her tongue.

maybe she’s the only one worried about it, the only one making a big deal of it, because deacon breaks the silence with a grin. ‘secrets, partner?’

she attempts to mirror the grin. ‘planning our next party, obviously. consider this your invitation.’

‘looking forward to it,’ he says. then, ‘thought you took off without me this morning. went to face the horrors of the glowing sea all by yourself.’ he adds, ‘again,’ almost sternly.

she left before he woke up. leaving a note might have been proper etiquette, but really she just wanted to avoid a morning-after conversation. oh well. ‘didn’t want the radio to wake you up.’ she tunes into the radio. static hisses from the speakers before radio freedom begins to play. the recorded message loops again, calling her to the castle. someone is there who wants to meet with her. repeat.

didn’t take long for them to call her back, so she has to wonder who this person is. not a regular recruit.

‘well, then, what’s the plan?’

she turns off the radio. ‘i have to go see what this is about, obviously.’ she leans back against the wall, feels wallpaper flake off as she shifts. ‘maybe cash in on that brotherhood information, get a set of power armor that can withstand the radiation.’ her suit from the museum of freedom is missing parts and the parts it does have need to be repaired, still. another group could scavenge for new parts -

‘i can hear the gears turning in your head, you know.’ he sighs, eyes the door. ‘in that case, i’ll head back to hq, tell them about our tail, and see if tom’s got anything that can help us in the sea.’

whisper stands up straight. ‘you don’t - you don’t have to go out to the glowing sea.’

‘of course i do. knowing you, you’re going to throw yourself at a deathclaw the size of a skyscraper if i’m not there.’

she huffs. ‘i would not.’ then it hits her: he’s not coming with her to the castle, to the brotherhood.

it’s like he reads her mind in her sudden frown. ‘i shouldn’t show my face too often on that flying tin can or else i’ll have to get a new one.’

‘and i’m so fond of this one, too.’ that gets a genuine smile out of him. ‘i understand.’ not that she wants to. what she wants to do is ask him to stay with her, her singular constant in this new world. but she’s monopolized his time enough. ‘hopefully this whole.. endeavor doesn’t take long.’

‘eager to go swimming? i’ll find you when you’re finished.’

‘go back to your old stalking habits?’

he grins. ‘you leave a trail wherever you go. you’re hard to miss.’

she clears her throat. ‘sure. take care of yourself, okay?’

he looks like he means to move toward her, but instead veers to the door. ‘you, too.’

-

boston seems bigger when she’s alone. without deacon’s constant chatter, she has only herself to talk to, her inner monologue to keep her company. herself and travis on the radio, tearfully talking about how they’re all going to die, the poor guy sounding like he’s two seconds away from a full blown panic attack. lately, she can relate, but she keeps the radio on for white noise, humming along to the songs she knows from before.

travis does eventually report the minutemen taking the castle, along with their influence spreading throughout the commonwealth. she smiles, ‘see, deacon, we’re making a,’ she trails off, ‘difference.’ at least no one can hear her talking to herself. before the war, she would definitely have earned herself some strange looks.

nowadays, there’s no one to even notice her walking down the street. with a sigh, she continues her solo journey toward the castle.

-

water sloshes against her ankles as she walks down the flooded street to fort independence. but where the street used to be littered with moss and seaweed, carried in from mirelurks as they crawl in from the sea, the roads and even nearby buildings have been cleared. whisper jogs the rest of the way up the street and runs into a familiar face near another abandoned building.

‘general! good to see you.’

‘sturges? what’re you doing out here?’

he gestures around to the street, the buildings. ‘preston wanted me to do some tuning up on the area. whole place got hit hard by mirelurks, but preston said you’re turning the whole place into a new settlement?’

‘that’s the goal. maybe some place their families can live, so they’re close.’ like an old military base without the strict military rules. minuteman families and anyone else just looking for a safe place to stay.

‘i get it, boss. they were talking about some lady at the castle needin’ you though.’ he heaves an exaggerated, put-upon sigh. ‘i’ll be cleanin’ up the streets if you need me.’

she nods. ‘then be careful out here by yourself. some mirelurks might still be hiding in the shallows.’

he pats a flare gun on his utility belt. ‘i’m not alone, ma’am.’

-

ronnie shaw recites the history of the minutemen while they clear out more rubble in the general’s quarters. past generals, past battles, the people she’s lead and followed in her time. ronnie wouldn’t be out of place pre-war, dressed in her army fatigues with a beret atop a head of short cropped hair. the way she tells the stories, with a voice rough after years of service but warm enough to relay the fond memories - it makes whisper think she’s done something right drawing her here.

preston says as much as they heave the rubble out of the way. ‘i figure we must be doing something right if ronnie shaw’s come back.’

the woman enjoys talking in the way mama murphy enjoys talking. to be heard and remembered. to pass on her knowledge, whether it be drug induced future-sight or memories of the past. shaw still leads them with purpose, pointing out landmines hidden under scattered pieces of paper even as she notes which general might have left them behind. whisper disarms each one while penny puts them in her bag.

the group skirts around barrels of radiation and weaves through the storerooms of the basement. there are supplies sturges could use for the neighborhood and more food to back their stores. across the storeroom, under the other end of the courtyard, is another side room lined with barrels of gunpowder.

‘just through here. on the other side should be stairs up to the armory.’

‘okay.’ whisper steps through to the other room, preston at her shoulder. they’re greeted immediately with the sound of machinery booting up, low beeps and a sharp hiss of air. whisper draws deliverer and aims at the other end of the room at a sentry bot lifting itself to its full height. ‘what is that?’

ronnie pulls up behind them, her shotgun drawn, before lowering it. ‘that’s just sarge. he was programmed to protect the armory.’

‘so, we’re safe?’ whisper asks, and ronnie hums in agreement.

‘don’t know ‘bout that one,’ penny says, pushing forward, her laser musket buzzing with energy.

‘intruders,’ sarge intones in a deep, robotic voice. ‘leave the area or be met with lethal force.’

‘c’mon, sarge. we’re minutemen. you don’t have to protect anything from us,’ ronnie reasons.

sarge halts with a low series of beeps. ‘minutemen database corrupted,’ he states after a moment. ‘intruders, leave the area or be met with lethal force.’

‘general,’ preston hisses, backing slowly out of the room. ‘we can’t fight that thing in close quarters like this.’

he’s right. the tunnels under the castle are capped with an arched ceiling, and sarge stands as high as the arch, with his body half as wide as the room itself. and then there’s the fact that sarge has miniguns for arms.

‘penny, ronnie, back up,’ whisper commands. ‘we aren’t prepared for this. let’s retreat for now.’

‘the armory - ‘

‘isn’t going anywhere. we come back with bigger guns and we move sarge by force if we have to.’

whisper waits until penny has backed up to the other room to make her own retreat. however, she’s stopped by sarge breaking his repeated warning to leave. ‘database accessed,’ he says suddenly, ignoring whisper raising her gun once more. ‘citizen of the united states, acknowledged.’ sarge lowers his weapons and seems to stand down.

‘what did that thing just say?’ penny peers back through the door.

sarge picks himself up again, provoked to an alert stance. ‘intruder - ‘

‘penny, back up.’ she does, and sarge cools back down. ‘you’ve got to be kidding me,’ she mutters to herself. ‘i’ll see what i can do from here, i guess?’

‘sarge’s terminal is at the back of the room. it’s a shame, but if he’s corrupted, we have to shut him down. the password is... uh,’ ronnie pauses. ‘one if by land. try that one.’

‘okay,’ whisper says slowly, and approaches sarge with as much caution. the sentry bot shifts slightly to follow her, turning on the wheels of its legs. whisper picks up her pace to the terminal at the end of the room.

‘civilian, step away.’

whisper types the password quickly, one if by land, and - nothing.

‘civilian - ‘

‘ronnie, that didn’t work,’ whisper shouts over sarge. he looms over her, one minigun pressing between her shoulder blades.

‘try: for the commonwealth,’ ronnie shouts back.

she’s almost knocked over when sarge whips around to the door, but she takes the distraction for what it is. for the commonwealth - nothing. quickly, she tries two if by sea and... no. ‘not it.’

‘civilian, you have ten seconds to cease this activity.’ nine, eight -

behind her, she hears preston and penny pressing for another password as sarge turns his attention back to her. seven, six, five - ‘okay, okay. united we stand!’

four, three, two - whisper types as quickly as she can, the sound of miniguns spinning up loud in her ears. there - and thankfully the option isn’t difficult to find. one - shut down, sarge.

‘shutting down,’ sarge announces over the pounding in her ears. hands braced against the desk, whisper sighs heavily.

‘general!’ preston runs up to her. ‘jesus, are you all right?’

‘all in a day’s work,’ she says. ‘i’m fine, preston. thank you.’

down a level from sarge’s shutdown option is the key to open the door to the other side of the tunnels. the door swings open to another room, and there they find the long dead body of a previous minuteman general dressed in clothing that wouldn’t be out of place in a museum: a navy blue coat over a dirty white dress shirt, with four stars stitched into the collar. though the late general supplemented heavy coat’s defenses with a custom combat armor chest piece. and there, on the mummified general’s head, is whisper’s true reward.

‘my hat,’ she says lamely, drawing attention from her companions.

preston catches on quicker than the others, bending down and picking the tricorn hat off the body. ‘your hat.’ he chuckles, likely remembering their conversation from so long ago. it fits neatly on her head, but it smells, so she carries it under her arm instead. it can wait until she finds a box of abraxo.

from there, they head back upstairs to find themselves on the other side of the castle’s hollow walls. ronnie flips a switch, and the metal arm blocking the entrance to the courtyard rises. a handful of minutemen gather nearby to be led to the armory.

even whisper’s jaw drops when they get there. shelves full of stockpiled microfusion cells, different kinds of laser muskets, turrets, grenades, and schematics for each. on the back table is another set of blueprints for artillery. ‘there we go. that’s what we’re here for,’ ronnie says around the commotion of the other minutemen moving supplies from the armory.

‘preston, can you get sturges?’ to ronnie, she says, ‘he can put these together in the morning.’

‘good. over there are smoke grenades, you can use it to test the aiming on those old things.’

whisper cants her head. ‘you’re not staying?’

‘i think i’m getting too old for this stuff, you know? not sure if i could have kept up if sarge actually attacked.’ ronnie shrugs.

but whisper can see the reluctance in her. ‘we could use someone like you around here. once people know ronnie shaw’s on board? more people will join the minutemen, and they’ll need to be trained.’

ronnie smiles wide, easily swayed. ‘all right, kid, you got me. i can see you’ve got a good thing going here. hard not to listen to all the tales that kid on the radio tells.’ she sighs, wistful. ‘time to whip these young’uns into shape.’ ronnie makes a show of rolling up her sleeves before walking over to a group of minutemen carrying a crate of ammunition.

‘oh boy,’ comes penny’s voice at her shoulder. ‘what have you done?’ she asks, even as she grins at the sight. the younger minutemen stand up straighter with ronnie at their backs, barking orders.

‘made things more entertaining around here.’ whisper grins.

penny exhales heavily. ‘speaking of entertainment, where’s your shadow?’ at whisper’s furrowed brow, penny clarifies: ‘the one with the bad wig.’

it surprises a laugh out of her. ‘he’s, uh - ‘ her smile fades. ‘he’s working on something else,’ she finishes lamely.

‘trouble in paradise,’ penny surmises. whisper can’t be bothered to correct her, not when sturges approaches soon after. preston doesn’t join them, instead follows ronnie shaw and the other minutemen. she leads sturges over to the artillery blueprints and breaks away from the others as they prepare to work into the night.

chatter that would have kept her awake now acts as white noise while she attempts to fall asleep. no one comes after her; her job is done until the next step with the artillery, and even then they shouldn’t need her help with testing. preston can be trusted to know if a shell hits its target.

whisper presses the heel of her hands against her eyes. sarge recognized her. pulled her from some old database, knew she was out of place. everything coming apart all at once. but she’s one step closer to shaun, and that’s what she focuses on as finally falls asleep.