#anyway its a really cool store and the guy runs it to support his sick mom which is sad but noble of him

[skrunksthatwunk]

thinking about how around a week ago i went to think 70s themed resale shop and went woahhh that sounds just like that store in NANA where hachi gets her first job in tokyo..... this is gonna be so fun woahhh but i better not spend a bunch of money on cute clothes like she does haha nuh uh no way haha and then i found a dress that had a dead bug in it and the tuxedo jacket of an old concert violinist and bought both of them whilst foaming at the mouth

[floralseokjin]

final sleigh drabble #2

❛ it’s Christmas day night...❜

original oneshot here // drabble index here

kim seokjin x reader smut  4,179 words 

It was Christmas Day night. You’d spent most of yesterday and today at Ana’s parents’ house. It was different to how your own family celebrated the occasion but lovely, nonetheless. Her family always made you feel welcome, no matter the instance, and you were really grateful that they’d let you spend Christmas with them, like you’d already said, because your parents were spending the holiday season abroad. 

Now, just gone eight, you and Ana were getting out of an Uber outside a familiar house. Seokjin and Yoongi’s. You hadn’t seen your co-worker, since the weekend. The weekend of nonstop sex. You’d only parted because he had a train to catch, promising his mom he’d visit for a few of days before Christmas Eve. The sex had been so good it had taken him a while to remember said plans actually, and when he had, he’d unbelievably tried getting out of them just so he could stay and fuck you even more. 

“You want to ditch your mom to continue getting your dick wet?” You asked him with severe judgment, both of you naked in your bed. It was Sunday morning. Yes, that was correct. He’d stayed over practically 48 hours nailing you over and over again. And then some. 

“Don’t say it like that,” he whined, feeling instantly guilty. “I just don’t want to leave you. I’m having too much fun.” 

“We can still have fun when you get back.” You murmured suggestively, running a hand down his chest. You were not ready to give this all up quite yet… 

With a raised eyebrow, he seemed intrigued. “Even more fun than right now?” 

“We can try.” 

You hadn’t known if it was possible, the weekend had been very fun to say the least, but who knew. You’d definitely give it your all... 

You’d spent the last few days messaging each other sporadically, but there hadn’t been too much conversation. You mean, you’d never talked a lot before the sex, so why would you start after it? But seeing his face right now, as he opened the door, you practically beamed. 

“Merry Christmas, ladies,” he grinned, outstretching his arm to gesture you both to step inside. 

Admittedly, you weren’t expecting him to invite you over tonight. He’d been back since Friday but you hadn’t made plans to meet again yet so when he’d text you this afternoon, asking if you and Ana would like to come hang out with Yoongi and him, you’d been surprised. Excited, yet surprised, but obviously you’d played it cool. 

Ana had been a little reluctant. She had slept with Yoongi a couple of weeks ago after all – and hadn’t seen him since. But, obviously Seokjin had run this idea by him? They’d both decided it together, right? So it was fine. Plus, she needed to support her best friend. If she wanted you to get boned again, she needed to come! You couldn’t turn up on your own. Not that she needed much convincing after the initial unwilling... Secretly you thought she was hoping for a round two with Seokjin’s best friend... Who knew, maybe he was too... 

Ana stepped in first and as you followed Seokjin pulled out a small piece of mistletoe from behind his back. He held it up between you both, taking you by surprise. A good surprise though. “Oh,” you uttered, wasting no time in reacquainting your mouths. 

“He’s been planning this all day.” It was Yoongi’s voice, coming from somewhere ahead of you, but you both ignored him, kissing just a little longer. 

Ana scoffed. “Surely no planning was needed. It’s holding up some mistletoe.” 

“Mmm. I missed you,” Seokjin hummed, breaking away to snake an arm around your middle. 

“I missed you too,” you grinned, aware Seokjin was dialling up the amount of yuck to piss your two friends off. 

“Jesus, you guys.” Yoongi sounded like he was about to be sick. “I preferred it when she hated you.” 

Seokjin turned to the other guy, sounding vaguely annoyed. “She never hated me. It was a misunderstanding.” 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, man,” Yoongi chuckled. “Ana, let’s leave them to it. I’ll get you a drink.” 

You watched as they walked off together, towards the kitchen. Seokjin was the first to turn back to you, an eyebrow raised. “How much do you wanna bet they end up hooking up again?”

You were both on the same wavelength. It was obvious something was going to happen. “She hogged the entire bathroom getting ready.” 

.

. 

“Have fun, you guys,” Seokjin sang as Yoongi and Ana made a less that inconspicuous exit from the living room. It was three hours later. They’d lasted well, but obviously the need to get in on again had won. 

Seokjin turned to you immediately, sat next to you on the sofa and gave you a wolfish grin. “Finally, we’re alone.” 

You were no sooner in his lap, mouth glued to his. Moving your ass a little as you broke apart for a much needed breath, you felt the familiar impression of his erection. “You’re hard already?” You raised a judgmental eyebrow. 

“Why do you sound so shocked?” He questioned indignantly. “My dick has missed you insanely.” 

“Just your dick?” 

It was a playful remark, you didn’t mean anything by it, but Seokjin lowered his gaze, giving you a small chuckle. Instead of answering he kissed you again, his tongue pushing its way inside your mouth as his hands gripped your ass and rubbed you against his groin. Instant pleasure zapped up your body and it wasn’t long before you were grinding on your own accord, fists clutching his white t-shirt, which you had to admit, outlined his chest perfectly – You’d been trying not to stare all night. 

“Do you want to go upstairs too?” He panted against your neck, teeth nipping the flesh sharply and you bit back a moan. He was already so tuned into what you liked. “I really need to fuck you.” Pulling back to get your answer he saw the look on your face. “What’s that face for?” 

“It’s turning into a sex party,” you moaned. You couldn’t all be having sex upstairs, it seemed... You couldn’t think of the word. 

“An orgy?” Seokjin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. 

“Behave.” You needed more people to turn it into an orgy.

Seokjin’s mouth was back on your neck, kissing down your throat, to your collarbones and he sunk his teeth into the thin skin gently, causing your breath to hitch. “Well, do you wanna fuck down here?” 

His dick was so hard underneath you, you rubbed against it some more, despite your objections. “No! What if one of them catches us?” 

“Don’t be stupid. Yoongi is definitely balls deep by now.” 

You whacked his back and he yelped in surprise. “That’s my best friend you’re talking about.” 

“I didn’t say who or what he was balls deep in.”  His reply didn’t impress you and so he grumbled. “I wish I was balls deep in you right now... Don’t give me that look, it turns me on when you’re pissy.”

Unable to stop your grin, you leaned in. “You must be constantly turned on at work then.” Pressing your lips into his, you bit down on his bottom lip. His hiss soon turned into a moan – and then a whine. 

“Let’s take this upstairs. There’s a bathroom between our bedrooms. It won’t be like our headboards are hitting the wall in rhythm.” 

“Fine.” You couldn’t hold out much longer anyway, and you both made your way upstairs, yelping loudly when Seokjin slapped your ass. You glare didn’t do much to discourage him, laughing loudly as he wrapped his arms around your middle and directed you to the door to his bedroom. 

“At least they’re being considerate and playing music,” he said, the music loud enough to block any other noise going on inside Yoongi’s bedroom... Thank God. 

“I feel like I’m back at college,” you whined as you stepped inside Seokjin’s room. 

“Huh? Did you and Ana make a habit of hooking up at the same time? Hot.” 

You pushed his arm. “No.” Chuckling, he made his way to the bed, sitting on the end, but you were too preoccupied with checking out his room. It was a lot larger than you imagined, walls cream, some covered in artwork. His computer was the main attraction, multiple screens, an unnecessarily large gaming chair and some other things you weren’t familiar with, mainly character figurines. His bed cover was a grey check pattern, a throw draped over the end with a couple of cushions against the headboard. Very clean. 

“Your room’s cute,” you commented. 

“Cute?” 

“Yeah.” Turning to look at him you smiled playfully. “So, I guess this is where you jerk your dick to fantasies of me.” 

He scoffed. “I don’t need to fantasise anymore. I have memories stored away in the wank bank.” Tapping his temple with his index finger he looked more than impressed with himself. 

“Gross!” You cried. 

“Come here,” he groaned, fed up with stalling, and he leaned over and grabbed you, causing you to squeal. “Or are you just planning on being a cocktease the whole night?” The sound wasn’t like you – but Seokjin had become good at making you act in ways you weren’t used to so far... 

Which is why you found yourself on your knees for him, sucking his dick, his jeans and underwear around his ankles. “Your mouth is fucking magic,” he grunted, head falling back, his perfect, thick neck on show as you glanced up. You felt the urge to take him deeper, pushing him closer and closer to the back of your throat, ignoring any noises of reluctance it made. 

“Fuck.” Seokjin choked, his fingers running through your hair to collect it in his fists. “That’s it. Take it all.” He pushed his hips up, stuffing your mouth for a few gloriously unbearable seconds before easing up. You lifted off, half of his dick still in your mouth as you caught your breath. He looked down at you with half-lidded eyes that seemed to eat you up. “Do you like choking on my cock?” 

Nope. He was not doing this. It was infuriating what his words did to you, and you immediately swallowed him again, ignoring the way your underwear stuck to your damp skin. He was going to have a field day when he felt you... 

Gasping for air not soon after, you had no choice but to pull off him entirely, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. You were drenched in spit, so was his cock. You watched him kick off his clothing, naked from the waist down and you made moves to follow, reaching for your shirt and pulling it over your head. 

“Let me see those tits. I’ve missed them.” He murmured, and you complied, unhooking your bra to reveal yourself to him. His eyes instantly glazed over.  Confidently, you cupped the soft flesh in your palms, massaging yourself, putting on a show, and as your thumbs brushed the hardened peaks that were your nipples he practically growled. “Oh, fuck. You want to end me.” 

Laughing, you stood up, pushing your skirt off your hips, leaving you in just your tights and panties. He followed with his t-shirt, now fully naked. You’d never get enough of his body. “Come up here,” he whined. “Let me taste them.” 

Sat in his lap, you let him grope you, his mouth making out with your chest like it could kiss back. The sensation was so intense you quickly became weak at the knees and you clung to his neck, grinding against his thighs like nobody’s business. Unable to take it any longer, his hands slipped behind you, into your underwear, and he felt the silky fabric with a groan. Soon enough he was wrestling with your pantyhose again. 

“These fucking things. What the fuck. You’re doing it on purpose now.” 

“Am not,” you insisted. (Maybe you were). “I need to keep my legs warm.” With a furious tug you heard a rip and looking down you saw his damage. “Seokjin! You laddered them!” 

“Ugh. Just get them fucking off already, I need to feel you.” 

Asshole, but wet and desperate you quickly pulled then off, giving Seokjin a great view of your ass in the process. The underwear you had on had a cut-out at the top of your ass, revealing a “cleavage” of sorts. He seemed to appreciate the sight very much, giving you a playful smack and now you were very confused. Was he an ass man like you’d originally thought, or a tits guy? He was probably both. Greedy. 

You slipped the panties off too, settling back down in Seokjin’s lap, who instantly started running his fingers over your heat. You pulsed against him, desperate for some stimulation. 

“I swear to God you get wet so easily.” 

Says the guy who’d grown hard from a kiss? Okay... “Are you complaining?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. It’s stroking my ego.” 

“Your massive ego.” 

“Behave, or I won’t fuck you with my massive dick.” Okay, now he was just bragging. His smirk was annoying you. He looked way too sexy. 

You were expecting him to finger you for a bit, make sure you were stretched out enough for him, but all he did was dip his fingertips into your entrance, content with what he’d felt and then he was shuffling out from under your body to grab a condom from his bedside drawer. 

“God. I want to fuck you so much,” he muttered a few moments later, sliding the latex over his length as you securely sat on top of him again. You kissed him sloppily, letting him angle the head of his cock against your entrance. Impatiently, you pushed down, surprising yourself – and him – when you took him whole. 

You sat there, both breathing heavily as you started to adjust to him, walls clamping down like no tomorrow, which must have been torture for Seokjin, if his expression was anything to go by. 

“Shit. You got tighter,” he panted, reaching for your mouth again, trying to calm himself with kisses. You attempted to do the same, beginning to slowly grind back and forth, getting used to the full feeling. It wasn’t painful, just a little uncomfortable, but you were no longer scared of his monster cock. You’d had a fair few goes last weekend and you were now a near enough pro, so without further ado, you started moving for real. Up, until he was almost out of you and then down, slamming into him. You just about knocked the air out of Seokjin’s lungs, but he soon steeled himself, grabbing the tops of your thighs to keep you safe as you started bouncing up and down, riding his dick like it was the easiest thing in the world. In this moment, it was. 

Seokjin started groaning pretty quickly, his jaw clenched as he watched your every movement, his chest and neck patched with red. You clung to his shoulders, anchoring yourself to him as you flung yourself back. 

“Shit. Y/N!” He panicked, hands coming out to hold your lower back, afraid you were going to fall backwards off the bed. You were still sat on the edge after all, but of course he was strong enough to hold you tight, letting you lean back as far as possible to fuck yourself along his cock, the squelchy, sticky noise music to his ears. 

“Mmm. I missed this cunt so much,” he moaned. 

You wanted to tell him he was being a big baby, it had only been a few days but his vulgar words were having the desired effect on you yet again. You were like putty in his hands, especially when he started thrusting into you, meeting your movements with a thud. “I want you to cum on my dick.” 

Fuck. You were so close, his words only helping, but by now you were getting tired; out of breath and sweaty. “Seokjin—!” You moaned, voice breaking at the second syllable, and you leaned forward, collapsing into his chest. 

“Take it easy,” he murmured, hands dragging up your sweaty back. “Want me to take over?”

You grinned drunkenly. “No way, I’m enjoying myself too much.” 

Seokjin chuckled, pressing his mouth into yours. “Make yourself cum.” He whispered against you, thrusting into you still as he grabbed your ass, digging his fingers into the flesh. “You can do it, Y/N. Grind on me like you mean it. Grind all over me.” 

You listened, rutting into each one of his thrusts, holding on for dear life as your sensitive clit rubbed against his groin. You were both so sweaty and hot, your fingers sliding down his back, unable to grip on until you dug your nails into the skin. He hissed, thrusting into you harder. It seemed like Seokjin liked a little pain, too... 

“Baby, go a little faster,” he panted, kissing your neck, and you sped up, grinding into him messily, chasing your high like something possessed. You were so turned on, so sensitive, it only took a couple more minutes, a strangled cry leaving you as you tensed in his arms, your orgasm rocketing up your body.  “Ngh, fuck. Fuck.” 

Seokjin stopped his thrusts, letting you gradually come down, and soon enough your body relaxed, almost turning into goo as the pleasure warmed its way all throughout you. You lifted your head up, staring Seokjin straight in the eyes, both of you panting like crazy, and without a word he lifted you, flipping you over, your back to his mattress before he crawled over you. He wasn’t done yet – and neither were you. 

As he pushed inside you again, his hand found its way around your throat and he looked down at you carefully. “Is this okay?” 

You nodded, voice hoarse as you replied. “Yeah.” 

It wasn’t the first time he’d asked or done this – last weekend had been a lot, you still weren’t over it, and right now you were still so horny and desperate for him. You also really liked the feeling of his grip around your neck as he fucked you. 

“Fuck,” you breathed, feeling him start to thrust harder, faster, his palm tightening around your neck a little. You folded your legs at the knees and widened them, wanting him as deep as possible. 

“God, you’re so fucking hot,” he grunted, kissing your mouth in a frenzy, all tongue and teeth. His whole body was pressed into yours, pushing you into the mattress, his pelvis beginning to rub against your mound. You were still a little sensitive from your first orgasm, but you could already feel yourself a little needy for another. If he kept this up he’d have you coming again, and he knew by the way you started to meet each one of his thrusts, moans starting to slip from your throat – louder and louder. You hoped Yoongi still had his music on... 

“S-seokjin,” you stammered, hands sprawled across his back as you felt that familiar sensation again. “I’m going to–ngh–”

He moaned in reply, pushing into your harder, using his pelvis to get you off, and you held your breath, willing your orgasm to come. Your walls clenched around him, making it harder and harder for him to drag his cock inside of you, but he fought it, continuing with gritted teeth until he heard you cry out, your body stiffening under his. 

It wasn’t as strong as your last orgasm, but seemed to knock you for six, heady dizzy as you felt Seokjin kiss down your chest, slipping out of you carefully. His tongue circled one of your nipples, his hand cupping the other breast as he groaned softly. His erection bobbed against your inner thigh. 

“Coming on my cock twice. You’re amazing.” He awed, lifting his head up to smile at you. He sounded drunk. You felt drunk. 

“Well, I do try.” You joked, voice soft. 

He chuckled, and then his voice grew serious, eyes large and black, still very much turned on. “Tell me what you want, Y/N.” 

It was pretty obvious, his dick burning a hole against your leg. “Your cum.” 

His eyes widened, obviously not expecting you to be so upfront, and you took great pleasure in that. 

“Where?” He whispered. He didn’t bother to wait for your reply. “Mouth? Can I come in your mouth,” he asked. 

Your stomach dipped with urgent need, and you nodded your head rapidly. “Yeah.” 

He sat up instantly, moving to kneel over your face. He tugged the condom off, jerking himself off a couple of times before his eyes met yours. “Tongue out.” You obeyed, keeping your eyes open as the weight of his cock pressed against your tongue. “Good girl.” 

Okay, that was new. He hadn’t called you that last week, and instantly you felt your gut squeeze. You sucked the tip of his cock, eager now for him to cum in your mouth. As you did so, he started jerking himself off, eyes fluttering closed as his head lolled back, Adam’s apple bobbing slowly. His movements grew quicker, matching his breathing and then he hissed, body tensing up. 

“Fuckkk.” A couple of drops of cum landed against your tongue and you swallowed them, ready for more. You sucked him for all he was worth, your gaze never leaving his face, and even once he was done, you kept on lapping him with your tongue, digging the tip across the slit. 

He shuddered, making a strained noise and he pulled back, his cock falling out of your mouth. “Shit. I’m sensitive,” he laughed, collapsing next to you. You were both out of breath and sweaty, but wholeheartedly satisfied. 

“That’s gotta be the best yet?” You asked, grinning from ear to ear. 

“I think you may be right.” He agreed, pushing his hair out of his eyes, exposing his forehead. You wanted to reach over and kiss him, but you stopped yourself. “You were riding dick like a pornstar.” 

“Shut up,” you whined, pushing his shoulder. How embarrassing. 

Laughing at your reaction, he sat up, propping himself up with his elbow. “If you want the bathroom I have one over there.” 

You followed his thumb to a door on the right of his room. “An en suite? Very fancy.” 

Seokjin shrugged. “Yoongi has the main bathroom, so.” You didn’t move, tired more than anything, peeing could probably wait. Seokjin’s brows furrowed together. “Are you okay though?” 

“Of course,” you laughed. “I feel fricking amazing. I’ll be sad once this ends.” 

As soon as you said the words you felt funny. Seokjin looked surprised, voice low with... what was it, concern? “Who says it has to end? Do you want it to?” 

“...No,” you answered after a pause. 

Truthfully you didn’t want it to end just yet, you were enjoying yourself, you were just unsure of what was happening between the two of you... You’d  both confessed something back at the office last week but you were still uncertain what exactly it was. What had you been expecting? To fuck once and then that would be it? You liked having sex with Seokjin, it was fun, and you liked his company (most of the time). You liked him. He liked you. Maybe you didn’t need to put an expiry date on this thing. It was fine to see where it went. You didn’t need to turn it into a big deal. You didn’t need an outright answer for everything. It was fine to just live in the moment. 

“I don’t either,” Seokjin smiled, looking mildly relieved by your answer. 

“I just... when work starts back we won’t have much time to meet up like this.” 

“I’ll make time, trust me.” He kissed you then, hovering over you, lips warm and soft, a far cry from earlier, and the thought made you giggle. 

“What?” He asked bemused. 

“You know, you turn pretty demanding when you get horny.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Like, bossy and all, I don’t know, domineering.” You shrugged, feeling a little awkward. “It’s hot.” 

He smiled, chuckling softly as he kissed you again, a hand cupping your face. “It’s not too much?” He murmured. 

He didn’t sound surprised by your revelation so something told you he was aware of how he acted. Which made it even hotter, to be honest. 

“I like it.” You told him, biting down on your bottom lip. 

Eyes darkening, he hummed, his gaze running down your body. “So how about I tell you to spread those gorgeous legs so I can eat dessert?” 

You repressed the urge to laugh out loud. Dessert?! He was such an idiot. “Right now?”

“Yes. Right now.” Then he paused, rubbing his nose against yours, his tone softening. “Yeah?”

With a massive grin, you spread your legs. “Be my guest.” 

A third orgasm? You weren’t going to turn that down. 

 Written 2020 - 2021.  Please refrain from posting my work elsewhere. No translations allowed. © floralseokjin 2021

[taylorinthetardis]

Wallflowers - A Henry Cavill x Reader fic

So I did a thing! Rather than continue to work on my larger, more complicated Pride and Prejudice fic, I decided to make a fanfic out of the fantasy I had at work the other day!

There will most likely be a part two to this, I just thought I was at a good stopping point and wanted to see what you guys thought about it.

Full disclosure: I didn’t mean for this to whole ass turn into a Bath and Body Works ad, but it kinda did. For those of you reading in countries that do not have Bath and Body Works, its basically just a body and home care store. In the US their scents are legendary. Pretty much every young girl went through a BBW phase where that was all they used for soap and perfume. That all being said, in the interest of further disclosure and covering my ass, I own neither Bath and Body Works nor any of the trademarks on the scents listed herein. I also do not own Henry Cavill because owning human beings is a crime.

This is my first Henry fic so be gentle with me! It’s a bit longer than I had anticipated and un-beta’d.

Warnings: just a lot of fluff. some self-deprecation. loads of swearing. don’t know if I should warn for slight bashing of the religious but I will anyway so no one gets mad at me.

Wallflowers

It was shaping up to be another boring ass day at Bath and Body Works. I had started working here during the Pandemic after I was laid off from my job at the movie theatre. I had planned on it only being temporary, but even after things got better and I got my theatre job back, I decided to stick around. What can I say; a bitch is broke. Nothing wrong with double-dipping.

There was something about Sunday mornings in the mall. Probably because people around here still went to church in the mornings. Like it matters. Sunday mornings are always so slow, here and at the theatre, but the day always picks up after 1, when morning church services finish. It was me and Samantha up in the front room this morning, working out the leftover boxes from yesterday’s shipment. She was one of the first people I really bonded with here, both of us being super into both Marvel and DC, specifically Sebastian Stan and Henry Cavill. They had just started filming the next Superman movie and they were going to be shooting scenes up in Michigan again, like they had for Dawn of Justice.

“I’m just saying, we should really consider asking for a few days off and just going up there and scoping it out. I mean, it’s Henry fucking Cavill. He’s less than an hour away from us. Right now. Less than an hour. When is that ever gonna happen again? I can use some of my vacation time at the theatre, so at least I’m not missing out on money from them. It’ll be a blast. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? We don’t see him? I mean at least we’d have tried. I’d rather try than stay down in stupid Ohio with the knowledge that he’s that close.”

“Do you really think Ann’s going to give us time off to stalk Superman?”

“We ain’t gonna tell her what it’s for! Just lie, c’mon now.” I laughed. I dropped a box of Gingham body cream into the understock drawer and broke the box down. Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement, oh goodie, a customer. Samantha was quicker to greet them.

“Welcome to Bath and Body… OH MY GOD!” I turned around and was met with the sight of none other than Henry fucking Cavill, sheepishly running his hand through his now jet-black curls, obviously embarrassed at having been recognized. Damn, am I glad I put make-up on this morning. Alright Y/N, this is your fucking chance. For once in your damn life, be fucking cool. You can do this. You look good, you smell like Champagne Toast, you’ve got this. I pulled my hair down from its messy bun and shook it out a bit before walking over to where Samantha was still trying to collect herself. The store radio started playing Halsey’s Bad at Love and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from bursting out laughing at the absurdity of the situation we were now in. Not five minutes ago we were talking about seeking him out and now here he was in all his brick-shithouse-ness. I looped my arm through Samantha’s in a show of support.

“What a wonderful coincidence! We were just talking about you and now here you are! It’s crazy how the universe works, isn’t it? I’m Y/N, this is Samantha; what can we help you with today, Henry?” I smiled my most adorable smile at him, the one that makes my little cheek dimple pop out, and, honestly, they both looked shocked. Samantha was clearly surprised that I was more capable of speech than she was, and to be honest so was I, and Henry seemed shocked that I would openly admit that we had been talking about him before he got there, which probably wasn’t a great thing to say, but I panicked.  

“Well, I was told this was the best place to go for candles and air freshener-y type things. The house I’m renting just has this odd odour that I can’t get rid of. I’ve been airing it out during the day, all the windows open, and I come home and it still smells funky. I know I could just find a different place, but it’s close to a park and that’s been nice for Kal and I don’t want to make a fuss, so…” Henry sort of shrugged, the buttons on his plaid shirt straining with the movement of his broad shoulders, and gestured around the store as if to say “that’s why I’m here”.

“Well, you’ve definitely come to the right place. All of our home care is in the second room, grab a basket, I’m sure we can find you some scents you’ll like.” He walked over to the basket tower to grab one as a couple more customers walked in. Samantha nudged me towards the second room; I was going to have to handle Henry alone for now, it seemed. He followed me over to the Wallflower wall. “So, these are our Wallflowers. They’re sort of like the Glade Plug-ins, I don’t know if you’ve seen those, you plug this diffuser into any power outlet and screw the fragrance bulb in and it diffuses the scented oil into the room. They last for about a month or so. These’ll probably be the best option for you, well these and maybe a room spray or two to start with. The candles are good, but obviously the scent is gonna be strongest when they’re burning and it’s probably not a great idea to light a bunch of candles and then leave for the whole day.”

He chuckled. “No, I’d say you’re right about that. I definitely don’t want to burn the place to the ground. Are there any scents that you’d recommend?”

“Well, I mean, it obviously all depends on your personal preferences. I like sweet scents. I like my space to be smelling like a bakery or a candy shop at all times, so I tend to go for anything like that. We actually still have some of our holiday scents that we’re trying to get rid of and there’s this really great one in that line called Spiced Apple Toddy. It smells like apple pie. I love it. It’s only out during fall and winter so I stocked up. I need it all year long, honestly. I still have so many other scents at home, but like I’m probably never gonna get sick of it, for real, it smells so good. Or I might go every other month swapping between that and Black Cherry Merlot because that’s awesome too. And then there’s Champagne Toast, I mean, that one might be a bit too feminine for you, but I love it. It’s sweet and just a tiny bit citrusy. I can’t do any of the floral or like, outdoorsy scents, they set my allergies off. And honestly there’s some of these that I smell them and I’m like, who is putting this in their house? Like, what nutjob thinks this scent is good? How many people have senses of smell that are this screwed up?” At this point I was rambling, talking excitedly and with my hands, handing him testers to smell and trying to gauge his reactions to know what to hand him next. He didn’t have any bad reactions to anything I gave him until I handed him the tester for Fresh Balsam. His nose scrunched up in the most adorable way and he very carefully set the tester down on the counter as far from him as he could manage. He handled my word-vomit good-naturedly, with a small smile on his face, nodding and chuckling when he thought something I had said was funny. Our fingers brushed a few times as I handed him the testers and after the third time, I began to feel like it was deliberate on his part, but it couldn’t have been, could it? He couldn’t really be interested in me. He’s Henry Cavill. I’m just, well, I’m just me.

Me, with my two minimum wage jobs, still living with my parents, inching ever closer to 30 years old. Why would he want any of that? Why would he be interested in me physically either? I mean, he’s literally flawless and I’m short, overweight, I eat like shit, I don’t exercise, hell, I barely know how to put on make-up correctly. Yeah, I look good today, but that’s not par-for-the-course.    

He put a few each of Cinnamon & Clove Buds, Black Cherry Merlot, Limoncello (for the bathrooms, he said), and Laundry Day (for the laundry room, obviously) in his basket along with enough of the plugs so he’d have one in each room. He also grabbed a Black Cherry Merlot and a Limoncello room spray off the shelf next to the Wallflower display before turning back to me. “So then, where do you keep this Spiced Apple Toddy that you like so much, or did you hide them so you could have them all to yourself?”

I chuckled nervously and ran my hand through my hair, sort of disbelieving that he was actually paying attention to what I had said. Boys never listen to me when I talk, I always have to repeat myself, but I guess that’s because I usually end up talking to the dumb ones. Henry’s not dumb. He really is just fucking perfect, isn’t he? Pretty and he listens? That shouldn’t be such a difficult combination to find, but for me it had been. “They’re on the table over here with the rest of our leftover Christmas stuff. Hopefully the tester is still there somewhere.” I put my hands in my apron pockets and I could feel the jolt of confidence I had had just minutes before leaving my body. His charm had worn me down, bringing me back to my normal, anxiety-ridden self. I caught the toe of my boot on the corner of one of the other tables as we walked towards the center of the room. I stumbled, but before I could fall his arm was already out to steady me, wrapping around my waist to keep me upright.

“Are you alright Y/N?” A look of genuine concern was on his face and I swear to God I swooned. Like, fuck, I just stubbed my stupid toe, it’s not that serious. I mean yeah, I stubbed my toe and then almost fell into a table covered with candles in glass holders, but like, I didn’t fall, you caught me, please stop looking at me like you care. You can’t give me that much hope. It isn’t fair. And goddamnit I love the way my name sounds coming out of your mouth. Like, fuck it’s never sounded so good. This isn’t fair, why is this happening?

“Yeah, Henry I’m fine, just a stubbed toe. Thank you for…you know.” I gestured down to his arm, which was still around my waist. The sound of me bumping into the table drew the attention of the rest of my co-workers, however, who were now coming out of their various positions to see what was going on and to make sure no one had broken anything. Samantha popped her head in from the front room and Kelynn and Mira came out from the cashwrap with Pilar and walked to the edge of the third room to peek in. All they saw was me, blushing profusely, with Henry Cavill’s beefy-ass arm still wrapped around my fucking waist. “Everything’s fine guys. I promise.”

“Holy shit, is that…”

“Mira!”

“But Kelynn that’s fucking Superman!”

“You can’t cuss in front of him Mira, he’s a customer!”

“Will you guys cut it out? You’re embarrassing us in front of the hunky British dude!”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. How about we all pretend like this isn’t happening right now? Pilar can go back to the cashwrap, you two can go back to whatever it was you were doing, and I’ll go back to what I was doing, namely making a damn sale!” I extricated myself from Henry’s grasp so I could shoo them back towards the cashwrap. They turned and walked away, bewildered looks on their faces. I turned back to Henry who was shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his curls, leaving them messier than they were before. An errant one fell over his forehead and I wanted to brush it out of the way, but he just left it.

I walked over to the table that I was originally heading for and found the Spiced Apple Toddy Wallflowers. There wasn’t that many left, but there was still a tester. I grabbed it and spun around to bring it to him, assuming he hadn’t followed me, but as I turned, I found myself going face first into his massive chest. I put my unoccupied hand up to steady myself and pushed on his chest to force him back. He was just too close. Why was he so close? He opened his mouth to say something but I beat him to it. “Here. This is what I have in my bedroom right now, this is Spiced Apple Toddy.” Oh god, why did I say it like that? The one I have in my bedroom. Jesus Christ. He quirked his eyebrow at me and cocked his head to the side, smirking a little. Instead of taking the tester from me, he took my much smaller hand in his, guiding it up towards his face so the tester was close to his nose. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. A serene smile spread across his face and I felt my face get hotter. He opened his eyes, looking down into mine. Fuck I could drown in those ocean eyes.

“Oh, I like that very much. You were right. I think that one’s my favourite.”

[youtuberswithalex]

Keep It Hidden

Summary:  Virgil caught his least favorite illness of them all (if one could have such a thing)—the stomach flu. The last thing he wants is for the others to find out. (Pre-Accepting Anxiety)

A/N: This is the sickfic that I wrote for an anon last week that got WAY out of hand and ended up as a five-page fic-- I hope you enjoy!!

Warnings: detailed depiction of vomiting, sickness, mentioned Unsympathetic Dark Sides, cursing

Word count: 1,878

---

Virgil had known this day would come eventually, but now that it was actually here, it sucked.

Getting sick was far from a rare occurrence for him. When Thomas got a little too nervous, or got jumpscared one too many times in a day, Virgil’s immune system would go to shit and he’d be left as some sort of feverish mess. He’d had what felt like every type of illness under the sun over the years—colds, flus, sinus infections, ear infections, chicken pox, and so, so many more.

His normal routine was to lay on the couch and watch cartoons until whatever bug he had this time passed. He’d cover his head with blankets whenever Remus ran by, screaming about butts, and he’d hiss at Deceit until he got the message that he wanted to be alone. And with the other guy, he’d…

Well. Virgil didn’t want to think about what he’d had to do to get him away.

It wasn’t a fun system, but it got him better way faster than if he stayed cooped up in his bedroom, for some reason. He liked to think it had something to do with the cartoons, or maybe just being away from the germs that got him sick in the first place.

And then the Dark Sides kicked him out, and he got stuck with the Light Sides that despised him, and he’d caught his least favorite illness of them all (if one could have such a thing)—the stomach flu.

And it sucked.

For the last six hours, Virgil had been curled up on the bathroom floor, throwing up what felt like everything he’d ever eaten in the last three years until there was nothing but bile. Every gag and retch at this point felt like someone was trying for force a rock up his esophagus. Between cycles, he would lay down and press his throbbing head against the cool tiles below, but it never lasted long before being sideways took its toll on his stomach and he was retching over the toilet again.

The only thing he could be grateful for was that it had started in the early hours of the morning. The last thing he wanted was for the Lights to see him like this. But he knew his luck was running out, and he needed to get back to his room before—

“Anxiety!” Bam, bam, bam! “Hurry up in there! I need to make myself beautiful for the day!”

Virgil choked back a groan, pushing himself off the floor as he glared at the door. “It’s a bathroom, Princey, not a miracle store,” he snapped.

He heard Roman gasp. “How dare you! I got a full ten hours of beauty sleep last night; I just need to touch myself up!”

His eyes fluttered shut at the mention of sleep, but he did his best to stay awake enough to make his voice sound normal. “Have you tried 24?”

Another noise of offense sailed through the door, followed by footsteps storming away. As soon as Virgil heard them going down the stairs, he moved as quickly as he could handle to get up and clean the bathroom. He then rushed down the hall to get to his bedroom, shutting the door just as Patton was coming up.

Legs trembling, Virgil slid down the door and breathed as evenly as he could.

Knock, knock. “Anxiety?”

This time, he didn’t hold his groan. “What?”

“Breakfast is almost ready!” Patton said. “I made some eggs, and Logan’s making his special waffles! You do not want to miss out on this!”

Just the thought of food made him wish he’d never left the bathroom. He squeezed his stomach. “I’m not hungry. Eat without me.”

There was a pause. “Are you sure? You shouldn’t skip meals like this, kiddo…”

“Positive.” Virgil’s stomach twisted again, and he swallowed thickly, panic welling up inside him “Leave me alone.”

“But Anxiety—”

“Go away!”

A moment passed, and then Patton let out a breath. “Okay,” he softly said. “Just… Please come down for lunch, at least?”

“I’m not making any promises,” Virgil grunted. He carefully pushed himself to his feet, and as footsteps slowly disappeared down the hall, he slowly lowered himself back into bed.

Bundling himself up in as many blankets as he could, Virgil shut his eyes and forced himself to try to get some sleep.

---

He was awoken a few hours later by another knock on the door. “Anxiety?”

Virgil sat straight up, looking towards the source of the sound as his brain struggled to differentiate reality and his fever dream. “Whu… Huh?”

“Patton has asked me to notify you that lunch is ready,” Logan stated. “He was very adamant that you attend, and I can’t say I feel much different. Skipping meals, especially breakfast, is extremely unhealthy.”

Scrubbing at his eyes, Virgil let out a moan. “I’ll be down in a minute…,” he muttered.

“Excellent. I will see you momentarily.”

“Mm-hm…”

Virgil hardly heard the footsteps walk away as he leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. It was so nice and warm here in bed… So easy to fall back asleep…

---

The next time he woke up, it was to a sharp twist in his stomach.

His eyes shot open to see a dim room and an orange sky; he remembered with a start what he’d last been doing, and would have let out a curse had he not been breathing heavily, trying to force the nausea away as soon as he could. He balled up his fist and held it in front of his trembling mouth. He did not want to be sick again.

His body, however, seemed to have other plans.

Virgil shuffled out of bed and towards the door as fast as he could. He wrapped a loose arm around his stomach as soon as he was on his feet. Knowing the others were probably around, he did his best to be silent opening his door.

Another door opened down the hall. Virgil looked over in time to make eye contact with Roman as he stepped into the hall.

They glared.

“Well, it looks like someone was projecting this morning,” Roman sneered.

Virgil huffed out a shaky breath before stumbling towards the bathroom. “Shut up, Princey,” he wheezed.

“Oh, so you can dish it out, but you can’t take it, huh?”

He shut the door and dropped to his knees in front of the toilet.

“Real mature, Sir Ector de Morbid!”

Virgil retched.

The first heave took out any bile remaining in his stomach from that morning, and then all he could do was dry heave until his body decided to stop. His abs ached like there was no tomorrow; his lungs burned as he struggled to get air between cycles. Snot and tears dribbled down his face and landed in the water below.

“Uh… Patton?” Roman’s voice yelled from outside.

An agonizing minute or two later, the door burst open, and a gasp echoed between the tiled walls.

“Oh, Anxiety…!”

One hand rested between his shoulder blades while another slipped into his hair, each rubbing soothing circles. Virgil tried to shake them off, but with his head still in the toilet, found it very hard to do so.

(Not that he really wanted to, anyway—it was… strangely comforting.)

When his stomach finally gave him the chance to breathe, Virgil slumped against the seat and panted. His head spun like the tilt-a-whirl at the county fair, and his eyelids felt as heavy as the ride itself. It would be so easy to just… take a little nap…

The hands removed themselves from his body, and Virgil had to choke back a whine. They weren’t gone for long, though; a second later, they rested on his shoulders and sat him up before carefully settling him back against the tub.

He cracked his eyes open to watch as Patton rested a hand on his forehead. Behind him, Logan was filling a paper cup with water at the sink. Roman hovered in the hall just outside the door.

“I didn’t…” Virgil tried to swallow. “Di’n mean to miss lunch,” he breathed.

“Shh, it’s okay, Anxiety,” Patton whispered. “You’re running a bit of a fever… Why didn’t you tell us you weren’t feeling well?”

Virgil whined. “Didn’t wanna.”

Logan crouched and held out the water. “Drink this. You need to stay hydrated.”

Virgil tried to take it, but his hands were trembling so much that he nearly dropped it as soon as he had to support its weight; Logan and Patton were quick to catch it and help guide it to his lips, where he practically began to pour it down his throat.

“Easy, easy…”

They pulled back after a moment, and Virgil drooped, leaning his head against the wall. He let out a moan and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Patton placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed little circles with his thumb before looking at Logan.

“What do you think it is?” he asked.

Logan inspected Virgil’s face with a frown. “Well, it appears his symptoms include vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, and a fever, so I suspect it’s—”

“Stomach flu,” Virgil mumbled.

“Viral gastroenteritis, yes.”

Roman leaned against the doorway. “Were you ill this morning?”

Virgil shut his eyes. “Uh-huh.”

“Is that why you were taking so long in the bathroom?”

“Uh-huh.”

Patton looked at him. “When did this start up, kiddo?”

He swallowed thickly, then let out a whimper when a cramp rolled through his stomach again. “Woke up at like… 1:30…?”

“Oh, Anxiety…” Patton pressed his hand to his cheek and frowned. “Why don’t we set you up on the couch for tonight? I know you don’t like staying outside your room for too long, but I really want to keep an eye on you until you’re feeling better. We can watch whatever you want, if you’re up for it.”

Virgil opened his eyes to look at Patton; the father figure offered a gentle smile, despite his brow still being furrowed. His eyes flicked to Logan, who had a similar concerned gaze, and then to Roman, who refused to look his way. A pit settled in his stomach as he looked back to Patton.

“Is it gonna bother anyone if I’m out there…?” he whispered.

Patton shook his head. “No, honey. It’s okay. You’re allowed to be in the living room, sick or not. Okay?”

Tears threatened to form in Virgil’s eyes, but he forced them back. He sniffled and wiped at his nose.

“…Can we watch Billy and Mandy?”

-----

A few minutes later, Virgil lay on the couch, head in Patton’s lap, washrag on his forehead, and a blanket wrapped tight around his shivering body. A garbage can sat just in front of him, and the Grimm Adventures of Billy and Mandy played on the TV. Logan and Roman sat on the other side of the couch.

Patton was running his fingers through Virgil’s sweaty hair. Virgil tried to keep watching the show, but his eyes kept fluttering shut. Eventually, Patton leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

“Go to sleep, Anxiety,” he whispered. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

He was too tired to say no.

[dylan-o-yumm]

Can I request something sinful with Nero maybe having his first heat with his s/o? Lol maybe he's surprised about it and didn't know about it till either Dante or Vergil warned him?

(I’m not gonna add the spice in this one, I don’t think. Purely because I have another Nero in heat request and I don’t wanna seem like I’m being repetitive??) Also sorry this took so long, I’ve been procrastinating with OC stuff lmao 

Nero had been acting weird for the past couple of days. Weirder than being a demon hunter who previously had a demonic arm that got chopped off by his own father, only to then have it grow back human-like. Deep breath. No, he was acting more… unlike himself, more aggressive, more animalistic. 

One of the many odd things Nero had been doing lately, was constantly telling you how nice you smell. He was always one to tell you if he thought you were cute or sexy, but never really about how much he adored your scent. No matter if you had just gotten out of the shower or if you had been rolling in the mud for a solid hour, he’d always come and sniff you. Inhaling your scent and almost getting high off of it. 

Not only was your smell suddenly amazing to him, but so was his to you. He never really smelt bad in your opinion, though there were a few times when he had been covered in demon blood and hadn’t had a shower for at least a week where it was probably at its worst. Now, however? You couldn’t quite place what he smelt like but you loved it. He was never really around long enough for you to get a good whiff though. 

Another thing was how he hated when you’d leave the house. It was like he was unbelievably jealous whenever you had to go to the store to buy milk or bread. As if anyone who saw you was going to woo you and steal you from him. 

He’d even go as far as canceling on missions and sending either Dante or Vergil out to do it for him, meaning he got to stay at home with you. Which usually you’d be okay with spending so much time with him, hell, you begged for it sometimes, but when he was acting as he was… Let’s just say it easily got to be a bit too much pretty quickly. 

The day you had just come home from the store, you were surprised to not have Nero jump on you and kiss you roughly like he had been doing any other time you came back from wherever it is you were doing. This time you walked through the door and were met with the sound of water running from the bathroom. Either the bath or shower you weren’t quite sure, but you figured Nero was just getting cleaned up. 

You didn’t expect to walk in on him sitting inside the tub, particularly long nails digging into the wall beside him and cracking the tiles. His eyes were closed, face screwed up into a look of pure concentration and rage. The room was hot, warmth radiating from the water running or Nero himself you had no idea. 

“Nero? Babe, whats wrong?” You asked, quickly jumping into the room and kneeling down beside the tub. You reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder comfortingly, only to realise just how warm he was. He’s part demon, demons cant get sick can they? Or do they get very sick, more so than humans? You took your hand off of him to check the temperature of the water, only to pull your hand back with a soft squeak. 

“Nero, the water’s freezing!” You didn’t know if maybe you should turn it off or not, since his body was still so warm. He was clearly trying to cool himself down. 

“I don’t know whats happening to me, but whatever it is, I hate it” Nero hissed through his teeth. He opened his eyes and finally turned to face you, you couldn’t help the gasp that left your lips once you saw the all too familiar look of arousal, lust and hunger in his eyes, mixed with anger and pain. 

You didn’t know what to say, shaking your head as you look over his body. The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary to you, other than the heat his body was emitting or the look on his face, was how he was covering himself. His hands were still human but it was as if his demon form was trying to burst through, turning his nails into long, sharp claws. His knees were slightly bent in the small tub, but the hand that wasn’t gripping the wall was cupped around his manhood. 

“Why cover up? Not like I haven’t seen you naked before?” 

“…It won’t go down” In any other situation, you might have laughed. But the look of pain and dare I say fear on Nero’s face had you a little concerned. 

You shared a look with Nero and you were thankful he didn’t put up a fight, instead he turned his head to the side out of embarrassment as he moved his hand. Your eyes widened at how red and angry his hard member was, the first thought coming to mind was that maybe he simply needed a release and he’d be good. However, you had a good sex life with Nero so why would this be a problem now? 

“Um… okay. Look, why don’t I help you out? I can’t think of anything else that might help.”

“No! I-I don’t want to h-hurt you.” Nero panicked as he covered himself up again.

“Nero, you’ve never hurt me, and you never will. We’ve been through thi—“

“UGH!” Nero’s hands twitched before they suddenly turned into the familiar colour and texture of his devil bringer. The horns a top his head extended before disappearing shortly after, as if his demonic form was glitching and trying to come forth without him controlling it. 

“Thats it. I’m calling Dante.” 

~*~

Nero got dressed by the time Dante came over, he was still hot and suffering but the cold bath seemed to help a little bit. He sat in the lounge room and crossed his legs while he dug his nails into the arm of the couch while you sat across from him on the opposite couch. Dante stood in between you and Nero, looking between the both of you like you were stupid and the solution to Nero’s problem was right in front of you. 

“Tell me, kid. You start making a nest with all their clothes yet?” Dante asked with a sly smirk on his face, clearly enjoying this more than anyone else in the room. 

“I’m sorry… a nest?” You ask, confused out of your mind. 

“You really have no idea what’s going on, huh?” Dante replied, the curve of his lips never faltering. You didn’t know if you should be mad at him for not taking Nero’s suffering seriously or if you shouldn’t be worried since Dante clearly knew what was happening and didn’t seem concerned in the slightest. He did however seem a little too eager to come over when you called him, wether that be because he was bored or because he just really wanted to see Nero so uncomfortable was beyond you. 

You shook your head and shared a glance with Nero before pleading with your eyes for Dante to explain what was going on. 

“Look, watch this” The older hunter grinned, walking the few steps over towards you and turning to face Nero as he slowly placed his hand on your shoulder. You didn’t know what you were meant to be watching or why Dante was touching you, but the moment you heard a low growl, you started piecing it all together.

You glanced at Nero who was gripping the arm of the couch roughly, tearing the leather with his claws. He looked like he was doing everything in his power not to stand up and rip his uncles head off. You were actually surprised he hadn’t gone into his demon form with how aggressive he looked. 

“C’mon, kid. You’re acting like a bitch in heat” Dante chuckled, taking his hand off of you and taking a few steps back. You watched as Nero visibly calmed down, his claws retracting and the murderous glint in his eyes disappearing. 

“Is that what this is? Some demonic heat kinda thing?” You asked, pushing yourself out of your seat and going to stand beside Nero just in case he happened to get angry again. You expected to stay standing beside him just as emotional support, but apparently he had other plans as he wrapped an arm around your waste and pulled you down into his lap. 

“Now, I’d say it wouldn’t be as bad for you, considering you’re not a half demon and all, but… Maybe it’s worse for you? Huh, weird” Dante mumbled under his breath, seeming not to care that Nero was nuzzling into your shoulder as if to rub Dante’s scent off of you and cover it with his own. 

You tried to push Nero away, finding the sudden PDA a little much, but there was a low grumble down in his chest when you tried to stop him. Dante however kept talking like nothing was happening. 

“Once a year you’ll get like this and the only solution is wait it out. Should last about a week or two. Though…” Dante trailed off, feeling amused by both yours and Nero’s stunned expressions. You were shocked and still so very confused even though you now know what Nero is going through. 

“To make it a helluva lot more bearable… all you have to do is bump some uglies. It’ll help calm him down a bit. Just be prepared, cause when a demon goes through heat, we can go at it for days” Dante chuckled, seeming a little too casual about this situation and telling his nephew to engage in sexual activities. 

“Are you kidding me? Won’t I hurt them?” Nero asked, worried and confused. There was a light pink dusting his cheeks and nose as he asked. 

“You could. But you won’t.” Dante grinned, clapping his hands. “Anyway, I’m going to leave you guys to it. Be careful and feel free to call me if you have any more questions” And with that he walked away, letting himself out and not giving either you or Nero the chance to thank him for his help. 

You’d be lying if you said you couldn’t feel the bulge growing in Nero’s pants the whole time you were sitting on his lap. Perhaps Dante could sense the arousal and figured it was best to get out of there ASAP. 

“Well…” You said, facing Nero and wrapping your arms around his neck. He looked a little hesitant but pulled you in for a deep, rough kiss anyway. “Bedroom…” You mumbled against his lips, squeaking as you felt his tongue slip into your mouth as he soundlessly stood up, keeping you in his arms as he walked you to your shared room. 

(Woah can you tell this is rushed or what? Ha ha *sweating*) 

[foreverevanescent]

Nightmare from the Past (Chapter 4)

Nightmare from the Past (Chapter 4)

           “So wait, you and Danielle spent two hours after school in the library talking about some comic book?” Clover asked, with Sam nodding with her face covered in a deep blush and a love-struck smile. Clover was driving Sam to her date with James at his apartment with Alex sitting next to her in the front.

           “Yeah, since we were both there, Danielle decided to move our study date to after school, and it was amazing. We spent two hours together, and I was even able to talk to her…sort of,” Sam explained, holding the Demon Slayer manga with her arms close to her chest as if it was the most valuable item she ever owned.

           “That’s great Sammy, you’re making progress. It’s only a matter of time before you’re talking about your day in a nice little apartment while you two are waiting until after college to get married,” Alex responded, leaving Sam and Clover in a state of surprise.

           “How…did you know that’s what I’ve been wanting for a relationship with Danielle?” Sam asked, hoping that what she was thinking wasn’t the answer.

           “You talk really loudly in your sleep, and cover your pillow in a lot of drool,” Alex admitted, scratching the back of her neck while chuckling. Clover actually managed to hold in her laughter and put a hand on Sam’s shoulder.

           “Anyway, it’s really cool that you’re actually able to say something to her as opposed to hiding behind your purse. Now…you have to go with James,” Clover said with a grimace that matched Sam’s.

           “I know. God, this is one of the worse things Jerry ever had me do,” Sam grumbled to herself in the back seat of the car, lightly banging her head on the headrest of the chair. A few minutes later, they arrived at the apartment complex where James lived. It was a very lowkey apartment complex, which was painted beige with white patio fences, and each building was only three stories high each.

           “This is where he lives?” Alex asked, looking around to see whether or not there was more to the complex.

           “You’d figure that a villain like him would want to live in a mansion or something like that,” Clover thought to herself before Sam shook her head.

           “He’s such a cheap ass. He took me to cheap restaurants, and most of our dates were stuff we could do for free, like running, going to the park, stuff like that. I’m not surprised that he would get a place like this,” Sam answered with venom in her voice, bringing back memories that were worse than she originally thought.

           “OK Sammy, breathe. You need to last at least long enough to find something suspicious,” Alex said, rubbing Sam’s back. Sam took a few deep breaths before nodding and looking at the apartment complex with a determined look on her face.

           “You know Sam, imagining that James is Danielle would work too,” Clover teased in a sing-song tone, causing Sam to blush and turn to her with a glare.

           “I would never insult Danielle or her beauty by connecting her in any way to that douchebag,” Sam said, in a tone that was soft but venomous, glaring at Clover. Clover chuckled uncomfortably before giving her a couple of pats on the shoulder.

           “I was just kidding, Sam. But seriously, we’re here for you if things go to shit. We’re going to be at a department store across the street, so call us on your Compowder if you need us,” Clover said before she and Alex gave Sam a good luck hug, which Sam returned with vigor.

           “Thank guys. Well, I guess I might as well go inside,” Sam said before she took a couple of deep breaths and opened the door to the apartment complex in front of her, giving Alex and Clover one last wave before they walked to the department store. Sam went up a couple of flights of stairs to the third floor, and she walked to the middle of the hallway and stopped at a door on the right. Sam took a few deep breaths to stop herself from punching James in the face the minute she saw him and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, James opened the door and brightened up when he saw her.

           “Samantha! I’m so happy that you made it. I thought you had changed your mind,” James greeted, giving Sam a hug. Sam’s face twisted into a grimace, but she managed to twist that grimace into a smile.

           “Thanks…,” Sam said, trying to sound as sincere as she possibly could. James let her go and invited her into his apartment. When Sam went in, she was surprised by how…ordinary the room was. There was nothing really special about his apartment. The walls were still white, there weren’t many plants or pictures around, and the furniture was just simple black leather couches and wooden chairs and tables for the kitchen. “Did you just move into this place?”

           “Yes. It was a cheap place nearby, and I liked how it was away from the noise of the city, so I decided to move in here since it was only me,” James responded before walking up to Sam and putting an arm around her neck while holding a drink in his hand. “Unless you change your mind and decide to move in,” James flirted, which Sam responded to by rolling her eyes. She opened her mouth to tell him to back off, but took what seemed like her hundredth deep breath of the night, and relaxed.

           “We’ll see how the night goes,” Sam mumbled before she ducked down and moved out of the way of James’ arm. James simply smiled back and went back to the kitchen.

           “Would you like something to drink?” James asked.

           “Yes please, but I don’t want any alcohol. Do you have any Sprite?” Sam asked, looking around the house for anything suspicious, but there wasn’t anything that popped out to her. But maybe if she went to his room…

           “Of course,” James smiled back, before grabbing a Sprite bottle from inside the refrigerator and pouring its contents into a small glass with a couple of ice cubes. James gave her the drink, which Sam grabbed and looked at it.

           “Thanks,” Sam said, looking at the inside of the cup. It looked like just an ordinary amount of Sprite. There was no discoloration, no odd odors, nothing that would indicate a poison. While James was still in the kitchen, Sam pulled out her Compowder and scanned her drink for any poisons. However, the scan came back negative, so she put her Compowder away, and took a sip out of the cup. James came to the living room with a flatbread pizza on a plate and put it in the middle of the coffee table in his living room.

           “Samantha, why don’t you come here so we can eat?” James asked as Sam was standing by a support beam near the kitchen.

           “Well…uh…I actually have…to go to the bathroom,” Sam said, sweating a bit from nervousness, before drinking the rest of the Sprite in her cup, including the ice. James nodded and got up to point her in the right direction.

           “Of course, it’s the 2nd door to the right, right next to my room,” James said, pointing to the door to the bathroom. Sam nodded and walked to the bathroom, turning around when she arrived at the bathroom door, seeing that James had returned to the sofa in the living room. Sam moved away from the bathroom and went inside James’ room. When Sam did, she was surprised to see that the only things in there were normal; a bed with a green blanket, a couple of pillows with red pillowcases, a nightstand, a lamp, etc.

           “Hmmm…” Sam hummed, before looking at a closet. Sam knew that there was always more than meets the eye, so she opened the closet, expecting to find some plans to steal something valuable. However, what she saw in there sent a chill up her spine and made her feel sick to her stomach.

           What she found in James’ closet could best be described as a shrine to her. There were pictures completely covering a bulletin board, and all those pictures were of her. Most of the pictures were from their time dating, such as when they went to an amusement park, or when they went out running. However, as Sam looked through the bulletin board, she noticed other suspicious-looking pictures. Some of these pictures were of Sam not looking at the camera or barely in the range of the camera. However, what made her heart stop was a few pictures of her in the shower and underdressed. A couple of those pictures appeared to be taken last night, given she recognized the clothing she was wearing the night before.

           “Wh…wh…what the hell?” Sam asked herself, putting a hand over her mouth to prevent the vomit from shooting out of her mouth. Sam backed away from the shrine, still shaking as if she were in Antarctica completely naked. She pulled out her Compowder to try and call Jerry, but she felt a hand grab her Compowder.

           “Hello Samantha,” James said, looking straight at Sam with a lustful look in his eyes and a sick Cheshire smile on his face.

[whydoesfireburn]

The first chapter of Why Does Fire Burn? now on Tumblr

There are spelling and grammar mistakes but enjoy anyway.

 “Shoto wake your ass up,” Dabi yelled at his little brother, banging on the door.

    “Screw off,” Shoto muttered back, hiding his face in his pillow. The morning was too evil to wake for. Then there was a quieter, much more gentle knock.

    “Come on, Shoto,” Fuyumi said, opening the door and walking in, “You have the entrance exam today. You don’t want to be late.”

    He groaned but got up when Fuyumi ran a hand through his hair. Shoto got dressed in his school uniform after his sister left and then came out for breakfast.

    Fuyumi was making eggs, bacon, and rice, and Dabi was scrolling through his phone at the table. Shouto sat down next to him, and without looking, his older brother messed up his hair in a playful manner.

    “Stop it,” he says, hitting at his hand. Dabi smirks and puts his phone down. Fuyumi, bless her soul, placed our plates in front of them, and they began eating.

    “Natsu’s coming home tonight for dinner,” their sister said halfway through.

    “Cool,” the youngest said with his mouth full of food.

    “What do you guys want for dinner?” she asked.

    “Soba,” Shoto said.

    “Was that even a question?” Dabi asked. 

    Soon it’s time for Shoto to go. Dabi and Fuyumi were watching as Shoto put his shoes and jacket on.

    “You’re going to do great,” Fuyumi reassured, straightening her brother's jacket, “And if not, it’s okay. We’ll find something else. Don’t worry.”

    “I’m not worried,” he said.

    “She was talking to herself,” Dabi said. Fuyumi then smacked his shoulder.

    “Come to the shop after the exam,” Dabi said.

    “Got it,” Shoto said before opening the door, “Bye,” he said, stepping out of our apartment. Shoto sucked in a breath and said, “Let's do this.”

    XXX

Shoto Yukitomo was 15 years old when he went to take the UA entrance exam. He had almost blinding snow-white hair that was long but didn’t go past his neck. He had mismatched heterochromia eyes. One stark gray, and other burning turquoise. Over his left eye was a large burn scar. His papers said that his Quirk was named Cryokinesis. It allowed him to control the ice he made.

    Yukitomo did well in the exam. Using his ice to freeze robots before they could strike him. In the end, he had close to 78 points. But then the ground began to shake and rumble. And then there was the faux villain worth 0 points. He made a massive ice wall. Stopping the thing in its path.

    XXX

After the exam was over, Shoto headed to Dabi’s shop. Dabi ran a tattoo parlor called Cremation Ink. It was a pretty good size and had a nice setup. Music was always playing, and the place was warm and bright. It smelled like ink, burnt wood, and coffee. Dabi seemed to really love running the place, but the business could be slow sometimes. Dabi had to work a part-time job at the record store down the street just to make sure that he could run this place and keep the apartment the siblings lived in. Sure Fuyumi worked too, but, a preschool teacher doesn’t make all that much.

    Shoto walked in and heard the sound so the old American bands Dabi liked to play. Along with that was a buzzing noise that came from a tattoo gun. Shoto walked in further and saw that my brother was in the middle of work.

    Knowing it to be a while before they’d go, Shoto moved over to the large leather couch back at the front of the shop and pulled out his book and read. An hour and a half later, the two come in the front of the store. The customer was a guy with a bright blue mohawk with the sides of his head shaved. The tattoo he had gotten was of a blue dragon running down his arm.

    “You sure you like it?” Dabi asked as they reached the door.

    “Man, I freaking love it,” the guys said, “It’s sick as fuck.”

    “I’m glad,” Dabi said, “So, you’re good with me putting it on my site, social media pages, right?”

    “Yeah, man, go nuts.”

    “Alright, come back soon,” Dabi said, holding the door open for the other guy.

    “Will do Dabi,” the guy said before leaving.

    “How was your day?” Shoto asked, not looking up.

    “Fine, yours?”

    “Fine,” he said, “You talking to that guy you met last month?”

    “Don’t,” his brother warned, walking towards the back.

    “What?”

    “Shoto, I am serious.”

    “Is that hard for you?”

    “Do you want to die brat?” he asked, “Because I can make that happen.”

    “You wouldn’t hurt me. Fuyumi won’t let you,” Shoto said, eyes still glued to the pages.

    It’s another half an hour before the brothers lock up and head home. On their way back to the small apartment, Dabi asked,” So how was it?”

    “Fine, I guess,” the white-haired boy said. 

The two brothers couldn’t look more different as they walked down the street. Dabi was a good couple inches taller even though he has been on the short side most of the time. Shoto was tall, too, but not his brother’s height. Shoto had snow-white hair, and Dabi had jet black. Both of them had pale skin, but Dabi’s arms and torso were covered in ink. Images of flames, snowflakes and monsters, flowers, and other symbols. His ears and nose were pierced in several places.

When they got home, they found that their other two siblings were back. Fuyumi was working on dinner, and Natsuo was in the living room, TV blaring. Shoto plopped down next to his older brother, and Natsuo ruffled his hair.

“Hey, Sho, how the exam?” he asked.

“Good, I think.”

“I’m going to go look over some calls,” Dabi said, shrugging his jacket off. 

“Then you go and shower,” Fuyumi said, “You too, Shoto.”

Shouto just sat, leaning against his other brother as they watched the news. For a split second, the was flash of the number two hero on the screen, but before anything on the TV could be said, the channel was changed to a volleyball game that was on.

“Who the hell used all my shampoo?” Shoto asked, coming out of the bathroom, shaking the empty bottle.

“Shouto,” Fuyumi said, “You use too much of it.”

“No, I don’t,” he said.

“Yes, you do. And so does Natsu.”

“Leave me out of this,” the older boy said.

“Did you use it?” Shoto asked.

“ I will not confirm or deny anything.”

Shoto threw the empty bottle at his brother, but Natsuo caught it. Shoto growled.

Later Dabi came out of the shower, and they ate dinner. The four siblings talked about their day. Dabi spoke about people who went into the shop. Fuyumi shared stories about her class. Natsuo talked about his professors and classes. And Shoto talked about his entrance exam.

“They made you fight robots?” Natsu asked.

“Yep.”

“Huh, well that something.”

“Speaking of school,” Dabi said, “Have you picked a major?”

“Well, I was thinking maybe physical therapy,” Natsuo said, “You know so I can help people.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Fuyumi said, smiling.

As they got more into the meal, Shoto’s brows knitted together for a moment. “What am I going to do if I don’t get into UA?” his tone wasn’t one of despair or dread. It was one born out of pure curiosity.

All three of his siblings looked at him for a moment and thought. What would Shoto do?

“You become a hoodlum like your brother,” Natsu tested. Dabi hit him up the back of the head.

“Ow!”

“Don’t worry, Shoto,” Fuyumi said, resting her hand on top of her brothers, “If UA doesn’t work, we could find another hero school. Or we can find something else for you to do if you want. We just want you to be happy.”

“Thanks,” Shoto said.

         If you were to look at Yukitomo siblings, you would see that they were closer than anything. That they were loyal and relied on each other. The neighbors thought they were all delightful children. They truly didn’t deserve what happened to them. It was horrible luck for such sweet children. To have their father horribly, painfully killed in a home invasion, which left poor Shoto scared, and their mother insane. Poor Dabi had been tasked with keeping all of his siblings safe at such a young age. All four of them worked so hard to stay together. Truly lovely children, with terrible luck.

After dinner, the four cleaned up dinner and sat in the living room and watched action movies.

XXX 

Later that night, while the younger two of the siblings were asleep, Fuyumi and Dabi stayed up talking.

“I’m get worried,” Fuyumi said, pacing the kitchen floor, “We’re running out of money. I’ve been looking over the bills and checks, and we only have enough for maybe the first third of the year. And we can’t just have Shoto and Natsuo go out and get jobs with them both going to school,” she ran a hand threw her long white hair.

Dabi didn’t want to say it out loud, but he was getting worried too. She was right. Money was growing thin, and their brothers couldn’t get jobs like they did. Natsuo would be in college, and Shoto was going to going to a hero school of all things. He wasn’t going to put the stress of getting a job on them.

“Yumi,” he said after a minute, his voice sounding more confident than he felt, “Don’t worry. I have a bunch of appointments scheduled over these next few months. It will be more than enough.”

“But will it?” She asked, worried, “Dabi, you know how hard it is to support all of us. You know sometimes, a fully booked month is hardly enough.”

“Relax,” he told her, “I have a plan if things start getting bumpy.”

“What?!” she cried a little too loud. She had stopped pacing, “Join a gang and sell drugs? Rob a bank? Sell off all of our things?”

“No,” he said, trying not to get upset with her worry. She was much more open with emotion in times of stress when it was just them.

“Then what?” she asked, “And if you say Taijo, I swear to the gods-”

“I promise it’s not Taijo,” he whispered, “And keep your voice down, you’ll wake Natsu and Sho.”

“What is it then?” she asked, more softly, her hands shaking.

“We draw some cash from our funds,” Dabi said plainly.

“Touya!” Fuyumi cried before she was hushed. Dabi cringed at the sound of the name. It was strange and bitter after so long. Even though it was the dead of night there was no one else, but them were up, Dabi looked around. Checking to make sure no one heard. After a minute, he let out a sigh, and his shoulders dropped.

Dabi looked at his sister, and placed his hands on her shoulders carefully, “Yumi, listen to me. I know it’s risky, but we’ve gotten away with it before. No one knows they’re there, and no one will know that the money’s gone. And it is just a little bit. Just a little bit of cash, that’s ours anyway. We’ll wait for a few more months. And if the business at the shop keeps doing well, then we won’t. Please, Yumi, trust me on this.”

Fuyumi looked down at the ground. She was shaking a little bit, and tears were welling up in her eyes. She didn’t want to look at her brother. Her older brother, who always made sure she was safe and okay. Who would hold her when she cried. Who took on all the problems Fuyumi couldn't figure out on her own. She felt weak next to him. Dabi pulled her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded.

“Okay,” she sobbed, “but only in a few months. Promise me.”

“Okay,” he said, rocking her, “I promise.”

“I’m sorry,” she cried, “I’m sorry I’m not stronger-”

“Fuyumi, you’re stronger than any of us,” Dabi said, in a gentle voice, “You do things that I never could. You handle all our finances, you cook and take care of us when we’re sick, you help Shoto and Natsuo with homework when the world knows I couldn’t have. You are so strong, Fuyumi. I never want you to think otherwise.”

She nodded. For the longest time, Dabi just stood there holding his little sister. It was moments like this; they both remembered how much they need each other to get through things. How they had to work together to make sure their little brothers could have it better than they did.

 “It’s okay,” Dabi promised, “It’ll be okay, Yumi. Only five more years of the hard stuff. Five more years,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.

Five more years. Then they could finally make a move and not worry about as much about losing each other.

XXX

(Two Weeks Later)

Two weeks later, the four Yukitomo siblings were in the kitchen. Fuyumi was grading some papers, and Dabi and Natsuo were talking about work and school. Shoto was looking through the mail. There were six pieces of it. Three of them were bills. One was a postcard from one of Fuyumi’s friends. The other was a magazine. Finally, there was a letter to Shoto. From UA.

Shoto slowly opened it without saying anything. Then a small dice dropped out. Then a holographic image popped out of All Might. The other siblings turn their heads, and their jaws dropped.

They all sat and listen to the results. In the end, tears ran down the siblings' faces, and there was the tightest group hug of their lives. They all smiled and laughed for a good long while. Once all the crying and laughing stopped, and they all let go of each other, Shoto said, “I’m going to UA.”

“Yeah, kiddo,” Dabi said, hugging him, “You are.”

Shoto was going to UA, and he was going to be a hero. A hero who helps people, like his siblings, helped him, and he was going to a better hero than he ever was.

[utopianvoices]

one and only | l.minho

↭ genre: relationship au; angst, fluff

↭ word count: 2.2k

↭ a/n: big big shoutout to @chanrismatic for giving me basically the whole plot idea!

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

you and minho were no doubt a really busy couple

you were busy with your uni and he was busy with his idol career 

but that didn’t stop ya’ll from seeing each other as often as ya’ll could

which was really often

because you two always found time for each other 

he was your pillar of support when you were going through tough times in uni and you were his when he was going through all the stress of idol life

well it’s pretty funny how ya’ll met

because lo and behold

you were jisung’s sister

one day when you go and visit your brother at the dorm because who else are you gonna annoy other than your twin brother

this amazingly handsome and hot and pretty and cute boy opened the door you were knocking on incessantly 

“yea yea i’m coming calm yourself wo-”

he just stopped mid sentence and stared at you 

and you stared at him

and you probably would have continued staring if it wasn’t for him shouting for jisung

“JISUNG WHY IS THERE A GIRL WHO LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE YOU AT OUR DOORSTEP”

but what you didn’t hear because of how distracted you were by the loud clashing noises coming from the dorm is the “but the cuter and prettier version of you” that minho uttered underneath his breath

before you could say anything

a wild jisung catapults straight into your arms and squeezes the life out of you

“OMG IT’S THE UGLY TWIN!!! I’VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!!!”

“jisung i saw your ugly ass two days ago”

“so???? i still miss you”

yep ya’ll were a cute pair of twins

so you were just spending the day with jisung when you ask the question that’s been on your mind since the moment the door to the dorm opened

“hey poop, who’s the guy that opened the door for me? you know the one who wasn’t very good looking or anything”

clearly you were amazing at being subtle

jisung gives you the side eyes and just goes “hmMMHmm” in his head

“that’s minho hyung. he’s the dancer in our team, born in 1998 and will probably date you”

you did a double take and just put on your innocent face like nOoooooO you totally didn’t want to date him

but you end up dating him anyway 

end of flashback and back to the present

you were done with your classes pretty early that day because one of your professors called in sick

and it just so happened to be your last class

so you messaged your boyfriend asking him if he was free for lunch

and perfectly, he was out and about with the rest of the boys filming the street mv for their song “rock” 

and he was clear from schedules for the rest of the day

so replies to your message saying that they were just done with filming and that he will meet you at the starbucks with the rest of the boys

and adds a lot of fluffly and cringey emojis

which makes your heart go baduMP BADUMP

you leave your campus with a smile on your face and make your way to the starbucks

the boys were already at said starbucks fighting over who was gonna pay for the drink we all know its gonna be chan in the end

when minho feels someone tapping his shoulder

he turns around to see his childhood girl best friend

he smiles the widest smile because he hadn’t seen her for years after she moved away from seoul

and grabs her in a hug

“omG i haven’t seen you for so long!!!! it’s been years, (f/n)!”

“tell me about it!!! my my look at you minho you haven’t changed one bit” his friend teased him

while all this was going on, the boys were gaping at the both of them

before jisung let out a really exaggerated cough and gave minho a pointed look that screamed “please explain as to why you’re fucking clinging onto this girl”

but minho doesn’t catch onto it because of how excited he was to see his best friend

“guys this is my childhood best friend, f/n!!! we grew up together since our diaper days and i haven’t seen her in years!”

jisung, clearly not pleased about it, mutters a “right” and turns towards the rest of the group who were clearly tensed up

minho, forgetting about the rest of his friends, grabs his friend’s hand and leads her to a table, where they sit and catch up on all the years they had missed

and while all these eventful things had been happening, it totally slipped minho’s mind that his girlfriend was on his way to the starbucks, excited to see him after a good week of hardly any time spent together

you walk into the starbucks and spot the boys first, but finding it odd that minho wasn’t with them

but you still walk over to them and greet them with a hug

“hey guys where’s minho?”

“umMMmm well you see he-”

and before chan could explain the situation to you, you hear the voice of your boyfriend that you would recognise anywhere 

accompanied by a girl’s voice

you whip your head around just to see the girl grab minho’s hand and say the words that made your whole world come crashing down around you in a split second

“i can’t believe i’m doing this now but i’m in love with you minho. since we were kids. but i was too scared to tell you because i was convinced you were going to reject me and we would lose our friendship. but over the years my feelings just got stronger and here i am pouring everything to you”

you immediately turn around on your heels and leave before the tears start falling because you hated crying in front of people

minho looks at his friend shocked not knowing what to reply, when he hears a door slam

he turns around just to catch a glimpse of your furious silhouette leaving the starbucks

what the fuck did he just do

he was about to get up and go after you but jisung who had, together with the rest of the boys, witnessed everything stopped him with a glare

“don’t” was the only thing he mutters before running after you

minho can only stand there shocked as the sight of his love leaving the store with anger, frustration and hurt, drives daggers into his heart 

that’s when he remembers that his friend is still sitting there, watching the whole scene unfold with an open mouth

“i’m sorry f/n but i already have a girlfriend who i really love more than anything. and i don’t know what i’ll do if i lose her”

the thought of losing you was enough to cause the tears to well up in his eyes

f/n nods and shoots him a sad but understanding smile, knowing that she had no chance with him because he was clearly with someone who made him happy

“it’s alright minho. i’m just glad i got it out of my system because it’s been eating my alive, not knowing what you were thinking. i’m really sorry for causing all this trouble....” she trailed off, looking at the door uncertainly

“it’s fine, really. you couldn’t have known” minho mumbled, still unable to concentrate fully when his thoughts kept wondering back to you

“can we..... can we still be friends?” 

minho shoots her a small but genuine smile and replies with a “best friends forever”

the two friends smile at each other and she encourages him with a “go get your girl”

that’s all he needed to scramble up to his feet and make his way towards the door

the rest of the boys who had been looking at the whole scene unfold, rushed towards him once they realised he had sorted things out with his friend

they shoot her an apologetic smile and leave the starbucks in a hurry, clearly wanting to help their teammate get his girl back

you, on the other hand, were in your and minho’s shared apartment, bawling your eyes out into your pillow

the rational part of your brain was telling you that you probably shouldn’t have jumped to a conclusion and left without an explanation

but 99% of your brain was ruled by irrationality at that point

you heard your brother’s voice float through the apartment, seemingly sounding closer and closer as he walked towards where you were

you felt the bed sink as he sat at the edge, rubbing your back and whispering for you to calm down

soon you calmed down, hiccupping here and there as you crawled into your brother’s arms 

“you know he loves you a lot right? i want to tell you that maybe you should have listened to him but i don’t think that’s what you need now”

“you literally just told me dipshit”

“oops i guess it was meant to be jammed into your brain”

you smacked your annoying but loving brother and sighed

“do you think it’s too late if i go back and ask for an explanation now?”

jisung just turned and looked at you like you were dumb

which you kinda were, at that point of time

“y/n, my sweet sweet dumb sister, even if you were to hit him i’m sure he couldn’t get mad at you. have u seen the disgusting googly eyes he has whenever he sees you?”

and following this statement, jisung fake gagged, earning a light slap from you

you looked at him with determination in your eyes and got up, ready to call your boyfriend when the door to your apartment burst open, with 8 boys falling in one after another

but one stood out to you; he always did 

ya’ll just stared at each other, unsure of what to say, when the rest of the boys took the hint and left the apartment

“so ummm...” you trail off, not knowing what to say now that you were cooled down with 99% of your brain back to rationality

but before you could start overthinking, minho interrupts and just starts off ranting

“im so sorry baby i swear i didn’t know she felt that way about me and also i didn’t mean to forget about you it’s just that i hadn’t seen her in a long time and she was my best friend since i was a kid and i really feel like i’ve ruined things but like i really don’t want you to leave me and-”

this boy wasn’t stopping even for a damn breath

so you did the first thing that came to your mind

you smacked his head 

i bet yall thought i was gonna say kiss him but nAh fam 

he let out a small ‘ouch’ but it got him to shut up 

“i understand now.... i’m really sorry for leaving without listening to your explanation. and don’t be silly i’ll never hate you. you provide me with way too much entertainment” you say and shoot him a cheeky smile

he rolls his eyes and crushes you in a hug, relieved that you will still remain his 

just then he realised something

“did you just smack my head to get me to shut up”

you laugh nervously and slowly try to get away from his grip when his hands shoot to your sides and start tickling you

you scream-laugh and try to get away from him but somehow you just end up dragging him onto the floor 

he was hovering above you still tickling you when you grabbed his hands to stop him

both of ya’ll breathing heavily from laughing too hard 

and he just stares at you with this soft smile because he still can’t believe how he scored someone like you

cue the same thoughts racing through your head

and this is where he actually leans in and kisses you softly because why not

ya’ll were really the cutest couple out there

the boys slowly open the apartment door, afraid that you had killed minho or something because you were known for your scariness when you were angry

and they see ya’ll having this soft moment and they just have different reactions in general

most of them either aww-ed or gagged

but jisung, being an idiot, walked over and kicked minho off of you and shot him the best brotherly glare he could muster 

which wasn’t really a glare 

was more like a squirrel trying to look upset

which is really cute

but anyways yes

“you pull this shit one more time and i’m gonna...i’m gonna...uhm.. idK what i’ll do but you watch your back” he said as he narrows his eyes and shows minho a ‘i’m watching you’ sign with his fingers

you stare at jisung and wonder how you were related to that... thing that clearly had no more than one brain cell

minho pretended to be scared to humour jisung and raised both his hands in surrender

“yes boss”

and that’s how you and minho have a prospering relationship, with more understanding, lesser fights, and 8 other third-wheels (or eight-wheels)

∞ end ∞

[winterromanov]

high voltage in her lips [bechloe fic, part 2/?]

read part one here | on ao3

Beca wakes up to two bright blue eyes staring right at her from the side of the bed.

“Dude!” she exclaims, pulling her duvet tight around her, “What the fuck?”

Chloe smiles like it’s a totally normal thing for her to be doing. To. You know. Just be watching her sleep. “Good morning, sunshine.”

Beca rubs her eyes and her hands are streaked with black from last night’s mascara. She can feel the hangover thrumming at the back of her brain, her mouth dry and tasting faintly of wine she doesn’t remember drinking. “How long have you been perving on me?”

“Not long,” Chloe chirps. It’s then that she realises that Chloe is completely put together, like they weren’t screaming on a dancefloor just a few hours previously, hyped up on Sambuca shots. Her hair is newly washed and blow-dried and her face is bare, yet somehow still flawless, freckles dusted across her cheekbones. She’s wearing a neat top-and-skirt combo. Beca’s still wearing her clothes from last night. “Your ass was drunker than mine so I put you up in the spare room.”

Beca properly looks around the room, finally realising she’s not in her own flat—it’s way too clean and ordered, with a floral colour scheme that’s been carefully designed rather than thrown on the walls last minute. The duvet smells like honeysuckle. God, it couldn’t be more Chloe Beale.

“Thanks. Sorry to, uh, put you out?”

“Not a problem,” Chloe grins. She stands from her position crouching by Beca’s bedside, rubbing her hands together. “I’ve left you a coffee and some aspirin. I’ve got a meeting in the city so I’ve got to head out, but feel free to use the shower and stuff before you go. The door locks on its own so don’t worry about leaving it open or anything.”

Damn, this bitch is organised. Beca stretches out and tries to put together memories from last night—it’s all pretty vague, glimpses of fire-red hair and intense music, Amy running over before they leave and telling her that some dude called Juan was taking her to the Bahamas for a bit so not to wait up for her—

Okay, so she’s going to have to handle that at some point, but that point doesn’t have to be now, right?

“I had a great night last night, by the way,” Chloe says, smiling, “You’re great fun. I haven’t let loose like that in a while.”

It would help if Beca could actually remember clearly what exactly happened last night, but the sentiment warms her anyway. She smiles back, genuinely, vaguely recalling how her heart thudded like it was about to break out her ribcage. “I had a great time too. As far as I’m aware I didn’t leave with a minor assault charge, so. A win?”

Chloe giggles. She does that a lot. Giggling. Beca’s never giggled. It doesn’t match her image. “Definitely a win. I’d like to do it again sometime.”

“Well, we’re going to be spending the next three months on tour together,” Beca says, still not quite believing it. “I’m sure I’ll be able to haul you off the rails at least once in that time period. If your manager doesn’t kill me first.”

“Aubrey doesn’t control everything about my life, as much as she’d like to. I make my own decisions.”

“Awesome,” Beca replies. Her eyes linger on the coffee Chloe’s thoughtfully left out for her and it stings, a little, because it reminds her of stupid Jesse and the stupidly Nice Things he used to do for her. And maybe Chloe is another Nice Person she doesn’t deserve in her life. It’s why she hasn’t fired Amy yet. She’s just as fucked up as Beca is.

“I’m going to head off,” Chloe says, making her way towards the bedroom door, “So I’ll see you later?”

“Sure.”

She flashes Beca one last smile before disappearing, and Beca’s touched that the girl seems to trust her enough to leave her alone in her apartment after meeting her once. It’s a naïve choice, perhaps, but sweet all the same. She reaches out and takes a swig of the rapidly cooling coffee and pops two of the aspirin then just sits, wrapped up in the duvet, everything silent other than the hum of the air conditioning.

Yeah, she’s still not sure how this whole tour thing will work, but she kind of wants it to work? And maybe that’s the point.

-x-

THE PRINCESS AND THE REBEL – CHLOE BEALE AND BECA MITCHELL SPOTTED IN DOWNTOWN LA

Los Angeles seems to be the hotbed of the billboard’s newest collaborations, a factory of number one hits and Grammy awards—but a sighting of two of music’s seemingly polar opposites has us here at Glitz dot com totally stumped. That’s right. Notorious bad girl Beca Mitchell (of Where Do You Go? fame) and pop’s hottest starlet Chloe Beale were papped together outside the Luna club last night, looking very comfortable in each other’s company indeed.

It’s true that there’s been a small fanbase on social media hoping that the pair would eventually collaborate, but it hardly felt like a realistic goal. After all, Mitchell’s just dodged another felony whilst Beale is climbing to the top of her game. Their interests don’t seem to overlap, but there’s definitely a friendship we’ve never heard about there.

Whether this club night is just two friends meeting up or the beginning of a potential collaboration, it has got us pretty excited. Mitchell’s sultry, no-nonsense sound mixing with Beale’s simultaneously romantic and empowering girl-power anthems will be a guaranteed eargasm which we’re TOTALLY here for. But—it begs the question whether these two artists will actually be good for each other. It’s no secret that Mitchell’s been a bit off the rails recently while Beale is pristine, role-model material; will Beca drag Chloe down or will Chloe bring Beca back up again? Only time will tell.

Keep up to date with everything Beca Mitchell and Chloe Beale by following us on twitter: @glitzmag

ARTICLE BY DAISY FULLERTON

-x-

“Hey bitch! You’ve reached Fat Amy, only you haven’t reach Fat Amy, because I’m totally boning a really hot Spanish dude in the Bahamas right now while drinking a shit ton of Tequila Sunrises. Sooooo… Leave a message if you want, but I probably won’t get back to you for several days if it all. Adios!”

“For fuck’s sake, Amy, you are literally the worst manager ever and I’m firing you as soon as your ass is back in LA. Ok. So. There’s been some—articles, which I’m sure you’ve seen, because despite never answering my calls you’ve uploaded about sixty videos to your snapchat story of you on a speedboat, you monster. Anyway. I’m sick of the media painting me as some fucking criminal out-to-corrupt-your-children type when I’m really not, and yes I do have a tattoo I got when I was off my face on pot but that was years ago and really, that’s literally the only regrettable thing I’ve done that wasn’t a product of you. Please just tell someone, anyone, that I’m actually pretty rad and I’m probably not going to drag Chloe Beale’s impeccable reputation through the trash. As my manager that would literally be the bare minimum you could do for me right now. You’re an asshole. Ciao.”

-x-

queenbeale just uploaded a photo to Instagram

got to hang out with the amazing @becamitchell on Saturday!! can’t wait to tell you guys what we’ve got in store for y’all xx

chloebealer commented: oh my god???? OH MY GOD???

jaydababe34 commented: MY TWO FAVES ARE UNITED I’M SCREAMING

chloefan789 commented: not sure how this will work… I’m not a beca mitchell fan at all

becamitchell commented: I look so drunk in this photo and I hate you for uploading it :)

queenbeale commented: @becamitchell you look like a dream

madisonbealer commented: @queenbeale @becamitchell *whispers* GAYYYYYYY

-x-

It takes another two weeks of meetings and contracts and publicity before the tour dates are released to the public. They’re visiting thirty-two cities across North America in the space of two and a half months: it’s wild on a scale Beca’s never seen before. Yeah, she’s had three tours across the same area in the past, but the venues were smaller and not so extensive, and not all of the dates were sold out. The tickets for this tour sell out in a grand total of eleven minutes.

The tour also generates a tidal wave of interest across every single internet platform available. Her old songs are repeated alongside Chloe’s on the radio, her follower count on Instagram sky-rockets and their names are trending on Twitter. The last time Beca saw her name in that bar was when she was arrested for the coke incident (fuck you, Amy). And the support, surprisingly, is unreal. Like the unsavoury articles that emerged after she was papped outside Luna with Chloe earlier in the month, she’d expected people talking shit about her past, wondering if Beca’s razor sharp edges would rip Chloe to shreds—but there’s been an overwhelming amount of positivity, like the curiosity of what they could produce together overshadows what could potentially go wrong.

Her return to mainstream media ends up alerting people she thought she’d left in the past of her presence again, but she’s still surprised when Jesse ends up leaving her a voicemail on the Thursday after the announcement. It’s been five months of total radio silence between them. She’d kind of anticipated that it would be longer than that. After all, she did end a seven-year relationship on his fucking birthday, which she’d completely forgotten about.

Maybe she does owe him one.

Beca meets him for lunch in a small restaurant a twenty minute walk from her apartment—a neat, little kitschy place she doesn’t often visit, but they serve ciabatta and paninis and squashy cooked tomatoes still on the vine, and that’s the kind of thing Jesse loves. She gets there fifteen minutes early but of course he’s already there, sat on the long bench by the window and overlooking the street. She pretends she hasn’t seen him from the outside, even though he’d clocked her half a block away.

He still looks the same. Clean-shaven, dark hair cropped, clean t shirt and pants and sneakers like they’d never been worn before. He leaps off his stool nervously when the door shuts behind her.

Oh. Wow. She’s never known Jesse to be nervous before. He’s usually annoyingly confident. All through high school she’d hidden behind his infectious smile. At least the last two months have allowed her to just be her, even if that means she’s been stuck in a fucking prison cell once or twice. Or thrice.

“Becs,” he says breathlessly, taking her in. She half-smiles tightly. “Hey. How are you?”

“Oh, you know,” Beca shrugs, pulling her bag strap tighter around her shoulder. She’s nervous too. “Not in prison, depressed or dying, so not all bad. You?”

Jesse relaxes and his mouth softens. She’s still the same old Beca. “Same. It’s…uh, it’s been a while.”

“It has.”

“I kept meaning to… well, call, I guess, but I didn’t know if you wanted me to. In the end I just bit the bullet.”

“It’s cool. We both needed space.” Beca drops her bag on the floor and jumps onto a barstool and he copies, their seats inches apart yet somehow miles away. It’s weird, considering how close they used to be. Used to be. “For the record… I kept meaning to call too. But I didn’t know if you wanted to hear from me.”

Jesse smiles, biting his lip, before looking back up at her. “I always want to hear from you. I think that was probably the issue.”

He’s not wrong, he’s really not, because Beca’s terrible at keeping up with messages and most of the time just didn’t bother replying, leaving his I love you’s on read and not giving it a second thought. She didn’t think that would hurt him for some reason, even though she’s well aware that Jesse’s actually a good, thoughtful person who cares about her and wouldn’t mind some of that care back. It was alright when they were in high school and when they regularly shared an apartment because she’d always be there in person to offer that reassurance. That wasn’t so easy when she was away on tour.

And it broke him. But it broke her a long time before that. Believe it or not, she’s not totally emotionally void.

Jesse grabs them both coffees and ham paninis and they sit in silence for a bit, looking out across the city; the one she’d forgotten they shared. He takes a deep breath before talking. “I saw you were going on tour. With Chloe Beale. That’s amazing, Beca.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty cool. The management is manic, but. I’m glad to be out there again.”

Jesse takes a sip of coffee. “Does that mean there’s going to be some new music out soon?”

Beca withholds an eye roll, because that’s been the question on everybody’s lips—Chloe’s on a high from a newly released number one album and she’s still utterly clueless, wondering if she can get away with singing mostly her old stuff on the tour. It begins in less than six months. That’s not enough time to write, produce and release at least ten songs worth of new material, especially seeing as the deterioration of her last relationship and moving out and all that stress hasn’t been particularly good for her creativity. “Probably not. Song-writing is apparently not my forte anymore.”

“Well, you never know. You might find some inspiration soon. I know you, Becs. You just pull amazing tracks out of thin air like it’s nothing.”

She raises an eyebrow sceptically. “As much as I appreciate you massaging my ego, that doesn’t really help me right now.”

“I’m not worried,” Jesse says calmly, “I once watched you write a whole album while high, remember?”

“Your Love Fucking Sucks Balls, Dude?” Beca says, and Jesse laughs, clinging onto the bar for support. “Yeah, somehow I don’t think that’s going to be breaking the billboard top one hundred. Yet… stellar tracks like I Really Like Your Dick and Smash Me Good might be my only hope. Like, if I go another year without making music my label might drop me, even with the tour, so…” Beca doesn’t want this to turn into a pity party so she turns, resting her chin in her palm, back to Jesse. “What have you been up to? Anything exciting? Scored any Oscar-noms?”

Jesse laughs with an eyeroll, looking down into his coffee cup. “I wish. No, still doing ad work, but you never know. As soon as Pixar put an ad up for a composer on Craigslist, I’m there.” He pauses. Drums his fingers on the tabletop. Beca knows what’s coming. “Look, Becs—“

“No, Jesse.”

“No, no,” Jesse shakes his head, “No, this isn’t… I don’t want to get back together.”

Well, that’s a relief. She can feel her stomach shift back to its normal location. “Oh. Okay. Good.”

“This is more about… It is about me and you, but five months without you in my life has been hell, Beca. We were together for seven years. That doesn’t just fall away into nothing, even if the romance isn’t there anymore.” He coughs, clearly nervous. “I still love you. Of course I do. And I want you to be happy, like, more than anything in the world. And I know you’re not going to be happy with me, and that’s fine. But I’d still like to be part of your life.”

Oh. His sincerity stuns her, for a second, because maybe this is the kind of reaction she should’ve expected all along.

“We don’t have to talk every day. We don’t even have to talk regularly. I’d just like to be, you know—someone who is there for you. Your friend Jesse who just so happens to be your ex. We can grab dinner when our schedules don’t clash and watch movies and maybe text every so often. Or we don’t. Whatever. Just… I don’t want to lose you, Becs.”

She smiles, suddenly nostalgic for a time when everything was easy: when Jesse would pick her up from work in his beat-up Civic and he’d leave stupid romantic notes in her locker (which she definitely didn’t keep in a scrapbook under her bed, by the way) and they’d drink lukewarm cider and make out under the stars on the football field. It was all achingly simple back then.

But then she thinks of her life now, and how slowly and surely it’s coming back together, and how most of the time she doesn’t miss Jesse’s beat-up civic and his stupid romantic notes and the lukewarm cider, although she does kind of miss the making out and she does kind of miss him. He’s proposing a zero-commitment friendship, a no string attached deal, someone she can turn to and will always be there.

Like the tour, she’s not really in a position to turn it down.

“Sure,” she smiles, “But no movies. I’ve not got girlfriend status anymore, so you can’t force me to watch fucking Star Trek—“

“Star Wars, Beca, I’ve got no interest in Star Trek whatsoever.”

“Okay, weirdo, Star Wars. Whatever. But the point still stands. I’m under no obligation to sit through your ridiculous commentaries.”

“That’s cool,” Jesse nods, “I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but that’s cool. And anyway. I don’t actually want you to be my friend. I just want you to fill me in on every single detail about what Chloe Beale is actually like. Does she really own a poodle that’s naturally fluorescent pink?”

-x-

BECA MITCHELL SPOTTED WITH OLD FLAME AND EX LONG TERM BOYFRIEND JESSE SWANSON – IS ROMANCE BACK ON THE CARDS?

-x-

“Beca, I really don’t want to intrude, but I’ve seen those pics on twitter of you and your ex-boyfriend,” Chloe rubs her hands excitedly, “And are you, like, back together? Because that guy is a total cutie.”

Beca’s not actually seen Chloe beyond a professional capacity for over two weeks as their schedules are so hectic, but the girl texts like she’s running out of time and for some reason, she actually replies to her strings of emojis and exclamation marks? In addition, her lengthy paragraphs of information are usually incredibly intrusive, so it comes clear to Beca that Chloe doesn’t really have any boundaries or filter when it comes to asking the potentially difficult questions.

“Oh, no,” Beca answers straight up, her reflection staring back at her. She hisses in pain as the hairdresser burns her scalp with the curling iron, who then hastily apologises. “No, no, no. That’s definitely not a thing that’s happening.”

Beca’s sure that Chloe looks pleased, which sets off some weird emotions, but she somehow manages to fight the blush taking over her cheeks. “What happened there, if you don’t mind me asking? Your Wikipedia said you’d been together for, like, seven years. Which is a pretty long time.”

The shameless way Chloe admits she’s definitely stalked her ass online is actually kind of funny but Beca doesn’t laugh, because maybe then she’d be forced to admit that she’s done the same thing. The hairdresser—who is called Katie, or Kathy, or something, Beca’s not that good with names—wraps another one of her locks tight, like she’s going to pull it clean off her scalp. “It’s—really not exciting. We’d been together since high school. He went to UCLA while I tried to break onto the music scene and when I did we kind of just… drifted apart.”

(She was also an utter ass about it, but this is not something she’s going to admit while sober.)

“Oh. That’s sad.” Chloe smiles sympathetically. Her stylist has straightened her naturally wavy hair so it hangs in a scarlet red sheet, framing her cheekbones and eyes. She’s not even airbrushed or photoshopped within an inch of her life yet, goddamn, and she already looks fucking flawless. Totally unfair. “Drifting apart just comes with the territory, I guess. My last ex dumped because I didn’t have enough time for him. Which is fair. It’s not easy.”

Beca’s not sure if she feels totally comfortable going into it with an audience of stylists, especially with one who seems to hate her hair as much as Karen does. Chloe seems completely at ease, but she gives off this edge of being totally confident with herself—something Beca’s not blessed with, as much as she likes to pretend she doesn’t care.

“He also kept trying to persuade me to do a sex tape on several occasions,” Chloe unnecessarily elaborates, “And I kept telling him no, mostly because I was scared that if we did break up he’d try and sell it to TMZ or something. For the record, I’m not against sex tapes. I think they can be very fun and intimate representations of cinematography. But I’d only make one with someone I could trust inside-out and back-to-front, so to speak.”

Oh. Wow. Beca grits her teeth, but there’s a smile there. “That’s… good to know, dude.”

“I know! And I’ll have you know my sex life is far from vanilla. I have a very long list of kinks and some of them are pretty unconventional. Like, this one time, Mark made me try this thing with ginger—“

“And that’s enough!” Beca laughs awkwardly, mainly because the stylists are having a fucking field day and Beca doesn’t want it on record that she and Chloe were discussing figging while getting ready for a shoot.

“Oh,” Chloe says, looking briefly behind her before grimacing at Beca. She mouths I forgot we weren’t alone.

A few minutes later the lady who is coordinating the shoot calls them through to an office with a wall covered in white tarpaulin, the lights all the brighter for it. It’s a pretty low-key thing for Teen Vogue, but it’s the first shoot they’ve done together since the tour announcement, so Beca’s kind of bricking it. Chloe takes everything in her stride. She struts over to the tarpaulin and Beca quickly follows.

She thinks that the costume department might have gone a bit overkill on the rebel and the princess thing that’s been coined for them, because Beca’s dressed in a black mini-dress, leather jacket and doc martens, whilst Chloe is wearing a glittery pink off the shoulder number with white leggings, her feet in ballet pumps. Beca’s eyes are smudged with charcoal black whilst Chloe’s are pearlescent, and she looks every inch the twenty-first century pop princess. Beca’s not sure what she looks like.

The photographer is a young guy, maybe a bit older than she is, wearing a fake waistcoat attached to a t shirt and skinny jeans. He ushers them together, keeps saying to act natural, which in mainstream media terms means attempt to look sexy and maybe pout a bit.

The pictures actually turn out pretty good. Beca gets more element as the shoot drags on, sticking her tongue out for the camera and laughing and trying not to cringe as she tries the sexy hair-flick, smouldering the camera over her shoulder.

It’s the pictures of them together that turn out the best, though. There’s this beautiful shot of the pair of them caught off guard, Chloe’s hand slung over Beca’s shoulder as she laughs, hand over her chest. She looks fucking ecstastic, just to be there, they both do; like they’re ecstatic to be together. It’s almost typical that that one doesn’t make the cover (they go with one of them both straightfaced, stood side by side, like they’ve never met in their lives). The picture doesn’t even make the article. But later on someone from the magazine sends her the unedited rough-cuts, and she saves that one photo to her hard drive.

(Eight months, two weeks and three days later that photo is her desktop background.)

Two hours later and the magazine has all the photos they need so they’re allowed to leave and Beca can keep the leather jacket.

(“I like it on you,” Chloe says, smoothing the leather out with her fingers, “You look super edgy.” Aka, it’s a real turn-on.)

On their way out from the building, Chloe pauses in the middle of the street like she’s suddenly had the best fucking idea. “Hey—my apartment is about a five minute cab ride from here. Do you want to head over there if you haven’t got plans? There’s something I’m desperate to try.”

Beca’s way too intrigued to possibly say no to that.

[avengerofyourheart]

Happy Accidents (reader x Bucky) [AH pt 10(End)]

Characters: reader x Bucky, Sam, Steve, Nat, Tony, Bruce (mentioned)

Summary: Reader stays home from a mission and Bucky returns with unexpected news that could change your life together forever. 

Warnings: lil angst, mostly fluff. Mentions of illness and possible pregnancy. 

Word Count: 4k. (last part, I needed all the words! )

A/N: Well, this is it!! The last part. It’s been a long time coming and I’m sorry about the wait, but I hope it’s worth it! This series was my baby. Part 1 was my first fic written and posted EVER. Thank you all for sticking around and supporting me and this series! Please let me know what you think! :)

Tags at the end. 

<<<Part 9  Part 10 (End)

Accidents Happen Series Masterlist 

___________________________________________________________

Previously:

“There really is no one like you, Y/N. It’s good to be home.”

Now that Bucky was back, the tower felt like home again to you, too.

________________

One Year Later

“I’m going.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Bucky. I feel fine!! I’ve been fine all morning. I am going on this mission.”

Bucky opened his mouth to protest, but your determined expression stopped him, throwing his hands up in surrender.

You smiled victoriously, gathering the last of your gear and tugging the zipper closed on your duffel. The both of you already wore your combat gear, ready to board the Quinjet that was leaving in 10 minutes. Steve had interrupted breakfast saying there was a last minute mission so you and Bucky, along with Bruce, Clint, and Steve were heading out as soon as possible. Steve protested your joining the mission, too, which annoyed you. What was up with that?

One last scan around the room to make sure you had gathered everything, you met Bucky’s eyes.

“You ready, babe?” you asked him.

“Yup. How ‘bout you, doll?”

You paused, holding up one finger before you bolted for the bathroom and lost your breakfast. Aw, crap.

Rinsing your mouth and seeing your own pale reflection, you knew Bucky was right.

Returning to the bedroom, Bucky was already on the phone.

“Yeah, Y/N still isn’t feeling well. Can Natasha cover for her?” he asked, waiting for Steve’s response. “Right. Okay.”

You sat down on the bed, feeling deflated.

Bucky caught your eye as he spoke to Steve, “Yeah, I know. We’ll talk when I get back. I’m on my way.”

The long-haired brunet hung up and came over to sit next to you, pulling you close with a kiss to your temple.

“This whole stomach flu thing sucks. I really thought I was over it!” you whined.

“I know, doll. You rest up and focus on feeling better. We should be gone 3 days, tops. I’ll be back before you know it.”

You sighed as Bucky stood and grabbed his own gear, planting a kiss on your cheek before heading out. He stopped in the doorway, looking back at you.

“I love you.”

Those words uttered from his lips still gave you butterflies as you smiled, “I love you, too.”

He waved a hand and he was gone, leaving you to strip off your combat suit and get back into pajamas.

After changing, you puttered around in stocking feet, gathering a blanket, water, and crackers before settling on the couch with the remote. Thankfully you were able to hole up in the apartment you shared with Bucky, hoping to avoid getting anyone else sick. Netflix had become your savior these past few days in between intervals of throwing up. Gross.

Ever since that first mission for Bucky, the both of you had gone out dozens of times, some together, others left one of you home waiting and worrying. The focus on training and feeling useful was good for Bucky. He hardly ever had nightmares anymore and when he did, once he knew he was safe at home with you by his side, the terror subsided.

Not that life was without its challenges. You and Bucky were still very different people so disagreements were bound to happen. There was the Empty Toilet Paper Roll Fiasco, the Incorrect Toothpaste Squeeze Disagreement, and of course the If-You-Don’t-Stop-Leaving-Damp-Towels-on-the-Bed-I’m-Gonna-Smother-You-In-Your-Sleep Conflict. Most were resolved quickly and without bloodshed.

Honestly, the both of you were pretty easy going so cohabitating was an easy transition, more or less. The constant reminder of “be careful” before missions and trying not to interfere in each others’ jobs in the field, that was harder to manage. It all worked itself out, though, as you made it clear that talking about it was always better. Not that you could keep things to yourself anyway.

While Bucky was on this particular mission, you did what you usually could to occupy your time, but it was just harder by yourself. In the afternoon of the second day, you ventured out into the common area to find Sam surfing through the cable channels. Screw the passing of germs, it was probably too late anyway.

“Hey, Birdbrain.”

“Hey, crazy girl. How you feeling?” said the man with a smile.

“Eh, a little better. But you know what would reeeeaaallly make me feel better?” you asked, batting your eyelashes at him.

He rolled his eyes, “Fine, Y/N. I’ll play your little game.”

“Yay!” you cheered, grabbing the card games and settling on the floor opposite Sam with the coffee table between you. “

________

Midway through the third day of the mission, you received a text from Bucky that they would return home that night. Ecstatic, you straightened up the apartment and went to the store to gather ingredients for Bucky’s favorite meal. Your stomach still couldn’t handle much food, but it was better today. Unsure of the time of his arrival, you prepared the meal and then set aside a plate that Bucky could reheat when he returned. You nibbled on a few things, but nothing really sounded good. Around seven o’clock, you settled on the couch to watch a movie and wait up for your handsome man.

Next thing you knew, you were waking up to daylight in your own bed with a warm hand rubbing your thigh throughout the blankets.

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

Turning toward the voice, you saw Bucky sitting on the edge of the bed with a smile on his face. You rolled over toward him, rubbing your eyes.

“What time is it?” you asked groggily.

“About 9:15 in the morning.”

“Wha…Nine?!? I sat down on the couch a little after 7 and must have drifted off. I slept…” you did the math in your fuzzy head, “Fourteen hours? I didn’t know I was so tired! I was gonna wait up for you!” you whined, annoyed at your lack of consciousness upon his arrival.

He chuckled, “It’s fine, doll. You need your rest. And I’m here, as promised. All is well.”

“Ugh. I feel like I’ve been so lazy lately. No energy to do anything. I wish I could kick this bug…”

Bucky gave you a close-lipped smile, a softness in his eyes, “Sit up for me, doll. Let’s talk.”

Eyeing him warily, you untangled yourself from the sheets and crawled to his side.

“Okay?” you questioned. “What’s up?”

Bucky cleared his throat, gathering your hands in his, “Do you remember that mission we went on a while back? We took down that arms dealer in Prague where you had to flirt with the old guy again and that red dress made another appearance? Even better in person, by the way.”

You giggled, “Yeah, I remember.”

“Well…you know how we got into an argument about how you went against Steve’s orders and took on the guards alone? I was so mad…” he trailed off, laughing at it now.

You bit your lip, remembering the fire in Bucky’s eyes as he yelled with concern for you to be more careful.

“Uh huh.”

“And how we stayed one night longer in the hotel room per Steve’s orders to cool off before heading home? He wanted us to kiss and make up. And make up we did,” Bucky grinned, remembering the fury and passion of that night, a flush rising to your face as well.

“That was a great night,” you swooned, leaning forward to capture your boyfriends lips in a kiss.

Bucky returned the kiss, smiling softly as he pulled away, then hesitating before he spoke again, “I also remember we weren’t particularly…careful…that night…”

He watched your expression, waiting for some recollection.

Brow furrowed, you thought for a moment, then agreeing, “Okay? I mean it was rare for us, but not the first time.”

“I know, but…it’s possible that that night is connected to how sick you’ve been the past 2 weeks,” Bucky spoke softly, rubbing his flesh hand up and down your back while his metal left still remained in your lap.

You remained silent, avoiding his gaze.

“Come on, Y/N. It must have crossed your mind…” He waited for your response and when it didn’t come, he tried again. “Y/N…doll, talk to me. I’m not used to pulling words out of you. In fact, you usually blurt out whatever you’re thinking before I can even ask.”

A laugh bubbled up thickly in your throat as you finally turned Bucky’s way with a sniffle, tears in your eyes.

“It did occur to me…” you began, pulling at a loose thread on the sleeve of your sweatshirt.

“And?”

“I pushed it away the second it came to mind. There was NO way that I…I couldn’t be…I just…I never wanted to be THAT girl,” you exclaimed wiping at unexpected tears angrily.

“What girl?” he asked in confusion.

“You know, the girl who gets knocked up by her boyfriend and never goes anywhere or does anything with her life. More than half the girls at my high school had little carbon copies of them running around within two years after graduating. IF they graduated. I never wanted to be like them,” you finished your rant, wrapping your arms around yourself.

Bucky tenderly placed a hand on either side of your face, meeting your gaze while thumbs brushed your cheekbones.

“Y/N…you are the furthest away from being one of those girls as a person can be,” he smiled. “You got out. You left that small town behind, got a college degree, moved to New York…You’re an Avenger! You travel the world with superheroes while you kick ass and take names. And you’re still an Avenger, no matter what. In whatever capacity you want with built in babysitters right here, should we need them.”

You adjusted yourself until you were knee to knee with Bucky, placing a hand on each of his magnificent thighs as he placed his own hands on your hips.

“Now…if you don’t want to do this…we’ll figure it out. And if you don’t want to do this with me, I underst…”

“Whoa! Wait a minute,” you interrupted harshly, stopping Bucky’s self-deprecating thoughts outright. It was your turn to grasp his handsome face to know you were being heard. “If THIS is happening at all, it’s happening with YOU. I love you, James Buchanan Barnes. With all my heart. You’re the only person in the world I would ever want to be in this situation with.”

He gave a grateful smile, placing his hands over yours and then pulling them into his lap.

“Besides, you’ve been dealing with my special brand of crazy for over a year and so far you haven’t run for the hills. I doubt I could break in someone new before THIS becomes a reality, so…”

Bucky chuckled, ”Well, then you’re stuck with me, then.”

“No, YOU are stuck with ME. Hot Super Soldier boyfriend who is also kind and caring and handsome? Yeah, I definitely got the better deal.”

“I beg to differ, my darling. You’re funny, gorgeous, amazing, honest, loving, fierce, and did I mention hot?”

You laughed, then turning serious. “Yeah, well. Maybe not for long. Because…I….am….” you struggled to form the last word and then blurted it, “...PREGNANT.”

“That’s my girl! See? Acceptance is the first step…or something,” Bucky said, grinning at you.

You slugged your hunky boyfriend in the arm, “This is your fault, Mr. Super Sperm.”

He threw his head back now in a full belly laugh, then leaning forward to capture your lips with his, muttering “I love you” against them.

“I will take full responsibility for that, my darling. Although, I could’ve sworn you were there, too…” his brow furrowed in mocking.

You shrugged in agreement, then questioning, “Seriously though, that serum is in your DNA, right? What does that mean for…” you pointed to your stomach, which still showed no difference.

Bucky sighed, “I don’t know, doll. It’s not like we have any other examples to go on. I breeched the subject to Steve a while back and he blushed so hard he couldn’t speak full sentences for an hour. But…that only becomes a question of importance if….”

A groan left your lips as you collapsed backwards onto the pillows. Bucky crawled up the bed to lay beside you as he gently pulled you close.

“This wasn’t in the plan!” you whined, dramatically covering your eyes with the crook of your elbow.

You heard a snicker, causing you to peek out at your boyfriend.

“What was that?”

“Nothing! It’s just…what plan? Sorry, doll, but honestly, nothing in our life together has really been planned. You kissed me one night, I kissed you back, we were together, then Nat found out about us and then everyone knew… I mean, we even moved in together on a whim. No planning.”

You thought back to that day six months ago. The two of you had been mildly bickering at breakfast about him needing a drawer for a few of his things at your place and him not having an actually drawer for you at his place. Tony rolled his eyes at you and blurted, “Why don’t you just move in together? There’s an available apartment a few floors down. Save us all the headache.” You met Bucky’s eyes, considering it, and you both shrugged and moved in the next day.

Truthfully, neither of you were planners. You were notoriously spontaneous about everything and Bucky had enough trouble keeping his mind out of the past and into the present to actually consider the future very often.

So, he had a point. Which made you even more nervous about this new endeavor.

“See? We’re not equipped to handle this! I’m kinda freaked out about the whole situation. Aren’t you freaking out?!?” you mildly screeched.

The handsome brunet chuckled, pressing a kiss to your temple, “Well, oddly enough, I’ve been sitting on this information for longer than you have, so I’ve already had my freak out, doll. Clint talked me down.”

“What? Clint knows?”

“Actually, Clint sort of recognized the signs and approached me. He’s been through it a few times before. You still claimed it was the flu, so he thought I should know. I nearly pulled my hair out, but it made sense.”

Hesitantly, you voiced your thoughts, “So…do you think we can do this? I mean, is this something you want?”

Bucky sighed, tracing patterns on your clothed stomach with his fingertips, “Honestly, this is another one of those things I never thought I’d have. I didn’t know if I could or if we should, but now that we’re here…yeah. I think I do. I mean, this is you and me. This right here is a result of two people who love each other very much and I’m with you all the way, good or bad….yes….or no.”

You thought about what he said, this potential offspring being half you and half the wonderful, amazing man you couldn’t imagine your life without. Now knowing where he stood, you considered your own feelings. Was this something YOU wanted? Despite never fully voicing or acknowledging them, there were thoughts in the back of your mind about maybe possibly one day settling down and having a family. This was a little soon, but Bucky was right. You weren’t one to plan, so maybe this was just the way it was meant to happen.

Flickering in your mind was the image of seeing Bucky hold his child for the first time with the biggest smile on his face and tears in his eyes, an exhausted but triumphant you next to him. This possible future was having an unexpected affect on you. Instead of the nausea that had plagued you for weeks, you felt something else brewing inside: excitement.

Meeting his eyes, you blinked away a few tears, took in a deep breath, held it, and then spoke in a burst of an exhale, “Okay.”

“Okay, what?”

“Yes. Let’s do it. Let’s have a baby, Mr. Barnes,” you smiled.

The biggest grin lit up his face, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you nodded.

Bucky kissed you, then letting out a loud whoop causing you to burst out in laughter. He returned his focus to your stomach, muttering as he kissed your currently nonexistent bump while you trailed your fingers through his chestnut locks.

You froze then, panic seizing you once again, “Wait, I didn’t get to finish my freak out! What if this super soldier baby is, like, extra strong and just busts out of my vag one day? Do you know anything about babies? Cause I don’t know anything about babies except that time I babysat my sister’s kids and one of them smeared paint all over the living room and she never let me watch them again which was probably a good thing. What about college? College is expensive!! We don’t even technically have incomes! We just kind of live here and do hero stuff so does Tony just foot the bill? Is that what Clint does? That doesn’t make any sense, I mean…”

Bucky let you rant for a few more minutes, trying to hide his amused smile. When you ran out of steam and took a breath, he kissed you and reached for his phone by the bedside.

“Y/N….I don’t know. A lot of that stuff, I don’t have answers for. But Clint said that all new parents come into this having no clue, so that was a little comforting. And as for the money stuff, we’ll figure it out. College is a little ways away so we have time. Hopefully he or she will be super smart as well as super strong so they can get a scholarship,” he smiled.

Scrolling through his phone, he found what he was looking for and clicked.

“Whatever comes, we will figure it out. Together. Clint also shared this song with me because it calmed him a little when Laura was first pregnant.”

Strumming of acoustic guitar began to play from his phone, “Do you recognize it?”

You frowned and shook your head, feigning ignorance.

“Finally!” he chuckled. “I’m ahead of you in the music game.”

You laughed at his joy over a so-called ‘win’, settling in to listen as he placed the phone gently on your stomach and pulled you close, nuzzling your neck.

People smile and tell me I’m the lucky one And we’ve just begun, I think I’m gonna have a son…

“Or daughter,” Bucky interjected as he nuzzled your cheek.

He will be like she and me as free as a dove conceived in love Sun is gonna shine above

Even though we ain’t got money, I’m so in love with you honey and everything will bring a chain of love And in the morning when I rise, You bring a tear of joy to my eyes And tell me everything is gonna be alright

Bucky then rolled off the bed and went searching through his top dresser drawer.

“What’re you doing there, Sarge?” you asked.

“I’ll have you know,” he answered, closing the drawer with something in his hand, “that I’ve had this for weeks, so there’s no shot gun involved. I was just waiting for the right time…”

He walked around to your side of the bed and knelt before you as the music played on.

And now a smile, a face, a girl who shares my name now I’m through with the game This boy will never be the same.

“What do you say, doll? Will you marry me?” he popped the question as a square velvet box was opened before you, a modest diamond ring nestled inside.

Tears sprung to your eyes, shock evident in your features. Brushing the phone off your torso, you sat up quickly, hands covering your mouth. You dropped your legs off the side of the bed and slid down to kneeling on the floor with feet tucked under you. Bucky sat down before you, ring still on display.

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed.

Bucky urged you on, eyebrows raised, “And?”

Meeting his eyes, you smiled, “Yes.”

He captured your lips with his, a beaming smile on both your faces. He took the ring out intending to slip it on your finger when you stopped him, placing a hand over his.

“But I have one request. Sell the diamond.”

“What?” he questioned, almost angry.

“I don’t need a diamond. If we’re serious about this future and this baby and money and everything else, I want a simple band. That’s it. And you wear one, too. It’s always bugged me that only the girl wears an engagement ring, I mean, is the guy less committed? Why does he still look available at first glance? I don’t like it. And speaking of equality, the whole sharing your name thing? We should talk about that…”

“You’re right, you’re right,” Bucky chuckled in interruption, shaking his head in disbelief. “You are the most unique girl I’ve ever met, Y/N. And I love you for it.”

“I don’t doubt that,” you grinned, leaning in to kiss your fiancé.

You pulled back, foreheads touching as he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear.

Frowning slightly, you had a thought, “Guess I should actually take a test of some sort, huh? Pee on a stick to make it official?”

He shook his head in laughter, “Nat bought one for when you were ready. I’ll text her.”

“Nat knows? And Clint? Guess we should tell the whole team then…”

Bucky offered a sheepish smile, “Sorry, doll, but…everyone kind of already knows. Nat picked up on your symptoms not long after Clint, I had to tell Steve to keep you off missions and Thor, well...when you burst into tears after he finished the last pop tart you had your heart set on, I had to tell him something. Sam overheard me talking to Steve. Why else do you think he played those card games with you even though he hates it? Tony was the last one left since he had been all wrapped up in a project, but Steve told him this morning.”

You let out a huff with a frown, “That takes the fun out of it.”

“Well…we still have your parents to tell…”

Eyes wide, you let that sink in, “Son of a biscuit, you’re right...”

To Bucky’s surprise, you stood suddenly and headed for the elevator.

“Where are we going?” he asked, falling into step with you.

“I figure I should practice before then and why not start right now?” you said, pressing the button for the common room floor in the elevator. The ride only took a few seconds.

Bucky just followed your lead, used to your unexpected antics by now. Exiting the elevator, you could see most of the team present so you took a deep breath.

“HEY GUESS WHAT BUCKY KNOCKED ME UP AND NOW WE’RE GETTING HITCHED ISN’T THAT GREAT?” you yelled at the top of your lungs with a huge smile on your face.

A few of the Avengers had flinched at your volume initially, but then just shook their heads with smiles and left whatever activity they were working on. Soon the whole team was giving hugs and patting Bucky on the back, all of them offering “congrats” and “finally’s”

“This calls for celebration!” Tony exclaimed with a clap of his hand, then asking JARVIS to order some pickles and ice cream to be delivered ASAP. He thought he was funny. And he was right, not that you let him know. That combination did sound oddly satisfying, though…

Bucky returned to your side, gathering you in his arms and pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“You ready for this, doll?” he whispered.

“Not in the slightest,” you answered truthfully. “But it’ll be a great adventure.”

“The greatest,” he agreed with a smile.

“We still need to have a private celebration of our own, you know,” you grinned at him, wiggling your eyebrows.

He chuckled in disbelief, “You sure you’re up for that, doll?”

“Always, Hot Stuff,” you winked, smacking your fiancé’s shapely behind before rejoining the group. He just shook his head and followed.

A lot of your life together had been accidental, but to you they had all been happy accidents because they brought you here. And there was nowhere else in the world you’d rather be.

__________________________________________________________

Song link: Danny’s Song by Kenny Loggins

Whew!! I did it!! My very first ever series is now complete. I had this last part mostly written for months but I had some trouble letting go for some reason. But here we are. It’s time. I really hope you liked this ending and found it fitting. Please let me know! Message, comment, ask, reply, whatever. You are all awesome and I love you. :) 

p.s. Permanent Tag List is CLOSED. 

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[amerart]

“Alright Ada, let’s try THIS one on for size.” The scrap of notebook paper rustled as it was unfolded; me and the other girls crowded in, eager to see this foretelling of my future.

“Lucky you, you got an Oldsmobile!” My friend, whose name was Ferngully, announced.

“Noooo!” I clutched a stuffed giraffe close for support, feigning agony.

“And you’re going to live in a hunter’s shack in the woods. In Canada. With your ten kids AND your mangy old dog.”

There was a chorus of giggles; attempting to join them, I made a strange, mechanical chortling sound.

“And lastly- oh Ada, this one’s SO unfair I might just cry!” Ferngully grabbed a box of fairy-scented tissues and pretended to dab at the edges of her eyes.

I raised an eyebrow. “Do tell?”

“You’re going to marry…an ultra-romantic BILLIONAIRE!”

The other girls burst out clapping; as I lacked the capability of blushing, I just felt a weird heat rising around my face.

“What kind of idiot marries an android in the first place? That’s like, marrying your toaster.” I muttered, stuffing my face with a few leftover Valentine’s Day chocolates.

“ADA!” Ferngully scolded, smacking me with a frilly pink pillow and causing chunks of chocolate to spill out of my mouth. “Don’t say mean things about yourself! I’m sure you’ll find a nice, rich, robot-loving man EVENTUALLY… And when you do, I expect you to invite us all over, all the time, for sleepovers and parties!”

I sighed, putting my arms behind my head and leaning against an enormous fluffy dog plush. “When android-human marriages become a thing, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay, time for the next game!” Ferngully announced, clapping her hands. “Let’s play... Truth or Dare! Ada, since you got the best deal out of the last game, we’re gonna ask you first. Truth, or Dare?”

“I pick Truth.” I said, wary of the wild dares the girls were bound to come up with.

“Ada haz chosen ze TRUTH!” Ferngully shouted, and the girls put their heads together, whispering and trying to make sure I didn’t overhear, which was kind of pointless given they were well aware of my enhanced hearing abilities.  

“Alright, here’s your question…” Ferngully cleared her throat. “What do you wish for?”

I blinked at her, feeling the gears whirr slowly in my mechanical head. “There’s my Prime Directive, if that’s what you mean… I thought I already told you guys all about that?”  

“Not that, you silly ‘bot… I mean, what’s your WISH? What do you want out of life? Do you wanna like, kiss a cute boy? Or go skydiving? Or go swimming in a pool of sharks or what?”

I made a totally grossed-out face. None of those things sounded appealing in the slightest, especially the bit about swimming with the sharks. Then my expression softened. “I mean, there’s this one thing, but it’s like, super personal.”

“Come on, now you GOTTA tell!” The other girls insisted.

“Yeah Ada, it’s truth or dare! You HAVE to tell!” Ferngully said.

“Alright, I guess…” I grabbed another pillow, this one white with a unicorn stitched onto it. “But you can’t make fun of me, okay?”

“We won’t, we promise.” Everyone agreed.

I took a deep breath. “Okay, I really, reaaaallly want to win the school beauty paegent. Like, I don’t just want to be IN it, I want to WIN it. Sorry it’s kind of a stupid wish, they probably don’t even let androids into stuff like that anyway, and even if I did there’s no way I could win ‘cause my skin is all weird and sometimes I just straight up forget how to move…”  

“Omg Ada, that’s the most amazing wish ever!” Ferngully beamed.

I looked up from the pillow I had buried my face in. “Really?”

“Totally! And according to the Android-Amendment law they just put in, they HAVE to let you join or else its unfair and the school could get sued.”

“We can help you find a dress and help you with your makeup and everything!” Another one of the girls said, and the others nodded along.

I felt the weird burning sensation again, but managed to smile weakly. “If you say so…”

And that was how, one month later, I found myself wandering the aisles of the biggest department store I had ever seen, nearly in tears (androids can’t actually cry, but at the moment I sure felt like I could). “Stupid robot, you should have just let your friends help you like they wanted to.” I muttered to myself. “But no, you gotta go do it ALL by yourself.”

Pop music was being piped in through unseen speakers; more than one person was unconsciously mouthing the words or moving to its rapid beat. I spied several lemon-scented candles hidden surreptitiously throughout the store; I’m sure they would have smelled wonderful, if androids had only been gifted with the ability to smell.

In two hours I had examined at least ten, twenty different dresses, but found some deal-breaking flaw in almost every single one. Too long, too short, too much glitter, not enough glitter… The only one I HAD liked ended up not even fitting. Not for the first time, I cursed my ungainly, mechanical body, and immediately felt horrible.

How would my Maker feel, if he knew I was thinking such terrible things about his most exceptional creation? I fingered my communication pod through the pockets of my time-thinned jeans. Should I go home? No. Not yet. Just a little longer- I was sure I would find something soon.

           “Welcome, shoppers!” I jumped as a Vision Screen, one of at least thirty scattered around the store, flashed on in front of me. “We’ll get you looking from DRAB to FAB in ten minutes flat, or it’s on us!”

I watched, mesmerized, as every screen changed in perfect sync. The next commercial was some kind of advertisement from a local pet store; squirming puppies, mewling kittens, and even a sullen-looking baby hedgehog all filled the screens with their pitiful whining. I smiled to myself; being an android did have its perks after all, and immunity to cute animals was one of them.

Nearby, a group of girls, high schoolers by the look of it, stood fawning and squealing.

“Awww, look at that puppy, I could just eat him up!” One of them swooned.

“Look, they’ve even got little baby mice!”

I froze, my gaze locked on one of the screens.

“Awww they’re so tiny and cute!”

Had I been human, surely at the moment I would have retched all over the polished marble floor. Mice… Why did it have to be mice?

I began to feel dizzy, a lifetime of horror stories and panic attacks coming into my mind. Tiny mice with their sharp teeth, chewing up circuitry and defecating inside mechanical hearts; mice, tunneling through paper-thin synthetic skin, turning stomachs into nests; and the worst vision of all: a hoard of mice that had overpopulated and now poured out of their victim’s mouth like some kind of sick, twisted beehive.

I fished my communication pod out of my pocket, and dialed a number.

“I need you to come get me. Please.” I sounded hysterical and hated myself for it, but I couldn’t help it right now.

“I’m on my way, Ada.” My Maker’s voice was gentle, though with a curiously flat air that only a scientist could possess.

The advertisement on the Vision Screens had changed by now, but the images of the revolting rodents continued to run in the wheel of my mind, their menacing, squeaky voices forming a disconcerting harmony.

When my Maker messaged me that he had arrived, I bolted out of the store, ready to be free of that horrible place.

“So was your acquisition of finery a success?” He asked, once we were safely strapped inside our electric travel vessel and hurtling down the expressway.

 I leaned my head against one of the cool glass window. “Nope.”

“Aw, sweet, what’s vexing you?”

I debated whether or not to tell him; it wasn’t that he wouldn’t listen, it was just that I wanted my feelings heard, not psycho-analyzed.

“It’s just that…” I fumbled with a stray wire sticking out of my arm. “Nothing fits me. Not clothes, not school, not anything. It’s like I don’t even belong in this world.”

“Oh sweet, you know that’s nothing but nonsense, mere balderdash.”

I lifted my face from the window. “Oh yeah? Is that why I always get picked last for kickball, and why I can’t find a single dress that fits, and why I flip out every time someone mentions the word ‘pool’? Is that all nonsense?”

My Maker sighed a deep, long sigh. For a minute, he dropped the scientific edge that tended to flavor his speech. “Oh Ada… Don’t you know that all of us feel like that sometimes? Everyone, whether human or android or somewhere in between, is going to feel out of place at some point.”

I made the robot equivalent of a sniffle. “Even batty old scientists?”

My Maker nodded. “Even batty old scientists. You’ll figure it all out, sweet. I promise.”

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, as I contemplated his words. Upon arriving home, I stumbled out of the travel vessel and headed for my recharge chamber.

“Hold on Ada, there is something I must show you.” My Maker said, unlocking the code-sealed door to his lab. I followed him inside, not hesitating as a red line scanned my face and two more lights scanned the rest of me.

It wasn’t especially large as far as labs went, but every inch was covered with a mix of papers and loose mechanical parts.              

I plopped down in one a battered swivel chair, feeling it pop and squeak as I spun around and around. Quickly growing bored, I turned and viewed the huge, lightning-blue screens that dominated one full wall of the lab. On it was something like blueprints, with the outline of a human figure drawn in smart white lines. I read the captions, though I knew them all by heart.

Ada Atmore, Version 13.5. Hair color: Platinum. Eyes: Copper. Height: 5’’1. Weight: 115 lbs.

I spun in my chair, tasting the labels that gave me being. There was a bunch of science-y stuff on there too that I didn’t really get, but I figured it was probably important.

“Ada!” I spun to face my Maker. “Activate the light for me, will you sweet?”

I raced for the switch, and saw that it illuminated a faceless, me-sized mannequin, upon which sat the most beautiful dress I had ever seen.

“Is that… for me?” I whispered, staring at it.

“I was going to conserve it for your next upgrade day, but given the circumstances regarding the shopping event, I postulated it would be best to give it to you now. My Maker sounded very pleased with himself. “It is composed of a special nanotechnology involving mechanical spiders, snakeskin, and good old fashion cotton.”

I could care less what it was made of; I was just happy that it existed.

“Thank you, Maker, thank you!” I squealed, embracing him in an awkward hug (scientists, as a rule, would rather have the plague that be hugged, but at the moment I didn’t care.)

“I am glad you like it, Ada. Now, go to that pageant and make me proud!” He said, in a sudden moment of almost fatherly pride.

I grinned and agreed with him. Before I knew it, another month had flown by, and suddenly the big night had arrived.

We joined the stream of people filling the crowded auditorium; I was quickly herded off backstage by a chaperone, while my Maker waved me off and took a seat.

Having already prepared hours beforehand, I stood around uselessly while everyone else made last minute applications of make-up and hairstyle changes. The air was a thick haze of hairspray and anxiety; I heard a few people sneeze. In one corner, two figures sat huddled by an outlet, frantically waving a decrepit hairdryer.

“ADA!” I heard Ferngully’s voice, and suddenly I was being bowled over in a hug.

“You came!” I said.

“Don’t sound so surprised!” Ferngully chided playfully. “I could be DEAD, and I would still come to my best friend’s big night.”

“I don’t think you’re even supposed to be back here.” I laughed, though secretly I was glad for her presence. The two of us made our way to the big, thick curtain that was the color of India Ink and peeked out, scanning the crowd.

“There’s a lot more people than I thought there would be.” I confided to Ferngully.

“Omg Ada, is that your dad?” She asked, elbowing me. It took me a few seconds to spot my Maker, but there he was in the front row, wearing the most hideous outfit I had ever seen.

“May Asimov have mercy on his soul.” I muttered, closing the curtain again.

“Looks like they’re calling lineup.” Ferngully said, giving me an inspiring shoulder punch. “Now go out there and SLAY!” She then disappeared, headed to her place in the audience.

“First up, we have Katie Abbot!” The first girl in the lineup scurried forward, and vanished to the other side of the curtain.

Somewhere behind me, the people with the hairdryer had turned it up to maximum power in a last-ditch effort to make it work.

I turned my attention back to the curtain as the second name was called. I felt my heart quicken. It looked like they were going in alphabetical order, which meant my turn wasn’t far behind.

“Hey, does anyone else smell something burning?” One of the other girls said, but her concern went unnoticed.

“Next up, we have Vernelle Allgood!” One more, and then it was my turn. I picked at my dress, then picked at my synthetic skin, realizing just how many tiny flaws it contained.

Apparently the burning smell had intensified, as a few people were actually starting to cough. Its source wasn’t hard to find- despite being unplugged, the hairdryer was now issuing copies amounts of acrid smoke.

“And now we have our very own Ada Atmore, Android Extraordinaire!” I cringed; I hadn’t wanted to put that in the program, but my Maker had insisted. I slipped out from behind the curtain, feeling extremely self-conscious and having more than a few second thoughts about this whole thing.

“GO ADA! WE LOVE YOU!” My Maker shouted from the front row, surrounded by a number of his scientist friends whom had had dragged along.

I stepped to the front of the stage and smiled as broadly and naturally as I could manage. “Tonight, I will be singing Porter Robinson’s Goodbye to a World.” I said, hating the tremor in my voice but plunging on ahead despite it.

It wasn’t just my voice that trembled; my whole being felt like it was going to fall apart from the shaking. Yet as I began to sing, something changed. My voice became louder and louder, my hands more steady; every insult, every self-deprecating thing I felt about myself began to fade.  

Halfway through the song, a metallic ringing sound reached my ears. Someone’s cell phone, perhaps? Surely they would notice and turn it off, sooner or later. But it continued, and with a jolt, people began to get up from their seats. The smoke, the ringing, the sound of something hissing overhead, could only mean one thing, something I feared even more than mice.

I kept singing, even as the deluge of water from the overhead sprinklers hit me. Even as my body crackled and collapsed, and electricity turned my voice into a mechanical mess, I kept singing. I had to do this. I had to finish the song.  

Only when my Maker rescued me from the sopping stage did I finally stop.

“Did I win?” I gurgled, water filling my mechanical lungs.

“Of course you did, sweet.” I felt him press the first place medal into my hand. “Just like we knew you would.” Through rapidly fading vision, I saw Ferngully whisper anxiously in his ear.

“She is not unfixable.” He said. “Though she certainly won’t be the one we knew before tonight. That Ada is gone.” He hefted my falling-apart body as though were light as air. “In her place, a new Ada, a brighter and bolder Ada than we’ve ever seen before.”

And together, the three of us made our way out of the soaking auditorium, to a world made brand new.