#anyway. she only works over here if someone is sick enough to call out w no cover which is like maybe once every 4 months so

[wall-eye]

If you annoy people for fun, don't be surprised when people don't like you

Work rant in tags. Didn't know there was a 30 tag limit lol

[trashogram]

Ok the Hazbin/Reader Cheating scenario but w/o Lucifer (my lil man can’t be the only guilty one here):

Alastor

So the issue I have with Alastor is that it would have to be convoluted to a point. The idea of him cheating on you (physically/sexually) with someone he does not actually care about but wants for a specific purpose could be something. However, that would require no deal-making on his end, so sex is the best way to do it bc reasons — and Alastor isn’t sex-repulsed here, but he does justify it to himself to betray you do this as a means to an end, so it’s meaningless. Sex isn’t a huge deal to him anyway really, or so he tells himself while purposefully not thinking about how it’s a way he’s been bonding with you intimately. What you don’t know won’t hurt you and hey, Alastor might even rationalize it as what’s best for you as a couple.

Alastor’s doesn’t even have to be sexual necessarily though. It could be a betrayal based on loyalties alone — once he’s free of his deal to assist Charlie, he turns his back on the hotel, and you. Alastor is convinced he could bring you back to him after all is said and done. (He is wrong of course, and the only thing left to him is ashes and memories.)

Angel Dust

Angel Dust and you might seem like an unconventional couple, because you’re so supportive and understanding about his work. He’s a sex worker and you have never and will never judge him. So it may not be sexual cheating that breaks you, but emotional. Perhaps you find him and Husk discussing something deeply personal and private, Husk comforts him, and Angel has never discussed this with you and doesn’t appear to have any intention to do so. You don’t want to make it about you but you spiral as you see them so warm and intimate, as if they share something that Angel and you can’t.

You decide that you would rather bow out than interrupt what might be the beginning of an even better love story than you and Angel, but it destroys you. You can’t stay in the hotel if you’re gonna step aside. All of this is done without a word. (Angel doesn’t understand. Without you, his progress deteriorates and he spends more and more time in a drug-fueled haze, crying because Fat Nuggets always waits for you at the door.)

Charlie

You love Charlie so much, and she doesn’t give you cause to doubt her love for you… except you didn’t know she and Vaggie were a thing. You catch them together after you’ve spent so much time hating yourself for questioning things and they’re telling each other how much they missed each other in-between kisses. Your soul is crushed. Your world has disappeared out from under you. How could you ever trust anyone ever again if someone as wonderful-seeming as Charlie could betray you like this?

You leave, trying to be strong. Everything is left behind. Even just a commercial or a flyer makes you sick to your stomach, reminding you that you weren’t enough. (Meanwhile Charlie is tearing herself apart trying to find you. The idea of redemption is tainted now because she can never forgive herself, much less expect you to forgive her.)

Husk

You made him believe in love again, and it’s a source of pride for you. He’s cutting back on the booze too, or at least he was until you count his bottles and see the tally is back up one night. And it’s all downhill from there. You catch him cheating and if anyone else could’ve known, it would be Alastor. He doesn’t mince words, takes pleasure in telling you how long it’s been going on while you were completely naive to it. You poor thing, it’s not your fault.

You listen until he’s finished and politely thank him. Alastor doesn’t bother to ask if you’ll be back when you walk out of the Hotel. It’s more entertaining to watch everyone have a conniption over why you’re missing. Oddly enough though, Husk’s reaction isn’t as entertaining as he’d thought it would be. (He never talks anymore; just pours drinks and does Al’s dirty work when it calls for it. Tsk, tsk, you broke one of Alastor’s favorite toys so completely that there’s just no life left in him anymore.)

Vaggie

She accepts that Charlie can’t get past the lying about her angelic origins and finds a new love in you. You’re kind and genuine, you don’t deserve to be in Hell. And Vaggie doesn’t deserve you. She still has feelings for the Princess and acts on them. Stupid. How could she do this to you? You’re the one she really wants!

Vaggie does something she hasn’t done since she was still in Heaven. She prays for you after you’ve left the hotel. It’s a futile endeavor, but it brings some comfort. (Until the extermination happens and she sees you, being outnumbered. She’s quick to come to your aid, calling out for you. You make eye contact at the same time the exterminator’s weapon goes right through you.)

Sir Pentious

You admired Pentious, and stuck up for him when the other residents would talk down to him. He’s so sweet, even more so when you become a couple. Although you do feel a little bad about yourself with how he blushes when Cherri comes around. He assures you, of course, that she’s his enemy and he absolutely adores you.

You’re late to join your friends at the Consent Club, but you do make it in time to see Angel tell Valentino off. You’re proud, but when you ask where Sir Pentious is, your friends all freeze. After a long moment, you’re guided to the ‘Sex Room’ and you’re left to see Pentious and Cherri inside. It doesn’t matter that your friends are all calling for you to come back, you race to the hotel and gather your things and go. (Sir Pentious dies for his friends, and in what he believes are his final moments, he thinks of you. When he arrives in Heaven, it’s a cruel twist of fate. He tries to convince Emily that he doesn’t belong there. Betraying you should have certified his place in Hell.)

[ticklepinions]

The Side Effects of Caffeine

A/N: I know what I'm doing. And I'm not sorry about it. This may backfire in some way but I'm still gonna have a lot of fun. Tagging @writingwitharlo your writing inspired this. And @happyandticklish because you will find out soon enough~. And the lovely @nhasablogg who deserves nothing but happiness.

Warning: mentions of not eating

Word Count: ~1334

Charlie downed his 4th coffee in the past 2 hours. Finals were well on their way, so time was certainly not of the essence. Charlie wasn't a huge coffee drinker, he found it to be really bitter, which is why he pumped a lot of sugar into it. He sat there at his desk, practically vibrating as the caffeine coursed through his veins. Why did math have to be so stupid? I mean who decided that adding letters with numbers was a good idea??? Charlie's stomach grumbled, reminding the boy that he hadn't eaten anything besides 4 large cups of caffeine juice. He didn't have much of an appetite anyway, stress did that sometimes. These problems wouldn't solve themselves, and there wasn't even much time.

His phone was buzzing with notifications from his friends and boyfriend bombarding him with "good luck"s and "are you okay"s. He's been ignoring them for, uh even he doesn't know how long. 

"Someone's here to see you," Tori commented, taking a sip of her water. 

Unfortunately, Charlie was far too focused to hear her.

Rolling her eyes she threw the nearest pillow at the lad. 

"T-Tori what was that for??" Charlie said, turning around with an exasperated look on his face. She had disappeared way before he could even mention the need to study for the "most important test of his life". 

"Charlie..?" Nick said, poking his head in the room.

"Hi… Can't really talk right now, have to study" answered hurriedly.

Nick looked around the cluttered room and back at the boy who he loved, who was sitting slouched over a pile of scattered papers. He could practically feel the anxious energy oozing out of Charlie as he raced to put pencil to paper and muttered incoherent words to himself. Nick could tell he probably didn't sleep much as even his eye bags had eye bags. Not to mention the bed hair- normally, Charlie was more put together than this.

It really hurt Nick's heart to see someone he loved in such a state. He quietly approached him and placed a comforting hand on Charlie's shoulder. The boy flinched.

"Charlie-"

"I love you but I just can't talk right now. I've been working on this stupid problem for forever. I just can't right now I'm sorry" Charlie blurted out, unaware of Nick's frowning face. 

"Charlie…"

"Nick I said I can't talk right now!" he yelled, pulling at his hair. 

Nick didn't know what came over him. There was a vicious protectiveness that just took over his body. He couldn't let Charlie go through this alone. He pulled Charlie out of his chair and threw him on the bed, quickly pinning his arms and straddling his waist.

Charlie wasn't prepared for the whirlwind of events that took place. Nick actually raised his voice at him. Not maliciously of course, but it was loud enough to get his attention. Reality came flooding back and he saw how distraught Nick had looked, all because he was worried sick about him. 

"... Charlie please let me help you, you don't have to go through this alone. I can get you some snacks and help you study. I don't like seeing you being so mean to yourself. And call it selfish or whatever but I demand that you take care of my boyfriend" 

Tears welled up in Charlie's eyes. Nick wrapped him up in a tight hug and Charlie sniffled out a soft thank you. It was a sweet moment, only to be interrupted by a weird item in Nick's pocket that was stabbing him. 

"W-what's in your pocket?"

"Oh! I brought you some apple slices" Nick said, fumbling around until he pulled out a plastic bag filled with a LOT apple slices. 

"I uh thought we could share"

"You're such a dork Nick Nelson"

"Learned from the best~" 

Charlie let out a giggle as Nick sniffed at his neck. 

"Whahat are you doing?" 

"You smell like coffee" Nick said, scrunching up his nose rather adorably. 

"S-sor- hehehey ohohokayyy" Charlie giggled as he was poked in the side.

"No s-words. How much did you have Char?" 

Charlie blushed at being called that nickname.

"Enough that I could smell color" he replied without blinking.

"Charlie…"

"NiCk" 

The boys laughed. Nick kissed Charlie's forehead and pushed him further up the bed. 

"Would a break be okay? I promise I won't distract you afterwards"

Charlie nodded, appreciating being so close to his boyfriend after such a long day. Nick was resting his head on Charlie's chest. Charlie in turn threaded his fingers through Nick's hair, giving his head a kiss every so often. 

"Char?" 

"Mhm?"

"Would tickles help? You could tickle me if you want- or I could tickle you?"

Charlie's cheeks burned. He did want to get his mind off of the test for a while. And he knows that he could trust Nick with his body. But giving an audible answer was something even Charlie Spring couldn't do. Instead, the lad guided Nick's head on his tummy. 

"Let me know if it gets too much okay?"

With that Nick slid his head under Charlie's shirt. Nick couldn't tell if the vibrating was due to the loads of caffeine Char ingested or because his lips were kissing Char's very ticklish tummy. 

With every kiss, Charlie's tummy quivered and a warm feeling was building inside his chest. It felt great but it was tickly enough for a smile to be permanently plastered on his face. Light chuckles began emanating from his lips as he subconsciously wrapped his arms around his middle, effectively trapping Nick. 

A muffled noise soon followed, it sounded something like a "you know I heard caffeine has a lot of side effects and can be dangerous if not treated directly".

Charlie looked at Nick, who slipped out of his shirt, beaming up at him with his classic smirk. Nick's chin was lightly placed on Charlie's tummy, still extremely sensitive from the kisses.

"And one of the side effects is that it makes you more… ticklish"

Charlie threw his head back as Nick's thumbs gently squeezed his hips. His hands grabbing onto Nick's shoulders as he then keeled over in laughter. 

"NIHIHICK NOHOHO-" 

"But I must save my boyfriend from the caffeine! Hmm maybe we can tickle it out of you?"

Charlie squealed as Nick's thumbs dug gentle circles into his hips. That jerk tickled as slow as possible, really letting Charlie feel all the ticklish sensations. 

Nick was having a field day. He always loved to tickle Charlie, seeing him smiling and laughing made him ten times more happy. Now the poor lad was spinning around and around trying to evade his strong fingers. 

"Get back here you~" Charlie had almost slipped away but Nick quickly caught and tickled his waist as he pulled him back. 

Charlie would be lying if he said this wasn't really fun. He was now thrown over Nick's shoulders, absolutely going bonkers as the golden retriever found a new toy to entertain himself with; Charlie's thighs. Peals of laughter deep within Charlie's core echoed throughout the room. 

"NIHIH- NAHA- WHY- DO- SHIT- plehehehease-" 

He could barely get a word out as he squealed between bouts of hearty laughter. His begging wasn't because he wanted it to stop. He was finally at the point where he let go. No thoughts of the stupid math problem plagued his mind. All he could think of was how badly Nick's fingers clawing his inner thighs tickled, and how badly he wanted to give Nick a taste of his own medicine (especially because he made him snort). 

His legs kicked wildly and Nick was struggling to keep him still. And then it happened. Charlie's laugh went silent, and Nick wanted nothing more than to see his face. In a quick turn of events Charlie's back was once again on the bed. Nick loomed over him, just in awe of the blushy boy, the boy who was clutching his tummy, still overtaken by ticklish aftershocks. 

1 rugby lad + 1 anxious nerd = 1 perfect pairing. And that's the only equation that matters at the end of the day. 

[milkteahood]

Our very first kiss

Just some short thing I thought about while I couldn’t sleep. Contains some Karl hating on himself, but overall pretty fluffy

It was no mystery Karl hated Miranda and the rest. To him, you were his only family, and he had to keep you safe. He couldn’t let them find you, who knows what the fuck Miranda would do.

The two of you met a couple of years ago, after you went traveling and go lost in this village. You asked around but no one seemed to know the way out, as if they themselves were trapped in. So when one day you saw him walking in the village and noticed one of the woman address him with “Lord Heisenberg” you thought to yourself he must know the way out.

He quickly realized you’re not a local, you didn’t even have to open your mouth about it, just the casual way you approached him, no fear, no treating him like some sort of king. But he couldn’t get out either, but you seemed so interesting, he didn’t want to tell Miranda about you, he wanted to talk more to you, finally, someone from the outside, you could tell him so much about the world.

Well one led into another and you ended up staying at the factory. You were very skeptical when we told you the truth about the village, about himself, it all sounded like a fairly tail. But he proved himself, so you stayed.

You two grew very fond of each other over the months and he found himself caring about you more and more. You wouldn’t be mean, wouldn’t call him a child, you would actually be interested in his work. He was very surprised at how excited you were about his experiments.

“How on earth did you make that work? Omg how did you put it like that?? Holy damn that’s so cool” was all you’d say every time he showed you something. He felt safe with you, almost like a child wanting to show you his drawings.

So when one day he told you “I have to attend a stupid meeting with that bitch Miranda and the rest of her ugly freaks. Now I know how excited you are about the factory but don’t wander on your own. These things could and will kill you”, you did just that. He offered you every book he had, so you spent your time reading.

Later that day you started hearing metal being thrown around. At first you thought it was just the lycans but you decided to check anyway thinking that they shouldn’t destroy anything important. When you reached the source of the sound you were surprised to see it was actually Karl who was throwing metal around in an angry fit.

You approached him softly “Karl?” no answer, but now he was just staring at the wall, his back facing you. “Karl? Did something happen” you asked approaching further. “Get out” was the only answer you were met with “hey...you can talk to me” “GET THE FUCK OUT ALREADY” he regretted screaming at you the instant it happened but oh how angry he was, and now he expected you to leave. But you didn’t leave and he found himself being hugged from behind. He wanted to hug you back, he really did, but instead he softly pushed you away “you need to stay far away from me” he told you “I’m a monster, don’t you fucking see? I’m nothing but what that whore made me! I-I...I’m a disgusting freak god damn it!” he screamed and flipped the entire table without even touching it. Seeing him in this state only made you wonder what happened at that meeting. He looked so hurt, in so much pain.

“Karl, you’re not a monster, to me you’re not, I have never seen you as one”

“You will soon enough” he said, his back facing you again

“I strongly doubt that, now come on..you really look like you could use a hug”.

He turned around but stood there, not moving, almost as if he was hoping you’d be the one to hug him again, so he doesn’t have to admit just how hurt he is.

You figured that much out, you knew Karl was a man with a huge ego, bigger than his hammer and he won’t so easily admit he needs you.

After you wrapped your arms around him for the second time, he stood there for a while, not sure if he should hug you. Should he just scare you off? Should he threaten you to leave?

“I’m not getting any younger here”. Your comment stopped his train of thoughts and he very hesitantly hugged you back. You squeezed a bit tighter when he reciprocated hugging you tighter too.

“What am I to you? How do you see me?” he broke the silence after what felt like hours.

You chuckled a little to yourself, not sure if this was the right time to say exactly what you thought.

“What’s so funny?” he looked down at you, frustrated to why you’re laughing at such a serious question.

“Well, with all due respect, or not, I see you as a really smart guy, funny, great to be around, but with a temper as short as the length of an ant and an ego bigger than your sister”

“She’s not my god damn sister” he said between his teeth, although he rest make him chuckle too.

“A-and...I..I really care about you” you said looking up at him. He looked surprised, almost in disbelief, why would you ever care about him?

He cared about you too, but he didn’t want to admit you care. He was scared this was just a sick joke. You could see he’s not giving you any answer, so you started panicking. Was this not a right time to say it? “I-I mean..” “kiss me” was all he said. Now it was your turn to be surprised “w-wha-“ “I said kiss me”.

And that’s how it happened, that’s how you two shared your first kiss. You held his face gently and cupped his cheeks, still unsure of your movements. He held you by your waist and as you kissed him, he only wrapped your arms around you harder. It was soft and tasted like metal and tobacco.

[saprophetic]

hi besties i'm finally making a post abt my feelings on forsaken! namely the fact that it absolutely could have — and should have — been avoided. (ft. Cayde's Death Was His Fault And He Knew It.)

both petra and cayde, when they brought uldren to the prison of elders, knew that there was something wrong. petra, one of the people who knew uldren the best, could tell that he wasn't himself — she didn't know about the taken bullshit + that the hallucinations were from riven, but...

(from Free | Part II in the Forsaken Prince lorebook)

They take him to a discreet landing dock on one of the lower levels of the Prison of Elders. When his containment unit hisses open, the glow and the mist silhouette an Exo with glowing blue eyes and a woman with her weapon drawn. Petra herself.

She stands there in silence. He knows she wants to kill him. He knows she wishes him to say, "You've done well."

"She speaks to you?" Her words are curt and direct. "What does she say?"

As he looked into the prince's eyes, he saw a fleeting shadow of darkness dance across their normal ethereal golden glow. Variks looked back to Petra.

"Petra Venj… I—I do not understand."

"I know. It's… Something's wrong with him, Variks. He's… mad. Lock him down—lock down the entire cellblock. No one in but you or me. Speak of this to no one. As far as the system is concerned, Uldren Sov died over Saturn."

(both from Reacquaintance from the Most Loyal lorebook)

"Of course. Of course." Variks noticed Petra's gaze lingered a little too long on the prince's cell. He could see she was troubled, even ashamed. Petra saw him watching and composed herself, back straight, all Wrath. She met his eyes. He could see her trouble, her shame.

"Variks. My friend." Was that tenderness Variks heard in Petra's voice? "He is changed. His eyes…" She stopped herself. Reset. "If he speaks, don't listen. He speaks lies. Terrible lies." And with that, she walked away, Cayde close behind. The doors to the cellblock slammed shut behind them.

petra absolutely knew that uldren was having a mental breakdown — and she threw him in prison and then tried to cover it up. because she knew that what she was doing (once again: throwing her friend who was having a psychotic break into maximum security prison) was morally unjust. she knew, and she felt guilty about it.

rather than even ATTEMPTING to get uldren any sort of help for what she surely assumed was grief and trauma... she just threw him in prison. and cayde helped her do it.

AND, as a matter of fact — when variks tried to tell her that uldrens problem was a sickness and asked her to let him attempt curing it... she told him no. so variks let the prison break happen.

(from Chain of Souls in the Most Loyal lorebook)

But if it worked—perhaps Fikrul could be cured. Perhaps—if what Variks suspected was true, and Fikrul's corruption was related to the Prince's affliction—Uldren could be cured, too.

Variks had said as much to Petra, but she'd refused to listen.

"You will not experiment on the Prince."

"Our Prince is ill. To keep him here… hide him from Awoken eyes… not right. Not right."

"I've made my decision, Variks."

(from Where Loyalty Lies in the Most Loyal lorebook)

By the end of that day, the Prison of Elders descended into chaos.

"Your time WILL come, Variks."

Uldren sits in his favorite spot, gazing in his favorite direction. "She told me so. She has but one last wish of you."

"No, your grace." Variks' voice was gravelly with emotion. "It is I who has one last service for you."

Variks left before he could change his mind.

the entire reason that the prison break happened is because:

petra and cayde put a man they assumed was only having a grief-induced psychotic break into prison, knowing that what uldren needed was help. (actually that's unkind of me — cayde just wanted to kill him and fikrul both.)

petra then tried to hide it from the awoken people.

when petra was informed that uldren had a Magical Illness going on, she told variks that he wasn't allowed to try to cure it.

variks, despite everything, still held loyalty to the reef, to mara and uldren.

speaking of the prison break, that leads me to part two, or "Why Cayde's Death Was His Own Fault, And He Knew It"

quickly summing up the important beats in the beginning cutscene in forsaken:

the prison break starts

petra calls cayde and the young wolf for help stopping a prison riot

petra realizes that it isn't a riot, it's a break

cayde goes down to maxsec by himself to stop uldren & the barons, taking out a large part of the prison infrastructure in the process

cayde tries to solo an entire room of barons and gets the shit beat out of him

he gets out his ghost in a room full of enemies to heal him... and proceeds to get his ghost killed

he then gets bitchy to uldren (like... about The One Thing that he knows will fuck w uldren)

guardian_i_dont_feel_so_good.mp4

he flat out tells you "that's what i get for playing nice" like. he ABSOLUTELY knew his death was his own fault. he was reckless and conceited and got himself killed.

and at no point did he want to be avenged. this isn't a post about cayde but frankly he would have hated that the guardian went on a revenge rampage. like, he didn't want that.

anyway. quick aside to say that i'm a prison abolitionist so the whole "prison of elders" thing puts a bad taste in my mouth ANYWAY, but the fact that they put an obviously ill man in prison instead of trying to help him is just... hmmmmmm. i Really don't like that.

the events of forsaken Could Have Been Avoided, if only someone had gotten uldren help instead of allowing him to be further isolated.

quick edit to add that also forsaken could also have been avoided if mara had told uldren that she was still around, but... she didn't care enough to. forsaken is a tragedy on all fronts.

[razorblade180]

Interdimensional Moms: Bonus

Part 4 here<-

After many tears and tissue boxes, all members of team RWBY had finally stopped crying. Blake was the best off with her eyes a little red while Ruby was the complete opposite. The girl’s face was still rather red and her eyes were puffy. She hadn’t even completely stopped sniffling yet; much like tear marked partner. Yang on the other hand rested her head on the table. She had cried hard enough to giver herself a minor headache. She was completely drained.

Yang:Ugh, this blows! I thought this was gonna be a fun learning experience.

Blake:We definitely learned. It just so happens we had to poke at some.... extremely sensitive topics.

Weiss:I’m all for looking inward and self reflection but I’ve had my fill.

Ruby:Same. Should’ve kept the summary light.

Yang:No, I’m glad you got that off your chest. We just need a way to lighten the mood.

Blake:.....I kicked Weiss’s butt in a tournament.

RWY:......What?

Blake:During the time spent training for Salem, another tournament was held between the schools. It had team matches and singles. I kicked Weiss’s butt in my fourth round. It was a good day.

Weiss:How is that lightening mood!?

Blake:Listen, it was a big deal! I never thought I was gonna win the whole tournament but I really wanted to beat you. I love you but your head gets a little big when you’re on a roll for too long; plus I just really didn’t want to lose. I always felt a bit of rivalry between us.

Yang:Hehe, is that you’re way of saying “It would look bad to lose to a Schnee?”

Blake:Well it would!

Ruby:Hehehe.

Yang:Wait, does that mean we went back to school?

Blake:Yeah. It was pretty comforting. There was definitely a lot left to learn.

Yang:Weird. School kinda faded into the background.

Ruby:I went back to school. We all did actually. It was fast tracked by roughly a year but it was fun. We all got to pose in caps and gowns.

Weiss:Damn! I should’ve went back just for that. Unfortunately I was busy making rent and learning how to properly preheat a oven.

Yang:It’s like two buttons.

Weiss:Gas stove, and six years out of date.

Yang:Awww, you had to learn the hard way. I’m surprised and thankful you never left the gas on.

Weiss:There’s an alarm for that. Also I’m not irresponsible! Anyways, I mentioned similar tournaments earlier. I didn’t participate much but enough old videos of me in them were enough for to really light a fire under my kids. For awhile I was a bit concerned that they were just following a trend but they really love it. They used to always go around playing like knights when they were tiny.

Ruby:Carmine was a little different. She definitely always tried doing things I could but nothing got the girl jumping like seeing Yang’s horses or new ballet shoes. There wasn’t a morning when I didn’t hear a vase fall over or seeing her spin like a top. Carmine still hums some old routines when she isn’t paying attention.

Yang:Not too many memories of Yujin when she was pint size. But I do remember that wild child always loved using my bandannas for everything! Napkins, capes, ropes; anything but an actual bandanna. I used to get a bit upset with the napkin one but she’d always look at me with her big eyes and crazy hair. I never stayed mad.

Weiss:Softie.

Yang:She was like a pudgy puff ball! Fat cheeks and wholesome smiles. Ah! So adorable!

Weiss:I used to always have at least one of my kids on my hip when I was out and about. I think the media has a magazine amount of pictures of me at the park kissing my babies. Summer liked tummy rubs. She’d never go to sleep without one. Some nights I’d sing too but start to doze off so Jaune would have to take over.

Yang:*smiles* Speaking of Jaune.....

Ruby:No.

Yang:You don’t even know what I was-

Ruby:Were you about to suggest we compare our Jaune’s in the bedroom?

Yang:*red*......Well not just the bedroom! What’s the harm!? I just wanna know if he’s consistent across the board. No need to get detailed.

Weiss:You really never change no matter the world.

Yang:Can’t change greatness. It shows in any form!

Blake:He’s pretty compliant and accommodating. The benefits of being his first when I had prior knowledge I suppose.

Ruby:Don’t answer!

Blake:Why not? I’m comfortable with it.

Yang:Don’t listen to those two Blake. They’re just a bit more embarrassed since Jaune has literally been their one and only.

Blake:Huh, I never thought about it like that. Jaune would’ve been the first person you two opened up to on such a level; especially Weiss.

Yang:That’s still hilarious. All the protesting and somehow you found yourself stripping for the guy.

Weiss:Shut up! I already know! It was....I.... *blushing* emotions ran really high.

Ruby:An entire mental rollercoaster of thoughts and firsts happening all at once. Anxiety was high.

Yang:Heh, so you could say that Jaune Arc-

RW:Got through our walls. Hardy har har.

Yang:Shit, I am the same in every universe. Well I don’t have any reservations about it! *grinning* He makes me feel special every time!

Blake:Bottom.

Yang:I’m ignoring you.🎶

Ruby:Hehe, sounds about right. He...might make me feel a bit special as well.

Blake:Switch.

Ruby:How can you just guess off of that!?

Blake:It’s a gift.

Weiss:......

Blake:*smiling*

Weiss:Leave me alone.

Blake:I don’t know what has you embarrassed. You told us you’ve slept with everyone here except Ruby! I knew you were repressed but geez.

Weiss:For your information it wasn’t my idea! It was yours!

Blake:Not surprising. Let’s switch the topic. How is this other child of mine? Can’t picture me having a daughter.

Weiss:Veronica is very sensitive. Even if she tries to act like she isn’t. One time when she was tiny, a soccer ball hit her straight in the face and she sprung up saying “I’m fine!” Then you took her behind the bleachers to patch her up; tears all on her face. It both breaks my heart and very adorable to see her act fine while her ears are folded back.

Ruby:Your other son Kovu was a bit of cry baby. Partly my fault. Carmine kept beating him up and making fun of him.

Blake:What!?

Yang:Ha! Wait, that’s my kid too. How the heck!? Are you telling me you raised the rowdy child and I got the baby?

Ruby:Yang you’re a baby. I’m like twice as rowdy compared to you. A nevermore got worked day one at school.

Weiss:She has a point. You cry the most out of any of us.

Yang:Wha- that not- how....shut up! *pouts* I’m not that touchy.

Ruby:Kovu is a sweetie and not a cry baby. Carmine is just a little mean when she tries to care about others. She beat him up in an attempt to make Kovu give up dreaming about being a huntsman. That way he wouldn’t be in such a dangerous job. Reasonable logic but you know, a little over the top. Almost broke his arm. Boy did I chew her out. All it did was make him want to try harder.

Yang:Fantastic. I shouldn’t expect less from my own blood. I bet Yujin would like him. Which reminds me, anybody have kids in relationships?

RWB:We’re working on it.

The three women paused briefly before laughing at their meddling. Yang could only admire and fear her friends.

Yang:Should I be scared for your children?

Blake:Lucas needs someone to break up the routine in his life. I’m not saying he has to date her, but it would put a smile on my face.

Ruby:Carmine takes after me, not really thinking about stuff like relationships much. However, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t at all. Carmine tries her best to not act like she’s a teenaged girl with teenage wishes. But everyone sees right through it. I’m fine with her not being in one but I would like if she acknowledged that it’s okay to just....ugh, be normal! Why can nobody have normal knees in my life!?

Weiss:Nick likes Valerie who tries to deny she likes him by liking Summer, who doesn’t like her; while Veronica crushes on Nick who obviously has conflicting feelings.

RBY.....

Yang:Why is it always complicated with you?

Weiss:How is this my fau- okay it is a little bit.

Blake:Where do you stand?

Weiss:I think Valerie would be lovely for him.

Yang:What’s wrong with my baby girl!?

Blake:Yeah!?

Weiss:One, not yours. Two, have you met who I’m married to? Can’t really say he’s wasting his efforts. Though I wouldn’t be upset with Veronica. I think those two might be good for each other.

Blake:Any other bombshells people got?

Ruby:......

Ruby:Ilia is happily married.*sips coffee*

Blake:Oh that’s wonderful! I’m glad she found a loving wi-

Ruby:*smirks* To Sun.

Blake:....*stands up* I need, champagne!

A bottle of champagne poofs into existence with several glasses. Blake immediately pours everyone a glass before raising hers into the sky.

Blake:Ruby Rose, today you’ve erased guilt upon my conscious. I’m happy there’s one world where it seems all of my good exes get over me.

Ruby:Are the Ilia and Sun where you’re from miserable like Yang!?

Blake:No, but they kinda fumble in actually going for relationships. It just always makes me feel a little bad.

Yang:You can technically count two worlds. I’m fine, Ilia is dating a pretty secretary, and your one evil ex is now raising a morally good family.

Blake:You’re right! This calls for a double toast! To alternate universes! *puts glass down*

Weiss:Haha, aren’t you gonna drink it!?

Blake:No I’m still recovering; but how could I pass up the opportunity!? Man I wish I could attend that wedding! I don’t know if I’d be a bridesmaid or the best man!

Yang:You’re just gonna steal Neptune’s thunder like that?

Blake:Hey, Sun and I have taken bullets for each other and stab wounds. I think I deserve to be a little greedy and say I ride or die for that man just a little harder than Neptune.

Ruby:Geeeeeez Blake! Haha, I didn’t even tell you about the baby.

Blake:*visble excitement* Excuse me!?

RWY:*raises glass* Cheers.

Blake:CHEERS! What’s he like!?

xxxxx

Aero:AAAACHOOOO!

Carmine:Eugh! Cover your mouth! I don’t need to get sick.

Aero:Damn! What happened to uh I don’t know, “bless you!?”

Carmine:*pulls out tissues* Happy?

Aero:Where...why are those in you book bag?

Carmine:It’s flu season.

Aero:....I can’t tell if you’re the coolest person around or just a second mother.

Carmine:I can be both. My mom is arguably both but don’t tell her that. It’ll make her month and she’ll hug me too tight.

Aero:Bitch, you love hugs. Stop being difficult.

Carmine:Mmmm nah.

Aero:I feel bad for your mom.

Carmine:I feel bad for yours.

Aero:Hop off. You’re so childish.

Carmine:And yet you love me.

Aero:*red* In your dreams!

Carmine:It would make your day if I dreamed about you,wouldn’t it?

Aero:I hope you dream of spiders.

Carmine:We do not joke about that! *grabs him* Aero I will beat you up if I dream of them tonight! That’s just mean!

Aero:Stop crying ya baby. I could’ve said they were- ow!

Sun:*hitting him* Shut up and just kiss something! We’re trying to watch a game.

Aero and Carmine:We don’t like each other!

Jaune:With all do respect, that’s a lie. But please by all means Aero, continue not touching my daughter if you know what’s best for you. I don’t wanna have to fight you and your parents right afterwards.

Sun:Ilia would kill you.

Jaune:Yeah! That’s why I don’t want the fight! Much like Ruby, she’s short and terrifying. Her size holds the rage.

Ilia:*peeks in* Who’s talking shit?

JASC:Nobody, we love you!

Ilia:.....Got my eyes on you four. *holds Garnet up* and this one; the most well behaved in this bunch even with no nap.

Garnet:*fussy grumbling* I’m a ball of rage!

Ilia:You wanna nap?

Garnet:Yes!!!

Ilia:See, behaved. *walks away* don’t make me come back out here.

Carmine:....So do you like me because your mother is also imposing?

Aero:This is it, my evil origin story. It begins today.

xxxxx

Ruby:I admire his patience.

[lissacmonster]

Wrong Place, Right Time

TMNT x (Gender Neutral) Reader (Non-romantic) Synopsis: Reader goes into an abandoned building to find their dog, and ends up finding a lot more than their dog. Rating: Teen Genre: Action/Thriller Pairings: None Content Warnings: The dog is in danger for some of it (but isn’t actually hurt) Other Tags: Funny, Combat, Short Story, Fanfiction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shredder

When you left your apartment that night, you had no way of knowing how unprepared you were for the events that would unfold. Armed with a flashlight and a roll of doggy bags you and your dog Cody had slipped out into the fresh, cool night air. You also brought a can of bear mace in case you ran into any creeps. Bear mace wouldn't have necessarily been your first choice, but it was leftover from the time you went camping and you wanted to put it to good use.

The dog was just happily sniffing around and relieving himself when he suddenly stiffened up. Following his gaze, your eyes landed on a cat. The cat was happily strutting across the street, unperturbed by the dog even as he began barking hatefully and straining against the leash. You held your grip and started pulling him back the way you had come. But he turned around, dug his heels in and managed to pull out of the collar.

The cat suddenly noticed it was in danger and darted around, looking for a place to hide. Cody followed the cat in circles around a parked car, then he chased it around the corner.

You ran after him, "Cody! Get back here!"

You were half angry, and half worried that he would run out into the street in front of a car. Instead, when you rounded the corner, he was wriggling his way into a boarded up building. His tail disappeared through the space in the boards just as you leapt forward to grab him.

"Cody! NO! Get back here, now!" You said, using your best angry parent voice.

But Cody was on a mission to find that cat. You knew that he would be single-minded until he found what he was looking for. It might have been admirable if you were coon hunting together out in the countryside, or something. Instead, it was annoying because you were on an evening walk in the middle of Manhattan.

You groaned in exasperation and looked up at the building. It was an old apartment building or something, a rough brick structure that was 5 stories high. The windows were mostly boarded up, and the ones that weren't were missing their glass. There were no lights on inside. It didn't look like anyone had been here for a long time. At least, nobody you wanted to run into...

And nobody you wanted your dog to run into either! Your protective instinct kicked in. You called through the hole to him for another 30 seconds. When he didn't reappear, you started looking around for a way in.

In the alley where you were standing, there were lots of bits of metal and you took a second to poke through them and find a good one. First you found a weird, 3-pronged dagger of some kind, which you tucked into your belt. Maybe you could use it for protection in case somebody dangerous was squatting in there. (Although, if you were being honest, you mostly kept it because you thought it looked cool.) Then you found a metal rod that seemed sturdy enough to work as a crowbar. In no time, you were squeezing through a gap you had made in the boards covering the doorway.

After clicking on your flashlight, you noticed that you were standing in an old lobby. There was a torn up spot on the floor where the front desk had obviously once been affixed. The wallpaper was peeling. The hardwood floors, which had probably been gorgeous when they were kept up, were covered in a thick layer of dust. Cobwebs were hanging in the corners and doorways, with their own gathering of dust.

You followed the sounds of Cody's feet skittering against the floors.

"Cody!" You whispered harshly, creeping towards him. If there were any questionable people around, you didn't want them hearing you guys. Luckily Cody wasn't raising hell yet, which told you that he must have lost track of the cat.

You spotted him at the end of a hallway.

"Cody, c'mere," You called, sweetly.

He looked you dead in the face and then turned and walked through a doorway into pitch black nothingness.

What. A. Brat.

Gazing down the stairway, you wanted to cry so bad. That damn dog had just run down into what must be the basement. You stood at the top, feeling sorry for yourself, trying to see down the steps. After a minute you realized that it wasn't actually pitch black. There was some kind of light that was dimly illuminating the bottom of the steps.

Gathering every last ounce of courage, you made your way down the steps. Every step creaked horribly, and with each one, you felt certain that your foot was about to sink through rotten wood. A dank smell invaded your nostrils more as you descended. How long did you have to breath black mold in before it would make you sick, anyway?

Once you reached the bottom of the stairs, you found that you were standing in a hallway. The floor here was even more dirty than the ground floor above. There was garbage piled all over the place. If anyone had ever squatted in this building, you were willing to bet that they'd done it here in this basement level.

A voice sounded from down the hallway. Your head snapped towards it in alarm, but after a few seconds it was clear it wasn't directed at you. It had come from a doorway at the very end of the hall which was slightly ajar, pale blue light spilling from it. You fought the urge to sprint back up the stairs and instead crept down the hall towards the voice. You tucked the metal rod into your belt and pulled out the strange dagger, ready to strike if someone suddenly rushed out at you. The voice was speaking again.

"...think you can defy me, turtles, but once again I've proven you wrong."

"You're not gonna get away with this, Shredder!" A second voice, female this time. She sounded scared. What were you walking into? You felt strangely numb as you continued to move forward, your heart pounding.

"I already have. Look at them! Once I have what I need, I'll dispose of you all," It was a deep, rich voice with a cold fury beneath.

"And then what? You took the mutagen out of our blood when we fought you years ago. So what could you possibly want with our blood this time?" Another male voice countered, sounding calm, but angry.

"Th-that's right! Our blood is free of mutagen, you can't use it to mutate anybody!" Another, nervous-sounding male voice agreed.

You reached the doorway and peered around the doorframe very slowly...

Within the room was some kind of makeshift laboratory. One bulb hung from the ceiling, casting the whole scene in harsh bright light. Several figures were visible in the large room. The first one that caught your attention was the huge figure in the center of the room. It looked like a man wearing a thick, heavy suit of strange armor. The armor had lots of sharp angles and spikes on it. You couldn't see anything else about him because he was silhouetted against the harshly-lit room. He was facing two figures who were lying on the floor.

One of the people on the floor was the woman. She had dark hair and eyes and was wearing a yellow jacket. Her hands were bound and she was glaring hatefully at the armored man. Next to her was another man. He wasn't talking, and he was lying very still... Was he ok? Or was he...?

You didn't finish that thought because you caught sight of four... somethings against the far wall.

They were... turtles, you guessed. But they weren't like any turtles you had ever seen. They were tall and buff with humanoid faces and bodies. Each was wearing a different colored mask, as well as various gear. They were strung up against the wall by lots and lots of chains. There was some kind of machinery connected to them, but it was hard to make out what it all was from this far away.

The spikey man- what had she called him? Shredder? He was speaking again, "I don't need to mutate anybody. All I need is your DNA, and I will have an unstoppable army."

"He's cracked, you guys," A new voice. It was gruff, and it came from the largest turtle, who was wearing a red mask.

"Oh no... I-I think I know what he's talking about!" The nervous voice was coming from the tallest one, in the purple mask, "He wants to clone us!"

"Is that true?!" The orange one finally spoke up, "Man, you can't make another Michelangelo! I'm the one and only!

"Stockman, how much longer before they're drained?" Shredder interrupted.

You nearly jumped out of your skin as an answer sounded out from very close to you.

"Another 2 hours, Mr. Shredder!"

"Why must it take so long?" Shredder asked, threateningly.

"W-well... We only had so much equipment..." Stockman defended, "I mean, there are ways of removing it faster, if you catch my drift. But if you want a clean, untainted sample, this is the best way to go!"

"Hmm... Very well." Shredder agreed after a moment.

You were now pressed against the wall just outside of the door, clutching your chest. That Stockman guy had been no more than 4 feet from you just inside the door! He was against the wall that you couldn't see, though, so you hadn't noticed him.

Stockman was talking again, more to himself, "Aw man... That cat got in again..."

A soft growling sounded from within the room. Oh god. Cody.

"What the..." Stockman started and then yelped, "HEY!"

His chair clattered to the ground as Cody's chorus of barks started up. You rushed back to the door and were frozen to the spot as you watched the scene unfold. It was utter chaos as Cody tore around the room after the cat, which was leaping around on the equipment and furniture. Cody managed to knock over 2 chairs, jump up on a table, and upset several important-looking instruments before he was caught around the neck by the monstrous man's hand. Cody's high-pitched cries snapped you out of it.

"STOP!" You hurled yourself forward. Everything in the room seemed to stop in time. All eyes settled on you and every face held surprise. Shredder's helmeted head turned towards you, observing as you sprinted toward him. You had the dagger drawn back with the intent to jam it into the metal of his stupid, shiney armor.

You didn't even feel it when he swatted you away like a fly. All you noticed was that suddenly you were flying backwards. You quickly sprung back to your feet. Your skin felt electric as adrenaline coursed through your body. There was a throbbing feeling in your face where he had struck you. The strange dagger had skittered out of your hands.

Cody was no longer in his grip, that was the good news. The bad news was that now you were getting an up close and personal look at this Shredder guy. You could see every facet of the armor from here. The most striking part was the helmet, which resembled a leering skull.

You wondered what his face looked like behind the helmet. Did he look as surprised as everyone else? His voice didn't betray any surprise, only amusement.

“Well, well, well, look what we have here... A new hero, come to save the world. Such a pity you’ll have to die."

You tried to keep your voice steady as you explained, “Look man, I don’t know what you’re talking about- I’m just here for my dog!”

"Really, turtles, is this weakling the only ally you have left?"

None of them answered. They were still staring at you and glancing at one another, like they were trying to figure out if they knew you from somewhere. This was getting awkward.

"No, really, I don't know them," You insisted.

"Is that so? Well, then, how do you explain that." He lifted one of his huge metallic arms. It took you a second to realize he was pointing at your shirt. You looked down and gasped.

Save The Turtles was emblazoned across your chest in bright green letters, complete with a cute little cartoon rendering of a turtle.

God damn it. Of course you had chosen to wear the shirt you got from that time you volunteered at the turtle sanctuary.

"Uh- that's-!"

Before you could explain it to him, Shredder cut you off, "ENOUGH! Stockman, restrain this fool."

"ME? I'm not here to be your muscle!" Stockman sounded indignant.

Shredder was just throwing out another line about how weak you looked, and that restraining you would hardly require "muscle," when you darted around him and over to the far corner where Cody was cowering. You had to climb around some equipment that seemed to be collecting blood from the turtles. You were uncomfortable being so close to them, as you had yet to discern whether they were friendly or not.

"Hey, that's my staff!"

You looked up at the turtle with the purple mask. He was peering down at you through glasses that made his eyes look 3 times bigger than they actually were.

You glared at him, "No, that's my dog!"

"No, I mean that thing on your belt!"

Was he talking about the metal rod?

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! DUCK, KID!" The one in the red mask was shouting.

You dropped instantly to the ground. A huge BANG! sounded from above and drywall rained down on you. There was a big piece of metal embedded in the wall where your head had just been. Cody scampered away, whimpering in fear.

"He's coming up behind you!"

You whirled around to find Shredder was advancing towards you. You glanced around for an escape, but you were boxed in by equipment.

Suddenly Shredder stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around. Stuck in his back was the dagger you had dropped. The girl in the yellow jacket was standing there, having plunged it into the battery pack on the back of his suit.

You stepped carefully out of the way of the equipment and cast around desperately for a way to help her.

"Quick! Use the staff!" The purple one called.

When you looked clueless, he clarified, "The thing on your belt!"

Oh, the rod! Great idea! You grabbed the rod, jumped on Shredder's back and started pummeling his helmeted head with the thing. This drew a chorus of complaints from the turtles.

"Aw MAN! C'mon, kid!"

"Duuuude, that's not funny! Kick his butt for real!"

Purple was fighting desperately to be heard over all the commotion. He sounded completely exasperated by this point, "No, I meant-! Press the button!"

What button? There were no buttons on the-! Oh, wait. There was a button on the rod. How had you missed that? You pressed your thumb down on small, red button. Instantly, both ends of the rod shot out, extending it by about 5 feet. In the process, it struck Shredder's helmet, launching it violently from the man's head. With a startled cry you toppled off of Shredder's back. The man rounded on you. You looked for the staff, but it had launched itself far out of reach.

"Now, I'm going to put an end to this little game," He said, and you could see the full extent of his fury on his face.

The four turtles were all shouting things and you couldn't make out any of it. All you could see was the hate in the man's eyes as he approached. His long black hair hung in his face untidily. He was panting and his lips were pulled back in an angry grimace. He looked like some kind of beast, like a lion, or like a...

"Bear!" You shouted suddenly. You tugged the bear mace out of the little pouch on your belt.

Shredder was towering over you now. He raised one of his bladed arms, poised to strike. Popping the top off, you raised the bear mace, pointed it at him, and pressed the switch.

Shredder was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of orange smoke. He roared and stumbled backwards. While he was distracted with that you scrambled to your feet. The woman was busy unlocking the chains that were trapping the turtles.

"Thanks, Angelcakes!" The one in orange said gratefully as he shrugged off all of the blood-collecting equipment.

He came over and stood next to you. You eyed him warily, but he was just looking at you with interest, "Hey, that was pretty rad how you stood up to Shredder like that! You pretty much ruled, even though you kinda-sorta... suck at fighting!"

Your pride had never been particularly tied to your fighting skills, so you just said, "Thanks. What's your name?"

"Michelangelo. But the ladies like to call me Mikey."

The two of you kept an eye on Shredder while the woman continued unlocking the turtles chains. You even sprayed a few more times in his direction when he got too close. Eventually he managed to rip the metal armor off of his hands so he could rub his burning eyes. Now he rounded on you again.

He looked truly out of his mind by this point, his blood red eyes were streaming and his face looked pinker than any face you had ever seen.

"Whoa... I think he's gonna-"

Before Mikey could finish, suddenly Shredder was charging at you. Mikey yanked you aside as someone barreled past you. The one with the red mask slammed into Shredder, colliding with him with the force of a refrigerator.

"Oh, shit! Is he ok??"

"You mean, Raphael? He's fine! He gets thrown into cars and stuff all the time," Mikey waved his hand dismissively.

Raphael rolled to his feet, pulling the dagger out of Shredder's back as he did so. He walked back to where you guys were standing, "Thanks for bringing one of my Sais, kid."

Things were kind of a blur from there. The turtles restrained the Shredder. The one with the blue mask was apparently the leader, and his name was Leonardo. He was on the phone with the chief of police. Wow... So your local police department was cool with these turtle ninjas? Who would have thought... Maybe your uncle's conspiracy theory about reptiles controlling the government wasn't totally crazy.

Donatello, the one with the purple mask, was attending to the man who had been lying on the ground when you came in. The man's name was Casey, and he wasn't dead as you had previously thought. He did have a pretty nasty concussion, though, and kept repeating the same phrases over and over (A common symptom with concussions, Donatello told you).

Don also took a look at your own injuries while he was at it. Your face was beginning to swell from where Shredder had struck you, and you would be sporting a nasty-looking bruise for a while. Other than that, you would be just fine.

After everything was said and done, and you had talked to the police, and Shredder had been loaded into an armored vehicle and hauled away, you and Cody were finally leaving to go home. You were back in the cool night air, walking your dog on his leash. You wondered if Cody would think twice about chasing a cat next time, or if the whole event had gone over his head? He definitely didn't look like he cared that he had just been in life-threatening danger.

Before you could ponder it much more, the brothers suddenly appeared around you.

"Heeeyyy, let us walk you home!" Leo offered aggressively.

"No, that's ok! You don't have to!" You really just wanted to be left alone now.

"We insist." The grin on Leo's face looked mostly threatening.

Leo threw his arm around your shoulder, as if to make sure you wouldn't run away, and started practically dragging you along.

They took you on the coolest shortcut you had ever been on. You scaled buildings and leapt across rooftops. It was just like in Assassin's Creed! Of course, they had to carry both you and Cody the whole way like a couple of carry-on bags.

When they set you down finally, you were in the alley next to your apartment building.

"Thanks guys," You said, "But how the hell did you find out where I lived?" You hadn't ever given them any directions.

"I have my ways..." Donatello said. He adjusted his glasses and they glinted dramatically like in an anime.

They were all kind of staring at you in a vaguely menacing way, "Uh... Are ya'll gonna... kill me because I know too much or something?"

"What the-! Of course not!" Donnie yelled.

"Hey, relax, buddy! We're not those kind of ninjas!" Mikey laughed, "That's not how we handle people who know too much!"

"Not any more, at least..." Raph said, narrowing his eyes at you, "The chief said it was too messy to keep covering it up."

You gulped nervously.

"Raph! Don't tell people things like that!" Leo shoved him and turned back to you, "Don't worry, he's joking. YOU'RE JOKING, RIGHT RAPH?"

"I'M JOKING. JESUS CHRIST!" Raph yelled back, "Just, don't go runnin' your mouth about us, aight?"

The leader in blue leaned in uncomfortably close to stare into your eyes, "If you say anything about us, we will come back to see you..."

"Aaaand PUNISH YOU," Mikey added, "In a gentle, non life-threatening way!"

You put up your arms defensively, "Trust me, I am not telling anyone that I fought some kind of terminator samurai to save my dog and some turtles."

You thought you saw a twitch at the corner of his mouth before he straightened up and lead his brothers away. They scaled the walls of the surrounding buildings with ease, and then they had vanished just like that.

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

Will you ever see them again? Would you LIKE to see them again? I hope so because I have a lot of ideas for this series.

Thanks for reading, ya’ll. It’s the first story I have finished in ages and it feels good to be back.

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Ok, but is Kara still Supergirl and Andrea in the protection au? Honestly it would work either way, but there is definitely comedic value in Kara still being supergirl. Or maybe not supergirl. But she still has powers but doesn't really use them for heroing, which could also explain why Alex is FBI and not DEO. Like Lena is just a split second too slow, nothing that would have killed Kara, but something that should have hurt her, and Lena is confused as to how she is ok. Kara tries to bumble through something, but lena figures it out. Then they go on a funny out the bad guys scheme and Andrea regrets ever introducing them cause they are a pain in her ass.

I was kinda feeling a no power au, but if you wanna go with a Kara who's secretly super but never became Supergirl, I could dig it.

As for your scenario where Kara finally reveals herself to Lena, I could see it happening after they find themselves in an all out war with whoever is after Kara. It's not just an individual, its an organization, and they have endless resources and intends to throw assassins and gangs towards their Kara Danvers-sized problem until it goes away.

Anyway, they end up in a shoot out, and one by one Lena's entire team gets taken out until its only Lena and Kara left fighting for their lives in the middle of the warehouse district. Lena's running out of ammo when she turns and sees the barrel pointed at Kara. She shoves her ward out of the way and fires in the same moment the bullet clips her in the ribs.

"Lena!!" Kara cries, in horror and budding panic.

"Keep moving!" Lena barks, shoving back to her feet, clamping one hand against her side. She pushes Kara towards an empty building and follows her inside. There, they a moment to breathe, and Kara immediately tries to tend to Lena's wound.

"Oh my god, oh my god," she mutters, hands fluttering as they hesitate in her panic. "Lena, I--"

"I'm good," Lena says. As though to prove it, she takes her hand away from her side long enough to check the chamber of her pistol. "Damn it."

"Lena, I am so so sorry. I should never have insisted we come here--"

Lena shakes her head, leaning against a crate in exhaustion. "No, Kara. I'm the one who has to apologize."

"W-what do you mean?"

"I agreed to let you come here because no one knew you'd be coming."

Kara's eyes widen. "But that would mean..."

"Someone's been compromised." Lena smacks her head back agaist the crate. "Damn it."

Quickly running through the interactions she's had with Lena's people over the past few months, no one strikes Kara as a likely culprit. She'd found that Lena inspired a particular brand of loyalty, and an enthusiasm for the work they did no matter how dangerous it was.  Well, except for....

"Thompson."

Lena meets her eye briefly. "Probably. Bastard can talk shit about anything and anybody but the moment a woman raises his voice at him he goes completely ape--"

"Now, now, sis, you know he has an ego."

Both women start at the sound of the new voice. Lena instantly places herself between Kara and the intruder, empty gun lifting in reflex-- only to lower again when she recognizes her older brother Lex.

"Lex? What are you--?"

"And you can't blame him-- he was only following orders."

Lena's features harden the moment the pieces click together. The gun comes back up.

"How much did they pay you?"

Lex waves the question away. "It wasn't about the money. Well, not entirely anyway. They simply provided a simple solution for my problem, and in return I was happy to provide one for theirs."

"What kind of problem was it? Drugs? Gambling?"

"You."

Kara watches the exchange with bated breath. Without having met Lex before, she knows next to nothing about him, but the fact that Lena's treating him as a threat tells her that he isn't to be taken lightly. And if he was in here, serving as the pinnacle of this blood-soaked dash, then who knew how many more goons were waiting outside, just waiting for the signal to storm the building?

Shaking, Kara reaches for Lena. She places her hand gently between the woman's shoulder blades, giving her enough room to move, but staying close enough that Lena would know where she was.

All the while, blood drips from the wound in Lena's side, plicking against the concrete floor.

"I've heard the same rumors you have, ace. Our father is sick, and looking to retire. He needs someone to hand the reins to, and lately, he's been looking at you."

"You rather kill innocent people than work under me?"

"It's my company, ace," Lex reminds her. His voice takes on a dangerous edge. "Always has been."

Lena doesn't blink. She glares at her brother, turning to keep the gun trained on him as he slowly circles them.

"So what now?"

"Now," Lex explains, "either you die in the course of protecting your charge, or you fail to protect a high profile client. Either way, you're out of the running, and dear old dad looks to the rightful heir."

He lifts his gun and points it at Kara. He shrugs.

"You choose."

The gun fires, loud enough to set Kara's ears to ringing. Time seems to slow. Lena's back presses against Kara's hand, as Lena throws her arms wide, making herself as big as possible. Then she crumples, collapsing in a heap when the bullet sinks into her chest in a bloom of red mist.

The next time Lex lifts his gun at Kara, she's no longer there. In the moment it takes him to register the open air she used to occupy, Kara surges across the room and cocks him cold. He goes down hard, a fall made all the harder when Kara kicks him into the far wall of the warehouse.

She hasn't used her strength in years. Kara has been so careful with it, she's almost forgotten that she has it. But the sight of Lena bleeding on the ground brings it surging back. She's back to Lena's side in a flash.

"Lena..."

"Kara." Lena coughs, and blood coats her chin. "Go," she gurgles. "I'll only... slow you down. You have to run."

Kara cradles her in her arms, shaking her head no as tears pour down her cheeks. "No. Not without you."

"Go..."

Lena's whisper falls in the din of the doors being breached. Kara takes a moment to register the sight of armed humans pouring into the warehouse before she's making up her mind.

Gathering Lena in her arms, Kara holds her close. She can hear her heartbeat quickening, the pulses growing weaker in their flutter. She doesn't have long.

Kara will only have one chance.

As the goons swarm towards them, Kara gets her legs beneath. In a single deep breath, she calls on all the parts of herself she's purposely let go. She summons her strength, and the memory of nights spent with Alex, coasting low over the ocean.

On the exhale, she surges upwards, lifting off the pavement and crashing through corrugated metal roof. She wobbles slightly, pitching perilously under the unfamiliar dynamics of flight, but then she steadies, calms.

Then, with her heart in her throat, she aims towards the nearest hospital, and flies.

[torilovestowrite]

Dabi x Reader; Try Again pt. 8

Synopsis: Years ago, (Y/n) was left by her villain boyfriend, Dabi after discovering an unexpected news. Ever since then, she never had a lover— focusing on her only son, Yuta. Later on, she meets Todoroki Touya— a new co-worker who seem to be persistent towards winning her heart and attention.

Ship: Dabi x Fem! Reader

❗❗❗Content Warning: Mentions of Abortion, Unplanned Pregnancy, Manga spoilers, Dabi is a Todoroki theory

🖤 » Chapter Navigation « 🖤

"Yuta L/n, you're not going out!" Y/n strictly reprimanded as she tried to keep her son still from his position, lying on bed with a cold towel on his forehead.

It was during a Wednesday when Yuta, y/n's son, had a fever that reached over 41 degrees. Y/n felt threatened about this because her son has never reached this temperature. It's too high— and he also stated something about his body feeling heavy. What could be happening?

"B-but... we're about to watch a movie in school today! I don't want to miss it!" Yuta began bawling his eyes out while Y/n sighed at his dramatic tone. Does it really have to be like this? Yuta has to be emotional and sensitive every time he gets sick? This only reminds her of him— the way he would caress her soft hands every time she would tend his wounds every after a tiring day— the man he used to love, Dabi, would appear to be more gentle and affectionate every time he gets worn out... or ill.

"We're going to watch a movie while you take a rest here at home, okay?" Y/n gently tapped her son's side in an attempt to make him close his eyes and sleep. "For now, take a rest. Or else, it would take longer before you could go outside."

Immediately, Yuta turned his back from his mother in an attempt to be more comfortable; and to have a good sleep. Y/n smiled at his actions. Good thing, her son has always been considerate on her hardwork and the way she disciplines him.

It wasn't too long until she heard a notification from her phone— a message coming from Touya.

touya ❣ : good morning y/n. how's ur pretty face doing?

It's been four months since y/n realized her feelings for Touya. Both of them started dating two months ago and so far, he has been understanding towards her obligations as a mother. Most of their dates included Yuta and there are times when Touya would volunteer to watch over him while she's away during her day shifts. Y/n could never ask for anything— Touya was doing his job greatly; as a boyfriend and as a paternal figure to Yuta.

you : yeah, i'm all good babe. thanks for asking. but yuta's sick rn... i dont really have anyone to take care of him and i need to go for my day shift.

touya ❣ : you want me to go for it? i mean, i only work during nights anyways

Y/n's smile lit up as she read his message. Finally! She thought. She could go to work!

you: sure thing babe 💗✨

Few more minutes, when Yuta has finally travelled to dreamland, Y/n left the house, wearing her thick f/c coat with her hair styled to become more neat-looking. Another day for work, she thought.

It's been two hours since Touya arrived in Y/n's home. Using the spare key under her house's doormat, he decided to enter her house that was silent when he went inside. Until he heard a child's high-pitched scream coming from Yuta's bedroom. His instinct caused him to immediately run towards this direction; but what he saw caused a heavy sensation in his chest. Those familiar blue flames that was once his signature— as Dabi; the heartless villain who claimed 30 innocent lives.

"U-Uncle T-Touya!" Yuta cried in panic while his right hand was burning with blue and heated fire. "W-What should I do?! M-my—"

"Breathe." Touya immediately replied as he kneeled next to him, rubbing his back with his huge and rough hands. "You have to control your breathing and your emotions. You have to control it because the more you panic, the more it will get stronger."

Yuta closed his eyes and focused in calming himself down— taking deep breaths and thinking about things that he liked in life— ice cream, Y/n, Uncle Touya, pro-heroes... all the things that makes him happy. Slowly, the fire became smaller and smaller— until nothing appeared on his hands.

"I-It's gone! The blue flames!" Yuta exclaimed as a grin crept on his face. "Did you see that awesome thing on my hand, Uncle Touya?! That must be my quirk, right?"

"Yes, it's an awesome quirk that you have." Touya smiled sadly as he stared at the young and naive child— as if he was seeing his past self; the pure child who was corrupted by his father's evil desires and deeds. It was all fun and games knowing he has an awesome quirk like that... until his father, Enji Todoroki, decided to ruin everything for him.

But he swore to be someone better than him; to be a man suitable to be called a father.

That afternoon, Y/n arrived at her home with such beautiful sight; Touya and Yuta scooped in each others' arms while the movie was left streaming. She smiled at the sight. It was so cute. For a few seconds, she almost believed that Touya was Yuta's father. The young mother couldn't help it but to take a picture of the two while having their peaceful slumber.

"I saw you," Touya spoke, "Delete it."

Y/n giggled as Touya stood up from his position as he tried to grab the phone away from her hands. It was such a cute sight. She was sticking her tongue out while she was trying to chase him. Y/n couldn't help but to feel as if they were all.. what? 17? Whatever, it felt cute, though.

"Yeah, whatever. Have that pic all you want. You can even make it your wallpaper." Y/n got her cheeks pinched by him as he gave her a light kiss on the nose. "I'm going now, sweet cheeks, I'm attending night shift for tonight."

"Sure, sure." Y/n smiled, planting a kiss on his cheek, as she watched his lean and toned figure leave their house. All that's left is her and Yuta. Slowly, his eyes opened to see his mother watching him sleep.

"Mommy?" Yuta spoke in a drowsy tone.

Y/n responded, hugging her son beside her while his eyes still looked sleepy. Seems that the sleep wasn't enough for him, huh? The young lady laughed at this, ruffling his hair, and deciding to ask him. "How was your day with Uncle Touya? Is it better than it was when you're at school?"

The young lad aggressively nodded and decided to tell Y/n the greatest thing that he discovered today.

"My quirk just manifested, ma! I have blue flames!" Yuta exclaimed as he tried to show it off with the tip of his fingers. Y/n's eyes widened at this— it created a tingling feeling in her heart. It was like a slap on her face. Yuta is really Dabi's son, isn't he?

"T-That's awesome." Y/n replied, trying to stop tears from flowing.

While her son was still busy talking about his day, her hands were able to feel something on the couch. It was... hard. She pulled out to see a black leather wallet. Did Touya forget his stuff here? Y/n sighed at his forgetfulness. Well, he's a person, she thought, so he has flaws too.

"Did Uncle Touya forget that, ma?" Yuta asked in a polite tone. "Bring it back to him tomorrow, okay?"

Y/n smiled at what he said. She really raised her son well. "Sure!"

It was night time. Yuta went back to sleep and Y/n was busy contemplating inside her room— walking back and forth; thinking about whether she should check his stuff or what.

It's not what others would think. It's just that it's been two months since they got together but Touya only says few things about himself. All she knew is that his parents are living overseas and he's left alone here. He has siblings who lived with their parents in abroad. Nothing more, nothing less.

Aside from that, it wouldn't hurt to peek just a little bit, right?

Y/n sighed as she finally came to a conclusion to check his wallet to see if there's something that would tell more about himself. It's not like she was nosy. She just wants to get to know him at a better level. He's quite of a silent and mysterious guy himself, which got the young lady curious about him.

Of course, there was nothing new; just few IDs, bunch of credit cards (which Y/n thought was odd because if he had this much money, why would he work in an old bar as a bartender), and a thin wad of cash. Nothing else— until something that was so unordinary in her eyes— fell.

Her eyes widened as she saw that memoribilia. No words could come out from her mouth. Her vision felt so dark; as if it was slowly fading; and her heart hurt so much. Only tears could come out from her eyes. No scream, no words, no phrases— simply, nothing.

"Y-you..." Her fists clenched tightly as her form started shaking— she didn't know what to feel. Is it anger, sadness, remorse— what should she feel first? She began to wail as she stared and touched at this object from the past. Whatever that happened was too painful for her to bear.

"You fooled me... Dabi."

That night, Touya was looking for his wallet. It was nowhere to be found; not even in his car. Maybe he left it at your place? Well, whatever the circumstances are, he was hoping that none of you would be able to find it. Maybe, he'd drive towards your place again and—

His thoughts were interrupted as his phone rang. The caller ID showed Y/n— and a selfie that she sent him as the profile picture. Immediately, he answered it.

"Hello, bab—"

"Don't you babe me. We have to talk." Y/n's voice sounded cold and harsh. She was angry... and he knew it. Touya knew that tone several years ago; and if he hears that, he knows that hell will break because of her wrath.

"What is it?"

"Stop acting dumb." Y/n scoffed.

"How the hell are you alive, Dabi?"

Taglist [OPEN]: @babayaga67 @marydragneell @xxtrash-kingxx @paranoiac-666 @velvet-kissesss @orenjineki @mermaid-starlet @ikita454 @yo-girl-lunar @pansexual-booknerd @daimiyu

a/n: i kinda did stop updating this but like bnha chapter 290 got me like 😭😭😭😭 dabi can i give u a hug plspslslslsl 😗😗

[ajeepgirl]

Dr. Love Drug

Summary:  Kara solar flares but then gets very very sick. In her very sick state, she takes a bunch of cough medicine and maybe gets a teeny tiny bit high from it, and then goes to the pharmacy for medicine. Once there, Kara meets the most beautiful woman she has ever seen. And well, in her current state, chaos ensues.

Read On AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33649807

Kara was doing it herself. Alone. Solo. If only to prove to Alex, Maggie, Winn, Lucy, and James that she could. Sure, maybe she had never done it before, because she never needed to do it before. But here she was, doing it. She could do it.

That’s what she kept telling herself, anyway, as she walked down the street, to the pharmacy near her apartment.

Her pounding head and double vision be damned.

She really hates it when she solar flares… Even more so when she winds up sick because of it. This time though, she isn’t just sick, no, she somehow got a massive sinus affection, pink eye, and the flu, all at the same time. All her friends were steering clear of her. Even Alex didn’t want to go near her.

Kara stumbles as she walks into the pharmacy, catching herself on a shelf, she blinks a few times to try to clear her vision and her head. It doesn’t help. Neither did the bottle of cough syrup she chugged that morning, apparently, as she coughs a few times. Nothing seems to help. She has no idea how humans stand being sick. Or how they haven’t figured out how to eradicate bacteria and viruses that lead to this level of suffering. She attempts to breathe through her nose, before remembering how stuffed it is, and resorts back to her awkward mouth breathing as she makes her way to the back of the store to the pharmacy (“You need real medicine!” Alex insisted, as she filled out some pad with scribbles on it).

It’s what led to Kara coming here. Alex was filling it out, saying she would run to the pharmacy for her, when she got a call from the DEO, from J’onn. It was an emergency. Kara insisted she could get the medicine herself. She knew without Supergirl, that the DEO needed her sister. Alex hesitated, she didn’t want Kara wandering around the city alone, in her current state. But when Kara pointed out that Alex had no idea how long her emergency would take, she caved and handed over the white slip of paper, setting it on the counter, giving Kara plenty of space, not wanting to catch whatever plague she had.

Alex thought she was funny. Kara did not.

As Kara approached the pharmacy, she waited for the person in front of her to finish, and she noticed how her head felt like it was flying… or more accurately, floating, several feet above her body. Was this another symptom? Maybe she did overdo it with the cough syrup after Alex left. She had no idea how much to take. The numbers on the bottle were too small to read in her current condition. Oh well. Too late now.

“Next?” Kara hears the female voice through her muffled ears.

Kara smiles widely as she hands over the folded pieces of paper. The pharmacist, a woman with long dark hair and piercing green eyes, takes the paper and opens it, and then looks back at Kara, her eyebrow raised curiously.

“Miss, this isn’t your prescription. It’s just a sticky note with your name and number.”

Now, if Kara had been in her right state of mind, she would have realized her error. She would have realized that she had grabbed the wrote piece of paper off her counter at the apartment. She had written this down before, when she was prepping for a meeting with a contact for a new article. She wanted to have it ready to go, to hand off to the person. But then a fight happened, and the solar flare happened, and she got sick… and well, the paper ended up back on her counter.

Apparently, right next to where Alex sat the prescription.

Kara, however, was not in her right state of mind. Oh no, in fact, the moment she looked at the woman behind the counter, all she could focus on was how strikingly beautiful she was. Her jawline could cut glass. Her hair was long but pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her eyes, though, are what Kara couldn’t stop going back to.

As the woman spoke to Kara, she simply stared back for a moment, the fog in her mind seeming to block out her ability to function.

“Miss?” The woman said again.

This time, Kara looks at the pharmacist, the wide grin back on her face, her nose red, as her brain decides to work a little bit more as she says, “I guess I just need your love drug.”

The pharmacist simply stares back, silent.

But Kara, she didn’t stop there, oh no. She then leans in, and whispers. “Can I tell you something?”

The woman is now smirking, intrigued by the clearly very sick and apparently high, person before her. The woman bends forward ever so slightly. “I’m listening.”

Kara looks around, dramatically, to the very empty area around her. “I’m Supergirl.”

And then… Kara gives her a wink… and does finger guns.

It’s surreal, as the woman stands there, staring at her, taking her in fully for the first time, really sizing her up. As she does, Kara reaches up to take her glasses off. And that’s when she realizes… she was never wearing them.

Her eyes go wide as she looks back at the woman before her, as a second of sanity creeps its way into the fog of Kara’s mind as she also realizes that in her sick state, she has also left her hair hang down. “Oh Rao. I just did that.”

And the woman laughs.

“It is not funny,” Kara says as she leans back down again, this time at her name tag, “Dr. Kieran.”

The woman looks backward to the clock on the wall. “It’s time for my break, let’s take a walk, shall we?”

Kara’s eyes widen and then narrow. “Why?”

This time, the woman, Dr. Kieran, leans in. Kara naturally also tilts in to listen. “Because we shouldn’t talk about secret identities in public.”

Kara nods seriously as Dr. Kieran disappears for a moment in the back of the pharmacy and then reappear as she exits the pharmacy from a door a few feet from Kara. She waves Kara over to her as she walks towards the exit.

“Do you live near here?” she asks Kara as they make their way outside.

Kara nods and heads in that direction, with Dr. Kieran a half step behind her. Halfway there though, Kara starts to get woozy, the energy needed to be up and moving around this much apparently taking more out of her than she realizes. She turns to her new friend, eyes a little panicked looking. “Um… I think… I might…”

“Oh, fuck me. Don’t you dare-” Dr. Kieran says it as she turns to Kara, arms out, ready to catch her.

And that’s all Kara hears before she feels herself start to fall and the world goes black.

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

Kara feels warm, like she is wrapped by the sun when she starts to awaken. It takes her a moment to realize she is wrapped in several blankets. As she opens her eyes, she realizes she is most definitely not in her own apartment. She starts to sit up, a quick gasp coming out of her mouth.

“Woah, easy there,” comes the melodious voice from earlier that day. A hand lands on her shoulder. Kara turns slightly to see the familiar green eyes. “Easy, Kara, you might pass out again.”

Kara hesitates, feeling the woman’s hand on her shoulder and recalling the events from earlier. “How long was I out?” she asks.

Dr. Kieran glances at the clock on the wall. “About two hours.”

Kara looks around for her phone but doesn’t see it anywhere. “Do you know where my phone is?”

Dr. Kieran’s head tilts in confusion. “You didn’t have a phone on you, Kara. Just some cash and that sticky note you… mistook for a prescription.”

Kara feels her cheeks go red. “Right…”

Dr. Kieran sits down next to her on the coffee table. “Hey, I need to check your temperature, ok? See if your fever has broken.”

Kara nods, giving permission to Dr. Kieran, who then feels her forehead. “Oh good, I think it has finally broken. Now, do you want to tell me exactly how much cough syrup you took? I was afraid to give you any medicine because I wasn’t sure exactly how high you were.”

Kara feels her cheeks turn a brighter shade of red. “I… um… well… I wasn’t sure how much was enough… and I just… wouldn’t stop coughing…”

Dr. Kieran hums. “Don’t get sick often do we, Supergirl?”

Kara’s eyes widen. “What? Um… I’m not… who told you that?”

“You did.” She says, matter-of-factly.

The reminder sends the memory flashing through Kara’s mind. “Oh Rao. I… I said that… in public. Alex is going to kill me.”

“Who is Alex?” Dr. Kieran asks, interrupting Kara’s thoughts of panic.

“Oh, my… my sister. She is very protective of me.”

Dr. Kieran nods understandingly. “Well, my security specialist Querl has already made the security tape from the pharmacy disappear.”

“I’m… wait, you did what now?” Kara says confused.

The woman smiles at Kara mischievously. “I said, your sister doesn’t need to worry, I was the only one there when you said it, and any proof of you saying it, has been taken care of.”

“Wow… um… thank you,” Kara stammers out as she feels her face heating up again.

Dr. Kieran half smiles. “Now that we have all that settled. How about I get you some soup from my kitchen, and we get you all better, ok?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Kara says. “I… I can go home… I can manage…”

“Kara, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you clearly have no idea what to do when you are sick. And it appears, based on the fact that you showed up at the pharmacy, that you could use someone’s assistance in this matter. So please, let me help you.”

“Why? I mean… why would you help me? Why not out me? You literally have my full name and number.”

The pharmacist gives Kara a sad smile. “I know you don’t know me, personally, Kara. But you spend your time, when you are being Supergirl, protecting people. I assume that means you think there are people worth protecting, yes?”

Kara nods slowly.

“Well, even superheroes need protecting, sometimes too. Whether that is from some big bad evil person, or from a teeny tiny flu virus. So please, let me help you this one time.” She gives Kara a small smile as she gets up and walks off toward the kitchen, though not before giving her a small squeeze on the shoulder.

Kara lays back down, her mind swirling. This woman, Dr. Kieran, might just be the most brilliant, kindhearted, beautiful soul she has ever met.

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

Kara falls asleep shortly after she finishes the soup. When she awakes again, she finds Dr. Kieran in the chair next to her, reading a book.

“Ah, how is our patient?” she asks, seeing Kara stirring as she sits up.

Kara takes stock of her symptoms, noticing that she can breathe a little easier now. “I think I am on the mend, doc,” she says with a smile.

“Lena,” she says in return. “You can call me Lena.”

Kara smiles. “Thank you for your hospitality. I should probably get going though. My sister is probably freaking out.”

“Oh… about that,” Lena says as she pulls out a familiar phone. “With your name and number, I was able to find your address. I sent Querl over to retrieve your phone. Good thing I did too, you left your door unlocked.”

Kara blushes as she takes the phone from Lena. “Thank you…”

She sees five missed calls from her sister. “Oh no… Um… excuse me?”

Lena nods with a small smile. “Of course, I will make myself scarce so you can talk to your sister.”

The conversation doesn’t go completely awful. Though Kara might have skipped over the part where she told the pharmacist that she was Supergirl and only told her sister the part about how she passed out and the pharmacist she met is taking care of her for now.

“My sister would like for me to text her your address. Otherwise, she might be forced to use her government job to find you,” Kara says, using air quotes for the second part of her statement, as Lena reenters the room a few minutes later.

Lena laughs. “Good luck with that.”

Kara’s head tilts in confusion.

Lena only shrugs. “Long story. Look, I can drive you back to your place, whenever you want. No need for big sis to storm the castle.”

“Thank you,” Kara says with a gracious smile.

“I didn’t know Supergirl had a sister,” Lena says as she sits back down in her chair.

“Oh… she is human. My… adopted sister, from my Earth family. Very wonderful people. But very protective.”

“Ah, I see, adoption is… always complicated,” Lena says solemnly.

“You were adopted too?” Kara asks.

Lena nods. “When I was four. But we should really be focusing on you, Kara and getting you better.”

“You are doing a great job so far,” Kara says with a toothy smile.

“Oh, is my love drug working?” Lena says back with a smirk.

Kara’s face turns bright red. “Um…”

Lena chuckles. “How about I get you some fluids, maybe some water and Gatorade?”

She stands up and walks off, leaving Kara to stammer to herself for a moment. By the time Lena comes back with the drinks for her, Kara has seemingly recovered enough to speak again.

Lena hands her the water first. “Thank you. And can I just say, for the record, you are an amazingly gorgeous, attractive person.”

Lena smiles, a slight blush creeping up her neck.

“And I would love to have met you under circumstances where I wasn’t…”

“High on cough syrup?”

“Sick, I was going to say, sick,” Kara counters. “Anyway… I wanted to also thank you for taking care of me… and apologize for ruining your day.”

Lena sits down on the coffee table in front of Kara as she speaks, an odd, unreadable expression on her face. “You… don’t need to apologize for anything, Kara. I am just glad that it seems like after a few more hours of sleep, that you are nearly recovered. I assume that perhaps your powers are starting to return?”

Kara gives a small nod. “I think my cells are slowly reactivating, yes. I can tell that my sickness is nearly gone.”

“That’s wonderful. You will be out there saving people again in no time.”

“Wait, how did you know my powers were returning?” Kara asks, her mind finally starting to work a bit clearer again.

Lena has a thin small smile. “I suppose I couldn’t convince you that I just looked it up on the internet, could I?”

Kara’s head tilts sideways as she gives a soft, pouting look.

Lena lets out a low sigh. “I have a sibling too.”

“Oh?” Kara asks, unsure of how this connects at all to what they were just talking about. She is even more confused than before.

“You have probably heard of him since your cousin has worked closely with him,” Lena says as she stares down at the floor.

“Wh… what are you saying, Lena?” Kara asks as she sits up fully now.

Lena looks up, green eyes meeting blue as she searches in Kara, hoping that Kara won’t judge her for what she is about to say.

“My brother is Lex… Lex Luthor.”

The room falls silent.

Kara stares at Lena.

Seconds tick by.

Lena, unable to take it any longer, stands and says, “I understand… I can drive you home… or pay a service to take you home… whichever you prefer.”

Kara’s hand reaches out, and grabs Lena’s, holding her in place. “No, wait, I’m sorry. I’m just… still processing.”

Lena looks down, seeing Kara’s hand still wrapped around her own. She looks back at Kara, who uses her free hand to pat the couch, inviting Lena to sit next to her. “Please, sit down? I would like to hear your story… if you want to share it.”

Lena lets out a shaky breath as she smiles and says, “Ok.”

She sits next to Kara and tells her all about her life, though she focuses mostly on the past couple of years. She tells her how she went into hiding after Lex’s attack. She knows it is only a matter of time before he finds a way out of prison. So, she went into hiding under the name Kieran. She moved across the country to National City and got a job as a pharmacist. She has a private security team that she trusts with her life, and she has a small science lab in her home where she continues to tinker and build inventions. And she hopes to eventually launch a new science and technology company under a new name. But for now, she is steering clear of the limelight and of Lex’s prying eyes.

Kara is quiet as she listens intently to Lena’s story. She remembers her own thoughts from earlier that day and is glad she was right - brilliant, kindhearted, beautiful.

“Lena, wow, I’m glad you are safe.”

“You… you believe me?” Lena asks, surprised.

Kara nudges her with her shoulder. “Of course, I believe you. You literally took care of me all day today. You rescued me. I mean, I was wondering around the city, completely discombobulated, out of my mind, and then I passed out. You are my knight in a white lab coat!”

This draws a laugh out of them both.

“I’m glad I could help, Kara, seriously. I know I don’t have to… but a part of me feels like I should be trying to make up for all the evil things my brother has done.”

Kara nods, knowingly. “I understand. In a lot of ways, I feel like I am trying to make up for the sins of my people… I… I have to save this world because my parents couldn’t save my world.”

“Wow… yeah, Kara… that’s… that’s a heavy burden to carry. Can I ask, why you and not your cousin?”

Kara lets out a long sigh before she explains. “He was an infant… he has no memory of our planet. But me, I was a teenager. And it was my parents who played a huge role in the destruction of the planet by ignoring my Aunt Astra’s warnings. So… in a way… I have to make sure that I do not repeat the sins of my family’s past… my people’s past. My cousin, Superman, Kal El, he has no memories of these things… so they do not weight on him… or haunt him… like they do me.”

“Kara…” Lena says, trailing off. “I… I don’t know what to say… I cannot image being the last of your people… to have lost so much… and yet still feel such a strong desire to help and to protect… I think I would drown in my sorrow if I was in your position.”

Kara’s eyes glimmer with the hint of tears as she shrugs slightly. “Sometimes I do.”

Lena wraps an arm around Kara. “And that’s ok. I lose it all the time because of what happened with my brother.”

This makes Kara chuckle a little as she lets herself sink into Lena. “Just wait until you see Alex blow up at me for being gone for so long. She is going to lose her mind.”

That makes them both laugh even more.

They stay like that for some time, chatting about siblings and family and life before and after being adopted. They can both sense a shared connection, something beyond the fact that Kara is a Super and that Lena is a Luthor. There is something underneath the hero/villain storyline personified by their family ties. There is a story of heartbreak and tragedy and loss that both share. There is the openness and hope that Kara still carries strongly with her, which Lena cannot help but admire. There is the unwavering kindness and brilliance that Lena has despite the way she has been treated by those who claimed to love her throughout her life, which Kara cannot help but be in awe of.

When there is a pounding on Lena’s door later that evening, the two finally pull apart.

“That would be Alex,” Kara says, standing up.

Lena chuckles. “I know. I had Querl wait by your apartment to give her my address.”

Kara laughs, knowing Alex will be so angry she couldn’t figure it out herself. Lena makes her way to the door as Kara follows closely behind.

“Hello, Agent Danvers,” Lena says as she opens the door.

Kara pokes her head from behind Lena. “Hey sis! Give me one minute, ok! I’ll be out in one minute, I promise!”

Alex’s eyes go furious with murder as she grits her teeth. “Fine. One minute.” She eyes Lena closely as Lena smiles widely and closes the door again.

She turns to face Kara, a curious look on her face.

“Well, doc, I don’t have your number. You know, in case I need it for… a follow up.”

Lena’s lips purse together as she tries to hide the smile that wants to launch across her face. She holds her hand out for Kara’s phone, which Kara excitedly hands over. When Lena hands it back, Kara can’t help but giggle when she sees what Lena puts in for her name.

Dr. Love Drug

Kara immediately opens her camera, looks her arm around Lena, and pulls her in for a selfie. Lena’s only half smiling in the picture, caught between a look of confusion and attempting to smile for the picture. Kara sends the picture to Lena as soon as she takes it.

“You know, in case you wanted a token to remember the day,” Kara says with a grin as Lena hears her phone go off from the other room.

Lena shakes her head side to side. “What have I gotten myself into?” she says out loud.

“Oh, just you wait, all the cute dog videos are coming your way,” Kara responds as she opens the door.

Lena smiles fondly. “Goodbye, Kara.”

Kara looks back at Lena one final time, smiling brightly. “Thanks again, Lena.”

[afoolnottoloveu]

maybe i’m imagining things ♡

Summary: You don’t really feel like you belong at the BAU just yet (WC: 2.1k) {Masterlist <3}

Pairing: Spencer Reid x gender neutral!Reader

TW: smoking, mentions of death, swearing, mentions of alcohol

A/N: i dont smoke so theres highkey gonna b smth wrong with the description,,, but it just felt right okay, also it was a song reference as well >:(( also, this is for lucy’s fic contest! congrats on 3000 sweetheart <3

Song Pairing: Why Am I Like This? - Orla Gartland

--

You could remember the feeling, how it started that night at the bar. Despite the conversations of your new team swirling around you, you felt like a stranger. You didn’t think much of it at first, you just thought you were imagining things. You’ll grow into it, you told yourself. 

After exactly a year at the BAU, you still couldn’t decisively say you were part of the family. As cases came and went, you felt the same. An outsider. A guest living with a family. You couldn’t blame them, really. As you should, right? They weren’t like this with any of the other newbies; it was you who intruded.

The last case felt no different. It was a family annihilator, and all you could think about were the victims. Unbeknownst to the team, except Aaron, you knew almost exactly what the family of the victims were going through. Your feelings were taking a toll on you, and everything from the jet ride to heading back to the office was a complete daze. Your mind was somewhere far off in the distance, only snapped back by the soft touch of JJ placing her hand on your shoulder before you could walk through the glass doors.

“Are you coming tonight?” She asked as if you already knew of what was happening tonight.

“Uh, w-what’s tonight?”

“We’re going to-”

“O’keefe’s!” Penelope squealed, running out of her batcave with the clicks of heels following.

“Oh, um-” you hesitated, but you remembered how badly you wanted to be a part of their family, and a drink didn’t sound too bad at the moment, “yeah! Yeah, I’ll just meet you guys there alright? M’gonna just grab some stuff.”

“We’ll see you down there!” Penelope bubbled, before sweeping everyone else into the elevator. You gave a small smile and wave, catching Spencer’s gaze  just as the doors shut. Maybe you had learned to hide it well after all these years, but for profilers, they really had no idea what was going on inside your head.

You couldn’t help but glance up at Aaron’s office through the glass doors. Everyday you debated if the BAU was really for you, every day for a year, now. Not knowing if this was a mistake or not, you slipped through the bullpen and made a beeline for his office. Relatively quickly, you found the papers you were looking for after a quick search through his cabinets. You didn’t want to have the conversation with Aaron, but he was the only person on this floor with them. You shoved them in your purse, just in case. In case of what? You didn’t know either.

- 

You tried to enjoy yourself, you really did, but your head was just filled to the brim with thoughts you couldn’t bear. The fuzzy, stuffy feeling of the bar would usually help you blend right in, but right now it made you sick. You excused yourself from the table, not like you were part of any of the conversations that were happening anyways, and stepped out.

Through your work blouse and slacks, the October wind nipped at your skin. You opened your purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Your habit started young, smoking being one of the only things that could effectively calm you. Your dad was a smoker, but he really tried his best to stop. He wouldn’t be proud of you for following in his footsteps, but so be it.

Placing the cigarette between your lips and lifting your lighter to the end, you failed to notice someone approaching from behind you.

“6 minutes.” 

Startled, you fumbled and dropped your cigarette from your lips and it hit the concrete, causing you to loudly mutter a curse. You whipped around to cuss out whoever made you drop it, but you’re met with the same eyes you saw before the elevator closed.

“Jesus Christ, Spencer. I just lit that!” His expression doesn’t change, so you rummage through your purse pulling out the box of cigarettes once again. “And I know what that means, 6 minutes off my life for every cigarette I light.” Faced towards the street, you tried to light it, but failed. As the wind kept blowing out the tiny flame, you kept trying. “To be frank, 6 minutes isn’t a whole lot of time in the grand scheme of things. It’s like, one less shower. I could live with that I think.”

Still not hearing a reaction from him, you turn his way, naturally. He seems to be finding your purse very interesting, and for a moment you think, is pretty boy gonna rob me?, but you finally realize he can see the bold print title and FBI logo on the papers that you grabbed sticking out from your purse.

“Why?” is all he asked, his voice dripping in devastation. You look up to meet his eyes and there’s a gloss over them that you know too well. “Why would you wanna transfer? The BAU is-”

“-the crown jewel of the FBI. I’ve heard it.” You take the cigarette out of your mouth to reply. Unable to meet his eyes anymore,  you fixed your eyes on the street once again, but you minded your voice, careful to not let it crack nor reveal too much, “I can’t explain it, Spencer.”

“I think you can, but you don’t want to.” The hurt in his voice was still evident and you had to wonder, why was it there in the first place? He doesn’t really care, his family’s inside the bar.

You brought the joint back to your lips and tried to light it one last time, and you successfully did so, inhaling the smoke and letting it encase your lungs like a blanket. “It’s just-” A long pause lingers in the air before you come to your senses, removing the cigarette from your lips. Blowing out a cloud, the wind carried the gray smoke down the sidewalk, with your eyes trailing. “You know what? No, nevermind. It’s nothing, Spence. I might not even transfer.”

“You wouldn’t grab the papers unless you were seriously considering it, Y/N,” he huffed, intent on finding out the real reason, “Come on, you were gonna have to tell us at some point. Why not start small? Why are you leaving us?” You were getting frustrated from the simple fact that he was right, and suddenly you were very sick of the cigarette you were holding. 

“Fine Spencer, if you wanna know so goddamn bad then I’ll just tell you! I just- the BAU isn’t for me! And it’s not the job, it’s- it’s you! It’s all of you! I can’t be in the same room with all of you for anything other than a debriefing without feeling like I don’t fucking belong! You guys are a family, and I still feel like it’s my day one. If you guys can do this job so well without me, then why shouldn’t- why should I even be here?” You didn’t know when the tear slipped, but they just kept coming, and you were over this cigarette, throwing it to the ground and stomping on it a little too hard.

There was a silence. A cold, heavy silence, filled with nothing more than the gentle breeze, a couple cars passing in the distance and leaves falling. You suppressed your sobs as much as you could and wiped your face repeatedly. 

Oh god, you thought, did I really just say that? Fuck, fuck, shit, why am I like this-

“If I asked you to stay,” His voice was soft- you knew your response wasn’t the one he was expecting. All you could do was glance at him, not knowing where he was going with this. “Would you?”

“What’re you talking about?” The words were a whisper, you wouldn’t be surprised if he thought it was just the wind. You genuinely didn’t understand what he meant, but in your head, you had already answered his question.

“Y/N, I--I just wanna talk, okay? Can you listen? Is that alright?” His voice was comforting, and with the way you were feeling, it was music to your ears. It reminded you of the way he spoke to children, but you were just too damn exhausted to call him out on it; so you nodded, but you kept your eyes on the street in front of you, watching a taxi pass by.

“You know, when I first asked you ‘why?’ a few minutes ago, when I was saying that the BAU was the crown jewel of the FBI? Well, that wasn’t what I was going to say at all. I was gonna say that the BAU is where you belong, Y/N. We don’t only want you to stay, we need you to stay. You were the one who talked down that unsub today. You can defend yourself better than almost any of us. You treat us like family, with the coffee every Wednesday and checking on all of us regularly. We notice these things, Y/N. Do you? Because it’s almost like it’s second nature to you.”

You had to take several deep breaths before you could gather yourself enough to respond; you closed your eyes as you spoke. “Do you know why I so badly want to be so close to all of you? My- my parents were both killed by- by a sociopath. I was 15. I started smoking then. My aunt took me in and I lived with my cousins. They were closer to each other than to me, though. I- I don’t know, I had a family, I guess. I mean, my aunt and her two daughters were my family, but- I don’t know, I’m not making sense.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I didn’t know that at all, I thought they were your sisters. I get it. Well, I don’t, but I know what you’re trying to say. You didn’t have one as a teenager, but you have one now. Everyone inside of that bar thinks of you as their family. I know you don’t see it, but I can assure you that they do.”

You forgot your eyes were closed. They opened to the touch of Spencer’s hand on your arm, and there he was, standing in front of you. You wanted to cry more, but the sight of Spencer in front of you made you smile and your heart swell. You knew every word that left his mouth was genuine, full of love and understanding. You rushed forward and hugged him, burying your face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around you and cradled your head. It was almost funny, you were sure this was the most you had touched the germaphobe like, ever.

Into his sweater you sniffled and mumbled, “What about you Spencer?”

He pulled away from the hug, both of you still clinging to the other, but enough to have to look in each other’s eyes. He tilted his head as if he were asking what you meant.

“Do you- are we family?”

His only response was an airy chuckle and a swift, soft peck to your forehead. Huh, that’s new. You weren’t saying you didn’t like it though, no, not at all. He pulled you back into the hug and said into your hair “We don’t have to talk about that right now. But honestly? I think of you as something else, Y/N/N.”

And that was okay. The warmth of his breath on your hair and his sweater wrapping you neatly like a gift, it was more than okay.

-

Spencer led you back into the bar after you had fixed your makeup. Luckily, the wind actually helped to dry your tears pretty quickly. The team was gathered around the table, blocking something from your sight. As the two of you approached, you heard Penelope say “Oh, oh oh! They’re here! Y/N’s here!”

The rest of the team turns to you and in front of you, JJ is holding out a red velvet cupcake with a candle in it. “Happy one year!” The team cheered as a chorus. Your eyes widened and your face lit up. Your shock rendered you almost speechless.

“How’d you remember? Oh my gosh, you guys!” you smiled. With everyone egging you on, you blew the candle out, causing an array of cheers and claps.

“Honestly, some of us didn’t. But you know who did remember?” Morgan commented with a wink. You turned to see Spencer scratching his neck, smiling down at you, the look making your heart swell just a lil’ bit more. 

You grabbed his arm and pulled him over with you to the table, the team clearing a spot for the two of you. Conveniently, shots for everyone had already been poured out, readily awaiting your consumption. You grabbed the shot glass and raised it towards the middle of the table.

“To family,” you beamed. Maybe I was just imagining things.

--

Taglist (send an ask to be added): @prettyboy-reid @eusuntgroot @veraiconcos​ (congrats on 3k again!)

[billyspotato]

Hi can I get a rafe imagine where they’re dating but the reader loves the pouges and she has like a protection spell especially on Pope and she finds out what he did to him at the golf course w topper and reader ignores him or makes him jealousw JJ as punishment tysm this my first time requesting one so I hope that’s not too much aha

A/N: I changed some things to make it more intense and angsty, hope you like it either way. (Sorry for taking so long, btw)

Best Friend - Rafe Cameron

Words: 3.700+ words

Type: Angst & Fluff

Summary: (What’s in the request)

Warnings: English is not my first language, sorry if I misspell something. Swearing, maybe? Fem!Reader.

A/N: Gif’s not mine :)

You swipe clean the wooden tables while listening to Kiara’s conversation with JJ, silently.

“Y/N, can you give this to the table in the corner please?” Kiara’s dad, Mike, says to you.

“Of course,” You say with a smile.

You discard your wet cloth and wash your hands quickly before grabbing the plate of food and taking it to, who you believe are, some tourists.

They thank you as you place the plate down and as you walked away, both of them started eating their appetizer.

Your phone vibrates on your back pocket and you check it quickly, a text from your boyfriend, Rafe, wishing you a good morning. You smile down at the screen and answer him quickly before Mike could notice, but Rafe is quick to ask something else: if you’re going to the party tonight.

“What did I say about phones, missy?” Mike says, making you look up at him and apologize, smiling at his fake-angry expression.

“Sorry”

You send a quick ‘idk’ to Rafe and shove the phone back in your pocket.

“I’ll see you later, Y/N,” Pope says while walking out with JJ.

“Bye, have a nice day at work,” You tell him, and he smiles at you while waving at you and walking out.

If you had to choose, Pope is definitely one of your favorites guys in Kie’s whole friend group. No offense to JJ and John B, but you always found Pope so cute and innocent. He’ll always be your favorite.

And that’s probably something that Rafe does not like. Even when dating a Pogue (you), Rafe wants you to stay away from that crowd and hang out with him and his kook friends.

As if his crowd is any better.

Kie walks behind the counter as well and gives you a small smile when noticing that you spaced out. You smile back while slightly shaking your head and turn your attention back to the plates.

(…)

It’s been some hours, and your shift is finally done. It’s almost time to have dinner and you’re exhausted. How are you supposed to go to a party?

You say a small ‘goodbye’ to Kie and her parents before walking out.

As you were scrolling through your phone and walking down the small makeshift wooden bridge, you see John B walking back to the restaurant with a frown and a glare.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” You ask him once noticing.

“What, are you going to act like you don’t already know?” John B asks you with an angry tone while scoffing at your concern.

“Know about what?”

“About what happened to Pope”

You look at him confused. Wasn’t Pope supposed to be working until now?

“You really don’t know, do you?” John B asks and you shake your head, ignoring the texts that you’re receiving from Rafe. “Pope got jumped when he was delivering groceries in Figure 8”

Your eyes widen in shock right as those words came out of his mouth.

“By who?”

“Rafe and Topper at the golf course” John B says, and you start to understand his anger towards you.

Your boyfriend did this to one of your best friends.

“How bad is it?”

“Pretty bad,” John B says while nodding and looking down at the flooring beneath you, “Pope is at his house, in case you want to see him”

“Yeah,” You say while sighing in disbelief, “I’ll go over to his, then”

John B nods again and turns to walk out of this conversation and in the restaurant, probably, to tell Kie everything. You walk down the wooden path and get to your mom’s borrowed car before driving to Pope’s house.

(…)

After some time of hanging out with Pope at his house and trying to make him feel better, everyone from the friend group started to come inside to the house.

You ignored JJ’s glare as he came in and you went over to the kitchen to make Pope’s favorite sandwich. And Kie comes in.

She sits next to Pope on the couch, taking a look at his bruised skin, but she doesn’t say anything, she just looks.

You walk back and give Pope the sandwich, which got you a smile and a small ‘thank you’ from him. You smiled back slightly and sat on his other side.

“Did they say why they did this to you?” Kie asks, finally speaking.

“Just that I don’t belong to that part of the island” Pope answers before taking a bite out of this sandwich.

You look down as you felt your blood boil. How could Rafe do this? And for what? Some sort of sick entertainment?

You want to call him and make him drive over here just to get screamed at, but you decide not to, for many reasons, but mostly because he has a big party tonight, that you were supposed to go with him. And to be honest, ditching him sounds way better than exploding at him. Especially when he doesn’t know you’re doing it. Guess that that party will be very entertaining. Waiting for his partner the whole time. What a fun time!

JJ continues to send a glare towards you as you heard Kie’s way to change the subject with Pope, but she stops when noticing the blonde’s annoyance towards you.

“Jesus Christ, JJ. It’s not her fault that this happened” Kie says.

“Oh really?” JJ asks with pure anger in his voice, “Because she’s the only one here that is dating a fucking Kook that surprisingly is the one that beat Pope into a pulp” He says, using sarcasm.

“How does that make me at fault here, exactly? Because I date a Kook, JJ? Screw you!” You say, not taking his annoyance anymore, “I might date Rafe that doesn’t make me less of a friend to Pope or less of a human when it comes to knowing what’s right or wrong”

“Doesn’t seem like it” JJ says, “Rafe has done so much fucked up shit and you still date him, maybe you don’t know the right or wrong thing”

“Oh well, excuse you,” You say with a tone filled with sarcasm and annoyance, “Do you want me to dump him over text or call right now just so you can feel slightly better about yourself and what you’re saying? Because, surprise surprise, JJ! I know my boyfriend fucks up a lot, but fuck me if I want to have a conversation face to face with him when shit like this happens”

“I still haven’t seen you plan a conversation with him”

“Oh, shut up, JJ!” Kie says, defending you. “It’s not her fault, she doesn’t control Rafe. He was the one that fucked up, so that means that he should be the one feeling like shit. So, stop trying to make Y/N feel that way”

JJ rolls his eyes at Kie but finally shuts up and leans back on the couch.

“I’m going outside for a bit,” You say in almost a whisper.

Pope and Kie look at you slightly concerned, and you walk around the coffee table to step outside to the warm night. When shutting the door behind you, you lean your head back on the cold wall, deep in thought.

(…)

You tie the lace of the apron behind you when stepping into the restaurant’s open kitchen and you say a little ‘good morning’ to Mike and the other co-workers.

“You look tired, did you sleep well?” Mike asks you.

“No, my neighbor’s dog didn’t shut up for a second, last night” You lie, making him smile a bit.

“That’s rough” He comments, making you say a little, ‘yeah’.

You start by picking up the plates of many types of breakfast dishes and taking them to each table, trying your best into giving a smile to each customer.

You stayed up late last night because of everything that happened. You want to talk to Rafe about everything, but you just don’t know how to. And also, the words that JJ gave you last night also didn’t really help with trying to feel less pressured.

Rafe texted, called, left voicemails. Everything. And you ignored most of them, you read some and heard some of his drunk voicemails, in which he would act like he was sad because you dumped him but eventually, say that he loves you anyway.

So that didn’t really help either.

Today is Kie’s off day at work, which means that you’ll be extremely bored today, but hopefully, she will still have any kind of meal here.

After almost an hour of serving plates of food to many tourists and some locals, and grabbing back the plates, Kie and the guys walk in, ready to have their late breakfast.

Pope gives you a small hug when seeing you, while you are occupied with asking him how bad he feels today, in regards to how sore he is. Which you just got an ‘I’m fine. Better than ever’. Kie and the guys just gave you a small smile as they walked by you.

One of your co-workers goes to their table to ask what they feel like eating and you check if Mike needs you to take anything before you walk over to them.

You sit next Kie and she starts making conversation right away.

You laugh at her and she smiles, grabbing Pope’s and JJ’s attention into the conversation. She continues whatever you two were talking about and you notice JJ looking at you.

You sign with your head as if you were asking him ‘what?’ and he mouths a simple ‘I’m sorry’.

You roll your eyes at him playfully and he smiles as he notices that you are playing around.

Kie continues talking, not even noticing what just happened from two sides of the table and just like that, the group is back to normal.

“Y/N” Mike calls you and you get up, thinking that it’s time to serve more food, “Someone’s here for you”

You freeze when your eyes meet Rafe and the guys stop talking behind you when noticing him.

You unwrap your apron from around your waist when close enough to the barstool, where Rafe is standing, and grab his wrist before pulling him with you to the outside of the restaurant.

“No breaking my plants!” You hear Mike scream as you were walking out.

You two walk out and move over to the side, where the chairs are.

“What the fuck were you thinking, yesterday?” You ask him, catching Rafe in surprise.

“What are you talking about exactly? Because if we’re talking about the party, I was the one that got ignored the whole night”

“That’s what you’re really worried about?”

“About you, out of nowhere, not texting me right after saying that you were getting off work, not answering calls or anything? Yes, Y/N, I was worried about that”

“Don’t turn this around,” You say before Rafe was able to make you two start talking about how he was ignored, “Before the party, around lunchtime, you did something, right?”

Rafe hears you and starts to think, really not remembering anything at first. Until…

“Shit,” Rafe says before clenching his jaw.

“Yeah, Rafe, exactly ‘shit’” You say, “Were you expecting me not to know any of this?”

He doesn’t answer. And you stay silent for some time, letting the silence set in Rafe’s ears. When noticing that he isn’t going to talk about anything else, you decide to talk.

“Just tell me why you did it” You say while bringing your hands to your head in frustration, but he stays silent again, “You don’t have a reason, do you?”

“No”

You shake your head in disbelief and look away from him, not wanting to believe his words.

“So, you just did this out of pure entertainment? Beat up my best friend when he was just working” You ask him, “Do you at least feel any remorse in what you did?”

“Of course, I do,” He says, and you scoff at his words, “I do”

“You couldn’t even remember that this happened when I asked you, Rafe” You say, “How do you expect me to understand your side or even forgive you when you say and do shit like this?”

“Because I did it without thinking. Your friends had been annoying me for some time now and I just, stupidly, exploded” He says, and you shake your head again. “I know I shouldn’t have done it. I know that”

“Seriously Rafe?” You admit, “Your friends also annoy the shit out of me, you know? With their stupid jokes and with their sexist comments. Everything. But you’ve never seen me start arguments or even fight anyone! Why do you feel the need to start this shit every time?”

“I don’t know,” He says, and you scoff again, “I’m serious, I don’t”

You two stay silent. Rafe doesn’t try to defend himself, he just stares at the wooden floor silently. You also aren’t looking at him but at one of Mike’s plants.

“What can I do for you to forgive me?” Rafe asks in a whisper, making you stare back at him and snap out of your thoughts.

“I don’t know, Rafe,” You say, shrugging before looking away to the side. “But you have to apologize to Pope. You know that, right?”

Rafe looks up at you, you’re not even looking at him, and that hurt him, in some way.

“Yeah,” He says, nodding and looking down at his hands.

Silence is set between the two of you again and you look inside the restaurant, where you find the guys and Kie looking at you.

“Should I do it now?” Rafe asks and you shake your head.

“Not yet, everyone is still pissed, even if they don’t show it” You say before looking down at your shoes, getting a glimpse of his hands, which don’t stop moving. “Any other day, just not today. Let this calm down for a bit”

Rafe nods and you look over at him while silent.

“I’ll see you around, Rafe,” You say before leaning forward and walking back in the restaurant, not letting him have time to respond.

As the door closes behind you, you grab your apron and tie it around your waist once more, ignoring your friends’ eyes on you.

Once you start helping Mike with the plating, you notice Rafe finally getting up from his chair outside and walking away, back to his car.

(…)

A week passed, you and Rafe haven’t even texted each other since the altercation on the restaurant. But you both know that you are okay by talking to mutual friends that hang with both kooks and pogues. They’re useful in getting information on both parties.

Talking about parties, you’re in one right now. It’s nothing too crazy, just a bonfire beach party. It’s mostly chill. Just hanging out and meeting new people.

“JJ, be careful,” You say while laughing after he pushed you away playfully, “You almost made me spill my drink”

“Ooh, such a bad consequence of my actions,” He says while waving his arms around dramatically.

“Shut up,” You say while rolling your eyes and also pushing him away by hitting him with your shoulder.

He laughs at your way to hit him and at the way you sip your drink, as far as possible from him, since last time you did it confidently, he just slapped your cup down out of hands and into the sand.

“JJ don’t!” You say laughing, as he moves his hand closer to your drink.

“I’m not doing anything,” He says, smiling.

“Then why is your hand here?” You ask, still giggling.

“Because I’m protecting your face from the sun”

“It’s 11pm, JJ” You remind him of the dark skies that are surrounding everyone.

Pope rolls his eyes at the two of you and then his eyes shift to someone further away.

You follow his gaze, curious and see Rafe, standing with some of his kook friends by the entrance of the beach, looking at you with a frown.

“What is he-” Pope starts to ask but JJ hits your cup out of your hands once again, catching you by surprise.

“Are you serious?” You ask him.

You glare at him and he laughs at your annoyed face, before getting up and offering you another drink as a way to make you forgive him.

“Maybe I should go talk to him,” You say to Pope after JJ walks away and he looks over at you.

“When was the last time you two talked?” He asks before sipping his non-alcoholic drink.

“Last week,” You say, and his eyes widen at your answer.

“Oh, okay,” He says while nodding in shock, “Maybe it’s better”

You look down at your, now trashed, cup and spilled drink on the sand before almost forcing yourself into getting up and walking over to your boyfriend.

Once Rafe notices that you’re walking his way, he’s quick to end his conversation with Topper and Kelce. And once you’re close enough, every single one of his kook friends stare at you.

“Can we talk?” You ask him and he nods right away.

You two walk off to a more secluded area and Rafe decides to be the first one to talk once you are far enough.

“I know I still have to apologize to Pope” He says right away and you shut your mouth to let him talk, “I just haven’t done it because it never seemed right to walk over to your friends and ask to talk to him, especially when you were there. And when he was alone and working… Even worse”

You stay silent while looking at him in the eyes as he continues to avoid looking at you for too long, and you decide to speak.

“Do you want me to get him?” I ask and he nods, “Okay”

You step away from him and quickly walk over back to your friends. Both JJ and Pope look up at you once you stand next to their sitting selves.

“Rafe wants to talk to you,” You tell Pope and he looks at you confused, “I’m serious”

“Why?” He asks.

“You’ll see. It’s nothing too bad” I tell him and both him and JJ get up, “Oh. No, no, no. You’re not going in there” You say while standing in front of JJ.

“Why not? I can’t let my boy go in the lion cage on his own”

“He’ll be fine, JJ,” You tell him, “I’ll be close to them”

JJ sits back down after taking a good look at your face, as if he’s trying to see if you’re lying, and you turn back to Pope, who was waiting for you.

You two walk side by side and when you two are close enough to Rafe, you let Pope walk alone to him and you stay back to let them talk in peace.

You’re close enough to hear random words in random sentences but too far to understand anything.

Rafe looked slightly nervous, but nowhere close to how Pope looked.

You turn to look at JJ and everyone in your friend group is staring at you as if you’re crazy. Why is everyone acting like you just killed Pope?

You look back at the two boys and Pope continues to nod while listening to Rafe, looking way more relaxed than when he got there. You can only hear words such as ‘sorry’, ‘hit you’, fucked up’ and ‘apologize’.

It was a lengthy speech and Pope almost caught you by surprise when he started talking as well. In which you only heard, ‘forgive you’, ‘love her’ and ‘it’s okay’.

You start walking to them when noticing that their conversation has died down and just after two steps and with also them not noticing that you’re closer than before, you see Rafe grab Pope’s arm before he could walk away.

“Just one more thing,” He says and Pope nods, making Rafe let him go, “Do Y/N and JJ hang out a lot?”

“Sometimes, yeah” Pope answers, without understanding where Rafe wanted to go with this.

Until he does.

“Oh, but they’re nothing. JJ just likes to constantly pick on her, there’s nothing between them”

Rafe visibly relaxes and Pope gives him a small grin.

“I’ll see you around, bro. Good luck with Y/N” Pope says before walking away.

“Yeah,” Rafe says before laughing a bit, “I’ll need it”

Pope smiles a bit at you when walking by, without noticing that you probably heard everything, and you walk back to Rafe.

“So, how did it go?” You ask him and he looks down at you.

“Good, he forgave me” He explains, and you nod.

You look down at the sand under your feet and slightly kick it before looking back up at Rafe.

“What was that about JJ?” You ask him and his eyes slightly widen at your words.

“What?” He asks and you smile at him.

“The question you made Pope about me and JJ hanging out a lot?” You ask and he looks over to the side before chuckling, acting like he’s embarrassed.

“Yeah, I didn’t know you heard that” He says, and you chuckle.

“That was all I heard, to be honest” You explain, and he nods before looking back at you, “Were you jealous?”

Rafe bites the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing out of embarrassment at you and you grab his hand to hold you into yours, just like you used to do, before all of this.

“Just admit it” You whisper, and he rolls his eyes at your playful words. “I’ll take that as a yes”

You look over at your friends and they all circled Pope to listen to what just happened, and you relax when noticing that Kie is smiling at what he’s saying.

“Am I forgiven by you as well?” He asks and you look back at Rafe.

“If you promise you’ll never, ever, do something like this again,” You say emphasizing the word ‘ever’.

“I promise,” He says, and you give his hand a light squeeze.

“Then you’re forgiven,” You say before pecking his lips quickly, catching him by surprise.

Rafe looks down at you with a sweet smile and quickly leans down to you to connect your lips once more. You two smile into the kiss and you cup his face closer to you.

- - - - -

Hope you guys like this one 💖

🌸✨Sorry, but I’m not writing in this account anymore. Go check out my new one @twinklelilstarkey ✨🌸

[smcc212]

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Pairings- Finn Shelby x Shelby! Reader, Shelby family x Shelby reader

Word count- 2,234

Warnings- Description of mental illness, implied/referenced self-harm, it’s the 1920s, so people not understanding mental illness, let me know if I messed any. Not proofread.

A/N- So, rather than writing what I’ve been asked to write, I wrote this-big thanks to my mum for naming this for me. The mental illness depicted in this is based off of my own struggles with mental health and I tried to dial down so I don’t offend anyone. Anyway, with that all said, I really hope you enjoy!!

“The forgotten Shelby” that’s what I was; that’s all I was. Finn Shelby’s twin, was another thing people would call me, no one would just call me (Y/N) Shelby. At least everyone that said that remembered I was Shelby though. Tommy was having a big party for Lizzie’s birthday; everyone was invited. Everyone except me. I found out about the party while I was at Garrison, some strangers sitting next to me were talking about it. Finn didn’t even tell me. Finn and I used to be inseparable. Now I was all alone.

I pushed everyone away, I pushed my friends with away; I pushed my family away. I never wanted to loose them, though, not really. I just... I couldn’t help myself, for some reason, I felt as though I didn’t need them; I never could control my emotions. I was always getting in trouble in school for my emotional outbursts, but I couldn’t stop it from happening. They’d change all the time, my emotions. Sometimes I felt the same emotion for a day, sometimes my emotions would change every hour.

I hadn’t talked to my family in three months when I heard a knock at my door. I opened it to see my twin, Finn, standing there.

“Hey, Finn,” I grumbled. I was happy to see him, but I’d been living off the last pay-check Tommy had given me. I left school two years after Finn did so both of us couldn’t do anything but go into the family business. But it’d pushed them away; they wanted nothing to do with me.

“(Y/N),” He breathed out. “How are you? What’s been going on in your life? Are you-“ He cut himself as he looked behind me. The place was disgusting. I knew that. I just couldn’t motivate myself to clean it. “(Y/N/N)... what the fuck happened?” Despite his wording, his voice was soft and full of concern.

“I... I just couldn’t clean. I mean, physically I could, but I just couldn’t get myself out of bed to do so; I didn’t have any reason to,” I murmured embarrassed that he’d seen the pigsty I’d been living in. “I-I’ll clean soon though. I had to get up to answer the door, so I’ll clean a little today.” I gave him a sad smile but he didn’t return it.

“I never realised it was this bad...”

“What?”

“Your mind. Whatever the fuck’s going on in the head of yours; I didn’t know it was this bad.” I moved to try and block the sight of my home from him even though he’d already seen it.

“Why are you here, Finny?” Finny, the same thing I’d called since I first learnt to talk.

“To invite you to Lizzie’s birthday, but... (Y/N), you can’t live like this.” His eyes stared into mine; into my soul. I could not only hear the concern in his voice, but I could see it in his eyes as well. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be a burden.

“I’m okay, Finn. I’m alive, aren’t I?” I giggled, but stopped when I realised he didn’t find it funny.

“Being alive doesn’t mean you’re fine! Pack some clothes, you’re coming to stay with me.”

“Oh no, Finny, I don’t want to bother you,” I mumbled, looking at the ground.

“You’re my twin. You’re not bothering me, just let me help you. Please?” He begged. He was begging to help me. I didn’t deserve his help, but I needed it.

“Okay, Finny. Wait here, I’ll pack a bag.” I walked into my bedroom, grabbing a duffel bag I’d stolen from John a while back, and stuffed the few clean clothes I had left inside it. Walking into the bathroom, I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste, then I spotted my stash of razor blades I collected as a child. When I was younger, I would steal the blades my brother would sew into their caps; they always thought they’d misremembered grabbing them. At first, it was just to be a nuisance, but, eventually, it was to cut myself. My brain screamed at me to leave them behind. But I couldn’t. I grabbed them, stuffing into the front pocket of my duffel bag and walking to Finn’s flat with him.

I looked around the small room Finn said was now mine. It wasn’t bad; it was was nicer than the room he and I shared growing up.

“Thanks, Finny.” I smiled at him, carefully placing my bag down to make sure the blades couldn’t be heard.

“No problem, (Y/N/N).” He smiled back at me. “So... are your coming to Tommy’s?” He asked carefully.

“No.” I couldn’t face Tommy, the head of the family. Finn was my twin, he was fine, but the rest of them? They’d hate me, I was sure of it.

“Why not? They wouldn’t be mad.”

“Finn, they’ll hate me; I was horrible to them.” I started to hyperventilate and I didn’t know why, it just happened and I couldn’t stop it. “Th-they-they.”

“(Y/N), calm down. Breathe, (Y/N/N),” Finn cooed, trying his best to calm me down, but it wasn’t that easy.

“I can’t-I can’t,” I gasped out.

“Yes you can, you just have to do it slower.” He grabbed my hand, placing it over his chest so I could feel his slow heartbeat. “Breath with me, okay?” There was panic in his eyes, but he trained his voice well so that I couldn’t hear it. He took deep, exaggerated breaths. It took awhile, but, eventually, my breathing started to calm and the tears in my eyes cleared up.

Finn didn’t say anything as he walked over to my new bed, lowered himself and gently pulled me into him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his warm embrace. I had been so long since I last saw another person, let alone got a hug off someone. I missed all of my family, but I missed my twin the most, I clung to him like he’d disappear if I let go.

“You okay?” Finn asks, finally letting the worry and concern flood his voice.

“Yeah... thank you, Finny,” I smile up at him. After a moment of silence, I spoke up again, “please don’t make me go, Finn.”

“You don’t have to go, (Y/N/N). I just thought you would want to, that’s all.” One of his hands started to smooth through my hair; Polly used to do that when we were younger.

“I’ll see them soon, it’s just... it’s a party, loads of people will be there and don’t think I can cope with that; you’re the first person I’ve seen in months, Finn, that was overwhelming enough.” I lower my gaze to the floor, embarrassment rushing through my body at how bad I got.

“Fuck, (Y/N)... I never realised it was that bad,” Finn mumbles and tightens his embrace. I hate that he’s pitying me, I know why he is but I hate it.

“It’s okay; I’m okay,” I replied. I’d gotten so you used to saying that I’m fine, it’s hard-wired into my brain.

“No, (Y/N), you’re not okay! If you were okay you wouldn’t have been living like that!” Finn exploded, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. I felt tears burning in my eyes.

“Fuck sake,” I cry, rolling my eyes. I’m sick of crying! Sometimes I can’t cry at all, and other times I can’t stop crying. It’s a fucking nightmare.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I should’ve shouted, I’m sorry,” Finn frantically apologies. I shake my head, curling in on myself.

“No, no, I need to my shit together! I’m so fucking useless!” I shouted, beginning to claw at my arms. “Fucking worthless piece of shit,” I mumble to myself. Suddenly, there are hands on my wrists, holding them together to stop be scratching.

“Stop it, (Y/N/N), you’re scaring me,” Finn spoke as tears begin to fill his eyes. I thrash against him trying to free myself, but it’s not working, he’s too strong.

“Let me go!” I scream. The front door opens, but I don’t realise, far too focused on freeing myself to care about who’s coming into Finn’s flat. “Get the fuck off of me!” I feel my throat ripping as I scream bloody-murder.

“Please! Stop it, (Y/N)!” Finn begs as two men enter to room. My twin’s pleas land on deaf ears, all I know in this moment is anger; all I know is that I have to get free. I fight and fight until something hits me on the back of the head and I black out.

My eyes flutter open, trying to adjust to the light. Looking around I see my family. Finn standing at the other end of the room, his cheeks stained with now dry tears; he looks scared as our eyes meet. Guilt overwhelms me, filling up my body until tears start cascading down my cheeks. Next to Finn stands John, one arm wrapped around Finn’s shoulders with a look of worried and perhaps guilt on his face. Polly sits next to me, her gaze upon the floor, shame and guilt paint her face too. Ada, I can’t see her face, she’s looking at some flowers placed on a dresser. The flowers look sad though, perhaps Ada does too. Arthur fights back tears as he looks at me, gripping onto Linda’s hand tightly, arguably too tight. And Tommy, he looks angry, or maybe neutral, I can never tell the two apart. Either way, he’s leans against the window looking at me. Lizzie sits on the bottom of the bed, looking up at me with sad eyes, she sends me a pitying smile as we lock eyes.

“Finny,” I croak, my throat still sore for my screaming.

“Don’t.” Tommy looks at me. Angry. He’s definitely angry. I don’t want him to be angry. “Don’t fucking speak to him; you terrified him,” His voice isn’t loud, but it’s not happy. Fuck, I fucked up again! I always fuck up! I try to hit myself, but I can’t move my arms, looking up I see that they’ve tied my arms to the bed.

“(Y/N),” Finn speaks shakily. ��W-we had to, y-you we’re out of-of control.” My heart shatters at thought of Finn being scared of me.

“I didn’t mean to,” I murmur quietly, they won’t listen to me but it’s true, I don’t want to hurt them.

“I-I know.” Finn says softly.

“No, no that’s not enough.” Tommy’s stern voice cuts in again. “First, you cut us all off, and now you act like that? What the fuck is wrong with you? Eh?” I feel myself start to panic, a sudden weight on chest makes it hard to breath and it’s only getting heavier like someone in slowly but surely pushing it down until it crushes.

“I-I d-don’t know, I d-don’t-“ I cut myself off, unable to form the words.

“For fuck sake, (Y/N)! Stop that!” Tommy demands, but it only makes it worst. I just want to curl up in a ball, but I can’t because I can’t get my hands free.

“Tom, stop! Shouting makes it worst!” I think I hear Finn say, but he’s sounds so far away. I pull at the ropes tying me to the bed. Just have to get free. Just have to get free. Finn, seeing me panic and realising no one was gonna help, rushes over. “(Y/N/N), it’s Finny. Listen to me, yeah?” I can hardly hear him, but I try to focus on his voice. “I know it’s hard, but you need to try to calm down, okay? Stop pulling on the restraints and I’ll undo them, okay?” I nod slowly. “Good, that’s good.” He keeps talking as he unties the ropes. Repeating his action from earlier, he places my hand over his chest and takes long, deep breaths. I copy him as best I can until, finally, I calm down. I threw my arms around him, catching him off guard. It took a few seconds but he hugged me back.

“I’m so sorry, Finny!” I cry, but he just hushes me, rubbing my back soothingly.

“It’s okay, (Y/N). I know you didn’t mean to,” He coos softly, one hand reaching up to run his fingers through my hair. I hate myself for what I put him through, I hate myself for what I put my family through... but I can’t control it.

“I’m sorry, Finny. I don’t want you to be scared of me, I love you, you’re my brother. Please, please don’t be scared of me. I don’t mean it!” I beg and cry and plead. Finn doesn’t know how to deal with me, but he knows a lot more than anyone else does. As I cry and I beg and I plead for forgiveness, he grants it. When I promulgate my love for him and the rest of my family, he says he understands; he says he loves me too. He squeezes me with his comforting arms that provide security and safety. Crying into his arms I feel the judgement radiating from everyone else, but Finn seems to understand better than most, better than me sometimes.

The rest may not understand, they may not want to, but Finn. Finn understands, he wants to understand me more than he already does. He wants to be there for me, he wants to help me, he wants to safe me.

Taglist:

@the-makingsofgreatness

[sturchling]

An Awfully Big Adventure

Hey! I found an angsty prompt for a Fairy Tail fanfic a while back and have been wanting to write it for a long time. Can't remember where I saw it, but if I figure it out, I'll make sure to tag them in this! Anyways, hope you like it! And if anyone understands the references to the book/movie in this story, you are awesome! 😊

The feeling of the old leather book cover was hardly noticeable to Lucy, as she was engrossed in her book. The book had seen better days, having been damaged from being read over and over. She was so focused on the story, traveling to a far away land only found in the pages of this book, that she didn't notice a certain pink haired wizard coming up behind her. "Lucy! Let's go! I got our next job." But the celestial mage didn't hear him, turning to the next page in the story. Natsu stopped and looked over Lucy's shoulder, reading the next line out loud. "To die would be an awfully big adventure? What does that mean? Sounds stupid." This time Lucy heard him, and jumped at realizing how close he was. Then when it registered what he had said, she jumped to her favorite book's defense, chasing Natsu around the guild hall. "Its not stupid! The hero of the story is cornered by the villain but is still trying to be brave for his friends! He is scared, but doesn't want to scare his friends! This is a great story, with great writing, and don't you dare insult it again! As Lucy stands there, out of breath, Natsu walks up, grabbing her wrist. "Sounds sappy to me. Come on! We have work to do."

Natsu, and Lucy had made camp for the night, just a little ways outside of the town where their job was. Gray, Erza, and Wendy would meet them in the town tomorrow afternoon. While they sat around the fire, Lucy pulled her book out again and read by the fire light. Natsu just stared at her as she was reading for the longest time. Until Lucy finally looked up. "What? Why are you staring at me?" Natsu looked at the tattered book in Lucy's hand. He had seen her reading this book several times before. "Tell me something. Why do you love that book so much? You read it all the time. Surely it gets old after a while." Lucy looks at Natsu, before looking down at the book cover fondly. "Well, its because of the memories I have with this book. This was my mother's favorite story. She would read it all the time, and then finally when I was ten, she read it to me. It was an amazing story filled with adventures and sword fights and even a few pirates. We must have read it together a dozen times." Lucy paused, her smile fading from her face. "But then, mom got sick. So I would read it to her every day. It always made her smile when I did. Not long after that, she passed away. After that, I always kept this book with me and would read it all the time. It was one of the few connections I still had with my mom. Any time I read it, I felt like she was right there with me. I love this book, because my mom loved this book and its a way to still be close with her."

Natsu just sat quietly listening. He understood what Lucy was talking about. It was kind of like him and his scarf. It was a connection to Igneel. Lucy looked back up at Natsu. "Sorry to dump all that on you. I know to you its just a sappy book, but to me its the best book I have ever read. Anyway, we should go to bed. Its late and we have a job in the morning. The two got ready for bed, and Lucy quickly fell asleep. But Natsu decided to do something else. He crept over to Lucy's pack and grabbed the old book. He went and sat back by the fire and turned to the first page. He spent all night reading that book. In the morning, before Lucy woke up, he slipped the book back in her pack and laid on his bed roll. He was exhausted, but he had to admit, it was a good book. Maybe if he had slept instead, he wouldn't have been so tired, and he wouldn't have gotten hurt.

Lucy heard Natsu yell from behind her. They had gone into town to get the information for the job, but were ambushed. The job was a fake, posted by a dark guild that wanted revenge for a Fairy Tail team roughing up their members. It was only Natsu and her in town, the others hadn't arrived. So they were on their own. Natsu had taken the leader, and Lucy was dealing with the others. There weren't that many opponents, so it should have been fine. She had just finished with her opponents when she heard Natsu yell. She whipped around just in time to see the leader's sword go through Natsu's stomach. She stared in horror as Natsu collapsed to the ground. She summoned Loke to keep the leader busy and raced to Natsu's side, praying to anyone who would listen that he was alive.

Lucy dropped to her knees beside Natsu, looking for any signs that he was alive. When she saw that he was breathing, she almost collapsed in relief. But he was bleeding too much from his wounds. She pulled some bandages from her pack and pressed on the wound, earning a groan from Natsu. He started to wake up, and looked at Lucy with eyes fogged by pain. He could see the battle between Loke and the dark guild leader behind her and it wasn't going well. If Lucy stayed here, she would be in serious trouble. "Lucy, listen. You need to go. Run and go find Gray, Erza, and Wendy. They must be close, so it won't be hard to find them. Go!" Lucy didn't even look at him, to focused on stopping the bleeding. "No! If I leave, and don't stop the bleeding, you'll die! I won't let you die." Natsu gave her a pained smile. "To die would be an awfully big adventure." Lucy jolted hearing that line, and looked right at Natsu, tears in her eyes. Natsu grimaced, but smiled at Lucy again. "That's it right? That's the line from that sappy book of yours, right? Hah, nailed it!" Lucy almost lost the grip on the bandages in her shock. "You read the book?" Natsu's smile was becoming more strained as the pain in his stomach grew unbearable. "Last night, didn't finish though. But I got to that line you love so much. And it may be sappy, but its a good story."

Natsu was quickly fading and that was obvious to Lucy. She replaced the now blood soaked bandages and pressed down on the wound again, but it wasn't doing any good. The bandages were quickly soaking through with blood again. Lucy grabbed more bandages, even knowing it was doing no good. She couldn't sit here and do nothing! She just had to keep him alive until Wendy and the others got here. She had to keep trying. Her voice shook as she tried to keep Natsu talking. "Well, then you have to get better. You have to finish the book. We can finish it together. And W-We can go on tons of adventures. Together. All the time, any time you want. Every day for the rest of our lives, will be full of adventure and excitement, okay? I promise, we will have the best adventures of our lives. But you have to get better Natsu. You just have to! Please don't make me break that promise. Just hold on!" Natsu's eyes closed, but he was still smiling. His voice was quiet now, quieter than Lucy had ever heard it. "Yeah, sounds like fun Lucy. Let's go on more adventures..." Natsu trailed off, and Lucy felt her heart stop. "Natsu? Natsu?! Please Natsu, wake up!"

Tears streamed down Lucy's cheeks, but she wouldn't give up. His breathing was slow, as was his heartbeat, but it was there. He was still breathing and his heart was still beating. And that was enough for Lucy. She heard Loke yell from behind her, and felt his gate close. But she wouldn't leave Natsu. If she left, he would bleed to death before Lucy got back. So she stayed focused on Natsu, even as she felt the footsteps of the dark guild leader approach her from behind. He had long since abandoned his sword and started punching Lucy from behind. But Lucy wouldn't let go of Natsu. She would never just let him die. Then, just as darkness started to invade her vision, she heard someone call, "Natsu! Lucy!" She felt a blast of cold behind her, and when she looked, the leader was now completely encased in a blast of ice. She looked at the tree line and saw Gray, Erza and Wendy running toward them. Good. Wendy is here. She will help Natsu. With that last thought, the darkness completely took over Lucy's vision.

When Gray, Erza and Wendy finally got to the two unconscious wizards, they were horrified to see the condition of their friends. Wendy got right to work, healing Natsu as best she could. She was able to stabilize him, but he remained unconscious. Lucy was healed when Wendy recovered, and woke up pretty quickly. Now, Lucy sat by Natsu's bedside in the guild's infirmary. She wouldn't leave his side. She wanted to be here when he woke up. She had started passing the time by reading that old book to him. It seemed silly, but she had always read to her mom when she was sick, and it just seemed right to read to him now. She was about half way through the book, and she had arrived at that scene. Where the hero is cornered and says that line. That line Natsu had said while he lay bleeding in front of her. She instantly started to cry, remembering that horrible day. She hung her head and silently cried. But then she heard a quiet, raspy voice. "Why did you stop reading Lucy?" She whipped her head up and stared into the now open eyes of Natsu Dragneel. "Why did you stop? You were just getting to a good part, and I want to know what happens next. And maybe after you finish the book, we can go on those adventures you promised me?" Lucy smiled, tears of happiness now running down her face. "Yeah. Lets go on an adventure!"

[whosaskingwrites]

Unrequited (Atsumu x Reader)

A/N: The first one of the series. I'm actually pretty proud of this one for it being the first one on the blog. It went under heavy editing and I think I cut out a whole two pages of pointless dialog. And it still ended up longer than intended. Anyways enjoy!

WARNINGS: Angst. Just angst that's it. And blood mentioned nothing too explicit. One sided love

DATE: Thursday October 22nd, 2020

Details: 4.8 pages 1,792 words

Theme: Hanahaki Disease- The victim begins to have flowers grow in their lungs leading to them coughing up flowers petals this continues getting worse until it causes their death. There's a surgery option to get rid of the flowers but it comes at the price of never feeling love again.

Angst masterlist

I stared at the ceiling of my room debating on if I was healthy enough for school. As I sat up my eyes drifted to the yellow petals overflowing from the trash can in the corner.

"Sunflowers," I mumbled as I looked at the petals.

They were supposed to represent happiness but as I looked at the blood flecked petals all I felt was overwhelming sadness. Summer break ended today so maybe I could get away with an I forgot.

"Yeah that sounds good," I said as I got out of bed and stretched.

I felt a cough bubble in my throat as I rushed to the bathroom I placed my hand over my mouth coughing into it. Blood seeped between my fingers as I felt the soft touch of flower petals in my palm. I sighed as the coughing subsided I put the petals on the sink counter. I cleaned the blood on my hands and face before heading back to my room. My limbs already felt weak as I walked it was a struggle to make the ten steps to my room.

"No school today," I sighed out as I laid down on my mattress. I let my eyes slowly slide closed as I fell asleep.

"Y/n," In my sleepy haze I could hear someone saying my name.

"Hey y/n wake up," I slowly opened my eyes and looked to the side. My eyes caught sight of grey hair and eyes looking at me in concern.

"Samu? What are you doin here?" My voice was thick with sleep and my speech was slightly slurred.

"What am I doing here? You haven't answered anyone's calls or texts! I was worried so I left practice to check on you," I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "You left practice? Kita's gonna be mad at you," I sat up which caused Osamu to put a hand infront of me and push me back down.

"He's the one who let me go. If anything Tsumu was mad he also didn't get to come," I coughed at that which Osamu sighed at. "Are you sick?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No I'm fi-" "Don't lie to me," I snapped my head towards him and he was staring back at me.

"I-I'm not lying," he shook his head and lifted his palm. Staring back at me was a single yellow petal dotted with red "Yes, you are," I flinched as I realized he'd figured it out.

"How long?" Osamu was quieter now as he spoke. "A year but it didn't get bad until the beginning of summer break," I whispered back as he placed the petal down on the ground.

"Who is it?" I felt everything I'd kept bottled up break down and tears fill my eyes "You already know," my voice cracked as Osamu sighed and pulled me towards him.

He wrapped both arms around me and pushed my face into the crook of his neck. "I know," he mumbled it as confirmation to my previous statement.

I started coughing again pulling back I covered my mouth with my hand. Osamu's eyes widened when he noticed more blood on the petals as they slipped through my fingers. I started heaving as more petals came up. Osamu left the room coming back with a cup of water and a rag. I put my hands down and watched the petals cover my bedsheets there was a thin red layer covering the petals making them look a reddish orange. I didn't need to look in a mirror to know there was a trail of blood leaking down the side of my mouth.

"Jesus...," Osamu spoke as he looked at me. He took the rag and cleaned my face and hands before giving me the glass of water.

"You let it get this bad?" I could see the concern laced in his grey eyes eyebrows furrowed downwards and mouth pulled down in a frown.

"I didn't realize it was this bad," my throat was scratchy as I spoke taking huge glups of water to sooth the ache the petals left behind.

"What are you going to do?" He asked "The same thing I've been doing. Try to forget about it," He blinked at my response "Is that why you've been ignoring Tsumu?" I nodded slowly. "It hasn't worked though,"

Before we could continue Osamu's phone rang. He answered it slowly "yeah?"

"Don't yeah me Samu! You've been gone for an hour! Get back here!" I could hear Atsumu's yelling through the phone. I got up and heading to the hallway with the glass tucked into my hand.

Suddenly the petals came back in my throat and I started coughing. The glass slipped from my fingers as I collapsed to the ground. It shattered next to me and a few shards cut my hands as I placed them on the floor. The petals came out red instead of the normal bright yellow causing small pools of blood to form around them.

I couldn't breath as I heard my bedroom door get thrown open Osamu stood there wide eyed with terror lacing his features. "Y/n! Hey stay with me!" He dropped to my level ignoring the glass that dug into his uniform pants and probably cut his legs. I saw the fear in his eyes deepen when he saw the amount of blood on the ground.

"Y/n!? What's happening! What's going on with y/n!?" I could still hear Atsumu's yelling despite my coughing. Osamu rapidly hung up and dialed someone else.

"Hello? My friend started coughing up blood and petals and I'm think she's dying please send help!" I could hear the panic in his voice as my eyes started to close. I finally stopped coughing and took deep wheezing breaths. Black spots covered my vision as a wave of exhaustion hit my body.

Osamu took my hand "Hey y/n no. Stay awake," I slowly shook my head in response. "Can't. I'm tired Samu," I mumbled at him. "You have to," Was the last thing he said before darkness over took my vision.

"Remove them!" "Sir, she has to make that decision not you," I let out a light groan as I slowly opened my eyes. Atsumu stood next to my bedside clearly yelling at a doctor.

He looked at me giving the doctor a chance to slip out of the room. "Osamu told me. Who is it?" I flinched at the anger in his voice.

A sense of relief filled me when I realized Osamu hadn't told him everything. "I- I can't tell you," I whispered. "No! No bullshit! Tell me!" I shook my head at him. "Is it Kita? Or Suna? No its Ojiro isn't it or-" I cut him off before he could continue. "It's you!" I yelled back at him.

"Me?" He asked slowly. I nodded in response "You can't love me," I sighed looking down "But I do," I felt those flowers again in my lungs clawing their way up to my throat.

"Well stop loving me!" I balled my fists together as a flash of anger struck me. "I ALREADY TRIED!" my throat burned in protest of the yelling. "I TRIED AND TRIED AND TRIED!" "AND IT NEVER WORKED!" tears rolled down my face as I looked at him. His eyes narrowed at me "I can't love you. So get them removed," Atsumu left the room after that leaving me sobbing into my hands.

Osamu walked in soon after "y/n," he whispered my name as he got closer to me. The doctor came in and looked at me sadly. "Are you sure about this?" He asked. All I could manage was a weak nod as I looked at the hospital bed.

"Do either of you know someone who's gone through this procedure before?" Before I could answer Osamu had said something. "Yes...My brother," I looked at Osamu in shock but he was looking away from me.

"Right well I'm going to go check the x-rays and come back and we can schedule the surgery then," I nodded at the doctor as he handed me a glass of water before leaving the room again.

"Atsumu...had Hanahaki Disease?" Osamu finally looked back at me slowly nodding. "He never told me who caused it and he got it removed before telling anyone," I sighed as I looked away.

"You know Samu I used to like sunflowers," I whispered staring out the window. "They were never your favorite flower though," He responded back to me. "You remember?" I turned to him as I asked to discover he was already looking at me. "Yep. Buttercups," I laughed as I nudged him with my shoulder "You only remember because it has butter in the name," He chuckled back at me "You caught me," we smiled at eachother as the doctor came back.

The doctor had a sad look in his eyes as he looked at me. "I don't have good news for you," The smile on my face fell as I looked at the doctor. "The disease has progressed too far for us to remove it," I gasped "W-what?" The doctor looked at me as I felt tears slip down my cheeks "I'm sorry but there's no way we could remove them without killing you," I turned and buried my face into Osamu's chest to hide my tears.

The doctor left as Osamu ran his fingers through my hair and down my back. "Samu...," I whispered and he hummed at me "I just wanted to say thank you for being there and I love you," I mumbled as I began drifting off to sleep the last thing I registered was Osamu responding to me. "...Love you too y/n,"

*third person p.o.v*

"You know Samu this is my fault," Osamu's eyes glanced to his twin who was sadly looking down.

"If I hadn't been a coward and told her...She would still be here and I could still love," He watched Atsumu set a bouquet of buttercups against the cool marble infront of him.

"Her favorite...Maybe that'll comfort her," Atsumu walked away while Osamu looked back at the grave.

Y/n l/n DOB: (b/d) 'She loved until the end'

Osamu felt a cough in his throat as a small yellow flower landed in his palm. It was covered in blood as he stared at it. It matched the ones in the bouquet and a sad laugh left Osamu throat.

"Buttercups huh...," He let the flower leave his palm with the wind as he followed his brother a small sad smile on his face as he whispered one last thing to the wind.

"I love you y/n,"

————————————————————————

TAG LIST: @wonhomarshmallow

[leftonraed]

The Night We Met - Episode 6

pairing : Taehyung x OC   genre : bodyguard!au, singleparent!au, idol!au   word count : 4.1k summary — It doesn’t look good for Taehyung and his niece when his brother’s in-laws come visit them. Prologue | ep.1 | ep.2 | ep.3 | ep.4 | ep.5 | ep.6 | ep.7 

“I told you you didn’t have to stay home today,” you hear Taehyung tell you when he comes out of the bathroom. “I don’t want to ruin your week when I don’t have to go anywhere.”

He pauses in the entrance corridor where you’re standing almost at attention. You look up at him and can feel some uneasiness on his behalf when you don’t move an inch.

You speak calmly. “You’re not ruining anything.”

He frowns,powerless and opens his mouth without really knowing what to say back. He slowly walks away in the kitchen.

“Want me to make you something?”

You shake your head. Seeing him confused and trying to find some meaning behind your attitude is somewhat amusing.  

He pauses again.

“Come sit with me… I’m barely awake but you’re stressing me out.” You indulge him. He frowns to himself, “don’t make me order you.”

You sit at the end of the couch. “Thought you’d like it...”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

You both hear Hina toddling out of her room. Her usual toothy grin is absent this morning and it immediately thought-provokes you both.

She doesn’t look up at you but stops a short moment to hug your knees as a compensation. You watch her shuffle her way between Taehyung’s legs with a pouty face.

“Morning sweetheart. You okay?” He cranes his neck down to get a look at her face pulled back downward. “What’s wrong? Feeling sick?”

Your eyes show little worry.

“You tummy hurt?” He asks again when she rubs her stomach. She nods a little, turns around and lifts her arms to have him hug her. He traps his slice of bread in his mouth, rubs his hand and picks her up on his lap. “Want this banana? It’ll make you feel better.”

She accepts to be fed with little zeal but eats anyway.

******

Taehyung has noticed your unusual quiet behavior which has now endured the whole past week but he doesn’t comment on it. He senses you alert but isn’t sure about the reason behind it. His attention is fully directed to his niece, taking special care of her as she thankfully seems to get better quickly.

You’ve been left alone in the living-room for a while. You look at the door when the doorbell rings and stride towards it confidently.

You swing the door open with too much force, taking by surprise Hwiin who’s standing on the other side. You frown a little at her when she smiles at you eerily. You shift to let her in.

You walk past her and sit down again while she remains standing, looking around to localize anyone else.

Luckily, you both don’t have to keep up with an awkward silence when Taehyung shows himself a couple of minutes later. You don’t pay attention to them as they start conversing about whatever brought her here.

You find yourself looking at her two or three times before you eventually decide to walk away and check on Hina.

“This seems like a lot, to be honest,” Taehyung admits looking at the screen right in front of him. “I’m barely keeping up with Hina and her school schedule.”

Hwiin’s smile doesn’t falter. She leans in and gently puts her hand on his arm. “Trust me, those interviews and shows overseas are much needed after your successful comeback.”

“I thought they’d be enough, you know, given my previous absence.”

He meets her fairly subtle gaze, sensing its pleading. It used to work much more easily before. He runs his finger in his hair, breaking touch with her but gets her all the more captivated with his casual demeanor and bare face.  

“You cannot just rely on local activities, it’s an opportunity not to miss. And I’m sure your foreign fans will be so grateful. It’s been so long.”

He leans back in the chair, grazing his bottom lip with his teeth. He can’t say he doesn’t miss them just as much.

“We’ll take care of…” She looks down, frowning as she looks for her words, “adjustments later. Please give your green light.” They lock eyes. She grins an innocent smile, “trust me.”

The dilemma is very clear but his hesitation also emphasizes his excitement about touring abroad again.

He lets out a deep sigh, covering his face with both hands, “I can’t believe I’m saying this but… okay. I’m down.”

He hears the excited squeal that escapes her.

“You won’t regret it.” She says delighted as she nimbly taps an answer to an email on her tablet computer and puts some order in the several open documents. “Okay,” she brings the device back in front of him and quickly resumes as her way not to lose momentum. “I also needed you to take a look at the new merchandise…”

Sitting with your back against the wall with Hina’s head on your lap, you’re gently combing your fingers through her silky dark hair. You’re starting the reading of the second book when the bell rings again.

Taehyung frowns at the door.

“Are you expecting someone?” His manager inquires as he carefully stands up.

“No…” He trails unsure. She watches him take a look at the intercom to identify the visitors. His frowning deepens. “Yes?”

“Hello, mister Kim?” A female voice says.

“Yes?”

“I am Seohyung Choi from the Seoul Council.” She continues, “our agency received a call from someone concerned about- I believe if I understood correctly your niece, Kim Hina. I would like to discuss it with you.”

Hwiin doesn’t say anything and can feel alarm overwhelming Taehyung.

“Uhm-...” His pulse picks up in speed and his mouth feels dry. “I don’t understand, I-”

“There is nothing to be worried about,” Seohyung reassures him. “I simply would like to ask you a couple of questions about you and your niece, if that is possible.”

“But I- we don’t have any issue here. I me-”

“Let her in.”

Taehyung looks over his shoulder when he suddenly hears your voice.

“I’m not-” He stutters, wondering if you knew about this. “I don’t know-”

He’s panicked and your heart squeezes at the sight but you don’t dither.

“Let her in. Go change quickly. Don’t worry.”

He takes a deep breath and looks back at the intercom. “Uh.. Come in.”

“Thank you.”

He dashes to his bedroom and starts looking for clean clothes with shaking hands. He barely gives himself the time to look at his reflection to ruffle his hair. He thinks of checking on Hina who’s quietly looking at the pictures in the book you were about to read and decides not to bother her.

You watch Taehyung giving quick looks around the penthouse to make sure it is not too messy before he joins you back in the corridor leading to the entrance.  

“It’s going to be okay,” you say softly only for him to hear.

His eyes are glued to the door. “I don’t know why… I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know. You’ll just be answering some questions. Don’t worry.”

He doesn't know how you’re doing it but the calmness in your voice manages to sooth his nerves a little and he remembers to breathe somewhat normally.

“Should I come later?” Hwiin interjects standing up, making you and him turn your heads in her direction.

“Y-you can stay. It’s fine.” Taehyung trails while staring back again at the door. He mutters to himself, “everything’s fine.”

You step back behind and wait.

He pauses right before opening the door. A woman around her mid-thirties walks in with a warm smile and you let out a relieved sigh at her seemingly likeable air, thinking it’ll help him feel less stressed.

She takes off her shoes, smiling at you and Hwiin when she sees you two.

“Please, come in. This is ______, our bodyguard and here, Hwiin my manager.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she grins and you both return the gesture. “You’re home is so lovely inside.”

“Ha, thank you.” He smiles shyly. “Uhm- w-would you like something to drink?”

“Oh don’t bother yourself. I’m good, thank you.”

A very brief instant passes by with everyone being quiet. You look at Taehyung.

“Maybe we should sit down.” Seohyung suggests, smiling to herself while Taehyung leads the way to the dining table with an embarrassed look, shaking his head as a way to get a grip.

“Is Hina here?”

“She’s playing in her room. Should I bring her?”

“Oh don’t. It’s good this way since I’d like to discuss with you first.”

You let him on his own not to cause any kind of extra stress and decide to keep Hina company. Taehyung notices and feels relieved you’re taking a weight off his mind. Hwiin has moved her belongings to the couch where she feigns focusing on her work.

********

“Where are you going?” you ask Hina.

“With daddy…” She pouts at you because of your sudden serious tone.

You stand up from her bed to peek outside her bedroom. Taehyung and Seohyung have left their seats and he is now showing her around.

“Okay, you can go.”

Hina walks away on her tippy toes. You see her hesitating on her tracks at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. She freezes when Seohyung crosses her path.

“Hello, you.” She crouches at her height, slightly shaking her hands. “Your name Hina’s right? Can you show me room?” She lets out a chuckle when the little girl forces her way between Taehyung’s legs to hide herself behind.

“It’s down the corridor.” He informs her when she stands up.

You walk out to let her in and lock eyes with him. He seems a lot more comfortable but gives you an interrogative look. You settle for a small supportive smile and leave them alone.

Hwiin naturally looks up at you when she feels your presence. Her mood seems to have changed.

Seohyung smiles your way when they come back. She and Taehyung sit down with Hina perched on his lap. She finishes writing down notes on her report.

“Alright, I didn’t see anything worth being raised about your household. Beside that one outlet and the window in the bathroom like I pointed it out earlier.”

Hina whines when she drops her soft toy, signaling Taehyung to get it back.

“Otherwise, it seems very secure for little Hina.” She smiles at her while Hina baby talks to her plushy. Taehyung keeps all his attention on the woman. “I’ll send you an email with all the documents needed so I can complete your dossier.”

“Alright.”

“Do you have any specific questions? Something I can shed light on?”

“I don’t think so, no.”

“Very good. Here, my contact information if something comes back to you.”

“Thank you.”

She bids her goodbye to everyone before Taehyung shows her out. You take one last glance at Hwiin whose face has turned expressionless.

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

You’re waiting outside the dressing room with Hina half-asleep in your arms.

Taehyung just finished performing for a show and is now discussing alone with Hwiin as she’s requested. The chair you’re sitting on has been positioned not too far from the door so you can hear it immediately when their conversation becomes heated although you can’t decipher their exact words.

The door opens a short while later. When you look up, Taehyung seems to try his best to keep himself calm. You don’t see Hwiin follow closely.

“Give her to me,” he says quietly with his arms stretched towards you. You stand up and let him hold Hina. He’s wearing the clothes he first came with so you grasp he’s ready to leave the building.

The ride back home is quiet.

He puts Hina to bed and goes shower after telling you to order dinner from his phone. You take it where he left it on the counter on his way in, unlocking it without difficulty since he didn’t set a password.

When Taehyung walks out, dressed in a simple black shirt and grey sweatpants, freshly cleaned but visibly exhausted, you are unpacking the few last dishes.

You start eating, letting the TV fill in the silence between you. You don’t mind being quiet, it just feels off when Taehyung seems elsewhere and it indirectly has you looking for ways to bring him back.

“Hey, you’re not eating that?”

He blinks and automatically hands the chicken wings left in his box.

“I’m not eating if you want it,” you smile faintly.

“I’m full you can have it.” He trails with a small pout and you take his box.

“Don’t look so dejected or I’ll lose my appetite too.”

He lifts his chin to look pensively at the small frown on your face as you bite on the food. “Sorry.”

“You want to talk about it?” You cock your head towards him, attacking a second wing.

He remains quiet a moment and you think you should’ve as well when you see his face gets darker.

“I feel abandoned.” He begins quietly. “It’s like everyone wants me to give up on the idea I could be good for Hina and it’s putting me off.”

Your lips part but you’re not sure if you mean to talk. You wipe the grease off your hands with one of the wipes given by the restaurant.

“I keep asking myself why no one’s seeing the efforts I’m making for this to work. It’s not fair... Just because I’m not practising the kind of job they think is more suited for a family life? It’s not fair...”

It really isn’t, you think. You never thought you out of all the people in his life would be among the few supporting him. You wish you had a say but you’re only left with encouraging words to repeat yet again.

You naturally reach for his knee, squeezing it a little. “I think they know you’re doing a great job. For some reason, they refuse to accept it.”

“They think Hina’s maternal grandparents would provide a more stable environment. I don’t want her to be taken away, ______.” He groans with a weak voice.

You feel a pang of sorrow when he blinks his teary eyes at you. You detest when you can’t find anything to do that could help. You reach for the second wipe, tear it open and unfold it.

“Even if they do,” you inch yourself closer to clean the stains of the dipping sauce off his mouth and explain with a soft voice. “You won’t give up on her. Because you know, it’s the right thing to do. And if you don’t, you’d prove them right.”

Taehyung quietly fixes his gaze on you with tired eyes, replaying your words in his mind. You remain silent as well, squeezing the dirty wipe in your fist, and find yourself glancing down at his lips irregularly.

Before you can feel drawn to each other even closer, you back up until reaching an appropriate distance from him and begin cleaning the table, looking away. “You should go to sleep.”

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

Taehyung tried his best not to look too dispirited the following weeks until the day he received a mail stipulating Hina’s maternal grandparents showing themselves as the better option for her at this moment in the eyes of the court.

You couldn’t help but think it had to do with the sudden change in social workers.

You close your hands around the cup of hot tea you just made herself, eyes riveted on the grey winter sky.

You get snapped out of your reverie when you hear one of the stools being dragged as Hina tries to climb on it. Your eyes soften at her when she gives you a victorious smile and settles on her seat to eat her snack prepared by you. It’s almost dinner time but Taehyung doesn’t care.

He dressed her in a beautiful dress, you wouldn’t dare to guess the price of it.  

Taehyung joins a little after with a matching hair band in his hand. You don’t look at each other. He carefully combs her hair and places the accessory. He sits down between you and watches her eat in silence.

He props his hand on the table to rest his head on. You don’t mind him hiding from you.

“We going to the zoo again? Let’s go to the zoo.” She blinks her big eyes at him.

He combs her bangs away from her eyes and wipes his nose with the back of his hand. “Wanna go see the animals?”

She hums positively and nods at the same time bringing her eyes back on her brownie. “They don’t bite, daddy. They nice.”

Hina stretches her tiny hand to feed him some of her snacks and lingers her gaze on him for a second, thoughtful.

“We going with ______ too.”

You look away from her and lower your head.

He cleans her mouth with his thumb and jumps a little when the doorbell rings.

“I going! I going,” she chirps, jumping down from her seat with his help.

A shaky sigh that escapes him. You gently grab his forearm, addressing him with a supportive look before you both walk towards the door.

You stay behind. Hina’s now able to graze the doorknob when she stretches on her tiptoes. You wonder if this is how she looked right before you first saw her. Your face darkens.

When he opens the door, you recognize the new social worker joined by her grandparents. Everyone’s eyes on the little girl who seeks comfort behind Taehyung as she peeks up curiously.

“Hina,” calls softly her grandmother with her open arms. “Come say hi.”

She doesn’t move, tightening her grip on his pants. He pats her head while her grandmother keeps beckoning her.

“Go say hi to grandma.”

After a couple of seconds, Hina walks slowly towards the elderly couple to let them kiss her as they exchange a couple of words. Taehyung walks away to get a bag with all of Hina’s belongings.

You don’t know where to look. You try not to stare as he crouches down at the doorstep. Her grandmother tries not to look too affected when Hina hops back in his arms.

“Hina you’ll go to grandma and grandpa’s house, today.” He trails softly while putting her coat and small beanie on for her. “You’ll go with them for some time and then I’ll come see you, all right. Here, don’t forget your gloves… It’s snowing outside.”

“You coming with Hina?” She asks after fetching his black knit cap from the sideboard for him.

He takes it from her, ignoring the tightness in his chest. “No, baby. You go with them. I will come after.”

Her frown deepens as she shakes her head unsatisfied. “No, no. I stay with daddy…”

“Hina,” her grandpa’s voice earns their attention. “There are a lot of toys back home. Don’t you want to go play with them? There’s a big princess castle built an-”

She turns away to hug Taehyung’s neck, shaking her head again.

“Hina, we should go now. Come.”

He can’t help but tense at the authoritative tone the old woman uses. She goes to grab one of Hina’s arm and forces her back up on her feet.

She starts whimpering and her eyes get teary.

“Let’s try not to linger.” The social worker interjects suddenly, backing away to prompt their quick departure and get settled with it rapidly.

You look their way. Hina brings a clothed hand to her face and rubs it when a tear slides down, naturally recalling what Taehyung always told her when she’d fuss. He stands up with his head hanging and she cranes up hers to pout at him and her grandmother, baring her grief.

“Let’s go,” her grandfather prompts after taking the bag from Taehyung.

Hina drags her feet, looking back as she’s taken further and further away from him. You join Taehyung rooted in the corridor. He sniffles at the gut-wrenching sight.

“Don’t break down in front of her.” You say quietly, seeing her one last time before they turn around the corner.

He looks down at the black beanie and closes his hand tightly around it. Her crying is weaker now and Taehyung can't hold it back anymore.

You walk him back in and barely have the time to close the door before he slowly grabs onto your body, hugging you to him, seeking comfort.

You freeze in surprise a quick second and slowly lower your hands on his back, listening to him sobbing in your neck.

“Please, hold me.”

You squeeze him hard, clenching away the tears blurring your vision.

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

You indulge him when he asks you to spend the night in his bed, allowing him to curl in your embrace as he cries himself to sleep.

The following day, he hopes to see you still by his side but finds the other side of the bed, cold and empty.

He didn’t rest that night and the note you left on his bedside table had only awakened a headache he would’ve done without. What he reads doesn’t surprise him, Hina had been taken away from him and so did your professional duties with you.

Hwiin cannot hold back the delight of having him to herself again, steering him towards whatever she thought advantageous for him and mostly for her.

She didn’t take in account the other side of the coin. As pliable as she got him to be, his demeanor was left out of her reach.

Taehyung does the bare minimum expected from him on tv shows and interviews, he still gives his all during performances but they’re lacking and soon, Hwiin is brought to deal with unhappy and worried fans who do their utmost to discover the reason behind his dull self.

Taehyung becomes withdrawn not only around strangers but also when he’s with his parents, friends and even when he’s left alone with her  and she doesn’t stand it. She hates to witness him become the ghost of himself and this would only lead them to their downfall. Her feelings for him make it all uncomfortable.

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

As for Hina, she isn’t doing any better.

Her grandparents have a hard time getting along with her. She’s not lacking anything but they fail filling in his absence. She struggles to get familiar with her new surroundings and their strictness does nothing but nurture her fear of them.

Her change of mood doesn’t go unnoticed by her school teacher but even her doesn’t manage to make her talk.

“This can’t go on,” her grandfather grunts sitting down on their bed, facing the window. His wife remains quiet on her side. “This isn’t benefiting any of us.”

“If she goes back with him, we’ll never be part of her life.” She places the comb back on the bedside table. “She’s everything we’ve got left of our precious Yuri.”

“Let’s not put a wall between us and him.” He reaches back when he feels her slipping beneath the sheets. “We’ve got to admit he did a good job raising her all this time despite his lack of experience… We’re not this patient anymore... It pains me to see Hina like this. We should think about it.”

She doesn’t answer and he turns back to look up at the night sky.

I hope you forgive us, Yuri.

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

It takes a month to Hwiin before she decides to visit mr and mrs Hiroshi. The wind is harsh on her skin as she climbs up the slope leading to their house. She tries to block the cold as much as possible, tilting her head down in the collar of her coat and ends up bumping into someone coming in the opposite direction.

“Sorry,” she apologizes instantly but the person doesn’t acknowledge her, hidden under a large hood. She stops a second wondering if they come from their house since the path doesn’t lead anywhere else but hurriedly picks up her walk again.

She pushes the intercom button but notices from afar mister Hiroshi outside sweeping the pathway from the outside door to their house.

“Hwiin, isn’t that right?” He recalls after walking up to her and greeting her. “What brings you here in this awful weather? You’re going to catch a cold.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she trails embarrassingly as she tries to think of ways to formulate her next words. “I’m sorry to bother you but I’ve come to talk to you because of Taehyung a-”

“You here to convince my wife to have Hina go back to him, aren’t you?”

“Uhm- y-yes, yes.” She blinks a little taken aback. “I- I”

“Well, you’re running a little bit late.”

She stares back, confused.

“A young woman around your age- very charming and polite by the way- just came by with the same motive. You probably saw her, she left a couple of minutes ago.”

Hwiin looks behind her, pensive. “Did she?”  

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