#bolt x diamond

[girlkisserr]

Necrodancer ships...and a Mel/Dori because they're already canon

[clowncryptids]

Rainbow Dash!

The Peregrine x Cheetah griffin dash is complete!!

This is my fave mlp design now I LOVE ITTTTT

Rainbow being a combo of two of the fastest animals is just sooo good <333

Also in the universe/ au?? these designs take place in, most sapient creatures have cutie marks! Also I like the idea that all hooved creatures and a good majority of mythical creatures are sapient!

headcanons for this Rainbow! v

They are trans masc, use He/They pronouns and are a Lesbian! He is also dating/married to Fluttershy <3

I love the idea of them getting the rainbow coloring after doing the sonic rainboom sooo for this Rainbow it is true! I think as a fledgling his spots were blue and their mane was black but after the rainboom they were magically stained rainbow! His OG name was just Dash and he added Rainbow to it bec of the rainboom!

He's the element of Honesty, because it makes since and Im still confused as to why Apple Jack and Rainbow's elements weren't switched.

They bonded with and befriended Fluttershy in flight school bec they both were the odd ones out as the majority of their peers were Pegasus.

The Wonderbolts had only ever had Pegasus remembers and Rainbow was determined to be the first non Pegasus to get in. After they did get let in however, she realized they were elitist assholes and horse racist so he quit.

He's bffs with Apple Jack and they are a badass Jock lesbian duo <3

....

Bonus design without the wings for a better view of the markings!

....

[Image ID: a digital drawing of an au redesign of Rainbow Dash from My little Pony. They are a griffin with a peregrine falcon inspired front half and a cheetah inspired back half. His left side is showing and he is leaping through the air with a happy determined look on their face. Their front, bird half is blue with a white stomach, he has a darker blue face mask marking as well as darker blue on his legs and back. They have a black beak and bird arms, they also have a short spikey rainbow mane and cheetah like ears. His back half is black with a white stomach and back paws, they have rainbow colored diamond shaped spots and rainbow stripes along their tail. Their cutiemark is a white cloud with a blue, yellow and red lightning bolt. His wings are the same color blue as his bird half, with white feathers on the end./ End ID]

[cozy-kjune]

Merry Christmas for everyone.

[heretodestroyou]

jamie tartt x rojas!reader where she’s dani’s twin or younger sister and is scared about tell him she’s dating jamie but ofc he’s just over the moon about it 🥹🥹🫶

felicidades!

pairing; jamie tartt x rojas!fem!reader (romantic), dani rojas x sister!reader (platonic/familial)

w/c; 1.08k

fandom; ted lasso (apple tv)

trigger/content warnings; my half-baked spanish, a little swearing, jamie being a clueless himbo, dani being a ray of sunshine,

stella speaks! this prompt is so adorable, i hope i’ve done it justice!! set somewhere after 2x03

Jamie feels bad.

He knows how close you are with your brother. He knows how much you hate keeping secrets from him. But he’s also grateful.

He’s only been back at Richmond for a couple months, and many of the boys are still wary around him. He doesn’t blame them, but they’re all so fiercely protective of you that his biggest worry what’ll happen to him, to your relationship when the cat is let out of the bag.

Your biggest worry is how Dani will take it. Dani isn’t the stereotypical ‘i’ll-kill-anyone-who-looks-at-her’ big brother, but he does take shielding you from the press very seriously. And dating Jamie Tartt? That’ll put you right in the spotlight.

The both of you are reaching the end of your rope, and it’s getting harder and harder to hide it.

So Jamie does the only thing he can think of. He talks to Ted.

He takes his time changing after training, carefully packing everything in his bag, a flimsy but effective way to stay after everyone has gone. He also keeps an eye on Roy, whom he’s paranoid knows Jamie is hiding something.

But the older player simply strolls past him, ignoring him as usual, and after Jamie strains his ears to make sure he’s gone, he bolts into Ted and Coach Beard’s office.

Ted looks up from his computer with a start, Beard’s attention suddenly also on Jamie. He feels the heat rise in his cheeks, but Ted simply smiles. “What can I do for you today, Jamie?”

Jamie takes a breath, and right before he speaks, he spots Nathan coming back in the locker room. He closes the door gently, turning back to the two men.

“I’m gonna be totally honest, I’ve been dating Y/n for two months now,” he starts, and Ted leans forward.

“But the thing is, nobody else except for Keeley knows. She really wants to tell Dani, and she’s not telling him because I asked her not to, but I can tell she really wants to, but what if the team beats me up? Like what if Dani is still mad at me for being such a twat and he gets the whole team to beat me up? Roy especially, he would like totally punch me in the balls and then Dani would make me break up with Y/n, but I don’t want to break up with her, but I also don’t want to get beat up, y’know?” Jamie rushes, his words tripping over each other.

Ted takes it in, leaning back in his chair and nodding. After a few moments of silence, he turns to Coach Beard.

“Coach?” He asks.

“Yeah, Coach?” Beard answers, eyes not leaving the chess game on his phone.

“Do me a favor, Coach.” Ted asks, starting to smile.

“Anything, Coach.”

Ted’s grin widens. “Call the Diamond Dogs together please Coach.”

Beard gives a nod. “You got it Coach.”

Jamie looks between them, not a clue as to what’s happening, when Nathan glides into the room, seating himself on the shelf next to Jamie. Jamie looks at Ted in confusion, but Ted just keeps smiling.

A minute later, Higgins also enters the room and gives Jamie a nod. Simultaneously, the four men start barking, and Jamie’s ready to leave when Ted speaks again.

“Fellas, turns out Beard was right. Jamie is dating mini-Rojas,” Ted says, and for the second time in five minutes, Jamie’s face heats up.

“Problem is,” Ted continues, “he’s not sure how well that’ll go over with the team, and frankly, neither am I. Ideas?”

Jamie raises his hand, and Ted points at him. “Yes, Mr. Tartt?”

“First off, the fuck is happening. Second, the fuck is happening?” Jamie asks, tucking his hands under his shirt.

Higgins grins. “We are the Diamond Dogs, and we are here to help! With your dilemma. Your Rojas Hassle, of you will.”

Jamie shook his head. “Whatever. Do I tell him or not?”

Nathan raises his hand. “Well, what I see the worst-case scenario being is the team ices you out for maybe another couple months. Do you think Y/n will side with you during that?”

Jamie twists his fingers under his shirt. “I mean, I hope so. I would be sad if she didn’t y’know cause— well she…” he trails off, his head filled with his favorite memories of the two of you.

“She inspires me to be a better person, and I think even if we had to break up cause Dani said so, I would still want to be better for her and then if I am better maybe Dani and the team’ll see that and they’ll let us date again?” Jamie looks up, glancing around the room.

Ted slaps his hand on the table. “Well lookee there, I think you’ve solved your own problem! And with limited help from us! I declare the Diamond Digs meeting over!”

Jamie begins to smile, a bit of the weight on his shoulders lifted. His smile faded when every other person in the room begins to bark, and with an eye roll, he leaves.

When he gets out, the cool breeze biting at his face, he sees you, waiting by your car. You’re chatting with your brother, who’s telling some sort of training story. His hands are flailing everywhere, and you’re giggling.

He takes a deep breath, then walks over. When he reaches you, he snakes an arm around your waist. You look up at him, the question in your eyes.

When he nods, that inquiry on your face is replaced with his favorite look: that shine of joy in your eyes, and you turn back to your brother.

Jamie takes a breath to explain, but before he can, Dani hugs him. “¡Felicidades! ¡Bienvenido a la familia, cuñado!”

Jamie looks to you for the translation, and smiles slightly when he notices your face buried in your hands. “Something you want to tell me, love?” He asks.

“He called you his brother-in-law,” you say, your voice heavy with embarrassment and muffled by your hands. Jamie’s grin widens.

“Should we plan the wedding then?” He asks. You groan loudly. Dani suddenly turns serious, and Jamie gulps. Has he overstepped?

“Por favor, do not make me wear those horrible dress shoes,” he says, his hands clasped together in front of him.

This causes you to laugh, and Jamie’a grin reappears.

The reaction Dani had was certainly not the reaction he forsaw, but it was definitely better than the one he expected.

[stray-kaz]

A Murder of Crows : a Kaz Brekker x f!reader FF mini : Part One

Summary: Modern au in which Kaz Brekker and his Crows are in the rescue business. They run an underground anti-trafficking mob. The only thing Kaz hates more than liars are powerful people who take advantage of others and the Diamondbacks are the worst of the lot.

A/N: I sincerely hope I have the impetus to keep this going. Thank you to everybody who showed interest.

Warnings: Evidence of abuse, fear of men. (Kaz thinks you are only falling for him because he saved you. Kaz is a very smart idiot).

He was covered in blood the first time you saw him, a grim reaper, dark clothed and limping. But he was far from lame.

"Demjin" you gasped.

He grinned then, a white slash in a bloody mask.

"If you like."

He extended a gloved hand towards you and you took it gingerly, rising from the dirty floor in a cloud of chiffon and expensive perfume. He glanced at your clothes with distaste, a wrathful sneer curling at his mouth. You glanced down, ashamed, and tried to cover the tattooed snake that writhed down your forearm, white diamonds patterning its back. But he shook his head, gripped your chin between gloved finger and thumb and lifted your gaze to his bitter one.

“This is not your fault” he said stonily. “Life bit you. Now you get to bite back.”

He let you go and limped through the exit, expecting you to follow and not looking back to check.

Light blinded you the second you stepped outside of the dark compound you’d been existing in for months. You kept your eyes fixed hard on the back and shoulders of the man who had let you out. Curious how, after everything you had suffered at the hands of men, you were capable of trusting this one. He was walking arrogance, pure as coal, but you believed he might just hate the men who took you and used you as much as you did.

“Your name?” you asked, reaching for his sleeve.

Your fingers had barely brushed it when he turned to look down at you with eyes like ice, the same moment someone else called to him and his head snapped away, his name ringing in your ears.

“Kaz!”

You looked up to see a tall, lanky man bounding towards you, a gleaming gun strapped to each hip, barely hidden beneath the folds of his coat. Instinct bolted and you ducked behind Kaz, hiding in his shadow. He glanced behind him, irritation melting into something else, something strange and cloying, when he glimpsed your wide eyes and the ring of dark finger bruises painted around your throat. He hadn’t been able to see them in the dark building.

He held up a hand to stop the young man in his tracks; warm brown eyes tried to find you around the wall that was Kaz Brekker, but Kaz shifted his stance on his bad leg every time he moved, so eventually he gave up and stood back, hands spread wide.

“Jesper” Kaz said quietly. “Bring me Nina and Inej.”

“But, can’t I even say -”

“No” Kaz interrupted. “You can’t. Bring me Nina and Inej.”

Jesper sighed and loped off, broad shoulders bunching under the fabric of his coat.

“Thank you” you mumbled.

He didn’t say you’re welcome, nothing like that.

“Jesper is good” Kaz told you instead. “One day you’ll see it. He is everything I’m not.”

That was your first warning.

You were driven to a place they fondly called the Slat, but you were not expecting a well kept, well lit apartment building, three levels high and packed to the roof with small luxurious one and two bedroom apartments. The two young women Kaz had sent Jesper to find for you, Nina and Inej, hustled you inside and into the waiting elevator, leaving Kaz and Jesper to find their own way up.

Inej was Suli, dark eyed and beautiful, still carrying the ghosts of a similar past to your own; you could see it in her eyes and in her sad smile when she looked at you. Nina had the wide hipped, strong look of the working class Kaelish, but turned out to be Ravkan, a top of her class heartrender and gorgeous to boot.

She held your hand in hers as she led you back out of the elevator on the second storey, producing a delicate key from inside her sleeve and unlocking the door to usher you inside, handing you the key as soon as you had stepped across the threshold.

“This is yours” Inej said, gesturing at the room. “One bedroom, one bathroom, and a small kitchen. You now hold the only key.”

You stared at her and Nina, surprised. You turned the key over and over between your fingers.

“The only key?” you asked softly. “Truthfully?”

Inej nodded.

“Truthfully.”

“What about Kaz? He owns this, doesn’t he?”

Inej glanced at Nina and you followed the look, waiting.

“Kaz will leave you alone, but if there’s an emergency, he doesn’t need keys” Nina said diplomatically. “Now, sugar, there are fresh clothes in the wardrobe. I’m sure something will fit, but if not, let Kaz know and he’ll fix it. He might look and sound like a demjin, but you can trust him. He’s wicked for all the right reasons.”

She squeezed your hand and Inej gave you another fleeting smile before they turned and left through the still open door. You closed it slowly behind them, locked it, then turned to face your room. Yours.

You sank down onto the fluffy carpet and closed your eyes, thanking the Saints for the demjin who had saved your life, right as the first tear fell.

Tagging: @b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r​

[esouliie]

– BLACK GRAPE

– pairing: natasha romanoff x reader

– synopsis: natasha sees a ghost of her past.

– warnings: angst, hurt/comfort

To a stranger, she looked to be nearly whole again. Her laughter was loud once more, complimented by the dulcet tones of birdsong and chimes. Her hair blazing elegantly like the fire of her love, her eyes sparkling like the sky on a July day.

There were no words uttered about Wakanda, the blood and ashes of your loved ones lost. Life before was a fading memory, and the anguish was alleviated by each other's embrace. She'd hold you in her arms and shield you from the harshness of the new world, whispering words of comfort and praise in your hair. And she'd laugh and smile, dazzling and pure. Her purpose was gone; she didn't have the energy to hate anymore. She decided the red on her ledger was no more.

But a melancholy enveloped her, perhaps she fantasised about one more mission. One last shot to prove herself. A silent vow made not to mention her sorrow.

—

Even though half of the population disappeared, the streets of New York were still busy. The two of you were hiding underneath caps, concealing yourselves from the rest of the crowd.

Her hand rested in yours, calloused from decades of combat, accompanied with a little squeeze every once in a while.

You got to know Natasha over your time as an Avenger.

Both having relatable history, you were drawn towards each other. Even though you were cycled into the Red Room after her departure, you had heard of the infamous Black Widow. The one that betrayed Mother Russia for the American dream.

You continue to walk in silence.

The sight of Imperia vodka amongst an array of different alcohols in a store window catches your attention. Alcohol was banned from the compound. A decision made solely by you due to Natasha’s incline to drown her sorrows in vodka. A liquor - familiar to you both- in more ways than one.

In your other hand, was a large soda. Black Grape. You introduced Natasha to the drink, letting her take a sip. Her face scrunched in disgust. Apparently, she could feel already feel the diabetes in her blood. But what was your favourite, soon became hers. Days where you and Natasha would hang out always ended with Black Grape. It was your vodka.

A sudden jolt tugs you from your memory. Natasha’s grip on you tightens. All the muscles in her body solid as concrete. She stares ahead, eyes wide open.

People begrudgingly move around you both, but not without a sigh, or a weird look. You ignore them.

“You okay?” Your voice soft, trying to hide the growing concern.

She remains frozen.

“Hey.” You slide over into her line of vision.

She blinks, diamond tears flutter across her lashes.

“What’s wrong?”

Her eyes dart to you before she extends her neck, standing on her toes to look over the sea of heads. She frantically searches.

She bolts, dragging you along as she weaves through bodies. Apologies tumble from your mouth as you knock into the sides of people.

“Hey, wha-, Natasha!” Your voice lost to the wind.

She stops by the corner, chest heaving.

“I saw Wanda.”

—

Before the snap, Natasha and Wanda were engaged. They were planning a spring wedding, being Natasha’s best friend, you were maid of honour. You even helped in the selection of the rings and the proposal. It was in Canada. The couple had spent the day visiting Niagara Falls and when night fell, they were engaged.

Wanda was among those that disappeared and Natasha suffered deeply. The rings now stashed deep inside her bedside table.

She was always nursing a coffee in the early hours of the morning because she hadn't slept the night before.

She’d lost muscle easily, refusing to keep active or do anything other than lay in her room. You couldn’t blame her though. Once again, she was alone.

Bereavement had been her companion these past few years, a shadow that in time lessened until gone. Because of you.

She was a ghost by the time you decided to say something. Obviously, confronting the grieving woman ended in a heated argument. She forced a slew of nasty names down your throat, but you never yielded. You needed her as much as she needed you.

Months passed, and a new flame of love was lit.

Natasha was hesitant.

Every time you touched, guilt flared in her chest. A part of her believed she had wronged Wanda by pursing this - for giving up on her. You could see it every time she let her guard down. The constant back and forth - pulling you in to push you out - was takings its toll. The anguish in Natasha's eyes began to reflect in yours.

The beginning was hard but you let set the pace. All the cards were on her side of the table. It was up to her if she wanted this.

And now, Natasha sleeps at night.

—

“Tasha.” You have no idea what to do. 

What do you even respond to that?

There’s no way whoever she saw was Wanda. You’d seen the witch turn into ash. Accepting her fate, she left comfortably. Natasha was holding her.

It’s been five years and no one has come back. If they did, you two would know.

The rest that remained left. There was no need for them to wallow in the vacant compound.

No hope. No duty.

Some had families to return to.

Some didn’t. 

Normally, Natasha would avoid talking about Wanda with you, preferring to keep her past and present separate. However, this time was different.

“I know it’s not her.” A moment passes. “My mind just wants to hurt me.”

You hum in acknowledgment.

“I miss her.” She whispers, her throat constricting.

“I know, baby. I miss her too.” You gently squeeze her hand.

And all of a sudden, everything clicked.

The urge to hold you close and kiss you endlessly overwhelmed the woman.

She wants to make this work. She's had enough of being what keeps her from being happy.

She’s in love.

“I...” She began unsure, goosebumps tingle up her spine. “The guilt is still there. Some days are better than others. But I’m tired of being uncertain of this - of how I feel about you.”

She screws her eyes shut, as if in pain, and tears roll freely. “You’re so important to me, and I want forever for us. I love you.”

A short gasp- only heard between you both- falls from your lips. Natasha’s eyes shoot open. Her head is angled down slightly; a soft vulnerability in her eyes.

She wears her heart on her sleeve, waiting for your reply.

With a newly found shyness, your reach, a thumb strokes a flushed cheek, guiding her chin forward to connect your lips.

The kiss was gentle and meaningful all the same. It meant everything. It was you choosing each other.

“I love you.” You confess, a warm palm still cradling her face.

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Dusters & Diamonds {2}

Dimitri Belikov x fem!Badica!reader Summary: You cross paths with Dimitri for the first time since losing Ivan. Warnings: alcohol WC: 3k

Part 1 || Part 2 ||

Ten Years Later - St Vladimir’s Province The Royal Oak became claustrophobic as more Moroi poured into the bar and you could hardly move on the dancefloor with the bodies pressed so close to you. Downing the shot in your hand, you revelled in the burn of the strong liquor before shoving your way through the crowd and out into the searingly bright daylight. 

You hissed as the sunlight immediately began to heat your skin and stumbled towards the shadows offered across the street where you cowered, hoping a taxi would pass by to take you home. 

“Bad-bad-Badica, Cinderella forgot her crown,” Ronny Lazar sang as he swept from the bar in search of you, the diamond and emerald encrusted tiara you had been wearing hanging from his wrist as he twirled it around. 

“Cinderella lost a shoe, Ronald,” you correct with a roll of your eyes as you took it from him and placed it back on your head. Anthony would not be pleased if you lost the heirloom in a drunken haze, not even if it was for your birthday. 

“Eh, same thing.” He huddled into the shade beside you and pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket, slipping the designer piece over his eyes. “Human fairytales are so boring, could they really not come up with something more creative?”

You stole the sunglasses off him before moaning as they immediately eased the irritation in your eyes. “They did, but it was too close to the truth that we had to erase it.”

“I did not come out here for a history lesson,” Ronny groaned. “Come have another drink, it’s not even noon.”

You gave him a push back into the sunlight so he would cross the street without you. “Not tonight, but you have fun.”

Knowing the heat would only grow more intense while your shadow space decreased, you began to make your way through the cobblestone streets and back to the townhouse that had been left to you with your inheritance. Every few blocks you passed a group of partiers club jumping from one to another and you listened to their laughter and songs as they clung to one another. 

You wanted to be able to sing and laugh too, but it felt wrong.

Thoughts tangled in your head as you walked along that you didn’t notice the doors to The Wee Hours, a dhampir club, open suddenly. You jerked back to avoid a painful injury but the quick movement sent the tiara tumbling from your head and slamming to the pavement. 

“Fuck,” you swore as you awkwardly bent down in your little black dress and high heels, trying to pick up the small diamonds that had broken free from their settings.

“Y/N?” a familiar voice asked, only it had grown deeper over the years, and you peered up the tall length of the body before you. 

You bolted upright as you realised it really was Dimitri and you automatically searched around him for Ivan, only to remember you would never see him again. Your face fell at the empty street and you saw the same pain reflected in Dimitri’s eyes as he buried his hands in the deep pockets of a long black duster he wore over black jeans and a black t-shirt.

His hair had been cut shorter than it used to be, no longer reaching his shoulders, and he looked exhausted beneath the five o’clock shadow along his jaw that had sharpened with adulthood. There was no sign of the boyish features he had once had.

“I haven’t seen you since…” his words drifted off as neither one of you wanted to hear the words. Ivan’s funeral.

“Yeah, well, not much reason for me to visit St Constantine’s anymore, Guardian Belikov,” you muttered as you fingered the diamonds in your palm to keep your hands busy. “Have you seen Eloise and Alexei?”

Dimitri smiled a little at the mention of Ivan’s son but shook his head. “They moved to a commune and I got assigned here, to Princess Vasilisa Dragomir.”

“A commune?” you frowned. “She was married to a royal, she should be in a province.”

Dimitri’s lips pressed together and he ran a hand through his hair before rolling his eyes at you. “Don’t be naive, Y/N, she’s still a young and healthy dhampir. The moment she refused to hand Alexei over to the academy and become a Guardian, they sent her to the communes as punishment.”

You immediately shook your head, hoping there had been a mistake, but after the strigoi attack at St Jude’s Academy you had seen the politics turn nasty despite trying to avoid it completely. The council was beginning to pressure more dhampirs into becoming Guardians, something Ivan had been passionate about stopping. 

“The communes are for bloodwhores and breeders, why didn’t she just do what they wanted?”

Dimitri’s nose wrinkled in disgust and you found yourself 16 years old and back at the Academy on the receiving end of that disappointed look. “My mother and sisters live in the communes.”

“I didn’t know that,” you said as you dropped your gaze and ran your hands along your bare arms as they burned in the sun.

“The communes are for dhampirs who want to raise their own children, be a family. They should have a choice, and that’s what Eloise chose.” His voice had softened and the sun was suddenly gone from your skin as he laid his duster over your shoulder. 

“You should visit them,” you said as you pulled the jacket closer and inhaled the rich scent that clung to the leather. 

The corners of his lips turned down and it was his turn to look at his boots. “The last time I took leave…it didn’t end well.”

You flinched as you remembered the nasty words you had spewed at him when you found out Ivan had died. Dimitri was one of the best guardians around and you had told him that Ivan died because he wasn’t there. It was no wonder he thought you were a terrible person, you were. 

“If it’s because of what I said, I’m so sorry, Dimitri. I was hurt and angry, but that’s no excuse for being a horrible person,” you said wholeheartedly, surprising him as he looked up from his combat boots in shock. 

“I don’t think I have ever heard you apologise for anything,” he admitted with a crease forming between his brows.

“I’m trying this new thing, you know, like not being a ‘psychotic bitch’.”

His lips tipped up with an amused smile and he tilted his head to the sun, enjoying its warmth like only a dhampir could. You hadn’t realised there were hints of auburn in his hair when the sun hit it right but then again you never really saw him in the midday sun or spent long enough around each other even when Ivan visited. You thought he was too serious and he thought you were spoiled. 

“I never called you a bitch,” he corrected before looking down the empty street. “I think all the taxis are busy with the celebration, you’ll be waiting all day at this rate.” He looked at your short dress again, his eyes lingering on the line of your legs before they disappeared beneath the material that clung like a second skin and he cleared his throat, forcing himself to look in your eyes as he realised where you were. “Why aren’t you with the royals?”

The tiara in your hands shimmered as you shifted on your feet, the heels not comfortable for walking any distance in. “That’s not really my scene anymore,” you confessed as you chewed on your bottom lip, your fangs peeking out. “I made my escape as soon as I could, not that anyone noticed.”

“Where are your Guardians?” 

You laughed at the question before realising he was serious and the humour died out as you placed the broken tiara back on your head. “The council has a very good memory and the consequences of my youth still shadow me now. They consider me a low priority and that’s fine by me.” Elemental magic danced around the tiara until you wore a crown of flame and shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly. “I have my own protection.”

“Tasha mentioned training with someone when she visited in the fall, you could get in a lot of trouble for that.”

You winched at the thought of Tasha and the scars she now held after her sister turned strigoi and attacked her. “She was always pestering me to teach her but I was so self-absorbed I didn’t even try. Maybe if I had, then she wouldn’t be…” your words died off with a sigh.

Dimitri stepped closer and you had to tip your head back to hold his intense eye contact. Ten years had seen him grow broad shouldered and strong, and even by Moroi standards he was tall as he towered over you in your heels. “Can you please put the fire out?”

You smothered the flames and his biceps tensed against the cuffs of his t-shirt before he reached out and enveloped you in a hug. You froze at the foreign feeling. No one but Ivan hugged you and you had been perfectly fine with that. But now, a heat filled your chest as you inhaled the cologne on his skin and after a moment you relaxed into the embrace.

“It’s not your fault,” he said as he ran his palm in soothing circles across your back. “It was the strigoi who attacked.” The way he said it made you wonder how many times he had told himself that after Ivan was killed.

“Why are you being so nice? I thought you hated me,” you murmured as the touch of his hands lingered long after he pulled away. “You should hate me.”

“I did, for a long time,” he said reluctantly.

“But you don’t now?”

He laughed softly and shook his head. “No, I don’t hate you. Ivan talked about you all the time, about how you were before your parents died. I guess I can kind of see it now. You can be…soft.”

“He never did know when to keep his thoughts to himself,” you said with a sigh. “Shame he never got to see this miracle. I’m not sure he would actually believe it, I’m not sure I believe it.”

Dimitri gave a wide toothy grin that muddled your thoughts and you licked your suddenly dry lips. Those amber eyes of his followed your tongue and your breath hitched as his pupils blew out to chase away the colour you had grown fond of looking at.

The liquid courage lacing your blood had you step closer as his hands reached for you, pulling you flush against him before curling around your waist to hold you as his lips brushed softly against yours.

There was such restraint to his touch, like he was worried you would break or perhaps that you would change your mind. Restraint was not what you needed. You moaned against his lips and buried your hands in his hair, tugging the longer strands at the top in an attempt to spur him on.

Never in your wildest dreams would you have thought you would ever kiss Dimitri but now that you had tasted his lips you wanted more.

His hands trailed down your back and over the curve of your hip before he froze and pulled away. There was a hungry look in his eyes and his lips were swollen as you imagined yours were but he put distance between you anyway.

“It’s uh getting late,” he muttered uncomfortably as he looked at the sun creating the sky.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” you apologised as your face heated and you looked at the ground. “Probably made you hate me again.”

“Hey,” he interrupted the internal scolding you were giving yourself as he tipped you head back with the tip of his finger. “I was just surprised, but I wouldn’t have kissed you back if I hated you.”

His smile was teasing and you realised he wasn’t as stiff and serious as he had been in school, like he had grown comfortable in his own body and knew just how good looking it was too.

“Is that what that was?” you teased back. “I’ve forgotten already, maybe you should remind me how it went.”

Dimitri’s smirk grew and he traced the line of your jaw with his warm fingers before he caught your chin between his thumb and forefinger, holding you in place as he lowered his head to yours. “I like this new you, princess.”

“Don’t call me-” He cut you off as he crushed his lips to yours, the taste of liquor on his tongue that fought for dominance while he backed you further into the shadows until your back pressed against the wall. You broke away breathless and the stubble of his beard burned your neck as kissed his way over your racing pulse. “Princess.”

“If the crown fits,” he murmured against your skin before pulling away as the doors crashed open again.

The dhampirs nodded their heads respectfully at Dimitri as they stumbled past, ignoring you completely not that it was a surprise. Most of the royals held themselves in a higher regard over the non-royal Moroi and dhampirs, and when you were younger and immature you were centred firmly in that lot too. It didn’t matter how much you had changed personally, you were still a royal and that was all you would be seen as.

Straightening up, you started to pull Dimitri’s duster off but he caught it and covered your shoulders once more. “You’ll get burned.”

“I don’t live that far from here and I know how attached you are to this.” Ivan had given it to Dimitri as a graduation gift, the day they found out they were assigned together.

“Then at least let me walk you home.”

Walking through the streets with Dimitri at your side was a stark contrast to the last time he had been here. Less than a year ago it had been Ivan walking along with you, telling you how Eloise’s pregnancy was progressing and the work he was doing to get the dhampir more rights. Dimitri had kept well away, taking the far guard position.

“I never thanked you, for protecting Ivan all those years,” you said, breaking the comfortable quiet of the vampiric night.

“He was a good friend and a better Moroi so it wasn’t duty or obligation that made me want to be his Guardian. That probably doesn’t even make sense,” he said as his cheeks flushed.

“I get it,” you reassured him with a hand on his arm, the muscles beneath your palm flexing at the touch. “Damien, uh, Guardian Blake, used to say that too. It was family.”

Damien was one of your parents’ Guardians and a constant presence in your life from the moment you were born. He had died defending them but his sacrifice was fruitless in the end as the strigoi killed your parents after he fell.

“You cared about him,” Dimitri confirmed quietly. “We figured you just hated all of us at the Academy.”

You tipped your head back and laughed before covering your face with an embarrassed groan. “God, I was an idiot. I foolishly thought if I didn’t care about anyone else then I wouldn’t get hurt again.”

“You were young and lost the people you loved most, I think you can be forgiven,” Dimitri stated seriously as he pulled your hands away from your face.

“You have to say that, you go to church every week.”

“You could always come and repent too,” he said, a smile teasing at his lips when he saw your nose scrunch at the offer.

“No thanks.” You gave an adamant shake of your head and rubbed at the skin on top of your hand though the wounds had long since healed. “The High Priestess has it out for me. What I don’t understand about all that stuff, is if God gave me this gift,” you said as you cradled a small flame in your palm before extinguishing it with a closed fist, “why do I get punished for using it?”

Dimitri looked afar as he pondered the question before shrugging. “Come on Sunday and ask her yourself.”

“I already asked her,” you scoffed. “Do you know what her response was? She burned an Old Moroi compulsion ward onto my hands that stopped me from using my magic until it healed.”

“That’s…does the Council know about this?” he asked with a commanding tone you hadn’t heard from him before.

“I don’t know, but I’m not the only one she’s punished. Just a few weeks ago I saw Victor Dashkov’s daughter with the same burns after she attacked a royal.”

“Mia defended a dhampir that was being threatened,” Dimitri said with a side glance as he began to walk once again.

“Attacking a royal is still treason no matter how noble the reason, even if they deserved it.” You had no doubt the second cousin of Ivan needed a good throttling but it wasn’t worth being exiled over or executed. The few interactions you had with Jesse Zeklos at royal functions always left a sour taste in your mouth and the urge to scrub every inch of skin he hungrily leered at. “But I am glad she didn’t get a more severe punishment.”

He seemed surprised by the admission and you wished he wasn’t. It made you feel like a monster.

Moving to St Vladimir’s was exactly what you had needed at that point in your life ten years ago. It had taken a few more years of maturing before you made use of the fresh start but finally you began to be someone you could actually look at in the mirror.

The ghost of your past self still haunted you, especially when ex-students of St Constantine’s Academy came to the province and avoided you. Just like it was haunting you now with that look of disbelief on his face.

You were going to show Dimitri how much you had changed.

[kmgkmg]

PUPPY LOVE - LEE SEOKMIN

word count: 1.9k...

pairing: seokmin x gn!reader

synopsis: dogwalker seokmin's fateful day with you :)

genre/s: fluff, non-idol!au, aspiring photographer!seokmin, strangers-to-lovers, meet-cute

warnings: none!

rating: pg

a/n: tysm @the-boy-meets-evil for being the beta reader for this fic! <3 title is deriven from the song puppy love by erika de casier...but rly i thought abt this fic when listening to kitipun by juan luis guerra...anyways, enjoy!

Seokmin majorly needed a part-time job. And the use of majorly is not an understatement. He knew city-living wasn’t going to be as glamorous as the movies or dramas. Still, he didn’t think he’d be drowning in bills less than half a year after moving.

After silently struggling for a while, Mingyu could notice the tiredness growing on his roommate’s face. Trying to be as subtle as possible, he showed him an app to be a dog walker. 

“Rover? Like that Kai song?” Seokmin’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. This was Mingyu’s genius idea for a part-time job?

“I-no, it’s a dog walking app.” Mingyu explains, showing his best friend how the app worked further. 

After Mingyu elaborated by saying he used the app for a summer a couple years back when he was job searching, Seokmin obviously jumped at the chance to be one. What could be better than taking care of cute dogs while getting paid? He also could cancel his gym membership and cut out that expense since all the walking was a hefty amount of exercise.

 It was all going well for the first couple of weeks, he had gained a few regular clients and learned the best routes for each dog to see more greenery such as parks. He even found a cute coffee shop that gave out dog treats that all the dogs seemed to love! There was also a certain cute barista that was his type causing him to frequent the establishment even more. Not to mention, the pay wasn’t bad. Well, it wasn’t like it was $25 an hour, but at least it was enough to help lift the weight that the burden of bills had accumulated on his shoulders. 

So within the past few weeks, Seokmin has become a regular to your shop. 

You didn’t pay much attention to him, but your employees always swooned over him. You understood why, he always livened up the place with his bright energy and infectious smile. Minghao, the co-owner of Diamond Blend, always teased that he was only visiting so much to see you. His teasing was always met with your rebuttals by pointing out he took good advantage of the free dog treats jar whenever he came in. 

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he only looks at your reactions whenever he delivers his cheesy puns, Y/N,” Minghao nudges you with his shoulder as Seokmin walks out of the shop. 

“It just so happens that I’m always closest to the treat jar whenever he makes small talk,” you shrug. 

You did enjoy his visits, but you would never willingly admit that to your smug best friend. You enjoyed the way that your interactions with him were limited to the coffee shop. It was as if it was your own little world. 

That is, until one fateful day when it started raining as Seokmin was mid-walk with his most difficult pet to watch, Sprinkles. Seokmin thought he could stop in the coffee shop for shelter with Sprinkles since she was a panting and stressed mess, but Sprinkles had other plans.  The moment they rounded the corner for the coffee shop, she must’ve noticed she was nearly home and bolted in that direction.  Seokmin expected her to run in the direction of where her favorite treats were, not try to book it to her home nearly 0.5 mile/0.8 kilometer away. So, there Seokmin was. Running after a dog with no umbrella as the rain only picked up by the minute. 

You were bringing in the chalkboard sign stand that usually featured the specials of the day. The rain had washed away nearly everything anyway. 

Still, seeing a worried Seokmin zoom past you was certainly a sight bizarre enough to wake you up. 

“Seokmin?” You shout out, trying to make sure he is okay. 

He turned to you, only to frantically point ahead of him. “Sp…rinkles…” He manages to explain while running in that direction once again. 

You squint your eyes to see a rapidly disappearing blob that you discerned to be one of his dogs.  Your feet moved without thinking and before you knew it you were full out sprinting after the dog with him. Who knew that being on the track and field team in high school would help you now?

You sped past him with ease, quickly catching up to who you could now tell was Sprinkles. She had managed to get herself distracted by a squirrel climbing a tree and was stuck barking at it, her attempts to claw her way up were fruitless. 

“Sprinkles~” You called out with the sweetest baby voice you could achieve, having her turn towards you and start wagging her tail seeing your familiar face. 

Seokmin was still staggering considerably behind the two of you, but Sprinkles happily walked into your arms as you crouched down near her.

“Were you a track star? I swear I saw you fly, Y/N.” Seokmin barely gets out, still trying to catch his breath after the unexpected chase. 

“I actually was in track and field, yeah,” You laugh, holding the peaceful Sprinkles. 

Seokmin put his hands on his knees, doubling over. “Thanks a million! I owe you for real.”

“No, don’t worry about it! I’m just glad we caught Sprinkles before anything bad happened,” You reply. 

Seokmin’s ears perk up, “How do you know Sprinkles’ name?”

“Well, you do visit our coffee shop like half of the days in a week…it would be strange for me to not remember details about a regular like you,” You seamlessly reason. 

“Ah, I see. I’m just another regular,” His disappointed tone was obvious to anyone. 

“No!” Your quick response startles yourself, “I really enjoy you visiting our shop. I just didn't think it was the most professional thing to say.” 

“Well, we are out of the shop right now…you don’t have to be professional outside do you?” 

You contemplated for a while more before responding to him, “I guess not.”

“Then, I have the perfect way to pay you back! How about I buy you dinner?” 

His flirting skills left you speechless. You felt as breathless as he was trying to chase after Sprinkles. 

“Sure,” You grin, trying your best to play it cool like him. 

“Great! I should walk Sprinkles home after her eventful day, but I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow with Kkuma,” you wave, going your separate ways. 

You walked back to Diamond Blend, absolutely drenched. Nevertheless, you had the biggest smile on your face that was impossible to conceal. 

When you opened the door, Minghao was behind the counter, smug as ever. His expression was practically screaming told you so. 

You dismissed his triumphant expression quickly, “I just helped him catch one of the dogs that ran away. Was I just supposed to let a poor puppy run into danger?”

“I see.” Minghao’s two words silenced you immediately. You fell right into his trap by overexplaining yourself. 

The rest of the day went off without a hitch, besides your occasional smiling thinking about Seokmin. 

It was a time that the two of you reminisced about many times in the future. How you both stood in the rain long enough to get colds in the middle of summer.  How you both actually owed Sprinkles for pushing the two of you to be bold and start to get to know each other outside of the coffee shop.

Before the scheduled Official Date with Seokmin, you noticed him with his camera taking photos in the park by your cafe. It was a familiar location to see him in. He would, without fail, always walk his dogs through the park before ordering coffee. You noticed simply because your shop’s windows had a good view of the park. No other reason at all for your mental notes of his routine. And seeing him? A coincidence once again. You were on your way to go grocery shopping after all. 

You stopped daydreaming about the man in front of you when noticing who was behind him. Sure, Seokmin seemed like the type to get hyper focused on things. But what you weren’t anticipating is that in his attempt to get the perfect shot, he nearly got his wallet stolen. You shooed the pickpocket away, having Seokmin finally break his concentration at the sound of your voice. 

“Y/N! Funny seeing you here,” he greeted you, oblivious to the ordeal he almost faced. His bright smile becoming even brighter thanks to a car's headlights that was passing on the street.

How did the camera around his neck make him even more attractive?

“An interesting coincidence indeed,” You reply, readjusting the tote bag on your shoulder. 

“Are you going shopping?” Seokmin politely asked, noticing your bag. 

“Yeah,” you answer, “just buying a couple groceries to make myself dinner. Did you get any nice shots?” You motioned towards his camera. 

“I did! Wanna see?” Before you could reply, he was taking the camera strap off his neck and gently passing his camera to you. 

“Summer is my favorite season to photograph nature, everything is so vibrant, you know?”

You browsed through his photos, stunned by how good his skills were. Whether it be a photo of tree branches or a mama duck and her ducklings, each image you viewed had a certain softness to it. Seokmin was able to capture life through his perspective, a talent that you’re sure was apparent to anyone who had the pleasure of seeing his photos. 

 “I can tell, Seokmin. It’s like your photos each have a story to tell. Like your emotions seep through the lens. Your intentions can be felt each time you shoot something.” Art was never your strong suit, but before you had time to realize it, you spilled your innermost thoughts with him. 

Making eye contact was a challenge after that, with you wanting to go grab your groceries and bury yourself under your comforter back at your place. 

Seokmin broke the silence first though, “Thank you for saying that. I’ve been really doubting if I’d ever get to hold an exhibition for my work, but your words motivated me to continue working hard.”

“Why would you doubt yourself, Seokmin? You’re so insanely talented. I’m sure you didn’t need me to realize that!”

“I did need you though, we all go through moments of self-doubt, no?” He smiles softly at you, his tone softer than usual. 

“You said you were going to buy groceries for dinner tonight, right? Well the sunset is looking phenomenal right now. I know we planned for dinner later this week, but what would you say about me taking you to the best rooftop restaurant in the city? I mean the dinner later this week is still on the table as well! I just…would like to get to know you better if that’s alright with you?”

He left no room for interpretation or confusion. A trait that you found refreshing after many failed talking stages with people. This instant connection you felt with Seokmin didn’t come around often. 

“It’s more than alright with me. Which way is the rooftop restaurant?”

His smile broadens, exposing more of his teeth as he puts the lens cap on camera, “We just have to take bus route 218 for 15 minutes…”

You followed him to the bus stop, excited for the evening ahead of you. Who knew a puppy would be the reason for your new love to bloom?

[yup-thats-me]

— that's my wife • bill skarsgård

pairing: husband!Bill x wife!reader

summary: a man in the club thinks it a fun idea to harass you. What he didn't know was, your husband was right there to remind him his rightful place.

warning: harassment, language, anger | älskling = darling in swedish

note: don't hate. Just don't.

DON'T COPY/STEAL. NOT COOL

"You sure you're gonna stay here?" You pouted at your husband who was currently sitting on the bar stool with a glass of whiskey is his hands.

"No, älskling have fun. I'll just watch my gorgeous wife," Bill winked blowing you a kiss.

You nodded with a smile, stepping on the dance floor. There was "On the floor" by Jennifer Lopez was playing that really made you feel the beats and your hips and body began moving in sync.

Bill watched with heart eyes as you poured your heart out in your every move. Loving the way your hair bounced with your movements, the dress you wore perfectly accented our curves.

But the thing he loved the most was the diamond ring shining on your left hand ring finger. That ring reminded Bill everyday that you were his. That he was lucky enough to call you, a piece of art his wife. He knew he could never loose you not even in his dreams. You were his for eternity. And there was nothing that'd make him want to change things from the way that they are.

A call from his manager made him stand in a secluded area. He had to take it. When he came back, a man was dancing danced around you politely as everyone else was. Bill didn't see anything out of the ordinary. But he kept out an eye on the two of you. He had a feeling that guy near you did not have the best of intentions.

You still danced your heart out, moving your hips from side to side. Everything was going great untill the man's hand landed on your ass. You jerked away from him, anger burning in your eyes.

"The hell? Get away from me you perv!" You shouted angrily over the loud music. The man wore a disgusting look in his eyes that made you want to break his nose. And frankly you should but not wanting to cause a scene, you thought better of it.

"Now now, Doll. Don't pretend you didn't liked our little dance." You were getting more and more infuriated by this bastard. You lifted your left hand, showing him the diamond ring.

"See that, you asshole? That is an engagement ring and that means I'm married. Now fuck off!"

Meanwhile, Bill had come forward and was standing behind the man so that he was facing you.

"Let's forget about your husband, huh saxy mamá? Me and you—" Richard was cut off by Bill grabbing him by the collar.

He turned the guy around. Bill, with his tall stature looked down upon him with angry eyes. If looks could kill, that guy would have been buried 100ft by now.

"Watch your fucking mouth!"

"What the fuck? Put me down!" The man squirmed in his hold. Bill had lifted him off the ground by a few centimetres.

"THAT IS MY WIFE. Get lost before shit turns serious," Bill threatened with gritted teeth finally releasing his hold on his collar. The man fell down and straight up bolted for the door.

Bill returned to his normal loving self ina second and pulled you in for a hug. You breathed in the all familiar smell of his cologne and relaxed in his arms.

"You okay, Y/n? That ass didn't do anything right?" He asked, frantically looking all over you for any sign that said otherwise.

"No. I'm good. Let's go back home. That dick ruined the night," you said in a soft tone.

Bill put his arm around your shoulder and kissed your forehead, rubbing your arms up and down, comfortingly.

"No matter, baby. I'll make it up you," Bill sweetly.

[rome-alone]

Sanzu x son reader

reupload from my AO3

sanzu learns he has a son after his ex holds him as blackmail

Also this wasn't supposed to be posted on this blog

My fanfic blogs are

Male reader @reallyromealone

FEM reader @rome-alone-but-feral

Character @absolutelynotromealone

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

Sanzu was infuriated when his ex sent him the photos.

He had a son.

He seemed no older than three but he was a spitting image of him.

There was no doubts as Sanzu grabbed the Haitani brothers and bolted to the location that Bontens hackers had tracked her phone from.

He was going to kill her for hiding his son from him and then using the boy to blackmail him!

The Haitani brothers said nothing as they watched the new dad drive like a maniac through Tokyo until they reached a run down apartment, Sanzu storming in Glock in hand and The brothers followed suit with curious looks in their eyes.

Kicking down the door Sanzu aimed his gun at the woman he once dated, he could never say he loved her as she was really just a bed warmer but now he felt something for her.

Pure hatred.

“H-how?!” She yelped and scrambled as Sanzu shot right beside her head “you really should have used a burner phone” Ran said smoothly as Rindou and him pointed at her, the woman freezing and allowing Sanzu to grab his son who was bound and duct taped to a chair, bruised and crying.

“Take him to the car, I need to have a chat with (mother’s name)” Sanzu said coldly and the room went silent as the Haitani brother’s freed the child and carried him out.

Leaving the happy couple together.

“so you wanted to blackmail Bontens second?”

“u-uh”

The neighborhood knew better than to call the cops when they heard those bloody screams and the sounds of bones snapping until silence.

“hey bud let’s get that tape off you” Ran said softly as he removed the excess tape off the child and slowly peeled the tape covering his mouth and felt his heart stop.

Two bloody diamonds on each side of his mouth.

“holy shit…” Rindou mumbled as the child began sobbing quietly, little body shaking with each sob “don’t worry buddy, you don’t gotta worry about here now” rindou said awkwardly as Ran soothed the kid as Sanzu opened the door, “Get to the front” he said coldly as blood stained his suit and the Haitani brothers looked at him before speaking “Look what she did”

And look he did.

Sanzu felt his blood run cold when he saw the matching diamonds on the boys face and if the Haitani brothers saw him cry they would never say anything and left to the front seats to give the two privacy.

“hey bud…I’m your papa” those words felt strange on his tongue as he gently wiped the tears from the boys face “I-im sorry!” The baby boy sobbed out as Sanzu pulled out his pocket square to clean the boy up “why are you sorry?”

“I look l-like you!”

What?

“did your mama do this to you because you look like me?”

He only nodded.

Jesus fuck.

What the actual fuck?

“you never have to be sorry for your mother’s actions, you’re a Bonten baby now and i will keep you safe” No one would ever believe that the most morally bankrupt man in Bonten would be so soft “what’s your name?”

“(name) (lastname)…” (Name) mumbled once he was calmed down and wounds cleaned as best as Sanzu could “well now you are (name) Akashi now” he said softly before the car slowed down and a gentle knock came from the partition and that was their queue as Sanzu gently lifted the battered and bruised child.

“let’s get you cleaned up, I got some people I want you to meet” Sanzu said carrying the boy out, heart heavy at the events that transpired.

By time (name) was treated and cleaned up, he was asleep in the pink haired mans arms and the room was quiet as the men watched curiously.

“do you even know how to care for a child?” Koko asked genuinely and the others couldn’t help but agree “I raised Senju, at least this time I don’t have to teach them about periods” Sanzu said slightly annoyed while draping his jacket over the boy.

“he will never know pain and suffering again” Sanzu said coldly while holding the boy closer and the room felt a shiver at the empty tone in that man’s voice.

God help anyone who hurts the child if Sanzu.

“Well daddy Sanzu, you should probably get him home and actually get child supplies” Ran said teasingly “kids need a bed time”

“don’t come in tomorrow” Mikey said bluntly while staring down his second “what do you mean?” Sanzu said confused, eyes scrunching together “be with him”

“he needs his dad”

[multiverse-sparkles]

Cause you're just a man — B. Barnes.

summary: to the world, mrs. barnes had played her cards well and landed herself a doting, rich and handsome husband who was madly inlove with her. behind closed doors, she shoulders the weight of his constant infidelity and questions, why was she not enough?

pairings: bucky x reader

warnings: cheating, angst, language, mentions of smut, bucky being a pathetic excuse of a husband.

part 1 || part 2

“is that a pink diamond?” wanda gasps, eyes intent on the rock that decorates your ring finger, you look away from the pages to your book towards her line of sight; sitting prettily in your dainty hands was the diamond the size of two adult fingers, cut in cushion. “that's what bucky flew in from the carribean, isn't it?” she asks giddily, reaching out a hand to grasp yours in a curious grip.

“i guess it is,” you laugh lightly at her enthusiasm as she tilts, and coos at it.

“it looks so pretty, i'm so freakin' jealous of you.” she huffs.

“it's just a rock, wands. an overly opulent one,” you lightly flick at the back of her hand, “nevertheless, i'm sure vision would be more than happy to acquire a set for you, should you ask.”

“explicitly,” the redhead retreats back into her seat, book long forgotten and your miniature book club meet halted. she did have the tendency to get easily distracted which you found amusing, so you were more or less inclined to indulge her in her musings. “the man has no romantic bone in his body, and he won't surprise me with diamonds and flowers after a business trip. if i have to spell it out for him, that takes away the swooning.”

you giggle, “can't live with em, can't live without them. i'd say just grab his credit card and bolt.”

wanda snorted at that, “fuckin' men, and their inability to understand the art of appeasing their wife.” you fiddle with your tennis bracelet absentmindedly, “how in the world did you train bucky to be such a perfect husband anyway? it seems he knows how and what to do to, should the situation present itself.”

all too well, that is.

you could only muster a nonchalant shrug, “how would i know? he's always been like.. that.”

“no he isn't, y/n. you ask anyone in the upper echelon and a random socialite in the upper manhattan, you'll know he's a fucking asshole who cares only about himself.” she intones, “and by some voodoo or magic dust, he's falling over himself and chasing you around like a random puppy awaiting praise and love. seriously, you made a new man out of james buchanan fucking barnes.”

you shift in your seat uncomfortably, what you didn't have the heart to tell her was that, you really wouldn't know. because all that pretentious douchebag knows is how to cover up his indescretions with grand and meaningless gestures to make up for his lack of regard to his commitment, towards your marriage.

the trips to exotic islands and tropical getaways were merely farce to delude you into a false sense of marital bliss; he would treat you, spoil you with his attention, buy you skimpy bikinis and fuck you into oblivion, but the slimy bastard would fly in a pretty thing on the side and also fuck her silly while you're face first in a massage bed.

the presents of copious amounts were given to you in abundance because he didn't really need the whole two-weeks to close the damn deal abroad, but one of his casual mistresses needed his attention, or she threatens to jump ship after confronting his wife, aka you. and he couldn't have two facets of his life to meet, so he disposed the bitch to the fishes and, oh the poor thing.

he would show you around in parties, hand on the small of your waist as he parades you like a trophy, prideful and smug because in his arm was the most beautiful and brilliant woman in the party, showing you off to business assoiates and the like; speaking verses of his admiration and undying love to you. as if he would not meet eyes with someone new and foreign, a silent agreement of sorts ensuing, before he was excusing himself to screw her against the wall of a dark and isolated room.

“the both of you are the definition of a perfect lovestory; if your life was made a film, i would watch it!” she gushes, still lost and clueless to your reality. like everyone else, she believed the play you and bucky had acted out to perfection.

but if this were a film, this would be those film noir classics; and you would sprinkle poision into his coffee, watch with bated breath as he drinks it and falls to the ground gasping, and choking. you would weep infront of a crowd, his family and friends, who would take pity on the billionaire's widow, who could barely speak nor eat from the grief of losing her beloved husband.

but this was reality, and you were gripping the edge of your seat. you were too soft. too meek. too sweet and compliant, that you would only cry silently and pretend ignorance. must be the reason why bucky had chosen you among the sea of women willing to be his doll. his love. his sweet, sweet girl.

but you were only waiting; for what, you weren't exactly certain. perhaps, to no longer love him? but the thought alone stung more than any of your realities— because at times where he would truly, make the effort to see you, he would see you in your entirety; bucky would fondly copy the scrunch of your nose, cooing in endearment. he would be first to indulge you in your extensive collection of vintage trinkets, often going out of his way to attend auctions in several parts of the country. your ticks, for when you were upset, it would be bucky who acts as if there was a fire lit under his ass, running around to rectify whatever it is. he was first to notice your joy, and celebrate you. he would be first to praise your half done canvas. he would be first to brush your hair out of your face in the morning and whisper sweet nothings in your ear.

and in those moments, you wish he was was true. and honest. and faithful. and yours.

because bucky has wormed his way into every crevice of your very heart and soul, and he owns not only your heart, but also your grief, and sadness, and your happiness. but he's just too much of a manchild, too much of a prideful, brooding, egoistic man who was always so torn on being a good man and missing out.

[welkinsky]

Chishiya X Reader | Too Good At Goodbyes

WARNING: Spoilers, curse words & mention of weapons, death!

Author's Note: Thank you so much for your support and reblogs, as always! I see and appreciate each one of you! This is a PART OF A SERIES so people who are just reading this one post for the first time might not understand the context please read the parts linked below.

Part 1 | ... | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 (Coming Soon!)

"You're not that bad of a person you know. I don't know what picture you've painted of yourself in your head but I'll blank the canvas and paint a beautiful one. The true one." you said as you hugged him.

You were not aware of this but he had tears in his eyes. Even he was surprised to feel this emotion again. To be heard and understood.

----------------------------Time Skip-----------------------

You found yourself running for your life. King of Spade found you. This time you were alone in a general store with only one exit where he stood waiting for you.

How did you end up alone? What happened to Chishiya? HOW DID YOU END UP BEING THE TARGET OF THE FUCKING KING OF SPADES?

Well, let me enlighten you.

After hiding from the King you and chishiya decided that it was better to clear as many games as possible. Because of course, this is a collective game so all the survivors have to work together on this.

Silly of you to think that they were all going to think the same way and act like a team.

You knew that even if you were smart, your specialty lies in the physical games so you went in the Jack of spade game and Chishiya went to Jack Of Diamonds. You two stayed away from heart games and even if you were forced to enter, you agreed that you two won't play it together.

You two decided that you'll meet at the Shibuya Crossing once you two were done.

His game took unexpectedly long (because then he went to Kind Of Diamonds on his way back) so you decided to get something to eat where you met another very anxious player and you didn't like anxious people in borderlands because they were not reliable. So you kept your guard up. What's the worst that can happen?

You saw King of Spades Blimp and he was crossing from right in front of your store. He hasn't noticed you both yet. You looked over to the guy he was about to through a fit and was shaking like crazy. But you sneaked up to him as quietly as you can and covered his mouth and took control of his limbs. You were visible to the King's range of view the only thing between you two was a thin glass window.

Luckily he still hasn't noticed the both of you. So you slowly started pulling the guy back as he was trying hard to get out of your grip and was making too much movement. But to your relief King almost passed from your window, JUST ALMOST.

When this dumbass took out a very tiny useless gun and tried shooting the king. One missed shot and king started shooting in your direction. You fell back behind the shelf but the guy couldn't make it and now it was just king and you in this TINY ROOM.

You knew Chishiya was going to come soon too. You cannot just run away you have to warn him.

You started shifting towards the door as the king entered more into the room. You knew you were not going to get out of here without being injured or killed if you just bolted, you HAD to make a distraction.

Chishiya's bomb came into your mind. You were planning what should you do when the King Of Dimond Blimp blew up, it was Chishiya. King looked at it and you bolted but not before throwing Chishiya's bomb in King's feet. So before he can turn and shoot you the bomb created another distraction.

Maaaan you've never run faster than this in your entire life. You knew that you cannot run faster than the bullets so you took to a low alley and started moving in the Crossing's direction so that you can warn Chishiya once he come there.

But on the way, you met up with Arisu and Usagi. You were so happy to see both of them! Finally some familiar faces. You explained the situation and they came with you.

Usagi was a bit hurt and King of spades' blimp was nowhere to be seen so you two went into a general store to get the supplies and that is when you heard a gunshot.

You two came rushing out and on your way as you heard a couple of more rounds being shot. You were sure that it wasn't King because the sounds of all of them were different.

As you entered the crossing your eyes landed on Chishiya who was hiding behind a car. When you looked closely & he looked hurt and then you saw blood. Everything blurred out and all you managed to say silently was, "Chishiya" as you ran towards him.

Then you spotted Niragi who was intently looking at you as he pulled up his gun and said, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about you two." and started shooting in your direction.

You made it behind the car in time but Usagi couldn't because of her injury and that is when he shot his last bullet at her.

It was all in a blur and slow motion. You were asking her to come to you but she couldn't. Then you saw Chishiya run over to her. You heard two shots.

As your eyes land on Chishiya, his white jacket had two huge blood stains. He saved her. You ran with all your will and stopped him from dropping directly on the floor as you called out his name loudly.

"Why would you do that?" Usagi said as she came along with Arisu. "I wanted to do something that was a bit out of Character," he said his eye glued on you.

More than him being hurt he was worried about you. He was trying to cheer you up. He knew that this was a bit selfish of him because he promised you that you two will get out of here. Now he did this but it was important for him. His eyes were constantly glued on yours and as you start to tear up he put a hand on yours as he said...

"I know it is thanks to people I know here. To Kyuzuryu, Arisu, and You." he looked back at you. Arisu cut in, "Hey, before what were you gonna say?" Chishiya looked at Arisu and let out a weak chuckle that sounded more like a grunt. His heavy breathing and weak voice were breaking you down slowly. You didn't know how to stop this. For the first time, you felt helpless here.

Then he looked back at you not leaving a chance to soak your face in his memories, "Oh yeah." His eyes went back to Arisu and Usagi, "Honest people always seemed stupid to me. I've always loved messing with people who try too hard at life." Then he looked back at you and continued, "I hated selflessness. It's probably because I'm jealous. They all had something I didn't. It was like they could always see what a pathetic and small-minded person I really was." He squeezed your hand, "I was always scared."

Now tears were running like a river you didn't want to stop them. You could hear Arisu and Niragi talking in the background when you pressed your forehead against Chishiya's, "I hope you're not considering this lame speech as your goodbye." as you both chuckle. You could feel Usagi's eyes on you two with curiosity but you couldn't care less.

"Don't bail on me," you said softly as you lift your forehead away from him. He was too weak to answer and before he can gather the courage, the King Of Spades' Blimp came around. You looked back at Chishiya who said, "Don't even think about it." 

"No, I'm staying. I won't leave you." You could hear shooting in the background and people started pouring from the streets. Chishiya took his hand out of his hold and ask you to go. "No! Shut up I'm not leaving!" You said now shouting at him for the fact that he is even suggesting this. "Let's hide them under the cars," Arisu said.

"Are you nuts? This is not going to work. I'm not leaving him here." you said clearly intimidating Arisu. You never raised your voice ever since they knew you.

"Go. I promise I'll be okay. We'll meet again. You have a better chance at saving me if you kill the king" you hated that he was right. So you helped Arisu in shifting them under the cars but not before giving Chishiya a lingering kiss.

You started running into an alley and reunited with Kuina and Ann. As you were running King got close, PRETTY CLOSE, and got a hand of Ann. All of you saved her with team efforts when a guy ran into the king with a car.

Part 1 | ... | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 (Coming Soon!)

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

Thanks For Reading and for all the support! Have an amazing week <3

Alice In Borderland Materlist

If you liked it you can check out the masterlist too!

A-Z Headcanon

[dottores]

LITTLE DARK AGE

haitani ran x fem!reader x haitani rindou

summary: eight years later, you finally return to tokyo and find yourself caught in the middle of a violent gang war between the two most ruthless criminal organizations of tokyo’s underworld, forced to choose between blood and love.

genre: bonten timeskip, angst, forbidden romance, childhood friends -> strangers -> lovers, 18+ MDNI

warnings: fem!reader, gang violence, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, explicit smut, polyamory, profanity, MCD, unedited, MTBA

previous chapter -> masterlist -> next chapter

CHAPTER Ⅱ. HOUSE OF MEMORIES

SEVENTEEN YEARS EARLIER.

They were gone by morning--with half of the food in your pantry, two pairs of shoes from your uncle’s bedroom, three bottles of painkillers, and a pair of diamond earrings that your uncle had gifted you for Christmas that you may or may not have purposefully left out. Miss Yua had been raging--shouting about ungrateful boys going off and getting themselves killed after all of her hard work-- and Mister Ayato only sighed, working to clean up the penthouse after the events of the previous night.

And you hoped that wasn’t the case as Miss Yua claimed, but you also knew that Haitani Rindou should not have been moving around so quickly after being stitched back together and losing so much blood. You hoped Ran knew what he was doing. They would have been safer staying at the penthouse.

It had been nearly a week though, and you had poked around the alley you had found them in the days following their disappearance but there wasn’t a single sign of their existence. You were forced to push it to the back of your mind and hope for the best--you couldn’t linger on it or you would drown in your own thoughts.

Your hands swung at your sides as you waited for Mister Ayato at the park near your school--you weren’t allowed to walk home alone anymore, punishment for not returning straight to the penthouse after school last week. It was gentle compared to what punishments they could have dealt, you swore that Miss Yua was going to forbid you from attending your skating lessons.

Maybe she was a little proud that you helped save that boy’s life, or maybe she was just exhausted after staying up half of the night tending to him.

You let out a huff of breath, glancing down at the ground before tilting your head up toward the sky, watching the clouds slide through the air. Mister Ayato was late. You should have expected it. Mister Ayato was always late when he was supposed to pick you up, it was why you started walking home alone.

Pouting, you sat down on the swing set, absently kicking your feet to get you moving, looking up to the bright, sunny sky. Your mind turned back to the Haitani brothers, the weather was a stark contrast to the night you had found them in the alley, and you couldn’t help but wonder what had actually happened to them that night. Sure, Roppongi wasn’t one of the best areas, and it had its own worrisome streets, but it was no Shinjuku or Ikebukuro or Shibuya. You couldn’t imagine two kids randomly getting jumped and killed on the streets of Roppongi, especially in the area where they had been hiding in the alley--it was one of the safer areas of Roppongi, there were always police patrolling the streets and people out walking around, so how-

“You rich people don’t give a shit about anyone but your own.”

You grimaced, wondering if people had passed them by before you showed up.

No wonder then…

You shook your head, no there was no reason to keep dwelling on it, you-

You looked up as you heard footsteps in front of you, wondering if Mister Ayato had finally shown up. Your eyes widened when your gaze met a familiar lavender one, you watched as Haitani Ran blinked once, eyes narrowing before they shot open in recognition.

“Hey-” you began, mouth dropping open when he turned on his heel and bolted immediately. You threw yourself off the swing, chasing after him, “Hey! Wait up! Ran, stop running!”

He ignored you, taking off down the streets of Roppongi and you panted as you tried to keep up with his longer legs, weaving in and out of the people wandering the streets, desperately wishing that you were faster as he turned down another corner before you could catch up. Your lungs burned as you turned after him, scowling when you realized he had disappeared down another street and you didn’t know in which direction.

You rested back against a brick wall, gasping for air and shutting your eyes, sweat beading at your forehead.

Dumb, you thought angrily, dumb dumb dumb, why was he running from you? You just wanted to know if his brother was okay.

After a few moments, you peeled off the wall and reopened your eyes, trying to figure out where you were so you could get back to the park and wait for Mister Ayato. You swallowed thickly when you realized you had followed him down a sketchier side street off of the main road. You felt anxiety brew uncomfortably in your stomach as you looked around, fingers twitching at your side as you caught sight of a few older men looking in your direction, resting near some bikes, eyeing the jewelry adorning your wrist and neck.

“Hey,” one of them said, a cigarette dangling between his lips as he approached you, and while his voice sounded friendly, it seemed fake and you didn’t like the way his eyes traced over you, lingering on your necklace, “you don’t look like you should be around these parts, girl. From one of the high end areas, aren’t ya?”

Your mouth was dry as you took a few steps back, back hitting the brick wall again.

Run, you needed to run back to the park where Mister Ayato was supposed to be meeting you but your legs weren’t cooperating, your fight or flight instincts weren’t kicking in. You felt as if your feet were frozen to the ground, as if the brick wall behind you had turned to quicksand, sucking you in. You couldn’t move.

“Relax, girl, how ‘bout you spare us a few of your pretty jewels and we’ll bring you right back to the main street, yeah?”

Your hand curled around your necklace, the very same one that you had pleaded with Haitani Ran not to steal a week ago, tears sprung to your eyes, your breath was quick and heavy as panic flooded any and all sensible thought.

“N-n-n-” you stuttered like a fool, couldn’t get a single word out, one of the men snickered, heat rose to your face, the one who had spoken took a step closer to you and you wished, not for the first time, that the ground would just swallow you whole.

“Oi, Shimada.”

Your gaze darted to the side, following the sound of the new, familiar voice, taking in the blonde hair and ratty outfit, dirty and torn at the knees.

Your eyes met his again.

Ran.

Rindou was standing behind him, leaning more on his left side than his right but it was only barely noticeable. Ran held a crowbar in his right hand, body tense as he glared at the three men that had approached you.

“Haitani,” the older man said, and you noticed that he had taken a few steps back at the sight of the two brothers, with the attention off of you, you were able to regain control of your body. As Ran stepped closer to the three men, Rindou nodded at you, beckoning you to come over to them. Your feet moved on their own as you walked over to them, Rindou reached out and snatched your wrist when you got close enough, tugging you behind him.

Distantly, you recognized that maybe you shouldn’t be hiding behind a boy that had just been stabbed a week prior but Rindou didn’t give you much of an option.

“Girl is yours?” the man who Ran had called Shimada questioned. You bristled at the comment but Rindou’s grip tightened on your wrist.

“Doesn’t matter,” Ran said and if you thought his tone had been vile and aggressive the night you had run into him, it was nothing compared to how he sounded now, “This street is ours. The fuck you think you’re doing here?”

The smile that tugged at Shimada’s lips was unkind, “Figured it would be up for grabs after last week.”

The comment went over your head but Rindou stiffened and Ran looked murderous for a split second before his expression relaxed.

Last week? Wh… Your gaze drifted down to where the stab wound that Rindou received had been. Your eyes widened as you looked back toward the three men.

“Should’ve known they were your lap dogs,” Ran smiled, and he looked deceptively at ease--you would have believed the facade if you hadn’t noticed of the white-knuckled grip he had on the crowbar, “Only they’d be so useless as to not finish the job.”

Shimada’s smile faded and the tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

MAX MANIACS. You caught sight of the writing embroidered on their jumpsuits and you swore you felt chilly despite the warmth of the sun beating down on you. You didn’t know much about what went on in Roppongi outside of the area where your penthouse was located, much less the rest of Minato district, outside of the gates and gilded walls you were used to. You didn’t go much of anywhere except for to the private school that your uncle had enrolled you in and to your ice-skating lessons since you’ve been in Tokyo--even before Tokyo, your parents had sheltered you in the upper echelons of life, and once you moved in with your uncle and Miss Yua and Mister Ayato after the accident, that shield only strengthened.

Even though Miss Yua and Mister Ayato were sure to keep you away from the more dangerous parts of the city when they brought you out, you still heard rumors of the violent biker gang that had moved into Minato from Shinjuku. Your classmates whispered about it all the time, talking about how their parents were campaigning for the TMPD to crack down on the delinquents before the situation got worse, talking about how they heard people say it was the biggest delinquent gang Tokyo had seen since the Black Dragons a few years back. They had Miss Yua and Mister Ayato on edge, you didn’t know they had started gathering in Roppongi already--and you were sure that Miss Yua and Mister Ayato didn’t know either otherwise they would have stopped letting you walk back to the penthouse after school on your own.

You slowly put everything together, the stab wound, the aggression, the tension.

“A one-off,” Shimada said, “It won’t happen again.”

‘Again.’ A threat. He was threatening them.

You felt sick. You pressed your lips together tight.

What had you gotten yourself into?

Shimada didn’t speak again as he and the other two men walked back toward the group they had come from, sparing you one last interested look, and the three of you only stood there. Ran didn’t turn back to face the two of you until the motorcycles of the gang roared to life and they took off down the side street--not before tossing a few empty beer cans in your direction and calling out foul taunts directed toward the brothers. Ran scowled as he smacked away a can that came too close to hitting Rindou with his crowbar.

Once the last bike disappeared around the corner, he turned around, eyes blazing, you flinched, stepping back.

“What were you thinking?” he spit out, and you opened your mouth to respond but he didn’t give you a chance to speak. You felt overwhelmed and light-headed as he stepped closer, all of the fear built up from the encounter twisting your chest uncomfortably--you couldn’t breathe, you felt tears pool in your eyes, your hands were still trembling, “You have no brains in that head of yours? Daddy pays for that expensive ass prep school and they can’t even teach you common sense? We were trying to keep a low pr-”

“Ran,” Rindou’s voice was sharp, louder than Ran’s. Ran shut his mouth and in the silence that followed, you took in a wet, shaky breath, desperately wiping away the tears that had started spilling down your cheeks.

You were embarrassed. You could feel your face burning and you couldn’t stop the tears no matter how quickly you wiped at them. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying and failing to calm yourself down, “You ran away,” you were finally able to gasp out, your lungs burning, “I just wanted to know if Rindou was okay. You guys left in the morning and-”

You heard Ran inhale deeply and you opened your eyes, gaze blurry, “It’s none of your business,” he said, “We-”

“I was just worried-”

“You have no reason to be worried about us,” Ran shouted and you flinched back, “Your worry just put us in a lot more danger than we were in before, so how about you just leave so we can figure out what the fuck we’re supposed to do.”

“Come back to the penthouse,” you blurted out before you could think, hands fisting your school uniform, “You’ll be safe there, and-and-”

“No,” Ran said immediately.

“But-”

“Why are you so obsessed with us?” Ran demanded, voice loud, cruel. “We’re not a fucking charity case. Is this some weird rich people thing? Picking up strays and leading them along to drop them when they get bored?”

You looked away, humiliation flooding you to the brim. And you didn’t know how to answer, because you didn’t know why yourself, or well, you did but you just didn’t want to admit it out loud. Your lips opened and closed several times, trying to form a response.

“That’s untrue-” you began only to be cut off yet again.

“‘Untrue.’” Ran mocked, “Y-”

“Ran,” Rindou said again and Ran exhaled loudly, “stop.”

Rindou looked down at you, but you couldn’t even bring yourself to look him in the eye. “We’ll walk you back from wherever you came from,” he said, and you nodded, eyes trained to the ground as you started back off in the direction you had come from, lost in your thoughts as you considered what Ran had said.

You didn’t think of them as a charity case. You knew you didn’t, and you weren’t sure what he meant about picking up strays and leading them along, but it was a lot simpler than that. It was just embarrassing to admit--even more embarrassing than being yelled at, than being ridiculed for acting without thinking.

Because you were lonely, and you had been hoping that the brothers would’ve stuck around after Miss Yua helped them, and you had been hoping that you wouldn’t have been alone for the first time in a year. And it was stupid of you, you knew that--you didn’t know them, they didn’t know you, you had no reason to think or believe they would want or care to stick around. You only happened upon them by pure chance but-

You were lonely.

But as Ran scoffed loudly behind you, following you and Rindou down the side-street and back toward the park you had been sitting at waiting for Mister Ayato, you felt your lips tremble and you shut your eyes again, trying to summon the willpower to speak so they didn’t think the worst of you, “It’s not anything like that!” you blurted out, and you could feel their eyes on you, “I-”

“Stay away from that family, death follows them.”

And maybe it was true. Your parents were dead, your little sister was dead, your grandparents were dead, your uncle’s wife was dead. The only ones left were you and your uncle.

“Sold their souls for wealth, it’s why they all die young.”

You had no friends--all of the kids at school avoided you because of your surname, because their parents gossiped and spread rumors about deals with demons and curses of death and it wasn’t fair because all you wanted was someone to talk to other than Miss Yua and Mister Ayato. You missed your sister. You missed your friends back home in Yokohama.

But as you tried to explain that to them so they didn’t think… whatever they were thinking, you just couldn’t get the words out, it felt like there was cotton stuffed down your throat.

Turning onto the main street, you glanced back at Ran, “I-” you tried again but just as you were going to force the words from your lips, you were cut off.

“Y/n-san!” you stiffened, eyes going wide as you turned to see Mister Ayato glaring in the direction of the three of you, standing next to his car--you hadn’t even realized you had gotten back to the park. His lips were twisted into a frown and his eyes were dark and your throat felt swollen because you had never seen Mister Ayato angry before. He was always the lax one of your two guardians. “What were you thinking? Get in the-”

He cut himself off, recognizing the two boys on either side of you. His glare darkened.

“You two,” he said furiously before taking a deep breath, trying to calm his tone, “You two caused Yua severe distress when you fled last week. All three of you get in the car immediately.”

Your mouth went dry, you spared the brothers a glance. Next to you, Ran bristled, “I-”

“Immediately!” Mister Ayato snapped loudly, cutting off Ran’s protest and you winced at the tone, scurrying toward the car. Distantly, you noticed the Haitanis following mutely. You opened the door and scooted down to the opposite side, leaning against the window, Ran followed, sitting stiff in the middle seat and Rindou grimaced, holding his side as he sat behind the driver’s seat.

The car let out a low rumble as Mister Ayato turned it back on, knuckles white around the steering wheel as he looked up through the rearview mirror, “Yua was up all night stitching you together, boy. You two had some nerve fleeing as soon as she shut her eyes to get some rest,” Mister Ayato’s voice was low and you felt uncomfortable because you had never seen him so angry before.

“We’re fine on our own,” Ran said, fisting the cloth of his sweatpants painfully tight. “We-”

“Your brother would have died on your own,” Mister Ayato said harshly and Ran physically flinched.

“He would not have!” he shouted, “I had it under control! I can take care of Rindou on my own! I’ve been doing it for years!”

Mister Ayato spared a curious look toward Ran through the rearview mirror and Ran shut up immediately, panic flying over his face, you had a feeling that Ran had said something he wasn’t supposed to but you weren’t sure what it was. Your brows furrowed as you recalled what he had said but it only brought on a headache.

“On your own?” Mister Ayato asked, “and what of your parents or caretakers? The two of you are too young to be living on your own.”

Oh.

You remembered how he had stolen the soaps and food. The ratty clothes. They had been in an alley.

“Parents are dead.”

“Then at one of the orphanages? The foster system?” Mister Ayato prodded.

Ran didn’t speak for a moment, “They tried to separate us,” he said quietly, his voice edged on pleading as he spoke again, “You can’t try to send us back! We’ll just leave again!”

Mister Ayato only sighed, redirecting his attention back toward the road. You looked at the brothers from the corner of your eye, noticing how Ran was clutching Rindou’s wrist tightly, glaring ahead.

You drew your knees up to your chest, leaning against the window as Mister Ayato drove down the street toward the penthouse. It was a short drive but it was awkward. You could feel the resentment rolling off of Ran in waves, and you were surprised he didn’t just leap out of the moving car and make a run for it.

Maybe he would have if he were alone or if Rindou was in better shape, but one of Rindou’s hands was pressed against his side and his face was twisted into an expression of pain.

You all but threw yourself out of the car once Mister Ayato parked the car outside of the front entrance of the building, darting toward the door and bidding Mister Botan a hello before looking back, watching as Mister Ayato passed the keys to the parking valet. He swatted Ran’s hands away as Ran tried to help Rindou out of the car and onto his back, moving forward to lift Rindou into his own arms, “You will aggravate the wound by carrying him on your back,” Mister Ayato said sharply. “Come, let’s go find Yua.”

The four of you walked into the building, and you were half bouncing on your feet with nerves as you waited for the elevator, stepping in quick once it arrived at the lobby. Rindou looked thoroughly disgruntled at being held princess-style by Mister Ayato and it would have made you giggle had Ran not been hovering nearby, lips turned down and eyes trained on his brother and Mister Ayato, ready to launch himself forward at the first sign of danger.

You were acutely aware of the crowbar dangling in his hand.

The elevator was too slow as it crept up to the top floor and you cringed at the embarrassing music being played by the stereos. Awkward, even more awkward than the car ride, you lamented, watching the numbers ding upward until they landed on the top floor.

The elevator doors slid open and you froze in your place when you noticed that Miss Yua was already standing there. To her credit, she didn’t show any visible reaction to the boys, instead just sighing.

“Bring him back to my office,” she said, heels clicking against the tiles as she led the group of you across the spacious room toward the door of her office, “You two will remain here this time, at least until his wound is fully healed. I will not waste my time fixing his stitches and disinfecting it if you plan on ruining all of my work again. Understood?”

Miss Yua turned on her heel, glaring not only at the two of them but also at you. You withered under the stare, knowing you were in for a scolding later.

“Do you understand?” she repeated, staring right at Ran who did not look inclined to respond, “Boy, do you realize how much danger you put your brother in by leaving?”

Ran didn’t respond, looking away instead, but you noticed the conflicted expression on his face. Miss Yua shook her head, “Bring him in, I need to check the stitches and for infection.”

She didn’t say anything as she turned to walk into her office, Mister Ayato following behind her, shutting the door behind him and leaving you and Ran standing in the main room. You glanced at him from the corner of your eye. He only stood there, brows furrowed as he stared at the ground ahead of him.

“She’s right, y’know?” the words slipped from your mouth before you could stop them and you regretted it immediately as Ran turned a glare on you, albeit a half-hearted one. “I-It’s dangerous, and Rindou was wounded and-”

“I know,” he said, looking away again with a frown, “I-”

He didn’t finish whatever he was going to say, lips tightening as he looked away. You stepped closer, ignoring the cautious look he shot you, your voice shook with nerves and you hated it, “I-I get you’ve been on your own with him for a while but M-Miss Yua and Mister Ayato, they can help you guys! And me! I can help too! I-”

“We’re not a charity case,” he spat out but there was no heat behind the words, “We can handle ourselves.”

“I’m not saying you can’t,” you said desperately, taking a step closer, “but-but you shouldn’t have to, right? You guys are kids too! And-”

“What do you want from us?” he sighed, finally turning to look at you, but his tone wasn’t as cruel and accusatory as it had been last week. Your eyes met his and you almost faltered in your confidence at the intense stare, “We’re not a charity case. If you want to help us, then what do you want in return? We don’t like owing debts.”

You hesitated, unsure of what to say until it finally hit you. A giddy feeling spread throughout your body and a smile lit up your face as you looked at him, “Do you wanna be my friend?”

----

PRESENT DAY.

The rain only got worse as your uncle’s chauffeur drove you to the penthouse and you distantly recognized that it was not a good omen for what was to come.

You leaned your head on the window, watching the lights of the street lamps pass by in a blur, the radio droning on in the background, cutting in and out as lightning spread the sky in nets, “… violent crime rising in Tokyo, regular gang activity or is something more going on that the TMPD is hiding from the public? Minat…”

You sighed as the radio cut out, as another drum of thunder shook the car. Wonderful.

Your phone buzzed in your lap and you glanced down, unlocking it and swiping to your messages, letting out another irritated breath when you noticed that it was from your uncle.

01:21 Won’t be at the penthouse. Will meet you at Izanagi HQ tomorrow afternoon.

A heavy feeling settled in your chest. It wasn’t as if you cared much for your uncle but you thought he would have at least been around to greet you after you had been gone for so long. You reconsidered your words--you did care for him, he was the only blood you had left, but he was rarely around when you were younger. You owed him a lot though, so much that you were unsure if you’d ever be able to repay him in full for it all. From helping out with the Haitanis the several times they got arrested despite his distaste for them to helping you set up Izanami while you were still studying abroad.

What did he even want? You weren’t sure. He had been vague in his request for you to come home and hadn’t answered when you asked him to explain himself--meaning it was something he likely didn’t feel comfortable sharing over the phone.

Which was stupid, annoyance stirred in you, there was no safer technology than the ones your corporation dealt with. He knew that. He was being purposefully difficult.

“L/n-san,” you looked up, peeking at the chauffeur from the corner of your eye. “We are here.”

You hadn’t even realized the car had stopped.

You thanked the chauffeur for driving you so late at night before opening the passenger side door and slipping out of the car, wincing as you stepped into a puddle. The wind whipped fast around you and you were grateful for the fact that he stopped underneath the awning, otherwise you were sure you’d be drenched by the torrential downpour.

You frowned as your hood was blown off your head, gaze drawn toward the large double doors of the building--inside, the glass chandelier lit up the lobby, you saw an old woman sitting behind the main desk and nearly smiled. Your eyes darted around, trying to spot Mister Botan but the small smile twitching at your lips dropped when you noticed a young man opening the double doors in place of Mister Botan.

“L/n-san, please come inside before the storm gets worse!”

Oh.

Your heart tugged painfully but you refused to let it show on your face, you only nodded and moved to step inside the building but you didn’t feel as comfortable as you thought you would have felt out of the rain and wind. It was eerily quiet without the wind roaring in your ears and distantly you noticed Miss Sara greeting you but the words went in one ear and out the other as you took in the sight of the lobby of the place you had called home for nine years, the home you hadn’t returned to in eight years.

Your eyes drifted over the vast, open room and for a moment, you swore you could picture three kids sprinting across the lobby, laughing and running from Miss Sara after accidentally breaking one of the obscenely expensive vases decorating the lobby, tearing right past you and out the double doors of the lobby despite Mister Botan’s attempt to stop them.

The smile that had unconsciously made its way onto your lips faltered as the picture disappeared and the laughter faded, the building felt dull and empty once again. Your gaze dropped to the floor, a longing feeling settling over you, suffocating you.

You missed them.

“L/n-san,” Miss Sara said, stepping from behind the counter toward you, “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, thank you,” you said, directing a smile toward the older woman, one that you wished was more genuine. But Miss Sara seemed to have fallen for the facade, only nodding and smiling in your direction.

“It’s so lovely to see you again, l/n-san, you’ve grown into a beautiful young woman. I hope you know how proud we all are of you and all you’ve accomplished abroad,” your smile faltered once again as Miss Sara turned her back to you, hobbling back to the other side of the desk again.

Her words rang in your head over and over again as you numbly made your way over to the elevator, guilt clouded your mind. Miss Sara, if only you knew. You stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor before stepping back and leaning against the wall, head tilted back as you tried to take in deep breaths through your tightening chest.

You only did what you had to, you attempted to convince yourself, for your uncle, to keep Izanami at the top. They played dirty, you couldn’t keep up if you didn’t stoop to their level. You couldn’t disappoint your uncle after everything he put on the line to help you build up Izanami.

You shut your eyes, inhaling sharply. Blood, a betrayed expression, shouts of panic.

Stop this.

You exhaled the air you had taken in, trying to calm your racing heart. Stop this, why are you feeling guilty? Why now? It had been a long time since you felt that unwelcome emotion, years probably. You had long been able to push it away, deep deep down so you could move forward without anything holding you back.

Why now?

Was it because you were finally back in Tokyo? Preparing to see the people you loved most in this world, the people who thought you overseas building a legit-

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Stay calm.

They would be disappointed in you, knowing all the things you did in the name of business, in the name of your uncle. They would. Miss Yua, Mister Ayato, Mister Botan, Miss Sara…

Your thoughts turned to the Haitanis, throat closing up. Fuck. Fuck.

You pressed your lips together tight, squeezing your eyes shut. Breathe. You missed them, you missed them and you knew they probably hated you for leaving them behind--Ran had always been quick to anger and slow to forgive. They hadn’t even wanted you to leave in the first place, Rindou had begged, he had begged you to stay with them and Haitani Rindou never begged anyone for anything. But you had been so focused on proving yourself to your uncle, so focused on getting into a fancy western university, so focused on building up Izanami into the behemoth it was today.

“When I get everything settled, you two’ll be the first I bring over here to help, promise!”

You cringed at the reminder of one of your many lies, you wondered how long they waited for you to reach out before giving up on you, how many nights they waited up to see if you would finally call.

They had every right to hate you.

It was for the best. You couldn’t drag them into the mess that your life had become.

And it was for the best, and it wasn’t as if you had been intentionally deceiving them from the start. You hadn’t been lying when you first told them that you’d bring them with you. You had wanted to with every inch of your being, you had been looking forward to it for months, years even but…

But you couldn’t. Not once you realized how-

The elevator binged, the doors slid open. Your eyes darted around, a strange empty feeling sweeping through you when you stepped into the quiet, dark penthouse. The elevator doors shut behind you and your lips tugged down as you wandered into the main room, throat swollen as memories began to pile onto you like heavy weights.

Fuck.

Miss Yua should be here. So should Mister Ayato.

“Miss Yua,” you called, eyes darting around the room, anxiety building in you when you got no response, “Miss Yua!”

“Hush, child,” you heard her familiar voice and you couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, turning to face the older woman. A smile tugged at your lips as your eyes fell upon Miss Yua, taking in the graying hair and the wrinkles lining the corner of her eyes. Despite her sharp voice, her eyes were gentle and you felt more at home in that moment than you had felt in the past eight years. “Ayato is resting. He has been unwell.”

You moved forward, wrapping your arms around Miss Yua tightly and you felt tears sting your eyes when she let out a soft breath into your hair.

“I am not a child anymore,” you sighed at her words in mock annoyance, drawing a laugh from the older woman, but your brow furrowed at the mention of Mister Ayato.

“You are not,” Miss Yua murmured before you could question her about Mister Ayato’s health and she sounded sadder than you expected as she leaned back, reaching out to brush her fingers against your cheek. Your eyes fluttered shut at the soft touch, “You were still bright-eyed and smiling when you left all those years ago, all excited about traveling to the west for university.”

You grimaced, “Yes, well, the years haven’t been too easy,” you said dryly.

Miss Yua laughed sharply, “I imagine not, running a multi-billion dollar corporation is not exactly stress-relieving.”

You don’t know the half of it, you thought to yourself before speaking.

“Don’t remind me,” you complained, walking over to the counter to look at the news articles strewn across the marble. CRIME RATES SPIKE IN TOKYO, HIGHEST IN TWENTY YEARS--the same thing that was on the news before it cut out, had it really gotten that bad? You turned your attention back toward Yua, “Do you have any idea what I was asked back to Tokyo for? Does it have anything to do with the joint project his vice had mentioned when he contacted me a few months back? Or the acquisition?”

You supposed you would have had to come back to Tokyo soon regardless of your uncle’s beckoning--with the recent acquisition of Fujitsu Limited, Izanami Connect had become the largest IT services provider in Japan and the fourth largest in the world and it was about due time for you to come back and make sure the acquisition was going smoothly as it hadn’t exactly been a friendly one. The last thing you needed was the new shareholders causing unnecessary issues.

You hadn’t even wanted to go through with the hostile takeover but your uncle hadn’t left you much of a choice considering he had initiated it for you. You scowled, rubbing the bridge of your nose before leaning back against the counter, to worry about another day. You missed the days when Izanami had been a smaller biometric research and manufacturing company--you had enjoyed that, it had been fun--it had been the reason why you were so willing to leave Japan behind for years. But your uncle’s lust for expansion included even your own company and he was a difficult person to deny especially to you, whom he had helped so much.

“I don’t believe so,” Miss Yua said after a moment, “He didn’t mention anything to us about it, at least, although your uncle doesn’t mention much of anything to us anymore.”

You frowned, fingers tracing over the newspapers once more, eyeing the headline, suspicion rising. You pushed it away.

No, you thought to yourself, he wouldn’t have called you back for that. He didn’t care about petty crime, all he was focused on was profits. It had to be something to do with the ongoing acquisition or the joint project.

“Mister Ayato, you said-”

“Nothing to worry your head about, child,” Miss Yua sighed, “he has just been under the weather a bit. He’ll be up and about as soon as the fever passes.”

You frowned, brows knitting together.

“He will be fine,” Miss Yua reassured and you could only nod in response. Miss Yua had been taking care of you and the brothers for nearly a decade--you knew her judgment was solid, if she said Mister Ayato would be okay, then he would be.

Just as you were about to ask if you could go see him, she spoke again, “Have you messaged the boys at all? Do they know you’re back or are you surprising them?”

Your breath caught. She didn’t know you had fallen out of contact with them. Your chest twisted when you caught the fond look in her eyes. The lie slipped from your lips like second nature, “Surprising them,” you said, and the words felt like ash on your tongue.

Miss Yua smiled, “I’m sure they’ll be so excited to see you again,” she murmured, squeezing your wrist gently, “You three were so inseparable when you were kids.”

“Yeah,” you said, and your voice sounded hoarser than you intended for it to.

“I’m going to go back with Ayato, your room should be how you left it, I’ll wake you up in the morning for breakfast, alright?”

You nodded and Miss Yua made her way past you down the hall, leaning back against the counter when she disappeared from sight. You held your phone tight in hand, a sick feeling rising to your stomach when you looked down at the screen, catching sight of you, Rindou and Ran staring right back at you.

You should reach out, text them.

They might not have the same number.

No harm in trying, you still have the same number--they might too.

They might not want to hear from you.

They might miss you, they might be waiting for you to reach out.

They would have reached out themselves.

They stopped reaching out when you stopped answering.

You let out a sharp, shaky breath, one hand flying to your chest to try to calm your fast heartbeat. There’s no harm, you tried to convince yourself.

But there was. There was harm. You weren’t sure if you would be able to move on if you reached out to them and they ignored you. The fear of rejection from the two people you cared about most in the world was too deep-set and-

Imagine how they felt when you stopped responding.

It wasn’t your fault, you wanted to cry, you thought you were doing what was best. You didn’t want to drag them into something that might get them killed. The people you had to associate with were dangerous, not just ordinary delinquents--powerful, rich, and they would do anything to get to you, including going after the ones you loved.

But you were safer now, back in Japan--you had your uncle and all of his resources on top of all of yours--you could reach out to the Haitanis and…

You exhaled heavily again, gaze darting back down to your phone. Before you could lose your confidence, you unlocked the device, scrolling quickly through your messages to reach the long-abandoned group chat you had with the brothers, wincing at the sight of the messages you never responded to hesitating before typing out multiple messages, deleting it several times before choosing to go with a simple one.

01:44 Hey, I’m back in Tokyo. Are you guys around?

You slammed the phone down on the counter as soon as it was delivered, moving away to go pour yourself a drink, feeling significantly more stressed now that the message had been sent, that fear of rejection returning with a vengeance.

Just as you went to figure out where Miss Yua had hidden her favorite whiskey, your phone buzzed. Your eyes darted back to your phone suspiciously, anxiety clawing at you, fingers trembling around the glass you had pulled out of the cabinet.

With bated breath, you made your way back toward your phone, swallowing thickly at the name that lit up on the message notification: RAN.

Your hands were shaky as you unlocked the phone to read the message.

You blinked when you realized it was a location--a club down the street, to be exact.

01:45 Meet us.

---

You were sure you had never been so nervous before in your life--no board meeting or merger meeting could compare to the way your stomach was twisting and turning as you stepped into the club. Your eyes darted around the bustling club, stuffed to the brim with people, you could feel the heat even with the air conditioning blasting. You grimaced, how the fuck were you supposed to find them?

You sighed, eyes focusing in on the bar halfway across the floor of the nightclub, intent on making your way across the floor to get a drink and then try to tackle the issue. You couldn’t remember the last time you went out purely for pleasure purposes--university, probably, all of your outings since then had been surrounding solely business-related matters.

Just as you were about to walk to the bar and order a drink, someone cleared their throat from next to you. You turned with a frown, barely having heard it over the roaring music and raucous clubbers. Your gaze narrowed in on a man with pink hair and bright blue eyes, scarred lips twitched up into a wide smile. He moved in close to you, close enough so that you could smell the alcohol and expensive cologne on him.

He’s high, you realized as you noticed the dilated pupils and sweat beading at his forehead and exposed chest.

“You must be the bitch who's got the Haitanis leashed,” he said but there was no malice behind the derogatory word, instead only curiosity as he looked over you, uncomfortably close. So you bit back the comment on your tongue, instead choosing to focus on the other half of his sentence--the Haitanis, he knew who they were, and he knew about your connection to them. Either he knows them, or…

Your eyes narrowed onto him--you couldn’t sense any hostility from him, and though you liked to think you were good at picking out peoples’ intentions, it wouldn’t be the first time you had made a deadly mistake.

“You know Ran and Rindou?” you asked carefully, looking for his reaction and hoping that your voice was steadier than your hands were as the prospect of seeing them again finally hit you like a truck.

Fuck, they’re here.

The pink-haired man nodded several times, “Mmm, mhm mhm, coworkers. They’re here with me, yeah? ‘ll bring ya to them, they’re in the back,” he said and without a second for you to consider his words, he hooked his arm into yours and started pulling you through the club. He babbled on about one thing or another as he kept you close to him. He wasn’t lying, you could tell that much but how did he even know about you? He had recognized you right away.

“Please we all know about you,” he said after you voiced your question, “In the beginning years, they wouldn’t stop talkin’ about you ‘n even now Rind-”

He grunted as a drunk girl slammed into him and your eyes narrowed, watching as the half-glazed look in his eyes disappeared, melting into a cruel glare that nearly had your skin crawling. You eyed him as he let out an irritated breath, his hand twitching at his side toward the waistband of his slacks and you caught sight of a tattoo decorating his forearm at the sudden movement. But then the glare disappeared and another smile tugged at his lips as he looked back at you--a fake one but you barely caught the insincerity behind it, you probably would have missed it had you not seen the dark look in his eyes right before.

Interesting…

He continued on with his intoxicated babbles as he led you through the club, past the masses of people and in the direction of a roped-off area in the back with its own private bar and lounge away from the fervor and sweaty crowd. Your eyes darted around carefully, up to the second floor of the club, eyeing each glass window looking down, and across the building into all of the darker corners--out of the dizzying heat of the dancefloor, the nerves over seeing the Haitanis again sobering and now significantly more aware of the possibility that this might be a set up.

The beat of the song vibrated throughout your body, your head thrummed as concern began to swell in your throat. Your hand tightened around your phone, discreetly unlocking it and pulling up a number as you fought internally over what you should do.

Once you call Mina, there’s no going back, you thought to yourself, he’ll have this place lit up trying to get to you and-

And what if they were actually here?

You inhaled sharply, mind racing. You had to decide, you-

“Oh! There he is! Ran!”

Around you, you swore the world stilled, the deafening music and loud chattering faded out into background noise. Blood roared in your ears as your gaze slowly followed to where the pink-haired man was looking, your stomach began doing flips and turns and you swore you were going to throw up.

Your eyes fell on a tall figure leaning over the bar next to a woman, short purple hair falling in his face, black highlights, a sly smile tugging at his lips--you barely even recognized him, you wouldn’t have recognized him if the pink-haired man hadn’t called out his name, you didn’t recognize him, you realized, a sick feeling growing in your stomach. You didn’t recognize him, not until a look of annoyance flashed over his face at his name being called out and you realized that it was Ran.

Your eyes followed him as he pushed himself off the bar to look in your direction, eyebrows raised as his gaze fell on the pink-haired man, “The fuck you want, Sanzu, I’m busy,” he snapped, smile gone and lips now twisted into a frown, his eyes drifted over you as if you weren’t even there.

You grit your teeth, trying to push away the sting. He didn’t even recognize you. He didn’t-

“I found your girl!” the pink-haired man, Sanzu, shouted but his voice was muted even though he was yelling right next to you. You couldn’t hear anything over your heart pounding erratically in your chest as Ran’s gaze tore from the man next to you to look back over you. Sanzu’s hand pressed against your lower back, forcing you to move forward closer to Ran and it took all of your willpower to not dig your heels into the ground and turn and run in the opposite direction.

And you watched, you watched the irritated expression shift into one of confusion, you watched as his eyes widened in recognition, and you almost diverted your gaze when his eyes finally met yours for the first time in eight years. You could see it. You could see the disbelief, you could see the longing, you could see the anger--Ran had never been good at hiding his emotions, not from you or Rindou at least.

“Y/n?”

“Ran.”

--

wordcount: 8.1k

reblogs for boost n feedback much appreciated !!!

[mercy-burning]

Losing You Twice / Interlude: Sting

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Summary: Y/N comes to some painful conclusions about her relationship with Spencer. Category: Angst Content: ...sadness? Word Count: 1,049

SERIES MASTERLIST | MASTERLIST

NOTE: SURPRISEEEEEE!!! Unsurprisingly, Fletcher’s new music has been putting me back in the headspace to write, and this song in particular fucking destroyed me... And seeing where we left off and where the next chapter begins, it was a perfect bridge to fill the gap between the two chapters. I can’t wait to share the rest with you, seeing as the next chapter is almost done! It’ll most likely be up for you next week hehehehehehe

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

"Are you gonna give that diamond ring that's meant for me to her? / Or maybe I like the way it sting / It's all I got left of you and me / Rather it keep on cutting deeper / Show what we were worth / How much longer will it sting?" —FLETCHER, Sting

There was one morning days after the wedding where it seemed like the true end of Y/N and Spencer was in sight.

Her eyes opened, and instead of searching for a text message with his name attached, she rolled out of bed and poured herself a cold plastic cup of water, chugged it, and went for a run. She didn't even change out of the shorts and tank top she slept in the night before. She threw on her shoes and bolted out the door without her phone or anything, which probably wasn't smart, but it wasn't even a thought.

She just needed to leave.

Without knowing where she was heading, Y/N ran until she couldn't handle it anymore, her lungs paining her with every intake of breath and her legs shaking violently.

And then she sat down on the damp grass, caught her breath for an hour, and walked back to her apartment with an empty mind.

He didn't even cross her mind once.

For days she went to work, went for runs, and ate dinner alone in her dining room until she was tired, and then she slept soundly in her bed without a nightmare to be had. Never mind that it felt robotic and lifeless, she had finally rid her mind of Spencer and his painful memory, and that was enough.

And then, after closing her eyes two weeks later, it all came crashing down like a ton of bricks onto a glass house.

It was only a vision of a diamond, twinkling in the sun under a clear blue sky, and a slender, steady hand sliding it onto the finger of a much smaller, shakier one. She recognized the jewel immediately, but wasn't delusional enough to believe it was her hand that it was meant for. In another life, perhaps, but the reality of this life stated that it simply wasn't possible.

She opened her eyes, breathing slowly until the glass cracked around her, and under the weight of those bricks, it eventually shattered, leaving her trapped under shards of a broken house that she'd built for herself after months of heartache. It was a futile attempt in the end, she realized as she laid there, crushed by the weight of her actions and the sting it left behind. Throwing up a couple planes of glass to protect herself from the hurt would only work for so long, and now, that time had ran out.

He was gone. He had moved on. The longer she stayed away from him, the farther he would go, until she was nothing but a distant memory and the love he once had for her was only a fleeting feeling that was never meant to last.

Her chest heaved stronger and stronger until it hurt to breathe, and when the first sob ripped through the tension in the air, it was settled.

In the weeks that followed, she came to realize that she didn't know who she was without the sting of his absence. Those days where she robotically maneuvered life without him were hollow and numb, and in the end it wasn't fulfilling. At least this way she was able to keep him with her. At least this way she was able to know she could feel anything at all. She felt something for him, obviously, otherwise it wouldn't have hurt this much.

Was it love? Was it only lust? Possession? There was something keeping him housed inside her soul and it was impossible to distinguish what it was.

Whatever it was, she wondered if he felt it, too. Even as he moved on with his life and with someone new, did he ever have these feelings about her? Did he ever feel her, latched onto his very being in the middle of the night as he tried to forget there was anything there in the first place? Did he ever have moments where the urge to call her up just to hear her voice was so strong that it made him sick to his stomach? Did he ever look Nicole in the eyes and see flashes of her, begging him to stay?

Did he ever believe that maybe one day they could reconcile?

Even if they never would, if reconciliation was completely off the table, just the idea that he might think about it from time to time was enough to ease the pain just long enough for her to manage falling asleep at a semi-reasonable hour.

By the time she woke up, alone and cold, the peace had left her body and made room for restless wondering.

Would she ever be able to face him again? Would she ever gain the courage to let him know that she was sorry and that she truly wished him happiness, even if she wasn't the one to give it to him? Or would doing that only have the opposite effect?

It was these questions that plagued her for days and weeks and months, until it became such a routine that she'd become numb to the sting anyway.

Eventually there was a balance of hurt and serenity.

She could break her own heart with these questions and still go about her daily life with ease, making room for tears alongside her morning coffee and utilizing frustration as motivation for exercise. She became a bitter, wounded animal with regret and sorrow and a little sliver of hope pumping through her blood, and with each day that passed, it became more clear that perhaps she just wasn't built for forgiveness. Least of all, his.

At this point she wasn't even sure that she was built for her own...

After all, there was so much damage that she caused, it was a wonder Spencer ever came back at all. Maybe it was a good thing that she wasn't hearing from him this time around.

Maybe he was doing her a favor.

Maybe the sting wouldn't last forever.

"I still feel you right here every now and then / And it hits me like a missile in my heart again / Don't you start again / In my heart again..."

[bullet-prooflove]

The North Star - Part One: Moments (NSFW) - Terry Bruno x Reader

Welcome to mine and @the-hinky-panda The Bronx universe featuring our favs Terry Bruno & Mike Duarte.

This story takes place several years after 'Blood Out'. Terry still lives in the Bronx and works in Manhatten SVU.

Following on from @the-hinky-panda story 'The Dog' Mike has retired from the NYPD on medical grounds due to seizures causes by the attack. He has a therapy dog called Bono and lives with @the-hinky-panda character Meredith.

Tagging: @mysoulisasunflower @legit9thlunaticwarrior   @bbyxoo  @the-adzukibean  @xoxabs88xox   @crazy4chickennuggets  @beardedbarba  @wooshwastaken   @justreblogginfics   @im-just-a-mississippi-girl  @storiesofsvu  @anime-weeb-4-life 

There were a thousand different things that Terry loved about you; it would take an age to list them all, but it started with the way you said his name.

Terry…

It was a sweet drawl emitting from your lips as your fingers tangled in his hair, tugging just a little. He moaned at the sensation, pleasure erupting through his synapses as he moved inside of you with slow, deliberate strokes.

“Oh, pretty girl, the things you’re doing to me.” He mumbled against your mouth, his thumb skating over the apple of your cheek as his lips brushed over yours once more. You whimpered against his stubbled jaw as he hit that deviant little spot inside you, the one that made your hips arch and your body tighten. “You got me right where you want me.” He whispered. “So, fucking in love with you, I can’t tell which way is up.”

You keened for him, your core gripping him like a velvet fist as that beautiful rose flush blossomed across your cheeks. It was bliss, pure unadulterated bliss and it shot through his veins like a narcotic stealing away as his breath as you climaxed. It was the most magnificent fucking thing he’d ever seen. Lips parted, head tilted back into the pillow, sensuous body taut underneath his. It was perfection frozen in a single moment.

The thing about Terry, he collected these moments, treasuring every single one of them.

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

The problem with early morning wake up calls was that they always made you late. In the aftermath of this morning’s love making, you’d fallen asleep in Terry’s arms, your naked form draped across his chest, his fingertips combing through your hair. There had always been something about him that soothed you, he was the only man that made you feel loved and cherished. The only person that made you feel safe.

You were a flurry of motion and activity, damp hair pulled back into a messy bun that somehow coordinated with the tailored grey blazer you were pulling on over a white V-neck shirt that clung to your form. That tiny gold compass hung on a slender chain around your throat, a pinprick diamond glinting in the light from the cluster of Edison light bulbs that hung from the black fixtures in the ceiling.

So that you can always find your way, he had smiled when he’d given it to you for your birthday.

It was beautiful and understated, just like you.

Terry couldn’t help but be fascinated by your actions as he stood in the kitchen decanting a cafetiere of Cuban blend coffee into your polka dot travel mug. You were always a pleasure to watch, a purposeful whirlwind that had entered his life out of nowhere. He hadn’t been looking for love when he’d met you, he wasn’t looking for anything but there you were, a Sergeant in the Bronx Homicide Unit. The instant you shook hands it was like a lightning bolt had struck him, it was a raw dynamic feeling, a stirring of something more and suddenly saw the potential. He started to envision a future. He’d been living in the moment for so long after Rose had left him, he’d forgotten what it looked like to move forward. That had been almost two years ago, and he hadn’t looked back since.

“What?” You said glancing up at him, shoving some of the paperwork you had been working on into your black leather satchel.

“Nothing.” He said, a small smile twitching at his lips as he leaned on the counter. “I just like having you around.”

“I like being around.” You responded, clipping your badge to your belt.

“Maybe we should make it more permanent.”

You paused for a moment, tilting your head to look at him. There was silence between you, he sensed your hesitancy before he nodded his understanding.

“Terry I…”

The words lodged in your throat; you couldn’t seem to spit them out. They grew in your chest like an ache, swelling until you tasted copper on your tongue. It was a rush of adrenaline, your heart pounding in your chest as your back hit the wall, the shatter of glass falling around your head.

“It’s alright.” Terry said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I get it.”

He didn’t and you couldn’t explain. He picked up the keys before grabbing your travel mug, the matching polka dot lunch bag clung over his shoulder as he pulled open the apartment door and gestured for you to step through it.

“Come on, I don’t want to make you late.”

Love Terry Bruno? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[vyntilador]

C a r i n g f o r y o u r C E O<3

A once uneventful life was shaken by someone that seemed to unknowingly light up your life with his presence alone, but of course, he has moments of vulnerability and you're more than happy to help him in these times.

————————

Genre: Angst—> comfort/reverse comfort

Pairing: Marius x Reader

A/N: Ik i said i was gonna post smthn from my drafts but i literally have no inspiration so take this old ahh Ao3 writing of mine from 2021

Link herw: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34596121

Being alone was indeed hard for someone such as yourself. Having to live alone and not being able to see your parents half of the time. It was hard but manageable. Everything in your life was going smoothly until a certain childish CEO barged in. Although, with his company, your life wasn't too boring anymore.

You enjoyed conversing with him despite his immature behavior. But knowing that he had to manage a company and study at the same time with all eyes on him, I'd also want to show my most vulnerable moments with someone I trust if I were in his shoes. Back then, you only perceived him as young, cheerful and carefree CEO until you started living with him. Despite being a top student and also a very talented one, it's hard to keep up with studies when you're trying to multitask between three things. Every night, you'd see him on his desk working and studying whilst maintaining his image as an anonymous painter. Of course, naturally, you took care of him.

You never forgot to remind him to eat breakfast and get some rest every now and then. Until suddenly one night, he was at his breaking point. While you were sleeping under his warm embrace, he bolts awake, with his frantic breathing waking you up. You turn to him just to see his panicked face. Sweat dripping down his face appearing like a smooth diamond. His purple eyes was filled with fear. You wanted to hold him tightly in your arms but you were afraid that if you merely even touch him, he'd break into a million pieces like glass. You try gently rub circles on his back whilst comforting him and reassuring him that you'll listen to him whenever he needed to.

You never knew he held in such many problems at such a young age. While you were thinking of words to say, his wall breaks down. He gets closer to you and embraces you close, with his hands gripping your clothes, in a desperate attempt to comfort himself with the feeling of someone by his side. The muffled sound of his sobs filled your ears as he burries his face into the crook of your neck.

You couldn't think of anything else to comfort him with but deep down, you knew that all he ever needed was a hug. And with you by his side, he'll be able to achieve greater heights.

A/N: DAMNNN I WROTE SO AWFULLY 3 YEARS AGO GAHD DAYUMMM I PRACTICALLY CHANGED THE WHOLE STORY WITH HOW TERRIBLE OT LOOKED LIKE LMAOOOOO IM SURPRISED THIS IS LIKE MY TOP 5TH FAMOUS WORKS ON AO3 LMFAOOOOOO