#both know it. but it never hurts to practice. and their spars get more and more via opus as time goes on and they learn more how to read

[trollbreak]

Thinks so much abt dari and mev

[buckybabesonly]

Protector

Summary: When Steve gets injured on the field protecting you, Bucky lashes out at you from fear of seeing you in danger, and jealously of Steve’s arms around you.

Pairing: Bucky x Female!Avenger!reader, platonic Steve x Female!Avenger!reader

Genre: Angst, fluff (y'all know we only do happy endings here)

Warnings: Jealous Bucky, Bucky being slightly mean to reader out of over-protectiveness, minor character injury, I’m not very good at writing action scenes I apologize 🙇🏻‍♀️

Word count: 4.2k

A/N: My creative juices are floooowing lately! I have so many ideas saved in my drafts 😭 Please let me know if you liked this one!

"On your feet. Again." Steve’s voice was authoritative, demanding, as per usual. He gestured his hand at you as you lay on your back, skin gleaming with sweat.

You gave him a faux-scowl, the muscles in your legs shaking with exhaustion as you forced yourself to stand, hands bracing themselves on your knees.

"Wait. Need a breather," you said, shaking your head. Your hair was coming loose from your ponytail, and Bucky's fingers itched to neatly sweep the strands back from out of your face.

He watched silently from one side of the room, observing your sparring session with Steve. He was going pretty tough on you, though he told you it was for your own good.

"No breathers out in the field," Steve grunted, tackling you and practically tossing you over his shoulder, but with enough finesse so you landed safely on your butt.

"Hey!" you exclaimed loudly in shock. If you had been looking, you would have seen how Bucky reflexively half-rose from his perch, afraid that you had actually been hurt, until he saw the way you scrunched your nose in annoyance at Steve and bounced back on your feet indignantly.

"I was making a point -" Steve ducked to the side when you launched a fist towards his head, then threw out a sharp roundhouse kick. You just managed to graze the top of his hair, and he laughed jovially.

"Almost. Try again."

Bucky settled back in his seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable as he watched you throw yourself again and again at Steve. Especially when Steve's strong arm encircled your waist, the other one hooking itself under your thigh to throw you onto the ground once more.

He clenched his fist, wishing it was him with his hands on your body instead, and in an entirely different setting.

His excuse for being in the training room was to try and see where your weak spots were and offer you pointers, in hopes that you would improve your hand-to-hand combat. You were an excellent sharpshooter, and could easily defend yourself, but needed to work on your offensive attacks.

Lately, the idea of you attacking someone head on had been making Bucky feel uneasy. Which was ridiculous, since you were part of the team and it was literally your job, but he found that it was affecting his focus out on the field. He felt like he had a constant obligation to look out for you, to protect you.

It seemed like Steve shared the same sentiment. The super soldiers were both oddly protective over you, and it had actually been Steve's idea to up your training in recent months.

The way you moaned as Steve landed a punch in your abdomen made Bucky simultaneously want to rugby tackle his best friend to the ground, and somehow planted sinful thoughts in his head. He knew Steve would never hit you with full-force, however, and made himself to stay put.

"Rogers, I swear one of these days, I'm going to kick your ass," you groaned.

He laughed again, and you took the opportunity to exploit his distraction, using your position on the floor to knock his feet out from under him with surprising force. Your kicked his shins sharply, sending him on his knees, and lunged for him.

You had him on his back for once, finally, and you grinned triumphantly at Bucky. He was mildly perturbed at your position, semi-straddling Steve, but he managed to crack a smile.

Steve finally called it a day half an hour later, leaving you and Bucky alone in the room. You were humming to yourself, stretching out your limbs. Bucky didn’t miss the way you winced slightly.

“Does it hurt?” Bucky asked, tossing you a bottle of water.

“A little, but it’s alright,” you shrugged. You took a sip, eyes sliding over to his form. He was looking particularly handsome today in a pair of form fitting black jeans, heavy boots and his leather jacket zipped up around his torso.

God, this man could be wearing a garbage bag and you would be drooling. From the first day you met him, you had developed a crush on him, hooked by his ruggedly handsome looks and tough exterior. What really made you fall, however, was that surprisingly soft personality hidden underneath. He made you laugh, too, and you loved the way the corners of his eyes creased when he smiled at you. Bucky had easily stolen your heart.

Said heart was continuously fluttering nowadays whenever you were near him, like he was a silly teenage crush. You tried to play it cool.

“So, any tips?”

Soon, you were both grappling at each other playfully, peals of laughter leaving your mouth as you “fought”. Bucky was smiling that darn smile, looking almost childlike as you circled each other.

At some point you ended up on top of him, your hands around his wrists as you pinned them back. He could easily free himself, but he humored you.

“Hah!” you called out.

Bucky’s laughter subsided slowly as he took in the sight of you, panting on top of him. His eyes inadvertently fell to your cleavage, where the swell of your breasts was oh-so-visible from his vantage point, your skimpy tank top doing little to hide your skin.

Mortified, he felt a rush of blood to his groin. He knocked you off swiftly before you could feel anything which would reveal what a pervert he was, coughing loudly to hide his embarassment.

“That’s enough,” he said, surprising you with a change of tone. You felt a little disheartened at the switch-up, confusion settling in.

“Ah, okay,” you said, nodding. He was probably getting tired of your games, knowing how you didn’t like to take everything too seriously. Bucky mumbled something about going to take a shower before he excused himself and left.

Being an Avenger was always going to be life threatening. However, you could think of nothing else you'd rather be doing than fighting alongside your chosen family, trying to make your contribution to the world, even if it meant risking yourself.

You usually considered yourself a solid team player, trusting Steve to make the right call out on the field. Now, you weren't so sure, faintly aware that maybe, just maybe, you had screwed up. Especially in situations like these, lying on concrete with your ears ringing, the metallic taste of blood in your mouth.

Smoke and dust filled your sight. Your mind was scrambled, unable to comprehend what had happened. You couldn't see a thing, but you could feel the pain in your shoulder, and you wondered if you had dislocated it or worse.

The smoke cleared. All of a sudden, Bucky's face appeared, panic clearly written in his eyes.

The pieces were slowly coming together. You suddenly became aware that Steve was lying behind you, shield in hand and positioned above you. You could hear him groaning in mild discomfort. The clanging in your ears were subsiding so you could hear him and Bucky's shouting.

Your disorientation faded, and you realized what had happened. The explosion.

Four S.H.I.E.L.D agents had gone rogue and had secretly been working for HYDRA, who had been spending the past year regaining power and presence. You had been one of the people dispatched to take them down after the team received intel on the location of their base. They had been holed up in an underground bunker beneath an abandoned warehouse, the perfect spot for a group like them.

You weren't even supposed to be in that part of the bunker, but you saw an opportunity to breach their control room, where undoubtedly you would be able to find all sorts of valuable information about what HYDRA was planning, or what terrible projects they had ongoing. Unfortunately, they had been savvier than you thought, and had implemented a safeguard in the event of a security breach.

That safeguard, as it turned out, was explosives.

Steve had found you as soon as he was made aware of what you were doing, and he had appeared no more than 15 seconds before the bombs detonated. If he hadn't been around, you were almost certain you'd be dead.

You barely had time to register Steve's appearance before you suddenly found yourself flying off your feet, Steve a blur of blue as he re-positioned himself to protect you.

"...fuck, will you say something? Are you okay?"

Bucky was screaming in your ear, and you blinked, the haze finally clearing. Alarms were blaring, Steve was back on his feet, scooping you up with ease.

"We need to get back to the Quinjet," you heard Steve bark, and he began sprinting, jumping over rubble with you in his arms, Bucky following close behind.

As soon as you boarded the jet, Steve sat you down and ordered Bucky to tend to you. He was already kneeling at your feet and inspecting your injuries wordlessly. Steve swiftly geared the Quinjet to life, desperate to get them out of the area before anything else went to hell.

"Look at me," Bucky said sharply, his voice rough. You were startled at his tone, his hands brushing your hair back as he inspected your head for any serious injuries. Blood was trickling from your temples, but from what he could tell, they were only shallow cuts. "Where does it hurt?"

"I'm fine," you managed to say faintly, the reality of what had happened slowly sinking in. You had put all of them in danger because of your reckless actions, and Steve had actually been injured because of you. You could see the blood dripping off his fingers as he sat at the console, though from the way he handled himself you knew they could only be minor lacerations.

Your eyes landed on Bucky's face then, scanning him for any signs of injury. He seemed physically unharmed, but his face was bright red and he was shaking with rage as he spoke to you. You were ashamed, knowing that he was furious you put his best friend in danger.

“I told you to stay put,” Bucky snarled, slamming his hand against the back of your seat.

"I - I know," you stuttered, vaguely remembering Bucky's request in your earpiece just moments earlier.

“Why couldn't you just listen? You had to play the fucking hero?"

"Bucky, lay off of her." Steve's warning was stern, and Bucky shot a glare at the back of his head.

"No. She was being stupid," he spat, looking back at you. "What were you thinking? Were you even thinking at all?"

You bristled then, despising his patronizing tone. “You’re one to talk. How many times have you completely gone off script and blindsided us with your decisions?” As soon as the words left your mouth, you knew it was an unfair statement.

He scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I don't think you realize what could have happened back there."

You looked at Steve again, guilt consuming you. He was focused on operating the jet, and you knew that he hadn't been seriously hurt, but he could have been. Or, worse, Bucky could have been caught in the explosion. He was lucky not to have been there.

"I'm sorry," you began, but Bucky cut you off.

"You need to take this fucking seriously," he snarled. "You went marching in there blindly, and look what happened."

"I thought I might be able to get something useful," you said weakly.

"Look how well that turned out," he said sarcastically. "You blew everything up."

You recoiled, hurt. You wondered if Bucky was actually upset that you had destroyed a valuable chance to get information on HYDRA. Though how were you supposed to know extracting the information would set off literal bombs? You had been acting quickly, wanting to get in and out. Maybe Bucky blamed you for destroying that chance.

"You can be so fucking stupid and selfish," Bucky exclaimed angrily, lashing out in full force. So reckless, doing whatever you wanted to do, without so much as a thought to how much potential harm you could be putting yourself in.

"That's enough," Steve shouted loudly, his voice angry and booming.

You flinched visibly, biting down hard on your lip to stop yourself from snapping back. Or worse, crying. Bucky walked over to the other side of the jet, away from you.

The feeling was awful. Your shoulder was burning, throat in pain from the smoke you had inhaled, and all Bucky had done was shout. It was surprising, how much your feelings hurt at his outburst.

Bucky was as tense as a statue. His mind was racing as he refused to look at you, thinking of all the worst possibilities. His heart felt as if it had literally skipped a beat the moment he saw you lying in the rubble, seconds after he'd heard the explosion and realized he could no longer hear you in his earpiece - there was a chilling moment amidst the action where he really, genuinely believed you had been killed.

Having you act so blasé about it after the fact infuriated him.

You, on the other hand, felt a heavy weight in your chest as you watched Bucky mutter to himself, the muscle in his jaw twitching. You felt so guilty, feeling so...incapable in Steve and Bucky's presence. Steve had been hurt because of you, and Bucky had every right to be mad at you. Nonetheless, his words cut you deeply.

Stupid and selfish.

The rest of the journey back to the compound was tense and silent. Bucky stared at the wall whilst you stared at the ground. As soon as the jet landed, Bucky stood up with full intention of hoisting you up against his chest to take you to the medical wing, but found Steve standing between you and him instead. Like a barrier, as if he wanted to protect you from Bucky's wrath.

"Let's get you checked out," Steve grunted, his arm once again around your damn waist as you stood.

Even though it was neither the place nor the time, jealously instinctively entered Bucky's bloodstream at the way you leaned on Steve. He wanted to be the one to take care of you, dammit, but all he had achieved was make you avoid his stare.

"Get her head checked out whilst you're at it," Bucky barked. "See if you can find out why she lost all her fucking common sense."

Tears sprang to your eyes when Bucky stormed off the jet, heading into the compound first. It hurt you more than you cared to admit that he hadn't even stayed to see if you were alright.

"He didn't mean that," Steve said quietly.

"He did," you retorted, wincing in pain as you experimentally moved your shoulder. "Shit."

"You alright?"

"Dislocated, I think."

Steve helped you to the medical wing, where you were promptly checked and - yep, dislocated shoulder. No other injuries though, thanks to Steve.

"You saved my life," you said gratefully as Steve stood beside you, wiping dried blood from his hands and face. "Thank you. I'm sorry, as well."

Steve's face was kind yet stern as he moved to stand in front of you. "No need to thank me. But yeah, the way you behaved was kind of reckless."

"I know."

He placed a heavy hand on your good shoulder, squeezing gently. "Get some rest, okay?"

"Do you think Bucky hates me?" you asked suddenly, looking up at Steve searchingly. "You know him best. Do you think he hates me now?"

Steve sighed loudly in a way that planted doubt in your mind despite his answer. "No, of course he doesn't hate you."

"I think he's at least annoyed that I risked your life," you mumbled.

"Okay, first of all, I've been in so many explosions that it's just a regular day at the office, now," Steve said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Secondly, I think he's just annoyed that you risked your life."

You were dubious, thinking that Steve was just trying to placate you. You recalled how Bucky had glared at you before. If he actually cared, surely he wouldn't have just stalked off like that?

“I think my safety was the last thing on his mind.”

"Get some rest," Steve repeated. "Stop overthinking."

You nodded unconvincingly, all while your thoughts continued to be plagued by a certain dark haired, blue eyed man.

"She okay?" Bucky asked Steve the moment he saw him in the hallway just off the medical wing.

"You could ask her yourself, you know," he said, cocking an eyebrow. When Bucky didn't respond, he offered, "Dislocated her shoulder. Few cuts and bruised ribs. Otherwise, she's fine."

Bucky felt himself let go of a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He had inspected you pretty closely on the jet and was sure you had been fine, though he was annoyed he didn't realize your shoulder was hurt, however part of him was still fearful. To hear Steve confirm that you were mostly fine was a relief.

"Good," Bucky said brusquely. Steve tilted his head at him, observing his best friend with judgmental eyes. The silence between them spoke volumes. “Shut up," Bucky added.

Your shoulder had been easily maneuvered back into place, though you were confined into a sling and would be for the next few weeks, rendering you useless on the field. That, combined with the gnawing guilt of putting Bucky and Steve in danger, dampened your usually upbeat self.

After being discharged from the medical wing, you had retired to your bedroom and stayed there for the rest of the day. A few mornings later, you left your bedroom at the crack of dawn, startled to see Bucky already making breakfast in the kitchen.

"Oh. Hey," you said meekly, clearing your throat as you made your way to the coffee machine.

He had dark circles under his eyes, and you wondered if he had slept at all. His hair was disheveled, like he had been running his fingers through it, and he had stubble all across his sharp jawline.

Things were weird now after his tirade at you. You considered the two of you to be friends - very good friends, actually. In fact, you would be lying if you said you didn't have a deep-rooted hope that you might become more than friends. But, after Bucky's explosive verbal attack on you, you felt so small standing in front of him. You had avoided him for the past couple of days, afraid of any potential confrontation.

He thinks you’re stupid and selfish, you reminded yourself. Each time his words replayed in your mind, a fresh wave of pain hit you. You would be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about how harsh he’d been for the past few nights whilst in bed, tears slipping down your face and onto your pillow as you tried to sleep.

Your gut twisted in discomfort. You liked Bucky so much, and his admonishing had crushed you somewhat. You wanted him to respect you, didn't want to disappoint him, but you had achieved the opposite.

You turned your back on him and poured yourself a coffee, knowing that if you looked at him for too long, you might start crying. His face was one that you used to love looking at, loved how affectionate he was when he spoke to you, but now you were just scared. You didn’t think you could take it if he snapped at you again.

"Are you okay?" He broke the silence first, and you wondered if he actually genuinely cared about the answer. You really weren’t sure anymore.

"I'm fine," you said, nodding and moving over to the pantry to try and find something to eat. You stretched up to the shelves with your good arm, fingers curling over a bag of croissants but not quite being able to reach.

You felt his presence behind you, his chest pressing against your back softly as he took the pastries down for you, setting them down on the counter.

Bucky watched when you stiffened slightly, and felt a heavy twinge of regret at how he had spoken to you that day. He was already feeling like an ass about it, but now he wondered if you were somehow frightened of him. He knew that he had crossed a line, said some pretty nasty things.

He stepped away from you, clearing his throat loudly to catch your attention. When you half-turned to face him, he spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said the other day. It was out of line."

He could only see your profile as you bit down on your lower lip, shrugging as if to say no big deal. From the way your eyes were darting about, Bucky could tell you were holding back on your emotions. "It's okay. You were right."

Bucky frowned, watching as you chewed on the inside of your cheek. "What do you mean?"

"What I did was stupid and selfish," you said, your voice quivering. Bucky's lips pressed into a thin line as you continued. "I wasn't thinking, and I put both of you in danger. I'm sorry. You have every right to be angry at me."

Realization hit Bucky like a freight train.

"Hey," he said gently, approaching you again, his hand awkwardly curling around your wrist. He could see your eyes beginning to well up. "Don't get upset." He tilted his head at you, trying to coax you to look at him.

"I'm not," you sniffed, blinking hard in an attempt to rid yourself of your budding tears.

"When I said you were stupid and selfish," Bucky winced at those adjectives now, "I meant I just felt you were stupid to put yourself in danger, and selfish because - well, you didn't even think about what it would do to me."

Your brow furrowed at Bucky's rushed explanation, looking up at him quizically. Your eyes were still glistening, and his heart ached.

"I don't understand."

Bucky made a slightly frustrated noise, releasing your wrist. He planted his hands on the kitchen counter instead, trapping you, your lower back pressed against the marble edge. He sighed loudly, making you swallow nervously.

"Bucky?"

"I care about you," he began, suddenly unable to articulate himself properly as he looked into your eyes. “A lot. As in, a lot."

"Oh-kay..." The syllables were long and drawn out. You were still nonplussed.

"No, you don't get it," Bucky said through gritted teeth. He cast his mind back to the events in the bunker, that same fear creeping into his system. "There was a second where I heard the blast, and I thought you were done for. I was terrified."

Bucky leaned closer, so close that his forehead was almost resting on yours. His eyes fluttered closed. It was easier if he didn’t look at you to voice his feelings.

"There was a very real moment where I thought I lost you, and it was horrible." The unspoken meaning hung in the air. I can't live without you.

His confession made your heart rise in your chest with surprise and disbelief.

"Oh, Bucky." The way you spoke his name made him want to hold you tight. "I had no idea you cared so much," you said softly.

Bucky's eyes snapped open, and they were anguished. "That's the problem. I'm so scared of showing you my feelings that you had no idea I care about you more than anything." He scoffed, shaking his head. "I don't know what I was so afraid of. The idea of you being hurt is infinitely more terrifying than telling you how much I really like you."

“I - really?” His words were black and white, but you were afraid to truly believe them.

“Did you know,” Bucky began, lifting his hand to brush his knuckles against your cheekbone, “how much I want to protect you? Keep you from harm? At first, I didn’t understand it, but then I realized that I was falling for you.” He took a deep breath. “It’s been so long since I felt anything like that for anyone, that I barely recognized what it was.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed down his nerves. He knew he had to tell you how he felt. The way you were gazing at him now in pure adoration was motivation enough.

“I want to be with you, as more than friends.” He let out a soft huff of laughter, like he was amused it had taken him so long to admit something so simple.

You lifted your hand to cup the back of his neck, feeling a renewed confidence and sense of happiness at his words.

“I should have told you long ago how much I like you, too,” you whispered. Bucky's chest swelled in happiness at your admission.

"Would it be okay if I kissed you?" he asked quietly, his eyes flickering down to your lips.

Your reply was to stand on your tip-toes so you could meet his mouth in a kiss, finally doing what you had wanted to do since the moment you met him.

[yanderecrazysie]

Saw this demon slayer fic where the reader dances while they fight, i found it a cool fighting style and it would be rlly nice if u wrote yan hashiras x a reader like that :3

I decided to go back to doing headcanons quickly (as compared to oneshots) so I skipped ahead to the first hcs on the list.

And that sounds really cool! My little sister is a dancer! She does competitions and stuff- she’s absolutely amazing and will be auditioning for a pro studio in a few months! I’m so proud of her. 

Me though? I’m ungraceful as fuck and have a bad knee.

WARNINGS: yandere themes, mostly fluffiness 

Tomioka Giyu

Tomioka’s face gives away none of the amazement he feels watching you fight for the first time.

He wants to get to know you better, but he’s awkward by nature and doesn’t like talking much, so he struggles to do so.

Master Ubuyashiki can tell his little Giyu has a crush, so he often pairs you both up on missions, hoping you’ll give him a chance, not realizing how dark Tomioka’s love really is.

Thankfully, despite his obsessiveness, Tomioka is more of a watcher (and stalker). He would never hurt you.

He just wants to watch you dance until the end of time.

Tokito Muichiro

Tokito is another calm yandere that isn’t easily impressed. But even when seeing your dance moves, he’s not blown away.

However, he does think your dancing is quite pretty and finds himself thinking about it even outside of battle, which is confusing to him.

He can’t figure out why you keep appearing in his dreams and it frustrates him a lot at first.

But then, he’s sitting there under the full moon, watching you twirl and leap as you practice fighting against the butterfly hashira, and he understands.

He’s fallen in love with you.

Rengoku Kyojuro

Rengoku, on the other hand, is very impressed and tells you so!

He’s very vocal about how much he loves your fighting style, and you enjoy showing off for him.

He doesn’t like fighting against you, because he’d much rather sit back and watch instead of try to overpower you. 

You’ve beat him several times in practice, and it only causes his respect (and love) to grow.

Anyone who thinks you’re just a pretty ballerina has another thing coming when you pull out your sword, and he knows that first hand.

He likes watching you so much that he’s asked you to dance for him, and he applauds very loudly and enthusiastically when you’re done.

Tengen Uzui

You’re a flashy person like he is, and he respects that!

Your dance moves are cutting-edge, quite literally, with a spin of hip-hop in with the ballet. It’s a unique style and he loves it!

He invites you on his missions, even if he could easily do it alone, simply because you’re the only human on earth that can match his level of flashiness.

He loves to fight alongside you, trying to make his moves as graceful as yours can be.

He finds himself researching dance more, so he can choreograph his battle moves too.

He feels all warm inside when you compliment his attempts at dancing, even though he’s kind of clunky and awkward at it with his big figure.

Iguru Obanai

Iguru will, of course, tell you that it might not be possible to always dance during a battle.

He also complains that you’re using too much stamina with your moves.

But secretly, he really loves watching, and he’s just very worried about you.

He gives you pointe shoes in your favorite color as a gift, and you wear them with your uniform.

He’s very proud that you like them and blushes when you hug him, telling him that they’re the perfect gift.

Shinazugawa Sanemi

Shinazugawa will never tell you that he thinks your hip-hop dance moves are badass.

But he does. He really, really does.

He sometimes puts you down, implying that being a dancer is weak and stuff like that.

But when you knock him on his butt in sparring practice, that shuts him up pretty quickly.

He finds himself actually competing with you a lot, determined to prove he’s better than some “dancy-pants”. But you always perform better than him.

The two of you are always butting heads, so you’re not paired together very often. But when you are, you don’t end up working well together.

He develops a crush without realizing it and it just ends up making him even angrier.

But the moment he sees you in danger, he’s ripping the demon limb-from-limb.

Himejima Gyomei

The first time you dance, you move him to tears. He’s never seen anyone or anything so beautiful.

You find it funny that your pirouetting can literally make someone cry, but you’re gentle with the tearful hashira, telling him you’re honored he likes your ballet so much.

The two of you end up being friends, with him quietly enjoying your dancing and battle practice.

You end up being on a lot of missions together since, despite the difference in your abilities, you fight well together.

He loves you so deeply and is extremely protective of you, so the others are intimidated away by the gentle giant, leaving him as your only friend

[siddyyyyyyyy]

You're Only Sixteen

wc: ~4.6k

summary: child soldier joins task force 141 part THREE; part two, part one; part four

warnings: brief flashback, blood, violence, nightmares

a/n: I'm genuinenly happy how well this is going so far, I'm going to update the parts a bit more slowly for now, but I'm pretty sure I won't take too long on this. Probably. Enjoy!

This time, Ghost is leading the training for today. That just means they're no fun games like last time with Price, not that you were looking forward to it. Starting at the shooting range is like a warm-up for you, landing all shots while doing everything casually. Your reload is fast and precise, your aim is almost always perfect, and your technique couldn't be more clean.

Sparring was similar to the last time, but now you're paired up with Soap. You're both getting in your stance, knees slightly bent, one leg forward, and abdominal muscles tense. Both ready to fight, but this time without any weapons. Ghost specifically told him to strike first, wanting to see how long you can last or even win against Soap. It shouldn't be a big deal for you, even though he is quite a big guy, full of muscle, and slightly taller than you. You've mostly had opponents your size or bigger in field, and you never really had a problem winning or lasting long. Well, besides one person back in camp.

Soap strikes you first with a sharp jab to your side, but you dodge it quickly, hitting him back. You focus on your technique instead of winning, wanting to be strong against him. He seems to be focussing more on his technique as well, noticing how fast he works and his reflexes are. Your fighting styles are similar; the only difference is how you two use it in practice. While he's using more strength and power, you're trying to be quicker than your opponent and trick them.

You kick against his knee, and land some hits against his weak points, it's hard for him to stay balanced or focused. He huffs and stumbles back, only to rush to you quickly and try to tackle you down. With his amount of strength, it's difficult to actually stop him or dodge, having to think quickly. With a small grunt, however, you're down, with him trying to keep you like that. Your heartbeat speeds up and your eyes widen, your breath hitching in your throat. The position you're in is too familiar; trying to get out of it as quickly as you can. Soap is oblivious, just training with you and having tackled you down, keeping you pinned on the mat. Your brain is quick to handle, pulling out the same moves you did in camp. Soap doesn't even realise he's getting into a headlock by you at first. His back on the mat with your arm holding him tight around his neck, feeling how you're only squeezing him more and more with your bicep. He grips your arm and tries to relax, not wanting to get hurt. Luckily, that's all it takes for you to snap back to reality and let go. You sigh out heavily and stand back up, calming down.

»Ye alright?« He asks you even though he should be the one getting checked up on. You give him a weary nod, clearing your throat.

»Yeah, sorry about that.«

You mumble back and focus on not thinking back to the time in camp. It's almost confusing you now, how similar and suffocating it felt. But you know better than to think back to a time like that and distract yourself in training. Soap tilts his head with a confused gaze.

»What do ye mean? The headlock? Nah, that was sick.«

He encourages you with a thumbs up. You nod, unsure of what to say back. The training continues with trembling hands and more focussing on your breathing than technique, feeling on edge the entire time, thanks to the small trigger. Of course, no one has noticed these signs from you, or at least no one has said anything about it. On the other hand, you're glad no one has noticed your trembling hands and more or less distracted mind during the time.

Once it's over, you're headed to the showers and straight back to your bunk. That was more off-putting now that you're alone in your small room, thinking quietly to yourself about what had happened. You shouldn't feel this way, having thought you were over it a long time ago. Maybe it was something else that triggered you, or maybe you really aren't over it yet. Getting in a pin on the ground was one thing your past rival used on you as much as he could. You don't know the real reason behind his technique, but all you do know is how weird and creepy it felt like.

A heavy sigh escapes your lips once more, slumping down on your bed with no energy. Today's training was longer but not as exhausting as the one at camp. But you still feel very tired for no reason. You close your eyes and try to shut your brain off; instead, a lot of thoughts appear about your rival and that god awful training. You don't know why he's all of a sudden back in your mind. You don't know why you're thinking so much about it, and you don't know why you can't stop thinking about him. He was such an annoying and unpleasant person that you tried so hard to forget about, yet he can't seem to give you peace. Even when you're finally away from him.

After spending most of your day inside your bunk, trying to get your mind off old memories, it's time to actually try and do something about it. With slow steps, you make your way back to the training hall. It's dark out already, forcing you to walk cautiously around and not wake anyone. Eventually, you made it in and looked around for a punching bag… and something to wrap your knuckles with. You don't want to injure yourself after all.

It's dimly lit in the training hall, making it seem more cosy and relaxing. Especially with no one inside beside you. There are five punching bags to use in a row, but unfortunately no bandages or gloves for your hands. It is what it is, and you walk up to one of these punching bags to release some tension and stress. After getting into the stance, you land a few softer punches to get used to the feeling again. Maybe it's because you're alone in here, but it already seems too loud for you. Checking behind you, the double door is closed, so there's no way someone could hear you from their bunk.

You start again, using proper technique, and gradually become faster and put more strength into your punches. The punching bag suffers through your hard punches, taking it like a champ, all the while your mind zones out. Zoned out, all you can think about is your past rival back at camp. You don't remember his name; didn't even bother asking for it back then. But you do remember how creepy and annoying he used to be to you, for no reason. And that's enough for your punches to grow heavier and even quicker, the punching sounds are growing louder through the hall. Maybe your knuckles are hurting at this point, but you don't care. That bastard had no reason to treat you like that, leaving you confused, hurt, and probably traumatized.

It's only then when a gruff voice calls out through the hall, speaking to no one other than you.

»Didn't you have enough training for today?«

You stop in your tracks and turn around, seeing that familiar shadow again. Ghost.

Glancing down at your knuckles, you notice how red they look just from how hard you've been punching that bag for… how long already? You didn't keep track, but it seems like more than ten minutes, judging from your aching knuckles. Ghost has crossed his arms, glaring at you with tired eyes.

»Go back to bed, 's way too late for this.« He adds with a more weary tone and leaves no room for arguments, cocking his head slightly to the side. You sigh out rather disappointed, knowing you shouldn't talk back, but you also can't stop just now.

»But I just started...« You mumble and trail off at the end, already smelling how annoyed he is with you. He shakes his head, being as serious as before.

»I won't tell you again. Don't overwork yourself and go to sleep. Let your body rest. We've got trainin' tomorrow, too.« Ghost is not joking with you, probably being more stern than he needs to be. But he knows better than to let you work too much or stress over something for no reason. In his eyes, you're just a poor child who happens to have this fate and is forced to get along with it on your own. Too much alike himself. Eventually, your shoulders drop in defeat, and you nod in understanding.

»Fine. Sorry about that.« He doesn't respond back and just leaves, most likely going back to sleep, too. After considering his words and contemplating if you should just stay longer in here, you walk back to your own bunk like promised and fall against your bed. It's comfortable and quiet, dark as well.

But you notice a small med kit on your night stand, bandages and a cream for sore muscles beside it. You blink, thinking it's just your sleep catching up on you, but there is indeed stuff for you on that small table. Eventually, you apply the cream on your red knuckles and wrap them up, laying back on your bed. Maybe it really is just a normal base and rather peaceful. Maybe you could get used to this some time.

Having no energy to think any more about that, you fall asleep quite quickly this time. Even if you fell asleep quickly, it wasn’t a good sleep. A nightmare plagued you, most likely because of the trigger from earlier. A grey room with no windows, similar to your old training room in camp, several people around you, and loud noises everywhere. It’s incoherent nonsense, but you still understand everything clearly. The room is cold and rather dark for some reason; it all seems too much, but there’s nothing at the same time. Your body feels numb, and you’re wearing your bandages around your knuckles, some dried blood decorating the usual whiteness of the material. You notice it too late, but Mike has you on the ground already. The ground is even colder against your back, and you can’t do anything but lay and watch. He’s on top, which he often tried to do on you, and has your wrists and legs pinned tightly beside you.

Everything is so loud but also so quiet, it makes your ears ring. There’s a horrible stench of blood and sweat around the air, which makes it hard to stay still and fight back. Your moves are too slow, having no other choice but to stay like this. Your rival, Mike, slashes quickly through your throat, staying on top in a mocking way. It’s hard to breathe, you’re chocking on your own blood and squirming under him helplessly. The whole dream feels like a flashback, but worse. Too quick, too real.

You don’t remember much of what happened next, because the next thing you know is how you’re trying to control your breath and get rid of the sickening feeling from the nightmare. It’s not unusual you get dreams like this, but never to such an extent of being unable to breathe normally.

The digital clock on your nightstand tells you it’s time to get ready for the day. You couldn’t be more thankful for Ghost to lay the training into early afternoon instead of early morning. Because you know they’d notice if you showed up like this to the hall. Still on edge and tired, feeling as bad as you look right now. You keep trying to tell yourself that it’s normal to feel like this, hoping it’ll pass soon. Deciding to distract your mind, you go out to the park with your small sketchbook in hand. Maybe you will feel better in the fresh air while sketching something down that comes to mind.

But, of course, you never have a few minutes to yourself as a familiar figure comes by and stops in front of you.

»Drawing?« Gaz seems curious and tries to secretly subtly into your sketchbook.

»Sketching.«

»Ah. What exactly?« He carefully asks, knowing not to disturb a teenage girl when they seem peaceful at the moment. Gaz has past experience from his own family and friends, knowing how moody some are.

You hesitate to show him what exactly you’re drawing, and you just shrug in response.

»Just… anything.« That was a boring response to anyone, and he still wasn’t done disturbing your peace. He politely asks if he can sit by you for a while, sitting down on the same bench after you accept his kind offer. Gaz isn’t one to pry or mind someone else’s business, but today he’s really curious. Probably, because it’s been three days since you’ve been here and no one got to know you properly. Maybe they should work on their social skills instead.

»You sketch often?« Finally, he’s asking you about your hobbies. And finally, a normal question after years.

»From time to time.« That’s not true, you’ve been drawing since you remember and ever since. Drawing to kill time? Three pages full with doodles. Sketching something pretty? Two pages full with only that beautiful thing you saw earlier. Filling some pages to get rid of the anxiety? Done.

Gaz doesn’t quite believe your answer as well, noticing there’s only three pages left in there. Instead of prying more into it, he changes the topic slightly.

»So, what’re you drawing then? People?«

Without another word, you hand him your sketchbook, deciding it’s easier and probably faster this way. He takes it wordlessly and flips through the pages carefully. His eyes study the way you drew random people and objects, not having expected how good you’re at this. He glances at you before flipping another page, recognising the person almost immediately.

»Soap? You drew Soap?« You look down to his hands as he’s still holding it, seeing he found the first sketch of his teammate.

»I guess,« There’s no way out of this now, seeing he’s actually quite amused about it, »There’s more, actually.«

His smile widens, not having expected to see realistic drawings of his teammate. And there’s more? Today couldn’t get any better.

»More? You like drawing him or somethin’?« Gaz stops talking once he goes some pages forward, seeing some doodles of himself and Price. Even if it’s just some sketches or doodles, they look surprisingly well-made and semi-realistic. He looks towards you again, holding up that book of yours slightly.

»Can you draw Soap with a moustache?« Out of all questions he could’ve asked, he chose this one. Always picking the important ones. You need a full second to process what he’s asking before you find yourself speechless.

»What do I get for it in return?« Now, he’s the one without words. He considers for a moment as he tilts his head to the side.

»Depends on how well you draw.«

It’s then, when he can’t take himself seriously and chuckles.

»All jokes, I’ll get you a new sketchbook. Seems like this won’t do in a while.«

That’s a deal well struck with him. You can’t deny such an offer and start scribbling down a rough sketch of Soap, added with a moustache. Gaz watches the lines on the blank paper slowly resemble his teammate, grinning at the extra facial hair above his lip. It’s a sight to behold, being glad he could make someone draw a silly pic of this even more goofier SAS soldier.

Once you’re done, you show the page fully to him, and he can’t help but laugh at the drawing. Not because it’s ugly, but because it looks so much like him, and a moustache looks rather silly on his face.

»We gotta show it to him later.« You don’t see why not and nod, already seeing how absurd the situation will be later on.

After the more eventful interaction, it’s time for the usual training. This time, there wasn’t any difference in sparring, only feeling more tired than usual because of the nightmare last night. All you four did, was practice in the shooting range and go about sparring with Soap, leading with him improving your technique and showing some tricks. Of course, like no other time, you all went to the mess hall to eat dinner. You would have forgotten about the silly sketch of Soap if Gaz hadn’t reminded you beforehand to bring it over for dinner.

Sitting in front of the two teammates, Soap is laughing so hard that he’s clutching to his stomach. The drawing was really worth it, being amused at the sight in front of you. At least now, you could eat in peace without one particular person trying to get to know you better.

A familiar shadow appears in the corner of your eye, and you instinctively glance over. Ghost is approaching the table… with a Capri Sun? You look over once again, needing to take a double take to reassure yourself of what you’re seeing. And right, there he was, the scary-looking goth with a Capri Sun in hand.

It’s then that Soap also notices Ghost. Eventually, he stays standing next to the table and places the smaller but sweet drink on the table.

»Oi, what’s that?« The still amused scot questions him, as confused as you and Gaz. Ghost clarifies, finally not being an intimidating tree.

»Shitbox got me this instead of wa’er. Some of you can have it.«

Oh, so he can’t deal with a vending machine. If he weren’t your lieutenant, you would have made fun of him. Gaz nods and looks over to you after noticing you shift in your seat slightly. To him, it’s clear who wants it most. He wasn’t the only one noticing it, and Ghost shifts the drink towards you, mentioning it to you. Or maybe he just doesn’t think the two blokes deserve such a sweet drink and let’s you have it instead.

»You can have it.«

He grumbles before leaving for wherever he needs to go. It’s a bit weird to just receive something like this for no reason, especially from someone like Ghost. Glancing around, the two others seem normal about it, or they’re just good at hiding their real surprise. Eventually, you take the Capri Sun and draw in the orange straw into the packet. Oh, it’s cherry-flavoured. Your favourite.

Even when you thought your small happiness wasn’t so obvious, it turns wrong once Gaz speaks up.

»Taste good?«

You nod back in response and relax your expression as well as you can, not wanting to come off as too giddy for a sweet drink as such. They both grin quietly and continue eating with Price joining in after some time to eat beside you three.

----

It’s been a week there, and it feels less awkward now. You train and practice every day, sometimes sneaking in late at night to punch some bags. Capri Sun is something you get more regularly at lunch because Ghost can’t seem to figure out how to use the vending machine. In reality, he just likes to give you a small treat and see your eyes light up for a split second. It’s his small way to befriend you; it doesn’t matter if it seems silly or stupid, you appreciate it, and there’s no harm to it. You could compare it with an attempt to befriend a cat with treats, and it works well. Consider Ghost as a harmless guy who gives you your favourite drink- just because.

Gaz talks to you the most from the others, occasionally checking up on your new drawings and sketches, promising to get you a new one as soon as he can. He likes your drawings after all. He’s easy to talk to as well, having light conversations with you and a few jokes. Gaz is the most friendly and easygoing of them all for one. At least that’s how he is with you, but you’re sure he can be different too. Soap is as friendly as him, but for some reason you feel like you need to be careful around him.

The problem isn’t him, it’s no one’s fault, really. You know he’s just as nice and supportive, but it seems like the pin he did on you is still in your head. They can always out win you in a fight if you don’t pay attention, and the thought of it makes your skin crawl. Ignoring it most of the time, you trust them all equally. It’s better here than back in camp. If you can still call it that anymore.

Being here, made you realise how toxic it was back then. They don’t judge and punish you for making simple mistakes; they won’t even look at your scars twice or ask about them, and most importantly, no one forces you into something uncomfortable.

You feel safer.

Pushing the constant nightmares and headaches away, it really is more safe and peaceful here.

Today, after training, you cross paths with Ghost. You immediately notice that he’s carrying an almost comically large bag in his arms. Taking a closer look, you see it’s dry dog food. Dog food? Why would he need that? You never took him as someone with pets, and you never saw dogs around on base. Thank God you didn’t.

You nod briefly at him and can’t help it but approach him out of curiosity.

»Do you have a dog?«

He grunts, side eyeing you for a moment.

»Just gonna feed Riley. A K9.«

So, they do have military dogs. How come you never saw them? Back in the old camp, the dogs could roam freely on base. But they also weren’t really nice dogs, always barking and ready to attack anyone. Even you were once chased by a large German Shepherd, almost getting bitten if you weren’t fast enough.

You simply nod back, not sure what to answer to that. Of course, he could sense your shift into uneasiness and nudges your shoulder lightly while walking down the base with you.

»You should get to know some. They’re not scary, don’t worry.« That makes it better only for a moment before you fully process his words. There isn’t really a way you can deny his offer and nod slightly, following him wordlessly. He isn’t as talkative either, but you don’t think that’s a bad thing. You’re lost in thought once he speaks up, shifting the big bag of dog food into his left arm.

»Ever met a big dog? Anything?«

You’re standing outside his office as he asks, opening his door with a key while he waits for your answer.

»Kind of. Got chased by one.« He can’t help but pause for a moment at your blunt answer, eventually getting his door open and stepping in. You follow him in and close the door behind you, noticing a bigger German Shepherd sitting up on the ground. It’s tongue sticks out and seems to be happy about seeing you both, judging from it’s wagging tail.

The dog stays silent though, patiently waiting for their owner to give them some sort of permission. You stay standing near the door, watching the two silently, hoping it won’t do anything. Ghost puts the large bag down against the wall and steps closer to the dog, kneeling down as it happily walks to him and enjoys the few hat pats he gives. You watch them both interact, visibly relaxing slowly as long as the dog is near Ghost and gets fed, getting a few more pats from its tall owner. He turns to you and introduces you to the dog, his hand staying on the dog’s back.

»That’s Riley. A sweet girl- will be joining our next mission, as far as I know.«

That’s totally great. Yeah, sure, you could work with a big dog while having a fear of them. You nod either way, shifting on your feet as you watch the dog from the closed door. Riley munches on her food, seemingly content.

»She seems… nice.«

He can see how unsure you are about the dog, and he guessed he would need to get you used to dogs somehow. Ghost sits down beside Riley, nodding towards her.

»You can pet her. She’s friendly, won’t bite.« He is trying to loosen the tension with a small joke, only seeing how you glance at him before looking back at Riley. Eventually, you approach her with silent steps, being cautious of the still-eating dog. You kneel down beside Ghost, firstly just watching her with anticipation in silence. Riley is quick to realise you are close now too and lifts her head off the bowl of food, trying to get to know you eagerly. She takes a step towards you, and you stay still, not wanting to accidentally make her angry. Ghost beside you can’t help it but feel amused watching you be so stiff while also watching Riley to make sure she won’t make you even more scared.

Riley sniffs around the air shortly before leaning towards your hands on your knees, taking a sniff at them. Before you know it, she’s licking at them. You cringe at the feeling, leaning a bit away from her.

Beside you, Ghost grins under his mask, glad that you don’t seem to be scared and more amused at how you react to Riley’s sudden affection. Suddenly, the K9 is trying to lick at your face, but you turn away with a small groan. Ghost pets her on the back, commanding her to sit down for now.

It takes a moment for Riley to fully calm down, her tail still wiggling back and forth. Ghost hands you some treats and wants to show you what tricks this joyful dog can do. Riley follows his commands flawlessly, rolling over, laying down, playing dead, able to stand on her back paws for a few seconds.

You extend your hand to give her a few treats- the small cookies in shape of bones in the palm of your hand. She eats it out of there happily, probably having a blast right now.

Riley is a good dog, even when she wants to give you affection through licking your hand, which mostly feels weird, but overall she doesn’t overwhelm you like the past dogs in your life.

Ghost also seems to be satisfied with the end result, however, he couldn’t let go of your words earlier. Normally, he would mind his business, but this is a sixteen-year-old we’re talking about.

»So, you were chased by one?«

You glance at him shortly, unsure of how to explain it to him now. You try it out, explaining it to him as shortly as you can.

»We also had some K9’s on camp and I was chased by one because I wasn’t careful enough.« You don’t realise how shocking that sounds before he gives you a look of disbelief. He asks again, gently petting Riley behind her ear.

»Your own camp had dogs, and one chased you? Why’s that?« You only shrug in response, not sure yourself. The dogs were mostly trained to be aggressive and were held rather roughly.

»I believe they got extra trained to be as aggressive as possible.«

He only hums out in acknowledgement, letting go of Riley and standing back up. Every time he hears more about your camp it is when he loses five years of his life. You follow right after him, standing up and getting a last glance at the sweet dog.

»Go, get your shower.« He mumbles, reminding you of taking your shower since you joined him after training, finally able to rinse off your sweat. You nod and leave without another word, taking a quick rest before eating dinner in the mess hall.

a/n: Hope you had fun reading this, it was a bit longer than the last part. The next one is probably going to be just as long. I hope you enjoed it!

[crownofgildedlilies]

oh, don't let your sunshine burn me!

in which: a son of hephaestus discovers a problem he can't solve. mainly, a daughter apollo who doesn't realize just how much her smiles hurt him.

pairing: leo valdez x daughter of apollo!reader

warnings: not proof read, slight cursing (otherwise, n/a)

tropes: friends to lovers, fluff, pining

word count: 3k

notes: my inaugural fic post on this blog. how special. plz enjoy. feedback is much appreciated.

Leo Valdez was going to lose his mind.

Or maybe a limb. Maybe that would get your attention. He wasn't going to pretend that he wasn't that desperate for you to turn your focus to him.

Stupid Garrett from stupid Ares. Why did he have to go and nearly get his head chopped off by Clarisse while sparring, stealing his thunder?

He should have done more than let his finger slip while hammering away in bunker nine. An exciting injury would have earned the most prized reward of your attention, for sure.

"Are you sure she's too busy?" Leo asked Will for probably four times too many to be considered casual. The blond only rolled his eyes and shoved an icepack into Leo's chest, nearly knocking him back a step, snapping him from his far too obvious admiring of you.

Even from across the infirmary, three hours into your shift, you stole the wind from his lungs. He was convinced you were a favorite of Apollo's, what with the way you glowed and lit up every room you were in.

Which is how he ended up in his current predicament. Absolutely desperate for any hint of your sunshine smile sent in his direction.

"Positive. Now, get out." Will confirmed, checking things off on his clipboard. Leo figured he was probably recording basic information like the patient—himself—had all his limbs, both eyes, ten fingers, and was practically drooling at his half-sister. Leo darted another glance across the room to you, still diligently assessing moronic Garrett from Ares who had been brain dead enough to accept Clarisse's offer of sparring.

Why were you blushing so much?

Something awful and too familiar twisted in his stomach, and all Leo could hear was Piper's voice telling him that he better make his move on you soon, because you were too sweet and too pretty to remain single much longer.

"When's her break again?" Leo asked, ignoring the way Will tipped his head back and closed his eyes, like he was praying for the strength to not hit his patient while under his care.

"And you can't ask her yourself because...?" Will prompted, dragging out the final word and forcing Leo to snap his attention towards the son of Apollo, his jaw practically open in shock.

"Because then she'll know I'm totally into her!" Leo whisper-shouted, waving his hands around as if to emphasize his point.

"You come in here everyday with a new injury asking for her to fix you up." Will pointed out, voice flat. "If she hasn't figured it out yet, I'm not sure she will. You should probably just be direct and ask her out."

Leo narrowed his eyes at Will, but on a rare miracle, he was at a loss for words. Maybe Will had a point. Leo was never exactly good at being subtle about his many, many, crushes, and if you hadn't realized he was hopelessly in love with you yet, then maybe he was safe from feeling the sting of your rejection.

"You're not going to talk to her, are you?" Will sighed, tilting his head slightly as he studied Leo, who, despite having already been given the magic remedy of an ice pack, remained perched on the side of a cot used as a medic's bed.

Leo shook his head side-to-side so quickly Will was a blur of blond hair and orange t-shirt in front of him.

"No can do." Leo said solemnly. "She's miles out of my league. Not even I'm stupid enough to think I have a shot with her."

"Well, at least Garrett isn't as oblivious as you," Will shrugged, shooting Leo a pointed look he didn't understand. The ugly feeling was back in Leo's stomach as he darted his attention towards you and the gods-damned son of Ares.

You were laughing, and Leo wasn't the cause.

Jealousy flared up in him.

You, on the other hand, were completely ignorant to the conversation occurring on the opposite side of the infirmary, far too engrossed in charismatic Garrett from Ares who was retelling the story of how Clarisse had knocked him on his ass and sent him to get bandaged up.

For a child of the war god, he was surprisingly graceful in his defeat.

"Next time, at least bring a shield with you." You smiled at Garrett, checking off the final few items on your clipboard. No major injuries towards his limbs, nor his ten fingers, neither of his eyes had been affected, and he was able to hold a proper conversation with you. "Otherwise I've got nothing else for you. Just an order to take the rest of the day easy."

"I can manage that," Garrett relented, which, for a demigod, was a pretty big ask. Taking it easy was never really an option when one of your parents was a god or goddess. "Hey, any particular reason Valdez is looking at me like he's going to send one of his inventions after me?"

Your heart skipped a beat, but you forced yourself to act casual as you turned around slightly, finding that Leo had in fact found his way into the infirmary and in fact was staring at Garrett like he might make a good snack for Festus.

You had been starting to worry, thinking that maybe he wasn't going to show up that day.

"Dunno," You shrugged, ducking your face into your clipboard so you didn't have to look at Leo, or Garrett, or Will—who was sending you a look that was both pointed and annoyed at the same time. "But you're set to go."

"Perfect," Garrett jumped off of the examination bed, acting like he hadn't been carried in by two of his half-brothers, a sly grin on his face. "You sure that's not jealousy on Valdez's face?"

"What? Why would Leo be jealous?" You were ashamed to admit you stumbled over your words, your face turning a vibrant shade of red, as you considered the implication of Garrett's words. That Leo might have been into you, enough that just the sight of you talking to Garrett might have been enough to turn his mood sour. "We're just friends."

"Sure," Garrett grinned wickedly, the kind of grin only children of Ares could ever create. The kind that told he totally didn't believe her rushed dismissal of his words. "All I want is an invitation to the wedding. Talk to you later!"

Garrett darted off before you could swat at him with your clipboard, your face flushed with embarrassment. Gods, were you really that obvious in your crush on Leo?

Sure, he came into the infirmary just about every day you were working, with some minor injury or another for you to tend to. And maybe you took a little longer to heal him than you did when Percy or the Stolls came in, were a little sweeter, but were you so transparent that even Garrett from Ares knew what you felt?

"For the love of all the gods and goddesses, would you please just go talk to him?" Will grumbled, borderline exhausted, as he appeared at your side. You jumped, nearly lost in thought, and narrowed your sunshine stare at your half-brother. "He won't leave until he gets the chance to brag to you about his latest made-up injury."

You didn't have to ask who Will was talking about. Leo was still watching you from across the room, rather impatiently. He'd managed to find a few loose bolts and washers and was currently inventing something you couldn't comprehend while he stared very pointedly at the ground by your feet, having averted his stare the moment you darted yours in his direction.

"Shut up," You mumbled to Will, but regardless you dashed off across the room with what felt like permission to engage in your favorite part of the day.

You had received Apollo's gifts of healing, not his poetic words. And every day you cursed that fact, because never could you put into words just how much being around Leo Valdez made you feel centered within yourself. It was like his very personality gave you permission to the version of you that was nearly lost to time and circumstance and the tragedy of being a Greek hero.

"What's the problem today?" You grinned, the smile your half-siblings claimed shined brightest in the camp plastered on your face almost of its own accord as you stood before Leo.

"My hand, Doc." He sighed, playing along and holding up his left hand while the right shoved the ice pack Will had already given him behind his back. You snorted a laugh, and Leo's grin broke out from the solemn facade he had attempted. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to work again if you don't help me."

"Well there's only one solution," You nodded, pretending to read something off of your clipboard—which was still filled out with Garrett's information.

"Anything you recommend is good with me," Leo leaned closer, trying to read over the edge of your clipboard, which you quickly tugged close to your body.

"Right, I've got it." You grinned, dropping your face closer to his, almost like your heart was in control of your body instead of your mind. Leo nodded, and you would have sworn you saw his gaze shoot to your lips for the briefest of seconds. "Amputation. Mr. Valdez, I'm afraid we're going to have to take your hand off."

"But, that's my pretty hand!" Leo protested, playing into your joke quickly. You couldn't even pretend to hide your smile, laughter falling past your lips just as easily as breathing.

"Then I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do for you." You shook your head, grinning widely at Leo, who was—for a guy with ADHD as severe as him—giving you his full attention. "You're free to go. I'll see you and your pretty hand at the bonfire tonight."

"Glad to hear you agree that my hand is pretty." Leo slid off of the examination bed with a grin that had you flushing and looking over the contents of your clipboard simply for something to do with your eyes. "See you later, Doc."

Waving, you sent Leo off.

Over the course of the following week, Leo had found himself at the infirmary—during your shifts only—six more times.

Three smashed fingers from equipment you knew for a fact he knew how to handle properly. One cut to his arm from a piece of scrap metal. A paper cut.

On Thursday, he came in complaining of a serious burn.

"Doc, you'll never believe it. My whole arm caught on fire."

Will hadn't let him into the infirmary, claiming that Leo needed a better lie than that to come visit, since everyone already knew he was fireproof.

Leo came back fifteen minutes later with a second paper cut. Will took his break an hour early, claiming he needed to for his sanity.

But then you didn't so much as catch a glimpse of Leo for four straight days.

You felt more than a little pathetic, jumping every time the door to the infirmary opened, hoping against hope that it would be the curly haired son of Hephaestus you so adored.

On the afternoon of the fifth day, the door opened and you couldn't stop the way your body instinctively twisted around from where you words repacking first aide kits that were left in various locations around camp.

But it wasn't Leo standing at the door, but Piper.

You weren't the closest with her, but you were friendly. So you didn't think she was there for you, at first, until you saw her talking to your half-sister Stella and pointing towards you.

"Hey," Piper's voice had an edge of seriousness to it that snagged your attention, halting your efforts of resupplying. "I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you."

"Okay...?" You trailed off, not sure what she could have needed from you.

"Would you be willing to talk to Leo for me? He's in Bunker Nine, convinced he's going to make some big breakthrough on whatever machine he's currently working on." Piper explained and you nodded slowly, not seeing the problem. From your conversations with Leo, he always seemed to be in the middle of some big breakthrough. "He hadn't come out in four days. It's not healthy."

You frowned, trying to recall the last time you'd seen Leo at any of the meals. And when your mind came up blank, you settled on your answer to Piper's request.

"I'll talk to him."

You had never been to Bunker Nine.

As much as you talked to Leo, pretty much everyday, it was always in yours and shared spaces. The infirmary, mainly, but every once in a while at the dining pavilion or at the camp bonfires.

But you could barely focus on any one thing in the bunker. Half-finished projects littered the space, along with countless tools, scraps, and blueprints tacked haphazardly against walls and bulletin boards.

Since it was nearly dinner, the bunker had cleared out of all but one of its occupants. Perched over a table, working so diligently he didn't hear you approach, was none other than Leo Valdez.

Without thinking of the consequences, you dropped the canvas bag you had brought with you on his worktable, startling him so much he jumped in surprise and nearly sent his latest project clattering to the floor.

"Gods!" He shouted, wide eyed and hand pressed to his chest as if he could physically calm his racing heart. You couldn't help the way you grinned, a little lopsided, wholly endeared by him. "Sorry, were you trying to kill me? Because, if so, mission almost accomplished!"

"Actually, the opposite." With a confidence you didn't really possess, you leaned against the worktable next to him and started pulling tinfoil wrapped sandwiches out of the bag. "Everyone's convinced I'm your appointed caretaker, since you don't seem to do it yourself."

Leo had the good sense to seem chastised by the glare you sent him following your words. It wasn't like he could deny it, anyways. How many times had he ended up on your patient list?

"Did Jason put you up to this?"

"Piper," You confirmed, pushing a wrapped sandwich across the table towards him. Next out of the bag was a metal bowl, the bottom slightly charred and filled with paper scraps and twigs. "Light this for me, will you, please?"

"Well, when you ask so nicely," Leo grinned, a ball of flame forming in his palm and igniting the twigs in the bowl. Without needing to be told, Leo unwrapped his sandwich and ripped off a chunk to throw into the flames.

You copied his actions. And if you made a wordless prayer to Aphrodite to ask for a little assistance, that was no one's business but your own.

"I've..." You hesitated, darting a glance to Leo before focusing on your sandwich, biting down your declaration that you've missed him in the infirmary. He had already started eating, only further proof that he had been skipping meals while holed up in the bunker. "How come you're always getting hurt, Mr. Clumsy? I thought children of Hephaestus are supposed to be good in the forges."

You would have sworn you saw Leo blush, but your attention quickly darted away from him the moment he lifted his eyes to yours.

"You sure you wanna know the truth?" Leo asked his voice a kind of serious that was almost out of character for him. You nodded, slowly, and forced yourself to meet his eye. "I've been getting hurt on purpose."

"Leo Valdez!"

"Wait, let me finish!" Leo held up his hands to defend himself from your words and your glare, the healer in your absolutely hated the fact that Leo would have done anything to intentionally cause himself harm. "I did it because I got an excuse to see you."

"What?" For a child of Apollo, you sure didn't have a way with words. Distantly, you cursed the fact that you were a gifted healer and not a poet, because you knew what Leo's words meant and yet you couldn't get your own to function. "Wait—"

"I know this sounds stupid," Leo dragged a hand through the dark, disheveled curls atop his head. "But Will wouldn't let me in to see you if I wasn't hurt! So I... maybe... lied, a little bit."

You frowned, in thought. Thinking back, you couldn't remember Leo ever actually being hurt beyond the occasional cut or scrap. You'd always been so caught up in him and his visits to notice.

"I swear I'm not weird. I just really like you." Leo winced, no doubt taking your silence in a bad way.

And you weren't one of Apollo's poetically gifted children, so you simply pressed your lips against his and hoped he got the message.

It was a short kiss, a good first kiss, you noted with no small satisfaction. Your lips tingled and your fingertips were buzzing—and Leo looked like he had just won the lottery.

"You're sweet," You smiled, a thousand watt one that maybe Leo adored as much as your half-siblings did, and nudged his sandwich closer to him. "But you're banned from the infirmary unless you're actively dying. And for real!"

Leo paused, and you could practically see the gears turning in his head, trying to create a scenario that would get him past the barrier of your totally official and absolutely within rules ban.

"I can make that happen,"

"No, you can't," You tried to shoot him a discouraging look, but your smile was far too wide to deal any real damage. "Or else I'll go to tonight's bonfire with someone else."

"Nope!" He shook his head quickly, hair bouncing with the movement and expression light with an impish grin. "You kissed me, Doc. You're stuck with me, now."

You smiled, silently deciding you wouldn't mind being stuck with him.

"That's what I thought."

Leaning over to press a second kiss to the corner of his lips, you pretended not to notice the sparks dancing in his curls.

[rose-pearls]

Hiiiii i really love your work and was wondering if i could request a clarisse x daughter of Athena fic where (tw: sh) the reader has some control issues/is a bit of a control freak and sh to feel in control and clarisse finds out and helps her find some healthier coping mechanisms— idk like sparring or screaming at broken spears😂 if you’re not comfortable with this no worries— just thought i’d ask. have a great day!!!

Hi! Thank you for your request hopefully you like the way I wrote it! It is a bit short but I have kind of a writer block these last few days, but I am working on the requests I received (thank you so much for sending them)!

Main Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187, @kmc1989, @nyx2021, @thestarspangledcaptain

Percy Jackson Taglist: @niktwazny303

Clarisse La Rue Taglist: @peanutbelley, @abbersreads

Warnings: Self-harm, talking about doing it!!!

It wasn’t easy being a daughter of Athena, your mother was seen as the Goddess of Wisdom, and she always excepted perfection from her children. Some of her children managed to make her proud while others tried their whole lives only to have her ignore them as they hadn’t accomplished what she had expected them to. 

To say you where someone stressed would be an understatement as you always found yourself wanting to control everything, practically losing your mind when you couldn’t control it. You learned to take control through small things, such as eating things in a certain way, that you only wanted to come out even numbers when you did something or the way you had to have every decoration perfectly centered. These were small things that everyone noticed but there was one thing that you hadn’t showed, too afraid of someone telling you that you are weak and that you aren’t a real daughter of Athena. You knew it was bad, from the first time you did it till now, taking that small blade from under your pillow to cut a small line across your skin. People couldn’t really see it, unless they really played attention to it, but you had always been careful. It was like doing it kept you in control of yourself and allowed you to focus more and be better. But it quickly became addicting, that grounding pain keeping you away from your mind running a thousand miles an hour. 

You didn’t know what you were going to do when Clarisse would want to go further into your relationship, as the scars had always been hidden behind layers of clothes. Deep down you knew she would find out one day, but you just wanted to push it away for as long as you could, not wanting the brave Ares girl to see you like this. Only she learned it much faster than you could have imagined. 

“What are you doing?”, you hear someone whisper and you turn around to find the door you thought locked wide open with Clarisse standing there. She looks pained at the sight of the small blade and your naked skin covered in small scars. 

“Nothing,” you whisper, trying to quickly put your clothes back on but a soft hand stops you. 

You look at her but as you are expecting her to be looking at the scar, she looks at you with sad brown eyes.

“Are you self-harming?”, the word is said so quietly that you barely hear it, but it still makes you flinch. You never wanted to say the word, thinking that if you didn’t it wouldn’t make it as important as it is.

“I do,” you whisper softly, not able to lie as she looks at you with tearful brown eyes. She looks even more pained at the words before getting closer to you.

“Can you let me disinfect the cut and put something on it?”, she asks, and you can only nod as she sits you back down and starts cleaning up the cut carefully. It is only when she finishes that you both find yourself in a long silence.

“You can always come to me when you need to talk. Please just come to me when you think of doing this, I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” she whispers and you nod slowly, even if you did it you knew it was a hurtful thing to do. 

“I just, I can’t stop,” you whisper, and she closes her eyes at the words, pain etched over her features.

“I’ll help you stop; we will find ways to help you cope without doing this,” she tells you and you nod slowly at her words, unable to figure out if you would ever really be able to stop doing it. 

“I-I know it will be hard, but I will be there right by your side helping you. You can always come to me when you feel the need to do it,” Clarisse whispers as she holds your hand tightly, she seems scared that you are going to refuse her and not try to stop.

“I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything just yet,” you whisper, and she nods quickly, there is a certain understanding in her eyes.

“That is completely normal, I don’t except everything to be alright in a second. Take your time,” she says softly, and you nod before you trying to blink the tears away at her reassurances, but even as you try not to let them fall, they slide down your cheeks. Clarisse doesn’t say anything as the tears fall down your cheeks, she just brings you into her arms and hold you tightly. And if you feel tears against your hair, you don’t say anything, you just hold her tighter.

It isn’t that easy to stop, you knew it wouldn’t but having Clarisse by your side helps. She tries to find new ways with you to cope with your control issues, but it seems you don’t manage it the same way as her. She is more used to taking a sword and destroy a dummy while you look at the sword with disdain, rather wanting to plot the attack and using a dagger. But you find that baking is the solution, following a recipe and watching it all come together manages to keep yourself together and your mind away from things. It doesn’t solve everything, but it helps putting some thoughts away and focusing on something else. You don’t know how it comes that you are so lucky to have Clarisse by your side, but you cherish every second you have with her and her wide smiles as you put another baked treat in front of her. 

[megu-meow]

romeo - Gojo Satoru

gojo x fem. reader

Summary: you're upset and Satoru has to find a way to cheer you up.

Warning: suggestive at the end.

Everyone has bad days, even the Strongest. Satoru knows not everything can be as perfect as he is, but he tries to brighten the lives of the people around him. He's the type of person to mask his own feelings with his silly and playful personality, but not everyone operates like him. So he notices straight away that something is wrong with you. You're not laughing at his lame jokes like you usually do, there's a dullness to your eyes that he identifies as a product of your sadness and he notices your lack of enthusiasm as well. At first, he's mad. Not at you, he could never, but at the source of your bad mood. Who or what dared to hurt his little mochi, the lover of the Strongest?

During one of his classes, he just tells the kids to practice some sparring so that he could come up with an elaborate plan to brighten your mood and get you out of your slump. Firstly, he has to identify the source of the problem. His first thought is that he did something to upset you, but he brushes that idea away instantly. He would never do anything to make you sad, he takes pride in how amazing of a boyfriend he is. Moreover, whenever you're mad at him, you give him the silent treatment, but you were acting normally that morning - trying to hide your bad mood from him, you gave him a kiss and told him you loved him before leaving the house, so that cannot be it.

"Gojo-sensei!" he hears his name being called by Megumi. He looks in his direction, the raven-haired boy is standing by his side, staring at him with confusion written all over his face. "What is up with you today? You're unusually silent."

"There's nothing wrong with me, Megumi." he answers curtly and the kid is not convinced that he's telling the truth at all. Suddenly, Satoru remembers something and puts his bulky arm around the Fushiguro kid's shoulder, despite his efforts to dodge the side hug. "You were out on a mission with y/n yesterday, right? Did something happen that made my little mochi upset?"

Megumi cringes at the nickname and rolls his eyes, but he tries to remember everything that you said or did during the mission. You were awfully quiet, but he just thought you were simply tired. He didn't think it was a big deal, but maybe Gojo was onto something. The mission was a huge success, but you were unfazed by the great outcome, which should have alerted the raven-haired sorcerer.

"Yeah, now that you're asking, something seemed to be wrong, she was very quiet and didn't even want to celebrate our victory with us."

"Hmmm, that's not good." Satoru says, his right hand scraping his chin like he's deep in thought. "So by the time you went on your mission with her, she was already upset. Do you know what she was doing before?"

"No, she didn't mention anything about her day. Although, when we met up with her she was with Nanami-san, maybe he knows something."

"Thank you, Megumi!" he says in a chipper tone "Class is dismissed!" he shouts and he leaves the kids flabbergasted, as he teleports to the blonde sorcerer with a new found purpose.

"NANAMIN!" he exclaims, not caring that the said man is currently in the middle of a meeting with the principal.

"Gojo, this behavior of yours is unacceptable, we're in the middle of something here!" says Yaga.

"Oh, so it's the perfect time to take a break!" he says nonchalantly, and both Kento and the principal start rubbing their forehead annoyedly.

"What do you need, Gojo-san?" asks Nanami, giving into his shenanigans.

"Did you do something that could've hurt y/n yesterday?"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS GOJO SATORU?! THAT'S YOUR REASON TO INTERRUPT OUR MEETING?!" Yaga exclaims and the white-haired sorcerer mumbles the words 'ew, scary' under his breath, annoying the principal even more.

"No, Gojo-san, I just walked five minutes with her from the main building to the gate, where Megumi and Ijichi were waiting for her so that they could leave on their mission. We engaged in some small talk, but nothing out of the ordinary." said the blonde.

"Okay, that's boring. Did she tell you what she was doing before that?"

"Yes, she was out for coffee with Ieiri-san."

"Thank you, Nanamin!" Gojo said, teleporting away instantly, leaving the two infuriated sorcerers to finish their meeting.

"Shoko!" he arrives in the healer's office with a huff, the woman not even batting an eye at his sudden arrival.

"What do you need, Gojo?" she asks, without looking up from the document she was reading.

"Why is y/n upset?" upon hearing his words, Shoko slams the file in front of her shut, glaring at the desperate male standing in her office.

"She's really upset?! I told her it wasn't a big deal..."

"Shoko, tell me what happened, NOW!"

"Ok, Romeo, be patient. I need a smoke, let's go outside." she says nonchalantly as she fetches her cigarettes and lighter from the pocket of her coat, walking out slowly, without any care in the world. Trailing close behind her, like a lost puppy is Satoru, trying to get her to finally talk, but the woman enjoys keeping him on the edge, so she doesn't say a word before lighting her cigarette and taking a puff out of it.

"The barista at the cafe told her she was annoying and she took it to heart." she finally explains and Gojo is in shock. Why would anyone call you annoying? You're the nicest person he's ever met, there's not a bad bone in your body.

"Is that all?" Gojo asks, because normally this isn't something you would be this upset about.

"The guy might have told her, that no one would ever tolerate her attitude in a relationship." she adds and puts out her cigarette with an exaggerated huff of air. Gojo finally understands and thanks Shoko while he leaves in a hurry, taking long strides.

Throughout the following days, Satoru does everything he can to make you feel better. First, he gets home to you, scooping you up from the couch into his warm embrace, showering your face with kisses, claiming how much he missed you, despite seeing you just that morning. He trails behind you as you shuffle into the kitchen to make some tea, keeping his hands around your waist, softly stroking your side under your shirt. He cuddles up to you, his grip possessive and strong around you and he reminds you of how much he loves you, before falling asleep.

He prepares some tasty sandwiches for your lunch and you're surprised to find a colored drawing of the two of you holding hands with a ton of red hearts in the air around the two poorly drawn stick figures. It makes you smile for the first time since the incident and you stuff the piece of paper into your clear phone case for everyone to see. It warms your heart every time you put your phone down and you remember to kiss your boyfriend lovingly on the lips when you run into him on the training field. He can already see that you're in a better mood, but he doesn't stop there.

He speedruns all his missions of the day, getting home early so that he could prepare a scrumptious meal for the two of you to share for dinner. You're surprised to find him in the kitchen, a huge bouquet of peonies sitting on the counter, and the dinner table decorated with candles and rose petals.

"What's the occasion?" you ask curiously, your smile reaching your ears as you take in the sight in front of you. Satoru is out of his uniform jacket, the white button-up shirt from underneath covering his torso. The sleeves are rolled up, highlighting his muscled arm and a few buttons are loose on the top, showing off his prominent collar bones. His blindfold is also missing, his eyes sparkling as he looks at you in awe.

"There's no occasion, little one. I just thought I would surprise you with something nice. There's no need for special events to show my girlfriend how much I love her." he slowly walks up to you, bringing you closer as he gives you the bouquet, leaning down to kiss you on the lips.

"Thank you, 'toru! I love you!"

"Don't thank me, silly! It's what men do when they're in love." he explains like he would to a child, and his high and mighty attitude makes you giggle, a sound he was dying to hear in the last couple of days. During dinner, you laugh at his silly jokes, which he considers as the ultimate win. You are finally back to normal, there is no sign of you being upset in the first place and he pats his own shoulder as he follows you into your shared bedroom. "I'm gonna draw a nice bath for the two of us to enjoy, alright baby?" he asks and he has a mischievous smile on his face.

"That would be nice, 'toru!" you smile and he disappears into the bathroom and he gives you clear instructions to stay out until he tells you otherwise. You wait patiently for him to finish and he sprints out of there on his sock-clad feet, picking you up easily from your comfy bed and he runs back into the luxurious bathroom that is connected to the bedroom. The lights are dim, the whole space is decorated with candles and petals just like the dining table, the bath is full of hot water and bubbles, the scent of vanilla lingering around. You're left speechless, but Satoru knows how to take advantage of that: he kisses you passionately, savoring the sweet taste of your chapstick. He pulls away slowly, looking into your eyes with adoration.

"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, baby. Please, don't let others make you believe otherwise. You are smart, kind, polite, and funny, no matter what anyone says. You also are the most beautiful person I've ever seen, my six eyes can be the proof of that. I will love you forever, even if you get old and wrinkly."

Your eyes swell with tears of joy, as you cup his face, bringing him closer so that you could invite him into a loving and passionate kiss, expressing how much his words and little deeds mean to you.

"Thank you, Satoru! I love you, more than anything!" you respond, leaving a small kiss on his chest, above his heart that's thumping rhythmically.

"Good. Now, can I see your titties?"

[ivydbomb]

Get ready for a long Slay the Princess rant because I just had an idea. This may contain spoilers.

What if the voices could get more intense like the princess could? With each chapter they evolve and their key characteristics enhance tenfold. Becoming flanderizations of themselves as the story progresses. For example:

Voice of the Paranoid becomes Voice of the Psychotic. I think Psychosis is a step up from paranoia because often with bad mental breakdowns it starts with paranoia and ends in a psychotic break. The voice of the Psychotic would be distrusting of even the player. Going from ‘the only one you can trust is yourself’ to ‘Can’t trust anybody. Ever. They’re out to get you. You’re out to get me.’ He’d spend the route as a ranting mess trying to rationalize anything. He’d be stand offish to both The Narrator and the other voices. Not listening to anybody and calling them out for perceived instances of trying to ‘sabotage’ him.

I’ll do a few more of these. If you guys like them I’ll do all the voices.

Voice of the Stubborn becomes Voice of the Bloodthirsty. All he wants to do is make himself and the princess hurt. Not a sparring match where they bleed and break but ultimately get back up. Just a bloody brutal battle that never ends. Not even for a moment. He wants an endless sea of pain and for the princess to be drowning in it. Hell he’ll even try to fight The Narrator (he can’t but he’ll try). Every second you aren’t being bludgeoned or bludgeoning he’ll yell and scream at you to go to her. To attack without mercy or reprise. No clever fighting moves, only attack with animalistic fury. He wants you to use your own entrails to strangle her, he wants you to bleed so much you’re able to drown her in it, he wants nothing but violence. It’s no longer out of a powerful love, but out of a powerful thirst for blood.

Voice of the Smitten becomes Voice of the Lovesick. Every waking millisecond you are not at the princesses side he will spend wailing in heartbroken agony. When you finally do grace yourself with her presence he will be utterly speechless (shutting up for once). Unable to come up with words (even shakespearean ones) to describe her amazingness. If you ever even entertain the concept of harming her he will become furious and try killing you immediately. His fiery passion making you stab yourself without hesitation.

Voice of the Cold becomes Voice of the Unfeeling. He barely talks but when he does it’s in a completely emotionless tone and usually some sort of insult to the player. He urges the player and the voices to shut up, stop moving, or straight up kill themselves. He says everything too boring and nothing matters. They need to stop playing The Narrators game and just give up completely. He is practically the embodiment of depression at this point. He doesn’t care about you, The Narrator, the other voices, the Princess, or even himself. He just wants to slip into permanent silence.

I have ideas for others! Let me know if this is an interesting enough concept to flesh out fully!

[rilakeila]

exchange of roses, ep 1: the battle between the two brutes

host club! jjk x fem!reader

ep. overview the former kendo champs, sukuna and mori, face off in a kendo duel. let's see how this goes!

gojo satoru is the head of jujutsu technology academy's elite high school host club with his friends: geto suguru, nanami kento, itadori sukuna, shoko ieiri, haibara yu, and of course, their princess manager. what happens when they go up against another elite host club in an exchange event with different schools? let's find out!

a/n: erm, the next two events will def be more interactive with the ohshc, the club specialty ep will def have a lot of ohshc/jjk interactions. im just being indecisive rn

the clashing of the shinai (sword made of bamboo) sounded through the room reserved for jujutsu tech. the early morning awoken by the continuous practicing of techniques against the dummies. it wasn't as if there was some sort of waver in sukuna's confidence for the upcoming event later in the day. perhaps, it was the weight of his club's reputation because of his greediness and pride from the prior day's small conference despite it was his doing.

he shook off the thought by striking the side of the body with the outer third of the shinai. his concentration was broken only to hear snoring, causing him to sigh. he brought satoru and (y/n) to accompany him. for the former, they were supposed to train together, and for the latter, she was only there for moral support. endearing, really.

trailing over to the sprawled out figure, he dropped the tip of the shinai onto his stomach, causing satoru to jolt and immediately sit up straight, arms at ready to fight. his eyes followed up to the shinai and its holder, "oh, it's just you. what time is it?"

sukuna glanced over to the clock, "8:06."

"ugh, it's so early," satoru plopped down onto the ground, stretching his limbs star-like. he looked over to their manager, "and, she's still sleeping."

(y/n) was slumped over, neck surely hurting. she was at first delighted to watch the two spar and prepare for their martial arts games. she watched intently, handing genuine praises out, knowing both thrived off of them. sukuna would never display his appreciation for them, but she noticed he holds his head a little higher, more tilt in his smirk. as time passed, satoru tapping out by 6:00, both succumbed to slumber.

without much thought, sukuna lightly poked her head with the shinai, causing satoru to swat away the stick. she stirred, only to snap her eyes open, remembering where was, "what time is it?"

"7:08."

hearing the time, she laid down, resting her eyes, "it's too early."

"tch," sukuna turned around, swinging around the shinai.

"my neck hurts," she groaned, trying to massage the crick.

"i'm surprised that you didn't move around," satoru flailed his arms around on top of her, which he earned a heavy hand to the stomach.

"if you two are both going to lounge around, then leave," sukuna chastised.

"awww, kuna, but we've been here since earlier. we're both more than ready."

"we all need to leave, the announcements start at 8:30. i can't have you both missing breakfast either," (y/n) rose to her feet, trying to pull satoru up with her. she eventually quit, when he went deadweight. "sukuna, you don't start until 8:45 later, and your first opponent isn't really anyone that i've heard of. you'll be fine. be at breakfast soon."

the pink-haired teen grumbled, but his stomach seemed to reflect his sound. breakfast doesn't sound too bad.

8:40.

"look, there's itadori-kun"

honey pointed through the glass windows of the gymnasium. there was sukuna, preparing for his first round of the day with (y/n) holding his men (helmet). he was fastening his kote (gloves), which he soon put his helmet on, bonking the top of (y/n)'s head in the process.

"he looks scary with all of that on," kaoru commented.

the ouran host club gathered around honey senpai at the window, watching the match get started. sukuna and his opponent bowed to each other before bowing to the officials with the referees. now, the match was on.

sukuna's personality reflected how his techniques and how executed kendo. teasing, he had a sway in the way he holds his shinai, falsifying whether he would initiate an attack. this would allow catching his enemies off balance, which is when he first strikes.

"kote!" ippon, the perfect strike.

the red flag raised to signal a point to sukuna. cheers echoed in the gym, and the host club couldn't help but cheer with them. the players reset once more in the middle before resuming the match at the referee's call.

"he moved so fast," hikaru exclaimed.

"itadori-chan hasn't changed one bit with his techniques. he's still so fun to watch!" honey said. he eyed takashi, who used to look up to sukuna's techniques when they were all younger. the two never formally met the pink-haired student, however, it's hard to miss those colored tufts with loud cheers when passing through the championships.

the ouran host club watched intently, if they took their eyes off, they might miss an important attack.

however the other player wasn't making any offensive moves, probably unsure how to attack him. sukuna lessened his tough stance, hoping the other would just charge at him, but there was no budge. he started to quickly swing at the shinai, hopefully waking up the sorry guy. however, there was an opportunity that sukuna doesn't ever miss. he trapped the player, giving him the opening to thrust the tip of the shinai to his neck.

the red flag goes up once more, and the bell signalling that the match was over. they go to their respective starting positions, wrapping up the match. cheers roared through the gym, as sukuna removed his men off.

"woah, he's so cool," kaoru marveled, the twins pretending to be kendo players with imaginary. tamaki was already taking pictures with his phone during the entirety of match, which his members caught him ("it's just for reference.")

"his last kendo tournament, he only lost as the referees were paid off to let the other person win. since then, he hasn't been seen competing," kyoya stated.

"he was supposed to compete in takashi's last tournament but he pulled out of it last minute," honey added, earning a nod from the taller male.

truth be told, sukuna only missed that tournament as the host club had a beach vacation at the special request of kento. no one wanted to pass over the opportunity to a holiday or how kento asked for something.

"well, mori-senpai, we'll be rooting for you in your kendo match," haruhi smiled before the twins dragged her into the gym, trying to find seats.

"you'll do amazing, senpai!" tamaki shared a grin before quickly following the trio, shouting after them.

a small smile on takashi's face at the encouragement from his members. honey noticed the contentment on his face, knowing how grateful he was despite the little words the taller expressed. he pulled his cousin down, enough to pat the top of his head, "good luck out there."

even with nothing said, he just feels everything completely.

"the next two sections, martial arts and table tennis, will be happening concurrently at around 10:30. so try to support both groups as best as possible," (y/n) read off from her clipboard, earning a salute from her members. ieiri and yu were participating in the table tennis duo matches, while satoru would be participating in the martial arts (which he found out that the specific art was karate aka not his favorite).

"and what sport will you be participating in, miss manager?" suguru questioned, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"none, everything is all on you guys today," she answered, in honesty, she wasn't feeling any of the individual events and would rather wait until tomorrow to expend any of her energy.

"that's no fun, but it'll be great having you support all of us. i expect the same amount of attention from you when i prepare for the relay," suguru pointed to the fact that she was helping sukuna prepare for his round earlier.

"he's just been on edge since this morning, figured the least i can do is help him with his equipment," she said, causing suguru to hum in response.

currently, the tall member from the ouran host club, morinozuka-san if she remembers correctly, was completing his kendo round. based on the portfolio kyoya built for them, he was a national kendo champion. the clicks of the bamboo swords heard through the gym. morinozuka currently playing the defensive side, as his opponent continued to play with a set of aggressive attacks.

it was already 1-0, due to morinozuka taking an advantage in the first minute of the match. however the round of kendo were only set for 10 minutes, and it looked like morinozuka-san was now playing for time before he strikes.

that was what sukuna was talking about during his morning session. he was already thinking about what was three steps ahead of him, as he usually does. sukuna brought up as him and morinozuka's strategies and techniques are about the same, and their match might have an extending round.

"look at him go, he has great balance," satoru commented as he watched.

"yeah, he's kinda the same to sukuna with the way he fights, but somehow very different," yu mentioned the fighting style. (y/n) thinks how morinozuka isn't as badgering as sukuna, probably has more patience and firmness.

morinozuka slipped through a weakness of his opponent, catching him completely off guard.

ippon! strike to the neck, and it was game.

"he ended the match, just like sukuna-senpai did," yu exclaimed.

cheers erupted again once the bell signalled the ending of the match.

"10 minutes until the final round with sukuna and that guy," ieiri said as their pink-haired host trailed in behind her, carrying his bag of items with him.

"that was fast, final round already?" suguru questioned. there were matches happening concurrently, but there should have been a couple of dozens.

"a lot of them forfeited kendo and martial arts, seeing who their competition was," kento answered. he was on patrol for (y/n), updating her on any information in terms of matches and the entire exchange event.

"losers!" satoru cried out, laughing, seemingly the only one who found it funny. "oh, come on, guys."

"alright, sukuna, you're up next!"

this is annoying. sukuna's pride and need to be irritating (according to (y/n)) always got in the way. sometimes, it worked in their favor, sometimes not. and in this situation, it's biting sukuna's ass. he never exerted extra efforts unless the outcome severely aided him in his favor. and now, he's stuck going toe-to-toe with a national kendo champion because he decided to say some shit (even if himself is champion, also)

typically, (y/n) or kento saves him (or satoru and suguru) when he's mouthing off, but they didn't.

he sighs while hopping back to resume his stance.

two options: give up by letting up or let run time

both options would result in failure in some way. the latter, in kendo rules, would result in an extension, and he still has to continue playing. the first would honestly just ruin his reputation, and morinozuka would see right through it. however if he forgoes both options and tries, it would seep into the second option regardless.

he's not the type to do it for anyone but himself, but why does he have the sudden urge to just do it for the club. no, he'll do it for himself despite if there's nothing to gain from it. what's the point if he can't win?

sukuna scanned the player in front of him, figuring out what would be the best way to earn a perfect hit. the height difference between both of them wasn't off too much, him just being a little taller than morinozuka. there wasn't many weak points to strike, but he would be able to test the waters.

he pulls the first offensive move since the beginning of the match. the bamboo sticks ring through the gym, both trying to earn a point. at this point, there shouldn't be much time left on the clock.

"this match is a little boring," hikaru yawned, to viewers, the match seemed to be rather long.

"we're going to find something more entertaining," kaoru completed his brother's thoughts, almost walking away until tamaki stopped them.

"hey, wait a minute, it's the last match and the least we can do for mori-senpai is to watch him," their boss made them sit back down, but they couldn't go without a huff. "what do you think will happen, honey-senpai?"

"it's hard to say. i bet both of their motives are for the clubs. since their techniques mirror each others quite well, i think the officials will send them to a draw without a round extension and give both a point in team points," honey said, as he downed a piece of his cake.

takashi tried to lunge and strike sukuna's left side of his torso, until it was blocked. there hasn't been a match where he was so unsure of what he planned to do for an attack, but here, this pink-haired teen has him stumped. they seem to mirror each other's movements and the plan of defense was, and even when he tries to do a technique he has never done, it's blocked. and it's back to square one.

sukuna almost plans to make a fool of himself and just charge without a technique, but it would give kiddish and actually tarnish his name. he could play dirty and force him out of bounds or make him drop his shinai.

however the bell rings, signalling the end of the match. the red and white flags raised. the two concede, finishing with the formalities to end a kendo match, waiting for the call from the officials.

"morinozuka takashi and itadori sukuna, the match ends in a draw. both performances leading up to this round have been tallied, which assumes into a draw. the games of table tennis and martial arts will start in an hour, please proceed."

"hmph," sukuna bows to takashi once more before mirroring his footsteps to exit the middle of the gym. he was rather unsure how to feel about the ending. he finds his members gathered together, waiting for him, grins all on their faces minus kento who only smiles softly.

"you did great, kuna!" their president first hugs him, which ends up piling everyone into embracing their cocky member. despite the uncertain ending to his kendo match, there was no doubt of the one skip in his heart as his club congratulated him.

that's enough skips for one day.

extra

8:40

"do you ever get nervous fighting or like before? do you feel anything during match days?" (y/n) questioned, watching sukuna adjust his equipment.

"no, i don't feel anything," he answered. though, he knew that she wouldn't have a random question without a reason, "what makes you ask?"

"just wondering." she fiddled with the flaps of the bottom of the helmet. "i don't know, i was also thinking about how angry i would be if i was playing a sport and so close to being a champion, only for me to lose because people got paid to alter the outcome."

he remembers that day vaguely, as he just wanted to push out the emotions that filled in him in those moments. so, it was a lie that he doesn't feel anything, that day, he felt everything. not even in a good way.

"that day, once i figured out the referees were paid off for the last round, why try if the result was already set in stone," he blankly stated, pulling his gloves on. the thing was he did try, he tried the best he was able to, everyone was counting on him that day. his host club, his family, but it just had to be paid off. so close to reaching his one goal, only to be snatched away by greed.

"is that why you stopped participating in kendo? because it might happen again?," she always knew, and he wasn't sure if he hated that she always knew.

"no," he was going to answer, but he wasn't sure how to respond anymore without giving her any leverage. he did lose the passion of participating in his club outside of the academy, as well as the one at jujutsu tech.

"hmm.. just a thought. but i wouldn't let anyone take what i enjoy away from me." she handed him his helmet with a soft smile on her face, "just so you know, we all knew you won that last point. we knew you won that day."

with that stupid smile on her face, he snatched the helmet.

and with that stupid skip in his heart, "get out of here."

ep 1, complete.

[hotcheetogirlluver]

can you please do one where reader can be stoic and emotionless like she's a tsundere (she's hard and rough on the outside but once you get to know her her sweeter bubbly side shows later on) and Levi has the fastest crush on her. her trauma she went through when she was younger makes her oblivious to when people genuinely have a crush on her because she oversees that. she shows her soft side as she befriends him and him being nervous around her hurts her feelings really badly. she just breaks and returns to being expressionless, rough, and quiet. Levi starts to feel guilty when she doesn't smile at him anymore or when she ignores him and doesn't speak to him. her friends are pretty worried blah, blah, blah. finally he apologizes after weeks of not speaking but she's fighting it because of her insecurities and trauma. LOTS OF ANGST I BEG YOU 😭😭😭!! and ofc fluff at the end 🤧🥺💗 (sorry it's super long have a beautiful day and I hope you can make this!)

A/N: ofc!!! i love this idea POOKS! Im a sucker for angst too honestly 😭😭. but I will gladly do this story and just a warning it is very long. ENJOY, THOUGH!!💓

Summary: Levi has a huge crush on (Y/n). She's completely oblivious, and sees his 'flirting' as cruelly bullying her. One day she's in his office casually talking to him and since he gets awkward with her because of the fat crush he has, he hurts her feelings in a way no one has ever hurt her.

WARNINGS ⚠️ : swear words, talks of disorders, talks of molestation and uses word rape

s/t: skin tone

h/c: hair color

y/n: your name

e/c: eye color

-!!ANGST!! FLUFF!!-

__________________________________________________________

Levi looked over at (Y/n). She was speaking with some cadets, giving them tips on fighting and dueling and such. Dressed in her usual black cloak with a hood over her head.

His usual stoic face looking over his shoulder to stare at her. If only she didn't wear that stupid cloak every single day and maybe it would be easier to catch a glance at her face.

The cadets looked like they respected her.. Listening in closely and trying to focus on every single word she was saying to them.

“Captain Levi?” A male voice made him turn around and stare the person down who just caught his attention.

“What is it?” His voice dripping in slight annoyance made Eren sweat nervously.

“You looked sort of a trance there! Just making sure you're still alive, sir!” Levi's glare only hardened and Eren slowly stepped away from him.

“Go spar with Armin. You both need the practice. You must be bored if you came over here just to bother me.” Eren nodded rapidly.

“Right away, Captain!” He took off and Levi looked back at (Y/n).

“You're doing it completely wrong, cadet. Straighten your stance as if you're prepared to fight someone right now.” She was way more sweeter than he was. Recently she's started to show her soft side and it always sent a warm shot through his heart.

Of course he would never show it, his usual unimpressed mask on at all times. He watched as Sasha corrected her fighting stance.

“Like this (Y/n)?” (Y/n) nodded with a cute smile and sent her a thumbs up.

“Way better!” She praised with a small clapping of her hands.

“Can we eat now?! I’m dying to eat I haven't eaten in like 30 minutes! When's the next break?? I'm literally starving to death-” A strong kick was directed to Sasha’s stomach, sending her to the ground roughly.

“OW-” Sasha rubbed her stomach in pain. “You have no concept of the idea of starvation, cadet.” (Y/n) set her hands on her hips.

“Let alone starving to death.”

Levi couldn't help but just watch the scene unfolding in front of him.

… Well that took a different turn. His stoic face, trying to contain the curiosity flowing through his veins at the moment.

… Why the sudden change of attitude? She was sweet and turned bitter in a second's notice. His head tilted upward a bit. His bangs almost hitting his eyes, barely brushing against his eyelashes.

“10 laps, Sasha.”

“B-But Captain!-”

“20 laps.” Sasha groaned internally and got up as (Y/n) eyed her.

“You'd think a lady that small would be more laid back.” Eren muttered watching from afar as well behind Levi.

“Well weight doesn't necessarily matter in the Survey Corps, Eren. It's mainly all about the soldier's intelligence and strength. Just look at you and me. Plus, usually the smaller ones are more aggressive.”

Levi's eyes immediately looked to the side, and his body turned to look at Eren and Armin.

“You two! Go join cadet Sasha on her 20 lap jog.” The two boys looked at each other with shocked facial expressions and Eren sighed heavily.

“If I were you Eren, I'd save my breath for the laps. And word of advice, try not to whisper so loud next time you're talking about someone important.”

“WHAT?! Someone important? Captain Levi, it's all so clear now! You have a big crush on Captain-”

“30 laps.” Levi turned away from Eren and Armin, as the pink flush was beginning to settle on his pale cheeks.

His hard gaze was set on her once again as he turned. Eren shook his head annoyed but still was too intimidated by Levi to not jog the 30 laps.

“The smaller ones really are the most aggressive-”

“Eren stop talking!” Armin cut him off as they began jogging to the field.

(Y/n) wiped some sweat from her forehead.

‘Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to lose the black cloak.’ She began to slip it over her head and threw it on the grass. Levi kept his face as emotionless as he could with the sight in front of him.

She shook her head around a bit trying to let her scalp breath. Her hair was really thin/thick, short/long, wavy/curly/straight. Her skin a s/t, really glowing in the sunlight. Her hair a beautiful h/c. And then there was her eyes..

Shit.

Her eyes were fucking gorgeous.

The color red set on the tips of Levi's ears, watching her being so effortlessly beautiful. He tried pushing the new fluttering feeling he felt to the very bottom pit of his stomach.

Her eyes were big e/c eyes, with dark eyelashes. Long eyelashes.

Fuck.. he's simping.

That's disgusting and shameful. He tried to snap out of it. But..

Suddenly she turned her gaze to him. A small smile on her lips.(Y/n) walked over to him, her heeled boots, she always wore giving her the smallest bit of height.

“Levi!” Her hands were behind her back as she gave him a wider, sweeter smile. Oh no.. was she walking towards him? At least give him some time to think about what he should say?!

“I haven't seen you in a while it's felt like! I've been busy with those stupid non-stop expeditions though. I feel like I would see you more often if you come out of your office more. Not like once every blue moon,” Her head tilted to the side wearing a bright smile on her face. Which was rare.

“Y’know?” She's right. Levi’s been in his office doing paperwork and signing and reading information from all sorts of documents. It's energy draining going through paper after paper and still never meeting an end.

Sometimes very rarely when he would actually leave his office and would see her walking in the castle halls it made his day a tad more bearable to deal with.

But to him it was somewhat a good thing being locked in his office day and night. Recently he's noticed he's starting to hold feelings towards the h/c. Deep feelings. To the point where he gets awkward and nervous fast if she's even around him.

He's been practicing on handling that calmly and coolly though.

“Y-Yeah. Haven't seen you in a while either.”

…… Wow. Just wow Ackerman.

… He wished he could stab himself with the swords he uses to kill Titans with. Seriously Ackerman?! That was painful. Embarrassing. You should walk away now. And leaving this world and existence would probably be for the better too.

(Y/n) scanned Levi's face intensely as his eyes avoided hers.

“Levi, are you okay?” She put a hand on her chin and the other hand set on her hip as she leaned to the side to meet his eyes.

“Fine.” He responded dryly.

Hm.. What's going on with him? He looks.. nervous? Levi? Nervous? Maybe she was getting this wrong. She was terrible at reading people. She always was.

“You took off your cloak.” Levi suddenly said with an awkward cough, and looked at her hair. (Y/n) pushed some hair behind her ear and nodded with a smile. Those rare smiles made Levi’s heart beat against his ribs.

“About time right? It's been so cruelly hot outside these past couple days.” She waved a hand in front of her face jokingly.

“Y-Your hair..”

“My hair?”

“It's not as shitty as I thought it'd look.” Levi said non chanantly.

“Oh.”

“Do you even brush your hair though? It looks messy as hell. Don't have enough time on your hands to brush your hair or something?"

… Ouch. A knife sliced her heart and she just blinked before laughing small, quiet and uncomfortably. Well that definitely stung.

“Well, actually I brush my hair each morning and night before I fall asleep. It's a daily routine I don't intend to skip out on at all.” (Y/n) ran a hand through her hair consciously with an awkward smile on her face replacing the bright one from earlier.

“Is that so?” He replied unamused.

“Mhm!” She nodded her head before turning her head to the side with a light pink tint color covering her cheeks in embarrassment.

“Anyways Captain! I'm going to head back to my office. It.. It was nice seeing you! Mind telling Sasha she’s allowed to take a break when she’s finished with her 20 laps?” (Y/n) turned around not letting Levi respond and walked over to her cloak on the ground throwing it over her head before leaving the training grounds.

His once fast heartbeat slowed down to the normal speed. ‘What the fuck, idiot.’ He told himself. Why did he say that? Why did he say that??

“ ‘It's not as shitty as I thought it'd look.’ ” He mocked himself in a harsh whisper.

“You idiot, why in the world would you say that to her? You made her uncomfortable you fucking dumbass. That's why she was in such a hurry to leave you.” Levi tried to forget about the encounter with (Y/n) he just had, feeling tormented with guilt enough as it is.

‘Just stop being so nervous around her Levi.’ He ran a hand through his under shave.

_________________________________________________________

Meanwhile (Y/n) pulled the cloak's hood closer to her head as she tried to calm her racing heart and her heavy breathing.

Levi thinks her hair is messy.

And he thinks she doesn't brush it? Does he see it as disgusting? Looked like it.

(Y/n) stared at the stone floors as her heeled boots clicked against them. Which means everyone who was at the training grounds earlier saw her hair as disgusting too then.

She closed her eyes for a second and shook her head. Get it together (Y/n). It's fine.

… But what if it isn't? This reminded her of back then..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two grown men held onto (Y/n) wrists on either side of her pretty tightly. It felt like they were cutting her circulation off. She was 6 years old at the time.

Her mother sold her to some sketchy group from the Underground to get some money and to keep her house. (Y/n) had several bruises on her arms and face.

Those cruel bastards. She looked up at the tall man in front of her, with wide eyes.

“This rats nest of hair you got here is fucking gross. It looks like shit. You need to become extra beautiful, gorgeous.” He smirked with a sinister look in his eyes.

He held out a knife and suddenly just cut off half her hair. Her eyes widened more.

W-What? Why did he do that? Why did her mom even sell her to these men? They've hurt her, said horrible things to her, and now this? What's going on?? What are they going to do to her? She trembled in fear, heart about to leap out of her chest as she watched her long locks of hair fall to the dirty ground.

“Perfect, gorgeous.” The man brushed his hand through her hair with that creepy smirk still on his face. Then he nodded at both of the men who were holding her wrists tightly.

“W-Wait! Sir! What are you going to do to me?” He only darkly chuckled and waved a hand to a room.

“You’ll see in a second.” He kicked his lips and tilted the hat he was wearing down some more. The two men at her sides started dragging her to the room.

“W-Wait! Stop! P-Please, let me go! Stop i-it!” (Y/n) kicked her feet and struggled against the tight grip they had on her.

“Sir!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Y/n) stared down at her hands. She tried to shake away the memories she just thought of. Truth is.. She wasn't ever raped in the Underground. But… She was molested. And it definitely wasn't just once.

Those disgusting men down there.. Made some part of her life hell. A huge part of her life hell.

Those memories never leave you.

They stick with you.

And (Y/n) still got shivers thinking about it.

‘It's different.’ She told herself. It was the main reason she was insecure, about everything. All of those people from that sketchy group all those years ago.. They caused her pain and misery.

Trauma.

Why does she always wear a cloak? To cover her body from society's eyes. Feeling like she’s fat half the time and feeling like people don't like the sight of fat women. Resulting in not eating for weeks sometimes. Why does she wear a hood? To cover her face and hair. Her hair being “messy” and her face not complimenting her body.

Her hair always made her question her looks. But then again she always questioned her looks. Because of them. Like.. Why does everybody stare at her that way? Why are they looking at her? What's wrong with her?

She clenched her shirt near her heart.

Of course Levi doesn't like her. How could he? He's Humanities Strongest. (Y/n) thought she and Levi were getting close. And then all of a sudden he can't even look her in the eye and he seems more.. nervous around her. But like she said earlier, that word doesn't quite fit him.

They were both distant.

She wasn't going to lie though, at first it was hard to become friends with him. Or anybody really. She’s really antisocial and she too has a stoic, expressionless, mask on at all times. That's how she is with people she doesn't know. And when she didn't have friends.

She didn't mind though. That's how it had been her whole life. She's probably only had 1 friend from her younger years. She can't remember clearly though. When she first joined the Survey Corps no one would talk to her. She understood somewhat though. She did look a little sketchy wearing her black cloak everyday with a literal impassive look on her face all the time.

Made matters worse when she refused to remove her hood.

But when Hange Zoë sat with her one day in the mess hall, (while she stared at her food plainly not planning on eating it) and invited her to sit at their table she stared blankly at her for the longest minute (making Hange sweat drop) but accepted.

But she thought her and Levi were getting close. The awkward short talks turned to long conversations about small things. Both of their emotionless faces, cracked a smile or two when around each other.

She even discovered that way, her crush on him.

(Y/n) enjoyed his presence. She thought he was a good leader, really independent and honestly.. funny.

Maybe it's one sided love though.

Maybe she's just blinded by her stupid crush on him.

Recently he's been really.. mean towards her. He's been insulting her every time she sees him. And it's sort of been a good thing she hasn't seen him in weeks because he's been trapped in his office doing mile high paperwork.

It hurts her heart every time he says something harsh to her. She never says anything back though. But next time maybe she will. He's been hurting her self esteem and bringing back unfondly memories she would rather not think about. She has to stand up to him for once.

Usually she is really blunt. And really, really honest. But with Levi and her friends her soft side is brought out. (Y/n) nodded mentally, realizing her heartbeat slowed down and her heavy breathing calmed down.

She took one last deep breath, before walking to her office for the afternoon. She, too, needs to finish paperwork.

________________________________________________________

Levi sat at his desk. His eyes scanned the writing on the documents he was reading. He was a fast reader.

But he hated every time he would read through essays of information for the Survey Corps, because most of the time it reminded him of the Underground.

Where he didn't even know how to read until later on in his life.

He rubbed a hand on his forehead. Why was he thinking about that now?

He has work to do. It's better if he just finished it all sooner than later.

In Levi’s office it was silent.

His office was a very serene room. He preferred it that way though. It helped him focus more, and if it was placed next to a loud room he would probably kill the neighbor right next to him. He sighed, feeling the smallest amount of loneliness for the past few weeks. Sometimes it was somewhat depressing being so isolated. And feeling so isolated too.

He shook his head.Focus Levi. You're getting off topic.

When he was about to start reading again he heard 2 knocks on his door. He straightened himself out, organized the papers as quickly as he could, and calmed his facial features down.

“State your name and business.” He called.

“It's (Y/n). Mind if I come in, Levi?” Levi’s eyes widened ever so slightly as his pulse skyrocketed.

‘Calm down Levi. Act natural.’

“C-Come in.” He cursed himself as soon as the stutter left his lips.

‘Stop acting so nervous! Your Humanity's Strongest, this is embarrassing.’ (Y/n) brushed off Levi’s stutter, and opened his office door as she walked in with a plate of food.

“What do you need, Captain (Y/n)?”

The awkwardness soon left her features when she heard that. A laugh escaped her lips, as she continued to walk towards him.

“Why are you acting so formal all of a sudden Levi? You know we’ve talked before like friends, not colleagues, right?” She let out a small giggle and a charming smile as she set the plate down on his desk.

“Oh, r-right. Of course.” His cheeks quickly were dusted with a warm pale pink as he coughed an awkward cough to cover up his second noticeable stutter.

“What is this?” He asked unexpressively. He looked down at the plate of food.

“What? Never seen a plate of food before or something? Or has it really been that long since you’ve eaten, Levi?” She sat down in the chair in front of him with a soft sigh.

“I mean come on isn't it obvious?” ‘Isn't it obvious I'm a bit worried for you, you cruel jerk?’ She played with the ends of her cloak in her hands.

Levi knew what a plate of food was. He just hadn't eaten the whole day. He trained the cadets in the morning, and in the afternoon he was locked in his office again. And now it's dinner.. and he's still in his office.

“I haven't seen you eat the whole day. I'm..” Blood traveled to her face as her cheeks began to flush.

“You need to eat Levi. Taking a small break from all this pile of work isn't going to hurt you.” (Y/n) smiled gently and Levi could feel his stomach doing backflips. Or.. it could just be the hunger taking its toll on him.

He felt incredibly grateful he even had someone like (Y/n) in his life. Why did she care for him? Why was she so bubbly towards him? Why did she let her mask fall, after only a couple of conversations in his office?

He never knew how to talk to women correctly though. He didn't know the ‘correct’ way. Did he ever thank them appropriately? He thought he did.

Thing is, he never knows when he truly fucks up.

“Funny thing you're telling me to eat Captain (Y/n), when you don't even eat for weeks yourself.”

“... What?” Her heart dropped.

Another stab to her wounded heart. Her walls were down and everything and he just attacked so easily? She was feeling vulnerable with him and thought this one time there would be no hurtful words directed at her.

… Guess she was wrong.

“I think it's amusing that you're telling me to eat when you don't know how to do that yourself.” Levi rested his elbows on his desk, connecting his hands.

Suddenly a burning flame crawled up her neck as her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Snap out of it, idiot.

“Really, Levi?” She narrowed her eyes, as the humiliation settled in and made her want to sink. Even if it was just the two of them in the office she couldn't help but feel humiliated.

“You don't eat for weeks sometimes. That must be another reason you wear that cloak.” He muttered and eyed her fit. Her eyes widened, and she felt her heart quicken its beat.

What the actual hell?

“You asshole,” (Y/n) whispered harshly.

Levi’s first instinct was to retort back but seeing her fists clenched made him slightly confused. Is she upset?

“Why would you care, if you hate me so much?”

Hate her? Shit. Levi mentally panicked. ‘No, no, no I don't hate you, I could never hate you (Y/n)! Did I mess up? I haven't said anything too bad right?’ Levi ignored the thoughts pouring into his subconscious.

“It's my place to know if you're getting weak and sloppy on expeditions with my squad. You’ve been disorganized on recent expeditions with other squads too. You're supposed to be strong as a Captain. You can't just get weak all of a sudden because of a pointless insecurity to have.” (Y/n) stood up from her seat abruptly.

“Are you fucking serious Levi?! I didn't work my ass off my whole life to just get picked on by the likes of you! You think you have the right to tell me I've gotten weak and to tell me my insecurity is useless?! Why won't you just leave me the fuck alone!” Tears threatened to pour out of her eyes. Her yelling clearly didn't get to him though.

Which pissed her off even more.

She put her shaking hand on her chest and clenched the fabric near her heart.

“Do you think you're so high and almighty just because you're ‘Humanity's Strongest’? Why do you think you can talk about why I wear this cloak so freely? Is your new goal to just break me down as a person and to make me feel even more horrible than I already feel?!” Levi’s eyes widened the slightest. The feeling of guilt catching up with him once again.

He didn't mean those things. He could never mean those things. He just didn't know how to respond when he's near her.

“It's only recently you’ve decided on putting me down! Why?.. Did all those late night talks we both had together mean nothing to you?!”

.. She was met with silence.

(Y/n) shook her head aggressively.

“SAY SOMETHING ACKERMAN!” She slammed a fist down on his desk. His slightly widened eyes, returned to his eyes that looked like they could care less. The unfazed look returned to his features.

“Is that all you know how to do? Yell? Are you slow or something? You should just retire as a Captain, you're childish. You're being overly dramatic about this situation. I couldn't care less about why you wear that cloak. I already understand why. It must be tough hiding all that hair you feel so ashamed of.” Levi kept his voice at the same volume the whole time he spoke.

He felt regret at his choice of words.

‘Stop fucking talking Levi. You're going to lose her. Just stop talking you dumbass!’

Suddenly (Y/n) threw off her cloak. Revealing her body and hair once again. It felt like Levi ignored the image of her body earlier. She looks really thin. Unhealthy thin. His eyebrows furrowed.

“I wear that cloak because of people like you!” Levi looked taken aback.

People like him?

“Judgemental dumbasses like you who can't be nice once for the likes of them!” Wait.. is she.. Did.. Did he make her cry? Is she crying? Tears finally sprung free from her eyes and rolled down (Y/n)’s cheeks as her bottom lip started to quiver. She never cried. Ever. And he's never seen her cry.

“I.. I try so hard for you, Levi! A-And all you see in me is my worst, obviously. I-I love you so much it actually hurts!” A sob escaped her lips and Levi felt blood rush to his face.

She loves him?!

Oh no what the fuck does he do?! Confess?! After everything he just said?? Guilt ran through his bloodstream and he felt his chest tighten.

“.... Why do you hate me? Am I that bad of a person? O-Or just.. ugly?”

‘No! Of course you're not ugly. Your fucking beautiful. The most gorgeous of them all! Levi fucking speak! Say something nice for once you asshole! Confess to her!’ Levi felt himself pause. His heart beating against his ribs. It hurt. The confession was about to slip out of his mouth. Almost..

“Tch. You're clumsy. Careless. And you lack skill.” Her breath got caught in her throat and she felt herself freeze.

Is it possible to feel your heart physically break? Because it felt like for her he smashed it with a hammer, stepped on it with his clean boots, and lit it on fire with a torch.

“And it's not my fault you're anorexic. Anything else Captain (Y/n)?”

She stared ahead.

With widened eyes. Pupils shaking. Her lips slightly parted. Tears still slipping from her eyes. Her stunning eyes. She stood there like that for a moment. A very long moment.

“Nothing..” Her whisper was in a hush. She didn't blink at all as she directed her attention to the floor, turning around.

“Keep the cloak..” She said quietly as she continued walking. Levi’s eyes following her figure. Fuck.

He messed up big time.

The door to his office closing in a slam awoke his senses and brought him back to reality. He ran a hand through his hair. No, no, no.

Why did he say that to her? Why is he such a dick? How could he even look at her again? How could he say that? He shook his head and shut his eyes tightly. Feeling exhaustion weigh down on his shoulders.

He clenched his fists and threw off all the papers from his desk onto the floor. His teeth gritted. He's such a fucking idiot!

Why the fuck did he say that?!? His chest heaved up and down and suddenly his gaze turned to the plate of food she brought him. His heart sank.

“I'm so sorry..” Levi muttered, staring at the food.

Then he looked at the cloak on his polished floors. He walked to it, with heavy eyes. Picking it up, and rubbing the fabric with his thumbs. His knees rested on the floor, as he continued to stare at it.

“I’m sorry..” He closed his eyes tightly, feeling moisture build up in his eyes. He pulled it to his chest, and leaned his upper body down.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..” He muttered over and over again.

The torturous guilt and regret eating him alive.

________________________________________________________

It’s been weeks since Levi and (Y/n) had spoken.

Weeks.

Eyebags lived beneath his eyes, and he felt more tired than he's ever been in his entire life. Erwin was starting to grow concerned for Levi. He knew what happened between him and (Y/n) because Levi told him and Hange.

They tried to break it down as blunt as they could with Levi. Yeah.. The whole thing was practically his fault. Hange freaked out when he told the both of them.

“HUH??! YOU ACTUALLY TOLD HER THAT, LEVI?? (Y/N), MY POOR BABY!” Hange gripped Levi’s shoulders and swung him back and forth while he just let her do that. Erwin tried calming down Hange, it looked like they were about to cry. And kill Levi at the same time. Once Hange had calmed down they sat down on their seat again.

“But seriously Levi? You actually told her that? That's absolutely heartless. You make me want to cry with what you said to her!” Erwin nodded his head at Hange’s words.

“Levi, sounds like all of the things you said to her were unnecessary. She just seemed like she was worried about you.” Levi sighed restlessly. He nodded his head and stared at the ground, remembering her heartbroken face.

“You pushed her away from you, Captain Shortie!”

“I know.. I just don't know how to talk to her.. it should be easy. She told me she loves me.. and I.. I love her. So why was it so hard and why did I have to mess it all up? I don't deserve her… I never did.” Levi felt so ashamed even bringing that encounter back up.

Hange and Erwin looked at each other. They’ve never seen Levi so.. distraught before. He always has this emotionless face on. Seeing him act human for once made Hange and Erwin feel bad about the situation. But there was nothing the both of them could do about it.

Levi sat in his office shaking away the memory of telling Hange and Erwin about that day.

He just wished (Y/n) would smile at him again. For weeks he's been trying to talk to her. Telling the cadets to tell her to report to his office.

She never showed up though.

Figures.

He broke her.

For weeks he's been trying to think of ideas on how he could see her again without her ignoring his whole person. He doesn't blame her.

But it was frustrating.

He knows he doesn't have the right to be frustrated after everything he said to her, but he just feels frustrated.

Maybe not at her. At himself.

For even saying those words to her. For making her cry.

Levi pulled at his hair.

'Just apologize you big pussy.'

Levi shook his head and drank some of his black tea. As soon as it made its way down his throat he gulped it all. Finishing all his tea in mere seconds.He stood up as soon as he finished it.

That's it.

Today was the day where he apologized to her after weeks of not talking. He needs to tell her he fucked up big time and he's aware. He needs to find her first. To tell her all things that have been making his heart feel heavy.

(Y/n) was cleaning the horse stables. She didn't want to tell her squad to do it. She just didn't want to talk to anyone. Any human that crossed her path she just straight out ignored them and didn't look at them at all. She held a blank facial expression.

The hurt Levi caused her heart to feel was unbearable. All the pain he caused her to feel, mentally, was it even humanly? Could humans even feel this amount of pain?

She felt like dying honestly.

Or just running away from the Survey Corps. But she knew the penalty was execution.

Life wasn't that easy.

If life was easy maybe Levi wouldn't have been such an ass to her and made her feel like she truly amounts to nothing.

Did he see her as some pathetic, weak human being? Because she doesn't eat? She tries too. She really does. But every time she does, it makes her feel nauseous. It looks sickening.

When she was sold to the men from the Underground, they starved her. To keep her ‘beautiful’ body. That's why she's sensitive to the subject of starvation. As you could tell from when she kicked Sasha for saying she was “literally starving”.

Why was she even thinking about Levi still? He doesn't love her. He doesn't care about her.

He's.. just a jerk.

She felt a tear slip down her eye. She recalled the memory of her morning after that day.

At breakfast Hange, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were all talking amongst each other. Then they looked up at her, seeing her without her cloak. She sort of regretted leaving it in Levi’s office. But it was too late to receive it anyways. Then they smiled and waved at her, acting friendly. Her blank face didn't waver as she looked away from them and walked past the table. Not planning on eating.

All of their smiles disappeared as they watched her walk off.

“What's wrong with her?” Eren asked the table.

“I have no idea.” Mikasa’s usually bored eyes were filled with some concern.

“Is she okay? She didn't look too good right now.” Armin looked at Hange since Hange was the closest to (Y/n).

“I'm not sure. I haven't seen her since yesterday when she left mid dinner. Maybe she ate in her office? She had a plate of food with her.” Eren shrugged and they all thought to themselves.

She flat out ignored her friends and Levi for the past few weeks. She just didn't want to be around people at the moment. And once Hange found out, they completely understood.

(Y/n) shoveled the horse shit, almost making her want to puke. But she tried to remain expressionless. She had no clue Levi was looking for her in that moment of time.

He already checked her office. Knocked on her room door which was open, and her bed was untouched. If looked like she hadn't slept on there for a long time, causing his guilt to rise. He asked all of her friends if they've seen her. To which they responded with, "We haven't talked to her in a while actually." Which made him feel worse. But he shook it off, focusing on finding her. He even asked Erwin if she's been assigned to an expedition with her squad. He said, "No." which made Levi relieved as he continued to check the whole castle. He even went to the training grounds. She wasn't there.

Where the fuck is she? Hasn't he checked everywhere?

.. No. Not everywhere. He walked down to the horse stables, and checked stall after stall. And finally he saw her shoveling horse shit with her beautiful stunning self.

He didn't even realize her name slipped past his lips until she turned to him.She looked beautiful. But still thin. Really thin. Although she held a blank face as she stared at him.

The twinkle that was in her eyes, disappeared.

He was looking past the sort of horrific look she was giving him though. Calling it her “blank” face. She felt paralyzed as she just stood there.

“Captain.” She finally muttered out.She never called him Captain. It was always Levi. Always Levi.

“... (Y/n).” He repeated at a loss for words.

‘No, don't chicken out now you bitch. Just tell her what's been on your mind.’ Levi sucked in a breath before walking towards her. She just stared at him, and finally broke out of the paralyzed state she was just in. She took a couple of steps back, her back hitting the wall as she dropped the shovel full of horse poop.Her eyebrows furrowed as he walked towards her.

“Stay away from me.” She told him in a cold tone.He halted and stood where he was. Losing confidence for a second, and feeling guilty as hell. But the longer he stared at her the longer he felt bad and had to say something.

“I’m..” What the hell. Speak Levi! Speak!

“I’m..”

“You're wasting your time if you're trying to apologize.” (Y/n) picked up the shovel she dropped on the ground.

“Why are you doing stable duty?” He forced out.

Ugh. Pussy.

“Because I'm too sloppy, and weak with everything else. I lack skill.” She responded with a small scoff. Levi glanced to his side, hurt flashed in his eyes but he tried to make it disappear just as quickly as it came.

“I'm sorry..” He said clearly, with no hesitation or stutter in his voice this time.

She raised her chin up at this. “Sure.”

“I am, okay? I’m sorry for everything I said to you. It was unnecessary and I just..” Levi’s heartbeat started to race again.

“I'm a dick. And I hurt you. Badly. I said some things I can't take back but they were all a lie. I don't think your insecurities are pointless and I don't think you're a weak soldier. You're one of the strongest Captains here at Survey Corps.” She looked unimpressed with his words.

“I’m not falling for this, Ackerman. Okay? Now will you just leave and let me finish this?” Her glare directed at him made him hate himself.

“(Y/n)-”

“Will you go away? I’ve made it clear I obviously don't want to have this discussion with you.” She snapped.

“God damn it (Y/n)! Will you just let me apologize to you?!” He was about to walk towards her again but she didn't allow it.

“Why?! Why do you want to apologize after 1 ½ months, Levi?!” Her eyebrows were furrowed and her teeth were gritted as she shook her head before even realizing what she just said.

Levi stared at her. She had that broken look on her face again, as she sighed softly. Her eyes looked so sad.

Way to go Ackerman, you dumbass.

“You don't like me. And I..” she blinked back her tears that were building up.

“I loved you..” She said in a whisper. Loved?.. No.

“I’ve never hated you (Y/n).” She looked at him, not believing what he was saying.

“I have always..” His heartbeat sped up. His cheeks warming up and being dusted with blush.

“I love you, (Y/n).” Her eyes widened as she slowly turned her head to Levi.

He had eyebags under his eyes. His skin looked paler than it usually did. And.. he had this pleading look in his eyes.

What happened to him? Was he just as broken as her?.. but how? He looked like he didn't even care when he ripped her heart out and stopped on it with ease.

But she just broke eye contact instead of believing him. That's what they all say. ‘Sorry’ to make it better. But they don't really mean it. Is a bandage immediately going to heal you? It's not. So it's best not to sugarcoat it.

“Tch, you're lying to yourself.”

Levi stepped back, his frustration building up.

“I hate liars.”

“Then if you really love me, why did you tell me all those things in your office that day?” (Y/n) glared.

“I just brought you food, you ass.” She looked away, feeling those stupid crocodile tears build up again.

He let out a sigh and turned his head away from her.

“(Y/n) I really didn't mean any of that stupid shit I spoke. I just..” He sucked in a breath, as the awkwardness got to him finally.

“I get awkward and.. fuck, this sounds stupid-.. n-nervous around you. Which is why I've been so mean to you lately, and why I can't even look y-you in the eye when you're around me or why I have this stupid ass stutter!” He slapped a hand over his face and turned his whole body away from her, his cheeks turning to the color of a tomato this time.

(Y/n)’s furrowed brows relaxed when she started running everything he said through her brain. That explains why he stutters around her and why he does act nervous every time she even breathes near him. She gasped quietly, and her eyes softened.

Does he really have feelings for her? Real ones?

So all the things he said.. Did he really not mean it? But wait.. if he did like her or.. ‘love’ her like he says he does, why did he even say all those cruel things to begin with? Like from the very beginning?

“Levi.” He turned his head to look at her.

“(Y/n).”

“Why were you even mean to begin with if you really do like me? Everything you said.. it's.. not going to go away so easily. You said it all so easily though. I'm just.. confused.” Levi glanced down hesitant, and then walked toward her, this time she didn't say anything.

Once he stood in front of her, he slowly grabbed her hands. (Y/n)’s eyebrows raised slightly.

‘I thought he hated physical interaction.’

“I say this with full honesty, (Y/n). I have no idea how to talk to you normally. Not so long ago, when you would talk to me I didn't know how to respond at all. That's where the stutter comes in. And I’ve never been attracted to anyone like I am with you. It's hard to say, brat.” He looked up. She just stared at him.

“All the random insults poured out of my mouth every time I saw you because I get awkward and I think that's ‘flirting’.” She looked down, feeling his thumbs start to rub circles on her hands.

“I'm sorry for everything I've said. I didn't mean any of it, I was talking out of my ass. Your body is beautiful and so are you.. I-I can't even explain how much I..” Levi’s eyes met with hers as he trailed off. He lost his train of thoughts. How couldn't he?

When she staring at him with those fucking pretty eyes. (Y/n) blinked causing him to snap out of it. He cleared his throat and his eyes sort of.. softened.

“How much I love you.”

“Levi..” That sparkle in her eye shining brighter than ever. Her cheeks turned crimson.

“I understand if you don't want to be with me. But I promise if you do, I won't ever disappoint you or make you cry like I've done so many times.” Levi’s heart thumped and since it was so quiet in the night, the only thing to be heard was the sounds of nature, the wind and his heart beating out of his chest.

“I'll make sure you start eating again. Every single day.” He hesitantly lifted one of her hands and placed a light kiss on her knuckle.

“I just.. I don't want to get hurt again.” (Y/n) whispered, her eyes not meeting his.

“I promise I'll never hurt you like this ever again.” She looked up.

“Promise?” He smiled softly, making her heart flutter. She's never seen Levi smile.

“I promise.” The longer he stared at her, his attention moved down to her lips. Her heart beating faster than a rabbits at this point, her breath was caught at the back of her throat. Levi glanced at her eyes, then her lips. Then he lifted a hand to her chin. Tilting her head as he slowly leaned in.

‘Levi?’ She thought in her brain.

Just as his lips brushed against hers she relaxed. (Y/n) closed her eyes, and leaned in, placing her lips onto his soft ones. As their lips connected, (Y/n) wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer to him with his other arm.

The kiss was sweet. Levi felt like someone lit a bonfire inside of him, his neck and face heating up immediately. (Y/n) could almost feel her heart beating in her throat. She felt like she couldn't breathe the longer her and Levi kissed.

Finally he broke his lips apart from hers.

A small blush on his facial features as he smiled genuinely.

“I'll help you clean up this shit, so we can leave sooner. It smells like ass in here.” (Y/n) nodded, letting out a small laugh. One of her rare laughs.

As she went to pick up the shovel she turned around to look back at Levi.

“Levi?” He turned to her.

“(Y/n)?”

“.. I love you.” Love filled his eyes as shyness filled his thoughts causing him to halt for a second.

“I love you, too.”

a/n: I hope you enjoyed that story!! please requests more! ❣️:)

[adrift-in-thyme]

Febuwhump Day 9: Bees (Wind & Legend)

Ao3

CW for blood and injury and torture

————————————-

“Well, isn’t this just so pleasant? When I woke up this morning, I said, ‘You know what I wish? I wish I could spend my day in a cell that smells like sweaty men and thousand-year-old bananas.’”

Wind can’t help but roll his eyes at Legend’s sarcastic drawl. He doesn’t like it either, of course. Being cooped up in the Yiga hideout isn’t how he wants to spend his afternoon either. Time had promised to spar with him and he had been really, really looking forward to it. But there isn’t much they can do about it now.

If the assasins had tied them up with ropes, then they would have escaped hours ago. Wind is no novice when it comes to undoing knots. But chains? Their smithy would be better equipped to handle that sort of thing. And, unfortunately, the Yiga had only gotten the jump on him and Legend.

“What do you think they want anyway?” he asks if only to distract his brother from continuing his lament about his spoiled afternoon.

Legend lets his head fall back against the wall with a pouty clunk.

“The champion, probably. These guys hate his guts.”

Wind cocks his head. From this angle, the pile against the far wall suspiciously resembles human bones.

“Because he’s a hero, right?”

“Yeah. Because he’s a hero.”

“I wonder if they hate all heroes then,” Wind says, thoughtfully. He doesn’t really care, to be honest. But anything to keep from pondering the mysterious objects and substances strewn about the place. “Or if it’s more of a one-person thing. Like they only hate Wild, cause he foiled their evil plans.”

“The first one, to tell you the truth,” comes a voice from the space right in front of them.

Wind jumps, red hot pin pricks traveling down to encase his scalp, neck, and arms. Beside him, Legend goes rigid.

A Yiga assassin bursts into existence in a cloud of red papers. He raises his hands the way Wind and Aryll used to when they were presenting one of their plays to Grandma.

“You know one hero, you know them all,” he drawls. “That’s just the way of things. Which works to our benefit, actually.”

“Oh good,” Legend snaps. “Since you’ve figured out the inner workings of us heroes, you must know that we’d never give anyone up to you. Especially, a brother. So, if you’ll just take these chains off, we’ll be on our way.”

The Yiga chuckles. He squats down in front of Legend, leaning forward so that his face is inches from the veteran’s.

“I like you,” he hisses. “You have spirit. It’ll be fun to make you scream.”

Legend pales, though he manages to keep a scowl on his face. The Yiga digs his fingers into the hero’s shoulder and hauls him to his feet. Wind’s stomach lurches.

“Don’t hurt him!” He shouts, scrambling up. He wishes he had his sword and shield, his boomerang — something to get them free. “He doesn’t know anything!”

It’s a hopeless attempt and he knows it. But it still feels like a punch in the gut when the Yiga throws back his head and laughs.

“Oh, he knows things, I’m certain of it. You both do.”

He shoves Legend toward the door, then grabs Wind by the ear and pushes him in the same direction. Wind sends him a blistering scowl, which he pointedly ignores.

“Walk, you two,” he growls, shoving his sickle into Legend’s back. Exchanging an exasperated glance, the heroes stumble forward.

The assassin forces them down a set of stairs and into the main room. A small group of other Yiga awaits, formed in a semi-circle towards the middle of the floor. They spread out as their companion nears, allowing them room to enter their little huddle. Wind can practically see their sadistic grins shining from beneath their masks.

For all their comic obsession with bananas, these guys give him the creeps.

One of them grasps him by the shoulders as he walks forward and yanks him to a standstill. He stumbles, lifting his head just in time to see the original assassin practically drag Legend into the center his Yiga companions have made.

The veteran trips over a bump in the floor and tries to catch himself. But the assassin delivers a swift kick to his shins that sends him sprawling.

“Vet!”

Wind lurches forward, fighting to reach him. His captor holds him fast, however. And he can do nothing but watch as Legend picks himself up, face pale and eyes glinting.

No sooner has he gotten to his feet than he is back on his knees, gloved fingers holding him down and in place.

“I will now ask you a question,” one of the Yiga purrs, stepping forward on cat’s feet. “And I hope, for your friend’s sake, to only have to ask it once. Where is the Hero of the Wilds?”

Wind catches Legend’s gaze from across the room and holds it.

I’m sorry.

Amethyst irises darken in determined resolve. Pale lips press tighter as he nods once, short and quick.

“You know what to do, sailor,” he calls.

He does. Wind takes a deep breath. He does know what to do. But it’s gonna take everything he’s got to do it.

“I don’t know,” he says. “And if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

He can tell even through his mask that the assassin holding Legend has narrowed his eyes. In the next second, a sickle gleams. It swoops down like a graceful gull, heading straight for Legend’s middle. Wind doesn’t even have time to scream out a warning.

It slices through tunic and flesh and keeps going, ravenous for more. But the Yiga won’t allow it to satiate its appetite. He yanks it out. Blood splatters the floor. Beneath the overhead lights, it looks similar to the rubies Wild likes to collect.

Legend’s eyes go wide. He chokes, a cry begging to break from between bloodied lips.

“No!” Wind screams, jerking to get free. But a dagger finds his neck and abruptly, he stills.

Cackles echo around the room as Legend sags in his captor’s grip. His face is deathly pale now. When he raises his eyes to Wind’s, however, that fierceness is still within them.

“You see the pain that your friend is enduring,” the assassin hisses, tilting his head. His grip on Legend tightens and a low whine emanates from the veteran. “So, spill it, boy, before it gets much worse for him. We know that you know the answer. Where is Link?”

“Maybe you weren’t listening before, because I told you I don’t know where he is!” Wind retorts. It’s a battle to keep his voice steady, but he manages. Contrary to what some of the heroes think, this isn’t his first time facing the enemy.

…though it is his first time watching a brother be tortured. That’s an experience he could have done without, thanks very much.

The assassin motions. One of the Yiga moves. Quick as a flash, he zips forward, and brings his weapon screaming across Legend’s cheek. His skin splits open, a gleeful crimson smile beneath his left eye.

Something between a growl and a half-scream bursts out of Legend. He curls in on himself, bound hands clasped into fists. His breath comes in tight little gasps that make Wind’s chest tight.

“Every time you refuse to cooperate, we will create a new mark on him,” the assassin snaps. “So, I suggest you start talking. Unless, of course, you’re enjoying this as much as I am.”

“You bunch of sadistic idiots,” Legend croaks. “Did you not hear him? He doesn’t know anything.”

Another Yiga rushes forward. And this time Legend screams. A large gash runs across his arms and chest, cleaning separating the collar of his tunic from the rest. Blood oozes from it, only worsened from his weak attempts to pull away.

Wind feels his breakfast rise into his throat. Desperately, he drags his attention from his brother, even as blood runs down Legend’s body and drips onto the floor, even as he drags in wheezing breaths between clenched teeth, scream tapering off into a whine.

He has to find them a way out of here before it’s too late. And there must be one, there must be…

A small disk of gold glitters not far from where he kneels. In the rush of fear and fight for bravery, Wind hadn’t noticed it. But now it holds his gaze.

Legend has used something like this before, he realizes with a spark of hope.

“Tell us where he is!”

It is another assassin now, pushing forward and shoving the previous one aside. He reaches out and clamps his hand around Legend’s throat. The veteran chokes, face flushing and breaths gurgling.

“Tell us or we break his skinny, little neck!”

“Not yet! We still need him!”

“Well, the kid isn’t talking. This’ll make him real chatty.”

Slowly, carefully, Wind stretches out his leg. His foot connects with the hard object and he begins dragging it towards him.

Little by little it comes. And still Legend gasps. Still, he struggles, trying to tear at his captor’s skin, to kick at them, to escape. Still, his blood drifts away to pool beneath him.

“I can’t tell you!” Wind shouts, even as the hope within him grows and blossoms into something larger. Almost. He almost has it.

“I don’t know!”

Two more agonizing seconds tick past. Legend’s face is completely red now, eyes bulging as he tries and fails to fill his lungs with air.

Panic whirs in Wind’s ears, making him lightheaded. But the disk is within his reach. Gnawing his lip, Wind nudges it into his palm.

He doesn’t spare a moment to look down at the designs etched upon it, doesn’t give their attackers even that long to realize that he has found a way out. He takes a deep breath and feeds some magic into it.

It heats in his grasp, hungrily taking the power he offers and turning it into something useful. Something mighty and fierce and…

Wind’s eyes widen as a hoard of small flying things catapult out of his palm. The room fills with a deafening buzz as their wings beat together, propelling them towards their targets. Screams and shouts of terror quickly follow.

The Yiga scramble back, desperate to evade the stingers outstretched to pierce their skin. But they are not even close to as fast as the bees.

For that is what they are. A swarm of furious, yet very courageous bees.

The Yiga’s hand leaves his shoulder, the dagger falls to the floor. Seconds later, his chains fall with it, unlocked by the crafty bees. They buzz happily at him as Wind leaps to his feet, a triumphant shout on his lips and a thankful grin on his face.

The room is chaos. The Yiga try to fend off the vicious insects, swiping at them with windcleavers and sickles and daggers. But their weapons are useless against them. Even when they manage to strike down one, one hundred more appear, each angrier than the last. But never once do they harm Wind.

They part as he rushes to Legend and the only thing he feels is the wind of their wings.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a bee medallion?” He cries, grinning. “This is the coolest thing ever, vet!”

Legend looks up at him as the sailor drops down beside him. He lies in a pool of his own blood, eyes half-lidded and skin as pale as a redead. But he manages a small smirk.

“Never needed to,” he croaks. “Never thought I’d use i-it again. ‘Sides one of you would wanna borrow it.”

Wind reaches out to rest a hand on Legend’s arm. All his joviality is gone now at the sight of him, replaced instead by horror and sorrow.

“‘M sorry, Legend,” he says, sudden tears flooding his eyes. Roughly, he brushes them away. “I’m sorry they hurt you.”

Legend’s hand encloses his. He tries not to focus on the dampness of his fingers, or the crimson that smudges against his skin.

“You did good, sailor,” the veteran whispers, breath hitching on the last word. “You did real-really good.”

Wind smiles through his tears. “Well, I’m gonna do even better.”

He squeezes Legend’s hand and gets to his feet. Their pouches and weapons are propped against the far wall. Squaring his shoulders, he breaks into a run, headed toward them. With luck, one of them will have a fairy or potion remaining.

“I’m gonna get us both out of here.”

[renegadeknucks]

Hello I was wondering if you have any sonuxadow (hope I spelt that right) headcannons I love your art style by the way

i do! and thank you so much i really appreciate it!

Sonknuxadow headcanons

The three of them wear matching gold jewelry to keep close to each other, Shadow and Sonic both have their right ears pierced with two earrings, and Knuckles has the gold bands on his spines because he lacks visible ears. They do all have promise rings as well, but they're not typically worn due to none of them wanting to break such a sentimental item.

Sonic flirts with both of them constantly during battles against Eggman, he thinks it's funny. On multiple occasions this has led to Eggman forfeiting because he really doesn't want to hear it.

Their favorite nap spot is on top of the Master Emerald.

They seem to spar far more frequently than before the three of them were dating, often using it as a competition to see who can be the least worn out at the end of each session. It's almost always Knuckles, but Sonic seems to be really proud whenever he actually manages to stun the echidna. Shadow always looks the most well kept after, no matter how long it goes on, and the other two will immediately gang up on him for the sole purpose of messing up his quills. They're all very competitive.

The teasing and bickering also became far more frequent, except now instead of ending up with someone being physically hurt (usually Sonic) it now ends in them laughing due to them starting to truly understand what's off limits when it comes to each of their personal lives. 

Knuckles and Shadow are both trying their hardest to help Sonic get over his fear of water, giving him gentle kisses and holding his hands as soon as they see him getting even slightly nervous. They haven't gotten him to try full on swimming, but he's gotten okay enough in the water to go waist deep while he's with them. He still prefers to stay as far away from it as possible.

Knuckles had found the two, on multiple occasions, sneaking onto Angel Island just to play with the vast population of Chao. He finds it cute.

All three of them are known to ramble for hours about their interests, and they're always purposely asking about specifics so the rambler can go into heavier detail about it. They all love listening to their partner talk about topics that they know nothing about, they just want to hear their voice and like seeing them so passionate.

Knuckles seems to leave his island a little more often since he'd started dating them, along with using his communicator a lot more because he grew attached very quickly than anyone expected him to.

Sonic and Knuckles both help Shadow mourn the date of Maria's death and celebrate her birthday every year, Shadow secretly thinks she really would have liked them.

Shadow and Sonic started dating first, and they were only dating for two weeks before they decided someone was missing and immediately got ready and raced to Angel Island to be the first one to ask him out. Yes they did bring gifts of chocolate and flowers and stuffed animals, they had no idea what they were doing.

Speaking of stuffed animals, that's like their go to gift for all of them. Shadow has a collection of various cat plushies which eventually led to Sonic and Knuckles getting him a real cat for his birthday. Sonic has various sea creatures, and Knuckles has forest creatures. They also all have a plush of the other. None of them are the best at gift giving, Sonic often forgets he needed to.

Shadow and Sonic help Knuckles with his chores around the island, they practically live with him as their relationship goes on. They were never really invited to stay, but Knuckles loves them too much to kick them off unless they're becoming genuinely destructive or too much to handle.

Shadow does both of their makeup, the three of them all like feeling pretty so it usually ends up with all of them dressing up in feminine or masculine clothes depending on how they're feeling that day.

[namorslutfanfiction]

Tenoch is making a new movie and is crushing on his co-star. Just moments of them flirting and getting close and Tenoch showing his cute side and his AguaPapi side. I'm okay with a little smut too. Thank you !

I love it, thank you.

Summary: 8 cute moments between Tenoch and his co-star and 1 spicy moment between the sheets.

FLUFF AND SMUT this is a long one

The Meet Cute

The table read is where you met each other.

Of course you had heard of each other. You knew of him because he was Namor, I mean come on who didn't know about Agua Papi. He knew about you because he made sure to look you up. Tenoch was considerate and never wanted anyone to feel like they were lesser just because they had less experience. He was surprised to find that you had some amazing credits in international productions that he had been meaning to watch. So when he did, and he was able to really know more about you professionally, he developed a little bit of a crush.

As the two leads of this venture you were sat next to each other for the table read and you noticed that, even after the initial introductions, Tenoch kept glancing at you.

You nudged him as the director spoke, and then whispered to him, "Is there something on my face? Why do you keep looking at me?"

He leaned over to whisper in your ear while still looking at your director, "I'm just wondering how I'm going to concentrate on these scenes when they got me such a beautiful wife to act against."

You gaped at him and then kicked him in the shin under the table. He jumped but still smirked at you, winking as he did.

"Tenoch, y/n, is everything ok?" The director asked,

"Things are perfect," The way Tenoch said it sounded like a purr and you hated that you thought it was cute.

You leaned over once everyone was back to listening to the director, "You're gonna be a menace aren't you?"

"And we are going to have a lot of fun together," Tenoch replied, looking into your eyes and holding your gaze until you had to look away. You covered your blushing face with the script while you tried to cool down. Tenoch sat next to you shaking from the laughs he was holding in.

This was going to be interesting.

Fight Rehearsal

" Aye pinche a la verga wey!"

"Honestly, Tenoch, I expected more from you," You taunted as the Latino man picked himself up off the mat.

"We are only supposed to be sparring!" Tenoch growled, throwing his spear to the ground, "No quiero hacer esto contigo, perra!"

"Aw, ok ok, I'm sorry. I just got excited. I've never been able to pull that move off with the stunt men and when I realized it was working I went full force. I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you okay?" You rushed up to Tenoch who had his arms crossed against his chest. You gripped his wrists trying to get him to loosen up. "I'm really sorry."

You had both been in physical training for months and had moved on to fight choreography and rehearsal. While it was fun most of the time, it hurt Tenoch's ego a little bit that you were much better at it than he was. Not that he wasn't trying but you grew up learning three forms of martial arts so you had an advantage.

You hugged Tenoch around the middle since he was so much taller than you and spoke to him even though your voice was muffled against his shirt, "I'll let you flip me into the foam pool in the big rec center if you keep practicing with me today."

"Aye, cabrona," Tenoch sighed and hugged you back, "let me throw you twice and we have a deal."

You pulled back and stared at him. You locked eyes trying to intimidate each other then you conceded, "Alright, twice."

You stuck your hand out for a hand shake and Tenoch took it and sealed the deal.

"You're lucky you're cute, hermosa, or I would have left," Tenoch called to you as he drank some water from his bottle near the training room mirrors.

You were across the room picking up your notebook to look up another scene. You glanced at him, "You're lucky you're handsome or I wouldn't be going easy on you."

"No mames," Tenoch yelled and gave chase. He grabbed you from behind and lifted you by your waist. Then got you in a head lock once he put you down. You were both laughing as you wrestled.

Gym Buddies

"Come on chiquita, one more rep," Tenoch encouraged you as you dropped into your last squat. You huffed and strained loudly.

"I can't."

"Yes you can. Just one more," Tenoch was spotting you as you forced yourself to stand one more time. Once the barbell was racked and the weight was off your shoulders you collapsed onto your butt.

Tenoch looked down at you amused then told you to scoot over so he could add his weights for his own set. You had decided to work out together today and you were regretting it. The man was encouraging but pushy when it came to weight lifting. There was no doubt in your mind that you would be sore as hell the next day.

"What happened to the tough, pendeja who keeps beating my ass on the mats every week?" Tenoch teased as he lifted you on to a nearby bench so that you weren't in the way of the squat rack.

"I am a cardio person Tenoch. This lifting weights stuff is not my happy place. I'm going to be so fucking sore and it's your fault." You complained as you gulped down some water.

"This is a good sore though," Tenoch said as he hit his set of squats.

"I can think of a better sore," You mumbled to yourself.

Tenoch racked the barbell and leaned over you with one hand on each side of you, spanning the width of the bench. God he had big hands. You looked up and his face was only inches away from you. He was breathing heavily from doing the squats and you could feel his hot breath barely blowing across your lip. You instinctively licked your lips which caught the actor's eye. "What kind of sore would that be?"

You stuttered, "T-the kind where my legs are sore from kicking you around."

"These legs?" Tenoch asked as he knelt in front of you and grasped your left thigh with both hands. He locked eyes with you as he started to massage your thigh then stretched out your leg.

Your heart raced at the feel of his hands on you. Then he bit his lip right before he made a fist and ran it firmly on the back of your thigh from your butt to your knee. "FUCK!"

It hurt like a bitch but Tenoch held your leg in place and repeated the gesture to your whole thigh, "Stop moving. This will help with the soreness."

"That fucking hurts!" Tenoch ignored you as he finished with one leg and held you down so he could grab the other leg, giving it the same treatment. Once he was done you smacked him hard across the chest, "Pendejo!"

He was laughing as he sat back, "It feels better now, right?"

You paused and wiggled on your seat realizing the tension in your legs had loosened. You looked down at your hands and quietly thanked him. He was standing now, having grabbed his things. Tilting your face up to look at him he spoke softly, "I promise the only type of sore I'll make you is the good kind of sore."

Tenoch smiled down at you before releasing your chin and heading for the lockers, "Goodnight hermosa, I'll see you next week when we start filming."

You watched his back as he left you there. He pulled off his shirt right as he made it to the locker room entrance way and you couldn't help but gasp at how good his back muscles looked right after a full body work out. You could only imagine what the rest of him looked like.

Someone got sick

"Hey Nochie!" You called as you barged into his temporary apartment. You juggled the groceries you had as you made your way to the kitchen and started unloading your haul.

Tenoch stumbled in looking like death wrapped in a bathrobe and little else. His eyes were a little puffy, he had wadded up tissues in his hands, and he was sweating slightly.

You sprayed a little disinfectant at him, "No one told you to leave the bedroom. Go back in there or I'll spray this directly on you."

"Don't be mean," from the sound of his voice you could tell he had been coughing and his nose was stuffed up. He waddled back down the hall way and you heard the telltale 'whap' as he threw himself onto the bed.

The idiot had gotten a cold. Unfortunately, his assistant wasn't much help as he was a young newbie and a man. You got to work preparing the new humidifier that was delivered and placed by the door. Once that was set up in Tenoch's bedroom you returned to the kitchen to make some soup.

You knew that Tenoch was a fan of spice but even you were a bit hesitant to use as much as the recipe called for. But your Indian friend had insisted that the spice was necessary and would burn the illness out of the actor in no time. If you hadn't experienced it yourself, you probably wouldn't have believed her. Now here you were making a home remedy for the Mexican actor.

After a week of being sick and missing your first shoots together, you were fed up. Once you realized that his assistants were useless in the realm of caring for a whiney man with the a cold you decided you had to intervene. Plus you had started to miss the man.

With some texts and coordination with his assistants you were given a key and the go ahead to help him and try not to get sick yourself. You slaved over a hot stove for an hour before the soup was ready and the steam of it was making your eyes water.

You scooped some of the steaming soup and placed it in a bowl on a tray. You pulled out some of the cold medicine that was sitting on the counter along with a bottle of water. Carefully, you took the tray in to Tenoch's room, where he was sleeping soundly. His breathing wasn't as labored, which told you that the humidifier was working. You placed the tray on a small table and went to wake him.

"Nochie, time to eat." You shook his shoulder gently and he slowly opened his eyes. You helped him sit up and handed him the tissue box on his bedside table so he could blow his nose.

"That humidifier really helped. I haven't been able to sleep like that in days," He looked at you with a soft smile on his face.

"I made you some soup. It's a friends old family recipe. It's spicy but it always did the trick whenever I would get sick during tech week in college," You explained as you set the tray on his lap.

He watched you as made sure the tray was stable and the medicine was out of it's blister packet. When you looked up you couldn't help but blush at the softness he was emanating.

"Eat this and then take your medicine, " You commanded as you started randomly tidying up his room. Before you could move too far away from the bed he grabbed your wrist.

"Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate you coming to take care of me," He said earnestly.

You shifted your wrist and took his hand, "You won't be so grateful once you try that soup."

That made you both laugh.

"But seriously it's not just hot temperature-wise. There's enough spice in there to fill a taco truck," You gestured to the bowl.

"Sounds delicious," Tenoch said as he picked up the bowl with both hands and took a big gulp. Immediately he started coughing. You deftly took the bowl away from him so he wouldn't spill.

"I told you!" You exclaimed. Tenoch grabbed the water bottle and drank from it hungrily.

Once he had recovered he gestured for the bowl again and you hesitated before gently handing it to him. This time he took a much smaller sip and made a soft noise of approval, "It burns so good."

"Don't make that face when you say that, you look like a psycho," You went around cleaning up some tissues and clothes strewn about as the actor slowly ate his soup, "Trust me it may burn good now, but you'll hate it when it burns coming out."

Tenoch whipped his head up and looked at you with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, your cold will get burned away too. The hour or so on the toilet will be worth it. Anyway, I'm gonna head out. Good luck, handsome." You couldn't help but cackle loudly as you left the actor alone.

Hours later

TH: I hate you

YN: You love me

TH: I'm dying.

YN: Can you finally breathe through your nose and mouth at the same time?"

TH: ...yes.

YN: You're welcome.

TH: <3

Filming together for the first time

Due to Tenoch's cold the entire filming schedule got so turned around that it was 2 months after filming had started that you finally had your first scene together.

Although you had rehearsed fights and other scenes together, this was the first time you were seeing each other in full costume and makeup. It was quite honestly intimidating how good the actor looked in a well fitting suit and perfectly trimmed hair.

"Oh ho, look at you. Aye que bonita. Who knew you could clean up so good?" Tenoch said taking your hand and making you do a little twirl.

"Don't pretend like you haven't thought I was stunning since the moment you met me," You teased as you struck an exaggerated seductive pose.

"The color suits you, hermosa," he kissed your cheek in greeting and you did the same to him. The crew was still putting the finishing touches on the scene and directing the extras. It was a party where the two characters had agreed to meet for a covert deal. It was extravagant.

"Thank you, Tenoch. As always you look handsome as ever in that suit. No wonder they call you Agua Papi," You teased knowing that he always got flustered when you brought up the fans' nickname for him.

"Aye mujer, stop calling me that," as expected the actor was blushing.

You leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Don't pretend you don't like it. Every guy likes being called 'papi'."

He grasped your waist and stopped you from leaving his side, he leaned down and whispered in your ear, "I prefer it in private."

A shiver ran down your spine right between your legs as you looked into his eyes. You both glanced at each others lips. You chuckled, "Save it for the camera or your fan girls might try and poison my water."

You gestured to some of the extras that were staring at the two of you across the room. Two in particular were glaring daggers in your direction but it didn't bother you. The director called for 'places' and you went your separate ways.

Acting together was electrifying. Your chemistry seemed like second nature. Even when you both decided to move the scene in a different direction it was seamless. Everyone on set could feel it. That this was a dynamic duo in the making. Having an actor vibe with you so well was a rare gift and you enjoyed every minute of it. There was a challenge there as well as trust that gave you the confidence to explore versions of the scene that you hadn't thought of during rehearsal.

Tenoch felt the same way. Acting with you was fun and natural. For every cross he made you had a counter-cross. For every push there was a pull. It was energizing. When you had practiced together it was peaking through, but once you were both fully committed to the scene, in character, in front of the camera where it mattered most, you both thrived.

When the shoot ended for the day, Tenoch impulsively hugged you and kissed the crown of your head, "Mi compañera! This is going to be an amazing shoot."

You laughed at his exuberance and returned the hug, "You felt it too, huh?"

"Electricity! You're like my soul mate. Oscars here we come!" Tenoch cheered as you both made your way out of the studio arm in arm. You didn't want to think too much about how Tenoch calling you his soul mate had made your heart skip a beat.

Kissing Practice

You were pacing back and forth in one of the waiting rooms of the studio. You were incredibly nervous for a very stupid reason. Today you would be filming the first kissing scene. Not only was it the first kissing scene of this film but it was also the first kissing scene you had ever been asked to film.

That is how Tenoch found you. Pacing a path into the floor as you worried about your upcoming scene. "Que pasa mujer?"

You stopped in your tracks and looked at the actor. He was dressed in fitted black slacks and a satin button down that was only half way buttoned, showing off his sculpted chest. His sleeves were rolled up , exposing his strong forearms and the fake tattoos they had put on to them. You blushed, thinking about the scene and how you were supposed to throw yourself at him.

"Hi Tenoch," You replied nervously, not able to meet his eyes.

Tenoch tilted his head in confusion, "Que chingados? Quien eres? Who are you and what have you done to my co-star?"

"Oh shut up," You shot back as you continued your pacing.

Tenoch followed your path, watching you, "Why do you look nervous? You never look nervous."

You turned on him, "I'm allowed to be nervous!"

"Of course you are but why are you that way?"

You sighed, running hand through your hair while fidgeting with your skirt's hem. "I've never shot a kissing scene before."

"Ah, okay. What can I do to help?" Tenoch asked sincerely.

"Wait, you're not gonna make some joke about it?" You looked up at him.

"Of course not. I remember how nervous I was the first time I had to kiss someone on screen. Kissing is nothing in real life. It's natural, you don't have to worry about if you bump noses or close your eyes too soon, or purse your lips too much. But you can see all of that on screen. It's intimidating," he explained.

"Oh god, you can purse your lips too much? I hadn't thought of that," Your mind was racing with what else you could have missed.

"Oh mierda. Come here," he guided you to a chair and sat you down. "Calmate. Stop worrying. We can plan it right now ok."

"Plan it?"

"Yes. Like who tilts right and who tilts left, where our hands go, what kind of kiss it is. We can figure it all now and even practice if you want. It's just a scene like all the others. We can rehearse it." Tenoch took your hand and squeezed it.

"Really?"

He looked down at your face and realized just how vulnerable you felt in this moment. You had been confident the entire shoot until now. Reliable and trusted by everyone. You didn't want to disappoint anyone. He stood and pulled you to your feet, "Yes, really. So stand here and I will stand in front of you. I know in this scene you're supposed to jump into my arms. But we will get to the jumping later. Relax first."

You shook out your arms and slowed your breathing down.

"So obviously you jump into my arms so I will immediately wrap them around your waist," Tenoch did just that, your chest pressed together. Damn he smelled good.

"Thank you, you smell amazing too. But focus," Tenoch chided with a cheeky grin. You blushed red not realizing you had said your thought out loud. "Alright now you're in my arms. Obviously since you jump you will be more at eye level with me so let me lift you up, wrap your legs around my waist while we figure out the rest."

You followed his command and tried not to let your thoughts fly directly into the gutter at the position you were in. His arms felt strong around your waist, and you could feel how firm his muscles were as you wrapped your legs around him and, in turn, wrapped your arms around his neck.

"Alright did you want to keep your arms around my neck, or did you want to grab my face?" Tenoch asked like it was a normal every day question.

"Uh neck is good, especially if I'm throwing myself at you. If I try to grab your face I might poke your eye out." You explained finally getting yourself to think about the scene.

"Good call. Alright so I would suggest that we tilt right side respectively. And we keep that angle no matter which camera angle they use, for consistency," You followed his directions and tilted your head to the right and he did the same on his side. Your lips were millimeters apart. "Ok see that will eliminate any nose bumping. Now what kind of kiss?"

"Well it's a passionate one. She's giving into her attraction after putting it off and it's her way of asking for comfort," You replied, really digging into the context of the scene.

"Alright so passionate as in open mouthed, tongue, full on devouring?" Tenoch asked, rubbing your back slightly.

"I think open mouthed, with a little tongue at the end. Since he would be surprised at first and then realize what is happening and reciprocate," You reasoned.

Tenoch smiled and let you down on to your feet, "That sounds perfect. So are you ready to practice?"

"Right now?"

"Yes. Look we have figured out the logistics but if the first time we kiss is when the cameras are rolling it may turn out awkward. It's also your first kissing scene and I know you want to do well. " Tenoch told you.

"Right, ok. So, um, I just run at you and do it?" You were nervous again.

"No," Tenoch had found a spot across the room and had his arms folded. His demeanor was shifting from the helpful senior actor to his debonair character, "Get into character. The last three lines before the kiss then run."

In the blink of an eye Tenoch was gone and he was replaced by his character. The way he held himself changed, his expression, the twinkle in his eye, everything was different.

The electrifying feeling of acting against someone so skilled returned. You walked across the room towards him and with each stop you melted into your character.

"Quit looking so damn smug."

You clenched your fists in frustration as he smirked at you.

"You think you know everything but you know nothing,"

He looked away, uninterested. But damn did he look good.

"Look at me."

He turned back to you with a cocked eyebrow and made a dismissive 'hmph' noise. Then you ran the rest of the way into his arms, and your lips found his.

Tenoch hesitated as your lips moved against his and his arms wrapped around your waist. You were flush against each other. He finally started to reciprocate and you felt yourself melt. You moaned into the kiss and almost pulled away when you realized but Tenoch turned and pressed you against the wall, deepening the kiss and pushing his tongue into your mouth.

Reluctantly you both pulled away. Tenoch was towering over you with his arms against the wall, caging you in between. You both were out of breath, eyes dilated, and slowly coming back to earth.

Tenoch cough and took a few steps back from you, "Um that was good. You're ready for the shoot I think. I-I'll see you later."

Then he was out the door leaving you flustered and wanting more.

Last day of shooting

The tension between you and Tenoch had been building ever since that first kiss practice. You both only really saw each other on the days you were shooting scenes together. The production had been asked to speed up to make a certain date so you were all swamped and working constantly.

The tension worked well with your characters and as always you acted well together. While on set you both were very aware of each other. Still joking and flirting but there was an undercurrent of desire beneath it all. Every kissing scene felt a little to needy and desperate to the both of you. The few moments you were alone together you didn't speak much. Instead you both would catch the other staring, it was obvious that the attraction was becoming unbearable.

It was the last day of filming and everyone was saying their good byes. Unfortunately, you couldn't find Tenoch anywhere. You considered texting him, but you were already overthinking and overanalyzing. What if the attraction was something you made up in your head? What if he was avoiding you because he could tell you were infatuated? What if he had actually left without saying goodbye? You knew you would probably see him on the press tour, but that was months from now.

You walked dejectedly to your car in the studio parking lot. You had told your manager to go on without you, after all you were on vacation for the next three weeks. When you turned the corner to where you knew your car was, you were surprised to find Tenoch parked next to your SUV, standing between the two cars with his hands in his pockets.

"Tenoch? What are you doing?"

"Aye chingada madre. Took you long enough. Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting for you," Tenoch was startled by your sudden presence.

You walked up to him and immediately began smacking his shoulder, "I thought you left without saying good bye you bastard!"

"Hey! Hey, stop it." He grabbed you by the wrists, "Why the hell do you think I would do that?"

"I don't know," You replied softly.

Tenoch cupped your cheek and looked into your eyes. "I can't leave without asking this hermosa to let me take her out on a date."

"You wanna go on a date?" Your eyes widened in surprise.

"That's what I just said," he was smiling his most charming smile.

"I'd love to," You returned his smile ten fold.

The date

Tenoch had insisted on waiting until you were both in Mexico to have the date. One, because his flight was already booked, and two because he wanted to cook for you.

So two weeks later, you found yourself in Tenoch's house, in a pretty sundress, drinking a margarita as the man in question cooked for you. He was preparing four or five dishes and was entertaining you immensely with his running commentary.

"A man who cannot cook is a man who will never find love. That is what my mother always said so I made sure to learn how to cook," Tenoch recounted to you.

"It all smells amazing, but please don't make it too spicy. You know I'm a baby when it comes to spicy food," You commented as you leaned over the counter to look over the dishes he was plating.

"Yes, for the baby I have cut the spice level to 50 percent. Scouts honor," he leaned forward and kissed the corner of your lips.

"I don't think you were ever a scout. Do they have scout's in Mexico?" You asked as he circled the counter and started setting the table.

"Of course we have scouts. But of course I was never a scout," he winked at you as he pulled out your chair, then poured you both a glass of wine.

"First a margarita, and now wine? Are you trying to get me drunk?" You teased him,

"Drinking is a time honored Mexican tradition, hermosa, it's part of my culture," He took his seat and started serving you portions of food.

You couldn't help but laugh. He was so charming and looked so handsome, and he could cook. You thanked whatever gods brought you here.

"Cuisine a la Mejia, now being served. Enjoy!" And you both did.

You insisted on helping him wash up after spending two hours talking and eating and sharing everything you could about each other. In between all that casual chemistry you had always had together was a growing desire. You both snuck kisses in between conversations. Held each others hands, and found reasons to touch each other.

It was only natural when Tenoch pulled you into a hug from behind as you finished washing the last of the dishes. You both were a little buzzed, warm to touch, and feeling relaxed. He started peppering kisses from your ear to your neck, hitting just the right spot to make your legs weak enough that you had to hold onto the counter.

You finished the last dish and set it to dry as Tenoch continued his ministrations. He pulled your dress strap down your shoulder and laved, and sucked at your skin. Your hand came around and pulled his waist closer to your body. A low growl emanated from him as he pressed up against you. You could feel his arousal tenting his pants.

You turned your head and captured his lips in a searing kiss. His hand found your hair and pulled it loose from the bun on top of your head. Gripping it tightly in his fist, he grinded up against you.

"Tell me to stop and I'll stop," He whispered into your ear, afraid of hurting you.

"Don't you dare," You replied desperately.

Tenoch captured your lips again and grinded against you. His hand reached down and flipped up the skirt of your sundress. He kissed his way down your back, leading with his hands so he could slip off your panties. He let out a groan at how wet you were. The actor was on his knees behind you, spread your cheeks and started lapping at your wet pussy.

Your hand gripped his hair behind you as you grinded against his mouth. Your moans filled the kitchen as he devoured your dripping cunt. He spread your legs further and pulled his tongue away from your center making you cry out in protest.

"Ssshh, I'm not done," He whispered as he slowly pushed a finger and then another inside of you. He stood back up and fingered you with a steady pace as he undid his belt and zipper.

You rocked back into his hand chasing after the orgasm that you were teetering on the brink of. Then his fingers left you and you moaned in frustration. "Please, I'm so close."

Your whimpered plea was met with Tenoch rubbing his tip against your soaked folds, "What do you want?"

"I want you to put your cock inside, Tenoch, please."

He slowly, agonizingly did as you asked. When he started thrusting you clutched the counter tightly. He was kissing your neck again, hand wrapped in your hair as the other guided your hips. He pounded into you relentlessly, giving into months of desire and attraction.

Your orgasm hit you like a train and you gasped as he fucked you through it. You felt wetness flow between your legs as he continued thrusting. Tenoch pulled you up to him for another wet kiss as he followed you over the edge. He grunted as he emptied into you. Slowing down and peppering every inch of skin he could with kisses. His hand gripped and rubbed your ass cheek affectionately.

The sheets

"Come with me," Tenoch said as he took your hand and led you upstairs. You were both still coming off the high off your coupling in the kitchen. It was spontaneous and passionate and so right. He had tenderly helped you clean up and righted your clothes afterward. Giving you water and asking if he had been too rough.

When you walked into his bedroom you were surprised to find it to be so clean and airy. The large bed was the center point but the rest of the furnishings were a light wood and his curtains were gauzy. The sun had long since set and instead of turning the lights on, Tenoch started lighting candles.

Once the candles were going, Tenoch stripped down to his boxers and then found an oversized shirt and a clean pair of boxers for you to change into. He helped you undress, kissing you on your neck, arms, cheeks, back and shoulders as you went. You felt absolutely adored.

Tenoch turned down the bed and gestured for you to join him. When you did, he wrapped you in his arms and kissed you slowly, nuzzling you between languid kisses. You cuddled and shared intimate caresses as you fell into an easy pillow talk about everything and nothing.

Tenoch had his head on your shoulder as you stroked his hair. His arm was slung across your waist and your legs intertwined. You could have fallen asleep then but his hand found the hem of your shirt and he pushed it up to reveal your breast.

You bit your lip as he suckled on your nipple. His hand kneaded the other and rolling the nipple between his fingers. You arched into his touch as his hand slipped past the band of the borrowed boxers you wore and found your clit. Tenoch teased you with his fingers and his mouth until you were pulling his lips to your own in a hungry kiss.

As you kissed you pulled his boxers down and palmed his cock in your hand. You wrapped your hand around his shaft and jerked it a few times, letting the pre-cum spread. He bucked into your hand as he sucked your lip. Eagerly you pulled the shirt and boxers off between kisses then wrapped your legs around his waist.

His hand supported him above you while the other caressed your jaw. Tenoch reached between you and lined himself up before thrusting into you, balls deep. You arched into the feeling of his cock inside of you. The actor pulled your arms away from the sheets and pinned them above your head as he drove into you.

His hips snapped into yours as he thrusted deeply into you. The bed shook with the force of it and the sounds of your fucking filled the room. Tenoch leaned into you and captured your lips. Your hands, now free, found his back, dragging your nails along the contours of his muscles. Moaning into your kiss he gripped the backs of your thighs. He sat up and hooked your legs around his forearms changing the angle.

With increased vigor he fucked you, hitting a spot inside of you that had your mind reeling. He held your legs to him as he continued his rhythm and circled your clit with his fingers. You moaned his name over and over like a prayer as you felt that tell tale knot coiling inside of you. It released and you came, convulsing with the waves of your orgasm. Tenoch slowed down to kiss you as you came down from your high.

"Turn over, mi amor," Tenoch whispered as he gripped your hips. With his help you found yourself chest first into the bed. His big hands caressed your ass cheeks before he lined himself up and plunged his cock back into your glistening pussy.

His thrusts were relentless as he gripped your hips and moaned words of praise. You were lost in the pleasure of it, rubbing your clit as he rutted into you. You hit another peak just as Tenoch's hips stuttered and he groaned with his release.

The actor collapsed next to you. You looked over at him and you both smiled satiated smiles. You could tell he was barely staying awake like you, but he still got up and brought a clean wet cloth to clean up the evidence of your love making. He was gentle and continued to whisper words of praise and adoration as he helped you get dressed and tucked you in.

You were barely conscious as he blew out all the candles and then climbed into the bed behind you. He pulled you to him, kissed your temple, and you both fell asleep.

...

ALRIGHT YALL I NEED REVIEWS AND COMMENTS.

I was on a roll and I literally clocked out of work but stayed in my office for an extra hour to finish this. No, proof reading right now because I need to drive home so forgive me.

You're welcome

[teddy-bear-baby]

Soldier Reborn

Pairing: Gn!Reader X  König

Warnings: Dickish Ghost, Violence, Verbal bullying/ridicule

A/N: The plot for this has been rolling around my head for three days now and I finally decided to just sit down and let my mind run with it. Enjoy

     You tried, really you did. You tried everything to stay out of trouble, to keep yourself from slipping up and ruining another mission. You’ve been successful so far, every mission you’d been on since your previous failure had gone as planned. Not that you’d been on many. Lieutenant Ghost had insisted you sit out on most of them, claiming you were a liability. 

     “I’m not sure why Price keeps you around.” Ghost’s eyes were set hard, all of his attention  on you. “You’ve gone and fucked it again. I knew I should've left you behind, should’ve told you to sit this one out.” He’s not yelling but his voice is harsh enough for you to feel as though he is.

     You don’t flinch even as his arms fly around wildly. Ghost was an intimidating man, but you’d never feared him. You definitely should have but something in your mind had you absolutely enthralled with the man. “I’m sorry Lieutenant, it was an honest mistake.” You lower your eyes as you replay the scene in your head. 

     You’d been following Ghost through enemy territory, on the verge of capturing your target. You were so busy watching for any sign of hostiles that you’d not been looking where you were going. Your foot met with a rather large crack in the concrete floor, sending you tumbling rather ungracefully to the floor. The loud clatter of your equipment hitting the ground alerted the target to your presence. All of the chaos that ensued caused you both to lose sight of the target.

      Ghost leaned down, practically touching his nose to yours. “Mistakes have no place here.” He’s breathing heavy from the rage coursing through him, each exhale puffing hot air through his mask and into your face. “You’re far too slow and weak. You don’t think through your actions and you get others hurt.” He pulls back straightening his spine as he continues to stare you down.

     You look on incredulously, not really listening to the rest of his rant as you ponder his words. Weak? Slow? No, you were none of those. You’ve always been strong and quick on your feet, that’s what drew Price to you in the first place. Sometimes your mind would slip, you’d get caught up in your own thoughts. Like now, you realize with a sardonic laugh, you’ve been completely ignoring Ghost’s curses and ramblings.

     Ghost’s head cocks to the side as he goes completely silent for a moment. “Did you just fucking laugh Sergeant?” His voice is low and menacing, nearly a growl. “Care to share what’s so fucking funny?”

     Your heart skips a beat as you stare back at your lieutenant. His eyes hold a look of murder and while you didn’t think he’d hurt you, you know he’s more than capable. “I- It wasn’t-” You fumble to find the words to tell him that you weren’t laughing at him. Then you realize you’d have to explain that you weren’t listening and you weren’t prepared for the repercussions of that. “Look, Lieutenant, with all due respect, I don’t believe I’m weak or slow.” You shake your head, attempting to rid yourself of the images of him tearing you to shreds that run through your mind. “I mean, I keep up with you just fine when we spar and during training. I mean,” You feel the regret set into your chest before you’ve even finished your sentence. You beg your mouth to stop before you get yourself in more trouble, but it won’t. “If I’m slow and weak, wouldn’t that mean you are too?”

     Ghost’s already angry eyes appear to catch fire as he stares silently at you. You’re fairly certain he’s taking this time to plan your murder. Figuring out the best way to kill  you and make it look like an accident. 

     After almost two whole minutes of him staring daggers at you he finally speaks. His voice is calm and calculated, eyes set narrow. “There is no place for mistakes in the 141. From now on, you work around the base. You will go on no more missions, big or small. Understood?” 

     Your eyes widen as you process his words. Anger begins to bubble up under your skin. Your body feels like it's on fire. How could he say that? Did he even hold the power to make that decision? Maybe he was right though, you didn’t belong here. Try as you might, you can’t keep your mouth shut. “You know what Ghost? You're right.” You nod as you take a step back bringing your hand up to the patch you wore so proudly for so long. “There is no place for mistakes in 141.” You pull the patch free from your vest, glancing at it as you hold it out in front of you. Hurt bleeds into your voice. “Since you seem to think I’m a mistake, there’s no place here for me.” 

     Ghost’s eyes fall to the small object you hold out to him. Surprise flashes through his orbs as he flicks his eyes back up to yours. There's a silent question behind his gaze as he slowly, almost hesitantly, reaches out to grasp the patch.

     Your arm falls back to your side with a small smack as you relinquish your hold. “There.” You feel the need to cry, but refuse to be seen as fragile in this moment. “Now there aren’t any mistakes in the 141.” You turn swiftly, making your way toward Price’s office. Hurt and anger still coursed through your veins, but you wouldn’t stand here and take the bullying Ghost had put you through. You were ready, without a doubt, to submit your transfer request.

~~~~~

     “Alright Vögelchen,” König’s voice was soft and playful as he spoke. “Time to get down.” He crouched low to the floor allowing you to slide off of his back with a small laugh. Training with König was always fun, revitalizing even. Without fail, halfway through your sparring sessions you’d find yourselves playing like children rather than training like soldiers. Last time it was a relentless tickle fight. This time you’d found yourself hoisted on König’s back as he ran circles around the sparring mat.

     You and König had grown close since your forced partnership six months ago. Your relationship was a bit strained at first, his anxiety clashed harshly with how defensive you were from being blamed so much. For the first two weeks you were both highly alert around each other, fearing one of you would blow up at the other over something small. It was awful and you were sure the pairing wouldn’t hold for very long.

     It wasn’t until your first real mission that you finally clicked, like two perfectly sized gears in a well oiled machine. You both moved as one being, swift and silent as you took down everyone in your way. You lurked in the shadow of your large companion, ready to jump out and strike when they least expected it. That's how you got your new callsign, Casper or Cas for short. It started off as a goofy nickname from some of the others after they’d seen you and König in action. You took it in stride and ultimately decided you didn’t want to hold onto the one that brought you so much pain and resentment. So, you traded it out for Casper.

     A sigh falls from your lips as König stands up straight, rolling his shoulders. “I know, I know.” You put on a serious face as he turns to look at you. “Time for real work, yeah?” You do your best to imitate his accent, it's oddly accurate even though you sound abhorrent. A lopsided smile graces your lips as König squints his eyes at you.

     “Very funny, little ghost.” His voice lilts with annoyed amusement, but you know beneath his hood he’s grinning right back at you. “Actually, I was going to suggest a snack break.” 

     “Yeah, I could go for a snack.” 

~~~~~~

     “König, Casper.” A recruit, visibly out of breath, runs into the room. “Come. Urgent. “ Each word is punctuated with a gasping breath as he waves you both over.

     You turn to give König a questioning look only to find him already giving you one. You shrug, jumping down from your seat on the counter. “Slow down, what’s going on?” You walk over and place a hand on his shoulder to help steady him.

     “I’ve been across the whole building looking for you two.” He shakes his head, droplets of sweat flying from his hair. “Let’s walk and talk.” 

     You follow him out into the hall, König hot on your heels. “Why were you looking for us?”

     The recruit peers over his shoulder at you. “Got a distress call, you two and a few others are being dispatched.” 

     König speaks up. “Do we know who the call is from?”

     The recruit huffs as you all stop in front of the door to the command center. “I don’t know, not high enough ranking I guess.” He shrugs, walking away as you and push open the door.

     Your palms grow sweaty, heart still racing as you listen to the recording a third time. “Does anyone copy? This is Lieutenant Ghost, Task Force 141. We’ve lost contact with the mainbase. We’re trapped, surrounded.” Gunfire can be heard in the background of the recording, making your heart sink further into your stomach. “I repeat, this is Lieutenant Ghost, does anyone copy?”

~~~~~

     Your mind races, hope and fear clashing against the inside of your skull like a tornado. Maybe Ghost hadn’t been the friendliest to you, but you still respected him. You didn’t want any harm to come to him or the rest of the team. Sure, you hated how he’d treated you, how he’d made you out to be so terrible at everything, but it was all in an effort to break you from your clumsiness. You couldn’t blame him for being angry when you’d put so many people at risk with your carelessness. 

     You push the thoughts from your head as the helicopter comes to halt just shy of the projected location. The command center towers had pinged Ghost’s location about 100 kliks northwest of where you were stationed. The chopper hovers about a hundred feet above the ground, waiting for you and the others to make your descent.

     You clear your mind of all thoughts aside from the mission at hand, losing yourself and embodying the soldier you’re trained to be. You nod to König as you drop yourself down the rope, sliding carefully to the ground. You turn, raising your rifle in the direction of your objective, ready to provide cover fire for the rest as they drop down behind you. You scan the wooded terrain, searching for any movement or other signs of an oncoming attack. 

     After the other five were settled on the ground König went back over the plan step by step. 

     Sweep the perimeter.

     Clear outside threats.

     Infiltrate.

     Clear the building.

     Proceed with retrieval.

          The first two steps were the easiest as most of the opposition were collected inside trying to get to 141. The few you had encountered were obviously under trained and dispatched easily. Afterward you split into groups of two, each taking an entrance and beginning your sweep of the ground floor. Though you weren’t completely sure at first where they’d been trapped at, it wasn’t hard to track them. The banging and hollering from the basement allowed you and König to find them fairly easily. 

     You follow close behind König as you make your way through the dimly lit halls of the basement, taking out attackers as quietly as possible. As the banging grows louder, König motions for you to move ahead of him. This was something you did often, while König wasn’t loud by any means, you were smaller, harder to spot. You maneuver yourself around him, chest pressing to his front in the narrow walkway. 

     You continue down the hall towards the ruckus, König five feet behind you, ready to strike anyone who tries to lay a finger on you. Despite the space, you move together, a unit of destruction, a machine of death steaming rolling all who stood between you and your objective. A king of war and his spectral queen against the rest in a morbid dance with the reaper.

      When you reach the corridor the sounds originated from you see two of the men you’d come with locked in the heat of battle. There were at least thirty opposition fighters, all crowded in one area, none of them seeming to have noticed you or the mountain of a man behind you. You think briefly about signaling what you can see to König before remembering he can easily see it over your head. You spare a glance at him before nodding and moving in to join the chaos.

     A knife flies from your hand as another wizzes past your head, both sticking their respective targets as you continue moving forward. You pull another knife from your vest as you move behind one of the unsuspecting men. You strike out, one hand snapping his head backwards as the other swiftly runs the sharp edge of the blade through the flesh of his neck. He falls to the floor gurgling as you relinquish your hold on him. 

     Moving the knife to your off hand you unholster your pistol, firing three rapid shots. One after the other, the opposition falls as blood pools on the floor around your feet. You sigh as the last of them fall and with a clearer view of the hallway you see the 141. They’d wound up barricaded in what looked to be an interrogation room, complete with bullet proof glass and a steel door. 

     Soap and Gaz peer out the window at your group, accessing the scene before them as though they hadn’t watched the whole thing unfold. Price is the first to appear out of the previously barricaded doorway, followed shortly by the other three. 

     König sent your other four teammates to ensure the building was empty, while you both stayed to converse with 141.

     Your heart pounds in your ears as you flit your eyes between the four men you’d just helped save. Now that the immediate danger has been dealt with your mind begins to swim with memories of Ghost ridiculing you. You're sure he doesn’t even know it’s you under the mask but it doesn’t stop you from cowering a step behind König like a child. After being treated so well by König and the others, after being guided rather than scolded, the idea of Ghost’s harsh words strikes fear through your very being.

     “Now that that’s dealt with.” Price smiles grimly as he looks between you and König. 

     König hums awkwardly before speaking. “There are extra seats in the chopper. We can take you back to base and get you in contact with whoever you need.” He glances over his shoulder at you. “Casper, radio back, let them know we’ll be having company.” 

     With a curt nod you take a few steps off to the side, half listening to the conversation while you relay the message back to base. You choke on your saliva when you hear Ghost pipe up.

     “You two fight well, might ask for a transfer.” His low chuckle sends shivers down your spine. “We could use a couple of well trained fighters like you.” 

     You sputter and cough as you take in his words, while they weren’t meant to be, your mind took them as a threat. Your body goes rigid as you feel multiple sets of eyes on you. You don’t risk looking back, not wanting to lock eyes with anyone. You swear for a moment your soul leaves your body as a large hand comes to rest on your lower back.

     “Are you alright Cas?” König’s voice immediately soothes your previous mental afflictions. “Are you feeling ok?”

     You wave him off as you clear your throat. “Yeah, no, I’m ok. Sorry, I choked on his audacity.” You keep your voice low as you wave your hand in the general direction of Ghost. “Caught me off guard, that’s all.”

     König snorts at your comment, patting your back. “Gott, du bist dramatisch. Pull yourself together Little Ghost. The mission’s not over yet.” His hand pats the top of your helmet as he chuckles.

     “Oi!” You swat his hand away as you turn back to the group of men, all of them watch your interaction intently. “I’m not a child.” 

     Gaz’s laugh catches your attention before he speaks. “Next to him you look like one.”

     “That’s one badass child.” Soap slaps Gaz’s arm as he starts laughing with him. He catches the glare you shoot his way but doesn’t stop his giggling. “Sorry, I mean, just look at the two of you.” 

     “Soap.” Ghost’s warning tone puts an end to the cacophony of laughter. “For what it’s worth, you’re very skilled, you work well together.”

     Yours and König’s radios crackle to life at once. “König, Casper, how copy?”

     You give König a nod as he switches his radio off. “Solid copy, Horangi. What’s the situation?” You glance around as you wait for an answer.

     “All clear. Chopper inbound, get to the roof.” 

     “Copy that.” You nod at the group around you, making your way to the staircase.

~~~~~

     It was second nature at this point, when your feet hit the tarmac your mask came off. The only difference this time was the extra four sets of eyes on you. You were nothing if not a habitual, yet forgetful, person. You hadn’t even caught what you’d done at first, just acted on instinct. You could have rectified it, you had your back to all of them, ready to head in for a shower and wash yourself of the whole situation. But König, the sweet man that he was, called out for you and without a second thought, like a moth to a flame, you whipped yourself around to look at him.

     “Casper, good work today.” König’s eyes shone bright in the early evening sun, a smile dancing in the corners where they creased.

     You can’t help but smile at how sweet König was. He’d done this after every mission and it never got old. He was always complimenting you and encouraging you to do better. Your heart swells at the sight of the man giving you a goofy thumbs up. Something about him made you feel more confident, less scared of the reactions of your old team. “As did you König.” You find yourself returning the silly gesture, a wide grin forming on your lips.

     Ghost’s confused voice breaks the happy moment. “Slip?” His eyes are wider than usual. Stone cold eyes gone, replaced with something akin to astonishment as he stares at you. 

     Slip. Four letters, one word, one syllable. It had been stuck to you throughout your whole career, from week two of training up until you had gained your new one. The name stemmed from how often you’d fallen during basic training. Your feet never seemed to want to cooperate with you, constantly sending you tumbling to the ground. A problem you’d only recently rectified with the help of König. Being as large as he is, balance doesn’t come easily to him either.

     You breathe deep, lungs filling to the point of bursting before you exhale, blowing all of the tension out with it. With a solemn shake of your head you bring your eyes to meet Ghost’s. “No,” Your voice is calmer than you expected it to be, tranquil. “Not anymore.” You’ve grown too much in the last six months to go back to bickering with these men. “Perhaps it’s time for a reintroduction.” 

     You hold your head high, walking back to them, standing toe-to-toe with Ghost. You glance at König who stares at you in awe. Only five months ago you’d confessed your fear of ridicule, explained to him how you’d been a verbal punching bag for Ghost. You’d cried to him about all of the things Ghost had said to you, spilled your guts about the bullying that had led you to your breaking point. He’d held you while you cried, wiped your tears when you’d finished and made you a cup of tea while he told you how proud he was that you stuck through it all. You’d known him for only a month and he treated you a million times better than people you’d worked with for years.

     It dawns on you then, you love König, more than just as a partner. You’d fallen for the anxiety ridden, gentle giant that you’d been forced to partner with. You only hoped he’d feel the same after helping you be reborn, helping you become the soldier you’d always wanted to be.

     “I am Casper, I am an operative under KorTac.” You glance between all of the men around you, finding them all fully concentrated on you as you continue. “I work in tandem with my partner König to complete every task handed to me to the best of my abilities.” A smile graces your lips as you finish, holding your hand out to Ghost who looks absolutely dumbfounded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

[kit-williams]

Cuckoo Anon

Oh you bet your Chain Axe I Do! Had to stop last night because tired but I've got pretty good ideas for some other legions reactions to getting yoinked from their original timeline.

Disclaimer: Apologies if your fav legion doesn't appear here I only know enough about so many of them.

Word Bearers - Another group that's more Aware that the warp has something to do with this, though less able to actively affect it than say the Thousand Sons. Definitely in the group that Wants to establish contact with their original timeline because there's so many souls here in need of the warp's guidance. Until they're able to do that, they spend there time pouring over the various religious texts available here. Would speak up at a theology lecture to correct the speaker about the details of certain figures that they've actually met in their original timeline. Example: Nurgle. They also enjoy yoga for its meditative quality, though its less enjoyable for even the most yoga obsessed humans. The Word Bearers pair yoga with dark ritualistic chanting. Even in Gothic the humans recognize the words are...a bit unsettling.

Rating: Suddenly finding yourself running a...more intense version of a Bible camp as your Word Bearer instructs his group on the proper alignment of ritual circles with the Stars for their next venture. You just hope none of these will ever involve blood sacrifices.

War Hounds/World Eaters - Cut from the same cloth, even stitched with the same pins. Like the Iron Warriors these guys are actually Thriving (as much as they can) in this new environment. You'd think with everything being softened and pacified by the warp they'd go raving mad. But no, because that includes their nails and bloodlust. The nails still hurt, but its like a toothache most days compared to feeling like your brain is being stabbed. And they still crave battle, but there's sparring arenas and Astarte focused gyms in practically every city and marine base here. Plus the occasional chance to Really let loose on some human killer warbands. And if a Marine is sick of their nails completely they can be Removed! The instrument of their torment can be done away with (Chronic pain and migraines remain for most of them but again, far less pain than once was). This new clarity gives them room to reflect. The empire and chaos only found them useful when they were Hurting and Angry constantly. They were never allowed to be anything else. But with the humans here, especially with bonds that can sooth the nails completely, they finally can just....be.

Rating: Laying your head across your bonded humans lap with a fire crackling on a cold night. The scars from the nails twinge for a moment, causing you to hiss. Until your human coos, brushing the hair from your forehead, and at once the pain cools to nothing. You settle, not sure if you deserve this but decide you will accept it. You lean into your humans touch. You are both content.

Space Wolves - If War Hounds are the abused pups learning to love again, Space Wolves are the...Wolves learning to trust/work with humans for the first time. Space Wolves had interactions with humans in their timeline, but only those on their own planet would treat them like normal people. Everywhere else humans saw them as the Emperors Angels. Dangerous and Untouchable. So to have these humans approach them like neither of those groups kinda throws them off. They're not Afraid of them in a broad sense, but they're also not familiar enough yet. The two are finding their footing with eachother. Having a dog gets immediate points with a Space Wolf, they love pups. All shapes and kinds but they obvious lean towards more wolf like breeds. By the same token Space Wolves don't tolerate animal abuse. Any marine type Might decide to kill an animal abuser, a Space Wolf won't hesitate. If you're lucky they'll just steal neglected animals and leave the abuser with some property damage. At worst well...you get the idea.

Rating: Opening up that animal rehab shelter you've always wanted to Not because you thought you were finally  ready...but because your Space Wolf keeps bringing home strays, and neglected animals. But hey, seeing your big guy happily laying in a swarm of pups makes it all worth it. And the time you saw him literally send an abusive owner flying into your trash can for trying to take their dog back.

Death Guard - Weird idea, but they're doing okay. It's just that most of them are feral by choice rather than the Alpha legion's situation. The warp may make their haze of rot less dangerous here, but being near one is still Alot for an average human. Also the cities don't have enough Greenery. So the ferals stick to the forests and overgrown areas. Their presence boosts the cycles of life and decay, and they actually Clean!?!? Well yes, the litter and plastic trash, anything biodegradable can stay...or gets eaten. Yep I see Death Guard as the vultures or millipedes of space marines. They can eat Anything organic, and they enjoy the more fetid pieces. Many humans have been startled to find their garbage being raided after some spoiled leftovers were thrown out. And as far as personality goes they're actually pretty gentle. They see no reason to attack humans, they're natural miasma is still imparting the gifts of Nurgle occasionally so why bother? If a Death Guard bonds to a human that bond is deep and loving. The bond also helps their human resist their smell, and makes the human stronger against the illness miasma. Its not a perfect defense, energy still gets drained, but your Death Guard will always be there to lend a hand, claw, bone growth to help when you need it.

Rating: Hiking through the forest, and suddenly catching an awful smell. Your curiosity bids you follow it, lest it be a hiker that met an ill fate. As you get closer the greenery around you seems to grow larger, and more beautiful with every step. Literally bursting with life. You come to a small open area beneath the trees. The smell is strongest here, and you see a large misshapen green body. It raises its cupped hands, that hold something you can't identify, to a branch. A flower bud slowly opens to full and....a Butterfly flits to the new bloom from his palms. You stand in awe. The shape turns as you watch from behind a tree, your eyes meet through his helmet. You just...stare at eachother. And though you don't notice at the time, the scent no longer has presence in your mind.

Alpha Legion - (Only fitting that I finish off with the legion that gave me my name.) So honestly...kinda struggling. These fellas are so used to spying, and secrecy and playing games of 12D chess (even though doing that wasn't the best choice to begin with but I digress) and now they've been dropped in a place that has...none of that?? They're separated from their spy networks, no matter what side of their Timeline they were fighting on they only really have eachother now. The other legions are Very unwilling to trust them for obvious reasons. And they have a shit time making bonds with humans. Like seriously, f their lives right up. Like at least when they were just a cog in a clusterfuck of war, alliances, battles and betrayals, they didn't have to think and reflect about how Lonely they actually are. But...on the other hand, they're free to do as they please here. Sure the other marines are wary of them, but as long as they don't outright start shit things can go on tense but peaceful. Occasionally snatching some affection while disguised is okay, but still...they want something real. And when they do get that, whether the bond is truly like their fellow marines or slightly different, they Don't let go.

Rating: You came home to an Ultramarine in your house, only it didn't really...act like an ultra marine? It took no interest when you showed it your excel documents, didn't try to organize anything, and shied away from conversing with other loyalists. He Did help you out around the house, and was exceptionally affectionate. Most marines were some flavor of touch starved (except maybe Salamanders), but this seemed excessive. Then one night you woke up, and heard hushed but intense whispering. You peaked out of your bedroom to see your Ultramarine conversing with....himself!? Your eyes did not deceive, and your ears did not lie. Same voice, same armor, down to the same scratches and battle damage...but that was impossible! Your musings were interrupted by one of them getting louder.

"It is still My turn with the mortal!"

"You expanded your timetable in the schedule. That is Unfair brother, and you know it."

"This is not up for discussion, and You cannot be here right now! Do you want us to be thrown out completely!?"

"Maybe if we were simply Honest with them we wouldn't have to worry about that, but You insisted we stick to this charade. Well I'm SICK of it!" The ultra on the right lost his composure, and his form phased and shifted. Royal blue became teal and the helmet shifted to a form more resembling an octopus. An Alpha Legion marine...but that would mean...

The one you assumed to be Your marine spoke up. "Enough! I will not tolerate your insubordination! Leave now!"

The newly shifted marine stood his ground and sneered. "Why don't you Make me brother?!"

"Or you could....Both stay?" The two marines whipped their heads to face you. You stood in your pajamas, as the two armored marines stared in stunned silence.

"I...can explain." Your marine started, but you held up your hand.

"Its okay," You assured him, crossing the distance so you could look him in the eye.  "We do need to talk things over but...I think I understand why you felt you needed to do this." You turned to his brother. " Should've let me know we were having company. I think we could all use some hot chocolate."

Your second space marine perked up. "I hope you have enough supplies for us all."

"Two space marines and a human you mean?"

"Weeeeeell...." Knock, knock, knock. You turned to the door, and your space marine let his disguise shed as he reached for the handle. The door opened to reveal...1,2,3,4...yeah you were gonna need more hot chocolate.

Love these I really do you're making me blush

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Welcome back!!!! You are currently my favorite writer on this platform!

I wanted to request an angst but with a happy ending, of course. Can you write about the loves accidentally insulting the reader really bad about something they are insecure about. Doesn't have to be about looks could be about their cooking or their fighting skills. Of course, their lover is devastated and hurt by the comment and takes to ignoring them. Of course, the loves can tell they messed up and have to apologize and make it up to her in their own ways. Happy ending with them making up with Lu bu, Thor, Buddha, Odin, Jack, and Tesla and whoever else you'd want in there!

I am excited for the rest of season 2 as well! I can't wait to see Buddha!

-He knew he messed up, as soon as he uttered those terrible words he could never take back and seeing your heartbroken face, he had never known such regret.

-He had never made you purposely cry, that wasn’t happy tears, it made him feel like a monster, and when you turned to run from him, he felt like a statue, he couldn’t speak, couldn’t move.

-You returned to your big brother, Shiva, who spent hours comforting you, and supported your decision, when he asked when (Love) came to see you, that you didn’t want to see him.

-You ignored his calls, his texts, and anytime he came around, you refused to even acknowledge him, which only made his guilt, his pain, feel even worse.

-He knew he needed to do something drastic so he could apologize, he didn’t want to lose you.

-Lu Bu- “You wouldn’t have made it as one of my soldiers. You’re too soft.” Lu Bu didn’t regret things often, but those words- those damned words, he would do anything to take them back. When you finally decided to speak with him, after he had been camped outside Shiva’s house for a week, he bowed deeply at the waist, apologizing so sincerely to you that it took you off guard. Lu Bu, seeing you weren’t yelling or running away, stood and spoke, “I’m sorry Y/N, I know I can’t ever take those words back. You’re not soft, you are a strong person, one I’m not worthy of having.” His words meant more to you than he could begin to imagine, and you managed to take him by surprise by leaping into his arms, hugging him around his neck, peppering his face with kisses.

-Thor- “I don’t understand why I’m with a weakling like you.” Thor cursed himself and hasn’t stopped cursing himself ever sense he said those words to you. He had been mad, annoyed that he was stuck fighting weaklings, other warriors who couldn’t give him a challenge, as Lu Bu was on vacation and not around. You offered to spar with him, to give him the exercise he wanted, and he bit back with his venomous words. Thor was a very proud man, but for you, he was willing to do whatever it took to get you back into his arms. He went to Shiva, every day, to ask to speak to you, to apologize, and each day he remained outside of your brother’s home, waiting for you, even after Shiva told him you didn’t want to speak with Thor. When you saw him, sitting and waiting for you, holding a single red rose, you finally went out and he apologized, giving you the red rose, “I was an idiot, I was mad and I took it out on you, one of the only people in this world that makes me happy.” You forgave him, hugging him tightly before Shiva ruined the moment, threatening Thor that he would take care of things next time, if there ever was one.

-Buddha- “Your cakes don’t taste as good as the ones at Artemis’ Sweet Shop.” He realized that what he had said came out much crueler than he intended, and you had been practicing hard to make homemade sweets for your lover, and after tasting some, he realized his insult after you ran off crying. Your big brother was hands on sight when he saw Buddha, the two getting into a fist fight that his three wives had to break up, scolding the both of them for fighting before Buddha begged to see you, to apologize to you. Shiva supported you when you didn’t want to, still pissed at Buddha, but after several days of begging him, Shiva had to admit that he had to respect Buddha determination. Buddha bowed, his head touching the floor, on his hands and knees, apologizing to you, begging you not to leave and when you told him that you were hurt more by his lack of support because you were trying so hard to make him sweets, yourself. You forgave him and Buddha surprised you at home with things to make a cake with, “Would you like to make a cake with me?” seeing his determination, his kindness, made you smile as you nodded.

-Odin- “Why aren’t your magic skills improving? Are you slacking off?” when you turned and left him, he was at first unsure why you did that until Muninn and Huginn offered insight, that you had been working every day, hours a day, and he insulted your hard work, he insulted you. Shiva laughed when Odin tried to demand to see you, your brother stating you were crying with his wives at the moment, and you didn’t want to see him. Guilt gnawed at Odin for days, wanting to speak with you, just so he could apologize. When you finally came out, you weren’t alone, Shiva and his three wives all glaring at him as well, but he didn’t care about them, he only cared about you. He apologized so sincerely it stole your breath away, you were stunned, “You’ve been working so hard, I know that, and I know my words were cruel, as I insulted your hard work. I’m truly sorry, Y/N.” you went home with Odin that night, after you made him take you out on a date, which made him and Shiva both laugh.

-Jack- “Have you thought about cooking lessons?” the spatula fell out of your hand at his words, after you gave him some food. You had been working hard, teaching yourself how to cook new dishes, and in those words, Jack immediately froze, realizing how cruel they sounded. He tried to run after you, but you refused to listen as you walked right into your brother’s house and told him you didn’t want to see Jack. Shiva had never seen you so pissed and knew he had to do as he was told, despite being the big brother. It was a week of ignoring his calls and texts, and ignoring him at the front door, but when you finally came out, wanting him to leave you alone so you could pout in peace, he stunned you with a bouquet of roses and sunflowers, your favorite flowers, bowing his head, “I’m truly sorry for my crass words, Y/N. I didn’t mean it in a cruel way, I know how hard you’ve been working at making meals for me and I appreciate each and every one of them.” You pushed the flowers out of your way, so he held them to the side so you could wrap your arms around his neck, hugging him and he embraced you tightly, apologizing over and over again.

-Tesla- “What’s so hard to understand this equation? Can’t you do something this simple?” when you suddenly up and left, Nikola froze, realizing that he, unintentionally, insulted you in the heat of the moment. The equation he was trying to show you, as you wanted his help to learn more, was simple, to him at least, as he knew how to calculate it, you didn’t. He was beside himself with anguish, crying himself as you ignored his messages, leaving him on read, and ignoring his calls, as he couldn’t get close to you as Shiva threatened him after Nikola made you cry. Nikola gathered the courage and showed up with a small bouquet of red roses and when the door opened he shoved them right into Shiva’s face as he bowed his head, apologizing. It wasn’t until you giggled when he looked up, seeing that he had apologized and given the roses to Shiva. Shiva was a brat, taking the flowers, “These are mine now!” before running off with them and you and Nikola looked at each other and he bowed deeply apologizing, “I’m so sorry, Y/N. I sometimes get frustrated when I forget that some people can’t do things as easily as I can. It’s like you baking, I can’t do it without setting the oven on fire.” You giggled again, forgiving him before you held his hand and went home.