#but I know because sadly…he’s uh…no longer in the series nothing would happen

[daily-rgg-posting]

Nishitani is a little homosexual.

[mo2k]

Imagine…you meeting the kamaboko squad for the first time♥️. (pt.3)

No.3 : Hashibira Inosuke

Pairing : Inosuke x [fem] reader

Warnings : none , except for slicing the demon’s head part . If you do count that as violence , other than this is just fluffed <3

a/n : Ahhhh~ we’ve finally come to the last part of this series ! ✨ hope you guys enjoyed this ! •~•

Synopsis : So,you’re a (you choice) rank of demon slayer.You’ve always work alone since the beginning-but then,on one fine day…your crow told you that you have to work your next mission with another demon slayer,much to your dismay-but still,you comply the orders and went off to finished your mission…

Applause….

Praises…

These sounds resonate in your ears as people shouted a “Thank you!” for you.You flicked your blade gracefully and soundlessly to clear off the lingering crimson blood before put it back into your scabbard and bowed down a little politely to the crowd.

The demon you’ve just slew seemed to be so impatient and desperate…like it can’t waste another second to devour flesh…maybe that’s why it appeared immediately after the golden sun left the sky…So lots of citizen still haven’t gone home and get the chance to behold you performed your work.

“Thank you for saving me and my son’s lives…” spoke the woman you’ve just rescue,her son was clutching tightly to his mother’s leg as he tried to hide behind her back.

“Oh!And you can rest for a night at my house too!” She offered with a kind smile and you nodded your head gently.

“Thank you for your offer ma’am,I really appreciate it and would love to accept if I’m not bothering you too much” You smiled sweetly back at her.And she laughed-

“Of course dear!You’re not a bother at all!You’ve just saved our lives remember?” She waved her hand as a gesture for you not to worry. “Come,darling.Let me lead you to my house” She beamed,before tell her son that it’s ok as she hold his hand gently and start to walk back her home.

You slowly went after her,people were still cheered for you and some even bowed down for you.You felt your heart swelling with joy and felt overwhelmed as you dragged your eyes over the crowd.You can’t help but let your lips curved upward slightly at the sight you’re seeing-feeling proud of yourself for being able to protect these people…

“Hey there!” Called a voice from in front,it was the woman. “Aren’t you coming?” She cried again and you felt your smile grows a bit wider as you speed up your pace to catch up with them.

After you have had a good meal and a relaxing bath,you let yourself fall to the mattress and stared blankly at the ceiling of your room…

“Ah…another day has passed huh?Time sure travels fast…” You chuckled,then heard something from outside.You immediately sat upright-head’s ringing with thoughts like ‘There’s another demon?I thought there was only one,or was it something else?But I still shouldn’t really let my guard down,should I?’

You grabbed your sword,preparing for whatever it is that might be ‘endangered’ ….

Suddenly,you heard something fall and the door just slide open.It was that timid boy that clutched tightly to his mother earlier,you realized that he’s been peering into you for a while but cracked and slipped to the floor from being careless,which also makes the door slide open and reveal the little mischievous culprit…

“Ah!!!!” He cried as he hit the floor,you felt your heart skipped a beat when the door slides open-before calming down and sighed a bit to yourself,feeling relieved that it isn’t anything bad…

You got up from the mattress and walked over to help the child to his feet, “Are you alright?” Was your first question as you grabbed his arm gently while your other hand gripped on his waist lightly to pull him up.

The boy nodded slightly with trembled lips, “I-I-I’m s-s-sorry…” he stuttered out,and you sighed again while smiling at him.Your eyes were kind,and filled with adoration as you gazed down at him lovingly.

“It’s ok…you’ve got nothing to be sorry or scare about…” you ruffled the boy’s head lightly.

“So…why are you here?If I may ask?” You question as you sit down to match his level.This boy is probably only about 5 to 6 years old,he’s so cute and tiny <3

“I-I…C-can I really s-say it?” He answered nervously,fidgeting with his fingers…and you nodded gently with a small smile.Trying to encourage him to tell you what’s wrong.

“I-I saw you f-fighting with the d-demon today…and I t-thought it w-was pretty cool…I also w-wonder if I-I could be like that when I’m o-older…” He spoke quietly,it’s almost as a whisper,he stumbled over his own words,his eyes scurried around from side to side.He looks like he wanted to scream but doesn’t have the courage to do so.This make you laughed softly…

“Of course sweetie,of course you can be like me when you get older.I’m sure you’ll become stronger and braver when the time passed…” You smiled fondly as you let out your statement,you just know you adored this boy so much.

“You s-sound just l-like my mother…” he mumbled,and you laughed.

“Really?I’m sorry if I bored you then,but your mother is a very good,kind and sweet lady.Shower her with love,ok?She cares and loves you so much more than any words could described…” You mused joyfully,and the boy look up at you with the slight confusion in his eyes…

“..H-How did you know?” His voice was hesitant,but curious.

“Only by the look in her eyes when she gazed at you was enough to tell me that” You grinned,“What’s your name dear?”.

“A-Akira…” He answered shyly, and you continued-

“Good name,my name’s (L/n) (y/n).Akira,I’m sure you’ll be a great and strong fighter in the future as long as you believe.” You state firmly,and you swore you caught a little glimpse of twinkle in the boy’s eyes.

“Y-You really believe like that?” He looked up,and you beamed.

“Yes,now,would you mind telling more about your dreams Akira?” You spoke softly,he blinked before slowly nodding.His hands were clutched together tightly,telling you that he was still nervous.

“C’mon” You said,standing up while you outstretched your hand, “You sure don’t want to stand here until your legs are sore,do you?”

He nodded stiffly again.You led him to your room and let him sit down beside you on the mattress, “So…” You started, “Why do you wish to become like me?”

“I-I b-because you look so c-cool when you swing your b-blade!A-and your face didn’t even s-shift a little w-when you sliced the demon’s head o-off!” He stuttered out,but you can sense the excitement behind his voice.

“I guess it just happens so often that I’m used to it!” You laughed and he blinked.

“Y-you’ve k-killed other demon b-before?” He asked,you nodded slowly.

“Really!?I-is it is it hard?Or s-scary?” Said the boy.

“Hm…” You hummed, “Maybe a bit.But if I do nothing but scared,I wouldn’t be able to saved people,would I?”

“Oh…i-it’s true…” He looked down sadly with his shoulder slumped.

“You have just saved us today too…I wish was more braver and stronger so I can protect my mother and be like you someday…” He added. You can’t lie the fact that you’re a bit curious about his father-but you stopped yourself.

“You can also be like me when you’re older,I already told you that right?” You asked.

“Yes..but it’s just so hard to truly believe I can be like that…” He trailed off…This make you sighed.

“Let’s talk about other things-What do you like to do?Playing?Or something else?” You said. Decided to change the subject-his eyes lit up immediately with interest.

“Oh!I like to play hide and seek with my friends!And a lot of other things!” He spoke quickly.From what you can see he start to get more courage to speak with you since he doesn’t really stutter like he used to.

“Tell me more about it then” You smiled and he beamed back…

That’s how it went.Akira talked on and on about things,his passion,what he likes and dislikes and many more things else.Not that you were complaining,you were glad he has gained more confidence in speaking.Plus you have fun listening to him talking too!

Until,the boy yawned again for the third time after some moments.Making you realized it was pretty late already so you tell him that he should go back to his room and have some rest.

“And,(y/n)-san…” Akira said suddenly as he stopped and turn to you before he leave.

“Hm?” You hummed while smiling up at him.

“You said that you worked to killed demons…” He started,a little bit hesitation cleared in his voice. “There were rumors…about one demon that lives in the nearby mountains…They say he looks like a boar-a very hot and short tempered boar…Please be careful with it,if you’ve ever encountered it…” He seemed to shudder a little as he spoke.

“I will…” said you, “Thank you so much for this information” You bowed your head a little.

He nodded,before turning and leave the room….

You blew the candles and let yourself fall to the mattress… ‘A demon who looks like a boar?’ You thought to yourself, ‘Better be prepared then…” You sighed.Closing your eyes before drifting off to your peaceful slumber…

—————————————————————————

The rays of sunlight shone through as you stand outside the house.Saying goodbye and thank you to the woman who let you rest at her house…

“You can stay for a little longer and have breakfast with us…” The woman said.And you shook your head gently,

“No,I already owe you so much…Still,thank you for your kind offer once again…” You smiled.

“How many times do I have to tell you that you’re not a bother to us at all…” She sighed tiredly.

“I’m so sorry then…” You chuckled, “And…May I ask where is Akira?” You questioned.Turning your head from side to side to look for the little boy…

“Oh,that boy?” Said the mother, “He’s still fast asleep inside the house.He seemed so tired so I don’t want to wake him up yet,since it’s still so early” She answered.

“I see…” You nodded, “Miss…May I also ask….” You hesitant… “Uh…about your husband?” You managed out…

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two of you for a while…before she replied.

“Of course,my husband already died about a year ago…so Akira was pretty lonely…” She sighed quietly again…

“…I’m so sorry to hear that…” You apologized, “…Your son is a very strong boy…” You added.

“He is…” She nodded with a small smile, “He seemed to like you too” She said- “I’ve noticed his slight changed behavior”

You laughed, “Really?I’m glad” You smiled back at her one last time-before saying, “I think I better go now,thank you so much again” You bowed politely to the mother.

“You don’t really have to bowed!” She said, “Only thank you was enough”

You nodded once you were back to your original position, “Goodbye then ma’am,please have a great day.” You smiled,then turn and went off…

“You are always welcome here dear!” The woman cried after you and waved her arm,you waved back and continued on your way….

————————————————————————

Your crow came flapping towards you before gently landed on your left shoulder….

“Hello (your crow’s name),how are you?” You greeted as you scratched its neck lightly.

“Good!Your next mission is in the graveyard in southwest town!Rumors say there will be demon appeared every night there!You’ll probably reached there at night if you’re not so lazy!” The crow shouted loudly beside your ears,you feel like your eardrums would break any second if you hear your crow’s voice again…

“Hey,I’m offended!Please just be a little more careful with your words next time,will you?” You said…and the crow answered-

“No!What I said is right and true!” Squawked the crow,this make you sighed…

“And!” (Your crow’s name) speak again, “You have to work with another demon slayer this time!” Barked the crow.

“With another demon slayer?” You echoed in astonishment as you stared at the bird with wide eyes.

“Yes!And one more thing!Beware of the boar!” Your crow cried before it lifted off and fly to the blue sky…

“Wait!” You tried to stopped it,but it was no use. (Your crow’s name) just go fluttered its wing freely farther and farther away from you…

You sighed again, “You could have just told me more about that another demon slayer!Or at least,what he or she looks like…” You mumbled the last part.At least even some more information about the demon is good enough for you…You thought grumpily as you took another step and began to continued walking to your next destination…

‘Who was that someone I need to work with?He or she?…If it was a boy….’ You felt your cheeks dusted some light shades of pink, ‘Was he handsome?’ You bit your lip and slapped yourself internally, ‘No no,I must not think like this.My work here is slaying demon and yes I should focus on it.Surely I can do that…’

You paused,sighing….‘Right?’

————————————————————————

You’ve made it to the graveyard at night exactly like what (your crow’s name) told you.After asking for ways and some informations about the demon with people who lives in the nearby village.

They say that it’s true about the rumors,there were people who strangely disappear every night whether they were just asleep or doing something…and another strange thing was that,every morning they will see blood-lots of blood scattered all over the graveyard.The smell is bad and very stinky too…There haven’t been anyone who dared to come across that place as this occurred more and more often…

Except…There was one man,he wore something that looks like a boar mask.So they couldn’t see nor remember his face-that boy was courageous,but got a short tempered and so much enthusiasm…He went to the graveyard a few days ago….No one has seen him since then,they assumed that he was probably dead by ghosts,rancorous souls or whatever-

People also described that the boar’s mask man was a bit off the word ‘normal’…Some called him ‘crazy’ or ‘mad’ from the way he went laughing and running to the graveyard….

‘Eh…a boar again??? Can everything I’ve heard about the boar…be related???’ You thought to yourself after you thanked the people for informations and head to the graveyard…

When you reached there…The place was dark and filled with stinky smell like what you’ve been told…

You covered your mouth and nose with your hand while slowly looking from side to side….But you saw nothing…

Then suddenly you heard someone’s crying…

You quickly whipped your head towards the direction where the voice came and saw a girl crying at one stone,her head on her knees as her body tremble uncontrollably.She has no sense that she could be a demon,you sighed in relived before slowly moved towards her…

“Hey…” You called quietly,and she jumped as she shot her head up at you.

“Are you alright?” You asked.Her frame shook violently with fear-

“W-who are you?” She asked back,tears still ranning down her cheeks.

“Shhh,don’t cry.I’m not here to hurt you-but please just tell me,what happened?” You cooed,crouching to her level and rubbed her shoulder to comfort her.

“M-my friends and I came to see if there was a real ghost in this graveyard.I-I already told them we shouldn’t come here especially at night!But they wouldn’t listen and now they’re dead!I-I saw it with my own eyes-I-it’s so t-terrifying…” She sobbed harder covering her face with her hands…It pains you to see her like this…

‘She was only a child…and here she is…has to watch this dreadful and brutal scene…’ You thought sadly as you watch her with sympathize. ‘I feel sorry for her…I’m sorry…If only I’ve arrived here a little faster your friends wouldn’t have been dead…’ You contemplate with anger,you were angry with yourself for not being able to protect her friends.All you can think now was that,you must protect this girl…

As you’re about to ask her how long has she been sitting here-you heard a screech coming from your left.You snapped your head to see what the sound was.And your eyes met with the demon’s disgusting eyes…

It has to be the demon who’s killed this girl’s friends,from the blood that dripped down to the floor from its mouth…The girl shriek in fear and you drew out your blade while gritted your teeth.

You must win this battle…

The demon snarled at you and immediately charged towards you and the girl.This one seemed to be so hungry for human’s flesh and blood but it doesn’t have the desperation like the last demon you’ve slew.You yelled for the girl to run as you gripped your sword preparing to killed this demon in one blow with (your breathing) style…

The girl scurried away from the demon and you raised your blade over your head,ready to swing.Just about time you swing your blade-aiming for the demon’s neck.The demon got stab to its side and staggered back clutching its wound.It pulled the blade out and throw it to the side,wincing and wriggling in pain.

You whipped your head to the way where the blade came from and met with a man who’s wearing a boar mask as he laughed wildly with contentment about something…

You stand there blinking in shocked as he continued to laugh and say something like, “You see how strong I am now!?Of course!Because I am the great Inosuke!The strongest swordsman in this world hahahaha!”.

‘A boar…a boar…a boar….So familiar…Oh!That man!The one people’s been talking about!He’s not yet dead?How surprising…’ You thought as your mind tried to process about what’s happening…

‘And…seems like the people were right…He’s something but definitely not normal…’ You observed as he’s still not laughing nor just shut his mouth… ‘He didn’t really seemed to care about the demon…did he?’

The demon’s shook its body for a few more times before looked up and glared the so called ‘The great Inosuke’.It hissed and rushing towards him-probably wishing to end his life’s first.

“Ha!You thought I have only one blade!?Wrong!I have two blade!Waiting to cut off your head here!So cool I know!Hahaha!” Said Inosuke,raising his other blade in his other hand to show the demon.

‘Seriously?’ You thought,shocked and baffled.You immediately chase after the demon but it didn’t seem to care-It’s like it want nothing more than to ripped the boar mask man’s heart out of his chest.

You quickly sliced the demon’s head off using (whatever form you like) form from (your breathing) style once you reach it and as it was about to grab the man.The boar mask man also prepared to stab through the demon body again but you steal his thunder first…

“Ha!?” He cried with disbelief, “How dare you!?I was about to finished this demon’s first!” He pointed at you,specifying.

You ignored him as you flicked your blood clean before putting it back into your scabbard…

“Hey!I’m talking to you!” He bristled,and you sighed tiredly.

“I just want to finished my work.Is it that hard to understand?” You raised your eyebrow as you glance at him.

“I don’t care!But you just stole my scene!I can’t accept that!Who are you!?I’m Hashibira Inosuke the greatest!And who are you!?” He shouted,so loud-you rolled your eyes at him.

“(L/n) (y/n),satisfied now?” You answered.

“No!I demand a fight!Let’s fight to see who’s stronger than who!?” He cried,and you stared at him for a minute,blinking.

“What!?” He bellowed.

“…Nothing…I just can’t believe how childish you acted…” You spoke calmly,before turning- “And maybe next time for your fight.As you can see-I’m busy right now.So please wait patiently-” You stopped,looking around.Finding for the girl-

“There you are” You called once you find her,walking towards the girl.

“Are you alright dear?” You asked,crouching down to her level.The girl was still a bit scared of what has just happened but she still manage to nodded for your question.

“Good” You smiled, “C’mon,let me take you back to your home.Where do you live sweetheart?” You demand as you take the girl’s hand.

“I-In the village.” She answered nervously,glancing around to see if there was more demons.

“It’s ok love, just stay close to me alright?I’ll protect you.” You tell her,trying to make her relaxed.And she nodded again,too afraid to speak.You gripped her small hand a little tighter.Before heading back to the village.

“Hey!” Called another voice behind you,you turned around only to be met with the same boar mask man. “How dare you ignoring me again!?” He cried,you sighed and shook your head in response.

“Will you just stand there,or come with us?” You asked him,and he seemed stunned a bit.

“Come with you?Why would the great Inosuke come with you!?” He yelled back.

“Up to you then” You said before continued to walk out of the graveyard.

“Wait!” He cried but this time you didn’t even glance back. “Damn you!” He said,but still-he ran after you back to the village.Saying that this can be a challenge of who ran faster.

‘He really isn’t normal…’ You thought to yourself as you watch him ran towards the village as fast as he can. “I’m not taking that challenge!” You cried but he didn’t seem to hear that…

‘I guess waiting for some minutes wouldn’t hurt for him then…’ You shrugged.

As you reached the village you met with the parents of the girl.They seemed so worried and scared from the gasp and sound of happiness they made as soon as they saw their daughter.The little girl also immediately ran into her parents arms,crying.The scene was just so beautiful that you somehow that a tear might slipped from your eyes.

The girl then pointed at you saying that you were the one who saved her from the scary ghost in the graveyard.Her parents looked up with gratefulness and the people nearby started clapping and cheering for you.Shouting a big ‘thank you’ for their hero.This make the same feeling of your heart swelled with joy came back again.

You were so so happy at that moment…until that boar mask man came shouting towards you that you lose and he win or something like that…

“Why were you so slow!?See!Well,I’m the great Inosuke so of course I win!And you lose hahahahahah!” He laughed again,and you smiled dryly at him.

‘Couldn’t he just come to me later?’ You thought sickly,before sighing.

The crowd,were shocked and surprised to see that he’s still alive.Gasping and whispering became widespread through the people.Still,the parents of the little girl offer you and Inosuke to rest for a night or two at their house.You two of course accept the offer,you thanked them politely all the while Inosuke,laughed wildly while saying something like, “Of course Inosuke the great will accept your offer hahaha!”.

At last…he didn’t even thank them…. -_-

————————————————————————

You sighed with contentment as you walked to stroll a bit to refresh yourself before going to bed.You decided to go and relax at the engawa (veranda).But when you go there,oh-how much did you regret your decision…

You found that boar mask man,sitting at the edge of the engawa with his legs dangling over it.You almost turn on your heels to go back to your room until you noticed something strange….

Inosuke,or what you believe to be his name,wasn’t wearing his boar mask as he usually does.He just sit there staring off into the distance with no aware that you were watching him.

And not to mention that you almost slipped on your feet once you saw his face.His face-was just so feminine that you almost thought for a second that he was a girl covering her body to look like a boy-

You were debating with yourself for quite a moment about should you go to him or not that you didn’t noticed him slowly turning back as if he feels like someone was watching him.

He yelped in surprised once he saw you, “What are you doing here!?”

You also immediately shot your head to look at him, jumped. “Huh?Me?I-um,I was-I was just about to sit and relax at the engawa for a bit!But I didn’t know that you were already here so I was just planning to leave.” You excused yourself quickly.

He eyed you,feeling suspicious-looking at you from head to toe before meeting your gaze. “Then who stopped you?Just come and sit.” He said.

You were surprised that he didn’t yelled or shouted at you this time.But you sure won’t complain-you wouldn’t want to make him mad and just shouted at you again.

“So-why are you here?” You asked as you sit down.Decided to ease the tension a bit.

“I don’t know” He answered,looking down at his lap.Seems like your plan didn’t work-what about this one?

“Inosuke” You called, “Why do you become a demon slayer?” You asked as you turned your head to face him.

“H-how did you know that I was a demon slayer!?” He demand suddenly,and loudly.

You blinked, “Um…it was pretty obvious since your blade can make the demon disintegrated…And that kind of blade normally belongs to a demon slayer.” You explained,hoping that he would understand.

“Oh-right,and well-I just met a normal demon slayer in my mountain.I asked him for a fight and he loses,that’s when I heard about the final selection and become a demon slayer.” He said and your eyes widen.

“Your mountain?” You repeat.And he blinked at you before nodding.

“Yeah,what’s wrong with that?” He asked.You shook your head.

“Nothing, just a bit surprised.” You answered,remember your conversation with Akira,perhaps he is really the one who Akira spoke about…You thought to yourself-deciding not to tell Inosuke about this in case it make him mad or even worse-make him praise himself again….

Inosuke doesn’t speak anything after that for about 1 solid minute,he just stare intently at you all the time which start to make you feel a bit uncomfortable…

“Um…” You started,shifting a bit in your seat. “Wh-”

“Tell me” was all he spoke,and that suddenly make you realized that he was waiting for you to tell him about how you become a demon slayer.He wanted to ask but is too stubborn to speak it himself-this make you smile and chuckled.

“Sure thing,well- (You start telling your own story of how you became a demon slayer.I want to leave this to your own imagination about your past.Inosuke will listen to every single bit of your story no matter how short or long it is,please enjoyed <3)”

“I see” He answered, “Interesting story” he added and you laughed.

“You think so?” You asked him,and he nodded.This make you smiled.

“….Do you have any family?” He questioned suddenly,you must admitted that this has taken you aback.

“(Yes or no,up to you!)” You answered, “And you?”

“I don’t…I can’t even remember my own mother’s face…” He said,there was a hint of sadness behind his voice.You looked at him before sighing-

“Gosh-Don’t be so dramatic.You are not the only one who’s lost,I’ve met a 5 years old boy who’s also lost his father about a year ago-Even that little boy is stronger than you” You said,standing up while shook your head gently. “The great Inosuke shouldn’t be weak like you,should he?” You asked,looking at him one last time before you’re about to turn and walk away.

“I’ll just go to bed now-Goodnight,weak.”

“Hey!Who did you just called ‘weak’ !?” He cried after you’ve just took a few steps.Seizing your wrist tightly,the sudden movement make you lose your balance.Inosuke tried to stop your fall by pulling you to him-but how accidentally it ended up with you sitting on his lap,eye’s wide filled with shocked and surprised.

You and him stayed there in that position for a moment,you felt your cheeks heat up bright red as you’re still shocked about what just happened before you pulled yourself together and make yourself get up from his lap.Ignoring how comfortable and warm he is or how you wanted to stay there for a little longer-But it is too embarrassing for you •///•

“I-I-I think I will just go to bed now!Sleep well!” You quickly said before turn on your heels and immediately bolted to your room.Leaving him still sitting there,dazed and embarrassed.Dark red coloured itself into his face as he stared at his palm and think back to that moment earlier…

As you soon as you reached your room.You immediately fall to the mattress and stared at the ceiling,thinking.

‘He was just a friend,he was just a friend,he was just a friend,but wait-when exactly did I counted him as my friend?’ You thought,then pull a pillow to shove your face into it,blushing hard.

You were screaming inside as you felt so restless, ‘I cannot think straight anymore…’ was your last thought before you forced yourself to sleep and just forget it…

But can you really?Sorry but I’d say no.Honey-look at you,your face are still dusted with pink even when you told yourself to forget it! owo

—————————————————————————————

When the next day came… -~-

You woke up,feeling tired and sore from yesterday’s work.Being a demon slayer sure is very hard and tiring-and you know you have to get up now or else your crow would come and wake you…

(which you surely didn’t want that,you wouldn’t want your crow to came barking at you to wake up,would you?)

But as you started to get conscious as you stretched your tired muscles a bit?Oh darling-you mind just take you back to that sweet,embarrassed memories you’ve just witnessed yesterday-

You cheeks immediately went dark red again when you recalled it.You shook your head and slapped yourself internally once again before you got up and get ready for the day…

——————————————————————————

You walked out of the house after you went to say goodbye to the owners of the house.They we’re still sleeping soundlessly together with their daughter sleep in the middle and got squeezed warmly by her parents on both of her side.This make you smile before you decided to write a not and leave it on the table instead.

You met with Inosuke once you slide the door open,you felt yourself blushing once your eyes met with his frame.He turned back to look around and trust me,this boy also got a little bit of pink tinted in his face.He quickly look away,decided to avoid eye contact with you.

You greeted him awkwardly,and he greeted back.An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of you as you walked away from the house.After a while,your crow came fluttering its wings toward you and Inosuke.(Your crow’s name) immediately plopped itself on your shoulder.It surely does notice that something’s off as you don’t welcome it as you normally do.

“Your next mission is at Tsuzumi mansion!You two did well in your last mission so we decided that you two should go and do another mission together!Now,don’t be lazy and keep going until you reached your next destination!” Yelled the crow before it opened its wing and flew off into the clear sky.

You two stay there gawkily before Inosuke decided to break the silence, “So…Uh-We’ve to do another mission…together?” He began slowly while glancing at you.You nodded your head stiffly.

“I…guess?” You answered back.And he bit his lip hesitantly.

“I…Yesterday…was-um…actually just an accident…” He state nervously,and you turned your head to fully look at him.

“Yeah…it was…I’m sorry for that…” You added too,and he shake his head.

“Nah it’s alright…it’s um-like I said, just an accident” He spoke.You giggled a bit at how stubborn he is to just properly apologize.

“W-Why are you laughing!?What’s so funny!?” He bristled with his face getting a bit more red as he heard your laugh.He won’t admit that he likes it when you laughed or even just simply smile. 😏

“Nothing!You were just so cute looking like that!” You stated happily with a small smirk when you saw him blushing.He got even redder at that- >///<

“C-cute!?Who!?Me!?” He asked,pointing at himself for confirmation while whipping his head around to see anybody else.

“Yes you~It’s you stupid brain!You’re so dumb!” You teased.

“What!?” He cried and you laughed,run in front of him before stopped.

“You like competition right!?Then come and catch me if you can!” You cried,turning and continued to run away.

“Ha!Bold of you to challenge me!Let me tell you first-I will not lose!” He shouted back as he chase after you to catch up.

This is sure would be such a long,long journey….

Finished ! 💖 Guys-I finally finished this series ! ♥️ Yas !!!!! ✨

It’s been so much fun writing ! 💕 I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I do writing it ! 💝 And I was wondering -

Is it ok if I take a break for 2 or 3 weeks or more ? I want to reward myself a bit and I also want to collect more ideas and information ! 💗

Like - I won’t be posting any work , but still here to chat / talk or play ask game / tag game or whatever ! ❤️ Just no story writing ( but maybe except for some quick imagines or short scenario - I don’t know owo )

But please know this - No Nsfw , Lemon , Smut please ! I won’t accept any of this - pls understand

And one more thing ! I think I’ll stop the posting every Sunday - after doing this series I feel like I want to write whenever I feel like it . Like I wanted to write because I wanted to write not because it’s time to write . Something like that - I hope you guys would understand ! 🥺💞

Now , thank you so much , please have a lovely day / night everyone ! Do not forget to take care too love ! <3

I do not own the art (s) nor the character (s) ! Credits to the artist ! 💗

-With love,BamBam🦢🌙

[cocastyle]

Robin — TWO

Pairing - Joel Dawson x reader

Word Count - 4,476

A/N - new update for Robin!! yay!! this series as been so much fun writing so far and I’m overwhelmed by the unexpected love for this series so far! I hope you all continue to enjoy it as much as I! I have a lot in store for our very own Batman and Robin duo :))

if you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

R O B I N

Robin Series Masterlist

⭒❃.✮:▹  TWO   ◃:✮.❃⭒

Dear Aimee,

This week has been especially shitty.

We lost Connor to what looked like a really big ant. It helps me to draw them. I try to capture their essence, scribble down some notes on how to kill them.

Turns out Robin's katanas can pretty much solve anything. Although, I'm pretty sure it's just because Robin's the one wielding them.

Sometimes I think drawing them is the only way I know how to cope with these things. That and having Y/N. She helps me a lot more than I give her credit for.

I owe her my life.

We've lost a lot of people over the years. You'd think you'd get numb to it after a certain point.

You don't.

- - -

Y/N walked through the hallway with a small skip in her step. Despite everything that had happened in the past week, she still managed to feel happy just at the thought of being with her best friend. With her activities for the morning already done, she was determined to spend some time with Joel who she knew was still a bit down on himself about what had happened during the breach.

She had set up the target in the room where Gertie and Mav1s were, knowing that the boy had been begging her to teach him how to shoot for a while now. She had about a half an hour before she had to be back with the hunting squad, so she was hurrying to get to Joel so that they could have more time working with the crossbow.

She was almost to his room when she heard his voice echoing down the hall. Furrowing her eyebrows, she picked up her speed and went pass his bedroom until she was at the radio room. She poked her head inside, her eyes landing on the boy who sat at the desk with the radio turned on.

"This is 7045. Come in, 3022. I repeat, come in, 3022. Over," Joel said, his eyes flickering over the map in front of him where he had 'X's marked everywhere except for the circle around their bunker and 3022.

"This is 3022. What is it now, Ray?" a voice replied over the radio making Joel sit up a bit more.

"Hey, Janice. No, it's actually. . .It's, uh, Joel," he told her making Y/N smile softly as she watched the boy.

There was a long moment of silence before the woman chuckled, "Oh. Joel."

"Yeah," he replied, smiling slightly.

"All right. Hold on one second," Janice said. "Aimee, it's Ray!"

Y/N’s smile faltered at that, muttering softly to herself, "Aimee, of course."

"Joel," the boy corrected with a small sigh into the radio. "Thanks, Janice."

"Joel! Hey!" a new voice said, instantly making the boy perk up as a big grin took over his features.

"Hey, Aimee! Hi!" Joel exclaimed. "How are you?"

"Hi. Yeah. I, uh. . .I'm good," Aimee told him.

"It's so good to hear your voice," Joel admitted, relaxing a bit at finally being able to hear her voice once again.

Y/N watched him for a moment longer before smiling sadly and turning to walk away. She knew how much getting to talk to Aimee meant to him, so she wasn't about to interrupt him with something he honestly probably didn't care to do. Besides, she wanted to give him some privacy to talk to the girl he was in love with. After all, that's what she would've wanted if it were her having to talk to Joel over the radio.

The girl walked aimlessly down the hallway, lost in her own thoughts about Joel before she was snapped back to attention when a voice softly called out, "Y/N, are you alright?"

She came to a stop, her head lifting up to notice Kala standing in front of the memorial they had for all the lost colony members. The girl's eyes were on her, concern evident despite the sadness in her eyes.

Y/N gave her a forced smile and said, "I'm fine, Kala."

Kala just stared at her before giving her a sad smile and whispering, "Joel's talking with Aimee again, isn't he?"

Y/N looked away at that, swallowing thickly before asking, "How. . .how are you?"

Kala went quiet and glanced down at the hat in her hands that had belonged to Connor. When she continued to not respond, Y/N walked across the room and pulled the girl in for a hug. Kala melted into her embrace, her body shaking a bit as she softly cried.

"I know," Y/N whispered, holding onto the girl tightly in hopes she would realize she was no alone. "Connor. . ." She trailed off as she felt her own sadness bubbling into her throat. After all, Connor and her had been close. He was a part of the hunting team with her. He had been like brother to her and she had lost him. "He was a great person and he loved you so much. He died protecting you."

Kala sniffled and nodded her head. "I know," she said, her voice cracking a bit.

The sound of footsteps approaching pulled the two apart and they turned to see Joel walking in. He plopped down on a seat beside one of the tables, a numb and upset look on his face that made Y/N’s heart break.

"I'm going to go put Connor's hat up," Kala muttered, her hand gently squeezing Y/N’s arm in order to pull the girl's attention back to her. "Thank you."

Y/N nodded and Kala gave her a small smile before walking back over to the memorial while Y/N walked over to Joel. She sat down in the seat beside him, the boy instantly looking her way while she offered him a small smile.

"Hey," she whispered. "How are you?" Joel looked away at that and Y/N sighed, "Joel, you need to put the breach thing behind you, okay? No one was expecting it, so you can’t blame yourself for being scared."

"But you're not scared," Joel retorted, his head still hung low.

"Are you kidding me? I'm always scared," Y/N told him, her words making him look up at her. "It's my fear that keeps me going.It's my fear that pushes me through whatever challenges may come my way."

Y/N didn't go into the fact that her fear was never truly about herself. Her fear had always and would always be for Joel's life. For if she died, then that meant Joel could die simply because she wouldn't be there to protect her. And that's what scared her more than anything in the world.

The thought of Joel dying.

So in her mind, she survived for him. She survived so that Joel would survive.

The boy was looking at her, still not saying anything. Sighing, the girl reached out and placed a hand on top of his own. She gave him a reassuring smile before saying, "Even Batman was afraid every once in a while, Joel. That's what makes him human."

Joel smiled a little at that, squeezing her hand and rubbing his thumb over the top of her skin while Y/N smiled back.

She let go of his hand and leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on the table as she looked to the boy. "How's Aimee?" she asked.

Joel looked at her in surprise, not sure how she could've known he was talking to the girl, before saying, "I think she's fine. We. . .we didn't get to talk much before the radio cut off."

Y/N frowned, "I'm sorry, Joel."

Joel smiled weakly and looked down at the table before whispering, "I just miss her."

Y/N felt her heart ache at the sight of him and she quickly dropped her feet to the ground before wrapping an arm around his shoulders and leaning her head against him. "I know," she whispered softly, ignoring the way her heart slightly broke knowing that even after seven years of not seeing her, Joel still loved Aimee.

Y/N had gone through seven years of watching him pine after a girl who barely even seemed to understand what she had when he was her boyfriend. Yet she still stuck by his side even though she found herself falling in love with him even more with each second that passed.

Joel let out a soft sigh and leaned his head against her own, relishing in the comfort of his best friend while his heart ached for the girl he loved.

Still oblivious to the fact that the girl holding onto him loved him more than Aimee ever could.

- - -

"I wanna know how it got in," Karen demanded, frowning from where she sat down at the table. The whole colony was there, the discussion about how the monster had gotten in finally being brought up after giving everyone enough time to mourn.

Y/N was watching Joel, her eyes flickering over the boy who sat on the opposite end of the table with his gaze on the table and a numb look upon his face. Frowning, she pulled her gaze away and looked to Karen. "You sure about that?" Y/N asked. "Sometimes it's better not knowing."

Karen was hesitant, knowing that what the girl said was true. After all, the hunting team didn't always tell them what went on unless everyone agreed on it. It was better for some people to have to worry about certain things over others. When she gave a small nod in response, Y/N looked to Tim and gestured for him to go ahead.

With Connor gone, Y/N was one of the designated leaders at the moment. She had a bit of a reputation in the colony anyways, having worked her way to top hunter on their squad within a matter of weeks. So Tim didn't hesitate to comply to her orders, looking around at the others as he explained, "It appears to have ripped through one of our perimeter defenses."

"What, it ripped through steel?" Anna Lucia asked, having not known that bit of information.

"Y/N, Anderson, and I resealed the breach point and the vent. Nothing's getting in that way again," Tim assured them.

"And if they do, we'll be ready. I set up triggers around possible breach points to help alert us when something's attempting to get in. Next time one tries to strike, the team and I will be out there ready to take it down," Y/N said.

"But why did it happen?" Karen asked.

"It was a freak occurrence," Ray told her. "There's no reason to think it'll happen again."

"Ray's right. We only took precautions just to be safe," Y/N spoke up. "We should try to stay calm. There's no use worrying—"

"How far away is Aimee's colony?" Joel spoke up, his voice making them all go silent while the boy looked over at them.

"What?" Tim asked.

"Aimee's colony," Joel repeated, ignoring the fact that everyone's eyes were now on him including Y/N who looked like she didn't understand what was happening. "How far away is it?"

"About eighty five miles," Ray answered.

"How long does that take to get there?" Joel questioned. Y/N sat up a bit, her feet that she had propped up on the table falling to the ground as she stared at her best friend.

"Joel, you're not actually thinking of going?" Tim said confused.

"Tim, just. . .humor me," Joel pleaded. "How long?"

"Seven days," Y/N spoke up, causing the boy to look her way. She was watching him, her eyes flickering over his face while she had a completely blank look upon her face. It was enough to make Joel still, for he had never seen her act that way, but he was too focused on her words to speak up about it. "Minimum."

"An armed and trained hunting party would be lucky to last fifty miles on the surface," Anna Lucia said, the others all looking at each other and mumbling in agreement while Joel looked off in thought and Y/N continued to study him with narrowed eyes. "But you, Joel. . ."

"All right," Tim spoke up, noticing the way Y/N had obviously gotten distracted by what her best friend was saying. "Now I need volunteers to help reinforce some of the outer perimeter."

Everyone began to speak up, agreeing to help out, but Joel spoke out again, his voice making everyone freeze as he said, "I'm gonna go."

Everyone was dead silent as they looked to him, Y/N’s face growing a bit pale while Joel ignored her gaze. "It's an impossible journey, Joel," Tim told him.

Joel shook his head and stood up. "No, I'm serious," he said. "I love you guys, but Aimee is one of the only people in this world who ever truly made me happy, and she's only eighty five miles away. And I'm gonna go see her." He let out a breath he had been holding before smiling slightly. "That felt awesome." He then turned and walked out of the room, leaving everyone staring after him.

All eyes turned to Y/N who was staring at the place Joel had just been with tears in her eyes. All she could hear were Joel's words playing over and over in her head.

Aimee is one of the only people in this world who ever truly made me happy.

Aimee is one of the only people in this world who ever truly made me happy.

It took her a moment, but Y/N was up and out of her seat without a second thought. She ran out of the room, leaving the others to sigh and exchange a look for they knew Joel's words had hit her harder than he meant to let them.

By the time she reached Joel's room, her tears were long gone and her mind was already made up. She appeared in the doorway, her eyes instantly locking on Joel who was shoving his few belongings into his backpack. He glanced up at her, his eyes hesitating on her form for a moment before he looked back down.

"I have to go, Robin. I can't stay here anymore and just wait for something to happen. I'm done waiting," he told her, shoving his journal and pencils into his backpack as he did so.

"I know," Y/N replied. "You have to do this. You should go." Joel looked up to her at that, his face displaying a look of shock for a small second. She smiled softly at him before walking towards him and saying, "But I'm coming too."

"You're. . .you're what?" Joel asked in surprise, his eyes flickering over her face as she came to stop in front of him.

"Joel, you're the only person who makes me happy," she began, her words making his heart skip a beat which he quickly pushed aside as nothing. "I can't let you just leave without me."

Joel was reminded of what he said earlier and his face softened as he reached out and cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You know I didn't mean that you don't make me happy, right?" he eyes searching her own to make sure she understood what he was saying. "Cause you do, Robin. You're the one that keeps me going every day."

He let go of her and turned to his backpack which he zipped up, missing the way Y/N’s face heated up for a second due to his words and display of affection. She quickly pushed her feelings aside, knowing Joel always had been an affectionate person. It was just how their friendship worked.

"But I have to go see Aimee," Joel continued, letting his gaze fall back upon his best friend. "And I can't just make you come with."

"You're not making me do anything," Y/N assured him. "I'm coming. We stick together through everything, remember?" She took a step forward before holding her hand out to the boy. "Batman and Robin, right?"

Joel hesitated as he looked to her, a smile slowly making its way onto his face while he felt his heart swell with an emotion that he pushed aside as nothing else but relief in getting to keep her by his side.

"Batman and Robin," he agreed, clasping his hand in her own while they exchanged small smiles.

Y/N gave him a short nod before taking a step back which caused Joel to frown because it suddenly felt like he was missing a warmth he hadn't known had been there when she was right in front of him.

"I'm going to go grab my things," Y/N said. "I'll meet you by the exit." And with that, she ran out of the room, leaving Joel to stare after her. He was a bit confused as to what he had just felt, but didn't think much of it as he turned back to his bag and smiled.

"I'm coming, Aimee," he whispered, thoughts of reuniting with the love of his life running through his head.

- - -

Dear Aimee,

I am done hiding. I am done waiting for things to get better.

It's time to take matters into my own hands. Time to let someone else make the minestrone.

I'm taking a radio, even though it doesn't have power. But I'm gonna take it anyway.

Robin's coming with me. She's just the best, you know?

I didn't want to admit it, but the thought of leaving her behind had scared me. Knowing she'll be there with me every step of the way, it provides me a sort of comfort that I can't even begin to describe.

I can do anything if I have her with me. Walking eighty five miles through a monster infested world will be a piece of cake.

- - -

When Y/N was done packing, she went off to find the rest of the colony, knowing she would have to explain to them that she was going with Joel even if they might not want her to. Muttering rehearsed lines to herself, Y/N walked into the main room where the colony was all huddled around a map and writing things down.

"Guys," Y/N began, letting out a shaky breath. "I'm—"

However, she didn't get a chance to finish before she was being tackled in a hug by Kala. Y/N fell into a stunned silence, hesitantly hugging the girl back in confusion before Kala pulled away to look at her.

"You're going with him," Kala stated. "We know." Y/N blinked in surprise before looking around at the others who all just nodded softly despite the sad smiles on their faces. The girl looked back to Kala who just smiled softly. "It's okay, Y/N. We knew you would."

"I didn't want to do this to you guys," Y/N admitted. "I know we just lost Connor and losing another person on the hunting team isn't ideal, but I have to go with him. He's my best friend."

They all nodded in understanding before Tim reached out to clap a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to explain to us, Y/N," he told her. "We get it. Just know that we'll be waiting for you two when you get back."

Y/N smiled softly at that, falling into Tim's embrace while everyone smiled at the exchange. "So," Y/N began as she pulled away from the man, "what are you guys doing?"

"Attempting to make a map for the two of you. Well. . .mostly for Joel in case he somehow gets lost," Anna Lucia said making Y/N chuckle softly before she walked over to the table.

She smiled softly at the sight of all the notes on the front before noticing that there seemed to be something on the back. She flipped the paper over, her smile growing even more at the notes the crew had all written on the back for the boy.

"We were going to make one for you too," Kala spoke up. "But I think Joel needs more of a reminder of how much we love him than you do. I have a feeling you already know that."

Y/N smiled and looked up at the people who had become her family. "I know," she whispered making them all smile before she looked down at the paper snd grabbed ahold of one of the pens. She scribbled down a small note on the back to go along with the others before Karen folded the map up.

It was when she was almost finished folding it that they heard Ray call out, "He's not joking."

They all walked out of the room at that, Y/N catching sight of Joel making his way over towards them with his backpack on and two crossbows and her katanas in hand. His eyes locked with hers and he smiled before holding out her weapons. "I think you may have forgotten something," he mused making the girl roll her eyes.

"Thanks, Joel," she said before grabbing the katanas and strapping them into her back and under her backpack. She then took the crossbow and the two turned to head towards the ladder that led to up above when Tim stepped in their way.

"We're not letting you two leave. You're needed here," Tim told them, even though Y/N knew that he understood he wasn't going to be able to stop them.

"Tim, Y/N may be, but I'm not. Come on. I don't do anything," Joel said.

"Joel, that's not true. You fix the radio. You make the minestrone," Tim stopped after that and winced slightly at his own words. "Okay. Doesn't sound as important when I say it out loud."

"I appreciate you trying," Joel assured him. "Really, I do. I just don't feel like I belong anywhere. I don't really wanna die all alone at the end of the world, so. . ."

Tim stared at the boy for a moment, his eyes flickering over to Y/N who gently shook her head at him to let him know he shouldn't say anything about her feelings for the boy. Tim sighed and turned away, allowing the two to walk by.

Joel moved forward, but paused before looking back at the others. "Look, I know you guys all just think of me as, like, some little, pathetic, adorable hedgehog. But I can take care of myself. I'm actually probably a lot stronger than you might think," he told them.

Y/N smiled softly at the boy's words, knowing how badly he wanted to prove to them all that he could do this. She placed a hand on his arm and Joel looked her way, smiling as she squeezed his arm before looking to the others. "We'll take care of each other," she assured them. "We've survived seven years. We can survive seven days."

The colony didn't say anything until finally Karen stepped forward and held the map out to Joel. "We made you a map," Karen told him.

"Thanks, Karen," Joel whispered before the girl reached up to hug him. Joel hugged her back and Karen pulled away with a sad smile before going over to Y/N and hugging her as well.

"Just. . .take care," Karen whispered before she pulled away and backed up to join the others. Y/N stared out at the people who had become her family, her eyes tearing up a bit as she knew that there was a possibility she would never see them again.

She felt a hand latch onto her own and Y/N looked to her left to see Joel giving her a reassuring smile as his fingers intertwined with her own. Y/N gave him a shaky smile in return while Joel rubbed his thumb across the skin on top of her hand.

"Everything will try to kill you," Ray told them.

"Oh," Joel muttered, making a small face which made Y/N chuckle softly.

"Be observant. Use the advantages that you have. You're fast and small and Y/N is one of our best hunters, so, Joel, don't fight. Just run and hide. Y/N, you should do that too, but if you need to, use those katanas and crossbow like your life depends on it cause it does," Ray said.

"Don't fight," Joel repeated, making another face before looking to Y/N. "So Robin fights, but Batman doesn't?" he whispered to her. She just smiled shyly at him.

Ray reached out and pulled the two into a hug, Joel and Y/N hugging him back while their intertwined hands still stayed by their side.

"You're both assholes if you get eaten," Ray told them.

Y/N smiled at that before saying, "And you all are douchebags if you don't answer our call when we get there."

The group all chuckled while Joel went to hook his crossbow to his backpack. Everyone fell silent as they watched him, their smiled falling as he struggled to simply latch the crossbow to his back. Y/N sighed and brought her free hand up to facepalm herself while Joel just awkwardly laughed and tried to latch the crossbow one more time.

This time it latched into place and he smiled before saying, "Okay."

"Nice," Ava muttered.

Joel ignored her comment and squeezed Y/N’s hand before turning to climb up the ladder. "I love you guys. Tell Aimee I'll see her in seven days," he said before climbing up the ladder.

"We believe in you," Karen called after him.

"Love you, buddy," Tim said.

Y/N walked over to the ladder before hesitating at the bottom. She glanced back at the colony, her eyes flickering over each of them. Karen and Kala were softly crying as they hugged each other, the others all looking at her sadly before Tim just gave her a small nod.

"Take care of him," Tim said before hesitating. "And yourself."

"I will," Y/N whispered, smiling at the group one last time. "I love you guys."

"Love you too," they all chorused as she began to climb up the ladder like Joel had. The latch was already open by the time she reached the top and she was blinded by the sunlight until Joel moved himself above the hole and looked down at her.

"You sure about this?" he asked, his eyes flickering over her face for any signs of hesitation.

Y/N smiled softly, "I'm sure."

Joel smiled at that before holding his hand out, the girl looking to it for a moment as she realized just what it is they were doing. Was she really about to help the boy she loved reunite with the girl he was in love with? It was crazy. She knew that. Yet seeing that smile on Joel's face and knowing that this was what he wanted, what he needed, to be happy was enough for her to know this was the right thing to do.

Then, without another second thinking about it, Y/N took ahold of the boy's hand and he pulled her into the world above.

- - -

Tag List

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[jingabitch]

Armed to the Fangs ch.12

SUMMARY: you grew up in the hunter’s guild, understanding that it is your sacred duty as a hunter to protect humanity from the vampires that lurk in the dark, draining the life from anyone unlucky enough to be caught. while making the rounds one night, you encounter taehyung, a fabled born vampire - not that you know that when he tries to entice you into a dark alley. next thing you know, you’re kidnapped and taken to their home, where you realise that all of them somehow crave your blood and seem to know more about your past than you do. finding out about where you came from might be the key to setting humanity free.

PAIRING: eventual ot7 x reader

WARNINGS: some description of violence, angst, pining, some shit goes down

RATING: T - slightly M-ish?

WORD COUNT: 3.2k

A/N: I have a new beta, @hesperantha​ , as Kura is no longer writing for BTS and has left her blog. :)

series index

If you’d thought that Hoseok’s attitude would change towards you after you’d saved his life, you were sadly mistaken. He immediately retreated back into his own room, only leaving to seek you out when he needed to feed. In some ways, you felt like a walking Capri-sun.

You didn’t let it bother you too much – after all, the others were more than willing to entertain you. Yoongi was teaching you piano, Jin was teaching you how to cook, and so on. You’d taken Namjoon’s advice to start exploring new things while you were still living with them, and he was right – all of them were so knowledgeable in the areas they were interested in that it was like talking to encyclopedias. It made sense, of course, since they’d all been around for so long that they’d been able to experience the evolution of their various fields firsthand.

It was only now that you had all the time in the world to learn about different things that you realized how empty your life had been in the Guild. It had been all you knew for the past twenty-odd years of your life. Life had been little more than learning the Code, physical training and all the emergency skills you would need. You’d held a gun before you held a pen for the first time.

With so much time now, you wondered what your life would have been like if you hadn’t been orphaned and taken in by the Guild. Maybe you would have become a writer, or a doctor.

Then again, everything came back to the fact that everyone lived in fear because of the vampires that roamed the night. Hardly anyone could be found on the streets at night, and even during the day, no one dared walk too close to the dark alleys where the vampires hid out. In a different life, one where you hadn’t had the benefit of extensive hand-to-hand combat training and a gun, you might not even have lived to adulthood.

With a sigh, you wrapped the throw around yourself more tightly as you frowned down at the book you were holding. Namjoon had recommended this, but somehow you weren’t in any mood to read, caught up in your maudlin thoughts.

The knock on the door provided a welcome distraction, and you shut the book as you called out, “It’s open.”

Hoseok stepped into your room, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Oh, you’re hungry again, aren’t you?” you said, thinking back to the last time he’d sought you out.

He nodded, and padded silently over to you. All of the vampires walked without making any sort of noise, and it had creeped you out a little at first, but you were getting used to it now.

The smell of blood, on the other hand, still made you nauseated. You usually held your breath for as long as possible while Hoseok was feeding, and he was considerate enough to close the wounds immediately after he was done. Still, this might never become your favourite activity.

That wasn’t an absolute no, though, because you had to admit to yourself as Hoseok came to sit next to you on the couch that the feeding was an almost erotic activity. The way he had to draw close, put his mouth on your neck… the line between prey and partner tended to blur in that instant.

It was ridiculous, you knew, and certainly a consequence of being touch-starved here at the manor. Back at the Guild, physical intimacy was just a way to scratch an itch, and hookups among the hunters were common. After all, none of you really expected to be able to get married, have kids, or any of that stuff – death in combat was the norm. Why not enjoy the time you had on this earth?

You swallowed as Hoseok sat down next to you, perched sideways on the couch. Putting your book aside, you turned to face him, trying your best to regulate your breathing and heart rate. It was all easier if you remained calm, you’d found out quickly.

Still, you couldn’t help but grit your teeth as your eyes followed his hand, reaching out to touch your neck. His skin was warm against yours, and he ran his thumb along the side of your throat, gently tracing his favoured spot.

As he leaned in, you tipped your head back to give him more room, your eyes focusing on the ceiling as your hands clenched into fists in your lap. This was normal for your feeding sessions, and initially it had been to stop yourself from pushing him away, but now you did it to hold yourself still so you didn’t do something asinine like pull him closer, which was guaranteed to make things awkward. After all, even though he was the only one bonded to you in this way, Hoseok was still by far the most aloof of the vampires.

He got close enough that you could feel his breath on your neck, and you sank your teeth into your lower lip to prevent any moaning, although you couldn’t quite stop the shaky breath you let out.

“I’m going to bite you now,” Hoseok murmured in a low voice, conscientiously warning you in the instant before it happened.

The subsequent feedings had been nothing like the first time, when he’d been almost savage in his hunger. He was gentle almost to a fault as he cradled the back of your neck to keep you from moving, carefully puncturing your skin with his teeth – and okay, this part did hurt a little, but no more than the blood donations you’d made every couple of weeks to the Guild infirmary – and then drinking. With how soft his lips were on your neck, you could almost forget what he was actually doing. You sank back into the couch cushions as he drank, feeling a little weak and dizzy… not that you hated it, the lightheadedness making you feel like you were floating, and it was only Hoseok, his body braced over yours, that was keeping you grounded.

When he was done and slid his tongue up your neck, over the puncture wounds, you couldn’t hold back the soft whimper, or the way your hands automatically flew to him, settling over his sides as your fingers curled into the fabric of the shirt he was wearing. It was like in that instant, instinct overruled all reason.

A second later, you realized what you’d done, and your cheeks burned as you yanked your hands away from him. He sat up and away from you, determinedly avoiding eye contact with you.

“Right, uh, I guess that’s that, then,” you said with forced cheer, trying to break the awkward silence that fell over the room.

“Yes, thank you,” Hoseok responded, standing up stiffly, his arms locked by his sides. He bowed perfunctorily then made his escape as quickly as possible.

Finally alone now, you let out a gusty sigh and tilted your head back to rest against the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling without really taking anything in.

How horrifyingly humiliating, you thought, shutting your eyes tightly and cringing. How could you have exhibited such a stunning lack of control?

Still, even though you didn’t want to admit it, you felt the ghost of his touch even till now. His body under your hands had been warm and solid; his gentle touch on your neck made your skin tingle.

There was definitely something there that shouldn’t be present.

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

It was like something clicked in your head that day, and for the first time, you realized that you were living with seven incredibly attractive men. It was terribly distracting too, especially since you were now spending more time in close proximity with them. Piano lessons with Yoongi, cooking with Jin, working out with Jungkook (it shouldn’t have surprised you that they had a full gym in the manor, but you’d been wowed by how comprehensive the equipment was anyway) – all these activities filled your nights with so much learning and joy that you’d never experienced at the Guild.

As the summer months stretched on, you took to sunbathing in the gardens sometimes during the day, after realizing that you were starting to get unhealthily pasty and were surely well on your way to a serious vitamin D deficiency. You were settling quite nicely into your life of leisure, you thought. Behind the manor gates, it was easy to pretend that none of the horrors happening right outside your little oasis were actually real. Instead, you occupied yourself with zoning out while watching Yoongi’s fingers dance across the keys of his grand piano, imagining all the nasty things his dexterous fingers could be doing to you instead, or watching Jungkook do deadlifts while shirtless.

One of your favourite things to do, however, was watch Jin cook in the kitchen. Not only did he make the tastiest food you’d ever tasted – not that you had much of a frame of reference – but watching him move around the kitchen, the muscles underneath his shirt rippling as he chopped vegetables or flipped the food in the pan, was strangely both soothing and arousing. It felt like domesticity, like home, like something you’d never even thought was within the realm of possibility for you when your life had been about killing as many vampires as possible before one got you too.

Would it really be okay, you wondered, leaning against the island in the kitchen as you watched Jin make something called mala stir fry, if you just embraced what was in front of you now? Put down the burden of protecting the people of Seoul from the vampires and just… what? Engaged in an orgy with all seven of them? Get passed around between them, one for every day of the week?

“I can hear your brain back there,” Jin said as he poured the mixture of spices into the wok. The smell of the Szechuan peppers immediately wafted up, and you sneezed a few times before sniffling.

“Can’t hear anything over the sound of me sneezing,” you bit back, and he laughed, impervious to the spice that was currently making your nose itch and your eyes water.

“Come try it,” he invited, scooping a piece of mushroom out of the wok and holding it out for you. You came to stand next to him, your hip leaning against the counter, and he held the spatula in front of your face.

“This is good,” you mumbled around the morsel of food, feeling your tongue and lips tingle and turn numb from the spice. You swallowed, then piped up again. “You know this is way too much food for one person though, right?” you asked, looking down at the food in the wok.

Jin followed your gaze back down then sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I keep forgetting,” he complained. “It’s so hard to cook for just one person.”

You laughed. “You’ve always been a vampire, haven’t you? How many people were you cooking for before?”

“Oh, tons,” he said, running his spatula through the wok. “Back in the day I had a restaurant, and people would line up ‘round the block to taste my food. It was the best,” he sighed wistfully.

“How come you stopped?” you asked, peering up at him as you held the tip of the spoon to your mouth, trying to get the last of the sauce. It really was addictive.

Immediately, Jin’s body language changed. His expression grew shuttered and his shoulders seemed to draw up closer to his ears, as if he was stressed. “A lot of things changed,” he muttered evasively.

Curious, you wanted to ask more questions, but he turned off the flame and started plating the stir fry. “Can you get the rice?” he asked, still facing the counter and not looking at you.

“All right.” You opened the rice cooker and scooped out the rice into a bowl, but you couldn’t forget about his mysterious words and the way his entire demeanor had changed. A vampire having a restaurant? That thought sounded too ludicrous to even imagine, but why would Jin lie to you?

Come to think of it, sometimes the boys would absently refer to a time “before” and drop references to a world that had been so different. Travelling, owning businesses, socializing with humans… what had changed? What was going on?

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

You were still mulling over it a week later. Before, you’d have picked up your phone and texted Jennie about it, asking what she thought about the whole situation, but now you sensed that was no longer an option. Instead, you turned the problem over and over in your mind, trying to examine it from all angles.

It was hard, though. You didn’t have much practice solving puzzles beyond the most efficient way to dispatch an attacking vampire.

Still, your focus on Jin’s mysterious words from that night meant that you weren’t focusing on other things, like the fact that you’d had an apparently uncontrollable craving for chocolate ice cream two nights ago, or the slight tenderness of your chest.

Could anyone blame you? You’d been on birth control that suppressed your period for the past few years, to minimize the disruption to your training and hunting schedule. Nothing put a mark on your back like blood leaking out of your vagina in the middle of the street while you were trying to be stealthy, after all.

You were going to regret missing all the signs soon, though.

As you felt safer in the manor, you’d started arming yourself less when you left the room. First the knives in your boots went, then the rifle on your back, and the various guns you’d kept in your coat and strapped to your thighs, one by one. Now you only kept a small revolver on you, more out of habit than anything else. Old habits died hard, after all, and you hadn’t been without a weapon since you were a child.

Dinner – or maybe breakfast? – with all of the boys (sans Hoseok, who usually ate… separately) was an almost nightly affair, and you’d come to enjoy the experience. Maybe it was something that the families from the books you’d read shared, you always thought, and the thought of doing something so normal made the lost little girl inside you happy.

This evening, you were dressed in your usual ensemble of a black T-shirt and black skinny jeans, and as you strapped your hip holster on, you thought absently that maybe you should get some new clothes. Now that everything in your closet didn’t have to be so functional, you could get some cute, pretty outfits, maybe something colourful…

With a small smile at your reflection, you turned and walked out of your room.

The boys were already gathered in the dining room when you got there, and you smiled at them as you walked over to your seat. You’d been smiling more recently, Jimin noted, the tension in your shoulders loosening gradually as you became more comfortable around them.

As elated as he was by the thought, he wondered darkly how quickly you would run if you found out that every single one of them could hear your heart beating in your chest, the quiet sound of the blood rushing through your veins, coming so tantalizingly close to the surface of your skin in your neck, your wrists…

Still, he managed to keep the hunger from darkening his gaze as it followed you to your seat. He wasn’t the worst off of his brothers, and he looked over, concerned, at Jungkook. The youngest was the one having the most trouble, and everyone was concerned about him, but he seemed to be holding it together fine for now.

“Hi everyone,” you chirped as you pulled your chair out. Right before you sat down, though, a little glob of blood slid out of you, soaking into your panties. You didn’t notice at first, but the others sure did.

Jungkook, the worst off, immediately turned his head towards you, his nostrils flaring as he stared you down like a predator. Startled by the sudden movement, you looked over at him, your hands still braced on the table as you prepared to sit. “Jungkook-ssi, what’s wrong?” you asked, your brow furrowing in concern. He didn’t look so good, with his clenched jaw and wide eyes.

“Fuck,” he snarled as he launched himself across the table at you. Startled yells sounded from around the table as the others realized what was happening, but none of them were close enough to stop him immediately.

In a flash, you’d scrambled away, knocking the chair over in the process. “Jungkook, stop!” you screamed, abruptly terrified. He always seemed so harmless and lovable despite his hulking size, with his big doe-like eyes and wide grins, but now you saw the apex predator that he was.

He didn’t even blink in response, and your gun was in your hand in the next second. When the appearance of your weapon didn’t even slow him down, you fired a warning shot into his shoulder, unable to bring yourself to go for a fatal shot immediately.

He paused slightly, a pained snarl crossing his face as his opposite hand came up to cradle his injured shoulder. Then he readjusted, his gaze focusing on you once again with laser-sharp intent.

“Stop,” you said, your trembling hand moving the gun up. The next shot would hit him between his eyes. You could feel your heart pounding in your ears, the adrenaline coursing through your veins as the years of training that you’d thought were becoming obsolete in your new life roared back. The instinct to squeeze your fingers and end it warred with your memories of Jungkook, acting like a cute, innocent boy, so human, so like someone you had to protect. He was almost on top of you when you finally pulled the trigger, closing your eyes tight.

There was a loud thud, and then a moment of silence. You opened your eyes, lowering your arm to your side, your revolver dangling loosely from your lax grip. You expected to see Jungkook – or what was left of him, anyway – lying on the floor in front of you, his head exploded and a huge mess on the carpet.

Instead, you saw him on the ground, struggling against his brothers who were holding him down, still snarling and snapping at you.

“Y/n-ie, are you okay?” Taehyung, who was still standing next to you, reached out to touch your shoulder, but you flinched away from him, looking pale.

“Oh, God,” you breathed shakily, dropping the gun on the floor. It hit the carpet with a soft thud. “Holy fuck.”

Jin stood up, releasing Jungkook’s torso, and disentangled himself from his brothers, getting to his feet in front of you. He was the one who’d tackled Jungkook, you noted numbly. You could tell from his earlier position. “Y/n, you look pale,” he said, ducking down slightly to look more carefully at you.

You took a step back, putting some distance between the two of you. Then, without a word, you fled the dining room, sprinting back to your room and slamming the door shut behind you.

It was only when the door was shut, bolted, and barricaded with a chair that you felt safe, sinking onto the floor. Injeolmi meowed at you as he padded over, and you patted him absently.

You’d made the mistake of letting your guard down around them, and it had almost cost you your life.

[itsclydebitches]

Some of my friends in the RWBY FNDM actually said people don’t forgive their friends for betraying them (Jaune killing Penny) but will forgive strangers betraying them (Em killing Penny). Uh…NO. Being close and attached to someone leads to bias. People are more willing to see someone they don’t know as evil for hurting them BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW THAT PERSON. They said this as an excuse to why RWBY will be pissed at Jaune. NOPE! (1/2)

I think it can go either way depending on the person, or in this case the character. People aren't so uniform that they'll have a single, predictable response to someone's actions depending on whether they're in the "friend" or "stranger" category, to say nothing of the complexities of figuring out when one moves from one category to the other. (Is Ozpin the beloved and respected headmaster they look up to, or a virtual stranger whose age and power makes him someone the group never would have seriously connected with? The fandom is divided.) But that connection (or lack thereof) can go in either direction. It might make it easier to forgive them, or it might make it seemingly impossible. I've been replaying Witcher's Blood & Wine where Anna Henrietta is so relieved to have her sister back that she's blind to the horrors she's committed - love make forgiveness an inevitability. I'm also rewatching Criminal Minds where Reid is furious with JJ for keeping Prentiss' secret from him, specifically because they're so close and JJ was the one to comfort him over Prentiss' "death" - love makes forgiveness that much harder. And it's the same with strangers. If someone you're less close to commits a horrible act, you might respond with pure disgust because who are they to you? Nobody. They're defined only by that one action. Or, their distance might make it easier to forgive them once you have gotten to know them a bit, simply because the action didn't, at the time, feel personal. You know the version of them now, the one that "counts," the one you're emotionally attached to. I don't think it's an either/or situation here, where there's a correct answer of "Yes characters will get angry if they're close to the person in question" or "No characters will be less angry if they're close to them." It depends on the individual, the action, the circumstances, the state of mind of the person trying to grant forgiveness, and a hundred other, smaller factors. If Yang did something horrible, would Blake be less willing to forgive her because they're so close, or more willing because they are? That depends on a whole range of things from "What exactly did Yang do?" to "Has Blake eaten and slept and generally not been stressed out of her mind lately, making her less likely to lash out?" It, to be blunt, comes down to good, nuanced writing.

Which is why the Jaune situation is... complicated. And sadly, RWBY doesn't do well with complicated. Free of the rest of Volume 8, my mind says the group has to be mad. How can they not? Even if Jaune had a 100% solid reason for killing Penny with no possible way to blame him - which, let's be frank, he doesn't. The guy has a healing semblance and just took her word that it was useless - it's not in our nature to approach a tragedy with that level of logical maturity (especially not after the crazy level of trauma that's been going on: Salem, battles, falling to their "deaths."). You don't have a friend admit they killed another friend and immediately go, "Oh yeah. Makes sense. Had to be done. No worries!" and move on with your life. You at least start with some anger, whether it's rational or not, deserved or not. People harbor anger over deaths that we know, realistically, are not the fault of another person involved, we resent people who survived over others even though we know they had no control over it, and we even hate ourselves for hating that person, because we know it's not fair and we're feeling it anyway. If we have all that complexity tied up in deaths that are unambiguously not the fault of the person in question... what do you do with the guy who straight up agreed to an assisted suicide? Gave up on healing or retreat? Was the one to drag his sword across Penny's throat? The fandom recognized that scene as something intensely complicated, made worse by ineffectual writing. We knew, the second it had finished, that Jaune was not an easily categorized innocent here who should be treated solely as a victim of horrible circumstances. There's a very good reason why the fandom went, "What the fuck, Jaune" because this entire situation is so. messed. up. I'm not saying all this to paint Jaune as some irredeemable monster or anything, but rather to highlight that there should be a huge range of emotions coming off of this action. Whether we the audience or the characters decide what he did was the right thing or not, Jaune's actions are still objectively horrifying. He killed Penny. Was it necessary? Given RWBY's shoddy writing, idk, but that's not the point for an initial reaction. The point is, "How would you respond if you found out Friend A helped Friend B commit suicide, right after you'd worked so hard to keep Friend B alive, after she'd already come back from the dead?" The answer should be, "Uh, not well. Not well at all."

But this is RWBY. There should have been a range of emotions to Jinn's vision in Volume 6, but there wasn't. There should have been a range of emotions to Penny's resurrection, but there wasn't. There should have been a more persuasive reason for Jaune to kill Penny, a better job of stripping away other options, but there wasn't. Arguably, Penny shouldn't have died at all, not after being brought back, getting the Maiden powers, being made human... but she was. This situation is already a mess but then, as you say, anon, we have Emerald on top of it all. I mentioned above that it's "Free of the rest of Volume 8" that the group should be mad at Jaune, but obviously that's not how the story goes. I can't separate Emerald from the rest of this and yeah, it looks ridiculous for the group to have a long arc of hating Jaune after they forgave Emerald in, what? An hour? We can talk about that context all we want, but at the end of the day, Emerald's actions were too horrific to shrug off as they were and Jaune's action is also too horrific to shrug off. RWBY has, once again, backed itself into a corner. What the story actually needed was for Emerald to get a full redemption arc, allowing the group to process, grapple with, and learn to forgive her past actions through apologies and new actions to demonstrate growth, so that they could then later do a modified version of that with Jaune, one tailored to his character, their characters, and this new situation. The story needs the group to be mad at both of them because both did things that would generate different types of anger. But because Emerald was granted laughter almost immediately upon arriving at the mansion, yeah, it would read as absurd for the group to go through a whole arc of learning how to forgive Jaune... even though Jaune's actions arguably do need some kind of forgiveness arc. The situation is screwed either way. If the group forgives him quickly it's, "Really? He killed Penny and that's it? No one is going to struggle with that? That's absurd!" and if the group doesn't quickly forgive him it's, "Really? You'll insta-forgive the woman who has been trying to kill you for years, but won't grant the same thing to your friend who only took that action with good intentions? That's absurd!" And if the focus is on Jaune being mad at himself, we're right back to where we were in Volume 4: Jaune mourning a redhead in his life and getting too much focus. I really don't think there's a good solution here, which (as my more recent posts speak to), we're seeing more and more as the series goes on. The more material we get and the more shoddily that material is written, the more we're going to see future situations where we go, "I don't like any of the writing options here, because of something that happened in a previous volume." RWBY has created a situation where the group very much deserves to be angry - or at the very least conflicted - over Jaune's actions, but because it's following on the heels of Hazel, Emerald, and their own horrific choices across Volume 7 and 8, any anger will feel hollow, hypocritical. But isn't that what we're left with? We've been here since the beginning of Volume 7 when Ruby repeated Ozpin's secrets and the story never acknowledged that either she's as bad as he is, or he's not as bad as they believed. We've been watching a show built on that hollow hypocrisy for at least two years (longer, really) and it's just getting worse the more the story introduces sensitive material and then doesn't appropriately follow up on it.

[writer1]

The Hidden Secret

Warnings: Transformation, fear, self hatred, wounds, blood, ghost, body horror, mention of canon death, swearing.

A/N: This is our first fic as part of our fic series The Big, Not So Bad Wolves AU. collab with @ahsokatano-thetogruta

Hunter bites his lip as he paces around his room nervously, he doesn’t know what they are going to do. The Marauder had been damaged on their last mission, so Tech had to crash it on a remote planet, unluckily though, this planet has a long full moon cycle. Hunter pinches the bridge of his nose, they can’t leave the marauder until it's over, no one can know that they are werewolves. 

It had happened during one of their first missions, Tech had been bit by an unknown creature, he had been fine, until the full moon cycle. As soon as he had stepped into the moonlight, he had transformed into a werewolf, and in his unknowing state he bit the rest of them. It took until the full moon cycle ended for them to come back to themselves, but luckily, that was just the first time. Every other time they’ve transformed, they have been themselves, albeit, with a bit more wolf-like behaviors.

Now they have to stop at a planet with a full moon every month or two to get some energy out, but now that they have Echo and their resident ghost around, it's been two months since that's happened, and they are all getting antsy, Hunter can already feel the pull of the full moon outside, but they all resist it, it's not that they don’t trust Fives and Echo, not at all. It's only that those two are new, and they are just starting to trust them, and if they find out they are werewolves, it could ruin the bit of trust that has been built.

“Hunter?” Hunter turns to see Crosshair, Tech and Wrecker walk in and close the door behind them. “What do we do, Hunter? We are going to need to go outside for repairs, and Echo will get suspicious if we only send him.” Tech tells him, and Hunter sighs. “I don’t know, the best idea I have is to wait it out. But we cannot let Fives and Echo know, at least, not yet.” Everyone nods, and Crosshair scrunches his eyes. “We need to tell them soon, I can’t go much longer without having a run to get rid of this pent up energy.” Hunter nods. “We will, but they don’t trust us yet, especially not Fives.” Everyone gets a look of sadness. “Can’t believe he was killed by a brother.” Wrecker whispers angrily, and Hunter nods. “Yeah, and he has major trust issues, so he might get really scared of us if we transform, especially with what we look like.” Everyone nods, hoping that when they do tell, they don’t lose their new found brothers.

xxx

“What do we do, Fives!” Echo yells as he paces around his room, Fives is hovering over his bed, legs crossed. “I’m not sure, but you need to calm down, Echo.” Echo glares at Fives. “Don’t tell me to calm down, you're not the one who could transform when they step outside and into the moonlight.” Echo's breathing quickens and deepens as he says that and his pupil's dilate, which is a warning sign that he's being pulled and tempted to go outside and into the moonlight, so Fives stays calm to keep Echo calm and starts to distract him from the want. “Echo, hey, come back to me, Vod. You have to resist it, or the others they'll…” He doesn't finish his sentence because it'll stress Echo out even more, but he seems to get what he's trying to say when Fives notices Echo's breathing has slowed down dramatically.

Fives sighs once Echo calms down. “I know, but you know that I would never let anyone hurt you, ever!” Echo nods, tearing up. “It's just that...they will probably react the same way that Shiny did back on the mission on Kashyyyk, when they could've killed me if Kix hadn't treated my wound quickly enough. You've seen how accurate Crosshair's shots are, and Wrecker...well, he can lift a whole Kriffing gunship, there's no telling what he could do to me--” “Echo, calm down, it's going to be okay. I'll be there for you, and I'll never let anyone else hurt you, ever.” Fives had noticed Echo shaking, so he had stepped in before Echo caused himself anymore stress and pain. Echo smiles sadly, but he's thankful that he has Fives right by him, always.

Fives pulls him close and hugs him. “I won’t let them find out, you just have to stay inside, okay? We can say that… that… you're sick!! That's it, we can say that you're sick.” Fives pulls away and smiles, making Echo give his own. “Okay, thanks Fives!!” Fives smiles and pulls him into a Keldabe kiss. “Of course, I’ll always take care of my twin. Now you just lay down and get some rest, I’ll go talk to them.” Echo nods, and with that, Fives phases through the wall. On his way to find Hunter, who's probably in his room practicing his knife skills like he usually does, Fives notices that the air seems eerily tense, not to mention quieter than usual. 

The sound of Wrecker's loud and booming laughter couldn't be heard anywhere in the ship. He can't even hear Crosshair's usual grumpy voice from anywhere. Not even the sound of Tech tinkering with a project, or multiple at one time like he usually does. Fives reaches Hunter's room, knocking on the door. He could just phase through, but being a ghost means that there are rules in place like, for example, not phasing straight into someone's room without permission. He wouldn't anyway, but it was brought up during a small meeting and the bad batch had after a couple of incidents when Fives had accidentally phased into a room with no warning.

The first time was in the refresher. Echo had asked Fives to grab something for him, but then he hadn't even thought about the fact that someone could have been in there. But they had. It was Hunter, and what's worse is that he was standing there naked, staring wide eyed at Fives in the mirror, not sure what to do. Fives rushed out immediately while carrying the hair gel, not realising that it can’t phase through with him. As soon as he hears the clatter, he floats as fast as he can back down the hall to his and Echo's room.

Fives had seen for a quick second that the left side of his body is also tattooed with skeleton bones and features. Echo is confused as to why Fives' face is red, but then he chuckles when Fives tells him what happened. A few minutes later, there's a knock at the door, in which Echo answers it and opens the door to see Hunter, holding the hair gel out to him. “I believe Fives came to get this for you?” He sounds a little nervous, but not as much as Fives feels right now, who is hiding and invisible from the guilt. 

The second time was when he phased into Crosshair's room and not his own. Crosshair was in the process of getting changed and had nothing on. He was pissed as hell and was the one who wanted the rule of no phasing into private rooms in place. Fives completely understands and respects that rule. 

Only a moment after Fives knocks, the door hisses open. Hunter stands in the doorway, smiling. “Fives, what can I do for'ya?” Fives smiles back, seeing that Tech, Crosshair and Wrecker are also there. He doesn't think much of it, about them all being in Hunter's room, but he is slightly confused, but decides not to bring it up. “I've just come to let you know that Echo is feeling sick.” He explains to them, making the others worry.

Tech is the one to ask “He is? Has he tried getting some fresh air? The atmosphere outside is breathable--” “No! Uh, no, he hasn't. But he'll be okay.” Fives interjects, hoping that the others won't suspect anything by the way he just lashed out. Suddenly, Crosshair groans, making Fives raise an eyebrow. “Is something wrong?” Fives asks, but Crosshair just shakes his head. “No, just worried about Echo.” Fives keeps looking at him suspiciously, then he nods. “Okay, then, I’ll go back and see Echo.” they nod and Fives floats off, when Hunter closes the door, Crosshair groans again. “Now we won’t be getting out for sure.” Hunter sighs. “Yeah, but we need to worry about Echo, he’s sick.” Crosshair gets a guilty look. “Yeah, you’re right.” “We can always open the door a bit? Let some fresh air in?” Tech offers and everyone nods. “Sounds good, you go do that Tech, I’m gonna go and check on our sick brother.” Hunter leaves the room after that, followed by everyone else.

xxx

Fives phases back into his and Echo’s room, Echo is laying in his bed, smiling when he sees his twin. “Hey Fives, how’d it go?” Fives smiles. “It went well, they bought it and didn't suspect a thing.” Echo sighs in relief as he sits up, swinging his prosthetic legs over the edge of the bed and stands up, pulling Fives into a hug. “Thank you, Vod.” He whispers softly, glad that he has such an amazing brother like Fives. “You're welcome. Though remember, you're sick, yeah?” He pulls away and winks at him, making Echo chuckle. Fives has always been goofy, but he'll do absolutely anything when it comes to helping his brothers. Echo nods “Yeah, definitely.” He winks back. 

Fives pats his back gently “Anyways, I'm going to go and talk about explosives and explosions with Wrecker now, I'll see you in a bit, Vod.” Echo chuckles at that, knowing how enthusiastic the two get about the subject. He knows for sure if they had the chance to meet when Fives was alive, they would be the best of friends and cause chaos together whenever the time came. But it never will now because Fives can't touch any sort of gun or explosive, as it'll mess with his new ghost form. “Okay, later!” Echo calls to him as Fives phases out of their room.

After a moment, Echo decides that he'll just go and read a book with a hot drink, to make his sickness seem more convincing to the others. He leaves the room with a book and makes his way to the common area. While pouring himself some already boiled caf, he sees Tech and Hunter enter. Tech walks over to the door while Hunter walks over to him. “You okay, Echo? Fives told us you're sick.” He asks and Echo nods, eyes a little closed as he readjusts his body language to seem more energyless and exhausted, also using a groggy tone of voice to seem more convincing that he's sick, coughing a little. “Yeah, I am, but some rest will help I think.” Echo says with the best 'I'm not feeling well but I'll stay strong' smile he can muster. 

It's fake, yet convincing because Hunter smiles sympathetically, patting his shoulder. “Well, rest up then.” Echo nods, seeing Tech walking over from where he opened the door. Echo's glad that they can have the door open, luckily the moonlight doesn't shine completely into the room. Tech then pipes up “I'll be working on a project in my room, so you know where to find me if you need any help.” Echo nods in thanks as the two walk away to do whatever.

Echo sighs and walks to the couch, facing away from the door. The urge to go outside and into the moonlight is too tempting, but he fights it easily when he becomes too engrossed in his book. Too engrossed that he loses track of time. Too engrossed that he forgets about his cup of caf next to him that's going cold. Too engrossed that he doesn't even notice the danger silently sneaking up behind him. He hears a little bit of shuffling behind him, then he snickers and sighs “You're still no ninja, Fives.” Echo laughs again, but then he freezes, Fives would have said something by now. “FIVES-AAHHH!!!” He yells out, turning his head to see a creature biting into his shoulder, dragging him over the back of the sofa and onto the floor. He panics as it drags him to the ramp of the Havoc Marauder, closer towards-- The moonlight!! “No! No no no, Fives!!!” Echo feels fear encasing his body, as he feels the pull from the moonlight, he wants to go in it so badly, but he also doesn't want to, not at all. “Echo!! 

xxx

Hunter hears the yell and goes running as fast as he can, he runs out of his room to see Tech, Crosshair and Wrecker do the same, as Fives floats out. “Echo!!” He goes flying, Hunter and the others following behind. They get out to see a monster dragging Echo to the door of the Marauder, Crosshair grits his teeth, angry that something is hurting his brother. As Fives grabs onto Echo, the beast pulls them both outside, Crosshair takes aim with his rifle and shoots it, hitting its eye. It squeals and lets go of Echo, running off, but the damage is done.

Echo stares up at Fives with fear in his eyes, but then he just feels glad and relieved that he's finally able to have some moonlight shine on him. Though after a few moments of feeling good and satisfied, he groans as discomfort and pain runs through him. The moonlight has made its course through his body, and he’s transforming now. He knows his body won’t be his own,that he won’t look like himself anymore, and it makes him feel so scared and uncomfortable. He can feel the rest of their gazes on him, making him feel way worse about all of this. It has only been Fives with him in the past, but now with four new brothers here watching him too, who he hasn't known for very long, makes him nervous and terrified that they'll hurt him.

xxx

“Fives!! Is he--” Hunter stops mid sentence as they hear Echo groan, they stay back from the moonlight, as they all see Echo start to grow bigger, white fur sprouting. “Wait! He’s… he’s--” “A werewolf.” Hunter finishes Wrecker’s sentence, then Echo looks up at them as Fives stands in front of him, he whimpers and before anyone can say anything, he runs as he continues to transform. “Echo, wait!!” Hunter and the others go to run after him, they know that he must think they hate him, hell, they thought he’d feel the same to them. Fives pushes Hunter back and away from the entrance, blocking everyone's route. “No! I won’t let you hurt him!!” Hunter raises an eyebrow. “Fives, no. We won’t hurt him.” Hunter tries again, but again, Fives pushes him back. He looks angry, but there is another look, a look Hunter knows all too well, protective. It’s a look he has seen on himself many times. 

“How can I believe that?! Everyone else wanted to!! I won’t let anyone hurt him ever again!” Hunter doesn’t ask Fives what he means by again, not right now, he’ll ask that later. “Fives, we are werewolves too.” Hunter tells him, putting both hands against his own chest to make a point, his brothers all nod. “I don’t believe you.” Fives growls, making Hunter sigh. “Fives, you need to listen, I’m not lying.” Fives flickers, showing them his appearance with a blaster wound through his chest. They feel sad and horrible for Fives, but for now, all that matters is Echo. 

Without another thought, Hunter sticks his arm out and into the moonlight holding it there until the effect of the light has made it all the way through his body, making him groan the same way Echo had done a few moments ago. “F-Fives, let me out. P-Plea-se, now!!” Hunter growls as Fives turns back to his normal self and steps out of the way and Hunter stumbles down the steps, falling to his knees and allowing the full moon to shroud him. Hunter yells and groans. It's not usually this painful because he steps into the light straight away, not like a minute ago when Fives kept on stopping him and he didn't get enough light to allow him to transform as comfortably as possible and not as slowly as he is now. 

Fives watches with wide eyes, not in horror as he's seen Echo transform a few times before, but from surprise that Hunter was telling him the truth, that he is a werewolf. Hunter sprouts dark brown fur all over his body as he pulls his bandana off of his head, his bones rearranging and cracking as he grows a tail, long and fluffy. He grits his teeth, bearing them as they become sharper and his face elongates into a snout. Fives turns to look at the others who seem to be waiting. Hunter huffs as the transformation finishes, the shirt of his blacks torn to shreds around him while his pants are shredded and ripped. 

He stands and turns to look at Fives with glowing, yellow eyes. “You believe me now?” He asks, his voice deep and gruff with a slight growl. “I don't think that I really have an option there.” Fives chuckles nervously, feeling bad that he didn't believe them, but he also had a reason not to trust them, that they could have hurt Echo. Tech then walks forward, a little closer to the door. “Can we step out now?” He asks as he removes his goggles and Fives doesn't wait before stepping out of the way and letting the other three bad batchers through the door and into the light of the full moon. But before Tech gets out, Fives places a hand on his shoulder. “Do you need me to hold your goggles?” He asks nervously, making Tech smile. “If you don’t mind.” He hands Fives the goggles, and Fives smiles and holds them gently as Tech walks out quickly.

They all fall to their knees and the same happens to them, but instead of the slightly slower transformation that Hunter had, they change a lot quicker, but the uncomfortable feeling still stays. They groan and let the transformation do its thing, growing bigger, faces elongating into a snout, sprouting fur all over their bodies and their voices becoming deeper. Wrecker's fur is a dark brown like Hunters, while Tech's fur is a light brown, whereas Crosshair's is grey. They all stretch out on all fours before standing on their back legs, so much taller than what they were before. 

Hunter puts his bandana back on, and Fives floats over and hands Tech his goggles, who adjusts the straps so that they fit on his head. Hunter then turns to Fives. “Any ideas where Echo may have gone?” Fives thinks for a moment, then snaps his fingers. “A cave? Or a large bush, anywhere he can hide really but those are two places I’ve found him before.” Hunter nods, then he turns to Tech, Crosshair and Wrecker. “Okay, Tech, you and wrec--” Hunter freezes as his ears flick up, and he hears soft whimpers, the voice is deeper, but he knows it’s Echo’s. “Scratch that, I can hear him. And he sounds like he’s in pain.” Fives doesn’t understand why Echo would be in pain, but then it hits him. “Shit! His cybernetics, they wouldn’t grow with him.” Everyone gets worried looks, none of them had even thought of Echo’s prosthetics, not even Tech. “Shit, that is not good.” Cross says as Wrecker nods. “Yeah, that's really bad.” he says as Tech sighs. “Okay, we need to get to Echo now, so I can get those off of him. Which way is Echo.” Tech asks, and Hunter nods. “He’s this way.” with that they all go running, Fives floating behind.

Hunter keeps an eye on Fives as they run, making sure he can keep up. He follows the trail of blood and large footprints, so it doesn’t take them long to come to a cave. “He’s in there.” The others can hear the whimpers now, making their ears press back. “What do we do? He might be afraid of us.” Crosshair tells Hunter, making him sigh, then he turns to Fives. “Can you go in first? He might be more comfortable with his twin?” Fives nods and floats in, looking around, then he see’s Echo. “Echo!” Fives flies over as Echo looks up, tears in his eyes, that's when Fives see’s it. Echo’s cybernetics are stuck on his legs, cutting into the skin, making him whine, the blood from the deep cuts soaking into his white fur. “Oh, Echo.” Fives says sadly as he slowly sits down and pulls Echo’s head into his lap, he changes into his form with just his blacks, to make Echo more comfortable. He also looks at Echo’s arm, which is in the same state as his legs. 

“Don’t you worry, we’ll get ya all fixed up, I promise.” Fives says and Echo whimpers softly. “Fives.” He nuzzles his head into Fives stomach and starts to sob hard, making Fives himself tear up. “Shh, it’s okay Echo, you're alright.” Fives runs his hand through the white fur on Echo’s head, feeling the little metal nubs underneath. He hears a crack and looks over to see Hunter slowly making his way into the cave, followed by the others. “Hey, look. The others are here too.” Echo whines and keeps his face hidden in Fives’ stomach, Hunter’s ears press back when he looks at Echo’s legs. “Kriff, the transformation did a number on him.” Crosshair whispers, making Echo whine and try to move his legs. “Woah, no moving Echo, at least, not right now.” Fives tells him, then he looks up. “Think you can get them off, Tech?” Tech nods, and goes to come over, but Echo curls up as much as he can, sobbing into Fives. 

“No, please don't! I'm a monster, don't touch me.” Hunter’s ears press back, so do the others', but Hunter looks over to Fives and Echo. “How long have you been a werewolf, Echo?” Hunter asks, gently, he knows it couldn’t have been as long as they have been. Echo whimpers so Fives answers. “Only about three, maybe four months at most before the Citadel.” Hunter’s eyes widen, Echo’s only freshly turned, well, technically. “He’s never really been in his wolf form around other people other than me, Rex, Kix and a shiny who almost killed him, still don’t know how Rex managed to keep him quiet, and he’s only transformed a few times.” Fives explains, and Hunter gives Echo a soft look. “He’s new to this, we can help.” Crosshair says, and everyone nods. Then Hunter slowly moves closer. “Hey, Echo. Can ya look at me please?” Echo shakes his head, continuing to hide his face against Fives’ stomach.

Hunter slowly moves closer. “Please, Echo? We won’t hurt you, I promise.” Echo shakes his head again, but Hunter gets closer and goes to place his clawed hand on Echo’s shoulder. “Hunter, wait--” Hunter's clawed hand touches Echo’s shoulder, and he spins around and strikes with his claws. “No!” Echo yells, not wanting anyone else other than Fives to touch him in this form. Hunter yelps from the pain when Echo draws blood on his arm, not able to see it well on his dark fur, but the way that Echo's claws are covered in his blood tells him otherwise. Echo whimpers when he sees four werewolves standing there. He sits up and then pulls Fives close with his one arm. Echo has such a strong bond with Fives that Fives will never phase through him. 

Echo growls as he continues to protect Fives. Fives then tried to calm him down. “Echo, Vod, it's okay. It's Hunter and the others, look at them.” Echo scrunches his face and does so, seeing the black fur shaped as a skull on the dark brown wolf, then the crosshair on the grey wolf's face. “Y-You're werewolves too?” They all nod at Echo, making him press his ears back and whine, looking at the claw marks on Hunter's arm. Hunter covers it and smiles “It's okay, don't worry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to touch you while you're in the state that you're in.” He says.

Echo shakes his head “It's okay, I just...don't like others, other than Fives, touching me while I'm like this because I'm scared. But I'll try and work on it.” Echo smiles but then winces and whines at the pain in his legs and right arm. Everyone frowns as they want nothing more but to get them off and relieve him of the pain. “We can help you, Echo. Just trust us, okay?” Tech says softly, hoping that Echo will let them help him. Echo whines, but then the feel of Fives petting the fur on his head soon makes him relax. “Shh, it's alright, Echo.” He says softly, giving Echo a Keldabe kiss, making him hum and press into it. 

When Tech walks closer, Echo tenses but relaxes, especially when Fives takes his clawed hand in his much smaller hands, squeezing it gently to let Echo know that he's here for him. “Okay,” Tech starts, “this is probably going to be painful, so I'm very sorry in advance.” He smiles, then begins to tug at the clasps that are cutting into the flesh on his arm. Echo howls in pain, yelling before hiding his face into Fives' shoulder, whimpering and whining as Tech has to dig his claws in ever so slightly to pry out his droid arm. “There, it’s off.” Everyone’s eyes widen as they look at the bloody mess of Echo’s stub, then Tech sighs. “I’m going to remove your legs now, okay?” Echo nods, and Tech gets to work, he rips Echo’s pants so that they are more like shorts. Then he gets to work prying them off as Echo howls in pain. It takes a few minutes for each leg, since the metal is sunk deep into his skin, but once he’s done everyone can see the bloody wounds. “We should get him back to the Marauder, and get him some bandages.” Tech tells him, and Hunter nods. He turns to Wrecker. “Think you can carry him?” Wrecker smiles wildly. “Of course, he’s easy.” Wrecker walks over and gently kneels down to Echo.

“Am I okay to pick you up?” Echo nods nervously, and Wrecker gently puts an arm under Echo’s stumps, and Another around his back, then he picks him up. “There, you comfortable?” Echo nods, hissing a little when the stump of his arm hits Wrecker’s fur. “Yeah, I’m good.” Wrecker nods, then Fives stands up and blinks his armor back on. “Okay, let's head back to the marauder.” Hunter says, and they all nod. Crosshair stands beside Echo and Wrecker, giving Echo a rare smile. “We’ll take good care of you, Reg. Don’t worry.” Echo nods, and they all walk back to the marauder. Once they get back, the six of them walk up the ramp and into the common area, setting him gently on the floor as Tech runs and grabs some bacta and bandages, then he returns.

“This should help take care of the wounds, do you want me to put it on, or Fives?” Tech asks, and then as everyone figured, Echo asks for-- “Fives, please.” Tech smiles and nods, handing the things to Fives, the others sit around the room as Fives dresses Echo’s wounds, who hisses slightly every little bit. Echo sighs once his wounds are covered in bacta and wrapped, then he looks guiltily at Hunter “I’m sorry, for not telling you.” Hunter looks at him and gives him a smile. “It’s okay, we also didn’t tell you. And we were newly turned once too, we know how scary it is.” Echo gives a small smile, that Hunter returns. “Who tried to hurt you, Reg?” Echo and Fives both look over to Crosshair, who does not look pleased. “Wha--” “Fives said a shiny tried to kill you once, I’d like to know who, and how it happened.” Echo’s ears press back as Fives gets a look of anger.

“It was Echo’s second and last transformation, we were stuck on the planet Kashyyyk.” Fives starts to explain, as the bad batch all listen intently, Echo just looks over at Fives. “We forgot to check the full moon cycle, and Echo ended up transforming after me and him were trapped with a new shiny.” Everyone looks at Fives, then Echo sighs and continues. “I ended up transforming, and the shiny… he knew it was me, he watched it happen and heard me speak to Fives.” Echo takes a deep breath, as Hunter looks at him with understanding and sadness. “It’s okay, Echo. you don’t have to continue--” “No, I want to.” Echo interrupts and Hunter nods. “The shiny then shot me, right in the chest. Fives then captured him as he tried to shoot me again and called Kix, the shot had just missed my heart, if Kix had gotten there even a minute later… I’d be dead.” They all have a look of disgust as Echo finishes. 

“That's… that's disgusting, he had no right.” Wrecker says, angry that his new brother had almost been killed before they had a chance to meet him. “What's his name, and number?” Crosshair growls, making Echo flinch. Hunter puts a hand on Crosshair’s shoulder. “Easy, Cross.” Crosshair huffs, and Hunter then turns to Echo. “Please tell me that Captain of yours didn’t let him off scot free?” Fives barks out a laugh, making them all turn to him. “Oh, hell no. Rex was absolutely pissed! Lets just say no one ever found out Echo was a werewolf, and that shiny was transferred to a different battalion, we never saw him again.” Hunter smiles and crosses his arms happily, laying against the wall, Tech smiles. “Thank the force, that shiny was cruel.” Echo smiles, then Hunter looks over to him.

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you out with this, I promise. We are kind of experts now.” Hunter smiles at Echo, but then he frowns. “And you aren’t a monster.” Echo frowns, ears pressing back. “I know, but...it's just sometimes difficult to believe that.” He looks down at the floor, feeling like a Di'kut for even thinking about himself in that way, but deep down, there is something telling him that it's true-- “Echo,” The sound of Fives' voice makes him perk up a little. “Remember what I've always told you. No matter what you may look like, you'll always be you. My Echo. And I'll always be your goofball twin.” Echo smiles and chuckles, his tail starts wagging out of his control, making him grab it nervously. He's still not used to being a werewolf yet, so he's still not exactly sure what is normal and what isn't. 

Hunter smiles kindly “It's okay, Echo. There's no need to be embarrassed about it, it's normal, so don't worry.” That gives Echo a little more confidence, enough to make him let go of his tail and let it wag, letting his happiness spill out as much as he wants. He then pulls Fives into another hug, nuzzling and then licking the top of his head gently. Echo freezes, then he groans “This is going to take getting used to.” Everyone chuckles, including himself. “Don't worry, Echo! We'll help'ya!!” Wrecker excitedly let's out a shout, making Echo jump but also feel happy at the same time.

“I’m already coming up with plans to make you cybernetics that we can switch you to while in your wolf form, until then we can transform first, then carry you out and just sit out instead of running.” Tech says, smiling. Echo frowns and his ears press back again. “I’d rather not.” Hunter frowns and so do the others. “It’s okay, it’ll be just us. You’ll be safe.” Echo shakes his head. “No.” Echo refuses. Hunter frowns as he looks nervously at the others. “Look, we won’t force you, but let me tell you, if you go too long without the full moon you’ll get sick.” Hunter warns, then Crosshair huffs. “Yeah, we learned that the hard way.” Echo grimaces. “I’ll think about it.” Hunter nods, then he see’s Echo yawn. “Maybe we should get some shuteye?” They all nod, including Echo and Fives, then Hunter and the batchers get nervous looks. “We usually have a cuddle pile when we are like this, would you like to join? You don’t have to of course, we’ll understand.” Echo thinks for a moment. “Sure, I’d like that.”

Hunter and the rest perk up. “Yeah!!” Wrecker yells out, making everyone chuckle, Hunter smiles. “Okay, Tech and Crosshair, go grab a blanket from each room, including Fives.” They both nod and run off, then Hunter turns to Echo and Fives, who have confused looks. Hunter chuckles. “We need a lot of blankets since we take up more room, and having the familiar smells is nice.” Echo and Fives nod as Tech and Crosshair return, and the four more experienced wolves start to make a little cosy bed as Tech closes the door to the Marauder, Wrecker runs to his room, and returns with Lula, the stuffed Tooka looks so much tinier now, almost dwarfed by Wrecker’s arms.

Echo chuckles as Wrecker walks over. “Can I pick you up again?” He asks nervously, and Echo nods. “Yeah, sure.” Wrecker picks him up, then he carries him over to the blankets and lays him down, as the rest of them lay around him. He’s between Hunter and Crosshair. Fives smiles as he looks at his twin, happy that he’s happy. Then he turns and goes to float away. But suddenly he’s grabbed and pulled into the cuddle pile by Hunter. “Oh no you don’t, you are a brother too, Fives, alive or not.” Fives frowns as he’s laid between Echo and Hunter. “But I only sleep every few weeks, and I don’t think that's now. I’ll keep you up,” Hunter licks the top of Five's head. “We don’t care, no brother is going to be left out of the cuddle pile.” Fives smiles as he’s pulled into Echo, then he looks at Hunter. “I… okay, I trust you guys.” 

Hunter’s eyes widen, along with everyone else’s. Everyone is surprised, because they thought for sure that Fives' trust issues would have made him act otherwise. It's a big thing for Fives to say that he trusts them, but it makes them glad and happy that he trusts them enough to cuddle with him and Echo. Fives believes that Echo mixing with other werewolves will be a good thing too, as it'll mean that he'll be able to socialize with his own kind, to embrace his new nature. 

Knowing that Echo isn't the only one going through this anymore relieves Fives. He's always, and will still be, there for Echo, but also having others there, who are just like him and understand what he's going through, who know how it feels, is going to help Echo a lot more. Fives listens to the soft snores and gentle breathing filling the room as he notices that the others have all drifted off to sleep. He smiles as he closes his eyes, not caring if he can't sleep as much as he used to, he just loves to relax and pretend he's sleeping, to make him feel normal again.

xxx

Hunter is the first to wake up, groggily opening his eyes to find that his eyes are covered by something. He reaches a hand up to his face and pulls it off and looks at it, seeing that it's his bandana. That's when he notices that he and everyone else are back to their normal selves. He looks over at Echo, seeing that he's hugging Fives close as he sleeps. It's not that it's a bad thing that it was just Echo and Fives, but he needs to know that what he is now, is not a monster. That he’s still Echo, and being around himself and his brothers will help with that, they can help with that. They will help with that.

Hunter hears someone shuffling about, so he brushes the rogue strands of hair out of his face and looks over to see Tech stirring awake, his goggles have slipped off of his head too and fell on the ground in between them both. He carefully sits up, then looks around. His vision is pretty blurry, but he can make out the outlines of his brothers, then he looks at Hunter. He can tell it's him because of the vibrant red colour being put around his head. “Hunter, are we…” He begins to whisper out, trying to find his goggles, but then Hunter hands them out to him. He puts them on and is finally able to see now. “Yep, we're human again.” Tech says, answering his own question. Hunter smiles, then gestures over to Fives and Echo, making Tech look over.

“Fives did end up sleeping.” Tech says with a smile, and Hunter smiles as well. “Yeah.” Crosshair then sits up, followed by Wrecker. Crosshair looks down at Echo and Fives, giving his own soft smile. “We’re human again.” He says and Hunter nods as Wrecker stretches. “Fives is sleeping?” Wrecker asks, and both Tech and Hunter nod. “Yeah, Echo is still sleeping too.” They all turn when Echo mumbles something in his sleep, then clutches onto Fives even tighter, hunter frowns. “We need to help him with this, he was alone before, even though he had Fives.” They all nod. “I couldn’t imagine going through this alone, and I would have too if I hadn't bitten you guys, still sorry for that.” Hunter, Wrecker and Crosshair all frown. 

Hunter pulls Tech close. “It wasn’t your fault, Tech. You weren’t yourself. We’ve told you this so many times, but if it makes you feel better for us to keep reminding you, then that's what we’ll do.” Tech smiles and cuddles into Hunter. “Yeah, Hunter’s right.” “Yep.” Wrecker and Crosshair say, making Tech smile happily, then Hunter smirks. “Besides, even if you hadn’t of bitten me, I would have had you bite me later. I would never make you go through something like this alone.” Tech smiles. “Thanks, Hunter.” “Ow.” They all turn to see Echo blinking his eyes open, a hand massaging his leg. “We’re human again.” Echo says quietly, and Hunter smiles as he walks over to him and Fives, who’s still snoring away.

“Yeah, how you feeling?” Echo gives a small smile. “My stumps are hurting, but I’m happy to be human again.” Hunter gives Echo a comforting smile. “We’ll get you some painkillers.” Then Hunter looks at Fives. “How has Fives not woken up from us talking yet?” Echo chuckles. “Fives could sleep through almost anything while he was… was alive. It must still be the same when he does get some sleep.” Hunter nods, then Echo places a hand on Fives’ shoulder and shakes him gently, making him wake up. 

“Wait! Wha?” Fives looks around and his eyes widen. “Shit, I actually slept.” Hunter chuckles. “Yep! And we are human again, so we should get the ship prepared before tonight.” Fives nods as he stands up, and Tech stands as well. “I’ll get you some painkillers, Echo. You just relax and let the cuts in your legs and arm heal today.” Echo goes to protest when Hunter steps up. “No buts, you rest.” Echo sighs, but he nods as they all go to get dressed, and Echo lays back down, he closes his eyes, happy to know that he and Fives have new brothers they can trust with this secret.

taglist: @lightning-wolffe @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life

[pradaksj]

7 Rings | 03

♛ pairing: taehyung/reader

♛ genre: richboy!taehyung | blackmailer!reader | infiltration au | eventual smut | angst | fluff 

♛ rating: mature

♛ word count: 7,000+ 

♛ warnings for this chapter : light descriptions of anxious behavior (but nothing intense)

♛ summary: In desperate need of money, you and your best friend come up with a plan to infiltrate one of Seoul’s richest families, the Kim family. The plan was simple, garner some money and disappear, but of course things don’t always go as planned. Especially not with someone like Kim Taehyung.

━ ❝ Whoever said money can't solve your problems, must not have had enough money to solve 'em.❞

♛ chapter index/masterlist || series masterlist

Chapters⇢ 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08

Present Day: Thursday Morning.

This was not supposed to happen, no, no, no. This was not what was planned, rehearsed, nor memorized. No, no, no!

You anticipate for him to scream, to snap at you and tell you off in front of everyone. It seemed fitting for someone like him to do, it’s what you expected.

You could feel all eyes on you, the venue itself had gone deaf silent, almost as if everyone else was holding their breath along with you, waiting to see your demise. You couldn’t blame them, you had spilled your drink on one of the most prestigious guests here, and though it wasn’t as if the world was going to end because of this, to you it felt like it. Your “mission” was going to end before it could even start.

Panic immediately overwhelms you. This was not at all how this was supposed to go. You wanted, no, you needed words to come out of your mouth, to say something, anything, but you couldn’t. Your mouth was completely frozen in place, and all you could do at the moment was stare at the big blob of red on his white buttoned up shirt, to which you were at fault for. Slowly you watch his mouth open, your mind immediately beginning to think the worst, but what comes out of his mouth completely surprises you.

He laughs.

The formation of a boxy smile takes its place on his face, his eyes now crinkling out of sheer laughter, and his hand now covering a portion of his face.

“I really didn’t mean to do that, oh my—” you finally blurt out, quickly grabbing a napkin and beginning to uselessly blot onto the already bleeding stain, but almost immediately feeling a hand grab at yours, stopping you from what you were doing.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he reassures, slowly pushing your hand away from his shirt.

You immediately shake your head, your words now faltering in cohesion, “No it’s not, I r-really didn’t mean to do that, I just—”

“And I’m telling you it’s okay,” he repeats himself, “I think you’ve done the most interesting thing around here in a very long time,” he whispers, sticking his hand out for you to shake, “I’m Taehyung,” he introduces himself, as if you didn’t know who he was.

The words themselves come out exactly like how Yuna would imitate during “rehearsal”. Though his voice was of course much deeper, almost reminding you of silk, seductive in it’s own way. You finally look up to see him, to actually see him face to face, immediately feeling your face get red.

It surprised you really, you had seen Kim Taehyung a countless number of times on TV, on several gossip blog headlines, posters, magazine covers, and an endless number of promotional advertisements all across Korea, but wow did they do him no justice. The man was truly stunning, and with every passing second you made eye contact with him, you could see why he was South Korea’s most sought out person.

From the sharp facial features, to the slightly sun-kissed skin that seemed to have its own natural glow, and his (what you assumed was permed) black softly-waved hair, made him in every way … dangerous. Kim Taehyung was dangerous, and you knew it. And it was important that you remembered that, because if you didn’t then things were not going to go as planned and quickly at that.

It took you, what felt like a whole hour, to finally process that his hand had been stuck out for who knows how long. “Get a grip of yourself y/n,” you thought to yourself, the only reason you were so nervous was because you knew what your intentions being here were, no one else here did.

“Don’t panic, breathe, recuperate, and adapt,” Yuna’s words rang in your head, as it was what she’d emphasize you do, just in case something went wrong or unplanned, “You are someone confident, you are someone poised, and most importantly you are someone rich,” she’d scold you, practically drilling the words into your head. You just hadn’t expected that you were going to have to use her advice this early on. “You got this,” you silently whisper to yourself, just breathe.

And so just as you saw him beginning to pull his hand back, you quickly grabbed it and began to shake it in return, “I’m y/n,” you nervously grin, “I’m so sorry about that, I just—” you faintly pause, “I guess you can say I just get shy around people I don’t know and well I just got so nervous,” you embarrassingly ramble on, pushing your hair behind your ear.

“Like I said it’s fine, really,” he says, looking down at the stain which for the most part was no longer as wet as before, now only damp in moisture, “It’s just a shirt really,” he chuckles.

“I know, but still,” you reiterate. You silently take a look around the venue. People had seemed to have quickly forgotten about what had transpired, going back to their regular day to day conversations without a care in the world, “It’s just that I’m new around here and well I just want to make a good impression on people,” you explain, your words clearly catching his attention.

“Oh, where are you from?” he harmlessly asks, genuine curiosity emitted from his tone.

“I’m from—”

The Day Before: Wednesday Evening.

“The United States?—No, No! Seoul! No! Uh—” you immediately feel the squirts of ice cold water on your face from Yuna’s plastic spray bottle, the twentieth time today.

“Wrong!” she scolds, spritzing you one more time for the heck of it causing Hoseok to burst out in fits laughter, for again, the twentieth time today.

You dramatically let out a huff of air in irritation, as well as pouting and crossing your arms in annoyance, “How many times do we have to go over this y/n!” Yuna screeches, grabbing her metal pointer stick, and harshly hitting the cheap whiteboard covered in red messy scribbles that you two bought the night before, “You’re from Seoul, but you moved with your rich old family to the states a couple of years ago, and you’re back here on vacation for the next ten weeks because you were “homesick”, which explains why he’s never seen you before in his life!” she explains, “What’s not clicking?” she says, now tapping her forehead with her index finger.

“You don’t have to be so mean about it,” you sneered.

“Well y/n! We can’t afford any mistakes, and it’s very important you know the basics because the moment he catches you in a lie, all bets are off on that money,” she sighs, her face now softening, “I know that right now you may think I’m being a bitch right now, but trust me, you’ll thank me later,” she snaps her head towards Hoseok’s direction, who for the past hour had been doing nothing but devouring snacks while watching the two of you bicker, “Am I right or wrong?” she asks, causing him to raise his hands as a way of saying he wanted no part in this.

You squint your eyes at him, “Maybe if we had more time, I’d be less strict about all this, but time is on the essence! Ten weeks will go by in the blink of an eye,” she adds, causing you to grunt because sadly she had a point, “So back to the top!” she yells, her facial expression going back to being firm, “Where are you from?”

You roll your eyes, “I’m from—”

Present Day

“Seoul, but you’ve stayed in the states, huh? That’s really cool, I’ve only been to LA and New York a couple of times for certain events… so what was your experience like over there?” he asks, taking a sip from his mimosa.

You don’t hesitate to answer, the response ingrained in your brain, “It was really nice, though I found myself being homesick quite often if we’re being honest,” he nods his head.  

“Ah, yeah I completely get where you’re coming from, I—” he catches himself mid-sentence, shaking his head, as if disappointed with himself, “There’s just no place like Seoul huh,” he says instead, to which you nod in agreement.

You proceed in planting the seed to Yuna’s plan, “I have to go back in a couple of weeks though, I still have a year left to go for my bachelor’s, and well I’m really just here for visits sake,” you explain, your nerves slowly withering away. The more you spoke, the more natural things were beginning to feel, smooth and easy like melted butter on toast.

And in a way you weren’t entirely lying. You were going to have to leave at some point, you did have a year left in school, and technically you were just a temporary visitor in this whole world of the rich. Of course, there were some major differences between the truth and what you were leading him on to believe, but at the end of the day this wasn’t going to hurt anyone.

“Oh I see, what are you majoring in?” he politely asks, silently hoping he wasn’t intruding too much. Taehyung for the first time in a very long time, felt nervous. For one thing, you were very pretty, breathtakingly so, he almost felt like a kid with a schoolboy crush. It was quite embarrassing really.

But Taehyung was waiting. He was waiting for you to do something or say something that would confirm that you weren’t the person he’s hoping you to be, that you were in fact a stuck up brat just like the many he’d seen and met before. That you were just like anyone else here who solely cared for numbers, and their own personal riches. It was as if he was anticipating the feeling of disappointment.

“Business, accounting if we’re being specific,” you respond to his question, breaking him from his train of thought, “I’ve always been pretty good with numbers,” you say, “but not enough to become a full on STEM major or anything like that,” you joke, garnering a light chuckle from him, which you could easily tell was completely fake.

Maybe he was right, maybe you were just like the rest of them.

“I see, I see, I just finished my studies recently,” he comments, “I majored in finance though,” he says, which ultimately doesn’t surprise you. Not only because it seemed fitting for someone like him to get a bachelors in that field, but because you basically memorized his Wikipedia page as well. Supposedly having gotten into and graduating from SNU based on his own merit. Though you had your doubts of course, it was probably just best to keep your thoughts to yourself.

What you needed to focus on was getting him to ask you out on a date, considering an awkward silence on both ends had now arisen. A part of you was now severely worried about that date not happening anytime soon. Did you say something wrong? Maybe he wasn’t as interested in you anymore? Business is a pretty boring major, but it’s what Yuna told you to say, and well it is what you were actually majoring in. Maybe you should say something? No, just stick to the script. He isn’t saying anything though….

“Originally I wanted to major in photography,” you blurt out, catching him by surprise, “I was gonna minor in it, but being an accounting major was hard enough as it was, and well family pressure,” you say, your fingers tapping against the surface of the bar, “Nowadays it’s more of a hobby I do, here and there,” you say, curiosity now apparent on his face.

What you were telling him was in fact true, you loved photography, at one point even wanting to make a career out of it, but to become a professional photographer was hard enough as it was. In all honesty, you respected those who had the ability to confidently pursue their dreams. People like Yuna for example, who despite the risk of failing being high, never gave up. It was a risk you were unwilling to take, preferring a secured financial future over the latter.

“I especially like candid photography, there’s just something about it,” you ramble on, “it’s relaxing in a sense, like you learn to be more appreciative of what’s in front of you,” you gush, almost forgetting why you were talking about this topic to begin with.

Taehyung on the other hand looked at you with a grin on his face, finding your babbling amusing to say the least. It was in every way adorable.

“I have these binders at home filled with—” before you could continue on, the sound of a phone ringing interrupts. A look of annoyance now appears on Taehyung’s face, as he begrudgingly took out his phone from his pocket, hesitating to accept the phone call.

“You don’t mind if I—” you quickly nod your head, flashing him a superficial smile, as he momentarily stepped away from the bar.

You quickly took a sigh of relief once he was no longer in view, taking this as an opportunity to take a breather. Personally, you didn’t like this tense feeling, and you could imagine how much more heightened it’d be in these upcoming weeks. “Could it perhaps be … guilt?” you think to yourself, you quickly shake off the idea.

“I’m sorry about that,” you hear his voice, failing to hide the peeved look on his face.

“No, it’s fine, really,” you insist. A pregnant pause now in the air.

“I was hoping—”

“Are you—” both of your cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“Oh my bad, what were you going to say?” you ask.

“No, you can go first,” he smiles.

“No, no, you go ahead,” you persist.

“You sure?” he asks, to which you nod in return.

“Well I have to go right now, attend to some personal errands and stuff,” he glances down at the stain, “also change out of this shirt,” he jokes, “but um,” he momentarily hesitates, “But I was hoping we could go out some time, grab some coffee or something.” Bingo. Step one, check. “I mean unless you don’t like coffee, I don’t know why I assumed you did, we can always get like smoothies or something, um,” he falters, his hand now scratching the back of his neck. “Hm cute,” you think to yourself.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” you grin, “I was going to say the same thing actually, but yes I would love to get coffee with you, ” you respond.

“Perfect! I was thinking maybe tomorrow evening, around 10AM? I’ll pick you up,” he states, the excitement clearly evident.

“Yeah, sounds great,” you giggle.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he waves, before turning around and beginning to walk away. But after a couple of seconds he abruptly stops in his tracks and turns back around, causing you to genuinely laugh as you knew why he had stopped.

“I really forgot to ask for your number…” he facepalms himself.

Thursday Night.

“You had one job!” Yuna dramatically flails her arms around, she and Hoseok now having been filled in on everything that happened this morning.

“And I got it done, didn’t I?” you retort, causing Yuna to roll her eyes, mumbling a sassy “I guess” in return.

“You’re so lucky I don’t have my spraying bottle on me right now,” she jokes around, but a part of her was more likely than not actually serious about it.

“Anyways, I’m surprised he actually ended up going up to me after all,” you mused, “Didn’t think it’d actually work.”

“Well with what I had you wearing, of course he was going to go up to you little miss y/n! A ruched floral dress with a summer straw hat at an all white attire event? Do you have no faith in me woman! Actually no, have some faith in yourself!” she loudly lectures you, playfully hitting the side of your arm. “The bad posture was something you already had experience with on your own merit,” she teases, causing her to start dying of laughter at her own joke.  

You scowl in return, “Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny,” you grumble out, subconsciously fixing your posture.

“Anyways, what was the famous Kim Taehyung like? Is he really the heartthrob everyone makes him out to be,” Hoseok chimes in, his chin resting against his hand, eager to know the more about your encounter, “Come on, I need details, not no flimsy recap.”

“Um…” you hesitate with your next choice of words, “he’s um..” how could you describe Taehyung? He certainly wasn’t what you thought he was going to be like, “He’s a,” you pause, the two in front of you now looking at you with eager eyes, “He’s a nice guy… for now at least,” you conclude, surprising both Hoseok and Yuna alike. “I—” you sigh, “I think apart of me, like a very little tiny part is already starting to feel gu—”

“Ah! Don’t you even say it!” Yuna interjects.

“You didn’t let me finish!” you scold, immediately causing Yuna’s mouth to go shut. “Though a small part of me does feel guilty,” you pause, “at the end of the day Kim Taehyung is nothing but a rich boy with a grand old penthouse, flashy cars, and has enough money that could last him for several lifetimes. His father is a multi millionaire tycoon who from what I’ve heard exploits people for his own personal gain. Two sides of the same fucking coin. And so maybe right now he may seem like some nice guy, but it’s probably all an act. I’m not the bad guy here, I know I’m not. And I’ll be damned to let anyone, even if it’s myself, convince me otherwise, not with what I have at stake,” you finish off, staring at the invoices which were held up by magnets on your refrigerator, a reminder of what you were doing all of this for.

Kim Taehyung is nothing more than a pawn in a game of chess, and it was your job to make sure he stayed in that position. Nothing more, nothing less.

Earlier That Day.

“You called me?” Taehyung enters his father’s office, still feeling aggravated at the sudden interruption from earlier. His father doesn’t even bother to look up from his pile of papers, only making a quick motion at Taehyung to sit down on the arm chair placed across his desk.

The sound of silence filled the room, as his father continued to scribble down who knows what, on his sheets of papers, clearly focused on what was in front of him which only bothered Taehyung more. “Was there a point to all of this?” he thought to himself.

“Yes there is,” his father suddenly said, causing Taehyung to straighten up, not realizing that he must’ve said what he was thinking aloud. He finally looks up to face Taehyung, the stern look he always had on, well placed on his face. He quickly pulls open his drawer and grabs what seems to be a magazine out, smacking it on his desk for Taehyung to see. He sighs, “So you care to explain what this is all about?”

The title, in a big bold yellow colored font, reads, “Kim Taehyung Gets Physical With Paparazzi, Trouble in Paradise?” accompanied by a collage of photos which included Taehyung post physical-assault on the paparazzo and his argument with Sunhi, all painting him as some kind of villain. Taehyung remained silent, instead avoiding eye contact, only causing his father to let out a sardonic laugh, his frustration clearly evident.

“Ah Taehyung,” he starts off, “I feel like we’ve had this conversation many, many, times,” he lets out another sarcastic chuckle, “and I have to say, you had me fooled when you told me you were ready to come back,” he continuously taps his fingers on his desk in a rhythmic pattern.

“You don’t get—”

“I don’t care for the sob stories Taehyung, I really don’t,” he interrupts, finally snapping, “In fact I have staff telling me that is was Sunhi who cheated on you, something along those lines,” he mumbles, “What you do on your free time, or who you’re seeing is really none of my concern,” he pauses, “until it has the potential to affect my business, and the image it upholds,” he clarifies.

“I know,” Taehyung hisses.

“Then those little antics you used to like to pull off shouldn’t be making a return,” he narrows his eyes at his son, “because we all know the results of those,” he harshly reminds him, causing Taehyung to ball his fist in anger, “So I suggest you get a hold of yourself, quickly at that, so that I don’t have to clean up your messes like before,”

“You don’t have to remind me every waking fucking moment,” Taehyung harshly says, getting up from the chair. His father is quick to do the same, the two now facing each other, the desk being their only barrier.

“And who the hell do think you’re talking to like that,” his father spits, “It was me who got you out of that mess that night, hell if it weren’t for me you’d be behind prison bars at this very moment,” Taehyung looks away, his eyes now watering, “You should be nothing but grateful,” Taehyung quickly wipes the tear that uncontrollably rolls down his cheek. The feeling of shame now overshadowing the feeling of anger he originally felt. He attempts to take deep breaths, anything to prevent himself from looking any more like a coward. He didn’t want to cry, no he refused to cry, especially not in front of his father.

“A house made of glass trying to throw brick stones,” his dad scoffs, “Ironic really,” a vile smirk now on his face, “just get out my sight already, consider this a warning,” he concludes before sitting back down and continuing his work, acting as if nothing had happened. Taehyung stood there for what felt like forever, his eyes still brimmed with tears, before silently making his way out into the hall.

“Don’t cry. Don’t cry,” he kept telling himself as he made his way down to the lobby, but it was hard. He could feel the lump in his throat waiting to be let out, as well as how his lip would quiver whenever he’d force himself to smile at the several staff members who would politely greet him. It was almost as if he was suffocating.

He unlocked his car door and made his way inside, immediately punching the steering wheel in subdued frustration. He looked at himself from the car mirror, staring at his red puffy eyes, still refusing to allow himself to cry despite being alone. Instead he took more deep breaths, once again tucking away the turmoil he’d been feeling for a very long time back into the depths of his heart.

Turning on the ignition of his car, he made his way out of the building’s parking lot, quickly shaking off what had happened. He had a date to look forward to tomorrow morning, and he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin that.

Friday Morning.

“Ta da!” Yuna shimmys her hands, proud of the outfit she’s ensembled. She was definitely making use of Mrs. Choi’s closet, “You don’t think this is a little too much?” you question, feeling slightly insecure about what you were wearing, the tan beret on your head slowly becoming crooked. This was definitely better than anything you’d pick on your own for a morning cup of coffee, that was for sure.

“Oh of course not!” Yuna exclaims while quickly fixing your hair,  “Now put this on top of the turtle neck,” she says, passing you a brown plaid double-breasted coat, “and then,” she glances at the two bags in her hands, debating which color would look best before ultimately picking the cream colored cross-bag, “put this over it.”

She claps her hands together, clearly proud of her fashion sense. “The perfect outfit for your date, doesn’t she look so pretty Hobi?” she gushes. Hoseok looks up from his phone, the three of you were now on a nickname basis.

“So she does,” he smiles, “but maybe a black bag might fit the outfit better,” Yuna’s eyebrows quickly furrow.

“Hey leave the fashion to me, computer boy!”  Yuna playfully squints her eyes at him.

“I’m just saying! A white turtleneck and a cream colored bag isn’t the look you think it is.”

“Yeah well,” she puckers her lips like a kid, unable to think of anything to counter with, she instead says, “that uniform you’re wearing is ugly!” causing a dramatic offended look to appear on his face.

“Oh I’ll have you know—”

“Will you two stop with the bickering?” you interrupt him before he could attack in return, “Taehyung is going to get here any moment, and you,” you point at Yuna, “need to start heading to work, while you,” you point to Hoseok, “need to get back to work,” you reaffirm, silencing the two who were now staring at you like lost puppies, “Well what are you waiting for, shoo!” you commanded, your statement coming off a little more harsher than you intended, but you blamed it on your nerves. You couldn’t help it because well, you were indeed very nervous.

“Ah okay, okay. Let us know how it goes!” Yuna says, before dragging Hoseok by the arm and leading eachother out. “And remember to stay calm and collective!” he shouts before being yanked on by Yuna.

You let out a deep breath of air. You hadn’t been on a date in a very long time, and though one could consider this a “fake” date on your part, it was a date nonetheless. You needed to leave a good impression, enough that he'd be willing to take you out again after today.

[From: Taehyung]  

[9:55] Hey, I’m around the corner from the address you texted me :) I should be outside in like 2 mins

[9:55] i'm in the black mercedes benz btw

[To: Taehyung]

[9:55] perfect ☺️ i’ll be out right now then.

You fix your hair one last time, making sure everything looked perfect. “It’s not a date, just two strangers getting coffee together,” you reassure yourself one last time before making your way out.

The car ride to the coffee shop per se wasn’t awkward, but formal to say the least. Of course, Taehyung didn’t exactly expect you to immediately be talkative once you stepped into the car, but judging by how stiff you remained the whole car ride, and the lack of conversation there was, he also knew that he didn’t want you to feel timid to talk or as if you had to hold yourself back in front of him. He wanted things to feel natural, like how you were when you were talking about photography, where he could tell you were genuinely just being yourself.

Honestly he was used to women usually going out of their way to show off in front of him, or to make themselves seem like someone they weren’t simply to impress him, so this was definitely... different than what he was used to. But for some reason it made him even more curious to get to know you, eager to see what you were hiding behind that brick wall of an exterior you’ve seemed to have set up for yourself. He assumed it was going to take time for you to warm up to him, but the problem was that Taehyung wasn’t much of a patient person to begin with.

“After you,” he says, politely opening the door to the coffee shop for you. You whisper “thank you” to the small, but kind gesture.

The coffee shop in itself was very cute. From the cushioned cream-colored loveseats decorated by pillows you’d find overpriced on Wayfair, to the bright lighting provided by a massive roof skylight, and lastly the wooden bookshelves decorated with a variety of different novels, all which gave the coffee shop a very pleasant home-like feeling to it. If you could describe it in one word it’d be “warm”.

You stood there like a lost child for a moment, unsure of what to order as you studied the menu. They had a variety of drinks, things you were sure you had never even heard of, either that or they just had a fancy way of describing everything in order to boost up the price. “So any idea on what you want?” he asks.

“Um,” honestly you really weren’t much of a coffee drinker, having ordered the same drink at Starbucks for the past several years, “Surprise me,” you awkwardly smile, before making your way (practically running) to a wooden table next to a window view.

You were definitely peeved with yourself because you knew that you needed to stop being so damn quiet because God was that car ride awkward, insufferable almost. But you just weren’t good at this kind of stuff, never had been.

Even during high school when you had gone on your first ever official date, you ended having an utter meltdown in the restroom after your date awkwardly pointed out that you had a piece of spinach stuck in between your teeth, a waitress on break had to comfort you before you could even step out again. Even then you had your mouth glued shut afterward, paranoid about embarrassing yourself again.

And that wasn’t the only embarrassing incident you’ve encountered in past dates, there had been plenty more, but that would take a hefty amount of time to talk about.

Point was, you’d always find yourself acting like a turtle hiding in its shell or like a pufferfish, blurting out the most random and embarrassing things at any given moment. It was always one or the other and it always left you with a humiliating story to tell Yuna, a prime example being accidently spilling your drink on the son of a multimillionaire. You kept anxiously bouncing your leg as you watched him order at the cashier register, thinking of ways to start a conversation.

“I got you a heavenly toffee, it’s an espresso with toffee nut syrup, caramel cream, almond milk, and whipped cream,” he places the drink on the table for you, “I figured you could never go wrong with something sweet,” he smiles.

“Oh wow,” you say, genuinely delighted with his choice, “their mugs are so pretty,” you quietly comment, observing the intricate design on the ceramic mug.

“Yeah it’s definitely one of my favorite coffee shops in the area, I also recommend this one called Seoul’s Magnificent Mocha, they have good drinks as well,” he chuckles, recalling his last visit there.

“Well if I’m being completely honest, I’ve never been too enthusiastic for coffee, but,” you take a sip of the drink in front of you, “I have to say this is really good,” you laugh, pleasantly surprised at the sweetness of the drink, you could hardly even taste the bitterness of the coffee.

“So y/n, tell me a little bit about yourself,” he says while taking a sip of his own coffee.

“Oh well hm—” you try to recall the things Yuna would tell you to say, but with Taehyung intensely staring at you, your mind had gone completely blank, “well,” you felt your face getting red at the pressure you felt, your ears definitely feeling hot, “there’s not much to say really. I’m a pretty boring person,” you let out a very awkward chuckle, looking down in embarrassment.

“Don’t say that,” he says, “we could start off with something simple, like,” he looks up for a moment in thought, “what’s your favorite color?”

“Yellow,” you simply state, no commentary, no “What about yours”, no nothing, Yuna would probably squirt you with her bottle 100 times if she was there. Your brain was having a “we threw out his name” moment from Spongebob. Nothing but fire and chaos going on in there.

“Oh…” he pressed his lips together, slightly disheartened at your lack of enthusiasm. Was there something wrong with him? Maybe he was just badgering too much? Before he could dwell on it too long, the sound of a camera flashing caught both his and your attention.

“Oh no,” you quickly think to yourself, immediately turning away from the window in order to cover your face. Taehyung didn’t bother to question as to why you had turned so quickly because he was quick to do the same. Your reason being was that you couldn’t afford to land on the front cover of a magazine or appear on a gossip channel because the moment your mom saw from her hospital bed, it’d be a wrap for you.

“Damn it,” he groaned, “I thought it’d be too early for them to follow me out here,” he says. Honestly, Taehyung didn’t mind the paparazzi taking pictures of him, at this point he was used to it. But what he didn’t want was to put you in the spotlight with no say on your part, especially knowing how stalkerish the paparazzi could be. The moment they got a clear identity as to who you were, you’d be followed until the end of time, and he would definitely feel guilty for that.

“We gotta get out of here before more of them arrive,” he cursed, “Just don’t look back,” he directs, slowly turning his head back to see if he could spot where the person taking pictures was. “Alright the guy seems to be planted from afar, so I think we can walk out the entrance, just make sure you cover your face with your hand or something or you could use your beret,” he jokes around. “You don’t gotta tell me twice,” you think to yourself.

You nod at his directions, the two of you quickly getting up and putting your mugs away, before speed walking back to the car. You could only cross your fingers that a clear photo of you wasn’t taken.

Taehyung quickly zoomed out of the area, but despite his efforts, everytime he glanced at his rear-view mirror he could spot the black van still following him, which only put him in a bad mood.

“I’m gonna have to drop you off at the back or something, or else you’ll find men always outside your building for the rest of your trip until they find out who exactly are you,” Taehyung scowled, mad at himself for being so careless. You wordlessly nod your head, a little intimidated at how angry he looked.

The car ride back to your place is quiet, nothing different than the car ride to the coffee shop. “I’m sorry,” he exhales once you guys are outside the building, “I should’ve been more careful,” he mutters, internally scolding himself.

You shake your head in disagreement, “Trust me, it’s fine, it’s expected really,” you mumble, your words causing him to feel a slight sting to the heart. Though he didn’t even know you well enough for your words to genuinely hurt, for some reason they did.

“Well I’ll text see you some other time Taehyung,” you formally bow your head, getting out of the car, and quickly walking into Mr. Choi's building, leaving him taken aback by your words. One could say he was looking into your word choice a little too much, but no, he knew exactly what you meant. And so with that he left feeling disheartened.

“So how’d it go?” Hoseok catches you right as you enter the elevator.

“Horrible, it went horrible,” you state, the elevator doors closing before you could say anything else.

Saturday Morning.

“Your kimchi came out way too salty,” your mom criticizes, taking a bite of the food you’ve brought, “should've added root vegetable or something,” she shakes her head in dismay. She expects you to fire back with a remark, but instead she watches as you just sit in the hospital chair, eating your food in pout.

Today was your visiting day, and though you tried to hide your dismay at yesterday’s date when talking to your mom, it kept popping up in the back of your mind like an annoying itch. Of course your mom had noticed your odd behavior from the moment you walked in, but for you to be eating in pout meant that whatever it was that was on your mind, must've really been bothering you.

“Now are you gonna care to explain why you’re feeling so down,” she questions, “or are you going to keep sulking in your seat,” she chuckles.

You wrinkle your nose, “It’s nothing ma,” you try deflecting the conversation, your gaze wandering to the TV.  

“Ah so it’s about a boy,” she laughs, causing your head to snap in her direction, a puzzled look now on your face.

“And what makes you so sure?”

She shrugs, “Because I’m your mom and I’ve seen that look many times,” she grabs the remote from the hospital’s bed stand, subsequently turning off the TV, “come on, I’m in cool mom mode now,” she cringely says, causing you to roll your eyes.

“Oh god,” you mumble, loudly sighing before beginning, “so there’s this boy,” you start off.

“I knew it,” she sings, jokingly winking at you.

“I went on a date with him the other day and well I don’t know, I tensed up, you know how I get,” you explain, downwarding your gaze to the floor in shame as you recalled your behavior from the day before.

“Mm,” she hums, sounding unconvinced, “well there must be a reason as to why you got so tensed up, and I’m sure you know why,” she deadpans, her face now becoming stern. So much for being in “cool mom” mode.

“Well I don’t—”

“No, no, no, I’m not accepting your excuses,” she vigorously shakes her head.

You sigh, “I just,” you pause, remembering that you needed to be careful with your words, “I just really want him to like me that’s all.”

“And?”

You groan, “And well I feel like I have to act a certain way or be a certain way in order for him to like me,” you explain, “and I just don’t think I have it in me. I don’t think he’s the type of person to like me, well for me, I guess you can say he’s like the popular kid in those high school movies, you know?” you let out a dry laugh knowing that the situation was much more than that.

“Well can you tell me a little about this boy?” she quieres, grabbing a strand of your hair and beginning to play with it.  

“Well I’m not going to give you details because for all I know we might end up bad,” you say,  making an excuse so that you wouldn't have to give a name, “but this guy, well he’s been told to have a reputation. He’s selfish, he’s reckless, he’s rude, and the only person he cares for is himself,” you rant, your mother now seeming taken aback by your description.

“Is that what people tell you, or is that what you think?” she laughs, “because the way you just said that, it seems like those are your personal feelings about him, and so I can’t help but wonder why you would want to go out with someone like that,” she wonders. “Oh honey, you have no idea why,” you think to yourself.

“Well because that’s what people like him are, that’s what they’ve always proven themselves to be, it’s what—”

“You assume he’s going to be like,” she cuts you off, her tone now dismissive.

“It’s what I know he’s going to be like,” you retaliate, crossing your arms like a little kid, causing her to laugh.

“Oh y/n y/n y/n,” she continues playing with your hair, “I want you to listen to what I have to say, okay? And then once I’m done, you can either take my advice to the heart, or let it go in one ear and out the other, alright?” you hum in response.

“Okay so the first thing I want to talk about,” she clears her throat, “is that it’s wrong of you to make assumptions about this person, or anyone in general.”

“I know but—”

“Ah, what’d I tell you about listening. You didn’t let me finish,” she scolds, gently tugging the strand of hair she was playing with, “I want you to go on another date with him, but open minded this time y/n. No preconceived notions, no overanalyzations of the things he does so that you can make him fit into the mold you’ve made for him, no nothing, and the same goes for you,” she takes a sip of her water bottle, giving you a chance to quickly say something.

“But ma, the girls I’ve seen him date in the past, I’m,” you sigh, “I’m nothing like them,” her eyebrows immediately furrow.

“And who said you had to be anything like them?” she grabs your hand, causing you to quietly stare at her, “but this leads to my second point. No more putting pressure on yourself to be someone you’re not,” she softly nudges your shoulder, “Just give him one genuine chance, just one, and if it’s not meant to be then it’s not meant to be,” she says, finishing her little speech.

“But I want him to like me,” your voice cracks, desperately wanting to replace the word “want” with “need”.

“Hey don’t cry,” she chuckles, quickly pulling you in for a hug, “Trust me y/n, as long as you be yourself, any boy who's lucky enough to get to know you will fall in love. I promise you that.” she softly whispers into your ear. And with her words you could immediately feel the pressure come off your shoulders, the words not only comforting, but hitting home. “Okay so I need you to promise me that the next time you see him, it’ll be a fresh new slate for both him and you, alright? Shake off, whatever you have on your mind, and just enjoy what’s in front of you.”

“Okay,” you breathe out, deciding that your mom was right, things needed to change, and you were going to do just that.

Saturday Night.

“So how did that coffee date of yours go?” Namjoon mentions, causing Taehyung to frown at the memory.

“If I’m being honest, not that well,” he sighs, pouring himself a glass of whiskey from his alcohol shelf.

Namjoon’s face scrunches in confusion, “Well, what went wrong this time?” he laughs.

Taehyung shrugs, trying his best to seem unfazed, “I don’t know, I guess she just wasn’t that into me,” he comments on you lightly, “Maybe it was for the best, I don’t really have time for another relationship anyway, not with my busy schedule,” he says, taking a sip from his drink.

“Busy schedule, but you had the time to go get coffee immediately the next day after meeting her, with no second thought? Yeah that makes sense,” Namjoon teases, causing Taehyung to roll his eyes.

“Like I said, I don’t know, she just was not budging, it was like speaking to a brick wall the whole time, and I’m sure if the paparazzi hadn’t interrupted it would have remained like that the whole time,” he sneers while pushing his hair back, “which is weird cause I don’t know there was just something about her, I just can’t describe it, but I just know she was holding back.” he explains, causing Namjoon to snort, “But anyways, it’s my fault, I set my expectations too high, thinking I was going to find love at first sight, actually no I blame you for putting those thoughts into my head.”

Namjoon raises his hands in defense, “Hey, all I did was pressure you to go up to her, everything else was your own head’s doing.”

“Yeah I guess you’re right, I’m just gonna be a lone wolf for a —” the sound of a “ding” interrupts Taehyung before he could complete his sentence, and so he checks his phone to see who could’ve texted him.

Namjoon stares at Taehyung who was now intently staring at his phone, looking quite flabbergasted, “Well, what is it?” he questions, a goofy grin now slowly appearing on the wavy haired young man’s face.

“I,” he lets out a chuckle, “I think I’m going on a date tomorrow night,” he faintly blushes, turning his phone to show Namjoon the text he just read, which reads:

[From: y/n]

[9:02 PM] you + me, tomorrow @ 5:30 , Ilsan lake park, i’ll bring what we need.

[9:02 PM] yes or yes?? 😇

[To: y/n]

[9:03 PM] i’ll see you then 😅

a/n 🧚🏻 : did I mention this is slow burn???? LOL. originally I was going to include date #2 on here because I only want this series to be a max of like 8-10 chapters, butttt I also wanted to update so ... but all the buildup will (hopefully) be worth itttt. the smut is coming soon in other words LMAO. I also took a while to update bc I was trying not to make y/n too annoying and just make the characterization how I pictured it to be, like I needed to establish the generalization she has on the Taehyung but IDK lmk what you think, message me, comment, send an anon, anything is welcome 🤍 

[mistymark]

the one with the ex boyfriend. [mark]

summary: you and your ex boyfriend, mark, take part in a video interview surrounding your past relationship.

based off of ‘the exes confronting each other’ seventeen series by @skydivingstars

[ex boyfriend interview series masterlist] [main masterlist]

[The video begins with a bare set. Both the wall and the ground are grey, save for the two black spinning stools in the middle of the screen, only a metre or two apart.]

[Two people walk in, from opposite sides of the screen, gently taking a seat on the stools. They give each other awkward smiles, both nervously fiddling with the caps of their drink bottles before placing them on the floor.]

[We’re currently doing a series on exes and past relationships. I believe your mutual friend asked you to do this? Okay. Well, we’ll just be asking a few questions. If at any time you feel uncomfortable, or if you just need need a break, just let us know. We can skip a question or edit a section out if you would like. Ready?]

[Could you introduce yourselves and your relationship?]

[Y/n is biting her lip, zoning out.]

Mark, shyly raising his hand slightly as if he were in a class: uh, I'm mark. y/n’s ex boyfriend.

Y/n, suddenly zoning back in: I’m y/n. mark’s ex girlfriend.

[And how did you meet?]

Y/n, smiling at the memory: orientation week in freshman year.

Mark, nervously giggling: I, uh, ran into her during the club sign-up-

Y/n: literally ran into me. I dropped my coffee!

Y/n, beaming at the camera: but don’t worry, he was super sweet and offered to buy me a new one.

Mark, scratching the back of his neck: I saw it happen in a movie once

[Y/n looks to the side at him, their eyes meet and they both send each other small smiles as if sharing a private joke.]

[When did you first realise you were interested in each other?]

Y/n, trying to stop herself from smiling: pretty much straight away, actually.

Mark, shyly: really?

Y/n, briefly glancing at him before focusing on the camera: he was cute and he bought me a coffee. of course, I wanted to get to know him a bit more, but, you know-

Mark, refusing to look at Y/n: I, uh, I honestly didn’t think I had a shot with her after I spilt her coffee

Mark: but when I bought a new one for her, she was really nice about it

Mark: and I, um, wanted to ask her out

[And did you?]

Y/n, straight away: no

Mark, scratching the back of his neck: er, no, I didn’t

[So Y/n asked Mark out?]

Y/n: um, no, not exactly

Mark: our friends, they knew we liked each other

Y/n: they left a note at my apartment that was asking me out on a date and they signed it from Mark with his number

Mark, doing air quotes with his fingers: I got the same note “from Y/n” with her number

Mark: I texted her first, though

Y/n, dryly: oh yeah, you really took a leap of faith there

Y/n: does sending nothing but emojis even count as texting?

[Mark tries to kick her stool from where he’s sitting.]

[Why did you break up?]

[There’s silence for a moment. They both speak at the same time.]

Y/n: we were too busy

Mark: too busy

[They both say ‘too busy’ at exactly the same time. They look surprisedly at each other, shocked they said the same thing at the same time.]

Y/n: we’d been dating for-

[She turns to look at Mark.]

Y/n: just over two years?

Mark, nodding: yeah, 2 years and 4 months I think.

[She offers him a grateful smile before turning back to the camera.]

Y/n: we’d been dating for over two years and we were in our junior year of college and we both got really busy.

Mark: we both had internships and side jobs and studying. and then there was a lot of family stuff, too.

Y/n: it was really difficult to find time for each other, and we missed our two year anniversary.

Mark, glancing at Y/n for confirmation: I think that was the... first time? we thought something was wrong.

Y/n, nodding: yeah, first time for me.

Y/n: it sucked having to break up when you never even lost interest in the person

Mark, nodding: yeah

Mark: it felt like- it felt like you’d gone overseas or something. like we were still dating and I just never saw you. it didn’t register straight away that we weren’t together.

Y/n, smiling at him sadly: yeah. I felt the same.

[Zoom in on Y/n]

Y/n: I think I cried for a week when we called it off.

[The camera zooms out to show Mark staring at Y/n, his expression unreadable.]

[What did you love most about each other?]

[Again, neither of them answer straight away.]

[Mark clears his throat.]

Mark: I don’t think there is just one thing.

[Y/n is surprised by this answer - she clearly had one thing she planned on saying. She listens to him talk.]

[Zoom in on Mark]

Mark, blushing: I kinda- I thought Y/n was perfect.

[The camera pans to Y/n, who is blushing, too.]

Mark: she, um, she was perfect to me, at least. I loved everything about her.

[He turns to see her reaction, and finds comfort in her expression. They both smile at each other, though it’s clear they’re both deep in thought.]

Y/n: I loved how in touch he was with himself.

[Mark laughs briefly at her answer.]

Y/n: like, he knew exactly what he wanted to be when we first met and he strived to become that person. I thought it was very admirable.

[It is obvious that she’s being sincere due to the blush on her face.]

[What did you hate about each other?]

Mark: the schedule

Y/n, laughing loudly: oh, god, the schedule

[The schedule?]

Mark, now laughing, too: we had this, like-

Mark, turning to Y/n for help: what even was it?

Y/n: like, a system, I guess? we had this calendar thing where you put your activities and meetings and stuff in - obviously we just had work and classes and stuff - to see when the other was free.

Y/n: we found that, most weeks, the only time we were able to meet was before 8am on a Monday or after 9pm on a Thursday

Mark: because, half the time, we were studying or working or had training sessions or something until late at night

Y/n: we had a schedule so on Monday mornings I’d pick Mark up at 7:30 with a coffee ready and drive him to his morning class

Mark: and I'd pick her up from her Thursday shift at work and we’d hang out then.

Y/n: it was so weird - having scheduled times to see each other

Mark, quietly, pointedly as he reaches for his drink bottle: it was the best part of my week, though

[Would you say you were in love?]

[Y/n thinks for a second before nodding.]

Y/n: uh, yeah, I would.

[Mark’s cheeks go even brighter red.]

Mark: me, too.

[Silence.]

[Zoom in on Y/n]

Y/n, smiling fondly at the memory: I used to think we’d get married

[The camera pans to Mark, who is smiling fondly at Y/n.]

[Would you give it another shot?]

Y/n, looking to Mark briefly before answering: I, um- yes.

Mark, feeling secure now that Y/n has answered: yes.

Mark: definitely.

[Now?]

Y/n: errrr-

Mark, gigging at his own blatant obviousness: yeah, I would.

[Well, that's it for today. Thank you so much for coming in, guys. You’re free to go.]

Y/n, smiling at the staff behind the camera: thank you!

Mark, bending down to get his drink bottle: thank you, everyone!

[Y/n hops down off her stool, swiftly grabbing the unopened bottle at her feet. She stands up to find Mark waiting for her.]

Mark, checking his phone: so, I, uh, know it’s a Saturday but I was wondering if you had time to go for a drink or something?

Y/n, wincing: I can’t today, I’m meeting Chaeryeong after this.

[Someone off-camera gestures for them to clear the set and they begin to walk off, the sound beginning to fade.]

Y/n: how about tomorrow?

Mark: I’m busy all day tomorrow.

[They are no longer visible on set, only a snippet of their conversation is caught.]

Y/n: ....Monday?

Mark, laughing: 7:30 still work for you?

Y/n: yeah

Mark: great, it’s a d-

[The sound cuts.]

[redhawtriot]

Caught in The Act (Bakugou x Reader)

Tip Jar ☕- Not expected but always appreciated💞

Bro, these get longer and longer😭 I am so sorry, but I enjoy myself way too much writing these! Plus, this will be the last one for a while! The next poll is open for a few days longer than the last (since this is about the halfway point of this interactive series!) I have a few different endings in mind😈

Anyway, thank you for voting for the last part, even though it got a little heated between the 750+ of you☺️

If it’s not the choice you wanted, there will be quite a few more opportunities to vote and get your way, so don’t worry your pretty little booties❤️

HnM💕

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

Part 3:

“Hey… wha’s wrong, best buddy? Holy hell, w-why are you crying?!” Kirishima loudly whispered. A loud rumble could be heard before he violently gagged, releasing the contents of his stomach, “Oh, God,” he croaked before gagging again, “I am so sorry.”

Bakugou didn’t even bother looking at him before he turned his back and harshly faced away. The blond aggressively dried his eyes with the back of his hand-- muttering a stream of curses through gritted teeth. He deeply hoped that that damn idiot would forget this night ever happened,

“Go to bed, shitty hair,” he snapped, still refusing to look at him, “Sober up so you can clean that shit up, because I sure as hell am not doing it for you,” he pointed to the mess of bile on the floor so hard that his weight followed after his finger, causing him to stumble. 

“You’re the one to talk,” Kirishima giggled as he scratched the back of his head. His best friend didn’t even attempt to retort an aggressive defense and only stared at the ground with a much softer glare than normal. Something had to be very wrong with him.

The redhead sympathetically reached out to him, but Bakugou immediately swatted him away and roamed off in another direction,

“Hey, why you cryin’, man? What’s wrong?” Kirishima called out to Bakugou as the latter continued to walk away from him— instantly tensing up,

“Nothing,” he spat as he entered Kirishima’s room and began rummaging for pants. Kirishima’s clouded mind didn’t even notice that he was naked until then.

“Hey, bro,” Kirishima followed Bakugou to his dresser. He reached out to his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder to both steady himself and comfort the blond, “I am not judging you I just want to he—”

“I SAID NOTHING, DAMMIT!” Bakugou snapped, smacking a clumsy Kirishima’s hand away before angrily stomping a few feet away to clothe himself. He slid down the hallway wall and took a seat to face your door, sending a weak glare in that direction.

Kirishima mindlessly followed after him and found a seat by his side, “Why aren’t you going inside then?” Kirishima shrugged as he struggled to keep himself from leaning.

“None of your god dammed business.”

“Oh…” Kirishima’s eyebrows were raised suddenly. He drunkenly blinked a few times, “You’re in trouble?!” he concluded incredulously, “You guys have never fought before, dude! What happened!?” he slurred loudly.

“Nothing!” Bakugou’s furrowed and defensive eyebrows dropped sadly for a few beats, before he could fix them.

Kirishima knew his friend more than Bakugou would like to give him credit for, “I-Is she okay?” he dragged himself up to his feet, “I can only imagine how much she’s hurting if you’re crying like this.” his words seemed to sober substantially. 

“I’m okay, dammit. We are okay!” Bakugou threw his glare towards the ground before throwing his arms up to rest on his knees. His heart felt extremely heavy as he spoke for some reason. It was like when a lie hung heavily on his chest, but that couldn’t be the same feeling. He was sure that he wasn’t lying. The two of you were going to be okay.

Right?

Of course, you were.

Bakugou determinedly threw his head up towards his best friend, “Just go to sleep, you alcoholic!” he demanded in a slur before noticing that Krishima was not in the same place that he once was. He made a quick sweep of his surroundings and saw Kiri leaning with his ear pressed against your bedroom door, “HEY, bastard!! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Shhhh,” Krishima smashed a drunk finger against his lips, “She is crying Bakugou! I can hear her!!” the man’s face was twisted in utter terror as he looked back and forth from Bakugou to the door. He shook his head in disbelief as he grabbed onto your door handle, “I-I am gonna go in there and help her—”

“No! Stop, dammit,” Bakugou practically threw himself up and over to Kirishima before he could open your door. The two intoxicated men struggled against each other for a bit before Bakugou finally overpowered him and snatched him away.

“What’s your problem, Bakugou?!” Kirishima had yet to accept his loss and continued to struggle against Bakugou’s grip, “She needs our help!” 

Bakugou gave him one final shove before choking up, “I fucked up, okay!?” He blurted with tears in his eyes.

The man anxiously grabbed his own hair and leaned back against the wall before once again painfully writhing down it as sobs dared to fly out from the back of his burning throat, “I… really fucked up.”

“How—” the word became stuck in Kirishimas mouth. Even inebriated, he knew that he would be overstepping his boundaries. Bakugou obviously wasn’t ready to talk about this. He hardly ever wanted to confront his mistakes, but in that moment, it seemed like it might have been more than just a simple mistake.

Whatever it was would have to be dealt with another day. But for now, all Kirishima could do was offer some encouraging words to his best friend.

The man sighed, “She really loves you, you know,” he began as he walked over to his crying friend and once more found a seat next to him. He continued with a soft, almost sad smile, “From the day she saw you. When, uh, we had our quirk tests the first day in Aizawa’s class? She lit up whenever you had your turn on the softball throw,” he smiled at the memory,

“She was always so calm and gentle, but she never really looked as happy as she did whenever you were involved, man,” Kirishima gave a sigh before softly throwing his head back onto the wall to watch the world spin. He gave a short laugh, “Even when she was dating Todoroki for that short while,” his smile slowly died down after a short silence,

“Whatever you did, she loves you, but it’s all on to you to fix it, man.  You gotta start putting more effort into her. You can’t just rely on the fact that she is super loyal to you. Stop taking her for granted.”

This automatically sent flames under Bakugou, “What are you fucking getting at?” he spat.

“Relax man, I live with you guys, remember?” his words became more slurred as his eyes fluttered shut, “I see things. All I am saying is that you are always going to have a part of Y/N’s heart. But… you have to show her that you are deserving of that or else... she is eventually going to leave us.”

“How do I even know if I am deserving of her? What if..” the thought became stuck in Bakugou’s throat. He had to swallow hard to get his words flowing again, “What if she deserves better than me, dammit? I love her I know I do, but the terrible things I do and say just fly out so damn naturally,” he choked out. As much as he hated to admit it, it had only been a matter of time before he did something so terrible to you.

Bakugou angrily bumped his head against the wall behind him as tears continued to roll down his face, “I am such a fucking idiot. Fuck, I want to hold her and kiss her and tell her how much she means to me every day, but it’s like something in my DNA prevents me from doing that—from focusing on anything other than winning,” the blond shook his head in complete disgust at his own thoughts, 

“What if all this time I thought that my relationship with her was holding me back from becoming the number one hero, when really, I was the one holding her back from being happy?” he finished as he looked over to his best friend.

However, Kirshima was already sound asleep, his head leaning awkwardly on the back wall.

Yes. Bakugou knew that he was a raging mess of a man. He knew that he didn’t deserve you, but he never wanted it to get to the point where you knew that too.

But as you stood in front of him with compete hatred in your eyes, about to abandon him, it was like all of his worst fears were coming to eat him alive.

“Please, don’t leave me…” he cried through gritted teeth as he buried his face into your stomach. He hated everything about himself right now. He was absolutely pathetic, and you had every right to leave his ass. He never should have looked at that woman,

“I-I am so in love with you,” he begged as he painfully gripped your waist. You were so good to him. You stayed with him through all of his shittiest moments—even when he was an ass to you. You were a complete angel—a blessing placed right in front of him that he had so foolishly tried to forsake so many times. God, you were the most beautiful thing that had ever happen to him.

So why then, did he fuck everything up so badly? He was complete and utter trash, yet you always still saw the best in him. He prayed that you could find the best on him just one more time, “Don’t give up on me…” tears finally could freely roll down his cheeks as he sobbed loudly into you.

Words couldn’t find their way out of your mouth. The many thoughts seemed to congregate in a massive mess in the forefront of your brain and became stuck in a traffic jam on the tip of your tongue.

Your lips fumbled over themselves, and nothing came out but disgruntled noise as you looked at the broken man in front of you.

The sight of him broke your heart to pieces.

No.

He broke your heart to pieces already. And still hasn’t even properly apologized to you.

“Bakugou,” you softly called out to him before he reluctantly looked up to your face. His wet eyes shimmered with only a glimpse of hope, but as soon as you grabbed his hands that were gripped around your waist and threw them off of you, that little hope died,

“You cheated on me—unashamed and unprotected. I deserve more than that. I deserve love, and... you can’t give that to me right now,” you choked out, your words not fully convincing even yourself. You had to dig deep within you to find resolve. You took a deep breath, 

“I’m... I’m leaving,” you said lowly as tears streamed down your face. His wet cheeks matched yours as you promptly turned back towards the front door and left with nothing but your slippers, phone and car keys.

Bakugou couldn’t help but to stay frozen as he watched your form disappear behind the cold metal frame of the door. That couldn’t have just happened.

As minutes of him staring blankly at the door passed by, reality seemed to slap him in the face. He threw his head down to the ground as heavy and painful sobs ripped through his chest.

You weren’t faring much better as you tried to blink your blurry vision away and focus on the road in front of you as you drove. You didn’t even know where to go.

You couldn’t go to Jirou’s. She would probably go crazy on Bakugou and you had had enough yelling within the last 24 hours. Plus, it was way too early in the breakup for that. You honestly had very little faith in yourself that you would be able to maintain permanent distance from the man you love.

Loved?

No, the debilitating pain in your chest most definitely proved that the word was in present tense. You fought a sob from freeing itself from your sore throat as you frantically patted at your lap in an attempt to find your phone.

God, who could you call right now?

All of your friends but Jirou were just as close to Bakugou as they were you. You didn’t want to put anyone in the middle of your mess, but you felt like you were about to explode—like the sobs and tears could only release so much pressure. It wasn’t enough. You needed to vent, but to who?

You mindlessly dialed one of your contacts,

“Hello?! Y/N?”

“T-Todoroki...? Can you talk right now?” you croaked. You instantly tried to fix your voice through a subtle cough, “You sound… active. Are you busy?” you faked poise.

 Yes, of course you knew that the ex-boyfriend card was way low, but you guys had honestly only dated for about three months ages ago in high school and had stayed close friends even after that. It wasn’t until your engagement to Bakugou where your friendship had eventually faded away—much to Bakugou’s enjoyment.

“No! Of course we can talk!” he gently argued. You could hear a lot of noise on the other end of the call before he continued, “I am just… surprised is all. It’s been a long time, after all,” he finished, but you could still hear a noise in the background. Were those sirens?

“Yeah, I know and I am really sorry for calling so suddenly,” you apologized, ignoring the distractions on the other line, “I just.. I don’t have anyone to talk to right now,” your eyes widened as you realized how terrible that must have sounded, “Not that you’re my final resort or anything I--!”

“No, it’s okay. I understand. So, what is it that you need to talk about?” he answered. As soon as he finished speaking you could hear screams on his side of the line.

“I—um,” the distractions were becoming too much for you, “Todoroki? Are you—uh, busy right now?”

“Truthfully, I am at work right now,” you could almost hear his familiar soft smile on the other end, “but it’s nothing major, just stopping a bank heist.”

“BANK HEIST!?” you gasped, before a laugh made it’s way from you. You were finally able to sniffle some of your tears away as the corners of you lips widened into a smile, “Oh my God, It’s really okay, Todoroki. It’s not that importa—”

“No, really, Y/N, it’s fine!” he interrupted,  “You seem to be very upset. I would like to help you in any way that I can... Why don’t you come over to my house, so that we can properly talk? I’ll try to wrap things up on my side and meet you there as soon as I can.”

As soon as he finished speaking, your phone dinged. You quickly flashed the device towards your eyes as you tried to mind the road ahead of you:

My Son: Hey. I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were alright! Bakugou is throwing an absolute fit right now so maybe I should leave and give him space now😅... We can meet up at our diner and you can get me up to speed on…

“Y/N? You remember my address, right?” Todoroki snapped your attention away from the rest of the text, but you got the jest of it. 

So, Kiri wanted to meet up as well, huh? But... were your really ready to face him?

You felt humiliated by just the thought.

Do you meet up with ex-boyfriend Todoroki? Or Best friend Kirishima?

YOU DECIDE!

Click this link to cast your vote!

[skullrock]

the campers, chapter three - Steve x Reader

gif by @harringtown

chapter three: the truce

series summary: Steve gets a job as a camp counselor at Camp Know Where, intending on using the summer to discover himself. When things start to go wrong at camp, the only people that can help him are the Party, Hopper, and his mortal enemy - you. [Enemies to lovers, angst, fluff, hurt/comfort]

chapter summary: You and Steve bury the hatchet - and you’re not happy that you’re kind of enjoying his company.

warnings: swearin’!

word count: 2.7k

a/n: you can catch up on the series here! hope yall like the developments!

===

The next morning, you head off to breakfast, Dustin’s plea still ringing in your head. Once grabbing your food, you scan the cafeteria for Steve. You find him quickly, sitting by himself at a table in the corner. You can see him playing sadly with his french toast and bacon. It’s quite pitiful. Sighing heavily, you walk towards him, dragging your feet underneath you. You slam your tray down and pull out a chair. Steve looks up, surprised and confused.

“Hello?” he asks, leaning back slightly in his seat.

You don’t say anything. Instead, you take a drink of your juice, staring over the edge of your cup with narrowed eyes.

Steve wonders if maybe he’s a ghost. You don’t seem to be paying attention to him - well, except to glare. He looks around to see if anyone else notices, then clears his throat. “Uh -”

“I’m only sitting here because Dustin told me I should give you a chance, okay?” you spit. ���That’s the only reason.”

“Oh.” Steve swallows hard and looks down at his tray again, unsure and anxious.

You continue to sit in silence while Steve picks at his food, before he finally says, “Look, I’m really sorry, okay?”

“Sure,” you scoff.

“I mean it!” He scoots his chair back and places his elbows on the table. “I really, truly mean it. I know I was a jerk -”

“Do you remember when you pushed me into the lake?”

He stares, dumbfounded.

“Or when you and your cronies stole my favorite t-shirt? Do you remember that?”

Steve frowns. “I don’t, but I’m sure it happened.”

You furrow your brows. “What do you remember?”

Steve leans back, thinking. A faint smile crosses his face. “I remember that bracelet you always used to wear. With the glass beads? It was blue, wasn’t it?”

You blink. “Yeah, it was.”

“I remember that.”

“What else do you remember?”

Steve sighs. “Not much. I remember I was a major asshole, but I don’t remember exactly what I did.”

“Maybe Tommy can remind you,” you say bitterly.

“Tommy?” Steve scoffs. “I haven’t talked to Tommy since junior year.”

“Oh.”

It’s quiet for a moment until he says, “I really am sorry. You didn’t deserve that. No one did. God… I was such an asshole.”

You laugh. “You don’t have to talk about yourself like that just because I’m here.”

His brows furrow. “But I mean it.” He pushes his french toast with his fork again. “I don’t even know who I am anymore. I just know I don’t like who I was.”

You both frown, staring down at the table. The silence isn’t uncomfortable, though - it feels more comfortable than anything between you two has ever been.

You realize that Steve’s a broken boy. He fell hard on his royal ass, and now he’s nothing but a jester. You feel pity for him. You can see your younger self in him, lacking confidence and self love. He’s lost and confused, and he desperately needs someone to provide him a map. You decide you’re going to help him, as much as you dislike him.

You extend your hand out to him. “Truce?”

Steve blinks. “What?”

“I want to call a truce.”

Steve stares at your hand hesitantly before taking it, shaking firmly. You drop your hand and resume eating, asking him about what he’s been up to since the last time you saw him. Steve’s shocked, but happy. He starts to eat his own food, finally, feeling a bit better about himself.

===

“I got a C- in chemistry,” Steve says.

“Then what are you doing here?”

You’re trying to teach Steve some of the more elementary-level chemistry experiments. He has to learn how to do everything before he’s placed where he most excels. You know immediately he won’t be excelling here - which is fine, of course. So you attempt to teach him some fun things that would most likely impress a boy who paid more attention to girls than class.

“I didn’t fail,” he says. “I just… barely passed.”

“How many times did you use dumbass chemistry pickup lines on the girls in class?”

“Shut up,” he mumbles, but he’s smiling. “What are we doing?”

“It’s called ‘cloud in a bottle.’” You hand him a pair of goggles. “Put these on.”

“Are you serious?”

“Do you want to burn your eyes out?”

“But I don’t look good in these.”

You roll your eyes, putting yours on. “Who are you trying to impress, Steve? There’s no one here.”

He sighs loudly and puts them on, adjusting his hair to make himself look more presentable. You roll your eyes once again and hand him a plastic bottle and alcohol. “Pour enough in to just cover the bottom.”

He does so. You notice how his eyebrows knit together when he thinks, how he bites his tongue to focus. Quietly, you say, “You’ve got this, Steve.”

“Thanks.”

“Swirl it around in the bottle so it coats the sides.”

He does so dramatically. You can tell he used to be the class clown. You take it from him when he’s done and place it down, grabbing an inflation tube and a rubber stopper. You put them together as Steve watches - he seems interested, at least. You put the rubber stopper attached to the inflation tube into the top of the bottle. “Watch this, okay?”

You start to pump the inflater, allowing air to enter the bottle. You firmly push on the rubber stopper to keep it in the bottle. Steve thinks you’re overdoing it - it looks like the bottle is just going to combust. He almost says something, but you finally stop, quickly removing the stopper. When it’s removed, a cloud shows itself in the bottle, coming out of the top as well.

Steve jumps back. “Holy shit!”

You laugh. “Yeah, man, it makes a cloud!”

Steve runs a hand through his hair, then places them on his hips. “That’s so fuckin’ cool.”

“Watch your mouth!”

He’s shocked. “There’s no kids here!”

You smile and elbow him gently. “Now you try the whole thing by yourself.”

Steve does so, and it goes well. He’s perhaps even more excited this time than he was the first time. He doesn’t understand it, but he doesn’t have to. Clouds in bottles are cool.

“If this is what we did in class, I would have liked it more,” he says, taking off the goggles.

“You’re very easy to please.”

“It’s a cloud in a bottle, dude!”

“I’m aware,” you quip. “There’s more you should learn, but I think you would probably like to learn how to do something physical?”

He nods enthusiastically. “What do you have in mind?”

===

You’d never seen someone kayak for the first time without flipping, but Steve manages to do it flawlessly. He’s really good at it, too; his strong arms certainly help. You watch him as he smiles, dipping the paddle in the water; right, then left, smoothly and calmly. He learned the strokes easily, expertly reverse stroking and sweep stroking. He’s in his prime here on the lake, and you can’t help but smile as you watch him.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you relaxed.”

“I like moving,” he says. “Keeps my mind off of stuff.”

You nod. “Well, you’re pretty good at it.”

Steve smiles and avoids your eyes. “Thanks.”

The sun is setting, casting a pink and orange glow on the water and land. You bask in the breeze, Steve joining beside you. “It’s pretty, huh?”

“Yeah,” you breathe. “I love it out here.”

“Me, too.”

Steve doesn’t talk too much, or crack a smile around you; but he beams and hits your kayak with his paddle. “Race you to the shore?”

“No, Steve, that’s dangerous -”

He splashes water at you and grins, his nose scrunching. “You just don’t want to lose.”

You splash water at him, too, irritated, but it only sparks a war. Soon, you’re soaking wet, as is Steve, and you can’t stop laughing. You’re pissed - you don’t want him to make you laugh. And yet he does, dorky charm and toothy grin making you double over in your kayak.

“Okay, come on, cut it out,” you pant. “Seriously, Steve, stop.”

Steve’s a little disheartened - he thought you were having fun for once. But he relents, paddling slowly back to shore while you watch him, angry at yourself for giving in. You just wanted a truce, not a friendship. Despite your wishes, you can feel the cracks in your plan starting to form; and you’re starting to get a soft spot for the guy.

===

Over the next two weeks, Steve excels in everything. He takes a bit longer to grasp some of the STEM concepts, but he’s a fast learner. Steve surprises even himself at how good he’s doing, even getting the hang of math he never, ever knew before. He wonders if it’s from the learning environment. Whatever it is, he loves it, and he’s having a lot of fun. Even Dustin notices how good he’s doing.

“Holy shit, that might be the smartest thing you’ve ever said,” Dustin says one night at dinner. “I never thought you’d be able to explain what velocity is.”

Steve taps his fingers on his temple. “Knew this thing in my head would work sometime.”

“You’re doing great man, really,” Dustin says, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “What do you think your designation will be?”

“I hope it’s intramurals.” Steve smiles faintly. “That would be pretty fun.”

“Yeah, well, the girls sure do like watching you.”

Steve drops his fork. “What? What girls? Which ones?”

Suzie comes over then, though, and Steve’s left in the dark. He’d ask you, later - you would probably give him the hard truth.

===

The next day, everyone waits to get their designations. You all wait in the conference room that you started in, chattering excitedly. Except for Steve, who is more anxious than he’d be if an interdimensional monster had sprung through the wall.

Steve bounces his leg beside you, and you reach out to stop him. “You’re shaking the entire table.”

“I’m nervous,” he groans. “What if they don’t place me anywhere?”

You roll your eyes. “First of all, you have to have a designation. Secondly, you’ve been good at everything. Stop worrying.”

“Am I good at everything?”

You almost make a joke, but you remember how unsure of himself he was the first day you officially talked to him. You turn to look at him, meeting his eyes. “You are, Steve. You’ve impressed everyone here. Even me. And that means a lot, because I don’t find you as attractive or cool as some of the other people here do.”

Steve gasps and leans forward. “Who?”

“Alright, don’t cream your pants, bud,” you say. “Everyone here is just really taken with you, alright?”

It’s true. The female cabin has not stopped talking about Steve since the first day. They’re in love with him - it makes you sick. You tried to reason with them, change the subject, but it’s no use. Steve’s the popular guy yet again, just like he was at camp when you were younger. It’s like a never ending cycle of hell when it came to Steve in your life. At least this time, the attention doesn’t go to his head.

Not only the women, but the men love him, too. They think he’s “righteous,” despite being mostly quiet. They like that he’s dorky, but strong and handsome at the same time. It gives them hope, which you find quite hilarious. 

Your comments don’t deter them, though. Steve’s close with everyone at camp, loved by all: but he tends to stick to you for some reason. You’re his mentor, sure, but you don’t understand why he chooses to sit with you at lunch, or accompany you to the science labs. He’s like a fly that you can’t swat away - and you’re almost, kind of enjoying his company.

Steve leans back, trying to hide his smile. He doesn’t want to seem like the attention gets to his head, because it doesn’t. He just likes to feel liked. He likes to feel like he has a home where he’s comfortable, safe, and appreciated. He’s found that here, and he’s really happy about it. The light is back in his eyes, the spring back in his step, and he just feels like himself. For perhaps the first time in his life.

Josh enters and claps his hands loudly to get everyone’s attention. Steve grabs onto your bicep nervously, and you roll your eyes, shrugging out of his grip. He then starts to bounce his leg again, and you think maybe you should have just let him cling onto you instead.

“You’ve all impressed us so much the past two weeks!” Josh exclaims. “Really, really well done. We’ve found a place for everyone easily. Are you all ready?”

Steve’s stomach flips and his leg starts going faster.

“For fuck’s sake, Steve, calm down,” you hiss, but you feel excited for him, too. You elbow him gently and give him a reassuring smile.

Steve waits for his name to be called. Everything else seems like white noise as his thoughts race. What if he’s not good at anything? What if he gets placed somewhere that he isn’t good at? What if he fails?

“Steve, you’re on intramurals.”

He nearly jumps out of his chair. It takes all of his self control not to - instead, he punches the air under the table, a breath of relief coming out of him. You look over at him and hold up your hand, signaling for a high five. He gives you one - it makes your hand sting, but his happiness is infectious.

“You did it,” you whisper. “Good for you.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you.”

You scoff. “No, Steve - you did it.”

I did it. It feels weird for him to say it in his head, but a wave of relief and calm runs over him. I did it.

You’re placed in the science area, of course, which you’d done last year. You consider yourself to be good at it - plus, the kids always had fun. Their reactions to the experiments were very similar to Steve’s, and it never failed to make you smile. You’d be able to see your favorite campers there, too. You were always impressed with what Dustin and Suzie could do.

As everyone files out, Steve looks to you, face twisted in concern. “What about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Will I ever - you know - see you?”

It’s an odd question, and Steve hurriedly adds, “I mean - because we’re friends, you know. It would be weird not to see you now.”

“I’ll see you in the cafeteria and at night,” you say. “Weekends, too. The staff always has late night bonfires. I’ll see you there, okay?”

Steve nods. “Yeah, yeah, okay.” There’s another awkward pause before he adds, “Thanks for mentoring me. I learned a lot.”

A laugh escapes your lips. “You should thank Josh for putting us together when I begged him not to.”

Steve’s face falls. “You… begged not to be paired with me?”

You mentally kick yourself. “That was before the truce, Steve.”

He frowns and grabs his things. “Okay.”

Steve really thought you were actually friends now. And even if your begging was before the truce, it still hurt. He didn’t mean to bother you - he just thought you both got along well. His shoulders slump as he heads for the exit, and you call out, “Steve?”

He turns around, jaw clenched. “Yeah?”

“I’m happy he paired us.”

“You don’t have to say that -”

“I mean it.” You walk towards him and hold our your pinkie. “I mean it. I don’t want to enjoy your presence, Steve, but I do.”

He smiles and rolls his eyes a bit, taking your pinkie. “I’m just that irresistible.”

“Alright, don’t push it.”

“Right - sorry.”

===

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[jawabear]

Flowers (Javier Pena x Reader)

Not my GIF

A/N: Here is some soft Javi for you. I was inspired by a question on a game show, it was “how many florists would say that a woman should buy her man flowers” or something along those lines, and I though it would be cute to write something like that for Javi. Do you think a woman can buy her man flowers? I would 100% buy flowers for my man if I had one. Sorry for any mistakes. Stay safe :)

Genre: Fluff, angst

Warnings: fem!reader, Soft!Javi, departure, sad!Javi, Pedro Pascal comes with his own warning 

Summary: Javi opens up about his secret love of flowers

Part 2

Javi sat at his desk, a lit cigarette smoking between his lips. He hadn’t breathed in a puff of smoke for god knows how long. He had become distracted. He had never been one for art or drawing but for some reason, he found him self sketching numerous drawings of flowers onto a scrap piece of paper. It made him feel calm, almost making him feel forgetful of everything going on.

He was taken back home to Laredo. Sitting in his back garden, watching his mother tend to her numerous flower beds. He was always amazed by the vast array of colours she had grown, like a constant rainbow right outside his bedroom window. Sometimes he would sit with her, she would explain to him each type and what makes them special. Of course, liking flowers was not seen as the most masculine thing to do, but he didn’t really care at the time. 

“Here are the files you asked for” Javi jumped when a voice floated through his office. He quickly grabbed the paper and held it under his desk. He looked up as saw it was (Y/N). A good friend of his. But, even so, maybe she wasn’t just a friend. Maybe he did feel something more for her. Not that he would ever admit that to her. He hasn’t even admitted it to himself.

She placed down the small stack of files on his desk “th-“ he cleared his throat and nodded “thanks” he said.

“What were you doing?” She asked him tilting her head cutely to the side. She leaned over his desk slightly to try and catch a glimpse of what he had been so desperate to hide.

“O-Oh, nothing” he shook his head.

“It can’t be nothing if you were so quick to hide it” she giggled making his heart flutter.

“Honestly, it’s nothing” he dismissed her words with his hands and threw the paper into the top draw of his desk before standing. He stubbed out his cigarette “want to get a drink?” He asked her.

“Uh, Yeah” she nodded with a gentle smile “sure”

“Great” he pulled his jacket off his chair and slipped it over his shoulders.

-

After a short stop at the bar, Javi decided that it would be nicer to take her to an over look ridge. It was something he had found in his first year or so down in Colombia, he was just driving and came across it by chance, it had a clear voice of the entire city, and was perfect for watching the sunset.

The sat on the surprisingly flat ground in front of his car, drinks in hand. She had complimented his choice of scenery, saying it was beautiful and calm. Looking over the city from where they were, it was hard to believe there was a horrendous drug war going on.

The conversation was here and there, mainly they were enjoying the view and each other’s company. He would occasionally look over to her, just to see the golden light of the setting sun shine over her beautiful face. She was glowing. Like an angel. He was going to miss her. He was going miss seeing her face, seeing her smile, seeing her eyes, hearing her voice. He had made a mistake in not bringing her to this overlook before. This was the first and last time.

“So now that we are really alone, what were you doing earlier?” She asked him pulling him out of his trance. He took a sip of his beer and placed it beside him.

“I was uh...” he paused for a moment, looking over to her, she was staring right back at him with those beautiful eyes “drawing...” he muttered.

“Drawing?” She asked softly, a small smile forming on her lips “you like to draw?”

“Not...not particularly. It’s just something I’ve started to do...as a way of stress relief I guess”

“What do you like to draw?” She asked as she twisted her body to face him.

“F-Flowers..”

“Flowers?” She repeated

“I know...pretty uh...”

“Adorable” She finished for him “Why flowers?”

“It was uh...when I was little, my mum used to have flowers. We would often sit and talk about them. I kind of forgot about it for the longest time. I guess just all this shit happening, I just wanted a sort of comfort. The flowers are really the only thing I have left of her...”

“What was her favourite flower?”

“She never really had one. She loved all of them. Or at least, all the ones she knew of. There was one though that she wished she could see. The Miltoniopsis vexillaria orchid. She loved orchids, but that was one she didn’t have. I’m surprised I even remember the name” he chuckled softly as he stared to the floor “They grow a lot in Colombia. Maybe that’s why I was so desperate to come down here. So I could find it. But I’ve never found one, to be honest I haven’t ever looked. I promised her I would find one for her, take it back and show her, but I never got round to it”

“There’s still time Javi” she told him gently “don’t give up yet”

“This job doesn’t allow for flower picking (Y/N)” he chuckled taking another sip of his beer, a longer sip. “God, that got fucking depressing. I’m sorry”

“No, don’t be” she shook her head to him “it’s...nice. To talk about things like that. And it’s nice to see a softer side of you” she smiled.

He looked over to her again and his heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to kiss her so bad. He could’ve. He could’ve kiss her. They were close, so close and the moment was just right. No one was around, no one could stop him.

Except himself.

He cleared his throat and looked away from him. “What time do you leave tomorrow?” He asked her. He had to remind himself of the cruel reality that it would never work between them. She was only a temporary in Colombia. She was going back to the States, he would most likely never see her again. So why try and start a relationship? He could barely hold one when he was in the same place as someone, there was no way he would last in a long distance relationship.

Her smile fell when he asked that. She had almost forgotten about that. She was so wrapped up in being with him that she couldn’t think of anything else. Her heart shattered too. She got the impression that he didn’t want her around anymore. He was distancing himself from her, trying to get rid of her. “O-Oh, early” she said quietly “my flight is at 5am. They um...wanted me back early so I could restart as soon as possible over there”

“It’s going to be strange not having you around. It’s going to be a lot more boring without you”

“Tell me about it” she chuckled “It’s fun listening to you and Steve bicker all the time. Like an old married couple”

He managed a stiff laugh and shook his head finishing off the last little bit of his beer “it’s getting pretty late” he mumbled to her “you want me to drive you home?”

“In a second” she nodded turning to look over the city from where they were sat “I just want to...remember this” she sighed happily gesturing to the sunsetting over the city below them “it’s beautiful...” As the sun set, it filled the sky with the most beautiful shades of orange, red and pink, fading effortlessly into each other. It could’ve been a painting.

Javi’s eyes were on her as he nodded “Yeah...it is” he whispered.

The drive back to her apartment was peaceful. It was only a short drive, the final time he would ever make the journey. He did the gentlemanly thing and walked her too her door, partly because he wanted to draw out the time he spent with her, making it last for as long he could.

“Have a safe journey back, okay?” He said to her.

“Yeah” she nodded “I will. Thank you Javi. For everything. For just being there for me throughout my time here”

“Of course. Thank you for making my life a little more bearable” he laughed “I’m going to miss you”

“I’m going to miss you too, Javi” she stepped forward and threw her arms around his neck. He slipped his arms around her waist holding her close to him. One of his hands snaked it’s way up her back to press lightly against the back of her head. Her nose was buried in his neck, breathing in his scent for the last time. A distinct smell of whiskey, cigarette smoke and something should could only described as him.

After a few more moments she pulled back and smiled up at him. He shifted his weight between his feet for a second before thinking “fuck it” and leaning down to press his lips against hers. It wasn’t like he was going to see her against anyway, so if it didn’t work he wouldn’t have to worry. But he knew he would.

But he didn’t have to. She lifted his hands to rest on his cheeks, he could feel her smiling against his lips which made his heart flutter. A fire erupted in his belly at how good it felt. He had never felt like that when he ever kissed someone. And sadly, it would be the first and last time he ever felt it.

She slowly pulled away from him and flicker her eyes up to his. Her teeth ran over her bottom lip to savour the taste of his lips, he did the same and pulled his arms away from her as her hands dropped from his cheeks.

It was a mistake. Maybe? She didn’t seem hurt by it, and she had smiled. That had to be a good sign. But she was leaving! How could he have been so stupid to kiss her right before she left knowing he could never do it again?

“Idiot” he thought to himself.

“If-If you’re ever back in the states or back at the DEA HQ, feel free to...to do that again” she said quietly as she fiddled with her fingers.

He nodded slowly, not really believing the series of events that had happened and were happening. “I-I will” he said “I um...I should probably go. Let you get some rest”

“Y-Yeah” she nodded “Yeah. Right. Um...w-well. Goodbye Javi”

“Bye (Y/N)” he pulled her into another hug. This one tighter and longer than the last. Now he really didn’t want her to leave.

“Take care of yourself” she whispered to him “you’re a good man Javier, even if you choose not to believe it”

He didn’t trust his words so just gave her a tight squeeze before pulling away. They exchange another soft smile before they inevitably parted ways, maybe forever.

Javi sat in his car, his forehead resting on the steering wheel as he drew in deep and shaky breaths trying to stop himself from crying. No, he wouldn’t cry. He was stronger than that. But he couldn’t deny the sadness that was swelling within him. That wonderful fire being diminished by it. It seemed the moment had too soon past. He wished he had dwelled on it longer.

He lifted his head and looked out his window, up to her apartment just in time to see she had switched the lights off. She was going to sleep. And he thought he should too. Maybe she would appear to him in his dreams. That’s what he would have to live with for now.

-

The next morning, Javier didn’t feel that much better. If anything, he felt worse. She was gone. Most likely back in the states by the time he decided to pull himself out of bed and drag himself into work. But he wouldn’t enjoy it anymore. Not that he ever did. Without her there, what was the point of even trying to pretend to enjoy it? Sure, he had Steve, but in all fairness he hated the job just as much as Javi. (Y/N) was the one who kept them sane, kept things going, kept everyone happy, especially Javi. And now he had lost her.

Javi sighed as he stepped into his office. Another day of hell officially started. But he seemed to freeze when his eyes fell on his desk. There stood a tall flower. It was white and a light shade of lilac. It stood there in a pretty white pot.

He took cautious steps towards it, looking for a label or some kind of note to say who it was from, although, he already had an idea. He saw the tag that went with the flower, he read over the name and his heart fluttered Miltoniopsis vexillaria orchid it read in think black letters. He let out a sharp breath.

Javi slipped into his chair, admiring the flower from the new angle. He flipped over the label and saw her handwriting “it’s never too late” it read.

A smile crept up to his lips. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t care if anyone came in and saw. He was fucking happy. Happier then he had been in a very very long time.

Who says you can’t buy a man flowers? 

Masterlist

18/06/20

[dontmindthefangirling]

Pandemic {t.h.}

Tom Holland x Medic!Reader

Summary: Y/N has to go back to the states as the coronavirus pandemic gets worse and Tom worries about her having to work

Warnings: swearing; angst; coronavirus :///

Note: This a one-shot based off of my series Broken Nose but you don’t really have to have read it to know what’s going on; this is also a big shout-out to all of the people working to keep us safe during this pandemic and this idea came to me because working on the front lines can be scary and difficult

This picks up after the epilogue!

-

Tom couldn’t have been happier having you stay with him and the boys in London. You had saved up all your vacation days and Tom was kind of in-between projects right now, so it worked out perfectly. 

He told you that he could have come visited you in New York, but you chose to come see him in London instead. You said it was because you wanted to see his family, but Tom knew it was to see Tessa. 

He jogged down the stairs, seeing you currently playing tug-of-war with Tessa like you used to do in his trailer during filming, and his heart warmed at the sight. Tessa ended up winning (as always) and yanked the toy away from you before running away. 

You stood up in defeat, and turned in time to see Tom approaching.

“Hi love,” he greeted, placing a peck on your lips. 

“Good morning,” you said, hugging him tightly. You never got enough of his hugs. His strong arms always wrapped around you perfectly, and you just felt safe. You looked up at him through your lashes, smiling at him. But there was a nagging feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach.

You watched the news. You had Twitter. You knew what was going on in the world, and your nerves were on edge. Cases of COVID-19 were increasing around the world, and specifically in your home state of New York.

It wasn’t too bad when you left for London, but you had been here for two weeks already and James was sending you updates. New protocols were being put in place at NYEMS including the need to sanitize the truck before and after every patient. He told you that they were now making the paramedics and EMTs wear masks if the patient had any respiratory symptoms of any kind, including a sniffle. 

It was making you nervous.

“What’s wrong?” Tom asked, immediately noticing a change in your mood. 

You sighed, pulling away from him while you went to get a glass of water. 

“Just worried,” you admitted. 

“About the virus?” 

You nodded. “It’s getting worse in New York.”

Tom frowned, walking over to you and gently pulling you in a hug. He pressed a kiss to your hair and you closed your eyes, feeling him against you. 

“You know you can stay here as long as you’d like,” Tom offered, looking down at you. He knew that flying right now was probably not ideal, but you still had an uneasy look in your eyes that put him on edge, too.

“I might not be able to,” you sighed. Tom was silent, chewing on his lip. He knew that your job wasn’t typical, you were always at the scene of horrible accidents, crimes that turned violent, and God knows what else. You spared him of all the gory details, but Tom could see it in your eyes. After particularly bad calls, it would have you defeated.

Tom kissed your forehead. “Let’s go play with Tessa.”

He wanted to get your mind off of the pandemic because he knew it was all you could think about, and he knew Tessa made you happy. You smiled halfheartedly at him before taking his hand and going to find the staffy. 

-

Five days had passed and Tom was grocery shopping when he saw how empty the grocery stores were and his stomach dropped at the sight. This was getting bad and he hated not knowing how to stop it or how to help.

Upon returning home, he found you in the living room with Tuwaine, Harry, and Harrison, your eyes glued to the movie playing on the TV. Tessa was curled up in your lap, and you turned to smile at Tom when he walked in. He sat down at the foot on the couch so you could play with his hair, something you always loved to do, but you were all silent, even though Frozen II was on. 

Tom knew something was wrong when you didn’t even laugh at Olaf’s jokes.

A few minutes later, you excused yourself to take a phone call, walking into the kitchen. Tom watched you as you walked away.

“Stores were empty,” Tom spoke up once you were gone. “Like empty.”

“Seriously?” Harry asked. 

“Yup, no eggs, nothing,” Tom continued. 

“Shit, man,” Harrison sighed, running a hand through his hair. Before the boys could talk anymore, you came back into the room with glassy eyes.

“Tom?” you said, your voice fragile. “Can I uh...talk to you for a second?”

The boys all glanced at each other as Tom nodded and stood up from the ground. He followed you into the kitchen. 

“What’s wrong, darlin’?” he asked as you tried blinking away the tears the filled your eyes. You gingerly wrapped you arms around Tom’s torso, and he caught you as you began to sob. 

“(Y/N),” Tom whispered, his voice shaky as he held you tightly against him. You didn’t say anything, as you tried to catch your breath, but the nerves were piling up and that damn phone call just pushed you over the edge.

“Darling, talk to me,” Tom coaxed, running his fingers through your hair. Your knees buckled, as you sobbed into his shoulder, and Tom gently carried you down to the floor, holding you tightly. You curled up against him, sniffling as you shook your head. 

“I...I.”

Tom was patient, kissing your forehead as you closed your eyes, shakily taking a deep breath. You forced yourself to look up at him, but seeing the loving look in his eyes only made you want to cry even more.

“I have to go home.”

Tom stared at you blankly. He furrowed his eyebrows, as if he were just registering what you were saying.

“What? To New York?” 

You nodded. 

Tom laughed bitterly. “No, (Y/N), no. It’s...I mean...New York is-”

“It’s the epicenter of American cases, I know,” you sighed, rubbing your eyes as you both sat on the ground of the kitchen. “Which is why I have to go.”

“(Y/N),” Tom said, his voice breaking. “Please, don’t.”

“James called me and...” you inhaled deeply, trying to steady your breath because you knew that you would start crying again if you didn’t. “Um...they need more medics and first responders because...a lot of them are getting infected and the number of medical calls is through the roof.”

Tom watched you as you spoke, his vision becoming foggy with tears. 

“They need help, Tom,” you said, your voice cracking. “I have to go help. It’s my job.”

“But...” Tom wanted to fight you. He wanted you to stay in London with him forever and wait this whole pandemic out. At least if you were together he could make sure that you were safe. 

“There are so many cases though,” Tom whispered, his voice cracking. “I mean...what if you get...what if-”

You rested your forehead on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. You knew he was scared. You were too. There was so much uncertainty, and the cases in New York, especially in New York City where you worked, were increasing tenfold each day. 

But your job was to save people. That’s what you had to go do. And your brothers and sisters on the front lines needed help. 

“It’ll be okay,” you whispered, trying to convince both of you. Tom wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his lap so he could just hold you a little longer. 

“When do you leave?” he croaked.

“Tomorrow morning.”

Tom bit back the sob that was making its way to his throat. He felt a deep ache in the pit of his stomach. He closed his eyes, burying his face in your neck as he inhaled your scent, trying his best not to break down in front of you. He knew it would only make you feel worse. 

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you so much,” you cried, closing your eyes tightly as the tears made their way down your cheeks. You knew that by going back to work on the front lines meant that your risk of exposure was going to be very high, but you were young and healthy and you were hopeful that if you did happen to catch this deadly virus that you would be able to fight it off.

But you couldn’t think about yourself right now. You had to think about those who needed you and you had to go and do what you felt was right. 

-

You spent the rest of the night wrapped up in Tom’s arms in his room with Tessa curled up at the foot of the bed. You knew you weren’t going to sleep and neither did Tom, but as long as you spent the time with him, you knew it would be okay. 

As the sun began to shine in through the window, you felt a deep dread in your heart. You had to get up and go to the airport soon and you didn’t know when the next time you would see Tom would be. 

“Tom?” you whispered. 

“Hmm?” he mumbled, half-asleep while his strong hands held you tightly.

“I need you to promise me something.”

Tom looked up at you, blinking away the sleep from his eyes. 

“Promise you won’t forget about me?” you asked, chuckling lightly. You knew it was a stupid request, but the ache in your heart was making you say it. 

“I could never, darlin’,” Tom whispered, kissing you gently. 

-

A car was coming to pick you up to take you to the airport after a long fight with Tom about why you didn’t want him driving you there. Your job was to get exposed, not his. 

You stood by the front door with all your bags, waiting for the car to get you and the boys all came out to say goodbye. 

“Stay safe out there, (Y/N),” Tuwaine said softly as you hugged him. You pulled back and smiled up at him. 

“I will.”

“Do you have to go?” Harrison asked gently as he pulled you into a hug. You hugged him back tightly, feeling the tears sting the back of your eyes.

“Yeah,” you whispered. “They need all the help they can get.”

Harrison pulled back and nodded, though there was a deep sadness in his eyes. You nudged him with your elbow, making him smile sadly. Harry was next, and you knew if you looked at him too long you would cry. You and Harry grew incredibly close the last few weeks, always laughing along with whatever pranks he wanted to pull.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Harry sighed. 

“I’ll miss you too, H.”

“Go kick some corona ass.”

You laughed through your tears as you pulled away. “Will do.”

The sound of a car approaching the driveway made you all look out the window. Your heart sank and you let out a sigh as you bent down to give your favorite dog a hug and a kiss on the head. 

“Be a good girl, Tess.”

A part of you wished you could be as happy as a dog right now. Not a care in the world, with no idea what was going on. 

You looked at the boys and smiled through your tears as Tom helped you bring your bags out to the street. You stopped before you reached the car and pulled Tom into a bone-crushing hug. 

You wished you could have tuned the rest of the world out as you held him tightly, trying to remember everything about him as you could because you didn’t know when the next time you would see him would be. 

“I’m so proud of you,” Tom whispered in your ear as he pressed a kiss to your cheek. Those words alone were enough to cause tears to stream down your face. You looked up at him, cupping his face and pressing your lips to his in deep kiss that tasted salty as your tears mixed together. 

“You mean everything to me,” you whispered against his lips. 

“I love you,” Tom sighed, kissing you chastely. 

“I love you too.”

You wiped your tears as you approached the car and loaded your bags in the trunk. You turned one last time to Tom and pulled him into another hug. Tom buried his face in your shoulder and you could feel him shaking as he cried. You knew you were crying yourself, but all you could think about was him and how he felt. 

“Be safe,” Tom cried, as he wiped away his tears. 

“You too,” you said, kissing him once more. “I love you.”

“I love you too darlin’.”

You smiled sadly at him as you climbed into the car. He watched from the curbside as the car began to drive away, and you tried to keep your eyes on him for as long as possible until he was out of sight.

You turned around in your seat, inhaling sharply as you thought about the weight of the situation.

You closed your eyes, trying not to psyche yourself out and texted James that you were on your way back to New York.

Time to go kick some coronavirus ass, indeed. 

part 2

[orange-waterfalls]

All Your Fault

Yancy x gender neutral!reader, Illinois x gender neutral!reader

@glitchbitch69 ty for the prompt!

A/N: aight look, im not good with angst. I did my best??? Rated T for cursing and like 1 single mention of blood. It's sad boy hours out here. Mostly Yancy x reader, a bit Illinois x reader if you squint. I bet you could probably say Yancy x Illinois, too. Fluffy at the end.

Word Count: 2.2k

--

Yancy sits near the lantern, glaring at the adventurer sitting across from him. The adventurer in question was looking at the side of the tent, watching for any shadows.

Zombies are attracted to light after all.

Or is it sound… and moths are attracted to light…

I'm getting off topic. Let's continue.

Yancy clenches his fists when he thinks back to you…

You…

He loved you…

Your skin, your smile, your handsome and/or beautiful face…

And now you were gone. You disappeared.

No… you were taken from him.

And it was all this bastards fault.

Illinois. Yancy hated Illinois. But you made him promise to stay with him. Safety in numbers. It took everything he had not to deck the guy every time he opened his mouth. He was so cocky and arrogant for absolutely no reason! He was so annoying! He hated him… he missed you… he missed you a lot…

Illinois, on the other hand, was fond of Yancy. He found him endearing. And if you liked him, he couldn't be that bad. The kid did kill his parents, but he didn't know the whole story. He couldn't judge. He was happy when Yancy decided to stay with him. He had something to remember you by… he liked Yancy and he loved you. And he missed you.

But he'd never let that show. He'd keep his feelings to himself. He'd act just like he always did. Cocky, flirty, and adventurous. He had to. For Yancy. For you.

He missed you a lot.

Illinois turns back to Yancy, who's glaring daggers into his soul. He smirks at the man.

"C'mon, bud, I know I'm handsome, but there's no need to stare," he teases. Yancy narrows his eyes even more.

"Fuck youse," Yancy growls.

"Language, pal, language," Illinois chuckles. If Yancy glared any harder his eyes would pop out of his sockets. Illinois crossed his legs. "There ain't any out there now. I think it's safe to go to sleep." Yancy, still a bit pissy, nodded and layed down on a jacket. Your jacket. The jacket you lost when you died. He loved the jacket… it smelled like you…

Illinois was a bit jealous that you had given Yancy your jacket, but he understood. Yancy was nicer. You were closer to him. You both let yourselves be vulnerable around each other.

Unlike Illinois, who was too proud and masculine for his own good.

He waited until Yancy was sleeping before lying down himself. You made him promise to keep Yancy safe. He intended on keeping it. Only when he was absolutely sure Yancy was asleep, he laid down. He covered his face with his hat and closed his eyes.

--

Illinois wakes up and puts his hat back on his head. He yawns and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. He could feel how empty his stomach was.

"Alright, bud, I'm gonna go out and-" Illinois looked over, only to find there was no one there. His eyes widened. He left the tent and looked around frantically.

"Yancy? Yancy?!" He called. Oh no. No, no, no, no, no! He had promised. He was supposed to keep Yancy safe! What's he gonna do? He looked over and saw a dense forest with sneaker tracks in the dirt. He took a deep breath and headed in.

He ran through the woods, gun in hand, hoping and wishing and praying to find the prisoner. Why the hell did he run here? Did he see a zombie and panic? Did he see a zombie and not warn Illinois? That's rude…

He searches for 15 minutes without finding anything. He tries his best to go in a straight line, but he falls down a hill, not exactly knowing where he came from when he gets to the bottom. He groans and staggers to his feet. He holds his head, but pulls his hand away as he feels blood.

"Ain't that just peachy," he grumbles. He takes bandages he found at a hospital and wraps them around his head. He walks forward, hoping to find a trace of Yancy. He finds something even better. He finds Yancy, sitting on the grass, barely moving. Illinois sighs in relief. "Jesus, man, y'almost gave me a heart attack…" Yancy doesn't move. Illinois frowns and slowly walks towards him. "Kid…?" He reaches out.

"I saw them," Yancy says, barely above a whisper.

"Saw… who?" Illinois asks, hoping he isn't going crazy.

"Y/N… I saw them… they was right there… I went after them but they was gone…"

"Yancy…"

"Don't you fuckin' "Yancy" me, asshole!" Yancy suddenly screams. Illinois steps back, surprised.

"Y/N's gone Yancy," Illinois calmly explains. Yancy clenches his fists so hard he draws blood. His face is fixed in a hateful glare, and tears begin streaming down his face.

"I know they're fuckin gone! I've known that for the past 3 months! I know that they're gone, and I know that it's all because of you!" He screams, sobbing between sentences. "Y/N's gone and it's all your fault!" Illinois frowns, not knowing how to respond to that accusation. It wasn't his fault… was it? You decided to distract them… that was your decision… it wasn't his fault… it wasn't. Illinois inhales deeply.

"I'm going to go look for some food. I expect you to be back at camp by the time I get back." Yancy scoffs and turns away from him. "I'll give you some time to cool down." Illinois turns back towards where he came. He paused for a moment, wondering if he should comfort Yancy. He decided against it.

He'd only make it worse.

--

Illinois is out for a bit longer than he expected. He had a run in with a really weird military guy… what was his name? Ted? Not like it matters. He's dead. Illinois did manage to find a couple cans of soup, beans, and vegetables in an abandoned camp. He wondered what happened to them…

He decides not to think about it too much.

He makes his way back to camp, hoping Yancy listened to him this one time. He was happily surprised to find Yancy sitting next to a fire, holding two birds. He looks up at Illinois for a moment before looking away. Illinois raises a brow.

"I, uh… I thought I'd surprise you with lunch… but… I don't know how to cook a bird…" he explains awkwardly. Illinois smiles.

"That's alright. It's difficult. Here, we'll cook these and save them for dinner. We should pack up and keep moving." Yancy nods as Illinois begins to show what he's supposed to do.

After they finish cooking the birds and eating two cans of beans, they pack up. They decided it'd be better to keep moving and look for better shelter than to sit around doing nothing. By the time dinner rolled around, they'd found a nice, small, abandoned house. They both agreed it was best to stay there instead of in the tent for another night. There were two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. It was cozy. They liked it. They manage to get the stove to work using a lighter, and they make soup to eat with their bird meat. They sit in silence eating their dinner, both feeling very awkward. Yancy sets his bowl down after he finishes and sighs.

"Uh… hey, Illinois?" He asks. Illinois looks up. "I'm, uh… I'm… sorry about earlier…" Illinois smiles sadly.

"It's fine, kid."

"No, it's not… I had no right to say that to youse, I was feeling sad and I needed someone to blame, so I took it out on youse… I'm sorry," Yancy explains. Illinois blinks at his sudden maturity and smiles.

"Alright, I forgive you," they both sit, smiling at each other, sharing a moment of mutual understanding. Until…

"I would hate to see your cute little face upset," Illinois winks. Yancy squints at him.

"Youse is a douchebag," he grabs his bowl and takes it back to the kitchen.

Both men sleep in the bedrooms, feeling a bit more closure. They knew that it wasn't either of their faults. They could get along better now. They'd be alright.

--

Yancy wakes up to something small hitting his arm. He brushes it off as a bug, even when he feels it three different times in the exact same place. Then, he feels something much larger hit him in the face.

"OW, what the fuck?!" He yells. He looks down to see a fairly thick book on the floor. He looks out the window, wondering who just threw it. Instead of seeing a human, he sees zombies at the front, trying to break through the door and windows. Yancy yelps and runs across the hall to where Illinois is sleeping. He shakes the adventurer harshly, calling his name to get him up. Illinois groans.

"What? What is it?" He whines. Yancy grabs him up and pulls him to the window, where even more zombies are trying to break in through the back door. Illinois yells out and scrambles to grab his stuff. They gather all their clothes, equipment and food, and run out a window on the side of the house. Illinois vaults out effortlessly. Yancy, on the other hand, does not know how to vault. He knocks a lot of things over and makes a lot of noise as he leaves. The zombies notice this and start to chase after them. Illinois grabs Yancy and starts running. Where to, he had no idea. Just away from there. They run and run and run until the end up in a forest. They run until they get to an open space, catching their breath.

"God…" Yancy pants, "I didn't know zombies were so fast…"

"Me either…" Illinois pants, "but we need to keep going." They try going forward, but are blocked by a wall of zombies. The same thing happens with the other three directions. They stand in the circle of zombies, looking back and forth, trying to find a way out. There was none.

"What do we do? What do we do?!" Yancy panics. Illinois stands, shaking, not knowing. He can't save him. He can't protect Yancy. He failed.

"I'm sorry, Y/N… I'm so sorry…" he whispers. Yancy hears it and covers his face with his hands. They both sit, holding and hugging each other, waiting for what's to come.

Suddenly, they hear quick footsteps and the zombies all stop. Keeping their eyes closed, they hear a series of grunts and moans and groans. Then they hear the zombies leave.

Wait… the zombies are leaving?

They open their eyes to see all the zombies just… gone. Except for one. Right in front of them. Illinois stands up, pulling Yancy with him. He hides the man behind his back and brandishes his gun, ready to shoot. But the zombie steps back, holding its hands up. Since when do zombies surrender? He sees something shine in his eye and looks to see what it is. He sees a necklace.

A golden necklace.

A necklace he gave to you on your second adventure together…

Wait…

He looks up at the zombie's face. Your face was a bit gray, but it was you.

It was you!

"Y/N?" He asks in disbelief. You look up at him and smile, nodding happily. Illinois drops his gun and runs over, hugging you. Yancy stands for a moment not knowing what to do.

"No… no way…" he starts. Illinois turns, expecting him to be angry or confused. He's just the opposite. He's smiling from ear to ear. "NO FUCKING WAY!" He yells and runs into your arms. He starts to sob.

"But… but you…" Illinois starts. You shrug and show him your bite. Yancy pulls away.

"But how are youse… y'know… thinkin'?" He asks. You think for a moment, knitting your eyebrows together, before shrugging. Yancy laughs. "Of course ya don't know, ya dumbass," you gently punch his shoulder.

"How'd you find us?" Illinois asks. You scratch the back of your neck. You try to talk, but no words form.

Is that just… a thing? With zombies?

Hm. Guess so. Anyways.

You get on your knees, grab a stick, and write something in the mud. "I've followed you for the past two months. I know what you smell like."

"You know what we smell like? Aw…" Illinois teases. You glare at him playfully. It was nice to know he hadn't changed. Yancy, on the other hand, looked 3 minutes away from a full-on emotional breakdown.

"2 months? 2 months youse was right there? 2 months we coulda been together?" He asks, tears visible in his eyes. You frown, feeling guilty. You take Yancy into your arms and just hold him. He starts to cry. Which turns into sobbing. Illinois stands, looking at you two. He smiles. You were back! Thank God. He didn't think he could handle Yancy. After a minute he sighs.

"Alright, you two. Let's head out," he says. You nod and lift Yancy off of his knees. He wipes at his eyes and sniffles for a moment before walking, refusing to let go of your hand. Illinois follows close behind. You were back… you were still here, but now, you're with them. He almost couldn't believe it. He laughs to himself.

Yep. They'd be alright.

I'm supposed to be studying lol

[petertingle-yipyip]

Where Happiness Begins - Peter Parker

Chapter Nine: Used To Be

// WHB Masterlist //

//Series Inspo: @stuckonspidey​​ @cxptain-capsicle​​ // Series Tags: @writingsbychlo​​ @mc225g​​ @fandom-princess-forevermore​​ @istg-lyssa-stop @olliekookie @rosegoldhome​​ @chubsluda​​ @missmulti​​ @eterna​leviee @freerebel @peterparker-glee-other @disgustangg @jackiehollanderr​@imsobored3000  @eridanuswave​ @drunklili​ //

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Word Count: 14,475

Summary: Five years is a long time, but it’s time that Tony takes to rebuild his life and his family. He never forgot his oldest daughter, but he did learn to move on. When Steve comes to him asking for help, can Tony get things back to they way they Used To Be?

Things weren’t what they used to be on Earth. No one understood the full extent of what was lost. Half of humanity was gone, that much was the easy part to understand. But what no one knew how to cope with, was why it was the people they loved.

Tony hated that Y/N and Peter were gone. Steve hated that Bucky, and as far as he knew, Tony was gone. Okoye had lost T’Challa and Shuri. Rocket lost all the Guardians. Sam, Stephen Strange, Wanda, and millions of others had turned to ash in front of their friends and loved ones. There is no way to cope with that. And Pepper… Pepper didn’t know what she had lost.

Nebula and Tony were left to find a way home from Titan. They were the only two on that planet that survived. While Tony was friendly to Nebula, he couldn’t ignore the hollow feeling in his chest. The place where his daughter had been, where the ghost of his daughter is.

“What was her name?” Nebula suddenly asked. They had been playing finger football, a game so ordinary that it felt out of place to do in that ship. “Your daughter.”

“Y/N.” Tony said softly. “Her name is Y/N.”

He emphasized the word ‘is’. His brain was refusing to admit that she had disappeared before his eyes. He loved her. He raised her. He had done everything in his power to protect her, and he still failed her. He knew that he should’ve sent her home the minute he sent Peter home. But that didn’t work for the kid either.

Thinking of Peter hurt Tony almost as bad as thinking of Y/N. He remembered that he had told Y/N not to get too attached to Peter because he wasn’t meant to be a permanent addition to their lives, but he ended up finding a place in their hearts. A place in their family.

“I’m sorry you lost her.” Nebula said earnestly, despite her voice being the same monotonous voice she always used.

“Yeah… Me too.” He nodded carefully. “So you won!” He exclaimed, feigning happiness. He didn’t think he could sit and talk about Y/N any longer. It was still so fresh, the image of losing his only daughter. “Have fun?” Tony asked, offering his hand to shake.

“It was fun.” Nebula nodded, shaking his hand.

That was less than a week after Thanos and the battle on Titan. It was pushing the three week mark, maybe even beyond it, by the time he was able to gather the strength to make the message he was dreading. He leaned forward to tap the side of his damaged helmet.

“Guess I should say something, huh?” Tony sighed, a heavy sadness falling on him. “I don’t know, Y/N/N, maybe there’s nothing to say. You’ll never get the chance to see this, and maybe that’s my fault. This is just so I know that I said it to you, even if you can’t hear it…

“Y/N, honey, I’m sorry. I wish more than anything I could’ve saved you. Because you and your mother were what got me out of bed everyday. You were undoubtedly the best thing to ever happen to me. And if I had the chance, I’d trade my life for yours.

“Oh, man. This is hard. I love you, so so much. More than I could ever put into words… But I guess you did that when you were a kid, huh? Forever and ever... Just didn’t think there’d be an end to our forever.

“Well, I’m not gonna bore you with the details of what’s going over here. Just wanted to check in and let you know that I love you and I really messed up time. I failed you, and I have to live with that… Just- Just know that when the inevitable catches up to me and I can’t pull an ace out my sleeve - that ace was usually you - that I’m gonna think about you. Love you, Cupcake.”

Tony ended that message and decided he had to deliver one more. There was someone else who needed to hear Tony’s voice, for possibly the last time.

“This thing on?” He opened with. Tony wanted to leave a message for Pepper, praying that she was okay. But a different part of him was afraid there was going to be no one to receive the message. “ Hey, Miss Potts... Pep. If you find this recording, don't post it on social media. It's gonna be a real tear-jerker. I don't know if you're ever going to see these. I don't even know if you're... if you're still... Oh god, I hope so.” Tony didn’t think he could cope with losing his wife and daughter. “Today is day 21, uh 22. You know, if it wasn't for the existential terror of staring into a void of space, I'd say I'm feeling better today. The infection's run its course, Thanks to the blue meanie back there. You'd love her. Very practical. Only a tiny bit sadistic. Some fuel cells were cracked during battle, but we figured out a way to reverse the ion charge to buy ourselves about 48 hours of time. But it's now dead in the water. We're 1000 light years from the nearest 7-11. Oxygen will run out tomorrow. And that'll be it... And Pep, I- I know I said no more surprises, but I was really hoping to pull off one last one. But it looks like... well you know what it looks like. Don't feel bad about this. I mean, if you grovel for a couple of weeks, and then move on with enormous guilt. I should probably lie down. Please know that... when I drift off, I will think about the two people that meant the world to me… And that’s you and Y/N.... Because it's always you two.”

Nebula helped Tony off the floor and into one of the seats. She even got him a blanket. Nebula knew there was nothing left to do for Tony. There was no way to get the Benatar back to Earth, and no way to help Tony. He would die in the middle of nowhere in space, alone.

As Tony was drifting off, a bright light shone in his face. He tried to ignore it, but it grew brighter and brighter until he couldn’t ignore it. When he opened his eyes, he saw a woman. A woman with blonde hair, a red and blue suit, and glowing a strange blue glow. But Tony didn’t care to ask how she found them. Maybe she could get them home. He felt hope in his chest, a feeling he hadn’t felt in weeks.

And that was exactly what she did. The mysterious space woman was able to guide the Benatar back to Earth, more specifically to the Avengers Compound. Inside was Steve, Nat, Bruce, Pepper, and Rhodey. The incoming ship caused the compound to shake, steadily picking up intensity until the Benatar landed. Nebula helped Tony out the ship and down to the ground as Steve ran to his friend to help.

“Couldn’t stop him.” Tony managed as he walked with Steve.

“Neither could I.” Steve admitted. Steve glanced behind Tony, expecting to see Y/N right behind him.

“I lost the kids.” Tony mumbled, saying it out loud to someone who wasn’t there to see it made it feel fresh again. The image of his daughter disappearing mid-sentence and then the image of Peter disappearing in his arms flashed in his mind.

“Tony, we lost.” Steve said, hoping to console and show solidarity.

“Is uh..” Tony couldn’t ask the question. He couldn’t get his brain to ask Is Pepper alive.

“Oh my god!” Pepper said, rushing to Tony so she could hug him tightly. “Oh my god!”

“It’s okay.” Tony said gently as he held her close. And for the first time in nearly a month, something actually was okay.

Tony now sat inside, an IV inserted into his arm as everyone tried to brief him on what he missed on Earth. The words Rhodey spoke held no weight in Tony’s frazzled mind. Behind his friend were projections, images that resembled mugshots. Images that showed the people that were gone. Some were smiling, like Peter’s, while others were more serious, like his daughter’s.

“It’s been 23 days since Thanos came to Earth.” Rhodey began.

But Tony’s mind wandered. He saw things that were his daughter’s. Her childhood drawings were still on the fridge. Her picture was still hanging on the wall. A framed photo of her and Peter was still on the desk. The mask plate to her first suit was still on the corner of her desk, right beneath her computer screen.

“So where is he?” Tony asked, suddenly full of anger. Full of pain.

“We don’t know.” Steve shrugged. “He just opened a portal and walked through…. Tony, you and Y/N fought him.”

“What?” Tony asked in shock. “Who told you that? No, he wiped my face with a planet and used my daughter as a punching bag while the Bleecker Street magician gave away the Stone. There was no fight, alright? He’s unbeatable.”

“Did he give you any clues?” Steve pressed. He knew he shouldn’t have. He knew he should’ve let Tony rest and ask questions later. But his own grief was pushing him to continue, pushing him to find some sort of lead. “Any coordinates? Anything?” Steve was practically begging.

“I saw this coming a few years back.” Tony said casually, in an ‘I-Told-You-So’ type way. “I had a vision… I didn’t wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming. You know, I told Y/N about it? And she was ready to wade through Hell and high water with me, if that’s what it took.”

“Tony, I’m gonna need you to focus.” Steve tried to steer Tony back to the present.

“And I needed you.” Tony emphasized. His anger now to a point that he didn’t care to try to control. “As in past tense. Oh, and so did Y/N. Did you know she looked for you for weeks after Germany?”

“No, I didn’t know.” He admitted sadly. “But you knew. Why didn’t you tell her?”

“Because obviously, we can’t count on you for anything.” Tony replied simply. “But that trumps what you need. It’s too late, buddy. Sorry.” Tony shrugged weakly. “You know what I need? I need to shave. And I believe I remember telling all youse-” Tony’s balance faltered as he went for Steve, but Rhodey was able to catch him. Rhodey tried to calm Tony, but the stubborn man continued his rage fueled rant. “Alive and otherwise what we needed was a suit of armor around the world! Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not- that’s what we needed!”

“Well, that didn’t work out. Did it?” Steve snapped. He understood that Tony was in pain, that Tony was grieving arguably more than he was. But Steve wanted to find a way to bring everyone back, to fix what they couldn’t stop. “We’ve got to do something. We owe it to those people-”

“I don’t owe anybody shit!” Tony countered angrily. “I owe my daughter a future. I owe Peter a future. But I can’t give it to them now, because you were too concerned about our freedoms. Look where that got up, Cap.” Tony said, his arms out to the side in a grand gesture.

“I said we’d lose.” Tony continued, his voice no longer full of rage. Instead, his voice was soft, the voice of a man who had given up. Who had lost everything. “You said ‘We’ll do that together too’. And guess what? We lost. And you weren’t there… But that’s what we do, right?” Tony’s anger was resurfacing as his daughter’s face flashed on the holograms again. “We’re the Avengers, we’re the Avengers. Not the Pre-vengers?”

“You made your point.” Rhodey tried, hoping to settle his unstable friend. Rhodey knew Tony better than anyone, could read him better than everyone. He could see the grief in his face, the loss in his eyes. Tony had been through a lot in the past ten years, since Loki first came to New York. But losing his daughter and the kid he had been mentoring at the same time, in the same way, that was a whole different kind of hurt. A kind of hurt that no person deserved. “Just sit down, okay?”

“Nah, nah.” Tony scoffed. “Here’s my point. You know what?”

“Tony, you’re sick.” Rhodey tried again.

“She’s great, by the way.” He pointed to the mysterious space woman. He learned her name was Carol Danvers, an Air Force pilot from the 80’s who had gotten her powers by exploding a Kree reactor. “We need you. You’re new blood. Bunch of tired old mules!” He ranted as he crossed the room to stand face-to-face with Steve. “I got nothing for you, Cap. I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust. Liar.” He spat, the venom soaked his words. Tony didn’t care to be polite or kind. Tony didn’t care about anything anymore. He pulled his housing unit off his chest and slammed it into Steve’s hand. “Here. Take this. You find him, and you put that on. Then you hide.”

“Tony-”

“No, cause that’s what you’re good at, right?” Tony mocked. “Hiding? Running away when people need you the most? You lost someone a month ago? So what. I lost my daughter. I don’t care who you lost. It’s not the same. So don’t talk to me like it is.” After that sentence, Tony fell to the floor, losing consciousness on the way down. But he dreamt of her.

You’re twelve years old, designing your own suit. You aren’t planning any of the specifics. You don’t worry about the technical aspects or the functionality of it. You are more concerned with what it would look like. You draw a suit like your dad’s, red with gold accents and the centerpiece of a glowing, blue Arc Reactor. You draw the suit without the mask, filling it in with your own face instead.

“Dad?” You ask, running up to his desk and waving your paper at him. “Dad, when can I be a superhero? I want to be like you!”

Tony laughs a little, picking you up and placing you in his lap. He stares at you with a delighted smile and proud eyes. He doesn’t know how he got as lucky as he is, but he thanks the universe everyday that he has you. “How about this?” He says happily, sliding the glove he’s working on onto your hand. The glove tightens to fit your skinny wrist, lighting up and moving with your hand. “This is a starter piece. When you build the rest of the suit around it, you can be a superhero.”

“Do I get a superhero name?” You ask excitedly, posing heroically with your dad’s glove. “Something cool, like yours!”

“Nope, you don’t get to copy mine.” He shakes his head with finality. “You’ve gotta come up with your own.”

“But I want something cool like yours..” You whine.

“How about this? You can buy it for the low, low price of a million dollars.” He offers with a wink.

You huff and cross your arm, thinking of a counter offer. “How about my dessert for the next month and I promise to only put on the suit when you need help. I’ll be your sidekick!”

“Hmm, no.” He shakes his head, putting you back on the ground and pulling the glove off your hand. “Nope. Iron Man works alone.”

“But Tony Stark works with Y/N Stark.” You counter with a coy smile. “So it’s not ‘Iron Man’ working with anyone. It’s like father-daughter bonding!”

“Father-daughter bonding.” Tony laughs. “That’s a good one. I’ll use that on your mom later when she asks why you’re always drawing suits.”

“You’re the best.” You smile.

“I know.”

“I love you, Dad.”

“I know.”

“Forever.” You hold your hand out for him to take.

“And ever.” He grins, taking your hand. You two lift your joined hands up and then come back down, solidifying your promise. No matter what happens, you know you’ll always love and trust you’ll dad. You’ll follow him anywhere, help him with anything. And Tony knows just how amazing you’re going to be, and he couldn’t be prouder.

Outside the room where Tony rested, the others talked about going after Thanos. They had managed to pinpoint where Thanos was, thanks to Nebula’s help. Bruce tried to reason with the small group, acknowledging that they were lacking in numbers. Carol was the one who suggested using the Stones to bring everyone back. While it seemed unlikely, impossible even, the Avengers knew there was no other option.

Later that day, everyone except Tony was aboard the Benatar and headed to Thanos. But they were too late. Thanos had used the Stones to destroy the Stones, leaving no chance of changing what he had done. The only outcome that had any effect was that Thor decapitated the Titan, offering himself closure but no real comfort.

There were no options left, no hope. No second chances. All of those that were left had no choice but to move on, to start over. But no matter how much time passed, there was a void in everyone’s hearts. A void that no amount of time could heal, that no new people could replace. But people had to try.

Five years had passed. Five years since Tony had watched Peter and Y/N fade away. He could finally talk about her without wanting to cry. He could remember her fondly instead of painfully. He could tell Morgan about her without feeling like he was leaving her behind. He wouldn’t say he felt whole again, but he had learned how to live with the hollow feeling. He knew Pepper was beside him, feeling the same emptiness that he did. But Tony would argue that he felt it deeper since he watched her go, since he heard her final sentence be cut short.

Tony wandered his property, clapping his hands. He had hoped that would’ve gotten their attention.

“Chow time!” He announced happily. But when he got no response, he called her name. “Maguna? Morgan H. Stark. You want some lunch?” He sat on a log near a small tent, waiting for Morgan’s appearance.

She came out of the tent wearing an all-too-familiar helmet. “Define lunch or be disintegrated.” She responded playfully.

“Okay, you should not be wearing that, okay?” Tony said, gently taking the helmet off her head only to be greeted by a mischievous smile that reminded him of Y/N. “That was a part of Y/N’s first suit designs. She was very proud of this.”

“Okay.” She nodded.

“Are you thinking about lunch?” Tony continued his original conversation. “I can give you a handful of crickets on a bed of lettuce.” He teased.

“No.” Morgan laughed.

“That’s what you want.” Tony joked. “How did you find this?”

“Garage.”

“Really? Were you looking for it?”

“No!” She responded quickly. “I found it, though. Y/N had all the cool stuff.”

“Yeah, she did.” He smiled fondly. “You like going to the garage, huh? So does daddy.. It’s fine, actually. Y/N hadn’t touched that thing since she upgraded.”

As Tony was walking Morgan back into the house, a black car rolled up. Steve, Scott, and Nat exited the vehicle. Tony hadn’t heard from them since he returned to Earth five years ago, so he knew whatever they wanted to talk to him about wouldn't be anything he had wanted to be involved in.

They talked on the porch, Scott explaining his wild idea.

“Now, we know what it sounds like…” Scott tried to reason.

“Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck Scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that?” Tony offered. The three looked between each other, visibly confused, as Tony handed each of them a drink.

“Thank you.” Steve quickly added politely.

“In Layman’s terms, it means you’re not coming home.” Tony simplified.

“I did.” Scott defended.

“No, you accidentally survived.” Tony corrected. “It’s a billion to one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull off a… What do you call it?”

“A time heist.” Scott chuckled.

“Yeah, a time heist.” Tony nodded. “Of course, why didn’t we think of this before? Oh, because it’s laughable? Because it’s a pipe-dream?”

“The Stones are in the past. We can go back and get them.” Scott pushed.

“We can snap our own fingers.” Nat added. “We can bring everyone back.”

“Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?” Tony countered.

“I don’t believe we would.” Steve said honestly.

“Gotta say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism. However, high hopes won’t help if there is no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist,” Tony said firmly. “I believe the most likely outcome would be our collective demise.”

“Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel.” Scott defended. “That means no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, Scott. Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back to the Future?” The fact that it was reminded Tony of Peter, the way he made plans based on what he saw in movies.

“No.” Scott answered, now embarrassed.

“Good. You had me worried there.” Tony nodded. “Cause that’d be horse shit. That’s not how quantum physics works.”

“Tony..” Nat pressed. “We have to take a stand.”

“We did stand.” He replied sadly. “And yet, here we are.. Some of us, anyway.”

“I know you got a lot on the line. You got a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did.” Scott desperately said. He practically begged for Tony’s help. “And now- now we have a chance to bring her back. To bring everyone back. And you’re telling me you won’t even-”

“That’s right, Scott. I won’t even. I got a kid.” Tony agreed. “I already lost my daughter, five years ago. She would’ve been twenty two this year, but I watched her turn to dust. So, no. I won’t.”

“Mommy told me to come save you.” Morgan said as she ran up to her dad, who picked her up easily.

“Good job, I’m saved.” He told her before turning to Steve. “I wish you’d come here to ask me something else. Anything else. Honestly, I- I missed you guys, It was… Oh, and the table’s set for six.”

“Tony, I get it.” Steve spoke up. “And I’m happy for you. I really am. But this is a second chance for all of us.”

“I got my second chance right here, Cap.” Tony sighed. “I can’t roll the dice again. If you don’t talk shop, you can stay for lunch.”

“You think if it was the other way around, and you were gone, Y/N would say no?” Steve tried.

“You think Y/N would risk all of your lives just for me?” Tony scoffed.

“I think Y/N would take on Thanos by herself if it meant she could get you back.” Steve said simply. “You were everything to her and you know that. If there was even the slightest chance to get you back, she would do it.”

“She was a kid.” Tony argued, careful not to raise his voice since he was holding Morgan still. “She’d be stupid to try your Time Heist. The answer is no, Steve. I’m sorry, but I’m not losing again.”

Later that night, Tony was washing dishes after dinner. He had accidentally rinsed a spoon with too much water, and it shot out on the surrounding photo frames. When he was drying them off, he realized it was the photo of him, Y/n and Peter took with his Stark Internship certificate. The excitement in Peter’s eyes was obvious, as was the admiration in Y/N’s. He figured he might as well run some numbers, see what the actual probability of the Time Heist was.

“And don’t worry if it doesn’t pan out. I’m just kinda-” Tony rambled as F.R.I.D.A.Y. completed the sim.

“Model rendered.” Her automated voice said, showing a 99.987% success rate.

“Shit!” Tony exclaimed with a chuckle.

“Shit.” A small voice repeated from behind him.

“What are you doing up, little miss?” He whispered.

“Shit.” She repeated.

“No, we don’t say that. Only Mommy says that word. She coined it, belongs to her.”

“Why you up?”

“Cause I got some important shit going on here.” Morgan gave her dad a look. “What do you think? No, I got something on my mind… I got something on my mind.”

“Was it Juice pops?” Morgan asked excitedly.

“Sure was.” Tony nodded. “That’s extortion. Great minds think alike. Juice pops, exactly was on my mind.” Tony said, leading Morgan to the kitchen after glancing at the rendered model one last time.

After the two got their Juice Pops, Tony brought Morgan back to her room.

“That face goes there.” Tony said, pushing Morgan’s face into her pillow.

“Tell me a story.” Morgan said tiredly.

“Once upon a time, Maguna went to bed. The end.”

“That’s a horrible story.” She laughed.

“C’mon, that’s your favorite story.”

“Tell me a story about Y/N.”

“A story about Y/N..” Tony repeated. He thought of what story to tell Morgan. He had so many amazing memories with his daughter, so many laughs, so many triumphs. But there were just as many pitfalls. Every high had a low. “Once upon a time, there was a girl named Y/N. She was super smart and crazy popular, just like her dad. She wanted to be a superhero. She wanted to help people. But she wanted to help her dad the most. And she did. She helped her dad everyday from the moment she woke up to the moment she fell asleep. And then she did it all again the next day. But then, she had to go. She didn’t want to, but she had to.”

“She coming back?” Morgan asked, her eyes half shut.

“Love you tons.” Tony smiled, not wanting to promise anything. Tony wasn’t even sure he wanted to do anything with his successful model.

“I love you 3000.” Morgan replied.

I love you forever. And ever.

“Wow.” He whispered. “3000. That’s crazy… Go to bed or I’ll sell all your toys.”

He went downstairs and found Pepper, reading a book on composting. He tried to listen, but his attention kept shifting back to the successful model that still illuminated his table.

“I figured it out, by the way.” He interjected, unable to keep it in any longer.

“You know, just so we’re talking about the same thing-” Pepper said, wanting to make sure she knew what he meant.

“Time travel.”

“What?” She asked in obvious amazement. “Wow… That’s amazing and terrifying.”

“That’s right.”

“We got really lucky.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“A lot of people didn’t.”

“No, I can’t help everybody.”

“It sort of seems like you can.” Pepper pressed. “Or at least help the person you even considered this for.”

“Not if I stop.” Tony countered. “I can put a pin in it right now, and stop.”

“Trying to get you to stop had been one of the few failures of my life.” She joked. “And so was trying to get Y/N to stop..”

“I sometimes feel I should put it in a locked box and drop it at the bottom of a lake… Go to bed.”

“But would you be able to rest?” She offered gently. “Tony, you did all of this because there’s the chance that you can get our daughter back. I know that’s why you did it. And I also know that you’ve hardly gotten any real rest in the past five years. You’re happy with Morgan, but you still need Y/N.”

“She was the best parts of both of us.” He smiled fondly.

“And the worst parts of you.” Pepper joked.

“She was not!” Tony said, feigning offense.

“She was just as stubborn as you are!”

“I can get her back..” He whispered, as if the words hadn’t truly set in yet. There was a viable chance to bring Y/N back. And he had to take it. “Morgan is gonna love her.”

“Morgan already loves her.” Pepper laughed.

The next day, Tony rode over to the Compound. He was conflicted still. Yes, he had the chance to get his daughter back but was it worth risking the daughter he had now? Tony would have to make sure that he didn’t lose what he found. As he drove up, Steve was waiting outside, seemingly distraught. 

“Why the long face?” Tony asked as he rolled down his window. “Let me guess. He turned into a baby.” Tony teased, jumping out the car and heading to the trunk.

“Among other things.” Steve answered hesitantly. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s the EPR Paradox.” Tony explained. “Instead of pushing Lang through time, you pushed time through Lang. It’s tricky, dangerous. Someone should’ve cautioned you against it.”

“You did.”

“Oh, did I?” Tony joked. “Thank God I’m here. Regardless, I fixed it.” He proudly lifted his newest toy. “A fully functional time-space GPS. I just want peace.” Tony threw up a peace sign. “Turns out resentment is corrosive. I hate it.”

“Me too.” Steve agreed.

“We got a shot at getting these stones, but I gotta tell you my priorities. Bring back what we lost? I hope to God, yes. I’d absolutely love to have Y/N and Peter back. Keep what I got? I have to, at all costs. I can’t lose another kid, Cap. And… maybe not die trying would be nice.”

“Sounds like a deal.” Steve smiled, offering his hand for Tony to shake. “We’re gonna get her back.” Before heading inside, Tony pulled something else out of the trunk. He had a new shield for Steve.

“Tony…” Steve hesitated.

“Why?” Tony questioned. “He made it for you. Plus, I don’t think Y/N would recognize you without it and I need to get it out of the garage before Morgan takes it sledding.”

“Thank you.” Steve said honestly.

“Will you keep that a little quiet? Didn’t bring one for the whole team.” Tony stopped and turned to Steve. “We are getting the whole team, yeah?”

“We’re working on that.” Steve replied.

Tony worked with Bruce and Scott to design the Quantum Suits. They resembled the Ant-Man suit with Stark styling. Nebula contributed the helmet design. She said Peter Quill used the same tech. Tony jokingly called her friends the Rings of Uranus. The only thing left was a test run, to which Clint volunteered for.

After the test was successful, they had to figure out when to go to get the Stones. Nat and Clint went after the Soul Stone, Thor and Rocket for the Reality Stone, Bruce for the Time Stone, Tony and Scott for the Tesseract which contained the Space Stone, Steve went for the Mind Stone, and Rhodey and Nebula went for the Power Stone. Everyone had enough Pym particles for one round trip. No one could afford to mess up.

“We can all stand around posing up a storm later.” Past Tony said, hauling Loki to his feet. “By the way, feel free to clean up.”

While the familiar scene played out in front of Tony and Scott, they conversated with Steve about the unflattering fit of his old suit. Scott said that he could tell the undercover HYDRA agents, because they even looked like bad guys.

“Miss Stark?” JARVIS had alerted 2012 Y/N, unbeknownst to either Tony. “There appears to be a second Tony Stark in the building. Your father is descending in the elevator with the others. Should I alert Mr. Stark?”

“What?” 2012 Y/N questioned, leaving the table in your dad’s lab to see the projection JARVIS had given you. It was Y/N’s dad but older. He carried himself with the same Stark pride, but Y/N could tell something heavy was weighing on his shoulders. “Where is this?”

“He is headed to the ground floor.” JARVIS replied. “Dr. Banner is in the stairwell so it seems he’ll be taking the elevator.”

“I’ll intercept him.” 2012 Y/N said, her curiosity taking over. “Let me know if he changes course.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

2012 Y/N headed out of the lab and towards one of the elevators. Y/N knew her dad and the rest of the team was heading down with Loki. The SHIELD team designated to take the Scepter would be in a different elevator. So she had hoped she’d get an empty one and you did. She quickly made her way to the ground floor, able to beat her dad’s doppelganger.

“Who are you?” 2012 Y/N asked when face to face with the older version of her dad. “Well, I know who you are but it doesn’t make sense.”

“Uh, Y/N..” He said softly. A part of him knew that he would see her, but he still wasn’t prepared for it. She was so young, so innocent. The fights and bruises and scars and tiredness hadn’t gotten to her yet. “What are you doing down here? I thought you were working on-”

“I was in the lab until JARVIS told me-” She began before shaking her head quickly. “Don’t distract me! When are you from?”

“Y/N, hon, listen.” Tony said, a slight sigh in his voice. “I’ll be gone in a few minutes. Please. Just pretend you never saw me.”

“Pretend I-” She said in shock. “Do you really expect me to forget that an older Tony Stark lookalike was wandering the Tower the exact day Loki was here? No, you came here for a reason.”

“Y/N?” 2012 Tony called, drawing her attention.

“Don’t move.” She told Tony before hurrying to her dad.

“Alright, move it Stuart Little.” Tony said to Scott, who had slid into 2012 Tony’s Arc Reactor. “Things are getting a little dicey and she won’t leave me alone for long.”

“You promise me you won’t die?” Scott checked.

“You’re only giving me a mild cardiac dysrhythmia.”

“That doesn’t sound mild.”

“Pull my pin!” Tony insisted quietly.

“Here goes!” Scott exclaimed before disconnecting 2012 Tony’s reactor. 2012 Tony fell to the ground, grasping his chest. 2012 Y/N dropped to her knees, calling for a medic. Scott kicked the case to Tony, who picked it up and headed off. Just as it seemed to have gone to plan, 2012 Hulk came barrelling through the door as he yelled about hating stairs. The door flying opened knocked the case from Tony’s hands and sent the Tesseract sliding away.

So Tony and Scott sat in a broken down car, waiting for Steve to leave the Tower. They had one chance. It had to be perfect, but it wasn’t. He had the Tesseract in his hand and he lost it.

“Sorry, buddy.” Tony explained when Steve came out. “We got a problem.”

“Huh, yeah we do.” Scott agreed quickly.

“Well, what are we gonna do now?” Steve asked in defeat.

“You know what, give me a break Steve.” Tony defended himself. “Y/N just interrogated me like I was in cahoots with Loki and I got hit in the head with a Hulk.”

“You talked to Y/N?” Steve asked with raised eyebrows. He was almost insinuating that his conversation with Y/N was the reason he lost the Tesseract.

“No, it was more like she was yelling at me for being in my own building.” Tony countered. “Imagine that. My own daughter scolding me for being in my building.”

“You said we had one shot. This- this was our shot. We shot it. It’s shot.” Scott ranted anxiously. “Six stones or nothing. Six stones or nothing.”

“You’re repeating yourself, you know that?” Tony interrupted. “You’re repeating yourself.”

“You’re repeating yourself.” Scott countered childishly. “You’re repeating yourself.”

“I dropped the ball.” Tony said simply.

“You ruined the time heist.” Scott whined.

“Is that what I did?”

“Yeah!”

“Are there any other options with the Tesseract?” Steve asked loudly, trying to refocus the two.

“No, no, no. There’s no other options. There’s no do-overs. We’re not going anywhere else.” Scott argued. “We have one particle left. Each. That’s it, alright? We use that- Bye bye. You’re not going home.”

“Well if we don’t try-” Steve emphasized. “No one else is going home either. Not Bucky.. Not Hope.. And not Y/N.”

“I got it.” Tony said simply. “There’s another way, to retake the Tesseract and acquire new particles. We’ll stroll down memory lane, military installation. Garden State.”

“When were they both there?” Steve questioned.

“They were there at a- I’ve a vaguely exact idea.”

“How vague?”

While Tony and Steve conversated as if it was obvious, Scott was left in the dark to ask questions that no one would answer. Tony told Scott to get back to the Compound, while he and Steve went to the 70’s. Tony headed off to find the Tesseract, where he ran into his father on the way. Steve went to find Dr. Pym, where he saw Peggy on his way.

“I guess I’ll be eating dinner in the pantry again.” Howard joked.

“I have a little girl. Well, two girls but my oldest is in high school.” Tony said with a proud smile.

“A girl would be nice… Less of a chance she’d turn out exactly like me.”

“What’d be so awful about that?” Tony asked. “My oldest is just like me.”

“Let’s just say that the greater good has rarely outweighed my own self-interests.”

“Where are you with names?” Tony asked, trying to make light conversation until Steve showed up.

“My wife likes Elmonzo for a boy.”

“Might wanna let that stew awhile.. You got time.”

“Let me ask you a question.” Howard said in turn. “When your kid was born- either of them- were you nervous?”

“Wildly, yeah.” Tony laughed. “But those two are the best things that ever happened to me.”

The two finished their conversation before Tony snuck off with Steve. The two went back to the present, where they met with the rest of the team. Everyone except Natasha. She had given up her life so Clint could bring back the Soul Stone. After a tense interaction by the lake, they agreed that Nat’s sacrifice had to be worth it. It had to work.

Rocket and Tony fit the Stones into a Gauntlet. Thor argued to be the one to snap, his personal grief was leaking out. He wanted to do something right, to help fix what he didn’t stop. But Bruce was the one to snap. He said he was made for it since the radiation from the Stones was mostly gamma.

“Remember, just bring back everyone Thanos snapped away to today. Don’t change anything from the past five years.” Tony reminded his friend.

“Got it.” Bruce nodded.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. do me a favor and activate Barn Door protocol. Will you?” Tony asked as he gave Bruce space.

Metal sheets covered every window in the Compound, locking down the facility. Bruce put on the gauntlet, screaming in pain as the power surged his body. Painfully, he snapped his fingers before passing out, allowing the gauntlet to slide from his hand.

Everyone waited, time seemingly froze. They had no idea if it had worked. They started to wonder if it had been for nothing. Until Clint’s phone rang. It was his wife, his wife who had been lost in the Snap five years prior. They could hear the birds outside the Compound. Everything seemed to be looking up, until a barrage of missiles hit the Compound.

Back on Titan, you finished your original thought.

“-ever.” You said slowly, stepping in a small circle. Your dad was gone. But Quill and the rest of his friends were back, holding onto each other and checking on one another. Strange was there, watching as if he was waiting for something specific to change whatever path you were all on. “Peter…” When you didn’t get a response, you tried again. “Peter!?”

“What?” Quill yelled.

“Not you, moron.” You rolled your eyes. “Where’s my Peter?” You asked Strange.

“Why would I know that?” Strange questioned.

“You seem to know everything else.” You rolled your eyes. “While we’re at it, where’s my dad?”

“And Nebula.” Quill added.

“What happened?” You asked finally.

“Y/N?” Peter asked from the ground. He was laying on his back a few feet away from you.  “What the hell just happened?”

“Oh my god!” You exclaimed in relief. You rushed to his side and dropped to your knees. He quickly took your hand in his, squeezing it tightly. “Are you alright?”

“Little queasy but otherwise, I think I’m alright.” He offered a small smile.

“Hey, promise me something.” You said quickly, your joy of seeing him again taking over any rational thoughts.

“Anything.” He grinned.

“Once everything is in the clear, you take me on a date.” You said with a smirk. “A real date too, not just hanging out at my place.”

“Uh, yeah!” He said happily. “Yeah, for sure. Any- anything you want, Y/N.”

“We need to get back to Earth.” Strange announced. “It’s been five years since Thanos and the fight on this planet. Thanos won and snapped his fingers, wiped out half of all life. The ones left on Earth managed to reverse what Thanos did, which is how we’re all here right now.”

“So where’s my dad?” You asked again, helping Peter to his feet. “If we’re all back and everything was reversed, why isn’t he here with us?”

“Your dad didn’t disappear when we did. He’s back on Earth but Thanos is there, right now. We need to get to Earth.”

“In case you forgot, my suit is wrecked.” You laughed. “When we fought Thanos last time, we got our asses kicked. What makes this time different? Is this the one?”

“I can’t tell you that. But it’s different because you’ll be together this time.” Strange vaguely answered. “Now, you need to get to your lab to deal with all of that.” He gestured to your lack of a suit, as well as the gash you had forgotten about.

Strange opened a portal to a lake house. He stepped through and motioned for you to follow. When you crossed through, you didn’t recognize the area. The lake was new. The house was new. A lot had changed in five years apparently. A gentle squeeze of your hand let you know Peter was with you.

“Wait…” You said, taking a couple cautious steps forward. “Where are we? I thought you were taking me to my lab. My suit is- I need-”

“You’re where you’re supposed to be.” Strange interjected. “Go to the front door.”

“I’m not going up to a random person’s front door.” You laughed. 

“Uh, Y/N?” Peter interjected quietly, pointing to something low behind you. You slowly turned and saw a small girl standing behind you, staring at you in confusion.

“Hi.” You said awkwardly. “What, uh- What’s your name?”

“Morgan.” She smiled. “Who are you?”

You opened your mouth to speak but saw something familiar around her neck. You knelt to her level, reaching for the pendant but deciding against it. You noted small details about her. Her brown hair, her round face. She seemed sweet, welcoming. Her eyes were kind, full of wonder and hope for the world. You wondered if she knew what happened five years ago.

“That’s a pretty necklace.” You commented. It was the prototype housing unit you designed. After you wore it, you realized you didn’t like the long necklace so you ditched it for the bracelets. The necklace was still a cute accessory, but you wondered how Morgan got it. “Can I ask where it came from?”

“Garage.” She said simply, her small fingers grasping the pendant. “Daddy said Y/N would let me have it.”

“Who’s Y/N?” You asked carefully.

“Daddy said she wanted to be a superhero, but she left. She was smart and popular.”

“Y- Your daddy?” You stammered. “Is your dad’s name Tony?”

“No.” She shook her head. “He’s just Daddy.”

“Okay, fair enough.” You chuckled. “Listen, I uh- I know your dad. Can you take me to the garage? The garage where you found the necklace.”

“I have to ask Mommy.” She held out a hand for you to take. You stood and took her hand, reaching quickly for Peter with the other. “Do you know Mommy too?”

“Y/N, it’s okay.” He nodded, squeezing your hand once before stepping back. Once you felt his grip disappear, you nodded for Morgan to start walking.

“Yeah.” You said suddenly, remembering she had asked a question. “I knew her a few years ago, before this super crazy thing happened.”

“Crazy?”

“Totally.” You nodded, earning a small chuckle from her.

“Mommy!?” She yelled as she entered the home. “I found Y/N!”

“Wha- How did you know?” You said, stopping in your tracks.

“Daddy talks bout you a lot.” She said before pointing to a collection of photos on the wall. “And your picture is everywhere.”

“Huh.” You smiled. “Guess he did miss me.”

“Morgan, honey, what are you yelling about?” Your mom came around the corner. “Oh my god.”

“Hi mom.” You smiled, hurrying across the room to hug her tightly.

“I can’t believe it.” She mumbled into your shoulder. “You’re here. Oh, my god, you’re here. Your dad really did it.”

“Wait, Dad? What did he do?” You asked, the smile still stuck on your lips as you pulled away slightly. “How did he do it?”

“Your dad figured out time travel, Y/N.” She said, still in amazement.

“That’s awesome.” You laughed. “But also terrifying! Anyway, Morgan said she found some of my stuff in the garage… I need to reload my bracelets and if there’s time, update to Dad’s new network.”

“You’re not gonna find what you need in the garage.” She shook her head, heading to a table in a room off of the Living Room. “One, cause it’s a mess. Two, cause your dad told me to give you these if you came by.”

She handed you a set of bracelets, engraved with an arc reactor and the word Stark. They fit your wrist perfectly, a slight blue tint to the metal. They were light, light enough that you could barely tell you were wearing them.

“Woah.” You mumbled in amazement. “These are awesome.”

“And fully upgraded from what I heard.” Your mom added.

“No shit.” You exclaimed, tempted to tap them together and see what upgrades your dad gave you.

“Shit.” Morgan repeated from beside you.

“No, no, no!” You exclaimed quickly. “That’s an adult word, Morgan. You can’t say it.”

“Shit.” She giggled.

“No!” You whined. “Mom is gonna kill me!”

“You’re right about that.” She nodded.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt.” Strange said, suddenly at your side. “But we need to go. Pepper, you’re gonna wanna suit up and come too.”

“I forgot about Rescue!” You exclaimed.

“What about Morgan?” Pepper countered.

“Happy Hogan.” He said, gesturing to Happy who was sitting on your parents’ couch. “We have to go now. Steve Rogers is standing up to Thanos alone.”

“Alone?” You asked, a heavy feeling in your chest. “Where’s my dad?”

“We have to go.” Strange said simply.

“If I get there and he isn’t okay-” You said seriously, knocking your bracelets together. “You are going to be the one to answer for it.”

The suit was remarkably light. You watched the reflection in the window as the nanites spread to cover your body. It moved with ease, as if you weren’t wearing a suit at all. The design was sleek, the way you had always made your suits. It was colored to mimic your dad’s, but your dad had added more gold accents to yours. You wondered what else your dad had upgraded it with, but you knew you’d find out in time.

Strange turned and opened a portal for you, Peter, and your mom to step through. Your mom hurried into the room wearing Rescue. You all quickly went through, armed and ready to fight. The scene you came out to was insane. Strange and his friend Wong had gathered everyone willing to fight.

You recognized T’Challa and his sister Shuri, who you had yet to meet but knew to be brilliant. You saw Bucky and Wanda on the other side of the battlefield. Hundreds of people from Wakanda, spaceships full of people, a woman on a Pegasus, a woman who could shrink the way Scott could. People from all over the universe were collected for the fight.

You saw who you thought was Thor, now holding an axe and seemingly gained a belly the size of a basketball. Steve had a broken shield and Mjolnir, which didn’t quite surprise you. But you still couldn’t see your dad.

“Do you see him?” You asked Peter.

“I do.” Your mom answered. “He’s alright.”

“Avengers..” Steve said over comms. Your body tensed, your heart rate picked up. The adrenaline began rushing through your veins. You weren’t quite sure if it was fear or excitement taking over your thoughts, but you let it wash over you. You looked out at the vast army before you, stretching into what seemed like forever. You sent out a silent prayer to whatever God would hear you, asking to keep you on the one path that would save everyone. “Assemble.”

All hell broke loose. Fighters charged from either side. You were separated from Peter early, having to fend for yourself. Your new suit was highly responsive, picking up on things before they entered your peripherals. The power it had was insane, cutting through Thanos’ army like butter. Your dad had added new extensions to the suit; displacer sentries, stabilizing thrusters, energy refocusers, an upgraded unibeam, and liquid nitrogen cannons. 

Finally, you made your way to your dad. The fighting seemed to go around you two, as if the universe knew you two needed a minute. You let your helmet fall away, as did your dad. You both stood frozen for a minute, wondering if it was real.

“I got back and you were gone.” You said simply, your throat now tight. You blamed it on the dirt being kicked up from the fight. “Strange didn’t tell me where you were… Kinda freaked me out.”

“Well, I didn’t wanna hang out on an abandoned planet for five years.” He tried to joke. “Had to get back to your mom.”

“When I came back, I- I thought you-” You felt the tears coming. “I thought you were gone, Dad. And not just gone, like somewhere else, but gone as in dead. And then I thought how I didn’t want to live without you and I- I got really scared, Dad.”

“Y/N/N..” He said gently. You quickly closed the distance between you two and hugged him tightly. “It’s alright. We’re alright.”

“I love you, forever.” You mumbled into his shoulder.

“And ever.” He smiled.

You pulled away and sniffled, wiping your eyes quickly. “You have to tell me how you did it later. Time travel!? That’s insane. Oh! And Morgan, she’s super cute.”

“Morgan?” Tony eyebrows furrowed. “You met Morgan?” He smiled softly.

“Yeah, I met her when I went to get Mom and this awesome new suit.” You smiled, gesturing grandly to the suit you wore. “Which is incredible, by the way. I’m in love.”

“Hey! Holy cow!” Peter exclaimed as he ran into your dad. “You will not believe what’s going on. Do you remember when we were in space? And I got all dusty? I must’ve passed out, because I woke up and you were gone. But Doctor Strange was there, right? He was like ‘It’s been five years. Come on, they need us.’ and then he started doing the yellow sparkly thing that he does all the time and-”

You rolled your eyes in amusement as Peter rambled. Your dad was watching him with a soft look in his eyes, glancing quickly between Peter and you. Tony felt a deep sense of relief, a heavy weight lifted from his chest by seeing you two in front of him. The two people that he wanted to bring back were now in front of him. You stepped behind Peter and nudged him forward. Peter stumbled into Tony, who hugged the boy tightly. “This is nice.” Peter said gently.

“As grateful as I am to have you two alive, we have bigger issues.” You commented, seeing the van that was sounding off with La Cucaracha. “We need to get the Stones to that van.”

“How long do you need to get it working?” Tony asked Scott.

“Ten minutes, maybe.” He answered.

“Who has the Stones?” You asked as you, your dad, and Peter jumped back into the fight. You dodged attacks from either side, effortlessly spinning and ducking shots and projectiles. You saw Clint running through the crowd, one arm tucked against his chest. “Clint has them but he’s gonna need help.”

You were headed that way when you felt your leg being dragged down. You looked and saw a Chitauri soldier had grabbed your ankle and was pulling you down to the ground. You let yourself fall for a moment before turning gravity against the Chitauri and getting your feet aligned with it’s chest. You bent your knees slightly, using the alien as a push off. The thrust from your boosters burnt the Chitauri’s wrist to the point where it released you. You quickly shot off a blast to put a hole in it’s chest as it hit the ground. Your attention turned back to Clint as you saw him become surrounded.

“Hey.” Tony told Strange below you, causing your path to stop so you could listen. “You said one out of 14 million we win, yeah? Tell me this is it.”

Strange glanced up and saw you waiting for his answer. “If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen.”

You rolled your eyes within your helmet and took off. T’Challa got to Clint so you changed your course. You decided on a bit of revenge until you were needed to help move the Stones. “F.R.I.D.A.Y., give me locations on Thanos and Peter.”

“Peter is approximately 36 feet to your left with Shuri, no critical damage to the suit indicates no dire injuries.” Her automated voice answered quickly. “Thanos is six feet straight ahead. Maximoff approaching the target.” She showed you a zoomed image of where the Titan was.

“Keep me posted when those Stones change hands.” You ordered as you landed next to Wanda.

“You took everything from me.” She said angrily.

“From us.” You added, charging a blast from your palm.

“I don’t even know who either of you are.” Thanos replied.

“You will.” Wanda said simply, her eyes glowing red as her power swirled around her.

You stood watching in awe for a moment before remembering where you were. You shot your blast at the charging Thanos, knocking him off balance. Wanda quickly followed up with two huge rock piles, both were knocked in pieces by his sword. Wanda launched quick bursts at him, each one more powerful than the last.

You flipped over Thanos, sending off shots from above and then behind him. Together, you and Wanda brought the Titan to his knees. Wanda kept applying pressure, Thanos groaning in pain.

“The Stones have transferred hands to Peter.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. told you.

“You got this?” You asked, your focus now completely shifted. “I gotta go.”

“Go.” She nodded.

You took off quickly, F.R.I.D.A.Y. guiding you to Peter’s location. You find him surrounded by Chitauri, but his artificial limbs assisted him in the fight. You landed with enough force to push the last few Chitauri away from him and into someone else’s attack.

“You know, I was on the fence about the instant-kill. But it came in handy, didn’t it?” You joked.

Peter chuckled before more Chitauri came at you both. They grabbed at you, throwing you to the side and focusing on Peter. Everytime you tried to help, five of them shoved you off. You heard Peter call for help, to which Steve threw Mjolnir for him to grab. You took off ahead of the Hammer, hoping to keep a clear path for Peter. Peter shot a web, using Mjolnir as a ride out of the chaos.

A shot from one of the ships sliced Peter’s web, sending him to the ground fast. You dropped until you were able to grab him.

“I’m always having to help you out, aren’t I?” You commented teasingly as you tossed him to the woman on the Pegasus. You flew alongside her until a shot came too close for you to successfully dodge and threw you into Peter. It knocked him off the Pegasus and sent both of you crashing to the ground.

Peter had gotten up and tried to run, to get the Stones a little bit closer. A blast from the cannon landed right in front of him, sending him flying backwards so he would land in front of you. The impact shattered his artificial limbs and he let his mask fall away. He grabbed the gauntlet and tucked into a ball to protect himself from the shots still coming. You pushed yourself to your side as you put up an energy shield over you and Peter.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., what are they firing at?” Tony asked as some of the cannons changed direction, the question playing in your helmet too as the system showed a projection of an incoming object.

“Something just entered the upper atmosphere.” She responded.

“Let’s hope it’s on our side.” You mumbled, momentarily dropping the shield to watch.

You looked up to see a bright flash of light break through one of the ships, disabling it and going through it once again to slice it in half. You were so impressed by the power it had that you almost didn’t notice the falling rubble. 

“Little help would be nice!” You yelled over comms as you threw up another shield, to which Steve asked Danvers to help. You had assumed Danvers was the one who broke the ship in half so you kept still until help arrived. You dropped the shield and stared in awe as Peter spoke.

“Hi.” He said quickly, still keeping the gauntlet close. “I’m Peter Parker. She’s Y/N Stark.”

“So cool.” You said simply.

“Hey, Peter Parker.” She chuckled. “Y/N Stark. I saved your dad once. He ever tell you that?”

“He did not. But I came back to a giant war so there hasn’t really been time..” You nodded, pushing yourself to your feet and put your helmet on again.

“You got something for me?” She asked Peter, nodding towards the Stones.

“I don’t know how you’re gonna get it through all that.” Peter said tiredly as he stood and handed over the gauntlet.

You noted how tired he was, how beat up he was. But he was still ready to fight. Your heart ached, and you quickly realized that you didn’t just like Peter Parker. You loved Peter Parker. The revelation didn’t surprise you, but you wished it had come at a better time than that moment.

“Don’t worry.” Wanda said as she landed next to you.

“She’s got help.” One of the Wakandan warriors who you later learned to be Okoye added. Your mom joined the group, along with Pegasus woman, Valkyrie. Mantis, Hope Van Dyne,  and Nebula showed up, along with Shuri and Nebula’s sister, Gamora. Together, you fought through the army to get the Stones to Scott’s van.

You and your mom focused your fire high, aiming at ships and taller enemies. You followed behind Danvers, working on keeping her path clear. Thanos charged Danvers, dead set on stopping her for the Stones. You, your mom, Shuri, and Hope shot beams at him, knocking him to the ground.

“After this, you gotta show me how you made those.” You yelled to Shuri, who looked over and laughed slightly. “I’m Y/N, by the way.”

“Shuri. You seem to be doing well with what you have.” She teased. “Is it new?”

“First time in it.” You answered with a proud nod. 

“Really, Y/N?” Your mom commented. “Now? Your dad just upgraded that suit for you.”

“You wanted me to make friends.” You defended, focusing back on the task at hand.

You all added extra force to throw Thanos back. He rolled, lifting his attention to where Danvers was headed. Since you all wouldn’t let him get to Danvers, he decided to destroy where she was headed. He threw his sword into the tunnel, destroying it and sending a massive energy wave that launched everyone back.

“The gauntlet is about twenty meters behind you.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. told you. “Mr. Stark can reach it but Thanos is already on his way.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” You replied, pushing yourself to your feet. You took off in a sprint before pushing off a short ledge, taking flight and headed that way. You watched your dad tackle Thanos before getting elbowed away. Thor and Steve kept him back, using Mjolnir and Thor’s new axe to their aid. Danvers beat you there and fought him off a minute, until Thanos threw her to the side.

You helped your dad up to his knees and watched Thanos put the gauntlet on. You and your dad dropped your masks, not worried about them anymore.

“Not again.” You whispered fearfully.

Danvers came back just in time, stopping him from snapping his fingers. She had the upper hand until Thanos pulled out one Stone and used it to send her flying. Strange looked over at you two, holding up one finger to tell you both that there was only one way.

Your dad stood slowly, understanding what he was meant to do. You understood it at the same time so you grabbed his hand, hoping to pull him back to you. “Dad, please.” You begged. “No. No! It’s not worth it.”

“I can’t lose again.” He said softly.

“Think about Morgan.” You tried desperately. “A-and me. I just got you back.”

“I am thinking of you two.” He replied gently. “I love you, forever.” He said before running to Thanos, trying to take the Stones from him.

You looked to Strange again in anger. You wanted to take it out on Strange, but the look he gave you made you reconsider. Strange looked at you as if you had a role to play, as if it wasn’t just about Tony. You and your dad had been through everything together. You had been glued to his side since Loki first arrived in New York. Every fight, every training session, every injury, and every upgrade you were there. You started it together. You had to end it together.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., did my dad ever add the suit-to-suit interface to exchange nanites?” You asked quickly, running through the possibilities. “If he gets those Stones away from Thanos, it’s too much energy for him to handle. It needs to be dispersed.”

“It’s added but I’ll need time to activate it.” Her automated voice said. “Opening the entirety of both suits to interface with each other-”

“I don’t need a whole suit.” You cut her off. “My left palm. His right shoulder, upper shoulder. Clavicular region.”

“Less than a minute. Initiating interface.”

You ran over to your dad as he was knocked away. Your steps froze when Thanos raised his hand again and your dad laid face down.

“I am inevitable.” Thanos said in triumph. You braced for the second Snap, but nothing happened. You noticed a faint glow from your dad’s suit so you started running again.

“Interface available in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Interface active.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. announced to you.

Tony knelt in front of the Titan, Stones in hand. He shoved them into his suit, a Stone aligned with each knuckle. He thought about what he was going to do, the risk he was going to take. Someone had to do it, and it seemed only Tony could. But his mind brought back words that weighed on his heart..

Years ago, Steve had told him “The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”

Peter said “I just wanted to be like you.”

Y/N had argued “I don’t know how to live a life without you and I don’t want to. I shouldn’t have to!”

Morgan had told him with a smile “I love you, 3000.”

Pepper once told him “You’re all I have too, you know.”

Y/N would always say “I love you, forever.”

But the heaviest one was what Strange had told him just minutes before, “If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen.”

“And I…” Your dad panted. You could see the power of the Stones coursing up his suit, scorched marks climbing to his neck. You got to him quickly, standing beside him. You placed your hand on his shoulder, the energy diverting up into your body as the nanites mixed.

It was white hot, burning every cell in your body. It was intense, scorching every nerve it touched. Your fingers trembled, your pulse beat unevenly. Your stomach muscle clenched, your knees shook. But despite it all, you stood tall. You gathered yourself with a deep breath and spoke.

“We.” You emphasized.

“We-” Your dad nodded slightly.

“-are Starks.” You two said together before he snapped his fingers. The surge brought you to your knees beside your dad, who used his other hand to reach across himself and steady you. You made sure to keep your left hand where it was, refusing to move it until you could get the Stones out. You two watched as every soldier Thanos brought, his whole army, turned to dust the way you did five years ago. Thanos sat on a nearby rock as he turned to dust himself.

You and your dad manage to get to a nearby debris pile where you turned and leaned your backs against. Your dad coughed as you reached over and pulled the Stones from his suit and dropped them next to you. You saw the relief in his posture once you took the Stones away.

“One hell of a day back.” You tried to joke, to which you both laughed weakly.

“You shouldn't have done that, Y/N/N.” Tony said weakly.

“There was only one way, remember?” You countered. “I had to. We started this together, we end it together.”

“Love you, kiddo.” Your dad smiled at you.

“Forever.”

“And ever.”

“Y/N?” Peter said gently. “Mr. Stark?” Peter ran up to you both, falling to his knees between you two. He gently took one of your hands in his. “Hey. Can you guys hear me? It’s Peter. We won. Y/N, Mr. Stark, we won. You did it. You guys did it.”

“You-” You coughed, smiling weakly at him. “You still owe me… a date, Petey.”

“Anywhere you want, Y/N/N.” He laughed sadly. He leaned forward and hugged both of you. “You’re gonna be fine, I promise.”

“Maybe not this time.”

Gently, Peter was guided away from you two, tears slowly falling down his face and leaving streaks in the dirt that covered his cheeks. You smiled softly, knowing you really did love the boy. You wanted to get up and comfort him, wrap your arms around him and hold him tight. But you didn’t have it in you. You could barely manage to keep your eyes open.

Your mom knelt in front of you two where Peter was. She sighed gently, trying to put on a brave face, but she was hurt the most. Your heart sank when you saw the pain she was in. She was looking at two of the three people that meant the world to her, sitting before her and fighting for their lives. She had watched her family sacrifice themselves for the world, a sacrifice those two - especially those two - never should’ve had to make.

“Hey.” She said softly. “You’ve both looked better.”

“Hey, mom.” You said as your dad answered, “Hey, Pep.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” She said, hoping for good news.

“Intense emergency surgeries needed. Immediate treatment raises survival rate by about 60%.” Her automated voice answered.

“Brother.” Shuri whispered to T’Challa as Pepper gently comforted her family. “I think I can heal them in my lab. They don’t have to die.”

“How would we get them there?” T’Challa asked honestly. He wanted to help them, but he didn’t think it’d be possible. “It is too far to guarantee there’d be time.”

“We can’t leave them to die here.” Rhodey commented. “We gotta at least take them home.”

“It’s okay.” Pepper nodded to you two. “We’re gonna be okay, alright? You two can rest now.”

“Love you, Mom.” You whispered. “Tell Peter… Tell him I love him too.”

You smiled softly at your mother before leaning your head back against the debris. Your eyes drifted shut, your body feeling heavy. You gave into the darkness as your dad did the same. The reactors in both of your suits faded to a dull glow, not quite off yet.

“The reactors aren’t off.” Peter noted, his voice strained from his pain. Not physical pain, but emotional pain. He had become so close to Y/N Stark to the point where he thought he loved her. She meant so much to him in the short time he knew her, so much so that he convinced himself she was his soulmate. He didn’t even believe in that kind of thing until he met her. Now he really wished he hadn’t hesitated. “They’re not gone.”

“Peter-” Steve tried to console him. Steve was feeling the loss too. He was devastated. Y/N and Tony were both practically family to him, the only family he had left. And now they were gone. They gave up their lives to save the world. Steve felt a pang of guilt, that even though they got everyone back, they still lost. Steve had insisted on it, that they would win this time around, but they still managed to lose.

“I can hear it!” He yelled, his voice breaking. “Their hearts are still beating.” He looked back to Y/N and Tony, their eyes shut. “They’re not gone. Just look!” He threw both hands forward, gesturing to the center glow of their chests.

“So what do we do then?” Thor asked. “The Compound is ruined. How are we supposed to help them?”

“Take them home.” Carol suggested. “You, Sparkles.” Carol pointed to Dr. Strange. “You can make portals. Make a portal to take them home, and then we go from there.”

“What do you actually think we can do for them?” Strange questioned defensively. “Those Stones-”

“I think that Peter Parker is onto something.” Carol countered easily. “Make a portal to take them home.”

“They won’t survive.”

“If you’re so sure,  at least let them die somewhere they’d be comfortable.” She rolled her eyes.

“We have the technology to heal them.” T’Challa spoke up. He figured it was the least he could do, to offer whatever Wakanda could give to help. “If you can get them home and keep them stable, Shuri and I can get what we need and bring it to you. But we’d have to hurry.”

“And you’re sure they’re alive?” Strange asked Peter.

“One hundred percent.” He responded confidently, his eyes on Y/N. “I know it.”

Strange opened two portals, one to Wakanda and one to the Stark’s lakehouse. Carefully, Rhodey scooped up Tony and Peter carried Y/N. Pepper went through first, hurrying to get Morgan out of the house so she wouldn’t see what her dad and sister looked like. Tony and Y/N were carried to their rooms and gently set up in their beds.

Wong helped the rest of those who fought get home. Steve, Bruce, Clint, and Thor followed the Stark family to their home, as did Carol. Dr. Strange went with T’Challa so he and Shuri would have a quick way back to Tony and Y/N. Pepper asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to disable the suits so their housing units could be taken off and to keep their vitals posted. Both of their pulses were extremely weak, but they were still there. They were both put on ventilators - Tony kept a few on hand just in case the Compound wasn’t the best option for treatment - and were given an injection of painkillers.

Peter had been right.

Pepper stayed with Tony in their room, while Peter argued to stay with Y/N. Steve had offered, told Peter he should get home and get some rest, but Peter set himself up in the window nook and refused to get up.He had washed the dirt and blood off his face and out of his hair, his wet curls still dripping onto his shirt slightly. Despite using cold water to wake himself up, he still just wanted to curl up and sleep.

He called May after Steve left the room and went downstairs to talk to others. He had taken off his suit, leaving him in the clothes he had worn to the field trip, before he had gotten on the spaceship. 

“Hey, May.” Peter said tiredly. He was exhausted, every muscle ached. He wanted to lay in his own bed and sleep for a year, but he knew what his priority was at the moment. “You okay?”

“Where are you, Peter?” She asked anxiously. “I- I called you twelve times and you didn’t answer. Are you okay? You- you never came home from your MOMA field trip and I-”

“I’m fine.” Peter cut in. “I- I got caught up in that dusty thing a few years ago.”

“Yeah, yeah, I think I did too.” She paused, letting out a heavy sigh. “Come home, Peter.”

“I can’t.” He said sadly. “Y/N, she got hurt real bad, May… I can’t leave her right now.”

“You love her, don’t you?” May asked, a small smile on her lips that Peter didn’t need to see to know it was there.

“Yeah.. I think I do.” Peter chuckled nervously. “I never got a chance to tell her.”

“You’ll get one… Don’t miss it.”

“Love you, May.”

“Love you too, Peter. Text me before you go to sleep and call me in the morning.”

“Will do.” And with that, Peter hung up the phone.

A small knock on the door sounded before it was cracked open enough for a small child to slip inside. She shut the door carefully behind her, as if she was used to sneaking around the house. She ran across the room until she stood in front of Peter, looking at him with her head tilted slightly. Slowly, unsure of what to do, Peter pulled his legs to his chest to make room for her. She climbed into the open space and crossed her legs, dropping her hands in her lap.

“Morgan, right?” Peter asked, leaning his head back as he tried to stay awake.

“Who are you?” She asked plainly.

“Peter Parker.” He gave a lazy salute.

“Are you her boyfriend?”

Peter chuckled. “No.. Not yet, at least.”

“You like her?”

“I do.” He nodded with a lazy smile. “I like her a lot.”

“She’s pretty.” Morgan said, as if Peter hadn’t noticed that. “Is she hurt the way Daddy is?”

“How do you know that?”

“I was sneaky.” She whispered, bringing one finger to her lips to emphasize how quiet she was. Peter chuckled in response.

“Yeah, Y/N is hurt.” Peter said carefully. “But she’s gonna be okay. You know why?”

“Cause she’s like Daddy.” She said confidently. “And Daddy is Iron Man.”

“Yeah, but also because she has to come back to her family. You and your mom and-”

“And you.” Morgan cut in. “Want to make a card with me?”

“You go get started and I���ll meet you down there.” Peter responded, holding out his pinky. “I just need a minute and I’ll go downstairs after. Pinky promise.”

“Okay.” She nodded, quickly finishing the pinky promise. “Bye, Peter!” She said before quickly sneaking out of the room, leaving just Y/N and Peter.

“When we met, I never thought we’d end up here..” Peter said to Y/N, even though he knew she probably couldn’t hear him. “After everything we’ve been through, it kinda seemed like you were invincible. Nothing could really take you out like this. I mean, yeah, we both came out of everything with some sort of aches and pains, but not like this.

“I know you’re fighting for your life, Y/N/N. And I know you have your own reasons to fight, but I gotta ask you to fight for me. Please… I just- I love you, Y/N Stark. And I want to be able to tell you when you can actually acknowledge it. I- I want to take you to parties and school dances. I want you to come to Decathlon a-and laugh at how easy the questions are because you’re brilliant.” He chuckled lightly before closing his eyes, curling in on himself a little more. “Just come back for me, please.”

A light knock sounded before Shuri entered, a cart of equipment being led in behind her. Two Wakandan soldiers followed behind with her equipment, setting things up while Shuri went and spoke to Peter. Peter sat up slowly, unsure of how long he had been asleep.

“We can take it from here.” She told Peter, gently putting a hand on his shoulder. “You should get something to eat, Peter. You look starved.”

“Yeah..” He nodded slightly. “But I have a card to make first.” He smiled lazily before taking one last look at Y/N. “She’s gonna make it, right?”

“I’m going to do everything I can.”

“Oh, she kinda got stabbed like right here-” Peter’s hand hovered over Y/N’s side, where he remembered Thanos using her suit’s blade against her. “That was before we got dusted so I don’t know if it’s still there but…” He shrugged, pausing to decide if he wanted to ask his next question. “How’s Mr. Stark doing?” Peter asked carefully, now fully knowing if he was ready to hear how his mentor was. “Is he gonna..”

“Mr. Stark is going to be okay.” Shuri promised. “We could not save his arm, but we saved him. The only thing I don’t know is how soon he’ll wake up. His injuries were rather traumatic and that kind of shock takes a toll on the human body.”

“Thank you.” Peter said honestly. “For being on my side back there and believing they could be helped. And for being willing to help them.”

“The world owes them a debt that can never be repaid.” Shuri said honestly, scanning Y/N with her Kimoyo Beads. “It is the least I could do.”

“I’ll leave you to it then.” Peter nodded before heading downstairs to join Morgan in her card making.

Steve handed Peter a plate of food and two water bottles, reminding Peter that he had to take care of himself too. Most of the adults stayed in the other room, discussing their worry in quiet whispers. Carol sat with Peter and Morgan around the coffee table, each of them making a card. Morgan was finishing her card for Tony, while Peter worked on one for Y/N and Carol made one that was meant for both of them. Carol and Peter took turns telling jokes or making fun of their own drawings to make Morgan laugh. By the time they were done, they each made a card for Y/N and Tony, until Morgan fell asleep against Peter.

“You really care about them, don’t you?” Carol asked Peter once Morgan was asleep.

“Y/N and Mr. Stark believed in me when no one else did.” Peter began fondly. “When I went with them to Germany to fight Captain America, she told me that I was going to have to put up with her for a long time. She told me that she wasn’t gonna let anything bad happen to me, that we had to stick together. But now... It’s different. When she smiles at me, I feel dizzy. When she laughs, I can’t help but laugh with her. Even when she looks at me, I- I don’t know how to explain it.”

“I can explain it.” She smirked at him. “That’s love, kid.”

“It is?” Peter asked. “That’s kinda what I had hoped it all meant.”

“Did you ever tell her?”

“I had a chance… But I hesitated.” He admitted, remembering on Titan when he wanted to kiss her. “But if I had known this would’ve happened-”

“Yeah, but you didn’t know.” She cut him off. “What matters now is if you’re gonna hesitate next time?” She challenged.

“God, I hope not.” Peter chuckled.

Soon, Shuri and her brother, along with the two Wakandans that came with her, were coming down the stairs. Most of the equipment was packed and being carried with her. Peter was careful not to move and wake Morgan when Shuri came downstairs.

“They’re both going to make it.” She said with a proud smile. “However, there are some things we could not fix.”

“Like what?” Steve asked tensely.

“We could not save Mr. Stark’s right arm. The damage was too severe.” Shuri explained. “They’ll both have burn scars up into their chest and neck area. Mr. Stark’s may even reach the side of his face. As for Y/N..” She paused to show a detailed image of the inner workings of the lower arm, the nervous system breakdown and muscular system. “This is what her right arm looks like, the one that didn’t take on the energy of the Stones. And this-” She swiped to a new image, an image where some of the nerves were in pieces. “-is her left arm. Unfortunately, her damage seemed to have found its way to her nervous system. Some nerves were seared through, meaning she has lost all sensation in her left arm, as well as some of her finer motor control.”

“So what exactly does that mean for her?” Pepper asked anxiously.

“It means she will not be able to fully move her fingers and possibly her wrist, and she won’t physically feel anything at any point on her left arm. But she will live.” Shuri explained. “I’ve also healed a stab wound she had from her first fight with Thanos, and there won’t even be a scar.. They should wake in a few days. They are both on IV drips with painkillers. I’ve done all I can.”

And with that, Shuri left. One by one, the rest of the Avengers that were there left. Peter left the following morning, having fallen asleep on the floor with Morgan. Happy drove him home, but Peter fell asleep again on the way. His body was more exhausted than he had been letting on, and now it had caught up to him.

He tried to get back to normal life. He went back to school, saw Ned and MJ. He went back to Decathlon, but it just didn’t feel right to him until he could hear your voice again. A few days after he was settling back in, he got a call from a number he didn’t recognize.

“Hey, Spiderman.” You said. Your voice was as sweet as honey, making his heart beat three times faster. “Got time for a visit?”

“For you?” Peter replied, pretending he had to think about it. “Definitely. Where at?”

“Right here.” You said, stepping out of the car to stand in front of him. “Hey, Peter.” 

“Hi.” He breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing you standing before him, your long-sleeved shirt buttoned up to the top to hide the burns, it made his chest feel tight. He wanted to hug you, to pull you against his chest and never let you go. But he hesitated, just slightly. His biggest concern was how fragile you were.

“You’re looking at me like you’re scared.” You commented, scrunching your eyebrows in confusion. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”

“I am!” He promised quickly. “I am happy to see you. I just… I have something I want to tell you.”

“I have something I need to tell you too… But it can wait till that date you owe me.” You winked.

“No, it can’t wait.” Peter said, swallowing hard and gathering all his courage. “I wanted to tell you this back on Titan, but I chickened out.”

“Peter, it’s not that serious.” You laughed nervously. “It can wait until tonight, okay?”

“No. It can’t.” He insisted, grabbing your hand. “Y/N, I- I love you and I really want to be with you.”

“That’s great.” You smiled widely, squeezing his hand gently.

“What?”

“Peter, I realized something before this.” You gestured to your left arm. “When Carol came to help us, and I got a good look at how beat up you were but you were still willing to fight… When we were on the beach and you wanted to make sure Toomes didn’t die even though we were on opposite sides… When we were in Germany and you said you trusted me… There are so many little moments between now and the moment I met you that have brought me to this one, single, recurring idea.”

“And what idea is that?” Peter asked smugly, taking a step closer to you. Suddenly, his confidence was through the roof.

“That I love you, Peter Parker.” You smiled widely. “And I really want to be with you.”

“That’s… amazing.” He sighed happily. “Otherwise this could’ve been really awkward."

[fandom-meanderer]

Beauty and the... [Pt. 5]

Pairing: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd x Reader, Sylvain Jose Gautier x Reader, Felix Hugo Fraldarius x Reader

Part: (5/?) [First] [Previous] [Next]

Genre: Romance, Drama

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

P.o.V.: 2nd

Word Count: 2,239 Words

Warnings: None

Further Notes: Sorry for the long wait, lovelies, I hope you enjoy~

Hey, stop pulling!” You shout. Sylvain pouts. “Why are you so desperate to get to this place anyways?”

“I have to get there before she does, (Name), otherwise I’m going to have to figure out how to explain to her why our hands are stuck.”

“Oh right, you had a date tonight,” you roll your eyes. Sylvain pouts and tugs you along faster, hiding behind a pillar. After all, you couldn’t let just anyone see you, it would spell disaster for both of you. “Okay, so to get the the dining hall we’ll just stay back here and—“

“(Name)! I’ve been looking all over for you.” You and Sylvain look at each other in pure terror.

“Oh shit it’s Dimitri!” You both whisper/yell. You push Sylvain into one of the bushes just as Dimitri steps into your line of sight, you place your conjoined hand in the bush, not so subtly, might I add, and smile up at the prince.

“Dimitri! What’s up?” You ask, laughing nervously. Dimitri just smiles.

“You left the dining hall so fast, and I figured you would be hungry,” he says, handing you a wrapped up sandwich. Your eyes light up. If it weren’t for your sticky situation you’d hug him, but that can wait.

“You know me so well, Dima,” you cry. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“Cleaned my room,” he laughs. “Would you like to accompany me to—“

“NO!” Your response came out too quick, too harsh. Dimitri blinks, slightly taken aback by the sudden outburst, before he settles once again. “I mean, I can’t. You know, I’ve been studying a lot lately, so I’m a bit packed right now. Thank you, though,” you say.

“Oh, you should’ve let me finish,” Dimitri says. “I was heading to the library, and if you’re heading that way to study, I would like to accompany you.”

‘Shit, oh fuck, oh shit,’ you mentally cursed. Your eyes drifted to the bush.

“You know what? It’s fine Dima, plus Sylvain and I are still looking for whatever it is that he lost,” you whistle. “I’ll try to catch up with you, though.”

“Well, alright then,” Dimitri frowns.

“Bye, Dima!” You wave at him. He slowly waves back.

“Good bye,” he says sadly. He walks off and you let out a heavy breath.

“Tragic. That was tragic,” Sylvain poked his head out of the bush.

“If I didn’t love you I would’ve snapped you in two, Syl.”

That made his heart skip a beat. Whether that was because of possible love or pure fear, Sylvain would decide later. For now, the stars aligned so that he could show you how much of a perfect guy he is. He could envision it now, it would be flawless and effortless, after all, he’s known you for so long now, it would only be a matter of time before you would eventually fall for his charms, right?

“You know what, (Name)? I, for one, have had a change of heart.” Sylvain steps out of the bush and places a leaf behind your ear, which you quickly take off and toss aside.

"Oh boy, I don't like the sound of that," your voice was laced with worry and Sylvain's smirk only grew. "And I don't like that look on your face either, what are you up to, Gautier?"

"Only good things, Sugar," he smiles. You're even more off put and you try to tug away, but you, of course, ended up pulling him closer.

“No, no way, Jose,” you shake your head, gently pushing him off of you.

“Now, now, I know you are nothing but excited to spend an entire 24 hours with the one and only Sylvain Jose Gautier, but patience is a virtue, Sugar, but good things come to those who wait."

"Good goddess, have you lost your mind?" You tugged him down to your height and your free hand immediately moved up to Sylvain's forehead. Needless to say, Sylvain was more worried about blowing his cover to you than he was about your stuck hands. “Professor Manuela didn't mention anything about idiocracy being a side effect of the charm."

"Hey!" Sylvain pouts.

"And your forehead is exceptionally warm," you hum. Sylvain grabs your wrist and pulls your hand off gently.

"Can't keep your hands to yourself, huh?" He says in a suave voice. Your expression falls.

"Oh, just kidding, you're perfectly fine," you turn on your heel and tug him along with you, and he reluctantly follows. "If we're spending the day together we are going by my rules, are we clear?"

"Yeah, yeah," he waves you off with one hand, his eye catching a student who had just passed by.

"Focus, Sylvain! We can't let anyone see--"

"See what?" Ashe's voice stops you this time. You and Sylvain turn your heads and stare at the smaller boy. He presses his lips in a tight line as his gaze falls on your conjoined hands, and a light pink appears on his cheeks. "Ah... ah, I see. Well, I won't bother you two now... haha... Bye!" He darts off. You and Sylvain stare at the spot your classmate was just standing in for a few more moments before, and Sylvain could pinpoint this moment exactly, something shifted behind your eyes.

"Get that archer," you command.

"On it." You and Sylvain break into a sprint and, as soon as you catch up to Ashe, loop him in your grasps and pull him into one of the empty classrooms. He starts sputtering nonsense words and the more he spoke the redder he became and the longer you listened, you could swear, the more confused you became as to why Ashe would be much more embarrassed than you at the moment, but after a few moments he stopped himself.

"I won't tell Dimitri," he squeaks out. You and Sylvain look at each other and start laughing.

"Oh, geez, Ashe, that's not why we cornered you," you explain. "Look, Sylvain here made a stupid mistake, what's new,” a scoff from Sylvain interrupted you momentarily, “and got our hands stuck together. But I don't want anyone to get any ideas, Ashe, so can you please keep this to yourself?"

“Like you haven’t made mistakes, sugar,” Sylvain says aside.

“Shut up, Syl.” You shoot him a glare. “Can’t you do this one favor for me, Ashe?”

"But... But what about class tomorrow? Don't tell me that you're just not going to show up, what will the Professor think?" Ashe frowns.

"We'll tell the Professor about out situation, Ashe, just please, please don't tell anyone about this," you plead. Ashe looks to the floor uncomfortably and sighs. "I know you don't like lying, Ashe, but you know how the others can get sometimes, and goddess forbid if Dimitri found out, the misunderstandings would be all over the place," you explain.

"Alright, I won't tell anyone," Ashe promises. You and Sylvain sigh in relief. "When is this supposed to be fixed?"

"Well, it's a 24 hour charm," you say. "And Sylvain and I have been stuck together for, what, four hours now?" You look at him for confirmation, but he just shrugs. You roll your eyes and look back at Ashe.

"Well, assuming that you two got stuck together when you left the dining hall, I would say about four hours," Ashe agrees. "What do I say if anyone asks about you two?"

"Uh... Just say we're sparring, or something," Sylvain spits out. "Or better yet, just say that you haven't seen us."

"Right..." Ashe eyes him suspiciously. "I wish I could do more to help, I'm sorry about your situation," he says. You shrug.

"Things happen, I was just unlucky enough to be around Sylvain when fate struck," you complain. "Alright, I have a lot of work to catch up on, so we'll go first. Thanks again, Ashe."

Now, after a series of tug-of-war all the way to the dorms, you and Sylvain sat in your room, the latter sprawled out on your bed, and you at your desk. Words cannot explain the frustration that was having your dominant hand stuck onto your best friend. Your words written on paper were almost anything but legible, and the position you found yourself in was rather uncomfortable at that note as well. After what had to be the hundredth sigh from you, Sylvain rolls over and stares at you, his face still pressed against your pillow.

Truth be told, this wouldn’t have been the first time you had held hands with Sylvain, although the last time the two of you did this was because you were five and got lost in the castle gardens. You look over to Sylvain and you could practically see the cogs working in his head. It was that concentrated expression he usually had on while in battle, the one where he would pull his eyebrows close together and press his lips into a slightly tighter line. In all honesty, you had to admit, if the two of you weren’t so close, you might have considered him as a crush of sorts.

But nearly 16 years of friendship tends to do that to a person. You know him too well to entertain the idea at this point. After finally having enough of his ceaseless staring, you finally speak up.

“What’s up?” You finally ask.

“I was just thinking about some things,” Sylvain breaks his stare from you and looks elsewhere.

“I’m sorry you had to ditch your date,” you mumble. “Instead you’re stuck to your little sister,” you roll your eyes.

Little Sister.

Did you just?

Did you just brother-zone him?!

The Sylvain Jose Gautier. Most popular boy in all of Garreg Mach. Women want him and Professors fear him. This won’t do, no, not at all. He pushes himself off of your bed and walks over to you, resting his head on top of yours. But you were, very visibly, unfazed as you continued writing your paper. Then he realized, he had vastly overdone it through the years. The skinship, the clinginess, his worst fear has come true. You’ve become completely USED to it.

“Who is it?” The knock at the door only registered now.

“Ah, it’s Mercedes! You’ve been missing all day, and Dimitri said you were acting strange earlier.”

Panic, sheer panic, in both of your eyes.

“Get in the closet.”

“What?!” Sylvain half whispered and yelled. You roll your eyes and push him in, piling a ton of your clothes on top of him.

“Come in,” you called out to the door.

“This is so dumb,” Sylvain comments, to which you squeezed your hand harder, signaling to him to shut the fuck up. Mercedes came in shortly after you responded.

“Hey, Mercedes,” you smile, “I’m just going through my closet, as you can see.”

“Ah! Do you need any hel—“

“No!” Again the answer came out too quickly. Mercedes flinched slightly. “I mean, it’s just so much, I don’t want to trouble you… plus, it’ll be easier if I just do it, I have a certain way I organize my things,” you add on. Mercedes nods slightly, but you don’t miss the skeptic look in her eyes.

“Oh, well I’m glad you’re doing fine then, good luck,” she smiles. She points to the door. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow then?”

“Yeah, of course,” you smile. She walks out the door and you let out the breath you had been holding.

“You know,” Sylvain sticks his head out from your pile of clothes. “I don’t really understand why it’s such a big deal. We can just tell them that our hands are stuck together.”

“I mean we could, but it would be such a hassle to deal with the teasing after it,” you frown. “But, you do have a point. We still have a whole half of a day tomorrow like this.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” Sylvain chuckled.

“You are holding on to my dominant hand, Syl, I can’t do anything with my free one.”

“Well you’ve been saying that you want to become ambidextrous, right? Now’s your chance!”

“Your optimism is tiring me out, Syl,” you rub your temples slightly and pull him out of your closet. You toss your pillow on the floor. “You’re sleeping there tonight.”

“What?! Why?! It’s not like we haven’t slept in the same bed before.”

“That was when my bed was a queen-size. Now it’s tiny, and you’re huge. I want to sleep comfortably tonight.”

“At the expense of my comfort?!”

“Yes. It’s the least you could do, I mean you’re the one who got us stuck in this mess.” Sylvain couldn’t argue with that, you had a point. So, without another word, he laid down on the carpet, staring at your conjoined hands that dangled off the side, it almost seemed too innocent. But if only you knew how his heart raced whenever he saw it.

Sylvain was left to his thoughts, he had assumed that you fell asleep long before already, but for reasons obvious he couldn’t even close his eyes. He wondered when exactly it was that his feelings for you had shifted, was it that time in the gardens? He remembered how scared you looked, sitting next to the grandiose fountains. Was it when you ran over to him and told him that Felix was bullying you again? No, to both of those. Of course he knew when it was. It was when you told him you liked Dimitri. Because it was then he realized what he had to lose, and despite the overarching need to support you in anything, the ball and chain that was his feelings for you would always hold him back. Again, he looked at your hands and whispered, “I don’t want this to end.”

Your breath caught in your throat, and you dared not move a single muscle to indicate even in the slightest that you were awake.

--

Tag List: Add yourself here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1js1n5ct5_Mk81-HNrybzvp287bK7h6Xuu-coPJwPu3k/edit?usp=sharing

[lefaystrent]

Could you write a short story where Virgil is out at a store, Deceit and Remus spot him. Virgil is like F social interaction. Then is only rude because he really didn't feel like being noticed by people who recognize him. (Patton could be another costumer, Roman a cashier who is working there when not acting, Logan getting supplies for a science class at school)

A Storm Rolled into Town

Fandom: Thomas Sanders,Sanders Sides

Pairings: none

Summary: It’s not likeVirgil meant to become famous anyway. It just sorta happened. And now he’sshopping in some small-town mom-and-pop store on a weekday morning. Despitewearing the hood of his jacket up and perhaps looking the more conspicuous forit, he can sense that someone somewhere in this store is watching him.

Word Count: 2150

________________________________________________________________

Virgil Storm was born with eyes inthe back of his head.

Not literally. It was mostly justanxiety and paranoia working in tandem to create a 360° zone of caffeinated caution.A necessary skill when you became part of the famous crowd. All it took was onecrazy person with a knife screaming about how you’re meant to be together, andthen you’re fucking dead.

Not that Virgil had been assaultedby anyone.

Yet.

He has had experiences witha couple of stalkers before that were quickly handled. It’s amazing how whenmore than a handful of people know your name and can buy your merch, theirsense of entitlement turns you into a thing to be owned.

It’s not like Virgil meant tobecome famous anyway. It just sorta happened.

And now he’s shopping in some small-townmom-and-pop store on a weekday morning. He had to make a pit-stop on his longdrive back home to Florida. Sure, he could have gotten home faster if he’dridden in a plane. He could also set this store on fire or go jump in a lakewhile strapped to an anvil. Doesn’t mean he’s going to.

The point is, Virgil is very awareof how famous he is, and despite wearing the hood of his jacket up and perhapslooking the more conspicuous for it, he can sense that someone somewhere inthis store is watching him.

Virgil glances down the aislebehind him, but there’s nothing. Again.

He lets out a huff of air andcontinues to peruse the candy section. He’s got a craving for something sour,but he’s not looking to get accosted here.

He swipes up a packet of gummy wormsand goes around to the chip rack next. Virgil subtly peeks around the store,noting the two guys manning the register counter. They look young, maybe aroundtwenty. They’re more talking and laughing rather than working. Other than them,there’s this one nerdy looking guy in a tie and glasses over by the stationary.The store seems empty otherwise.

Virgil picks up a large bag of sourcream ‘n onion and nearly screams when there’s a mustached face poking out inthe space left behind.

“Boo!” the man says.

“Fuck off!” Virgil growls andthrows the chip bag right at the face.

A series of snickers come back fromthe candy aisle that Virgil had just vacated. Pissed off and heart racing, hewhips his head around to see some guy in a bowler hat.

“I do believe the phrase ‘got you’fits this scene well,” Bowler Hat says.

“You didn’t ‘get’ anything,” Virgilhisses.

“Oh? So you didn’t just jump likeyou’d seen a ghost?”

“He definitely jumped, Dee! He evenpeed his pants!” Mustached Man cackled, coming out from behind the chip rack.

“I didn’t—” Virgil went to defendhimself but found it pointless. These guys just seemed like assholes. “Justleave me alone.”

“Oh poo, have some fun would you?”

“Now Remus, let’s not annoy him toomuch. Wouldn’t want him to storm out.”

Storm.

He made it very clear that he knewVirgil’s last name. If the pointed pun didn’t say as much, the smarmy grin onBowler Hat’s face surely did.

Virgil tried not to show how muchthat got to him.

“So what? You know who I am. Bigdeal. Buzz off and let me shop in peace.” If these two kept harassing him orworse, Virgil could always threaten to call the cops. Then again, cops took afew minutes to respond, and it only took less than a second to die.

New plan. Virgil could throw downthe chip rack and then run for his life. And if that didn’t work, he carriedpepper spray on his person for a reason.

“What brings someone such asyourself to our neck of the woods?” Bowler Hat questioned, not leaving Virgilalone in the slightest.

Mustached Man jumped up beside hisfriend, leaning an arm against his shoulder to loudly whisper, “I bet he needsto hide a dead body!”

Virgil’s eye twitched. “Yeah,because that’s the only reasonable explanation, right?”

Mustached Man nodded in agreement. “Nothingelse to do around here.”

“It does get rather dull here,”Bowler Hat mused. He brushed his gloved fingers over his chin.

Seriously, who the hell were theseguys? And were they intentionally being low-key threatening? Perhaps not, butthat’s how they were coming across anyway.

“That’s nice.” Virgil smiled in away that showed his utter contempt. Better than showing his fear. “Now if you’redone bothering me, I’ve got things to buy.”

He would have liked something morethan just the gummy worms, but he no longer felt hungry enough to risk hislife.

Virgil walked away, his stepspicking up speed as he heard Mustached Man barking at him.

He was never stopping anywhere everagain.

________________________________________________________________

Roman sat at the register counter,bored out of his mind.

“Patton, my loyal companion. Remindme why we’re here again?”

“Because we get paid to be here.”

“Ah.” Roman nodded, eyes narrowedin deep understanding.

Then he slumped over with a whimperingwhine. His head banged against the countertop.

“Awww, cheer up Ro-Ro! We’ve only gota few more hours left of our shift!”

“My shackled soul is unmoved byyour comfort. They are but mere words in the face of unforgiving oppression.”

“…so what you’re saying is that youneed a pun, right? Or maybe a hug. A combination of the two? A pug. Oh!Doggy!”

Roman snorted as Patton’s train ofthought derailed. He sat up to stare at his coworker and long-time friend.

He snapped his fingers. “Focus,Puffball.”

“Oh, right,” Patton said,refocusing. His expression became determined. “Go on and get all the angst out,kiddo. I’m all ears.”

“Retail suuuuuucks,” Roman concluded.“My creative spirit yearns for a place I can spread my wings and thrive! I ammeant for bigger and better stages. You see this face? You hear this voice? Alltoo good to be squandered away in Backwoodsville, Tennessee.”

“We don’t live in Tennessee.”

“My point is that I am a work ofart, and yet I am left collecting dust in grandma’s attic. It is a crime! Theuniverse should give me a break already.”

From the stationary aisle, afamiliar voice contributed to the conversation, “Perhaps if you put nearly asmuch effort into publicizing yourself to the entertainment community instead ofwhining, you wouldn’t be stuck where you are now.”

Roman slammed a hand on thecounter. “No one asked you, Microsoft Nerd!”

Logan smirked and resumed hisshopping. They knew each other of course. It was hard not to recognize everyonewhen you worked in one of the only stores in town. Plus all three of them hadgone to high school together.

Patton patted Roman’s shoulder insympathy. “I think what Logan’s trying to say is that you’ve got loads of potentialand I’m sure someone’s going to notice one day.”

“That is not what I said at all,but go off I guess,” Logan stated.

Roman flipped him off. Somehow, despitehis back turned to him, Logan must have sensed it and returned the gesture rightback to him.

Patton swatted at Roman’s hands. “Don’tbe ugly!”

“That’s impossible for someone likeme.” Roman grinned.

Patton sighed. “What am I going todo with you?”

“Love me, of course.”

Patton giggled.

“Hi,” a clipped voice cut in. Romantore his attention away from the agony of his life to regard the customer athis counter.

Roman hopped up from his seat andshifted flawlessly into his customer service spiel. “Hello! Ready to check out?”

“Yeah,” the man nodded, his hoodfalling back a bit at the movement.

Roman smiled. He recognized thejacket brand and was about to compliment the customer’s taste.

Their eyes met briefly and Roman’sheart exploded.

Virgil Storm.

Virgil freaking Storm was standingat his register counter.

No. No it couldn’t—

HOLY SHIT!

“That’s it,” Virgil Storm said,tossing a pack of sour gummy worms onto the counter. He briefly glanced overhis shoulder as if to look for something. He wasn’t really paying attention toRoman, so he didn’t catch being ogled.

Oh god, Virgil Storm was standingat his register. No matter how many times Roman looked, Virgil Stormstood there, and all Roman could do was ogle him.

Roman suddenly found the candypacket very interesting.

If he kept his head down, nothingbad would happen, right?

“Uh . . . that’s it,” Virgil saidagain, and Roman realized that he’d been standing there frozen.

Willing his limbs to unthaw, Romanmechanically reached for the candy and ran it over the scanner. A beep sounded,and with a stiff arm, he punched for the total.

“Your total is . . . a number.”

“What?”

Roman couldn’t even look up farenough to check the screen. How could he? When one of his idols stood beforehim. He owned all of this man’s albums, for God’s sake!

“Yes,” Roman said, as if thatexplained everything.

“Okay . . .” Virgil said. Heshuffled, presumably getting his wallet out or something. Internally, Roman wasscreaming to Patton for help, but sadly his friend had never mastered telepathy.In fact, he had no idea what Patton was doing right now. He wasn’t sayinganything, that was for sure. Did he even recognize the celebrity in their storeright now?

“Here,” Virgil offered a five-dollarbill.

Roman blinked at it. Wasn’t VirgilStorm rich? Why was he using cash when he could use a card?

Carefully, lest he mess up andforever embarrass himself, Roman reached up and took the bill from him. Theirfingers weren’t even close to touching, but Roman still felt like he’d steppedon a live-wire, a shock racing through his system.

Roman had dreamed many a time ofcasually running into his idols. He imagined nearly daily of becoming likethem, of leaving his mark, of impressing those that he looked up to. He wouldbe suave and graceful and witty, a dazzling star in the making who would sweepthem off their feet.

Instead Roman hunched in on himselfand began to cry.

“Oh shit, are you okay?” VirgilStorm asked him, and that somehow made everything worse.

Roman covered his face with hishands and sniffled. “I’m just feeling a little emotional right now.”

How mortifying.

A hand rubbed at his back. “Sorry,he’s having a quarter-life crisis,” he heard Patton explain.

Roman threw up his arms,tear-streaked face be damned. “PATTON! That’s not why I’m crying.”

“It’s okay Ro, it happens to a lotof people. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

“I knew retail work was hell, butgeez,” Virgil commented.

Patton nodded in sympathy. “Hereally wants to be on Broadway someday.”

“Patton,” Roman gasped in admonishment.“You can’t just be telling V— telling people about my silly dreams.”

“Why’s it silly?” Patton asked. “You’reso talented! You’ll make it, I know you will. You’ve just gotta keep trying.”

This could not be happening rightnow. Roman wanted to curl up in the employee’s bathroom and die.

“Broadway, huh?” Virgil asked.

Screw going to the bathroom. Roman coulddie on the spot.

“Ridiculous, huh?” Roman tried tolaugh at himself. If he laughed at himself first, it’d hurt less when everyoneelse did.

Virgil shrugged. “Not really.Someone’s got to do it, right?”

Oh.

No rejection.

Just a practical sense of hope.

Someone’s got to do it, and thatcould be him.

Roman blushed and gazed down at hisfeet. “Thank you . . .”

“No problem. Just uh, feel better Iguess.”

It was clear Virgil found this situationawkward but was trying to be considerate. For that, Roman was extremely grateful.

“Dee! Remus! What are you doing inhere? You know you’re banned!” Patton hollered, moving around the counter. Hehad his stern face on and a broom in hand. The two troublemakers would do wellto run while they still could.

They watched Patton chase Dee andRemus off.

“Does that happen a lot?” Virgilasked Roman.

“Only about every other day.”

Virgil didn’t say anything, soRoman went ahead and finished the transaction.

“Here’s your change,” Roman saidmeekly, handing the correct amount back to him.

“Thanks,” Virgil said, pocketingthe money. He picked up his gummy worms yet hesitated.

“Something else?” Roman wondered.

Virgil scratched the back of hishead. “To be honest, I wanted to get more stuff. But those guys were beingcreepy . . . But they’re gone now, so . . . would it be weird if I went to getmore stuff?”

Roman’s lips twitched up into asmile. “You didn’t judge me, so I’m not going to judge you.”

Virgil smirked. “Thanks.”

___________________________________________

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