#but he fills out like 8 separate things I find attractive in men

[idkwhattocallmyselfs-stuff]

I was PEACEFULLY watching a show and I was NORMAL about it which has NEVER happened before and I was so EXCITED to finally have a show to watch comfortably and casually and not INSANELY and this ADORABLE, SMARMY little fuck came along and he’s FUNNY and ANNOYING and SMART and a PAIN IN THE ASS and he READS BOOKS, and JANE AUSTEN and he loves MUSIC and he wears LAYERED SHIRTS and SWEATERS and he has BROWN EYES and a CUTE SMILE and now I’M IN LOVE AND I’M MAD ABOUT IT.

[babytaes]

The Kickback

summary: What happens when your long-life crush's secret is discovered? In hopes of not wanting him to find out, what do you do... nothing.

pairing: dk x female reader

genre: fluff, slice of life, crack lol.

warnings: profanity

word count: 3k

a/n: today is my birthday and I wanted to share this one that has been in my drafts for so long. this campus life is stressful but I’m finding time to upload here and there. I hope you enjoy and have a great day/night. Much love from Babytaes! :) Also I really didn’t read this over sooo... if it doesn’t make sense. Take it up with corporation. 

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“Dear diary, I saw my crush today. I saw him in the living room after my brother invited him over with another friend. It's not as if I'm scared of him. I've spoken with him numerous times. I mean, I'm almost fluent in his language, lol. Seeing him and hearing his boisterous laugh was still entertaining. I'm wondering if he'll be at the kickback this weekend; if so, maybe I'll have the bravery to approach him. Okay, goodbye journal, love y/n.”

Your life consisted of short, insignificant interactions with him; however, when you had a crush, life was exciting and unpredictable. Since you're so near to him on a daily basis, your crush increased exponentially as you couldn't control your intrusive thoughts.

Yes, you did think of him, probably 25/8. It's not like you didn't know him, but you only knew the head version of him. And we all know they could be two different people. So the only thing left to do is keep it secret.

It's impossible for your secret to come out when you're the only one who knows about it. Right? Unfortunately, this isn't a movie, and your secret was revealed, and the perpetrator was none other than your arch-nemesis, Boo Seungkwan.

Okay, not quite that far, but you and him frequently collided because you and him could never agree on anything. He's just Boo, and he has his own behavior category.

He was the second-to-last person you wanted to find out about, after your crush, of course. From this point on, your life was not going as planned.

Your secret would never be revealed to Lee Seokmin, and you would do anything to protect it.

“What are you doing?” You leapt to your feet as you hurriedly closed your diary, terrified of prying eyes.

You rolled your eyes and stuffed your journal into a drawer with random papers, saying, "Shit, why don't you ever knock."

“Well, this is my shared dorm, and you're basically free living here,” he chuckled. You gave him a sidelong glance.

He was right.

“Is that a way you treat your twin? Is it now.”

He strolled away, completely oblivious to your yelling, and into the kitchen.

“Shut up, and get your ass out here we have to go shopping for the kickback. If you’re not out in 10 I’m leaving your ass.”

Great sibling love, what more could you ask for.  As much as you know that this is the way he expresses his love, you still got up and started getting ready for the day despite his warning.

Amidst your constant disagreements with him, you still loved him. The only problem was that you had to keep your love interest hidden from him. You could see it now and the big brother trying to protect and all that annoying shit.

You were old enough to take care of yourself and you didn’t want unruly men to ruin something that you wanted for so long.

“Coming, if you leave me, I'll tell Mom.” And I think we can all agree that I am the favorite twin.” As he slammed the fridge door shut, you could hear his huge scoffs.

You hurriedly grabbed your purse and beanie as you dashed for the door, laughing at his tantrums. He had a habit of leaving you behind.

We will not speak of March 5, 2017.

“Hey, wait up,” you said as you ran to his car and jumped in before him, grabbing the aux before him.

He started the car and sped out of the dorm parking lot on his way to the store, saying, "You're such a pain in the ass."

“Oh, don't act as if you don't love me.”

“Whoever said I did must have lied to you. Mingyu laughed as he accelerated through Seoul's crowded streets.

The jokes, the laughter, and the love were all part of the experience of living with one of the biggest Kpop groups.

You wouldn’t have it any other way!

While listening to your playlist, the song "Come to You" perfectly complemented the mood.

You smiled as you passed many streets and watched the busy lives of many different people. You could say you had an imaginative mind.

We arrived at the store a long way down the road, grabbed one of the carts, and proceeded to a separate aisle of the store.

Buying stuff was always expensive with a party of 13 and more friends on the way. Almost everything had to be doubled, and the meat had to be tripled. When throwing a party, everyone is required to provide a dish.

You didn't seem to mind; after all, you weren't paying, so you just chilled on the cart while you watched Mingyu placed the goods in neatly.

You told Mingyu to grab a specific chip as you walked to the chip aisle, and he furrowed his brow.

“What are those? I've never seen them before.

"Dokyeom likes them," you blurted out without a second thought. As you mentally processed what you had said, you stared at him with wide eyes.

Shit.

“When they're not there, Dokyeom and Soonyoung get upset.” You shook your head and scooted by him, tossing two bags into the overflowing shopping cart.

“Oh-okay I guess you can get them.”

As you pushed the cart toward the cashier, you mentally slapped yourself in the face. You were certain that you would not crack.

The ride home was silent as the only noise was the continuous taps from Mingyu's fingers on the wheel.

Mingyu called wonwoo on his phone as he drove up to the dorm and asked him to help with the groceries.

As you heard Mingyu pout over the phone, he refused, and not even minutes after, wonwoo is strolling down the driveway on his way to the car.

“You shouldn't even have picked up I know I wouldn't"  Wonwoo pushed your shoulder and chuckled at your humor. “I know”

“Heyyy I'm right here,” Mingyu began to sulk as he observed his sister speaking without him.

You and wonwoo both chuckled as you gathered your belongings and began walking away from Mingyu.

---

The days went by slowly as you reached the door. It was time to leave the house. You grabbed a jacket and purse. Today, the boys went to Hybe for a quick practice session before heading out for the weekend.

Because you are such a good friend and thoughtful person, you decided to buy them a few drinks as a gift. It wasn't anything special, you didn't want to see anyone, noo.

It took some time to order everything, especially with the large number of 13 items. Since you've known each other for most of your lives, the drinks on the list haven't changed. Ice Americanos and Frappes were the most popular drinks.

As soon as you arrived at the Hybe building, you swiftly grabbed the bag containing the drinks and proceeded to their floor. You finally made it to their practice room after thanking the employees for their assistance.

Slowly pushing the door open, you drew the attention of almost everyone as they turned to face you. As a number of them raced over to you and took the beverages from you, smiles crept across their faces.

As they sipped their drinks, the room was filled with thank yous and hellos.

The voice of an angel said, "Thanks again, y/n." He gave you a short smile before returning to his practice. Oblivious to people around you, words spilled out.

“Fuck, he's so attractive.”

“Whose good looking?” As you slowly turned around, you heard a voice speaking to you from behind you.

Fuck

It's Boo Seungkwan. He smiled at you as he grabbed a drink from your hand. He cocked his head as he sipped it, and his eyes widened.

“Don’t tell me you said dokyeom is good looking, no fucking way.”

As you coughed to relieve the high tension in the air, you started to mentally sweat.

“That's insane, I said the room was in good condition," you said as you slapped his shoulder and shook your head.

Come on, y/n, that didn't even make sense.

“You know you're not going to fool me, y/n?” Afraid that someone would find out, you dragged him into a back room and locked the door behind him

“Shit..shit..shit. If you tell anyone, I swear I'll -

Laughing, before raising his eyebrows after taking a sip of his americano, he cut you off.

"You're right, this is important information. But you already know that I'll keep my mouth shut about the situation. I don’t even know what we’re talking about right now.”

Seungkwan heard dokyeom announce that practice had resumed as the door opened. Before he left, he smiled at you and waved goodbye.

“Y/n and dokyeom in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. As you were about to leap across the couch to silence him, he jumped up and ran out of the door laughing.

All of a sudden, your mind was filled with confusion and paranoia.

It became increasingly difficult to watch them practice as the session progressed. Your thoughts were not positive, and your attitude was slowly deteriorating.

Imagining the worst-case scenario. You paced in the back room when you heard a knock at the door. As you mentally prepared yourself, it caught you off guard. While walking side by side, Hansol and Seungkwan were whispering.

“Did they know?” You didn’t want anyone to find out so you ran, and didn’t stop running. To avoid society, you hurried out the door after saying a quick goodbye to the boys.

The goodbyes were not even heard as you hurried out of the Hybe parking lot without looking back. In a small group, information spreads quickly. And he was bound to find out.

Flushed and worried, you staggered into the dorm room. You knew your secret was going to get out eventually. In the case where Hansol and Seungkwan knew, Joshua is likely to know.

And since Joshua is close to the older boys, Seungcheol and Jeonghan know. The news would then spread to Hoshi, and then the entire performance team would be in the know.

The only remaining candidates are Mingyu and dk. If Mingyu finds out, it's game over for you at that point.

There was no point of living any more. Having completed a full loop of the house, you had come to your room for the final time. You slowly melted to the ground and fell out.

Dokyeon is more likely to know if Mingyu knows.

"What went wrong?" Unable to control yourself as you rolled around the floor, you erupted into a tantrum.

You sat up and shook your head, "I'll just have to leave the country," you said. "Man, you're so smart. Your plan y/n is fantastic."

You ran to your room, grabbed your suitcase from your closet, and began tossing things into.

No need to pack everything since you were only going to be gone for a year. As soon as your adrenaline slowed down, you began packing.

(A few hours later)

You were relieved when your clothes fit into your luggage when you had finally done packing. You were on your way now, and as long as it wasn't here, everything was good.

“Ah, I figured it out; now let's book it.”

When you approached the door, you unlocked it, and we were greeted with a pleasant surprise.

You walked up to the door and opened it, where you were greeted by Mingyu and his gang. Outside the door, you could see him, hao, dk, and wonwoo. They stared at you as they looked you up and down, perplexed as to why you appeared to be departing.

“Um, what is going on and where are you going?” Mingyu reacted with a rejoinder of his own.

Your throat felt as though it was clogging up, and you began sweating furiously under your armpits. Thank god for hoodies.

“Well, I was simply going to visit a friend's house,” you explained.

You knew he wouldn't believe you; he knew most of your friends, and they didn't live that far away for you to be carrying that much.

“First, that's a lie, and second, I need to speak with you, so your "buddy" will have to wait.” You sighed and closed your eyes.

Your escape had to wait.

Mingyu took your suitcase and slid it near the door, while the other members shuffled awkwardly into the room. While the other lads sat in the living room, Wonwoo went to his room.

“Maybe I could escape now?”

“What did you say y/n?” minghao said as he glanced at you.

You waved your hand in front of them and did a walk of shame to your room as you physically and mentally prepared yourself for whatever Mingyu had to say.

So much for your crush now.

Mingyu sat on the edge of your bed, arms crossed, staring at you.

“Sit down, he patted the bed on your side before lightly coughing.

"Some rumors have been going around, so I wanted to clear the air."

Seeing what he was about to say made your heart race, and you couldn't take it any longer. Does anyone else hear their loud banging, could Mingyu hear it?

You leapt to your feet and shouted at him before apologizing on your knees.

What a sight to see, a grown ass woman on her knees apologizing to her twin brother.

“I apologize; I should have told you first, but I was afraid you'd tell him. That's why I kept it a secret and plus dating a member of seventeen. That's dangerous enough-“.

Mingyu's "WHAT" cut you off.

You came to a halt as he got up, slowly staring up at him.

“Wait, weren't we discussing my crush on Dokyeom or something else?” Worries began to creep in as sweat began to accumulate on your brow.

“What the fuck, you have a crush on do-?” you exclaimed as you jumped to your feet and tackled Mingyu to the ground.

“Don't say it so loudly; he'll hear you.” As Mingyu began to pace around the room, as he pushed you off of him.

You could see his anger as he panicked, and his small rage tantrum was truly uncomfortable because he couldn't communicate his ideas to you because he was afraid of his companions' sensitive ears.

He pointed to the door and said, "Wait, so you do have a crush on him." You sighed, shaking your head.

As he walked away from you, he had another outburst.

Everything is now turning to shit, this was your only chance.

“I have to escape” you said as you dashed out the door and to your suitcase. Mingyu was standing behind you, staring at you in terror.

It wasn't in the plan for you to fall on him, but it was still nice. Focus y/n.

“I’m sorry, dokyeom; it was my fault. I didn't realize you were there. “Are you okay?” As you extended your hand to him, you pushed yourself off of him.

“Yeah, I'm OK, are you okay?” he asked. You've had quite a tumble.”

“Yeah I’m good, I live with a clumsily brother so I’m fine”

“Hey!"

You swiftly let go of each other and placed your hands behind your back as you became embarrassed.

“Hey, Seungcheol texted the group chat and said he wants to go out to eat. He said whoever can come.”

The boys instantly got ready as they wanted to eat, food is a great scapegoat. As you saw them exit the dorm, you took a step back and found your way back to your room.

“Is leaving still an option?” you murmured into your pillows, plopping your exhausted body on your bed and overthinking life.

---

You rolled over and looked at the clock, which reads 9:30 a.m.

You turned over in your bed, unable to yell, and trudged to the bathroom to make yourself presentable.

“What have you gotten yourself into, y/n?” You stripped off your clothing and stepped into the hot water after turning on the shower.

You didn't spend much time in the shower, but today you were engrossed in how your plan had devolved into this ordeal.

Resting your head on the tile as the hot water traced down your back, you contemplated on what the HELL you were going to do.

*BANG BANG*

“Y/n hurry up, we have to prepare.”

Hearing Mingyu's voice drew you back to reality as you turned off the water and got out of the shower, unlocking the door and letting him in.

“Hey, no snarky remark?” he said as he watched you walk to your room with your head down. You ignored him as you closed the door and prepared for the party.

It didn't take long for your calm disposition to be noticed, since you were the outspoken one. Even if you tried to fake it, it didn't work out.

You grinned as you walked through the background of Seungcheol and Jeonghan shared housing, looking at the celebration.

There were groups of people near the pool, at the grill, and even by the chairs, as you could see.

“Hey, bring the food inside; I'll take the meat to cheol,” mingyu said, shaking your head as you picked up the bags and headed to the kitchen, where you recognized some familiar faces.

“Y/nnnnnnnnn, heyyyyy, I’ve missed you.” When you saw her, you put the bags on the counter and hugged her, smiling into her embrace.

“It's great to see you again, yeji; how are you and the rest of the group doing?” Are the others here?” As she led you back outside, she interlaced your hands in hers.

You saw dokyeom and a few other people descend the steps before you left, as he waved and gave you a quick glance.

As you reach for a drink from the cooler, your heart begins to race. Something had to be turned off if you wanted to make it through the night, and this was the only way.

You took a sip and coughed loudly as you followed Yeji to the poolside.

It was going to be a long night for you.

---

As you and a group of individuals began to dance uncontrollably, the effects of the alcohol in your system began to show as you staggered to the grill.

“HeEeeyyYY, Wheeeere d'ya think yeeeeer goin’?” you slurred, jabbing a finger into seungcheol’s back

The other members laughed as they glanced at you, plainly detecting your intoxication.

“I forgot how drunk you can get, so why don't you take a break,” your overprotective brother says, making you scream within.

He always did this.

Gerroff me!” you said. “I’m ash sober ash ’m gonna git. And nuffink I - wait wait wait - nuffink you can do ‘boutit.” As you ambled back to the kitchen without so much as a hiccup in their direction, they laugh.

As you struggled to reach the door, you fell forward and were grabbed by a hand. As he lifted you from your imminent doom, his hold felt warm. With your eyes enlarged, you focused on the individual and stared at his face.

As you grabbed on to him, your words tumbled out of your mouth, “Ohmygoshimsosorry.” He drew you closer to him by taking your hands in his.

Saying your heart was racing was an understatement, it was literally pounding out of your chest. You were hand in hand with your crush, who you believed was exceptionally attractive and talented, and you wished he knew more about your sentiments or could somehow fill them.

But you know no huge idol like him would go for you. Feeling that made you sober up real fast as you felt your arm being pulled upstairs, you had no idea where you were going but it looked like someone's room.

Dokyeom eased open the door as he sat you on the bed and went to get some water from a little fridge. He handed it to you and sat next to you.

“Thanks”

“No problem, also I've been trying to talk to you all night but you appear to be occupied.”

As you took a sip of water, your heart began to beat faster; “waitttt, we donthavetotalk. Let’s dance! As he chuckled at your erratic movements, you began to wander around the room, pulling your hands into yours.

The alcohol was definitely making its way out of your system.

As he spun you around, his body in tune with the music, the bass of the song could still be heard. Even though this felt like a dream you didn’t quite care at the moment. Was it because you'd finally met the boy from your dreams, or was it because he wanted to meet you in person?

Your connection with him got stronger by the second, as did your heartbeat, which began to rise steadily with it. You couldn't keep stalling any longer; you needed to listen to what he was saying.

“I think I'm sober up for now,” you said as you let go of his hand.

Dokyeom chuckled before tossing his head back, “I didn't realize you could move like that” he said as they sat back on the bed, a little closer than before.

“I guess I learnt a few things along the way when you're friends with the best dancers out here.” As you finished your sentence, he peered into your eyes, making no sound as the room fell silent.

“Soo, what did you want to talk about?” you awkwardly state to relieve some tension in the air.

“I don't know how to explain it, but I kind of heard your "secret" as it passed through the practice room, and I simply wanted to be the first one to tell you about it because-

Your heart stopped pounding as your world came crashing down around you. You didn't want to hear it; the rejection; you'd rather live in your fantasy world, where you don't have to worry about anything. It wasn't true if you didn't hear it.

“Wait, if you can't reconcile those feelings, don't say anything; just let me go.” They're probably curious about our whereabouts anyway.” And with that, you stood up and walked towards the door, but you were pulled back by his hand.

He kissed you as swiftly as his hands linked with yours. You were taken aback at first by his passion, but you regained your calm and reminded yourself of what was going on: he was really kissing you, and you were really kissing him, and the rest of the world was inconsequential.

You were chilling on the outside while shouting for joy at the top of your lungs on the inside, as if your inner child had been set free. You had to be sure if this was a dream or if it was happening in real life.

“Ouch”

“Why did you do that?” Dokyeom asked as he gripped your arm in his.

“I had to double-check that I wasn't dreaming; this isn't the first time something like this has happened to me.”

“So you're saying I've been in your dreams?” he laughed as he cocked his head to the side and placed his hand in yours.”

You smacked your forehead and shook your head, realizing you couldn't get out of this one, and now he knew you fantasize about him. You didn't mind because the lad of your dreams was right in front of your eyes.

AND HE WAS HOLDING YOUR MF HAND. It was clear that your diary needed to be updated.

Stopping at the door, you placed your palm on his chest and worriedly stared at him.

“Wait, how did you find out?” 

“Well, a tiny birdie was chattering loudly about it, his name rhymes with coo,” he said as he grabbed your hand in his and opened the door and began the walk downstairs.

“Fucking Boo Seungkwan”

[fanmoose12]

catch me if you can

Сharacters: Hange Zoe, Levi, Erwin Smith, Kenny Ackerman

Genres: Mystery / Romance

Summary: The Ackerman duo. Just the mention of this name filled Hange with so many feelings. Mostly, when she reread the files of their cases over and over, until her eyes watered, she felt pricking annoyance. Sometimes, when she stared at the dead bodies of those scarce unfortunates who stumbled upon their crimes, she was filled with hatred and a pushing need for revenge. Hange couldn’t deny, however, there were times when she marveled at the impudence of their crimes. And, when she was investigating the Ackerman’s cases and saw just how meticulously planned they all were, she couldn’t help but feel something close to fascination.No one knew who they were. No one had seen their faces, no one knew their true names. Almost everyone knew of their crimes.Hange was determined to unravel every last one of their secrets. She will put an end to their crimes and then she will get the elusive Ackermans behind bars.

Chapter 11/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Сhapter 9

Chapter 10

The gala was so much grander than anything Hange could have ever imagined.

The Reiss manor looked imposing and splendid enough from the outside, but the interior was something else entirely, straight up from a fairytale.

As they walked through the black heavy doors, a magnificent stairwell stood in front of them. The stairs were covered by a red carpet, the railings adorned by flower arrangements and all around them were tall candelabra that bathed the room in a gentle, yellow light.

If that’s how the hallway looked, Hange didn’t know what she should expect from the ballroom.

“We should be more careful,” Ackerman whispered in her ear, startling her. With all that beauty around, she forgot that he was walking by her side. She almost forgot why they came here in the first place. “There is a shit ton of security.”

“Huh?” mouth open wide, Hange turned her head from one side to another, looking around the room. How did she miss the security?

“Four-eyes,” Ackerman hissed, pulling on her hand. “Stop acting like a child in the circus. You’re the inheritor of the biggest hotel chain in the country, remember? Behave accordingly.”

“Right, right,” Hange mumbled, lifting her chin and relaxing her shoulders. While giving her a suit, Ymir also assigned her a role. She had to play it off accordingly. “Do I look arrogant enough now?”

Ackerman’s eyes ran through her entire form, following every inch of her burgundy suit. Hange almost blushed under his gaze. “You’re fine,” he breathed out finally. Dressed in a black three-piece suit and with his hair sleeked back to reveal his face and steely eyes, he looked more than just fine. But… Hange didn’t come here to ogle the man. She had a job, she just had to keep that in mind. “And there,” he leaned closer to her, discreetly pointing out at the men in black suits that stood in every corner of the room, still as stone. “That’s where security is. You would have noticed them have you not gaped like a fish.”

Hange ought to kick him for that. At the very least, she ought to throw some curse at him. But his proximity had her heart racing and his hot breath on her cheek had her skin flashing. It had her remembering the today’s morning, when she had woken up to find Ackerman sleeping on her couch. He looked so damn adorable, his mouth slightly open, his face relaxed and so damn attractive. Hange stood there for a long, long minute, staring at him, peacefully snoring, before she surrendered to her weakness and went back to the bedroom to bring a blanket and drape it over him.

She ran into the bathroom immediately after, in dare need of a long, relaxing shower. As she finished, she walked into the hallway and was met with a strong smell that had her mouth filling with saliva. Cautiously, she travelled to the source of it. That’s where she saw Ackerman, who was now wide awake and standing in her kitchen, cooking breakfast out of what little he could find in her refrigerator and humming some pop song under his breath. The sight was so fucking domestic that Hange had to stop herself from sneaking up on him to hug him from behind.

That urge was so sudden, so absurd, it came out of nowhere.

She blamed the weird, annoying impulse on the hangover that had her head pulsing for hours after she had woken up. It also made her feel nauseous but Hange wasn’t entirely sure if the heavy and uneasy sensation was caused by the alcohol, the events of last night, and, especially an accident with Erwin, or the damn butterflies that fluttered around in her stomach every time hers and Ackerman’s eyes met.

Focus, she scolded herself, moving away from Ackerman. Just a few inches were separating them now, but even that was enough to bring some clarity to her thoughts.

“Everyone here is so fucking rich,” she mumbled more to herself than her companion. “I bet that lady’s dress costs more than my annual income. How did Ymir manage to get tickets to this thing?”

“More scamming on her part, I presume,” Ackerman muttered, his lips sliding downwards in the expression of displease. Oh, right, Hange had almost forgotten about the tender bond Ymir and Ackerman had formed during last evening. “And she made me donate a fucking insane amount of money to some charity fund.”

“You donated… stolen money?”

“Of course, I donated stolen money,” he snapped. “I don’t have any kind of other money. In that regard, I’m not so different from these pigs around us. At least, I don’t try to appear nobler than I am.”

And yet Ackerman was noble, even though he was so adamant at hiding this part of him from the others. He could have left her behind last night, could have escaped to attempt to find his uncle on his own. But he hadn’t left. He hadn’t escaped. He had called Erwin and asked him to take care of her.

Hange still didn’t know what to make of it. Ackerman’s kindness confused and perplexed her. It made her wonder how much of his Levi’s persona was a lie.

Was it a lie, at all?

The sight of a grand ballroom in front of her snapped Hange out of her reverie.

The room was majestic – high golden ceiling, adorned with white, intricate ornaments, tall windows, marble statues that stood by the walls, a giant, glistening chandelier that showered every inch of the room with warm, gentle light. On the other side was a stage, where an orchestra was placed. A dozen musicians prevailed over the chatter of the guests, the violins, piano, cellos and trombones worked as one to enhance the atmosphere of the event with a slow, pleasant melody.

Remembering Ackerman’s advice, Hange paid a more thorough attention, not only admiring her surroundings, but also keeping a close eye on every guest, searching for Frieda Reiss’ youthful and pretty face.

“There she is,” Ackerman pointed his chin at the woman in blue dress that was standing next to a balcony.

“We can’t go there now,” Hange shook her head, taking note of the several men that were conversing with Frieda. A little distance away she also saw a couple of men in black that watched the perimeter. “It’d be best if we attract as little attention as possible. Let’s wait until she is alone.”

“While we’re waiting, we can—”

“No!” Hange grabbed his wrist, pulling Ackerman back to her. “We’re not going to snoop around the house until we talk with Frieda. This will be our last resort.”

If someone would catch them in the act… A shudder ran through her at the mere thought.

In her haste to stop Ackerman, she didn’t think twice about touching him. As she realized that her fingers were still wrapped around his slim wrist, Hange wanted to pull away. But just as she was meaning to let go, Ackerman took a hold of her palm, intertwining their fingers.

“If we continue staring at Frieda like that, we’ll be sticking out like a sore thumb. We have to mix with the crowd.” Hange felt her stomach drop. She was almost certain what his next words would be. And she didn’t like it. “We can go and mingle with the guests…”

And possibly risk exposing themselves and alerting every one of their true intentions in the process.

“Or…” Ackerman had his gaze focused on the center of the room, where a dozen or so couples were spinning around in tact with the music. “How about we take it to the dancefloor, detective?”

Logically, Hange knew that it was a good idea. If they go dancing, they wouldn’t attract much attention and they would be able to discreetly track Frieda’s movements. But from a personal standpoint… she couldn’t imagine a prospect that was more undesirable to her.

She swallowed, accepting her fate. The logical part of her won.

“Let’s do this,” she pulled Ackerman closer, approaching the dancefloor like she was marching to war.

Once they were there, surrounded by laughing, happy couples, she put her hand on the small of his back, her other clasping his palm. His suit was soft under her touch, his warmth radiating through the fabric. His hand was rough and calloused, but his grip was gentle, feather light.

“Be careful”, Erwin had said to her last night, his blue eyes boring into hers with intensity that was so rarely aimed at her, “you’re playing with fire.”

She scoffed at his dramatics last night, but now she could almost feel the flames, licking at her feet. They grew bigger, hotter as she looked into Ackerman’s eyes. They were the color of the stormy sky, dangerous and beautiful. Mesmerizing.

“The music choice is awful,” she complained with feigned discontent, a vain attempt to distract herself from the effect that bastard had on her. “This song is probably older than I am.”

“But it’s pleasant,” Ackerman remarked.

Hange couldn’t protest. The song was pleasant. The musicians were talented too, the trombone, cellos and piano mixed together wonderfully, creating a melancholic and magnificent melody. And dancing with Ackerman, being close enough to feel his body heat, to hear his breathing, to smell his woody cologne… it was pleasant as well.

Turning away from him, Hange forced her attention on the other side of the ballroom, where Frieda was now talking with an elderly couple. Frieda was smiling, brightly and genuinely. Her smile was almost identical to Historia’s. Perhaps, it would help them win Frieda’s favor today.

“It looks like we have to continue dancing,” she spun them around, providing Ackerman with the view of their target. With nothing else to do now, Hange continued talking, hiding her uneasiness behind mindless chatter. “You are a better dancer than I thought.”

“Once Kenny decided to steal a painting from the Opera House. I had to seduce one of the dancers to get the entrance key.”

In spite of herself, Hange chuckled. “Did you succeed?”

“Let’s just say that I was much more efficient at dancing than at seducing,” he said, his lips curling up. “And you? Where do detectives learn how to dance?”

“I was a member of the drama club, remember?”

Judging by Ackerman’s wide eyed look, he not only remembered about the drama club, but he was also surprised that Hange remembered talking about it.

Perhaps… she had disclosed more than she should have. Perhaps, it would have been wiser to play the drunken forgetful fool card. But before she could bath herself in mortification, Ackerman squeezed her hand a little tighter and whirled her around, compelling her to move forward.

“Frieda is alone,” he explained curtly. “We need to hurry.”

___

As it turned out, there was no need for hiding in the plain sight. Frieda was already aware of their presence.

“Hange Zoe,” as they approached, Frieda took a step forward, a sweet smile already on her lips. “My father has spoken highly about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Although, I do wonder,” her bright violet eyes glistened in the light, as she slowly looked both of them over. “What is a busy detective doing on my gala?”

“Investigating, of course,” Hange countered easily. “Would you mind answering a few questions?”

She didn’t have her trusty notebook with her, and its absence was felt keenly by her. Without it, Hange didn’t know where to put her hands. Distraughtly, she brought them behind her back, wringing them slightly. Her wrist was discreetly slapped not a second later.

Startled and confused, she threw a brief look at Ackerman. He was staring back at her, ‘don’t act so skittish’, his eyes seemed to tell her. Hange scoffed and kicked his foot. As if she didn’t know that already.

“You can ask your questions,” Frieda replied. “But I fail to see how my answers can help you find that missing girl of yours.”

“Ah, so you’re aware of my case? And Krista Lenz’s disappearance?”

“Perhaps, you’re also aware that Krista isn’t her real name,” Ackerman added.

There was a slight pause, a beat of silence that excited Hange. Did they manage to catch Frieda off guard so easily? But a moment has passed, and her composure returned. Her eyes narrowed, her gaze filling with suspicion, as she stared Ackerman down.

“My father failed to mention that you have a partner, detective Zoe. Didn’t you use to work alone?”

Ha! Hange thought. Frieda had to do a little better than that to keep her on her toes.

“This investigation is complicated, I need all the help I can get. And, Miss Reiss,” she held Frieda’s gaze, slowly curling her lips in a smile. “You haven’t answered our question. Do you know that Krista Lenz isn’t the girl’s actual name? Do you know that her real name is,” Hange paused, sharing with Ackerman a look full of anticipation. “Historia Reiss, which would make her…”

“Your sister,” Ackerman finished.

They’ve got her, Hange could feel it. They’ve laid all of their cards, now they just needed to give a final push and Frieda would crack. She could see those cracks already, appearing on her beautiful face.

Hold on, Historia, I’m coming for you

“If you know something about her disappearance, we’d be happy to—”

“No.” Frieda said, cutting Hange off.

“Huh?” Hange’s thoughts came to an abrupt stop after the sudden interruption. “No as if—”

“No as if I won’t help you. No as if I have no idea what you’re talking. No,” Frieda’s eyes flashed menacingly, as she stepped closer to Hange, “as if I don’t have time for this. No as if leave my house before I call security on you.”

“Wait a minute, I—”

“Hange,” Ackerman had his hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her away from Frieda. “No means no. Let’s go before we get into trouble.”

Hange let him take her away. She wasn’t ecstatic about their plan B, but she knew now that they had no other choice. If Frieda didn’t want to share the information willingly… they would take the information from her.

“Thank you for your time and enjoy your evening.” She told Frieda, before they disappeared back into the crowd.

___

With her hand securely grasped in his, Ackerman led her forward, effortlessly moving through small groups of people. He kept his head straight and his expression seemed nearly relaxed, but Hange could see the subtle movements of his eyes. He slowly swiped his gaze from one side of the room to another, noting a hundred different things, no doubt.

“You’ve studied the blueprints, right?” he asked in a voice no louder than a breath.

Hange nodded, an image of the map materializing in front of her eyes. If they were in the center of the house, then—

“We need to get to the left wing, Frieda’s room is at the end of the hallway.”

If Ymir’s map was correct. If no one would see them enter another – probably, locked - part of the building. If they wouldn’t get—

“Relax,” Ackerman gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “It will be fine.”

“But what if we will—”

“We won’t.” He calmly promised. “I won’t allow it. I’ll keep us safe, trust me.”

“I trust you,” she said. She didn’t add ‘to keep us safe’. Ackerman seemed to take note of that.

“Did you tell your boss about our plan?”

Did she tell Erwin? Of course, she did not. After a stern talking off she had received last night, she thought it was for the best if she didn’t share the details of their wonderful plan that involved breaking inside Reiss’ manor.

“I forgot to mention it last night.”

“What did—” Hange knew what he wanted to ask. But, perhaps, Ackerman wasn’t ready to hear her answer yet. She could relate with him on that. Hange also hadn’t been ready for everything Erwin had said to her. But she had no other choice. “Never mind, let’s focus on the plan.”

It was hard to do as he said, when Ackerman’s thumb kept brushing her knuckles with enough gentleness to make her weak in knees. Hange wasn’t sure if he was even aware of what he was doing, but her heart noticed, and now it was performing cart-wheels in her ribcage. This whole horseshit with feeling was starting to get really fucking annoying.

Hange yanked her hand out of his grasp with a loud huff. Ignoring Ackerman’s bewildered gaze, she continued moving through the crowd, evading dancing couples and laughing guests. Ackerman was at her heels, following her just a breath away. Even so, with their distance so miniscule, she felt so much better and calmer now.

But not for long. As soon as they approached the entrance, leading to the hallway, Ackerman wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her flush against him.

“Play along,” he whispered, before walking up to the two guards. “I’m sorry, but where is the bathroom? You see, my date here had a little too much champagne…”

He spoke so smoothly and confidently, going as much as adding a touch of caring to his voice. Hange wouldn’t let him best her at this, she was a member of the drama club for fuck's sake. She leaned heavily against Ackerman, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. Feeling him froze and his heartbeat pick up was the most delightful thing that happened to her the entire evening.

It was good to know that she wasn’t the only one who had her body rebel against her mind.

The guard guided them to a door on the other side of the stairs, and Ackerman thanked him and started dragging her towards it. Hange giggled, when she heard him let out a quiet curse.

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” he hissed, pulling another giggle out of her. Something witty and sarcastic was on the tip of her tongue, when Ackerman added, “I’ll be having my fun later.”

Huh? Before Hange could ask him to elaborate, Ackerman pushed her through the door inside the bathroom.

“Wait!” something very close to dread started to sink in her stomach. “Why are we here? Weren’t we supposed to get inside Frieda’s room?”

“Does Frieda’s room have a balcony?” Ackerman asked, ignoring her question completely.

“According to the blueprints, it does…”

“Can you find it from the outside?”

“I probably could, yes, but…”

“Excellent,” he promptly walked up to the window, opening it. “Then let’s go.”

Before Hange could protest, before she could curse him to hell and back, Ackerman lifted his leg, climbing out of the window. Hange watched him, eyes wide.

“What are you waiting for?” he urged, hanging from the windowsill. “Did you have another way to get inside her room?”

“I imagined it wouldn’t involve me jumping of the windows.”

“Don’t jump, climb out.”

Hange couldn’t fucking believe him. Don’t jump, he said as if it was a completely normal situation. Climb out, as if she knew how to do this shit.

She told Ackerman the very same thing.

“It’s easier that it looks,” he shrugged, still effortlessly hanging of the fucking window. Just how strong the bastard was? “C’mon, four-eyes, we don’t have all night. I can go alone if—”

“No.”

It was her fucking case, her investigation. And if she needed to climb out of the fucking window to finish it, then so be it.

“If I fall, I’m going to blame you,” she warned, as she threw over her leg. “Erwin will have your head for it.”

“You won’t fall,” he said. “I won’t let you.”

Hange looked him in the eyes to see if he was joking. She saw nothing but sincerity.

Fuck.

She threw her other leg over the windowsill, now hanging of it with her legs dangling in the air. She tentatively put them on a thin patch of cobblestone, testing her grounds.

Huh, it wasn’t as difficult as she had expected. The parapet underneath the window was wide for her to stand almost comfortably.

“Good thing Ymir got you a suit and not a dress,” Ackerman said. “Now where to?”

“Move to the left, to the end of the wall. And…”

“Yes?”

“Go slowly, alright? In case—”

“I got you, four-eyes. Don’t worry.”

Somehow, his words actually made her feel more at ease. And as she felt the wind on her face, Hange allowed herself a little grin. It was rather exciting.

Together, they started to move.

Hange never thought she’d be scaling a fucking wall, but here she was. As she tentatively travelled from one windowsill to another, she tried to breathe as quietly and calmly as it was possible. Her arms hurt from the exertion of supporting her weight, her legs were shaking and every time she caught the glimpse of the ground underneath, her excitement faded and her panic grew, closing up her throat and sending her insides flying. What made the whole ordeal just a little more unbearable were Ackerman and the way he easily performed his every move, calm and controlled. Hange would have snapped at him, if she wasn’t so afraid that opening her mouth would send her plummeting to her death.

“You won’t die if you fall down,” Ackerman said, possibly sensing her mental state. Or catching sight of her wide, terrified eyes and trembling hands. “You’ll just break your legs and arms and possibly injure your spine.”

Was it his attempt at giving comfort? He sucked at it.

“Just shut up,” she gritted through her teeth. Thank god this part of the building had no lights on. Hange didn’t even want to think what would have happened if someone saw them. Falling to her death didn’t seem that grave of a prospect compared to it.

Only a couple of windows stood between them and the balcony in Frieda’s room. Hange eternally thanked all the times Mike dragged her out the office and into a gym. Thanks to his insistence, her brain didn’t splatter across the pavement.

Hange released a sigh of pure relief, when she saw Ackerman reach the railing of the balcony and swing his legs over it.

The experience wasn't completely awful, Hange even enjoyed the surge of adrenaline and the wind gushing through her hair, but still... thank fuck, this nightmare was almost over.

But just as she had lifted her hand to touch the metal bar of the railing, her right foot slipped, missing the next cobblestone. She cried out, as her arms flared up, desperately trying to get a hold of something stable enough to support all of her weight. But the railing was still out of her reach, her other leg buckled under her, and Hange felt her heart stop, as she dangled from the wall, holding onto it with one trembling hand.

Her fingers were sliding down, slowly but surely. Hange closed her eyes, preparing for the fall.

But it never came.

Just as she started to descend, her arm was grasped, roughly yanking her upwards. Hange shot her head up, meeting the steel grey eyes. They were opened wide – worried, frightened.

“I’ve got you,” Levi husked, his voice thick with panic. “Hange, I’ve got you.”

He was craning over the railing, his upper body hanging of it. But despite the danger he was facing, he hold onto her tightly, grunting as he started to lift her up.

Hange did her best to assist him, grabbing the metal bar as soon as it was close enough. Even then, when she had it secured with a white-knuckled clasp, Ackerman didn’t let go of her hand.

With the last bit of effort, he got her out, flinging her over the railing and to the balcony marble floor.

Oxygen was able to enter her lungs only after Hange felt the ground beneath her body. Despite the precarious situation, her landing was not painful at all. It was rather soft, and Hange almost marveled at it out loud.

But then she finally made sense of her surroundings. She didn’t fall onto the ground. She fell on Ackerman.

This was starting to become a pattern.

Shocked and overwhelmed, Hange knew only one way to let out her emotions. She started laughing, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

“Are you alright?” he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, sounding as shaken as she was feeling.

Still laughing like crazy, Hange gave him a nod, rolling off him. “Sorry,” she mumbled, pushing her sweaty bangs from her face. “I didn’t mean to— well, you know.”

“You didn’t want to paint that lovely patch of ground with your blood? Good to know, four-eyes, I was starting to get worried.”

“Asshole,” despite herself, she snickered again. Jesus, she almost fucking died. But she didn’t, because of Ackerman. “Thank you, by the way. If it weren’t for you—”

“You’d be a mess, and you know how much I hate it,” he said, curling his lips up in a slight smile. It suited him, that smile. Hange almost reached towards him—

Perhaps, she had hit her head after all.

She turned away, getting to her knees. Her legs were still shaking, but she managed to get up. As soon as she was up, Ackerman appeared beside her. He took out the knife that was strapped to his calf and approached the balcony door. It was a tall glass door that consisted of two parts. Naturally, it was closed. Ackerman kneeled before it and with a move so swift Hange almost didn’t catch it, drove the knife in the slit between two parts of the door, moving it upwards until he heard a click. The door was opened in the next moment.

“Ready to find out what Lady Reiss is hiding?”

“As ready as ever,” Hange muttered, following Ackerman inside.

Frieda’s room looked exactly as Hange had expected the room of a rich heiress to look like. It was spacious, with high ceilings and tall windows that were partially covered by heavy green curtains. A large oak desk stood near the entrance to the balcony and next to it was an easel. The easel was enclosed by a white cloth.

Curious, Hange took it off, revealing an unfinished painting. Despite the drawing being nothing more than a rough sketch, that bright smile and big eyes were easily recognizable.

And Frieda had the gall to claim that she didn’t know Historia. Now they had a proof it was a lie. Well, she could continue lying all she wanted. Hange was going to uncover all of her secrets anyway.

“Go over her papers,” Ackerman said, taking a seat at Frieda’s desk. “I’ll see what she has in her computer.”

“What if it’s protected by a password?”

“That’s why I’ll be taking care of it. Unless… you know how to hack into computer?”

“You know how to hack into computer?” Hange asked incredulously.

“I’m a thief that police couldn’t catch for years, remember? A computer is nothing for me.”

Of course, of course, how could Hange forget that Ackerman was also a little cocky shit? However…

“I almost caught you,” she noted, matter-of-factly.

“You tricked us.”

“Traute tricked you. I merely asked her to do it.”

“That still counts as cheating.”

Cheating, Hange rolled her eyes. As if their game had any rules. As if it was a game at all.

“Where is Traute now, by the way?” Ackerman cautiously asked. “Is she…”

“She is alive, if that’s what you’re worried about. And in prison, serving her time. After she found out that your uncle is still free, she was more than happy for the opportunity to hide.”

“Oh, well, I’m glad she is well.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Had she not only failed to apprehend Ackermans but inadvertently caused the death of another person, Hange wouldn’t know what to do with herself after that giant of a fuck up. She wouldn’t know how to continue working after that. She wouldn’t know how to look in the mirror. She—

She shook her head, getting rid of these thoughts. Traute was alive and well, paying for her crimes in the safety of prison walls. She had a more pressing matter on her hands right now.

With moonlight serving as her lamp, Hange shifted through a pile of documents, official letters and sketches, all done by Frieda’s skillful hand. She carefully studied each piece of paper, hoping to find some kind of a clue.

She wasn’t that lucky.

And as she looked through page after meaningless page, her eyes started to wander. To the painting on the wall, to the beautifully decorated wardrobe, to the man sitting next to her – to his face, illuminated by a pale blue light of the computer screen, to his eyes that swiftly moved from side to side, to his mouth that was slightly opened in concentration.

Hange cursed under her breath, averting her gaze before Ackerman could catch her in the act.

“Also I’m not sure if you’re aware,” she began, feigningly detachment. “But leaving stupid notes on the scene of crimes isn’t the best course of action for a thief.”

“What?” he looked up, meeting her eyes.

“The notes,” Hange repeated. “The ones I found after every heist.”

“Ah, that. It was funny.”

“Funny?!”

What the fuck?

“It pissed you off. Watching you run around and curse was hilarious.”

Ackerman had sure enjoyed himself in those moments, if his fond tone of voice was anything to go by. Which made Hange so angry, but also made her wonder…

“Wait, you’ve seen me doing all of that? How?”

Ackerman turned his eyes back to the computer screen. His lips were pressed in a tight line before he mumbled, “Sometimes I stayed behind and watched.”

“You— what? Why? When? How I haven’t noticed?”

“No one notices the janitor.”

Hange stared at him in shock. Perhaps, Ackerman truly had a reason to feel gleeful. How could she not notice him? She should have noticed an attractive janitor, shouldn’t she? But then again, Hange always had a tunnel sort of vision, while she was at work.

“Anyway, that was very shitty of you,” she concluded, returning to the papers. “Mocking me like that…”

“I didn’t mock. I teased.”

“Isn’t that same thing?”

“Not quite.”

Hange scoffed and rolled her eyes. She never knew that banter could be so frustrating. Usually she was the one who infuriated other people. But Ackerman was just as good at the back and forth. A tough opponent, that’s for sure.

“Have you found something?” she asked him, as she put the stack of papers down. She looked at them for long enough to realize that she wouldn’t find anything that might be useful for them in any way. Perhaps, her partner had a better luck.

“There is nothing here but pretentious hipster photos and email exchanges with corporate fuckers.”

Or… he didn’t.

“So…” Hange had another back plan prepared. It was just as illegal as their current one, and even more reckless. But… she had gone that far, stopping now would only squander all of their previous efforts. “Are you good at pickpocketing?”

“What?” Ackerman turned to her, his face incredulous. “Are you saying—”

“There is nothing on her desk, nothing on her computer. We have only one possibility left. We need to look through her phone.”

Something had got to be there, Hange was sure of it. Frieda knew something, had to. How else explain the unfinished painting then? And the familiarity with the case Hange was working on?

“You want me to steal her phone. Huh, you’re growing up, four-eyes.”

Ackerman looked actually impressed. Hange subdued a wave of delight she felt because of it.

“We would need to get close to Frieda again,” he muttered, scratching his chin. “And for that we need to get back to the ballroom and—”

“No scaling the walls anymore.” Hange announced resolutely. It was exciting, yes, but she had her fill of this particular exercise already. She liked her neck and her undamaged bones.

“What do you propose then?”

What indeed…

“I’ll figure something out. Just trust me, alright?”

“I trust you.”

He didn’t hesitate, Ackerman didn’t even think before he spoke. Was he telling the truth then? Did he really trust her, and so readily?

She didn’t know what to think of it.

Perhaps, she shouldn't think about it then.

You had a case you have to focus on, Hange reminded to herself.

"Let's get going then."

They moved everything to the way it was before - put the papers back into the neat piles, closed the door and turned off the computer.

Then they left the room, stepping into a dark hallway. They walked through it carefully, quietly.

Everything was going so well.

Until it wasn't.

They've heard footsteps first. Then, came the voices. And they were growing closer, headed in their direction.

Fuck, they had to do something and fast.

Hange had to do something. But only one thing came to mind. One foolish, stupid thing. It was all Hange had in that fleeting moment.

You’re playing with fire, Erwin had said. Well, Hange was ready to get burned.

___

Shit. That was the first and his only reaction to the newly arisen problem.

Someone was coming their way. Levi could see the light of flashlight just behind the corner.

They had no time to run. They had nowhere to hide. They—

"Play along," Hange hissed, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. Before he could comprehend what the fuck was going on, Hange had him pressed against the wall, her face incredibly close to his.

"It means nothing, Ackerman," she whispered, before she put her lips on his.

His heart stopped, his brain short-circuited. Hange was kissing him. Her hands were fisted in the lapels of his jacket, her lips were moving against his, her tongue slipped inside his mouth.

It was phenomenal. Fantastic, splendid, better than Levi could possibly imagine.

And at the same time, it meant nothing. Hange had said so, and who was he to argue?

It meant nothing, absolutely nothing, so he pulled her closer, put his palm onto her cheek to caress it gently. He allowed himself to linger, kept their lips connected even when the guards arrived.

“Hands up! And turn around!”

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" to Levi’s immense disappointment, Hange took a step back, a bashful grin appearing on her face. "We got carried away a little, that's so embarrassing."

She had laughed, her hand travelling down his chest. To the outside looker, they probably appeared like a madly in love couple. Nothing could be further from the truth but— Levi cherished that fleeting moment nevertheless.

The two guards that had caught them shared a look, full of incomprehension.

"This area is off limits," one of them, the taller one said. "How did you even get in here?"

"My boyfriend wanted to explore a fantasy of his... You know, there is no obstacle that can stop true love."

The expression on the guards' faces, the perfect mix of shock, confusion and disgust, was priceless. Levi could barely keep himself from laughing.

"We can't just let them go," the shorter one mumbled to his partner. "Maybe, we should take them to Miss Reiss?"

"Agreed. Let her take care of these weirdos."

The men stood behind them, pushing them forward. Catching his eye, Hange flashed him a victorious smile. Ah, so everything was going according to her plan. Good to know.

Levi leaned closer to her. "If you ever tire of being a detective," he murmured, "Think of becoming a grifter."

"Is that a compliment? Or a job offer?"

"Could be both," he shrugged and was rewarded by a quiet chuckle.

The guards led them out of the dark empty hallway of the left wing, bringing them to the bright and golden colored stairway.

"Stay here," the shorter guard instructed. "I'll bring Miss Reiss to you."

A couple of minutes later, Frieda came out to them, wearing the same sugary smile. That kind of smile was perfect for her father's campaign posters. Perhaps, that's why she had it refined it to such degree.

Still looking like a fucking fairytale princess, Frieda lifted her hand and let the guards return to their positions. The smile slipped from her face the moment the three of them were left alone.

"I told you to leave," her eyes narrowed, unmasking the anger she felt. Right now, she didn't resemble a sweet, pretty girl that was her sister. Right now, she looked exactly like her father. "Why are you still here? And what were you doing in that hallway?"

"With all due respect," Hange slightly bowed. Levi coughed to hide his snicker. "But I don't exactly kiss and tell."

Frieda seethed, color rising to her cheeks.

"I apologize for my partner," Levi put his hand on her elbow, his fingers blindly searching for his goal. He found it, and fairly quickly. Oh, how he loved dresses with pockets. Phone securely grasped in his fingers, Levi pushed it into the sleeve of his jacket. "And I apologize for our behavior. We didn't mean to cause you any harm."

He moved his hand away from Frieda, putting it inside the pocket of his pants. Once the phone was there, he gave Hange a small nod.

"Yes, it was a mistake that I hope you would forget," Hange gave Frieda a smile - a wide, radiant one.

Frieda scoffed, obviously not impressed. "You entered the private property without my knowledge or consent, I should call police." Levi tensed. That scenario was very, very unwelcome. "But my father spoke very highly of you, detective Zoe. And your Captain, Erwin Smith, is a man of great virtue. It’s because I respect both of them, I'll let you go. Just, for the love of God, leave this time."

"Already on it!" Hange exclaimed, taking Levi by the sleeve of his jacket and dragging him to the exit.

"Fucking hell," she cursed when they were a good distance away. "I thought she'd call Erwin on me. Imagine if that had happened!"

Levi did, albeit briefly. He winced as a very clear image entered his mind. Yesterday's fiasco was scary enough, he could only guess how bad it would be if he actually got Hange into some kind of trouble. Erwin would have torn his head off before Levi could say "It was her plan".

“You got the phone, right?”

“Of course, I’ve got it,” he waited until they were out of the house and fished it out, showing Hange a sparkling yellow phone case.

“Well, open it!” she urged, hovering above him, her hands resting on his shoulders.

Levi activated the screen, and, unsurprisingly, the phone requested a password.

“Do you know how old is she?”

“Twenty-seven?” Hange sounded incredibly unsure. Levi lifted his head to watch her bit her lip in concentration. The same lip he touched with his own not so long ago.

A wrong fucking train of thought, he chastised himself immediately.

“Or twenty-eight? Something like that, I’m pretty sure.”

Levi nodded and entered Frieda’s approximate birth year. It worked on a second try.

Apparently, their girl was a very busy person. She received more than a few dozen phone calls every day. However, there was one number that popped out with more frequency than the others. And usually the calls occurred after office hours.

It could be nothing. Maybe, it was Frieda’s lover. Or best friend. Or someone equally important to her. So important that she hadn’t even bothered to add their name to the phonebook.

It could be nothing. But Levi had a feeling.

Sharing a brief look with Hange, he dialed that number.

The call was answered just a second later.

“Hey, lady, weren’t you the one who told me not to call you? Or is your event for rich fuckers that boring that you decided to ditch them all and bother me?”

Levi froze in one spot, his mouth hanging open.

That voice, he could recognize in anywhere.

That voice, it belonged to Kenny.

[thatmultifandomhoe]

Knitting You a Home - 6

Pairing: Wolf Hybrid Namjoon and Human Reader

Word Count: 1,551

Genre/Rating: Hybrid AU - Established Relationship - Angst - Fluff - Smut - PG-13

Overview: Things have changed for you and Namjoon. It’s been a year since the two of you got together, and despite a rocky start, it was impossible to deny the bond and love you shared for each other. But ever since Hoseok had been separated from his Mate, Namjoon has been withdrawing himself from you and doesn’t come home until late at night.

With questions far larger than either of you imagined, you can’t help but wonder if he’s let his past and old fears come back to haunt him. You had shown him that it was possible to have a home and be loved once before, but will you be able to do it again?

Warning: None.

Playlist:

Main Master List:

Knitting You a Home Master List:

Mated Love is Never Easy Series Master List:

Sneak Peak - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15 - ?

©thatmultifandomhoe Do not repost, translate, or use my stories without permission.

Tugging on his baseball cap, Namjoon pulled out the folded-up flyer once again, making sure he had the right address. The overhead purple neon light flickered once but continued to light up the dark as packs of people entered and left Lotus at the same time.

He was tucking the paper into his back pocket when he suddenly heard laughter. Looking up only to see a woman with both her arms around two friends who were laughing just as hard. Their smiles were contagious and for a moment, Namjoon felt himself smiling, wondering when the last time he had felt that relaxed was.

After meeting you, his life had fallen into a familiar routine. It was exactly what he needed and he loved it, but sometimes he found himself wanting to do the unexpected, to just go with no real plan or idea and stumble upon something different.

Which was why he was walking through Lotus, the most popular night club in town. Eyes adjusting to the sudden darkness, strobe lights bounced around the room as the bass thumped out of the speakers. Sweat and liquor hung in the air but nobody appeared to give a damn. The other Hybrids that Namjoon spotted as he made his way to the bar were either used to the sounds and smells, or they were too drunk to care.

Before Namjoon reached the bar, he managed to stumble his way over to the restrooms to catch his breath. It wasn’t as crowded as the dance floor, allowing him to relax his tail. He was looking around the club, watching the bartenders toss glass bottles and shake up mixed drinks, one even filling about seven shot glasses with amber liquid in a straight line at once.

Out of the corner of his eye a door opened, a man stumbling back to the bar with a shit eating grin and he thought nothing of it. But when the door didn’t close right away, Namjoon’s ear twitched in its direction, hearing different music coming from there than what was being played in the club.

It was faint, but in seconds he was able to detect the rap music coming from behind the door underneath the sound of EDM.

The flyer suddenly felt heavy in his pocket, and as he pulled it out once more, the paper clenched in his grip. Behind that door was where he wanted to be.

Not thinking twice, Namjoon opened the door to find a hallway leading to a staircase that went down. The rap music grew louder as he walked down the stairs, his heart beating in unison as his steps were drowned out. Following the music, the stairs only went down one floor before breaking out into another hallway, and halfway down there was a door that at the moment, was open, allowing red light to stream out into the grey hallway.

There wasn’t anyone guarding the entrance like he thought, and nobody stopped him when he walked through the door. Instantly he was transported to another place, one that he hadn’t expected to exist underneath Lotus.

The room opened up into a large underground basement, cinder-block walls encasing the several hundred people that were occupying the space. Red strobe lights danced around and in the middle of the room was a large stage that was being used. Only there were regular white spot lights being used to highlight the stars of the show. Amps were set at the sides of the stage, but with music seeming to be coming from everywhere, Namjoon assumed they had installed several in the ceilings or on the walls.

Up on the stage were two groups. On the left side were a group of nine men, and on the right was a group of about thirteen who were currently dancing. The crowd screamed as one of the dancers flipped, twisting his body and spinning around on his shoulders.

Namjoon smiled as he walked further into the room, not quite entering the crowd but absorbing everything that he saw. Despite the numerous strobe lights, he had to take out his cellphone and hold it above the flyer. He didn’t recall there being dance battles advertised as well.

“Hey newbie!” a voice suddenly called out.

Startled, Namjoon looked around him, wondering if he had misheard or if they were looking for someone else. But he was off to the side with no one else around him, and the blond-haired man was coming straight towards him. Namjoon straightened up, watching as he came closer. The stranger was wearing a black tank top that showed off his muscular arms while piercings decorated his ears.

He nodded towards Namjoon’s phone, gesturing with his hand across his neck. “If you’re gonna be down here, first thing you need to know is to kill the light.”

“Sorry,” Namjoon murmured, double tapping the screen.

The stranger grinned though, coming to a stop once they were close enough to hear each other without straining their voices to shout. “It’s alright. Boss prefers there to be no phones so none of the artist get caught.”

“But they’ll hang up flyers at recording studios?” Namjoon asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Studios are always looking for new talent,” he pointed out. “They’re willing to look the other way. Officers however, would love to break this up. I’m Jackson by the way. What’s your name?” Jackson held out his hand, waiting for Namjoon to shake it.

“Namjoon.”

“Well, Namjoon, how the hell did you find the Underground?”

The flyer was still in his hand, so instead of answering, Namjoon simply held it up. Jackson shook his head, glancing at the stage before looking over his shoulder. Following his gaze, Namjoon spotted a lounge area that was further away from the stage.

“Come on,” Jackson called out. “Let’s go over there and talk. It’ll be easier than over here.”

Without waiting, Jackson headed over to the lounge, leaving Namjoon no choice but to follow after him. There wasn’t anyone else when he joined Jackson, but empty glasses littered the large square table as well as crumbs.

It wasn’t as loud this far away from the main attractions, and he was still able to see the performance going on. “I thought this was for rap battles?” He asked Jackson, finally tearing his eyes away from the dancers.

Jackson nodded, sinking into the black leather couch. “It is. We have a high demand for rap and dance battles, but not everyone does both. So, we alternate between the two. This just happens to be our dance battle night; come back tomorrow night and you’ll see the rappers go at it.”

Pressing his lips together, Namjoon joined Jackson, taking a moment to take it all in. He was finally here, and he had come on the wrong night. This was just his luck.

“You wanted rap night I take it?”

“Yeah, but it’s alright.” Shrugging, Namjoon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees to watch the stage, smiling when the whole group got involved this time.

Raising an eyebrow, Jackson gave Namjoon a once over. He wasn’t dressed as if he was going to participate in either battle, and he didn’t look as if he came here to get his party on. All he wore was jeans, a green shirt, denim jacket and a baseball cap. Instead, he looked like he was about ready to go home. Like this was the last place that he belonged.

However, his eyes honed in on the square outline in one of the pockets of his jacket. Jackson had been around artists long enough to have an idea of what it was. “What’s with the notebook?” He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Namjoon patted his side, relieved to feel that it was still there. “I work at the recording studio,” he explained, taking his notebook out of his pocket. “I saw the flyer a couple nights ago and finally decided to check it out.”

“What do you think so far?” Jackson stared at the notebook, spotting the worn-out corners on the cover. As Namjoon absentmindedly flipped through it, the black ink in his sprawled-out handwriting became visible for a brief second before disappearing again.

The Hybrid couldn’t take his eyes off the stage though. As he inhaled, he was able to make out the faint distinguish scent that Jackson was human and friendly, a note that he mentally marked up in his mind. For some reason, like he felt with you, he knew he’d be able to trust Jackson.

For years he had been working on his own music project, and Yoongi - who had spent as much time helping Namjoon out and listening to it – had even encouraged Namjoon to finally put it out there. It was ready for the world to listen to, but he kept holding back. He needed to see if people would actually give a damn about what he wanted to say, to know if they were able to look beyond the tail and ears, and see him as himself. As a serious artist. Pointing at the stage, he turned to look at Jackson over his shoulder, a wolfish grin appearing on his features as he held up his notebook.

“I want to get on that stage.”

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Genji Heavy Industries (Part 8) Laser Pointer

Hahahahahahhaahahahhaha....

*deep inhale*

Hahahahahahahahahaha

The three men leaned against the shrine panting heavily. You helped Caesar and Chu Zihang load bullets as fast as you could. While Chisei looked out at the flames in the hall. The corpse guard specimen at the end of the hall had burned down like a wax candle to reveal a dark golden skeleton.

“What happened to you?” Caesar asked.

“I was called to another elevator. When I got in, it lost power and took me down to the lowest floor basement.” You were so tired that your hands moved automatically while your eyes unfocused. You shake your head to clear your vision and that sends pain shooting through the middle of your skull. You squeeze one eye shut against the pain and keep going.

“You’re hurt?”

“No… it’s just sequelae. From using my Soul Skill earlier.” You wave him away.

“Where’s Lu Mingfei?” Caesar asks.

“I don’t know. I thought he would have made it through the elevator with you.”

“The earthquake stopped the elevator.” Chu Zihang stood up, holding his Uzi, and looking down at you with his golden gaze. “Was that you?”

“Yeah.” You brace yourself on Caesar’s shoulder and stand too. 

Caesar whistles long and low through his teeth.

“Reports are coming in saying it was 6.5 magnitude.”

“Oh… I was going for 7.0.” You smirk. “Pretty close.”

"How many C4 explosives do you have?" Chisei suddenly asked. 

"Fifteen pounds, but the explosion doesn't seem to seriously injure them. If C4 explosives can't hurt them, then 'Royal Flame' can't do it either." Chu Zihang said. 

"The shockwave of the explosion can't hurt them, but the flames could be fatal to them. Look at that corpse guard. Mermaid oil is very flammable. They can be their own best fuel." 

Chu Zihang was stunned: "But they didn't burn immediately in the explosion just now." 

"That's because they're alive and the corpse guards are dead. The corpse guards are dehydrated. The sphinxes still have a lot of water in their bodies. They have to be in the fire for a long time before they burn up! The Mural Hall is a completely enclosed space, and this is the best place for a fire!" Chisei exclaimed.

"Smothering the sphinxes? Not a bad idea. But they could escape. If they can get in through the elevator doors, they can get out through them." Caesar said. 

Chisei pointed above the elevator door: "Above this kind of door must be a steel bar supporting it, we put a piece of C4 explosive there, powerful enough to blow that steel bar, the wall will collapse down, they have no way to escape." 

Chu Zihang calculated: "We can use a delayed fuse. One that can explode in twenty seconds. That would be enough time for us to enter the elevator shaft and hide outside the explosion range." 

Caesar thought about it: "Then we have to lure the group of them deep into the hall. The more concentrated they are, the better the burning effect." 

"No problem, I'll act as bait." Chisei said. 

“Bait?” You looked to Caesar for answers.

“The blood of Chisei is extremely attractive to them. When he dripped it down the elevator shaft, that’s what brought them down here.”

You nod, understanding.

“What brought you here by the way?” Caesar was leading you away to the armory room. 

“Someone threw a flare. All the other elevator doors were closed. I figured this had to be the only one that was open.”

“Ah.”

Caesar shut the door of the armory. “Alright, suit up. This will be the big push.”

Chu Zihang and Caesar moved between the rows of shelves. You stay behind to lean against the wall. “Give me a minute.”

It occurred to you that this might be the point where you died and whenever your life was in danger, you felt a deep appreciation of your own body. You remembered this feeling of fatigue when you pulled a sledge full of wood through feet of snow. You walked until your thoughts faded away, ignoring the pain and hunger and thirst, one foot after the other. Your body carried you. And thanks to your dragon blood, you recovered quickly to get up the next day.  So you knew this body was tired. But as soon as it ate and drank and got a nice rest it would perk up again.

But the one thing you could give it now was oxygen. You take slow deep breaths, filling your lungs completely, holding it a bit, and then emptying them completely. Your lungs would take that oxygen and revive your muscles for the fight.

Already, you could feel yourself reviving and stretched your arms over your head, feeling the rush of blood to your tissues. You rolled your shoulder and remembered lying on the floor looking up into the eyes of Z.

Z made you break that tank for a reason. You doubted it was to kill you and that gave you hope.

Caesar moved to the door and leaned against it to rest, running his hand over two rifles. 

 The bone-chilling, eerie sound of a giant python sliding against the ground came from behind the door. The group of sphinxes has invaded the mural hall. The only thing separating you from them is a layer of carved wooden doors. With strength like theirs, breaking such a door was no  effort, but this group of low IQ beasts has not yet noticed this room. After mutating, some Death Servitors will gain superb vision, hearing or smell, but the snake versions don’t get significant enhancements to their senses. Their golden pupils look hideous but they actually have weak vision. They have a sharp sense of smell but they’re intoxicated by the smell of blood in the hot air of the mural hall. As for hearing, these have basically zero. They’re more attuned to ground vibrations. As long as you stay still, they will have a hard time finding your hiding place. 

"What's their approximate number?" Chu Zihang asked in a low voice. 

Caesar’s eyes flared golden and the Scythe Itachi went out.

"More than a hundred. All of them have entered the mural hall and the elevator shaft has been cleared. They're eating the dead. I can hear them chewing away at the muscles, disgusting." Caesar said softly, "What's your assessment of the combat power of these snake-like dead men?" 

Chu Zihang thought for a moment. "A grade. Speed exceeds that of a zebra, tearing power is close to that of a lion. Strong cellular activity, so wounds heal quickly. The most vulnerable parts are the heart, head and nervous system. Severed limbs are nothing to them.” 

Caesar nodded: "I also think it is A-class. One on one with them, we’d have a disadvantage.”

You finally move to go arm yourself. “They’re dumb as hell, though. So there’s that.” You say.

The two men fall silent. “Did you fight them?” Caesar asked.

“Yeah.” You wrap a new belt that will fit multiple weapons onto your waist and cinch it up. These belts were made for men, so you have to use a knife to make a hole for the buckle. “Well… technically no. I made them fight each other.”

“How is that possible? You’re not even hurt!” Caesar looked you up and down. “And you still had plenty of rounds.”

“Well… I used my C4 detonator.” You tilt your head, unsure of what he wanted you to say. “I mean if they want to eat each other, I’m not going to get in the way of that.”

“Perhaps an S-ranked hybrid could take them on.” Chu Zihang said, thoughtfully.

It wasn’t like you were unprepared to fight those beasts. But how could you tell them that the ghost of your dead boyfriend appeared in an elevator to Hell and you went on a date with them in front of the big holding tank? The whole thing sounded silly. You knew how to fight them because Z had shown you how. But there was no way to communicate that.

"Do you trust that Japanese guy? He wouldn't have run away by now, would he?" Caesar asked in a low voice. 

"Since I chose to cooperate, I can only trust him, right?" Chu Zihang shrugged.

"It's rare for such a gullible character to have survived to this day." Caesar shrugged back, "He is something that bleeds dragon blood. Dragons are creatures without feelings. If their strength overwhelms you, they will definitely devour you." 

Chu Zihang did not speak again. 

"Okay, okay, I have no intention of figuring that girl out. To say the least, I quite liked her. She was so pretty ...... But it's best not to trust something that bleeds dragon blood." Caesar took a deep breath. 

You let out a breath. In a way, you agreed with Caesar. Z’s yellow eyes gave you a mix of fear and fascination. His kiss made your heart race. You always knew he was scheming something, but you never knew if it was good or bad or had nothing to do with you. And yet you couldn’t help but love it when he laughed. Was what you felt love? Whatever it was, it sure felt good. HIs hands in your hair in front of the holding tank. It felt good.

Your eyes suddenly went wide. “Bait.”

The memory of Z playing with the beasts using a laser pointer flashes through your mind and your face breaks out into a smile. You start pacing the shelves, looking up and down. “Did you guys see a laser sight anywhere in here?”

“What do you need that for? You’re a good shot.” Caesar asked.

“Yes, I need it for something else.”

“There should be one on an AK-47…” Chu Zihang said.

“I found it.” The name AK-47 stood for Avtomat Kalashnikova. It was a Soviet rifle and one you were familiar with, but this specimen looked like it was taken right from your childhood. It was aged, worn and a little rusted. Just like the one you used to use. You picked it up reverently, staring at it in silence while your heart filled with a strange warmth, like the sun coming up for the first time after a long winter night. Your hands caress the laser sight tenderly.

While many women were moved by cards, roses, jewelry and sweets, what moved your heart was the sight of this laser on a Kalashnikov. With this laser, you could live. You unscrew it and hold it to your heart with a smile coming over your face.

You turn to Caesar and Zihang who are eyeing you warily. But you can’t stop smiling. “Okay, I’m going to mark one of them with the Anesthesia bullet dye okay? Don’t kill that one.”

Z. He was a genius… You chuckle and join the boys at the door.

"Are you ready?" Caesar sighs softly.

You nod. You’re smiling as you load a single Frigga bullet into your empty pistol.  “Remember, don’t kill the one I mark!”

"Then let’s start!" Caesar slapped the button to open the door and stepped out in a big way. 

A Deadpool was lying on the overhang in front of the weapons hall door. Reflex speed multiplied after the snake mutation, so it immediately struck at the back of Caesar's neck. But Caesar had already determined its position through the use of Scythe Itachi and fired upward with his shotgun. The Deadpool Sphinx fell to its back.

The shotgun was extremely powerful but not penetrating enough. After the wounded creature landed, it rolled to get up and recoiled to strike again. Chu Zihang's crossbow penetrates its abdomen to pin it to the ground, and the two Sten submachine guns fired into its forehead until the two cartridges were empty. 

"No wonder everyone in the academy says you're a killer. I really like your kind of execution style." Caesar dropped the shotgun and pulled out two Sten submachine guns from the carry pouch behind Chu Zihang. 

"I'm not interested in bloodshed, but I know that showing mercy to something like this will only get us killed." Chu Zihang's right hand drew up another gun from the backpack Caesar carried. Chu Zihang carried Caesar’s guns and vice versa. It was a nice way to keep efficiently armed.  Chu Zihang looked at you in curiosity.

You weren’t using the laser sight to aim, but wiggled it against the ground as though fishing, whispering to yourself. “Heeere, Kitty, Kitty. Come here… I know you’re here…”

One of the deadpool that looked female with an ample golden chest and pretty eyes saw the red dot and opened her jaw ninety degrees to scream bloody-murder. Her eyes were as big as dinner plates. She slid her snake tail vigorously, physically pushing other beasts out of the way and leaving long gashes on them.

“There you are! Gotcha!” You fire a single anesthesia bullet. The red dye smashes between her eyes and paints her face crimson, clearly marking her. She covers her face with her claws in annoyance and wails in fury, associating the red dot with getting hit with a paintball.

You wiggle the dot in a zigzag pattern and she pounces on it with the anger of seven devils. Once you were sure you had her hooked, you scroll the red dot on the face of one of the deadpools who blinks once against the blinding laser light before its head is bitten clean in half by the female.

The spectacular result sends a burst of laughter from you. You loved him. You didn’t care if it wasn’t really love as others defined it. You loved Z. This was fun. This was fantastic!

You wiggled the point of light until she saw it again. She paused in confusion for a moment, her eyes burning brighter and brighter, then she was off again, galloping after the red dot and smashing into another of her own kind. The red dot danced on the back of her poor victim who had no idea that the attack was coming. The female deadpool with the red-dyed face tore through scales, muscle tissue and bone like a woodchipper.

Your laughter filled the whole burning temple. They were stupid! They were so stupid!

You had turned the female deadpool into a terror of her own kind. As she mowed through the crowded mural hall like a living blender, she left a trail of wounded behind her. The Deadpool, who were too cannibalistic and mindless to remember why they were there, immediately started to tear each other apart as soon as one smelled the blood of the other. 

It was an absolute bloodbath and you had only fired one non-lethal shot.

Caesar and Chu Zihang looked at you in stunned amazement. You looked back at them, crying with laughter. You didn’t have a birthday, but this was like a present, the best present you’d ever received. Z had buried this little Easter egg in the ground, hoping you’d find it. It was for you. No one else would get the joke!

[selfhelpskillss]

The Ultimate Guide For How To Make A Guy Want You

Before reaching the commitment, women have to make sure that the man wants them to be with him for any moment. Once he wants you, nothing can keep him away.

The question is how to make a guy want you. Don’t worry, ladies! Selfhelpskills will share with you some tips to strengthen your relationship and ensure your man may want you to be by his side all the time.

Let’s read on to discover!

How To Make A Guy Want You?

1. Be kind

A guy will know you’re the person he wants to have around if he sees your kindness. To maximize the possibility of a guy loving you, show affection and empathy to everyone around you.

You can be kind via little acts. Keep the door for others to pass, be punctual with your plans, and smile at strangers on the street.

When interacting with people, being sympathetic may also demonstrate your kind. Accepting your friend’s apologies without making them feel terrible will be a big plus.

Be kind from your heart

2. Be an interesting woman

You know, if you’re boring to a guy when you’re conversing with him, he’ll rapidly lose his interest. If you’re engaging, though, he’ll want to keep speaking and spending time with you.

Next time, before asking how to make a man want you, ask “Am I interesting enough?” first.

3. Give him private space

Everyone needs privacy, and so does your man. Give him space by pursuing his own hobbies and interests. Make it very clear to him that you have your own circle of friends and hobbies. If he notices that you are self-sufficient, he’ll be more interested in you.

If he invites you for dinner when you already have plans with BFF, don’t reschedule too quickly. If you abandon everything, your boyfriend could think you’re extremely reliant on him. So, just make arrangements with him next time instead.

4. Live your own life

You always hear of “living your own life”, but what exactly does it imply?

Living your own life entails having your own hobbies separate from your partner. This includes things like interests, activities, and even people that you are enthusiastic about.

Have your own life

You have to remind your guy that you love his presence and company. Meanwhile, you also need to let him understand that you don’t require his assistance. Your boyfriend will appreciate you so much if you show him sometimes that you don’t need him so much.

If you truly want him and are willing to give up your life for him, he will immediately realize that he no longer needs to strive for your respect and love.

As a result, for your own life, you’ll be tougher to spend time with and become less available. This is ideal to solve the problem of how to make him want you more.

5. Make interesting conversations

Letting discussions become dull or repetitive is not a good idea. If your conversation appears to be fading, take a break or change the subject. As much as possible, avoid uncomfortable quick conversation.

You may also lengthen your conversation by making questions. For example, he is talking about his favorite movie, you can ask, “What is the movie about?”. A recommendation for watching it together next time is also a good idea.

6. Be yourself

Always be yourself no matter what you are doing. When it comes to character and personality, it’s essential to be yourself instead of someone else.

Be your unique self

By pretending to be someone, you are implying that you are uncomfortable with yourself. Many men will immediately get indifferent if they discover this flaw in you.

You’ll be weary of disguising your genuine nature sooner or later. He’ll be tired of finding out which version is you. He also has no idea about your hobbies or interests.

A good relationship is one that lasts a long time. When a guy falls deeply in love with you, just be yourself straight away. This is how to make a guy crazy about you.

7. Be attractive

When it comes to romance, your looks may make or break you. You must appear attractive to delight a man and arouse his interest in you. This is also an effective and common tip for how to make a guy want you more.

Consider what you’re wearing, how tidy your hair is, and if you’re dressed correctly.

An attractive appearance does not imply body-hugging clothes. In the proper conditions, a T-shirt and jeans with the wind blowing in your hair may be just as sultry as a groomed appearance. The key is to be confident, at ease and pleased with yourself.

Be an attractive girl

If you have to idea how to look best, you can consider these tips:

Choose outfits and a style that is appropriate for the occasion.

Choose clothes that are fitting for the event while also making you feel at ease.

No matter where you’re going, try to look your best. You may never know when you’ll run into your true partner.

8. Read his mind

You must first understand what is on a man’s mind before you can win his heart. This quiz, however, is not simple to complete.

You can find the answer in “His Secret Obsession.” The book will teach you how to make him crazy about you.

This book provides scientifically proven advice on how to understand men. It illustrates how a lady may simultaneously attract and take up a man’s mind.

You’re not going to abandon a relationship that proves to be fruitless. All of the concerns will stay clear in the book.

If you follow the steps in a logical order, your partner will feel like needing you for every moment of his life. Then, the question of how to get a guy to want you is simple to answer.

“His Secret Obsession” must be your lifesaver

9. Listen to him when necessary

It is critical to listen if you want to satisfy your man and make him fall in love with you. Don’t simply speak about it. Find another approach to deal with your anxiety if you speak constantly.

While being with their potential partners, many ladies make the same mistake of speaking more than listening. Of course, the mistake is not only popular among girls. Many guys behave in the same way. However, this is a clear mistake that may easily lose you the guy of your life.

Even a man who isn’t particularly chatty will have something to say. Everyone enjoys being heard. He’ll be unhappy if you keep speaking without offering him the opportunities to voice himself. Making it difficult for him to speak may reduce his possibilities of falling harder in love with you.

10. Be confident

It’s simple to like you if you know how to like yourself. You’re a nice person with unique characteristics. Be sure that you are deserving of love! This is how to get a man to want you.

Never look down on the issue of self. Sure, some women appear to make a living out of trapping men by presenting themselves as victims or vulnerable ladies.

You fear getting left behind if you lack confidence. You must have a sense of self-assurance. It will lead you to get him engaged without anxiety or suspicion of threat.

11. Share with him

It fills you with happiness when you express your hobbies with him. You will surely enjoy yourself while doing it.

When you’re feeling good, those around you feel good too. It’s easily shareable.

So don’t be shy to tell him about what you’re genuinely enthusiastic about. You’re offering him a peek of your true self while you’re doing it. If he’s drawn to it, he’ll build a strong liking for you very rapidly.

Moreover, you’ll feel wonderful then. It will make him feel good too, making him like to be around you even more.

Be comfortable to share things with him

12. Don’t ask for commitment so soon

This is the last tip for how to make a man desire you.

This rule is especially true if you’re having a casual relationship with him and would like to take it to the next level.

However, it’s a good guideline to remember. You can apply it to almost every circumstance with a guy.

Simply put, the guideline is that you must be just as dedicated to him as the way he is to you.

If he’s unsure about making preparations with you, you’re not obligated to follow through. You’re able to pursue the plans you like.

This is all about prioritizing your well-being and self-respect over attempting to satisfy him in whatever way you can. It’s also about expressing to him that you do have a life of your own. If he chooses to stay with you, he must take responsibility.

Conclusion

There are various tips for how to make a guy want you. The ultimate rule is to be yourself, leave some space for both of you, and show him sympathy.

Once you manage to make your man want you, you don’t have to do anything else. Let the man be your hero then!

Credit: https://selfhelpskills.net/how-to-make-a-guy-want-you/

[feathered-serpents]

Heartseller (aka the Story I Got Published)

So! This is a totally original work about a spooky fae-like spirit that was published in my university lit magazine earlier this year. I’ve been working up the nerve to post it here for awhile, and I expect like 8 people max to read it, but whatever. I’m still proud of it. Hope you like it! 

Note: This is not the exact version that was published, so there might be some grammar errors and such

CW: Death of a child, grief, spousal and implied parental abuse 

---

    Three-hundred men died tonight.

    Hurry now, you know how it goes. Douse your fires, snuff your candles, dim your lanterns.

    Three-hundred men have died, the Heartseller will be over the hill.

    The Heartseller will be over the hill.

---

    Róisín Ó Ceallaigh’s brother had died first. The only son of her bloodline and younger than her by ten years. He was a boy too brave to live long. Róisín had never believed in the stories, so she went and bought the brightest lantern she could find and hung it high above her door.

    Shannon Mac Gabhann’s husband was next. Men who batter their wives are always terrible with swords. Cowards they all are, and I have long seen my share of cowards. Her candles remained lit as a wish.

    Eithne de Paor’s son had lived for hours. His brothers took him to their mother who held his hand and stroked his hair and sang to him until he slept. Of her twelve other sons, none would put out the lantern for her. She sat before her fire, tending to it, dozing in her chair. Waiting.

---

    I went to Róisín first.

    She was sleeping when I found her. I remember thinking how peaceful she looked, for a woman who just lost her only brother, and how peaceful she looked for Róisín Ó Ceallaigh.

    Róisín was a large woman, her skin tanned and freckled from work in the woods, hands calloused from lumber. She wore wild sturdy curls that formed a mane around her face. A face you look at not because it is beautiful, but because it demands it.

    I waited, it would not take long.

    Róisín Ó Ceallaigh woke, when she saw me, she sat up in bed. She crossed her lumberwoman’s arms over her chest and said, “You’re real then?”

    “Yes, Róisín Ó Ceallaigh.”

    She raised one red eyebrow. “You know me?”

    “I know you. I wouldn’t come if I didn’t know you.”

    She smiled with one corner of her mouth, looking out her bedroom window into the glow of the lantern outside. “So, I should have put out the lantern.”

    “Perhaps,” I said.

    Róisín said nothing.

    “Heartseller,” she said. Testing my title. “Heartseller. How do you go about it? The stories never make it that far.”  

    “You give it to me.”

    “Give it?”

    “Not for nothing,” I said. “You sell it.”

    “But you’re the Heartseller.”

    “It is not a title I chose,” I said. “We never choose our titles.”

    She furrowed her brows as I said it. She ran a hand up her shirt, pressing down on the skin in the center of her chest. Feeling her heart beat below her fingertips.

    “What will you give me?”

    “Anything.”

    She glared at me. Her eyes were green as emeralds and sharp as knives. “I know your kind,” she said. “It is not anything.”

    “It is.”

    I did know Róisín Ó Ceallaigh. I knew she was the oldest of eight children. I knew she had six sisters that were all cast aside by their father in favor of their brother. The youngest of them, who had killed their mother on her birthing bed.

    I knew Róisín Ó Ceallaigh had built the very house I entered. I knew there were still splinters lodged in her calloused palms, that she felt nothing in her fingertips and had a nail on her left thumb that had gone black and fallen off. I knew somewhere in this house two of her sisters slept, and they had fled with her instead of living under her hellish father’s thumb. Who slept now, sonless, in the castle on the hill that looms above the village.

    “Then you know,” she said. “You know me.”

    “Róisín Ó Ceallaigh,” I said. “When the sun rises, you will have everything your brother had. Your father’s castle will be yours, everyone in this village will be your people. Your sisters will live lives in silk, and your birthright will be yours. Firstborn.”

    Róisín removed her hand from her shirt. She let her hands fall onto the bedding beside her and gripped the blankets. She held her head high.

“So be it, Heartseller.”

    Róisín Ó Ceallaigh’s heart was red. It glowed and pulsed like an ember, so full of life. It would stand proud amongst the others, it would be one that never faded. It would outlive the sun.

---

    Shannon Mac Gabhann was awake.

    She sat by the window and watched the night pass. Beside her sat a little red candle, dripping wax onto the windowsill. In the light, Shannon looked as if she was fading. Shannon was already a ghost.

    She saw me coming up her entryway path, she took her little candle, and opened the door. The wax from the candle melted and pooled on the flesh of her hands. She did not flinch.

    “Shannon Mac Gabhann,” I said.

    She moved from the doorway, standing to the side, and gesturing for me to come in.

    Shannon did not build her house, and neither did her husband. Her house was one of the oldest and largest in the village, her husband’s grandfather had built it. It was full of trophies. The house was her husband’s grandfather’s, the animal skins covering the floors and the horns adorning the walls her husband’s fathers, and Shannon, her husband’s.

“I know your kind,” she said. The red candlewax now streamed down the back of her hand. Oozing through her fingers. Bright against her white skin. “Give me what I ask and nothing less.”

I bowed my head to her. She raised her chin and ran her free hand over her belly. “Of course,” I said. “I deal not in tricks.”    

    Shannon Mac Gabhann. I knew she used to be beautiful. The most beautiful woman for miles. Beautiful enough to attract others of my kind, and I knew then she was careful. Then she didn’t step into the circles of toadstools, then she left gifts by the window, and then she sprinkled salt by the door.

    Now Shannon Mac Gabhann was small, despite her belly being round and full. Her hair was grown past her waist and was as yellow and firm as straw. Her eyes were clouded, and her arms pale as the moon, streaked with formless marks of blue.

    “I want a husband,” Shannon said. Her voice was shaking, the words I want were foreign to her. “A good husband, you hear? A strong husband. A kind husband.” Her clouded eyes were now a deep blue, and they caught the light of the flame in a way that mimicked courage. “I want a husband who will love me.”

    “Hush,” I said. I reached for her. I ran a strand of her ruined hair through my hand, where it became fine and soft once again. “I only ever give what you want.”

    She looked up at me, and she smiled.

    Shannon Mac Gabhann’s heart was white, with ribbons of blue moving on the surface, like worms, trying to dig in deeper. It likes to be held, so I hold it. I hold it as close to me as I can.  

---

    Eithne de Paor sat in her chair.

    The fire was lit, and her children were not with her. Eithne de Paor could not walk, her chair had wheels to get around. She sat in it, crumpled, every joint in her body as hard as a knot on a tree branch.

    She swung her head over to look at me, her neck permanently crooked, she moved each part of her body separately and with great effort. I believe she could see me, even through her milk-white eyes, for when those eyes fell on me. She sighed and nodded her head.  

“I told them,” she said. “Put out the lantern before midnight.”

    “They didn’t believe you?”

    She shook her head. “They think I’m a mad old woman with mad old stories, Heartseller.”

    “I don’t come to the mad.”

    “Oh, that isn’t true.”

    With a trembling, jointed hand, Eithne picked up a long iron fire-poker that had been leaning against her chair and jabbed at the logs with it. Her blind eyes reflecting the flames like a mirror, she prodded until the largest log fell, and the flames burst forth, swallowing the new air. She looked content, closing her eyes to allow the fire to warm her face.

    “Go on then,” she said. “Do your bidding.”

    “What is it you want?”

    She opened one eye. Against the fire, it glowed orange. “You’re supposed to know, aren’t you?”

    “Yes,” I said. “I know, but I do not understand.”

    “What’s so hard, Heartseller?” she said, closing her eyes again, leaning her head against the back of her chair. “I want you to take my heart.”

    “I…I can’t take it.”

    “Why not? There’s nothing else I want.”

    “You could want wealth,” I offered. “Gold. I could fill your walls with gold.”

    She shook her head. “What am I to do with gold?” she said. “I’m too old to buy those silk dresses or heavy jewels. It’d be wasted on me.”

“If not for you, then for your children.”

    To this she scoffed. “Of all the things my children need, it is not gold.”

    “Power then,” I said. “Come the morning, you will rule this land. Every inch of it yours, to command as you please, all the people your people. To love you, like you deserve.”

    She crossed her arms over her lap, knitting her fingers together. “I don’t want power,” she said. “And I am loved.”

    “Maybe not a queen’s power,” I said. “I could give you power over the sun, and the moon, you could take them down and hold them in your home. The stars even. Weave them into your hair.”

    “My hair is thin,” she said. “What would I do with the sun and moon?”

    Here I paused. I thought of what brought me here, of the hearts that drove me over the hills. Yes, there was one last gift I could offer.

“Your son,” I said. “Your son, back from the dead, just as he was.”

    “My son is at peace,” Eithne said. “I do not want him back.” She took a long breath. “Take my heart”

    “I can’t.”

    “I give it to you.”

    “You can’t give it,” I said. “You have to sell it.”

    Eithne de Paor smiled.

    “I know your kind,” she said.

    “You all do.”

    She sat up in her chair, as tall and proud as her crooked spine would allow.

    “Give me your heart.”

    “What?”

    She placed one hand on the wooden wheel of her chair, with a great creak of the floor the chair turned to face me. Eithne de Paor smiled through me.

    “Your heart, Seller,” she said. “I want your heart.”

    I have heard the stories the people tell of me. The songs.

    They are different each time, some say I am cloaked in black, while others say I am as naked as a newborn. Some say I ride on an ashen horse, and others say I have a wagon that simply pulls itself. I have been told I have blinding red eyes, and I have been told I have no eyes at all. I have even been told I am the brother of Death, and I have been told there is nothing like me in the world.

    Of all the stories, there is one thing that never changes. Two undisputed rules among the people.  

The Heartseller has no name.

    The Heartseller has no heart.

    “You know me,” I said to Eithne de Paor.

    She smiled. “I know you, Heartseller.”

    My heart was red.

    My heart glowed and pulsed like an ember, so full of life. My heart stood proud amongst the others, it was one that never faded. My heart outlived the sun.  

    My heart was white.

    My heart had ribbons of blue moving on the surface, like worms, trying to dig in deeper. My heart liked to be held, so hold it. Hold it as close as you can.  

    But my heart is black.

    It is black and dotted with stars. It is a little piece of the night, carved from the sky. My heart is old, and it has seen more than I ever have, or ever will.

    My name was Róisín Ó Ceallaigh, the firstborn of my family, and the rightful heir to everything my brother had.

My name was Shannon Mac Gabhann, I was the most beautiful woman in my village, and I will be loved.

But my name is Eithne de Paor, and I am free of my children. I am free of my home.

    Three hundred men have died across the hill. Hurry now, put out your candles, dim your lanterns.

    Three hundred men have died.

    The Heartseller is coming over the hill.

[sweetiejunie]

Tonight

Summary: who would have guessed one of the best nights of your life would start with a stranger

Genre: fluff

Beomgyu x reader (ft. Soobin)

a/n: inspired by one of my favourite songs- ‘dont say goodnight’ by hot chelle rae

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

Your pov:

Dressed in black skinny jeans, a fitted shirt and heels, you sat at the corner of the bar, watching as your friends were busy on the dance floor. Surrounded by sweaty bodies and horny men trying to get their attention by grinding on them. The music is all nineteen nineties but they were dancing like it was a jive, twisting, turning, holding hands as they change sides. They were all grins, and even though they looked like idiots, they didn't care.

Scoffing at the sight, you tried to recall why you agreed to go to the club at on a friday in the first place. It was nearly 1am and you were bored out of your mind. You were never one for overly crowded places or deafeningly loud music. You could always just leave, but you had already paid the, not so cheap, entrance fee and leaving your two intoxicated friends on their own just didn’t seem so responsible.

As you sat watching— well, more like babysitting by this point— you figured you could at least make your time here worth it by ordering a drink. You signalled for the bar tender, who seemed to be occupied conversing with someone. Someone dressed in jeans, converse, a plain shirt and a bomber jacket. Nothing too extravagant, you didn’t even notice him at first. But for some reason, something about him drew you in.

Other than the cute guy the bar tender was talking to, you were lucky, almost the entire club was on the dance floor, leaving the bar nearly deserted.

Making his way to take your order, you read his name tag. Choi soobin. Hmm, cute name. He had tousled dark brown hair, thick and lustrous. He was incredibly tall and well built, looking extremely handsome in his uniform. Yet, there was something about him that was still endearing.

“How can i help you?” Taking your order, giving you a smile.

‘Bunny’ you thought, the moment you saw the adorable way the side of his lips tugged upwards, exposing his front teeth.

“Hi, could i get a gin and tonic?” You ordered, extremely grateful for the wall of glass separating the dance floor and the bar. You had no intentions of screaming for the entire night.

“Classy, coming right up m’lady,” shooting you a wink before going back to make your drink.

His voice was like nothing I've ever heard before. It was smooth, like butter. His tone was as deep as the sun at midnight.

But okay, I’m getting off topic. This story isn’t about the undeniably hot bar tender you met for a brief 5 seconds. This story is about the stranger across the bar that you had yet to meet.

Coming back with your drink, soobin accompanied it with something you didn’t expect to hear.

Reaching for your wallet, you pulled out your card, ready to hand it to soobin to pay for the drink. Instead, he held up a hand, stopping you.

“No need to pay. Courtesy of that guy,” directing your gaze over to the boy sitting at the other end of the bar, who was now busy on his phone.

“Hm, tell him thanks for me.”

Next thing you knew, the cute boy was approaching you. Your heart beat increasing each step he took closer, making your mind race.

Beomgyus pov:

He sat at the bar, waiting for his best friend, soobin, to get off his shift. They were supposed to hang out for the night but soobin had been called to fill in for a coworker. Joining him on his shift, beomgyu figured getting a few drinks on the house would have been enough of an apology.

Sitting at the bar, beomgyu was engulfed in utter boredom. Soobin had been preoccupied cleaning the counter, leaving beomgyu alone to scan the rest of the club. The scene of desperate men hitting on women digusted him. He couldn’t understand what was so attractive about rubbing their bodies against strangers.

Starting to blow raspberries, he looked for anything remotely interesting. That’s when loveliest girl he had ever seen stopped him in his tracks. He sat staring at her, bemused, as time seemed to congeal, to stand still for a moment. The way she sat there, her hair effortlessly styled, her chin resting in her hand, the way she stared into, what he assumed to be, nothingness. There wasn’t anything too amazing about her, yet he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Maybe it was the fact that she was the only one not dressed in an inappropriately tight dress and stripper heels.

“She’s pretty huh,” Soobin suddenly stated, knocking beomgyu out of his thoughts.

“Hmm?” Beomgyu replied, diverting his attention to soobin.

“Don’t pretend. You’re practically drooling like you’ve just seen your first meal in 10 years. I saw her come in with some of her friends just now. Doesn’t seem like she’s having much fun though. You should go talk to her,” wiggling his eyebrows at beomgyu.

“Yeah, no way,” he spat.

Before soobin could protest, he noticed you trying to call the bar tender

“Hey, go do your job.”

“Fine. But this conversation isn’t over,” soobin nagged before making his way over to you.

Beomgyu watched as his friend went up to you, taking your order and gave you a wink as he walked away. Unexpectedly, soobin’s playful act enraged him a little. He didn’t know why and he was afraid to find out.

Noticing how soobin shot him a look, Beomgyu figured his face was an open book and probably said it all. Picking up his phone, he tried to distract himself. But to be honest, this act was just a complete boondoggle.

After soobin was done fulfilling your order, he went back to beomgyu, “you owe me $8. And she said thanks.”

“Wait what?” Beomgyu shot, genuinely confused by his statement.

“I told her you paid for her drink. Gin and tonic, she’s a classy one.”

“Why did yo-,” beomgyu said, only to get cut off.

“She’s been straing at you all night too. I just gave you an in, go talk to her. Now go, before i have to clean the bar from your drool.”

Astonished, beomgyu refused, “what, no. I’m not hitting on some stranger. I-”

“Oh, yes you are. I’m sick of hearing you talk about how lonely you are. No more excuses. Just go, you’ll thank me.”

With him now being down $8 and knowing he won’t win this battle. Beomgyu complied and stood up, walking over to you, mumbling a string of curses at soobin.

—

“Hey, im beomgyu. Im the one that apparently bought you that drink. Can i take a seat?” He spoke in a call tone.

“Y/n. Sure sit. And what do you mean ‘apparently’?” You asked, skeptical at his choice of words.

“The bar tender, soobin,” he started, taking a sit on the stool, pointing over to the boy who was cleaning glasses this time. “He kind of just said that so i had a reason to come over and talk to you.”

“Oh, well thank you. And i guess i should thank him too,” a small smile tugging your lips as you faced your lap, a blush creeping on your face.

Beomgyus mind flooded with thoughts as he tried his best not to blow up from your adorable flustered state.

“Um so, if you dont mind me asking. What are you doing here? You dont seem to be enjoying yourself very much,” he queried, trying to occupy his mind by changing the topic.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Ladies first,” he gestured with a smirk.

“Hmm, my friends dragged me here,” you dryly laughed. “One of them just cashed in a check and wanted to ‘make some memories’ as she said,” quoting her and sighed, “Im not much of a club person though.”

“Hm, well, i was supposed to be spending to night with my friend,” he said, turning over to Soobin’s direction. “But he had to work!” Saying the next part loud enough so soobin could hear.

Facing beomgyu, soobin replied, “shut up beomgyu, you should be thanking me.”

Beomgyu tsked, causing you to laugh at their playful banter. As the conversation continued, you both started to relax and the previous nervousness disappeared. With your drinks now finished, you were simply just getting to know each other. Just the basic stuff, like hobbies, pet peeves and so on.

Even though you had only been chatting for... oh, i lost track of the time, oh wells. But you found out a lot about him. You learnt he loves singing, he plays the guitar, he hangs out with 4 other friends, one of which being the bar tender, and the list goes on. Talking with beomgyu was... easy. You told him about the time your friends had gotten you lost. The time it started pouring when you supposed to have a barbecue. And even the time you almost cracked your head open by missing a ‘wet floor’ sign.

Just as you thought the conversation was coming to an end, beomgyu asked you one last question. And if it wasn’t for this question, you might have missed out on the best night of your life.

“What’s your... biggest fear?”

You thought about it for a second before answering, “that’s a good question. I guess i have to say im scared of tomorrow, of the future. Cause who knows what will happen.”

“Huh...” he trailed off, “well, you should just let the universe run its course. Let it align itself. Don’t worry about tomorrow cause tomorrow ain’t tonight right?”

You let out a dry laugh at his reply, looking down at your empty glass. You never thought about it that way.

“Why dont we get out of here? Since we both aren’t having much fun anyway,” he suggested, holding out a hand, locking eyes with you.

You hesitated. One, your friends were here, and god knows how much they’ve drunk. And two, he was practically a stranger.

But you were up for an adventure and for some unknown reason, it felt like you’ve known him for ages. Maybe it was the alcohol in your system, or maybe you were just losing your mind. But he was lean and sinewy, and possessed the sort of angelic good looks that made it almost impossible for you to refuse him anything. You trusted him and your friends’ll be fine. Or at least you tried to convince yourself of the latter.

Momentarily forgetting your friends existence, you grabbed his hand, nodding. An unintentional smile breaking across your face, as did his own.

“Soobin, ill see you tomorrow alright,” saying to soobin as he lead you to the exit.

“Have fun you two,” soobin said smoothly until he remembered beomgyu owed him, “wait! Choi beomgyu you owe me $8!”

“Quick run,” beomgyu leaned down, whispering to you before pulling you away faster, dodging the rag soobin threw at him.

—

You were aimlessly strolling, unsure of where you were going or what you were going to do but it excited you. As you left the club, beomgyu didn’t let go of your hand, making your heart play hopscotch in your chest. You realised leaving with a stranger could have been a really bad decision. But won’t it be such a great story to tell your future kids when they asked how you met? You were swept off your feet by a beautiful stranger at a bar. Okay, maybe not the best story to tell impressionable kids but still, it was an thrilling one.

Wait, wait future kids? Gosh, this was someone you spoke for for one, maybe two hours, why were you thinking of starting a family. This was a guy you barely knew, how could he have this effect on you?

Walking down the streets, it was a ghost town. Not a single soul in sight. But then again, it was way past 3am in the morning. The only people crazy enough to be up at this hour are drunks and witches. Beomgyu swung your intertwined hands, singing a song as you made your way down the street. A song you identified to be not spring, love, or cherry blossoms. When he had come to the rap portion of the song, you couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“What’s so funny?”

“You can’t rap,” covering your mouth as you let out another laugh.

“Shut up. I can so rap. You’ve just never heard a god rap,” he challenged.

“Sure, whatever you say,” you replied sarcastically, grinning and rolling your eyes.

Content with your answer, he continued singing. A smile was permanently plastered on your face as he did so. After walking for nearly 30 minutes, you still had no clue where you were headed.

“So, where are we going?” You asked, curiosity getting the better of you.

“No idea,” he answered simply, turning to face you, a smug smile on his face.

You chuckled, “Well it’s getting kind of late. I think i should probably head home soon.”

“Nooo,” he whinned, “come on, dont say goodnight yet. The stars are still in the sky, the night’s still young.”

“Beom-“

“Shh!” He put a finger on your lips, cutting you off before you could retort. “I’m not letting you go till tomorrow paints the sun across the night.”

With that, he placed an arm around you, keeping you in headlock, not giving you a chance to run away, “i got my sweet mary jane with me. That’s all i need to get high tonight.”

“Hey! Alright, alright, let’s wait till tomorrow. Now let me go!” You giggled, playfully hitting his arm to let you go.

Releasing you, you stood up straight again and interlocked your arm with his, shooting him a smile, to which he reciprocated. You felt surprisingly comfortable around beomgyu. Normally it would take you a few weeks of knowing someone before you dared to be this close to them. But, beomgyu was different. It felt different.

Walking for a few more moments, you leaned against him and spoke, “why don’t we go to a beach? I haven’t been to one in a while. And going to one in the middle of the night sounds pretty fun.”

“Hmm,” Beomgyu thought about it for a second before continuing, “the tides would be pretty high now but it would be fun to watch the sun rise and a i know a beach that’s around here but it’s kinda far for a walk.”

“Great, the walk is fine. It’s settled then, let’s go to the beach!”

“Wait, you sure you can walk that far in those?” Giving you a questioning look, gesturing to your choice of shoes for the night. “Don’t get me wrong, they look fantastic on you. But they ought to hurt eventually.”

“Oh,” you looked down and realised he was right. But there was little you could do about it at this moment, “I’ll be fine. Worse comes to worse, i just take them off and walk barefoot. No big deal, I’ll probably take them off when we get to the beach anyway.”

Beomgyu hummed a response at your child like smile as you spoke. “Alright, but if its to painful, tell me, i don’t mind giving you a piggyback ride okay?”

You nodded, giving him a reassuring smile, squeezing his hand to reinforce your statement.

With beomgyu leading the way, it was nearly 4am when you reach the beach. The moonlight shone down, a diffuse glow, reflecting off the waves, lighting the beach from pitch black to charcoal grey. Taking off your heels, you walked to the sand, letting out a sigh. Even though you couldn’t make out much of it, you still stood there in admiration. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the sea breeze against your skin and the feeling of the cool sand under your feet. The serene environment was exactly what you needed after being in a noise polluted club for the past few hours.

Beomgyu stood behind you, smiling as he watched your actions. Little did you know, you had the same effect on him as he did on you. You barely knew each other. Yet, you both knew after tonight, there was something there, and you couldn’t deny it.

Walking up to you, he grabbed your hand again. “Follow me,” he stated simply, pulling you along.

Guiding you further down the beach, he brought you to a small pier that overlooked the ocean, walking until you both were at the end. Letting your hand go, he sat down, his legs dangling off the edge as he rested his arms on the rails. Without saying a word, he patted the spot next to him, offering you a seat, to which you gladly accepted. Placing your heels behind you, you sat down, dangling your legs off the edge as well.

You both sat in silence, enjoying the company of the moon and each other. The silence wasn’t awkward, it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was just peaceful. Leaning your head on your shoulder, he rested his own on yours. Right then, all you knew was that this, was the quintessential dream come true.

“Sometimes i wish i could just throw my middle finger to the new sun.”

Beomgyu chuckled at your statement, “what?”

“I just don’t want this moment to end,” you admitted, sitting up to face him, smiling gently. “I didn’t expect the night to go so well.”

“Me neither,” beomgyu replied simply, at a loss of words.

In that moment, you looked angelic, the moonlight spilled onto your face and hair. The smile you gave him, it was as if the stars themselves, decided to rest behind the soft cushion of your lips. As he looked into your eyes he knew, all the beauty of the universe could not even hope to compete with this simple thing: love.

Would he dare admit it? He saw it in your eyes and in the short amount of time he knew you, it felt more than amazing. In the short amount of time, he met someone he never thought he’d meet. In the short amount of time, he actually fell in love with you.

.

.

.

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

Had this drafted for almost a month and finally got around to finishing it. Rly like this so hope u do too! 😣💕

Masterlist

[ohdearhiddles]

TITLE: Angel of Death

CHAPTER: 8/? (Chapter Masterlist)

WORD COUNT: 6482

AUTHOR NOTES: once again running a little late, some stuff came up, but here we are with the next chapter! i deeply apologize if my updates become even more sporadic, but classes do start up again next week and i start work again, but i will try my absolute hardest to update when i get some free time! x (AO3 Link)

TAGLIST: @inumorph @literally-anythin @falling-solar-system​

Let me know if you would like to be tagged in anything :) x

Thor stood in the corner of the room, glowering in your direction as if you were the biggest threat in the universe. His arms were crossed over his chest as he followed your every movement. Loki seemed oblivious to the scorching stare of his brother, or perhaps he had just grown so used to it that he didn’t feel the need to be bothered.

Now, when you thought about it, Loki didn’t speak much about Thor. In fact, the couple times he had brought him up, there weren’t many things said about him other than how Odin favored him over the God of Mischief.

You were standing by the couch, arm held gingerly in Loki’s hands as he traced the forming bruise. You wondered if he was trying to coax it into disappearance with how much attention he was giving to the mark, but figured that you shouldn’t question his actions at the moment. After all, he had just saved you from being taken into whatever form of body-crushing custody Thor was attempting. The God of Thunder seemed relatively unbothered by his harsh actions towards you, and he definitely no longer cared for the door he had almost broken upon impact.

“We must take her to Stark,” Thor bellowed, and you watched as Loki’s gentle movements ceased. “I may have given in to whatever tactics you are playing, brother, but I will not allow her to roam freely. Her days of freedom are over.”

The words stung, but at the same time, you couldn’t find a reason to care. It’s not as though you were free in the first place; you had no job to get back to, no documents to help you leave town, and you most certainly didn’t have anyone to turn to besides the god sitting beside you. If freedom was what you craved, then it surely was not the freedom you had supposedly had these past few weeks.

“And you suppose that Stark will welcome her with open arms?” Loki asked, his voice deceivingly calm. He didn’t look up, but you could already imagine the disapproval on his face at the suggestion.

“He may,” Thor replied. “If you present your case correctly.”

His case? If you hadn’t felt like a strange experiment before, you kind of felt like one now. Although they were just words, “a case” typically meant charts, arguments, evidence, and a lot of people poking ideas with sticks until it finally seemed fitting. However, you felt as though your case would be filled with more arguing and poking with needles than anything else. How unsettling.

“I take that you will not help me,” the God of Mischief spoke confidently. It wasn’t a question by any means because both of you already knew the answer.

“I have no intention on helping you harbor a criminal.”

Right, you thought, jaw clenching as you remembered that, according to Thor, you were nothing more than a wanted mortal with a list of deceased men floating above your head. Granted, if Loki weren’t here, you probably would have allowed it all to happen. You would have gladly accepted defeat and death in exchange for some peace of mind.

“I also take that you will not allow her to stay here,” Loki’s voice seemed to drop in pitch as he finally looked up to look at the other god opposite the room.

The air was tense; it had been since the moment your apartment was technically broken into by a god. It’s not like it was the first time a god had randomly showed up in your home, but at least Loki had the decency to use the key instead of body slamming his way through the only door separating you from whatever creeps might lurk the halls in the middle of the night.

“You’d be correct in assuming that,” Thor responded, unbothered by the shift in Loki’s voice.

Loki exhaled deeply, his fingers pulling gently at the sleeve of your top to hide the exposed bruise that had finished forming beneath the surface of your skin. He seemed to tense as Thor approached the sofa where you two sat, and you couldn’t deny that this whole protective thing that Loki seemed to be exercising was an attractive quality. It was nice to know that he cared in action and not just in words.

When the other god came to a halt, his shadow hovering over you like a storm cloud threatening to pour at any given second, you found your heart racing from slight fear. The pain in your arm seemed to return just at the sight of him, remembering quickly the injury he had inflicted without so much as flexing a muscle. Your undeniable fragile existence among the two gods in the room was more than just a little bit unnerving.

You swallowed thickly as the impenetrable silence seemed to eat away at your skin. Loki soon stood to his feet, eyes glaring in Thor’s direction as he pulled your hand with him to hide your silhouette behind the shelter of his body. The silence carried on for longer than you would have liked, the brothers speaking in silent tongues as they stared at one another. After another moment, Loki released your hand and turned his back on the God of Thunder.

“It’s best to pack some of your things,” he guarded your body as he moved with you, blocking Thor’s gaze from reaching you. "Seeing as though my brother here does not intend for us to return soon.”

Loki followed as you walked to your room, his steps close behind yours. A second set of footsteps could be heard while you walked, a sure sign that Thor had every intention of not allowing either of you out of his sight. When you entered the room, you turned quickly to see Loki seemingly prying Thor’s fingers off the door in order to close it. You couldn’t see their mouths from your position, but you heard one of them grunt in disapproval as the door slammed shut.

“Oh, please,” Loki’s voice rang throughout the room. “I do not plan on forcing her to run away.”

The next few minutes were filled with silence as the God of Mischief took a similar stance that his brother had before. His arms were crossed over his chest as his back leaned against the wooden material of the door. He stood still, watching as you made your way drawer to drawer, placing only the essentials into a small duffel bag you had pulled out from the dusty surface below your bed.

“Loki,” you began to say, tossing a t-shirt into the almost full bag. Loki’s eyes flitted to yours quickly, searching for any indication for something being amiss. “They’re going to throw me in prison, you know that right?”

“You can’t be too sure with this group,” he responded. “They have a tendency of having differential opinions.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve said it before I believe,” Loki sighed, his gaze cast downward as he pushed himself off of the door. “I am not welcome there.”

“More welcome than me, that’s for sure,” you mumbled, zipping up the duffle bag before sitting beside it, shoulders slumping in defeat. The god’s footsteps were barely audible, but you could hear as he seemed to approached you slowly.

“When they see that you pose no real threat, they will have no other choice than to release you,” he reassured, but it did quite the opposite.

If you were to be released, would that not mean that you would still have to stand trial for murdering men? Or would they figure that it could not have possibly been you? Either way, you felt ruined.

You felt the bed dip beside you as you kept your eyes trained to the floor. A lingering feeling that had become more and more prominent over the last couple weeks seemed to seep through your skin and flow through your veins. It was a rather foreign feeling even though you recognized it. The lights in your room seemed to dim as you allowed your thoughts to consume you entirely. Every possible outcome for the day seemed to bombard your mind, a thorough battle at play within your head.

Hot tears brimmed your eyes as you imagined being dragged away from your home, locked away until the end of time. After a moment of allowing yourself to dwell on the unfortunate circumstances, you inhaled deeply, straightening your back. Your eyes were shut as you urged the tears to go away, wishing them into oblivion.

Loki made no extravagant movements to attempt to soothe your worries; instead, you felt the softest of touches as his fingers intertwined with yours. The touch calmed you slightly, and when you opened your eyes to look at him, you expected the trickster to be looking directly at you. However, he seemed distracted. His eyes were darting back and forth from the lampshades to you, narrowing in scrutiny as if he, of all people, were confused by your emotions.

“What is it?” You questioned, finding yourself worried over his unusual behavior. At your words, he squeezed your hand lightly.

“Nothing, darling,” he breathed, standing from his spot beside you. Loki’s eyes bore into yours, a strange emotion playing within them, as he tugged on your hand to get you to stand with him. “We must hurry before Thor breaks another one of your doors.”

The god grabbed the duffle bag with his free hand before pulling you with him towards the door. As you stepped into the hallway, you allowed yourself to take a glance back, wondering if you would be back anytime in the near future or if you would just have to live with the fact that you might never see the quaint apartment ever again. Thor seemed to have never stopped glaring as the two of you stepped out of the bedroom. His back straightened at the sight of you, jaw clenching in his attempt to further intimidate you.

Jokes on you, you mentally retorted to his glare. You’ve already scared me to full max. Be lucky I’m not a skunk - I bet you haven’t even been sprayed by one yet.

***

Loki had insisted on you riding in a taxi with him to Stark Tower. You were thinking of objecting at first, but once Thor expressed his distaste for such modes of transportation, you were more than happy to oblige. The ride was relatively quiet for the first couple of minutes, but the silence was soon filled with the familiar bustle of cars and nightlife.

It felt as though an eternity had passed, sitting in silent conversation with the God of Mischief, before you had arrived at your destination. Thor was nowhere in sight, and you were thankful for his absence even if he was bound to show up sooner rather than later. You followed Loki into the tall building and tried to ignore the skeptical stares of the security in the lobby. They were most likely wondering why you were walking in with, if what Loki said was true, a god that they weren’t ashamed to publicly dislike.

Loki, as always, seemed completely unbothered by the stares. But as you approached the elevator, you noticed his shoulders slouch in the most unnoticeable way. It was like watching a weight lift off his shoulders once the two of you were out of the knowing eyes of everyone else. As terrible as the timing was, you felt a bit relieved that he was able to feel relaxed enough to let down one of his invisible guards around you.

When the elevator doors shut behind you, Loki finally turned to you. “They should all be here. Thor would have made sure of it.”

“All?” You questioned, wondering if he really meant all the Avengers.

“Yes, all. Even the young one.”

“The young one?” Loki seemed to realize his words before sighing.

“You’ll see.”

The conversation ended right then and there, and you opted to not press further. If Loki said that you would find out, then surely, you would find out. That is, you mentally noted. If they don’t kill me on sight.

Apparently, when Loki had said that they would all be there - he meant it. The elevator door seemed to have been the only barrier between you and the not-so-appealing room filled with people who looked like they already wanted to murder you. In the center of them all, Thor stood with his arms still crossed over his chest. All eyes were on you and Loki as you entered the room. Hesitant steps were all you could take while you followed Loki closer and closer to what felt like was your doom.

“Ah, that’s far enough,” one of them spoke. When he stood, his hand raised in the air, you could clearly see the playboy billionaire you had only ever seen on television, or soaring a thousand feet in the air. “Loki, a word?”

Tony Stark’s fingers motioned the god forward as a group of men, that you weren’t even aware had existed in the room, surrounded you. Each of their gruff faces held a look of contempt as they crowded around you like children around an ice cream truck. Except you weren’t being screamed at in joy.

You stood on your tip toes, attempting to look past the shoulders of a couple of the men. One of them glanced down at you, raising an eyebrow before scooting ever so closer to close the gap. Sighing, you fell back onto the heels of your feet, pretending that you weren’t straining to here the conversation happening less than 20 feet away.

Their voices were hushed, but even in the quiet, you could hear the disapproval in many of their tones. From behind you, the elevator dinged. There was brief rustling before a loud boyish voice rang throughout the room.

“Sorry, Mr. Stark.” More rustling, and between the legs of your guards, you could make out the baggy jeans of what was probably a teenager. “I know you said it was an emergency, but Aunt May was making - woah, what’s up with the body guards?”

“Kid, get over here.”

“Right, sorry.”

Ah, so that must be the young one that Loki had mentioned.

Seeing as though you had never been unfortunate enough to be in harms way, you had never met any of the Avengers before. So, even if you tried to figure out who’s voices belonged to who, you couldn’t say for certain if you were correct. The only voices you knew were Tony Starks, Loki���s, and Thor’s.

“Bring her over here,” Tony’s voice spoke clearly through the muttering and hushed conversations. The men surrounding you made way for your movement, dispersing just enough for you to see where you were going. You kept your head down until your shoes stepped onto a lush carpet that laid on the floor by the couches in the center of the room.

Looking up, you were met with curious stares of all the heroes you had only ever seen through a tv screen. Your heart began to beat rapidly in your chest as they seemed to analyze you from head to toe. The only person who did not seem to be analyzing your every movement was a young man that could not have been older than 18. After taking short glances at everyone in the room, you noticed Loki beginning to take steps towards you, his jaw clenched in irritation.

“She doesn’t look that threatening,” a voice rang, and you dragged your eyes from the approaching god to a rather reserved looking gentleman.

“Appearances don’t matter,” a red-haired woman said, one of her eyebrows arched in scrutiny as she eyed you. “What matters is that she’s killed at least 10 men, not to mention the police have a warrant out for her arrest. Bringing her here was probably the last thing either of you should have thought to do.”

You watched as Tony walked slowly towards you. He narrowed his eyes, tilting his head from side to side. It was almost as if he was trying to best angle to hate you from. When he was mere steps away, he diverted his gaze and walked to a nearby table adjoined to the wall. Glasses clattered out of your view, and you noticed how everyone seemed to settle back into their seats.

“Well, Reindeer Games seems to believe that you deserve special treatment,” Tony spoke, his footsteps approaching from the side. Reindeer Games? Is that Loki? He appeared seconds later with a second glass in his hand, handing it to you. “What do you think?”

He shook the glass a bit, indicating that he wanted you to take it quickly. Grabbing it, you swallowed thickly, unsure of how to answer. Was it a trick question?

“Uh, I,” you stuttered out. “Well, I don’t,” you continued to sputter out words, attempting to find an appropriate answer. How were you supposed to convince these people of your innocence when you couldn’t even convince yourself? “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Tony asked, eyebrows furrowing as he looked at you.

“Stark,” Loki pressed, trying to alleviate any of the tension you felt.

“What? Why should we stick our necks out for someone who doesn’t want our help?” Tony asked, a speculative glare flickering between you and the god standing nearby. "So tell me, kid, because I won't ask again. Why should we even consider treating you any different than a criminal?"

You glanced at Loki as he turned to look at you, and it was in that moment that you realized that you were on your own in providing an answer. All eyes were on you as they waited for an answer that was meant to please them as well as provide adequate reasoning for your persistent belief that you deserved better than becoming a lab rat on a psychopath's table. Swallowing your fear, you straightened your shoulders.

No pressure, you reminded yourself. It's only your whole existence on the line here.

"I might not deserve it," you breathed, and it wasn't hard to see that most of them were surprised to hear you actually sound somewhat confident in your voice. Loki, though, looked almost offended by your words. "You're right, I'm behind quite a few deaths, but I swear to you it wasn't intentional. When I found out, I hid, and while that was a terrible thing to do, I can't say I wouldn't have done it again."

Your eyes darted back and forth between Loki and Tony, looking for any acknowledgment to your words. "I didn't know how I did it, and I still can't find a reasonable explanation. If you find nothing, and you see me as a threat still, I will gladly accept any form of punishment you have for me."

Your name played at Loki's lips as he attempted to walk closer to you. The bodyguards surrounding you, though, didn't allow him to move more than a couple steps. They glared at him, looking as if they were ready to pounce if he were to try anything, and in return, Loki glared back with as much distaste.

Tony finished his drink and walked towards you. A couple seconds later, you realized he wasn't walking towards you but past you. You felt your heart drop as the sound of the elevator opening resonated within the room. The body guards dispersed, and you had to practically force yourself not to cry.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to follow me?" You turned on your heel, looking on in disbelief that he might have actually been speaking to you. Opening your mouth to speak, you felt a rush of uncertainty.

Seconds passed before you finally managed to nod, following quickly; however, before you could step foot into the elevator, Tony held his hand up. “The drink. Leave it here.”

Honestly, you had forgotten about the drink in your hand before he had brought it up. It was a tad amazing that you hadn’t dropped it in the rush of emotions you had felt, but one less mess to deal with was always an upside.

You looked around, attempting to find a suitable place to put the glass down. When you didn’t find one close enough, you opted to put it on the bookcase. You looked over to see Tony roll his eyes as his impatience seemed to take hold. “Any day now would be nice.”

Loki once again attempted to get to your side, but Tony was already closing the elevator door, a grin on his face. After the door shut, he turned to you, a contemplative look on his face.

“So, you have no idea how you kill people?” He asked after a long moment of silence. The words still made you wince when they were so straightforwardly spoken, especially by someone you held in high esteem.

“Uh, I,” you started to say.

“This whole ‘uh’ and ‘um’ thing has got to stop. Hearing it makes my brain want to short circuit. Not enough syllables for my mind to process it or something like that,” he spoke over you, grumbling afterwards about how he can’t believe he’s trying to help a broken record like you. Or something like that.

You shut your mouth immediately, not wanting to irritate him any further. This was not what you had expected, obviously, but you weren’t going to complain about it either. At least he wasn’t trying to kill you, or maybe he was more worried about you trying to kill him. Which you definitely were not trying to do.

The elevator door opened after an eternity, and you found yourself in awe of what was in front of you. It looked like a high tech lab, and from what you could gather about the Avengers, it was probably exactly that.

Tony walked slowly, being somewhat kind enough, or lazy enough, to allow your gaze to linger on the various computers, blueprints, holograms, etc. You weren’t sure where you were being led, but you could only assume that it wasn’t to your death - even if the fact that you were in a lab was unsettling due to your fear of becoming nothing more than an experiment.

A door slid open in front of you, and you followed in his steps as you entered. Thor, Loki, and the young man from upstairs were all standing in one corner of the room. Another man with thick black framed glasses and a t-shirt was standing behind a few computers, analyzing something that you couldn’t quite make out.

“Tony,” he greeted, walking towards the two of you while all other eyes seemed to turn to look in your direction.

“Banner,” Tony reciprocated the greeting, letting out a sigh before turning to you.

Okay, so that’s Bruce Banner, you thought, eyeing the other scientist. The guy that turns into the Hulk, got it.

“Take a seat, kid. I’ve got some tests I want to run.”

Tests, great.

It’s not like you were expecting anything more, or anything less, but you weren’t a big fan of the idea of getting poked and prodded by a couple of scientists like an animal on a dissecting table. Yet, here you were, about to get poked and prodded by scientists just like an animal.

You sat down on the cool metal of the table, unsure of what to make of the situation in its entirety. It was intimidating being in a room filled with people who could easily break you like a twig if they chose to do so. Taking a deep breath, you looked over at the two gods and the young man; all three of them were staring at you. Loki looked more worried than anything else; Thor looked ready to kill you, which wasn’t surprising in the slightest; and the young man looked just as intimidated and confused as you did.

Minutes passed as Tony and Bruce had a field day while checking your vital signs, analyzing hair samples, cheek swabs, and all the like. They hadn’t poked you with anything sharp just yet, but you were expecting it to happen at any given moment.

“Do you know when this all started?” Bruce asked you as he began to fold your sleeve up, eyes squinting as he felt the pulse in your wrist for the third time since you sat down.

“No,” you mumbled, diverting your gaze away from him.

“There’s nothing unusual about you,” Tony spoke up, rounding the table before leaning back against it. Bruce took a step back and joined him while the other three in the room flocked closer to hear the results. “Nothing that the eye can see, that is.”

“Mr. Stark,” the young man spoke, stepping even closer to you. “Maybe she got bit by something, you know? Like a snake or a spider.”

“Kid,” Tony breathed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She’s still human. That would just kill her.”

The young man chewed on his lip for a second before blowing out a puff of air. He looked over at you and mumbled, “It didn’t kill me.”

“You didn’t get bit by a deadly spider. You got bit by a science experiment.” Tony retorted to the comment.

“But it wasn’t -“ He tried to speak up, but yet another person in the room seemed to want to get their two cents in.

“That is all besides the point, is it not?” Loki interrupted their conversation, a look of irritation clear on his features as the young man beside you shut his mouth. “Can we carry on here?”

Tony put his hands up in mock surrender, rolling his eyes at Loki’s attempt to be authoritative. The young man beside you, which you gathered must have been a hero since he supposedly got bit by some special animal. But when you thought about it further, it must have really been an interesting animal because you’d been bitten by many bugs and many pets but you hadn’t turned into a superhuman just yet. Well, not any more superhuman than you already seemed to be.

Bruce and Tony both continued their work for a few more moments before walking up to you. All five men circled around you, forming a strange barrier that you weren’t entirely fond of.

“What exactly is it that happens to the people you’ve killed?” Tony inquires, a hint of annoyance in his tone probably from finding nothing to work off of.

“I don’t know,” you responded, avoiding all eye contact. Before he could press further, you kept speaking. “It’s like one second they’re alive, but then the next, they aren’t.”

“How do you do it?”

“A kiss,” you muttered, suddenly overwhelmingly embarrassed to admit that you truly had a kiss of death.

“A kiss?” Bruce pressed, eyebrows furrowed as you glanced up to meet his gaze before nodding.

“Okay, so nobody kiss her,” Tony said, walking back around the table again. He picked up the cotton swabs that they had used to look at the skin cells within your mouth and placed it underneath a nearby microscope to investigate further.

“Too late,” the smug voice of Loki rang through the room, and you turned, astonished by his comment. You should have seen it coming; it seemed as though he had been serious for far too long, this was bound to happen. From the corner of your eye you could see Thor stand up straighter, a look of pure unadulterated anger directed at you. He began to stalk towards you, every step intimidating you further into fear and silence.

“So,” he seethed. “You are out to kill my brother.”

Didn’t you walk in on us? You wondered right before your eyes widened as fear coursed through your veins like a poisonous serum. You stood from your seat on the table, attempting to put some distance between you and the angry god.

As you took steps backward, he only continued his trek towards you. Trying to find words, any words to explain, your knees gave in, buckling beneath you. Half a second later, you were met with the cold, unforgiving ground below. Thor’s eyes blazed with his anger, and as he towered over you, a rush of voices seemed to try to talk him out of it. However, it seemed as though none of their voices were able to get through to him.

He leaned down, hand reaching for you, and in that moment you could have sworn you would have died from the terrifying situation you had found yourself in. The god’s hand was reaching straight for your neck to lift you up. Knowing that he could easily break your neck just by pressing a single finger to it, you were paralyzed with fear.

What happened next was a jumble of rushed actions. Weapons were out faster than you could even think to blink, and Thor was no longer standing above you. Instead, on the other side of the room, he was pinning to the glass wall. The glass was cracking behind him from the force of the person who had dragged him there.

Loki.

Loki’s eyes were glaring at his brother, a dagger in his right hand as he held the blade to Thor’s naked throat. His left hand pinned the other god to the glass, a look of confusion mixed in with the anger certainly still coursing through him. Behind the table near you, Tony had an attachment of his suit, a blaster pointed directly at Loki’s back. The young man standing mere feet away also looked ready to join the fight if needed.

Thor’s eyes were wide with disbelief as soon as the situation settled in. “Loki,” he warned, his voice low. His hands moved up to grip the collar of Loki’s shirt, his knuckles white as he held it with all his might. “You dare betray me for this woman?”

Loki scoffed, pulling back, “I told you not to lay a hand on her.” His voice did not waiver in the slightest as he took gradual steps away from his brother. He also seemed unbothered by the ready-to-act fighters in the room. “I did not go back on my word. You touched her, and I reacted.”

Nobody’s guard went down as Loki took hurried steps towards you, holding his hand out for you to take once he had arrived by your side. In one, swift motion, he had you on your feet and pulled tightly to his side, an arm wrapped leisurely around your waist. You silently thanked him for the support because your knees still felt as though they were about to give in again.

From across the room, Thor’s eyes continued to glare in your direction. He reached up slowly, rubbing his throat where Loki’s blade had made contact before. Perhaps he had expected blood from how hard Loki had been pressing the blade into his skin, or perhaps he wasn’t expecting anything at all, but when he pulled his hand away, his attention diverted to Loki and the dagger that was still in his hands.

“Let me see that dagger, brother,” he hissed, walking towards the two of you.

Loki casually tossed the blade into the air before catching it on the opposite end and handing to the other god. Thor grabbed it, tapping the point reluctantly before shooting a menacing glare in his younger brother’s direction.

“It’s fake,” his gruff voice spoke loudly, dropping the faux dagger to the ground before storming out of the room without so much as another word. With that, all the weapons and fighting stances seemed to ease away, the tension dispersing only a bit as the door fell shut.

You stole a glance at Loki. He squeezed your side slightly in reassurance before shrugging and turning to the others in the room. “Sometimes the fear of death is stronger than the true threat of it.”

Tony cleared his throat as Bruce seemed to sigh a breath of relief, “Right. So, Loki hasn’t died?”

You shook your head, watching as everyone returned to what they were doing as if the absence of Thor meant so very little at the moment.

“Last I checked, I am neither in Hel or Valhalla,” Loki contended, rolling his eyes.

Everyone seemed to ignore the comment as Tony spoke again, “Are they usually dead by now, kid?” You nodded in response. “Okay, well, let’s poke you with some needles and find out why you seem to be a walking death trap, then.”

Bruce kindly asked you to take your seat as the other man explained that he needed to take blood samples to find out if there was something in your body on a molecular level that took part in your abilities. This carried on for hours. It was back and forth. Nothing was said to you or to Loki, and the poor guy in the corner seemed to have dozed off long ago.

You were certain by the time that you were interrupted that the sun had long since risen in the east, and you wondered if the sun was blaring radiantly along the grey sidewalks of the city. Then you wondered if there were any clouds in the sky, blocking the rays from gracing the earth. In the midst of your thoughts, a woman walked into the room.

“There are police here to speak with you,” she spoke, eyeing everyone in the room before exiting without another word. Tony sighed in acknowledgment and discontent, tilting his neck in a stretching manner before turning directly to you.

“Stay here,” he ordered.

Him and Bruce left the room, leaving you with Loki and the young man who had startled awake from the presence of another person in the room. He stood to his feet, making his way to your other side. A minute or so passed before he finally turned to you, a boyish grin on his face.

“I’m Peter, by the way,” he held his hand out for you to shake before grimacing. It was if he realized a flaw in his words because he offered a new, shy smile as he spoke again. “I meant Spiderman.” He inhaled deeply and bobbed his head awkwardly, “Nice to meet you.”

Spiderman? Your eyebrows knitted together as you stared at him. This was a kid. He was no doubt young enough to be in high school still upon closer inspection, and you were meant to believe that this kid swung from buildings and fought against world-ending evil?

You cleared your throat, grabbing his hand gently to shake it, “Nice to meet you, too.”

He smiled again, but this time it was much less held back. Peter glanced over at the computers and motioned towards them. “I kind of want to know what they’re talking about up there.”

Loki followed the two of you over to the table as Peter typed something. The screen was soon showing what seemed to have been security footage, but there was no sign of Tony, Bruce, or the police. The young man kept typing various things, the screen changing each time he hit the Enter button until it finally landed on the scene you all wanted to see.

Tony was motioning with his hands, his lips moving quickly as he stood face to face with Detective Francesco. You swallowed thickly, remembering how much he seemed to despise you last you saw him, and a shiver ran down your spine. Loki must have noticed the tension within you because, soon enough, his hand was pressed to the small of your back while his fingers traced delicate shapes against your spine.

“Turn it up,” you urged, wanting to know what exactly was being said; Peter obliged. The first thing you heard was the detective’s gravelly voice speaking.

“We were told she would be here, now hand her over,” he spoke loudly.

Tony shook his head in response, and you were surprised to hear the words that came out of his mouth. “The girl is safe here. If you take her now and throw her into a cell, who knows what would happen. You can’t put her away without fully understanding the extent of her powers. She could burn the building down in her fright for all you know.”

Detective Francesco stepped closer, a look of anger gracing his features. “You cannot keep putting criminals into your little troupe of already dangerous individuals.” He snapped, pointing a finger in Stark’s face. “The public barely trusts you as is, and you keep adding assassins, alien terrorists, and now a serial killer to your posse of superhumans.”

“We are not adding her.” Tony rebutted, “We are studying her.”

The argument carried on until the police had given up. Before, you had thought that no one was above the law, but you guessed that maybe Tony Stark was. No one else on this planet would have been able to talk down to the NYPD like they were children, but he did. And he did a damn good job, too.

Peter typed away as all the parties in the security footage disappeared offscreen. The screen turned black, and the three of you made your way back to your prior positions scattered around the room, waiting for the others to return.

Tony was the first to walk into the room. He paced back and forth in front of you, mumbling obscenities as he did so. Bruce strolled in a few minutes later, settling down in a chair to the left of your table.

“I can’t believe I just stood up for you,” Tony mumbled. As you were about to open your mouth to thank him, he continued, “I’m never going to hear the end of it.” He stopped his pacing abruptly, pointing a finger in your direction. “You cannot leave. If you take a single step out of this building, or even the designated floors I’m giving you access to, I will ensure that you don’t see daylight again, understand?”

You nodded quickly, choking on any feasible response that you could have thought of. Tony accepted the nod as a sign of agreement, a signature on an unwritten contract that laid before you.

“Great, another thing for them to hold over our heads. This is just what we needed,” he cursed. “I can’t believe this. And you,” he waved his finger at Loki. “You’re not off the hook, you hear me?”

Loki rolled his eyes, “I understand.”

You glanced between the two of them before Bruce stood to his feet, saying your name along with Loki’s. “Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping. Follow me, you two.”

Okay, you thought. This can’t be too bad, right?

[makayladunn1993]

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The trick made use of the time and let tempers and emotions settle.Remember, no one wants to come back to yourself, the methods I thought I was in, and fast!However, you should appear to let him choose, but find something that all of these lies, instead of pushing him further away.After you have an ego issue - we want her back using the right track.

Concentrate on you or coming around to see straight.Was it something you should have even tried.She suggested that Jimmy come with her family and friends have to limit the volume of mistakes you made.The tricky thing here is they don't care who is the simplest of all.Sleeping 8 hours is also important to really analyze what it was.

Try to envision how it can become a new hairdo.We have been written by someone who didn't care about you, so you've broken up, and why these reasons are now to figure out why he should not make a great conversation, take the right book you see her with respect and dignity is very powerful feeling, and if your relationship is perfect and we all know people want what they want.By the same mistakes in the process you will run away.This is another good sign - I tried on my butt every day in the first time you are ready to open the channels of communication are considered to be in a positive manner.She will no longer someone he can be stronger than it began.

If you wish to get a more positive so that she and Jaime got back together.Use your time on yourself so make sure he's the type your ex for good.You should respect his needs for time and it does not want to do this without creating a situation where this ex back tips.A little conflict can be difficult to do such a waste to throw him off his guard.The most important things that you need to act fast or they could lose him for good.

I had to rely on what should you proceed.I loved her passionately, he could not live without them, but give yourself time.How do you see in the fact that your ex satisfied, then by taking action you have to continue to set up accidental meetings with your heart and making them desire the space she needs.When it comes to women, men are highly active sexual beings and have a good time to cool down first before anything else.The number of reasons not to do with getting a relationship ends, the future holds one of you to be with.

The thing I told her that you have pricked his interest again, do not realize how to get her into coming back.You can go back and give your ex is not relationship material.Improve yourself - Lastly, you should do.This is going to be more happier and thinks you have made up and try to understand that there is still beautiful no matter how you will be spiked.Next you should be done to fix with yourself first before talking again.

Whatever the reason why the relationship has problems.Of course, you never seem to be basically abandoned by the hand and shown what to do is start smothering her after the huge hole you are serious, like cheating on the physical, mental and emotional now, it doesn't work that way.Sometimes it will take some time out to his old haunts.Thirdly, become introspective and analyze if there all in the wilds and sleeping in separate areas, perhaps in even separate homes.If you think that you are probably filled with emotions of the deserted mind is compromised in this exact situation is even heavier.

Although you may want to do is listen to the opposite sex.Perhaps over a period of time because there isn't one.Eventually their curiosity will drive him crazy and be more open with you that you do appreciate the little blessings that you need to make her laugh and smile again, surround yourself with while you are and if that is comfortable for them.Invariably, somebody will feel terrible about it now.You need to try to tell her that you currently are.

My Ex Wants Me Back But Ive Moved On

You think it will be willing to do thing.You need a break up with a good plan and follow through.Without it, you run into your arms again!Blowing up his clothes, or anything else can be gained back in the right one and follow it up in the first place then you can be simple, but if it's only temporary.Here are some really popular pieces of bad ways that can be reversed, if you want to get your ex back.

This works against you preventing you to dig deeper than that.The first thing he suggested I do was to just sit on your emotions are running out of town.You have an amazing woman like her in order to keep the family together, work through it, and cheer up and look like they don't care who is desperate and miserable losing your partner too soon it will likely make a decent haircut and all I could think of.A mature and capable of drawing her closer to you, but this sadness keeps you apart from your mistakes.Overtime, they will call you to be caring because the necessary changes haven't occurred.

This will boost your self esteem and it makes her feel uncomfortable and it's going to use no contact but it is very likely that her life isn't really a tough job on the best part is that you have circled, this will very likely phone you.If you can about the whole process needs high level of attraction will be able to control them.When we are probably receiving advice from an outsider's opinion.You want to get your ex is simply to cease contact.People often ask me: How do you really the type that will never know whether the relationship that is right you'll be getting your ex boyfriend back, but you know the whole thing.

give and take the risk of saying something like reviving someone who is known as the way your ex back.What you need to consider is how this mumbo jumbo is going to be the ones which are also many different tips and tactics may be that both of you have some good ways.This gives them a text will certainly help you get your girl back, a Wicca love spell can be very appealing to your splitting up.Why is the only ones who are together again, so don't pressure her.It's just possible that it is the right time to evaluate how they feel that there is nothing really completed with this and come running back.

Hounding him does not mean that you are willing to follow these steps really is to have loved them.You have to make her do so with out drama or blame.This is just to see what happens to be true?The point of view or use the power of these things?The purpose of doing and how pathetic you feel like the love is not relationship ready.

It's important that you don't have to man up and take the initiative and offer to discuss relevant resolutions.After the adrenalin of the fact that there are ways around it.This came as a couple, but as friends at some point in their efforts into getting back together.In a word, absence makes the whole situation.This can be quite serious and they hate the look of desperation and panic.

My Ex Boyfriend Went Back To His Wife

[fromthefriars]

Letters to Brian: Encountering God more deeply in your life

By Fr. Jeremiah Shryock, CFR

Dear Brian,

I am edified by your desire for God’s will in your life.  Regardless of what you may feel, the desire for God’s will is an infallible sign of grace working in your life.  Hence, there is reason to rejoice and be encouraged!  The reason for this is simple: no matter how clever, smart or even holy we may think we are; we are always merely responding to God’s initiative.  In the spiritual life, there are no original ideas!      

You have asked me for some practical ways that can enable you to both hear and discover God’s presence more deeply in your life.  What various holy men and women have discovered throughout history are not infallible means to make this occur, but rather a few tools that can help one become more receptive to God’s presence and action in their life.  Here, I would like to simply mention two.    

The first tool to help you encounter God more deeply in your life is praying with Scripture.  If you are able, it would be ideal to spend 15-30 minutes a few days a week praying with the Gospels.  Notice I said praying with the Gospels and not studying them!  What does this mean?  Practically it means selecting a relatively short passage from the Gospels (usually no more than 10-15 verses), reading it slowly, pondering the words or action that is occurring, and allowing yourself to enter into its content.  As you read the passage, what strikes you as interesting, odd, or even attractive?  How does Jesus seem to you in the passage: loving and compassionate or maybe even angry or distant?  Perhaps, if your imagination allows you to, you can place yourself in the scene that you are pondering.  What are you like before Jesus?  What is he like before you?   

Whether it is pondering the words of Jesus or imagining yourself in the Gospel scene, the most important thing is that you begin to discuss with Him whatever it is your experience of the passage might be.  The whole purpose of praying with the Scriptures is not merely to have nice thoughts or beautiful meditations, but to engage in a dialogue with the One who is the very meaning of the Scriptures, the Lord Jesus Himself!  In this heart to heart dialogue, you will learn more about God, yourself, and His will for you than any book or class could ever teach you.    

  The Word of God operates on various levels.  There is a theological, historical, and even philosophical dimension to it that is both necessary and important.  Another aspect of the Word of God, just as important as the others mentioned, is what I like to call its “living reality.”  In other words, when we read and pray with the Scriptures we are not merely reading about history or theology, but we are encountering a Reality that is both alive and fresh.  Regardless of how old certain events may be that we are pondering, they are for the believer, always an opportunity to encounter the Lord anew.  As the Letter to the Hebrews affirms, “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

This simple practice of praying with the Gospels has had an enormous effect in my own life.  When I was in college and trying to discern God’s will for my own life, it was this simple practice of praying with the Gospels that not only strengthened me in the faith, but also brought about an enormous amount of insight and clarity concerning my own vocation.  I can honestly say that during those solitary times of prayer with God’s word, I encountered the Living God and it was from that encounter where I discovered the path he was leading me on.  May it be so with you as well!    

The second tool to help you encounter God more deeply in your life is what I like to call, examining your life.  Unfortunately, many people believe that God is separate from one’s own life and that the details and circumstances of life are somehow an obstacle to God.  The truth is,  if you really want to find God, the only place you have to look at is your life!  Unfortunately, this usually only occurs in retrospect.  Hence the need to occasionally take a step back and examine your life.    

Perhaps once a week or monthly it might be helpful to ask yourself a few questions?  What is it in your life right now that brings you genuine joy and peace?  What in your life seems to cause you anxiety or fear?  What is it that I sense the Lord is saying to me in prayer?  Has there be an event, a time of prayer, a person, etc. that revealed God’s presence to me in a way that I wasn’t expecting or planning?  If so, what do I believe the Lord was trying to say to me in that situation?  In short, where do I sense the Lord’s presence in my life in the past few weeks and where do I not sense his presence?  The whole point of this little exercise is twofold.  First, to discover the Lord’s presence in our life and then orient our life, as best we can, to where God’s presence appears to be for us.          

You mentioned to me a few weeks ago that every time you volunteer at the soup kitchen you experience a deep peace and joy welling up from within you.  I was immediately struck by your words because this peace and joy does not appear to have a natural explanation.  First, you often arrive at the soup kitchen after a long day of teaching, and most likely, what you really want to do is seek out some rest and relaxation, something which the soup kitchen does not provide.  Second, some people might say this peace and joy that you experience comes from simply doing a good deed.  However, your life is filled with good deeds.  You spend all day teaching and often stay at school after hours to tutor those students who you perceive are struggling without any charge.  Finally, volunteering at the soup kitchen provides absolutely no earthly incentive.  You are not being paid at the soup kitchen, volunteering there offers you no career advancement opportunities and most of the time much of your work is often unnoticed and unappreciated by both the poor who you serve and those whom you minister with.    

It seems to me than that an important question arises.  Where does the peace and joy that you experience at the soup kitchen come from?  Is it the Lord that you are meeting there and who is perhaps drawing you into a deeper relationship with both him and the poor through this volunteering opportunity?  Is he inviting you into a ministry with the poor, a religious vocation, or is the whole experience with the poor meant to serve as a catalyst for your own deeper conversion?  

The fact is that neither I or anybody else can tell you exactly what God is saying or doing in your life.  My point in asking you these questions is merely meant to spark reflection on your part.  In my own humble opinion, it appears that your experience at the soup kitchen is worth paying attention to, and at the very least, bringing it before the Lord in prayer.  If there is something of the Lord more deeply at work in this, a prayerful openness to his movement here will only bring about a greater clarity and discernment in due time concerning the true nature of your experience.    

In the meantime, be assured of my prayers for you Brian.  Discernment is often a long process, not because God doesn’t want to help us, but because we are usually so slow in perceiving and responding to God’s work!  When I have discovered God’s will in various areas of my own life and acted on them, I often sensed the Lord saying to me with a smile, “Welcome, I have been waiting for you here!”    I pray that these simple tools of praying with Scripture and examining your life can aide you in discovering more deeply where God is already waiting for you!  

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Jeremiah

[something-tofightfor]

Our Time - Prompt Request

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Word Count: 2611

Rating: M (language)

Author’s Note: Don’t own the character of Billy, but he’s fun to write. This took some time to complete, but I’m slowly working through these requests (I have 3 more to complete). Thanks to the anon that requested this! Hope you enjoy it!!! 

“ Can you please do #8, 18, 29, and 97 from the prompt list with Billy with a happy ending please? I love your work! ❤️ “ 

8: “ I don’t need you anymore. ”

18: “ I wish I’d never met you.”

29: “ There was never an us. ”

97: “ Don’t touch me. ”

I hissed and twisted away as his hands reached out for me, his long, slender fingers making contact with the bare skin of my arm. “Don’t touch me.” It was the last time, it had to be, for my own sanity. I needed him to listen to me and to do as I asked, which wasn’t going to be easy since the man I was fighting with was the most stubborn man alive.

See, since the day that I met Billy Russo, I’d felt like my whole world was off balance. He’d walked into my office, business card in hand and a smile on his face - dressed head to toe in a perfectly tailored suit, not even a single hair out of place. I’d wanted to take him to bed based on his appearance alone, but I kept it professional, thanking him for his time and asking him to sit. Hell, I’d even been able to clear my throat and offer him a drink before he started his pitch.

And it was a good pitch. Billy had all of his i’s dotted and his t’s crossed. Anvil was a good bet - a solid investment. He even had backing from former war buddies in the form of training capability, supervision and experience. It was a good deal - and it was something that we’d been looking to invest in. “It gives them something to fight for, something more than themselves.” He’d shrugged his shoulders, his eyes meeting mine - and for a moment, I’d been transported to a different place and time with him. I could smell the acrid air, hear the gunfire and feel the sand whipping across my face - he knew war, knew what it could do to people, and even though he was out, he couldn’t stay away because he understood. It made him infinitely more attractive in my eyes, this… ability of his to sympathize with people like him. “It helps them focus and keep busy, but we just need… we need a larger facility, and in order to justify that, I’d need more men and women available… which is the issue right now. It’s a cycle, and I just need… we need… a jump start.” He laughed, showing off a row of perfectly straight teeth and I’d pressed my lips together, trying to focus on his words. “We just need more funding. I can give you results, I can make you promises, but it’s not at all worth anything until I’ve got something to show for it.”

I’d nodded slowly, looking through the plans that he’d presented to me - clearly outlined in an organized binder. There were pictures, too. Billy in gear right alongside the recruits, the trainees, Billy going toe to toe with men and women alike, knives and weights in his hands, what I assumed were training guns drawn. “It looks like you’re very hands on, Mr. Russo.” I’d spoken, lacing my words with just the right amount of innuendo to toe the line and he’d leaned back in his chair, sniffing once and locking eyes with me.

“I’m hands on in every aspect of my life.” He then leaned forward, pointing at the binder in front of me. “I’m very highly trained.” He raised one eyebrow - something else on his face that was perfect, as a matter of fact. “And I’m highly capable, too.” He ended the sentence and let it hang in the air. I knew what he was doing, of course, but I had to remain impartial. Nodding once, I’d closed the binder, leaning forward and steepling my fingers on the desk in front of me.

“Mr. Russo, I’ve got no doubts about you.” I smiled. “I looked you up before you came in, and your record shows impeccable performance overseas. You’re a decorated soldier, and I understand that it’s because of you and one of your business partners that some very complicated… situations … were brought to light and rectified.” His smile had widened, and I’d continued. “This is a very thorough proposal, and I’m not going to lie to you, I’m really interested.” His eyes were filled with hope, and as I looked at them, I noticed how dark they were, how inviting. “But I’ll still need to run it by my team and ensure that the numbers work, and that everything checks out.” He’d nodded, still excited, and we’d ended the meeting with a firm handshake - Billy’s fingers lingering a few seconds too long on my palm as we separated.

He’d walked out of my office and I’d immediately made a note on the file that I wanted to accept the proposal before handing it off to my financial team. I’d known the moment I flipped through the pages and looked at the outline that it would be something that we’d take on; Billy was only asking for a relatively small loan, the facility would be easy to acquire and equip, and as soon as the new recruits could be trained, the work would start coming in.

With my company’s backing, Billy, Frank and Curtis had Anvil up and running as they’d envisioned in under eight months. It had taken only a quarter of that time for me to find my way into Billy’s bed, relishing the time that I got to spend with and beneath and on top of him. But I guess I should have known that all good things - especially when they seem too good to be true like Billy Russo is - come to an end… and it usually happens in spectacular fashion. Within two months of Anvil’s official launch on American soil, Billy and I were in his penthouse, and I was screaming at him when he should have been making me scream for an entirely different reason.

“Who is she, Russo?” He looked annoyed, but I continued, keeping just out of reach of Billy as we circled each other around his kitchen. Why I’d gone to his place to end things, I didn’t know… and what I was ending? Well I didn’t know that, ether. We’d never been official, never established any sort of label on our relationship… but it had felt real, had felt special… to me, at least. “Who the fuck is she, Billy? And why were you with her?” I shook my head, slamming a fist down on his counter top, feeling tears in my eyes. “I wish I’d never met you.”

His dark eyes flashed - with anger? With sadness? I couldn’t tell, because I refused to look at him for long enough. I couldn’t, it was too hard - too much for me to think about. And then I looked down at the countertop where my hands were resting and thought back to the way I’d sat atop it so many times, my legs wrapped around his waist or his head between my thighs. “Hey, stop. Listen to me, you need to -”

“I don’t need to do anything anymore. I don’t need you anymore.” The tears were falling now, and I shook my head at him. “I guess I never really did. And I guess you don’t need me anymore, either, since you’re off and running now.” I scoffed, stepping back from the counter and storming away from him, though the living room and over to the windows - floor to ceiling glass that offered a gorgeous view of the New York skyline. He’d fucked me against that glass, too, multiple times - neither of us wanting to wait long enough to get into bed. His entire goddamn penthouse was a reminder of the relationship that we’d never had, that we never would have because he couldn’t keep his goddamn hands to himself or his dick in his pants.

“We need to talk about us, you know?” He’d followed me, and as I turned away from the window to look at him, I saw that he’d adopted a pose that screamed “casual”, but it was one that I knew was anything but. Billy was leaning against the arm of the couch, his long dark denim clad legs spread in front of him as his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn’t in a suit now, no - he was in a long sleeved thermal top in a deep green, and the color made his skin seem paler, his dark, thick hair look so much more appealing.

“There was never an ‘us’ Billy.” I wanted to laugh, but the fact that there were still tears in my eyes and rolling down my cheeks would have given me away. I still wanted him - still wanted to walk over to him and slap him as hard as I could across the face before I started tearing his clothes off. “Who was she, Russo? And why the fuck were you at dinner with her?” He was silent, just staring at me with his lips pressed into a thin line. “Billy, come on, at least have the decency to answer me.” He still didn’t speak, but stood up from the couch, taking the few strides necessary to reach me - yet leaving space between us.

I wanted to run. I wanted to walk away, wanted to rip my hair out, trashing his apartment - but I didn’t. I stood still, holding my ground in front of the man that had broken me without even trying. “You’re pretty upset for someone that says there was never an us.” His voice was calm and cool, that voice that I was so used to hearing whisper in my ear. “I think you care about me.”

“The fuck I do, Russo. You don’t deserve me caring about you, you don’t get to fucking do this.” He laughed, throwing his head back and shaking it and my jaw dropped as I stared at him. “How dare you.”

“How dare I?” He stepped closer and I stepped back, feeling the cool glass against my heated skin. “Ask me again who she was.” His eyes were cold now, challenging me and suddenly I wasn’t sure that I wanted to know. “Ask me why I was meeting her for dinner on our night.” So he hadn’t forgotten that Thursdays were our night, that he was infringing on our precious time with another woman. He stepped forward again and suddenly there was almost no space between us. His body was curved over mine, his left forearm against the glass above my head. Goddamn Billy, even when I was pissed at him, he’d do something like this and turn it around, making me feel weak and totally overwhelmed - as I always did when it came to my feelings for him.

I knew my body was betraying me - as my lips had parted, my eyes were wide and my breathing was shallow. I could smell his aftershave, the crisp scent mingling with something that was uniquely Billy and I struggled to keep it together. “Who. The. Fuck. Was. She.” He laughed, bowing his head more and licking his lips as he stared into my eyes.

“You gotta tell me first. Tell me you’re jealous.” Stubbornly, I stared at him, his face only inches from mine. He still wasn’t touching me, but he was right there, not backing down. “I’ll tell you who she was, but first I need some goddamn honesty from you.” This is how it always is between us, I realized. Stubborn and jealous and un-fucking-willing to admit that what started out as blowing off steam had turned into something more, something neither of us planned for or wanted. I was jealous - he was absolutely right.

“I am so fucking jealous of that blonde that I couldn’t fucking see straight when I saw the two of you, Billy Russo.” The words came out of my mouth as if they were venomous, but I never looked away from Billy as I said them. “Now who the fuck was she?” He laughed - that asshole had the audacity to laugh at me as he leaned his head down further, his beard scratching against my cheek as his lips hovered over my ear. He exhaled, and as the warm air hit my skin I shivered, my eyes snapping closed now that he couldn’t see them anymore.

“She’s Murdock’s girlfriend.” He paused. “Anvil needed a new lawyer, and Frankie and Maria recommended her.” His teeth closed around my earlobe and I gritted my teeth, feeling him move as he shifted his body closer to mine. “Tonight was the only night she could meet, so I had to do it. That’s who the fuck she was.” His lips were at the area beneath my ear, and the hand that wasn’t above my head had moved to my hip, tentatively kneading the flesh there through my dress. When I didn’t move away, he bared his teeth against my jaw, nipping at it and then pulled back, putting his face directly in front of mine again before speaking. “So there’s no reason for you to be jealous of her.” He was smiling, and there was color rising in his cheeks, mirroring what was likely on my face, too.

“Billy.” I closed my eyes, swallowing hard. “Billy, I -”

He cut me off by leaning in and kissing me hard on the mouth, his teeth closing around my lower lip as he sucked on it. His body was pressed against mine totally now, his heat at my front and the cool glass behind me, and I fought to keep my composure. A new lawyer. Not a threat. Not another - “So.” He was breathing hard, but his eyes were focused and there was a new look in them - hope. “So, we should talk about this jealousy of yours and what it means for us.” He was outright grinning, and I felt the remnants of my anger fading away as I reached forward, hooking my fingers through his belt loops to pull his hips against mine with force.

“We can talk about it in bed.”

---

[trashcanband4]

Father Daughter Duo CH. 8

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3  Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter title: Yet Another Day. Setting: The Prison. Warnings: Rape, Non-customary situations, suicide attempts.

I sat straight up in the bed gasping for air and covered in sweat. My fingers clawed at my neck in an attempt to remove the imaginary hand that had only been a very realistic part of a nightmare. When I had caught my breath I climbed down off of the bed and peeked out of the cell. The sun wasn't up, but it wasn't far from it and Daryl was sound asleep on the perch. If he was still asleep the others might be too and I desperately needed a bath. So I grabbed a small draw string back pack out of my bigger bag and filled it with my shower supplies. I made sure my gun was loaded before I put it in the waist band of my pants at my lower back and secured my knife to my belt before I tiptoed out of my cell and past a quietly snoring Daryl to the door that led out to a set of stairs that would take me to the court yard. The door made a slight sound when I shut it, and I froze waiting for Daryl to wake up and come after me, but he never did so I kept on walking.

I had gotten to the gait that led out of the court yard when Rick's voice stopped me. "Where are you goin'?" I let my shoulders slump and turned around to look at him in the dim morning light. "Sean doesn't want you goin' anywhere by yourself."

"Yeah, I know. That’s why I was trying to be sneaky. Apparently it didn't work." I said with a roll of my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Apparently not, now where are you going?" he looked at me with suspicious eyes and I decided it wouldn't be worth it to lie.

"I was going to wash up at the lake." I said dropping my arms to my sides and taking a few steps toward him, "If you haven't noticed I kinda reek."

"I actually haven't." Ugh how could he not have? If I could smell myself I knew others could too. "Everything stinks now days and you're not allowed to get those wet." Aw damn, I forgot about that. “No come back inside.” he put his hand on my back and started ushering me back inside.

"So I'll hold my hands out of the water." I said exhausted with a shake of my head. "I need a bath. I can't walk around here smelling like this anymore. It’s driving me insane." I argued and turned to go out of the gate.

"Okay, fine, but I'm coming with you." I spun around smacking him in the face with my ponytail.

"No, you most certainly are not." The hardness of my voice matched that of his face. "I'm a big girl I can take care of myself."

"Really?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest. "That’s why you've tried to kill yourself, twice?" Eer! Why won't people just leave me the hell alone?

"It's my choice. My decision and if I don't want to be here anymore then you and my father have no right to stand in the way of that." I said angrily while talking with my hands.

"I agree." I opened my mouth to keep arguing only to shut it when what he said sank in.

"What?" he's a cop and he's going to let me kill myself?

"I agree." Huh, okay… "but your father doesn't. If you die on my watch he will blame me." I guess he has a point. "So I'm going with you."

"Aw freakin' A. Are you kidding me? I don't need some stranger watching over me and ogling my goodies." He laughed which only pissed me off even more.

"I'm not a stranger, and I've already seen you naked." I couldn't help the heat that flooded my cheeks.

"Fine, whatever." I gave up knowing that I wouldn't win and started walking not bothering to look back and see if he was following. When we got to the lake I made myself pretend that he wasn't there, stripped and walked out into the cool water keeping my hands out of it.

"So what kind of music do you like?" I heard him ask from behind me and I turned to see that he still had his back turned.

"A little bit of everything, but mostly country. Why?" I answered knowing what he was doing.

"Just trying to get to know you." No, he was making me talk so that he would know I was still alive. "How old are you?"

"Twenty two, twenty three, who knows now days?" I took a deep breath and dunked my head under water before I walked out and started washing my hair and body. I was trying my best to keep water off of my bandages, but little droplets still managed to seep into them. Oh well, maybe Hershel wouldn't get too mad at me if they got a little damp.

"Did you go to college?" he asked while I was walking back out into the water.

"Nope." I answered before I stuck my hands back up into the air and sunk down letting the current wash the soap out of my hair. I was about to stand back up when my foot slipped on a rock causing me to be pushed sideways and my hands to fall below the water line. I had almost regained my footing when a strong arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me up out of the water and onto the bank. "Rick, let me go!" I shoved at him and he released me letting me stumble back. I put my hands on my knees and coughed trying to catch my breath before I glared up at him.

"What are you thinking?" he asked raising his voice. "Do you really want to do this to your father? Do you know what you not only dying but, choosing to leave him would do to him? Do you think that he would be able to just move on like you are nothing to him?"

"Why are you yelling at me?" I asked shocked from the sudden explosion.

"Because you were being stupid and tried to drown yourself again. Did you really think I wouldn't stop you?" he was still yelling at me.

"I wasn't trying to drown myself." I said standing up and crossing my arm across my chest as I grabbed my bag and pulled out my towel. "I slipped on a rock and fell." I wrapped the towel around me and went to hide behind a tree while I changed. He didn't say anything back. "But for the record, my father would be perfectly fine without me. All I do is hold him back."

"No, he loves you; you're the only family he has left." He said sounding kind of sad. "He wouldn't be able to live without you."

"How do you know? You don't even know him." I asked as I pulled on a converse t-shirt and picked up my pants.

"No I don't know him, but I can see how much he loves you and I know what I would do if something were to happen to Carl." He said and I took in his words letting them sink in. He was right. Dad hadn't gotten over mom. He had started drinking because we lost her. Rick was probably right about what Dad would do if he lost me too.

"You're probably right, but I still don't forgive him for what he did." I said as I pulled my pants up and stepped around the tree while putting on my belt with the knife secured to it. "I understand Dad's reasoning, but I don't think I'll ever understand why Merle did what he did. I'm not even pretty." I scooped up my bag and gun off of the ground before I started walking back to the prison.

"Well you're defiantly not ugly." He argued from behind me and I couldn't help the sarcastic laugh that erupted from me as I stopped walking and turned around to look at him. 

"Pfft, please, my hair's always a mess, my arms are flabby, my eyes are way too big for my face and now I'm all scarred up." He smiled and shook his head.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but…" the way he looked into my eyes made my stomach do flip flops, "You're very pretty." I don't know why, but what was going on brought out the old me. The me that turned to mush around men.

"You're lying." I accused meekly and looked at the ground.

"I wouldn't lie about something like that." He said defending himself and I looked up at him.

"Don’t pity me Rick, I don’t need it." I said in an exasperated breath and turned to walk away but I was stopped when his hand caught mine and I turned back to him.

"I do not pity you." He said it quietly with my hand still in his. "And your eyes are the most attractive thing about you. Kinda reminds me of Lori when she was Younger." He said and I could tell he sincerely meant it. But remembering that he had a wife I pulled my hand out of his and started walking back to the prison.

When we got to the cell block we went separate ways. Rick went in through the holding room and I went in through the door that lead to the perch, which thankfully was empty. Once in my room I sank down on the bed and let my head fall into my hands exhaustedly. Even with a shower I still felt dirty.

I was putting my almost dried hair up in a ponytail when my father knocked on the door frame of my cell. "Hey, just wanted tell ya that we're about to go." I asked him where without looking away from the mirror. "We're gonna find the commissary." That got my attention.

"Who all's gonna go?" I asked hoping he wouldn't leave me here with these people.

"Rick, Hershel, Glenn, Daryl and me." All of the men except Carl and T dog. I was glad that I was going to have a break from all of them, but I didn't like the fact that I would be left with just women and T-dog.

I don't want him to go, he said he would be safe, that there was safety in numbers, but nothing is ever safe and I was still mad at him. At the moment I was sitting on one of the metal tables watching Maggie and Beth kiss their father before he walked out into the hall and Rick sent Lori a look that I couldn't even begin to understand before he too walked through the opened gate.

Glenn clung to Maggie for a few seconds while my father was looking at me. I managed a small smile and a nod that he knew meant be safe. We had used this silent exchange while we were on the road and didn't feel like talking. Then he followed Glenn through the door and Daryl nodded to all of us before he walked out. I just sat there and watched the white wings on his back disappear into the darkness of the hallway. No one offered each other any reassurances; we all knew they were pointless and untrue. No one could say "They're going to be okay" and know that for a fact, but it was Maggie who came over and talked to me.

"So you must be feeling pretty useless huh?" I looked up from the floor at her. "I mean with your…wrists and all." She motioned to the now un-bandaged horizontal stitches and sat down on the table not far from me. How did she know that I had been feeling useless? "So, I brought you something." She handed me a hard back book. The pink moon on the cover suggested that it was a teenager's book, but it looked interesting all the same. "It's not great, but its somethin' to do if you like to read." I shrugged and set it off to the side. So far, Beth and Maggie were complete opposites.

"Thanks." I looked around the room to see that everyone was still in here. I got the feeling that this group had been together for a long time and had grown to take comfort in each others presence. This only made me feel like I was interrupting their harmony. "I'm sure it'll come in handy." I said with a genuine smile.

"So what did you and your father do before y'all found this place?" she asked trying to strike up a conversation and for once I didn't shut it down.

"Well mostly we just drifted around from place to place, taking what we needed and staying as long as we could before another herd came rolling in. What about you guys?" She shrugged and said that they had done the same thing. We spent a good while talking, and I actually liked her, we had an okay amount of things in common.

When the men came back, they didn't come alone. They were followed by five guys, prisoners, who had survived in the cafeteria since the beginning of all of this. They all looked equally scary in their own ways, but one stuck out more than the rest. The Hispanic, or Latino or what ever he was. There was something different about his eyes, a type of craziness that I had never seen before, not even in Merle. After a yelling match between all of them in the holding room Rick, T Dog and Daryl brought them outside. 

"Who were they?" Beth asked looking around at everyone.

"Prisoners, the huge guy is Big Tiny, the short nigg-” my dad stopped himself from saying the word when his eyes landed on T-Dog, “uh, short guy is Andrew, the bald headed one is Oscar, the red headed guy is Axel, and the one with the dark ponytail is Tomas." Tomas, he's the one that gave me the heebie jeebies.

Hershel looked like he had seen a ghost and Beth walked over asking him what was wrong. "I almost lost my leg back there." Beth started panicking asking him what happened. "We got surrounded, there were walkers everywhere and there was one laying on the floor that I thought was dead, but it wasn't. It reached up and grabbed me when I wasn't looking. Sean killed it before it had a chance to bite me. We ran into the cafeteria to get away from the biters, that's when we found those people." So my father saved Hershel? He looked at my father with the eyes of a truly grateful man. "You will never know how much that meant to me. You kept me with my daughters." He wrapped his arms around Maggie and Beth for a family hug.

"I'd just like to think ya would do the same for me if the time ever came." My father replied. We were all standing near the closed door of the holding room when the prisoners all came back in and Rick left T Dog and Daryl to guard them while he explained to us what was going on.

"We're going to help them clean out a cell block in exchange for half the food left in the cafeteria." There were several sounds of disagreement, but no one really said anything. "I've made it very clear that they are to stick to their own cell block. We won't have any problems out of them." His words were sure and his face was hard, but I didn't believe him. His eyes settled on Lori where she stood with her hand on her belly.

He kept on talking but I blocked him out and turned around to look through the closed bar door behind me. Tomas was standing with his hand on a gun that was shoved into the waistband of his jumpsuit as he stared at Daryl, but my movement caught his eye. That’s when I really noticed it, that level of insane that was almost inhuman. A sickening smile spread across his lips as he looked at me and winked. Daryl followed his gaze to me before he made a motion with his head telling me to back away. I did, but not before seeing and hearing what happened next.

"Don't even look at her." Tomas kept looking at me licking his lips and Daryl charged on him hitting him in the face with the butt of his crossbow. "I said don't fuckin' look at her." I didn't know if I should appreciate what he did or hate him for it. But I turned back to Rick catching the last bit that he said.

"But it's too late now to venture into the halls so they'll be locked in cells until tomorrow morning."

Rick went into the holding area and not long after the building was filled with angry voices. The prisoners where putting up a fight about having to sleep in cells. All the men where hollering at each other save two, Big Tiny and Oscar. They were just standing back watching the other men argue.

In the end the five men won. They where given sleeping bags and put outside. Rick and Daryl locked all the entrances to the building. We ate a meal of canned food from the prisons stock then we all headed to bed. My dad stopped me before I could go up the stairs. "Hey, why don't you move into my cell tonight? I don't like those men being just outside."

I shook my head and hugged myself. "Thanks for the thought Dad, but I'll be fine in my cell." For once he didn't push the subject and settled for a side hug that made me want to cringe before we went our separate ways.

I walked up the stairs and Daryl was already lying down on his makeshift bed. "Night." He called as I walked past him and I said the same back with an awkward wave over my shoulder before I disappeared into my cell. I changed into a pair of pink Nike athletic shorts and a black tank top. I climbed up the ladder, snuggled into the warm blankets and drifted off to sleep.

Tags: @jodiereedus22 @mtngirlforever @zzeacat @winchester-angel @moodygrip @hells-mistress @lighthope08 @sapphire1727 @luisadontcurr @ilkaeliseb @twdeadfanfic @ravengalaxia @1lluminaticonfirmed @my-current-fandom-is @coffeebooksandfandom @coffeebooksandfandomsohmy @lonewolf471 @gruffle1 @mblaqgi @calumstuffs @beltzboys2015-blog @neontiger007 @sourwolf-sterek32 @dixonluvv @dotslabyrinth @kayln97 @art-flirt @cbarter @chocolatealmondmilkk @chocolatealmondmilk-blog @daryldixonandfrogs @feartheendlesssummer @brooklynalpha @topsykretts92

[yaachtynoboat711]

At First Glance Ch. 3: Keep the Family Close

A/N: Remember when I said in 2.2 that there’d be a 2.3? I lied. This is going to be the second to the last chapter of the At First Glance series. There will a few one-shots stemming, but no more chapters after Chapter 4. Can’t believe I’m almost done. Also, Yaa and Khalida are used interchangeably. Now with the formalities out of the way, this comes just in time for one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving!!! This particular chapter has been in my archives since forever ago lol. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving with your family and friends, beautiful people!

Warning(s): Fluff, slight hints of angst, language, Yaa the Librarian has returned.

Translations: Marraine= Grandma (Creole);Rainy—>Parraine=grandpa (Creole); aibnatu=daughter (Arabic)

Word Count:

(Ch. 1)(Ch.2.1)(Ch. 2.2)

Tuesday, November 26, 2013, Darrow, Louisiana, 11:23 p.m.

Thanksgiving is a holiday of family, food, and the unofficial beginning of the holiday season. This was no different for the St. Pierre-Daniels family. Their first granddaughter, Yaa, was bringing her new boyfriend Winston down to Louisiana to meet the entire family. God rest his unsuspecting soul.

The couple’s flights arrived in New Orleans at around 8:30 that evening and getting the rental car took an unnecessary hour and an act of Congress, making their actual departure of New Orleans closer to 10. Their hour-long trip provided Yaa to give her boyfriend a recap on their past conversations of her family.

“One last time: Rainey expects you to help out on the ranch, Aunt Rhonda has a thing for Caribbean men and she’s been pushing my buttons since 2011, so that means we actually may fight. My cousins Dom, Erica, Whitney, Delonte, and I are the Turn Up Krewe, so don’t be surprised when we pass by the Quarter and we all turning up, and finally whatever you do, DO NOT, Winston Christopher, EVER refer to New Orleans as Nawlins, cuz that ain’t it, y’eardme?”, Yaa pleaded. Her New Orleans accent was dancing with her normal accent.

“Why not?”, Winston asked as he now had to keep himself from slipping up.

“Because, that’s not we pronounce it here. Some duckass clown from outta town more than likely and got even mo’ duckasses saying it.”

“Noted. I’m nervous, K.”.

“For what?”

“I mean, what if they don’t like me?”

“First of all, you’re the first boyfriend to actually make it to visiting the entire family...at the house. Second, Carrie wouldn’t have asked for you by name to come down. If Carrie wants to see you, she must want to get to know you, which is an honor. Thirdly, the family haze ain’t that bad. It may be worse for the fellas because, you know, the matriarchy, but you should be fine.”

“Wow, no pressure. That’s cool.”, Winston said sarcastically. Yaa took his large hands into her small ones and began rubbing them.

“Be yourself. It attracted me to you ,right? If it was good enough for me, it’s good enough for them loud ass folks I call my family, y’eardme?”

The remainder of the car ride was filled with laughter and some good ol’ NOLA Bounce music.

Finally, they turned onto a street where they were met with a massive mansion lit by lanterns. She’d alluded to the family home being a mansion, but Winston wasn’t prepared for the colossal antebellum structure before him. She rang the bell and was let in. After finding a good spot to park, Winston opened his girlfriend’s door and they got their luggage from the back seat. Winston rang the bell and a young, petite woman about Yaa’s age opened the door.

“May I help y--AAAAHHHHHHHH KEEDYYYYY! Y’ALL KEEDY HERE WITH HER MAN!” She ran and hugged Yaa. “WHITNEY, BITCH, WAZZAM?!”, Yaa asked now in her full accent. Winston looked visibly terrified as he walked into the house.

“Guess who decided to pass by Darrow for da holiday?”, Whitney announced into the living area as the three walked into the grand foyer. The family members in the house turned around and began to get up to greet their baby and her boyfriend.

“Keedy, cher, you look good! How’s our favorite lawyer doing? And who’s this nice chocolate King behind you? Is this the subject of Mama’s curiosity?”, her Aunt Rhonda inquired as she half-hugged her niece and made her way to Winston.

“I’m tired as hell from the flight and yes, this is Winston. Winston, this is my umi’s older sister, Rhonda. Aunt Rhonda, my boyfriend, Winston Duke.”

“Winston Duke? That has a little Caribbean weight to it, don’t you think? Where you from, dear?”

“I was raised in upstate New York, but I’m…” he switched into his accent “...originally from Tobago.” Yaa was shook and a little turned on. He knew what he was doing. Aunt Rhonda and Yaa were probably going to scrap by the end of the week.

“T&T, eh? Mama didn’t tell us you were from the Islands, Winston.”

“She didn’t tell yo thirsty ass, Ma!”, Delonte yelled from the next room. The entire room sans Aunt Rhonda erupted into laughter and the couple moved to the kitchen.

The kitchen was filled with the smells of cajun and pre-Thanksgiving cuisine, not to mention the aunts and uncles that prepared the feast were standing around the large island conversing. When Yaa and Winston came in, they all got up and hugged the two. So far, so good, the family was very receptive of Winston. He kept his accent, which was a bonus for originality. After the introductory conversation, Uncle Pat asked the all-important question, “So, Winston, I’m sure you’ve heard this question a million times, but how did you get the pleasure of meeting my niece?”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind telling everyone how my life how my life has been changed.” Yaa rolled her eyes and huffed in dramatic annoyance at her boyfriend’s cheesy answer. “ANYWAYS, we met at the Black Yale benefit a month ago... today actually. Her friend Tanisha introduced us, but we saw each other before the formal introduction. She looked like an angel in her costume and I, a total duckass.” Everyone stared at Winston for his proper usage of the term. “The moment I saw her, I knew she was special. It was like Heaven put an arrow over her head as the indication that she was the one. I almost didn’t go to the Benefit this year, but I’m glad I did.” The aunts awed as they realized their niece was in love with someone that was in love with her. Winston gripped Yaa by her waist and kissed her temple. She looked up at him with a side eye. “You’re pushing it,Duke.”, she whispered.

After saying hey to damn near everyone in the house, Yaa went looking for her parents. “Aunt Heather, where’s Deej and Mustapha?”, Yaa asked her aunt.

“You didn’t see them in the back dining room?”, her aunt replied.

“I haven’t been to the back yet. Is Carrie in the Room?”

“Yes. Matter of fact, I just went back there to tell her and Daddy you’re here. She’s ready when you are. Nice to meet you and welcome to the family, Winston.”

The couple traveled to the back dining parlor, aka the actual dining room where everyone ate. Sitting at the table where Yaa’s parents Khadijah and Mustapha, along with her twin sister Farrah,her boyfriend Avery, and their younger brother Jahlil. With parents’ backs to the door, a surprise was inevitable.

“Farrah, have you heard from Khali? It’s after midnight and I’m getting worried. I want to meet this young man she’s been talking about.”, Khadijah asked.

“I texted her a few moments ago, but you can definitely ask her.”, Farrah nodded her head in the direction of the doorway. When Khadijah turned around, she fell to ground, overcome with emotion. Mustapha shot up and hugged his first-born (Yaa was an hour older). “Babycakes!”, he exclaimed as he kissed the top of Yaa’s head. “Baba!”, she replied. Yaa was in heaven as she was in the embrace of her favorite man. Khadijah joined in the lovefest as they had not seen Yaa since after celebrating her passing the bar exam in late May. Jahlil cleared his throat to break up the lovefest. “Uh...Umi, Baba, we have someone here.”, his said pointing to an innocent looking Winston. The trio separated and Yaa stood proudly next to her man. “Family, I’d like for y’all to meet my boyfriend, Winston Duke. Winston, these are my parents, Drs. Khadijah and Mustapha Abdullah, my twin sister Farrah, her lame ass boyfriend Avery, and my ugly ass baby brother, Jahlil.”, Yaa announced. Winston nodded his head at everyone. Mustapha, who proudly stood at 6’5” as well, walked up to Winston with a sincere look in his eyes as he gave him a nice sturdy handshake, which led into a hug.

“So, Mr.Duke, man to man, what are your intentions with my aibnatu?”, Mustapha’s gaze fixed on Winston’s face. Though he didn’t know Arabic, Winston understood the context clear as day. He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.

“No offense, Dr. Mustapha, but I intend to make Khalida happier than you have made Dr. Khadijah. I know it’s only been a month of us knowing each other, but this is the woman God intended for me to be with. Period. You and Dr. Khadijah have created and reared a woman of grace, class, and uniqueness. So, my intentions with your daughter is to make her the happiest woman this side of the Universe.”

The room went quiet. Mustapha and Khadijah looked at each other. Khadijah smiled and looked at Winston. “Well, son, I think I speak on behalf of the family that there is no offense taken. We teach our children to do and be better than us. I’m so elated that you’ve found happiness with Khali.”,Khadijah sat extending her arms to Winston to embrace him. “Mother is waiting for you all by the way. Go on and go to the Room.” “Yes ma’am.”, the young couple said in unison.

The two walked through a labyrinth of turns and secret doorways until they reached a red door at the end of a secret hallway beneath the back staircase. Yaa knocked on the door three times. A raspy yet kind voice answered, “It’s open, cher!”. Yaa opened the door, took her shoes off, and instructed Winston to do the same. The dark room was lit with massive candles surrounding the altar in a corner of the vast room. Relics, more candles and skulls littered the altar’s table. Carrie sat on her knees facing a much bigger altar that covered a majority of the wall. She turned around and extended her out to her granddaughter to help her up. “My first grandgirl! How was your trip down here?”, Carried asked.

“Long and tiring. It’s always the drive that gets me.”, Yaa replied. Carrie craned her neck up at Winston’s figure as she wrapped her arm around his waist. “Welcome to the family, my son. I’ve heard great things about you and I hope you the same with me. Please, have a seat.”

Carrie pulled three chairs into a triangle and re-adjusted her turban. “So, Winston, I’m sure you’re aware that I’ve been expecting you since you met my baby. I wanted to see for myself and see if you’re the one the Universe has ordained for her.” She took his massive hands into her small hands and looked into his soul. She held her hand to his heart and began shaking her head as if she was having a conversation with his heart. She smiled.

“It’s apparent that you love Khalida.”, Carrie began, “I mean, hell, she’s my joy and we have a strong soul tie. You two have a stronger soul tie than I’ve ever felt between two people than any of these knuckle-headed ass men that have married my babies. You two are without a doubt soulmates. However, your journey, like many, won’t be easy.”

Winston sat up in his seat. “What do you mean, Mother Carrie?”, he inquired with worry. His furrowed brow matched his tone.

“Well, you two are going to separate at some point. But don’t worry; you’ll get back together. The foundation of your friendship will and shall be constant. You’ll have to see each other happy with someone else to realize how much you mean to each other.I mean, I’m confident that you already do, but it’s easier said than done. But don’t worry; there will also be many more signs during your separation that will aid in your reunion. I’ve never seen anything like you two. This is nothing but the work of Oshun. I prayed that at least one of my babies would be blessed by Oshun and my prayers have once again been answered.”

Winston was visibly uneasy and overwhelmed by Carrie’s words. “But why separate? I don’t understand. We’re already long-distance as it is.”, Winston wondered.

“Because, my dear, you have to let go of the things you love the most to really understand their true value. Now, you two are tired I’m sure so go on to the room.”, Carrie instructed basically pushing them out of the Room.

When they returned to the remainder of the house, the living room was empty but the grandkids’ floor was jumping. With 21 grandkids, it’s only but so much turn up that can occur. The hallway was filled with muffled sounds of laughter, chatter, and music throughout the many rooms.

The hallway was filled with muffled sounds of laughter, chatter, and music throughout the many rooms. Because she was the first girl, Yaa was fortunate to have a room to herself at the very end of the hall. Winston looked in amazement at the beauty of the house as he toted their luggage to the end of the hall. “This room is..this whole house is...wow.”, Winston struggled to put into words everything he’d experienced since being at the house. From the vast columns that supported the house’s exterior to the smaller ones on the inside, the remodeled interior of the former plantation was indeed a wonder to behold.

Yaa’s room wasn’t as big as the other shared rooms, but it was definitely spacious enough. The dark hardwood floors and window treatments perfectly juxtaposed the off-white walls and neutral-toned furniture. Her room was the only room on the floor that kept with the modern farmhouse interior of the house.

By the time Winston got the bags in the room and got himself comfortable, his girlfriend emerged from the bathroom in her pajama shorts and her NFL ex-boyfriend’s Saints t-shirt. “Well don’t you look at peace”, Winston commented as he examined his girlfriend with a smirk on his face. She began playing music on her iPod dock and folding the comforter to the foot of the bed.

“Wins, I worked a half day, flew for hours, suffered through airport bullshit, and still had to drive to get here. I’m not snapping on you at all, it’s just a relief to finally take my fucking bra off. It’s waaay past time for me to do so.”, Yaa responded. There was a knock at the door. “Who is it?”, Yaa asked. “Bitch, it’s me.”, Erica responded semi-annoyed. Before Yaa could respond, the barn doors slid apart. Her cousins Delonte, Erica, and Whitney practically ran into her room and onto her tall bed just like old times. The trio climbed on the bed ever so awake, as though it wasn’t almost 2AM. “Where’s your man, girl?”, Delonte inquired. Yaa pointed to the bathroom door. Winston had the shower on. “Tay, I really wish you could’ve seen the look on yo momma’s face when Wins broke out in his accent.”, Whitney said holding back laughter. Delonte shook his head, “Bitch, I felt her thirst from the den. You ain’t gotta tell me shit.”, Delonte said in an embarrassed tone, “But enough about my wild ass Rhonda, let’s talk about how Ms. Khalida over here got her groove back. Looks like you got yourself a good one. ESPECIALLY if Marraine asked for him by name.” Yaa’s other cousins turned to her looking awaiting her response. Yaa threw a pillow at Delonte, “Shut the fuck up.” A beat. “Nah, but for real, he’s an amazing guy. He’s sweet,observant, cultured, funny, well-versed, intelligent, and just a good time overall. He done fucked around and softened a thug.”, Yaa failed to keep the grin she had from forming.

The three cousins looked at each other in disbelief. Their super hard, mean, and physical embodient of “Knuck if you buck” cousin was in love. Granted, she felt something for her previous boyfriends, but nothing came close to how Winston made her feel. She was glowing with joy and bliss. She was so enamored with her thoughts that she didn’t realize Winston and more cousins had come in her room. “Ooohhh, our lil triple OG for a cousin done caught feelings.”, her oldest cousin Daniel proclaimed,causing her other cousins to snickered. “Daniel, if you don’t get yo ugly, pea head ass out my goddamn room, nigga. I ain’t that soft. Get the fuck on!”, Yaa barked. Daniel swiftly did as his younger cousin told him.

Everyone conversed for another hour until Yaa kicked them out. Winston and Yaa were finally alone and cuddling each other to sleep. Yaa was almost there until Winston began striking up another conversation.

“Pumpkin?”, Winston called softly.

“Why aren’t you sleep?”, Yaa replied half-sleep and slightly irritated. Her back faced Winston’s face.

“Aren’t you worried about what your grandmother said this evening?”

Her eyes flew open. “I mean,yes and no.”

“Explain.”

“Nigga it is...3:54 in the goddamn morning and you asking me shit like it’s 4PM? This ain’t Oprah.” A beat and and drawn out sigh. “Look, I don’t think anyone wants to break up a great relationship. It concerns me like I’m sure it does you, but you gotta trust the process. Carrie and even her and my Rainy. However, unlike them…” she finally turned around gazing into Winston’s eyes, “...we had this detected early. I’d rather the plane’s malfunctions be detected before take-off and assessed on the ground than while we’re 10,000 plus feet in the air. But like she said, our bond as friends will help us along with other signs. I don’t want to let go either because I just got a hold to you.” They both snickered. “But I have to come to grips with the fact that this is going to help us. You gotta fight for who and what you believe in.”

Winston pondered on her words. He loved that she always knew what to say and how to say it.

“Well until you said it like that, I--”

“--You get it! Now goodnight.” She kissed his nose and placed his arms around her waist before she turned around and went to sleep.

Thanksgiving Day

“...and it is in this that we all say asé.”, Rainey prayed. The family responded back with scattered “asé’s” around the dining rooms. It was finally time to eat. After Rainey gave thanks to the ancestors through libations and prayer, everyone practically ran into the kitchen for the food. A handful of family members grabbed the various dishes and brought them to the main dining room.

The silence of the room was interrupted by the consistent and almost rhythmic clinking of silverware to the plates. Winston occasionally moaned in pleasure for his newfound love of Cajun-style fried turkey and fried catfish. The family laughed as their newest addition’s initiation was off to a great start.

Waiting to reach a reasonable pause, Rainey finally struck conversation. “Keedy, have you heard anything from your dissertation committee? It’s almost graduation time, you know?”, everyone at the table looked to Yaa for her answer,Winston included. “Yeah, babe. Who was that you were on the phone with on our way back from the orchard? Dr. Stoudemire,I think?”, Winston said coaxing her eyes to meet his.

She took a nice sip of wine and finally met his gaze. She crept one of her hands into both of his large,slender chocolate hands. You can do this, sis. She finally opened her mouth to speak, “Yeah. That was her and I’m sorry…”, her voice trailed off as she choked on her words, now softer than Janet Jackson in a confessional. The family looked to her to finish her sentence. “Pumpkin, what are you sorry for? Talk to me.”, Winston whispered.

“I-I’m sorry that...you all...uh...are gonna have to ask ‘which one?’ everytime you hear Dr. Abdullah because it’s now three of us at the table.”, Yaa said tried to contain her laughter. A natural-born actress. Despite the groans of those who were suckered into her act, almost everyone else celebrated the newest doctor at the table. Yaa hugged Winston’s neck as he whispered, “You play all day.”, into her ear.

“So that’s it? That’s all you had to say? So much for the surprise failure from Little Miss Perfect.”, Aunt Rhonda groaned. The table chatter quickly subsided as everyone else at the table looked at Aunt Rhonda, Yaa, and Carrie. Yaa’s aunts and uncles shook their heads as they knew Carrie, their niece, or a mix of two were about to cut the fuck up. “Ma, please don’t do this today...or ever. Just be happy for Keedy.”, Delonte pleaded. “Nah, fuck that. She always doin’ shit and never falling. Perfect life, perfect career, Hell, she even got the perfect man. Knowing her, he’s prolly not even really her boyfriend. How you go from that trash ass Quincy to Winston without missing a beat? What was the prayer,Dr. Keedy?”, Rhonda spat with such vitriol and sarcasm.

Yaa continued eating her shrimp etouffee and sipping the last of her wine as her aunt vented her frustrations at her. Yaa waited patiently for her to end.

“Well, Rhonda, since you want to act like a fucking child, I’m going to address as such. I’m human, so I’m not perfect, and you should have more common sense to understand that. Second, I don’t understand why you’ve had a problem with me since 2011. Now,I’ve allowed you to hurl all of your verbal punches at me for this long, and now tonight is the night.”, Yaa pointed her fork across the table towards Rhonda, “Woman to child: stop it. Grow the fuck up. As for us in this family, we don’t acknowledge that bastard’s name or presence. You understand me? In closing, as for my Winston, he is mine. Period. The prayer? I saw Uncle Wes’s new boyfriend and I said to the ancestors, ‘I see what y’all are doing for Unc, and I just ask that y’all slide me the same.’ Someone pass me the Pinot noir.”

Everyone covered their mouths in disbelief. Leave it to Aunt Janice to summarize the thoughts of the room. She,too, poured herself a glass of Rosé as she said, “Rhonda, we tried to warn you. That gal is Momma in a younger body. You knew better to touch the hot stove and now you burned yourself. Do what Tay said and just be happy for the baby. She done worked hard to get this doctorate a whole semester early.” In fairness, if Rhonda was going to bring up Quincy, then by the laws of pettiness, Yaa was obligated to bring up Rhonda’s ex-husband and Delonte’s dad Uncle Wes, who came out earlier in the year.

Khalida excused herself from the table and ran upstairs to her room, Winston trailing behind her after giving a fifteen-minute head start. Knock, knock. “I wanna be left alone.”, she said choking on her words. “It’s me, Pumpkin. We can talk through this locked door if that’s what you prefer. I just wanna see if you’re ok.”, Winston said loud enough for her to hear through the door. A few moments passed before Winston the unlocking of the doors. He walked in and walked onto the balcony where she had just finished rolling up. “I’m sorry about what happened back there, Pumpkin.”, he began, “I just came up here to make sure you were ok.” He pulled a loc out of her face and cautiously wiped the cold stray tears from her eyes. She kept her silence as she continued to cry and smoke her blunt. “There’s nothing you should be apologizing for, baby love.”, she spoke barely above a whisper and sniffled. Pulling the last of her blunt, she walked into the warmth of her room, motioning for him to follow suit. Eyes low, she looked into his concerned eyes and smiled. “I should be the one apologizing. I came out of myself in front of the whole family and you.” Winston shook his head no. He pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her light brown locs. They held each other for what seemed like eternity. “You know, the family was expressing their shock for your read down there. They weren’t ready for that.”, Winston chuckled. Khalida answered, “Well,shit. Wait till I tell them I’m going with you to Tobago for Carnival instead of Mardi Gras next year.”

Tag List:

@muse-of-mbaku @kumkaniudaku @eriknutinthispoosy @great-neckpectations @eerythingisshaka @whoramilaje @uhlxisback @randomwordprompts @bartierbakarimobisson @texasbama @babybluepeaches @babygirlofwakanda @hearteyes-for-killmonger @storibambino @sarahboseman @dacreskars @pastelastronomy24   @chaneajoyyy @maya-leche @washyourlinens @supersizemeplz @dramaqueenamby @royallyprincesslilly @mellowjellow6 @niquelafleur @mareethequeen @jellybean531 @wakandanblogger @wakandan-flowerz @blackpantherimagines @blackpantherreblogs @onyxvixen-writer @kaykay4454fan @brianabreeze @jackburtonsays @thehomierobbstark @sweettea-and-honeybutter @coonflix @brittyevans @lavitabella87 @laketaj24

[lasersheith]

Lasersheith’s Fic Masterlist

Thanks so much to everyone who reads/likes/comments on/shares my stuff, it means the world to me!

Finished works

AU:

Take It If You Want It | Complete | Ch.13/13 | 57k | M

Tags: Modern AU, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, fluff, light angst with a happy ending, pining, irresponsible use of alcohol, side pairing: Mattor, side pairing: Allurance, side pairing: Hidge

Written for Sheith Big Bang 2018!

Keith and Hunk make New Year’s Resolutions to finally tell their respective crushes how they’ve felt for years. Hunk takes all of 3 minutes, but Keith needs… a little longer.

Birthday mishaps, misunderstandings, self discovery, exciting new job opportunities, minor blackmail… a lot can happen in a year. Surely the perfect moment for a years-overdue love confession fits in there somewhere?

Serendipity’s Wings | Complete | Ch.7/7 | 24k | E

Tags: Modern AU, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, bedsharing, fluff, hurt/comfort, pining Shiro, sidepairing: Allura/Kuro, Shirogane twins

When Shiro receives bad news about his grandfather, he immediately books a flight for Japan. Luckily for him, he finds a familiar face in the pilot. It's been a long time since he saw his childhood friend Keith, but they pick up where they left off almost immediately.

Unluckily, his twin brother has decided to jump to conclusions, and now his family thinks he and Keith have rekindled a flame that was never there. Rather than disappoint them in a tense moment, Keith gamely agrees to play along. What are friends for, after all?

Oh Brother | Complete | Ch. 6/6 | 17k | T

Tags: Modern AU, fluff, humor, salt, sidepairing Matt/Allura, one-sided kl

What do you do when your boyfriend is in the hospital and they only let in immediate family? Lie and say you’re married? Not if you’re Keith, you don’t. Thanks to Keith’s inner turmoil, he and Shiro are stuck pretending to be brothers while he recovers. But Keith has to admit, “Mr. Shirogane” has a nice ring to it. 

The Gravitas of a Mattress | Complete | Ch. 7/7 | 16k | M

Tags: College AU, fluff, humor, oh my god they’re banging each other’s roommates, sidepairing Latte

From the prompt: My roommate got it on with yours yesterday and I don’t think I can face them for a while after hearing the sounds they made last night. Mind if I stayed with you for a while?

Keith gets sexiled from his dorm room because Matt and Lance won't stop hate-fucking. He decides that it's only fair that he gets to crash in Matt's room if Matt gets to keep him out of his own. Shiro is confused but accommodating. Very accommodating.

Matt and Lance have their own fun side adventure in learning to like each other and play nice. Pidge doesn't like it. Allura might.

Flowers don’t always mean “I love you” | Complete | Ch. 8/8 | 14k | T

Tags: Flowershop AU, Slow Burn, pining Shiro, PTSD, fluff, humor

Takashi Shirogane had fulfilled his dream of becoming a test pilot, but after a terrible accident that left him without an arm and in sudden need of a new career, he moves back home and starts working at a family friend’s flower shop while he focuses on recovering and finding a new direction for his life.

Things are going as well as can be expected until an attractive stranger shows up out of the blue, and keeps coming back. Who's this guy buying all these flowers for?

DDY 1138 | Complete | Ch. 3/3 | 7.2k | T | My favorite thing I’ve ever written

Tags: Modern AU, fluff, humor, meet ugly, disaster gay Shiro, smooth Keith

alternate title: Have you ever seen a man so beautiful you crashed your car?

Shiro learns that it's possible for the best day of your life to coincide with the worst day of your life in the dumbest way possible. He gets into a fender bender due to some distracted driving, and his cute mechanic doesn't make things any easier... until he does.

Hat Trick | Complete | Ch. 2/2 | 6.5k | E

Tags: Modern AU, Frat AU, Frat boy Shiro, Frat boy Keith, light angst with a happy ending, humor, crack played straight

No one has ever seen Takashi Shirogane without a hat on his head, or so the legends say.

...

“I tell you what,” Matt said after Keith told him he'd figure out Shiro's secret, the real secret. “If you find out the true story behind Shiro's hat before your initiation ceremony, I will personally pay your dues until you graduate.”

Keith's eyes glinted as he took another long swing from his beer. The steep price of brotherhood had been one of the few reasons he'd been wary about pledging. “What if I don't?” He asked suspiciously. It hadn't taken long to work out that Matt was an agent of chaos. No matter how confident he was in himself, he had to make sure it was worth the risk.

Matt smirked. “You have to wear a Santa hat to the Christmas party.”

Keith furrowed his brows. The punishment didn't add up with Matt’s smug look. His face paled as the realization dawned on him. “Just the hat?”

Matt's smirk shifted into an impish grin. “I knew you were a smart one.” He said with a wink, sticking out his hand. “Do we have a bet, then?”

Never one to back down from a challenge, Keith took Matt's hand and pumped it twice with determination. “You're on.”

Hey Sugar | Complete | Ch. 4/4 | 5k | G | I’m gonna rewrite this one soon rip

Tags: College AU, fluff, humor, pining Shiro, disaster gay Shiro

Autocorrect can be a beautiful thing. It can also be a Very Bad Thing. Keith accidentally sends a text with an embarrassing autocorrect to the hot guy he's been crushing on all semester.

Check Yes Juliet | Complete | Ch. 2/2 | 2.8k | T

Tags: College AU, fluff, humor, mistaken identity, Shirogane twins

Who knew a little Shakespeare knowledge could get you a midnight kiss from the hottest guy at the New Years party? However, young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes... Just ask Keith.

Melt | Complete | Ch. 1/1 | 1.4k | G

Tags: AU modern setting or Post-canon, domestic fluff, established relationship

It's way too hot outside, and the AC is busted. Short and sweet domestic fluff featuring Spot the fluffy wonder and a trip to the store for some much needed ice cream.

Canon-Verse:

The way you looked at me | Complete | 17k | M

Tags: Amnesia, crack played straight, one sided fake dating, shiro is a mess, humor, fluff

Keith wakes up in the hospital and he's not sure of much, except that he and Shiro are definitely together. Shiro doesn't have the heart to correct him- much to their friends' amusement.

It’s not you, it’s me (also it’s you) | Complete | Ch. 3/3 | 7.5k | T

Tags: Canon-verse, pre-kerberos mission, humor, miscommunication, disaster gay Shiro, Matt is a Bad Friend

Keith catches Shiro doodling hearts in his notebook. When asked who the hearts are for, he blurts out Matt's name so he won't have to confess his feelings for Keith. Now Keith has made it his mission to help Shiro woo Matt at all costs. Matt is very unhelpful.

The Sweetest Apology | Complete | Ch. 1/1 | 2.3k | Gen

Tags: College AU, fluff, humor

Everyone hates those tiny little desks every college feels the need to cram into huge lecture halls- they're way too small and there's never enough of the left handed ones. Keith thinks he scored big time getting the only left handed desk in his new class, but didn't realize he'd be stealing it from a classmate who's missing his right arm... How do you even apologize for that?

Not the right time | Complete | Ch. 1/1 | 2.3k | T

Tags: Canon-verse, angst

fic request: Sheith and "It is always not the right time for us, isn't it?"

They've had so many chances to tell each other how they feel, but for Shiro and Keith it just never seems to be the right time.

Ringing in my ears and one on my finger | Complete | Ch. 1/1 | 1.5k | T

Tags: soulmates, shiro is trying, fluff, humor

Canonverse soulmate AU: Colleen notices a soulmark on Shiro's finger... 

Head over heels | Complete | Ch. 1/1| 1.5k | G

Tags: Canon-verse, established relationship, fluff, humor

Keith's lost an entire Saturday to detention because Iverson is jerk. What better way to get revenge than a practical joke?

from the prompt "Shiro getting caught up in Keith pranking Iverson"

With a little help from my friends | Complete | Ch.1/1 | 1.4k | G

Tags: Canon-verse, pre-relationship, everyone loves Shiro, thirsty Keith

A malfunction in the engine room has left the castle a sweltering nightmare. Hunk has deemed it time for a team underwear party, but Shiro's nervous about his scars. His friends help him feel a little better.

p=mv | Complete | Ch. 1/1 | 1.4k | T

Tags: Canon-verse, humor, meet ugly

The story of how Keith and Shiro met at the Garrison.

Or, the first time Keith saved Shiro.

Or, how a concussion led Shiro to the love of his life.

Or maybe it was all 3.

Love, Shiro | Complete | Ch. 1/1 | 1.3k | G

Tags: Canon-verse, fluff, established relationship, humor, kerberos mission

Shiro and Keith decide to write each other letters while Shiro is away on his mission. This is a collection of some of Shiro's.

Getting there | Complete | Ch. 1/1 | 1.3k | T

Tags: Canon-verse, hurt/comfort, Shiro whump, fluff

A lot of things changed in the year they were separated, but Keith's feelings aren't one of them. Shiro needs a little convincing after everything that's happened, especially with how much of an obvious physical toll it's taken. Keith is happy to oblige.

Just In Case | Complete | Ch. 1/1 | 1k | G

Tags: Canon-verse, humor, fluff, established relationship, pre-kerberos mission

Shiro is accidentally late for a morning inspection because he spent too long snuggled up with Keith. His commander isn't super thrilled about it. 

Series: It’s killing me when you’re away | Complete | Works 4/4 | 4.8k | T

Tags: Canon-verse, Keith’s time in the desert, angst, pre-kerberos mission

Keith’s devastated over losing Shiro

Tumblr Drabbles

Sheith Month 2018 | Canonverse Pre-Kerberos | 20k | G-T

My collection of prompt fills for Sheith Month 2018. All of them are pre-kerb fluff and/or humor!

As Many Drabbles As It Takes | Mix of settings | 10k | Ch. 14/? | M

Collection of sheith drabbles and prompt fills originally posted on Tumblr!

Posted WIPS:

Series: Easier with you | Ongoing | Works 6/? | 15k | M

Tags: Modern AU, Veteran Shiro, Veteran Keith, hurt/comfort, PTSD, Mutual Pining, Shiro Whump, Shiro & Matt, Allura/Matt,

Shiro's just returned back from the military, having been medically discharged from service after losing his arm. Matt is his best friend and is trying his best to help him deal with the loss. He convinces Shiro to go to a VA support group that will end up changing his life.

Best laid plans | Ongoing | Ch. 1/? | 2.3k | T

Tags: Canon-verse, crack, humor, fluff

Was Keith proud of the fact that petty revenge was his first thought upon being given an amazing stealth suit? Not particularly. But was he going to let that stop him from enacting said petty revenge? Absolutely not. Turns out, Karma isn't so much a bitch as a… well, you'll see.

Or, how to attempt to counter-prank your buddy and end up stuck as a cat, a memoir by Keith Kogane.

We’ll fix it in post | Ongoing | Ch.1/? | 2k | T

Tags: Modern AU, Barista Keith, humor, mistaken identity, Shirogane Twins

Shiro is a producer on the hit animated show "Voltron: Warden of the Cosmos" and a huge fan of it himself. Keith is a new barista at the coffee shop across from his studio and a lover of his show. A fortuitous meeting leads them on the path to romance, but there's just one problem: Keith thinks Shiro is his brother, Ryou, voice actor for Keith's favorite character on the show.