#but i don’t think there’s anything on the horizon immediately so i’m gonna try not to lose interest halfway through updating everything

[figueroths]

ts4 being unplayable without mods but the mods break every time there’s an update and there are frequent updates because it’s a broken game…. I haven’t played in months because I don’t wanna update anything just to have it break at the next pack release

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

With Discretion - Part 3 ^**

Sorry for the delay friends! I had a night lol But here is part 3! I'm panning on doing a little holiday check-in for this pair so it's supposed to end a little abruptly. More to come over the christmas/ny season!

Read the other parts here

Warnings: infidelity, mentions of insecurities, sexism, divorce. Oral (m receiving), face fuck, sex (unprotected p in v)

WC: 17.5K

It was nearly 6:30am when you were awakened by some knocks on the door. You groaned and yawned before trudging out of the comfort of the large king bed that you had melted into for the night. When you opened it up, eyes slightly squinting a bit through the blurriness of your vision you saw Harry holding two large mugs and wearing an amused smile on his face. 

“God, I knew you woke up pretty.” He said softly and you sniggered as you opened the door to let him in.

“Oh, sure thing.” you replied groggily with a giggle as he stepped inside.

“Good morning, by the way. I ummm, just wanted to come by and see the sunrise with you. I can leave if you’re still in need of some more sleep, but I was trying to hint at it yesterday when I mentioned it and-”

“I did get the hint. You beat my alarm by 3 minutes actually!” You smiled, “I just wasn’t sure if ummm…you’d be joining me or not, but I’m glad you’re here.” You assured him. “M’just gonna brush my teeth and ummm, grab a sweater or something.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit cold out.” He said and then just made his way outside to the balcony and while you went into the bathroom to freshen up a bit. As soon as you were more awake and cozy you headed out to join him on the balcony. “I tried the new milk steamer they have in the kitchen and made cappuccinos, I think.” He said as he handed you one of the mugs and you smiled, “Didn’t sweeten it or anything though.” He warned as you looked down into it.

“S’alright. Good coffee doesn’t need sweeteners.” You said with a smile.

“Well I hope it’s good then.” He joked and you both laughed softly before turning to the horizon that was turning a lighter shade of blue now, a very light hint of orange starting to emerge from the darkness. “Did you sleep well?” 

“Yes, thank you. I need that bed though, it’s phenomenal.” You hummed and he smiled.

“It really is. I’m glad you were comfortable.”

“And what about you?” You asked him.

“Good too. Had a dream…a nightmare actually about some thief breaking into my home and stealing all my tiramisu!” You immediately burst into laughter, “Don’t know what could’ve brought that on but… that’s what I dreamt of.” he said with a grin.

“Yeah, I wonder…” you joked with a playful roll of your eyes and a gentle nudge of your elbow into his side. You let your laughter subside and the sound of the waves on the shore took over, bringing a peaceful silence over you for a few minutes. The sky was clearing up more and more by the minute, showing off its splendor without any hesitation.

“Are you nervous about going home?” Harry asked you and you set your cappuccino down on the thick rail of the balcony.

“A little bit.” You admitted, “Wish I could just fast forward to the end of it all.” You sighed and he extended his left arm over your shoulders and pulled you into his side.

“I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.” You sighed and looked at the sun starting to peek up over the horizon, “You were right, this is gorgeous.” You hummed.

“Yeah, it’s really something.” He smiled as he leaned his head against yours. “You know, I could give Cal a raise so he has to pay you more in alimony.” He mused and your body started shaking with laughter before it inevitably squawked out of you. Your head was thrown back as he laughed along with you, really happy that this is how you reacted to his little joke.

“Ah, that’s funny…” you hummed when your laughter died down. 

“I’m like 25% serious.” He added and you shook your head.

“You’re silly.” You smiled before sipping at your cappuccino.

“Just a little bit.” He grinned. “What’s the first thing you’re gonna do after you settle the divorce?” He asked and you hummed pensively.

“Take my Italian vacation…” you hummed, “I’ve been begging Cal to take me on a romantic getaway to Italy for years! Like a month-long thing though. I want to get to know the entire country.” You smiled. “But I think I can take myself on a romantic getaway.” You said and he hummed.

“That sounds like a wonderful time. Italy is probably my favorite country.” He hummed. “Does your entire trip have to be…by yourself? Or can you afford a little extra baggage for a few days?” He asked and you twirled around and smiled up at him.

“A few days, huh?” You asked and he nodded with a coy smile, “Mmm…perhaps that’s arlright.” You smiled.

“Ok… and well for the rest of your trip, I know a lot of really excellent spots, have a lot of friends in Italy. Chefs, architects, artists…could fix you up with them when you’re in their region? See the best parts of each place.” He offered.

“Ummm, yeah! That sounds phenomenal. It’ll take me a bit to plan, but I’m definitely interested in that.” You assured him.

“Alright. When you have a date let me know.” He said and you nodded. You just stayed looking at each other and your heart fluttered when his dimple started carving deeper into his cheek.

“What?” You asked and he shrugged.

“Just…excited for you, I guess.  Like, you’re going to be just fine. I really love that for you.” He said and you felt your cheeks warming with a blush. 

“Thank you, I think I will be fine too.” You agreed.

“OK, the good part is starting!” He said and twirled you back around and you both set down your mugs. You smiled at the now purple and orange ranges of colors that were painted across the sky as the blazing sun started showing more of its brilliant face. Your smile widened with each passing second as more of it started to emerge seemingly from nowhere at all. It was breathtaking to say the least. 

You couldn’t help but feel that this was the perfect thing to witness as the sun rose on a new journey in your own life. It was kind of poetic. It made you smile as you leaned a bit more weight back on Harry and he held you a bit closer. The moment was solemn as you both kept the quiet between you and just let yourselves feel the awe of the moment.

Harry was in his head as much as you were though. He was thinking about where things would go with you from here. He supposed you’d want some time to just reacquaint yourself with yourself. He figured that you would probably move out, but would you stay in New York or head off somewhere else? Would you go back to work and give up your business? Would you even be interested in a romantic anything with anyone for a while? Because he wanted that with you…or to at least try. He had huge crush on you and the more time he spent with you the bigger it got. Obviously, he didn’t know nearly enough about you, but he was interested in getting to know you deeply. He was quite enamored with you just from what he’d already seen and experienced for himself. 

“What’s your favorite color?” You suddenly asked and he smiled.

“Green.”

“Like your eyes?” You asked and he chuckled.

“No. Like…a jade color.”

“So basically your eye color.” You sniggered, teasing him.

“Yeah, I guess so then.” He sighed in defeat, “Just makes me feel calm. And you?” 

“Right now…mmm, like an orange color. Like…oh, well just like that I guess.” You said as you pointed to the little sliver of sky right above the rising sun. “It just makes me feel warm and fuzzy…I don’t know.” You said.

“Yeah, I can see why.”

“It just looks so…happy.” You shrugged with a smile, “I can’t wait to just…feel it for myself again, you know? Like from the inside.”

“You will.” He assured, “I promise you will.” He said with certainty and you turned around, your eyes met his. You reached for his face and he wrapped his arms around your waist and you kissed him deeply. You melted against his warmth, loving the feeling of your lips meeting together passionately. You hadn’t felt this riled up in years. You could jump out of a plane with how invincible you currently felt. As you pulled apart and your eyes blinked open they met with his. Harry’s lips twitched up in a grin and you just nuzzled down into his neck timidly.

“I really like you.” You confessed and he just squeezed you a bit tighter.

“I really like you too.” He hummed with a smile as he stared at the sunrise. 

After that lovely moment between the two of you, you went your separate ways and it was back down to reality. You had just been watching TV, waiting for Caleb to wake up when your phone rang and you saw it was a call from him.

“Hello?”

“Did you leave?” He asked tiredly.

“No. M’upstairs, had Gerard give me another room.” You explained.

“Alright. Well ummm, I’m just gonna have a shower real quick and we can stop somewhere for breakfast, yeah?”

“I’d rather not. Just want to get home and have that talk.” You said to him.

“Sweetheart, I’m so fucking hungover.”

“Cal, you need to stop stalling.” You sighed.

“We can even start the conversation in the car! I just feel horrible right now and need to get something in my system.” He groaned.

Not even twenty minutes later you were sitting across from each other in the booth of a little diner off the first exit of the highway. You had already had your coffee, so you were just getting through some French toast while Cal nursed his second cup of coffee while he forcibly nibbled on some toast and bacon. You were looking at him expectantly and it appeared like he wanted to speak but the words were stuck somehow. You sighed in disappointment and surrendered, just glancing down to your food instead of him. You had just finished cutting off another piece of your French toast, just about ready to guide it into your mouth when he spoke up.

“I want a divorce.” Caleb’s words were low, but clear. Coward. He couldn’t do it while you were looking at him.

“Good. I do too.” You said cooly and he let out a quick, dry laugh. His response made you look up at him. “What?” You asked.

“That there is one of the things I…hate about you.” He said with a smile. His eyes weren’t full of contempt or spite, they were more amused than anything, it confused you for a second, “I used to love it though. S’one of the things I loved the most about you.” He said with a smile, “The way you’re so collected…so unaffected by everything.” He said and when you realized he wasn’t being a dick you smiled. “You’ve always been too good for me. I knew that.” He said with a hint of defeat in his voice.

“I met Dani. She threw up.” You said and he frowned upon hearing this.

“What’d you say to her to make her react that badly?” He questioned as he glanced down into his mug.

“Nothing. She just…felt so guilty I think? I actually pulled her to a trashcan before she puked all over herself.” You informed and he hummed.

“Well, it’s big of you to be nice to her.”

“Why? She didn’t do anything to me?” You pointed out and he smiled and nodded.

“Right.” He sighed before licking over his lips nervously. “It’s different with her.” He said and you now glanced down at your food again. “She’s just as brilliant, but in a more…reserved way.” He said and you chuckled.

“In a way that’s less intimidating, you mean?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” He said.

“Since when have I felt that way to you?” You questioned.

“I don’t know…I suppose I’ve always felt that way to some extent but over the last couple years it’s been…too much.” He explained. 

“Is it something I’ve done?” You asked. Wanting to know if there were things that you did to make him feel less than. Because if there were, you definitely wanted to clear the air with him about those things. 

“No. No. You’ve always been lovely.” He assured you. “It is an issue with me, 100%.”

“OK.” You said quietly. 

You still had so many questions for him, but were soon back on the road and you’d occasionally type them into your notes app as the questions arose. When you got home the tensions seemed to rise between you two. It was a nervous type of tension versus one of anger. You were very past the point of being angry at Cal for his cheating. You were still a bit irritated for the whole dinner thing, if you gave it some thought but your time with Harry had made the shit show worth it, so you were no longer dwelling on it.

“Should we get a couple drinks?” He asked you nodded and followed him to the bar area in your home. You hoisted yourself up onto one of the stools as he headed behind the bar. He just served you both a scotch on the rocks despite it only being about 11am. “Well, it’s five o’clock somewhere.” He said as he handed over your drink and you just knocked it back quickly while he savored his. 

“So Dani…how did that happen?” You asked him as he set his tumbler down.

“Just working together. She’s really good at stats, so I would always check my work with her. I felt like maybe I bugged her a lot, so I just started being a bit more friendly to not…annoy her as much, but I soon realized that I liked her vibe. It started out really platonic, like just work stuff, then we started getting lunch together every now and then, then afternoon coffees and ummm….yeah. It just happened over time.” He explained.

“How long?”

“We were together for a year.” He explained and you nodded. 

“And before then? Have you…been with other people?” You asked and he sighed.

“Yes.” He confirmed and you swallowed thickly.

“The whole time?” You asked, not being able to look at him.

“Yes.” He confirmed shamefully and that’s when the tears started to form.

“Jesus…” you whispered.

“I just don’t think I was ready to get married when we did.” He said and you took a deep breath before scoffing.

“It was your idea to get married, Cal!” You said with frustration and he sighed.

“I know…I just…thought that that’s what you wanted. Like when we talked about it, it just seemed like you were excited for it and I just thought that…if I didn’t show you that I was serious about you that you’d…leave me. That’s why I proposed to you.” 

“I mean who isn’t excited at the prospect of getting married but…did you want to marry me?” You asked him.

“I was sure I would want to down the line…like I didn’t do it just like that. I mean, I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think I would get there. I mean…I’ve always had a wandering eye…I just thought it would…change.”

“Well if you’ve never tried to work on that before it just wouldn’t suddenly go away, you know?” You said and he shrugged.

“Well, s’too late for that now.” He said.

“Yeah…” you whispered as you wiped a stray tear from under your eye, “So now you’re in love with Dani?”

“Yeah and she wants absolutely nothing to do with me so…” he said with disappointment.

“How did she find out?” You asked.

“I have a note on my phone about how to bring this up to you and she saw it. I had to explain it to her and she just blew up on me.” You looked at him like he was an idiot.

“I think anything less than that would’ve been a bad reaction, Cal. If she loves you too and just discovered that your whole relationship is actually an affair of course she lost her mind! She probably feels awful!” You scoffed.

“Well, I told her that I’m in love with her and that I wanted to be with her though. Like, I wanted to end things with you for her and like…I guess I hoped she’d come around with that information, but it’s been months and she will barely even look at me. ”

“Can you blame her?” You questioned and he sighed.

“Guess not. I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive me but…either way, I think that our marriage has run its course.” 

“I think so too.” You agreed and he sighed. “I ummm…knew you were cheating since the beginning of the year.” You confessed and his eyes met yours. “You accidentally made a reservation from our shared account while I was on there looking at a reimbursement from a client. I showed up to your office before the time of the reservation, thinking it was like a work thing, best case scenario.” You explained, “Obviously, you weren’t there… but then I started noticing other things and inconsistencies when you’d talk to me about supposed work trips…and I just…didn’t know how to bring it up.”

“It wasn’t your responsibility to.” He said and well, that much was true, “Honestly, I haven’t been happy with you for a long time, Y/N. I should’ve said something about it when my feeling started to change. I’m really sorry, you didn’t deserve this.” He apologized sincerely.

“Thank you.” You said and he nodded.

“So ummm, I think we need to meet with Shawn to draw up some divorce papers.” 

“Yeah…I’ll call him tomorrow morning, see if he has some time this week.”

“Perfect. Ummm, I think I should probably go stay somewhere else.”

“Yeah, if you want to.” You said to him and he nodded.

“I actually ummm, already have another place in the city. It’ll be easier with work and all.”

“Oh! Ummm, yeah that’s alright then.”

“It’s with my money by the way. I haven’t used anything we’ve put together for that. Or for Dani. Or any woman for that matter.” He said, as if that would somehow make all of it better.

“Alright, well thanks.” You chuckled and he shook his head. 

“Again, I’m really sorry for all of this, Y/N.” Cal said and you smiled sadly.

“Yeah, me too.” You whispered.

“OK, I’m going to pack a bag. Just let me know what Shawn says.”

“Will do.” You said before he chugged down the rest of his drink and then left quietly. 

You still had so many questions, but you didn’t know that they were even worth asking anymore. The more Caleb had spoken the worse things had gotten for you. You sniffled a bit, but just held in all of your tears because he really wasn’t worth it. You slid off of the counter and washed the tumblers before setting them on the rack beside the small sink to drip dry. You then reached for your phone and texted Cecilia to see if she was available for dinner. Thankfully she was and you just avoided Caleb by doing miscellaneous tasks around the house until he was gone with a large suitcase and duffle bag.

You got showered and then ordered in a fat pizza so that you and Cecilia could binge out a bit while you shared what had happened. She knew that you suspected Cal of cheating and that there was plenty of evidence against him, but wait until she heard all of this…and well, Cece’s responses never disappointed.

“That dog!” She gasped when you finished telling her about how he said he’d always been sleeping with other people. Now you were in tears because you were grieving your life…your time…your youth! You were so young when you got married to Caleb but you were in love with him then, so you thought it wasn’t a bad idea. But you wish you’d been less naive, you wished you’d listened to your family and your friends who were concerned about this decision. For the first time in your life you felt like you were stupid…over a man’s mistakes! It infuriated you that you felt like that. Why should you feel bad or regretful over things you’d done out of love? It made no sense, but here you were, actually feeling regret for marrying Caleb.

“Do not bring sweet, innocent dogs into this.” You hiccuped before setting your wine glass down. God, you’d be in the shit tomorrow with the hangover you knew you’d have. You had a bunch of meetings with some potential vendors the next day since the lady you used for all your tents and table rentals was moving out of state and taking her business with her. Plus you now had to contact your lawyer to tell him about the divorce. It was just going to be a bad day tomorrow. 

“You’re right.” Cece said with a pout, just as drunk as you were, “What a scum bag.” She finished and you sighed.

“Do you remember Harry?” You asked randomly and she turned to you with a furrow in her brow.

“Harry from the club?” She asked and you nodded as you sniffled.

“That’s his boss.” You said and then bit your lip, “We…fucked…well he did all of the fucking…” you confessed and she turned to you, jaw on the ground.

“You did not!”

“I did.”

“That night?”

“Yeah.” You confessed. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him this entire time. Like he was so fucking wonderful! And ummm, last night too while Cal was off somewhere, drunk off his ass. Harry railed me in the kitchen until my legs were as weak as overcooked noodles and then he licked tiramisu off my tits and I have a huge crush on him!” You blurted out and Cece started screaming and laughing. You both looked insane, all snotty with swollen eyes from crying together and now screaming and giggling like school girls over the most fantastic lay of your life.

“Oh my god! He’s so hot…even licked tiramisu off your tits…that sounds like a dream…” she hummed in approval.

“It really is.” You said quietly. “I mean, he’s always so nice to me. That first time, at the hotel, he told me if I was his he’d never take me for granted like Cal does.” You said more solemnly.

“Sounds like he likes you too.”

“Oh, he does…Even suggested that we just be friends til everything gets sorted out with Cal, which is so sweet of him.”

“He sounds fake.”

“Right!?” You exclaimed, “Like way too good to be true.”

“If he’s so perfect why isn’t he with someone?”

“He did mention before that he hadn’t met someone who he really wanted to settle down with, so he’d just been seeing people very casually.”

“Awww…what if you’re the one he wants that with?” She cooed in her drunkenness and despite the butterflies in your tummy at the mere idea of getting to date Harry, you tutted.

“I don’t think we know each other that well.” You reasoned, “As long as he’s not all fragile like Cal I think there’s a chance. I mean, I toughened up because Cal said I was too soft to be an entrepreneur! I honed in on those traits and skills. I stepped into my power, not just as a business owner, but as a woman! And now he tells me I’m too abrasive and intimidating? Like…what if Harry likes those qualities in me now, but like Cal, he’ll soon discover that he wants someone who’s of an easier disposition as a partner?”

“You mean a pushover?”

“I don’t think women who aren’t outspoken are pushovers…” you clarified, “But like, some of us are just a bit more outspoken, you know? I don’t think I’m tactless or rude about it, and certainly not emasculating-”

“Men emasculate themselves. If Caleb has never felt that he’s been good enough for you then at one point or another all of this would’ve ended anyway. The problem in this marriage was him, babe. Get it through your head! Don’t let him make you feel like being who you are and stepping into your power were the problems. Like you said, he wanted that for you and now that he feels less than he thinks it’s bad? Sexist. Sexist. Sexist!” Cece said with harsh claps for added emphasis and you smiled.

“You’re right.” You ceded.

“Of course I am!” Cece guffawed and you sighed. “Do you think Harry will fire him?” She asked.

“Harry’s not petty like that, I don’t see why he would. I mean, Cal’s good at his job and like, as much as Harry and I are friendly, my personal problems with Caleb have nothing to do with their work, you know?”

“I guess you’re right. Though, I do think it’d be more satisfying for everyone involved if Cal stays working there and has to see you with his boss.” Cece said and you laughed.

“I wouldn’t want to rub his face in it…”

“Oh please, what do you think he did to you last night at that dinner, babe? Intentional or not, he set you up! Genuinely, how did he think people would react to the news of him being married out of nowhere?” She questioned,  “You need to stop taking the high road and just hit below the belt, just once! It feels so good, I swear it does!” Cece pleaded with you.

“Yeah, we’ll see…” you hummed with a smile. “Like I don’t want to make him feel bad on purpose, you know?”

“Fuck that! He deserves it and you deserve to see Karma doing her best work to restore balance to the universe.” She said simply and you giggled. Count on Cece to always want to see justice served, it’s not that you didn’t, but you just didn’t like forcing Karma’s hand. You knew it would all happen in it’s due time and you could wait. 

… ONE MONTH LATER …

You were doing really well on your own. You’d started putting more effort into your business, which saw it growing. You’d started taking better care of yourself, and much to Cece’s dismay, channeled your rage into a new hobby - gardening. Which as peaceful as it was meant to be, was actually full of rage because you absolutely hated it. You hated dirt, you hated how needy plants were…but were trying to learn to love it. She’d scolded you many times over the fact that you weren’t just plowing Harry every chance you got. But like you had explained to her and him before, you just needed to figure things out for yourself before you involved anyone new in your new life. You had spoken to him on the phone a few weeks back for an hour, just catching up and checking in on each other, but apart from that he was giving you space which you desperately needed.

Maybe you didn’t love Caleb anymore, but you were still grieving everything that could’ve been. No one who gets married out of love goes in thinking that it’s going to end in divorce. Sure, it’s always a possibility, but every person went into it hoping that they would beat the odds, not become a statistic, yet here you were. Thankfully though, the divorce proceedings were going swimmingly thanks to the prenup, which you had insisted on if only to prove to Caleb all those years ago that you were in it for love and not his money. Cal had always been very generous though and helped with a lot of your debts from school and other big expenses from when you were younger and struggling. But thanks to that, you were both leaving the marriage without many losses. Though Cal’s generosity was once again proven when he assured you that he’d take care of the legal fees since he’d been the one who’d ended the marriage long before you guys took a step towards divorce.

You were still trying to find a place of your own to live. Cal had charged you with overseeing any renovations on the house that would make it more marketable so at least for the time being you weren’t being rushed out of the house. But you were debating on whether you should stay in the suburbs or head into the city. However, the more you looked into it the more you were convinced that New York City was not a place you wanted to live. Sure, it was gorgeous, but it was a bit gross, prone to flooding, infested with tons of critters, and those were just a few deal breakers among other inconveniences. And finding a place that had minimal exposure to all of these things would cost you an arm and a leg. Also, your clientele was largely in the suburb areas, so you were staying put for now until you found something else.

You’d already done a lot of renovating to the home when you purchased it, so there wasn’t too much apart from some flooring changes to the staircase and renovating the half bath and it’s connected outdoor shower that was used for your luxurious saltwater pool. You had just shown out the flooring guy when your work phone started ringing and you glanced down to see a number you didn’t recognize and let it go to voicemail as you weren’t really able to take any new clients right now. It was a bit later in the day when you realized that this caller had left a voicemail. So you put it on speaker as you opened up your fridge to grab a snack when you heard a shaky exhale through the speaker.

“Ummm, hi Y/N. This Is Daniela, I got your number from Tamika. I hope you don’t mind.” She spoke nervously, “Uh, I was wondering if you were available for a talk over lunch, o-or dinner or just some drinks sometime this week? I just wanted to talk about ummm…Caleb.” She said, “This is my cell, so feel free to call me or text me. Ummm, yeah, bye.”

You bit your lip as you thought about it for a moment. As much as you didn’t want to get involved in the throws of their affair, you at least wanted to clear the air with her and assure her that you didn’t blame her for the demise of your marriage. You had your divorce hearing in a month and you didn’t want to start making Cal think you were ganging up on him with his mistress, so you wanted to tread lightly. You decided to consult with your trusty best friend before calling Dani back.

“Hey girl!” Cece greeted cheerfully and you instantly smiled.

“Hey! How’s your day?” You asked and she hummed.

“It’s been…interesting.” She said, “But I have a feeling it’s about to get better.” She sang and you chuckled.

“I’m just calling for your input, nothing to do with Harry-”

“A damn shame.” She interjected and you sniggered.

“Dani called me. She wants to meet up with me.” You said and Cece perked up.

“Ooh…”

“I don’t know if I should go though.”

“OK, why not?” She asked.

“I just don’t want Caleb to think I’m plotting against him. Like, we’re just so close to finalizing the divorce and going our own ways. I don’t want to stir up any trouble.” You explained.

“Then just tell him you’re gonna talk to her. You don’t have to keep it a secret.” Cece said and you groaned.

“I know! But I know he’s going to say no and give me shit about it-”

“Well too fucking bad! At least you’re giving him a warning!” She said and you giggled.

“Right…I might also be nervous because…I’m thinking of perhaps asking to see Harry after.” You confessed and Cece’s excited shriek made you giggle, “Not for sex.” You said.

“Boo…” she grumbled and you rolled your eyes.

“I just…miss him a bit. He’s been so understanding, but like…I forget about the stress when he’s around. He makes me feel…really good.” You said and Cece cooed.

“Awww babe, I really think you should talk to Dani and then get any sympathy you have for Cal fucked out of you so good you don’t have problems for the next few years.” She said and you laughed loudly.

“God, Cecelia…” you scoffed.

“It’s what you deserve.” She said simply and you smiled.

“You know, I should just call you when I need to hear what I want to hear.” You mused and she cackled.

“What’re best friends for?” She asked and you smiled. After agreeing to meet up over the weekend for brunch at yours, you decided to call Dani back. You agreed to meet for lunch on Friday, which was good, hopefully you could arrive a bit early and surprise Harry. Your eyebrows furrowed when you heard the front door open and walked over to the entrance of the home to see Caleb walking through the door.

“Hey!” You greeted him with a smile as you approached him and he smiled as well as he swung the door shut and walked up to you and quickly kissed your cheek.

“Hey, you look great!” He complimented you, “How’s it been?” he asked as he pulled back.

“Good. The flooring guy just left a bit ago, he’s gonna remove the carpet from the stairs. And then the contractor is coming tomorrow to see about the pool shower/bathroom.”

“Perfect.” He smiled.

“Yeah. And what brings you here?” You asked.

“I have a business trip to San Diego.” He said as he made his way up the stairs, “It’s legit.” He added as he glanced back at you, wearing a smirk and you rolled your eyes.

“And you had to come here for?” You questioned, as you made your way into your previously shared bedroom that was now just yours.

“I need t’pack my lighter clothes. S’still summertime in California!  Or have you been gone so long you already forgot?” He asked as he walked into your closet and you plopped down onto the bed. “Can you grab my suitcase from the trunk of the car? I forgot it!”

“Yeah!” You called out and headed downstairs and grabbed his empty luggage from the car. Soon you were placing it on the bed and he was coming out with a few shirts. He seemed in a chipper mood, so you were going to bring up the Dani thing while he was.

“Should I take the yellow one?” He asked of the light yellow shirt he brought out.

“No, it kinda washes you out. Also you’ll look like Dwight Schrute.” You said and he chuckled.

“You’re right.” He said and set it aside and grabbed another instead.

“It’s good you’re here though, I was actually going to call you about something later.”

“What was it?” He asked as he inspected another shirt.

“Ummm…Dani called me.” You said and he glanced up at you. You saw the glint of hope in his eyes.

“What did she want?”

“Just to talk. We’re gonna have lunch on Friday.” You said and he sighed, “And I don’t intend to…shit talk you to her or anything. I think she’s just…feeling a bit lonely. Probably wants to make sure I don’t hate her or something.” You said and he nodded.

“Yeah, I think she needs that.” He said and you hummed.

“How’ve you been doing?”

“I mean, way better at work now that I have nothing else to do.” He said with a small smile, “Just getting by, I guess… waiting every day hoping that she’ll talk to me…let me explain…anything really.” He said a bit sadly as he proceeded to fold up some trousers, “I didn’t know I could feel so strongly about a person. I mean, I thought that with you that was as much love as I could feel. We just connected so well you know?”

“Oh I was there…” you recalled with a smile and he did as well.

“I felt challenged. Like that sounds…bad, but you were something to work towards, you know? You kept me on the edge of my seat. So good that you made me want to be better. To be more…hence the whole CFO thing. I felt like I needed to aim higher.” He explained.

“But with her?”

“With her I felt like…enough for the first time in a really long time. And I can’t discredit any of our marriage, because you’ve pushed me to achieve a lot of the things I wanted to achieve. But I don’t know, it just kind of felt like…”

“Like we never quite found the sweet spot?” You asked and he nodded.

“Yeah. It’s like happiness was always just out of reach. Like I could see it, but I couldn’t get there.” He explained, “Was it like that for you?” He asked and you shrugged.

“I guess so, but I didn’t know it until you said it just now.” You explained as you extended your hand asking him to hand you some of his undershirts to fold and pack up. He did so easily, “I mean, as you know, my parents are still married. But they’ve never been all that affectionate with each other so I didn’t think there was anything wrong with how we were you know? Like that was the picture I had growing up, always striving for more, and well, they’ve made it this far.” You said and he hummed.

“Right… my parents are like that too. Do you think they settled?”

“Well historically, men settle for partners more than women.” You explained and his eyebrows arched upon hearing that, “It’s called settling for Ms. Good-Enough. So men are more likely to settle for a partner who meets most of their expectations rather than the person they really want out of fear of missing the train, or whatever people call it.” You said, “At the end of the day I guess we’re all scared of being alone.” You said as you dropped a neat stack of his undershirts in his luggage.

“Yeah, I guess so.” He hummed, “Do you think Dani will ever forgive me?”

“Yeah, I’m sure she will but I don’t think that necessarily means she’ll give you another chance.” You said to him and he frowned, “I mean, you have to understand just how humiliating this is for her. You let her fall in love with you and made her think that she was your one and only, only for her to discover that she was actually your side chick! I mean, that doesn’t mean your feelings weren’t real, but it’s…shitty to find out you’re the other woman. It’s happened to me before in college and it sucks. Moreso when I got bitch slapped for “seducing a taken man” when I had no idea he was taken! I think that’s why I’m nice to her because it’s not her fault and I shouldn’t take out my frustration on her. Like it sucks to be in that position. You wonder if there’s any world in which you would’ve been the first choice. Or if you were the first choice, would that person still go off and find someone else? And it feels like…you just can’t win. Either way you feel horrible about yourself and it doesn’t matter how much love exists, you still feel stupid and foolish for falling for something like that. I know that you love her, Cal, but you really hurt her and you need to respect how she navigates this.”

“Can you at least tell her to talk to me? I just want to properly apologize to her. Not some rushed interaction like we’ve had. I won’t try and change her mind I just need her to know that she…means everything to me and that I fucked up. I need her to know that.”

“Cal, I don’t want to mettle. I don’t want to be her friend, I just need her to know that I don’t blame her.” You said and he nodded in understanding.

“Do you hate me?” He asked after a beat of silence.

“No, Cal. I just wish…I knew about all of this early on so that we could try to…not make such a big mess.” You said and he smiled.

“Yeah. Next time.” He said and you smiled. “What about you? Anyone new on your radar?” He asked and you considered talking to him about Harry for a moment, but quickly decided against it, you could keep this to yourself until you actually figured it out.

“No, just been focusing on me and the business. Hanging out with Cece a bit much…been drinking way too much on the weekends.” You said and he chuckled.

“Cece is fun.” He said and you nodded, “I’m surprised she hasn’t hooked you up with the eligible bachelors of New York.” He chuckled.

“Oh believe me, she has tried!” You laughed as you reached over and grabbed another pair of slacks he had brought out.

“Of course. She acts fast.” He said and you nodded. “Well I am always rooting for you. I hope you know that.”

“I am rooting for you too.” You assured him, “So long as you’re being good.” You said and he grinned.

“Yeah, lesson learned.” He stated with a smile, “My flight doesn’t leave until 9:30pm. Want to have some dinner and drop me off?” He asked and you side eyed him.

“Only if I can drive the Quattroporte.” You said and he grinned.

“Fine.” He agreed, much to your surprise. But he was lonely and just needed to be around someone. You felt bad for him, but there really wasn’t much you could do about that.

Cal’s flight was leaving from JFK so you drove a bit closer to get some dinner in that area. It was nice just chatting, talking about your plans after everything was finalized with your divorce. You took your time and were really enjoying how amicable things were between you two, and finally the time came to drop him off at the terminal.

“Thank you for being so gracious about everything, Y/N. I don’t deserve it after everything I’ve put you through. You’re…remarkable and I was right.” He said and you furrowed your eyebrows in confusion.

“About?”

“You being too good for me.” He said and you smiled at him and shook your head.

“Have a good flight.”

“Thanks.” He said before getting out of the car. He grabbed his luggage and with one final wave he was heading inside and you were heading back home. 

The next two days went by rather quickly and you were now nervously trying to pick something out to wear to lunch with Dani that would probably also make Harry swoon just a bit. You were planning on getting there a bit early to see if Harry had a few minutes and were manifesting that he was available. You ended up choosing to wear a nice fall outfit with some flared, tan corduroy pants, a thin black turtleneck long sleeve, and some pointed black, heeled boots. You grabbed your purse and hurried out and took off for the city. You had no idea why you felt nervous, but your stomach was in complete knots the entire drive. 

Finally, you were inside and riding up the elevator to the administrative floor, fidgeting with the rings on your fingers. It was nearing lunch time so there were people hurrying about as you calmly made your way past reception, the other offices, and back to where his office was, according to the map you scanned when you walked off of the elevator. You saw Tamika straightening out a few things at a desk near Harry’s office and approached her.

“Hey Tamika!” You smiled at her and she glanced up at you.

“Hey Y/N! What a nice surprise to see you up here.” And then her smile faltered a bit, “Oh ummm, Dani told me she was meeting with you. I’m sorry about everything with Cal.” She said and you shook your head.

“It’s alright. I knew about it a while ago. At least we can end it amicably.” You said and she nodded.

“Yeah, as long as he’s not an asshole about it.” She said with you sniggered and nodded.

“No, he’s been very good about it.” You assured him, “Are you heading to lunch?”

“I’m actually, leaving for the day. I only have afternoon classes today.” She explained.

“Oh OK.” You said and she smiled.

“Cal’s away on business in San Diego but-” 

“I actually wanted to talk to Mr. Styles-er Harry for minute. Is he in by any chance?”

“Yeah, he’s in there.” She smiled, “You can just go on in.” She assured you with a smile and you nodded.

“Thank you! I hope class goes well.”

“Thanks! Have a good weekend.” She said before grabbing her bag and waving as she headed off. You waved back before turning around and walking the few steps over to Harry’s office. You gave a few knocks before pushing open the heavy, partially frosted glass door and peeking in. 

As soon as Harry detected some movement he glanced up from the documents in his hands and you saw his face light up at the sight of you.

“Oh my god, hi! What’re you doing here?” He questioned as he immediately pushed himself up from his seat as you headed towards him. You hummed happily as he hugged you and you hugged him back, letting your body fit against his so perfectly.

“Dani asked to meet me to talk over lunch.” You informed as you started to pull back, “Thought I’d drop in and see if I could stick around in the city afterwards. Maybe we can go to dinner?” You suggested and he sighed as his hands found yours and glanced down.

“Sorry, tonight’s no good. I have plans.” He said with a small pout.

“That’s alright, kinda dropped in unannounced didn’t I?” You shrugged.

“Just for transparency’s sake, it’s a date.” He shared, “It was a set up.” He sighed, “I don’t know why my friends meddle-”

“Because they care about you.” You said and he chuckled.

“They’re really bad match makers though.” He chuckled and you giggled.

“Well good thing it’s just a set up then.” You said and he grinned.

“Still get nervous though. Kinda seems unfair to agree to date people when you’re not interested in them.”

“Very true, but hey at least you’ll be nice about it.” You said and he smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, always.” He assured as his thumb ran over your knuckles gently. “What about tomorrow? Do you have plans?” He asked.

“Just brunch with Cece. Gonna get day drunk and lounge around in the pool.” You said with a grin and he smiled.

“That sounds great. Can I crash it? I hear you have a really nice pool.” He hummed and your smile widened.

“Yeah! I think Cece would love that more than I would.” you giggled and he chuckled.

“She was cool.” He hummed and you smiled.

“I’ll let her know you said that.” You said and he nodded.

“Yeah, please do. So ummm, should I bring something?”

“Ummm, we’re doing more breakfast-y food, so I think it’ll be best to make that at mine.”

“Settled. I’ll bring the champagne then.” He concluded with a smirk and you laughed happily and hugged him again. He seemed surprised, but was quick to hug you back.

“Oh, I’ve missed you.” You hummed without really thinking too much about it and he chuckled.

“I’ve missed you as well.” He said quietly, his large hands slid down to your waist and you pulled back. Your eyes met his and then fluttered down to his lips.

“I know we said just friends but-”

“That’s alright, I can make an exception.” He whispered as he leaned down and attached his lips to yours. You hummed happily and let your hands glide up his brawny chest before draping them over his shoulders, your bodies moved closer together, allowing your kiss to deepen. He gently nipped at your bottom lip which made you smile, “What?” He breathed out, his smile matching yours now.

“I just really like how you kiss.” You whispered and he smiled before leaning back in and you teased at his bottom lip with your tongue. He opened his mouth a bit more to let you in. You moaned against him when you finally got to taste his tongue. He sighed as his hands slid down to your bottom before squeezing and then giving a very quick little spank which made you gasp and pull back from the sloppy kiss you were sharing. “Mr. Styles!” You exclaimed with a shocked expression.

“Sorry, these pants are very nice.” He mumbled and you smirked.

“These I did wear for you.” You admitted.

“Well thank you, I love ‘em.”

“You’re welcome.” You giggled.

“Maybe I can get in them sometime.” He hummed with a smug look, “Like just to try ‘em on, they’re nice.” He clarified, but the mischievous glint in his eyes confirmed his double entendre and you chuckled. “So what time tomorrow?”

“Noon-ish? I’ll text you my address.” You said.

“Perfect. Can’t wait.” He hummed before dipping down again and kissing you once more. Just as things were getting steamy your cellphone started ringing. You two broke away from the kiss with a wet sound and you sighed as you pulled your purse between the two of you. You saw it was Dani calling and you answered. You glanced up at Harry as you brought the phone to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Hi Y/N, I’m just wrapping up. Should I meet you in the lobby?”

“Yeah, that’s good. See you there.” You said and then hung up.

“Time to go?”

“Yeah.”

“You nervous?” He asked, hands sliding into your back pockets and you giggled as he did this. He then started pushing you closer to him again.

“A little bit. Obviously she wants to talk about Caleb, but I just don’t know what about. M’not at all gossipy, so I hope it’s not just to talk shit.” You chuckled.

“A little shit talking might take place.”

“Well, yeah she can vent if she needs to. But Cal and I have been able to be very amicable and I don’t want to do anything that ruins that vibe. I did tell him I was meeting her and he said it was fine.” You share.

“Well I don’t know Dani all that well but from what Tamika tells me she’s really sweet. And so are you, so I’m sure it’ll be fine.” He assured you.

“Right.” You exhaled and he chuckled.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. And do me a favor, bomb the date, yeah?” You joked and he knocked his head back in laughter.

“I promise you I’ll do my very worst.” He assured you and you chuckled before tiptoeing and kissing his cheek before he slipped his hands out of your back pockets and let you go. “See you tomorrow.”

“See ya’!” You sang before hurrying out of his office and back to the elevator. 

Once in the lobby you quickly found Dani and shook her hand as she officially introduced herself. The place she had in mind for lunch was a little cafe around the corner. So as you walked over you made some small talk. Soon enough you were seated and reading over the menus provided. You were a bit anxious to know what it was that she wanted to talk to you about and as she kept hopping from topic to topic about food and drinks and dessert you started to get a bit impatient.

“Good afternoon, what can I get you guys?” The waiter suddenly came up and you glanced up at him and ordered your food and drink first and then Dani went ahead and ordered. After he left, assuring you the food would be out soon you glanced up at her and she smiled a bit nervously.

“So what did you want to talk about?” You asked her and she sighed.

“I just wanted to clarify that I didn’t know about you at all when I agreed to be with Caleb. I feel really guilty about it though and I don’t know how to make it stop.” She confessed.

“Well I can assure you, I have no beef with you. I don’t blame you at all for his behavior or for his choices.” 

“So you’re not getting divorced because of me?” She asked and you shook your head.

“Not you personally. I mean, Cal is in love with you and that made him realize that we needed to divorce. And for me learning about his relationship with you definitely was a factor in why I wanted. divorce, but there are other factors to it as well. I mean, why wouldn't I divorce someone who doesn't love me?” you explained and she bit her lip.

“Has he cheated on you before?” She asked and you nodded.

“Yeah, for years apparently.” You sighed.

“Oh…” she said with a small frown.

“I only found out about his cheating at the start of the year. So when he was with you already. He hasn’t been with anyone else other than you lately though, if that’s of any consolation.”

“To some extent it is…I mean, he keeps trying to talk to me and apologize and explain himself, but I don’t think there’s a justifiable explanation for any of this.” Dani said and you nodded.

“Yeah, I agree.” 

“I love him. I love him so much, the last few months have been torture, but I’d be a fool to trust him after what he did to me. And now hearing about how this is just something he does…like it doesn’t just stop because you love someone, you know?”

“That’s precisely what I told him the other day. He’s made a habit of his infidelity and there’s no way that’s going to change unless he really works hard at breaking that habit.”

“Right…and I mean, I’d have to be an idiot to forgive him and get back with him.” She sighed.

“Not necessarily. I mean, if you trust him and you work together to make sure you’re on the same page and that you expect the same things out of the relationship it could work. I mean, it’s all based on trust and if you trust that he won’t screw up again, then great! But if you don’t trust him there’s no sense in putting yourself through something like that. You’ll just be full of doubt and miserable and no one deserves to constantly be living on edge like that, you know?”

“Yeah…you’re right.” Dani exhaled in surrender and you frowned a bit.

“Dani, Caleb does love you though. And he is sorry for lying like this. He asked me to tell you that.” You explained.

“I know. But I mean this was maybe my first real adult relationship and like…to discover that I was just the side chick!?” She exclaimed and your frown deepened.

“I’m really sorry, Dani. You didn’t deserve that.”

“I know! It’s why I can’t…I can’t trust him or give him another chance without feeling like a fool for it.”

“Well, seems to me you know which direction you’re leaning towards.”

“I do. It’s just…kind of hard to hold my ground on it.” She explained.

“I mean, you can always change your mind down the line. And well, something tells me Cal will be waiting as long as you need even if it is just to tell him that it’s done for good.” You said to her.

“I just don’t want to waste his time-”

“Girl, he’s wasted both of our times! He’ll be fine.” You emphasized and she chuckled.

“Very true.” She shrugged.

“And look, the last thing you want to do is waste your own valuable time! I’ve been with Cal since I was 23. We got married when I was only 24 and he just told me that he got married to me because he was scared I would leave him if he didn’t commit big right away. All those years are time neither of us will get back and we weren’t even with the right person!” You said and she sighed and shook her head sadly, “I know you’re not asking for my opinion, but if I can just impose it for a second I’d say to just choose you. Heal from the heartbreak and when you’re feeling more level headed about it all revisit it. See if you still love him or if everything has worn off. But make sure that whatever step you take next is for your benefit alone.” You advised and she nodded.

After that part of the conversation you two just ate and talked a bit more about your next steps. She wanted to know how you were moving on from this as well, which in reality was just a taking it day by day approach. Just from your time with her, you gathered that Dani was smart and very sweet and you could see the similarities between your way of being and hers. She was still learning how to assert herself though. For lack of a better term, she was still a bit of a pushover and maybe Cal liked that. It helped him keep her by his side. Thankfully, you had learned better in grad school. You’d learned the hard way not to bend over backwards for everyone and you could still be kind and helpful, just not at your own expense. When Cal told you that you were just harder to deal with than Dani you thought maybe it was an issue with you, but it was all with him. Dani was easier to manipulate because she still considered Cal’s feelings even when it was tearing her apart. You hoped that something you said to her resonated and made her think twice about her choices with Cal in the future. He seemed to be intimidated by women who had owned their power and well, you just couldn’t see yourself being with anyone like that ever. 

All along you thought that he was the one encouraging you and empowering you to do more out of love. Empowering you to tag on a second masters. Empowering you to go for jobs you qualified for. Empowering you to pursue your passion and start your own business. And you let him because you thought the he was just being supportive and wanting to see you grow and excel. But now that you looked at your life and your accomplishments, you saw how he felt that he had given all of that to you. But after you were done with school and found your confidence and worth you didn’t need his help as much. You were more than capable on your own and that made him feel less than. Like he wasn’t good enough for you because you didn’t need his help to succeed. Suddenly everything just felt so transactional between the two of you and that just put a bad taste in your mouth. But at least you were going to be free of it very soon.

**********

Thankfully you beat the rush hour traffic out of the city and were able to stop off at the grocery store to pick up the food you’d be having for brunch the following day along with something to make for dinner. You also got yourself a nice bottle of wine and decided that homemade pizza was the way to go for dinner. Your mood improved when you remembered that Harry would be joining you tomorrow as well and you tidied up around the house with a little more pep in your step. After the cleaning bits you were in for a well deserved shower, so you washed up, exfoliated and shaved, and were soon rushing down the stairs in a big t-shirt and some tiny shorts to make your pizza. Your stomach was growling intensely, begging you to eat as soon as possible.

You were playing some of your happy music, singing and dancing around as you prepped your pizza while the oven pre-heated. Everything was going according to plan until your doorbell rang and you pulled up your phone to check the camera to see who could be out there at nearly 8 at night.

“Oh my god…” you whispered to yourself in shock as you saw none other than Harry, standing at the door with a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a tote bag over his shoulder. Your heart just about melted at the sight of him nervously biting his lip as he waited for an answer. What was he doing here? You took some calming breaths as you set your phone down and scurried out to the front door to let him in. You unlocked it and opened it up with an inevitably large smile that he was already mirroring upon seeing you on the other side of the door. 

“Hi.” He greeted you with a slightly bashful grin.

“Hi! What’re you doing here?” You asked him through a nervous chuckle.

“I know it’s a bit late now, but I-uh was wondering if you still wanted to do dinner? With me?” He asked hopefully and you bit your lip to suppress your smile for a moment.

“Your timing couldn’t be more impeccable. I was actually just about to throw a pizza in the oven.” You said, pointing behind you with your thumb. 

“Really?” He grinned and you nodded.

“Really, ummm come on in!” You chuckled and opened the door wider and he stepped forward. He immediately looked around the foyer before his eyes settled on you as you locked up. When you turned and saw him taking you in, you glanced down at your choice of pajamas bashfully. “Sorry, I’m a bit slob-by right now.” You explained.

“You’re not slob-by.” He assured with a small smile, “You look cute.” He shrugged and you laughed a bit, “M’serious. Like, yeah you usually look so put together, but this is nice too. You look cozy.” He assured and you chuckled.

“Thank you.” You accepted his compliment as he chuckled as well.

“Oh, got these for you.” He said as he extended the arrangement of flowers towards you and you took them.

“Thank you, they’re lovely.” You thanked him, “They’re not re-gifted are they?” You teased with a smirk and he chuckled.

“No, I swear they’re not!” He assured you, “I ummmm, didn’t end up going to the set up thing. I may have…sent her a $200 DoorDash gift card…” he said and you burst into laughter.

“No!” You gasped.

“You said, verbatim, do my worst!” He defended through a chuckle.

“I actually never said that. You said it yourself! I only told you to bomb it, but obviously, I was kidding.” You laughed as you shook your head, your eyes meeting his.

“No you weren’t.” He hummed knowingly as you bit your lip and shrugged.

“OK, I wasn’t…but that’s…I can’t believe you did that.” You chuckled as you shook your head again, “And here I was thinking you were incapable of being an asshole.” You teased.

“I also brought you some tiramisu.” He said as he raised the shoulder that had the tote bag hanging on it. “For like… old time’s sake.” He said.

“And I was right! So completely incapable of being an asshole.” You said and he chuckled, “Come on back to the kitchen.” You said and he followed you trough the house. “Can I get you anything to drink?” You asked as you set down the flowers and opened up the fridge, “I have…a very lovely red blend chilling in the fridge, I have…Coke Zero, water, or if you want a cocktail you can look through the bar.” You said as you turned around.

“Water is good for now.”

“Cold?”

“Please.” He said and you reached in for the pitcher of water and set it on the counter.

“Can I hand you this cake?”

“Yeah, of course!” You said as he pulled out the individual serving of it and you set it on a shelf in there.

“Can I help you with anything?” He asked you.

“Ummm, let me hand you a vase for the flowers.” You said as you scurried around to get one out. And soon you were handing it over as he got some water in it, while you served him a glass from the pitcher.

“Here’s your water.” You said setting it down beside him.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, of course!” You smiled, “Ummm, I only bought pineapple for my pizza.” You said.

“Oh! I mean, I already knew you had good taste, but that’s just perfect.” He hummed with a grin and you rolled your eyes playfully at just how over the top he was.

“Glad you like it, if you didn’t I would’ve had to ask you to leave.” You joked as you headed back over to where you had left you little can of drained pineapples unattended upon his arrival.

“That serious is it?”

“Oh yeah! Huge dealbreaker.” You responded smugly as he came up beside you.

“You know what my dealbreaker is?” He asked as he looked down at the pizza.

“What?” You questioned.

“When people are light-handed with the cheese.” He said to you, “Look at this!” He reprimanded playfully and you giggled.

“It’s not that I want to be stingy, I just have to be mindful of my tummy.” You defended. “Specially now that I have an unexpected guest!” Harry laughed at your excuse.

“Fine. But next time I’m gonna bring you those Lactaid pills so you can eat all the cheese you want.” He said and you smiled up at him.

“Wow, my hero. That’s so romantic of you.” You responded and he hummed.

“I know right.” He hummed smugly as you scattered the pineapple all over the pizza’s surface. “So how was lunch with Daniela?” He asked.

“Good. I think she just needed to talk about her plans. Cal had mentioned to me that I was abrasive, but I think he just likes that Dani is still quite…easy to talk into things. I mean, I was that way when we were first together because he’s older. I assumed he was wiser, knew better, knew more than I did, you know? So she still gives a lot of weight to how her calls will impact him and his feelings.”

“I see.” 

“Yeah, so I just reminded her to ensure that whatever she does next, that she’s doing what’s best for herself. Like, I know Cal hopes she’ll take him back and maybe she wants to, but she’s doubtful, you know?”

“Yeah, understandably so.”

“Right. And I mean, I also explained to her that living like that, with doubt in your partner is just awful and draining. So to only get back with him if she knew for a fact that everything was different this time.”

“Do you think it would be different?” Harry asked.

“I think so…Cal is so in love with her and I’m sure he would put in far more effort than he ever did with me. But at the end of the day he still broke her trust and that’s always going to be hard to recover, you know?”

“Yeah. Well, I think it’s good you were able to hear her out, give her a bit of advice.” He hummed and moved out of your way and hurried to open the door of the oven so that you could slide the tray in.

“Alright we have about 20 minutes.” You said as you closed up the door and then reached for your phone to set a timer.

“Cool. I’ll help you clean up a bit.”

“Oh, thank you.” You smiled and then just asked him to wash the things you had used to spread the sauce and the few dishes in the sink while you packed up the things you had used for the pizza. “So are you driving back home tonight and then coming back in the morning?”

“No, I was gonna get a room somewhere close by. I do own a home close by but I have a tenant there right now.” He said and you hummed.

“Well you can  stay here if you want?” You offered, “We have guest rooms and that way you won’t need to have another expense.”

“Only if you’re OK with it, Y/N.”

“Of course! I’ve stayed at your holiday home free of charge, let me at least do the same for you.” You smiled and he nodded.

“OK, thank you. I’ll go get my overnight bag from the car and ummm, possibly change into something more comfortable.”

“Yeah, sure!” You said and he hurried out to his car. 

You text Cece quickly to let her know that Harry had come by tonight and she responded so fast you swear she broke a record. She asked you to be extra nice to him, which you knew what she meant by that, but to please let her know if she needed to just find an excuse to cancel on you for brunch. You rolled your eyes upon reading that, but soon Harry was coming back into the kitchen.

“Let me give you the room upstairs.” You said before guiding him up the steps. “Sorry, we’re renovating the bathroom in the room downstairs. It has a door to the backyard as well, so we use it for the pool.” You shared as you reached the top of the stairs and flicked on the lights before you continued guiding him down the hallway.

“That’s alright. I’ll be closer if you need me. Or if I need you! You know, for safety reasons.” He tagged on and you sniggered as you stopped before the closed door. “Don’t laugh at me. You make me nervous.” He confessed lowly when you opened up the door to the room. You turned to him with some confusion as you moved aside to let him in.

“Do I really?” You asked him and he nodded as he stepped in further, “Why?” You questioned through a small laugh as you flicked on the lights. You were now a bit concerned with what he would say next. Would he be just like Caleb? Intimidated by a fully realized woman? Afraid that your power meant less power for him? 

“I just…don’t feel in control.” He explained with a slight furrow in his eyebrows as he set his bag down at the foot of the bed. “It’s not something that happens to me often so I don’t…know how to act sometimes.” He admitted with a nervous smile, “Like I just…word vomit or my thoughts get jumbled up, like they did just now, and it’s weird for me to feel this way.” He explained.

“Oh…” you said back quietly and then smiled. “Well, I must admit you make me nervous too.” You confessed as you stepped further into the room.

“See, I’d never know that.” He said with a small smile as you sat at the end of the bed as he proceeded to unzip his bag. “You always appear so poised and just collected.” He said as he removed his toiletries bag to get to his sleeping clothes.

“I assure you I am not.” You smiled nervously and then your smile faltered a bit. “That’s actually something that ummm…Caleb mentioned when he told me he wanted to get divorced. He said he used to love it and it’s one of the things he hates most about me now. I mean, he wasn't actually like, being a dick about it when he explained.” You said softly and Harry frowned as he looked up at you. “I guess he meant to say that he felt that I was emotionally impenetrable to some extent. Like I’m hiding behind the nonchalance?” You explained.

“Hey, look at me.” He said and you glanced up to him, “I don’t think you’re hiding. I think you’re just…maybe a little bit guarded.” He explained and you nodded, “And not in a way to elicit interest or speculation from others. S’just to ensure that you’re showing your vulnerability to the right people, to the people who you can trust. I don’t think I could ever hate that about you when it’s the thing that just…keeps me on my toes.” He smiled and you did as well, “I like it when you let me in and show me what exactly it is you’re thinking and feeling.” He explained.

“You’re right about it all. I mean, I used to be the biggest pushover, so now I just…ensure to be a bit more reserved to gauge who deserves more of me and who doesn’t. I don’t know, maybe to him it was some game, like I was playing hard to get or something? But it’s just that after being treated like a door mat for so long you start to toughen up, you know?”

“Yeah.” He hummed. “I don’t like that he gets to you like this.”

“Me either…I mean, usually he wouldn’t but like a part of me wants to feel some sense of responsibility for what happened so that there could be a logical explanation as to why he betrayed me this way. Like if there’s something, anything, I could fix or do better next time to prevent getting cheated on then I’ll be safe, you know? Then I could for certain say I did everything I could and the issue is with the other person. But when he says it’s just because he has a wandering eye then…I feel like an idiot because I basically walked into this situation, you know?” You explained to him.

“If he has a wandering eye he would’ve found any number of reasons to cheat, love. People like that always have an excuse and always find a way to shift blame. There is nothing you can or could’ve done better because it’s all in Cal’s hands. It always has been. His inability to have some respect for his wife and marriage and his lack of some basic self-control are his issues alone. S’got absolutely nothing to do with you, so get that out of your head. It’s absolute garbage.” He said with conviction and you bit your lip and nodded. Harry was right, these things were Cal’s issues alone and you were not interested in continuing to take any fault for him.

“You’re right. So right…” you hummed, “Well, I’ll leave you to get changed.” You said and he nodded as you closed the door behind yourself and headed back down stairs.

**********

The night had been fun so far. Your pizza was good and you both had a couple of cocktails as you watched bake off, shouting at the TV screen as if you were watching the Super Bowl.

“If Janusz get’s kicked off I will throw a fit.” Harry mumbled, before letting out a shaky breath.

“His ice cream is not going to set in time…” you said with fear and just moments later you were both groaning as he served up his technical dessert. It was a completely melted mess. 

“Alright, he’s still got the show stopper to get back on his game.” Harry said and you hummed in agreement. Completely entranced as you watched the show stoppers until they were presenting it to the judges.

“Sandro’s got to take star baker.” You hummed.

“Yeah, he was basically smashing it the whole time.” He hummed in agreement. Moments later they announced Syabira as star baker. “What?! No!”

“No! Boo!” You both griped, “Her first custard was completely liquid!”

“And she failed the technical! It was absolute shit!” He added with gustó and you giggled a bit. “Sandro was robbed…” Harry shook his head. And then you watched as they let Kevin go with small frowns.

“I’m about to cry…God.” You muttered and he chuckled and pulled you into his side. You smiled as you rested your head against his shoulder and then you cuddled a bit closer.

“Go on and get comfy then.” Harry said softly and you smiled as you just had him lay down so that you could lay over his chest. The next episode came on and you both watched it quietly like this for a bit.

“Harry?” You spoke tentatively.

“Hmmm?”

“I really like you.” You said softly. His heart started pounding hard at your confession.

“I really like you too.” He said as his hand ran up and down your back soothingly. “Literally think about you every day.” He confessed. You pressed yourself up a bit and smiled at him.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah!” He chuckled through his confirmation, “Wanted to talk to you a bit more but I figured you just needed some space to get everything sorted out.”

“Well thank you for considering that but ummm…you can talk to me whenever you want. Just throwing that out there.” You said with a grin and he chuckled.

“Noted.”

“Can I kiss you?” You asked and he smiled.

“Yes. Please.” He barely got the words out before you were connecting your lips to his. 

You had no idea how, but just being around him made you feel like you were on fire. Your lips moved eagerly with his and you melted against him at the feeling of his big, warm hands siding down to your waist and pressing your body even closer against his. Your neck was growing a bit sore from your position so you decided to straddle his lap before connecting your lips to his again. The soft, wet smacks of your kisses made your tummy tingle. You reached one of your hands to his, guiding it down your backside. Harry was quick to take the hint and grabbed handfuls of your bottom before guiding you to rut against his lap. You could feel the bulge of his cock growing through the sweatpants he had on and you shifted on his lap, feeling his fingers dig into your bottom. It made you grin into the kiss and your eyes flickered open as you slightly pulled back. Harry opened his eyes and looked at you before glancing down to your lips, he started reaching to kiss you again, but you slightly pulled back with a teasing smirk and he smiled.

“Please.” He whispered.

“Please what?” You questioned innocently.

“Please kiss me.” He clarified and you lowered yourself back down only to skim your nose along his before kissing the corner of his mouth and he chuckled as he dug his fingers further into your bottom, “Please.” He requested again. It was making you excited, hearing him beg for you, “Please, baby.” He whispered.

  The impatience in his eyes was feeding a part of you that had been starved for so long. Your eyes were swimming with a dark need and every part of you just wanted to blow his mind and have him so horny and needy for you that he kept begging and begging for more of you. You wanted him to keep thinking about you nonstop, you wanted to make him feel so fucking good. Take such good care of him like he always did to you. You grabbed the side of his face gently with your right hand and he leaned into your touch as his eyes fluttered closed.

“Look at me.” You whispered and his eyes slowly blinked open to meet yours. They were also dark with lust and glanced down to your mouth again. You ground yourself against his clothed erection and you smirked as his eyes fluttered closed as a deep groan rumbled through him. “Gonna take such good care of you, Harry. I’m gonna make you feel so good, just how you make me feel good.” You whispered. “Want you t’do whatever you want to me when you feel it, OK?” You requested softly and he nodded.

“Yeah, baby.” He assured, “We’ll feel it out together, yeah?”

“Yeah.” You smiled before kissing him again. You suddenly sucked on his bottom lip before sinking your teeth into it and tugging it back. Your eyes met his and they followed yours until you were kissing his chin and then up his jaw. Harry extended his neck and you smiled before kissing right under his jaw, gently sucking, latching your lips to his skin. 

“Harder.” He muttered and you sighed and sucked harder. His hands squeezed your butt until you let go. You kissed the bruised little patch and then sunk lower. You kissed over his bobbing Adam’s apple and then the base of his throat.

“Take off your shirt.” You hummed seductively and then pulled back. He sat up quickly and haphazardly tore off his shirt before dropping it on the ground. Upon seeing his exposed body again you lunged at him. He sniggered softly as you immediately felt up his abs. He may or may not have flexed a bit harder so that your fingers could really feel the dips of his well defined, washboard abs. Then your hands roamed up his chest. So broad and firm, you could practically grab a handful of him. You sunk lower yet again to kiss over his pecs. You scratched down his left pec as your tongue swirled over his right nipple. You felt him twitch beneath you as you nipped at it gently before you sunk even lower. You kissed each one of his abs and around his belly button before kissing down the trail of hair leading to his cock. You stopped at the elastic of his sweatpants. 

“Let’s get these off.” you said and he helped you tug them down along with his briefs. His thick, heavy cock sprung up quickly as soon as his briefs were down his thighs. You quickly got them down to his ankles and he sat up and kissed you as he toed them off. His hands held your face securely as he licked into your mouth. You moaned into his messy kiss and reached for his cock. He sighed in relief as you squeezed your palm around his tip. You felt his precum smearing against your skin and you rubbed it over him before making a fist around the head and stroking up and down slowly.  “You’re so fucking big.” You mumbled into his mouth.

“I know, but you still take it all the way don’t you?” He responded and you nodded.

“Yeah. Love how you feel inside.” You panted.

“Mmm…suck my cock.” He ordered and you pecked his lips before sinking again and not wasting any time to get him into your mouth. He moaned the second your were sucking on his tip. You were messy with it, letting yourself salivate at the taste of his skin on your tongue. You got a little bit greedy and sunk down halfway. After a few seconds there you sunk down all the way and he groaned and dug his fingers into your hair as his tip met with the back of your mouth.

“Fuck…oh fuck…” he exhaled with eyes squeezed shut. You breathed through your nose as you tried to get him down your throat and gagged and he pulled you up quickly. “Breathe, baby. Breathe and try again.” He hummed, “Fuck, please try again. Need to get down your little throat.”

You swallowed thickly before sinking back down, taking your time to get him in deeper. Then you felt him start thrusting up slowly while his hands guided your head over him. He was locked on his pace, which helped you know when to expect the nudge of his tip to the entrance of your throat.

“Doing so well for me. Gonna go a bit deeper now. Breathe f’me. Then let it out nice and slow.” He said and you did so and when you started to exhale he started pushing your head down even lower. You hummed around him and he moaned at the vibrations around his cock. You were dripping saliva but neither of you seemed to care. He starting thrusting up a bit faster, just nudging down your throat, “Fuck, that’s a good girl…” He groaned deeply, “Take my fucking cock. Take my cock down your throat.” He grunted as he fucked your mouth until you just couldn’t hold off anymore and choked around his cock. He pulled you up and panted hard as he gripped your hair hard in his fist. You swallowed hard and caught your breath before resting your head on his thigh and smiling up at him. He smiled down at you too and then bit his lip as he watched you sink down and lave at his balls. You were gentle as you sucked one in between your lips. “Shit…fuck th-that’s fucking good.” He moaned, pushing your face closer to his groin. You moaned before popping off and sucking the other one just the same until his legs were wriggling beneath you. “Fuck you’re gonna make me come…” he moaned and you quickly popped off and he was panting. “Shit.” He chuckled breathily and you hummed and kissed his thigh.

“Can I ride your cock?” You asked and he nodded.

“Yes. Please baby, ride my cock.” He begged. You knelt up and slid your shirt off before standing from the couch to get your shorts off. Harry sat upright but slouched against the couch. He wrapped a fist around his cock as he watched you undressing. “So fucking pretty.” He hummed and you smiled as you approached him and then knelt  over his lap.

“Ready?” You whispered and he nodded. He glanced down, holding his cock up at your entrance to let you lower yourself. You started to drop your hips, obsessing over the feeling of his cock sinking into your sopping pussy. You felt the pressure increasing against your entrance until it finally gave and he plunged deep into you. You both moaned in satisfaction as you relished in the feeling of his cock finally being inside of you. “Fuck you’re so deep.” You smiled against his lips and he hugged tight around your waist and pulled you down as he thrust up hard. You gasped as he reached new depths that made your thighs tremble because his tip was rubbing right into your spot. You were covered in goosebumps in seconds before an involuntary moan spilled out of your throat.

“Fuck…that’s it isn’t it, baby?” He hummed haughtily as he thrust up into it again.

“Yeah.” You whimpered, “Right there…please don’t stop!” You keened as your toes curled. You started to grind down against him going faster and faster until your were gasping and choking on a cry as your orgasm rolled through your body like a giant wave. You tingled and shivered and seemingly vibrated in ecstasy. You felt so secure as Harry hugged around you tight, continuing to move you over his cock, helping you ride out your orgasm. You started to ride him again, adding a little more bounce to your movement and he groaned and surged forward to latch his lips to your nipple. He sucked hard as you ground down against him.

“You’re so good.” He hummed before sucking it back in again. Your hands raked into his hair and he groaned as you tugged a bit roughly at the roots. “Fuck, you feel so good, baby.” He praised, “Can I take you to the bedroom?” He asked and you nodded.

“Yeah, let’s get up there.” You grinned and without regard for your clothes rushed from the TV room to the bedroom he'd be in. 

He followed you in, not really minding the door as he trailed behind you, hands on your hips. He turned you around when you got to the foot of the bed and he picked you up and tossed you up further onto the bed. You laughed as he clambered over you, kissing you as he parted your legs to fit himself between them. You bit your lip as he lined up to your entrance again and started to push inside. Your jaw dropped as you exhaled in relief at his girth stretching you and filling you up. Harry’s eyebrows were creased as he tried to keep it together and just held himself deep inside before drawing himself out. You whined at the lack of his intrusion and he grinned.

“Please, Harry. Please.” You whispered.

“Yeah, baby? Want my cock?” He teased and you nodded.

“Yeah, please. Need you back inside.” You keened and he prodded at your entrance, teasing you by just letting his tip push into you before he’d draw his hips back. You lifted yours up trying to chase after his cock, desperate to feel him back inside of your tight, hot walls. “Harry…” you whined, eyes locking on his and he chuckled at your desperation before just dipped back inside to the hilt. He rolled his hips into you and made your eyes roll back in pleasure. He immediately started to pick up his pace, the thwacking sound of his balls against your ass was making you feral. You were cursing and whimpering as his cock hit all of the right spots. You fit a hand between your bodies and rubbed at your clit in quick circles until your were struggling to breathe, body tensing up as your pleasure started to reach it’s peak.

“Fuck, you’re so close. I can feel it, you’re so fucking wet for me and squeezing so hard, baby.” Harry hummed with hunger as he maintained his thrusting pattern consistent. It was building you up, pushing you towards the edge with each one until you were trembling.

“Oh! I’m coming!” You cried out loudly as you rubbed your clit faster until you were withering around Harry’s cock. He moaned as he started thrusting harder and deeper into you. You winced with each merciless thrust to your poor, sensitive, dripping pussy.

“You OK? Want me to stop?” He asked and you quickly shook your head.

“Please no.” you whimpered and he chuckled lowly.

Should I keep going and flood your little pussy with my come?“ He panted.

“Yes please, I want it so bad.” You mewled and he groaned.

“Fuck…fuck, I’m right there…” he moaned before he choked out a groan and dropped his weight over you and he sunk as deep as possible, releasing his load deep inside of you. He was panting but found your mouth with his. Kissing you sloppily as he hummed in pleasure. He was tingling and you were loving the warmth and weight of his body over yours. “Fuck, I missed you.” He sighed in satisfaction and you smiled as you hugged around his back.

“I missed you too.” You hummed happily.

After lazing around for a bit Harry headed off to have a shower and you ended up telling Cece that you guys could just meet up for dinner and she was very supportive of that decision. You joined Harry in the shower and had another go in there before he ended up dragging you out and eating you out on the bed until you were seeing stars. Your chest even burned a bit from how shallow your breathing was.

“Fuck…oh my god…” you panted as Harry kissed his way up your body before reaching your lips and kissing you quickly, “Think we’ll need to sleep in my room, the bed’s all damp now.” You huffed.

“Do you mind?” He asked and you shook your head.

“Not at all.” You assured him.

After he got dressed you were both settling into your bed. He pulled you closer into his body, spooning you so that you were nice and snug against him.

“Thank you for coming over.” You hummed quietly and Harry smiled and hugged you just a bit tighter.

“There’s no where I’d rather be, baby.” He assured you. “The divorce is final in a few weeks right?”

“Mhmmm.” You confirmed.

“Can I take you out or is it too soon?” He asked quietly and you turned around.

“I’d love to go out with you.” You said, practically beaming from ear to ear.

“Oh great, I’ll plan something special for us soon. I’d say tomorrow, but tomorrow, we’re spending it in bed. Have to make up for lost time, so rest up.” He hummed before kissing you and you easily fell into it until he turned around and asked you to scratch his back and you talked quietly until you both dosed off. 

The next few days were absolute bliss with Harry. You got a peek of his domestic side and were absolutely obsessed with how sweet and thoughtful he was. Of course the reunion with Cece was as exciting as you’d imagined. There were tons of laughs and inside jokes now and of course, the promise that Harry would be around a lot more. He had made breakfast for you Sunday morning and then drove you around to do your errands for some events you had coming up in the next few weeks. You spent some time in the hot tub, mostly making out until you just needed to have a shower and have another good shag before bed. Your body was sore and tired, but you hadn’t felt so good in so long. Good in every sense of the word. You felt at ease around him and the evidence was in how you passed out on his chest as he played with your hair tenderly.

“Hey, baby.” Harry mumbled against your temple as you stirred a bit.

“Hmm?” You groaned groggily.

“Sorry it’s so early, but I’ve gotta go to work.” He said and you frowned, your weekend together had flown by.

“Right…Monday.” You huffed with dread and he chuckled.

“Yeah, love.” He said before kissing your forehead, your cheeks, and then you puckered your lips against his softly. “I have a dinner meeting tonight, but I can come again on Tuesday? Can even get off early, help you set up for that event for your client?” He offered and you nodded immediately and he chuckled. “Alright, baby.” 

“Drive safe.”

“I will. I’ll text you when I get to the office, OK?”

“OK.” You hummed, “I’ll walk you out?”

“S’alright.” He assured and you shook your head and sat up.

“I insist, baby.” You said and he smiled and gave you a second to stretch before you hurried down the stairs with him and out to the door.

“Miss you already!” He called out the window and you grinned and blew him a kiss before he drove off.

… SIX MONTHS LATER …

You and Harry had been seeing each other on the DL for four months now. He had asked you to be his girlfriend on new year’s eve and you’d been spending all of your free time together. Shortly after the divorce with Cal was finalized you guys were able to sell the house and you’d found somewhere else to live by then which was actually a bit close to Harry’s own place which was rather convenient as your relationship grew more and more serious. Personally, you were thriving and you were looking after yourself so much more than before. Harry was an incredible partner and you swore that everything you felt for him couldn’t fit inside of you in any way, it seemed to be overflowing and you were seriously considering telling him you loved him over your holiday in Italy.

Cal had been doing a bit better than before. Dani ended up asking to be transferred to the London branch of the company and had been there since January. Obviously, this completely devastated Caleb, but he seemed to also just focus on bettering himself. You didn’t really talk often after he told you Dani left, he wasn’t sure who to talk to it about, but you encouraged him to find a therapist to work on himself and he assured you he would try his best. He would reach out every now and again though, he was still feeling a bit lonely and you were itching to tell him that you and Harry were together. You hated feeling like you had to hide your happiness, but Harry had insisted on telling Cal himself before you went on your vacation. He said that at least this way you’d be gone long enough to give him time to get used to the idea without feeling like you guys were shoving your relationship in his face. You agree to let him do it in his own time, but also it would save you the difficult task of having to tell your ex-husband that you were in a relationship with his boss; you couldn’t see that conversation going well in any capacity.

Harry was also very happy with you. He loved to see you thriving and he was more than thrilled that he was playing such a pivotal role in your happiness. He feels that he had always been a pretty good partner, but with you it was just different. He lived for the times he made you smile. He was also very excited for your romantic Italian holiday, it was just three weeks away now. He had planned to stop in England for a few days on the way back so that you could meet his family, he just felt like he needed to make all of the right moves with you because he wanted you in his life forever if possible. 

He was currently typing away at his computer furiously, just trying to get everything settled before he left. Just then a few knocks on his door sounded.

“Hey Harry, you wanted to talk to me?” Caleb asked as he came into his office and Harry glanced up at Cal.

“Hey mate, yeah. Have a seat.” Harry instructed and soon Cal was settling into one of the seats in front of Harry’s desk.

“What can I do for you?” Caleb asked cheerfully.

“I’m going to be out of the country on holiday for a month in a few short weeks and I just wanted to touch base with you about some of the things I’d like you to be in charge of while I’m gone.”

“Yeah sure.”

“So I’d like you to head all of the client meetings for that time period. You’ve been doing so well with that, I trust you the most to make things work and to cut the best deals. There’s a particular client that I really want to land, I’ll email you all that information and my personal files on the client. Please look over it when you get a minute today and we can discuss some strategy tomorrow.”

“Perfect.”

“Additionally, you and Daria will be overseeing all operations in my absence. That being said, you’ll receive a bonus for all the extra work you put in for that month. I know it might make you have to shift your schedule somewhat so please just take note of any extra hours and I’ll will ensure you get some OT for those hours as well.”

“Not necessary, Harry but thank you.” Caleb nodded in agreement, “So where are you heading off to?” Cal asked and Harry bit his lip for a second. He knew you didn’t mind him telling Cal about your relationship, in fact he had been the one to ask if he could break it to Cal because of their overlapping professional relationship and well, now was the moment to do it. He had even tried to do it a bit sooner but when he’d seen it was a rough day for Caleb he’d put it off. But this needed to happen now.

“Italy.” He shared and Cal’s eyebrows arched up in surprise.

“Oh, nice! Y/N is going to Italy soon too. Not too sure of the dates but-”

“That’s actually another reason for why I wanted to talk to you.” He said and Cal looked at him expectantly, “I’m…with her. Y/N, she’s my girlfriend and we’re going on holiday together.” He said, just getting it out there and Cal’s eyebrows arched up even further.

“Oh…” was all he said and Harry nodded, waiting for his next response expectantly but he didn’t say much, just kind of looked at his desk.

“I wanted to tell you because well, we still work together. I know that your marriage ended not too long ago, but I just want you to know that whatever has gone on outside of work is not any of my business so long as you keep doing excellent work here. And I have certainly treated you as a great employee and friend to some extent and ummm, I hope that you will do the same for me now that I’m with Y/N. I guess, I'm just saying I hope this doesn’t impact our professional relationship.” Harry explained.

“When did this happen?” Cal asked, seemingly ignoring what Harry had just said.

“Officially, I asked her to be my girlfriend on new year’s. I think we’re getting serious now though.” Harry said.

“Already, huh?” He asked with a sad smile and Harry nodded.

“Yeah, I’m ummm…in love with her and I want to see this through.” Harry admitted to him and Caleb cleared his throat and nodded.

“Right. Well, thanks for telling me. I don’t love her anymore, but it’s just…a weird situation, you know? It’s fine though, I’m glad you’re happy with her.” 

“Of course. And well, Y/N wanted to tell you a bit sooner but I insisted I break the news to you since…we’re the ones who will continue to see each other day to day.”

“No, I get it. She’s…great and I mean, you’re lucky to have her in your life.” He said and Harry nodded.

“Thank you, I know.”

“What ummm…what brought you guys together?” He asked.

“I think the dinner at my place in September really sealed the deal. I mean, I thought she was beautiful and smart and just the way she helped Tamika and well, Dani…I just thought she was really great. Then ummm I went to check on her since I could tell she was…a bit sad about the way the night had gone for her and ummm…one thing led to another and…well…” he sighed and Cal looked surprised.

“Oh…”

“I’m really sorry.” Harry apologized because he had never meant to get in between you two. And though he had omitted your previous interactions, he felt that having sex with you while you were upset with Cal could make him think that Harry had something to do with you also being eager to get a divorce from him. 

“Well, it’s not like I didn’t deserve it.” He said and Harry frowned a bit, “Just…treat her right, yeah?”

“I will.” Harry smiled and Cal returned the gesture.

“And she’s happy?” He asked Harry who nodded.

“Yeah, very happy. She’s doing great.” Harry confirmed.

“Good.” He hummed.

Obviously, things were just a bit weird for the rest of the day but Harry felt nothing but relief knowing that he’d been able to finally tell Caleb about his relationship with you. He loved you, it had happened so quickly for him, but just getting to say that to someone had made it all the more real. For the rest of the day he felt this pressure over his chest, an anxious need to tell you exactly how he felt for you. He didn’t want it to go unsaid for a minute more.

And when he got to your apartment that night and heard some Frank Sinatra playing through the door he immediately smiled. He loved that he could see you whenever he wanted now, though that did nothing to get him to stop thinking about you all day every day.

“Baby, is that you?” You called out as soon as you heard the front door close with a heavy thud.

“Yeah!” He called back as he set his things down and slipped out of his shoes, “It smells amazing!”

“It’s a chickpea masala soup!” You announced and soon you felt Harry wrapping his arms around your waist.

“Hi, baby.” He greeted as he kissed the side of your head.

“Hi!” You greeted him happily and then spun around to grab his face, “A kiss please.”

“Another?” He grinned and you nodded, “Of course. Anything for m’girl.” He hummed happily and pressed his lips to yours. After a few distracting and wonderful moments of your lips together you parted and you reared back to look in his eyes, “Told Cal about us today.” He shared.

“Oh? How’d he take it?” You asked right away.

“Fine. He was just surprised.” Harry explained and you nodded.

“Good. So I can come visit you at work now.” You grinned.

“Course. I’ll always make time for you.” He hummed happily and you kissed him again, “Ummm, as I was talking to him I ummm realized something. Well not realized, because I’ve known but realized that I needed to do something about it. And I just really need to tell you that I…that I love you.” He said and your eyes softened as they met his.

“Do you really?” You asked with a little smile.

“Yeah, baby. You’re everything I didn’t know I was missing. The moment you came into my life it was changed, for the better, of course. And I don’t want to let another minute pass me by without telling you that despite all the time and hurt that we’ve endured, we met when we were supposed to and I can’t imagine my life without you in it. My whole heart is all yours, always.” He said sweetly and you pouted in endearment with a thumping heart at his confession.

“I love you too. With every piece of my heart and I don’t even want to think about life without you, H. Thank you for loving me.” You said and he chuckled as he kissed your forehead.

“No, thank you for making me feel whole. I’m so lucky to have met you, I’ll never ever get tired of showing you what you mean to me, baby.” He assured with a happy smile as your eyes teared up.

“Oh, I love you so much.” You sighed as you hugged him tight and he hummed happily.

“I love you.” He whispered happily.

—- Tag List —-

@sunshinemoonsposts @anotherdudetteinthisworld @matildasatellite @sad-avocado @sunflovverharry @cherrysulewski @daphnesutton @gurugirl @jessitpwk @permanentllyharry  @here4thefanfics @slutfortigertattoo @angelbabyyy99 @freedomfireflies @behindmygreyeyes@mellamolayla @nikkisimps @dioc4ne @straightontilmornin @mema10 @fkinavocado @hazuniverse @lolyouallsuck @kathb59 @fictionalmensblog @criesbc1d @mamassssontour

[wosoragebaiter69]

together forever

hayley raso x fem!reader

request: here

A/N: I got my new goalie gloves today 😜

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

“Come on, the beach will be fun. Aussie beaches are like the best in the world! And it’s summer. Get up.” My girlfriend says.

“Hayley, we’ve been everyday this week.” I sigh sinking into the couch.

“Yeah but we haven’t been there on sunset. Sunsets on the beach are a different kind here.” She ends up giving puppy dog eyes which she knows I can’t say no to. In all our years of dating she still manages to make me crumple.

“Fine, it better be worth it.” Her smile grows wider and she jumps up and down. To which, I can only laugh at.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go.” I grab my phone and a towel, before following her outside and we begin the walk to the beach.

The walk consists of small talk, Hayley seems slightly nervous but I can’t imagine why. Maybe she doesn’t think I’ll like it? Time can only tell. I place her hand in mine in hopes that whatever she’s worried about will go away when she sees the sunset.

Once we arrive, I place the towel down and immediately gape at the sight in front of me. The sky is lit up in all sorts of warm colours. The sun only a third of the way set as it casts an orange glow around it. Yellow and red fill other parts of the sky, making the whole area look like it’s out of a painting. The water contrasts perfectly against the horizon, where large ships can be seen but barely.

“Haiz.. I don’t know what to say. This is… beautiful. Why wasn’t I shown this earlier?” I look at her, still in awe about our surroundings.

All she does is smile.

“I needed to wait for a special moment. Now sit. Sunset doesn’t last too long. Maybe take a picture? Even though we both know nothing compares to real life.” I nod at her words wondering what the special moment could mean.

I turn my gaze back out to the water, watching some distant surfers riding waves and getting taken out, there’s not many other people though.

“I can feel you staring babe.” I break our peaceful silence.

“I know.” Does it sound weird that I can hear her grin? Confused, I turn to look at her but my mouth drops at what she’s holding. Before I can say anything she starts.

“We’ve been dating for 3 years, which have been the best of my life, no one can make me feel the way you do. I’ve had relationships, but you’re the one that has felt the most right. If I’m not with you, I wonder what you’re doing subconsciously. Which is why I’ve decided I want you to be mine forever. So, Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N will you make me the happiest woman ever, and marry me?”

Throughout the speech my eyes well up, I can’t believe this is happening. When she finally says the question, there’s only one answer to be said.

“Yes, with every ounce of myself yes!” I cry out, she takes the ring out of the box placing it on the left ring finger.

“How did I get so lucky to have you?” I say before thinking about it.

“I was about to say the exact same thing.” She takes my hand and kisses it. “The best sunset in the world, with the best girl in the world.” I blush uncontrollably, not even trying to hide it.

“Are we going to tell the fans? When they find out they’re gonna go crazy.” I exclaim, it’s only last week her national teammate Ellie got engaged.

“Yes we can if that’s what you want. Now?” I nod smiling. I take the photo, making sure to include the jaw dropping sunset. Hayley’s arms are wrapped around my waist, her head resting on my shoulder kissing my neck softly. While I show the ring in all its glory, she probably went broke.

I take to instagram, including her on the post with the caption ‘I’ve got the best fiancé a girl could have, and you all have another thing to go crazy about.” I hit post laughing with the one I get to call mine, and we sit until twilight. Nothing else needs to exist if I’ve got her.

[ask-the-koopa-family]

Heres a little story between Roy and Wendy !!

Hope you like it !

Wendy is alone, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. Her gaze is fixed on the horizon, distant and thoughtful. Roy arrives, hands in his pockets, observing his sister with a stern but concerned expression.

Roy:

Gruffly but not aggressive

"So, what's your problem, Wendy? You've been acting weird for days. What are you waiting for to tell us what's going on?"

Wendy doesn’t immediately respond. She continues staring at the horizon as if she didn’t hear him.

Roy:

More insistent, stepping closer

"Hey, I’m talking to you. What's going on? I can't help you if you don't tell me anything."

Wendy grits her teeth, her eyes hardening, but she stays silent. Roy sighs and crosses his arms, mimicking her stance.

Roy:

Trying to soften his tone

"I know you, Wendy. When you pretend to ignore people, it means something happened."

Wendy:

Finally, in a trembling voice

"It's ridiculous, Roy... You wouldn't understand."

Roy:

Frustrated but worried

"Try me. I may not be the smartest, but I’m your brother. I can't just leave you like this."

Wendy lowers her head, biting her lip before speaking.

Wendy:

Softly, almost ashamed

"Some people said... that I’m just a spoiled little princess, incapable of doing anything on my own."

Roy narrows his eyes, furious at the thought of someone saying that to his sister.

Roy:

Gravely

"Who the shell said that?"

Wendy:

Fighting to stay composed

"It doesn’t matter. Maybe they're right… I spend all my time worrying about how I look, about being perfect... but am I worth anything without that?"

Roy stands taller, clenching his fists.

Roy:

"Are you serious right now? You're gonna let a bunch of idiots make you doubt yourself? You’ve always been the toughest out of all of us. Who cares what those losers say? You’ve proven way more than they ever will."

Wendy:

Finally turning to him, vulnerable

"And what if I am just a façade, Roy? Just an image, nothing more?"

Roy growls, clearly uncomfortable with his sister's vulnerability. But he steps closer, standing right in front of her.

Roy:

With raw sincerity

"I don’t care what you do or what you look like. It’s you that we respect. Not just your crown or your makeup. You’re Wendy O. Koopa. The people who know you, know exactly who you are."

Wendy, surprised by the softness behind his words, slightly lets down her guard.

Wendy:

"Are you sure about that?"

Roy:

With a sly smile

"Maybe I’m just a tough guy, but I know my sister better than anyone."

Wendy cracks a smile, more genuine this time. Suddenly, without warning, she steps forward and wraps her arms around Roy in a hug. Roy stiffens, clearly uncomfortable.

Roy:

Grumbling

"Uh… Wendy, you know I’m not a hugger, right?"

Wendy squeezes tighter, not letting go. Her voice is soft but firm.

Wendy:

"I don’t care. I needed this."

Roy stands there for a moment, stiff and awkward, before finally letting out a deep sigh. He slowly raises his arms and hugs her back, though it’s clear he’s doing it just for her sake.

Roy:

Muttering

"Fine. But if you ever tell anyone, I’ll deny it."

Wendy pulls back slightly, still holding onto him, but her gaze softens, and she looks down for a moment, hesitant.

Wendy:

Softly

"Roy... do you think... Mom would be proud of us?"

Roy freezes for a second, clearly caught off guard by the question. He looks away, biting his lip before sighing.

Roy:

Quietly

"She'd be proud, Wendy. Of you, of me... of all of us."

Wendy:

Still uncertain

"But what if we're not doing enough? What if we're just... not living up to her?"

Roy turns back to her, his voice firm but more gentle than before.

Roy:

"Listen, no one’s perfect. But we’re still here, aren’t we? We're still fighting. She'd be proud of that. Proud of you."

Wendy’s eyes fill with emotion, but she manages to hold it back, giving Roy a small, thankful nod.

Wendy:

"Thanks, Roy."

Roy:

With a slight grin

"Yeah, yeah. Just don’t get all mushy on me again."

Wendy cracks a smile, more genuine this time. She finally lets go of him.

Wendy:

"Your secret’s safe with me, tough guy."

Roy smirks, shaking his head, but there's a softness in his eyes.

---

Despite his gruff demeanor, Roy managed to reach Wendy, reminding her that she’s much more than what others see. And though he’s not one for hugs, he hugged her back because, sometimes, family means stepping out of your comfort zone.

Art/story are mine dont copy/repost

#story

#roykoopa

#wendykoopa

#koopalings

#supermariobros

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

i made a fake aita post for the immortal primeboys animal crossing joke help

AITA for helping my little brother with his Animal Crossing island?

Okay, so I (21M) have this little brother T (16M) and I adore him beyond anything else in the world. We're immortal and have been for centuries at least (I used our ages at the time we became immortal for simplicities sake), and he’s been the one constant in my life, and I the one constant in his.

Now, T's a good kid, but he's also… troubled. He's got issues with false memories, and this really elaborate story in his head where I did the harm his prior family did to him. He's often uncontrollably emotional, or entirely emotionless. Sometimes he has periods of extreme anger and violence, or being entirely comatose, and at the worst times these can last weeks.

I don’t blame him, of course. He came from a traumatic background before I took him in, and that’s something he cannot help. It’s heartbreaking to see, honestly, and if I could take the pain onto myself I could, but I try my best to help. He needs a lot of structure, and a lot of love and support, and I adore giving both to him. It makes me so honoured I’m the one he relies on.

Now, T's picked up a lot of hobbies over the years to keep himself busy. Safe ones, where he doesn’t have to interact with other people or anything haha, he’s got really bad social anxiety and if I’m gonna be honest I don’t really trust others to understand and empathise with him like I do, people used to find him annoying and treat him cruelly before I took him in. He enjoys gardening, sewing, cooking, cleaning, lots of things, really! He's such a clever kid- a genius, I’d say, honestly, even if he’s a bit silly compared to me.

One of his favourite, though, is Animal Crossing. It’s been something he’s used as a coping mechanism in the dark times even before I was able to save him, and sometimes he'll spend days at a time just… walking around his villages. Of course, I've made sure to get every game in the series just for him, and of course he’s very grateful.

Now, I like to watch him play- any time spent apart from him is excruciating agony in general, and I think it’s adorable seeing what he does in a game with so much freedom. He names all his towns BIG MAN!! for one, which I think is the funniest thing ever, he’s so entertaining. I would be so bored without him.

A few days ago, I saw him playing New Horizons, and I noticed how much of a cluttered mess his island was. It was so unoptimally designed, with wayyyyyyy too much flowers everywhere and everything in annoying, hard to reach spots, and it was a patchwork mess of conflicting, chaotic styles. I felt really bad- my brother deserves a pretty, easy to play island, doesn’t he? So, of course, I offered to help clean it up!

Now, and I don’t know why this is, T defied me. He said his island was fine as it was- when it clearly wasn’t- and he didn't want my help. Obviously, this frustrated me, so I told him off, and gave him a little tap to remind him of his place (not even hard enough to bruise!!!), and he came around, and so I presumed this was just another one of his episodes.

I spent days with him, making his island the most beautiful but most fun island even possible to make in New Horizons, and I made sure to keep as much stuff from his previous island as I could, and made everything new something I knew he’d loved, and I even made a little portrait of me and him to hang in his house which was his favourite thing! He seemed so happy with the whole thing, so I was sure I did something good.

But over the past few days, I’ve noticed T has been trying to avoid me when doing his hobbies now. Previously, he'd love to sew or play video games in the room with me, and we'd chat for hours or even days without a break, but now he tries to hide in our room whenever he does anything.

Being the loving and understanding big brother I am, instead of immediately punishing him for his avoidant tendencies I asked him what’s wrong, and he said he was scared he wouldn’t be able to get a choice in what he made anymore, and I’d make decision for him. Now, I don’t understand the issue there- I’m clearly far better at making decisions than T, he's a mentally I’ll child while I am a stable adult who wants what’s best for him- but I really don’t want to spend a second without him in my life, and I’m willing to consider maybe we're both in the wrong here. So, AITA?

[apocryphalfemme]

The odds of this are absurd. I mean, the idea of even just finding one of these accursed things intact and unattended in the first place is laughable! They’re so big, so fast, so fucking untouchable that they don’t even seem real half the time. A blot in the sky one second, burning through your home the next, and blurring into the horizon before you can even register what’s happened. Ballistic hallucinations from on high. You can imagine, then, how surreal it is to not only finally see one at rest, but to touch one. To be in one.

We found it in the burnt-out ruins of Port Collo. I suppose it makes sense that, if one were to have been abandoned anywhere, it’d be here: Heaven wasn’t half caught by surprise when the uranium miners blew the town’s primary processing plant to hell. Chain fissile reaction melted the place into radioactive slag-land, forcing immediate evacuation for anyone not instantly vaporized. Guess this thing got left behind in the scrum. Lucky for us, I suppose. Worrying, that it can tank a nuke.

It’s a… fuck, what do they call it? There’s some fancy acronym for it which I can never remember. Most of us just call them Angels. Agents of a cruel and uncaring corporate God. Roko almost certainly knows the technical name, but she isn’t too intent on talking right now. She’s the most focused I’ve seen her in weeks; stalking slowly through the cramped space of the cockpit. For as unimaginably big as this thing is, it doesn’t seem as though much of a mind has been given to pilot comfort: I can’t even imagine how a person is supposed to properly stand in here. The way it seems to swallow her up, making even her broad frame seem small, sets my teeth on edge. I make my worries known.

“Look, I really don’t think this a good idea. We’re nearly out of rad pills as it is and we don’t actually know for certain why this thing was left-“

“Quiet.” She’s not malicious in her reprimand, just blunt. She’s stopped now, crouched in the centre of the cockpit, peering up at the cavalcade of screens and systems indicators that festoon the cramped space’s ceiling. “The reactor’s still good.”

“What? How?”

“Look,” she murmurs, pointing up. She taps at a point in the overhead command array. The effect is odd: indicator lights flicker to life around where she touched, before spreading out in a ripple. In the dark of night, further compounded by the dark of the cockpit, they look like a false starscape suspended in micro above us. “Not dead. Just dormant.”

“So?”

“So, I want to turn it on.”

“Oh hell no,” I stammer, “there is no way that we’re-“

“Ozlu,” she interrupts, finally turning to face me. “This could be what we need. Can you imagine what the resistance could do if we had one of these things marching with us? We wouldn’t have to run with our tails between or legs anymore - we could fight Heaven on its own terms.”

“I…” I wring my hands, nervously. She’s right - she’s always right - but… “it’s an Angel. Aren’t you… aren’t you scared?” She makes an attempt at a kind smile, but it comes out too sharp. She’s not good at softness, but she’s making an effort for my sake, I can tell. It’s appreciated.

“Maybe. But we have to try and I can’t do this without your help. And hey - you know I won’t let anything happen to you, yeah? We’ll be okay. You and me; always. We’ve just gotta try.” I nod shakily, but smile back all the same.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay; you and me. What do you need?” She grins at me, then snaps back into cold focus. She gestures towards the front of the cockpit, underneath the ballistic glass we removed to get in here. There’s a curving microsystems panel inlaid below it, presumably used by maintenance crews for diagnostic purposes. Way bigger than the control chips I’m usually supposed to salvage, but not too unfamiliar.

“When I turn this thing on, it’s gonna freak the fuck out, ‘cause we do not have the proper credentials to be in here. I need you to find a way to screw with the Angel’s protocols so it doesn’t immediately purge the cockpit.”

“Sure, yeah. Can do.” I actually think I can, too: for as densely laid together as all these integrated circuits may be, they’re still just the parts of a machine, Heaven-sent though it may be. Finding out which parts are responsible for adhering to admin protocols is only a process of elimination. After a couple minutes of circuit tracing, I’m pretty certain I’ve found the responsible logic gate and, sorting through the tools built into my prosthetic arm, flick an appropriate micro-needle out of one finger.

“Ready?” Roko asks. I flash a thumbs-up with my free hand over my shoulder, ready to bypass the appropriate logic gate as soon as startup commences. “Alright. 3. 2. 1 - Go.”

Roko punches the ignition sequence. The colossal reactor somewhere below our feet begins to thrum and the cockpit lights up, an uncountable number of blinking, flickering screens coming to life. I watch as the microsystems panel begins to course in sequence with electricity and, just as the Angel’s onboard AI begins to speak -

ALERT; INTRUDERS; INITIATI-

- I force the micro-needle through the appropriate gate and scrape, hard, forming a permanent bypass. We wait with bated breath as the Angel seems to think to itself in excruciating silence.

ONLINE. AWAITING PILOT INTEGRATION.

We breathe out in sync. Giddy, I turn to Roko and find her… the cockpit has changed. In the center of the space, the floor has split open and some sort of pilot’s seat appears to be rising into place. That explains why it’s so hard to stand in here, I guess: you aren’t supposed to. The seat itself looks wildly uncomfortable - it seems like you need to lie down and lean over it, like you’re riding a grav-cycle or something. Roko has planted a booted foot on the back of it and is hunched over, studying the control scheme. There’s a glint in her eyes that… honestly, that unnerves me more than the Angel does. She’s so focused I wonder if she remembers I’m here.

Eventually, she huffs a heavy breath. “Alright. Who are you, Thing-Of-Heaven?” she asks.

WHALESHIP HEAVY INDUSTRIES; HEAVILY ARMORED KINESOSUIT; KNIGHT-CLASS; TYPE-6 SIEGE ARTICULATI-

“No, shut up. Your name. What are you called?”

The false stars twinkling above us dim a little as the thing appears to consider the question.

BRUTUS.

“Hmm. Sounds violent. What’s it mean?”

REFERENCE; HISTORICAL; ANCIENT EARTH. KING KILLER.

“Perfect,” she murmurs. “Now, Brutus, could I theoretically sit down here and get you moving again?”

NEGATORY; CRITICAL ERROR: SCANS SHOW YOU LACK REQUISITE PSYCHOSOMATIC AUGMENTATIONS. PILOT INTEGRATION PROCESS WILL RESULT IN DEATH.

“Is that a certainty?”

AFFIRMATIVE.

“Then could you make emergency retro-augmentations?”

“Okay, wait, what?” I interrupt. “That is not a good idea, you could-“

AFFIRMATIVE: THIS UNIT IS FIELD SURGERY CAPABLE.

“Roko, we don’t even remotely know what that would entail.” She ignores me.

“Brutus, what are the odds of survival?”

LIKELIHOOD OF PILOT SURVIVAL: 0.07%

“No!” I finally cry out. “Why are you even considering this? It’s insane!”

“Because we’re losing the fucking war, Ozlu!” she shouts. It makes me flinch; Roko never shouts. She clenches her jaw and snaps away from me. “Because Heaven is murdering us. They nuked Hab 251, they razed Walikauterau, they let their stupid War of Rooms run rampant for years; they take and they burn anything they want and fuck the rest of us because-“

“But why is that on us to solve?! What can we even do about it? Why do we have to fix this? It isn’t… it’s not fair.”

“No. No, it’s not.” Roko sighs heavily, a plume of condensation spearing through the cold night air. Slowly - gingerly, even - she stands as best she can from her hunched position and moves to me, her hands coming to frame my face: gentle, despite all her calloused roughness and tense muscle.

“Listen to me. Heaven chose war. They could have done this any other way, but they chose the path of violence. Now that doesn’t mean we must choose the same. Some would say it’s more noble to rise above, to choose kindness in the face of cruelty. And, y’know what, I fault no one who makes that choice.” She wipes her thumbs under my eyes. When did I start crying? “But I cannot… I will not turn my cheek. To turn from this would destroy me in a way infinitely more foul than death. They chose violence and thus I choose to answer them in kind. Fighting is the one thing I’m good at - the one thing I can do for the people I love. Please let me fight for you.”

“But… you’d become one of them! You’d be an Angel. Aren’t you worried Heaven will… break you to its will?”

“No. Angels are chosen and choose to serve Heaven. Here and now, I choose to ascend simply because I say I will. I will saint myself into the conquerer’s canon and show the false deities who seek to rule us that they were fools for ever daring to think they could. Because they are not above us, Ozlu. Our right to Heaven is just as valid as theirs and with God as my victim I will see our right fulfilled.”

I sniffle. “How do you even know it’ll work?”

“Oh, that’s easy. You just have to want it, Ozlu. And I want this more than I have ever wanted anything in my life.” She says it with such conviction, such fury, that I can’t bring myself to argue. I want to say something, to say anything, but… I know I’ll never convince her. Behind her eyes is the spark of something that burns so bright and so fierce I’m afraid it’ll burn me just by being near to her. So instead, I steel myself and give her the closest thing to a resolute nod that I can.

And damn her, she grins. My heart flutters as she grins the grin of a madwoman before leaning down to plant a kiss on my forehead, then hopping up into the pilot’s seat, laying herself down upon it. She’s absurd. She’s insane. She slides into the seat like she was born for it.

“Brutus?”

STANDING BY.

“I am your pilot now.”

PROVIDE PROPER AUTHORI-

Roko flicks her eyes to me. I reach down with my micro-needle and bypass the appropriate logic gate.

AUTHORIZATION ACCEPTED. ATTENTION: CRITICAL ERROR: PILOT LACKS REQUISITE PSYCHOSOMATIC AUGMENTATIONS.

“Yeah, yeah, we know. We’re gonna fix that. Prepare for emergency retro-augmentation of pilot.”

REPEAT: LIKELIHOOD OF PILOT SURVIVAL: 0.07%. CONFIRM?

The whimper I let out as the estimate is repeated is pathetic and shameful and Roko doesn’t even notice. She’s laughing now. A low, throaty thing that doesn’t reflect a trace of the panic I’m struggling to contain.

“Best odds I’ve had in years. Ozlu, get out there and re-seal the glass. Brutus: begin full surgical augmentation. We’ve got a war to win, people.”

I do as I’m told. I clamber back out the breach we cut, switch my arm to a fusion welder, and begin re-sealing the cockpit. Inside, the Angel - Brutus - issues some sort of instruction and Roko puts her arms out, head faced up towards the twitching bushels of razor sharp nanofilament beginning to snake their way down from the roof of the cockpit.

I want to smash my way back in. To pull her out of there. To tell her she doesn’t need to do this. But before I can do anything, she catches my eye through the repaired glass and… she fucking winks at me. Though the sound doesn’t travel, I can practically hear her as she mouths the words at me. ‘You have to want it.’

The surgery begins. The nanofilament strikes. Her body jerks as a million, million microscopic strands start threading themselves through her flesh, forming a grey, wiry harness around her. I watch for as long as I can - to leave would be abandonment - but when the harness starts piercing her skull, weaving cables from where her eyes used to be up into the machine, I have to turn and vomit. I empty the contents of my stomach down the Angel’s titanic front in sharp gasping bursts to the sound of Roko’s blood splattering against the glass behind me.

Bones snapped and blood spilt are useless metrics for the passage of time, but the sheer quantity of both that happen over the next while make it feel as though I’m there for hours, listening to this abominable… thing dissect my best friend.

Oh, sweet Doors to the Beyond, why didn’t I stop her?

…

It’s dawn, now. I’m still crouched there, huffing shaky breaths, eyes wept dry and head achingly sore. My back is pressed against the glass. I want to look. I really, really don’t want to look.

I’ve almost convinced myself to move, to do something, to do anything when… the ground shifts. No, not the ground, the Angel - the fucking Angel is moving! In a panic, I try to stabilize myself, but my perch is precarious and I flail wildly, starting to slide down the hundreds of meters of central chassis. Fuck, no, not like this, this isn’t right, it isn’t fair, I need to -

The Angel catches me. With a palm the size of a city block, it catches me before I fall too far through space for it to be lethal. I’m winded, badly, but… I’m alive. So too, it seems, is it. With all the slow inevitability of a tectonic plate, the hand brings me up level with the Angel’s head. Or, well… not a head per se. The colossal camera bank that approximates a head begins to turn, slowly, grinding towards me. The sound of a thousand multi-spectrum lenses slowly coming to life and focusing on me makes my empty stomach turn flips.

“Roko?” I whisper.

A throaty klaxon alarm splits the air as the public address system comes on in full before a voice, louder than thunder, booms through the wastes of Port Collo.

YOU HAVE TO WANT IT.

I’m crying again. Roko - no. Not anymore. The Angel, Brutus? No, definitely not an Angel. Which I suppose, in a way, is exactly what Roko was looking for. Not-An-Angel. An Anti-Angel. An Angel Killer. The thing - whatever it is now - places its third and fourth arms down upon the ground and begins to push itself up, getting its legs under itself as it stands. The change in elevation as I rise up, held in its second palm, makes my ears pop. Semi-liquid plasma coolant vents in great arcing bursts from its back as it stabilizes. Above us, illuminated in low orbit by the dawn, the ships of Heaven that eternally haunt our home are buzzing with activity. If I didn’t know better, I’d say they seemed spooked. The voice booms again.

THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN WEEP; FOR THEY KNOW THEY ARE SAFE NO LONGER. DEATH. DEATH TO FALSE KINGS. DEATH TO HEAVEN AND ITS FAITHLESS MANDATE.

I stare dumbfounded. Tears stream down my face, eyes increasingly blinded by the shine of alloyed plating glittering in the dawn light. I watch, awestruck, as, through sheer force of will, in complete and utter spite of the divine, Roko ascends.

The Corporation is distinctly opposed to calling pilots "angels". They've released several statements recommending that officers silence any such language, saying it "threatens the integrity of the forces", and that HAKs and the pilots who control them are "tools, not deities". But I mean, when you see the way a suit's holoprojectors form a pulsing ring around a pilot's helmet, or when one slumps forwards out of its cockpit to reveal that thick mass of wires creeping from its back, it's impossible not to see the resemblance. And when, like most of the men stationed here, you've found yourself pinned down by heavy artillery fire from two directions with no chance of survival, but out of the heavens a Bishop-class rig emerges and razes the enemy with what can only be described as holy flame? I mean hell, that's enough to make anyone a believer (pardon my language).

I have a buddy who deals with the HAKs directly. He works in biomechanics, combat simtech or whatever. I asked him once what he thought about the whole "angel" thing. He got real quiet, and he looked directly at me and said, "you don't even know the half of it." And I stared right into his eyes and I could see that same heavenly flame burning in there and I knew that he had seen something he couldn't quite understand, but that he loved with all his heart.

[wincore]

deck the halls (with spiderwebs) | ldh

pairing: spiderman!haechan x fem!reader

synopsis: donghyuck’s short term goal is to finish his bachelor’s degree even if it’s with a 20% attendance, and his long term goal is to be the smoothest, coolest spiderman ever. the latter, however, doesn’t really work out when he’s crashed into a wall thrice in public because of you.

genre: spiderman!au, bff2l, action (??), comedy, fluff

warning(s): injuries (so many), sexual innuendos, language, j*ke gyl*enh*al slander

words: 10.2k 

song rec: sunflower by post malone, swae lee

notes: ok so. pls read this like a movie in your head bc i was thinking of movies instead of actual literature writing this. also thank you miss cat, pun queen and professional title maker, for donating this title to me bc i could never come up with something so good 😩

There’s a two hundred-foot-tall stone gargoyle in front of Donghyuck’s university. Donghyuck has no idea why there’s a two-hundred-foot-tall stone gargoyle in front of his university. 

It stands proud, eyes trained on the horizon, looking way too lively for marble. In fact, the most disturbing part is probably that the thing is alive. Its face is a little less scary than the actual gargoyle statues at monuments, owing to the rather kind, round shape of its eyes. A stone mustache follows under its nostrils, falling into place (it’s a sculpture) in a way that makes it seem refined. God, why is Donghyuck evaluating a behemoth stone figure obstructing pedestrian traffic? He should get up there and convince it to leave.

“What the fuck is that?” Renjun says from beside him.

“A two-hundred-foot-tall stone gargoyle,” answers Mark Lee, ever so helpful.

“Well, why is it here?” Renjun hisses.

“Uh.” Like Donghyuck mentioned, Mark Lee is ever so helpful with his answers.

You know who’s actually helpful? That’s right—Professor Kim for not kicking Donghyuck out of his classes for the last few weeks. Granted he was only an average of five minutes late and less truck-accident-core than before. The second most helpful person in Donghyuck’s life is obviously Spiderman. If it wasn’t obvious, that’s because he forgot to mention he’s Spiderman.

“When will we get a peaceful walk home?” Jaemin rolls his eyes. “It’s some bullshit every week.”

“It’s not like you have to do anything,” Jeno counters. “Spiderman comes and gets rid of them.”

That’s his cue, and leaving might arouse suspicion but not in this case. Donghyuck knows these guys. They wouldn’t care about finding Spiderman’s identity unless they were rewarded with pizza coupons or chocolate chip cookies. 

“I’m gonna go ahead…” Donghyuck flashes them a pair of finger guns.

“Oh no,” Renjun huffs in annoyance. “You are an asshole but you have to stop leaving us during times of crisis.”

“Ugh. I don’t care about the gargoyle, I care about not getting kicked out of ochem. Spiderman will handle it anyway, right?”

That’s partially true. He does not want to get kicked out of class again but he also doesn’t want an animated gargoyle the size of a Boeing to destroy his campus. He’s going to make this quick. Evading this bunch of idiots isn’t that hard, honestly. 

Just as Donghyuck is about to fasten his pace, he bumps into another unwanted face in front of the engineering hall. 

“Oh, hey, (name).” His voice cracks immediately. 

Donghyuck clears his throat. He’s not trying to impress his best friend since third grade, certainly, but putting on a smoother, deeper, and sexier voice can’t hurt. He needs a rep boost as just Lee Donghyuck. “Hey, (name). Didn’t see you there.”

You cross your arms.

“You are way too relaxed for someone failing ochem,” you chide.

“I’m not failing ochem,” he defends quickly. “I know what aminoethanoic acid is.”

Why would he say that? He's far from smooth now.

“What does glycine have anything to do with that?” You raise an eyebrow. “Weirdo.”

“No… particular reason. God, I’m not arguing with my rich, hot, nerd best friend who tries to act better than everyone else. Resolve your daddy issues first.”

Donghyuck stomps his foot in impatience before attempting to bypass you and your stupidly gorgeous face. (He didn’t say that out loud and he never will.)

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” You grin. “You think I’m hot?”

“That’s why you stopped me?”

“Oh, uh. Right. I need help. You noticed the huge gargoyle outside campus?”

“Huge is an understatement. Either that or you’re really bad at using guesstimating words.”

“Shut up.” Your voice lowers, and Donghyuck hates to admit this, but the sudden spark of concern in your voice tugs at his heart in the most maddening way possible. 

There’s a long pause.

“Well?” 

You mumble out an answer, “That…uh… that may have been my fault.”

“Oh?” Donghyuck straightens. “Is that so?”

“Don’t get cocky.”

“I was born better than everyone else, can’t help it.”

He was better than everyone else till a spider bit him. Now he has to find cats and fight some ridiculous fish monster at 3 a.m (the fish monster was a one-time thing but they get increasingly unbelievable each time) and deal with dark circles as massive as a continent. He thinks he'd make a far better supervillain. Having to be all goody-two-shoes and friendly in public has given him a blow to his dignity. 

But whoever said being a superhero is not fun and games was also a big, fat liar. You get to do sick backflips and gain public praise, you get free churros from old Dominican ladies you happen to help cross the road, and most importantly, you can read all the horrible thirst tweets because everyone has a thing for Spiderman’s voice now. (Donghyuck would wash his brain with bleach to erase those memories.) No, but, really, he might be pretty popular as Lee Donghyuck, but there’s a certain freedom that crimson mask grants him—that he can do anything, and people will still love him. 

And yet, there’s only one person he looks to for love. 

“Look, you know how… aliens and wizards and cyborgs and stuff are totally normal, right? It’s not like I’m putting anyone in mortal danger. Right?” You try to gather your words.

“Uh-huh.”

“I… accidentally… sent a distress signal from one of the pile-of-rocks-looking aliens that visited dad for business last week.”

Donghyuck blinks. “And how… did you send this distress signal?”

“In my defense, it’s really not a thing someone with common sense would suspect.”

“Go on.” A smile is tugging at Donghyuck’s lips, watching you shift your weight from foot to foot. This better be embarrassing enough to tease you till next Halloween.

“I didn’t know singing the lyrics to ‘Last Christmas’ would activate the stupid ring I stole from the aliens, Jesus.”

You hug yourself, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Would you stop being cute? That face of yours has made him swing straight at a building more than once. They even wrote an article on that! It was titled “The baby spider has yet to grasp his powers—find out why!” and they didn’t even get the reason right; pinning it on some crappy conspiracy theory about how glass makes Spiderman weaker. (If only they knew a glance from you is what brings him to his knees.)

“The stupid thing started beeping like crazy and I had to run out of the shower half-naked—don’t picture that, pervert.”

“That’s a terrible accusation, also your terrible singing activated some terrible weird alien device and you never mentioned it to anyone?”

“It’s not terrible, and no! How was I supposed to explain the stealing part to my dad? He’s an intergalactic businessman!”

“It is terrible, it probably sounded like an alien creature wailing for help and hence—activating your little device.”

“Enough with that already! Help me out now.” You huff.

Donghyuck sighs, rolling his eyes at your determined face. Just how capable do you think he is? Sure, he’s your reliable, handsome, popular best friend but it’s not like you know he can shoot webs at stuff and swing around New York City whenever he wants. He’s not letting you shoulder the burden of a secret. (It’s also because you have a loud mouth.)

“And you think I can help because…?”

“You’re Spiderman!”

Donghyuck blinks. What?

“What did you say?”

“You’re Spiderman. What, did you think you could keep a secret from me?” 

Play dumb, he thinks.

“Who’s Spiderman?”

Not that dumb. 

You give him a look, specifically the look that spells ‘Hey, Lee Donghyuck, you’re an idiot and I can see into your soul’. Or maybe, that’s his inner voice talking. Regardless, he’s a little unsure how to respond. Why is it always you ruining his smooth operations?

He breathes out. “No, wait. You don’t understand.”

Donghyuck quickly pulls you into a corner, leaving barely any space between the two of you. He would be uncomfortable like this on any given day, all red in the face and palpitating heart. This is kind of an emergency and though Donghyuck’s job description is handling emergencies, he’s not sure how to react.

“You’re not supposed to say that out loud,” he hisses. “What if someone heard?”

“Oh. Uh… sorry. I didn't think that through.” You flash him an apologetic smile. “Are you actually weak to glass, by the way?”

“No, I’m not. Jesus, has everyone read that theory?”

“Most people in the fanclub.”

“Wait, what?” A surprised chuckle leaves Donghyuck. “Fanclub? You’re in my fanclub?”

“No… not exactly. I heard… from my friends… who are in the fanclub.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

“And so are you, if your secret is so easy to figure out.”

“I’m only bad at lying to you.”

“Ugh, whatever,” you groan, throwing your head back. “Can’t argue with you. I only joined it to check up on what cool things you were doing every day. I mean, you fought one of the Aquanoids? So cool.”

“What the fuck is that?”

“You know, eight-foot-tall half-fish with the poison spikes.”

“It has a name? And there’s more of them?”

“Ugh, Hyuck, don’t be boring. You get to swing through skyscrapers and bust some cool moves and save people in times of crisis. I wish I had that kinda superpower. To be free.”

You mumble the last part. He’s come to hate that despondent look on you. But Donghyck knows how to cheer you up. He wasn’t voted class clown from grade six through ten for nothing.

“Wanna go swinging?” He asks.

“What?”

“Through the buildings. Your eyes lit up when you said that. Oh, look, they’re lighting up again. Did you emotionally manipulate me into making this offer?”

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes! You’re the best, Hyuck!”

Donghyuck smiles back at you, the tension growing larger inside his ribcage into a sticky spiderweb of emotions. Then he remembers the two-hundred-foot-tall stone gargoyle. 

“I should- I should deal with your marble mishap first,” he says.

“Is that what you’re calling it? Ooh, do you have secret mission names for each of them?”

He makes a face, an exasperated hand gesture following.

“Right, got it.” 

You walk with Donghyuck side by side, a slight skip to your step.

“So, do you have, like, a secret lair like Batman? Ooh, or a Spidermobile!”

“I don’t even have a driver’s license.”

You laugh, and Donghyuck is grateful for the sound. When the two of you reach the locker room, you still stand outside like a child in front of an ice cream truck. He had no idea you had a thing for superheroes. He might've told you this whole thing earlier.

“Give me some space, creep.” He grabs you by the shoulders to gently push you away, a disapproving look on his face.

“Well, you’re not changing in front of the locker room, are you?”

“No, but it’s so weird having you wait in front like that!”

“Fine, fine.”

You step back until you're pressed to the windowsill and he makes his way inside, quickly closing the door. He's gonna run you through his ‘Do not tell people I'm Spiderman’ manual later in the evening.

Donghyuck has decided to swing out the window of the locker room. It still feels surreal that you know, and he’s not sure if he wants to face you in spandex when you know it’s him. He’s getting a little self-conscious about his butt. 

He shakes his head. 

“Whatever. This’ll be quick.”

Donghyuck climbs out the window, crawling over the wall to the top of the building. He has a great view of the gargoyle from here, and in fact, this stone creature has the greatest set of abs Donghyuck has ever laid eyes on and possibly, will ever lay eyes on. He shoots a web over to the next building, swinging close enough to sling another web at the gargoyle’s shoulder. Thankfully, this did not activate a defense mechanism involving lasers and chainsaws like he anticipated.

Donghyuck lands gracefully, a move he prides himself on, and perches atop the gargoyle’s shoulder. 

“Great abs!” He yells, not sure why he did. “Wait, uh, that’s not the point.”

The creature is still looking over the horizon. He shoots a web at the forehead, hoping it’s not too rude, and lands on its nose. 

“Hello?” He waves his hand in front of its eye. “Anyone in there?”

He follows its vision trained on the horizon. It’s not exactly the horizon, he discovers, but a specific building within the campus. 

Donghyuck groans. He’s gonna have to get you, isn’t he? After a few seconds of contemplating his misery, he swings back over and pretends that was part of his plan. Luck must truly be on your side today.

Donghyuck can’t lie. Your pout gets the best of him. He would’ve rammed straight into the closed window like a fucking bird if he noticed it too late.

“You totally left me!” You huff.

“I did not.” Donghyuck places a hand over his heart. “Anyway, get on.”

“On what? You? Like a bike?”

“Jeez, stop making it sound dirty.”

“Hyuck!” 

He loves the embarrassment in your voice, a grin forcing its way onto his face. You can’t see it, but he gets the feeling you know anyway. How did he not see it coming? That you’d figure it out? Admittedly, it doesn’t feel as awful as he thought it would. A sense of relief washed over him instead. He’s not a terrible liar, but his stomach would always churn trying to keep things from you. Maybe it was because you were always so honest. If you found something interesting, the whole neighborhood would know and if you had a crush, the school would be getting you together with them already. It got on his nerves countless times, but eventually, he found that he loves it’s the way you are.

“You’re choking me, (name),” he says. Your legs are around his waist snug but your arms around his neck are a little too tight.

“Now, who’s being kinky?” You scoff.

“Really not the time, (name). We could fall to our deaths ten storeys below. Just you though. I have lightning-fast reflexes to keep myself alive.”

You groan, your grip on his neck loosening but now your legs tighten. This is going to take a few tries to get right and Donghyuck can only hope you don’t ask for free swing rides around NYC every day. 

Just as Donghyuck is about to swing to the gargoyle’s shoulder, it turns its head in a manner so sudden and unnerving, he almost misses—the web landing near his armpit instead. Donghyuck has never thought of death so soon—not because of the gargoyle but because of your iron grip. Seriously, you could be murdering supervillains left and right if you put this strength to use.

A low whine emits from his throat as he struggles to get up to the shoulder with you on but he does get there.

“Dude, it’s looking directly at us,” you say, getting off him as he falls to the stone beneath immediately, breathing heavily.

“I think God’s looking directly at me.”

“Hello? Hello!” You yell. 

A sudden whirring sound makes the whole unit shake, your hands naturally grabbing onto his arm. It makes him feel strong in a way a prepubescent boy with a first crush would feel so he pays no heed to the rising bloom of emotions in his chest. It’s cool, it’s cool. He’s Spiderman. He’s been bitten by a radioactive spider, and god, he has really sticky hands. He hopes you don’t try to hold them. 

“Greetings.”

An odd smile stretches across the stone structure—odd because it’s freaking cute. 

“Can you, uh, go back to space?” Donghyuck yells.

You smack his chest, eliciting an ‘oof’ from him. “Don’t be rude, Spiderboy.”

You turn back to it.

“What is your purpose here?” You yell.

Donghyuck snickers. “What’s with the fake Thor accent?”

“It’s called a British accent, idiot. And it’s so I sound cool and important.”

He rolls his eyes, although he can’t help the smile.

“I am here to collect an Earth innovation sample as per instructions.” The voice isn't as booming as Donghyuck thought it would be. It's quite friendly, in fact, and the voice emanates from a very specific part of the gargoyle's throat.

“Oh, great, what the hell is that?” Donghyuck asks.

“So you’re not here to destroy Earth and devour its remnants?” You pipe up, frowning. “That’s so boring, man.”

“Shush,” Donghyuck pushes your head down. “You’re not even helping keep earth safe.”

“I’m sorry, say that again? I donate to fighting pollution and global warming every month.”

“What’s an Earth innovation sample?” Donghyuck asks. “Is (name)’s stupid robotics project okay?”

“Hey! I worked for three months on that.”

“And all it does is beep and take photos of street cats.”

“You’re telling me that’s not peak innovation?”

“Maybe if it had a snack dispenser.”

The stone gargoyle seems to be observing your conversation and Donghyuck suddenly feels a little awkward under the hippo-sized eyes.

You clear your throat. “Uh, Mr. Gargoyle, sir? What exactly is an innovation sample?”

“Your latest radiofrequency devices, Miss.”

“Oh, so, like, phones!” You answer, bright-faced and stupidly proud of getting that right. Donghyuck presses his lips together before realizing you can’t see him smile so he might as well.

“Oh, so you won’t answer me but her, Stonehenge? Anyway, I have a great solution. Stay here.”

“It’s not like I’m gonna jump o—”

Donghyuck jumps off the shoulder, a sharp laugh following as he swings around the gargoyle’s arm and then from the knee to finally land in front of a familiar group. If that doesn’t impress someone, they have to be the most boring person in the universe (or multiverse, who knows?)

“Oh my God, it’s Spiderman!” Mark exclaims, lighting up. 

“Don’t make that face, Mark, you’re embarrassing us in front of Spiderman,” Chenle quips.

Donghyuck wonders how disappointed the older boy would be if he learned about Spiderman’s identity. Donghyuck has the urge to tell him just to scandalize him.

“Hey, guys,” Donghyuck greets, “Do you mind if I borrowed your phone? Permanently borrowed, that is.”

“Are you mugging us?” Jaemin asks.

“Well… the two hundred foot stone gargoyle is here to collect data and any phone or computer will do. I mean, I could swing by the labs and get one of those computers that’ve been there since the sixties but I’d feel bad scamming the big guy.”

Donghyuck knows he’s a piece of shit for scamming his friends instead, but he’s serving a higher purpose.

“Oh, well, if it’s really necessary,” Mark responds, shuffling through his bag. Oh, for the love of God, does he have to be the nicest person on earth? Maybe he should’ve been the superhero instead. Or at least his sidekick, because Donghyuck is getting really tired of handling things solo. (Huh, ‘Spiderman and Buggy’ sounds pretty great, he thinks.)

“No, not yours, Android boy,” Donghyuck says, shaking his head. “Give me that.”

He points towards Jaemin’s phone in his hand. Finally. Goodbye to Jaemin’s stupid alarm that wakes up everyone in the whole building but him. (This is a higher purpose, okay? He worships his sleep time.)

“Uh, okay.”

Donghyuck is so glad Jaemin is too tired in the morning to argue. He knows the guy would squabble to death over the smallest things, Spiderman or not. 

“Thanks, guys,” he says, the grin evident in his voice before swinging back.

“Wow. Spiderman.” Mark whispers before getting several elbows from the guys.

Back at the gargoyle’s shoulder, you seem to be engaged in conversation with the thing—Donghyuck isn’t really surprised. After the day he met you and talked your ear off, he learned what it meant to really talk someone’s ear off. And Donghyuck thought he was annoying.

“Here!” Donghyuck yells, waving the phone around.

“We got it!” You tell the gargoyle, smiling brightly.

You’re kind of cute, Donghyuck thinks. You’re a little too cute.

The whirring starts again, the stone structure shaking and Donghyuck is perfectly fine, owing to his sticky feet but that’s when he notices you falling off, a scream dying in your throat. 

He grabs onto your wrist just as you’re about to lose footing and fall backwards to your death.

“Pull me up!” You scream.

“Say please!”

“Fuck you!”

“Do it yourself,” he mutters, pulling you close.

“You- I- You’re- You’re so insufferable, Lee Donghyuck!” You breathe heavily, face steaming from chagrin.

He laughs, the sound resonating in the area and you look like you’re about to pounce on him and beat the shit out of him. The unbeatable Spiderman has only you to fear, after all.

You notice the little door at the neck of the creature, skipping over and peering in.

“Ooh, it’s really dark in here.”

“Just drop the phone, (name).”

“Ugh, fine. Wait, is this Jaemin’s phone?”

“No.”

This ends your whole stone gargoyle ordeal and while Donghyuck’s glad it’s over, he doesn’t enjoy your parting from holding onto him. It’s a weird feeling, like a spider’s woven a web all across his heart and decided to squeeze it into overdrive. Adrenaline doesn't feel this way. No freaky radioactive spider hormone feels this way. 

“See you in ochem,” you whisper, tiptoeing as he sits on the window ledge.

The action, however, catches him off guard and he stumbles backward, falling straight into garbage cans outside the building with a loud, embarrassing cacophony accompanying.

“Are you okay?” You yell, heavily concerned.

Donghyuck can only gesture a thumbs up while he tries to pull his soul back into his body. 

This is bad. This is very bad. Lee Donghyuck has caught feelings in his spiderweb.

Lee Donghyuck starts classes the next day with two bandaids on his face and a bandaged arm. You think the swelling on his cheek isn’t that bad—the puffiness is honestly making him look cute for once. 

This was before you accidentally flew your drone into his face.

“You’re lucky I didn't get stitches,” he grumbles, holding an ice pack to his forehead, where yet another bandaid has been added.

“I’m so sorry, Hyuck, I got so excited to see you I pressed the controller too hard. Do you want me to hold that for you?”

“Hold the weight of my broken heart. Also my bags and the ice pack, yeah, thanks.”

“Drama queen,” you tease.

“You know, you don’t have to walk me all the way back.”

You ignore his statement. Your curiosity is tugging at the corner of every thought you have, and you add a skip to your steps, smiling. 

“Hey, do you lay eggs?”

“What? No! I’m a dude.”

“Do you spit venom?”

“No.”

“Do you never let me hold your hand because your palms are sticky?”

“...No.”

You give him a look and he groans, before yelping at the pain.

“Sometimes they get sticky when I don’t want them to. It’s mostly under control. Besides, why would I wanna hold your sweaty hands?”

You roll your eyes.

“You have your key?” You ask as your apartment comes into view.

“In my bag. Wait, no. My pockets? Oh no. I left it on the roof!”

The energy seems to drain from his face as his eyes roll up in exasperation. He looks back at you with a pointed look. “I’m very responsible—this was all Mark’s fault.”

“What did he do?” You furrow your brows.

“I don’t know, it’s always his fault.”

You shake your head. “I have my key, let’s go. Where would you be without me, Lee Donghyuck?”

“Suffering fewer injuries.”

“Fine.” 

Somehow, you managed to get him to his room without furthering his injuries—despite how accident-prone you are. Hyuck would call it a miracle but his mouth probably needs a nurse checkup too. He says a nap cures everything and you’d call bullshit but he does miraculously heal after a nap. It all makes sense now. 

You have one evening class and you are so going to grill some answers out of Hyuck after that. Only because you think superheroes are cool. It’s just that Spiderman is the coolest. (You had the thought before you learned it was your lame best friend.) And you’re mixing up some of your feelings because surely, your pulse shouldn’t be rising when you think of him. You gulp.

You’re not in love with Spiderman. You’re not in love with Lee Donghyuck. You’re not in love with your best friend. In eighth grade, you had deemed it scientifically impossible to be attracted to him.

However, however, the loudest your heart has ever beaten in your life was caused by just holding onto him. You’re not afraid of heights—you’ve gone bungee jumping before—so even if you blame it on the adrenaline, the doubt will always eat at your mind.

You jog all the way to class, a bit too in your feelings to notice your surroundings. It’s a short walk anyway. 

“(name)!” Jaemin yells from across the street, a big grin accompanying. “Want me to walk with you?”

“Sure!” You smile back. Walking with you will only delay him by ten minutes and it’s not like Jaemin cares about getting to class on time anymore. He’s the only guy that hasn’t cared about class timings even in freshman year—well, him and Hyuck—and you’ve got to say, he does emanate a very relaxing aura. 

What if that’s some superhero power too? You think before shaking your head. It would be convenient if Jaemin was going to sit the villain down for tea and give them therapy. 

“You’re not gonna believe what happened yesterday,” he says.

“The gargoyle?”

“Yup, he took my phone! Why didn’t I complain earlier?” He furrows his brow, hard at thought.

You laugh, about to respond when a loud crash, a grunt, and an ‘oof’ follow one after the other on the opposite side of the street. 

“Is that… Spiderman?” Jaemin blinks.

“Huh?” Your eyes follow to where he’s focused and an incredulous laugh bubbles up to your throat as you try to hold it in.

Spiderman is lying with his back flat on the pavement, and you’re sure Hyuck needs a checkup at the hospital for sure this time. He doesn’t look like he’s in mortal danger, just horribly exhausted after the accumulation of injuries. You run over, Jaemin following with long strides.

“I’m not following you guys, you have a stalker,” Spiderman informs with a finger raised, voice painfully raspy and bordering on a whine. You’re not sure what height he fell from but his back is definitely not okay.

“Okay, Spiderman,” Jaemin says, raising an eyebrow.

“Not you, twerp,” he snaps, groaning as he gets up and you grab onto his arm to help him stand.

“He’s in a bad mood,” you tell Jaemin, apologetic but not sure why. You’re not Spiderman’s mom.

“Also, I need help with my late assignments,” Donghyuck whispers to you.

“I’m sorry, what?” You whisper through your teeth. “You’re making me miss class for this?”

“There really is someone following you!” He whisper-yells.

“Are you both gonna keep aggressively whispering to each other?” Jaemin asks. “(name), I didn’t know you were so close to Spiderman.”

“I’m- uh- We became friends a few days ago,” you explain. 

“Friends is hardly the word,” Spiderman interrupts, “More like a lucky fan.”

You give him a disgruntled look.

“Oh, that’s great for you, (name)!” Jaemin breaks into a teasing smile. “You’re always—”

“Aah, let’s go, Spiderman! I feel an ominous presence. My spidey senses are tingling.”

Spiderman stares directly at you and you can’t see his face, but you think his lips are curling into a smile just about now.

“Are you gonna swing me back?” You ask, hope twinkling in your eyes, and Jaemin chuckles beside you.

“No, my bac—you know what, sure.” He shrugs. You’re not sure what made him agree so fast but you’re overjoyed, a little bounce on your feet following your ‘yay!’

“You’re so cute, (name),” Jaemin says, laughing, and you flash him a peace sign, sticking out your tongue. You don’t exactly think you’re cute. You just get excited easily. (“Like a dog,” Donghyuck said once before getting whacked in the head.)

Jaemin starts, “You know, we should—” 

“Alright! It’s time to leave. Have fun at class, dude,” Donghyuck says, placing an arm around your waist and flashing Jaemin a peace sign, copying yours.

“That’s so rude—”

You’re swung up alongside your best friend, your legs wrapping around his waist and your arms around his neck so he can let go of you and focus on swinging.

“(name). (name). A little loose on the neck—gah! Your hand is on my nose! Why are you so bad at this?”

“I’m trying!”

“I can’t see! You’re covering my eyes now, holy shit.”

Before the two of you can crash through a skyscraper and get tens of thousands of glass cuts, Donghyuck lands safely on the roof of one of the shorter buildings beside. He wobbles forward, tripping and falling with you on him. He pulls off his mask, breathing heavily. The band-aid across his cheeks is coming off, the bright red scratch standing out.

“God, you’re bad at this,” you breathe out.

“Excuse me?! You’re the one getting all handsy over me.”

“You- You insufferable sack of—”

“You cannot resist me, can you?” He grins, dog-tired and yet with still enough nerve.

“I’m resisting a punch right now.”

“You can’t hurt me, I’m Spiderma—ow! Okay, you made your point.”

Your heart is still beating, the pulsing loud in your ears. You’re not sure how long adrenaline stays. All these years and you don’t know when your heart gave up trying to predict him. Behind intelligent eyes and a soft frame of face, you have no idea what he’s about to say or do next. Maybe that’s what makes him so fun. Maybe your heart was always beating this fast around him and you couldn’t hear it over the sound of his voice, warm like liquid sunlight and sweet as honey. You should’ve recognized it behind the mask right away.

“I don’t- I don’t get to chill on a roof much,” he says, “Contrary to popular belief.”

“So, this is nice?” You smile.

“I like swinging better.”

You sit up grinning. “Let’s go!”

“Let an injured man rest a little.”

So, when you do get home, it’s past midnight. Hyuck had to make a few stops between to catch a cat burglar along with a literal cat, but on the whole, you think you’ll never feel the wind on your face like that again. You’re also touched that Lee Donghyuck agreed to swing you around New York after all that he goes through.

He’s just a boy, you think. Why does the city rest so comfortably on his shoulders?

“You know, this is the first time I’ve climbed in through my own window,” you tell him as he steps into your room and closes the window behind him. “Also, it’s so fucking cold. Is your suit heated?”

“Stark product,” he answers proudly, taking off his mask to shoot you a boyish grin.

You smile back at him. 

“Oh, shoot, homework,” Donghyuck realizes out loud, eyes widening as he scuffles around.

“Oh, shoot, Jaemin,” you remember. “You should apologize to him.”

“What, now? I will not tarnish Spiderman’s reputation by breaking and entering just to apologize.”

“It sounds like something he’d do.”

“Shit, you’re right. But I’m not apologizing to him—it’s like middle school again.”

He huffs, crossing his arm.

“What happened in middle school? Oh, was it when Lana dumped your sorry ass for Jaemin?”

“No- Yes- but- gah, why do you remember that?”

“Ooh, are you jealous of Jaemin walking me to class?”

“No, that’s stupid.”

“You’re too busy to walk me home, anyway,” you tease.

He chuckles, pressing his tongue against his cheek, at a loss for words.

Right then, shuffling outside your room puts the two of you on alert. Donghyuck is still in the suit and both of you struggle to get it off as quickly as possible before Jaemin or any of your friends discover Hyuck’s secret and it gets messy.

“Woah, when did you get abs?”

“I was born sexy, why are you asking me now?” He responds. “Pass me a shirt.”

Before you can reach for any of your T-shirts, the door opens with a loud creak and Jaemin stares blankly at you, mouth open but no words come out. That’s when you realize what it looks like—Donghyuck is in his boxers in your room, you’re holding the suit bunched up and the both of you are up in each other’s personal space. 

“The walls are thin,” Jaemin says, “I’ll put on some earphones. You guys better be practicing safe sex.”

“It’s not like that!” You and Donghyuck yell at the same time.

“Then why did you strip Donghyuck in your room, (name)? Aren’t you cold, Hyuck? It’s late December.”

“He was trying on some clothes we ordered,” you answer quickly.

“Yeah, I’m playing Santa for some schoolkids downtown,” Donghyuck follows along.

“Isn’t that Spiderman though?” Jaemin points at the suit in your hands.

“I’m playing… Spiderman Santa…” Donghyuck explains.

Jaemin looks impressed and you’re so glad he doesn’t ask further. 

“You know, you had me scared there for a moment. I thought your obsession finally went too far and you convinced Hyuck to dress up as Spiderman for some kinky shit.”

Your ears burn hot. “That’s- I would never- what- why would you say that?”

“You have a pathetic crush.”

“I do not.”

“She’s totally crushing on Spiderman,” Jaemin informs, turning to Donghyuck. “Like, you don’t even know who he is. What if he’s like a thirty-year-old man? What if he’s Jake Gyllenhaal?”

“That’s not possible because Spiderman is a good guy,” you defend, crossing your arms.

“Ugh, (name), are you going to talk about how hot Spiderman is again or…?” Jaemin throws his head back. “Because he is not in my good books this week. First, he left me hanging in the middle of the street. And yesterday, he took my freaking iPhone and sent it to space! Oh, by the way, could you buy me a new one to cover the damage? I’ll forgive him then.”

“I’m not his PR manager,” you respond, exasperated, desperately avoiding Hyuck’s gaze from beside you.

“But you are his most loyal fangirl. That counts for something.”

“I’m not a Spiderman fangirl! Shut up.”

“By the way, I brought some medicine for Hyuck. I was going to tell you to buy it before Spiderman cut me off mid-sentence—you know, he’s a real asshole. Kind of like Donghyuck but his anonymity pisses me off.”

“Maybe he was in a bad mood and misunderstood,” Donghyuck mumbles.

“I know, I know.” Jaemin waves his hand around. “Guy has it rough. The peace of an entire city shouldn’t be one person’s burden. You think he has a life outside being a superhero? It must be sucky.”

“It’s not that sucky,” Hyuck counters, “Probably. I mean he gets to swing through buildings and stuff.”

Jaemin emits an exaggeratedly long groan. “So tiring.”

Donghyuck chuckles, Jaemin joining in. 

“Wow, thinking about being Spiderman tires me out,” Jaemin says, shaking his head. “Anyway, good night, guys. Remember to attend Karina’s Christmas party this weekend, and bring some alcohol because she never has enough. Also, if you guys decide to fuck—”

“That will never happen,” you say.

“Right,” Jaemin responds, a cheeky spark in his eyes. “I’ll sleep with earbuds on anyway.”

Jaemin turns around and leaves, not even closing the door. It’s like he’s a mother at the tender age of twenty-one because he sure acts like one. Donghyuck closes the door himself, turning around to give you his winning smile—the nerve in this boy is unmatched. He walks closer and your pulse spikes instantly.

“So, were you fangirling about me before you knew I was Spiderman or—”

“Shut up, Donghyuck,” you say, pressing both your hands to his mouth. Evidently, it does not help change his demeanor because he still gazes at you with the cockiest expression.

“Mmmpf- mmmh mmpsph?”

“Ew, did you just lick my palm like a dog? Your saliva isn’t gonna poison me, right?”

“No, stupid.”

You roll your eyes. “What were you saying?”

“How did you figure out I’m Spiderman?”

“You mean you didn’t think anyone could connect your mysterious disappearances with Spiderman’s mysterious appearances? Especially your best friend?”

“Yup, definitely thought I could run with it.”

“I mean, come on, you’ve responded to Spiderman once or twice. Also, you come in through the window sometimes, it’s really weird. And Jaemin said you’ve been leaking reds onto his whites whenever you do laundry.” 

He sighs, throwing his head back. 

“You can’t tell this to anyone, alright?” He says, returning his gaze to you. “Remember what I said about thinking before opening your mouth?”

“I’m not a kid anymore, Hyuck,” you mumble, leaning back and crossing your arms. “Of course I think before opening my mouth. Sometimes.”

He shakes his head. “This is why I’m smarter and have superhero powers.”

“I bet you really wanted to tell everyone.”

There’s a pause, and a smile fights its way onto his face.

“So bad,” he answers, clenching his fist. Your smile grows. 

“You have a cool job, dude.”

“But I don’t get paid. All I get is back pain.”

You laugh. Funny, sweet Lee Donghyuck. Always everyone's favorite and there's good reason to be. But you never saw him beyond your best friend. This whole unmasking thing was easy for you but now you're in a whole new dilemma of your own. You'd suspected it for a while. Were you already falling for him then?

Your eyes travel down and back up to his eyes. You clear your throat. “You should wear some clothes.”

“Why? You’re clearly enjoying this.”

Your face heats up even more. It’s not December anymore if the temperature is like this. You reach for your T-shirt and throw it at him, his laughter flooding your room with sunlight. 

You go through your missed notifications while he changes and you’re a little surprised to see the number of tags you have on Instagram. Apparently, someone caught footage of you on your little outing with NYC’s number one hero.

Donghyuck plops down on your bed, faceplanting into your pillow. “Ugh, do I have to turn in my assignments tomorrow? I’m late anyway, might as well take a whole week.”

“Christmas break starts the day after tomorrow. That means you’ll have to turn them in tomorrow.”

You get a muffled cry in response.

The video is just you holding onto Donghyuck for dear life alongside the gargoyle one from yesterday. It’s no big deal. You’ve been in news articles since you were six years old, owing to your dad’s ambitious business ventures. Ever since the first alien encounter twelve years ago, Earth has slowly been building up cordial intergalactic relations thanks to your very own father. That man has probably spent more time with aliens than he has with you. At the very least, you’ve got considerable pocket change. The tangled webs people weave for themselves are complex and hidden—sometimes you wouldn’t understand the people around you.

You sit down beside Donghyuck and he turns his head, looking up at you. You lie down directly onto him and he grunts, complaining about how heavy you are. Eventually, the two of you fit into the bed just fine.

The boy beside you made it so simple. You don’t have to understand complexities. You can just take them in and share your own till you’re all tangled up with other people. That’s how the world works—through tangles and knots and webs that make a pattern of cooperation. For the first time, you knew you had a little place to fit in. 

You want to hold his hand all of a sudden. They used to be very warm. You’re sure that hasn’t changed.

“Oh? Look, they wrote an article about the two of us,” you tell Donghyuck, tapping on the news notification that popped up. 

“If they’re being mean, let me know. I could really do with some new insults for you.”

“Hush,” you crib. “Spiderman involved with tech giant Nacorp CEO’s daughter…? They don’t even say my name anywhere!” 

A small chuckle leaves you before you can read the next sentence aloud. 

“The relationship is purely speculative at this stage but netizens suspect there may be monetary factors involved—what the fuck, do they think I’m your sugar mommy?”

Donghyuck is beside himself with laughter, snorts supplementing the silences in between. You can’t help but join in, tears pricking at your eyes.

“Whore,” you accuse, when you finally calm down.

Your foreheads are nearly touching and you’re aware friends aren’t supposed to stay at this proximity. Friends aren’t supposed to feel heartache looking at each other. Friends aren’t supposed to lean in.

A sudden rattling outside your window makes you jump away from each other.

“Is that a rat?” He asks, making a face.

The two of you get up to look outside. There’s nothing—just snow and two Italian men yelling on the floor below. But Donghyuck is on high alert, eyes scanning the perimeter and shoulders stiff.

“Something’s coming.”

You don’t like the sound of that.

Suddenly, he pulls you close and opens the window. A blast of air makes you cringe and you wonder how Hyuck is dealing with that in clothing so thin. Do spiders not feel cold? Or is it just a Donghyuck thing to be warm no matter where he is?

“We should spend some time at the ultra secure facility your dad has,” he says.

“What? Why?”

“I think someone has a grudge against you.”

You hold onto him as he climbs to the roof of your apartment building.

“They’re not gonna- They’re not gonna blow up this place, right?”

“They’re probably just after you,” he responds, eyes still on the horizon.

The sudden seriousness in him makes you feel chilly.

“The guy who was tailing you the other day, he was mostly just figuring out your routine. I thought your dad was planning an elaborate surprise party for you but his vibes were so off.”

“Wait, so this radioactive spider gave you a functional vibe checker too?”

“Yes, I am literally better than anyone you know. You don’t have to tell me you feel blessed, I already know.”

You roll your eyes. Even if he looks that serious, no word of his ever will be. 

You're about to open your mouth when a strange whirring fills the air, making you step closer to Hyuck. Why didn't you have a radioactive lion bite you or something? You could’ve been the queen of the concrete jungle. You're definitely making your next project a cool weapon. 

Donghyuck reacts before your eyes can catch the source of the disturbance. He slings a web opposite the direction you’re facing before pushing you down to the floor.

“Is that a man with a chainsaw arm?” You screech before squinting to see more clearly. “Holy shit, that’s kinda cool.”

You can finally see the perpetrator—a large bearded man with a noticeable scar across his pudgy nose, and most importantly, you see the chainsaw arm from which the loud whirring emanates. You really don’t think spiders can win against lawnmowers.

Donghyuck, however, is always ready to prove you wrong. A shot from his web -linger jams the chainsaw first.

“That buys us ninety seconds,” he tells you before shooting more webs at the man’s feet to root him.

Another shot at the man’s face makes him grunt in annoyance and Donghyuck takes the opportunity to drop a kick at the back of his knees, making him fall to the ground.

“Okay, big guy,” Donghyuck starts when he’s immediately met with a punch from the man’s left hand.

It makes you cringe, the blood running from his nose more so but he recovers quickly. He glances at you and signals a thumbs up.

“Focus on the guy,” you yell, exasperated.

“Right!” He yells back.

Donghyuck twists the guy’s chainsaw arm back and sticks it to the ground right when it breaks free, denying the man movement. You’ve gotta say, Donghyuck fights smarter and less flashy than you thought he would. 

“Who’re you working for and can you please turn yourself in? It’s really cold and I forgot my suit,” Donghyuck tells him.

The man snorts. “It’s a kid. It’s a fucking kid. I’ve got a daughter your age.”

“Sorry, I’m not interested. I’m sure she’s lovely but I have someone I like.”

The man groans. “It’s an annoying kid,” he corrects.

“Just tell me what’s going on,” Donghyuck presses.

“And I just want my money.”

“I’m not letting you hurt my friend,” he says, voice low.

“Look, I didn’t know the target was a little girl.”

“I’m an adult!” You yell to clarify.

The man looks conflicted, eyebrows furrowing into frustration.

“Christmas,” he says finally. “He wants to kidnap the daughter and get some money from the father. Not sure about the exact details. This guy is a newbie anyway.”

“Thanks!” Hyuck says brightly. “I’ll tell the police to shorten your sentence. Also, cool arm by the way.”

The man rolls his eyes. “Punk. You’re lucky I’m retiring soon.”

“I knew this guy would be cool, I didn’t sense bloodlust,” Donghyuck tells you, grinning. 

After the ordeal is over and Donghyuck has dropped the man in front of the police station, you can get no word in against staying at your dad’s security locker. Donghyuck won’t listen.

“Hyuck, I know you think it’s inconvenient but what am I supposed to tell my dad?”

“Anything! You just have to be safe till I find this guy.”

“I’ll be fine!”

“No! You won’t!” He sounds genuinely frustrated for once. “You do things before you think—it’s stressing me out.”

You frown. “I… I’m sorry, Hyuck. I just- If I make myself a weapon, am I good? I- I really don’t want to be stuck in a cold, steel room.”

He pauses to think before sighing.

“I’m not gonna say sorry because it feels weird in my mouth but… fine. You can just stay with me. Like within five feet at all times.”

“Jeez, do you want me to sit on your lap while we’re at it?”

Why would you say that? God is certainly frowning upon you.

Donghyuck doesn’t respond, eyes looking directly into yours and a flush shoots up to your neck and face.

“I was kidding. I was kidding! Obviously.”

It makes Donghyuck laugh, finally, albeit it’s a small and short one. It makes you remember Jaemin’s words. He’s just a boy. He shouldn’t be holding the thread an entire city’s peace hangs onto.

“It’s gonna be okay,” you say. “There’s so many other superheroes if this guy proves to be tough.”

He laughs. “I appreciate your attempt at comforting people, sunflower.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad!”

“I just want you to be safe. You’re an idiot so- you’re just accident-prone.”

Your cheeks are hot and you don’t know what to call this feeling. You wish you were closer, even if it was by a few more centimeters. 

“I’ll be fine,” you say finally, almost indignant. “If you underestimate me again, I’m going to make you wear a maid outfit over the suit.”

He blinks before a grin spreads across his face. You love it when you make him smile. Surely, there’s a name for this feeling?

“Alright, princess, let’s get this rat bastard dealt with then. It’s your first mission.”

“I won’t mess up, sir!” You salute, breaking into laughter and suddenly December is warmer and louder.

“Really? On the birthday of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ? It’s like he died for nothing, dude.”

Donghyuck looks at the man in black disapprovingly. 

This guy did not prove to be tough. Life is full of disappointments like that. It wasn’t that hard to find him, considering he was on your company-owned building’s helipad and looking like an adult emo, embarrassing even you. He has his henchmen with him, who are better dressed in formal suits and some funky patterned ties.

“You’re Spiderman,” the man snarls. 

“And I’m (name)!” You introduce yourself.

“I don’t really care. Men! Take care of the little girl.”

You place your hands on your hip. “You are so rude! Get him, Spidey.”

“Yeah, don’t be mean to my…uh, sugar mommy!” He points an accusatory finger at the guy.

The man is a little disappointing considering you spent an evening researching all the cool villains Spiderman has fought before. This guy just looks like a rat.

You blink.

On closer inspection, he looks uncannily like a rat. 

“Are you like a rat hybrid?” Donghyuck asks, scratching the back of his head. He’s in his suit but even through the mask, his confusion is obvious.

“You have no idea what this trashy billionaire does to his workers,” he growls. “And you’re judging me?”

“Let me guess, you fell into some weird radioactive stuff? You guys have got to stop falling into stuff! Follow some workplace safety guidelines for the love of Jesus,” Donghyuck complains.

The man turns red in the face. Not a humor kind of guy, you guess.

“Look, billionaires are trashy—except Tony Stark—and no offense, (name).” Donghyuck begins.

“None taken.” You shrug.

“But you’ve really got to plan stuff out before you do things. You don’t think cooler villains than you have tried this exact same thing? No offense.”

He rolls his eyes. “I’m not having a kid lecture me.”

“I’m not a kid!” he retorts quickly.

Instead of a verbal response, you’re met with a net shot right at you, tangling you in ropes as you fall backwards. You kind of expected this. You’ve been kidnapped before. Granted Thor was visiting Earth and it ended up being ten minutes of sitting in a van before getting saved. You also got a sweet autograph out of it.

The rat man—it’s a really inappropriate time to laugh at names—is faster than he looks, pinning Donghyuck down all of a sudden.

However, you’ve come prepared. Your little science project took only two days to make and it’s a mini laser shooter you made with stolen equipment from the company’s R&D department. Not as cool as you wanted, yes, but it serves its purpose. First, you need to have Hyuck distract them.

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about your damsel in distress?” The villain laughs, and Donghyuck shakes his head. How long did the guy practice to make it sound evil?

“First of all, that’s not a damsel in distress. If anything, she’s a rather distressing damsel.”

The villain looks unimpressed.

“Second of all, you should really look out for the Stark drones on your left.”

The man spins to his left, on high alert, and it creates an opening. Donghyuck shoots a web right at his face before landing a clean kick to his stomach. He gets in another sweep at the legs, making his opponent fall to the ground with a miserable thud and Donghyuck isn’t looking for praise, but he really hopes you’re absorbing how cool he is.

“I can’t believe you fell for it, dude! Are you new?” He laughs. In this moment, Donghyuck decides that he would make a great supervillain even if the laugh was a bit on the boyish side. He can work on it.

“Shut up,” the man snarls.

“You know, I hear that a lot.”

The henchmen charge in first and it’s an easy bunch for Donghyuck to handle. A guy with a machete, a guy with a gun, a guy with a—is that a laser beam? Hyuck dodges just in time to kick the guy in the face. Most of them are incapacitated after getting stuck by his web shots. He hopes he doesn’t get a web block any time soon.

A thin arrow pierces his left bicep, making him cry out in pain. 

“It’s poison!” The rat man laughs, a crossbow in hand.

“Seriously?” Donghyuck complains.

Before he can make a move, the villain yelps and drops the crossbow. He turns to see you gesturing a thumbs up with a huge grin, the ropes piling around you. Why are you sitting there casually? He thinks. 

“I just want the girl,” the man snarls, holding his hand. Looks like you got a finger or two. Ouch. 

“What did she do to you?” Donghyuck asks, frustrated. “Just take it up with the dad, you wimp.”

“I will not stand for it. If I take over the lab, the whole city will learn the wonders of genetic modifications.”

“There it is, you selfish plan. It’s like you don’t care about defeating billionaires anymore,” Donghyuck huffs.

“The whole city will be serving me as creatures superior to mankind. You see, rat genes—”

“You’re…telling me… you want to turn the whole of New York into rat people? Because you became one? Not to sound insensitive but isn’t that a bit extreme?”

“Of course, a little bas—”

Donghyuck throws a hard punch at the guy’s face, making him stumble backwards.

“You…”

The man passes out.

“Sorry, what? Were you talking? I genuinely thought it was a ‘punch you in the face’ kind of moment.” Donghyuck cups his ear.

He’s out cold.

“We did it, Hyuck!” You run over to him, jumping onto him to give him a tight hug.

“Whoa! I’m just glad I didn’t get a scratch on my face before tonight’s party.”

Your smile drops. “Wait, he said it was poison.”

You gently take his arm to inspect. He pulls away.

“I’ve dealt with poison before, you know? I still can’t believe it was a rat. What’s next, a lizard?”

You chuckle. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Yeah, also, I’m swinging down so the press can get my good side.”

“What?”

He grabs you by the waist and jumps off the building with no warning, his laughter the only response to your scream. Donghyuck cannot believe he resorted to jumping off a building to avoid talking about his feelings. 

You’re still clinging onto him once he lands. A horde of reporters surround the two of you in a matter of moments. You forgot just how annoying they were. 

“Spiderman, who were you fighting?”

“Will there be more threats to the Nacorp Industries in the future?”

“Are you and (name) dating?”

“(name), any plans to take over the company?”

Donghuck clears his throat and an immediate silence follows.

“I- I was just clearing my throat,” he clarifies.

“Real smooth,” you snort.

“Why don’t you try answering, sunflower?” he whispers through his teeth.

A commotion ensues once again, questions flooding your ears and you swear you’ve never heard this many words at once before.

“Oh! I see Cat!” Donghyuck grabs your hand and makes his way through the crowd.

“Ooh, it’s Spiderman,” the pretty woman, who you assume is Cat, begins in a smooth voice. “What tidbit can we get from you today? You know the randomest fact boosts my salary so go ahead.”

She leans in to whisper the last part.

“Sicheng! Roll the cameras,” she instructs.

The cameraman, who looks terribly sleep deprived but still pretty, hums in response before signaling a go.

“Good afternoon, citizens. We have Spiderman here today with the lovely Ms (name) after they thwarted the attack by an anomaly at Nacorp Tower.”

“She knows me?” You whisper, a hot flush rising at the idea of someone as attractive knowing you.

“You’re, like, famous,” Donghyuck whispers back, clicking his tongue.

“I heard workers are often suffering at work sites but I have also heard that Nacorp CEO has made the decision to install AI worker suits that avoid hazards. Do you think this is a good idea, (name)?”

“Well, we have been working on it for a while and testing results are great! Like over a ninety-nine percent chance of success, and that is so cool. The demo will be out soon.”

Your bright smile makes everyone around smile instinctively.

“And Spiderman, this has been a hot question for a while now.”

She pauses to smile.

“What is your Zodiac sign?”

“Uh… Gemini?”

“Spiderman is a Gemini! You heard it first from Cat at the Daily Bugle, folks,” the reporter announces with a dazzling smile. 

“You two can go play in the snow now, the cameras are off,” she informs you before pulling Sicheng off the streets, “Have fun!”

Of course, you weren’t about to have a snowball fight in the middle of Times Square. So you return to your apartment—you’re getting used to the swinging now though Donghyuck still thinks his windpipe has suffered permanent damage.

“No, no, no, (name), this suit is skintight!”

A girlish scream follows as you manage to pull his suit back and shove a snowball inside, the evilest laugh he’s ever heard ringing through the empty roof. You were the supervillain all along—with your gorgeous laugh and stunning eyes and sincere words. He’s far off the deep end now.

God, why can’t he just spit it out? He’s in love and there’s no way to untangle himself out of these feelings. Tonight, he promises himself.

“So Spiderman swings by and says ‘Hey, nice phone, I’m gonna chuck it into space’ and now I have no phone,’ Jaemin tells Karina and Winter, both of them giggling at his miserable expression.

“I didn’t know you were a pushover, Jaemin,” Karina snorts. 

“I’m not! I was so sleepy that before I knew it, Spiderman stole my phone.”

“It’s been almost a week, get over it,” Hyuck mutters.

You chuckle at his annoyed expression.

Lana rolls her eyes beside Jaemin. You genuinely can’t believe she’s been with him all these years but you supposed she’d say the same about you and Donghyuck being best friends.

“You’ve lamented about your phone like thrice,” Yeji comments from behind the couch. “Also, (name), help me get some more beer cans. Ugh. I don’t know why you guys have this shit when wine exists.”

“I’m financially stressed, leave me alone,” Jaemin mutters, “And I agree on the wine part, actually.”

Everything is fine for now. You think you’ll stick to the lab instead of fighting—at least until you get more flexible. Epic battles are better suited to comic books, and so are grand gestures.

There’s just one thing unresolved now. Your damn feelings. The festive atmosphere is making you crave proximity, just one chance to tell him. You never knew what longing felt like before.

You follow Yeji outside the house, dragging your feet as you run a few million scenarios. God, why isn’t there AI to fix your love life? Do you have to ask the wizards for help? 

“So… Is it true you’re dating Spiderman?” Yeji asks, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” you answer quickly. 

“Oh good,” she sighs and you tilt your head inquisitively.

“I think you and Donghyuck should be a thing. No pressure though.” She raises her hand in a dismissive gesture.

“He’s… well… I can’t really tell what he’s thinking,” you answer honestly.

She hums. “Just tell him, then. You know him best and communication is key. God, I sound like a mother; Ryujin was right.”

You laugh and she smiles back at you. 

“Also, I bet money on you getting together with Donghyuck,” she says.

You roll your eyes. “Why did I expect that? My friends are all pretty jerks.”

She snorts. “Your choice of best friend gives it away. Oh, by the way, you don’t really have to help me with the beer, I just wanted to make sure you’re kiss kiss falling in love.”

“Huh?”

Instead of answering, she skips away with a cryptic smile. There’s another person you can’t decode but she truly is a fairy godmother.

You shiver at the cold, turning to go back inside when you hear shuffling on the roof. Donghyuck slowly lowers on a web, upside down and brown hair a mess around him.

“Renjun gave me a pep talk on the roof,” he says frankly.

You laugh. “Yeji gave me mine.”

“Our friends are really fed up with us, huh?”

“Are you- uh- are you sure you should be doing this in public?” You look around before stepping in close.

“No one’s getting out in two degree temperature, stupid.”

You don’t realize how close you stepped in till your noses touch and an instant flush floods Donghyuck’s face. Your heart beats so fast and for a moment, you think you can hear his. (It’s even faster than yours.)

You press your lips against his without further thought. The action, however, makes him let go of the web and faceplants onto the snow-covered ground. You hold in your laughter as he simply lies on his stomach there, his ears growing increasingly red.

He gets up, nose and cheeks all red.

“Good evening, Rudolph.” You giggle, unable to hold it in.

“Look, I tripped over Chenle and faceplanted onto a bowl of chili, okay? Who brought a bowl of chili to a Christmas party?” He complains, dusting the snow off.

You laugh, the warmth reaching your stomach.

“You know, we just kissed, right?” You mumble, starting to feel embarrassed.

There’s a silence and you’re not sure how to face him now. How did your confidence drain so easily? Your mother said you’d never run out of obnoxiousness—and she said the same thing about Hyuck. (“So you two better stick together, darling.”)

“Hyuck- okay, I’m sorry- that was uncalled for- I- I- just—”

Your words dissolve in your mouth when his lips meet yours.

“I- I- just- wow, I don’t- god, you made me so mad! Why did you go silent all of a sudden? I—”

He plants his lips on yours again.

“—you asshole… I swear—”

“(name). You’re rambling. Just shut up and kiss me.” He smiles against your mouth and you can’t help it either.

“You think it was the right thing to do?” You ask, peering down at Donghyuck on your lap.

“What was?”

“Rat man wasn’t exactly wrong. There are working hazards.”

“He was the same kind of wrong, just a different perspective. Turning NYC into rats is a bit much.”

You laugh. 

“Are you gonna get up any time soon?”

“I just fought a weird lizard man trying to turn New York into lizard people, give me a break,” he groans, burying his face against your side.

“I can’t believe you almost died again,” you say distastefully. 

“All’s well that ends well,” he says, shrugging.

“But I’m a new hell every time~” You sing.

He gives you the blankest expression he can muster.

“Okay, fine, but if we’re not singing Taylor Swift, we’re not singing Justin Bieber either.”

“Ugh, fine, Mariah Carey it is. She’s like my mom anyway.”

“You saved her once and your voice cracked when you spoke to her.”

“Never happened. Stop lying, (name).”

“Your cheeks are red.”

“They are not.”

“Like my favorite album.”

“Ugh.”

“And my favorite superhero’s suit color.”

A soft laugh erupts from him as he looks down and back at you. Gosh, he’s pretty. You slip your hand into his and he gives it a squeeze.

“My favorite superhero's Iron Man, by the way,” you say, a cheeky grin accompanying.

“Shut up, you love me.”

[donaweasley]

What If

Pairing: Loki x Fem! Avenger! Reader

Plot:

A silly game of “What-Ifs” between two friends eventually leads to the realisation that the future, if spent together, may not be as bleak as they had anticipated it to be. A dialogue-based best friends-to-lovers cliché.

Warnings: Relationship angst, too many dialogues, long read, happy ending!!!

Read time: ~28 mins

Author's Note:

It's a long read with far more dialogues than can be deemed healthy. The reason is, I didn't want their arc to feel rushed. It had to be cooked slow. Another reason is that, I can't help hearing my characters, and it triggers a flood of dialogues! I'm trying to work on controlling it. 😬 Hope you enjoy!

Now has a sequel: Their Little Secret

“C’mon! You’re breaking the rules now,” Loki casually waved his hand at his best friend.

“I’m not. There’s nothing to answer really,” (Y/N) replied with a shrug.

“There must be something on your mind!”

She pretended to think for a second, and shook her head.

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

It was a usual night in the compound. It was just another night when one of these two friends had called the other in the middle of the night for some midnight snack. It was just another of those happy times when they had tiptoed into the kitchen like thieves because...no, no one would mind some missing nachos or ice creams, but because it was fun!

It wasn’t easy for Loki to open up to someone, let alone to allow the other person in. Neither was it easy for (Y/N) to trust somebody, given her past, especially when that somebody was infamous for betraying almost everyone, at every step, not to mention his attempts at ruling Earth and causing massacre.

But time is a healer and a magician.

And here they were now, looking at the moon-washed night life through the west-facing glass wall, and playing a game of “what-ifs”. One would say that it was silly and immature; some would even call their talks gibberish. But when the night was so relaxed and carefree, why wouldn’t they be?

The pale yellow orb hovering above the western horizon cast a soft ray of light through the glass wall. Oblivious to its movements across the room, Loki and (Y/N) were wrapped in a thin blanket on a couch, their feet resting on two separate pouffes.

It had all started with a silly question, something like, “What if you weren’t stuck in this building tonight?”, or something along those lines; they didn’t even remember correctly anymore.

One question led to the other, and soon they found themselves tangled in a game of questions that would have been enough to create an alternate reality. But eventually, they found themselves, not answering with imaginary scenarios, but debating over one particular question:

“What if you find the love of your life tomorrow?”

This question was posed by Loki, rather theatrically, amidst the many others that had tossed different possibilities of their near future. And it was here that (Y/N) refused to play along anymore because, as she stated, it was “the most silly question ever”.

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

“So, you claim that my question is even worse than your ‘What if you were a Jotun cat’? What kind of a question is that anyway?” Loki teased.

“Of course, it is. Undoubtedly!” With one wave of her hand, (Y/N) dismissed his appeal.

“And how is that even logical, may I know?”

“C’mon, this entire game is out of the boundaries of logic,” she claimed. “Your behaviour is like that of a cat. Don’t make that face; it brings you closer to being a cat. And...a Jotun cat sounds cool!”

Loki sighed. “And my question is ridiculous! If the game is beyond all reason, then...” he shrugged, “say something...weird, and move on!”

“Fine! If I-if... If I meet the love of my life tomorrow,...I’ll stab him. Or her. Or them. I don’t even know.” She huffed.

“Ouch!” Loki made a face, ”Didn’t see that coming. I would enjoy the stabbing part though. Thank the Norns, you never declared your feelings for me!”

She looked at him sideways with a stern face. Loki noticed the irritation simmering just beneath her skin, ready to burst out at the next prodding.

“Hey,” he placed a hand on her arm, “what happened? Was it something I said?”

She turned her face away. But Loki wasn’t giving up that easily.

“(Y/N),” he gently tugged at her arm, “look at me.”

When she finally turned towards him, he held her by the shoulders just to make sure that she couldn’t move away again.

“Now, you’ll tell me everything. What happened?” He inquired again. “I thought you were having fun.”

“It’s nothing Loki, it’s just that...you know I don’t like discussing my non-existent love-life. It’s...it kind of makes me...sad sometimes. Especially in a setting like this!” She waved her hands at her surroundings. “I mean, look at it, a full moon, a silent night, blankets and… It just leaves me with this reminder that I’ll be alone all my bloody life!”

Loki’s hands slowly retracted from her form and folded themselves on his chest. And just like that, they both found themselves staring out of the window.

“I’m sorry,” Loki’s voice audibly reflected the guilt that had formed within, “I never intended to...”

“No, you shouldn’t be. It’s...I overreacted. I’m sorry, Loki. I just ruined the mood. Shit! And it’s not my hormones, mind you!”

“I know,” Loki chuckled. “And you did not ruin anything. It’s natural to feel, isn’t it?”

She looked at him with a raised brow, “Somebody’s learning!”

“Somebody’s got a good teacher,” he smiled.

“Aww!! I love it when you acknowledge my awesomeness!” She wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in closer, and pinched his cheek.

“Ugh! Let go of me! Let...go!!”

The room was filled with (Y/N)’s cackles and Loki’s threats as he wriggled out of her grip.

“Do that one more time, and I’ll stab you!”

But it wasn’t enough to stop her chortles.

“Would you now?” she teased, and raised her hands again in a faux attempt at squeezing his cheeks.

He swatted them away.

“Stop it!” He warned again, only to emanate snorts from her.

But the next second, his voice changed into a compassionate one, “Why do you think you’ll be alone all your life? How old are you anyway? 80? 90? Isn’t that supposed to be old in human years?”

Once again her cheerful mood fled behind a thick curtain of annoyance. But this time she did not look away. She simply rolled her eyes, and pulled her legs from the pouffe to sit cross-legged, and shifted to face him.

“No, I’m not that old. But why are you suddenly so interested in this topic?”

“Because suddenly, you seem to have found an interest in getting annoyed.”

“Then don’t annoy me.”

“Not in my nature, I’m afraid.”

She couldn’t decide whether to hit him or laugh at him.

“Loki-” She curled her fists and shut her eyes.

“I’m listening, darling,” he smirked.

Of course, she knew how stubborn Loki could be!

Who else would know that better than me?

“Okay,” she placed her palms flat on her thighs, “the thing is...I can never make a relationship last more than two years. I waste my time trying to establish a...a proper, long-lasting relationship - something permanent - and end up with a heartbreak. Every. Fucking. Time. I’ve given up. I’ve had enough! Now, even if anyone makes a move, or if I’m interested in someone, I just remind myself that it’s not gonna work! I just don’t put any effort anymore.”

Loki hummed in response; his eyes were focused on her as if he was trying to decipher a mystery.

“And,” she continued, “given my current ‘job’,” she air-quoted the word, “I’m more sure than ever that no one will last more than two months now!”

Once she voiced the storm in her head, her eyes softened and she looked down at her lap. Through hooded eyes, she stole a guilty, fleeting glance at her friend, who seemed to be musing about something really serious. His eyes were strained on the carpet, while his chin rested on a fisted hand balancing itself on his thigh.

For a long moment neither said anything. Only the distant buzz of the sleepless city floated through the air and filled the room.

It was Loki who disrupted the silence with a long and heavy sigh.

“I knew that Midgardian men were impatient, narcissistic-”

“Look who’s talking,” she smirked as she interrupted him.

He gave her a quick deadpanned stare before resuming, “-imbeciles, but I was beginning to think that they have good tastes in women. It’s disappointing, not surprising though, that they have proven me wrong.”

A small laugh almost made its way to its escape, but she pushed it back. “You think so?” She quipped.

He shrugged, “From what you’ve said, there is no reason to think otherwise.”

She sat a little straighter. “Really? Do go on!”

Loki immediately noticed the effect that he had planned for. Without giving away the joy of his small triumph, he continued, “Indeed! Look at you! You’re an amazing woman! You’re brave, witty, independent...smart...excellent with knives! And that’s my favourite thing about you, by the way. ”

Feigning offence, she exclaimed, “And I thought your favourite thing about me was that I tolerate all your tantrums, and keep up with your shenanigans.”

“I don’t throw tantrums, darling,” he pushed the accusation away with his silky tone, “and don’t tell me that you take no pleasure in the havoc that we wreck together.”

At this, she could no longer suppress the evil grin that spread across her face, “I do love a bit of chaos. It’s fun.”

“To think of it,” Loki added excitedly, “had you been on Asgard, you might have been the Goddess of Chaos!”

“Oh! Thank you!” She replied with a dramatic wave of her hands.

Both laughed at the way their words were unfolding.

“Thank you, Loki,” (Y/N) said after their little whirlwind of laughter had calmed down, “I guess I needed to hear something nice about myself. It’s been a long, long time since I heard it.”

“I meant every word of it,” he replied in a solemn tone that made something flutter in her chest.

Was it gratitude? Was it joy? Was it love for her best friend?

It was hard to tell. It seemed to be everything at once.

She simply smiled at him. “Even the ‘Goddess of Chaos’ part?”

“Especially that part,” he asserted, and she laughed.

“You’re the best, Loki!” She gave him a half hug.

“That, I definitely am. But you’re not too shabby yourself. And you should never ever be sad for someone else’s failure.”

“Alright, I get what you’re trying to do here,” she landed a playful punch to his shoulder. “I’m fine! Really! I just got a little carried away.”

“No, I really mean it,” he tried to assure her. “You are one of the most magnificent women I have known! And mind you, I’m rather picky in these cases.”

She laughed, “Of course, I’d know that! ... Loki, it’s...it’s alright. Some people just don’t have it in them to sustain relationships no matter how wonderful they are. I’m okay with it.”

“Come on! A narcissistic God is showering you with genuine compliments! And you’re still not convinced that it’s not your fault but of all those who failed to keep up with you?”

She tried another attempt at convincing him, “It works both ways.”

“Norns! I can’t believe you’re so foolish!”

“Enlighten me, please,” she drawled.

“I believe I have already established the fact that you are phenomenal.”

When she giggled and nodded, he carried on.

“Good. Now, your job, as you put it, shouldn’t be a hindrance in your relationship. You’re doing the marvellous job of being a guardian to thousands of people. People you don’t even know! How many would put their necks out there to do it?”

“C’mon, Loki, when duty calls, you have to leave everything behind and just go! Who’d tolerate that for days? They will snap one day.”

“I’d never do that!” Realizing his mistake, he quickly corrected himself, “What I mean is, had I been in their place, I’d have never done that.”

“That’s because you’re on the team,” she argued. “So, it’s normal to you.”

“No, it’s not because I’m on the team. I’d-” He sighed. “Fine, why don’t you try finding someone from this field? Stark’s parties are a great place to hunt humans.”

“‘Hunt humans’?” She snorted, “I like the sound of that. Nay, haven’t found anyone. Besides, mixing professional and personal life can be fatal. You never know when your personal life might get jeopardised because of a mission gone wrong. Y’know, the usual blame-game and all. I hate all that!”

Loki brooded over her words for a few seconds before asking, “I don’t get it. Why would it be fatal? I mean, look at us,” he gestured in between them. “We have a perfect understanding. We’d never blame the other for any petty thing. Or-or let it affect our friendship.”

“That’s because we have the perfect understanding, Loki! You said it yourself. It’s a rare thing that we have. And I can’t expect it to be with anyone else. They’re not you, Loki.”

“They’re not us,” he corrected her.

Joy seeped through his senses as he watched her face brighten up at his words.

With a nod, she continued, “You see, all that spark, excitement, promises - these sound really great at the beginning. As time passes, as the real world pushes in, love moves to the backseat. Love is not enough. There comes a time when you have to balance everything together, and love becomes one of those things. It becomes a chore.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow you,” Loki stated with a frown. “That sounds so sad!”

“It is!”

“Well, it shouldn’t be! Loving you shouldn’t be a chore! Let’s say...hypothetically...if I’m in love with you, then you’d be my passion. And passions never become a duty, not even in the worst of times. Instead, they help us breathe when everything comes caving in. You’d be my...my moment of peace in a war. How could I not be tempted to embrace this beautiful moment?”

“Unfortunately, Loki, that’s not how it works. See, when you have a lot on your plate, say your job, your dreams, your daily life and all the pressure that comes with these, you’ll find less and less time for your loved one. Things get hectic and eventually frustrating. You won’t be able to keep that flame alive even if you want to. And one day, you’ll come to realize that you have distanced yourself from your moment, even if you never wanted to. But it’d be too late. There’d be no going back.”

“I’d never distance myself from you! I mean, from my moment. I’ve been a king, and I know how taxing royal duties can be. Sometimes, it seemed like a luxury to get even a minute to myself.”

“See? So, how could you have found time for me?”

“I would have, darling. Not plenty, but whatever little time I’d have gathered, I’d have made them memorable. For you. For us. And maybe we could have gone on long rides occasionally. Rekindle the old flames? Or-or we could have gone on visits to other realms...for political reasons, of course, but could have taken the opportunity to spend a small vacation with each other. What do you say?”

Painfully tempting images of a life that could have been floated in her eyes.

“And what if we came back to Earth, and I got involved in...say, a job that was all hectic and left me all frustrated, and with little time for you?” She shrugged.

With a sigh, Loki shifted to face her fully. “We will take care of each other, (Y/N). If one gets low, the other pulls both up. And I know that together, we can do anything! I believe in you more than I believe in myself.”

She smiled brightly as she acknowledged, “That is...that sounds doable, yes.”

“You’re special,” he placed a hand on her cheek, “and you need to be treated in the most special manner. One that befits my queen.”

A moment passed between them as they looked into each other's eyes, both seeing the same beautiful picture.

His queen!

My queen!!

Wait, what is he...?

Damn! What am I doing! What will she...!

Loki cleared his throat as he abruptly pulled his hand back to his side.

“I’m sorry, I...”

“No, it’s okay,” she cringed at the way the words squeaked out of her. Clearing her throat, she continued, “We were just giving examples.”

“Yes, just examples,” he agreed.

“It’s fine! I understand.”

“Great! It’d have been quite...awkward...otherwise.”

“Oh no! It’s...uh...totally fine. We’re best buddies!” She gave his arm a light punch.

“Right!” He nodded, and focused his gaze on the floor.

After taking a minute to calm his heart, he wore his witty persona back.

“See, having a relationship is not at all tough. All you need is a good partner. And I’ve proved myself right again! No, wait. There’s something you mortals do. It’s...uh...about throwing something...”

“Goblets? We don’t do that. It’s you-”

“No, not throwing, it’s about dropping something...after you have proven a point...”

“...Mic drop?” She chuckled.

His eyes lit up.

“Yes! ‘Mic drop’. So, as I was saying, all you need to have a happy and successful relationship is a good partner. Mic drop!” He concluded as he mimicked the action.

She sighed. “There’s just one tiny problem. I’d probably never find the right person. The ones that flirt with me, don’t understand me, and the ones that understand me have friendzoned me.”

“I’ve never friendzoned you,” Loki quickly replied with a frown. “J-Just clarifying...in case you were talking about me.”

“Of course, I’m talking about you, you big oaf!” She flicked his arm.

“Hey! You friendzoned me.”

“No…? It was you! Well, yeah, I never tried to flirt with you or anything but...anybody could see that you were being just my friend.”

“I can say the same about you,” Loki playfully accused.

“Whatever,” she shrugged.

A thought started playing in her mind. And a couple of seconds later, she decided to say it aloud, “I...umm...Just curious...y’know, don’t take it in any other way. Did you ever think of flirting with me?” She put forward each word very cautiously.

Loki furrowed his brows, and opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, she warned him, “Be honest!”

Immediately, his confident attitude changed into a helpless one. “Yes, I did. Maybe once. Or twice. But that was all! I assure you!”

She could hardly contain the amusement that was bubbling inside.

“What’s so funny about it?” Loki asked with furrowed brows.

“Nothing,” she shook her head as she tried to hold back her laughter, “nothing at all. It’s,” and then she lost it, “I’m sorry! It’s funny! I don’t know why, I find it funny hearing from you!”

“Look who’s laughing!” He said wryly. “I could clearly hear your thoughts the first few days after I stepped into this structure. Every compliment that your little mind cooed at my divine persona. And may I dare say that not all of them were decent.”

Her hysterics were long forgotten as her face went red at the comment.

“How dare you invade my mind?” Her hand had balled into a fist, ready to hit his arm when he caught it.

“I didn’t invade it, darling. You were practically shouting inside that pretty head of yours. I could have heard it from the other side of the planet!”

“That was a long time ago,” she refused to meet his eyes. “I make better choices and better decisions now.”

“Do you?”

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it without uttering a syllable, and crossed her arms.

Loki nudged her with his elbow. “Hey, it’s fun to tease you. Don’t be a spoilsport.”

“I hate you,” she peeked at him through the corner of her eye.

“What can I say,” Loki sighed. “Alright, if you say so.”

She smirked as she glanced at him sideways.

Loki cleared his throat in a not-so-subtle manner. “So, the next time Stark throws a party, I’ll find someone for you.”

Immediately, she face-palmed, and groaned, “No.”

“What?”

“Please drop this topic. And you’d probably find me a psychopath, anyway” She joked.

“That hurt!” Loki exclaimed with a hurt look masking his humour, “do you think so little of me? Can’t I find a proper partner for my best friend, my darling?”

“No, it didn’t hurt. Don’t fake it. I know you better than anyone.”

“No, you don’t. You-”

“I do. And...I’m fine, Loki” she reassured him, “being with myself, with the people here, being with you.” She gently bumped her knee into his.

“Will these be enough?” His tone had left the playfulness behind. “Will I be enough? For all your life?”

She shrugged, “I think so. You...stick with me all the time, you understand me, you...make me feel good. What more could I want to be happy?”

“You know what more you are missing. A friend can never touch the boundaries of what a lover can give you.”

“I don’t need a lover. Just be with me all my life, and I won’t need anyone else.”

He gave her hand a light squeeze. “I will. I promise.”

Her playful smile was back. “Thanks for all the pep talk, my dearest God. But turns out that I’m better off alone. Now can we please go back to the game? It’s my turn to ask you.”

“Alright,” he smiled back, “if you say so.”

“Stop saying that!” A defeated sigh left her. “You won’t be convinced, will you?”

“Probably not. Because I know that this will gnaw at you again a few days later. I know you’ll be sad again. And that I won’t allow on my watch.”

“God!”

“Right here, listening to you!” Loki quipped.

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, ”Damn you!” And proceeded to put forward a proper argument.

“The reason why I’m avoiding a new relationship is because I don’t want another heartache. I can’t handle breakups. That’s why I’m...”

When Loki didn’t make another attempt at dissuading her from her arguments, she added, “I just...try everything to avoid a heartbreak. Because when I get one, I lose control over myself.”

“Yes, I’ve seen. Once.”

“Then you must have noticed how vicious I become. Sarcasm drips from my mouth all the time, I say things that I shouldn’t, I...I hurt people. And in turn, I hurt myself. I yell at those who want nothing but good for me. But...”

“But being mean seems to be the only way to mask the pain,” he finished her line.

“It does, yes!”

She looked at him, and into his eyes that silently spoke of the pain that was resurfacing. She remembered something.

“You and I are so...alike!”

He nodded with a smile. “And maybe that is why we understand each other more than anyone ever could. … But we’re more than just being alike, if you think about it.”

She noticed how his voice gradually rose from its usual calmness to an excited tone, and his hands moved with his words.

Loki continued, “You point out my mistakes but don’t accuse me like everyone else does. You show me what’s right. And there’s this-this thing about you, which is so scary...the way you make me do all the things that you want. I-I mean, I am the God here! But you…a mortal...how can you have so much power over me?”

He sighed as his voice dropped to a compassionate tone, “You make me happy, (Y/N). You’ve taught me to forgive when I can, to forget what I can’t fix.”

“Don’t always do that,” she interrupted with a smirk.

His evil smile made a brief appearance before he resumed his warm note, “I like being with you. No...I love being with you! You make me feel good. You make me feel...I don’t know.... You make me feel…”

“Complete?”

“Yes!” He observed her, “You complete me.”

For yet another time, silence enveloped them. The only difference was that this time, it was comfortable. Even in their hushed moments, they could hear each other, know what the other wanted to say.

After a while of exchanging quiet stares, (Y/N) spoke, “All this time I believed, but now I know for myself, that you are indeed Silvertongue!”

Loki looked at his lap and laughed, but in the pale light of the setting moon, she noticed the pink that had crept up his ears and cheeks.

“I meant every word of what I said,” he reassured her once again that evening.

“I know, Loki.”

Loki watched her as she shifted to a kneeling position, and leaned towards him. He felt his face becoming hotter as she supported herself on his shoulder with one hand, and placed a soft kiss on his cheekbone.

As she settled back, her lips tingled with the memory of Loki’s skin on it.

They had been best friends, yes, but she had never allowed herself more than a quick hug because she knew that Loki wasn’t someone open to random touches. And she wanted to respect that. Always.

But this peck felt right. It felt necessary. And it felt...different.

What happened next wasn’t guided by logic anymore, but only by their senses.

Loki put his legs back on the pouffe, and scooted a little closer to (Y/N). Taking the cue, she shifted so that her leg was stretched out, and back on the pouffe - not on hers but his - and sat close to him. He arranged the blanket so that it covered them both again.

Another stretch of silence enveloped them. To them, the moment was beautiful. To Loki, who had never experienced anything similar before, it was precious. If he could stop time, he would have done it right then and there.

“Why haven’t you found anyone yet?” She asked him.

“Royalty has its disadvantages,” he replied without taking a moment to think.

She leaned back slightly to get a good look at his face, “Didn’t you ever find anyone from the royal...uh...what do you call it? Of royal blood?”

Loki laughed at her naivety. “Can’t say I didn’t. But none of them were the one. Besides, most people chose my handsome brother over me. And if anyone chose me, well, it was mostly because of my royal title. None of them were real.”

“That’s awful! I would never have done that to you! I’d have chosen you for the wonderful being that you are. But, I get it; happens on our planet, too.”

“Everywhere,” he asserted.

“So...who do you think is the one for you?”

He looked down at her face, which was mere inches away from his. For the first time in months of their friendship, he felt something swell inside his chest at the closeness.

“I still don’t know,” he whispered, “but I think the Norns might have started giving me clues.”

He didn’t need to explain, obviously. All the tension that had been building up throughout the night had placed them both on the same page.

Without thinking, Loki moved his wrist so that his palm was facing the ceiling. And instinctively, (Y/N) placed her hand in it, their fingers closing around each other.

"It's odd," she announced after a while.

"Indeed."

"It's weird. I mean, what were we even thinking!" She huffed, although she was still clutching his hand, as was he holding hers.

"Exactly what I was thinking. You and me?” Loki laughed nervously, “Come on!"

"Yeah!"

"Right".

Silence, their faithful companion for the night, visited them once again.

"Could it be? You and me?" Loki’s voice was a little more than a whisper, and bordered on the edge of confidence and doubt.

"Doesn't sound so bad. Not after all these... Talks?" She whispered back.

"Right!"

"Right."

And once again, they fell quiet.

The strangeness of the moment pushed them both into a whirlpool of thoughts. From acquaintances to partners to friends to best friends to...lovers?

Can this even be possible? What if it’s just a passing phase? What if everything goes back to normal tomorrow? Will we still be able to talk normally? But… This feels right. Just...right.

With a sigh, (Y/N) put her head on Loki’s shoulder.

"I don't want to rush into anything and ruin what we have," she confessed in a hushed tone, eyes staring into the night outside.

"Neither do I. You're the only one I have."

With a raised brow, she looked up at him.

"And Thor," he corrected himself with a small smile.

"Glad you remember him "

"Shut up.

Slowly, hesitantly, Loki put his free hand around her. Unsure of the appropriateness of the action, he kept his arm loosely hanging around her frame.

He waited for a while. Had Loki looked at her face, instead of looking straight ahead in fear, he would have noticed the small smile that had formed on her lips.

When she didn’t flinch or protest, he began to rest his arm properly but gently on her. He even went ahead and made the slightest possible effort to pull her closer to him.

The smile that had started forming on her now spread wide enough to turn into a grin. Its reflection was found on Loki’s face, too, who could finally muster the courage to look at her, although he was equally worried that she would be able to hear his heart trying to hammer its way out of his chest.

With every minute that passed, Loki became more baffled, for he couldn’t decide which moment he’d frame and hang on the wall of his heart as the most precious one.

"Are you feeling hot?" She asked without looking at him.

"A bit, yes. You, too?"

"Quite a bit, actually," she gulped.

"Is it normal?"

"I guess, yes. Totally! Had we been cool about it, it'd have meant that there's no spark between us. It’d have felt awkward, wrong."

"So, you agree that there's a spark between us?" He didn’t even attempt to hide the mischievous smirk that shone on his face.

"I had always suspected," she nodded.

"Hmm. When was the last time we went out for dinner?" He asked.

“Probably last month...or was it-”

(Y/N)’s head snapped up to look at him. She could barely put a lid on her excitement.

"Are you proposing to take me out on a date?"

"Well, if we are going to do this, then I'd like to court you properly."

She felt like she'd burst out of sheer excitement.

"If you'd agree to it, that is" Loki clarified.

Taking a large breath, she replied, "I'd love it."

The night was going better than either had expected. Who would have thought that a game of weird questions and a few confessions could change their lives!

(Y/N) put her head back on his shoulder, and let her body slump against him. He held her confidently this time.

“It still feels weird though,” she declared.

“It does, yes, but...maybe this is...right?” In a long time, Loki was hopeful about something, and he wasn’t going to let it slip away. No.

“I hope so.”

“Me, too.”

“Just so you know,” she sat up straight, “Thor is handsome, yes, but you are devilishly charming. You’re intelligent, well-read, witty, sarcastic, great at combat...uh...”

“Go on,” Loki smirked, earning a playful glare from her.

“You are,” she continued, “seductive! And who can resist a sorcerer who knows his way around everything!”

The evil smile that Loki had put away found its way back on his face. “As far as I remember, I did nothing to seduce you. I wonder what will happen if I try...”

“Shut up, Loki! You know I give away raw compliments. I didn’t really mean...I didn’t think...”

He laughed heartily at the furious way she was blushing.

“I was only pulling your leg. I had imagined you to be wise,” he clarified.

“I am! It’s just... I was...” She shook her head.

“So,” Loki resumed, “you think I’m devilishly charming?”

“Drop the topic, please!”

“You can’t resist my sorcery, ha?”

“Please change the topic! Forget what I said!!”

Loki laughed as he continued teasing her. It wasn’t going to be an easy ride, she realized, with the God of Mischief, but it was going to be the best ever!

“(Y/N)?”

“Hmm?”

“I know it was your turn to ask but, what if...you and I are indeed meant to be together?”

She smiled as she rubbed her cheek on his shirt, “I think we’ll have a gorgeous future together. And...I’d love that more than anything else.”

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

The next morning...

“Morning, Wanda-”

“Shh! Shh!!” The red-haired witch silenced Natasha, and pointed towards the couch.

Curious, Natasha’s eyes followed the direction that Wanda’s finger was pointing at.

There, snuggled in a blanket, fast asleep, sat (Y/N) and Loki, their legs spread on a pouffe, tangled with each other’s. Loki’s arm was wrapped around her shoulder while she was holding his waist. Her head lay on his chest and his on hers.

“Aren’t they cute?” Wanda whispered.

Before Nat could reply, Tony’s voice cut the conversation.

“Who’s cute?”

This time, both the ladies shushed him, leaving a perplexed expression on his once sleepy face.

When they pointed towards the couch, Tony huffed, “These two! God knows what’s taking them so long to realise! They’re just so-” His face lit up. “Know what? I have an idea! I’ll make them confess. Who’s up for it?”

***

Now has a sequel: Their Little Secret

And...a song for keeping the feelings floating...💕

[sunfish-studies]

Celebration

✄・・・ Feathery Ink [Karasuno Manager Series]

➜ Pairing: Karasuno x Manager! Reader

➜ Warning: none

➜ Notes: This is a separate series from Crisp Leaves. Similar to Crisp Leaves, manager in this story will be portrayed as a girl. She will be tall. This is just my appreciation towards tall girls, you guys are amazing.

Previous:  ‹ Cogs › | Next:  ‹ Let The Games Begin! ›

↷ SUMMARY ↶

Last day of training calls for celebration for everyone’s hard work, so it’s barbeque time!

“All right, meat!”

“I’m starving!”

While the boys freshened up after practice matches, the managers were already on the move to prepare for the barbeque. Since there were quite a lot of people, the coaches decided to held it on the backyard of the gym, where the sharp hill stood just beside it. The coaches helped setting up the grills while the managers divided to cater different things.

Yachi decided she would get the utensils they needed; paper plates, chopsticks, paper cups, trays for rice balls, and other things. Shimizu would cover for the rice ball making, Yukie and Eri were in charge on cutting the vegetables in bite-size, Kaori and Mako would clean the vegetables before it was cut.

Meanwhile, you’re in charge of preparing the condiments and sauces, unwrapping the meat cuts, and arranged them on a bigger plate. Aside from that you had to make sure the meats searing on the grills weren’t charred.

“[Name]-chan, please replace me for cutting the onions,” Eri sobbed, reaching out to you with grabby hands.

“Alright, senpai,” you giggled in reply because Eri was clearly needing a break and watching the meats seared was a great break for her. Quickly, you stood on her place and started slicing the tear-induced-menaces after washing your hands.

It didn’t take long for you to suffer the same fate as the Ubugawa’s manager–the first seven slices went through without a hitch, but when you reached the tenth your eyes started to sting and blurry from the pain. Then tears began trailing down your cheeks, and you wiped it you’re your shirt sleeve.

“D-Don’t cry, [Name]-san!!” you looked up, seeing Hinata with his place face quivering on his feet. “W-what should I do!?”

“It’s fine, Shoyo-kun, it’s just the onions,” you sniffled pointed towards the bowl full of it. “It hurts my eyes.”

“I can take your place, Otohaku-chan!” Lev popped up beside Hinata.

“Instead of cutting the onions, you’ll chop your fingers off,” Yaku deadpanned before offering. “Here, let me do it.”

“No, it’s alright, Yaku-san,” you shook your head. “It’s time for you to have a break, not working.”

Being persistent sometimes has it’s perks, it took numbers of rejection to finally have Yaku gave up. You knew he was just trying to help, but you didn’t want to rob his time relaxing. When all the preparations were done, the boys were already surrounding the grills with hungry faces. Coach Nekomata gave them a light speech along with praises for their hard work over the week, and they dived to grab on the meat straight from the grill.

“THANKS FOR THE FOOD!”

Just like Kaori, you brought a plate of rice balls to offer and managed to witnessed Yukie’s enormous appetite. She practically inhaled four rice balls in one go and you’re not the only who was dumbfounded from it.

.

.

Konoha and Komi almost had their souls went to heaven from the frightening circle Nishinoya, Tanaka, and Taketora made. Well, they did elbow each other to encourage one another getting close or at least having a talk with Shimizu. The girl walked pass them holding a paper plate with food–looking extremely gorgeous and she didn’t even try.

“That was scary,” Konoha muttered underneath his breath. The three finally stopped because of Karasuno and Nekoma’s captain scolded them–the three immediately shrunk.

“They really had their guard up, huh,” Komi added, feeling his energy drained from such a scary encounter.

“Uhm, excuse me,” the two turned to look over their shoulder and that’s when they noticed–Karasuno’s other first year manager who’s Bokuto constantly talking about. The owl captain wouldn’t shut up about her much to their annoyance and now they knew why.

“Would you like some rice ball?”

“Sure,” Konoha replied dumbly.

“I’ll take two,” Komi followed with a daze. You placed one on Konoha’s empty paper plate and two for Komi upon his request. Smiling at them, you proceeded to excuse yourself so you could offer to someone else.

Following your figure dazedly, they noticed how the light shone even brighter and basked you in a beautiful glow. That’s when they thought of a conclusion.

A goddess just graces us mere mortals! They screamed in their head.

.

.

You tried to calm Yachi down from her traumatizing experience being surrounded by absurdly tall boys (“Titans, [Name]-chan! Titans!”). Thankfully, all of them were nice enough to made room so your friend could reach for some meat. Yachi almost cried in happiness from the real taste of meat.

From the sidelines, Shimizu and the other managers were watching the two of you while talking about the boys sometimes.

“How much are you going to eat?” Kaori questioned because Yukie was having a ridiculous amount of food towering on her plate and she just kept munching away without care.

“The third-years in Karasuno all seems pretty mature,” Mako commented.

“Our ace is weak-willed, though,” Shimizu smiled sheepishly.

“What? Really?” Eri replied in surprise. “Even though he looks that scary?”

“Though, I think that’s still better than our simpleton ace,” Kaori commented. “Still,”

Their eyes were directed towards where the said simpleton ace was standing and placing meat until it towered on your empty plate.

“Eat more, [Name]-chan! Or you won’t get even taller!” he stated.

“And eat more vegetables!” Kuroo added, placing cabbages and carrots to your plate, adding even more food.

“Have some rice balls, too.” Somehow, even Akaashi participated in this whole fiasco and put a rice ball onto your plate. Now, there’s a ridiculous amount of food on your plate.

“…I can’t eat this much,” you commented, staring at the food filling your plate.

“Nonsense, I don’t see you eat anything even when the others are,” Akaashi stated. “You’re too busy handling other things nonstop.”

“Have a break will you,” Kuroo patted your back. “Everyone’s having fun and you should too.”

“Have more meat, [Name]-san!” Hinata said.

“You can have my share, Otohaku-chan!” Lev followed and you immediately shook your head.

“At least he and Akaashi took care of our baby manager well,” Kaori sighed in relief.

“[Name]-chan is close with Fukurodani’s captain and setter, huh? Even Nekoma’s captain,” Mako giggled. “She’s drawing everyone in.”

“Well, it’s rare for a first-year to be as tall as her,” Eri grinned. “The boys are especially poles so it’s probably great not to strain their neck once in a while from looking down.”

“Karasuno’s pretty lucky to have her, huh?” Yukie said after swallowing her food.

“Yeah, we are,” Shimizu smiled.

.

.

“Did you have fun?” Sawamura asked you when you’re helping other managers to clean up the remaining plates left behind on the table along with other scraps littering around. He picked up a few paper cups and placed it into the trash bin.

“Definitely,” you answered without hesitation. “Everyone’s so nice, it’s probably the most fun I’ve had.”

“Thank goodness, then,” he gave you a smile.

“I’m really glad I joined the volleyball club,” you commented, grinning.

“And we glad to have you here,” the captain chuckled and replied.

Everything was over by the time the sun started to sink into the horizon–time truly flew by when you enjoyed it. Since Miyagi was quite a distance from Saitama, they needed to depart first or they would be back extremely late at night. Yukie and Eri were fake-crying and joking about refusing to let you go–in the end, you’re all exchanging numbers so you could keep in touch.

“Did you have fun, Otohaku-san?”

“Coincidentally, you asked the same question as my captain, Akaashi-san.” The Fukurodani setter, like before, helping you on carrying the extra luggage in hand although you did tell him it’s only until you reached the stairs. “And to answer, I am. These one week of training camp is fun. Somehow, I don’t want this to be over.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll meet again,” Akaashi replied. “At the Spring Interhigh.”

“I’m sure we will, Akaashi-san.” you smiled. “And thank you for helping me with luggage.”

“[Name]-chan!!” Bokuto bounded over with a grin plastered on his face. “We’ll be waiting at the nationals!”

“Karasuno, Bokuto-san. Otohaku-san doesn’t play volleyball.” Akaashi deadpanned.

“Just agree with me once, Akaashi!”

“Well, whatever he said,” Kuroo piped up, approaching the three of you. “Made sure your team go to the nationals so we could meet again and make the battle came true.”

“I’ll do my best, Kuroo-san.” Then Kuroo reached out to ruffle your hair, it’s been a while since he did that and you weren’t even going to lie about enjoying it. The cat captain was similar to an older brother now.

“Off you go then, [Name],” he removed his hand from your head. “And don’t miss me.”

“How could I when I have your phone number, Kuroo-san?” you snickered. “You’re probably going to bombard me with chemistry puns at 10pm.”

“Then, I’m gonna call you every day so you won’t have to deal with Kuroo!” Bokuto declared before laughing victoriously.

“Please block his number immediately, Otohaku-san,” Akaashi stated. “Or you won’t be getting any sleep. His talking is endless.”

“Why, Akaashi!?” the said boy whined.

“Aside from that, be careful on your way home,” Akaashi decided to ignore the captain and gave you a small smile.

You returned his smile. “Will do, Akaashi-san.”

With that, the whole week of summer training camps has come to an end. The whole team watched you guys drove away into the other way back to Miyagi.

.

.

“You have a match tomorrow, don’t you?” former Coach Ukai questioned, brows creased from the insistence of your combi. “That’s probably enough, then!”

“One more! Just one more!” Hinata pleaded.

“We’ll finish after this one!” Kageyama added.

Two days of practicing to prepare for the preliminaries, just a day before the match Sawamura dismissed them early to get some rest. Since it would be impossible to use the gym unless getting an earful from him, Kageyama and Hinata needed to look for another place. Former Coach Ukai lent them the court only for a bit, just until the others who wants to practice comes.

And you were there to hold a leash if they’re being stubborn or something.

“This is the last, alright?” you scolded the two. “We shouldn’t bother the others who wants to practice here. And you should rest before the match.”

Thankfully the older man letting them had the court just one more time and you couldn’t help but feeling grateful of it. You sighed before turning to face former Coach Ukai and bowed down. “On their behalf, I apologize.”

“It’s fine.” Former Coach Ukai dismissed it. “Their eagerness is a great thing, but even eagerness isn’t going to magically give them energy. It would be bad if they burnt out even before the game started.”

“[Name]-san! Can you throw us the ball?” Hinata called out.

In the end, the two managed to successfully killed the quick–and sure enough, it also impressed former Coach Ukai which added more reassurance that your team would be more than okay to face the entire preliminaries and became champions.

[luimagines]

How about the Reader calling out the Chain by their shared name to gian the groups attention? What would their reactions be? If this takes place after they realise they love you, how would they act to the reader calling them their name and not their title? Hope this isn't too much!Just curious about your input.

Masterlist

Let me tell you that I got excited to do this one!

I personally head canon that reader calls them Link when they're alone with them. Because it's still their name regardless but it wouldn't be fair to the others. Not to mention confusing if it slipped out.

But with the idea I came up with for this one?

Works out just fine. Hehehe

I wanted it to be after they realized they loved you like you said but as I started writing this I had to focus more on the action instead but I hope this is ok. It’s implied that they like you- or at least I tried to imply that. Who knows if it actually got across or not.

Let me know what you think!

Boys under the cut! Reader is right below!

***

The forest was quiet.

Really quiet.

It was the kind of quiet that naturally set the group on edge for any possible ambush attacks as your traversed through the green and you all tried to keep your ears open for anything that would have given your invisible enemies away.

It was paranoia at it's finest.

But that was fine. You were fine. The group was fine. You all just had to be quiet for a little longer until you all reached the end of the forest and could breath a little better.

At least that's what you were telling yourself.

For a moment you could see a clearing, thinking it was the out- you remember how nice it was to finally some of the sunlight with the leaves and branches blocking it.

Letting your guard down for the fraction of a moment was admittedly your first mistake.

Your second mistake was not immediately whipping your shield over your head to block the blows when you heard the familiar twang of a bow string.

Multiple arrows hit your group all at once. Like an avalanche of piercing blows raining down upon your group. Most of them avoided getting hit- thankfully- and were quick to spring into action.

You saw Wild take a shot and you were sure that Warrior was shot as well but you were too preoccupied with the protruding sticks in your leg and shoulder blade to take account of any more injuries your boys may have sustained.

This wasn't ideal but you could still move and you could still fight. You had a potion in your bag that hung by your hip and you were prepared to take more damage now that the fight had commenced.

When the raining arrows dispersed, the group scattered to take down the approaching monsters.

You were no exception.

With your sword now in hand and shield properly equipped, you ran toward the first of the lizalfos that broke the tree line.

You cut it down as fast as your injuries would have allowed you and you spun around as a second one dashed by your side, hoping to cut in a blind spot.

For every monster that you felled, another came to take its place and it kept you stuck in one area, unable to disengage and help your friends as you heard struggle with their own hoard of monsters.

Suddenly a piercing, sharp and throbbing pain entered your hand and you drop your sword at the contact. You're forced to jump away from an opportunistic swing and you looking down to see how an arrow has gone completely through your hand.

Not only have you lost your sword, your main hand is out of the question as well and there's not much you can do to assist or fight back in this state. There's still two lizalfos in front of you and it's not hard to gather that they know you're vulnerable now.

It's not looking well for you.

Somehow, this massive roar, from a beast you've never heard before, thunders through the forest. It's close to you and you can hear it approaching.

The monstrous call sends the two lizalfos away from you and you take a breath before trying to find the quickest get away point to avoid getting any more hurt than you already are.

But then you see it.

The origin of the call and your feet freeze mid step.

It's massive and you have no idea what it is.

It has the body of a horse with black and white stripes colored all around it's whole being. It had arms like a man and a head like a lion's and it's coming right for you.

You start running away and somehow snap the arrow from your hand from the long side so only the flint head is left. It send another electrifying shock up your arm and you cry out from the pain. The pain is enough to nearly trip you over and from your periphery you see the beast raise it's arm and twirl a weapon from it's hand. It's spinning too fast for you to properly see what to is but it's also massive and looks heavy and he's about two seconds from throwing it in your direction.

You're forced to keep running.

"I need help!" You scream and take a sharp left to try and throw off his aim. It doesn't work from what you can hear behind you. "I'm gonna die!"

No one answers your call.

In fact, you don't see any of them anymore. If you paused for a moment and tried to hear past the blood pounding in your ears you know you'd probably hear them fighting. But you can't, so you don't and you feel the absolute horror of your situation dawn on you and freeze your veins.

"HELP!" You scream again, trying to take as many turns as you can.

You're getting tired.

"Someone help!"

Someone! Anyone!

The thundering gallops of the beast has stopped but you can still hear it's spinning weapon. Actually it sounds likes it's-

"LINK HELP ME!"

A rope hit the center of your body and the weights you thought you saw wrap around you in both directions, tying your arms and legs together roughly and tight enough that you know it's cut off circulation.

You feel a weight travel upwards before you hit the ground and can barely feel the hit on your head when it runs out of rope.

Your world goes black.

Wind

Wind was lucky enough to not get hit at all when the attack first came.

He sees Wild get back up and rip his arrow out of his torso and Warrior takes the arrow out of his tunic in a similar manner, not actually getting pierced by it.

Wind feels the adrenaline begin to kick in the second the monsters break the tree line.

Everyone scatters to take the creatures down and he’s no exception.

The monsters seem to be normal this time around and he’s glad. He takes a second to take a deep breath and scans the horizon trying to figure out exactly where everyone went.

Time and Twilight are close to each other, fighting nearly back to back as they takes down all the monsters around them in quick succession.

Legend and Hyrule are behind him, not fighting together but near enough where they’re in each others line of sight. 

He doesn’t know where Wild went off to and he can’t see Warrior even if he hears him grit out his frustrations just beyond the tree line.

Sky and Four and also no where to be found and he has to stop what he’s doing when the next monsters jump at him.

Suddenly a new monster roars and it’s not one Wind is familiar with. He’s beginning to feel the nerves of the battle sink in and he hopes that the others have enough experience under their belt to deal with the new threat on the field because he doubts he can do anything about it.

“HELP!”

That’s you. 

Wind glances over his shoulder and sees nothing. He gulps and tries to finish off the bokoblin as fast as he can to get to you. With a quick prayer, he hopes that the new creature isn’t anywhere near you and that this battle ends faster than usual.

“Someone help me!″ You cry again and Wind grits his teeth, striking the bokoblin as hard as he can. With a familiar cloud of purple smoke surrounding him, he dashes in your general direction.

“LINK HELP ME!”

Wind slows to stop despite his better judgment- completely being overtaken by the frozen fear in his veins.

You’re asking for him. He needs to help you. He doesn’t know where you are. He doesn’t know where to start. He doesn’t know how he’s going to do this.

He sees Wild dash off faster than what should be possible into the forest and somehow finds it within himself to follow him.

Hyrule and Legend are quick to follow the trail to where the monster has to be and pass him in no time.

What he sees freezes him a second time. 

Wild on top of the monsters back- something that Wind has never seen before- you’re trapped and captured, completely wrapped up in rope and blood and there’s something- multiple somethings- sticking out of your body.

Legend doesn’t hesitate to break out of his funk first and blast the creature with his magic rod to hell and back.

Hyrule follows his lead and attacks the beast with a flaming spin attack, aiming for the monsters knees and underbelly.

But you’re not moving through all of this.

In fact, it looks like you’re not reacting at all.

You’re completely unconscious.

Wind takes a breath and grips the hilt of his sword tighter. He knows that you’re both young- but seeing you held up, bloody and wounded, like a flag over the monster’s weapon- makes him see- if only for a moment- how young you really are.

And he’s pissed.

Wind charges the monster without any second thought and goes for the same tactic that Hyrule had. Getting on his knees, he slides under the beast and cuts the entirety of the underbelly. With the four of them attacking the monster, Wind hopes that they can get you the help that you clearly need.

It still drags on though and Wind is in a bit of a loss at what to do make it end faster.

You’re bleeding.

You’re hurt.

You could be dying.

He couldn’t get to you in time.

He grits his teeth and attacks with more ferocity- as much ferocity that he can muster and tries to go as deep and damaging as he can.

He loses himself in the movements and the battle. He forgets about Wild- about Legend- about Hyrule- and when the monster finally dies- it catches him off guard.

But the universe seems to want to do him a favor.

He’s right under you and you fall on top of him and into his arms. He places you as gently as he can onto the forest floor and slips his blade under the ropes, snapping it upwards to cut them. With the pressure gone, he works on getting you out of there.

Hyrule at some point ends up next to him and takes out your multiple arrow shots, healing you as he goes.

But there’s more damage to undo than Hyrule is capable of healing.

Wind looks over you and tries to look over your person without moving your body wrong and injuring you further. He sees your bag and opens it, reaching his hand inside to pull out the potion you were saving.

He feels like he could cry but he’s not entirely sure what causing it.

Wind uncorks it and begins to administer the potion over your wounds just as Wild unleashes a fairy over you.

Both begin to work their magic and Legend takes it upon himself to pull Hyrule away before he passes out.

“What was that thing?” Wind blurts, watching you intensely for any change in your demeanor.

“A lynel.” Wild replies. “A strong one too. Are you hurt Wind?”

“No. I’m ok.” Wind clenches his hands against his pants.

After a minute of waiting, the fairy leaves, doing all that she can for you and heading the other way.

He can’t see the potion outwardly fix anything else and Hyrule’s magic has been tapped out.

They’ve used all that they can the heal you and yet you’re still not waking up.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees Legend pull Hyrule away from you entirely- trying to keep him from healing you further and risk passing out. It annoys Wind because he wants to see you be better but he takes one breath to calm the pounding in his ears and he can still hear the others fighting.

“Wind.” Wild says. “Stay with them, ok? Be with them when they wake up.”

“Alright.” Wind moves closer to your side and crushes your hair out of your face. “Go help the others. We’ll be here.”

Wild pauses but nods and ushers Legend and Hyrule away- leading them back into the fray to help the others with the last of the monsters.

Your clothes are bloody and caked and beginning to harder because of it.

But you groan.

Wind lets the tears fall from his face and collapses onto your chest. 

“Link?” You ask and raise your hand to drop it onto the head of the person.

“I’m here.” Wind’s voice cracks but he doesn’t pay attention to it.

“Oh Wind...” You pat him. “Good. Good. You’re here. You came.”

Wind thinks to the amount of time he’s wasted just standing by in a panic but doesn’t let you know that.

“I came.”

“Everything hurts Wind.” You whimper. “Did I almost die?”

“Don’t say that.” He snaps. “You’re fine. Ok?”

“Ok.”

“Good.” He looks up at you. “You’re going to be ok. I promise”

“Ok.” You close your eyes and keep your hand on his shoulder. “I trust you.”

He’s gonna leave your side for a while.

Legend

Despite the monsters around them and the arrows that have pierced the group in multiple ways, Legend was sure that this wouldn’t last very long.

But then he hears the unmistakable roar of a lynel.

Which isn’t... ideal but nothing the group (or himself) hasn’t handled before.

It was a bit harder now but again- shouldn’t last long.

“I’m gonna die!”

Legend whips his head in your direction. The words to tell you to stop being dramatic right on the tip on his tongue until he realizes that he doesn’t see you.

Which means that you’re farther away than he thought.

Which means you’re also a lot louder than he thought.

Which means- well- you mean it.

Legend doesn’t think twice.

He kills the monster in front of him with a solid swing and b-lines toward you- fully intent on coming to your rescue.

 “HELP!”

To his left he sees the lynel and stops dead in his tracks. He didn’t realize it was as close as it was, not can he figure out what happening exactly but-

“LINK HELP ME!”

It’s in the same direction the lynel went in.

The lynel is heading in your direction.

And you’re already in trouble.

Legend doesn’t hesitate to activate his peagsus boots and charges after the monster. The moment he catches up, he swings his blade deep into the beast’s side and watches in horror, as it turns to face him and holds your bloodied body up high and laughs.

Or at least the lynel equivalent to a laugh.

Guilt rips through Legend’s system and he’s forced to grit his teeth and bare it. Your hits look bad and he’s at fault for not reaching you sooner.

He trades his sword for his magic rod and fires everything he can at the monster, trying his hardest to both keep his distance and avoid hitting you.

It’s instantly not looking good.

Legend is tiring out quicker than he thought he would and the monster doesn’t look any worse off than when he started this song and dance.

Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, Wild comes charging in with his flame blade and spin attacks against its knees.

The lynel buckles for a moment and Legend takes a risk.

He fires at the monster’s paw where you’re being held and watches as the ropes around you catch the flame. You drop in seconds and Legend dashes to get you out of the way- not seeing or hearing Hyrule run up behind him and take his place in firing against the lynel.

Legend grabs you and drags you across the battle field, trying to shield you with his own body and hide you against the surrounding bushes so that the lynel doesn’t think of going after you again.

He reaches in your pocket where he know you stash your potions and prays that it’s there.

When he finds it, he doesn’t waste any time in getting to work its magic on you. He tries to take stock on your injuries. the arrow in your hand, your back and your leg. The massive hit on your head and the multiple cuts you’ve gained just by existing in this point in time and your previous fights.

Your clothes are a little singed thanks to him but the flame hadn’t actually touched you.

Legend breaths a sigh of relief.

One less thing to worry about.

He... doesn’t have any other potions and he wasn’t the one to carry the fairies this time around. There’s little else he can do on his own now. Hyrule can come can heal you and the idea kicks him into high gear.

He stands. “HYRULE!”

“WHAT?!” The Traveler snaps back.

“Heal them!” He may be begging a little in his voice. “This is bad!”

Hyrule pauses momentarily and jumps out of the way of the lynel’s back swing. “Take over.”

Legend nods and jumps back into the fight. Wild had been holding his own, somehow managing to get on the back of the beast and strike it where he couldn’t fight back. Unfortunately it moves the lynel to buck and kick wildly, not giving Legend any chance to get closer to attack without the risk of injuring himself in the process as well.

But he’s pretty tapped for magic as well... 

Screw it.

It hurt you.

Nearly killed you.

It has to pay.

Legend takes his sword and spins it in his hand. He takes a steadying gulp of air and moves in.

At first it’s a lot of dodging flying limbs and simply nicking it where he can. 

But Legend begins to get impatient and the monster doesn’t go down in the burning heap of flame and destruction Legend wants it to.

So he decides to take a page out of Wild’s book.

With a hard kick to the creature’s belly, Legend grabs a fist full of its mane and hoists himself on the side. Wild has done some damage on the monster’s back but it’s still fighting and doesn’t seem to be going down with that alone. Legend takes his sword on one hand angles it to properly plunge the blade between the lynel’s shoulder and neck.

He puts his whole weight onto it and nearly pushes Wild off of the monster in the process of trying to go as deep and damaging as he can.

He pulls it out and strikes it again in a similar manner.

And again and again.

And again.

And again.

It’s still not enough.

Legend roars himself as his rage and anger fully encompasses him.

He drops his blade off of the side of the beast- not intentionally- and grabs his magic rod once more.

His magic has replenished itself somewhat but it’s not enough- he knows this- he doesn’t care.

With a battle cry harsh enough to scare even the mightiest of warriors, he fires all that he can at the lynel’s head and doesn’t stop.

Soon- perhaps too soon for Legend’s anger to be satiated- the monster finally collapses for good and disappears into the familiar purple smoke.

Both Wild and Legend fall to the ground without the body to hold them any more, Wild with a little more fan fare than Legend.

With reason.

Legend sees you beyond the smoke and he can somewhat register Wild shaking his shoulder to get his attention and his attempts to get him back onto his feet but it’s all in vain.

Legend passes out.

Hyrule

“LINK HELP ME!”

Hyrule’s heart freezes in place and he whips around to where he hears the call.

It’s your voice, he knows it anywhere but it’s never been a source of panic for him. So this is new. You almost never use his name, their name, the name and in any other situation he would think of you trying to get the groups attention but-

He didn’t even think it was possible for you to sound like that. 

So panicked and shrill, borderline a blood curdling scream followed by silence.

His blood goes cold and he thinks you’re calling for him... And he’s not there to help you...

He doesn’t know where you are or where to begin looking for you but he ditches the fight in front of him and sprints to where he can only assume you are. Hyrule tries to be as light on his feet as he can, pushing himself to the fastest he can be without tripping over himself and eating the dirt.

He reaches the clearing once again, where the attack started and gulps down as much air as he can manage.

He doesn’t see you. 

Sheer unadulterated terror grips his whole body and he runs to where he thinks he saw you go.

He calls your name and takes a look around the clearing, trying to see through the trees and the foliage to no avail.

“No...” He whines and gulps again to clear his throat. “Where are you? Don’t do this to me, please.”

Hyrule takes off running again, trying to retrace their steps and get to where he thinks the tracks lead you but he’s not making a lot of progress.

There’s a second roar.

He heard the first one but he wasn’t in a position to do something about it until you called for him. It’s his only hint and he runs toward the sound without thinking ahead if only to help you in your time of need.

Hyrule breaks through the tree line and nearly runs face first into the side of the weirdest colored lynel he’s ever seen. He takes only one second to compose himself before he charges up his magic and unleashes his fire spell, spinning against the beast and cutting into it as much as he can. 

In the time it takes for the spell to die out, Hyrule can here Wild join the fray and see him just beyond his flying hair line, as he jumps on top of the beast and begins hacking away.

“This from your Hyrule?” He yells up at his companion.

“One of the strongest there is!” Wild yells back. He screams your name a second later and pulls at the beasts mane in fury. “It has them! They’re unconscious! Oh my god, that’s a lot of blood...”

Hyrule blinks and runs around the beast, avoiding all the flying hooves as it attempts to buck Wild off of it’s back.

He almost sobs when he sees you.

You look awful.

There’s a unmistakable arrow through your hand, one in your back and one in your leg and your back is covered in blood. By the looks of it your hands are beginning to turn purple and the ropes appear to be strangling every inch against you.

You are also, very much unconscious.

He missed it. He didn’t to you on time.

BUT he can still get you out- he can still heal you- he just needs to get you away.

He takes a few steps backs, doing all that he can to aim this right if the monster would stop moving for just a second.

Out of the corner of his eye, just as he launches the astral sword, he sees it. 

A shadow.

His sword flies through the air and impales the beast in the wrist that holds you captive but it’s not enough to let you go. Granted, Hyrule’s a little glad that it didn’t since he only now realizes that if you were to fall, there’s no one to pull you out of the way and away from the hooves.

But the grip loosens somewhat and you’re beginning to be lowered to the ground without the monsters consent.

It’s a start.

The shadow for its part rushes forward and past him, sinking into the massive shadow of the beast. Nothing appears on it’s back where Wild hold on with wild abandon but it shows on its back on the forest floor.

Hyrule runs toward you, and manages to get a grip on the ropes around you before your ripped away with the monster’s backswing.

The momentum knocks him off of his feet and he watches as Legend comes up next to him at fires his magic rod at the monster’s head.

He sees the shadow get up, as if it was riding the lynel and takes a long and thin line, ramming it into the lynel head’s shadow. The beast howls and yells as if the injury was real and Wild is finally forced to jump off as well unless he was taken down as well. In its agony, the beast lets go of the the ropes holding you and you flop uselessly on the ground where you land.

With his heart in his throat, Hyrule runs toward you, grips your shoulder and tries to pull you away from the beast and the fight.

He can see it, the shadow, fighting where the monster cannot reach.

Legend and Wild are quick to join him, letting the lynel deal with the problem on its own and the three of them take care of your injuries. Wild is quick to deal with the multiple arrows while Legend cuts off the rope restraints around you.

Hyrule doesn’t know where they planned on taking you- but he’s never known monsters outside of his Hyrule to try and take captives.

He can’t fathom why they would want you.

As soon as Legend gets all the ropes cut they scramble to get the pressure off of you and Hyrule doesn’t hesitate to let the flow of magic go through him.

Between his astral sword and his flame attack, he’s beginning to feel a little drained but he can’t afford to let himself slip. He can feel the multiple cracks and dents and damage done to your skull from the hit it had taken and he’s afraid of what it might mean when you wake up... if you wake up... please please please wake up...

Hyrule gets jolted back to reality when he feel Legend’s hand on shoulder, violently shaking him. It was enough that it startled him into stopping the spell and Hyrule’s head clears a little. “Wild has a fairy- slow down.”

“I have to-” He gulps and tries to get the flow of magic going again. “I have to make sure they’re ok. They got hurt so bad Legend- I can’t-”

“But don’t kill yourself trying to fix them! We still need you too!” Legend shakes him again and pulls him away, creating the window Wild needed to take over and uncork the fairy bottle.

Hyrule whines and he barely registers your name leave his leaves.

The sounds of battle continue in the distance and the trio (well, Legend and Wild) are reminded that there still monsters about and friends that could very well also need help.

“Hyrule, get them out of here.” Legend stands and grips his sword in his hand. “And no more magic. Just wait for us to finish and get them to some place safe.”

“Ok.” He gulps and he gently tries to place his hands under your head.

Hyrule moves slowly and unsurely. His head feels light and he knows he may have over did it. He tries not to let Wild or Legend see it but if he’s being honest with himself then he can say that Legend can read him like an open book and he’s a horrible actor.

He tries to stand and misplaces his step but shoves Wild when he goes in to help him. With his other arm, he hooks your knees and picks you up with added help of his power bracelet. 

He’s tired now.

“Got any idea of where I can go?”

Legend and Wild hiss and share a look. Hyrule turns around and sees the shadow hop away from the now dead body of the lynel before merging with his own. Hyrule’s heart stops momentarily before it points to the direction just beyond him. 

He doesn’t saying anything and follows its lead, trying to get from his friends as fast as he can and into the safety that only distance can provide right now.

He’s never seen a shadow quite like this one before but if it’s concerned about your well being then he’ll let it slide for now. Maybe the others will know something about it when he asks them later?

Right now, he needs to not trip and pass out and he needs to take care of you.

He thinks he can manage that.

Sky

Sky didn't know what to think about the forest around him. It seemed to be just as the same as all the others but there was admittedly something in the air here and he didn't know how to make heads or tails of it.

Suddenly it all goes still and he's quick to pull his shield over his head and duck down. He hears some of his comrades cry from the unexpected shots that rain over them but he focuses on you and how you've been hit.

He doesn't have the time to register anything else before his muscle memory throws him into a fight and he's forced to strike any and all lizafos in his path.

He knows the group can hold their own, he knows that you can hold your own- so he's hoping that your hits were only minor.

He fights as he normally would and is pleasantly surprised by the ease of it. If only if it weren't for their sheer numbers that comes against them.

But then he hears the roar.

It takes a second to get past the initial panic of uncertainty- it's not a call from any monster from his Hyrule and there's nothing substantial that he can compare it to.

But he's traveling with this group for a while and he now knows what it is even if it's a little later than his instincts should have figured it out.

A lynel.

He take a large breath to replenish himself and turns around from the newest fallen monster.

Someone is going to have to go deal with it.

He hopes it's not him.

But then he hears you scream.

You're too far away to make out what you're saying but it's frantic and fearful.

Sky wastes no time in running in your direction and trying to make it to your side before anything happens to you.

"Someone help me!" He hears you cry.

He pushes himself faster.

"LINK HELP ME!"

He trips on a root.

Flashbacks take over his mind momentarily before he pushes himself up and begins to feel his heart pounding faster than any fight driven adrenaline could provide. He can't fail to save someone a second time.

His breathing is beginning to feel labored but he can't risk this.

Sky gulps whatever air he can afford to take and begins running.

The lynel from the before roars in victory just as Sky breaks through the tree line.

It's worse than he could have.

Not only did you clearly take multiple shots from the earlier strike but they've somehow captured you with a rope that looks too tight to be without consequence and as you swing from the motion of being picked up, Sky catches a glimpse of the back of your head, where one of the weights rests.

Blood.

Sky feels his hands clench and he raises the Master Sword skyward instinctively, calling upon the holy beam to fire it at the beast.

It does the damage but the beast doesn't go down.

Nor does it let you go.

Enraged and without much forethought, Sky charges and does not hesitate to strike when the beast is still trying to recover from the blow.

Sky strikes against the beast's back to keep on the ground for a moment longer before slicing off the hand that holds you. It falls to the ground with a subtle thump before the monster manages to snap beyond the pain and jump away from him.

The blood falls from the wound like a down pour and lynel roars again in pure anger and hatred, glaring directly at Sky for the audacity to strike against it.

Sky couldn't care less, in fact he welcomes it.

He's quick to jump over your body and place himself between you and monster, rage fueling him beyond every breath he takes.

The lynel jumps and reaches for its own sword now that it's been limited to one armed weapons.

Sky raises his blade skyward for another beam and watches in satisfaction as the beast fails to block it and takes the full damage.

Wild jumps into the fray and fires what he can at the lynel before turning to Sky. He takes a moment and pauses, glancing at the disembodied paw, the blood, the massively harmed lynel and eventually spots you as you lay on the forest floor.

"Get them the help they need." Sky snaps at Wild before he can question anything. "Leave this one to me."

"How did you even manage this?" Wild drops his bow and takes out a knife, cutting away the ropes that bind you.

"Holy blade."

The lynel roars again and stands to face Sky head on once more.

But it's injured before it can even try.

Legend and Hyrule come out of the woodwork and fire at it with all the magic they both can produce in a flurry of blows.

Sky can feel the beginning's of relief seep into his system and it alerts him to how tired and spent he really is- enough so that he knows that if he continues to push it, he might not be able to breath properly for a while.

But he can't bring himself to care, you're still hurt and the monster that caused it is still standing.

He can go on a little longer.

Just a little longer.

He grits his teeth and charges while the lynel is distracted, slicing across it's shoulder blade and using the momentum and purchase he finds when the blade gets caught on the bone to heave himself onto the monster's back.

The lynel can not longer stand and falls to its knees, weakened further more by Legend and Hyrule's efforts.

When Sky feels the lynel shift forward, he thrust the Master Sword in front of him and pierces it through the head, growling animalistically when he sees the blade come out the other side.

The monsters explodes in a familiar purple smoke and he braces himself as his feet hit the ground.

With a gulp, he holds his breath and runs back to you with Hyrule and Legend close by.

It appears that Wild had given you a potion (or three) and was trying to get you to slowly sit up. Arrows gone.

"Ow... My everything hurts." You sob and try to keep from moving.

Sky collapses next to you and lands harshly on his knees. "Oh thank Hylia you're alive."

"Hey Sky." You try and move your arms and eventually settle for entangling your finger into the back of your head. "Oh, ok, ouch, that's worse. What happened? What was that thing?"

"Lynel." Hyrule moves to your other side and lets his magic flow through his fingers. "The big horse like cat thing? We call them lynels. Tough to fight and to beat. They are typically to be avoided."

You sigh in relief from his healing spell and Sky narrowly avoids doing the same thing.

"I hate them." You mutter

Sky coughs up a laugh and tries to hide from the others how much he's actually spent- you need more attention right now. "We all do."

"Is it dead?"

"Sky made sure of it." Legend juts his thumb in his direction and the way you blink and look his way, makes Sky feel more bashful than he should.

"But it was huge!"

"Well Sky was pissed so safe to say it didn't matter."

"Legend." He says in warning.

"You know I'm right." Legend smirks.

"Are there still monsters?" You sit up fully now and shake some of limb free from whatever you must be feeling.

"Technically " Wild hisses. "But you're done. Hyrule, Legend, let's go get the others. Sky, make sure they don't go back in the fight."

The you're no good to fight either does not go unnoticed in Sky's eyes.

"Fine." He spits and sits a little closer to you.

The other three run off back into the forest and away from the two of you.

"I'm sorry." Sky blurts.

"For what?" You tilt your head. "You killed the thing, right?"

"Yeah but-"

"Then there's nothing else to do."

"I didn't- I wasn't fast enough." Sky bite his lip and turns his head to look the trees instead of into your eyes. "This could have been avoided entirely."

"No offence but I doubt that." You roll your eyes and rest your head on his shoulder.

Sky stiffens at the contact and chances a glance in your direction.

"I'm tired."

"Time will kill us if he finds us both asleep." Sky mutters, even if the idea is really tempting right now.

"I think we've earned it." You reply. "Time can bite me. I like... almost died... I think I should nap time compensation."

Sky wraps his arm around you before he can chicken out and tries not to think to much on your second sentence. "You sleep then. I'll keep a look out for more monsters."

"You'll protect me?"

"With my life."

Time

Time was quick to pull out his sword and shield, taking refuge behind it as the arrows rained down upon him and the group.

He saw Wild take a shot in his side and he heard Warrior curse under breath as he drew out his own weapons.

Time took a breath and charge at the first monster who was brave enough to show its face. He trusts the boys to take care of the hoard as they approach and continues to fight. Somehow, the group disperses and they're not back to back anymore.

He's not sure if it's a good or bad thing just yet.

Somewhere in the distance he hears you shout and out of concern, Time buys himself enough to look behind him by kicking the monster in front of him in the chest and sends him flying.

Time doesn't see you.

Time grits his teeth and tries to finish the beast in front of him as fast as he can because that cry... did not sound good.

Time hears a thunderous roar and feel his blood go cold.

It's not native to his time or Hyrule but he's seen one from his time on this journey, he can recognize it now, and he knows this is trouble.

A lynel.

He turns to try and find where it's coming from but there's too many lizalfos and bokoblins for him to deal with before he can go anywhere else.

His blood in pounding in his ears and it's hard for him to hear anything beside it and his own laboring breaths.

He can hear the creature arrive in the middle of battle, sees it in his periphery and he tries his hardest to disengage to go deal with the higher threat.

"HELP!"

It's you.

Time's heart plummets and he runs from his fight into your direction, hoping to get there in time.

But he doesn't know where you are and the monsters are still running rampant.

"LINK HELP ME!"

Ice is dunked over him and there no way to prepare his for the absolute terror that courses through his veins when he hears your voice nearly tear your throat apart. It's enough of a shock that he actually comes to a dead stop not willing to accept the reality of what just happened.

He's never heard you scream like that.

Not to mention that you're calling him and are crying for him to come to your rescue. He can't fail you.

He run, sprints and tackles anything that tries to get in his way. He sees the lynel throw its weapon and turns his head just in time for it make contact with you.

It wraps around you in a practiced and fluid motion and he can see one of the weight hit you in the head.

You fall and lynel runs toward you, picks you up by the rope and holds your now unconscious body up in the air like a trophy before it turns around to run away.

"NO!" Time gives chase and shoots the beast by its knees to get its attention. "GIVE THEM BACK!"

The lynel doesn't seem to be at all effected by the shots but it does turn around to see what the deal is.

Time keeps running toward it. He's not entirely sure how he's going to take this behemoth down but it has you, has hurt you and now it has to pay.

Again, not that he has any idea of how to do that.

Luckily, he's not the only one who heard your call and Wild wastes no time on jumping on top of the monster and begin attacking it from behind. Time's sure that Twilight would have something to say about that later but he'll let the cub have this one if he succeeds.

Hyrule and Legend come out of the woodwork nearly at the same time, each firing their respected types of magic at the beast.

Time's heart plummets again when they come close to hitting you.

"CAREFUL!" He shouts without any restraint in his voice.

Time is terrified for you and admittedly... he's a bit at loss at what to do.

But he refuses to stand by and do nothing.

With Wild and Legend attacking what they can, Time follows Hyrule example by taking out his sword and begins hacking away at the beast.

He trying to avoid anything having to do with your side and even slides under the beast with his blade held high, slicing the entire underside of the creature.

This one is stronger than Time remembers them being and only vaguely recalls when Wild mentioned about their colors having meaning. All he knows is that he needs to get you out of here and fast.

The window of opportunity opens just a sliver and Time forces his hands in to rip it open all the way.

The lynel refuses to let go of you even as it's fighting against the boys and trying to trample Time as he thinks.

In one solid movement he arcs his sword behind you as you swing down and he cuts the lynel's hand up to the wrist. The beast lets you go out of shock and Time dives toward you as you fall.

He catches you and rolls, crying in anguish when he gets a bruising kick to his back.

Even if he's almost certain that his back should have been broken by that kick, he rolls away from the fight even more, fighting the weights off of you to free you from the ropes.

"Are they ok?" Hyrule shouts from the sidelines.

"NO!" He shouts back without much thought, focusing more on how the blood, your blood covers almost the entirety of your back and how your hands have begun to turn a little purple.

"Head injury and circulation has been cut off from multiple limbs! Three separate arrows in their back, leg and hand." Time shouts and tosses his weapon to the side. He takes out his last fairy and uncorks the bottle, letting fly over you and begins to work on taking out the arrow while you're unconscious, only marginally hoping you won't wake in the middle of it if only to avoid the pain.

He's more than upset with himself.

Not only is your life in danger right now and he can't immediately fix the problem, but he didn't even know you got hit in the initial contact. Time begins to blame himself even if he knows it's stupid and tries to project his feels to the real culprits.

You don't appear to be waking up any time soon and Time feels an all encompassing rage descend over him.

He stands and picks up his weapon, turning to the beast as the boys are begin being flung away from it.

He moves his arm in a circle, trying to loosen up his muscles before he attacks.

He takes a breath.

And he charges.

He manages to get in the monsters blind spot and impales his blade deep with its side.

The lynel roars and turns to face him, but Time keeps his grip on his sword and is pulled in the spin instead. As the monster realizes that Time is still where he can't reach keep, it keep turning, jumping and bucking to get Time away from it but he holds on.

As the beast tires itself out, Wild comes back and fires a well aimed arrow in the lynel's eyes and it bursts into a blue cloud and out of existence.

Time growls at the lack of action and instead throws his weapon at the nearest monster that comes through. It bursts into another cloud on impact and Time finds that it still doesn't quell his absolute rage.

"Link..." He hears you groan.

Time turns around and catches you attempting to sit up with Legend's and Hyrule's help. Hyrule has his spell flowing from his fingers over your form and you blink away what confusion you can.

"Where am I? What happened?" You place your hand to the back of your head and gulp. "Is everyone ok?"

Time sighs in relief, his anger almost dissipating on sight.

"Hold on. What's your name?" Legend places a hand on your shoulder.

You answer.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Hyrule raises up three fingers.

"Se-seven." You frown and squint. "That's not right."

"No. No it's not." Hyrule sighs. "That's it for today then, right? They've got a pretty bad concussion. We need to keep them awake for a while. Arrow wounds seemed to have healed nicely though."

"Anyone have a potion?" Legend yells into the atmosphere.

"Some of us are still fighting!" Four shouts back.

"Help the others." Time says. "I'll get them out of here. I already used my fairy on them so anything else may have to wait."

"You already used a fairy?"

He nods.

"Time..." You look up at him. "Where were you?"

Your words strike him through the heart and he kneels next to you, trying not to look you in the eye and burst into tears.

"Time?"

He picks you up without another word and nods towards Hyrule and Legend.

They take the hint and run back towards whatever fighting is still happening.

"Are you ok?" You place a hand against Time's cheek. "I thought I heard you but you were really far away."

"I'm fine." Time answers, gripping you a little tighter against him.

He's not fine.

But he's gong to make this up to you. He swears it.

Four

Four was stuck in his own head when the attack happened.

He was lucky enough that he only received a quick cut to his cheek before his instincts kicked in and pulled his shield over his head.

He heard multiple people around him grunt but was immediately throw across the field by a lizalfos kick to his chest.

Four pulls his sword from behind him and wasted not time to strike back.

There was no more time or opportunity to even think as he was quickly swarmed by the hoard of monsters. Four has at least four monsters in top of him, trying to knock him down to size and keep him on the ground but Four wasn't going to go down so easily.

Wind comes up from the side and knocks two of them down from behind, giving him a quick wink as he rushes to fight against the bokoblins that have entered the scene.

Delighted by the help, Four does a spin attack to knock the other two down when he hears something that makes his blood go cold.

A roar.

A monstrous being has now entered the battlefield and Four hopes that he can help knock out the lesser monster while the others take on the lynel.

Four makes the executive decision to leave it to the more experienced of the group to take care of it. He can work on lessening the numbers so that they can concentrate on the larger one.

But then he hears something that makes his blood go cold.

"Someone help me!"

It's you.

You're panicking.

You're in trouble.

Four takes a breath and moves his head around his immediate area. He tries to calm his heart before he all but spirals into a panic so that he could properly help you.

Where are you?

"LINK HELP ME!"

What was once ice turns to stone in his veins instead before he dashes in your direction.

Forget the monsters right now.

You need help.

You called for him.

All previous thought of taking this with well calculated decisions vanishes out of the proverbial window.

Any thought of taking calmly has gone out the proverbial window.

It's just the thought of you in danger, waiting on him to rescue you.

His coarse takes him right in the path of the lynel.

He sees you, captured and held high like some victory trophy and absolutely coated in what can only be your own blood.

Four makes the downright stupid decision with all wild abandon to throw his sword as hard as he can at the monsters face.

It makes contact and sinks deep.

But it doesn't kill the creature.

When the creature doesn't let go of you either, Four is nearly shaking with the amount of restrained fury he has yet to release.

While the beast in injured, he sees Wild come up from the tree line and fire multiple shots right where his sword is, making hit after hit and the creature jumps back-

Right into Hyrule and his flaming spin attack.

Four runs toward the lynel, no longer caring for his own safety and ignoring how he doesn't have another weapon out.

The one thing he does have though is his favorite pocket knife- so he decides once again to make a very stupid choice.

Time will have an aneurysm should he ever learn about this.

Four jumps from the creature's knee when it dips down and grips onto the mane to hoist himself up. In one swift movement, even as the creature has gone blind at this point and is constantly taking damage from both other boys, Four pulls his legs up and wraps them around the arm of the beast and climb up to where it's holding you.

He grips the rope with one hand and holds his knife with the other and begin to work his way through the material.

It takes a few panicked seconds but the rope is freed.

With one end still being held by the lynel, it spins you around until you hit the ground with a dull thud. Four drops after you as soon as he sees you're freed and manages to catch you somewhat from hitting the ground at full force- even if his plan was to use his body as a pillow.

His arms wrap around you instantly and together he rolls you away from the fight and away from the lynel's trampling hooves.

He gulps when he lets go of you, taking quick inventory over your injuries.

He's quick to reach into your pocket and pull out the healing potion he knows you have and opens it. Legend runs toward the two of you with a fairy in a bottle and tosses it in Four's direction.

The lynel is still standing to the side and Legend nods to Four before activating his pegasus boots and runs to help slay the monster.

Four takes out your arrows and lets the fairy go to heal your wounds in whatever way she can. He moves over and picks up your head when the fairy moves away, placing it into his lap and opens your mouth with his thumb on your chin.

Slowly, he pours the potion, being as careful as his shaking hands will allow to not choke you with it.

He feels stunned.

You were always on top of everything.

Always coming to their aid instead and always seeming to know what to do next. It's something he's always loved about you.

But the one time you need him them, where were they?

How did he they let you get so hurt?

"Am I dead?" You groan and Four will ever deny crying when you look up at him. "Oh, hi Four... did we die?"

He snorts, it's wet a little unbecoming of him but he doesn't care. "No, but you gave it your best shot."

"Huh..." You shift and are immediately met with all the injuries that haven't been healed yet. "OH! Oh no! Not dead! Defiantly not dead! I'm in too much pain to be dead!"

"I'm sorry." Four says out of habit.

"Not your fault." You groan and roll off of him. "Is the thing dead?"

Four looks up and sees that yes, in the time that he tending to you the trio had managed to kill the lynel.

"Yes."

"Good."

Wild then runs up to you both with a very familiar sword in his hand. "This is yours I believe."

Four stands and takes it before something can happen to the resident Champion. "Thank you."

"You have quite the arm." He comments. "That went deep."

"Four's super strong." You say in your pained delirium. "Like SUPER super strong. I bet he can pick you up."

"Ok, we need to get you out of here." Wild fights the smile that threatens to appear when Four blushes..

"Please." You whimper.

Four takes pity on you and picks you up as gently as he can manage. "The others are still fighting..."

"I'll let them know where you went." Wild winks and dashes off to finish the last of the monsters.

"Four?" You gulps and try to get as comfortable as you can. "Thank you."

"Every time. I promise."

Twilight

Twilight had a suspicion that something was going to happen the minute the forest had stilled of natural sound.

He gripped his sword and held his shield at the ready just in case.

A part of him felt a little silly but he knew better than to ignore the gut feeling. It came with his heightened senses and he wasn't about to toss away hard earned lessons because of falsified paranoia.

The attack came as he knew it would and he was quick to put his shield over his head, pulling Wind under him as well to avoid the barrage of arrows. Some of the others weren’t so lucky, he knew instantly by their calls of distress but was forced to fight the minute the monsters stepped into the light. There was no way for him to check how badly the others would have been hurt except for when he would eventually pass them on the battle field.

He lost himself in the motions- muscle memory doing most of the work in his case as he took down every lizalfos and bokoblin in his path.

Then he hears it.

The mistakable roar of a lynel.

He groans at the very thought of it. With more theatrics than he’s willing to admit, Twilight cuts down the monster in front of him and makes turns around to go fight the beast, leaving the lesser monsters to be dealt with by the group.

“I’m gonna die!” He hears you scream.

His heart stops and what was once a brisk jog turns into a full out sprint in your direction.

“HELP!” Your voice picks up in intensity and Twilight urges himself to go faster, to meet you before the beast can.

Twilight jumps over a line of bushes just in time to see you run down the trail- blood already trailing down your back and dripping off of your hand.

He sees the lynel stop for a moment before releasing its weapon.

“LINK HELP ME!” 

It makes contact and it stops you in your tracks, capturing your limbs together and causing you to fall. He runs over to in tandem with the monster but he’s not fast enough to catch the lynel while in full gallop.

While a scream tears through his throat, Twilight wishes momentarily that you were sticking near Epona at the start of all this (and therefore him) instead but he gives chase without much thought in any sort of plan to save you.

With a quick whistle he calls for his horse and she comes running without any hesitation. Twilight sets himself up during the run and jumps on Epona’s back. He’s quick to move and direct her after the monster and pull out his bow in favor of his sword.

His shots cause the monster to roar once more in fury and it stops to face the upcoming opponent.

Twilight growls with just as much intensity and keep firing, urging Epona to run around the beast, in a circle to avoid any full on hits. 

The lynel takes the blows with little thought and steps back, dropping you the process and charges at Twilight.

He’s not quick enough to get out of the way and is forced to jump off of Epona less she fall on top of him and crush him.

Epona does take the brunt hit of it and does in fact fall over. Twilight gets to his feet as fast as he can and takes his sword out again. While it takes a moment to breath from colliding into another creature, Twilight asses the damage.

Epona for her part gets up and dashes quickly off to the side and away from the monster. He knows that she’s hurt but with the lynel turning around to face him, and Twilight does not miss the way the lynel glances at you in the process, he doesn’t have time to go and check on her.

Instead he jumps in front of you and swings his blade with all his might at the offending creature as it makes it way over to you.

It howls in angers and does so once more when Legend comes flying in through the foliage and blasts the beast directly in its face with his magic rod.

It gives Twilight a window of opportunity and a bit of breathing room now that the lynel has changed targets... for now.

He spins on his heel and kneels by your side, cutting into the ropes that surround you and tear them away from your body. He gulps a bit at the multitude of arrows that protrude from your flesh and he idly wonders if it was from the first attack or from the battle field.

The lynel throws Legend off  of it and Twilight turns around once more to charge at the monster, using his own momentum against it to jump on its back as he stabs as his blade as deep as he can manage into the beast. The monster roars once more and begins to buck with Twilight holding on by the hilt of his blade and the mane of its fur. 

This is a familiar sensation to Twilight and he moves his body to compensate for the added motion to stay on.

From on top of the beast, he sees Hyrule and Wild join the fray and grins as feral as he’s willing to show as back arrives.

Wild is quick to follow his lead and jumps next to him as the monster bucks and also begins to whack the beast. Twilight manages to pull his blade out and repeats his earlier motion, urging his sword with all of his strength to go deeper and do more damage.

Luckily, Hyrule has spotted you and has rushed to your aid with Legend on his heels while the lynel is being handled.

Wild chitters angrily at the fact that lynel still stands and he hops off to begin firing as many explosive arrows as he can at the beast.

Never mind that Twilight is still there.

But he’s a good shot and Twilight focuses on staying on top and keeping his blade within the monster as it jumps back and back and it eventually cornered by a small cliff side.

For one moment everything stills, from either the creature tiring itself out or from Wild running out of bomb arrows but Twilight takes the moment for what it is and once again pulls his blade out.

With one final push, he plunges it back into the monster at a higher spot and feels only marginally satiated when he see the tip peak out on the other side of the lynel’s face.

It disappears into the typical purple cloud and Twilight narrowly misses a sharp rock on the way down. Wild runs to him and gives him a hand.

“Were you trying to blow me off?” He raises an eyebrow at the younger hero as he catches his breath.

“You stayed on didn’t you?” Wild pats him on the shoulder and gives him a once over. “You’re fine.”

“They’re not.” Twilight looks in your direction and runs over.

Luckily, Epona stands over you as well, relatively unharmed except for the few scratches on her side. Twilight sighs in relief at the sight of his horse still standing tall. He’ll have to go easy on her for a few days, maybe a few weeks but she’ll just fine after some tender loving care.

You on the other hand...

You groan and finally open your eyes by the time he reaches you. “I did not do so great that time.”

“Well at least you’re not dead.” Legend rolls his eyes and helps you sit up properly.

“What happened to...” You pause and look up at Twilight, concern and horror filtering over your face. “What one earth happened to you?”

He blinks and furrows his eyebrows. 

Then he looks down.

His pants are coated in the monster’s blood and it’s traveled all the way up to his naval- but that’s not what it looks like.

“Rancher, were you pissing blood or something?” Legend stares at him in the same amount- if not than a little more- horror as you were.

“Twilight...” You start and frown, only now looking between them all with a little more clarity in your eyes. “Did that thing cut off your-”

“It’s not my blood!” He’s quick to reassure you. “Not my blood.”

“Twilight took a lot of stabs to the creatures back.” Wild answers for him. “Since he was riding it then it drips onto the pants.”

“It does look like he needs to be checked though.” Hyrule bit his lip. “Are you alright?”

“A bit winded but more or less unharmed. You?” He wipes the sweat from his brow and tries to ignore the way his pants are beginning to dry.

“More or less the same.”

“Everything hurts.” You groan and flop back onto the earth. 

Twilight smiles slightly at the sight and takes a large calming breath. You’re going to be ok.

Warrior

“LINK HELP ME!”

Warrior’s blood goes cold.

Multiple instances of fallen soldiers and allies alike flash over him a cold panic and his feet move before he even has the chance to register what he’s trying to do or where he’s even going. 

There’s a recurring mantra in his head that circles around like sirens in the dead of night. 

He can’t be late. He can’t fail. It all falls on him. He has to win. He has to save them. He can’t lose.

He’s forced to duck down in a flurry of rushing limbs and flying fabric when he nearly crashes into the monster head on.

Warrior doesn’t hesitate to raise his sword and slash the underbelly of the beast, still lost in the programming of muscle memory. He only comes back into hiself and the present when- after a few minutes of fighting this things without much damage being done to it- Wild comes from behind and fires as many arrows as he can in quick succession.

The surroundings clear up a little more and Warrior rolls out of the way to not be stomped on.

He looks up with wide eyes and forces to get back onto his feet.

He’s not back in the war. There’s no army or fallen soldiers that are gasping out their final breaths.

Until he looks up.

Warrior sucks in a breath when he finally registers your hanging form. You’re soaked in your own blood and there’s arrows sticking out of you that clearly couldn’t be dealt with at the time. Not to mention the ropes around you have been turning your hands and fingers purple.

Legend joins in the time he’s been stuck staring at you and has begun to fire as much magic as he can at the beast. “WAKE UP PRETTY BOY! WE’RE NOT DONE HERE!”

Warrior snaps back into action- the anger that dripping into his system slowly gets him worked up into a frenzy. At first he merely attacks like he would any other monster because he doesn’t want to believe that you’ve been bested by this creature. Nor the possibility that you’re injured beyond repair. But the more he attacks and the more he’s focused on trying not to injure you further- he’s hitting harder, slashing deeper and aiming for any all vitals that he can reach.

Somehow, in his rage, he’s managed to get him under the lynel and spins his blade to slice the legs as many times as he can before the beast is forced to fall from the damage.

Warrior is so lost in himself that he never noticed Hyrule arrive and successfully get you away from the lynel.

Legend breaks away to help Hyrule with getting the rope and arrows away from your body- leaving the stronger lynel with Wild and Warrior. 

While the two of them get to work their magic on healing you, Warrior notices belatedly that there’s more free space to work with when fighting so he takes advantage of that.

But he miscalculates.

In one false move that Warrior tries to duck away from, a rogue hoof comes up when the creature tries to stand again and it nicks Warrior right above his eye, sending him flying away form the beast.

Warrior ignores the blood that’s pouring into his eye and gets up nearly as quickly as he went down.

Wild for his part has noticed the change in energy and has jumped away from the lynel to settle for more ranged attacks... And to get away from Warrior...

Warrior rams his blade into the monster, tilting it upward to slice as high as he can reach into its massive neck.

The lynel has weakened to the point where lifting its limbs has become a tedious and strenuous task. 

Warrior takes advantage of this.

He does not notice Wild leave him either until the lynel disappears in a violent explosion of purple smoke.

He stands there, chest heaving and arms trembling- the weight of his rage and adrenaline leaving him stunned when the object of his aggressions is gone. He snaps his head up in a violent fashion to see Wild, Legend and Hyrule stand over you, magic pouring over them in waves.

He runs to you and has to be restrained by Wild when he nearly runs all of you over. “How are they? How bad was it?”

“Are you ok?” Hyrule asks instead, just turning in time to see Warrior coated in not only the creature blood- but having his eyebrow swollen and red- his own blood weeping down the side of his face and into his tunic and scarf.

It’s uglier than he’s ever going suspect without a mirror. 

“Are they dead?” Warrior asks again.

Hyrule turns his magic to Warrior standing up and making room for the soldier to take his place on the ground. “No, but they’re not waking up after a potion, a fairy and my magic.”

Warrior doesn’t think twice about kneeling on the dirt and takes your hand reflexively. “Do we have anything else?”

“They took a bad hit to the head, it’s all on them now.” Legend places a hand on Warrior’s shoulder and sighs.

There’s a moment of silence amongst the group, the sounds of the others fighting still nearby. “They’re going to need help. We’re not done here.”

Whatever relief Warrior might have felt at the new of your being stable is quickly dashed and once replaced by the need to rain absolute hell fire on the enemy.

“Someone needs to stay with them.” He finds himself saying.

“I will.” Hyrule gulps, letting the spell drop at last. “I think I’m tapped out my magic for a while anyway.”

“Then rest and don’t push yourself either friend.” Wild nods and runs off. “Take care.”

“Watch over them Traveler.” Warrior doesn’t look his way and grip his sword as tightly as his fists can manage. “We won’t be long.”

Legend and Hyrule share a look as Warrior runs after Wild searching the nearest monster to fall victim to his anger.

He can’t be late. He can’t fail. It all falls on him. He has to win. He has to save them. He can’t lose.

Wild

Wild growled, pushing himself up from the ground and ripping the arrow that had lodged itself into him out of his side.

He couldn’t feel it anyway- it was his scarred side.

With practiced ease, he takes out his bow and fires it at the first monster he sees. He knows that the others scatter as quickly as the monsters break through the tree line to take them down.

He searches for more numbers that aren’t being dealt with immediately. 

Not seeing any, he runs for higher ground and jumps into the biggest tree in the area, striking at the bokoblins more so than the lizalfos.

Bokoblins are the easier enemy to deal with- he tells himself. Lizalfos have obnoxious armor that can be difficult to get around- not to mention they’re smarter and faster. So the group will need to spend more of their attention on the lizards from hell than the easier enemy.

They’re annoying but Wild makes do.

But as he gets lost in the moment and the mission- he hears it.

A lynel has appeared on the battle field.

Being in the group long enough has allowed to learn that he’s only one of few that know what it is and how to deal with it.

He steels himself and jumps down from the tree- eager to get rid of the threat and help his friend through the thick of it.

“I need help! I’m gonna die!” Wild’s head snaps to the left, just barely seeing the lynel run in the same direction of your voice.

Wild’s voice gets caught in his throat and he sprints as quickly as he can after it.

It can’t get to you. There’s no way the universe would allow this to happen. He can’t let that happen.

“HELP!” He hears you cry again.

It’s once again to his left and runs toward you instead of the lynel, not even bothering to try and hide the absolute panic on his face.

“Someone help!” You yell and he’s too focused on honing in on where you are exactly to even worry about where the lynel is in comparison.

He ends up somewhere in the middle, you to his left and the lynel to his right.

He see the whole thing happen- not even registering the power level of this particular monster when he sees it.

The lynel stops and lines up its shot 

“LINK HELP ME!”

It lets go and you collapse onto the forest floor, blood slowly beginning to pool by the back of your head. He didn’t even get the chance to answer you- you’re out before you can even see him there.

But the lynel still charges forward and Wild knows he can’t let it get to you regardless.

He runs toward you- not where near as quickly as the lynel but he shoots his trusty bomb arrow at its feet before it can get to you- watching in twisted satisfaction when the monster is instead flipped over you and lands directly on its back on the other side of the clearing.

He runs to you, looking over his shoulder to see the lynel jump to its feet again, now raging at a different level than before. He takes a short sword out of the shiekah slate and cuts the ropes around you, using the bomb rune to blast the creature again when it tries to run back over to you.

The blast doesn’t send the monster very far like the first one but it still buys Wild enough time to get the last of the ropes off of you and pick you up.

Legend comes in from he side lines and fires at the beast like there’s no tomorrow. Wild’s psyche breaths a quick sigh of relief at the appearance of back up and he tries to find a decent place to put you as he goes to deal with the monster.

It’s only when he’s putting you down- hidden behind some bushes and branches, does he see your other wounds- the arrows and he almost sobs at the sight. He thought it was just the hit from the lynel but you’re losing more blood than he thinks he can keep up with. Wild takes out the fairy and unleashes her, whispering to her to check your head first while he deal with the the arrows.

He doesn’t know if she can understand him as much as the koroks do (it wasn’t a fairy from his Hyrule) but he sees that she somewhat understands. He takes care of the one through your hand first and worries about splinters for a moment before someone smacks his hand away.

“How about you go help Legend?” Hyrule doesn’t  snap but it’s not necessarily a friendly tone at the moment. “I’ll take care of them but Legend can’t fight that thing on his own.”

Wild looks up and belatedly sees Legend try to dodge the strikes of the high level lynel instead of actually hitting the monster.

Wild takes one more look at you and your blood on his hands and nods to Hyrule. He doesn’t hesitate to run toward the monster and jumps on its back as its distracted.

He holds on by its mane and takes out his frost blade freezing it in place before unleashing as many blows as he can get with his knights claymore.

Legend however, somehow misses the memo and fires his fire rod at the lynel- getting rid of the effect of his own blade.

Wild doesn’t pay too much attention to it.

He switches to his thunder blade and strikes the beast right behind its head.

The shock knocks him off of its back and he lands harshly on his own back before shooting multiple bomb arrows at the monster. Legend goes for more ranged attacks when he sees the kind of artillery that Wild is unleashing on the monster and wants no part of it.

Wild gets his shots to strike the lynel in the face, going for more blood than he thinks the lynel even has- but all he knows is that the beast has to pay.

He stays close to the lynel, using as many flurry blows as he can get it, switching between the frost blade and his thunder blade as they both charge up and as many bombs as he can get going at once for the beast to fall.

He falls into a pattern and knows the monster very well after just two minutes of this. It’s from his Hyrule and Wild feels a small part of him shrivel in guilt at something from his world coming after you.

But that just means he’ll have the honors of getting rid of it.

Despite Wild’s obvious pattern of weapon switching and bomb usage, the lynel isn’t any wiser to his moves and continuously takes the damage that Wild is giving out- not even having the chance to strike the young hero. 

Legend at some point in all of this has moved away from the battle entirely and has joined Hyrule in healing you, even if it’s only to shove a potion down your throat.

Wild gets lost in the motions, enough so that he even trips over himself and falls face first in the monster’s loot.

He grabs it out of habit before sprinting over to where he knows he hid you.

You’re just beginning to wake up.

“Link...” You call out. “Where did you go?”

Wild bite his lip and drops to his knees next to you, gripping your hand with shaking hands. He looks to Hyrule with a silent question.

“They’ll be ok.” He says in a quiet voice. “Took a bad hit to the head and the arrows could have been better but nothing vital was damaged and they should be ok with some rest and time.”

Wild nods and sighs with relief.

“Link...” You blink your eyes open and look around you. “Oh hey... Everything hurts.”

Legend snorts and crosses his arms. “It took a lot of magic to get you to this point again.”

“I’m not dead?”

“You gave it your best shot.” Hyrule shrugs with an awkward smile on his face. “But we love you too much to let you go like that.”

Wild chuckles quietly and feels the shakes travel from his hands to the rest of his body until he’s sure it looks like he’s vibrating instead. His whole nervous system is fried but you’re ok- you’re alive. Wild thinks he can cry.

“Cool. Cool. Thanks.” You sigh and rest your head against the forest floor again. “Glad I’m not dead.”

“We are too.” Wild laughs a bit louder and it’s wet and quiet but you hear it.

You smile in response.

“Wild here is especially happy about it. He pretty much took on the lynel all by himself.” Legend lets out a breath. “It was a tough one. What was wrong with t? Was it infected like the others?”

“No. Just strong.” Wild shakes his head and lets go of your hand to brush your hair gently away from your face. “It was my Hyrule- I’ve fought a few like those before.”

“Dang...”

“Lynel...” You try the word on your tongue like slow molasses flowing through a jar. “I hate them.”

“Yeah...” Wild laughs a little louder again, a little more genuine- adrenaline leaving his system and leaving him tired and drained. “We all do.”

You’re ok.

He’s ok.

It’s ok.

[shurisneakers]

harmless (viii)

Summary: Bucky volunteers to go stop a small time villain, but nothing can prepare him for what exactly he has to deal with. (Bucky x villain!reader, drabble series)

Warnings: cursing, protesting, frustrated bucky, dramatic reader, gamer (derogatory), smidge of angst

Word count: 3.5k

A/N: listen idk what goes on at construction site and im too sexy to research so we’re going with my version of the world. hello. how are we all doing?

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Series Masterlist

He doesn’t expect to see you on TV. 

In jail maybe, for something scandalous and completely unnecessary, but not TV.

But there you are, a sign board waving around furiously in your hand, voice in protest against the demolition of the community centre. You’re flipping the board back and forth to alternate between the messages you’ve scrawled on the cardboard.

You were among a few protesting, but clearly the loudest. 

He thinks that maybe he has the weekend off if you’re too busy fighting big corporations. He’d send his support even.

Until he zeroes in on the sign when it flips over, finally reading what it says.

You better get your ass here, sarge

And so he does.

Half the crowd had dipped by the time he arrived. You were there, still the loudest, but he couldn’t help but notice the lack of people as compared to an hour or two ago on TV. He supposed that justice could wait as long as it took to get lunch from the nearest café.

“I can’t stop you from protesting, y’know.” He’s a little wary of approaching your raging self. 

“Oh, hey Barnes. You got my message.” You break away for a second to scream a bunch of obscenities at the gigantic glass building before turning to him. “You wouldn’t be able to.”

“What’s your dumb plan then?” 

“First of all, it’s not dumb. It’s stupid. Put some respect on my technological genius.” You held up a finger. “Second of all, it’s not here.”

“Where is it?” 

“At the construction site.” You point down the road. “Come on.”

Right along the way you stop to chant another slogan. He waves his arm around meekly in support. He did, after all, have to stand up for what was right, but if his publicist saw him here she’d have an aneurysm. 

The construction site isn’t very far off. It’s adjacent to the community centre, which he assumes they’re going to tear down to make more space for whatever shitty commercial building was going to take its place.

There are already a few excavators and dozers there but no one to man them since it was lunch time. What garners his attention is the small silver plate that’s on the floor a few feet ahead in the direction you’re walking towards.

“Here.” You stop once it nears. “The plan.”

“Am I supposed to know what this is?” He lightly kicked at it, earning a smack on the arm from you.

“Stop that,” you scolded, “and look at it. It’s not hard to figure out.”

He narrows his eyes. There’s a small u-shaped piece of metal in the middle of the plate. “That’s a magnet.”

“Exactly.” You clapped your hands together in excitement. “The world’s strongest electromagnet.”

He looks around. The only possibly magnetic things are the cranes and excavators around him.

“You’re going to... stop the machines from moving ahead?” he hesitates in his deduction. 

“Yep. Can’t tear anything down if they can’t get to it first.” 

Bucky looks down.

“Does this thing even work?” He toes at it again. “It’s kinda small.”

“It works beautifully, stop kicking at it, you demon-”

“What happens if I step on it, huh?” He knows this would get on your nerves wonderfully. He raises his leg. “Do I get to go home for the day?”

“You’re such a little shit,” you whine, reaching for your back pocket. “Stop bullying my invention.”

“’m gonna squish it like a bug.” He’s only half kidding about that part. “I’m gonna-”

Before he can finish his sentence something yanks him down hard. His head nearly hits the ground before his right arm shoots out to break his fall.

"Woah there, don't go falling for me as yet.” 

“What the fu-” he begins, eyes locking on his metal arm that was pressed flat against the earth.

“I told you it works,” you say smugly. “Try crushing it now, Barnes. If you can even get off the floor.”

He tugs his hand but it’s firmly attached to the thing. No matter how or where he’s applying the effort, his limb refuses to move. He’s stuck.

“Turn it off,” he sighs. “You made your point.”

“No. Stay there.”

“Y/N, shut up and turn this off,” he groans, trying to find a better position rather than chin down on the ground.

“Lay there and rot. You deserve it for underestimating me.” You huff.

“I wasn’t underestimating you, Jesus Christ.” He really was planning to just step on it, but he had complete faith that it worked. 

When he doesn’t receive a reply, his gaze follows yours. Suddenly the crane looks a lot closer than it initially did. Awesome. 

“Those are moving towards me.” He picks up on the low groan and creak of metal.

“Yeah, they are.” You nod, one hand on your hip, watching them.

He didn’t think that getting crushed under construction equipment would be how his day went. 

“Not my problem,” you decide finally after a bout of silence. 

Now that simply wouldn’t do. 

Death was definitely a problem, but what was more important was that he was going to get a dust allergy from the mud. He could already feel the blocked nose and temperature incoming.

“Are you really going to waste this on me? Don’t you have a demolition to stop?” He manages to twist his body so that he’s lying on his back.

“Good point,” you squint into the distance at the whirring of the heavy machinery. Their owners wouldn’t be happy to find them missing from their original spot. “But I still can’t help you out.”

“You’re willing to sacrifice your-”

“I can’t help you out because I don’t have an off switch. Yet,” you add the last part in a hurry.

“Then when the fuck were you planning to build one?” He sits up, leaning on his elbow. The cranes weren’t a mini object on the horizon now; the closer they got, the faster they were starting to move towards him. 

“I don’t know, after they agreed not to take down the building?”

He could just detach his arm and come back for it later he but had no guarantee that you would stop here for the day or that the vibranium could withstand all that pressure. 

“You better make a switch right now and get me out of this, I don’t care how.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you grumbled, bending to assess how badly he was stuck. “You know, this thing runs really deep into the earth. It’d take forever to dig back up and then get you back to my lab and then build a switch.”

“How long?” He didn’t have a lot of time, clearly, but even generally he didn’t have the whole day to waste. He had a mission the next day. He had to put the fear of death into some Russians and bring some pirozhki back for Nat. 

“I don’t know,” you furrowed your eyebrows. “Too long for my schedule anyway, I have class prep to do.”

“Motherfucke- that thing’s like twenty feet away.” He’s worried about how you don’t look fazed at all when he points at the stupid machine.

He’s about to volunteer to detach his arm when he realises it’s definitely less than twenty feet now. He had a backup just in case. It didn’t move as smoothly, but who could tell the difference when a couple of tons of pressure was aiming for your face, and hell, if he explained his circumstances of the destruction of his arm to T’Challa-

“Okay, fine.” You reach into your backpack to grab something that looked like a wrist watch. It matched the one already around your hand. 

You reach over and clasp it around his hand before turning a dial on the side.

“You ready?” you ask, ignoring the large crane that was starting to charge towards you. 

“For what?” he replies, looking down at it. He can barely hear you over the sound of the whining of machinery.  

“Teleportation, baby.” You send him a big grin before slamming down on his watch.

“Huh-” His voice cuts off immediately. 

If there’s anything that can be said about teleportation, it’s that he feels like every atom in his entire body violently splits to float around briefly before suddenly rejoining again.  

The ground beneath him feels different, and it takes him a second to realise that he was on the floor of your lair. 

“What the fu-”

“Hello,” your voice comes from above him. 

“You can teleport.” It’s not difficult for him to look at you now without the sun in his face. His arm is still stuck to the magnet but since the giant rod it was attached to was no longer deep in the ground, he could lift the entire apparatus up relatively easily.

“What, like it’s hard?” You discarded your bag on the floor. “You good? Takes a while to get used to.”

He gives you a grunt in acknowledgement, shaking his arm to see if he had any luck. It didn’t budge.

“Come on, take a seat.” You gesture to a lab chair you’ve pulled up for him on the raised platform at the front of the room. He realises that this is the first time he’s properly seen what’s actually inside your lair.

There are various buttons that do God knows what, drawers and cabinets painted black, several computer screens and gigantic pillars of glass on either side of the set up that encapsulate some green bubbling liquid. There’s a giant television set up against the wall, divided into several screens.

“Whaddya think?” You do a small swoop of your arm to show off the place.

“Gamer,” he says simply, testing his luck.

“What did you just say to me?” you recoil instantly, disgust on your face.

“It’s a gamer set up.” He points a finger at the TV screen. He was told by Shuri to use it as an insult, but he wasn’t exactly sure why. It just felt appropriate. 

“Take that back right now.” You raise a finger accusatorially at him.

“No.” He was sticking with it even though he had no idea what exactly the context was.

“Fuck your arm,” you announce, throwing your hands up in surrender.

“Fuck your demolition then,” he replies simply, getting up from his place on the chair to leave with the thing still attached to him. 

He takes one step ahead before your voice rings out.

“Sit down, drama queen,” your voice calls from behind him. “God, you’re annoying.”

“You’re infuriating.”

“I’m the best part of your week,” you fire back, ”and also your only way out of this. Now sit down.”

He didn’t even need the second warning, he was already on the chair the first time around.

“I’m not going to build a switch to turn this off. It’d take too long,” you examine the piece of equipment with more gentleness than he was expecting, “I’m going to remove it instead. It’s gonna take a while, so you better get comfortable.”

“I’m not.”

“That’s so sad,” you say without any indication of wanting to help. 

He rolls his eyes.

You pull up next to him, welding glasses covering your face and the tool in your hand. 

He turns away when you start, making sure his face is not directly within its trajectory. 

He makes himself busy by looking around some more. There are details you’ve put into the place, materials that are non-flammable made up most of the architecture. It’s dramatic, sure, but somehow the designs and colours seemed to go together. It did look sinister, he’d give you props for that.

The space was quite big. It occurs to him only then that that’s how you manage to sneak up on him so often in the past. Everything clicked. Fucking teleportation.

“So,” your voice was raised to speak over the noise. “How’s it going?”

He decidedly doesn’t answer. His position is more than enough.

“Right.” You clear your throat. 

He takes to counting the tiles on the floor, figuring out how many were there from the raised platform to the wall of the entrance. 

“Not how you imagined your day to go, huh?” you continued despite his lack of response. “But some might say it’s a privilege to be spending the day with a cool, mad scie-”

“Are you going to keep talking?” he interrupts, losing his count on the floor.

“Yeah, duh,” you say like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You got anything better to do?”

He didn’t. 

“What’s it like living with a bunch of superheroes?” You change course. He’s not sure if he’s really allowed to disclose top secret information. “I assume there’s a lot of protein shakes, talcum powder for the chafing-”

Then again, how much damage could you do by knowing that Steve preferred pancakes over waffles?

“It’s quiet,” he says. “Most of the time.”

“Save all your smart talking for the battlefield, huh?” 

He doesn’t reply. It’s quiet around the Tower. A lot of their energy goes towards missions and recuperating once they’re back. 

“You go on missions a lot?” 

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Boo, you whore,” you say with mock disappointment.

He got that reference.

“What’s your favourite food then?”

He scrunches his eyebrows.

“What?” The welding stops for a second while you look at him. “Don’t tell me that’s classified too.”

It’s not, he’s just never thought about it. 

“I don’t know,” he murmurs, “Pasta?”

“Vague, but I’ll take it.”

He used to boil a lot of pasta, from what he could remember of his days in hiding. Cheap and bought in bulk before he saved up enough to buy things like fruits. A lot of the times the amount of sauce he had access to was enough for maybe seasoning, not a whole component on its own. 

It’s one of the perks of being a free man in the 21st century he thinks, a steaming bowl of fettuccini drenched in sauce and garlic bread on the side. 

“What do you do in your downtime?”

“Nothing.” Well, he considers it to be a pass time and doing nothing is a full time gig. It takes effort to do nothing. He even has days dedicated to doing nothing, as suggested to him by his therapist.

“Really?” You sound a little surprised, although it’s hard to make out when you’re already speaking a lot louder than usual. “No shining your penny collection? No software update for this thing?” You tap at his arm. 

There really isn’t anything. Truth be told, he thinks he’s the most boring guy in the Tower. He sticks to himself, has a few succulents that he adores and occasionally watches trashy television. So then why are you so interested in him?

“You’re obsessed with me,” he says pointedly. “Why?”

You give a short laugh. “I think it’s the blue eyes, sarge, they’re really popping today. Gotta say, I’m loving this colour on you. Is it different from the black you wore last week? And from the one from the week before that?”

He looks down at his dark t-shirt and utility pants. He had other clothes but those were reserved for things that were not this.

“Or maybe it’s the grumpiness, I don’t know. I love it when someone shows absolutely no interest in me. Very sexy of you.” Oh jeez, you were going to continue. “Hell, maybe it’s the thighs-”

“Okay,” he interjects, feeling the need to count the tiles more than ever. He equates the heat in his neck from the welding going on beside him. 

The loudness of your laughter is clearer than the sound of metal on metal when you tug a large piece of the invention off. Things were moving fast. He could get back home to his Star Trek marathon and forget this day ever happened.

“You know, you’re more interesting than you think,” you pipe up casually. 

He doesn’t expect this and therefore he supposes he can’t stop the curiosity from enveloping his face. He hasn’t told you anything about himself, so then the inference you reached came out of nowhere.

Apparently, you take notice of the confusion on his face, even though he can’t see through the giant welding mask, because you let out a chuckle. 

“Oh, come on, really? You have no idea?” you ask lightly, pausing to see if he offers anything other than silence. “You’ve come back almost every week even though you know it’s a waste of your time, you always keep your promises and I know for a fact that if you wanted to stop me once and for all, you could have. But you’re not.”

He doesn’t realise you’ve stopped welding until you start again. Good, it gives him an excuse not to have to look at you after that. 

Frankly, he’s a little stunned.

You’re not looking at him, he can tell from his peripheral vision. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you have a small crush on me.”

At that, he’s forced to roll his eyes out of instinct. Thankfully you do know better.

A few screws out later, another piece comes out. You inform him that’s it’s going to get trickier from there since the circuit was a little more intricate, a lot more time than the original few pieces. He can see his Star Trek marathon fade away in the distance.

You ask him a few more questions. Some he answers with silence, others maybe a tidbit here and there. 

“How’s dating now compared to the forties?”

“Strange.” He purses his lips in thought. “One guy asked for a gym date. Didn’t know that was a thing.”

“How’d that turn out?” you laugh.

“He didn’t ask for a second one.” His Bumble matches with girls somehow had gone down since he cut his hair, but he’s not too bothered. Not like there was a huge shortage. 

He likes cats, thinks the worst merchandise that they make is the stupid baseball card with his face on it, and doesn’t have social media for the sake of his sanity. He’s seen the thirst tweets. 

Clearly, he’s revealed his deepest, darkest secrets. Utterly classified material. But he doesn’t know anything about you other than your name, number, address, where you teach, what your hobby is-

“You, uh-” he hesitates, “You got a favourite food?”

Your hands hold still to hover above what they’re working on. You fight back a smile. “Sure do.”

He asks a few more questions. Shuts up when he feels his social battery drain. That’s enough for the next month, he thinks.

The sun’s dipped down beyond the horizon by the time majority of the work is completed. Both of you have taken a few breaks to fight the feeling of stiffness that was creeping into your joints. 

You scoff and tell him you’re not planning to poison him when he denies the offer of a soda. He doesn’t deter in his decision.

“How much to go?” He has a mission tomorrow that he’d really like to get some sleep in before. Waking up at 3am to get ready was the worst part of the job. 

“Basically done.” You roll your chair back, rotating your shoulder and stretching your fingers. “There’s just this little part that I can’t access from this angle. How good are you at hanging upside down like a bat?”

Fuck it, he sighs to himself, it was almost finished anyway.

Bucky stands up, tilting his neck to the side slightly before pulling at a small latch under his arm, one so tiny that you’d never make out was even there unless you knew it existed. The arm releases from his shoulder with a small click.

He offers it to you, a piece of your magnet still attached to it.

Your eyes are slightly wide. He raises his eyebrows.

You don’t say anything, just accept it and flip it to a position you were comfortable with. It takes only a minute or two for the sound of the last piece hitting the floor to reverberate through the hall.

You give a small cheer. He lets out a tiny exhale in equal parts fatigue and relief.

“So,” you drawl, handing his arm back to him, “you could have just done that the whole time.”

He doesn’t reply, just slides it back onto his shoulder. 

“You had the option of leaving your arm here and coming back later to get it.” 

He gives it a few shakes, opens and clenches his fist shut a few times to make sure everything is working.

“You wanted to talk to me.”

He gives you a deadpan look. “I was distracting you.”

“Bullshit,” you laugh.

“Believe what you must.” He shrugs, turning around. “My job here is done regardless.”

“Oh, I believe alright,” you call out from behind him as he walks towards the entrance of your lair. “I believe you’re a sneaky bastard, Bucky Barnes.”

He doesn’t stop himself from smiling at the overdramatic gasp you give when he flips you a middle finger. From the metal arm, too. 

Next part

[justaself-shipper]

Golden Guard x Reader- True Colours

A/N: I wanted to get back into the swing of things before redoing the requests. There may or may not be a few Amphibia references in here…since i watched it quite recently... Spoilers for Hunting Palisman. Also anyone get the reference of the title?

Being in the Emperor’s Coven wasn’t easy. From battling monsters and demons to rogue witches and a certain human, I was surprised I was still alive. A regular guard was just a pawn for the Emperor. Yet, I had no choice, since my parents had already planned my future while I was still young. I wanted to make them proud, and I really did try. But it seems like being a normal guard in the Emperor’s Coven wasn’t enough. I needed to go bigger, eliminate anyone in my way if I had to. I was going to do it for them, and for my lost Palisman, Froggit. (IT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT CAME TO MIND-) Standing at attention, I watched all the servants and guards walk by. I was assigned outside the Throne room today. Kikimori happened to be walking by as the door opened. She gasped. “Golden Guard?! You’re alive! I heard about the crash-“ The “Golden Guard” came into view. He greeted Kiki, and I had the time to observe him. He was about my age, with blonde hair, red eyes, and a scar on his right cheek. As he walked away from Kikimori, he looked my way. I hadn’t realised I had turned to face them. Quickly standing to attention, I stiffened as he stopped in front of me. “Sir.” I saluted. He raised an eye-brow, looking at my badge. (Ima just pretend the badges have names engraved into them in small lettering or something). “Haven’t seen you around here much. When did you join the Emperor’s Coven?” He asked casually. I glared through my mask. “Two weeks ago, sir.” I replied, trying my best to keep my voice calm. He smiled. “Well, miss ‘Y/N’, it’s nice to meet you. The names Hunter.” I didn’t reply back. After a few minutes of silence, he sighs. “Welp, I better be going. See you around.” As he walked away, I let my shoulders relax a bit. Glaring after him, I watched him disappear. So, a higher rank, right? Well, we’ll see about that. Don’t try to chit-chat me, Hunter. You’re nothing but a rival. Later that evening… I let out a yawn. It was late, and I was the only guard patrolling this side of the castle. Lifting my mask to rub my tired eyes, I heard a loud bang, followed by yelp of pain. “Palisman!” Someone hissed. Pulling my mask back down, I held my staff out. “COME OUT! I KNOW YOU’RE THERE!” I yelled out. There was nothing but silence. Turning a corner, I caught someone running away, carrying something. “Hey!” I gave chase, following the intruder down the corridors. As I ran, I realised they seemed to know exactly where they were going. Running by halls that lead to dead ends, and avoiding doors that entered into closed off rooms. Using my staff, I sped up, running in front of the witch. He came to a stop, almost tripping. Holding out my staff, I was about to zap him, when I realised it was Hunter. A small, red bird Palisman sat on his shoulder. I smirked under my mask. Hiding a Palisman? One that has wild magic? This was treason. Oh, Emperor Belos is going to love this. “You stay here.” I stated, using a spell to keep him in place. As he struggled, I began to walk off. If he’d been keeping a wild Palisman, who knew what he could do with it. Best to retrieve back-up, and quickly. As I turned my back, he yelled out to me. “Wait! Don’t tell Belos!” Ignoring him, I continued. “I know what he does to them! He kills them!” Stopping, I turned back to the Golden Guard. “What do you mean by that?” I questioned cautiously. Hunter closed his eyes, letting out a sigh. “Emperor Belos isn’t a witch. I don’t know what he is, or what happened to him. All I know is that he uses the magic in the Palismans to keep himself powerful and in a stable condition.” My mind went to Froggit, my Palisman before I joined the Coven. He went missing as soon as I joined…he couldn’t have… “Y-you’re lying, aren’t you?” I growled. The Palisman sitting on his shoulder chirped. After a moment of silence, I released the Golden guard. Turnng my back to him once again, I growled under my breath. “Get out of here before I change my mind.” Hunter didn’t need to be asked twice. Making sure the Palisman wasn’t hurt, he left, returning to his dorm. About an hour later, another guard took over my shift. Rushing back to my dorm, I leaned against the door. It couldn’t be true. Emperor Belos would never hurt my Palisman, would he? I let out a shaky breath. He couldn’t have…right? Finishing up my carving, I stared lovingly at the Frog as I held it up to the sunlight. “And done! Welcome to the world little buddy!” I whispered, blowing the flakes away. Smiling widely, I placed the wooden frog on my bedside table. All I had to do now was wait. He should wake up in a few minutes. Leaning back on my bed, I picked up my book, looking at all the human creatures inside. I loved looking at all the pictures, and even chose one as my Palisman. There were so many amazing creatures, for awhile I couldn’t pick. I had finally settled for a “frog”, since they sounded so amazing. Hearing a croak, I looked up from my book. My new Palisman had woken up, and was crawling around and curiously peering at the objects on my bed stand. “Hey there little guy.” I cooed, picking him up. He let out another croak. “Welcome to the Boiling Isles! You’re so cute!” He tilted his head curiously in my direction, letting out another excited croak. Giggling, I gently pet him. “I’ll keep you safe Froggit. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” I jolted awake, rubbing my teary eyes as I sat up. Silent sobs threatened to erupt from my throat. Taking a few minutes to calm myself, I inhaled slowly. This wasn’t a coincidence, wasn’t it? Froggit was gone, and I had failed to protect him. He had probably died a horrible death, scared and all alone. Checking the window, I noticed the sun was rising. I had to get ready for today. As I stood up, I felt my stomach squirm in guilt. Looking around my room, i grabbed a satchel, collecting things and preparing. I had to get out of here. I was NOT going to work with a Coven that murdered my Palisman, no matter what my parents say. I would have failed them, but nothing was worse than knowing I had failed my Palisman, my only friend. A loud knock came from the door. Looking up, I stared hard at the door. Who could that be? I’m not late for something, am I? The knocking came again. Walking over, I opened the door to find Kikimori there. She seemed to be glaring daggers into my soul, even though she was way shorter than me. “The Emperor wants to speak with you immediately.” She stated, walking away. Why does the Emperor want to see me? I took off my mask as I stood in front of the throne room. My knees shook thinking over the things the Golden Guard had said the night previously. The Emperor wasn’t who I thought he was, and that thought alone terrified me. Clutching my mask, I opened the doors. Mutterings were coming from the other side of the room as I entered. Walking along the corridor, I took note that a few guards, as well as the Golden Guard and Emperor Belos were in the room. Belos was talking to the Golden Guard, but stopped when I entered. I bowed down to the Emperor, as I felt his eyes bare into my soul. “You must be Y/N L/N, right? Hunter has told me so much about you.” He stated. I bowed my head, keeping an eye on Hunter. He seemed to be distracted, since he didn’t seem to be paying attention to us. “He’s told me of all your hard work so far, and that you’re trust worthy. So, I have made up my mind.” He stood up, grabbing onto his staff. What was he doing? “You’ve been moved up to Captain of the guards, since ours has…retired. How does that sound?” Shocked, I glanced up to Hunter. His eyes were averted, refusing to look at me. “I-it’s an honour, my lord…” I stuttered. “B-but, I-i’m just a humble guard, there’s no need to put me as Captain so soon-“ I was cut off as something headed my way, barely missing me by a hair. I stiffened, following the pointed object toward the Emperor. It was….his…arm…. He took the object away. “I'm afraid you don’t have a choice in this matter. Your first mission starts tonight. You’ll be accompanied by Hunter. You’ll be given your badge in the morning.” He waves his hand, signifying I could leave. I nodded. “Y-yes, my Lord.” With that, I placed my helmet back on, walking briskly out of the room. Opening the door, I jumped a little when Kikimori was waiting on the other side. She said nothing, just simply glared at me then left. After watching her disappear around the corner, I let out an angry sigh. What was I gonna do? Later that night…. The Golden Guard was standing beside me, steering the ship we flew in. There was an awkward silence for the first 10 minutes of the flight, with both of us avoiding eye contact. Apparently, we were meant to be looking for Palismans. “So…everything you said the other night was true.” I mumbled. The Golden guard hummed in response. “Unfortunately, yes.” Another silence ensured. “I wasn’t expecting him to make you Captain. I just wanted to help you out a bit, since you helped me. I’m sorry if it wasn’t what you wanted…” I let out a sigh. “It’s fine." That’s when he turned to me. His eyes were filled with sympathy. “I’m also sorry about your Palisman…” I whipped around to face him. “How-“ “It’s not hard. Everyone has a Palisman when they first arrive. They disappear after the first week, and given a “new and improved” staff. It’s becoming more common. Only a few are allowed to keep their Palismans.” He stated, his brows furrowing as his gaze returned to the horizon. “You seem to know a fair bit.” I said. He shrugged. “One of the few perks of being the Emperor’s right-hand man.” I nodded understandingly. Being right-hand man couldn’t have been easy. There would’ve been many people trying to back-stab him. I WAS one of them.

“…what was it like? Your Palisman?” He asked curiously. I smiled under my mask. “He was my best friend. A lot of people questioned why I chose a monster from the human realm, but it didn’t matter. I loved him almost like my own child…” I felt the tears threatening to overflow once again. Hunter smiled. “He sounded nice.” I looked over to him curiously. “You say that as if you’ve never had a Palisman.” His eyes widened, before he turned his face away from me. “…this Palisman is actually my first. I didn’t do well in school, so I never achieved my staff.” Was all he replied. Great. Now I felt bad. “I’m sorry…" He chuckled. “It’s alright. There wasn’t a chance you could’ve known.” Letting out a sigh, I took my mask off. What was the point of hiding my face while meeting a new friend? Letting my hair fall down, I hear Hunter let out a small gasp. I raise an eyebrow, turning my gaze to him. His eyes were wide open, staring at me. “What are you looking at?” “You…you’re beautiful…” My own eyes widened, and I felt my cheeks heat up. Hunter realised that he said it out loud, and his own face lit up. “I-i’m so sorry! I-“ “Just be quiet.” I growled, turning away so then Hunter wouldn’t see me. The ship shook, and I felt it begin to fall rapidly toward the ground. I watched in terror as the ground came closer, and I blacked out as we hit the ground. “Hey! Y/n, wake up!” Someone hissed quietly.

I let out a groan as I opened my tired eyes. Hunter was gently shaking me, looking around frantically at his surroundings. “W-what happened?” I grumbled, sitting up. Hunter clasped a hand over my mouth. I was about to object, when he pointed to a certain short monster on the other side of the rocks. It was Kikimori, and she did not look happy. She seemed to be carrying a stone. I recognised it from history books. They made the possessor stronger. “I KNOW YOU’RE HERE GOLDEN GUARD! AND I KNOW WHAT YOU DID THE OTHER NIGHT!” She shrieked. My brows furrowed, looking toward Hunter. “What is she talking about?” I hissed. He reached for his broken staff. I hadn’t noticed that before. “I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to get out of here.” He whispered back. Without warning, he grabbed my hand, leading me away from the angry monster. Once we were far enough away, I pulled my hand free from his. “What the hex was that about?!” I yelled. Hunter let out a sigh. “Look, the other night I was assigned to collect Palismans. I told my Uncle that I had failed, but the real reason was that I let them go. Kiki and the human Luz was involved and…things just got out of hand.” He was looking down at his feet. “If I told him what had really happened, then he would kill both of us…” I listened carefully. When he was finished, I smiled softly. ‘Hey…you did the right thing.” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Surprised for a moment, Hunter smiled. “So, what are we gonna do? We can’t tell your Uncle we failed to retrieve them again. He’d find out for sure.” I said. Hunter thought for a moment, before a smirk crossed his features. “Not unless we disappeared.” I stared blankly at him for a moment. What did he mean by that? “What do you mean?” “Alright, this is the plan.” Waiting outside the castle, I tapped my foot impatiently. Hunter had gone into the castle to retrieve his Palisman, leaving me outside to wait. It had been 10 minutes already. Shouldn’t he be back by now? Something must’ve happened. Letting out a growl, I clutched my staff, heading inside. Once inside, I passed a few of the guards. None tried stopping me, just giving a nod as I passed by. They took note of my badge it seemed. As I walked pass the throne room, I halted when I heard a cry of pain come from within. “NO, PLEASE! DON’T HURT HIM!” That was Hunter. Rushing over, I swung the doors open. There was Hunter, being held by two guards. Kikimori held his Palisman, about to hand it over to Emperor Belos. Everyone stopped what they were doing when I entered, turning to face me. Emperor Belos was the only one to recognise me. “Ah, Y/n! A nice surprise! No need for any assistance. You see, Hunter here has been keeping secrets from us.” He stated gesturing to Hunter. “But Kikimori has saved us by warning us of his treason. He’ll be thrown into the dungeon shortly, and this…Palisman will be dealt with.” At that, Kikimori was about to hand the Palisman to the Emperor. Rage filled me, and before I realised what I was doing, I had sent a spell their way. The Palisman was thrown from Kikimori’s hands, falling to the ground out of reach. Everyone let out a gasp. Tears overflowed from my eyes as rage coursed through me. “No one else’s Palisman’s are getting hurt under my watch.” I growled. Belos straightened his posture. “I see. You’re a traitor to our kind. Guards, get her!” He yelled. The guards holding Hunter let him go, charging toward me. Using my staff, I quickly defeated them, swinging my staff against their skulls. Both fell unconscious. Without thinking, I charged Belos. He killed my Palisman. Before my staff made contact with him, he used his own magic to throw me against the wall. Yelping in pain, I stumbled to my feet. My vision was still blurry from the impact, hence why I didn’t see Belos walking towards me. I was pushed back against the wall. Something was piercing into my neck, and I realised it was the Emperor’s staff. “You’ll have the same fate as your Palisman.” He hissed. Choking for air, my vision was getting darker and darker as I stared murderously into Belos’ eyes. I finally felt myself drop to the ground, the Emperor letting out a groan of pain as he was attacked from the side. Strong hands lifted me up, helping me limp away from the scene. Hunter got his Palisman ready, ordering me to get on. Doing so, I left my staff lying on the ground, clutching his waist tightly as we escaped the castle. I buried my face in Hunters shoulder as we flew over the Boiling Isles. Neither of us had spoken for a while, and honestly I was too shocked. Finally, Hunter spoke up. “Thank you for that. That was very courageous of you to stand up to him. Are you ok?” “Y-yeah, I’m ok…where are we going? Do you have a place in mind?” I asked, looking down at our surroundings. We were near Bones Marrow (was that what it was called?), and I curious if he had a destination. Hunter smiles at my question. “I have a friend nearby. We’ll seek shelter there if she’ll allow it.” With that, he neared the forest floor, landing quietly in the bushes. I looked up at the building in front of us. I knew this place, although I’d never been to it myself. This was the Owl House, home of one of the most powerful witches on the Isle, Eda the Owl lady. Well, WAS the most powerful. Hunter walked up the doorstep, and was about to knock when a large owl tube on the door spoke up, startling both of us. “OOH VISITORS! FROM THE EMPEROR COVEN TOO! HAVE YOU COME HERE TO BE MY FRIEND?!” The door opened, revealing Luz the human. Her smile lit up when she realised it was Hunter. “Hunter! Hi! What are you doing here? And who’s your friend? You aren’t…here to arrest me, are you?” She asked suspiciously, closing the door ajar as she squinted her eyes. I almost laughed at how childish she was. “No, sorry to disappoint. Me and my friend were going to ask if we could stay for awhile? We…kinda left the coven.” Hunter said, gesturing to himself and I. I gave a little wave. Luz’s eyes widened in surprise, her smile returning. “Of course! Come in! We have…room for two more!” Opening the door, she let us inside. Hunter stepped in first, but was stopped by an ice wall. He let out a yelp of surprise, and Luz was yelling at someone. “Lillith! Be nice!” Lillith? Where have I heard that name? It clicked when I caught sight of her. There, in what I assumed to be human clothes, stood Lillith, my role model ever since I was a small witchling. I almost jumped up and down in excitement, if it wasn’t for the shock of the ice bars between us. “Human! This is the Golden Guard! We can’t let him in here! What if it’s a trick?!” Lillith shrieked. Luz tried to calm her down, explaining that he’d changed. Another woman stepped into the room, followed by a small demon with a skull on his head. “Alright, what’s going on here?” She muttered. Luz sighed in relief. “Oh thank god you’re here, Eda. My friends need a place to stay, and-“ Eda? Lillith cut her off. “HE’S THE GOLDEN GUARD! It could be a trap!” She screamed, gesturing to the two of us. Hunter didn’t say anything, just let out a nervous chuckle. Eda only stared at us tiredly. “…..if it’s a trap we won’t hesitate to knock em’ out cold. Just let em in.” She grumbled, sitting on the couch as she drank something from out of a cup. Lillith stuttered indignantly, while Luz used what I assumed a random piece of paper to create fire. Melting the bars, she let the two of us inside.

A few minutes later, Hunter and I were sitting beside each other on two chairs, while Lillith, Luz, and Eda were sitting on the couch. He had just finished explaining what had happened with Emperor Belos mere hours before. Lillith had her arms crossed, staring at us suspiciously, while Eda was peacefully sipping at her apple-blood. Luz was holding the little demon, who I found out was named King. Luz spoke up first. “So…now you’re wanted criminals?” She asked, concerned. Hunter pat his Palisman. “It would appear so.” He muttered. Lillith didn’t say anything, but it was obvious from her body language she didn’t trust us. Eda the owl lady smiled comfortingly. “Well, I guess an enemy to Belos is a friend of mine. Welcome to the Owl House kids.” She chuckled. “Thank you.” I replied. Luz pointed accusingly at me. “AHA! YOU DO SPEAK!” She yelled. I chuckled. “So what’s your name, kid?” Eda asked. “I’m Y/n. Nice to meet you all. Especially you Lillith!” She turned to me, raising a brow. “Why’s that, witchling?” “You’ve always been a role-model for me! I feel so honoured meeting you in person!” I said, my smile brightening to finally have an opportunity to speak to my hero. Lillith smiled. “Thank you, witchling.” A few weeks later… Hunter and I had officially moved into the Owl House. It was a bit crowded but it became our home. Eda was teaching Hunter how to take care of his Palisman, plus how to use and treat it. I on the other hand, began to classes with Lillith and Luz, learning how to master glyphs. Sure, I still had my powers, but in case of emergencies I wanted to learn about these strange little symbols. We had become wanted criminals that day, and our wanted posters were stuck up all over the Boiling Isles. I felt a light tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I realised it was Hunter. “Hey Y/n, I have a surprise for you.” He said, grabbing my hand and leading me away from the Owl house. Dragging me through town, we snuck by many wanted posters of us. He finally stopped outside of Hexside, a school I had once attended before joining the Emperor’s Coven. Knocking on the door, Principal Bump opened. “Ah, good you’re here! Just in time too!” He whispered, taking down another poster that was stuck to his door. He smiled down at the two of us. “Good to see you again Y/n. Come this way!” Leading us onto the Grudgby field, I noticed Eda was standing beside a large, wooden stump. She walked over to us excitedly. “Y/n! Hunter had told us what had happened to your Palisman, so Bumpy, Hunter and I decided to give you a little surprise. I introduce to you…” The Bat Queen flew down, landing on the stump and opening the door. Many Palismans with cracks ran out, looking around curiously. “To the Palismans! These little guys need a good home again, and one lucky one may pick you.” My eyes widened in awe, as I clasped my hands over my mouth. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I hugged Hunter, who was standing beside me. “THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” I cried. Realising what I was doing, my face heated up, and I immediately let go, looking away in embarrassment. He did the same, scratching his neck as a pink flush covered his cheeks. Eda chuckled at our interaction. “Alright. All you gotta do is kneel down, say a goal you want to achieve and one should choose you.” She stated. I grinned as I knelt down, looking at all the cute Palismans scuttling about. “I want a powerful Palisman to help protect those I care about.” I said. One Palisman began to glow. It looked like a lizard from the human realm, but with a scorpion tail and sharp claws. I held out my hands as it turned into a staff, landing gently in my hands as the Palisman happily growled. My grin widened as I looked excitedly back at Hunter, hugging the Palisman close. Everything was going to be ok now.

A/N: HOLY CRAP FINISHING THIS I REALISED IT PRETTY MUCH TURNED INTO A FULL BLOWN NOVEL-

[stagemanagerssaygo]

Heaven and Hell: or my experience being a person of color in Disney’s Hyperion Theater

by Cooper Howell

Heaven and Hell: or my experience being a person of color in Disney's Hyperion Theater. #holdingtheateraccountable Im just gonna go ahead and be straight up. This is pretty scary to share. HEAVEN: Once upon a time Liesl Tommy cast me as Prince Hans in Frozen: Live at the Hyperion. And I was gooped. GOOPED. There was nothing in my prior history that gave any indication this was possible. Up until then every role I played had to do with my race. Every. Single. One. And even ones where it didn’t (Shakespeare or classical pieces mostly) I was always made aware that the novelty of me being a poc in that role that gave me the part. So much did I not expect to get this part that when I got the callback I rolled my eyes and didn’t take the actual callback seriously. I mean, there was a zero percent chance that Disney would ever let me play a Prince, especially when the dude in the movie is a ginger. But then I got it. And immediately everything I thought was possible about my career changed. My whole life I’ve never inwardly felt black. I’ve never inwardly felt white. I’ve always felt like I was Cooper, you know, on the inside. But whether it was every single white human in Utah reminding me that I was “the whitest person they ever knew/saw” (which DIDNT mean how white my skin was. It was how white I ACTED) or Mr. Johnson, my 7th grade drama teacher, telling me that he “wanted to put Velcro on the ceiling to see if I’d stick” or Mr. Smith, my high school drama teacher, saying “finally we can do black shows” as soon as I entered high school and then not casting me in roles because of the "optics" of it, or even my best friend in high school Tanner Harmon who called me "blackie", I was always reminded that I was an other. So imagine getting paid good money to put on that $10,000 costume and waltzing out to 4000 people a day to play a really amazing part. A fantastic, evil, complicated, person who sings a killer duet and then grabs the show by the throat with a vicious about-face monologue... and not once was my race ever mentioned cuz it didnt matter. What was being prized was Cooper, my talent, not my skin color that I never asked for. Heaven. Liesl MADE SURE, almost overly sure, that the poc’s in the cast felt equal. The kingdom of Arendelle, after all, is a make believe place. It can be whatever. From having Disney executives come and tell us that they were happy to have us there, to side conversations with John Lasseter, we were made to feel overly welcome playing the parts we were playing. She encouraged us to dive deeper into the script of a cartoon that I didnt really think much of until I was in it. We were encouraged to ask why. We felt seen as talent and not commodities. There were, of course, detractors. Gosh, I remember people at a party of cast members from "Mickey and the Magical Map" another show at Disneyland which features a princess and the frog number and many of those casts mates angrily claiming that “if that black girl Tiana Okoye can play Elsa than I should be able to play Princess Tiana” and then looking at me to confirm that was okay to say, not realizing that a) she’s one of my best friends, b) that I’m in the show with her also playing a role that wasn't created to be a poc, c) how racist that sounded, and d) why there's a difference there and why that wouldn't make sense. On Liesls final night I came up to her and said “I don’t know why you did it but thank you so much for casting ME in this part” to which she replied “you mean why would I cast a handsome, talented person in this role?” And I stuttered something like “well, I mean, I’m black. You know...” to which she tilted her head to her side and said “no. I don’t know why. Tell me why that matters.” And I had no answer. Seeing that I had no answer she smiled. That was the answer. There was no reason. On the spot my outlook about myself changed. Windows into what I thought was possible for me opened. -------------------------------------- HELL: And then Liesl went back to NYC and she was replaced by a man named Roger Castellano as show director. Rogers task, he told us on the first day, was to "change the show". We were not told what needed to be changed or even why, but that changes were on the horizon. You've got to understand: to a full cast of actors who had just spent more than three months dissecting a 60 page Disney script with a Tony nominated director like it was Shakespeare, we were initially emotionally/mentally/spiritually resistant to changes. But then it became clear that the spirit of collaboration was over, and the show changes were to be given without the same care, consideration, and thematic explanation of why they were being made. Everyones initial reaction was to push back, but when people who questioned their notes or their changes started getting days removed their schedule or being replaced entirely by a new actor, the Hyperion theater became a place where no one was allowed to speak out. Injustices were happening left and right and no one felt they could do anything for fear of losing their livelihood. And that's when the Frozen: Live at the Hyperion became a living hell. In my first note session with Roger he pulled me into a room with Domonique Paton, my best friend and incredible costar who played princess Anna in the show I was in. She just so happens to also be black. Almost all of Prince Hans’s scenes in the show are with her character and so most of my notes would be primarily based on those interactions with her. Earlier in the day I performed with a different (white) actress but it was the show with Domonique that I had a note session about. Imagine my surprise and dismay when, with how Liesl set up the show experience, we were told this: “WHEN THE TWO OF YOU PERFORM THE SHOW TOGETHER ITS TOO… URBAN.” Urban. What else could that have meant, do you think? He could have said maybe “too contemporary” emphasizing that we were maybe too modern in our speech patterns or movements. We weren’t. He could have said “too lax” or “too loose” meaning that maybe we were being unprofessional and goofy up there because we’re really good friends. We were not. The best me and Ms. Paton could think of was a 8 count moment of improv dance that me and Domonique decided to use as a synchronized moment of unity. It happened to fall on the line “our mental synchronization can have but one explanation” and thought, with the freedom that Christopher (the original choreographer) had given us, was appropriate, especially considering everyone behind us was doing the robot. As in the 80s robot. But he didnt clarify. He just said “WHEN THE TWO OF YOU PERFORM THE SHOW TOGETHER IT’S TOO… URBAN” And when asked what he meant he smiled with a little shrug and said "you can figure that out. You're smart." And thats how I became Black Hans and Domonique became Black Anna. My every moment onstage afterwards became about the optics of being a poc in that show. It was if I was suddenly made aware that I was LUCKY enough to be there and under any normal circumstances, or this new directors circumstances, me getting this part would have never happened. But the message was clear. It was especially clear when me and Domonique Paton shows together durastically decreased and made even more clear when the vast majority of the new hires were not people of color. But no one said anything. And made even MORE clear when, over the next few weeks, both Domonique and I got COPIOUS notes, ten times that of our coworkers that played the same parts. It was almost a game. In fact we did turn it into a game, seeing who would get the least amount of notes from him in a day. Our costars would even joke about it onstage with us, during the ballroom scene, and jokingly whisper "The shows been up 15 minutes. How many do you think you got today?" But no one said anything. And the notes were about all kinds of things. How we held our hand. If our inflections went up or down on a word. Which side of a couch we leaned on… which was fine! When you're an actor, thats the gig... until we started comparing our notes with the actors that played our same parts and none of them, NONE, would get the same notes. Our notes would be outrageously longer, the note sessions sometimes lasting 10/15 minutes. Others would get the “Oh hey, try doing this or that next time, okay bye” walk-by notes. Sometimes I would sneak into the audience and watch as some of the other Han's, some of whom changed lines, changed entire intentions of scenes, some of whom adding in all types of vocalizations and cackles and dance moves and what have you, and would receive ZERO notes. But I was watching them to see what was wrong with me. What was my performance missing? What am I actually doing to feel this singled out. And then I realized that the thing that was wrong with me was that I was a different color than the 5 other white Hans's they cast. And then I started getting notes about my penis. Most of the time these “penis sessions”, as I called them, were given in private rooms without another stage manager present. It was incredibly unpleasant and unprofessional. In fairness, those Prince Hans pants are TIGHT! And yes, Mr. Howell is indeed a party in the front and a party in the back, but so were a lot of those fellas. And thats where I put my foot down. If Disney was going to provide me with a costume it is not my responsibility to fix their problem, especially when other of my (white) costars had been given a dance belt for the same thing. But they never got penis notes. Private session notes about what their penis looked like in that show. Over and over again I was told to fix it, to not make it (my dick) so apparent, and that “if my daughter were younger I wouldn’t want her to come to a show you were performing at" all the more insulting considering his daughter, a cast member in the show, was a friend of mine and the loveliest person. He started demanding that I buy a dance belt. It was “my fault”, “my responsibility” …and thats where I took my stand. And then it really became hell. Penis sessions were now done out in the open. Once, he screamed at me, in the green room in front of all of my costars during lunch, about how incredible unprofessional I was, about how he was tired of seeing my dick, and that if I didnt go buy myself one I didnt deserve to be there anymore. Followed by a huge litany of notes. That doesnt compare to some of what Domonique went through and I invite her to share them if she’s willing. During this time I went to every stage manager in the building and told them about being singling out and about my penis. They all told me to write a complaint report and it would go to some place called "HR". Which I did. Numerously. More months passed. Nothing from "HR". Multiple cast members who witnessed my note sessions encouraged me to go to the HR themselves. I didnt honestly know what an HR was. As soon as it was explained to me by my allies even what an HR was I went to the head of HR at Disneyland herself and waited outside of her door. I asked her if she got any of my HR reports and she told me that she had received no HR reports from the Hyperion. Ever. And then asked me to fill out a HR form. As we went over it, she asked me some questions, and then set up a second meeting. On the second meeting she said that in order for my report to be given credence I would need witnesses to give their testimony. The witnesses, in fact the very people that told me to go to HR in the first place, said no. They didnt want to lose their jobs. In retrospect that might be the thing that hurt the most but, whatever... anyway, I was told "“well… without testimonies we’ll do an investigation and we’ll call you when we’ve completed it.” I never received a phone call. With absolutely zero protection from the stage managers from both the sexual harassment or my obvious racial targeting I (and others) were experiencing, not to mention that HR reports were doing nothing, aka not being forwarded, I thought about quitting. And when a white stage manager made a show mistake and laughed it off to the cast by saying an entirely offensive lynching joke, I quit. I didnt matter to Disney. How I felt and what I was being put through didnt matter. I was a commodity. My departure was unceremonious. Bizarre. 100% un-magical. I hung up my costume one last time and it was given to a new Hans, one who looked very much like me oddly, and stepped out of the theater. The park was playing “every wish your heart desires will come to you” and I remember laughing at how dead that song felt. The director has since moved on but still works as a musical theater director in Southern California. This one time 4 years ago I got to feel something other than my color for the first and only time in my professional career. It lasted from about March 2016 to July 2016 and never again since. I will never forget in those early days looking at all the beautiful princesses I got to woo and thinking “wow. I’m a prince right now.” Im sure that sounds stupid. But it didn't feel stupid. And a Disney prince! Yeah, a shitty prince kinda... I mean, he's a sociopath... BUT still a Prince! Especially special was being able to look in Dominique’s eyes and I could see the same glimmer of “can you believe we get to do this right now” reflected back. We never knew it was in the cards for us. My race always has and will always be part of my career equation and a determining factor of its projection. It will always be a determining factor in how im treated, by creatives, by people, by the those in authority over me, including the government and the police. #wasitmyskin

Copied in its entirety here from Cooper Howell’s public Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10163696376095054&set=a.10151302685610054&type=3&theater

[gingersforeverbox]

can i request some proposal headcanons with jayce and a gn!reader ? hes such a sweetheart already, id love to see how he acts when hes proposing / being proposed to (*˘︶˘*)

Ok, I’m gonna say this right now, This man is a mess in both scenarios no matter what. He could (and would) plan everything down to a T and still fumble his way through like a blubbering mess. Just look at him and tell me he’s not big dumb energy when it comes to his partner. He looks like he would faint with a dopey smile on his face if you were the one to even say ‘I love you’ first. Anyways, thank you so much for this lovely request, and feel free to ask more!  have some headcanons my dear!

Him proposing to you headcanons:

As I previously mentioned, he would want everything planned from the location to the time to the way you both were facing when he asks. He just wants it to be absolutely perfect because you deserve to have a perfect proposal in his eyes. 

He would try to be subtle about everything so you don’t get any ideas. He didn’t want you to think that he was doing anything important that would take his time away from you, so for a good few months out from the date he asks, he takes you to the spa on a regular basis. You just think he’s being kind (and he is because he loves how relaxed you look afterwards) but really he’s building up a pattern so that you get used to doing what you like at the spa so he can get you used to feeling at ease when it’s that time again. Do I think that he came up with this idea on his own? No, not at all. I think he asked either Mel or his mother for advice. 

SPEAKING OF WHICH: his mama LOVES YOU so much! She is so so happy for her handsome young man for getting such a catch and is already making arrangements to welcome you into house Talis as soon as you said y’all were dating, so imagine how excited she is when her son says he’s gonna propose!

The date leading up to the proposal would be surprisingly low key. He would take you to the to-go restaurant where you two had your first one-on-one study session together. He would order you two of your favorites so that you can put one in the fridge and eat it later at your shared apartment, you can’t tell me he wouldn’t.

Next, he would take you to the park to sit under the tree where y’all had your first kiss with a blanket for you both to eat on while he encouraged you to talk about anything and everything you could ever want. He loves it when you talk about things you’re passionate about after all.

As the sun set on the horizon, he would take you back to your apartment and insist that you go to the kitchen and put the leftovers on the counter for him to put away. While that was not normal of him to ask, you didn’t mind because there was obviously something going on that he wasn't talking about. As you went to the kitchen he all but sprinted to the bedroom to light your favorite candles and turn off the lights before opening the doors to the balcony to see the beginnings of stars blinking in the sky. 

He would yell for you to come to the bedroom because of “an emergency”, but he didn’t think that through because you immediately started running to help. Like full-on running. 

Just to see him knelt on the floor surrounded by your favorite flowers, holding a ring he forged by hand for you over the span of a few weeks to get just right. 

It took you a second to register what you were seeing, but as soon as realization hit you like a truck, you knelt on the floor in front of him, interrupting his speech with tears. When I tell you he panicked I mean that shit. 

“Oh god babe, I am so sorry. Is this too forward, I know we talked about marriage before but I didn’t think that you wouldn’t be interested right now I am so so-”

Your sobs turned to giggles as you cradled his face in your hands before explaining that they were tears of joy, not anguish. 

After reassuring him that you are ready for marriage so long as it’s to him, he abandons the speech to just ask the important question: “Will you marry me?”

After agreeing happily, he slides the ring over your finger, then stands to help you up before taking you to the balcony to talk about what the future holds. 

You proposing to him:

A lot of this will be dependent on your own preferences and how you want to woo our favorite handyman. 

I’m picturing you planning for months in advance!

Just imagine finding the perfect band (I imagine it being titanium or something else that is super strong and symbolic) and having it engraved with something sweet that only the two of you know about. A little inside joke, a sweet name, or even just a simple ‘I love you’.

I’ll tell you this much: this man will be FLUSTERED for sure.

You know how the sunsets in arcane are gorgeous to say the least? Just imagine the way it makes his skin glow as you kneel before him presenting the ring and your declaration of love.

Sorry this one is short as fuck my brain is fried but if you want more please let me know!

[katyasrussianaccent]

you're so golden (corpse x reader)

Summary: You're a faceless youtuber that sings cover songs. What happens when a certain faceless streamer slides into your DMs after you cover one of his songs?

Author's Note: Don't hate me! This was gonna be a cute chapter but then I decided against that. Credit to @moontwinkles for the spilling scene idea. Let me know what you think!

Masterlist

The sound of your alarm wakes you from your slumber with a suddenness. Bleary-eyed, you roll over to turn it off, letting out a small sigh as your body and brain start to awaken. You’re going to meet Corpse. You’re going to meet Corpse. It bares repeating in your mind; the prospect still not quite registering.

You haven’t had the greatest sleep, your mind racing most of the night; skittish little thoughts that had you tapping your toes on the mattress in agitation as you struggled to turn them off. Sunlight streams through the cracks in your blinds, a warm glow painted in stripes on your wall. It was going to be a good day, tiredness be damned.

You get up, stretching your arms out as wide as possible and relishing in the relief as your muscles unclench themselves. There’s a little spring in your step as you walk to the bathroom, to wash your face and brush your teeth. You aren’t nervous as you pick out your favourite outfit, instead you feel excited. It’s funny how little scraps of fabric and thread can impact your mood so much, but you smile at your reflection, the feeling of confidence is nice, albeit rare.

The rumbling in your stomach signals that you need to eat something before you leave. Nothing too fancy, just some toast and a glass of juice. You can feel the nerves start to grow a little, the food sits heavy on your tongue, forcing you to swallow it. You grab your phone, scrolling as you chew. You go onto Corpse’s twitter, smiling at the picture he’s posted.

Out of curiosity, you go onto his likes. You always find his likes interesting; the random things he’s added gives you more of an insight to his thoughts and feelings. You chew the inside of your cheek as you scroll down past girls with perfect skin and bodies; your previous confidence now feels a little misplaced.

Deciding against letting it ruin your mood, you close the tab and go to grab your bag before locking your door and heading to your car. You text Rae to let her know you’re leaving and she replies almost immediately to wish you luck. Sitting in front of the steering wheel, you exhale as you start the engine and begin to drive. This was really happening. When Corpse had asked to meet, you were shocked. While you had discussed it, you had been under the assumption it would be a while before it happened. You just hope you don’t make an idiot of yourself; a tendency you had when you were nervous.

While you love the city, there’s something about driving on the open road. No noise, just the sound of tires on concrete. The scenery remains the same; nothing but trees and the occasional house far in the horizon. You’re meeting him in Santa Barbara; a place you’ve been to once in your life, so it might as well be brand new. It’s halfway between both of you, and while it’s still a few hours drive, you’ve got good music and some sunshine to keep you happy.

The drive flies in and before you know it, you’ve arrived. You’re meeting at a cafe that sells bubble tea; it was Corpse’s recommendation. It’s a charming little place, with white table and chairs on a cobbled patio area. The building itself is white brick, plant pots decorate the window sills and there’s a small crowd of people waiting in line. You turn off the engine, and grab the perfume out your bag, the smell of peaches invading your nostrils. With one last look at yourself, you exit your car and make your way to the cafe.

You’re not sure how you’ll find him, being faceless and all. A quick scan of the people around you, your eyes zero in on a figure dressed all in black, leaning against a wall that’s slightly in the shade. There’s butterflies in your stomach as you look at him from afar, your feet apparently unable to move on their own accord. He stands out amongst the brightly coloured outfits of everyone else, and you can see the sun glint against the chains on his jeans.

“Hi,” you greet, your hand going up to half-wave at him. He’s handsome; pale skin and cheekbones that disappear under the fabric of his mask. A mop of black curls are atop his head, falling out in different directions, and he brushes one off his forehead as he looks at you.

“Hey,” he replies and you smile a little. There’s a thick fog of awkwardness between you as you both take each other in, though trying not to look so obvious about it. You feel under scrutiny as his eyes move over you, and you meet his gaze before you both look down at the ground, a faint blush on your cheeks.

“How was the drive?,” you ask at the same time he does, causing you both to laugh. “Oh. Uh yeah it was good, thanks, how was yours?”

“Yeah it was good,” he replies, his eyes still on the ground.

“That’s good.”

“Yeah.”

You scream internally as your eyes dart around, looking for something, anything to break this awkwardness. It shouldn’t be like this, you have such great chemistry on the phone and online, but there’s nothing right now. Is it you? There’s a niggling in your brain that says he was fine until now; until he saw you.

“We could go, uh, into the cafe? Get some food?” he suggests, breaking you from your self deprecating thoughts. You nod and you follow him to the door. He opens it and you dodge out the way as it narrowly escapes hitting you in the face. Corpse mutters an apology as he walks in, his eyes glued to the ground.

You order together; you get yourself a boba tea and a burger and Corpse does the same. He pays without saying anything to you, and while the day’s isn’t going quite as you pictured, the gesture makes your cheeks warm. You desperately hope it gets better. Maybe you’ve misread the situation and the chemistry you felt you had was just friendship on his part. Friends flirt all the time, and it doesn’t have to mean anything.

Your food arrives and you sit in relative silence as you eat. The times you do speak is stilted, full of one word answers and obvious observations. You go to reach for your boba as Corpse goes to grab salt, and the movement of his hand plus the crampedness of the table pushes your own hand back towards you, knocking the cup all over your neck and chest. Corpse shoots up in a speed that shouldn’t be human, his hand full of napkins as he comes towards you. The liquid is cold against your skin, and you look down to see your outfit now ruined, the fabric sticking to you in wet patches.

“I’m such a fucking idiot, I’m so sorry,” Corpse says, his tone panicky as he dabs at your neck. He continues to dab, his hands pressing at the neckline of your top and if this was another time, you’d feel all fluttery at his hands on your skin. But it’s not, you’re uncomfortable and the day has sucked so far and all you want to do is go home. He discards the napkin onto the table and grabs another, his fingers warm against your collarbone as he presses the tissue. He doesn’t realise that he’s travelling downwards to your chest before he presses once, twice, before retracting his hand back like he’s been burned, the napkin falling to the floor. “Uh fuck, sorry, I didn’t realise I - “

“It’s fine,” you reassure him. “I’ve always wanted apple scented boobs, guess I can check that off my bucket list.” It’s a failed joke but humour is a defence mechanism for you, even if it’s not very funny. Corpse widens his eyes a little, his gaze fixed on the napkin that’s on the floor.

He hands you some more napkins and you clean up a little more. Your skin feels sticky, and you smell of artificial apple; but the apple isn’t sweet, it’s bitter and slightly unpleasant.

“Uh, I should probably go home and get a shower, I feel like I fell into a vat of sugar,” you say, standing up and grabbing your bag.

“Oh, yeah, I’m so fucking sorry, I’m so clumsy,” Corpse replies. You can tell he feels awful, and while you sympathise, he’s not the one that’s just had almost a full cup of boba spilled on him.

You shake your head, “It’s fine, really. I just feel really gross. Don’t worry about it.” You smile in what you hope comes across as reassurance.

“Let me walk you back to your car,” he says. You nod and walk out together in silence; something you had gotten used to throughout the day.

“Have a safe drive back,” you say as you get to your car.

“I will. Let me know when you get home?” he asks, and you nod.

“Shall do. Goodbye Corpse,” you say, opening the door and waving at him through the window. He waves back and you watch him through the rearview mirror as he disappears out of sight. You feel like an idiot for believing this was going to be good, like you ever had a chance with him. You’d been saying it since the start; that it wouldn’t work, you had nothing in common, nothing to talk about. And you were right. Sometimes you hated being right.

You turn the engine on and sit there for a second, your head pressing against the steering wheel. What a waste of time this was. Grabbing your phone, you tweet quickly.

“Oh well, let’s go wallow in self pity,” you whisper before driving off.

Taglist: @genshinglitter @fanworrior @cherry-piee @mirahg @clara-bee @clubfairy @youretheonlyonewhomakesme @more-like-reyna @boiled-onionrings @moneybagmgk @brendalopez99 @delicateavenuenacho @dreamsofficialwife @hydrate-tion @oi-itsemily @letsloveimagines @softforqiankun @evilunicorns4minions @captain-willowwitch @afuckingunicornn @theroyalbrownbarbie @buttersnitzle @officiallyunofficialperson @aha-red @frostbitelokii @butterfly-skinnylegend @sofianunes10 @ghostfacefricker6969 @alienvarmint @helena-way07 @woah2pointo @jasmine2042003 @youhyakuya @adore-holland @hyunjinhugs @finahja @lupinpetersclearwaterodairparker @only-corpse-hands @remugoodgirl @gowhiteboygo-poggers @open-minded-chip-101 @daveedfanfics @justakpopstans @majasophieanna @mxjetlagcity @strawberrydonkey @meowtella @lizzylynch1 @chesca-791 @anescapefromtheworld @unded-bride @majasophieanna @adorkably @lost--in--the--moon @euphoricseokjin

[cocobeanncteez]

Ateez Hongjoong: Tame (Final Part)

Genre: Fluff, angst, smut, mafia au.

Pairing: Mafia!Hongjoong x OC (written in 2nd person)

Word Count: 17k in total, 2.2k in this part. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

Warnings for all parts combined: Mafia themes such as torture, abuse, violence, human auctions, murder, drugs, guns. Mentions of rape, human trafficking, sex slavery, organ trafficking, unprotected sex, pulling out, facesitting.

“What are you guys up to?” you questioned, plopping down on the couch beside Wooyoung. Yunho, Jongho, and San were seated on the opposite couch.

“Just talking about one of our hostages who we will kill tonight,” Yunho replied while playing with a rubik's cube.

“What did they do?” you asked.

“He tried to sabotage our latest drug deal with a secret dealer from Russia. We didn’t know how he found out about it, but he spilled the beans on his gang,” San answered. “So we don’t need him anymore.”

“Well… rest in peace, I guess,” you remarked, making Wooyoung snort.

“Would’ve been better if we killed Yang Daeyoung instead.”

You turned to look at him. “Who exactly is he? I’ve heard his name a few times, but I’ve never gotten the opportunity to ask.”

Jongho gently cleared his throat. “He’s the man who raped and murdered Hongjoong’s sister. Him and three of his men. He wasn’t from a very powerful gang or anything, but he does his work extremely well. He wanted to take us down, and he used Hongjoong’s sister as bait to trap him. Hongjoong refused to give up on Ateez. By the time we managed to track Hongjoong, the damage was already done.” You felt your heart break; you couldn’t even imagine what your boyfriend had to go through.

“Where is Yang Daeyoung now?” you asked.

“Rotting in our torture chamber as we speak.”

Your eyes widened in surprise. “What?! Why haven’t you killed him yet?”

“We are looking for his child,” Hongjoong replied, joining the conversation. “The man has over five trillion won kept in a secret bank account. He also has information, good and bad, on every mafia gang and the corrupted politicians and locals involved. That’s why all gangs are still on the lookout for him even though we captured him eight months ago. He has a secret place somewhere in the world and only his child can access his possessions as he used iris pattern recognition. He has covered up everything though. We can’t find shit on any of his family members.”

“No amount of threatening or torturing works on him. We even told him that we’ll find his child and torture them,” Jongho added. “But he won’t reveal anything to us.”

“Maybe I can try?” you suggested. You did learn how to torture someone for information, but it wasn’t something you really enjoyed.

“Your chances are extremely low,” Wooyoung remarked.

“I’m aware of that. But even a little information could be helpful, right?”

“Go ahead then, sweetheart,” Hongjoong said with a smirk. “I’d love to see my girl torture that filthy bastard.”

You pecked his lips. “Then let’s go now, shall we?”

You made your way to the torture room, Hongjoong, Jongho, and Wooyoung following you. Seonghwa joined you after finishing his work in the interrogation room, satisfied with how much information he was able to obtain. Jongho entered a passcode for one of the rooms, letting everyone inside.

The room was pretty dark and looked like a jail cell. You saw a plate of untouched food on the floor. There was a chair in the middle of the room and a cot at the end of the room where Yang Daeyoung was sleeping, his back facing you all, long chains attached from his hands to a pipe.

Wooyoung moved to the sleeping form, giving the man a kick on his back to wake him up. “Get up, fucker.”

Yang Daeyoung groaned in pain before sitting up, looking at the faces of everyone in the room. As soon as you made eye contact with the man, your heart dropped to your stomach.

His eyes widened. “Kiah?! What are you doing here?!”

The boys immediately turned to look at you. You weren’t able to utter a word due to how shocked you were at seeing your own father there. His hair was quite long and he had a long beard and moustache. There were a few scars on his face and arms.

“How do you know her?” Hongjoong interrogated.

“Run from here, Kiah! They’re gonna kill you,” your father yelled at you.

“Do you know him?” Seonghwa asked you, but you weren’t able to answer. You felt sick. You felt terribly sick that it was your father who raped and murdered your lover's sister.

Tears rolled down your eyes when you glanced at your boyfriend. How could you ever face him now?

“Kiah!” your father yelled, tugging hard on the chains, grabbing your attention. “Get out of here! They’re gonna torture you in front my eyes! They said they will find you and torture you!”

Hongjoong looked at you with an emotionless expression, finally understanding the situation. “You’re his daughter?” You couldn’t respond.

“Are you this bastard's daughter?!” he yelled at you. Before you could answer him, he rushed out of the room. You couldn’t help but cry, burying your face in your hands, feeling your heart ache.

Your father glared at you angrily. “Why are you involved with Ateez?! What is wrong with—"

“Shut up!” you shouted, cutting him off. “You’re fucking pathetic! How could you r-rape someone when you have a daughter?! How could you lie to me all these years that you’re a cop, when you’re nothing but a heartless monster!” you sobbed loudly, collapsing onto the floor. You felt someone kneel beside you, wrapping their arms around you.

“Get away from her, Park Seonghwa!” your father spat.

Seonghwa turned to glare at him. “Shut it,” he said, before helping you stand up, taking you to your room.

You blankly stared at the window of your room from your bed, watching the horizon darker as night was approaching. It has been four days since you last saw Hongjoong. You felt nothing but emptiness and agony. You didn’t know if he was at the mansion or if he went somewhere as you haven’t left your room at all ever since Seonghwa brought you to it. The girls tried to make you eat, but you barely had the appetite to.

You sighed, forcing yourself to get out of bed to take a shower even though you were going to crawl right back into it.

Stripping out of your clothes and entering the shower, you pushed the tap, letting the warm water soak you. Closing your eyes, you could feel a dull ache in your chest when you began to think of Hongjoong. A sob got stuck in your throat, but escaped a few seconds later. You couldn’t hold it back anymore. You sat down, hugging your propped up knees. Your sobs got louder, and your throat was aching, tears mixing with the water running down your face.

After spending a few minutes crying until you couldn’t anymore, you finally washed your body and your hair.

Stepping out of the shower, you wrapped a towel around your body and another one for your hair. You exited the bathroom after putting some clothes on, having no strength to dry your hair with a blow-dryer. You stopped in your tracks when you noticed a figure seated on your bed.

“I'm sorry…” Hongjoong apologized, getting off your bed and moving towards you. He stood in front of you with a pained expression on his beautiful face. You wondered how long he was waiting for you and you really hoped he didn’t hear you cry. Even if he didn’t, he could still tell you were crying as your red, puffy eyes gave it away.

“F-For what?” you stuttered, voice shaky.

Hongjoong sighed, looking down at his feet.  “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I shouldn’t have left you alone when you were going through much worse. It was a shock for you too…”

Your eyes filled with tears. “I understand why you did it. It’s okay…”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not okay, baby. I’m ashamed of how I acted. You didn’t deserve that.”

You blinked, causing the tears brimming at your eyes to slide down your cheeks. Hongjoong reached up to cup your cheeks, gently wiping your tears away with his thumbs. He placed a gentle, lingering kiss on your forehead. “I’m so sorry.”

You closed your eyes, shaking your head in his hold. You pulled away from him, taking a deep breath. “Hongjoong, I-I think it’s best if we end things.” His eyes widened, heart aching due to your words. He opened his mouth to say something, but you spoke before he could. “I’m the daughter of the man who raped and murdered your sister, Hongjoong. I-I can’t…” you paused, sobs taking over. “I can’t live with that fact. I can’t look at you without thinking about it.”

“I don’t care, Kiah,” he reached out to hold your hands, his own eyes filling with tears. “I love you. Do you understand? I fucking love you. Yes, I was furious when I found out that you were the daughter of that bastard, but you shouldn’t have to suffer because of him. You didn’t even know what he does for a living. It’s not your problem.”

You sniffled. “You don’t h-hate me?” you couldn’t help but ask.

“Baby…” he sighed, pulling you into a hug, his own tears rolling down his beautiful face. “I could never hate you. Never. You’re the love of my life. Fuck, I can’t even live without you. These past four days… I felt like I was gonna go insane if I didn’t see you, but I had to give you some space.” You didn’t know what to say.

“There's no me without you,” he continued, gently pushing you away so that he could see your face. “So please… never try to break up with me again. I’d rather die than live without you,” he cried. You wrapped your arms around him, burying your face in his chest while you both cried together. Hongjoong placed soft kisses onto your head, trying to calm himself and you down.

When your sobs stopped, he gently pushed you away so that he could look at your face. He cupped your cheek, titling your head back before he leaned in, capturing your lips with his own in a soft kiss.

He pulled away, resting his forehead against you. “I love you,” he murmured.

You smile slightly. “I love you more.”

Epilogue

 “Oh my god! We’re finally here!” Jiwoo squealed, running on the cooling sand. Ateez managed to find out the location of your father's secret hideout in Fiji with the help of Yeosang who used your iris pattern to track the computer. Ateez managed to receive all your father’s possessions and now you all had flown across Fiji for a mini vacation.

“Jiwoo's dream destination is Fiji and now we’re here,” San said, watching his girlfriend with love and adoration. You chuckled, watching San run after Jiwoo to join her little hyper session.

“We’re gonna go rest for a while,” Seonghwa stated, holding Aeji's hand.

Wooyoung smirked. “I know what that means,” he said, earning a smack on his head from the older man before the couple went to their beach house in the chain of houses.

Hongjoong took your hand in his, intertwining it. “We’re gonna rest too. See you all for dinner,” he said, dragging you along to your little beach house.

The two of you walked in comfortable silence, sandals leaving prints on the sand, observing the various hues of orange, red, blue, and purple in the beautiful sky as the sun was setting. Hongjoong let go of your hand when you reached your beach house, pausing in his tracks. You gave him a questioning look, wondering why he wasn’t going inside.

He cleared his throat, moving his hands to wrap around your waist. “You’re the only one who could tame my temper, as the boys always say," he started, making you giggle. “The only one who could make my heart beat so fast. I’ve never wanted anything more in life than to be with you. You aren’t just my girlfriend, you’re my best friend and the love of my life. But now I’d like to change that,” he reached into his pocket, taking out a small velvet box.

Hongjoong got down on one knee, and you gasped, realizing what was about to happen. “I’d like to be upgraded from your boyfriend to your fiancé.” You chuckle at that and he opened the box, revealing a beautiful oval-shaped diamond ring.

“Moon Kiah, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

“Yes!” you squealed, face beaming with happiness. Hongjoong took your hand in his, sliding the ring onto your finger. He got up and you pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. When you pulled away, he grinned before placing a soft kiss on your lips. “I love you. Thank you for bringing light to my life.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck. “I love you too, Joong. So much.” Hongjoong chuckled, pulling you into a sweet kiss.

You couldn’t wait for this new chapter in your life, spending it with Hongjoong by your side for the rest of eternity.