#but phew boy did it feel like parting my hair on the wrong side

[arabella-strange]

the change from c1 -> TLOVM s3 that's got me most wigged out so far?

Pronouncing the Twins' home as ByROden -> BYroden

quoi???

[caramellcandy]

phew that's a lot longer than I thought also here is the picture that I used to describe Polites dragon form

One of Polites earliest memories is of his parents telling him what he was, a dragon. He was so excited at the time and why wouldn't he be? Dragons are awesome and cool! But right after came the rules. The one rule that has always been drilled into him.

Don't reveal your true form to a human ever

He learns that being a dragon is not as amazing as he first thought. Most people would see a monster, a beast, something to be feared and hunted down. He learns of the time where dragons were constantly sought out and killed in cold blood for nothing but the fact they were born a dragon.

Dragons did not always have the ability to become human so back then they were easily found out. The Gods fought over the slaughter of the dragons. Eventually the Gods on the side of the dragons came together to bless them with the ability to become human as a way to hide safely.

While Polites was nervous about what could happen if others were to find out he didn't let it stop him from playing with the other kids and making friends. He was always kind like his mother. He thrived with other people. The memory of meeting his closest friend stands out most.

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

Polites had agreed to a race between all the boys in the village. While most of the boys were hoping to show off to the girls Polites is just happy to spend time with the others. He laughs as the wind blows through his hair and the breathless feeling of racing down the path.

He wonders if this is anything like it will feel when he eventually gets his wings. Will he feel this free in the sky or will it be even more freeing than running? He is brought out of his yearning as he trips over a rock hidden in the dirt causing him to fall to the ground hard.

The other boys race past past him barely giving him a glance as they continue the race. His knees and arms ache a bit but being a dragon makes himself sturdier than most. He is about to push himself up when an outstretched hand is offered to him.

He looks up to see a grinning boy with blond curly hair and tan skin. The boy is obviously out of breath from running. Polites grins back and grabs onto the hand letting himself be pulled up as he brushes the dirt from his clothes.

"Hello my name is Pentheus! What's your name?"

"My name is Polites! Thank you for helping me."

That is how their friendship started one that lasted for years of Polites life. He remembers believing it would last forever the carefree laughter with his closest friend, the heartfelt talks and unconditional love, the teasing. He believed with all his heart that nothing would change. Unfortunately the fates had other plans as he would soon find out.

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

Polites was 14 the day everything went wrong, the day that left scars that would never heal.

The forest was beautiful with the soft sunlight filtering through the trees. A soft breeze gently rustling the leaves as sounds of birds chirping fill the cool crisp air.

Polites was too busy to enjoy the peace like he usually would though. He is instead arguing with himself over something he has been struggling with for weeks as he skips stones on the lake. He wants to tell Pentheus about what he is but fear and his parents words keep stopping him. It hurts keeping such a big part of himself a secret from his closest friend but the rules are made to protect all dragons not just him.

He sighs once again unable to decide and instead wants to try and practice with his dragon side. While dragons don't usually get their full dragon forms until they are 16 Polites is hoping to get it earlier. Unfortunately so far he has only managed partial transformations.

He takes a deep breath and concentrates on the dragon he can feel tucked away inside him. He envisions what he imagines his dragon form will look like, big and majestic. He feels the power spreading through him the familiar feeling of shifting and he is sure this will be the moment all his hard work would pay off.

He looks into his reflection in lake and is disappointed to find he wasn't fully shifted. Instead random patches of scales cover his skin with two horns curving on his head. His hands are also more like the claws of a dragon. He tries his best to push aside his disappointment instead admires the pale gold and white of his dragon side. He has always loved how the colors looked, it made him feel beautiful.

"…Polites?"

Polites tenses as he hears his friend call his name hesitantly. He turns around ready to explain but he doesn't know how to start. How can he explain how he has been lying to him this entire time? He tries to reach out to his friend.

"I'm sorry please I can explain!"

Polites pulls back as his friend flinches away from the dragon claws on his hand and turns around and runs. Polites stand there frozen and hurt. The fear in his friends eyes feels like a punch to the gut. Does his friend really think he would ever hurt him?

Dragons are seen as dangerous beasts, monsters, to be hunted down and killed

That's when the fear hits fear for both himself and his parents. His friend will tell everyone what he has seen and then who knows what will happen! Polites quickly shoves his dragon back inside him and runs as fast as his legs can carry him. He has to warn mom and dad!

Polites rushes through the forest uncaring of the branches scratching him. His legs begin to ache and his breathing is quick as he finally pushes his way out of the forest and he ignores the aching instead putting on more speed without the obstacles in his way.

When he finally reaches the small hut he calls home he slams open the door causing his parents to jump. He is out of breath with wide scared eyes and covered in dirt and twigs. He takes a few seconds to catch his breath some before delivering the bad news.

"Mom, dad, I'm so sorry but Pentheus saw me practicing in the forest he knows!"

He sees the moment his parents register what he just said as fear fills their eyes. Dad runs around frantically packing their belongings while Mom pulls him into a quick hug.

"Don't worry sweetheart we will be fine. I'm sorry but we have to leave now we can't stay."

Mom let's him go as he feels tears begin to form. He heads to his room and starts to pack his few things. He has to leave behind a few stuff like his lumpy pottery he had tried to make once and his collection of seashells from the nearby beach. He finishes and with one last look back at the room that had been his since birth before running out of the house.

As he is about to follow his parents he is dragged into a tight hold with a yelp. Polites starts to struggle his panic causing his hands to become more like claws as he fights the arm but despite the curses he is not released.His parents turn around at the sounds and stare terrified as a sharp blade is pressed against his throat. Polites freezes as he tries to calm his breathing.

"Would you look at that the brat was right he really is a monster! Now don't bother fighting or your freak son will end up dead."

Polites flinches at the word monster and whimpers as the blade is pressed harder against his neck. He watches as his parents slowly drop their belongings and don't fight the guards dragging them closer. They roughly tie their arms behind their back and shove them to the ground.

Polites cries and he wants so much to be back in his mom's arms, warm and safe. He is terrified at what could happen now. His tears fall on the blade as he tries to tell his parents how sorry he is without speaking. His parents have struggled to sit upright with their arms tied.Mom looks at him sadly with a warmth of a mother.

"Don't blame yourself for this sweetheart. It's not your fault."

He wants to argue with her that it is his fault, that he should have been more careful but the cold edge of the blade against his neck is a reminder to stay silent. The man holding him back speaks up.

"Well what are you guys waiting for? Who knows how long keeping the brat hostage will stop them. They are the parents which means they are monsters as well! Don't give them the chance to fight back."

Polite's eyes widen as he spots two men with swords heading towards his parents. He starts to struggle even as the blade digs into his neck. All he cares about is saving his parents. His mom is crying as he speaks up.

"It's okay Poli please don't ever stop being kind and don't blame humans for this not all humans are the same."

Polites struggles more only for him to be hit in the head. He stops struggling as his head throbs from the hit. He feels the dragon inside waking up, responding to his fear. He focuses back on his parents watching the men raising their swords his father starts talking too.

"We are so proud of you my son. You can escape I know you can do it so run away and dont look back okay?"

His dragon bursts out all at once as he screams for them. He feels the change happening and lashes out at the man holding him. His scream turns into a roar as his body grows and shifts into his full dragon form. Even then he isn't quick enough only able to watch the blades run them through.

The grief and anger filled roar echoes across the entire area as he reaches his parents and knocks the men aside with his tail. He shields his parents the best he can as they lay there dying. Mom is already dead and Dads voice is weak as he speaks.

"Run…you have to run…"

Polites sobs as he nudges the still forms of his parents.

"Please no don't leave me, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry…"

He knows he has to leave now but everything hurts and he just wants his parents to hold him again and tell him they are safe. Instead he shoves the grief and pain down focusing on doing what Dad asked

To run and never look back

He starts running and leaps off the ground as he flaps his wings. A blade slices into his side barely missing his wing causing him to growl at the pain. He knocks the man off as Polites flies upward with the sword still stuck in his side.

His flight is awkward and strained, his instincts the only thing keeping him in the air as he flies away from land and over the sea. He had always looked forward to his first time flying but he can't bring himself to care as leaves behind everything he has ever known and loved.

By the time he spots land again he is feeling lightheaded with ever part of him aching. He falters as the relief of reaching land cause his wings to buckle and he starts to fall. He skids across the beach the rough sand and rocks digging into him as he lays there whimpering.

He barely manages to shift back into a human as he sobs. Everywhere hurts and he feels the wounds bleeding. The blood loss leaves him weak and exhausted as he falls unconscious.

He is not awake to hear a dog barking as a young boy comes across him. He doesn't feel himself being carried away nor does he hear the boys words.

"Don't worry you will be fine I promise I will help you"

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

Polites once again finds himself fighting except this time instead of a human enemy it's a Cyclops. It frustrates him that their peaceful approach didn't work and he can feel the dragon instinct inside wanting to shift, to show the Cyclops it should have accepted their offer of peace instead of trying to kill them.

He pushes the instinct down with practiced ease although it's harder than usual because its been so long since he last shifted. He must not reveal his true nature to other humans it's an rule that has been drilled into him since he was young. He knows what happens when the rules are not followed.

Humans often see dragons as beasts and monsters to be slayed and keeping his identity secret is vital to his and other dragons safety so even as he longs to tell Odysseus and Eurylochus he stopped himself. Dragons are rare to find having faded into legends and it needs to stay that way.

Polites notices Odysseus climb a rocky cliff in the cave before looking down and leaping with his sword aimed, as he slices the back of the cyclops. Polites rushes over to where he lands and is relieved to see he is okay before helping him up. They dive back into the battle where everyone is moving together as one. The barely even have to speak to know what to do after 10 years of fighting together.

Polites notices the Cyclops reaching for something and another deep rooting dragon instinct flares to life danger . He sees the cyclops lock his eye onto Odysseus and he is already running towards him the phantom feeling of scales shifting over his skin as every part of him screams at him to protect his friend, his Zaymah(brother). He refuses to let more of his family die!

He manages to push Odysseus out of the way just as the club slams into him. He lets his scales out under his armor to steel himself so even as he is sent flying he is mostly safe with only a few bruises and some non life threatening wounds. The worst part is hearing Odysseus desperate scream of his name as he lays in the shadows of the cave catching his breath.

The pain is making it hard to focus and his dragon is fighting to get out, to keep himself safe, but he continues to fight the urge to shift. Its made harder when he hears screams echo along with roars and earthshaking thuds. His Fahdons(friends) are being slaughtered and his dragon is raging over their deaths. It doesn't take long to lose the fight as he starts to shift.

Teeth and nails grow into claws and fangs while his body grows larger with scales spreading across his body. Tail and wings form while fur grows down his neck. Its freeing to finally be in his true form after so long and he makes sure to spread his wings wide before turning his attention to the Cyclops with a snarl.

"We tried to offer you a peaceful solution and what do you do? You murdered my Fahdons and almost killed my zaymah!"

Polites dragon form was the color of pale gold and pure white almost angelic looking with big wings unfurled and a fur tipped tail swaying behind it. Strong scales cover the chest like armor and sharp fangs and claws as deadly weapons. The fur frames the head flowing elegantly down the neck. He is imposing and majestic and powerful with intelligent brown eyes. Eyes that are filled with rage.

Polites moves gracefully despite being big enough to rival the Cyclops as he stands in front of the group cowering in the corner. He knows this form can be scary but right now is no time to explain and he refuses to let anyone else die. The Cyclops gets over his shock and a dark grin crosses its face.

"A dragon huh? Father would love it if I offer him a dragon."

Polites launches himself at the Cyclops digging fangs and claws deep into flesh causing it to roar in pain. The club swings into his side causing him to be knocked away with a grunt. He stares the cyclops down looking for a weakness.

He wishes he could just fry the cyclops to a crisp but since his parents never had the chance to teach him how to control his fire he doesn't want to use it. He won't take the chance of hurting the crew in the enclosed space of the cave

He leaps again wrapping his tail around the cyclops wrist and tightens causing the club to fall to the ground with a pain filled roar. Polites digs teeth into the neck and clamps down killing it at last. He lets go and climbs off breathing hard.

He pulls his dragon back and lets himself shrink as he turns back into a human and he looks back at the remaining crew. Odysseus is the first to speak.

"..Polites?"

His name echos through the cave as Polites flinches. It sounds too similar to Pentheus and he doesn't want to lose anyone else. Why couldn't he have just kept his dragon in check?! But no if he had done that more would have died… Then is he just not allowed to keep the people he loves? He curls in on himself preparing for the hate and fear.

"Polites are you okay?"

It takes a bit to process the words and when he does he looks at Odysseus in shock. That's the last thing he expected.

"w-what?"

Odysseus is a bit weary but with eyes full of concern, concern for him.

"Polites please answer me."

"You dont…hate me?"

Odysseus looks like he had been punched in the gut as hurt flashes across his face before concern takes over again.

"Polites what are you saying? Of course I don't hate you! You saved all our lives!"

Polites tries to speak but a sob is all that comes out as he collapses from the shock and relief. Odysseus lurches forward and catches him before can hit the ground as Polites starts sobbing with fingers digging into cloth.

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

Odysseus waits until Polites is asleep watching as his chest rises and falls with each gentle breath. He looks so peaceful like this. Odysseus brushes the unruly curls of hair from Polites face with a gentle smile before standing up trying his best to not wake Polites.

It seems his efforts are in vain as Polites tail wraps around his waist and tugs him back. He sighs and lets himself be pulled back into the bed with a half asleep Polites. Wings form from his back and wrap around Odysseus like a cocoon as Polites snuggles closer to him.

"Stay…"

Odysseus smiles at the obvious sleepiness in Polites voice.

"Okay Polites I'll stay."

The promise is soft and genuine. Polites relaxes and pulls Odysseus closer and..was he purring? Odysseus can't help but chuckle a bit at that. Who knew dragons were just big cats. It makes him proud and happy that Polites is finally letting his dragon show around him.

Odysseus feels Polites heat up in a soothing warmth that has him relax fully luring him closer to sleep. He lets himself fall asleep with a smile feeling safe and content curled up next to Polites with wings and tail wrapped comfortingly around him.

All the work can wait until later he's sure.

this au is so cool! I love dragons

[catch-the-wind]

when reader is sick hc's

finally posting writing here so true

n e ways okay so i’m brainrotting about the genshin charas taking care of their s/o’s when they’re sick 🥺 and now i'm feeling sick, sigh

ohm and sulien ambros belong to @teyvattherapist! they're such good chara's, i know i'm writing them here but i deffo recommend reading up on them

okay here u go, have some hc's that are kinda sorta long and by that i mean 2.5k- i haven't proofread this bc it's 4am and im going to BED but if i write for any other chara's i'll post a second part <3 mwah

tags: gn!reader, diluc x reader, kaeya x reader, jean x reader, lisa x reader, albedo x reader, dainsleif x reader, tartaglia x reader, ohm ambros x reader, sulien ambros x reader, soft bean hours

diluc

is not working or traveling when his partner is sick

absolutely makes them soup and hot tea and drinks

he’s trying to make them food but he’s not the best cook so he’s asking adelinde for help

absolutely asks jean, barbara, and ohm for help while his partner is sleeping but he’s so awkward LMAO

was absolutely frantic the first day he found out his partner was sick tho, he made them come over to the winery so they could sleep there and he can take care of them <3

absolutely lied about what room was his so they slept in his bed

“hmm this guest room is so furnished diluc are all your rooms like this” and no, no they are not, this room is his, bestie

diluc slept on a sofa in his bedroom and did work on the table that was supposed to be for flowers. kinda stressed over abyss order locations but was more worried ab his partner being okay so he was distracted

he just put the flowers on his nightstand for his partner to see when they woke up <3

gives his partner forehead kisses because they won’t let him kiss them on the lips and he gives them the gentlest cheek kisses while they sleep

also gives his partner his clothes to wear <3

cuddles them and reads to them when they’re awake and TEMPLE KISSES OH MY GOD

kaeya comes over because he’s worried his brother and his brother’s s/o haven’t been seen in a little while

n e way, diluc gets sick after his partner gets better and they nursed each other back to health

kaeya

like diluc, he took off work so he could take care of his s/o i,mediately after he found out they were sick

wouldn’t force them to stay at his place tho, he’d probably let them recover in their own place

but he might make them go to the kof hq or the cathedral just so they can be taken care of by a proper healer

he absolutely soothes their fevers and stuff w cryo and also the man can heal himself w his elem skill ofc he can fix someone if he tries hard enough <3

he gives kisses no matter how much his partner says not to but he’ll also give them butterfly kisses so it’s soft moments too~ sigh, ur too cute alberich

asks ohm and barbara and albedo and lisa for potions and such to help his partner feel better but he’s really lowkey so he doesn’t seem SUPER worried

he just hates seeing his partner not feeling so well </3

refreshes his partner’s vase of flowers at their bedside every day

brings home work so he can watch over his partner. he can’t cook super well either so he asks for help and brings stuff home from good hunter too

jean was okay to let kaeya off of work and diluc would never admit it (man practically swore everyone to secrecy smh) but he helped take up some of kaeya’s duties in his stead

and kae, the alcoholic, didn’t even drink while his partner was sick bc he was lowkey worried they would need his help w smth and he didn’t want to be drunk just in case <3

many cuddles despite protests of getting him sick <3

jean

absolutely uses her healer skills to make her partner feel better

panicked when they were still sick and thought it was her fault </3 she asked barbara and ohm for help and they just told jean to relax a bit bc her partner was sick and it wasn’t going to be a quick fix

wanted to take off work but didn’t, so she just brought her work with her

kaeya and ohm very kindly took up her other duties where she had to leave so she could be w her partner

her partner is staying in the kof hq where they get access to ohm and barbara comes to visit <3 but also so that jean can sleep comfortably enough close by bc you cannot tell me this woman does not sometimes sleep in her office or the library and barely makes it to the kof dormitories sometimes

she’s so worried the entire time, she’s probably got a few gray hairs and a new frown line smh

she has clothes that aren’t her work clothes???? it’s so foreign seeing her in stuff like pajamas. you didn’t even know jean owned pajamas

jean sets them up in her bed at home (yeah she has a place outside of the kof hq??? it’s surprising) but it’s a big bed so they can rest and she’ll have the lamp on her side on while she sits up and does work

absolutely dotes on them. she’s good at making foods that make them feel better, she’s just a good healer that way <3

albedo, klee, venti, kaeya, lisa, and ohm all come over to check on jean and co and make sure everyone is doing okay <3 lots of food brought

if jean was asked to sing to her partner normally, she probably wouldn’t bc she’d probably get embarrassed but i think she probably sounds v good and venti would give her his lyre to try out a musical instrument too. but also she’d read to her partner and they’d probably fall asleep together uwu

lisa

works part time hours at the library so she can go visit her s/o

probably asks them to stay at the kof hq for easier access to medical assistance and plus she’s almost always there

“cutie” but worried and very 🥺 (pleading emoji)

makes soup and potions and reads to her partner until they fall asleep

also super playful omg she’s still got a smile on and is full of affection while she walks her fingers up her partner’s arm to their face so she can cup their cheek

she’ll make her partner laugh and smile and blush even when they’re sick, but she makes them laugh until they cough sometimes and immediately feels so bad

jean, barbara, kaeya, albedo and ohm all come to visit with different foods and soups and medicines and such

klee comes knocking and gives lisa some good fisherman’s toast and asks lisa’s s/o if they want to hug dodoco b/c that always makes klee feel better

purple roses galore, lisa has them in her partner’s room and they’ve got a potion to make the. uh. sniffer? to make the sniffer feel better. don’t ask me how, idk but she would find a way to make them physically feel better with flowers

reads to her partner ofc, and she tells them stories ab her own life and time at sumeru sans the crazies

worried looks when her s/o is sleeping but also the softest smiles when they wake up pls-

albedo

cutest lil frown on his face when he finds out his partner is sick

immediately they are taken home and he’s testing to confirm what’s wrong w them and what he can do to speed up their recovery

he’s more distracted than usual at work but he’s coming over to your place all the time w what paperwork he can do

also sketches his partner while they don’t know. he’s got lots of beautiful candids of his partner sleeping, looking out the window, falling asleep, reading, even drinking water. he’s made the most mundane things look captivating

kaeya and ohm come to check on albedo when he doesn’t show up for work after a few days and it’s bc he’s taking care of his s/o with food and soup and alchemical potions and shit. and when kae and ohm come in, they find his partner opening the door wrapped in a blanket while albedo is asleep cuddling the pillow they left bc he stayed up the night before making soup and reading to them

klee has camped out on his partner’s couch, she helps w the cooking too~ she absolutely lets them hug dodoco and gives them a treasure to feel better too LOL

many kisses from klee and albedo, and they also go out to get treats for albedo’s partner too

domestic albedo cooking in his partner’s kitchen and for once it isn’t some alchemical potion that he might blow up the stove with

tartaglia

takes off work entirely but BOY OH BOY is he stir crazy smh

brings his partner to his apartment to rest <3

he’s so worried ab his s/o that he makes all the sick ppl food the first day, orders from wanmin restaurant when his partner wants smth different, and also gets toys and such to entertain them otherwise

also reads to his partner but, again, he gets stir crazy after a while

absolutely does workouts and katas in the living room and phew shirtless tartaglia working out? gets the heart rate up for sure ahem

rushes to his partner tho omg- need soup? water? a trip to the bathroom? another blanket? he goes to them the MOMENT he hears them moving around. absolutely dotes on them <3

his family knows ab his partner and he’s probably written letters ab them being sick~ his family sent snezhnayan herbs and flowers and medicines and such

zhongli comes around because he wants sugar daddy!tartaglia with tea and medicine from bubu pharmacy. hu tao is in tow with well wishes and a “hope i don’t find you at work!” which is. a little worrying because aren’t you just a little sick-

many kisses from tartaglia because he is Needy and he’ll absolutely get sick from cuddling his partner while they sleep

also he’ll probably just like. envelop his partner while they sleep. they’re all cuddled into him and he’s actually so warm it’s nice bc they’re cold w a fever and he’s living for comforting them

he’s so worried tho, he’s got the frowny face and he’s so adorable but he just doesn’t want his partner to feel sick

dainsleif

the man camps in ruins, he’s going to his partner’s house smh

he doesn’t go into the church either LOL so expect him in his partner’s home making dinner and doing their grocery shopping thanks

he would get ohm and barbara to come over tho <3 “fix them please” but also “how can i fix them”

is so dead set on making sure his partner takes their medicine at the right times, he’s so soft for them and them alone

cooks soup and old recipes he barely remembers from khaenri’ah. he doesn’t really get sick, so he doesn’t remember these ones too clearly. deffo brings back old memories he’d long forgotten

reads to his partner and tells them old stories of how the world used to be, his travels, gives them the gossip on a certain khaenri’ahn but doesn’t give away the name

ohm comes over with medicine and lollipops bc dain is so unlikely to go to the cathedral to get barbara smh

but also dain, so self-sufficient, is unlikely to want to ask for help, so ohm just goes to help anyway

dain with the old khaenri’ahn lullabies and tucking his partner into his arms and singing quietly while he holds them and rocks them to sleep

dain is immortal, he’s giving his partner kisses bc “i’m immortal, ofc i won’t get sick”

he got sick

but his s/o nursed him back to health and then there were smooches the end

ohm ambros

the doctor with his ill lover oh my god

he’s frowny, he’s taking care of his partner at his home in springvale and his home clinic is open to everyone else. but everyone knows his partner is the first priority LOL

kaeya and albedo come over to see if ohm is okay or if his house needs to be checked up on. they’re wondering if he went on a last-minute expedition to sumeru and didnt tell them

diluc comes over too, he’s just checking up on his best friend but he’s also stealing a cherry lollipop smh. he heard from kae that ohm’s partner is sick tho, so he brings some soup and good food over from adelinde. he also brings some of his own specialty food tho, the once upon a time in mondstadt <3

sulien sending letters to his big brother to see if his brother’s s/o is okay

ohm is also just super protective of his partner, there are not many people who come into his life who he loves and lets in in the first place. he’s absolutely trying to heal them with his own vitality, so their recovery is much shorter than initially expected

barbara also comes over w jean to check up on ohm and co, complete w a goody basket of soup, a teddy bear, flowers, and books

ohm reading to his partner <3 he’s got such a soothing voice even if his accent is wack LMAO. he’s reading stories and even his paperwork because just his presence is comforting

he puts his hands on his partner’s forehead to soothe the fever goodbye

ohm will not sing for his s/o simply bc he doesn’t think he sounds v good. and he probably doesn’t but it would be so cute to hear him try and please ohm? 🥺

n e way i want smooches idc if i’m sick KISS ME OHM AMBROS

sulien ambros

when he finds out his partner is sick, the man blinks like twice and then suggests so calmly that they go to his apartment in liyue

man does not sleep normally, he’s just going to nurse his partner back to health and read during their recovery. fruit tart can cover his duties for him <3

sulien cooks for his partner tho, he’s making soup and stuff and getting medicine from bubu’s pharmacy. he’s also picking up books on the way home but some of them are to be read to his partner so it’s okay-

like tartaglia, sulien works out while his partner rests and goes to them if he hears them moving around. he’s reading to his partner and not so frowny, but the slightest furrow of this man’s brow is already such a big expression of his concern <3

sends letters to ohm asking for advice ab how to help his partner feel better. ohm just sends a letter back with “i’m coming” and shows up within the day LMAO

reads to his partner, and the monotony of his voice is soothing and lulls them to sleep. he just looks at them affectionately (well affectionate for him) and presses a kiss to their forehead before finishing the story on his own and in his head

tartagalicious comes over and brings food, flowers and a teddy bear with some of sandrone’s paperwork but he sends a smile to sulien’s partner with some well wishes

scara comes over too just to visit and check to see where sandrone is, but scara is a grumpy bean so he just says “feel better” all brooding and like it’s a command to one of the fatui subordinates LOL

sulien like ohm uses his cold hands to soothe his partner’s fever and also gives them forehead kisses <3

Edit: a link to part 2

[heroinejinx]

‘What’d I tell you?’ (Jinx x Ekko, part 7 of ?)

Part 1: ‘Like we used to.’

Part 2: ‘Shit happens, right?’

Part 3: ‘Again. Always.’

Part 4: ‘Just you and I...’

Part 5: ‘That’s what you think?’

Part 6: ‘Convince me.’

The fact I’m putting this up on Valentine’s day and I’m not even single... I think we all can see where my priorities lie! Whoops.

Jinx returns to Silco, more confused than ever about where her loyalties lie… also, bonus grumpy Sevika content, I love her and Jinx’s mutual disdain for each other in the show haha (2,443 words)

TW: the usual mental health shenanigans, not much else of note in this one (but please reach out if I’m wrong and this needs more warnings applied)

Barely twenty minutes after our second tumble, Ekko was asleep, letting out little grunts and soft sighs as he snuggled into me from behind. His breath tickled the baby hairs on my arm, which I’d curled under his neck when we first lay down. Who’d have thought I’d be the big spoon, huh? It was too damn cute.

Face buried in his locks and the nook of his neck, I relaxed into him, as my spare hand tenderly roamed his body. We were just… together, you know. Existing. Side by side. No expectations. No conversation. No masks. The calm of it nearly knocked me out.

I think it did, actually, for a while. Sometimes I slept without realising it, and it was so fucking comfy in that bed. But it was late, and after the bridge Silco would have thrown a fit trying to find me. As much as I wanted to stay with Ekko, how could I? My place… my place wasn’t with him.

He knew it, too. That bullshit ultimatum he’d given me? He knew I’d turn it down. He knew we couldn’t be together. Not like that. Nobody could know about us. It wasn’t safe. Silco hated him and the stupid Firelights enough already. If he found out how close Ekko and I really were, he’d burn them to the ground.

Slow, slow, slow, I shimmied my arm out from under Ekko’s neck, crept away from the bed. He snivelled at the loss of my body heat and turned onto his stomach, mushed his face into the pillow. I fixed the blanket around him to keep him warm, and I swore he smiled as I kissed his forehead.

Was he faking?

‘…Ekko?’ I hovered over him a few seconds, waiting for him to respond. Hoping he wouldn’t. I’d never be able to leave while he was awake.

He groaned, and his eyes rolled in their sockets, threatening to open. Oh, fuck that. Keeping an eye on him, I quickly pulled on my clothes and boots. Before he could stir any further, I collected my weapons from downstairs and darted.

Phew. Close one.

 My lair was a mess, as usual. Strewn with spare parts for my butterflies. I snickered as I sat among them. Those were neat, huh? Crafty. All that carnage…

Sure, the initial hit was fun, but what came next—losing the gemstone, Vi turning her back—not so much.

Ah, and then there was Ekko, the most fun of all.

Fuck, I missed him already. What was wrong with me?

He’d hate me for coming back. He’d be so disappointed. Not that he’d know where I’d gone, I mean, I’d just left him in bed. Should I have written him a note? Woken him?

No. No, he was a smart boy, he’d figure it out. He knew me.

But fuck. What if he came looking? What if he thought Silco had taken me and came looking for a fight?

He thought he could take him, right? Ha!

Fuck. Oh, fuck. Would Ekko really be that stupid?

Who knew?

Maybe. If he thought I was in trouble.

Stupid, stupid boy saviour.

Better for him to hate me. Better for him to wake up alone, feel like I’d abandoned him, and cross me out of his life. Because no good could come from being close to me.

Jinx by name, jinx by nature. Right?

Exactly. I should never have ambushed him in that alley. I started all this. Me and my goddamn sex drive. Fuck. I’d never have sex again if it meant keeping Ekko safe.

Really?

Yeah. Masturbation’s a thing, you know.

Sure, but it’s not as good. Nowhere near. Not a patch on what Ekko could do to me.

True. No one had ever made me feel the way he did. Could I really stay away from him? I had to. For his safety.

Not necessarily.

But if he came to find me…

He’d never step foot here without reinforcements. Besides, did I really mean that much to him?

Doubtful.

Highly fucking doubtful.

Yeah.

Silly Jinx. Tying myself in knots for no good reason.

Yeah. Ekko knew better than to come here.

And Silco?

Silco was manageable. If he asked where I’d been, he’d believe whatever bullshit I sold him.

That would mean lying to him.

So? He lied to me first.

‘Jinx, there you are.’

I swivelled in my chair at breakneck speed. Hurled a throwing knife at the source of the noise. No, not noise. Voice. It was worn out. Exhausted. Irritated. Sevika.

Sure enough, I focused my gaze out in front of me, and there she was, the ogre herself. Since when did she even know where my place was?

Claggor kept watch over her, as she caught the knife with her one human hand, eyeballing me with the amount of malice I expected. We had fun. If wanting to rip each other’s throats out counted as fun, sure.

‘Sevika!’ I beamed. ‘Nice reflexes!’ Like I’d planned it. Like I’d even known who or what I was aiming at. Ha-ha!

‘Where’ve you been, Jinx?’ Her question sparked with concern, but only on Silco’s behalf. Duh. ‘The boss had us scouring the river all damn night. We all assumed they’d killed you. And here you are, acting like nothing happened.’

‘…did you not like the butterflies?’

She scowled, and I smiled, saccharin sweet. Turned back to my desk. Cast an eye over my scrapbook of ideas. What to do next? What to do, what to do…?

Maybe more insects could be cool? Or not. Yeah. Too gimmicky. Repetitive. I hated repeating myself. So boring.

Somewhere in my head, Sevika started talking again. Whatever.

My next trick needed to be something completely different. But it could still involve animals, couldn’t it? What if I broke into Piltover’s zoo and set them all free?

Ha-ha-ha! Imagine the chaos. The sheer fucking confusion.

Yes! That one had legs. A solid maybe. So, how would I go about it? It would have to be at night when the zoo was closed. What was security like? I’d have to take a look-see just in case it was tight. How tight could security possibly be for a zoo, right? Good point, but it was always better to be safe than sor—

‘JINX!’ Sevika’s fist descended onto my desk, sending my loosely bound notes and the butterfly scraps fluttering to the floor.

I chuckled and squinted up at her, all casual. ‘Yeah?’

Her nostrils flared wider than I’d ever seen them. I was really getting to her this time. Ha-ha-haaa! Jinx, 1. Sevika, nil. She must’ve been so disappointed that I hadn’t drowned in that river.

‘You’re coming with me,’ she said, all authoritative. ‘Now. Silco needs to see that you’re alive… for better or worse.’

‘Sure,’ I smirked. It just killed her how much he cared about me. ‘Lead the way, toots.’

With a vile grunt, she turned to leave, and I followed with a spring in my step, fucking with her all the way to The Last Drop.

We arrived long after closing, but Chuck was still cleaning up behind the bar. I threw him a wink and a subtle wave, as Sevika trudged ahead into Silco’s office. She didn’t even knock. No need. He was expecting us.

Hunched over his desk, head low in his hands, he seemed different. Lost, maybe. Well, yeah. He’d been searching for his dead daughter all night. Right.

I’d really rattled him, huh?

Fuck it. He’d rattled me, too. Whatever pain he was in, he deserved it.

Sevika joined him, stood behind his chair like the dutiful foot soldier she was, as I hung back. For whatever reason, I whistled out an old, familiar tune as I approached. Same one from the bridge. It felt appropriate, somehow.

They both looked at me like I was truly insane, which made me giggle.

‘What’d I tell you?’ Sevika sniggered. ‘She’s nothing but a liability.’

‘All that matters is she made it out in one piece,’ Silco bit back, smiling my way just a little. ‘Even if others weren’t so lucky.’

Okay, so he was angry, but he couldn’t hide his relief that I was still kicking. Fathers, amirite?

With a brush of his hand, he gestured for Sevika to leave, shooing her away like a pet dog. Ha! She glared at me, grumbled under her breath as she left. I stifled a laugh as the door slammed behind her.

With her gone, Silco sighed. Leant back in his chair and chopped off the head of one of his fancy cigars, preparing it to be smoked.

I relaxed, too. The air felt lighter without Sevika breathing it in and puffing it out. We could both just be ourselves. Existing. Like at the house with Ekko… Two people alive in the same room with no pressure to do anything other than breathe.

Silco lit his cigar, took a few drags. The spirals of smoke filled the silence. As they floated up to the rafters, I swore I heard them swirling together, like waves lapping at a shore, bringing the tide closer and closer.

‘That was quite the display, child,’ he said. ‘But I warned you about bringing attention to us like this. The council will want to hold someone accountable, and the evidence against the Firelights might not hold much weight without Marcus to back it up. They may start digging in the dirt again.’

‘I know,’ I said, all innocent-like. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘What of the gemstone?’ He asked. Hopeful. ‘Did you retrieve it?’

I shrugged out a deflated ‘nope,’ and jumped up onto his desk. Sat near him, cross-legged, tilted my head in a frown. What a fucking failure. Useless. Idiot.

‘What happened?’ His brows furrowed with worry, his one good eye glistening pale green in the low light.

It was easy to forget how attentive he could be with me. Always hearing me out, waiting for my side of the story, never making assumptions. He could’ve taken Sevika’s word for it and called it quits. Most would have. Hell, she was right. I was a liability. I jinxed everything. But Silco never saw it that way. Never doubted me.

‘Vi happened,’ I whispered.

His expression darkened. ‘What did she do to you?’

‘Nothing, she… she was just there, with that enforcer.’

‘Who else was there?’

I buried my face into my knees—I was about to lie to Silco, and Silco, of all people, had a knack for figuring these things out—the slightest twitch of my mouth or dilation of my pupils could’ve blown my cover.

‘No one,’ I began. My words were muffled, but clear enough for him to catch. ‘Just them… they had the gemstone in this weird contraption. Looked like Piltovan tech, maybe from the Kirraman’s supply? They were taking it across the bridge, to hand it over to the council, when enforcers stopped them… I couldn’t let them get away, obviously, so I came out swinging. Took a few down with me, but… in the fallout, they must’ve slipped away.’

‘They evaded you?’ His tone was a shade more suspicious than I appreciated.

‘Uh, yeah,’ I snarled, on the defensive. Threw my head back up to meet his scrutinous gaze. ‘It happens, you know. Can’t be everywhere at once, I’m not magic.’

‘Hmm…’ Silco pondered my story, weighing it up as he carried on with his cigar.

‘What took you so long to resurface?’ He asked a few moments later. ‘We were worried, Jinx.’

Oh, fuck. There was still that, wasn’t there? How long had I spent with Ekko in the end?

‘I was just hanging out around town,’ I said, flashing him my doe eyes and kilowatt grin.

‘Until half four in the morning?’

‘It’s not like I have a curfew,’ I argued.

He chuckled out a ‘touché,’ as he continued to make short work of his cigar.

‘Can I grab my usual power nap now?’ I forced out a yawn, desperate to get out of there. He’d heard me out. What more was there to say?

I wasn’t tired in the least. If anything, I was buzzed. My zoo idea promised to be so fucking awesome, I just needed to get to planning it, and—

‘If you must,’ Silco said. ‘But before you go, I have a job for you.’

‘Oh yeah?’ Oh, no. What about the zoo idea? Fuck.

‘If we can’t make our case against the Firelights stick, we may need to take the fight to them,’ he said. ‘Watch them, Jinx. Especially their leader. See where they go, how they spend their time. Where they live.’

Oh, fuck. I was so screwed. Was he testing me? Did he know? What if one of his goons saw us leave the bridge together on Ekko’s glider? Goddammit.

‘You’re… you’re sending me on a fact-finding mission?’ I couldn’t disguise my shock. ‘Not exactly my usual turf.’ FUCK. Nothing good could’ve come from this. Nothing.

‘That depends on what you do when you find them,’ he said, and bellowed out more smoke. ‘After all, if the Firelights no longer make good pawns, despite the mounting evidence, what will they ever be to us but flies in the ointment?’

I couldn’t fault his logic, much as I wanted to. Stupid boy saviour was shaping up to undo everything Silco had ever worked for. If the council wouldn’t deal with him on Silco’s behalf, things promised to get messy, and Silco wanted me there front and centre, hands bloody. Ekko’s blood.

No. I couldn’t. I couldn’t do it. Not that. Not him.

‘For now, all you need do is watch,’ Silco instructed. His gravelly voice calmed my nerves a little. ‘Watch and await my signal.’

Fuck. What could I say to get out of this?

‘Why me?’ I groaned, disguising my fear with petulance. Good one, Jinx. ‘You know I’m no good at the spy stuff. I blow things up—people tend to notice things like that.’

‘Yes, they do,’ he smirked. ‘But I need you with me on this, Jinx. You’re the only one quick and clever enough to avoid being spotted.’

True. The Firelights were vigilant bastards.

‘Besides which, you’re the only one I can trust, hmm?’ He cupped my cheek, and I leaned into his touch. ‘You’re perfect, Jinx. You can do anything you put your mind to.’

‘…even spy stuff?’

He nodded, and kissed me on the forehead, prompting me to dive into his arms for a hug, just like when I was a kid. He was always there to catch me. Father and daughter. Unconditional love.

Sorry, Ekko.

[sunshineseung]

Journal Part 3 // Jeongin

🍄 | genre: smut ☁️ | pairing: Yang Jeongin x female!reader 🌿 | wc: 4.3k 🌸 | includes: milf!reader x babysitter!college student!jeongin, “mommy”, shower/morning sex, handjob (m!receiving), cum swallowing, smut within smut [mentions of punishment, spanking, pegging, free use, “mistress”, flogging, chastity], masturbation, brief phone sex, bratty jeongin, punishment, spanking with hand, grinding, overstimulation (m!receiving), PIV (riding, cowgirl/reverse cowgirl), unprotected sex, creampie, aftercare… phew good luck

🌊 | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Finale |

The morning sun blinds Jeongin through the curtains, and he lazily rubs his eyes to see steam coming from under the bathroom door. You’ve already gotten up to get a shower, but you so rudely forgot to invite the sweet college boy blissfully sleeping next to you. Jeongin springs out of bed with a little too much energy and sneaks into your bathroom, being as quiet as possible.

“Jeongin, I know you’re there.” You fold your arms as you face the clear shower door Jeongin’s silhouette was on. He freezes, shrugs, and opens the shower door just enough so you could see only half of his body. 

“May I come in?” 

You sigh and swing open the door fully, making sure no water can get out. “Sure, baby.” 

Jeongin gets giddy and hops in, smiling brightly as you continue to lather soap on your body. Suddenly, he hugs you from behind, pulling you as close to his body as possible. You feel his semi-erection on your back, but that’s not your focus right now. You just want to be clean for your day off. 

“Thank you for letting me stay over.” Jeongin nuzzles his head in the back of your neck, cuddling you under the running water. “I really enjoyed last night. Did you?” 

“Yes, sweetheart. I enjoyed it a lot.” Your reassurance makes him blush, and he’s happy you can’t see the flustered expression on his face. He doesn’t know what to do next. Luckily, you have plans. “Hey, Jeongin, do you write… fantasies about us in class?”

“Oh, uh, sometimes. I make sure no one sees, though.” He backs away, leaning on the far shower wall. “I mostly write in my composition class.” 

“Who’s the professor?” You turn around, facing him fully, pinning him to the wall with your eyes. 

“Mr. Lee?”

“Lee what?” 

“Lee… Minho?”

Damnit. Of course. Of course it was going to be your ex husband. Admittedly, this wasn’t the best time to interrogate Jeongin, but it’s still early, and the kids aren’t up yet, so you have time to turn this around.

“Mommy, can you put shampoo in my hair?” Jeongin’s cute little voice almost makes your heart burst, and it’s practically impossible for you to say no now. Jeongin turns around and kneels, patiently waiting for you to wash his hair. You squeeze some shampoo into your hand and spread it through Jeongin’s wet hair, making sure it suds on his scalp. He hums in content, loving the feeling of your hands through his hair. “Thank you.”

“No problem, baby.” You kiss the back of his neck, making a shiver run down his spine. You hear the light sounds of Jeongin touching himself, slowly and quietly enough that he hopes you don’t notice, but you obviously do considering you see his right shoulder moving.

Once the shampoo is finally rinsed out of his hair, you pull him onto you, his back falling against your chest and stomach. You run your hands over his abs before taking a hold of his cock, wrapping your fingers around it gently before slowly jerking him back and forth. Jeongin weakly bucks his hips into your hand, dazed and clouded with neediness. 

“You like when mommy touches you like this, huh?” The water sprinkles down onto Jeongin’s cock, creating a weak lubricant for your hand. He doesn’t answer you; he can only whimper, too far gone to even form a thought. He slipped into this headspace so fast, and it kind of shocks you. Jeongin rustles in your arms, seeming to wish to break free from your hold. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“W-want to see you.” Jeongin squeaks out, prompting you to turn around and pin him against the wall so the water hits your back. You get on your knees, looking up at him as his face is bright red and his eyes are half-lidded. “You’re so pretty, mommy.” 

“Aw, is my little boy trying to compliment me so he can cum?” You go back to stroking his cock, licking the tip once to remind him of how your mouth feels. His sensitive cock begins to twitch, begging to release. Another lick, this time from his balls to his tip, and he’s cumming on your face, shooting his load across your features, mostly in your mouth. 

You wipe the cum from your face to your mouth, swallowing every last bit of his tasty release. Jeongin only watches, eyes glued to your mouth, but he doesn’t know if he can kiss you considering you just ate his cum. 

“Mommy, can I kiss you?” You look up and him and groan as you stand up, your knees feeling the repercussions of kneeling on the hard shower floor. He raises his chin as you grasp his face, pulling his soft lips to yours, kissing you sweetly. You press your body against his, your tits coming in contact with his chest, and he has to fight every thought to snap his neck down to look at your chest. Still, your lips were made for each other, perfectly in sync with every ministration. He’d be a fool to break this kiss right now. 

Nothing in Jeongin’s wildest dreams could have prepared him for being with you, even if it isn’t anything serious. He loved just being in your presence, focused on your every word and every action, mentally taking notes so his memories of his time with you could be as vivid as possible. 

On the other hand, nothing in your wildest dreams could prepare you for your ex-husband rudely coming back into your life only to shame you for possibly having a relationship with another consenting adult. When he called you last night, you had no idea Jeongin was one of your students, but somehow, Minho saw what he was writing in his little notebook, and it all seemed too descriptive to be fake. Jeongin was younger when he saw Minho the most, and there was no way Jeongin could recognize him as his ex-neighbor now. It was all an innocent mistake that cost you a lot of sleep last night. 

You weren’t thinking about that now. All you could think about was what time it was, because your daughters would be awake any minute and you always make them breakfast on your days off. You break the kiss and get out of the shower with Jeongin, graciously helping each other dry off, and you go out to begin making waffles for your kids.

“I didn’t know you could cook!” Jeongin sits at the dining table, full of glee just like a child would be. “Can I stay for breakfast?” 

“Jeongin, you can stay as long as you’d like.” You press the waffle iron closed, beginning to cook the first of three. “But no funny business. I don’t want the girls to know what’s going on between us.” 

“Oh, that’s okay! I just know there’s no fresh breakfast at my house.” He laughs a little, lounging back in the wooden chair. “I’ll leave after I eat so you have a day with your kids, and I also have homework to do.” 

“They give you kids homework on the weekends?” You sound almost offended by the thought of doing any type of schoolwork on your days off. “From what I can remember, we never got homework on the weekends, or if we did, I certainly didn’t do it!” 

You both laugh, then go back to a comfortable silence. It felt right. Having another adult in the house, someone to talk to who isn’t only talking to you because of work. This is what you’ve been missing. 

When your daughters wake up, they’re shocked to see Jeongin sitting at the table, but they’re also happy to see him. They drag him out of his seat at the table so he can play with them before you tell them to behave. 

“Jeongin is a guest this morning. Treat him nice!” 

Jeongin’s embarrassed to admit that he almost said yes mommy, but the glorious taste of the syrup-covered waffles takes his mind off that. You just lean against the counter and watch them eat, sipping your coffee as the sun continues to rise.

🍓🍰🐤🍀💐🍯

“Jeongin, where were you last night?” Felix says through his headset, waiting for his game to load. “We need a team of four!”

“I thought Hyunjin would have been on.” Jeongin yawns, tired after having you wake him so early. “I was busy, sorry.” 

“Busy doesn’t mean writing in your diary, Yang.” Jisung chimes in, calling Jeongin by his family name as if it’s an insult. 

“First of all, it’s not a diary, and second of all, I was busy with a… girl.” Jeongin hesitates to give away too much information, but he folds the seconds he’s brought back to where he was last night: under you. 

“Aw, our baby Innie has a girlfriend?” The group fills with oohs and ahhs as Jeongin groans and rolls his eyes, adjusting his headset out of frustration. “Let us meet her! C'mon man!” 

“You can’t meet her. We aren’t dating.” Jeongin threatens to leave before they drop the topic, but he can’t stop thinking about you, being already semi-hard by the end of their first match. The team berates him for his poor playing, but they can’t even fathom the thoughts going through Jeongin’s head that he can’t wait to put into his journal. 

I want mommy to punish me. Punish me for these thoughts, punish me for touching myself without her, punish me for anything she pleases. Her perverted little boy wants to be ruined, and yet she’s so gentle with me. I don’t care if the sound of her spanking me wakes up her kids. It’ll be worth it just to feel her treat me like I’m her servant who lives to please, because I am. I’m nothing but a vessel she should be free to use at her will. I’m her toy. All hers. 

Jeongin’s phone pings from the other side of his desk. It’s a text message from his favorite neighbor, and what perfect timing too. In your little text conversation, you and Jeongin discuss the babysitting times for the week, and don’t even manage to mention anything about sex. As upsetting as this is, while he waits for your answers, he’s diligently jotting down all of his twisted fantasies. 

“You take my strap so well, honey.” She thrusts into my ass again, this time going even deeper than before. I hold my legs up with my hands around my tights, spreading my ass for her to fuck. My cock is leaking with precum while she strokes it with one hand and plays with my nipples with her other. “Dumb little boy’s being so good for me now.” 

When you finally say goodbye over text, Jeongin shoots back a short “can we call?” As strange as you thought this text was, you press his number, soon to be greeted with the heavy breaths of the young boy. Luckily, the girls were asleep and you were alone in your bedroom, so you could say anything. 

“Aw, is my boy all needy while he’s alone?” You tease him across the line, although you could just yell this out your window to his. Jeongin slips his pants down his thighs to release his cock, playfully touching his tip before gripping his shaft and stroking himself slowly. “Are you thinking about mommy?”

“Y-yes, I’m thinking about you, mommy.” How he got so excited so quickly is beyond his own understanding, but just from hearing your lustful voice, Jeongin’s already brainless, hardly able to utter a simple sentence. 

“Good boy. You’re always such a good boy, huh?”

“Only for you, mommy.”

“Then why does my good boy want to be punished?” Jeongin’s breath hitches, suddenly remembering the short, revealing conversation with you about wanting to be used. “I wouldn’t want to punish you without a reason, my little prince.”

“Wh-what can I do?” He heaves out, quickening his pace on his dick. “Give me rules, mommy. I want to break them.”

“Oh, pretty boy wants rules now?” You take a moment to ponder, hearing the light sound of skin slapping from the other side of the phone. “Stop jerking off. No masturbating without my permission.”

Jeongin freezes, taking his hand off his cock slowly, writhing from the ruined orgasm he was so close to having. He sighs to catch his breath, pulling the phone away so you couldn’t hear how desperate he was to be touched. “What else?”

“Hm,” you scratch your chin in thought, “you have to show me everything you write in your little journal, got it?” “E-everything?”

“Everything.” Jeongin’s focus goes to the journal, looking at the depraved words he scratched onto the page. If he wants to get what he wants, he has to show you just so you know how much he wants this. “Yes ma’am.”

“One more thing, baby.” Jeongin’s worn out just from the first two rules. One more might break him. “Promise to take care of yourself. Brush your teeth, eat your meals, drink water, ya’know, things like that. I don’t want this rule broken.” 

The sudden overflowing of care and wholesomeness makes Jeongin’s face turn red, partially because you’re so sweet and partially because he forgot to eat dinner today. He nods before realizing this was a phone call and squeaking out a meek “of course”. 

“Don’t break these rules, okay sweetheart? Or else you’ll be punished… unless you break the last rule. Then I’ll give you a stern talking to. Got it?” 

“Yes, mommy. I understand.” Jeongin pulls his pants up, cock now fully limp. “See you tomorrow!” 

“Yup, good night.” You both hang up, setting your phones down for the night. Jeongin sits back in his desk chair, feeling victorious after finally cementing a sure-fire way to get his ass spanked. Before he goes to bed, he has to eat dinner. No way he’s getting a stern talking to!

🍓🍰🐤🍀💐🍯

When you come home from work on Monday, Jeongin’s watching TV (scrolling through his phone) while the girls were most likely asleep. You come sit next to him, tossing your bag next to the couch and figuratively letting your hair down, unbuttoning a few buttons on your work shirt. 

“Hey, Y/n! The girls were great today.” Jeongin smiles, folding his hands in his lap. “They went to bed like two hours ago. It was an early night for them I guess.” 

“Yeah, they were up early this morning, even before me.” You both laugh, finally being able to get down to business, at least in Jeongin’s mind. 

“I ate three meals today, I drank three bottles of water, and I brushed my teeth this morning.” Jeongin sounds oddly proud of himself for doing what most people think is the bare minimum. “I showered, I took my meds, and most importantly, I didn’t jerk off.” 

“Good boy.” You kiss him on the cheek and pull his head into your chest so he’s leaning on one of your tits. “My Jeonginnie is always so good for me.”

“Can I get a reward?” His puppy eyes look up at you, warming your heart from the long day at work. He looked so sweet and innocent, just pretty enough for you to destroy. 

“Hold on, baby. You didn’t forget the second rule, did you?” You tap the side of his head and point to his bookbag. “Show me your journal.” 

“B-but mommy, that’s embarrassing.” He whines, turning off your chest and to his bag, leaning away before unzipping his bag. “Do you have to?” 

“Don’t be bratty with me. I just called you my good boy!” You reach for the bag, but Jeongin pulls it back to him. He hides it behind his back, putting his nose up at you. “Jeongin…”

“No!”

“Give me the j-“

“Make me.”

You lean into him, suffocating the younger boy with your shadow. Now standing over him, you put your hands on his face, cupping his cheeks before one hand pulls back and harshly slaps him across his handsome face. He doesn’t whine in pain, though, he just moans. 

“M-more.” 

“What was that, baby?” 

He begins to repeat himself, but you slap him again before he can finish the word. His face is red as a tomato, and you don’t care whether that’s from your hand or his blushing. Looking down, you can clearly see how hard he is in his pants. You remove your hands from his face and press one down onto his bulge, making his face contort into a wince. 

“Does my little boy want me to touch his cock?” You taunt, tilting your head as if the answer isn’t obvious. “Or more importantly, does he deserve it?” 

“I’m n-not letting you read my journal.” 

You huff and straighten your posture, taking his wrist in your hand and making him stand up with you, leading him to your bedroom. You slam the door behind you just quiet enough not to wake the kids. When you turn around, Jeongin is bent over the bed with his pants down to his ankles. He’s shaking. You like that. 

“Take your clothes off, bitch.” He kicks his pants away while tossing his shirt off and pulling down his underwear at lighting speed. You sit on the bed and pat your lap, signaling Jeongin to bend over you, which he obediently does. “My little boy’s being bad today. Why?”

“I don’t want you reading what’s in my journal.” He sounds angry when you know it’s all for show. 

“You don’t think I already know what perverted filth is in there?” You spank him, quickly making a red mark on his pale ass. He groans, bucking his hips into your leg for some friction. “You just want mommy to treat you like this, don’t you?” 

“Yes mommy.” Another spank hits his ass, causing him to jolt forward. You bite your lip looking down at him, just now noticing how muscular he is. 

“Count for me.” You spank him again, and again, and again, as he pliantly counts and whines, his cock dangling below him fully erect. By the end, he’s out of breath, and he isn’t even doing any of the work. 

“Ten.” You pet his back while his ass is red as ever, looking like it can’t take any more hits of your palm. You kiss him on the shoulder, an especially soft moment after what just occurred. “Mommy?”

“Yes, dear?”

“I’ll show you my journal now.” He can’t move, but the journal is still out in his bag. 

“I’ll go get it, baby boy. Lay down on the pillows. I want to read your slutty little stories to you.” He gets off your lap and lays back while you go out to the living room to get the journal. You sift through his bag, looking back and forth between binders and folders, but you don’t see it anywhere. You bring the bag into the bedroom, tossing it on the bed. “Where is it?”

Jeongin does the same as you, sifting through the bag with no sight of his precious journal. His heart stops for a minute, beginning to break into a cold sweat. 

“Where did you see it last?” 

“I was writing in it during my comp class.” 

Lee Minho teaches that class. Your ex-husband teaches that class. This feels like the end of the world, and unlike earlier, you’re now genuinely angry. Your face begins to boil as you throw the bookbag off the bed and undress down to your panties. Climbing on top of Jeongin, you press your cunt down onto his cock, applying just enough pressure to make you both moan. 

“Dumb little boy wants to ruin me, don’t you?” You wrap your hands around his neck, not choking him, but rather threatening him. “You want Lee Minho to know about us. You want him to have your stupid fucking diary so he can read all of your slutty fantasies.” Your grip tightens around his neck slightly, and Jeongin looks like he’s in pure bliss. He can’t even defend himself. He loves this too much. 

“I love you, mommy.” He hums, leaning back into the bed as you begin to tease his cock with your slick panties, grinding against him. 

“You don’t love me, Jeongin. You just love when I treat you like my little toy.” You lean down to make a dark hickey on his neck, something his friends will surely tease him for the next day. “All mine. You’re only mine.” 

“Y-yes mommy. All yours. Only yours.” He moans loudly, suddenly nearing his high just from your grinding. The cloth of your panties feel like heaven. He can’t help it!

You look down to see him shoot his load on himself, spurts of his hot cum covering his abs and chest. He looks so pathetic, but at least he’s yours. 

Pushing your panties aside, you slip him inside you, overstimulating him with your tight cunt. You bounce a few times on him before stopping your movements completely, bending over to put your tits in his face. He grabs your tits and sucks them, jumping back and forth between them every couple of seconds. Your hands are still around his neck, keeping him down on the mattress, unable to move. 

“You love being mommy’s toy, huh?” You start to choke him more as you pull your tits out of his face, starting to ride him again. “Ah~ and mommy loves your cock, babydoll.” 

Jeongin’s overwhelmed. He just came but he feels his second orgasm rapidly approaching. He can’t think or speak. All he can do is moan and whine “mommy” over and over again. 

“Let me try something, my little prince.” That was always his favorite pet name you gave him. He thought he was about to cum, but you pull off of him, rotating your body so Jeongin has a perfect view of your ass. You sink back down onto him, his cock filling up your pussy again. 

He felt so relieved being inside your warm cunt again, but now you start riding him harder and faster, his cock hitting so deep inside you with each thrust. He can’t hold it anymore. Jeongin’s cum fills you up, dripping down out of your pussy and onto the base of his cock. 

He feels so weak under you. He’s in pain from the overstimulation, but he can’t deny that he adores feeling like this. The safe word isn’t even in his mind. He just wants you. 

“Mommy’s gonna cum, alright?” You start to tighten around him, your movements getting sloppy and labored. “Hold my hips like a good boy. I want you to fuck me just like this.” 

Jeongin’s hands hesitantly move to your hips, holding you up while his hips begin to stutter and thrust into you, fucking his cum deeper inside you. The convulsions of your dripping pussy is making his head spin. If he cums again, he’ll be so embarrassed, but the more he fucks you, the more his cock twitches. 

“Good little boy. Such a nice cock, baby. Mm, so good.” Words mindlessly fly out of your mouth as you slam your ass against him, forcing him to bottom out. Neither of you move as you cum on him, your cunt tightening its grip on his length. Jeongin shuts his eyes as he ruts into you, cumming the same time as you. It feels euphoric to both of you. Jeongin’s hands move from your hips to your ass, massaging the skin as you come down from your highs. 

“Thank you, mommy.” Jeongin whines as you get off of him, cum dripping out of you onto Jeongin. You hold it in as best you can as you lay down next to him, your legs feeling too fuzzy to get you anywhere. Jeongin nuzzles into your chest, holding you as close to him as possible. 

You kiss his forehead before getting up to clean the mess you two made, mostly the mess between your legs. Coming back with water for your pretty little submissive, you lay back down to cuddle with your sweet boy. 

“You need to get that journal back, Jeongin.”

“I will, Y/n. Don’t worry. No one will read it.” 

🍓🍰🐤🍀💐🍯

His finger wraps around the thin paper to flip the page, only getting a fourth of the way through the messy journal. Everything is vile, and more importantly, everything is about his ex-wife. 

Lee Minho’s cock is hard in his hand as he strokes himself back and forth, biting down on his lip so he doesn’t moan too loudly to alert his girlfriend in the other room. He can’t believe the raunchy smut he’s reading can turn him on this much. 

“F-fuck, Y/n. My cock is so much better than this college boy’s.” 

Minho gets vivid flashbacks to him dominating you, tying you up and spanking you with his paddle. Your teary eyes were always his favorite, especially when the tears were mixed with his cum. 

He looks back at the page after returning from his haze of days gone by. His cock starts to twitch as his eyes skim the page, focusing on the parts with your name.

Y/n’s arm enters my peripheral as she hits me again with her flogger, the leather straps leaving red marks against my back. I lose balance, unable to catch myself on the hands that are cuffed behind me. I fall onto my face, and Y/n laughs at my pathetic form. “Dumb slut can’t even stay on his knees for his mistress.” Her heel presses against my spine, arching my back with force. “Ten more, then I’ll remove the cage, got it?”

Minho tosses the book aside as his pace quickens, cumming all over his lap. He looks down at the mess he made, his sweatpants covered in the reminder that he’s still head-over-heels for his ex-wife. 

taglist: @milkym00n​ @sparklysung​ @fanchengsgf​ @sailorhyunjinz @gothicstay​ if you wanna be tagged in part four, send me an ask :)

[lumosinlove]

Sweater Weather

WARNING: struggles with homophobia and past abuse.

part xv

Remus had his head in Lily’s lap, the TV on a commercial break from the All-Stars game, when there was a knock at the door. Remus’ head ached, but he raised it anyway at the delusional thought that it might be Sirius, despite knowing exactly where he was. He remembered a similar knock, one that had actually revealed Sirius, who had fallen straight into his arms. And Remus had been there for him.

“Do you want me to get it?” Lily asked gently, her hands in Remus’ hair.

“I will,” Remus sighed, and sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Sorry that’s probably not a comfortable position for you and the baby.”

James appeared from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. “Do you want me to get it?”

“I’ll do it,” Remus smiled a little, standing. “Thanks for getting the dishes, Pots, really.”

“No problem,” James shrugged.

Another knock sounded and Remus called out that he was coming.

“Probably just one of those salespeople,” Remus sighed as he turned the lock. “Someone always falls for it and lets them in—”

Remus’ words died in his mouth in surprise.

Finn sent him a hesitant smile from the other side of the door, Leo mirroring it.

“Sup, Loops,” Finn said.

“I…Hi, boys.”

James poked his head around Remus to see.

“Cubs?” James questioned.

“Pots?” Leo said.

“And Lily!” Lily called from the living room.

Remus stared at them. “What are you doing here? Are you…”

And Remus realized. How could he have forgotten? Logan.

He didn’t know what was going on with these three, but maybe he was about to find out.

Finn held up a bag. “We brought tacos.”

“You just missed it, I made dinner,” James said.

“Oh,” Finn lowered the bag slowly. “Well…phew.”

James scoffed. “Thankless little rookie babies.”

“I’m not a rookie,” Finn pointed out. “More tacos for us.”

“Still.”

Remus blinked back to life. “Jeez, sorry, come in, guys.”

Finn walked past him only to receive a slug on the arm from James, and Leo put his hand on Remus’ shoulder as they followed James and Finn back into the living room.

“How are you?”

Remus looked up at him with a shaky smile and raised a shoulder. Leo nodded, understanding.

“We haven’t talked,” Remus found himself saying, throat closing a little at just the words. “I don’t really—Things are really just…busy right now.”

“I’m so sorry, Loops,” Leo said quietly.

“Don’t make excuses for him,” Finn said as he unpacked the take-out containers.

Lily spread her hands. “Thank you, O’Hara.”

“I’m not,” Remus said. “I didn’t expect smooth sailing, alright? Look, it’s…” Remus sat down. “It’s more complicated than that. Is there a point where I’m going to stop cutting him slack? Of course. But I need you guys to trust that I know when that point is. That point isn’t now, when he got brutally outed, which he was terrified of, and then had to go to one of the most public events in hockey in the same fucking breath.”

Remus stared around at them all. Finn was still holding the same take-out box.

“Okay?” Remus said.

“You got outed, too,” Leo said quietly.

“Yes,” Remus said over an exhale. “But I was ready. Not the way I would have chose, but I was. That’s the difference.”

The room got quiet again. Remus glanced at the television, but a commercial was still playing.

So,” Finn began slowly. “Is this a good time to say that me and Leo—”

Lily gasped, clapping her hands to her chest. “I knew it. Wait—”

“…are dating Logan?”

Lily’s gasp turned to one of surprise, slow and drawn out. She put her hand on her belly, eyes wide as she looked between them.

“Oh,” she breathed. “Yes.”

James put his towel on his head, pulling at it by his ears. “The cubs?”

Finn gave James a confused look. “Yes? What are you doing?”

“How did that happen?”

“Lots of misunderstanding,” Leo sighed. “And time.”

“Eight years in some cases,” Finn added.

Lily cooed. “Since college, aw, babies. Nut, are you wearing Logan’s hat? I’m going to cry. I’m pregnant so I’m allowed to cry at this.”

Everything Remus wanted to say felt lodged in his chest. He blinked and he saw Sirius’ haunted expression.

“Re?” Leo said hesitantly.

Remus snapped his head up. “Hm?”

“I know this is probably the last thing you’d want to hear,” Leo continued with a glance at Finn. Through the glass coffee table, Remus saw Finn put a hand on Leo’s thigh. “But we really have you to thank. Logan was sort of our missing link, you know? He was…” Scared, Remus knew Leo was about to say. Just like Sirius. But he shifted at the last second. “You really got through to him.”

What Remus couldn’t do for Sirius.

Remus smiled at them, knowing it was probably shadowed with everything bouncing around in his head and chest right now.

“I’m so happy you guys worked it out,” he said, and it was true. “Really, that’s…”

Sirius turning away, disappearing.

“That’s amazing.”

Sirius, the morning after.

Who I love has nothing to—

“Sorry,” Finn said. “Maybe that was…”

“No,” Remus said. “No, I’m glad you told us. I’m glad you’re comfortable, of course I am. I don’t want any of this making you feel like you can’t be yourself.”

“I think it did the opposite, Re,” Lily said gently.

Remus nodded. “Exactly.”

There was another knock on the door. Remus turned around.

“Um,” he said. “I’ll get it? Again, I guess?”

“What’s up, Fruit-loop,” Natalie said when Remus opened the door. Her blonde hair was pulled into a high, messy bun and she was wearing pajamas. “I brought face masks.”

“I brought alcohol,” Kasey said from behind her. He held up a bag. “And candy.”

Remus stared. “I…”

“We brought tacos!” Finn yelled from the living room.

Natalie clicked her tongue, smiling. “I knew I liked that red-head.”

“Sup, Nat,” Remus heard Finn say as he and Kasey watched Natalie walk into the living room from the door.

“You are a walking freckle, O’Hara, but you brought tacos, so it’s okay.”

Finn snorted, and Remus turned back to meet Kasey’s dark eyes.

“Hey, Bliz,” Remus said softly. “Uh, thanks for bringing—”

“He was selfish,” Kasey interrupted him. “And you’re allowed to think that and love him at the same time.”

Remus almost laughed. It seemed that everyone knew Remus loved Sirius except Sirius. Kasey’s words hit like stone, but they were soothing, too. The ache of pressing on a paper cut.

Kasey smiled a little, just a closed upturn of his lips.

“Come on,” he said, and nudged Remus inside the door, closing it behind him. “I make mean cocktails.”

Walking back into the living room, Remus stared around at them all. They were spread out, Kasey in the kitchen unloading what seemed like ten bottles, Natalie and Lily with their arms around each other on the couch. James and Finn seemed to be seeing who could build the biggest taco, Finn leaning back into Leo’s chest and feeding him chips.

Natalie pointed between them. “When?”

“A while,” Finn said. “Logan, too.”

Natalie’s smile was approving. “Hot.”

Leo pressed his finger over his lips, and Natalie pretended to zip her mouth closed.

Remus let out a breath. He had thought he would want to be alone, but this felt—better. The chatter, the laughter…it distracted him. Sirius wasn’t his entire world, no matter how big a part of it he occupied. Remus liked being reminded of that.

He took his place back on Lily’s other side and leaned into her.

“And welcome back to all our viewers,” the television said. “To our 2020 All-Star Weekend, where you can see your favorites present their best skills, and dream lines compete against each other.”

Remus sucked in a breath.

“You gonna be okay?” Lily said quietly. “Watching this?”

“Yes,” Remus said firmly. He wanted to see Sirius’ face.

It was true, Remus did have a point when he would stop cutting Sirius slack.

He would wait, but not forever. And not for the wrong reasons.

He had told Sirius that himself.

“Red carpet first, right?” Finn asked through a mouthful of chips.

“Yep,” Leo said.

“Okay,” James said, staring at Finn and Leo. “I love this. Where would Logan be sitting right now? Like, does it get crowded?”

“Imagine if you had two Lilys, James,” Finn said with a raised eyebrow.

James blinked for a moment, then flushed behind his glasses. “Fuck.”

Finn grinned. “Yeah.”

James took another bite of taco and chewed slowly. “That’s so much love.”

“Yeah,” Leo said softly, and pressed his cheek to the top of Finn’s head.

“What we’ll be doing tonight is welcoming all of our players, who were voted in by the fans, of course,” said the announcer. “And there is our nice red carpet. We’ll see who arrives first shortly, I’m sure.”

“I am so excited to see Crosby,” Lily sighed. “That man’s butt, my god.”

James made a disgruntled sound.

“Love you, Potter,” Lily smiled.

“It is a legendary ass,” Kasey said.

“Me and Kase rate asses every year,” Natalie said. “I think Crosby won.”

“He wins every year,” Kasey said. “Deservingly so.”

“That’s true.”

They watched the Stars arrive, then the Bruins. Zibanejad  and Panarin came from the Rangers.

Sirius and Logan were one of the last team members to show up and, ironically, they did so at the same time as the Snakes.

“Oh, Jesus fuck,” Finn breathed. They had finished their tacos and Finn was still sitting against Leo’s chest while Leo leant back against the couch, their hands laced on Finn’s stomach.

Remus watched, holding his breath, as Sirius and Logan got out of the car.

“Our boys,” Kasey said. “And…”

From just beside them, Snape and Regulus emerged, straightening their suit.

James and Finn hissed loudly.

“The snakes,” Leo finished.

Remus only half heard them, too focused on the camera flashing to a close up of Sirius’ face. His heart positively yearned.

Sirius looked exhausted. His eyes were a dull gray, hair curling agonizingly soft over his forehead. He was wearing a black suit, lapels velvet.

“Sirius Black with the fashion statement,” one of the announcers laughed. Remus couldn’t even tell them apart. “I guess we should expect that now.”

“Oh, fuck you!” Natalie yelled. “Fuck you, you stereotyping ass-hat.”

It rolled Remus’ stomach, but not as much as Sirius’ expression when he saw his brother and Snape. It was only on the screen for a second, his clenched jaw and unsteady eyes, before it switched to Logan.

“Oh, baby,” Finn sighed. “Look at that glare.”

It was true. Logan’s stare, aimed at Snape, was menacing.

“And there’s the League’s oldest and most famous rivalry right there,” the commentators said with a laugh. “Arriving at the same time. And, of course, Sirius Black who, as you all might know, has made a bit of a splash in the news recently when photos of him kissing another man were leaked to the media and turned out a major Twitter trend. That man is Remus Lupin.”

Remus’ stomach clenched. He had known they might bring him up, but he didn’t really think—

“Now, what do we know about Remus Lupin?” the announcer continued. “Not much. He’s on the Lions training staff, working, shall we say, closely with the players. And, well, the man was one heck of a hockey player himself. Let us play you the tapes we dredged up from Lupin’s college days at the University of Wisconsin.”

“What the hell,” Remus breathed, tucking his knees to his chest and hugging them. He felt Lily glance at him.

The screen faded away from the carpet and suddenly Remus was staring at an old memory. The footage was a little grainy, but he saw himself—could remember the feeling of himself—sprinting up the ice, skates cutting in. He took one player down, another, and scored. The tape cut and he won a Face-off, knocking it back to—

“Is that Greyback?” Finn leaned forward. “Fenrir Greyback?”

Remus swallowed. “Yes.”

“You played with—”

The announcers came back into view, grinning at each other.

“Pretty great. Unfortunately, Lupin was injured just before his draft eligibility, but, rumor has it, he was set for first. Would you look at that, Rob?”

“I know, John. Well, looks like he found another way to get some fame, eh?”

The two laughed. The living room was dead silent.

“Up next, we’ll get to talk to some of the stars. We’ll be right back after this break.”

“Excuse me,” Remus managed.

“Remus,” James called.

But Remus was already up, walking quickly out of the living room and into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Remus squeezed his eyes shut, then open. He fumbled for his phone, sinking down to the floor against the door with his knees against his chest. His thumb missed the call button twice, but finally the screen went dark with the call display.

It rang and rang. And rang. Remus rubbed his thumb along his neck. Of course, Sirius wouldn’t answer. Look what he was in the middle of.

“Hey.”

Remus closed his eyes.

“You’ve reached the Sirius Black,” James’ voice said on Sirius’ voicemail. “I can’t come to the phone because either girls are proposing marriage, or I’m scorning a hat trick. Maybe both! Leave a message!”

The beep was piercing, for the thirty-seventh time. He’d never left a message before.

“Sirius,” Remus whispered into the speaker. He pressed his forehead to his knees. “I know you’re—busy and I’m not going to beg you to talk to me, I…”

Remus took a breath.

“Just re-watch your arrival. I’m not going to beg, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to fight for you to see. See if you really care what those sort of people think about you.”

Remus hung up.

“Remus?”

It was Leo’s voice through the door.

Remus let out a steadying breath, scrubbing his face before standing and opening the door.

“Sorry,” Remus said. “I’m good, I just—I haven’t seen those in a long time, and then the two guys… I just needed a second.”

Leo had his hands in the front pocket of his sweatshirt, Logan’s hat backwards on his head, his blond hair fluffing out over the adjustment strap.

Leo nodded. “Do you want us all to clear out?”

Remus shook his head. “No.” He looked to the living room where the soft faces of his friends were peering at him. “No, I really don’t. C’mon let’s watch. I—Crosby does have a good ass and, you know…at least I can say that out loud now.”

Kasey laughed, pumping his fist in the air.

Remus settled himself on the couch again as they waited for the commercials to end.

“We’re cuddling too much,” Remus heard Finn whisper to Leo.

“No,” Remus said, hands out. “Please cuddle. Really, that’s not what’s wrong, I’m so happy for you guys.”

“It’s so cute,” James mumbled. “Lily, can we cuddle?”

“No, I’m cuddling Remus. We’ll cuddle later, baby.”

James nodded. “Kasey?”

Kasey raised an eyebrow from his chair. “You want to sit in this chair with me?”

James shrugged. “You can come on the floor.”

“I am a net minder,” Kasey said. “We do not sit on the floor.”

Natalie laughed, peeling a face mask out of its package. “Snob.”

Kasey winked at her.

Remus let out a breath, and smiled at Lily when she smiled at him. Things would happen, one way or another.

The ball was in Sirius’ court, the puck in his zone.

~

Sirius eyed the photographers and interviewers. His stomach churned. He had barely said two words to Logan, who had basically gotten right off the plane, into his suit, and into the car with Sirius, Minnie, and Logan’s agent, Clyde. They’d bumped fist, but the most Sirius had received from Logan was a hello and a serious of unreadable looks. It was those looks that disquieted Sirius more than the reporters. If Logan hated him—

“Hey,” Logan said as they were ushered forward onto the red carpet. Sirius was tense with Snape and his brother at their backs.

He looked at Logan.

“We’re talking later, okay? If we get split up, text me when you’re back at the hotel.”

Sirius blinked. It was—harsh for Logan. It was the way he spoke on the ice.

“I—okay. Yeah, let’s talk.”

Dread pooled in Sirius’ gut. But Logan wouldn’t want to talk if he didn’t like who Sirius was anymore, right?

Logan clapped him on the shoulder. “I have your back, Cap,” he said, and then he was pulled away to do his own run of interviews before Sirius could respond. Minnie approached him while Sirius was still standing there, mouth open, expression still changing.

“Right,” she sighed. “Well, here we are.”

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m sorry, Minnie. I’m such a headache.”

“Stop that nonsense, Sirius,” Minnie said, patting his arm. “You are the most real person I have ever met. Snapping at stupid questions instead of being a drone. It was unfair how the world thanked you for it, but I believe in you. You have a game plan, I’m assuming, although you refuse to tell me anything about it?”

Sirius sighed. “Sirius Black being gay is news. Sirius Black telling the media to go fuck themselves isn’t.”

“Excuse me,” an aid came up to them, headset on. “We’re ready for you on the carpet now.

“Thank you,” Sirius said, and he had just started forward when Minnie lay a gentle hand on his chest.

She pressed her lips together. “You remember what Alice said. This could be important to a lot of people. That includes yourself, my boy.”

Sirius swallowed hard. He nodded, quiet, and then followed the aid into the camera fray.

~

“Logan Tremblay, holding his fucking own,” Kasey slow clapped.

“You mean holding his fucking tongue,” Natalie said. “That’s kid’s a fire cracker.”

Finn, gestured to the television with his ice cream. “He was the perfect medium between civil and simmer. And now I can tell you all that I bought him that suit when we were eighteen. Well, I was eighteen. He was seventeen.”

“Does Tremz know we all know?” James questioned.

Leo nodded. “His plan was just to start making out in the locker room. I thought we should go for more of a verbal approach first.”

“I was okay with either,” Finn added, then looked at Remus. “I’m sorry I’m eating all your ice cream.”

Remus waved him off, heart still ringing with Logan’s words to the third interview he had.

You guys wouldn’t care if he had a girlfriend, Logan had said with a shrug. Why are you asking me that question with such a crazy look on your face? And then, finally. I support my Captain.

Sirius had been too far away to hear. He hoped Minnie played it for him later.

“But if that was one of Logan’s first interviews, that means…” Lily trailed off.

Sirius.

“I hope he knows what’s coming,” he said instead. By the looks of him, shoulders hunched, eyes guarded, he did.

All Remus wanted was for Sirius to talk to him about it. It was like a single, hooked claw dragging its way through him.

The screen flipped to Sirius, his gray eyes focused on the reporter’s grin. His own smile was small. The reporter threw him softball after softball, and Sirius answered them shortly. Remus waited, waited for it to happen, for the interview to take the turn they all expected.

But the reporter held out his hand. “Great to have you in the League, my friend. Have a great weekend, eh?”

Sirius stared at the hand, the camera zooming in a little.

“Ah, yes,” Sirius said haltingly, and took his hand. “Thank you.”

Remus sat forward.

“Well, that was okay,” Leo said, sounding out of breath.

“Yeah…” Remus said. He wasn’t ready to believe it was over yet, though.

“So, Sirius,” another reporter said. “You’ve been in the news lately, huh?”

“Oh, here we fucking go, eh?” Kasey gestured angrily at the screen.

“I’m in the news a lot,” Sirius said blankly. “More than I’d like.”

She laughed. “But first openly gay NHL player. That’s got to feel good?”

Sirius stared at her.

“He wasn’t,” Remus sat back again, cheeks hot as he stared at the microphone that was being held closer and closer to Sirius’ mouth. “You fucking lunatic, what is open about this to you?”

“Preach, Loops,” Natalie said, leaning over to pat his knee.

“I’m looking forward to a good weekend,” Sirius said. “Playing some good hockey.”

“I—”

But Sirius was already walking away, in fact, walking past all the cameras. The television camera caught some reporters staring at Minnie with alarmed eyes, angry at missing their interview with Sirius Black.

They could just see a glimpse of Minnie’s head following Sirius as the camera tracked his back all the way into the building.

Commercials filled the room.

“Wowza,” Finn said. “Okay.”

“I think it’s good he didn’t stick around for those guys,” Leo said. “I mean, he shouldn’t be made to talk about it like that, you know?”

“Yeah, maybe he should talk to me first,” Remus grumbled and took a long sip of his cocktail.

“Yes, Lupin,” Natalie clapped. “Bitch all you want, we know we all love him. It’s all good.”

Remus did want that, at least a little. It even made him smile, Natalie’s words. But most of him was longing for Sirius, for his phone to ring. He kept it close, even as the screen played another two hours of Sirius and all the other All-Stars signing puck after puck, doing stupid game after stupid game, preparing for the skills competitions tomorrow, and the three-on-three games the day after that.

~

Sirius was exhausted. The day had been camera after camera, signature after signature. He could have fallen asleep on his feet, but Logan’s promise kept his adrenaline up. Remus’ text, too.

Thankfully, he and Logan had shared a car back to the hotel.

“Your room,” Logan said simply, and pressed the elevator button.

They were mostly quiet on their way up, and Sirius’ hands fumbled a little with the keycard as he let Logan in. His suitcase was still zipped up where the bell-boy had left it, and Logan took his jacket off, tossing it onto the bed. Sirius heard the door shut behind them, and then it was quiet.

“Là,” Logan sighed, crossing the room and then turning around to face Sirius. “Straight to it, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Sirius breathed.

“I don’t want to sound like I know more than you. Because I don’t. I really, really don’t, but, this is just something I think you should know.”

Sirius looked at Logan carefully, wondering what he meant.

“Knowing about you, knowing that you’re…” Logan raised an eyebrow.

“Gay,” Sirius said.

“Gay,” Logan finished. “Cap, it,” he looked around, but they were alone. He took a step forward. “Sirius, it did more for me than I could ever tell you.”

Sirius felt the words sink in slowly. He looked at Logan. Really looked at him. Brighter. He stood straighter. He looked more focused.

“You mean you’re…”

“I get that you think you’re the only one, that you’re alone in all of this,” Logan said. “I thought that. I felt that. It nearly crushed me. But you aren’t. I’m not alone, either. Neither of us are alone, but…but you’re on one hell of a precipice.” 

Sirius knew what he meant.

“I ran from him.”

“Yeah,” Logan said. “What the fuck, Sirius?”

“I know,” Sirius felt like the air was leaving the room. “I’m horrible.”

“You aren’t,” Logan said, and looked up at Sirius. “But, that was. That was horrible. But you must have talked, I mean, it’s been…what? Two days?”

Shame burned Sirius through and through. “No,” he choked out. “We haven’t. He’s—he’s waiting for me—”

The words hurt. Remus seemed always to be waiting for Sirius, and Sirius always asking Remus to wait. It had seemed romantic, under the veil of Christmas and gifts. It didn’t feel that way now. Sirius felt selfish and cruel. He was.

“I left—” Logan reached up, as if to take off his hat that wasn’t there, and then smoothed his unruly hair instead. “I left Finn so many times.”

Sirius jerked his head up. Finn.

“And I was so scared and guilty because of that, that I left Leo, too.”

“Leo?” Sirius said, confused. “You…wait, I don’t—”

“Both of them,” Logan said simply. “Yeah, it’s…” despite everything, Logan smiled. “It’s…yeah. It’s us.”

Three, Sirius thought. On his own team, and he—he had thought—

“How could you do that?” Logan said softly. “How could you do that to him?”

Sirius stared at Logan, throat closed. He swallowed over the bile.

A mistake. He had made a mistake, of course he had made a mistake, he always made—

“Cap, I saw you,” Logan stepped forward. “I saw you every day and I didn’t know why, but you were happy. You were so fucking happy and I thought maybe you were just…I don’t know. I was jealous, to be honest,” Logan let out a short laugh. “I wanted to know how you did it. And now I see because I did it. I found my…” Logan took a breath, as if this was the first time he was saying it aloud. “I found my two.”

I lost my one, Sirius thought.

“You’re like my brother,” Logan said. “And, growing up with three sisters, I’ve always wanted a brother. I’ve looked up to you since I was, what, in high school? And you deserve that, Cap. You’re good, and you’re kind, and you’re a hell of a hockey player.” Logan shook his head. “But fuck what you did to Remus.”

“I don’t know what to say!” Sirius shouted, and Logan blinked at the suddenness. It had burst out of Sirius, the words hiding until he couldn’t, he couldn’t—

Sirius sat on the end of his bed. He was exhausted, and Logan hated him, and—

The bed dipped beside him and Logan’s arm wrapped around his shoulder. The sudden warmth at his side made Sirius close his eyes, dropping his head.

“Cap,” Logan’s voice was soft. “Merde, this is coming for someone who didn’t say a word about how they felt to the boy the loved for eight fucking years, but, yes, you do know what to say. I always knew what to say, I just couldn’t.”

“I can’t,” Sirius said.

“Sirius, fucking think for yourself,” Logan said, taking hold of Sirius’ shoulders and turning him to the side to face each other. “I said I couldn’t, that doesn’t mean you can’t. We can now. Who the fuck knows what your fucking family said to you all your life, but that doesn’t mean they’re right. All the shitty things Twitter said are wrong—everyone is allowed to be wrong but what the fuck are you doing if you can’t fix things?”

Logan was breathing hard by the end. He swallowed over a dry throat and Sirius watched, stunned. Logan shook his head, eyes bright.

“I saw what happened to you and I got angry and scared. You saw what happened to you and you got scared. You need to get angry. Drop the fucking gloves a little, Black, lose your temper. I’ve seen it before. It’s like a dead point streak mid-season. You fucking accept that you can’t score anymore? No.”

I don’t know how many times you’ve heard that you aren’t good enough. But I’m going to make you forget each one.

“I’m fucking mad at you,” Logan said. “But it’s because I love you. Not because you’re bad or because you’re hopeless, or because you made a mistake. You aren’t a bad person. And you’re allowed to make mistakes.”

Do not make any mistakes, his mother had said.

Logan let go of him, then, and the sat there shoulder to shoulder, quiet. Sirius felt—lighter. He’d never felt that after being yelled at before.

“Tremz,” he began shakily, then cleared his scratchy throat. “I’m…I’m proud of you, you know? If that means anything right now.”

Logan’s voice was thick, too. “Of course it does.”

“You’re right,” Sirius whispered. “You’re right, I…I made a horrible mistake. I had never been so terrified in my life. If I lost the team, I—I don’t know what…” Sirius pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. “You all are the only family I ever…”

Logan was quiet for a moment, and then his hand replaced itself on Sirius’ back.

“It’s not just about Remus, huh?”

Sirius let out a sob, let it tear through him, and shook his head.

“Cap,” Logan hushed, and Sirius felt him press his forehead to Sirius’ temple, like they did after a goal sometimes, in a scrimmage, only there was no helmet. No hockey. This was his friend. “You’re our Captain. We gave you that, and we keep you there. We want you there, you’re our leader. You’re our friend.”

“Have you talked to the boys?” Sirius wiped at his eyes, looking at Logan. “Have they said anything?”

“No one’s texted you because Leo thought we should all let you tell us in the way you wanted to,” Logan said. “Not because no one supports you. To be honest, we didn’t think you’d go radio silent for this long when we made that decision, but… And after you didn’t let James in…”

“I have a lot of people to talk to, huh?”

Logan smiled. “Not right now. Right now, you have one person to talk to.”

Sirius smiled, too. “Yeah.”

Fuck, he hadn’t looked at his phone all day.

Logan got up and stretched with a groan. “That media run was hell. Fuck this weekend. If I so much as pull a muscle tomorrow I’m going to murder someone.”

“That’s what we all say,” Sirius stood too. “Tremzy.”

Logan looked up at him.

“I’m really happy for you. You and Finn…and Leo,” Sirius laughed a little. “How did that work out?”

“So much drama,” Logan rolled his eyes. “And moping. And, what’s the word, destin?”

“Fate,” Sirius said.

“Right, fate,” Logan smiled. “See? Not so different from you.”

“Guess not, no.”

“I’m going to call my boys,” Logan said, and held up his phone, shaking it at Sirius. “You call yours.”

Sirius’ heart lurched with guilt, but he nodded. “I will. Really, though, I…I don’t know what I’d be doing now if you weren’t here.”

“Spiraling, like you did after that failed cup run?”

Sirius laughed. “Yes.”

Logan swung his jacket over his shoulder. “See you tomorrow, Cap. I’ll be ready to defend your honor.”

“No, you aren’t allowed to fight because of this.”

“D’accord, d’accord,” Logan waved him off and shut the door.

Sirius stood there, feeling strangely light, given everything. He blinked after Logan for a moment, and vowed to call James, too, who had pounded on his door for hours. He felt stupid and selfish still, but he wanted to apologize. Not hide. But only after. After Remus.

Sirius took his phone from his pocket.

He had a voicemail. Remus hadn’t left a voicemail before. Sirius thought of the cold, formal text. He didn’t know if he could bare to hear that in Remus’ voice, but he clicked listen anyway.

“Sirius,” Remus’ voice came after a second, and Sirius sat down heavily.

I know you’re—busy and I’m not going to beg you to talk to me, I… Just re-watch your arrival. I’m not going to beg, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to fight for you to see. See if you really care what those sort of people think about you.

The phone went dead and Sirius scrambled for his remote.

~

Everyone had left for the night, but the apartment still felt warm from their presence. Remus decided to make himself a bowl of ice cream, but found himself eating straight from the carton instead. Finn really had made all-gone.

He was watching the melted part pool in his spoon when his phone rang. Everything, even the air, seemed to still and cool.

Sirius.

The name flashed at him. He hadn’t dared to put a contact photo, a picture of him that Remus had taken, bare in bed, sleepy eyed and smiling—

Now, maybe he could. One day. Soon. 

Remus pushed himself up to sit on his kitchen counter. He set his ice cream down, feet swinging nervously against the cupboards, and answered the call.

“Hi,” Remus’ voice was shot.

“I didn’t have my phone,” Sirius sounded desperate. Remus’ heart broke. “No, that’s not an excuse, I…Remus—”

“For the last thirty calls, or…”

“I know,” Sirius whispered. “I know, I know, Re, oh god, what they said about you—”

“I’ve been defending you to—to everyone,” Remus’ voice was thick. “Everyone, but I don’t…I can’t…”

“I’m coming home,” Sirius said. “Fuck these games, Remus, I’m coming home.”

Remus didn’t say anything for a long moment. He could picture Sirius there, alone in his hotel room. “I don’t know what to tell you right now, I’m… It hurt, Sirius. You left. You left and then you ignored me.”

“I know I did,” Sirius whispered. “But—”

“You aren’t the only one who this happened to,” Remus said, hushed, and then, even surprising himself, let out a sudden sob. He tried to reign it back in, but he couldn’t. It burned now, hearing Sirius’ voice, being alone. It hurt more than it had. He didn’t know if he had been ignoring it, or pushing through it, or if it was just hearing Sirius know that he had been wrong.

“I know that,” Sirius said. “I do, Remus, I know that. I made a mistake. I made a mistake. The meeting. I should have taken a later flight, too, I should have talked to you. I shouldn’t have run out, that was—I’m—”

“I don’t want to do this over the phone,” Remus replied with a hitch in his words. He stirred the spoon in the melted ice cream, just for something to do, then gave up and fisted his sweatshirt by his neck. “I know I said call me, but I really—I really want it to be us together talking, okay?”

“You mean…after the games?”

Remus took a slow breath. “I’m not just going to say everything’s okay, Sirius. It fucking hurt. All of it. And I know you’re hurting, too. I hate that you’re hurting, too, but…”

“You don’t have to explain,” Sirius felt guilt like it was something crawling inside of him. “I’ll—let me wait for you now.”

Remus let out a breath, remembering the words.

“I…I understand why what happened happened,” Remus said. “I do. Of course, I understand. And all I want is for you to be okay. For us to be okay. I just need my own time, too.”

“I want that. Please, just—let me tell you one thing,” Sirius said. “Is it okay?”

“Yeah,” Remus said softly, curious. “Go for it.”

“I talked to Logan. Well—he also talked to me. Really gave it to me. I deserved it.”

“Don’t put yourself down to me right now,” Remus began, but Sirius cut him off.

“I’m not, no, I’m not,” there was a sound like Sirius sitting down on the bed. “I…I won’t explain it all to you now, but I just need you to know that things are clearer for me. I’m…I’m not alone.”

“You never were,” Remus managed.

Remus listened as Sirius’ breathing changed into cries. Remus wanted to hold him tight.

“It’s so good to hear your voice,” Remus said softly. “Be careful, okay? With everyone this weekend. Snape. Regulus.”

Your mother, Remus thought.

“Logan will be with me,” Sirius said, and then added, as if remembering, “and I’ll be with Logan.”

Remus nodded. So Logan had told him.

“Protect each other.”

Sirius nodded. “And everyone else who needs it.”

Remus sucked in a breath, and cradled the phone closer, eyes soft.

“Yeah,” Remus said. “Yeah, baby, everyone else, too.”

At the name, Sirius sounded all but torn apart. He let it out, lungs out racing his heart.

“I miss you,” he choked out. “Am I allowed to say that?”

“Yes,” Remus hushed him. “Sirius, I’m mad, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want you. Of course I want you, you’re mine. You’re my wish, okay? This happened because we’re each other’s. We can be—we can be something good that comes out of this, can’t we?”

“Oui, yes, yes,” Sirius said. “I’ll tell you everything, okay?” He sniffed, taking a moment to breathe. “It’s different, hearing these things from my friends. From you.”

“You haven’t had a lot of support, Sirius. I…I get that it’s going to take a second. And so…I’m here, okay? But I’m not here to run back to if you keep leaving me. That wasn’t good. That was…” Remus would never forget that feeling.

“I’ll be better,” Sirius said, and then sucked in a breath. “I mean…for myself. For you.”

Remus nodded, even though he knew Sirius couldn’t see him.

“I’m going to try and sleep,” Sirius said.

“I miss you,” Remus replied.

“I miss you, too,” Sirius said. “So much.”

~

Sirius stepped out of the tunnel and immediately his eyes were drawn by flashes of color near the glass. There were six teenagers standing there. Their cheeks were decked out in painted on rainbow flags, and they were wrapped in them, too, holding paper versions up to the glass with the words HERE FOR #12 on them.

All Sirius could think about was going over there and maybe crying. Instead, he picked up a few pucks to sign.

The locker room had been—intense. There was no way Sirius could have missed the way some guys had moved away from him, avoided him. But others came up and shook his hand. They didn’t say much, but Sirius didn’t really want to be congratulated. The support, even quiet, was enough to keep him on his feet and focused enough to feel like, sure, he could perform some hockey tricks today.

And Remus’ words. We’re each other’s.

“Sometimes I think hockey just isn’t colorful enough, you know?”

When the voice spoke, Sirius’ eyes found the stick that had come into his vision first. The tape wasn’t the usual white or black, but all colors, neatly wrapped and waxed off.

Sirius looked up to find Alex O’Hara grinning widely at him.

“What’s up, Lion?”

“Hi, Alex,” Sirius said faintly, as they tapped helmets.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he gestured to the tape.

Sirius, to his own surprise, let out a laugh. “Of course I don’t, I… I should have thought of it, maybe.”

“You want some?”

Sirius looked at the pucks he was holding, then back at the kids at the glass.

“Yeah,” he nodded, setting the pucks aside for a moment. “Yeah, I do.”

“Alex,” Logan stopped hard in front of them with a spray of ice. “Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

Alex laughed, and then leaned in close. “Oh, yeah? More than my brother?”

Logan flushed pink beneath his tan skin. Then, he grinned and punched his arm. “How long have you known?”

Alex scoffed. “Please.”

And so Sirius found himself, sitting beside Logan as they re-taped their sticks with rainbow tape, while millions of cameras and cell-phones watched.

It was terrifying. And wonderful. It was something that went along with the phrase never in a million years, in Sirius’ mind. Only, it was happening now.

“Could I get some of that maybe?”

It was Mika Zibanejad, his hair pulled back beneath his helmet, dark eyes kind and soft.

It was the flood gates.

Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang. Braden Holtby, Nate MacKinnon.

Not every player did it, not by far, but they did have to ask for another roll.

Sirius’ breathing was working against his pounding heart when he took to the ice again, throwing a puck down and watching it bounce darkly between the colors. He smiled, and looked up at the kids behind the glass again.

Silver sharpies were not in short supply, and he fired off six signatures before skating over with them balanced within his arms. They began to pound on the glass as he approached, and he nodded to them. They were hard to hear over the crowd and the announcer’s noise, but he smiled and mouthed thank you, and they seemed to understand. He flipped the pucks over the glass easily, and bumped his fisted glove to it.

They loved him for who he was.

And Logan had been right. His team would, too. The thought that they wouldn’t still chilled him, but there were two sides of the coin now.

It even made him forget about—

“Stop this,” Regulus was there, hissing at him and grabbing him by the arm as he skated back with Logan, who had wandered over to a little boy with a Tremblay sign and jersey.

Sirius stared at his brother, surprised that he’d even approached.

“What are you—” he began, but Logan cut him off.

“Back off,” Logan growled, and gave him a little push. Sirius cursed internally. He didn’t want to start a fight right now.

Regulus ignored him.

“Sirius—” Regulus said quietly. “Think about—”

“Don’t tell me to think about the family,” Sirius practically snarled. “I’m thinking about myself for once. What I want.”

“Think about what you’re doing,” Regulus said, glancing at Logan desperately, like he wanted him to leave. “This is it, if you really—”

Sirius shook his head, yanking out of his brother’s grip. “I tried to take you with me, Reg. I tried so hard. And what did you do?”

“Fuck you,” Logan spat in Regulus’ face. “You call yourself his brother? When was the last fucking time you acted like that? Oh, right, was it when you trashed talked him?”

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Regulus growled. He had switched to French now.

“Rookie,” Snape said in English from the outskirts of their triad, eyes on Regulus. “Come on.”

“Daddy’s calling,” Logan snarled.“La marionnette.”

Sirius watched his brother swallow, pale eyes wide and fierce.

Puppet, Logan had said.

“Tremz,” Sirius said, and put a hand on his shoulder.

Regulus looked to Sirius, then.

“Microphone?” he asked.

Regulus was asking if he was mic’d up. Sirius shook his head, and Logan scoffed.

“Little late,” Logan said.

Regulus, once again, ignored him. “Maman est là.”

“Je l’ai deviné,” Sirius had guessed as much.

Logan was still standing between them, but he looked like he wasn’t sure if he should be now.

Regulus pushed forward one stride, and Logan’s glove pressed against his chest. Regulus glared down at him, then turned back to Sirius. He was nearly as tall as him now, but for a single moment, Regulus’ expression flickered. Sirius saw his brother again, his little brother, the boy who had snuck him a Lions hat and hugged him and told him he’d miss him more than anything, and please don’t leave me alone in this house, with them—

“Fais attention,” Regulus bit out.

Be careful.

Regulus shoved Logan with his stick and Logan cursed again, but Sirius barely heard. He watched Regulus skate away, back to Snape’s side. Sirius and Snape looked at each other, across the ice, for a brief moment.

Sirius didn’t think Regulus would ever forgive him for leaving. Especially not with Snape at his side.

Snape’s lip curled, and he turned away, over the boards.

~

“That’s my big brother!” Finn shouted.

Remus laughed, hand on his throat as he stared at the screen, at Sirius, sitting on the bench beside Logan and Alex O’Hara, Zibanejad, Panarin, Crosby, Letang, Holtby…

Sirius, camera honing in on his focused face as he scribbled the signature that Remus knew well. The camera had been showing the fans wrapped in rainbow flags off and on, and it showed them now, too, as Sirius skated over with a wide, if not a little shy, smile on his face. He sort of talked to them, mostly just nodding and bumping fists as he passed the pucks over.

The camera saw Regulus coming before Sirius did.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Finn sat up in Leo’s arms, pulling him with him. “Black brothers, Black brothers.”

“Fuck,” Remus said, and felt Lily grab his wrist nervously.

Regulus and Sirius were talking furiously at each other, at least until Logan got between them.

“I swear to god, someone’s gotta get that kid out of Slytherin,” Kasey grumbled. “He’s like the Captain was, but on steroids.”

Remus nodded slowly, eyes on Regulus’, or at least what sliver of his face the camera was able to get.

Kasey hit Remus’ couch with his fist when they showed a long shot of Snape and Sirius. They were practically staring each other down.

“Can I just,” Kasey gestured at the television. “Can I kill him? Or shave his head?”

“Fine with it,” James nodded.

Leo glanced at Kasey. “I like that that’s your next worst fate after death.”

The cameras moved on relatively quickly as the skill events began. Hardest shot, accuracy, puck handling…

“So, Cap is accuracy, and Lo’s hardest shot,” Leo said, staring at his phone as he scrolled through the website.

“I wanna see how hard Logan can shoot,” Finn mumbled, and Leo whacked him on the head. Natalie nearly cackled and gave Finn a pat on the head.

Remus couldn’t stop looking at the tape on Sirius’ stick.

“Quite a display of camaraderie, seemingly begun by Alex O’Hara, older brother of Finn O’Hara who is Black’s teammate,” one of the commentators began. He was a new voice from yesterday’s red carpet. “It’s good to see that, eh, Tom?”

Remus liked him.

“Sure is, Nate,” replied Tom. “Sure is.”

“Well, that’s more like it,” Remus sighed.

No matter how fun it was to watch Sirius execute a perfect score as he dangled a puck between tight cones and flipped it through tiny slots, Remus itched to talk to him. He itched to see him.

He loved seeing the sticks tap for him, see other boys knock helmets with him like nothing had changed, but still. Remus wanted him home. He wanted him away from Regulus and Snape, and here in Gryffindor, or anywhere where support was strong. Remus had spent hours last night after the team had left scrolling through articles and Twitter. His mind was filled with the messages telling Sirius that he’d changed their life.

He couldn’t believe he had to sit through another entire day of this, watching Sirius play three-on-three games—possibly against Snape.

“Hey, Leo, did they announce the lines for tomorrow yet?” Remus asked. “Would you look it up for me?”

“Sure,” Leo said, looking around Finn’s head to get at his phone.

“The boys aren’t going for fastest?” Lily said disappointedly.

James snorted. “Um, I think we know Remus wins that one, Lils.”

Finn shook his head. “I’m still like, at family skate…I fucking fell over. I haven’t fallen over since, like, I don’t even know.”

Remus smiled. “Sorry about that, Harzy.”

“You really tore Kasey up, Fruit-Loop,” Natalie laughed, reaching up to push her hand through Kasey’s hair.

“Look, he’s really good, I was surprised, and I hadn’t warmed up, okay? I was surprised.”

Remus laughed. “I did have that up on you, Bliz. I’ll admit it, and give you a free pass.”

“No,” Kasey huffed. “I don’t want a free pass, I want to play again and stop your shot.”

“Fuck,” Leo breathed, and Remus stopped laughing.

“What? Is it Snape? Did they put them on the same line?”

Remus knew they liked to do that at All-Stars, put rivals on the same line. Sidney Crosby and Claude Giroux were frequent victims.

Leo looked back at him, then up at the television where Regulus was taking his mark for the fasted skater loop.

“Not Snape,” Leo said. “Regulus.”

As if on cue, the announcer spoke up.

“And here’s Regulus Black getting ready to skate. We’ll be getting a real treat tomorrow, Nate. We’ll be getting to see Sirius and Regulus Black, hockey’s most famous brothers right now, play on the same line with Mathew Barzal. That should be quite some hockey.”

“Oh my god,” Remus heard someone breathe.

Quite some hockey.

Remus wondered if Sirius knew.

On everyone’s way out, Lily squeezed him in a hug. “You seem better today. Did you guys…”

Remus nodded. “We talked. It was…you know, it’s hard. It was good.”

“Yeah…”

“But I said I want to talk about it mostly face to face and so…all I can really do is wait now. I’m probably going to call him again now. See if he wants to talk about Regulus.”

Remus was absolutely going to call him again now.

“Okay,” Lily sent him a smile. “See you tomorrow for three-on-three?”

“Hang out at Lupin’s,” Finn hollered in the hallway and was immediately shushed by Leo.

“Jesus, Harzy,” Kasey groaned as he hit the button on the elevator.

Remus was in the middle of doing dishes when his phone rang. He wiped his hands quickly and picked up, nearly fumbling his phone into the sink.

“Hi,” Remus sounded breathless even to himself.

“Hey,” Sirius said. “Do you want to FaceTime?”

“Yeah,” Remus said. “Yeah, yeah, one second.”

Remus more or less ran to the couch, socks sliding on the floor, and sat down just in time for his phone to light up. Sirius’ face filled the screen. His hair was wet from a shower, and Remus didn’t know if it was the light, but the bags under his eyes looked worse than Remus had thought.

“Hi,” Remus said softly, smiling. “God, I’ve been staring at your face all day on TV but I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

Sirius smiled, rubbing one of his eyes before stretching back on the bed. “Wish I could stare at your face all day.”

“You’ll be home soon,” Remus said. “Hey, I…today was pretty amazing.”

Sirius laughed and reached out of frame for something. His hand came back swinging a roll of rainbow tape around his finger. “A fan gave me this.”

Remus grinned. “I’m so proud of you.”

Sirius looked at him for a moment, like he wasn’t sure what to say. Then, he smiled again, but it was quieter this time, less at Remus and more at himself.

“Me too. Today was—good. I mean…you probably saw Reg, but…”

Remus nodded. “Did you see your lines for tomorrow?”

Sirius shook his head. “Not yet. Why, are they up?”

Remus took a breath. “Yeah. They’re up.”

~

The All-Stars management seemed to enjoy the idea of putting Sirius and his brother together as much as possible, even going so far as moving their lockers beside each other. It felt like there was always a camera trained on the two of them, and Sirius had never been more on edge. The only good take away from this, it seemed, was that people weren’t asking him about his sexuality anymore.

“You’re welcome,” Minnie had said when Sirius had mentioned it to her in the car over to the arena that morning with Logan and Clyde.

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“I had to give them something, Sirius,” Minnie said. “They need their publicity. I hate it as much as you, but I thought this would be better.”

Sirius had to give Minnie some credit for that PR move, actually. At least with his brother, Sirius was used to dealing with the hounding.

“As Harzy would say,” Logan said from his seat, headphones on one ear and making his hair stick up. He raised his sickly-sweet coffee at her. “Bitch-ass move, Minnie.”

“Why, thank you for that assessment, Mr. Tremblay.” 

Sirius was just as thankful for Remus’ heads up about the game lines, even though he would have found out this morning anyway.

He only wished he had had one about Greyback. Sirius’ line, consisting of himself, Regulus, and Barzal, were set to face off against Greyback, Tom Wilson from the Washington Capitals, and Tony DeAngelo from the New York Rangers.

There was no fighting in All-Stars, which was a shame.

Cameras had followed him all the way into the locker room, where Regulus had cleared his throat awkwardly as he sat down beside Sirius and started dressing. Sirius felt a strong pang in his heart. They had done this with each other a million times. He hated that it felt so strange.

“Maman—”

“I don’t give a damn,” Sirius whispered lowly, using French so there were at least fewer people around them who could keep up. “And you shouldn’t either.”

Regulus laughed, and he made it look mirthful for the sake of the cameras. So, he was learning. There was no humor in his eyes.

“Do I have a choice?” he said.

“I did.”

“Yeah, well, I think we all know how you chose.”

“Regulus,” Sirius sighed.

“Drop it,” his brother bit back.

But this was the longest they had been and would be together in probably months. Maybe years, if Sirius counted his family. He didn’t want to drop it.

Sirius pulled him aside in the locker room while the cameras had to follow the stream of players leaving for the tunnel. It was a brief moment of privacy.

“I would have done anything to get you out with me,” Sirius whispered intently, and pressed his glove to his little brother’s helmet, keeping them close. “Anything. But I couldn’t help you if I was trapped there with you. Maman’s, the Snakes, either one. I had to get out. And then—”

“You don’t know what it was like,” Regulus’ voice came out shaky, and Sirius realized he had tears in his eyes. Regulus closed them quickly, head bowed so that their helmets tapped together. “You left, they lost you, and so they doubled down. I couldn’t—I couldn’t breathe. I can’t breathe.”

Sirius stared at him. In some ways, this hurt more than anything that had happened in the past few days. This hurt more, his little brother, his to protect.

“Reg…” Sirius began.

“You don’t know what he’s like,” Regulus whispered, and then, like he was afraid to say the words aloud. “Snape. Malfoy.” He swallowed, and added, even quieter so that Sirius could barely hear. “Riddle.”

“Mon étoile…” Sirius said. He hadn’t said the old nickname since they were little, and Regulus jolted to look at him. Stars, the two of them. “I’m sorry. Please, let me help you.”

“They made me hate you,” Regulus said. “But I never did.”

They both looked up when the locker room was beginning to empty out. Their moment was over.

“Let’s play,” Sirius said. “Let’s play, and then let’s talk, d’accord?”

“They made me delete your number, but I memorized it,” Regulus said. “Is it the same?”

Sirius closed his eyes, then nodded. “Oui.”

“D’accord,” Regulus said, then jerked his head towards the tunnel.

Sirius tapped Regulus’ chest with his glove. “Allez.”

Sirius followed him towards the tunnel, going out last. People would play it off as a strange superstition, but Sirius knew there would be pictures of him and Regulus talking anyway. He felt different this weekend. For obvious reasons, and not.

His life had always had a path, and that path had always been set. If it changed, the breaks had been slow. A trade deal. A contract. Longing for Remus. Everything had happened with time.

Not this. He was out. He was proud. It was an earthquake, a fault slipping. Regulus needed him, he didn’t hate him, after so long believing otherwise. An aftershock.

He was half way to the tunnel when he saw her.

Another slip.

His mother stood against the wall, her too thin body all in black, hair inky. She spared a short look to Regulus, but followed Sirius with her eyes. Minnie was standing beside her.

Sirius stopped walking.

Regulus, seeming to sense that Sirius wasn’t behind him anymore, stopped, too. Sirius held out his stick, telling him to stay put, and made his way over to the two women.

Sirius’ mother’s lip curled in what maybe appeared to be a smile. “Sirius,” she held out her arms. “I have so much to say to my son—”

Sirius turned at the last minute, minutely. It was a classic play, a fake out right in front of the net. He watched his mother realize his side-step at the last moment when it was too late.

Sirius hugged Minnie close to his chest.

“Regulus,” he whispered, and let go.

“Sirius?” Walburga’s laugh was high. “I beg your pardon?”

“You can’t have it,” Sirius said, and looked her straight in the eye. He towered over her. He didn’t know how he hadn’t realized that before. He looked to Regulus, then at Minnie, and then back at the dark woman.

“Never contact us again,” he said, and then turned towards the tunnel and into the bright lights, eyes on his brightly colored stick tape, and on his brother walking ahead of him.

~

“Welcome back to the 2020 All-Star weekend, everyone! As you can see, the players are out on the ice and this news has just reached us. It seems that Sirius Black has just thrown his own mother out of the arena.”

“Say what?” Natalie yelled.

The commentator laughed. “I know, Nate, this is very…well, there have been rumors about the Black family. I really thought they were, you know, classic hockey parents. Sirius seems to have taken matters into his own hands. He deserves to, honestly, after what he’s been through these past days. What a kid, I—oh, man, hold on everyone, we’ve got a fight!”

Remus and Lily both yelped when the camera cut away quickly from where Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin had been joking around, and to Sirius—beside Fenrir Greyback, to Remus’ horror—throwing a punch.

~

“Sirius Black,” a voice said, and Sirius took a long breath through his nose, and turned.

Fenrir Greyback, American, had perfectly straight, light brown hair, cropped short and sticking up in the front. His face was scruffy, and when he smiled, his thin lips revealed sharp canine teeth. The teeth beside his jolly laugh made for an eerie sight. Knowing he was the same age as Remus unsettled Sirius. He didn’t look it. He had the timeless look of a corpse, skin waxy and smooth safe for a bad scar, a skate cut, raking over his left cheek. Greyback leaned against his stick, smile in place.

“We have a game soon, don’t we? You and your cubs will be coming to Vegas.”

“Looks like.”

“Ready to lose?”

Sirius smiled wryly. “What sort of question is that?”

Fenrir shrugged. “How is Lupin these days? He was quite a player.”

Sirius could feel the cameras on them, but decided he didn’t care if they were mic’d. The crowd was roaring, he had seen Vegas fans taking pictures with Fenrir. They deserved to know who they were supporting.

“Before you destroyed his career, you mean?” Sirius said evenly.

Logan looked up, eyes wide, from where he had been re-lacing his skate.

Fenrir laughed. “Still pushing that story, huh? Look, man, if you watch the tape it was a clean hit.”

“How the fuck could it have been clean? You ruined his shoulder.”

“Oh, his shoulder. Well, that’s a different story,” Fenrir nodded, as if remembering, and then looked at Sirius, his sick grin still in place. “And there’s no video of that.”

Sirius’ entire bloodstream went cold. He thought of Remus. His panicked expression whenever any conversation got close to his hockey career, his mom’s worried one. But Remus had said, a bad hit, Fenrir…

“No proof,” Fenrir shrugged, and then gripped Sirius’ shoulder, fingers digging into his pads. Louder, so that the other players around them could hear, he said, “Really sorry that he had to stop playing, though. I heard it was one hell of a car accident.”

A fourth shock-wave, rocking his Earth.

~

“Holy fuck,” Finn said loudly. “What is happening? What is happening?”

Remus couldn’t look away from the screen, from where Sirius basically had Fenrir in a choke hold, the momentum of their swings propelling them in a slow, oblong circle as the other players backed away from the sudden fight.

“Jesus, what do you think he said?” Finn asked.

Kuny, who had decided to join them today, shook his head. “Shit-head player, doesn’t matter. Go Cap. I punch him also, when we play Vegas.”

“Remus, you said you played together?” Leo questioned. “Was he a shit-head in college, too?”

“I…” Remus began, and the whistles blew on screens, refs skating forward to pull the two players off of each other.

“Well, man-oh-man, Rob,” one of the commentators said. “I wonder what he said.”

“One could guess,” replied Rob.

Remus felt dread swirling in his stomach. They couldn’t guess, but Remus could. Remus was the only one who knew aside from Greyback.

Remus could still taste the bile from the biting pain of Greyback’s fingers, ripping into the muscle between his neck and shoulder. His hand covered it instinctively.

You hurt it in the game and didn’t tell anyone, Greyback had spat at him. That’s your lie. Remember, I know about you.

He hadn’t, of course. Remus knew that now. It was a bluff, an easy sentence that could mean anything to anyone. Everyone had secrets. Greyback had simply put faith in just how powerfully Remus’ secret would hold him.

Enough for Remus to tell his training staff that he had been hiding a very serious shoulder  injury. Festering muscle tears, dislocated, would heal wrong for sure, not a worthy investment, not anymore—

“Remus?” Kasey said.

Well. Remus’ secret was out now. Fenrir’s could be, too.

“He’s the reason I don’t play anymore,” Remus said quietly.

Lily sat forward, hand on her belly. “What do you mean, Re?”

“He was your bad hit?” Finn asked in a hushed voice. “Was it—on purpose?”

Remus pressed his lips together, trying to steady his breath. “It wasn’t even on the ice. He cornered me in one of the recovery rooms. My routine used to be long, I would stay after the other guys, cool down, stretch, you guys know.” Remus kept his gaze steady on the television where they were zoomed in on Logan and Sirius speaking with their heads close together. Sirius would no doubt have a black eye in a few hours.

“Ripped my shoulder apart,” Remus said softly. “Told me if I told anyone he’d tell my secret.”

“He knew?” Leo said. He sounded horrified. “And that’s what he did?”

Remus shook his head. “He didn’t know. I was too careful. But everyone has secrets, don’t they? I guess he just put his bets in the right place. Some people do.”

“And you never said anything,” Kasey said. “Jesus, Loops.”

“Well, now everyone knows my secret, eh? And I didn’t want to be that guy, blaming the end of their career on someone, some other player. No one would have believed me. And now, it’s so long ago, what does it matter?”

“It matters,” James said urgently. “It does. We can—we should do something.”

“Maybe,” Remus said. “But not now. Not with all of this.”

“And Sirius? He know?” Kuny asked.

Remus looked at the television. ““I think he just found out.”

Which was stupid of Greyback, really. What did he expect Sirius to do? Laugh along?

The game had resumed. Greyback, Wilson, and DeAngelo were lined against Sirius, Regulus, and Barzal. Sirius and Regulus were talking. They bumped fists before taking position. Remus blinked. That was new.

“What the fuck, are we friends now?” Kasey mumbled, intent on the screen.

Sirius scored easily, like a fire was at his heels. Remus loved that look he got in his eyes. The camera zoomed in on their celebration. Sirius wasn’t smiling, but he clutched Regulus and Barzal to him. Barzal looked a little hesitant, like he could sense he was in the middle of something that he knew nothing about.

As Sirius skated towards the bench for glove taps, he found a camera and stopped. The camera held, of course. Sirius Black was looking right at it. Sirius wedge his glove under his arm and reached for his neck.

“What’s happening,” Finn whispered again. He had his hands in his hair, like everything was too suspenseful.

Meanwhile, Remus’ heart was clattering down his ribs.

Sirius withdrew the silver and gold number twelve necklace, gray eyes steely.

He pressed the numbers to his lips.

“Oh…” Remus whispered, hand over his neck.

Sirius’ eyes grew soft as he tucked the necklace, Remus’ gift, safely back into his jersey. Like he knew Remus was gazing at him, too. Remus felt his entire world zero in on this moment. That was for him. Sirius was defending him.

An animal sound came from James.

“Necklace,” James shouted. “Fuck me!”

“Yeah, you’re the only one who was still working on that, sweetheart,” Natalie said.

Lily laughed. “But we love you.”

“We do.”

Remus gripped his watch, thumb rubbing over the face.

I love you. I love you IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou.

He would be home tomorrow.

Remus’ chest was a scrap of feeling. His heart was warm, his blood cool, his neck hot, his hands shaky.

Home tomorrow.

~

The cameras that had swarmed Sirius a moment ago now swarmed Regulus’ stall. Regulus had a towel around his neck, sweat dripping into his eyes. They were lighter though. He kept looking at Sirius, and Sirius remained seated in his stall, showing him that he was staying right where he was. He wasn’t leaving him.

“Regulus, do you have any…” the reporter glanced at Sirius and seemed smart enough to make his question vague. “…thoughts on your brother? Or, what was it like playing with him today? How long has it been?”

Regulus was slow in answering. He wiped his face, adjusted the hat he had on backwards. They look so much alike it’s scary, Sirius heard a reporter whisper to her friend. Finally, Regulus cleared his throat, and looked up from where he had been picking at the label of his water bottle.

“I’m very proud of my brother,” Regulus’ voice was steady and deep. He was unblinking. “It was very brave what he did, especially given the—the intrusive situation. No one deserves that. I wish him all the best, and Lupin, too. I look forward to spending time with him this summer in Gryffindor.”

Sirius’ smiled. And he knew the cameras caught it.

Sirius was sitting in Regulus’ stall this time when his brother got out of the showers. He stayed seated, the two of them silent among the other changing players, while Regulus got dressed. Sirius slipped his phone out of his pocket.

Call you in twenty, he shot a text to Remus.

“Hey, Cap,” Logan said from the doorway. “I’m going out with some of the guys. You’re…” he glanced at Regulus.

“See you on the plane,” Sirius said, and Logan nodded, understanding.

Regulus sat in Sirius’ stall. He had a Snakes sweatshirt on, and the sleeves were picked practically to pieces, fraying and ratty. It hurt to look at them.

They were alone.

“Alors,” Regulus said hesitantly.

Sirius turned to him. “Come back to Gryffindor with me. Minnie got you a seat with me and Logan. Tomorrow.”

An expression of relief so pure crossed Regulus’ face, that Sirius watched him ache with it. Sirius stood and pulled his brother into a hug. The first in a long, long time.

“Okay,” Regulus said into Sirius’ neck, voice thick. “Okay."

[reincarnated70sbaby]

star crossed

-chapter one-

jimmy page x fem!OC

warnings: none!

A/N: so I’ve been toying with this idea for a while, and I’ve finally felt inspired enough to put it in motion!!

words: 2.4k (🤨)

star crossed masterlist

next chapter>>

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

Fresh off the success of Led Zeppelin, the namesake band were already quick to get back into the studio and start recording material for a new album.After a long eight months of non-stop touring, the band already had a sizeable amount of rough demos, all written on the road or between concerts.

On a warm day in September, they reached Mystic Studios, and were finally able to transform the songs from paper to production. Arriving at the studio early, the band entered, not knowing what to expect as the manager and owner of the small studio, Tom, was quite vague on the equipment available.

“Finally, that car ride took fucking years” Bonzo complained, after being stuck in the small vehicle for almost an hour straight in the balmy Los Angeles climate.

“God damned Yankee traffic, they should really fix that, I mean, how is it normal to add an hour to your commute time every day?” Robert inquired, getting out of the sleek, black car.

“We’ll we’re here now, let’s just get down to recording eh?” Jonesy stated, ever being the optimist.

They walked through the wide double doors, upon which they met Tom. Jonesy, Bonzo and Robert chatted shortly with Tom, before continuing on with the tour of the studio. Jimmy, having been napping in the car ride, was stretching his legs while his band mates were entering the studio. When he entered, he collided with a flock of red hair, the owner of which stared up at him in shock.

“Uh, s-sorry Mr Page, didn’t see you there, hope your ok” Alice stuttered, unaware that the famous band were arriving this early in the morning.

“I would hope you’re ok, after all you’re the one who ended up on the floor” Jimmy chuckled, extending a hand to the young woman, Alice taking it and rearranging her disorganised stack of paper in her hands.

“Thank you, Mr Page” Alice replied, avoiding Jimmy’s eyes in embarrassment.

“Please, call me Jimmy, no need for the formalities” Jimmy replied coolly, slightly intrigued by the aura of mystery that surrounded her.

“Yeah okay, Jimmy, I should uh get going” Alice said with a smile, while pointing to a random direction behind her, her legs kicked into action and she walked quickly to the back office.

Jimmy stood there for a brief moment, liking how his name sounded in her voice, before getting his head straight and navigating his way to the recording booth.

“Ah, there he is, the famous Jimmy Page!” Tom declared as soon as Jimmy entered the mod room connected to the booth.

The rest of the band rolled their eyes, most publicists and managers often overly praised the guitarist, aware of his famous temperament and trying to stay in the good side.

Finally, once introductions and navigation were over, the band could finally start the recording process. They started off with a bit of a loose sesh, playing random riffs and melodies that came to them in the moment, as well as prepared verses and choruses written on the road. Then they decided to begin recording ‘The Lemon Song’.

Upon hearing the song playing, deciding since all of her small errands and messages were complete, Alice walked into the mod room.

“Hello, Alice, how y’a doing this morning?” Tom questioned, his heavy southern accent reverberating through the soundproofed room.

“Great, how’s the band? They sound great” Alice replied, still not sure of what to think of Tom, this only being her third week as an intern in the studio. She desperately needed the money, it was actually good pay considering all the work she did all day, part- receptionist, part assistant, part cleaner.

“Pretty good honey, now will you go get me a coffee from the store down the street? Two sugars and cream please” Tom commanded, obviously not up for conversation at the minute. Alice rolled her eyes behind his back, wishing she could be a bit more involved with the recording process. It was her dream after all, to be a sound engineer. That’s why she moved out to L.A, leaving everything and everyone she knew behind at home.

Walking down to the diner down the block, Ellie collected Toms usual of coffee and bagel with cream cheese, the order she knew by heart at this point. Wondering if the band would like coffee, she decided against it incase they weren’t on break yet. Knowing the work with of rockstars, they might only take a break at 10pm once they got into the groove of recording.

Returning to Mystic, Alice walked through the reception , straight to to mod room. When she entered, they entire band, along with the recent arrival of their infamous manager, Peter Grant, were all situated around the room, conversing over the song playing over.

“Working hard or hardly working boys, Hmm?” Alice quipped before handing Tom his coffee, before exiting.

“Who was that? I met her briefly today but I didn’t get anything out her” Jimmy inquired to Tom.

“Oh, that’s Alice, she’s our intern, great little thing, always round to help if anybody needs it” Tom replied curtly, looking up from the mixing table.

“Hmm, quite the looker isnt she eh?” Robert joked, noticing how bright her eyes went when she saw all the band in the control room.

“If you say so, but we keep it professional in this studio boys” Tom instructed, his fatherly side coming out, after all he did feel a bit responsible for Alice. If she didn’t get the job he could’ve only assumed that she would be out on the streets.

“Ah just some fun and games Tom, we’re very professional, as you know yourself” Bonzo joked, knowing he would only flirt with her as a joke, he was married after all.

“Right enough chatter about the bird, let’s get back to recording” Peter demanded, not there for gossiping.

———————————

The following days ensued similarly, the boys would record a track, dissect it in the booth, before recording any new ideas or improvements. The band often stayed early into the morning hours, determined to finish a song, not matter how long it took.

Once Alice arrived early the next week, Tom immediately asked for his usual order in the diner. On returning however, Tom asked Alice to stay in the control room.

“Alice, thank you for this” Tom said, gesturing to the coffee on the table, realising only recently that he wasn’t the nicest to Alice. Determined to work on the friendship with her, he decided it would best if she got more experience into the recording and mixing process, knowing she wanted to move into that career path.

“Of course, what did you want me for” Alice asked, unsure of her boss’s newfound friendliness.

“We’ll Alice, I’m just going to be straight with you here for a moment” Tom started, looking her in teh eyes with a stern face. Alice gulped, fearing she was going to be fired. She couldn’t fathom why though, she thought she did everything perfectly. Maybe she got his coffee order wrong and ordered it wrong each time? Maybe they didn’t need her anymore? She couldn’t understand that possibility, as the office was a lot more organised and certainly cleaner, after her arrival.

“Uhm, sure?” Alice replied uncertainly, not sure where the conversation was going.

“Well Alice” Alice gulped. “I know I haven’t been the friendliest to you, and I am aware of your aspirations to become a sound engineer, am I correct” Alice nodded quickly, keeping her eyes on Toms. “I am very thankful for everything you do in this studio, you are the backbone of us here, always picking up the grunt work when It needs to be done” Alice released a deep sigh, thankful that she wasn’t going to be fired.

“Oh phew, thank god, uh yeah, no thank you for keeping me on” Alice replied releasing a quick sigh.

“Keeping you on? You didn’t think I was going to fire you was I? Oh god Alice, I’m sorry for making you feel anxious, I could see you were getting a bit agitated” Tom said, trying to calm down the redhead.

“Thank god, anyway, you were saying” Alice continued, curious to know where he was going with his spiel.

“Oh yes, uh, where was I? Right, yes I want to break you into the engineering side of this job, if that’s ok with you. I’ll teach you the basics later, but you’ll be learning on your feet okay? It might be a bit overwhelming, to put it nicely, at first, with all the jargon and knowledge. But soon you’ll catch on, you’re a very bright girl so I know it won’t take too long” Tom finished, hoping he didn’t sound to brash.

“Oh my god, I can’t uh, thank you! I really appreciate this Tom, it’s my dream, wow!” Alice excitedly replied, finally happy to get down with the business. She sprung to her feet, and flew her arms around Tom. He didn’t really know what to do, but nevertheless he hugged her back, happy they were on an amiable relationship.

“Okay, uh, hate to say this, but could you just bring me in the extra tapes in the back room, then we can start the whole process when you get back, before the band get in obviously. Once they are in you will just shadow me ok?” Tom requested.

“Yeah of course, I’ll go get those now, anything else” Alice asked, not really wanted to do any more errands after weeks of doing them, but still being polite.

“No that should be fine” Tom answered, resisting the urge to ask her to get him a donut. He just reminded himself that it would be good to have a second engineer in the room, especially one he could train with his liking.

Alice walked to the back storage room, looking for more tapes. On entry, a small box on the bottom shelf caught her eye. On the top of the box ‘FRAGILE’ was printed in dark red letter. It looked like it hadn’t been touched in years, with the amount of dust covering it. Swiping away the dust on the label, it read ‘THEREMIN’. Alice eyes widened, she had heard of this instrument when in school, but hadn’t seen one in real life, as they were hard to master and not in fashion with any music genre currently.

Re-entering the mod room, she placed the extra tapes on the large table at the back of the room. Sitting down on the large swivel chard beside Tom, he started explaining the control board to her, as well and slang for certain keys and nobs. He continued until the band arrived, around 30 minutes later. Tom requested Alice stay in the control room, feeling she could be of benefit. Checking over her notes, she began to familiarise with the huge board. There must have been around 100 nobs and switches, all with different functions. Tom was impressed with Alice’s intellect, she responded well and added thoughtful questions about the mixing process. Tom could tell within a week she would be well roped into the process.

Taking a break, the band, Alice, Tom and Peter all sat down for lunch in teh small break room. There was only two tables so they conjoined them and ate together. Conversation flowed easily, everyone exchanging funny stories from the business, touring and random tidbits of memories.

“And I was sitting there with a frozen banana smoothie all down my front, absolutely frozen - I mean what are you supposed to do when you tell a girl no to her invitation to you coming back to her house, in god knows where, then she throws an fucking smoothie at you” Robert stated exasperatedly finishing off his sandwich

“Come on Rob, that was nearly five months ago, you would’ve thought you’d have forgotten it by now” Peter joked with a gently shove to Robert.

“Yeah I know, still gives me nightmares at night” Robert answered while playfully rolling his eyes.

“Same thing happened to me Robert, except, it was my wife and she was giving out shit to me for missing my daughter Grace’s dance recital” Tom added.

“Um, actually Tom, you missed Hannah’s recital, Graces is on next week. I think the handprint Cheryl left on the back of your head was a cute accessory hm?” Alice added, casually calling Tom out on his bluff.

The entire table went quite before bursting out in laughter. Alice panicked for a moment, fearing she went too far but calmed when they all laughed, joining in too.

“The bird is English? Why didn’t you tell us Tom?” Bonzo asked, directing his eyes to Alice.

“Excuse you, the bird is sitting right here” Alice said, pointing to herself.

“Well I thought you would’ve picked up on it by now John” Tom replied.

“Well uh, the drums, y’know” Bonzo answered, shaking his hands around his ears with a smirk plastered on his face. He was actually quite embarrassed that he overlooked her that much, she seemed like a talented girl behind the booth screen.

“Where you from love” Jonesy enquired kindly to Alice, opening up the conversation to her again.

“Well, I’m from a small village beside Heston. I used to live in France til I was five, as my mother is French” Alice replied with a smile, Jonesy was the one she talked to the most.

“Well would you look at that. How small the world is, you and Jim being from the same place. Mad world Hmm? How did someone from Heston like you end up in the city of angels?” Peter enquired, finding the whole situation rather funny, both Alice and Jimmy going slightly red.

“Um, I finished school at sixteen and moved out her shortly after, and have been here since” Alice answered, slightly embarrassed that she didn’t know she was reared in the same town as Jimmy Page.

“So you must be what, around 20 something?” Robert asked.

“No, I actually just turned 36 last month, I guess I look younger that I am” said Alice, trying to keep a straight face. She was met with dumbfounded faces of the Zeppelin lads. The boys looked between her and Tom, who kept his expression neutral, running with the joke.

“Gosh, you don’t look it’s, that’s for sure” Robert interrupted, still hoodwinked by the new information.

All of Alice’s self control was lost, she and Tom both bursting out simultaneously, wiping away tears after a coupole minutes of gut laughter.

“Of course I don’t, I’m only 18 for gods sake!”

“Right, enough small talk, let’s plan the songs you wanna record next” Tom interjected, stewing the conversation back to business.

“Well I think we should start with Whole Lotta Love and see how it goes” Jimmy piped up, only now joining the conversation, previously he had being staring at Alice, trying to place her as she looked familiar.

“Yeah I agree, that one probably needs the most work” Bonzo added, happy to get down to the complicated track.

Various forms of agreement were sounded from the rest of the band and staff. When they had finished up they all returned, energised to continue the recording the album.

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

navigation

star crossed masterlist

ok so first chapter! this was going to be a prologue but I think I’ll just add another chapter before we time skip!!

again, please feel free to leave any criticism in the comments!! if anyone has any ideas or plot points they think would work, just message me and I’ll see what we can do!!

tag list - @rebel-without-a-zeppelin @princesspagey

ask me if you want to be added!

[contrispos]

Episode 11 - Devil’s Deal

[Star Wars: The Bad Batch]

I am angry right now, this was the least good episode of the show. I have to scream.

—

What planet is this?

There are colors

Conclusion: Aliens.

Twi’leks: Ryloth. HECK YEAH

Crosshair my dear boy

We meet again

RAMPASS

I WILL KICK YOUR ASS RAMPASS

THAT is general Syndulla

Who is that clone?

I need the name of that clone right now

He has no right to look that good

And THAT is Hera’s mom

WAIT ARE WE GONNA GET BB HERA????

OKAY THAT CLONE JUST GOT EVEN HOTTER SHUT THE FRONT DOOR

he has no right

FINALLY another reg who isn’t a mindless machine:)

Damn general that was a good speech

BUT THAT FUCKING CLONE DOESNT HAVE THE FUCKING RIGHT TO BE THAT HANDSOME

CROSSHAIR MAH MAN

okay but now they can’t not have Hera in this ep

OH MY GOD ITS CHOPPER!!!!!!!!!

oh and Hera

BUT ITS CHOPPER

MY BABY

chopper is ✨bwah bwah✨

is his name Chan, Chad, or Chav???

THERE IS THAT FUCKING CLONE AGAIN

Is it Cham?

Is this my new favourite clone? maybe, he might become it if he continues TO BE THAT FUCKING HOT

Houser?? Hozer?? Hold on lemme check the subtitles

Okay 1: His name is Cham.

2: The clone’s name is Howzer

HOWZER FUCK OFF STOP BEING HOT

It is… …unacceptable

WHERE IS THE BATCH HUH???? THEY WERE IN THE THUMBNAIL!!!!! THIS IS CLICKBAITING!!!!!

OKAY CROSSHAIR IS TAKING OFF HIS HELMET

ARE THERE SCARS????

WHERE IS HIS HAIR???????

is that a cybernetic eye?

DOES HE HAVE A CYBERNETIC EYE??????

okay no, he has his eyes

phew

BUT DAMN THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD THO

THAT LOOKS NASTY AF

OOOOOFFFFFF

ahhh i almost don’t wanna look at it, i feel bad for my toothpick son

also: i noticed something, crosshair’s imperial armor is really bulky compared to his tbb armor

okay don’t get me wrong i love Hera and her family but I just really want to see my sons and their daughter

What was it Rampass had to do? what was on the datapad???

okay it felt like imp!crosshair did his flip-and-aim thing very slowly, i’m just saying that tbb!crosshair woukd have done that in a heartbeat

okay but please can they meet the batch?? i miss them

IIIIIITS THE BAD BATCH

YES

MY SONS

AND MY DAUGHTER

I HAVE MISSED YOU SO

OMEGA YOU ARE STILL FUCKING ADORABLE

I LOVE YOU

TECH MY DARLING

I LOVE YOU

I love how Hunter just looks at Hera, he knows his little girl is badass

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

“Hunter, can she come aboard?” *nod*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Omega knows her shit, I bet Tech taught her

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

“Tech won’t let me train until I can recite the ship’s specifications from memory”

TECH IS TEACHING HER HOW A SHIP WORKS

I REPEAT

TECH IS TEACHING OMEGA ABOUT HOW THE MARAUDER WORKS

AND HE IS BEING A DAD ABOUT IT

I WOULD SCREAM A BIT MORE BUT SPAMMING THE BUTTON IS ANNOYING

IS HER FAVOURITE PART OF THE SHIP HER ROOM???

oh my god that is so wholesome

Dave, does Wrecker know that Omega’s favourite part is the room he fixed for her?

OH MY GOD OMEGA IS SO SMALL

“Make a new friend?” AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

YES OMEGA TELL EM YOU ARE READY TO FLY

“What… feeling?” Tech, yes you. YOU THERE!!! you are adorable, did you know that???

this can’t be the only thing we see of the batch in this episode

if it is I will kill myself

Aaaaand there is Crosshair again committing murder

maybe not but like almost

i mean yeah i’d love to move in if you just let me remove your chip first:))

yes Howzer tell em

Omg Howzer actually has a brain

is he fighting the chip or is it broken?

does he not have one???

I KNEW IT

CROSSHAIR WAS GOING TO COMMIT LE MURDER

okay i had my hopes that “rescue on ryloth” as next weeks ep meant they were rescuing cross, but know I realise that was fakse hope and they are rescuing the Syndulla family.

I am still angry about the lack of my sons…

[fanfic-me-up]

Yoga with Bakugou Katsuki

Your weekly competition with archrival and secret crush, Bakugou Katsuki, takes a turn when you invite him to yoga class. Maybe your hope to become something more is not so one-sided after all?

Title: Winning in Downward Dog

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x fem!Reader

Warnings: Bakugou trying to be a flexible pretzel and failing 😂😂

Word Count: 2,696

a/n: This is basically a crack fic pls forgive me lol If you enjoy, pls like and reblog! 💖 You can request more here. Side note: For anyone wondering, this was originally posted on my first bnha blog, but that has since been deleted. 

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

You’re currently pinned beneath Bakugou in the middle of a training exercise where you’re supposed to be on the SAME TEAM. 

“Yield,” Bakugou says.

“Never,” you say.

It’s known in Class 1-A that you and Bakugou have a weekly competition where each of you pick a different activity to see who wins. This competition sometimes gets in the way of school. Most of the time you understood the concept of forgoing pride for the sake of education, but when it came to Bakugou fucking Katsuki you became equally hot-headed and stubborn.

Class 1-A groans in unison. 

Midoriya raises his hand.

“Sensei, you’re going to erase their quirks, right?” He looks genuinely concerned.

“Ugh, I hope so! I don’t wanna be here all day. Again.” Mina complains.

You knee Bakugou, but he won’t budge. He smirks at your struggle.

“Tch. You have to do better than that, dumbass.”

He places more of his body weight so there’s no escape. You can’t help the flutter in your chest at the sudden closeness. He’s radiating pure heat and the faint aroma of caramel emanating off him does little to clear your head.

Yes. It’s true. You have a crush on the one person who’s more concerned with pinning you to the ground during a training exercise than pinning you down on his bed where you belong dammit!

“Can ya’ll wrap this up? Some of us have plans tonight!”

Of course Kaminari would interrupt your fantasy just when it gets to the good part.

“Chill, bro, the movie doesn’t start ‘til 7,” Kirishima says.

“Can I come?” Mineta asks.

“No.” The Bakusquad reply in unison.

You buck up against Bakugou. Your leg slips from his hold and you manage to wrap it around his waist, flipping him over. He grunts as his back hits the ground. You hear crackling, but before he can set off his quirk, you counterattack, leaving him with no opening.

Class 1-A  collectively gasps as you pull an UNO reverse card. Cheers erupt from the girls at the same time the boys groan.

The class has an ongoing bet on who would win your competition at the end of the semester. Bakugou is ahead by one, but you might even the score today.

“You get ‘em girl!” Mina shouts.

“Awww dude way to let the boys down!” Kaminari shakes his head.

“Shut up, shitty hair!” Bakugou shouts.

He glares at the rest of the class, daring them to utter another word. They don’t. A couple minutes pass of Bakugou trying every which way to get out of your hold and you countering every one of his moves with ease.

“I could do this all day,” you say.

“Me too,” Bakugou spits, sparks erupt from his palm.

“I can’t,” Aizawa says, erasing both of your quirks.

Class 1-A groans in unison once again.

“Ugh! But Sensei it was finally getting interesting!” Kaminari says.

Yeah, just like my fantasy was getting interesting until you interrupted it! Hmph!

“Guess nobody wins this time,” Kirishima shrugs.

“Technically I won,” you say.

You gasp as you feel the wind get knocked out of you and suddenly you’re looking up at vermilion eyes.

“No, I win.” Bakugou smirks.

You can’t bring yourself to be upset as his hands grip your wrists. You’d lose a million times over if it meant Bakugou touching you.

“Say it.” 

You cock your head, “Say what?” 

“Say ‘I win’.” 

“I win.”

Bakugou’s nose scrunches in frustration.

“That’s not what I- you know what I mean!”

Aizawa clears his throat. 

Both of you turn to see Class 1-A hanging onto your every word like they’re watching the final battle in Avengers: Infinity War. Kaminari is munching on some popcorn, passing the bowl around to the rest of the class.

How did that boy even…? Nevermind.

It’s best for you not to think about the weirdness that is Class 1-A. It would only give you a headache.

“Nobody wins. You both failed the exercise,” Aizawa says, “And get up. You’re both making me uncomfortable.” 

You and Bakugou make awkward eye contact before he gets off of you. You swear a tinge of red flushes his cheeks as he offers his hand for you to take, but you know he’s only offering it as a sign of respect. That doesn’t stop your hand from shaking as you reach out to take it. You mumble a quick ‘thanks’ and he responds with a soft ‘whatever’ as he helps you to your feet.

“Class dismissed,” Aizawa says. Mina and Kaminari whoop before racing to the dorms. Everyone else follows, leaving you and Bakugou trailing behind. You’re racking your brain trying to come up with something to say. You don’t want to let this opportunity of getting Bakugou alone go to waste. 

C’mon, Y/N think of something…  Oh! I can ask about the movie they’re watching tonight? No… he’ll think I wanna come along or something, which I do, but I don’t want him thinking I do! 

Oh lord have mercy on me.

You’re about to fuck it and pull a ridiculous comment about the weather out of your ass when Bakugou speaks up.

“I won.”

You raise an eyebrow. He’s still on that?

“I did.” 

“Why do you have such an obsession with winning?” There’s no malice in your tone. You just genuinely want to know.

“You wanna die!?” Bakugou puffs his chest, tiny sparks fizzling in his palms, ready to blast at any second.

You throw your hands up in surrender.

Please don’t kill me. 

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to strive to be the best. That’s why we’re all here. But we were on the same team today, Bakugou, and you still couldn’t handle the fact that I would be the one to lead our team to victory. Why?” 

You’re just as competitive as the next U-A student trying to go pro, but even you knew when to quit, especially if it jeopardizes the team or the mission. Your quirk was just a better fit for this particular exercise and Bakugou knew that.

“I don’t need to listen to this bullshit, especially from a fucking extra.” Bakugou stomps off.

“Wait! Bakugou!”

You stop him by touching his arm; he jerks at the contact as if he’s been burned. 

“Don’t touch me!”

You try to hide the hurt as you take your hand off his arm.

Of course he’d hate the idea of touching me in any way besides holding my hand to arm wrestle. Ugh! Why can’t I have a crush on literally anyone else!?

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“Whatever. What’s the challenge this week?” he grumbles, looking away from you.

You didn’t want to push any further and make Bakugou hate you even more. It’s sad to know you don’t have a chance with him which is why you look forward to these competitions. If this was the only way to spend time with him, then you’re gonna take it. 

“Yoga tomorrow at 8.”

“Tch. Yoga? My grandma does yoga on her deathbed.”

“If you don’t show up, guess it means you forfeit and I win.”

You walk away knowing full well Bakugou won’t back down from a challenge. You hear him shout from across the way.

“Like hell I’d forfeit, loser!”

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

You’re warming up before class when the doors swing open and in walks Bakugou with a permanent scowl etched on his face. The class regulars (who are all girls) huddle together whispering about the “hot new guy.” 

Bakugou unfolds his mat next to yours.

“Oi, Y/L/N.”

You turn to him, “Morning to you too, Bakugou.”

“Get ready to die,” he smirks.

You roll your eyes at the dramatics. 

“Please, I’m sure I can beat someone who yells ‘DIE GERMS’ every time he brushes his teeth.”

Bakugou’s teeth clench at the dig against his personal hygiene habits. You could see the vein on his forehead threatening to pop. Teasing Bakugou always brought a smile to your face. He was just so cute when he got riled up.

“You wanna go, shitty woman!?” 

It’s too easy.

“Save that for the field,” you say before returning to your stretches, but you’re interrupted once again.

“Psst.”

You turn to the girl next to you.

“You know him?” She nods at Bakugou stretching with his earphones in. The scowl on his face reads “fuck off”.

“Yeah, why?”

“He’s hot.” The girl sighs in a daze.

I know, girl. Trust me, I know. 

Every aspect of Bakugou’s body screams power. He trains harder than most and it shows. The long grueling hours spent going to the gym and honing his quirk have really paid off. From defined shoulders, to the lines of his six pack visible even underneath his shirt, all the way down to the powerful thighs that could crush you in an instant and you would happily thank them for it.

“I can hear you,” Bakugou snaps. 

Shit.

Your heart skips a beat, afraid you pulled an Izuku with thinking out loud. Thankfully, he’s referring to the girl next to you who squeaks and returns to her stretches. 

Phew… That was a close one. 

You clear your throat.

“You better not get us kicked out of this class, too. I actually like yoga.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” he smirks.

Bakugou got you both kicked out of the chess club when he went all ‘sparky sparky boom boom man’ on the chess board after you won. The president of the chess club cried. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Now, you both have to play chess in the dorms.

The class begins with simple stretches. You sneak a peek at Bakugou who looks oddly calm for once. You’re used to him either being angry or… being angry. There really was no in between for the boy. But right now, with his eyes closed, he looked almost at peace. 

“I can do this in my sleep.”

And of course the moment is ruined the moment he opens his mouth.

“This is only the beginning, my friend,” you say.

Bakugou loses some of his vigor halfway through. He’s huffing and puffing as you go into an intense hip flexor stretch.

“You okay there, buddy?”

You’re sweating a bit by this point, but not as much as Bakugou who’s struggling to keep up.

“I’m fine,” he snaps. 

The class goes into the splits. Your split is perfect, but Bakugou is still a little ways off the floor. He tries to subtly wipe the sweat beading down his forehead.

“You know yoga has a ton of amazing benefits. If you keep at it, you could knock someone out going into a downward dog.”

“Shut up,” he grunts. His knees buckle under the pressure of the new position.

“Y/N, can you assist our new student?” Your instructor asks.

The rest of the class turns to you and Bakugou. 

“Oi! I don’t need any help, old hag!”

You grimace at his loud tone, a harsh opposition to the otherwise calming atmosphere.

“He doesn’t really mean that,” you try to cover for him.

“Yes, I do! Oi! Stop looking at me dumbass, yes, you over there-”

You muffle his screaming with your hand against his mouth. You place your other hand on his waist and guide him into the correct position. You can tell he’s holding his breath.

“Breathe. That’s it. Now tighten your core like this,” you whisper in his ear. Your hands glide down his stomach. His ears are beet red and he’s looking anywhere, but at you.

“Are you okay?” 

“Tch. I’m fine. Now, get your hands off me, shitty woman.”

You sigh. Of course. Should I expect anything else at this point?

All the women bounce up to you at the end of class. They’re giggling and sneaking glances at Bakugou who’s rolling up his mat.

“Who is that?”

“Do you know him, Y/N?”

You’re taken aback. Since when were you on a first name basis with any of these girls? For the past three years you preferred to stay in the back of the class and leave once it ended. The women are a bit… much and they don’t pay much attention to you anyway, just the way you like it, so it’s startling when eager eyes are on you awaiting a response.

“Is he single?” Another girl asks.

I certainly hope so.

The group shushes each other as Bakugou walks up to you.

“Same time next week, loser?” 

Next week is his turn to choose the competition. Does he really think he has a chance of getting his splits down in a week?

“You want to do yoga again?” 

“Not for our competition, idiot.” The excitement radiating from the group of girls behind you only feeds your heart fluttering in your chest. You don’t want to get your hopes up, but Bakugou has never been interested in meeting up with you outside of class if it’s not for your competition. 

You want to be sure of what he’s asking. You couldn’t bear the thought of believing this is leading to something more only for Bakugou to say it’s not. 

“If not for our competition, then what for?” 

Bakugou looks at you, his cheeks are flushed red and you know it’s not from the yoga anymore. 

Holy shit, is this it? Is Bakugou fucking Katsuki actually asking me out? After we just spent the last hour in downward dog? Note to self: I’d like to give a shoutout to the yoga gods that made this possible. You the real ones.

You lean against the wall in an attempt to be casual, but it’s only because your legs are literally shaking from the excitement that Bakugou is asking you out. 

Bakugou glances at the girls behind you murmuring between themselves.

“Tch. Forget it.” He grabs his bag and walks out.

Wait. What? No! Come back!

You hear the girls gossiping with each other, all of them excited that Bakugou’s becoming a yoga regular.

“He’s coming back next week!?”

“Ugh! He’s so freaking hot! I can’t even!”

“What should I wear!?”

You don’t pay them any attention as you run out the door in an attempt to salvage... whatever you have with Bakugou. It’s complicated, okay!?

“Bakugou!” 

He doesn’t look back, but you know he heard you. 

“Bakugou! Wait!” 

“What!?” He snaps, but the blush on his cheeks give him away.

“I’m down for the same time next week.” 

He crosses his arms and scowls.

“Are you deaf? I said forget it.”

“Oh.” 

Bakugou sighs; his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck in a gesture you’ve only seen a couple times from him.

Wait is Bakugou… nervous? 

“I know I’m gonna pop off on one of those girls and I don’t want to get you kicked out. I know you like yoga for whatever goddamn reason…” 

“What if we had a private yoga class?” 

You’re fully prepared to be rejected. Your relationship was one of rivalry and competition, what you’re suggesting would be breaking into new territory, but you were tired of pining. It was better to know he doesn’t like you than to spend your time at U.A. wondering. 

Bakugou doesn’t expect that question and you certainly don’t expect his response.

“I do need to practice my splits more.” He looks down at the ground, ashamed for admitting he needs practice. You can tell he doesn’t admit this to just anybody. Your heart skips a beat at the thought of Bakugou viewing you as more than just the extra he claims you are.

“I can help with that,” you say.

“Tch. I don’t need your help.”

You shrug, “Fine, don’t come crying to me when you break your hip. You’ll never be able to take someone down in downward dog.”

“I CAN TAKE ANYONE IN DOWNWARD DOG! JUST YOU WATCH, SHITTY WOMAN!” 

You laugh as he childishly stomps off, gripping his palms tight to keep from exploding.

Way too easy.

Bakugou ended up taking Midoriya down in downward dog. Nobody saw it coming, but you. He thanked you with a movie date and a kiss at the end of the night. 😊

[miraculouscontent]

Askplosion #12 3/4:

.:Asks Referring to Previous non-Miraculous Posts:.

Anonymous said:

Hi! I saw you mention that you have Asperger’s syndrome in an earlier post. I’m just wondering, how did you find out? I’ve always thought I was neurodivergent (adhd and maybe asperger’s), but I’m not quite sure how to go about finding out, and my parents never had me screened as a kid. Feel free to ignore if this is too personal!

(the post this anon is referring to)

It’s not too personal, don’t worry!

Though, I would really say that it’s something to look up more than for someone to tell you. I know that’s not a satisfying answer but I think it’s different depending on where you live and what specialists you have near you.

Anonymous said:

Remarried Empress Anon Again, a whole post? What an honor! I burnt my food and this made me so happy.

(the post this anon is referring to)

You deserve it! Thanks a bunch!

Anonymous said:

Remarried Empress Anon Again, thank you for answering my asks and for reading Remarried Empress! I honestly didn’t expect much to come of it but the fact you read the comic and saw what I was talking and came to your own conclusions was amazing! I’m sorry if I’m bothering you by bombarding you with asks, and will try to stop doing so. Heck, this doesn’t have to be answered! Just know you are a fun creator and thank you for making my day a little better with your amazing responses!

You weren’t bothering me at all! I’m glad I brightened your day!

asexual-individual said:

I don't know how big the trend of "Magical Girls are made to suffer" is, but after watching Madoka Magica I did notice a few Magical Girl shows where the creators obviously went "Hey, this anime where the Magical Girls suffer and it's all angsty made Shaft a lot of money, let's do our own", and "subversive=money". (Even though many have pointed out that MM isn't actually subversive, since older MG shows have dealt with dark themes plenty of times.)

Yeah, it’s probably one of those inevitable things. People immediately jump on wherever the money’s going.

Madoka Magica probably got so much attention specifically because of the episode three shock value.and all the twisted imagery, plus things like Kyubey with bullet holes all over him made it seem like, “WHOA, DARK.”

Anonymous said:

Remember when I told you about the teenage-bashing in the Star Vs. Fandom? Well, rewatching the show, I'm beginning to think that most of the time, when people in a certain fandom have these opinions, more often than not, the show backs it up for whatever reason. Like, there's one scene where Eclipsa is put on trial and is asked if she's ever eaten any babies(which is just a rumor), and she says no but that she has eaten a few teenagers but, psychologically, they always deserved it.

And in another episode, Star says that teenagers are great at causing problems, which I at first laughed off as a joke, but then in another, Tom and Star were talking about how they broke up, and Star said "Of course we broke up! That's what people do! That's what teenagers do! Teenagers are dumb!" And Tom was just like "Yeah, I know, I know"; there are a lot more examples but I don't care to revisit them. I'm just saying that the teen-hating in the fandom would have to have come from somewhere.

omg I don’t remember that stuff at all; I guess it just blew right past me when I was initially watching it.

I don’t understand the trend of being like, “teenagers are dumb and that’s what they do,” and then either over-punishing or not punishing at all. Are we supposed to believe that all teenagers are just going to “be teenagers” and so we shouldn’t do anything, or that they’re all idiots who don’t understand their own feelings but we should also punish them for it?

I don’t get it.

Anonymous said:

I'm the "tomboys in anime" anon, and yes, I totally agree! It especially irks me(as a girly girl who has a lot to say) when the shortcut to making a girl tomboyish is simply by making her loud/tough/like gaming or machinery, or when a female character is told she isn't enough of a girl because she's like that, but otherwise doesn't look or even act all that "boyish". Even TV Tropes does it, as if the second a girl shows any proactivity or is tough she's a "tomboy".

It really annoys me and almost makes me want to erase the term "tomboy" altogether since it leads to an idea of "I'm not like other girls, I'm better 'cause I do boy stuff"(which I know not every tomboy thinks, but some do). The only reason I don't is because I very proudly embrace the term "girly girl" and terms are meaningless without an opposite(not that you can't like both girly and tomboyish things). So I think the key to fixing this problem is that we shouldn't label people unless they want to be labeled that way.

And I know fictional characters can't speak for themselves, so just to figure out if a female character is a tomboy, I just say that if her only "tomboyish" traits are "proactive" qualities or liking something that's for guys, just don't call them a tomboy because it looks ridiculous and acts like women are inherently passive and weak, so for a girl not to be like that is acting like a man.

I would love to see a tomboy character who likes those things but is actually shy/a wallflower. That avoids the stereotype of "aggressive, hard-hitting tomboy, weak-willed, shallow girly girl" and challenges audiences expectations that "but but but she's a tomboy so she should be loud and strong because strength is for MEN". I also hate when tomboy characters are given no curves because the writers know they're doing something wrong, tomboys can have natural curves too. It's like they think tomboys just don't want to be girls. So, yeah. So over the "tomboy in-name-only" stereotype.

"it makes me feel weird saying that when I’m all for girl power shows with an all female cast, but in this show’s logic, it’s a different ball game". Oh, phew! That's good. Because, like I said before, I'm working on my own magical girl show in which most of the female characters are(black) girls and only girls can use magic in this world, and someone I know keeps telling me that it's not fair that the guys don't get to have magic, so it's good to know that there's someone out there who doesn't think it's "sexist" that magical girls tend to only let girls have powers(unless it's for fanservice or like in Madoka Magica because ick). Because guys get to be in the forefront all too often, so why is it so bad when girls get to be in the spotlight? I know I can't change everyone's opinions but it's good to know someone gets it.

(the post this anon is referring to)

Honestly, I feel like the fact that there’s a label at all is the issue, like you suggested? It might just be a “we have to get ride of the label ‘tomboy’ and ‘girly girl’ altogether” thing, because it’s not like we do the same thing with guys?

Oh wait, we do; guys who do “girly” things are called “sissies.”

I hate this planet. :P

Point being, having to say “tomboy” inherently implies something, which might be a problem all on its own, y’know?

(the below ask is incomplete but the asker clarified after I asked them, so clarification is below:)

Anonymous said:

I just thought back to our little "tomboys in anime" argument and about how you can't really think of any tomboys. So I looked up "tomboys in anime" on Google and clicked on the first link, and literally the first character on the list was a girl with...a flower in her hair and a bikini. The reason she was a "tomboy" according to the list? Was because she is "aggressive" and "competitive". In fact, most of the examples on the list were "she's tough/a good fighter/challenges male supremacy".

(part of this ask is missing and clarified below)

girly girls, while the girly girls always have to be the weak and shy ones(not that shy=weak but you get the idea). But while I may not know most of the characters on the list, and some of them DID look pretty tomboyish, I'm very bothered by the idea that it's their strength and ambition and excellent fighting skills that are branded as masculine. And you know what? I'd actually be offended if someone called me a tomboy, especially if it was based of these reasonings. Because it sounds like they think being a tomboy is the only way to be strong and vice versa. Like I should take it as a compliment that I need to be separated from my femininity in order to be respected. Like, if you're a tomboy, cool! But it shouldn't be used for just any girl who isn't a weak-willed crybaby doormat. I actually don't know why people seem to think being a tomboy or "masculine" for a girl is some sort of badge of honor to wear with pride for rejecting your femininity and being "cooler" than other girls.

the clarification:

Anonymous said:

The missing part was talking about the various tropes having to do with contrasting masculinity/femininity, either in two different characters, with one being masculine and one being feminine(ex. Tomboy and Girly Girl, Sensitive Guy and Manly Man, Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy, Masculine-Feminine Gay Couple), or one character who has traits of both(ex. Girly Girl With a Tomboy Streak, Tomboy With a Girly Streak, Real Men Wear Pink), and how TV Tropes always talks about them as if the "girly" character(or girly side of the character) is weaker or inferior(like how for Tomboy and Girly Girl they might say that the former is tough, competitive, and can fight, while the latter is vain, a priss, and a Damsel in Distress.

Or for Tomboy With a Girly Streak, they might say that the tomboy dresses in a masculine way with their "girly" streak being that they're a doormat or dream of being a housewife. Not that it's wrong to be a housewife.).

To be fair, they don't always do this: For the pages on Magical Girl they talk about how those shows can appeal to multiple demographics, and almost all the quotes on them, they talk about how they're empowered through their femininity and are just as much legitimate threats to their opponents as other heroes. Still, they fall in this trap even then, as on the LoliRock Awesome page, they say "You gotta admit, for a Magical Girl show, LoliRock does have its awesome moments", which ignores that Magical Girl is SUPPOSED to have awesome moments, it's literally an action subgenre! Just because it's frilly and pink and girly doesn't mean it doesn't--or shouldn't--still have badass fight scenes. Just look at PreCure. Shonen should take notes from those shows. But no, whoever wrote that clearly dismissed it as just frivolous and was SURPRISED that the fight scenes were good, just because it's girly!

It’s 2021 and people are still struggling with this concept that girliness isn’t bad and it’s not embarrassing to watch such a show.because GIRLS.

It’s so tiring. I watched Dragonball Z, Inuyasha, and played Pokemon; got a few looks about it at times but people ultimately were like, “okay I guess” (I did get bullied for the Pokemon one but that was more for the “it’s for babies” kind of deal, not a “you can’t like that because you’re a girl,” thing). I can’t really relate to the world of girls who get looked down upon for being “girly” but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand that it must be awful for them.

Don’t even get me started on “Tomboy Lesbian,” I will scream about it and it won’t be happy screaming.

[sooobinscalculator]

NCT 127 Confessing to You / You Confessing to Them

Genre: Fluffffff ff f f f

Word count: *beep boop*

NCT 127 X Reader

This has been in my drafts for a while and it actually was a different group at first but I changed it so sorry if it's a little funky or some of the words are weird. Hope you enjoy thooo.

None of these gifs are mine :))

Taeyong ♡

He confesses to you.

You were close friends with him since school.

You guys would always "jokingly" flirt and it was obvious to the other members what was going on.

You both had feelings towards each other but were too paranoid of confessing and ruining the friendship.

You had invited him over to your house one lazy evening and you were sitting on the couch with him watching a movie.

He had his arm draped behind you and he sighed heavily, catching your attention.

"Everything okay?" you asked.

"Y/N, we really need to talk. I don't want this to ruin our friendship or anything, but I need to get this out."

"Okay..."

"I've fallen so hard for you over these past years and if you don't feel the same as me, just know that I don't want our friendship to change from this."

"Taeyong....... Why haven't you said anything sooner? I've been in love with you since we were in school!"

"Wha- Why didn't you say anything!?"

You both would laugh it off and continue your night with deep conversations and kisses (YYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAA coot).

Yuta ♡

You confess to him.

You had been introduced to Yuta by your best friend Johnny.

Johnny found out you were crushing on Yuta and would try everything in his will power to get you and him close together.

Johnny invited you over one night to hang out with the boyzzzzz.

You and Yuta at this point have gotten closer (as friends...... 🙃).

Haechan really didn't want to watch the horror movie that the others picked out.

You and Yuta volunteered to do something else with Haechan so he wouldn't feel left out.

"Let's dye my hair," Yuta suddenly suggested.

"YESSSSS," Haechan glanced at you for approval.

"You both can do it," Yuta smirked at you while handing you several hair dye bottles.

"O-oh okay," you nervously muttered.

While washing Yuta's hair, Haechan left to get some snacks.

Yuta was groaning softly as you massaged his scalp, making you go CrAzY skskaksjdnxnak.

"Yuta, I have something to confess," you said as you bit your lip.

"Yes?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as he opened his eyes.

"I-I like you. Really, really like you," you said softly as blush spread to your cheeks like wildfire.

"Really? Me too," he says nonchalantly.

"Oh phew okay. Wait.... You LIKE ME TOO?!"

"Yeah Y/N, I'm gaga for you," he says while bopping your nose with his finger and winking.

You internally scream as Yuta laughs at your blush.

Jaehyun ♡

(Woof okay)

He confesses to you.

But in a DiFfErEnT way than he would've wanted to.

You were invited to a late night club by your friend Jaehyun.

He constantly would try to pull your dress down, saying it was too short.

You'd stare at him with a raised eyebrow and remind him that the two of you were at a club.

The daaannccciiinnnng kekeke.

He's obviously a great dancer, and you were surprised at how well your body responded to his. (I-)

Went into a drinking competition at one point with you (after getting a little tired of dancing).

You won.

Now he's all TiPsY!

Moooore daaannccciiinnnng

His dancing was getting a little more rAuNcHy.

"Jae I think we should get you home," you laughed while facing him.

"Y/N.... You're literally glowing. You're an absolute goddess," his words were all slurred but still made your heart flutter.

"Aw thanks Jae," before you could finish that sentence he kithes you 😌.

"I'm so in love with you," he slowly parts from the kiss and speaks SO SOFTLY skskskjdeokf.

You think you might pass out.

"I've been in love with you for the longest time," he looks you in the eyes and almost seems completely sober.

You agree to leave the club with him and head to his house (😏).

Jungwoo ♡

This bebe 🥺

He confesses to you.

Master of cheesy pick up lines!

You and him constantly had pick up line battles.

He always won.

You got into a pretty heated battle at one point, and you were determined to win.

"Is that a mirror in your pocket? Cause I can see myself in your pants," *insert baby boi wink*.

"No but I can definitely see something in your pocket. Is that a lollipop or are you just happy to see me?" you cheesily smiled.

"Once you have a lick, I'm sure you can answer the question yourself."

"Ew Jungwoo, let's get back on track..."

He laughs at your baffled behavior.

"Okay, what has 36 teeth and holds back the Incredible Hulk?"

You already knew where this was going and stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"My zipper," *insert wiggly eyebrows*.

You were very determined to win this round though.

"Kiss me if I'm wrong. Dinosaurs still exist right?"

"Oh yes, definitely."

"Jungwoo......." you sighed and rubbed your temples.

"Fine, fine. I guess you really want me to kiss you that bad..."

He muttered the last part so you couldn't really make out what he said until he leapt onto you and mushed his lips against yours (EEEEEEEEEEEEEE).

"I am dinosaur," he says cutely.

More kisses on the couch.

He admits defeat after giving a heart-warming confession.

Mark ♡

You both kinda confess at the same time.

You were childhood friends that had been separated when he moved and attended a different school.

You met back up with him when you had bumped into him at a cafe and exchanged numbers.

After coming home from work, Mark invited you to one of his band's concerts.

You got that VIP experienceee. Backstage access and all.

Mark giggled and jumped up and down like a fangirl when he saw you come backstage.

You joined in the crackhead energy and jumped/giggled like a fangirl as well.

"Enjoy the view," he says before walking onto the stage with his other members.

Tired baby after the performance :'( .

"Late night snack?" you asked.

He loved the idea and drove off with you to the nearest 7/11.

Got into a deep conversation about life and stuff.

"You know what, let's share one of our deepest secrets with each other. Just for fun and because we've been friends since we came out of the womb and our trust is impossible to break," he suggests.

You can see that he's also just as nervous as you but you, for some reason, love this idea.

"1, 2, 3!"

"I like you."

You both slap a hand on your mouths as you shout those words in sync.

You both burst into a GiGgLe FiT!

Mark drops his ice cream which makes you guys laugh twice as hard.

"That's crazy....." he sighs as he catches his breath while pulling you into a hug.

Lots of kisses on the cheek. 🥺

Winwin ♡

You confess to him.

You hadn't seen him in a while because he was AcRoSs ThE wOrLd at the moment.

You had been face timing him every day.

He always fell asleep on you though.

"I'll be coming back soon," he says over the call.

"Good," you said through your mouth full of cake.

"Are you eating cake without me?" he pouts.

"Yes," you say as you shovel another bite of the vanilla ice cream cake into your mouth.

"It's alright, there's an unlimited amount for me anyways."

You didn't understand his comment at first but furrowed your eyebrows at him when you did.

He laughs his bay bee boi laugh 🥺.

"It's good to see you again though," his comment makes you smile.

"Good to see you too," you wink.

You talked with him about how everything was going where he was and how everyone was doing.

It was getting later in the evening. (Later in the day for you.)

You watched as his drowsy eyes slowly closed.

Suddenly you thought this was the pErFeCt TiMe To ThInK oUt LoUd.

"You're so cute Sicheng. I'm literally head over heels in love with your perfect, soft, baby face," you rambled as you were swooning over his peaceful, sleeping face on your screen.

"Baby face?" he muttered as his eyes flicked open and stared into yours.

"Oh shi-"

You hung up quickly.

He called back within two seconds and you stared at your phone screen while curling into fetal position.

"You're so adorable," he says as your red face and twinkling eyes appear on the screen.

Haechan ♡

You confess to him.... Through a kith. 🙃

He had a whole day off and you decided to take him to an amusement park.

"Y/N!!! Let's share a cotton candy!!!"

You let him eat most of it, claiming it was his day so you would treat him to whatever.

Lots of relaxing rides instead of rollar coasters; a chill day.

It was getting late and the park looked amazing at night with all the lit up rides and twinkling lights everywhere.

So you and Haechan decided to take pictures and hit up all the rollar coasters now.

You rode the merry-go-round several times and took several crackhead videos and pictures on it.

You had your arm wrapped through Haechan's and your head was resting on his shoulder as the two of you strolled around the almost empty park.

"Haechan?"

"Mm?"

"Thank you for this night."

He looks down at you and you lean up and KiSs HiM (WHAAAAA My HeArT 🥺).

A slow smirk spreads on his face and he leans back down to kiss you again.

"Thank you for this night," he says between kisses.

Johnny ♡

He confesses to you.

You had a long day at work and was tired of all the cranky, asshole customers.

You had ranted about it to Johnny over the phone during your break.

"Well, gotta get back to it," you sighed as you looked at the time, seeing your break was over.

"Alright, I'll pick you up today," he said through the phone.

You exchanged goodbyes and hesitated before getting up and joining back up with your coworkers.

MoRe BoOtYhOlE cUsToMeRs.

You were just mentally and physically exhausted all around.

Finally your shift was over and you were excited to see Johnny (a bright side to your cruddy day).

"Hop in loser," he said as he rolled down the window on the passenger side and stared at your slumped form sitting on the bench.

"I'm... Exhausted," you muttered as you rubbed your eye.

"I'm sorry Y/N. A warm shower will probably really be nice when we get back home. Is there anything I can do?"

"No, it's okay Johnny. Thanks though."

"You know, that's what I really admire about you," he says as his hand rests on your thigh.

"What's that?" you chirp and lean close to him with your elbows resting on the center console and your chin resting in your hands.

"That you're so strong and that you push through each and every day. You give 100%, even if everything sucks. You always give your best. That's what really made me fall for you," he said, his hand moving from your thigh to your face, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

"Aw, thanks Johnny," you said, taking his hand and kissing it as you heart melted. "You know my heart belongs to you."

Doyoung ♡

He confesses to you.

You and Doyoung (after weeks of begging him to do this with you) had composed a bucket list together of things you wanted to do.

One of them was spend a night on a beach.

"Ew, there's going to be sand everywhere," he huffs and pouts as you lay out the blanket on the sand.

"Oh well! All part of the experience!" you say as you pull your shirt off (you have a bathing suit underneath ObViOuSlY).

He chases after you into the crisp, ocean water.

He doesn't go very deep and neither do you; you both chill out in the knee deep section.

Night starts to fall and you and Doyoung take aesthetic pictures with the orange sky and dark blue water.

"So pretty," he sighs as you both sit on the blanket, wrapped up in towels with a small fire in front of you.

"Yeah it is," you sigh as well.

"Just like you."

"Yea- Huh?" As you turned your head to question him, he leaned in and connected his lips with yours.

You savor the moment, staring into his eyes as he slowly parts from you.

"You ruined it. I was aiming for your cheek until you turned your head," he jokingly smirks.

Taeil ♡

You both confess at the same time (like Mork).

All the members knew that Taeil was madly in love with you and that you were the same way.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Haechan shouted as everyone was thinking of something to do.

"YES!" everyone immediately caught on to the plan except for Doyoung and Taeil who protested the game.

"Taeil truth or dare?" Mark asked.

"I'm not playing," Taeil shrugged his response.

"Taeil truth or dare?"

"Urmmm... I just said I wasn't playing."

"Taeil truth or d-"

"Truth."

The evil expressions that were plastered on all the boys faces was easy for you to catch and you groaned in realization of what was happening.

"Who are you madly oBsEsSeD with? And don't lie, I read your diary," Mark folded his arms across his chest.

"I- WaIt A mInUtE!"

"Hey Y/N, who are you madly obsessed with?" Jaehyun suddenly blurted the question.

You blinked in confusion, hoping your blank expression would eventually cause them to change the subject.

"W-well I think it's pretty obvious now," you said as you nervously scratched the back of your neck.

"What? No way," Taeil gasped softly at your comment.

"You like me?!" you both blurted at the same time.

"Mission accomplished gentlemen," the rest of the boys in the room said in satisfaction as they high-fived each other.

Whew! This post took me forever to write and edit!!! Hope you enjoyed it though. Now I must relax my cramping wrist :') .

[honeymoonjin]

Cum! BTS - ot7 x reader smut

A/N: hello and welcome to the kinkiest thing I’ve ever written... As a personal celebration for being accepted into the btssmutclub, I’ve broken my own self-imposed two-week hiatus to present to you this: an episode of Run! BTS in which the seven members compete to see who can make you cum first. (4.5k)

Special thanks to @jeonau for the title, I owe you my life vi xx

This is a part one (Jimin and Yoongi only in this chapter), so keep an eye out for the second half! Warnings for sexually explicit content: a lot of mentions of sex toys and sexual content, exhibitionism/voyeurism, sensory deprivation, bondage, face fucking (not sure if this is the right term sorry, f giving), multiple orgasms, oral (f receiving), spanking, manhandling, dirty talk, fisting, controlled orgasm, subspace, aftercare (phew!)

Part two can be found here

“Oh, what’s this?”

You bite your lip to hold back a smile at the unconvincing tone in Hoseok’s voice. That boy could never lie. Of course, they were all told as usual to act like they hadn’t heard of the episode’s concept before, but you’d already met with them multiple times to arrange it.

You let yourself zone out with a pleasant look on your face as the rules of the game were read out. It was simple; each member was competing to see who could make a girl orgasm the fastest, and you were the chosen victim. It was part of a three-part series on relationships, seeing which member of the world’s biggest boyband was the best boyfriend material. The fans hadn’t seen those episodes yet, as they were slated for a later release, but the producer had let you sneak into the editing booth a couple of days ago to catch up. The first part was based on romantic gestures; cooking competitions, picking out the most meaningful flowers, date ideas. This was the second part, and apparently seeing how well they were with kids was the third.

When you hear your name being called, you tune back in to the conversation and lift a hand, waving shyly. “Hello everyone, my name is Y/n, please take care of me.”

“We sure will be,” Jungkook jibes loudly, clapping hands with the eldest to his right who cracks up at the joke.

“Yes, Y/n, how are you feeling?” Namjoon asks politely, resting a large palm on your shoulder gently.

Your cheeks flush a little. “I’m excited. Curious to see who wins!”

The producer waves his hand behind camera to catch all of your attention before speaking further. “To help with your task today, each of you will be given an item that can be used on Y/n, but some will be more advantageous than others. In addition, any of you can use your hands or any part of your face.”

Jimin pouts. “Wait, can we not fuck her properly?”

“Only one member can use their cock, but that member has to go last.”

The guys surrounding you let out noises of consideration. “Using our cocks will definitely be an advantage,” Yoongi reasons, “especially if you’re big like Taehyung or Namjoon,” Yoongi breaks off and dodges when Jin kicks out at him for not mentioning him among the well-endowed members, “but if you go last, she might be too tired to come quickly.”

“Mm, it’s a hard choice,” Hoseok agrees. “Producer-nim, how to we choose who gets what toy?”

“Ooh, I get to choose, don’t I?” you pipe up. “Well, I get to choose the order that you pick the items in, and then each member can choose from what’s there.”

“That’s correct,” the producer affirms. Everyone’s eyes widen as a table is rolled out by two workers, filled with ten different objects. “The items to choose from are; lubricant, a dildo, nipple clamps, a paddle, a blindfold, rope, a ribbed condom, a vibrator, a ball gag, and one envelope which contains a mystery item. Y/n, you can begin naming the order.”

You bite your lip and glance at the guys on either side of you. “I want to say first, that there are some things there I like more than others, so even if I choose you early, you have to pick something I’ll actually like.”

“What do you like, then?” Jin asks.

You shrug. “You’ll have to find out. Why don’t you pick first, then, Jin?”

The other members ooh and aah as Jin approaches the table, hovering his hands over each item like a fortune teller and glancing back at you to read your expression. Disappointed when you remain with a nice-enough but neutral smile on your face, Jin sighs and turns around to properly choose.

“I think I’ll play it safe since I have the choice from all of them. I’ll go with vibrator.”

You wiggle your eyebrows teasingly at him, then return to the other six. “Hm, I think Yoongi is the strategizer among you, so I’m curious to see what he would pick.”

You subconsciously clench your thighs a little tighter together when he looks slightly up at you through his eyelashes and narrows his brows teasingly. He flicks his tongue out to lick his lips and walks over to the table.

After a few quiet moments of contemplation on Yoongi’s end, Jimin huffs loudly. “Hyung, this is a variety show, please say your thoughts out loud to the cameras or it’s no fun!”

Yoongi rolls his eyes but dutifully turns to the nearest camera, staring disdainfully down the barrel as he addresses the members. “I don’t want to give you guys all my secrets and theories. I want you to make bad decisions so that I win. I’ll take rope.”

You try to school your expression, but you can’t help but flush when he picks it up in his hands, and snaps it taut between them, the resounding crack of tension sending shockwaves right down to your quickly dampening core.

Yoongi chuckles at your slight flinch. “Ah, I chose well,” he gloats.

You clear your throat and swallow, eyes flickering up as you think through who should go next. “Taehyung, you’ve been awfully quiet, why don’t you have your pick?”

The maknae lifts his head up in surprise, fixing his hair under his cap and fiddling nervously with the zip on his jacket pocket as he approaches the table. “Uhh… ribbed condom?”

The other guys immediately hoot and cheer for him. Yoongi laughs, shoulders shaking. “The ribbed condom is only worth it if it’s on your cock. Taehyungie wants to fuck her!”

The man in question blushes and shuffles past you without making eye contact, but you reach out and gently pinch his bright red cheek as he walks by. “He’ll just have to hope nobody else wants to fuck me too,” you tease.

“Oh, everybody here wants to fuck you,” Namjoon explains matter-of-factly, “but this is a game, Y/n, and we’re all determined to win.”

“Go on and choose then,” you say lightly, “show me how you plan to win.”

Namjoon smiles languidly, in his element now that there was a decision to be made. “Well,” he begins, slowly strolling over to the dwindling supplies on the table, “at this point I’m sure you’re wet enough that lube is a waste of an item. Blindfold isn’t necessary, because I could just as easily push your face into the carpet so that you couldn’t see me anyway, and both butt plug and dildo seem like good options, but… You have several restraints, a paddle and nipple clamps on there. Seems like you want a little pain with your pleasure. I think the mystery item will be your personal favorite choice. I choose mystery item.”

You raise your eyebrows with a smile. Truth be told, you have no idea what’s in that envelope. Your favorite things to play with are already on that table. Namjoon takes the envelope and returns to his spot, slipping it open and pulling out the card. He reads it once, reads it again, and tips his head back, sighing in disappointment.

“Dammit,” he curses, flipping it around to show the rest of you as well as the camera, “cock ring.” You all crack up and he shoots you and the others a glare. “And we have to use the item? Great, this won’t be at all helpful unless I’m fucking her. Okay, I want to put my name down for going last too.”

Taehyung pouts and looks down at the silver packet in his hands nervously. “Producer-nim, what do we do if multiple people want to fuck her?”

“Once everyone chooses, then I’ll tell you,” the man answers simply. “Y/n, who’s next?”

As the options dwindle down, it becomes less about who you want to go first and more about who you want to leave until last with few options left. “Next can be-”

“Please, noona, let me choose!” Jimin blurts out, clasping his sweater paws together and pleading with his soft eyes.

“-Hoseok,” you finish, and Jimin cries out in annoyance and collapses onto the floor, throwing his arms up dramatically.

“Shit, Jiminie,” Hoseok says as he makes his way over, “she’s gonna leave you ‘til last now. Ooh, what to choose?” He tucks his chin into the flesh between his thumb and forefinger in a cliché thinking pose and pouts his lips slightly as he considers. “I think Namjoon was right, and since he chose the mystery item, I’m going to go with nipple clamps.”

Your eyes widen slightly. “Oh, I did not expect that!”

Hoseok pauses, the chains between the two clamps still swinging in front of him after he picked them up. “What? Did I make the wrong choice?”

You just shrug ambiguously. “No comment. You’ll see when it’s your turn.”

You turn back to the group when a hand tugs on your own. Jimin is practically swinging from you like a child. “Noona, please let me choose! There’s nothing good left, noona please!”

You pat his head. “Okay, then, Jiminie, go choose.”

He smiles sweetly at you and bounces over to the table, running his hands over what’s left. “Um, I think I’ll do blindfold.” He picks up the black silk and turns back to you, eyes crinkling shut in another soft smile when you nod at him proudly.

“Well!” Jungkook announces loudly. “It’s my turn now, finally, and I’ll admit I’m surprised no one has chosen the obvious option.” He struts over and, without hesitation, selects the butt plug.

“Is everyone done?” the producer questions the group, but Jungkook shakes his head.

“And,” he continues meaningfully, sending Taehyung and Namjoon shit-eating grins, “I want to put my name down for getting to fuck Y/n.”

“Hey!” Namjoon exclaims. “We have shit items, Jungkook, respect your elders!”

Jungkook just shrugs smugly. “You should’ve chosen better, hyungs. Producer-nim, what do we do to be chosen?”

The producer laughs silently off-camera at his antics, then sobers up. “A game of rock paper scissors, one round.”

The tension in the air rises yet again as the three face off. “Rock, paper, scissors!” Jin yells on their behalf, inching forward to see the results before laughing boisterously.

Taehyung and Namjoon are both holding out scissors, with Jungkook in between them sticking out a fist. Jungkook won.

Taehyung pouts and steps forward to the production team. “Producer-nim, that’s not fair, he shouldn’t get to use his cock when he’s already got a good item. It should go to Joon-hyung or I! How are we gonna get Y/n off now?”

The producer just shrugs, and Taehyung gloomily stomps back to his place in line, letting Jimin wrap his arms around Taehyung in a consoling embrace. “Now,” the producer continues, “Jungkook is seventh place, but the rest of the order has to be decided. Please pull a card out of the bucket and wait to reveal it to the camera all at once.”

Obediently, the remaining members shuffle forward, and each take a folded-up card, gripping the edges in anticipation of revealing them. “One, two, three!”

Some are overjoyed, others are disappointed, but the producer calmly speaks over them, “the order is as follows, from first to last: Jimin, Suga, RM, J-hope, V, Jin, and finally Jungkook.” Out of his announcer-style voice, the producer stands up and gives more instructions on the room change.

You’re all led to a decently large bedroom set, with a bed in the middle, the items all lined up in order of use on a long side-table at the edge of the room, and all of you standing in front of it, you at the head of the group. As instructed, you’d also taken off your top layer of clothes to now be standing in the white matching lace lingerie set you had been given earlier. It was a little chilly in the room, resulting in a smattering of goosebumps on your arms and thighs, but no doubt it would heat up soon enough.

The production team are spread out on two walls of the room, the foot of the bed and the side across from you, and the producer lets you know one final instruction before you begin. “We’ll be timing each member, and the two fastest get a reward. Everyone else has to serve a penalty. Each time Y/n orgasms, she gets 60 seconds to recover before the next member takes over.”

Your eyes widen in shock. That part had not been told to you before. Your toes curled in anticipation at the thought of it. You clear your throat. “Jimin is up first; where do you want me to go?”

“Lie down on the bed on your back,” he commands, but still in a gentle tone, “I’ll help you put the blindfold on. Wait-” he breaks off and glances over to the producer, “when exactly does my time start?”

“The moment you touch her,” the producer replies.

Jimin chucks you the blindfold. “Put it on yourself, then.”

You catch it and stare at him, mouth open. “Rude. Okay, then.” You obediently lie down on the bed, scooting up so that your feet are fully on the mattress, and knot the blindfold behind your head, adjusting it so that it doesn’t pinch at your hair. “Ready.”

The pressure of fabric over your eyes makes it better just to close them, and in the pitch-black darkness you’re left in, another wave of goosebumps runs over you.

Quietly enough that you know he was hoping you’d miss it, Jimin whispers in the direction of the production team. “Okay, start.”

You bite your lip, toes wiggling slightly in anticipation, but instead of the light, teasing touches you were expecting from the sweet Jimin, your ankles are latched on to and you squeak as he tugs you down the bed roughly, legs falling over the edge and your pelvis smacking against his crotch.

The sound of his chuckle is drowned out by the laughter and teasing of his hyungs. “Shut up,” he hisses over to them, “it needs to be quiet so that she doesn’t know what’s coming next.”

Unable to stop yourself from laughing in the ridiculous situation, you silently chuckle, shoulders shaking slightly.

“Oh, good going, Jimin, she’s real into it!”

“Stop it, Jin-hyung! Producer-nim, tell them to be quiet!”

The gruff voice of the producer reaches your sensitive ears. “One minute, 46 seconds.”

“Fuck.” Without another moment of hesitation, a hand, cold from the air-con in the room, is slipping under your panties and tugging them down. “I can use anything but my cock, right?”

It feels more and more to you like you’re not even part of the situation, and instead of the blindfold doing its job, you feel like it’s just making you dissociate. “Jimin-ah, I need you to do something,” you whisper softly into the blackness.

Your request is honored by a gentle nip on the very inner seam of your left thigh. You gasp and hear a delicate giggle before you receive the same treatment on your other leg. “Jimin,” you sigh, pushing your head back into the soft duvet as you feel him suck one of your folds into his mouth, cleaning you up. You groan as he continues his ministrations everywhere between your legs except where you need him most. Your hips begin tilting up, seeking more.

You freeze when he suddenly plunges two fingers deep inside you. You know Jimin has small hands, yet the angle is far better than anything you could ever reach on yourself, and by skipping straight to two fingers he’s giving you that satisfying slight stretch.

“Oh, yes, that’s it,” you breathe as he finally begins actually trying to make you cum. The other members have been kind enough to fall silent, and the only sounds in the room are your panting and the squelch of your juices as he fucks you with his fingers, pushing upwards to grind against the underside of your pelvic floor for more divine friction. “Jimin, Jimin, ah!” Perhaps it’s the excitement of knowing that there are at least twenty people watching, and cameras filming you, or perhaps it’s the fact that you haven’t gotten off in a week, but Jimin’s actual efforts are sending you to the edge embarrassingly fast.

It’s not until you’re almost there that you realize your hands, which so far have been clutching tightly at the sheets, are actually free to roam, and you slide one down and wind your fingers in his hair, pushing his face back onto you. He laughs lowly against you, and the vibration makes your breath catch in your throat, but he opens his mouth and places an open kiss over your clitoral hood, flicking his tongue under and around your clitoris with just enough pressure to make your hips start up again. “Fuck, I’m close, keep going, just let me…” Jimin continues to lick and suck and finger you as you grind up against his face with steadily heavier breathing.

In a few more moments of you fucking his face, Jimin slips in a third finger on his next thrust, and the wider stretch tips you over the edge. Your legs tuck in, thighs locking around his head as he continues to lap at your clit and curl his fingers inside you. You arch your back, jerking as waves of pleasure slowly subside into periodic twitches, and you finally slacken your legs, letting him pull away.

As you try and catch your breath, you hear Jimin excitedly asking for his time, then whining angrily when it’s longer than he wanted, blaming the other members for teasing and distracting him at the start.

The blindfold is slipped off of you, and you squint up at the figure blocking the light in front of you. Yoongi. “On your hands and knees,” he commands roughly, the weight of the bed shifting as he sits back on his heels and waits for you.

Tiredly, you lift yourself up, aware there wasn’t much time between members. On your hands and knees, you feel yourself coming back to full awareness. It was a good orgasm, but it was more of an appetizer than a full meal. And you imagined Yoongi would deliver.

Teasingly, you wiggle your ass for him, only to jump in shock when a flat hand comes down to give a bruising slap on your right cheek. Without giving you time to process the sting, Yoongi is grabbing your wrists and pulling them behind you, making your face fall onto the mattress with nothing to support it. You feel yourself growing even slicker with the feeling of the ropes he’s winding around your wrists, not so much to cut off circulation, but tight enough to restrict any movement. You try to tug your wrists apart experimentally, but they stay firmly fastened together, resting on the small of your back.

Another slap rains down on your other cheek, and you gasp. “If I was allowed to use my cock right now, you wouldn’t be able to walk for days,” Yoongi’s voice says casually, smacking you again, “you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” His voice grows distant as he presumably faces away from you. “You see that, boys? All I’ve done is spank her like she deserves and she’s dripping for me.” You suck in a breath as a pressure comes down over your back, Yoongi leaning over you to whisper in your ear. “Look at them. Turn your head the over way and look at my brothers as you make a mess all over these sheets.”

You whine and shift awkwardly until your head is on the other side. You can see them all now, Jimin sitting down with a hand in his jeans, playing with himself as he watches you with lidded eyes. The other members are all waiting their turn, but you can see the desire in their eyes as they shift their growing erections and shuffle awkwardly on the spot.

As you’re distracted looking them over, Yoongi takes the opportunity to sit back up and slap you again, this time on your clit. You squeak and try to tuck your thighs in, but with the way your chest is pressed against the bed, you have no leverage to. “If you look away from them for a second, I’m not letting you cum, game be damned.”

You whine, but keep your eyes trained on them, one-by-one observing the way they look at you. Yoongi runs the back of his hand and then his palms against you, slicking up his hand. You gasp and attempt to wiggle your hips forward, thinking you know what he has planned, but he plants his other hand between your shoulder blades and pins you down.

“Uh ah, you’re going to take me like a good little girl, hm?” He slips two fingers in, scissoring you open a couple of times before upgrading to three. “See, I didn’t want to say it before, but I have a plan.” You bite your lip harshly and shut your eyes at the stretch when he gets in four fingers, hoping he won’t notice you disobeying. “I don’t have to rush if I ruin you for all the other members, now, do I?”

“Hey, don’t play dirty, hyung!” Jungkook complains. “I have to go last, you know!”

You force yourself to relax as Yoongi begins fucking you faster with four fingers, loosening you up. “I don’t think I can take it, Yoongi,” you confess.

“I wasn’t asking you,” he replies gruffly, but takes his hand off his back to reach around and massage at your clit, upping the pleasure enough to let you calm down more. Surprisingly, that contact on your sensitive bud paired with the four fingers plunging into you are enough for you to feel the rising tide of another orgasm. “O-oh god, I’m close, Yoongi,” you moan.

“Holy shit,” Namjoon muses, “he’s been going like half as long as Jimin. Yoongi, bro, I think you’re going to win!”

You whine in frustration when the friction against your clit is removed. “Wha-?”

“No trying to get out of it,” Yoongi commands, “you don’t come yet.”

Your eyes open again, eyebrows deeply furrowed in focus. “But that’s the game,” you complain, “please let me cum now.”

“No.” You automatically hold your breath when his hands slow down, and you can feel yourself widening impossibly around him. “Take it.”

His eyes focused between your legs, you watch as Hoseok’s mouth falls open. “Oh my god, he’s really going to do it.”

It’s hardest at his knuckles, where the circumference of all his fingers wedged together is almost too much, but then he breaches a certain point and you feel his hand sink inside you, fingers folding up into a fist when they reach your cervix and can go no further. He stays still for a moment, and you’ve never felt so full, until he begins rocking his fist inside you, knuckles grazing against your g-spot, and his other hand strums mercilessly over your clitoris, and the pleasure is too much, and you can’t move your hands to stop him and you’re coming violently, harder than you ever have, tears streaming, and body writhing on the sheets as you let the orgasm hit you full force with a cry.

He speeds up while you’re coming, prolonging the high, and it’s so much that you feel on the verge of passing out, but just when your vision spots, he pulls out with an audible thwack and you collapse against the sheets, the muscles of your core fluttering around a void.

You feel completely hollowed out in all ways, and you let your eyes fall closed as nimble yet wet fingers pick at the knots, releasing your arms to flop on either side of you. A surprisingly tender kiss is pressed to your naked shoulder as Yoongi moves around beside you, and he leans in to whisper quietly in your ear. “Good girl.”

You feel the bed springs shift twice as Yoongi gets up and leaves, and Namjoon joins you. The moment his hand rubs against your sore ass cheeks however, a voice yells out for him to stop.

The hand pauses on you, and you’re too exhausted to react, barely conscious enough to listen in.

You vaguely recognize it as Jin calling out in a concerned tone. “…handle any more, we should take a break. Our schedule is free tomorrow afternoon, let’s finish then.”

Jimin speaks up, voice sleepy, and you wonder in your daze if he jerked off while Yoongi was taking his turn. “Yeah, Producer-nim, I think she deserves a break after Yoongi-hyung. Look at her, she looks like she’s going to drop dead.”

The hand on your ass lifts, only for the bed springs to jump again. You blink blearily when someone calls out your name and see Namjoon kneeling on the bed in front of you. “Hm?”

“Are you okay?” You nod weakly, barely able to move. “Okay, Taehyungie’s gone to grab some water from the next room, and we’re going to end shooting for today. I’m so sorry, I should’ve asked you first if you were able to go on.”

You hum in acknowledgement and let your eyes fall shut again, gingerly pushing your legs down so that you’re no longer sitting with your ass in the air.

Namjoon sighs and pushes the sweaty hair back from your face. “We’ll just clean you up, and then we’ll take you to the hotel room, yeah?” You mumble something into the sheets. “What was that?”

“I can’t feel my legs,” you admit, slurring drowsily.

Namjoon lets out a little sigh and then you hear him standing up, muttering quietly with someone else. You feel a third party roll you over onto your back, wipe between your legs with a baby wipe, and then gently lift your legs one at a time to slip on some baggy sweatpants. You crack your eyes open to see Hoseok standing in the t-shirt he entered in, but with no pants on, only Shooky-patterned boxers. Tipping your head down with your final energy reserves, you see his sweatpants are the ones warming up your legs and covering you.

“Thank you,” you whisper.

He just chuckles and boops your nose softly before moving away. You let your gaze fall to your side where Namjoon is clapping Jungkook on the back and pushing him in your direction. The maknae approaches you and warns you that he’s going to pick you up, before slipping an arm under your thighs and your back and lifting you off the damp sheets. You groan and flop onto his chest as he does a little shuffle so that you’re resting higher up on him, then your world whirls around you as he turns and begins to leave the room.

You press your face into his chest and inhale the fresh-smelling cologne lining his t-shirt fabric, and before you know it, you’re slipping hopelessly into unconsciousness.

[curlystom]

written — peter parker

a/n: phew! so this is a repost from my old blog which i regretfully deleted (a story that i will go into another time) but i’m back! since all of my college courses are online now, i have been writing like crazy! expect to see some familiar and new stories soon. i have a lot planned. it’s good to be back (:

You admired the faint stars scattered across the night, winter sky as the bus slowed to a stop. The fluffy snow covered everything in its track, making it impossible for you to appreciate the true New York beauty. Your grip on your shoulder strap loosened, grateful that you didn’t have to carry the thousand pound backpack any longer.  The tension in your shoulder throbbed as your carried textbooks begged to be put down, massaging the area once you plopped down in an empty row.

The cold air from outside contradicted with the warmth inside the vehicle, making the windows fog. You scooted yourself towards the edge of the bus and tugged on your hoodie sleeve so you could wiped the glass, leaving thin lines of water droplets behind. 

The blinking street lamps you passed by barely illuminated the area around it. The light reflected off the pure, white snow so effortlessly, making the dark night seem a bit brighter. It was a sight you would have loved to appreciate, but the radiance was blurred by the fog and your eyes squinted at the difference in brightness. 

You twiddled with your fingers, memories of the last few hours replaying like your favorite movie. A smile tugged your lips the more you thought about it. 

Open textbooks were sprawled out all across the library table, your laptop resting among them along with a few bags of chips and power drinks. Your cheek rested against your palm, strands of your y/h/c hair falling in front of your face. Attempting to blow them out of your face, you glared when the seemingly easy task was failing. 

Your arm fell against the table as you rested your head against your upper arm, wanting to let your eyes flutter close so badly. Studying for over 6 hours had taken its toll on you and it was very evident. The darkening under eyes and pale complexion gave you away.

A cup of coffee was exaggeratedly placed in front of you, forcing your eyes to open. Peter’s hands were on either side of him, resting against the table as he tilted his head to the side to look at you, a small smiling forming at the sight.

“You look like complete shit.” His lips were forced into a hard line, trying to muffle his laughter from other surrounding students.

You groaned, a fake cry leaving as you sank into the uncomfortable chair, the cushion no longer giving you the support you desperately needed. 

Your hands covered your tired face, “God, I know. You don’t need to remind me. I’ve been here for over 6 hours.”

“Which is why..,” he scooted the coffee closer to you, “I got you that.”

He pulled the remaining chair from under the table, forcing you to place your feet back on the ground and unmask your face from him. Hesitating for a bit, you couldn’t resist his offer and slowly started to grab the drink, keeping your eyes on him. His eyebrows raised at your reaction as he slowly took a seat, crossing his legs and intertwining his fingers.

Your eyes examined the outside, squinting to make sure there was nothing off about this specific drink. His eyes were locked on you, an eyebrow raised as to why you were acting so strange. Perhaps the coffee would wake you up a bit. Your lips met the plastic cover, a slight burning sensation coming over your tongue as you took a small sip. You were truly too tired to panic.

The bitter taste lingered in your mouth, slowly approving the drink by smacking your lips together and giving a slow nod. He sighed in relief as you went to take another sip, thankful that he had made the right call on what coffee to get you. He turned around the books to see what you had been buried in the past few hours, asking questions about what your upcoming exam was about.

You weren’t listening.

Your eyes examined every part of his face as your lips softly brushed against the coffee lid, taking in every detail one by one.

His freckles replicated the bright stars above you, scattered in the most beautiful way possible. The red tint in his cheeks slowly began to fade into his pale skin, growing more comfortable with the temperature change. A few loose curls fell in front of his face seamlessly, your urge to run your fingers through his locks becoming stronger. His brown orbs exhibited small gold flecks as they scanned the pages, your lips parting at just how mesmerizing they were to look at.

He was breathtaking.

“Y/N?”

Your eyelids flickered as you shook your head, the coffee taking its time to fully sink in your system. Forcing your eyelids to stay open, you took a deep breath in as you fully gave your attention to the boy in front of you. “Hm?”

“Are you okay?” His eyebrows pinched together in concern, “You zoned out.”

“Jus’ exhausted.” You lied, taking another sip of your coffee. He gave you a small, sympathetic smile before forcing his lips into a tight line. 

His eyes scanned the many books in front of you, developing a headache just by looking at them. He gripped the wooden arm rests and pushed himself up, closing each book and began to pack them in your bag.

You stood up as well, placing your cup of coffee on the table with your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “W-what are you doing?” You grabbed the books from his grasp, immediately deeping a deep breath when you felt how warm his touch was. A flustered laugh begged to escape but you bit the inside of your mouth from letting that happen.

“I am helping you pack up.” He gently closed your laptop and slipped it in its case, placing it in your backpack and zipping it up nicely. “You need to get some sleep.”

You opened your mouth to protest his actions and to try and convince him that you were fine, but it was no use. Waving his index finger at you, he held the strap of your backpack and encouraged you to take it and go home. A groan left your lips as you rolled your eyes, exaggeratedly grabbing the strap from him and throwing it over your shoulder. Your hand gripped around the coffee while the other waved at Peter, his face displaying a look of “you know i’m right”. 

He was always right. It was a love/hate relationship with you. The boy never seemed to answer any question wrong, and his morals and values were ones you’d dream of in a partner. There was truly nothing wrong about the boy, and it was no shocker that you’d fallen head over heels for him.

You had been lucky enough to become his friend over the last 4 years. Having the same communications class definitely sparked a flame between the two of you, instantly becoming partners for every project and studying together. The chemistry you had with each other was undeniable, and it made it even harder not to fall in love with him.

He was everything you aspired to be. His aunt, who is the sweetest lady you’d ever met, received so much affection and love from her nephew, you couldn’t help but smile everytime you saw them together. He tutored other fellow students and volunteered with charities in his free time, truly surprised that he had any. 

Peter was a busy guy, and the fact he still made sure to check up on you was the cherry on top.

Heat rushed to the apples of your cheeks at the thought of him, your hands covering them as much as you could so no one could see how flustered you had gotten. You bit your lip to prevent an excited squeal from slipping through, your eyes shutting close before slowly opening, staring out the glass.

The previously wiped area on the window had developed a new layer of fog, covering the entire area again. Water droplets stood still despite the the movement of the bus, your eyes admiring each and every one of them. Downtown New York was barely visible through the fogged glass, but the sight, nevertheless, was still breathtaking.

Colorful lights illuminated the night sky, the light peeking through the fog and displaying on your lap. Your hand peeked through the sleeve of your hoodie as you held out your index finger, meeting it with the freezing glass and traced Peter’s name with a little heart next to it.

A few droplets formed on your side of the glass, sliding down the newly written name. The wet residue resided on your finger before you wiped it off on your jeans, smiling at the letters on the window. The bus had slowed to a stop, and the surroundings indicated that this was your stop. You took one last look  at the window before grabbing the strap of your backpack, thanking the bus driver, and stepping off the bus.

Peter sat a few rows behind you, his eyes following you as you departed. A small smile tugged at his lips at how carelessly beautiful you were. A few pieces from you bun were curled, framing your face perfectly. A rosy tint colored your cheeks, either from the frosty weather or being flustered. The way your corners of your eye crinkled when you smiled made his heart pound against his chest, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. You were unlike anyone he had ever seen.

His eyes trailed back to where you were previously sitting and landed on the fogged glass. The letters you had written were slowly disappearing but it was legible enough for him to read. He had watched you trace your finger along the frosted glass, seeing the slight flinch you made when you realized how cold it was, but you had placed it just right where anyone behind couldn’t see it. 

The butterflies in his stomach intensified by 100, and his heart seemed to have beat faster when he comprehended what you had wrote. You, a beautiful, intelligent, and compassionate girl, felt nearly the same way he did about you. Time played a big role in this particular moment. He had met you years ago, unsure of his feelings for you and never really tested the waters. He remained close friends with you, bringing you coffee during your late study sessions and advising you to do what was best. 

He was scared to break that wall, not wanting to change a relationship he was very appreciative of. The last thing he wanted to do was lose you, but now he was going to fight for you until his last dying breath. 

[sparkling-moon]

Hi hello!

So a while ago when I hit 100 followers, I asked if you guys wanted to see some of my original writing and I've had quite some people asking me for them so... Yeah. Here ya go.

This is my first time publically posting anything since like 2014 so bare with me aha. Just a warning that this won't be consistent, just whenever I feel like it and if I'm confident enough to share it with the world as well. So uh, please be nice.

Enjoy!

Moon 🌙

-----

I dreamt about you last night.

The kind that makes you want to stay asleep and dream forever.

You were in my home town for some reason. I don't know how you got here, but you did.

I invited you over when the rest of my family was out and we watched movies together.

It was really quite awkward between us, like we wanted to say something, but we didn't know how or where to start.

Whenever we accidentally touched, we both kept softly laughing. It was so awkward, my gosh.

Then I broke the ice somehow and got you to laugh normally. It was perfect after that.

We sat closer together, our shoulders touching, and I leaned my head on your shoulder like I always do when I want to be closer to you. It was my way of saying is this ok? Are you comfortable with me touching you?

Then you put your arm behind and around me, snuggling me close.

You kissed the top of my head and rested your cheek there.

My face was right in the crook of your neck and I could smell you.

Your scent always made me stop for a couple seconds. When I suddenly got a whiff of your scent in class one day, I stopped right there and kept inhaling the soft waves. I got a bit dizzy and I smiled, forgetting just for a moment.

I wrapped my arms around your middle and pulled you closer.

I could feel your lips curl into a small smile as you kissed my head again.

"You good?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "You're really warm."

You chuckled. "And you're really small. I'm always warm."

I briefly released you for a bit to look up to your face.

"My own personal heater," I said, smiling.

"That I am."

We snuggled like that for a bit, enjoying each other's company. I didn't want it to end.

Then my phone buzzed in my pocket. I sighed, releasing my arms once more.

"It's my mum. Give me a sec." With that, I got up and walked a fair few steps from you.

"Hey, mum," I said softly.

"Hey sweetie, just wanted to let you know that we'll be back soon."

I paused. "Soon? How soon?"

"Hmm, maybe in half an hour?" Pause. "Is everything alright?"

"Uh, yeah no, everything is fine! I can't wait to see you guys again!" I said, laughing nervously. You looked to me and raised an eyebrow. Something wrong?

I shook my head. "It's fine," I mouthed.

"Sweetie?"

"Hmm?" I said, quickly snapping out of it. "Did you say something?"

"Just to say that I can't wait to see you as well."

I breathed. "Tell dad to drive safe!"

"Will do, sweetie!" Kissy noises sounded through my phone. "Gonna hang up now! Love you!"

"Love you too..." Click. "Phew, nearly gave me a heart attack," I said, fake wiping my forehead.

"Was that your mum? Is she coming soon?" You got up and walked over to me.

"Yeah and yeah. They'll be here in half an hour."

Your eyes twinkled with happiness and then confusion. "Do they know I'm here?"

I paused. "Uh, no? They know about you, but uh, I haven't actually had time to tell them that you were coming because you surprised me too!" I jabbed at his side. He was equally as quick and jumped away.

"So... Do you want me to leave now?" You chuckled softly, but your smile didn't reach your eyes.

I thought for a moment. "Maybe just for an hour or so? Just until after I've told them that you're here?" I said, apologetically. "My family don't like meeting new people without knowing about it first." I paused before softly adding, "anxiety kind of runs in our family."

"Ah," you said as you took a step forward. "Don't worry about it. I'm a big boy, I can entertain myself for a bit."

Then you reached a hand to push a strand of stray hair behind my ear and then cupped my cheek. I pushed a kiss into your hand. Your big, warm hand.

You breathed and reached your other hand, this time grabbing at my waist and pulling me towards you. You dropped your forehead to mine, looking into my eyes.

"What?" I whispered, breaking the silence.

"I just... Can't believe I'm with you," you confessed shyly. "I'm so damn lucky to have you."

I laughed softly. "And I'm lucky to have such a sweet and loving boyfriend."

Your eyes held mine for a second, gleaming with admiration and love, before your eyes dropped to my lips and swiped your thumb across them.

"Such pretty lips..." You mumbled.

Next thing I know, your lips are on mine.

You pressed your tongue to my lips and I gladly parted them without a fight. That made you smile.

Our tongues explored each other's mouths and I tasted the dark chocolate you had before.

When we separated, we were both breathless. You rested your forehead on mine again to look into my eyes and then pressed a kiss on my forehead. I giggled.

"I love when you do that," I said, smiling.

"And I love when you let me love you."

We stood in my kitchen, just holding each other and giggling.

"Ok, you need to get going," I said. "They'll be here really soon."

You chuckled loudly. "You gotta let me go first."

I shook my head no, but sighed and pulled away slightly. "I'll call you as soon as they know."

"No stress, princess. I'll wait however long it takes," you said, giving me a smile.

I smiled back.

And then you grabbed your things and was out the door (not before stealing a kiss, though) and I waved at the drive way as you reversed out and as you rode into the night.

Once I couldn't see your car anymore (actually a rental car, but anyway), I sighed and slumped back home.

When inside, I made myself a cup of tea and kept watching the rest of the movie until the door bell rang, signalling my family's return.

Then I heard a song playing really loudly and just as I went to lower the volume, I woke up.

And I realised that it was just a dream.

I was breathless and gulped air as I mulled over what had happened.

I sighed loudly and reached behind me to squeeze my pillow, burying my face into it.

"What a stupid dream," I muttered. "Why would you do that?"

I sighed again.

"That never happened and it probably won't happen ever. It's over. Whatever we were, if we were anything at all, it was over and I had finally accpeted it.

I stopped scrolling through Messenger to check when you were last active and stopped searching you up on Instagram and Facebook to see what you've been up to. Anything I could find to make sense of why you ignored me. Why all of a sudden you wouldn't reply to me.

My eyes watered and I groaned in frustration.

"It's nothing to cry over, you cry baby. He doesn't deserve you," I tried to reason. "You'll find your one. Just wait."

Then I curled onto my side, squeezing my pillow harder and drifted back to sleep.

I wish I would sleep forever.

[percywinchester27]

About a boy (Part-10)

Word count: 3.5K

Warning: Suspense, feels, physical abuse, child-trafficking and bullying

Characters: Dean, Cas, Gabriel, Benny, Michael, OCs and… Sam?

Summary: Dean Winchester has a secret. A secret that could really land him in trouble. He never expected to connect with anyone when he walked into the ‘Blue Stone Orphanage for Boys,’ but even then, the walls he has put up are slowly coming down. Now, a series of strange events are threatening to expose him. When everything starts falling apart around him, will he still be able to save the one person that matters the most?

A/N: Hey, look! I wrote a part that is not a cliffhanger! Who would have thought? All the love to my babes @thing-you-do-with-that-thing and @deanssweetheart23 for beta reading this story <3

About a boy masterlist

It was a hot afternoon. Everything that moved and breathed in the boys home was either sweating or stinking or both. The game room especially was oozing of unnecessary enthusiasm over dumb games. Cas wanted to ask the ten year olds playing throw-ball in front of him to shut up.

He didn’t do it though, because deep down he knew that it wasn’t the kids he was mad at. If it had been any ordinary day on a Sunday afternoon, he would be right here with Dean going rounds at table tennis. He’d be as breathless and sweaty as everyone else. Instead, he was holed up in a corner here, giving a stink eye to people for no fault of theirs. No, he wasn’t mad at them. He was mad at Dean… and then feeling guilty about feeling that way.

Dean deserved the time off. Afterall he had found out that by looking at the records, he might never find his brother, because the name might have been changed. Cas had tried to console him that maybe they should still continue looking at the files. What if the name hadn’t been changed? Maybe Sam’s file- labelled as Sam- was still out there somewhere. But even Cas knew that was half hearted, because if there really had been a Sam, Will would have found him. They weren’t just looking for a needle in a stack of needles now. They were looking for a goddamn particle.

It had been a whole week since that night and Dean had refused to talk to anyone. It didn’t help that the school was shut for spring break. This way he wasn’t obligated to spend the classes with Cas. During the first couple of days, Dean had resorted to lying in bed and not speaking with anyone. Afterwards, he’d just disappear in the morning after breakfast to some corner of the estate and then return directly late at night, avoiding Cas at all times.

At first, Cas gave him his space, disheartened himself about the possibility of never finding Sam, but after a week of this, Dean’s behaviour was starting to get on his nerves. 

“Cas?”

The quiet and now familiar voice made Cas look up. Will was standing before him, eyes trained down, shuffling from toe to toe.

“Will!”

A small surge of pity went through Cas at the site of the boy. Despite Dean’s aloofness, Will hadn’t given up on the search. He was still on a lookout for Sam, he still picked the locks to look in the record room whenever he could. And in all of this, he was the only one who understood how hurt Cas was feeling.

“How’s Dean doing?” Will asked, still looking down.

“The same,” Cas replied. “Refuses to see anyone.”

“Hmmm…” Will nodded to himself. He looked like his head was someplace else. And his eyes were unfocused, not in the way that his head was a million miles away. They looked blank.

“Will, are you okay?” Cas asked cautiously. “You look… off….”

Will didn’t answer immediately. “Hhhuh?” He stuttered, head jerking up for the first time.

“I asked if you were okay,” Cas repeated patiently. A strange feeling was creeping up in his stomach, like a premonition of something bad.

“I-I’m okay,” Will said in a monotone. “I cleared the Olympiad.”

“Will, this is great news!” Cas burst out, his lips stretching into a smile. “You’re such a smart kid!”

Will said nothing. He was looking out of the window now, and Cas vehemently tried to suppress the icky feeling in his gut. 

Finally, Will turned to meet Cas’ eyes for the first time with some solidity to expression and tone. “If you get hold of Dean, tell him I want… no, tell him I need to talk to him.” 

“Okay,” Cas agreed quickly, hoping Will would say something more.

But Will was already walking away. “I’m gonna go now,” he said. “I have to find Barry.”

Cas sighed and slumped back. Poor Will, he thought. That kid had been trying to catch hold of Dean for a while now. He’d gone from worried to eager to this. However, behind Will’s odd blankness, Cas could feel a brewing desperation… the sort that came with fear. Will was scared of something, and as far as Cas could tell, it seemed to be something entirely new. It has scared Will enough to want to seek out the boy he looked up to… to seek out Dean.

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

Dean was sitting by the window of his empty dorm room, turning an apple over and over in his hand. He had sneaked it out at breakfast. Even though he had skipped lunch and was feeling the hunger pangs, he didn’t really want to eat anything.

Afternoons were the best to be holed up in the dorm sometimes. It was always empty then, his other three inmates involved in something or the other. It made sulking alone easier.

There was a slight shuffle and Dean could see Benny slide into his top bunk in his peripheral vision. Dean ignored him; and with how quiet Benny was, it was easy to pretend he wasn’t even there. That was until Benny spoke.

“Should have known you didn’t have it in you.”

Dean’s head turned like a whip. “What did you say?”

Benny snorted, looking into a book he had somehow managed to open in the short span. “I said,” he repeated, “I should have known you were a wimp. That you couldn’t do jack squat when it came to exposing the Stynes.”

Anger welled up inside Dean, as sudden as a volcano. “How dare you judge me when you don’t know shit!”

Benny remained unmoved, and his voice remained calm when he said, “Oh, I know enough. I know you had the epic realisation that your brother’s name might be changed on the papers. So what?”

“So what?” Dean growed. Was this guy evening listening to himself? Sam’s name was the only lead Dean had. Nothing else. Finding Sam was his goal, his only hope. What did Benny know of his hopelessness?

“I have lost every chance of finding my brother now,” Dean said slowly, his voice seething. “You have no clue how that feels.”

Benny looked down at him in disdain. “How much do you remember of this so-called brother of yours, Winchester? His hair color, his smile? You must barely even remember holding him, do you? And I? I knew Jaime for years. We grew up together, shared every scratch and every smile. When I was sick with pneumonia as a kid, he was there with me, staying up all night. He was more than a blood brother to me. So don’t you tell me I don’t know how it feels. And I did more to find Jaime than what you’re doing. I didn’t give up at the first obstacle and shut myself in a room, throwing a tantrum like a baby.”

“That’s enough!” said a sharp voice.

Dean turned to see Cas standing at the door, his finger clutching the edge of the door tightly. Tight enough that his knuckles were white.

“That’s enough, Benny!” Cas warned. “You don’t need to be this harsh with him!”

“Harsh?” Benny scoffed. “He’s a domestic kid, raised in a home, Castiel! He doesn’t know harsh. You know what’s harsh? What is happening to those poor bastards getting kidnapped out there. Sold, hurt… God knows what even happens to them! Your friend here has all the resources he needs to expose these fiends for what they are, and here he is acting like a wuss when one thing goes against his mighty plan.”

“Benny…” Cas looked thunderstruck, and Dean had gone completely white, his hands shaking at his sides.

Benny looked at Dean. “I really thought you were what this place needed. You’re smart and focused, and I thought you had the courage. But turns out you’re just too damn self-centered and selfish. Look around you, Winchester, the world is so much bigger than you and your long-lost brother. And honestly, you are not even helping that poor kid by giving up so easily-”

“Benny, SHUT UP!” Cas thundered. “Don’t say another word. Who the hell do you think you are going up against Dean like this? He isn’t at your beck and call to do as you please! Just because you couldn’t save Jaime, doesn’t mean it’s Dean’s job to save the world. Besides, he’s just a kid. Like you and me and Jaime. One word gets out about him being the police’s spy, they’d bury him and his records so underground that no one would even find his existence. Police support be damned.”

Cas took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “Jody is just one cop who suspects that something is amiss. Not even her whole department trusts her and the Stynes are powerful people. Besides, Dean has a juvenile record. How hard would it be to frame a runway case against him and then they’d make him disappear just like Jaime. Is that what you want? For him to keep going at it recklessly and then go missing forever?”

“I- “Benny’s eyes widened. All of his calm was gone, replaced by shock and horror.

“He’s not your pawn, Benny,” Cas said, sounding tired. “You can’t push all your anger and disappointment on him.”

“Cas,” Dean said, finally. His legs felt weak, and his heart felt heavy with shame. “Benny’s not wrong. I have been-”

The door sprang open and Gabriel came in. Looking around, he stopped at the sudden forced silence.

“Phew,” he whistled, plopping down on his bed. “Y’all look like you saw a ghost.”

He wasn’t wrong, Benny looked appalled and Cas looked vexed. As for Dean, he didn’t know what his face showed, but inside he felt so small and contrite he didn’t know how to face anyone. He had been so self absorbed the past week, fuming and wallowing in self pity, he had actually overlooked how it was affecting others.

“C’mon chaps,” Gabriel smirked, “What were you talking about?You don’t want to keep it from your best buddy here!” He winked.

Cas stepped forward. “You know what, Gabriel? You can shut it. This is none of your business and it shouldn’t concern you!”

Dean squinted at his friend. He had never seen Cas this mad. He was usually the most level headed person in the room, but today he was having none of it, and the way Cas had stood up for Dean made him feel even smaller.

“Whoa!” Gabe sat up. “What’s got your knickers in a twist, Cassy?”

“Let me think,” Cas said, eyes steely blue. “It might be the fact that you’re  a selfish jackass who thinks only of himself.”

All traces of humour vanished from Gabriel’s face, and his eyes took on a dangerous look that screamed not to mess with him. “Be careful there, little bro. I know you three have been up to something… and you don’t wanna get on my bad side.”

Cas’s eyes narrowed further. “Actually that is rather hard, considering we don’t even know which side you’re on. There is only one side with you, Gabe. Your own. If you actually wanted people to trust you with things, you better decide where your loyalties lie.”

Gabriel pursed his lips, expression full of anger. For a second Dean thought he was going to reach out and hit Cas. But the moment passed and Gabriel hurtled out of the room like a whirlwind.

“Guess there isn’t much left for me to say anymore, is there?” Cas asked bitterly, then went out of the room himself.

Dean could only imagine how Cas must be feeling. He was a gentle soul. Having said so many grating words must have hurt him as much as it hurt the others. Gabriel was his brother and Benny his friend. Cas had still gone out of his way to take Dean’s side against his own people. That too when Dean had been a jerk to Cas, himself.

He spared Benny- who still looked out of his element- a brief glance then followed Cas out of the dorm room himself.

Cas stood at the far end of the corridor, staring out of the window into the sunset. 

“What do you want, Dean?” he asked, still sounding tired, but his tone was sharp. Not his usual kind voice.

“I-I wanted to say sorry,” Dean said. “I know I’ve been an idiot and a jerk to you all of the past week. Drawing into myself like that was selfish and childish- Benny wasn’t wrong there. I’m just sorry!” He looked down, fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to kick the wall.

“It’s alright,” said Cas, and the tone made Dean look up. Cas was looking at him with a curious set to his mouth, eyes narrowed but in mirth. The way a parent would look at a child they had forgiven, but were curiously hunting for a motive behind the said mischief.

While Dean was at it, he apologised for one more thing, “I’m sorry you took up a fight against Benny and Gabriel for me.”

Cas shrugged. “They had it coming. Both of them.” He paused, then asked. “What’re you going to do now?”

Dean set his shoulders. “I’m gonna keep looking for Sam and check the records about the Stynes. See what they are really up to.”

“Alright.”

“So I’m forgiven?” Dean asked tentatively.

Cas smiled, then nodded. “While you’re at it, you should also apologise to Will.”

“Will?” 

Cas’s face clouded over. “Something is up with him. He was doing your research even after you’d given up, Dean, but I am worried for him. Something is bothering him.”

Dean felt a stab of guilt. That kid! Everytime Dean thought of him he felt a pang that he couldn’t quite place. Like he wanted to reach out and stake a claim. Even in the last week, he had missed talking to Will, missed being followed with those eager eyes.

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

Dean waited until it was past midnight. All was quiet in the room. Both Benny and Gabe were asleep with their faces to the wall. Cas was up, but he only offered Dean a knowing smile as Dean set out into the night. 

Earlier, he had caught hold of Barry and asked him about Will, but the bespectacled kid had squeaked two words about the Library and then ran off, like he was scared of talking to anyone who wasn’t Will. Dean had looked into the decrepit room that was the library, but either Will wasn’t there or he was really good at hiding. Disappointed, Dean had made his way back to the 5th floor.

Will had tried. He had tried to follow Dean, tried to console him, and then distract him by prattling about his day, but Dean had ignored all of it. On the second day, he’d almost slammed the door to be by himself. Thinking back now, he felt ashamed that he had let his thoughts get better of him like this and pushed his friends away. And now if Will had been in trouble all this while…

Dean slumped down against the dividing grill, hoping to get away from his thoughts now. 

Someone sharply drew breath on the other side.

“Will?” Dean whispered. “Is that you?”

There was no reply.

Dean gulped. Either Will was really angry or really upset. Neither was good.

“Look,” Dean said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have behaved the way I did. It was cruel and just… not me…”

As far as apologies went, that was going really sucky and Will wasn’t even retaliating.

“C’mon, man!” Dean pleaded. “Talk to me.”

“I topped the Olympiad,” Will said in a rush, as if his head had been forced under water and had been allowed to breathe only now.

That wasn’t what Dean had expected. “That’s great news! Congratulations!” he sputtered anyway.

His exuberant words echoed in the silence against the backdrop of Will’s uneasy quiet.

“This is good, right?” Dean asked uncertainty

“Dean!” Will said urgently, “There was a couple who came here two days ago. They want to adopt me.”

The words just hung in the darkness. Whatever Dean was ready to say to console Will, died in his throat.

“Their names are Mr. and Mrs. Kensington, from uptown New York,” Will said. “They were in the organising committee for the Olympiad. My results impressed them and they came looking for me. They said they’d take me away from this… this place and help me into a new school for gifted students. Mrs. Kensington…. She said I was a prodigy. And she… she kissed me on my forehead as she was leaving.”

Will was going to be adopted. 

Dean was stunned. He knew he should be saying something… congratulating Will. From what he knew, it was a big deal to be adopted and damn near impossible for anyone over 7 years to even stand a chance… and here was this glorious opportunity for Will to achieve everything he possibly could. He’d have the finest education. He’d have a new family to look after him, to take care of him. 

But he would also be gone.

“Well, man, that’s bloody brilliant!” Dean managed, even though his own voice sounded bogusly cheerful. 

“Is it?” Will asked, finally his voice betraying emotion. “Is it really, Dean?”

“Of course!

“They would have never even known I existed if it wasn’t for a math quiz!” Will said forcefully.

Dean shook his head, swallowing the irrational sense of dread he was feeling. “Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted, Will? You’ve always worked so hard so you could get somewhere in life. This is your golden ticket.”

“I don’t know what I want,” Will said in a small voice. 

Dean peered, trying to make out Will’s shape through the grill. If what he guessed was right, Will was also trying to do the same thing.

“Tell me something, and go with your gut here,” Dean said, “Did they feel like bad people?”

In the darkness, Will shook his head. “They seemed decent. Really interested in me… and nervous about what I had to say. I was so scared when Andy told me there was a couple coming to see me. I wanted to talk to you, but-”

“I was busy being an asshat,” Dean completed. He vividly remembered Will ambling up to him after one dinner and him having rushed away quickly.

It was like Dean’s heart was sinking through his stomach when Dean said it. “I think you should go, Will. It will be for the best.” 

Then why was Dean starting to feel so hollow inside?

Will hummed softly, and Dean felt that pang again. He was going to be miserable when Will left. That was always going to be the case though. Dean wasn’t here permanently; he had a family back home waiting for him. He would be parted from Will one way or another. 

 “What about Sam then?” Will asked, voice still soft.

“I’ll keep looking,” Dean vowed, more to himself than to Will. “Don’t you worry about that.”

Will sighed wistfully. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but the silence continued.

Dean gulped. “Can I tell you a secret?”

Will jerked up. “What?”

It felt like admitting to a sin, but after what Benny had said, Dean had to confess it. “I don’t really remember what Sam looks like,” Dean said. “I stay awake at night looking at the walls, trying to remember something… anything. It makes me feel like I don’t even deserve to find him. What if I find him and he isn’t what I imagined him to be. What if he’s a bully, or bitter? What if he hates me?”

“Hey! Don’t say that!” Will admonished. He sounded a bit mad which was surprising given that he was so meek just a few moments ago. It startled Dean.

Will got on his knees. His hands gripped both sides of the rail, the right one directly resting over Deans.

“You can’t think like that, Dean,” Sam said vehemently. “You have no clue how lucky Sam is that his big brother is out here looking for him. That too, a big brother like you!” His voice quivered. “I wish I was as lucky as Sam,”

Dean let go of the grill and placed his hand over Will’s. There wasn’t anything he could say to that, much less what he was actually thinking. Because there was one other thing that Dean had wanted to confess to Will, and had not- that, by some miracle if Dean actually found Sam, a small, horrible part of him was scared that he would go looking for all those little features of Will in Sam. The intelligence in his eyes, innocence of his smile and the kindness of his words. He would look for all of it… and he wouldn’t find it. Because no one else could replace Will, not even Sam. 

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

A/N 2: What do you guys think about Will getting adopted? Good for him, yeah?

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[chequeredwhitpost]

Episode 3: Bad Coffee

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(Skipping Sunday…) 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I shut my locker after grabbing my Spanish textbook. I just got out of a VERY stressful class period with Coach Lawrence, one that might have just buzz-killed my day. I guess I just have to push through the rest day, or whatever. I can’t help but recall yesterday. How Douxie spent the night, and when my brother saw him on the couch, well, he grabbed the bat and made a swing. Hit Douxie’s leg. 

I ran downstairs and had to pry Jake off of Doux and make him really look at who he was attacking. After about ten minutes, the action was over and I was checking if Douxie was ok. (Which he was.) 

I sigh, shutting my locker. Time for Spanish class, I guess. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I sit down at my desk beside Eli Pepperjack, when I feel a buzz come from my back pocket. A new text message? I pull out my phone as Senior Uhl walks in before the bell, drinking his morning coffee. Darci comes in behind him, sitting in her desk beside me. 

I read my new text, and as I suspected, it’s from my Douxie.

________________________

Douxie: Hey, dove, just wanted you to know that I’ll be on campus again at lunch. 

Arya: Sounds lovely. Want me to save you a seat at our table?

Douxie: You sure your friends wouldn’t explode?

Arya: Not with my dagger glare. Don't worry. You’ll have a spot right next to me. 

Douxie: Looking forward to it. ❤❤

________________________

I feel a presence scooting in closer to me, so I look up. To my shock of utter betrayal, I find Darci trying to peek at my screen, to see who I’m texting. I pull my phone away, flipping the screen over. But it’s too late.

She gasps, knowing that my ‘single’ status has been replaced with ‘taken’. 

“You have a boyfriend?!” She whisper-shouts.

I groan.

It’s over for me, isn’t it?

….

No. I’m gonna fight for our privacy.

“I’m not answering that until you SWEAR not to tell anyone!” I hiss.

Darci’s smile widens, “Are you kidding? This is fantastic news! Why would I go and spoil it by telling Mary? We both know that if she finds out, so does the whole town!”

“That doesn’t sound like the vow to me.” I test.

Darci scoffs, “Fair enough.”

She holds up the three scout fingers to our friend group. 

“I, Darci Scott, hereby promise to not go blabbering about your relationship status.”

“Thank you,” I bow my head.

She scoots an infinite amount of space closer. 

“So you’re dating someone now?? For real, dating?” 

I take in a breath, trying to find the patience to deal with this. 

“Yes. I am dating someone.” I admit.

“I knew it! All I saw was that he’s coming to lunch and some heart emojis, but I knew it!!” 

She gasps,

“Who is it? When did you two start going out? What’s he like? Do I know him?” 

“Calm down, Darci!!” I snip.

She leans back.

“Sorry.”

I huff, “He asked me out on Saturday. When he came over.” 

“He went to your house?!-- Wait, Saturday? Weren’t you watching your brother then while your parents were out?” 

That was sort of a lie. I don’t have my parents these days. But yes, I did have to watch Jake. He would never have agreed to come to Claire’s house.

I nod my head, following the lie.

“Uh, yeah? But he wasn't doing anything so I invited him over. Sorry, Darc’.” 

“Oh, don’t apologize for it! I totally understand.” 

“Oh? Oh. Cool.” 

“So, do I know him?” 

“You’ve met. Sort of.” 

She sinks in her seat, tapping her chin.

“You know a LOT of guys. Who could it be?” 

She looks at me, trying to read my expression. I pick up my phone and text Douxie some blue heart emojis, before the bell rings to kick off class. I pull out my textbook and open to page 23-- the one for the test. But I look up at Senior Uhl at the front of the class and see a … change in the look in his eyes. 

Uh oh. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

What… The Bloody Hell. 

OK. Third period was a complete and total DISASTER. Clearly some mystical shit is going on! Like, and this is just my best guess, but some Grit-Shaka sort of shit. Someone must’ve given Senior Uhl a… Grit-Shaka… maybe? Thing is, I didn’t see a Gumm-Gumm totem on him anywhere. 

And I’m not gonna go looking. 

BUT HE WAS INSANE!!

He made us wash his truck! Sussanna, he calls it. (But STILL.) 

I sigh, slumping down into my chair after parting from Darci and Mary in the hall. Now I have Ms. Janeth. With Darci again. Good thing it’s not Mary though… Mary doesn’t need to know the fact that I’m not even single anymore. If she even finds out that, I’m SURE she’ll go interrogate all the boys in school! Just to see it through! 

(It wouldn’t work anyways, but she’d try.)

I sigh, running my fingers through my hair, but as Ms. Janeth walks (or, actually, it’s more like a twitchy stagger) into the room, I instantly sink further into my seat, recognizing that look. It’s the same fricking CRAZY look that Senior Uhl had!! 

I am NOT gonna be her victim this time… Not again. And definitely not on the same day! Just as I’m about to hide behind my textbook for the rest of the school day, I hear TOBY’s voice come up over the speaker. 

“Attention! The El Guerito Taco truck is Parked outside! Free tacos for everybody as long as they last!!” 

Wait what? 

Before I can question this, Darci cheers-- along with the entirety of the class-- and grabs my wrist, pulling me out of my seat and along with the crowd. … I better get tacos. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> As Darci and I find ourselves full of confusion once we get outside, the school gates slam shut at our backs. (And I see a glimpse of … Toby?)

Darci runs up to the gates and tugs at them.

“Hey! Toby! What are you doing?! Let us in! Let us--” 

She realizes what she’s doing and looks back at me, dumbfounded with herself. 

“Wait… Why am I fighting to get back INTO school?” 

I shrug.

Mary comes up to us from the crowd and sighs. 

“No taco truck in sight. Anywhere.” 

“Damn.” 

I slump my shoulders, “But hey, I guess that means schools out for the day! Wanna go get some lunch?” 

Darci and Mary look at each other, as if I’ve said something wrong. But it only lasts a moment before they shrug and Mary goes back to texting.

“Sure.” 

“Sounds good to me!” 

Phew… I look at Mary, who’s (probably) texting her temporary boyfriend. SHIT. I should probably text Douxie and tell him the situation we’re in right now.

“Hey, girls, where are we gonna go to lunch?” I ask, trying to be casual as I pull out my phone. 

“How does Benoit's French Bistros sound?” 

“The cafe?” 

“No, the Bistro.” Mary sasses. 

I roll my eyes. 

“Yeah, that works.” I say.

Mary looks at me, suspicious. 

“Are you inviting someone to our lunch?” She asks, excited.

I hum an indecipherable note to throw her off. She groans, stepping closer to try and peek, but Darci changes the subject to one that’s sure to throw Mary off. 

“Oh! I almost forgot! Mary, have you heard the latest gossip about tight jeans Hank?” 

In the blink of an eye, Mary’s at Darci’s side, begging for gossip. I roll my eyes with a playful smirk and text Douxie.

______________________

Arya: Hey, Douxie, so we’re having lunch at Benoit’s, headed there right now too.

______________________

It takes a few minutes for him to reply.

______________________

Douxie: Already? Lunch came faster than I thought.

Arya: No, we actually got locked out of the school. All of us. Everyone.

Douxie: Wait, seriously? Is everything OK?

Arya: Everything’s fine, promise. Not 100% sure what’s going on, but we’re all OK. 

Douxie: Okay. Glad to hear that. ❤❤❤

Arya: ❤❤❤

Arya: So, see you at Benoit?

Douxie: Sure. See you soon, dove. 

______________________

I smile softly, and put my phone away in my ‘secret’ hoodie pocket. Turning to Mary and Darci, I nod, and Darci wraps up her gossip. 

“That’s it? Well, that was disappointing.” Mary slumps.

“Well, then now we can go to Benoit’s. Wouldn’t want to show up late.” 

“Wait, so you DID invite someone?” 

“Yes, I did.”

She opens her mouth to talk and start blurting out interrogation questions, but I cut her off,

“And I’m NOT telling you who I invited. You’ll just have to see.” 

“Awww! You’re no fun, Arya.” 

“Good.” 

Darci laughs and we get going.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(Time Skip) | (Benoit’s)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

One of the waitresses seats us at a kind of picnic-bench on the outside patio up at the front of the cafe. She gives us our menus and takes off for a bit until we’re ready. 

Mary and Darci sit on the bench-seat opposite of me-- per Darci’s suggestion. (Which I give her a grateful glance, to which she returns a nod.) I bet she knows that I’ve invited my boyfriend--- but she just doesn’t know who that is yet. 

I let out a hiccup, just one, as I begin to skim through the menu foods. It’s about seven-ish minutes later that I hear someone clear their throat softly, and the three of us girls look up from our menus. I’m the first to say hello to him.

“Hey, Doux!” I gush. 

He waves his hand in greeting, “Hello, Arya.” 

He looks at my friends, “Darci, Mary.” 

“Hey Douxie.” Darci grins widely. 

I pat my hand down on the empty space beside me, motioning for Douxie to take a seat. He chuckles and sits down right next to me. Really close to me. Mary studies us, with a stupid, shippers girl smile on her face. I sigh, and feel Douxie’s hand grab mine from under the table. Oh, how I really wish I could kiss him right now. On the cheek, with no consequences. But, unfortunately, if I do that, Mary’s gonna be on my left, with a million plus questions.

And with her, so will everyone else. 

I squeeze Douxie’s hand a bit and go back to looking at the menu.

“Hey! Is it ok if I ask you a bunch of questions, Douxie?” Mary asks.

“Only if they’re not love-life personal.” He terms. 

“Awww. Did Arya already tell you about me?” 

“She did,” Douxie chuckles, “But it was nothing too bad.”

“And what was that?” 

“That you just … are very excited to meet new people, and want to get to know them as soon as possible.” 

“And I said you can be very nosy when it comes to people’s affairs.” I comment, looking at the soup section.

“Pfft.” Mary slouches in her seat. 

Darci snickers, “She’s not wrong, though!” 

“Who’s side are you on here?” 

“Uh, mine? Duh?” 

Douxie and I laugh, and we all go back to looking at the menus.

“What are you guys going to get?”

Darci asks,

Douxie answers first, “I always get the steak. It’s delicious here.” 

“Mm. Well, I think I’m going to get the pumpkin - roasted chestnut soup.” 

Douxie lets out an ‘ooh’ and points to the appetizers. 

“That comes with one of these, but I suggest getting the mozzarella sticks with it-- the cheese on the inside goes really good with the pumpkin bits.” He advises. 

Mary looks at him impressed. 

“Wow, Doux’, you know a lot about food! Do you cook?”

“Eh, occasionally. But I actually work here, and some of my friends are the chefs. They let me taste the food whenever they try a new recipe.” 

“That’s awesome.” I brush, “You should totally gimme some of those taste tests when they have extra.” 

Douxie laughs, “I’ll see about it.” 

We all glance at Darci, as she explains what sounds good to her. 

“I’m thinking about getting the fruit salad. With a side of nuggets.” 

“Seriously Darc’? You’re gonna get a side of chicken nuggets?” 

“It’s Monday, and it’s supposed to be chicken nugget day in the cafeteria anyways. So yes, I’m going to get those nuggets.” They play-fight.

I roll my eyes, minding their antics, as Douxie sneakily points to something on my menu, leaning in a lot closer, pressing his cheek to mine. The stealthy part is using Mary’s and Darci’s distractions to give me a kiss on the cheek. 

He squeezed my hand under the table and pulls away from my menu. My heart flutters with glee and warmth as the remaining feel of his kiss echoes on my cheek. I feel like the luckiest person alive right now. 

And I hope it can stay this way forever. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(End Chapter / Episode 3)

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