#but the whole day now is stretching out ahead of me and I've just been so lazy
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medicinemane · 5 months ago
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Man, I'm just kind of dazed today
I woke up yesterday around 9am, didn't do much for the day, went to bed... realized it was too hot to fall asleep (cause my window is broken so I can't open it)
So I got up, filled 3 box with papers as I sorted out the magazines and mail
Then I needed to stay up till after 8am so I could go to the post office to return that bowl. Came back and laid down but... you know when your body just feels wired and you really need to sleep but can't? Probably cause it's pumping out hormones to keep me awake to compensate for me being so tired, that's my guess based on how it feels
Anyway, lay down and kind of drift off with a video in the background, but... I think I was just on the verge of sleep but not able to cross over... like dozing at best
Then I hear Bart making noise and look over and he's acting like he's hunting a mouse, and sure enough he was, so he helps me cup it, and then I go take it to a field outside of town to hopefully live a better life... but clearly wasn't sleeping if I'm doing that
And... I'm still up. I think I'm gonna try and take another crack at sleeping... I hope I can do it. Things do at least feel a bit cooler
But yeah, I'm a mess today, gonna be two days worth of dash to look through whenever I get up, and then I can also respond to the couple messages I've got
But oof... hate feeling like this. The non depressed part of me wants to die just because maybe then I could finally rest
#for the record not even feeling that suicidal today; not sure if I'm too tired for it or if I'm just in an ok mood for once#but fuck do I just want to shut off and never have to boot up again; but now and in general#I relate to Bilbo and Frodo talking about being stretched thin... I feel something similar... you know... most of the time#strip the depression aside and I'm tired... and I don't know if any amount of rest will cure it... I don't know if I can truly rest#got a lot of things I want to do; whole lot of skills I want to pick up#but... having to be the parent my whole life; never actually getting a proper break... I'm so tired#my trip to Phoenix was the closest to a break I've gotten; but... there was a set activity in a set time frame#...it still kinda feels like I should have found a way to squeeze more out of it; you know? like as an obligation#not cause I minded how things actually went... but it just felt like I shouldn't have been at the hotel on the couch; should have been out#and then a 3 day window with stressful travel on either side of it... hard to really relax like that#obviously I had a fairly bad breakdown there; one of the few times I was actually at serious risk... not sure if I'd have managed it#don't trust myself to have the nerve to kill myself; but I very much did have a method... if I hadn't had someone to go see the next day#might have just gone ahead with it#but anyway; other than dinner with my friend their friend group and showers... I'm not sure I relaxed there either#I think... I think sleeping was more a maintenance obligation and I sprung up like when I set an alarm#(I so rarely set alarms and almost always wake up a couple minutes before them; it felt like that for 3 days straight)#so... truthfully I don't know if... if I've ever really rested#mhh... no joke; the last time that comes to mind that I didn't feel like I had to be kind of on#was when I was 13 on a school trip; and I'd taken a surf board to the back of the head while being rescued from a rip tide#and so people were worried about me; and I was just kind of laying there relaxing while people played cards and stuff nearby#...mhh... anyway... in less of a mood to say it's a shame I didn't just drown; so I suppose that's something#but... I don't even know what I'm saying; I'm so tired in the lack of sleep sense#and also physically and emotionally or... whatever#well... take care#mm tag so i can find things later
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moonchildstyles · 8 months ago
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First time sex with rosemary 🌿
wordcount: 9k
—————
Wiping her floured hands on her apron, (Y/N) brushed her hair out of her face with her wrist before reaching towards her back pocket for her vibrating phone. Her lips curled into a soft smile seeing Harry's name on her screen, his contact featuring a photo of him sleepy-eyed next to his kitten in her bed had her smile stretching wider. Taking a quick glance at the time, she was sure he'd just made it back to his apartment after finishing up at the grocery store. 
Quickly, she peeled her gloves from her hands and peeked out into the storefront of the bakery. Just as she had left it a handful of minutes before, there weren't any patrons now that the morning rush had passed, leaving Sabrina tucked behind the desk with her book folded open. 
"Hey, I'm going to take my fifteen really quick. Is that okay?" As soon as Sabrina gave her the go ahead with a wave of her hand with her eyes still stuck to her book, (Y/N) was answering the call with a tap of her thumb. "Harry?" she greeted, stepping out back of the bakery for a bit of privacy in the mid-morning air. 
"Hi, peach," he murmured through the receiver, voice drooping and soft, "Is it alright that I called you? I know you're still working, so." 
"Your timing was perfect, actually," she told him, knowing he was probably more worried than he was letting on for fear of having ruined her day, "Everything just cleared out from this morning, and I needed a break." 
"Yeah? Long shift already?" he pressed, the sound of sheets shuffling on the other side with a petite meow chirping through. 
"A little bit, yeah," she sighed, wishing she was wrapped up in warm sheets with Harry and Rosemary, "Just one of those Sunday morning shifts, you know. How was your night, though? Work was okay?" 
"Yeah," he said, the syllable floating out on a long suffering sigh, "Theo and Brett were still annoying, but I think Fawn is going to cover one of my shifts this week." 
(Y/N) immediately perked up at the new information. She'd been urging him to take some time off this past month; he didn't have to work himself to the bone anymore, not now that his issues from back home had been resolved. It was unhealthy, she'd told him more than once—he would make himself sick with more than just exhaustion if he wasn't careful. 
"Really? What day?" she bubbled off, ready and willing to shift her own schedule around if he wanted. 
"Thursday." 
She could hear the smile in his voice as he uttered the words. He knew what reaction he was going to get. 
"Are you serious?" she beamed, bouncing on the soles of her feet, "You have the whole weekend off then?" 
"I do, yeah. So do you." 
"Harry," she bleated, "I'm so excited! We haven't had any time together I feel like, and now we get a whole weekend! Thank you!" 
"That's what I was thinking when I made my request; barely seen you this past week. 'S not fair." 
"It's not," she affirmed, "You haven't even been able to sleep over since Friday. I'm not used to that." 
"Me neither, peach," he murmured, his tone decidedly more somber than just a moment before though she understood where he was coming from. 
Ever since their impromptu road trip, they tended to have as many sleepovers as their schedules would allow. Besides the comfort that came along with being at each other's side—especially in the case of Harry's frequent nightmares—, it was hard to forget how much they liked sharing a bed and sitting down for meals together. 
"Did you want to do anything special?" she prompted, already racking her brain for anything that Harry would enjoy leaving the house for. 
"I've got to go to the library at some point," he mused, another chirping meow sounding from the background prompting a huff of laughter to leave his lips, "But, other than that, I was hoping I could catch up on m'sleep." 
"We can do that," (Y/N) decided, shifting her view of the days off to turn into cozy sheets and breakfasts in bed, "A weekend long sleepover. We'll make a thing of it." 
"Yeah?" Harry asked, a smile audible in his tone—a vision that had (Y/N)'s chest warming. "How are we gonna do that?" 
She hummed, sifting through her ideas before landing on a few to share, "Probably movies if we have the attention span for it���if not, we can read together or something. We can do face masks too—Ooh, or I'll get another of that hair mask you like. Let me think, but I have some ideas." 
"'M sure y'do, peach," he murmured, his voice decidedly lower and slower than before, sleep vining around the edges of his words, "Whatever y'want, we'll do. I trust you." 
"I'll make sure we make a thing of it, H," she told him, reluctant to say her next words but knowing he needed to get as much sleep as he could manage, "I've got to get back to the ovens, but I'll text you when I'm off." 
"Yeah?" he mumbled, "Tell me when y'get home?" 
"You've got it," she smiled, feeling the winter sun warm on her cheeks, "Goodnight, H."
"Goodnight, peach." 
With that, (Y/N) ended the call. Hopefully, he would be able to sleep through the rest of her shift at least. He just needed to get through the next few days, then he'd have some time off to spend at her gingerbread house. 
The thought had that soft curl on her lips feeling permanent. She would have to remind him how proud she was that he was taking a couple of days off, the time well-deserved. 
Just like she said, she would make a thing of it, she only had to figure out what a thing for Harry looked like. 
—————
With Rosemary wriggling in his arms, Harry nearly fumbled his keys to the ground while on (Y/N)'s stoop. She was a calm little thing nearly any other time of the day, but as soon as they were at (Y/N)'s door, Rosie couldn't settle. 
Keeping his hold on her tight, he was able to finally stumble through the door before letting her spill out of his arms. Her feet pattered over the hardwood, beelining for the kitchen just as he knew she would. Harry could only shake his head as he kicked off his shoes by the door, setting them next to (Y/N)'s under the foyer table. He couldn't stay mad, though, especially not when he heard the familiar cooing of his peach filtering down the hall. 
"Where's your daddy, Rosie?" (Y/N) crooned, voice a soft murmur through the house, "We've got to talk to him about how hungry you are when you come over. Is he not giving you enough treats?"
Following the sound of her voice, Harry's lips curled instinctively into a soft smile when he spotted (Y/N) crouched next to his kitten, fingers massaging through her fur. There was a part of him that wanted to peer out the small window above her sink, ensuring no one was watching in—a part of him that he forcefully tamped down in favor of reveling in the sight of his stitched family. 
"You know I feed her," he drawled, leaning against the threshold of the entrance, "I don't know why she acts like this when we come over." 
It was the way (Y/N)'s features seemingly bloomed when she looked up at him. Her hand absently continued petting Rosemary, but it was clear all of her attention was splashed upon him. It was when her eyes were on him with nothing but adoration that had Harry happily anchored to the moment, warm and comfortable in his skin. He hoped he was able to make her feel that way when he looked at her. 
"Hey, H," she smiled, giving one last stroke to Rosie before she was standing to her feet and crossing the kitchen towards him, "I was going to ask you how work was, but you're on vacation." 
"I am, aren't I?" he mused, collecting her into his arms.
(Y/N) looped her arms around his neck while he hugged her around her middle, face cradled into the crook of her neck. His eyes fell closed reflexively, his chest expanding as he pulled in a deep breath. The sugary scent of her skin filled his lungs, her hair tickling his nose. 
"Are you excited?" she asked, trailing her fingers up and into his hair as she drew away. 
Matching her eyes, her question drifted away in favor of tipping forward and pressing a kiss to her lips. A giggled out his name against his mouth, muttering something about answering her, though Harry didn't pay it any mind. He focused on the give of her lips under his, the seam parting when she eventually melted into him. Her hands in his hair was a warming tether, keeping him from drifting out of her pastel kitchen. 
It was her that pulled away first, cutting off his indulgences earlier than he liked. He attempted to chase after her, craning his neck with puckered lips, though that only granted him a peal of her laughter fluttering between them. 
"Not in front of Rosie, H," she teased, unwrapping from his arms to move towards the stove where a warm oven and bubbling pan had gone unnoticed before. 
Harry stood back, watching as she stirred and tasted and adjusted, clicking on the light in her oven to take a peek inside. No matter how many times he'd offered to make dinner, take care of her meals—told her that he liked cooking, even—she had insisted that she wanted to take care of him, take one worry off of his plate. When she put it that way, he didn't feel like fighting with her. 
"She's seen worse, peach," he countered, leaning over the peninsula counter with his forearms flat on the surface. He had a perfect view into the domestic dream that was his (Y/N), complete with a bow in her hair despite the mess of a bun on the top of her head. 
A small laugh fell from her lips as she looked over her shoulder at him, "Maybe, but we shouldn't encourage it. Dinner's almost ready anyway, so we don't need to be distracted." 
"Yeah? What'd y'make?" He could see just the edges of something creamy in the pot she was stirring.
"Sabrina's family is visiting, and her dad gave me this recipe for stuffed shells with all this cheese and, like, spinach and stuff. I thought we'd try it out." She gave him a beaming smile when she finished whatever she was stirring, taking it off of the burner with the timer on the oven ticking down to less than two minutes. 
"That sounds really nice, love. Thank you. I've got dishes tonight." 
"Harry." A small scold—as expected.
"(Y/N)," he responded in the same arguing tone as she, "You're letting me—and my cat—stay here all weekend, 'm not letting us leave a mess here for you too. 'S alright." 
This was one of those things he didn't allow much room for argument on. It was one of those things—fear of feeling like a burden—that had come with the years on the run while attempting to ensure his impact was never felt. He was working on it, sure, but the least he could do for all of (Y/N)'s kindness was taking care of the dishes. 
"Okay," she relented, eyes rounding out as she looked up at him, "Just not tonight, though. I have something special for you after dinner." 
He did recall her saying something about making this weekend a thing for him, he just didn't really know what exactly that meant. "And, what's that?" 
A sheepish look crossed her face, softening her features and lining her eyes. "It's kind of silly, but I got some fun bath things and, like, candles and stuff. I wanted to make everything a little special tonight since it's your first extra, real day off in a long time." 
The longer she went on explaining herself, Harry could feel his own lips curling into a small smile. "Really?" he asked when she finally took a breath. 
"Yeah," she started, dropping her eyes from his, "But, you don't have to use them or anything if you don't want to. I know it might not really be your thing, and all." 
"Love," he crooned, the petname falling from his lips just for her to hear, "Thank you. That sounds really nice actually—don't remember the last time I took a bath like that. 'M always too worried about the water running cold." 
(Y/N)'s expression brightened at his words. "I'm excited for you to see all the stuff I got for you, then. But only after dinner—and dessert."
"Dessert?" 
"Of course dessert," (Y/N) smiled, moving back to the oven on the brink of beeping, "But that's a surprise." 
It was the way she looked at him before she gave her attention to the oven and baking pasta, how bubbly she seemed over something as simple as a surprise sweet for him to have at the end of the meal. That was what had him all but melting into the countertop. She could have fed him garbage and left him to soak in an ice bath and he'd be just as happy—all he needed was for her to keep looking at him like that. 
—————
"Are y'sure y'don't want me to do the dishes tonight?" 
(Y/N) rolled her eyes, pulling out of Harry's embrace to head towards the kitchen and the plates waiting by the sink. "Yes, I'm sure, H. I want you to relax this weekend, I don't mind doing a couple of plates." 
"But—" 
"No," (Y/N) cut him off, plugging the sink before beginning to fill the basin with soapy water, "As soon as I get this ready, we're going to my bathroom and I'm showing you all the stuff I got for you, and then you're going to not think about the kitchen again for the rest of the night." 
"I'm not?" he asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips at her insistence. Sometimes it was fun to argue with her for no other reason than he liked to see her put her foot down with a smoke to her gaze. 
He thought it was cute.
"Nope. Not even for a second." Amusement covered her own features by the time she cut the tap and turned to face him. "C'mon." 
With that, she flitted out of the kitchen with socked feet padding over the flooring. She didn't have to look back to know Harry was following. 
Tailing her through the house with his gaze carefully landing on the round of her hips as they swayed with her steps, she took him to her bathroom. There, on the counter, was a brown paper bag with a white painted logo on the front. A gifting ribbon had the handles tied together on top,  a tag with his name dangling from the tendril. 
In presentation, (Y/N) stood off to the side of the counter, a beaming smile on her face as she flourished her hands out. "Happy free weekend." 
"What's this, hm?" he hummed, stepping over the tile with his gaze narrowed teasingly in her direction. 
"Your bath stuff," she said, practically bouncing in her spot as he began reluctantly untying the bow. He wanted to keep it perfect—he couldn't remember the last time he received a gift, especially one like this. 
Harry could feel his eyes on her as he began digging through the bag. Floating on top were two powdery spheres, striped in alternating colors with dried flowers stamped inside. He settled them gently on the counter, his hands coming away with remnants of the sweet smelling dust. 
"They're bath bombs," (Y/N) piped up, "They're those things that dissolve in the water and make it colorful with all these nice skin things in them. The purple one is lavender and sage, and the blue one is lotus and jasmine."
Smiling at her explanation, he reached back inside the bag. A glass bottle filled with sweet smelling oil was his next find, the wax seal corking it closed having dripped its way down to the label. He could smell the warm, floral notes from here, even with the contents sealed away. Looking at the simple label wrapped around the thick of the bottle, he looked up at her with raised brows. 
"Massage oil?" 
It was the way she hesitated that had his lips stretching into a smile. "Its—I—It doesn't have to be used for that. It can just be a nice body oil if you want, but I... I mean if you want a massage, I could use that, so." 
So far, this was his favorite gift from her reaction alone. He settled it with a clink next to the bath bombs. "I'll keep that in mind." 
Next in line was a candle, standing tall in a cold glass voice in the bag. Pulling it out, the four wicks were sealed away with the help of the suctioned lid, showing off the marbling of the wax tucked inside. It was a swirling jade color, complete with lapping white streaks to emulate the gemstone. Under the just right light, he could see bursts of glitter suspended inside. The label boasted a vanilla sage scent, surely meant to match the sage bath bomb he'd picked up earlier. 
"Peach," he smiled, looking at his gifts spread out on the counter for him, "These are so nice, than—" 
"There's more," she bubbled, unable to contain herself this time, "At the bottom." 
He raised a brow but dug inside like she suggested. At the bottom, his fingertips brushed something smooth and flat. Getting his fingers around it, Harry already had a good idea of what he was pulling out, a smile spreading over his features and denting his cheeks with dimples. 
It was a book—one of his favorites from the library. One he had loved enough that he wished he had his own copy to keep him company—something he had told (Y/N). The cover was the black and white with splashes of red, the artwork glossier than what he had borrowed from the library. The spine was uncracked, kept in pristine condition—just the way he liked it.
"I know you've already read it, but I thought you might want to read a little again while you take your bath," (Y/N) mused at his side, her hands in a fumbling bundle before her. 
"(Y/N)," Harry sighed, looking up from his new, personal edition, "This is all wonderful, really. Thank you, so much." 
With his book still in hand, he collected her in his arms, tucking her against his chest. While he wasn't one hundred percent sure what all of the things he had received were, it was more than warming to think about her perusing a shop with him in mind, plucking things up with the intention of sharing them only with him. 
"I know it's all kind of silly, but I'm happy you like it," she murmured into his shoulder, the curl of her smile felt against the cuff. 
"'S not silly," he told her, drawing back just enough to get a look in her eyes, "I can't remember the last time anyone has done anything like this for me. I really like all of it, (Y/N). Thank you." 
Tipping his chin, he pressed his lips to hers, hoping she felt his words as much as she heard them. He felt eased when her lips molded into a soft smile. 
"I'm happy I could change that," she cemented, beginning to untangle himself from his hold, "I'll leave you to it, then. Take as long as you want, I'm just going to clean up and we'll go to bed—" 
"You're not staying with me?" 
How was he supposed to enjoy all of these trinkets and things without her there? What was the point of a sage candle and glittery bath bomb if she wasn't going to be indulging with him? 
(Y/N) stopped in her tracks, one foot out of the bathroom. "Oh—um, no? I was going to go clean the kitchen and things, remember?" 
"Yeah, but," he started, watching to reach out and keep her on the tiled floor with him, "can y'do that later?" 
"Do you want me to?" was her simple response. 
Harry nodded. "Yeah." 
Her features were warm, taking a step back into the bathroom with him. "Then, I'll do it later." 
It didn't take long for their clothing to be shed, lying in a lumpy file on the floor with the tub filled to the brim with steaming water. Harry had chosen the lavender bomb to be placed in the water, (Y/N) all too excited to show him the magic of the fizzy powder. She had urged him to sink in first, her gaze following the lines of his body before she had gone after him. 
Harry wrapped his arms around her as she sunk into him, his chest to her back. The steaming water rippled around them, scenting the air with crisp lavender and warming sage. Every deep breath he took had the bunching in his muscles lessening and lessening until he was lax with (Y/N) in his hold. He could feel her every breath, the expanding of her chest that pressed back into him, the brush of her hair drifting through the surface of the water and tickling his skin, the careful way she had her hands laying atop his own where they were threaded over the soft of her stomach. It was easy for his eyes to shutter closed with his head tipping back against the rim of the tub. 
It was almost enough to keep him from acknowledging the curve of her body pressed against his cock.
Now wasn't the time though, he starkly reminded himself, taking in a deep breath of the calming lavender. She had wanted to relax with him, not get felt up with a dick pressing against her ass. 
"Do you like it?" 
The sound of (Y/N)'s crooned words had him blinking his eyes open. He wasn't even hard yet, how could she know that he was already talking himself down? 
"What?"
"The bath bomb," she laughed, oblivious, "You said you've never used one before, right?" 
"Oh," he sounded, exhaling finally, "Yeah. 'S nice—it smells really nice. I could fall asleep in here.”
Twisting in his arms, (Y/N) shot him a beaming smile over her shoulder. "I have before—I don't recommend." 
"Yeah?" he smiled, much more willing to focus on this anecdote than on the way the shifting of her body hit points on him he would have rather ignored for the time being. 
"Oh yeah," she cemented, shaking her head, "I only woke up when I felt water going up my nose 'cause I started slipping." 
Though she laughed off the remark, a frown settled on Harry's lips. "Y'almost drowned? (Y/N)..."
Her name came out as a scold, one that had her letting out another peal of laughter. "No, I didn't drown, H—" 
"You almost did," he pointed out. 
There were parts of him, traits that he gained during his years protecting his mother and sister, that were now woven into the fabric of his personality. Hearing (Y/N)'s story had that protective gene flaring up in him, urging him to hold her tighter, keep her at his side. He wouldn't let his mind wander to another version of events where she hadn't spasmed awake when the warm water touched her nose. 
His limbs became a warming cradle around her form, caging her to him lest the bathtub somehow raise tsunami waves and try to pull them apart. He pressed his lips to the back of her shoulder, speaking against the skin, "I don't like that." 
(Y/N) wiggled her hands underneath his, turning her palms up to match his own with her fingers threading between. "It's just a funny story, H. I'm fine—you know I don't take baths, like, ever, anyway." 
His brows pinched into a furrow. Sure, maybe he did know that. "Still," he grumbled.
Harry's petulance only served to draw another breath of laughter from her chest. 
She wriggled in his hold some, melting into him as she slid deeper into the water. The milky shaded water ripped around her, Harry keeping her close as she settled with her head resting against his shoulder. 
"I'm fine, Harry," she cemented, peeking up at him with an adoring smile on her features, "But, you're cute for worrying." 
Taking in a deep breath, he did nothing more than dropping another kiss to the cuff of her shoulder. He wasn't trying to be cute—he was protective. It was a part of his nature. 
Shuttering his eyes, Harry indulged himself and allowed his kissing to continue down her shoulder, only stopping when the lapping line of the water halted him. With his fingers laced between hers, he pulled her arm out of the pastel bath. He dotted his lips down the line of her limb, nose skimming her skin in his wake and raising goosebumps. A plume of laughter left his peach, the sound enough to have his own smile taking place as he fought to smear his lips over her skin. 
It wasn't until he was headed towards her wrist, landing on the soft underside of her arm that he slowed when he, through cracked eyes, spotted a slash that had made a home in her skin. It was small, though it looked only partially healed—still a warm red and slightly raised.
"What happened here?" he murmured, a pinch furrowing his brow. 
"Hm?" (Y/N) hummed dazedly, shuffling in his hold before spotting what had made him stop in the first place, "Oh, Rosie scratched me by accident." 
It was something so minor, completely mundane and curable. The scratch wouldn't even scar, and yet Harry still felt his shoulders deflate. He would have to remind Rosemary to be gentle with her mother—she was entirely too special, no need to have claws out when being held by her. 
He apologized for his cat with a small press of his lips to the cut. 
Under the cover of the pastel water, (Y/N) untangled her hand from his that was still laid against her stomach. He was left to feel the give of her plush skin under the pads of his fingertips while she carded her own through his hair. Though he attempted to continue the dotted affection of his kiss over her skin, he didn't stand much of a chance as he reveled under her touch. 
Maybe it was the brush of her nails against his scalp, or the slight give of her body under his hand, or just the fact that he could feel every line of her body against his own, but Harry felt his stomach tense then. It was minute and fleeting, but something he felt under the blocking muscles of his abdomen. 
He attempted to keep a lid on whatever that feeling could lead to by taking a deep breath, but that only reminded him of (Y/N)'s skin right under his nose and the fact that she had been the one to run him this bath and that was why she was naked, and warm, and wet, and pressed right against him, and that was why his hands were on her and—
"H?" 
Blinking his eyes open and drawing away from her, Harry looked up to match her wide eyes. "Hm?" 
There was something teasing on her expression, lighthearted in her eyes with a small tug edging on the corner of her mouth. "Are you okay? You weren't breathing for a second." 
"Oh," he sounded, mouth dry, "Sorry." 
She shook her head, murmuring something about him being funny or cute or something, but, admittedly, Harry didn't have an ear to lend at that moment as (Y/N) started moving around him. Wriggling out of his hold, Harry stayed still in the water as she maneuvered around until she deposited herself in his lap. Her thighs were spread to cushion his hips, her bottom settled on the thick of his thighs while her chest was flush against his. Only trickles of the lavender water were able to make their way between her breasts and the curves of her body, leaving her shimmering with the scented oil on her skin and suddenly warmer than the steaming water. 
Looking up at her, Harry took his time tracing the lines of her piled hair with the wet ends sticking to her skin, warm cheeks glowy and dewy, the soft light reflecting in her eyes from the candle she had lit and stationed behind their cuddled bodies. He felt breathless—reverent. 
It was never far from his mind just how deeply (Y/N) had impacted him. Without her, he never would have been knocked out of the daze that was his life—the cycle of never-ending loneliness and purposeless decisions. She had changed him in ways he was scared of, the ways that he had avoided for years because it was easier to stay the same. He didn't enjoy thinking of who he would be without her, where he would be. 
It was with that knowledge and the sight before him, that Harry wanted nothing more than to worship her and show her the purple that he had been given now that she was in his life. Religion wasn't anything that ever consoled him during his years on the run, but if the temples and altars had looked like her, the gods held her kind eyes and warming touch, he may have reconsidered. 
"You can touch me, you know." 
Dropping back to earth with a flutter of his eyes, he realized his hands were lax at his sides, careful to keep a distance from her skin. She had been the one to tie her arms around his neck, to keep their bodies close, while he had basked in the sight of her alone. 
"Sorry," he murmured, placing his palms on the full curve of her thighs. 
He skated them over her form, taking in the rounded edges of her body and warm skin. He'd touched her before, enough times to have mapped out every crook and groove, and yet, it still felt like the first time when he allowed him to feel. It would never get old knowing that he had someone like her that loved him enough to allow his hands to land on her. 
"Don't be sorry," she murmured, ducking her head until she planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I just don't want you to feel like you can't touch me—I'm yours, H, remember?" 
There was that stirring again in his stomach, that tensing in his muscles that felt much deeper and lower than he would have liked during a relaxing cuddle with his girlfriend. It was just the reminder, that declaration that got to him just like it always did. 
(It was a bit embarrassing, in Harry's opinion. Would it always be this easy to work him up? Would (Y/N) always be able to say a handful of words, let his hands wander to her hips, and then he would be done for?) 
"You're mine," he sighed, sinking deeper into the water. 
It was (Y/N)'s turn then to trail her lips over his skin, the pillows of her lips never fully lifting from his skin before she was planting another kiss. She went on with the tip of her nose smushing against the line of his jaw as she worked down to the column of his throat. He could feel himself growing harder and harder with every kiss, every brush of his hands over her body, until he was sure (Y/N) was well aware as well. Though she made it abundantly clear she didn't mind when she rocked her hips against his, his cock pressed against his stomach and the soft core between her thighs. 
A shuddering exhale caved his chest. 
"I'm yours," she crooned, the heat of her words fanning over his heated skin.
Her own arms wrapped around his neck began to drift, leaving only one tangled in the waves of his hair with the blunt of her nails tracing his scalp. Her touch skated down the length of his chest, her eyes settling into a daze as they followed the journey of her hand until it disappeared under the water. His abdomen jumped under her hand the lower she went until the heel of her palm grazed the plumped head of his cock.
He couldn't help the way he tossed his head back, leaning into the palm of her hand. His voice came out in a breath, "I want you so bad, peach, I'm so sorry." 
(Y/N) drew away just enough to match his eyes, her wandering hand settling against the middle of his chest. "Why are you sorry?" she asked with amusement in her eyes, a soft smile on her lips as she shook her head, "You don't have to be sorry." 
"Jus'" he started, focusing on the sight of her as opposed to the weight of her form and warmth of her skin against him, "I don't... Don't want to ruin tonight since you're already doing so much, and you're only trying to relax and 'm reacting like this and—" 
She cut him off with her lips pressing against his, the edges of her mouth unable to fall in line with her kiss as she fought back a smile. "Do you think I don't want you, too, right now? If I didn't, I wouldn't be climbing all over you, H—or trying to get you to take me back to my room." 
Shifting on his lap once more, (Y/N) emphasized her point with a small roll of her hips against him, her warmth grazing over his length. 
His hands on her waist tensed, denting into her flesh with stern fingertips. Was she asking for what he hoped—what he'd been wanting but was too fearful to ask for in worry of pushing her?
His mouth felt dry as he took in her features, watching as something heated lingered in her irises. "A-Are y'sure?" he mumbled, unwilling to misread the conversation. (Y/N) loved taking care of him, he never wanted her to think he was intending to take advantage of that. 
Carding her fingers through his hair, the tip of her tongue peeked out from between her lips to run along the seam. "I've really missed you, H. It's not always enough just to call you before I fall asleep, you know. It's not the same as actually having you." 
A spark pinged in his chest at her words, the memories they dredged up. A couple of times over the last week with his busy schedule, they'd spent some extra time on the phone before (Y/N) fell asleep for the night and Harry worked through an especially long shift. He knew exactly what she meant: now that he knew what it was like to be touched by her, his own hand, his own fantasies paled so starkly in comparison it was almost embarrassing. 
"I can take care of you, peach. 'M sorry I haven't been doing m'job, but I'll make it up to you," he crooned, tipping his head in hopes of pulling her in for a kiss, "Y'want m'mouth or m'fingers, love?" 
It was only when she shook her head that he paused. That hand trapped between their bodies made a deliberate graze down his body until she skated her fingertips over his length, the ruddy head twitching over her touch. "I want you," she corrected, "Don't you want to fuck me?" 
Maybe it was the fact she rarely cursed, or just how intensely she was meeting his eyes, or the feel of her grabbing his cock, but Harry could have blown it all right then. His throat felt thick as he attempted to swallow down the moan building in his chest. His eyes were hooded, a vignette forming around his view of her. 
It would be so easy to sink inside her, split open her walls and make a home between them. All he needed was to shift his hips just right, and then he would be taking advantage of her spread legs and the slick around them. But, his worry of disappointing her—leaving her unsatisfied—held him back. 
His mouth felt dry by the time he found his voice. "I—um—(Y/N)," he started, unsure of how exactly to divulge the information in him, "'S been a while since I've—..." 
He wasn't sure what he was expecting her reaction to be, but he gladly took the small kiss she offered him, sealing his lips to hers. "How long?" 
"Since before everything," he sighed, allowing himself to sink into her kiss and the brush of her mouth against his, "I don't want to... leave y'unsatisfied if 'm not... good." 
That had her lips curling against his, a cluster of small kisses being pressed to the full of his lips before she pulled away. "It's going to be good before it's you, H. I'm not worried—I love you, remember?" 
Was it normal for him to feel his cock pulse at her declaration? Or was he really that easy? 
"I love you, too," he slurred before taking her mouth against his once more. It was messy and heavy, clumsy and unsure, but he didn't care. "I want to fuck you so bad, peach. Can I?" 
All it took was a soft nod of her head before he had his arms lacing underneath the thick of her thighs with the water splashing around the tub. He held her tight, grip stern as he stood tall in the pastel water. (Y/N) let out a bubbling laugh, clinging to him with a gasp as if he would ever drop her. 
With her pressed tightly to his chest, his cock was now fit snugly between the planes of his abdomen and the soft folds between her legs. Water sluiced down his form, a chill befalling his skin now that they'd left the steaming pool behind, though that had no effect on just how hard he was for his peach. 
"We didn't have to right away," (Y/N) laughed, fingers denting the broad of his shoulders, "If you weren't done—" 
"'M done," he cemented, dropping her onto the bounce of her mattress with only a small amount of guilt at getting so much water on her sheets. He'd change them for her later. "You're m'favorite way to relax, peach—don't need all the rest." 
Laid on the center of her bed with her skin gleaming and warm, scented so sweetly from their bath, Harry had a new level of respect for his self-control. But, that was in the past now, left in the bathroom along with the droplets of water on the floor and the candle he would have to remember to blow out before they fell asleep. 
Crawling on the mattress with his cock heavy between his legs, he fit his body between her spread legs, reveling in the plush of her thighs on either side of his hips. (Y/N) reached for him on instinct, looping her arms around his neck with the curls on the back of his neck dampening against her skin. 
"Hi, you," she murmured, a bubbly smile on her lips as if she hadn't just asked him to fuck her a moment ago. 
He could only shake his head, dropping a kiss to the bridge of her nose as he situated himself above him with his forearms stationed on either side of her head. "Hi, peach. What are you up to, hm?" 
"Nothing much," she laughed, hitching a thigh over his lip in a languid move to thrust him forwards. "You?" 
Harry's voice was stilted in his throat, feeling her slick folds give around his cock when his length split through. He could feel the minute pulsing of her clit against his base. "Jus' worried 'm not gonna last very long at all, nothing important," he attempted to joke, if only to feel of plume of her laughter fill the air. 
Instead, he garnered a smearing of (Y/N)'s lips against his own, her affection tender and lingering. "Don't worry about that," she urged him, "I don't care—I just want you to feel good." 
A furrow pinched his brow, his heart rattling when she rocked her hips underneath him as if it wasn't already hard enough to concentrate. "But, I want y'to feel good too, and—" 
"I will as long as you do," she reiterated, amusement sparking in her blown pupils, "I don't care if you finish early, just finish in me, that's all I ask." 
Harry couldn't contain the moan in his throat, the rumbling falling from his throat as he rested his forehead against hers with shuttered eyes. He could feel a bead of warm precum blurting from his tip, dripping to land on the soft of (Y/N)'s stomach with a pulse. 
"You're going to kill me," he murmured, not sure if he was speaking for her to hear, "D-Do y'need me to do anything f—" 
Cutting him off with a kiss, (Y/N) slipped her tongue between his lips only to offer a quick taste before she was pulling away once more. "You can feel how wet I am, right?" 
As if he could forget with the way she was pressed against the underside of his cock, the ridge of his head tight between their stomachs. He answered with a small nod. 
"Y-You're sure, then?" he murmured, attempting to tap into that self control he had back in the tub. 
"I want you, H," she assured, nothing teasing or urgent in her voice, only sincerity, "As long as you're ready, I am, too. It's just me—you don't have to worry." 
His only response came in the form of a small kiss and a declaration: "I love you, (Y/N)." 
"I love you too," she smiled into his kiss, a small roll of her hips turning his brain to mush. 
His breathing was strained as he reached between their bodies, his fist wrapping around his shaft. Looking down, he watched as she spread her thighs that much wider as he swiped his cock between her folds. She was sticky and wet, clinging to the width of him as he split her open enough for his head to kiss her clit. He could see the jump of her muscles, the small whine that chirped from her lips, but he couldn't seem to stop himself—especially when a thread of her slick stuck to him, only bowing and breaking when he reached his cock towards his stomach, too far for the string to extend. 
"Harry, please," she quietly pleaded with him.
The sound of her voice was just enough to knock him back into the universe. It was enough to remind him that this wasn't the main event, there was even more warmth and wetness to be explored. 
Pressing the tip of his cock to her opening, he held himself steady as he pressed his hips forward. It was a tight squeeze, a feeling that took his breath away. As much as he wanted to catch (Y/N)'s expressions, see exactly what she looked like as he sunk inside her for the first time, he couldn't seem to peel his eyes away from the sight of his cock fitting inside her core. With every stretch of his length pushing through, less and less coherent thought filtered through his head. 
Instead, all he could think about was the snug fit of her walls around him, the pulsing with every heartbeat, just how wet she was, the warmth that enveloped him and welcomed him deeper and deeper. By the time he bottomed out, his mouth had fallen into a gape and his arm propping him up was now shaky. His only anchor was the grip he moved to have on her hip, his palm slick and sticky from fisting his cock though he didn't have it in him to care. 
He really, really hoped (Y/N) meant it when she said she wouldn't mind if he blew it fast; he doubted he had much longer left, and he'd only just sunk inside. 
"Y'alright, peach?" he breathed, his words fanning across her skin when he finally looked up to reach her eyes. 
Looking at him with hooded eyes, the pupils wide, (Y/N) gave him her confirmation in the form of a jerky nod. "I'm okay," she mumbled, "Are you?" 
"'M good," he said, feeling drunk despite not a single drop of alcohol even being present in (Y/N)'s home, "'M so good, peach. 'M scared 'm too good." 
"It's okay," she smiled at him, if only a bit dazed when she threaded her fingers through his damp curls, "Just do whatever makes you feel good—that's enough for me." 
He wished he could have told her how much her affection meant to him, how he couldn't believe she loved him the way she did, how there was no one who had such an effect on him, but there was no way his tongue was going to follow any kind of command let alone any train of thought to actually form. Instead, he settled for a searing kiss against her already swollen lips. 
Though he doubted he would have any chance at composure, he still attempted to catch his breath and his brain before he reared his hips back for the first time. Pulling out of her warm channel was enough to add some form of clarity to his mind, though it didn't last long before he pushed forward in a shallow thrust. Her walls welcomed him in once more, warm and snug with every ridge forming around him in a pulse. (Y/N)'s thighs tensed around his hips, a slight tremor to her muscles though she managed to let out a sigh of pleasure against his kiss. 
"Fuck, peach," he murmured when he bottomed out once more, the crown of his length tapping her furthest walls. 
A furrow had his brows pinched though his eyes remained closed, even when he couldn't manage to kiss her anymore, his lips simply resting against her own parted ones. He shared panted breaths with her, his forehead resting on her own with (Y/N)'s fingers curling in his hair. 
Though the pace was slow, he was able to curate a rhythm that kept him from finishing right away. He didn't feel too far from the edge, but this was as good of a chance as he was going to get when she felt as good as she did. 
"H-Harry," she whined, her voice breathy and airy, "You're so big." 
His hips stuttered at her words, the previously shallow thrust he was working on turning into a harsh grind against her core. The jolt had another moan rumbling her chest with a curse falling from Harry's lips. 
"Y'can't say that, peach," he murmured, unable to keep his pacing, "You're gonna make me cum and we've barely started." 
Every stroke was indulgent, lingering when he wanted, harsh and deep when he changed his mind, anything and everything to his taste. His only chance was in moving his hand from her hip and shaky positioning it between his punishing hips and her forgiving core. At the apex of her folds, her clit pearled. Though his hand was shaky, he still managed to smear the pad of his thumb against the bud, feeling the budding pulse that matched the hammering of her heart. 
Suddenly coming to light, (Y/N) managed to bring him in for a kiss. It was sloppy and clumsy, leaving their lips swollen and teeth glancing off one another, but there wasn't any room for perfection. 
Harry needed her, that was all he knew. His stomach tightened with every thrust, his balls shining with her slick with every slap against her ass. (Y/N)'s thighs were warm and tight on either side of his pelvis, unwilling to let him venture too far before accepting him back inside. 
"(Y/N)," he panted, shaking his head, "P-Peach, 'm so sorry." 
"Don't be sorry, do—shit—don't be sorry, H. I want you to cum, okay? Cum in me, please." 
How was he supposed to deny her? What kind of boyfriend would he be if he said no to such pretty words?
Keeping his thumb running circles around her swollen clit, Harry couldn't stop himself before harshly thrusting inside her and pausing when he felt the first spasm wrack through his abdomen. There was a bunch to his muscles he hadn't even realized until the thread keeping them together snapped. 
Ropes of his cum spurted out, decorating and flooding her walls with every pulse. She grew impossibly wet around him, his thumb barely keeping track as he tried to tend to her clit even through the tremors. He ground his hips against hers, unwilling to draw away even an inch out of her warmth as he came.
The world slowly came back into focus as he pulled in puffs of air, (Y/N) delicately kissing his bottom lip. He felt so hot, sticky despite the bath he'd just soaked in. 
Was sex always like this? He couldn't recall ever coming this hard, but had it been too long for him to remember? Or was this another (Y/N)-only thing? He could readily believe that highs like this only came from being in her arms. 
"Still with me?" his peach murmured, a wanton edge to her voice that reminded him that there were much more important things than his own pleasure. 
He nodded, finally reciprocating her kiss. "'M here, peach. I've got you."
Despite the oversensitivity beginning to leak into his system, he managed to grind into her just enough to match the swirling of his thumb against her clit. She gasped into his mouth, allowing him to slip his tongue past her lips and sweep over her own. He got a taste of her pleasured moans, reveling in the feel until it seemingly became too much for her. 
In a way he was now familiar with, (Y/N) let out a chirping moan, delicate and shaky into his mouth. That was the first sign before her fingers in his hair began to tug at the roots in a stinging pull, and toes curled. Her pussy clung to the shape of his cock, his cum overflowing around himself and dripping down to the bed under her ass as she gushed around him. His oversensitivity had him crying out a call of her name, her pulsing walls almost too hot to handle as she came around him. 
He could have done this all night, Harry decided. He could have pet his fingers over her clit and pressed into her walls for hours if not for the fact that they were both beginning to see the less than favorable side of sensitivity. 
"'M gonna pull out, okay?" he panted, blinking his eyes open to find his (Y/N)'s still shuttered. She answered in a quiet nod, her lips parted as she breathed. 
Though it was a bit reluctant, he drew his hips back in a slow glide. His softening cock slipped out with a wet sound as (Y/N) unfurled her legs from around him. A small whine left her lips, but she didn't stop him, only clinging to him.
Settling in bed beside her, reaching for one of the pillows stationed at the head of the bed, Harry fixed it under their heads. (Y/N) instinctively rolled to face him, sharing the cushion with him. He gave her time as she came down, brushing his fingers through her hair and over the planes of her features until she managed to crack her eyes open. 
"Hi, you," he smiled, repeating her small tease from earlier. 
A plume of laughter fell from her lips, a slight smile forming on her kiss-swollen lips. "Hi. What are you up to?" 
"Nothing. Jus' looking at you." 
"Nothing important then, I see," she laughed, snuggling closer to him until Harry was collecting her into his arms with her head tucked into his neck.
"Very important, actually," he corrected, amusement draining from his tone, "Thank you, peach. Really." 
"You don't have to thank me, H," she countered, "I obviously got my own benefits out of this, so don't think I just did this for you." 
He knew she was trying to play with him, get him to loosen up, but he wasn't in the mood for that just yet. He was a touch too sentimental at the moment. 
"You know what I mean," he murmured, planting a kiss to the top of her head, "I jus' love you, and... always means a lot when y'trust me, and let me be with you. Thank you." 
"I love you, too, Harry," she reciprocated, her own arms giving him a pulsing hug, "It's easy to trust you, really. I wouldn't want to have these kinds of moments with anyone else—you're the best thing that ever happened to me, honey." 
Though he knew they needed to change her bedding, and blow out the candle in the bathroom, get (Y/N) cleaned up, and mop up the bathroom, Harry couldn't find any good reason to extract himself from her arms. 
There would never be a good enough reason that came above being with her like this. 
—————
ahhhhh! thank u sm for reading and to whoever requested this! sorry for any mistakes and if you have any fun ideas or requests of your own please send them in!! if you want to read more, you can check my patreon page:)
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uravitypng · 2 months ago
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𝐈 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊 𝐓𝐎𝐎 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇: 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄
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pairing: denki kaminari x reader, (hanta sero x reader)
word count: 6.6k
content warnings/things in part five: not a lot in this chapter! some inappropriate thoughts and daydreams, reader kind of has self esteem issues but it's mainly fuelled by the paparazzi, reader wears a bikini, petnames (babydoll, pretty girl, princess->used playfully), jealous denki, maybe jealous hanta (if you squint really really hard??), mineta (ewww), written with a chubby reader in mind/// minors do not interact (in later chapters there will be more smut and more explicit content!!)
a/n: chapter five is finally out!! sorry it took so long but it's finally out and boy is it longer than previous chapters. i really really really hope you enjoy this part, i've loved writing it! i was meant to finish it last week but i've been binging romance animes lmao.
summary: it's terrible when you're in love with your best friend. it's terrible that he's in love with someone else.
<< previous | next >> | masterlist / polls for this chapter: 1 & 2
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"I can't believe our agencies are letting us go to the beach! Out of all the ways they could deal with the current situation they choose this!" You say excitedly and beam as you walk a little ahead of everyone but they can still all hear you.
"Yeah it's like that typical anime beach episode." Denki runs up over to you grinning. As denki runs up to you he trips over on the sand before catching himself, you bite you lip to stifle a laugh and process what Denki just said.
"Did you just compare what's happening to a beach episode right now Denks?"
"She's right Kaminari, this may seem like a relaxing day but we're here for a reason. If those League of Villain copycat group show up here like we suspect then we need to be ready." Todoroki 'reminds' you all and you have to resist the urge to roll your eyes. You weren't referring to the mission when you said that Denki, you were just stating that beach episodes are different to real life beach trips.
A couple of heroes with you seem so suspicious, shifting their eyes around the surrounding area. Plus you don't understand the choice of bringing along Todoroki and Bakugo, they're to recognisable and well known, even if the villains did show up they wouldn't stay for long after noticing who's here too.
You have a gut feeling this mission will come up with nothing. This whole time will be a wild goose chase leading you here with zero results. You've told them just as much, 'when have I ever been wrong about this kind of stuff guys? this whole mission to the beach will be useless we should focus on other things, find out where they really are.'
It's so frustrating that they don't believe you... Well most of them... All of them to be honest but they can't voice that out loud. Everyone whose hair is currently blowing in the wind and sand beneath their feet knows you very well and trust your instincts but they can't just ignore this lead they've been given. Katsuki expects you have a second quirk that allows you foresight, he especially trusts your intuition.
Denki stretches, groaning in pleasure while you quickly turn your head away from him and try to drown out the noise.
"Well I for one think we can relax, I have it on good authority" he grins at you before continuing, "that nothing will happen today. We might as well relax. This reminds me of our extended three day weekend holiday our class went to on the last week before leaving school."
All of the UA, Class A, alumni heroes that are present reminiscence on your time together. Bittersweet feelings flood your emotions as you think about how much you miss seeing them so often, yet glad and blessed with the time you did get to share with them back when you were all teenagers.
"Or when we went to Nabu island in our first year," Ochako adds.
"I didn't like that at all. Not only did villains attack but on top of that every single hour of every day people on the island was calling into the hero centre wanting us to do something, no matter how trivial." Minata replies, his voice more apparent with age, mostly losing the lisp he had.
"That's not the reason why and you know it. Every other day you were being perverted to random girls on the island." Hanta doesn't try to hide his annoyed tone from everyone. He's never concealed his disapproval of Minata's actions and that was originally one of the first things that drew you to strike up a conversation and friendship with him.
"Can we just sit down and make snide comments in a minute?" You ask, holding onto a large cooler with both hands and a couple heavy bags slung over your shoulder.
Ochako hums in agreement and pulls the massive beach towel from under her arm and places it down.
You hear Mineta mumble, "how are you a hero?" as he sees you strain to hold the icebox and it becomes so quiet but even though it's mumbled it sounds like the loudest anyone has spoken since you got to the beach.
Your quirk isn't suited to strength, everyone knows that. Your quirk isn't like Midoriya's or Kiri's or Sato's. It doesn't mean you aren't strong though, your quirk is very strong. Struggling to hold a box full of ice cubes and cold drinks plus two bulky bags for over an hour doesn't make you weak.
He's so hypocritical... he wouldn't even be able to lift it up and get it off the ground.
You're a hero for a reason, you know how brilliant you are but hearing that bothered you and distressed you for a reason and coming from Mineta it's even stranger that it effected you, he's made plenty of jabs towards you before but the way he said it irked you, especially because he said it in front of so many other heroes.
Before you can even defend yourself and before anyone else can, Denki does. Mina was about to speak, Hanta was about to, Katsuki took a deep breath in to start yelling and making tiny explosions in the centre of his palms but Denki beat them all to it, he even beat you to it. "What the fuck does that mean?" You stand in shock and your eyes widen at how much rage is in his voice, almost hostile. You've never heard him speak like that before. It doesn't only shock you but everyone else is taken aback.
Denki was so distracted and enraged by what Mineta said he didn't even notice his own tone, all he could think about was 'how dare he say that about you.'
Mineta started stuttering a response about how it was a joke and he didn't mean it. That snapped you out of you stupor and you pull on Denki's sleeve. "Denki, what are you doing?"
His eyes snap up to look at you and his body relaxes, "I- I no one should speak to you like that 'doll," he murmurs gently but you still hear him, all of you do.
A small smile slips on your face and you grip his sleeve tighter. "Thank you Denki," you tell him sincerely. He turned bright pink and you miss it instead whipping your head round to face Minata and pointing a finger out in the air, "listen here small fry, don't speak to me like that again. Who beat you all the times in training? Oh yeah, it was me." You tell him sternly and firmly, not leaving room for any hollow argument.
Katsuki smirks when you call him 'small fry' and wonders how many other nicknames he's made that you use.
Mina claps her hands together after you said your peace and had shut Mineta up, "right, let's get this towel down so I can start sunbathing," she grins. She sees from the corner of her eye that Todoroki is about to say something again about how they need to stay completely focused so before he can say anything Mina adds on, "just kidding," mumbling "kinda" under her breath.
One second Mina's fully clothed and the next second she's only in her bikini laying face down with her face to the side pouting at you and Ochako, "can someone put sunscreen on me? I don't want to burn."
"I'll do it!" Mineta replies automatically, just when you thought he wouldn't say anything else perverted today.
"The fuck you will!" Katsuki yells and you can almost hear the threat of explosions coming from his palms. He stays silent after that and doesn't say anything else, he leers over all the girls but in silence this time.
Everyone relaxes and starts up idle chatter and it was worth it carrying all those heavy things when you finally get to open up a cold drink, refreshing you. Ochako lathers Mina's body in sunscreen claiming that she doesn't want her to burn. You pat next to you and set your eyes on Todoroki, "come sit down Todoroki, you look really shady just standing around."
His lip quirks up in a rare small smile and accepts your offer. "You're right, we're heroes, we're ready to fight and apprehend a villain at the drop of a hat."
You giggle, "that's the spirit."
Due to the sweltering heat everyone has shredded layers, apart from you and Hanta. Even Todoroki has taken off his shirt and is currently annoying Katsuki while most of the heroes are playing beach volleyball. You're boiling and you can feel a few drops of sweat running down your neck but you don't get changed- you can't.
Underneath your clothes you're wearing a bikini but you feel too self conscious to get rid of your clothes, even though your hair is sticking to your face and your skin feels tacky and kind of gross. In your head you curse out those paparazzi from the gala a couple months ago who made you feel insecure as the photos taken of everyone started circulating online.
You gaze up at Hanta, squinting as the sun hits you eyes. Noticing this, Hanta moves the parasol to the side so it covers your eyes from the light. Now in the shade, Hanta grins "better?"
You make a noise of confirmation and nod your head, "thanks Hanta."
Hanta tells you that you're welcome while he lifts up his top starting at the top of his body, near his neck, his voice muffled under the top making you giggle. Your brain catches up with the situation too late as you watch his midriff exposed and the rest of his top half soon after. You swallow your saliva and time seems to slow down as you check him out. His hero costume is skin tight so it's not hard to imagine how he looks under his clothes. It wouldn't be fair to actually compare the two of what you envisioned to reality because after seeing him topless, wow reality is that much better you'd thought.
You wish those thoughts didn't rush though your mind but alas they do, 'my subconscious didn't do Hanta enough justice in my dream.' His arms are particularly muscular, which makes sense with his quirk and you wonder how much he can lift up with all that upper arm strength. There's a large pink scar on his shoulder that you've never seen before and you speculate silently how he got it.
One minute you were admiring his physique and the next you were nearly jumping out of your own skin as Hanta takes off his shorts and you feel the need to bury your head in your hands. You see his thick thighs and you have no control as all you can hear in your head is him calling you 'pretty girl' over and over again.
You're incredibly embarrassed by thinking about your sex dream. You try to avert your gaze away from him but beforehand Hanta can feel your watching eyes on him and spins his body around making eye contact with you, grinning wide and winking. You fiddle the hem of you top, suddenly shy that you've been caught and Hanta flops down next to you, still grinning. "Like what you see princess?" He asks teasingly, emphasising 'princess.'
"O-oh, shut up," you roll your eyes at him. Hanta chuckles and reaches over to the cooler and gets himself a drink. You elbow him on the shoulder, "idiot," and burst out in a fit of laughing and Hanta joins in.
"What's with the shirt?" Hanta asks gesturing to what you're wearing.
You feign ignorance, pretending you don't know what he's talking about. "Huh?"
"You must be hot in that."
"I'm okay," you say and you hope he doesn't notice that you're lying.
"I can see sweat trickle down your forehead, don't get me wrong you're still hot, just now in every sense."
You feel a combination of scoffing at his playful flirting and wrapping your arms around yourself shy and embarrassed but Hanta doesn't let you get too in your head and grabs an unopened drink and places it on your cheek, making you yelp and interrupting your thoughts. "Any better?" He moves the can up onto your forehead. "Why don't you want to get changed pretty girl?"
You stay silent and Hanta waits for you to speak patiently. "What I'm wearing underneath exposes more than normal."
"You've worn swimming costumes and bikini sets in public before, has anything changed. Is it a bad day today?"
Your heart warms when he asks if you had a bad day. "Not a bad day as such but there's been photos of everyone circulating after the charity gala a little while ago and the dress doesn't look as good as I thought it did. Because we're in public I'm kind of wary if someone takes photos and like I said it's more revealing than other ones I have... I regret choosing this one to wear today, it's not very flattering."
"I'll be the judge of that pretty girl." he grins lazily and you huff at his behaviour. You were intending to condone his reaction after you've just been so sincere about how you're truly feeling, especially since Hanta is typically more considerate than that but you should know not to jump to conclusions because after a pause he starts speaking again.
"In all seriousness you looked beautiful that night and I saw photos of everyone all over my twitter feed the day after and it didn't change my mind about how you looked that night. If people take pictures then they take pictures, we're here on a mission," you wince at the reminder that this is a mission but he gives you a reassuring smile, "a pointless mission with your perfect intuition but a mission all the same. You shouldn't sacrifice the relief of cooling down and if your swimming costume is revealing then that's okay, Mina is practically naked," you giggle and he smiles wide. "All of us are hot so anyone who sees us should be lucky,"
There's a cross between a chuckle and a raised eyebrow as you ask him, "even Mineta?" The immediate hard reply of 'no' makes you laugh again. "Haven't you always preached body positivity and acceptance for all?" You tease.
"If he wasn't such a pervert than my answer would be different," Hanta's says simply and you don't know if he's unaware of the affect that had on you. Hanta never once treated anyone different if they didn't fit societal norms, even when other people would, he didn't. Both him and Kiri were like that, it's probably why you always respected them so much.
Hanta's words did convince you to pull off your clothes, you were boiling but you finally shed off your clothes, grimacing as the top sticks to you. Hanta's resting his face in the palm of his hand, looking at you with hooded eyes that makes you feel almost bashful. You can tell his gaze isn't one of leering so you don't mind it so much.
You're completely free of clothes now and feeling a lot better now but you're still sticky, planning to go for a swim in a bit.
"I knew it," Hanta smirks and you look at him confused. "You look beautiful in that pretty girl, pink and white suits you."
"Oh please Hanta, sweat is trickling down my back and clinging to my eyebrow and cupid's brow. I can practically taste it," you disagree with him.
Hanta chuckles deeply, "you're still beautiful."
You tut and grab the sun-lotion from one of the bags, wanting to hide your face for a second. "Who first?" You grin at each other.
"Whoever you want."
"Okay, turn around to face me." He does what he's told, beforehand downing the rest of his drink and sitting so close that your knees are nearly touching his back as you sit on your heels. Opening the cap and squirting some in your hand, you begin to place you hands on his back. Hanta jumps slightly and you ask if he's okay, he responds that he is but it was colder than he expected, you apologise but laugh louder than the apology you give at that answer.
You rub your hands over him, making sure you don't miss any spots not wanting him to burn and have to take a deep breath as you feel his defined shoulder muscles under your palms. You lift his hair up slightly that's covering his neck and make sure it's covering his neck too. Half of you is thinking about how you're very physically close to Hanta and you've never done anything like this before but a louder voice is disagreeing, you both are very touchy-feely, you fall asleep on him and spar together all the time and when watching films in groups you'll share blankets, so is this really different?
'He's kissed me too, so this isn't a big deal...'
You don't pay much mind when you start to press your hand over the places that he can reach. You don't think as you rub cream on his arms and get up and face him, sitting back down as you make eye contact and give him a small smile. He doesn't say anything and neither do you. You put sunscreen on his chest and marvel about how built he feels, you carefully pick up his arms and make certain you cover every inch of him. You squeeze more sunscreen on your hands and close the lid before gently swiping along his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. You see the genuine smile that adorns his face and that snaps you out of your stupor, you momentarily stop putting the lotion on him, freezing, before starting again, although this time a bit more bashfully and not being able to make eye contact with him, instead just looking at the rest of his face.
"Think I'm nearly covered. Next it's you, yeah?" He says softly and you hum confirmation.
At the same time Denki's breathing deeply, trying to catch his breath after overdoing it while playing volleyball and he lets everyone know he's going back to get a drink and he's missing the next match out. He runs up, not noticing until he got close how your hands are running along Sero's body and how you're too close for comfort, it's looks far too intimate, too sensual. Denki clenches his teeth so hard it's a wonder they don't shatter.
"What's this?" Denki asked you both, forcing a smile on his face. You're surprised by his sudden appearance and feel almost guilty, you're really not sure why though.
Kaminari chooses to ignore the exasperated sigh that comes from Sero and gazes at you. You take your hands off Hanta and place them in your lap, "helping each other with putting on sunscreen. Have you already put yours on?"
"Uh. Yeah?"
You scrunch up your face not believing that and give him a pointed look, crossing your arms and it gives both Denki and Hanta everything in them to not look down as you unknowingly push your breasts up higher as you cross your arms. "I don't believe you."
"I did! Just.. Probably not the most thoroughly." He admits sheepishly and you cross your arms.
"Hey Sero, come join our team! We're a player down," Mina hollers to him, not asking you, knowing that you wouldn't want to play. Hanta goes slightly rigid at the request, he doesn't want to leave, he's supposed to put sunscreen on you in a minute and being around you one on one was wonderful, your soft touch on his cheeks and how you delicately moved his hair out of the way.
Little does he know you're in the same situation, although Denki's here now you don't want Hanta to go, you want him to jokingly make more flirty comments and call you pretty girl again. Even though you know he isn't serious about it and even though you know he does it with everyone it still makes you feel good.
Denki sits down very close to you and has a drink before saying, "You should go Sero, a lot of them won't let it go about an unbalanced team. They'll either have won unfairly with an extra player or lost unfairly because they were a player down."
Hanta sighs again before sitting up, "yeah you're right, I don't think I can handle another repeat of similar situation with Bakugou beating Todoroki at the sports festival." You chuckle and he leaves.
You want to ask Denki if he likes your swimming costume but you can't get the words out so instead you ask him, "Hanta was going to put sun-lotion on me but he left, can you do it instead? Just my back and stuff," you ask him. "The places I can't reach," you clarify. You really don't want to get burnt and hopefully if Denki's only touching quickly from behind you won't get too flustered and if you slightly do he won't see. You're definitely not strangers to physical affection with Denki but you are strangers when it involves so little clothes.
"I... uh-"
You interrupt him, taking his pause and lack of answer as reluctance and you don't want to force him to do something he doesn't want to do. You try and ignore the voice in your head that's asking a million questions about why, what's so bad about it. "Don't worry about it Denks I'll just put my top back on," picking up your top and turning it the right way round. 'Ah it was really nice to cool down for awhile.'
Denki grabs onto your top before you can put it back on. "No!" He rushes out and lets go of your top. Levelling his voice back to normal he says, "no, don't do that, you'll get too hot. Let me just move behind you." You give a tiny nod and hum. "Can you pass me the bottle babydoll?"
"Oh yeah," you open your hand and lay the sunscreen bottle in it so he can take it, his fingertips brush against your palm as he takes the bottle from you and you feel him shuffle behind you. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah! All good!" He hopes you don't hear the strain in his voice as he tries to sound okay and squeezes some cream out. "Okay it's going to be cold now," he warns you, "although it might just be refreshing," he adds. He talks so close to you, you can feel his breath on your shoulder blade and for a second there you thought he was going to kiss it by the way he lingered after he spoke but he pulled away and you told yourself about how ridiculous that idea was.
Denki pulls back and repeats that he's going to start now. He's right when he's said it would be cold but also when he said it would be refreshing. However you underestimated thinking Denki touching you wouldn't impact you. What you didn't realise is Denki was doing worse of than you were and you don't hear his swallowing over your own thoughts. Your soft body melds in between his nervous fingers as he makes gentle large circular motions on your skin.
You fight back a shiver as he touches your sides and goes all the way up to your shoulders. "Do you want to lay down?"
"Huh?!" You say a little louder than necessary. Denki is taking so much care with you, more than you thought and it's making you try to force down all the butterflies that are trying to flutter in your stomach. With every minute that passes with his gentle touch, the more heat rises to your cheeks and the more bashful you become. You don't know if you'll be able to handle much more of this.
"You asked me to help you with the places you can't reach." He reminds you and you wince. You didn't ask Hanta to lay down but now the man you love is asking you to and that means he'll be touching you more. Half of you is almost happy about this but the other half is thinking back to how Denki was silent when first asked and why was he silent, it would of been so much easier if Hanta didn't have to leave but you do what he says and lie down on your front, your head turned to the side watching everyone play volleyball in the distance.
You jump as Denki touches you again, still with care. You start to ball up your fists and your cheeks get hotter and hotter, especially when he touches your thighs. You were about to break the silence between you both when he touches your plush thighs but he quickly moves on, quicker than when he's touching other parts of your body.
Simultaneously Denki sucks in teeth and squeezes his eyes shut when he touches your thighs, he almost regrets asking you to lie down. He doesn't stay on your thighs long and goes over to your hips, you feel like his hand itches a bit to close to the string of your bikini bottoms but you dismiss it as he quickly moves his hand away again.
"All done," he says quietly but deeply as he retracts his hands from you.
"What?" You ask. It's not your fault you're distracted it's his, if Denki's going to hover around certain parts of your body he's to blame for any daydreams. It's not your fault if you imagine Denki lowering your bikini bottoms and untying the strings of your bikini top while he actually does place kisses on your shoulder blade, all along down your spine reaching the place he normally keeps his hand when you get too panicky and overwhelmed at events. Holding onto your hips and leaving bites and marks all over your body, letting small sparks go from his fingertips in your inner thighs making you moan-
"I said I'm all done now," you nearly squeak as you're interrupted from your daydream again and swiftly move to get up, Denki holding out his hand for you to take to help you up and turn you back round so you're facing each other again. "Do you want me to do your front?"
You shake your head rapidly and reply, "it's okay I can do it." Your eyes narrow as you see how red his cheeks are, "I know you said you didn't put sunscreen on properly but come on Denks at least put it on your face," you condemn.
"I did!" Denki rebuttals but you don't believe him for one second as you see his face and you tell him just as much.
"I don't trust you, if you've put sunscreen on your face why are you so red?"
"I must not have put it on properly, I should have had someone do it for me. Even though it's the front of my body I should have been more careful with applying." He hopes you don't call him out on his lie and his wording, you don't. After you don't he pushes a bit more, "Sero won't have the same problem because you made sure he was completely covered... I don't want you to burn."
You weigh the pros and cons and in the end the pros outweigh the cons. On one hand you'd prefer not to have anymore dirty inappropriate imagery of Denki but you don't want to get burnt, you're going on a blind date in a few days from now and you don't want them to see you with peeling skin and burning, angry, crimson hot streaks from wherever the sunscreen didn't cover.
"I'll take you up on that, if you still don't mind."
"I offered didn't I?" He smiles at you kindly and gestures for to lie on your back.
"Do I have to lie down Denki?" You ask a bit wary about any more daydreams you might have.
"You don't have to if you don't want to, it's your decision. I think it would make the most sense though."
You're not entirely sure about his logic behind that answer but you trust him and if it makes the most sense then you're sure you'll be able to survive a couple more minutes.
"Great!" Denki says a bit to enthusiastically and he's not deaf to how strange it must sound with how quick his attitude towards this situation seems to have changed.
Lying on your back you suppress the urge to cover your face with a sun hat to hide from him and from this position. The sight you're seeing takes your breath away. You're often reminded about how attractive Denki is, and at random times of the day too, like right now. His pretty golden eyes are reflecting against the sun at this angle, making you get lost in them. Denki unintentionally flexes as he reaches over you to pick something up you don't see and it's only natural that your eyes drift to his well-earned muscles from hero work, his lean body shining with sweat and his blonde hair is falling down his face. You don't even think about it before reaching up and running your hands through his hair and away from his face so you can see his whole face more clearly. A tender smile that you return appears on his face and you swear his face looks redder than before.
What he was reaching before becomes into your view and you see it's his black headband to push back his hair, he didn't think it was necessary earlier but now he's more confident in his movements and in his mind getting his hair completely out of his face so he can see you properly is the best way to go to make sure you're completely covered from the sun and he tells you just as much, although leaving out the part of him being previously not confident and being nervous about it, because you would ask 'why?'
He pushes his hair back with his headband and continues to rub lotion in circles on your skin, this time on the front of your body.
Denki's hand stops and even though you can't see what he's looking at you just know. "Denki?" You say quietly.
He's jolted from his thoughts at your voice and rests his whole hand gently on your rib where a faded jagged scar decorates your skin. His hand is now no longer covered in any cream after rubbing the remaining sunscreen left over in his hand and was currently just gently stroking your scar after hearing your voice.
Subconsciously he's moved his other hand to your hip and normally you would be more flustered than you are by this gesture but the way he's holding you clues you in that all he's thinking about is how you got that scar and he's holding you for comfort- his own comfort.
The first year of hero work out of UA you encountered a villain that got the better of you. You were too slow or maybe she was too fast but either way you ended up with her arm slicing into you. Realising too late that her quirk allows her to form rough, sharp, knife-like shapes in her forearms, cutting deep into your skin as the quirk then secretes poison after making contact with your blood after the slash.
You don't remember much after that just everything fading to black and waking up, lying in a hospital bed, with Denki by your side, looking like he hasn't slept in days as he tells you that Sero found you and luckily he did find you because you lost a lot of blood but more urgently the poison had entered your blood stream and destroying your body from the inside, luckily you were treated when you did.
That wasn't the only time getting injured while working but it's the one that seemed to scare Denki the most, from your point of view that's what it looked like at least. You surmised a long time ago that that incident was more serious than everyone told you.
"Denki, I'm okay now." You assure him softly.
"Yeah," he says so quietly that it's almost silent.
Trying to cheer him up but also sharing your honest feelings about the matter you admit to him, "plus I think it's kind of cool y'know? It's almost like we're matching now. It reminds me of a lightning bolt."
Denki's eyes snap up to look at you, and squeezes your hip subtly for a second before letting go. His mouth opens and it looks like he's about to say something before closing it.
"You're right babydoll," he doesn't say anything for a second before adding, "I promise you won't get hurt like that again," he tapers off at the end and it becomes more of a mutter.
You giggle because how's he going to do that? You're a hero, just like him and his protectiveness of you makes you giggly and giddy because what is he going to do, wrap you up in bubble wrap?
Denki brightens up as he hears you laugh and smirks, uncapping the lid of bottle again and finishing the rest of his assigned role. He surprises even himself as he lifts up the strap of your bikini top a bit to put sunscreen under it, he's not sure what he'll say if you question it but you're too busy biting the inside of your cheek because 'that was intimate, he was basically undressing me'. You know that's not entirely accurate but he was still moving your clothes, and your bikini top no less!
Luckily for your own sanity the only other noteworthy thing that happened was when Denki applied the cream to your neck unlike how he's been doing the whole time beforehand. Instead of making circular motions he was wrapping his hand around your whole neck all at once and rubbing it in all in one go. You can only imagine how rapid your pulse was beating and it's astonishing that Denki didn't say anything. You think at that moment you exploded and couldn't help but wonder about how his hands seemed very confident and comfortable around someone's neck...
Lifting yourself up, Denki stands at the same time and holds out his hand for you to hold onto, "wanna go swimming?"
"I'd love to," while taking his hand you answer.
As soon as you stand up the voices from your friends get closer and you watch as they make their way over to you. You hear Mina exclaim, "Ahh, I love your bikini! It really suits you. Where did you get it from?" You heart warms when you hear the compliment, knowing that not just Hanta likes it but Mina does too.
Even though you haven't been playing volleyball like some of the others you're still equally hungry having been sweating all day and only having a light breakfast so your plans to go swimming gets delayed as everyone sits down and gets ready to eat lunch. Bakugou starts laying out food prepared by him, not trusting some random person at his agency to do it or anyone else going on the mission, people like Todoroki are notoriously bad when it comes to anything involving or similar to cooking. Denki grabs a couple of sandwiches for the both of you, and you can't help but scrunch up your nose at his choice, having a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich is completely normal but the amount of mayonnaise he adds to it is not. He's kind enough to grab your favourite though so you don't verbalise your slight disgust (this time at least) and happily eat lunch with everyone else, listening as Katsuki brags about how he scored the most in the volleyball.
After finishing your sandwiches Denki picks up a watermelon slice from the platter and holds it near your mouth, "say ahhh" you automatically open your mouth humming 'ahhh' not even thinking about it. Denki feeds you the watermelon as you take a bite of it.
"Want to go swimming now?"
"Sure."
" 'Kay." Denki then speaks louder so everyone else can hear him, "we're gonna go swimming."
Then a swarm of replies of people saying 'okay' and Kiri saying, "see you in a bit, i'm going to go swimming after finishing up eating".
Taking the already inflated doughnut with you, you leave and get to the sea line, yelping as the cold water moves and touches your legs. Denki chuckles and you scowl at him. He sprints into the water and sighs as it cools him down, gingerly you walk into the water, reaching him and a cross between a sigh and a shiver escapes you.
Denki takes the doughnut ring from your grasp and places it over your head onto your waist, pulling the side, with you in it, further into the water while you float along with him, you halfheartedly complain but he grins at you while you pout.
"Cooler now than you were earlier in the day 'doll?"
"Yeah," you smile softly.
"I'm glad," Denki replies back.
As you get farther from the tide Denki stops and spins the float that's holding you around a couple times, before stopping and holding the inflatable with his two hands on either side and grins as you. "Remember when we were like fifteenth and we went to the beach together, you ended up burying me in sand, I still have nightmares about it," Denki says solemnly, jokingly.
You giggle uncontrollable at the memory remembering it like yesterday. "It's your fault, I mean who falls asleep while eating an ice cream at the beach. It was only natural for me to lay you down and bury you. Plus, it was payback!"
"Payback for what may I ask?" He knows what you'll say.
You gasp in fake horror of him forgetting, "you knocked down my sandcastle when we were little! We went to the beach together for the summer, both of our families, and I begged you to make a sandcastle with me but you didn't want to, you ran off and made a new friend for the day and while you were running back from the sea with him you ran into my sandcastle and knocked it over! It was traumatic!"
"I don't remember that, are you sure?" Denki smirks and you slash him. He starts spinning you around again, this time rapidly and continuously, you squeal and get dizzy. You try and splash him more as you both laugh. He halts spinning you and you make eye contact, "please forgive six year old me, it's not like he brought you a coke and an ice cream and let you decide what film to watch that night when you stayed at mine to make up for it or anything." He teases you with a grin and you think about how you'd like to stay in this moment forever, this perfect moment, his arms brushing against your body as he holds onto the float, the grinning and laughter you share, the memories and the now, just the two of you.
You're thankful you were right about the mission.
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tag list: @st4r-girl-official @xnorthstar3x @cherribxio @stabbygabyy @boreaswrites @skylardarling (i don't remember if you wanted me to tag you, sorry but you sent me an ask about i talk too much so i thought i'd tag you) @kelly-fushiguro345 ♡♡
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Text
Can we call it home, this game of ours? (even if we lose?)
Day 7 of Thank You, Haikyuu - event masterlist here
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pairing: kuroo tetsurou x reader (gn) x kozume kenma
length: 9.1k
genre: heist au !! fluff, hurt/comfort
warnings: exes to lovers, hinata's kind of the villain, reader is physically intimidated at one point but it's all for show
a/n: done ?? au week done ?? can go outside and see sun now ?? (except I know I know I'm coming back for the day that I skipped <3)
tags: @love-and-lore
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Tetsurou, much to your comfort, doesn't seem to have changed much in the three years since you've seen him last. As he stands just outside of the prison gates, leaning against the metal fence, you're struck with the thought that maybe the whole world really did stand still while you were gone - maybe time held itself back for you.
But then you blink, looking past him to his car and the empty passenger seat.
"Where's Kenma?" You ask quietly. Tetsurou just smiles in a rueful sort of way and pulls himself to his full standing height, beginning to walk towards his car.
"Come on," he says over his shoulder. "I'll drop you off wherever you want."
"What - Tetsurou," you call after him, breaking out into a jog to catch up to him as he slides into the driver's seat of his car. You pull open the door on the passenger side, looking at him strangely as he starts the engine and begins to pull out of the prison parking lot without another word. 
"Where's Kenma?" You ask again as the two of you drive down the long, winding roads and away from the past three years of your life. In the early morning, the sun begins to shine its first rays onto the dew covering the grass and the hard set to Tetsurou's face.
There's a panicked sort of stuttering in your chest as you realize that things clearly did change, that the world tipped on its axis a little bit more while you were locked away.
"He's gone," Tetsurou says abruptly, a tightness in his voice.
"What does that mean?" You push. One of his hands tightens on the steering wheel while the other finds its way to your thigh, squeezing in what you're sure is supposed to be a comforting way.
"It means it's just the two of us now," he says quietly, staring out ahead. You follow his gaze out the front windshield and onto the endlessly stretching road, the sun wafting heat waves across the asphalt. 
"I didn't think he'd take it so badly," you say quietly. Tetsurou sighs.
"You went to jail because of him, baby. How was he supposed to take it?" He points out. You frown, your hand finding his on your thigh so that you can twist your fingers with his.
"It wasn't his fault," you disagree. "We all fucked that job up."
"What, so it's my fault?"
"…Tetsurou," you say, shock flashing through your voice. He sighs and lets his shoulders slump.
"I'm sorry," he says honestly, squeezing your fingers in his. "I've been waiting for you for three years, you know… and the first thing you want to talk about is that."
"What, did you want me to kiss you?"
"A little," he confesses teasingly. You roll your eyes and flick him on the side of the head. 
"Idiot," you murmur, but you lean over to press a kiss to his cheek anyway.
"That doesn't count," he shakes his head. "You have to give me a better one when we park."
"Yea, yea, alright," you sigh as if it's a weighty task and relax back into your seat, letting silence overtake the two of you as the sun climbs higher into the sky, sending searing tendrils of heat down towards the two of you. 
"Did I really get broken up with three years ago?" You ask sullenly. "And I didn't even know?"
"Trust me," Tetsurou says dryly, "it wasn't better for me just because I did know. He… well, it was bad. I just don't think Kenma could do it without you - without it being the three of us."
"What about you?" You muse. Tetsurou glances at you questioningly. "Can you do it without it being all three of us?"
"Are you asking if I'm breaking up with you?"
"Kind of, yea," you shrug honestly. He presses his lips together for a moment, a guilty sort of look covering his face.
"I sort of think that's already happened, too, baby," he says softly. You blow a rush of air through your lips as you tip your head back against the leather seat.
"Wow," you quip. "Who knew prison could ruin your life so much."
"Kenma and I did," Tetsurou responds, his voice weighed down by the severity of his words. "That's why we couldn't stay together."
"I have a job for us," you say abruptly, seemingly ignoring his comments.
"You're… joking, right," Tetsurou asks slowly. "This is a joke. We're not in the game anymore. We're not."
"We are," you say stubbornly. "Just because I was benched for a few years doesn't mean I'm giving it up. I have a job for us - the perfect job. Come on, baby, the ball's in our court now. We have a chance here for something good."
"We had something good," Tetsurou sighs. "And then we fucked it up and you were arrested."
"I want to rob a casino," you say, disregarding Tetsurou's protests. He snaps his mouth shut at that, staring out ahead of him as he drives and blinks several times as shock, then annoyance, then weariness all pass over his face. 
"I'm sorry, I hadn't realized you'd gone insane in there," he says tightly, but you just wave your hand dismissively. 
"I've had three years to think about this - three years to plan this and I know how to do it. I know how we can do this," you say firmly. Tetsurou's sigh is heavy as he squints through the oncoming sun. It's lifted into the sky now, arching up over the endless blue and shining down on the two of you, illuminating your faces to each other.
"What's the casino?" He asks finally.
"Hinata Shouyou's," you answer immediately. Tetsurou swerves slightly, causing you to grab the handle on your door as he recovers from his shock. 
"How did you know -"
"I didn't," you admit. "It's just that I'd take any chance to beat Hinata at this game - you know that. But now… if Kenma's gone, there's only one person he'll have to run to. I know that as well as you."
"You want to steal Kenma away from Hinata and rob, what, $50 million from him?" Tetsurou's voice, much to your amusement, has climbed in pitch as the shock of your words sets further in.
"No," you say plainly. "Three months from now, Hinata's hosting an event at his casino. On that night, there'll be close to $150 million in that vault. That's when I want to grab it." 
"Well…" Tetsurou says slowly, shifting in his seat as he turns your words over and over in his mind. "You better have a good fucking plan."
"I do," you assure immediately. "I always do."
It's three weeks after that when the two of you find yourselves in a hotel suite in Las Vegas, pouring over stolen blueprints of Hinata's casino and his vault. Tetsurou traces a finger across one of the pages, frowning.
"This is Kenma's work, all right. Getting through security systems like this… surveillance was always his part. How are we going to do it without him?" You cross your arms and hum thoughtfully as you stare down at the prints. 
"There's always Lev?" You suggest. Tetsurou frowns in concern.
"The kid?"
"Yea, I mean he was basically Kenma's shadow for a while before… well, when we were all still doing this together. He's not… he's not Kenma. No one will ever be that good. But I think he's our next best option." Tetsurou sighs at your words and spins slowly on his heel to walk away from you, slouching onto one of the plush hotel sofas and massaging a hand over the back of his neck. 
"This doesn't feel right," he says quietly, and a frown tugs at your lips as you follow after him, sitting down next to him and knocking his hand out of the way with your own so that you can smooth over the tension in his neck. 
"I know," you say softly. "But if we do this right, we'll get him back and it'll never have to be this way again." Tetsurou looks at you hard for a moment, like there's something eating at him that he's trying not to let out.
"Are you sure Kenma will want to come back to us?" He asks quietly. You hum thoughtfully.
"Hinata cares about the game, about making sure he always has the best hand. Getting Kenma was just part of that… making Kenma see that will be part of getting him back." Tetsurou frowns, looking thoroughly unconvinced, so you tap his cheek with your finger to grab his attention again before continuing. "When we got into this business, we agreed to play like we had nothing to lose - but then we did lose. And now it's time to get that back."
"If it comes down to it," Tetsurou says slowly, "if it's Kenma or the money, which do you choose?" You look at him like it's obvious, like he should know, by now, which direction your heart has always been pulled in.
"Have any of us really ever been in this for the money?" You ask rhetorically. He hums in agreement, but looks at you pointedly anyway.
"Hinata is," he says flatly. You grin.
"I know… that's what I'm counting on." Tetsurou just rolls his eyes at your assuredness and tips himself forward back up to a stand, making his way back to the table to look at the blueprints again while you sprawl out on the sofa.
"What about the money?" He asks over his shoulder.
"The $150 million? What, you can't think of ways to spend it?" You quip back. 
"I meant before that," Tetsurou says easily, and your own lips twitch up a the smile that you can hear in his voice. "A job like this takes some serious financial backing. We'll need someone to fund it."
"It's already done," you say flippantly, and when he turns to stare at you, you grin. "Come on, I haven't been out that long. I know how to set these things up."
"So? How are we doing this?" He asks, crossing his arms thoughtfully as he leans against the table and watches you sit up.
"I called Yaku," you explain. "He chewed me out for a while first - he thinks we're idiots to try to do something like this -"
"Of course," Tetsurou interjects. You shrug in agreement.
"But," you continue, "there's also nothing he'd rather do than beat Hinata at his own game. He's on his way - his flight lands in the morning."
"So… it's settled then," Tetsurou says slowly. You nod.
"As long as we get Lev," you point out. He just waves his hand dismissively.
"He'll bite. What about Yamamoto?"
"I figure you can grab him," you say. Tetsurou nods and looks out past you through the tall windows and onto the endless flashing lights and neon signs of Las Vegas, the sun setting low in the sky and bathing it all in an endless soft pink. 
"Are we really doing this?" He asks quietly. You follow his gaze out towards the endless horizon, to the light that leads you further beyond what you've ever done before.
"I guess we are," you respond, your voice low. "Looks like I need to take a trip to New York."
What Lev is really doing in New York, you figure, is both none of your business and beyond your sense of wonder. As he gets off of a subway train, though, he pats his pocket rather gleefully and expects to feel the outline of the wallet he's just pinched from some unsuspecting businessman. 
Instead of the smooth, worn leather, though, he pulls out a note - a little card that says nice pull! and has the location for a diner nearby scrawled onto it. Lev isn't stupid - he knows your writing when he sees it, knows a job when one comes walking up to him. He tells himself that he's going to say no, that he's only going to meet you to see what you're up to and then he'll leave… because he knows now. He knows better than to get involved with the three of you. 
But then he's sitting across from you and you've got those hungry, burning eyes and that wicked, sharp smile and he can feel himself being pulled further, further, too far in.
"You can't rob a casino," he says bluntly, but you just smile in that wicked way of yours.
"It's Hinata's," you point out. Lev stares at you.
"You can't… go up against Hinata," he says haltingly. You cock your head to the side and pout in mock sympathy.
"What, you afraid of losing to him?"
"I won't lose against Hinata Shouyou," Lev snaps, and you smile like a wolf that's just caught its prey. 
"Do you want to come prove it, then?" You push, but Lev just sighs and looks at you wearily. 
"The last time I got involved in a job with the three of you, I watched you get hauled off to prison and Kenma disappeared," he says quietly. You grow sombre at his words, reaching forward to flick him on the forehead where his eyebrows are pulled together in a comforting sort of way.
"I know, Lev," you say quietly. "But it's not going to happen twice. We're going to beat him this time." Lev groans a bit and runs a hand through his hair and you know that you've got him, leaning back in your chair as you wait for him to cave.
But then he pulls out the plane tickets that he'd snatched from your pocket earlier to look at them and you arch a brow.
"That's your best lift yet," you say honestly. He smiles a bit, a sly sort of thing, before sliding one of the tickets into his coat pocket. 
"What can I say," he shrugs. "I'd love to get to play a match against Hinata."
By the time you and Lev are back in Las Vegas, the rest of them are already there in your hotel suite, lounging on sofas or sitting at the large table. Yamamoto, when you swing the door open, claps you on the back in greeting. 
"It's good to have you back," he says it easily, but there's a softness in his eyes that makes you smile. 
"It's good to have you back," you quip kindly. Yamamoto grins at the comment.
"Of course," he says easily. "It'll be nice working with proper villains again."
"Alright then," Tetsurou claps his hands together, gathering everyone's attention as you and Lev move further into the suite and he finds an armchair to settle into while you pull yourself up to sit on top of the table. "Let's get to work."
"We need to get this part right," you say clearly. "We need to know what we're heading into. There are enough traps and catches and twists with this to get us all locked up if we fuck this up… but if we get it right, it's $150 million split five ways."
"And Kenma," Lev chimes in.
"And Kenma," Tetsurou nods. A heaviness sets over the room, a weight born of the severity of your tangled, shared future as the sun begins to set outside, the purple glow of the horizon blending into the neon billboards of the city outside and flashing streams of colours over your faces. 
"The first thing we need to take care of is reconnaissance," you explain. "Cash cart paths, dealer rotations, everything. Casinos are built to keep people in - know the quick routes out. Yaku and Yamamoto, spend some time losing some money there - watch, learn, remember." 
"Yaku," Tetsurou goes on to explain, pulling a briefcase up onto the table and tapping the lid, "is taking a vacation to Vegas. He's going to spend some time staying at Hinata's hotel and he's going to hand this briefcase over to security - something about it being full of valuables."
"Being the excellent host that Hinata is," you say dryly," he'll offer to have the briefcase stowed in the casino's vault for safekeeping."
"That'll be me, right?" Yamamoto chimes in. "Yaku'll need a security detail to deliver the case for him." 
"Exactly," Tetsurou confirms. "Hope you brought some costume changes." You laugh at the quip, mostly because you know Yamamoto does have a suitcase full of everything he could possibly need for things like this, before you continue. 
"The second task is power. The night of the heist, we're going to darken the city - shut off power everywhere on the main grid. Tetsurou will take care of that."
"And" Tetsurou adds, "Lev will, of course, be taking care of surveillance. Whatever you need, we'll set it up here in the suite."
"It shouldn't be too hard," Lev shrugs, his sharp eyes flitting around your faces. "If I can get into their security system, I can watch all the feeds from here and pull you out if things start to go wrong."
"Don't get scared, though, alright?" You warn. "No pulling people out unless there's no other option." Lev fixes you with a hard look at your words, a sternness in his face and voice that isn't often heard from him.
"I'm not letting anyone get caught doing this. Not this time." The room, at that, gets quiet as the sun dips lower, darkness beginning to roll over the hotel suite. Tetsurou flicks on the light switch on the wall and the artificial, yellow glow illuminates Lev's hard gaze and the way you press your lips together. 
"We're not going to get caught," you say firmly.
"And I'll make sure of it," is Lev's answer.
The night does, naturally, grow a bit sombre after that, the plans poured over a bit more meticulously as everyone turns over, in their heads, the unspoken truth. If this job goes wrong, if someone ends up in jail… it'll be the last one. Game over. There are no do-overs left here for any of you. 
It's late in the evening when Kenma sits in one of the many, many restaurants in his partner's casino, checking his watch yet again. He can't really find it in himself to be surprised - Hinata's always late, always caught up on running the business and winning the game. 
Kenma wonders, in a depressed, sullen sort of way and certainly not for the first time, if he just traded one shitty hand for another, never really getting out of this endless match. He knows, as he stares at the date on his phone, that you're free these days, that you're out of prison and on parole. It's much to his own bitter disappointment that he's counted down the days since your release - he didn't want to, really, but he just couldn't seem to help it. 
He's swirling the water in his glass, watching the condensation trickle down the sides and onto the expensive tablecloth and wondering why you haven't reached out, when you slide into the seat across from him - the seat meant for Hinata. 
"Hey, Kenma," you say kindly, and it's like the world begins to cave in around him. Three years have gone by without him seeing you or Tetsurou and he could almost convince himself that he'd forgotten about you, that you were some figment of his past that time had crumbled away.
But here you are, sitting in front of him and looking at him like you remember how to love. 
"You shouldn't be here," he says haltingly. "Hinata will be here soon."
"Will he?" You point out. "I'm not sure you're the type of person who ever deserves to be kept waiting."
"You kept me waiting for three years," Kenma snaps, and you purse your lips.
"You didn't wait, though, did you?" You say gently, your words making Kenma's heart stutter in his chest as he scowls and looks away. "I'm sorry, baby," you add, and Kenma looks at you like he's trying to forget how to love you. 
"You shouldn't be here," he says haltingly, and you sigh slowly.
"Hinata's no good for you. You know that, right?"
"Hinata's… safe. He's reliable and consistent and he'll be here any minute," Kenma responds, his voice wavering. You fix him with a disbelieving look.
"How reliable is a man who's never even on time for a date?" Kenma opens his mouth to retort, but then snaps it shut when he realizes he has no defence. You just sigh again in a long-suffering sort of way and stand, taking his hand in yours to press one gentle kiss to his knuckles before bidding him farewell.
"Wait!" Kenma stands in a rush as you turn to leave. "What are you planning?"
"What do you mean?" You ask innocently. He rolls his eyes at the act.
"You don't give up… not like this. Tell me what you're going to do." 
"I don't know who you think I am, baby," you say honestly. "I won't pretend that I don't want you back - but I don't take… not like this." With that, you turn to leave again, but your name passing through Kenma's lips has you pausing once more.
"How's… how's Tetsurou?" He asks quietly.
"He misses you," is your simple response before you walk away, missing the way that Hinata shows up next to Kenma, a caring hand on his lover's waist as he scowls at your retreating figure.
"Uh, hey…" Lev says slowly, worry making his voice tight. "I think we have a problem."
"What's wrong?" Tetsurou says from his spot on one of the hotel suite sofas, the rest of you lounging around. 
"Aw, I've been caught," you say easily from where you're looking over Lev's shoulder at one of computer monitors.
"Yea," Lev says heavily. "You've been flagged by the casino as an ex-con." Yaku snorts.
"Hinata's flagged you as Kenma's ex. This is just to make it official," he quips from where he's sitting with his legs thrown over the arm of one of the sofas.
"Either way," Lev points out, "the minute you step foot into that casino, you'll be trailed and monitored by security the entire time"
"Good," you say, patting Lev on the back as he frowns. "That's all we were waiting for… Now it's time to really get to work."
"Ok, now remember - Yaku's only got 30 minutes of breathing room in that thing, so we have to be quick about this," Lev says quietly from his place in the hotel suite, his eyes trained on the various screens around him that are showing security feeds from around the casino. Yamamoto doesn't answer, although Lev knows he's heard the comment from the glance he sends to the nearest security camera as he wheels a cash cart through the casino. 
Lev does sort of wonder, for a minute, how Yamamoto managed to get his hands on one of the casino staff uniforms, but then you walk in through the front doors and he's distracted. Fortunately, the casino security is also momentarily distracted enough to glance past Yamamoto wheeling the cart through to the staff area and down towards the vault below.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Lev asks nervously as he watches security approach you on the cameras, two men grabbing you and hauling you off the casino floor and away from the guest area. "They're heading to the cameras' blind spot."
"Trust me," Tetsurou says comfortingly, clapping a hand on Lev's back. "Our guy's already in there."
"Your guy?"
"He's an old friend. We'll just owe him a favour after this," Tetsurou says easily before checking his watch. "Alright, I'm out of here… take care of us, Lev." Lev opens his mouth to respond, to promise, to plead, to beg for nothing bad to happen, but Tetsurou's already gone and he's alone, watching the game of it all through the safety of his computer screens.
As you get escorted by security into a back room, you note that it looks a bit like an interrogation room and that, funnily enough, there are no cameras to be seen. A bruiser comes in after you, someone big and intimidating as he locks the door behind him and rounds on you, cracking his knuckles. 
"Hey, Bo," you say easily, grinning as you sit on the cool, metal table. "How's Akaashi?" Bokuto's smile matches yours as he pulls you into a crushing hug. 
"Didn't you get his letters?" He asks as you part. "You owe us a visit now that you're out."
"I did get them - every one," you say as you stand up on the table, reaching towards the ceiling. "And after this - fuck, I'll owe you two a vacation for helping us out." Bokuto reaches up to help you pop out the panel of the ceiling vent so that you can begin to haul yourself up and into the dark, endless tunnel. He lets you prop a foot up on his shoulder, hoisting you up and into the vent before lifting the grate to pop it back in place.
Before he hands it to you, though he stops, frowning with his brows furrowed as he says your name slowly.
"Make sure you get all the way to the finish line this time," he says quietly. "I don't want to see my friend hauled off in handcuffs again."
"I promise," you say easily, fixing him with a genuine smile. "This time… this time, we've got it."
"Alright, time to cause a scene," Lev says into his mic, knowing Yamamoto's heard him when he grins a bit wickedly. He's stowed the cash cart successfully in the vault and is making his way back out onto the casino floor in regular, civilian clothes when Lev gives the heads up. 
Fortunately, there's no one who can cause a commotion like Yamamoto, and he's yelling and swearing up enough of a storm that security gets involved, escorting him out of the casino and drawing enough attention that Lev can successfully put the elevator camera feeds on a loop, giving Tetsurou the perfect opportunity to slip in and pop the vent panel out. 
You're there, of course, holding out a hand to haul him up and out of the elevator and then pop the grate back into place successfully - and Lev lets out a sigh of relief when it all goes down so smoothly in the time that it takes for security to kick Yamamoto out of the casino and get themselves back on track. 
"How's Bokuto?" Tetsurou asks in the quiet darkness of the elevator shaft.
"Oh, he's great," you say easily. "Hey, why didn't you send me letters when I was in prison?" Tetsurou shoots you a bemused sort of look as the two of you begin to set up cords to belay down the elevator shaft towards the vault.
"Is that really what you want to talk about right now?" He asks distractedly.
"Yes," you answer immediately, tugging on your cord to test it. "I didn't hear from you for three years."
"Because…" Tetsurou falters, staring down at the endless darkness of the elevator shaft, at the pitch black that wraps around the two of you, at the three years of his life with you that just… slipped away. "Because I love you," he says simply. 
"What, you loved me enough to leave me?" You say, not bothering to hide the sharp pain in your voice.
"I loved you enough for it to make me act like an idiot," he says back honestly, his voice catching. "I still do. Otherwise, I wouldn't be hanging from the top of an elevator shaft with you." 
"Hm, I suppose," you say, unconvinced. Tetsurou throws you a long-suffering look, but you can't see it through the darkness. Lev's voice crackles through your earpieces and disrupts whatever it is that you've started with your question.
"Uh, guys…" he says hesitantly. "Not to interrupt, but we're good to cut the power here." Tetsurou makes an embarrassed sort of noise through the darkness and you laugh.
"Do it," you command, and Lev announces it through everyone's earpieces before power throughout the entire casino cuts out.
"You've got fifteen seconds before the generators kick in and the motion sensors are back online, you've gotta go now," Lev says. You and Tetsurou take the command, belaying down the elevator shaft, through the endless darkness until you hit bottom. 
Lev watches, on the cameras, as the casino's sent into complete disarray during the blackout and uses the moment to set all of the vault security cameras onto a looped feed while you and Tetsurou give him the heads up that you've reached the bottom of the elevator shaft.
As you pry open the doors and climb out into the hallway leading to the vault, Yaku climbs out of the cash cart that Yamamoto has stowed in there, pulling himself up onto the counter in the middle of the space. He rolls his neck, his muscles tense from having squeezed into the cart, as he spots the briefcase that had been stowed earlier that week.
Clicking open the briefcase carefully, he takes the explosive charges out slowly so that he can stick them to the vault door one by one, knocking on the metal as he places them.
Just outside of the vault, you and Tetsurou stand and stare at the large, looming, metal door.
"There's a 5'4, 140lbs man with $150 million on the other side of this door," you say as you place your hand on the cool metal.
"Yea," Tetsurou says easily. "…Let's get him out. Now." He opens the duffle bag that he's brought with him, pulling out matching explosive charges and listening for Yaku's knocking so that he can line up where he's placing them. 
"Count us down, Lev," you say quietly and Lev switches over to the vault security cameras, watching as Yaku bends himself to climb back into the cash cart, trusting the altered metal exterior to protect him from the blast.
"Counting down now," Lev begins. "10, 9…"
"This is it, you know," you say to Tetsurou as the two of you stand in the vault's hallway, backing up further and further toward the elevator door and listening to Lev count down to one. "There's no going back after this." Tetsurou grabs your arm gently, pulling you against him and tangling a hand into your hair as he kisses you firmly. You make a small noise of shock as he does, but your hands find his chest to smooth up his shirt and you let him kiss you - you realize, your head a bit fuzzy, that you'll always let him do what he wants. 
"No one I'd rather do it with than you," he says quietly when you part.
"Except for Kenma," you point out, a smile tugging at your lips. He laughs just as Lev's countdown hits one.
"Except for Kenma." With that, the vault door blows and you watch Yaku climb back out of the cash cart amidst the smoke, remarkably unscathed. 
"Alright," you say briskly, stepping into the vault and reaching for Tetsurou's duffle bag, pulling endless empty bags out of it. "Now for the real trick."
Kenma sits at one of the many bars in his partner's casino, swirling his drink endlessly around and around and around in his glass while he waits for Hinata to return to him and he wonders, sort of dully, when his life became this cycle. 
But he supposes that he can't really blame Hinata - not this time when then the power's just been cut and he's scrambling to regain control of his establishment. But it's not like this is the first time he's been left waiting, Kenma thinks dryly, and he doubts it will be the last.
Hinata is just finally walking up to him, a tense, focused look on his face, when Kenma's phone begins to ring. He answers it as Hinata slides onto the bar stool next to him and he whips his head around to stare at his partner as the voice on the phone asks Kenma to pass the phone to him.
"What's wrong?" Hinata frowns as Kenma holds the phone out to him, a shocked look on his face.
"It's for you," is all he says, and Hinata's frown deepens as he takes the phone and holds it to his ear.
"Who is this?" Hinata's voice is clipped, rushed and business-like.
"This is the man who's robbing you," the unknown voice responds, making him freeze. He stands abruptly, making his way out of the bar and towards his security area, Kenma hot on his heels.
"Show me the vault," he snaps at the employee who's monitoring the camera feeds and, once the man's scrambled to show Hinata, he'd faced with images of… nothing. It's just his vault, entirely intact and full. Bringing the cell phone back up to his ear, he huffs.
"What game are you playing," he snaps. "There's nothing going on in my vault."
"You're watching? Good," Lev responds just before he switches the security feeds, now showing video of three people, masked and in all black and hauling duffle bags of cash out of his vault. 
Kenma falters at the sight, taking a step back and away from his partner. It's out of shock, Hinata assumes as he stares at the camera feeds of millions of dollars being taken from him. 
"What you're seeing right now," Lev continues over the phone. "Is only half of your current holdings. As I'm sure you already know, you currently have just over $150 million in your vault tonight - we've taken just $75 million."
Hinata takes a step back, his heart hammering in his chest and his head spinning as the voice continues speaking in his ear. Perhaps, if he'd been paying more attention, he would've noticed Kenma slipping away, out of the security room and back out towards the casino floor. 
"The other $75 million," Lev continues to explain, "is currently sitting in your vault with explosives rigged. You, Hinata Shouyou, will have your staff take the duffle bags out to the black van that's sitting outside your front doors. If you try anything… if you do anything… we'll blow the money left behind in the vault and the money in the duffle bags."
"Call the police," Hinata whispers, bringing the phone away from his mouth for a moment and watching as one of his employees picks up the landline, dialling 911. 
"So, Hinata," Lev continues on the phone. "You can choose to lose $75 million privately or $150 million publicly. The choice is yours." 
Lev, from where he's sitting in the hotel suite, spins in his chair a bit before intercepting the landline call to the police.
"Alright, get to it Lev, stop playing with him so much." Lev hears your words through his earpiece, but he can also hear your following laughter and the grin in your voice. He listens to Hinata agree to his terms and then cuts the call without another word as he watches, through the security camera, as the duffle bags are taken by the casino employees and hauled out to the unmarked van parked just outside. 
On a separate monitor, he watches Kenma slip upstairs to the casino's hotel, going into his suite quietly. Kenma exhales deeply once he enters, eyeing the bed that he and Hinata have slept in, the mugs from their matching morning coffee sitting on the counter in the kitchen, the lives that the two of them have been intertwining together. 
He paces and runs a hand through his hair and wonders, sort of desperately, who he wants to win this game and whose side he's on. He's no idiot - he knows Lev's voice when he hears it and he knows your plans when they begin to unfold. He recognizes the game that's being laid out in front of him…and he's trying to decide how to move his piece on the board. 
As he looks out the tall windows towards the city beyond, the endless horizon and the open, deepening sky of the evening stretching on overhead, he feels a sort of spark igniting within him. It's an itch, a hunger that he hasn't felt in almost three years. It's the need to engage in this back and forth, to set up the trap and watch it all fall apart. 
As Kenma stares out towards the endless sky, he thinks that maybe it's finally time to play the game again - he thinks that it's finally time to come home.
Hinata watches, on the security monitors, as the SWAT team that he's had his employee call for enters his vault, masked and armed and marching in - all three of them. But as they step over the threshold, the cameras cut out and an explosion is heard over the audio from the feeds, mayhem commencing in the vault. True to what the voice on the phone had said, the $75 million in the vault has been blown… completely destroyed. 
Hinata inhales deeply, bracing his hands on the table in front of him and staring at the feeds as they come back online, showing the destroyed vault. 
"What about the van?" He asks quietly, his voice burning as he speaks.
"We have a team monitoring it, sir," one of his employees pipes up. "But… the explosives were also set to go off there… I'm - I'm sorry, sir, but the money's gone."
But Hinata's already leaving, sweeping out of the room and stomping down to his destroyed vault. He blinks a bit as he approaches the blown-off, metal door, spinning on his heel a few times as he realizes, for the first time that evening, that Kenma's nowhere to be found. He swears under his breath as he approaches the SWAT team, deciding that his partner's disappearance is a problem to be dealt with later.
"Get out," he snaps as he enters the ruined vault. One of the SWAT team members turns to him, face hidden by their mask.
"We really should -"
"I said get out," Hinata all but shouts, and the person speaking takes a step back.
"It's your vault," they shrug before hauling their equipment bags onto their shoulders, gesturing for their team to do the same until the entire SWAT team is packed up and heading out, making their way up and out of the casino.
Hinata stands, vision blurred and blood thundering through his ears as his breath catches. This careful game that he's been playing, one foot in front of another for years, he's finally lost, and he staggers with the weight of it all. 
He stands there for some time, clenching his fists and feeling his knees tremble before he calms and clears his head enough to really look around. It's then, finally, that he looks to his feet and catches a glimpse of the burnt, destroyed money.
But… he blinks. He rubs his eyes and looks again. It must be - no, it can't be. Hinata bends and picks up the charred money and looks around at all of the bills scattered throughout the vault and realizes that… there's no money here at all. They're just… flyers. Paper ads.
Hinata reaches into his pocket, fumbling for his cell phone and dialling up to his security room.
"Someone check the money in the van - now," he orders, waiting as he hears his employees scrambling to find someone who can run outside and check.
"Sir, it's - you won't believe this, but… there's no money here. It's just - the duffle bags were just full of flyers." Hinata lowers the phone from his ear slowly, tossing it onto the floor of the vault before sliding down to a crouch and burying his head in his hands. 
"Sir?" His employee's voice sounds from the phone where it lays on the marble floor next to him. "What is - what does this mean?"
"It means," says Hinata, so quietly that he knows he can't be heard over the phone, "that I've been set up… it means I've lost the game." The golden detailing of the floor shines up into his face and the weight of loss sinks into him as he stares at the destroyed remnants of his vault door.
The SWAT van, as it pulls out and away from the casino, is largely ignored by Hinata and his security. But the driver takes his mask off and it's Tetsurou, grinning and laughing. Yaku and Yamamoto take their masks off, as well, and the three of them stare down at the big, black bags of money sitting at their feet, completely unnoticed by anyone as they walked right out of the front doors with them.
"Psst, Bokuto," You whisper as you shimmy through the vent and Bokuto perks up at the noise, climbing up onto the table to remove the grate and help you down from the vent before carefully putting everything back into place.
"Everything's going well?" He asks, his voice a bit tight with worry. You flash him a solid smile.
"Everything's going perfectly," you say easily. He sighs and lets his shoulders drop as you sit up on the table. "Ok," you say, tapping your cheek expectantly. "Land a few solid ones… make it believable."
"I…" Bokuto starts quietly. "I don't want to hit you."
"You gotta, Bo," you say breezily. "Come on, I'll give you a few million for it."
Hinata sweeps out through the blown doorway, nearly running to reach the elevator and leave the vault area. The night that you'd come to see Kenma keeps replaying over and over in his mind and he's certain - he's certain that this was you.
But when he finds himself outside of the interrogation room, he can hear the noises of the bruiser that he'd hired roughing you up.  When he swings the door open, Bokuto has you by the collar of your shirt and a bruise is blooming over your cheek. 
"Put them down and go wait outside." Hinata's voice is sharp and icy and Bokuto drops you, leaving the room swiftly without looking back at all. You groan a bit and sit up on the table, eyeing Hinata.
"Was this you?" He asks, his voice wavering with barely levelled rage.
"Was what me?" You say tiredly, feigning innocence. He steps closer, his eyes flitting over you as if he'll find some sort of secret hidden on you somewhere.
"Did you do this?" He asks firmly. You shrug.
"I haven't done anything tonight… yet," your joking quip has Hinata scowling, but he steps aside and gestures to the door.
"Get out of here, then," he says shortly, and you rise to a stand slowly, ambling your way out and into the hallway.
In his hotel suite, Kenma's still pacing and chewing his nails nervously, the golden glow of the setting sun shimmering over his yellowed hair as the phone rings. It's the hotel suite phone, he realizes abruptly, and he stares at it for a moment before picking it up and bringing it to his ear.
"Turn the TV on to channel 3," the voice on the other line says.
"Lev -"
"You're not supposed to know it's me. Just… turn the TV on." The call drops after that and Kenma stares at the phone in his hand for a moment before he turns on the television, flipping to channel 3 with dread coiling in the pit of his stomach. 
It's… the casino's security footage on the screen, one of the endless, winding hallways of the staff area showing as you walk down it, nursing a split lip and a bruised cheek.
"Hey, just one question, Hinata," Kenma watches you ask - he watches as his partner tips his head back and sighs and stares at you with burning, hungry eyes. "If you could choose… if you could either get your money back or keep Kenma… what would it be?" Kenma feels his breath catch in his lungs at the way Hinata scowls at you.
"The money," he says immediately. "I want to win my money… I'm not here to win people." Kenma actually steps back at that, stumbles and sits on the plush, golden-hued sofa of the hotel suite. He watches as you press your lips together at Hinata's words and shake your head. 
"That's a shame," he listens to you say, "because I don't have your money. Looks like we both  lost tonight." Kenma switches off the TV at that, nausea rolling through his stomach as Hinata's words ring through him again and again and again.
The last light of the day's sun dips below the horizon and the city begins to come alive, teaming with the neon lights of the casinos and the billboards and the games and Kenma… well, Kenma's never felt quite so far from home. He's never felt, so acutely, like he's somewhere where he doesn't belong, and he feels a desperation tearing at him.
He thinks of your face on the TV, tired and worn and missing him and he stumbles to a stand, nearly tearing his hair out with the way he runs his fingers through it anxiously as he thinks of you and Tetsurou and you and Tetsurou and you. 
  He rips out of the hotel suite, slamming the door behind him as he tears through the hallways and down toward the main floor, nearly slamming into Hinata when he catches up to him. Hinata shoots his hands out to steady Kenma, his brows furrowing in concern, but Kenma's looking past him, his eyes trained on your retreating figure disappearing through the casino doors. 
"Kenma, what -" Hinata begins, but Kenma's sharp, hurt gaze falling onto him makes him clamp his mouth shut.
"You, of all people, Hinata," Kenma begins, his voice hard and firm, "should know when you've lost the game." That's all it takes for Hinata's grip on his arms to loosen enough for Kenma to shake him off, all but running out towards the front doors of the casino and after you. 
"Wait!" Kenma's voice catches as he breaks out into a run just outside of the casino doors, watching two police officers cuff you beside their car. "Wait! That's my - that's my partner, just wait." You stumble for a moment at his voice before whipping your head around to stare at him as you're led to the back of the cop car, the door slamming closed behind you.
Kenma stands, breathless and desperate on the sidewalk, as he watches the lights of the police car disappear into traffic. There's a panicked stuttering in his heart as he considers that this is the second time this has happened - this is the second time that he's watched his home disappear in front of his eyes, leaving him alone and reeling and with nothing other than the endless sky to guide him.
"It's just for violating parol," Tetsurou's voice has Kenma spinning around and he sees the man standing, leaning against a fence with his hands shoved into the pockets of his suit.
"Tetsurou?" Kenma says weakly. Tetsurou just smiles in that comforting, sturdy way of his and stands fully so that he can walk to his partner. Kenma, in turn, walks to him as if he can't help it, as if he's being tugged by some invisible red thread that bonds the three of you together.
"It's just for violating parol," Tetsurou says again, smoothing a comforting hand over the back of Kenma's head, taming the hair that's begun to tangle from him nervously running his hands through it. "They'll be out in… three months, probably."
"I'll wait," Kenma says quickly, staring down the endless, sprawling road that the police car had disappeared down. "I'll wait for them this time." Tetsurou hums with a comforting sort of understanding and wraps an arm around Kenma's shoulders.
"I know you will," he says softly, and Kenma looks up at him with teary, pained eyes.
"It'll be different this time, won't it?" He asks quietly, his voice wavering. Tetsurou looks out towards the vast city and the endless road and huffs out a breath.
"I guess this is all how it started, isn't it?" He muses. "What, with them disappearing and the two of us having to try to pick up the pieces? "
"Tetsurou," Kenam says earnestly, and Tetsurou stoops down to press a gentle kiss to the crown of his head.
"It'll be different this time," he assures. "It'll be different."
You hope, sort of desperately, that it really is different this time when you're released once again, three months from that night. Sure enough, it's Kenma who's leaning against the prison gates when you walk out, his hands stuffed in his pockets and his hair pulled back.
You cock your head to the side as you walk up to him, angling your gaze around him to spot Tetsurou asleep in the backseat of the car.
"Just checking," you say as you shrug, turning to face Kenma again. He snorts, rolling his eyes and tugging you by your collar to pull you in enough that he can press a hard kiss to your lips. You make a small, startled sort of noise, but reach to tangle your hands in his hair, nonetheless, as he palms at you and presses you against the prison fence.
A car honking abruptly pulls the two of you away from each other and you look out toward the parking lot to see Tetsurou awake, leaning over into the front seat to lay on the horn as he scowls at you. You laugh, a loud and honest thing and tangle Kenma's fingers with your own as you pull him to the car. 
"Come on," you say easily as he grumbles under his breath, a blush spreading up his cheeks as the two of you slide into the car, him taking the passenger seat while you sprawl out in the back, Tetsurou having climbed over the center console to take the driver's seat. 
"So," he asks, starting the engine and looking at you through the rearview mirror. "Where to?"
"Well," you drawl, sitting up and leaning forward between the two front seats to press matching kisses to their cheeks. "We can go anywhere we want these days."
Tetsurou laughs and pulls out of the parking lot, travelling down endless, winding roads as the sun shines overhead, bathing the three of you in a vast, golden glow.
"You know what I've been thinking," you snap your fingers, causing Kenma to raise a brow suspiciously as he glances back toward you. "We've gotta get Lev in on more jobs… he wasn't bad out there, I think he's got real potential." Tetsurou blows a large breath out and laughs, rolling his eyes fondly.
"Do you think maybe we could make it fully off of prison property before you start planning the next job?" He quips long sufferingly, grinning while he speaks in a way that gives him away. 
"What?" You say defensively, your own smile giving away your happiness. "I'm free, I'm headed home, and I'm with you two. Can't I dream a little?"
"You don't have a home," Tetsurou points out good-naturedly. "You lost that when you went to prison for three years." 
"I think," you begin, only half-jokingly now, "that home is right here with you two… right?" The two of them soften at that and Kenma leans back to press a kiss sweetly to your lips - something that you lean forward for until Tetsurou puts a hand on your head and lovingly shoves you back into the backseat. "If you don't put your seatbelt on, we might never find out how true that is, okay?" He says patiently, and you laugh at his concern but settle in and buckle your seatbelt anyway. The three of you sit in silence for a moment, letting the road disappear underneath the car and stretch on ahead of you and behind you as you feel, for the first time in so, so long, like you're moving forward in this life that you three share. 
"You're quiet," you say finally, nudging Kenma with your hand. He looks out the window pointedly.
"We're all quiet," he says distantly.
"Hm, no," you go on. "You're different quiet."
"What's up?" Tetsurou joins in, tapping Kenma gently on the thigh as he sighs and shifts in his seat.
"I just think," he begins slowly, "that we shouldn't… give Lev more credit than he's due."
"What do you mean?" You ask, frowning slightly.
"Just that…" Kenma trails off, chewing his lip in contemplation for a moment before he continues. "It's just that… there may have been some times when he got a little… stuck. And maybe, perhaps, there was someone… helping him out a little. Just, you know, nudging him in the right direction… smoothing out some problems for him." 
Silence blankets the three of you for some time after that, Tetsurou staring out toward the winding road as you, in turn, stare at Kenma, both of you wearing matching looks of shock with your mouths hanging open.
"Oh my god," you say eventually, tipping your head back to laugh as you lean back across the backseat. "Oh my god, we - you were helping us the whole time?"
"Well," Kenma says slowly, "not the whole time, but… I mean, for some of it… I guess. Just a little."
"Holy shit," Tetsurou says in a dumbfounded sort of way, still staring out towards the endless strip of asphalt. "Kenma, you… Baby, you won the game. You beat all of us."
"No!" Kenma says abruptly. "I didn't beat you - I was on your side!"
"Yea," you laugh, "but you still played us. You beat everyone." Kenma just blushes, grumbling about how it's really not a big deal and this is what he gets for helping people out as he crosses his arms and slides lower into his seat. 
"Still," Tetsurou says as you giggle, "you're right - we should bring Lev in on more… the other two, too."
"Speaking of…" you say, clapping Kenma on the shoulder comfortingly. "$150 million split six ways instead of five is still pretty fucking good. Besides… there's always the next job."
"Is this really what home is to us now?" Kenma asks quietly, but there's a brightness in his eyes, a glow hazing the air around him as the sun streams into the car, golden and bright and warm. 
"I think it always has been, right?" You respond softly. "It just… takes us a long time to find our way home sometimes."
"Yea," Kenma sighs, looking to Tetsurou and then to you. "I guess it does."
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larluce · 7 months ago
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Merlin as Arthur's familiar/Arthur's shapeshifter falcon AU
@dsabian , @theplatanitosqueal , @stressed-but-chill , @gregre369 , @chaosofbelievers , @thelordofabsolutelynothing , @another-tblr-fangirl , @aceauthorcatqueen , tagging you since you liked the other parts ^^
LINK TO THE OTHER PARTS: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 (You're here) , PART 7
In Arthur's chambers.
Arthur: (sleeping peacefully)😴
Merlin: (flies above him, chirping and picking at him)
Arthur: (still half-asleep) Hmmm... Merlin, not now (covers himself with the blanket to go back to sleep)
Merlin: (changes to human form and falls on Arthur)
Arthur: (out of breath for a moment and shouts) What the-Merlin! 😠
Merlin: (very excited, jumping in Arthur's lap) It's happening! It's finally hapenning! 😄
Arthur: What is happening? (looks the sun isn't even up through the window) And so early? (rubs his eyes)
Merlin: The eggs! They're hatching! (gets off Arthur and runs to the window where the nest is)
Arthur: (getp up, drowsiness finally gone) What? Really? (runs to the nest too)
Merlin: (points at one egg) Look!
Chick 1: (gets out of his shell all damp with lots of bare, pink skin exposed)
Merlin: ...
Arthur: ...
Merlin: He... he is...
Arthur: Ugly?
Merlin: Was I like this when I was a chick?
Arthur: You are a magical entity, Merlin, you were never a chick.
Merlin: Oh, thank the gods!
Chick 2: (gets out of her shell)
Merlin: (smiles) Oh, this one is a female!😊
Arthur: How can you know so soon?
Merlin: Magical entity.
Arthur: Right. (waits a moment, but nothing happens) How long until the others hatch?
Merlin: It could take the entire day. (holds the eggs and the chicks carefully and puts them in Arthur's hands)
Arthur: (scared as fuck as he holds them) WOW! Wait! What are you doing?! 😨😱
Merlin: You have to keep them warm.
Arthur: (whisper yelling) I can't incubate them! I'm gonna crush them!
Merlin: You don't have to sit on them just hold them close to your body to keep them warm. Meanwhile (stretches his limbs and cracks his knuckles and neck) I'll stretch my wings for a bit. 😊
Arthur: You're leaving me with these little merlins just so you can take a fly?! 😠
Merlin: (suddenly serious) Yes, Arthur, I've been incubating them for a whole month without a single break and now I want to fly for a couple of hours. Is that too much to ask?
Arthur: ...
Merlin: (raises his voice) I said is that too much to ask?
Arthur: No, no, no, not at all. Go ahead.
Merlin: Awww, thank you 😄. I'll be back soon. (changes to bird form and flies away)
Arthur: ...
Arthur: (to the two chicks and the 3 eggs, holding them closely) Your mom is very scary, boys.
Chick 2: (chirps a little)
Arthur: And girl. Right, you're a girl. (walks to the bed very slowly, sits and yawns) There you go. Now I have to stay awake (yawns) until Merlin comes back.
3 hours later. Arthur is asleep again, the chicks and the eggs close to his bare chest.
Chick 1 and 2: (chirp loudly)
Arthur: (half asleep) Shut up, Merlin (about to move, but suddenly remembers) The chicks! (completely awake now, but doesn't dare to move and looks down fearfully, thinking) Please be alive, please be alive.
Chick 3: (comes out of his shell)
Arthur: (sighs in relief and smiles) Only two more left. (holds carefully the chicks and the eggs with his hands and sits slowly) Oh, you're fluffy now. (taps chick 1 and 2 on the head whose plumage now is white and downy) You're still ugly though. (Looks at the eggs closely, worried) Please tell me you made those cracks.
Merlin: (appears and lands on the nest holding a death bird with his beak)
Arthur: Oh, thank the gods you're back! (walks to him and puts the eggs and chicks back to the nest carefully) And you brought food.
Merlin: (sits on the eggs to keep incubating them and starts feeding the chicks)
Arthur: If you needed food you could've just told me. I would've sent my hunters for food.
Merlin: (chirps)
Arthur: But then I wouldn't let you take a fly. Very smart. (Yawns and looks through the window) Servants are going to bring my breakfast soon. You better use that invisible spell of yours before they do (yawns and goes back to bed)
3 days later, all five chicks are now out of their shell and are bigger. To Arthur, they look like fluffy little white balls with very angry faces. He takes turns with Merlin to keep them warm and to hunt for food. Today it was Arthur's turn to feed them while Merlin stretched his wings a bit.
Arthur: (scolds while he feeds the chicks raw meat using a tweezer) No! Don't steal your brother's food! Bad, bad! 😠 (someone knocks his chambers' doors and he hides the nest behind him quickly and demands) Who is it?
Morgana: (from outside) Morgana.
Arthur: (sighs relieved and relaxes) Come in.
Morgana: (enters, singing happily) Where are my favourite nephews! 🤗
Arthur: (blushes) They are not your...! or mine... I'm just helping Merlin look after them.
Morgana: (Looks at the tweezer in Arthur's hand) Is that Gaius' medical tweezer?
Arthur: They wouldn't stop pecking my fingers. Like this they won't take my fingers off when I feed them.
Morgana: (takes the tweezer) Let me help. (Starts feeding the chicks)
Arthur: Oh, not to 1. He already ate a lot.
Morgana: (confused) 1?
Arthur: Yeah, the one with a number 1 in his head.
Morgana: ...
Arthur: You know, because he came out of his shell first. And this one is 2 because she came out se-
Morgana: You named your children after numbers and put numbers on their heads with ink?! 😡
Arthur: They are not my children! 😠. They are not even 'children'! And how else was I supposed to identify them?!
Chicks: (chirp louder)
Morgana: Now you made them cry.
Arthur: They are crying because you are not feeding them. (Takes the tweezer and continues feeding them)
Morgana: I can't believe Merlin let you name them like that.
Arthur: He didn't want to name them at all.
Morgana: (Confused) What?
Arthur: He doesn't want to get too attached to them since they're gonna leave as soon as they learn how to fly. (Sighs, feeling guilty) And I guess he's afraid of getting attached again to any merlin since...
Morgana: Since you killed Claws?
Arthur: (looks at the window, frantic, and then back to Morgana) Shut up! Merlin could be back at any moment!
Morgana: Didn't it occurred to you that maybe Merlin doesn't want to get attached to them because he knows you don't want to get attached to them?
Arthur: What?
Morgana: He adopted those chicks, Arthur. For you they may be just birds but for Merlin they are more than that. How do you think a single parent feels when their current partner doesn't accept their children?
Arthur: I... didn't think of it that way.
Morgana: So you realize that if you want to be with Merlin you'll have to be their parent too, right?
Arthur: I guess... (looks at the chicks) Fuck.
Morgana: You despise the idea that much?
Arthur: Is not that. It's just... I'm barely 18! I didn't expect to be a father so soon. And I expected my children to be, you know, human.
Morgana: You also expected your one true love to be a beautiful princess and here we are. (sighs) So? Do you still want to be with Merlin?
Arthur: ...
Time skip. Merlin with Arthur in his chamabers.
Merlin: (in his human form, after trying a spell on the nest) I did it! (jumps happily)
Arthur: (gets closer, curious) What did you do?
Merlin: Oh, I improved the invisible spell on the nest, now no one who isn't us or Morgana can see the chicks while they are there.
Arthur: That's great!
Merlin: Yeah, I don't have to make the spell constantly anymore and you won't get caught by your father. They are even save from other raptors now. It took me a while to get it right. (his smile gets sad)
Arthur: (concerned) What is it?
Merlin: Nothing, it's just... They... they don't need incubation anymore, but I... I still want to embrace them. But I can't, there's no need anymore.
Arthur: Merlin-
Merlin: (his eyes tearing) I know I'm not supposed to love them, I'm not really his dad or anything. I'm not even a real falcon.
Arthur: Merlin-
Merlin: And I know you didn't want them here in the first place, but-
Arthur: (shouts) Merlin!
Merlin: (startles)
Arthur: (extends his hand to Merlin and says softly, smiling) Would you dance with me?
Merlin: (blushes, confused) Wha... what? 😳
Arthur: Would you give me the honor to share a flying dance with me?
Merlin: I... (still very red and confused) but you... you don't have-
Arthur: Humans can also dance, you know? It's true I have no wings, but I can make you fly if you let me.
Merlin: (smiles widely, eyes watering) I'd love to.
And they dance. Arthur discovers that, while Merlin is very agil with his bird wings, he's very clumsy with his human legs, but he lets himself be guided by Arthur all the time. There are stomps, there are laughs, but they soon find a comfortable pace and Merlin ends up with his arms around Arthur's neck, and Arthur with his hands on Merlin's hips, dancing slowly at the rhythm of the music of their hearts.
Merlin: (still dancing with Arthur, confused) Are we supposed to mate now?
Arthur: (laughs softly) There's no rush for that. But I want you to be my partner. My mate if you want to call it that way. I love you, Merlin, and I want to be with you and have a family with you.
Merlin: Oh... (gets a little sad) But we're both male, we can't... (opens his eyes wide) Or can we? 😲
Arthur: No, two males can't.. procreate, but we don't need to worry about that. (Points at the nest with his head) We already have a family together.
Merlin: (Gets so happy he might cry and kisses Arthur on the lips in a fit of joy)
Arthur: (In shock for a moment, but soon kisses back and they kiss for a long time)
Merlin: (separates the kiss, but keeps their faces close, catching his breath) Did I... Did I do it correctly? I saw some humans do that with their mates.
Arthur: (smiles wide) You did it wonderfully.
Merlin: Arthur?
Arthur: Yeah?
Merlin: I think I love you romantically.
...
Just so you know, this is how the chicks look:
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comicaurora · 1 year ago
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Out of curiosity, how far ahead are you on the comic? I mean, you must have it all planned and written out, but I imagine that you are drawing the future of Aurora even while we're reading it.
So is Arc 2 already illustrated and ready for upload while you're on like Arc 5 or something? I'm by no means undermining your need for a break; I'm shocked that you've been uploading continuously for over 4 years at this point. I'm just interested to know how long it takes a person to make something this great. And also if you change any details in the final edit?
Basically: what's the workflow like?
Also I think you low-key inspired me to pick up painting as a hobby. I'm ready to pour so much money into creating things that I know I'll hate. :)
God, arc 5? That's a very generous assessment of how fast I can draw!
Typically, when the comic is updating regularly, I keep a buffer of 10 to 20 completed pages. Right now, in the interest of taking a break, the buffer is 0 completed pages.
Chapter 1 of Arc 2 is completely storyboarded, meaning it's sketched out, the dialog is all mostly finalized barring last-minute rephrasements, etc. It can be read in its current form, it just looks unpretty. In fact, just for fun, here's a sneak peek!
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In the next month I'll go through and finalize as many pages from this chapter as possible - which means locking down the panel borders, fleshing out the backgrounds, lining, shading, coloring, polish, etc. - which will be the process of building up a new buffer for when the comic starts back up again in January. During that time, I'll also be storyboarding Chapter 2 and as much of the following parts as I can manage.
I have the next several chapters and sub-arcs planned out in loose timelines - event A happens at location B leading to consequences C and D, stuff like that. Chapter 2, being the closest, is a little more fleshed-out, with a more detailed bullet-pointed timeline and various character ideas I've had that might or might not make it into the final version.
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What exactly the chapter breakdown is going to look like is a little more complicated. Initially I'd planned for Chapter 1 to be low-stakes downtime and Chapter 2 to quickly kick off the high-octane adventure again, but when I started bullet-pointing out the stuff I wanted to do in Chapter 2, I ended up with a big pile of slower-paced character moments I thought were well worth exploring, so the runtimes might stretch a little.
Translating those brainstormed notes into storyboards and dialog is what I would classify as the "writing" part of this process. It happens at an erratic pace largely determined by the whims of whatever muse decides to get me in a headlock that day; sometimes I go weeks with no storyboarding progress, sometimes I hammer out fifteen pages in one day.
It's kinda like weaving, to me. The soon-to-be-arriving parts of the story are the most finalized, the most densely woven. A little ways beyond that, things get looser - some patterns may be locked down, but the actual work that'll hold it together hasn't been done yet. And in the far-flung future arcs, it's just the basic bones of the story and a pile of the threads I've planned to use. I know the shape of it, but in order for it to be fun and engaging for me to make it, I need to give myself room to be creative when I'm putting the whole thing together.
I actually have a file called the "Toolbox" that contains every random character or subplot idea I've had, and sometimes when I'm debating where to go with a chunk of story, I'll crack it open and scan through to see if anything jumps out begging to be used. Lotta fun stuff in there that may or may not ever see the light of day. Dropping stuff in the Toolbox is one of the most fun and freeing parts of the process for me!
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charmedreincarnation · 7 months ago
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Heyy, I'm new on tumblr, even though I've been reading void blogs and success stories from chrome over the past few months but this is my first time actually getting tumblr. I've asked this to other bloggers but nobody seemed to reply, maybe they're on break but I don't really know since I'm new here. So I tried the secret subject sleep trigger and after it was over I woke up (as the person in the hypnosis directed me to) and laid on my bed absolutely motionless for about 15 minutes, my legs got sore since they were suspended from from the bed (the bed is a bit small) so I folded my legs while keeping my position same, then I remembered that I saw in a video about astral projection that you can visualize you have a rope hanging above you and feel that you're holding onto that rope and pulling yourself, so I did and it felt like I was actually pulling myself up and finally it felt like my legs were pulled up and once it happened, the thing I experienced after this was mind blowing, I WAS BLOWN. My earphones were still attached but there was no audio playing (since the sleep trigger hypnosis had already ended and my internet wasn't on) but I heard music for a very short while and after that I heard the audio which I previously heard in the mind awake body asleep binarual beats audio by phase evolution and some high pitched sounds occasionally, even tho anything wasn't playing. It felt like I was aggressively being pulled up and thrown down and my skin was being stretched vigorously and it also felt like my body was being tensed up and then back to normal and while this was happening I affirmed for the void, affirmations like 'I am in the void state rn' 'I always wake up in the void' 'Why do I always wake up in the void' such and such. After a while of this everything started to calm down so I thought I was in the void but as things started to calm down I could again slowly hear the background noises (like my mother talking and trees rustling) and again I was feeling how I felt when I laid motionless previously and then eventually my mother woke me up (even though I wasn't really asleep this whole time). I'm writing this long asf paragraph to ask you what actually happened when I experienced that because I am absolutely clueless, where I went wrong because I eventually couldn't enter the void and how I can improve or what I can do to succeed the next time (I'll be trying again tonight).
(I've asked this to quite a few bloggers but got no reply and I don't know if they're on break or if my question got sent)
Love youu and have a great day ahead 💕
There is a whole range of sleep states that negate out-of-body experiences and beyond, from MABA to the void and experiences in between like SATs, hypnagogia, sleep paralysis, the trance state, and etc. I can't tell you what was happening because I'm not you, and even if it was happening to me, I can't tell if I would know what was happening even if it was happening to me.
For everyone, it's very much a learning experience; there are still things that happen to me where I need to do research because it's very new! My mindset is just to affirm and hope for the best because even if it's not something you're aware of, it doesn't mean it can't help or you failed.
Just assume every new experience is an opportunity opening and just take it even if you don’t know what it is because there are things that happened to me in 2020 that I now realize, "Oh, I almost shifted. Oh, that was the void state. Oh, I was astral projecting," now in 2024. There’s a lot of potential in the the unknown and in the realm of OBEs it will benefit you to just assume the best and affirm lol I promise it will take you far
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oskidontle · 5 months ago
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holy heifer I have so many questions about your hungry smilers au, I love it so much. Do some of the properties or effects last even after the hunt is over (like how Alan gets back/neck pains)? Do the others know of Pim’s mild resistance to The Hunger? When in the hunt are they aiming to eat or just kill the victim? What about the boss? Is he aware of what’s going on? Is it affecting him? Is he ever curious as to why the smiling friends are acting different or does he ignore it? You said Pim is fully aware of what goes down but what about the others? Is it more awareness for some of them and less for others? How do Pim’s claws work? Ohhhh there is just so much to ponder about with your au it’s soooo goooood
OG AU Post for those confused
I'm glad you're enjoying my lil AU so far! You got a lotta questions and I got a lot of answers let's go!
1:
The hunger is a stubborn and impulsive state. It tends to "leak" out when not on a hunt. Particularly if they've gone without eating for awhile. If hungry it can be difficult to keep from showing signs that something is amiss. Subtle stuff out first: twitchiness, trouble focusing, mood swings... But as time goes on it becomes harder to hide: Constant smiling, extreme impulsivity(lashing out), urges to eat being nearly impossible to resist. If they can't keep it together enough to do their job without being noticed they usually stay back at the office while one of the others takes their place for that hunt.
If they are fed though they remain in proper control of themselves but cannot control of they change forms or not. Little bits of their other forms are still a constant though.
Allan, as stated goes through a lot of neck and back pain, his proportions are never quite right. It's very subtle but his neck still stretches instinctively.
Charlie gets pounding headaches and his tounge is still two. If he coughs hard enough he could accidentally spit a couple drops of acid.
Glep still has small fangs when he opens his mouth.
Pim usually gets sore all throughout his chest and back. A physical giveaway is the permanent black splotches that line his back from below the neck to the base of the spine.
2:
Yes they are aware. It almost costs them hunts sometimes. The only reason he can even begin to fight it is because he starves himself of flesh often and it has trained him to resist The Hunger. Granted it's not much but that moment of resistance he can give could mean life or death for the victim.
3:
When on a hunt the overall goal is to feed. Depending on how ravenous The Hunger is that day, they'll eat till satisfied and that's when they regain control or they will be able to regain control long enough to bring the body back for the whole office to share.
4:
Ohohoho see I've thought long and hard about this since the beginning. Excuse me being a little cryptic up ahead here because I think leaving things up for others to theorize is fun.
What I WILL reveal is Mr.Boss knows more than he lets on. In fact he is the reason The Hunger is such a thing. He's not afflicted by it himself but he has his own motives for causing it. As I told one of my friends before metaphorically Mr.Boss is playing chess and the Smiling Friends are just his pawns in a bigger picture.
Now I'll add to the answer with more questions for you to think about. Why have they never been caught by authorities nor even questioned when the killings so clearly all link to the Smiling Friends company. Why does the media never seem to report on these killings? Why are there never any police records kept accurate? (Files mislabeled as perpetrator unknown or missing persons)
5:
Pim has a slightly higher level of awareness as the others. What makes him notable the fact he can use that awareness to, like previously stated, hesitate against The Hungers will somewhat. Either way to all of them it's like looking through foggy glass mentally. It can be a bit hard for them to tell what's going on and they have to make an active effort to clear the brain fog. Sometimes it's easier to let the mental fog do it's thing though, at least they won't have to think about the life they just took.
6:
Pims extra limbs form from a thick substance that oozes out of patches on his back. This substance shapes itself and rematerializes to match his true arms as much as possible. This is highly imperfect though. As you've probably noticed, the extra arms all bend in unusual ways. Too many joints, imperfect joints.
Because of the substance they were made out of they can stretch or rematerialize partially on the fingers. This is the premise for his claws. All that needs to happen is some reorganizing on a molecular level and suddenly those claws are harder than and sharper than a razor. The claws can rematerialize back into normal looking hands as well depending on the nessisary situation. It is of note though his true limbs cannot do any of that.
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heretek-birth · 7 months ago
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Two-Stage Pregnancy (Part 3, Chapter 4)
Part 3, Chapter 3 Part 3, Chapter 5 The Whole Story
That evening:
Sarah is glad to have the "medical chastity belt", even if it does draw some odd looks from any nurses that stop in. True to her word, Kellner comes by regularly to help her take "breaks" and otherwise torment her (not that she doesn't eagerly anticipate it, of course). Sarah can tell she's making progress, can feel her aching, sore lips stretching just a little farther each time when Kellner adjusts the belt, giving her baby just a little more room to come down, letting her feel the burn and stretch as the head forces her open even farther.
"Oh god- Ohhhhhh god- HNNNNNN-" Sarah squats low on the floor, pushing hard as she probes between her legs with one hand. She's sweating and tired after a long day's effort, quietly amazed at just how far she's managed to open up for her baby. "Fuckkkkkk- It burns-" Kelly should be back soon, ready to help put an end to her labor for today. She bears down again, pressing the wide expanse of head against the tight cloth between her legs. It hurts, God it hurts, but she can feel how her clit, stiff and eager, rubs against the fabric whenever she bears down especially hard. "GAAAAAH- Haaaaa- hhhh-" She feels her contraction end as she holds on to her husband's arms, leaning against his body as he helps hold her upright.
Sarah hears the door swing open as she catches her breath. "Hi, Kelly," is all the response she can muster.
"Hi. You okay?" Kellner kneels down next to her.
"Mm-hm." Sarah feels between her legs again. "Fuck, this head is big."
"Ha. You don't say." She takes a moment to slip her gloves on.
"She's been pushing pretty hard." Dave tries to help Sarah to her feet, but she stumbles as she gets halfway there. "Here-," He helps hold her up under one arm, and Kellner takes the other. "I've got you."
"Nnnnn- Fuck- It's too full-" For all her effort, Sarah can't bring herself to bring her thighs anywhere near each other as she feels the head sitting between her legs.
"Yeah, you get like that when the head's really low." Kellner helps support Sarah from the other side while they maneuver her towards the bed. "Can you hop up here for me?"
Sarah does her best to climb on to the bed, struggling every step of the way with her body's urge to fling her thighs apart. "Ohhhhhh, God, that's so big." She settles back onto the bed, pulling her legs as wide as she can get them.
"Mm-hm. Looks like you're stretching really good, though." Kellner is transfixed at the view in front of her, at the sight of Sarah's lower lips, bulging wide and stretched so far around the dark mass of the head. "You've made a lot of progress today. You're doing really, really well with this baby." Kellner can't help but slip a finger alongside the head to 'check her elasticity'. "Here, we can push the head back in now to help with that pressure while we pause your contractions for the night."
"Nnnn- Hang on-" Sarah's belly starts to harden once again, pushing the head just slightly forward against the belt holding it in place. Her eyes flick downwards as a look of discomfort spreads across her face. "Should I-" Sarah shifts uncomfortably, unable to get her hips far enough apart to satisfy her body's urge as the contraction builds.
Kellner is already one step ahead of her, pulling out the stirrups from beneath the foot of the bed. "At this point, you'll really want these if you're in bed."
Sarah is eager to lift her legs into position, to do anything to help with this pressure.
"It's better if you're spread really wide for this, okay?"
Sarah groans in relief as she feels her legs start to spread apart, relieving some of the terrible fullness in her hips. Even when she starts to wince she voices no complaint, desperate for as much room as she can get. She starts to pant as her stomach starts to clamp down in earnest, glad for every bit of distance between her thighs.
"Shhhhh, you're okay." A finger lightly grazes her clit through the stretchy fabric. "Push just like this for me."
It's an awkward, uncomfortable position, but at this point it's far too much for Sarah to even consider holding back. Her body needs this baby out and she does her best to make it happen, pushing with everything she has to make the huge dome of the head bulge even more between her legs. Kellner stares at the beautiful sight in front of her, as the belt lets the head just barely inch forwards as Sarah bears down with all her might.
"Ohhhh, I bet it hurts, doesn't it?"
She manages to nod while she keeps up the effort.
"I'll bet it burns so, so bad."
Sarah nods again while she struggles to force the head down.
"Mmmm, but you like it though, don't you? Being stretched this much? I can feel how eager you are here…" Kellner presses her thumb against Sarah's clit, grinding it against the thinned fabric even more and dragging out a groan as Sarah gives another huge, furious push. "I can tell how hard it's making you work."
Sarah is in no place to deny it, the way her legs shake with effort as she grips the sides of the bed.
"I know you love it." More pressure on her clit, more shaking as she grits her teeth. "Feeling yourself stretch so wide. Feeling your baby held in place while you push and push and push."
Sarah gives one final grunt of effort before she feels her contraction ebb, leaning back against her husband to recover.
"I do have some good news." Some gentle pressure on the head, helping ease it back inside. "I have some more free time now, my shift just ended." Sarah feels the burning in her lips replaced with a dull, throbbing soreness as her baby retreats. "So I can stick around a little longer than usual." Kellner presses the head back until Sarah's lips close over it again. She unfastens the belt and it peels away from Sarah's crotch, leaving strings of sticky wetness behind. "Oh, and-" Kellner starts to adjust the stirrups. "I can take the edge off of these too for now."
"Ohhhhhh, that's better." Sarah visibly relaxes as her legs move into a more comfortable position. "Pretty sore, though."
"Do you want to push with these next couple? Or-"
"Mm-hm. I'll try and be gentle."
"Just let me know when you're ready." Kellner presses a hand between her legs, and Sarah is grateful for the soothing warmth where she's sore.
Sarah closes her eyes and sinks back, feeling Dave's support from behind, their breaths coming in sync as she presses against his chest. Her hand finds his as she waits, letting the tension slowly drain out of her. "Here-" She feels her belly start to harden once again, grunting her way through the pressure as she slowly lets herself give in.
"There you go, that's it." Kellner keeps her hand in place, stopping the head as it tries to gently press it's way outwards. "Nice and relaxed for me." Sarah does her best to give short, soft pushes, each one pressing her baby against the hand between her legs. "There you go. Let that head stay right where it is." She's grateful for the warm pressure on her lips as she breathes her way through one contraction and into the next, keeping her grounded enough to keep her baby from trying to come too hard or too fast. "That's good, that's good. You're doing so good." She feels herself slip for a moment, losing control for just a brief second, pushing hard against Kellner's steady hand. "I've got you. You're okay." She does her best to steady her breaths, to let her child stay inside her for just a little longer, hearing the confident, reassuring voice between her legs encouraging her to just lay back and let the pressure come.
Sarah finally opens her eyes at the end of a third contraction. "Are we done, then?"
"Not if you don't want it to be. You did really good there." Kellner probes at Sarah's lips, stretching with her fingers to see just how much room she has. "Hard pushes with these next ones, okay? I want to see this head come down."
Sarah nods. She can feel her heartbeat getting faster, feel wetness gathering between her legs. "Let's do it."
"Perrrrfect-" Kellner can feel Sarah's clit, ready and eager for the head to stretch her wide. She moans softly as Kellner starts to touch her in earnest. "I'll help you finish here when you're stretched as far as you can, okay? Not until then."
"Mm-hm." Sarah looks almost wide-eyed with anticipation. "Make me stretch, Kelly."
"You'll have to do that yourself. We're just the cheerleaders here. Whenever you're ready-"
"Okay- Okay- Oh, fuck-" Sarah feels her body take over as she curls forward around her belly, groaning with the effort as she feels the head coming forward, spreading her lips apart once again. There's no question of holding back as the dark patch spreads wider and wider between her legs, feeling a burn start to grow as her baby opens her up more and more.
"Come on, Sarah, give me that head."
She bears down again, feeling Kellner's hands pressing gently around her opening as she feels herself stretching even more. She feels her touch, soft and insistent on her clit, urging her to bear down hard as fingers trace along her spreading lips. The more the head comes, the more pressure she feels, the more she can't help but bear down with everything she has into the burning, stretching pain between her legs. By the time Sarah lets go of her push, she's crying out with the effort, giving everything she has to the struggle to force her baby out right now.
"Whoa- Hold on a little-" Kellner presses back on the head as she watches Sarah's lips stretch wider and wider. "This head's coming real fast."
"Nnnn- Haaaaa- God, its so low-" Sarah shifts her hips as she struggles with the pressure, feeling every bit of her baby's enormous size. "Kelly, please-"
"Yeah, here, I've got you." Kellner moves to adjust the stirrups wider before she stops herself. "Hang on-" She looks down between Sarah's legs. "Actually- Trust me on this, please?" Kellner reaches beneath the table, for a set of straps to attach her legs to the stirrups.
Sarah shrugs cautiously as Kellner starts to fix her legs in place with a slightly worrying level of skill. "Okay, I guess. Kelly, what're you- Nnnnnnnh- doing?" Sarah starts to struggle as she feels her legs being pulled, not farther apart, but closer together. "Kelly- Too close! AAAAH-"
"It makes that pressure so much worse, doesn't it?" Kellner luxuriates in the sight of Sarah struggling while she's strapped in tight. "Makes you want to push so much more, right?" Sarah breathes deep to try to work through the overwhelming fullness. "Well, go right ahead with this next one."
Sarah lets out a groan as her thighs move just a little closer together.
"Don't worry, you still have plenty of room." More panting, struggling just a little against the restraints. "You said you wanted to stretch, didn't you? To push as hard as you can? Well, here's your chance." Even now, the pressure on her clit makes Sarah's breath hitch. "I want to see just how hard you can push, just how far you can stretch for this head."
"NNNNN- It's- Coming-"
"Alright. Don't hold back. I've got the head down here, just do what your body needs you to do."
"GAAAAAAA- FUUUUU-" Sarah gives in to the unbearable pressure, feels herself start to shake with the effort as she forces her baby farther and farther downward, feeling the burn get worse and worse as the head pushes into Kellner's cupped hands. She pushes right into the pain, right into where it hurts the worst, stretching wide just like every fantasy she's had for the last few months.
"Perrrrrfect, that's perfect, Sarah." Kellner stares, mouth watering a little, as Sarah's lips spread open wider and wider. "Giving you just a little counterpressure now, you're doing so, so good."
It never seems to end as Sarah feels herself pried open even farther, as that hard, impossible mass that she's spent the last three months holding inside her is coming out, stretching her beyond anything she could have imagined, as she gives in totally to the pressure between her hips. She lets out a moan as she feels fingers on her clit, stiff and ready, and the burning between her legs starts to take on a new dimension. It still hurts, of course, it hurts like hell, but Kellner's fingers rub her exactly where and how she needs it, giving her all the more motivation to shove down even harder on the huge mass in her pelvis, to want to feel the head come even more, to make her burn even more.
"Beautiful, you're stretching so beautifully for me." Kellner keeps a hand cupped over the head while putting friction on Sarah's clit with the other, drawing out groans and whines as Sarah takes a breath. "One more, give me one more, okay?"
Sarah tucks in her chin and bears down again, gripping her husband's hand as tight as she can as she struggles not to scream, to put every bit of that energy into Kellner's waiting palm. She can't stop now - it's almost electric, pain and pressure and need as she forces herself wider and wider against the guiding hand slowing her down, stuck struggling to force the head against the burning ring between her legs. Her belly starts to release, and the pressure abates just a little. Sarah falls back onto the bed, panting for air as she stares upwards, her unfocused eyes pointed at the ceiling.
"There you go…" Her husband's hand cups the side of her face and his voice floats from above. "You're doing good. I'm-"
"Sarah-" Kellner cuts in from the end of the bed. "I know you're tired, but, can you push again for me? Just a soft one to keep the head where it is."
"Mmmm- 'Kay-" Sarah's lips had just started to close over the head, but she holds it in place. "Nnnnh- Hnnnn-" She does her best to keep up her breathing while she gives light, grunting pushes- she'll need every bit of that breath for the next contraction.
"That's good, that's a good girl." Kellner watches her twitch just a little as she rubs her fingers along her clit. "I love seeing you enjoy this."
"Haaaa- You won't-" She gasps for a breath- "Let me cum yet?"
"No, not yet. Next one should be soon though, right?"
"Mm-hm. It's-" Sarah grits her teeth and starts to bear down again, feeling the head start to move forward as the burning between her legs flares up even more, making her let out a groan as she struggles with the sheer size of the child she's trying to stretch herself open for. She tries to focus on Kellner's fingers rubbing her clit and tracing gently along her lips, on how she wants to feel that touch even more, how she wants to stretch open even wider for her.
"I've got you. Just push, I've got you."
There's nothing she can do but push, to bear down with everything she has, to let herself scream as her baby opens her up more and more. She feels hands guiding the head out of her with agonizing slowness, putting pressure back on the head as she pries herself open, as the friction on her clit makes her want it to burn more even as it already burns worse than she could ever imagine. She feels reassuring solidness behind her and gentle care in front of her as she struggles desperately to have her baby, as she gives everything she has to try to give birth in that very moment. Firm counterpressure lets the head just barely inch forward, and the friction on her clit lets her just about hold it together as the stretching between her legs ratchets up again and again and again.
"I know, I know. Slow, let it come slow, okay?"
Sarah lets go for just a moment before she lets herself give in to the overwhelming pressure once again, pushing with all her might, fighting against the hand pressed over the head, but she feels herself open up with the same awful, grinding slowness as before. A part of her wants to just get this over with, to force her lips apart all at once and get her baby out with a single, brilliant flash of pain, but she knows her Kelly won't let her hurt herself like that. Instead, all she can do is bear down as long and hard as she can, feel herself stretch more and more around every bit of the head she's spent the last year creating. She can hear herself scream as she clutches at her husband for support, moaning inwardly as the grinding pressure on her clit helps turn the terrible burning pain into something she can almost handle, as she feels pleasure start to build even while she cries out again and again.
"Ohhhhh, Sarah, the head is so far right now. You're stretching so much, it's incredible. Just incredible…" Kellner watches her belly soften as she whispers soothing words. "Okay, give me soft pushes now, just like before."
Sarah nods, and Kellner can watch her belly tighten a little again even as she tries to breathe deep.
"There you go, there you go." Kellner looks down between her legs, at the huge, dark mass bulging out of her, considers for a moment, and makes her decision. "Okay, Sarah, the head is really far down right now. You're doing just incredible. You could-" She pauses for a moment. "If you worked really hard, and we took this slow, you could crown with the next contraction."
Sarah's eyes bulge outward, incredulous and more than a little nervous.
"I know, it's- You could do it. I know you could. You could stretch that far."
"I- Hhhh- If- NNNnnnh- But- HAAAAAA-" Kellner works her thumb on Sarah's clit each time she tries to raise an objection. Finally, she gives in and agrees as she feels pressure start to build again.
"You've got her?"
Dave nods as he takes hold of both of Sarah's hands, gripping her tightly as he holds her up from behind.
"Okay, Sarah-" The two lock eyes for a moment. "Push for me."
Sarah holds her gaze for a moment longer before she curls her head forward and bears down, crying out as she feels herself stretch farther and farther, feeling her baby force her open inch by inch against the steady, insistent pressure of Kellner's palm. She struggles to get the head to move, screaming her way through one endless, desperate push. She can feel the overwhelming urge, the awful fullness in her hips begging her to get her baby out, to force the head down with everything she has, through the terrible, burning ring between her legs, to bear down and make that pain worse and worse and worse, whatever it takes to get this head out of her. She can feel counterpressure slowing her to a crawl, holding her baby inside despite every bit of her desperate, frantic effort. Even so, all she can do is push, all she can do is clench her teeth and grip the bed and give everything she has to bearing down, all she can do is gasp and pant and twitch at the friction on her clit, at the pressure right where she's most sensitive, dragging her closer and closer to the edge together with the blazing, endless stretching in her lower lips, with the feeling of her baby almost totally stuck.
"Good girl, good girl-" Kellner drags another moan out of Sarah, running her fingers across her clit to help her through the pain. "Open you up niiiice and slow, that's the way."
This is what she's dreamed of for the last few months, feverish and anxious as she ground her hand on her clit: to be pried open all the way and held there, bearing down fruitlessly with everything she has, again and again and again. It's so close, her fantasy and her nightmare. All she has to do is just keep pushing. She cries out again. Her face turns red. She clutches at Dave's hand, crying out, desperate for support as she struggles to move the head forward. She feels gentle, steady hands pressing back against her efforts, tracing along her burning lips. She feels the huge mass of the head forcing her open, stretching her more than she could have possibly imagined, making her moan and wince with pain even as the burning fuels a fire inside her, fuels a voice in her head that wants her to feel that burn even more, wants her to stretch wider and wider to her limit and beyond. Fingers grind hard against her clit, making that voice louder and louder, bringing her closer, closer to the edge until all she can think about is pushing, all she can think about is stretching, all she can think about is making that head open her up, as wide as she can go, about are hands holding her there, keeping her from giving birth just to make that stretch last forever.
"Scream it! Scream that baby out!"
She needs it, needs it more than anything as she forces her baby downwards. She screams again and again, curled forwards and desperate, shaking with the inhuman effort. Her lips part even more, hands pull back just slightly, and she's stretching- stretching more and more as she lets out a primal roar, as she bears down with strength she didn't know she had, as-
"You're crowning! Oh my God, Sarah, you're crowning!"
She doesn't stop. She can't stop. She bears down with all her might and feels the head stop in its tracks, feels the ring of fire, the inferno between her legs that she's longed for and dreaded. Fingers drag on her clit, pressing hard, forcing her towards pleasure more and more while she screams again, forcing her to, then past, then far, far off the edge. She screams again as she cums, crowning hard and bearing down beyond all reason, stretched open around the full width of her baby's long-overdue head as she struggles and gasps and forces the head against firm, unyielding hands. She pushes with huge, shaking force against the barrier, trapped there in agony and rapture as her baby stays lodged halfway out of her, stuck right on the cusp of being born, keeping her unbearably stretched, burning, held open so unbelievably wide. It feels endless, cumming around her baby's crowning head, pushing like mad and screaming her pain and ecstacy for the world to hear.
"Oh, Fuck-" Kellner can't take her eyes off the immense dome of the head wedged between Sarah's lips. "Oh my God- I can't believe I get to do this."
Sarah is on fire. Not just between her legs; her whole body is flushed with exertion and arousal as she shudders and gasps her way through the last of the contraction. Kellner's fingers brush on her clit, helping her work through the aftershocks and ease into the terrible burning in her lips. "Nnnnnnh-" All Sarah can do is take huge, heaving breaths as she fixes her stare at Kellner. "Is it-"
"Yesssss, that's a crown, Sarah." Kellner is visibly flushed at the sight. "All that head you've been feeling, that's sitting between your legs right now."
"Ohhhhhhh God-" Sarah snakes a tentative hand down between her legs. "Oh my God, that's- That's too big-" Sarah has to fight for control, feeling herself stretched open farther than she's ever imagined.
"It's so big. You did so good with this one, Sarah." Kellner rubs her thighs together for a moment. "Next one should be soon. Do you want me to-"
"Hold it. Please." Sarah starts to sit herself up again as she feels pressure building. "I need to feel it stuck-" A shiver runs through her spine as she feels Kellner get her hands back in position. "I need to feel you hold my baby inside-"
"'Course. Whenever you're ready."
Sarah gives in, tentatively at first, then more and more fully as she can tell the head won't go anywhere. The terrible pressure in her hips drives her to bear down hard and she holds nothing back, letting out a moan as she feels the head stay stuck in place, feels it held there, holding her so wide open, stretching her so unbearably, deliciously wide despite all her effort, all her struggle. She feels Kellner rubbing on her clit, giving quick, intense friction, and she feels her pleasure building rapidly. "Hold- Hold it! GAAAAAAH-" She curls forward and bears down with everything she has, crying out again as the fingers between her legs drag her to a shaking, white-knuckled climax, struggling so hard to force her baby out and feeling it held firmly in place, unmoving despite everything she can give.
Sarah only has time for a couple of quick, gasping breaths before she's bearing down again, crying out with effort as she pushes the head against cupped, waiting hands. Every bit of her screams to bear down, to give it her all, to force out that thing prying her open so incredibly far. She does, she gives in completely, and almost cums again just from feeling the head stay right where it is, feeling it force her to stay burning and stretched so, so wide. Skilled fingers drag another whining, shuddering climax out of her while she gives a huge, futile push, then another almost immediately afterwards. She's completely at the mercy of her body, bearing down with all her might, as hard as she can for as long as she can. There's nothing she can do but cry out again and again at the pain and the pleasure and overstimulation, at the sheer perverted joy at holding her baby inside so she can cum more.
She throws her head back as the contraction ends, fighting her way through all the overwhelming sensations as her body calms down, clutched tightly to her husband's arm as she tries to finally take a rest.
"Mmmmh, there you go…" A wicked smile spreads across Kellner's face as she stares down rapturously between Sarah's legs, at the massive head her body has somehow managed to accommodate. She rubs her thumb against Sarah's clit, drawing out another moan and a whimper from across the bed.
"Nnnn- Kelly- That's-"
"Too much?" Kellner repeats the movement, to the same result. "Hmmmm, I'm not so sure." Again. Another yelp.
"Kelly-"
"I can feel your clit here, and I don't think it is." Kellner brings her face in closer. "Even while you're stretched this far, because you're stretched this far, I can tell you're more turned on than ever. And when you push, it gets even worse. I think you can give me a little more, Sarah."
Feeling the pressure starting to build, Sarah turns in desperation to her husband, looking up at him with questioning, needy eyes.
"You'll be okay, don't worry." He takes hold of her arms with his own. "I've got you. Just push when you need to."
She can feel her belly hardening, feel the urge to bear down growing more and more. She's spread open, stretched out, completely vulnerable. She feels a hand pressed firmly against the head, another already starting to work on her clit. She feels her husband's arms, helping hold her in place, and a growing need to do something about the pressure deep in her hips. She knows she has no choice.
"That's it, Sarah. Right against here."
She cries out with the effort as she bears down, and cries out again as she feels intense friction grinding on her most sensitive place. Sarah gives her all to her push and Kellner's touch follows suit, dragging her to orgasm as she struggles to force her baby out. She couldn't let up her effort if she wanted to, and it's not long before she feels fingers pressing on her clit once again, dragging her inexorably closer to the edge. She grits her teeth as she cums once more, her spasming muscles trying and failing to clamp down on the head stuck forcing her lips so wide open.
"Good girl, good girl, now we're getting somewhere." Kellner doesn't let up the pressure as Sarah starts to bear down again. "Let that pretty clit cum again for me, okay?"
Sarah doesn't respond. She can't. She's too busy pushing- hard- as though her life depends on it. She cries out as she feels Kellner pressing against her and rubbing into her in just the wrong way, as she feels herself spasm even more, painfully trying to clench around something far, far too big. Kellner hardly gives her a break before starting again, making Sarah try to squirm away from the overstimulation as she bears down with all her might. She's stretched unbearably wide, burning and screaming with effort, with pain, with way too much pleasure as she cums again, struggling to force the head out of her even as she grimaces at the feeling of her body trying to tighten around it.
"There you go, that's so good. You can give me one more, Sarah, I know you can. One more time, push hard for me."
Sarah takes a deep breath in, then lets it out. She takes another and holds it as she tucks in her chin and pushes her baby down as hard as she can against the hand between her legs. She can feel fingers rubbing, grinding, pressing against her exposed, oversensitive clit, bringing her closer and closer to yet another climax. She knows it'll hurt when she cums, as her muscles try to contract even more while they're forced open so wide, as harsh friction grinds against her just when she gets the most sensitive. It'll hurt a lot, but she tries not to fight it. Kelly wants her to cum, after all, wants to make her wince and shudder and cry out, wants to torture her where she's sensitive the most. So, she does her best to make it happen. To focus on the good parts of the burning ring of agony between her legs, on how she can't get enough of being stretched so far. To focus on pushing and pushing, as hard as she can, right into the place where it hurts the most. To focus on how the head just won't move, no matter how much she struggles to force it out of her. She feels her clit, stiff and eager even as determined, ruthless fingers drag unwilling pleasure out of her, feels it coming closer and closer as she bears down with everything she has. "KELLY- AAAAAAH-" She feels herself shake, feels strong arms pin her to the bed, feels herself forced across the edge, cries out again as she clamps down hard on her baby's crown. And the fingers don't stop. They don't stop- They DON'T-
"Push! Push, Sarah! Push for me!"
Sarah screams, bearing down with force she didn't even know she had as Kellner attacks her mercilessly, as she keeps up that grinding, exacting pressure on her clit even as Sarah feels herself clenching harder than ever, as the head holds her lips burning and stretched to her limit, as she pushes with everything she has into Kellner's waiting palm, as she screams and screams and cums around her baby. Kellner keeps up the attack for a few endless moments, dragging her climax out for what seems like an eternity before the contraction finally starts to ebb and Kellner finally gives her a break.
Sarah slumps back in bed, still shivering a little bit as she comes back to reality. Dave holds her close from behind, whispering into her ear as she presses her head to his chest. Their moment of peace doesn't last long, though, before Sarah winces once again.
"Owwwww-" She reaches a hand between her legs. "That still burns really bad. Can you-"
"Yeah, that's something we need to decide on." Kellner adjusts the stirrups to a more comfortable position. "You could have this baby right now, you're more than ready. But-"
She shakes her head. "Not- Not yet. Can we just…"
"Pick this up tomorrow? Yes, we can. All I have to do is fudge a little bit of paperwork to say you didn't quite get there today." Kellner presses gently back against the head and Sarah moans in relief, totally unbothered by the mild discomfort of the head sliding back in as the burning between her legs start to fade. "Same medication as last night, then you can get some sleep. How does that sound?"
Sarah nods as Kellner releases her legs from the stirrups, sitting up as she massages her stiff muscles.
"And-" Kellner hands her the appropriate medication and a cup of water. "You're sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. I know you're sticking your neck out for me-" She takes a moment to swallow the pills. "So, thank you. For that, and for being here. No one said this was going to be easy, but you make it easier." The words she just said now run through her brain. "No, scratch that. You make this a lot harder, actually." All three of them crack up at that. "But it is better this way, not just a terrifying medical procedure."
Kellner stays just a little longer, making sure Sarah really is okay after all that, before she decides to finally let the her get some sleep.
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hopelesslyromanticgay · 1 year ago
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An Americano, Please? Part 3
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Word count: 1.3K A/N: Just an FYI, I don't usually upload twice a day, I just felt particularly inspired today. As always, italics in quotation marks signify the speaking is using romanian dialect.
Y/N's POV:
I gotta admit. It hurt when Jenna didn't send me a text immediately. It's been two days, and still nothing.
Maybe it was a meaningless banter. Oh well. I guess I just really thought something could come out of it.
"What are you sulking about?" Nessa asks me one day after our shift. 
"I'm not sulking, I'm just a little sad because I didn't get a text from someone," I explain, "It's not like she owed me a text or anything, but I don't have to be ecstatic over the fact that she hasn't done so."
"Oh my god, you're into the American one," Nessa exclaims, "I knew it! I mean, she's gorgeous. Like if I were into girls I would definitely be into her." I take a sip of my cortado (half espresso, half milk) as I listen.
"Well in any case, she's probably not interested."
"Stop sulking, Y/N," Nessa scolds me, "Let's do something fun. Gotta get your mind off of this girl."
Since our shift just ended, and we have a whole afternoon ahead of us, Nessa and I take her car to Predeal, the closest thing to a modern city we have around here.
It's about seven miles, so about twenty minute drive. The town's mostly filled with ski resorts, but there's a few fun places to shop.
A great deal of the afternoon is spent sitting outside a store judging the tourists. 
"Oh my god she's probably saying something stupid like, 'I know it's winter but my husband will love this hawaiian T-shirt I bought in Romania,'" Nessa mimics the normal thought process of the typical tourist.
"This guy's even worse though,"  I stifle a laugh, mocking his actions.
After a thorough mockery of all of the Predeal tourists, we head back to our town, content with our afternoon.
I still haven't stopped thinking about Jenna, though. I wish I could have gotten to know her better. It's so nice to finally have someone I can talk to in English.
All I can do is hope that she comes back to the shop. Even then though, she probably won't want much to do with me.
Nessa drops me off at my apartment, waving goodbye. Almost instantly, I shed my winter coat, relieved by the warmth of the building.
The first thing I do is turn on the TV and open Netflix. A new baking show just dropped, and I'm not the type to turn down new entertainment.
The show turns out to be a combination of baking and engineering. It seems cool, but it's hard to tell from the first episode.
My phone lights up with a bright reminder Remember to feed Cupid!
Sighing, I get up from the couch and grab my fish flakes.
Cupid is my purple betta fish. She's about a year old and as of yet hasn't had too many health issues, which is super lucky for both of us. She's at the point where she recognizes my face. So when I go up to the tank, fish feed in hand, she eagerly swims up to the glass.
"Hey Cupid," I laugh, sprinkling some food into the tank.
After feeding her, I head back to the couch, where I continue watching my cooking show. Before I know it, I'm five episodes in and the sun is starting to set. I look out of the window, trying to gauge the temperature and weather condition.
It's a fairly clear twilight right now. There's a good chance I'll get to see stars tonight. Actually, I've decided I will see stars tonight.
I don my winter coat and make my way down the apartment complex stairs. One of the perks of not living in a huge city is that I can see the night sky beautifully.
One of my favorite places in town is on the outer edges of it. At this point, all of the buildings are housing, be it apartments or actual houses. The long stretches of pavement are perfect for strolling down while admiring the night. 
Not a lot of people choose to come out here late at night, which is honestly their loss. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm super into nature and the great outdoors, but when I am outside, I can find an appreciation for my surroundings.
So that's how I found myself strolling the streets of Bușteni Romania, not looking at the cement in front of me.
BAM! I find myself crashing into another person, almost knocking both of us over.
"Fuck, I am so sorry," I find myself defaulting to english, "I- I mean, I'm so sorry, are you okay?"
"Y/N?" A familiar voice asks.
"Jenna?" It may be dark, but I can just barely see the details of her face. God I hope she's not mad.
"Yep, it's me," I hear her faintly laugh.
"Are you okay? I almost knocked you over."
"I'm okay, just a little rattled."
"Sorry for that again," I apologize, "I should have been watching where I was going." 
"You could make it up to me by walking me to my apartment?" she offers.
"I'd like nothing more," I laugh, linking my arm with hers and we start to walk.
"So, Y/N, tell me about yourself," she starts the conversation.
"Well, my name's Y/N L/N, I work at a coffee shop. I speak English and Romanian, which is useful for when people like you come to the shop."
"I know that stuff," she interrupts me, "what do you like to do outside of work?"
"You know, the normal things, be around the people I care about, watch shows, I read sometimes, listen to music, that kind of stuff. What about you?"
"Well for starters, I'm Jenna Ortega, I also love to read and listen to music," she tells me, "I also like to write though, I have like, twenty scripts and stories sitting in my FinalDraft™ folder."
"Damn, you must really like writing," I respond, "that's pretty awesome."
"I guess so," she shrugs.
"Have you ever considered publishing your work?" I ask.
"Yeah, I actually published a book called It's All Love," she answers proudly.
"That's like, the coolest thing anyone's said to me all day," I tell her.
"I guess I'm just a cool person," she jokes, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, only an arrogant person would say that."
"No, you have reason to say, it. You're a published author, the lead in a TV show, and fun to talk to. Don't discredit your own awesome-ness." 
She laughs, "thanks for saying that."
"Sure thing." 
"So, does your offer to take me around town sometime still stand?" she changes the subject.
"I'm a woman of my word, Jenna, if you still want a tour, you have my number," I remind her, trying to sound kind and cool at the same time. Which is kind of challenging.
"Oh my god, I forgot to text you, didn't I," she gasps, "I'm so so sorry, Y/N. I've just had so much going on." She starts to talk herself into a panic, "I have work for like, eight hours a day, plus cello lessons, plus german and fencing, it's just so much." If I had known how busy she was I never would have felt so hurt. That must be so overwhelming.
"Hey, it's okay, I'm not mad about it." Which is true. 
"That's such a relief," she exhales, "again, I'm so sorry."
"Hey, Jenna, it's okay. How about the next time you have a day off, we get in touch and I take you around town."
"Well, conveniently enough, my next day off is tomorrow, so how about I see you then?" she offers.
"I wouldn't be opposed to that," I smile, doing my best to hide how excited I am for this.
"Well this is my place," she announces, "thank you for walking me home." 
"Anytime," I reply, sad to know the night is ending. She heads through the door to her apartment, leaving me to walk the short five minutes to my apartment alone.
As soon as I get home, I dash to my bedroom, putting on pyjamas and getting ready for bed. I'm tired from the day. At at the same time, I'm so happy I got to see Jenna. I'm so excited that she wants to see me again, maybe tomorrow! I can't wait to get to know her better.
My phone lights up with a text from a new number
                       +1 ***-***-****
Does 11 AM tomorrow work for you?
-Jenna
I smile, quickly texting back 
                               Sure thing, see ya then :)
I can hardly wait.
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piyo13sdoodles · 1 month ago
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day 28, chapter 76:
At the expression on Quintus' face Cliopher could take no more. He started laughing before he made it out of the room, though the loudest whoops came after he'd reached the hallway. He did not get far along, just sank down at the top of the stairs so he could try to muffle his mirth with his hands. ~ "Your family seems somewhat perturbed," Rhodin observed after a few minutes.
and bonus gallery shot + musings under the cut because it's been exactly 4 weeks now:
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fun to see what kinds of patterns intentionally or unintentionally crop up... or also which days i can tell i was busy vs which days i had time or worked in advance to dedicate more time to the piece. if anyone's curious, on average one of these might take me 2-3 hours to complete! more detailed ones like october 23 i think probably took me closer to 5 hours, simpler ones like october 9 maybe 1.5h.
i am both sad and glad it's almost over--i've definitely lost a fair amount of sleep trying to get these done in time (usually i work a day ahead so i can post at a reasonable time, but that hasn't always worked out, especially in the final stretch here), so this pace does become untenable on top of work, but it also is really fun to make so much art! and to always have something to work on rather than becoming trapped into that idea of 'what should i do, too many choices, can't decide..' the answer is always inktober!
in any case, seeing the gallery like this is also interesting to me because it really helps me realize where i could have/should have pushed the ink a bit more--working in ink is (to me; this is definitely not gospel, just how i consider ink work) an exercise in controlling contrast. you don't have colour to drive edges or cool/warm tones, so the only value you have is the light-dark contrast, and in my mind at least, good use of contrast should carry across to a smaller format. for example, zoomed out like this i can see that october 11th really needed more contrast in the feathers--they blend too much into the background in a way that doesn't really work to emphasize that ludvic is standing in front of the candles there. otoh, on october 5, i think that one's fine because what i wanted was for the moon to draw the eye first, and THEN for you to notice HR sitting there.
overall, also, i want to keep these interesting--if the compositions are always the same, then it can become repetitive or boring, so i wanted a good mix of light and dark compositions, and a good balance of tone across all of them. which so far i'm pleased with! and this year i let myself use pencil undersketches and do thumbnail planning and everything (last year i really wanted to get better at visualizing the piece in my head so i set the challenge of just committing straight to paper... i'm still happy with last year's but you can tell i took on much more challenging compositions this year lol)
anyway!! much to think about, so much to learn, i wanted to work a bit in advance again so i won't be putting tomorrow's up almost at midnight again but alas i think it was not meant to be, so i'm off to bed and if you read this whole thing, congrats, have a cookie *hands you a cookie*
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thegainingdesk · 2 years ago
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Beach Body
Chapter 1
"So she does this every single year for her birthday?" I asked. "What if she wants to do something else?"
"It's a tradition!" Natasha insisted. "It's fun. No, really, it is! Oh, look out for a turning on the left."
"I hate these tiny country roads. And what if it rains one year?" I pointed out.
"It's the start of August, it doesn't rain. There it is, can you see?"
"It can rain in August." I wouldn't let go of this. I turned down the track she'd pointed out.
"There's a pub! We all go to the pub in the village and get pissed instead of having a barbecue on the beach, okay? And it's obviously not going to rain today." Natasha was obviously right about that, bright sunshine illuminating the Welsh countryside around us. "Look, I really don't know what you're worried about."
"I just don't know why I was invited. I've only - there's a car ahead, do you reckon they'll get past if I stop here? - I've only been working with you all for a couple of months, I basically only know you and Jackie." Even I had to admit that I was starting to border on whining at this point.
"But we really like you! And this is a great way to get to know people! Sun, food, a few drinks-"
"I'm driving," I pointed out, interrupting her.
"Well it's bad if you can only have fun if you've gotten drunk," Natasha scolded.
"That's not what I said at-"
"Here! Coming up! Do you see the car park on the left?"
I sighed and parked up, greeting Jackie and a large group of her friends, some familiar, some not. We grabbed various bags of food, drinks and blankets out of the car while we waited for the last few people to arrive. I greeted the few people I knew and introduced myself to some others, promptly forgetting half a dozen names.
Armed with a cool bag of meat slung over one shoulder, and a portable barbecue awkwardly tucked into the crook of my elbow, I joined the line of people making their way across the zigzagging tracks over the dunes leading to the beach. The dunes, while beautiful, were difficult to traverse, and the group split up into small parties, each determined that they'd found the easiest route around or over the steep mounds of sand.
"I'm just saying," I said quietly to Natasha after dropping the barbecue for the third time, looking around to check that Jackie wasn't close enough to hear, "that they are easier beaches to have a barbecue at, y'know."
A loud laugh from behind us, and I turned to see a handsome man I hadn't spoken to yet. "It is a really stupid beach, to be fair," he said, a wide smile on his face.
Jackie's voice came faintly from the next dune over. "What was that?"
"I said it's a fucking stupid beach!" the man called back. He caught my eye, and I must have looked taken aback because he explained: "I'm her brother, I'm allowed to tell her that her annual beach birthday's rubbish." I laughed. "Chris," he stretched a hand out.
I could see the family resemblance to Jackie - the same nose, the same dark blonde hair. Chris immediately put me at ease, with a thick blonde beard framing a constant smile, and deep smile lines around his eyes, despite looking like he was in his early thirties. His handsome face and deep voice set a tingle in my swim shorts.
I took his hand and shook it. "Adam. You must have been doing this your whole life then?"
He laughed loudly. "You'd hope so! No, this is actually a tradition she came up with at about twenty."
"Oh! I sort of assumed it was a childhood thing," I replied.
"That's what she wants you to think. I personally think twenty-eight is a little old to insist on being a special little birthday girl" he shouted this last part across the dunes, and a quiet "fuck off Chris!" came in reply, before he turned to me, and quietly now "but that's just me."
I laughed, his infectious good mood making me forget my earlier reservations about the day. By this point, Natasha was well ahead with some other people from the office and Chris and I were left alone.
"So you work with Jackie?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, just started a few months ago," I replied.
"Enjoying it?"
"Yeah! It's a nice company, people are really friendly." Speaking to Chris, even my boring job was sounding better.
"You're going to have to explain what it is you do, Jackie's never actually been able to make me understand."
"So I'm on the software side, I develop the algorithms that we use to…" I caught myself, realising I was being boring. "I do things with computers that make them make money," I joked.
"Oh my god, I love computers and money!"
"And what about you? What do you do?" I asked.
"Very similar. Computers, money. Sometimes meetings."
"Meetings! Exotic. Is that around Cardiff as well?" I asked.
"Edinburgh." My heart sank, my already slim chances of a date with a handsome, funny man disappearing to nothing. "As much as I think this annual beach birthday is silly, it at least forces me to come back and see everyone."
We walked on for a while, making easy conversation with each other. After a while Chris turned to me. "It's nice to have someone to chat to at this thing. Usually it's just Jackie's work friends talking about office drama and her uni friends talking about decade-old gossip, with me in the middle."
"Surely there's the rest of the family?"
"Nah, she insists on it being young people, but we don't have any cousins, so it ends up just being me. We always do a family thing another night," he shrugged. "Still," he caught my eye and smiled, "I reckon this one will be good."
We heard a small cheer of celebration up ahead as the people in front arrived on the beach, and we sped up, running awkwardly through the sand of the dunes. When we arrived, we dumped our bags in a small pile and helped to spread out the blankets.
I took off my shoes before hesitating, self-conscious of my body. I had a perfectly average body, maybe a little too tall and skinny, but I was always nervous of taking my shirt off in front of other people, lacking the washboard abs and bulging muscles of seemingly all of my friends. I looked around and told myself that no-one would pay me any attention, but I froze, fingers on my top button.
While the other men were wearing swim shorts in various lengths and colours, Chris had stripped off both his fun Hawaiian shirt and particularly short shorts to reveal a pair of bright flowery speedos. His shirt was hiding a subtly chunky body, with a roll of fat sticking out ever so slightly above the colourful lycra, and below, thick legs pooched out ever so slightly where the speedos cut into them. All of this was covered in a veritable pelt of hair, hiding the slight softness of his body.
Chris looked up and caught my eye, and I realised I was staring. I looked away quickly, but could have sworn he gave me a small wink. Emboldened by Chris' confidence and by the lack of notice everyone was paying him, despite the amount of skin he was showing, I unbuttoned my shirt and put it with my shoes.
A while later I walked up to Chris who was manning the various barbecues and settled down next to him. Droplets of salt water still clung to my skin and in my dark chest hair, and I thought the effect was quite sexy, if you ignored all the sand that was sticking to me as well.
"The sea good?" he asked.
"Fucking freezing," I replied.
He smiled and held out a beer to me.
I put up a hand. "Designated driver I'm afraid."
"Fair enough," he pulled the top off and began to drink it himself.
"Are you always in charge of the barbecue?" I asked.
He nodded. "And the beer cooler. It means I get to have more than anyone else without anyone calling me out on it."
I gave a small chuckle. "Good plan," I told him, and took a cheeky look sideways at him. Sure enough, his hairy stomach did look a touch more bloated than it had done earlier. "So your umm…" I cringed at the words even as I formed them, "your girlfriend couldn't make it today?" Smooth Adam. Real smooth.
"Ah, no. My, well my boyfriend had to work." My heart sank. Still, I noticed that his smile shrank ever so slightly when he mentioned his boyfriend.
"Oh! Sorry to assume, I didn't mean to-" I flustered.
"No! No, it's fine really. It happens. Do you? Have a boyfriend?" He held my eyes. "Or girlfriend? Or boyfriend?" His smile was growing again.
"Nope. Single. I broke up with my last boyfriend a while ago." I stressed the word boyfriend more than I meant to. Despite the 400 miles we lived apart, and his boyfriend, I still felt the need to make sure he knew I was gay as well.
"Oh I'm sorry," Chris said.
"Not at all, it was a while ago," I smiled at him. "Just, you know, enjoying being single."
"Yeah, I miss it a little sometimes," Chris said, and I detected an ever so slight sadness in his voice, but he quickly covered it up with his usual, unchanging smile. My heart leapt a little. He was probably just making small talk, sympathising with the lonely singleton, but a boy could dream, couldn't he?
Chris offered me a chicken drumstick. "Have you tried these? They've got like a Korean marinade thing, they're gorgeous. It's like bitter and sweet at the same time. I've had about ten."
I reached over and took it from him, taking a small bite. It was good, and I duly gave a small hum in agreement, but I wouldn't say they were exceptional. Chris picked up on my silence and laughed. "It's probably just me," he told me. "Jackie's always said I'm like a labrador when it comes to food. Food motivated." He beamed at me and picked up another chicken leg, his eyes closing in bliss as he chewed.
I readjusted my shorts ever so slightly. My attraction to Chris was growing as I got to know him - his constant cheerfulness, his small jokes, the way he didn't seem to care what anyone thought about him.
Later that day, I drove back in silence, Natasha passed out after a day of gin in the sun. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face, as I thought back to the day I'd spent mainly with Chris. Despite all the reasons I could never realistically go out with him, I was utterly besotted by the man. I found myself surprised that I was already looking forward to Jackie's 29th.
Chapter 2
"Adam!" Chris called, almost as soon as I'd come from behind the last dune before the beach. "Great to see you!"
I grinned, a little embarrassed. I'd never be able to be so open about being so excited to see someone, but then that's exactly what attracted me to him last year. Paul, a friend from the office, gave me a confused glance which I purposefully ignored. "Hey," I greeted Chris, "looking good man!"
This, I thought to myself, was very true. He was wearing the same flowery speedo as last year, but it now looked positively painted on. He'd clearly put on some weight, last year's roll of flab turning into a sack of fat, suspended above the tight swimwear. His thighs had faint criss-crosses around the tops, not quite hidden by the thick hair there, and his chest now stood ever so slightly forward and down - he didn't quite have moobs, but there were certainly small pockets of fat that weren't there last year. He'd shaved his beard down to stubble, showing just a hint of a double chin forming below his jawline. While I'd never particularly gone in for the overly-ripped, action-man physique, I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed the changes to Chris' body.
I followed Chris back to where some barbecues were already set up. "Got a beer for me in one of those boxes?"
He passed one over. "Not driving this year?"
I nodded over to Natasha, who had a small crowd around her cooing over a small bump at her midriff. "Natasha's pregnant so she's not drinking anyway."
"Handy!" He clinked his bottle against mine and took a swig. I took my shirt off and was pleased to see Chris' eyes rake up and down my body, taking it in. "Sun's out, guns out, eh? You're looking fit!"
I smiled at the compliment and thanked him. I'd taken advantage of the company gym a fair amount over the past year, and for the first time ever I felt like my body could be described by more adjectives than just 'lanky'. I gave a small, joking flex, quietly proud of my beach body and was surprised when Chris reached out and gave my bicep a squeeze. "Looking good," he repeated.
We caught up for a while, taking advantage of being in charge of guarding the beer coolers, Chris eating seemingly almost constantly. While I'd thought back again and again to last year, I'd forgotten just how easy Chris was to talk to, and how much I enjoyed his company.
A few beers in, my courage picked up. "Boyfriend not here again?" I asked bluntly.
He looked confused. "Boyfriend? What do you- oh, John? God, you've got a good memory. No, he cheated on me, I found out around Christmas-ish."
"Oh god, I'm sorry. What an arsehole." I clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, fuck him, y'know."
He laughed at this. "Fuck him! Funnily enough, that's what my mate Sarah did." He laughed again, clearly unbothered.
"Hey! Bisexual affair though! Very modern, very progressive," I joked
He nodded, still laughing, and I watched intently as his paunch shook. "That is a big comfort to me, that at least he cheated on me in a diverse way." His smile grew lopsided as he looked at me, and he shuffled a touch closer to me. "And you? Got a boyfriend on the scene?" He'd lowered his voice now.
"Umm, nope. No. No boyfriend. Some tinder dates, you know but umm," I looked down at his lips. "Single. You know. Available. For stuff."
He nodded and looked around at what everyone else was doing. "The dunes are lovely. To walk around. And stuff. If you wanted to-"
"I want to. Yep. Absolutely. Lovely dunes." I nodded furiously, the sudden movement making me feel more drunk. "The ecosystems and the, uh, crescent shapes."
"Fucking love an ecosystem," Chris said, standing up while he fished out another couple of beers to take with us and quickly grabbed one last hot dog to take with him.
We ran up the closest dune, laughing, and practically fell down the other side. Chris grabbed my hand and led me a bit further on, before pulling me towards him and kissing me, having to reach up slightly to account for the several inches of height difference between us. I melted into him, my shoulders immediately releasing tension I didn't know I was holding, and I ran my fingers through his hair.
The combination of beers, sun and arousal made us act like schoolboys having their first kiss. We stumbled again and again as we continued to walk through the dunes, not paying enough to where we were going, our hands grabbing at each other's bodies the whole way, and giggling breathlessly.
Chris' hand moved down to my swim shorts, and he pulled away slightly, his tongue briefly coming out to wet his lips as his hand rested on my straining cock. "Enjoying yourself I see?"
"Very much so," I replied, pulling him closer to kiss him again. My own hand moved down to his own crotch and I cupped his bulge through his speedos, running my fingers along his length before grasping his hard cock through the lycra. He exhaled shakily and I felt his body tense slightly as I stroked him, grabbing at the fat at his sides as I did so, kissing him deeply the entire time.
Chris stepped back and pulled me down onto the steep sand with him, grabbing my own cock beneath my shorts and began pumping his hand slowly. I pushed him back and pulled down his speedos and my shorts around our thighs. I sat up and straddled him before I grabbed both our cocks in one hand, my long fingers struggling around them both, and began stroking us off together. Chris gave a breathless laugh and laid back, his eyes rolling up into his head in pleasure. I kept my eyes open, watching the shaking of his beef with each small twitch of his body. Chris began to gently girate his hips and I sped my hand up, the fingers of my other hand probing into his flesh, the fat pooling up around them. I heard Chris' breath catch and I relaxed my body, letting my own climax come, so that we both sprayed thick jets of cum up his body at the same time.
I rolled off him and lay next to him, both of us catching our breath. He shifted his weight, rolling over slightly to kiss me. "That", he whispered, "was really fucking hot."
I laughed and nodded. "You know, I really feel like we haven't explored these dunes very much yet."
He took on a faux serious expression and nodded. "I personally don't feel I've seen enough of the unique flora and fauna endemic to Welsh dune ecosystems." He stood up, struggling to pull his too tight swimsuit back up his thighs, and I followed suit, my own swimsuit coming up easily. "There's a sort of cove-y inlet-y thing, that way," he said, pointing, "that's pretty secluded. We could clean ourselves up and explore a little more." He spread his arms out and motioned down at his sticky torso before wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Sounds perfect," I agreed, taking his hand.
A couple of hours later, we stumbled back onto the beach, Chris making a beeline for the barbecue. Thankfully, someone had taken over his duties so there was plenty of food for him to grab. My friend Paul sauntered over and raised an eyebrow suggestively. "You look like you've had a good time."
"We just went for a walk. It's very beautiful around here," I protested.
"Very beautiful," Paul nodded, his voice thick with sarcasm. "I wouldn't have had you down as a chubby chaser."
"What? I'm not a chub- nothing happened! And he's not chubby! That's very rude. And nothing happened anyway!" I could hear my voice go up too high as I blatantly lied.
"No, no, absolutely, I believe you," Paul said. "Your shorts are on backwards by the way."
I felt my face go even redder, if that was possible. I was saved from my embarrassment by Chris returning with a beer for me, and we moved towards the sea for a swim.
"Listen, I know you'll be going back to Edinburgh, but if you're around this week for a drink or something…" I suggested, once we were in the cold water.
The smile on Chris' face completely faded for the first time since I'd met him, not even a joking undertone left. "I'm going back tomorrow morning. 6 am flight."
I forced a smile. "Yeah, of course! That's fine, of course. You'd have wanted to spend time with your family anyway."
"No, no, I'd love to, I would. I really would." Chris looked genuinely sorry. "It just didn't work out. I'm sorry."
Later on, I sat in the back of Natasha's car, exhausted from a mixture of alcohol, food, sun and sex. Natasha was explaining to Annie in the front seat about how she'd actually had so much more fun while not drinking, and she was so embarrassed for all of us, convincing no-one, when Paul leaned over from the other side of the back seat.
"He seemed nice", he offered.
"Yeah, nice," I replied distantly.
"You guys going to see each other again?" he asked.
I shook my head. "He lives in Edinburgh."
"Shit, I'm sorry. Will he be there next year do you reckon?"
I gave a small smile. "Yeah, next year maybe."
Chapter 3
I got to the beach first, the usual work group trailing behind me. I was desperately trying to seem cool and calm, but I knew I was failing miserably. I looked around for Chris but couldn't see him anywhere.
"Jackie! Hey! Happy Birthday! Thirty! The big one!" I ignored her angry reply about how she didn't want to be thirty yet. "Yep. Uh-huh. Absolutely. Got to hate the linear flow of time. Anyway, Chris not here yet? He usually comes to this, right? Can't miss the big day!"
"Oh, do you two know each other? Yeah, he's going to be late, he was visiting our grandma so he's coming all the way from St Davids," she said the name of it like a joke, and I duly laughed, never quite getting the hang of Jackie. Me and Chris had texted a few times in the past year, but I'd been too nervous to ask him directly about coming to his sister's birthday, so I was relieved to hear he was coming.
An hour and a half and a few beers later, I heard a wolf-whistle behind me. "You've joined the speedo club I see!" I turned around to see Chris approaching me, fat jiggling with each heavy footstep. I'd been inspired by his confidence and my own improving physique to opt for something skimpier this time, and was happy to see that he hadn't worn anything less revealing.
It was clear that last year's weight gain wasn't a one-off. While before, he might be able to get away with being charitably called stout or burly, he was downright fat now. His gut was now a heavy, near-perfect sphere, bulging out to the sides and slightly sagging down in front of him, with genuine tits, round, plump sacks of flesh that sat on top of his belly. His always present smile now pushed two chubby cheeks out like a hamster, and he'd regrown his beard, much thicker than before, in a clear and futile attempt to cover a rounding jawline.
I matched his beaming smile and walked towards him, grabbing a beer and a burger on the way for him. I handed them over and slapped a hand onto his gut, emboldened by the few drinks I'd had while waiting. "You've got some new speedos yourself I see," I said quietly.
He twisted and pulled his gut out of the way to look, before looking back at me. "Ah, yeah, the other ones," he looked away sheepishly, "don't really fit anymore."
I bit my lip. "I'm sure they don't," I said jokingly. He smiled nervously back at me.
"Listen, I'm going to have a swim, grab some food. I'll talk to you later, alright." I watched him walk away, deflated. Did he regret last year? Or maybe something had happened, to make him so frosty? A new boyfriend maybe?
I sat and drank on a large rock, until he walked over to me and sat down next to me. Despite my nervousness, I thrilled at the thick fat on his sides brushing against my arm.
"I've been thinking about you, this year," he said finally. I looked over, heart rising.
"Me too," I replied with a smile.
His face broke into its usual grin. "Good. Good. I was a bit nervous, since you didn't text or anything. I wasn't really sure if you'd come."
"I thought the same, honestly," I confessed.
"And then," he continued, "I arrived and saw you looking really fucking good," he reached over and squeezed my strong thigh, "and I thought maybe I'd gotten too fat for you." His face had become bright red as he said this.
I laughed at him. "I like it. Really. It works for you. You carry it really well." I reached out and squeezed his own thick thigh, the fat feeling like butter beneath the skin.
"So you're into fat guys, hey?" He was still smiling, but looked a little embarrassed.
I shook my head. "Not really. I'm into you though."
His smile grew even wider. "I'm into you too." He reached out and held my hand. "I tried to diet for a bit," he confessed after a while.
"I can't imagine you dieting. You're way too confident. Like, you don't care what people think. It's sexy," I told him
"Well it turns out I'm not very good at it. I didn't actually lose any weight. But, y'know, I had the thought. Downloaded an app and everything."
"What was the app?" I asked, quietly laughing.
He shrugged. "It counted calories, told me when I was being a fat arse. Turns out I was probably supposed to do something with that information."
"Probably," I agreed.
Eventually, I realised his cheeks weren't getting any less red. "You're burning," I said, jumping up, "I'll go get some sun cream."
"I'm fine! I'm fine, really, I don't burn" he grabbed my hand to pull me back down but I pulled away.
"You're bright red. I'll get you some food and beer while I grab it," I promised. He relented, pleased that eating and drinking would now be involved.
I came back with my hands full, and passed everything over. I sat behind him and squirted some sun cream onto his back while he ate, and started rubbing it in wide circles. I relished the feel of his soft fat under my fingers, sliding my fingers deep into the crevices and folds of his body, and grabbing thick slabs of beef, all in the name of his skin health. I repeated the process on his front, exploring his soft tits, and hefting his gut up towards his face before letting it go and watching the ripples move through his body. I lingered for far longer than was necessary, tangling my fingers into the hair that covered his body, down from his shoulders, spreading across his torso and arms.
A while later, we both lay sunbathing on the sand, Chris barely moving, while I'd periodically jump up to grab him a snack. I handed him a burger and he propped himself up on his elbows and looked at me. "Listen, I'm not going home for another few days, and I've got a room at the village pub. Did you want to come for dinner? Maybe stay the night?"
"Dinner? You've been eating all day!" I responded.
"I've been snacking all day, I'll need a proper meal," he explained. I could see why he'd put on so much weight.
"That sounds good though, yeah. We need to make sure you don't waste away."
We fell into bed that night, Chris' stomach stretched tight and even rounder than earlier. I pulled off his too small t-shirt, unaccustomed to seeing him in clothes at all. I watched him for a minute or two try to take his shorts off, the button pulled tight by his heavy gut above. I took pity on him and made him suck his gut in, which he managed to, with difficulty, just enough for me to free the button and pull down the zipper, to reveal his aching cock straining against his speedos, still on from earlier.
"There's some condoms and lube in my suitcase," he told me.
"Someone was confident!" I said, but fetched them nonetheless.
He struggled to sit up, his full gut getting in the way, so I pushed him back down. "Don't you worry big guy, I'll do all the work." I sat next to him on the bed and helped him rub his gut, filled with a day's worth of barbecue and beer, and topped off with a heavy dinner, including dessert. He groaned, and I kissed him deeply. I pulled off his speedos, and his dick sprung up, slapping against his distended belly, smearing it with a spot of pre-cum.
We spent the night fucking, being as gentle as possible with Chris' overfull stomach. We spent the next day together as well, lounging on the beach, and I called in sick to work on Monday so we could spend one last day together. As I got out of Chris' car outside my house, he got out and kissed me, making me promise to stay in touch.
Chapter 4
I walked out onto the beach and made a beeline for Chris, pulling my shirt off as I approached him. He'd continued to gain weight, and his ball gut had expanded out, retaining its spherical shape but sagging down, with a deep cavernous belly button at its centre. Thick love handles sat either side of the giant gut, and above it his ample tits sat thick, beginning to droop ever so slightly towards his sides. His thighs were like tree trunks and were easily larger around than my waist, and between them I could just make out a bright flash of fabric, his speedos almost completely covered up from the front.
"They still make those in that size?" I teased him as I reached him.
"Well I don't think they don't make them too much bigger," he laughed.
"You've got your bags?" I asked.
He nodded. "In Jackie's car. You're not driving anyone back?"
"Nope, free to go as soon as we're done here." I grinned at him, excited about our planned week in Cornwall. "You can have a drink though, if you want, don't worry."
He shook his head. "I'm happy just spending some time with you."
I smiled at him and gave him a kiss. Some work friends looked over curiously, but I saw Paul and Natasha lean over to fill them in on all the gossip.
"We'll be the talk of your office will we?" Chris asked.
"Oh, hardly. It turns out Greg might actually be the father of Natasha's baby, so we'll barely be a blip on their radar."
"Oh my god!" Chris said. "I don't know who any of those people are!"
I laughed and led him over to the barbecue.
As we drove away that evening to my house, I looked over at Chris, as he snored faintly. He'd not had anything to drink, but he'd eaten so much over the course of the day that getting back over the sand dunes had been a genuine issue, and by the time we got back to the car park everyone except Jackie and her fiancé had long gone. Jackie passed over Chris' bags and I put them in the boot while Chris collapsed into the front seat, the car dipping dramatically on that side.
That night lacked the urgency of the other times we'd met, not driven by lust, but rather just enjoying each others' company. We watched a movie while I snuggled into his side, sinking into his soft fat like a pillow. The next morning I made a large breakfast before we set off on our holiday.
Chapter 5
I walked out of the sand dunes and was almost immediately accosted by old colleagues. "How's Edinburgh?" Paul asked.
"Great! Really, really great! The job's basically the same thing, computers, money, meetings, you know," I replied.
"And Chris? How's he?" Natasha asked.
"He's great too, we've settled really well into living together, it just all works."
"Is he coming or…?"
I turned around to look at the dunes. "He's just taken the scenic route, he'll be here in a bit." For the most part I'd gotten used to walking at Chris' slower pace, and kept with him for most of the walk, but had run ahead at the last couple of dunes. Sure enough, after a minute or two he appeared between the bases of two dunes.
He'd put on more weight while we were living together, but he'd slowed down a little recently. Still, he was clearly bigger than the last time we were here, one year ago. While the changes might not be so obvious to a lot of people, just a fat man getting fatter, I noticed them all. His stomach stuck out just that bit more, his sides that much wider, his legs that much softer.
He walked over to me (waddled might be more accurate, I pondered, especially on the soft sand), and gave me a peck on the cheek. We put our bags down a convenient distance to the food, and stripped down to our speedos, Chris' once again new to stretch across his added weight.
"Fancy a swim?" Chris asked me, already walking towards the water.
"Sounds good," I said, quickly catching up to him. "Maybe afterwards we can go for a walk through the dunes?" I raised my eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh fuck off!" Chris said. "I'm not going back through those, I'm knackered after that walk. You're just going to have to wank me off in front of everyone, if it comes to it."
I laughed and kissed him on the cheek, admiring the plush softness. "Well hopefully it won't come to that."
"Why not?" Chris asked, joking. "Do you not think I'm beach body ready?"
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ahgasegotarmy116 · 10 months ago
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Still With You | A Jeon Jungkook Series Chapter 1
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Summary: A stranger turns up at the store that catches your eye Pairing: Luna (reader) x Jungkook and Jimin, f2l love triangle Word Count: 4.7k~ Warnings: Explicit language but that's about it lol Start from the beginning
Two years prior
I stir awake to the sound of the birds chirping outside my window as they always do. "Fuck" I say under my breath, stretching and wiping the sleep out of my eyes. I roll over and check the notifications on my phone and widen my eyes in panic realizing I didn't set an alarm and was bombarded by texts from my boss and coworker two hours ago. 
"Shit!" I say jumping out of bed and rushing around my apartment trying to get ready. I throw on my shoes and jacket and run out the door making my way to the subway station as quickly as I possibly can. My job is only three stops away from my place but those stops seem to take twice if not three times as long as they usually do in my mind.
Bolting out of the station I make my way over to the convenience store I work at. "Fuck me, what took you so long? Your shift started 3 hours ago" my coworker says stating the obvious. "I know shut up I forgot to set an alarm last night" I say rushing past them and into the break room to throw my stuff into a locker. 
I tiptoe past my bosses office but he can't help but hear my lame attempt at being undetected. "y/n" I hear being said from inside, (he only ever calls me that when he's mad at me). I'm in trouble. 
"Yes?" I say rolling my eyes before taking another step. "Get in here. Now!" he says in a tone I can no longer ignore. 
"Hi" I say dragging out the last letter as I make my way in until I see his face become even more furious. "Sit" he barks. "Yes sir" I say under my breath just loud enough to be heard but not enough to merit a second glance.
"Three times, three times this month have you been late and we're barely past the second week" he spits at me "And let's not forget the amount of times you've been late since you started working here" he says taking a deep breath at the end and leaning back in his chair pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. 
"What am I gonna do with you?" he says rhetorically. "I-" I start. "I've had enough of your excuses y/n, I can't keep letting you break the rules like this. I've got a business to run and you working here hasn't made my job any easier" he breathes out. 
"I know I really do but I-" "Can you please just listen and stop trying to wiggle your way out of being held accountable. I would've fired your ass a long time ago if your father and I weren't brothers. I'm doing this not only for you but for the sake of your parents. Try to understand how your irresponsibility affects not only me but everyone around you. I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with your antics". "Please no! Uncle you know how much I need this job! If you were to cut me off then I know for a fact that I'm not gonna be able to make it in this city" I implore. 
"Maybe you weren't cut out to live in this city. There are a lot of hard workers out there, people who would kill to live here and you're just spitting in their face by wasting the days away sleeping in and daydreaming. You're not taking advantage of the opportunities that you could have if you worked a bit harder and just grew up" he says raising his voice and getting out of his chair to tower over me. 
I cower back inside myself taking my much deserved verbal beating and just be thankful that he isn't a violent person. 
He takes a deep breath and goes back to his seat and calms himself down. "Just please" he says in a softer tone "Start to get your shit together kid. You've got your whole life ahead of you and I would hate to see you end up like me, running a convenience store in the wrong part of town.
"But I thought you loved your job?" I question. "Ha! Yeah right, that's just what I tell people so I don't have to deal with their pity. Are there good days? Sure, but there sure as hell are more days that go to absolute shit that outweighs those good days". I nod my head in silent agreement, having a few stories of my own in my back pocket. 
"Listen up! You've got one more chance girl you hear me? One. More. I really shouldn't be doing this but I want to see if you can turn things around with this last push" he finishes. "Really? Thank you so much uncle I won't let you down!" I say going up to shake his hand furiously. 
"I'm pretty sure you will but hey, I've always been a gambling man" he says with a smile on his face. I go to tell him how bad that habit has become, but under the circumstances, I decide to let it go this time. After bowing to him a few times I quickly rush out of his office before he can change his mind and get to work.
I pass by my friend and coworker Grey at the counter on my way out and prepare myself for yet another lecture. "Old man gave you another chance huh?" she says blowing a bubble in her Polar Ice gum. It's one of her habits that annoys me the most but hey, she's a pretty good friend besides that so I can't really complain. 
Good friends are hard to come by these days so when I find one I tend to let them stick around. "Yeah thankfully, it pays to have connections sometimes" I say shrugging my shoulders as I put on the hideous green vest with the store's logo adorned on the top left side along with my name tag placed right below. 
I grab a box full of candy and head over to their designated spot in the store to get started. Straightening up the area before restocking the shelves I start from the bottom and make my way towards the top. I shake my head at the amount of open wrappers and half eaten candy bars I come across left by the many delinquents who occupy the store on a daily basis. 
"I'm surprised there are any left at this rate" I say under my breath. "I know right? Kids these days just aren't taught right from wrong anymore" I hear someone say in agreement. "The adults aren't any better" I retort hearing the voice laugh at my off the cuff comment.
I widen my eyes realizing I have no idea who I've spoken to and quickly stand up while keeping my face to the ground as I apologize to the unknown voice. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to- What I meant to say was- I'm sorry" I say tripping over my words in apology. I hear him let out a short scoff laughing at my attempt to repent for my honest criticism. 
"Hey it's okay. I appreciate your honesty. It's refreshing to say the least" he says, easing my nerves a bit. Feeling a little bit more comfortable I slowly stand up straight but as I do I realize I've been speaking to the most attractive man I have ever laid my eyes on. Pouty lips curved into a crooked smile, skin the color of sunlight, sharp catlike eyes that seem to see through my entire existence, and hair the darkest shade of midnight black I've ever seen. 
I freeze, mesmerized by his beauty balancing an air of androgyny with an adorable boyish charm. "Hey" he says while extending his hand towards me in greeting. "I'm Jimin" he finishes with a slight smile, giving me butterflies. 
"H-hey" I say taking his hand "I'm Luna" I say nervously in response."Luna? Huh, but your name tag says y/n though" he replies. "Oh well my real name is y/n but I go by Luna most of the time" I admit."Luna is a really pretty name. Did you grow up in Seoul?" he asks tilting his head a bit."Well I was born here but I grew up in America and came back when I was about 8 so yeah pretty much" I say, answering his question as calmly as I can.
"Oh wow that really cool! Was it hard for you to learn Korean at that age?"he inquires in pure curiosity."Well we always spoke Korean in the house so it was pretty easy for me to transition here. Although it did take a while to get rid of my American accent" I laugh. He smiles a bit at my openness which makes my heart flutter "I'm sure it was adorable". "I-" I start but am soon cut off by Grey. 
"Hey Luna can I get your help with something?" she questions. "Um yeah just a second. Sorry but I've really got to get back to work" I say picking up the box full of candy I have yet to put away and turn towards the front of the store. "Yeah sure no worries. Hey Luna" he says making me look back at him after turning to walk away. 
He comes towards me and reaches into the box to grab a chocolate bar. "Sorry I just wanted to grab one of these before you go" he says teasingly when there's clearly a whole shelf of that exact one right next to him. "Oh okay, um bye" I say and quickly scurry down the aisle towards Grey.
"You okay?" she says raising a brow at me. "I thought he might be bothering you since you guys had been talking for a while so I wanted to give you an escape just in case" she says, concern clearly her motive, none of which is written on her face or in her voice. She almost sounds uninterested if you didn't know better. "
Yeah no I'm fine don't worry. He was nice" I say clearly blushing. "He's cute huh?" she says looking me up and down, reading my body language. "What do you mean?" I ask, trying to play coy but I can't help but smile at the thought of our interaction. "Obviously he is if you're acting like that. What's his name?" she asks, intentionally getting louder and louder. Meanwhile looking around the store to gauge his distance, doing it loud enough to embarrass me but soft enough not to gain his attention.
"Is he single?" she asks, finally bringing her wandering gaze back to me but can't help but give me a slight smirk. "Shhhh" I say covering her mouth in an effort to keep our conversation away from him. 
"Okay yes, he's cute but can you save the teasing for later, or never? He's still in the store and I'm pretty sure I've already made a big enough fool of myself for the day as is" I say in a hushed tone keeping the conversation hopefully between the two of us this time.
"Alright I'll be quiet. Did you finish up over there?" she questions trying to mark off the various tasks on the nightly checklist. "No, not yet. I started to clean it up but then he started talking to me until you called me over" I admit. "Okay well once he leaves get back on it okay? Why don't you take a turn minding the counter while I start sweeping?" she suggests. 
"Yeah I can do that" I say getting nervous for the next interaction I have with him. "You'll be fine" she says dryly observing the way I start to fidget with hands. "You set me up didn't you?" I say coming to the realization of the predicament she's put me in. "Yup" she's says with a devious smile as she scurries off to the cleaning closet taking away my last hope of escaping. Well I guess in the meantime I'll take a second to calm down before he-
"Luna?" I hear Jimin say. "Yes" I reply whipping my head around towards the direction I heard him speaking from realizing he's just a few feet behind me. "Oh I just wanted to let you know that I'm ready to check out" he says smiling down at me. "Oh right yeah let me ring you up" I say while rushing over to the counter. He follows close behind me and meets me on the other side. 
"Okay that'll be $4.03" he nods and hands me a 10 dollar bill. I take it and can't help but feel a spark between us when his hand bushes against mine. I jerk back slightly and busy myself with finishing the transaction. "$5.97 is your change" I say going to give it back to him again making our hands touch yet again. 
"Thanks Luna" he says sliding his hand away from mine slower than necessary prolonging our touch. "See you later?" he says with a slight questioning tone behind it while turning to leave. "Yeah sure, see you later" I say while nervously reciprocating his goodbye. I hear the bells on the door jingling solidifying his departure and I can't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay that was adorable" Grey says sneaking up on me, another smirk accompanying her teasing tone. There are very few things that Grey takes pleasure in and one of those, unfortunately is teasing me mercilessly when it comes to guys. 
"Don't do that!" I say, clutching my chest in surprise, slapping her shoulder right after. "What? Come on dude don't act like you wouldn't do the same if the roles were reversed" she says laughing at my surprise. 
"Whatever" I pout. "That guy is pretty hot though not gonna lie, no wonder you're blushing" she says continuing to tease me. "Yeah he was" I say starting to daydream. "Oh girl you got it bad!" she says scoffing and shaking her head. "I do not! He was just really cute okay. Leave me alone" I whine starting to get fed up with her teasing. 
"Whatever you say dude. So what was his name again? Jaemin? Minji?" she questions, listing off names that she obviously knows are incorrect. "Jimin" I say glancing out the window. 
"Wait why?" I ask, whipping my face back to her in a panic. "I'm just gonna try to see if I can find him on sns or something. I wanna see if he's single before you start falling for him" she says switching between apps doing her best to find him. "I'm trying to protect you okay?" she explains while patting my head. "Are you sure you aren't just doing it because you're nosy?" I question, crossing my arms. "Same thing" she says waving me off as she continues to scourer the internet for our resident hottie of the week.
"Okay found him! Park Jimin, 21. Oooo he's younger than you" she teases. "Yeah yeah what else does it say?" I question leaning in closer to see what she's found. It's really true what they say about girls being FBI agents when it comes to social media. "Mmmm not much, he's into dancing and fashion, huh, that's interesting" she says looking puzzled. "What? What is it?" I ask, getting even closer feeling a bit anxious. 
"Oh nothing, there's a picture of a girl on here though but you can't see her face. He didn't tag her either" she says still preoccupied with finding more information. "So he has a girlfriend?" I conclude, feeling a bit dejected. "Well that's the interesting part. That picture was from a year ago but that's the only picture of her. In fact that's the only picture he has of any girl on his entire profile." she says. 
"So ex girlfriend? But why keep the picture up if she's his ex?" I question. "I don't know dude I think unfortunately the results come up as inconclusive" she lets out feeling deflated. "Oh well, I guess if he comes back we'll find out eventually" I say.
"If who comes back?" a voice says behind us. I turn around and immediately smile at the owner of the voice "Kook!" I say getting up and rushing over to give him a hug. "Oh just this hottie that was here earlier" Grey says. "Ooo scandalous! But aren't you guys supposed to be working and not stalking cute boys on the internet?" he says with a knowing smirk. 
"It's called multitasking" I say while he gives me a kiss on the crown of my head. "Ew gross please stop I don't want to have to bleach my eyes again" Grey whines, shielding her eyes with her hands, hiding us from her vision. "Don't hate just because you're not a fan of friendly affection" Jungkook says teasing. 
"More like any affection at all. Especially PDA. Come on guys get a room" she says in disgust. "How many times do I have to tell you Grey, we're just friends" I say, shaking my head at her and pulling away from Jungkook's embrace. Grey glances up at him with a knowing look and sees him shaking his head prompting her to change the subject.
"Anyways, Jungkook what are you doing here this time?" she asks sounding uninterested as always. "Damn Grey can't I stop in to see my favorite girls every once in a while?" he says, draping his arm around my shoulders. "Don't call me that" she says with a deadpan expression. 
"Okay fine. My favorite girl and her tagalong?" he corrects with a cheeky smile. "You know what? Why don't you just call me by my name okay?" she argues. "Not a fan of the pet names? Okay okay I get it" he chuckles. 
"Luna" he says in an effort to gain my attention. "Yeah?" I acknowledge, turning to face him. "What are you doing this weekend?" he asks with anticipation written all over his face. 
"Um nothing to my knowledge" I reply and quickly hear someone start to talk over us before anyone can speak again. "Good, because you're working two ten hour shifts this weekend" my uncle says while bringing out another box of assorted products to stock. 
"Uncle please" I say with painful annoyance. "No I don't wanna hear anything. You need to make up for the hours that you missed and Sunghoon has the weekend off so I need you to pick up the slack" "But sir I was just-" Jungkook starts trying to come to my aid but is cut off yet again. 
"Jungkook I don't need any lip from you either" he says authoritatively while walking away to busy himself with a task in another part of the store. "Yes sir" he mumbles, bringing his head down and slightly pouting. I swear if he was a bunny I would see his floppy little ears start to droop.
"Sorry Kook, but what was it you wanted to ask me? Maybe we can still do it after I get off?" I offer, giving him a soft smile. He looks at me, still a little sad but I can see a little glimmer of hope coming back. "Well I wanted to see if you wanted to have a picnic or something since our friendship anniversary is coming up" he says returning the soft smile I'm giving him. 
"Has it really been another year? How many does that make now?" I say in surprise. "Fifteen!" he answers, satisfied with the answer and feeling proud of how long we've known each other. "I can't believe it's been that long!" I say starting to reminisce about all the memories of our many adventures together. 
"Yeah but I guess having a picnic late at night isn't as fun as it would be during the day" he mumbles, drooping again. "I've got an idea!" I say with a mischievous smile. "Really? What is it?" he questions, interest peaked. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about any of it. I'll take care of everything! The only thing you need to make sure of is to bring a car. You think your brother would let you borrow his?" I question. "I think I could make that happen" he says with an inquisitive smile clearly suspicious of what I'm planning. 
"Don't give me that look!" I say, hitting him on the shoulder. "It'll be fun!" I say excitedly. "I'm sure it will be but usually when you get this excited about things they tend to be illegal" I widen my eyes at his sudden call out. "Shhhh pipe down. I don't need my uncle to catch onto the things I do in my free time" I say slightly panicked.
"I heard that!" my uncle says from the other side of the store. "Plus you're not slick Luna. I've known about your delinquent activities for a while now but it's never gotten serious enough to bring up. Just don't get caught, I'm not about to bail your ass out of jail. Got it?" he warns while coming over to talk to us again. 
"Yep got it" I say nodding my head in agreement. "And that goes for you as well" He says pointing at Grey. "Hey what did I do" she asks, slightly offended. "Don't play innocent with me. I know you're the mastermind behind these schemes half the time" he says nodding towards her. "How do you know that?" she says, crossing her arms over her chest trying to act cool but still visibly surprised at his knowledge of our delinquency. 
"You do realize that most of the time you're hatching your plans in my store? I know everything that goes on in here" he says mirroring her posture, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fair enough" she mumbles, admitting to her part in it.
"Why aren't you giving Jungkook a lecture about all of this too?" she pouts motioning towards him. "Because I know he's smart enough not to get caught and he's also the reason you guys don't get caught 95% of the time" he says clapping him on the shoulder. 
"He's got a point there" Jungkook admits. "Okay okay whatever. The point of this lecture is don't get caught and don't do anything too crazy. We got it. Anything else?" I say clearly ready for this conversation to be over. 
"Yeah, you get back to work! He says pointing a finger at me. "And Grey start paying for the gum you chew or I'm gonna start taking it out of your paycheck." he threatens pointing towards her as well. 
"Don't you already take it out of my paycheck?" she questions clearly done as well, grabbing another box of products to start restocking. "Ya! Don't get smart with me young lady!" he says following after her. "Yeah yeah" is the last thing we hear as they head further into the store.
"Sorry Kook I guess it's time for you to head out" I say giving him a shrug. "That's alright I should probably get going anyways. I've gotta get to class" he says while giving me another kiss on my head. "That's right, Mr. College Man can't be late to art class" I say smirking at him. He rolls his eyes "Love you loser" he yells as he towards the exit. "Love you too weirdo" I respond waving him off. I watch him leave but I can't help but feel disappointed by his departure.
Jungkook is going to the best Visual Arts school in Seoul and I'm so proud of him! He could've left us behind after high school and made friends with the rich kids in his classes but instead he still comes in and hangs out with us as often as he can. We all grew up together and I honestly don't know what I would do without these two. 
Grey on the other hand is trying her hand at producing music. It hasn't been taking off but she's gotten a few jobs here and there working for smaller artists that are just getting started as well. She's been building a portfolio and honestly she's really good! She just lacks the confidence to take the next step. I've been pushing her to try to apply at different schools to get proper training but she doesn't think she's good enough yet and needs to make sure she stands out so she can land a scholarship. Otherwise even if she did get accepted she wouldn't be able to afford it.
Me on the other hand? Well honestly I have no clue what I want to do. I've worked just about every part time job you could imagine just trying to stay afloat. I don't have time for dreams. At this point I feel like I'm just existing, which is a sucky way to live out your 20s but unfortunately that's the life I'm living. 
Growing up I had many different dream jobs that I had thought about. Fashion designer, Makeup artist, Dancer, but at the end of the day like Grey, I've gotta build up my portfolio to really stand out and I just haven't had the time to do any of that. 
Just like I've been encouraging her to take that next step, Jungkook has been the one in my corner. The one who's always had so much hope and confidence in me and my dreams. Whenever I needed someone he was always there for me. He even spent the night in the hallway outside of my apartment just because he still wanted to be there for me even though I didn't want him to. 
Jungkook is one of the only people in this world I know I can trust. Without him I don't think I'd be here today. 
I've gone through so much and when it got to the point where I felt like I didn't want to exist anymore he was the one that brought me back, nursed me back to health and made sure that I was never left alone. He is my safe place and he always will be. 
I don't know what I ever did to deserve someone as pure and loving as him. He's my best friend and my rock. Life wouldn't be as bright and colorful without him.
"Hey lady are you gonna ring me up or what?" I hear an old man say breaking me out of my daydream. "Sorry sir I didn't mean to make you wait, my apologies" I say while giving him a shallow bow. "Yeah whatever just get on with it" he grumbles, clearly not phased by my apology. I ring up his various items which include a couple bottles of soju, a few bags of snacks, a cup of ramen- "Oh and a pack of cigarets" he slurs. 
"Of course sir" I respond while turning my back to grab the ones he selected. "That'll be $20.35" he tosses the money onto the counter while I place all of his items into a bag. "Thank you sir have a good day" I say while he stumbles his way out of the store. 
"Are people always that rude?" the next woman in line says while placing her items on the counter, glaring daggers into the man's back. "Yeah but I'm used to it at this point. As long as they don't get nasty or angry it doesn't really bother me. It's to be expected working in this part of town" I finish off while scanning all of her items. 
"That doesn't make it right" she say counters, clearly upset for me. "It's alright, for the most part I kind of ignore it" I say before telling her her the total. She swipe her card and I hand her the bag with her items once the transaction goes through. "Well for your sake I hope they cut you some slack" she say before walking away from the counter and saying goodbye. "Thank you, have a nice day" I say to her, genuinely meaning it this time around.
"You too kiddo" she says before walking into the outside world. 'Why can't all customers be like that?' I think, having a warm feeling after the interaction. "Yah! Quit Ignoring me. I'm ready to leave" the next customer says sneaking up on me. This is gonna be a long day.
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devilrose · 1 year ago
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Tristan Legend and Giuseppi Mezzoalto from the Sims handheld series camping out in the Strangetown desert. The number of incredible tales that Tristan can share surely increases with the amount of beers had.
Commission for @just-ornstein - thank you for giving me an opportunity to do something with this concept :D
Ever since we discussed the idea of Giuseppi having kind of a crush on Tristan, I've been wanting to write a small fic about it, and working on this commission gave me the kick in the pants I needed. The bonus fic is under the cut. 388 words. It probably takes place a couple hours before the moment in the artwork.
Passenger seat
The desert eats people, they say, and they're right. It's not just the giant scorpions - it's the wind that rips out the dew from within your throat, it's the sky that's too tall and wide and blue and heavy; best to keep your mouth shut and your head down. The desert goes on, infinite wherever it spreads; a limitless space bisected by one straight road, a matter of basic geometry - that's where you drive fast and steady, alone for days in all directions, unless someone is filming some cheesy car commercial. The desert is the space of nothingness - but if you go there, you're searching for something, and you'll sure find it.
Tristan had been at the wheel for a few hours now. It had been baking hot all morning and afternoon; now the sun was finally going down, and in a couple hours it'd be the cold and dry night of the desert. Giuseppi stretched in the van's passenger seat. Not even a lone funky saguaro in the window to distract him from his thoughts. He turned to look at Tristan instead: in the late afternoon light, the stray frizz of his hair against the sun drew a golden halo. He was always like this, carrying that perfect glow, that dazzling charm, that winning smile. Giuseppi squinted his eyes to shield himself from that stupid brightness. What else could he do? Of course it hurt to see; someone like Giuseppi belonged firmly to the night, where dressed in black he concealed the wrinkles on his too-young face, the roughness that would never become smooth again. Tristan, instead, was all gold and shine, in spite of everything - what envy; and what delight. When he considered himself burnt enough, Giuseppi turned away to look at more rocks and sand. Strangetown was how many miles away now? There's nothing behind, and there's nothing ahead. The van drives on. In that moment, that's where the whole world began and ended.
Tristan slowed down, ready for a break. Giuseppi had promised to himself that he wouldn't slip back to his old ways, but maybe he had in him one last crime, if he would find the courage - to steal some sunlight from his lips. Would it be so bad?
//
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mama-qwerty · 3 months ago
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WIP Wednesday
Hey look, I remembered this week!
So as I've been working on things, I've come realize that my two ocs seem to be my desire to either mother (Callie), or become the bestie (Scarlett) Knuckles needs. Self-indulgent stuff for the win, amiright?
But whatever. It's what interests me and there's a handful of you guys out there who seem to enjoy it too, soooo . . . win-win, I say.
This is the start of my kaiju wip, inspired by this video series on youtube. Let's imagine that Scarlett had been involved in that whole thing, and was besties with Knux during. This piece popped into my head after watching it (the thing gave me complete brainrot for a while) and follows Scarlett after everything ended.
You can read the whole thing on ao3!
~~~~~
The manx cat roamed the wasteland of her dead world.
Ears tuned to any sound around her, she kept her eyes straight ahead. On the horizon. Always on the horizon. There was nothing much to see to her sides, anyway. Withered trees. Brown grass. Bones of those not lucky enough to have learned how to survive now that the world had gone to hell.
It hadn’t always been like this.
Years ago, when she was a little girl, it had been green and beautiful. The skies had been blue, the water clean. There had been one tree outside her window she loved to climb. She would spend many a day in the upper branches, watching the clouds pass above her.
She could barely remember that now. It seemed a dream.
Dust flared around her boots as she walked. There was nothing green now. Barely anything grew from the poisoned soil that seemed to spread farther with each passing day. And what did manage to grow was twisted and jagged, once beautiful flowers and plants turned sharp and unnatural.
She moved to stay ahead of it. To find food. To find any life left on this rotting world.
And she moved to kill any monsters she came across.
The metal gauntlet that covered her right arm swung heavily against her, and she thumbed the various controls at her fingertips inside it. The end was a three fingered ‘hand’, tethered to the rest by a long, hidden chain. Various mechanisms inside could send it out with force, to grab or deliver a strong punch to her target.
It was the only piece of Tails’ mech she kept. Its mechanisms were simple enough for her to repair herself, and left her free to maneuver quickly. When she’d first hefted it, she was clumsy, her aim off. Now it was practically a part of her.
It had to be. She never would have survived this long without it.
The faded bag that held her few meager possessions bumped against her hip. She traveled light, carrying only what came in useful. A hunting knife, sharpened every night to a razor’s edge. A journal in which she wrote of every monster she’d slain, every destroyed and decaying town or village or city she’d come across. A water bottle with a built-in filter to remove at least most of the toxic elements in what little water was left. A few rolls of bandages, dirty from multiple uses, but better than nothing. A map, old and tattered, hopelessly outdated now but useful in a different way. A compass.
And one more thing. The only non-essential thing she’d kept from her life before it all collapsed.
It was wrapped in the leftover bits of a colorful scarf she’d had since childhood. The cloth had been cut to pieces over the years, used for first aid or to mark safe places. Hardly any was left, just a square a few inches along each side. The item inside wasn’t useful for anything, just a bit of wood about as large as her fist. But she couldn’t bear to leave it behind.
It was the only thing left of her best friend.
She pushed that thought away. Couldn’t afford the luxury of falling into memories, painful or otherwise. The sun sank lower in the sky, stretching the shadows longer along the ground.
The world became much more dangerous at night.
Her ears flicked constantly, twisting and following any sounds surrounding her. The world in general was quieter now, with no birdsong or animal calls. As twilight moved in, no fireflies flickered to life. No crickets chirruped to greet the coming evening. The only sound that fell on her ears was her own footsteps. A rhythmic dull thud in the dry dirt.
She kept walking.
The sun set completely, and the stars above blinked into life. Some nights, she would crane her head back, looking up at the stars and pretend everything was still alive. That the world was whole. That her friends were still with her.
That he was still with her.
For the millionth time she cursed the baron for bringing such a blight to the world. For destroying everything good.
No one was sure where he’d come from. This odd looking creature whose sole focus was to conquer. He’d sent his metal machines out first. Loud, smelly things that attacked her city and destroyed everything they touched.
She and her friends had all banded together to stop him. To push his machines back, and keep him from taking one of the last cities left outside his rule. It was hard, his machines seemed to become stronger with each attack, but they’d managed.
But then the baron had sent a new foe. One of flesh and blood. A kaiju, a demon. One hellbent on taking the city down. Those battles were harder. Much harder. It had taken more to keep it at bay.
Tails had done well to arm them. Building mechs to turn away each attack. But every night the kaiju returned, bigger and stronger than before. Each battle was harder won than the last.
And then Sonic had gone off to face the baron alone. To try and end this once and for all.
It hadn’t gone well.
A sound to her right and she stopped, eyes dilating in the dim light as her ears flicked to hone in on the disturbance. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, and she took slow breaths to try and calm it so she could hear properly.
She stood stock still for a long few moments, eyes and ears flicking around her. Her fingers caressed the controls in her gauntlet. They’d been worn smooth from use.
The sound again. A kind of scrape, followed by a huff. Behind her, to the left. She spun, and raised the gauntlet just in time to block the sharp teeth of a smallish kaiju from tearing off her face. She threw the thing away from her, assuming a defensive stance as it reared back and roared.
~~~~~
I have more, but I'm still tweaking as I work on it. But here's the first 1k or so words for ya.
Read it all on ao3
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fritz-federleicht · 2 years ago
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Being best friends with Karl and a big fan of corpse so while in California for a trip Karl takes you some where and you have your eyes covered and when you ask what’s happenings it’s corpse talking to you (bonus reader post on Instagram of their hands together)
Surprise/Corpse Husband x reader
Words: 1809
FLUFF
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"Y/N come on we have to go. I'm sure you didn't forget to pack anything." Says Karl and pulls you by the arm out of your apartment.
You've been standing in your hallway for about 5 minutes now, wondering if you haven't forgotten anything for your trip to California. Karl picks you up for it.
He's been standing next to you the whole time and has been watching you as you've been looking around.
"All right. See you in a few days." You wave to your apartment. Karl smiles and pulls you to the already packed car.
In California:
"First we go to the hotel. After that we can go to the beach. Is that okay?" Karl asks you.
"You've planned it all. So yes." You grab your luggage. Karl walks off in the direction of the hotel entrance.
"Karl? How's Corpse doing?" Karl turns to you with a huge smile. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me about him."
You blush. Yes, you always inquire when you see Karl how Corpse is doing. Yeah, maybe it's because you have a crush on him.
Once in a stream Karl hinted that he knew someone who had a crush on Corpse. Of course Corpse immediately asked who it was. Karl couldn't help himself and told him about you.
He raves about you. What a great personality you have.
When you were about to watch the stream. You were just embarrassed. You still are now. But now you see something positive about it. Corpse has heard of you before.
"Oh, you know. He's fine." For some reason Karl can't stop grinning. You just smile back, assuming it's because you ask about Corpse every time.
"I'm glad." You enter the hotel. At the reception desk, you ask for your rooms. Your rooms are next to each other.
You make your way to your rooms. You open your door and look to the side in the direction of Karl.
"See you soon." You enter your room. There are two rooms. One with a bed, a table and a big couch. The other is the bathroom.
You put your luggage next to the couch. You have to sit down on the couch to relax for a while. You close your eyes for a moment.
There is a knock on your door. "Y/N! Are you ready yet?" You move to the door and open it.
"Hey Y/N. Finally you open the door. I've been knocking for a few minutes."
"Oh. I must have fallen asleep. Wait a minute I need to put on some other shoes real quick."
When you are ready, you walk together towards the beach. When you have almost reached it, Karl stops you in your tracks. "Y/N, I have a surprise for you." You open your eyes.
"For me?" "You'll have to put on the blindfold for that." You nod. Karl stands behind you and puts on the blindfold.
"Give me your hand." You stretch your hand out in front of you. You feel Karl's hand close around yours. "I'll guide you."
Karl walks and pulls lightly on your hand. So that you don't fall down, he keeps pointing out obstacles. You feel sand under your feet.
"We're almost there. You can take off the blindfold now." You hear through his voice how happy he is.
"So now it's time." You stop. "Karl. Is it something bad?"
"No, of course not! I would never do such a thing." "No, never. I'll take it off now, okay?"
"Go ahead." Karl animates you. You grab the back of your head and try to open the blindfold.
"Karl! Did you tie a knot?" You ask him. "I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't slip off your face and you would see the surprise too soon." Karl defends himself.
"Then please help me open it." You wait a moment. You feel how the knot opens after a short time.
You pull down the blindfold and look in front of you. Karl is standing there.
How can Karl be standing in front of you when he has just untied the blindfold? You ask yourself.
You turn around. In front of you stands a beautiful man with black hair and black clothes. He looks down at you with a look as if you were the most beautiful thing in the world.
You feel an arm wrap around your shoulder. You turn your head to Karl with a questioning look.
"That, my dear Y/N, is Corpse."
You open your eyes and turn your head to Corpse. He smiles shyly. "Hey."
"You're beautiful." You say, making him giggle. "I can only return that."
You blush. "Finally I can get to know you. Karl has already told me a lot about you."
"Yeah, there was this one stream." You say and give Karl a nasty look.
Karl tries to divert from the topic. "Shall we go for a walk on the beach?"
"Yes, with pleasure." You start walking. You in the middle. Next to you Corpse and Karl.
Corpse bends down a bit to you. "I think Karl really wanted you to never get the blindfold off. He tied it way too tight."
That makes you laugh. Corpse joins in. Karl, who has been watching, asks why you are both laughing. "Oh, nothing. We're just talking about you." You answer him.
"I see. You get along great." He says in a huff and crosses his arms in front of his chest. "Oh, Karl. We love you." You say.
"I know that." He says, of course. "I'll leave you alone now."
"Are you going back to the hotel already?" "Yes. And Corpse. If you don't bring Y/N back to the hotel by 10 p.m. at the latest, I'll kill you." He says as if he were an overprotective mother.
Corpse defensively raises his hands in front of his chest. "Okay, okay. She'll be back in time."
"I'm big enough. I get to decide for myself when I get back to the hotel." You interfere. "No, you can't." Karl denies you.
"Come here Y/N. We won't see each other again today for sure." Karl takes you in his arms.
"See you in the morning." You murmur against his shoulder. You part from each other. Karl says goodbye to Corpse and walks away.
"How do you know Karl?" Corpse asks you. "I've known him since school. We were in the same class and sat next to each other. One thing led to another and today he is my best friend."
You answer while crossing your arms in front of your body. It's gotten a little chilly. You're just wearing sweatpants and a short top.
"Are you cold?" Corpse asks you. "A little."
"This sounds strange now, since we don't really know each other. But do you want me to warm you up?"
"If you don't mind?" You stop. Corpse stands in front of you and puts his hands on your arms. He runs them up and down lightly, trying to warm you up.
"Are you getting warmer?" Corpse asks you. "Somehow not." "Then there's only one thing left to do." He says and lets his hands move from your arms to your hips.
He wraps his arms around your hips and pulls you close to him. You lay your head on his chest.
His hands slide down your back. You stay like this while listening to his heartbeat. You feel yourself slowly getting warmer.
"So, are you getting warmer yet?" You feel Corpse's deep voice vibrating through your body. You take your head off his chest and look up at him.
"Yes. Thank you."
Corpse lets one of his hands move to the back of your head and then to your cheek. He places his other hand on the other cheek. He holds your face in his hands.
"I'm glad." He says. His hands move to your arms again, running along them until his hands enclose yours.
You look briefly at your hands and then back up at him. You smile at each other.
"Shall we go on? Otherwise Karl will kill me." "Yes, let's go on. I don't want you to die."
You think Corpse will let you go. But one of his hands remains tightly wrapped around yours.
You two let the evening end on the beach. You get to know each other better. Corpse takes you back to the hotel. Outside your room, you say goodbye.
"I enjoyed the evening. Hope to see you again." Grins Corpse at you and takes you into his arms.
"I hope so, too. Just write to me." You say against his shoulder. During the evening you gave him your number.
"I'll definitely do that." You break away from each other again. "Then... Until next time." You unlock your room.
"See you." Just as Corpse turns to leave the hotel, you have an idea.
"Corpse!" He turns around questioningly. "Yes?"
"Would you mind if I took a quick picture of our hands? When they are intertwined?" You ask him shyly.
Corpse starts to laugh out loud. But he comes back to you. "No, of course not."
You hold out your hand to him. "Can I post the picture on Instagram? You know. A little bragging that I finally met you. I'll link you, of course." You blush.
"As long as you link me, it's all good." Says Corpse ironically. He doesn't care if you link him or not.
"Shall I take the picture?" You nod and hand him your phone. His hand holds yours tightly. He takes the picture and hands you your phone again.
"Is that good?" You nod. "Thank you."
"Then hurry to bed. Otherwise you know what Karl is doing." Jokes Corpse.
"That's right." You smile and enter your room. "See you next time, then."
"Bye."
You close the door. You turn around and walk towards your bed.
You sit down on it and go on Instagram. You post the picture and link Corpse. Under the picture you write 'Thank you for a lovely evening'.
You put your phone aside and go to sleep.
The next morning, you reach for your phone. You open Instagram and immediately see that your latest post got a lot of likes. Including a like from Corpse.
In addition, he now follows you and has posted your picture in his story and written 'Must do it again'.
No wonder that your post has so many likes when Corpse posts it in his story.
There is a knock on your door. You open it. Karl is standing in front of you.
"Did Corpse bring you back here before 10 p.m.?"
"Of course. You can count on him." You laugh.
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